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New Searches in Failed Bomb Plot; Trying to Cap Gushing Oil Leak; Afghan War Casualties

Aired May 13, 2010 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Live from Studio 7 at the CNN world headquarters. The big stories for this Thursday, May 13th.

A moving scene at Arlington National Cemetery this morning. Afghanistan's president pays respects to the Americans who die in his country. Also --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This machine is very much secure if it is ever bombed.

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A new tool detects car bombs. The mobile X-ray machine eyeballs vehicles for explosives. And this story as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: Whatever you think you know about Robin Hood is a previously understandable mistake.

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WHITFIELD: Robin Hood goes medieval as the prestigious Cannes Film Festival opens on the French Riviera.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Tony Harris.

Those stories and your comments right here, right now, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

So right now we're following a developing story in the attempted bombing in Times Square. At least it's related, it's believed. Right now authorities are searching several locations in the Northeast as part of that investigation.

We have correspondents covering the story in New York, D.C., and Boston.

National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in New York with the latest -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

So, this would be 12 days after that attempted car bombing in Times Square that we are hearing about additional search warrants being served in the Northeast. As you indicated, both in New York State, also in Massachusetts and in New Jersey. That's what we are being told by federal law enforcement officials.

Now we do know so far of two specific locations in Massachusetts. One is at a house in Watertown, Massachusetts. That is just north of Boston. And there, we are being told that a search warrant has been served and two people were picked up and arrested in connection with that search warrant.

We are hearing our homeland security correspondent -- Jeanne Meserve is hearing from a U.S. official, as well as I as well, that the two people in custody there are from Pakistan. One is there because of a problem with his visa, overstaying the visa, and the other person was in the process of removal proceedings. That is, to be deported from the United States, and that person was challenging it.

Now, a separate federal law enforcement source has told us that two people that were under arrest are part of a collateral investigation involving immigration charges, not directly related to the bombing. We are still trying to sort that out.

However, there is a second location just a little bit southwest of Boston in a town called Waverley, and that search warrant is being served at a gas station there. And that place is being surrounded by federal law enforcement agents, including the FBI, with an assist from the local police there as well.

So, they are at that gas station as we speak, interviewing people. You can see that we have pictures there of agents looking at a car, focusing their attention on a car there. Don't know exactly to whom it belongs. Trying to find that out as we speak to see what connection that might have to the Times Square investigation.

And we're also hearing from a location on eastern Long Island. A local police department there is saying that they are assisting the FBI in some search warrants that are being served there as well.

So, this is all very interesting as we try to put this all together.

A federal law enforcement source tells me that part of this investigation and the serving of these search warrants has to do with evidence that was gathered after the attempted bombing, as they are fanning out to get more information about who put this attempted car bombing together, who might have financed this, as they tried to put all of those pieces of this puzzle together -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Susan Candiotti in New York. A very complex case. Maybe two out of those three locations may be connected to the investigation involving Times Square. One location, it appears as though they're mostly immigration violations, allegedly.

Susan, we'll check back with you momentarily.

All right. The view from down under. BP releases video of the geyser of oil spewing 5,000 feet under water in the Gulf of Mexico.

Take a look at that. Extraordinary.

We had a glimpse of this in a previous BP video, but this is the first full view of the leak causing the disaster in the Gulf. The stream occasionally becomes lighter as natural gas mixes in with the oil.

So, oil is spewing into the Gulf at a rate of more than 200,000 gallons a day. Engineers hope a new, smaller containment box will reduce the flow.

CNN's David Mattingly joins us from Grand Isle, Louisiana, with an update -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredericka, BP is going to have two shots at capping that leak, of that largest leak that we just saw in that video. The first attempt they're going to have is going to be using a smaller dome called a top hat. That's going to rest over the top of the pipe, collect the oil and funnel it to the top.

But if that doesn't work, they've also got another one in play right now. It's going to be a tube that they could insert inside that pipe to do the same thing that the top hat was going do.

So, they've got two possible solutions in play right now. They hope to have one of them working by the end of this week, possibly today, possibly tomorrow.

If they do work, they will be able to siphon off a large percentage of the oil that's been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico every single day. So they're very hopeful that this will work.

Remember, the last time they tried this, they were using that huge, massive containment dome. That didn't work, and that set us back almost a week. So now they've got two shots at this. They're hoping that one of these works to get this taken care of by this weekend.

WHITFIELD: Right. So freezing was part of the problem with that first containment effort.

So what kind of preparations, meantime, are going on to perhaps get ahead of the oil that is on its way to many shorelines?

MATTINGLY: Well, they've got miles and miles of booms deployed all throughout the Gulf. And here in Louisiana, they're trying something a little bit different.

They're actually trying to build up some of their damaged barrier islands. These were barrier islands that were damaged by hurricanes. And what they're trying to do is fix those gaps that were created in them and build them up some to create a last line of defense against this oil slick.

And we went out and talked to the Louisiana National Guard as they were involved in one of these projects.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: When you got here, this is where the island ended?

LT. KYLE GALLOWAY, LOUISIANA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: That's correct. You could see the shoreline right there.

MATTINGLY: So, you built everything from here all of the way down to that green spot down there?

GALLOWAY: Yes, sir. That's about a 700-foot breach that we filled in. We connected it last night.

MATTINGLY: Seven hundred feet.

GALLOWAY: Yes, sir.

MATTINGLY: OK. Watch out for the dump truck.

You've got a load of rock here that's going go on the oceanside?

GALLOWAY: That's correct. The intent of this rock is to break up the surf and keep it from meeting the sand here.

MATTINGLY: You want to make sure everything you put down here stays here.

GALLOWAY: Exactly.

MATTINGLY: Now, the plan is since you filled in the breach, it will stop right here.

GALLOWAY: Exactly.

MATTINGLY: Now, the plan is that, since you've built in this breach, if the oil comes this way, it's going to stop right here?

GALLOWAY: Exactly. What we have back here between Elmer's Island, which is what we're standing on, and Grand Isle is -- I like to call it an estuary. It's a vibrant ecosystem, and it's also an important breeding ground for shrimp. So it's ecologically and economically very important to the local community.

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MATTINGLY: Those barrier islands are great natural defenses against hurricanes. They're hoping that they will also be a great defense against the manmade disaster -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And David, real quick, any idea what the banging noise is behind you? Is that part of the preparations here?

MATTINGLY: No, that's not part of the preparations. That's construction going on near here. We're actually by the bay, here at Grand Isle, looking back to the west. So, completely unrelated, but there's always activity around here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

David Mattingly in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

OK. So the depth of the Gulf leak is what makes it so incredibly challenging.

Take a look at this. This is really incredible.

The source is almost a mile under water, where there's high pressure and total darkness. It's why BP is having such trouble capping this gusher. Sunlight can't penetrate the water past 1,500 feet. It's pitch black down there.

Also, at 5,000 feet below sea level there's extreme water pressure. We're talking 2,300 pounds of pressure per square inch, enough pressure to actually crush a submarine. With that kind of pressure, naturally-occurring methane gas in the ground can also cause a lot of damage. It's believed to have actually caused the explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the first place.

And the water is near freezing at that depth. Normally the water temperature is in the 70s on the surface this time of year. The water is 40 degrees.

All right. Other big stories right now that we are watching.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai honors the fallen from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top military commanders led Mr. Karzai on a tour of Section 60 just last hour. That's the patch of ground at Arlington where America's most recent war dead rest.

After almost nine years of war, the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq is approaching 5,500.

CNN's Josh Levs is here with a breakdown of these numbers.

Pretty extraordinary.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's always grim when we have to look at it this way, Fred. And since we're talking about Afghanistan so much, and since President Obama has been upping U.S. presence in Afghanistan, want I'm going to do now is show you what's been changing in terms of our deaths as a nation, the price we're paying in terms of lives lost inside Afghanistan.

Let's do this -- the red line I'm going to show you now is what's been happening since the beginning of the Afghanistan War. And you're going to see that each year, more and more U.S. deaths in that area. So, we're going back to the first full year of the war of 2002, and working our way up, up, up, up, up. That's where it hit in 2009, which was the highest of any year yet, just over 300. Then it's going to go down a little bit, but that's only because we're part way through 2010 and we don't know yet.

Now let's take a look at what's been going on with the coalition deaths. It's very similar.

This is the total coalition deaths. And you'll just see, it's followed the same trajectory as U.S. deaths in general, hitting that high of last year. So, basically, it's been going up every year, and we're only partway through 2010. But this is where we are so far right now.

Let's switch over to the Web, because one of the things I really like about what we have for you on CNN.com is a breakdown of who every single U.S. soldier is and every single coalition soldier who has given his life in the Afghanistan War. Here it is, U.S. and coalition casualties.

We have the face and the story behind every single one of these heroes who's fighting in Afghanistan. We talk to you about what he or she did, what their lives were like, what fight they were involved in or where they were at the time that they gave their lives.

And I have a piece of video for you. Any time we can show you a little more specifically about one of these people, we do. Let me show you this one.

This is a young man out of Connecticut, only 19 years old. His name was Tyler Griffin, a 19-year-old lance corporal who was from Voluntown. And - at the time that he died. The governor there ordered the flags at half-mast.

Just one example, Fred, of the kind of grim video that, sadly, we get every day.

And while we are here, I do want to let you know, you can always get a lot more information about all of the latest in Afghanistan. We have a lot of information that we follow right here at "Afghanistan Crossroads," with all sorts of information about where the war stands. But, obviously, I encourage people to check this out, because these are the heroes who are fighting on the front lines for us every day and, ultimately, in some cases, Fred, have given their lives.

WHITFIELD: It's remarkable. You can learn something about every fallen soldier.

LEVS: Literally every single one. Everything we can find out about them -- their face, their story, their name, where they came from, a little bit of information about them, so that it's not just numbers and stats we're giving you, but really that human fact.

WHITFIELD: All right. Josh Levs, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right.

A Marine unit that suffered heavy combat losses five years ago is shipping off again. Officials are not saying exactly where Lima Company is heading for security reasons. A hundred fifty members left Columbus, Ohio, yesterday.

They will undergo a few months of training in California before deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq or the Horn of Africa for about a year. Twenty-two marines and a Navy corpsman were killed during Lima Company's 2005 tour of duty in Iraq.

All right. They are fresh, they're yummy, and they're delivered curbside. We'll introduce you to the "Jobs in Focus" force behind this cupcake enterprise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is heading to Buffalo, New York, right now to hear what Americans have to say about jobs. Many of us can't afford to leave ours, much less start a new business, but photojournalist David Ruff (ph) found one couple that took a chance and found a recipe for success.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two almond joy, red velvet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone loves cupcakes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two dozen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in the middle of class right now and I came with one of my students to come to the cupcake van.

SAM WHITFIELD, OWNER, CURBSIDE CUPCAKES: Here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so excited. Oh my gosh!

S. WHITFIELD: In the middle of the day --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can't decide.

S. WHITFIELD: -- whether you're having a good or bad day --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my first Curbside Cupcake, and it's a red velvet.

S. WHITFIELD: -- you come out and you get to kind of feel like you're 10 again.

I'm Sam S. WHITFIELD, the co-owner of Curbside Cupcakes. Have a wonderful day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You too.

S. WHITFIELD: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See you next Wednesday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sam was working in a law firm. He's a lawyer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a classic chocolate place.

S. WHITFIELD: Yes, I was sitting in a law firm working with co- workers, and we all wanted cupcakes, but nobody wanted to get in their car and drive across town.

Two, three and change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just had the brainstorm. He said cupcakes should come to us.

S. WHITFIELD: Sharing the cupcake love.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

S. WHITFIELD: There you go.

KRISTI CUNNINGHAM, CO-OWNER, CURBSIDE CUPCAKES: I'm Kristi Cunningham. I'm one of the co-owners of Curbside Cupcakes.

S. WHITFIELD: We thought it was a good idea.

Key lime this Wednesday?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

S. WHITFIELD: We just didn't realize how great of an idea it was until we actually started it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

CUNNINGHAM: We don't want to look over our shoulders and have someone else have done it and think, what if we had tried that? So we said let's just go for it.

S. WHITFIELD: I'm letting Facebook and Twitter to let the next stop, Franklin Square, know that I'm on my way.

CUNNINGHAM: We did not do any of the more traditional marketing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got out here, but I've been waiting all day for the update on Facebook.

CUNNINGHAM: We trusted the market. And the Facebook and the social media help us stay in conversation with the market.

S. WHITFIELD: Here you go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awesome.

CUNNINGHAM: We left perfectly good jobs. He left his perfectly good job first, and then I left my perfectly good job later.

When we started, we had about 300 cupcakes on the truck. Today, there are almost 1,300 cupcakes on the truck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have become cupcake connoisseurs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks a lot.

S. WHITFIELD: I deliver cupcakes to the people, about four stops a day, Monday through Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Sam is quick. He is really fast.

S. WHITFIELD: Red velvet, carrot cake, peanut butter cup, dark chocolate, and the classic chocolate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

S. WHITFIELD: There you go.

I'm more stressed. I'm a lot more tired. But I am definitely happier. Usually when my clients saw me, they were getting sued. The clients I have now are all happy.

I think cupcakes are here to stay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

F. WHITFIELD: Wow! Sam Whitfield, no relation, but we do have one thing in common -- a love of cupcakes.

Don't miss the CNN special, "Jobs in Focus: A Sign of the Times." That's this Saturday, May 15th, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

And in just about 20 minutes, I'll be talking to one man whose small business collapsed in the middle of the banking downfall. Jeff Baker is in Buffalo, New York, where some say he's taken a rather creative, kind of in-your-face approach.

President Obama will be speaking later on this afternoon from Buffalo.

And more amazing images of Monday's tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. Look to the right and you see a funnel forming. It's the huge tornado that plowed across Norman.

iReporter David Mardis was on his way home. He says it's only the second tornado that he has actually seen in 45 years. We're checking on stormy weather for the Midwest today.

And the markets have been open almost two hours now, and there, the Dow down by about four points at 10,893.

We'll get a closer look at the markets and the money picture for you later on, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

F. WHITFIELD: So, as we mentioned at the top of the hour, federal authorities are using search warrants to try to learn more about the Times Square bomb suspect.

Our Jeanne Meserve is in our Washington bureau with more information.

So, more definitively now. Your sources are saying that there does indeed -- there is a connection here?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I'm told from the federal law enforcement source, that this is part of the probe into the financing of Faisal Shahzad's attack. Where did he get the money to buy the SUV, to buy the bomb components, to buy that ticket to try to escape from the U.S.?

And these locations, I'm told by federal law enforcement officials, may have been involved in transferring some money to Shahzad. I am told there is no specific information at this point that would link any of the individuals at these locations to the plot.

Two people, as we've mentioned today, have been picked up on immigration charges. One federal law enforcement source describes them as collateral to this investigation. A U.S. official with whom I've spoken says that both of these individuals are from Pakistan.

One is a visa overstay. The other was in removal proceedings. That is, he was trying to adjust his status so he could stay in the country. No decision had been made. He had not yet been ordered out of the country. Both of those individuals, we are told, are being processed in Massachusetts.

Now, the attorney general is up on Capitol Hill this morning. Just a few moments ago, he commented on this investigation. He said, "It is ongoing and we are actively pursuing all involved in this potential plot."

Back to you.

F. WHITFIELD: All right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much.

We're talking locations, Boston, Long Island area as well, right?

MESERVE: That's correct. That's correct.

F. WHITFIELD: OK.

MESERVE: The ones that we know about are in the Boston area today. A federal law enforcement official said earlier there might be some in New York and New Jersey, but the only ones we're aware of have been in Massachusetts.

F. WHITFIELD: OK. Very good.

Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much from Washington.

Much more in the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

F. WHITFIELD: All right. Some pretty nasty weather. We're going to check in with Jacqui Jeras now in the weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

F. WHITFIELD: All right. So, when school is out in summer, a lot of teens will be looking for work, of course. Stephanie Elam previews the summer jobs forecast, and it's a bit cooler than usual.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is heading to Buffalo this hour. It's the latest stop from the White House to Main Street tour, focusing on the economy and jobs. The president holds a town hall meeting in about two and a half hours from now.

White House correspondent Dan Lothian joins us now from Buffalo with a preview. What does the president hope to accomplish here?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you pointed out, this is something that the White House has been doing now for quite some time. They go out across the country and to talk about what has administration has been doing to try to strengthen the economy and to create jobs. So we will continue to hear that message as he comes to where we are right here, which is a company that does fabrication work.

As you pointed out, he will hold a town hall-style meeting, which means he will be taking some questions from the audience. But what an administration official says the president will be doing is making, quote, "an aggressive case" that steps that the White House and democrats have been taking and have not only helped to sort of stabilize the economy, but also create jobs.

But you will also hear from the president this push for Congress to do more to create additional jobs, in particular to help small businesses which the president has talked about that that is the key to creating more jobs because these small businesses are the engine to turning the economy around.

Why in Buffalo? Well this, is a critical area because like other hard-hit areas across the country, unemployment has been especially high. In March, it was around the national average at 9.7 percent, but back in February it was over 10 percent. So a slight improvement there, but people are still hurting here.

In fact, one of the things that everybody has been talking about here is a large billboard which was put up before the person knew that the president was even coming to town and it calls on the president, "Dear Mr. President, I need a freakin job," is the way he puts it on this billboard.

So there's a lot of pain here, just like you see across the country, people are waiting to hear what the president has to say that will make their lives better.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I laugh because it's very inventive although it's a serious matter. And Jeff Baker is one of the folks responsible for the billboard, he's actually going to be joining me in the NEWSROOM in just a few minutes to talk about this coincidence that the president is going to be in town.

LOTHIAN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Now any idea, Dan, whether the president's motorcade might happen to go by that billboard or even if the president even knows about that billboard?

LOTHIAN: It's unclear if the president does know about the billboard. As to whether he'll drive by, you know, the White House really tries to keep a very tight lid on the exact route that he will take here on the way here. It's possible that he will see it, but certainly, I'm sure, we will ask questions about whether or not the president has been told about the billboard.

But it's just one example of what people are feeling and facing, not only here in Buffalo, but across the country. They want to get work, they want their economic situation to be improved and they're hoping that the administration can do something to help.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Lothian, thanks so much. We'll check back with you throughout the day.

Of course, you at home, you can watch the president's town hall meeting in Buffalo right here on CNN. We'll be bringing that to you live as it happens at 1:50 Eastern time.

All right, it's that time of year, time to look for a summer job, but there are very few positions out there, aren't there? Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.

Felicia, summer is typically a boom time especially all the young people out of school. So what industry should they be looking for? FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, first of all, we'll just take a look at how many jobs are really are out there to find. CareerBuilder says there are about 20 percent of the employers out there will be hiring workers this summer. Now, that's about the same as last year. So that's good news, really, it hasn't dropped at all. It shows, though, that employers are kind of waiting to see how the economic picture really unfolds.

The key thing that a lot of people forget, though, is that summer jobs are really important. They're not really always temporary. Employers often say they would consider giving a summer employee a permanent position when the summer ends.

So you asked about hiring. Indeed, retailers, those are the number ones out there hiring right now. They're followed by the hospitality industry. Then we have office support, customer service and landscaping. So if you've got a green thumb, go out there and you'll probably be able to find a job. I, for one, would not be able to.

WHITFIELD: You have a brown thumb.

TAYLOR: I do. I can destroy just about any plant you put in my home, unfortunately.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no. Hopefully not even a cactus. Anyone can grow a cactus.

TAYLOR: I haven't tried that though, thanks, Felicia. I'll try that one.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Appreciate that, we're going to check back with you.

Remember we talked about Jeff Baker the man behind the big ol' billboard and he's hoping the president of the United States just might see it because he wants a job? We're going to talk to Jeff Baker right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New information on the search warrants happening in possibly three states based on the Times Square bomb suspect. Drew griffin with the special investigations unit joining me now.

We're talking about a connection with Faisal Shahzad, the alleged bomber, and there are other people in Massachusetts in particular, and we're talking about the financing end of it. Where did he get the resources?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Keep in mind, all of this is stemming from the fact that Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square alleged bomber, is still talking. He's still giving them information and the investigation is expanding.

What's happening right now is they're focusing on a cash courier system, we are told, from a source very close to the investigation. Cash couriers who bring money from outside the U.S. into the U.S. to finance operations like the Times Square bombing attempt.

It must be pointed out, Fred, that they're not exactly linking the Times Square bombing attempt to this particular cash courier investigation, but it stems from that. So, perhaps, this is somebody that Shahzad knew of.

WHITFIELD: There was some contact, allegedly between them.

GRIFFIN: Yes, allegedly. What we are finding out is that this cash courier system, they've been under surveillance since at least Wednesday.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

GRIFFIN: The raids have happened today.

We are not clear if the immigration arrests that were made or detentions that were made are connected to that or whether those people were simply at the wrong spot at the wrong time.

But they're investigating two individuals in this cash courier type of system which would be a way for somebody like Shahzad to get the finances together to perhaps buy plane tickets, buy the car, buy the various supplies he may need. This is an ongoing investigation.

WHITFIELD: Sources are saying that this surveillance that may have begun as early as Wednesday is the result of information they have actually gleaned from Faisal Shahzad.

GRIFFIN: That's right. Apparently, it's coming from the fact that he is still talking and that investigation is expanding. Perhaps there is an investigation now into a wider net of various individuals who are the so-called cash couriers who may be responsible for financing some of the people like Shahzad.

But again, we want to be clear, the source is telling us right now there is no direct link between the cash courier system under investigation now and the raids going on now in Massachusetts and Shahzad, other than it comes out of that investigation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Drew Griffin, thanks so much. Part of our team covering this investigation. Jeanne Meserve in Washington and Susan Candiotti in New York. Appreciate that, Drew, thanks so much.

Of course, here all the correspondents I mentioned right there all covering this story. And of course, as we get more information on this story we'll get it to you as soon as possible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, the 63rd Cannes Film Festival opened last night. It's one of the oldest and most prestigious events in cinema. CNN correspondent Brooke Anderson has more from the south of France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The music's thumping and the PA is blaring, that must mean the Cannes Film Festival is under way.

(voice-over): The red carpet was rolled out for the stars of "Robin Hood," marking the official start of the 63rd edition of the festival. Co-stars Russell Crowe and fellow Aussie Cate Blanchett were among the big names who made their way into the famed Palais for the world premiere.

(VIDEO CLIP, "ROBIN HOOD")

ANDERSON: Don't look for silly green tights and feathered caps in this version of "Robin Hood." Director Ridley Scott's take goes back to the medieval origins of the legend, as Crowe explained in a news conference earlier in the day.

RUSSELL CROWE, "ROBIN HOOD": We took a very arrogant perspective on this, which I believe you have to if you're going to retell a story that's been told for 1,000 years.

CATE BLANCHETT, "MARION LOXLEY": And hell, we're Australians, so...

(LAUGHTER)

CROWE: We took the perspective -- we took the perspective that whatever you think you know about Robin Hood is a previously understandable mistake.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Cate Blanchett got dolled up for her trip up the red carpet, but she said while shooting the film, her makeup consisted of dirt and water.

BLANCHETT: Mud. I used a lot of mud. I usually come down to the set relatively clean and Ridley would pick something off the ground and smear it on me.

ANDERSON: "Robin Hood" is playing out of competition, meaning it's not eligible for the big prize of Cannes, the Palme d'Or. The winner will be selected by an international jury headed by director Tim Burton. Nineteen titles are in the running, none of them directed by a woman and there are only two women on the nine-person jury.

At a news conference, jury member Kate Beckinsale was asked if that concerned her.

KATE BECKINSALE, CANNES JURY MEMBER: I'm really happy that we get to be the two girls together on this. Not super frightened of boys, so -- it doesn't really bother me. I'm just excited to be in such incredible company.

(VIDEO CLIP, "FAIR GAME") ANDERSON: Among the other films in competition "Fair Game" with Naomi Watson, Sean Penn, in the true story of outed CIA agent Valerie Plame.

(on camera): The Palme d'Or will be presented in the end of the festival which runs through May 23rd.

Reporting from the Cannes Film Festival, I'm Brooke Anderson.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM MCGRAW, AMERICAN RED CROSS: You think about Nashville, you think about, well, it's all the rich and famous country music singers live there, but this town is made up of people who live paycheck to paycheck, who work hard and those are the people who are suffering, those are the people that lost their homes and they lost their livelihood.

FAITH HILL, AMERICAN RED CROSS: They've lost everything.

MCGRAW: They've lost everything. It's total devastation and it's like that all over the city.

I don't think people should think that just because you saw it on TV one day and the water's gone that it's going to be gone away. There will be help needed for a long time and funds need for a long time.

ANNOUNCER: Make a difference, CNN.com/impact.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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(VIDEO CLIP, "INAFJ PROJECT")

WHITFIELD: All right, that's the message awaiting President Barack Obama when he arrives in Buffalo, New York today. The president is en route to the economically troubled city to discuss jobs and the economy overall. So that website and an interstate billboard saying, "Dear, Mr. President, I need a freakin' job" are part of the media campaign called the INAFJ Project. And the man behind it, Jeff Baker, joins me now from Buffalo.

Good to see you, Jeff.

JEFF BAKER, INAFJ PROJECT: Good to see you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So I understand you all put this message together, the billboard was well, well before the president you even knew that the president would be making his way to Buffalo. What an incredible coincidence. How effective do you think this campaign is going to be ultimately now?

BAKER: It certainly makes us look a lot smarter than we are. But we did, we booked the billboard a month in advance just because of the nature of it. We found out at the very last second that the president was visiting the town of Buffalo this week.

So it's had a profound effect on the launch of trying to redirect the national attention back towards real job creation and the economy.

WHITFIELD: So this collective message really came out of frustration, though, didn't it? Give me an idea of how difficult it has been for so many people to get a job there in Buffalo and why that precipitated this message.

BAKER: Well, it's unbelievable. As we were developing the concept and really took about six months to put it all together and develop the website, I had the opportunity to work with a number of really great college students from Buffalo State College. And that's what dawned on us immediately was, you know, it's not that long ago we were all graduating from college ourselves. And you go to school, you do all the right things, you get good grades, you continue your education, only then to face graduation with educational debt and be frightened to death.

So the college students were a real inspiration for the entire project.

WHITFIELD: So, it's catchy, it's clever, it's, you know, in your face. How effective do you think this is going to be as a tool to help people land a job?

BAKER: I think it's going to be really good in terms of it -- the job situation is a very hard thing to, you know, kind of disagree with. So we were very -- we were very careful not to draw partisan lines in really attempting to create an issue that, I think, all Americans can safely say was certainly the employment situation needs to improve.

WHITFIELD: So, our Dan Lothian is the White House correspondent who travel with the president, and he spelled out what the president's plan is in that he is expected to make an aggressive case on the steps the White House already been taking on creating jobs and how this White House has been trying to be forward thinking on the economy overall.

What do you want to hear from the president today in this town hall-style meeting in Buffalo?

BAKER: What I'd like to hear is that the president certainly could -- from experience -- you can easily find creative solutions from -- from basically uncertain places. So, in other words, rather than consulting with the GEs and the Caterpillars of the world, creative solutions can sometimes come from unlikely sources.

And I'm at least glad to see that he's dealing more with small businesspeople, people that I refer to as the boots on the ground, the guys that are struggling to make their payroll week after week. The guys who have five employees, ten employees, 15 employees, those fellas are really creative in the ways that they continue to function in their businesses and solutions to try to make their situations better.

WHITFIELD: Jeff Baker, congratulations on this media blitz getting a lot of people's attention. Now, hopefully, the president's as well. And good luck to you and so many others there in Buffalo still looking for a job and turning to this very creative route in which to do so.

BAKER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Baker, thanks so much.

Next hour, I'll talk to a graduate of Buffalo State College who is just entering the workforce and getting a little taste of reality, how difficult it is to find a job.

Arizona's contentious ethic studies banned. It's meant to cut out classes in public schools that promote resentment of racial groups, that's how it's being categorized. What does that mean exactly, and why is this new law touching a nerve with so many? Josh Levs takes a look in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

Plus, Arlington National's Cemetery Section 60, the final resting place of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our Barbara Starr takes an emotional look at what's been called America's saddest acre and the part it plays for children who have lost their parents to war.

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WHITFIELD: Two giant bomb detectors are on patrol in Pakistan. It's the government's latest effort to protect Islamabad from a bombing campaign but the Taliban. Our Reza Sayah reports from the Pakistani capital.

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REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Pakistan, trucks are not just for hauling goods, they're works of art where you'll find just about anything. But in the country plagued by terrorism, trucks have also been used to destroy. This is what a truck packed with explosives did to Islamabad's Marriott Hotel in 2008.

And this is Pakistan's newest weapon against truck bombs, a giant $3 million Chinese-made moving X-ray that has its own promotional music video.

FARKHAND IQBAL, PAKISTANI NATIONAL POLICE BUREAU: It's very much impressive.

SAYAH: Police official Farkhand Iqbal says four of the machines have already been purchased, 20 more are on the way. Iqbal's confidence is as big as the X-ray.

IQBAL: I think no explosive will come into the city when this machine is installed.

SAYAH (on camera): Absolutely no explosive.

IQBAL: Yes.

SAYAH: That's a pretty big statement.

IQBAL: No, no, it's -- yes, I'm giving you the statement.

SAYAH (voice-over): To show us how the X-ray works, police took us to one of Islamabad's two entry points where the system is already in place. As the giant X-ray arm scan trucks, a computer system detected what was hidden from the naked eye.

(on camera): Do you see any kind of blue within the organic flower, you know something's wrong. In this case, everything looks good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is clear.

SAYAH: How long before do you think militants will try to blow up one of these trucks?

IQBAL: They cannot blow it up.

SAYAH: Why not?

IQBAL: This is made of steel with, you know, (INAUDIBLE). And this machine is very much secure if it isn't bombed.

SAYAH: The technology in a giant X-ray is impressive. But officials here admit they can't X-ray every vehicle, so the system still needs the human element to be effective. That's why police officers manning the tollbooth right before the X-ray use their police instincts to decide which truck ought to be scanned.

(voice-over): The system can scan an average of 20 trucks an hour. Truck driver Majit Hahn (ph) says he hates the X-ray system because it takes too much time. "If somebody wants to do something, then they'll do it, even if it means using a plane," he tells us.

Driver Mohammed Sadic (ph) says he prefers God as his protector. But like it or not, his truck and many others in Pakistan will now be X-rayed to make sure they're just as harmless as they look.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.

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