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BP Trying More Options; Boycotting Arizona: The Economic Impact; President Obama Discusses Oil Spill Cleanup

Aired May 14, 2010 - 12:00   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. Let's move on across the seas now to Pakistan, where Pakistan is reportedly holding a man who admits that he helped suspect Faisal Shahzad coordinate the Times Square bomb plot.

"The Washington Post" quotes officials who say the man has ties to the Pakistani Taliban. The U.S. has said the group is behind the attempted car bombing.

Well, here in the U.S., three Pakistanis are in custody after agents carried out raids in four states. One was on New York's Long Island. Another in Watertown, Massachusetts. Investigators say the suspect helped finance the bomb plot, but it's not clear if they knew the money's purpose.

Bangkok's downtown business district looks more like a battlefield today. Check this video out from a CNN iReporter in Thailand. Cheers ring out for the Red Shirt protesters. Then mayhem erupts.

All right. Similar scenes played out in other parts of Bangkok as Thai security forces tried to disperse the anti-government protesters who are the Red Shirts, as we mentioned.

All right. At least five people were killed today in Thailand. Several people, including journalists, have been wounded. The Red Shirts have been protesting for months now. They want the Thai government to hold new national elections.

All right. Top of mind here in this country still that oil leak that continues to spew for a long time. Reportedly, 5,000 barrels of oil might be leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. Now reports that the number may be triple, if not quadruple that.

Chad Myers is with us now because BP says it's trying to, I guess, exhaust a couple more options, try to stop this leak.

A tube would be one, descending this tube. What would that mean?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It would literally plug the hole that this video is now --

WHITFIELD: It's remarkable.

MYERS: You know, it's infamous now, because there was a man who is a volume, basically, decipherer. He said if the tube is this big, and it's coming out this fast, this is what I'm multiplying. I'm getting 70,000 barrels a day.

Now, what do barrels mean? Well, it's 42 gallons per barrel. I know you think of a 55-gallon drum. That's not how they measure oil.

Forty-two gallons per barrel. So, you multiply that out, that's almost three million gallons a day, if he's correct.

WHITFIELD: Gosh.

MYERS: But it's not all oil that's coming out of this tube. There's natural gas coming out of this tube.

And if this was a well that was actually working, if it was really working, you would get both. You would get oil and you would also get natural gas out of there.

So, that would kind of slow down the amount or reduce the amount of literally oil coming out. And the oil is moving. The oil is moving this week.

And why is it moving? It's moving, Fred, because the wind has been out of the southeast all week.

And that fetch -- we call it fetch -- we call the wind coming in from the same direction -- now is moving the oil. The reason why it's moving is because the winds that we've had in the past have been something like this, one day this way, one day this way, one day this way. And it kind of kept it all of the around the spill source.

WHITFIELD: So that's why it's kind of breaking up the oil that we heard Thad Allen saying earlier.

MYERS: Exactly. Exactly. It's been breaking it up and it's been just kind of keeping it all in one area.

They've been spraying these dispersants on it. It's been kind of floating around and going down and sinking.

Well, this long wind direction from one direction is now pushing it on to the -- I don't want to say beaches. There are a few beaches in here, but this is the fishery. This is the bayou. This is the nursery of the Gulf of Mexico, where all the fish are born, literally.

It's where the plankton is eating. It's where the fish eat the plankton. It's where the fish eat the shrimp, and so on and so on and so on.

And so now you have this disaster where there's oil in the food chain. And when you lose the lowest layer of the food chain, you eventually lose the upper layers of the food chain as well.

Hopefully, that's not us. But in the Gulf of Mexico, when things start to eat these oil-infested or oil-infected animal, even if it's small, little plankton, then they're going to ingest the oil, and it's poison.

WHITFIELD: Right. They're contaminated. Yes, a big problem.

OK. There was another option. We know about the big container that was attempted. BP lowered it, you know, 92 tons of that nature. It didn't work.

But they are going to attempt something very similar. It's smaller, right, in measurement? They're calling it the top hat.

How is this going to be more effective?

MYERS: Yes. Well, they don't know, to be honest.

But what's going to happen with this top hat thing, because it's smaller, they are going to fill it with basically antifreeze. What happened the last time is, because this oil and this natural gas was coming out so fast, think about if you tried to blow a cool off a cup of coffee. You'd take your lips and you'd make it nice and small, and you blow on it, and you know that the air coming out is cooler than if you go, ah, because that doesn't cool off your coffee.

So, when you make the hole in your lips smaller, and then that gas or the air in your mouth then expands, it cools off. So that's how you cool off the coffee. That's why you do this, because it works.

But think about this. There is a large hole that's coming out with highly-pressurized oil and highly-pressurized natural gas. When that natural gas expands into the -- not atmosphere, but under the water, it expands as well.

And when it expands it cools off. So, then you have a very super-cooled environment down there, and that caused the hydrates to be made in this old big cone.

They're going -- this new cone, this top hat, is not going to be nearly as efficient as the old one can be. This is just kind of a cone that's going to kind of catch it as it's coming out. Rather than encase the entire BOP, or the blowout preventer, they're not going to try to encase it. They're just going to try to set this thing very close to it and then allow the oil and the gas to be sucked in.

WHITFIELD: So, before it could be so cooled -- before it could -- the temperature could change, that it would freeze up like it did in the first attempt?

MYERS: Yes. But it's also small enough that they will be able to keep pumping antifreeze into it to keep those hydrates from clogging up the entire system.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating stuff. All right. Well, of course, everyone is hoping that there is some way in which to stop this leak.

Thanks so much, Chad. Including President Barack Obama. We actually are awaiting his comments from the White House. He'll be talking about this matter and what this government might be able to do this point forward. And, of course, when it happens, we'll take it live.

Meantime, more cities are joining the boycott of Arizona. How is that state's immigration law affecting its economy? We're digging deeper.

And we have this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Waking up in the hospital with no arms and legs, going, what happened? What's going on here? And then he tells me. And his story will knock your socks off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, wait until you hear how this happened. A horrifying and heartwarming story.

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. Breaking news this week meant that we couldn't bring you your "Random Moment of the Day." So here are a few randoms that you actually missed.

Video surfaces of a robber in action in England. And he quickly gets taken out of action. Just watch. An amateur rugby player whacks him twice with a chair and then holds him on the floor until police arrive.

All right. And check the ID card. There you go. Yes, you are looking at none other than Lord Jesus Christ III.

This Massachusetts man legally changed his earthly name to something more divine, "Lord." Or is that Mr. Christ? It came to the media's attention recently when he got hit by a car.

And watch this. A bear's motherly instincts go to work right there.

A baby bear is stuck at the top of this rather puny tree. Mama spends a good minute shaking an d bending the tree, as you saw right there. And she said, you know what? I'm just going to go ahead and climb this tree to get my baby. Her weight brings the baby bear gently back to earth, sort of.

Concluding another successful edition of our "Random Moment of the Day." Nobody got hurt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. Arizona tourism officials say boycotts launched over the new law clamping down on illegal immigration have actually cost the state millions of dollars already. Governor Jan Brewer has formed a task force to turn that around and get more people to support the state.

She told a group last night that a lot of folks simply have the law all wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: I think (INAUDIBLE) racial profiling. You know, racial profiling is illegal. You're not going to be asked for identification unless you're committing a crime. You know, for those people that are flying in, they already have that identification, most of them, when they get on the plane.

You know, it's a great place. We're all living here. We're all happy. You know, there's a lot of drama out there that's necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. That task force is not focused on changing Arizona's immigration law, but instead is concerned with the impact of the boycott.

So, how much has Arizona actually been affected by those boycotts? Ines Ferre back with us now to give us an idea.

Pretty significant numbers?

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, pretty significant. And Fred, let me just show you first, at least 19 cities have either implemented boycott measures or are considering them.

And here you have some of them, including Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Los Angeles, this week, their city council approving a measure to boycott business with Arizona. And you can see how much Los Angeles does in business with Arizona each year -- $56 million a year.

Now, how much has Arizona lost in business? Well, the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association says that 23 conventions or major events have been canceled, $10 million have been lost in revenue. So, definitely, they are feeling this impact, according to the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association.

And what they're saying is that they're concerned about these guys, 200,000 employees that they have. And they're saying, look, this is not really about politics. What we just want to make sure is that our economy is not impacted, that our employees aren't impacted -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ines Ferre, thanks so much.

We're going to straight to the White House right now. There is the president of the United States getting ready to talk about the Gulf oil spill.

Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody.

I just finished meeting with some of my cabinet and administration officials about the ongoing efforts to stop the BP oil spill. And I want to give the American people an update on these efforts, but I also want to underscore the seriousness and urgency of this crisis.

The potential devastation to the Gulf Coast, its economy, and its people require us to continue our relentless efforts to stop the leak and contain the damage. There's already been a loss of life, damage to our coastline, to fish and wildlife, and to the livelihoods of everyone from fishermen to restaurant and hotel owners.

I saw firsthand the anger and frustration felt by our neighbors in the Gulf. And let me tell you, it is an anger and frustration that I share as president. And I'm not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.

Now, the most important order of business is to stop the leak. I know there have been varying reports over the last few days about how large the leak is, but since no one can get down there in person, we know there's a level of uncertainty.

But as Admiral Thad Allen said today, our mobilization and response efforts have always been geared toward the possibility of a catastrophic event. And what really matters is this -- there's oil leaking and we need to stop it, and we need to stop it as soon as possible.

With that source being 5,000 feet under the ocean surface, this has been extremely difficult. But scientists and engineers are currently using the best, most advanced technology that exists to try and stop the flow of oil as quickly as possible.

Our second task has been to contain the spill and protect the Gulf Coast and the people who live there. We are using every available resource to stop the oil from coming ashore. Over one million feet of barrier boom have been deployed to hold the oil back. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of dispersant have helped to break up the oil, and about four million gallons of oily water have been recovered. Thirteen thousand people have been mobilized to protect the shoreline and its wildlife, as has the National Guard.

And this week we also sent to Congress the legislation that would provide us with the additional resources to mitigate the damage caused by this spill. And I asked for prompt action on this legislation.

Now, it would help with cleanup efforts, it would provide unemployment assistance and job training to folks whose jobs are affected by this crisis, ,and it would help with the region's economic recovery. That's why this legislation is important.

It would also help ensure that companies like BP that are responsible for oil spills are the ones that pay for the harm caused by these oil spills, not the taxpayers. This is in addition to the low-interest loans that we've made available to small businesses that are suffering financial losses from the spill.

Let me also say, by the way, a word here about BP and the other companies involved in this mess.

I know BP is committed to pay for the response effort. And we will hold them to their obligation. I have to say though, I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter.

You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else. The American people could not have been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn't.

I understand that there are legal and financial issues involved, and a full investigation will tell us exactly what happened. But it is pretty clear that the system failed, and it failed badly. And for that, there's enough responsibility to go around. And all parties should be willing to accept it.

That includes, by the way, the federal government. For too long, for a decade or more, there's been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies.

That cannot and will not happen anymore. To borrow an old phrase, we will trust, but we will verify.

Now, from the day he took office as interior secretary, Ken Salazar has recognized these problems and he's worked to solve them. Oftentimes, he has been slammed by the industry, suggesting that somehow these necessary reforms would impede the economic growth.

Well, as I just told Ken, we are going to keep on going to do what needs to be done. And so I've asked Secretary Salazar to conduct a top-to-bottom reform of the Minerals Management Service.

This week, he announced that the part of the agency which permits oil and gas drilling and collects royalties will be separated from the part of the agency in charge of inspecting the safety of oil rigs and platforms and enforcing the law. That way there's no conflict of interest, real or perceived.

We've also ordered immediate inspections of all Deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico, and we've announced that no permits for drilling new wells will go forward until the 30-day safety and environmental review that I requested is completed. We're also closing the loophole that has allowed some oil companies to bypass some critical environmental reviews. And today we're announcing a new examination of the environmental procedures for oil and gas exploration and development.

Now, as I've said before, domestic oil drilling continues to be one part of an overall energy strategy that now includes more clean, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, than at any other time in our history. But it's absolutely essential that going forward, we put in place every necessary safeguard and protection so that a tragedy like this oil spill does not happen again.

This is a responsibility that all of us share. The oil companies share it, the manufactures of this equipment share it, the agencies and the federal government in charge of oversight share that responsibility. I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility.

The people of the Gulf Coast need our help. And they deserve nothing less than for us to stand up and do whatever is necessary to stop this spill, prevent further damage, and compensate all those who have been harmed already. That's our job.

It's also our job to make sure this kind of mess doesn't happen again. It's a job we've been doing. It's a job we will keep doing until this well is capped and the spill is cleaned up and all claims are paid.

Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. President Barack Obama there from the Rose Garden talking about the promise of trying to bring about some reform as it pertains to the federal Minerals Management Services, which reportedly has a record of allowing companies to drill without the proper permitting.

He also said, "For too long, there's been a cozy relationship between oil companies and the federal government," and he says that cannot and will not happen anymore. The president also spelling out all the efforts that have already been under way, but he said first and foremost, the most important order of business is to stop this leak.

Reportedly, BP said 5,000 barrels of oil was leaking per day. Now, by some estimates and some researchers, that that number may be triple, maybe be even quadruple.

And the president says that -- admits this has been extremely difficult, despite the fact that one million feet of boom has already been laid, 100,000 gallons of dispersants have been dispensed. Thirteen thousand people, he says, have been mobilized to help. And he is pushing for legislation, he says, in part to make sure that private businesses that may cause spills like this would be responsible for paying for it.

We're going to actually talk with a fifth generation fisherman along the Gulf Coast to see what he thinks about what he heard from the president. Did he hear what he was expecting? We're going to get his remarks about what he believes the future may be for their family fishing industry. We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jobs, businesses and a way of life threatened by that massive oil slick in the Gulf as BP tries to again stop the leak. President Obama promises that there will be some help for the communities affected by the disaster, and also made a vow to try to prevent something like this from happening again.

So, for fishermen and others who make their living along the Gulf, these are very anxious times. On the phone with us right now is Captain David Boola. He is a fifth generation fishermen in Venice, Louisiana.

So, Captain Boola, you heard the president. What are your thoughts?

CAPT. DAVID BOOLA, FISHERMAN: I was pretty impressed with most of his speech. You know, I want to highlight a couple of things here.

You know, he said that BP would be responsible and not the taxpayers. I mean, that sounds real good. He also says -- said something about a loan, which that's the only thing I disagree with. Without a job, how can you pay a loan? We've got to crawl before we walk.

WHITFIELD: Give me an idea of what the forecast, the immediate forecast, is of your business. Have your boats and have your staff or co-workers been able to make ends meet?

BOOLA: Actually, at the moment we're shut down, you know, for business. Venice, Louisiana, is the number one fishing destination of the world and we're currently shut down. We appreciate what BP is currently doing, but we would like to hear that we will be compensated long term. We just -- we're sitting here without a job right now.

WHITFIELD: I know a lot of fishermen along the Gulf Coast who are unable to fish, just like you, have instead, you know, volunteered their services. They are, perhaps, among the 13,000 volunteers who have gotten out there to try to help in any way they can to salvage their business.

Is that something that's been interesting to you, something that you've been able to do?

BOOLA: Actually, the fishing guides -- the fishermen haven't been able to do that yet. We're working on it at the moment.

Whenever all that took place, we were still operational. They only had half of our area shut down. And when they decided to shut the whole area down, we were kind of too late on it. We all were working to see what we could do to be a part of that, but we kind of fell behind on that.

WHITFIELD: So what are you going to do? How are you going to make ends meet? What do you do in the meantime while the world waits for this cleanup to take place, for the leak to stop?

BOOLA: I'm going to keep my fingers crossed. I'm going to shake every bush that's out there just like the rest of my fellow fishermen.

We're not going to just sit around and wait for something to happen. We're pretty aggressive. We're going to, you know, turn over every rock that's available.

We want to work. We're going to do whatever we need. We're going to get through this.

You know, this area is a strong area, and I believe that we will overcome this. You know, we just need BP to cap the well and not forget about us after they do so.

WHITFIELD: So, you do believe that you and your industry will overcome this. You're the fifth generation fishermen of your family.

Are you afraid in the back of your mind that yours might be the last generation if, indeed, the affects from this oil spill are long term?

BOOLA: Well, you know, all my family before me were commercial fishermen. I'm the first of the bunch to become a charter fishermen. And hopefully not the last.

I do have a son coming up, and I'd like him to have the opportunity to do the same thing. And you know, I grew up in Venice and I've seen this whole area, you know, my whole life and I don't want to see it go away.

You know, and it's scary to think that life as I know it could come to an end. I hope not. I don't want to see that. But, yes, you know, I'm real nervous. I'm scared, to be honest with you. I think we'll overcome it, but they have to cap that well.

WHITFIELD: Well, everyone hopes it will turn around.

Captain Boola, thanks so much for joining us from Venice, Louisiana. And all the best.

BOOLA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to shift gears quite a bit. "The Boondocks," you know that animated show taking a swipe at American culture and race relations. I'm actually talking live with one of the voices of that cartoon. She's actually two voices of that cartoon, actress Regina King.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The Dow is dropping. Let's check in with Felicia Taylor at the New York Stock Exchange.

Down a little over 200 points, Felicia.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, this has been a very volatile week. And today is no different.

The Dow has lost ground in six of the last eight sessions. A trader on the floor basically telling me though, it really is all about the dollar and the European currency, the euro.

The euro right now is at 124. That is the lowest level -- excuse me, 123. If it breaks below 123, that will be the first time we've seen that in about four years. First time we've seen that in about four years. The good news on that front, though, is for those who are traveling, obviously the currency is cheaper. However, it also makes American goods much more expensive overseas.

Right now the Dow is off almost 2 percent. We are off of our earlier lows this afternoon. We were down about 240 -- 242 points. The big concern here, though, is pretty much, you know, not only the debt crisis that's going on in the European zone, whether or not we're going to get any fresh news over the weekend. Some of the traders just simply don't want to hold on to their positions in case there is some new news. So there's a little bit of profit taking going on.

We've also had that news yesterday from the banking industry and the investigations that are ongoing on a federal, as well as the attorney general's taking a look at, you know, between four and eight different banks as to the trading practices that have gone on. The bank stocks right now are off about 4 percent. So, at the moment, it doesn't look like we're going to have a happy Friday to end this very volatile week.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no, we don't like that.

All right Felicia Taylor, appreciate it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me you don't want to be a part of kick ball history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to be a part of kick ball history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not making a request. I'm prepared to black mail you with a picture of you wearing Kanye West Venetian sunglasses, Notahuger (ph) jeans and Louis Vuitton driving shoes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's PhotoShoped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Explain that to media takeout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll risk it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, looks familiar, right? I bet you don't know the voices there. After a two-year hiatus, the show that never shies away from taking risks is back for its third season. "The Boondocks" is what we're talking about in our "What Matters" segment. The animated comedy series, which has had its share of controversy, strives to deliver witty commentary on American culture and race relations. But the popular show, might it come to an end? Will there be a fourth season? Joining us from Los Angeles to talk about this show, the future, the voice of two characters, not just one, Huey and Riley, actress Regina King.

Good to see you.

REGINA KING, ACTRESS: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Regina, I wonder, were you a big follower of "The Boondocks" comic strip before you became a voice of not one but two characters?

KING: Yes, I did follow the comic strip. And for those people that followed the strip and now the cartoon, there's a big difference between the two because the strip, he can be very current with events and social issues that are changing daily, whereas with the cartoon, we have to take time to be very selective with what we choose so that when the show actual starts to air, the things that we're talking about are still relevant.

WHITFIELD: So are you part of that creative process? I mean, you know, do you interject with, I don't think Huey would do that. Oh, I think Riley would do it this way. And because you are - you are playing the character voices of two, an eight-year-old and a 10-year- old, boys, by the way.

KING: Yes. Yes. And I do. We all -- we all are able to input our own ideas. Obviously this show has been going on for three seasons on TV, but we've been recording this show and been a part of this show for seven years now. So there's some choices that I think are very specific to Huey that I won't let Huey do and some things that are Riley, that, you know, Riley's just wild and, you know, anything that comes out of his mouth matches him. But Huey is a much more thoughtful, provocative young man. So Huey, I have to really make sure he stays true to who he is.

WHITFIELD: So you're an actress. You're an artist. But how do you, you know, bring the distinction between these two characters? You didn't set out to do two voices, did you?

KING: No.

WHITFIELD: It just happened that, you know, they felt like nobody was more perfect than you. But then it was up to you and your creativity and your artistry to make them distinctively different.

KING: Yes, you're right, I did not set out to do both voices. I actually auditioned for the part of Riley and gotten that part. And a year had gone by and we -- well, we had a hard time, I'm including myself, finding a Huey that worked. And so being the artist that I am, I asked if I could go back in and audition for Huey. And I did. And here we are now talking about Huey and Riley. It's been an amazing journey. Huey is Aaron's baby. I think Huey definitely - that's Aaron's -

WHITFIELD: And Aaron McGruder is the creator of "Boondocks."

KING: Aaron McGruder is the creator. It's his opportunity to express himself through anima.

WHITFIELD: And we know in his expression, traditionally over the years, whether it be the comic strip or maybe even thigh, you know, comedy show here, he has never shied away from controversy. Is that what has made it so appealing to people for three seasons now? Or might it also be the demise if there is no fourth season, in your view?

KING: You know, I think there have been rumors that there's not going to be a fourth season. I guess that was said some place. I don't think that that is the reason why it's remained popular, even with two-year hiatuses. I think people really appreciate, even if you don't agree with the opinions that are shared on "The Boondocks," people appreciate the honesty and just seeing on TV something just to racy and like, I can't belief those words just came out of that cartoon character's mouth, but yet you know someone who kind of shares the same, you know, way of thinking as the characters on "The Boondocks."

WHITFIELD: Yes, that boldness is perhaps what makes it so unique and that's why its so appealing to so many people.

KING: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Regina King, thanks so much. Always great to see you on the silver screen, on the big screen, and hear you as well, too, on "Boondocks." Thanks so much.

KING: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, of course, you can check out "The Boondocks" on Sunday nights at 11:30 Eastern on the Cartoon Networks' Adult Swim. And, of course, to read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine on newsstands right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. After giving birth to a healthy baby, doctors in Texas say Katy Hayes had less than a 5 percent chance of surviving. An aggressive infection set in that required her husband to make an impossible decision. Janet St. James from CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATY HAYES, MOTHER: Lay here and go, he's an angel. Wow. So what if he doesn't clean the dishes (ph).

JANET ST. JAMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Petty complaints of a comfortable marriage have all meted away for Katie and Al Hayes. The loving couple already had two terrific children, but it's the birth of the third that changed everything. The last thing Katie really remembers is giving birth at her Houston area home February 10th. And then this.

K. HAYES: Waking up in the hospital with no arms and legs, going, what happened? What's going on here? And then he tells me. And his story will knock your socks off. Because I had no idea I was going through all that.

ST. JAMES: She was unconscious the entire time, unaware that a common Strep A infection had set in and was eating away at her body. Unaware of the incredibly difficult decision her husband made to amputate her arms and legs in the hopes of maybe saving her life.

AL HAYES, HUSBAND: And I decided that I loved her so much that the risk was worth it. That if we came out and I had to spend a lifetime taking care of her, that the risk was worth it to not - to not say that I gave up on her. Right? She's my best friend.

ST. JAMES: At first he admits he wondered if she'd forgive him.

A. HAYES: Hi, gorgeous.

ST. JAMES: There is no doubt now.

A. HAYES: You're doing good today.

K. HAYES: It's a complete miracle I'm alive. So I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. I wouldn't be here for my kids, you know, if they hadn't have taken the arms and legs.

ST. JAMES: Katy Hayes may not have limbs, but she does have life, and lives worth living for.

K. HAYES: I got three beautiful children, so I'm doing good.

ST. JAMES: And Katy says she will, one day, learn to walk. Perhaps at the same time as her baby girl.

Janet St. James, Channel 8 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. And our CNN medical team tells us that strep cases this severe are rare. Pregnant women, such as Katy Hayes, are more vulnerable because they have suppressed immune systems. Each patient reacts differently, however. Some common symptoms of a strep infection include sore throat, fever over 102 degree, and vomiting. So if you have these kinds of symptoms, you need to seek medical care.

All right. Well, how can you guard your cell phone information before you toss that old phone to bring in a new one? Some tips on guarding your privacy straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, credit card debt. A lot of people are struggling with it. Our Stephanie Elam has gathered experts to answer some of your questions.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Ryan Mack, president of Optimum Capital Management, and Donna Rosato, senior writer with "Money" magazine. Thanks so much for being here today.

Let's get right to our first question which comes from Dee who writes in, "if you have a credit card that is closed and a current credit card both with balances, which one should you pay off first?"

What do you say, Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, in this economy, a very volatile economy, cash is king. So you want to make sure you have a lot of capital for emergencies. The next best thing is making sure that - while you're paying your minimums, that line of credit that you have access to. So the one that you have still open and available to you, if you start paying that down, you'll be able to open up and have a larger line of credit for - in case of emergencies.

ELAM: All right. There's a plan there.

The next question comes from Charles. He writes in, "I just got a small settlement and it will pay off my credit card in full. However, my FICO is 734 and I want it to rise. Do I pay it off or just pay off some of it and then put the rest into savings?"

What do you think, Donna?

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Well, first of all, good for Charles for paying down some of his debt. And if you want to improve your credit score, a great way to do that is to pay down the amount of debt that you've got. Now, if he uses some of it and he keeps - and he has a balance of 30 percent or less on his credit card, then it's going to definitely improve his score.

But if he wipes out his entire debt, it's definitely going to have a more significant improvement on his credit score. But you have to keep in mind that the amount of debt you have is only one factor when it comes to figuring out what your credit score is. There's a host of things that go into it. So, for example, if you had some late payments or have been delinquent, that's going to factor in, too. So paying down debt will help you a lot, but you've got to keep the whole big picture in mind as well.

ELAM: Yes, so we hopefully gave some people some plans of action here on what they should do.

All right, "The Help Desk" is all about get you answers. Send me an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. Or log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It's on newsstand now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Stephanie, thanks so much.

So, what's hot on the web? Would you believe diapers? Oh, there's always FaceBook to talk about as well.

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WHITFIELD: I told you this is the time to be hip.

All right, it's time to check out what all of you are checking out on the World Wide Web. And it's all the things hot, which is why we've got Ines Ferre here with us now, hot mama.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what's hot, diapers. Diapers are hot.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FERRE: Those smelly diapers.

WHITFIELD: Why in the world is this hot? What are people saying?

FERRE: No, this is a page on Facebook that a mom started. And she wants Pampers to bring back the old Cruisers and Swaddlers. Now you remember that Pampers came out with a new diaper. It's using this Dry Max technology, which they say is much better, but some people are saying that it causes rashes, some chemical burns. That's what they've been accused of.

So - and Pampers is saying, no, it doesn't. In fact, they've come out with a statement saying, "there's no evidence that a single baby has experienced a serious skin safety issue as a result of Dry Max." And, in fact, they're doing their own little online thing where they actually have put up videos on YouTube to show what their technology does, this new technology for their diapers.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Oh, pulling away the liquid. Yes, we've all seen those kinds of commercials, haven't we?

FERRE: Yes, but check this out. Over 7,000 members on that side already for, bring back the old ones.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

FERRE: OK. And then on FaceBook, this is from cnn.com, some people are quitting FaceBook because of privacy concerns. So we've heard so much about privacy concerns, right, over the last few weeks. Some people are saying, all right, I've had enough of this. No more stuff online.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm actually not surprised because people put their entire lives on FaceBook. All the information, maybe except their Social Security Number. But enough information that if, you know, someone is up to no good, they could use that info against you.

FERRE: Well, and we don't know how many people have actually quit and FaceBook says that, in fact, they've grown by more than 10 million since late April. And they're also coming up with more security measures.

WHITFIELD: OK. Maybe that will help.

FERRE: Yes, maybe it will help.

Well, they've got over 400 million users. I don't know.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, that's an extraordinary number.

FERRE: It's crazy.

WHITFIELD: All right, it's a crazy world out there.

FERRE: That's it.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Ines, that's enough. That's good. Happy Friday.

FERRE: You, too. And everyone.

WHITFIELD: All right. OK. So, how about this? Maybe you are planning to upgrade your cell phone. Well, what can you do to make sure that the information in the old one that you want to throw away or dispense doesn't fall in the wrong hands? We've got some tips for you.

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WHITFIELD: OK. So it always happens, you buy a cell phone and another one comes on the market that's supposed to be even better. So when it's times to switch, what do you do with your old phone? Do you throw it away? Do you donate it? And what about all that information that's on it? Tech expert Katie Linendoll is in New York. She's back with us now.

OK, so, Katie, how do you know and how do you try to get rid of all that information that's on your cell phone first before you actually throw it away?

KATIE LINENDOLL, CNN TECH EXPERT CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, this is actually one of the main reasons people aren't donating or even cashing in those old cell phones. They're letting them sit in junk drawers for years because we're so paranoid about all of our information getting out there, you don't want to donate that phone and then someone ends up with all your contents, your e-mails and all of your information.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LINENDOLL: So, it is a one-stop shop. All you do is you go to the website, recellular.com. You type in your make and model number. And, by the way, if you don't know what kind of model phone you have, pop up that back battery cover and it will tell you right there, right next to that barcode. So super easy.

But, also, just type in your make and model number and then type in your e-mail address. In just moments, recellular.com actually sends you step-by-step instructions of how to delete all of the data that is on your cell phone.

WHITFIELD: Oh, excellent.

LINENDOLL: Super easy.

WHITFIELD: OK. So you go there and then - and it really prompts you through. So it should be pretty easy.

LINENDOLL: Very easy. Exactly.

WHITFIELD: OK. So how do you make sure that it's really all gone?

LINENDOLL: Well, this is a big thing. A lot of people are just taking it into the phone stores, which, of course, they're totally capable of erasing all your data. But we have seen far too many examples of refurbished phones go out there with people's contacts and e-mails and photos and videos still on their phones. So you really have to use this Web site to make sure that all of your data is really written off.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. Now some folks, you know, want to perhaps cash in their phone. That old phone. You know, get exchanged for cash. There's a place in which to do that. Gazelle.com. How does that work?

LINENDOLL: Yes, Gazelle is finally gaining popularity. And what's awesome is, no matter what kind of phone you have, and actually no matter what kind of electronic you have to boot, you just type that in to gazelle.com and they'll give you an offer. They even pay for your postage, which is super nice.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.

LINENDOLL: But also flipswap.com is another option. Go ahead and use flipswap or gazelle. And what they can do is they give you a bid, free postage, or you can even donate it to your favorite charity or cash it in for retail cash so that you can trade up and get a better model.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LINENDOLL: And with flipswap, this is cool.

WHITFIELD: And there it is right there.

LINENDOLL: For every phone that you donate, yes, they plant a tree, which is kind of cool and environmentally friendly.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's nice. That's very green.

LINENDOLL: So really take advantage, of course, of, you know, being green, doing the right thing, but also getting some cash along the way. Why not?

WHITFIELD: Cool. And there's another way of being green, earth911.com. In what way? LINENDOLL: Yes. Exactly, earth911 is another great stop because it's a way to recycle any of those gadgets. And also the gadgets that are kind of tricky and you have no idea where to dispose of, hit up earth911.com and no matter how convoluted it is of an electronic, they will show you a location center where you can drop it off. Lots of options.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good. If it's simple, I like it. All right, Katie Linendoll, thanks so much. I appreciate it. You have a great weekend.

LINENDOLL: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, I'm Fredericka Whitfield. The NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon, in for Ali Velshi.

LEMON: All right, Fred, thank you very much. Always good to see you.

I'm Don Lemon, in for Ali Velshi today. And I'm going to be with you for the next two hours taking every important topic we cover just a little bit further for you. I'll try to give you a level of detail that will help put your world into context for you. So let's get started, why don't we.

All right, so here's what's on the rundown for you.

We're entering a new and even more devastating chapter in that oil spill saga. Forget what you have heard over the past month. That oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico could be worse than we thought. Much, much worse. The president himself speaking about it just minutes ago and we'll show you what he said in just a little bit.

Plus, it is supposed to be the big social networking phenomenon, right? But why are some people now suddenly turning shy over Facebook? You might be one of them. We're going to talk to you about that one.

And the final countdown for one of the last shuttle missions. We are watching it live with you as Atlantis blasts off soon. So here we go.

So from bad to worse, since the April 20th explosion on the Deepwater Horizon well -- the oil rig there, oil has been really pouring and pouring out from that line under water. Now a new independent estimate says that as many as 70,000 barrels a day are leaking.