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Oil Leak Continues Unabated in Gulf of Mexico; Tourist Businesses on the Gulf Coast Feeling Economic Hit; New Controversial Arizona Law Bans Ethnic Studies Classes in Public Schools; Disabled Veteran Teaches Other Disabled People to Surf.
Aired May 15, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN Saturday morning. It's 10:00 a.m. on the east coast, 7:00 out west in Utah. Are you having fun yet? We are.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we are.
BOLDUAN: Good morning. I'm Kate Bolduan.
ACOSTA: And I'm Jim Acosta in for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for starting your day with us. Coming up in the next two hours, we're headed live to the Gulf coast where the battle to stop the BP oil leak continues.
Meanwhile, the people living in the region have a fight of their own -- simply trying to make a living.
BOLDUAN: Plus, as if the state of Arizona didn't have enough problems with their image after passage of a controversial immigration bill, now people are protesting a bill that bans some ethnic education classes.
ACOSTA: But first, a look at some of the other top stories of the day.
Three people are dead in Washington State after a standoff between deputies and one of their own. This is Gig Harbor, Washington, just northwest of Tacoma. Authorities say Pierce County sheriff's deputy Allen Myron shot his wife's parents yesterday and then barricaded himself and his two children in his home.
The children got out safely. Both in-laws, however, were killed. A SWAT team found the gentleman dead in his home later on after that. This was a six-hour standoff that went on there in Washington State.
And dissent escalates while safety diminishes on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand today as anti-government protesters renew their battle with security forces this morning. The U.S. State Department is warning Americans not to travel to the Thai capital. At least 18 people are dead. Six people were killed today. We'll take you to Bangkok today live in just a few minutes.
And here we go again, that ash cloud spewing from a volcano in Iceland can jam up air travel in both Britain and Germany for the next few days. Britain says it could close some air space starting tomorrow, Germany perhaps on Monday. Right now things are literally up in the air. Experts say a lot will depend on which way the air currents travel.
BOLDUAN: So let's get you caught up on that growing oil problem in the Gulf coast. BP has been given the go-ahead to use chemicals to disburse the oil coming out of a broken pipe on the sea floor. The chemicals can be more effective underwater than on the earth's -- on the water's surface.
Still, this effort has never been tried before at nearly a mile below the surface. BP may attempt to insert a tube into the ruptured pipe to collect the oil. Meanwhile, BP also has a call containment dome on the sea bed which it could use to attempt to cap the leak.
And let's get more on the impact of this disaster from our Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds is in Biloxi, Mississippi, one of several Gulf coast communities watching the spill. Reynolds, you have been there really from the beginning in the Gulf coast. What is going on? What are you seeing today?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I can tell you here at CNN we have been seeing some very interesting things. CNN has been covering this from a variety of angles, not just what's been happening on the water but how it's been affecting people here on land, people, families, businesses.
The biggest development we have out today in the water happens to be, as you mentioned, the use of the chemical dispersant underwater, 5,000 feet down. But on land the big story is the affect it's been having on many local businesses.
From our vantage point, right behind it you have Highway 90 and the Edgewater mall. But here you can see a jet-ski rental spot. They rent out all kinds of umbrellas, chaise lounges, even a few kayaks here and there. The problem is you have more of these things than you do have customers.
And that's the situation that's been playing up and down for hundreds of miles around the coastline. It's been a tremendous issue. And part of the big story that we have today is that a lot of these businesses do remain open and they need you as a customer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to let you know we have a couple specials.
WOLF: At Shaggy's Harbor Bar and Grill in Mississippi, you'd never know there's a threat of oil looming in the Gulf -- island music, drinks at the bar, families enjoying steamed crab claws. General Manager Michael Dyson is even interviewing a potential hire.
MICHAEL DYSON, GENERAL MANAGER, SHAGGY'S: If you read the paper you hear the horror stories and what's going on with the Mississippi Gulf coast. And it's much ado about nothing. WOLF: It's not just oil booms offshore. Business is also booming.
DYSON: Our season doesn't officially start until about a week before Memorial Day and we kind of got a head start on that with all the people coming down wanting to help with the disaster.
WOLF: The Gulf coast chamber of commerce says tourism is down.
KIMBERLEY NASTASI, CEO GULF COAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's kind of bittersweet. The tourists really have been affected, have been canceling their trips. They're concerned about coming down here. On the same hand, we've had some people come down here that were planning on maybe coming down a little bit later saying they want to experience it before something does happen.
WOLF: In Gulfport, no obvious signs of tourism. White sand beaches are deserted except for Jeff Rose and his family who travelled from Illinois to meet a new grandbaby.
WOLF (on camera): You have the whole beach to yourself.
JEFF ROSE, TOURIST: I know. It's nice.
WOLF: Have you ever been to a beach this empty this time of year?
ROSE: No, especially on a beautiful day.
WOLF (voice-over): Tourists wouldn't have any problem finding a spot on the beach or on a jet ski.
JAYSON BANDY, JET BLAST: Everything has been kind of slow. Not much action, not many people.
WOLF: And 13 miles east most visitors to Biloxi are here for the casinos, this one ironically named Boom Town. The chamber of commerce is trying hard to fight perceptions.
NASTASI: It's still the beautiful Mississippi Gulf coast and we really want people to know we're open for business and we need their support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll get a half a dozen of these.
WOLF: The view from Shaggy's on the harbor is picturesque for now, but will it last?
DYSON: Running a restaurant, I always have a backup plan for everything, that what-if incidence. And I would hope a company that's worth $65 billion would have a backup plan for the what if this disaster happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Now the state of Mississippi has been saying it's going to jump into the water, the water is fine. And the reason they say that is because they've been conducting all kinds of tests. They've been testing vegetation and tissue samples from crabs right off the coast. But the coast itself and the barrier islands at this time remain oil- free.
But there's something I want you to look at. If you look over my shoulder, see some of the flags. Flags are all pushing to the northwest. The wind is coming in from the southeast, and there's a chance that breeze could push that oil a little bit closer to shore.
Bonnie Schneider will be coming up, the meteorologist. She's going to give us an idea of where this oil might be headed. Let's send it back to you guys in the newsroom.
BOLDUAN: And it really changes by the day when it's dependent on the winds, Reynolds. Thank you for all your great work down there. We'll keep checking back with you. Thanks so much, Reynolds.
Also want to let you know there is a news conference on this concerning the oil spill that will be coming up later this afternoon. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar as well as officials from BP and officials from the Gulf coast, they will be joining in, and we will bring that to you live at 2:00 p.m. eastern.
ACOSTA: Get this, Kate, turning to weather, you know, they're still drying out from historic floods in Tennessee. They're getting another dose of severe weather. Can you say hail the size of baseballs?
BOLDUAN: Whoa, that's huge.
And a new face enters the fray of the nation's long simmering immigration debate. This college student in Georgia hopes to graduate before getting deported. We'll have much more on that coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: You have heard about this, a state law gaining national if not global attention. We're talking about the fallout from Arizona's new immigration enforcement law.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely, and the boycott spurred by the controversial legislation. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer says she's forming a task force to try to get people to visit her state, and she wants to dispel what she says are untruths about the new ordinance.
Hispanic advocacy groups who want the law repealed have called for an economic boycott of the state. Numerous events and conventions have since been canceled, putting an estimated $18 billion from the state's tourism industry at risk. Wow.
And Arizona isn't the only state where illegal immigrants face the prospect of police deporting them back to their native country. A couple of counties in metro Atlanta are cracking down as well. One such case involves a college student jailed after a traffic stop on campus.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin introduced us to her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twenty-one-year-old Jessica Colotl is out of jail again. The college senior was jailed about a month again, facing deportation back to Mexico because authorities under one Georgia County under the law could arrest her lawfully asking for her immigration status.
Meantime, ICE has intervened and given her what's called a deferred action for one year. Basically she can stay in the states for a year, get a work permit, get a driver's license, and get her college diploma.
In the last few days, the sheriff in Cobb County where she was initially arrested issued a warrant for her arrest on a separate charge. Jessica has since turned herself in. She's bonded out and become the face of the immigration debate here in Georgia. She was good enough to sit down with me on a one-on-one interview.
BALDWIN: You got caught when you were parking and a guy pulls you over. You don't have your license and you end up in jail, long story short -- because they could lawfully ask for your immigration status in Cobb County. It is a voluntary law, but it is a law, and you broke it. Do you understand that?
JESSICA COLOTL, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION STUDENT: Yes. My intention is to obey every law and even though I technically broke the law, I'm just trying to fulfill my dream. I'm just trying to get my education. For me there's no way of using public transportation because I live in Wynette and I go to Kennesaw State.
BALDWIN: What does that mean for a national audience?
COLOTL: It's a long commute and I think it shows determination of how passionate I am about my education.
BALDWIN: On the flipside, if you talk to the sheriff in Cobb County, he says Jessica is not above the law. It is a law she broke.
COLOTL: She should know she should not have operated a vehicle without a driver's license, and then when she was dealing with my staff, she should have known not to give them false information.
BALDWIN: Now several immigration advocacy groups here in Georgia are calling on ice to sever its contract with Cobb County with regard to this 287G law. ICE says the whole point is to target hardened criminals. Other immigration advocates say Jessica is simply a victim of racial profiling.
ICE can look at cases, a case by case basis, and grant them some reprieve. They have exercised that authority for one year and did not issue a detainer for the arrest. ICE will review her case again on its merits at the conclusion of the one-year period. So in a year either she goes back to Puebla, Mexico, a place she hasn't seen in 11 years, or she gets to stay here in Georgia, the only place she really calls home.
Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: There's lots of talk about Arizona's controversial new immigration law. Now a law about ethnic studies in school sparks a new wave of protests across that state. Our Josh Levs is here to tell us about it. Josh another controversy in Arizona. What's this all about?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And people didn't see this one coming. We thought we knew what the controversy was about in Arizona.
Let's show you some video, some videos from students who are protesting this law which bans some ethnic studies classes in school. This is what they're saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: They're saying "Education is not a crime," that kind of thing. What I'll do is we have people on both sides of the issue that I'm going to play for you now, people talking about why they think it's a good idea, why it's a bad idea. Let's look at both sides, then I'll reality check them for you, the key stuff inside the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HORNE, ARIZONA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDANT: They divided the kids into different races so African studies for the African-American kids, Raza studies for the Latino kids, "raza" means "the race" in Spanish, Asian studies for the Asian kids, Indian studies for the Native American kids.
And particularly in the Raza studies they taught a very radical agenda. We have testimony from teachers that they were teaching kids they live in occupied Mexico.
KYRSTEN SINEMA, (D) ARIZONA STATE HOUSE: Tom is actually incorrect when he states that students are divided into these courses. The fact is very clear that these courses are open to all students. So any student of any race or ethnicity can take an African-American studies class and learn about the history of slavery and the civil rights movement.
Similarly they can take an Asian-American class and learn the history of Japanese internment camps and the exclusion of Chinese- Americans from our country. And that's an important part of the American education system. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right, so what exactly does this law ban? Let's look at it. This law says you can't have any courses that "promote the overthrow of the government or promote resentment toward a race or class of people." There's more. You also cannot have any classes that are designed primarily for one ethnic group.
And here is where it's particularly subjective. You cannot have any course that is advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treatment of pupils as individuals. That's a particularly tricky line because schools aren't supposed to advocate in general, they're supposed to educate.
How do you determine if something is advocating whether it's the way the teacher handles the topic or what's in the criminal curriculum. Who ultimately decides that? You can already foresee a lot of cases where it's tough to say, hey, they're breaking this law or not.
If it is decided that they are breaking this law, then that school could lose up to 10 percent of its portion of state aid. And Kate and Jim, at a time when schools need every penny they can get their hands on that could be a really significant hit if they're in violation of that law.
ACOSTA: Josh, thanks so much for that, appreciate it. And I guess, you know, it's just one of those issues that keeps coming up again down in Arizona. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays off.
BOLDUAN: I keep thinking that in the end it feels like it's going to be the teachers stuck in the middle who are really just trying to -- they just want to teach.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
BOLDUAN: They're trying to educate but definitely something that's stirring passions and we'll be following it.
ACOSTA: That's right.
BOLDUAN: Turning to Bangkok. Bangkok is now too dangerous for tourists.
ACOSTA: That's right. Tensions between the government and protesters are turning some streets into battlefields. We will get the latest from the embassies. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Let's get a check on some of your top stories happening now.
Congress is expected to hold an important safety hearing at the end of the month. FDA inspectors found numerous quality and safety violations at a Johnson & Johnson plant in Pennsylvania and shut it down last week. That plant makes children's Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl, among other children's and infant medications.
The FDA recalled many of those products.
And the nine-year-old sole survivor of that plane crash in Libya is on his way home. He was flown back to the Netherlands earlier today. His brother and parents are among 103 people who died in that crash. Forensic teams will begin identifying bodies today. It was devastating.
And after Friday's successful launch, the crew of space shuttle Atlantis will focus on a routine inspection of the orbiter and preparations for docking at the International Space Station slated for tomorrow.
And you are now looking at a live picture from the national peace officers memorial service. President Obama will be making remarks today at the service in less than an hour. The president will talk at 11:05 eastern, and we, of course, will bring that to you live.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ACOSTA: Turning now to one of our CNN heroes. This is an amazing story. How do you overcome tragedy to rediscover your zest for life? Well, if you are Dana Cummings, you focus on what you can do.
BOLDUAN: And not on what you can't. He is this week's CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA CUMMINGS, CNN HERO: When I learned to surf, it was amazing. You feel such a powerful connection with the earth and the water. I'm a veteran. I served in the Gulf War. I came back without injury.
In 2002 I was in a car accident and lost my leg. When you become disabled, you feel trapped. When I felt that first breath of freedom of riding that wave, it was so good and so inspiring. I wanted to share that feeling I had with others.
I'm Dana Cummings and I started an organization to help people focus on their abilities and not their disabilities through surfing. We work with people with disabilities. A lot are veterans. We just want you to feel the rehabilitative power of the ocean and surfing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got hurt on my way home in the Navy. I remember waking up in the VA hospital and not being able to move my legs.
CUMMINGS: It's amazing the recovery he made. He was told he would never walk again. Now he's surfing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I owe a lot to Dana and what it does physically for me. And what it does emotionally, mentally is priceless. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a little nervous but once we got started I wasn't scared anymore. It was really great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually got up on the first wave. I'm definitely coming back to do this again. This is awesome.
CUMMINGS: We always want to give our participants the power and the passion for life that we have. They've got to push themselves to the best of their ability, and if we can give them that self- confidence, that is a gift that no one can ever take that away from them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Well, in the past six years Dana Cummings and his group have taught more than 300 disabled people how to surf. To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.
Bangkok, that is a big story that's developing right now. It is still smoldering, guns are still firing, and be forewarned, the video you are about to watch is graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Violent clashes between the Thai government and protesters continue. We'll take you to Bangkok live. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Welcome back.
"We cannot retreat," that's the word from Thailand's beleaguered prime minister after three days of violence. Hospital officials say at least 18 people are dead and 161 wounded in intense clashes between security forces and "red shirt protesters," as they're called. who want the prime minister ousted.
The government reports six more deaths today, Jim.
ACOSTA: Wow. Our Sara Sidner joins us live from Bangkok with the latest on the escalating violence in Thailand. Sara, I understand troops have been authorized to use live rounds in certain circumstances. That's just unbelievable.
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have. The government says that they are allowed to use deadly force under the rules of engagement if they are threatened, if they are fired upon. They have gone ahead and done that, and they said it's all legal under the rules of engagement.
I want to tell you a little bit about what we saw today. We were on the northeast corner of where these protests are. There are protests in about a three square kilometer area.
What we saw today was very intense. What you would see in the street are tires on fire, protesters rolling more tires to try to make this large barricade and smoke screen. And then you're hearing blasts and gunshots and firecrackers. We also saw some protesters with sling shots behind that smoke trying to hit the troops on the other side of that smoke.
And from what we could hear it sounded like the gunshots were coming from that side of the street where the Thai soldiers are. Then we saw a gentleman as he's standing around get shot. We watched as people ran up to him, tried to help him, yelled for help, picked him up. He was obviously shot somewhere in the abdomen area.
He was bleeding, and then we noticed that he was suddenly unconscious. They picked him up and they ended up dropping him because he was so heavy. And finally emergency crews came in within minutes. They grabbed him, put him into the back of the van, and then sped off.
Two or three seconds after that, everyone started running. People started pointing to a building, pointing and saying the word "sniper." We could not see a sniper ourselves, but we just know people started to run and we heard more gunshots. Suddenly another person was hit. We saw her hit in the foot.
So it has been be a very, very violent day. As you mentioned, six people have been killed. We ourselves saw the two people who were shot were unarmed.
ACOSTA: Wow. You saw unarmed people shot.
SIDNER: Yes.
ACOSTA: Is that right, Sara?
SIDNER: Very clearly we did see that, yes.
ACOSTA: Sara Sidner on the scene -- or actually in our studio in Thailand keeping an eye on the scene in Bangkok. We appreciate your coverage very much this morning. Thanks a lot.
BOLDUAN: So take a look at this, surveillance cameras catching stunning images of rising floodwaters in Tennessee. They're absolutely amazing.
ACOSTA: Unbelievable.
Plus, is beauty more than skin deep? An x-ray of Marilyn Monroe goes on the auction block, yes, an x-ray. We'll show that to you in just a few minutes. Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back. You are looking live at a picture from the national peace officers' memorial service that's about to take place in a half hour. President Obama will be making remarks today at the service.
You're looking at Capitol Hill actually is where they're having this event in about 30 minutes from now, and this is to honor police officers who have died in the line of duty, so a worthy cause there that the president is going to be paying tribute to at about 11:05 eastern. We will bring that to you live when it happens.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BOLDUAN: So Marilyn Monroe.
ACOSTA: Yes. I know who she is.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: Good. She was a beauty icon, there's no question of that. But we now know that beneath the surface was a deeply troubled woman.
ACOSTA: Now some items tied to Monroe's rough final years are up for bid. Check this out. They could offer a deeper look at the starlet, in one case literally.
Brooke Anderson explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: This is what comes to mind when you think of an iconic film image of Marilyn Monroe, not this image. It's a chest x-ray of the bombshell that will be available to the highest bidder at an auction in Las Vegas.
DARREN JULIEN, JULIEN'S AUCTIONS: It's really the ultimate look into Marilyn Monroe.
ANDERSON (on camera): It certainly is. And you can even see her curves.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The x-ray is one of about 100 items linked to the star up for bid by Julien's Auctions. Darren Julien give us an early peek.
The value of the x-ray taken two weeks after her divorce from baseball great Joe DiMaggio is estimated at between $800 and $1,200. Also for sale, a dozen photos that were never publicly released, taken behind the scenes of "Some Like It Hot," including this one of cross dressing co-star and one-time paramour Tony Curtis.
ANDERSON (on camera): What memories come to mind when you see these photos?
TONY CURTIS, ACTOR: Marilyn on two or three occasions made descriptions of any a dress. She said "You look really nice. Not as nice as me, but nice."
ANDERSON (voice-over): There's also a 50-year-old couch from the home office of Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist, whose range of celebrity clients included Curtis.
CURTIS: Marilyn and I used the same sofa, maybe not at the same time, but we found some sofas to use at the same time. But that's another story.
ANDERSON: Dr. Greenson's family decided to sell the couch as well as gifts to and from Monroe because they've been stored away, including this nightgown given to the doctor's then 22-year-old daughter, Joan.
GREENSON: It was a little too much for me.
ANDERSON: Greenson says the entire family befriended Monroe during a fragile time, and her father knew he had his hands full. Monroe was filming "The Misfits" and divorcing the film's screenwriter Arthur Miller who wrote this part for her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're the saddest girl I ever met.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're the first man who ever said that.
JOAN GREENSON, DAUGHTER OF MONROE'S PSYCHIATRIST: With Marilyn, a lot of people wouldn't take her because she was a great risk of killing herself.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Dr. Greenson was the one who discovered the 36-year old actress' body after she overdosed. His daughter Joan still has some keepsakes, like this book of Arthur Miller plays.
GREENSON: This particular edition he dedicated to Marilyn, and in it she writes to me, "To Joanie, this, too, was part of my life, and I want you to know of it. Love, Marilyn."
ANDERSON: If and when Greenson decides to sell the book, there will be a market for it. Auction house owner Darren Julien calls Marilyn Monroe items an investment. Case in point, these two pairs of Monroe's high heels. A woman bought them for $3,000 in 1999 and sold them almost a decade later for $28,500.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: And another story you can't miss. We'll introduce you to a World War II veteran who is gearing up to serve his country.
ACOSTA: That's right, but not on the battlefield. Why he's going back to school to help fellow vets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: The consumer products safety commission is investigating complaints from some moms and dads that a new Proctor and Gamble diaper is causing burn-like rashes on their children. Pampers with dry max, which was released earlier this year, but an Internet crusade is already underway to bring back the old diapers, including a Facebook page with thousands of fans.
A lawsuit was also filed against Procter and Gamble Thursday in a federal court in Cincinnati. The suit claims babies have had severe reactions to pampers with dry max. One mother says it looks like someone took fire to her son and burned him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY BLANK, MOTHER: It can't even be described as a rash. It actually looked like burns on his bottom. His whole -- it was blistered and bleeding, the worst I have ever seen.
DR. KIMBERLEY THOMPSON, PROCTOR AND GAMBLE CONSULTANT: The evidence that we've seen so far suggests that pampers with dry max is not causing any difference in the experience the parents are having with diaper rash, period.
The challenges that when you introduce a new product like pampers with dry max, parents see a rash and they say, I have a new product, maybe that's the cause. But when you look at the overall safety profile and the consumer data that the pampers with dry max team has collected, it's very clear that the relationship is not there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Proctor and Gamble also says in a statement, quote, "Our own research validated by outside experts and physicians shows that dry max is a wonderful product that helps keep babies away from the very wetness that may contribute to rashes in the first place.
Although some attorneys may wish to profit from rumors and misinformation," the company says, "the dry max product is completely safe and does not cause skin irritation. We have every confidence," they say, "that we will prevail in this meritless lawsuit."
ACOSTA: Today is armed forces day, a time to say thanks to our service men and women. And with that in mind, we want to introduce you to an army veteran who has returned to college at the ripe old age 84. His aim, helping veterans back from America's more recent wars. Our Fredricka Whitfield has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a war hero. But retirement is not in the cards.
JACK SLOTNIK, 84-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN: Well, you can make a profession of deciding where to go for breakfast, and you read the local newspaper and one day runs into another day. So that's not for me.
WHITFIELD: So now at 84 years of age, Jack Slotnik is doing something else.
SLOTNIK: Look at that campus. I don't know how anybody learns anything.
WHITFIELD: Going to college. After passing by Lynn University's campus for years, he decided to attend as a freshman.
SLOTNIK: Good morning.
WHITFIELD: His war experience got him to stay. Christmas Eve 1944, the SS Leopoldville was torpedoed by the Germans just off France. Nearly 800 of his fellow GIs died while Jack, a young private first class, floated in the cold water waiting for help.
SLOTNIK: When I got fished up, I was stiff as a board they told me. I was in the water almost two hours. So I'm very lucky, I guess, to be here.
WHITFIELD: He served two additional years in combat, but says survivor's guilt plagued him for decades. So he decided to major in psychology, hoping he can eventually counsel returning vets.
SLOTNIK: Unless you've been a soldier, you really can't relate to a soldier. In World War II, the GI knew he faced an enemy. He wore a different uniform. It was pretty obvious.
Today's conflicts, it could be an 11-year-old civilian, it could be a 40-year-old woman, it could be a 16-year-old girl carrying a bomb. Nobody knows. Everybody looks the same, and there is no like fixed enemy, and maybe that creates the stress that these soldiers are under.
And my wife is going to scratch your eyes out for being so pretty.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Even at his age, it doesn't take long before he's just one of the guys.
DAN HENNESSEY, SENIOR, LYNN UNIVERSITY: We definitely want to take him out once before summer rolls around. I don't know if it's going to consist of an all-night event, but at least show him the social aspect of college life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope I have that much spunk when I'm his age.
WHITFIELD: That age brings a whole new perspective to a class.
PROF. JOHN PICKERING, AMERICAN HISTORY, LYNN UNIVERSITY: Well, he's lived 84 years. I mean, he's experienced things that -- and he still has a very good memory, still very sharp. And to have someone like that especially when you talk about a time period that he remembers, I mean, that's great.
WHITFIELD: Jack is set to graduate in the fall of 2011. So what's he planning next? Grad school, of course.
SLOTNIK: I'm having the best time of my life.
WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: And you are looking right now at live pictures from the national peace officers memorial service at the U.S. capitol. President Obama, I believe he's actually walking out right now and he will be speaking at this service. I don't know if he's speaking now or just walking in to attend the service right now.
This is a memorial service to honor fallen police officers and their families, so it's a very somber service, but one to remember and respect and honor. And the president is there today and he will be speaking it says scheduled for 11:05 eastern. You know we will of course bring that to you live. Stay with us, right after the break.
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ACOSTA: Turning back to the Gulf, the coast guard and oil giant BP are trying again today to stem the flow of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
BOLDUAN: And the spill and ensuing ban on fishing in affected areas of the Gulf of Mexico is causing a run on nearly everything seafood related. CNN's Patrick Ottman visits one family restaurant struggling to survive.
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BOB POPE, CONCERNED ABOUT OIL SPILL: I'm going to pick up oysters first, some crab claws, crab meat second. They will be picking it this morning. And then go and get some shrimp. The thing is the further they have to go for it, the more it's going to cost.
My name Bob Pope with a "P," and I've been here in this restaurant, August 1st will be 37 years. One of the things that you'd like to have, especially in this business, is as close to local seafood as you get. People come here -- you can buy shrimp anywhere. But to come here, they're looking for local shrimp.
My mother works here. She's been here with me just about -- she started three years after I got the place. And my nephew and his wife and actually just about the whole family has been through here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If a hurricane don't come and knock all that electricity out. And you know what to expect from a hurricane. From this you don't know what to expect.
ADAM POPE, CONCERNED ABOUT OIL SPILL: It's not even close to the coastline yet and they're already asking what kind of affect is that going to have? The seafood restaurant on the bay is covered with oil. I was telling my wife, it's time to move now and get somewhere else. BOB POPE: It depends how thick this layer of oil is coming in, whether it's an irritant or whether it ends up just a devastating glob of something.
I'm going to remain optimistic until shown otherwise that this is going to be something that will be short-lived. It will be a mess, it will get cleaned up.
We'll do what we have to do to get through it, get over it, and get it behind us where down the years we just talking about that oil spill. This is what we're good at. We take a whipping every once in a while here and you just have to brush yourself off and come back and hit it again.
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BOLDUAN: And we're going to get the latest on the oil spill a few hours from now in a news conference. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be there along with officials from BP and the coast guard. We'll bring that to you live, and that will be at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
