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President Obama Honors Fallen Police; Damage Control in the Gulf; Costliest Colleges May Not Be Best Colleges

Aired May 15, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's 11:00 a.m. on the east coast, 8:00 in Los Angeles. Good morning, everybody. I'm Kate Bolduan.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta. We're both in for T.J. Holmes. It takes two to fill in for T.J. Holmes.

BOLDUAN: It's hard to fill that man's shoes.

ACOSTA: That's right. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Coming up, we are headed to the Gulf live where the battle to stop the BP oil leak goes on as the people living in the region fight simply to make a living.

BOLDUAN: And it's Armed Forces Day across America. A fitting time to bring you an emotional story about a college sorority that finds a way to use their sisterhood while serving their country. It's a great story. You're going to want to see this.

Plus, in just a few minutes, President Barack Obama will be speaking at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service. We are looking at live pictures right now. And President Obama is speaking. Can we take that live for a second you guys?

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The survivors of fallen law enforcement officers. Our hearts go out to you for your loss. The husbands and wives, mothers and fathers you loved, they protected us all, and all Americans are grateful for the lives that they gave in the line of duty.

To the active duty law enforcement officers who traveled from all over the country to be here, let me simply say thank you. Thank you for the service you are rendering to our nation and thank you for the sacrifices you are making on behalf of our people.

Every day in America families go about their lives. They wake up, sit down for breakfast, send their kids off to school. Then they head into the office or onto the factory floor and after putting in an honest day's work, they return home ready to do it all over again in the morning. We often take it for granted, this cycle of life. We know, of course, that chance can change everything overnight, but we also rely on a certain order in our lives, a certain sense of security that lets us sleep safely in our beds and walk around our neighborhoods free from fear and go about our daily lives without being the victims of crime.

That sense of security doesn't come on its own. What makes it possible, what makes freedom possible, are the law enforcement officers that we honor today. It's men and women like so many of you.

To anyone who has ever put on a uniform or worn a badge in the name of law, in the name of order, in the name of protecting and defending the United States of America.

What led you to live such a life? What leads a person to put on that uniform, to wear that badge, to enter the law enforcement profession? Part of it, of course, is what leads any of us to pursue a profession, a responsibility to provide for our wives and our husbands, to give our children and grandchildren a better life.

For some there's also a family legacy to honor, a proud inheritance an officer may aspire to uphold. But there's also another reason, a higher calling that led the men and women we honor today, like so many of you, to become peace officers. A calling to serve our neighbors, a calling to serve our neighborhoods, a calling to live a life in service of others.

It's a calling that carries immense risk. You don't know what dangers you will confront each time you put on that uniform or step outside in plain clothes. Whether you're a beat patrolman or a road deputy, you don't know what the next dispatch will bring. All you know is your duty, to keep us safe, to keep our communities safe, to keep America safe. It is a duty you fulfill every single day.

Today we honor Americans who lost their lives in pursuit of that duty, in pursuit of that calling. We honor Traffic Sergeant Mark Duncan, a 17-year veteran of Oakland's Police Department. "A big teddy bear" his friends called him who loved his buckeyes and Steelers. The kind of guy you could always count on to get you to do the right thing.

Mark was killed on March 21st, 2009, during a traffic stop at 74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard. He leaves behind his wife Angela and three children. We honor Deputy Burt Lopez, a six-year veteran of Oskaloosa County sheriff's office in Florida. Big-hearted, Burt once delayed serving a minor a warrant until a Sunday so that the defendant, a father of six, could earn one more day's pay for his family.

On April 25th, 2009, Burt and deputies Skip York were killed attempting to arrest a domestic assault suspect they had tracked down at the gun club in Crestville (ph). Burt is survived by his wife, Michelle, and five children.

We honor Trooper Joshua Miller, a veteran of both the Pennsylvania State Police and the United States Marine Corps. Josh, it's been said was a trooper's trooper. The only thing he loved more than stopping drunk drivers and hunting was spending time with his wife Angela and their three daughters. His face lit up when you mentioned them. Josh was killed on June 7th, 2009, during an operation that ultimately rescued a 9-year-old boy who had been kidnapped by his father.

We honor these Americans and each of the law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty last year. Each loved, each is missed, each is among America's finest. These men and women join nearly 19,000 Americans who have made such a sacrifice since Deputy Isaac Smith was shot investigating a disturbance at a New York tavern in 1792.

Such a sacrifice, such an honor roll is what makes it possible for us to go on about our lives, to pursue our dreams, to enjoy America's freedoms. It is an honor roll engraved in stone not far from here at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Guarding over the park and the memories of Americans memorialized there are four bronze lions. Beneath one is a verse from the Book of Proverbs I impart to you as a prayer. "The wicked flee when no may pursue it but the righteous are as bold as a lion. May God's face shine upon the lions that we have lost. May he watch over the ones that guard us still. And may he bless now and forever the United States of America".

ACOSTA: There you see the President there wrapping up his remarks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service there on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It's an annual event to honor fallen police officers.

BOLDUAN: And part of National Police Week ...

ACOSTA: Right.

BOLDUAN: ... which was this past week.

But also, Jim, what a fitting time to be honoring police officers when you think that it was an NYPD officer that was the first to respond to the attempted bombing in Times Square.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: And it's just really kind of understanding how important these people are in our daily lives and that's really what President Obama was talking about.

ACOSTA: Yes, they put their lives on the line for us every day. And they deserve our respect and our honor.

BOLDUAN: Right.

ACOSTA: And it means something to these families to have the president honor them and you can see that event continuing there live right here on CNN. And we'll take a quick break and we'll be right back with more news. Stick with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Crews in the Gulf of Mexico are trying new tactics today to try to minimize the impact of that gushing oil spill. Let's go live now to CNN's Reynolds Wolf in Biloxi, Mississippi. Reynolds, you've been there for days now in the Gulf Coast. What is the latest on the containment efforts? It seems to change really by the hour.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Well, there's a couple of things they're thinking of doing. One thing that they're doing is they're using a chemical dispersant and they are not using it at the top of the water it was rather way below, we're talking 5,000 feet below the surface.

And what they're doing is as the oil has been coming out of the leak, they have been spraying it with these oil dispersants. It was used early on in this process. Then the EPA canceled the use of it they wanted to study it for a bit and now they're allowing BP to use it once again.

So the -- again the EPA and the Coast Guard are going to be -- they are allowing the BP to use this. What it's going to do is actually weigh down some of the oil and keep it on the ocean floor. So that's one thing they're doing.

Second thing they're doing is they're thinking about using again this pipe. It's about six inches in diameter. They're bringing it down all the way to the leak and the plan is to use three ROVs under water robots. And they actually put this into the -- where you have the giant lake and the plan is to siphon up to the very surface where you have an oil tanker ship. They would siphon up there and put it on the tanker ship and then the tanker ship would bring the oil back to land.

The other idea if that fails is to use what we've been referring to as a top hat which is basically a structure that looks very similar to a top hat, sort of self-explanatory, and to place that over the leak with the same purpose, to siphon the oil up to the surface, to the very top.

Another idea they were talking about a couple days ago, it's something that they refer to as just the -- well, basically they would be blasting a great deal of rubber made from tires, even golf balls, to try to seal the leak. Then they would use a compress if you will of both mud and concrete to kind of seal things off. That was one of the ideas.

But they're certainly hoping that one of these will work. Right now the one they're really pushing for is, of course, just that six- inch pipe and then just trying to bring it to the surface.

BOLDUAN: And these chemical dispersants, these chemicals that they're talking about using, a lot of environmentalists -- they're really raising red flags here, saying, hey, wait, wait a second, these are tested, these might be dangerous and they might have long term effects. Is there -- is there any discussion down there of it is actually dangerous?

WOLF: Oh well, absolutely, there are some great concern about -- the last thing you want to do is make a bad situation even worst. That's the key plan for this. There are a lot of people that think that by putting this down; by spraying it down with the chemical dispersants you're going to leave all kinds of things that will be detrimental to marine life, to the environment at the very bottom.

And that's the last thing they want to do. In fact many people are arguing that it would be better off to try to do it at the top of the water because at least you'll be able to skim it off and then remove it all altogether than to leave it on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

BOLDUAN: So many unknown, because clear people are on the same page, with so many different opinions. But real quick, Reynolds, you're there in Biloxi. How is the water in Mississippi right now?

WOLF: Well, again, the phrase we've been saying for much of the morning which still rings true as far in this State of Mississippi is concern is jump in the water is fine. They've been conducting test wide offshore. They've been going out and taking water samples, but they've also been testing some of the vegetation right along the barrier islands, even taking tissue samples from crabs. So they've been able to -- to harvest out of the water and so far along the coast and along the barrier island there have been no traces of oil. Back to you.

BOLDUAN: Right now good news. But we'll see, Reynolds, thank you so much. Reynolds Wolf, our man in Biloxi, Mississippi right now. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you soon.

WOLF: You bet.

BOLDUAN: So the Coast Guard and officials from BP, they will be holding a briefing on the containment efforts today. That's scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon, that's Eastern time. We'll bring that to you live, of course.

Stay with us. We'll have more coming up.

And that more is right now.

ACOSTA: Yes, I know, exactly. And they're not just having problems down in the Gulf. We know they're still recovering from that historic flooding of two weeks ago in the Nashville area.

BOLDUAN: There's so much going on.

ACOSTA: More weather worries in that part of the country and in the southern plains as well. Our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has the low down on your weekend weather forecast.

Bonnie, you got a lot on your plate this weekend, don't you?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, Jim and Kate. I want to start in the Gulf where Reynolds was just reporting from.

So far the weather has been cooperating to some degree because we've seen the winds kind of come in all different directions for different periods of time. That's kept this spill a little bit more contained than it could have been if it was a steady prolonged effect of one wind going in one direction.

That changed a bit because this weekend we're seeing more of a consistent southeasterly flow. So we're starting to see a little bit more movement closer to the shore. Now winds will shift again over the next couple days, not really tomorrow but into Monday and Tuesday. We're anticipating more of a southwesterly flow and that will steer the spill a little bit more toward Alabama and Florida; still very early to say.

But right now the other concerns certainly for the region weatherwise -- you can't catch a break -- thunderstorms hitting the Gulf Coast; I mean really strong thunderstorms. You can see them working their way into Houston, Corpus Christi, and certainly down into the New Orleans area where we're getting hammered with down force of rain.

And these are hail-producing thunderstorms. And speaking of hail, you have to see these pictures from Tennessee, a state that's been hit by severe weather with the flooding and now giant baseball- sized hailstones clobbering Tennessee. Look at the damage this does to a windshield or to the shingles of your home. The pelting of that hail can really cause a lot of troubles.

First, the floodwaters, now the hail; Tennessee is seeing some rough weather, as is Texas right now. This heavy rain is hitting Houston hard. So for those of you looking to get out on a Saturday, unfortunately, it's going to be a wet go of it on I-10 all the way into Louisiana.

Here is Louisiana, New Orleans seeing some strong storms right now. But it's extreme south of eastern parishes where we have the heaviest downpours. And note these storms do contain frequent lightning strikes as well.

The bigger picture shows that it's breeze, pretty nice across the northeast. We have Preakness today. We have Nascar in Delaware; so, a lot happening.

But thunderstorms yesterday in the north east; that's, of course, offshore but it is still very balmy out there in the southeast. Oppressive humidity continues to make it feel like summertime in cities like right here in Atlanta where we're looking at high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.

It's going to be hotter than that even in Tampa. Look at that high temperature 92 degrees in Tampa. The cooler air is coming slowly, but in the meantime I'd say just enjoy this warm weather. It's going to stick around at least through the rest of the day today. Back to you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

BOLDUAN: A little silver lining.

ACOSTA: Exactly. Bring it on. We like it hot.

SCHNEIDER: I know.

ACOSTA: You're going to want to stay tuned to this story: six colonels in the Army giving new meaning to sisterhood and service; their inspirational story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: All right. Top stories for you now.

Both British and German aviation authorities are warning Iceland's volcano could cause new trouble next week in the travel department. They're closely watching weather patterns this weekend. They say a concentrated ash cloud could ground flights starting Monday.

Amateur video shows one Seattle police officer kicking a suspect in the head while another is stomping on him. A racial slur is also heard. It turns out -- get this -- the Latino man had nothing to do with the crime the police were investigating.

And we're hearing this, a news director at a Seattle TV station has resigned in light of this video. Critics claim the station delayed broadcasting the video for almost three weeks to avoid alienating the police department.

And BP is trying to plug the Gulf oil leak today with a mile-long tube with a rubber stopper at the end. Deep sea robots will try to insert the 6-inch round tube into the pipe that's gushing crude. If it works, the smaller tube will carry the oil to a tanker.

And a reminder for you: the interior secretary Ken Salazar along with BP officials and the coast guard will update us this afternoon on efforts to stop the flow of oil into the gulf. -- that's around 2:30:30 p.m. Eastern, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

BOLDUAN: Tuition costs at public universities, at public colleges; they have risen at an annual rate of about 5 percent a year over the last decade. That's on top of inflation. A big consideration for students and parents these days: education value.

So here is CNN's Tom Foreman on the road for our series "Building up America".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Anyone who has driven a child to college recently knows just how daunting the cost can be. Take a look at some of the most expensive schools in this country. Each one has a total price tag well over $50,000 annually. That means you could be pushing $250,000 for a four-year degree once you add in all the incidentals.

But that's not the way it has to be. Right now, I'm driving to a school where it's very different.

(voice-over): The University of Virginia consistently appears near the top of those lists of the best values in college education, confirming time and again what Portia Henry learned several years ago.

You can spend a whole lot more for an education --

PORTIA HENRY, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Exactly.

FOREMAN: But do you think you'll get a much better education?

HENRY: No, no. I feel like the University of Virginia is a wonderful intersection.

FOREMAN: Intersection of what?

HENRY: Between cost and value. I get the best of both worlds.

FOREMAN: And directing traffic at that intersection is chief operating officer Leonard Sandridge.

LEONARD SANDRIDGE, CEO, UVA: We budget very carefully. We know what we can afford. We know that we can't be everything to everyone.

FOREMAN: They can, however demand accountability from everyone. Each office here from those providing food services to student entertainment is held strictly responsible for its spending. If they run over, they must make up the difference on their own. No passing the buck to students.

All new construction is kept within campus limits to contain the cost of spreading utilities, computer connections, and security services far and wide.

Free or reduced tuition for the children of staff members? Not here. A year at UVA still costs a lot, $21,000 for in-state students, about double that for out of state. And this is a state school, so it's wrestling with rising tuition like most others. But knowing that he could have spent tens of thousands more elsewhere for a comparable education, Josh Mitchell is satisfied.

JOSH MITCHELL, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: I think, you know, that saying that you get the most bang for your buck is definitely applicable here.

FOREMAN: Accountability and attention to detail can make education affordable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it can make a difference.

FOREMAN: That is why this school is at or near the top of all those value lists, helping students build up their future on terms they can afford.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: That's a good piece. "BUILDING UP AMERICA" a CNN special presentation today hosted by tom foreman. Join him at 3:00 eastern/noon pacific, "BUILDING UP AMERICA"; see it only in the CNN NEWSROOM.

VOLDUAN: Six African-American women all members of the Military and in the same sorority. We'll tell you what else they have in common. This is a great story you don't want to miss. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back. You know, today is Armed Forces Day, a day to honor all members of the Military for their service, and did you know this? Before 1949 various branches of Military were honored on separate days? Under the Truman administration a single day celebration was created.

BOLDUAN: And in that series of unity that we bring you this next story. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield joins us.

I have to tell you, I love this story.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh good. I'm glad you do. Hopefully you will enjoy it the second time around as well.

BOLDUAN: Always.

WHITFIELD: Again and again. The same kind of camaraderie, the same kind of fellowship that many people discover in college, a group of exceptional women are cementing while serving in the U.S. Military. It's a special bond these colonels share whether in the U.S. or abroad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. SHERRI CALHOUN, U.S. ARMY: I pledged at Mississippi State University the fall of '81.

COL. DEBORAH GRAYS, U.S. ARMY: I pledged fall of 1982.

COL. DARLENE FREEMAN, U.S. ARMY: In spring of 1986.

COL. GLORIA LEE, U.S. ARMY: In fall of '80.

COL. MARGARET BARNES, U.S. ARMY: The summer of 1975.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Six African-American women, all colonels at Ft. McPherson Army Base in Georgia. The ladies share a bond of sisterhood as members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, a sorority founded on sisterhood and public service. CALHOUN: When I went to college and found that Delta was the most active sorority on the campus, involved in different community events, social action, I chose Delta.

WHITFIELD: Their reasons for choosing the sorority and the military are the same, the desire to serve.

BARNES: When you look at the army, the army is -- is about service, and -- and it's not so much public service as serving your country.

WHITFIELD: Colonel Lee says her experiences as a Delta helps her to be the soldier she is today.

LEE: Mental toughness, and also physical toughness. But I can reflect back to me pledging on yard -- on the yard back as an undergrad, and it was, OK, you can't touch me.

You know, you just have that attitude and you have that -- you know, it's like there's nothing you can do to me because I have been broken down, so, you know, I'm mentally tough and -- and I'm ready for this, and -- and it really does help you be prepared for any -- and anything that comes your way.

WHITFIELD: Each woman is active within her community, and they sometimes participate in sorority activities together.

GRAYS: I always wanted to be part of an organization that was giving back. And even today, after, you know, almost 27 years of service, you don't feel like you're giving back enough.

WHITFIELD: They say as they travel the world, it's encouraging to find another sister in service.

LEE: There's no place that I have been that there wasn't a Delta. Not necessarily in uniform, but a Delta, and that is the sisterhood part that is there.

FREEMAN: It's a comfort, you know, knowing as you move around from state to state every three to four years or so, as in the life of a -- a military person, that you're going to have your military family and you're going to have your sorority family.

WHITFIELD: Colonel Archibald (ph) is currently serving overseas, but all the colonels agree, whether at home or abroad, the bond of sisterhood in sorority and military life is strong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, this 97-year-old sorority has more than 100,000 members.

Of course, there are other fraternities and sororities that boast of having extraordinary brothers and sisters, doing extraordinary things, so of course we welcome profiling other frats and sororities with unique stories that need to be shared, so bring them on. BOLDUAN: Bring them on. We love telling good stories. I love this.

WHITFIELD: Because I can think already people are like, well, wait a minute, how about my fraternity or my sorority? We're doing great things.

BOLDUAN: OK. Let's pop it (ph).

WHITFIELD: That's right. So just let us know about it and we'll ...

ACOSTA: The challenge has been issued.

BOLDUAN: I love it. Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We've got a lot straight ahead ...

BOLDUAN: Yes. It was fun (ph).

WHITFIELD: ... in the noon Eastern hour. You guys have done a great job all morning long ...

ACOSTA: Well, thank you.

WHITFIELD: ... and I'll pick up the baton from here, starting at noontime and throughout the day.

We've got a lot of legal issues on tap. Our legal guys Avery and Richard will be joining us.

They're going to tackle this one particular story that caught a lot of people's attention. A pregnant woman allegedly leads police on a chase and then loses control of her vehicle. This taking place just outside of Atlanta.

Her unborn child dies. Now, she is facing a charge called feticide by vehicle.

And you may have heard about this, you all, this 22-year-old who was in high school and apparently everyone thought he was 16. He was playing basketball.

Well, was it a crime? Is he now facing potentially some criminal charges because ...

BOLDUAN: Oh, that's interesting.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because he wasn't what everybody thought he was.

ACOSTA: Oh, boy.

WHITFIELD: And then you all have talked and reported on these dispersants that have been used in the Gulf of Mexico. So real discrepancies about what has been used, what hasn't been used, where has it been disbursed. BOLDUAN: What the impact is. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and what the impact is.

We're going to have a marine toxicologist with us. She has been with us every weekend since this really reached this kind of fever pitch of -- of the amount of oil that's been spewing into the gulf. She's going to be back with us with some interesting perspectives on what is being used, what isn't, what has approval, what the EPA says is OK and what her views are on that.

So all that straight ahead, beginning noontime Eastern and just hang with us throughout the day because all kinds of things could happen throughout the day and we're on top of it all the way.

BOLDUAN: Oh, it normally does. Exactly.

You're safe with Fredricka. I don't know about us.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: You have a great day.

BOLDUAN: We'll see you in a bit.

ACOSTA: Thanks, Fredricka.

BOLDUAN: Speaking of the Gulf Coast, you guys, damage control in the gulf. Residents and local celebrities use their talents to help minimize the spill's economic impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back. Let's take a quick check of our top stories.

If you have a flight to Great Britain or Germany in the next few days, you may want to check with the airline. There could be some delays, even cancellations because, yes, of that still-erupting volcano in Iceland.

The ash is once again moving toward parts of Western Europe and, depending on which way the wind blows, it could force airports to shut down once again.

And more clashes, more death in Bangkok. Emergency crews say at least six people were killed today in clashes between protesters and government troops. Thailand's prime minister vows the government will not back down, claiming a small group within the opposition "Red- Shirts" as they're known, is trying to start a civil war.

The protest began two months ago, but the violence only escalated really this week. U.S. Embassies now advising Americans not to travel there. And to the Gulf Coast, BP now has government -- the government OK to use chemical dispersants underwater. The company is hoping that will prove effective in stopping the oil from spreading in the Gulf of Mexico.

It's also going to try to cap the leaking well once again. They're still trying that. We expect a live update on all of those efforts in the next couple hours -- Jim.

ACOSTA: That's right. A reminder, Kate, BP and Gulf Coast Guard officials will update us this afternoon on efforts to stop the flow of oil in the gulf. That is around 2:30 P.M. Eastern right here on the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we should point out to you another oil spill benefit concert in New Orleans this weekend. Lenny Kravitz and Dr. John are all scheduled to perform.

Other local celebrities are also using their talents to benefit coastal conservation as well. Acclaimed chef and restaurateur John Besh is doing a benefit event at the end of the month to raise money for fishermen in Louisiana.

I talked with him earlier this morning and asked if he's worried about the spill's impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BESH, NEW ORLEANS CHEF: Am I worried? Absolutely. It's not a panic right now. You know, the key right now is for all the folks offshore to do their job to stop the leaking oil and then allow the -- the cleanup to really take place.

Right now what we really want to focus on is raising money and raising awareness. Money for the -- for the crippled fishing industry that we have here. We have a lot of precautionary closings in parts of the area that may be affected by the -- by the oil spill. Not yet -- you know, a lot of these are precautionary, and so Louisiana seafood out there is safe to eat and we want to really highlight that as well.

ACOSTA: Yes. But John -- you know, and John, we should point out that you're working with Paula Dean on this effort, which, you know, we're a big fan of hers as well.

And -- and I'm just curious, as you talk with other top chefs, when you talk with other restaurants and other, you know, food suppliers down in New Orleans, I mean what is the growing sense about how all of this is being handled by BP, the government? What's the sense you're getting?

BESH: I think most of us down here just want the finger pointing to stop. Take care of it, we'll figure out, you know, who's to blame later. Everybody, let's just combine forces and take care of it.

The funny thing is some of the first responders that actually came forth to say, hey, let us help, were the fishermen and the -- the fishing families of South Louisiana that have fed our -- fed our country for generations.

And so we just want people to stop pointing fingers, figure out how to stop the flow of oil, then let us clean it up. We've got a -- a thriving seafood industry down here. There -- there's a large portion of our state still open to -- to fishing, and we want to focus on the positive right now and help those that need help.

So the -- the shrimpers that can't get out there to shrimp, the oyster families that can't, you know --

ACOSTA: Right.

BESH: -- get out there to harvest the oysters, we want to help them in the meantime, kind of shore them up so that when we do get it cleaned up, we can -- we can put them back to work again.

ACOSTA: And, John, what --

BESH: And we can cook that good food.

ACOSTA: Exactly. I mean, that's what we're all talking about here. I mean, New Orleans that's where you're known for.

BESH: It all comes down to the food, doesn't it?

ACOSTA: It does. Absolutely. Especially with me, let me tell you.

I mean, but here's a -- well, what do you do if that -- if that seafood supply from the gulf becomes affected? What -- what do you do at that point?

BESH: Well, from that point on it's really -- it's out of my hands, you know?

ACOSTA: Yes.

BESH: It will take a while to really mitigate all of that. You will have portions of the gulf still open and still thriving, and we'll -- we'll focus on those areas. We'll buy our seafood from the people from -- from the areas that are open.

And, you know, I think we just need to all stay calm right now. We need to come out, listen to some good music, eat some good food, help the people that we can help, focus on the important things. You know, we've got a thriving domestic seafood industry. Support it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Yes. The takeaway from that, don't mess with the food in New Orleans.

BOLDUAN: And don't mess with John Besh.

ACOSTA: Exactly. That's right.

BOLDUAN: Well, it's great to have (ph).

ACOSTA: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: Well, just consider this. What if a twister, a tornado, was right on top of you?

ACOSTA: And there's nothing you can do but hang on.

Survivors of this week's deadly Oklahoma tornadoes talk about being in the eye of the storm. We have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: There's been a lot of weather going on today.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Bonnie Schneider is -- is certainly earning her keep this weekend, I'll tell you that much. She's got a lot going on.

BOLDUAN: She's keeping the ship going.

ACOSTA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: Bonnie, you said heavy rain in Texas?

SCHNEIDER: That's right, Kate and Jim. We are looking at just inundated areas of rain.

Some places in Texas down in Victoria reporting even water rescues early this morning because there's at least six inches on the ground, possibly more than that. We're getting different reports.

Here's Kingsville. This is an area that's been hit hard by the rain, as well as Corpus Christi. Now, at lot of the heavier rain is pushing offshore, but it's not over yet. This is a large-scale system that's rolling on into Houston, all the way on I-10. If you're driving into Lake Charles, for example, and then back out to the east towards New Orleans we're seeing some damaging storms.

But to the north we're still running the risk for severe weather across parts of the Midwest and mid-south. Take a look at St. Louis. You're getting moderate rain there, but Tennessee, it's not raining in Memphis, it's not raining in Nashville. It was earlier, and Memphis in May is going on right now, barbecue festival, lots of people visiting Memphis.

But we've been talking a lot about Nashville. Nashville just got hammered with rain and flooding. You may have heard about the devastation, but you need to see the force of the water because it's incredible.

Take a look at these pictures. You can see, of course, the water, how high it is, halfway up the storefront, people using boats to get around. This is from the height of the storm, you can see back a week or two ago.

But watch this. The rush of the water continuing to just force the glass open, shatters the door of the Pep Boys store, and that's the storefront. Look at the computers. You'll see they kind of come on for a second, flicker on, and then they're just completely dismantled from their location because of the force of that floodwater.

Looks like a river rushing in. But remember, this is a storefront, so it's a parking lot and a road that's right in front of the store, certainly not a river, but that water has just been devastating to Tennessee.

So the risk for severe weather is actually in Tennessee today as well, right here. Take a closer look. You can see into Western Tennessee we're running the risk of strong storms, and these could produce some damaging winds later on as well. Warm and mild conditions to the south and east, and then more severe weather back out towards Texas, just south of Oklahoma.

You know, Oklahoma has been a state that's already been very hard hit by severe weather so far this May. May is the biggest month for tornadoes, naturally, but Oklahoma has really seen a lot of devastation. And I want to take you on a tour so you can see what it's like, hear the voices of tornado survivors, and take a look at the incredible pictures of the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Theere comes one right there. Look at them, they're all over.

SAMMY WARD, TORNADO SURVIVOR: It started hailing and then it quit hailing, and just all of a sudden the wind hit, and it just went dark and here went everything. Trucks went to rocking. There's one truck that shoved against another truck, and the next thing we know the whole roof and everything was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked in my rearview mirror and the car behind me just lift (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was fixing to exit off, then, you know, it just kind of started spinning my vehicle. It started scooting me and then I know it flipped once or whatever. Then I think after that I just closed my eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was scared to death. I thought my best friend was getting killed.

CHARLESCIE GREENWAY, TORNADO SURVIVOR: The sirens started going off and the air started getting all dark so we started pushing everybody in the back to where all the coolers and everything are.

I mean, it was really scary. I mean, the wind was like trying to pull the door off the latch. AARON ROWLEY, TORNADO SURVIVOR: When I came up to the stop sign behind me, it was a tornado was on the ground right back here, so I drove up, ran in. I told everybody, hey, you guys, you know, you got to seek shelter. It's right back there at Anderson Road, and it's coming right this way.

About the time I got in, the roof just started collapsing down on us.

GOV. BRAD HENRY (D), OKLAHOMA: I have declared 56 counties in Oklahoma under a state of emergency. This storm, even though Central Oklahoma was probably the hardest hit, this storm really was a state- wide event, and there is damage and destruction throughout the state.

WARREN WALTZ, DISTRICT MANAGER, LOVE'S TRAVEL STORES: It's an experience that I've often wondered about, being a native of Oklahoma. I certainly got to experience it firsthand. I hope that's the last time I -- I have that opportunity.

HENRY: I lost track of the number of damaged and destroyed homes that we saw. Literally hundreds, and I think hundreds of -- of homes have received damage in these storms, and many, many of those homes have been destroyed and our hearts and prayers just simply go out to those families who may have lost a loved one or lost their homes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, when you see the damages, it's important to remember that when you have tornadoes that could be on the ground for 30 minutes, maybe even more, they can cover a very large area if they're a large enough storm. And some of these tornadoes reportedly can be 20 miles wide, so that's why when they stay on the ground as long as they can and have winds of over 150 miles per hour, certainly the damage is severe.

So Kate and Jim, incredible pictures and very resilient survivors, for sure.

BOLDUAN: Incredible. I mean, you think even a mile-wide for one of these things is absolutely terrifying, and the devastation that it leaves. I mean, these people are just amazing that they are surviving and -- and talking to us about it. It's just amazing (ph).

ACOSTA: And Bonnie, and it looks like it's going to take a very long time for the people in that community to get over that. I mean that is major devastation.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. You know, and it's also important to know, we talk about Oklahoma being one of the prime states for tornadoes.

BOLDUAN: Right.

SCHNEIDER: We see that in Tornado Alley, other states like Kansas, also see a lot of tornadoes. But it's very difficult to pinpoint exactly which town and which house will get hit by a tornado.

ACOSTA: Right.

SCHNEIDER: We can give you an idea that this is the severe weather month. May is the biggest month for tornadoes, and we'll see a lot certainly in June too, when we start talking about hurricane season.

But right now it's important to note, if you don't have a NOAA weather radio, get one, put the batteries in, leave it on just in case there is a tornado warning. Sometimes they could happen at night and you just need to be awake and alert and have a plan in place.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Thank you so much, Bonnie. Those are great images.

ACOSTA: Thanks, Bonnie.

BOLDUAN: Devastating, but amazing.

ACOSTA: That's right.

And she was just talking about the gulf a few minutes ago and what is happening in the gulf has a lot of people talking about energy choices, energy options. And here comes the sun, always bright and full of energy.

BOLDUAN: Well, one -- one solar energy advocate says the gulf oil spills would never happen if we all would just let the sun shine in.

We'll have more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So all of that oil out there on the Gulf Coast. One Florida man, he says everyone who fills up a car or flips on a switch is to blame.

ACOSTA: That's right. He's a self described new age hippie who has gone solar.

CNN's Orlando photojournalist John Couwels shows us the whole thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK VANDERWYDEN, SOLAR ENERGY ADVOCATE (voice-over): This is my electric truck. I found this kind of by accident on eBay.

I had just installed the -- the solar water heater, and it's like, well, you know, I drive an awful lot. What can I do about that? I don't want to have that high demand on oil.

I haven't always been this way. I -- I used to drive a big car and not worry about it. I used to drive fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there's really no noise?

VANDERWYDEN (on camera): Not much.

(voice-over): It runs well, top speed about 60 miles an hour. The range is about 40 miles.

I try to make whatever difference I can. I know other people who are trying to make their difference, to not use fossil fuels.

A lot of us don't know any better. A lot of us are just used to the way we live or we have been living.

VANDERWYDEN (on camera): I'm sad about the oil spill, but at least it's bringing some attention to this issue again, that it's a dirty, dirty business and the environmental impact can be substantial.

(voice-over): Every morning, right around 8:30, I go out and read my meter.

(on camera): So over here, those are the solar electric. The D.C. power comes down from the panels, comes into a charge controller.

My goal with my house was to try to reduce my energy usage as much as possible.

What I do now has an affect on -- on future generations, and I -- I don't want to leave future generations with a real problem, if I can help it. And I think I can. The things that I do, as small as they may seem, you know, they add up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that was what?

VANDERWYDEN: That was -- that was the way I flush my toilets.

(voice-over): Solar hot water is the first thing anybody should do. It pays itself back in -- in a matter of a few years.

When the images of -- of oil-stained birds and -- and people losing their livelihoods, I really hope that gets people to understand that it's our demand that makes that happen.

(on camera): Our demand is what makes them want to drill a mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: And a reminder, the Interior Secretary, BP and Coast Guard officials will update us this afternoon on efforts to stop the flow of oil in the gulf. That's around 2:30 Eastern, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

ACOSTA: And that wraps things up for us. It's been a fun six hours.

BOLDUAN: It has been.

ACOSTA: I can't believe we made it.

BOLDUAN: We did it.

ACOSTA: CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Fredericka Whitfield, and we are being told to turn and pause (ph) to you.

BOLDUAN: Hello, my dear.

WHITFIELD: Very good. You all have a great day. Six hours is a long time.

ACOSTA: You too.

WHITFIELD: And you'll be back tomorrow morning.

ACOSTA: We'll do it again.

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: OK.

ACOSTA: Take care.

WHITFIELD: Have a great day. Thanks a bunch.

ACOSTA: You too.