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Oil Slick Spreads to the Marshes; Wall Street Slide; Mexican President Calderon on Arizona Immigration Law; A Well-Known Writer Calls for Parents to Take and Leave Their Kids at the park This Weekend
Aired May 20, 2010 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters, the big stories for Thursday, May 20th.
Powerful sea currents threaten to spread the Gulf oil slick. We've been telling you for days now, right? BP spreads its message and denies it is not being straight with the public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we've been absolutely open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. It is "everybody draw Mohammed day." Activists on Facebook want you to doodle for free speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drawing Mohammed does not equal hate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And we meet a controversial author and mother who wants parents to stop all of that hovering. She says take your kid to the park this Saturday and leave them there -- all alone. We'll talk about this one.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
OK, a lot going on this morning but we start with the Dow. Have you been following this, this morning? Another down morning could lead to another down day. Hard to imagine us coming all the way back from this, but it happens.
Stephanie Elam is monitoring what's going on with the Dow and we'll be checking in with her over the next two hours.
As you can see, the Dow is down 259 points. We've been down as far as 300 points and beyond.
Mr. Calderon goes to Congress. Mexican President Felipe Calderon is expected to make his case for immigration reform when he addresses a joint meeting of Congress. His speech set to begin any minute now.
You will see highlights live in the NEWSROOM. It is part of our expanded coverage of U.S.-Mexican relations.
Mr. Calderon is also expected to tackle the issue of drug violence. We will continue that discussion next hour when National Drug Policy director Gil Kerlikowske joins us live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A full month and counting now since the oil began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Here is a look at the catastrophic chain of events. Tuesday, April 20th, rescuers rushed to the fiery scene of the off-shore drilling rig about 45 miles off the Louisiana coast. Eleven workers are missing and later presumed dead.
Saturday, April 24th, oil is found leaking from the underwater well for the first time. Initial estimates say 1,000 barrels a day. That is later revised to 5,000 barrels or 210,000 gallons a day.
Monday, May 17th, BP inserts a mile-long tube into a ruptured pipe capturing about a fifth of the gushing crude and suctioning it up to a tanker ship.
CNN's David Mattingly now on that heavy oil washing onshore in Louisiana.
David, good to see you. You took a boat trip, I understand, with Governor Jindal yesterday. What did you find?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, what we found was that Governor Jindal has an agenda. He wants the U.S. government to approve and BP to pay for this big project he has in mind to build up offshore islands that have been eroded over the years.
He says that's going to be the best defense Louisiana has against this oil slick and to make his point, he took us into the marshes at the mouth of the Mississippi River yesterday.
You can see the pictures of what we saw. It was the thickest oil we have seen yet. Oil that was the consistency of thick, chocolate syrup coating a portion of the wetlands there.
What was just as disturbing as the oil itself was the location. This is the first time we've seen oil getting past the barrier islands, past the booms and hitting these environmentally sensitive areas.
To give you an idea of what this stuff looked like I brought back a bottle of it. There it is just as thick and as black as it could possibly be. Very different from what we've been seeing over the past few weeks. That sheen that's been coming ashore in some places. This was thick, thick, syrupy oil that we saw.
I spoke to BP about this this morning, and they say that there are cleanup crews on the scene. They are there to clean up the marsh area as best they can, but the governor was pointing out that these marshes are a whole lot harder to clean than if the oil comes ashore on a sandy or a rocky beach.
In a beach like that, you just dig up the sand and replace it. Well, in a marsh you can't do that, and there could be a lot of long- term damage to that marsh that you normally wouldn't normally see on a barrier island.
HARRIS: OK. David Mattingly, boy, that's a nasty image. David, thank you. Appreciate it.
Got to tell people are actually searching the beaches of the Gulf Coast looking for oil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE FINERAN, HAZMAT, HANCOCK CO., MISSISSIPPI: We've had people call in. They've seen an oily sheen and they've actually seen oil floating on the water that they've seen oozy material.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So your job is to verify those calls.
FINERAN: Basically to verify the calls, to see if it's -- you know, if something really happened, hey, we want to know.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Our Rob Marciano goes along with the emergency management officials on the Mississippi coast at the bottom of the hour.
Checking other big stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM. Three mothers hugged their children in Tehran today for the first time in 10 months. The American women begged the Iranian regime to release them. They say the three actually strayed into Iran while hiking in Iraq. Iran says they're spies.
SARAH SHOURD, AMERICAN HIKER DETAINED IN IRAN: His treatment is decent. It's really difficult being alone. Jim and Joshua are in a room together, but I'm alone and that's the most difficult thing for me, but I see them twice a day.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Today is "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day." Activists started the Facebook campaign to promote free speech. They're angry Comedy Central censored a "South Park" episode featuring an animated Mohammed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUTUMN MEADOWS, CNN IREPORTER: I am protesting death threats on artists over cartoons. I think that is ridiculous. I don't think people of a certain religion should be telling other people what they can and cannot do that are not that religion.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: And Pakistan responded to "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" by blocking Facebook and other Web sites.
All right, let's take a look at the Dow again. What a steep sell-off to start the day. We are down 252 points. Look at that. That's a bad number.
We'll find out what's going on here. Why the sell-off? Why the instability in the markets over the last couple of weeks, really? We'll check in with Stephanie Elam on this story.
Once again we are awaiting remarks by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He is on Capitol Hill to address Congress. We will bring you a portion of his remarks live.
I need a bigger monitor so I can pick people out of the room.
And a huge tornado races across Oklahoma. Reynolds Wolf is keeping a close eye on storms today -- Doctor.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, hard to believe, isn't it? That video really tells a story. One of possibly six tornados that moved across parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. Round two may come today, but it plays a little bit farther to the southeast.
We're going to talk about that coming up in just a few moments. Plus we're going to take a look at your forecast for the Gulf of Mexico. Hope we get a better handle of where that oil slick may be headed next.
Back to you, Tony.
HARRIS: All right, we're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Once again, take a look at the numbers behind me. Let me spin around here so I can see -- 220 points. So we're coming back a bit. We've got a long way to go though, right?
The Dow was down over 300 points to start the day. So bouncing back a bit, but we need to get to the bottom of this to find out why we've got such instability in the market. We'll check in with Stephanie Elam in just a bit.
Let's take -- take you to Capitol Hill right now. We're expecting any moment now remarks from Mexican President Felipe Calderon to a joint meeting of Congress and, of course, we will bring you a portion of his remarks right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A new drug control policy shifts the focus from a war on drugs to a war on demand from punishment to prevention. The man behind the plan, Gil Kerlikowske -- Kerlikowske. He joins us next hour.
Also in the next hour, we'll look at the controversial ethnic studies classes now banned in Arizona.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In another classroom, a class called American Government and Social Justice is also taught through the ethnic studies lens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to be a good human being.
TUCHMAN: The mostly Latino students were learning about who the liberal and who the conservative justices are in the U.S. Supreme Court.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to know the nine justices, right? And who is the chief justice?
STUDENTS: Roberts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roberts, right?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: More from our Gary Tuchman at noon Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's see here. The Dow is down 233 points now. What's going on here? Let's check in with Stephanie Elam. She is in our New York bureau.
Stephanie, can you -- I guess we were deeper than this to start the day, right? Below 300 points in negative territory, correct?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were, Tony. And that was, you know, shortly into the trading day, but you're right. Right out the starting gate today we have been on the down side. There's been no doubt about it about how people feel about the market today.
And there's a few things at play here if we can just take a look. For one thing, investors are still very freaked out by what's going on in Europe. That is not making anyone feel better. You've got the eurozone concerns about their debt and then on top of that the euro sliding to a four-year low versus the dollar.
And I keep saying this, but, Tony, it's really true. If you were looking to go on that cruise and to go to Europe perhaps as an American tourist, that's a lovely thing, but if you're a business person here in the United States and you sell your goods in Europe, that is not a good thing because now your products are more expensive over there.
They're cutting back. They're not spending as much because of all this debt and therefore if they're not buying that could affect our fragile recovery here. Then you take a look at the jobless data and you saw that more people were filing for benefits for claims saying that hey, I can't find a job.
HARRIS: Right.
ELAM: So because of that, that's the first time we've seen that uptick in, like, a month. That's not playing into the markets very well today either. So these -- few things blending together today and you just see that there is fear.
Look at that. The Dow off 250 points, 10193. You've got NASDAQ off 3 percent. The S&P 500 is off more than 2.5 percent right now, and it's very evident that this has -- it's a very --
HARRIS: OK.
ELAM: -- nervous market and people are moving out.
HARRIS: Yes, the markets -- you know, the wind shifts directions and the markets get nervous. Give me a break on that, but you're right. It's a fact of life, but I think most of this concern is about what's happening in the eurozone countries, right?
That's what is being reflected in the rollercoaster ride we've seen over the last couple of weeks. So you pass a bailout package and that stabilizes the markets for a couple of days and -- then there are new concerns raised. That's the ride that we're on right now, isn't it?
ELAM: It is. And that's the thing. Because there's uncertainty, the market doesn't like uncertainty, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes.
ELAM: So because you have that here -- this is why you're seeing this volatility. You found out that Germany was saying, hey, you know what? No more of these naked short selling going on at all. We don't want any of that.
HARRIS: But, Stephanie, call that what it is --
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: But, Stephanie, call that what it is.
ELAM: Go ahead.
HARRIS: That's -- that's speculation. Germany is saying we need to stop so much --
ELAM: Well, right --
HARRIS: -- of this speculation that's going on because that is -- that's impacting the stability of the markets.
ELAM: And we need more transparency here. And what investors are worried --
HARRIS: Yes.
ELAM: -- about this may spread to other nations in the eurozone, and again, that will affect it. So this is the reason why we're seeing so much. Every little thing that happens every day because the market is so jittery is affecting the markets with a wider, sort of a ray of waves that it may have if things were a little bit more stable.
HARRIS: I just don't know what -- what small investors, what you and what all of us, you and me, and what we do with markets behaving this way. It makes you nervous as a small, individual investor.
ELAM: Well -- and that's why people are pulling out. But that's why people are pulling out, Tony. That's why people are --
HARRIS: Yes.
ELAM: -- pulling to the side. Just to give you an idea. If you look at the -- at the number of stocks that are declining on the New York Stock Exchange today, there are almost 3,000. You've got 2,959 stocks that are declining.
HARRIS: Yes.
ELAM: And you only have 104 stocks that are advancing. So it shows you people are not buying today. They're selling because they're nervous. So that's what the average investor is doing.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. I get it. OK, Stephanie, appreciate it. Thank you. We'll check back in with you maybe later in the hour. I think we're close to --
ELAM: That's it.
HARRIS: -- hearing remarks from Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Let's see that live shot.
Is the president heading to -- it looks like he's in the room, certainly, and at the podium. Why don't we do this? Why don't we take the top of -- do we want to do that? We want to take the top of the remarks? OK. Let's do that then we'll go to break and come back.
By that time the president of Mexico will have gone through his thank-you's and we'll get back to the body of his speech. We'll take a break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: "KIDS ON RACE," all this week, CNN is looking at results of a study involving more than 130 children in eight different schools. The study re-creates and updates the famous doll test of the 1940s.
Researchers asked the children questions like show me the dumb child or show me the pretty child with the only difference in the pictures is being skin color.
The children both black and white more frequently identified the darker skinned cartoons as having negative characteristics.
Our Anderson Cooper teamed up with a renowned child development psychologists to design and execute this study. Here are some of his discussions from last night's show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA DEVEARE SMITH, ACTRESS, INSTITUTE ON THE ARTS & CIVIC DIALOGUE, NEW YORK UNIV.: Before we even get to the media, I think what this last father was talking about is extremely relevant. The economy. And that even makes me think, should we be striving for more financial equity and just give up on this project to influence people's attitudes?
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, I think it's both, not either/or. Because what you just indicated there is, you know, the concentrated effects of poverty so that the people -- it's not true that white people are not poor because most people who are poor happened to be white.
But the concentration effects of poverty are different for African-Americans and Latinos. That means that you're living in a poor household. Your parents tend to be much poorer than white parents. You live in a neighborhood where -- at least when you're poor and white you see some other role models of people who are upwardly mobile and climbing the ladder of success.
Well, you don't see that in black communities.
SMITH: Let me quickly, quickly say why I go to this. Because when Kenneth and Mamie Clark did their first experiment.
DYSON: Right.
SMITH: Which was so important to all of us, I wouldn't be here if they hadn't done that. It again influenced the desegregation of schools and it seems to me that your test does indicate that, again, that African-American children are not leaning towards -- have a white-leaning bias to the extent that they did when that first test was done.
However, the economic situation does not necessarily, it seems to me, correlate with the fact that the kids feel better about themselves.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The conversation on race continues tonight. What are you really teaching your children? "BLACK OR WHITE, KIDS ON RACE" on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Let's get you to a joint meeting of Congress now. Mexican President Felipe Calderon speaking now. Let's take you there live. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)
FELIPE CALDERON, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: But let me explain. This fight is not only and not mainly about stopping the drug trade only. It is first and foremost a drive to guarantee the security of Mexican families who are under threat from the abuses and the vicious acts of criminals.
As I told the Mexican people in my inaugural speech, restoring public security will not be easy and will not be quick. It will time. It will take money. And unfortunately, to our deep sorrow, it will take human lives as well.
This is a battle that has to be fought because the future of our families is at stake, but I told them then, you can be sure of one thing. This is a battle that united we, the Mexican people, will win.
We cannot ignore --
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: We will -- we will win, but we cannot ignore the fact that the challenge to our security has roots on both sides of the border. At the end of the day it's reaching the high demand for drugs here and in other places.
Secretary of State Clinton has said we accept our share of the responsibility. We know that the demand for drugs drives much of this illicit trade.
This is symbolic of our new relationship. We have moved from the suspicious and the mutual recrimination of the past to the cooperations and mutual understanding of the present.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate President Obama for his recent initiative to reduce the consumption of drugs. I hope for the good of both nations and the entire hemisphere that this succeeds.
Now let me tell you what Mexico is doing to confront and overcome this problem. First, we have not hesitated to use all the power of the state including the federal police and the armed forces in order to support the local governments that are facing the greatest threat from organized crime.
This is a temporary measure to restore order. The goal is to provide local governments time and the opportunity to rebuild and strengthen their security and judicial institutions.
Second, we are weakening the financial and operational capabilities of criminal gangs. Federal operations have led to record seizures of drugs, cash and weapons from the criminals.
We are hitting them and we are hitting them hard. The federal forces have also arrested many important felons who are now facing Mexican justice. And we have extradited a record number of criminals to face justice here in the United States. (APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: Third, we are rebuilding our institutions on security forces especially at federal level. We have more than tripled the federal police budget since the beginning of my administration and multiplied the size of its force.
We are recruiting honest young men and women with values who are better trained, better paid and better equipped. Or, we are transforming our judicial system to make it more transparent and efficient. We are moving toward open and oral trials that are the basis of your own judicial system.
And fifth, we have set up social programs to prevent young people from turning to crime including preventions and treatment for addictions. As you can see --
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: We are doing everything we can to fight this threat and to secure our common future. We are fulfilling our duty as a good neighbor taking care of business in our side of the border.
The U.S. is also helping Congress approved the Merida Initiative which we greatly appreciate and our administrations are sharing more information than ever to fight crime. However --
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: However, there is one issue where Mexico needs your cooperation, and that is stopping the flow of assault weapons and other deadly arms across the border.
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: I fully respect -- let me be clear on this. I fully respect, I admire the American Constitution, and I understand that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to guarantee good American citizens the ability to defend themselves and their nation.
But believe m me --
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: -- many of these guns are not going to honest American hands. Instead, thousands are ending up in the hands of criminals.
Just to give you an idea, we have seized 75,000 guns and assault weapons in Mexico in the last three years, and more than 80 percent of those we have been able to trace came from the United States.
And if you look carefully, you will notice that the violence in Mexico started to grow a couple of years before I took office in 2006. This coincides at least with the lifting of the assault weapons ban in 2004. One day criminals in Mexico, having gained access to these weapons, decided to challenge the authorities in my country. Today, these weapons are aimed by the criminals, not only at rival gangs, but also at Mexican civilians and authorities.
And with all due respect, if you do not regulate the sale of these weapons in the right way, nothing guarantees that criminals here in the United States with access to the same power of weapons will not decide to challenge American authorities and civilians.
It is true. The U.S. government is now carrying out operations against guns trafficking, but it is also true that there are more than 7,000 gun shops along the border with Mexico where almost anyone can purchase these powerful weapons.
I also fully understand the political sensitivity of this issue. I will ask Congress to help us with respect and to understand how important it is for us that you enforce current laws to stem the supply of these weapons to criminals and consider reinstating the assault weapons ban.
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: Let us -- let us -- at any -- by any legal way that you consider, let us work together to end this lethal trade that threatens Mexico and your own people.
I have spoken at length on this issue about security because I know it is a big concern on the American people. However, as I say, Mexico is a country undergoing deep transformations and our relationship is about much more than just security.
We are turning our -- we are turning our economy into one that is competitive and strong, capable of generating the jobs Mexicans need.
I believe in freedom. I believe in market. I believe in all those principles that are able to empower economies and provide well- being for the people.
We are carrying out a set of structural reforms that had been ignored for decades in Mexico. We started, for instance, by reforming the public pension system and with this, we guaranteed the retirement of public servants, and at the same time, we will save 30 points of GDP at net brace in value in our public finances.
We passed a tax reform that reduced our dependence on oil and allow us to continue financing our development, keeping our public deficit close to 1 percent of GDP.
(APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: We also made important changes to the oil sector. This will allow Pemex, the public oil company, to award more flexible contracts to specialized global companies and so become more efficient and increase its operational and financial capacity in order to get more oil and natural gas. This will ensure our energy independence and strengthen regional energy security as well.
And finally, we have increased investment in infrastructure from three points of GDP, to five points of GDP a year, building the roads, ports, airports and energy plans we need to modernize. This is the highest investment level in infrastructure in decades. These changes are making us a more modern country and a stronger partner of the United States.
The energy reform, the fiscal reform, the pension reform, the investment in infrastructure among others, have all prepared us for a better tomorrow, but also allow us to overcome the terrible economic crisis last year. Then Mexico's economy experienced its worst contraction in modern times.
However, thanks to strong regulations, not one cent of taxpayers went to a single bank in Mexico last year. (APPLAUSE)
CALDERON: We were also able to quickly implement counter-cyclical measures such as a temporary public works program and increase credits for small businesses.
In this way we were able to save hundreds of thousands of Mexican jobs. We managed this even though we had to face a series of emergencies, any one of which would have derailed a weaker country. We faced the perfect storm last year. Besides the crisis, we overcame the second worst drought in 70 years. The biggest-ever drop in oil production and the outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus.
So today I can come here before you and say with confidence that Mexico is standing tall, a stronger and more determined nation than ever.
(APPLAUSE)
A nation and a people --
(END OF COVERAGE)
HARRIS: OK. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon addressing a joint meeting of Congress. We wanted to bring you a portion of his remarks.
As you heard, he started by outlining the steps that Mexico was taking to combat drug crime. The Mexican called it "organized crime." He also said, we are hitting them and we are hitting them hard. He is also expected to make some comments based on, focused on overhauling U.S. immigration policy. In that conversation, as you know, he calls the new Arizona immigration law discriminatory. We will get back -- we'll try to time it so that we can get back for those comments.
A little bit of background for you now on Felipe Calderon. He comes from a long line of politicians. He was elected in 2006, in a highly controversial and close election. Studied Harvard's Kennedy School and graduated with a Masters in Public Administration. Felipe Calderon is known as a social conservative but his administration has been fiscally moderate to liberal.
Calderon ran his campaign on the promise to fight drug traffickers. His first year in office he declared war on the drug lords. During his presidency, he sent out more than 45,000 military troops and 5,000 federal police, many of them to the northern part of Mexico, fighting against drug violence there.
His public security minister removed 284 federal police commissioners also suspected of corruption and replaced them with hand-selected officers. The gangs have responded with escalated violence. We've been telling you that story. More than 23,000 people have died in Mexico since President Calderon took office, mostly due to drug- related deaths.
We will continue the discussion of tackling drug abuse and drug violence and a shift in U.S. policy when national drug policy director Gil Kerlikowske joins us next hour.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It has been a month since BP's oil well, the blowout there sent millions of gallons of oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
CNN's Rob Marciano rides along now with emergency management officials in Hancock County, Mississippi, responding to reports the oily gunk has arrived.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hello, Tony, with the oil spill spreading out and reports now of heavier oil hitting the Louisiana wetlands, people across the Gulf of Mexico are certainly on edge. And here along the Mississippi coast, they're getting calls every day from residents that are reporting some sort of oil onshore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN "HOOTY" ADAMS, DIR, HANCOCK COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We've boats out there. Nobody's reported seeing anything just yet.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Brian "Hooty" Adams directs this emergency operation. Reports of potential oil around Hancock County has residents here on high alert.
He's a straight talker.
ADAMS: We're not going to lie to them, though. If there's oil out there, we're going to tell them.
MARCIANO: Approximately 200 of black tar-like balls were recovered on the beach and brought to this meeting. Emergency managers want to know if they're from the deep water horizon spill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the things that we observed that may clear up some of the confusion.
MARCIANO: Jesse has worked oil spills before. Twice a day, he patrols the Hancock County shoreline.
JESSE FINERMAN, HANCOCK COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, HAZ-MAT: Get up on that puppy.
MARCIANO: Four-wheelers are his mode of transport.
FINERMAN: On switch here. This is your parking brake here. Other than that, there's not a whole lot to it.
MARCIANO (on camera): All right, let's go clean the beach.
FINERMAN: OK.
MARCIANO (voice-over): We work our way along the water.
FINERMAN: You see (INAUDIBLE) materials -- that's cigarette butts. You're seeing vegetation, grass.
MARCIANO: Searching for signs of oil.
FINERMAN: We've had people call in that they've seen oily sheen and they've actually seen oil floating on the water. That they've seen this mousy material.
MARCIANO (on camera): So your job is to verify those calls.
FINERMAN: Basically to verify the calls to see if it's something really happening. Hey, we want to know.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Heightened sensitivity seems to have everyone seeing oil.
(on camera): What about this foamy stuff over here?
FINERMAN: It has no petroleum odor to it. It does have a reddish color and the clay balls are consistent to what is being used for the restoration project on the sand beaches here. You can see this reddish sheen up and down our beach in our sea foam and that may be what people are seeing.
MARCIANO: So one more mistaken identity?
FINERMAN: Very possibly, but we still have it tested.
MARCIANO (voice-over): The sun sets, but Finerman's work is far from over. He'll be out combing the beach every day until the spill is contained.
FINERMAN: We're doing everything possibly can to make sure that it's safe out here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: It's been a long month of watching, waiting and preparing since the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. And to say folks out here on the Mississippi coastline are anxious, is an understatement.
Weather today is good again. A little bit of a light onshore breeze. They'll be able to control burns again and do some more skimming operations and maybe spay some more dispersants out there. The Gulf loop current has taken in a little bit of that sheen, but if it gets towards Florida in the next five to ten days it should be a little bit more diluted and weathered -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right. Rob, thank you.
Here's another view from CNN iReporter Eileen Romero (ph). Eileen, appreciate it. Thank you. This is near a wild life preserve on the Chandelier Islands in Louisiana. Eileen was on a fishing boat earlier this week that had special permission to go there. She says she saw a lot of dead jellyfish and some dead birds. The dolphins seemed to be OK, though.
Let's get a look at the oil and the loop current. We've been talking about the loop current for the last couple of days here.
Now, help us, you were terrific in our meeting this morning at putting this in perspective. So, look, give us that presentation again.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK. I'm going to give this in a very simple way. I'm going to give you the good news, the bad news. Let's start with the worst, OK?
HARRIS: Yes.
Places that will are going to be affected the worst are right at the pristine wetlands that we have in extreme Southern Louisiana, Unlike what you have up in Prince William Sound in parts of Alaska, with the Exxon Valdez, we had rocks. In this situation you have porous material, a lot of these grasslands. So when that crude oil gets in there, it's going to permeate these grasses. It's can kill them, it can change the coastline forever. That's the bad news.
The good news though is that the thickest oil is closer to its primary source near the spot where we had the deep water horizon. That's where it's going to be its thickest. But as it has picked up and is carried by that current, as Rob mentioned, it is going to be diffused somewhat. So it won't be wide as thick if it gets caught in that loop current and heads down to the (INAUDIBLE), the Dry Tortugas, Port Jefferson or even the Keys. It will not be quite as thick.
Something else to mention, very, very important to mention is that when you make your way from the Mississippi coastline, back into the (INAUDIBLE) coastline, too, Tony, the beaches are still pristine. They're still fine for the time being. And there is a very good chance that some of the worst oil that we see on those coastlines may really be some of that rainbow sheen and not the thickest crude.
However, that being said, we've to stop this leak. It is a nightmare. Again, 5,000 feet down. And you know something even more mind- boggling, is it's about 5,000 feet down, nearly a mile in depth. But then it goes another 5.5 miles below that to get to the source of that oil. I mean, it's mind-boggling.
HARRIS: Hey, great message that the beaches are fine for now.
WOLF: Beaches are fine for now, don't cancel your plans. But we've got to watch it.
HARRIS: OK. All right. Reynolds, appreciate it.
We want to get back to Washington, D.C. now and Felipe Calderon talking about U.S. immigration policy.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
CALDERON: -- in which our people will find the opportunities that today they look for outside of the country. Until then, Mexico is determined to assume its responsibility.
For us, migration is not just your problem. We see migration as our problem as well.
(APPLAUSE)
My government does not favor the breaking of the rules. I fully respect the right of any country to enact and enforce its own laws.
(APPLAUSE)
But what we need today is to fix a broken and inefficient system.
(APPLAUSE)
We favor the establishment of those that work and work well for us all. So the time has come for the United States and Mexico to work together in this issue. The time has come to reduce causes (ph) of immigration and to turn this phenomenon into a legal order and secure flows of workers and visitors.
We want to provide the Mexican people with the opportunities they are looking for. That is our goal. That is our mission as government, to transform Mexico in a land of opportunities. To provide to our people with jobs and opportunities to live in peace and to be happy.
I want to recognize the hard work and leadership of many of you in the Senate, and in the House, and of President Obama, who are determined to find responsible and objective answers to this issue. I am convinced that a comprehensive immigration reform is also crucial to securing our common border.
However, I strongly disagree with your recently adopted law in Arizona.
(APPLAUSE)
It is a law that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree. But also introduce a terrible idea using racial profiling as a basis for law enforcement. And that is why I agree with the President who says the new law carries a great amount of risk when core values that we all care about are breached.
I don't want to deep the gap between the feelings and emotions between our countries and our peoples. I believe in bridges; I believe in communication; I believe in cooperation. We must find together a better way to face and fix this common problem.
And finally, the well-being of both our peoples depends not only in our ability to face the challenges, but global ones, as well. That is the case of climate change. That is the case, for instance, of not proliferations of nuclear weapons in the world.
(APPLAUSE)
Climate change -- this is one -- climate change is one of humanity's more pressing threats. Global warming demands the commitment of all nations, both developed and developing countries. That is why Mexico was the first developing country to commit to emissions reduction targets and programs.
(APPLAUSE)
And as cause of the upcoming (INAUDIBLE), we are working hard to make progress in the fight against climate change. Because of your global leadership, we will need your support to make the meeting in Cancun, next November, a success.
(APPLAUSE)
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, honorable members of the United States Congress; Mexico is a country in deep transformation indeed. We are building the future our people deserve, a future of opportunity. A future of freedom, of equality, of rule of law. A future of security in which families and children can go out to work, study or play without fear. And most of all, a future in which our children and their children will see their dreams come true.
I have come here as your neighbor, as your partner, as your ally, and as your friend. Our two great nations are joined by geography and by history, but more important, we are joined by a shared, brilliant future. I believe in the future of North America as the strongest, most prosperous region in the world. That is possible.
(APPLAUSE)
(END OF COVERAGE)
HARRIS: Mexican President Felipe Calderon adding new language to the illegal immigration discussion in this country, referring to the people who travel to America for jobs in this country as migrants. We haven't used that word a lot in the debate, not referring to them as illegal immigrants or illegal aliens.
President Calderon said, I strongly disagree with the recently adopted immigration law in Arizona, calling it a law that introduces racial profiling into the equation. And that he wants to work the President Obama on a comprehensive immigration policy. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So is this a good idea or just plain crazy? A mom who is a well-known writer and blogger is calling for parents across the country to take their kids to the park this weekend and then say bye- bye. Yes. Then leave.
Josh Levs is here with that.
Josh, what is this all about?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's national take your kids to the park and leave them there day, Tony.
HARRIS: Who sanctioned this?
LEVS: You know, what, I would say it even more emphatically, but I have a scratchy throat from the germs that my three-year-old brought home from the park where he was being supervised.
Joining us is Lenore Skenazy. It's her idea.
Lenore, are you with us.
LENORE SKENAZY, FREERANGEKIDS.COM: I think I am. Can you see me? I can see you.
LEVS: Thanks for doing this.
: Yes, there I am. Hi. Great.
LEVS: You run this blog, freerangekids.com. You made news a couple years ago when you put your nine- year-old on the subway alone. Talk to us about this idea for Saturday.
What's the thinking behind it?
SKENAZY: The thinking behind it that I remember growing up and going outside and playing with my friends. We have kick ball all the time going on the street. And nowadays when my kids look outside, and I say, go out and play, it's 80 degrees. They say, there's no one there. And they stay inside and instead they're texting, they're on their computers. I wanted to break the ice and bring kids back outside. Because I'm sure other kids are looking outside and saying, there's no one there. We've got to break the ice and bring them back out.
LEVS: One of the arguments you make on your blog
SKENAZY: Hello?
LEVS: Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Lenore?
SKENAZY: I can almost hear you. Let's see. I'm going to hold my thing like this. LEVS: OK. You hold it wherever you got to hold it.
You got me? We can get a great, new studio but we can't necessarily --
SKENAZY: I got you, yes.
LEVS: OK. One of the arguments that you make is that crime is actually lower than a lot of people think. And it is true. I talked to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Crimes against young people are going down. Many studies suggest that child abductions, the stereotypical kidnappings, about 115 per year, according to the latest study. That's by a stranger or a new acquaintance. They do believe those numbers are going down.
If you look at what's called, non-family abductions, you're looking at about 58,000 a year. But a lot of those aren't the stereotypical kidnappings either. They give examples. Like, an ex-boyfriend who holds on to a 17-year-old girl, a baby sitter holding on to children for a while. In terms of raw numbers, you might be right, that the statistics don't match the fear. But what's wrong with being extra vigilant?
If all the vigilance of parents watching their kids all the time prevents one kid from being abducted, why isn't that a great idea?
SKENAZY: It's interesting, Actually, C. Everett Koop, the former surgeon general is suggesting that the benefits outweigh the risk. The risk, it's horrifying.
And we see it over-emphasized on television every day from cable news to "CSI" and "Law and Order." They're always showing us the very worst things. They neglect to show us what happens to the kids that are stuck inside with the diabetes and obesity and depression and not having a childhood.
It turns out the reason children want to play is because it is programmed into them by evolution as a way to help them grow up. And if we're always playing with them, becoming the, you know, all right, I'll let you have another turn because your screwed up the last time, that's different from them listening to a friend saying, hey, it's my turn now, your turn is next, which actually acclimates them to compromise, creativity and regulating themselves a little.
LEVS: Listen, I could talk to you all day but unfortunately we have all this breaking news, we have to cut this short.
I want to show everyone, we posted your blog and also some people who disagree up on my Facebook page. We're hearing from a lot of people. A lot of people think this is a dangerous idea, disagree with it. I also want to say quickly that Marc Klaas, who runs the Klaas Kids Foundation agrees with some of what you had to say. But he says, the extreme nature of free range concept of leaving children as young as seven to their own devices without supervision, he considers it knuckleheaded idealism. We know it's controversial so we look forward to seeing how it plays out. Lenore, thank you for joining us.
SKENAZY: Thank you so much. Bye, guys.
HARRIS: All right. Thank you both. Thank you both.
Here's what we're working on for the next hour off CNN NEWSROOM. Arizona's ethnic studies ban.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In another classroom, a class called American Government and Social Justice, is also taught through the ethnic studies lens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to be a good human being.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mostly Latino students are learning about who the liberal and who the conservative justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Our Gary Tuchman takes us inside the classroom for both sides of the controversy.
Plus, when a teenager with everything to live for tries to jump to his death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ran under there and the only thing on my mind was I just -- I just want to get all his body parts because I figured that was it. And I wanted to grab his body parts and have him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: One family's painful journey with depression and how it might save other young people.
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