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BP Preparing to Attempt "Top Kill" on Well; Investigating the Air India Crash; Korean Peninsula Tensions; American-born Muslim Cleric Warns Future Attacks Against American Citizens; Royal Sales Pitch; Extreme Bullying & Kid Violence; Key Week in Oil Leak Battle; Helping the Autistic to Communicate
Aired May 23, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight on CNN, talking loud and saying nothing. Nothing that people on the Gulf Coast want to hear, that is. The Louisiana governor is fed up, so is the Obama administration, but does any of it make one bit of difference?
A CNN news alert. A state of emergency right now in Jamaica. Violence and now a lockdown on a popular American tourist destination.
A social epidemic plaguing American schoolchildren driving more and more of them to take their own lives. Tonight a young girl pleas for help and attention over an escalating problem.
And the duchess of York taking a bribe. We have the tape to prove it. The same one that forced Fergie to apologize.
Make it stop. That is the sentiment from everybody down in the gulf region and probably from you at home as well, rightfully so. This coming week, however, could be the last best chance of capping the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A live look now at the constant gush of oil under water. Millions of gallons so far. This Tuesday or Wednesday, BP will try what's called a top kill on the well. Our Ed Lavandera explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dozens of shipping vessels are moving into place in the Gulf of Mexico, preparing for what could be the most crucial moment in the battle to cut off the oil spill. BP says in the next few days, crews will be ready to attempt what's called the top kill, a process that will inject drilling mud into the blowout preventer on the ocean floor. The hope is the cement will seal the well, but it's not a sure thing. The risks are great, failure means the well could keep spewing oil into August.
DOUG SUTTLES, BP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: I would stress that these operations are quite complex, and we won't start the job until all of the equipment is staged and everything is in place.
LAVANDERA: But as the moment draws closer, the stress and emotion are building up across the Louisiana coast.
KEN SALAZAR, INTERIOR SECRETARY: I am angry and I am frustrated that BP has been unable to stop this well from leaking.
LAVANDERA: Three cabinet secretaries from the Obama administration were dispatched to the region, and talk is turning to mistrust of the way BP is handling the crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I have confidence that they know exactly what they're doing? No, not completely. Since the incident began, I promised that we would keep our boot on BP's neck, and in the past few weeks, we have absolutely been doing that.
Well, all of us at BP are trying to solve the problem. Those words hurt a little bit. Because we've been open about what we're doing.
LAVANDERA: If the top kill effort fails, BP officials say they have other ideas to stem the flow of oil and vow to keep trying to shut off the well. More and more oil is creeping into the Louisiana marshland every day, threatening a pelican nesting ground near Grand Isle, where the beaches are closed.
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: It is clear the resources needed to protect our coast are still not here. Booms, skimmers, vacuums, jack up barges are all in short supply. Oil sits and waits for clean up, and every day it sits for cleanup, more of our marsh dies. And we know this is only the first wave. We know that there is more oil coming.
LAVANDERA: And with it, anxiety builds on the Gulf Coast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our Ed Lavandera joins us now from New Orleans.
Ed, we heard the governor there. I mean, you could hear how frustrated he is. Is that the general mood, not only from officials there, but from the people as well?
LAVANDERA: I think everywhere you go across this Gulf Coast region, there's that feeling of exasperation at this point. As you look forward over the next few days towards this top kill effort, and whether or not that works really, kind of will determine whether or not this region needs to prepare for what could be several more weeks, at the very least, of intensified oil spill. And what really people are most nervous about, Don, is that as we're a little more than a month out since this explosion, we're really starting to see that oil. And as you heard the governor allude to, it just keeps coming and coming. And really no one really knows -- they are wondering, is the worst yet to come?
LEMON: And when will it end?
Ed Lavandera, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you very, sir.
And, you know, the man overseeing the cleanup for the administration says he has trust in BP. Coast Guard commandant Thad Allen says the government has to rely on BP because the company has the technology needed for the job. Allen spoke with our Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Your relationship with BP has been good. Do you trust them? Because you got to know that there are a lot of people out there that think they really didn't tell us the truth about the flow rate; that they didn't tell us the truth about what safety regulations that they had or would have when they started drilling.
Do you trust BP? Are they doing what they say they are doing?
ADM. THAD ALLEN, COAST GUARD COMMANDANT: When I give them direction or the federal agency coordinator gives them direction we get a response. I've got Tony Hayward's personal cell phone number, if I have a problem, I call him.
Some of the problems we have had that we worked through are more logistic and coordination's issues.
CROWLEY: Do you trust them?
ALLEN: I trust Tony Hayward -- when I talk to him, I get an answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Tony Hayward is BP's chief executive. He recently said the environmental impact of the spill would be, quote, "very, very modest." Commandant Allen disagrees, saying it's obviously not modest in Louisiana.
And later on tonight, we're going to take you where no one else has been before in this catastrophic Gulf of Mexico. We're going below the surface in a CNN exclusive to give you a better understanding of the sheer magnitude of the disaster. You don't want to miss that.
Meantime, we have other news to tell you about. This time out of India. India's civil aviation minister says the Air India plane crash that killed 158 people might be human error. But it could take months to figure out exactly what happened.
The cockpit voice recorder has been found. The flight data recorder hasn't, but should show -- both should show what caused the Boeing 737 to overshoot the runway in Mangalore early Saturday. The plane took off from Dubai in the United Air of Emirates. Only eight people survived the disaster. And tonight, CNN's Sara Sidner speaks with one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sabrina is in serious pain and wants to keep a low profile -- so we agreed not to show her face. She is one of only eight people who survived this -- one of India's deadliest plane crashes in more than a decade. Everybody thought that they were about to land safely, a split second, before the wheels of the Air India Express 737 touched down in Mangalore. They were wrong.
SABRINA, CRASH SURVIVOR: Instead of decelerating and stopping, it picked up more speed and just kept going really fast, and we all knew that it was something abnormal because everything was shaking. After that, I remember, like, we had some sort of plunging sensation as though we were going down a slope.
SIDNER: They were going down a slope, a steep embankment just at the end of the runway. The plane was about to crash into the thick valley forest below. Authorities initially believed the pilot overshot the runway. But they're not sure as they must now collect details from the flight voice and data recorders. Sabrina is a living witness to what happened. When the flight ended this way, it was so dark and quiet she thought she must still be sleeping.
SABRINA: Especially in the beginning, I thought I was dreaming, but then when I was walking, I felt the pain. So I knew that I wasn't dreaming and it had to be real.
SIDNER: She had to free her foot that was trapped in the wreckage to get out.
SABRINA: Either someone pushed me out of the plane or I jumped out. And then I landed on the forest floor. And after that, I remember that, you know, one of the big curve crashes, it bursts into flames.
SIDNER: That is exactly what happened -- but not before she was rescued by a handful of farmers who heard her cries.
SABRINA: There were five or six of them who are trying to maneuver me out through the woods.
SIDNER: She was safe but terribly shaken.
(on camera): The first thing you said to your mom --
SABRINA: I just told her I must be really lucky and that God must have something specific in mind for me later on.
SIDNER (voice-over): As she lies in her hospital bed with more than a half dozen injuries, she knows one thing. She now knows what it's like to be a patient so she can be a better doctor. Sabrina is in the final year of medical school.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Mangalore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A developing story to tell you about this hour from South Korea, where the country's president says he plans to take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. He also announced that South Korea is suspending trade with the north and closing its waters to North Korean ships. Meantime, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Beijing, and she is urging China to work with the U.S. to coordinate a response to the incident.
CNN's John Vause is covering all of these details for you in Seoul, and stay with us. He's going to join us a little bit later on this hour.
An unthinkable rash of bullying in school may have resulted in two students taking their own lives and another in ICU. All in one week. Tonight, the victim of a school bully tells her story.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal voices frustration with what he calls a lot of foot-dragging by the federal government.
And don't just sit there. Be a part of our conversation. Make sure you follow us on Twitter. Send us a message on Twitter and Facebook. And check out my blog at CNN.com/Don. We want to hear from you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Louisiana's governor has run out of patience over the massive oil leak in the gulf. Governor Bobby Jindal toured some of the affected areas in the coast today. He is demanding the federal government approve his state's plan to dredge up walls of sand to protect the coastline. And he is frustrated with what he sees as a lot of foot dragging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JINDAL: We were waiting for detailed protection plans. When we saw there weren't detailed plans coming, Louisiana's leaders, Louisiana's coastal parish leaders put together their own plans working with the state for each and every parish in the absence of any detailed plan coming from BP or the Coast Guard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, state and parish leaders say the barrier plan is being held up by the army corps of engineers and agencies involved in this bill response. The Coast Guard says officials are weighing the environmental impact it would have. Well, detailed plans are not. The people of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast are clearly tired of waiting, and so is the world. And while everyone waits for a plan, a solution of some kind, the oil keeps gushing into the gulf, hour after hour, day after day, minute after minute.
I'm joined now by Billy Nungesser. He is a president of Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish.
I understand that you're frustrated as well. The people down there are frustrated. I want to play this before I talk to you Mr. Nungesser. This is you today with the governor and you can hear how upset you are. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY NUNGESSER, PRESIDENT, PLAQUEMINES PARISH, L.A.: You've got the governor standing up, wanting to do everything possible. The Coast Guard, the corps, the federal government will be saying, what can we do to help? Not, give me a better drawing, give me a better sketch. Tell me why it's not good. You know, those are excuses. Leaders don't give excuses. They solve problems. But they're in our way. If they're not going to help, get the hell out of the way. This is absolutely ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mr. Nungesser, how did the governor respond to that?
NUNGESSER (via telephone): Well, he's frustrated. You know, today we brought in dead carcasses. We've got islands with thousands of pelicans and their eggs and their babies are covered with oil. And I believe had they approved their emergency permit weeks ago when we asked -- you know, to ask more questions about environmental impact, look at the impact on the environment now. It's not only killing off the wildlife, but all those islands that are infested with oil. The grass will be killed, and those islands will be open water next year.
LEMON: And listen, this is interesting that you say that, because I spoke with one of the congressman there yesterday, Mr. Melancon. He said, oh, this is being overplayed a bit. And just looking at the pictures and hearing from people there, I don't feel that it's being overplayed, do you?
NUNGESSER: You know what, I think some of those congressmen ought to get out of the office and get their butts out in the water, where we are every day. Anybody that goes out and sees this first hand cannot believe that the federal government, the corps, and the Coast Guard has not thrown everything at it. We've used one disbursement, and there's been 1,000 people come to my office with products that seem to work.
I'm not a scientist. But the fact that all these people from all over the country has brought things that clog up the oil, break it down, and we've looked at one thing. We're spraying one chemical. We're using booms sporadically. We don't even have a plan for that. And yet, they ask in 50 questions every week about the harm to the environment for this dredge plan.
Remember, we're taking material out of the ocean and putting it back where it once was on an island. Yet the alternative is oil through thousands of miles of estuary, breeding grounds for animals, yet the environmental question is, which is the greater risk? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make that decision.
LEMON: Here's my question to you. It is a catch 22 there, because Louisiana not only thrives on seafood and tourism, and it is a sportsman's paradise, I grew up there. Here's the thing, it also thrives on oil, the oil industry as well. So the politicians may be in a catch-22.
Do you think that's part of the problem?
NUNGESSER: Listen, I retired and sold my business. I was in the oil business. I built living quarters for it. There's good oil companies, Shell, Chevron, they've all been great environmental supporters, everything.
This -- and I was a big partner for the first two weeks, trying to help BP put this plan together. What is happening now is criminal. They had a chance to step up to the plate, and remember this, too, the $350 million we asked them to pay for this plan will be a small piece of the environmental impact that it is having on coastal Louisiana, on the wildlife, on everything to do.
When it's all said and done, and they put their money where their mouth was and put up that money and built this barrier island, we could have kept 70 percent, 80 percent of this oil offshore. And it's not too late.
Today, Jacques Cousteau's son was out there and discovered large pools of black oil 10 foot below the surface. That video will be coming out soon. When they see what's lurking, what still is going to come ashore next week, next month, maybe with a hurricane, we're playing with a disaster beyond anybody's imagination, except the people that are out there on the water every day. And it's just -- BP is still saying, this is not going to be a major catastrophe.
LEMON: Billy Nungesser, you are the first one to sound like a Louisiana native to come on that I have heard about and give people the truth, and tell it like it is. So thank you very much for that, all right?
NUNGESSER: Thank you for all your support. We really appreciate it.
LEMON: Billy Nungesser is the president of Plaquemines Parish down in Louisiana, and we appreciate his candor.
A terrorist warning from abroad. A fugitive American-born Muslim cleric threatening future attacks against U.S. citizens.
And what sparked a state of emergency to be declared in Jamaica. We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In a new video out today, a fugitive American-born Muslim cleric is warning of future attacks against American citizens. In the video, Anwar Al- Awlaki justifies murder as revenge for U.S. forces killing women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of this video was released in April, but now the entire video has been posted on radical Islamic Web site.
More now from CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Al-Awlaki is thought to be hiding somewhere in remote mountains in Yemen, a fact which he seems to acknowledge as he welcomes his interviewer.
ANWAR AL-AWLAKI, FUGITIVE MUSLIM CLERIC (through translator): Thank you for going through all the hardship to get here.
FOREMAN: In a 45-minute interview, al-Awlaki contrasts what he sees as the West's desire for a liberal democratic Islam and what he sees as the real Islam.
AL-AWLAKI: There are two camps of Islam nowadays: the camp of glory and the camp of humiliation.
FOREMAN: Throughout the interview, his theme: a war of fates. Again, he praises the alleged Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of murder and 32 of attempted murder.
AL-AWLAKI: By God, how can we be opposed to Nidal Hasan's operation? He killed American soldiers en route to Afghanistan and Iraq. Who would object to such an operation?
FOREMAN: Al-Awlaki exchanged e-mails with Hasan before the shooting and describes him as one of his students. He predicts more acts of violence in the United States.
AL-AWLAKI: If the American crimes continue, we will see a new Nidal Hassan. There are now mujahedeen in the West and from America fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And this phenomenon will grow because of the criminal acts committed by the American in the Arab and Muslim world.
FOREMAN: Al-Awlaki also repeats his praise for the Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day, who was allegedly trained by al Qaeda in Yemen. And he claims all Americans, including civilians, are legitimate targets.
AL-AWLAKI: Now, when it comes to the American people as a whole, they are participating in the war because they are the ones who voted for this administration. And they are the ones funding these wars.
FOREMAN: An immediate response from the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs is saying the U.S. is actively trying to track down al- Awlaki man and others like him.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president will continue to take action directly at terrorists like al-Awlaki and keep our country safe from their murderous thugs.
FOREMAN: In recent months, senior administration officials have said al-Awlaki is an operational figure within al Qaeda and he has been targeted for killing or capture. The Yemeni government says if it catches al-Awlaki, he won't be sent to the United States but will face trial in his homeland.
From his hiding place, al-Awlaki makes it clear he won't surrender but continue to urge jihad, holy war, against the country he describes as today's pharaoh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was CNN's Tom Foreman.
A routine automobile accident in Connecticut, well, it becomes something else when a former president riding in one of the cars is affected by it.
And the duchess of York apparently tries to sell out the royal family and it's all caught on camera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We are following a developing story this hour, and it is from Seoul, South Korea, where the country's president says plans to take North Korea -- he plans to take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council. The reason -- the sinking of a ship, a South Korean warship back in March.
We want to go now to our John Vause. He is tracking all the developments for us tonight in Seoul. Joins us now by phone.
John, what else did the president have to say?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN BEIJING CORRESPONDENT: Don, South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak made this national address from the country's war memorial. It was a last-minute change of venue. Meant to send a clear message, not just to the people of South Korea, but also to the communist north. And that message was, this time it's different.
He said the Republic of Korea will not tolerate any provocative act by the north. If our territory awarded air space or territory is violated, we will immediately exercise our right of self-defense.
He also announced all South Korean shipping lanes are immediately closed to North Korean ships. All trade and exchanges are suspended. He said under these circumstances, inter-Korean trade and cooperation is simply meaningless.
He also said that there are plans to upgrade South Korea's military readiness. In the light of the ship sinking of the Cheonan, that corvette warship, when it sank, 46 sailors died. Don?
LEMON: John Vause, how big a deal is this?
VAUSE: Well, the sinking of the corvette -- of the Cheonan, with 46 sailors dying was the biggest loss of life for the military since the end of the Korean War. So there is a definite feeling here that somehow, South Korea must act. That they just cannot continue to tolerate these aggressive acts coming from the North Koreans, be it blowing up airliners, border skirmishes, or sinking ships. That South Koreans has got to do something about the North Koreans.
Interesting during this address, the President Lee said he was embarrassed by the North Koreans, and said it was time that they change their regime. Don?
LEMON: All right, John Vause.
Thank you, John.
I want to take a quick look now at some of your headlines. Jamaica has declared a state of emergency tonight. Gang members attacked police stations with Molotov cocktails and blockaded parts of the capital city of Kingston. The violence began after a week of rising tension over the possible extradition of an alleged Jamaican drug lord to the U.S. on drug and arms trafficking charges.
With all the security a former president gets, it still can't protect him from an inattentive driver. Former President Bill Clinton was involved in a fender bender today. Clinton was on his way to Yale University to give a commencement speech. Police say a driver going very slowly rear-ended Clinton's SUV, causing those scratches that you see right there. The former president downplayed the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was one of those deals where everybody in the passing lane slowed down and we all slowed down and one person didn't. It happened to be the person behind us, but you know, it was just a flip. We're fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The former president went on to Yale where he addressed students and didn't mention the collision at all.
The last time many of us saw ex-British royal Sarah Ferguson, she was in weight watchers commercials. Remember that? Well now it seems Fergie is pitching something else, access to her former husband, Prince Andrew.
Take a look at this video posted online today by the British tabloid, "News of the World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH FERGUSON, EX-BRITISH ROYAL: On to the next thing. 500,000 pounds, when you can, to me, open doors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be Prince Andrew?
FERGUSON: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a deal?
FERGUSON: Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You see the handshake? Here's what the newspaper is saying.
The duchess spoke to an undercover reporter posing as a business man. Prince Andrew is fourth in line to the British throne. He and Fergie divorced in 1996 and they have two daughters. They said she was making a deal for access to her husband.
You know, there's a whole lot to offer in this economy, because it's very shaking. Everything from rising unemployment to pay what you can cafes.
Here's Stephanie Elam with this week's "Getting Down to Business."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The fed is optimistic that the economy will continue to improve and predicts a slight drop in unemployment this year. But it's still a tough time for many out of work Americans.
A surprise number of U.S. workers filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. With 25,000 new claims, the surge wiped out most of the recent declines over the past month. Look for another jobless report on Thursday to see if that increase was a one- week blip.
And new home construction went through the roof in April. The number of new houses being built jumped more than 40 percent from last year. But some home builders are still cautious. April marked the end of the first-time home buyer tax credit, which has sparked lots of buying this year. We'll get the latest figures on new and existing home sales next week.
And finally, imagine walking into a cafe, ordering a sandwich, and not being required to pay. Well, a former CEO of Panera Bread is testing this concept with a donation box at a St. Louis bread company, Cares Cafe. Customers who can't pay are asked to donate their time. Their motto, "Take what you need, leave your fair share."
And that's this week's "Getting Down to Business."
Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The old honor system, huh, Steph?
Thank you for that.
Despite the warnings, the problem with school bullies, well, it seems to be getting worse these days. Several extreme cases just this week alone. And two students may have taken their own lives because of it. Coming up, a brave 12-year-old girl opens up about what she faces every day at school as the target of bullies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Tonight, in the state of our nation, a shocking string of flat- out evil acts by kids against kids. In two separate cases, one in Florida, the other in Oklahoma. Two 11-year-olds may have committed suicide. The girl and boy, their families say, just couldn't take the bullying anymore.
Near Miami, a 15-year-old girl is recovering after being beaten so badly, she was put in a medically-induced coma. Police say another teenager repeatedly kicked her for a comment she said about his dead brother. It goes on.
In New Jersey, police charged a 17-year-old boy for, they say, defecating in a classmate's soda can.
And in New Hampshire, four people just arrested for forcibly tattooing obscenities on a developmentally disabled 14-year-old boy.
Enough is enough. It is time to talk about how to stop bullying and meanness. And we did with a psychologist, a bullying victim, and her mother.
The victim, Elizabeth, is just a year older than the reported suicide victims. She told me for her, the bullying has not gotten to the point of suicidal thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELISABETH BERRY, VICTIM OF BULLYING: If you want to let them win, then let them. But that means that you didn't fight for your rights and stuff. You know, it's sort of like saying, keep your chin up and everything will be fine.
LEMON: Mrs. Berry, when you hear about all of this, what do you think?
SUSAN BERRY, MOTHER OF BULLYING VICTIM: I'm afraid. I'm afraid for her, and I'm also afraid for the children that are doing it. I think that if they only knew what they were doing to her inside or as much as they were scaring her, I don't think that they would do it. But it is fearful for her.
In fact, Elisabeth, you have more self-esteem than the average victim of bullying. Because the average victim of bullying, you know, has low self-esteem, often wants to fit in, often is missing some kind of social cues. What's important for you is to form alliances with people who love you for you and who you are. And that's really the key. Because what's happening in early adolescence is, of course, keep yourself identifying with the group. They're trying to do what the group thinks is cruel.
And if you take any one of those girls outside of that group, it's an entirely different person. And that is the key to solving bullying. And not that it should be put on you, your mom, or the school system -- well, maybe the school should get involved more.
We have to teach empathy and compassion. There's an amazing pilot study going on in Canada, where they're taking adolescence and taking them into daycares and preschools, and after then to look at pre-verbal humans and imagine what they're feeling when they're crying, when they're hitting another. So that they're learning empathy and compassion for somebody else.
LEMON: So, listen, doctor, you know, bullying is nothing new. I was bullied when I was a kid. I was called names, and I may have done it to other people. But I think there's a different --
Ah, Don --
LEMON: Well, you know, I was a smart aleck in school, you know. I got my shots in. But there are -- there is a difference between kids being kids, playing the dozens, making fun of, and then bullying. I think bullying goes to a whole another level. So my question is, is it worse now? Is bullying getting worse?
Well, I think what we're seeing is this group coercive behavior is becoming dangerous. And it's crossing a line into criminal activity. Now, plenty of psychological studies have been done on what is the profile of an average kid who becomes a bullier?
Well, you know, more than 60 percent of them, and I'm going to get on my soap box again, Don, comes from divorce, a family of divorce, maybe even a blended family, there's a step parent involved, and they're not spending a lot of one-on-one parent time because both parents are trying to make ends meet and work long hours.
So I often say, the problem is not the parents, it's the culture that doesn't support families. A culture that doesn't provide adequate help along the way so the parents can better manage their children.
Also, children who have been spanked. Corporal punishment on children increases the likelihood that they will hit another child. So as much as the studies keep coming out, and we keep trying to tell people, listen, if you want to discipline their kids, remove their technology, that really changes their behavior, but don't hit them. That teaches them how to hit.
LEMON: And doctor, you know, I want to give some good points here. But I want to give the last word to Ms. Berry and her daughter, Elisabeth -- Susan Berry and her daughter.
What would you like to see, first of all, to the parent? To Susan? What would you like to see done?
S. BERRY: I think that there should be more programs available for the parents to teach them how to cope with the bullying, how to open up to their children, because we really don't know what our children are feeling. I'm sure that some of my daughter's emotions, she keeps to herself. And so before the children -- more children injure themselves, there has to be a way for them to have dialogue with the people that care about them.
LEMON: Yes. And that was my thoughts exactly, because I don't always share.
OK, Elisabeth, you mom said, you know, she's sure that you keep some thoughts to yourself.
What do you want the kids to know, parents, anyone watching to know about being bullied. How it makes you feel? What you would like to be done about it? It's your time right now, tell me.
E. BERRY: Well, this is going out to the kids who are being bullied, and you know, the partners who are having a hard time. I am very scared sometimes to even walk out of my front door. I'm scared to even go anywhere where I know that there is somebody who doesn't really like me and who bullies me. On my bus, anywhere that I go, even off of school grounds, I am being bullied by at least one, maybe even more people. And I feel scared. I feel like I shouldn't even belong out in that world since that many people want to bully me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Seeing it is one thing. Being in the middle of it is quite another. Going into the gulf, beneath the surface for a firsthand look at the damage done by that leaking oil rig.
And Naomi Campbell's gift that could get her subpoenaed in a war crimes trial. Yep.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, this week could bring the last best chance to cap the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. And the government's impatience with BP is really starting to show. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says BP missed deadline after deadline, and while he believes the company is trying everything, he is not confident BP knows what it is doing.
On Tuesday or Wednesday, BP will attempt to do a top kill to cap the leak. Crews will pump heavy drilling fluids into the well, and then they're going to try to seal it with cement. The method has never been used so deep before, nearly a mile under the water.
The gulf tourism industry is already feeling the pain from the spill, and Florida Governor Charlie Crist says BP should have to pay for it. He wants the company to fork out $35 millions for advertising to reassure tourists that the oil isn't ruining Florida's beaches.
Tonight, we are taking you where no one else has for a never before seen look at this catastrophic even in the Gulf Coast. We're going below the surface in a CNN exclusive so you can better understand the sheer magnitude of this disaster.
Our David Mattingly is standing by live for us in New Orleans. David, it's going to be very interesting to see this. We remotely sent an operated -- a remotely operated vehicle down into the water to see for ourselves what's down there.
What did you find?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, all this time, we've been able to see what oil is doing on top of the water. And now thanks to that live video feed from BP, we can see the oil coming out at the bottom of the ocean. But we really didn't know and haven't been able to see what was going on in that massive area in between.
So, we put our own ROV in the water. This small submersible camera, self-propelled. It was about the size of a suitcase. We sent it down into the water column, underneath one of those areas that we found. We went to about 20 miles away from where the well is leaking, and to put this submersible in there.
We found one of those bands of that leaking oil. It had been treated with the dispersant, so it was all emulsified. We've seen plenty of pictures of those before. But now we put that camera underneath the water. We could see the particles going down in the water column. What surprised us was that one location we put in, we actually found those emulsified pieces of oil in that band going down about 50 feet.
Now, this is an area that can't be seen by the satellites. It can't be seen by the human eye, but this camera was able to see that. 50 feet down from the surface, we were still seeing tiny little pieces of oil floating along with the rest of the band. And we also sent it down to the bottom, just to see how far down we could go, what sort of signs we could see. We went down to the bottom in a couple of locations, once almost 1,000 feet down, another location, down to a coral reef where we went down about 200 feet and each time we were looking for signs of oil.
We did, however, find that as farther down the submersible went, we were able to get away from the oil, it seemed, and get down below where it doesn't look like anything has happened. We saw fish down there. We saw a variety of vegetation. And some of it actually looking normal, like it had not been affected.
LEMON: David, I just want to ask you, what about the aquatic life down there? People are concerned about the fish, are concern about oysters, shrimp. All of that stuff.
What about that? Did you see affecting any of that?
MATTINGLY: We didn't see any oyster beds. We didn't go to those areas. But we did go into areas that are closed off now to fishing. And the water was just not fishable, because there was a great deal of emulsion on top of the water, both the oil and the dispersant. It didn't have a look like a typical oil sheen this time that I'd seen before. But this time, it looked more like a soap sheen on top of the water. Still that rainbow look. But when we put the camera down below and looked back up to the surface, it looked almost like a gel, like the water was thick. But when it came down to the wildlife, looking at the fish, there were still fish in the water, not as many as we expected to see in this rich fishing area, but there were fish there, they seemed to be healthy.
And down at the bottom, we made a particular point to go down to this coral reef, and we went down about 200 feet to look at that. We saw not an abundance of fish, but we saw some fish and we did not see any obvious signs of oil. But we are still looking closely at that video, and we're going to enlist the help of some experts to take a look at it for us as well.
LEMON: Yes, just because you don't see the brownness of the color of the oil, it doesn't mean that it doesn't have a viscous texture that far down, and that's really what the issue is.
Thank you, David Mattingly. Great stuff. Great stuff. We really appreciate it.
I want to tell our viewers that you can see more of these exclusive images tomorrow morning on "AMERICAN MORNING," 6:00 a.m., so make sure you tune in.
And we'll hear from our reporters around the country on this story and other international stories from our international desk of what is ahead next week.
And Apple has never been a company to bow to public pressure, but an unhappy grandmother is forcing a company policy change.
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LEMON: Now the stories you'll be hearing about in the week ahead. From Washington to Wall Street, and even the world of entertainment. We start tonight at the White House.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House, where it's going to be a big week for President Obama as he starts setting his sights on the midterm elections. Tuesdays in San Francisco raising big money for one of those vulnerable democratic senators, Barbara Boxer of California. He also has an event on the economy and jobs in the Golden State. Then he comes back to Washington to release the NSS. That's a Washington acronym for the National Security Strategy document. Basically, in the Bush administration, they laid out the doctrine of preemption. Now we may get a look at this president's foreign policy goals, maybe even an Obama doctrine.
But, finally, on Thursday, the president turns to his real passion -- basketball. Welcomes the Duke Blue Devils for winning the men's college basketball championship.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar in Washington. And on Capitol Hill this week, before Congress leaves for its memorial day recess, the Senate is expected to move a $59 billion emergency spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also for disaster relief in Haiti and in the Gulf of Mexico.
And remember when Republicans took control of Congress in 1994 with their contract with America? Well, House Republicans are launching a 2010 version. They're calling it "America Speaking Out," and they're unveiling it on Tuesday. Jobless benefits and insurance benefits for some unemployed Americans will expire at the end of the month if Congress doesn't take action next week, and Democrats are still trying to round up votes.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, a big week ahead on Wall Street after wild swings for stocks and the Senate's passage of the most sweeping regulatory overhaul in this country since the 1930s. The Senate's bill will now head to the House to be reconciled, and then head to the president's desk.
Also ahead, a lot of important housing data. We'll get the latest new and existing home sales figures as well as home prices across major U.S. cities. And heading into Monday's trading session, investors certainly anxious to see what global markets will do. We'll cover it all for you on "CNN Money."
LEMON: All right. Let's look ahead now, internationally, with Azadeh Ansari from our international desk.
Why don't we start in Tehran on Monday?
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK: Well, absolutely. So all eyes will be on Iran as they get ready to present the terms of the deal that they brokered between Brazil and Turkey on their whole nuclear situation right now. So we can expect them to present the nuclear fuel declaration that they made, you know, to the IAEA.
LEMON: OK, great. And then this is a big story, because, we've been, you know, concern about air travel, and we've been talking about volcano. This, though, is a possible strike, right?
ANSARI: Finally. Finally, it's going to happen. So after last- ditch efforts to negotiate and to avert a strike, it's going to take place on Monday. We can expect thousands of cabin crew members to hit the picket lines. And the thing is, if they don't come up with a settlement, we can expect the strike to continue into the end of May going into June as well.
LEMON: And we're talking about one of the biggest air carriers in the world, BA, British Airways.
Thank you, Azadeh. Always a pleasure. Making us smarter, internationally.
Breaking barriers when it comes to a debilitating disorder, and opening the lines of communication for people with autism.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Autistic children can live a closed-off existence, sometimes without any way to communicate with the world around them. Many parents know the fear and frustration of trying to get through to them without success. Well, but a new technology is helping break these barriers.
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KATIE LINENDOLL, TECHNOLOGY EXPERT: There's a new gadget, it's called Speaks4Me. And what it does is it allows autistic children to be able to communicate.
Very revolutionary technology. And also, how it works is -- it is a very portable gadget -- it uses drag and drop technology with thousands of different word in which they can choose from. They then string the words together. It forms a sentence and then the gadget actually speaks that sentence.
So this is not only great for autistic children but also any nonverbal adults that have disorders as well.
LEMON: Oh, really cool. So there is an amazing story about how it was created. Tell us a little bit more about this, how it came about.
LINENDOLL: Right. Well it is an amazing story and actually a very touching story. So, there was a guy in the UK, a father of a very autistic 11-year-old son named Caleb. And Caleb wasn't able to speak. He was on his tenth birthday and they were visiting speech pathologists and they said not only is he never going to be able to speak again, he's also never going to be able to communicate with a device.
But the odd part about this was when his father realized -- he was a techie, by the way -- is that he was using his DVDs and he was visiting sesamestreet.org and kids nowadays are so immersed in technology. And that's what people need to realize.
What he did was, he put all of his funds into creating Speaks4Me. On Caleb's tenth birthday, he released the prototype, using again that drag and drop technology in a portable, light-weight, sleek device. Caleb was now able for the first time to communicate.
So this is really a prayer answered for any severely autistic child anywhere.
LEMON: Oh, that's really cool technology. And speaking of technology advancing, I understand that you have -- you want to show me some technology as well. You're trying to keep up with me with your new little technology there?
LINENDOLL: Yes.
LEMON: Oh, wait, hold it up higher. It says "Don Rocks."
Guess what I have for you there Miss Linendoll? Do you see this one?
LINENDOLL: What do you have for me? I can't see you, but I bet it is great.
LEMON: It says, "Katie Rocks". Mine is not as high-tech as yours.
LINENDOLL: Awesome.
LEMON: I did it on my Doodlebug.
LINENDOLL: I love it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thanks, Katie Linendoll.
And thank you guys so much for watching. Make sure you have a great week. I'm Don Lemon.
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