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VP Biden Honors Fallen at Arlington National Cemetery, Visits Section 60; Israeli Prime Minister Cancels U.S. Visit; Israeli Navy Storms Gaza and Ships; Honoring America's Fallen Heroes; Oil Cleanup Workers Getting Sick; The Spreading Oil Threat; Suicides Plague High- Tech Plant
Aired May 31, 2010 - 11:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
Barbara, because you have walked those grounds at Arlington National Cemetery so many times and you have been to -- wow, there is the vice president -- maybe you provide the voiceover for these pictures of the vice president.
BARBARA STARR, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The vice president has just come to Section 60. He is at the grave of Ross Andrew McGinnis, Medal of Honor for Iraq. Ross McGinnis was 19 years old, he threw himself on a grenade to save his buddies.
The vice president's wife, Jill Biden, is with him and they are visiting several of the graves here at Section 60. The vice president leaving a remembrance, like so many here today and across the country on Memorial Day, paying his respects.
Of course, his son just recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq. The vice president, a military dad himself and he's now making his way through Section 60. This is the place where there are hundreds of those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan, buried along, I should say, with many from Vietnam, World War II and Korea.
But on Memorial Day, this is a place of, Tony, of course, great heartbreak and grief, but a place where families gather to love and remember the fallen -- Tony.
HARRIS: What moving scenes. Barbara, did you want to add one more point?
STARR: Well, the vice president is moving through the area and we expect him now to stop and talk to many of the families who are here. We talked to them ourselves today.
You know, we've come here many years. At this point we see families second, third, fourth years here. We see very young children coming to visit the graves of the parents perhaps they don't remember or parents they never knew. There are grandparents here. There are -- we met one family this morning, four generations coming out to remember their fallen hero. And of course, for these families, Memorial Day is every day. They've lost a loved one, and they never forget, and it's never far from their minds.
But this here, today, what we have discovered -- is quite a scene of memory. We have learned, of course, that families -- yes, families, you know, Tony, they come here, they leave not just flowers, mementos, pictures. Children leave their report cards to show their dads.
Wartime buddies come. We see a lot of young troops here with those sunglasses firmly planted on their face so their eyes don't show, quietly walking up and down the line, looking for their fallen buddies, offering a toast. I will tell you, Tony, there's champagne that is drunk here, there is whiskey, young troops, everyone remembering those who didn't make it back.
We also now see that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, has arrived with his wife, moving very quietly through Section 60, paying his respects, as he does every year. Admiral Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates often come here privately.
I will tell you, they do not want media coverage. They have come here for funerals, for remembrances. Admiral Mullen, the chairman, stopping to talk to some families, some young children.
It's a boiling hot day out there. People are trying to protect themselves from the sun. But nobody walking away. Everyone's out here, regardless of how warm it is.
HARRIS: Well, that is a wonderful scene. That is a wonderful scene there, Barbara. It really is, with Admiral Mike Mullen visiting with that family there.
STARR: It is.
HARRIS: The vice president, as you mentioned, visiting families as well. What a terrific moment this is.
STARR: It really is, Tony. And what you see here all the time are families every day of the year. But on a day like this, as this young child also talking to the most powerful military leader in the world --
HARRIS: Isn't that something?
STARR: -- giving a hug here.
You see four-star admirals and generals. You see private first classes. You see grandfathers. You see veterans of Vietnam and World War II.
This is a place that knows no rank, no distinction. Here, at Section 60, as in military cemeteries across the country, really, Tony, everyone is family. HARRIS: I've got to tell you, I'm just thinking about this moment here, and if you're a family member, and boy, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs walks over to you. You get that moment to talk about your loved one.
STARR: You really do.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Admiral, let me tell you about my son, let me tell you about my daughter, let me tell you about my father. That's a tremendous opportunity.
STARR: This young Army officer you're seeing in the green standing with Admiral Mullen at the grave of Scott William Dyer (ph), this Army officer, we have watched him. He's been standing here for half an hour at the grave of a buddy.
We do not know the story, and no one has interrupted him. He has been standing at attention on his buddy's grave, saluting him.
And I will tell you, the chairman is the first time this young Army officer has even diverted his gaze from the tombstone of his friend. It's that kind of day here, really, families and battle buddies pausing to remember, reflect, and pay their respects.
HARRIS: That's terrific. Terrific, Barbara. Thank you. You have really captured that moment there at Arlington National Cemetery.
Yes. Go ahead, Barbara.
STARR: Well, I'll tell you, as we look, Admiral Mullen continuing to visit. But as we look further down the line, Tony, this is a crowd of families and friends, relatives of the fallen, that has gathered around the vice president.
We want to be very respectful here. And, of course, Vice President Biden's security detail has asked us, you know, not to --
HARRIS: Sure.
STARR: -- intrude on what they hope will be a private visit here. But, I mean, I can tell you that some of the family members he's talking to now, some of the people he's meeting with, we have families here that have been here year after year after year, their loved ones having fallen several years ago. But, Tony, we also have family members here today whose loved ones were buried just in the last few days.
There's no other way to say it, Tony. Their graves are fresh. There is no grass. There is no tombstone.
These are people, troops, who have fallen on the battlefield, really, within the last week, already laid to rest here in Arlington. And these are some of the people that have come here today, and some of the family members that the vice president and Mrs. Biden are now meeting with at the other end of the cemetery.
And I think everyone can understand, we, in the news media, are going to keep our distance, being very respectful of what's going on here today. I think everybody can see it for themselves really.
HARRIS: Yes. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. And it began in the years after the Civil War.
It was marked nationwide. After World War I, that's when we began to mark this day. Congress made Memorial Day an official holiday in 1971.
What a terrific scene being played out before your eyes here at Arlington National Cemetery.
The other big story we're following this morning, deadly confrontation on the Mediterranean Sea. Israeli commandos storm a flotilla of international aid ships heading for Gaza. At least nine people killed in the attack some 70 miles outside Israeli territorial waters. Relief workers aboard the ships say Israeli soldiers rappelled down from helicopters, hit the deck with guns blazing, but Israel says the incident turned violent only after troops were met with gunfire, knives and clubs.
An Israeli spokesman noted the reason for the blockade in the first place -- stopping arms smuggling and support for terrorism in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY AYALON, ISRAELI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: No sovereign country would tolerate such violence against a civilian population, against its sovereignty, against international law. And we in Israel call today upon all relevant parties and all relevant countries to work together on calming the situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The prime minister describes the raid as state terrorism.
Now let's move forward on this story now.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling off tomorrow's planned visit the White House to deal with this crisis.
Want to get to our White House correspondent, Dan Lothian. He is in Elwood, Illinois, where the president will observe this Memorial Day with remarks coming up, I believe, in a half hour.
Dan, first of all, good to see you.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony.
HARRIS: And what does the cancellation of this meeting between the Israeli prime minister and President Obama say about their relationship at this important moment?
LOTHIAN: Well, I think, you know, it's been sort of a complex relationship where some would say it's been a frayed relationship. And the U.S. and Israel trying to sort of solidify and improve that relationship.
So, this meeting was really seen as an important time for the president to sit down with Mr. Netanyahu, not only talk about the Mideast peace process, getting that moving forward, but also to talk about Iran, which is a key issue as the United States continues to try to get the international community on board to push for tougher sanctions so that Iran will abandon its nuclear ambitions. So, it was a critical time for both of them to sit down tomorrow, and then, of course, next week, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, was expected to meet with the president as well in Washington. It's unclear whether that meeting will still stand.
But certainly all of this, what has happened today, will complicate the entire process -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. And Dan, do you have the statement on this incident from the White House? Do you have that handy?
LOTHIAN: I do. And, you know, it was a cautious statement. The White House putting this out a few hours ago, saying, "The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained, and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy."
What is unclear now, though, Tony, is what will the U.S. do next? I did reach out to a senior administration official who said at this point he had nothing to say about this, would get back to us. But, certainly, this does complicate it, because as we know, and I just pointed out, the U.S. really trying to get the peace process moving forward. Any time something like this happens, it certainly complicates it -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK.
Our White House Correspondent Dan Lothian for us.
Dan, appreciate it. Thank you.
Moving forward now on the oil spewing in the Gulf, we will bring you an update on what the next moves are and how soon they're likely to take place.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: This Memorial Day is a harsh reminder that younger Americans are still fighting and dying in two wars. The Pentagon told the Leicht family of Kerrville, Texas, last Thursday their son would not be coming home.
Corporal Jacob Leicht died in an explosion in Afghanistan. He would have turned 25 on the fourth of July. Leicht spent the last two years in physical therapy. He was critically wounded while fighting in Iraq.
Leicht's brother Jesse is about to head to the war in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE LEICHT, BROTHER: Very proud. He did the ultimate thing. It's people like him that makes it so that I can go out to eat with my friends, that I can live here on this piece of property with my family, that I can make up in the morning and go to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Deadly confrontation on the Mediterranean Sea. Israeli commandos storm a flotilla of international aid ships heading for Gaza. At least nine people killed in the attack some 70 miles outside Israeli territorial waters.
Relief workers aboard the ship say Israeli soldiers rappelling down from helicopters hit the deck with guns blazing, but Israel says the incident turned violent only after troops were met with gunfire, knives and guns. An Israeli spokesman noted the reason for the blockade in the first place -- stopping arms smuggling and support for terrorism in Gaza. Turkey's prime minister describes the raid as state terrorism.
Our Ivan Watson is live for us now in Istanbul, Turkey.
And Ivan, there is a lot of international reaction pouring into this attack, isn't there?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We've heard that the Israeli ambassadors in Sweden, in Greece, and in Turkey have all been summoned to explain this situation. We've heard shock coming from the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki- moon, at the loss of life here. And huge criticism coming from Turkey, perhaps Israel's only Muslim ally in the Middle East.
The Turkish prime minister cutting short his tour of South America to rush home to deal with this rapidly escalating diplomatic crisis. And before leaving South America, the fiery Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called this an act of state terrorism.
He denied Israeli allegations that there were weapons aboard this so-called freedom flotilla which was trying to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. And he said that those ships had in fact been searched and carefully examined by authorities before they set out for Israel.
HARRIS: OK.
CNN's Ivan Watson keeping us up to date with the latest developments on this story.
Ivan, appreciate it.
What is next for stopping the oil leak in the Gulf? We are laying out some possible scenarios ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, top kill was a bust. So what's next? BP says it has another fix lined up.
OK, Josh. Maybe you can explain it to us.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, there's a new set of lexicons every day that we need to wrap our minds around.
The basic idea from the beginning has been, you know, it's gushing all this oil, how are you going to stop it? Well, the new challenge right now is what's in this video. Let me just go straight to this animation and I'll you all through what BP is going to try next after all these things, various things, failing along the way.
What you have is the blowout preventer. And you have some things that are attached to the top right there. And then those need to be removed.
It creates a little stub right there. More oil's going to gush out in that meantime. And then you have that cap that can come on and be placed along it.
But what the key is, what you were just seeing right there, is that in order for that cap to fit on, what you absolutely need in the first place is the ability to fit it on by basically creating the right size stub in the first place. So, this is the stub right here. I've got my finger on it.
And the idea is that they want to put the cap on top of it. But it's like doing surgery, like open-heart surgery, 5,000 feet under water, because you're talking about incredibly precise movements that have to create that exact size cap, Tony, the stub, in order for that cap to then come along and be placed on top of it.
So, the idea here is if they can get that, if they can get that on top and create a seal, then what will happen is a lot of the oil will be contained. Right? It doesn't stop the flow, but the oil works its way up to the surface.
They're also going to be pumping in something called methanol. And the goal there is to prevent these ice-type methane crystals from forming that caused a problem in the past with that thing that was called a containment dome.
So, when we look at what they're trying to do, Tony, that's the idea right now. It's this surgery to get rid of those extra pieces.
Now, to do that, they have a couple things. Let's go to these live pictures. They're already kind of laying the groundwork for what they're going to be doing. And what we're seeing right now are some of these little robots underground. They're called remote-operated vehicles.
I mean, they're moving around right now, Tony. And what they're trying to do is get rid of some of the stuff that's in the way before they can begin the process of creating the -- what's called the LMRP, the lower marine riser package cap.
So, right now you've got these robots that are operating right there. We also took some video earlier, I think you can see, of these hydraulic saws. It's kind of amazing what these robots do.
One of them is like hydraulic shears. The other one is actually a diamond cutter. It's made of diamond. That's how sharp it is.
HARRIS: Are you kidding?
LEVS: But I want everyone to think about the precision we're talking about.
For this thing to work, they have to use these machines you're seeing here, and they have to create exactly the right size stub for the cap they're creating to then come in. And that's the next thing I'll show you. We have some images of the cap that they've been working on.
Now, some of these images are from 10 days ago. They've been working on these for a while. It's photos from BP.
And what we're seeing is they're creating that cap that I was just talking to you about, the lower marine riser cap. So there's a lot of "ifs" along the way.
You've got to do the surgery to make the stub. You've got to make the cap fit. And even then, if everything goes right, it's still not 100 percent sealed.
HARRIS: A mile below the sea.
LEVS: I know.
HARRIS: Cold as can be.
LEVS: Right.
HARRIS: With currents.
LEVS: Yes.
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: And it's never been done before that low. I mean, everything that we're seeing here is based on one principle. There is nothing proven to work in the Gulf when a blowout preventer goes out.
HARRIS: And so you've got to have something else up your sleeve here. So what else is BP attempting to do?
LEVS: Two more things I'll tell you about. We have some video here of a blowout preventer. Let's go to that, because it's important to keep in mind, BP is also working on other things.
They're working on a second blowout preventer. So it's not just about this new LMRP, which is going to be this -- but they're also working on a second blowout preventer which they're going to need at some point, obviously, even if this whole thing does work. The goal is to get the LMRP in place. And that's just the beginning.
They're also going to be creating a second well. It's called a relief well. I have a big picture behind me, and it just looks like a well. That's what it is. But, you know, even that is kind of complicated.
It's built on an intersection. And what happens is, they put the well way down into the ocean, and then they use this special liquid to push oil from the main well into that well in the hopes that the new well fills up and the pressure that's forcing all that oil to come out into the Gulf right now goes away. But that's what might not be ready until August.
And all of this, everything we're talking about, especially this new step right now, takes a while. It will be four to seven days before this new cap is under way, the process of getting it on is even under way. We'll all watch carefully, Tony, to see --
HARRIS: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. How many weeks before --
LEVS: Four to seven days before the process of getting that cap on goes under way. But you're talking months for a well to come out.
HARRIS: You've got to dig a new well.
LEVS: They've got to dig a new well. They have to build and dig, and build. And even once it's there, they have to go through a pretty complex process to get the oil from the main well into that second well. And they're saying the goal for that is August. But what we're seeing is more and more and more and more efforts, and people have their fingers crossed.
HARRIS: What will the Gulf look like in August? What will the wetlands and the marshes look like in August?
LEVS: You know how when you look at it from above now, it's like this giant growing amoebae?
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: And I'll show you some more later this hour.
HARRIS: OK.
LEVS: But the satellite images, we can unfortunately expect more of that as it grows even more. Look at that. Still coming. HARRIS: Thank you, sir.
LEVS: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: The oil slick in the Gulf hitting you in the wallet when you go out for seafood. Some restaurants say they are seeing a sharp rise in what suppliers are charging. The biggest increase is in popcorn shrimp, oysters and scallops, right now. And many of those owners say they simply cannot pass the higher prices on to their customers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're paying probably double of what we've been paying in the past. The Gulf has really hurt us a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to pass on their expense. And that's part of their expense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be tough. I think so, because the price is going to continue to go up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, we have heard from seafood customers. Now let's get some perspective from a seafood chef.
Peter Levine is executive chef at Waterfront Seafood Grill in Seattle.
And Peter, great to talk to you.
What are you enduring here? How much of your seafood comes from the Gulf?
PETER LEVINE, EXECUTIVE CHEF, WATERFRONT SEAFOOD GRILL: Actually, none of our seafood comes from the Gulf currently, right now, sir.
HARRIS: Really?
LEVINE: Yes.
HARRIS: So you're positioned well? I mean, if you don't need the seafood from the Gulf, you're in good shape. But are you seeing any kind of a run on pricing?
LEVINE: So far we're not seeing any run on pricing. We're noticing some panic buys, people getting a little bit nervous about pricing going to increase. So they're getting a little nervous and buying up some stuff right now. But primarily, at the Waterfront Seafood Grill in Seattle, we just rely mostly on the Pacific Northwest seafood and northern Atlantic fish.
HARRIS: How about from South America? Are you getting seafood from South America? LEVINE: We get nothing from South America. Primarily Hawaii, Pacific Northwest and the Sea of Cortez.
HARRIS: Well, now that you've identified where you're getting your seafood from, my guess is other suppliers will be looking to those same sources.
So, do you anticipate at some point, as the seafood in the Gulf becomes a bit more problematic, that you will see some increases in price and greater demand?
LEVINE: Yes. We might see some increasing in oyster pricing, ,as the Puget Sound is one of the North America's largest oyster beds. But people around the country are going to be paying for shipping and price increases on those oysters. So it's hard to --
HARRIS: Is that where the increases are going to come? Is it oysters? Is it shrimp?
LEVINE: I think oysters will be primarily what they'll be looking for since the Gulf oysters will be affected greatly over the next couple of decades.
HARRIS: Yes. So people -- let me ask you something. Are you having to -- are customers coming to your restaurant and asking you if you are buying and using any seafood from the Gulf?
LEVINE: No. At the Waterfront Seafood Grill, our customers are well assured that our seafood is impeccably fresh, like I mentioned, from the Pacific Northwest, from here to Alaska, out to Hawaii.
HARRIS: Is that a -- is it potentially a marketing angle for you as the crisis grows deeper in the Gulf?
LEVINE: It could be. It could be a good position to stand on. But for now, I think we're pretty well assured that our customers know at the Waterfront Seafood Grill, that we have impeccably fresh fish from open ocean waters.
HARRIS: How long do you see seafood from the Gulf being impacted by this?
LEVINE: A couple of statistics. Most of -- out of all the shrimp that comes into the United States, probably about five percent comes from the Gulf. Most of the oysters that come from the Gulf are used primarily for shucking and buckets. And those slide up the East Coast primarily.
And then the local oyster consumption will pretty much stay right there around their coastlines. So we really don't see too much of their product coming up this far to the Pacific Northwest.
HARRIS: Yes. It sounds like you're pretty well positioned here.
Peter Levine is executive chef at the Waterfront Seafood Grill in Seattle. Peter, appreciate it. Happy Memorial Day.
LEVINE: Thank you. Yes.
HARRIS: And thank you for your time today.
LEVINE: A pleasure. Thank you.
HARRIS: At least nine people killed, dozens injured in a raid on an aid flotilla heading toward the blockaded Gaza Strip. But there are conflicting accounts of exactly what happened.
We will run down both sides of the story when we come back.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And live pictures from the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. People smiling there, the president smiling as well, some 50 miles south of Chicago.
This is, after all, a holiday for a lot of people. As we remember those who have given so much, made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, it is also a day when many families take the opportunity to go to beaches and enjoy family time together.
President Obama will participate in Memorial Day events there shortly. And you will see live coverage right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Israel intercepted six ships in the Mediterranean today to enforce a blockade of Gaza. Things quickly escalated.
Nine people aboard the ships were killed. What happened depends on which side you believe.
Humanitarian groups from Turkey say Israeli troops boarded the vessels with guns blazing. The activists released this video shot aboard one of the ships. It shows scuffles and some of the wounded, but no shooting.
This video released by the Israeli military shows Israeli helicopters above the ships. Israeli commandos say they were met with knives, clubs and gunfire. But again, it is difficult to say the pictures bear that out. The video does go on to show slingshots and a metal rod, but no firearms.
This morning's incident has prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a meeting with President Obama at the White House tomorrow. Speaking in Canada a short time ago, the Israeli leader confirmed he has talked with President Obama. He also said he regrets the loss of life.
Let's get to our Atia Abawi in Jerusalem.
Atia, so where -- let's start with this -- where are the people who were arrested and were on those ships involved in the flotilla?
ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Tony, we're getting a little more information on that at the moment. We have heard from the Israeli government that 25 of the activists are in the stages of being deported back to their home countries. But we're also hearing that 50 of the activists have refused to show them ID, and that they are being detained.
We have already heard that 15 have been sent to a prison in southern Israel. We're still waiting to hear about the other several hundred.
There were several hundred activists on the six ships carrying humanitarian aid. They were protesting this blockade on the Gaza Strip.
They say that they want the humanitarian aid to go straight to the Palestinians. But the Israeli government says that they want the humanitarian aid to come to their port first so they can make sure that there are no weapons on board, because they're afraid that some of these ships in the past and in the future may be carrying weapons that may help Hamas, who they say is a terrorist group that are trying to attack them with rockets, attack Israeli civilians.
But, obviously, the Free Gaza Movement, who is a part of this flotilla of ships, they say that it was just humanitarian aid -- medical supplies, cement for homes that had been destroyed in last year's war in Gaza. And they say that it should go straight to the hands of the Palestinians because when this goes through the hands of the Israelis, they say that many of the goods that are needed are not going to Gaza -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Atia Abawi for us in Jerusalem following the developments on this story.
Atia, appreciate it. Thank you.
Another live look now at Memorial Day ceremonies in Elwood, Illinois, at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. President Obama is there and will speak shortly, 1:15 Eastern Time. We will keep an eye on it. We will certainly bring you the president's remarks right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And, again, live pictures from Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois, south of Chicago. President Obama taking part in a Memorial Day ceremony there. The president will make remarks after the wreath-laying ceremony in honor of America's fallen. It's scheduled for about 1:15 Eastern Time right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
As the nation honors its fallen heroes, our Josh Levs has one soldier's story.
And, Josh, tell me about this young man's life and sacrifice.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm going to, Tony.
You know, I'm going to use this as an opportunity to introduce all of you to something that we've set up on CNN.com where you can learn about all these individuals. We hear these big numbers, these thousands of people who have given their lives for our country in wars. And we have a new website here, CNN.com/home and away.
And the way it works is, you can look at Afghanistan or Iraq, our two ongoing wars right now. You see the maps here in front of me. You just click on your hometown, click on any area, and it brings you to a list of people in your area who have served. And then you can click again, get all sorts of information about this. This is true for Iraq and for Afghanistan. And once you're at a page, we give you everything we know about them. How they served, how they gave their lives, where they came from, a little bit of information about them so that all these individuals are remembered as individuals and the sacrifices that they have given.
And we -- you know, I've been looking through these. There are so many fascinating stories. And there's one that someone here at CNN told me about today. We have some pictures of him. I want to show you him.
His name is Chris Herbeck. His full name was Christopher Richard Herbeck, a Marine sergeant, 25 years old, who died serving this country. One of these young men who is so often at the front lines, who trained fellow Marines, who worked with fellow Marines. And it was an IED, I think in January.
And we have some really interesting images coming to us. First of all, there was a parade in his hometown in New Jersey. Take a look at this. This was in Westwood, New Jersey, in January. And there's lots of this video on YouTube. This is some more video of his return.
But we have some video of a parade as well. And what you see is hundreds, even thousands of people turning out in the street for this one man. I think on Memorial Day, it's really good for us to stop and look at some of these tributes that go on all year for these people who give their lives in so many ways and in both of our ongoing wars right now.
Also, this young man, Chris Herbeck, was discussed on the House floor. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. SCOTT GARRETT (R), NEW JERSEY: His dedication to his country, and to his fellow soldiers, represents a tremendous sense of loyalty and selflessness. Christopher Herbeck was a true American. Chris will never be forgotten by his friends, by his family, nor by the country that he fought for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Just one of the stories that's coming our way. And I'll tell you something, Tony, it's really powerful to stop and look at it. HARRIS: Yes, it is.
LEVS: Here's another one I was just looking at before, Cohee III. And what I want all of you to know is that you can also post your messages on this Memorial Day, your thoughts for the troops, whatever it is that you would like to say.
We have an iReport page that's set up specifically for this. It's part of our home and away design here, iReport, remembering the fallen. And you can send in your pictures, you can send in your videos, you can send in your thoughts.
HARRIS: That's great.
LEVS: You can say whatever you'd like to say to the troops out there. I was looking at one of these earlier. This is one about the life of a loved one and what it was like to have lost him.
So while we're looking at what's going on, on the web, I'm also going to end here, Tony, with a really interesting iconic photo. You have probably seen this before. It's getting a lot of traction today because it's been posted again at the Getty Images blog.
HARRIS: Yes, this is from a couple of years ago, isn't it?
LEVS: You remember this, right?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, I do.
LEVS: This is 2007. It's become iconic. This woman named Mary Mcque (ph) who was at the -- you can see her right there, she was at the grave site of her fiance, James Regan. And what you see on the Getty Images blog today is the man who took this photo in Arlington, talking about how meaningful it was to him, how difficult an experience it was for him.
It's a reminder -- I just want everyone to see, there's so much going on online today that is an opportunity to think about the sacrifices of these fallen heroes. And we link you to all of it at our page, CNN.com/homeandaway -- Tony.
HARRIS: That's terrific. Josh, appreciate it. That's good stuff. Thank you.
LEVS: You got it.
HARRIS: And the president of the United States now making remarks on this Memorial Day in Elwood, Illinois.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And if this passes (INAUDIBLE) 20 minutes (INAUDIBLE) stick around, and we'll come up and start up the ceremony again. But we don't want to endanger anybody, particularly their children in the audience. So I'd ask everybody to very calmly move back to your cars. I'm going to move back to mine. HARRIS: OK. So we've got a -- where's Chad Myers? We've got a weather front moving through Elwood, Illinois, right now, just south of Chicago, that is going to delay the memorial service there in Elwood on this Memorial Day. The president being traffic cop a bit there, telling everyone to go back to their cars and seek cover. Looks like they've got a cloudburst there.
Once again, we will get to the president's remarks. They'll be delayed, to be sure, now. We'll bring them to you, scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time, but probably it's going to be a bit later than that. Man, that is -- yes, that's a cloudburst for you. That's a storm.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: All right. Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now. Let me use the touch screen here.
Israeli forces storming a convoy of aid ships trying to break a blockade of Gaza. At least nine people are dead and dozens wounded. Israel now under international pressure for an explanation.
Let me close this out. Let's get you to Pakistan right now. There we go. A court in Pakistan lifts the government's ban on Facebook, but access to any material considered blasphemous must remain blocked. The site was taken down almost two weeks ago after it carried a competition to draw the Prophet Muhammad.
Let me get you to Indianapolis -- it's going to take a minute here. Hang on. Hang on, touch screen -- for the Indy 500. Did you see the race over the weekend? There we go. A pretty horrifying crash, right? A British driver, Mike Conway's car launched into the air at 200 miles an hour and smashed on the track. Man, it looks like that scene in "Iron Man 2," doesn't it? Conway escapes with a broken leg. Dario Franchitti wins the race. It is his second Indy 500 win.
We are going deeper into the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen are catching something out there, but it is nothing good. A medical report when we get back.
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TH: BP has been using a chemical to help break up the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, but some say the fumes from that dispersant are making cleanup workers ill. Here's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The workers have been experiencing a variety of symptoms. But among them, dizziness, headache, shortness of breath. They say their noses are irritating and they're sometimes getting nose bleeds. And I ran these symptoms by Dr. Michael Osterhome (ph). He's one of the nation's foremost experts on food-borne illness. And he said to me, Elizabeth, this does not sound like food-borne illness to me. He said this much more sounds like something respiratory. Something perhaps that the workers breathed in. He said I don't know what is making these workers sick exactly, but he said it doesn't sound like food.
Now, let's think - let's talk a little bit about what these folks are breathing in, the vapors that are coming off the water. In the water is a mix of oil and dispersants. The Environmental Protection Agency that says that oil can give off toxic vapors as it evaporates.
Now, as far as the dispersant goes, the company that makes it has on their label that when you're using it, you should avoid breathing in the vapors. In fact, there's one more worker who is still in the hospital. He's filed a temporary restraining order against BP, saying they should stop spraying dispersants unless they give people masks, unless they give the workers masks. BP has said that they don't think the workers need masks. They say that they're doing monitoring, and BP says that monitoring shows that the air quality is just fine.
Now, these workers who have been sick, they've been very hesitant to speak out. And what I'm told the reason is, is they're making $3,000, or up to $3,000 a day from BP and they're afraid that that work is going to go away. They have no other work to turn to, they say, because, well, their fishing business, they can't fish anymore and so they say they're afraid of retaliation from BP if they do speak out. BP says that they're not retaliating against workers and they are free to speak out as much as they want.
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right. If you're feeling ill, get some help, that's for sure.
I want to bring in Chad Myers here.
Chad, here's my question. So the top kill didn't work.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
HARRIS: So now you've got to try to cap it off with this dome and then -
MYERS: Right, but didn't they try that with top hat?
HARRIS: With the top hat.
MYERS: And now they're just calling it something different and it's kind of a different shape?
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: They're going to be pouring this methanol, maybe even a warm water solution to try to stop these hydrates, which really are kind of just ice crystals, right?
HARRIS: Right. Right.
MYERS: Your question was - HARRIS: Well, my question is, if we can't get this thing stopped until the relief well is in place and does what it is supposed to do, assuming that it is successful in doing what it's supposed to do, what will the beaches, the marshes, the wetlands look like by then?
MYERS: There's no way to know.
HARRIS: No way to know.
MYERS: There's literally no way to know because there are too many variables. Let me grab this and I will - I will show you that this oil slick really has not - and for many, many - come back here - for many, many days has not changed shape, it has not really changed size.
Why? Why has it not changed? Because they are out there with these skimming vessels skimming as much oil as they can off. They are still burning it. It's (INAUDIBLE) burning out there, burning off some of the oil when they can.
HARRIS: Right.
MYERS: If workers are getting sick doing this and we're catching about as much as that's going into the ocean right now, going into the Gulf now, and they have to stop doing that, that's the variable that we can't put our finger on.
HARRIS: I see.
MYERS: If all these guys, these hundreds and - I mean it's almost -- probably thousands of vessels out here collecting the leaking oil, if they have to stop doing that, then all of a sudden the exponential amount of oil gets back into the water.
Another thing that we can't count on and have no idea what's going on is how this oil is coming up under the ground -
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: Let's pretend now this is three-dimensional. There's a pipe down there, you've seen it, it spews out oil. If the oil wasn't coming out under pressure and all you were doing was taking a quart of oil and dumping it into the water, it would all float to the top.
HARRIS: Right.
MYERS: That's not how it's coming out. It's coming out almost aerosolized. Like taking a can of spray paint and spraying it in the air. Or you would think that all that paint eventually gets on the wall, but some of it doesn't.
HARRIS: Right.
MYERS: You know it spreads around. And so when you - if this was just coming out in globs of oil, it would all go up to the top and it would be fine. It's not doing that. I'm not saying it's going to New Orleans. But the pipe is actually aerosolizing some of this oil because it's coming out so fast and it's also coming out mixed with natural gas.
HARRIS: Right.
MYERS: When it comes out mixed with natural gas, those are the plumes that we hear about that are under the water and there's no way to put our fingers on those plumes yet. We have no idea where those plumes are, how big they really are. We know there are hydrocarbons under the water that can't make it to the surface.
Now, eventually they could, but if these particles are aerosolizing or almost atomized, they don't have enough upward pressure to get to the surface for a very, very long time. So we know what's on the surface now, but we don't know what's under the water trying to get to the surface and that's going to be an issue.
HARRIS: That's a terrific explanation. That's terrific.
Hey, before we let you go, we were showing pictures of the president just a moment ago in Elwood, Illinois. And that's just south of Chicago. And in the middle of a cloudburst right now. There you go.
MYERS: There it is. And, you know what, O'Hare and Midway don't do well when you see scenes like this. Red and airplanes don't go - don't do well. So there are airplanes doing this, airplanes doing this, more airplanes spinning around over here trying to stay away from the Chicago thunderstorms, and so we are a couple hours behind on airports.
But look at these big storms. The biggest threat today, obviously if you're outside, the biggest threat is still going to be lightning. Stay away from it. If you hear lightning, get inside the car get inside shelter or something.
HARRIS: Yes, sounds good.
All right, Chad, appreciate it. Maybe the president - he's scheduled to speak at 1:15 Eastern Time. It's going to be delayed. We all know that. But whenever it begins, we will bring you the president's remarks on this Memorial Day live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Got to tell you, one of the chemicals BP is using is banned in other countries. So why are chemicals prohibited in other countries used in every day products here in the United States? Watch "Toxic America," a two night special investigation with Dr. Sanjay Gupta Wednesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
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HARRIS: You know when we're with Ines Ferre for "What's Hot," we're usually trying to line up a couple of fun stories, light stories, that sort of thing. But the story today that is really trending is pretty sad. Pretty disturbing, actually.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is. And it really shows the appetite that Americans have for technology, tech gadgets, right?
HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes.
FERRE: And how this can impact people out in China. You know these brands, right?
HARRIS: Nintendo, HP, Hewlett-Packard, yes, Dell.
FERRE: All we have - yes, exactly. You probably have products from these companies. But these companies are clients of a plant out in China that we want to take you to. It is on the north side of Hong Kong. Just north of Hong Kong. And this plant is a compound where they make products like the iPhone, for example.
HARRIS: Gotcha.
FERRE: There's been 10 suicides there, Tony, over the last five months.
HARRIS: Ten?
FERRE: Yes, 10 suicides and two attempts. And this is - this compound is where workers sleep, where they eat, where they work in these assembly lines. And what some labor groups are saying is that it's really the isolation there and pretty much -
HARRIS: So working conditions?
FERRE: Working conditions and -
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: That's leading people to these suicides. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN YAU, SACOM: One of the major problem of (INAUDIBLE) is because the workers feel isolated and (INAUDIBLE) and they don't - they don't know their colleagues and they can find no support from their peer groups and the other workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: And, Tony, (INAUDIBLE) says that they treat their workers well and they also add that these suicides are due to personal issues. They also, though, have taken action. So these workers were making less than $300 a month. So now they've raised their salaries by 20 percent. They've also created hotlines for the workers. A suicide hotline for mental health, et cetera.
HARRIS: Well, that's disturbing. That's -- and the explanation right now is that these suicides are related to employees who have personal problems?
FERRE: Well, no - well, nobody really knows why these workers are committing suicide. HARRIS: Yes, OK.
FERRE: But what some people are saying, these labor groups are saying, is that it's really the conditions that these workers are working under.
HARRIS: Yes, that's pretty sad.
All right, Ines, good to see you.
FERRE: You, too.
HARRIS: Welcome back to Atlanta.
FERRE: Thanks.
HARRIS: We are tracking the next moves to stop the oil spewing into the Gulf. T.J. Holmes is following the story next for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Take a moment to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for this country on this Memorial Day.
