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Another Solution Fails to Stop Oil Leak; Ups and Downs of Stricter Oil Drilling Regs; Israelis Storm International Six-Ship Flotilla in International Waters
Aired May 31, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Take a moment to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for this country on this Memorial Day.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with T.J. Holmes, in for Ali Velshi.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Tone, thank you, kind sir.
HARRIS: Have a good day, sir.
HOLMES: You have a good rest of the Memorial Day here. Certainly, we'll be talking about Memorial Day today.
But hello, I'm T.J. Holmes, in today for my dear friend Ali Velshi. Let me tell you what we've got on the rundown today. Certainly going to be talking about this oil spill that continues. A really rough, disappointing, heartbreaking weekend. And we're all getting used now to this harsh reality that, in fact, this oil might be gushing into the Gulf until August. Folks, that is the reality we're dealing with now. Still another couple of short-term options they're be looking at. We'll be telling you about them, the latest.
Also, BP, we've been told they've got the best and brightest minds in the world working on this thing. Well, a lot of ordinary Americans have some ideas of their own, and they have been flooding BP with their ideas. Private citizens, thousands of suggestions on how to stop the oil in the first place and also how to clean it up.
We've got some of those folks with us. And we're going to give you a show and tell to see some of the other ideas.
Also on this Memorial Day, taking you to Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. It's where the pain of war is the freshest.
So all of that to get to here in this afternoon here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Now, we have several -- several -- options we need to be looking at when it comes to this -- to this oil spill in particular. We're talking about new methods that they have in place now. Now, we're trying to get them in place. Everybody disappointed. Really, it was a rough, rough weekend. Everybody putting so much stock into this top kill method. We were told 60 to 70 percent chance that it would work. Well, that's something. A lot of hope was put into this best option. But then we were told this weekend on Saturday night, in fact, that it did not work. So that's out.
What do we do now? There's another new option with another new name, the lower marine riser package cap. We're going to be explaining exactly what that is here in just a bit.
But we're told not a good chance that it's going to work. If they thought it was going to work they would have tried it earlier. So not a lot of hope in that.
So in fact, now, these two relief wells that are being drilled, those won't be ready until August sometime. So folks, we could be looking at this stuff gushing and gushing for the next several months.
Our Reynolds Wolf is in New Orleans for us.
Reynolds, good afternoon to you once again. Like you say, you have been down there several times now with the folks there in Louisiana, along the Gulf. This weekend was a heartbreaking one.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, there's no question about it. You know, that -- what we're seeing is not only a lot of heart break; it's being matched side by side with plenty of frustration, plenty of anger.
I'll tell you, this headline in the "Times-Picayune" today basically illustrates that: "Anger Rises Over the Failures." And that's what they've been, T.J., one after another. And you know, you've been talking it. You said it right towards the open of the show, that each one of these ideas, each one of these methods was supposed to be the slam dunk. It was supposed to stop this leak. All of them have been failures.
Of course, the latest one they have is the old marine riser package cap. Hopefully that will do the trick. But that is a good four to seven days away, and no 100 percent chance that's going to be a success either. It's not expected to be even a tight fit when it is put over the leak. It's only going to hold out, they say, a majority of the oil. They're still using the undersea dispersants to try to keep the rest of the oil at bay.
But still no easy answers as of yet until possibly those relief wells, which are, what, several months away, not until August before those may be in effect. And it seems like forever from now.
HOLMES: Reynolds, look at this point for us. We're going to be talking about -- and to our viewers, I'll let you know that, in just a few minutes, we're going to show you exactly what this latest option is that they're going to try. But we'll get into that in a moment.
But Reynolds, we are a day away now from the start of hurricane season. How much could this complicate -- I shouldn't even say complicate, but make this even more of a hellish situation, if we start getting major storms coming in in the Gulf?
WOLF: Well, one thing we wanted to clarify is, NOAA mentioned the other day when the released the new information for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, that any storm, any hurricane crossing over this won't necessarily strengthen, won't intensify or weaken. It's almost like the effect of having a large semi truck driving down a freeway, hitting a puddle. That puddle's not really going to won't slow down, something moving that quickly, or really affect it.
What it could do, however, is take all of that oil, or at least a good amount of it, if a -- if a, say, hurricane or a tropical storm were to move over that, and actually, with the help of storm surge, push a lot of that, again, contaminated water onshore, exactly where we don't need it. So certainly some bad news there. That would be the biggest, most detrimental thing that we have for the time going.
What they want to do is try to contain it while it is out in the Gulf. And of course, the thing that would change it would be a brewing storm or hurricane, and certainly, the Gulf of Mexico is a hotbed for those.
HOLMES: Could there be a problem, also, if you have dangerous storms coming in? They just might have to stop work out there for a little while, and that could put us behind.
WOLF: Absolutely. I mean, think about how difficult it would be just to try this endeavor with just calm seas. But then when you get those big -- we're talking 20- to 30-foot swells out there. It's a hellish existence on the seas.
I mean, let's be honest out there. I mean, a platform that's shaking all over, trying to take care of this mess that's some 5,000 feet below, it certainly complicates things, no question about it. And not just for people, but obviously for the environment, as well.
HOLMES: Yes, for the environment. That was my next question to you there. We've got so many people working on so many different fronts. Some just trying to clean up, some trying to stop it from coming out. But also, you've got to keep in mind the wildlife down there. There's a -- there's a whole other front and a whole other army, if you will, are down there trying to save the wildlife.
WOLF: Absolutely. You know, we talked about the people. But when you get to the marshlands in the southern part of the state, it's a whole different world. Many of the estuaries that we're talking about, much of the pristine land that you have down there, those are really sanctuaries, little places.
Think of them almost as nurseries for -- for small fish, small sharks. You've got a lot of birds that nest down there. This is the nesting time of the season for the brown pelican. You've got the females laying the clutches of eggs. Bird families, so to speak, are being formed at this time.
But then when you talk about the oil out in the open water, when you talk about the turtles, those turtles and the pelicans, they're not surface feeders. They tend to dive below the surface of the water to get their prey. And obviously, diving down, and possibly running through that oil or even some of the underwater plumes, it's disastrous. To extend that even a bit more, some of the fish that naturally swim through that and find their way to shallow water, that then will be fed upon by, of course, some of these turtles and some of these birds. Those animals eating those fish could be contaminated. So there is a chain reaction that we're seeing. And it all points to bad signs.
HOLMES: Reynolds, we appreciate you being down there. We appreciate your reporting. We'll check in with you again. Thanks so much.
And as we're talking about here, we're told now this won't be possibly until August when the real permanent solution is in place, the relief wells. So we could have this stuff gushing, this oil gushing into the Gulf for the next several months.
But in the meantime there are some other options they're looking at. The top kill, of course, that's over. That was a bust. But there's something else with a new name now, the lower marine riser cap package. We'll take a look at that one and see if it has any hopes of working, as well. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: As you see there, we're talking about the next step. It seems like, Josh, there have been a lot of steps, and they all failed. This latest one, a lot of people had a lot of hopes on this top kill. Forget about it. It didn't work. They moved on to something else.
But what they're moving on to, another name people need to get familiar with; lower marine riser package cap is what they call it.
Josh, by all means, walk everybody through this one.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, some day when this is finally over we're going to have an entire new dictionary, and terms that we've had to figure out, just to understand this crisis going on in the Gulf right now.
Let's start with the animation. Let's just go right to it. I want to see this animation, because what this is, is what BP is saying is going to be happening at this point. And here's the basic idea.
You're seeing the blowout preventer. Right? And that's where these problems are. You're going to see a couple pieces kind of smoothly move away. And then what happens is this cap lowers down in the animation, and that's the lower marine riser cap. So the section is the lower marine riser package. The cap is what they're creating to go on top of it.
Now, that looks really pretty, and that is their goal. But here's the problem. And to show you the problem, we need to zoom way in on the screen. So let's bring the camera over. I want to show you what actually needs to happen.
It doesn't actually look like that right now with the stub. What's there, instead, is basically we'll look at this huge pipe here, and it needs to be cut off in order for a cap to fit on. So they have these remote-operated vehicles. They're like these little robots that come way down here. They're going to be making a cut. They're using hydraulic shears, way there, then come way over here with me. Then they're going to be making another cut over here to try to get rid of all of it. This once is another robot that uses a diamond wire cutter, actually made out of diamond, to try to slice all that off.
If they're able to slice off everything the way they want to, then they'll be able to fit the cap on. So now is when I get to the simpler graphic. Let's make it bigger. Take a look at this.
So basically, what you will have, if they can smoothly do it the way they want, they'll have this stub right here. And then they'll have the cap that can come on and fit on top of it. But we're talking like major open-heart surgery, 5,000 feet under. Because they have to be so precise. They have to cut this hole exactly the way they want it in order for this cap to fit on, all of it being done by remote, by these little robots. So there's so many ifs along the way.
We have some video right now. Let's go to it, of the cap that they've been creating. BP made some images available of it. They were actually already working on this ten days ago. So that's the cap that they're creating and continuing to create.
And we also have some live images. Let's go right to it. We're going to go way down there. These robot things that I was talking about, that's too dark. Let's go to the stuff we taped earlier today. Sometimes it looks great live; sometimes it doesn't.
So earlier today, these robots were operating down there, and what they were doing was preparing this, basically getting this area ready for surgery, getting rid of some of the other stuff so that they can ultimately do what they need to do for the lower marine risers. So T.J., that's what we're seeing there, the preparations being done now so that they can, in four to seven days, start the big process and try to get to here, get that cap on top.
HOLMES: And it's important to note for folks, as well, this cap that's being made, it's not going to be a perfect fit here. So they tell us that, even when they make that cut, for a little while there might be more oil gushing into the Gulf for a while until the cap actually goes on. So once the cut is made, 20 percent, possibly, more oil. And then once they put this on, it's not going to get all the oil. They say the majority.
LEVS: Right.
HOLMES: We're not sure exactly how much.
LEVS: They're hoping to get most of it. And a lot of it should be directed to the surface. But again, nothing else has worked so far. People have their fingers crossed. But we don't know that this one will work either.
HOLMES: All right. And if it doesn't, we are looking at August again, folks.
Thank you. Important for people to see exactly what's going on literally a mile down. This is, really, open-heart surgery a mile away is what they're trying to do.
Josh, thank you.
LEVS: Thank you.
HOLMES: And straight ahead, a whole lot of people, of course, mad right now at BP over this still gushing oil. But a whole lot of people also depend on BP for their livelihoods. We'll show that to you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, is it time to crack down on the offshore oil drilling industry in light of this massive Gulf oil spill?
A lot of people clamoring for tougher restrictions right now. President Obama recently announced some. But also a lot of other people out there who say any restrictions could actually do more harm than good, especially when it comes to jobs. One of those people met with the president this weekend. Our own Christine Romans talked to her this morning.
Christine, hello. I know a lot of people are quick to jump on this and say, of course, we shouldn't be allowing this stuff to go on. But wait a second. This is very a vital industry to that area.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is. And it's really a -- a really love/hate relationship right now that people in this area are having with the oil industry. Because on the one hand they are furious that their beaches and their economic way of life might be threatened here. On the other hand, they're very concerned about some of the heat coming from Washington, and what that could mean for jobs and the expansion of this industry.
I spoke this morning with Charlotte Randolph. She's the Lafourche Parish president. And she spent time with the president of the United States on Friday, and she told me she gave him kind of a piece of her mind about not being too tough on the industry. This is what specifically she told me she talked to him about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLOTTE RANDOLPH, LAFOURCHE PARISH PRESIDENT: My concern is that the president talked about a suspension of drilling in deep water here in south Louisiana. That will be the economic blow that will kill us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Her big concern here overall is that, if you keep a moratorium on drilling, and new drilling for too long, she's worried that these companies are going to go elsewhere in the world to find that oil. Because let's face it, the world is sucking up as much of this crude oil, T.J., as we can possibly produce. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDOLPH: Some of these rigs will take advantage of their contracts and clauses in their contracts, and perhaps move to other countries to explore for oil and gas. And then sell it back to the United States at a higher price. We will lose our economy here, and Americans will feel it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So she says, you know, "It might seem funny, T.J., that even as the oil is washing up on our shores, here I am saying, you know, don't stop them from drilling it," she said. But this is obviously a once in a lifetime kind of event. They've been drilling for years. They've never had this kind of a problem before.
She really said that she told the president -- they had a frank exchange of views, she said. And the president, she said, was glad to hear her perspective on this.
HOLMES: That's one of those moments you would be glad to be a fly on the wall to hear somebody giving it to the president in this type of situation.
ROMANS: Sure.
HOLMES: What -- how dependent are we talking about? Give us an idea of the numbers and the jobs that -- that really are created and depended on by this industry.
ROMANS: Well, there are four things that drive the Gulf of Mexico economy. The first one is oil, tourism, fishing and shipping. And all of those things are affected by what's going on here right now.
The big picture overall, 200,000 American jobs, 20 percent of Louisiana's economy, 20 -- one out of every $5 in Louisiana is tied somehow to the oil industry. It is 30 percent of U.S. oil production out of the Gulf. And there are 3,500 rigs.
Many of these rigs, by the way, are still operating as usual. They are more shallow-water rigs. They are operating and they are producing -- they are producing supply for the world and for the United States. But it's those deep-water rigs that have had a moratorium.
Look, some of these deep-water rigs, T.J., I mean, this is pretty new technology. We have been not digging -- drilling this deep for very long. So this is what the president is concerned about, concerned about the impact of that, and where we should go from here.
HOLMES: Well, good, and a different perspective to have, someone in Louisiana saying, "Wait a minute. Don't be so hard on the oil industry just yet."
ROMANS: Yes.
HOLMES: Christine Romans, always good to see you.
ROMANS: Sure.
HOLMES: Have a good rest of the day.
Also, you can catch more of Christine with Ali Velshi, "YOUR $$$$$," Saturdays 1 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
I want to take a look at some of the other stories making headlines today. So recapping what we are seeing in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP is gearing up for another push to try to cap that oil leak. This one involves a containment dome. It's called the lower marine riser cap package. Simply just putting a cap over top of it.
Now, the top kill operation that everybody had so much faith in, at least put a lot of hope in over the weekend, it failed. The company suggests we might not see a permanent solution until August. Yes, folks, we could see this oil gushing into the Gulf every day, every minute, until August sometime when they have those relief wells ready. It's estimated that up to 800,000 gallons of crude leaking every single day.
Also, the U.N. Security Council holding talks this hour on the deadly pre-dawn incident between Israeli commandos and pro-Palestinian activists. Israel says nine people were killed when the commandos stormed a half dozen ships carrying aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip.
A number of nations condemning Israel. Israel, though, says, if it lets one flotilla through, then more will likely follow, including those that might be smuggling weapons to Gaza.
Meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled this week's scheduled meeting with President Obama so he can head back to Israel.
Also, the vice president, Joe Biden, helped lay the wreath at Arlington National Cemetery just a short time ago. President Obama was marking Memorial Day near Chicago and laying a wreath at the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery. But it appears his scheduled remarks were canceled due to rain. And the president had to come out and tell the crowd about the weather situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Excuse me. Listen up. We are a little bit concerned about lightning. This may not be safe. So I know that all of you are here to commemorate the fallen. That's why we're here. What we'd like to do is, if possible, to have people move back to their cars. And if this passes in the next 15, 20 minutes, I will stick around, and we'll come up and start up the ceremony again. But we don't want to endanger anybody, particularly the children in the audience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Again, that was in Elwood, Illinois, just south of Chicago. The president playing weatherman there for a bit. But certainly, that was a dangerous situation, dangerous storms were going through, and telling everybody to get inside. We'll see what happens with that ceremony, if it possibly continues here in a little built.
Well, of course, the oil, that spewing oil at the bottom of the Gulf has to go somewhere. Not seeing all of it just yet. It didn't just disappear, though. We're going to tell you exactly what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Over here, Chad Myers.
Chad, can you help us understand this?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I will try.
HOLMES: A lot of oil, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of gallons possibly every single day.
MYERS: Yes.
HOLMES: We see the area, at least the surface, where we're told this thing is stretching out. But given the time it's been going, you figure a lot of people think it should have gone -- spanning out a little more. So where is all this stuff going.
MYERS: They've been capturing a lot of it. It's been evaporating.
HOLMES: OK.
MYERS: And some of it hasn't been making its way to the surface. Some of it's still down there, still. You want to know why?
HOLMES: Please.
MYERS: OK. Here you go. This is a cup of water.
HOLMES: We've got a scientist experiment, huh?
MYERS: Let's pretend this is oil going up, instead of water going down. If oil comes out of the ground in one big clump, it just goes down. Just like oil going right to the top, it goes up in one big clump.
HOLMES: OK.
MYERS: Now we aerosolize it, because we're blowing it out of the bottom of the atmosphere, the bottom of the ocean down there at 5,000 PSI, or whatever the guys are saying. So how long do you think it's going to take for that to make it down into that same bucket?
HOLMES: It will take a minute.
MYERS: A lot longer.
HOLMES: OK.
MYERS: Because it's atomized. It takes a long time. This oil is basically atomized. It is down there trying to make its way up, but these particles of oil are so small, they can't get up there in as big of a hurry as the big globs of oil can.
So there are these plumes they're talking about that are down below. And if they keep scooping this up, they're doing a great job of scooping it up, but you can't scoop up the atoms and the small, little particles that are down there that are just -- and the fish are swimming through it just the same. You know, maybe dolphins aren't going through it like this, but fish are still getting into this oil, these plumes, these hydrocarbons that are below the surface. That's what I'm more concerned about.
They're going to do a good job of getting this oil off the surface. They're -- unless everybody gets sick and they pull the boats off the water, that they won't be able to scoop it up any more. Whenever we get this -- you know, fishermen are kind of getting ill, because of they don't know what. But if we pull everybody off of there, EPA says, "No, we can't do that any more," then this slick is going to get a lot bigger in a big hurry.
HOLMES: OK. That's a good explainer. Because it's like you're saying. You're more concerned what's going on down below.
MYERS: I know you don't need as much hairspray as I do, but that's OK. You don't want to waste it.
HOLMES: Chad, as always -- even something off the radar. But it's another perspective that people need to understand. It's not just all coming up immediately...
MYERS: Correct.
HOLMES: ... and polluting the surface of the water. Chad, off the radar. Always some good stuff. Nice science experiment over here.
MYERS: I'm always off something.
HOLMES: Thank you, kind sir.
Well, stay with us here. We know on this Memorial Day, you know, so many -- so many ceremonies going on all around the country. And always, every year, one that we certainly keep a close, close eye on is the one that happens at Arlington National Cemetery.
Vice President Biden, he was there a little earlier today, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We will take you there. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Let's now give you a look at some of the headlines right now.
BP's top kill method didn't work. The company's now preparing yet another strategy to try to cap the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. This one involved a containment dome. BP also says we might not actually see a permanent solution until August. That's when relief wells will be ready.
The U.N. Security Council holding talks this hour on the deadly pre-dawn incident between Israeli commandos and pro-Palestinian activists. Israel says nine people were killed when the commandos stormed a half-dozen ships carrying the aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip. A number of nations condemning Israel. Israel says if it lets one flotilla through, then more will follow, including those that might be smuggling weapons.
Meantime, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled this week's scheduled meeting with President Obama to head back to Israel.
Also, some rainy weather put a crimp in President Obama's Memorial Day commemorations. It appears he had to cancel his remarks at Abraham Lincoln Cemetery near Chicago this hour.
Meanwhile, Vice President Biden helped lay the wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. He said the U.S. has a sacred obligation to make sure the troops get everything they need to do their jobs.
Vice President Biden, as I said, was there at the wreath-laying there at Arlington National Cemetery. There are still a lot of people still there. Will be there throughout the day, more than likely, remembering the ones, their loved ones on this Memorial Day, and every day really.
CNN's Barbara Starr is live. She joins me along with some friends apparently. Good afternoon to you, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, T.J. I'm here with some remarkable women, some Gold Star mothers. I'm going to introduce you to them in a moment.
But as you say, Vice President Biden came through here a short time ago, spending a lot of time talking to the family members here at Section 60, where so many of the young troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have been laid to rest. We spoke to the vice president about his own role as a military father, his own child serving in the war zone. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Tell us on Memorial Day, how is your son feeling?
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My son is back -- not only home from Iraq, he's back to health. He didn't get into Iraq, as you know --
STARR: You're a military dad. You're a military dad. You must have worried about him every day he was gone.
BIDEN: Every day. Another thing -- I swear to God, you walk into the -- walk in the kitchen in the morning, and Jill would be pouring her coffee and mouthing a prayer. As a prayer that the wife of our commanding general of the National Guard in Delaware gave her. She would say it repeatedly all through the day.
And, you know, there's that expression, families here know, we also serve and stand and wait. I was lucky. I waited, he came home.
STARR: Hard to see this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: The vice president himself a military dad, getting -- as a military dad, getting a little choked up about his own son who had been ill and is now recovering.
T.J., I'm here with some Gold Star mothers, women who are here every year, throughout the year, women who have lost their children in the war zone. And I want to give them a chance to remember their children today with their names and ages and where their children fell on the battlefield. Let's start here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. My son is Lance corporal Eric William Hersberg. He was 20. He was killed in Iraq in October 21, 2006. He's a Marine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son is Private First Class Justin Ray Davis. He was 19. He was killed in Quorinco (ph) Valley, Afghanistan on June 25th, 2006. And he was in the Army.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son is Nicholas -- Lance Corporal Nicholas Kervin. Nicholas was 21 years old. He was killed in the Alishang (ph) Valley of Afghanistan on May the 8th, 2005, Mother's Day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son is Marine Lance Corporal Arts, (INAUDIBLE). And he was 22 years old. And he too was killed on May 8th, Mother's Day, 2005.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son, Corporal Andy B. Anderson, he was 24 years old. He was killed in Ramadi, Iraq. He served in the Army.
STARR: And T.J., what I want to tell you, these women all know each other. They are here every year. They see each other throughout the year. These are the families, the relatives of those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan. For them, every day is Memorial Day. T.J.?
HOLMES: You are absolutely right. We all should take more than just this day sometimes to remember what some of those mothers and other families are going through. Barbara, thank you so much for introducing those ladies to us. And allowing them to have that moment. Barbara, thank you so much.
Quick break here. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are trekking the globe, as we do, every day, as Ali does every day normally for you here. Today, it takes us to this area where we're seeing in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a deadly confrontation off the coast of Gaza. Israeli commandos stormed a six- ship international flotilla.
Now, his was carrying -- heading to Gaza. Killed nine people here. In this whole confrontation, nine people were killed on one of those ships. Now, Israel boarded these six ships. Nine killed.
Now, Israel claims -- the claim that Israeli troops staged the attack in international waters and opened fire on unarmed civilians. Well, you can imagine Israel's response to that. They said the activists were on these boats, they attacked the commandos.
Now, our Ben Wedeman is on the lines with us now, covering this story for us. Ben, help a lot of people -- this has really caused an international storm right now. But Israel, their response still, that this in fact was justified.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes. Certainly, according to the Israeli version of events, what happened was when some of their naval commandos were trying to board the ship, that they were attacked by passengers who had knives and bars and whatnot.
The Israeli story is changing somewhat, because initially, they suggested that there was gunfire at their ships from below deck on one of these three Gaza vessels. But they've changed their story now.
And what we've seen so far is a box of slingshots and marbles. We haven't really seen hard evidence of this. And also, they're making an entire narrative to the other side of this story (INAUDIBLE). Because of where I am in Ashbub (ph), hundreds of these activists have been detained. But the media has not been given access to them. In fact, communications were cut off when the Israeli assault began.
We don't really know exactly what transpired. Certainly, the Israeli government is going all out in trying to get its version across. As I said, we're just not hearing the other side. T.J.?
HOLMES: Trying to get that version across, as you say. Because a lot of people, international condemnation of this incident and the response from Israel. But these ships, this flotilla we're talking about in the first place, supposedly had tens of thousands of -- tons, really, of aid that was going into Gaza. What happens to those ships now and the people on them?
WEDEMAN: Okay. Well, there were six ships with 10,000 tons of relief supplies, construction materials, food and medicine, wheelchairs as well. Now, so far, five of those ships have docked here in (INAUDIBLE) on the Israeli coast. And the activists are being unloaded.
There is a detention center that Israel set up several days ago to receive them. The Israeli government beforehand said that if people surrendered peacefully, they would be deported back to their home country. Those who resisted would be arrested and eventually put on trial.
We do know that a group has been sent to the (INAUDIBLE) prison already. And we're waiting, as I said, to get some sort of access to the activists themselves. T.J.?
HOLMES: And Ben, one more note before we let you go. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was supposed to meet with President Obama tomorrow. We're getting word now that is not going to happen.
WEDEMAN: Yes, that is correct. He first had a stop in Canada. He finished up there. But he's now returning to Israel as a result of this crisis. Because whether by design or by default, it certainly has -- it's turning into something of a political catastrophe for Israel. They may have miscalculated the kind of repercussions as a result of this operation.
And really, the first victim is Israel's old friendship with Turkey, which is now exceedingly strained, because many of the nine dead were Turks. And the Turkish government has recalled its ambassador to Israel. Relations were already deteriorating, but it seems that Israel's oldest friend in the Middle East is certainly going very sour on Israel at the moment. And the Israeli prime minister is already coming under some very strong criticism from his own countrymen, and said that he made a massive mistake with this one. T.J
HOLMES: All right. Our Ben Wedeman today for us today. Ben, we appreciate you.
As Ben was talking about, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, certainly dealing with this right now. So, a lot of criticism. We heard just a short time ago, just a little earlier today from him. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The sixth ship, the largest (INAUDIBLE) with people on it, not only did not cooperate in this effort, peacefully. They deliberately attacked the first soldiers on the ship. They were mobbed. They were clubbed. They were beaten, stabbed. There was even reports of gunfire. And our soldiers attempted to defend their lives or they would be killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, back in Washington, the White House says the U.S., of course, right now deeply concerned about the loss of life. A spokesman says U.S. officials working to understand the circumstances surrounding this whole incident.
There's also outrage in the Muslim world. CNN's Ivan Watson joining us now from Istanbul, Turkey. Ivan, hello to you. And we just heard from Ben Wedeman there, that some of the strongest reaction comes from Turkey because several that we understand of those killed were Turks. Give us an idea of the reaction you're seeing.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty serious, T.J.. The Turkish prime minister has basically called this Israeli pre-dawn raid an act of state terrorism. We've been following angry, emotional protests here in the streets of Istanbul outside the Israeli consulate, where some windows were broken earlier in the day, in the square behind me.
And this is going into Turkish society as well, not just Islamist fringe groups that tend to be passionate about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, but ordinary Turks outraged at the loss of life. Especially since this took place more than 70 nautical miles outside of Israel's territorial waters in international seas.
Now, the scene was so different just last Thursday. Take a look at this video, T.J. These are images of the Turkish ship, the same ship that the violence broke out on before dawn this morning, when Israeli commandos rappelled down off of helicopters. It was given a hero's sendoff from the shores here in Istanbul.
I saw fireworks displays. This was a big deal. It was sponsored by a prominent Turkish Islamic charity organization. The Turkish prime minister ahs since insisted all the goods onboard that ship were inspected by Turkish customs officers, that there were no weapons onboard when it set out for Gaza last week. T.J.?
HOLMES: And Ivan, now we know the U.N. is getting involved. What are we expecting from them?
WATSON: Well, the Turks have called for an emergency meeting, basically, to discuss this, among the U.N. Security Council. They are saying this is a violation of international law, because this took place, again, in international waters, at least 75 nautical miles outside of Israel's territorial waters. Take a listen to what the deputy prime minister had to say earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BULENT ARINC, TURKISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (via translator): This bloody operation will be remembered as a dark stain in humanity. Israel has again, against international law, been seriously blocking the news, preventing the disseminating of information not only to Turkey, but to the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, he's talking there about the blackout, or inability to communicate with more than 500 civilians who were aboard those ships, T.J. Turkey has taken other steps as well. It has canceled joint military operations with Israel. It has canceled joint soccer games with the Turkish national youth soccer team, which was in Israel when this crisis erupted, and has recalled its ambassador. Israel really stands at risk of losing its only Muslim friend in the Middle East right now. T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Ivan Watson for us in Istanbul. Ivan, we appreciate you, as always, keeping an eye on what has become a very tense situation.
Also, we're keeping an eye on the situation we're seeing in the Gulf that we've been watching for the last 40-plus days now. The Gulf oil spill. Hurting the environment, no doubt. But hurting people as well. And their health. We're taking a look at the possible long- term impacts. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Returning now to the oil spill and the potential health hazards people are facing in the Gulf. Already, nine people cleaning up the oil became so sick they had to go to the hospital. Some are blaming the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil. But the CEO of BP is not drawing any conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP: I'm sure they were genuinely ill. But whether it was anything to do with the dispersants of the oil, whether it's food poisoning or some other reason for them being ill -- food poisoning is a big issue when you've got a concentration of this number of people in temporary camps, temporary accommodation, it's something we have to be very, very mindful of. It's one of the big issues of keeping the Army operating, you know? The Army's march on their stomachs (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in New Orleans with this developing story.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., here are the symptoms these men have been experiencing. They say they've had shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, they say their noses are irritated.
And I ran those symptoms by one of the nation's foremost experts on food-borne illnesses. His name is Dr. Michael Alsterhome (ph). He's at the University of Minnesota. He said, to me, "Elizabeth, this does not feel like a food-borne illness to me. He said, it sounds like something respiratory." He said, I don't know what is making these men sick, but he said I don't think it's the food.
Now, BP has said that the men are out there working on these ships don't need masks. BP says they're checking the air, everything is fine. And these men do not need to wear masks. However, a restraining order was just filed yesterday by one of the men who has been hospitalized, and he says in that restraining order, he asked BP to stop using dispersants until men are given masks. And here's why. The label on the dispersants clearly states, and this is the label from the manufacturer, that people should avoid breathing vapors when they're using these dispersants.
But BP has said over and over again, people don't need to use masks, that it's unnecessary. BP is now saying that workers can use them if they want to, but they say the air quality is just fine over the oil. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. Thank you, to our Elizabeth Cohen.
We will continue to give you the update on the oil spill, including the latest to trying to stop the oil from gushing out, and dealing with the harsh reality that, in fact, it could be August before it's actually stopped. That, plus your headlines, coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Give you a look now at some stories making headlines.
BP's top kill operation, the one that a lot of people had a lot of faith in, well, it failed over the weekend. So, now the company is preparing yet another strategy to try to cap that oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. This one involving a containment dome. BP also says it might not get a permanent solution until august when the relief wells are expected to be ready to go.
Also, the rainy weather caused President Obama to change plans, his Memorial Day plans today. Apparently had him canceling his remarks at Abraham Lincoln Cemetery near Chicago at this hour. Meantime, Vice President Biden helped lay the wreath at the Arlington National Cemetery and said the U.S. has a sacred obligation to make sure the troops get everything they need to do their jobs.
Also, the U.N. Security Council holding talks this hour on the deadly pre-dawn incident between Israeli commandoes and pro- Palestinian activists. Israel says nine people were killed when a stormed commando a half-dozen ships carrying aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip. A number of nations are condemning Israel. But Israel says, if it let's one flotilla through, then more will follow, including those that might be smuggling weapons.
Meantime, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has cancelled this week's scheduled meeting with President Obama so he could head back to Israel.
Coming up next, no shortage of suggestions on how to fix the massive oil spill in the Gulf and how to clean it up. We'll show you some of them, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: BP has literally gotten tens and thousands of calls and e-mails from private citizens saying they can help, they have ideas to either stop the oil from coming out. And some have ideas for cleaning it up.
We allowed one of those private citizens to tell us about it. Not just tell us, but show us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED CORPORA, AMERICAN PRODUCTS ENTERPRISES CORP.: Well, T.J., it's an organic product, derived from a spagnumb dehydrated Piedmoss (ph). Then we process it to a certain consistency, like this one you see here.
HOLMES: So, it's organic. So, that helps.
CORPORA: Yes. One hundred percent organic. It's also microbial, which means it has microbes in it that will actually eat the oil that's absorbed in the product over a period of time.
HOLMES: Okay. I know you contacted BP, as well. We'll tell people in a second the reaction you got from BP. But show us, first of all, you have the water and the oil, so go ahead and walk us through it.
CORPORA: OK. I'm going to demonstrate here a little bit of motor oil. Let's get this out of the way.
HOLMES: Just throwing some oil in there, all right.
CORPORA: A little transmission fluid, get a little dark color. Got some vinegar. We'll get some lettuce and tomato. No, just kidding.
(LAUGHTER)
CORPORA: Just throw a little bit down on there, on the spill.
HOLMES: Okay. What's it doing? What's it supposed to be doing? Suppose this was the Gulf and you threw this stuff on top of it?
CORPORA: You can see it's dark - I don't know if you can see - but it's dark in color. That means it's already come in contact with a petroleum product. At this point, it's already out of the water, believe it or not. It's not in the water anymore. In fact, I want to simulate a feather duster -- a duck floating in the spill area.
No oil.
HOLMES: And no oil that comes out on it. Just a little of that -- that moss.
CORPORA: It's encapsulated in the product. It's not in the water. See, it just comes right out.
HOLMES: So, would you go back and then scoop -- you would scoop it up. CORPORA: You skim it out. It's much easier to do it that way. There is no need for vac trucks or vacuums.
HOLMES: Now this would work -- you used a little motor oil and some things here. But you say this would work the same --
CORPORA: Yes, crude oil, no oil on my hands.
HOLMES: Now, tell us. We know you got a hold of BP. You put your idea out there, as well. I think you said you got a hold of them almost immediately after the disaster.
ED CORPORA, AMERICAN PRODUCTS ENTERPRISES CORP.: About three days after, I called. They gave me a number. They e-mailed me a form, I filled out the form.
I'm putting -- I'm sorry -- I'm doing one more demonstration for you while we're talking.
I filled out the form, and about a week later, they just said that they don't think it would be appropriate or the type of product they would need with the type of spill they have.
HOLMES: And do you by what they were saying?
CORPORA: No.
HOLMES: Do you think they have their reasons for it, or do you still disagree and think you could help out?
CORPORA: No. I think that I don't have the solution, no one does. I don't have one product that will take care of it. No one does. But I think that my product could definitely be helpful on water spills, especially in wetlands and marshlands, because microbial and it encapsulates on contact
HOLMES: And one more time, what this stuff is. This is just --
CORPORA: Stagnum dehydrated peat moss. It's dried out, and that would process it, as I said, to this consistency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Just one of a number of ideas. That was Ed Corpora. We thank him for that demonstration.
