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Gulf Oil Spill -- Yet Another New Method

Aired June 03, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Checking your top stories now. Turkey confirming the nine people who died on the Gaza aid flotilla were, in fact, Turks, but we're also learning that one of them also had U.S. Citizenship.

Meantime, there was another aid ship en route to Gaza. It's this Irish ship with humanitarian goods, should be reaching -- they're hoping to be reaching that region by Tomorrow.

Also today, President Obama will be meeting with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer this afternoon to talk, you guessed it, about the state's new immigration law. Protesters though against the law will gather outside of the White House. Also regarding a possible federal challenge to the law. Governor Brewer says, "we'll meet you in court."

And check your diswasher here. Maytag now recalling about 1.7 million of their dishwashers and the concerns stem from a possible fire hazard in the heating element. The recall includes Maytag, Amana, Genair, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa and Crossly brands made by Maytag.

But first, I want to bring you up to speed on what is going on in the gulf in this massive effort to clean up all that oil. We are keeping track here on CNN. We are on day 45 and BP, you can say they're tweaking their plan a tad as to how to contain the flow of that underwater geyser. And in just a couple of minutes, we should be hearing from the federal government's point person, Admiral Thad Allen who is now heading up the federal response to this ongoing catastrophe.

Meantime, CNN's David Mattingly is there in Metairie, Louisiana, with a preview of what we might hear this morning. And David, I imagine, this will all have to do with using sheers that they're having to use to cut this riser. Good morning.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, what we've been hearing so far this morning is no cut, no cap and no promises. Last night BP failed in its attempt to use that diamond-tip saw to get a clean cut across the riser pipe that's been leaking oil at the bottom of the ocean.

That's very significant because with no clean cut they can't use the cap that had that special seal on it that they were hoping to use to capture most of the oil. Now we're finding out they're going to have to bring in another cutting device that won't be quite as precise and they're going to have to use another cap that doesn't have that same kind of seal and that means there's a greater chance that they're going to be leaking oil to some degree throughout the rest of the summer until they get that relief well drilled and in place in August.

So that definitely was not good news. And this morning we heard from Admiral Thad Allen earlier today telling us that the plan was to continue with plans to employ that other cutting device and to get that other cap on some time today. But again, the way this was supposed to work, they were supposed to get that clean cut, and put that cap on with the seal so they would capture every bit of oil they possibly could here. Now that plan is out the window and they're going to their backup plan of a less-precise cut and a less efficient containment dome.

But at this point, everything is going to depend on how well things go for BP and we're going to hear from Admiral Thad Allen shortly about how things have been progressing in the last couple of hours.

BALDWIN: We will but again bad news, this other backup plan not working. David Mattingly, thank you for watching that. We want to talk now with Josh Levs about what really this means and what it looks like. Because Josh, this is so significant because this perfect cut that they were hoping for with the diamond wire saw is not working.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not working.

BALDWIN: So now it's this rough cut which means the seal is not going to be great.

LEVS: That's right. And it's never going to be 100 percent sealed even the other way, right. But basically, what you had yesterday and I'll talk this to you really, really quickly is they need to use two cuts. They need to use hydraulic sheers and then they were going to use the diamond wire cutter to make it way over here to try to make a little stub to put a cap on. This is what went wrong. It got stuck and didn't work out.

Now what they're talking about is making a much rougher cut here and I got some new information for you. Just when you think this couldn't get anymore confusing, OK?

BALDWIN: Hit me.

LEVS: Officials have been saying that what they're going to use now is called the top hat. Right? So we thought a-ha, they'll finally going to use that top hat that they lowered on May 12th and it's been sitting on the ocean floor and as it turns out that's not what they're going to use. We just talked to BP.

Even though it's been floated as a top hat it's actually yet another device that's similar, that is supposed to be designed to go on to the rough cut as well. So some people are calling it a top hat but in fact what's going to happen here is they're going to make a rough cut and they're going to take this new top, whatever you want to call it and they're going to try to put it on there in the hopes that it blocks that oil and guides it up to the surface and does the trick but we just don't know yet.

BALDWIN: Got it.

You got that. A new top hat. They're lowering down and hoping it will work. Josh Levs, thanks for talking to BP just now. Thank you.

I just want to mention again, reiterating what David Mattingly said and also something that came us to from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. A senior administration official tells her that President Obama will be returning to the gulf coast soon. That, she says, could come as soon as next week.

And really from the first few weeks of this crisis we have heard that people along the gulf really they're calling for the U.S. military to help, to clean up - to help with the clean-up effort and really the chorus has grown even louder ever since. One of the voices now echoing that call, a U.S. senator who is watching the oil creep closer to his Florida beaches. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: You've got to have a lot of skimmers. You've got to have a lot of booms out there rounding up the oil and burning it. You've got to employ a flotilla of ships. The Department of Defense is unique in its command and control capability. Its ability to bring assets that others don't have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right. So let's take a closer look at this idea of sending in more U.S. troops and who to talk more about that with it, of course, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. I know Barbara, you've been talking to various levels within the U.S. military, joining us really with a reality check. We heard from Senator Nelson, Barbara, though, how realistic is this request?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Senator Nelson, Brooke, has been talking about this for days now as is Colin Powell and others. Bring in the U.S. military and put that muscle power behind all of this.

The Pentagon remains very firm that it is not anxious to get involved. They believe this is a technological problem that only the oil industry can solve and that Admiral Thad Allen of the Coast Guard is already the four-star military commander, if you will, and they shouldn't be in the position of taking over command and control of all of this.

They do know however there is a public confidence issue here, that this is just not getting resolved. So we wanted to have a little reality check. What part of the military is involved? Well, the National Guard. What we know is that Defense Secretary Robert Gates authorized some 17,500, nearly 18,000 National Guard troops across the gulf, but only 1,400 of nearly 18,000 are actually being used.

For example, in Louisiana, 6,000 authorized, only 1,100 on duty. So what's going on here? Why not more? Well, it's confusing. The governors say they'd like to have more. They say they've asked for more to be put on duty, but the governors want it to be paid for by Washington and if that is going to happen the Coast Guard has to validate that there are real legitimate, reliable jobs for these Coast Guard troops to do, for these National Guard to do, and they've been working on berms. They've been working on barriers and all of that, but so far there doesn't seem to be a real call for more extensive use of National Guard troops. So we're watching it, but it's just not out there yet. Brooke?

BALDWIN: Wow, that's complicated between who might foot the bill, who says they should go, where should they go. What about, Barbara, just anyone who can come forward and, you know, really make that call to perhaps, you know, have some weight here and influencing in bringing more national guardsmen down to the gulf. Who can influence that decision?

STARR: You know, you're absolutely right. It sounds so confusing. Who pays? Who authorizes? Who activates? I mean, the bottom line right bow is the state governors want this all to be paid for by Washington. Washington wants BP to pay for it. So what could change all of it?

Well, you know, if you suddenly really get a more massive, serious as it is, a more massive flow of oil on to shore. Let's say there's a hurricane, heaven forbid, and this really turns into a flat- out disaster far beyond what it already is which is disastrous. Officials here at the Pentagon say that's when they know they can get called in, but the bottom line right now is they don't see a political judgment from the White House that lends itself towards calling the Pentagon into duty on this. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wow! Here is hoping that we don't have to see a hurricane to bring in more national guardsmen and women. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: Part of that oil spill is now less than seven miles from Pensacola, Florida. That's the closest the slick has been to Florida and thousands and thousands of tar balls have already been seen out in the water. Workers are rushing to put up more of the containment booms to scoop up that oil. Forecasters say the oil could wash up on Florida as early as tomorrow.

And you might have seen these TV ads, right? They've been in the state of Florida, been running them, saying the beaches are open. Come to our beaches. Come take in the sun, they're oil-free. As of now, no Florida beaches are closed because of the spill. But Governor Charlie Crist suggests these ads may need to be re-edited, not just to say some of the beaches are closed but to explain that many others are not even affected and then there is concern that tourists will totally turn away from Florida. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOERG EIFLER, OWNER, FLAMINGO INN: The only thing that can save us now is a good hurricane. We've got insurance money. The oil spill is right here. So the clean-up crews need accommodations. My best case scenario and that's really sad.

JONELL MODYS: Some people are just feeling like, well, it's all over the gulf. Let's just not go to Florida this year. That's a crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Crisis indeed. And also addressing this crisis will be Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. We should be hearing from him hopefully in the next couple of minutes.

Looking at live pictures setting up that podium. Remember, Admiral Allen is really the federal point man here. He should be holding this conference at 10:15 Eastern, 7:15 Pacific. When we see him we will bring that to you live.

BALDWIN: Also I want to share this programming note with you. Tonight, CNN's Larry King has this exclusive interview with President Barack Obama. They'll be talking about the oil spill, economic turmoil and of course, battling the two wars. The president will be sharing his thoughts with Larry, tonight on "Larry King Live." Again that is at 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.

And just days after the deadly showdown off of the coast of the Gaza strip. Another aid ship now ready to take on Israel's blockade and this could be pivotal. 48 hours from now. Diplomats, they are working on this over time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to get this in for you. We are now just learning here at CNN that the president will be headed back to the Gulf Coast region tomorrow. Let me read for you what we've got from the White House. The president will be returning to the Louisiana gulf coast to assess the latest efforts to counter the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Clearly, the urgency here along the gulf ratcheted up considering this will be the president's third trip down there since that explosion back on April 20th. Again, we should get more details of that trip later today.

Also, we are watching and waiting for that press conference to get under way in Louisiana. That will be led by Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. We will bring that to you live as soon as we see him.

Meantime, let's get to this other story. An American citizen killed during Monday's violent raid onboard that flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip. Turkish officials have confirmed that one of the nine victim Furkan Dogan had dual citizenship in the U.S. and Turkey. The other victims, we are told, are all Turkish nationals.

And now Hamas is refusing to let those supplies from that flotilla reach the people of Gaza. Why? Because Hamas says the shipment has now passed through Israeli hands, but activists they are giving this another go. They're trying again with another ship. It's called the MV Rachel Corrie, expected to reach the waters of Gaza they're hoping either tomorrow or Saturday, onboard, 550 tons of cement, medical equipment, educational materials, even toys for some of the kids there in Gaza.

Now Israel is urging that ship to drop off its supplies in the Jewish state and "Haaretz," the Israeli daily newspaper is reporting that a diplomatic solution here is imminent. This comes as many in the international community are calling for an end to that three-year blockade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: In recent months I have consistently urged the government of Israel at the highest levels including during my visit in March to lift this blockade and allow the United Nations and other humanitarian relief supplies into Gaza. If this had been done so, this tragedy would have been avoided.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Israel says it needs the blockade for national security and to prevent any benefit to Hamas which rules Gaza, but Hamas will not recognize Israel's right to exist, denounce earlier violence or accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinian authority.

And now I ant to take you live to Metairie, Louisiana, Admiral Thad Allen.

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: ... sheer cutters - the ones they used to the other riser pipe cut yesterday. As you know, the other saw that we attempted to use was not successful in getting through the riser pipe and the internal drill pipe. And so we replaced it with the sheers, which don't have as clean a cut, but we do have a cut now.

The next step will be to put the containment cap over what's left of the riser pipe on the lower marine riser package, and start seeing if we can move gas and oil up the pipe hopefully to stop flaring up gas and start production later on today.

We'll give you updates as we go throughout the day. But a significant step forward at this point. The challenge now is to seat that containment cap over it and just to differentiate between what we were trying to do with the smooth cut and what's going to happen now. We were actually going to put a very, very solid seal with the cap.

We're reducing the amount of oil that can potentially leak around the connection. This is an irregular cut and it will be a little bit more challenging to get the seal around and we'll have a containment device there to capture more oil than we would otherwise. We're going to have to see as we put the containment cap on exactly how effective it is.

We will have the option to use undersea dispersants to deal with any oil that might not be captured. It will be a kind of a test and adapt phase as we move ahead, but a significant step forward this morning, and I'm pleased to report that.

Just a couple of updates of what I've been up to in the last 24 hours and I would be glad to answer some questions. I spent a good deal of time yesterday with Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator. She's been down in the area. We've going in different directions to make sure we can cover as much area as possible.

She is a tremendous asset as she is from the local area. She has existing relationships with many of the parishes and we've been working very closely together. She's been very, very closely following the dispersant issue. I can tell you that the EPA has been doing a number - a number of water testing, and also doing air quality testing associated with it.

So far they have found no impacts on wild life related to the toxicity of the dispersants but they continue to do that and we will continue to work very, very closely with EPA on this. We are also committed to using as little dispersant as we have to on the surface and concentrate our dispersant, use it sub sea where it is most effective thereby reducing the fact, any potential impact on the surface.

And we know we have used a lot of dispersants out there. We're approaching the million gallon mark and we understand it's a milestone and there are concerns about that and we will continue to work the dispersant issue very, very closely as we move forward. We also announced yesterday that we had approved the proposal from the state of Louisiana to add the five more segments on their proposal of the Corps of Engineers that were approved by the Corps of Engineers as a legitimate means to deal with the oil spill, to keep oil from getting into the marshlands of Louisiana.

I've had several conversations with Governor Jindal about this and I'll be meeting with him later on today. We'll continue to work with the state of Louisiana moving forward on this project.

Regarding the current trajectory, as you know, the upper edge, the perimeter spills and I would call them spills. As you know, before I said this is a collection of spills and not a monolithic spill, is approaching the southern areas of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida with some oil being found in Mississippi and tar balls reported on Dauphin Island and some sheening.

We had moved a large number of Coast Guard assets in the area including the Coast Guard (INAUDIBLE) endurance cutter that has helicopter capability to do surveillance and also do command and control. We have positioned two 225-foot Coast Guard buoy tenders that have organic spill skimming capability and the equipment onboard the boats and we have a number of patrol boats out there looking to support the vessel of opportunity, vessels that we've enrolled there to help us deploy boom and scout for oil patches offshore and conduct skimming operations.

And we'll continue to focus on the Mississippi and Alabama area as long as the winds are out of the south. We continue to move boom into Alabama. We continue to look at strategies to deal with the entrance to Mobile Bay, the Perrito Pass and what they call Katrina cut on Dauphin Island.

With that, I would be glad to take your questions folks. You always go first. I'm going to go over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks. (INAUDIBLE) with CBS News Radio. And talking about top cap, obviously, you've tried capping before. It hasn't worked. How hard is it to put a containment cap over this pipe considering all of the oil coming out. The current's a mile down and that kind of thing. Can you elaborate on that for us?

ALLEN: Sure. Prior to the cut they actually had suspended the containment cap at the end of the riser pipe that suspended from the production vessel right over the area so it's not like they even have to move it in. It's a matter of moving down and seating it. What you're got is almost an inverted funnel that is wider than the pipe. It's going to (INAUDIBLE) and in between there is a rubber seal around it. I don't want to make this too simple of an analogy, but not unlike the rubber seal you'd find inside a garden hose and be able to put that over and get that seal to fit as good as it can, understanding that it's an irregular cut and they'll be doing that for the next couple of hours.

Yes, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, admiral. (INAUDIBLE) What's the latest on those underwater plumes and how the dispersants are being deployed? Is there a full accounting of what's going on as far (INAUDIBLE) as gas is concerned and then secondarily, how many skimmers are on the coastline?

ALLEN: We'll get back to you for the record. We have skimmers all over. There are some in Alabama, some in Mississippi and some off Louisiana but Tony Russell will give you the exact numbers when we're done here today. Go back to your first question, I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The plumes of oil.

ALLEN: Yes, OK. Thank you.

We had some extensive discussion on our briefing yesterday with Jane Lubchenco, the NOAA administrator who was down here. In fact, she is meeting with some of the research vessels while she was down here talking to them. We've had some anecdotal reports from research vessels that universities have found dense plumes or what they believe to be plumes under the water.

We're in the process of taking samples and trying to figure out what they are. They're denser than the water but we're not sure whether it's oil or not. There's been some conjecture whether or not to use the subsea dispersants might be having that oil gather below the surface and go someplace else. We have sensors down there that are actually checking the oil as it goes up through the water column after dispersants had been applied.

The dispersants generally they make the oil separate and they wouldn't gather together in a kind of a plume undersea. I don't know if we know there is a causality between the dispersants and the plumes that are being reported. There are NOAA ships out there taking samples from various areas at different water depts. And try to understand what the concentration of oil is at what depth. It's all going to be brought back together in terms like a data map. They can put together a model of what we think is going on out there. That's in progress right now. We just have not finished the work yet.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Admiral, David Mattingly from CNN. BP is running ads now promising that they will make this right given the fact that everything they've done has either fallen short or failed, how much confidence do you have that BP will make this right?

ALLEN: Well, it's their assertion and their duty to stand by it. I haven't seen the advertisements yet, but I'm not sure. I think we need to separate a couple of things out here. The stuff that's been happening on the subsea floor are applications of technology either cap this well or contain the flow as we understand right now using technologies that normally work in oil spill response or well containment, but had never been tried at 5,000 feet.

So the real issue is at trying to do things where there's no human access at 5,000 feet that are legitimate ways to deal with these problems that have never been done down there before and a lot of times it's going to be test, check adaptation and check evolution and that's pretty much what's been happening here.

They do have a duty to the responsible party. We're accountable for overseeing them and we're doing that very aggressively.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brian Ross (ph) of ABC News. Can you give us a status report on the relief wells? I know it was (INAUDIBLE) in the second drilling, in the second relief well? Are all the resources now refocused on drilling those two relief wells?

ALLEN: They are and they're both on target for their dates right now. BP produces what's called a depth to time chart, and based on what they know they're going to be drilling through and sometimes it anticipates that there will be harder to drill through rock than other sediments and so forth and we actually get a daily update on that. They're slightly ahead of schedule right now, but we're not willing to declare victory until the relief wells are actually connected.

So we stopped - it's mid-August for the first well. Regarding the deep driller 2 that was taken off station, when the deep driller 2 was being deployed and we thought there was an opportunity to cap the well, we knew one of the options would be to put out another blowout preventer over the current one that's down there. So as you deployed a blowout prevent or the Deep Driller 2. They went out and started the second relief well. When they started the top kill option and they thought they might be able to stabilize the pressure in the well with mud and then put a cement plug in it and be able to do something else. They were prepared to put another blowout preventer on top of it.

The deep driller 2 stopped operations, at that time, moved over, and was ready to deploy the blowout preventer should they be needed. It was not. They went back, resume drilling and, they're still on schedule to complete their portion of the drilling. Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) of the Associated Press. Why did the diamond saw fail? Did some of the mud and debris from previous attempts dulled the blade?

ALLEN: I don't know if we know exactly why the diamond saw failed. The conjecture is that it encountered the drill pipe inside the riser pipe. Anybody that's ever tried to saw the limb of a tree or anything else if you're not holding onto it and you have pressure back against you, you're just pushing it away and it's kind of wobbling around.

And I think the conjuncture was the pipe was not stationary enough to put pressure against it for the saw to be effective and they tried it for several hours and at some point they said that's not going to be successful in doing that and we'll wait for the second option. Yes, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) there was concern about seawater getting into those containment options?

ALLEN: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a concern as well with the loose- fitting cap because of the jagged cut?

ALLEN: Well I called it looser fitting, but it's still fairly tight. But there is a problem with oil interacting with seawater. As you know at that temperature and that pressure, the natural gas that's in part of the hydrocarbons that's coming up, interacts with the seawater and forms what they call hydrates that caused the first containment device to actually get buoy and start to float it away.

As they build these new containment caps that are out there now and they have several stored on the sea floor based on the type of cut they're going to try and seal, they've actually put ports into the top of them where they can put methanol in to deal with the hydrate problem while the hydrocarbons are coming up. So I would anticipate once that cap is in place later today they will also be putting in hoses to inject methanol and try to deal with the hydrate problem.

Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Admiral, (INAUDIBLE) from BBC News. As I understand it, for the last couple of days the clean-up operations working out in Venice had to be (INAUDIBLE) because of the threat of lightning strikes. What does that tell you about the risk as we enter the hurricane season?

ALLEN: Well, we have to stop when there's not only lightning, but weather that doesn't allow the boats to operate safely. We've expended a lot of efforts to push resources down into Venice, including even these marsh camps or floating hotels if you will, and even the marsh camps that are floating hotels, if you will, closer to the marshy area, but we are and always going to deal with weather.

Weather is a huge factor on scene in our ability to do (INAUDIBLE) burning or mechanical skimming and there are days where we basically can't do anything out there because the sea won't allow it. I think we need to understand as we move into hurricane season and we are in hurricane season that until the relief well is done and the well is capped we're still going to be at some risk exposure to weather even if it's not a hurricane.

Heavier weather could force us to stop doing certain operations and because of that, we are working with British Petroleum right now on a series of alternatives that might make the operation more survivable in heavier weather including in bringing in larger platforms for the production of the oil that's brought up from the containment devices that can stay on station longer and heavier weather.

At some point we need to face the possibility that a certain storm condition, we would have to stop the containment recovery operation and get those resources out there for safety purposes. At that point we're going to have oil being discharged. They're looking at systems whereby they can deploy undersea dispersants to mitigate that while the vessels are not on station. But it's going to be an issue where we'll have to manage it day to day and there's no guarantee of moving forward. Yes, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Admiral Allen, Allen Johnson (ph) for the "Johnstown Press"(ph). British Petroleum said last week that they were viewing 11 alternatives to corexit. Has that been completed in they keep saying that the EPA has sanctioned use of corexit. What is the result of the discussion between the governments and BP? Are there alternatives and will the government allow corexit used to waterways like Lake Pontchartrain?

ALLEN: The corexit is allowed for use under the schedule approved by EPA for dispersants. We have had British Petroleum provide information to EPA on alternatives to it but we've also asked them to look at sources, supplies and logistics that if we were to move to another dispersant - if there was enough out there to be able to use for what we needed out there. This is not a close issue or under discussion. It's a very tough issue because this material is available to us now and it is effective.

The thing we're most concerned about now is two things. Number one is the total amount of dispersants that have been deployed out there to date and the impact of subsea dispersants at that depth in the water column, which we don't have information about moving forward. Right now, a legitimate alternative has not surfaced yet, and EPA continues to review it, and I continue to talk to Lisa Jackson about it. But that's where we're at right now.

Yes?

BALDWIN: All right. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, updating the press yet again as they have daily on what in the world is going on 5,000 feet underwater. And what, in his words, a significant step was today is the fact that now they've successfully cut the riser pipe and today hope to place that cap on top of the leak to at least contain it.

But let's walk through exactly what that means and what that might look like and for that, Josh Levs over by the touch screen to explain this further.

So, Josh, let's talk about the cap, and I also want to talk about the hydrates issue, which Admiral Allen also brought up.

LEVS: Yes. We'll talk about all of that. I think our viewers will get honorary engineering degrees at the end of this crisis because the terminology you have to understand and the intricate operations you have to understand can be mind-boggling.

I'm going to make it simple for you. Let's do this. The goal of what was supposed to happen yesterday was a very simple idea. This is the blowout preventer right here. And this is where the problems have been, and there's been a pipe that I'll show you in a second that they couldn't get rid of. This riser pipe. What they wanted to have happen was that this remote-operated vehicle, this robot right here was supposed to make a really smooth cut so it would look like this. Then this LMRP cap was going to come down and create something of a cap.

That didn't happen. Let me cross over here and get a different picture. So, instead you were left where you had been before, with this riser cap is still connected to it. And what they needed to do was figure out, okay. If you don't have the diamond wire cutter, what will you do? What they decided to do was use the hydraulic sheers that are incredibly powerful and massive, but they're not diamonds, so they can't do the smooth, horizontal line they wanted.

Come over here and make some kind of slice. So, what Admiral Thad Allen is saying here is that they've made a cut. It's not as pretty as what it would be in this diagram that we saw, what they were hoping for with the diamond wire cutter. But they made a cut at all. And now what they have to do is lower a cap onto it.

Unfortunately, we don't have a great picture of what this cap is. But we do -- let's go to this new video that we have. This is, unfortunately, pretty much as good as it gets. You can see on the right this is the top part of it where it's sticking out, but the basic idea here is that it's similar in shape to what we had previously heard about as a top hat.

There you go. Look at the image on your right there. You see the long pole and the base at the bottom? So, it the one on the right. Some people are calling it LMPR 2, and a lot of terms flying around there. The basic idea here is what you're seeing on the right, according to BP, is the new cap that they want to put on top of it. Some people are calling it a top hat. Some people are calling it another LMPR cap.

But the basic idea is if they can get down on top of where all that oil is gushing, then, Brooke, they'll be able to start guiding it up to the surface.

BALDWIN: Yes, and I think most of -- our viewers are smart. I think they get that. They get that they need a cap to contain this oil. But bottom line, they also are hopefully going to learn with the pass/fail with the containment dome, they had the ice crystals and that was bad. So, now hopefully by pumping in some of this methanol will eliminate that problem, we hope.

LEVS: That's right. It connects up to the ship, and either way with the new container, the same basic idea. It sends methanol down into here, should get rid of those ice-like hydrate crystals that can prevent it from working.

Still not a 100 percent seal, and still, long-term picture, the relief wells due in August are the ultimate help that we have ahead of us. It could be a few more months, as they're saying, and it could be August. But the relief wells are what BP says will ultimately fix this. In the meantime, it's trying to do what they can to contain the flow and bring as much of that oil as possible up to the surface.

BALDWIN: Yes. BP has their new ads and they want to make it right. Let's hope they can. Josh Levs, thank you.

CNN will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: First lady Michelle Obama got a bit of a special treat last night. Sir Paul McCartney was at the White House to receive an award from the Library of Congress, and listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY, SINGER/SONGWRITER: The next song I would like to do is a song I've been itching to do at the White House, and I hope the president will forgive me.

(singing): Michelle, I will, these are words that go together.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Can you imagine being serenaded by him? Obviously, she was pleased. Even the president joined in the serenade. McCartney was there to accept the third Gershwin Prize for most popular song from the Library of Congress.

On Wall Street, it is a big week for jobs. Two new reports were just released just before the opening bell, and Felicia Taylor is live from the New York Stock Exchange with those details. And Felicia, we all know jobs, jobs, jobs, key to this economic recovery. Do you feel like things are getting better?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Me, personally? No.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Great.

TAYLOR: Things are getting better, but it's a really slow process. That's the true fact.

New jobless claims fell by 10,000 last week. That means layoffs are slowing down, but the drop wasn't as huge as people would have liked to have seen. That's pretty much what we've seen all year also, small improvements but not enough to make a big enough difference in the unemployment rate, which remains steady.

We also have another report from ADP which shows private sector employees added 55,000 positions last month. Again, it's good, but generally speaking, the economy needs more like 100,000 jobs just to keep up with the population.

That's why we're only seeing very modest gains on Wall Street right now. The Dow opened up to the plus side by 45 points, and it's now edged slightly lower. The NASDAQ, however, still in positive territory. Brook?

BALDWIN: Slow and steady, but we'll take them when we can get them. Felicia Taylor in New York. Felicia, thank you.

Let's get you caught up on some of the day's top stories including the fact that it is day 45 of the Gulf oil gusher. The big news we heard just a couple of minutes ago, the fact that BP has officially sliced off the top of the damaged riser with those huge sheers. Remember, they had to toss the diamond cutters. They weren't working. Admiral Thad Allen calling this a significant step. Meantime, the president will be returning to the Gulf region tomorrow.

And the Irish aid ship now on full force headed toward Gaza. Israel defends intercepting the aid ships in international waters. One of four Israeli Arabs in custody is set to be released from the pre-dawn raid Monday.

And New York City's clerk's office today begins conducting domestic partnership ceremonies for gay couples. The city previously only gave gay couples certificates. Gay marriage, though, still not officially recognized in the State of New York.

And the 911 call Gary Coleman's wife made after he fell down in their Utah home is now released. Coleman ended up with a brain hemorrhage. He was 42 when he died last Friday, and here is a snippet of that 911 call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF SHANNON PRICE, GARY COLEMAN'S WIFE: His head is bloody. There's blood all over the floor. I don't know what happened. I really don't know what happened, and I heard this bang and I went down there. Send someone quick, because I don't know if he's, like, going to be alive because there's a lot of blood on the floor.

I just don't want him to die. I'm freaking out, like, really bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Wow. Shannon Price made the decision to take Coleman off of life support two days after that call. There is still no official cause of death. Police say there was nothing suspicious about his fall.

A Philadelphia woman with 25 years of experience, but still unemployed. Just another example of the tough job market in today's "30-Second Pitch." We want to give her a chance to explain what she is doing to appeal to potential employers. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BALDWIN: Sometimes simple mistakes can be corrected. Other times, they affect history and in this case, baseball history. Here's what happened. Let's take a look at this video here.

This is Detroit Tigers pitcher. This is Armando Galarraga. He was one out away from just a perfect game, twenty-first perfect game, by the way, in Major League Baseball history. The guy goes to first. Actually, Galarraga was covering first, there he goes. Captures the ball and puts on the plate. Ump calls him safe.

Okay, upon further review, though, the batter was out. In fact, there he goes again. In fact, the ump apologized to Galarraga after the game. The commissioner, though, would take an unprecedented step and award Galarraga the perfect game. And he's not made a public comment so far

And that brings us to today's blog question. We asked you earlier in the show if you thought the commissioner should step in, or the rules are the rules. So, let me take a look at some of the blog comments.

First one from Peggy. Peggy says, "It showed the pitcher was cheated out of a perfect game. There's no way the ump should have made that call, and it should be reversed. Give him his perfect game."

Allison says, "Baseball, like all sports, is a human game and will be filled with human error. The ump called it like he saw it. That's his job. You don't change your call because of external circumstances."

And one more, RichSpry says, "I think the commissioner should change the call. It doesn't affect the outcome of the game, just the pitcher's stats." And baseball history, as some are arguing.

Remember, we always like to hear from you. Just log on to -- it's actually Kyra's blog, so just log on to CNN.com/kyra to share your comments. CNN will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Back on this oil story. We are now getting a better look at what's happening 5,000 feet underwater. These are live pictures, and I want to toss it over to Josh Levs. I know you talked to BP, kind of have a better idea as to what we're looking at.

LEVS: Yes. It's very interesting. We can stay on the dramatic images as they come in. We're in kind of in the boat with you. We're taking a look and seeing what's there. I'll tell you the basics that we know, based on what Admiral Thad Allen has been saying.

We know they have succeed at making a cut. It's not the cut they originally wanted. They wanted a smooth cut and that didn't work out because the diamond wire cutter got stuck. So, they used these hydraulic sheers and they have a more rough cut. It's just on top of the blowout preventer.

What we're looking for today, the key moment, the money moment today will be when they take this new containment device -- and lots of names are being thrown out over what it should be called, is it being called the top hat? It's different from the original top hat. Is it going to be called the new Lower Marine Riser cap? Whatever of these it is, the idea here is they're taking this containment device and they're lowering it down on to where they created the cut, and there are a few things we want to see when that happens.

One of the first things is we want to see how well it fits. Keep in mind, 5,000 feet underwater. Want to see how well it fits, how well the seal operates, and then once that goes broke (ph), we need to see how much oil seeps out and how much actually manages to get contained inside and brought up to the ship above.

They're also pumping in some methanol to get rid of the crystals that can form, all in the hopes, not that it will stop the leak. This isn't designed to stop, but all in the hopes that it will help contain some of the oil leaking into the Gulf and instead shoot it upward through the path on to the ship. So, this is what the pictures are about -- that work toward getting the seal done, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Josh. Thank you again.

Again, today's the day we're hoping to get that cap on, and we also learned that the president will be making his third trip to the Gulf tomorrow. Meantime, today in our "30-Second Pitch," we have a woman with 25 years' experience suddenly laid off in a workforce reduction by her company about a year ago.

Linda Penrod is a single parent taking care of an 18-year-old daughter, and she is taking steps now to find another sales and marketing job, but thus far, has had no luck. And Linda is now joining me live. There she is. Linda, before we give you your 30 seconds here, what have you done to make yourself more appealing to potential employers?

LINDA PENROD, JOB SEEKER: Well, I'm attending Wharton. I applied and I was accepted into Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, and I'm taking a curriculum there around business and entrepreneurship. I've also been working at a local technology industry doing pro-bono work, and I also have been working meeting CEOs in the area who have been very interested once this market turns around in hiring me. But in the meantime, I welcome the opportunity to talk to everyone about there about my background.

BALDWIN: All right. So, you've been doing some networking and Wharton. We've all heard Wharton is a pretty nice school. Let me ask you this. What's been the biggest challenge that you've faced so far in getting a job?

PENROD: Well, I think the market is the biggest issue. It's a tight market, and I think people want to make sure that they place me in a role where I'm going to use my background and the opportunities aren't there as much in this recession --

BALDWIN: All right.

PENROD: I think I have to be realistic and keep on pushing through. As we talked about, it's really how you respond and how you work through this that matters. and I want people to see that if you stick on it and be persistent and you come out with a bigger and better opportunity.

BALDWIN: Linda, here you go. Here's your big shot to the nation. You get 30 seconds. The clock starts now.

PENROD: With more than 20 years of sales and marketing management experience in the information technology industry, I've led many teams to penetrate new markets and create strategic alliances. I'm ready to join your team to make great things happen with high energy, a positive attitude and an unwavering work ethic.

How? Well, for one example, I managed and motivated a sales team which had been assigned a quota of $8 million. We achieved $18 million. I was challenged to retool a team to generate fiscal growth in a new market. We achieved 32 percent growth -

(BELL RINGS)

BALDWIN: All right. Linda, you're out of time.

PENROD: Okay. Well, thank you.

BALDWIN: Best of luck to you.

PENROD: Linda.penrod@CNN -- at gmail.com.

BALDWIN: At CNN? I was like, do you work for us? Gmail.com. Linda Penrod, good luck to you. Let us know if you land a job, all right?

PENROD: Thank you.

BALDWIN: If you are out of work and want to sell yourself to prospective employers, let us know. Send your resume and letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com. Also, if you want to hire our 30- Second Pitchers, go to our blog, CNN.com/kyra. Their information, like her e-mail, will be there as well.

Speaking of layoffs, we want to give you an update as to the epic flood in Nashville. It closed down -- do you remember this? It closed down the Grand Ole Opry and the giant hotel complex nearby. And we have now learned they will not be opening up again until November, and the company that owns them is laying off more than 1,700 workers.

The Grand Ole Opry show has gone on, but in Nashville, other Nashville venues. The city's damaged water treatment plant did get back up and running just this week, and flooding did right around $1.5 billion in total damage. More than 30 people in Tennessee died.

BP is definitely getting slammed and satarized all over the place. We'll take a look at some of the greatest hits out there with Jeanne Moos.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here is something we are proud to show you every weekday right around this time. We call it the "Home and Away" initiative we are doing in partnership with CNN.com. We are inviting you to send in your remembrances of troops, men and women, of course, killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. All you have to do is go to CNN.com/homeandaway. These are pictures from that Web site right now and just click on the servicemember's hometown.

But before you do that, check out this tribute to Corporal Gregory Miller killed in Iraq in May 2007.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF JILL MILLARD, CPL. GREGORY NOLAN MILLARD'S MOTHER: Gregory was always the life of our party. He was always very outgoing, and very entertaining. Gregory liked to be the center of attention most of the time, and he just always had a very happy face on him.

VOICE OF JASON MILLARD, CPL. GREGORY NOLAN MILLARD'S BROTHER: Gregory and I were kind of like yin and yang, I'm the quiet, unsociable one. He is the life of the party. He walked into the room, and it was electrifying. He could have everybody in stitches with his jokes.

Gregory had to be with people. There were friends around him all of the time. He could walk into the grocery store and make friends with people that would want to hang out with him that night. Very infectious personality.

VOICE OF JILL MILLARD: Gregory just came in beaming every time. It was like he's ready to get this place going. Let's get people excited and happy, and let's laugh and have some fun. That was Gregory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: As the oil gushes, so do the slams. BP's green sun logo might as well be a giant bull's-eye these days. Everyone from grandmas to environmentalists to Lady Gaga are taking a shot. Here now is CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While the oil spews out, so do the insults.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Halliburton and BP, you suck.

MOOS: From a group calling itself the raging grannies, from comedians ridiculing BP's methods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's shoot garbage and mud into the hole and cover it with a big hat. What, what?

MOOS: And everyone's finding new meaning for the initials BP.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BP stands for bipolar. They don't know what the hell to do.

MOOS: The environmental group Greenpeace shot video of its members scaling BP headquarters in London.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're taking their flag and replacing it with our flag.

MOOS: Their flag said British polluters. BP's real slogan may be beyond redemption. Greenpeace is running a redesign the BP logo contest. BP has become boycott petroleum, blind profit, be piratey. The company logo has been transformed into eyes crying tears of oil, sardines in oil, bombs with the logo as the lit fuse and oil drips taking on the shape of ghosts. One entry shoved BP's logo up a cat's behind, meow.

In Manhattan, someone defaced an actual BP sign at a gas station. We're already a couple days into the spill in New York City and still no cleanup. Will they have to resort to top kill, top hat, junk shot? BP had no comment when we asked for reaction to the attacks on their logo. A logo that got pulled off the podium moments before a press conference by President Obama's point man on the disaster. Then they tried to come up with solutions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm thinking --

MOOS: To plug the hole left by the missing logo. Someone even rewrote Lady Gaga's hit song as a parody.

Even Spongebob was done in by the oil slick in this image floating around the web. This grocery in New Orleans sold several $20 oil spill cakes, showing the Louisiana shore with yellow booms separating the oil, chocolate frosting from the beach. And the insults seem to be spreading, though maybe not as fast as the oil.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take your broken drilling rigs and don't come back no more.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Wow!

Tony Harris, what about those aging grandmas? That Lady Gaga remix kind of --

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That was a little frightening. But I'll tell you what, that moves us perfectly into what we're going to do at the top of the show here, just hearing from you.

BALDWIN: Take it, my friend.

HARRIS: Brooke, have a great day. Thanks.

BALDWIN: Bye.