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Some Progress in Gulf; Leak Repair by Remote Control; Gaza Border Crossing Reopens
Aired June 03, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hearing from you on BP. Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Thursday, June 3rd.
Progress on the pipe gushing oil in the Gulf. A saw didn't cut it, but a giant pair of snippers did. The public cuts to the chase.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just don't believe anything that comes out of BP's mouth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now BP ramps up its public relations defensive with a new national ad campaign.
Standoff on illegal immigration. The governor who signed Arizona's tough crackdown face-to-face today with President Obama.
And the governor fired by the state of Illinois. And Donald Trump goes on trial today for corruption charges.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Those stories and your comments right here, right now, in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Day 45 of an oil leak, and a report of some progress in the attempt to stop the gusher. Moments ago we heard from the government's point man, Admiral Thad Allen. He says the cutting part of the cut-and-cap procedure is done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. THAD ALLEN (RET.), NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We got the word from Houston. They had to use the shear cutters, which were the ones they used to do the other riser pipe cut yesterday. As you know, the other saw that we were attempting to use was not successful in getting through the riser pipe and the internal drill pipe, so we replaced it with the shears, which don't have as clean a cut, but we do have a cut now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, CNN's David Mattingly was at the briefing with Admiral Allen, and he joins us from Metairie, Louisiana.
And David, boy, the admiral started with a few words that we haven't heard often in this entire ordeal, "We have some good news to report."
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Some progress finally to report now that they've been able to shear that pipe off.
We've been watching ever since then, we've been watching the video feed from down there, if you can call it up to show everybody. As promised, when they said they cut that pipe off, we were going to see a big cloud of oil, an increase of flow coming out of there, and it looks like that's exactly what's happening. It looks almost like a smokestack down there billowing out this black cloud, and a cloud bigger than we've ever seen before.
This is supposed to be temporary until they get that cap on there now, but right now what we're finding out is that because of the setback that they had yesterday when they were trying to get a very clean cut, using a diamond saw across the top of that pipe, when that failed they had to go to a different type of machinery, and the cut they have now is less precise. So that means when they put the cap on it today, it's not going to be as tight a fit as they would like, and that means we're looking at the possibility for the rest of the summer at looking at oil, crude oil, leaking out around that cap into the Gulf of Mexico.
So they're going to be applying subsea dispersants, another bit of bad news. But at the moment, there is progress to report. They finished the cut on that pipe and now, Tony, they are looking at putting the cap on that pipe as tightly as they possibly can.
HARRIS: Well, David, I'm wondering how long a process that will be, because my understanding from listening to the briefing earlier is that the cap is essentially in place. It's not a situation where you have to lower it much, or get it from the ship down into the water, but that it's essentially in place and it's essentially a lowering process.
Is that correct?
MATTINGLY: That's right. They're lowering the cap right now.
Look at what's coming out from under there, though. There is a huge plume of oil right now coming out of that pipe. It looks like a huge smokestack billowing smoke, but this is crude oil going into the Gulf of Mexico.
They're going to be lowering the containment cap over the top of that, and they're hoping that the force of that oil, the pressure of that oil, will force it up to the surface through a pipe, to a ship that's waiting up there to collect the oil and burn off all of the natural gas. And you see what they're going to have to contain.
That is a lot of oil coming out there, but right now they're lowering the cap down. They're going to try to get as tight a seal as possible. They say it's not going to be 100 percent.
Some of that oil is going to be leaking out from under the cap. How much, they don't know. But again, they're going to be applying the subsea dispersants, and this is going to be going on, Tony, until August, when they have that relief well drilled and they fill this thing up with cement.
HARRIS: Yes. I can't even think about August now. I'm thinking about this moment right now.
Do we have any idea, any estimates on how long it will take to lower the cap on to that wellhead?
MATTINGLY: Well, they're hoping to have that done this afternoon.
HARRIS: Wow.
MATTINGLY: They're looking at doing that right now. They're in the process of lowering it down, because when they took the top of this pipe off, they knew they were going to be getting a gusher. They can't let that go on very long. They're going to have to get that pipe on there, and they're going to have to get it on there soon.
HARRIS: Well, that's encouraging. I mean, we're talking about hours now, we're not talking about days. So that's encouraging.
All right. David Mattingly for us.
David, good to talk to you. Thank you.
And despite the bit of progress here, outrage is growing over the disaster in the Gulf. More protests are planned like the one in New Orleans this past weekend. Demonstrations are expected today and continuing through this weekend.
One of our iReporters from Ithaca, New York, talked to people venting their frustration over the oil leak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is it taking so long?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, obviously, it's terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about unregulated industry taking every advantage they can, and they don't care very much about the long-term consequences. As far as I'm concerned, BP should go bankrupt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ecological damage that has occurred after the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a terrible loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A grassroots campaign called Seize BP is calling for a week of demonstrations in more than 50 cities beginning today. Other big stories that we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A manhunt in South America for the young Dutchman, Joran van der Sloot. Police say he is suspected in the stabbing death of a woman in Peru and is on the run right now in Chile. They say the victim's body was found in a Lima hotel room registered to Van der Sloot. He was long considered, as you know, a suspect in the disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
In Turkey today, funerals for activists killed in an Israeli commando raid at sea.
Several hundred flotilla survivors return to Turkey today. They say they were taking relief supplies into Gaza. The U.N. secretary- general again urging Israel to lift its 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)
HARRIS: OK.
Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, we will take you inside the oil disaster and we will show you how the roving cameras actually work.
And Jacqui Jeras is keeping an eye on the currents in the Gulf. We'll talk to Jacqui in just a couple of minutes.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, I'm trying to figure out the live picture behind me.
Guys, what am I looking at here? Is that the cap? What is that? Do we know?
That is the cap? All right.
We're just trying to figure out what's -- oh, it's the -- OK. It's the robot. OK.
Day 45 of the Gulf oil leak, and the president is returning to the area tomorrow.
Meanwhile, people around the Florida panhandle are waiting for the tide. No one wants to see it come in. Oil could wash up on Florida's beaches as soon as today or tomorrow. Beachgoers flocked to Pensacola yesterday to enjoy the famous white sand, just in case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is depressing. I mean, it's kind of like, is this going to be the last day? Can we come out here tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thought of it already is so depressing, I don't even know if I want to come see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. We figured it out, what's behind me here.
That's an ROV, the remotely-operated vehicle BP is using to try to stop the Gulf oil leak.
CNN's Rob Marciano learns first hand how they work and how tricky they can be to maneuver.
BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a camera here, a camera here, and a couple of lights.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's been lots of lights and cameras catching the action at the site of the leaking well.
(on camera): This is what they're using to saw that pipe to hopefully put that cap on successfully?
BOB CHRIST, PRESIDENT, SEATREPID: Correct. What you have in these vehicles that are operating offshore right now is two manipulators and then what's called the power pack, a tooling pack.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Submersible ROVs, or remotely-operated vehicles, are doing the grunt work at the bottom of the Deepwater Horizon site.
Not far away in Robert, Louisiana, Seatrepid Enterprises services unmanned subs.
Bob Christ gives me a quick lesson as a small ROV is dropped into his test pool.
CHRIST: This turns left. This turns right. This goes forward. This goes backwards.
MARCIANO (on camera): All right.
CHRIST: You have the rotation of the camera here. See, it goes 360 degrees. OK. Have a seat and have a test drive.
MARCIANO: All right. Is it in the middle of the pool because this could get ugly. (voice-over): It's remarkably difficult, like driving a car on ice.
CHRIST: Yes. Up against the wall.
MARCIANO (on camera): Up against the wall so don't go backwards.
(voice-over): Yes, let's move forward to a bigger sub, similar to the ones working the BP well. Michael Bryan guides me through the more advanced gadgets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're heading - which is what this on-screen is, the compass rows, with the numeric as well as the standard and your pitch and roll are underneath it.
MARCIANO: And I get a chance to see how the robotic arms work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the hardest part about doing the manipulator work. You're looking at a 2-D screen in a 3-D world.
MARCIANO (on camera): Yes, I really don't know how close to the bottom I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Typically, three men work this ROV, in the deep ocean. One driving. One working the arms and the navigator. My simple task is position the sub, to grab on to an anchor at the bottom of the pool.
(on camera): All right. I close the manipulator. See, I'm too low. A little bit. No, I'm too high.
(voice-over): This ROV costs about two billion bucks. One wrong move could be a costly mistake. Mike's advice to the guys trying to cut and cap the well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just get the job done. One at a time. Small steps, baby steps. Think too much, you're going to have trouble.
MARCIANO (on camera): Don't mastermind plugging the well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's not your job. Your job is to fly the sub.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Rob Marciano, CNN, Robert, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Sort of like you were operating one of those claws at the carnivals, right? In the game rooms? Man, that's got to be tough.
One of the chemicals BP is using in the Gulf in other countries. So why are chemicals that are prohibited in other countries allowed in everyday products here in the United States? Watch "Toxic America" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Aid getting into Gaza. We will take you to the border crossing that is now open following Israel's bloody raid on an international flotilla.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, hundreds of activists seized in (ph) Israeli commandos in a deadly raid on aid ships returned home to a hero's welcome in Turkey.
Also today, funerals for the eight Turks and a Turkish-American killed in the raid. Forensic examination show they all died of gunshot wounds, some from very close range.
Meanwhile, another showdown possible over Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. An Irish-owned ship with aid for the Palestinians is due to arrive in the region tomorrow or Saturday. Activists are determined to try to block and break that blockade.
Israel's deadly raid on the international flotilla Monday quickly prompted Egypt to ease its blockade of Gaza.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is at the border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only real opening between Gaza and the outside world that exists. It's been opened just recently in the aftermath of the Free Gaza Movement convoy incident. It was opened by the Egyptian president.
Now, what's coming by here are truckloads of fresh produce coming from Israel into Gaza, part of the humanitarian assistance that's allowed in. But in the old days, it was going the other way. Gaza used to produce lots of vegetables and fruit and other agricultural products, and even some manufactured goods that used to go to Israel, but that's essentially come to an end.
Now, Israel says there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but that's contradicted by human rights organizations, the United Nations and others. It doesn't take much, just walking through the streets of Gaza, to see that this is a very impoverished area, that there's very little in terms of real economic activity going on.
There's a lot of frustration, of course. And as long as this siege, so to speak, exists, that frustration is only going to mount.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: The weekly jobs report is out, and fewer people are filing claims. We will be talking about the economy and the Obama administration with our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry. He's in Atlanta, and he'll join us in just a couple of minutes.
And the markets have been open now, what, coming up on two hours? Sure, sure, sure. And as you can see, we're in positive territory, trading up 16 points.
We'll follow these numbers for you throughout the day in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Updating you on the oil disaster now.
BP trying again today, day 45, to cap the leaking Gulf oil well. Giant scissors have cut the broken pipe that is spewing crude. Now BP is trying to top it and pump the oil into ships.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: What you've got is a -- almost an inverted funnel that is wider than the pipe that's going to cover it. And in between there is a rubber seal around it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: A containment dome, top kill, cut and cap. BP, as you know, has tried all sorts of things to stop the oil gushing into the Gulf.
We will look at what the company is doing now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, 45 days into the Gulf oil disaster, President Obama's planning to go back there for a third time. That trip is set for tomorrow.
BP is now airing an apology. Its chief executive promising to make things right.
Thirty-seven percent of the Gulf is currently off limits for fishing, and the oil slick is moving closer to the Florida panhandle. BP, as you know, tweaked its plan to stop the oil gushing under water.
Let's get to Josh.
So, Josh, what is the company doing right now?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? We will look at what the company is literally doing right, right now. We can actually take a look at this. Let's go to some of these live pictures we've been getting from under water.
That's wherein lies the drama today. And I'll talk to you about this.
We had, for those of you following it here, a little bit of relatively -- and I'm stressing "relatively" -- good news. And what happened earlier is that Admiral Thad Allen said they have successfully made a cut.
It's not the cut they wanted. It's not the cut they were going for yesterday.
The goal yesterday was to make a really smooth cut and then to put a cap on top of that. What they ended up having to do, because the diamond wire saw got stuck, they ended up having to go for a much rougher cut. And I'll show you in a minute how that's basically going to look.
And now what they're trying to do, we're seeing some of these robotic arms under water. They have all these remote-operated vehicles, they're called ROVs, that are at work under water, and what they're trying to do now is taking the latest thing that they're hoping will cap it and put that on top of the cut.
Now, we're not sure what the word's going to be for the container that they're lowering from the surface right now. Some people are calling it a new top hat, which is a similar term to something we had a few weeks ago, that's now sitting on the ocean floor. Some people are calling it another lower marine riser cap. But whatever it is, what we're seeing in all these pictures is, steadily, the effort to get that new container on top of where the cut was made.
Just minutes ago we heard from Admiral Thad Allen. Let's listen to one thing he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: So, the real issue is 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 tests, check adaptation, and check evolution, and that's pretty much what's been happening here.
They do have a duty. They're the responsible party. We're accountable for overseeing them, and we're doing that very aggressively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right.
Now, we have one image for you, and it's kind of grainy, but it's all we've got, of what that new cap looks like. Let's go to this.
It's kind of dark. I want you to see it. And it's the one that's on your right.
So, the thing that's on your right there kind of floating in the water, that's from Monday, before it started this process of being lowered down to where they're trying to get it now. That is the new cap that they're trying to get on there.
If you come back to my screen for a second, I'll show you the basic idea here, what they had to do. This is the pretty image that we were hoping for when they were going for the lower marine riser. They wanted to make a really smooth stub right here and put a cap on here. That didn't work because this ROV, this robot got stuck. So what they were left with was this over here. They still had some of this riser pipe. It's over here that they needed to come and make a cut.
Tony, that's where they made a rougher cut. That's where they're trying to now bring on this cap in the hopes that it will guide oil up to the surface. And not all of it, but some of the oil to reduce the gushing into the water, guide it up to the ship and also pump in methanol to get rid of some crystals that can cause problems. Everyone's crossing their fingers that maybe this one will do the trick.
HARRIS: Well, and it's not as though you had to move the cap in from somewhere on shore. It's been in the water all along. It's just a matter of lowering it now, isn't it?
LEVS: Yes. I mean --
HARRIS: Just putting it in place.
LEVS: Lowering it and then --
HARRIS: Securing it, especially.
LEVS: -- hoping that it fits well. Hoping that the seal operates. Hoping that it does to the job of guiding the oil up to the surface.
And this, keep in mind, all of these things are piecemeal. This is ultimately the solution longer term. These are the relief wells. They're aiming at 18,000 feet. They're building them right now, hoping to have them up by August.
HARRIS: Yes. OK, Josh. Thank you, sir.
LEVS: You bet.
HARRIS: You can say the oil companies and Native Americans on Louisiana's coast have a history. Many tribe members blame oil pipelines for massive coastal erosion.
Now as CNN's Patrick Oppman tells us, they are facing a new threat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep in the Louisiana Bayou lives a tiny Native American community where French learned generations ago from European settlers. It is still the spoken language. Inside the town church, the topic of discussion is the looming oil spill off their coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing whatever we can to stop it from coming in.
OPPMANN: They say no one from the federal or state government has been here to tell people what to do. But somehow Native Americans from Alaska made it all of the way to the bayou to share their experiences surviving an oil spill.
FAITH GEMMIL, TRAVELED FROM ALASKA: We're 110 miles above the Arctic Circle. When the Exxon Valdez oil spill happened there were species of birds that came to our area that never returned again.
OPPMANN: The tribe invites me to go out with them and they place booms supplied by BP on the Bayou's edge. A BP contractor says, I can't go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're simply giving advice, recommendations based on safety. This is based on safety.
OPPMANN: I find another boat to take me. Fishermen lay boom where they used to catch crab and oysters. They could lose more than just their living.
(on camera): It's not just this tribe's future that's at risk, but also their past. Behind me is what they call their sacred grounds. It's many where the ancestors are buried. It's also in the path of the oil spill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need more booms. We're told we're going to get some more. With more booms we can put more people to work.
OPPMANN (voice-over): The tribe's chief says if they receive more supplies, they can do more to protect. At least as much as you can in a low-lying hurricane-prone area.
(on camera): If you get the oil in here and then you get a hurricane, what will that do to the (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like to think about it. Destroyed. That's all I could say. It will destroy it. You know, you get a major hurricane and it pushes the oil up into our community. I don't see them letting us come back. Who's going to clean that up? How long will it take to clean?
OPPMANN (voice-over): On the way back we see the first signs of oil. As the waters are close to fishing, the last catch is hauled in and quickly makes it on to tables where tribe members enjoy their seafood while they still can.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: One of the chemicals BP is using in the Gulf is banned in other countries. So why are chemicals that are prohibited in other countries allowed in everyday products here in the United States? Watch "Toxic America," with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern Time.
And some breaking news that CNN has been able to (INAUDIBLE) learning that the terrific actress, star of "The Golden Girls," Rue McClanahan has died. She passed away of a stroke at New York's Presbyterian Hospital. And her family was at her side. Boy, Rue McClanahan, pictured here, at People.com has passed away. Bea Arthur has passed. Boy, Estelle Getty has passed. Betty White, the remaining Golden Girl at this point. What a terrific show, what a terrific cast. And the sad news for you that Rue McClanahan has died.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is here in Atlanta with us. You're going to be joining Ali next hour of the NEWSROOM.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a little later.
HARRIS: Great to have a couple minutes with you.
HENRY: Great to see you.
HARRIS: The President is heading back to the Gulf. It will be his third trip and heading back tomorrow.
HENRY: That's right.
HARRIS: Tell me how his trip wrapped up. We made a pretty big point about the President needing, it seems to me, to meet with the real people and talk to fishermen and folks who are impacted by this. And apparently it didn't really happen.
HENRY: It didn't really happen. I was there -- what it became was officialdom. You know, briefings and I'm talking to governors, and he didn't talk to a single fisherman, at least in front of the cameras. And when we checked later, there was no real private meetings, meet and greet, or anything either. And he didn't get in a boat.
I mean, we've got Anderson Cooper going out in a boat. He's got a different role. He's a news man. He's not the president. I get the difference and the distinction. But the President probably needs to get out in a boat, see this, put his hand in the water, feel this. That's why, in part, we've seen some of this commentary in the last week, fair or unfair, from people saying he's not emoting enough. He's not showing the outrage, the real pain that people in the region are feeling. And that's because he wasn't meeting with the real people.
HARRIS: I think it's interesting. Is he the guy in his actions that we've seen in anything from financial reform to health care? Whenever there's been a big issue or crisis big or small, isn't this who he been essentially? Isn't this the guy we kind of elected?
HENRY: Absolutely. If you think back to when you talk about --
HARRIS: More cerebral. More than --
HENRY: Absolutely. And the AIG bonus. That controversy, right? He was not the guy pounding his fists necessarily. And some people were wondering maybe there should be more outrage there.
But in fairness to the President, at the end of the day, in the short term, people might have been upset about that. But he's on the verge of a big victory on Wall Street reform.
HARRIS: Right.
HENRY: He got health care reform done. So the cerebral has worked for him in some strategic ways --
HARRIS: This is different.
HENRY: But when you have a story like this, it's a lot different than just trying get a bill through Congress. It's trying to convince the American people you get it. And so far he hasn't been able to do that.
HARRIS: You know, there's been a sense -- there was some reporting yesterday that indicated since the President's visit there had been better cooperation between state and local officials in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, and BP.
If that's true, could that be part of the reason why the President is going back down there? If we're starting to get this thing moving in the right direction, let's triple down on it?
HENRY: It could be. But he's also had the challenge that the fact that it's a Republican governor. We got to point that out. But Bobby Jindal has been pretty tough on this White House and saying that they're not giving everything he's asked for.
And so the White House has started to push back on that in saying that they're moving as quickly as they can. But that is another challenge for him is the fact that they're on the ground. We've got the governor who has done a better job and it's his state. So again, it's a different role.
HARRIS: Sure.
HENRY: But he's been out in the boat with Anderson. And he's been out there feeling this. And I think the governor's been able to convey that to his people down in the state a bit better than the President has.
HARRIS: Speaking of governors, the governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer is meeting with the President. I forget the time on that.
HENRY: About 1:30.
HARRIS: And they're meeting today and they're going to talk about immigration.
What do you think comes of that? First of all, who requested the meeting? Was this a meeting that the President requested, or was it a meeting that Jan Brewer --
HENRY: My understanding is Jan Brewer was going to be in Washington anyway for a separate meeting with the national governors, wanted to meet with the President. There had been some reluctance at first and I think the White House they didn't want to turn this into some sort of controversy -- will he meet, will he not meet?
He's beaten up on the law, he's beaten up on the governor essentially for signing the law and said it could be implemented in discriminatory fashion. And so give her a fair hearing. So I think the President in fairness wants to meet with her one-on-one.
What I find fascinating is if you think back to the middle of April, I was live on your show. I was on Wall Street with the President from the New York Stock exchange floor. That very day that he gave that Wall Street speech was the day that this oil spill first blew up.
And then he went on to North Carolina, within 24 to 48 hours he had a little mini-vacation and the Arizona story blew up while he was down in Ashville, North Carolina. And then President commented on that. He didn't comment as quickly on the oil thing.
I think if you went back, that week, in fairness to the President, you and I would probably had thought that the Arizona story would have had much bigger legs back then in mid-April, and that the oil spill seemed to be contained, they were working on it. But this has just turned out to be much, much bigger.
HARRIS: Yes.
HENRY: And if we had thought back in mid-April, how big this immigration story is going to be, we would have thought by now there would be a comprehensive immigration reform debate on the Hill. That the legal challenge from the Obama administration against the state of Arizona would be ready.
If the President did that right now it would look tone deaf. It would look like he didn't get it. Immigration is on the backburner now. As important as an issue as it is, this oil spill is soaking up so much of the President's time.
So it's important he's meeting with the governor. It's still an important issue out there. It's not going away. But this is an example of how the oil spill has overtaken it.
HARRIS: Can I take -- just a little quibble here. I want to roll some sound. You mentioned the great work that Anderson Cooper is doing down there in the Gulf right now. And John King is really drilling down with some politicians, as well. And he had Jan Brewer on his program.
Here's a bit of the exchange from that conversation, then a question for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: We can't tolerate it any longer. We cannot tolerate it. America can't tolerate it any longer.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: And if his answer is, I'm going to do what I announced but your law is misguided and my justice department might sue you?
BREWER: I would say, well, we'll meet you in court. I have a pretty good record of winning in court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. That wasn't as testy as I thought. You read the transcripts sometimes and you feel it's pretty testy. So this will be a pretty cordial meeting, wouldn't you think?
HARRIS: Well, for the most part. I mean, I think John, that was a good interview, because she was saying, look, I'll see you in court. She's clearing trying to --
HARRIS: It felt like a high noon comment.
HENRY: To the President.
But, what the President was going to want to say in this private meeting, which is what he said publicly as well, when you talk to his top aides is that, look, Governor Brewer, the fact of the matter is, you know, there is a huge problem here. But just going back and forth in court for individual states passing their own laws will not solve this. It's going to be a patchwork system. You've got to have some sort of a national system otherwise crossing the borders in different states is going to continue to be a mess.
It is a mess right now. She does have a fair point that people in her state are fed up. But is the answer for one state to just sort of act in light of it? Or is it for the country to finally come together and say we have to figure this out?
HARRIS: Absolutely. But can train enough border patrol agents to patrol the border against what is the real threat and what is the perceived threat? Because you send more National Guard troops down there you're clearly saying OK, we can't get folks ramped up as quickly as we need to, correct? HENRY: The President just sent down National Guard troops, 1200 or so, right? And I remember some people immediately were saying, oh, my god, it's a huge story.
I thought back to the end of the Bush administration in about 2007. President Bush did the same thing. We all jumped and said it's a big deal, it's going to secure the border. We have the same problem. What is it, three years later?
We can continue to do the patchwork laws on individual states, we can continue to do the band-aids of sending people to the border, get really tough, great photo-op. At the end of the day you've got to -- and in fairness to the President, he's made this point. It's not just that he's sending the National Guard troops without saying I want to do something, big picture. But all of this is a band-aid until you come up with something bigger.
HARRIS: And all of it feels like it gets dwarfed by the oil story.
HENRY: For now. And it can change in a New York minute, obviously, if hopefully this thing does get solved soon.
HARRIS: Yes.
HENRY: But the problem is all of the reports we're getting is that even if it is, quote, unquote, "capped" sometime in the near future, there is a huge environmental damage for some time to come.
The President is supposed to be going to Indonesia and Australia sort of at the tail end of next week. This trip was delayed once before because of health care. A lot of talk inside the White House now that they'll have to at least delay this, if not cancel it.
You're right. It is overtaking his schedule and his time right now.
HARRIS: Terrific. See you in the 1:00 hour?
HENRY: Good seeing you.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry.
Good stuff, dawg.
HENRY: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Come down here more often.
President Obama is talking to our Larry King this afternoon and you will see the interview tonight at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
While we were bringing you news as we do from around the world, we are also watching what is hot online. Ines Ferre is surfing the web for us.
Ines, what do you have?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, it's what so many of you are watching, you're commenting online. Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga denied a perfect game.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, sometimes we time these things out just right. Where are the live pictures? Rod Blagojevich, haven't said that in a while. The Illinois ex-governor who parlayed scandal into D-list celebrity on trial in Chicago today. Live pictures, or is this tape turn (ph)? All right. There he is, heading into federal court. Right now live pictures for you. Stay with this for just a second with his attorneys, his team. Heading into federal court today as his trial opens.
CNN's Ted Rowlands is in the courtroom for us rate now and we will get a live report from him in just a couple of minutes, well, when the proceedings are over for today. Maybe he'll break away.
For now Ted outlines the case against Blagojevich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The former governor of Illinois, known for his mop-headed haircut and questionable political antics, begins the fight of his life today, standing trial in Chicago on federal corruption charges. It's the moment Rod Blagojevich has anxiously awaited for 18 months.
ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: I'm real excited about getting started. I can't wait. And I don't view this as a grim duty as much as I do as an opportunity to get the truth out -- clear my name, prove my innocence, show the people of Illinois I didn't let them down, I was an honest governor and that these federal prosecutors have abused their powers.
ROWLANDS: The government will use wiretap conversations in an effort to show that Blagojevich tried to line his pockets by selling an appointment to the Senate seat held by Barack Obama until he was elected president.
PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: The governor's own words describing the Senate seat, quote, "It's a bleeping valuable thing. You just don't give it away for nothing."
ROWLANDS: FBI agents arrested Blagojevich in December of 2008, when he was still governor. From that point on he has denied any suggestion of wrong doing.
BLAGOJEVICHARRIS: I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath.
ROWLANDS: Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to the Obama Senate seat creating a whole new buzz when the newly named senator repeatedly changed his story about his contact with the governor before he was chosen.
And then there is Tony Rezko, the governor's one time advisor and political fund-raiser who was convicted on charges he used his influence to benefit himself and his associates. He is now said to be cooperating with the feds and could provide crucial evidence for the government's case.
In the year and a half since his arrest, Rod Blagojevich not only lost his job but became a political outcast and a comic punch line. He also got his own radio talk show, wrote a book and went on tour, appearing on "The David Letterman Show" to read a Top 10 list of questions he asked himself before agreeing to be a contestant on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" show.
That gig ended when Donald Trump told him, you're fired.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So a senior administration official tells CNN White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and senior presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett have been subpoenaed to testify at Blagojevich's trial.
The Dutchman linked to American teen Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba five years ago is now wanted for another woman's death in Peru. We will look at the investigation of Joran Van der Sloot in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus, BP has hired charter boat captains to help clean up the oily mess in the Gulf. Some skippers are glad to have the work and say now they would like to be paid for doing it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(IMPACT YOUR WORLD)
HARRIS: To the best financial web site on the web, CNNMoney.com.
I got to tell you something. Look at the lead story here -- Why the U.S. Debt Matters to You. Long before grandkids become adults, there could be consequences for today's parents and the kids if the country's debt isn't in.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: We got to go. We're back in a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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