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Survivor Describes Oil Rig Fire; President Obama Nominated Clapper as National Intelligence Director; BP's Limited Success in Gulf Disaster; BP Gas Station Owner Hearing Reaction from Customers

Aired June 05, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour: This is what containment looks like? Is this really progress? We'll go live to the Gulf for some answers.

Plus, Americans taking their frustrations out on BP gas station owners and workers. It could backfire. We'll tell you why.

And BP has done one more thing to tick people off. You probably seen it but you may not even realize what it is.

And who needs spell check when you're one of the best spellers ever? National spelling bee champion joins us live.

Hello everyone. Thanks for joining us. Nearly seven weeks, that's how long it has been since the deadly well explosion deep in the Gulf of Mexico. And it just taken this long for BP to finally come up with the partial fix. After placing that funnel-like device over the gushing pipe, the company says, it has captured about a quarter millions of gallons of escaping oil just in the first 24 hours. But that's only about a third of the oil the government now estimates is poisoning the waters every single day. It may be too little too late for thousands of people along the gulf who have lost income from this disaster. BP says, it won't begin cutting a second round of compensation checks to cover the month of June.

Eleven people were killed in the April 20 of explosion, that June, the drilling rig. And President Obama will personally offer then his condolences next week at the White House. One hundred and twenty six people were aboard the deepwater horizon rig on April 20th when it erupted into a fireball. Eleven men died, everyone else got off alive. A cnn exclusive, Anderson Cooper spoke to several of them. Listen as they described their terrifying experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG BROWN, BP EXPLOSION SURVIVOR: I looked up at the fire on the rig floor, and it was getting larger. And that was scaring me. It was starting to spread on down on to the main deck. And it was actually so bright, you couldn't even look at it anymore. And it actually started sounding like a living thing because it was hissing so loudly. It was almost sounding like the beginnings of a roar of a creature.

Anderson Cooper, cnn correspondent: The fire actually sounded almost alive? BROWN: Yes. And it just continued to grow. And finally the order was given for us to board the lifeboats.

COOPER: And you don't -- you don't remember any of this at this point?

BRENT MANSFIELD, BP EXPLOSION SURVIVOR: No, sir. I just -- Doug was probably the first person that I had gotten in contact with after I got to the hospital, and, you know, I didn't know where I was working at the time, you know, when I started really -- after I saw my family and...

COOPER: It is hard for all of you. It is tough to talk about.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Very hard.

COOPER: How about you, Matt. Where were you when the first explosion hit?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'm on the hallway, I mean, there is people screaming, hollering. I mean, it's -- it's like the movie "Titanic" right before the ship sinks. Everybody is just, I mean -- I could feel the heat from the flames as soon as I come out on to the smoke deck. But when I got up on the lifeboat deck, I just stopped and I looked up. And I was, like, this can't be happening. I said, there is no way we can put that fire out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Unbelievable story there. Cnn's Ed Lavandera joins us now live from New Orleans. Ed, you saw the horrific story there and people, you know, their experience on the ship. But I want to talk about what's going on there now because BP got an earful today from coastal mayors who are upset about this. Talk to me about that.

Ed Lavandera, cnn correspondent: Well, we heard there is a briefing from one of the senior executive vice presidents with BP who was meeting with officials in Alabama today. And during those meetings, as you mentioned, Don, got an earful from the mayor of gulf shores, Alabama and from Orange Beach. Obviously, we have been talking a lot about how these oil tar balls and oil globs of oil are starting to kind of creep their way eastward from Mississippi to Alabama. Now showing up in Pensacola, and we're now getting reports that officials in Florida are checking out reports of similar type sightings in Destin, which is an incredibly popular, highly populated tourist destination for summer beachgoers as well. Those mayors along those towns that represent the communities that depend heavily on the tourism industry getting very frustrated. Two of those mayors are kind of took on one of these BP execs just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ROBERT CRAFT, GULF SHORES ALABAMA: I'm the mayor of gulf shores and I don't know who represents you in our community, but I would love to have one of your guys to go down and look at our beaches and tell me that what you see is effective and is working. Whoever you have in charge here, if you don't have time to go. I don't know who's in charge.

BOB FRYAR, SENIOR VP, BP: Mayor, I know your frustration here. These are beaches that for ten years I came to the -- to this very place in gulf shores and I vacationed here, just down 59, this very road, I've come here for many years and it is very hard. It is difficult to come to and see these beaches that I, you know, I grew up on. So I know your frustration. I'd be happy to talk to you once we finish here.

MAYOR TONY KENNON, ORANGE BEACH ALABAMA: I'm the mayor of Orange Beach. We've had tar balls on the beach for six hours, 6:40 this morning, and nobody showed up. I don't think you sense our frustration. We are the ones that (INAUDIBLE) if you sense our frustration, you would have been here a lot sooner. We have been asking for a senior vp official for four and a half weeks to come to visit with us. You show up today, we don't even know you're coming. What you say and what you do, with all due respect, is two different things. Does nothing to instill confidence in me or any of my folks that you guys really sincerely care about what's going on right here on the ground. And I have lots to talk to you about afterwards.

FRYAR: OK. Yes. There is a lot of frustration here. I'm frustrated. I think we're all frustrated. You know, the folks that I've talked to, everybody wants really one thing, make the oil stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Lavandera: So clearly, Don, you could see the emotions running high especially as all eyes are still out on this underwater cameras deep under the gulf waters as BP continues its efforts to contain the oil leak as you mentioned off the top here, only the containment cap that has been put in place according to BP and its first 24 hours of use was able to capture about 250,000 gallons of oil, which is about 6,000 barrels. Still, only a fraction of what is believed to be spewing out of that leak hole there at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. They say over the next 24 to 48 hours, they will try to shut the valves and the vents on that containment cap to try to capture more, but we'll see how that plays out. They say they're going to take their time doing this so that it doesn't freeze up and clog and make it completely useless. So, they hope to be able to start capturing more in the next 24 to 48 hours. We have to see how that plays out.

LEMON: Yes, it's really interesting as we look at the live pictures that were next to you. I mean, you see all of that oil spewing out of that and they're only capturing as you said a fraction. It is still very frustrating and very emotional. Ed Lavandera, thank you very much. We'll check back with you. Stand by OK.

We want to tell our viewers, for ways to help out the oil disaster, with the cleanup there, from volunteering to supporting the organizations working to make a difference, visit our impact your world page at cnn.com/impact.

You know, there is already debate over President Obama's choice to be the new director of National Intelligence. We'll tell you why.

And there was a big rally in Arizona today supporting that state's controversial new immigration law. We'll have a live report for you.

And don't just sit there. We want you to be part of the conversation. Send me a message on twitter and Facebook. As a matter of fact, follow me on twitter and check out my blog, cnn.com/don. We want to hear from you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: President Obama has nominated a former air force lieutenant general to be the next director of National Intelligence. It is a job that is quickly developed a reputation as one of the toughest in Washington. And our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve is here to tell us about the president's pick and why there are already rumblings of criticism from Capitol Hill. So, Jeanne, this is a job that no one can seem to keep for a long time, can they?

Jeanne Meserve, Homeland Security Correspondent: That's right, the numbers tell the story. If the president's nominee is confirmed, he would be the fourth director in five years since the job was created to coordinate the nation's 16 different intelligence agencies. The last director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair, forced out by President Obama, but the president calls his new nominee retired Air Force Lieutenant General James Clapper, one of the most experienced people in the intelligence community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our intelligence community needs to work as one integrated team that produces quality, timely and accurate intelligence. And let's be honest, this is a tough task. This will be Jim's core mission. He is eminently qualified and he has my complete confidence and support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Meserve: General Clapper is currently the Pentagon's top intelligence official in his 40 years in the field, he's also headed up the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The president urged Congress to confirm him quickly, but that, Don, may be wishful thinking.

LEMON: All right. Jeanne, do some in Congress have some reservations about him?

Meserve: Yes, some do and some of them are key players. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, raised questions before Clapper was nominated about his ties to the military side of the intelligence community. Senator Kit Bond, the ranking republican on that committee, says Clapper has refused to share information with Congress. And Congressman Pete Hoekstra raised the same issue and accused the administration of trying to micromanage intelligence from the White House. So, clearly some opposition here.

LEMON: All right, Jeanne Meserve, our Homeland Security Correspondent, we appreciate that, thank you very much. You know, the tar balls from the oil rig disaster now washing up on some Florida Panhandle beaches. We'll tell you just how bad it is and just how bad it could get.

And for the second time in a week, a ship carrying aid tries to get to Gaza. This time the confrontation with the Israeli navy was a lot more peaceful. We'll tell you about that as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to check some of your top stories right now. BP's latest attempt to stop the oil disaster in the gulf has finally met some limited success. The company says, a funnel over the gushing pipe has captured about 250,000 gallons in 24 hours. That's about one third of the total the government now estimates is fouling, you could says, polluting the Gulf of Mexico every single day.

Murder Suspect Joran Van der Sloot was paraded before reporters and photographers in Peru today. He was captured in Chile and taken to Lima where Police are now questioning him. He's suspected in a brutal beating death of a 21-year-old woman in Lima in a hotel room. Police have released this surveillance video that Van der Sloot allegedly whipped the woman, Van der Sloot also was arrested twice but never charged in the disappearance of an American teenager. Natalee Holloway, in Aruba, five years ago.

For the second time in less than a week, Israeli commandos have seized an aid vessel that was headed to Gaza. But this time, there was no repeat of Monday's violence that left nine Turkish citizens dead. The Israeli Military boarded the "Rachel Corrie" cargo ship and force it to stay out to Israeli port of Ashdod instead.

Well, some people are so angry about what is happening in the gulf. They're boycotting BP. It's rage over the oil disaster. Is it hurting local gas station owners? That's the question. We'll try to find out that for you.

Also ahead, we'll talk with the journalist who says, BP is trying to manipulate public opinion by paying for links on Google and maybe other search engines. ,

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have seen those devastating pictures of the animals and the pelicans, everything down there, covered with oil. But there are reports of tar balls and oil washing ashore, right?

Jacqui Jeras, want to turn to our meteorologist Jacqui. I was down in Florida, in the keys as a matter of fact, someone was selling tar balls, people are selling tar balls on the beach, not sure where it was from, it's kind of disgusting, but not all of it -- these tar balls are from the deepwater horizon explosion.

Jacqui Jeras, cnn meteorologist: True. And the stuff that we have seen off the keys and there was a report of a little bit of an oil slick off duck key as well earlier in this weekend. Those have been tested and are not from the deepwater horizon spill. So, something to keep in mind is that actually, you know, oil is a naturally occurring thing.

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: And sometimes, these leaks happen all by themselves in those waters. So, sometimes we do get things that wash up and we're not sure exactly where they're from. So, good that those were not related to this event. Let's go ahead and show you some of the pictures that we have seen. This from in-house, from cnn and this is from Pensacola beach. And there you can see the workers, they're coming in very quickly, it's almost like, you know, when you're at a restaurant or something like that, or you're out on the street and you're walking by the park and you see those guys sweeping things up with their little brooms and things. So, they're coming in as soon as they get the word that there has been stuff rolling on shore and they come in and they clean it up. And then the beaches look good and clean.

So, something to keep in mind is that, this is widely scattered in these areas, that's not covering the entire beach. This isn't one big spill of oil that's washing up and covering everything. These are little tar balls and there you can see some of those rolling up. Our I-reporters have been doing a great job sending us incredible video and pictures. This is from Mark Sigler and he's from Conway, Arkansas. And he tells us, that he's been spending time, about a month now already, on to the beaches here, traveling and trying to help with the cleanup. And that's what the tar balls, the harder ones look like. They're real easy to pick up. But I don't know that I would necessarily recommend doing that.

This is the forecast from NOAA here. This is the forecast for Monday. I want to show you, want to keep in mind are these Red xs that you see up here. We're talking Fort Walton Beach, we're talking Destin, Florida. We're talking over towards Freeport and possibly over towards Panama City Beach, those xs mean that the tar balls and these little pools of oil are likely to make landfall in these areas. The other thing that you're looking at here is this little black line that is kind of the zone of uncertainty, they may or may not wash up in these areas. And, Don, the computer models haven't been very accurate overall of picking these things up. We also just got word into cnn that there were some reports of tar balls now washing up in Destin, Florida, of Emerald Coast, you know, this is just to the east of Pensacola Beach. So, they're starting to spread. Hasn't been confirmed, but I think it's going to be very likely that we'll going to find that out here.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I've been gone for about two weeks. Remember we were sitting here, you and I was saying, you know, it's going to take longer probably and we were both saying fingers crossed, and it could take to Christmas or even longer, we hope that doesn't happen.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Hopefully August. You know, that's the big goal, that's what we're hearing is that, they get those relief wells drilled and hopefully that will take care of it.

LEMON: As we know down here. Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, whitest sand, clearest water, and it is just terrible.

JERAS: Some of my favorite places to go.

LEMON: Yes. I can't believe, packing for vacation for two weeks and we're still talking about this. It's heart breaking. Jacqui Jeras, thank you. We'll check back with you in just a little bit.

You know, as the BP accident turned into a catastrophe, the BP name has become a turnoff to many customers. Gas station owners are experiencing a backlash because their businesses, well, they display the green and the yellow emblem of BP. You've seen it. In fact, some stations in Las Vegas have covered up the BP name because of all of this. But is the BP bashing hurting where it really counts? I want you to listen to this. Because, you may be hurting people and you don't even realize it may not be responsible for it. Could be hurting the some people's bottom line, as I said, people who are not responsible for it.

So, I want to turn out to Jeff Miller, he runs an oil company that supplies gas to about 50 BP stations, as well as owning more than a dozen stations with the BP name. Thank you for joining us, Jeff.

Jeff Miller, MILLER OIL COMPANY, PRESIDENT (by phone): Sure thing, Don. How are you?

LEMON: And you're in Virginia Beach, I want to tell you. So, listen. Have the boycotts against BP, have they cost you, have they really hurt your bottom line, how widespread is it?

MILLER: Well, it is just beginning to pick up here in Virginia Beach. You know, in the past couple of days after the news reports have showed the damage to the wildlife, that's when we really began to get some customer comments and feedback.

LEMON: And so it is just -- you said just in Virginia Beach and you've been getting -- do people really understand, do you believe their boycotting? Because is it hurting you more and the station, the people who work, your workers, or it is really hurting BP more? Is it hurting the little guy more is really what I want to ask you.

MILLER: Well, it is a tough situation. We're really caught in the cross fire here. Because we have been in this market for well over 30 years as a family business. We have over 300 employees. The businesses that we supply with the BP products are probably about another 300 employees. So, people are frustrated and they're upset and rightfully so. And they -- they, you know, they want to take out -- they want to vent their anger and their frustration and so they think, well, I'm not going to buy BP products anymore. Well, the problem is the people who are really getting hurt are your neighbors and other members in the community because these are the people who are working at these stores and these stations. So, it is a difficult situation because you certainly understand and when we're able to talk to our customers and explain it, usually works out fine. The big fear we have is we don't know who is not coming.

LEMON: Yes. So, listen, you said you're in the middle of a catch-22. And I understand, and I think most people were watching now, do understand what you're saying. So, then your chance now, what is your message to people who may have boycotted BP stations or are considering it. What do you want to say to them?

MILLER: Well, they're impacting their friends and their neighbors. We're members of the community and the communities that we operate, we're a high profile company, we contribute generously to the charities in our area, and doing damage to our business, in the name of BP really does damage to the community.

LEMON: What are you telling your staff to do? People coming in, anybody angry, there haven't been any confrontations or anything, right?

MILLER: No, there haven't been any confrontations. I was speaking with one of my managers yesterday who worked for Exxon during the Valdez incident and she, you know, back at that point in time, she was afraid to go home with her Exxon uniform on. I think fortunately at this point, the general public is better informed and we're not getting that kind of anger from the general public.

LEMON: We say that some people were covering up the emblems. Do you plan to make any changes? Do you want to keep that BP emblem up there?

MILLER: Well, first off, we're all contractually bound to do that and so we will. I have to say that BP has reached out to us, they've been communicating with us on a regular basis. And we're hoping that, you know, now that they have been talking the talk. Now, they just need to walk the walk and I think that we can come out better for this.

LEMON: Jeff Miller, listen, thank you very much. We appreciate your time. And keep us updated on what is happening, OK?

MILLER: Will do.

LEMON: All right.

You know, as BP tries to control the oil, it is also trying to control its image as well on the air with TV ads. They started Thursday and online. The oil giant is buying space on search engines. So, if you put the words oil spill into Google, what you'll find at the top is a link to BP.com with the line, learn more about how BP is helping. So, type in gulf oil, and once again BP links, that comes up first.

Want to turn to Maureen Mackey now, she is the Managing Editor of TheFiscalTimes.com which has featured the story Marine. For those of us who are not totally satisfied about how search engines work, explain to us what BP is doing, how they did this.

Maureen Mackey, TheFiscalTimes.com, Managing Editor: Well, what this effectively means is that they are paying money for their company to appear first in any search. So, if the average person out there in America goes to Google to try to get some information about what is the latest with the oil spill, and they innocently type in oil spill, let's say oil spill itself or Gulf of Mexico, or even wildlife and oil spill, what they're going to be brought to first is the BP site. And it will very clearly say what BP is doing to help. Now, when you go on to their site, it is a very sanitized pr and marketing message. What it effectively does is bump down other legitimate news and opinion pieces that are addressing the spill. BP is right there at the top and they're paying big money for that.

LEMON: Maureen, I have to ask you this, isn't that an effective P.R. strategy? Many companies do that and many individuals do that when they're trying to clean up their online reputation or their online resume or history. so they're not doing anything out of the ordinary, so then what's your beef with this, if you have one?

MACKEY: You're absolutely right. There are many companies who do it legitimately. In most cases, they are trying to get their message out about a product or a service. This is a national catastrophe. So what, in effect, is happening is that B.P. is controlling the perception about the news. They are bumping down other stories about the oil spill, and they are at the top. And that goes for Google and that goes for Yahoo! and that goes for Bing. They're paying money every day to have their company there.

And by the way, we asked them directly how much they're paying. They wouldn't disclose those terms. That's between them and Google. The fact of the matter is, they're putting up the money to have their company appear there.

LEMON: Yes. But if you look up, you know, oil disaster or catastrophe, then B.P. didn't pay for that. That will come up.

I have a quote. You interviewed a B.P. official who admitted the company is doing this. And this is what the official said.

MACKEY: Yes.

LEMON: He says, "We have tried to pick terms which will help the people who are most directly affected in the gulf coast states with information about how to get in touch with us and make claims for loss of earnings. We want people to be able to find us so we can work out how to minimize the impact on their lives and businesses."

That sounds pretty reasonable, you know. We were saying, it is common to do that. But you're calling it censorship. You feel like it is censorship.

MACKEY: Well, what we're saying is that it is -- they're calling it a marketing tool. Too often, though, people across the country who are not in the business don't understand that a company like B.P. is paying big money to have their company appear at the top of the search. And what most people do is they click on the first item that appears. It is very -- it is shaded. It is very subtle that it is an ad but, in fact, it is an ad. And we just thought it was very, very interesting that, in fact, that company is paying to do that and it's something people ought to know. LEMON: And you said it is not telling you costs? Didn't you say that, they're not telling you how much they're paying for this?

MACKEY: Yes. Correct. We asked them directly how much they're paying. They wouldn't disclose that. But a search engine marketing expert, who we have dealt with, can -- by his estimation, we're talking at least $10,000 a day for several search engines. But, again, you know, we don't know exactly. That's an estimate.

LEMON: Great. Thank you. Maureen Mackey, it's certainly an interesting story and we appreciate your time as well.

MACKEY: Thank you.

LEMON: It could be your town, your home, your child polluted by toxic chemicals. Find out what's really in the air that you're breathing. "Toxic America," CNN's special investigation, with our very own Dr. Sanjay Gupta tonight, 8:00 p.m. eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IRENE ZOLA, CNN HERO: I was shocked and outraged that our culture doesn't have a place for very old people, except in nursing homes. And I decided that I wanted to do something about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: With the number of senior citizens skyrocketing, one woman, well, she takes some action to enable her neighbors to stay in their homes. We'll meet our CNN hero of the week.

And you could be in for some big money if you get bumped from an airline flight. I could have used that this weekend. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time to check your top stories on CNN. President Barack Obama nominated retired Air Force Lieutenant General James Clapper to be the next Director of National Intelligence. If confirmed, Clapper faces a very tough job. The DNI, which the agency is called, oversees 16 different intelligence agencies, and he would become the fourth person in the past five years to hold the post.

Illinois state police are searching a rural area near Peoria for clues in the disappearance of Stacy Peterson. We're talking about Peoria, Illinois. She vanished in October of 2007. Her husband, former police sergeant, Drew Peterson, is in jail awaiting trail next month on charges he killed his previous wife, Kathleen Savio, back in 2004.

Gary Coleman's estranged parents won't be able to have a funeral for him this weekend. That's because a Utah attorney says the former child star had named a new executor in a 1999 will. Coleman died last week after a brain hemorrhage at the age of 42. He starred on the hit show "Different Strokes." Remember that, back in the '70s and '80s. What you talking about, Willis? There you go, Gary Coleman. In 20 years, this is according to the Census Bureau, one in five Americans will be over 65. This week's "CNN Hero" is tackling the growing need for elder care. She's doing it head on in her New York City neighborhood, helping older folks stay active, engaged and, more importantly, independent.

(CNN HEROES)

LEMON: So Irene Zola and her team of 50 volunteers are helping nearly 30 seniors remain independent. So to nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.

We have seen a number of rallies against Arizona's tough new immigration law. But about to get under way right now, a rallies in support of it. We're live from Phoenix straight ahead.

And tips from an Olympic swimmer on preparing for the New York City Triathlon. We go along as our very own Dr. Sanjay Gupta gets some pointers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A rally getting under way right now, Phoenix, Arizona. Demonstrators are gathering to voice support for the new state law that cracks down on illegal immigration.

And CNN's Casey Wian is there.

So, Casey, what are today's ralliers hoping to accomplish with this?

CASEY WIAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I think there is basically three things that organizers at this rally are hoping to accomplish. They believe their voices have not been heard yet, those who support Arizona's law, S.B. 1070. They believe this debate has been hijacked, if you will, by the opponents of the bill, who had marches before the passage of the legislation and after.

They also want to contribute to the economy of the state of Arizona and the Phoenix area in general, because so many other cities and organizations, who think that this law is based in racism, have boycotted Arizona and are trying to hit this area economically. Some of these ralliers say they want to travel here, spend money in hotels and restaurants, and basically give an economic boost to the area.

The third thing I think most people here want to accomplish, many people have traveled here from other states and they want to spread legislation like S.B. 1070 to other states. They believe the federal government has not done a good job in enforcing immigration laws and securing the borders. They want states to take this idea into their own hands.

You can hear some of the people behind me. There is about 500 people here so far. The rally actually starts in about 15, 20 minutes. They're expecting as many as a thousand or more people here outside the Phoenix state capital. Now two of the folks who traveled from out of states are Rita and Jim Bonilla, who are joining me right now. They're from Las Vegas the Las Vegas area in Nevada.

Why did you come from out of state to Phoenix in support of this legislation?

RITA BONILLA, PROTESTOR: Well, we came to Arizona to support the citizens of Arizona, to support our country, because we need to enforce our laws and we want to support Governor Jan Brewer and we are going to do what we can to get a law like S.B. 1070 passed in the state of Nevada.

WIAN: Now, behind us is a rally, a group of motorcycle riders, Freedom Riders for America. They're circling the state capital, kicking this rally off. They've also traveled from all over the United States to participate in this.

Jim, if we could ask you, a lot of people who are opposed to this law say that it is a racist law at its core. And that what it is trying to do is drive people of Hispanic origin, whether they be legal or illegal immigrants, out of the state of Arizona. What do you say to those accusations?

JIM BONILLA, PROTESTOR: I say that's a lie. Because what it does, it goes against the people that are here illegally. If you're here legally -- like me, I was born in this country there is a saying in Spanish that says (SPEAKING SPANISH), which translates to, "He who is not all anything, fears nothing."

WIAN: Nothing to fear. Got you.

We got to wrap now.

Don, that's it from here. The rally starts in 15 minutes. It is a very festive mood here -- Don?

LEMON: Yes, Casey. It's very interesting to see supporters, because we've heard so much about this controversial new law saying that it would be racial profiling.

So, Casey, thank you very much. We appreciate your reporting and we appreciate your guests as well.

And as Casey mentioned, we've heard all about the calls to boycott Arizona because of the new immigration law. Coming up tonight, 7:00 p.m. eastern, I will talk with Tony Katz. He created Buy Arizona Now, which started today. It is designed to counter the boycott and boost Arizona's bottom line.

It is six weeks until our Dr. Sanjay Gupta and six CNN viewers will be taking part in the New York Triathlon. And the last time we checked in with Dr. Gupta, his team, they were getting ready, cycling tips, getting it from Lance Armstrong. There you see him there in the video.

In today's "Fit Nation" report however, Dr. Gupta recruited an Olympic swimmer to help him with the one-mile swim in the Hudson River.

(FIT NATION)

LEMON: The Hudson River.

It is the end of the road for a classic car brand, a victim of poor sales and vehicles that look too much like others.

And can you spell champion? We're talking to the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. And there she is right there. I think she's the best speller in the world. We're going to talk to her live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There is no doubt that Anamika Veeramani has a way wish words. She's good with words because, last night, the 14 year old from Ohio won the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which she knew the word, each letter to this word that was an instrument designed to measure the amount of speed, and speed of blood flow through an artery. I think it's called stromuhr. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAMIKA VEERAMANI, NATIONAL SPELLING BEE WINNER: Stromuhr. S-T-R-O- M-U-H-R.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Wow. She beat out 273 spellers from all across the land. And Anamika joins us right now.

OK, so listen, it's stromuhr -- what is it?

VEERAMANI: It's stromuhr, yes.

LEMON: Stromuhr.

VERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: So you -- I can't even say it, and you can spell it. You said that you have trouble with German. Congratulations, by the way.

VEERAMANI: Thank you. Thank you so much.

LEMON: You said that -- we were talking during the break, and you said your sticking point, German words, right?

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: And that's a German word.

VEERAMANI: That is a German word, yes.

LEMON: Yes, so you were meant to win. So how does it feel? I've seen you on television since in the wee hours, and you're here now, and you probably have more interviews. How does it feel? VEERAMANI: It's so exciting, and really a dream-come-true. I mean, I've worked so hard for so many years. And it just shows you how much hard work pays off.

LEMON: Yes. You know --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Anamika.

VEERAMANI: Hi, Dr. --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's the thing. I used to be a really great speller, right?

VEERAMANI: That's awesome.

LEMON: Right?

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: And then with spell check and the advent of that, I can't spell anything right now. I can't remember anyone's phone number. You said you don't even use SpellCheck, and maybe that helped you become a really great speller.

VEERAMANI: Maybe. I mean, SpellCheck has its errors, as everyone knows, and I just -- I don't know.

LEMON: You don't do it. You said when you but in your own name it doesn't show up properly, so you don't even use it.

VEERAMANI: Tells me I've spelled it wrong, yes, so.

LEMON: Yes. So what happens to you now? Am I going to see you on "Jeopardy," and I going to see you on some whiz kid show, or what do you do after you're the national spelling bee champion?

VEERAMANI: Maybe "Jeopardy." "Jeopardy" would be a lot of fun. A lot of other champions have done jeopardy. I'm actually really into writing, so maybe writing a book. And maybe --

LEMON: Writing a book and --

VEERAMANI: Yes, maybe making a web site or something. That would be fun.

LEMON: Yes. So is there any -- this is -- are you the third consecutive Indian-American to win, right?

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: Is there some feeling of cultural pride that goes along with that? VEERAMANI: Yes, there is. I mean, I know the other -- Kavya Shivashankar, she was the previous year's champion, and we're friends. And there is a feeling of cultural pride. But it's also a feeling of you're just happy to know people who basically inspire you to want to get that far in the competition.

LEMON: Yes. How old are you again?

VEERAMANI: I'm 14.

LEMON: 14. What do you want to be when you grow up?

VEERAMANI: A cardiovascular surgeon.

LEMON: How do you spell that?

(LAUGHTER)

No -- I'm not asking you how to spell it. I'm sure -- because that's a fallback question that everybody asks you, how do you spell this, how do you spell that. I'm not going to ask you to do that.

VEERAMANI: Thank you.

LEMON: So you want to be a surgeon.

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: You probably could use the spelling bee title and championship in order to be a good surgeon, because there are some big words there.

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: Do you have any advice, even to young people, or grown-ups, like myself, about the importance of learning to spell, instead of using -- relying on all these tools?

VEERAMANI: Well, something everyone has said about the spelling bee is that it's not just about the spelling bee. You learn so much from it. You learn how to work hard, you learn definitions of words. You learn basically everything and anything from the spelling bee. So just advice for younger children would be to -- if you want to do the spelling bee, just work really hard, and you'll get there. I mean, hard work always pays off. And advice for older people? I don't -- maybe not use SpellCheck.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Maybe not use SpellCheck and try to remember people's phone number, instead of storing them. I don't know. I think I'm a little -- a lot of us, too long in the tooth, too set in our ways to do that.

Anamika -- I want to make sure I get this right -- Veeramani, right?

VEERAMANI: Right, Veeramani.

LEMON: Veeramani, Veeramani, yes.

VEERAMANI: Yes.

LEMON: You had a hard word, and you have a pretty hard name. You are a great young lady. And much success to you.

VEERAMANI: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Congratulations, OK?

VEERAMANI: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

LEMON: Thank you, very much.

I want to talk now about some news you missed. On Saturday, we always try to catch you up on news you may not have seen during the week. So this is the first story. With airlines cutting back on flights, there may be finally something in it for you. Check this out. Passengers' rights groups have pushed the Transportation Department to give more compensation if you get bumped from oversold flights. A new proposal, expected to go into effect in the fall, would raise the maximum pay- out from $800 to $1300. That's good news. It also would give passengers 24 hours to cancel reservations without penalty, and refund baggage fees if luggage isn't delivered on time.

A long-time fixture among American automobiles is heading for the car museum. Ford is giving up on Mercury. Can you believe it? It's 72 years old, that brand, and it will be phased out because of decades of declining sales. Ford, instead, will focus on beefing up its luxury brand, which is Lincoln.

Coming up tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN, you think the B.P. catastrophe would leave President Obama angry, right? Well, the fact is, he says, he is. But it is not time -- not the time to just be yelling at people. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, they have felt the anger, but what I haven't seen, as much as I'd like, is the kind of rapid response. Now, they want to solve the problem, too, because this is costing them a lot of money. And the one thing that I think is important to underscore is that I would love to just spend a lot of my time venting and yelling at people. But that's not the job I was hired to do. My job is to solve this problem. And ultimately, this isn't about me and how angry I am. Ultimately, this is about the people down the in the gulf who are being impacted, and what am I doing to make sure that they're able to salvage their way of life. And that's going to be the main focus that I've got in the weeks and months ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was "Larry King Live," an exclusive. Much, much more from the president at 7:00 p.m. eastern.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "The Situation Room" begins right now.