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BP Limited Fix Gone Extremely Well; Oil on the Beaches; Obama Picks New Intelligence Chief; Dutch Man Questioned in Peru Murder; Arizona's Show of Support; "Shrek" Glasses Recalled; A Farewell To Mercury

Aired June 05, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Just take a look right now at the oil gushing out of that busted pipe. BP is calling this progress? Is it? CNN goes behind the scenes for some answers for you.

The anti-boycott of Arizona's controversial immigration law. We talked to people who support the law about how they're trying to take back the message on this one.

And the musical genius behind the biggest entertainers in the world -- do you know who it is? We do. And she joins us live this hour and she is sharing secrets.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us.

BP says it has finally achieved a limited fix for the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. After nearly seven weeks of failure, the company reports a funnel-like device over the gushing pipe capture about a quarter of million gallons of escaping oil in the first 24 hours so far. But that's only about a third of the oil that the government now estimates is poisoning the waters every single day.

Now, it may be too little too late for thousands of people who lost their income -- most of their income -- to this catastrophe. BP says it will begin cutting a second round of compensation checks to cover the month of June -- the second round to cover the month of June.

Eleven people were killed in the April 20th explosion that doomed the drilling rig and President Obama will personally offer them his condolences next week at the White House.

I want to go to CNN's Ed Lavandera who is live in New Orleans.

Ed, as I talk to you, I want to show our viewers this that we're looking at. Basically, what we're looking at, that riser pipe that they cut through -- just to give a size of what's going on there. I'm about six feet tall.

This is what's happening. The riser pipe 22 inches that they cut through. The one that broke underground is 21 inches. So, about this size of pipe -- and there are smaller pipes within that. Here's the thing: they're saying they're capturing a fraction of the oil that's coming out. But when they cut through this 22-inch pipe, they said maybe as much as 20 percent that it was going to spray even more. So, did this really make a difference at all?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to BP and the Coast Guard officials, it's still early in this process. There are still several steps that have to happen to get that.

But you're right. They've taken the risk by cutting off that riser pipe from the blowout preventer. That they're increasing the flow in the hopes that they will be able to put a piece of machinery on there that will essentially be able to catch the excess, plus a lot more. But it's still early, Don. As you mentioned, they still have to close those vents on the top part of that containment cap, if you will, and once that happens --

LEMON: So, Ed --

LAVANDERA: -- and they're trying to work through and making sure that there's -- it's properly sealed so they can do that. And then we'll have to see how much more of that oil they can catch.

LEMON: Ed, let me ask you this, because we've been telling our viewers, we're saying that BP is saying that this -- you know, they had some success and that they've captured a fraction of it. And they said, it could be 20 percent and they've got to seal it. So, right now, there's possibly more oil coming out than before. So, the Gulf is being polluted.

Until they can seal this off and seal off the thing that lets the air out, the Gulf is being polluted even more than before they cut into it.

LAVANDERA: Oh, absolutely. And you also have to remember, Don, we're also dealing with numbers that not everyone is agreeing on, like, you know, we had those experts that had been taken a couple of weeks to study that. We're talking about a range that is hundreds of thousands of gallons in difference.

So, you know, right now, they're talking about, you know, it could be spewing anywhere between 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day. That was before they cut off the riser. So, you have to presume that that has increased a little bit. No one knows for sure exactly just how much we're dealing with.

LEMON: Yes. And we don't know here. Again, this is the first time I know that people have been talking about how big that pipe is, but, again, I want our viewers to see it. Obviously, I don't have a pipe, but that's about the size of everything and they're trying to do this a mile below.

And as we said, more oil is gushing out now. So, the Gulf is being polluted even more. And let's hope they can fix that.

Because I want to get it straight with our viewers -- we're saying there's some success, but still in that success, it's increasing.

Ed Lavandera, stand by. Thank you very much for your reporting.

You know, the BP oil disaster has the potential to impact beaches and fishing grounds, far from the Gulf Coast over the next several months. This is a computer simulation by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It shows how ocean currents could carry millions of gallons of oil from the gushing well through the Florida Straits and up the east coast by this summer. By September, the oil is projected to cover a huge portion of the north Atlantic.

I want to go now to CNN's Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, I showed our viewers the demonstration of exactly, you know, how big we think the pipe is. But as you were explaining, our meteorologist here, there are pipes -- within those pipes, some of them are smaller --

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.

LEMON: -- but the ones we're looking at are the 21- and 22-inch pipes.

JERAS: Yes, absolutely. So, it's definitely concerning to see more oil coming out, but hopefully, you know, they'll be able to contain more as a result of doing that. But it also puts it into perspective, you know, you're talking a mile deep into the ocean, to hit that 20- inch pipe. I mean, that's -- it's like hitting a needle in a haystack, right? So, it's very precise.

Let's talk about where this oil is going. You showed us that compute ever model forecast, and I just want to keep in mind for you folks that are looking that, is that's just a computer model, one computer model. It's not definite that that's going to happen. But it is a possibility as those ocean currents continued to move their way right through the Gulf stream.

Now, this is another computer model forecast, and this one, we think, is pretty gosh darn accurate. And this is where we're expecting that oil to be as we head into the latter part of the weekend and into Monday. So, we're looking at this spreading to places like Fort Walton Beach, towards Destin, and over towards Freeport and potentially down towards Panama City Beach by the end of the week. And this isn't one big glob of oil, keep in mind.

Let's roll this video and show you the things that they're finding in Pensacola Beach. And we'll show you those little tar balls and those little globs of oil. So, it's not like one big rush, Don, that's going to be making its way onshore. So, it's a portion of the beach. It's widely scattered.

So, you know, it's up to you if you guys think you're going to go out there. But at this point, especially those Atlantic coast people, I certainly wouldn't be cancelling my beach plans just yet. All those beaches are still open, Don.

LEMON: All right. Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much.

We have some other news to tell you about.

A major development today involving the U.S. efforts to fight terrorism: President Barack Obama has nominated a former Air Force lieutenant general to be the next director of the National Intelligence Agency. It is a tough job, one of the most difficult in Washington.

And tonight, CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, is here with more on today's announcement.

Jeanne, the challenges that this man is facing -- no one can seem to keep this job for a long time, can they?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The numbers tell the story here. Four directors, if he's confirmed, in the five years since the job was created to coordinate the nation's 16 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 and respected 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. But this will be Jim's core mission. He is imminently qualified and he has my complete confidence and support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: 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 said this nomination cannot fall victim to the usual Washington politics. That's a quote. He noted that Clapper has been confirmed on four previous occasions by the Senate and he urged quick confirmation for this job.

But that could be wishful thinking, Don.

LEMON: Jeanne Meserve in Washington tonight -- Jeanne, thank you very much for that.

Ground zero in the fight against the Gulf oil disaster -- our Kyra Phillips takes you where no reporters have gone before with the man who's calling all of the shots.

Also, Arizona residents are standing their ground in support of the state's controversial immigration law. And compelling evidence against the man suspected in the disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway. This time, it is a murder in Peru. What is next?

And don't just sit there. Make sure you become part of the conversation. Send me a message on Twitter, on Facebook.

And make sure you check out my blog, CNN.com/Don. That's me. I want to hear from you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. So, it may not look like it, but BP says it is making progress. The new cap in place and some of the oil is being funneled to the surface. But 70 percent of it is still gushing right into the Gulf of Mexico.

Patience is wearing thin along the coast where President Obama met late yesterday with people in Grand Isle, Louisiana. He assured them that the federal government will stand with them through this disaster. In a conversation with CNN's Larry King, President Obama made it clear that BP is on the hook for capping the leak, cleaning up the mess, and paying for everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: BP caused this spill. We don't yet know exactly what happened, but whether it's a combination of human error, them cutting corners on safety, or a whole other variety of variables, they're responsible. So they've got to pick up the -- the tab for the cleanup, the damages, fishermen who are unable to fish right in the middle of their most important season.

And my job is to make sure that they are being held accountable, that we get to the bottom of how this happened, that they are paying what they're supposed to be paying, that they cap this well.

In terms of actually solving the problem, BP has particular expertise when it comes to capping the well. They've got the equipment that -- that our Defense Department -- first thing I asked was: do we have some equipment that they don't have?

And they, along with other oil companies, have the best equipment and have the best technology to deal with the well at the bottom of the ocean. What we have a responsibility for is to make sure that the recovery efforts, mitigation efforts along the coastline, making sure that fishermen and businesses that are being affected are getting paid properly, making sure the local people are being hired -- all those efforts are ones where we can do it better.

And so, what we've said is, you're going to pay, you will coordinate -- BP -- with us. But ultimately, if we say that you need to deploy folks over there or you need to compensate such and such here or you need to, for example, most recently, help to dredge up and create some barrier islands in some selective areas of Louisiana in accordance with some of the ideas that the state had down there, then you need to do it.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Some -- I know you -- you appear so calm. Are you angry at BP?

OBAMA: You know, I am furious at this entire situation, because this is an example of where somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions. And it is imperiling not just a handful of people, this is -- this is imperiling an entire way of life and an entire region (VIDEO GAP) years.

KING: Has the company --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Apparently, there's a problem with that interview -- can we get that back? OK, we'll get that back for you. We apologize for that.

But I want to tell you that the president, as you know, has appointed a commission to investigate all aspects of the BP disaster.

And our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, spoke with former Florida Senator Bob Graham about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB GRAHAM, CO-CHAIR, OIL SPILL COMMISSION: The American people are outraged about what's happening in the Gulf. They want to know what happened, who's responsible and they -- I think they're looking for some independent assessment of what we should be doing in the future. That's what I think our commission can bring.

DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, when the president announced this commission and you were there with him in the Rose Garden, he said your investigation should follow the facts wherever they may lead without fear or favor. Does that include following the facts perhaps all the way to the Oval Office, talking to the president?

GRAHAM: I think the president understands that when he appointed us, that we had the direction to be as hard-nosed, candid, fully engaged as possible. And that's exactly what we intend to do.

BASH: And that means, perhaps interviewing the president, interviewing his top aides about the way they're handling it as we speak?

GRAHAM: I think all of that is on the table.

BASH: Senator, I want to point this ad that's now running on television by BP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HAYWARD, BP CEO: To those affected and your families, I'm deeply sorry. We will get this done. We will make this right. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: When you see that running from BP, what are you thinking, Senator?

GRAHAM: I wish they'd spent the money that they spent on that ad a year ago being certain that their equipment that they had out there in the Gulf was safe and that they had a plan in place and were ready to implement in case there was the kind of emergency that we are now dealing with.

BASH: Too little, too late?

GRAHAM: Wrong place, wrong priority. The right place is safety and response. The wrong place is trying to engage in a public relations campaign 45 days after the accident.

BASH: It sounds like it makes you kind of angry.

GRAHAM: I am angry and I think the American people have a right to be angry. This is our water. It's our land that they are drilling on.

BASH: These are some pictures that we have of what's going on on the ground.

GRAHAM: This is going to further incite American opinion, particularly among younger people -- seeing these beautiful animals, you know, covered with oil. This is something that didn't have to happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that was CNN's congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

Compelling new evidence in an international murder mystery. The prime suspect in the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway caught on camera checking into a hotel in Peru with a woman who would be found murdered just hours later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is time right now to check some of your top stories.

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 1/3 of the total the government now estimates is polluting the Gulf daily, which means about half million gallons continue to escape each day.

Passengers aboard an Irish aid ship seized by the Israeli military may be sent home tomorrow. The Israeli commandos stopped the Rachel Corrie cargo ship before it could reach Gaza and escorted it to an Israeli port. This comes just days after Israeli forces stormed another aid ship bound for Gaza. Nine people died in Monday's incident. Police near Peoria, Illinois, are searching a new site for the remains of Stacy Peterson. She vanished in October of 2007. And her husband, former Chicago police officer, Drew Peterson, was named a suspect in her disappearance. Peterson is now in jail awaiting trial next month on charges he killed his previous wife, Kathleen Savio, back in 2004.

An incredible scene in Lima, Peru, to tell you about right now. Joran van der Sloot -- the Dutchman long suspected but never charged in the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway -- was paraded before reporters and photographers. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest for his own safety. Peruvian police are questioning him in the savage beating death of another young man (ph).

And we are learning chilling details of that death.

CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo, is in Lima tonight with the very latest.

Rafael, where did van der Sloot, and this young Peruvian woman -- I think her name is Stephanie Ramirez -- where did they meet?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Well, she was playing at a casino here in Lima. She was playing some poker the night of Saturday, May 29th, when they met.

And what happened was that they became friends. She spoke English. They started a conversation and then from there, hours later, they ended up going to a hotel here in Lima.

Their surveillance video that was released today showing them entering the hotel at 5:00 in the morning, four hours later, less than four hours later, he leaves the hotel by himself, and authorities here in Lima say that's the incriminating evidence that they're going to use in the trial.

We had a chance to speak with a member of the victim's family earlier and this is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLINA JORGE, VICTIM'S RELATIVE: We need justice for our family, for Natalee's family too. I think he's psycho, a murderer, and he has to pay for -- for his action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Peruvian authorities now have 48 hours to formally charge Joran van der Sloot with murder. He may face a sentence of up to 35 years if he is convicted.

Don, the death penalty is not an option here in Peru.

LEMON: It's very interesting to look at those pictures, Rafael, because you see him there in the vest. People -- officials there are concerned for his life that someone may try to kill him, obviously. But it's interesting from reporters and producers and people who are there, they're saying that Joran van der Sloot, this time -- he had been a very cocky young man -- but this time he looks defeated, and that, as if he realizes that he's in some major trouble, unlike before when he seemed to be a cockier person.

ROMO: That's right, Don. He was expressionless and when he entered Peru, back to Peru, when he was brought back by Chilean authorities, there was almost a mob scene, people yelling obscenities. A lot of people here in Peru are very upset about what happened. The media here is basically convicting him already, not giving him the benefit of the doubt, not even calling him a suspect, but the actual killer in this case.

So, people are very, very upset by this; a lot of animosity. The father of the victim is a very well-known man here, a businessman, a one-time vice presidential candidate. So, as you can imagine, a lot of people are outraged about what happened to Stephanie Flores, Don.

LEMON: We're going to be hearing a lot more of this story and CNN will be covering it, including our very own Rafael Romo.

Thank you, Rafael.

Taking you where no journalist on the oil story has gone. Our very own Kyra Phillips with unrestricted access to the president's point- man on the oil disaster -- what he's facing and the pressure he's under minute by minute.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: I'm Philippe Cousteau and we can all make an impact to ensure the Gulf recovers from this oil spill and that this kind of catastrophe never happens again.

This is the oil. This is what's happening. This is what we're dealing, right here on the beach, right in my hands.

We have to remember that this is going to be going on for years to come. There will be no shortage of opportunities for people to volunteer in these areas that are directly affected by the spill.

Join the movement, "Impact Your World," CNN.com/Impact.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The BP catastrophe is the most disastrous oil spill in U.S. history. And CNN's global resources are deployed across the region and beyond to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage that is second to none. You'll see everything right here.

You're about to watch CNN's very own Kyra Phillips, her unprecedented access to Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, appointed by President Obama as a national incident commander. This is one day in the biggest, most difficult assignment of his career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's 6:00 a.m., and we're here in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Admiral Thad Allen's day began hours ago. But we're getting ready to connect with him now and see what it's like for the next 48 hours as he leads the response to the worst oil disaster in U.S. history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (on camera): Good morning. Good to see you.

(voice-over): The 61-year-old commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard officially had his change of command last month, but he's now on the toughest assignment of his long career.

First a jolt of caffeine, the admiral's security detail knows every coffee shop on the gulf coast. All right.

(on camera): I've got the next one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Admiral Allen.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): And then the first calls of a very long day.

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: I can call the governor.

PHILLIPS: The White House, federal agencies, governors, the Army Corps of Engineers. They never stop.

Today's top priority, hammering out an agreement on getting sand barriers built to protect the Louisiana coast and paying for them.

ALLEN: We talked about a couple of things, number one was the feasibility of constructing the barrier islands with the berms and the second one was their effectiveness.

PHILLIPS: It's an issue that's sharply divided, state and federal government. The admiral has to be broker, diplomat, decision maker.

ALLEN: You can suffer and you can have bad mismanagement. I'm trying to move to the management.

PHILLIPS: For this job, Thad Allen needs a thick skin. He's come in for plenty of criticism.

ALLEN: I'm careful about the red space in my head. I try to keep it pretty even. It's almost impossible to insult me.

PHILLIPS: The incident command post, the nerve center of the massive operation to deal with the spill. This is where all the federal agencies involved and BP come together.

ALLEN: All of the operations of Louisiana are directed out of here.

PHILLIPS (on camera): We're only an hour into the day and the admiral has to make a number of conference calls throughout the day that we will not be able to record. They're off the record. He's getting ready to get on the phone with senior Obama administration officials and cabinet secretaries about building barrier islands to protect the marsh lands.

(voice-over): Admiral Allen is also the public face of the administration's efforts to tackle the worst environmental disaster in modern U.S. history.

ALLEN: Good morning. The briefing this morning is coming from our incident command post in Houma, Louisiana.

PHILLIPS: Back on the again, headed for Houma Terra Bone Airport. The White House calls again, what's the progress on a sand barrier deal? The president had promised local officials he would fast track a decision.

(on camera): How many times a day does the White House call you?

ALLEN: It depends on the issue.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Then it's up and away in a Coast Guard plane for a firsthand look at the spreading slick.

ALLEN: I have asked them to fly over so you can get a really good look at the Mississippi River and the marsh lands and some of the stuff we're talking about. It gives you a very good idea of the vastness of this marsh land. We're talking hundreds and hundreds of miles. That's the breeding ground of 20 percent to 30 percent of the seafood that's consumed in this country.

PHILLIPS (on camera): We're headed east came out of Houma and came through to see where the oil has spread across the Mississippi where the marsh lands are and now we're actually headed over to where the rig exploded.

How many vessels do you have out here?

ALLEN: In our entire operation, every day around 1,300. This particular area, we get about 50 miles. I'd say about a couple of hundred.

PHILLIPS: So we just wrapped up the flyover and now apparently the attorney general wants to talk with the admiral. It is about 2:30 now in the afternoon and it could be about the criminal charges that possibly may be weighed against BP.

(voice-over): Allen assures the attorney general he'll keep him informed of anything that could impact potential legal action, not the sort of job he was trained for.

ALLEN: Lisa (ph). How are you? Good to see you. PHILLIPS: Armed with an aerial overview, the Admiral catches up with the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in (inaudible), Louisiana. Their talk is of booms, dispersants, and the workforce now deployed across the Gulf Coast.

LISA JACKSON, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: These wet lands are something that all of us are fighting to make sure we not only maintain, but rebuild.

PHILLIPS (on camera): The admiral is going to meet with all the workers here that are deploying all these equipment out in the water, booms, et cetera.

ALLEN: The president wants to triple the resources in oil - in the affected area. In fact, there's always problem with space, berming, nothing you can't handle.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): After 14 hours of command and control this day, still time to rally the troops. Dinner with contractors, members of the National Guard and others.

ALLEN: Tell them where you're from. If you go out and you treat anybody that's been impacted by this event in the local community here or anybody you're dealing with, treat them as if they're your brother, your mother, your sister or your brother or anybody that you care about, you're going to be all right, because if you err, you're going to err on the side of doing too much.

PHILLIPS: And then some good news.

ALLEN: The news of the day is the president approved the Louisiana berm project that the Corps of Engineers approved.

PHILLIPS (on camera): So, at the end of the day, you do a call with your staff and you have to do it from wherever you are. And here we are in Cocodrie, and you're doing it at a Cajun restaurant.

ALLEN: Well, in the office of a cajun restaurant. Yes.

Hi, folks. What I would like to do is kind of go over what's happened today operationally.

PHILLIPS: What did you achieve today?

ALLEN: Well, major step forward with the state of Louisiana on the barrier island and berm question.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): But Admiral Allen knows that only sealing the spill will mark the beginning of the end of his mission here.

Kyra Phillips, CNN, New Orleans, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tough job.

Arizona residents rally together to stand their ground. A massive show of support for the state's controversial immigration law.

And Haiti's earthquake like you have never seen it before, right in the middle of it at the moment of impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now to check some of your top stories here on CNN.

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 the total of what the government estimates now is polluting the gulf daily which means about a half million gallons, continue to escape each day.

Japan's new prime minister got a congratulatory call from President Obama today. The White House says the two leaders agreed to work very close together on hot button issues, including North Korea and Iran's controversial nuclear program. Naoto Kan is Japan's sixth Prime Minister in just four years. He's expected to meet with Mr. Obama later this month in Canada.

Doctors may have found their most powerful weapon yet in the battle against skin cancer. Researchers say an experimental drug significantly prolonged survival in cases of advanced cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease. Ipilimumab works by helping the immune system fight off tumors.

The FDA is stepping up it's review and the medication could be available by year's end.

Armando Galarraga tells CNN it's time to move on. The Detroit Tigers' pitcher was one out away from a perfect game Wednesday night when first base umpire Jim Joyce by his own admission blew the call on an infielder grounder. Galarraga, of course, well, he was disappointed, but Joyce was devastated publicly acknowledging his mistake after watching replays and apologizing for costing Galaraga a chance at baseball history. Today, Armando Galarraga told CNN that he feels bad, but he feels even worse for the ump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMANDO GALARRAGA, DETROIT TIGERS' PITCHER: He apologized to me and I give you a hug and I mean, the guy, I feel bad but I'm sure, I'm 100 percent the guy feels worse than me 20 times. Because he was like crying and telling me I'm so sorry. I mean, you are perfect and I can't be perfect in that situation and I'm so sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the incident has earned Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce, lots of compliments. People are saying they're handling it very well, even President Obama's spokesman praised them for their sportsmanship. Good luck to both of them.

You know, there's a big rally going on right now in Phoenix, Arizona. Demonstrators have gathered to support the new state law designed to crackdown on illegal immigration. It comes just two days after Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer had what was described as a cordial meeting with President Obama at the White House. They basically agreed to disagree.

CNN's Casey Wian is in Phoenix right now. Casey, what are today's ralliers hoping to accomplish? They want to take the message back, right?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. There's about 1,000 people who are gathered out here outside the state capitol in Phoenix. And one of the messages they're trying to get across is that they believe that this law is not as the opponents have said, racist to its core. And they say that they want to emphasize that these are not racists who support this law. It's no coincidence that about half of the speakers here, so far, have been on Mexican-American descent.

They say they support legal immigrants but they want something done about illegal immigration. The other thing they are trying to accomplish is they want to give Arizona an economic because Los Angeles and many cities and organizations around the country who are opposed to this law have announced boycotts of Arizona. They're they're trying to counter that and provide a little bit of a boost to the hotels and the restaurants here. And finally, they want this law spread to other states.

There are efforts under way and at least a dozen states that believe that the federal government is not doing a good enough job, enforcing the immigration law so they want a law similar to Arizona spread to their states. Now we asked one rally organizer why this current generation of illegal immigrants is in his view different than previous waves of legal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN AMATO, SUPPORTS ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW: Now, the immigrants that are coming here illegally, and their children that are born here are being having their hands held, the schools provide, you know, Spanish language instruction if they don't understand English. They're not being forced to learn it, and their parents that are coming here are not instilling in their kids that it's important that they learn English to succeed. It is very important in this country that you learn English to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: And again, the one can stand that you hear is that they want the federal government to do a better job of securing the border and enforcing immigration law, and they say short of that, which they don't believe is going to happen, I should say. Short of that, they want more states to take the law into their own hands. Don.

LEMON: In case, there may be a misconception by some in the country, some of the viewers that the people who don't support this or the Hispanics in the state don't support it. But you spoke earlier with a Hispanic gentleman who do support this law and I imagine that the people who are in this rally, there are Hispanics there as well.

WIAN: There are Hispanics here. There are African-Americans here. There are Asians and organizers who support this law say that that's one of the messages that they want to capture from the other side. The other side has said that people who support this law and the other side has said that government officials here, they have compared them to Nazis. They've said they're racists. They said the law is racists. The law supports racial profiling. These organizers are going out of their way to try to counter that message and capture that from the opponents.

LEMON: All right. Casey Wian, Thank you very much. We appreciate your reporting in Arizona.

The immigration issue is not only a political one but it's also a financial one. Faced with boycotts from numerous organizations and companies, Arizona's getting some help to counter those hits to its bottom line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Now let's talk more about Arizona. The backlash against the Arizona law could affect the state's bottom line. Boycotts of Arizona companies have been endorsed by Mexico, the city of Los Angeles, multiple unions and a myriad of other groups. So for people who support the law, today begins Buy Arizona Now week.

And Tony Katz coordinated this push. Tony, thanks for joining us. I'm going to talk to you about our goal. I know what your goal is, you're trying to get people to Buy Arizona, to get people to keep their business, bring business there. My question to you is, is this people who have been, this so-called boycott, is it realized yet? Or is it something that will happen in the future, the boycott?

TONY KATZ, "BUY ARIZONA NOW" ORGANIZER: Well first of all, Don, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me. Good for CNN for covering this side of the story, which is very important. Yes, it has been realized by those in the tourism industry when a group of high school girls, basketball players can't come to Arizona to enjoy the Grand Canyon, that hotel is hurt, immediately on the spot.

And I also know other business owners who know that it's coming. They're waiting for it but we have to always keep in mind that these boycotts whether it be by the city of Los Angeles, by Gavin Newsome of San Francisco, by the city of Austin, city of San Diego. These are violent attacks against employers and employees of Arizona and employers and employees don't make the laws. They don't write the laws. They don't pass the laws. This is disgusting what we're seeing from a political hot class.

LEMON: Hey, Tony.

KATZ: So I'm here with Buy Arizona.com. Yes, go ahead.

LEMON: There's a bit of a delay. So let me jump in here for a moment, because there may be some concern from business owners there if they become part of this that they may receive some backlash even with their own community, from people who don't necessarily support the law. Have you seen any of that? And what's your response?

KATZ: Well, you've got to forgive me, I think the issue is going both ways. The people here in Arizona, not only are they infuriated by the boycotts, but they're making sure that they respond in kind. The city of San Diego relies on Arizona tourism in the summer. It is one of their largest cash producers in the summer.

But I know people, the waitress where I had breakfast Thursday morning, not taking her family to San Diego, and wrote letters to Legoland, wrote letters to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, letting them know, because you have decided to boycott Arizona, we will do a staycation. We will stay in Arizona and we will spend our money here. That's what I'm doing. I came to Arizona, but the people of Arizona are staying home this summer.

LEMON: Hey, Tony -

KATZ: And enjoying great weather.

LEMON: - what's been the response so far from people there?

KATZ: Let me tell you something, the people of Arizona are enthralled that people from all over the country, have come to support Arizona business owners. They know that the attack on business is nonsense. This is about political people trying to raise money for their campaign in the future.

And it's not about the people of Arizona, it's not about the law. They're actually exploiting the employers and the employees of Arizona for their own financial gain. So the people of Arizona are thrilled that we're here. They're thrilled that we're spending money whether I'm at a restaurant or a cigar club, they are just overjoyed.

LEMON: I want to tell our viewers, you are the host of a talk radio program. You're offering free ads. What is - tell me what you're doing with that.

KATZ: Right. This all started with the Buy Arizona initiative, which I started just literally days after the law and the first boycotts happened. We give free radio ads to Arizona businesses. We get one ad a day because we don't believe in these boycotts. They are obscene. They are violent attacks. So what we say is, send us an e- mail Arizona, arizona@allpatriotsmedia.com. That's all you got to do. Arizona@allpatriotsmedia.com and we will run your ad.

LEMON: All right. Tony Katz, thank you very much. We appreciate you joining us. And we've seen a lot of coverage from there today and we heard from people as our reporter said of all different ethnicities who are in support of this law. And CNN will continue to cover both sides of this. Thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

You know, we have all seen the damage from Haiti's devastating earthquake but never like this. At the moment of impact, we're going to show it to you. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: News you missed, on Saturday, we always want to try to catch you up on some of the news that you may have missed this week and it's some important story, and some that are very, just interesting stories to hear.

Five months after Haiti's catastrophic earthquake we're now seeing, perhaps, the most dramatic images from that disaster at the moment impact. The video was taken at Haiti's presidential palace as January's 7.0 quake struck. You can see the structure of the building collapsing from the outside but it became a near death trap for security guards inside desperately trying to get out. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Can you imagine that? People probably had no idea what was going on and then of course we have seen what has happened since then. All the death and devastation. The Haitian government, by the way, showed us a collapse at the conference of countries that pledge billions of dollars to help Haiti rebuild. More than a million Haitians are still living in tents, and under tarps. We won't forget about that story here on CNN. We'll continue to update you.

You know it's going to take time for Nashville's Grand Ole Opry to recover from last month's epic flood. Lots of natural disasters lately, huh. The theater and Opry Land Hotel Complex will not reopen again until November. Some 1,700 workers are being laid off, but many may be rehired before the complex can reopen. The city's damaged water treatment plant got back up and running just this week. The flooding is being blamed for 30 deaths, and $1.5 billion in damage.

McDonald's is recalling 12 million "Shrek" drinking glasses. Federal regulators say paint on the glasses contains a toxic metal that can cause bone and kidney problems. The fast food giant is urging people to stop using the glasses immediately, and says it will post instructions about refunds on its web site next week. The glasses were being sold for $2 as part of a movie promotional campaign.

People who fly a lot, take a look at this. With airlines cutting back on flights there may finally be something in it for you. That's you Mr. and Ms. Business traveler of the week, kind of like I am. 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 payout from $800 to $1,300. It also would give passengers 24 hours to cancel reservation without penalty and refund baggage fees if luggage isn't delivered on time.

And a long-time fixture among American automobiles is heading for a car museum. Ford is giving up on the Mercury. The 72-year-old brand will be phased out because of decades of declining sales. Ford instead will focus on beefing up its luxury brand, Lincoln.

And coming up tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, a unique dialogue about race in America, we'll ask the co-creator of the play black Jew dialogues about why he decided to tackle this subject in this way. It's been a very interesting hour here. I want to show this. Can we show this? This gives our viewers - I showed this to you at the top of the show.

This gives our viewers a perspective of all of this devastation that's being caused down in the Gulf of Mexico right here by a pipe about this size. The one that originally broke 21 inches, the one that they cut through to try to fix it, 22 inches, all that devastation, all of that harm, something that size.

For now, I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Meantime, Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special investigation "Toxic Towns." It starts right now.