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Oil Point Man Briefs President; Gulf Fishermen Wait for Work; Mosque 2 Blocks From Ground Zero; Airlines Posting Profits, So Why the Fees?; The Rising Price of Seafood; World Cup Fans Stampede Warm-Up Match

Aired June 07, 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: All right. Park it.

All right, Mike. Let's rock and roll on this.

You have been listening to a news briefing. The White House spokesman, Gibbs, and the point man for the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, giving us an update on the situation in the Gulf right now.

A couple of points here. More skimmers are certainly in the water here. More are coming. More are certainly needed. More Coast Guard cutters with skimming capabilities are moving to affected areas.

Boom is not a silver bullet. I think that's one of the bits of information here that really stands out. Boom is not a silver bullet. And in some cases, the oil is defeating boom right now.

Smaller vessels are attacking smaller patches of oil. And we saw for the first time something that we might be seeing in briefings to come, a sort of three-dimensional look at the workflow that's going on right now, efforts to stop and cap the oil from the wellhead under water, the effort to clean up the spill on the surface, and also near and on shore. The cleanup continues there as well.

So take a look at the -- boy, the oil still coming out of that wellhead.

Suzanne Malveaux, our White House correspondent, is standing by.

And Suzanne, you were there in the briefing as well. And you know there is growing concern about what dangers are lurking under water, what we're not able to detect. And I believe you asked a question on that point.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I did, Tony. And actually, they don't know yet. That was their response, because we know that NOAA, as well as the University of South Florida, they are trying to figure that out.

And what the admiral said, from what I understood, was that they have got all kinds of instruments that are being used to measure the density under water, if there are any kind of changes here, measuring that. But they haven't come up with anything conclusive yet, and that could make a real big difference here, Tony. HARRIS: That's right.

MALVEAUX: If you've got huge oil plumes under water that are rising to the surface, it could be an even worse type of disaster.

Another thing that I thought was very interesting, Tony, is that the admiral says that the nature of this disaster, of this oil spill, is changing before our very eyes, and it's making it much more complicated to control and deal with. And that is because, as he said, this is no longer some big monolithic oil spill, some massive mass that's moving around, but it's broken up into thousands and thousands of pieces, and it requires a response and resources from multiple states, multiple jurisdictions to try to control this thing.

This is how he put the situation, Tony --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We're no longer dealing with a large monolithic spill. We're dealing with an aggregation of hundreds of thousands of patches of oil that are going in a lot of directions. And we had to adapt and we need to adapt to be able to meet that threat.

When this operation started, we were controlling all skimming and burning operations out of the incident command post in Houma, Louisiana, which has responsibility for the area where the well is at. In the last week we have shifted control of skimming assets to the commander and incident command post in Alabama who is responsible for Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and actually have detached a task force to work for him to push out 50 miles off shore and find these smaller patches and try and deal with them before they get to shore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Tony, one way he put it, he says, "We are adapting to an enemy that changes." He's using military speak, but obviously they are trying desperately to get in control of all these various pieces. And you'll see all the reporters out there, they're holding up little cups of -- chunks of oil, you're seeing little bits and pieces, tar balls, these things.

How do you manage all of that across different states and different municipalities, jurisdictions and everything? He said that's one of the big problems.

That's why you have the admiral meeting with the president and with members of the cabinet, because they all have little different pieces of the puzzle here in terms of what they are in charge of. They've got to figure out how to coordinate all of that.

And the other problem, Tony, that he had mentioned before is he said BP is not doing a good enough job of processing claims, getting people reimbursed. They talked about the fishermen, the food processors, those who work on the docks. All of them are losing money every single day. How do you compensate them? And they're filing these claims saying, look, we need this, you owe us this money. BP is not moving very quickly on that front. He said that he was going to be speaking with them, that he has spoken with them on trying to get that to happen a lot faster because there are a lot of people who are suffering right now because of that loss.

HARRIS: And then, Suzanne, Admiral Allen took a step back and gave us a broader view of what we're looking at in terms of the cleanup effort. And he said we're going to be dealing with this into the fall. You heard that comment as well. I believe we have that.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: I think there needs to be an expectation that we're going to be working at least four to six weeks after that well is capped on the oil that's just presently overhead. And that doesn't account for oil that might come ashore and elude us. And we'll have to deal with it as far as the impact of the marshes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So, Suzanne, we've got -- it looks like -- just to sort of summarize here, we're not talking about that monolithic single spill. We're talking about a situation where skimmers are going to have to be found more than are on location right now to attack these individual spills wherever they surface. And it looks like we're going to be dealing with this cleanup for -- you know, into the fall and then for years to come.

MALVEAUX: Certainly into the fall. I mean, he is being quite transparent, if you will, when he says that this could go for months and months on end, because that's what some of the scientists, the environmentalists are saying. There was a question about that. He said, "No, I'm not going to dispute that," that claim that we're talking about months and months now.

He is just talking now about getting the proper equipment on board here, talking about bringing in bigger vessels, bringing in bigger platforms, more resources. And again, he was asked several times about this perception that they are just one step behind the problem here, the federal government and BP, in trying to solve all of these things that are coming forward. And he says, well, you know, one of the reasons, once again, is you've got a lot of people who are in charge here.

There are many moving parts. He says it's the most difficult job that he has ever had in trying to coordinate all of this. And that's one of the reasons why they are playing catch-up with so many different aspects of this disaster.

HARRIS: Yes. The largest disaster of its kind in U.S. history. I guess you would have a lot of moving parts.

At the White House, Suzanne Malveaux for us. Suzanne, great to see you. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: The Gulf disaster erupted seven weeks ago with the fiery explosion that killed 11 workers and sank the drilling rig. Some of the workers who survived are speaking out. Several of them described the harrowing ordeal to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Where were you when the first explosion hit?

MATTHEW JACOBS, BP EXPLOSION SURVIVOR: Out in the hallway. I mean, there's people screaming, hollering. I mean, it's like the movie "Titanic" right before the ship sinks.

Everybody's just -- I mean, I could feel the heat from the flames as soon as I had 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 -- I said, "This can't be happening." I said, "There is no way we can put that fire out."

COOPER: What did it look like?

JACOBS: It looked like you were looking at the face of death. I mean, you could hear it, see it, smell it.

COOPER: When you hear BP's Tony Hayward say he wants his life back, what did you think?

DANIEL BARRON III, DEEPWATER HORIZON EXPLOSION SURVIVOR: I want my life back. You know?

I'm sure you want yours back, too. I'm sure -- you know, there's 11 guys out there. Their wives want them back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That was a bad statement.

Hear more from the survivors tonight on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Fishermen, charter boats, people who make their living on the water are fuming. They want work and they want it now. Our Rob Marciano has their story.

And we're 90-plus minutes into the training day. Let's see here -- stocks are down 27, 28 points.

We're following these numbers for you throughout the day, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Forty-nine days into the oil disaster in the Gulf, and the Gulf is filled with fishermen who can't fish. Frustrations, as you would expect, are rising.

Rob Marciano is in Pensacola Beach, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: So, nobody wants to charter a boat?

CAPT. JOSH FORSYTHE, "BONE COLLECTOR" CHARTERS: No, we've had multiple, probably 35, cancellations already, and we're getting three to four a day every day.

MARCIANO (voice-over): Josh Forsythe and crew man Kevin Ross showed up around our cameras over the weekend with signs begging BP or anyone to hire them. We decided to find out who they were and what the story was.

(on camera): So, guys, good to see you again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely. How you doing?

MARCIANO: Josh, Kevin, it's good to have the boat back in the water?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope so.

MARCIANO (voice-over): This 22-year-old has grown up on these Gulf waters.

(on camera): When did your father first take you out fishing?

FORSYTHE: Probably still in the womb. But I've been on the water since I was 1 or 2 years old, on a boat.

MARCIANO (voice-over): Now Captain Forsythe owns the "Bone Collector," but the boat and the family business has been out of water since first try at red snapper on the first day of the season.

FORSYTHE: The first thing we saw, we were actually looking in the prop wash (ph), and it all turned brown.

MARCIANO: These pictures were taken by the crew.

FORSYTHE: We were about 13 miles southeast of the pass is where we first started noticing oil on the lines, and we started picking up some snapper and about 120 foot of water that actually had oil on them.

MARCIANO: Oil on the lines and oil on the fish, not good for the family business. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My grandfather is a mullet fisherman. We started three generations ago, and my father, he was the first chief of police of Gulf Breeze and he ran a charter boat as well.

MARCIANO: But right now, the only business is cleaning up the oil, and BP is in charge.

Josh's father, Ted Forsythe, feels commercial vessels should be the first ones hired.

TED FORSYTHE, FATHER: You have got a licensed captain sitting here begging -- begging to go to work, and we can't get anywhere.

MARCIANO (on camera): And you know the waters better than anybody?

T. FORSYTHE: Absolutely. I fished these waters all of my life. All of my life.

MARCIANO: Frustrating, just sitting on your hands?

T. FORSYTHE: Absolutely frustrating. There's many emotions -- frustration, anger, despair, uncertainty of the future.

MARCIANO (voice-over): But it's his son's future that worries him most.

T. FORSYTHE: My son was smart enough and good enough to earn his captain's license at 18 years old. He's been running this boat for -- this is his fourth year.

MARCIANO: And it's been a bad year. After weeks of calling with no response, finally BP took the bait.

(on camera): So, shortly after we put your son on the air, BP called to hire you?

J. FORSYTHE: Absolutely, 5:30 last night.

MARCIANO: Do you think that was a coincidence?

J. FORSYTHE: I don't believe in coincidences.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: CNN's Rob Marciano reporting.

Just a few days ago, President Obama warned BP against nickel- and-diming victims of the disaster. So, this weekend, the company allowed cameras inside one of its claims offices in Florida. They say they have already settled more than 1,500 claims totaling about $5 million. BP promises to stay until everything is back to normal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARREN WILLIS, BP REPRESENTATIVE: We're going to be here until it's fixed, the leak is fixed, the leak is stopped, everything is cleaned up. And we'll make sure that we pay for any damages that have been caused to people's livelihoods by this spill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL GALUSHA, FISHERMAN: It's not just people working on the boats. It's, you know, the restaurants and the waiters and everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And for ways to help out the oil spill cleanup, from volunteering to supporting the organizations working to make a difference, visit our "Impact Your World" page. That's CNN.com/impact.

Religious freedom and painful reminders. People are reacting to plans to build a mosque two blocks from 9/11's Ground Zero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Protesters turn out in New York outraged over a plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero. That's the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by Islamist hijackers on 9/11.

A CNN iReporter sent in these pictures. He says he was particularly struck by the people who were carrying photos of their loved ones killed in those attacks.

The woman who planned that march, conservative commentator and author Pamela Geller, was on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING." She explained her opposition to the plan to our Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA GELLER, AUTHOR, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Ground Zero is a war memorial. It's a burial ground. And this mosque is offensive, it's humiliating, it's demeaning to the 3,000 innocent victims that lost their lives. Without Islam, this attack would never have happened.

My question is, why there? How could it possibly be seen as outreach to build a mosque at the war memorial that is Ground Zero? How? How could that be perceived?

It is a kick in the head. I don't understand how it can be turned into this idea of outreach when it is the opposite. It is a triumph. It's triumphant.

We know that an Islamic pattern is to build giant mosques onto cherished sites of conquered lands. We know this. This is Islamic history.

MALVEAUX: She makes the point -- she says that this would be a very important symbol to those who want to do harm because it is near Ground Zero.

Do you think that she has any kind of -- is that point valid at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all. The more she talks, the more it's clear that she does not know what she's talking about. This mosque is a symbol of the 1.5 billion Muslims who respect peace.

I mean, remember that people go around in the Muslim world saying, "Peace be unto you" as "hello "and "goodbye," let alone the millions of Muslim-Americans, including myself, including my brother- in-law, who is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Iraq now, teachers, doctors. These are peace-loving American people, their relatives overseas are peace-loving American-Muslims.

This mosque provides a place to pray just like several other mosques in New York City does. For her to say that it's offensive is what's offensive to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, my guess is you have some pretty strong opinions on this. And of course we want to know what you think.

Is it OK to build a mosque near Ground Zero or not? And why?

If you would, send your comments. Send them to my blog. That's at CNN.com/Tony. And I will read some in our next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.

We are 49 days into the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and BP is still trying to fix its ruptured undersea well. The president's point man on this disaster, Admiral Thad Allen, says about 120 linear miles of coastline have been affected.

Other top stories we're following for you.

Four women are killed in a restaurant, and police in Hialeah, Florida, say it was probably a domestic dispute. They say the gunman wounded three other people before killing himself.

It wasn't exactly a dream cruise to Alaska. Princess Cruises confirms 96 passengers on last week's voyage aboard the Sapphire Princess were treated for a gastrointestinal virus. They were asked to stay in their rooms for the duration of the cruise. Other passengers said they did, too, because they did not want to get sick. It makes sense.

We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: I've got to tell you, oysters from the Gulf of Mexico are arguably some of the best. Some of those waters have been closed because of the oil, but not all, not yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll get as many as I can until it gets here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We go out with the oystermen on what may be their last run for a while.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So here's what's happening on day 49, seven weeks into the Gulf oil disaster.

The government's point man says BP funneled about 11,000 barrels of oil from the leaking well over the past 24 hours. Admiral Thad Allen says BP is working to raise that to as much as 20,000 barrels a day.

Admiral Allen is at the White House this hour briefing President Obama on the government's response to the oil disaster. Earlier, he updated reporters at the White House briefing. He says the skimming operations are being expanded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: We have over a hundred large vessels that are skimming off shore in and around the surface area above the well. What we want to do is take this down to a slightly lower level, smaller skimmers and smaller vessels that can work in the harbors and the bays up to 50 miles off shore. And we are moving those assets into place right now, and we'll be looking nationally at our skimmer inventory and try and get those matched up with the vessels of opportunity as we move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Along with the oil, there is a sense of helplessness along the Gulf shores. Many people worried their way of life is about to end.

CNN's John Zarrella went out with oystermen for what could be their final catch for a very long time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunday on Apalachicola Bay. For the oystermen here, it is not a day of rest. It can't be. Not now.

They are racing against tides and wind, racing to beat the oncoming oil. VICTORY CAUSEY, OYSTEMRAN: They keep telling me it's getting closer and closer.

ZARRELLA (on camera): So are you trying to get as much done as you can now before it gets here?

CAUSEY: Yes, sir. I'll get as many as I can until it gets here.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Victor Causey has been working the bay for four years. The work is backbreaking.

He may have enough oysters to get 10 or 15 60-pound bags by day's end. Twenty bucks a bag, a hard one, but a living. If the oil makes the bay, Causey says it's over.

CAUSEY: If it comes in here, it's going to kill it.

ZARRELLA (on camera): It'll be a while before they let you come back out here?

CAUSEY: 15 years plus, if ever, (INAUDIBLE).

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Steven Peterson works with his dad Lawrence, who's been oystering in these waters for 30 years. Steven only works weekends, it's extra money . But for his dad, this is all he knows.

(on camera): But what about you? If you're not out on this water doing this, you're going to be able to make it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be bad. I doubt it.

ZARRELLA: What would you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. There's nothing here to do really.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Many of the oyster men have already gotten $5,000 checks from BP. A monthly advance on any oil or any losses. Some locals were out on the water looking for any signs of oil. BP is paying them, they told us. It's hard eking out a living here and now this, says Saundra Powell.

SAUNDRA POWELL, FRANKLIN COUNTY SEAFOOD TASK FORCE: This is what we want to do, we choose to do this. It's not something we have to do. We want to do it. We love it. This is what we're happy with.

ZARRELLA (on camera): And now it's threatened?

POWELL: It's more than threatened. Yes, it is. It's really just devastating for all of us.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Oystering alone is an $80 million a year industry here. Throw in shrimping, crabbing and fishing. If that's all shut down there won't be much left here.

John Zarrella, CNN, Apalachicola Bay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Hey, I'm going to talk to another oysterman and shrimper from Louisiana. He had a message for President Obama during the President's latest visit to the Gulf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Day 49 of the Gulf oil disaster and BP's latest fix is capturing some of the oil flow. But for men like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth generation fishermen, the damage is done. And that's what he told President Obama on Friday.

Floyd joins me on the phone from Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Floyd, good to talk to you.

Got to ask you -- I'm going to take you back first, and then bring you to present day. Floyd, when this rig exploded and sank, what, 49 days ago, what was the worst case scenario in your mind?

Did you think you would see your livelihood essentially shut down?

FLOYD, LASSEIGNE, OYSTERMAN (via telephone): Oh, no, no. This explosion was far away from us and it was the least -- and in my mind that would come over here.

HARRIS: Yes. What are your thoughts today? Can you believe it?

LASSEIGNE: It's a nightmare. It's just an absolutely nightmare.

HARRIS: Do you see your business coming back some day? Or are you perhaps thinking about what to do next because this way of life is over?

LASSEIGNE: According to people in Alaska, and all over, it seems like it might be 10, 15 years before we even get back to normal if this keeps on going. We still don't know what we're going to do yet. Maybe start a different kind of business and get out of the seafood industry. It's just a wait and see game for us.

HARRIS: Wow. How long has your family been in the fishing business? I think they mentioned it's the fourth, and your son being the fifth generation. I'm thinking that in that time, your family has watched shallow water and then deep water exploration for gas and oil grow in the Gulf.

How concerned have you been over the years that something like this could happen?

LASSEIGNE: I'll tell you the truth. None of us have been concerned about this, you know, because the safety is excellent on the oil rigs and all that. So really wasn't no concern to our family.

HARRIS: What are you feelings toward BP?

LASSEIGNE: Well, it's not good. Put it that way. You know, because they lied from Day One to us. Seems like they keep on lying to us.

HARRIS: Has BP compensated you in any way for your loss of income?

LASSEIGNE: They gave us what's called a $5,000 partial settlement.

HARRIS: What can you do with $5,000? How long is $5,000 going to --

LASSEIGNE: My house insurance is $5,400. So you tell me.

HARRIS: Yes.

Have you thought about going to work for BP on the cleanup effort?

LASSEIGNE: I thought about it. I went through school and all this and then I met this doctor from Alaska. She gave me a book -- I can't think of the name on me. But she gave me a book and everybody that worked at the oil spills in Alaska died of cancer and has respiratory problems. So I took my name out of the hat.

HARRIS: Yes. What did you say to the President when you met him?

LASSEIGNE: When I met the President, I told him I was a fourth generation oyster fisherman, commercial fisherman. And, you know, my livelihood as it looks like is in a shambles. I told him -- I showed him how maybe we could stop some of the oil from coming into our sanctuaries through these passes, that these booms are not working and we need to try something else. The mayor came up with something to put barges across these (INAUDIBLE) to try to stop some of the oil from going into our inland waterways where our (INAUDIBLE) are and our central areas are and birds.

HARRIS: What did you think of -- what did he say to you? And what did you think of his response?

LASSEIGNE: I was very, very impressed with him. Very, very impressed with him.

He sat down at the table with us, stuck his head with our heads and we sat there and talked. He wouldn't just sit back and relax and listen. He sat in there, put our heads together and we (INAUDIBLE) talking. Told him what was our needs, and what needed to be done. He told us, just like this. He said, look, I can't give you some answers today. But in a couple of days -- three, four days from now, I'm going to have some answers for you.

HARRIS: Floyd, are you going to be all right? Your family? Are you guys going to be OK? LASSEIGNE: I don't know how you can be OK if you can't work. Three, four, five, six years from now, what we're going to do. I quit school in the 8th grade to be a commercial fisherman. So I can't read or write. So, what am I going to go do? You tell me. This is what I want to do. This is what to die doing is commercial fishing. And now, what am I going to do? You tell me. I can't read or write.

HARRIS: Man, this is tough.

Floyd, thanks for your time. Thanks for calling us.

Let me think about that. Maybe there is something that we can come up with maybe together. Floyd, I appreciate it.

LASSEIGNE: Thank you, sir.

HARRIS: And, a reminder. This oil disaster began when the rig exploded, killing 11 workers. The survivors are now speaking to our Anderson Cooper. Hear their stories tonight at 10:00 Eastern on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

Let's get you caught up on top stories now. Day 49 of the oil disaster. BP says it is siphoning off 441,000 gallons of oil from the leaking well. The government's point man calls it progress but he says no one should be pleased until the leak is stopped completely.

The death toll stands at seven from tornadoes and severe storms in Ohio. Emergency dispatchers say all seven deaths were in Wood County. Among those killed, a five-year-old child. Storms and tornadoes also hit Illinois and Michigan, where dozens of people were injured.

A judge in Peru has extended the investigation of murder suspect Joran van der Sloot for another week. Van der Sloot remains in jail. He is suspected of killing a woman whose body was found in his hotel room. Van der Sloot was also questioned in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Wow. So listen to this. Airlines expect to post a profit. Really?

Could it be Christine Romans, is because they're charging for -- I cough -- and I need a glass of water -- I've got to pay for it. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm sorry. There's a coin operated door to let me -- yes, they're posting a profit, finally.

I'm done. That's my little rant.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: For the first time since -- I knew you were going to say that.

For the first time since 2007, the International Air Transport Association says worldwide, airlines, Tony, are finally going to make money after losing billions and billions of money. They've had swine flu to deal with, they've had a volcano, they've had terrorist attacks and terrorist threats. They have a whole long list of all of the things that they've had to go through. But they think that this year because the economy is getting better worldwide, more people are flying, and frankly, more cargo is flying, too. That means that worldwide, except for Europe, you're going to see maybe two and a half billion dollars in profit. That compares with last year when the airline industry worldwide lost $10 billion.

OK, so you asked about all of the fees. Well, yes, here in the U.S. airlines are expected to make about $1.9 billion according to the IATA -- that's that international transit group. And, look, there has been a frenzy of fees this year. They have been losing money for so long that they are trying to find every way possible they can to boost their revenue. Among the things, checked bagged fees, $15 to $25. Spirit Airlines became incredibly famous for its $20 to $45 for carry- ons. Meals and snacks. You also have to pay for seat assignments for some airlines. You pay for a window or an aisle in some cases. You pay to board earlier.

And, you know, we've already told you this story but it bears repeating, Tony, that this summer -- there are 70-some days of summer, and all but one of those days is considered peak. So you will spend $10 to $30 extra each way for a plane ticket, rather, to fly this summer. All but Fourth of July is peak.

So yes, fees aren't going away. Even though they're making money again, fees aren't going away.

HARRIS: Can I tell you something? Now I'm going to get slapped for this, I know, by the e-mail nation. But I don't think that's a heck of a lot of money for an entire sector.

Am I wrong in that?

ROMANS: No.

HARRIS: But I am wondering, you know, how much is enough, and at what point? And do the airlines begin to cut back on some of these fees? But I don't think that's a lot of money.

ROMANS: Well, I don't think that you're going to see those fees go away anytime soon. I think that there's concern about oil prices further out. There's concern about being able to hold onto those gains if you have -- a double dip recession -- God forbid.

So, look, they're in the black. The guy who runs IATA, the global air transport group, he says, there's a lot of reasons to be tentative about airline profits. I think particularly for us, Tony, for you and me, is that indeed, our fees are not going away.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

ROMANS: This is baked into the business model now, I'm pretty sure.

HARRIS: I think you're right. I think you're right. All right. So e-mail nation, OK, give me a break. I just don't think that's a lot of money for that sector. But I would like to see some of these fees backed off. Come on, I'm choking, I need a glass of water.

ROMANS: Me too, me too.

HARRIS: I'm kidding.

All right, Christine. Thank you.

While we are bringing you news from around the world, we are also watching what's hot online.

Ines Ferre is surfing the web -- Ines.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, this one from CNN.com. The World Cup already heating up.

HARRIS: Oh, yes.

FERRE: Fans stampede a warm-up match in South Africa.

You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Let's get you to the best financial news web site on the web -- that's CNNMoney.com and our Money Team and the great work they do. You can see the lead story here: $250 Medicare Checks Coming. Seniors who fall into the Medicare gap. Is that the -- OK, in prescription coverage -- I was thinking donut hole -- will receive a $250 check from the government. CNNMoney.com if you'd like to learn more about this.

Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange. We've been up, we've been down. So far this morning, we're in negative territory now. Flat just a moment ago. But we've got some selling going on now. Down 12, 13 points. We'll follow these numbers throughout the day for you.

Got to tell you, in just a couple of hours, maybe just an hour from now, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will take to the stage at the company's worldwide developer's conference. That's in San Francisco. Thousands of people pay big bucks to be there. Tickets went for as much as $1,500.

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HARRIS: Here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

Devastated by the decline in tourism because of the Gulf oil catastrophe. We will talk with a hotel owner in Grand Isle, Louisiana. He spoke with the President about how his business is struggling.

And they speak the same language but not when it comes to Arizona's new immigration law. Two prominent Latinos on different sides of the issue.

And, you know, there is a lot of buzz, because people are pretty upset that a mosque might be built near ground zero. Of course, we want to know what you think about this. And if you would, send us your comments to my blog page. That's CNN.com/ tony, and we will read some of your comments next hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Day 49 of this oil disaster. Businesses are feeling the pinch. Even 1,000 miles away.

Our Sandra Endo is in Maryland, where seafood is still in demand, but it is expensive.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those look good.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A summer staple along the Chesapeake Bay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got your fresh hot crabs within ten minutes.

ENDO: Buddy's seafood restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland, is more than 1,000 miles from the gulf coast but at the height of crab season the oil spill is taking a toll on their bottom line.

SCOTT COOK, BUDDY'S CRABS & RIBS: The price has gone up measurably. I would say 30, 40, $50 a bushel.

ENDO: Buddy normally gets daily shipments of fresh crabs from Louisiana. Now they've had to cut back to one a week.

COOK: They're a good crab but the price has gotten out of reach. We can't turn it over to the customer. We have to make a stand.

ENDO: Dan Donnelly co-owns Cantler's waterfront restaurant in Annapolis. He says he can't scale back on his daily shipments from Louisiana. The shrimp are a favorite on the menu.

What makes it so special?

DAN DONNELLY, CANTLER'S RIVERSIDE INN: The flavor, the taste, yeah, definitely. There's nothing like it.

ENDO: But with shrimping and fishing restrictions in the gulf due to the oil spill, shrimp costs are up 30 percent and there's also a hefty price tag for Louisiana crab.

DONNELLY: We're paying an average of about 200 -- between 210 to $240 a bushel for Louisiana crabs. That's pretty expensive, you know. Usually by this time of the year, that's -- it's coming down.

ENDO: Maryland is known for its crabs but at this time of year, here's the difference. A Maryland crab is small and sweet. While Louisiana one is big and full. Those crabs may come from New Orleans, but in the crescent city, craw fish is the big seller. Henry Poynot of Big Fisherman store in New Orleans, says crawfish season is winding down, which means a bigger headache on the horizon.

HENRY POYNOT, BIG FISHERMAN SEAFOOD: Crawfish season is only about four months out of the year. I need shrimp, crabs and oyster to survive the offseason of crawfish.

ENDO: What are we talking about in terms of prices?

POYNOT: I would say the prices have gone up probably 25 percent across the board.

ENDO: Despite the prices, seafood lovers seem to stay loyal to their own town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think New Orleans, we're a city that normally pulls together and we know how to take care of our folks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called and asked what they were, if they were Maryland crabs. Bay shore.

ENDO: What's unsure is how long the rising price of seafood from the gulf will last.

Sandra Endo, CNN, Annapolis, Maryland.

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