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Mexican Boy Killed by Border Agent; Worried Oil Industry Workers; 'Adopt a Fisherman'
Aired June 09, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen.
Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
A witness talks about the shooting of a teenage boy along the U.S./Mexican border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought the reaction of the Border Patrol was overreaching. It was the use of deadly force when I didn't feel that his life was in jeopardy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A well-known entertainer is reaching out to help fishermen along the Gulf Coast suffering from the oil disaster.
And you're online right now, and we are, too. Ines Ferre following the top stories trending on the Internet -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, and most popular on CNN.com, after 30 years, DNA tests bolsters a 1981 Atlanta killing case.
And also, most popular right now, Gary Coleman leaves some bittersweet instructions for his funeral.
HARRIS: All right, Ines. Thank you.
Let's get started with our lead story.
The United Nations is taking a tougher stand against Iran over its nuclear program. Within the last hour, the Security Council passed a draft resolution slapping tougher sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with U.N. demands to halt the program. The vote, 12-2, with Brazil and Turkey voting against the sanctions and Lebanon abstaining. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of carrying out a secret program to develop nuclear weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: As President Obama has said, rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.
The issue is straightforward. We are at this point because the government of Iran has chosen clearly and willfully to violate its commitments to the IAEA and the resolutions of this council.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, Iran says its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
Growing outrage over the killing -- there you go -- of a Mexican teen by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Mexican officials now calling for an investigation.
We get the details from Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 14-year-old Mexican boy lies dead on the Mexican side of the border, shot in the head by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The FBI says two Border Patrol agents on bike patrol Monday night were detaining two suspected illegal aliens when others began pelting them with rocks.
According to the FBI, one of the agents ordered the rock throwers to stop. They did not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Custom Border Patrol, while he was restraining the guy with his knee in his back, started firing.
MESERVE: This eyewitness, who doesn't want to be identified, said she saw only one boy throw one rock and it didn't hit anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe the kid that was killed this evening was the -- was the kid that threw the rock. It was a different one.
I thought the reaction of the Border Patrol was overreaching. It was the use of deadly force when I didn't feel that his life was in jeopardy.
MESERVE: The Mexican Foreign Ministry is calling it a disproportionate use of force, particularly coming from authorities who receive specialized training on the matter.
It's unclear whether the young man was on the U.S. or Mexican side of the border when he was shot. It's an area the FBI describes as a known high-risk crime area, where rocks are regularly thrown at Border Patrol agents and where other assaults have been reported.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. And Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve joining us live now.
And Jeanne, broaden this out a little bit. Does reporting like this indicate that violence is becoming a bigger problem along the border?
MESERVE: There does seem to be an upward trend. This particular incident took place near El Paso, Texas, but we're going to look at the statistics as they relate to the whole southern border.
There are about 17,000 Border Patrol agents on that border. The Mexican government says that the number of Mexicans killed or injured by immigration authorities has been going up, according to the Mexican government, five in 2008, 12 incidents in 2009, and 17 so far this year. But the Customs and Border Patrol counters with a different set of numbers.
It puts out numbers on the number of assaults on Border Patrol agents from the period October 1 through May 31st for those three years. They say in that time period, there were 745 in the year 2008, there were 658 in 2009, and 799 in 2010.
So, the trend in both areas appears to be upwards -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Jeanne Meserve in Washington for us.
Good to see you, Jeanne. Thank you.
Alleged killer Joran van der Sloot is expected to be -- to actually reenact the murder of a young Peruvian woman today. Police say he confessed Monday night to killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores in his hotel room. They plan to return him to the scene of the crime today after postponing it yesterday for security reasons.
Van der Sloot was a suspect in the disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway five years ago in Aruba. He faces charges in Alabama for allegedly trying to extort money from Holloway's mother by offering to reveal the location of the girl's body.
Day 51 of the oil disaster in Gulf of Mexico comes into even sharper focus. BP released new high-resolution video of the underwater gusher in response to demands by two lawmakers. They say it will help independent experts better determine how much oil is flowing from the well. These images were taken two days after robots cut the damaged pipe.
The government's point man on the disaster says he has asked BP in writing to do more in its effort to contain the leak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We're on a learning curve as they've gone through the top kill and other containment strategies down there, where they have had equipment. We found out how it works at those depths.
Sometimes we found out that hydraulic valves may fail, maintenance may have to be done from time to time. We don't want anything to interrupt the product that's being recovered down there, so we're asking them to actually present us a plan that will build in redundancies and make the integrity of the recovery process moving forward better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, President Obama also facing pressure to lift the ban on deepwater drilling. The concern there coming from thousands of people whose livelihood depends on the oil industry.
Our Carol Costello has that angle.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the Obama administration has slapped a six-month or more moratorium on new deepwater drilling, and that has the oil industry, lobbyists and some politicians ratcheting up efforts to change the president's mind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): It is an immense port, 1,400 acres. designed to meet every need an oil company might have.
(on camera): What do you call this area?
CHET CHIASSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT FOURCHON, LOUISIANA: We're in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
COSTELLO: And this is the Wal-Mart of the --
CHIASSON: -- oil and gas industry, yes, it is.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will suspend action on 33 deepwater exploratory wells currently being drilled in the Gulf of Mexico.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Chiasson is eager to criticize President Obama's six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf. Seventeen oil companies, including BP, Shell and Chevron are affected and every one of their rigs is serviced by this port, from welders to caterers to those who taxi rig workers out to the platforms.
(on camera): If the moratorium lasts more than six months, what do you fear happening.
CHIASSON: What we fear happening is losing 50 percent of the business that we have in Port Fourchon.
COSTELLO: So you think the oil companies will just pick up their rigs and move some place else?
CHIASSON: Right.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Like to Brazil's Santos Basin, where deepwater oil has been discovered and off the South African coast also said to be rich in oil. At least one oil company that does business to the gulf, and Anadarko Oil told me Port Fourchon's worries are premature. But the company did say this at a news release "We are evaluating opportunities to reallocate some of the 2010 capital from the Gulf to other areas of our global portfolio."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The crisis needs to be re-addressed.
COSTELLO: The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association is now posting videos of oil industry workers and family members on its Web site to exert pressure on President Obama to lift the moratorium.
MARK MILLER, MARLIN OIL & GAS: If the moratorium stays in place, we will all suffer -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our economy will go to hell in a hand basket.
COSTELLO: Louisiana's governor has joined in too, sending a letter to the president urging the federal government to move quickly to ensure that all deep water drilling is in proper compliance. Even as he shows and tells what can happen when safety measures are allegedly not followed.
Louisiana Senator David Vitter is pressing, too.
SEN. DAVID VITTER (R), LOUISIANA: I'm mad as hell at BP like all Gulf Coast residents are. But to shut down every exploratory rig in deep water 33 and 120,000 jobs or so to boot, isn't punishing BP more, it's punishing the people of the gulf coast.
COSTELLO: The president says he will not lift the moratorium until investigators figure out what happened with BP. If that takes less than six months or more, so be it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Maybe investigators will have more of what they need when BP's CEO, Tony Hayward, testifies before a congressional subcommittee. That show will come your way on June 17th -- Tony.
HARRIS: Can you imagine? Carol, thank you.
Fishermen who have been making a living from the Gulf for generations are in trouble. One program called Adopt a Fisherman, led by the one and only John Tesh, is helping out. He will tell us about it in a live interview.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, our "Random Moment of the Day."
President Obama's speech, a really snoozer, at least for one young choir boy. You will see him here over the president's shoulder on the right of your screen. Right? The kid couldn't help catching a few Zs while President Obama spoke about achieving success through hard work and responsibility. It was during Monday night's commencement address at Kalamazoo Central High School.
The boy tried. Light in my face, light in my eyes, trying to fight it. But no way. His nap time video now a YouTube hit and our "Random Moment."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: While BP has given some money to fishermen who have lost their livelihood in the Gulf, the full impact of this oil disaster may be years to come. One group has launched the Adopt a Fisherman program to help families like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our whole income is fishing. He fishes bar (ph) fish, drum fish, sharks, and there's another one, too. And shrimp the rest of the time.
Our sole income is commercial fishing. Without that, we don't have nothing. And we've got a 10-year-old, a 3-year-old, and 10- month-old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: John Tesh joins me live from Los Angeles. He is, of course, the longtime host of "Entertainment Tonight." We toiled there together for a while. He is also a Grammy-winning musician, as you know, and he has his own syndicated radio show that is behind this charity.
John, it is good to see you, my friend. It's been a while.
JOHN TESH: It has been a while.
HARRIS: How you doing, man?
TESH: Thank you. We won't talk about the old days, OK? We'll leave it there.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: We'll leave it there.
John, if you would, explain the program, Adopt a Fisherman.
TESH: Well, my wife Connie and I, we both do syndicated radio programs and, together, reach about 14.5 million people. And what's happening, we talk a lot on the show, (INAUDIBLE), and we talk a lot on this show about living outside yourself, and there's empirical evidence about what happens when you volunteer.
So, whenever something like this happens -- the same thing happened in Katrina and during the tsunami -- our listeners call and say, OK, what are you going to do? So we're pretty much held accountable by the listeners.
And so when this happens, we -- you know, of course watching CNN and seeing the pictures of the families that were suffering, we thought, what could we do immediately? So, I called my brother-in- law, Vinny Sellecca, and his girlfriend, Kathy Batting (ph), and said, "What are you guys going to do?"
We fired up a Winnebago, filled it up with cash and supplies, and drove it to the bayou, basically, and partnered up with a pastor -- Ted Turner (ph) is his name there, right near Plaquemines Parish -- and just started serving people as quickly as we could. Not qualifying them, but just getting right in there to the bayou.
HARRIS: So, how is Uncle Vinny describing his time in Plaquemine Parish? And what is he seeing there?
TESH: Well, really, just life-changing. And the same thing happened to us when Hurricane Katrina struck, and there were so many people that went right to New Orleans. But we found communities in Slidell, Louisiana, and also Long Beach that were underserved.
And that's what's going on, is these communities like Port Sulfur, where you saw that lady there that was interviewed by Vinny, she has six kids. And, you know, BP is handing out a little bit of money, apparently, but they never got to these guys, because they are way out in the boondocks, if you will.
And so that's his passion. He does this with veterans. We do it with the forgotten generation, senior citizens in nursing homes.
But his thing is, get on the ground. And that's what we call Intelligent Kindness, get on the ground and serve as quickly as can you. It's like Mother Teresa said, if you can't feed 100 people, then just feed one.
HARRIS: Yes. You know, I'm wondering, John, will you and Connie go down to the region at some point and take a look for yourself? Because I've got to tell you, you're probably going to end up frustrated. You know, you'll go down and you'll probably be frustrated by the limitations as you confront all of the need and devastation.
Don't you think?
TESH: Yes, I do. But that's one of the things that we try and stay focused and keep the noise out of our ears, and try to think, OK, if we're frustrated, then we're flatfooted. Another great quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. --
HARRIS: That's a great way to put it.
TESH: -- who said, yes, you don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step in faith. So, for example, we have a couple eof concerts all up and down the East Coast, in Portland, Maine, and Westchester. And we're taking $5 for each one of our tickets, and we're going to put them right back into the bayou. And that will be probably about $20,000.
So, our whole thing with Intelligent Kindness is we know we're not going to solve this big problem by ourselves. Our thing is to, hey, follow us as we are working in these little communities, and just do whatever you can.
So, we've now got people donating every hour on our Web site at Tesh.com to the Adopt a Fisherman program. And every one of those dollars goes right into help the families.
So, it's just, do something. And don't be flatfooted by all of the consternation.
HARRIS: Yes.
John, great to see you. Thanks for your time. Best with this effort.
TESH: You too, Tony. Thanks for your help.
HARRIS: Yes. Good to see you.
All right. We have some new numbers on cases of people getting sick from the oil leak.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says 71 cases have been reported. Of those, 50 were workers on oil rigs or those involved in the cleanup. They had symptoms that included throat irritation, coughs, shortness of breath, nausea and headaches.
Twenty-one cases involved the general public. Most of those cases were related to odors from the oil leak.
The extortion case against alleged killer Joran van der Sloot, got to tell you, it raises many questions about whether this suspected murderer could have been locked up before he was able to kill again. That is the question.
Our Ines Ferre joins me with that. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A CNN oil alert for you now on day 51 of the oil leak.
The disaster is front and center on Capitol Hill. House and Senate committees are holding hearings today. And word from Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, President Obama's point man on the leak, that BP has recovered more than 630,000 gallons of oil from the ruptured well over the last 24 hours.
(NEWSBREAK) HARRIS: Joran van der Sloot, the longtime suspect in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, could be formally charged as early today in the death of a Peruvian woman. Van der Sloot has also been charged in a plot to export money, possibly from Natalee Holloway's mother.
Ines Ferre joining me with more details.
We started down this road last hour. Let's continue our conversation with what you have learned on the possible charges coming in connection with this extortion attempt.
FERRE: Right. Well, let's start with what we've learned from this Interpol document that CNN has its hands on.
And that document says that around March 29th, Van der Sloot contacted a representative for the Holloways and he side he would reveal the location of Holloway's body and how she died in exchange for $250,000.
Now, Van der Sloot met the Holloway rep in Aruba, and the document says that he received a payment of $10,000, followed by a wire transfer of $15,000 to his account in the Netherlands. And Van der Sloot indicated a house where Holloway's remains supposedly were located. And then, when the records showed that the house wasn't even built at the time of her disappearance, Van der Sloot admitted that he lied.
And that's according to this Interpol document that we received -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Now, the FBI is involved, and maybe you can describe that agency's involvement in this.
FERRE: The FBI was involved, right. And I spoke with Bo Dietl, who has an investigative firm, and he says that he's been working with John Kelly (ph), which is Holloway's lawyer, and that he was called in for this operation. And then they called the FBI, and then the FBI said, look, we'll handle this, and he said that the extortion operation was all videotaped by the FBI on May 10th.
And on May 13th, Van der Sloot left Aruba for Latin America. That's according to Dietl.
Now, the question that some have is, why didn't the FBI arrest him when he accepted the extortion money? And I contacted the FBI. They said that they can't comment on this because it's an ongoing investigation. The U.S. Attorney's Office also can't comment.
All we know right now is that the FBI was definitely involved, the U.S. Attorney's Office was involved, and we have the complaint from the U.S. Attorney's Office which was filed on the same day that Van der Sloot was arrested in Chile.
HARRIS: Look, I'm not an investigator, but you've got a situation here where you've got the suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance who is on camera, on tape, audio, video, allegedly accepting money, correct, in this extortion attempt? He provides information that doesn't get the investigation moving in any positive direction.
There is some kind of an arrangement on a wire transfer to continue along the lines of this extortion plot that he has hashed, allegedly. And he's not arrested.
And that is the question. It's not -- I'm asking the question, others are asking the question, and I know the FBI is getting besieged by calls wondering why he wasn't arrested. If he's arrested, well, you need to explain to Flores' family.
FERRE: Yes. And we've been asking the question. And we have a call into John Kelly's (ph) office.
HARRIS: All right. The questions are important even if we don't know the answers at this point.
FERRE: Yes, definitely.
HARRIS: All right, Ines. Good to see you. Thank you.
A big win for women at the ballot box. We will recap the winners and losers in political primaries across the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Hollywood on the Hill today. Live pictures here.
Let's see those live pictures.
Well, you recognize that face. Oscar winner Kevin Costner testifying right now before a House committee on cleanup solutions for the Gulf.
The "Field of Dreams" star is pitching his ocean therapy machine, a device he developed with his brother to separate oil from water. Costner has more than $26 million of his own dollars in this project.
Got to tell you, the challenge was fierce, but Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas is celebrating a victory after a bruising primary battle. Lincoln defeated Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter. She now faces another tough challenge from Republican Congressman John Boozman in the general election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN (D), ARKANSAS: We're going to move forward as Democrats tonight and into November to show the rest of this country -- to show the rest of this country that, as Democrats, we have a great passion, a passion for the diversity and a passion for the hard work that made this country great and will make it great again. And we're going to bring that back here in Arkansas, and we're going to see it spread across this nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yes. Senator Lincoln had the support of the Obama administration and former president Bill Clinton.
There were primaries in a dozen states. Big wins for women.
Among the closely-watched races, Meg Whitman's victory in California's Republican primary for governor. And in Nevada, a Tea Party favorite will challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in November.
CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin live now from Los Angeles.
And Jess, in California, it was also a good day for candidates with some big business backgrounds, wasn't it?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was, Tony.
You mentioned Meg Whitman. She ran for governor and won the Republican nod. She was the CEO of eBay, is worth more than $1 billion, and put $70 million of her own fortune into this campaign.
There were nonstop ads in this state. Some people tell me they were invading their dreams, they would see them so often. And in these ads, Whitman would -- you know, first of all, very vicious attacks on her Republican opponents, but also sold her business experience as a way to fix California's government, which has a $19 billion budget hole.
The other woman here with business experience, Carly Fiorina, ran Hewlett-Packard, some say not very well. She had to lay off tens of thousands of people and ultimately got laid off herself. But she says that was the right training to change government. And both women are selling themselves as the outsiders who can bring reform.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEG WHITMAN (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Career politicians in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., be warned, because you now face your worst nightmare -- two businesswomen who know how to create jobs, balance budgets and get things done!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLY FIORINA (R), CALIFORNIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I decided to run for the U.S. Senate because I could make a difference. I am not a career politician. I am a concerned citizen answering a call for change.
(END VIDEO CLIP) YELLIN: Now, they are both up against very successful, formidable Democratic opponents, so we'll see whether this end up being their year or not -- Tony.
HARRIS: I think we have got time for a quick question before we get to President Obama.
In Nevada, another outsider took the GOP Senate nomination. What can you tell us about her?
YELLIN: Yes. No, this was something of an upset. It's a woman named Sharron Angle, an assembly woman, who, until just a few weeks ago, was barely registering in the polls and then the Tea Party Express came out and endorsed her and she took off like a rocket, swept away the other Republican opponents.
She is a true Tea Party type conservative. Wants to, you know, eliminate the Department of Education, very anti-tax. She had $500,000 from one of the Tea Party groups promoting ads in her state for her. So the key here is that it will be the Tea Party facing off against Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, arguably the Republican's top target this season.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes.
YELLEN: And that is going to be a battleground - at battle to watch, Tony.
HARRIS: Jessica Yellin for us.
Jessica, appreciate it.
Let's get you now to tape from President Obama's remarks after his meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) statement later (INAUDIBLE).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, so don't waste - waste a question on that. I'll do that at the next one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did President Abbas ask you to take a tougher line with Israel in the Gaza (INAUDIBLE) will you in turn (ph) do so? An outright condemnation of Israel's actions and do you support Israel's insistence (ph) on doing (INAUDIBLE) investigation on its own perhaps with some foreign involvement or are you in favor of the U.N. proposal for an independent --
OBAMA: Well, let me take the second question first. What the U.N. Security Council called for was a credible, transparent investigation that met international standards. And we meant what we said. That's what we expect.
I think everybody, people in Israel, people in Turkey, people within the Palestinian territories, certainly people here in the United States, want to know the facts of this tragedy. What led to it. How can we prevent it in the future.
Ad I think - I've said to the Israelis directly, and certainly my team has communicated the fact that it is in Israel's interest to make sure that everybody knows exactly how this happened so that we don't see these kinds of events occurring again. And we expect that the standard that was called for in the U.N. Security Council to be met.
With respect to the issue of taking a tougher line, I think President Abbas and I spent most of our time discussing how do we solve the problem. You know, one of the things that we see is that so often rhetoric, when it comes to issues in the Middle East, outstrip actually solving issues. And our conversation was focused on, how do we actually allow more goods, more services into Gaza.
How do we allow businesses to thrive. How can we get construction moving. How can we get people to work in Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority is already doing a number of things inside of Gaza. Providing employment opportunities. Providing assistance to people directly. The United States is already providing assistance. But the status quo that we have is one that is inherently unstable and I think the Israelis have come to recognize that.
The question now is, how do we create a different framework so that people in Gaza can thrive and succeed so that extremists are isolated, as opposed to having an accuse for engaging in violent activities. But, also, how do we do it in a way that Israel's legitimate security concerns are met. We -- and I think President Abbas agrees with us -- recognize that Israel should not have missiles flying out of Gaza into its territories.
And so there should be a means by which we are able to stop the flow of arms that could endanger Israel's security, at the same time we're doing so in a way that allows the people in Gaza to live out their aspirations and their dreams both for themselves and their children. And that's something that we're going to spend a lot of time focusing on and we've already begun some hard headed discussions with the Israelis in achieving them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking in foreign language)
OBAMA: OK, I was just trying to hear (ph) what you were asking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just asking that there is talk that an (INAUDIBLE) wants to move from (INAUDIBLE) negotiations what the Palestinian Authority wants to see as a condition to move to that stage. And if I may ask you, the European Union has proposed opening of the Gaza Crossing. Would you endorse that with the E.U. supervision? And the money you talked about (INAUDIBLE), what (INAUDIBLE), who's going to distribute this money? Because in the past has been a problem (INAUDIBLE).
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN LEADER (through translator): With regards to the transitioning from the proximity talks to the direct talks, we did not say, we're not saying -- we're not saying that we have conditions. What has happened is that we agreed that should a progress be achieved, then we would move on to direct talks. We are working in order to make progress. President Obama is working for that to seek progress. And we -- this is what we have.
OBAMA: OK. With respect to the aid to Gaza, I'll let my team give you the details in terms of how that will be administered and how the money will begin to flow.
With respect to the broader issue of lifting the blockade, as I said before, I think the key here is making sure that Israel's security needs are met, but that the needs of people in Gaza are also met. And it seems to us that there should be ways of focusing narrowly on arm shipments rather than focusing in a blanket way on stopping everything and then in a piecemeal way allowing things into Gaza.
So, if we can get a new conceptual framework, and I'll be talking to my European counterparts as well as Egypt and Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it seems to me that we should be able to take what has been a tragedy and turn it into an opportunity to create a situation where lives in Gaza are actually directly improved.
But, let me make this final point. That in the long run, the only real way to solve this problem is to make sure that we've got a Palestinian state side-by-side with an Israel that is secure. And so we're going to be dealing with the short term problems, but we also have to keep our eye on the horizon and recognize that it's that long term issue that has to be focused on. So many of the immediate problems in front of us have to do with the fact that we haven't solved this problem.
OK. Thank you very much, everybody.
HARRIS: There you have it, President Obama meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and making comments.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Let's bring in our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, to talk about the meeting.
Ed, this meeting wasn't supposed to be about Gaza, it was supposed to be about proximity talks become being direct talks with Israel, and yet because of events taking over the news cycle, this is a meeting that turned into a conversation about aid and getting aid into Gaza.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The whole situation has shifted. You're exactly right, Tony.
HARRIS: It really has.
HENRY: Let's not forget that this meeting was supposed to happen on the heels of another presidential meeting, where last week President Obama was going to be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel here at the White House. Of course, that was cancelled because of the whole flotilla situation in the Middle East. You heard the president refer to that as tragedy, saying that they want to make sure that there's a thorough investigation of this.
Well, the White House has been saying that for essentially a couple of weeks now because they don't have all the facts of what happened. Both sides very angry about what happened on that aid ship. And so this is why you see the president very clearly trying to not focus on the negative there, which are real and are also very much out in the open, but try and focus on the edges, how can you improve on the situation on the ground in Gaza. He talked about U.S. aid. He talked about U.S. loan guarantees.
But you're right, until this investigation of the flotilla situation is actually worked out, it seems highly unlikely that either the Israelis or the Palestinians are going to move forward on those proximity talks, let alone direct peace talks, Tony.
HARRIS: I wonder what's being suggested here. Is the president suggesting that, let's find a way to direct our aid, U.S. aid, better and is it -- does it come down to whether or not Mahmoud Abbas can be used as an effective facilitator for U.S. Aid getting from the Palestinian authority into Gaza? Is that what's being discussed here, how to work that kind of an (INAUDIBLE)?
HENRY: That's part of the challenge.
HARRIS: Yes.
HENRY: That is part of the challenge dating back to the Bush administration, frankly. They were trying as well. I recall covering. You know, whether or not this aid money from the U.S. is really getting into the hand of the people who most need it, first of all. And second of all, let's not, you know, shy away from the fact that President Abbas doesn't have the greatest standing back home and there's always been some question about whether he's a lame duck, about whether he really has the clout to control the situation on the ground, the security situation, for example. Israel does not believe he does have that clout. But also, does he have the clout if they were to move forward at some point on direct peace talks, does he really have the clout to cut a deal and sell it back home. Cut a deal with the Israelis?
And so this is why there are so many clouds over the entire situation. The president, in a few moments, is going to be talking about yet another cloud, which is Iran and its thirst for a nuclear program. You saw the action today by the U.N. Security Council to institute tough new sanctions, a 12-2 vote. We're going to get some presidential reaction to that.
They see that as a big diplomatic victory here. They've taken a lot of heat for taking months and months of going through the pain staking work of getting these sanctions through the U.N. They feel they've got a victory because they've finally gotten this vote in the U.N. but, of course, we've seen votes like this before. This is, I believe, the fourth round of sanctions against Iran. Is it really going to work? Is it really going to have teeth. Big question moving forward, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, big question. All right, our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry for us.
Good to see you, Ed. Appreciate it.
Let's take a break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: OK. Once again, want to get you to the best financial website on the web, cnnmoney.com, and the terrific work featured here by our Money team. You know we are - the markets are so volatile right now.
Oh, is the president on his way? All right, let's get you to the president. The president is going to make some remarks about the U.N. Security Council action today on Iran.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Voted overwhelmingly to sanction Iran for its continued failure to live up to its obligations. This resolution will put in place the toughest sanctions ever faced by the Iranian government. And it sends an unmistakable message about the international community's commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.
For years, the Iranian government has failed to live up to its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It has violated its commitment to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has ignored U.S. Security Council resolutions. And while Iran's leaders hide behind outlandish rhetoric, their actions have been deeply troubling.
Indeed, when I took office just over 16 months ago, Iranian intransient was well established. Iran had gone from zero centrifuges spinning, to several thousand. And the international community was divided about how to move forward. Yet this day was not inevitable. We made clear from the beginning of my administration that the United States was prepared to pursue diplomatic solutions to address the concerns over Iranian nuclear programs.
I extended the offer of engagement on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect and together with the United Kingdom, with Russia, China and Germany, we sat down with our Iranian counterparts. We offered the opportunity of a better relationship between Iran and the international community. One that reduced Iran's political isolation and increased its economic integration with the rest of the world.
In short, we offered the Iranian government the prospect of a better future for its people if and only if it lives up to its international obligations. So there is no double standard at play here. We've made it clear time and again that we respect Iran's right, like all countries, to access peaceful nuclear energy.
That is a right embedded in the NPT, a treaty that has to serve as the safeguard against a world in which more nations acquire the world's most deadly weapons and international law is treated as an empty promise. That NPT treaty was signed by all the parties involved, and it is a treaty that the United States has sought to strengthen from the day I took office, including through our own commitments to reduce America's nuclear arsenal.
But let me repeat, we recognize Iran's rights. But with those rights come responsibilities. And time and again the Iranian government has failed to meet those responsibilities. Iran concealed a nuclear enrichment facility in Qom that raised serious questions about the nature of its program.
Iran further violated it own obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions to suspended uranium enrichment. Instead, they're enriching up to 20 percent. It has failed to comply fully with IAEA's requirements. Indeed, Iran is the only NPT signatory in the world, the only one, that can't convince the IAEA that its nuclear program is intend for peaceful purposes. That's why the international community was compelled to impose these serious consequences.
These are the most comprehensive sanctions that the Iranian government has faced. They will impose restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities, its ballistic missile program, and for the first time its conventional military. They will put a new framework in place to stop Iranian smuggling and crack down on Iranian banks and financial transaction.
They target individuals, entities and institutions, including those associated with the revolutionary guard that have supported Iran's nuclear program and prospered from illicit activities at the expense of the Iranian people. And we will ensure that that's sanctions are vigorously enforced. Just as we continue to refine and enforce our own sanctions on Iran, alongside our friends and our allies.
A strong resolution that was passed today benefited from strong international support. In voting for it, we were joined by nations from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, including Russia and China. And these sanctions showed the united view of the international community that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is in nobody's interest and that nations must be held accountable for challenging the global non-proliferation regime.
The Iranian government must understand that true security will not come through the pursuit of nuclear weapons. True security will come through adherence to international law and the demonstration of its peaceful intent. We know that the Iranian government will not change its behavior overnight, but today's vote demonstrates the growing costs that will come with Iranian intransigents.
Now I want to be clear, these sanctions do not close the door on diplomacy. Iran continues to have the opportunity to take a different and better path. I would like nothing more than to reach the day when the Iranian government fulfills its international obligations. A day when these sanctions are lifted, previous sanctions are lifted, and the Iranian people can finally fulfill the greatness of the Iranian nation. Indeed these sanctions are not directed at the Iranian people. As I said in Cairo, for decades the Iranian government has defined itself in opposition to my country. But faced with the opportunity to find a new way forward, one that would benefit its own people, the Iranian government has chosen instead to remain a prisoner of the past.
Saturday will mark one year from the day that an election captivated the attention of the world. An event that should have been remembered for how the Iranian people participated with remarkable enthusiasm, but will instead be remembered for how the Iranian government brutally suppressed dissent and murdered the innocent, including a young woman left to die in the street.
Actions do have consequences. And today the Iranian government will face some of those consequences. Because whether it is threatening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, or the human rights of its own citizen, or the stability of its own neighbors by supporting terrorism, the Iranian government continues to demonstrate that its own unjust actions are a threat to justice everywhere.
I want and hope for the people of Iran that the government of Iran will make a different choice. It can make a different choice and pursue a course that will reaffirm the NPT as the basis of global non- proliferation and disarmament.
A course that will advance Iran's own security and prosperity and the peace of the wider world. Today's sanctions are yet another signal if the Iranian government continues to undermine the NPT, and the peace that it protects, then Iran will fine itself more isolated, less prosperous, and less secure.
Thank you. All right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The president's comments on the U.N. Security Council passing a draft resolution slapping tougher sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with U.N. demands to halt its nuclear program. The vote 12-2 with Brazil and Turkey voting against the sanctions and Lebanon abstaining. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of carrying out a secret program to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
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HARRIS: Chad Myers is with us.
Chad, we were talking about it just a bit last hour. I don't think we had the pictures to support it the way we do now. The flooding in, what, the San Antonio area?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, north of San Antonio. Rocking R (ph). This is the Guadalupe River, you know, right on I-35. This is -- would be - there are RV parks here. A lot of water came up very fast. That's - actually that's two bus right there. There's the one bus behind it and the other bus that actually literally got wrapped around that tree.
HARRIS: Right.
MYERS: Heavy rain this morning. Still raining in some spots there right now. Tornado watches in effect still for later on today, all the way through this afternoon. It is going to be another Rocking R (ph) kind of day, if you know where that is. That RV park really took a pounding today.
And, you know, it's down - but it's a beautiful place down by the river. You have to watch these washes. These washes go up very, very fast. And a lot of washes don't even have - don't even have bridges over them. They expect you to drive through them on the other side. And when it's not raining, that's fine. But when it is raining and when there's water in it, you need to stay out of there because you have no - literally no idea how deep it is and how much or little, literally, water can push your car away.
HARRIS: Look at that.
MYERS: Yes, these things were floating. These buses were literally floating down the stream and they got caught in the trees.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: So far, that we know of, clearly school was not in session. So that's the good news.
HARRIS: All right, Chad, let's take a break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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