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President to Speak to Nation; Flood Survivor's Story; Florida Beaches Open for Business; Lifting the Liability Cap; Oil Spill Anger

Aired June 13, 2010 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the oil spill. Well, it's hurting the Gulf Coast tourism even where there is no sign of oil. We'll talk this hour with the mayor of Destin, Florida.

And at 4:00 Eastern time, how the oil spill is impacting the largest, most menacing inhabitants of the gulf - the sharks. And at 5:00 Eastern time, this week's best viral videos.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The gulf oil disaster is front and center with President Barack Obama right now. Not only is he heading back to the region, he'll be talking directly to you and me about it this week.

Our Samantha Hayes is in Washington this Sunday. So, the president expected to address the nation on Tuesday. What's he likely to say?

SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's a whole week of high visibility. That is what the president wants to show coming up in the next few days.

He's going to address the nation Tuesday night. He's going to be meeting with BP executives Wednesday and he's starting off Monday with a trip to the gulf region. This is his fourth since the spill.

Now, just today the Obama administration outlined its plan with the compensation of oil spill victims by forcing BP to set aside a large pool of money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: We'll use all the legal authority that we have, and we believe that - that it's ultimately in their interest, as well, given the - the level of public outrage out there.

But, yes, the president will use every legal device at his disposal to make sure that this money is escrowed and that there's an independent administrator so that the claims are not slow, while people can get the relief they need in a timely fashion, and that we don't create more victims from this terrible disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HAYES: Axelrod pledged to hold BP accountable in every appropriate way going forward, calling the spill an ongoing crisis like an epidemic - Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so, Samantha, the president clearly has received a whole lot of criticism, too, sharp criticism, especially from Republicans, whether it be about his language, choice of words that the president used this week, or perhaps even what the administration is or is not doing to contain what's going on.

HAYES: Right, Fred. His tone, his visibility, his management, all of the above.

Well, one of the Republican leaders in the House said today on CNN' "STATE OF THE UNION" that Mr. Obama continues to be slow in his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: -- in the news -

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hang on, he - he has, in fact -- he's been down there. He tells his people to go do it. Why isn't that sufficient?

PENCE: Well, I think the fact that he never spoke to the CEO of British Petroleum for the first 50 days of this incident is - is emblematic of the kind of detached style of leadership that we're seeing here.

Look - and this business about the president looking for somebody's a-s-s to kick this week, you know, as "The New York Times" said this morning, I think - I think everybody in America knew on day two whose a-s-s ought to be kicked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAYES: And once again, the president is going to be meeting with BP executives on Wednesday.

Meantime, BP says it plans to respond by tonight's deadline to a request from the federal government for a more comprehensive plan to contain the massive oil spill - Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Samantha Hayes in Washington, thanks so much.

So, the government, as she just said, has given BP until the end of today to come up with a better plan to clean up the oil spill in the gulf.

Our Chris Lawrence is in New Orleans right now, so any word from BP how it is responding to this demand?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Not specifically, but they say they have received the demand and they do expect to respond at - at the fastest possible time, Fredricka. And today we heard from Admiral Thad Allen from the Coast Guard, who said he hopes that BP would respond by tonight, then he corrected himself and he said, no, they will respond by tonight.

From all indications we're going to get some sort of plan from BP, but it just remains to be seen. The question that comes after that is, OK, what if they give you this plan and what if you don't like it? What is your option, then?

Because, from what we know right now, BP is containing about 650,000 gallons a day from this oil spill. But the problem is we yet to have a truly accurate estimate of exactly how much is spewing. So some on the low end say maybe in the range of 800,000 or 900,000 gallons a day. If that's the case, then, well, you might be closer to - to containing a great deal of it. If it's more towards the high end, 1.7 million gallons a day or even greater, then you're not even close to getting all of it.

So what the federal government is doing starting today is going to start sending some of its own sensors down there in the water to get their own pressure readings, and the goal of the scientists on one hand is to get a more accurate gauge of exactly how much is spewing into the gulf and then to match that with BP'S updated plan.

WHITFIELD: So, these pressure readings that the government will answer to, is this by way of some contractors? Is this by way of a military support? How is it being executed? Do we know?

LAWRENCE: You know, well, the federal government says it's sending its own equipment down there, basically, that it - that it's sending its own independent equipment down there to get independent readings from BP.

If you're looking as to what BP could do, you know, to respond to this challenge, and we know that it's all designed to - to come out ahead of the president's visit down here, you know, they do have a system where they could put a pipe that was used before to try to push mud down into the - into the geyser and try to cap it. Now that pipe would try to start sucking up some of that oil into a containment system.

They estimate that might be able to burn off maybe 400,000 gallons - 400,000 gallons a day. But, again, you don't know how to put that into context until the scientists get a truly accurate reading of how much is coming out. Otherwise, you don't know, should we get excited about this or - or should we still be very, very frustrated by it?

WHITFIELD: Chris Lawrence in New Orleans. Thanks so much.

All right, meantime, officials in Utah say an oil spill there can actually take weeks to clean up. A broken Chevron pipeline sent at least 400 barrels of oil pouring into a Salt Lake City creek over the weekend. Crews capped the leak, but oil coated dozens of birds there and fish and nearby ponds were killed. That's where you can see the result. So crews are using booms and creating dams to contain the damage.

It is unclear exactly what caused that pipeline in Utah to break.

And a serious concern on a popular beach in Florida. A BP container washed ashore, closing a portion of that beach.

Survivors of that flashflood in Arkansas, well, they have stories to tell of that night that the water caught them off guard. And CNN's Casey Wian will be talking with a woman who's vacationed in the area all her life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Arkansas, it is day three of searching for the missing after a deadly flashflood swept through a campground. The list of the missing is now down to three.

At least 18 people are known to have been killed. We've learned today that funerals for two of the victims will be Tuesday in Texarkana. Services for a 7-year-old is set for the morning. Her grandmother will be buried in the afternoon.

And three people who survived this flood have terrible memories of the night the river raged. CNN's Casey Wian talks with a woman whose family has spent many summers in the Arkansas campground where so many lives were lost.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANICE MCRAE, FLOOD SURVIVOR: You know, the phone rang, and it was one of the cabin owners from the other side of the river. He said the river is rising so fast, he said I can't get out of my cabin.

His cabin was built on piers, you know, probably eight feet tall. But it was already up and his cabin was moving. And while he was talking to me, there was a trailer that floated into and smashed into his cabin.

As it turned out, there - there were people in that camper, and he managed to pull them out of that camper, get them up in his cabin, and he kept them safe until the water went down.

I didn't have time to think. We went down there, and there - the river was roaring. It was just - and the cabins that were starting to float were - were crashing into each other, and it was all this smashing and -

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was that noise like?

MCRAE: Well, it was horrible.

WIAN: Here are examples of the power of the raging current, the wall completely sheared off of this cabin. Next to it, a cabin that seems to have fared relatively well because it was up on stilts.

But, behind me, you can see the remnants of a cabin that looks like it was hit by a bomb. It was actually knocked about 50 feet off of its foundation, completely torn apart.

MCRAE: This cabin, the red one with the crunched-up roof, is the one where the kids were up there. The two kids were up on the cabin, screaming, "Help, help!"

It went down enough eventually. It was falling pretty fast at this - once it quit raining, it started falling. So grandpa starts walking out, and we got -- we just went as far as we could and grabbed him. He sat right there after -- we found that chair and he sat there until we could get grandmother.

She was on the other side of that drift. How she survived, I don't know.

WIAN: Wow.

MCRAE: She was on the other side.

WIAN: How did they get the boys down?

MCRAE: They just have them -- you know, as the water went down, they just made them stay up there until it went down, and then they helped them down.

WIAN: Obviously they're still looking for people here.

MCRAE: Yes.

WIAN: What has the loss been like? Can you describe it? Can you come to terms with it even yet?

MCRAE: No. I don't want to try to come to terms with it yet. We'll all have to, though.

But there's still a lot. There's - the river hasn't given up the bodies yet. There's more.

WIAN (voice-over): Casey Wian, CNN, Albert Pike campground, Arkansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, Florida's beaches are open, but some are still worried about oil. So how do you keep the tourists coming? We'll talk to a mayor of one of those beach side towns, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

Straight ahead, President Obama's latest trip to the Gulf Coast. There is word that he will push BP to set up an escrow account to pay for damage claims from that massive oil leak. Mr. Obama travels to Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida tomorrow, as well as Tuesday.

And he will address the nation on the disaster Tuesday night. He meets Wednesday with top BP officials.

Rescued teen sailor Abby Sunderland is speaking out. She says her age should not be blamed for her problems at sea. The 16-year-old was rescued two days after her boat was damaged in a storm in the Indian Ocean.

Sunderland was trying to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Her mother says that she can try the voyage again.

And on the Florida Panhandle, an unexpected concern for beachgoers, a large container with BP markings washed ashore in Panama City. It's not clear if it actually came from the sunken oil rig.

A section of the beach was actually closed for a short time yesterday upon that discovery but was later reopened.

So this oil disaster is striking right in the middle of Florida's peak tourist season. Just take a look at this headline, "Some Here Rethink Florida Beach Trips." It's from the online version of "The Columbus Dispatch". According to the story, several Central Ohio residents may cancel vacations to Florida's Gulf Coast.

And that's exactly the kind of fear that ad campaigns like this one from Panama City Beach, Florida, are trying to battle. This ad's message, there is no oil on our beautiful white beaches.

But what's the case in popular Destin, Florida? The mayor of Destin echoes that sentiment. Mayor Sarah Seevers, who goes by "Sam", joins us on the phone right now.

So, Mayor, give me an idea. Are you seeing already a number of cancellations to the Destin area because of the fear of oil?

MAYOR SARAH "SAM" SEEVERS, DESTIN, FLORIDA: Absolutely. Absolutely. Destin has around, you know, normally 748,000 visitors a year to our area, injecting about $152.6 million in spending annually.

This is the time of year where our economy is strengthened in order to hold us over into the wintertime. Some of the accommodations, as I understand, in April were actually up 37 percent, but May dropped off about 18 percent, and June, July, and August is expected - expected to drop about 30 percent.

WHITFIELD: So, give me an idea. Reassure people, who you want to still come to Destin, what will they see on the beaches if they were to come right now? And in the water?

SEEVERS: So there's pristine, sugar-white beaches, crystal clear waters, some of the best fishing you've ever had in your life. The red snapper are biting like crazy right now.

We were out on the beaches yesterday, swimming in the water. It's healthy. It's safe. The seafood's safe. The waters for fishing are not closed, and it's absolutely beautiful. It's around 89 degrees and sunny and absolutely gorgeous. WHITFIELD: So, give me an idea, what's the fix here for the potential losses? You talked about, you know, business has dropped for the month of May alone, 18 percent, and, consequently, as a result of the oil spill in the gulf.

I go to your website, and at that opening page, you actually advertise it, here's the oil spill information and the current conditions. So clearly people are concerned about whether the oil spill has impacted the beaches there.

And then if I click on the page here, oil spill information, you say right away that the East Pass is a no-wake zone due to the protective boom placements that will be enforced continually for some time. And then you have a kind of a current status report about the beaches, open and clean. How do you get this message out?

SEEVERS: Well, we've - our local tourist development council here, they have spent several thousand dollars in an effort to - $265,000, to be exact, in an effort to commit to get at least the direct drive markets down here. And they will spend up to $1.2 million to get the word out.

This is the TV ads, newspaper ads, radio shows, live broadcasts, TV - anything that they can get their hands on right now to try to let the people know that it is safe to come to Destin and they do not need to cancel their vacations, because it's absolutely beautiful right now.

Now, as far as the Destin East Pass goes, we had to make it a no- wake zone in preparation to get our booms deployed and, you know, sometimes some of our visitors come and they get on the jet skis and they're not aware that they need to kind of stay away from those guys while they're working, and it makes it a little difficult.

So, you know, this is like wearing two hats. You've got to - you've got one side that you've got to be precautious on and do everything, every effort you can to protect your beaches and waterways. And then the other side is that you've got to let people know that these beaches are open for business, and it is absolutely gorgeous here.

WHITFIELD: Mayor Sarah Seevers, thanks so much for your time. All the best in this - what is supposed to be a peak tourist season for you there in Destin, Florida. We'll try to keep tabs with you and see how business goes and if a lot of those cancellations that you experienced just in the month of May and then now in June and July, if they pick up as a result of your campaign.

Thanks so much, Mayor.

SEEVERS: Thank you for getting the word out.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, still on the topic of the gulf oil spill, House Republican leader John Boehner is outraged over BP's handling of the oil leak, and he's not alone.

Well, this morning on ABC's "This Week", Boehner said the current laws which limit how much BP is responsible for should be changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: I believe that lifting the liability cap on BP and for this spill is appropriate. I have concerns -

JAKE TAPPER, HOST, ABC "THIS WEEK": So lift them entirely for BP?

BOEHNER: Absolutely. They should be held responsible for every dime of this cost.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: When President Obama visits the Mississippi Gulf Coast tomorrow, he is likely to get an earful from folks who say that they're not getting enough information about the oil leak. The target of their anger still is BP.

CNN's Reynolds Wolf is in Hancock County, just west of Biloxi and Gulfport.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, there's no question that frustrations have continued to mount across much of the Gulf Coast. In fact, we had the opportunity to go to a community meeting right here in Hancock County, Mississippi, and we got to hear people really vent their frustration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. BP, your report.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you everybody. Everybody here knows that another $25 million was granted to the State of Mississippi.

WOLF (voice-over): In Hancock County, Mississippi, a bit of good news from BP, but things didn't last long at this emergency management meeting.

LILI STAHLER, ALDERWOMAN, WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI: I greatly appreciate the commitment everybody has here. I also am sensing a great deal of frustration.

STEVE SEYMOUR, HANCOCK CO., MISSISSIPPI SUPERVISOR: I guess this is the statement to BP. You all need to - you all need to get somebody and tell them something about getting productive.

WOLF: It took repeated requests, but finally the joint command has assigned a local representative to Hancock County.

COMMANDER PETE KILLNER, U.S. COAST GUARD: We're basically here to help you folks in regards to trying to get some communication on between here and the Incident Command Post, and I commit to your local post in providing any services that I can to do that. I can't make promises in regards to this stuff I can't deliver, but I've got 110 percent commitment to help you folks, you know, get communication going and do a better job and -

WOLF: The oil may not be here yet, but neither are the requested supplies.

BRIAN "HOOTIE" ADMAN, DIRECTOR, HANCOCK CO. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: They're not planning ahead. So, you know, unfortunately, that's the - that's the way they operate. And - but we're going to continue to ask until they give. That's all we can do.

WOLF (on camera): How close is this oil getting to shore? We've had different numbers.

JESSE FINERAN, HAZMAT, HANCOCK CO.: We can smell it and we can taste it, but they're telling us it's not here.

MAYOR LES FILLINGAME, BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI: You know, it moved very quickly, so to me that - that indicates that it wouldn't, you know, nobody's immune from - from having this on top of us.

WOLF (voice-over): The first potential impact from oil was found this week on Hancock County's shore.

FINERAN: This is the area where the bird was.

WOLF: Jesse Fineran showed us a picture of this distressed pelican he found in Bay St. Louis. There's little doubt in his mind it's covered in oil, but official results are still pending.

ADMAN: Is it oil? We think it is. But has it been confirmed? No.

WOLF: Local leaders are growing frustrated waiting for answers.

WENDY MCDONALD, COUNCILWOMAN, BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI: We've got an oily bird already. We've got this - the pre-fall stuff that they saw in Grand Isle, that - it's in that Ziploc bag going around. How much more evidence do we need that it is time to do something?

PAM SAN FILLIPPO, BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI FIRE DEPT.: People can deploy all the boom they've - that you can deploy, but if it's not going to - obviously, like I say, looking at Louisiana, we've seen that the boom did - did practically nothing there, so -

WOLF (on camera): A lot of frustrated people in this room.

ADMAN: It's getting a little too close for everybody's comfort, so, you know, everybody's getting a little bit weary. I wouldn't say antsy, but weary.

WOLF (voice-over): Those weary officials walk the shoreline daily, on heightened alert.

FINERAN: Now, look when you're walking on this sand, how it doesn't stick. Look how it sticks when you walk into this. You can see the levels of coloration under it.

WOLF: They hope answers and the supplies come sooner than oil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: Well, Fredricka, we have an update for you, also, on the condition of the bird that you saw in the piece. The bird was actually found to have been coated with that oil. It was suffering from hypothermia and now will undergo rehabilitation. A very similar fate that many other bids, many other forms of wildlife on the Gulf Coast have suffered since this oil spill first began.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Reynolds. Appreciate that.

All right. Well, perhaps you have a great idea that you think would actually help in the cleaning up of the oil leak. Just let us know about it. Log on to cnn.com/oilspill and scroll down to "Fix It". That tab.

And the U.S. Coast Guard also has a website for your ideas. It's called fbo.gov, meaning FBO, standing for Federal Business Opportunities, fbo.gov. Send your ideas.

All right. The U.S./England game ends in a tie this weekend. We're taking a trip to South Africa for more World Cup soccer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Of course you know this by now, unless you've been living under a rock. South Africa is hosting the massive party known as the World Cup. So of course we wanted to give you a little local flavor.

Josh Levs guides us through some of the lingo.

Howzit, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. So people from all over the world have crowded into South Africa. And those of you watching anywhere in the world are hearing coverage from South Africa, you're probably hearing some terms that you're not familiar with. I know I am. So I asked to join me Nadia Bilchik, our editorial producer, who is from South Africa, an anchor from South Africa.

You know every piece of lingo.

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: And I'm so excited to teach you, Josh Levs, something.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE).

BILCHIK: That's a first.

LEVS: Well, we're going to start off with the only expression that I'm actually familiar with here. All right? Take a look at this one, howzit. Help me out.

BILCHIK: Hello, howzit. Now howzit is a great South African expression because it's really a combination of hello, how are you? And we go, hello, howzit, Josh? Which means, how are you doing? And it means, hello, how are things in your life?

LEVS: So if someone says -- so I meet someone, and they say, hello, howzit? Do I say, I'm fine, how are you? Or do I say just...

BILCHIK: Yes, you just say howzit, howzit.

LEVS: Just howzit, howzit, OK.

BILCHIK: And it's everything. It just says it all. And it's universal, across demographic lines, color lines. Everybody knows howzit.

LEVS: Gets a lot harder from here. Now I have no clue what we're talking about with that.

BILCHIK: Eish.

LEVS: Eish.

BILCHIK: Eish is an expression of exclamation, which is either "aysh" or "eyesh." So let's say you see a great goal, you go, eish! And it just means, oh my goodness. In other words, oy vey.

LEVS: Well, what if -- oy vey.

BILCHIK: Oy vey.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: See, this one I can -- this one I'm familiar with.

BILCHIK: "Aysh" or "eyesh."

LEVS: So if it's good or it's bad, you can go, eish!

BILCHIK: Eish.

LEVS: All right. Let's do the next one here.

BILCHIK: Eina. It's all, oh, that looks eina, Josh, you've hurt your knew. Eina, now if I'm in pain, I go, eina, and if you're in pain, I go, eina.

LEVS: So eina is a bad thing. It's like agony.

BILCHIK: Eina is pain. Agony, sore, eina.

LEVS: Agony. Eina. All right. Now help me out with this one.

BILCHIK: Lekker. Now lekker...

LEVS: I can't even say it.

BILCHIK: ... in Afrikaans makes a candy or sweet. So lekker...

LEVS: Lekker.

BILCHIK: ... is awesome. It's awesome. It's lekker.

LEVS: Oh, awesome.

BILCHIK: It's amazing. It's fantastic.

LEVS: So that game was lekker.

BILCHIK: That draw was lekker.

LEVS: Lekker.

BILCHIK: You look lekker, my china (ph). That's a lekker tie.

LEVS: Oh, you look lekker -- just "lek-KAH"? "LEK-kah"?

BILCHIK: And the whole World Cup has been a lekker experience for the whole country.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Oh my goodness. All right. Now one more, which is the ultimate stumper.

BILCHIK: Nooit. No, I can't believe it.

LEVS: Nooit.

BILCHIK: Not possible. He did that game, he did that, nooit!

LEVS: Like, no way, in a bad way.

BILCHIK: Like, no way, either good or bad. You see, that's why these things nooit. I don't believe you. And I have people say, I don't believe you, nooit.

LEVS: Help me out, nooit?

BILCHIK: Nooit.

LEVS: Nooit.

BILCHIK: Nooit, my china, my buddy, my booty (ph), my friend.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Oh my goodness. Well, there's a list of a lot more. And we've posted...

BILCHIK: Next week we have to do the South African hand shake. I have to teach you the South Africa hand shake.

LEVS: That's coming next week.

BILCHIK: There are things that are very universal to South Africa. And not South Africa, "Southafrica."

LEVS: "Southafrica."

BILCHIK: "Southafrica."

LEVS: I can't even say the country right. I posted a long list of lingo for you right here, on my Facebook page, Josh Levs CNN. I'm also tweeting it out, @JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead and let us know your favorite South African expressions.

Nadia, thank you.

BILCHIK: Buy a donkey.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Oh my goodness, I'm so lost. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Lekker. All right. Awesome. Love that, Nadia and Josh. Awesome. All right. That is the lingo. So what about the football? That's why we have our Pedro Pinto standing by in Johannesburg.

All right, Pedro. Let's begin with that tie between the U.S. and England. How is it now?

PEDRO PINTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, that has been the main talking point on Sunday. A great draw, or tie, as you would say in the United States, between England and the American team. And a lot of the talk obviously has been about the goal-keeping mistake by Robert Green, the English goalkeeper. And I'm sure you've seen this by now, as he let Clint Dempsey's 25-yard shot trickle by him and into his net.

Now in the English media they've been having a field day with the headlines talking about that. But you really have to give credit to team USA. Bob Bradley's side played such a great game and they have proven they can really hang with the best, Fredricka. They can -- have the credentials to go far in this competition. They were so good here last year in South Africa in the Confederations Cup when they beat Spain, they nearly beat Brazil. Why not make it to the quarterfinals or even semifinals?

The American team has really been proving that they have enough quality to make the headlines here in Johannesburg and all over South Africa -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And so who does the U.S. play next? PINTO: The United States has a game on Friday, and they're playing against Slovenia. And what's curious about this European nation is that they are the smallest nation in this World Cup, only a population of 2 million people. They did start out really well. They beat Algeria earlier today 1-0, so they're actually leading the group.

However, the United States are actually the favorites for this game. They may have been the underdogs against England, but they're the favorites. They're ranked higher in the world rankings at this moment. And The States are also the team with the most experience. They've qualified for the last six World Cups while Slovenia is only in its second World Cup.

So I believe if you're an American fan, you're feeling pretty good because England was the toughest game in this group. They've got Slovenia on Friday and then Algeria as the third game. And if the United States play up to their expectations, they should win both of those games.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. It's going to be an agonizing week though for the U.S. They got have to wait until Friday? But maybe that's good, especially for, you know, the U.S. goaltender, Tim Howard, who got a little banged up, a little bruised up in that England game. Does this, you know, bode well for them?

PINTO: Yes. They really need Tim Howard. He was the man of the match or the MVP of the opening game against England, had some key saves. And he bruised his ribs. Bob Bradley, the American coach, said that he still doesn't know whether he broke ribs or not. He had to take a pain-killing injection at halftime to get out there.

Really showing the bravery, putting his body on line for the national cause. And he has got so much experience. And even if you're not a soccer fan, you know that Tim Howard is one of your top players. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, you need those guys to be at 100 percent for the United States to have a great World Cup.

And I think they'll wait until the last moment to decide on whether Howard can play because he's so key between the posts for the American team. And he really should feel confident, though, Fredricka. The United States are looking like a good team and they could get a win on Friday.

WHITFIELD: Oh, excellent. OK. Well, all sounding so hectic, as our South Africans friends often like to say, as well. Pedro Pinto, thanks so much, from South Africa. appreciate it.

All right. Our Bonnie Schneider is in the weather center.

Yes, they say howzit, how are you doing?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Howzit, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: But you might respond by saying, it's very hectic.

SCHNEIDER: It is. WHITFIELD: I love that.

SCHNEIDER: I do, too. That was a great segment.

You know, we are tracking already some activity out there in the Atlantic. It's hard to believe it's so early in the season, but already things are getting started. Take a look at this. This is way out in the eastern Atlantic. We're talking about 970 miles well to the east of the Lesser Antilles. And what I'm showing you here, you see this 50 percent, the National Hurricane Center has upgraded the likelihood, still medium chance for development that this could possibly become the first storm of the season out into the Atlantic.

But from 30 percent to 50 percent, so the likelihood is getting a little bit more strong as we kind of look into what will happen in the next 24 to 48 hours. And if you're wondering what does this mean, well, here's a closer look at the satellite perspective kind of added on Google Earth with what we call the "spaghetti models."

And this is a multitude of different computer models showing you the trajectory of the system if it gets going and if it develops, what it would be. Notice here we're already getting a little bit of a defined eye through here. It's kind of elongated, but we're already starting to see spiral banding. And you have to realize also that the water temperatures right now out into the Atlantic are really warm.

I mean, these are the water temperatures that we would see more towards the peak of the season, and we're seeing them, 82 to 85 degrees, well out into the eastern Atlantic. So if this is a sign of things to come, it's not a good one because it means that we're starting to get activity developing pretty far east. In fact, very unusual to see the activity as far east as it is so early in the season.

And speaking of hot temperatures, well, now the water, what about the land? Well, extreme heat is building across much of the South. We now have extreme heat advisories all the way eastward across the Carolinas, so including Charleston, South Carolina. Temperatures today will soar into the upper 90s in some areas, but remember the heat index, and that extends as far north as northern Tennessee, will be into the triple digits.

So the heat advisory continues for tonight for areas to the east, and then areas further to the west. You'll see the heat advisories for New Orleans and Memphis, well, that will go straight through tomorrow afternoon, Fredricka. So we're tracking heat in the Atlantic and right here across the South. It's a real hot one. It's already -- it's not even summer yet, but we're getting an early start certainly to the season.

WHITFIELD: That is hard to believe, it's not summer yet. Usually that's what, June 20-21...

(CROSSTALK)

SCHNEIDER: Right, right. But it feels that way. WHITFIELD: It really does. All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie. Appreciate it.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. A military plan of attack in Afghanistan. We'll take you to that country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. A huge fire at a gas company in Greensboro, North Carolina, has shut down portions of two interstates. Officials say lightning struck a large gasoline tank earlier today, sparking a blaze that spread to a second tank and a gas pipe as well. Crews extinguished the flames using special foam. There were no injuries. Authorities say the closed interstate should reopen this afternoon.

And a retired Israeli judge will lead an inquiry into last month's deadly Israeli raid on an aid ship headed for Gaza. Israeli officials say the probe will be impartial and not connected to the government. They also say they want well-respected international observers on the panel. Israeli commandos storm the flotilla as it was trying to break the blockade on Gaza. Nine activists were killed.

And thousands of refugees are streaming out of Kyrgyzstan, trying to escape deadly ethnic clashes. Nearly 100 people have been killed in the violence. Hundreds of others are hospitalized. Kyrgyzstan's government is asking Russia to send in peacekeepers. Russia has already sent in more security for their military base there. The U.S. also has a key base in Kyrgyzstan.

And what is described as a successful meeting in Afghanistan could be a green light for a new military offensive in Afghanistan. This one would be aimed at Taliban fighters in Kandahar. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live now from Kabul -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, hi.

I mean, the reason Kandahar is so important to coalition forces and the Afghan government, it's the heartland of the Taliban. And General McChrystal believes that if he can, with the help of the Afghan government, secure Kandahar, then he can begin to convince the Afghan people that the international forces can help them, can help them believe in their government.

So what he did today was he took President Karzai with his security chiefs...

(AUDIO GAP)

ROBERTSON: ... down to Kandahar so President Karzai could talk to tribal leaders there and convince them that this plan was OK for them to go with. Because when he went down a couple months ago, President Karzai got essentially a thumbs down from the tribal leaders there. They weren't happy and President Karzai said, right, it's not going ahead.

Today the mood was different. President Karzai sold it in a different way. The plan had been tweaked. So right now I guess the thumbs up from the people of Kandahar. That's what we saw, at least.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson, thanks so much, from Kabul.

All right. Major mistakes at Arlington National Cemetery. American heroes being treated with a shocking lack of respect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. This just in to CNN. If you are flying, you want to hear this. A travel alert now for anyone planning to fly on Spirit Airlines. The airline has now canceled all flights through Tuesday. Their pilots walked off the job yesterday after salary negotiations fell apart. The airline says they will send refunds to passengers who had their flights canceled.

And major mistakes made at Arlington National Cemetery. This week, the Army revealing problems with hundreds of veterans' graves. CNN's Samantha Hayes has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meticulous and exact, the rows of white crosses at Arlington National Cemetery. It's what Oliver Woods would expect from the military. Five generations of men in his family, including himself, have served in the U.S. armed forces.

OLIVER E. WOODS III, VETERAN: Kind of solemn, sorrowful. You kind of feel their presence here.

HAYES: But now a new impression is emerging for Woods after an Army investigation revealed that the cemetery has been operating under something less than military precision. Possibly hundreds of veterans and their family members laid to rest at Arlington have been misidentified or buried in the wrong place.

WOODS: I think it's one of America's greatest atrocities, and the person in charge or responsible for it should be hung up by a rope to dry.

HAYES: The cemetery set up an emergency call center. They're gathering detailed information from concerned families, taking hundreds of calls in the last two days. Veterans' organizations are also busy. Velma Hart is with AMVETS. For her, the situation is also personal.

VELMA HART, NATIONAL FINANCE DIRECTOR, AMVETS: Because I have someone buried in Arlington, there was a bit of a question mark in my own mind when I first heard about this, because everyone in my family wonder about the remains that are in Section 51. HAYES: She sees only one way to rectify what has happened, identify every name in question.

HART: One hundred percent. There's no other solution that will be satisfactory, because if only -- if there's one person who is not correctly identified, that's one family that has to suffer with that forever.

HAYES (on camera): Officials at Arlington National Cemetery say they recognize how sensitive this is for so many families and under new management will be working hard to make it right and to also make sure it never happens again.

Samantha Hayes, CNN, at Arlington National Cemetery.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A one-man Broadway show about a trail-blazing civil rights pioneer who served on the U.S. Supreme Court. His story and where you can see the play.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Actor Laurence Fishburne brings history to life in the play "Thurgood." It's about the life of the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court justice and the pivotal impact that Thurgood Marshall had on the high court.

Listen as Fishburne explains his complicated role.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURENCE FISHBURNE, ACTOR, "THURGOOD": Before I read the script for "Thurgood," I knew nothing about Thurgood Marshall. I didn't even know the man was born in Baltimore. I only knew that he was the first African-American to be appointed to the Supreme Court. That's all I knew.

But let the record show I wrote 98 majority opinions. Not a one of them was overturned by the Supreme Court.

He was a very, very funny man. He was also a very serious man when it came time to be serious. I think he understood there was a time and a place for all kinds of behavior from human beings, and he indulged in those things at the appropriate times.

The Negroes who are forced to submit to segregation are all American citizens who, by accident of birth, are a different color. Color makes no difference insofar as this court is concerned.

GEORGE STEVENS JR., PLAYWRIGHT, "THURGOOD": Marshall was a man of heroic imagination. A hundred years after the end of slavery in the '50s, he looks around and lives in a segregated society where people can't go to lunch counters, schools, swimming pools, all of that discrimination, housing, and decides that you can use the law to change it. And that was such an active imagination. THURGOOD MARSHALL, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Whoever calls the shots determines whether we have integration, segregation, or decency.

FISHBURNE: It is a uniquely American life. And he talks about America, the last thing that he says, he quotes Langston Hughes, and he says, "America will be." That this is a work-in-progress. That this is the great experiment. And it is. And that we all have a stake in it. And that we are all sort of in some small way responsible for realizing it.

STEVENS: I found a little note to myself that I had when I was writing it, "information is the enemy" because you tend to want to -- gosh, they really should know this, they need to know that. So it's a way of artfully finding a way to salt in what people need to know without it becoming a history lesson or a lecture.

FISHBURNE: I tell him, well, I'd accept a lifetime appointment. I'm staying for life.

"Education is not the teaching of the three Rs."

MARSHALL: Education is teaching of the overall citizenship, to learn to live together with fellow citizens. And above all, to learn to obey the law. I worry about the white children in Little Rock who are told as young people that the way to get your rights is to violate the law and defy the lawful authorities. I'm worried about their future.

FISHBURNE: "I don't worry about those negro kids' future. They've been struggling with democracy long enough. They know about it."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Laurence Fishburne there playing Thurgood Marshall. "Thurgood," once on Broadway, now at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., through June 20th.

All right. Singer/songwriter Jewel has sold over 27 million recordings in her career, but before she made it big, she actually had a difficult time finding water to drink. She is now involved in the clean water issue, and she told us about it in this week's "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEWEL KILCHER, SINGER: Hi, I'm Jewel. And together we can make an impact for clean water. I was homeless for a year when I was 18 years old and I had bad kidneys and I had to drink a gallon of clean water a day, and I couldn't afford it. And I thought, what is it like in another country where you can't even get bottled water?

I founded the Project Clean Water in 1997. Since then we've put about 35 wells in in 15 different countries. We try and solve local water problems and really impact one of the biggest killers in the world. Join the movement, "Impact Your World," go to cnn.com/impact. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. You heard it there. But it bears repeating, cnn.com/impact is the location. You can find out more about how you might be able to help out in an issue near and dear to you.

All right. Here's a look at the stories we're following throughout the day. A large container dripping oil with the letters BP actually washed up on a Florida beach. We're still awaiting word from BP, confirmation that that container actually belongs to them.

Meantime in Arkansas, crews are now looking for three people still missing after a flash flood.

And new concerns about oil oozing its way across the Gulf. Marine experts say sharks may be tough survivors under ordinary circumstances, but the oil, it just might be too much for them.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you again at 4:00 Eastern time.

Right now, time for "YOUR MONEY."