Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President Obama Meets With BP Officials; BP Agrees to Escrow Fund; Gulf Bird Rescue; Oil Disaster Health Effects; Up to 60,000 Barrels of Gushing Oil; What's Hot; Shrimp, Oysters, Bait Gone
Aired June 16, 2010 - 11:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Day 58 of this oil disaster. We have a new development on the efforts to capture even more of the oil that's escaping. This morning, BP announced that a second containment system -- they're calling it the Q4000 -- that's now officially in place. This system began funneling even more of the leaking oil and gas on to a vessel on the ocean surface. And BP says it has not yet been able to measure exactly how much oil, how much gas is being captured. We will let you know when we get those numbers.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin in for Tony Harris. Top of the hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM where anything can happen. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
First, of course, oil disaster fears and frustrations. While the President meets with BP executives right now, people on the Gulf Coast are wondering when this problem will be solved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can only see a couple, two or three birds, and that's it. Used to be flocked out everywhere here now. But you don't see them now. They've got nothing to feed on. Nothing but oil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A man trapped for days decides to amputate his own arm to save his own life. The story is amazing. The story here, coming up in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would describe, I guess, what was a near- death experience at that point. I had given up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You are online right now. Guess what? So are we.
Ines Ferre following all the top stories trending on the Internet -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke.
One of the top ones on CNN.com, England versus United States, that game that went on. Well, now it's here Lego style.
Also, how much time are you spending online, and what are you doing? Twenty-two percent of you are using social media -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Ines, thank you.
Let's get going, shall we?
Let's start with our lead story. That being oil disaster.
We're counting the days for you here at CNN. We're on day 58.
We are following all the latest developments at the White House for you this hour. And inside the White House, here's what's happening.
You see these guys? These are executives from BP. They were walking in this morning. They are having this face-to-face meeting with President Obama.
The president essentially demanding that BP set up this escrow fund to cover all those damages from the oil disaster. And we should be hearing from the president himself in just a couple of minutes about that meeting with BP officials. Of course, will bring you that live from the Rose Garden as soon as we see the president.
But in the meantime, let's talk about the speech last night, right, the president's 18-minute speech to the nation from the Oval Office. He really promised that he will make BP pay.
And I want to bring in White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, who is going to be talking about hopefully some sort of an idea as to what we're expecting to get out of that meeting.
Suzanne, and as I mentioned, really the key sticking point, it seems like, as he alluded to last night, is this escrow fund to help pay.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Brooke. And if you can, if our cameras pan over and just see a live shot of all the cameras that are gaggled outside of West Wing, the Oval Office there, that is the stakeout position, that is where we're waiting to hear from BP officials who have been participating in this meeting with the president.
And Brooke, I cannot overstate this. This was a massive meeting here.
You had not only the president, the vice president, in the first 20 minutes, and popping by again, but you had a whole entourage, really, of power play, if you will, by this White House with people who are meeting with about a half-dozen BP officials. We are talking about the secretaries of Homeland Security, Interior, Energy, Agriculture. You have the attorney general, the person who is in charge of the Claims Office. All of these people sitting across with those BP officials, first and foremost, yes, to make BP pay. We don't know if there was any kind of derriere kicking, but we do know that that was the theme. And it's based on the whole idea of forcing BP to set up an escrow account, a fund, some money set aside to help pay for damages through claims, run through an independent administrator. We are looking at the tunes of multibillion dollars, perhaps as much as $20 billion set aside.
This is the reason for this meeting. This is what we are expecting to hear from the president, as well as BP officials, whether or not they have come up with some sort of agreement and deal.
We do know that they have been talking before, Brooke. It's not like that this is a new idea. And it does sound like BP officials seem to be leaning towards what the White House wants.
Here is how David Axelrod, a top adviser to the president, put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, WHITE HOUSE SR. ADVISER: We've obviously had discussions with them. Nothing has been finalized. That will happen today.
But it's fair to say that they understand our position and they understand the position they're in. And we expect them to meet their responsibilities, their legal and moral responsibilities, to people in the Gulf. And we're going to make sure that that happens today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Brooke, as one person put it, it is about nitty-gritty negotiations, trying to make sure they're on the same page about this. And we have also been told from White House officials, it is not like they are fighting this tooth and nail, like it's a battle royale going on. That in some ways, BP executives, they, too, want to set up something that works well, in conjunction with the White House.
But we do expect to hear from both sides, the president in the Rose Garden later. That's likely -- very likely, Brooke, we're told to be pushed back, because this meeting has been extended.
And you see those cameras outside at the stakeout position. Everybody wants to know, you know, what happened there? What was the tone? What was the tenor? You know, did you have a little kicking going on like the president had actually promised?
We shall see.
BALDWIN: We shall see. And unfortunately, Suzanne, we can't see the picture of the gaggle, but we can only imagine how many cameras and the media presence out there.
MALVEAUX: Dozens and dozens of cameras, photographers, reporters. People we haven't seen in months, they're here today at the White House to see this unfold.
BALDWIN: This is the day to be at the White House. And Suzanne, thanks for the heads up. The president may be running late. Guess we shouldn't really be surprised.
Suzanne Malveaux for us from Washington.
Now, also, estimates here on the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf. Guess what? They keep rising.
Government scientists now saying between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels are spewing out each day. That estimate last week was right around 20,000 to 40,000 barrels.
Now, these new numbers translate to as much as 2.5 million gallons a day. And it's the fifth time here the flow rate estimate has been adjusted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're estimating 1,000 barrels per day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 barrels a day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five thousand barrels a day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The flow rate technical group has determined the overall estimate potentially flowing from the well is a range of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day.
ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: Twelve thousand to 19,000, and 12,000 to 25,000. We should be in the range of somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 barrels a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Fishing, hotels, restaurants -- these are just some of the businesses here that are really suffering from this oil disaster. And BP -- you know this -- they have been criticized for being too slow to handle all these claims. And now President Obama, as we just heard from Suzanne, wants this independent third party, this escrow account, to help handle that payout.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of this company's recklessness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, how much has BP paid out so far?
Ines Ferre is here to tell us. Ines, you talked to BP today. Did you not?
FERRE: Yes, that's right. We spoke with them this morning, Brooke. And so far, this is what they have told us.
This is how much. They've got 25 claim offices that are open now with over 120 operators that are handling these calls. And BP is saying that they've gotten 51,592 claims so far, and they've paid more than 25,000 payments.
Now, as far as how much that translates to, well, that translates to approximately $69.7 million. And they expect to pay out $85 million by the end of the week.
Now, clearly, Brooke, there's of a lot of frustration when it comes to claims and businesses that are suffering. It's a whole process to fill out the forms, submit documentation for it. And one woman in Alabama says that her shop pulled together all the paperwork and submitted their claim, but so far, they haven't received any money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are having to pull I think capital gain for the last four years or three years. And we're having to work with an accountant to get it. We've seen nothing. Nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: Now, a BP spokeswoman says that they know that they have to improve things, that they want to make things more efficient. BP announced that they are making improvements to make the process faster, Brooke, especially with larger claims, those that are more than $5,000 -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: And we keep seeing those numbers up and up and up. Ines, thank you.
Want to get straight to this picture. Guess what? We just got a picture from inside the White House.
You know how we have been talking about this meeting happening in the Roosevelt Room? This is between President Obama and those high-up BP executives.
Well, there they are, sitting around. You have CEO Tony Hayward for one. There, of course, is the president. Admiral Thad Allen is there, a number of folks both on the administration side and from BP.
Of course, it's a closed-door meeting, so we don't know what they're talking about. But we hope to have some idea. Suzanne Malveaux told us we should be hearing from the president. We should be hearing a little bit later, as they have a lot to talk about in these nitty-gritty negotiations, per White House officials.
The president, again, expected in the Rose Garden, we're hearing any minute now -- who really knows -- for these remarks following that meeting with BP executives. And, of course, as soon as we see the president coming out in the Rose Garden, we'll bring that to you live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And a lot of people along the Gulf Coast say the oil disaster will just absolutely wreck their lives. And CNN's Ali Velshi, he's been down there, and he's been really listening to some of the fears, the concerns in the heart of the disaster zone. And they all gathered last night at this town hall in Lafitte, Louisiana, just to watch the president address the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have sons working for -- everything they do is with the oil industries. I have fishermen in the family. And I don't know what my grandchildren and great grandchildren are going to be doing in the future if we don't stop the oil from coming in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, how are the oil-soaked animals doing? Our own Gary Tuchman will take us along with wildlife crews trying to save some of the birds along the Gulf Coast.
But first, here is what you are saying about President Obama's speech on the oil disaster from last night.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they were talking about regulations, and they were saying the oil drilling in the Gulf, to keep maintaining the oil drills -- oil wells. And I was thinking that they were talking like important politicians.
I think what they need is some kind of oilman that knows the oil rigs real well. I don't think they need a politician to look at that who doesn't know what's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not happy the at all with President Obama's response. It seems like he's more interested in raising taxes and doing things (ph) for BP than he is in solving the crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I thought he handled the speech very well last night. He had three things he needed to accomplish, and he did that.
First, he had to say what they were doing down there to clean up the Gulf. And he did that.
Second, he had to say that BP was going to be held accountable and people were going to be paid. He did that.
Third, he talked about new energy. He did everything he needed to do.
(END AUDIO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Well, we're getting some breaking news. You know how we've been talking about this meeting that's happening right now in the White House, in the Roosevelt Room, between President Obama and those BP execs. By the way, this is the first time the two sides shave met face to face.
We are just now hearing -- and again, taking a picture, a snapshot, inside that room. This is according to John King. Let me read my e-mail.
He is reporting that a senior administration official is confirming to CNN that BP agreed before today's meeting, but they're making this commitment in person, today, there inside the Roosevelt Room, to fund this escrow fund in the ballpark of $20 billion.
In fact, John King, host of "JOHN KING USA," on the phone with me now.
And John, this is huge.
JOHN KING, HOST, "JOHN KING USA": Brooke, it is a big commitment in the ballpark of $20 billion. The administration says it's $20 billion as sort of the initial commitment.
They don't want to say this is a final number, because they don't know. They still don't know the scope of the damages here and the scope of the claims BP will be required to play, not only for the economic damage -- all those fishermen and oil workers out of work -- but also the lasting environmental cleanup and restoration.
And there will be some disputes in this fight. Don't get this wrong.
Now, you just had that picture up. Think how fast the White House put up that picture.
They want this image out there, the president across the table with the BP team. They want to portray the image that this president and the administration team are being tough here.
And this $20 billion escrow fund was negotiated in advance. BP knew the president was going to demand it and he was to be quite defiant if they refused. So, they had an agreement before the meeting that BP would fund this fund.
The question now is, will there be a fight down the road? Because BP says, let's say the workers who work for other oil companies in the deepwater rigs out there, the president has a moratorium on drilling. BP says, hey, we're not legally liable for those workers.
But the administration says, well, we had to issue that moratorium, or we felt we had to issue it, because of what you did, your spill. So there may be legal fights down the road. But the administration will be quite happy today, Brooke, to at least be able to say that the president did get a commitment of at least $20 billion to fund the claims process. One of the other things they're seeking in this meeting is a third party claims process to get BP and to get some distance from the government, to have somebody step in and do this, they hope, in a more efficient and more quick way.
BALDWIN: And John, let me just ask you a question, because I know there were some concerns or questions about how the White House would have the legal authority to force, essentially, BP to create this escrow fund.
Was this simply on BP's own volition? Or, I have to imagine the White House is pushing in that direction, correct?
KING: The administration said it was prepared to go to court, and it was prepared to try to prove that it did have the legal authority, if this became a fight. But BP has said up front that it wants to do the right thing here.
The question is, if this $20 billion is not enough, will there be fights in the courts over some of the particulars, about exactly what BP is responsible to pay for down the road? But in the short term, this is a victory for the administration, and BP will say it is part of its commitment to prove to the skeptics out there that it is fully committed to paying everything that it is responsible to pay for.
BALDWIN: And it's a good point to make. Look, you're right, the White House got this picture out pretty quickly this morning. And the president has certainly been criticized for not being tough enough on BP, and there you see him on one side of the table, BP execs on the other side.
John King, thank you so much for calling in and just giving us a little bit of perspective on this.
Want to remind you again, we're waiting for President Obama to step out of that Roosevelt Room, into the Rose Garden, to talk a little bit about what they had been discussing, to talk more about this big breaking news that they have established, this escrow fund -- or BP is agreeing to establish this escrow fund in the neighborhood of $20 billion.
We will have more on that when we see it live here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And again, huge news out of Washington. Breaking news.
If we can, let's take a live take a live picture of the White House as I reiterate this point, that we're just getting information from a senior administration official confirming to CNN that BP has indeed agreed -- in fact, they agreed before today's meeting at the White House -- on making this commitment in person today, in the Roosevelt Room, to fund this escrow fund in the ballpark of $20 billion. We are waiting again to hear from President Obama, hopefully at some point this hour. Step out into the Rose Garden.
We could also hear from some of those senior executives at BP. As soon, again, as we see them, we'll bring it to you live.
There, a live picture of a Marine standing outside of that main door, and you can imagine just the gaggle, as Suzanne Malveaux was describing, of all the reporters, photojournalists, just sort of waiting with baited breath, covering this big day at the White House. Again, this is the first time the president has met face-to-face with folks from BP, including CEO Tony Hayward.
Meantime, if it you are wondering what else could go wrong for BP in the Gulf on this 58th day of the oil disaster, well, parish leaders in Louisiana say a BP cleanup crew trampled the nesting ground of brown pelicans and other birds on Queen Bess Island. That is near Grand Isle.
These pictures that have been released show dead baby chicks and broken eggs. The brown pelican, by the way, just came off the endangered list last year.
So far, no response from BP.
Meantime, rescue efforts continue to save as many birds as possible. But with so much wildlife really to save out there, and so little time, volunteers are lining up to help.
But as Gary Tuchman reports, they're being told, hey, thanks, but no thanks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep into Louisiana marshland, searching for pelicans and gulls struggling to survive.
(on camera): There are thousands of birds just in this one location, one small barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. At any time, every one of these birds could plunge into the water to get a fish and ends up mired in oil.
(voice-over): And that's what Michael Carloss with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is looking for.
MICHAEL CARLOSS, LA. DEPT. OF WILDLIFE & FISHERIES: See a little opening in that grass? I think he's sitting right in there.
TUCHMAN: We then see it, too, a baby seagull drenched in oil, barely moving.
The gull is one of more than 600 visibly oiled birds that have now been rescued in Louisiana since this oil disaster occurred, and brought for cleaning and care to a center that has opened in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The bird we have spotted is being rescued by state and wildlife workers. Other birds are rescued by federal wildlife workers. However, there are many other bird experts and enthusiasts who want to participate in rescues, but are being told at this time by the state and federal agencies they are not interested in help from outsiders.
Drew Wheelan from the American Birding Association says there are hundreds of people from other parts of the country experienced to dealing with birds covered with oil.
DREW WHEELAN, AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION: I cannot see any reason why they would not want as many people here as possible.
TUCHMAN: The Humane Society of the United States agrees, the president of the organization is saying, "We need more trained people and boats working in the Gulf, and we need more boats deployed to search in a more systematic way for the animals in distress."
But the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says, "We have the resources to handle the job at hand at this time. The volunteers who have offered services simply need to be ready to respond when the call comes, when that time comes."
CARLOSS: I think the misconception may be that we're not doing our best. And, you know, I would argue that our field staff was doing their absolute best.
TUCHMAN: State officials say even if they haven't dealt with oil spills, they know their birds and their bird habitats. Plus, they say, almost boat and housing resources are being used.
CARLOSS: It's a chick, too.
TUCHMAN: As a baby seagull is handed over for cleaning, we don't know for sure if it will survive. What we do know for sure is that there's plenty of disagreement about the rescue operation and that there are many more birds that needed to be saved.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Grand Isle, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Well, we here at CNN, of course, have been tracking your responses to the president's speech last night. The question we're asking: Did it reassure you?
Josh Levs has been interacting with you on Facebook, Twitter, our blog.
Josh, what are you hearing?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You do the same thing, right? You're just kind of busy for a couple hours right now.
Yes, look, we all want to hear from you as much as we can. And I'll tell you something, I was saying earlier, last hour, that it seemed like it was 50/50, what we were getting earlier in terms of responses to the president. Now it's a little bit more criticism overall.
We're hearing some more critiques of the president and more criticism of what he had to say last night. But I'm going to show you both sides.
This is from our blog.
"I think President Obama should get new advisers since he has been behind on this bill since beginning. He has been not a leader on this."
That's from Ernie.
Here's Lynn. "I cannot believe that everyone wants to blame Obama for not doing enough. Give me a break. He and the rest of us are at the mercy of the people trying to fix this."
Let's jump over to Facebook.
"The president is right. The time to embrace a clean energy future is now. The president will see that BP pays. I am very encouraged."
That's Monique.
Here is from Ardith. "I agree BP has destroyed it, but Obama is has impeded the recovery efforts by dragging his administration's feet. Red tape and politics have been thrown in the face of all of us trying to save the Gulf."
One more here. "I voted for President Obama. I won't vote for anybody but Dennis Kucinich in 2012. I don't want meaningless platitudes from the Oval Office. Actions speak louder than words."
That's from Catherine.
I also mentioned we're following your iReports. Let's take a look at one iReport we received.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMEKONGO DIBINGA, IREPORTER: I believe that he showed a stance that really should show the American people that he is serious about this problem and making sure that it gets resolved. Unfortunately, it's come over 50 days too late in the minds of many Americans. And there is just simply not much President Obama can do at this point, because people do feel like his response is too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: It's interesting (ph) the way he is seeing the reactions around America.
Here's how you can weigh in right now. We've got conversations going all day long at the blog, CNN.com/Josh. I'm also at Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.
I also keep posting our latest information as the breaking news happens. So, if for any reason you have to be even feet away from your TV, make sure you keep online with us, CNN.com. All the latest stories for you there.
So, Brooke, we're going to keep an eye on this, see what people say, especially today, as a result of this meeting and the big news that we're getting from that.
BALDWIN: Took the words out of my mouth, friend. Exactly.
We want to hear from you.
You know, we're waiting. At some point this hour, we should be seeing the president step out into the Rose Garden. You know, speak about this disaster, speak about this meeting.
Again, the White House very quickly releasing this picture. You have administration officials on the right, BP folks on the left.
Again, breaking story. This hour, we're hearing from senior administration officials that, in fact, before this meeting even happened today inside the White House, BP agreed to fund an escrow fund in the ballpark of $20 billion. Remember, that is all to help compensate those workers who have lost all kinds of money, all those damages, as a result of this massive oil disaster.
Stay here. CNN NEWSROOM rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
BALDWIN: We're all waiting to hear from Mr. Obama, live from the Rose Garden, speaking on the disaster. It could happen any minute now.
As soon as we see it, we'll bring it to you live, here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Fifty-eight days now into the BP oil disaster, and businesses that weathered Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina now are really struggling to survive this manmade catastrophe.
Case in point -- take a look with me -- bed and breakfasts like this one. This is Romar House. This is in Orange Beach, Alabama.
You see him. He's picking up those tar balls. This is owner Darrell Finley. He says these tar balls are washing up on shore. They have driven customers and wildlife away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRELL FINLEY, ROMAR HOUSE INN: Look at the people you see. Where are they all at? Usually in June, I mean, you've got people walking all up and down the beach.
You only see a couple -- two or three birds. You know, and that's it. It used to be they flocked everywhere out here, but you don't see them now. They have nothing to feed on, nothing but oil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, shrimp fishermen in Alabama say, look, it's bad enough they're out of work because of the oil disaster. But some in Fairhope say they can't even get jobs helping clean up the mess. They're frustrated. They say they're getting the runaround from BP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son's got a boat. I've got a boat. Well, I've got two boats. And they all are sitting here.
RAY FARMER, FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA, SHRIMPER: You call up, they'll take information from you, the size of your boat. And then they turn right around and you don't hear anything. They tell you to go on -- I think it's DeepwaterHorizon.com, whatever. And you go on there, and they'll run you around in a circle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Another concern here, the oil spill raising concerns about just eating the Gulf seafood. And people living along the Gulf Coast who have been exposed to the oil of those dispersants may also be concerned about the possible side-effects.
And our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joining me to address some of these points.
And I guess point number one being, is it safe to eat?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And that was the topic of a Senate hearing yesterday and another Senate hearing today.
BALDWIN: Wow.
COHEN: Everyone's wondering, is it safe to eat? And what we've been told is that it is. Let's take a listen to some sound from yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE TAYLOR, FDA DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: Because of the aggressive action by NOAA to close waters, you know, we're confident that if it's on the market today, that shrimp and other seafood taken from the Gulf is safe. We're -- those are very aggressive, preventative measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: You had that fisherman on just now who said my boats aren't going anywhere. That's because the waters have been closed down because people are afraid what's going to happen if you eat those fish. So that's less of a concern than the health of the people who are out there cleaning up this stuff.
Some concerns. We don't really know what could happen to them. No one's really studied it. This is an unprecedented event, both in terms of the length of the exposure, the amount of time people will be out there cleaning it up, and also just that it's not oil, it's also the dispersants that people are getting exposed to.
BALDWIN: Right. So I know you were down there. I know you talked to the wife of one of the fishermen who said he was feeling sick. And you bring up a good point about the dispersants. You know, people are concerned because hurricane season is already here, right, and so what if a hurricane comes and it just kind of covers, I don't know, people, the homes, their areas with not only oil, but those dispersants?
COHEN: Right. The concern is, is that a hurricane could push the oil and the dispersants closer in to shore. And there was a question about that to a federal official at yesterday's hearings. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: Can I be confident that we have plans for worst-case scenario? Dr. Kapawitz (ph)?
DR KAPAWITZ: We still have to worry about all the things we worry about with hurricanes, that that's what's going to have the biggest immediate impact on people. And, quite frankly, once again, we don't know what the impact is going to be.
HARKIN: Another big hurricane comes and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: All right, you heard it right there, we don't know what the impact of the hurricane is going to be. Because you have -- and, again, we haven't had this situation. This much oil, this amount of dispersants, plus a hurricane sending them in. Who knows? I mean you can talk to -- I've talked to some experts who aren't horribly worried and then I talked to other experts who are quite worried. There's really no good data out there.
BALDWIN: Because there's no precedent for that really.
COHEN: Right, there's no -- exactly, no precedent.
BALDWIN: Wow. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
How far would you go to save your own life? Would you actually cut off your own arm? Well, Connecticut homeowner Jonathan Metz got his arm caught between a heating vent and his furnace. And for 12 very long hours, I'm sure, he screamed for help and no one answered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN METZ, STUCK IN FURNACE FOR THREE DAYS: At that point I had a decision to make. I could continue to shout and hope somebody came, or I could come up with something else. As luck would have it, I had the blades that I would use with some of my power tools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The blade with the power tools. It took him six more hours to get the gumption. Halfway through he was cutting, he hit an artery, drifted in and out of consciousness for another 18 hours before help arrived. Amazingly we saw him. He's OK.
Again, a reminder, we're waiting for President Obama to step out of the White House after he's been meeting with BP oil execs, talking specifically about this escrow fund that we've now learned from senior administration officials that will be set up on behalf of BP. $20 billion of an escrow fund. We should be hearing from the president, possibly also some of those executives from BP outside of the White House at any point this hour. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's take a quick look at the front page of cnnmoney.com, talking about Tylenol recalls spur shortages. You can get all your money news, of course, there. Walking over here, you can check your latest numbers on Wall Street. Dow right now down about eight points, sitting at 10,396.
And for the fifth time here since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, government scientists are raising their estimate for exactly how much oil is flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Patricia Wu joins us from New York.
And now, Patricia, we are hearing as much as potentially, what, 60,000 barrels a day?
PATRICIA WU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Brooke. That's as much as a 50 percent increase from previous estimates.
Now, 60,000 barrels, a pretty big number. So let's break it down to everyday terms. It takes 42 of these gallon jugs of milk to fill just one barrel. So 42 times 60,000? We're talking about 2.5 million gallons a day. That's enough to fill four Olympic-size swimming pools.
Another way to look at it, a tanker truck you might see on the highway holds about 200 barrels. So it would take 300 of these tankers to equal 60,000 barrels.
As for the total estimated amount that has been spilled since the rig exploded on April 20th, well, imagine yourself at Niagara Falls. It flows at a rate of 3,500 barrels every second. If that were oil, you'd have to watch for 16 minutes to see the amount that's spilled into the Gulf over the last 58 days.
And one more example. Assuming 60,000 barrels a day for 58 straight days, well, that would fill half of the Empire State Building. And we're talking about a building that has 102 floors, Brooke.
BALDWIN: So bottom line, Patricia, I'm hearing this is a lot of oil. And I think it's safe to say, you know, these oil estimates have kind of been this moving target, right? I think it started out as something like 1,000 barrels a day. So the question is then, can we trust this latest estimate?
WU: Well, it's been really challenging to estimate, because the leak's about a mile below the surface of the water. The government says that this 35,000 to 60,000 number is the most comprehensive estimate to date. But it probably won't be the final word. Scientists will continue to refine the number as they get more data.
Now, why does the number matter? Well, BP may have to pay fines of up to $4,300 for every barrel spilled. So getting that right number is critical. With BP's original estimate of just 1,000 barrels a day, they could have owed $249 million over 58 days. But if it's 60,000 barrels a day, we're talking potential fines of $15 billion, Brooke. So a big difference there.
BALDWIN: It's a big difference. It's important to get all that oil calculated, get those numbers right.
Patricia Wu for us in New York, thank you.
By the way, we're getting a lot of new information, just keeps coming in today, here on this oil disaster, the response. And here's what we're hearing now. Administration officials confirming this "New York Times" report that the 9/11 fund administrator, remember this name, Kenneth Feinberg? He is now the White House choice to oversee this claims and escrow process.
The source said this was among the action items to be negotiated and finalized in those talks today inside that meeting room as President Obama and those BP oil execs are talking. So as of the beginning of the meeting, not a done deal. But among the items they had been negotiated with BP, of course, in these days ahead of the meeting.
Want to remind you, again, we are waiting for President Obama to step out of that Rose Garden to speak on the oil disaster and also to speak about this escrow fund that it sounds like, according to a senior administration official, BP has agreed to set up. We're talking $20 billion of an escrow fund. So as soon as we see the president and possibly some of these executives from BP, we'll bring it to you live.
But for now, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to get you to a CNN oil alert now. We are on day 58 here of the leak in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama meets face-to- face at the White House, bam, right there, talking with top BP executives. We're waiting to hear from the president on that meeting. And now there's word the company has agreed to set up an escrow account somewhere we're hearing in the ballpark of $20 billion to pay for damage claims. The president's point man on the crisis, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen will update us on the leak at the top of the hour. We will have live coverage of that.
Moving over here to Seattle, Washington. A police officer is under investigation after punching a teenage girl in the face. This is trending huge on the Internet right now. Reports say the officer punched the 17-year-old girl after she shoved him. It happened during a jaywalking stop when the girl reportedly was trying to intervene during the arrest of her friend.
And we take you over here all the way to Indonesia. An outbreak of earthquakes. At least half a dozen quakes have hit today near the northern coast of Papua. The biggest, a magnitude 7. At least two deaths are reported there, and more than 400 homes are damaged.
Back in Washington, we're still waiting to hear from President Obama after this big meeting. The first time he has actually met face- to-face with those BP executives, including CEO Tony Hayward. We should be hearing more potentially about this escrow fund that BP has agreed to set up, according to some of these senior administration officials, when it comes to paying up from this oil disaster.
CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A lot of you have been weighing in on President Obama's Oval Office speech on the Gulf oil disaster from last night. And last hour we assembled a round table from the Gulf area, including a hotel owner, an environments and a commercial fishermen. And I asked all of them how they would grade the president's speech and the response to the disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAKER CLARK, OWNER, NAVARRE BEECH BEST WESTERN HOTEL: Yes. Well, the president waited 60 days. He should have been on television two days after. He should have dropped the Jones Act and brought the world in on this thing. With the Dutch and the Norwegians have massive skimmer ships, and they weren't allowed to come in because of the Jones Act. That should have been weighed two days into it.
BALDWIN: Baker, just let me just --
CLARK: It wasn't even mentioned.
BALDWIN: Let me jump in, because people may be saying, what in the world is the Jones Act. That essentially helps regulate U.S. maritime commerce. So for a ship to go from a U.S. port to another U.S. port, it needs to be built in the U.S., it needs to be a U.S. ship, and now they're asking for foreign aid, of course, to come in. Baker, thank you.
Want to go to Casi.
Casi, what was your grade? We heard -- we got an F. What's yours?
CASI CALLAWAY, MOBILE BAYKEEPER: No, I gave the president a C. He really hit the high marks for us. He talked about clean-up -- the clean-up is not an A, not a C, frankly. But the restoration projects, his goals, we are happy to sign up with the Navy admiral who's going to help us with restoration. We're hoping he gets involved in the work we've already established and created. And -- but the energy policy, good, but no substance. We really need to know details on that.
BALDWIN: And I'm sure more details will come forward.
Casi, thank you.
Clint, what was your grade of the president?
CLINT GUIDRY, COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN: D minus.
BALDWIN: D minus.
GUIDRY: D minus. At least he said the word shrimper. At least he said the word shrimper. And he talked about the boat blessing (ph) that I've been going to.
BALDWIN: That made you feel good.
GUIDRY: Well, how many American presidents talked about my boat blessing that I go to every year. But, you know, he still has to come a long way. I mean this is a -- it's too much -- too much has gone on that he should have been involved with. Up until -- my first priority has been, for the last 30 days, has been trying to stop BP, or whoever's in charge. And whoever wants to claim responsibility for being in charge, I'll give it to him.
We still don't have a safe work environment. I've got a lot of refinery experience. I know what chemicals do and I know what you need to protect yourself. And that's not happening. And until my shrimpers start telling me that BP is going to take responsibility and say that it is an unsafe work environment and give them the right protection, I'm not going to like anything he says because it's all promises that are empty. He's not in control of the situation until my shrimpers tell me that they have the right equipment to work with and the right safety protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Well, we heard from the president last night. Now another reminder, we're waiting to hear from him today, though I am hearing from my producer it's now raining in Washington, so perhaps we won't get that live picture. Yes, you see the guy in the poncho. We may not see him at the Rose Garden, but we could see him somewhere around the White House speaking about that meeting with top BP executives. And, again, as soon as we see the president or any of those BP execs, we'll take it live.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
BALDWIN: Nice. Nice animation. OK. So we're checking out -- we're online. We're checking out "What's Hot." Ines Ferre tasked with that.
People love their Legos.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they totally do. And this one's from cnn.com. and this is a German enthusiast that put this together. He put this little Lego reenactment of the England/USA game, which was 1-1, right?
BALDWIN: Which is a tie.
FERRE: Which was a tie, exactly. And it was -- so he's got all the kind of highlights of that game. And I think this is one of the best highlights that I think would interest people is where the goalie -- the English goalie -- almost, almost catches the ball, but its just slips by.
BALDWIN: Slips right on past.
FERRE: Exactly.
BALDWIN: I watched that.
FERRE: And then this next one is from the latimes.com. And so they actually have done something on the North Korean fans that were at the World Cup. Very little North Korean fans, right?
BALDWIN: Right.
FERRE: I mean you only had a couple of -- a little -- two little pockets. They were saying about 40 people each.
BALDWIN: And they wanted more. They wanted it to look like more.
FERRE: And -- yes, exactly. And so the question is, is where do these -- the fans come from, because the Chinese news agency had said that North Korea had actually given them tickets to go to the World Cup for -- so that they could travel. But it turns out that there were North Korean fans there that said, no, yes, we came from Pyongyang and we were -- we were selected by the government to come and to represent North Korea.
BALDWIN: So were they Chinese fans rooting on North Korea?
FERRE: They were -- no, they were North Korean fans.
BALDWIN: OK.
FERRE: They were North Korean fans. And, in fact, then Wyatt (ph), one of our reporters, did a back story on it as well.
BALDWIN: Oh, yes? FERRE: North Korean fans that went there. Because, you know, most of them were Brazilian.
And then the next one is on how you spend your time on the Internet.
BALDWIN: I spend a lot of time.
FERRE: A lot of time. Usage has gone up on the Internet worldwide and a lot of people are spending time on social media as well.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Ines Ferre, thank you. I know we're running out of time. We've been talking a lot about oil, a lot about Obama. I want to talk more about more reactions to President Obama's pressure on BP. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he started hollering loud enough, early enough. He should have been jumped on the head (ph) right from the get-go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A bait shop owner on the Gulf Coast shows us just how bad things are. His livelihood vanishing, as oil pollution devastates those Gulf waters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Fifty-eight days now into the oil disaster. Hear from bait shop owner Russell Collier in Louisiana. He talks to our own John King.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSSELL COLLIER, OWNER, BAYOU BAIT SHOP: I get called about every day for gallons of oysters, and I just don't have one. I don't even have one for a po'boy.
The bait's gone. There's my bait boat sitting right there that hasn't been out in forever. Normally, this tank is -- the water level is way on up that pipe. And then we've got anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000 to 7,000 live shrimp in at any given time.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But you've got shrimp tanks empty?
COLLIER: Shrimp tanks empty.
KING: Oysters empty.
COLLIER: Oyster shops closed up.
KING: Will BP make up the difference for you there?
COLLIER: Well, we just turned it over to them. You know, we filled out the paperwork and whatever. We just hadn't heard anything yet.
KING: If you had five minutes with the president of the United States, what would you tell him?
COLLIER: He probably wouldn't want to hear it. I don't think he started hollering loud enough, early enough. He should have been jumped on the head right from the get go. If it wouldn't be for BP paying all these people right here, there would be drastic, drastic problems.
