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President Obama Touts Recovery Act; Inside Joran van der Sloot's Prison Cell; The Color of Beauty; Oil Disaster's Effect on Shrimpers; Small Town's Fight Against Oil; The Help Desk; What's Hot
Aired June 18, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a big deal.
(LAUGHTER)
And I think it's fitting that we have reached this milestone here in this community, because what you're doing here is a perfect example of the kind of innovation and coordination and renewal that the Recovery Act is driving all across the country.
A lot of people came together to make this day possible -- business and government, grassroots organizations, ordinary citizens who are committed to the city's futures. And what you're starting here is more than just a project to repair a road. It's a partnership to transform a community.
Now, Mayor Coleman was describing for me all how these pieces fit together on the way over here. So the city is using recovery dollars to rebuild the infrastructure. And because of that, in part, the hospital is expanding its operations to take even better care of more people, more children, here in Columbus and throughout Ohio, which means they're hiring more people.
So, together, you're creating more than 2,300 new jobs, and sending a powerful message that this neighborhood will soon be a place where more families can thrive, more businesses can prosper, economic development that's being sparked today is going to continue into the future. And my understanding is, because the hospital is now growing, that means they're putting money back into the neighborhood for housing and other facilities so that the entire community starts rebuilding.
Ultimately, that's the purpose of the Recovery Act, not just to jump start the economy and get us out of the hole we're in now, but to make the investments that will spur growth and spread prosperity and pay dividends to our communities for generations to come.
Since I was here last year, we have begun to see progress all across the country. Businesses are beginning to hire again.
Our economy, which was shrinking by six percent when I was sworn in, is now growing at a good clip, and we have added jobs for six out of the past seven months in this country. We were losing 700,000 jobs a month. For the last six out of the last seven months, we have increased jobs here the in the United States of America, in part because of the policies that these members of Congress were willing to step and implement.
Now, I'm under no illusion that we we're where we need to be at. I know that a lot of families and communities have yet to feel the effects of the recovery in their own lives.
There are still too many people here in Ohio and across the country who can't find work, many more who can't make ends meet. And for these folks, the only jobs we create that matter are the ones that provide for their families. So, while the recovery may start with projects like this, it can't end here.
The truth is, if we want to keep on adding jobs, if we want to keep on raising incomes, if we want to keep growing both our economy and our middle class, if we want to ensure that Americans can compete with any nation in the world, we're going to have to get serious about our long-term vision for this country, and we're going to have to get serious about our infrastructure. And I want to say a few words with infrastructure generally.
Along with investments in health care and education, clean energy, and a 21st century financial system that protects consumers and our economy, rebuilding our infrastructure is one of the keys to our future prosperity. If we're going to rebuild America's economy, then we've got to rebuild America, period, from the ports and the airways that ship our goods, to the roads and the transit system that moves our workers and connects cities and businesses.
Now, some of this work involves fixing infrastructure that's already in place -- patching up roads, repairing bridges, replacing old sewer lines. And the Recovery Act has made important investments in all these things. I mean, we've got a huge backlog of work just with the infrastructure we've got that could put hundreds of thousands of people to work all across the country, just repairing roads that we already have and fixing sewer lines that are badly in need of repair.
But here's the thing, Columbus. Repairing our existing infrastructure is not enough.
We can't build an economy that sustains our kids and our grandkids just by relying on the infrastructure that we inherited from our parents and our grandparents. We can't let other countries get the jump on us when it comes to broadband access. There's no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains instead of the United States.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama in Columbus, Ohio, focusing on the economy. He is there to mark the 10,000th road project to be funded by the Recovery Act. It is expected to create more than 300 jobs.
The Obama administration says $620 billion in Recovery Act money has been spent so far, and officials say that has resulted in 2.5 million jobs saved or created.
Let's get the details behind the numbers on the stimulus money and jobs.
Fort that, let's turn to Christine Romans of our CNN Money team.
Christine, walk us through this, flesh this out a bit.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the White House, and the office of the vice president, in particular, are calling this "Recovery Summer." They say that you're going to look around and you're going to see so many more projects this year than last year. And they detail it.
Highway projects, you're going to see six times as many this year, compared with last summer. Clean water projects, 20 times more. Home weatherization, 27 times more. Projects of the national parks up eight times.
So, the money is out there. It's working. And specifically, in those infrastructure jobs, according to White House and the office of the vice president, you're going to see infrastructure stuff at work.
Remember last summer we heard people saying, now, wait a minute, all this money is -- how come we're not spending more money quickly? How come it's not all going out the door? Well, it was always meant to be staggered, so you're seeing an awful lot of it at work here now.
I wanted to show you how it breaks down, because it's not all just projects, you know. They have spent $620 billion, they say, so far, but there was tax relief, so you already had the Making Work Pay tax credit in your paycheck. And, in fact, probably when you're paying your taxes this year, you noticed that. Eight payments to states and the like, an awful lot there.
And, so, they say when you look at trajectory of the 3.5 million jobs saved or created that they promised from this epic, epic spending plan, they show you where we are on that trajectory. The goal is 3.5 million. They say here by the end of March, you were at about 2.5 million. That's according to the White House.
But I'll tell you something. You know, this is -- even as people are talking about concerns in the housing market again -- and this is also -- I mean, you talk about the president here talking about infrastructure.
Remember, last weekend he sent a letter to congressional leaders saying we're at a crossroads here in the economy, and that he was actually saying we need more spending to make sure that we don't slip backwards, in his words to Congress, really pushing for more money to be spent. After all that was spent, there is really not a lot of appetite for spending more among some people who say, well, this has been epic spending already, and they're worried --
HARRIS: Talk about a tough sell. Oh boy. All right.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Yes, it is a tough sell.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: And I also think -- you know, and I'm wondering what you think about this, Tony. The drumbeat all week has been about government impotence in BP and in the Gulf Coast, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: So, talking about stimulus again changes the page a little bit for the White House and shows something that they hope people will see is where the government is working, where the government is working for you, getting people out on these road crews and the like.
So, I sense a trying to turn the page here a little bit and show something where the government is at work, and not necessarily where the government is a little bit helpless in terms of the Gulf Coast region.
HARRIS: Yes. Good stuff, Christine. Thank you. Have a great weekend.
ROMANS: Talk to you soon.
HARRIS: OK.
The president talking about saving and creating jobs, but his visit to Columbus is costing some workers' time on the job and the day's pay. The Secret Service shut down a hospital construction site near where the president will be visiting. The workers had mixed reactions to the unexpected long weekend and the loss of a day's wages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB DEVLIN, CONSTRUCTION WORKER: The bosses and all that just told everybody we weren't working tomorrow because the president is coming, and we're just wondering why. You know, because that's $200 a day we're missing out on. You know, everybody needs to eat, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We (ph) have no concerns celebrating a three- day weekend with no holiday pay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow.
Joran van der Sloot, imprisoned on a murder charge in Peru. In another CNN exclusive, we will take a tour of the jail cell he now calls home.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. If you were sitting down, you may want to stand up right now, wherever you are. Right now, stand up for today's "Random Moment."
Check it out. A baby dancing a Brazilian samba -- come on now -- on a kitchen table. A real baby, not one of those animated babies, right?
As you can imagine, the video has gone viral on YouTube. Oh, shaking like a Polaroid picture.
So let's watch it. Check it out.
How about these moves, huh? Some of the moves obviously belonging to Tom Jones.
A Brazilian toddler getting ready for the next World Cup in Brazil, it's our "Random Moment of the Day."
Go, baby. Go, baby. Go, baby. Go.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Terrifying weather in the upper Midwest. Sixty-two funnel clouds reported yesterday across the region. At least three deaths are now confirmed in Minnesota.
Take a look at that video. A twister struck in several parts of the state, damaging homes, businesses and schools. Heavy damage also reported in parts of the Dakotas. This twister in Dupree, South Dakota, caught on tape by storm chasers.
BP -- let's turn to BP now -- is capturing more oil from its busted well as the Gulf crisis reaches day 60. In a briefing this morning, Admiral Thad Allen said BP collected about 25,000 barrels of oil in the 24-hour period ending at midnight Thursday.
Allen and the Coast Guard have come under fire over the efforts to keep the oil from reaching ashore. He says plans are under way to better coordinate those efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, COAST GUARD, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We're organizing these vessel of opportunity in groups, establishing a leader with the capability to communicate. A lot of these boats are very, very small and may or may not have radio systems.
We are also putting automated identification system tracking devices on the larger vessels so we can bring those into our common operating picture and have them actually displayed on a computer. We've actually brought in extra aircraft into the area to increase surveillance as well. Most recently, three additional H65 aircraft were deployed to Air Station New Orleans to provide overhead sighting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. Right now, let's take a quick look at an iReport from Fort Walton Beach. That's in Florida.
Look at what's washing up on shore there. Our iReporters, David and Annette Stamm, say the water was fine until 11:00 yesterday morning. Then gobs of the oil you see there started to arrive.
Aruban authorities are urging Natalee Holloway's father to delay a volunteer hunt for her body until police can get more information from the prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot. Dave Holloway has been looking for his daughter's remains in a swampy area where Van der Sloot reportedly once said he dumped her body.
Van der Sloot is being held on a murder charge in Peru, where investigators say he confessed to killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Peru is known to have some prisons that are pretty tough.
Ines Ferre joining me with more on that part of the story.
Ines, good to see you.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. Good to see you.
And CNN has obtained exclusive access to this jail where Van der Sloot is being held. It's called the Castro prison in Lima, Peru.
This is the prison where Van der Sloot is being held, and it's a maximum security cell. Inmates can exercise, like you see there. They even have an arts and craft area where they paint, they do all these sorts of things.
And here you see Van der Sloot. He's being moved to a secondary cell. And "In Session" correspondent Jean Casarez was preparing to go into his cell to take an exclusive look inside.
Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN CASAREZ, TRUTV CORRESPONDENT: This is the cell of Joran van der Sloot. They just took him out so we could come in here. This is where he lives day in and day out at Castro Castro.
This is his clothes. Remember, you saw him on television in these clothes? He still has them here. Here are his pants. And over here, here's his bed. The mattress.
Here are all of his personal belongings you can see. I see religious books. I see toothpaste. I see the bible right there. I see books that are written in Dutch.
And then, over here, he has his own bathroom. As we've heard, it is a hole in the ground. He's got running water. He's got a sink.
But this is where Joran van der Sloot -- this is where Joran van der Sloot stays. And when we leave, they're going to bring him back right here as he awaits trial here at Castro Castro.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: Now, there are far worse prisons in Peru. Some are saying that if the Peruvian government really wanted to make an example of Van der Sloot, well, they could send him to one not far from one you're seeing right now, one that is so overcrowded, so bad, that it's referred to as Dante's Inferno -- Tony.
HARRIS: Wow. All right. OK.
Ines, some folks would say it couldn't be difficult enough for him.
Ines, good to see you. Thank you. Have a great weekend.
FERRE: You too.
HARRIS: Black models still aren't getting the jobs, certainly not to the degree that white models are. We will talk to our guests who are challenging the beauty standard.
Wow! There is Beverly -- my goodness. It's our "What Matters" segment, and it is next on CNN.
Hello.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. On day 60 of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase in the collection numbers. Admiral Thad Allen says more than one million gallons of oil were collected from BP's ruptured well in the 24-hour period that ended at midnight Thursday.
Other top stories that we're following for you.
(NEWSBREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think sometimes it is so blatantly racist, it's disgusting. No black girls allowed on a lot of the breakdowns for casting. You're constantly under this scrutiny of something you can't do anything about.
This is what I look like. I'm sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, "The Color of Beauty" is a documentary that looks at what many consider institutionalized racism in the fashion industry. Black models struggle to find work. The definition of beauty and fashion is what we are talking about in our "What Matters" segment.
Joining us from Los Angeles is the first African-American to grace the cover of "Vogue" magazine. There she is, timeless, supermodel Beverly Johnson.
Beverly, good to see you.
BEVERLY JOHNSON, MODEL: Thank you. Nice to see you, too.
HARRIS: Yes, it's great to see you.
I apologize for gushing over Beverly.
And model and actor Renauld White, who was the first African- American on the cover of "GQ" magazine. He joins us from New York.
Beverly, look, we live in the most diverse, multicultural society ever in America, and the world as we see it is certainly browning. Why is high fashion reflecting an image that is not as diverse as the world we live in?
JOHNSON: I'm, like, having a flashback to the past.
HARRIS: Are you now?
JOHNSON: I mean, it's some of the same things that Renauld and I dealt with in the '70s. It's unforgivable and it shouldn't be tolerated.
HARRIS: Yes.
JOHNSON: I don't know what we can do, but it's really a sad, old story.
HARRIS: Well, Renauld, what is that old story? Articulate it for us.
RENAULD WHITE, MODEL, ACTOR: Well, for us, it's always been confrontational. We've always had to raise our voices to be heard and to be seen. And every couple of years, we have to do this.
We have to be vocal and say it's not right. The percentages are too small. Yes, there are gains, but not enough.
When will it change? This is not post-racial. We still have to work at being seen and heard. So we just have to coalesce and be vocal.
HARRIS: All right. You know, I guess it's my job to ask this question, so let me do my job here.
Beverly, I heard someone suggest recently, in a conversation about this segment, that part of the issue is that white people will not buy clothing modeled, worn by black models with fuller lips and hips.
Any truth to that?
JOHNSON: None that I know of. And I think if you asked anyone, that is certainly not the case. It's just very interesting. I think that, you know, we're still having these conversations. And I just have to go back into the '70s, when I experienced a lot of the same things that these young ladies are experiencing today in the modeling world.
And I do remember some of my colleagues, white colleagues, speaking up in my behalf. You know, saying, you know, "Why is Beverly not getting the same pay as I'm getting?" And I think maybe that's what needs to happen, is that we need to enlist everyone in the industry to find their voice and to speak on this issue.
HARRIS: I want to ask you in a second how you made it, Renauld. But let me come to you with this question.
Again, given how diverse the planet is, I'm wondering, are the executives at the top of the fashion world -- and I'm assuming they're mostly white -- I'm wondering if they're working against their own self-interests by not diversifying every aspect of their operations.
WHITE: Well, I think old norms and mores are hard to change. It was at one point that a lot of textiles came from the South. And there was a problem about showing blacks in certain lights in the magazines. But I would like to think that that's changed.
However, I mean, the world is so diversified now, I would think that any designer or any corporation would love to show their clothes in a -- very much like a rainbow coalition going down the runway. I mean, it's only to their advantage.
HARRIS: Yes. Let me play another spot here from documentary "The Color of Beauty." And then I've got a question for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN PERRY, AGENT: And when they see a girl that can look different, you know, by skin pigment, and still have great features like that, it is sellable. When you come in with big eyes, big nose, big this, whatever -- big lips -- things that are common traits in African-Americans, it doesn't work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Beverly, did you hear that?
JOHNSON: Yes. And he's sadly misinformed.
I feel that we, as African-Americans, and African-American models and beauties, have made a tremendous contribution to the fashion industry with our large noses and thick lips and big butts. I think that we have also, you know, started so many trends in the industry where these very same people have really benefited from financially. From our contribution.
HARRIS: Yes.
Hey, Renauld, I was about to ask who the top black model, male model is right now. And it is still Tyson Beckford?
Who is the top black male high-fashion model right now?
WHITE: I don't really know of any one singular guy. I know that there are a few guys that are working that are doing major campaigns. So I would consider these guys working black American models. They just don't have a name.
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITE: There's no name recognition.
JOHNSON: I have a name. Renauld White is my name, is my top model.
Renauld and I go way back. We modeled together. We did testing together. And he's still modeling and he's still fabulous and gorgeous.
WHITE: Thank you, Beverly, so much.
HARRIS: To both of you -- that was terrific. To both of you, thanks for being here. Great to see you.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HARRIS: Renauld White, good to see you.
WHITE: My pleasure.
HARRIS: And Beverly, always great to see the great Beverly Johnson.
Have a great weekend. Thank you both.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
WHITE: Thank you.
HARRIS: To watch the entire documentary "The Color of Beauty," just visit NFB.ca. And to reed more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine on newsstands right now.
A sex drive drug for women. The so-called female Viagra being reviewed right now by the FDA.
Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, a so-called Viagra for women is being considered today by the FDA.
CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where the government panel is reviewing the drug.
And Elizabeth, it doesn't seem -- first of all, good to see you -- as though the FDA is all that enthusiastic about this.
What's going on?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's good to see you too, Tony.
Yes, some folks at the FDA have put out a preliminary reporting saying the evidence that this drug works is not terribly compelling. But the company that wants to put the drug on the market says it is, and they're part of a race to be the first company to have a female Viagra on the market.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: When a man has a sexual problem, he can go to the pharmacy and get some help.
Ira, tell me, how many drugs do you have for men with sex problems?
IRA KATZ, PHARMACIST: Currently three prescription medications, Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.
COHEN: And how many drugs do you have for women with sexual problems?
KATZ: Currently no prescription medications.
COHEN (voice-over): It's been 12 years since Viagra came on the market, and still there's no similar drug for women.
COHEN (on camera): Sheryl Kinsberg, you're an expert on female sexual health. This just seems unfair.
SHERYL KINSBERG, CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: Well, you're right, it does seem unfair.
COHEN: Will we, at some point, see the demise of this double standard for men and women?
KINSBERG: There are two potential treatment options right on the cusp of being available for women.
COHEN: Let's meet the contenders. The first one is BioSante Pharmaceuticals in Chicago.
All right, so Stephen Simes, you're the CEO of BioSante Pharmaceuticals. And here's your product, LibiGel. And now just for the sake of demonstration, there's no drug in here.
STEPHEN SIMES, PRESIDENT & CEO, BIOSANTE PHARMACEUTICALS: That's correct.
COHEN: Just a gel. So tell me how a woman would use it? You know, lay it on me.
SIMES: OK. So it would be a -- we call it a pea-sized amount of gel.
COHEN: And she just rubs it in?
SIMES: And you just rub it into your arm and that's the dose for 24 hours.
COHEN: That's it, once a day.
SIMES: Once a day.
COHEN: So in the real drug, there's testosterone.
SIMES: Right.
COHEN: And that does what to women's sex drive?
SIMES: So it increases the desire to have sex, and then, subsequently, it increases the number of events. We're not looking to make women wild, it's just to restore the testosterone they used to have.
COHEN: Stop number two on our tour of female sexual dysfunction is the New York area, where another pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim, has developed a drug. This time it's a pill. And I'm here with Michael Sand, who's in charge of the clinical research.
Now the drug is called Flebansarin (ph). And tell me, in studies, what has it done for women who have taken it?
MICHAEL SAND, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM: About half of the women noticed significant benefit on their desire, on their satisfying sexual activity and a decrease their distress.
COHEN: So there are chemicals in the brain that deal with how sexy we feel. And what does your drug do with those chemicals?
SAND: We think that Flebansarin is altering the brain chemicals in a way that restores that balance to what women had before they lost their desire.
COHEN: The company that comes up with the female Viagra, they've got a lot to gain, don't they?
KINSBERG: I think the company has a lot to gain, but women have more to gain.
COHEN: Maybe some women who are having problems, they don't need a drug, they just need a different guy.
KINSBERG: Some women, I think, will do very well with the testosterone treatment, some will do well with Flebansarin, and some really will do well with a new partner. It's not fair to say only one treatment for one problem. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Now, these drugs, they're not on the market right now. The testosterone gel that I showed you, if that gets on the market, it won't be for years. Now the other one, the pill, that's what they're debating behind me today here. And if this panel of experts gives their stamp of approval, Tony, it could go on the market by the end of the year.
Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, sure, blame the guy. OK, Elizabeth --
COHEN: Oh, you caught that. I'm glad you caught that part. OK.
HARRIS: Yes, there was no missing that. All right, Elizabeth, good to see you. Thanks for that report.
COHEN: Good to see you.
HARRIS: The watching and waiting for oil to reach one small town in Alabama prompted folks to do something about it on their own. We will show you what they have -- what they have actually put in place alongside BP's oil booms. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Let's see here. Let's get you to cnnmoney.com. Ten fastest growing U.S. countries, the lead story there at cnnmoney.com.
We're going to check stocks here in just a second. OK, three hours into the trading day and we're pretty flat right now, trying to end the week in positive territory. We're just up two. The Nasdaq, at last check, is flat as well. Just up three.
You know, it was day 60 in the oil disaster. That is two months now of oil gushing into the Gulf, and shrimpers fear for the future of their catch. CNN's Ali Velshi is live in Lafitte, Louisiana.
And, Ali, great to see you, sir. Great to end the week with you.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Back at you.
HARRIS: And you're talking to shrimpers. And what are they telling you? Many of them haven't been in the water doing their work for weeks now.
VELSHI: Yes, well, they've been in the water doing other work, and that is attaching those booms and they're collecting oil. They're happy that there's some work, but they're much more worried -- they're not happy to be making money off of BP. They want to be making money off of shrimping and oystering and things like that.
They know that the recovery work isn't going to last that long anyway. At some point this well will be capped. Very worried about whether the shrimp is coming back. This was going to be a banner year for shrimpers and now they've lost -- lost their whole catch.
I'm going to be here in Lafitte, Louisiana, during my show talking to the great shrimpers and the great workers here in the bayou. And I'll be bringing that to you guys.
HARRIS: Can't wait. Top of the hour, Ali Velshi right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Good to see you, Ali.
People who live in one small Alabama community got tired of waiting for protection from the oil and they took matters into their own hands. Here's CNN's Mary Snow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jamie Hinton has a battle plan to block oil from encroaching into his community, and he took us out to show us. Yes, there's containment boom, but he's not trusting it.
CHIEF JAMIE HINTON, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, ALABAMA, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT.: You can see here, just with the low wave action we've got now, is almost going over the top of it as it is.
SNOW: And that's why Hinton mobilized nine barges at the mouth of Weeks (ph) Bay. But to get that line of defense in place, Hinton had to fight, and he was eager to show us why. The bay is home to an estuary and leads to the Magnolia River. Seven hundred plus people live in Magnolia Springs, where Hinton has lived his whole life and serves as the chief of the local fire department. Mail is delivered by boat, and wildlife dot the landscape. But there's an underlying anxiety.
HINTON: And to think that if we can't stop the oil from getting into here, it can be lost for multiple generations.
SNOW: In early May, when CNN first visited Magnolia Springs, Hinton had already sounded the alarm, and was told by some locals he was overreacting. BP had provided a single line of boom, so Hinton drew up a plan to use barges, along with containment booms. BP has since provided much more boom, staff and equipment. But Hinton says he's relying on his community, and not government.
HINTON: They're going to handle it like they did Katrina and Ivan and the Valdez spill?
SNOW: The town of Magnolia Springs had to get government approval to line up the barges. Hinton says he was ready to do it, even if it meant going to jail. That didn't happen. Magnolia Springs now has government money to keep those barges out here for four months. At the first sight of oil, they'll move the last barge in place.
HINTON: The barge with the crane just gets diagonally placed between there and this barge. And that seals the gap.
SNOW (on camera): How confident are you that you're going to block this oil?
HINTON: I'm very confident that we're going to block this stuff on top of the water.
SNOW: How about below when you talk about those plumes?
HINTON: Scares me to death.
SNOW: Oil hasn't reached here, but local officials say it's just a matter of time that traces of oil have been found about 10 nautical miles out. The residents here say they're going to give everything they've got to protect what they call their piece of heaven.
Mary Snow, CNN, Magnolia Springs, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And one more programming note for you. You have seen the devastation from the oil disaster. Now CNN is giving you a chance to help. Join us Monday night for an all-star relief effort to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. The special two-hour "Larry King Live" event begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday night right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A CNN oil alert on the 60th day of the disaster in the Gulf. More than a million gallons of oil. That's what Admiral Thad Allen says was collected from BP's blown-out well in the 24-hour period ending at midnight Thursday. The latest wildlife report says 103 sea turtles were recovered alive, while 158 were found dead.
A frightening sight and deadly results in the northern plains. Take a look at this here. More than 60 reports of tornadoes in Minnesota and North Dakota. At least three people were killed in Minnesota. That number could go up as crews go through the destruction zones.
And let's flip the video here to Utah. Let's take you there right now. Convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardener was executed overnight by firing squad. It was the first such execution in 14 years. Gardener was convicted of murdering an attorney in 1985 during an attempted courthouse escape.
What do you do when you owe more money on your house than it is worth? That idea of being upside down on your mortgage. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow answers your questions on "The Help Desk."
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HARRIS: Look, let's talk World Cup. Something amazing, amazing happened today.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was great.
HARRIS: Right?
LEVS: Right.
HARRIS: In the World Cup.
LEVS: It was great.
HARRIS: And why don't you tee it up for us.
LEVS: Come back, kids. I'll show you the other headline over here from cnn.com/sports. There you go. U.S. 2, Slovenia 2, referee zero.
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE). Yes.
LEVS: So here's the idea. So, first of all, in case you don't know, the U.S. pulled back. We were down 2-0.
HARRIS: And virtually no one comes back from 2-0.
LEVS: You pretty much don't come back.
HARRIS: Come on. It's soccer.
LEVS: Yes, I mean (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: It's soccer.
LEVS: But apparently this (ph) never happens. So they managed to come back today. And in so doing, what they -- I think -- what have we got? Oh, we have video. OK.
HARRIS: Of the goal?
LEVS: So we have two different goals. You've got Landon Donovan, right?
HARRIS: The striker.
LEVS: Right. And then you've got (INAUDIBLE) Michael Bradley. I think that's what we're seeing. So, yes, there's the monitor (ph).
HARRIS: Yes, that's Bradley.
LEVS: Right. So that's what brought us up 2-2. So, you know, it's this great come-from-behind tie. And this advances us. And now we have a shot. It's all going to come down to the game against Algeria next week.
HARRIS: Yes. Now, which -- is this the Bradley goal?
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: That's the -- that would be -- if it's the Bradley goal, that would be --
LEVS: That's the one that tied us up.
HARRIS: Oh, that was Slovenia. Oh, gees. OK. LEVS: OK, that was Slovenia.
HARRIS: I don't want to see the Slovenian goals. What are we doing?
LEVS: Well, we'll monitor the (INAUDIBLE).
So here's the thing. So --
HARRIS: All right, there's Donovan.
LEVS: Yes, there he is. So that's the first goal that we got today.
HARRIS: Strike (ph) out. OK.
LEVS: So that's 2-2. Now, the problem -- and the reason that some players are upset, is that the U.S. had what the U.S. felt was a third goal, and it was disallowed. And I'll tell you, our writer, cnn.com/sports brings you to "Sports Illustrated," and he says that disallowing that goal, one of the great moments in soccer history was erased. Those are his words.
HARRIS: Infamous. Yes, one of the great moments, if it had been allowed, but infamous because --
LEVS: It would have been one of the great moments in soccer history because he says that it would -- basically that the reason that that goal was disallowed was not legit and it should have been allowed. And it's kind of complicated. Had there been a foul right beforehand. But, short version, he is saying it should have been allowed. Which means the U.S. should have actually won this one, in which case we'd have more points and advance (ph) to the game (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. That's three points. You get a win. That's three points. OK.
LEVS: Twitter buzz right here. Everyone's talking about the United States. Cnn.com/twitterbuzz. This shows you live, real time, what everyone's tweeting about with all the games or all the players. And you can see if you click on players whom they're talking about at any given time. Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, we need to get his photo in there.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
LEVS: And, yes, so just keep it here.
HARRIS: Terrific. It's terrific stuff. Great comeback.
LEVS: Great day.
HARRIS: Robbed at the end, but great comeback. We're still in it. We're still in it.
All right. Let's get you to cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow at "The Help Desk."
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Helping me do that is Donna Rosato, senior writer with "Money," and Rod Kurtz, executive editor of AOL Small Business.
Thanks for being here, guys.
ROD KURTZ, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, AOL SMALL BUSINESS: Good to see you.
DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Good to be here.
HARLOW: Start with you, Rod. This question comes from Paula. Paula wrote in, "I'm 49 and have two associates degrees. Does it make sense to get an accelerated BA degree and take on more debt? I don't have much in my Roth savings and have a mortgage and $6,000 in student loan debt. I've also maxed out the Pel grants by going for two other degrees."
What do you think?
KURTZ: Yes, well, it's an interesting question. It's kind of a two-part question, because part of it is financial and part of it is sort of a career advice question. As for the financial stuff, I mean it doesn't sound like now is the best time to be doing this, because there's some debt. You've got the mortgage, you've got loans to pay off.
You know, on the career side, I think she really has to ask herself the hard question of, what is this degree going to do for me? Is it going to enable me to make $100,000 more a year? What tangibly does she want to get out of this? I mean education is great, but it's also expensive and you don't want to dig yourself a hole, especially at the age of 49. So you have to think about it from a career standpoint, what could this do -- you know, do kind of a cost benefit analysis of what this really means.
HARLOW: Absolutely. What skills does it really give you that you can use.
KURTZ: Yes.
HARLOW: All right. Another question for you, Donna. This comes from Tara in Florida. And Tara wrote in, "in 2006 we bought a home in Florida for $300,000. It was recently assessed at $162,000. We are totally under water and now live in Virginia due to a job change. We can't sell and a short sale is just out of the question. Our mortgage company says it doesn't participate in the government programs and since we pay our mortgage on time, we don't qualify for them."
It's a tough situation. Any advice?
ROSATO: Yes. Tara has a lot of company. One in four homeowners in the U.S. are under water on their mortgage, meaning that they owe more than their home is worth. And, you know, a lot of folks are -- the best advice is trying to stay put if you can. That's not Tara's situation.
One thing she might consider is trying to rent it out. That only makes sense to rent it out if she can get enough rent to come close to her mortgage or covering her mortgage. And she should work with her realtor to find that out.
But don't just listen to the lender. If the lender says you don't qualify for any programs. Talk to a HUD housing counselor at hud.gov or go to Making Home Affordable and talk to a mortgage specialist there. There are a lot of government programs and a lot of changes to them, and she may very well qualify for one of the newer programs that would help her at least reduce the cost of carrying that home.
HARLOW: It's so worth making that call, spending the hours that you need to try to get something done because she's lost about half the value on her home.
Great advice, guys. Thank you so much.
KURTZ: Thank you.
ROSATO: Thank you.
HARLOW: All right, "The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send us an e-mail at cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com or log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. And, of course, you can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It's right there and it's on newsstands now.
HARRIS: When we come back, we have got some breaking news on BP. A change at the top. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: OK. Let's do this. Let's follow up on the breaking news we alluded to just a moment ago. BP chief executive Tony Hayward is handing over daily operations in the Gulf of Mexico. We don't know who will be assuming those responsibilities, but Tony Hayward is handing off those responsibilities on a daily basis.
We're trying to hustle up our Jim Bolden. We think we'll have him in a couple of minutes before we get to the top of the hour. Certainly at the top of the hour with Ali Velshi right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Kids getting their groove on for Lebron and camping out in the crushing Texas heat for a phone? Ines Ferre is following what's hot on the Internet today.
Ines, what's this all about?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Tony, well this is a piece of video that was tipped off to us by mashable.com (ph). It's on YouTube. And it was put up by Joe28753. And this guy over here, Jason, well, he wants to get the iPhone and he's camping out a week ahead of time, the new iPhone 4 coming out next week. HARRIS: Are you kidding?
FERRE: No, I'm not. And there's his tent. And he's out in Dallas, Texas, outside an Apple store. And he said, well, yes, I'm here a week early just to get my hands on one of those. And listen to what he said when the interviewer was asking some questions. Listen to this.
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JASON (ph): I'm actually going to be spending -- living in a (INAUDIBLE) tent over the weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is someone going to join you? Like, how are you going to save your spot? What if you leave?
JASON: Well --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you trust that no one's going to steal your spot?
JASON: The employees actually know who I am, because I've been the one that's been first in line for the past two years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow.
FERRE: Now, that's one fanatic of those devices.
OK. And then this next one is from cleveland.com. And check this out. At a mall in Cleveland.
HARRIS: What do we have here?
FERRE: Yes, these eight to 18-year-olds, who were dancing for Lebron James. Check out their routine. They're very good dancers. They hope that this routine will convince him to stay with the Cavaliers. His contract ends at the end of the month. And just amazing. I mean people just stopped in their tracks, of course, when they saw this.
HARRIS: Yes. Well, this is good, but, you know, maybe a max contract and some help on the team might go a bit longer way here in convincing Lebron to stay in Cleveland. But that can't hurt. Can't hurt.
FERRE: Can't hurt.
HARRIS: Thank you, Ines. Have a great weekend.
We will have more on the breaking news about a shake-up for BP's Tony Hayward. That's coming up after the break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: You know, an initiative important to President Obama is recruiting more black male teachers. Black men currently make up less than 2 percent of the nation's teachers. So I set out to get details from Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
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HARRIS: Tell us why you are advocating to get more African- American males into classrooms, recruiting them to become teachers.
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: Our students need great teachers of every color and every gender and every ethnicity and background. But as a part of that mosaic, as a part of that team, we don't have enough black males. That's the disturbing fact.
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HARRIS: My entire interview with Arne Duncan, "Education, The Next Generation." The three-part series starts on Monday. And I'd like to hear from you. Do you think placing more black men in the classroom will help solve problems in the African-American community? Send us your thoughts to cnn.com/tony. OK. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.