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Tropical Storm Alex Moves Inland; Battle Over Immigration Reform; Turning Point Along the Border; New Tests Show Predictors of Alzheimer's Disease; Accused Russian Spies in Court; Gulf Oil Widows Testify on the Hill; Honoring Senator Robert Byrd

Aired July 01, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everybody. I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what we're working on this morning.

Monster waves, whipping wind, drenching rain. Alex slams ashore. And all that churning water could mean trouble for oil cleanup.

A push for immigration reform. An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the U.S. This morning, the president making his case for a way forward.

A former vice president, a masseuse, and a sex assault case reopened. What happened in Portland? Al Gore's people speaking out.

And we begin with those heavy rains and tornadoes that are pounding south Texas as Hurricane Alex comes ashore. The season's first hurricane actually made landfall in northeastern Mexico with 100-mile- an-hour winds.

Alex has weakened and it's moved inland. It is now a tropical storm. But still got the potential to trigger flashfloods and mudslides.

Alex is also having an impact on the oil spill cleanup hundreds of miles away. Aftereffects of the storm could keep the skimming operation from resuming until this weekend.

South Padre Island, Texas escaped the brunt of that storm but still took a pretty big hit.

Reynolds Wolf is there -- Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Kyra, what we have here is still plenty of wind. The rain for the most part is gone. The waves continue to rock against the shores. Some of these things have just been monsters that have been coming along the coast here.

The beach which used to stretch out towards the horizon, now the water is coming right up to the edge of these dunes covered by the sawgrass on which I'm standing.

This could have been far worse. This could have been much worse. What I mean by that is if this storm to make landfall about -- about 100 miles to our south, in Mexico, if it had been out over the open water to the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of extra days, this could have been a major hurricane.

To put things into perspective, plain and simple, this could have been, say, another Katrina, it could've been an Andrew, could have been Hugo. Possibly a Gustav, maybe even an Ike for that matter. But it didn't. It came onshore. All things considered, the damage was minimal.

Here on the island -- South Padre Island -- there are times yesterday especially before it made landfall to the south but the water got up to about a foot in some places. There were a few scattered power outages back in Brownsville. They had issues with tornadoes.

In fact, they had confirmed reports of two tornadoes causing minimal damage. Thankfully no injuries and there are reports of other tornadoes in the area which, believe it or not, not unusual when you have these tropical systems making landfall that rotation, around the center of circulation, can pretty create a little bit of a twist in the atmosphere and cause some of those thunderstorms to rotate into the tornadoes that we get.

Flooding was a bit more of an issue over towards the Brownsville- Harlingen area. I can tell you the mayor there -- the city actually put out some 60,000 sandbags so they were well prepared for it.

Quite a few more power outages out there, but as we speak people are getting ready to get power restored.

I can also tell you that on the island, Kyra, the main bridge that goes across to the mainland, it was actually closed for two reasons. One, the winds exceeded 39 miles an hour which means no traffic either coming on or off the island.

But there's a little something extra that happened. There were two light poles right in the very middle of the island, both of them pushed over by the wind. That blocked traffic and could have gone either way. Could have gone back and forth anyway.

They were able to clear it now. Both lanes. Now the bridge is open so people will be coming over to see what's left of the island. And again, things here, all things considered, they are fine.

A few places here and there, and some of the buildings, we had some tiles knocked out. Few places where, of course, we've had a little bit of sign damage. But other than that, they really lucked out. No question.

Much better than how they fared back in 2005 -- rather 2008, 2008, with Hurricane Dolly. Cat 2 made a direct hit on South Padre Island.

Let's send it back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, appreciate it, Reynolds Wolf. Thanks so much.

And Bonnie Schneider monitoring some tornado watches in effect for Texas.

Is that right?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Kyra. You know we had a tornado watch early this morning that expired but then it was just reissued. Look at the thunderstorms slamming into south Texas. Coastal Louisiana. But it's the area of south Texas we're most concerned with.

There is a tornado watch not just for this morning but this goes all the way until 8:00 tonight. And it means that we run the risk more tornadoes to touchdown than any time in this region. And it does include where Reynolds is in South Padre Island.

Very strong thunderstorms and heavy rain. The flood watches also persist all the way to Mississippi. And that goes through this evening as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Bonnie, thanks so much.

An alleged sex case against former Vice President Al Gore that came up four years ago is back in the spotlight. Portland police reopening an investigation into charges that Gore made, quote, "unwanted sexual contact", against a massage therapist in Portland in 2006.

Listen to what the therapist told police in a prepared statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had the fear that rape would be inevitable if I could not get out of the room, yet I could see no way to immediately leave without it also being a risk to my safety.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now back in 2006 Portland police determined there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the Nobel Prize winner and former presidential candidate.

CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin weighed in about this last night on "AC 360."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: What's obviously very much disputed is what happened in the hotel room. She says that he made a series of sexual advances, short of rape but physically painful. She says she was in -- she had to get physical therapy for months afterwards because of injuries that she received.

But she then managed to extricate herself from the room and eventually reported the crime. That's what -- what she says.

What's disturbing about reporting on it is that the police have only released her statement, not all the things you would do if you were a police department investigating something like that. Corroborating evidence, other witnesses, DNA evidence.

We don't know if any of that existed and/or which side it helped.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now Gore denies the allegation and his spokeswoman issued this statement. Quote, "Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this allegation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He stands by that denial."

As you may remember, the Gores announced their separation last month.

The body of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd will lie in repose today in the U.S. Senate chamber. While inside the chamber the casket of the one-time Ku Klux clansman will rest atop the funeral that are built for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln.

The nation's longest-serving lawmaker died Monday at the age of 92. Byrd's funeral is tomorrow in Charleston, West Virginia.

Witnesses for and against Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on tap to testify today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

You're watching live pictures now from the hearing room where senators finished their public questioning of Kagan yesterday.

She will answer more questions privately today before the Senate committee sets a confirmation vote.

The battle over immigration reform, next hour President Obama taking his case to the American people. He will speak at American University, the school with lots of students from around the world. He'll confront the politically volatile issue on a high-stakes election year.

The president will call on Congress to pass reforms on securing the U.S. borders and dealing with the millions of immigrants who are already living here illegally.

President Obama launching his initiative. And CNN's Jill Dougherty joins us from the White House.

Jill, states already moving ahead with their own immigration policies. Has the president waited too long to take the lead?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a good question. You know, it really is true that there is a lot of frustration out in the states, Kyra. And the frustration is that Congress really hasn't done much of anything for years. And with this -- they've kind of done their own thing.

Arizona is the best example. It's the strongest example of that. And the administration is challenging that law which some consider draconian. In fact they could take that suit next week.

Sorry, I hope you can hear me with all this noise, construction.

But President Obama -- and you're going to hear this today undoubtedly -- says that that's not enough. Going after illegal immigrants is not enough. That you need comprehensive reform.

And here's some of the points that we expect that he'll be getting into. One, he says basically it's accountability, responsibility. The government has to secure borders. Employers who hire illegal immigrants have to be held accountable and in some cases prosecuted.

And then finally, dealing with the people in the country illegally, they have to pay their taxes. They have to come clean with the law, learn English, and then finally, get in line and apply for citizenship.

So it's a hot button issue. But this is going to be another -- a push by the president. And as you mentioned, there are 11, maybe even 12 million people here illegally. So something does have to be done. We'll see if it does get done.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jill Dougherty, we'll follow it. Thanks so much, Jill.

Immigration reform has always been a hot button issue in the nation's border states. They, of course, are the frontlines of this battle. And the passions flared even more this past spring when an Arizona rancher was gunned down. Police say an illegal immigrant actually pulled the trigger.

CNN's Casey Wian looks at the potential turning point in this debate. He's joining us now from Arizona -- Casey.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the death that you mentioned of rancher Rob Krentz earlier this year really galvanized residents of rural communities along Arizona's border with Mexico.

Many say that they no longer feel safe in their own homes. And they are growing tired of waiting for the federal to secure the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Howard and Rosemary Hunt live 40 miles from the Mexican border in southeastern Arizona. In January they were tied up and robbed by two illegal immigrants. One wielding a machete.

(On camera): Is this where you had your first confrontation with him?

ROSEMARY HUNT, ARIZONA RESIDENT: Yes, standing right there.

HOWARD HUNT, ARIZONA RESIDENT: But I told him when he took her down, I said, you harm her and I'll kill your (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He cut my hand because I reached back to grab the darned thing. I said, hey, wait a minute, that hurts.

Then I said, you know, Rosie, they're going to have to kill us because they can't leave us be, we'll identify them. And they never did. Thank God.

R. HUNT: He wanted me to go in here. I got this far and I went --

(LAUGHTER)

R. HUNT: He said you -- you hit hard.

WIAN (voice-over): The intruders tied up the Hunts in this bedroom and fled in their vehicle. They were caught and sentenced to long prison terms. The Hunts feel fortunate to have escaped with their lives.

The residents of this nearby house also escaped by selling their property and moving to Montana where we spoke with Terry Stoller via Skype.

TERRIE STOLLER, FORMER ARIZONA RESIDENT: We thought oh, my, you know, that could have been us.

WIAN: Then another neighbor, rancher Rob Krentz, was shot and killed by a suspected illegal immigrant.

STOLLER: When the rancher was killed, we knew we had to make a decision not to go back. It was no longer safe for us to be walking out on the ranches, hunting quail. We were not -- they would make quick work of us.

WIAN: Even though government statistics show a decrease in violent crime in cities near the southern border, rural border residents say drug and immigrant smugglers are a bigger threat than ever.

Yet Chet Miller just bought the Stoller property and plans to move his family there.

CHET MILLER, ARIZONA RESIDENT: The violence is going to be here just like anywhere else. It's going to be here. And to me it's a better lifestyle for my family to be out in the country versus being in the city.

WIAN: We asked what these current and former Arizonans want President Obama to say about illegal immigration and border security.

MILLER: I'd like to hear him say that we are going to secure our borders first.

STOLLER: The only thing that would make us feel safe enough to go back is if the border were secured.

R. HUNT: If they come across the way they should and get their papers, fine. But this illegal stuff, no.

H. HUNT: The heck with the Afghanistan, the heck with Iraq, the heck with the rest of them. How about us?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Frankly, no matter what the president says later this morning about immigration reform or border security, most residents here say they are skeptical that the federal government has either the ability or the will to actually stop smuggling along the border. Many people here say just a few years ago they felt safe enough to leave their homes unlocked, their cars unlocked. It's no longer the case -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Casey Wian, we'll follow the issue obviously all afternoon. Appreciate it.

We're going to have live coverage also President Obama's speech from American University. It's scheduled to begin next hour 10:45 Eastern Time.

Now turning to the Gulf oil disaster. It's day 73. Here's the latest. Today the Coast Guard will conduct an aerial survey to assess just how bad the storm's impact was.

And some reinforcement in the cleanup effort is now there. The world's largest oil skimming ship called "The Whale" has arrived. It's the length of 3 1/2 football fields. Ten stories high. And will be able to suck up as much as 21 million gallons of oil per day.

Plus the new head of the Gulf Coast disasters claims fund says that his top priority is to cut bigger checks to compensate claims victims. Instead of month-to-month emergency checks, Kenneth Feinberg plans to have his claims fund send out six-month lump sum payments.

Just ahead, he calls the oil disaster a war. And he is helping battle it on the frontlines. Philippe Cousteau joins us in studio.

Plus how do you know if you are at risk for getting Alzheimer's disease? We're going to tell you about a test that's considered the most reliable predictor yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHLLIPS: Alzheimer's, it is a debilitating, deadly disease that destroys our brain cells and virtually wipes out your memory. Now researchers have pinpointed the most reliable tests yet to predict who will get it.

Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into it. This is the brain, that is your specialty. So, what do you think?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, the real question, people have some sort of mild cognitive impairment, confirmed memory loss, who is most likely to develop Alzheimer's? That is the question researchers have been trying to answer for some time. There are all sorts of different tests out there, but what they found is exactly what you said.

If you combine a couple of these tests, you can get a good predictor of who is most likely to develop. What you are looking at here is a PET scan. This is an expensive test, Kyra. It costs between $3,000 and $6,000. Not everyone is going to be able to get this. But you notice some subtle changes in someone who is going to develop Alzheimer's. It is a little greener here as compared to here. PHILLIPS: What does that mean?

GUPTA: Glucose in the brain and the way it is metabolized is different in someone who has Alzheimer's; versus someone who just has mild cognitive changes. That is a good predictor. If you combine that with a simple memory test, a list of 12 words, ask them to repeat them back five times; combine those two tests, if it is abnormal, you are 12 times, roughly, more likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease.

That is exactly what they are trying to figure out. Who are these people that are going to get it?

PHILLIPS: How young - and I do not know, as I look at the X- rays, right, I am wondering the age of that brain; how young could you actually see that glucose?

GUPTA: -- start to see the changes.

PHILLIPS: Right.

GUPTA: Yes, that is a good question. All of these people already had mild cognitive impairment. What that means, again, is confirmed memory loss; not just misplacing your keys from time to time, but someone saying, Kyra, you really are forgetting things. It is starting to interfere with the way you conduct your life. So these people are obviously older.

You are right. You know, is there a genetic test or something that you could screen even earlier; we do not know yet. We do not have that.

PHILLIPS: What is the advantage of having a test like this; knowing that you could get it or you are starting to get it when we do not eve have the cure?

GUPTA: That is a great point.

PHILLIPS: I do not think I would want to know.

GUPTA: Yes, I think that is a great point. One thing, researchers say, a maybe a test like this is going to give us greater insights of exactly what is happening with Alzheimer's disease, and maybe that could better -- lead to better diagnostics or treatments in the future; simply understanding the disease.

Some of it, Kyra, is just planning. If you know that it is very likely to happen, you may --

PHILLIPS: What do you do?

GUPTA: In terms of living your life, the relationships you have with your family, your financial affairs, whatever, things like that, planning for if you need to be in some sort of facility at some point. There are all sorts of decisions people sometimes make based on that information.

But you are absolutely right. The goal for researchers is to try and get better at preventing it in the first place. This could help.

PHILLIPS: Do we know of any specific things we could do on a daily basis that would help prevent it?

GUPTA: Yes, and some of these things are pretty hard to quantify but not hard to do; certain brain foods, for example. We talk about high antioxidants, green leafy vegetables, nuts. In South Asian cultures around the world, they tend to have much lower rates of Alzheimer's than in other countries. If you really try and pinpoint why, they think it is certain spices. Turmeric, for example, they think -

PHILLIPS: -- Interesting.

GUPTA: -- can actually decrease your likelihood of developing it by up to 40 percent, just from food. So think about that.

PHILLIPS: I need to start cooking with that more.

GUPTA: Yes, no it is great stuff. I love it myself.

PHILLIPS: So do I.

GUPTA: moving, exercise, be social; people say have a happy hour every single day, stay engaged; talk about crossword puzzles and other things. It is hard to quantify the impact, but they certainly do have some.

PHILLIPS: My dad says he stays busy on the Blackberry because it is going to help prevent Alzheimer's. Does he have something there?

GUPTA: He might. He is probably e-mailing you, is my guess.

PHILLIPS: Exactly, constantly.

GUPTA: That's right.

PHILLIPS: I will tell him to stay engaged, then.

GUPTA: That's right, give him that.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Celebrity trial in France, center stage; the 87-year-old heiress to the vast L'Oreal cosmetics fortune, and a society photographer accused of cheating her out of a billion dollars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories, day 73 of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster; the Coast Guard will take an aerial tour today to see Hurricane Alex's impact on the oil.

500 skimming ships remain onshore and oil burning and dispersant operations on hold. The storm's winds have pushed the spill away from Florida; and towards Mississippi and Louisiana.

President Obama is scheduled to talk about immigration reform next hour; the White House, calling this a major address on how to deal with the millions of people living in the U.S. illegally. We will bring that to you live.

And, Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, resume this afternoon. Kagan will not be there, but witnesses for and against her nomination will be. Kagan is expected to be confirmed. We will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: High society courtroom drama in France involving the fortunes of this company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Studio, studio, studio line from L'Oreal, holds that last. Studio line. Sculpt, control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): This is (inaudible) lipstick by L'Oreal. Rich emollients make color stay smooth, stay supple -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Remember those commercials? They actually helped build L'Oreal into the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company; the company's 87-year-old heiress now worth about $20 billion.

But a society photographer is accused of bilking her out of more than a billion dollars of that fortune. And that is just for starters. And it begins the courtroom clash of the rich and famous.

Jim Bittermann, in Paris, with all the details; Jim, explain what happened.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of elements here, Kyra. There is power; there is politics; there is money. Madam Bettencourt, 87 years old, and as you mentioned, worth a lot of money, got to be a friend of this photographer to the stars a couple of decades ago. And he gradually ingratiated himself to the point where she was giving him all kinds of things.

Now, Madame Bettencourt's daughter, Francois, estranged daughter, I should say, was a bit appalled at the kind of thing that was going on. So she has been trying for the last several years to try and stop this photographer from getting as much of her wealth as he had been doing; and has been trying to pursue this legally in court.

It finally ended up in court today. And it hinges around whether or not Madame Bettencourt is legally competent; if she is sound of mind, or whether the photographer was fraudulently exploiting her age and her weaknesses. Kyra --

PHILLIPS: Was there any type of romantic relationship, Jim? BITTERMANN: No, I do not think there is any suggestion of that. It is just, there is about a 20 year age difference; not that that means anything.

But in any case, the fact is that there is no suggestion of that. It is just that the photographer was there and gradually got more and more control over Madame Bettencourt, to the point where people around her started to fear for their jobs.

And one of the people that feared for his jobs was Madame Bettencourt's butler, who then started secretly recording conversations between her and her financial advisers, and those conversations turned out to be very damning. They appeared in the press here, and they implicate all sorts of people, including a very close adviser to President Sarkozy who is, in fact, the treasurer of President Sarkozy's political party.

So, this case could still go a long way yet; beyond just the family drama.

PHILLIPS: Final question, beyond the family drama, could it affect this family company?

BITTERMANN: I think that the company is probably in the hands of the shareholders, and I do not think it is going to require any - will not have any impact from this legal case. But certainly, the daughter's inheritance is going to be implicated here.

She will own -- if she gets the full inheritance of her mother - about a quarter of the shares of stock of L'Oreal. But, I don't think the company is really the problem. I think it is more the family fortune and how that is going to be disposed, and who is going to get what. Kyra --

PHILLIPS: Got it. We will track it. Jim Bittermann in Paris with the details. Thanks, Jim.

The battle over immigration; President Obama goes on the stump. Arizona's governor goes on the attack. We will take a closer look at the rising tensions in this debate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A new month and a new quarter, and what a rough quarter it was. The Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 all plunged by 10 percent or more.

Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you know what, investors are really glad to have the volatile second quarter in the rear view mirror. Unfortunately, the third quarter which begins today is typically the worst one. One analyst tells us the problem is that investors are waiting to get some reassuring news about the economy but that may not happen any time soon. Today, we got a report showing new jobless claims increased by 13,000 last week, hitting 472,000. It shows companies are still laying off workers.

All right. Let's take a look at the early numbers right now. The Dow Industrials down 11. The Nasdaq off by 2. And finally, Kyra, you know, you're apparently never too early to catch the old fashion bug. Pampers is teaming up with Cynthia Rowley to create designer Pampers. Designer diapers. They're going to be three designs, madras, stripes, and printed ruffles. Pampers say the diapers give quote, "discerning parents high performance value and choice of style." Kyra, I'm guessing though that the parents aren't going to be getting any choice of smell with these, unfortunately.

PHILLIPS: Alison, thanks.

KOSIK: Sure.

PHILLIPS: The battle over immigration reform, next hour, President Obama taking his case to the American people. He's going to speak at American University. He'll confront the politically volatile issue in a high stakes election year. The president will call on Congress to pass reforms on securing the U.S. borders and dealing with the millions of immigrants who are already living here illegally. So, we wanted to gauge just how divisive this issue is. Our CNN opinion research corporation poll asked Americans their opinions of federal policy towards illegal immigrants.

38 percent say that there should be a plan to allow them to become legal citizens. Far greater number, 60 percent, said the illegal immigrants should be deported and more should be stopped from coming to the U.S. We also asked about the much more rigid immigration law taking effect in Arizona later this month. 57 percent of Americans favor the crackdown, 37 percent oppose. Now, that controversial law in Arizona has ignited a firestone between -- firestorm between the governor who signed it and the White House which, of course, opposes it. Latest political punches are now being thrown on the internet. Here is a political ad from Republican governor, Jan Brewer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, (R) ARIZONA: He promised that we would get word from his administration on what they were going to do to secure the border. Well, we finally got the message. The signs. These signs calling our desert an active drug and human smuggling area. This is an outrage. Washington says our border is as safe as it has ever been. Does this look safe to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, earlier today on CNN's "American Morning," John Roberts spoke to two lawmakers on opposite sides of this -- I guess you could say very contentious issue. But before that, John, Jan Brewer has really become the flag bearer of tougher immigration policy. Her message extending beyond Arizona's borders.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the advertisement, the latest shot that she is firing at Washington, let's keep in mind, Kyra, that Jan Brewer is up for re-election this year in a state where immigration consistently ranks as among the top one or two issues. But there is no question what's happening in Arizona is being felt more broadly across the country. Senate bill 1070, the controversial Arizona immigration bill is getting a surprising amount of support. You saw the results of our opinion research corporation poll and now some 20 other states across the nation are considering similar measures, not only are states doing it, but towns are doing it.

Fremont, Nebraska decided that voters there at least decided that they had had enough of the illegal immigration problem, the undocumented immigrant problems. So, they passed the law and making it illegal to hire illegal immigrants and also requiring that people who rent property there have a license and the only way you can get a license is by proving your citizenship. So, definitely she's having a big influence across the country, not just her as well though but the Republican dominated the legislation there in Arizona.

PHILLIPS: We've talked so much about the debate, the protests. I mean, when it all boils down, are there any nuggets of agreement here that we can talk about?

ROBERTS: There are a couple of points of agreement. One is that something has to be done, and that the federal government needs to get off of it, focus, and get something done. The other is that there needs to be security at the border. There's disagreement over exactly how to do that, but there is agreement -- agreement that the border needs to be secured.

The big point of disagreement though is this path to legal status through citizenship, call it what you will, amnesty is the buzz word that's used in fighting against it, very differing opinions among Republicans and Democrats as to what to do about that. This morning, we talked with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of California, Democratic side and Brian Billbray on the Republican side about that. Here's what Billbray said about the immigration issue and the path to citizenship. He thinks that the onus needs to be put on employers to stop illegal immigration. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BRIAN BILLBRAY, (R) CALIFORNIA: Let's concentrate on a simple system of verification and only after we've controlled illegal immigration should we be talking about any of the other stuff that's being piled in and holding the process hostage.

ROBERTS: Congressman Billbray, do you believe that if you implemented the verifying system and you put the onus on employers not to hire undocumented aliens, that these people will simply go home? I mean, what do you do with undocumented aliens who are already in this country?

BILLBRAY: First you do is you stop paying them to stay here. Second of all, you do not tell the world that you're going to reward illegal immigration.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: So, here's the big point of contention between Republicans and Democrats and that's what to do about the 11 -- at least 11, maybe 12 million or more people in this country. Many people argued, Kyra, that you just can't deport them all. There's like Billbray argued it that if you clamp down on the employment of undocumented immigrants, they will go home by themselves.

PHILLIPS: We'll be following the president's speech coming up next hour. John Roberts, thanks so much.

Live pictures now of the Senate chamber where the coffin of Senator Robert Byrd is set to lie in repose. The longest serving U.S. lawmaker died Monday at 92. In an honor of Byrd's public service, his casket sits atop built (ph) for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln. We're going to be following developments as the Senate colleagues pay their last respects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Day 73 of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Coast guard will take an aerial tour today to see hurricane Alex's impact on the oil. Five hundred skimming ships remain onshore. An oil burning and dispersant operations on hold. The storm's winds have pushed that spill away from Florida now moving towards Mississippi and Louisiana.

President Obama is scheduled to talk about immigration reform next hour. The White House is calling this a major address on how to deal with the millions of people in the U.S. illegally.

Several accused Russian spies set to appear in federal court this afternoon in separate hearings. Ten were arrested over the weekend in alleged Russian spy ring in the U.S. They are accused of recruiting intelligence agents in the U.S. Nine of them also face money laundering charges.

And leave it to late night host, David Letterman, to find humor in the Russian spy story. Here's his take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: What is that over there? Ellen, what is that? I'm sorry. What are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure what you're talking about, DL.

LETTERMAN: That stuff the equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This stuff has always been here.

LETTERMAN: Ellen, (ph) are you spying for the Russians?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abort! Abort!

LETTERMAN: Who are those guys? Now, who are those guys?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just brought my kids to work, Dave.

LETTERMAN: Right after the show, I'm calling Interpol. But here's how sadly the Russian spies are and were. They knew four years ago that Ricky Martin was gay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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PHILLIPS: All right. You're looking at live pictures right now from the Capitol. We are getting word that the formal procession for Senator Robert Byrd will begin any moment now. As you know, his casket will lie in repose there after passing away at the age of 92. We're going to remember his life, his legacy, and talk more with our Dana Bash who is actually there at the formal ceremonies in just a second.

All right. Emotional and heartbreaking testimony yesterday from the widows of the Gulf oil blast. They testified on Capitol Hill that obscure and ancient maritime law that could affect the amount that the widows are able to claim following the deaths of their husbands. But as one woman said, no amount of money could ever replace the love of her life.

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SHELLEY ANDERSON, WIDOW OF DEEPWATER HORIZON WORKER: It's not just a job. Jason loved his job, but his job as a husband and his job as a father, too. All of those things are gone. I would give it all back to have him come home even if he was jobless. I could just have him come home. I know that can't happen.

He's -- he's everything. He's the breath in my lungs. He is the beat of my heart. He's the skip in my step. And the -- the dances that we shared together, all, it's all gone.

I am trying to convey that to you as best that I can. But the love that I have for Jason is -- is more oil than spilled out in the Gulf than anything. It's -- it's more water that's on the earth, more air that's here in this room; that it's more than anything.

Thank you for letting me say that. Thank you for letting us be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, it breaks your heart to hear something like that. But it's just one of the stories that has come from this horrific tragedy. No one has seen this better than Philippe Cousteau, an ocean correspondent who has been all over the Gulf in the last few week. He joins me now to talk about his firsthand experience.

Well, you're far more than an ocean correspondent. That's for sure. I think -- I think your name speaks for itself. But you know, you and I were just watching that testimony and just hearing from the widows. I had a chance to be on the rigs and I talked to the co-workers of these guys. And the first thing they said to me is nobody is talking about the victims. No one is talking about these lives that have been lost.

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CEO, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: Well, it's true. This is as much a human tragedy as it is an environmental tragedy as both you and I have seen over the last few weeks. And I think it's -- it's important to remember just how much was lost and the terrible pain and suffering that these individuals and as she said, so eloquently, that the families have been going through.

PHILLIPS: And you've even referred to it as a war. I mean, it is a war. A much different one from, you know, Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's a war against wildlife, sea life, and you have been right there on the front lines battling it.

COUSTEAU: And it's a war against the livelihoods of people and the lives of people and the heritage of the Gulf; a heritage that belongs not only to the people in the Gulf of Mexico, but to this entire nation.

And I think that it's also a war against our addiction to fossil fuels and misunderstanding the tremendous, terrible price that we pay to continue that addiction.

PHILLIPS: Stay with me for just a second. We're actually going to go back and forth, if you don't mind.

COUSTEAU: Of course.

PHILLIPS: And I know you are up on this story as well.

Senator Robert Byrd, these are actually live pictures, from Washington, D.C. and we're seeing the hearse coming close to the Capitol here. This is the casket of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd just moments away from the senate steps. And what you'll see in just a second is an honor guard will actually take the coffin up the steps and into the senate chamber where his body will lie in repose.

Our Dana Bash is actually live there on the steps getting ready to be a part of the official ceremony as it begins. Dana, as this -- as this starts, you might want to just take for a moment to just talk about the amazing -- not only number of people that are there but the different kinds of people that are there to remember a pretty incredible life and legacy.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. Well, what we are seeing right now is, as you said, the hearse arrived at the place that Robert C. Byrd loved. Really more than life and that is the United States Senate. And you are seeing the people on the steps there are the current members of his senate staff.

They were asked to stand here and to wait for the hearse to arrive, greet him as he makes his final stop here at his beloved senate. You're also going to see the military district of Washington. They are the Honor Guard that will perform the ceremonial duties here. They do a lot of the events that we see like this, unfortunately, here in Washington.

PHILLIPS: And as we get ready to officially -- or I guess to watch the beginning of this, the moment here, let's just -- let's reflect a little bit back on his career, both very honorable and also controversial.

BASH: Absolutely. He served in the United States Senate for 51 years the longest serving senator ever in the history of the United States. In fact, he was the longest-serving Member of Congress ever. And he is somebody who particularly in the United States Senate, he was the institution. He loved the rules and the procedures and he was a master of them.

He was -- he actually wrote volumes and volumes all about it and all about the intricacies. And he always, always talked, whether it was giving his flourishes on the senate floor, the way he delivered his speeches with unbelievable oratory or just in talking to in the hallway. He always talked about the fact that from his perspective, the legislative branch and the senate in particular was, in his words, the premiere spark of genius from the founding fathers.

And you talked about the fact that he certainly has a legacy that is mixed. He came here long ago from the south, which he talked about as being stuck in many of its prejudices. He briefly was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and he talked often about the fact that he knew that that was going to be part of his obituary.

He absolutely said that that was a lesson from his perspective to all the young people out there that if you make a mistake in your life, it will be hard -- hard to live that down.

PHILLIPS: You mentioned all -- you mentioned all of the young people, I mean, the younger politicians. This was the man they all came to see. They knocked on his door for advice and for clarity on issues, because he was the longest-serving member.

BASH: Absolutely. And he loved that role. Kyra, he loved being the one that everybody came to see.

And it is true, when a new senator came in, part of their orientation, unofficial orientation, was to go and sit down with Robert C. Byrd. And to learn from him, get lessons from him, whether he was talking about, you know, Roman times and the Roman senate or Cicero or quoting the Roman and Greek classics as he loved to do, or just giving them inside tips that this was something he took very seriously and so many of the members of the senate who are going to be here to pay tribute to him today will remember that.

I just want to mention one quick thing about what we're seeing. We are something that's quite unusual, Kyra. This is not a typical thing for a senator to go into the chamber and lie in repose in the senate chamber. In fact, it hasn't happened since 1959, actually ironically the year that Robert Byrd came to the senate for first time.

At that time, William Languor who was a Republican of North Dakota, he lay in repose there and before that Senator McCarthy did as well. Before World War II, it was much more common. My understanding from the historical office and the senate, 46 senators have lain in repose, but we haven't seen it a lot recently. So this is something that is quite unusual, but, again, not unusual, not atypical for somebody like Robert Byrd.

And, in fact, that we understand that he personally went to the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, maybe more than once, in his waning years and made clear that this is something he wanted, that he wanted for one of his final moments before of course being buried. He wanted one last time to be at the United States Senate.

PHILLIPS: All right, Dana, we'll pause for just a moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forward march. Mark time, bearers halt. Forward march.

Forward march. Mark time, bearers halt. Center, face. March.

My left, face. Forward march. Mark time and halt.

Center, face. Down. Ready, step. Forward march. Ready, up. Forward march.

PHILLIPS: At the age of 92, the nation's longest-serving lawmaker, the body of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd will lie in repose right there at the U.S. Senate chamber.

We're going to a quick break, we'll be right back.

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