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Day 3 of BP's Cap Swap; Rising Death Toll in Uganda; Roman Polanski Will Not be Extradited
Aired July 12, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: We are just crossing the top of the hour now.
And checking our top stories - day 84 of the gulf oil disaster, day three of BP's cap swap operation to plug that leaking oil well. Developing right now, we're hearing that that new form-fitting containment cap could be in place as early as today. We're going to have a live report in just a moment.
The death toll keeps rising in Uganda. Last hour, officials there confirmed at least 74 people died in yesterday's bombings. The victims were gathered at two separate venues to watch the World Cup soccer championships. One American is among the dead. We're going to have more on that in just a moment.
And movie maker Roman Polanski's run from the United States courts gets a boost from Swiss authorities. A court just announced this morning it will not extradite the 76-year-old American back to the U.S. for sentencing on a decades old child sex case.
But first, day 84 of the gulf oil disaster. BP says it is pleased with its progress on its temporary fix and that permanent solution is getting closer. Also this hour, the new presidential commission investigating the spill will meet today. We're going to have more on that in just a moment, but first, we want to check in with CNN's Ed Lavandera. He is in New Orleans for us.
So Ed, we're hearing now from BP that that containment cap actually could be in place as early as today. Is that true? Is that what you're hearing?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: t is possible but it's still early because a lot of different tests need to be done. It really comes down to a question of pressure. That oil that is just spewing out of that blowout preventer right now at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, is coming out with intense pressure, and over the last few months, we have seen many engineering attempts here kind of fail and go by the way side.
So still reason to be cautiously optimistic at this point but BP and even federal government officials are saying that everything is moving along nicely, the way they had hoped it would, and if this new containment cap strategy does, indeed work, and we'll find out and get a better sense here over the next couple of days and more so in the next couple of weeks, it really could go a long way in terms of just being able to capture all of the oil that is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Of course, this isn't the permanent solution as you had mentioned. Those relief wells are really what will really kill this well for good, but Admiral Thad Allen, who is in charge of the federal response says he is cautiously optimistic so far about how things are moving along right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We're talking about containing the oil. That's far different than actually killing the well and plugging it with cement. We will need to do that ultimately but this will significantly improve our situation regarding the amount of oil coming to the surface while we finish the relief wells which are the final solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And of course, while this containment cap is moved into place where it needs to be and is secured, that flow of oil continues to spew freely, so other skimming vessels, dozens more have been moved into the area where they suspect that oil might come up to the surface. They've also stepped up efforts to burn oil on the surface of the gulf water. So, all of that needed because so much more oil right now is flowing freely into the Gulf of Mexico.
But it's another critical week here in what has been several tense moments and tense months here along the gulf coast. Alina.
CHO: And we know you will be watching all of the developments for us. Ed Lavandera, live for us in New Orleans. Ed, thank you.
Also happening now, the first public meeting of President Obama's commission charged with investigating the disaster. You're taking a look live there at images from New Orleans where the seven-member bipartisan committee will meet both today and tomorrow.
Now, before the hearing, commission members got a tour of the gulf coast. Committee co-chair William Riley, a former EPA administrator says he is disappointed so far with the response to the spill and surprised at how little progress has been made in oil spill recovery since the "Exxon Valdez" disaster some 21 years ago.
The commission will deliver its final recommendations to the president in about six months. The question is will their advice carry weight. Patricia () joins us now from New York. So Patricia, can you give us a who's who of who is on this commission. I understand there are no oil executives, right?
PATRICIA WU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is true, Alina. So we will run through exactly who the seven members are, all named, of course, by President Obama. We'll start with co-chairman Democratic Senator and governor, Bob Graham of Florida. Now, he's known for having pushed for a drilling ban off the Florida coast in the past.
The other co-chairman, William K. Reilly. He headed the EPA under the first President Bush and was at the helm during the "Exxon Valdez" spill in Alaska in 1989. He's also on the board of the oil giant ConocoPhillips. Now, next, there is Frances Beinecke of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
Also joining them on the commission is Terry Garica, a "National Geographic Society" executive and Cherry Murray, dean of Harvard's Engineering School and finally we have Frances Ulmer, who is the chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
So, you might have noticed their environmental credentials and maybe that the critics are saying there's no one with expertise from the oil and gas industry n this commission, Alina.
CHO: And that, Patricia, is a major point of contention, right? About whether this commission can actually be objective, right? And I understand we are looking at some protesters right now as you're looking at live pictures in New Orleans of the commission, which is getting ready to meet.
Patricia, tell us about this. With no oil executives on this commission, can the commission be objective?
WU: Well, that is the question. Of course, the critics are saying, no, there's been a lot of criticism. You can check out this op ed from GOP Senator John Barrasso in last week's "Washington Examiner." He says "Instead of appointing unbiased scientists and drilling experts, the president appointed extreme environmentalists and politicians who have already made up their minds about offshore drilling." Pretty tough talk.
And Barrasso is even getting support from the other side of the aisle. Five Democrats on the Senate Energy Committee voted for his amendment to create an alternative commission to investigate the oil disaster. Now that 10-member panel would be modeled after the bipartisan 9/11 commission.
We'll see if that goes anywhere. But there is one thing that is key. A proposed congressional panel would have subpoena power. The presidential commission meeting today in New Orleans does not, Alina.
CHO: Patricia Wu, live for us in New York. Patricia, thank you.
You know, the feds say they may have some trouble dolling out some of the $20 billion from the oil spill compensation fund, bankrolled by the way by BP. Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley, the man in charge of that fund, Kenneth Feinberg explained why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, "STATE OF THE UNION" HOST: You find that people are not, you know, let's all line up and get some money?
KENNETH FEINBERG, GULF VICTIMS COMPENSATION FUND: Oh, no. One of the big challenge is convincing people to file a claim. "Mr. Feinberg, I only get paid in cash. I'm afraid to file a claim. Are you going to be sending all of my information that I provide you to the IRS?"
I mean, I'm not sure about what your intentions. No, no, no, this is not easy to convince people that some new program will help them. It takes some work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Feinberg says he expects to have his compensation program up and running by August.
Next stop, the Bahamas, and the capture of an American teenager who has become somewhat of a legend. The young fugitive has become an on-line sensation for his daring exploits, risky escapes and believe it or not, his bare feet. Hence the name.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): True to form, he was caught, you guessed it, barefoot. Bahamian police escorting him with guns in plain view. 19-year-old Colton Harris Moore, the alleged "Barefoot Bandit" is at the end of his run.
ELLISON E. GREENSLADE, COMMISSIONER OF POLICE: The suspect was captured but engaged local police in a high speed chase by boat.
CANDIOTTI: American businessman William Sport owns the get-away boat allegedly stolen by the teen. He points out where police riddled the engines with bullets to stop his escape.
WILLIAM SPORT, BOAT OWNER: The Bahamian police did a great job of apprehending him before he could have gotten further away. He actually had enough fuel on the boat to make it all the way to Florida. I have been cruising the Bahamian islands for 40 years and I've never had any problem at all like this. Unfortunately, it was an American that caused the problem.
CANDIOTTI: Moore escaped from a group home in Washington state in 2008 after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries. A victim who lives next door to his mom, talked about his arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like him to get some help.
CANDIOTTI: For nearly two years, authorities blamed the teenager for a series of burglaries across several states including Idaho, North Dakota and Indiana. His calling card, leaving behind bare footprints. Authorities linked him to at least two stolen airplanes including the one that he allegedly flew to the Bahamas.
He's believed to have taught himself to fly from watching video games. His mom tells CNN affiliate, KIRO -
VOICE OF PAM KOHLER, COLTON'S MOTHER: If he did, I'm quite proud because I was going to get him flying lessons and if he taught himself how to fly a plane, I'm very proud.
CANDIOTTI: The "Barefoot Bandit" became internet cult hero, scooping up more that 60,000 Facebook followers. Web sites sell t- shirts, that read, "run Colton, run. "
On Youtube, fans idolized him in songs.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CANDIOTTI: Back home in Washington, locals scratch their heads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like incredible that he spent all that time sneaking around and nobody could catch him.
CANDIOTTI: It's pretty hard not to compare him to the true life character in the movie "Catch me if You Can." No comment from his mother Sunday. Outside her home, this message "if you go past this sign, you will be shot."
(on camera): So far, CNN is unable to reach Moore's attorney. This week, the teenager is expected to make a court appearance in the Bahamas before going toe to toe with the FBI back home.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Thank you, Susan.
A former neighbor says he watched his barefoot bandit, Colton Harris-Moore, grow up and he watched his beloved community change as residents reeled from the teen's alleged crime spree. Josh Flickner says he is among the victims of the "Barefoot Bandit." He is outraged that Harris Moore has become a folk hero of sorts.
Josh joins us now by phone from Washington State. So Josh, how did you find out that the "Barefoot Bandit" was arrested and what was your reaction?
VOICE OF JOSH FLICKNER, EGER BAY GROCERY: I had just come back from a camping trip and it was like 7:30 in the morning and my dad said that they Colton, and I was still waking up. So, it kind of took me a minute to register. But my initial reaction was, you know, relief that he's been caught.
CHO: Tell us a little bit more about him. Because he shopped in your store his whole life. He actually stole from you allegedly. Tell us more about that, and tell us more about him as a person. How do you remember him?
FLICKNER: I remember him coming in, usually, with his mom, into the store, and he was about five years younger than me, and I was working at the store stocking and running the cash register. And I remember him always looking really suspicious, and he would stand in front of like the candy section and just stare at me to see if I was watching him.
Needless to say whenever he came in, we were always watching him. One of the first credit cards that he stole, he used in our ATM, and we called the police and said after a couple of days of this kid coming with a credit card that we knew, to our knowledge did not have any money, and where did he get this card, and they came and they took our surveillance footage, and it ended up being a stolen card.
CHO: Josh, you heard his mother say that she was impressed that he could fly, that he learned how to fly. I mean, what's your reaction to what his mom said?
FLICKNER: Well, I think that - I think a lot of people want to give Colton more credit than he deserves. I think he's very intelligent, that's for sure. You'd be a fool to say he's not intelligent. He obviously used his intelligence for the wrong things. But I think more than anything, he's just gotten really lucky, and his luck finally ran out here today but as far as her saying she's glad he learned to fly, and the people who were on the internet and on the TV saying that they are glad he stole the planes and glad he robbed from people, especially when they think he has only stolen from the rich, and I know school teachers and other average middle class people that he's stolen from, and it's just not true. I think it's sad because it speak to the entitlement mentality that our society has adopted.
CHO: Josh Flickner, one of the alleged victims of the "Barefoot Bandit," joining us by phone from Washington state. Josh, thank you so much for your perspective.
Six months after Haiti's earthquake destroyed so many homes, these make shift tent cities are still standing. But the problem is so many of them is they're on private land, and the landowners, they want their land back. We're going to have a live report from Haiti in just three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Six months after the earthquake, an estimated 1.5 million Haitians are still homeless. There are some 1,300 make shift tent or tarp cities providing shelter, but many of them are on privately-owned land and that has created a problem.
CNN's Ivan Watson is joining us live from Port-au-Prince. Ivan, explain this. So what is the problem?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alina, as if Haiti didn't have enough problems after one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history, on top of that you have hundreds of thousands of people living in camps, many of them either on government-owned land or private land, and that is creating additional tension in this society, which has already been pushed to the limit. Take a look at this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice-over): Haitians exercising in the steamy Caribbean heat, trying to keep shape in a gym that's located just footsteps away from a camp city, full of homeless.
Vladimir Saint Louis is the owner of this struggling sports complex.
(on camera): How many people live here today?
VLADIMIR SAINT LOUIS, OWNER, HONFRASA SPORTS CENTER: There's about 7,000 people here.
WATSON: On your soccer field?
SAINT LOUIS: Yes.
WATSON: This is your land though?
SAINT LOUIS: This is literally, yes, this is the 400-meter track field and this is the soccer field. This is my land. This is part of the same property we came into.
WATSON (voice-over): Saint Louis says thousands of desperate people climbed over broken walls and started camping out here the night after the earthquake.
(on camera): Are people living on the tennis courts sometimes?
SAINT LOUIS: Yes, they play soccer here now.
WATSON (voice-over): But now six months later there's no government plan in place to resettle these desperate people. Saint Louis says the squatters have cost him more than 50 percent of his business.
SAINT LOUIS" Well, the government is not taking the responsibility that they must, you know, because we're now almost mid-July, and this is not the only campsite in Port-au-Prince.
WATSON: Six months after the earthquake, an estimated 1.5 million people are living in other squalid camps like this. The conditions are hot, filthy and dangerous if a hurricane strikes.
20-year-old Lucien Frantz shows us the shelter he built for his mother and two sisters.
He says the plastic roof does not keep out the rain.
LUCIEN FRANTZ, CAMP RESIDENT: So when there is wind, the wind makes it fall on everybody.
WATSON (on camera): It comes in?
FRANTZ: Yes. It comes in.
WATSON (voice-over): As hard as this is, life may soon get worse. A judge recently showed up to inform the camp's 1,000 residents that the owner of this land wants them to leave his property. They asked us to leave but we don't have anywhere else to go says Lucien's mother. We're waiting for the authorities to tell us what to do. In some cases, landowners have taken matters into their own hands, pushing people off their land.
(on camera): How many people were living here?
EMMANUEL AUGUSTE, CAMP VOLUNTEER: It was 52 families.
WATSON: 52?
AUGUSTE: 52.
WATSON: And where are they now?
AUGUSTE: They go around to other camps.
WATSON (voice-over): Aid workers say they are increasingly being called in to mediate land disputes.
IMOGEN WALL, U.N. HUMANITARIAN SPOKESWOMAN: This is public land, where this camp's on but a lot of camps where people just set up, a day after the quake is on private land or in buildings, such as schools, which need to start functioning again and landowners in order to get their businesses started again, they need access to their property.
WATSON: The government says it's still working on a plan for resettlement of Haiti's armies of homeless. In the meantime, property owner Vladimir Saint Louis can only watch as the camp on his soccer field becomes more and more permanent. You have a barbershop here.
SAINT LOUIS: Oh, my god. This is only have of it. There is a barbershop, beauty parlor, there's a cyber cafe. There's a hotel, (INAUDIBLE) hotel. People come and stay for the night. Pay per hour, pay per night. I swear to god.
WATSON: It may be a long, long time before Vladimir Saint Louis gets his land back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: That's Ivan Watson. Now, we apparently We lost him live there. Ivan, thank you for that report.
Coming up, a powerful notes from an expert hand on how to heal Haiti.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHO: An earthquake survivor blind and pinned under the rubble for 18 hours, and now he's making sure that the music plays on in his native country. We're going to talk to him live at the bottom of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHO: After four years of silence, former Cuban President Fidel Castro is apparently back. Cuba's state run newspaper reporting that Castro will appear on television there at 6:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.
This weekend, the Cuban government run internet site, published new photos of Castro that it says were taken on Wednesday. We're going to live now to Havana. And CNN's David Ariosto, David, how much of a surprise is this that Castro is coming out now?
DAVID ARIOSTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thank you, yes, this weekend, like you said, were the first public photos appeared of former President Fidel Castro. Now Cubans have become accustomed to seeing images of the former president and more staged photographs and photographs with video with Venezuelan law students earlier this year.
But this would be one of the first times that Fidel Castro has actually spoken live in years. He spoke once before in 2007 during their evening newscast, and it also comes during an interesting time. It comes on the heels of an announcement just last week of the release or the announced release of 52 political prisoners that are expected to take place in the next three to four months. Several of those prisoners are going to be released in the coming days and even perhaps in the coming hours.
So we're looking at Cuba in an interesting time. Now Raul took over in 2006 when Fidel stepped down due to intestinal surgery. And there has been slight changes during that time. Fidel, since then, has published these columns and has become sort of a columnist in chief of sorts and recently he has been writing about an potential, impending conflict between the United States and Iran over the nuclear issues in that country.
CHO: CNN's David Ariosto live for us in Havana where he is watching those developments regarding Fidel Castro. David, thank you.
When the earthquake hit in Haiti, CNN's Anderson Cooper was among the first correspondents who race there to cover the story. He is back in Port-au-Prince now, telling us how far things have come and how far there is to go. We're going to speak to him. That story in three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Six months ago today, Haiti was hit with a powerful earthquake, one of the deadliest catastrophes in its history. Let's take a look at some of the numbers. The January 12 earthquake killed more than 230,000 people, and injured 300,000 more. Of the 1.5 million left homeless, just 28,000 have moved into new homes. The rest are in makeshift shelters or tent cities.
The World Bank estimates the quake did $7.3 billion in damage. It will take that decade and $11 billion to rebuild. The international community has pledge $5.3 billion over the next two years, but guess what? Just 2 percent of the money -- just 2 percent -- has been delivered. Anderson Cooper was on the ground from the very beginning. He's back in Port-au-Prince looking into the situation six months later in Haiti. Tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time on a very special "AC360," Anderson goes one-on-one with former president Bill Clinton, the U.S. envoy to Haiti and co-chairman of the interim Haiti reconstruction commission.
I spoke with Anderson last hour, and asked him about those stalled recovery efforts. He says the Haitian government needs to take charge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't see dead bodies in the streets, but more than 1.5 million people are living in these makeshift encampments. There's more than 1,300 of them still spread throughout Port-au-Prince. A very tiny number of people have actually moved out, just a few thousand.
There are holdups in many different realms, but there's basically a lack of leadership by the Haitian government. There's a lack of coordination among the different by the NGOs. There are thousands of nongovernmental organizations volunteering, doing work here. But not a lot of coordination between them. They all kind of want to do their own thing and get their own credit for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: So frustrating. So many living shattered, so many people still suffering. But out of the rubble, there are so many stories of resilience, inspiration, hope and music.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Violin maestro and music school founder Ramel Joseph is one of those inspiring stories. He was trapped under the rubble for 18 hours after the quake. His legs and his fingers crushed, but his spirit unbreakable. He says that while he was beneath the rubble, he relived every violin concerto in every hall he ever played. That's what kept him going, and he refuses to let the quake silence his music.
I'm so happy to say that Ramel Joseph joins us now live rom Miami. Ramel, you look great! Tell me, you know, you broke your foot and three of your fingers after the quake. I think everyone wants to know how are you doing? How are you recovering?
RAMEL JOSEPH, VIOLINIST: Good morning to everyone. It's a great pleasure to be here on CNN and to be with everyone.
The recovery is slow, but it's steady. I had my first surgery in January, and I believe I was too anxious to play. I had the keyboard. I practiced with the keyboard Stevie Wonder gave me. I think I started to play the violin a little too early. That's the beginning of March, and that probably slowed down the process. So, I had a second surgery on May 6th, so I decided this time to wait three months instead of six weeks before I start playing again. But it feels better and it seems like it's feeling like it's healing much better than after the first surgery.
CHO: Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. You know, I want to remind our viewers it was actually right here on this show that you found out that Steve Wonder was going to donate a keyboard to you. We saw you play it right here on the air. And you mentioned you picked up the violin maybe a little too early and had to go through surgery again. But are you playing regularly now?
JOSEPH: No, I'm going to wait until the beginning of September. So, from May 6th until September 6th, I'm hoping -- that will be 12 weeks and then I will start -
CHO: Oh, that's great.
JOSEPH: Hopefully that will be enough time because the violin is not like the keyboard. They keyboard is a straight-down motion, and the violin is horizontal, across, so it puts pressure on the back of the hand. And that can -- I realize later that could really mess up the adjusters they put to allow the bones to heal. So I'm going to wait -- I think it's better to wait than going too fast.
CHO: I want to talk a little bit about you heading back to Haiti next week. It's clearly going to be a bittersweet moment. I know you are anxious to get home and see what it's like there, but you will also be burying your wife, who died in the earthquake. I know she was pregnant at the time. Tell me, what are you thoughts as you get ready to go back, Ramel?
JOSEPH: It's exciting, naturally, because I like Haiti and like to be there, and I like to work with the children there, especially music and teaching. And this is why I'm going to start my dream project, which is building the Haiti Performing Arts Center for music education for children and youth.
CHO: And tell me, in terms of rebuilding that performance arts center and rebuilding your school so that you can one day teach again, I mean, where are you on that front?
JOSEPHI: We are in the first step, which is the destruction or the removal of the old school. And we have slowly started the rebuilding of the temporary shelter. It's not a tent city, though. It's a temporary shelter where the students will be able to stay while we work on the building the permanent new school structure -- which is what I'm referring to, the Haitian Performing Art Center. Which is a music school which will have a music hall, a conservatory, a preparatory program for children and youth in music.
And I'm really, really excited because it was my most important dream, and that's my legacy, what I would like to leave for Haiti after all it has done for me. So, I'm really excited about the project. It is a five-year-term type of project --
CHO: Well, we hope it happens in five years. That would be great.
JOSEPH: I asked God to give me five more years while I was under the ground so that I have this project done because I believe at this time, the children of Haiti have nowhere to perform. There is -- if there's no place for children entertainment, there is nothing. And music education now has a very low priority, and I feel -- that that's why I'm writing this book called "The Miracle of Music." I think music can be a true miracle in children's lives.
And I believe God allows me to come out for that purpose to build that performing arts center, and I'm going to work with my friends and everyone who is interested in music education so that the children of Haiti can have music education and music in their lives. And just like music has saved me, God knows what music will do for those who will be learning it in Haiti.
CHO: Ramel Joseph, you are certainly an inspiration to all of us. We thank you for joining us. Good luck on your road to recovery, and check back with us.
JOSEPH: Thank you so much, Alina. It's a pleasure.
CHO: OK.
And we'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHO: A dark delight for star gazers in the South Pacific. A total solar eclipse. Look at that. Thousands of sky-watchers on Easter Island partied it up as the sun was blotted out by the moon for a full four minutes, plunging a little sliver of earth into midday darkness. Now, if you missed it this time, you have to wait until November of 2012 for your next chance. Then you can catch the eclipse from northern Australia and the South Pacific.
Rob Marciano, let's go!
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: How about that? Yes, I have never seen a complete eclipse.
CHO: Nor have I! Let's go. Australia, South Pacific. Sound good to me.
MARCIANO: As long as you are breaking out the Amex, I'll be right there with you.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: There we go. I was just waiting for something to change here.
(WEATHER BREAK)
CHO: As a former local reporter in Florida who covered lots of hurricanes, I'm happy to hear that.
MARCIANO: Yes. At least for now.
CHO: All right. Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right. You bet.
CHO: Checking our top stories now. An investigation in Uganda to find out who was behind those deadly bomb attacks on World Cup watchers. The explosions killed at least 74 people, including an American named Nate Henn. Dozens more injured among them. Six missionaries from Pennsylvania.
Day 84 of the BP oil disaster. BP says a new containment cap could be on the well as early as today. Meanwhile, in Washington, the presidential commission given the job of investigating the catastrophe holds its first public hearing today.
And former Cuban president Fidel Castro reportedly is appearing on state-run TV later today. His first major public appearance in four years. These pictures of Castro surfaced over the weekend on a pro-government blog. CNN cannot verify their authenticity. Castro stayed out of view since he had surgery back in 2006, but didn't step out of power until 2008.
Making it alone may get tougher for a growing number of Americans, but don't blame it all on the bank. A big part of the problem is apparently many people have lower credit scores.
Alison Kostik at the New York Stock Exchange with details. So, Alison, just how bad is it?
ALISON KOSTIK, CNN BUSNIESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's definitely not good, Alina. I mean, for millions of people, their credit scores are falling. In fact, 25 percent of people have a credit score of 599 or below. Now, these are FICO scores as reported by AP. And lenders use them to figure out what kind of loan you are going to get. The higher the score, the better the terms, so if you are taking out a morgage or an auto loan, keep this in mind.
FICO scores go up to 850. 599 or below, that's a red flag for lenders and means you are considered a risk. As you know, Alina, lenders are really risk-averse these days. Their standards for handing out loans are definitely much tougher than they used to be. Historically, 15 percent of people had a 599 score. But this is growing because of the recession that we've near recovered from (ph). You know, people just can't pay bills. They're out of work and are foreclosing on their houses, so their bills are piling up and can't pay them, which is why their credit scores are falling right now, Alina. CHO: As someone who just got a mortgage about month ago, this is probably something I should have asked you about five or six weeks ago, Alison. But what should people do to repair the credit scores?
KOSTIK: Well, congratulations on your home, first of all, Alina.
CHO: Thank you.
KOSTIK: But I'm going to go ahead and show you a picture, because in this case, a picture tells a thousand words here.
The chart I'm going to show you shows what goes into your FICO score. And a lot goes into it. The most important thing, pay your bills on time. Late payments wind up staying on your credit history for a period of time. Bankruptcy and foreclosures, they stick around for seven years.
All right, the next most important factor is how much you owe. Basically, the bigger the balance you have, the lower your score. But don't try to get around it by opening up new cards, because what happens is, many credit inquiries go in into a short period of time, and that can really ding your score.
All right. We're keeping score of things here on Wall Street right now. All of the major averages are lower. We're kind of in this holding period ahead of big earnings week this week. Alcoa is reporting after the bell. Alcoa kicking it off.
Alina, back to you.
CHO: Alison, all great advice. Thank you so much.
KOSTIK: Sure.
CHO: The battle over legalizing marijuana. Now, we've heard a lot of arguments. But here's one you may not have heard. Decriminalizing pot will reduce racism. An NCAA -- CP leader makes this bold claim, and today, she faces a lot of criticism for it.
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CHO: The debate over legalized marijuana, rather. Now, we've heard arguments over its medical merits and its ability to generate tax revenue. Now, there's an argument to legalize pot based on civil rights. That's right. An official with the NAACP is taking heat for her controversial stand. And CNN's Mary Snow explains.
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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Californians debate over whether or not to legalize marijuana, the NAACP state conference head is taking heat for her vocal support to make it legal.
ALICE HUFFMAN, PRESIDENT, NAACP CALIFORNIA: We at the NAACP see this as a civil rights issue. This is not a drugs right issue. This is civil rights issue. SNOW: Why do you think this is a civil rights issue?
HUFFMAN: It's a civil rights issue because when you look at the number of African-American young people and Latinos that are disproportionately targeted and entered into the criminal justice system, it's an unequal application of the law.
SNOW: Alice Huffman's stand is prompting opposition. Bishop Ron Allen of the International Faith Based Coalition is leading a group of about 20 community leaders calling for Huffman's resignation saying legalizing marijuana will hurt the black community.
BISHOP RON ALLEN, INTERNATIONAL FAITH BASED COALITION: Alice Huffman is giving the NAACP a black eye, and we're saying she must step down. She must resign. She must give up that post to someone that clearly understands why the black community is being devastated and will not open the door to drug dealers and pushers to push their poison to our children and our next generation.
SNOW: Huffman isn't budging saying what she's trying to do is keep young black people out of prison and keep them in schools. She cites a study by the Drug Policy Alliance, a group describing itself as one working to end the war on drugs. It finds in California blacks and Latinos make up less than 44 percent of the state's population but together constitute up to 56 percent of marijuana possession arrests.
HUFFMAN: Right now, my young brothers and sisters are in the prison system over marijuana when young white kids smoke marijuana ten times more than we do and they are arrested ten times less than we do. This is not justice. We're fighting for justice.
SNOW: On the disparity of blacks being incarcerated, Allen agrees but says as a former crack cocaine user, he fears that legalizing marijuana will encourage drug use among young blacks.
ALLEN: Why would one of our African-American leaders, Alice Huffman, advocate for the blacks to stay high. It's in their name, for the advancement of colored people. How do you educate an intoxicated mind?
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CHO: Well, the Barefoot Bandit, a 19-year-old accused of stealing cars, boats, even planes is now in custody. The infamous teen fugitive was arrested in the Bahamas. Colton Harris-Moore managed to stay one step ahead of the law during a two-year cat-and- mouse game that led police across four states and ultimately to the Caribbean. He allegedly crash-landed a stolen plane on an island in the Bahamas last week, eventually leading police on a high-speed boat chase before he was caught. He will face charges ion the Bahamas before prosecutors try to extradite him to his native Washington state.
Everyday, we pay tribute to one of America's fallen soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. We're about to introduce you to a young man who just wanted to help others. He's Army specialist Robert Swanny, and you'll meet him after the break.
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CHO: It's time for "Home and Away," our daily tribute to one of America's fallen heroes in Iraq or Afghanistan. We're going to tell you how you can be part of it in a minute, but right now, I want to tell you about Specialist Robert Swaney. He was killed in a roadside bomb attack in July of 2005. He had just turned 21 years old and had only been in the service for six months prior than his death.
Robert planned to use his money from the service to pay for college and then go on to become a nurse or police officer. His dad passed on his funny story about his son. "Once, he was trying to put a net on an armored vehicle when a large hook smacked him in the mouth." Robert was a prayer leader and a devout Christian.
We want to hear more stories just like these. Go to our Web site, CNN.com/homeandaway. Put your service member's name in the upper-right search field and pull up the profile. Add your memories; send photos, too. And we will add them to our hall of heroes.
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CHO: Can you believe it's over already? Well, they may just skip the traditional afternoon siesta in Spain today. Here's why: in extra time in the World Cup final last night between Spain and the Netherlands, the winning pick, compliments of Andre Iniesta's right foot. The goal that got the team jumping in Johannesburg got the same effect on their soccer fans back home.
Look at the wild street scene from Madrid last night. That's the game - we want to show you. There we go! Check it out. Thousands, if not millions of Spaniards, are now reveling in the nation's first ever World Cup title.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we feel it's incredible to be champions of the world. It's just incredible. What can I say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are happy, so happy. It's the first time we're the winner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels, like, absolutely wonderful! We are from Spain!
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CHO: A little bit like Tony Harris. Turns out Paul the Octopus was right again. Don't ever doubt him. He's been picking World Cup winners left and right from his tank in Germany, and he had picked Spain to win it all. Tony Harris, what do you think about that?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I think it's calamari time is what I think.
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CHO: Tony Harris, who scared the living daylights out of me this morning.
HARRIS: I really did!
CHO: Good to see you.
HARRIS: You know what? You really have to appreciate those moments of unbridled joy. Spain winning the World Cup. Take it in. It helps you through the hurdles of the difficult times. Take in that unbridled joy. We're going to recycle a lot of that and put it in the program today.
Alina, food to see you.
CHO: You bet. Good to see you too.
HARRIS: Welcome to Atlanta.
CHO: Thank you.
HARRIS: Lunch on you later.
CHO: OK.
