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Well Test Successful So Far; Libyan Bomber Controversy; Battle Over Safety Net; Heat Wave Grips Sections of United States; Summer Food Safety Tips
Aired July 17, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Checking the headlines now, the new containment cap is holding so far as BP continues to test how much pressure the well can actually take. We'll go live to New Orleans in just a moment.
And a car bomb attack in Illinois. The suspect is in custody after allegedly ramming his explosive-laden vehicle into an empty bank.
And President Barack Obama and his family are enjoying a little down time in Maine this weekend. He's drawing criticism however from Republicans after going on vacation during the gulf oil disaster.
And we have passed the 48-hour mark in BP's test on its new containment cap. The cap stopped oil from gushing from BP's ruptured oil well and apparently has not done any further damage as can be seen. Even so, the oil giant now says it will continue to test the well's pressure. So what is going on exactly?
CNN's David Mattingly has been following this story from the very beginning. He is joining us right now from New Orleans. David?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, everyone waiting to exhale right now. They are seeing a great deal of encouragement as every single hour passes the pressure continues to go up little by little inside that well. BP says this is exactly the scenario that they were expecting. And it's looking just fine right now with no signs of any oil under the ground or seeping out from the ocean floor.
They couldn't hope for better news right now. Everything they're seeing is no negative indication whatsoever that there is any oil leaking out from this area. So instead of stopping this test after 48 hours, that abundance of caution, the mindset they've had for so long is kicking back in. BP now saying that along with the joint command they may continue to go on with the testing before they make any sort of decision about the future of this well.
But in the meantime, now that we have passed 48 hours with no oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup efforts on the surface have really gone into high gear. With no new oil appearing they've been able to concentrate their resources on some of the older patches up there and be very aggressive about going after that.
The Coast Guard describing it as finally being able to go on offense after being on defense for so long. So the last 48 hours has been good under the water where we have seen that cap in place. That cap holding. No cloud of oil coming out. It's also been a good 48 hours up on the surface where they are cleaning up the oil that's already up there.
WHITFIELD: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much. We're going to bring into the conversation, CNN producer Vivian Kuo who is here. So apparently, BP is a little ahead of schedule, is it not?
VIVIAN KUO, CNN PRODUCER: Well, it depends on what the "ahead of schedule" means. Certainly this is a 24/7 operation. They have literally crews working overnight. All shifts covered. They are a little ahead of schedule in terms of the relief well.
But remember, they suffered a little bit of a setback. They had to delay work to continue with this well integrity test. Now that's all back on track. They have begun drilling again on this first relief well. But you know, these things do take time.
WHITFIELD: So right now, BP doesn't want to celebrate. Even the president of the United States came out of the Rose Garden yesterday and said, you know, let's wait. There are a lot of tests that need to be done. There are assessments that still need to be made. Why would the White House want to be so careful? Why would BP want to be careful as opposed to either of them coming out and saying, all right, this is a great victory - for now?
KUO: Well, that's exactly right. They kept issuing the line, we want to under promise and over deliver. They don't want to get everybody's hopes up and then have us come crashing down. We have seen in this story particularly there's been a few setbacks, you know, there's been a few misstarts. And yes, like everyone, I think everybody wants to see this well capped once and for all. But, again, it takes time, it takes effort. It's very technical. There are going to be set backs here.
WHITFIELD: All right. What's next, in your view?
KUO: What's next is just to hear from Thad Allen. He is the national incident commander and see what he says. Are we going to proceed, are we going to keep the well shut in? What is the integrity of the well right now? If it's good, that might be great. We may see the cap potentially sealed for all intents and purposes up until the start of the relief well. But then if it's bad then we're going to see oil leaking out into the gulf again. They're going to have to bring down the pressure from where it is now.
WHITFIELD: OK. David Mattingly still with me, I think out of New Orleans. So give me an idea, while we know, David, there are still skimmers that are out in the gulf - I will ask you because David isn't there. There are still skimmers there. We understand that there were a lot of skimmers that were being yes, offered from so many parts of the world. There might still be some others on the way. Would they be part of the equation still of collecting oil or would they put like a temporary hold on those efforts? KUO: No, actually, they are still trying to ramp up skimmer efforts. Like you said, it's the world's largest deployment of skimmers to one single area. I mean, that's a pretty commanding sentence.
WHITFIELD: Huge.
KUO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So there are 140, aren't there?
KUO: Just at the well site alone, nearly 50 skimmers just at the well site. We're talking about hundreds in play across the gulf. And again, this is the time that they go on the offensive with no oil spilling into the gulf. This is when they can clean it up.
WHITFIELD: Excellent. All right. CNN producer Vivian Kuo, thanks so much. David Mattingly who is in New Orleans. He's back at work there in the field getting some more information. We'll check back later with both you throughout the day.
All right. New questions now about last year's release of the man behind the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Why some U.S. senators are calling for an investigation now into what really led to his freedom and why that could mean increased scrutiny for BP.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The emotional stress of the oil disaster can cause anxiety, anger and depression. Louisiana wants BP to help cover the cost of mental health counseling. The story now from CNN's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Louisiana's health secretary sent this letter to BP last week requesting $10 million in funding for mental health, he expected a speedy answer - days at most.
This is what he told us last week.
ALAN LEVINE, LOUISIANA HEALTH & HOSPITAL SECY.: That's one of the reasons why we put a deadline on the letter. If you notice, the last sentence, we said, we need an answer by next week.
KAYE (on camera): But that deadline has come and gone, no answer from BP. And this was the state's second request for $10 million. BP responded to the first request saying it, "looked forward to continuing the dialogue." But the oil giant provided nothing.
(voice-over): The money if it ever comes would be used to treat those experiencing emotional trauma since the spill. Fisherman like Louis Lund, Jr., who can no longer fish to support his family because of the oil. His wife said he's full of rage.
RACHEL MORRIS, FISHERMAN'S WIFE: He wants to go on a rampage, screaming, punching, hitting, whatever he can do and he can't. And he just can't get it out. It's just stuck in there, bubbling.
KAYE (on camera): How is that anger coming out?
MORRIS: It comes out - he started drinking. He's smoking more when we're trying to quit. He takes it out on us just in general. We do something that kind of would make him upset and all the other stresses kind of pile on top of that, so he blows up.
KAYE (voice-over): Rachel Morris wants to help. She's learning how to navigate the emotional pressures at group wellness classes like this one at the Saint Bernard Project. Other gulf wives are here, too. Same problem.
YVONNE LANDRY, FISHERMAN'S WIFE: I've got one at home now that needs to vent. But won't. He'll fuss at me or he'll fuss at him or the kids.
KAYE: Among other things the group is taught breathing exercises to control stress.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Push the air out to release all that negativity from your body.
KAYE: The project's CEO, Zack Rosenberg, says if BP doesn't pay this lifeline will end for many. They won't have money to treat everyone. Even now, it's far from ideal. Those anxious, angry or depressed already have to wait eight weeks just to get in for a first appointment.
(on camera): Is this wellness group an example of why you need more money from BP?
ZACK ROSENBERG, SAINT BERNARD PROJECT, CEO: If we are able to get more dollars in the door and start a peer to peer counseling program, we're going to add evening and weekend hours to our center and we're going to open a satellite office down the road. Because the need is clearly there.
KAYE (voice-over): We tried to contact BP numerous times to ask why it hasn't even responded to the state's latest request. No one at BP responded to us either.
(on camera): Does it surprise you that BP hasn't come forward with the $10 million to help people like your family that the state has requested?
MORRIS: No. I don't think - it's not surprising to me. I don't think that they're doing nearly what they could do. I don't expect to see the $10 million because they don't care about us. We're an inconvenience to them.
KAYE (voice-over): An inconvenience and perhaps just another expense in BP's $3 billion tab in the gulf.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Meantime, the British government is calling the release of the Lockerbie bomber a mistake. This comes amid new allegations that BP oil lobbied for his release. Both BP and the Libyan government denied that the move was connected to a bid for drilling rights. Well, this is how the head of Libya's national oil company explained the situation to CNN's Richard Quest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: People find it hard to believe that there isn't a question. Mr. Megrahi gets released. Six weeks later -
SHOKRI GHANEM, CHMN., NATL. OIL CORPORATION LIBYA: No, no.
QUEST: - the deal is ratified.
GHANEM: I'm sorry, but no. We signed the agreement in 2007. We started negotiations of the agreement maybe since 2004. The agreement was signed in 2007. Megrahi was not released until 2009 sometime. It was a long time. But you see the people are saying things which are not true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. That explanation may sound hollow to relatives of the victims of the Pan Am bombing. The brother of one of the victims said he wants to see the bomber back in jail. He spoke with our Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN FLYNN, VICTIM'S BROTHER: Sorry about that.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Brian Flynn whose brother J.P. was among the 270 killed on Pan Am flight 103, last year's release of the only person convicted in the terrorist bombing was too much to bear.
FLYNN: Actually, that was one of the moments where you felt 20 years of hard work had completely been worthless. It was tough.
CANDIOTTI: Even tougher to bear, the growing controversy over BP's role in what led to Al-Megrahi's freedom.
FLYNN: When your loved one is murdered with a bomb in the middle of the air, you're not going to find a lot of peace. So you pursue justice.
CANDIOTTI: For Flynn and other families it's bad enough the new British government said it was a mistake to release Al-Megrahi on compassion grounds, doctors now say he's not on his deathbed after all.
Flynn is doubly riled up about the latest British ambassador's denial that a juicy oil deal for embattled oil giant BP off Libya's coast was the real reason Megrahi was sprung.
FLYNN: Business is business, I mean. But when you cross the line and actually lobby to have convicted killers released so that you can get more business I think that is crossing a line.
CANDIOTTI: On Friday, Libya's oil minister told CNN's Richard Quest in London there was no such deal.
GHANEM: Not at all.
CANDIOTTI: BP has also denied a fix was in. Whether it was discussed is another question. Five democratic U.S. senators want hearings to investigate.
SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D), NEW JERSEY: We now see that BP had spoken to the U.K., talked about this enormous $20 billion deal that might go on with Libya.
CANDIOTTI: Despite denials of a quid pro quo, Flynn wants Megrahi returned to a jail cell.
(on camera): Is it realistic to think that they will actually send him back?
FLYNN: The U.S. is not as weak as the United Kingdom. And I hope that Prime Minister Cameron has the courage and conviction to say it was wrong, we can fix this, we can do something about it. We don't have to be victims again.
CANDIOTTI: While the debate shows no signs of slowing down, what are the chances that Megrahi will be returned to prison? Most agree - slim to none.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Many people are getting unemployment and they could actually see that their benefits might end. Of course their life and bills will go on. We'll have more on the battle over the safety net that is playing out in Congress.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama is stepping up his criticism of Republicans for blocking jobless benefits. On three separate occasions, Senate Republicans have used the filibuster to block democratic efforts to extend unemployment benefits. They say they are trying to curb runaway federal spending. In his weekly radio and internet address today Mr. Obama said the Republicans are hurting millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some Republican leaders actually treat this unemployment insurance as if it is a form of welfare. They say it discourages folks from looking for work. Well, I have met a lot of folks looking for work these past few years and I can tell you I haven't met any American who would rather have an unemployment check than a meaningful job that lets you provide for your family.
And we all have friends or neighbors or family members who already know how hard it is to land a job when five workers are competing for every opening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A group that tracks unemployment say if the Senate fails to act by the end of the month, three million more people will lose their unemployment benefits. Many people are getting caught in this battle over the safety net. Here now is CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
So you want some milk or something? You want to stir it?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of work and, he says, out of options. 59-year-old Joe Boyd has been an electrician in Washington for more than a decade. But for the past year and a half, the jobs have simply dried up.
JOE BOYD, UNEMPLOYED: I have never been like this ever in my history of my life been out of work like this for this long a period of time for no reason.
BOLDUAN: Also dried up, his unemployment benefits.
(on camera): Come June, you were done.
BOYD: Right.
BOLDUAN: What's the past month been like?
BOYD: Right. The past month has been a struggle. I have stopped doing everything.
BOLDUAN: Boyd lost his apartment and now has to live with his daughter while here, just a few miles away, lawmakers are fighting over whether to further extend unemployment benefits for people just like Boyd who have already exhausted theirs.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: What we are not willing to do is use worthwhile programs as an excuse to burden our children and our grandchildren with an even bigger national debt than we've already got.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: I don't understand the Republican sentiment here. There used to be a bipartisan sentiment that when America faced a disaster we would pull together.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): The Senate failed to extend emergency benefits before leaving for its fourth of July break. Republicans opposed the extension because of the cost and concerns over the growing national debt. Some economists argue there are other problems with prolonging unemployment benefits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The academic evidence is very clear that any time you extend and lengthen and increase unemployment benefits, you lengthen, extend and increase unemployment. That may sound harsh, that may sound cold, but there are people out there who will delay getting a job until their benefits run out.
BOLDUAN: But talk to people like Joe Boyd and he'll tell you. Staying out of work is the last thing he wants.
BOYD: When times are really bad you're going to turn your back. Why? Would you turn your back on your brother or sister when times are really bad?
BOLDUAN: Boyd says he hasn't lost hope and is still searching for a job.
(on camera): The Senate's expected to take up the issue again this week. Now that democrat Carte Goodwin has been chosen to fill the late Robert Byrd's seat Democrats are confident they have enough votes to overcome Republican opposition and pass another extension of unemployment benefits.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Monday, President Obama appointed Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Some Republicans wanted to fight the nomination, but the president announced the appointment during a Senate recess avoiding confirmation hearings. Here is today's Republican response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: Now as a result of the recess appointment, Dr. Berwick will take office through the back door without any formal public vetting as prescribed by the constitution. Now this flies in the face of what was promised to be the most transparent administration in our nation's history.
WHITFIELD: Mr. Obama has accused Republicans of using delay tactics for political reasons.
All right. Two big budget movies hit the theaters this weekend. But instead of going to see both you may want to see one - twice. That's what our film critic has to say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
Alarmed by the increasing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is ordering the deployment of National Guard troops. President Obama requested the help to beef up border security last month.
The president proposed sending some 1,200 troops to America's southwest border. Some 224 of them are expected to be in California. The deployment may last a year.
Police have arrested a man in connection with a car bomb attack at a PNC Bank in the town of Lockport, Illinois. Nobody was hurt in Friday night's blast, but police say explosive materials like those found in fireworks were used. The 48-year-old suspect was identified by witnesses who say they saw him walk away from the scene. No word on the motive for this attack.
And President Obama and the first family are vacationing in Bar Harbor, Maine, on a mountain desert island. This is the Obama's third vacation since the oil disaster began in April which is fuelling criticism from his GOP rivals. Many say the president should be focused on the gulf and not relaxing.
All right. Modern day sorcerers and thieves who infiltrate dreams hitting the big screen this weekend. (INAUDIBLE) is also known as Tony and he is the film critic for the "New York Times." He's joining us from Chicago. Good to see you, Tony.
A.O. SCOTT, FILM CRITIC, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Very nice to be here.
WHITFIELD: OK. So we got some interesting movies on tap here. Let's first begin with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have heard how people use only 10 percent of their brains? Sorcerers manipulate matter because they of their capability to use the entire power of their brains.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So wait, so is sorcery science or magic?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes and yes.
For now, all you need is a basic combat spell. Making fire. What causes molecules to heat up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They vibrate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything we see is in a constant state of vibration. That's the illusion of solidity. But how do we take that which appears solid and have it burst into flames? We will the vibrations to go faster. Step one, clear your mind. Step two, see the molecules. Step three, make them shake. Got it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I definitely don't got it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. Are we supposed to think this is very humorous, very witty, very clever, very brainiac? What do you think?
SCOTT: Well, you know, the illusion of solidity is a very serious matter. This movie is sort of a typical kind of kid action-fantasy franchise movie. A lot of stuff blows up. There are car chases, there is magic. There is an innocent young kid played by Jay Baruchel who gets sucked into this war between good and evil which is in this case a war between rival magicians played by Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina.
It's nothing you haven't seen before. I think, you know, it's fun to watch Nicholas Cage do these over-the-top weirdo mentor performances -
WHITFIELD: That's kind of his thing -
SCOTT: - like he did in the "National Treasure" movies which were directed by the same director, Jon Turteltaub, but I found this one really noisy and pretty unimaginative.
WHITFIELD: OK. So you got a letter grade for it?
SCOTT: I would say, C minus. It would be lower but Nicholas Cage and Alfred Molina are fun to watch.
WHITFIELD: OK.
SCOTT: But it's not as good as the weakest say of the "Harry Potter" movies.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. OK. Let's move on to "Inception." Because it gets a lot of attention when you have Leonardo Dicaprio in any kind of film these days. Let's take a peek of what to expect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dreams, they feel real while we're in them, right? It's only when we wake up we realize something was actually strange. Let me ask you a question. You never really remember the beginning of a dream, do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So how did we end up here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we just came from the -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Think about it (INAUDIBLE). How did you get here? Where are you right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're dreaming?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're actually in the middle of the workshop right now sleeping. This is your first lesson in shared dreaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. So Ellen Page there, too. Folks really like to see her in her kind of like - I don't know. She's like in the suspended kind of state all the time. But anyway, very intriguing. I don't know. Leonardo seems to be on a roll, too. "Shutter Island" kind of a dreamy state. Now here we go, dreamy thing. But did you like it?
SCOTT: Yes, he seems to be specializing these days in playing characters who have trouble distinguishing between fantasy and reality. And what he's explaining to Ellen Page in this is that some of the very complicated rules of this world that's been created by the director, Christopher Nolan, in which throughout the movie you are taken throughout different levels of dream and reality.
The idea is that Dicaprio leads a team of corporate spies who burrow into the dreams of other people to find out information or in this case to implant an idea that will benefit their clients. It's all extremely complex. I think very well done just as an action movie and as a kind of a brain-teaser.
WHITFIELD: Am I going to get confused in this flick?
SCOTT: I think people will be confused. I think a lot of people who will really enjoy it and then will want to go back and see it again. Because right up until the end it's very intriguing. It kind of leads you down all of these different pathways where you think you know what's going on, but it might not be what it seems to be.
At the very end, I think people are going to be startled by what happens and are going to want to go back and try to start from the beginning and follow the thread all the way through.
WHITFIELD: Fascinating.
SCOTT: But it is very well done. It does explains itself as it goes along. There are a lot of scenes like that with Dicaprio and Ellen Page sitting down where they take you through the premise of this movie in a very careful - almost sort of like teachers.
WHITFIELD: You liked this movie. What's the grade?
SCOTT: I did. But it's just - I think I'm giving it a B. Because I think it's a good, entertaining movie. I was a little disappointed. I expected more. I expected it to be deeper and richer, more emotional. I think a lot of people - a lot of critics are praising this as a great masterpiece. I don't think it's quite that but I think it's a very entertaining and intriguing movie. So I'd give it a B.
WHITFIELD: A B, but you say see it twice maybe?
SCOTT: Well, I think a lot of people will because they will want to figure out what's going on. That's maybe a very shrewd commercial move on the part of the director.
WHITFIELD: Sometimes the second helping is very good. Sometimes the second helping is the more satisfying one, right? All right.
SCOTT: It could be.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. A.O. Scott with "The New York Times".
SCOTT: It's been a pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Joining us from Chicago. Appreciate it. A couple of good movies to check out. I think you sold me on "Inception." I'm going to have to check that one out.
SCOTT: OK.
WHITFIELD: Some journalists are complaining of being harassed while covering the disaster in the Gulf. Now one woman says the Coast Guard is also giving her a hard time. I will talk to her straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: You don't have to look at the calendar. It is hot. It's July, but that's the way it's supposed to be for the most part, very, very hot. But triple digit stuff, Bonnie Schneider? Ouch!
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fredricka, it's all in the way we interpret the temperature. Not just the way the temperature is on the thermometer. When you look at all these hot thermometers across the country. So let's take New York City, for example. We have a live picture of New York. We can show you that the current temperature in New York City is 92 degrees outside right now. They are under a heat advisory that goes straight through Monday. We'll be looking for hot temperatures there. What is interesting, though, the heat index, the way the body interprets the temperature.
WHITFIELD: The way it feels.
SCHNEIDER: Right, it feels like it is 93 degrees. So, it is even hotter there.
Plus, we have heat advisories through the center of the country. And finally, out West, in Las Vegas, I believe we have a picture of Las Vegas, we can show you.
WHITFIELD: Which is always like an oven.
SCHNEIDER: Right. This is important to note. The temperature outside in Las Vegas right now is about 105 degrees.
WHITFIELD: The actual temperature?
SCHNEIDER: Right. But sometimes because the humidity is so low it can feel like 102 -- I'm sorry, 90, but it feels like 102 today. A lot of numbers I'm throwing out here.
WHITFIELD: That is true, yeah, I've got it.
SCHNEIDER: The main thing to note is it's hot, hot, hot throughout the country. That's what we are looking at right now. As you can see, here are some more of the numbers. Excessive heat warnings popping up over the valleys of California and also, as we mentioned Las Vegas, and into Phoenix.
The heat advisory, that's a big thermometer there. The heat advisory for New York City goes straight through Monday. It will be a scorcher this weekend.
WHITFIELD: How's your family in New York doing with all of that?
SCHNEIDER: I'm sure they are sitting in the air conditioning watching CNN.
WHITFIELD: That's right. Staying cool.
SCHNEIDER: What we are looking at now is a little bit of stormy weather popping up through the Gulf Coast. Severe storms to the north. And those hot temperatures extend pretty much across the country. Even Boston will climb to a high of 92 degrees.
We are also tracking some severe weather. It is in Minnesota. You will see a tornado watch across much of the state. This includes the city of St. Cloud. There was just a tornado warning to the south of St. Cloud. That expires but the tornado watch for severe weather will go through 9:00 o'clock. It does encompass a portion of Minneapolis. We are watching for the threat for severe weather here, as well as in the Plains states. Lots going on today.
WHITFIELD: Tornado watch there. Tornado actually touching down in Puerto Rico?
SCHNEIDER: That's right. We had reports of a tornado touching down in Puerto Rico. Look how stormy it is right now.
WHITFIELD: It is hurricane season. I guess a hurricane is what you expect in the tropics right now. I don't know why a tornado kind of surprises me.
SCHNEIDER: Well, no. It really shouldn't.
WHITFIELD: OK.
SCHNEIDER: Because when you get these strong, severe thunderstorms, you can get tornadic cells popping up from a thunder storm. Look at the fire that is happening across the Caribbean. Ripe for development for sure. And we are going to get into that in the coming weeks, certainly. But here is San Juan. It looks like the storms have subsided, but a damaging situation there in Mayagus (ph) on the west coast of Puerto Rico.
WHITFIELD: Very good. All right. Thanks-well, not very good for that. Very good whole, big picture that you gave us.
SCHNEIDER: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Thanks so much, Bonnie. Well, most of us don't think twice about dipping a chip into salsa or guacamole, but it may be more dangerous than you think. I'm not just talking about double dipping. Just dipping once.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed to Afghanistan today for an international conference on the problems and the future of the war-torn nation. It is set to begin on Tuesday. Representatives from more than 70 countries and groups are expected to attend.
And a bus carrying 27 children flipped over this morning on I-35 in Kansas. Eight children were taken to a hospital by ambulance. One was transported by air ambulance. We're waiting to hear the extent of their injuries. The bus was returning from a church camp. No other vehicles were involved, but the accident did shut down that busy interstate for quite a bit.
And potential e. Coli contamination is the reason for the latest recall of prepackaged salads containing Romaine lettuce. The recall involves Fresh Express salad products with use by indicates of July 8 through 12, and has an S in the product code. And these include products such as hearts of Romaine and premium Romaine salads. If you have them, you should simply throw them away. Questions can be directed to the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center. Here is the number right now, 1-800-242-5472.
OK. Those refreshing bowls of salsa and guacamole may look pretty inviting when you go to the restaurant, but you may want to think twice. They may contain something you certainly do not want -- a food-born illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 25 restaurant-associated food-borne outbreaks can be traced to contaminated salsa or guacamole.
Dr. Sampson Davis joins us now from New York.
This is such a bummer. Who doesn't love guacamole and salsa? Now I have to be a little careful about when I order that, or when I dip into it. Why?
DR. SAMPSON DAVIS, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: When you're looking at salsa and guacamole, these are fresh substances that are being made. And storage is really important. During the summer months, the salsa and guacamole have to be kept cool. If not kept cool, bacteria loves the heat. So bacteria would pretty much jump onto the salsa and guacamole and increase the chance of infection. That's one issue.
The other is the handling of the food. You have to make sure you wash your hands or the person preparing the salsa or guacamole should wash their hands and make sure they follow clean hygiene.
Lastly, the salsa and guacamole are made in large batches. So a small amount of bacteria can go a long ways in a contamination. And then double dipping. You know, that can cause problems in the sense of spreading the bacteria.
WHITFIELD: No double dipping. Not allowed if anybody ever watched the "Seinfeld" episodes.
All right. So tell me one of the symptoms. You eat something, you have an upset stomach, but other symptoms come with food poisoning or food-borne illnesses, right?
DAVIS: Absolutely. I work in the emergency department. I see food- borne illnesses quite frequently. At least one out of four people a year being affected by viral or bacterial infection. Most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fatigue, headaches. The ones that's a little more severe that should really prompt you to go to the emergency department is bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, and fevers greater than 101.5.
WHITFIELD: So you feel these things and you don't feel you need to go to the hospital. What do you do, if anything, to treat it, or say you do go to the hospital or a doctor, what do they do to treat you?
DAVIS: The main thing is dehydration. That is what we're concerned about. So, if you're not vomiting, you want to start off by taking in some ice chips. Maybe watered down Gatorade, as well. Replenish your electrolytes, sodium, potassium, magnesium. Make sure you stay hydrated is very important. For the pediatric population, Pedialyte is good at replenishing the hydration. But at the same time if you're vomiting, you can't control the vomiting, you may have to come to the hospital for IV hydration. We'll give you some saline and hydrate you up.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, very good. Well, that's put a drag on the appetizer of the salsa and guacamole. So you move on now to your entree. A lot of folks have heard of the five-second rule. You drop something on the floor. God made dirt, dirt don't hurt, so you can eat it. Is there truth to the five-second rule that people have been talking a lot more, lately about? If it drops on the floor and hasn't been there more than five seconds, you can still eat it.
(LAUGHTER)
DAVIS: Right.
WHITFIELD: I can't believe I'm asking you this.
DAVIS: Well, I'm guilty. I'm a product of the five-second rule. I'm pretty sure I was brought up the same way as many individuals, in which if it's on the ground for less than five seconds you can kiss it up to God and it's OK.
The truth is bacteria really is everywhere. You really can't see it with the naked eye. Any time food particles or a pacifier even falls on the ground, bacteria will jump and contaminate that substance quite fast. Toss it away. Don't pick it up and kiss it up to God or whatever you do. You want to not feed it to yourself. Don't feed it to yourself or your children. WHITFIELD: We are talking about bacteria that could be the size of a pinhead. You drop something and that's what we are talking about. It can really cause illness if it's something, some really nasty bacteria. Tiny, tiny dosages, right?
DAVIS: Absolutely. It doesn't take much in order to affect a person. There are some other issues that put people at risk. Obviously our more mature population, immune system maybe isn't as strong. So they are more at risk. Co-morbid disease, if you have kidney disease or certain types of cancers, it might increase your risk for a small amount of bacteria taking advantage of your body.
But ultimately, is this really good hygiene? Wash your hands, wash your hand, wash your hands. With food preparation, just make sure you keep it cool during the summer months. If it's been outside sitting in the sun or sitting in a warm climate for a long period of time, just throw it away.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Sampson Davis joining us from New York. Thanks for spoiling our appetite today.
(LAUGHTER)
DAVIS: Thanks for having me. Hopefully people will recover. I don't want you to stop eating just because of this.
WHITFIELD: You know we'll keep eating. No problem. Thanks so much. Good to see you.
DAVIS: Take care.
WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, I will be talking to a photo journalist who said she's been harassed and interrogated by the U.S. Coast Guard and BP. We'll be right back with her story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Now a Gulf story that sounds like it could be coming out of Iran or Russia. Certainly not the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, right? But photojournalist Julie Dermansky has been covering the Gulf oil disaster and says she's been interrogated and harassed by both BP and the U.S. Coast Guard. She's joining us live from New Orleans with her story and some pretty amazing pictures.
So, Julie, why do you believe you are being interrogated, or why are you actually saying you are interrogated? What has happened?
JULIE DERMANSKY, PHOTOJOURNALIST: Well, often I'm stopped and asked for I.D. And if I don't have a BP I.D. I am told to go away. I point out that the Joint Information Center has said that journalists aren't supposed to be barred access. Sometimes that's enough to get people to back down.
There's just been an overall kind of intimidation to try to get you to stop doing your job and go elsewhere. I can't answer for the authorities that are doing it, why they are doing it. But we all know about this oil disaster. So it seems ridiculous to stop people from covering the story.
WHITFIELD: So, Julie, we're going to look at some of your images that you have snapped off here, in this reel. These are some of the images of marine life, of people, et cetera. Might this have anything to do with where you have been? What have been some of the locations? Have the been off limits areas where you were snapping off pictures?
DERMANSKY: Well, you know what's off limits seems to change every day. I would say, no. I didn't cross any police lines or go anywhere where it specifically said "do not go." Just, you know, walking into a parking lot is enough sometimes to cause trouble anywhere on a beach, with a jetty. Anywhere there's oil, really, it seems like BP and their representatives don't want you there.
The flip side is I have gone out with the Coast Guard and with BP reps. They do give you access to what they want you to have. And they've been good about that. But I think it's really important, in the media, that we cover things how we want and are not just lead around.
WHITFIELD: So, I wonder, Julia, I'm married to a news photographer. And I know that oftentimes the photographer may travel without, you know, the labeling of a news organization that they maybe associated with. In your case you are freelance, so you don't kind of have the credentials, or advertisement of who you are working for or with. Might it be that BP, or perhaps even the U.S. Coast Guard, vis-a-vis folks that you say have been approaching you, could they simply be curious? They are not sure who you are, what your intentions are, with the images, so they ask?
DERMANSKY: No, no. That's not it at all. I do have credentials. I'm affiliated with Polaris Images and with Corbis. I'm doing jobs for all different newspapers like "The Washington Post" and "The Times" of London. That's not it at all. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or with people. They just want to stop anyone from going there. They have stopped ABC out on the water. It's just been a whole-trying to keep the story quiet. I think now it's great that they pulled back the restrictions, the extra restrictions, they put where media had to be 65 feet back from the boom. Now that they have pulled them back, now that we are going to go more into cleanup mode, hopefully, it's real important that we keep an eye out and make sure things are cleaned up properly.
(CROSS TALK)
WHITFIELD: Julie, we are looking also at video that you shot as well. You have done still images, and video, as well which is what we are seeing of these murky waters. The boats that have come across what appears to be an oil-laden area. You do believe there has been this intention of keeping the story from getting out, barring you from being able to take these pictures. How has it changed, if at all, in the course of the last few days or weeks?
DERMANKSY: It hasn't changed so much, as I have changed in my strategy. I have spoken with Billy Nungesser and I've been able to get out with his task force. He does want the story told, so he made it possible for me, and different people in the media to go with his crew.
I got HAZMAT (ph) training, so no one can tell me that I don't know how to deal with the hazardous substances, because I do. I know what to do. I know how not to get contaminated and if I do to decontaminate myself. Things haven't really changed. I know that some people from Cornell were trying to get to Raccoon Island. They were turned away even though they have proper credentials. There are still a lot of people out there, mostly BP representatives, that are trying to stop the story from getting covered.
WHITFIELD: Julie Dermansky, thank you so much. Photographer, still images, video as well. A lot of what we saw right there was for a number of news organizations. Thanks for your time and sharing your story of how difficult it has been to try to get the story covered.
All right. Be your own boss. Own your own small business for a mere $100. A scenic mountain location comes with your very own post office.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MOWERY, OWNER, GOLDEN COACH RV PARK: There are roomy spaces. You're not right on top of each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Rob Mowery is raffling off his dream property. The Golden Coach RV Park in Cromberg (ph), California, a remote but popular part of Plumus (ph) County.
MOWERY: My dream is more crushed by the economy and fuel. Fuel is really the thing that hurt us the most.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The park isn't making enough money to pay his mortgage. So for $100 a ticket, he's raffling it all off. All nine acres, valued at more than $1 million.
(On camera): Those nine acres include 51 RV spots, a house, a post office, not one, but two stagecoaches, two fire pits, and some spectacular views.
It's really tough.
MOWERY: It is. It is very tough. Because I have huge expectations of what this park could be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): With the money from the raffle, Mowery can get out of debt and the winner gets everything -- except the mortgage.
WALT FICHTNER, RV PARK VISITOR: I love it. This is my favorite place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walt Fitchner has come here for years. He knows about the raffle, but he's working against Mowery.
(On camera): Did you buy one of the raffle tickets?
FICHTNER: No. I don't want it to go. If he doesn't sell enough then he won't raffle it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Like every good sales pitch there is a catch. If Mowery doesn't sell 10,000 tickets he can't pay off his loans, there is no raffle, and the money is refunded. So, he's trying to talk to anyone who will listen.
MOWERY: Oh, my God, yes. I mean, oh, my God, yes. Everybody that will stop and listen to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The raffle is on Labor Day. So far Mowery has sold less than 100 tickets. He's hoping the Internet will help him reach his goal of selling off his dreams.
MOWERY: Most people say it is an unbelievable idea and they don't believe it. They don't believe it will be a mortgage-free deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Cromberg (ph), California, I'm Richard Chuck, KCR 3 Reports.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with Don Lemon.
