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Ships, Crews Return to Gulf Oil Leak Site; Afghan War Reports Leaked; Mortgage Assistance Express
Aired July 26, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Monday, July 26th.
More than 90,000 classified reports leaked about the war in Afghanistan. Raw data coming online from the front lines. What is the mission of whistleblower Web site WikiLeaks, and what's the damage?
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're for immigration. We're just against illegal aliens coming in bringing, drugs, gangs, crime, and an economic burden that's going to grow exponentially for years if we don't do something in our town.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The escalating battle over immigration taking us deep into the nation's heartland.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we want to get help now before we get too far behind and end up losing the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Homeowners face to face with lenders. A nonprofit group goes around the country to save homes in your neighborhood.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Those stories and you comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
First, the brutal heat from the Midwest to Deep South. We are seeing temperatures soaring. Baltimore, six degrees higher than normal in July. Richmond and Chicago, close to it, every day hotter than the next.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Checking other big stories for you this morning.
Day 98 of the oil disaster in the Gulf. Embattled BP CEO Tony Hayward could find out soon if he gets to keep his job. BP's board meets today in London. Company execs insist no final decision has been made.
Meantime, crews and vessels are returning to the site of the damaged well after Tropical Storm Bonnie forced evacuations.
Our David Mattingly is back from a fly-over with the Coast Guard.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we're finding out is that the storm didn't have any effect on the oil at all. The wind and the waves that it produced weren't strong enough to help bring the oil up. So, in other words, that storm, when it came through, was just a big waste of some very valuable time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, the war games resume. The U.S. and South Korea conducting a second day of joint exercises off the Korean peninsula. Maneuvers involving 8,000 personnel, 200 aircraft and 20 ships and submarines. These drills are in response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. North Korea has threatened a nuclear response.
U.S. officials are strongly condemning the release of tens of thousands of raw classified field reports about the war in Afghanistan. The man who published the leaked documents says there's evidence of war crimes.
Our Atika Shubert looks at what's on whistleblower Web site.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): WikiLeaks is publishing what it says is more than 90,000 U.S. military reports filed about the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009, raw data from the front line, a day-by-day unvarnished view of the war by U.S. soldiers themselves.
WikiLeaks will not say how it received the documents and CNN has not been able to independently confirm their authenticity. But if confirmed, it would be the biggest leak yet of classified documents to WikiLeaks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: "Irresponsible" is the word used by National Security Adviser General James Jones to describe the release of the documents.
Let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, good morning to you.
What should we make of these documents? Do they paint any kind of a comprehensive picture of the ongoing war effort in Afghanistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, 90,000 documents, at the end of the day, do paint a pictures of sorts. But when you ask comprehensive, think of these as individual field reports, intelligence reports, reports about military operations on a given day, reports about roadside bomb attacks, reports about when U.S. troops have encountered enemy forces.
Everything single thing that the U.S. military has encountered there, of course, they file a field report, and that's essentially the large measure of what you are looking at here. So it's what happened at a particular day, at a particular point in time. The comprehensiveness, perhaps, comes later in the bigger picture, the big strategy, the overall assessments that are made about the war by top commanders, but very valid about what has happened to a particular unit on a particular day in this war -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, Barbara, how much of this information can we verify?
STARR: Ninety thousand documents, you know, it's going to take everyone a lot of time to verify all of it.
I want to play you a sound bite from the editor of WikiLeaks about his view about what all of this means.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIAN ASSANGE, WIKILEAKS FOUNDER: I've really only just scratched the surface. I think between us, we have probably read about 1,000 or 2,000 of these reports properly. So it's going to take the rest of the world press and academics to take a look at the statistics that come out of this, and the soldiers and returned soldiers from Afghanistan, from coalition forces. It will take the Taliban to look at this, the refugees from Afghanistan, the locals still living there, to all look at this and say, I understand that event, I was there. This is just a tiny summary. Let me tell you what really went on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: So that's his view of what all of this represents.
The White House, of course, condemning it, saying it's a security risk. Is it a security risk? Let me just offer one example here.
The military investigates every IED attack, every one of those roadside bomb attacks, and looks at it very carefully, because they want to find out how their protection is working, what the insurgents are up to. That's some of the most classified information that there is, and that's the type of concern that the military certainly has about all of this -- are we perhaps publishing things that could put troops at risk?
News media organizations, of course, working to verify all of these documents and taking all of those concerns into consideration -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Barbara, just another one that just occurred to me here as I was listening to that sound bite from this director, this founder, this Assange character with WikiLeaks.
Is this still an open question as to what the United States would like to do with that man? I mean, would they ideally like to get an opportunity to question him?
STARR: Yes, I think that's a given. Look, there's a lot going on here that is touchy business with the U.S. military.
You will recall that WikiLeaks recently published a video of an attack by U.S. forces in Iraq that WikiLeaks said showed the killing of civilians. That aside, that led to the arrest of a U.S. soldier who is believed to be behind much of this information being taken out of classified channels and handed to WikiLeaks -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. OK. Barbara, we'll find out whether or not there is an arrest warrant out for this man.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
Barbara, appreciate it. Thank you.
Got to tell you, this has far-reaching implications around the world. The leaks may suggest Pakistan is playing a double game here with the United States and the Taliban.
Our Reza Sayah joining us from Islamabad in just a couple of minutes.
And the markets open, just past 90 minutes now. Let's take a look at the Big Board, where things stand. We're in positive territory, trading up 51 points.
We will continue to keep an eye on these numbers throughout the morning, throughout the day for you, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A quick break and we are right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Frustration still high over the national housing crisis, but a Boston-based nonprofit is bringing lenders and homeowners face to face to work out some solutions.
Are Sandra Endo caught up with a mortgage fair in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lined up, camping out, trying to save their homes. Thousands of homeowners from across the nation are looking for relief at this housing fair in Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So that would be, what, $508, you know, that you're looking to put back into your income.
ENDO: Delvenus Sanders from Bowie, Maryland, is one of them.
DELVENUS SANDERS, STRUGGLING HOMEOWNER: We've been struggling. We've been juggling bills around because we know that, OK, the mortgage is the most important bill, and we want to get help now before we get too far behind and end up losing the house.
ENDO: After an orientation with nonprofit housing experts, and talking with a counselor, Sanders then gets to sit down face to face with her lender to hash out better terms.
(on camera): On to the banks, right?
SANDERS: Going to the bank.
ENDO: OK, good luck.
SANDERS: Thank you.
ENDO (voice-over): Bank representatives say it makes sense for them to help people like Sanders who are trying to stay afloat.
ANGEANETTE DOWLES, BANK OF AMERICA, RETENTION DIVISION: The cash is still flowing to the investor and the banks and homeowner gets to stay in their home. That is a great value ad for anybody.
BRUCE MARKS, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE CORP. OF AMERICA: Not just are we saving homes, saving marriages and some cases saving lives. It's that personal.
ENDO: The Obama administration's loan modification program has been criticized for not doing enough to help homeowners. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admits it's off to a slow start, but says the administration is tackling the ongoing housing problem.
TIM GEITHNER, U.S. SECRETARY OF TREASURY: We brought a measure of stability to house prices, interest rates have come down dramatically, millions of Americans have been able to take advantage of lower rates, which is more money in their pockets.
ENDO (on camera): Events like this one still attracting thousands of struggling homeowners show the federal government needs to do more to fix this housing crisis. The people here can't just wait for a solution, they need help right now.
So what happened? Any good news?
SANDERS: Well, I didn't get a solution today, but that's not a bad thing. What's going to happen next is since I bought my home, we haven't had an updated appraisal on it. And because my mortgage is now upside down, they need to determine the actual value.
Definitely a learning experience. I've got my fingers crossed. I'll know in 10 days.
ENDO (voice-over): Sandra Endo, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. Let's check in quickly with Carter Evans at the New York Stock Exchange with more on home loans.
Good morning, Carter.
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.
Well, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner wants to make it easier for Americans to finance those loans, but of course there are a lot of hurdles, including what in the world to do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
We're going to talk more about that later this hour.
Stay right there. NEWSROOM with Tony Harris is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Getting back to the leaked documents from Afghan War.
More than 90,000 raw field reports from the past six years. "The New York Times" was one of the first news organizations to reveal the leaked material. Its terrorism correspondent, Eric Schmitt, discussed it with CNN's Kyra Phillips.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC SCHMITT, TERRORISM CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": We always felt we could publish these documents if they went through the careful process that we normally do. We sifted through these thousands of documents, and in many cases we have redacted the names of the informants on the ground, Afghans on the ground who were cooperating with the United States, as well as certain sources and methods that other sensitive information that might jeopardize our ongoing operations in Afghanistan.
So we took great care to ensure that there would not be, at least through "The New York Times," any kind of disclosure of sensitive information. And in fact, the White House has praised our efforts for doing so.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So, Eric, what we know about the war publicly, and now seeing these documents -- and let me ask you as a correspondent what covers issues of terrorism and national security, has your perception of the war changed? Do you think it's worse than what we thought now that you've seen these documents?
SCHMITT: I think what you come to the conclusion, after looking at these voluminous documents, is that a war that's always been known to be a difficult struggle both of the soldiers on the ground, as well as for Afghan civilians, is even more difficult. When you get into these fine-grain detailed stories of individual missions, of individual confrontations on the ground, you get a sense of just how challenging it really is, and it is a grimmer picture.
I think what we also have seen, as you referred to in your lead-in, is that the reports of complicity by a Pakistan spy agency, the ISI, are even more voluminous than we thought. The degree of detail where we see reports of meetings between the ISI and various militant groups that are conducting attacks in Afghanistan, as well as other details, suggests that this involvement continues to this day and the administration is aware of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Let's pick up on the Pakistani angle for a second here. The former head of that country's intelligence says the reports are lies.
Our Reza Sayah is in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
Reza, good to see you. A couple of questions for you.
What's the response so far from Pakistani officials?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, rejecting these claims, Tony. And I think it's important to point out that Pakistan has heard these allegations before, allegations that their spy agency, the ISI, is playing a double game.
On one hand, seemingly supporting U.S. and NATO efforts against the militants in Afghanistan. But on the other hand, secretly helping the Afghan Taliban and fueling the insurgency. And I think a lot of our viewers in the U.S. might ask, well, why? Why would Pakistan want a relationship with the afghan Taliban?
And it's important to note when it comes to Pakistan state policy, regional policy, it's all about India. Simply put, Pakistan's military and its spy agency are obsessed with India.
They fear that India is looking to surround them with their growing influence in Afghanistan. And some in Washington and many analysts are convinced that the Pakistani military and the spy agency, some elements within it, are continuing to have a relationship with the Afghan Taliban to counter India's growing influence in Kabul and to secure a friend in Kabul once U.S. troops pull out.
In the past, Pakistan has denied these allegations. They did it again today. Government officials saying these are ridiculous and rubbish, but again --
HARRIS: I think we just lost Reza. OK. We'll try to get to him next hour.
And speaking of next hour, we will get more perspective from Pakistan. I will talk to "New York Times" correspondent Jane Perlez. She is one of the few journalists who got an early review of the leaked documents. While we are bringing you news from around the world, we are also watching what is hot online right now, and this man, Josh, is here with that -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Plastiki. Do you know about Plastiki? It's a boat made of plastic bottles. We have some video here.
HARRIS: Oh, I read something about this story. Yes. Yes.
LEVS: It's completed. It's an 8,000-nautical-mile journey to Australia. We've got some video of it arriving in Australia today. This is pretty incredible, made entirely pretty much out of plastic bottles.
And what we are seeing is the end of a 125-day trip, not to mention the result of years of planning. This is the latest eco-mission calling for a cleaner planet.
We have a special section on this, all the details for you, at CNN.com/plastiki.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Ninety-eight days into the Gulf oil disaster, Coast Guard commanders are telling CNN oil in the water is rapidly breaking down. By the weekend, crews could start plugging BP's ruptured well once and for all.
And later today, Tony Hayward may be out as CEO of BP. No confirmation from the company just yet. Its board of directors meets in a matter of hours.
In other top stories, at least six people were killed, 20 others wounded in a suicide bombing in Baghdad. Police say the bomber drove a bus into the compound of Al-Arabiya TV.
And Fidel Castro out in public again, wearing his trademark olive green shirt. Saturday, the former Cuban leader traveled outside Havana to honor Cuban rebels.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: I've got to tell you, millions in damage. Take a look at these pictures.
That's eastern Iowa, right? This is after a dam breaks.
About 10 inches of rain fell Saturday, too much water for the dam to hold. At least 200 homes were destroyed, more than 1,000 others damaged. Amazingly, no one was injured in all of this.
And you were dealing with some of these images and pictures over the weekend, weren't you, Jacqui? It was a real mess.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLGIST:: Yes. I mean, so many different developing weather stories this weekend. The dam in Iowa, they had record rainfall, record flooding down the Maquoketa River.
HARRIS: Chicago as well? I think I saw some of your notes on that.
JERAS: Chicago, exactly. Yes. We had problems there. Lots of flooding, record rain.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: A small Nebraska town concerned about illegal immigrants taking jobs passes a ban. Legal immigrants say voters are only hurting themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not going to see any Anglo-Americans working the lines. You're not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you're saying is they don't want those jobs to be --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't wants jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. When we come back, you will hear arguments on both sides of the immigration debate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Arizona's controversial state law on immigration goes into effect Thursday, barring any court injunctions. This week CNN is bringing you unprecedented coverage of the immigration issue across the country.
We start in Fremont, Nebraska opinion they passed a law last month banning anyone from hiring illegal immigrants or renting property to them.
CNN's Dan Simon reports it is a law that is troubling many of the state's legal immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surrounded by cattle and cornfields, Fremont, Nebraska is the kind of place that feels insulated from the nation's big problems, especially illegal immigration.
Just look on a map. Mexico is a long ways away from Nebraska, about a thousand miles but the immigration battle has reached the heartland and this town outside of Omaha of only 25,000 people.
JERRY HART, LED PETITION DRIVE: You look at the flooding situation. Are you going to wait for FEMA to come take care of you ore are you going to start sandbagging your own house so you don't get floodwaters in? That's what we're trying to do. SIMON: Jerry Hart, a retired IRS agent and John Wiegert, an elementary school teacher led an effort to put on a measure on the town's ballot that bans hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants. It passed last month by a decisive 57 percent of the vote.
(on camera): Why does a city like Fremont, smack in the middle of the country, need an anti-immigration law?
JOHN WIEGERT, LED PETITION DRIVE: We're for immigration. We're just against illegal aliens coming in bringing drugs, gangs, crime and economic burden that's going to grow exponentially for years if we don't do something in our town.
SIMON (voice-over): Yes. It's the identical argument used by anti-illegal immigration hawks around the country even though police dispute that crime here is on the rise. But like many American cities, Fremont's Hispanic population has risen from an estimated 200 in 1990 to about 2,000 now.
(on camera): Freemont's Hispanic population has surged in recent years with the promise of a steady job at the area's meat packing plants. The city has a low unemployment rate but according to supporters, one of the primary arguments for the measure is that illegal immigrants are taking away jobs from American citizens.
(voice-over): Nothing makes this woman's blood boil more.
MIRIAM BERGANZA, FREMONT RESIDENT: You're not going to see any Anglo-Americans working the lines. You're not.
SIMON (on camera): What you're saying is they don't want those jobs to be --
BERGANZA: They don't want the jobs. We want them because we have to support our kids.
SIMON (voice-over): Miriam Berganza, an American citizen has worked in those plants which she says are filled mainly by Hispanics. She cannot understand why Fremont has become an immigration battle front.
BERGANZA: Fremont has grown because of the illegal immigrants. We spend our money here. We don't go nowhere else. We spend it here. I don't see the problem with that.
SIMON: Miriam says the byproduct of all this is growing racial tension and a feeling of being unwanted.
Kristen Ostrom fought unsuccessfully to defeat the measure in part because she thought it encouraged racial profiling.
KRISTEN OSTROM, OPPOSITION LEADER: The Hispanic community feels like the people voted for them to leave, and we have people telling us day after day that they are just waiting for the police to come and escort them out of Fremont. SIMON (on camera): That's not going to happen.
OSTROM: That's absolutely not going to happen but the Hispanic community feels like they are not welcome.
SIMON (voice-over): Ordinance supporters, deny race played a role.
It's not clear how many illegal immigrants live in Fremont, what is clear, the battle is headed to the courts with opponents like those critical of Arizona's controversial bill claiming immigration enforcement is strictly a federal matter.
Dan Simon, CNN, Fremont, Nebraska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: In contrast to Fremont, there are sanctuary cities across the country.
Ines Ferre is in New York to tell us more.
Ines, I believe you prepared a map for us, haven't you?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I sure have, Tony.
Let's start with what sanctuary cities are. It's really a term that's developed over time. Cities that are relatively safe for illegal immigrants. Some of them have policies where city employees and police aren't allowed to inquire about immigration status. They also don't have to report people here illegally.
The most current report on sanctuary policies we could find by the Congressional Research Services is from 2006, and it shows 31 cities and counties with these types of policies, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
Now, supporters, Tony, of Arizona's immigration law want the government to go after sanctuary cities. Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter recently introduced a bill demanding that the government do something about them. He says that if immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, then the government should pursue sanctuary cities for impeding federal law.
Now the Justice Department, Tony, says there's a difference between a jurisdiction deciding not to use its resources to enforce federal law and a state coming up with its own law interferes with federal law -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Ines, what are cities saying about all of this?
FERRE: Yes. Well they're saying that they don't hold back information from ICE when it comes to criminals and their policies really help build a better relationship between local law enforcement and illegal immigrants when it comes to reporting crime or witnessing crimes. HARRIS: Got you. All right, Ines. Appreciate it. See you next hour. Thanks.
The U.S. isn't the only country struggling with illegal immigration. international correspondents Sara Sidner and Kyung Lah take a look at what India and Japan are doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Sara Sidner in New Delhi, in one of the most popular marketplaces. Now, here, the country is most concerned about security. There are seven nations that border India, and several of them have known military groups, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
For decades India has had soldiers along the Pakistan border but it's now doing something new on the Bangladesh border, believed that thousands of Bangladeshis cross that forest border every year and it is beginning to really upset the citizenry of the state where they believe the Bangladeshis are taking jobs because they offer cheap labor.
What's India doing? Well, it's building a huge fence that's 2,000 miles long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Water. That's what all of Japan is surrounded by. I'm Kyung Lah in Tokyo, at the Tokyo Bay. Because Japan is an island, illegal immigrant here isn't so much about a porous border, but about immigrants overstaying their visas. They then disappear into Japan's population.
The government estimates some 90,000 illegal immigrants live here, too high for Japan's government, which in a controversial has stepped attempts to expel illegal immigrants, such is the case with this 13- year-old Nariko Calderon (ph), a 13-year-old Filipino girl who was born and raised in Japan. The government allowed her to remain in Japan but deported her parents out of the country to the Philippines. The United Nations has denounced such family separations and says that Japan must do more to protect migrant's human rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A gay couple forced into a long distance relationship because of immigration laws.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever I hear or see a plane, I get sad because I know I have a date that I have to take that plane and leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We will find out how it is keeping them apart.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Day 98 of the oil disaster. BP chief executive Tony Hayward may get his life back. The company's board is meeting today and there are reports Hayward will be replaced. Meantime, crews and vessels are returning to the site of the damaged well after Tropical Storm Bonnie delayed the cleanup.
Afghan officials say the body of one of two U.S. sailors who went missing in Afghanistan Friday has been found. The Taliban claimed to be holding the other captive.
And check that out. See it here in a second. It is said to be a record flight at Red Bull's Fueltog. Is that even close to being the correct pronunciation on that? Well, it's happening in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is a competition to see which homemade aircraft can fly the farthest?
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Oil disaster day 98. Ships and crews are back at work in the Gulf of Mexico after evacuating for two days because of Tropical Storm Bonnie.
CNN meteorologist, the man, Rob Marciano is in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Rob, first of all, good to see you.
What is the time line now, the latest information you're getting for the static kill? Maybe you can describe what that is.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, yes. That's - right now, you know, before Bonnie, we talked about them needing a window of five to seven days of good weather in order to do the prep work to even attempt the static kill. So now that pretty much begins today, tomorrow.
They've just got the drilling platform back into position, they just were able to latch onto the bottom of the sea floor. And now they've got to put some conditioning fluid down there, test that, flush things out, and begin to line the casing again, and then cement the casing. That's a five to seven day process. So that puts us at the beginning of next week before we consider the static kill, which they're still strongly considering. They'd like to do that first because I'm told that'll speed up the bottom kill and make that ail lit easier. Still, mid-August.
The whole process, Tony, has been basically delayed a week, maybe as much as nine days because of the Bonnie fiasco.
HARRIS: And Rob, we're going to talk to David Mattingly about this next hour, but I want to ask you this question. What about reports about a lack of oil now? As I recall, you were out on one of the command vessels, skimmer vessels, and that vessel was coordinating all of the activity of the other vessels of opportunity.
What are you hearing about the oil breaking up and there being a lack of oil for the skimmers to scoop up?
MARCIANO: Well, you know, the aerial reconnaissance is showing that there's not a whole lot of significant skimmable oil that they've been able to see.
There was a good patch or a big patch, I should say, south of Grand Isle by about 10 miles. And with the north wind, that was bringing it scarily close to the Grand Isle beaches. And then there's a lot of sheen.
But, as far as the thick piles of oil, the streamers, the expansive areas of oil that we've seen in weeks past, that is becoming more difficult to find, one, because the oil has been able to be dispersed both chemically and through weathering process. And, more importantly, Tony, this thing has been capped for 10 days now.
So you've had that lack of oil being pumped into the Gulf of Mexico and the hard working men and women out there skimming up the oil have done a heck of a job in the past week and a half. That's the probably the biggest reason.
HARRIS: OK. Rob Marciano for us in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Rob, good to see you. Thank you.
And still to come, a new move to keep more home owners in their home. We are back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: Here are some of the stories we're working on next hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Fraud in the heartland. Christians defrauded by a scheme that promised no risk with big returns. It is a CNN Money investigation.
And 20 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, the landscape looks a lot different for those who fought for it. But some say there is still plenty of room for improvement. We will hear about one young man's struggle. That's next hour in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Day 98 of the oil disaster, fishermen falling through the cracks. It is a reality in the Gulf where the old way of doing business has meant no compensation from BP.
CNN's Allan Chernoff takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDNET (voice-over): Louisiana fisherman Kevin Prats usually sells his catch for cash. But he doesn't have documentation. As a result, he says, BP hasn't paid him a dime in compensation, while his boat sits idle, unable to fish the Gulf.
KEVIN PRATS, FISHERMAN: They want me to show my tax return for the last three years. And I ain't filed taxes. I ain't made much money, you know?
C: Prats says when he makes good money, he does file taxes. But for the past three years, he hasn't. So he complains he's had no luck in getting BP to pay him for his lost work.
PRATS: They want '07, '08, and '09 tax returns. And I don't have them. So, you know, they just got me on a file.
CHERNOFF: Faced with similar complaints, BP has eased its requirements. The company no longer is requiring tax returns. People unable to pursue their regular work simply have to show some proof of income.
DARRYL WILLIS, BP VICE PRESIDENT OF RESOURCES: If you don't have a tax return, we'll take a W-2. If you don't have a W-2, just show us a paycheck stub. If you don't have a deposit slip and you're a shrimper or fisherman, we'll take trip tickets, shrimp tickets, boat tickets, anything that shows you make a living in Louisiana, you make a living in Louisiana, you make a living on the water.
CHERNOFF: But that didn't work, complains Prats.
PRATS: I brought them my 10 check stubs. That wasn't good enough.
CHERNOFF: Along the Gulf Coast, residents often acknowledge fishing often is a cash business. Buyers come to the dock and pay cash for seafood fresh off the boat.
CHAD LAUGA, AFL-CIO LOUISIANA POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It's been like that for generations, you know? You go down there, you give them your $200, you get your 100 pounds of shrimp and you leave.
CHERNOFF: So some political leaders argue for an amnesty program to help those in need.
CRAIG TAFFARO, ST. BERNARD PARISH PRESIDENT: Does it mean that these fishermen who operated on a cash basis will have to change the way they do business? OK, that might be what it means. But let's not penalize them in the face of a disaster.
CHERNOFF: BP easing its requirements has helped some fishermen collect compensation.
MICHAEL ANGLIN, FISHERMAN: If you can mildly document what you're saying to say, you know, they'll take care of you. They've done right by me. CHERNOFF: But those who have poor records, like Kevin Prats, feel BP's compensation system has left them out in the cold.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That's CNN's Allan Chernoff reporting.
HARRIS: A gay couple forced to part by immigration laws. We told you about this story a couple minutes ago.
CNN's Adriana Hauser has their story from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIANA HAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Enzo Siri and Andres Fagundez met three years ago.
ENZO SIRI, FAGUNDEZ'S PARTNER: I was attracted from the minute I saw him.
HAUSER: Their seemingly blissful relationship faces a major hurdle. Born in Argentina, Siti has lived in New York for 12 years and is a U.S. citizen. But Fagundez is not.
ANDRES FAGUNDEZ, SIRI'S PARTNER: Whenever I hear or I see a plane I get sad because I know he have a date that I have to take that plane and leave my life here.
HAUSER: That's because his visa only allows him to be here six months at a time.
SIRI: There are no rules about when he can come back. We might have to wait for a few months. But even if he waited for six months or a year or whatever, maybe the person at the airport, immigration, you know, agent at the airport is having a bad day and he could be sent back.
HAUSER: If they were a straight couple, the pair say they would marry, and Fagundez would be protected.
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), NEW YORK: Mandating that partners -- lovers be apart, that is simply cruel.
HAUSER: Congressman Jerrold Nadler supports a provision in the proposed immigration reform law that would give homosexual couples the same immigration protections as heterosexual couples.
NADLER: I think it is very important that if we're going to have a comprehensive immigration reform it be comprehensive.
HAUSER (on camera): Groups that advocate for this provision estimate that about 36,000 couples would benefit from it. Although some states allow same-sex unions, federal law does not allow these individuals to offer immigration sponsorship to their partners.
(voice-over): Opponents say this is a political effort to gin up the base.
MAGGIE GALLAGHER, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE: Immigration is a privilege, not a right. And I think there are millions of Americans who would love the right or the privilege of bringing a loved one into the country. But that's not the way our immigration laws are written.
HAUSER: As for Siri and Fagundez, Fagundez's visa runs out December 22nd, so they know unless the new provision passes, Christmas will either be spent alone or together outside the United States.
FAGUNDEZ: And the thing for me is, we have everything we need here.
HAUSER: A middle class life, a dog, and a loving relationship. But for now, no guarantee they can all stay together.
Adriana Hauser, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
