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Campbell Brown

Violence in Jamaica; BP's Latest Attempt to Stop Oil Leak

Aired May 25, 2010 - 20:00   ET

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

CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody.

It's day 36 of the oil disaster in the Gulf, and here is the very latest. Late today, President Obama announced he is heading to Louisiana on Friday to see firsthand what is being done to try to stop the gushing oil rig. The trip is unlikely to silence critics, who say the federal government's response has been too little too late.

It comes as BP prepares for its latest attempt to stop the gusher, the so-called top kill method, shooting 50,000 pounds of heavy mud and cement into the well to try to cap it off. It's never been tried at this depth, so deep underwater. And BP executives admit there is a 30 to 40 percent chance that it will not work.

So, what happens next?

To help us get some answers tonight, we are bringing back Billy Nungesser, who is president of Plaquemines Parish. He is on the front lines of this disaster, and he's giving BP and the government 24 hours to come up with a plan to keep the oil off the shores of Louisiana or to get out of the way, so they can come up with their own plan.

Tonight, it is, of course, our number-one story, and it is everyone's number-one story. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): NBC News focused on the sheer size of the catastrophe.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, HOST, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": If nothing can ever be done to stop it, there is enough oil in that reservoir beneath that well in the Gulf to pour out there for the rest of our lives, potentially.

BROWN: CBS led with a look at BP's latest fix for the leak scheduled to be set in motion tomorrow at dawn, the top kill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From a drill ship, engineers will pump a heavy mud mix a mile underwater and hope to clog the gushing well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We rate the probability of success as somewhere between 60 and 70 percent.

BROWN: And ABC remembered the human cost for one family. DIANE SAWYER, HOST, "WORLD NEWS": This was the memorial for the 11 men who died in the horrifying burning explosion. Bronzed helmets were given to each family. We don't know about every family sitting in that audience, but we do know about the parents and sisters of Dale Burkeen.

MARY BURKEEN, MOTHER OF KILLED OIL RIG WORKER: I feel like the (INAUDIBLE) way I can come to a closure is when they get all this oil up, if I can -- if I had to walk out there waist-deep and lay a wreath, because I feel like he is out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And Transocean, the company that actually owns the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, organized that memorial today for the 11 men who died when the rig blew up.

And we learn tonight, after pressure from the president himself, BP is reversing itself and will show live video of tomorrow's top kill.

And CNN's David Mattingly is live on the Louisiana coast tonight at Port Fourchon, where the whole crisis is about to come to a head.

And, David, everybody's hopes obviously pinned on this top kill approach. As we have told poll, BP executives saying about a 60 to 70 percent chance of success. It's their best shot, though. I guess, why so late in the process did it come to this?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you say that to BP, they will say that this wasn't late in the process at all, that they considered the top kill very early on after this crisis began, and that they have had to fast-track everything and essentially every step they take has been into uncharted waters.

What they have been saying is that it took a long time to diagnosis what they were dealing with that huge five-story-tall blowout preventer that is on top of the well. After the disaster, they didn't know what kind of shape it was in. They had to get some sophisticated equipment down there to do an diagnostic of it, to actually see images, almost like an MRI, to see what they were dealing with, to see what some -- if there was some sort of damage that they couldn't see on the outside.

They had to know all of these things before they could come up with this plan to pump that heavy liquid in there. And the problem with this is, there is a tremendous amount of pressure from that oil coming out. They have to counteract that pressure by pumping it from the surface and then pushing that pressure down.

Essentially, they're going to be trying drown this oil well in liquid.

BROWN: And, David, walk us through the options if in fact it fails. MATTINGLY: If it fails, they have a number of options ready to go. But I have to emphasize here, Campbell, that this, the top kill, is their best option.

All of the other options are going to take longer to pull off. They're going to be more complex. They have more problems, and there is a greater risk associated with these other ones. They have the junk shot that is sitting there on the table. They have a plan to put a new blowout preventer if they need to install that on top. They have plans to shear the top off the pipe that is leaking and to put a valve and a collection device, a dome on top of that to collect the oil just in case this other procedure doesn't work.

So, they have got these multiple options they have been pursuing simultaneously. But, again, this top kill is their best way to go. And if this doesn't work, it's only going to get harder from here.

BROWN: And, David, I know BP has been working very closely with other oil companies as well, sort of under the instruction of the administration, to bring other expertise on board to try to help figure this out, right?

MATTINGLY: That's right. And they brought in expertise not only from the government, but from their competitors as well. This is a crisis that is affecting the confidence toward the entire oil industry.

And it wasn't just BP that was using this blowout preventer. They all use it. It wasn't just BP that is drilling in deep water. They all are. And the problem here is they are encountering a disaster that on paper could have happened, but they never believed that it would. So, they never had any contingency plans for how to deal with it when it did happen. So, now that the unthinkable has happened, they're having to think of a way to stop that well. And the entire industry is going to have to learn from this.

BROWN: All right, David Mattingly for us tonight with the very latest.

And, as BP focuses, as David just pointed out, on trying to plug the gusher, the people of Louisiana desperate right now to protect their coastline. And as president of Plaquemines Parish in the heart of the state's seafood industry, Billy Nungesser is leading the charge there.

Their plan has been to build a series of seawalls or berms made from sandbags designed to block the oil from reaching the wetlands. And over the past hour, Mr. Nungesser and hundreds of very angry Louisiana residents have been meeting with BP to try to demand action here.

Mr. Nungesser, welcome back to the show.

BILLY NUNGESSER, PRESIDENT, PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LOUISIANA: Thank you. BROWN: You're joining us right now, I should let people know, from inside that town hall meeting that is taking place in Venice, Louisiana.

Just tell us what is going on so far.

NUNGESSER: Well, you know, we need to be doing multi-things at one time.

The Coast Guard needs to step up to the plate and demand that BP pump this berm so we can protect our parish through hurricane season. And we need to seal off the leak. But we -- I'm tired of hearing excuses that we need to concentrate all our efforts on the leak.

The same person that is going to seal off the leak is not the person writing the check to the fishermen. We need to have a plan to make these families whole, not wait until the end of the month to see if there is going to be a check next month. That's unacceptable.

If they're going to pay them three months, six months, put it out there. Let's put the money in their pocket. They have got enough to worry about to know whether we're ever going to be able to put those nets back in the water and get back to making a living. These are proud people. They don't want a handout. They just want to be made whole.

They would much rather go back to work. But you know what? We're not getting the support from the Coast Guard or BP. And there is no plan. They said it was going to stay offshore. It was going the sink in small pieces and be eaten by the fish. They were wrong. There is still no plan to keep it out of the marshlands.

We gave them a plan. If they didn't like it, show us a better plan. But do something. We're doing absolutely nothing. And we're fed up.

BROWN: All right. Let me -- let me just give people a sense of what is happening right behind you in that room. BP officials are there now. I understand there is a line of people, you can see there in the pictures, who are basically, as I understand it, lined up to ask BP for benefits. Is that correct?

NUNGESSER: Yes, ma'am. They have been on a list since the first week, waiting to be called for the boat of opportunity.

But yet they have not been called. We have got boats in this parish from other parishes. Why aren't these people being called? Why are they sitting by the phone? If they're not going to use them, pick up the phone and tell them. But don't take their names and say we're going to put you to work, and then, 35 days later, there has been no answer. There's been no communication.

BROWN: They're still sitting there.

NUNGESSER: They're frustrated. BROWN: What are they most upset about? What are you hearing in that room tonight? I mean, just give us a sense for what the mood is like.

NUNGESSER: Well, you have seen the pictures. They're wondering if they're ever going to make a living again, like their families did for generations.

But they have also got to worry about where is the next check coming to feed the kids, to pay the rent, because BP is not giving us a plan. Tonight, we're demanding a plan. Is it three months? Is it six months? What are you going to do to compensate the people that have lost their livelihood, maybe for many years?

But we want to know today. We don't want to wait until the end of the month and walk in with our hand out and say, are you going to give us another check? We want a plan in writing. We want to know it's going to be there, and these people are going to be made whole.

They have got enough stress to worry about whether they're ever going to be able to get back to making a living in the waters of South Plaquemines.

BROWN: So -- so...

NUNGESSER: We have got to have them step up to the plate.

BROWN: ... do you think -- I know you haven't had much time to talk with them. It's really just been this evening. You were supposed to meet with them earlier today, I know, with BP and the Coast Guard, and they canceled on you. You have had a chance presumably now to speak with some of these officials.

Have they been responsive to you? Do you feel like that they're hearing you and that they're going to address some of these concerns?

NUNGESSER: Well, we're going demand that they address it, and we're going to want it in writing.

You know, up to this point, we have relied on speaking nicely with them. For two weeks, I worked hand in hand with the Coast Guard and BP. But I had to speak out.

My job is to take care of this parish and these people. And we have not been getting any help. We have not been getting any cooperation. We have been getting the runaround. And, as I said, I know it's important to stop the leak.

But the guy stopping the leak ain't the guy writing the check. To use that as an excuse not to addressing these fishermen's need is absolutely absurd.

BROWN: The White House announced today that President Obama is heading back down there. He is going to visit the Gulf Coast again on Friday. I know you met with him for I think two hours the last time he came. Does it matter to you that he is coming back? Does that help at all?

NUNGESSER: Absolutely.

Listen, President Obama cares. I looked into his eyes. This wasn't a dog and pony show. He spent two hours with me and the governor. Our jack-up boat plan was implemented because the president told the Coast Guard, you don't have a better plan. Put Billy's plan in place.

He called me the next day to make sure it was done. That's a president that cares. But you know what? He is being misled by the people in charge. I'm glad he is coming down here. I hope he will listen. And I believe, if I get a chance to let him know what is going on, he will make some quick changes and make it happen, like he did on his last visit. So, we're counting on him coming down.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Tell me, given that, what is your number-one concern? What is the most important thing that you want to convey to him?

NUNGESSER: The most important thing is we have got to have a plan to make these people whole. We have got to pump that berm to protect our parish from hurricane season, because that oil is coming ashore.

And we have got to quit using one dispersant. There is many friendly additives we can do to soak up this oil in the marsh. We have no plan. It's sitting out there killing birds and wildlife, and we're doing absolutely nothing about it. And that is no plan. If they got a better plan, show us. If not, pump our berm, protect our parish, and make us whole. That's all we want.

BROWN: Well, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, we appreciate it. I know you have got to go back to your meeting. You've got those people there from BP and a lot of angry folks down in Louisiana who are looking for answers tonight. We appreciate you taking a minute to talk to us. And we will talk to you again as things develop down there. Thank you so much.

NUNGESSER: Thank you.

BROWN: Tonight, residents along the Gulf Coast, as we just pointed out to you, pleading for help, and many asking the question, as you just heard, why isn't the government doing more? We're going to talk with our political panel coming up next, Mark Halperin, David Gergen, and James Carville all here right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The president now planning a trip to the Gulf Coast for later this week. As we have been reporting, the White House late today announced President Obama will travel to Louisiana Friday to assess the latest oil spill efforts. It is his second trip to the region since the oil spill happened. But with at least six million gallons of crude already clogging coastal waters and more to come, questions some are now asking, why isn't this ballooning national disaster his number-one priority?

And joining us for tonight's all-star political panel is Mark Halperin, senior political analyst for "TIME" magazine, in Boston tonight, David Gergen, former presidential adviser and CNN senior political analyst as well, and from New Orleans tonight, Democratic strategist and CNN political analyst James Carville.

Welcome to everybody.

James, this drumbeat of criticism against the Obama administration certainly ratcheting up with each day. You yourself said that the administration's response to the crisis was, in your word, lackadaisical.

In fairness, I heard, just to give the president some credit, Billy Nungesser saying a few minutes ago that he felt when he had spoken directly to the president, that he was getting a good response from him. How do you feel about how they're doing now?

JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm going to see Billy tomorrow. I actually am going down with the governor and him and my wife.

Look, I think the president cares. I think he has gotten horrible advice. And I can't believe -- I'm waiting for him to fire some people over this. That's what people want to see. I don't think that he doesn't care. But I think the advice he has gotten has been terrible. I think they were -- I said they were naive.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: But be specific. About -- about what? What...

CARVILLE: About BP telling them it was 1,000, then it was 5,000, and they said they were going to send somebody down here, that the MMS was there. They knew that these people were totally corrupt from the 2007 report. They didn't act fast enough to clean this up. They should have fumigated that mess in MMS for any number of things.

I think that people around the president were listening to BP saying, oh, they are trying to do everything they can. And they should have stepped in and dropped the hammer on them early. I think the president cares. I think some of the people that are advising him have not told him about the magnitude of this disaster. And I think it's now dawning on him.

BROWN: So the president's coming down there, I was going say, does it help, does it hurt for him to be there?

CARVILLE: Of course it helps.

(CROSSTALK)

CARVILLE: Yes.

BROWN: But is he finally going to get an earful from people like you who are there on the ground who are conveying that?

CARVILLE: He is our president. We want him here. We're -- we have been -- Campbell, you know this better than anybody. We have been the victim of two massive engineering failures here in Louisiana, incompetence and incompetently built levees in Katrina and corporate greed of a criminal nature.

I want to know this. When are they going to impanel a federal grand jury to look into potential criminal liability for the negligence in the loss of these 11 lives? We tend to forget there were 11 human beings. I talked to a friend of mine today. He's a lawyer in Baton Rouge, lost his son. He was a mud engineer on that rig.

When are these people going to be called to the bar of justice? When are we going to go back and investigate and put -- and impanel a grand jury about what is going on at this Minerals Management Service? Let's go back and look at what happened there. There's a lot of things here that need to be looked into. We're just scratching the surface.

BROWN: David, you know, James is expressing what so many people are feeling right now, that -- and it just seems that Washington once again -- and it's astounding to people from Louisiana -- is very out of touch with regard to how this is being handled.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It is increasingly astounding to people all over the country, Campbell.

Everybody knows that Barack Obama cares. What they would like to see is Barack Obama in charge. When this incident started, it was small, isolated, and it was understandable that the government looked to a private corporation to handle it.

But it's grown into a national emergency. And with a national emergency, it's a responsibility of government to take the lead. And in this case, they -- we continue to be in this very, very unacceptable situation, when we're putting the fate of our coastlines, our precious coastlines, and the water off our shores, we're putting the fate of those in the hands of a foreign-based company like BP.

This ought to be the national responsibility. The president ought to be mobilizing the best minds in the country, the best technologies in the country to not only stop the leak, but to prevent this kind of damage to our coast.

BROWN: But let me just push back with what we have been hearing from Thad Allen, who is the White House point man on this, which is we have to rely on BP. They are the only ones with the expertise and equipment to address this. We are, for lack of a better way of putting it, in bed with them, whether we want to be or not, and we have to use them in order to try to address this problem.

What do you say to that?

GERGEN: Well, I'm not sure -- I think the world of Thad Allen. He is a great leader. But it's not at all clear to me he is in charge. BP is in charge of this.

And it's not even clear within the administration. Is it Salazar, the interior secretary? Is it Thad Allen? Is it someone in the White House? We don't even know who is in charge within the administration.

And on this issue, I'm not saying take it away from BP, but BP ought to be under the control of the government. And the government ought to be calling in, the president ought to be calling in the heads of all the other oil companies and say, look, this is -- we can have a situation here where we shut down offshore drilling.

This spill could do to offshore drilling and to our energy supplies from that part of the world what Three Mile Island did to nuclear power, because this has been -- it's being mishandled in such a way it is causing so much damage.

And, so, under those circumstances, in a national emergency, we look to the president to put somebody in charge, to call in all the heads of the companies, to call in the best minds of the country. The government can't do this. That is for sure. But it can mobilize the best minds in the country to get this solved.

BROWN: Mark, jump in here.

MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Well, there is a lot of issues. There's some past issues that James talked about and some current ones that David talked about.

I think that the biggest mistake ongoing and currently from the president's point of view is , it is true, as Thad Allen says, there is technical expertise that BP has. The federal government just doesn't have it.

The White House must be in charge. They must not be saying, well, BP is in charge of that, and we're in charge of some of the other stuff. They must be in charge, because it is a national -- natural -- national disaster.

And because the people who the White House says is in charge of the most important thing, stopping the leak, are people about whom there is a lot of suspicion at a minimum about their competence, and, as James pointed out, perhaps about corruption.

BROWN: But am I being really sensitive to this, to James' point, because I'm from Louisiana.? I'm shocked that the president isn't talking about this publicly every single day.

HALPERIN: There is a lot of federal resources being mobilized. And the president has talked about it a lot. He has got a lot of people talking about it. I think this is the same problem that this White House has shown on other issues, which is, no one is in charge. The president is not quite in charge, and no single other official is in charge.

So, I think the president shouldn't necessarily be talking about it every day, but someone, a single authoritative person should be talking about it every day on the ground and to the national -- and the world really.

BROWN: And, James, I'm going give you the last word here. Is that enough, though?

CARVILLE: You know what? There is one thing. It's where that whole is. You're right. The oil company -- BP has expertise. The federal government doesn't.

BP should have nothing to do with the cleanup but pay for it. They need to lawyer up, shut up, and write checks. That's their role. Plug this thing up and get out of the way, because I can tell you there is not a soul in Louisiana that trusts BP to do anything.

And what they need to do, they ought to show some strength and instruct the attorney general to impanel a federal grand jury to look into this. They killed 11 people.

BROWN: We're going to end it on that note.

James Carville, David Gergen, Mark Halperin, appreciate it. Thanks, guys.

Another big important part of this story, the chemicals that are being used to help in the cleanup, what do we even know about them?

And when we come back a little bit later, terror in paradise. Dozens dead on the streets of Jamaica's capital as police are battling an accused drug lord. Why are locals sticking up for this unusual suspect who is being compared to Robin Hood? We're going have that when we come back as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Oil isn't the only contaminant that is threatening the Gulf right now. BP is defying an order by the Environmental Protection Agency to stop using a toxic chemical, Corexit, designed to break up this spill.

To date, the company has sprayed more than 800,000 gallons of one dispersant on the oil and continues to claim it is the best possible choice for the job.

But the EPA says it is a known health hazard, that less toxic alternatives would be a lot safer for all of us.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has been covering this part of the story for us. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite being told to use a less toxic dispersant, BP continues spraying tens of thousands of gallons of the chemical called Corexit into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP's chief executive is unapologetic.

TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP GROUP: We have used dispersants from the beginning that are on the EPA-approved list. Everything that we do with dispersants is with the explicit approval of the EPA.

LAVANDERA: That's not the way the Environmental Protection Agency sees it. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson gave BP a three-day deadline to change dispersants or explain why it couldn't. The deadline has passed, and BP is still using Corexit.

LISA JACKSON, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: The answer we got back from -- from BP to me seemed more like a defense of their current choice, reminding me a little bit of that old commercial, I would rather fight than switch.

LAVANDERA: BP says there are five viable dispersant options at this point besides Corexit. Back on May 4, BP ordered 100,000 gallons of one of those called Sea Brat, but it's still sitting in an industrial park outside of Houston, Texas.

After our story last week questioning why this potential help was sitting hundreds of miles away, BP now says it's now concerned Sea Brat may harm the environment more than Corexit and needs more testing. The maker of that Sea Brat says BP is simply nitpicking.

JOHN SHEFFIELD, PRESIDENT, ALABASTER CORPORATION: I'm anxious to get started. I think the window of opportunity to start effectively dealing with the oil spill is closing.

LAVANDERA (on camera): So, that makes it more urgent to get this...

SHEFFIELD: I think absolutely.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): While BP keeps fighting to stick with the product it's always used, Louisiana environmentalists like Wilma Subra say the EPA should force BP to stop using Corexit.

WILMA SUBRA, TECHNICAL ADVISER, LOUISIANA ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION NETWORK: Nobody's standing up to BP. They make the decision. They disperse it into the water column, and then we have to live with the environmental damage.

LAVANDERA: The EPA says it is standing up to BP, calling on the oil giant to dramatically cut back on the amount of dispersant it's shooting into the Gulf of Mexico.

(on camera): EPA officials still haven't said by how much they will cut back on dispersant use, but, so far, more than 700,000 gallons of these chemicals have been used in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA officials say its own scientists will continue analyzing the toxicity levels, but, for now, the standoff over dispersant use continues -- Campbell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Ed Lavandera for us tonight.

Coming up: The president beefs up border security, but critics say still not enough. We're going to have the details on that story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

7 BROWN: Our number one political story tonight, the battle over the border. Today, the Obama administration said it is sending 1,200 more National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. The president is also asking for 500 million more to spend on border security. Now, you would think all of that would make Arizona Senator John McCain very happy because he has been calling for more troops in the region. But listen to his reaction today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I appreciate the additional 1,200 being sent of the guard as well as additional 500 million. But it's simply not enough. We need 6,000.

VOICE OF TERRY GODDARD, ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Senator McCain seems to be late to this party. We've been working from local law enforcement for the last 10 years on this problem of the cartel incursions in Mexico. They are highly sophisticated, highly organized, highly violent, and yes, they are bringing lots of people and lots of drugs into the United States. We need to focus on them, and that's what the administration is doing with this increase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: U.S. border patrol says arrests along Arizona's border with Mexico are up six percent from October to April.

Coming up next, tensions grow between North and South Korea. The war of words heating up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Still ahead, the deadly battle in Jamaica hitting fever pitch as police continue the hunt for a reputed drug lord. We're going to be on the scene with the very latest. But first, Tom Foreman has a look at some of the other stories we'll following tonight.

Hey, Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Campbell. North Korea reached its breaking point today. The communist nation announced it's severing all ties with South Korea and will formally end its agreement on nonaggression. South Korea had already suspended trade and closed its waters to the north. Today's break comes in the wake of accusations North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship earlier this year, killing 46 sailors.

A roller coaster day on Wall Street. The Dow plunged nearly 300 points falling below 10,000 before recovering in the trading afternoon. It ended down just 22 points as worries about the global economy eased a bit. The S&P, meantime, saw little change while the Nasdaq lost two points.

The Connecticut woman whose chimpanzee viciously mauled her best friend has died. Sandy Herold's lawyer says the 72-year-old died last night from an aortic aneurysm. Last year Herold's 200-pound chimp attacked Charla Nash. Nash's family sued Herold for $50 million and is suing the state for $150 million for letting her have the chimp. Nash is still recovering in a Boston-area hospital.

And if you want to go to the Super Bowl in 2014, better pack your mittens. Today, NFL owners voted to bring the Super Bowl to New Jersey to play the championship game in the brand-new Meadowlands Stadium soon to be the home of the New York Jets and Giants. And it could be the coldest Super Bowl ever. The current record is back from 1972, Super Bowl VI, 39 degrees at kickoff. That was in New Orleans. It could be a lot colder than that in New Jersey, Campbell, at kickoff time.

BROWN: Yes. I know but it's home for me. I'm happy about it, right? Tom Foreman, thanks, Tom.

FOREMAN: We'll see you.

BROWN: Coming up, more violence erupting in the popular tourist destination of Jamaica. Tonight, we're going to go there live for a report when we come back right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Our number one international story, the state of emergency in Jamaica's capital city. At least 29 people have died as police fight supporters of a drug lord in downtown Kingston. It started with the U.S. attempt to extradite Christopher Coke who is wanted in this country on drug and gun charges. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Gunshots)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the streets of Kingston, Jamaica today, a fierce battle continues. But despite a massive dragnet involving scores of military police, suspected drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke is still on the run. Authorities thought they had him. More than 1,000 police surrounded a housing complex where Coke was believed to have been hiding. He slipped through their fingers. And his supporters, bands of men with assault rifles, are vowing to fight to the finish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And Justice Department says Coke is among the world's most dangerous drug kingpins, and that violence does now seem to be escalating. There have been three days running of gun battles in the streets.

And we're joined now by CNN's Rafael Romo who is in Kingston for us. And, Rafael, there were reports earlier that Jamaican police could be losing the fight against supporters of that accused drug lord. What seems to be going on?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I spoke with the information minister earlier today, and he says that that's totally not the case. He says that they launched a very successful manhunt last night. They arrested as many as 200 people, all associates of the suspect, Christopher Coke. And in this, just in this manhunt alone, about 26 people died. That's according to the information minister. And he also says that in about two or three days, they expect to have the situation under control. But there are other reports, Campbell, that put the death toll at 60. So conflicting reports there regarding the number of people who have died so far in this wave of violence here in Kingston, Jamaica.

BROWN: And, Rafael, tell us about this alleged connection between the prime minister and the drug lord in question. What do we know?

ROMO: Well, for more than 30 years, gangs have been closely associated with politicians here in Jamaica. And this particular gang that we're talking about are known as "Shower Posse" comes from the same district of the prime minister, Bruce Golding. However, when I asked the information minister today whether there were any connections there, he said that the only connection is that this particular area of Kingston supports the prime minister politically, but this support only goes as far as that. It's political support and that the prime minister is not associated in any way, shape, or form with the criminal activities alleged on the part of Christopher Coke, who at this point tonight, Campbell, remains at large.

BROWN: So when do they think they're going to get this situation under control?

ROMO: The information minister was telling me that police forces are confident that in the next two to three day they will be able to bring the situation under control. They're facing a small army of young men who are heavily armed. We're talking about high caliber weapons, M-16s, AK-47s, and they're not afraid to attack police. As a matter of fact, they have been attacking police stations throughout this capital. They have killed several police officers, and they are willing to give their lives for Christopher Coke in an effort to stop the extradition of the suspect to the United States -- Campbell.

BROWN: Oh, wow, a lot going on there. Rafael Romo, I appreciate your reporting tonight. Rafael, thank you.

"LARRY KING LIVE" starting in just a few minutes. Larry, what do you have tonight?

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Still fighting the cold, Campbell. I think I'm losing the fight. Anyway, Philippe Cousteau is here. He dived beneath the oil slick and dangerous chemicals wearing a biohazard suit to get some of the first pictures of what's going on beneath the surface of the spill. He calls it a nightmare. He's going to share that video with us tonight.

Plus, even if BP can stop the leak soon, how do we deal with the disaster that's already happened? A lot of questions that need answers. We'll try to get them tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE" -- Campbell.

BROWN: All right, Larry. We'll see you in a few minutes.

Still ahead, Yahoo's CEO drops the F-bomb. A moment captured on tape. We have it for you. But what about that language in a public setting? Mary Matalin and Roland Martin facing off in tonight's "M2" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The story people are buzzing about tonight is no surprise, all about oil. Frustrations rising all the way from the Gulf Coast to the Oval Office as evidenced by this item in today's "Washington Post." The paper reported that in the first days after the spill, the normally cool, calm, collected president got so angry, he ordered his aides to, quote, "plug the damn hole." And that's a story that's bouncing around the blogoshpere tonight. Mike Allen picked it up on "Politico" as did the "Drudge Report" and "The Hill."

And time now for ""M2" featuring our very own team of Mary Matalin and Roland Martin. They're here to square off on some of the day's most talked about stories. Guys, what have you got?

MARY MATALIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Campbell, we have what the whole world is talking about and that's the spill in the gulf. The news of the day, of course, the president is coming tomorrow to look at this devastation down here.

Roland, I miss you. I wish you'd come down. I'm glad you haven't had to see it. It's imperative that the president see it.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I tell you what, Mary, you're absolutely right. Look, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, it does not matter. This is not a political issue. You're talking about a part of the country being devastated again, this time by this oil spill. The administration keeps saying hey, we're looking to BP. We're doing our part. But that's not good enough. Thirty-five days since this happened, people want action. They're tired of all of the excuses, Mary.

MATALIN: You know, they're not political here, and they're not really angry with President Obama. But the bureaucracy has been -- it's just been shocking. It's your worst nightmare. When the president was last here, he was given a detailed parish protection plan and the resources necessary to have avoided this oil slopping up into these estuaries and the rookeries and on the shore. And yes, they're not political. They're just frustrated. You're exactly right.

MARTIN: Look -- and look --

MATALIN: Thank you for supporting us.

MARTIN: No, no, and reality is here. The buck stops with the president. This is his administration. And he's got to say all hands on deck because you're talking about shrimping industry, oyster industry, crawfish being devastated. Prices will go up all across the country. And so again, he's got to say enough with the bureaucracy. Get this taken care of now.

All right, Mary. Speaking of just craziness in terms of bureaucracy, and also arrogance, if you will, in Detroit, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is going back to prison. Here is Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner throwing the book at Kilpatrick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF JUDGE DAVID GRONER, WAYNE COUNTY: Therefore, you will serve a maximum of five years in the Michigan Department of Corrections. Further, you will receive credit for the restitution you have paid and the balance of your restitution. $860,000 shall be paid as a condition of parole.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN: Now Mayor, we know about, of course, the texting back and forth, the sexting with a former chief of staff. He had an affair with her. He lied under oath, cost the city millions of dollars. But this is him lying about his money since then. It's crazy.

MATALIN: Well, I think what's crazier, Roland, is his lawyers' defense are calling this punishment for violation of the public trust apartheid. You know, this guy did everything you did and more, and he's calling it apartheid. I wonder what Nelson Mandela who sat and rotted in jail for 27 years would think of calling this apartheid.

MARTIN: This is arrogance. First of all, I saw that ridiculous statement from his spokesman Mike Paul who should be ashamed of putting his name on something along those lines. Kilpatrick did this to himself. Stop trying to invoke race. Stop trying to bring everything else up. No, it is his arrogance is why he is going to jail. And he is a shameful example of how to be a father. He should be embarrassed for what he has done.

MATALIN: There you go. Good daddy. Now, here's a shameful example of something in your world. You're the techno person in the crowd here. But this is something that you do not want to have your mama kissed with. This is Carol Bartz. I think that's the name, Bartz. Bartz, whatever. She's the CEO of Yahoo. And she had to say this at a tech conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER) CAROL BARTZ, YAHOO CEO: I don't want to hear any crap about something magical that the fine people of Yahoo are supposed to do in their short time. So (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN: Whoa, Mary, that was a little interesting there. I guess she was a little ticked off by the comment before. I wish we'd heard the context to the run-up to that. But clearly, she let them know how she felt.

MATALIN: Do you think there's any context in which that's the most articulate response? My mother used to say that kind of language, particularly coming out of a girl, a lady, is the refuge of the ignorant inarticulate. She could probably better make her case --

MARTIN: Well, but sometimes --

MATALIN: -- particularly in public.

MARTIN: Sometimes, you know --

MATALIN: Well --

MARTIN: It merits. Remember Vice President Dick Cheney. You know, he teed off on Senator Patrick Leahy, and he said that he didn't regret using those words.

MATALIN: He said it in private and he's a manly man. And the senator to whom he said it who deserved it went out and whined to the press. So what you say in private is a manly man thing, that's a lot different.

MARTIN: He's a manly man. She's a womanly woman. And so, hey, obviously ticked her off. So I say go right ahead, get your point across.

All right, Campbell.

MATALIN: All right, Campbell, that's his tech world.

MARTIN: Back to you.

BROWN: Thanks, guys. "LARRY KING LIVE" starting in just a few minutes. But up next, "The Punch Line." Here is Jimmy Fallon with a sampling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": This is interesting. Researchers have discovered that male fat is different from female fat. Well, sure, male fat can be canceled out by wealth.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Time now for tonight's "Punch Line." Our roundup of the best of late night. Here now the lighter side of the oil spill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": BP still hasn't managed to stop the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. Their next attempt is scheduled to be rescheduled on Wednesday.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE JAY LENO SHOW": Because of the ocean currents, expert says oil from the gulf could easily spread up the East Coast, all the way to the Carolinas. In fact, today people in North Carolina said they haven't seen anything this slick and slimy since John Edwards was campaigning. That's how bad.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": This is the end of the big TV viewing season. And so, you know, they wrap up the series. For example, "Lost," that's gone. The whole series, everything is gone. That's over. "Law & Order" wrapping it up. Also, say goodbye to the Gulf of Mexico. They're wrapping that up.

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": It's pretty hard for the fans of "Lost" now that it's finally over. If people want to get their fix, we'll have to follow that other group that's lost and confused in the middle of ocean. You know, BP?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And that's going to do it for us. Have a great night, everybody. We'll see you tomorrow.

"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.