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Campbell Brown
New BP Cap in Place Over Oil Leak; Gulf Seafood Industry Fights to Survive; Haiti Six Months Later; Mel Gibson's Meltdown Recorded on Tape? Barefoot Bandit Busted in the Bahamas
Aired July 12, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: CNN PRIME TIME begins right now.
CAMPBELL BROWN, HOST: Hi, everybody.
Breaking news tonight on day 84 of the disaster in the Gulf: BP has taken a major step forward. Just moments ago, they installed a new cap on top of the gushing well, a cap that may stop the leak completely in a matter of days.
Here's a live picture for you. We will be watching and waiting tonight, along with the rest of the country to see if finally, this is the answer.
Also tonight, the president's getting pushback from members of his own party on immigration. They are calling it a toxic subject. Could it cost some Democrats their jobs come November?
And later, what's allegedly another Mel Gibson rant. This, the worst yet -- death threats, vicious profanity. Is this the end of the line for the man who was once one of the biggest stars in the world?
We got a lot to get to tonight. But we are going to begin with our number one story: oil.
Ed Lavandera is live for us tonight in New Orleans.
Ed, BP had said that they could cap this well today and it seems they may have delivered. What do we know?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I imagine, across the other control rooms and the rooms in BP headquarters, that these are very anxious moments, because after almost three months of anticipation and some sort of good news, that this -- the oil flow and this runaway gusher would somehow be controlled, you got to wonder if many people are thinking that we're on the verge of actually seeing this happen.
So, right now, as we've been watching within the last 30 minutes or so, that that containment cap appears to have been settled in over the -- over the gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. We are waiting word from some sort of statement from BP tonight as to what exactly is going on to. But all indications appear that that containment cap is either very close or already in the situation or in the place where they want it to be. We've heard a statement from Admiral Thad Allen about an hour or so ago saying that things have been moving along quite nicely and that starting tomorrow morning, what is called the integrity testing, which will really give us -- BP officials and government official a sense of whether or not this particular containment cap system will actually do what they hope it will do, and that is essentially be able to control all of the flow of oil from this runaway gusher here at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, Campbell.
So, that testing will begin tomorrow morning. It could take anywhere between six and 48 hours. So, maybe by tomorrow night at this time, we'll be able to give you a better indication as to whether or not this will work.
In the meantime, those relief wells to continue to work -- I don't want to confuse the two. That is a separate thing. Those relief wells continue as well.
BROWN: So, talk to us a little bit about the relief wells -- where they are in terms of scheduling. We'd always heard early August and BP had made some references to being ahead of schedule, or a little bit ahead of schedule anyway in terms of getting relief wells going. And that is the permanent -- well, we hope -- the permanent solution to all of this. What are they saying about that?
LAVANDERA: Well, right now -- remember, there's two relief wells. That first one looks like it's on track to get to where they want it to be, some 18,000 feet below this blowout preventer, images that you are seeing there. If that does happen, that would be probably toward the end of July. All indications are, after that happens, it's not like the moment that gets to where they want it to be, that everything shuts down and ends, there is another series of technical things and pipes that need to be, you know, put into place and that sort of thing.
And so, we're still, I think, looking at early August, mid-August, before that first relief well works.
Interestingly enough, this containment cap that we are seeing here could help that relief well. We've heard some reports saying that could actually help this relief well be more effective on its own. If that doesn't do the trick, that second relief well will take some time after that. So, you know, that's what we're looking at here in the weeks ahead.
BROWN: All right. Ed Lavandera for us tonight -- Ed, thank you very much.
Now, this whole process, this latest attempt by BP to cap the well is obviously pretty complicated stuff in terms of how they did it. But CNN's Chad Meyers has a fairly simple explanation. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They took a big machine. They drop it had on here. They unscrewed the bolts and they took that piece away. Then they took another machine and they drop it down -- and as it drops down, there it comes, it actually attached much better and there is a significantly better attachment point.
Look at that -- can you see that? Can you see how that sticks out there? That is going to be where the new cap comes in -- literally a new blowout preventer is going to go on top of the old blowout preventer. They're not calling it that, they're just calling it a cap.
As we lower the cap down, there are three valves that will literally shut off the oil. So, a new good seal here, a new good seal here, all of a sudden, you turn the valves off and the oil stops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, will it work? Will this gusher finally be stopped? That's the question we are asking tonight.
Ed Overton joining us from the Department of Environmental Sciences at LSU; and historian Doug Brinkley, who has been watching the spill with us from the very beginning, back with us once again tonight.
Welcome to both of you.
Ed, let me start with you here. Some pretty amazing images we were watching earlier this evening, as it was happening -- capping the well after 84 days of watching that gushing oil flow out. Is this finally the light at the end of the tunnel?
ED OVERTON, LSU: Boy, I sure hope so. We're getting really, really close, it looks to me like, to at least stopping the oil. The ultimate solution, of course, is the relief well that will -- that will seal this damaged well for good. The relief well will do the final.
But getting the oil stopped at this point is a gigantic, gigantic step forward.
BROWN: And, Doug, let me get your reaction, because you certainly, you know, have a personal connection to all of this and that's been incredibly hard for you to watch, that is has been going on. Are you feeling a lot better tonight?
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, RICE UNIVERSITY: I am cautiously optimistic. I mean, this gusher has been going on for three months and the entire Gulf south region, has been terribly stressed. I think the rest of the country is getting kind of BP spill fatigue. People are getting tired sometimes of watching it. And we may be, right now, in the middle of what's the moment we've all been waiting for.
The signs look very good. And it's not -- early when there was capping going on, we had to rely on what BP said. The Department of Energy has come in strong here. Their scientists are watching whether this pressurizes now that the -- you know, with this capping.
So, I think we've got some people to verify what's going on, not leaving just to trust BP. So I'm cautiously optimistic. At the end of the line, it's the relief wells. So, this is a big moment here in the next 48 hours.
BROWN: And to that point, the relief wells that you both mentioned. Let me play what Admiral Thad Allen had to say about that. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. THAD ALLEN (RET.), NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: What we are talking about now is containing the oil. That's far different than actually killing the well and plugging it with cement. We will need to do that ultimately, but this will significantly improve our situation regarding the amount of oil or oil coming to the surface while we finish the relief wells, which are the final solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And to that point, Doug, do we have to get to the relief wells being completed and functioning to everyone's satisfaction before you think the focus can really and truly shift to cleanup in a way that we just haven't seen? It seems, you know, we have talked about it a lot on this program that there is a level of distraction at the highest levels because so much attention has had to go toward capping this thing?
BRINKLEY: Exactly. I mean, the end game is the relief wells. That's going to be August, maybe September for the second one. This capping would help and it's really is a containment of it. There's still going to be leakage going on.
So, we don't want to uncork the champagne in the next 48 hours, but there are signs -- that I'm talking to people outside of BP that have been very close to the situation, they are most more optimistic about this than this previous one. We had the junk shot and the first capping and all these other BP schemes.
With the federal government now, the Department of Energy being part of this, this is, tonight, as we are talking, the most hopeful moment we've had since the spill itself.
BROWN: Let me go to -- let me expand this out a little bit, because, Ed, I know tomorrow, you are testifying before the president's commission, looking back at the cause of the leak -- and this happening in the context of this debate continuing about whether or not to put a moratorium on offshore drilling. Talk to me a little bit about what's the most important thing you want to say to convey your views on this.
OVERTON: Well, I'm going to be talk before the panel that's talking about community impacts and, of course, there's a number of communities, the ecological, the sociological community, there's a geological aspect this. So, I just want to highlight the various components that are being damaged by this oil spill.
And, of course, the sooner it stopped, we start the road to recovery. That doesn't mean it's over. We got a lot of oil offshore that needs to be cleaned up. But, boy, is it a move in the right direction.
BROWN: And, Doug, let me get your quick take. The government issuing this new moratorium today restricting new deepwater drilling projects in the Gulf; the federal judge and an appeals court had already thrown out earlier moratorium. People down in the Gulf, obviously, opposing it for economic reasons. Do you -- what do you think about the direction the White House is headed on this and whether they are fighting a losing battle?
BRINKLEY: Well, I thought it was significant today that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is making clear they're not giving up on this moratorium, that the U.S. government, our government, does not think that offshore drilling is safe and they want to verify all of it.
Now, it's no longer going to be what's changing -- it's no longer just deepwater. There's not just a limit 500 miles, you know -- you know, there are a whole bunch of different changes. But by and large, you know the -- Ken Salazar is going back at it and saying we don't trust the oil industry to regulate themselves and we are going to -- we still have grave doubts about some offshore drilling.
So, environmentalists tonight are happy that Secretary of Interior Salazar is continuing to take the stance he does. People in Louisiana, some that are very unhappy. So, we are back to square one really.
BROWN: All right, Doug Brinkley with us tonight and Ed Overton as well -- thank you both. I really appreciate your time.
BRINKLEY: Thanks.
BROWN: And we will keep our eye on the Gulf and tonight's breaking news. The containment cap -- as we said -- is now appearing to finally be in place.
Plus, when we come back, we're going to show you the toll being taken in the region on one small town restaurant owner.
And then a little bit later, the Obama administration in hot water with some fellow Democrats because of the immigration lawsuit against Arizona. We'll tell you why one Democrat is calling it toxic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Our number one national story: the president's commission investigating the disaster in the Gulf -- several protesters disrupted the commission's first meeting this morning in New Orleans.
And here's the moment you got to see. Check this out. An unemployed fisherman from Lafayette, Drew Landry, pulled out a guitar and sang his testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW LANDRY, UNEMPLOYED FISHERMAN (singing): And grew up on the southern shore, Louisiana not ain't no more, kicking mud up off a crawfish hole, barefooted with a fishing pole, make a living with my own two hands, hell, it's part of being who I am, went to work in the oil field, that's the only way to pay our bill, and if I'm lucky, I could have a son, I take him hunting like his daddy done, get him working on the shrimping boat, up and down the Gulf of Mexico.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: That guy's good.
Tomorrow's meeting will focus on the fishermen, on the hotel operators and the other two have been thrown out of work by this spill. And before those hearings got underway, the commission's co-chair spent the weekend in the Gulf talking to people fighting to try to save the seafood industry. It pulls about $3 billion a year and it just in Louisiana.
These fishermen now face nothing short of total economic devastation. But they're not the only ones.
Here tonight, CNN's David Mattingly. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The BP oil slick is a long way from Slidell, Louisiana. But restaurant owner Ray Alfred can see it every night in his dining room.
(on camera): Where else everybody? This is supposed to be one of your busy nights, isn't it?
RAY ALFRED, RESTAURANT OWNER: Yes. Thursdays and Fridays and Saturdays usually are pretty good nights for us.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): He is trapped by a BP double whammy, brought on by lost jobs and lost fishing. Fewer customers have money to spend on seafood dinners that get more expensive by the week. It's a vicious ripple effect that's forced Alfred to lay off half his staff.
ALFRED: We used to have four chefs in here. And, right now, we have one chef and one dishwasher.
MATTINGLY: And there have been changes to the menu, too.
ALFRED: All the ones that have shrimp and oysters on, we increased the priced $2 to $3.
MATTINGLY (on camera): That's about half your menu.
ALFRED: That's correct. Because everybody in this area loved this Louisiana seafood.
Barbecue shrimp, who chose the barbecue shrimp? Aha, you chose the barbecue shrimp.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): At this point, every move is risky. Each price increase pushes Alfred out of reach of more potential customers, and he's not alone.
LENNY MINUTILLO, LOUISIANA SEAFOOD EXCHANGE: Normally, this back wall would be stacked. Those blue containers would be three and four high.
MATTINGLY: Supply at this seafood distributor in New Orleans is down by half. They're trying to fill gaps with frozen imports.
(on camera): How much of this is imported right now?
MINUTILLO: I would say imported fish here right now is probably about 40 percent.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): And until the oil well is capped and the Gulf is open for business, there is no end in sight.
(on camera): Is there anything happened lately that tells you tomorrow might be better?
MINUTILLO: No, I wish I could say that.
MATTINGLY: A big part of Ray Alfred's problem is that when he comes here to his distributor, he's competing with 700 other restaurants and retailers for the same diminishing supply of fish. So, this is pushing the prices up, 10 percent -- 20 percent in some cases -- for those legendary Louisiana shrimp and Louisiana oysters, the things that his customers want most.
You are out of oysters?
ALFRED: Out of oysters.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Inventory at Alfred's restaurant is running thin. He can't afford to have any fresh seafood that might go bad.
(on camera): Do you see an end to this ripple effect?
ALFRED: With hurricane season blooming in on us right now, I'm just praying that we don't have a major storm.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Long accustomed to bouncing back after hurricanes, Alfred says the oil disaster has stolen his resilience and left him vulnerable.
ALFRED: If they don't hurry up and cap this thing and try to clean up as much oil as they can out of the Gulf, quite a few businesses, is just like I just said, one hurricane away. And that's reality.
MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And when we come back: could the Obama administration cost Democrats dearly in the midterms? That's what some governors are saying after the federal lawsuit that was filed that challenges Arizona's new immigration law. Also, new secretly taped recordings allegedly of Mel Gibson just made public today. We think they are pretty bizarre, disturbing and were frankly, down right frightening, but we will let you be the judge.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of man is that? Hitting a woman when she's holding a child in her hand? Breaking her teeth -- twice in the face -- what kind of man is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you're all angry now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? You (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deserved it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to answer.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: The White House got an earful this weekend from angry governors in the president's own party. They are worried the administration's lawsuit challenging Arizona's new immigration law could lead to a nationwide political backlash. Nineteen governors are either leaving office or running for re-election this year. And in a closed-door meeting, they shared fears that the timing of the lawsuit gives Republicans exactly the ammunition they need to capture those seats.
Today, though, the administration made no apologies. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: While the timing of these things maybe inconvenient, this administration is here to do what it thinks is right, not simply to look at the calendar and decide what is right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Earlier tonight, I talk about the immigration dilemma with CNN political contributor James Carville and CNN senior political analyst Ed Rollins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: James, let me start with you. Could the White House have avoided all of this if they waited until this immigration law took effect and rather than sort of putting the issue front and center heading into November?
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: You know, maybe they could have, but these things just keep cropping up on the plate to take office, have to do something about the banks and the car companies, and they have the health care thing and they have the immigration.
I think what the governors are saying is, are Afghanistan, if you will. Look, we are having this terrible jobs market here and it looks like you're concerned with everything else other than the jobs market. I don't know, but the law is bad and felt like they had to proceed and they did.
BROWN: Is there any question, Ed, that this is a winning issue for Republicans?
ED ROLLINS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure it is. You know, the bottom line is James in 1982 said it was the economy, stupid. And for the last two years, Democrats have wanted to get become to the discussion of the economy. Even on health care. They thought it was always important to get become to the economy.
We're now talking about immigration, which isn't going to basically pass the Congress in this session. And basically to get in as the federal government suing a state governor -- just tells everyone these governors and these 19 Democrats seats either vacant or seven incumbents running for re-election, that that's we're going to try and make inroads -- that's going to be an issue.
BROWN: Let me ask you, though, more broadly because this is just one that is sort of sucking up the oxygen heading into November. And on "Meet the Press," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs talked about the trouble Democrats are facing heading into November and thought -- saying that he thought that Republican could very well take control of the House. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIBBS: There are no doubt that there are a lot of seats that will be up, a lot of contested seats. I think people are going to have a choice to make in the fall, but I think there's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There's no doubt about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, if you are a struggling Democratic candidate out there, is that really the message you want to hear coming from the White House right now?
CARVILLE: You know, Mr. Gibbs and I have had our little dust-ups in the past. I have one word to describe this performance: brilliant.
BROWN: Really?
CARVILLE: Brilliant. Yes.
BROWN: OK. Explain why.
CARVILLE: Because people don't like Republicans, but they say, you know what I'll vote for them because it will be a protest vote. It's a throwaway vote, I can send a message. And what Mr. Gibbs is saying and is very smart is saying, you know what they are going to take power and forget Wall Street reform, you know, forget any -- you know, remember you are going to get tax breaks for the wealthy all over the place -- forget any of the stuff and remember all of the things that they bought you before, they are coming to become power. And what they are saying is, realize that, you're not casting a protest vote, you're actually casting a vote that has consequences.
And I think -- I think what he did when I saw that I went, yes, that's exactly what we need to say.
BROWN: So, is that what -- it's supposed to be a wakeup call for Democrats?
ROLLINS: Well, they better get woken up. I mean, the bottom line is you think no one likes Republican but there's intensity among our base to turn out and vote, and there's not an intensity among your base.
And there's 50 seats that get picked up in 2006 and 2008 that are marginal seats, that were Republican seats at one point. We're going to get a lot of them back. Whether we get a majority, it's going to depend on the intensity of our vote and whether they can get any vote out.
CARVILLE: But I think what Mr. Gibbs is saying is he's saying to the Democrats who are sitting on the sidelines, hey, you better get in this game because we could lose this thing. because usually, everybody expects him to say, no, you look at the polling and extrapolate the past action or aggression analysis, he says, no, the polling is terrible. We could very well lose the election. The Republicans will -- can come back to power. Yes, you might have Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich running this country. That's a very -- a real possibility. They'll be dictating this Republican Congress.
ROLLINS: Neither -- neither of whom are on the ballot.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: I know but they run the party.
BROWN: So, before we go, let me ask you about that, Ed, because we're learning that her political action committee, Sarah Palin's political action committee, has raised and spent a lot of money in the last three months. I think we can throw the numbers up on the screen.
She is certainly stepping up her political activities right now. What do you make of it?
ROLLINS: You know, I make -- I think she's looking at all the options. I mean, I think she's a very significant player. She -- anywhere she wants to go, she draws a gigantic crowd. Anybody who sells a couple million books in a month has an audience out there.
I think she has never had the operation in place, separate from the McCain/Palin operation. And I think she's knew new using her PAC to build that.
CARVILLE: I know of a single Democrat that doesn't want Sarah Palin to run. And I don't know a single Republican that wants her to run. OK? And I suspect I'm not going to put my friend, Mr. Rollins, on the spot, but I'm sure that he would prefer that she's not. She is not going away.
This woman is likes the limelight. She's got some ideas. She's got a core constituency. And she enjoys inflicting a little pain on these Republicans. That's just what she is going to do.
And I suspect that she's going to run. And you are going to see a lot of hemming and humming, well, she's a valuable member of the party and she has a lot of ideas and many different ways that she can contribute and she can do, you know, what I mean? No.
Run, Sarah, run. Get out there and a lot of people believe in you, I want you out there going, go for it. Go for it.
ROLLINS: She can -- right today, she can energize people when nobody else can and I -- you know, I think you can't rule her out. You know, I don't -- I have never had a conversation with her, I don't know whether she's going to run or no. But at the end of the day, you can't underestimate her as long we're going to start in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina.
CARVILLE: I'm going to say, you go, girl.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: We will end it there.
ROLLINS: I spent my life watching Democrats under history. Republican will end up being president.
BROWN: All right. Oh.
CARVILLE: I like that.
BROWN: Ed Rollins, James Carville -- thanks, guys. Appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And coming up: we are back in Haiti. Six months to the day after that devastating earthquake, have conditions improved at all? We'll check in with Anderson Cooper, who has an exclusive interview with former President Bill Clinton and Sanjay Gupta -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Six months ago today, Haiti was rocked by a massive earthquake, killing more than 200,000 people. Today, it's pretty clear that not much has been fixed since. An estimated one out of every nine Haitians is now homeless. Aid agencies are reporting some progress, but basic needs are still not being met. Sanjay Gupta is joining us right now with more on all of this. And, Sanjay, just give me your sense, I know you've been back a number of times since the very beginning when you were there, but give me your sense on where things stand today.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know on appearances, not a lot has changed. That's the first thing you sort of keep in mind is that you drive around the city and there's a lot of rubble still all over the place and it's made getting around the city obviously very, very challenging. But beyond appearances from a standpoint of sort of distribution, it has some real effects here. You know, you're talking about trying to get supplies, whether they be food or resources, medical supplies, including antibiotics and pain medications from these warehouses, from the airport, still to places that need it and that can just be very logistically different. In fact, you run into some absolutely absurd situations, Campbell, where you have some of these supplies in the country, in the city, available in warehouses but they simply can't get to people who need it. And I saw some of that today. So as a result, you have some of the same stories occurring now that we were talking about, you know, several months ago.
BROWN: And is this just, what, a personnel shortage, just there aren't roads, there aren't enough people, it's disorganized? What do you think is really putting -- putting the barrier there toward getting this aid that's clearly sitting there to the people in need?
GUPTA: Well, I think it's a few things. First of all, it's how you define success. I mean, some say simply getting the supplies into the country is defining success. Obviously, if they're not getting into the hands of real people who need these things, then obviously it makes no difference. That's number one.
Number two is that there is some difficulty simply getting around the country given the rubble that we're talking about and given some of the concerns still for people traveling around the country. So, you know, it's things like that that make a difference. But I think that, you know, if you're a donor, if you're running an organization, the question shouldn't simply be, have the supplies gotten into the country or to the city. The question should really be more detailed. Have the supplies that I've donated money for or donated the resources themselves actually gotten to the people who need them the most? That's the real sort of definition of success I think here.
BROWN: And, Sanjay, talk to us about the hospitals, because I do know that you have seen concrete examples of how devastating this can be when the lack of supplies is getting directly to hospitals and really stunting patients' recovery.
GUPTA: General Hospital, Campbell, one of the biggest public hospitals in the city in the country is at real risk of shutting down. There was this huge sort of overflow of compassion several months ago when doctors came, more than were necessary even, more resources than were necessary, more supplies. And then you had a gradual sort of diminishing to the point where I went there yesterday and hardly anything is happening there. One of the largest private hospitals in this city is shut down, literally there's chains on the gates now. There's another hospital called Bernard Mevs, which by September 1st if they don't get additional funding, they will also be shut down. So in some ways, and I don't want to overstate it here, Campbell, but in some ways, things are actually worse than they were before because of what's happening there. And you have some of the same stupid stories that we're talking about several months ago of people dying for lack of simple medicines, antibiotics that could save people's lives. And I saw a young girl yesterday. She is beyond treatment and a simple antibiotic much earlier could have very much prevented what's going to happen to her for sure now.
BROWN: And, Sanjay, tell me what is working? What do you see that is working?
GUPTA: There was a huge concern about a second wave of infectious disease outbreaks. You probably heard that. You hear this after every natural disaster. You have the first wave. The second wave is usually infectious diseases. Behind me, there's tent cities still. That second wave has not manifested. That's good news. You've had some clusters of infectious diseases but that second wave has not manifested. There is much more clean water available now throughout the city and throughout the country in some places, better than it was even before the earthquake in terms of access. That's good news.
You also have a lot of camps that have been set up. Granted they are temporary camps, granted there's a lot of concerns still about the impending weather and what it will do to these camps, but they in many places, seem to be working, camps that are tens of thousands of people inside. So they seem to be working in terms of the resources they're offering those folks. But you know, there's goods and there's bads of things that work and things that haven't, Campbell, just like you might expect.
BROWN: All right. Really heartbreaking pictures that we were watching there as Sanjay as you were speaking. Sanjay Gupta for us tonight. Sanjay, thank you so much.
I want to bring in Anderson Cooper now who is also down in Haiti and interviewed former President Bill Clinton today. Anderson, tell us about that.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We talked to President Clinton on the grounds of the destroyed presidential palace not too far from here. This is his third trip down to the region. He's co-chairing basically this commission which is going to be responsible for disbursing the billions in foreign aid which has been pledged. I should point out, only about two to five percent of those foreign pledges, of the 5.3 billion that have been pledged for the next 18 months, only about two to five percent of that money has actually been delivered. So they are still waiting. That's the big bone of contention with the Haitian government. They say not enough of foreign donors have actually stepped up to live up to their pledge commitments. I talked to president -- former President Clinton earlier today about how difficult his job is here in Haiti. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: In terms of other jobs you've done, how tough is this one? Where does this one compare?
BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Well, the geographical expanse of this as compared with the tsunami is much more narrow. That's the good news. The fact that the Dominican Republic, the nearest neighbor, is committed and all of the Caribbean and Central and South America and Mexico are committed. As I said, you know, this is something that Venezuela, Cuba and the U.S. agree on, but also all of our neighbors, all the neighbors of Haiti, that's the good news. But I've never dealt with a place that lost essentially its urban center and 30 percent of its population and far more than that of its GDP. We just got to go back and reconstruct it. On the other hand, because of the scale, if we do it right and they do it right, I think they'll be much better off when the rebuilding is done, economically and socially, than they are now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right, Anderson, and I know you're going to be doing your show from down there today and tomorrow. Again, we appreciate you being with us tonight. And Anderson is going to have much more of his interview with former President Clinton tonight at 10:00 as well. Thanks so much.
And coming up, a new tape apparently has Mel Gibson mouthing off again. We're going to play the recording for you, at least, the parts of it suitable for television when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A new audio recording reportedly captures Mel Gibson in another profanity-laced tirade. Got to hear it to believe it. That story coming up. But first, here's Joe Johns with a look at some of the other stories we're following tonight. Hey, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Campbell. Three people are dead after a bloody rampage at an office building in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Police say a former employee shot and killed two people and then shot himself. Seven others wounded. One of the victims is believed to be the wife or girlfriend of the gunman, but it's just not clear whether she is among the dead.
Tonight, the White House says the FBI will assist in the investigation of the bombings that killed 74 people in Uganda this weekend. Somali Islamist militants claimed responsibility today. The attacks targeted crowds gathered to watch the final game of the World Cup. Among the victims, an American who belonged to an organization that works with Ugandan children.
Roman Polanski is off the hook for now. The Swiss government says it will not send the Oscar-winning filmmaker back to the U.S. to face sentencing for child sex charges. Polanski pleaded guilty back in 1977 to having sex with a minor, then he fled the country. Switzerland says the U.S. didn't supply all the legal records it requested.
And Fidel Castro came out swinging against the United States in a rare television appearance in Havana tonight. The former Cuban president says the U.S. wants to start nuclear wars against Iran and North Korea. Castro has largely stayed out of the public eye since emergency intestinal surgery four years ago. The Cuban leader is 84 years old. Still looking pretty spry and talking like the Castro of old, Campbell.
BROWN: Indeed. Joe Johns tonight. Joe, thanks very much.
Coming up, the teenager they call the "barefoot bandit" is finally behind bars. Two years and at least 60,000 Facebook friends later, how did he pull it all off?
And police may now have a lethal weapon against Mel Gibson. A wildly disturbing audiotape has the actor apparently threatening his girlfriend's life. You'll hear it yourself, right after this.
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BROWN: Mel Gibson's meltdown will be complete tonight. Radar Online has released a new audiotape it claims is a disturbed, foul-mouthed Gibson going absolutely ballistic on his ex-girlfriend. Allegedly the actor admits to beating up the mother of his 8-month-old daughter and then threatens to kill her. A.J. Hammer has more on what sounds like a very mad Mel. Take a listen.
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A.J. HAMMER, CNN HEADLINE NEWS (voice-over): That may be the voice of Mel Gibson, and if it is, wait until you hear this. Radar Online released brand new recordings today that purportedly capture a bitter argument between Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. "Showbiz Tonight" can tell you they are so disturbing, so vulgar, we can only play a small portion of it.
KIM SERAFIN, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: It just sounds like a crazy, raging maniac screaming and it's really frightening.
WOMAN: You almost killed us. Did you forget?
MAN: The last three years has been a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) gravy train for you.
HAMMER: Oksana Grigorieva, who had a baby with Gibson, has accused him of punching her and breaking her teeth. Gibson has denied it. But in the brand new recording released today, we hear a man, purported to be Gibson, out of breath with rage, apparently threatening the woman in the recording and the man appears to be admitting hitting her.
WOMAN: You were hitting a woman with a child in her hands. You. What kind of man is that? Hitting a woman when she's holding a child in her hands, breaking her teeth twice in the face? What kind of man is that? MAN: Oh, you're all angry now. You know what?
WOMAN: You're going to get to it. You know what?
MAN: You (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deserved it.
WOMAN: You're going to answer. One day, boy, you're going to answer.
MAN: What -- what are you threatening me?
WOMAN: Nothing, nothing. I'm not the one to threaten.
MAN: I'll threaten. I'll put you in the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) rose garden, you (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
HAMMER: Police in Malibu, California have already opened up an investigation into Oksana's abuse claim. And Showbiz Tonight" can tell you these recordings, if they are Mel, would not only be a possible final nail in the coffin of Mel Gibson's legendary career, they could also help land him in jail.
SERAFIN: He is on tape admitting that he hit her and there's a domestic violence investigation going on? Really bad news for Mel Gibson.
HAMMER: Mel and Oksana have an 8-month-old child together and they've been in a bitter fight over custody issues. Radar Online began posting the alleged Gibson tapes last week. One of those previously released recordings purportedly features Mel Gibson using the n-word during an argument with the woman who Oksana Grigorieva says is her.
MAN: You go out in public and it's a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) embarrassment to me. You look like a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) on heat and if you get raped by a pack of (EXPLETIVE DELETED), it will be your fault.
HAMMER: "Showbiz Tonight" has not been able to independently confirm the identity of any of the speakers on the alleged recordings.
WOMAN: You were hitting a woman with a child in her hands.
HAMMER: And now, this bitter ex-couple may be fighting over the recording. TMZ reports Mel's lawyers want Oksana charged with contempt saying she leaked the recordings against the judge's orders. Oksana has repeatedly denied leaking the recordings and in an interview with "Showbiz Tonight," Radar Online creator David Perel told us today that he backs up Oksana.
DAVID PEREL, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CREATOR, RADARONLINE.COM (via telephone): Normally, we do not say who our sources are, who they are not. But in this case, we have posted online that we did not get the tapes from Oksana. She did not give them to us.
HAMMER: But the question of how the tapes got out may be moot. Today, Radar Online revealed to "Showbiz Tonight" it will soon release more explosive recordings and the damage to Mel Gibson's career may have already been done.
SERAFIN: Word has just come out that he was dropped from his agency hearing this. I don't think there's anyone who would pay any amount of money to go see any of his movies again without thinking about this crazy man who allegedly hit his ex-girlfriend.
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HAMMER: Well, police in Malibu are certainly investigating these audio tapes and from the sound of things they could have plenty to go on. Now, CNN has confirmed tonight that Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend got a restraining order against Mel back in June, alleging he punched her in her face and knocked out some of her teeth. The two are due in court next week -- Campbell.
BROWN: Thank you, A.J. And let's bring in Jim Moret. He's been tracking the story for us and is chief correspondent for "Inside Edition." He's also the author of "The Last Day of My Life." And, Jim, I remember you telling us on Friday that you think it may be over for Mel Gibson. But with these new alleged tapes coming out, his career definitely over now, right?
JIM MORET, "INSIDE EDITION": Yes, from a PR standpoint, I don't know how you recover from this, because as A.J. was talking about, what people will think about when they see him are all of these allegations.
You have really three issues here. One is there's a custody battle between the two. They have an 8-month-old baby. The other is this alleged criminal activity, the domestic violence. And then third is Mel's career. And all three are really bad news for Mel Gibson. As far as the criminal case, of course, Campbell, you have the admissibility of this case. But the fact is the damage has been done as far the public is concerned. Listening to these and then the thought of more coming out it's just hard to imagine what could be even worse that we haven't heard.
BROWN: Jim, let me play for you what Whoopi Goldberg said on "The View" this morning. And I want to get your comment on the other side. Listen.
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WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": I don't like what he did here, but I know Mel and I know he's not a racist. You can say he is being a -- bonehead, but I can't sit and say that he's a racist, having spent time with him in my house with my kids. I can't say it.
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BROWN: So here she is defending him, really. I mean, what do you think of that and what are people in Hollywood saying? Are they coming out in his defense?
MORET: There is a disconnect. You have interviewed Whoopi Goldberg. I know her. She's clearly a friend of Mel Gibson, and this is not the Mel Gibson she knows. But the problem is really there appears to be more than one Mel Gibson. And we already know his agency has dropped him. We know that Leonardo DiCaprio, for whatever reason has backed out of a movie, and many people won't want to be associated with him. And that's really the problem, even if privately you think he's a good guy and I know many people who know him and say, you know what, he's a good guy, but it doesn't really matter in terms of public perception and working with him and sustaining a career.
BROWN: And, Jim, what do we really know about these tapes and how they became public?
MORET: We don't know a lot. And I'll tell you my big question is when you listen to the tapes again, pay attention to Oksana's voice. It sounds almost pristine when compared to Mel Gibson's, which to me suggests that she may be separately miked. I wonder how -- what was brought up to prompt her to record this? Was she afraid for her safety? Did her attorneys suggest she record these tapes? This is a two-party state in California, where it's unlawful to record someone without their knowledge. So you know, I wonder why she's recording these tapes.
BROWN: All right, Jim Moret for us tonight. Jim, appreciate your time. Thank you.
And "LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. Sitting in for Larry tonight, Soledad O'Brien.
Hey, Soledad, what do you have tonight?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Campbell. Six months after the earthquake in Haiti, what is going on in that country? We're going to talk with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They were there, of course, right after the disaster. They're reporting for us tonight from Port-au-Prince. We'll also check in with some survivors, the orphans and Haiti's own Wyclef Jean. Plus we've got some breaking news out of the gulf. All that is up next on "LARRY KING LIVE" -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Soledad, we'll see you in a few.
And when we come back, the "barefoot bandit" finally busted. He dared authorities to catch me if you can and they did. The dramatic climax to an international manhunt. That is next.
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BROWN: The fugitive known as the "barefoot bandit" tried pulling a James Bond and wound up in jail. 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore's international escapade ended in the Bahamas over the weekend when he was captured after a dramatic boat chase. And as CNN's national correspondent, Susan Candiotti reports, the barefoot bandit will face an array of criminal charges in court later this week.
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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): True to form, he was caught, you guessed it, barefoot. Bahamian police escorting him with guns in plain view. 19-year-old Colton Harris- Moore, the alleged barefoot bandit, is at the end of his run.
ELLISON E. GREENSLADE, COMMISSIONER OF POLICE: The suspect, in an effort to evade capture, engaged local police in a high-speed chase by boat.
CANDIOTTI: American businessman William Sport owns the get-away boat allegedly stolen by the teen. He points out where police riddled the engines with bullets to stop the escape.
WILLIAM SPORT, BOAT OWNER: The Bahamian police did a great job of apprehending him before he could have gotten further away. He actually had enough fuel on the boat to make it all the way to Florida. I've been cruising with Bahamian Islands for 40 years and have never had any problem at all like this. Unfortunately, it was an American that caused the problem.
CANDIOTTI: Moore escaped from a group home in Washington State in 2008 after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries. A victim who lives next door to his mom talked about his arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like him to get some help.
CANDIOTTI: For nearly two years, authorities blamed the teenager for a series of burglaries across several states, including Idaho, North Dakota and Indiana. His calling card -- leaving behind barefoot prints. Authorities linked him to at least two stolen airplanes, including the one he allegedly flew to the Bahamas. He's believed to have taught himself to fly from watching video games. His mom tells CNN affiliate KIRO --
VOICE OF PAM KOHLER, COLTON'S MOTHER: If he did, I'm quite proud because I was going to get him flying lessons. And if he taught himself how to fly a plane, I'm very proud.
CANDIOTTI: The barefoot bandit became an Internet cult hero, scooping up more than 60,000 Facebook followers. Web sites sell t-shirts that read "Run, Colton, Run." On YouTube, fans idolized him in songs. Back home in Washington, locals scratched their heads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like incredible that he spent all that time sneaking around and nobody could catch him.
CANDIOTTI: It's pretty hard not to compare him to the true life character in the movie "Catch Me If You Can." No comment from his mother Sunday. Outside her home, this message. "If you go past this sign, you will be shot."
(on camera): So far, CNN has been unable to reach Moore's attorney. This week, the teenager is expected to make a court appearance in the Bahamas before going toe-to-toe with the FBI back home.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes. But up next, tonight's "Punch Line" and it's a hot one tonight.
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JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Heat wave still gripping the East Coast. It was so hot in Florida even people in Cleveland could feel the Miami Heat. That's how hot --
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BROWN: Finally, tonight's "Punch Line," the late night laughs, the condensed version. Take a look.
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JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Police in California arrested a couple for trying to sell their baby for $25 at a Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart called the incident horrifying but also proof of its unbeatable every day low prices. So --
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": It is graduation season and President Obama gave the commencement address at an area high school. Yes, it's a pretty nice deal, isn't it? You know who spoke at my graduation when I was a kid? The principal.
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Lindsay Lohan's former assistant is reportedly being offered five figures by various magazines to do a tell-all interview about her boss. But so far, she has refused to do it because she said it would affect her career. So, apparently Lindsay Lohan's assistant has more sense than General McChrystal. So it's interesting how these things work.
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BROWN: That's it for us. See you tomorrow night.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
