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Rick's List
Oil Could Gush for Months; Memorial Day Ceremonies
Aired May 31, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(TAPS)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Taps are being played by three different buglers. Here's the third.
What a moment there at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. You've been observing this moment of silence on this Memorial Day in honor of our fallen heroes from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Here's what we have now coming your way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making THE LIST on this day.
Philippe Cousteau joins me, to react to the failure of top kill, the increased oil now spilling in the Gulf, and the dispersant that may turn parts of the Gulf into dead zones.
At least nine people killed, as Israeli commandos storm a fleet of ships filled with food, medicine and supplies. Israel says it was defending itself.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: There were beaten, stabbed. There was even a report of gunfire. And our soldiers --
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SANCHEZ: Arab leaders are calling it terrorism.
The U.N. Security Council calls for talks. And the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama, cancelled.
And radio host, Glenn Beck, reacts to the storm of criticism he's receiving for his relentless mocking of 11-year-old Malia Obama. You will hear it for yourself.
The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who landed on the list you don't want to be on? Who's making news on Twitter?
It's why I keep a list. Pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news -- right now. (MUSIC)
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SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Topping the list right now, it is over. Remember last week when I questioned how top kill was killed for 16 hours and B.P. shot back at me and others saying, oh, no, this thing is proceeding as planned. Guess what? It wasn't as planned -- and it's now come to another embarrassing act, another failure. Top kill has been killed.
So, what are they going to do now? Now, it's plan G. And what is plan G? The lower marine riser package -- whatever that may possibly be. It's a plan to cut the blow preventer.
Here, we've got on an animation to show how this is going to work. They cut the blowout preventer, the BOP, at the top, and then cap it of sorts, and collect some but not all of the leaking oil, they say.
Well, here's the real risk with this plan, folks. The White House energy czar, Carol Browner, she's saying that this process could actually cause a disaster to get even worse, by increasing the spill, by another 20 percent. That would be a 20 percent increase over the 798,000 gallons that is already spilling every day right now.
Then there's the issue of the environmental effect that is already taking place. Not just from the oil, but from something called Corexit 9500. This is a dispersant that's being used right now by B.P. It's so toxic that experts say it's killing off the fish in the Gulf by rupturing their red blood cells and causing internal bleeding.
Philippe Cousteau is the CEO of EarthEcho International. And he's good enough to join us now. He's been as about as involved in this environmental impact that seems to be occurring down in the Gulf as anyone. You've seen him on our air from time to time. This is the first time he and I have had an opportunity to talk.
Let me read to you from this report that was put out by a toxicologist. She says this about Corexit 9500 that B.P. has sprayed on the spreading oil. First of all, she said, about 700,000 gallons of this chemical dispersant have been used. She says the dispersants break up the oil into smaller pieces thereby the oil doesn't tend to show up on the beaches. But what it's doing in the middle of the Gulf is unimaginable.
She says it contains petroleum solvents and a chemical that when ingested ruptures the red blood cells and causes internal bleeding. She says that she's been out there and seen cobia, amberjacks weighing up to 60 pounds suddenly coming up to the surface and looking for handouts. I could go on and on. But she seems to be making a pretty strong case. Her name is Susan D. Shaw.
What do you make of these reports about this dispersant -- this Corexit 9500? PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CEO, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL: Well, just earlier last week when I was down with ABC and we went diving in one of the oil slicks floating on the surface, you know, our worst fears were recognized. We saw what was a mixture of this chemical dispersant and oil descending down into the water column, 30, 40 feet. Now, we had to wear full hazmat gear to get in that water.
SANCHEZ: I believe we have those pictures.
Hey, Rog (ph), I think we have some of those shots. We can probably show the shots that he's referring to.
Go on, Philippe. We'll put them up if we get a chance.
COUSTEAU: Well, you know, I think the bottom line is that we had to be fully prepared with chemical hazmat diving equipment to dive in the water, even for a short period of time. But we did see dead fish, and jelly fish and other things floating in that water.
We've applied, as you mentioned earlier, about 800,000 gallons of this Corexit, this chemical dispersant, into the Gulf in unprecedented quantities. We've never put this much of this toxic substance into the Gulf. So, of course, the oil is also toxic.
So, we really just don't know what this soup -- what impact this toxic soup is going to have on the health of the Gulf of Mexico and all of the animals that call it home.
SANCHEZ: While you were down there, and I think, Roger, it was the -- it was the piece that Brooke Baldwin did last week when she got the video, some of it from ABC, and we were able to show those plumes underwater. See if somebody could find those, because that's exactly what we're talking about here.
That relates to this, because it seems, and Chad Myers is joining me here, as well, that doesn't it seem like there's a -- there's almost a soupy substance that's come out of the mixture of this chemical with the oil itself, creating this reddish material that Philippe is talking about that he sees under water.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
SANCHEZ: That's not the oil, that's a broken up version of the oil.
MYERS: Well, the Corexit 9500 is doing what it was made to do.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: It IS breaking it up and dispersing it in the water column. That's what it's made to do. Now, that's --
SANCHEZ: Which is good, but -- which is good because it's keeping it from going into the beaches and creating those ugly oil slicks that we've seen, like the Valdez. But --
MYERS: I understand. SANCHEZ: But?
MYERS: I would rather skim it off or for that matter, even burn it off. And since you burn it off, rather than keep it in the water column and who knows where it's going to go there from there.
SANCHEZ: There it is. All right. We found the tape.
That's the tape that we're talking about, Philippe. That's your tape. Is that what this toxicologist, Susan D. Shaw, is talking about, that is likely killing the sea life there in the Gulf, large and small?
COUSTEAU: Well, you know, one of the problems that we face in ocean conservation and science is that out of sight oftentimes is out of mind. What I was trying to do by going on this dive was to open people's eyes and make them realize, there's a lot of things that are going on beneath the surface we may not be able to see, but it doesn't mean that they're not happening.
So, the problem that we're facing now is we have applied all this chemical dispersant. I agree, one of the problems is that as it's distributing through the water column at this critical time of year -- I mean, it's springtime. Love is in the air.
SANCHEZ: Right.
COUSTEAU: This is nursery time. Fish eggs and larvae are floating through that very water column, encountering potentially this toxic chemical stew, and we just don't know what the impacts are. And I think that's important to recognize, that we spend over 1,000 times more in our federal budget in this country for space exploration knowing what -- than ocean exploration.
SANCHEZ: But let me -- let --
(CROSSTALK)
COUSTEAU: Knowing there was water on Mars is not critical to life. Healthy oceans are.
SANCHEZ: Your point is a good one. But let me press you once again, because I'm sitting here reading this. Let me see what I did with this reporting I was reading. Here it is, this report by Susan D. Shaw. Susan D. Shaw is a marine toxicologist and the director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute. She went underwater.
She says, you're suggesting we don't know that it's a question. She is suggesting it's not a question. She says she's seen amberjack all of a sudden looking like they're dying and same as cobia, for example. That she saw the small fish that seem to be disappearing.
Does disaster loom or is disaster looming -- I guess is what I'm trying to press you on, Philippe.
COUSTEAU: Well, no, what I mean by we don't know -- we don't know the extent of the damage. I think there is no question that this is a toxic material we're distributing into the Gulf. And along with, remember, the oil itself is highly toxic. So, what I'm saying is that we don't know the extent of the damage, but I don't think there's any question that it is going to be tremendous, and that it's a catastrophe.
SANCHEZ: Well, stay right there. I want to bring you back in just a little bit.
Chad, you do the same.
MYERS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Because there are two parts to this story that we're really following up on today. This is the part that I'm going to be talking about when I come back. Hit this, Rog.
This is plan G. You see that right there? It's a form of top hat, if you can call it that.
All right. You cut, right? Then you cover. And then you suck out the oil.
Our favorite expert -- there's the hat, so to speak -- our favorite expert is going to join me in just a moment here, a chemical engineer, who's going to be able to take us through the mechanics of this. Will it work, can it work, and what if it goes bad? Then what happens?
Well, you're good not going to believe what some folks in the White House are saying about that.
Meanwhile, the Israeli commandos storm a flotilla taking aid to Gaza and the global fallout has begun, because it was caught on video. Now, the talks with President Obama are off and the U.N. Security Council is meeting. I'm talking to the Israeli ambassador to the United States ahead, and we are all over this.
Stay right there.
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SANCHEZ: OK. Let me tell you what we have here.
Obviously, Chad Myers is going to be standing by, and he's going to be bringing us the best possible explanation he can give us. And you know, he's been following this as closely as anyone has. I can say the same thing about Philippe Cousteau, who's joining us now and has been raising some very serious questions about the environmental hazards that are being caused, if not disastrous in the Gulf of Mexico.
And joining us once again is our favorite professor. He's joining us by phone now. Here is Satish Nagarajaiah. He's the professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, and it's getting to the point where I can almost say his name without having to spell it out.
Professor, good to see you, sir. I hope you're there. Can you hear me?
SATISH NAGARAJAIAH, RICE UNIVERSITY (via telephone): Yes, I do.
SANCHEZ: All right. The first I think I want is I want our director, Roger, to literally show this animation from beginning to end. Do you have a monitor, Professor, where you can watch TV?
NAGARAJAIAH: Yes, I can.
SANCHEZ: OK. While we're watching this, you give us the play by play. OK, are you ready?
NAGARAJAIAH: Yes.
SANCHEZ: All right. Hit it, Rog.
What is this, professor?
NAGARAJAIAH: This is the blowout preventer on top. You have what is known as the lower marine riser package, and the riser is attached. That's what they're going to cut at the top of the lower marine riser package.
The riser connection, you can see that, and that's what they're going to cut, using the wire laced with diamond dust. And once they cut the pipe clean, they're going to put this cap on top, which will have a pipe attached to it going all the way to the ocean surface, and all is going to be collected by a vessel.
SANCHEZ: So, they're going to literally suck it out of that line, suck it out of the cap with a line that connects the oil to the vessel -- to one of the ships up top.
NAGARAJAIAH: Yes, that's at least in theory, yes.
SANCHEZ: Now, I understand that this has got a lot of risk involved in it. Why is it so risky?
NAGARAJAIAH: Well, there is an element of risk. It is minimal. I wouldn't say it's very risky. Simply because you're cutting the riser, and the riser is bent right now. You can see that animation you see.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
NAGARAJAIAH: With its -- constricting the flow a little bit, and they're going to actually cut it and let the flow go up a little bit. So, this is going to be a slight increase in flow, but not significant. I would -- put it 10 to 20 percent. But risk is minimal.
SANCHEZ: So, in other words, it's just like if you had a water hose and it was the bend at the water hose and you're not getting full water coming out, because you've got a little kink in it.
NAGARAJAIAH: Yes. SANCHEZ: When you cut below the kink -- now, all the water is gushing out of the water hose, which is fine if you can cap it. But if for some reason they're not able to cap it properly, there's going to be 20 percent more oil going into the Gulf of Mexico. Am I wrong?
NAGARAJAIAH: That's right. You're right, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
NAGARAJAIAH: That risk is there, yes.
SANCHEZ: So this cap, will it capture all of the oil, Professor, or only a part of it? Or will some of the oil escape out the sides, for example?
NAGARAJAIAH: That depends on how good a mechanical seal they can get, because remember, they're doing this at 5,000 feet below the ocean surface. They're using robots to do it. So, it all depends on how well -- how good a mechanical seal they can get on this cap and the riser, you know, which is -- you know, the connection.
And, you know, if the connection is not that good, there is going to be some amount of leak. And my -- you know, estimation is they're going to collect some amount of oil, but there will also be some amount of oil spewing out still.
SANCHEZ: Let me bring Philippe Cousteau and Chad Myer as we look at this.
The human instinct -- American instinct is to say, yes, right. I remember plan A and plan B and plan C and plan D. And now we're at, what, plan G? Should we be hopeful?
Chad, why don't you start?
Philippe, you finish up.
MYERS: Doctor, my concern is that it's not 10 percent to 20 percent for a restriction. I mean, there you go. That's the full riser pipe if it was straight up and down. It's not straight up and down. It is kinked over. That kink could be much more than a 10 or 20 percent, in my opinion, restriction.
Let's say that's a 50 percent restriction. And then they go ahead and cut that off, and all of a sudden, you're back to that big hole again and that big hole is allowing all of that oil --
SANCHEZ: So, it's a 50 percent increase in oil that would be getting out.
MYERS: Well, who --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: By your estimation.
MYERS: Doctor, where did you get 10 to 20? And I'll tell you where I got 50.
NAGARAJAIAH: You know, that simply is because, if you look at the kink, you know, your colleague is right. If the kink was very bad, I agree with him. That would be the case.
But if you look at the kink carefully, it is not kinked to the point where it's restricting so much flow. And my estimation, and also the estimation of the White House and people in the team that is -- you know, this could be an increase in 20 percent.
SANCHEZ: That's -- you're right. That's what Carol Browner, the energy czar is saying. She said so over the weekend.
NAGARAJAIAH: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Finally -- let me bring Philippe Cousteau in.
Philippe, as you hear this conversation, as you hear the possibility that a lot more oil could be spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, possibly into late August, as someone with environmental concerns that you are sharing, I'll give you the last word. You say what?
COUSTEAU: I think that 20 percent, 50 percent, it doesn't matter. Two percent would be too much more oil coming out of this. The bottom line, Rick, is that we are unprepared. We're flying blind, and that is the outrage.
We were not prepared. We did not require the oil companies to be prepared for this eventuality. The arrogance that this type of spill could not happen was proven, just -- you know, just over 40 days ago. And I think that regardless, the only guarantee to shut off this oil, what I'm hearing from EPA, scientists at the Ocean Conservancy and other groups that I've been working with every day is the relief well that will be dug by August.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And that's -- and you know what? In the Bay of Campeche, none of the things that we're trying now worked, and the only thing that eventually stopped it -- Chad and I have been talking about this, it goes back to 1979 -- the only thing that eventually stopped it was the relief well. And it looks like in this case the only thing that may stop it is the relief well.
But, again, we'll say our prayers. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope this thing works.
Go ahead, Doctor, one last thing, because our producer is saying we've got to -- we've got to hit the pause button here. Finish up.
NAGARAJAIAH: I think, you know, the ultimate solution to this is relief well. All these solutions they're trying to, you know, one after the other, have failed. And my -- I tend to agree, the final solution is the relief well. Unfortunately, we're going to see the oil still coming out for that length of time.
SANCHEZ: Professor Satish, we thank you. You have been marvelous in sharing your opinion with us throughout this. And unfortunately, mostly correct on all of your assumptions.
Chad, as usual, we'll continue.
And, Philippe, thanks for joining us on this day. We appreciate it.
Meanwhile, take a look at this. A car veers into a huge tractor- trailer. The 18-wheeler headed full speed over the median into the other side of the road. What happens next? That's ahead, right here on THE LIST.
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NETANYAHU: And regrettably in this exchange, at least 10 people died. We regret this loss of life.
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SANCHEZ: Prime Minister Netanyahu has now cancelled his meeting with President Obama after an international incident is caught on video. It is creating quite a stir around the world. That's part of the video there. We've got much more. You'll see some of it next -- right after this break.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
Now the story the world seems to be talking about. I want to read you three words from the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz": grave international crisis. That's what they're writing. That is the newspaper's assessment of Israel's deadly raid at sea and its aftermath. Again, that's an Israeli newspaper writing this.
I'm going to be getting this with Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States in just a moment. Why did Israel open fire on civilian activists as their ship attempted to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The Israelis say when their soldiers boarded the ship, they came under attack. They were mobbed, that they were clubbed, that they were beaten -- so says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The soldiers opened fire, the Israeli soldiers opened fire, leaving nine people dead and 30 people wounded.
All right. I'm going to read those words again: grave international crisis for Israel. This is now a full-blown international uproar. The United Nations Security Council is now meeting in an emergency talks that they've scheduled, as of early this afternoon. Israel is being denounced by the members of the European Union, by the Arab League, and by individual nations, including its key ally, Turkey.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has cancelled his planned meeting with President Obama which was scheduled for tomorrow. He's returning home from Canada. When he arrives, he will have a lot of questions to answer.
How was this allowed to happen, is what many are asking, in his own country. Who made the decision to stop the ship by force? Who made the decision on rules of engagement? On firing? Who failed to see that something like this could possibly happen? And on and on, these questions are being asked.
Like I said, I'm going to be joined in just a little bit by Israel's U.S. ambassador to answer some of these questions in just a moment.
Meanwhile, here's what else we have forthcoming.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was my baby. That was my son. And part of me is gone.
SANCHEZ: Is that important to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: She lost her son in Afghanistan, and shares the grief with me. Today's must-see Memorial Day story. That's ahead.
Also, how are fallen soldiers brought back, and how are they laid to rest? What's the process? Our most intriguing person in the news is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. A lot of news going on this Memorial Day. It's time to check the list of the most intriguing people in the news today. Let's do it.
This man stood by as president as the nation honored fallen heroes, day in and day out for more than a quarter century, he has been part of an unseen team who makes sure those who made the ultimate sacrifice are laid to rest with dignity and honor. And he treats each one of the fallen with the same respect.
One of today's most intriguing persons of the day, is Darrell Stafford. He's the internment foreman at Arlington national cemetery, preparing Arlington for each and every important burial. Perhaps no one can sum up the importance of his job better than he himself.
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DARRELL STAFFORD, ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY INTERNMENT FOREMAN: Everybody's a VIP that enters Arlington Cemetery, whether it's a private or a general. We look at them the same. Someone's loved one has passed on, and we should do their best to make their departure or the last moments with their loved ones the best we can give them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There he is, Daryl Stafford, today's most intriguing person in the news.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): At about midnight, it started to fill up, but it was all so sudden. By the time we realized there was water inside, it was already a meter deep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The first big storm of the season hits Central America. Here's the very difficult question to ask, given what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Where is it going next? And imagine what a storm like this would do to what is presently happening in the Gulf with the spill. We will try and answer the question by putting both stories together for you.
And then, what has to be the funniest story of the day. Have you seen Ozzy Osbourne pretending to be a wax figure of himself and completely freaking out museum visitors? You have got to see this. I promise, you will laugh. You may want to go to the bathroom first, though. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: OK, here we go, one of your favorite parts of the show, a part of the show when some people like to, well, move their feet a little bit. Merging on the highway can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. It's time for our best video list, which we call, for fun, "Fotos,"
Merging with disaster, that's what ensued when a car veered into an 18-wheeler in Addison, Texas. The northbound truck suddenly jumped the median, took out a utility pole, and flipped on to its side on southbound sides of the highway. It screeched to a halt, cars dodging to miss it. Surely someone died, right? Wrong. Not even any life- threatening injuries. Can you believe it?
All right, now, the one that we really like for lots of shocks and giggles, as I was previously trying to say. Rocker Ozzy Osbourne is known for shocking the audience. He usually does it on stage. But this time, he did it incognito. Watch.
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(SHOUTS)
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(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: They really thought he was a wax figure. The Wizard of Oz fest paid the visit at Madame Tusaad's wax museum to promote his new album. He sat stock still pretending to be a statue of himself, and then he would jump up and surprise unsuspecting visitors. One after another, they were all freaked out.
You can see all of our "Fotos del Dia" on my blog, CNN.com/RicksList. Malia Obama relentlessly mocked by radio host Glenn Beck. He goes on and on and on, and accuses the president of using his own children. Now Glenn Beck is apologizing. You will hear what he said about Malia for yourself. That's ahead.
And as we go to break, we thought you would want to look at this image. It may be a photograph that best captures the spirit of this day, Memorial Day. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You see there the vice president of the United States. That's Joe Biden. He's overseeing the laying of the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns today at the Arlington National Cemetery. On this day, we listen in.
You will see similar but lower key scenes in military ceremonies and memorials all over the country today, perhaps in one of your own neighborhoods. As a nation, we are acknowledging the men and the women who have died, fighting in America's wars.
On that note, I want to show you something now that ties in this -- ties into this very tightly. This is Marine Corporal Jacob Light. Last week, his family in Texas was notified that he had been killed while on patrol in Afghanistan.
Now, I want you to watch this. It's about a blue star mom who put her soldier's son's face and name on a project to help others on this Memorial Day.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That day, there was a knock on the door, and what went through me was such shock. I really couldn't believe that my son was dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jacob, since he's eight years old, wanted to be military. The camaraderie of military brothers and sisters was very powerful for him. My love has expanded from my son to all of the soldiers over there. Knowing that they're having a little bit easier with the work we do has kept me alive. It's given me a focus, a strong purpose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We have committed to staying on this very important story that's being discussed around the globe. Joining me now from Washington, Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Orrin.
And for viewers who have just now joined us late, Israel is being condemned on this day over the deaths of nine people at sea. Israeli troops stormed a ship that intended to break the blockade of Gaza. The key word there, by the way, is "intended" to break the blockade. That's what it seems like. Israel says the activists attacked their troops when they boarded. Ambassador Oren is good enough to join us now. Ambassador, thank you, sir, for being with us.
MICHAEL OREN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Good afternoon, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Is there anything you could add to the account we have been sharing here on the air? Is there a part of the story that's not known, perhaps?
OREN: Many parts. Before I get to it, though, let me express our condolence to all those who were injured and the families of those killed in this, Israelis, as well, wounded, including several soldiers severely wounded.
There is a different clip available on YouTube that shows our soldiers landing on these ships. They did it armed with paint ball guns with their side arms only in case they were attacked, intending just to stop the ship, peacefully, if possible, and they were attacked. They were attacked with iron rods, sling shots, and weapons.
One soldier, you can see on the YouTube clip, is literally thrown overboard and suffered severe head injuries as a result.
Now, these ships are bringing in supposedly humanitarian aid to Gaza. But the organization that is leading that effort is an organization which the CIA has identified as closely linked to Al Qaeda. It is an organization whose members changed "Deaths to the Jews" as they got on board these ships.
And we offered to take this humanitarian aid and transfer it to Gaza. That organization turned us down. It also turned our effort to get humanitarian aid to Corporal Galaydh Shalif who has been a Hamas hostage taken for four years without any visits from the outside world in violation of international law. They turned us down on that as well.
SANCHEZ: Let me stop --
OREN: These are not peaceful protesters, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let me stop you for a moment and say what many would ask, which is why would Israeli commandos board a ship in what appears to be international waters and end up, regardless of the circumstances, shooting and killing civilians?
Because those are the key words that are being used, obviously, in stories all over the world, the fact that it happened in international waters, and the people who died are civilians.
OREN: Because these ships were bound for Gaza, and for several years now Gaza has been under the radical rule of Hamas, an organization which overthrew the legitimate government of Gaza, an organization which fired over 7,000 rockets at the civilians of Israel.
And Israel reserves the right to defend itself, a right preserved by every country in the world.
SANCHEZ: Could you have stopped --
OREN: And it is our right.
SANCHEZ: Could you have stopped the ship without having to put the soldiers on the ship who obviously were armed enough to take the lives of people? Could you have blockaded the ship, could you have used microphones and speakers to relay your message that they were not allowed to go any further.
Or did that perhaps -- did we not know that actually happened before the actual soldiers made foot on the vessel?
OREN: That actually happened, Rick. The adequate warnings were given to the ships several times. This is not a process that occurred just yesterday. We have been warning about this for weeks now. We did make that offer to take all the cargos and transfer them to the people of Gaza.
If the people on these ships really cared about humanitarian needs in Gaza, they would have given those cargos to us for transfer. But that's not what this was about. This was about a provocation.
SANCHEZ: I was just going to ask -- whether it was a provocation or not, do you think that you guys were set up to have this story come out in the eyes of the world. And as your own newspapers are reporting, do you think that you dealt with it badly, and really got sucked into this one in such a way so that you are just -- you are now really taking a lot of heat around the world for the way this appears, and you know that sometimes appearances are as important as reality?
OREN: I think in the 21st century, Rick, the fight against terror is not an easy fight. And often you have to make some very hard choices. Sometimes you have to think what's worse, that will look poorly, perhaps, on television or that our children will be able to attend their schools safely in the morning, that mothers will be able to put their families safely to sleep at night.
It's a hard choice. We made the choice. We had no choice. We had to do as we did.
SANCHEZ: Two quick questions before you go, because we're running out of time. Will you consider lifting or loosening the blockade of Gaza, as some are asking for, at least for real humanitarian aid?
OREN: We have about 100 truckloads of humanitarian aid going into Gaza every single day. There's no shortage of food in Gaza, no shortage of medicine in Gaza. And Israel has been easing up restrictions on building material.
Our great, fear, Rick, is that the building material will be used by Hamas to build bunkers and not schools. We're working with the U.N. organization to ensure that building schools are in fact used for building schools and not bunkers. SANCHEZ: One more final question, and you've been very kind to take us through this most difficult situation. As far as the United States and president Obama goes, why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancel his meeting tomorrow with President Obama, and what position would you expect or would you want the United States to take on this incident that occurred overnight?
OREN: Well, the prime minister's decision had nothing to do with the president. Of course, the president had graciously invited the prime minister, who is on a state visit to Canada, to come to Washington to meet with him and certainly that meeting will take place in the future.
But the prime minister felt that his country needed him right now and that he should go home and deal with this unfolding crisis.
As for the future of how we feel the administration should stand with us, we are marking Memorial Day in this country now. We know about the sacrifices that the American people have made to defend their country and we greatly appreciate these sacrifices made by America's young men and women who wear the uniforms of the American armed forces.
Our young people are making those sacrifices, too. We certainly hope the United States stands with us through this difficult time shoulder to shoulder as it has done so frequently in the past.
SANCHEZ: What if they don't?
OREN: I believe they will.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, sir. Mr. Ambassador, you've been kind and generous with your time. We appreciate you coming on and taking us through this. We'll hopefully see you again.
OREN: Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: At the top of the hour I'll be joined by Geif al-Omari, a former adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and obviously he will tell us a very different perspective on the story, likely the other side of the story. So stand by. We want to make sure both sides of represented here.
Now, would you target her, Malia Obama? Most say she's cute as a button, but someone has, apparently, done that. Yes, it's Glenn Beck. You think possibly he might be on the list you don't want to be on? We'll let you hear what he said for yourself. You decide.
Also, BP oil spill is undoubtedly a major ecological tragedy, but it's not the first nor the biggest. We have the list of those that were. Stay there. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: Let me get you back to the oil spill in the Gulf. It's already been declared the worst in the nation's history. But it doesn't even come close to some other manmade environmental disasters around the world.
You know we like to keep lists for you so here we go. We whittled it down to three. Number three, Love Canal. In the 1920s an abandoned canal became the dumping site of 22,000 tons of chemical waste. In the '50s a small neighborhood was built right on top of it.
And this is the part you remember -- 1978, it was discovered to be making the residents extremely sick, so much so it was causing birth defects.
Number two, the Exxon Valdez -- in 1989 the tanker hit a reef and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil on the coastline.
But number one on my list of the top manmade environmental disasters, Chernobyl, 1986, the reactor meltdown at the nuclear plant sent plumes of radioactive gas across the Ukraine. In total more than 1,100 square miles, 1,100 square miles of land had to be evacuated.
Will it be August before this oil spill is finally capped? Really, August? August, now? How many more attempts could possibly fail? And is there going to be a chance that even more oil with this latest attempt will start spilling into the Gulf of Mexico? And what's going to happen to the sea life?
We're going to take you through the story. Chad is going to help us out.
Also, in El Salvador parts of the country are under water. What does that mean for the Gulf? We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: OK, here we are, tropical storm season on the brink. And you see some of the pictures of what's going on now. Take a look at the good people of El Salvador. That's tropical storm Agatha, stormed into parts of Central America over the weekend.
The storm hammered El Salvador, parts of Guatemala and Honduras, causing mudslides and killed more than 100 people. Look what it did in El Salvador specifically, though. The government put the nation on red alert, closing schools and opening shelters.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in Guatemala, more than 3,500 homes damaged. This is just the first named storm. The problem is it's the type of storm that could cross over into the Gulf and create problems of, you guessed it, with what's going on now in the Gulf of Mexico. We will keep our fingers crossed.
