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Rick's List
BP Crisis Escalating; Outrage Over Israeli Raid Grows; Fisherman Employed by BP Reports Illness; Suspect Natalee Holloway Murder Becomes Suspect in Peruvian Murder Case
Aired June 02, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Drew Griffin in for Rick today.
A developing story right now. You know the Dutchman who was once a suspect in the highly publicized disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba? He's now the suspect in the killing of a woman in Peru. Joran van der Sloot wanted again.
Here's what else we have got for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST.
As the oil sheen moves in to on the Gulf shores, plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G is under way. But is it working?
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT: That saw blade is becoming stuck inside the riser pipe.
And is this creeping oil a creeping crisis for the Obama administration? Robert Reich, remember him, joins the list with his list of five reasons why the White House should take over BP.
Anguish and outrage now against Israel's deadly raid on a ship carrying food and supplies to Gaza. We're asking the leader of the Free Gaza Movement why they're still challenging that blockade.
One of the richest men in the world weighs in on what caused the financial crisis. You will hear what Warren Buffett has to say.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Let's get right to it, shall we?
Topping the LIST right now: oil alert day 44. A little over an hour ago, it appeared as if BP was able to free this stuck saw. This is the video you're seeing here, first time that we have noticed that the cutter was no longer stuck.
This leads us to believe that BP can resume work on slowing the oil leak. So, the question now, whether they need to put in a new blade, so that they can continue the second cut sometime today.
Let me start at the beginning of this new operation. BP plans to cut the blowout preventer, top it with a cap to collect some of the leaking oil. Now, last night, a remote-controlled submarine successfully cut into the well's riser pipe with giant shears.
However, BP hit a snag this morning. The blade of the diamond wire cutter got stuck and stalled the cut-and-cap operation. Now it appears this stuck saw is free.
Eric Smith joins me from New Orleans. He serves as consultant to the Tulane Energy Center, which he helped start.
But meteorologist Chad Myers joins me right here in Atlanta to follow all this.
Chad, not unexpected that this saw got cut.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
GRIFFIN: And if anybody has ever hacksawed a pipe, you kind of can understand what's going on.
MYERS: Yes.
GRIFFIN: What's difficult is, you can't go to Home Depot and get another blade right away.
MYERS: Well, no, but they have blades available. But I'm sure they had to cut the blade to get the -- to free this thing. It's almost like a chain saw without the bar in the middle.
Think about that. This thing is going around and around and around.
GRIFFIN: Right.
MYERS: And rather than having metal teeth, it has diamond teeth. So, this was -- this would have been able to cut right through it.
But as you cut through any round cylinder -- and especially with two cylinders inside. Not only do we have the pipe. There's a drill in the middle of that thing, too, a drill pipe in the middle of that thing. So, as it was cutting through, it became jammed, and that happens, whether there was a little bit of tension because the metal pipe went back onto itself a little bit or just that it just become jammed because it just does.
If I'm cutting a piece of fence and it's a galvanized pipe and I'm using a hacksaw, you have to keep turning that thing about 10 times to get a new surface every time it gets jammed. Now they are going to take it. They're going to put a new blade on it. They're going to move it around to the other side and start cutting from the other way and hope that those two supplies mix -- or match up perfectly.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: Let's bring in Eric Smith from Tulane Energy Institute. Eric, thanks for joining us.
My real question is, we're micromanaging here this cut video that we're going to get. Eventually, they hope to cut off that top. That's going to create an even bigger leak temporarily, correct? So, how long will it be --
ERIC SMITH, TULANE ENERGY INSTITUTE: That's right.
GRIFFIN: -- before that bigger leak is capped with whatever the next cap of this cut-and-cap operation is?
SMITH: Well, you remember they gave you a time estimate of four to seven days. We're -- we're into it about three days. So, I would suspect that, once they get the surface cut and the -- the remainder of the riser moved aside, they will come in with some sort of a buffing operation to make sure that is -- the cut's as smooth as they can get it. And then they will lower the -- the cap right onto it. So, I think you're talking a couple of days.
GRIFFIN: And, as you understand it, will there be any kind of seal between the cap and the actual pipe, or will this just be resting on there, catching some, most of the oil, but not all of it?
SMITH: Well, remember that resting is -- is a relative term. We have got 5,000 feet of pipe that's 22 inches in diameter and an inch thick above us, contributing a fair amount of weight to the mating.
And then you have got this rubber gasket in between. So, it's not a pressure seal in the sense that you could jack up the pressure to 10,000 PSI inside, but it's enough to keep the water from entering. And then they can pull suction on the other side to minimize the chance of oil escaping.
MYERS: Mr. Smith, Chad Myers. I have a question that has been raised a number of times on Twitter and Facebook for me today. Is there any risk that when they try to put this cap on this well -- and maybe we don't even know what the PSI of this well truly is until we get that riser completely cut off -- is there any risk that there's no way that this cap could go down and that it would just keep blowing off, like trying to put your hand over a fire hose? You're never going to stop that water.
Is there a possibility that we're never going to be able to get this mated?
SMITH: I really don't think that's -- that's a major possibility.
I think that they have a range on what that pressure's likely to be. And they have calculated the amount of weight they're going to allow to be transferred to that to the -- from the drilling riser to that cap, so that what they would expect is that they can overcompensate.
Meanwhile, remember that the -- the pipe is hollow inside and that, other than the water pressure, which is about 2,300 PSI, they really don't have to overcome a lot of pressure inside the -- the riser at this point.
MYERS: I have seen the diagram from BP that says now the -- they're going to reverse the flow. They were pumping mud into the BOP, the blowout preventer, to try to put the mud down into the hole. They're going to reverse that flow with those same pipes and suck the oil, or the gas and the oil mix, into another rising pipe.
Now, would that also lower the pressure and help the possibility of this success?
SMITH: It certainly should. What they're talking about is the system with the choke and kill lines that they used when they were attempting to do the top kill is all still in place. And over the next week or 10 days, they plan to, you know, get that re-set up, so that they can actually pull suction on it and remove some of the oil before it really gets into the BOP and, hence, into the -- into the drilling riser that goes up to the drill ship.
MYERS: Why weren't they doing this all along?
SMITH: So, it's -- it's a backup system.
MYERS: Why weren't they sucking this water -- this oil out from those wires, all those pipes all along?
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Well, it takes time to switch over. And, you know, I think that they had to go run the numbers before they attempted to --
MYERS: All right.
SMITH: -- reverse that flow.
You have also got to remember they are trying to steer two big ships in very close proximity, the drill ship and the Q4000, which are the two vessels that are hooked up to this --
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: Mr. Smith, thank you for joining us.
You're here.
MYERS: I'm not leaving.
GRIFFIN: You're not leaving.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: We're going to keep watching these feeds for you. If we see anything, indication of a change, a success, please, you know, you will be here to explain exactly --
MYERS: I will knock on your door.
GRIFFIN: -- what's -- what's happening.
Meanwhile, after Monday's bloody flotilla fight, another ship loaded with aid is headed to Gaza. It's going there right now, apparently attempting to break the Israeli blockade. Why? And what kind of resistance will it meet? That's ahead on the LIST.
Money, money, money -- you won't believe what's being spent on the governor's race in California, and it's just a primary. Jessica Yellin's got her list. There she is. And she is next.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick. Jim in California.
Rick, BP could have probably already stopped this oil flow out of that well if they would have just caved that well in, as in delete the well. Drill down about 1,000 feet, put a bunch of explosives in there, close that well off, just delete it. The only reason they haven't done it is, they are trying to save the well, Rick.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: This story is one of those mind-bogglers out of California.
A businesswoman, Mrs. eBay, I guess you would call her, running for governor. Her name is Meg Whitman, and she's the former chief executive of eBay. So far, Meg Whitman has spent more than $70 million of her own personal fortune in the race for the Republican nomination -- $70 million of her own money.
They haven't even held this primary yet. It's next Tuesday.
Jessica Yellin is our CNN national political correspondent.
Jessica, you're from California. Who would want this job? And who would want it for $70 million?
(LAUGHTER)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's a great question.
You know, a lot of people say that with this state's $19 billion budget deficit, that it's almost ungovernable. But two people want it badly enough that they have spent, if you put it together, Drew, Steve Poizner, Meg Whitman's opponent, chief opponent, and Whitman have spent more than $100 million on the primary alone, $100 million.
Now, that's unprecedented. And if you think about the fact that this state has made cuts to the police forces around the state, to teachers and to education grants, it's sort of unseemly that so much money is going to political ads and campaign events.
So, I put the question to Meg Whitman, who is the front-runner in next week's gubernatorial candidate (sic) on the Republican side. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Simply put, how do you justify spending $60 million of your own money, $80 million total, on a campaign?
MEG WHITMAN (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We have got to get the message out what I think are most important issues facing California that I see echoed every day on the campaign trail, which is, how do we create jobs and get the economy back on track?
With a 12.6 percent unemployment rate, this is the number-one issue. How do we cut government spending and how do we fix our K-12 education system?
YELLIN: At the same time, that kind of money could have hired more than 700 police officers, more than 750 teachers. Does that bother you?
WHITMAN: Well, you know, what I'm doing is running for governor of the state of California so I can turn this state around. And, so, what I need to do is every voter, I want to understand where I stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: So, Drew, you might ask, what is the money going to?
GRIFFIN: Yes.
YELLIN: I will tell you, nonstop television ads. You can only watch on a DVR or a TiVo, never watch an ad, and still somehow you have seen a Whitman or a Poizner ad. It's saturation on the radio, at the gym. People are so sick of it.
And at her events, you should see, it's like a presidential event. There are people walking around with earpieces, campaign photographer. I mean, the money is big-time.
GRIFFIN: Jessica, you sat and talked with this woman. I just don't understand what she or anybody can do -- and I'm not seeing any great ideas -- to get California out of this budget standoff crisis. I mean, create jobs is one thing. Running that bureaucracy is another.
YELLIN: I know.
And, Drew, you hit the nail on the head. When she got into the race, she was talking a lot about holding a constitutional convention, fixing the way California is run. And those are the kinds of conversations, when you're here, you realize they really need to be having. I mean, this state is like a mini-country, and it is in a shambles. And the primary's gotten away from those discussions, because instead they're talking about these hot-button issues like immigration reform and who can be tougher on it. And the real substantive questions about how are they going to fix it, not part of the discussion anymore.
So, maybe it will come up in the general, or maybe you can make them talk about it again. Some of us should.
GRIFFIN: And -- and immigration?
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: Yes. Yes, immigration is the topic out here right now in the Republican primary. And it's one of those instances where both of the Republican candidates are trying to outflank each other, who can be more tough on anti -- illegal immigration. The problem is that could come back and bite whichever one wins during the general election. A lot of the state's Latino voters could switch to Republican if they have a candidate they think is going to be, you know, friendly enough. And if they're too tough on immigration, they could -- they could lose the race, so it could hinge on that one issue.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: Yes, always been the problem there in California. To get the Republican nod, you have got to be pretty far to the right. Then, to win the state, you have got to come back to the moderate. You've got, what, Jerry Brown waiting in the wings I think already attacking Meg Whitman.
YELLIN: Already attacking Meg Whitman.
He's not even -- he's rarely on the air with ads compared to those guys, but he is well known throughout the state and he's got a lot of traction without spending nearly as much money.
GRIFFIN: Wow.
YELLIN: It's going to be a brutal fight.
GRIFFIN: Tuesday, huh? So, she will probably spend another $10 million between now -- now and then.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: Right? Wouldn't you like to be one of her campaign strategists? That's a nice job.
GRIFFIN: Whew. I would like to buy her buyer.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: Right. GRIFFIN: All right, Jessica Yellin, thanks a lot, from Los Angeles, I guess, today, and watching that election extremely closely. Thanks a lot.
Hey, James Cameron's latest project is the Gulf oil situation. What does he have to offer? Find out why he made our LIST. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: It is time to check the list of the most intriguing people in the news today.
You know, there's a lot of harebrained ideas out there for stopping that oil gusher at the bottom of the Gulf. But top-level scientists and engineers are seriously listening to this guy, even if he is Mr. Hollywood. He also helped develop the robotic cameras and remote-controlled probes he's used deep underwater in several films.
Let's see him, Roger. He is James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of the "Titanic," "The Abyss," and he's been part of a White House brainstorming session aimed at finding an oil disaster solution. His experience making "Terminator" or "Avatar" won't help much, but, for working underwater, he's got the know-how, he knows the right people, and he's got the ideas.
Director James Cameron, one of the most intriguing people in the news.
Weird story out of South America, Joran van der Sloot, once a suspect in the highly publicized disappearance of a woman in Aruba, is wanted again. He's a suspect of the death of a woman in Peru. Her family says they met at a casino. We're all over this. That's ahead.
But, first, we have got the number-three House Republican right here in Atlanta. We're going to ask Congressman Mike Pence right here about the oil disaster, about Israel, about Gaza, something you know very much about.
We will be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Rick. This is Barbara calling from Atlanta.
Rick, I love Israel. But, this time, I won't defend them, for one reason. When I see bad, I call it bad. Let's call a spade a spade. They overreacted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, this is John S., New Mexico, retired military.
These people from -- on this flotilla probably refused to cooperate with the Israelis and go to harbor and be inspected. So, how else are they going to get on the boats and stop them?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back.
We follow this guy on Twitter, when he's not in the well of Congress making a speech or out on campaign trails helping various causes, all Republican-concerned. He's Congressman Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican conference.
That makes you the number three in the House Republicans. You know what? We're going to follow the lead of our viewers. They want to know about Israel.
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Right.
GRIFFIN: And I know that's something you know a lot about, on the various committees. You have been over there many times. You have talked directly with the Palestinians, Egyptians, Israelis.
And it's this whole idea about what is happening in Gaza. Israel attacks or gets on or tries to stop these ships. It leads to a mess. Did Israel do the right thing?
PENCE: Well, look, and -- and thanks for having me on, Drew.
No one likes to see the loss of life. No one likes to see military confrontation, but Israel has a right of self-defense. And the reality is that Gaza is essentially an isolated, smaller version of a terrorist state. It launched lethal attacks against Israeli civilians, in the form of thousands of rockets.
And this blockade has saved lives. I know the focus now is the incident on Monday. People are looking into that. And that will all be discussed. But those of us that -- that believe we need to stand with Israel during this -- this time of crisis believe that preserving the blockade and standing with Israel and her right of self-defense is imperative in this moment.
And let's be clear, there's not a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel allows to be transferred or transfers 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza every week. I mean, the hospitals are fully stocked. The food markets are fully stocked.
This flotilla was -- embarked on a mission to challenge the blockade. Security forces, Israeli Defense Forces, challenged it, and violence ensued. But, ultimately, Israel has a right to defend itself.
GRIFFIN: Congressman, you've been in Congress, what, this is your fifth term?
(CROSSTALK)
PENCE: That's right. GRIFFIN: Fifth term? You have seen various peace efforts come and go. It's been so frustrating for decades now. And, once again, it seems we're on the verge of restarting these peace talks, and yet another issue develops where the whole issue flares up again.
Are we ever, ever going to get to a place where the Palestinians, where Hamas will be in a position to negotiate with Israel? Or if we truly want to get some relief to the Palestinians who are stuck in Gaza, should we not be talking about getting rid of Hamas?
PENCE: Well, let -- let's make a very careful distinction between the Palestinian Authority and the terrorist organization of Hamas.
Part of the reason behind this blockade, Drew, is to prevent the flow of arms, to the extent they can, into Hamas, so Hamas can begin again to use Gaza as a platform for attacks against Israel. You know, there would be a pathway forward for a peace agreement with Israel. And it would be very simple, that -- that, if the Palestinian leadership would recognize unequivocally Israel's right to exist, and essentially if it would -- it would initiate an effort to dismantle terrorist infrastructure within all the areas under their control.
I mean, the -- the reality here is that, while Israel is often demonized by the international community, the Palestinian leadership has it in their authority today, under the rubric of the old road map that we all understand so well, to embrace just a couple of basic truths in the public debate, and that would facilitate, I believe, a durable peace.
But, until that happens, then I think we need to stand by our most cherished ally, Israel, and we need to stand by her ability to defend herself.
GRIFFIN: Let me -- let me switch gears really quick.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: You were an early critic of the Obama administration response to the oil slick. It's only gotten bigger since then. Do you still feel the same way, that this administration is not doing enough?
PENCE: Well, I -- I believe the administration was slow to respond in the beginning.
I mean, it took -- it took 10 days after this incident happened for the president to send Cabinet-level officials and the full resources of the federal government into the region. And, sadly and astonishingly, the administration continues to be slow to respond.
The president, I know, went to the region, had a press conference last week, but, again, what we're hearing from parish leadership in the area, what we're hearing from fishermen, what we're hearing from Governor Bobby Jindal and others is that, again, you're not seeing the leadership come out of the White House to really begin to drive forward the kind of resources that will be necessary to confront these issues.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
PENCE: I saw another network last night literally pulled a local parish leader in with BP, sat them down, and, by the end of the meeting, BP had agreed to release additional boom that had been tied up and sitting on the shore.
This administration, particularly the president, needs to take a more hands-on approach. BP has a responsibility to restrain the -- the flow into the Gulf. They have financial responsibility, but that's our coastline. And our president, under the law, is obligated to develop a plan for cleanup and to protect our coasts, the families, and the environment.
GRIFFIN: All right, Congressman, thanks for stopping by. We appreciate it.
PENCE: Thank you, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Congressman Mike Pence.
And fishermen in the Gulf say the oil is making them sick and say they're scared to complain about it, too, because BP might find out. Find out why ahead.
Lady Gaga -- if you missed this, bizarre -- did she dress like Larry King last night for this? Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Do you know that gecko, that charming gecko in the insurance commercials? He may be getting a run for his money. Time for our video list, "Fotos del Dia."
It's a big gecko. People in Ft. Worth, Texas, get a big green surprise today. It was -- actually Tuesday. It was neither a plane, a bird, an airborne lizard with a bird's-eye view, no. A 1,600-pound iguana named Iggy moved to a new location at Ft. Worth Zoo. You might say he clawed his way to a upscale home, riding in style via helicopter to the top of the building of the park.
We go to Canada, Calgary. Two guys joyriding in a stolen bus. The driver's pit stop turned into a full stop when he left the engine running. The wheels on the bus went around and around and around the neighborhood, that is. The merry thieves giggled with excitement as they pulled through a neighborhood and into a park car. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoo!
(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: Dude, they ditched the bus, but forgot to get the video out of the bus, so the cops have already nabbed one of these clowns.
Hey, the lady and the king? Last night's pop king Lady Gaga joined the king of talk Larry King. She's known for wild costumes, but sporting suspenders, a tie? She looked a little bit like Larry, didn't she? When asked at what point she knew she wanted to be a performer, Lady Gaga gave a characteristically unusual answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LADY GAGA, SINGER: In the womb, Larry, in my mother's warm womb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Uncomfortable moment there.
You can see all of our "Fotos del Dia" on CNN.com/RickSanchez.
That guy right there, the most well-known investor in the world, he found himself in the middle of the Goldman Sachs debate, and anger over rating agency's role in the financial crisis. He tells us what he thinks caused the financial meltdown. That's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINDRA ARNESEN, SICK FISHERMAN'S WIFE: This one's hanging over the boat throwing up. This one says he's dizzy and he's feeling faint. That's abnormal for our guys. This is a bunch of tough, hardcore fishermen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: She is talking about fishermen in the Gulf hospitalized. BP doesn't think it's their fault. But find out why some fishermen are scared to complain that it is. Elizabeth Cohen has that story. She's joining us right now. She'll be back, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Time for the oil alert, day 44. Fishermen in the Gulf are getting sick, but they aren't talking about it. In fact, the ones that we've tried to reach out to didn't want to speak to us on the record. But the wife of one fisherman who got sick is talking, talking to our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Late one night at the end of April, Kindra Arnesen's husband David was out shrimping on his boat, seven other shrimping boats around him.
ARNESEN: I received several phone calls from him. This one's hanging over the boat throwing up. This one says he's dizzy and he's feeling faint. That's abnormal for our guys. This is a bunch of tough, hardcore fishermen. COHEN (on camera): How did he say he was feeling?
ARNESEN: Nauseous and a really bad headache.
COHEN (voice-over): Men sick on eight boats, she says not a coincidence.
COHEN (on camera): He told you he could smell the oil?
ARNESEN: It was really strong. He said it was so strong that they could almost taste it.
COHEN: But BP and EPA have been monitoring this air and they say it's safe, don't worry.
ARNESEN: If the air's just fine and all of a sudden everybody's sick, come on.
COHEN: You don't believe it.
ARNESEN: I don't believe them.
COHEN (voice-over): She says until this day, her husband was completely healthy. But he's been sick ever since.
ARNESEN: It's a nasty cough. I literally woke him up over and over again.
COHEN (on camera): Had you ever seen him like that, short of breath?
ARNESEN: Never.
COHEN: He doesn't have asthma, nothing like that?
ARNESEN: No breathing problems, ever, nothing.
COHEN (voice-over): BP's top executive has suggested spoiled food could have made the fishermen ill. But a public health official contacted by CNN considered that highly unlikely in light of their symptoms.
COHEN (on camera): Now, Kindra, I got to tell you, you're talking about this. You're the only one I found who is. People are mighty quiet around here.
ARNESEN: They're terrified.
COHEN: Why are they terrified?
ARNESEN: BP. You're messing with the king. That's what I've been told. Kindra, you're not scared? You're messing with the king.
COHEN: So, why aren't you scared?
ARNESEN: I am. COHEN (voice-over): The shrimping waters have since been closed down because of the oil and Kindra's husband has signed a contract to work with BP. It includes a provision that prohibits him from talking publicly about his work.
COHEN (on camera): So, your husband signed a gag order back in April. And then --
ARNESEN: May 24th.
COHEN: May 24th, right. They revoked the gag order. So why won't he talk?
ARNESEN: He's still scared.
COHEN: But what's he scared of?
ARNESEN: Losing his job.
COHEN: Are you scared of BP?
ARNESEN: Am I scared of BP? Our financial situation lays in the palm of their hands.
COHEN (voice-over): So, why is she talking when so many others have been silent?
ARNESEN: It starts with one. Anything, anything that ever starts, starts with one. And if I have to be the one, then I have to be the one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. I mean, it's possible, you smell oil and you start throwing up and coughing, or whatever. I mean, is this a real one thing can lead to the other, not in this case, but in any case?
COHEN: You know, the night the men got sick, Kindra's husband and the other men, we'll probably never know what really got them sick. It was over a month ago. They didn't go to the hospital. There's no records, all of that.
But what she's saying is, how could this just be a coincidence? They were all fine before they got on the water and these are men who get on the water a lot. They get on the water, and they can smell the oil. She said they can practically taste it, and every single one of them was ill, so sick that they went in.
And she said, shrimpers don't cut their shrimping troops short because they lose thousands of dollars. So for her there is no other explanation.
GRIFFIN: Right. The bigger issue is, because we've got so many more people who are going to be or are exposed to the oil in the cleanup process, if there is a fear among health officials that they could literally be getting sick in the cleanup process.
COHEN: Right. Now BP and the EPA have said we're monitoring the air where people are working, and we see that the air is fine. They say our records show, our monitoring shows, that it's perfectly final, and BP says that's why we're not giving our workers masks. And Kindra and people like her, basically they don't believe them.
GRIFFIN: And we should point out -- or maybe we should get clarification from you. They're scared to speak out not because they're frightened of BP in any kind of big-brother way, but they want to keep a job with BP.
COHEN: Right. They can't shrimp anymore, they're not allowed to shrimp. They say the only work they can get is with BP. BP is hiring them to take their boats to help with the cleanup effort. And she said, why would I complain about the people that are putting food on my table?
GRIFFIN: Did you talk to the husband of this woman?
COHEN: No, she said he would not talk to me because he was scared and because the legal situation is unclear. He signed something saying he couldn't talked, and then they revoked it and the lawyer hadn't looked at it yet, so she said her husband wouldn't talk to me.
GRIFFIN: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks a lot.
COHEN: Thanks.
GRIFFIN: Well, a young woman found dead, and police say the suspect is that guy. Remember him? Joran Van Der Sloot wanted again? Rafael Romo is all over this. He's next to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: This is a story that literally started breaking just as we were about to go on the air today. Joran Van Der Sloot, you remember him? He was once a suspect in the disappearance of that American teen named Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
Now he's the suspect in a killing of a young woman in Peru. Our senior Latin American Affairs Editor Rafael Romo is tracking this story. And Rafael, you were monitoring news conferences. You're watching what's happening. What is the latest? Is this for real?
RAFAEL ROMO, SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: The latest is that Peruvian police are already calling him a suspect. There were some statements by the Peruvian police who say they are actively investigating this and treating him as a suspect.
Now, what we know is he might have already fled by land and might have gone to Chile, so right now his whereabouts are unknown. He could have gone to Chile or Argentina.
What police are saying at this hour that both the suspect and Stephanie Flores spent some time together Saturday evening. They went to a casino in Lima, Peru, they spent some time together. They have video what police in Peru are calling incriminating evidence. And they have video of the couple going into Van Der Sloot's room at 5:00 in the morning on Sunday, and she was found dead only yesterday.
GRIFFIN: This is so eerily similar to what happened in Aruba. The last person with this woman, she disappeared. Of course, Natalee Holloway's body hasn't been found, but this woman's body was found. And Van Der Sloot named as a suspect and they don't know where he is.
ROMO: Exactly. It looks eerily similar. It's like we're going back to 2005. Some of the events leading up to this are very similar. We don't know the nature of the relationship. We don't know whether they were just acquaintances or whether they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
Also another development that we just heard is that the father of the victim, Mr. Ricardo Flores, who is a businessman and a race car driver in Peru, is openly accusing Van Der Sloot of being behind the murder, and basically saying that he is guilty of the murder.
Now, what kind of evidence does he have to support his claims? We don't know at this point, but he -- we heard him openly say "he killed my daughter."
GRIFFIN: Yes, I heard he was in Peru. He could be in Chile. He could be in Argentina. Is there any way that the immigration officials in these countries can track him, or how is he moving?
ROMO: Not only are the national police in all these countries that we're talking about after him, also Interpol in South America is also actively participating in this investigation. So, with all of these agencies collaborating together, it may just be a matter of time before he gets arrested.
GRIFFIN: Wow, unbelievable. Thanks. Rafael Romo with that update. Joran Van Der Sloot wanted again, this time for a murder of a young woman in Peru. We'll keep following that. Thanks.
Well, should the government take over BP? The government? That's what Robert Reich thinks. And I am talking to him. That's ahead.
Sanjay Gupta's been doing a little grocery shopping, and what he's discovered about the amount of pesticides in our food every day is enough to make you sick, literally. I've got the list of the 12 fruits and vegetables which contain the largest amount of pesticides appropriately called the "dirty dozen."
Here's number 12. It is lettuce. Number 11 is imported grapes, 10 is potatoes, nine, cherries, eight, Spinach, kale, and collard greens, number seven, the sweet bell peppers. The rest of the list is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) GRIFFIN: We have been watching this all day. Just what is going on 5,000 feet deep under the sea? That is the live picture being produced out of BP trying to show us what they're doing today, which is trying to cut off that broken part of the pipe so they can actually put -- or try to put another cap on top of it.
For awhile today the saw that was cutting around the pipe got stuck. It is now unstuck, we're told. We're not sure when the operation is going to begin anew. But, again, they're trying to cut off that broken portion, make it a more clean cut, if you will, so that they can put a cap on it.
The cap would be connected to a pipe, and the pipe would suck out most of the oil that will continue to spew from this pipe apparently until they get those relief wells dug or those relief mines dug, which we really don't know the timeline on those.
Meanwhile, we're seeing oil today in Alabama and just off the coast of Pensacola as this creeping oil slick gets ever, ever closer to Florida and the Gulf shores there.
Well, before the break we gave you half of the "dirty dozen" list, 12 fruits and vegetables which can contain anywhere from 47 to 67 pesticides per serving.
Here's the top six -- might surprise you. Number six, nectarines, five, blueberries, how about apples in at number four, strawberries number three, number two is peaches. And the number 1 on the dirty dozen list -- can you believe that? It's celery. A lot of people just eat celery to not gain weight, blah, blah, blah.
Why are we sharing that list? Because Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN special report, "Toxic America" airs tonight and tomorrow night at 8:090 eastern. Dr. Gupta hosts town hall where he's going to meet victims with mysterious ailments just in this one small American town. We're going to show you that in the next hour of RICK'S LIST.
Well, it took him a subpoena to get there, but Warren Buffet testifies before the financial crisis commission. And Poppy Harlow has got that next.
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GRIFFIN: We want to show you a tweet first that we just got from travel.gov, the State Department. They say, hey, it's OK to go to Thailand. We've canceled our travel warning to Thailand due to improvements in safety and security conditions throughout the country. So good news from the State Department if you're traveling to Thailand after all that unrest there in Bangkok. They think it's OK to go.
