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President Obama to Address Nation on Oil Spill Crisis; Oil Executives Grilled on Capitol Hill
Aired June 15, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, it's just hours before President Obama's oil disaster address. Comes word of a setback now. The operation to siphon oil leaking the Gulf has stopped. We're on top of this.
We have got this, too.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Making the LIST today:
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Fifty-seven days ago in the dead of night, the worst environmental nightmare in U.S. history began.
GRIFFIN: Lawmakers accusing BP of operating on blind faith. They rip into big oil.
REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D-CA), GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: We found that none of the five oil companies has an adequate response plan.
GRIFFIN: Is this war on oil, and what does that mean for the future of offshore drilling?
A pistol, a sword, night-vision goggles and Christian books, that's what an American man took with him to Pakistan. And police there believe he was on his own mission to kill Osama bin Laden.
The lists you need to know about. Plus, who's today's most intriguing? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why we keep a list, pioneering tomorrow's news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: First on the LIST: day 57, almost two months of this oil disaster, BP reporting there was a small fire at the top of derrick on that, the Discoverer Enterprise. It was believed to have been started by a lightning strike.
This video you're seeing is of that ship taken earlier in the month. The fire was put out, no injuries. Operations to collect the oil from the leaking well expected to restart some time this afternoon, but, right now, they're not sucking up that oil. The president has concluded his fourth trip to the Gulf since the oil disaster began in April. Today, in Pensacola, Florida there, he toured some beaches, talked to locals, and ate local cuisine. He also spoke to the military and told them, the military, get ready to join this fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an assault on our shores and we're going to fight back with everything that we have got. And that includes mobilizing the resources of the greatest military in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Real fireworks going on, though, back in D.C.
Representative Ed Markey, he heads the House Energy and environment Subcommittee. He was questioning chief executives from BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Shell.
One of BP's most outspoken critics, Markey, laid out the argument that there is plenty of blame for all of these oil companies. He talked about reading all of their disaster response plans and finding out that BP was not an exception, but the rule.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKEY: In preparation for this hearing, the committee reviewed the oil spill safety response plans for all of the companies here today. What we found was that these five companies have response plans that are virtually identical. The plans cite identical response capabilities and tout identical ineffective equipment. In some cases they use the exact same words.
We found that all of these companies, not just BP, made the exact same assurances. The covers of the five response plans are different colors, but the content is 90 percent identical. Like BP, three other companies include references to protecting walruses, which have not called the Gulf of Mexico for 3 million years. Two other plans are such dead ringers for BP's that they list a phone number for the same long dead expert.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: I want to tell you, all of those five different plans that were so similar were handed into the government's Minerals Management Service, the government's overseer of this. So, while ExxonMobil's CEO agreed to take his share of the blame, he told members of Congress, look it, he was simply doing what the MMS told him to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, CHAIRMAN & CEO, EXXONMOBIL: It's a scenario that the MMS and the Coast Guard require us to calculate using their methodologies, and that's why it's in there.
(CROSSTALK)
TILLERSON: But, to your point, and I think that's all that matters is -- the point is, we have to take every step to prevent these things from happening. Because, when they happen, it is a fact that we're not well-equipped to prevent any and all damage. There will be damage occur.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Back to the president.
Tonight, he will use his Oval Office address to lay out a game plan for dealing with this oil disaster, his speech coming on the eve of the highly anticipated meeting that he will have with BP officials. That is on Wednesday. They're expected to discuss a new structure for processing damage claims from the disaster, a new plan, including an independent third party to handle claims.
Robert Gibbs said the administration is confident it does have the legal authority to force BP to set up an escrow account, a pool of money, for the purpose of paying damages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The best way to prevail on BP is to take the claims process away from BP. The president possesses the legal authority and will use it to make this -- this claims process independent, to take it away from BP, and to ensure that those who have been harmed economically have their claims processed quickly, efficiently, transparently, and that they're made whole again for the disaster caused by BP.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Ed Henry was with the president on his trip through the Gulf.
Ed, what kind of preview is the president giving today for his speech?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what you heard, Drew, earlier, where the president was saying this is an unprecedented assault on our shores, and, basically, we're going to fight fire with fire, he is trying to lay out a case that he will make tonight in the Oval Office to sort of push back on the critics who have said it took him too long to get focused here, to say, look, the federal government is attacking this every which way we can.
But I think, as you just laid all of that out from all that various sound on the Hill, what's so difficult about what he's trying to accomplish tonight is that there are so -- just so many layers to this. It's not just about containing the leak.
It's also about preparing beaches like Pensacola Beach behind me, which right now, by the way, is doing fine. It's open for business. But they're worried that oil will hit the shore soon. It also is about trying to get BP to pay the claims, setting aside this escrow account, as you mentioned.
It's also about preventing -- preventing future disasters. As Congressman Markey was pointing out, you can't just deal with this one situation. You have got to take a look at the regulatory framework, where, clearly, some regulators were asleep at the switch, perhaps dating back to the Bush administration, but continuing into the Obama administration.
So, there's a lot he needs to balance tonight. This is his chance to really grab that presidential megaphone and show that he is in command, because, right now, you can tell from some of the public polls the public is skeptical of the federal government's efforts.
And while they -- they put a lion's share on BP, they also put some of the blame on the federal government -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Yes. And, Ed, the biggest criticism that's going on is, look it, this is day 57. It's almost two months, and now he's trying to show that, you know, he's in charge, he cares, he's -- isn't this a bit like putting the toothpaste back in the tube?
HENRY: Well, sure.
And -- and you hear the rhetoric that's been coming from Washington for a long time about, you know, how they were kind of shoving BP aside, and the federal government is in charge. Let me tell you a quick story about the beach behind me.
Buck Lee is -- is the man who runs the beach here. And he was telling me yesterday that, about a month ago, he asked the federal government to give him four tractors to help sort of turn over the sand once the oil comes in. He said he waited weeks and weeks and heard nothing. Finally yesterday afternoon, one of the four tractors arrived here.
And it's in the parking lot just near me, so that, when the oil does reach shore, they can try to deal with it. But he's still waiting for three more tractors. And he was wondering why it took another presidential visit to this region to get just one tractor.
And, so, even as we continue to hear the federal government's all over this, there are a lot of people on the local level who feel that the federal government is still not fully engaged, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Well, those other people that count, because those other people who are hurting and will hurt if this oil eventually does come ashore to that beach.
Ed, thanks a lot. You're going to be watching this from the beach, I guess, and getting reaction overnight as well, huh?
HENRY: That's right.
GRIFFIN: All right.
The president's speech tonight...
HENRY: That's right. We're going to be here.
GRIFFIN: ... live 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN. Of course, we will have coverage before and after and all through the night, as we continue to follow this crisis, day 57.
GRIFFIN: Well, what caused General David Petraeus, the top commander of America's troops in the Middle East, to just slump over at a Senate hearing this morning? We will have that for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SCOTT FAULKNER, BROTHER OF MAN DETAINED IN PAKISTAN: And, speaking with him, he felt that the U.S. government was not doing enough to bring this man to justice, and he felt that he was, as a Christian, not afraid, that he could boldly step out, and that doors would be opened for him. And I agree with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: That man's brother was on a one-man mission to kill Osama bin Laden. If U.S. military, Pakistani forces and mercenaries forces can't kill him, why not a California plan armed with a pistol, a sword? Maybe he can get the job done. That's tops of our terror list. And that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Last hour, we told you about an American man arrested in Pakistan while on a lone hunt for Osama bin Laden. Fifty-two-year- old Gary Faulkner was picked up in Northwestern Pakistan by police there.
Faulkner's brother Scott is speaking exclusively to CNN. He explained that Gary wasn't crazy, just passionate, determined, and intelligent. He also said his brother had a plan of action to catch the most wanted man in the world.
Here's a bit more from that exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: I was in the military. And I saw how the government works. And it's not a clandestine, secretive sort of thing.
And let's face it. He was not their top priority at this point in time. We have relationships with the Pakistani government, OK, you can go in this region or you can't go in that region, whereas my brother could go about willy-nilly. He had a long beard. He looked like Taliban.
When he wore his robe, he looked like Taliban. The only way you could tell that he was not was when he spoke. So, he could blend in with the local population and go places that our military cannot go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did -- did your brother himself have any military or investigative training or language skills that would help him, you know, like, do this?
FAULKNER: On one of his trips -- this was after there was a large tsunami out in the Pacific Ocean -- he was actually going to sail over to Pakistan. Well, there was too much debris in the ocean, and the Navy had picked Gary up out to sea. He had been out for four days.
And they brought him back in to San Diego. And, at that point in time, they told him it is unsafe. You will -- you will scuttle your boat. So, they actually started teaching him some of the language skills. And then, being over there six times now, he has picked up quite a bit.
In his mind, he knew where (INAUDIBLE). There is a general location in Pakistan that our military does not go to. And the people in Northern Pakistan, they know the man with the white beard. That's what they call Osama. So, he was in that general location, searching a cave, and he has some assistance. He's made friends. I will not tell you who those friends are, because that's up to Gary to reveal his sources.
Obviously, we're not privy to a military intelligence. We don't get spy satellites. He doesn't get spy satellites. The government doesn't call him up and say, hey, Gary, you know, we think Osama is in this area and we really would like you to kind of check this area out.
None of that happened. He had a hunch from the local people. He's been in the area. He's seen a cave that would fit that description. He has seen people with walkie-talkies on the side of a mountain. Now, let's face it, you're a shepherd and you have got this big walkie-talkie. Here's a cave. He put two and two together, and he truly believed that Osama was in that geographical location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: That was Scott Faulkner's -- Scott Faulkner on his brother's one-man alleged mission to catch the world's most notorious terrorist. He explained his brother's frustration with the government efforts to get bin Laden and also Gary's methodology in his own hunt.
Let's get a little perspective now, shall we, from former CIA covert operations officer Mike Baker. He's joining us from Connecticut.
And, Mike, you know, my knee-jerk reaction is to kind of laugh at this and to think both these guys are kind of nutty. But is there any truth to believing that a single guy could go over there and take out bin Laden, somebody that we have been tracking now for, what, 10 years?
MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVERT OPERATIONS OFFICER: Well, I suspect that there's always a possibility that anything could happen. But I had the same initial reaction that you did to listening to Faulkner's brother, certainly eloquent, and he was clear in saying that Faulkner wasn't crazy and also didn't receive any spy satellites or -- or information from military intelligence.
I'm not sure what to it make of this. You get all sorts traipsing around. I have spent a long time, a lot of my life, overseas, and you meet all sorts in -- in a lot of different and unusual places.
And -- and the area where Faulkner was, up in the northwestern part of Pakistan, the very tip of Pakistan, it is a very scenic, very beautiful, rugged part of the world. And, you know, it is populated occasionally by -- by hikers. A lot of European hikers in particular favor that area. It's a very rugged area. So, it's not uncommon to have a Western person traipsing around.
But, you know, when you give them a religious book, and a sword and a dagger and a pistol, it kind of changes their profile a little bit.
GRIFFIN: Well, let -- let's speak a little bit about the motivation here. If we're hearing this right from the brother, he's saying that his brother was passionate about getting bin Laden since 9/11, felt that our government, the U.S. government, really was kind of letting him go, and so he decides to go on his own.
Is -- do you know, is there any truth to the fact that the U.S. military doesn't want to get this guy anymore, and so now it's up to the individual citizens to try to get retribution for 9/11?
BAKER: Well, you know, there's all sorts of Byzantine theories. I'm not a conspiracy theorist at all. I spent too much time in the government. I think everybody actually should have to do a year or two years of service in the government or in the military and peek behind the curtain.
And then they would -- we would lose a lot of the conspiracy theorists that are out there. But, no, there's -- there's no truth to that at all. Nobody, you know, wants this guy more than the military and the intelligence community and all those who suffered through 9/11 and subsequent terrorist actions.
But, you know, I -- who can speculate on what Faulkner's true state of mind or his intentions were? Frankly, he should be very happy that he was picked up and his family should be happy that he was picked up by the Pakistani authorities, because traipsing around, once he started heading towards Nuristan on the other side there, on -- on the Afghan side of that border, the outcome probably wasn't going to be good for -- for Faulkner.
GRIFFIN: Yes. He would be put in danger.
I want to go to a Twitter. Lady Kayaker writes: "What are the legal requirements to be a bounty hunter in Pakistan and Afghanistan? What distinguishes from unlawful hit man?" I mean, they do have laws over there, even though we're told it's somewhat lawless, right?
BAKER: Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Oh, I guess he's -- are you still there?
BAKER: Yes, I am.
GRIFFIN: Is this legal for him to do? You can't just go over there and try to kill somebody, can you?
BAKER: No, no. It's a sovereign nation. It would be the same as if a foreign citizen came to the U.S. and engaged in the same behavior.
Obviously, the authorities would frown on it. And, so, the Pakistani authorities, you know, once he showed up, any time a Westerner shows up -- and they have hotel security in some of these more scenic regions that have been used to tourism. Obviously, tourism has taken a hit over the years in that part of the world.
But they do have hotel security guards. And once they noticed he was missing, the police immediately went after him, being concerned about his -- both his safety and his intentions. We have had a number of people out in that part of the world who have traveled to Pakistan from the U.S., but they have been looking to enlist in al Qaeda or enlist with the Taliban.
This is one of those first cases that really, you know, brings you up short and makes you think, really? He was out there trying to hunt down bin Laden.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: Yes.
BAKER: But given -- given -- you know what? Given the $25 million bounty on bin Laden's head, it's surprising that we don't have a lot more cases like this.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Mike, well, interesting. Thanks for playing with us on this...
BAKER: Sure.
GRIFFIN: ... one of the odd stories of the day. Tomorrow, we may learn this was part of a reality TV show, too. I don't know.
Anyway, Mike Baker, thanks for joining us.
BAKER: Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: If he ran for president, they will shoot my ass off, just the way they shot off Bobby's. He was aware of the risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Some of the secret notes from the secret life of Ted Kennedy filled with the death threats and security fears he had to deal with, that world has come to light now with the release of FBI files. That's ahead.
And if you're driving around with a car full of weapons, probably shouldn't try to sneak on to an Air Force base. That's just one of the stories making our roundup list.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: All right.
On today's roundup list: The head of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq is OK after fainting while testifying at a Senate hearing this morning, General David Petraeus being questioned by Senator John McCain when he slumped over. He was escorted out of the room, but recovered and came back about 20 minutes later. The rest of the hearing was postponed.
Petraeus tells CNN he was dehydrated after skipping breakfast. He actually said he will eat breakfast tomorrow.
Number two: A couple with guns and military gear is stopped trying to enter the base that is home to Petraeus' headquarters, the U.S. Central Command down in Florida. They were allegedly trying to use fake I.D.s to get into MacDill Air Force Base. They are described as a military man in his mid-20s who was AWOL, absent without leave, and a woman of the same age. No word why they were there.
Number three on the list: Joran van der Sloot now has two countries hot on his tail. Aruban government spokesmen Taco Stein is telling CNN that Aruba and Peru now have agreed to help each other investigate the murder of Stephany Flores. That's the girl killed in Peru. They hope it will lead to new information about the case of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba five years ago.
Van der Sloot is the suspect in Flores' killing and was a suspect in Holloway's disappearance.
Here's a warning for patients from their California hospital: You may have been accidentally infected. What? Yes. Scary, something all of us should pay attention to. That's ahead.
Got us wondering, too, just how rampant are hospital infections in the U.S.? A lot more common than you can imagine. In fact, I have got a list for you of five facts you never knew about hospital infections, enough to make you sick. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Imagine going to the hospital for a routine procedure and getting sick or, worse, dying? It happens more often than you think. The statistics on deaths from hospital infection in the U.S. are downright scary.
The staff put together a list of the top five hospital infection facts. Here they are, no particular order. Number five, every two -- year, two million patients get infections in U.S. hospitals. Number four, hospital infections, our fourth largest killer in the U.S. -- fourth. The number-three fact, more people die from hospital infections than AIDS, breast cancer, and car accidents combined.
Number two: Hospital infections add more than $30 billion a year to health care costs. And number one on the list of the top five hospital infection facts, one in every 20 patients gets an infection in the hospital. That, we're told, is a conservative estimate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He kept Kevlar vests in his closet at home, not that he wore them every day, but he had them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Talking about Ted Kennedy, a lifetime of death threats for the senator. They had been kept secret until now. We are going to show you the letters and tapes that have only been seen by the FBI. We will have that for you ahead.
And look who crashed the newscast. I mean, most newsroom welcome guests, but this is ridiculous, right? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: The weather forces can be biblical in their power, but get this -- time for our best video list, "Fotos del Dia."
To Monroe, Ohio. A six-story statue of Jesus burned at the steel frame after being struck by lightning Monday. The Solid Rock Church was home to the "Touchdown Jesus Statue" since 2004. It featured Christ with arms outstretched to the sky. It reportedly cost $250,000.
Reporters at CNN affiliate WEYI say they often leave the studio's back door open to keep it cool, but Thursday their plan backfired. Things heated up when an unexpected studio guest popped in -- a raccoon from the nearby woods.
I've heard of rats in the newsroom. They usually wear ties, but this was something different. They decided to call him Randy. He ran across the studio a few times before being shown the door.
Shake them up at the ball game. A 5.7 magnitude earthquake centered 70 miles east of San Diego hit during the Padres/Blue Jays game in San Diego last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's just a tremor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pretty significant tremor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, there it goes. Oh, yes, you bet ya. We just had an earthquake, boys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Astute announcers there. The Padres definitely had home field advantage. California quakes common, of course. Tremors in Toronto, not so much. But get this -- the Blue Jays won, 6-3.
The fans and even a few players seemed to enjoy the wobbling ground.
You can see all of our "Las Fotos del Dia," as Rick likes to say, on CNN.com/ricksanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an assault on our shores, and we're going to fight back with everything that we've got. And that includes mobilizing the resources of the greatest military in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: So how is that assault going? Could we be on the verge of some good luck, some positive news?
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: All right. You guys know we're sharing your ideas, five a day, solutions people are telling us about, their idea on how to solve the Gulf oil spill.
And our Bonnie Schneider is here with another one of the five -- Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Drew.
GRIFFIN: I hope this one is a little bit more thought out than the last one.
SCHNEIDER: A little more advanced. All right.
Well, what's better at scooping up oil than a skimmer? According to a BP contractor, it's mesh bags.
He's come up with a new method for the cleanup operation. It's a shrimp boat with outriggers attached on either side. The boat drags the bags made of perforated webbing along the ocean surface. When the bags are full, the crews disconnect and tow them to a collection barge.
And here's what the bags pick up. Got to see this. Yuck. That is one ton mass of tar ball, and they actually found two of these. This was recovered at South Perdido Pass, Florida.
Look at that, the size of that.
Well, I spoke to an expert about the idea to see how feasible it is, Richard Charter, who's the senior policy adviser for Marine Programs and Defenders of Wildlife, and he says that this new type of skimmer specifically adapted for collecting tar balls makes sense, because the people that designed it have the experience of working on the water, of course. So, trying to scoop up and collect oil in various forms is a great idea.
The tar balls, of course, are thicker. And, you know, the device is actually designed and built in a week, so that gives us hope that the promising ideas can come -- you know, be created and then get right into deployment.
And given the fact that the tar balls actually, in warmer weather, kind of mat together and get larger -- and remember the temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is in the mid '80s, and the air temperature is even hotter than that -- so any chance that you have to kind of prevent the tar from coming in and coating the wetlands is a good idea. So this type of device does seem well worth replicating in other areas where tar balls will likely show up.
Stay with us here on CNN to find out more about Gulf spill oil solutions. We're telling you about five each day.
GRIFFIN: All right. Well, that does seem better.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. That one is working.
GRIFFIN: Yes, than the big marble idea.
SCHNEIDER: Giant marble.
GRIFFIN: OK. Thanks, Bonnie Schneider.
Up next, possible good news from the Gulf. We'll have that for you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: You've heard it before, plans to plug the leak in the Gulf, they have failed more than once, right? But by the end of this week, BP is hoping to nearly double the volume of oil it's containing, scooping up, and hoping to go for more after that. The plans are contained in a letter sent to officials of the Obama administration.
We got a hold of them. Here's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Officials hope to be able to handle 25,000 barrels or more a day by the end of this week. Right now, they're capturing only about 15,000. Between 20,000 and 40,000 could be leaking out.
But by the end of June, according to BP's letter, the company plans to bring in a third ship, either the Toisa Pisces or the Helix Producer. Each of those can take up to 25,000 barrels of day.
So, by the beginning of July, BP says, the surface ships could be taking in 50,000 or more barrels a day. By mid-July, according to BP, both the Helix Producer and the Toisa Pisces will be in place as the primary containment ships.
The Discoverer Enterprise shifts to backup status, and another backup, the Clear Leader, will arrive on site. It can take up to 15,000 barrels a day. The Q4000 will move further from the site.
So, from mid-July on, between the two primary ships and the two backups, BP says the operation will have the capacity to handle up to 80,000 barrels a day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Now, all of that would be good news, right? But is it true? And what does it actually mean?
Joining me from Houston, our frequent guest, Satish Nagarajaiah, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice university.
Satish, if BP is able to suck up 80,000 barrels a day by mid- July, and there's only, at most, 50,000 barrels a day leaking, is that the end of it? Are they going to be able to suck up everything, or are we reading into this differently?
PROF. SATISH NAGARAJAIAH, RICE UNIVERSITY: They should be able to get most of it. But remember, you are actually siphoning both (ph) oil, gas and water, seawater. So, you know, 80,000 barrels, it's not oil all the time. It is a mixture.
So, they will be able to siphon off most of it, which could be as much as 50,000 barrels a day, which includes gas and oil.
GRIFFIN: So, when they say they have the capacity to suck up, you know, 50,000, 80,000 barrels per day, that could be just a lot of seawater?
NAGARAJAIAH: Yes. There will be a mixture of seawater in it. But remember, the greater the capacity of pumping they have, the siphoning they have, they will be able to capture more oil and gas.
GRIFFIN: This is what I don't understand. The picture next to you is of that oil leak. To me, that has not changed since the first day I looked at it, whenever they put the feed up, some weeks and weeks ago.
Are we missing the actual suctioning up of the oil in these shots?
NAGARAJAIAH: No. Actually, you know, the amount of oil that is coming out based on the calculation of the plume team is about 14,000 barrels a day. Based on the mass spectrum team, is about, you know, 25,000 to 30,000 barrels a day. And on my own calculations, it's around 30,000 to 35,000 barrels a day.
So, I think what we are seeing is they're suctioning about 15,000 barrels a day. So, I think half of that is coming out currently, and that's what we see in the video.
GRIFFIN: So they're only capturing half of that, which means this leak continues to soil the Gulf of Mexico out there.
NAGARAJAIAH: Absolutely.
GRIFFIN: So, in the end, Satish, the only thing that's really going to stop this completely is that relief well that is still being driven down into below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. And even that seems to be a crap shoot, if I'm hearing correctly.
NAGARAJAIAH: No. I think, you know, the relief well is going to do it. It's a matter of time.
You know, that's tested technology. They will be able to do it, but, you know, we need to get there. That's the challenge. It's once they get to the well, which is about 10 inches in diameter, once they intersect the existing well, they will be able to cap it.
GRIFFIN: All right. Satish, thanks for joining us. Appreciate you joining us from Houston.
Hey, guys. Rick is apparently off on vacation, but we know this guy is always digging for news, and he's always twittering and tweeting away. Here's what he wrote to us just a little bit ago.
"No oil here in the Florida Keys, but biz hurt because of fears causing cancellations." "Good time for deals," he says. "BP opens claims office. Just visited."
From our own Rick Sanchez contributing to RICK'S LIST on vacation.
Making our medical list, an infection risk that could have been prevented. Thousands of patients have been warned now that a common, potentially lifesaving procedure was botched.
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We told you about all the infections you can get in a hospital. On our medical breakthrough list, you go in the hospital for a routine procedure, right? You could come out with an infection. And I mean a lot of times.
For more than 3,000 people in the San Diego area, that could be a reality. Palomar Hospital has sent letters to 3,400 patients telling them, hey, guess what? You may have been infected from items we used here at the hospital and reused during colonoscopies and similar procedures.
Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, this is gross.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is.
GRIFFIN: How is this possible?
COHEN: Well, the manufacturer, when they sell these machines, they say specific ways to clean them -- in between patients and daily cleaning, take this tube out of here, disinfect it, put it back, take this tube out of here. There are a lot of steps to follow.
This is not the first time a hospital hasn't followed these steps. It happened at a VA hospital last year.
And so, thousands of patients get letters saying, we don't know if you're infected, you are probably just fine, but come in and we have got to test you for things like hepatitis, AIDS. You know, horrible things.
GRIFFIN: I mean, I remember the hospital, the VA hospital thing. I imagine in this business of being in a hospital, news spreads fast.
Why aren't they learning from past mistakes?
COHEN: You've got to wonder. I mean, there have been surveys that have shown that more -- that well over half of all hospitals, that they're not following all the infection control procedures, which is why you have so many deaths. We're talking of tens of thousands of people a year die from infections they get in hospitals.
And a lot of people are asking that question -- why can't they learn, and learn how to do it right? And it's just a problem that some hospitals have gotten it and are relatively well rated, and other hospitals just aren't getting it.
GRIFFIN: What is the excuse of the hospitals? What are they saying, it's just too complicated for this? Is it too expensive? Do we have too much turnover in the staff?
I don't know. Do you have the answer to that.
COHEN: You know, this hospital hasn't really explained that. It's a great question, and they haven't really answered it.
In the past, what hospitals have said was, well -- sort of the equivalent of, we did almost everything right. You know, we did A, B and C, but we didn't do D, E, and F. You know, we did some of it, but we didn't do all of it, to which safety experts say it doesn't matter if you did some of it, you need to do all of it right.
GRIFFIN: All of it, right.
COHEN: Right. You need to do all of it right.
GRIFFIN: Right. So, the fear -- there are two fears. One, obviously, the infections -- three fears -- the infections that people need to get cured for. Somebody gets the letter, ignores it, and might be infected walking around, still.
COHEN: Right. Right.
GRIFFIN: And somebody might be set up for a colonoscopy two weeks from now and says the heck with it, I ain't going there. Right?
COHEN: Right. All of those three things are very real problems that people will say, well, gosh, this is now the second hospital in just a matter of months. You know, what's going on? I'm not going to get my colonoscopy.
Of course that's not OK. If you're supposed to get a colonoscopy, you're supposed to get a colonoscopy, and you should get one. And the vast majority of hospitals don't have these problems.
So those are all real concerns. And so, they are supposed to not just write these letters, they're supposed to really hunt these people down and say, come in here.
GRIFFIN: Yes, but these are the people that couldn't wash the dang thing to begin with.
COHEN: Right. So, you have to wonder, are they really going to do it completely? But they're supposed to do more than just write the letter. They're supposed to really pursue these people and invite them to come in for testing. But, of course, they can't force them to come in for testing.
GRIFFIN: All right. Real quickly, industry or government, anybody, going to follow up on this thing? I know we have talked about fighting infections in hospitals before.
COHEN: Right. There are multiple groups, both private and public, that are trying to work on this, and they experienced the same kind of frustration that you're talking about. They say why can't hospitals get it right?
So, part of the answer here is to be an empowered patient and go to hospitals that do it right. Right? We should all reward hospitals that do it right.
If you go to CNNHealth.com, my colleague Sabria Rice (ph) has written a blog that talks -- that links you to places where you can go and find the hospitals that are doing right. And one of them, you put in your zip code and you will find the hospitals that have better ratings for infection control. We should all go to those hospitals and we should try to avoid the ones that get the bad grades.
GRIFFIN: All right.
Elizabeth Cohen, I think I'm going to bring my own bleach bottle to these hospitals. COHEN: There you go.
GRIFFIN: Thanks a lot, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.
COHEN: Thanks.
GRIFFIN: Well, the FBI opens the Ted Kennedy file and it's filled with death threats. Just what did the former senator face during a lifetime in politics?
We'll have that for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Senator Ted Kennedy, who was the youngest of the three brothers and perhaps America's most famous political family, he was the only one not killed by an assassin. But documents just released by the FBI reveal that he lived in constant fear that he would be.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Senator Ted Kennedy died last year, thousands turned out to show love and respect. But in life, Kennedy was reviled by some people.
Scores of death threats are contained in more than 2,000 pages of newly released FBI documents. Kennedy's biographer says the senator was well aware of the danger.
ADAM CLYMER, KENNEDY BIOGRAPHER: He kept Kevlar vests in his closet. Not that he wore them every day, but he had them in case.
MESERVE: Some threats inspired by the assassination of his brothers, President John Kennedy in 1963, and Senator Robert Kennedy in 1968. Immediately after Bobby Kennedy was gunned down, a local official wrote to FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, pleading make certain that Ted Kennedy gets all the protection he needs. We are down to one Kennedy. Hoover responded that he didn't have the authority. And the threats went on.
In 1975, one person wrote, "He should be in the cemetery with John and Robert." It was something that weighed on Kennedy's mind says Adam Clymer.
CLYMER: Well, one time he told several bunch of reporters or who are traveling with them, if he ran for president, they'll shoot my ass off just the way they shot off Bobby's. He was aware of the risk.
MESERVE: The FBI even investigated a claim by an inmate that he'd been offered $1 million and a car to kill the senator. The person purportedly making the offer, Sirhan Sirhan, Robert Kennedy's assassin. In 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne was killed when Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts. SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: No words on my part can possibly express the terrible pain and suffering I feel over this tragic incident.
MESERVE: But the documents show Kennedy's words weren't enough to satisfy everyone. "Why did you kill Mary Jo? Mary Jo will haunt you until doom's day. You will die slowly."
Time didn't stop the threats. In 1985, a woman in Michigan wrote, "Brass tacks, I'm going to kill Kennedy and Reagan. And I really, really mean it."
(on camera): The woman making that threat was judged to be mentally ill, but the FBI says the Ku Klux Klan and National Socialist White People's Party also made threats.
In the end, of course, the senator wasn't killed by a violent act, but by brain cancer.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: A quick update on a story we've been following.
(INAUDIBLE) on the Enterprise that production stopped because of a lightning strike. It is back on.
I also want to show you a picture of one of our top stories.
Gary Brooks Faulkner, 52 years old from Colorado -- that's the oil -- but the picture that was taken of Faulkner before he went to Pakistan, where he's now under arrest. He told authorities he's hunting for Osama bin Laden. And get this -- it's not his first time there. He claims six trips to Pakistan with the same objective.
When authorities picked him up, he had a sword, pistol, night vision equipment and Christian reading materials.
CNN's Jim Spellman got exclusive access to Faulkner's family back here in the United States. Listen to Faulkner's brother describe the motivation behind this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SCOTT FAULKNER, BROTHER OF MAN DETAINED IN PAKISTAN: Well, my brother Gary, he's the oldest of four. We were born in California, and our parents moved us to Fort Collins when we were young in 1968, where we grew up.
He spent a lot of time in the mountains hunting. Our father taught us how to hunt.
So, Gary has always been a very passionate individual. And when 9/11 happened, as a Christian, we took that very personally, as did most of the country. Osama had made some references to our God and the God of the bible, and in a poor light. And the fact that he was taunting America and getting away with killing thousands of Americans, my brother took that very personally. He felt that the U.S. government was not doing enough to bring this man to justice, and he felt that he was, as a Christian, not afraid.
And now his health is failing him, he's on dialysis. And, in fact, about five days ago he had to go down to southern Pakistan to get dialized because he was getting weak, and then he went back up.
So, he's got a sole focus. He's not crazy. In fact, he's very smart.
Normally, Gary, when he goes to Pakistan, he will have a sword. And he was trained in Aikido. So, he knows some martial arts and how to handle himself, and a three-edged dagger. And that's his weapons of choice.
Unfortunately, the Pakistan government is not going to allow you to carry a sniper rifle, a .308, on to an airplane into their country. So these reports are right now unsubstantiated, but I can promise you that when Gary left DIA, he did not have those weapons on him.
He's a very passionate person. And most people go through their lives without passion. They don't have something that they truly believe in and would give up everything in their life for.
Is this my passion? Absolutely not. But is it my brother's? It is.
And as an American, he's doing something that we would all wish to do. If we saw Osama walking down the sidewalk, you and I -- well, I know I would probably put a bullet in the guy's head. Yes, I'm a doctor, but I'm still an American.
And as served in my country, in the military, we believe in the Constitution, we believe in the freedoms in this country. And to have one guy slap us in the face and say, ha, look what I did, and you can't touch me, that goes against everything that, as a family, we stand for. And I pray that my brother gets him.
Do I think he'll get another chance? Absolutely not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Of course, it is illegal. There's that.
Hey, it's getting a lot of attention on our Twitter board. Here's one that just came in.
"The armed forces can't find him, and he wants to take it into his own hand. We live in a free country. Why not let him be the hero?"
We're counting down to the president's speech tonight on what he's going to do as far as the oil disaster response. And Wolf Blitzer has been following that and will have more on that from "THE SITUATION ROOM" right now.
