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CNN Sunday Morning
BP Makes Another Attempt to Cap Oil Spill
Aired May 16, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is 8:00 a.m. in Atlanta.
Good morning. I'm Jim Acosta, in for T.J. Holmes.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
Let's get a check of some of your top stories today.
Oil giant B.P. is back at work this morning, trying to cap that gushing oil spill deep in the Gulf of Mexico. The company (INAUDIBLE)
ACOSTA: And the company hopes to eventually hook a mile-long pipe to the leaking wellhead to siphon off some crude oil. B.P. also says deploying oil dispersants at the source of the rupture appears to be erupting.
In Europe, more travel troubles today, compliments of that erupting volcanic glacier in Iceland. A couple of airports in Ireland this morning are closed due to ash cloud. And England has closed airports in both Manchester and Liverpool, while London remains unaffected for now.
And a rude awakening off the island of Puerto Rico, which was rattled by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake earlier today. The U.S. Geology Survey says the quake's epicenter was on the northwestern end of the American Commonwealth. No injuries reported and electricity has been restored to the area.
Turning now to the situation in Thailand -- we should report street clashes in Bangkok are now into a fourth day. And there are reports of more violence. But the government has changed its mind about imposing a curfew for now.
Our Sara Sidner -- in the middle of it all in Bangkok.
And, Sara, we looked at your live shot earlier. You've obviously moved. Well, you've moved to a location where you can't see the smoke quite as well as earlier. But we saw it clearly rising behind you. How are things going there right now?
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Same situation, though, the government reversed its decision to put a curfew in place, saying that it believed it could get this situation under control. And today has certainly been less deadly than the last three days. Today, we have one confirmed death so far and we are still looking into reports that a few people have been injured today.
We also have new information about what is happening in the negotiations between the Red Shirts, the anti-government protesters who want to see the government dissolve, and the government itself. The Red Shirts are saying that they are willing to negotiate immediately but they want a third party negotiator, the United Nations, to come in and do it through a third party. The government has responded to that, saying that it will not use any outside negotiators, that this is an internal problem.
And so, here again, you have a bit of a stalemate -- Jim.
ACOSTA: And, Sarah, you know, a lot of people are probably wondering, you know, what is behind all this? I mean, Americans and westerners, you know, see Thailand as such a sought-after destination. Lots of tourists go there. You mentioned in one of earlier reports that Americans are sort of hunkering down and staying inside.
You know, it just -- it's just sort of coming out of nowhere it seems that this country is in so much chaos right now.
SIDNER: This is a country where you have this sort of thing flare up and then sort of calm down for a while and flare up again. Generally, the Red Shirt protesters are a group of people that come from the working class, that come from the rural poor -- and these are people that are very upset with the way the government has gone. They do not believe that this government is looking out for their best interest.
The government, though, for its part has said that it is willing to negotiate in the beginning with putting one basic thing in place, saying that you have to leave the area, because these protesters have been in this area and have taken the area over for more than five weeks now. This is a commercial part of Bangkok, not the entire city but a commercial part of Bangkok where there are shopping malls, for example, businesses, and some residents. This is certainly not good for the Thai economy.
But at this point in time, there is still a stalemate between the government and the Red Shirt protesters. And it is very difficult to be able to tell if things are getting better, if they're going to negotiate. Right now, it doesn't seem that that's the case. And so, there continues unrest in the streets -- Jim.
ACOSTA: Our Sara Sidner in Bangkok, Thailand, this morning -- stay safe, Sara. Thanks for that report.
BOLDUAN: There is a new concern in the Gulf this morning. Scientists studying the oil spill keep finding huge plumes of oil under water -- some lie just below the surface and all the way down to more than 4,000 feet in some areas. Those plumes are deflating oxygen levels -- a further threat to the Gulf environment.
Reynolds Wolf in Biloxi, Mississippi has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Coming to you from Biloxi, Mississippi. We're about to get on board this vessel and we're about to head out to sea.
This is Mike Brainard.
Mike, what is today's mission?
MIKE BRAINARD, MISS. DEPT. OF MARINE SERVICES: We're going to do the Mississippi Sound and do some testing on shrimp to see what the average size is. And this will be used to get ready the -- open up our shrimp season.
WOLF: OK. Good deal. Let's get to it.
OK. I think we're going to speed up a little bit. Hold on.
Now, where exactly are we headed specifically?
BRAINARD: We're going to the station three which is in Biloxi Channel.
WOLF: Has the oil spill been a huge concern for you?
BRAINARD: It's definitely concern. But it's -- as of right now, we've been very fortunate and the oil hasn't gotten into our waters. So, we're just going ahead and planning it like it's going to be a regular shrimp season and hoping that we will have a shrimp season. So -- and, of course, we got planes up there, you know, monitor every day to see where the oil actually is and how far it is from our shores.
WOLF: How important it is little animals, little shrimp, to the people who live here?
BRAINARD: I mean, it's very important; it's a big part of the culture. And Biloxi used to be called the shrimp capital of the U.S.
WOLF (voice-over): We're now on a shrimp bed just off Deer Island, Mississippi. Biologist Bill Richardson lowers his nets and raises his hopes for a good sample. Richardson says conditions are perfect right now for shrimp to grow, but worries that any oil in these waters could put the season in jeopardy.
BILL RICHARDSON, BIOLOGIST: It's like a garden out here for them to grow.
WOLF (on camera): Pristine conditions make pristine shrimp.
RICHARDSON: Yes. Yes. Exactly.
WOLF: How is this one, pretty healthy?
RICHARDSON: Oh, yes. All we need is some batter on it.
WOLF (voice-over): Fishermen aren't the only ones who closely follow the work of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
(on camera): Yum, yum, yum.
(voice-over): Dolphins know an easy meal when they see one.
(on camera): There you go.
(voice-over): The Mississippi shrimping season could be a few weeks away. Opening day depends on the sample these biologists take back to headquarters and the efforts of other agencies working to keep the oil from spreading.
RICHARDSON: We've got brown shrimp and white shrimp. We'll take these back to our lab and measure and weigh them.
WOLF (on camera): Bill, you like what you see?
RICHARDSON: Oh, yes, definitely. This one is very good. I hope it stays away so our fishermen can get involved in some of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: And that was our Reynolds Wolf in Biloxi, Mississippi. We'll be going live to him in the next half hour -- Jim.
ACOSTA: Coming up next: it's a debate that goes back years. And now, Congress is getting involved. Should women have more public rest room restrooms or should it be equal for men and women? Details on the Potty Parity Act -- that's up ahead.
Plus, the videos everybody ends up watching online and talking about it. We are talking about viral videos. A lot of new ones are hitting the Internet. And, of course, our Josh Levs has the very best for us this morning.
Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: I like it. Welcome back.
BOLDUAN: Welcome back.
I want to get right to Bonnie Schneider for some weather, some severe storms in Louisiana and Mississippi?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Kate and Jim, I was just tracking a tornado warning that's now expired. It was for areas near Gonzales, in Livingston Parish -- eastern Livingston Parish right here just north of New Orleans.
And you can still see. We have very strong thunderstorms in Louisiana and then across to Biloxi, where Reynolds Wolf has been reporting from. And then further to the east, right into Mobile, Alabama and to Gulfport, we're going to be seeing those thunderstorms. And there are a couple of real-time lightning strikes -- and yes, it is happening in and around the Gulf of Mexico.
And take a closer look -- here is where the oil spill is located. The sheen outlined in the lighter blue color and then the heavier oil in the darker blue color. And you can see more of kind of a movement to the north because the winds have been more consistently south/southeast. There were a lot of changes in the initial stages. The winds were kind of coming from all different directions and that kept the shape a little more circular.
But now, we're starting to see a little bit more flow, unfortunately, towards the coastline. But, again, the forecast is changing.
Take a look -- here's what we are looking at right now, thunderstorms out there. And in terms of how that effects the oil spill, really, the main thing it's doing right now, is when there's lightning out there and really strong thunderstorms with winds up to 50 miles per hour, 60 miles per hour, it hampers the efforts that they are doing to protect wildlife because you can't take a boat out in the middle of a thunderstorm. So, that is a slowdown there. And also, it does create variable winds and strong wind gusts as well that may have a minimal effect on the oil spill itself but it's just another hindrance out there.
Some people believe that the heavy downpours of rain can cause some dispersion. But really, it's minimal when you are talking about such a large, widespread area and isolated thunderstorms. So, the forecast calls for winds out of the southeast up to 17 miles an hour. Waves are at three feet.
I can tell you, tomorrow, the waves will be a little more relaxed, probably about two feet or a little bit less. And the wind direction will eventually shift and come more from the southwest as we go into Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. So, every week, we are talking about different changes out there, in terms of the Gulf Coast, in terms of the weather that we are experiencing there.
Let's get right back to what we're talking about earlier with the thunderstorms. And you'll find that a lot of the activity is working its way to the north and to the east. Some of the heavier downpours in Gonzales, in Thibodaux, Louisiana -- but then northward, we're also tracking a lot of rain in a place that we don't need it anymore, and I'm talking about Tennessee.
Let's go right to Nashville, we have a live picture to show what it's like outside right now. Nashville is under a flash flood watch at this time. And we have light rain hitting the city. With fog, it looks really ominous and kind of not really pretty out there.
Look for heavy rain to hit possibly later today. We're looking at the rain coming in moderately right now, about a trace on the ground, not to mention the heavy rain we had at the beginning of the month. So, Jim and Kate, this is -- more rain in a place that doesn't need it. And remember, the flood cleanup is going to take weeks, months -- it's the last thing those folks need.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And, really, probably not much that they need in Biloxi, as well as Louisiana in this moment either.
SCHNEIDER: No.
ACOSTA: Especially on a weekend --
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- when there's a lot of folks out there trying to get something done.
BOLDUAN: Right.
ACOSTA: Yes. Thanks a lot, Bonnie. Appreciate it.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Bonnie.
So, now, let's talk about something that will help wake you up a little bit, a look at the latest and greatest new viral videos on the Internet.
ACOSTA: As always, our Josh Levs is on the lookout.
Josh, love the animation by way of you.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you are having some fun with that one, aren't you?
ACOSTA: It's awesome.
LEVS: Yes. This is how they represent me looking all over the place to find the best things we can for you on the Internet. I'm glad you like it.
So, here's the thing -- you know what, I showed this to you guys a couple of hours ago and got all these tweets afterwards saying I talked over it too much. So here is this hot new viral video. You can start it. I'll talk over just beginning.
It's celebrating the minivan via a rap song, the least likely vehicle to be featured in a rap song. Let's listen in.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: There you go. They're the ultimate suburban couple. And this is actually from Toyota and they're using this viral video to try to get people to buy just one of their minivans.
And I'll tell you something, this is free advertising. Once they have put out an ad that catches on, obviously, it costs money to put it together. In the first few days, 1.5 million views of this video online. It's called swagger wagon celebrating the minivan.
All right. Now, I got to show you guys the new viral video star, this young singer who sat down in a sixth grade recital. He's apparently 12, going to be 13 soon, started singing Lady Gaga. And this is what he sounds like.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That's Greyson Michael Chance and he's had almost 12 million views already. It's unbelievable. This kid is now going wild. He was on "Ellen" a few days later. (INAUDIBLE) loving this.
And before we go, I have to go back to our producers' favorite video of the day, the cutest video you're going to see in a long time. This doggy knows how to ride in style, it's kind of like riding a convertible if you're a little dog except in this case, she is riding a turtle. The dog is Hope. The turtle is Carl.
And all these people on my Facebook page are now writing me that it's a tortoise and they got in this incredibly complex discussion about how tortoises eat and how they live. You can feel free to join in that.
But there you go. This is probably the cutest you're going to see in a long time. Let's put a little music to it. Enjoy. You're going to know how to ride in style.
I got a list of all these hot videos for you on my Facebook page. We can show you where that is. Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN. Guys, we put all oh, there is, check that out. So, we got all the links for you right there.
And you can enjoy them yourself. Send us your favorite viral videos. We just might have them next weekend.
All right, guys. Your favorite, what do you think, you guys like the best?
BOLDUAN: I love the rap song. It kills me every time.
ACOSTA: Yes. Absolutely. And I cannot believe how good that kid is and he's in the sixth grade. That is unbelievable. The kid singing Lady Gaga, that's amazing -- Justin Bieber better watch out for that kid right there.
LEVS: Yes. I was thinking that because Bieber started out on YouTube.
ACOSTA: That's right. They're all started on YouTube.
LEVS: Watch out world, you know?
BOLDUAN: Yes.
LEVS: New 12-year-old star is on the way.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: See you guys.
ACOSTA: Thanks.
BOLDUAN: OK.
So, of all the issues Congress is considering, here is one that you might not think of as a top of their list and is someone argues shouldn't be top of their list at this point -- but women everywhere can relate. We're tired of standing in sometimes very long lines to use a public restroom. Well, a House committee, they've heard our concerns and they are taking action.
If it's passed, the Potty Parity Act -- yes -- will eventually balance out the number of guys and girls stalls in federal buildings across the country.
ACOSTA: And when you said House committee, we should say House of Representatives. Not -- this was not a committee held in someone's house --
BOLDUAN: Right.
ACOSTA: -- about this pressing issue.
One lawmaker says, you know, there are actually health risks involved. Waiting too long can cause urinary tract infections. And somehow, you sort of knew the guys had to be blamed for all of this.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
ACOSTA: An architecture professor was apparently called in to comment on this, says most federal buildings were built years ago before women joined the workforce in large numbers and perhaps the men were a bit oblivious to women's additional needs. And that is not surprising at all. I would say that.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
ACOSTA: Men being oblivious, I can relate.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: But, anyway -- so moving on, the digital age, is it too much for students to handle?
BOLDUAN: Just ahead: students weigh in on information overload.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: I like that.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: So proud of that animation. So proud of that.
ACOSTA: You worked hard on that.
BOLDUAN: The Internet, computers and BlackBerrys bombard us daily with all the data we can handle and then some.
ACOSTA: That's right. But are students nearing the tipping point of an information overload?
CNN Student News anchor, Carl Azuz, joins us with more on the distractions of the digital age.
AZUZ: Good morning.
ACOSTA: And, Carl, a lot of this got started when President Obama decided to go after the iPad.
AZUZ: He mentioned them last week at a commencement speech in Hampton University. I want to tell you what he said specifically that got so much response at CNN Student News. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDNT OF THE UNITED STATES: With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and Playstations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: OK. Now, as you can imagine, a middle and high school audience, very media savvy generation. They haven't grown up without a computer in the classroom in most cases. And so, more than 700 of them logged on to our blog at CNNStudentNews.com to talk about where they stood on this. And as you guys might guess, it was a pretty divisive issue. The first --
BOLDUAN: Yes.
AZUZ: Go ahead. What are you going to say?
BOLDUAN: I was going to say, this is the first president that demanded to have his BlackBerry still when taking office. So, he's more media savvy than previous presidents.
AZUZ: Yes, a very media savvy president. Somebody pointed that out in our blog --
ACOSTA: Right.
AZUZ: -- saying, you know, this is somebody who used the media so much in his campaign, who used BlackBerry and Twitter.
BOLDUAN: The Internet.
ACOSTA: Sure. AZUZ: Someone pointed that out. But as far as the student perspective goes, I have a comment from Rodney this morning. And Rodney comes out, he disagrees with what the president says.
Rodney feels that, you know, you can use this extra technology. It's a good thing. It keeps kids away from things like drugs and gangs, stuff like that. And then, he argues that with gaming, it gives him a chance to interact with people from different countries.
On the other side of that, we had a comment from Kyle. And he's saying he mostly agrees with the president. He thinks most kids are now too dependent on electronics. They don't go outside. And then he goes on to say he -- most kids don't know the difference between a Norway Pine and a Jack Pine.
And the only reason I did is because I went and looked it up afterwards. I guess, I should spent less time on my Nintendo as a kid.
BOLDUAN: Right. Exactly.
ACOSTA: Yes, exactly.
AZUZ: There's -- there is definitely a consensus building around, you know, it's probably somewhat in the middle. It's learning how to balance, you know, what you do in your free time, what you want to be doing.
And I think it's Ms. Smith is a teacher who wrote us in. And she said to us on our blog that as a teacher, the technology can be distracting in the classroom as many teachers out there know with kids checking their text messages and everything. But she tries to show her students how empowering the items that students use can be.
And there were a lot of students who said, you know, if you use it in moderation, this can be good sources of information. If you go overboard, they can be distracting. So, it's sort of a happy medium.
BOLDUAN: It's good that they're talking about it, though. The balance.
(CROSSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Carl.
AZUZ: Thank you both very much.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Carl. Appreciate it.
BOLDUAN: So, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood has landed on the shores of France for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A much- anticipated sequel made its debut at Cannes on Friday.
ACOSTA: That's right. I can't wait for this. Our Brooke Anderson sat down with cast members of "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Stars are so thrilled to be here in Cannes. They are like kids in a candy store.
I sat down with the cast of "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," Oliver Stone's follow-up to his hit 1987 drama. And they couldn't stop talking about the excitement of Cannes.
It's 24-year-old Carey Mulligan's first film here. But she revealed she has been here before.
CAREY MULLIGAN, "WINNIE GEKKO": I came here when I was like 12 years old as a tourist and it was a day before the festival was opening. And I remember walking around and there were news cameras. I was trying to get in the back of the shot, you know, I was sort of like I was so desperate. So, it's really, really odd to be back here and be in the film.
ANDERSON: Co-star Frank Langella first came here to Cannes back in the '70s and he told me he remembered the scene as much wilder back then.
FRANK LANGELLA, "LEWIS ZABEL": And it may have been the fact that I was very young. But it was wilder than it is now.
ANDERSON: Really?
LANGELLA: People in outrageous outfits coming in on barges with dogs and trained lions and there was lots of music.
SHIA LABEOUF, "JACOB MOORE": To be here at Cannes, these are film fans, you know? You look out here, these are jaded -- these are fans. And so, to be at the biggest festival in the world with a movie that you're proud of, with a director that you love and a cast that you really, you know -- this is a really great opportunity for me and a moment in my life that, you know, this is memorable.
ANDERSON: This is Shia's second time at the festival. I spoke with him two years ago when he was here for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal." Shia admitted to me today that making this film, his first drama, after a string of action movies, was extremely challenging. He told me he really was nervous and intimidated day in, day out on the set by the stature of his co-stars.
LABEOUF: You are stepping into a cage of lions. I felt like an underdog coming on this set. You know, I'm the "Transformer's" kid, you know? And so, to come on set with Josh Brolin and frank Langella and Susan Sarandon and Carey Mulligan and Michael Douglas -- it's just like -- it's daunting, you know? And the other side of the camera is Oliver Stone.
ANDERSON: "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" will roll into the theaters this fall.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BOLDUAN: So, is the military too religious? A watchdog group seems to think so.
ACOSTA: That's right. We'll take a closer look at some allegations that evangelical officers are pressuring subordinates to convert. It's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back. I'm Jim Acosta in for T.J. Holmes.
BOLDUAN: And I'm Kate Bolduan. Good morning and it is -- oh, what is it, 8:30 Eastern, 5:30 if you're on the West Coast. Thanks for joining us.
ACOSTA: Let's get a quick check of that oil spill situation in the Gulf of Mexico. BP is working right now to insert a tube into the ruptured pipe nearly a mile beneath the surface. The plan is to siphon oil from the rupture to a ship above the site. Efforts to do that failed yesterday. At the same time BP says, it looks like spreading chemical dispersants at the source of the leak is working.
Coast Guard said today that pieces of tar balls have now washed up on Grand Isle, Louisiana. Millions of gallons of crude oil has spilled in the last few weeks. And BP estimates the rate at 210,000 gallons there.
Reynolds Wolf is live with us in Biloxi, Mississippi this morning. And Reynolds, we've been talking about these businesses -- the fishermen, the shrimpers -- are they seeing any optimistic signs out there?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I mean, it's really going to be a tough kind of thing they've been dealing with. I mean, there's no question that -- this is definitely a measure of frustration. Because obviously seafood and oil from this slick are certainly aren't going to mix.
But they've been really taking some tremendous steps. Not just the fishermen but the people offshore. You've been talking about the issues the things they've been doing. One of the latest has been the -- the insertion tube that they have been placing again, right near the biggest leak. And the idea of trying to do that is incredibly difficult.
You're taking a six-inch pipe into a leak that has a tremendous flow rate. That could be anywhere from, they are estimating from say 5,000 barrels per day, some estimates up to about 70,000 barrels a day. Regardless of the huge amount and to get it -- they're trying to get that -- that pipe in there, the insertion of pipe, what they're using are three ROVs, which are underwater robots.
So they're going to try to put that in the position to help siphon up that fuel. And if they're -- if they're lucky, they'll be able to siphon of about 85 percent of that oil that's been leaking out and put it in to a tanker ship up to the surface then bring it back to shore. That's one option they've been using this morning to help protect the shore lines and of course the marine life.
Let's send it back to you.
ACOSTA: All right, if only it was as simple as the way the animation makes it look there. If those robotic subs could just plug that oil leak, boy, this would have been done a while ago. This is a difficult task down there.
WOLF: Absolutely. It really and truly is and that is really the short-term solution is to try to do something like that. The other idea as we've been talking about of course, is the top hat, the containment dome they're going to put over the leak that they would also siphon up to the surface.
But they've been taking some long-term steps also. And some of the long-term solutions could be putting in two different wells. Now, what they're doing is they've got two ships out there, drilling ships. They've dropped the implements needed to have those deep wells. As of Friday night, one of them was down to about 3,000 feet below the surface.
You know, it's not like you can just take -- take one of these things and throw it over bored and it just sinks to the bottom rapidly. This is a very slow and very delicate process. So we've got two of these drills they're dropping and one of them at faster rate than the other and when it gets down there and when they get all the material needed to make these -- these wells, it's something that could take several months to actually implement.
So that is the long term solution. But the short term solution that we're all holding our breath and hoping to hear good news later on today is going to be of course with that insertion tube.
So, let's -- let's keep our fingers crossed and our hopes high.
ACOSTA: Absolutely, thanks Reynolds. I appreciate it.
WOLF: You bet.
BOLDUAN: We're also following another day of violent anti- government protests in Bangkok, Thailand. Another protester was killed today in those clashes with government forces. That brings -- that brings to 25 the number of civilian deaths since Thursday. The government had planned to enforce a curfew but canceled that, at least for now.
It says troops have the situation in control. But a curfew is still a possibility. The government also is delaying the start of the next school term by one week to May 24th due to the violence. And the government says it doesn't want the U.N. involved in negotiations to end the protest.
And, more travel troubles today in Europe because of that erupting volcanic glacier in Iceland. It has forced a couple of airports in Ireland to close so far as well as airports in Manchester and Liverpool, England. London remains unaffected for now, some good news. Passengers are being encouraged to check first with the airlines before heading to the airport.
As we all know, the U.S. military is made up of people of all faiths but is one religion being promoted over another? Critics say fundamentalist Christian officers are pressuring troops to convert to their beliefs.
CNN's Barbara Starr takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For Carleton Birch, war is a spiritual mission. He spent a year in Afghanistan not as a fighter but as a Chaplain ministering to the troops.
LT. COL. CARLETON BIRCH, CHAPLAIN, U.S. ARMY: When a soldier comes to me with a problem, I never ask them what faith they are.
STARR: Chaplain Birch is a member of the Baptist General Conference. He says he'd never try to force his beliefs on soldiers who come to him seeking support. It's a sensitive issue in the wake of a number of high profile incidents of Evangelical officers preaching to their subordinates.
MIKEY WEINSTEIN, MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOUNDATION: It's a terrible, terrible cancer eating away at the very core of our -- of our military.
STARR: Mikey Weinstein heads the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. A watchdog group that monitors these cases, he's an Air Force veteran who claims officers often try to preach to him while he was in the service.
WEINSTEIN: The chaplains are almost the least of our problems. We're far more concerned with the platoon sergeants and the battalion commanders, the squadron commanders, the wing commanders.
STARR: At the Air Force Academy, there been dozens of complaints of religious discrimination going back a decade, allegations that cadets were pressured to become Evangelical Christians.
In 2004, Lieutenant General William Boykin, a top operative in commando warfare was criticized for speaking in uniform at religious events talking about his God being the real God. Weinstein says that's just the beginning.
WEINSTEIN: It's not just that it's going on. It is being -- and it's not that the Pentagon is turning a blind eye. It is being -- it is being tremendously, enthusiastically pushed -- pushed down upon our junior members of the -- subordinate member of the military. It is as ubiquitous as gravity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A reading from the 23rd Psalm; we're all very familiar with it -- STARR: Chaplain Birch has heard the stories too. He says chaplains are careful to walk the line.
BIRCH: They need to be about all soldiers. And if they're not, then there's -- there's no long-term room for them in the military.
STARR: Now, more than ever, religious diversity is the name of the game. No better example than here at the Pentagon chapel. Jews, Muslims and Christians all worship here. But it's a delicate balance for example a Christian chaplain would not say Jewish or Muslim prayers.
BIRCH: I'm not qualified to do that. And I don't think those of other faiths want me to do their services.
STARR: Charles Haynes directs the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He says it's a tricky balance.
CHARLES HAYNES, DIRECTOR, NEWSEUM RELIGIOUS FREEDOM EDUCATION PROJECT: It is tough any time you have government religion entangled with religion, it's going to be complicated to get it right. It's always going to sound as though it may be veering towards promoting one religion over another.
STARR: Chaplain Birch says it's a challenge he willingly accepts.
BIRCH: When they come to me asking for bread, I don't give them water. I help them at their point of need. And I think most all chaplains do that or else soldiers wouldn't come to us.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, the oil spill in the Gulf cost thousands of fishermen their jobs.
BOLDUAN: And now BP is making good on its promise to put some of them to work. Sounds like good news. But it's not all -- it's not good news in all cases. Hear why some fishermen are frustrated.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, I'm meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider. We are tracking strong thunderstorms across Louisiana, really all over the south.
Let's take a closer look and you'll see New Orleans getting hit with downpours as well as Alabama and even a cell working its way towards Biloxi where our Reynolds Wolf has been reporting from on the Gulf's oil spill.
Now, to the north a flood threat continues in a place that does not need any more rain. Remember when we had two feet of water in Nashville, well now that city as well as Memphis and into Arkansas and Little Rock, all under flash flood watches straight until 7:00 tonight because we're expecting possible up to an inch more of rain.
You can see that rain sliding across Nashville, working its way into Kentucky right now. So a lot of that rain is headed towards Bowling Green and into Louisville later on today.
The big picture shows that we have low pressure right here. And what that's doing is it's really kind of tapping into the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico a lot of moisture and riding along the stationary front. So it's just enhancing that threat for rain throughout the day and into the evening hours.
Now, temperatures are going to be very warm and steamy in advance of the system particularly into Florida where we're expecting highs in Tampa for example in the '90s. But no, tonight in Vermont, we have a frost advisory so there it'll get to the mid-30s after midnight.
That is a look at your forecast. Stay tuned we have a lot more coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Well, coming up right after the show at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY".
BOLDUAN: And on the rundown this morning, big primaries, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Utah Senator, soon to be former Senator of Utah. Candy Crowley is joining us from Washington. Good morning Candy. It's going to be a pretty busy morning for you.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Yes, no lack of things to talk about, that's for sure.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CROWLEY: We're looking a little bit at the elections. We have three important states that are going to have primary elections mostly on Tuesday. What is interesting to me right now is kind of what does this all mean for the country as a whole? And it comes off after Senator Robert Bennett's loss in Utah.
And we're sort of taking a step back and saying the re-election rate for a sitting Congressman is so high. It's like 86 in the senate, 94 something percent in the House. And the question is, why does this year feel so different?
So we're going to talk to Senator Specter and his opponent, Joe Sestak, in a huge Democratic primary fight in Pennsylvania, we will talk about Bennett who has lost his right to even be in the primary and will be out of the job in January and ask him what he thinks is happening to the nation as a whole, politically. And we will also be discussing the oil slick and guess what, we've also got a Supreme Court nominee.
ACOSTA: And the Pennsylvania race is so close despite the fact that the President, the governor of that state, Ed Rendell, appear to all be lining up behind Arlen Specter. But Joe Sestak could pull this thing off.
CROWLEY: Well, yes, he could. I mean Joe Sestak could pull this off. You're right. The polls are quite even. But right now, it just seems to be a drag to have sat in the senate for too long; too much power, too much Washington. Sort of all things Washington are turning off most of the voters.
And right now, that appears to be Senator Specter. And you know, people would go -- used to go back to their home districts and say, I brought this home and I got this bill and I brought this project home. And more and more, what we're finding across the country is that people don't like that anymore. So it is a very uncertain election year.
I just want to add thought that I have had many election years before where we thought, oh, people just want to throw the bums out. It is really one of those years. The incumbents are going to be terrible and most of the incumbents won. So, you never quite know until November but this is an interesting year to be watching.
ACOSTA: This is almost a super Tuesday happening. I mean it's a mini-Super Tuesday. But a lot of us will be watching and keeping a close eye on this.
BOLDUAN: The election of the endangered incumbent but I always trust Candy more than I trust myself. You never know until you know. So I am sticking with Candy on this one.
ACOSTA: Right.
CROWLEY: Right.
BOLDUAN: Thanks so much Candy. Keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY". It's going to be a great show and it starts in about 15 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: The latest now on that oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP is working to insert a tube into the ruptured pipe nearly a mile beneath the surface. The plan is to siphon oil from the rupture to a ship above the site. The company has hired fishermen to help in containing and cleaning up the spill but some who have been hired or want to be hired are upset with BP's handling of the situation.
Here is Evan Anderson of WVUE in New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN ANDERSON, WVUE, NEW ORLEANS: Hundreds of fishermen line up at the government complex in Saint Bernard to get paid for their first few days of working out in the Gulf. It sounds like good news. In the wake of this disaster, the parish is cutting checks on behalf of BP because these guys are helping to keep the oil at bay.
But for some --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am frustrated. I'm frustrated about everything that's going on with fishermen; the way -- really, I'm frustrated the way they are handling it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to get you frustrated. And that's the way they got these fishermen.
ANDERSON: Some feel like there is no consistent process of compensation or selection of who can go out and get to work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got friends that don't even, they won't even look at me because I went to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are constantly worrying. You know you have bills to pay like everybody else. You know when your check is coming in. I don't know if I'm even going to get any more because they are going to rotate these boats. If they don't start rotating them right, I'll never get back on the list.
ANDERSON: Fishermen now at each other's throats. Some in the parish's vessels of opportunity rotation, others left out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has just come to the point where either you know people or you don't know people. If you know the right people, you're working; if not, you're not going to. It isn't going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Some fishermen say when they do get work, it takes them three days to make the same amount of money they had made in one day of fishing; a very difficult situation.
And maybe a difficult situation with weather right now -- let's go to Bonnie Schneider. Bonnie, some storms that could affect the cleanup?
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely Kate. You know we're looking at a lot of people are trying to protect wildlife. When you have a thunderstorm in the area, it could hinder a boat going out or people just along the beach heading out there to see what's going on.
Right now, the forecast calls for winds to the south -- out of the southeast, 11-17 miles per hour. A hot day, certainly, 84 degrees with waves not too high, about three feet. We saw them higher initially when the spill occurred.
But it's important to note that we are going to see some changes in the forecast. And right now, we are seeing some very strong thunderstorms with real time lightning.
In fact, look at this. I'm just watching this now live. And I'm detecting hail right now near Gonzalez, Louisiana; that's north of New Orleans. So these are some very intense thunderstorms rolling through the Gulf Coast right now; also frequent lightning strikes that are occurring offshore as well.
A tighter picture now of Louisiana itself, you can see the real- time lightning occurring all the way off into the mouth of the Mississippi as well as into areas of Mississippi and Alabama; so, a stormy day in the Gulf.
That is a look at your Gulf forecast weather. We will have more coming up on CNN Sunday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Well, you hear it all the time in movies and TV shows. You have the right to remain silent. But the terror suspects in both the failed Times Square bombing and the Christmas Day attack talked before being read their Miranda rights.
BOLDUAN: Law enforcement was able to question them under the public safety exception to Miranda. Now, the Justice Department wants to expand this tactic. CNN's Brian Todd examines this bit of controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Times Square bombing suspect, Faisal Shahzad was interrogated for four hours before he was told he had the right to remain silent, his Miranda rights. Anything he said up to that point could be used against him in court.
That process of gathering information is called the Public Safety Exception to Miranda; used when officials fear there is an immediate threat to public safety. Now the Obama Justice Department wants Congress to help it expand the use of that tactic.
On NBC's "Meet the Press" Attorney General Eric Holder called it big news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have to think about perhaps modifying the rules that interrogators have and somehow coming up with something that is flexible and is more consistent with the threat that we now face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOOD: That public safety exception to Miranda was first used in standard criminal cases long before the war on terror.
(on camera): When we asked why the Justice Department wants to expand this rule now, a spokeswoman he said she couldn't go beyond what Attorney General Holder said. But some legal analysts say the administration believes now with the Shahzad case and the Christmas Day airline attack that it could use more time to interrogate terror suspects and get information on plots. (voice-over): Shahzad and Christmas Day suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, were both read their Miranda rights. Both kept talking. But either one could have clammed up at that point, and the plots behind their alleged attacks might never have been divulged.
Former White House aide, David Rivkin is a critic of the Obama administration's terror policies and favors military tribunals. He says this about Holder's idea.
DAVID RIVKIN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE: You need enough time and an interactive mode to get all the information out of a suspect. You don't know in advance. You may not even know after a few hours. You may need some time to go back and check.
TODD: Stephen Vladeck who has represented terror suspects before the Supreme Court says more exemptions on Miranda will eat away at suspect's right.
(on camera): What about the fact that we are dealing with terrorism suspects. These aren't common criminals. And you just have to inject a little bit more flexibility into the system.
STEPHEN VLADECK, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Well, I think, I mean to me, the flexibility that the government is seeking in these cases is provided by the public safety exception and has existed for 25 years. But beyond that, I think the fact that many of these suspects are U.S. citizens, that most of them are arrested on U.S. soil means there are and must be limits on exactly how much the government can bend the traditional rules.
TODD (voice-over): Liberals like to point out that the Bush administration read terror suspects their rights too. Shoe bomber Richard Reid was promptly Mirandized in 2001. But conservative advocates say even if it was done under Bush, it's still a mistake that can tie the hands of counter terrorism investigators when the clock is ticking.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: The arrest of Faisal Shahzad in the attempted Times Square bombing has a lot of people asking, how someone could plan an attack against the country they live in. CNN launched a special investigation and searches of those answers; how someone born in America, living the American Dream, can then set out to destroy it. Watch "AMERICAN AL QAEDA" tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
And thank you so much for joining us this weekend, holding down the fort for T.J. Holmes.
ACOSTA: That's right.
BOLDUAN: Candy Crowley is coming up at the top of the hour but first let's take a quick check of the morning headlines. ACOSTA: That's right Kate. Checking our top stories, BP eventually hopes to hook a mile-long pipe to that leaking wellhead to siphon off some of that crude oil still leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. The company also says deploying oil dispersants at the source of the rupture appears to be working.
We'll stay on top of that throughout the day.
"STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY" begins right now.
