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CNN Sunday Morning
Oil Pressure Tests Extended; Hilary Clinton Arrives in Pakistan
Aired July 18, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. Good morning. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this July the 18th.
Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
It's 8:00 a.m. where I sit here in Atlanta, Georgia; 7:00 a.m. in New Orleans; 5:00 a.m. out in San Jose, California. Wherever you maybe, thank you for being here.
And the picture, it continues to be a good one. It's good because no oil is coming out. Still, we got a long recovery road. But still, we are headed in the right direction it appears because the cap continues to hold in the Gulf. But still, the government wants to do some more testing. We'll explain.
Also, this morning, for whatever reason, these folks are jumping in the water and then they're going to get out of the water and hop on the bike. And then, they're going to off the bike and then they're going to run. I have no idea what would cause people to do such a thing.
The triathlon, New York triathlon, is getting underway right now -- a one-mile swim, six-mile run, 25 miles in the bike. Among them? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We'll tell you what our team is doing this morning.
But let me give a look at some of the stories making headlines from overnight.
A several disturbing stories from overnight, including one out of Indianapolis. Downtown, Indianapolis, where 10 people were wounded in shootings -- three different shootings. The victims are between the ages of 10 and 18 years old.
We're told that none of them, though, have life-threatening injuries. Several people were detained and arrested yesterday. But this gunfire started after crowds of people were leaving the concert that was part of the Annual Indiana Black Expo.
Also, we'll take you near Baghdad now, where at least 43 people are dead, 40 others injured, after a suicide bomb attack. Authorities say the bomber was apparently targeting former Sunni militants who now support the Iraqi government. Also, just a short time ago, we got pictures of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. There she is. She's beginning her latest diplomatic mission, arriving in Pakistan. This is a trip that's going to take her to several Asian countries.
After the trip to Pakistan and meetings there, she's going to move over to Afghanistan for an international conference. We're going to be going live to Pakistan her in just a bit.
Meanwhile, we are on day 90 now of the Gulf oil disaster, and still, so far, so good as far as capping the leak goes. They are keeping a close eye on the pressure right now. The pressure of that pipe that now that the cap is on, because as it continues to go up, confidence goes up as well.
Now, they had planned on doing this testing for 48 hours. That 48-hour deadline to test the integrity of that well expired yesterday afternoon. But now, the government wants to continue and BP wants to continue as well testing for a while.
There is about 6,700 psi, pounds per square inch in pressure. They want to get that up a little higher, ideally, somewhere around 7,500 and above would be ideal, to let them know that this well is holding and that no oil is leaking out.
Now, this containment process is going to resume as soon as the testing stops. When I say containment process, they're going to reopen some of the valves on the cap, attach some pipes essentially, and then siphon up the oil to surface ships and start collecting once again.
One other note here, the first lady, Michelle Obama, is going to be heading back to the Gulf Coast region on Friday. She's going to be there officially to christen a new Coast Guard cutter.
Our Reynolds Wolf has been covering the Gulf Coast disaster for us from the very beginning.
Reynolds, good morning to you once again. The testing continues. Why did they make the decision to continue testing for a little past their own 48-hour deadline?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, because they know this is so crucial. They know they just want to make sure everything is going to be in tiptop shape before they go to the next step, what you were talking about earlier.
Also, Admiral Thad Allen mentioned yesterday that they will start pumping the oil back up to the surface, and they are just making sure things are fine.
You know, T.J., you also mentioned the psi numbers. We want those numbers to go up. They certainly haven't reached the level the scientists were anticipating. But as long as they're moving in the up fashion, that's great. The opposite, moving down, would certainly indicate there is some kind of an issue, possibly some leaking someplace somewhere, and even, heaven's forbid, possibly a rupture underneath the ocean floor.
So, they're going to watch it very carefully. One thing to mention, though, is if they do take that procedure, pumping the oil to the surface, there will be some seepage -- there will be some oil back into the Gulf of Mexico that is going to come from these valves, the very top of the containment. But even that, it's going to be temporary as they bring the oil to the surface.
But as we show you this animation, the thing is really going to be the key to stopping this altogether, it's going to be the relief wells. And as of yesterday, they're within five feet of reaching an intersection from the drilling point to the oil well itself. Now, when it gets to that point, then it will take several days, perhaps even several weeks to really stop that flow with the combination of mud and concrete. And then and only then when we have those two relief wells dug and completed, that should really be the end-all of this leak.
But still, you know, it is quiet, and I have to tell you, not seeing oil out of there -- this is my ninth trip to the Gulf of Mexico to cover this story, this is obviously the best time we've had so far -- knowing that at least there is some end -- at least it appears that way, T.J. -- an end to this horrible story.
HOLMES: Yes. And, again, we know we got the recovery that's going to be going on for years, quite frankly, that we're going to have to deal with.
WOLF: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: But, right now, it's so important that at least we have it capped. I mean, how is the mood continuing to change there, Reynolds, in New Orleans and along the Gulf? You know, we got the first step, it appears maybe, not a sure thing yet, but appears we got the first step under control, the most important, which is to stop oil from coming out.
WOLF: Absolutely. But, I mean, at the same time, there are a lot of seafood companies that closed shop and who knows if they'll ever open up again? I will tell you that in terms of tourism, here in New Orleans, it's been nuts. You got people all over the place, and there are all kinds of conventions here in town. So, they're doing good, all things considered. I can also tell you that the number of people back in the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Perdido Key, even in Pensacola, there are some people that are slowly coming back.
Just the idea of being able to flip on the television set and be at CNN or whatever the source might be -- it better be CNN -- they are going to be seeing, again, just the sight of no oil just coming out of that well, it's certainly an indicator, certainly a great thing. It's a motivating thing to bring people back to the coast. And that is certainly great. This is a multibillion dollar industry, tourism, here along the Gulf Coast -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Our Reynolds Wolf doing his reporter duty and his P.R. duty to CNN this morning. Reynolds, we appreciate you as always, buddy.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Talk to you again shortly.
Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on a very important strategic mission right now. She is visiting several countries in Asia. First stop is Pakistan. And then it's off to Afghanistan.
Our Reza Sayah is standing by live for us. He is there for us in Pakistan.
Reza, good to have you with us as always. Remind our viewers just how critical this partner is to the United States.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Pakistan is a huge partner in the fight against extremism in this nation. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arriving here 12:00 noon, local time, about five hours ago, and all indications are, T.J., for the next 24 hours, she's going to be going on an all-out charm offensive to win as many hearts and minds here in Pakistan as possible, to close the trust deficit that exists here, to bolster Pakistani-U.S. relations.
Of course, it's Washington's position that there's never going to be any progress, never going to be any success across the border in Afghanistan without the help of Pakistan, without Pakistan doing more against extremist on this soil. But for the U.S., getting Pakistan to do more hasn't always been easy, and that is because anti-American sentiments are widespread here and there's a huge trust deficit between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
And that's why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is here to chip away at that anti-American sentiment, to close that trust gap, and how she plans on doing it is by handing out billions of dollars of U.S. aid approved by the U.S. Congress. This is $7.5 billion of aid in the so-called Kerry-Lugar Bill.
And a senior U.S. official is telling CNN that tomorrow morning, here in the federal capital of Islamabad, Secretary Clinton is scheduled to unveil a number of programs that are designed to specifically address Pakistan's biggest needs. And they are an energy shortage, water shortage, and the economy. T.J., the complaint you often here in Pakistan is Pakistanis saying, look, the U.S. says they want to help, but we don't see the results, we don't see the details.
Tomorrow, Secretary of State Clinton is scheduled to reveal some of the details of projects include a number of dams that they're adding, and improving on the power grid. And the ultimate goal, T.J., is to get Pakistan to do more against the fight against extremists.
HOLMES: One more thing to you here, Reza, if anyone could say there is more a important partner in the region, they would say it's Afghanistan -- that is where she is heading on Tuesday.
SAYAH: Yes, no question about it. What's interesting, a senior U.S. official who spoke to us said, look, all the focus is going to be in Afghanistan, because that's where the war is and that's where you have 100,000 American troops. But make no mistake: this visit here in Pakistan is just as important.
Again, Washington's position is that Taliban leaders and many of the insurgent groups are taking refuge in fueling the insurgency from Pakistani soil. And that's why to continue (INAUDIBLE). Without Pakistan's help, Pakistan doing more against the Afghan Taliban, insurgents that are fueling the insurgency across the border, they're going to have success across (AUDIO BREAK) border in Afghanistan.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us this morning -- Reza, we appreciate you as always. Thank you so much.
And in Afghanistan, a search for escaped prison inmates is going on right now. At least 19 prisoners ran out after a bomb exploded at the main gate. This took place in western Afghanistan. This blast killed at least one police officer and one inmate. Some of the escapees have been recaptured, but we're told 11 still on the loose.
At the time of the explosion, Taliban fighters attacked police outpost. The militant group says it freed all of its comrades throughout the province.
Well, the vice president being sent a bill by the FEC. Yes, Vice President Joe Biden is being fined some $219,000 for violating federal election laws. This is a part of his failed 2008 presidential bid. He did get the V.P. gig out it.
This is the vice president. This was him campaigning back in 2007 in Iowa. This is fine comes from the Federal Election Commission that he ruled that he accepted money that went above the legal limit. Also, he failed to adequately pay for rides on private jets. He also issued several checks that would never cash.
Biden's spokesperson says the campaign will comply with the FEC ruling.
And as I mentioned, today in New York, they are jumping in the water, and jumping on a bike and jumping on the road. The New York City triathlon is going on as we speak. We will head there live to find out why this is how they choose to spend their Sunday morning.
It's 11 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Severe today means heat.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It does.
HOLMES: And we -- we were talking earlier, in the earlier hour. Today is National Ice Cream Day.
MAGINNIS: Really?
HOLMES: There's a day for everything. This is a serious story we're going to be tackling here in a bit.
MAGINNIS: OK.
HOLMES: National Ice Cream Day. Good day for it, I suppose, in a lot of places.
MAGINNIS: Yes. A lot of places are really going to be sizzling and this long stretch heat will continue in a lot of these areas until the end of the workweek. And I mentioned, Denver was 102 yesterday.
HOLMES: How rare is that for Denver in the summer to get above 100 degrees?
MAGINNIS: They haven't been this hot, I think they said, since 1971.
HOLMES: Oh, wow. OK.
MAGINNIS: So, it's been quite a few years. I'd have to double- check that.
HOLMES: It's been a while.
MAGINNIS: Yes, definitely has.
We also have some thunderstorms rumbling around across the Midwest, not in the same areas that we saw yesterday. We saw pictures of hail and the heavy rainfall that came down across Minnesota.
But look at these record high temperatures: Denver, 102; Colorado Springs at 96; and Grand Junction at 104 degrees.
Let's show you what the forecast shows for some selected cities around the country. We can see for Denver, not going to be quite as hot as it has been, but that temperature actually drops off as we go towards Tuesday into Thursday. But a lot of these areas are really going to stay hot for a long time, places like Denver, like Dallas rather.
In Los Angeles, here's the good news, is that today, you'll be a little hot. Temperatures are right around 90 degrees or so. Near the coast, not quite as hot. And then you are dropping back down into the 70s. So, that will be a pretty good forecast.
Dallas, though -- look at this -- we stay close to that triple- digit reading at least until Thursday. There's just minimal heat that's expected -- or relief from the heat expected.
Then for St. Louis, temperatures in the 90s all week long. The only relief that you'll get are few chances for some thunderstorms to be rumbling around.
Speaking of thunderstorms, watching this area -- this cluster of activity right across Missouri and right around Des Moines, headed towards St. Louis, this is going to be a troublesome area at least for the next several hours. We had some isolated reports of tornado warnings that was a couple hours ago.
But also this area right across northern Michigan, (INAUDIBLE) Michigan, and into Wisconsin, some thunderstorms being reported there right now as well.
All right. Let's give you a broader look as to what the temperatures are going to do. Phoenix, 111. I had a report that maybe Vegas would be -- T.J., if you can believe this -- right around 114 degrees, excessively hot to say the least.
HOLMES: I'm never outside when I was in Vegas. I'm just in the casino, I have no idea what time is it or what's going on outside.
MAGINNIS: They like that way I think.
HOLMES: Yes. They do.
All right. Karen, we appreciate you as always.
And we talk about the temperatures there go right along with National Ice Cream Day. Today in this country, we are celebrating a favorite treat.
Our Josh Levs giving us some background on how we came to have a National Ice Cream Day.
Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Eighteen minutes past the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, taking a look at some of the stories that were making headlines.
First here, a gunman opened fire in a Washington state park, a popular park. Two people were killed, another four were injured. Again, police have two people in custody right now. This is a popular park. A lot of people were visiting it last night when the gun fire erupted. Police do not yet have a motive.
Also, the Florida turnpike has reopened after a deadly rollover crash yesterday. Take a look at this picture. That is the van there these folks were in. One passenger died and a driver and 13 other people were hurt as well. Five of the injured are children.
This was just south of Orlando last night. But you see the van there completely upside-down. Police believe the driver lost control of the bus and slammed into the guardrail and flipped.
Also, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is in UCLA Medical Center this morning with a broken hip. And her husband says she could be facing surgery. He says she was watching TV last night and watching one of her favorite shows, "Jeopardy!" when the phone rung, she went to answer the phone and fell out of bed.
She is, of course, 93 years old now. She hasn't been in the best of health since 2002 after a car accident that has kept her in a wheelchair for the most part. But Zsa Zsa Gabor, 93 years old, in the hospital right now. We certainly do wish her well.
Well, we've been talking about this this morning. It's one of those "who knew?" It's National Ice Cream Day.
Josh Levs has the scoop on the stuff we have been scooping out in large and disturbing numbers, I should say.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, when you hear how much ice cream we eat as a country, (INAUDIBLE) it's disturbing. By the way, this isn't just one of those things that pop up out of nowhere. Check this out. It was declared by President Reagan. He proclaimed it back in 1984. It's third Sunday of every July.
So, how appropriate is it that in the news right now, the number one ice cream photo-op in the world is the current president. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Coconut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: President Obama on vacation with his family up in New England, in Maine. They all go, they all get ice cream. And now, everybody is talking about.
Plus, we have cool pictures that I got to show you now of everyone enjoying ice cream around the world. So, get down a little bit.
I'm going to tell you some of the facts that I've been finding out about ice cream. This is pretty amazing. The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion the annual sales. About 9 percent of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, according to International Dairy Foods Association.
Let's get some of the numbers on the screen behind me and then we're going to actually go and eat some. Take a look here. This is what T.J. is saying a little disturbing. It is. I mean, we also have to keep in mind can't eat too much, we do have an obesity epidemic.
The U.S. enjoys 48 pints per person per year, according to icecream.com. That is a ton of ice cream. So, you know, enjoy it, but in moderation.
A couple of more things -- take a look. I love this. It takes 12 pounds of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
And this, they actually know the average number of licks per ice cream cone: 50 licks per single scoop cone.
Now, one more thing. We got a little bit of news on this front because Baskin-Robbins which has 31 flavors, they're actually canceling five of them. And what is astounding to me is that one of the five they getting rid of is the most obvious, basic one of the world. They're actually getting rid of French vanilla. Isn't that crazy?
All right. Now, I got to tell you guys something. We're going to take a little walk here. Here's the deal -- you don't know this, but sometimes I have been known to stress people out here because they're like, Levs, you are on in eight seconds, which camera over here, hey, until I hear eight seconds and I just always wait until the last second.
So, today, T.J., and everyone watching, we got to make all of you happy. Take a look. Thanks to our friends at Maggie Moo's. They brought up these really awesome ice cream.
Candice (ph) here -- are you tasting it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taste testing.
LEVS: Everybody come on over and (INAUDIBLE), Karen is going to come on over, our producer, and he's going to come on over. T.J. gets them during the break.
We got cotton candy ice cream. Check this out, I've never seen anything like this. cotton candy ice cream. We got strawberry ice cream, chocolate, and vanilla. We also have ice cream cupcakes over here.
Oh, yes, I didn't even know you were here. Everybody, happy National Ice Cream Day from CNN. Oh, yes, and enjoy. And you know what? Enjoy this, write us, tweet us, tell us what you think about the National Ice Cream Day. Have a good one.
T.J., we're going back -- back to you.
HOLMES: I didn't even know that we had that many people working in the studio right now.
LEVS: We actually got more. Angela is over there. Come on over, Angela. Come on in.
HOLMES: And where did we find the child?
LEVS: I feel good I could finally do something for all the people that I stress out like crazy every week. I need a close up, I need the picture.
HOLMES: We -- how did we find a child even this morning? I didn't even know we had a child in studio.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Twenty-three minutes past the hour. I'm going to let these folks have their 48 pints.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hi. HOLMES: All right.
LEVS: Hey, you want some ice cream? We have all kinds here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say thank you.
LEVS: Enjoy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Well, I told you about this triathlon. Some people decide to hop in the water and then hop on a bike and then run down the road in this triathlon today.
What are you doing with your morning?
Well, our Elizabeth Cohen, who is part of our medical team here, is handling things there.
I know you're running and you're not biking, it doesn't appear. And you're not swimming. I know somebody had to do the reporting. So let Sanjay get in the water and do the triathlon.
So, what is our "Fit Nation" crew up to this morning?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they've been amazing. I just can't even tell you, T.J., this team of CNN folks, it's Sanjay, it's six producers and then six folks we chose because -- non-CNN people -- because they explained to us how much it would mean to run a triathlon, a teacher, a policeman, all people from all walks of life.
So, Sanjay and the team got into the water at around 6:41 this morning. And we're expecting them to finish sometime around 9:00 or 9:30. Now, they are part of a group of 4,000 people who are running the New York City triathlon this morning.
And so, what they do is first, they do a one-mile swim in the Hudson River, and then they do a 25-mile bike ride on the west side highway. And then after that, they do a six-mile run here in Central Park and they end right here in the park. And we're expecting to see them soon.
And, T.J., I'll tell you, it's been very exciting. And Sanjay and his team has set such an incredible example that people ought to be fit. And a lot of these folks, T.J., I don't want to make them sound like slugs or anything, but they weren't real athletes before they did this, but they are running a triathlon today.
HOLMES: You -- and tell us quickly, and you're right on that point. This is -- it really shows that anybody can do this -- people think you have to be in tiptop shape or some great athlete to do this. But these are just regular folks.
But explain to us right quickly how long they have been going at it in this process. This is the culmination today of a long process. COHEN: Right. They started training in January. And so, they started pretty slowly, and then it got quite intense. But I was talking to their trainer, and she said, you give me anyone, and I can make them a triathlete in six months. That's what it takes.
HOLMES: Well, all right. I should have gotten onboard. Maybe next time around I'll catch the next triathlon.
COHEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Me and you, all right? Liz, me and you. All right.
Well, thank you so much. You enjoy up there.
We'll check in with our "Fit Nation" crew again soon.
Coming up on the bottom of the hour, we got a story coming up about one Tennessee community that is not putting out the welcome mat for a new building. This new building, though, is going to house a mosque. We'll tell you what's happening in this Tennessee town.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Top of the hour here now and welcome back everybody to the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Giving you a look at some of the stories overnight we are keeping an eye on, including a suicide bombing. It took place outside Baghdad.
The death toll now at 43; another 40 were wounded. Now authorities say the bomber was targeting former Sunni militants who support the Iraqi government.
Also, the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has made her way to Pakistan. This is video we are just getting this morning of her landing there in Islamabad. It's part of a visit she's making, making several stops through Asia including South Korea, Vietnam. She's in Pakistan now but ahead to Afghanistan as well. Her visit to Pakistan saying there's improving relations between these bio-partners.
Also, take a look at this video here. This is (INAUDIBLE) out of Barcelona, Spain where a 15-year-old girl has been killed and two others hospitalized after one of the rides broke midair at an amusement park there. It's a little dark and we can see the mangled mess there.
A young boy also just walked away from this accident with minor injuries. And again, this is one of these rides of kind of like a pendulum swing back and forth and in midair broke apart and landed, again one person killed. The park is closed right now as the investigation goes on.
Let's turn now to the controversy over building mosques in this country. You have seen the story pop up out of New York. A lot of emotional testimony we saw last week at the meeting they had about the proposed mosque that was -- being proposed to be built near Ground Zero. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And all you people here yelling at me don't even know. And maybe if a mosque were built, then you guys would know what Islam was about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have we forgotten what happened at 9/11?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now opponents of the mosque are asking why does it have to be built so close to the 9/11 site. Supporters say this is a matter of religious freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They celebrate death and murder of 3,000 Americans --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well this is actually ad you're seeing there that's opposing the mosque and that is certainly stirring up some controversy of the ad itself yes but also because both CBS and NBC have refused to air it. It doesn't make necessarily a distinction between Islam and terrorism in that particular ad.
Meanwhile, the debate has surfaced as well in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A mosque and Islamic planned there. Here's Rodney Dunigan has a story for us in our "Faces of Faith. The people are rolling out the welcome mat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODNEY DUNIGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The debate rages on in Murfreesboro over a new Islamic mosque. Wednesday, opponents marched through the streets of the city in protests. The simmering controversy came to a boil in May when the county's planning commission approved the plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you forget 9/11 so fast, it seems like the American people do.
DUNIGAN: Those here say the commission acted too quickly in allowing the plan to be approved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This mosque that they are trying to build, all it is, is a training center. It's -- it's -- yes, it has other things, too. That's the veneer. That's just to get people to look the other way. Once they get it established, they are going to have all kinds of people come in.
In Islam, a mosque means we have conquered this country, and where are they? In the Center of Tennessee, they are going to say, we have conquered Tennessee. DUNIGAN: The protesters began their march at Central Middle School on east main and made their way through town to the steps of the county courthouse here in public square. They put together a petition urging county leaders to listen to their concerns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The size of the building means something. It's a very large building. And it's -- it's supposed to have only 200 memberships and I don't want them -- anybody in there creating something that can be used to attack us.
DUNIGAN: However, not everyone in this community agrees with their stance. A counter demonstration put together by Middle Commission for Religious Freedom began at Public Square shortly after the mosque protest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we could talk -- talk together, we would find we are very much alike.
DUNIGAN: The group says they want to raise awareness to the constitutional issues involved in preventing or hindering the construction of the Islamic center.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see some sort of proof for these accusations, and then that could be a separate discussion. But there has been -- there has been no actions on the side of the Islamic community to warrant accusations like that. So I think it's just a matter of not wanting to let others have the same rights that they have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First Amendment --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, opponents claim to have 20,000 signatures of Rutherford County residents and plan on turning the petition over to the county mayor, but the site plans already have been approved by the zoning board. The mayor says there are no plans to revoke the permit.
Let's get some perspective now through a Muslim civil rights advocacy organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR; it's the largest in the country. Ibrahim Hooper is the communications director for that group live for us in our D.C. Bureau.
Sir good morning, thank you for being here.
IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Good morning. Thanks.
HOLMES: I think you were able to hear that piece.
HOOPER: Yes, I was.
(CROSS TALKING)
HOLMES: If you can sir, give me just some of your thoughts and reaction when you hear some of the things that you do hear and that concerns you here from people --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- who are talking about -- you heard a guy say once they build a mosque, that means they've conquered America --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- it's going to be a training center. Just what is just your reaction when you hear things like that?
HOOPER: Well, unfortunately, we're seeing it all over the country. We're seeing it in Manhattan and Brooklyn and Staten Island. Just this morning I saw an article about opposition to a mosque in California. We've seen it in Illinois. And there are other mosques in Tennessee that are facing similar opposition.
What we're seeing is that some people are trying to exploit and promote Islamophobia in our country by opposing these ordinary expansions or -- of mosques or building of mosques. It's just routine for a growing religious minority in our country.
And they've actually put out step by step guides on how to oppose a mosque when it comes to your area. So it's very disturbing. And we're seeing -- we're seeing politicians, now, trying to use these kinds of issues to pander to their base saying look, I am more opposed to this than the next person, so vote for me.
HOLMES: Now, Mr. Hooper -- Mr. Hooper, let me ask you and you mentioned one in California and we just showed a piece out from one -- from the one in Murfreesboro, but let's take the one at Ground Zero right now --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- we're just a few blocks from Ground Zero. Can you understand --
HOOPER: Well, that -- that's the thing it's -- it's portrayed as the Ground Zero mega-mosque, not at Ground Zero and it's not a mosque. It's a cultural center that happens to have a --
HOLMES: Now --
HOOPER: -- a prayer space in it.
HOLMES: -- now it's a cultural center that does have plans now as far as -- and certainly our reporting here at CNN, and all of my reading --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- is that yes, a cultural center that will have several things in it, on one of those things being a mosque.
HOOPER: Including a prayer space, yes. HOLMES: Including a prayer space. Well, and again and we can go back and forth with the semantics there --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- but a lot of people hear it and it's been reported as -- yes a mosque but it's a few blocks away at least from Ground Zero.
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: Do you understand why some people would be a little more sensitive to it being there versus in a Murfreesboro or in California, that there is a little sensitivity still at 9/11 that people have a little more concern there?
HOOPER: Yes, believe me, wherever it is, mosques are facing the same opposition. The -- the Muslim bashers who are opposed to the mosque in Manhattan are just exploiting the natural sensitivities of the 9/11 families and our national revulsion against the 9/11 attacks. They'll go after that particular mosque.
In other areas they use other things to go after it. Whether it's the -- you know Muslims trying to takeover America or something -- some such something like that --
HOLMES: Mr. Hooper on a point you just made there, do you find a difference? Because you said some of the leaders there are taking advantage, or people that are speaking out are taking advantage of the natural sensitivities of the 9/11 families --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- forget the people who are speaking out and yelling and screaming. Just on the point you made about the natural sensitivities, can you understand some of the families, and even the New Yorkers themselves --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- have more of the natural sensitivity to hear that a mosque is going up so close to the World Trade Center?
HOOPER: Well, it was interesting. They did a poll of the New York areas to whether people think the -- that cultural center there would be a good idea. If they took the overall poll, it was negative. But if they took just -- if they took out just the people in Manhattan, the majority of people in Manhattan said sure, why not?
So I think obviously we're extremely sensitive --
HOLMES: Yes.
HOOPER: -- to the 9/11 issue, but this is America, people have the right to buy property, to build houses of worship, to pray and do these things as they see fit, despite what these cottage industry of Muslim bashers would have. HOLMES: Now, Mr. Hooper would -- and something else that's cropped up you talked about some members of Congress they have spoken out including Representative King -- Peter King saying that we need to know more about where the funding --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- for this particular center is coming from?
HOOPER: Representative King --
HOLMES: Yes, yes, he's one. There are several others --
(CROSS TALKING)
HOOPER: -- has a long history of Muslim bashing.
HOLMES: I know, I know. But I just named one -- I just named one guy --
HOOPER: Yes well, look at Lazio (ph) --
HOLMES: But -- but Lazio (ph) is another as well.
HOOPER: Yes and again what they're trying --
HOLMES: But the point --
HOOPER: What they're trying to do is score cheap political points --
HOLMES: Mr. Hooper, Mr. Hooper, let me ask you --
HOOPER: -- on the backs of American Muslims.
HOLMES: Mr. Hooper, let me ask you do you though --
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: -- do you believe New Yorkers, Americans, should know where the funding for this mosque near Ground Zero is coming from?
HOOPER: As -- as long the funding of every church, every synagogue, every mosque, every Hindu temple, everything, if everybody is investigating equally, fine.
HOLMES: So is that a no?
HOLMES: But why -- but why single out one religious minority, one project in an attempt to smear them and to block a -- as what is -- is being actually promoted as an interfaith, intercultural center for mutual understanding? I don't know why they're against that.
HOLMES: So again, that's a no I take it. They shouldn't have to because you say the others don't have to and aren't investigated as well. HOOPER: Well, if -- if there is some evidence of wrong doing, of course, but I've seen no evidence of wrong doing other than it's sponsored by Muslims.
HOLMES: All right, well, last thing here sir. Do you have any concern that this center itself at Ground Zero, could, because of all the attention now, become a target for people?
HOOPER: Well, you know, when you create enough fear and hysteria, that's always a possibility. But, I think the people of New York and the people of America are sensible enough to look beyond the -- the kind of fear-mongering that we're seeing from the ones who are in opposition to this.
HOLMES: And you certainly do Mr. Hooper, see another segment of people who are certainly in favor of and say this is exactly the thing we should be doing --
HOOPER: The majority of New Yorkers.
HOLMES: -- at Ground Zero. A lot of people do say that.
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: Mr. Hooper, we absolutely appreciate you coming on.
HOOPER: Sure.
HOLMES: And we've got to -- and I hope to have you back -- you know, there are so many other stories to talk about. We talk about New York, at Murfreesboro --
HOOPER: Always something, yes.
HOLMES: -- and California, and always something. That's a good way to put it.
HOOPER: Yes.
HOLMES: But we appreciate having you and you enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
HOOPER: All right, thanks.
HOLMES: Coming up, an incredible story about a college student's amazing invention. How these invention ultimately came to help him after a near fatal shooting.
It's 42 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Day 90 now of the Gulf oil disaster and still the pressure is building literally, literally pressure's building, but also the optimism building as well. Crews continue to look now ahead to the next step in the days ahead. Our Reynolds Wolf is in New Orleans. And Reynolds we're talking about, as the pressure goes up literally in that well, optimism goes up as well.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, we have some new information with regards to the optimism, and certainly with the numbers that pertain to the well. The latest we have on the psi, the pound-per-square-inch has gone up; the latest numbers -- 6,778 psi. So if you do the math, it's only been going up at an average of one to two psi per hour; not exactly as high as they anticipated, but still the arrows are all going in the right direction, all increasing. So, that's certainly good news.
And another bit of interesting news that came out of a press conference just moments ago, or at least the press that we had over the phone, is that there has been no reported trace of oil anywhere on the coastline for the last 24 hours. It's been a very long time since we have been able to say that. That is also certainly something that is tremendous.
HOLMES: Reynolds, so again?
WOLF: Yes sir.
HOLMES: Say that again. The past 24 --
WOLF: If I'm not mistaken -- yes, the latest that we have got is there has no trace of oil detected on any of the shoreline over the last 24 hours. That can change, though. There could be some plumes out there that could make their way along the coast, but -- to make their way along the beaches. But you have to admit, T.J., when is the last time we have been able to say that?
So certainly some great news we've been getting. If you look at that, the containment dome is still holding. The pressure is slowly increasing. It seems to be as tight as a drum for the time being. And again the lack of oil on the coastline for now, for now, appears to be just great news.
But again, all that we are talking about here, is all a temporary measure when it comes to containment dome, when it comes to the procedure that will come later on today when they attach the pipes on to it that will pull the oil up to the surface to the containment vessels.
That's all great news but again, long term, the solution that they will come to will be in the relief wells. Not one but two of them that will be drilled. And that's a procedure that could take days, possibly up to weeks.
So again, you are seeing the animation here and showing again the process of that relief well. In fact there's some four feet away, just -- if you look at them, the (INAUDIBLE) horizontally thereabout -- actually a hundred feet away. So that certainly is some good information there. That's a wrap on it T.J. Again, just amazing word, no sign of oil on the coast the last 24 hours and the pressure is slowly building. Not super high, but still it's going up, again 6,774.
HOLMES: Well, that's some positive developments we can report. Certainly not out of the woods but Reynolds, so glad to hear some positive reports out of there for a change.
We do appreciate you, buddy. Talk to you again soon.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Get back home safely as well.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: Well, coming up, as we always do at CNN SUNDAY MORNING, we are as we always say, the warm up act for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. And she joins me now.
Candy, do you hate when I say that? Can I keep saying that? That's kind of my thing now?
CROWLEY: Well, you are my favorite warm up act.
HOLMES: I am your only act, Candy.
CROWLEY: Well, don't know spoil it.
HOLMES: That's like my mom saying I am her favorite son and I'm the only one.
But Candy good morning to you. Where are we going this morning? We are talking mid-terms. There are a lot of back and forth about what was going to happen to Democrats coming up in the mid-terms this week.
CROWLEY: Yes, so a lot of back and forth and none of it all that great for Democrats. It's sort of a choice between knowing it's going to be a bad year and the question is how bad is it going to be?
We saw tension this week between House Democrats and the White House. House Democrats are feeling neglected, they don't feel as though the president has vested in their re-elections. They've asked for more help.
On the Senate side where they think they can hold on to control, there is still some anxiety.
So we are, in fact, talking about politics and about policy. What can possibly get done up on Capitol Hill between now and November, because every day just puts a new layer of tension between the parties up there.
We will be talking to Senator Mitch McConnell a leader of the Republicans on the Senate side; and Steny Hoyer, leader of Democrats on the House side.
HOLMES: And Candy, is that for real, behind the scenes? The back and forth and the tension between Democrats because you know, they spat a little bit in the press and back and forth, and then they came out and said, oh no, it's all good, we love each other. Kumbaya. So is that real tension? Is that real.
CROWLEY: I believe the tension is real. I think the Kumbaya probably isn't. But listen, it's kind of always this way. The House side feels like a stepchild most of the time, and some House members believe that the President sort of looks at the House, thinks he may lose the House of Representatives, so he's really trying to throw the security blanket around the U.S. Senate.
But you know, there are a lot of House members. There is only a limited amount of presidential time that can be taken up in campaigning for individual House members. But I think they came to some meeting of the minds. I don't think they're -- I mean honestly they are obviously all united in the goal. That is to keep the House Democratic. But I think how they get there, and as you know they were very upset when Robert Gibbs, the President's spokesman said really what was perfectly obviously to everybody, which is that it's possible Republicans can take over the House. And that just sort of sent the House Democrats into orbit that he would say that.
So it's just been -- you know, it's a tense time. And you can tell from time to time. There is tension, but there kind of always is this time of year.
HOLMES: Yes, you know they're on edge when he said what was clearly the obvious and common sense. And it started that back and forth up there in D.C.
Candy, I know you have Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans as well. You're probably going to talk to him about some good news. We will look for all of that at the top of the hour.
Candy, always good to see you.
Again, there she is, Candy Crowley, 9:00 Eastern, top of the hour; starts in just about nine minutes. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Karen Maginnis keeping an eye on, I assume, that little wall that's in there.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes and we'll get to it right now because we've had damage reports coming out of northeastern, north central, Missouri where there have been some pretty severe thunderstorms.
I told you we started to see this bow echo, and indeed some very strong winds reported here right along this particular squall line. And we have seen some wind gusts as high as 72 miles an hour, primarily in an area right around Quincy also in extreme northeastern sections of Missouri, as well. So this is something that bears watching.
It's going to move fairly quickly. And St. Louis, you are in line fairly soon. Also, (INAUDIBLE) we could see a couple of thunderstorms there as well in Illinois. And we'll keep you updated.
HOLMES: All right. Karen, we do appreciate you keeping an eye on that for us. Thank you so much.
Well, we make it our point here every CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING to introduce you to somebody we just think you should know about. Right now I want to introduce to you an Atlanta engineering student who has invested something that can help build their strength.
Patrick Whaley (ph) is his name. He turned an idea he had as a kid into omega wear as a weighted shirt that helps build stamina.
He was a skinny youngster, and he used to carry extra books in his backpack to try to help build his energy. The shirts are form- fitting, you see some of them there. They have gel inserts for the weight.
He never knew though the idea would help rebuild his own life. Patrick nearly died when he was shot during a robbery. The bullet just missed his heart and he lost part of his lung. He used then his invention, omega wear, to build up his lung capacity as well as his stamina. He now wants to use his invention to help people with physical therapy needs.
Patrick is using money he won in a design competition to launch his company. Patrick Whaley, somebody we thought you should know about.
Somebody else you definitely know about is Nelson Mandela. Wish him a happy birthday, send him a card. He's 92 years old today. The former president of South Africa is going to celebrate though quietly with his family and friends.
People across South Africa and around the world though can give him the only present he wants, which is for you to donate a little of your time to public service. Mandela's 67 years of public service are highlighted by his work in apartheid. He says his one birthday is that you'll spend 67 minutes today helping somebody else.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Now with some of the stories making headlines, including on this Day 90 of the Gulf oil disaster, BP and the government right now encouraged by some of these tests, these integrity tests on that well. Still, no oil is leaking out. They had planned on doing these integrity tests of the wells for 48 hours. That deadline come on if they plan on testing a little longer.
Also, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has landed in Pakistan. She's there for a diplomatic mission, there for meetings with Pakistani leaders but she's going to go from there to Afghanistan, also going to have on her schedule, South Korea and Vietnam on this swing through Asia.
That's it for me here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Now I'm going to hand it over to "STATE OF THE UNION" Candy Crowley.
