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CNN Saturday Morning News
Engineers Frantically Search for Oil-Spill Solutions; Tourism Officials Work to Calm Oil Fears; Kerry Leads List of Wealthiest Lawmakers; Homegrown Islamic Radicals on the Rise in U.S., Experts Warn
Aired May 15, 2010 - 06:00 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 SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 15, Armed Forces Day. So a special good morning to everyone serving in the military.
I'm Jim Acosta, in for T.J. Holmes.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I am Kate Bolduan. Thank you so much for joining us.
It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast; 3 a.m. in the West. Thank you for being with us and starting your day.
ACOSTA: It's early. That's right.
BOLDUAN: And it's going to be fun, because you got two wild people here this morning.
ACOSTA: That's right. That's right.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: Containment domes, top hats and now something like a catheter tube? Plus, oil dispersant. Can you even believe we're saying those words, and they're all related to oil.
Officials are trying anything to stop the millions of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. We're going live to the coast this morning, as Coast Guard officials try a few new tactics.
ACOSTA: Plus, from historic flooding to a severe hail storm, Nashville just can't seem to catch a break. Baseball-sized hail smashed cars and damaged houses. We'll get the latest weather from Bonnie Schneider this morning.
But first, a few headlines this morning. That's right (ph), Kate?
BOLDUAN: Absolutely.
A long standoff between sheriff's deputies in -- in Washington state and one of their own ended this morning. This is Gig Harbor, Washington, just northwest of Tacoma. Authorities say Pierce County sheriff's deputy Allen Myron shot and killed his father-in-law and mother-in-law yesterday, and then barricaded himself and his two children in a home. The children got out safely, thankfully.
A SWAT team found the deputy dead this morning in the home.
And an apology from Seattle police for the conduct of two of their officers. They were seen in this video kicking and stomping a man they thought was a robbery suspect. Both officers were placed on administrative leave after the video surfaced. Authorities released the man when they found out they had the wrong guy.
And a happy homecoming in pink, our favorite color, for a 16- year-old who is being called Australia's newest hero. Jessica Watson spent the last seven months in her pink yacht. Here she is before she set out.
She's now the youngest person to sail the world non-stop and unassisted. It's not an official record though, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its youngest category.
But congratulations to her.
ACOSTA: Yes, that is good news.
It's been three and a half weeks since that oil-well catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and still no fix. The Coast Guard and oil giant BP are trying again today to stem the flow of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, and a couple of things are in the works. Inserting a tube into a ruptured pipe, collecting oil and sending it to a surface vessel. BP may also attempt to cap the rupture with a small containment dome.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has authorized BP to do something no one's ever done before: Use oil dispersants at the source of the leak, 5,000 feet below the sea. More on that in just a minute.
But first, let's check on the economic impact of the spill with our Reynolds Wolf in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Reynolds, they're very worried about that down there on the Gulf Coast, aren't they?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, absolutely. No question about it.
You know, earlier this morning, when we were setting up out here, Jim, someone made the comment that this kind of looks like the lunar landscape. It really does. I mean, take a look at it; we've got CNN photojournalist Dom Schwann (ph). He's behind the camera.
Don, you take a look at this; show America what we've got. We've got some aquatrites (ph) here, a few chaise lounges (ph). What he can't see off-camera, where it's dark, are a couple of volleyball nets.
But the thing that's interesting about it is, yesterday afternoon at this time, it was still nearly just as deserted. But looks may be deceiving. I can tell you that this business, and many others, they cater to tourists up and down the Gulf Coast, are open. And they need you as a customer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just want to let you all know, we have a couple of specials today.
WOLF (voice-over): At Shaggy's Harbor Bar & Grill in Pass Christian, Mississippi, you'd never know there's a threat of oil looming in the Gulf. Island music, drinks at the bar, families enjoying steamed crab claws.
General manager Michael Dyson is even interviewing a potential hire.
MICHAEL DYSON, GENERAL MANAGER, SHAGGY'S: I think it's been normal. I mean, just reading the paper and hearing about all these horror stories and what's going on with the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it's much ado about nothing.
WOLF: It's not just oil booms offshore. Business is also booming.
DYSON: Our season doesn't really officially start until about a week before Memorial Day, and we've kind of gotten a head start on that with all the people that are coming down, wanting to help with the disaster.
WOLF: The Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce says tourism is down.
KIMBERLY NATASI, GULF COAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's kind of bittersweet. The tourists really have been affected, have been canceling their trips. They're concerned about coming down here.
On the same hand, we've had some people come down here that were planning on maybe coming down a little bit later, saying that they want to experience it before something does happen.
WOLF: In Gulfport, no obvious signs of tourism. White-sand beaches are deserted, except for Jeff Rose (ph) and his family, who traveled from Illinois to meet a new grandbaby.
(on camera): You got the whole beach to yourself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. It's nice.
WOLF: Have you ever been to a beach this empty, this time of year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially on a beautiful day.
WOLF (voice-over): Tourists wouldn't have any problem finding a spot on the beach or on a Jet Ski. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything's been kind of slow. Not much action, not many people.
WOLF: Thirteen miles east, most visitors to Biloxi are here for the casinos. This one ironically named "Boom Town."
The Chamber of Commerce is trying hard to fight perceptions.
NATASI: It's still the beautiful -- beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast, and we really want people to know that we're open for business, and we need their support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to order anything else right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, go ahead. I want to get half a dozen (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
WOLF: The view from Shaggy's, on the harbor, is picturesque for now. But will it last?
DYSON: Running a restaurant, I always have a backup plan for everything. That "what if" instance. And I would think -- I would hope to think a company that was worth $65 billion would have a backup plan for the "what if" this disaster happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Now, for the time being, the state of Mississippi is saying, basically, 'Jump in; the water's fine.' They have been conducting some water tests, and there have been no traces of oil anywhere along the coastline or out to the barrier islands. They've actually been doing some testing on vegetation and also taking tissue samples from crabs.
So for the time being, things are picture-perfect.
Now coming up in just a bit, Bonnie Schneider, a meteorologist, is going to give us the very latest on the tide conditions, of course the wind patterns. They'll let us know if that oil may get a little bit closer to the coastline.
Let's send it back to you.
ACOSTA: Wolf (sic), thanks a lot. We're pulling for those folks down there. Hate to see those beaches ruined with all of that oil out there in the Gulf.
Wolf -- Reynolds Wolf, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
BOLDUAN: And as Jim mentioned, the Coast Guard is authorizing the use of chemicals to break up that oil at the source. The technique has never been tried before at this depth. Since the April 20 explosion, BP estimates about 210,000 gallons a day is pouring out of the ruptured pipe. A Perdue University mechanical-engineering professor believes the spill is much bigger than that though. He estimates -- and BP disputes this -- that the oil is gushing close to 3 millions gallons a day, he says.
The new technique works this way: Chemicals will break the oil apart and keep it from reaching the surface. Not everyone is on board with this effort though; the director of the Louisiana Health and Hospitals says federal regulators dismissed his state's concerns about the chemicals.
And President Obama, he says laying the blame for the spills is -- the spill is not productive at all. He just wants it capped and the oil cleaned up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility. The people of the Gulf Coast need our help, and they deserve nothing less than for us to stand up and do whatever is necessary to stop this spill, prevent further damage and compensate all those who have been harmed already. That's our job.
It's also our job to make sure this kind of mess doesn't happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: President Obama with some tough talk on the spill there.
Now, a popular brand of diapers is under fire and the complaints are now all over Facebook. Why parents say the diapers are putting their babies at risk and the response they are getting from the company that makes them. That is coming up in the next half hour.
But first, a closer look at the baseball-sized hail that caused severe damage in Nashville. Look at this.
Your morning forecast is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
ACOSTA: Well, who is representing everyday people in Washington, D.C.? Not everyday people, unfortunately.
BOLDUAN: Unfortunately.
Josh Levs is taking a closer look at just how much some politicians are actually worth.
Hey there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey guys. Not a giant shock to you, right?
ACOSTA: No.
LEVS: But we have the numbers now. We're going to show you how many Democrats and how many Republicans are among the wealthiest lawmakers and who is the wealthiest of them all.
That's coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: It's an election year and a tough economy. That is no surprise to anyone. And the last thing lawmakers want is fallout from giving themselves a pay hike, so they decided to forgo that one this year.
ACOSTA: That's probably a good idea. Not that they need it. Many of our lawmakers are multimillionaires. A list online shows who the wealthiest are.
Our Josh Levs is on the lookout. And Josh, you've been taking a look at this. Some of this is -- is very interesting.
LEVS: Yes, it is. I mean, we're talking about, you know, massive sums of money that they even make in the first place, right? And certainly in the -- the echelons of salaries in America.
Let me first show you the numbers and the -- the basic salary we're talking about. So as a rule, lawmakers get this each year, $174,000 annual salary for most lawmakers. Now, there are some that make a little bit more, make about -- even up to $193,000 if you're talking about the -- the Senate majority leader, for example.
Now, what we have for you is a breakdown of who the wealthiest lawmakers are. We thought we should take a look at that since they're giving up the pay hike anyway. Most of them don't even need it.
No. 1 -- this is according to "Roll Call." And what they did was, they put together a list last year. I will tell you, this goes back to 2008 taxes, so it's possible it's changed a little bit.
But Senator John Kerry is by far the wealthiest lawmaker in Congress. And as we know, a lot of that money comes from his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. And he is valued at $167.5 million fortune.
Let's go through the next one here. This is where some of the surprises might come in.
Representative Darrell Issa -- a lot of you are familiar with him, out -- out of California. Valued at $165 million. He actually bucked the trend in the economy, based on numbers so far. He actually managed to make his net worth growth. Founder of Directed Electronics, which manufactures car alarms and some other electronics.
Representative Jane Harmon is at No. 3, also out of California. Harmon International Industries is where she's getting a lot of that money from. This was founded by her -- by her husband, an audio- products company.
Let's just bang through a couple more.
We're all familiar with the Rockefeller Fortune. Senator Jay Rockefeller valued at $80 million. His fortune.
And we got time to get to the fifth one, I believe, Senator Mark Warner, at $72 million.
Now, let's do the overall breakdown. I know what a lot of people want to know: Democrats, Republicans. It's really across the board when you look at who the wealthiest lawmakers are in Congress.
Of the top 50 wealthy lawmakers in Congress, you have 28 Democrats and 22 Republicans, according to "Roll Call." And you can, of course, see all that for yourself. I posted a full list for you at my Facebook page, which is joshlevscnn.
So Jim and Kate, you know, we all know that, unfortunately, it often takes a lot of money to win an election and go to Congress. I think seeing these numbers is a really good reminder of how much money a lot of these people have who ultimately represent us in -- in the halls of Congress.
BOLDUAN: At the same time, there are some people who are, like, sleeping in cots in their...
LEVS: Absolutely.
BOLDUAN: ...in their -- in their office.
ACOSTA: Yes, that's right.
BOLDUAN: Jason Chaffetz is one of them.
LEVS: And we followed him day by day...
BOLDUAN: Exactly.
LEVS: ...in this reality show on CNN.com. Very interesting story. Living in cots is to say -- living out of a cot, basically, to save money while still having his (INAUDIBLE).
BOLDUAN: Not everyone.
LEVS: Not them all. Not everybody.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: And can I just point out that, I had that correct. I -- I guessed John Kerry.
BOLDUAN: He had to point it out.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: Kate as my witness.
BOLDUAN: OK.
LEVS: I'm impressed.
BOLDUAN: Right.
LEVS: All right. Well, I'll test you next hour on something else.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: All right. See you guys.
ACOSTA: I'm just looking for a moment here. Sorry.
BOLDUAN: Moving on.
ACOSTA: Moving (INAUDIBLE).
BOLDUAN: The attempted terror attack in Times Square sheds light on a growing concern for U.S. officials: homegrown terrorists.
ACOSTA: That's right. We take a closer look at what may lead an American citizen to turn against his own country. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Taking a look at top stories right now.
Sarah Palin proves she can poke fun at herself. In a speech to the National Rifle Association in Charlotte, North Carolina, she took on the notion that she and her family might be rednecks. Palin said she doesn't have a problem with that, and then launched into a comedy routine, saying at least -- one thing she said is, you might be a redneck if you get involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
Talk to my father. He -- those are -- those dogs are as important as children.
And moving on -- oh, listen to this one. In California, police accuse a former chef of the Food Network of trying to hire homeless people to commit murder. Juan Carlos Cruz now sits in a jail in Santa Monica. Detectives won't reveal the intended target or say much about the murder-for-hire plot.
Congress will hold an important safety hearing at the end of the month. FDA inspectors found numerous quality and safety violations at a Johnson & Johnson plant in Pennsylvania and shut it down last week. That plant makes children's Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl that are widely used across the country. The FDA recalled many of those products.
We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ACOSTA: Welcome back.
The arrest of the man who tried to set off a bomb in Times Square is raising a lot of questions.
BOLDUAN: A lot of questions.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Like, how could someone, an American citizen, turn against his own country.
A CNN investigation, part of an "AC 360" special tonight, digs deeper into that very question.
Nic Robertson asks why a man living the American dream would set out to destroy it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the story of a young man who wants to attack America, who joins al-Qaeda, meets some of its top commanders, volunteers to become a suicide bomber.
His story begins not in the Middle East, not in Europe. His story begins in middle-class America, a typical all-American childhood, playing baseball, riding bikes. He is Bryant Neil Venus (ph), and he is part of a frightening new trend: homegrown terrorism.
MITCH SILBER, NEW YORK POLICE: Radicalization is definitely on the rise in the United States.
ROBERTSON: American citizens, radicalizing, eager to kill their countrymen.
Venus is the terrorist next door, the American al-Qaeda.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTSON: Al-Qaeda's target: the busiest commuter railroad in the United States, the Long Island Railroad in New York. Hundreds of thousands of passengers every weekday. Helping to plan the bomb attack is an American, a lifelong New Yorker, Bryant Neil Venus.
He gives an al-Qaeda leader detailed information about the operation of the Long Island Railroad system. Bryant is not providing the information from long distance. He is in the mountains of Pakistan, living and training with al-Qaeda.
But he is not only helping plan attacks inside the United States. He's also attacking U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
SILBER: You've almost called Venus the Forrest Gump of the jihad in the sense that he seems to find this way to get himself involved in operations or attacks that seem way beyond a 20-some-odd convert from Long Island should be involved in.
ROBERTSON: An American so radicalized, so dangerous. He is willing to help al-Qaeda plot bombings that could kill his own friends and even his own family on Long Island.
PHIL MUDD, FMR. DEPUTY FBI NATL. SECURITY BRANCH: In a -- in a conventional war, you have companies, you have divisions, you have brigades, you have battalions. In this war, every single person counts. Every single individual who goes over there like him is somebody we can't miss.
ROBERTSON: But the tables could be turning on al-Qaeda. Their onetime secret weapon could be spilling their secrets.
Family, friends and intelligence officials are left wondering why and how did Bryant turn into a terrorist. Who convinced him to wage jihad against his neighbors?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: You can watch "American Al-Qaeda," a special "AC 360" investigation with Nic Robertson. That's tonight at 8 Eastern, only on CNN.
We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Good morning and welcome back. I'm Jim Acosta, in for T.J. Holmes. I'm putting my hand here only because I -- I need it to stand. (INAUDIBLE).
BOLDUAN: Exactly. (ph). Because it's this early.
ACOSTA: It is that early, yes.
BOLDUAN: But we're loving it.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: And I am Kate Bolduan. Thanks for joining us.
It's Armed Services Day, so we'd like to send a very special good morning to everyone serving in the military today. And thank you for starting your day with us.
Checking stories we are following overnight, a long standoff between sheriff's deputies in Washington State, and one of their own, ended this morning. This is Gig Harbor, Washington, just northwest of Tacoma. Authorities say Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Allen Myron his father-in-law and mother-in-law yesterday and then barricaded himself and his two children in a home. The children got out safely. Both in-laws were killed. An SWAT team found the deputy dead this morning in the home.
And an apology from Seattle police for the conduct of two of their officers. They were seen in this video kicking and stomping a man they thought was a robbery suspect. Both officers were placed on administrative leave after the video surfaced. Authorities released the man when they found out they had the wrong guy.
And on a much happier note, a happy home coming for a 16-year-old girl being called Australia's newest hero. Jessica Watson spent seven months at sea in her pink yacht. Here she is just as she was getting ready to set out. She is now the youngest person to sail around the world nonstop and unassisted. It is not an official record, though, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued the youngest category, Jim.
ACOSTA: Thank you, Kate. Well, the Coast Guard and BP are trying once again today to stem the flow of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill and ensuing ban on fishing in affected areas on the Gulf causing a run on nearly everything seafood related.
CNN's Patrick Ottman (ph) visits a family restaurant struggling to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to pick up oysters first. Some crab claws, crab meat the second they'll be picking it this morning. And then, go over and get some shrimp. The thing is, the further they have to go for it, the more it's going to cost.
My name is Bob Pope, with a P. And I've been here in this restaurant August 1st will be 37 years.
One of the things that you would like to have is especially in this business as close to local as seafood as you get. People come here, you can buy shrimp anywhere. But to have, to come here, they're looking for local shrimp.
Well, my mother works here. She's been here with me just about -- well, started three years after I got the place. And my nephew and his wife and, actually, just about the whole family's been through here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, if a hurricane don't come and knock the electricity out. You know what to expect in hurricane. In this, you don't know what to expect.
ADAM POPE, CONCERNED ABOUT OIL SPILL: See, one of the oysters, asked me, oil spill affected yet. You know, it's not even close to the coastline yet and they're already asking. What kind of affect will that have? People don't want to go eat seafood from a seafood restaurant on the bay covered with oil. I was telling my wife, this is the time to move and get somewhere else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Depends on how thick the layer is of oil coming in. Whether it's -- whether it ends up an irritant or whether it ends up just a devastating glob of something. I'm going to remain optimistic until shown otherwise. That this is going to be something that's short lived. It is going to be a mess. It is going to be cleaned up.
We'll do what we have to do to get through it. Get over it. Get it behind us where down the years we just talking about that oil spill. This is what we're good at. I mean, we take a whipping every once in a while here, and you have to brush yourself off and come back and hit it again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Boy, they're worried down there. Thanks to Patrick Ottman for that report.
Coming up next, it is a symbol of our country, the bald eagle represents grace and dignity. A fisherman saw one in trouble and acted quickly. You want to see this. His response was all caught on camera. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: You know what that means. There's severe weather in the forecast. We have got oil spill in the Gulf Coast, and it looks like there's more in different parts of the country, Jim.
ACOSTA: That's right, Bonnie it sounds like there is tough weather in Texas and Louisiana, some severe weather popping up there?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. It is a rough morning, Jim and Kate. We re looking at some heavy downpours in Texas right now. And you can see that it's really coming down south of San Antonio. So if you're driving across Texas, this is just like yesterday. The rain doesn't seem to want to stop and not only are we getting rain but seeing frequent lightning strikes with the system.
You can see it advancing along I-10 to New Orleans where we are looking at the chance for thunderstorms later today. As I put this map into motion, you can see the heavy rain working to the northeast at about 35 miles per hour. Now, this is kind of a tail end of a larger system that brought severe weather yesterday to Oklahoma.
And we are talking about tornadic winds and some very strong downpours of rain in this region. In fact, some of the pictures show you the damage across the area; a lot of demolition due to severe weather. May is the month we see the most tornadoes annually. So it is no surprise that we are seeing some rough weather across the southern plains this time of year.
I think more of it is in the forecast, at least for West Texas. Kind of behind the front and watching for that as we go through the day.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BOLDUAN: And I have to show you some of these pictures. These are absolutely fascinating. This comes from -- this is on the Columbia River in Oregon. A photographer caught some fascinating images in his lens. You have to see these to believe it. You have to see these to believe it.
In the first picture to show you, actually almost looks like a person but this is actually an American Bald Eagle, the symbol of our country, really. It's thrashing in the water. Think it's possible that the eagle at the time had been trying to dive for food.
And then look at this. A fisherman, a good Samaritan, look at this image. He pulls up and he grabs -- he takes like a fishing net, he grabs the eagle and somehow manages to bring him into his boat. We don't really know the name of the fisherman or why he was there. But he grabs him and pulls him out of the river.
And then in this image, you can see him standing right here trying to assist the bald eagle obviously. And so you can only imagine how frightened that eagle was as he's pulled into the boat. We are told that he managed to bring the eagle in struggling in the water for more than an hour and then take it to a wildlife center.
And then here, sweet success. Experts there, they found that the eagle had been weak and cold but otherwise OK. And then you can see right here, finally it was able to have it released, Jim.
ACOSTA: That is awesome. Those are beautiful pictures, too. I mean, I can't believe what that man was able to do with that. Just incredible stuff.
BOLDUAN: A bald eagle. Not known to be the friendliest of animals.
ACOSTA: Yes, exactly.
Well, stick with us. There's lots more coming up next here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Well, parents are going to want to listen to this story. The Consumer Products Safety Commission investigating complains of moms-and probably some dads, too, that a new Procter & Gamble diaper is causing burn-like rashes on their children.
Pampers with DryMax was released earlier this year but an Internet crusade is already underway to bring back the old diapers, including a Facebook page with thousands of fans. A lawsuit was also filed against Proctor & Gamble Thursday in federal court in Cincinnati. The suit claims babies have had severe reaction to Pampers with DryMax.
And one mother says it looks like someone burned her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY BLANK, MOTHER, CHILD INJURED BY PAMPERS: It can't even be described as a rash. It actually looked like burns on his bottom. His whole -- it was blistered and bleeding, the worst I have ever seen. DR. KIMBERLY THOMPSON, PROTCOR & GAMBLE CONSULTANT: The evidence that we have seen so far suggests that Pampers with DryMax is not causing any difference in the experience of parents having with diaper rash. Period.
The challenges that when you introduce a new product like Pampers with DryMax, parents see a rash and they say, I have a new product. Maybe that's the cause. But when you look at the overall safety profile and consumer data that the Pampers with DryMax team collected, it's very clear that the relationship is not there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, Procter & Gamble also says in a statement, :Our own research validated by outside experts and physicians shows that DryMax is a wonderful product that helps keep babies away from the very wetness that may contribute to rashes in the first place. Although some attorneys may want wish to profit from rumors and misinformation, the DryMax product is completely safe," the company says, "and does not cause skin irritations. We have every confidence we'll prevail in this meritless lawsuit."
That from Proctor & Gamble. Kate, as someone that changes the fair share of diapers, I have to say, that is an important story. We want to know about the safety of diapers and how they affect our little children.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely, absolutely.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: We'll have much more on that, and much more coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)
QUEEN LATIFAH, ACTRESS: Hold up! I'm getting a call. It's long distance. Eyes closed from half court. Swish.
(END MOVIE CLIP)
BOLDUAN: It's not often you get to sit down with a Queen. Especially one who's an Oscar-nominated actress, a Cover Girl model, a movie producer, author and a jazz artist.
ACOSTA: That's true. Well, CNN's T.J. Holmes, you know him, he recently got a chance to sit down with Queen Latifah. He talked to her and ...
BOLDUAN: Common is his name.
ACOSTA: And Common. Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me with that.
BOLDUAN: T.J. would not be happy about this.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: I'm in trouble with T.J. I'm sorry about that. Her co- star in the new movie, "Just Wright" trying to get them both to clear up just what it is they do for a living. I'm very sorry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEEN LATIFAH, ACTRESS: Get up.
COMMON, RAPPER, ACTOR: What are you doing? OK, OK.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's nothing new to see rappers moonlighting as actors. But for Queen Latifah and Common, it seems like it's the other way around.
(On camera): It's almost like I forgot you all are rappers. Is that still fair to say? Are you all -- you're rappers right?
LATIFAH: He is definitely a rapper.
COMMON: I'm definitely a rapper.
HOLMES: That's Common, come on.
COMMON: Obviously, Queen Latifah is not just a rapper.
HOLMES: Some people may forget, you started out as a rapper.
LATIFAH: You all must have forgot.
(MUSIC)
LATIFAH: No. I did, I did. I definitely did. That's always like the roots. You know? Of who I am, inside. You know? I think starting off as a rapper and expanding into these other places, it just kind of prepares you. Like, it's kind of a training ground.
COMMON: Congratulations. How's the work going?
HOLMES: They have parlayed that rap training into acting jobs. So much so that lately their movie credits outnumber their album credits. In their latest movie Common plays a NBA star who suffers an injury on the court. Queen Latifah plays the physical therapists who takes him through rehab, but of course, and falls for him at the same time. Officially it is a romantic comedy but they say don't let that fool you.
LATIFAH: We wanted it to not be like a chick flick, per se. Like a romantic comedy that's not a labor for your boyfriend or husband to go watch. Something that can actually be fun for him, fun for you. You know? Fun for young and old.
HOLMES: Despite their acting careers, neither goes too far from their roots in hip hop, a genre they believe is evolving. LATIFAH: I think what people are more so realizing in hip hop that we have a voice and that voice has power. And how are you going to use that power? Are you going to use it, you know, to bring things up, the way you see them or are you going to -- at some point of hip hop we were kind of dumbing down. We were dumbing things down.
HOLMES: Both Queen Latifah and Common were active Obama supporters and credit his election for helping to change attitudes in hip hop, and challenging artists to raise the bar.
COMMON: I definitely see, like, the hip hop community having aspirations to function with class in certain ways, and it is not -- it is not like looked down upon if you're well spoken as much. People want better things in life.
Hip hop to me is just the voice of a people. It is just the voice of a culture, it's expressing themselves. Overall, it is still just a gift from God that really is our voice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: OK, very good. "Just Wright" opened yesterday in theaters across the country, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Today, we know this is Armed Forces Day and we're celebrating those who serve this country. Still to come, a unique bond these military women. How they take the word sisterhood to a higher level. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Welcome back. In honor of Armed Services Day, we want to introduce you to six very unique women, all of them in the military. All of them are African-American and each one is a colonel.
ACOSTA: Wow. And the bond does not stop there. All six women are part of same collegiate sorority Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated, and these women give a special meaning to sisterhood and service.
Our Fredricka Whitfield has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I pledged at Mississippi State University the fall of '81.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pledged fall of 1982.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In spring of 1986.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fall of '80.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The summer of 1975.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Six African-American women, all colonels at Fort McPherson Army Base in Georgia. The ladies share a bond of sisterhood as members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. A sorority founded on sisterhood and public service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I went to college and found that Delta was the most active sorority on the campus, involved in different community events, social action, I chose Delta.
WHITFIELD: Their reasons for choosing the sorority and the military are the same, the desire to serve.
COL. MARGARET BARNES, U.S. ARMY: When you look at the Army, the Army is -- it's about service. It's not so much public service as serving your country.
WHITFIELD: Colonel Lee says her experiences as a Delta helps her to be the soldier she is today.
COL. GLORIA LEE, U.S. ARMY: Mental toughness, and also, physical toughness. But I can reflect back to me pledging on yard, on the yard back on undergrad and it was, OK, you can't touch me. You know, you just had that attitude, and like there's nothing you can do to me because I have been broken down. I'm mentally tough. And I'm ready for this. And it really does help you be prepared for anything and everything that comes your way.
WHITFIELD: Each woman is active within her community and they sometimes participate in sorority activities together.
COL. DEBORAH GRAYS, U.S. ARMY: I always wanted to be part of an organization that was giving back and even today after, you know, almost 27 years of service, you don't feel like you're giving back enough.
WHITFIELD: They say, as they travel the world, it's encouraging to find another sister in service.
LEE: There's no place that I have been that there wasn't a Delta. Not necessarily in uniform but a Delta. And that is a sisterhood part that is there.
COL. DARLENE FREEMAN, U.S. ARMY: It's a comfort, you know, knowing as you move around from state to state every three to four years, or so as a military person that you're going to have a -- your military family, and you're going to have your sorority family.
WHITFIELD: Colonel Archibald is currently serving overseas but all the colonels agree whether at home or abroad, the bond of sisterhood, in sorority and military life is strong.
Fredericka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And this year the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will be celebrating its 97th year anniversary in New Orleans. All colonels say they plan to attend. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Good morning. From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 15th, Armed Forces Day so a special good morning to everyone serving in the military. I'm Jim Acosta in for T.J. Holmes.
BOLDUAN: I'm Kate Bolduan. It is 7:00 a.m. here in the East. 6:00 a.m. in New Orleans. Thank you so much for starting your day with us.
ACOSTA: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
Let's get right to it. Containment domes, top hats, and now something like a catheter tube? Plus, oil dispersements. Officials are trying anything to stop the millions of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. We are going live to the Gulf Coast this morning as Coast Guard officials try a few new tactics.
ACOSTA: Yes, plus, from historic flooding to a severe hailstorm, Nashville just seems to not catch a break. Baseball-sized hail smashed cars and damaged houses. We'll get the latest weather of Bonnie Schneider.
But first, a few looks at the headlines this morning. A standoff between sheriff's deputies in Washington State and one of their own ended this morning. This is Gig Harbor, Washington, you are looking at just northwest of Tacoma. Authorities say Pierce County sheriff's deputy Allan Myron shot his father-in-law and mother-in-law yesterday and then barricaded himself and his two children inside his home. The children got out safely. But both in-laws were killed. A SWAT team found the deputy dead this morning in the home.
An apology of Seattle police for the conduct of two of their officers; they were seen in this video kicking and stomping a man they thought was a robbery suspect. Both officers were placed on administrative leave after the video surfaced, authorities released the man when they found out they had the wrong guy.
And a happy home coming in pink for a 16-year-old who's been calling Australia's newest hero. Jessica Watson spent seven months at sea in her pink yacht. Yes, that is it. Here she is before she set out. She is now the youngest person to sail around the world nonstop and unassisted. It is not an official record because the World's Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its youngest category. How dare they?
BOLDUAN: How dare they?
The Coast Guard and oil giant, BP are trying again today to stem the flow of oil gushing into the gulf coast. A couple of things are in the works, like inserting a tube into a ruptured pipe, collecting oil, and sending it to a surface vessel. Also, B.P. may try to cap the rupture with a small containment dome. Meanwhile, the coast guard has authorized the oil company to do something never done before at this depth. Use oil dispersant chemicals at the surface of the leak 5,000 feet beneath the surface.
But, first, let's check on the economic impact of the oil spill and all of this with Reynolds Wolf in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Reynolds, what are you learning about all of this?
WOLF: What we're learning there's a lot of frustration on the Gulf Coast in terms of the lot of the businesses. From my present location, from where you happen to be, the viewer tuning in across America, behind the camera, you got Highway 90. Behind that, you got Edgewater Mall.
But here, what you're seeing is, well, beach bums, jet ski rental, just beach supplies. This is one of many that you have scattered up and down much of the Gulf Coast. And these businesses cater to the tourists. And I can tell you, although things are deserted right now and there's certainly kind of quiet yesterday, these places are indeed open and they certainly need your business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to let you know we have a couple of specials today.
WOLF (voice-over): At Shaggy's Harbor Bar and Grill in Pass Christian, Mississippi -- you'd never know there's a threat of oil looming in the Gulf. Island music, drinks at the bar, families enjoying steamed crab claws. The general manager, Michael Dyson, is even interviewing a potential hire.
MICHAEL DYSON, GENERAL MANAGER, SHAGGY'S: I think it's basically normal. I mean, you just read the paper and hear about the horror stories and what's going on in the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and, you know, it's much ado about nothing.
WOLF: It's not just oil booms offshore -- business is also booming.
DYSON: Our season doesn't officially start until about a week before Memorial Day, and we kind of got a head start with all the people that are coming down wanting to help with the disaster.
WOLF: The Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce says tourism is down.
KIMBERLY NASTASI, GULF COAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's kind of bittersweet. The tourists really have been affected, have been canceling their trips. They're concerned about coming down here. On the same hand, we have had some people come down here that were planning on maybe coming down a little bit later, saying that they want to experience it before something does happen.
WOLF: In Gulfport, no obvious signs of tourism. White sand beaches are deserted -- except for Jeff Rose (ph) and the family who traveled from Illinois to meet a new grand baby.
(on camera): You have the whole beach to yourself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. It is nice.
WOLF: You ever been to a beach this empty this time of year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially on a beautiful day.
WOLF (voice-over): Tourists wouldn't have any problem finding a spot on the beach or on a jet ski.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything's been kind of slow. Not much action. Not many people.
WOLF: Thirteen miles east, most visitors to Biloxi are here for the casinos. This one, ironically named Boomtown.
The chamber of commerce is trying hard to fight perceptions.
NASTASI: It's the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. We really want the people to know that we're open for business and we need their support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want anything else right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Go ahead, I'm going to get half a dozen oysters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
WOLF: The view of Shaggy's on the harbor is picturesque for now but -- will it last?
DYSON: Running a restaurant, I always have a backup plan for everything. That what if instance. And I would think -- I would hope to think a company that was worth $65 billion would have a backup plan for the "what if" this disaster happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Check out these goofy things behind me. These things are called water trikes. They're like giant tricycles. They can fit one or two people on it. You get on the water, you have a good time.
Now, speaking of that water where you use those things, the state of Mississippi has done some tests, not just here but on the barrier islands, also. And guess what. No sign of oil. No trace of it as of yet. However, with the winds and with the tides, there's always a chance that oil may get a bit closer to shore. And Bonnie Schneider is going to have the very latest on your forecast coming up in a few moments. And it'd be very interesting to hear what the latest will be.
Let's send it back to you in the studio.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Reynolds. But, Reynolds, one quick question: is it just the threat of the possibility of the oil coming that's potentially hurting businesses? I mean, you said, it hasn't come ashore quite yet. So, is that kind of a frustration of people there?
WOLF: Absolutely. That's a great question. You know, it is for many of the beaches along parts of the Gulf Coast. Not so much in terms of your beaches here.
To be honest, when you come to Biloxi, one of the number things you have to do is you to come here for fishing, come here for gambling. In terms of going to the beach just for the sheer quality of enjoying the water and the sand, you can get that in Biloxi, there's no question.
But over towards Alabama, as you get towards Gulf shores, you got towards places like Destin, Florida, that's where you have really what they refer to as the Emerald Coast, just the beautiful clear water, certainly beautiful here. But there are many other things you have. A lot to choose from there, the beach is the number one show and that's what they're worried of, is that water being contaminated with some oil.
But, again, there's certainly a lot of frustration, both from the hotels, from, of course, the restaurants. Obviously, small businesses like this. And again, it is just kind of a wait-and-see and hope for the best kind of situation.
BOLDUAN: Unfortunately, that really is what it is. A wait-and- see, which can only be so frustrating to everybody involved.
Thank you so much, Reynolds ...
WOLF: Absolutely.
BOLDUAN: ... doing great work down there in Biloxi this morning for us. Thanks so much.
ACOSTA: Well, several states are holding primary elections on Tuesday and you can bet the best political team on television will be there to cover them for you. We want to give you a preview of several important elections happening in Arkansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Arkansas is where Blanche Lincoln is fighting to retain her Democratic seat in the U.S. Senate.
CNN political producer Shannon Travis joins us live in Washington this morning to break down the races for us. And, Shannon, we've heard so much about tea party challenges from the right and the Republican races that have been happening across the country. Here's one from the left, right?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Absolutely. I don't know about you, Jim, but on Tuesday, I'd probably rather be watching the NBA playoffs. But this is a bigger political contest.
Let's start with Arkansas. You've got Senator Blanche Lincoln. She's running for reelection.
She's being challenged from the left by Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter. He's basically accusing her of being too close to Wall Street money. A lot of -- him and a lot of other Democrats say that her vote against the public option in the health care means that she's not a true progressive. So, he's challenging her from the left.
But an interesting point about this race is that there's a third party candidate that a lot of people don't -- doesn't have a whole lot of name I.D. The Name is D.C. Morrison. He's an Arkansas businessman. He may actually -- if he gets about five or six percentage points or maybe even a little bit more, he might actually force a runoff between the three of them because in Arkansas, it's not winner-takes-all. It's the candidate has to get at least 50 percent.
So, she's actually being challenged from the left by Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and this more conservative businessman, D.C. Morrison.
ACOSTA: And moving to the east just a little bit -- in Kentucky, there's a battle going on for the GOP nomination for retiring Senator Jim Bunning's seat. We'll set aside the baseball references there about Senator Bunning.
TRAVIS: Right.
ACOSTA: But you have a tea party darling in that race in Rand Paul, correct?
TRAVIS: You've got a similar dynamic on the right here, though. Whereas Rand Paul, the son of libertarian Congressman Ron Paul from Texas, Rand Paul is a doctor. He's running -- he is a tea party favorite. He's got the endorsement of Senator Jim DeMint, conservative South Carolina senator. He's got the backing of a lot of other conservatives -- conservatives out there.
But Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson has the party -- has the -- has the GOP establishment behind him.
ACOSTA: Right.
TRAVIS: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is actually backing him. So, it would be interesting to see what happens there, also. I mean, will a very conservative candidate win in Kentucky or with a more kind of GOP establishment-backed candidate win there? ACOSTA: Right. And in Pennsylvania, this is my favorite race of them all that's happening on Tuesday. Senator Arlen Specter, as we know, switched from the Republican side to the Democrats a year ago after his vote on the stimulus. And now, he's in a fight to save his political life after being in the Senate for years and years. And, Joe Sestak just might pull this off.
TRAVIS: That switch will be key in this race. Senator Specter actually switched from being a Republican to being a Democrat because he thought he couldn't win in the Republican primary. Well, now, it looks like he's facing an uphill challenge to actually win in the Democratic primary. Polls right now show that him and Congressman Sestak are neck and neck. It's been a bitter race between them, accusations hurling back and forth.
ACOSTA: Yes.
TRAVIS: Specter recently accused the three-star -- Sestak is a former three-star navy admiral. He accused him of some things about his military record. Democrats are accusing Specter of not being a true Democrat. So, there'd be -- again, another interesting race to watch.
One key thing to look out for on Tuesday is: will it be with the results showing an anti-incumbency mood or will it show an anti- Democrat mood?
ACOSTA: Right. And it's shaping up to be an anti-Democrat move. And just to look at that race in Pennsylvania and see Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, coming out favoring Arlen Specter.
TRAVIS: Right.
ACOSTA: You know, if Joe Sestak pulls it off, it's really going to turn that establishment in Pennsylvania upside down.
TRAVIS: It's going to be really interesting.
ACOSTA: Shannon Travis, thanks for watching all of those races for us this morning. Appreciate it.
TRAVIS: You bet.
ACOSTA: Coming up next: would you like to pay your house off a little faster? Wouldn't we all? Still to come, our financial expert is here to explain a tactic that could have you paying smaller mortgage payments which, in the end, could have you saving thousands of dollars.
Get your pen and paper, Kate.
We've got full details -- coming up in 15 minutes.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SCHNEIDER: Good morning. I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
Tracking severe weather in south Texas -- we now have a tornado warning in effect until 6:30 a.m. Central Time. Now, this is for Oak County -- Live Oak County in south Texas. And you can see it right here. It's just to the south of areas of San Antonio.
I have been watching tremendous thunderstorm activity through this region. In fact, we've even seen frequent hail that's on the move, working its way across the state. So, this is going to be a rough go of it. You can see the real-time frequent lightning strikes across much of this area. So, unfortunately, it's definitely looking like we're going to be seeing some very rough conditions in this part of the country.
And actually, the storm is advancing all the way into Louisiana, into parts of Arkansas, as well. The big picture shows that the area for severe weather remains in west Texas for today, but we're also looking at mild conditions, as you can see, across parts of the southeast and the little patch of area that we could see some stronger storms in the southeast, as well. It's been a rough go of it -- certainly, lot of severe weather so far this month.
And we've been talking a lot about the floods in Tennessee that have just brought tremendous -- two feet of water. Well, you got to see this video. It's incredible. This is Nashville, Tennessee -- one of the worst places hit by the floods.
And you're about to see what happens when a rush -- I mean, a deluge of water just rushes into a Pep Boys. There it is. Look at that. It is incredible, the force of the current of that water coming through. It's a river.
And you can see -- look at the computers. Some of them are on and then they suddenly turn off, obviously, due to the water. There goes all that damage. You can imagine the amount of money it would cost to replace all the equipment and everything that was lost property-wise alone due to the water, the surge of water.
Here's a closer shot and you can see the computers just completely washed away. One comes on and then it's off. Wow.
All right. Well, luckily, we're just looking at some lighter rainy for the Tennessee area for today. Milder conditions across much of the northeast and that's some good news. We'll be looking at some nicer weather there.
But once again, our spot for severe weather that we're tracking right now is across Texas. If you can see right here, this little bubble that's popping up, this indicates where we are getting some reports of hail on the move and these storms are moving to the northeast.
So, south Texas, Jim and Kate, that's the trouble spot right now we're watching for severe weather.
ACOSTA: Wow.
BOLDUAN: A lot going on.
ACOSTA: And that video out of Nashville makes you want to pick a mop and pitch in. Unbelievable.
BOLDUAN: Run. It's just amazing.
ACOSTA: Amazing stuff.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Bonnie.
Well, thousands of gallons are spewing into the Gulf each day from the B.P. oil spill with no real end in sight.
BOLDUAN: And Josh Levs is taking a closer look to see how this compares with the Exxon Valdez spill more than 20 years ago. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back.
BOLDUAN: Welcome back.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: I'm sorry. I keep jumping on you all morning. Apologies.
As oil keeps gushing into the Gulf, some officials are asking whether this could in some ways be worse than the Exxon Valdez spill more than, what is it, 20 years ago?
ACOSTA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Our Josh Levs is here to break it down for us.
Josh, just how big was the Valdez disaster, I guess, first off?
LEVS: Yes. You know what -- I'll start off with one big number to bring back to mind a lot of what happened so many years ago back in 1989. It was 10.8 million gallons that spilled at the time. So, obviously, when we're looking at sheer size of what happened back then, we have not gotten this far, so far, in this disaster. But also, just how much oil is really leaking into the Gulf. All these different numbers are coming at us every day and at this rate, it could eventually be this many gallons, as well.
Let's do this, though, because there's one big difference I want to show you. We have some video of both, right? We have some video of what you've been seeing in this B.P. oil spill. We also have video from back in the day in 1989, Exxon Valdez.
And as we look at that, I want to talk to you about one key factor, which is the population of these areas.
Now, the Gulf Coast of the United States has tens of millions of people and has been growing, and it's a key economic driver. In fact, listen to this from the census. It was 44 million in 1995 that lived along the U.S. Gulf Coast and the census has been expecting that it would hit about 61 million in 2025. Basic idea here: really fast growth in that region.
Meanwhile in Alaska, the population is not even 700,000 people. Valdez also affected some folks in Canada, as well.
But the idea here is that a lot more people could be affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Let's come back to the board. I'll show some more basics about Exxon Valdez. Take a look at this -- 1,300 square miles were affected at the time. And, again, we haven't gotten that far in this disaster but it is growing and it is moving. And we'll be keeping an eye to see if it gets that close.
Look at the wildlife that were killed from Valdez. This is from the National Wildlife Federation: 100,000 to 250,000 sea birds, 2,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles. So, it did have a massive toll on marine life there, as well.
And we can end with this -- to this day, guys, the services are still impaired: commercial fishing, recreation, tourism and subsistence. That's 21 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. So, there's no question there are lessons to be learned from what happened so long ago and we are all hoping that it doesn't reach the same scope.
Guys, back to you.
BOLDUAN: Definitely hoping it doesn't reach that. Thank you so much, Josh. It's really great breaking it down for us.
LEVS: You got it.
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
So, trying to pay off your mortgage faster? Aren't we all? We got some expert advice for you. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back. Taking a look at top stories this is morning.
Sarah Palin proves she can poke fun at herself. In a speech to the National Rifle Association in Charlotte, she took on the notion that she and her family might be what she calls rednecks. Palin says she doesn't have a problem with that and then launched into a comedy routine saying, quote, "You might be a redneck if you get involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog," close quote. That's from Sarah Palin.
In California, police accuse a former chef on the Food Network of trying to hire homeless people to -- get this -- commit murder. Juan Carlos Cruz now sits in a jail in Santa Monica. Detectives will not reveal that he had an intended target or say much about the murder for hire plot.
And, Congress is holding an important safety hearing at the end of the month. FDA inspectors found numerous quality and safety violations at a Johnson & Johnson plant in Pennsylvania and shut it down last week. It makes Children's Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl. The FDA recalled many of those products.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: So, most of us pay for our mortgages monthly, right? Well, some people are actually in bimonthly payment programs, but financial expert and author Clyde Anderson, he's joining us today.
And, Clyde, you say that's not always a good idea. Thank you.
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Not always a good idea.
BOLDUAN: So, start me off here.
ANDERSON: Well, let's take a look at it.
BOLDUAN: It sounds self explanatory. But what are we talking about, a bimonthly program?
ANDERSON: Well, a lot of people don't realize, the first 10 years of a mortgage is primarily interest in a way. That's what they're paying.
So, if we're looking at a bimonthly mortgage, first, let's take a look at this and realize that on a 30-year mortgage, you're paying about $139,000 in interest alone over the life of the loan. So, looking at that, we want to try to find ways to cut that interest down. And so, one way is to do bimonthly extra payments every month. They'll cut them up.
And over the course of 12 months, you're paying two extra payments. So, it helps you cut down and reduce the time that you have the loan.
So, if you look at it this way -- if you're paying at about $200 more a month, you're going to cut down, you're going to save about $52,000. I mean, you're talking about $57,000 in interest compare to paying --
BOLDUAN: It's a good chunk of change.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's a good chunk of change. And now, you got a balance of about $47,000. And if you look at it here, if you're paying your regular payments, you're going to be paying more like $15,000 towards principal and $69,000 in interest.
BOLDUAN: So, this all sounds great.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: But what are the upsides. There is always -- when you're talking about financial decisions.
ANDERSON: Yes, definitely.
BOLDUAN: What are the upsides? What are the downsides of this type of program?
ANDERSON: Well, a couple of ways to look at it. And one is minuses. You say -- you're looking at it this way -- they're going to hold your payments. So, it's really like they're taking your money and they're going to make interest off of your money while she's sitting there. So, there's other ways that you can do that and we'll talk about that, and there's also large fees to enroll sometimes.
BOLDUAN: So, there are fees to enroll.
ANDERSON: There are fees. There are fees. So, that's always not the best option.
Some of the plusses to look at is one is that it's an auto-debit. So, you don't have to worry about it every month. It's going to come out.
Also, it's going to reduce the interest as we just showed you.
But then if we're looking at the pluses here, maybe doing it on your own could be a better option. If you do it on your own, there's no enrollment fee. It's also self-directed. So, you can decide, hey, this month, I want to pay more. Next month, I won't pay more. So, you're not looked into the payment.
So, it could be better to kind of do it yourself, self directed, apply that interest and just look at the difference of $200 a month can make on your mortgage.
BOLDUAN: So, do you think it could be a better idea to just pay more on your own without enrolling in this program then?
ANDERSON: That could be an option because you don't have the fee. You can control it yourself n. And, you know, in this economy, you may have months where you say, hey, I don't want to pay more. I need to pay something else. And you're not locked in.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: ... more flexibility then?
ANDERSON: You got more flexibility. And so, that's a good way to look at it. And so, I say, you know, maybe try it doing on your own. But you want to make sure, if you're making those additional payments, write on that coupon, towards principal.
BOLDUAN: OK.
ANDERSON: Otherwise, they'll pay interest and it has no benefit for you.
BOLDUAN: Again, read the fine prints and know the details.
ANDERSON: That's it.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Clyde.
ANDERSON: It's my pleasure.
BOLDUAN: I need you to just come to my home.
ANDERSON: I got it. No problem.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much.
There you go, Jim.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Kate. Some good advice there.
And a challenge from the first lady. Now, Michelle Obama must mull fill her promise to a Washington, D.C. university. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Interesting story here, Kate. You know, students at George Washington University in the nation's capital wanted Michelle Obama as their commencement speaker for tomorrow's ceremonies.
BOLDUAN: So, how did the school land the first lady? Answer: by meeting her challenge to volunteer. More than 3,800 students, faculty and staff, and even some trustees, met the first lady's challenge to help others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here. Do you want to put some more on here?
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yes.
JENNIFER SANTOS, GWU STUDENT: Michelle Obama's challenge was that we have to complete 100,000 hours of service and she would come and speak at our commencement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get the markers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The markers move.
SANTOS: I think people took it pretty seriously. I know as a volunteer coordinator for Jump Start, I took it seriously and I was like we need to get as many hours as we can for Jump Start. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the same color?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jump Start is basically, you know, pairing up college students with inner city school kids who are at risk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should I try the green?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's just a lot more students that can dedicate more attention to them and that's a very important process to build up that confidence for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a big reward to work with children and see them running around and smiling and very good feeling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think community service communities give students the opportunity to get out of their bubble, because there is a very much a G.W. bubble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's kind of nice to step out of that and help others.
SANTOS: To have the first lady come speak at your graduation is like huge thing and it just makes it that much more exciting to be on the National Mall and hear her speak.
PRES. STEVEN KNAPP, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: It's a little unusual to have your commencement speaker, you know, be connected with something that's been going on at the university for the entire stretch of the academic year.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Who knows? Maybe like next year, we'll get a deal from Barack Obama being like, 200,000 hours and then, you know, we'll make it happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: A very good story. And it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely.
ACOSTA: And you went to G.W.
BOLDUAN: I did.
ACOSTA: So, this is important.
BOLDUAN: I know. I'm pulling for them.
ACOSTA: OK.
BOLDUAN: Go G-Dub!
ACOSTA: All right. More top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
BOLDUAN: But, first, contaminated lettuce is in the news again and much, much more. Let's go to "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." That begins now.
