President Obama Talks Oil Disaster; Dramatic Rescue in Oklahoma
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters, the big stories for this Tuesday, June 15. Eight weeks now of gushing oil polluting waters off the Gulf Coast. President Obama speaks this hour from the disaster zone, a prelude to his first Oval Office address to the nation tonight. We want to know what you think. We want to hear from you. Plus this --</s>RAQUEL DAWSON, RESCUED FROM FLOOD: I started, like, shaking really bad while I was swimming, and I thought I was going to pass out. And I thought I was going to die.</s>HARRIS: You saw her dramatic rescue from flash floods in Oklahoma. Now you will hear her account in her own words. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now, in the CNN NEWSROOM. The next two hours are yours. We're hearing from you on the oil disaster, how you're helping out, and what you'd like to see happen. So, tonight, President Obama addresses the nation about the oil disaster in the Gulf. Within the hour, he speaks to the people of Pensacola, Florida. On day 57 of the catastrophe, aides say the president will deliver a message of support to Florida panhandle communities and to troops at Pensacola Naval Air Station. Yesterday, Mr. Obama visited Mississippi and Alabama. Executives from five major oil companies, including BP, facing tough questions on Capitol Hill right now. Congressman Ed Markey wants answers about safety, and he wants to hold oil companies accountable.</s>REP. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It is time to expect more from the oil industry, and that starts today. First, Congress must ensure that there is unlimited liability for oil spills by oil companies. While we try to cap this well, we must lift the cap on oil industry liability.</s>HARRIS: BP is turning to actor Kevin Costner for help in the cleanup. They company has ordered 32 machines that Costner says can separate oil from water.</s>KEVIN COSTNER, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR: I've had to be kind of silent for the last few weeks as this machine was put through a lot of hoops. And it just passed everything that BP could throw at it. And Doug -- and I choose to believe him. And today, he did. He put us in business, and he said he's going to help us. And I think this is the key. It's the linchpin to, I think, people going back to work. It's certainly a way to fight oil spills in this 21st century.</s>HARRIS: OK. We are hearing from Gulf Coast residents about what they want from President Obama during his visit. A sign in Pensacola summed up the frustration of some business owners hurt by the oil disaster. It reads, "Mr. President, please stop by. We need to talk about my BP claim."</s>SAM CAMARIOTES, RUNS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: As long as he can stop the oil and help some people around here, they're glad he's coming. If he can't do that, they don't care if he comes or not.</s>HARRIS: Yes. OK. More now on the president's fourth visit to the Gulf Coast and his speeches this morning and tonight. Senior White House Ed Henry joining us live now from Pensacola, Florida. And Ed, I know the president was planning on taking a walk along Pensacola Beach. Has what happened yet? And if it has, what did he likely see? I know you took that trip yesterday.</s>ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he actually was just on the beach. He'll be heading over here shortly, to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. There's a lot of young Navy, Marines behind me waiting to here him speak, because as you mentioned, he wants to thank some of the troops for helping deal with this crisis. What he saw there is really a pristine beach. I can tell you from walking it yesterday and last night, the water is blue/green, the sand is white. It sort of looks like the Caribbean, and it's sort of surreal, because obviously there is this suspended animation where people on the beach are acknowledging they know the oil is coming any day now. In fact, one woman who lives about a mile from the beach came up to me yesterday on the beach with a bucket that she took out of her back yard, grass, full of all kinds of oil that washed up on her back yard. She's on the bay about a mile from Pensacola Beach. So, the oil is going to get there eventually, according to all the experts, but it's not there yet. And so some people are still on the beach. The president would have seen that. He went to a little fish bar where they sell fish sandwiches. He's trying to promote the tourism and promote the seafood from this region. But in talking to small business owners, one restaurant owner there along the beach told me his business is down 40 percent. Because even though the beach looks great, the seafood tastes fine, people are not showing up because they know the oil is going to show up sooner or later and they don't want to be here for that -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: So, Ed, are we going to get something of a test run of the president's speech in just a few minutes here?</s>HENRY: Well, I think that his remarks here to the troops will be a bit different, because he's probably going to keep it pretty general in terms of their efforts to try and help deal with this crisis. You heard about people wanting the military to sort of take over. They haven't taken over, but they have played an important role, and he's going to acknowledge that. I think tonight, what we're going to hear more of, two big themes, really. One, the president talking about how he wants to hold BP accountable. You've noted how people are frustrated with BP. He's going to talk about this escrow fund, take some BP money, put it aside to make sure these claims get processed. But, also, he wants to talk about sort of the game plan moving forward. When you talk to senior White House advisers, they acknowledge people, especially in this region, are confused about what the government has done and, more importantly, what it will be doing in the future to stem this crisis. The president wants to lay out a game plan tonight -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: And maybe what the government really can do. All right. Oh, we just lost Ed. Ed Henry, our senior White House correspondent, with the president in Pensacola, Florida. We will bring you live coverage of the president speaking in Florida later this hour. And, of course, CNN will have complete coverage of the president's speech tonight at 8:00 Eastern. After you have heard what the president has to say, drop us a line or give us a call, if you would, and tell us what you think. Log on to CNN.com/Tony and leave us a comment there on my blog page, or you can give me a call at 1-877-742-5760.