Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20100515

speaking at the national peace officers memorial service. we are looking at live pictures right now. president obama is speaking. can we take that live for a second? >> the survivors of fallen law enforcement officers. our hearts go out to you for your loss. the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers you loved, they protected us all, and all americans are grateful for the lives that they gave in the line of duty. to the active duty law enforcement officers who traveled from all over the country to be here, let me simply say thank you. thank you for the service you are rendering to our nation and thank you for the sacrifices you are making on behalf of our people. every day in america families go about their lives. they wake up, sit down for breakfast, send their kids off to school. then they head into the office or onto the factory floor and after putting in an honest day's work, they return home ready to do it all over again in the morning. we often take it for granted, this cycle of life. we know, of course, that chance can change everything overnight, but we also rely on a certain order in our lives, a certain sense of security that lets us sleep safely in our beds and walk around our neighborhoods free from fear and go about our daily lives without being the victims of crime. that sense of security doesn't come on its own. what makes it possible, what makes freedom possible, are the law enforcement officers that we honor today. it's men and women like so many of you. it's anyone who has ever put on a uniform or worn a badge in the name of law, in the name of order, in the name of protecting and defending the united states of america. what led you to live such a life? what leads a person to put on that uniform, to wear that badge, to enter the law enforcement profession? part of it, of course, is what leads any of us to pursue a profession, a responsibility to provide for her wives and our husbands, to give our children and grandchildren a better life. for some there's also a family legacy to honor, a proud inheritance an officer may aspire to uphold. but there's also another reason, a higher calling that led the men and women we honor today, like so many of you, to become peace officers. a calling to serve our neighbors, a calling to serve our neighborhoods, a calling to live a life in service of others. it's a calling that carries immense risk. you don't know what dangers you will confront each time you put on that uniform or step outside in plain clothes. whether you're a beat patrolman or a road deputy, you don't know what the next dispatch will bring. all you know is your duty, to keep us safe, to keep our communities safe, to keep america safe. it is a duty you fulfill every single day. today we honor americans who lost their lives in pursuit of that duty, in pursuit of that calling. we honor traffic sergeant mark duncan, a 17-year veteran of oakland's police department. a big teddy bear his friends called him who loved his buckeyes and steelers. the kind of guy you could always count on to get you to do the right thing. mark was killed on march 21st, 2009, during a traffic stop at 74th avenue and mcarthur boulevard and he believes behind his wife angela and three children. we honor deputy burt lopez, a six-year veteran of the county sheriff's office in florida. big-hearted, burt once delayed serving a minor a warrant until a sunday so the defendant, a father of six, could earn up with more day's pay for his family. on april 25th, 2009, burt and deputy skip york were killed attempted to arrest a domestic abuse suspect they had tracked down. he's survived by his wife, michelle, and five children. we honor trooper joshua miller, a veteran of both the pennsylvania state police and the united states marine corps. josh it has been said was a trooper's trooper. the only thing he loved more than stopping drunk drivers and hunting was spending time with his wife angela and his three daughters. his face lit up when you mentioned them. he was killed on june 7th, 2009, during an operation that ultimately rescued a 9-year-old who had been kidnapped by his father. we honor these americans and each of the law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty last year. each loved, each is missed, each is among america's finest. these men and women join nearly 19,000 americans who have made such a sacrifice since deputy isaac smith was shot investigating a disturbance at an tavern in 1792. such a sacrifice, such an honor roll is what makes it possible for us to go on about our lives, to pursue our dreams, to enjoy america's freedoms. it is an honor roll engraved in stone not far from here at the national law enforcement officers memorial. guarding over the park and the memories of americans memorialized there are four bronze lions. beneath one is a verse from the book of proverbs. the wicked flee with no one pursueeth but the righteous are as bold as a lion. may god's face shine upon the lions that we have lost. may he watch over the ones that guard us still. and may he bless now and forever the united states of america. [ applause ] >> there you see the president there wrapping up his remarks at the national peace officers memorial service there on capitol hill in washington, d.c. it's an annual event to honor fallen police officers. >> and part of national police week which was this past week. but also, jim, what a fitting time to be honoring police officers when you think that it was an nypd officer that was the first to respond to the attempted bombing in times square. you just really understand how important these people are in our daily lives and that's what president obama was talking about. >> they put their lives on the line for us every day. it means something to these families to have the president honor them and you can see that event continuing there live right here on cnn, and we'll take a quick break and we'll be right back with more news. stick with us. [ music playing, indistinct conversations ] the charcoal went out already? [ sighs ] forget it. 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[ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. visit floodsmart.gov/risk to learn your risk. crews in the gulf of mexico are trying new tactics to try to minimize the impact of that gushing oil spill. let's go live to reynolds wolf in biloxi, mississippi. you have been there for days now in the gulf coast. what is the latest on the containment efforts? it seems to change really by the hour. >> reporter: absolutely. well, there's a couple things they're think being doing. one thing they're doing is they're use a chemical dispersant 5,000 feet below the surface. what they're doing is as the oil has been coming out of the leak, they have been spraying it with an oil dispersant. it was used early on. then the epa canceled the use and now they're allowing bp to use it once again. what it will do is weigh down some of the oil and keep it on the ocean floor. that's one thing they're doing. second thing they're doing is they're thinking about using again this pipe. it's about six inches in diameter. they're bringing it down all the way to the leak and the plan is to use three rov under water robots. the plan is to siphon it up to the surface where you have an oil tanker ship. then the tanker ship would bring the oil back to land. the other idea is to use what we've been referring to as a top hat which is basically a structure that looks very similar to a top hat, sort of self-explanatory, and place that over the leak with the same purpose, to siphon the oil up to the surface. another idea they were talking about a couple days ago, something they refer to as just -- basically they would be blasting a great deal of rubber made from tires, even golf balls, to try to seal the leak. then they would use a compress of mud and concrete to seal things off. they're certainly hoping one of these will work. right now the one they're really pushing for is, of course, just that six-inch pipe and trying to bring it to the surface. >> and these chemical dispersants, the chemicals they're talking about using, a lot of environmentalists are really raising red flags saying wait a second, these aren't testing, they mighting da dangerous. >> is there any discussion about whether they are dangerous? >> reporter: the last thing they want to do is make a bad situation even worse. that's the key plan for this. there are a lot of people that think by spraying this down, you're going to leave all kinds of things that will be detrimental to marine life, to the environment at the very bot testimony. that that's the last thing they want to do. many people think it's better to do it at the top of the water because then you can skim it off altogether rather than leave it on the floor of the gulf of mexico. >> real quick, reynolds, you're there in biloxi. how is the water in mississippi right now? >> reporter: well, again, the phrase we've been saying for much of the morning which still rings true is jump in the water, the water is fine. they've been taking water samples, but they have also been testing some of the vege tration alo along the barrier islands, even taking issue samples from crabs. so far there have been no traces of oil. back to you. >> right now good news. reynolds, thank you so much. our man in biloxi, mississippi. thank you so much. we'll talk to you soon. so the coast guard and officials from bp, they will be holding a briefing on the containment efforts today. that's scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon. that's eastern time. we'll bring that to you live, of course. stay with us. we'll have more coming up. and that more is right now. >> yeah, exactly. and they're not just having problems down in the gulf. we know they're still recovering from that historic flooding of two weeks ago in the nashville area. more weather worries in that part of the country and in the southern plains as well. bonnie schneider has the low down on your weekend weather forecast. bonnie, you got a lot on your plate this weekend, don't you? >> absolutely, jim and kate. i want to start in the gulf where reynolds was just reporting from. so far the weather has been cooperating to some degree because we've seen the winds kind of come in all different directions for different periods of time. that's kept this spill a little more condititained than it coul have been if it was a steady prolonged effect of one wind going in one direction. this weekend we're seeing more of a consistent southeasterly flow. we're starting to see a little more movement closer to the shore. winds will shift oagain over th next couple days. we're anticipating more of a southwesterly flow that will steer the spill toward alabama and florida. the other concerns certainly for the region weatherwise, thunderstorms hating the gulf coa coast. you can see them working in houston, corpus christi, and down into the new orleans area. these are hail-producing thunderstorms. speaking of hail, you have to see this picture from tennessee, a state hit with flooding and now giant baseball-sized hailstones clobbering tennessee. look at the damage this does to a windshield or to the shingles of your home. the pelting of that hail can really cause a lot of troubles. first, the floodwaters, now the hail. tennessee is seeing some rough weather, as is texas right now. the heavy rain is hitting houston hard. for those of you looking to get out on a saturday, unfortunately, it will be a wet go of it on i-10 into louisiana. here is louisiana rti. new orleans seeing strong storms. note these storms do continue frequent lightning strikes as well. the bigger picture shows it's nice across the northeast. preakness today, nascar. it is still very balmy out there in the southeast. oppressive humidity continues to make it feel like summertime in cities like right here in atlanta where we're looking at high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. it's going to be hotter than that even in tampa. high temperature 92 degrees in tampa. the cooler air is coming slowly, but in the meantime i'd say just enjoy this warm weather. it's going to stick around at least through the rest of the day today. back to you. >> thank you so much, bonnie. a little silver lining. >> bring it on. we like it hot. you'll want to stay tuned to are this story. six colonels in the army giving new meaning to sisterhood and service. their inspirational story straight ahead. why is that? 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[ announcer ] healthy green tea, tasty black tea, real sugar. we're still getting paid, right? the best stuff on earth... just got better. all right. top stories for you now. both british and german aviation authorities are warning iceland's volcano could cause new trouble next week in the travel department. they're closely watching weather pat he weres this weekend. they say a concentrated ash cloud could ground flights starting monday. amateur video shows one seattle police officer kicking a suspect in the head while another is stomping on him. a racial slur is also heard. it turns out the latino man had nothing to do with the crime the police were investigating. we're hearing this, a news director at a seattle tv station has resigned in light of this video. critics claim the station delayed broadcasting the video for almost three weeks to avoid alienating the police department. and bp is trying to plug the gulf oil leak today with a mile-long tube with a rubber stopper at the end. deep sea robots will try to insert the tube into the pipe that's gushing crude. if it works, the smaller tube will carry the oil to a tanker. ken sal zpazar along with bp officials and the coast guard will update us on progress at 2: 2:30 p.m. eastern. tuition costs at public universities, they have risen at an annual rate of about 5% a year over the last decade. that's on top of inflation. a big consideration for students and parents these days, education value. so here is cnn's tom foreman on the road for our series "building up america." >> reporter: anyone who has driven a child to college recently knows just how daunting the cost can be. take a look at some of the most expensive schools in this country. each one has a total price tag well over $50,000 annually. that means you could be pushing a quarter million dollars for a four-year degree once you add in the incidentals. but that's not the way it has to be. and right now i'm driving to a school where it's very different. the university of virginia consistently appears near the top of those lists of the best values in college education. confirming time and again what portia henry learned several years ago. you can spend a whole lot more for an education. >> exactly. >> reporter: but do you think you'd get a much better education? >> no, no. i feel like the university of virginia is a wonderful intersection, so -- >> reporter: an intersection of what? >> between cost and value. i get the best of both worlds. >> reporter: and directing traffic at that intersection is chief operating officer leonard kandrid sandridge. >> we budget very careful. we know we can't be everything to everyone. >> reporter: they can demand accountability from everyone. each office here from those providing food services to student entertainment is held strictly responsible for its spending. if they run over, they must make up the difference on their own, no passing the buck to students. all new construction is kept within campus limits to contain the cost of spreading utilities, computer connections, and security services far and wide. free or reduced tuition for the children of staff members, not here. a year at uva still costs a lot, $21,000 for in-state students, about double that for out of state, and this is a state school so it's wrestling with rising tuition like most others. but knowing that he could have spent tens of thousands more elsewhere for a comparable education josh mitchell is satisfied. >> i think that the saying you get the most bang for your buck is applicable here. accountability and attention to detail can make education affordable. >> i think it can make a difference. >> reporter: that is why this school is at or near the top of all those value lists. helping students build up their future on terms they can afford. tom foreman, cnn, charlottesville, virginia. >> that's a good piece. "building up america" a cnn special presentation today hosted by tom foreman. join him at 3:00 eastern/noon pacific, "building up america" only in the cnn "newsroom." six african-american women all members of the military and in the same sorority. we'll tell you what else they have in common. this is a great story you don't want to miss. stay with us. i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of. and $1,500 in tax credits on select lennox home comfort systems. lennox. innovation never felt so good. welcome back. today is armed forces day, a day to honor all members of the military for their service, and did you know this? before 1849 various branches of military were honored on separate days? under the truman administration a single day of celebration was created. >> cnn's fredricka whitfield joins us. i have to tell you, i love this story. >> i'm glad you do. hopefully you will enjoy it the second time around as well. >> always. >> the same kind of camaraderie, the same kind of fellowship that many people discover in college, a group of exceptional women are cementing while serving in the u.s. military. it's a special bond these colonels share whether in the u.s. or abroad. >> i pledged at mississippi state university the fall of '81. >> i pledged fall of 1982. >> in spring of 1986. >> in fall of '80. >> the summer of 1975. >> reporter: six african-american women, all colonels at ft. macpherson army base in georgia. they share a bond of sisterhood as members of dea sorority. >> when i went to college and found delta was the most active sorority on the campus, involved in different community events, social action, i chose delta. >> reporter: their reasons for choosing the sorority and the military are the same, the desire to serve. >> when you look at the army, the army is about service, and it's not so much public service as serving your country. >> reporter: colonel lee says her experiences as a delta helps her to be the soldier she is today. >> mental toughness, and also physical toughness, but i can reflect back to me pledging on the yard back as an undergrad and it was, okay, you can't touch me. you know, you just have that attitude and you have that -- there's nothing you can do to me because i have been broken down, so, you know, i'm mentally tough and i'm ready for this, and it really does help you be prepared for any and everything that comes your way. >> reporter: each woman is active within her community, and they sometimes participate in sorority activities together. >> 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. >> reporter: they say as they travel the world, it's encouraging to find another sister in service. >> there's no place that i have been that there wasn't a delta. not necessarily in uniform, but a delta, and that is the sisterhood part that's there. >> it's a comfort knowing as you move around from state to state every three to four years or so as in the life of a military person that you're going to have your military family and you're going to have your sorority family. >> 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. >> this 97-year-old sorority has more than 100,000 members. of course, there are other fraternities and sor boorities. >> we love telling good stories. >> i can think already people are like, wait a minute, how about my fraternity or sorority. just let us know about it. >> the challenge has been issued. >> thanks, fred. >> we have a lot straight ahead. you guys have done a great job all morning long and i'll pick up the baton from here starting at noontime and throughout the day. we've got a lot of legal issues on tap. our legal guys avery and richard will be joining us. they'll tackle this one particular story. a pregnant woman allegedly leads police on a chase and then loses control of her vehicle. this taking place just outside of atlanta. her unborn child dies. now, she is facing a charge called fetacide by vehicle. this 22-year-old who was in high school and apparently everyone thought he was 16. he was playing basketball. well, was it a crime? is he now facing potentially some criminal charges? >> that's interesting. >> because he wasn't what everybody thought he was. and then you all have talked and reported on these dispersants being used in the gulf of mexico. so real discrepancies about what has been used, what hasn't been used, where has it been disbursed. >> what the impact is. >> we'll have a marine toxicologist with us. she's been with us every weekend since this really reached this kind of fever pitch of the amount of oil that's been spewing into the gulf. she's going to be back with us with some interesting perspectives on what is being used, what isn't, what has approval, what the epa says is okay and what her views are on that. so all that straight ahead beginning noontime eastern and with us throughout the day. we're on top of it all the way. >> you're safe with fredricka. i don't know about us. thanks, fred. speaking of the gulf coast, damage control in the gulf. residents and local celebrities use their talents to help minimize the spill's economic impact. hi. i'm dan hesse, ceo of sprint. we're so confident in the improvements we've made to our network, our phones, our plans, and to customer service that we're offering you this simple guarantee. join us, and if you're not completely happy with sprint within 30 days, we'll give you your money back. pretty simple, huh? 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[ male announcer ] we understand. you need presentations done right. and right now save 20% on all online printing purchases. visit fedex.com/print. to st. cloud, minnesota. welcome back. let's take a quick check of our top stories. if you have a flight to great britain or germany in the next few days, you may want to check with the airline. there could be some delays or cancellations because of that still-erupting volcano in iceland. the ash is once again moving toward parts of western europe and it could force airports to shut down once again. more clashes, more deaths in bangkok. emergency crews say at least six people were killed today in clashes between protesters and government troops. that thailand's prime minister vows the government will not back down saying the protesters are trying to start a civil war. u.s. embassies now advising americans not to travel there. and to the gulf coast, bp now has the government okay to use chemical dispersants underwater. the company is hoping that will prove effective in stopping the oil from spreading in the gulf of mexico. it's also going to try to cap the leaking well once again. they're still trying that. we expect a live update on all the efforts in the next couple hours. jim. >> that's right. a reminder, bp and gulf coast guard officials will update us around 2:30 a.m. pern rigp.m. eastern. other oil spill benefit in new orleans, lenny kravitz and dr. john are scheduled to perform. acclaimed chef and restaurateur john besch is doing a benefit event to raise money for fishermen in louisiana. i asked if he's worried about the spill's impact. >> am i worried? absolutely. it's not a panic right now. the key right now is for all the folks offshore to do their job to stop the leaking oil and then allow the cleanup to really take place. right now what we really want to focus on is raising money and raising awareness. money for the crippled fishing industry that we have here. we have a lot of precautionary closings and parts of the area that may be affected by the oil spill. not yet -- a lot of these are precautionary. so louisiana seafood out there is safe to eat and we want to highlight that as well. >> john, we should point out you're working with paula dean on this effort. we're a big fan of hers as well. as you talk with other top chefs, when you talk with other restaurants and other, you know, food suppliers down in new orleans, i mean what is the growing sense about how all of this is being handled by bp, the government? what's the sense you're getting? >> i think most of us down here just want the finger pointing to stop. take care of it, we'll figure out who is to blame later. everybody let's just combine forces and take care of it. the funny thing is some of the first responders that actually came forth to say, hey, let us help, were the fishermen and the fishing families of south louisiana that fed our country for generations. so we just want people to stop pointing fingers, figure out how to stop the flow of oil, then let us clean it up. we have a thriving seafood industry down here. there's large portion of our state still open to fishing, and we want to focus on the positive right now and help those that need help. so the shrimpers, that can't get out there to shrimp, the oyster families that can't harvest the oysters, we want to help them in the meantime, kind of shore them up so when we do get it cleaned up, we can put them back to work again. >> and, john -- >> and we can cook that good food. >> that's what we're all talking about. new orleans -- >> it all comes down to the food, doesn't it? >> especially with me. let me tell you. what do you do if that seafood supply from the gulf becomes affected? what do you do at that point? >> well, from that point on it's out of my hands. it will take a while to really mitigate all of that. you will have portions of the gulf still open and still thriving and we'll focus on those areas. we'll buy our seafood from the people from the areas that are open, and, you know, i think we just need to all stay calm right now. we need to come out, listen to some good music, eat some good food, help the people we can help. focus on the important things. you know, we've got a thriving domestic seafood industry. support it. >> the takeaway from that, don't mess with the food in new orleans. >> don't mess with john besh. >> that's right. well, just consider this, what if a twister, a tornado, was right on top of you. >> and there's nothing you can do but hang on. survivors of this week's deadly oklahoma tornadoes talk about being in the eye of the storm. we have that next. what did we make better ? 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[ announcer ] healthy green tea, tasty black tea, real sugar. we're still getting paid, right? the best stuff on earth... just got better. but, i'm a home. i'm always outside. i make being inside possible. look, do me a favor. get flood insurance. floods can devastate your home. fred, how you doing over there? i think this is gonna be a problem. see what i mean? hey, i know what i'm talking about. because i'm a home people. and, there's no place like me. [ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. for a free brochure, call the number on your screen. there isn't a lot of weather going on today. >> absolutely. bonnie schneider is certainly earning her keep this weekend. i'll tell you that much. >> he's keeping the ship going. bonnie, you said heavy rain in texas? >> that's right, kate and jim. we're looking at inundated areas of rain. some places in texas reporting even water rescues early this morning because there's at least six inches on the ground, possibly more than that. here is kingsville, an area hit hard by the rain, as well as corpus christi. at loy the heavier rain is pushing offshore but it isn't over yet. this is a large-scale system rolling into houston. if you're driving in lake charles and back out to the east towards new orleans we're seeing some damaging storms. but to the north we're still running the risk for severe weather across parts of the midwest and midsouth. take a look at st. louis. you're getting moderate rain there, but tennessee, it's not raining in memphis, not raining in nashville. we've been talking a lot about nashville. nashville just got hammered with rain and flooding. you may have heard about the devastation, but you need to see the force of the water because it's incredible. take a look at the pictures. you can see, of course, the water, how high it is, halfway up the store front. this is from the height of the storm you can see back a week or two ago. watch this. the rush of the water continuing to just force the glass open, shatters the door of the pep boys store. that's the store front. look at the computers, they come on for a second and then completely dismantled from their location. it looks like a river rushing in, but remember this is a store front so it's a parking lot and a road that's right in front of the store. certainly not a river, but that water has just been devastating to tennessee. so the risk for severe weather is actually in tennessee today as well right here. take a closer look. you can see into western tennessee we're running the risk of strong storms and these could produce damaging winds later on as well. warm and mind conditions to the south and east and more severe weather back out towards texas just south of oklahoma. you know, oklahoma has been a state that's already been very hard hit by severe weather so far this may. may is the biggest month for tornadoes naturally, but oklahoma has really seen a lot of devastation. i want to take you on a tour so you can see what it's like. here are the voices of tornado survivors and take a look at the incredible pictures of the devastation. >> here comes one right there. look at them, they're all over. >> it started hailing and then it quit hailing and just all of a sudden the wind hit, and it just went dark and here went everything. trucks went to rocking. there's one truck that shoved against another truck and next thing we know the whole roof and everything was gone. >> looked in my rear-view mirror and the car behind me just left. >> when i was fixing to exit off, then, you know, it just kind of started spinning my vehicle. >> it started scooting me and then i know it flipped once or whatever. then i think after that i just closed my eyes. >> i was scared to death. i thought my best friend was getting killed. >> the sirens started going off and the air started getting all dark. we started pushing everybody in the back to where the coolers and everything are. i mean, it was really scary. the wind was like trying to pull the door off the latch. >> when i came up to the stop sign behind me, it was tornado was on the ground right back here, so i drove up, ran in. i told everybody, hey, you guys you have to seek shelter. it's right back there at at anderson road, and about the time i got in, the roof just started collapsing down on us. >> i have declared 56 counties in oklahoma under a state of emergency. this storm, even though central oklahoma was probably the hardest hit, this storm really was a state wide event. and there is damage and destruction throughout the state. >> it's an experience that i have often wondered about being a native of oklahoma, certainly got to experience it firsthand, i hope that's the last time i have that opportunity. >> i lost track of the number of damaged and destroyed homes that we saw. literally hundreds of homes have received damage in these storms and many, many of those homes have been destroyed and our hearts and prayers simply go out to those families who may have lost a loved one or lost their homes. >> when you see the damages, it's important to remember that when you have tornadoes that can be on the ground for 30 minutes, or perhaps even more. some of these tornadoes reportedly can be 20 miles wide, that's why wen they stay on the ground as long as they k and have winds over 150 miles an hour, the damage is severe. incredible pictures and very resilient survivors for sure. >> you think even a mild wide for one of these things is absolutely terrifying and the devastation that it leaves, i mean these people are just amazing that they are surviving and talking to us about it. >> and it looks like it's going to take a very long time for the people in that community to get over that, i mean that is major devastation. >> and it's also important to know, we talk about oklahoma being one of the prime states for tornadoes, we see that in tornado alley, places like kansas, but it's very difficult to pinpoint exactly which house will get hit by a tornado, we can give you an idea that this is the biggest season for tornadoes, and right now it's important to note if you don't have a noaa weather radio, get one, put the batteries in and leave it on just in case there is a tornado warning, sometimes they happen at night and you need to be awake and alert just in case. >> and she was talking about the gulf a few minutes ago, and what was happening in the gulf, and a lot of people are talking about energy options, here comes the sun, always bright and full of energy. >> one solar energy advocate says the gulf oil spills would never happen if we all would just let the sun shine in. we'll have more on that after the break. at the hartford, we help you pursue them with confidence. by preparing you for tomorrow. while protecting what you have today. you've counted on us for 200 years. let's embrace tomorrow. and with the hartford behind you, achieve what's ahead of you. 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[ female announcer ] make the retirement cornerstone annuity from axa equitable part of your retirement plan. consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives before purchasing a variable annuity. contact a financial professional for a prospectus containing this information. read it carefully. whoo hoo! he's a self described -- >> this is my electric truck, i found this on ebay. i had just installed the solar water heater, and i was like, well, you know, i drive an awful lot, what can i do about that? i don't want to have that high demand on oil. i haven't always been this way, i used to drive a big car and not worry about it, i used to drive fast. >> so there was really no noise? >> not much. it runs well. i know other people who are trying to make their difference, to not use fossil fuels. >> a lot of us don't know any better, a lot of us are just used to the way we live or have been living. i'm sad about the oil spill, but at least it's bringing some attention to this issue again, that it's a dirty, dirty business. and the environmental impact can be substantial. every morning, right around 8:30, i go out and read my meter. over here, those are the solar electric. the d.c. power comes down from the panels, comes into a charge controller. my goal with my house was to try to reduce my energy usage as much as possible. >> what i do now has an affect on future generations and i don't want to leave future generations with a real problem. if i can help it. >> and i think i can. the things that i do, as small as they may seem, they add up. >> reporter: so that was what? >> that was the way i flush my toilets. solar hot water is the first thing anybody should do. it pays itself back in a matter of a few years. when the images of oil-stained birds and people losing their livelihoods, i really hope that gets people to understand that it's our demand that makes that happen. our demand is what makes them want to drill a mile deep in the gulf of mexico. >> and a reminder, the interior secretary b.p. and coast guard officials will update us this afternoon on efforts to stop the flow of oil in the gulf. that's around 2:30 eastern, right here in the cnn newsroom. >> and that wraps things up for us, it's been a sun ffun six hoi can't believe we made it. >> we did it. >> n

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