Oil slick expected to reach Louisiana ports Friday
CNN Wire Staff
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/US/04/30/louisiana.oil.spill/c1main.wetlands.gi.jpg caption="Officials monitoring spill have not yet confirmed reports that oil reached land early Friday" width=300 height=169]
Officials anticipate Venice and Port Fourchon, Louisiana, will be the first places affected Friday when the massive oil spill caused by a rig explosion reaches shore, said a spokesman for the oil company BP.
Officials monitoring the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have not yet confirmed reports that oil reached land early Friday.
The Coast Guard was conducting a flyover Friday morning to see if oil had reached Louisiana's coastline as federal, state and local officials scrambled to avert a natural disaster threatening to surpass the Exxon Valdez disaster 20 years ago in Alaska.
AC360° Web Exclusive: All risks are not created equal
Dr. Nathan Wolfe
Special to CNN
Last week I was stranded in London by Eyjafjallajokull. As I waded through the throngs at St. Pancras station in London hoping to catch one of the few seats available on the train bound for Paris, I thought back to the fear and disruption during the first days of the swine flu (A/H1N1) epidemic roughly a year ago.
Natural threats, whether they be eruptions or epidemics, have the potential to disrupt our lives, and as I watched the media report on the eruption and heard disgruntled passengers complain, it became clear that many saw these distinct natural events in a very similar light.
Natl. Poll: More favor than oppose Arizona immigration law
Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/04/28/immigration.reform.debate/smlvid.azrally.gi.jpg caption="According to the survey, nearly eight out of ten Americans have heard about the law. Of those, 51 percent support the measure and 39 percent oppose the law." width=300 height=169]
Nearly four in ten Americans support Arizona's new immigration law while three in ten say they oppose it, according to a new national poll.
A Gallup survey released Thursday indicates that 39 percent of the public says from they know or have heard about the new law, they support it, with 30 percent opposed and 31 percent saying they have not heard of the new law or have no opinion.
The poll was conducted April 27-28. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the legislation into law on April 23. The law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they are in the United States illegally. The measure also makes it a state crime to live in or travel through Arizona illegally. The laws has ignited protests in the state and across the country and some are urging economic boycotts of Arizona.
Crime stats test rationale behind Arizona immigration law
Mariano Castillo
CNN
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/02/13/king.sou.border/art.borderfence.cnn.jpg caption="CNN Fact Check: Kidnapping is up in Phoenix, but murderers' status can't be proven" width=300 height=169]
High levels of illegal immigration and crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants are among the key rationales cited by some supporters of a tough new immigration law in Arizona.
"Border violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said at the signing of the controversial bill, SB 1070. "There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of the drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life."
Yet, a look at statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and the FBI indicate that both the number of illegal crossers and violent crime in general have actually decreased in the past several years.
Money talks, but doesn't listen
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
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The fury over Wall Street Fat Cats reached a new high on Capitol Hill this week, as a police lineup of Goldman Sach’ers came to scratch and yawn while Senators desperately tried to make them admit…well, frankly, anything.
In my brief moments of lucidity as I struggled against the coma-inducing Kryptonite of a Congressional hearing, this is what they extracted in the way of confessions: 1) High finance is really complex, 2) We’re upset about how things turned out, because the tens of millions we scored in bonuses is not nearly enough, and 3) Yes, we heard something about a housing collapse. How is that working out for you little people?
Part of the problem was a language barrier. The Senators were speaking in Outrage; a commonly understood tongue of the American populace. But the GS’ers were answering in Filthy-Richese; actually a rare dialect of that language known as I’ve-Got-More-Money-Than-the-Pope. And btw, he’s got a boss, I don’t.
But there was also a knowledge gap between the sides. Members of Congress are often more instinctive than intelligent. Don’t get me wrong: They can be smart, but the skills needed to win public office these days do not necessarily require it. (Oddly enough, getting elected does require an almost feral ability to sniff out and avoid cell phone cameras when a mistress is in tow, but that’s another story.) As a result, precious few of our top elected officials appear to be as versed in the big money game as they need to be for this kind of show down.
Out of the entire panel trying to pin down the GS’ers, only Senator Carl Levin of Michigan seemed truly comfortable navigating the arcane terms and concepts that the Wall Street crowd sprays like octopus ink whenever the questions get too threatening. And even he, with his prosecutorial zeal, never really came close to cornering them.
Because in the end, the GS’ers came wrapped in virtually impenetrable suits of money, capable of deflecting almost anything the politicos fire at them. They deny any wrongdoing. They are fighting the SEC charges against their company. They’re keeping the cash.
Money talks. And what it is saying to those in DC who think Wall Street greed helped tank the U.S. economy, is “So what?”
Sources: White House officials urging liberal pick for court vacancy
Bill Mears
CNN Supreme Court Producer
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/03/15/supreme.court.building.jpg]
The White House has begun finalizing its list of potential nominees for the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy, with many senior administration officials privately urging the president to name someone with a proven, "reliable" liberal record, according to sources closely involved in the selection process.
It comes as President Obama has expressed renewed alarm over what he called "activism" by conservative judges, saying part of his criteria in selecting the next person to sit on the high court will be "judicial restraint."
White House officials have been quietly holding small, informal meetings this week with progressive groups, discussing candidates for the court and political issues that could be raised during the Senate confirmation process.
Arizona law meant to provoke government action
Michael Hethmon
Special to CNN
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/OPINION/04/30/hethmon.arizona.immigration/tzleft.mike.hethmon.courtesy.jpg caption="Michael Hethmon says Arizona law meant to create sustainable immigration reform" width=300 height=169]
Where did Arizona's new immigration enforcement statute Senate Bill 1070 come from, and where is this fast-developing trend of state activism in immigration law enforcement headed now?
The law has gone viral in the public mind over the past couple of weeks. Elites and special interests are in an uproar, but some polls show that ordinary citizens and voters support local and state enforcement initiatives by wide margins.
SB 1070 was intended by its creators, myself among them, to provoke sustainable immigration reform. To understand how and why requires an insight into the history of the modern immigration control movement.
Video: Stem cell medical breakthrough?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta | BIO
AC360° Contributor
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
Video: Murder on the border
Randi Kaye | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Watch Randi Kaye's behind the scenes reporter's notebook:
Sound Off: Your comments 4/29/10
Editor's Note: After Thursday night's AC360°, we heard from many of you about Arizona's Immigration law. The majority of comments were in favor of Arizona's new law. What do you think?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
I support the new Arizona immigration law 100%. I wish every state passed a similar law.
They are here illegally to begin with. Where do they get off demanding anything? We pay high taxes in Texas because of these illegals that crowd the emergency rooms because they have no insurance. We welcome them if they go about it legally.
I am wondering why more air time is given to those opposed to the Arizona law than those for it. You have even had interviews with people from other countries–why? Shakira is from Columbia, so why does her opinion count for anything? I live in Arizona and I support the bill. Illegal aliens and legal immigrants are not the same thing–why aren't you reporting that?
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