bp says it's expecting the latest attempt to be the one that does the trick. capping out of all that oil gushing into the gulf of mexico. workers have managed to insert a four-inch tube down to the spill site, capturing some of the leaking oil and pumping it to a ship on the surface of the gulf. after weeks of bad news, they're calling it a positive step forward. >> we ran the -- they call it the riser insertion tube tool. and they ran it up night and started to get oil up to the surface into the drill ship. then we had a small problem and the tool came out of the riser, but they got that reinserted this morning and as we speak, there is oil going into the drill ship. so we need to get a bit more time with it to see how effective it can be, but it is working. >> cnn's david mattingly covering this story from the very beginning. david, is this the real deal or is it spin? what's going on here? >> reporter: it is the real deal in the sense that they're finally able to siphon some of that leaking oil up to the surface vessel and keep it out of the gulf of mexico. but at this point, bp cannot tell us exactly how much oil they're going to be able to collect with this process. we've asked some very pointed questions about what sort of success they're going to have with this and they're not able to answer that yet, because the system is so new. every step has been an experiment and they're waiting to find out perhaps another 24 hours before they know just how much oil they're going to collect with this. >> all right. they're waiting for another 24 hours, but then what happens beyond this? what's next? >> reporter: this is just the first step. they wanted to stem the flow of oil into the gulf of mexico. they never said they'd be able to stop it with this tube, and they're not going to be able to. what they're looking at now is the next step that will stop the flow of oil into the gulf. and that's going to involve something that's going to happen about seven to ten days from now and is something called kill mud, where they're going to be pouring that substance -- it's not actually garden-variety mud, this is a substance that they use in the drilling process, and they're going to be pumping massive amounts of that directly into the well to fill it up, to clog it up and to stop the flow of oil. but, again, that is seven to ten days away and they're working on getting that ready right now. >> david mattingly, thank you very much. we talk now about the tensions in thailand, where bullets are flying in the streets of bangkok. nine people were killed in the last 24 hours in fighting between troops and anti-government protesters, bringing the death toll to 33 since thursday. bangkok is normally considered safe enough to attract tourists from all over the world, including thousands every year from america. but violence is radically changing the face of that city. our dan rivers has been following all of this and he's standing by tonight in bangkok. dan, what's the very latest? >> reporter: well, the death toll has gone up again, i'm afraid. it's now 35 people dead since thursday, including one soldier. 11 people were killed yesterday and overnight. that's sunday and overnight into monday morning here now. and as i speak to you still now, there is smoke billowing across the skyline in bangkok. a very fierce firefight overnight around 11:00 p.m. on sunday night here, which was very intense. it went on for more than an hour and sounded like automatic gunfire being exchanged and very loud explosions, possibly grenades. >> so, dan, listen, lots of americans either travel there for vacation or they work there. the state department is warning american tourists to stay out of bangkok. how badly will this hurt tourism and is there any way to know when this might be over? >> reporter: well, it's certainly not helping thailand's international image around the world. that thailand, as you say, is seen as a sort of paradise holiday destination, but those scenes we're seeing on the streets of bangkok are anything but a paradise. it's a bit of a nightmare here in part. having said that, elsewhere in thailand, things are completely peaceful. on the holiday islands, things are fine. so if people are heading to the islands, i think there's not a problem. if they're coming to bangkok to do some shopping, i'd say forget it. all the shops are closed downtown and it's very dangerous in some parts of the city. >> cnn's dan rivers, thank you very much, dan. and tonight we're learning more about the man accused in the times square bombing and what he was thinking. tonight, for the first time, we get a look at him and his own words in two e-mails obtained by cnn's susan candiotti. susan joins us now from new york. susan, where are these e-mails from and what do they tell us? >> well, don, what helped propel terror suspect faisal shahzad? what led him to set off a car bomb in a crowded times square? cnn has indeed obtained two e-mails written by shahzad, written in 2006 and just last year. in the first e-mail written four years ago, shahzad refers to attacks on muslims overseas and a controversy when a danish newspaper published a cartoon depicting the prophet muhammad. quoting here, "it is with no doubt that we today muslim followers of islam are attacked and occupied by foreign infidel forces. the crusade has already started against islam and muslims with cartoons of our beloved prophet as war drums." and in another part of the e-mail viewed by cnn, shahzad appears to express frustration about those he perceives are attacking his he religion. "can you tell me a way to save the oppressed and a way to fight back when rockets are fired at us and muslim blood flows? in pal stan, afghan, iraq, chechnya and elsewhere, we don't know the realities on ground as to what the mujahadin goes through, but you would have to agree to the fact that there is a force out there that is fighting the west and is defeating them. and fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression." >> who handed these e-mails over to us and why did they do it? >> well, first shahzad sent them to friends of his and we acquired them from a physician who works in connecticut and he's very active with a group called the muslim peace initiative. and he also serves on an fbi multicultural diversity council and has for years. in fact, was honored by the fbi. so he wanted to make them public because he wants the public to also try to understand, as everyone is trying to understand, of course, what led to this attempted attack on times square. >> so has the fbi had a chance to look at these e-mails? have they commented about them yet? >> yes, they have. as a matter of fact, when they became available to dr. anwar, he, in turn, took them to the fbi and said, this is something that you have to look at. and the fbi also had a chance to speak with the person to whom the e-mails were sent. so they are currently analyzing this new information, to help put a portrait together of faisal shahzad. >> interesting story. good information, susan. thank you very much for that. london's two busiest airports are shut down tonight because of an enormous ash cloud. no flights are going in or out of either heathrow or gatwick airports. the ash is from the same volcano in iceland that halted air travel overseas last month and canceled thousands of flights. airports in ireland and scotland may stay closed. in a few minutes, a full forecast on how bad the travel delays could get this time around. but first, candidates are in the home stretch for three big primaries on tuesday. >> we are going to win, because the working families are the ones that win when we do win. >> voting could provide early answers about the midterm elections in the fall. we love getting our outback dirty. because it seems like the dirtier it gets, the more it shines. the subaru outback®. motor trend's 2010 sport/utility of the year®. during red lobster's festival of shrimp. combine two or three favorites, from classics to new creations... starting at $11.99. right now at red lobster. national car rental? that's my choice. because with national, i roll past the counter... and choose any car in the aisle. oh, buck chooses the blue one! [ male announcer ] go national. go like a pro. choosing your own car? now, that's a good call. the new week will bring some major political showdowns that could cause aftershocks all the way to november. on tuesday, we're going to get an early test of voter attitudes toward incumbents and so-called establishment candidates. let's talk three huge senate races and why they're important with our political editor, mark preston, he's at the national constitution center in pennsylvania. our deputy political director, paul steinhauser is in kentucky. and our senior congressional correspondent, dana bash, is in arkansas for us tonight. we've got the a-team joining us. we'll start with mark. senator arlen specter is being challenged by congressman joe sestak there in pennsylvania. what's the story there? why is arlen specter in trouble? >> well, you know something, don, about a month ago, arlen specter wasn't in trouble. he has been the favorite candidate of the democratic establishment. president obama has come up here and has campaigned on his behalf. big labor is behind arlen specter. however, don, arlen specter's a republican-turned-democrat. as our viewers will remember, last year arlen specter switched party and basically gave president obama the 60th vote he needed to try to get his legislation through congress. however, what we've seen in the past couple of weeks is that there has been a turn. mr. sestak has put an ad out, don, that has linked arlen specter back to the previous bush administration when president bush endorsed him in a previous campaign. we also see back there is democratic voters here that are not tied to the labor community that still view arlen specter as republican. and basically, it comes down to this, don, this anti-incumbent mood right now seems to be sweeping through here pennsylvania. the question for arlen specter is, don, is it strong enough to sweep him out of office? a question that will be answered on tuesday evening. >> is this going to come down to, mark, who's the real democrat here? is that what it is? >> and that's what we're hearing right now, don. a few hours ago, early this morning, we saw mr. specter and mr. sestak both attend church services all around philadelphia here, where i'm located. black churches, specifically. and in fact, we heard mr. spector make his push to one congregation. about an hour later, we saw the same congregation welcome mr. sestak in. the fact of the matter is, mr. specter thinks that, bottom line, it's going to be the black vote. if he can get the black vote out behind him, he thinks he's going to win this primary on tuesday. >> it's becoming a real get-out-the-vote campaign. and let's go to paul steinhauser. two battling for the nomination, an outsider and an insider. >> you were just talking about that anti-incumbent fever, there is no incumbent here. the current senator, jim bunning, he's retiring, he's a republican. but you're right, there's an outsider in this race and that is rand paul. name sound familiar at all, don, he's the son of ron paul, the republican congressman who ran for the presidential nomination in 2008. rand paul, he's an eye surgeon, first-time candidate. he's become a tea party favorite. has even been endorsed by sarah palin, the former alaska governor. and the other is trey grayson, the secretary of state here in kentucky, also a very conservative candidate. but he's considered the establishment candidate or the mainstream republican. he was hand picked by mitch mcconnell, republican kentucky senior senator and also the top republican in the senate. you've got an outside, a mainstream republican, and polls suggest now that rand paul has taken the lead in this race by about 10 to 12 points. we are two days away from a primary everybody's keeping their eyes on, don. there's also a democratic primary here that's been overshadowed. got the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state. we'll keep an eye on this race, don. >> it's going to be a very busy tuesday. and of course, that means our dana bash is going to be seen a lot here on cnn and working very hard. dana, we go off to arkansas now. incumbent blanche lincoln is also facing a challenge from within the democratic party. how is she handling that? >> reporter: it's very interesting, because her challenger is the lieutenant governor, bill halter, and he is somebody who on a national level, if you look at his politics, he's not considered a progressive, but he is challenging her with the help of national progressive movements, like moveon.org and also the labor union. they have come in here in a big, big way. they have made blanche lincoln the poster child for a democrat who doesn't go their way and they're going to try to get rid of her. they're spending millions and millions of dollars here. but what is so interesting is that blanche lincoln's challenge is really just the anti-incumbent fervor that we are seeing across the country. her opponent is really challenging what he calls over and over again the anti-incumbent problems in washington and he says that she needs to be ousted because she is a creature of washington. so the way she's handling that, don, is by talking about her record, talking about what she has done for the people of arkansas, over and over again, and she's trying to position herself as somebody who is there in washington, but using her perch to fight wall street, the big bad wall street, because she's chairman of the agriculture committee. she has a bill to deal with that. listen to how she addressed her constituents, campaigning here today. we were with her earlier today and she touched on this issue. take a listen. >> so i introduced the toughest bill of anybody in washington. tougher than the administration's bill, tougher than the other bills in congress, and you know what? it's real simply. it just simply says, if you're going to participate in that risky activity, take it away from my house. get it out of my bank. >> reporter: so there you hear her saying that she's trying. she's in washington, she's a senator, but she's at least trying to fight all of the forces that people here in arkansas and across the country say that they're so fed up, which is why there's so much anger. but it's really unclear as of now whether or not people are going -- that's really going to penetrate and get through what sometimes is frankly not necessarily targeted or logical anger, just angry, and she's a sitting senator, so she is their target. >> and she's very colorful, as you saw in her outfit there and her choice of words as well. i want to go to paul again, because paul you usually crunch the numbers here. you've covered the tea party a lot, so how is it influencing all these races we're talking about on tuesday, where dana is, where mark is, where you are? >> reporter: on the republican side, listen, they've had an impact this year. there is so much energy, enthusiasm among tea party activists and it is playing out in the primaries. just two weeks ago in the indiana primary, the candidate he backed, he didn't win but came in second and did much better than expected. it was just last weekend that senator bob bennett of utah, he's been ousted in a party convention in utah, partly because tea party activists were dead set against him. so they've definitely had an impact. they're backing rand paul here. if he wins, they'll claim it as another victory on their belt. >> paul steinhauser, mark preston, dana bash, thank you all very much. this is a precursor, everyone is saying, to what's going to happen in november. thank you, guys. every parent's worst nightmare and every police officer's when a raid goes terribly wrong. >> she was asleep and they came through the door shooting, throwing flash grenades -- >> at the wrong house. >> at the wrong house. >> a 7-year-old girl, an nept victim. over 190 times. each brita filter can take up to 300 of those bottles out of the equation. no flights are getting in or out of london's two busiest airports tonight because of a giant volcanic ash cloud. heathrow and gatwick airports are shut down for the next few hours. the ash is from the same volcano in iceland that halted travels overseas last month. both airports are scheduled to reopen tomorrow, but other airports in ireland and scotland may stay closed longer. let's go now to the person who knows all about this, karen maginnis. what a mess. i've heard from people who have been traveling overseas and they have to take these really crazy routes to get back. >> manchester is going to open back up, but gatwick and heathrow both are closed, they're saying for six hours total. and we are looking at the possibility that that may be extended. that is just a conjecture on my part, but that would wreak havoc as far as the flying world is concerned. all right. i want to show you, an area of low pressure here, not that that really makes a whole lot of difference when you're stuck with the ash, but what we're seeing is the ash cloud coming all the way down into southern uk. it's also moved in across belfast and dublin, so they've shut those airports down there as well. they were shut early on. but what we're also anticipating is that maybe a little bit later on, we could see some of that ash make its way all the way down towards the coast of france and then it will start to move further over towards the east. so we'll have this shift from a southerly flow to a more easterly flow and so that could wreak some havoc in the next several days. but we think the bulk of this ash cloud, don, is going to -- the effects of this are going to be felt in gatwick and heathrow for at least the next day or so, and you have -- >> i've got some new information. don't go anywhere, because i'm going to tell you, this is just coming into cnn here. we're hearing that amsterdam's shippel airport will stop all flights on monday due to an ash cloud due to a volcano in iceland. an airport spokesman just said, the closure starts at 6:00 a.m., midnight sunday eastern time, and extends to 2:00 p.m., which is 8:00 a.m. eastern time. all this through a spokesman, the spokesman says he doesn't know, have definitive information on when the flights will resume. karen, stand by, it's going to be a mess. >> don, the ash now is being thrown into the atmosphere to around 29,000 feet. pilots doing those international crossings are between 30 to 37,000 feet. so they'd have to go right through that. and that would wreak havoc on the engines. too much. >> boy, oh, boy. thank you, karen. a murder-for-hire plot involving a celebrity chef. you won't believe who he asked to be the hit man. plus this -- raising money and awareness and voices to help the gulf coast in the wake of an environmental disaster. lenny kravitz joined me live and i'll show you the highlights from that. i can't wait to just sit by the pool and relax. yea. 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