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Rick's List
British Prime Minister Resigns; Gulf Oil Spill Blame Game
Aired May 11, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It is remarkable, what is going on right now in England, breaking news, folks. Let's go to it.
All right, take a look at some of the pictures that we have gathered for you. You're going to see the process as it unfolds in the United Kingdom. They literally have, well, really no prime minister, at least officially, right now. They are in the middle of one going out and the other one coming in.
We have put some boxes there, so you could see exactly what's going on, top right, Gordon Brown and his wife and his children leaving 10 Downing Street, walking all the way to the queen's residence. You see Buckingham Palace right there on the bottom. There's a reporter standing in front of it right now, but there's Buckingham Palace, where the prime minister, really the former prime minister, just went to give his resignation to the queen, who we understand has accepted the resignation.
There you see 10 Downing Street, 10 Downing Street on the right top quadrant. That is where David Cameron, who is about to become the new prime minister, will soon stand in front of and enter his new residence.
And on the bottom right is the cabinet office. And that's where the deals are being made. That's where they're coming up with what kind of coalition government this new government will be.
Will it be a combination of Cameron and Nick Clegg from the Libs, with Cameron, of course, as prime minister, maybe Nick Clegg as deputy prime minister? That would be different. Or maybe they will offer him home secretary, which is like interior minister.
Let's see. Gordon Brown has just left. These are live pictures.
What are we looking at here, Angie (ph)? I'm not sure. This is Cameron going in? All right. Cameron's going to be coming out in just a little bit.
And just -- just for the sake of you who don't follow the British elections -- I know many of you have -- the drama has been unfolding now over the better part of the last hour or so. This is almost like the official exchange, one out, one in.
The out, of course, is Gordon Brown, who has had one of the -- one of the shortest tenures of any prime minister in decades. He has just gone. Do we have the pictures of Brown, Dee (ph)? There he is. Suddenly, he came out of 10 Downing Street and then helicopters starting following him and his motorcade, as first he walked, then made his way over to Buckingham Palace, where he tenured his resignation with the queen.
Then, what's interesting is moments after that -- I want you to watch this now, because this is interesting. Moments after that, the prime minister-to-be, prime minister-elect, so to speak, or at least that's what we would call him over here, came out, made his first appearance, and he was there with his delegation.
And what's interesting is, the people there started booing. They started booing Cameron's delegation. Now, it's not Cameron you're going to see, but listen to what the folks on the street there scream at him as he comes out. It's a word that's arguably -- well, let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's kind of a -- I guess a nasty word. I will say it and I will say it only once. But a huge chant began that said "Tories suck," I mean, just over and over and over again.
It was quite startling to hear that. It almost looked like some in the delegation themselves were embarrassed by the moment. Then, we went over and saw what was happening with the situation there in Buckingham Palace.
It didn't take long for the queen to accept the former prime minister's resignation, and now we understand she should be meeting, greeting, and accepting her new prime minister, which will be David Cameron.
I think we have sound of the -- I think we have sound from Gordon Brown just as he announced or soon after he came out of 10 Downing Street and announced his resignation with his wife and his two children. Let's listen to that, if we can, Dee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: My resignation as leader of the Labor Party will take effect immediately. And, in this hour, I want to thank all my colleagues, ministers, members of Parliament. And I want to thank, above all, my staff, who have been friends, as well as brilliant servants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: OK.
And now we see some of the latest pictures. One of my colleagues, Roger Clark, I see, is getting miked up.
Come on up here, Roger.
This is -- this is most interesting, to see this process unfold. Where we are now -- correct me if I'm wrong -- is, the former prime minister has gone to the queen. She's accepted his resignation, and now what appears to be the future prime minister, David Cameron, is about to offer his services, I suppose, to the queen. Is that correct?
ROGER CLARK, CNN ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: Yes, that's the top and bottom of it, Rick.
I mean, what happens in these situations is, bear in mind, the prime minister is a crown appointment. It's her majesty's prime minister. So, as the queen appoints Gordon Brown, then the prime minister, Gordon Brown, has to resign to the queen.
SANCHEZ: I see.
CLARK: So, he will have gone to Buckingham Palace, as you saw on your program.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
CLARK: He tenders his resignation to the queen. He was met by the equerry. He was met by a lady in waiting. And then he tendered his resignation.
SANCHEZ: These pictures we're seeing on the left right here, this motorcade, these aerial shots, what is that?
CLARK: Well, that could be Gordon Brown on his way to a private residence, or it could be David Cameron on his way to Buckingham Palace. It's a little bit unclear at the moment, but...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: The real news now is David Cameron is on his way to Buckingham Palace to become the next prime minister of the U.K.?
CLARK: Yes.
Becky Anderson told me a few minutes ago that David Cameron is expected at Buckingham Palace in about 15 minutes. And when he goes there, he will be welcomed in the quadrangle of Buckingham Palace by an equerry and by a lady in waiting, who welcomes Samantha Cameron.
SANCHEZ: What is an equerry?
CLARK: Well, it's kind of an assistant to the queen...
SANCHEZ: I see.
CLARK: ... normally a military man, a senior military man.
He will be then taken into the palace. Cameron will go into the palace. He will kiss hands with the queen. And as soon as he kisses hands with the queen, that's the point at which he becomes her majesty's 12th prime minister. And after he's done that, he then makes his way down the mile, round horse guards and into the front of 10 Downing Street, and he will make a speech. Where Gordon Brown said goodbye, David Cameron will say, hello. It's a new dawn.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: It's that fast. One guy moves out, the other guy moves -- he literally will tonight be sleeping in 10 Downing Street, where last night Gordon Brown slept with his family?
CLARK: It's brutal. It's brutal in Britain.
There are stories of prime ministers like Edward Heath, who left in 1974. While he was up at Buckingham Palace, the removal men were taking his suitcases and his grand piano out of back of Number 10 into removal vans. It's pretty brutal.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: ... shoving him out the door.
CLARK: That's it.
Look, that's David Cameron.
SANCHEZ: That's David Cameron coming into the palace right now, right?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes. That's David -- and he will...
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: OK. Let me read you what I was just handed, CNN confirming really what we already know.
This is a spokesperson, Roger, at the press office for Buckingham Palace telling CNN -- quote -- "Gordon Brown had an audience with the queen this evening and tendered his resignation as prime minister and first lord of the treasury, which her majesty accepted."
OK. We knew that. We also expect...
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: OK. Here we go.
CLARK: And there's the equerry meeting Mr. and Mrs. Cameron. And they're walking through the quadrangle. In fact, they're going into the queen's private quarters at Buckingham Palace.
SANCHEZ: Who is that they're greeting now?
(CROSSTALK) CLARK: That's the lady in waiting. That's her majesty's lady in waiting.
SANCHEZ: I see.
CLARK: And they will go into -- into the sovereign's entrance there. And he will see the queen for maybe, I don't know, 15, 20 minutes. He will kiss her hand. And once he kisses her hand, he's her 12th prime minister.
And who was her first prime minister, Rick? Who do you think was the queen's first prime minister?
SANCHEZ: Churchill?
CLARK: Well done. Well done.
SANCHEZ: Churchill.
CLARK: Winston Churchill was the queen's first prime minister. That's how long she's -- she's been around.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
CLARK: So, these events, appointing prime ministers and accepting their resignation, well, it's old hand to her. She's done it so many times.
SANCHEZ: This is an amazing process.
I have been following this for the better part of an hour now. And you and I have been talking about it all day, because the expectation in England...
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: This is an important event, just -- just like -- what would you make it akin to in our country, the inauguration, or what would this be like?
CLARK: Well, it's kind of an inauguration. But the thing is, with an inauguration -- no, no, no. An inauguration is like a coronation.
SANCHEZ: Is a done deal, right.
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: It's like the coronation of a monarch.
You have got to remember that the prime minister is the head of government, not the head of state, so I don't really think there is a comparison with the United States.
SANCHEZ: There's a -- there's a -- the palace now, right? There's Buckingham Palace. CLARK: Yes, that's an aerial shot of Buckingham Palace, looking at the front of the palace. And there you see the Queen Victoria statue down at the bottom left of your screen.
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: These helicopters high above Canada Gate looking out over the palace. And the -- Mr. Cameron is in the right-hand side of the palace, if you look down the right-hand side. And that's the sort of -- the area where the queen has her private chambers there. And you can tell the queen's there. You always know when the queen...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I know why the -- I know why the queen is there, because I see the standard flying.
CLARK: The royal standard is flying over -- over the palace.
SANCHEZ: Exactly.
CLARK: So, really...
SANCHEZ: When she's in, the flag is up.
CLARK: That's right.
And what I would say is that this is a very -- this is normally a very, very smooth transition. Normally, what happens, election on a Thursday. On the Friday morning, if it's a change of government, the prime minister comes out, says goodbye. They swap prime ministers around. New prime minister comes in. And that's it.
And the queen is off to the Windsor Castle by lunchtime. This has gone on for days. But we have only been, what, 45 minutes without a prime minister.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting, almost like there's a vacuum here.
OK. Here's what's going to happen now. He will leave Buckingham Palace. This is David Cameron. He will go over to 10 Downing Street. He will make a speech. Then we also need to find out, well, where does Nick Clegg fit into all of this? Is Nick Clegg going to accept a position as a deputy prime minister? Is he going to be home secretary, which would be also very important?
Deal-making is going on right now, folks. Roger is here to talk us through this. The answers, we don't have them, but we will likely by the end of this hour, we expect.
As it happens, you will see it play out here, live, on CNN. This is democracy in action, and we are going to be all over it.
Also, let me tell you what else we're following for you. Look at this. This is incredible, fish net stockings, stilettos and a bustier, surely, those aren't USA contestants. Or are they? There's a lot of talk about this story. It's a controversy.
Also, have you seen the video that is coming out of Oklahoma of what the deadly tornadoes left behind last night? That's ahead as well. That's one of the tornadoes.
And one of the biggest stories going on today here in the United States, Bernie Sanders wants to audit the Federal Reserve. Now, that's brazen, isn't it? It's your money, and he says he wants a full accounting of it from now on. He's going to join me live. Stay right there. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: There's breaking news coming in to us right now. It's part of a story that we have been following throughout the day.
We have just received the sad news that the vice president's son, Beau Biden -- and let me confirm this before -- tell me again. Yes, OK, good. He did. I was almost afraid the way you just said that to me in my ear.
We have just confirmed that he had a stroke. We had known that he was in the hospital all day long. We just -- there was a lot of talk about whether or not his condition was one way or the other or what actually put him in the hospital.
The fact that he had a stroke is obviously news. Exactly what kind of stroke it was, whether it's debilitating or something that they were able to get to soon enough, these are all questions that we're going to be able to ask Dr. Sanjay Gupta or one of our other officials.
What are we hearing, Angie? Say that again. All right. Here's some of the good news coming in now. Just, you know, details are important in a story like this. My executive producer is telling me that he is in good spirits and that he is talking to his family, fully alert and now reported to be in stable condition.
Listen -- yes, listen to this. I'm getting a statement now from Dr. Timothy Gardner, medical director of the Center for Heart and Vascular Surgery at Christiana Care Health System. And listen to the rest of this quote, because, when you report of somebody having a stroke, it can be anything from A to Z, but when you look at the details of a story like this, you start to get a better feel and -- for what we're talking about.
He's fully alert, in stable condition, and has full motor and speech skills. Thank goodness. Always good to hear that, again, full motor and speech skills. We expect him to make a complete recovery. That's from Dr. Timothy Gardner, medical director for the Center of Heart and Vascular Surgery at Christiana Care Health System.
So, there you go.
Beau Biden, as you know, is the attorney general for the state of Delaware and the apple of his father's eye. He is the son of the vice president of the United States. OK. We're going to be all over that for you.
On the LIST right now -- by the way, if there's any movement on that story and if there's any movement on that story going on in the U.K., we are going to bring you those developments as they happen. And we expect that David Cameron may be coming out any moment now, and after meeting with the queen and I suppose accepting the position of new prime minister of the U.K., and then telling us what he will do as far as a deputy prime minister goes, which might be Nick Clegg, or that decision may be left to some of the folks over there in the cabinet office who have been negotiating this deal, all of this coming down during this newscast.
And when it happens, you will see it live right here.
In the meantime, the oil that is still spewing in the Gulf of Mexico, when will it stop? Will it ever stop, 210,000 gallons of crude every single day? This is what it looks like, some of the latest pictures that we have gotten today. A lot of questions, right? How many answers? Hardly any, like, where's the oil headed? Is a wind shift going to push it more toward Louisiana?
Chad Myers has been following this for us. And he's going to join me here in just a little bit.
And, by the way, then there's the economic impact. Is it a threat to wildlife? And there are some folks out there -- people have been asking me in my community, hey, is the price of shrimp going to go up? You know, is the -- can you still get crawfish anywhere? I mean, just basic stuff that you would expect to see at the grocery stores that you start to wonder if this thing's going to dissipate.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's going to make a big economic impact positive and negative for some people. There will be people that make money on this. There will be lot of people, the working people, that lose a lot of money on this.
SANCHEZ: Is there any chance that the -- look, you and I, we had this interview yesterday with the guy at BP, and he was brave -- he was brave to come on.
MYERS: Sure.
SANCHEZ: Because we were -- I thought I was pretty -- I was hard on him, but only as hard as I think the American people want answers for. It doesn't look like they have a handle on this.
MYERS: They don't.
SANCHEZ: It doesn't look like they know what they're doing. It doesn't look like they know if they are ever going to be able to cap these leaks. Am I wrong?
MYERS: Only in the fact that they believe that -- and this has been proven before -- that, when they make this well, the connecting well, the two-months-out-before-it's-done well, and they connect it to the well that's leaking now, they will be able to shut this oil off, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Well, they're getting a lot of heat. They were at a hearing today.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: This is Senator Cantwell of Washington asking the chairman and BP's president just the same questions that you and I were just talking about right now.
Dee, take that on this router, if you would.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAMAR MCKAY, PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN, BP AMERICA, INC.: Obviously, we can't keep from being sued, but, yes, we're -- we have said exactly what we mean. We're going to pay the legitimate claims.
SEN. MARIA CANTWELL (D), WASHINGTON: OK. So, if it's a legitimate claim of harm to the fishing industry, both short term and long term, you're going to pay?
MCKAY: We're going to pay all legitimate claims.
CANTWELL: If it's an impact for business loss from tourism, you're going to pay.
MCKAY: We're going to pay all legitimate claims.
CANTWELL: To state and local governments for lost tax revenue, you're going to pay.
MCKAY: Question mark.
CANTWELL: Long-term damages to the Louisiana fishing industry and its brand.
MCKAY: I can't -- I can't quantify or speculate on long-term. I don't know how to define it.
CANTWELL: Additional troubles from depleted fisheries and their recovery.
MCKAY: We're going to pay all legitimate claims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: "We're going to pay all legitimate claims." You always wonder when you start hearing someone repeat a line over and over again, what's going on here?
MYERS: Well, I think that that was his way of saying, I'm not taking the fifth, but I -- yes, I think he just didn't want to say yes. And I don't know why just yes, no, put question mark on the one.
But that's OK. You know what? The shrimping industry will be affected for a very long time, and he didn't want to be able to say, no, we're not pay this for -- you don't want to say, we're going to pay for 25 years.
SANCHEZ: Bottom line, this is a stalemate, really. We have oil leaking in the Gulf.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We don't have a solution for it.
MYERS: Right.
SANCHEZ: They keep telling us they're going to try something they think will work, it doesn't work, and then they prepare to do something else.
MYERS: Rick, let me tell you about some of the other thing.
People are getting their hair cut because they are going to sprinkle the hair in the Gulf of Mexico because hair will absorb the oil. A company in Quebec is shredding peat moss because they can spread peat moss on the oil. It will absorb the oil, not absorb water. It's hydrophobic, so it's not going to wet, but it's going to absorb all the oil. Then how do you pick it up?
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: They are going to put hay on the beaches. There are so many other things they're going to try.
SANCHEZ: Here's the other problem. BP to a certain extent is doing some of this. They're saying, yes, it's our oil, but it wasn't our oil rig and somebody else was processing the lines that were coming out of there.
This gets confusing. Listen to some of the testimony today. This is exactly what we're talking about. It's not my fault. It's the other guy's fault. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKAY: Transocean, as owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, had responsibility for the safety of drilling operations.
STEVEN NEWMAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TRANSOCEAN LIMITED: What caused that sudden violent failure? Was the well properly designed? Were there problems with the casing or the seal assembly? Was the casing properly cemented and the well effectively sealed?
TIM PROBERT, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL BUSINESS LINES, CHIEF HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, HALLIBURTON: Two things can be said with some certainty: The casing shoe was cemented some 20 hours prior to the tragic incident. And had the BOP functioned as expected, this catastrophe may well not have occurred.
MCKAY: Why did Transocean's blowout preventer, the key failsafe mechanism, fail to shut in the well and release the rig?
NEWMAN: Were all appropriate tests run on the cement and the casing? Were the blowout preventers damaged by the surge that emanated from the well?
PROBERT: Halliburton as a service provider to the well owner is contractually bound to comply with the well owner's instructions on all matters relating to the performance of all work-related activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: These are all wonderful questions.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: But why are they being asked now? And any good, self- respecting journalist and any good, self-respecting lawmaker and any good, self-respecting agency director who's responsible for this type of story should be kicking themselves in the butt right now and saying, why didn't I think of this three, four years ago, when I saw them putting these wells in?
MYERS: Because...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Because this happens to us all the time in this country.
MYERS: It has not -- this is the first one that's failed like this. This is the problem. Had we had one that failed that didn't put down four million gallons of oil already and they could have fixed it, then they would have had a go-to plan.
SANCHEZ: But this is one of the only ones that's 5,000 feet down. That's what makes the difference.
MYERS: No, no, no, no, no.
SANCHEZ: Well, the guy told us yesterday, he said, yes, we have got a few who are more deep, but this is about as deep as it gets for these guys.
MYERS: Well, no, Chevron has them deeper. There are -- this is not...
SANCHEZ: This close to the Gulf?
MYERS: Absolutely, in the Gulf, absolutely. This is not the only rodeo out there. This may not be the only problem out there.
(CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: And how long before Chevron has this kind of problem?
MYERS: This may not be the only blowout preventer that doesn't blowout-prevent.
SANCHEZ: Good point. What a story. Thanks. Appreciate it. Enjoyed the conversation now.
Now, just how bad is this? I know it's tough to watch. But does it actually end with this? Whoa. Is that a baby? I'm going to tell you what happens there.
Also, who really runs the country? Maybe now more than ever, the Federal Reserve. Who's watching what it's doing with your money? Question, again, who's watching what the Fed is doing with your money while they give it out in trillions? I'm going to find out for you by interviewing Bernie Sanders, who is all over this like white on rice.
You're going to hear what he's doing for yourself when he blasts these folks. Stay right there. I'm going to share this with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. Two things are going on right now with democratic process in the U.K.
You're looking at -- yes, that is Buckingham Palace. I couldn't tell on that monitor. I apologize for the -- for the delay there. There's Buckingham Palace. That is where David Cameron is meeting with the queen. He's essentially accepting her position as -- assignment, maybe, is the word I should use, as the new and future prime minister of the U.K.
He should be leaving there momentarily, and when he does, he's going to going to head over to his new residence, which will obviously be 10 Downing Street. There, he will also give a speech, and you will hear that speech when it happens right here on CNN.
There's something else going at the same time. The former prime minister, Gordon Brown, is about to go over to the Labor Party, where he will be speaking to them and essentially resigning as the head of the Labor Party as well, we understand.
We're probably going to be turning that around in just a moment for you. And we will be sharing that with you as well. So, as all this drama and all this process unfolds, you will see it right here as it happens.
In the meantime, take a look at what folks are saying. These are some of the tweets. This is a member of Parliament. We're following today what's being tweeted today by members of Parliament and I want to share a couple of them with you, as I can -- if we can, now.
Matt, if you could, can you give me that shot? I guess we're -- oh, you're using that. I'm sorry. "To all Southwest Lib Dems horrified at this turn of events, you will receive a warm welcome in the Labor Party."
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: They're trying to smooth out the wrinkles, so to speak.
And, finally, this is from Peter Luff. This is A conservative. And he says: "So the winners have won after all. Democracy is not dead."
There, you have a little bit of an inkling of the winners and the losers right now in the U.K., and, as we go on, we will share that process with you.
Meanwhile, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Remember Susan Boyle? You either love her or you hate her, right? Well, guess what? There's a brand-new sensation, a Susan Boyle-like sensation. She's 80 years old, 80. And she's making our LIST today.
Also, a movie about a suicide bomber on Times Square is pulled from the Sundance lineup, and you wonder why? How does this play on our list of most intriguing people in the news? That's next. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. You're looking live at Buckingham Palace, where moments from now the new prime minister of the U.K. will come out after meeting with the Queen, accepting his new assignment and responsibility as the future prime minister of the U.K.
This is interesting to watch. We are live all over the place in London, and as this story develops we will shoot it from the sky, from the ground. We'll be there at 10 Downing Street for his first official speech, and you'll see it all live right here on CNN.
Now, time to check the list of the most intriguing people in the news today.
Born in Russia, came to the U.S. at nine. The lady won an award at the Cannes Film Festival for an independent movie she wrote about a suicide bomber preparing to set off an explosion on Times Square -- Times Square? She made it a few years ago, but the story is a bit now too close to the news of the day.
That's unfortunate for director Julia Loktov, because the Sundance Channel was going to run her film "Day, Night, Day, Night," a few times in month. Now, not going to happen, folks. They have pulled it. Not going to show it anymore. The downside of art imitating life makes Julia Loktov today's most intriguing person in the news.
That's Brooke Baldwin right there. She got to understand the Gulf oil leak story not from 1,000 feet in the air, but right at the surface level. She's back. Wait until you see what she's brought back.
And do you know what else is in her list of what's trending? The price of shrimp. What do you expect to find out when you head down a storm drain? How about an alligator. There he is. Gosh, I love alligator stories. I'll tell you about that one.
And then, hey, do you want to be on this show? All you've got to do is call this number. We'll have you here in our brand-new studio just like we had a bunch of folks yesterday. Just call 1-800-CNN- tour.
This is your national conversation. This is your list. This is "RICK'S LIST."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: OK, we got the pictures now. There is David Cameron just now getting into his vehicle. He has just met with the Queen. These are live pictures that you're looking at now.
The breaking news, in fact, is that it appears the person inside that Jaguar -- or I think it's a Jag-u-ar as they say over there in England -- is the new and future prime minister of the U.K. Roger Clark, come on in here and take us through this video as we watch it. You've been watching this story unfold all day. Am I right?
ROGER CLARK, CNN DIRECTOR OF COVERAGE: Yes, that's the new prime minister, the Queen's 12th prime minister, making his way out of Buckingham Palace leaving out of the north door there and he'll turn right and make his way out.
It's quite interesting because when the prime minister goes in, you don't see lots of outriders because he's just the leader of the opposition. When he leaves as prime minister and first lord of the treasury, he has the outriders, and it will take a couple minutes.
SANCHEZ: It doesn't even look like there's security. There's people riding alongside. Who are those people?
CLARK: They're just photographers and things. In the U.K. you don't have a presidential convoy like you do in the United States.
SANCHEZ: That's crazy. There's no way they would be able to do it if it were the United States president. There they are running up to the vehicle.
CLARK: Well, there you are. It's an exciting time. People are excited, and the paparazzi, of course, want to get the best snaps. That car will now make its way down the mile and probably go around Trafalgar Square. And when it swings into Downing Street, the new prime minister's supporters will be there, and he'll make a speech.
I mean, this is a well-traveled route by many prime ministers over the years. And it takes me back to, you know, when people like Margaret Thatcher went from Downing Street to the palace and John Major took over. And when John Major left on a Friday morning and Tony Blair took over an hour later, you know, just an hour's gap between, you know, between prime ministers.
It is rather unusual to see the prime ministerial car stuck in traffic. But then again, anyone stuck in London knows there is traffic.
SANCHEZ: There again, for the purposes of our viewers, if they were a U.S. president, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, pick your president in the last couple of decades, and they had just been elected or appointed or named, in this case, there would not be stuck in traffic. There would be barricades, they would be in a motorcade and there would be 20 cars in front of them and behind him and 1,000 Secret Service guys. I'm exaggerating.
CLARK: Let me tell you, Prince Phillip once said, he's the Queen's husband, "If they start blocking off roads left, right, and center for royal cars to go through, nothing would guarantee to bring down the monarchy more than that."
(LAUGHTER)
So, you can't look about London's traffic. The Scotland Yard outriders are second to none.
SANCHEZ: What is an outrider?
CLARK: He's the guy on the motor bike. They have six or seven outriders, but it's a very short journey up the mouth.
SANCHEZ: That's, as you would say the Jaguar, right?
CLARK: The Jaguar, turning right into horse guards parade now, and he'll go 100 yards there. And you are approaching the very back of Downing Street. It's -- this is political theater, Rick. This is political. You don't get this in many countries in the world. This is political theater in the U.K.
And once the political theater is over, that's when people are going to start asking questions, well, what is the deal? How much --
SANCHEZ: OK, OK, well, let me just stop you and ask you right there. For the purposes of our understanding, you have a liberal, you have a conservative, and you have a member of labour. The way the election turned out, labour came in second, the conservative won. I'm putting this in American terms, OK? And the liberal came in third. But now the liberal and the conservative -- that's the new prime minister, Mr. Cameron -- are going to get together and form some kind of government where he's going to give the liberal -- that would be Mr. Clegg -- something. Maybe make him his deputy prime minister, right?
CLARK: Yes, I mean, it's entirely possible. These are unlikely bedfellows. I mean, both sides have had to compromise for quite a bit for this to work.
And you're quite right. David Cameron is to the right and Clegg is to the left and they'll have to compromise. And it will be very interesting to see the extent of the compromise.
SANCHEZ: We just saw a picture there of 10 Downing Street, by the way. That's where he's going.
CLARK: That's right.
SANCHEZ: That's where he's going to give a speech.
CLARK: Well, normally the prime minister when he goes back makes a speech, but there have been so many abnormal things happening over the course of the last several days, don't quote me on it. But I'm pretty sure that Cameron is going to make a speech.
I know the area very well. He's very close to Parliament Square there, so once he gets through the traffic in Parliament Square, he'll swing into Downing Street and you'll see lots of his supporters there.
As I say, the international audience, Americans, people watching your show, why should they be interested in this? They should be interested in this because Britain is a very important partner to the U.S. In trading terms, America is Britain's strongest trading partner. Also in foreign policy -- Britain is a big and staunch supporter and has been for generations of America's foreign policy.
SANCHEZ: Let me stop you there and ask you this question for the sake of our viewers. Cameron's election, we'll call it an election, I know it's maybe described in different terms, but the fact that Cameron will be the new British prime minister, what does that mean to Americans? Is he more apt to favor our policies or less apt to favor our policies, in comparison, of course, to Mr. Clegg, who was a liberal, and Mr. Brown, who was with labor?
CLARK: Yes. I think David Cameron will be four-square behind the so-called "special relationship" with the United States. And, of course, you've got to remember, that British troops are currently serving alongside American troops in Afghanistan. So, there has to be a strong working relationship between Mr. Cameron and President Obama.
I mean, I very much doubt it will have the strength of the relationship between, say, Blair and Bush or Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, but only time will tell. But there has to be a strong working relationship. And, of course, you know, we'll see in the fullness of time just how strong that relationship is. You would expect the prime minister's car -- I would expect in about ten seconds it will pull into Downing Street.
SANCHEZ: Really?
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And by the way, and I certainly don't mean to interrupt, but this is the way you and I have been talking about it all day long, because I'm really into this story. What's interesting about this is he's going to his brand-new residence. This is not about a guy getting a new job, it's about a guy getting a new gig -- you know, a new place to thing.
CLARK: If you think about the old guy, he loses his job and he loses his house in the space of about 20 minutes. That's pretty rough, and that's what happened to Gordon Brown -- and his favorite residence at Grayson Checkers.
But you'll see the prime minister's turn left in a second. That's the entrance to Downing Street. It will be swinging in there. Now --
SANCHEZ: Look at all the people on the streets. These are people that have been gathering there all day to watch this process not knowing how or when it would unfold. Now, what's interesting is, in London, we heard people cursing him and his delegation when they came out. Now, obviously that's not representative of an entire country.
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And one group does not an entire country's politics make. But why are we seeing in London so many people screaming at this guy?
CLARK: Because you're allowed to.
SANCHEZ: OK.
CLARK: You're allowed to.
SANCHEZ: Simple enough.
CLARK: Simple enough -- you're allowed to. You can speak your mind. There's David Cameron getting out of the car with Samantha Cameron, his wife, who is pregnant.
SANCHEZ: I think we got some sound. Let's listen in.
CLARK: OK.
SANCHEZ: Samantha?
CLARK: Samantha Cameron, yes.
SANCHEZ: Samantha is a rather attractive woman.
CLARK: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And so is he. He's a good-looking guy. He's young.
CLARK: He's an educated, educated at the university.
SANCHEZ: Here we go.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Her majesty the queen has asked me to serve and I have accepted. Before I talk about that new government -- before I talk about that new government, let me say something about the one that has just passed.
Compared with a decade ago, this country is more open at home and more compassionate abroad, and that is something we you should all be grateful for. And on behalf of the whole country, I'd like to pay tribute to the outgoing prime minister for his long record of dedicated public service.
In terms of the future, our country has a hung parliament where no party has an overall majority, and we have some deep and pressing problems -- a huge deficit, deep social problems, and a political system in need of reform.
For those reasons, I aim to form a proper and full coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. I believe that is the right way to provide this country with the strong, the stable, the good and decent government that I think we need so badly.
Nick Clegg and I are both political leaders who want to put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interests. I believe that is the best way to get the strong government that we need, decisive government that we need today.
I came into politics because I love this country. I think its best days still lie ahead. And I believe deeply in public service. And I think the service our country needs right now is to face up to our really big challenges, to confront our problems, to take difficult decisions, to lead people through those difficult decisions so that together we can reach better times ahead.
One of the tasks that we clearly have is to rebuild trust in our political system. Yes, that's about cleaning up expenses. Yes, that's about reforming parliament. And, yes, it's about making sure people are in control and that the politicians are always their servants and never their masters.
But I believe it's also something else. It's about being honest about what government can achieve. Real change is not what government can do on its own. Real change is when everyone pulls together, comes together, works together, when we all exercise our responsibilities to ourselves, to our families, to our communities, and to others.
And I want to help try and build a more responsible society here in Britain, one where we don't just ask what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities, when we don't ask where what am I just owed, but more what can I give.
And a guide for that society, that those who can should, and those who can't we will always help. I want to make sure that my government always looks after the elderly, the frail, the poorest in our country. We must take everyone through us on some of the difficult decisions that we have ahead.
Above all, it will be a government that is built on some clear values, values of freedom, values of fairness, and values of responsibility. I want us to build an economy that rewards work. I want us to build a society with stronger families and stronger communities, and I want a political system that people can trust and look up to once again.
This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges. But I believe together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs based on those values, rebuilding family, rebuilding community, above all, rebuilding responsibility in our country.
Those are the things I care about. Those are the things that this government will now start work on doing. Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: And there you have David Cameron. He's walking in. This is -- is this the -- is this the first time he walks into this residence, or has he met before with either Tony Blair or --
CLARK: We've seen him there before. He used to be an adviser to the former chancellor of the exchequer, the finance minister Norman Mornink, so he's been there many times. But he's never walked in there as prime minister.
And there he is. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron are going inside their new home. And the question is, how long will it be their new home, because this is a coalition of very unlikely bedfellows?
SANCHEZ: What's interesting to is for Gordon Brown it was probably one of the shortest tenures in British history, was it not? How long was he there?
CLARK: He was there two and a half years.
SANCHEZ: That's not long.
CLARK: It's not a long time. When you think Margaret Thatcher was there for 11.5 years and Tony Blair was there for over ten years.
But this is a very, very difficult job he's got his on his hands here. This is a coalition with a bunch of people who are not natural bedfellows. So some people have called it the poison chalice, because these guys have got to make some very unpopular decisions now.
SANCHEZ: So here's what we have left. We've seen the former prime minister resign. We've seen the queen accept that. We've seen the new prime minister come in. We've seen the queen accept his assignment. We've now seen him speak in front of the people at 10 Downing Street. We've seen him enter the residence.
There's one part of this story that still remains to be told, and that is what will Nick Clegg, the guy who came in third, we should say, the Liberal, what will he be? Will we hear soon from the cabinet office, or perhaps from -- or perhaps from Cameron himself that he's going to assign him -- and this would be big news, would it not -- that he's going to give him the assistant prime minister gig, which is what you would call the deputy prime minister.
CLARK: Yes, well, I mean, it isn't the gift of the prime minister. The cabinet positions are in the gift of the prime minister. But the deal has got to involve -- the deal has got to involve the liberals getting something. And it could be quite a lot.
So, the talk about maybe Mr. Clegg being the deputy prime minister, but he'll want -- he'll want some responsibilities with that job. He won't want to be a ceremonial deputy prime minister.
SANCHEZ: Like the ceremonial vice president in this country.
CLARK: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: So why not make him home secretary?
CLARK: He may well become home secretary. That's a very powerful position. You're responsible for security.
SANCHEZ: It's a big gig.
CLARK: It's a very big responsibility, yes, especially because of the terrorist threat, and so on.
But I think another important appointment will be the foreign secretary. Who will be the commonwealth and foreign secretary? Why is that important? Because of course America's role on the international stage is vital and the link between the U.S. and Britain is very important. So there's got to be a dynamic between the new prime minister and, say, Hillary Clinton.
SANCHEZ: Before we put this to bed then, unless of course they come out and make this announcement that we're waiting for, the next thing that will happen with Cameron is he will come to the White House as all prime ministers have done in the past. He'll sit down and meet with the president of the United States.
CLARK: I think whether he comes to the White House --
SANCHEZ: It will be sooner rather than later.
CLARK: Yes, it will -- or whether he meets the president at one of the international summits that they're always called. I don't know where that will be, I don't know when it will be.
But traditionally the British prime minister likes to see the U.S. president as quickly as possible, because the British do believe in the importance of the special relationship. And given that so many British troops are fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan, it's critical that Obama and Cameron are singing from the same hymn sheet there.
SANCHEZ: That's 10 Downing Street.
CLARK: Next door is number 11 Downing Street where the finance minister is.
SANCHEZ: And the other one is 12 Downing Street.
CLARK: The chief whip is down at number 12.
Number 11, very important who goes in there, because whoever goes in there is the British finance minister, and given the state of the worldwide economy and the British economy in particular, he's going to have some very unpopular announcements to have to make in the next few days.
SANCHEZ: Roger Clark is in the weeds on this story, folks. He's been following this all day long. And he's only too happy to provide us the background and the back stories as well. Thank you, Roger. We'll get you back, and if there's something going on in the next half hour or so, especially related to Nick Clegg, I would like to hear your perspective on that.
We're going to take a break. Obviously there is a lot of other news that we're going to be getting to here on our side of the pond. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is your national conversation. This the "RICK'S LIST."
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
One of the things we were just talking about with Roger Clark was that we would expect that the new prime minister of the U.K. will reach out to the president of the United States, or perhaps it will be the other way around.
This is what we just learned. You know that we keep relevant tweets to the stories we follow. We just got this tweet that we want to share with you. It's from the press secretary, Robert Gibbs -- "President to call new British Prime Minister David Cameron in ten minutes."
So in ten minutes the president of the United States will call the new British prime minister, and there's the news, news once again being made on twitter. So glad we started that trend.
We keep lists, lists that you are -- that are relevant to you as well. And we did some digging, and we got a list of the top five deadliest tornadoes since 1940. Why? You see what happened last night in Oklahoma? We've been following it and we've got pictures that we're going to be sharing with you.
But first, take a look at this. Coming up at number five, Wooster, Massachusetts. This is 1953. It killed 90 people. Number four, Shinnston, West Virginia, 1944. That tornado killed 100 people. Number three, 1953, a twister ripped through Waco, Texas. It killed 114 people. Number two on our list of deadliest twisters swept through Flint, Michigan, and just a month later, in June, it killed 115 people.
But what is the number one deadliest tornado in the United States? Chad, I bet, knows the answer to this, but I'm going to tell you what it is -- 1940, Woodward, Oklahoma. 1947 as well -- hold on, since 1947, pardon me. This one took place in 1947. It killed 181 people.
In 2010, a Michigan elementary school takes only black kids on a field trip. Why weren't the white kids invited? And whose idea was it anyway? This is trending on Brooke Baldwin's list. That is ahead.
And the Dow plunged Thursday. Why is there a smoking gun now as to what may have caused that? And what's it doing now? Remember yesterday, it was happy times? Poppy Harlow is on it. She's following it for us and will be joining us in just a little bit. This is your list, your national conversation. This is "RICK'S LIST."
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