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Rick's List

Primary Results; Connecticut Attorney General Under Fire; Obama Speaks on Immigration Reform

Aired May 19, 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: We have just learned there's been an al Qaeda arrest, in all places, Kansas City. This is a link between money that may have been funneled to the organization, Kansas City, of all places. We're all over it. We will have a full report.

Meanwhile, here's what else we got.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST on this day.

RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: We have got come to take our government back.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANCHEZ: Rand Paul, winner, Kentucky.

PAUL: We did it, didn't we?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SANCHEZ: Mark Critz, winner, Pennsylvania.

REP. JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA: A win for the people.

SANCHEZ: Joe Sestak, winner, over him.

Republicans claiming victory. So are Democrats. What's the real political story? Live on RICK'S LIST, the candidates themselves, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and CNN's Jessica Yellin.

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have misspoken about my service.

SANCHEZ: Why didn't he just say, I screwed up? Why didn't anyone question his lies? His staff, his family, where were they? You have weighed in for and against.

The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who's landed on the list you don't want to be on? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why I keep a list.

Pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Whoa. We have just been hit with a series of interesting stories. Let me take you through all of them.

First of all, we have just gotten word that there's been an arrest in Kansas City, somebody who may have been funneling money to al Qaeda. All over it.

Also, an incredible moment -- did you see this? An incredible moment for first lady Michelle Obama. She was visiting an elementary school and while she's there, a little girl asks her a question, seemed to -- seeming to infer that her mom was in the country illegally -- quote -- "without papers." What does the first lady do? How does she react? What's going on with the story? We're going to be all over that.

We're also expecting breaking news -- I was just told by one of my writers -- on the financial reform package. They thought they were going to stop the debate and vote. Well, now it's even gotten more complicated because of objections, not just from Republicans, but from some of the Democrats like Byron Dorgan and others, so I'm going to take you there.

But, first, the end of the line for a legendary Washington lawmaker, Arlen Specter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Longtime Senator Arlen Specter out in Pennsylvania, defeated in the Democratic -- Democratic primary by this guy right here. You have seen him on this newscast many times. There's Joe Sestak, who took on Specter while bucking the odds, bucking conventional wisdom, bucking the White House, bucking the Democratic Party. He said this last night after winning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SESTAK: Too many career politicians a bit too concerned about keeping their jobs, rather than serving the public, rather than helping people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And while we see some of the good times from last night, I want to bring in Joe Sestak.

You know how he's been on this newscast before, talking about everything from the war in Afghanistan to piracy, to what he had planned to do during this primary. And, folks, he's done it.

Congratulations. Congratulations, sir. We appreciate you being here.

SESTAK: It's great to be back. And thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: Hey, why did you win?

SESTAK: People had lost faith in Washington, D.C.. It was -- it was so obvious.

Last July, when I had to go to the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and decide whether to get in or not, boy, I got to tell you, even though the Democratic establishment told me to sit down, I was taken with how people just didn't trust Washington anymore.

I had seen that in the military. When I joined up during the Vietnam era, we were ranked dead last out of 15 institutions by the Gallup poll in terms of trust. We worked hard to bring that trust back. And that's what I see down here. And I think that was it.

I just didn't run for my congressional job at the same time, so they knew it wasn't about my job. It was about theirs.

SANCHEZ: You -- I just -- did you hear what I just said about you when I was introducing you? I was thinking long and hard about this, but I think I'm right, but I want you to confirm whether I'm right.

You bucked the White House. You bucked the Democratic Party. You bucked the odds. You bucked conventional wisdom. Most people were telling you, don't do this. You know, Arlen Specter's a fine guy. Let's keep him on board for a couple of years. How long can he be there. And then you can take it after that.

You said, no, I'm going to run. I'm going to take him on. He's not a legitimate Democrat. And I'm going to beat him.

Am I wrong?

SESTAK: Well, I always remembered what John F. Kennedy once said. Sometimes, the party asks too much.

(LAUGHTER)

SESTAK: I'm a Pennsylvanian. We're pretty independent-minded.

And, at the end of the day, I knew that we and my daughter were going to have to live with a senator for the next six years. And Washington, D.C., truly does deal that sometimes I think are not as a principled as a principled compromise might be. It's more of a compromise of principle.

And, so, when I heard a farmer say to me during that 67-county tour -- I asked him, how's the recession? He replied, not too bad. I'm hurting so much already before.

It really struck home. I got to tell you, I honestly think there's something else, though. I have got to make sure that people understand I do think government can work. I do think there's a role for our United States government to help people.

Take, for example, the majority of Pennsylvanians work in a small business. Why are we giving a tax credit to a large corporation that invests in a foreign factory? Why isn't there a 15 percent tax credit for small business men that create a new payroll?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SESTAK: We would soak up five million unemployed in two years. There's got to be a refocus to where we just haven't been paying attention.

SANCHEZ: Your point is very well made. And I think it's one that is reverberating all over the country.

Let me ask you about the president of the United States. There's a lot of talk out there that he was, after all, the big loser in all of this, because he was supporting Arlen Specter. He -- there's even a lot of talk...

SESTAK: No.

SANCHEZ: ... that you were offered a job as secretary of the Navy.

Let me -- let me stop there. Did the president of the United States, did the White House approach you and offer you the secretary of the Navy position?

SESTAK: I was asked the question about two months ago about something that happened last July.

No one ever had asked me the question, did someone offer you something to get out? I answered it honestly yes. And then I said, stop. I'm not going to get into what was a deal offer, because I'm not going to get out for a deal. I would only get out if it was something that was right to do.

And here's what I believe. This kind of deal-making in Washington is kind of what soured Americans and quite frankly soured me, but...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: But, Congressman, you're not...

(CROSSTALK)

SESTAK: I honestly believe this.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, look, you know I appreciate you being here, and you know that I love having you on my show. But I just asked you a very direct question. Give me a direct answer.

Did the president, did the White House offer you the secretary of the Navy gig?

SESTAK: And the answer is, I have said I was offered something. I don't have to go beyond that. I don't think it helps anybody.

But I -- you know, I could have demurred. When I was first asked the question, I said yes, but beyond that, it doesn't matter. And, by the way, remember, it happened last July, and I didn't even get asked about this until March.

But you asked me about President Obama.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SESTAK: I don't think this is a referendum on him at all.

SANCHEZ: No?

SESTAK: I have told everybody during the campaign I wanted to be his strongest ally down in the Senate, obviously not a yes man, but I honestly believe he's got the policy approaches that I saw in the U.S. military that help people.

Think about the military. Everybody has health care. We don't even promote you above a chief petty officer unless you can earn an associate's college degree in a technology. And come on in and earn a pension. We're not socialists. We're not liberal. We're pragmatic.

And that type of approach by a government, I think, that's frugal with its spending, I think is the right way to go.

SANCHEZ: All right.

I turned on the radio this morning, and I heard all the Republicans saying last night they were the winners. Are they right?

SESTAK: No, absolutely not.

Massachusetts said it best. Massachusetts said pox on both your houses down in Washington, D.C. We voted for change in politics, not just policy. You know, this, I must win, you must lose, imagine if we could get the Hatfields and the McCoys to work together, like, quite frankly, I saw in the military.

We were accountable for our actions. The issue down here is, people don't want to take accountability for their actions. Take immigration, Arizona passing that law that is wrong, but nevertheless understandable, because the Senate isn't taking dealing with immigration.

Take cap and trade and energy policy. I would think we would want someone who has the courage of their conviction, would run through all 67 counties of Pennsylvania and say, here's what I believe in, and then come down and shape policy.

My district is 53 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat. My second time I ran, I only put money in yard signs, only yard signs, a couple thousand bucks. Why? They would learn after only two years that they could trust us, because we keep our office open seven days a week. They don't necessarily agree with me, but they know where I stand.

And they are not going to know I'm going to flip-flop tomorrow. And they know I stand for small businesses, education and health security, not liberal, not conservative -- pragmatic.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, Congressman, one of the things that helped you win, no doubt, was that wonderful ad that you put out that everyone was saying was picturesque, both in form and format. Let me show you the viewers first what we're talking about, and then let me ask you about it.

Hit the first part of this, if you would, Rog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JOE SESTAK CAMPAIGN AD)

REP. JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I'm Joe Sestak, the Democrat. I authorize this message.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: My change in party will enable me to be reelected.

NARRATOR: For 45 years, Arlen Specter has been a Republican politician.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Arlen Specter is the right man for the United States Senate. I can count on this man. See, that's important. He's a firm ally.

NARRATOR: But now:

SPECTER: My change in party will enable me to be reelected.

NARRATOR: Arlen Specter switched parties to save one job -- his, not yours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: I got to tell you, that was a real -- that was a real gotcha moment. "My change in party will allow me to be reelected." And everybody talked about it.

But when I saw the full sound bite, he goes on to say, that's what a lot of people are saying.

You feel a little bad about the way that was cut up, or is that just the way the business is played?

SESTAK: NBC did a wonderful investigation on it. And they said, without any question, it was not taken out of context.

In fact, they said that, elsewhere in that interview and elsewhere at other times, he said, I couldn't beat Pat Toomey. I had taken a poll on a Friday and by Monday I decided to become a Democrat.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SESTAK: Look, people also didn't know this. For two-and-a-half weeks, we ran an ad that said: I'm Joe Sestak. Here's what I'm going to do. The polls closed from 20 points down to a dead heat.

Then we put out the ad. It just happened to coincide the day or the day before that the polls showed a dead heat.

SANCHEZ: Well, I'll tell you...

SESTAK: No. It was really more that I was saying -- it was a great ad, don't get me wrong, but we had already gotten into a dead heat.

SANCHEZ: Yes. It was a heck of an ad.

One final thing. Just got a tweet or just noticed a tweet. He sent it before.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Here's a tweet from Senator Arlen Specter. You can teach an old dog new tricks. This guy tweets, all right?

"Congratulations, Congressman Sestak."

He's talking to you, Joe Sestak.

"You have my support for the general election."

Question to you, final question: Had he won, would you have sent similar tweets and given him your support?

SESTAK: Yes. As I said, I would have done anything to beat Pat Toomey, but warriors never say going into a fight that they're not going to win.

But would I? Oh, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SESTAK: I would have done anything and supported him to beat Pat Toomey. But I knew that, if I won, we would definitely beat him, oh, yes, of course.

(CROSSTALK)

SESTAK: Hey, by the way, if I could, as I end...

SANCHEZ: Go ahead.

SESTAK: ... I can't tell you how gracious the senator was.

When he called me, he said: "Joe, congratulations. I'm going to support you..."

SANCHEZ: That's nice.

SESTAK: ... in a very positive voice.

SANCHEZ: That's nice.

SESTAK: And I got to tell you, the guy's a warrior.

SANCHEZ: And you are a warrior. You took on everybody.

SESTAK: Yes.

SANCHEZ: You surprised everybody. You're -- you're the kid out of nowhere all of a sudden, future senator from the state of Pennsylvania, present Congressman Joe Sestak.

SESTAK: Only in America.

SANCHEZ: We thank you, sir.

What was that, Angie?

SANCHEZ: Oh.

SESTAK: Only in America.

SANCHEZ: That's right. Well, that's right. You got to beat Toomey, don't you? I keep thinking these primaries are ending this thing, and it hasn't, OK? It wasn't like I was taking sides on this thing.

Congressman, I appreciate your time, sir, future candidate.

SESTAK: Thanks for having me again, Rick. Bye-bye.

SANCHEZ: Future senatorial candidate, I should have said. I apologize for that.

Here we go. Here is what else we're going to be following up on next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the person thinking? I cannot imagine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All right, the Secret Service pays a visit to a high school after a teacher's poor choice for a geometry lesson. What was it? That's ahead.

Also, will there be a vote in the battle to rein in Wall Street? The Senate is about to convene any moment now. And Jessica Yellin is about to check in with us. That's coming up. We're staying politics. We're coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. We have got some breaking news now on the story that I have been following for you having to do with a Kansas City auto parts dealer who apparently was funneling money to al Qaeda, of all places, in Kansas City, an al Qaeda-related arrest.

Let me read to you what we have received now. Some of this information is in coordination with other news media. We at CNN have released some information. And, of course, "The Kansas City Star," the newspaper of record there in Kansas City, has got some information as well.

He's name is Khalid Ouazzani. He's a Moroccan-born naturalized U.S. citizen, pled guilty to terrorism-related charges, admitted that he sent $23,000 -- $23,000-plus, because there's $500 as well, to an al Qaeda through a bank in the United Arab Emirates between August and November of 2007.

He admitted in Kansas City federal court this morning that he did provide the material support to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Ouazzani is 32 years old, also admitted in the plea hearing that, in June 2008, he swore to an unnamed co-conspirator an oath of allegiance, that he had sworn an oath of allegiance to the terrorist organization.

This is remarkable. Later in the hearing, we understand, the hearing that apparently took place this morning, Ouazzani's lawyer, Robin Fowler, asked him if he had sworn to someone else his intent to join al Qaeda. He said, "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir," Ouazzani responded, also pled guilty to money laundering and bank fraud in a previously indicted scheme to steal more than $174,000 from a bank using false and fraudulent financial information.

Wow. As this information comes in, you can't help but wonder exactly what was going on here. And, again, just like the case of the suspected terrorist in Times Square, we have someone living in the United States, living amongst us, as they say, who at the same time is more interested in the destruction of the United States through a terrorist organization than he is in being loyal or keeping his allegiance to this country.

It's an interesting story, if for no other reason from that perspective alone. We're drilling down. We have got our reports at the Pentagon who are going to be joining us in just a little bit.

We have also got some folks at the Justice Department. As we get more, I'm going to be sharing it with you.

Meanwhile, we are awaiting word on financial reform. It could come at any moment now. The Senate is about to convene. We will have that for you.

And, wow, you are not going to believe what this guy is doing on top of the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis. What is he doing? That's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the United States of America, no law-abiding person, be they an American citizen, a legal immigrant, or a visitor or tourist from Mexico, should ever be subject to suspicion simply because of what they look like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Well, we're kind of flying by the seat of our pants here. There's so much news that's been happening today and so much of it unexpected, like that.

We were expecting a photo-op today. The president of the United States goes out to the Rose Garden, stands next to the president of another country, in this case, Mexico, and that's essentially what it is, a photo opportunity.

Instead, we got a heck of a lot more. We got essentially what is the president's stance on the immigration issue, not in -- only in Arizona, but all over the country. What is it?

Stay right there. We're going to take you through it. If you have been following the immigration debate, you will want to hear what the president has to say.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Once again, welcome to your national conversation, your list. This is RICK'S LIST.

I have received information that I have been sharing to you. We got this just as we were getting to go on the air, that there's been an al Qaeda-related arrest in Kansas City, a man who apparently was trying to funnel money to al Qaeda and has been heard to say that he is loyal to al Qaeda, loyal to this terrorist organization, while living in Kansas City as an auto parts dealer.

Jeanne Meserve is at -- in Washington following this story for us.

This is fascinating, Jeanne, especially coming on the heels of what we witnessed and saw in Times Square.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: But this is something quite different, because in this case, as far as we know, there's no indication of any plotting here in the United States against the United States.

This auto parts dealer, 32-year-old Khalid Ouazzani, has pleaded guilty to providing material support to al Qaeda, specifically more than $23,000. In addition, according to this court document, he swore an oath of allegiance to al Qaeda in 2008, participated in a conspiracy to provide support and other resources.

He had conversations with others about various ways to support al Qaeda, including plans for them to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Somalia. Now, this individual is a native of Morocco. He's a naturalized U.S. citizen, and he's had some trouble with the law before.

He also pleaded guilty today to some other charges resulting from this very thick indictment that was issued back in February, charging him with bank fraud, money laundering, interstate fraud, false statement to a government agency.

So, this guy has been under investigation for some time, but this today the first we're hearing about his admitting that he did provide money to al Qaeda, money that came from the sale of his auto parts building -- business and also the sale of an apartment in Kansas City, Missouri -- back to you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Well, here -- I'll tell you, I think what's interesting here is what we have, just like the case in New York -- and here's where maybe I'll disagree with you -- we have a guy living in the United States of America who seems to be more loyal to the enemies of America than he is to the place where he lives.

That's incredibly significant. He -- I'm hearing -- I'm reading here -- and as you just alluded to, Jeanne -- his intent to join al Qaeda, his allegiance to al Qaeda, answered questions when asked about his intent to join, "Yes, sir," in open court.

I mean, this guy is a -- it seems, allegedly, obviously, a traitor to the United States.

MESERVE: Well, the difference between these two individuals is their country of origin.

This individual today is from Morocco, Faisal Shahzad, the man who allegedly tried to bomb Times Square, a native of Pakistan, but, you're right, a similar pattern here and something that law enforcement and others are looking at very carefully to try and figure out what the triggers are, why somebody who comes to this country who appears to embrace the American way of life would then take steps which apparently are quite contrary to everything that the United States stands for.

SANCHEZ: Yes. It's a heck of...

MESERVE: I'm sure they will be talking more to this individual to get more insights into the situation.

SANCHEZ: Heck of a story.

Stay on it for us, Jeanne. We appreciate you joining us with details. If you get anything else, certainly, let us know. Let us know, Jeanne Meserve.

Meanwhile, we're following the story of financial reform, and we're hearing now that there seems to be a fly in the ointment, folks. We were all prepared to report to you that at some point today they were going to stop the debate and go ahead and vote on this thing, because neither side was liking where the debate was going.

Now, it appears that they're not going to do that, that there's a problem. What is the problem? Well, interestingly enough, this one -- this one involves as many Democrats as it does Republicans, or certainly some prominent Democrats.

I'm going to take you to that story in just a little bit. Jessica Yellin's going to be joining us.

Stay right there, breaking news on financial reform, important information for all of us. We will be right back with RICK'S LIST.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Boy, I will tell you, one developing news story after another. What do we have now?

This is about financial reform. I mean, there was a real chance that this thing was going to go to a vote, because this battle to try and rein in Wall Street, which it seems, by the way, you want, most Americans want, to avert another potential crisis like the one we had just a year-and-a-half ago, was about to happen.

This is live from the United States Senate. Have you got the shot? There it is. That's the one that was just behind me more -- moments ago. Here's maybe the best way to explain it. Let me try and take you through this as kind of I -- I wrap my own head around it with everything else that's going on.

As I understand it, Majority Leader Harry Reid had told us that he was going to try and end debate today. I was told by someone on my staff that this probably was going to happen around 2:00 p.m., so they can vote on the financial reform legislation.

Well, that has not happened. And our best guess is, perhaps he doesn't have the votes to do it. I mean, he needs 60, right, 60 votes. That's to cut off debate and take this thing and make it happen.

Our national correspondent, Jessica Yellin, is joining us now. She's just touched down in D.C. She's following this development.

I hope my explanation was correct. Fill in where you need to and tell us where this thing is now, Jessica, if you're there.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. Yes, I am. And I'm at the airport, so forgive any background noise.

But my understanding is, it's a very fluid situation. The Democrats are eager, the leadership is eager to push this forward, so they can get it done. And they're still trying to get to that 60-vote total. Now, the Democrats huddled in a meeting to see which issues they wanted to bring up before taking this cloture vote. As they were leaving, it became clear that they weren't sure they had the 60 votes. But it's my understanding that they still do plan to go ahead and hold this cloture vote shortly.

One thought, Rick, is that what they could do is just keep the vote going until they get 60. And that's a way to keep pressure on folks, because as we know, as you say, the American public wants Wall Street reform, and Congress will feel pressure presumably to get this done if they keep the vote open, very fluid. Go ahead.

SANCHEZ: But before we get too far into the weeds, is this thing going to turn out like the health care debate with, you know, one side pushing back, the other side pushing forward, nothing getting done for months and months and months, and maybe at some point it does get done?

YELLIN: Well, it's been sort of been dragging on, and I do think it will come to a conclusion soon. Right now this is really about the progressive wing in the Senate saying we want more -- we want this to be a more powerful regulatory organization. We want more powers.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

YELLIN: And the Republicans are trying to block it.

SANCHEZ: I understand Byron Dorgan is among those, correct?

YELLIN: Yes, Byron Dorgan, although he did get something he wanted, a vote he wanted. One of the big things is will we separate these big banks from their power to trade for their own profit? And how will that be worded? And that's what they're really haggling over right now. Some of this stuff that leads to "too big to fail."

SANCHEZ: The devil's in the details, as they say. And here we go again. My thanks to you, Jessica Yellin, for hustling out of an airport to get to us and let us know what's going on with this story.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service pays a high school teacher a visit. Why would the Secret Service go to a high school to talk to some kid? Why? Well, what do you think was on the paper that he turned in? His class project, what do you think it was about? You think it was about that guy walking toward us right now? Maybe.

Also a police chase that causes -- where the other driver is doing more than 100 miles an hour. OK, if they're chasing somebody who is going more than 100 miles an hour, guess who they were chasing? Who would be able to drive that well, that way, that long? You're not going to believe this one. It's next right here on "The List." Stay with. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Glad to have you here in our new digs. By the way, as we go into all these important breaking news stories that we've been following on this day, I also want to bring you an up to date on some of the stuff that's just fun to watch.

You think, for example, that your job is precarious? You don't know precarious. Here's "Fotos."

This guy right here, he climbed the career ladder all the way to the top. His name is Chuck Callart. He's a maintenance work leader at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and that's what he's on top of. I'm getting dizzy just watching this.

What's -- what's he doing? He's changing a light bulb. I'm serious, that's what he's doing. He's changing a light bulb. Why is it there? To keep airplanes from hitting the arch. It's 630-foot- tall structure, and that man is crazy. No, good for him.

Also, take a look at this dash cam video, this guy led police on a chase from Orange County all the way to San Diego. He keeps going and going and going. Hit speeds of 140 miles an hour.

Now, why did police have such a tough time catching up to this guy? You're not going to believe this. He's a professional driver. He's a NASCAR driver. That's right. Former NASCAR driver James Edward Neil got caught anyway after his engine finally blew up. You might say he was a pro who went amateur.

Stuttgart, Germany, now -- talk about becoming fast friends. All right, you watch this? You see the woman? See the sprinter? See the woman? No, turn around, look at him, no, get out of the way, quick. Move! Boom!

Oh, my goodness. What are you going to do? It's a former long jumper sprinting for the lead, but she got in the way. If you want to see any of these, by the way, just go to my blog at CNN.com/RickSanchez for "Fotos del Dia." I like the way the guy says "boom" in German.

(LAUGHTER)

Totally unexpected -- did you hear the president of the United States? He comes out, for what we thought was going to be a photo-op. Lays out his vision instead for immigration in the United States, including what's going on in Arizona. All while he's being accompanied, of course, by the president of Mexico.

Brooke Baldwin with trending topics, coming to a "RICK'S LIST" near you. Here she is. And one of the stories that she brings us today is out of a cemetery.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ooh, creepy.

SANCHEZ: What are you doing in a cemetery?

BALDWIN: We'll find out, friend.

SANCHEZ: Stay right there. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: It's time for Brooke Baldwin. Here's what Brooke brings us, OK. She brings that you don't get anywhere else. Because we're an internet and social media-driven show, we believe in what is trending, trending topics. That's stuff that people are talking about on the Internet. Sometimes they're not big stories, but they're important.

And you're beginning with a teacher that got a visit from the secret service.

BALDWIN: Let's talk math. Were you pretty good at geometry?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Horrible.

BALDWIN: How about Rickie, your son?

SANCHEZ: He's brilliant.

BALDWIN: I am not going to brag on myself, I was pretty awesome about math myself, but do you have to learn about parallel lines and angles, maybe?

SANCHEZ: That was 150 years ago.

BALDWIN: Of course, for you back in the day.

Sometimes people would give real-life examples, but many say one Alabama teacher took that real-life example a tad too far. Here was the assignment to ninth graders at corner high school in Alabama. If you're in a building what angle do you need to take to assassinate President Obama?

SANCHEZ: Oh!

BALDWIN: Well, that got the attention of not only Secret Service but parents.

SANCHEZ: Oh, man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting, period, anybody, man, shouldn't be talking about that, you know, towards anyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really think there's any big deal about it. I think there's much worse things going on in the school today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Yes, an assignment on how to kill the president of the United States? BALDWIN: Yes, kind of like you don't say "bomb" on an airplane and you don't talk about assassinating the president. The Secret Service took a visit to the school and talked to the teacher and said, look, you're not really a threat. They haven't placed any charges.

I did call the school. The school said the teacher is on paid administrative leave as of this past Tuesday and they're exploring all options.

SANCHEZ: The same thing could have been done if he would have picked, like, an enemy of the United States, like Hitler or Stalin.

BALDWIN: The same thing.

SANCHEZ: Why did he pick Obama?

BALDWIN: We don't know.

SANCHEZ: You got a story from the cemetery?

BALDWIN: This is my story from the cemetery. Man, oh, man, imagine this -- you are a mother. You lose your young son in a horrific accident.

SANCHEZ: Oh.

BALDWIN: Awful enough, right? Then imagine you visit the cemetery every Mother's Day. You leave behind this flower basket on the grave site, only to have it stolen three years in a row.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

BALDWIN: That is what happened to the Muzzy family up in Massachusetts, but this year, listen to this. Police put a GPS tracking device in the flowers. And guess what happened this past mother's day?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's as if you are watching a car traveled down the road from the helicopter? The same one three years in a row, just remarkably poor coincidence on his part or maybe he knows something about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she knows now that, you know, she can put something up there and hopefully it's going to stay where she puts it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, you saw that teeny, tiny dot, right? That was the GPS. That was the thief. They talked him down to the house, and he admitted to stealing the flowers last year and giving them to his sister-in-law. So he faces felony charges, larceny and felony vandalism on a grave.

SANCHEZ: If you are ever going to steal, which I would tell my sons and his friends, you should never steal, boys --

BALDWIN: Don't steal.

SANCHEZ: Don't steal from the dead.

BALDWIN: You don't steal anyway. You don't steal flowers at a grave site.

SANCHEZ: But you especially don't steal from the dead!

BALDWIN: We don't do it, there you go.

SANCHEZ: Glad we agree on that. Why did I just sound like Bill Clinton there? Thank you, Brooke. Appreciate it.

The president lays out his vision for immigration, speaking of presidents, while accompanied by the president of Mexico. Totally unexpected, but we get a pretty good sense of what he believes on this issue. Stay right there. You'll get it, too.

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SANCHEZ: Something bizarre happened today that I need to tell you about. Actually it was, like, a couple of things. The first one involves the first lady. The other one involves the president of the United States.

The first one is the first lady. She goes to an elementary school, and while she's at the elementary school, posing with kids and doing what often first ladies do, she's joined by the first lady of Mexico as well.

And she's playing with some of the schoolchildren when one little girl, who apparently is from Central America, asks the first lady a question and then goes on to say something that seemed to catch everyone by surprise, if not, in fact, gasps. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom said Barack Obama -- my mom says that I think she says that Barack Obama's taking everybody away that doesn't have papers.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Yes, well, that's something that we have to work on, right, to make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But my mom doesn't have the right papers.

MICHELLE OBAMA: Yes, well, we have to work on that. We have to fix that, and that everybody's got to work together in Congress to make sure that that happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, the little girl -- and I know it was difficult to hear, so let me help you out by having my executive producer help me out. Angie, tell me, again, what the little girl actually asked.

"Barack Obama -- my mom says Barack Obama is going to send people away if they don't have their papers." And originally the little girl alluded to the fact that she comes from a family where some of -- her mother doesn't have papers. That's interesting. I mean, talk about putting the first lady of the United States on the spot.

Then it got more interesting, because while the first ladies were dealing with that little crisis, brought up by -- from the mouth of babes, as they say, their husbands were meeting with reporters, and guess what they were talking about? They were talking about the situation involving Arizona, immigration law, what this country needs to do, and what this president, President Obama, says about the immigration situation. Here's the first cut. Let's listen to it --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I want everyone, American and Mexican, to know my administration is taking a very close look at the Arizona law.

We're examining any implication implications, especially for civil rights, because in the United States of America, no law-abiding person, be they an American citizen, illegal immigrant, or a visitor or tourist from Mexico, should ever be subject to suspicion simply because of what they look like.

PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON, MEXICO (via translator): We are, and will continue to be, respectful of the internal policies of the United States and its legitimate right to establish in accordance to its constitution whatever laws it approves.

But we will retain our firm rejection to criminalize migration so that people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals, and we oppose firmly the SB-1070 Arizona law, given in fair principles that are partial and discriminatory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, both men seemed to oppose the law, but Arizona is -- say what you want about Arizona -- trying to do something, and most agree on this, that the federal government has failed to do. So, so what should the federal government do? Here's what the president says --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The federal government takes its responsibilities for securing our borders seriously. And as I just stated in my opening remarks, we have actually put more resources, more personnel, put more resources, more personnel on the borders. Illegal immigration is actually down on the borders, not up. I know it's not the perception out there, but it's the fact.

But, we haven't done enough. So we have a responsibility to create an orderly border, and that's something that we have to do not unilaterally, but also working with the Mexican government, because there are enormous flows of trade and tourists and people along the border region. The economies are interdependent.

We have to control the borders, but do so in a way that does not have an adverse impact on the economies of those regions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: OK, Mr. President. But what do you do about all these companies out there in the United States who are using the cheap labor, knowingly hiring illegal immigrants?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We have to make sure the businesses are following the rules and are not actively recruiting undocumented workers so that they don't have to abide by overtime laws, they don't have to abide by minimum wage laws, they don't have to abide by worker safety laws and otherwise undercut worker safety laws that exist. And they have to be held accountable and responsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: OK. We got it. But how about the immigrants themselves? Should illegal immigrants, individuals coming into this country illegally, be held accountable as well?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: It means they need to pay a fine, pay back taxes, I believe they should learn English. I believe that it is important for them to get to the back of the line and not in the front, but that we create a pathway so they have an opportunity, if they are following the rules, following the law, to become legal residents and ultimately citizens of this country.

That kind of package in which everybody has responsibilities I think is one that can pass. It is one that I am fully supportive of. I have said this again and again. And I think if we get that done, then you will be less likely to see the kinds of measures we saw in Arizona.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, this is interesting. I thought when I first heard this, in fact, we stopped everything we were doing and had a meeting and said you know what, we have to put it on "RICK'S LIST." Here's the first time we've seen the president of the United States coming out and telling the American people what he feels needs to be done in terms of comprehensive immigration laws.

You heard me say just a little while ago, say what you want about Arizona. Well, say what you want about the president of the United States as well, he came to the plate today and said this is what I think needs to do. Maybe it's a starting place. Can Congress now step up on this politically difficult issue and somehow come up with a way of making it reality? It seems like an easy question, but one that may be tough to answer. And I'm sure that second grader, the one who talked to Michelle Obama about her mother, I'm sure she would want them to do it, too.

Remember when two people crashed the White House state dinner last year? Who is making sure that doesn't happen, again? Guess what's happening tonight at the White House? They have having a state dinner. You are going to see our most intriguing person in the news today. Who is it? Get the camera over there. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Now, there's something else we have been drilling down on because we wanted to find out what's going on here. Look at that. See those fires and the mess back there? That's Thailand, Bangkok to be a little more specific. How are these fires and these explosions today going to affect the world's longest reigning monarch?

By the way, he may be on his last leg, the king of Thailand. That may be what's going on there. That's ahead.

Also, how are your investments doing today? Guess who is going to tell you? It's Poppy Harlow time. Stay right there.

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