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Van Der Sloot Arrested; Bullock Kisses Scarlett Johansson; Helen Thomas Tells Jews to Get Out of Israel
Aired June 07, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOY BEHAR, HLN HOST: Tonight, murder suspect Joran Van Der Sloot has gone from Europe to Aruba to South America. And where did the money come from and has the gravy train ended in a jail cell in Peru?
Then at the MTV Movie Awards, Sandra Bullock gave Scarlett Johansson a big, wet kiss. Very nice, can we look forward to Betty White giving Cloris Leachman a nasty sponge bath?
And Helen Thomas told the Jews to pack their bags and get out of Israel. No one is surprised. Years ago, she told the Greeks to get in their horse and get the hell out of Troy.
That and more right now.
Joran Van Der Sloot, who is suspected in the murder of a 21-year-old woman, is being detained in Peru for another week of questioning. Police have released surveillance video from the hotel showing the two entering his room together, but a few hours later, Van Der Sloot leaves the room alone.
With me to discuss the latest in the case from Lima, Peru is Jean Casarez, correspondent for "In Session" on TruTV. Jean, how damning is this hotel security video?
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": You know, Joy, when you really think about it, how often in a hotel is there video surveillance in the hall way? Ok, the lobby, maybe going in and out, maybe the parking lot, but the hall way where the room is? We don`t have that in the United States, at least very often in my experience, so this is extremely damning.
You know, Joy, I want to tell you, right behind me, this is the National Peruvian Police headquarters. This is their criminal investigation building, and Joran Van Der Sloot is right behind me. He`s in a holding cell in this building as a criminal investigation begins.
But Joy, we have just gotten a-hold of information that is brand new information. It is not what we had thought.
It comes from the chief criminal investigation of police report. What happened was it was leaked to a local television station. We were able to get it.
For the first time, what this reports is saying is that when Stephany Flores`s body was found, she was not clothed from the waist down, all she had on were her panties. What we had heard before was that there was no sign of sexual assault. That she was clothed with her jeans on.
But now this report is saying not only that the room was totally disheveled, the sheets were off the bed, her body was on the bed, but that she only had her panties on. Her knees were up to her chest. She was lying on her back. Blood was coming out of her nose and her body was just fully beaten.
BEHAR: Well, that sounds pretty damning. And they have the video of him, you know, going in and going out and the time period, right? So if they can nail the time of death, can`t they just get him on that evidence right there?
CASAREZ: That`s in the report, too. That`s in the report, Joy. The report says 48 to 72 hours when they found her body and they confirmed they found her body in the early morning hours of Wednesday June 2nd, 12:40 a.m., and it had been there for 48 to 72 hours, which does fit that timeline that you`re saying Joy.
BEHAR: Right. And the other thing that is very damning is that he reportedly told a hotel worker as he was leaving the hotel not to disturb the girl. And then there was a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, correct? So that`s pretty damning also.
CASAREZ: This is what the report says to go along with what you`re saying was that a phone call came to the hotel Tuesday night from the Atlantic Casino, a woman wanting to be put through to his room. There was no answer, so the woman at the front desk started looking in the records, realized he hadn`t paid for two days.
She went to the room, knocked on the door, nobody answers, but heard blaring television. She went back and about an hour later, her supervisor said, you know, take that extra key, go in the room. So she did. It was the front door attendant. And that`s when she found the body and the disarray in that entire room. That`s how the body was found. It all started because he didn`t answer a call and he hadn`t paid his room rent in two days.
BEHAR: Thank you very much, Jean, for the information. Very much.
CASAREZ: Thanks, Joy.
BEHAR: Ok.
With me now to talk more about the case are Duane "Dog" Chapman (INAUDIBLE) and he`s "Dog" the Bounty Hunter, and Beth Karas, correspondent for "In Session" on TruTV.
Ok. Let me ask you a question, Beth. They paraded -- the officials down in Peru paraded Van Der Sloot in a bullet proof vest in front of the journalists. Is this some kind of intimidation technique that the police use there?
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Well, you know, they don`t do things the same way as we do here in the United States. You would not see that. We have what we call the perp walk in the United States, but you don`t stand them in front of the journalists for everyone to take pictures.
I don`t know that it`s intimidation. He`s being questioned. He doesn`t have the same right, the Miranda, the right to counsel in the same way that we enforce in the United States.
BEHAR: But he (INAUDIBLE) won`t have the Miranda rights right here. They`re trying to change that.
KARAS: Well, he may ask for a lawyer. He has a lawyer, and he doesn`t have to talk if he doesn`t want to, but they don`t have the same civil rights.
Is it intimidating him? I don`t know, but it`s certainly satiating the public and the press. They`re like, "We got him, take as many pictures as you want." Now we`re going to go to --
(CROSSTALK)
BEHAR: Ok. Dog, the Netherlands embassy is not happy with all of this kind of coverage. I guess because they feel that he`s being unfairly connected to the Natalee Holloway case. Do you think that that`s fair? Should they be upset?
DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER: No, they should be upset. In our country, we had, of course, a guy named O.J. Simpson that got away with murder. In their country, they got this guy. In both cases, they both failed.
This happened on the fifth year of the young Holloway`s disappearance. You know, his father just died in March, I think his father was the guy that kind of held onto him, held him straight. Once his dad died, I think that the public and everybody that is labeling him as a serial killer is doing exactly the right thing. I think that`s exactly what it is.
This guy, you know, look at the evidence. This guy is guilty of this. He did it. And it was a killer that got away with probably, you know, looks more than likely a killing before and maybe has done others.
BEHAR: That`s a little speculative, don`t you think, Dog? I mean we know -- it looks bad. I`m with you on that, but I mean he is innocent until proving guilty in our system, probably the Dutch system, and probably the Peruvian system.
I don`t like the guy any more than you do, but to label him the killer before we really have all the evidence, I think, is just jumping the gun, don`t you?
CHAPMAN: Well, you know, when you ask me that, Joy, I have 30 years, chased guys that are just like this and captured them. So I have chased them in the height of their glory, a felon, a killer on the run, doing felonies every day, not caring what he does. So I know the personality.
Once he killed like that, he`d have to almost kill again. He is very arrogant.
BEHAR: Why?
CHAPMAN: Why? That`s in -- it`s like in his DNA. He`s just -- you become that. You become this evil beast like that that thirsts for murder. Every guy that I have ever captured or studied about, you know, serial killer is just like this. To assume he`s innocent is, you know, is kind of sad.
BEHAR: Well, it`s American.
CHAPMAN: He deserves his day in court. Yes, but I think we should give him what he wants, the television cameras, and what he`s looking for and get a confession. Tell us where the Holloway girl is and you tell us about this girl. We feel sorry for you. You`ve had problems, whatever.
I think we can get -- this kid will confess. Watch. I think --
BEHAR: Do you think he`ll use the -- let`s just speculate, the Natalee Holloway card and tell them, I know where she is so you be lenient with me on this murder. Do you think that will happen, Beth?
(CROSSTALK)
KARAS: I guess it`s possible. I highly doubt it, but it is possible. He has always denied it. However, he is now charged in America, in Alabama, with engaging in a scheme to tell someone in Alabama where her body was in exchange for $250,000, by the way. He`s accused of getting the first $15,000 4 days before he entered Peru. So that`s how he paid for his travel.
BEHAR: That`s how he was getting the money.
KARAS: Assuming these allegations are true. He got $15,000 May 10th; he went to Peru May 14th. He was there for 2 weeks.
BEHAR: Let me get back to the serial killer idea for a second, Dog. I mean do two murders make a serial killer? It is a little fishy because it`s five years to the day of the day that Natalee went missing. It is a little strange, and he`s probably a psychopath, but is that a serial killer?
CHAPMAN: Well, I guess. I don`t know the number of people you have to kill to be a serial, but a psycho, yes. And like I said, the people I have chased are caught and captured are known people like this have always used those dates as significance. All those dates matter.
So five years to the day, the way that was destroyed, it looked like two people destroyed the room instead of one. The way she was beaten was rage. The guy, like I said, he loved his daddy, almost committed suicide when his dad died. His dad, I think, I assume, of course was the judge. Realized that his had done this heinous crime was like, "Oh my God son." His dad dropped dead of a heart attack. His kid probably killed him; he was so worried about it.
And once the dad -- no really, once the dad is out of the picture, he`s free to kill. There`s no conscience. He`s free to kill everywhere. I mean this guy -- I met Beth Holloway and I looked at the investigation. This guy is guilty of kidnapping her.
Then he says once he is stoned on good pot and he tells an investigator here is where her body is. Then he`s offered big cash, $250,000 and I think it was by the Holloway family and he starts saying, you know, statute of limitations is almost over I`ll go ahead and tell you where the body is.
BEHAR: Yes.
CHAPMAN: So I think he`s wheeler dealer --
BEHAR: Ok, all right.
CHAPMAN: -- a conniver, and a serial killer.
BEHAR: Ok that is -- yes.
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": The authorities in Aruba are apparently now looking again at yet more places in the island of Aruba saying, well, we may have overlooked something before. You have to wonder if they overlooked it before when the father who was a person of influence in Aruba was alive, but they are looking a few more places in Aruba right now.
We don`t know who paid the money. These are allegations right now. By the way I did reach out to the FBI today to the Behavioral Sciences Unit to see if they would give me their assessment of whether or not he fits the profile, but they said because it`s a pending investigation they weren`t going to comment --
BEHAR: Well, what is he exactly charge with, what are the exact charges?
KARAS: He`s not charged yet.
BEHAR: He`s not charged yet.
KARAS: No he`s not officially charged yet. So we don`t know if it will be more than murder.
BEHAR: Ok, all right.
KARAS: We think the murder could be more.
BEHAR: Thank you very much, guys.
CHAPMAN: Thank you Jane.
BEHAR: Up next, more questions in Gary Coleman`s death. His parents are suggesting foul play. I`ll have an update in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up a little later on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW.
Sandra Bullock is back. The actress makes her first TV appearance since her breakup with Jesse James.
And a former banker for Citibank tells Joy she was fired from her job for being too sexy.
Now, back to Joy.
BEHAR: According to Britain`s "Daily Mail", Gary Coleman`s parents suspect foul play on the sudden death of their estranged son and today, Coleman`s 24-year-old ex-wife Shannon Price responded on ABC`s "Good Morning America" to the speculation that she pushed him.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANNON PRICE, GARY COLEMAN`S EX-WIFE: People can say whatever they want because I know the truth. I would never hurt my husband, ever. I would, you know, take my own life before I would ever, ever harm him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Also today, TMZ reports that the actor`s ex-wife has sold photos of Coleman`s final moments.
With me now to discuss this: Victor Perillo, Coleman`s former agent and spokesman for his parents and Jim Moret, attorney and correspondent for "Inside Edition".
Ok, Victor, reports say that Coleman`s parents claim foul play. And you`ve said that you would take another look at the body to see if there was any blunt force trauma to the head. What are you implying?
VICTOR PERILLO, COLEMAN FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: Joy, it was a pleasure to speak to you.
BEHAR: Thank you.
PERILLO: I will tell you categorically, that none of that is true. The Colemans have never raised any issue accusing Shannon of that. I don`t know where they`re getting that information. And I will tell you straight out that the Colemans have reached out to Shannon to talk to her and speak to her. And share their hurt, and they have -- and they have always wanted to talk to her.
BEHAR: So there is no implication that Shannon was involved in the death of Gary Coleman`s coming from the parents? Is that what you`re saying to me?
PERILLO: None whatsoever.
BEHAR: Ok.
PERILLO: Not at all, not for me.
BEHAR: Ok, Shannon Price spoke to "Good Morning America" about why the couple we`re living together even though they divorced in 2008.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRICE: We decided that wasn`t what we wanted. We just had a disagreement. And after we both filed and it went through, we decided that wasn`t what -- it wasn`t the right choice.
We were going to renew our vows soon but our health issues got in the way. He was always my husband regardless of -- of the divorce and what people say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Jim, you reported that this couple was going to renew their vows. What can you tell us?
JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, I was in -- I was in Salt Lake on Thursday, talked to Shannon`s brother and Shannon and Gary`s former agent or manager in Salt Lake. They said the same thing, they said that Gary`s health was bad, that Shannon was in poor health, and that the -- Shannon never moved out after the divorce.
They had an odd relationship. I met and talked to them after their marriage. It was a day when Gary had apparently thrown a fax machine towards Shannon.
They had a volatile relationship. They were both had strong -- if you listen to the 911 call, she sounds odd there, but Gary`s own attorney said look, this is an odd couple, but they seemed to love each other. She never moved out and it was kind of -- a situation where maybe they realized that they needed and loved each other and she never chose to move out and he never asked her to.
BEHAR: She sounds very cold in the 911 call, doesn`t she?
MORET: Yes she does, she even Gary`s own attorney said if you didn`t know Shannon, she sounds so detached, like she doesn`t care. But, you know, she doesn`t -- even her own brother said she comes off as odd to strangers. She doesn`t take dealing with pressure well at all.
She knew something was wrong, she called 911. It`s not as if she didn`t and I`m very happy to hear Perillo saying that the family isn`t alleging any foul play, the police apparently don`t feel there`s any foul play either.
BEHAR: Well, Gary Coleman`s parents say his ex-wife has not responded to their calls. Here is what she told GMA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRICE: My brother called them and talked to the mother and was like, if you have any questions, let me know, and she didn`t really say anything. So you know, Gary has been estranged from them from 15 to 20 years before I came into the picture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Victor, why was Gary estranged from his parents? What was that about?
PERILLO: Well, you know, Joy, there`s this industry we have, and there`s the peripheral industry, and to make statements about Willie and Sue Coleman that have been going on for 22 years, it`s -- it`s an atrocity. These were loving people, and I think that what happened is that there were Svengalis in his life that came to him, and these are the voices we`re hearing now, incidentally, and -- and told him that the people surrounding you, Gary, are taking advantage of you.
Yet today, the very same people that are claiming that are, you know, getting paid for interviews. And so I think it`s very strange. I can -- I was with him since the age of six. I was blessed to be with Gary Coleman who offstage was an amazing human being. And to hear him talk, I once called him a gift to all of us.
But what -- what is hurtful and tremendously hurtful, that these are parents of a son that died. And now when Shannon says that she reached out, the brother, I think that the wife should be talking to the Colemans. The brother called me and told me that if the Coleman` want to come to a funeral for Gary we will slip them in through a side door so no one sees them. And I asked him what country he was living in.
BEHAR: All right, ok. Let me ask you, Jim, TMZ is reporting that Gary`s ex-wife Shannon sold photos of his final moments. Is that true? What are your sources telling you?
MORET: We, we have not been able to confirm that. I suppose that if it`s true, we`re going to see it in the tabloids very soon.
How disconcerting would that be because one of the photos described is of Gary in the hospital with tubes in him and Shannon is allegedly in one of the photos. It`s a horrible thing.
And Mr. Perillo is right. Look, whatever the relationship was like between the parents and the son, if it was estranged, they`re still parents grieving the loss of a child. And I think that you have to be -- you know.
BEHAR: Ok, thanks very much, guys. We`ll be back in a minute. Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Sandra Bullock appeared at last night`s MTV Awards. No major bombshells and even better, no one named Bombshell in the audience. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS: The Generation Award, is that an award for old people who have extended their welcome and we should make nice and leave so someone new is come in? Because that`s not going to happen because I`m staying.
Can we please go back to normal because therapy is really expensive? Go back to making fun of me. I don`t care. It`s time to get back to normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Here to discuss Sandra Bullock`s return is entertainment editor for the Associated Press Alicia Quarles. Hi Alicia.
ALICIA QUARLES, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Hi Joy.
BEHAR: After three month of seclusion. She makes her appearance on Spike TV and MTV for the wards. So how do you think she did?
QUARLES: I`d say bravo to Sandra. This is how you do it, you know. She came out, first of all, looking good is the best revenge, and home girl is flawless. The Spike Awards, she had on that skin tight black leather dress, the next day the sparkly dress. Show Jesse James what he`s missing. Good for her.
BEHAR: Well, you know, humor really is the cure, also, to go out there and be funny about something. He went on television crying. Shut up.
Check out this clip of Sandra accepting Spike TV`s Troop Choice Award for Entertainer of the Year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BULLOCK: Let`s be honest here. Just for a moment, we`re all going to be honest, right? Did I win this for being entertainer of the year or did I win this because of the spectacular IED explosion that became my personal life?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: She really sort of said it there, and in a clever way, I think, and for the troops.
QUARLES: That`s right. And she`s fine.
You did it for the troops. And also, beat people to the punch. She knew that was the elephant in the room. You know, her personal life exploded. If she talks about it first then nobody one else can talk about it in a bad way so I say good for Sandra.
BEHAR: Good for her.
And what about the kiss between Bullock and Scarlett Johansson?
QUARLES: Yes, I mean that was like, where did that come from?
BEHAR: Straight guys everywhere are saying thank you, Jesus.
QUARLES: They are saying thank you. I mean this is how you make a comeback. MTV is known for doing outrageous, crazy things. She already knew this. She was going to steal the show by appearing there. Why not just put the cherry on top, the kiss?
BEHAR: Do you think that it`s a good thing on MTV and Spike TV, are those good venues for her? They have kind of a young audience.
QUARLES: Yes. Those are great venues for her. You know, we heard a couple of weeks ago that she was going to be at MTV. The Spike thing was completely a shock. They`re great venues because nobody is ever going to ask like crazy, hard-hitting questions. I mean these are young, fun audiences that are there to have a good time. And Sandra can really be in control and do it on her own terms.
BEHAR: What do you think Jesse is thinking right now? He`s probably been watching this.
QUARLES: Oh, Jesse`s probably like, what did you say, boohoo? I think he`s there probably he`s crying up a river, looking at Bombshell McGee thinking, "What was I thinking?" Yes, big mistake. He could have been there with her at MTV.
BEHAR: She actually seemed like she was feeling a little too good, Sandra, in a way.
QUARLES: You think she was overacting?
BEHAR: No, I mean what happened to her is very pretty devastating for any woman, and to be happening in public it`s quite devastating, and yet she seemed light as a feather.
QUARLES: Well, you know, she`s an actress.
BEHAR: She is an actress.
QUARLES: She`s an actress. The show must go on Joy. You know.
BEHAR: She didn`t win an Oscar for nothing.
QUARLES: That`s right. Homegirl can act. So we didn`t want to see her like Jesse James, boohoo crying. This is Sandra. Put on that strong face. That man doesn`t deserve to see those tears.
BEHAR: Ok. Thanks Alicia, very much for this update.
And up next, a woman claims she was fired from her job for being too attractive. She`ll be here to tell her side of the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Debrahlee Lorenzana was suing Citibank because she said they fired her for being too beautiful. Is it possible to be too beautiful? It`s a burden, but I manage. Here to discuss her case are Debrahlee Lorenzana and her attorney Jack Tuckner. Welcome to the show.
DEBRAHLEE LORENZANA, FIRED BY CITIBANK: Thank you.
BEHAR: OK let me start with you Debrahlee, when did you start working for Citibank, and when did you get fired?
LORENZANA: I started working in Citibank on September of `08 and got I fired on August of `09.
BEHAR: Oh so they had a nice period of time where they could feast their eyes on you. What happened? What took them so long?
LORENZANA: For the first couple months, everything was fine when I was going in training. Once I was at my branch, and it came from my branch, little comments started arising.
BEHAR: Little comments?
LORENZANA: Yes, your pants are too tight.
BEHAR: Who would say that?
LORENZANA: The branch manager and the assistant branch manager.
BEHAR: Did you say why are you looking at my ass?
LORENZANA: I couldn`t, it`s HR issue.
BEHAR: OK.
LORENZANA: I would say, they would say to me you cannot wear pencil skirt. You cannot wear a turtleneck. So every day I was getting picked on to the point that one day, I decided to tone it down a little bit. I thought, I`m not going to wear makeup today, and I`m going to put my hair in a bun -
BEHAR: Good.
LORENZANA: And I did that and the branch manager tells one of my colleagues to tell me to go put on make-up because I look sick -
BEHAR: Good.
LORENZANA: And then to tell me to blow dry my hair because my hair is curly and it looks, it doesn`t look neat enough.
BEHAR: I see and how about clothing, they wanted you to wear a hefty bag?
LORENZANA: I think I would have been very successful in a hefty bag.
BEHAR: No, they would have say, no, it wasn`t tied to, it`s to messy. It sounds like they were focusing on you quite a bit.
JACK TUCKNER, ATTORNEY FOR DEBRAHLEE LORENZANA: Who can blame them.
BEHAR: She`s a beautiful girl, but beautiful women work all over the place. Maybe a bank is too tight fit for a pretty girl to work in? Is that what I`m hearing?
-- TUCKNER: No, it has nothing really to do with her clothing which was impeccable and was stylish. Citibank never really said you really can`t wear this clothing. It was right smack dab in the middle of their dress code policy. In fact, Debrahlee would say others would point out other women in the bank tellers was showing cleavage and wearing mini-skirts.
BEHAR: Oh really -
TUCKNER: And stiletto shoes -
BEHAR: So what`s the issue really then, why do you think - what happen there, if other women were dressing seductively and they were on your case then what is the truth?
LORENZANA: Because I believe when I once I started reaching to human resources, here, human resources is supposed to be on our side. The reality is it`s not. It`s there to protect the employer.
BEHAR: That`s right.
LORENZANA: As soon as you notify human resources, it`s a flag that you`re out the door. It`s just a matter of days before you days are counted. They came to do an investigation. First they ignored me completely. Then they came to do an investigation, and Ms. Morgan (ph) my human resources representative, that day when she came to my branch, I said to her, this is what I wear to work. She says, I don`t see anything wrong with that. And I had a camera where I showed her a picture of one of my associates, what they were wearing. And I said, if we`re going to have a dress policy, it should be across the board to everyone the same.
BEHAR: That`s right.
LORENZANA: I have not broken the dress policy, and here, there are some associates that do, and their explanation of my bosses were, well, your body type is very different, so you draw too much attention.
BEHAR: So in other words, if you look bad in the clothes, they are OK even if everything is coming out. But if you look good, they`re not OK with it, that`s basically what you are saying.
TUCKNER: Exactly.
LORENZANA: That`s basically in a couple of words - I was in a state of shock.
BEHAR: Do you every think of maybe gaining 100 pounds so people would like you better? So you would look worse in your clothes?
LORENZANA: I am not 100 dollar bill so no -- so nobody is going to like me that much.
BEHAR: Did they directly say you have got to change the way you dress?
LORENZANA: Yes -
BEHAR: They did.
LORENZANA: They did and -
BEHAR: And then you complained to HR. And then what happen?
LORENZANA: HR conducts an investigation. I requested to get a transfer, and HR said to me that I was hired for that branch because I was a good business hunter and that branch needed someone as strong as me there so please just to bear with it as they were going with the investigation. A couple weeks later, now they started another issue started raising. Every time I would be outside looking for new business and my clients would come in looking for me, my business was given to the other business banker, to the male business banker.
BEHAR: I see.
LORENZANA: Now, when I approach human resources again letting them know this is what is going on, they would not respond back. They would not get my calls. There were numerous different occasions, an example, I was supposed to move boxes from the second floor to the basement. I figure let me take off my heels --
BEHAR: You were supposed to do that?
LORENZANA: Well because the branch manager asked me to do that as a favor. And I didn`t see anything wrong. We were fixing a closet where we wanted to make it more convenient for us to have all the disclosures and documents from the very handy so when we`re with a client, we don`t have to go downstairs to pick up some of the papers like we did.
BEHAR: So what happened there?
TUCKNER: The point is that she put on her flip-flops and took off her pumps to go down to the basement.
BEHAR: Again with the clothes.
TUCKNER: Again with the clothes, take off the flip-flops and put back on the pumps, apparently they couldn`t stand you know the sight.
BEHAR: How are you supposed to carry boxes with stilettos?
LORENZANA: that`s what I said to me assistant branch manager and he said to me he didn`t care. That that is what he said and that`s what had to be done.
BEHAR: So do you think the whole thing is because you went to human resources.
LORENZANA: Definitely.
BEHAR: That`s what it is.
LORENZANA: Definitely.
BEHAR: That`s interesting. As a lawyer, what do you advise a client about that stuff or even people watching who work in corporations and they see sexual harassment going on or whatever, they report it to human resources and Debrahlee is saying that is the ticket to being fired.
TUCKNER: In this economy most people are afraid if you complain that I`m going to get fired, it`s going to be -
BEHAR: I`m sorry, go ahead.
TUCKNER: It will be a big problem so I`m going to go along to get along in this environment. And people do that all the time, slavishly because they have to. When a strong assertive woman who said you know what, I`m not going to play with these guys who were doing this Wayne`s World kind of you know babe alert shwing every time they saw her, they were, you know, they made a joke out of this fact that we can`t focus because you`re so hot.
BEHAR: OK, I know that. OK, let me read this statement, OK, Citibank, "Ms. Lorenzana has chosen to make numerous unfounded accusations and inaccurate statements about Citibank and several of our employees. While we will not discuss the detail of her case, we can say that her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire. We`re confident that when all of the facts are presented, the claim will be dismissed." No how do you respond to that?
LORENZANA: That is not true. Because when we`re going to compare apples to apples. When we`re going to see on the business side aspect, my goal, I reached my goal. The overall goal I couldn`t reach because I was not sent to the training that was required for me to do any consumer deposit accounts. In the banking industry, before you`re allowed to open any type of deposit accounts, you have to go to certain training. Every time I approach my manager and say I need to go training -
BEHAR: What would he say?
LORENZANA: He would say, we are short of staff. I can`t afford to send you.
BEHAR: So they almost didn`t want you to train. But now you`re working for Chase and they`re now threatening to terminate you because you shouldn`t be speaking out about the banking financial industry? I got to go. I`m sorry - I just want to leave you with that out there to ponder that. I hope that`s not true. Good luck to you. We`ll be back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BEHAR: Eighty nine -year-old White House correspondent Helen Thomas announced her retirement effective immediately today after making anti- Israeli remarks, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any comments on Israel, we are asking everybody.
HELEN THOMAS: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ooh. Any better comments?
THOMAS: Remember, these people are occupied. And it`s their land, not Germany, not Poland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So where should they go? What should they do?
THOMAS: Go home, Poland. Germany.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go back to Poland and Germany.
THOMAS: And America and everywhere else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Can I say I hope she`s not planning on retiring in Boca. With me now are Jonathan Alter author of "The Promise: President Obama, Year One" and fabulously funny Robert Klein, comedian. OK, Jonathan, let me start with you. What do you make of this? Is she getting senile, or is this something she`s been feeling for many years.
JONATHAN ALTER, AUTHOR, "THE PROMISE": Look it`s just us Jews, we are all Jews right?
BEHAR: No, I`m not but I might as well be.
ALTER: OK, whatever, might as well -- am I offended by it? Of course, I am, but she`s an old lady. You know and I don`t think, it`s great that she retired. She needed to. Eighty-nine years old, I basically don`t hold any 89-year-old accountable for anything they say. In retirement, which she is now. I just wish that her whole career is not judged by this.
BEHAR: Oh but it will be Jonathan.
ALTER: It will be in her obituary -
BEHAR: Oh yes.
ALTER: But she was - look I have known her for a long time and she has held many presidents` feet to the fire at a time when nobody in the Bush press room would say boo about George W. Bush after 9/11, she was already asking tough questions. I just -- like to see people be judged in the largest context of their career and not in their senility.
BEHAR: OK Robert, do you want to comment on that?
ROBERT KLEIN, COMEDIAN: Well I personally have horse in this race, but I think maybe -- you know what? I agree for the most part with Jonathan because she`s not in her best game anymore.
BEHAR: Why Betty White is in her best game and she`s the same age.
KLEIN: I know but that`s a show, so is my brother-in-law Harry is at his best game. He`s up there, he`d be playing tennis --
BEHAR: But maybe this is her best game.
KLEIN: Well there`s hate in there. There`s hate in there. In that remark is the reason why never again, you know.
ALTER: But she`s Lebanese. She`s a Lebanese American.
BEHAR: Right.
ALTER: And you do have to understand, you know, some of the history of the region and the feelings in the region, and not necessarily a judge somebody who thinks of Israel as an occupying power as by definition an Anti-Semite.
BEHAR: No but we agree on that part I think.
KLEIN: Go back to Germany --
BEHAR: Yes but Germany, Poland, Auschwitz -
ALTER: Hey I`m not rationalizing it Joy -- trying to excuse her.
KLEIN: The idea is t there`s a great irony in that. There`s a great irony in that. It`s nasty.
BEHAR: But I saw also saw all those Charlton Heston movies. I mean you know, isn`t it, IF you go back long enough, isn`t it the Jewish homeland, really?
ALTER: I would say yes. I do think they have -- they don`t have -- you know, there are some Israelis who think they have a right, a biblical right to the entire West Bank. And that should be a Palestinian homeland, and actually the only way for peace is a two-state solution. If Israel puts its head in the sand ostrich style, what will happen is demographically, the Arabs will soon outnumber Jews within Israel`s borders and at that point, the Jewish state will seize to exist. So it`s in Israel`s survival interest to come to a two-state solution.
BEHAR: Right.
KLEIN: But it`s important to remember that the `67 war where the acquired these territories was after three wars, you know, this was the third war, `48, `56, I remember watching a Walter Cronkite special, and there was no neutrality about the `67 victory, everyone was a brilliant, little Israel has finally conquered the golden heights from which the shells have been -- and now people forget that, and they look like the monsters. So they have to tread a difficult water.
BEHAR: It seems like Israel gets a bum rap to me though, it seems to me.
ALTER: It does and there`s a double standard that Israel suffers from.
BEHAR: Yes.
KLEIN: How about the 80 people killed while praying in a Mosque in Lahore two days before and 100 some odd wounded, page 29 of --
BEHAR: Exactly that always fascinates me, why they pick on Israel so much, more than other countries.
KLEIN: hello.
ALTER: There`s a little anti-Semite in that, but there`s a double standard and a higher standard. But you know they use to say, Abba Eban about the Palestinians, they never miss than opportunity to miss an opportunity -
BEHAR: Yes.
KLEIN: Yes.
ALTER: And the Israelis are starting to act like that a little bit too.
BEHAR: Maybe if Netanyahu who is a very tough Jew, were to get real and start to deal -- I sound like Nipsey Russell all of a sudden. Another thing spewing spontaneously is oil in the Gulf.
ALTER: Only makes me go to China kind of -
BEHAR: I know and emotions are running high in Louisiana and Alabama. But Critics are wondering why the president isn`t emotional enough. Do you think he should be more emotional? I mean everybody is hacking him to -- what do they want, for him to cry like Glenn Beck? What do they want from this guy?
ALTER: They want him to feel their pain like Bill Clinton.
BEHAR: Everybody made fun of Bill Clinton for that.
ALTER: Well it works for him. Obama`s problem is it`s great when he strips emotion out of his private decision making, and I play fly on the wall, you know, I try to take the reader behind the closed doors of the oval office, the situation where he`s totally unemotional and it`s great because emotion hurts decision making. But when it comes to the public part of the job, you know, logic can maybe convince people, but only emotion can really motivate people. And when he strips that emotion out in public, people find him professor in chief. He`s too detached, and that hurt him in the Gulf. I think they`re adjusting some. If he goes too far and starts crying, then he`s a phony. That`s the last thing he wants to do.
BEHAR: Yes, you don`t want that.
ALTER: He considers his ace in the hole to be his authenticity, that`s what his friends told me about. And then when I discussed it with him, he said he doesn`t want to take part in a lot of the stupid parts of press relations.
BEHAR: Do you want him to get angry, Robert?
KLEIN: He has to be a little more -- we love theater in our leaders. I was watching Roosevelt give a speech.
BEHAR: He`s still on?
KLEIN: You know, he said, there will be taxes, there will be a tough fight. You know, after Pearl Harbor, and the other one says, I well -- welcome the loathing of me, but I`m an old warrior and I love a good fight. You need some of that. We look to our leader --
BEHAR: We do, but that`s not this guy. He can`t contrive it.
KLEIN: He`s got to do a little.
ALTER: Everybody wants him to deck somebody. He`s not really into gestures. You know his problem, the thing that makes him frustrating, he does get ticked off about it in private, but it`s kind of an icy fury.
BEHAR: But you know, that`s why I voted for the guy, because he is calm and pragmatic. Let me get mad. Let everybody get mad. You solve the problem. That`s how I see it.
ALTER: And thinks, you know he said the other day to Larry King, it`s not about my anger. That`s -- this is about plugging a hole and land handling the cleanup. And so I do think he should be judged by results. He`s confident enough in the American people, but he`s frustrated. It`s always the shovel brigade. Cleaning up after the elephants when they leave the circus, whether it`s Wall Street, auto industry, Afghanistan which is much worse, or this. He`s cleaning up Bush`s messes.
BEHAR: The elephants, isn`t that the Republican parties, the elephants?
ALTER: They left, they left.
BEHAR: Hello Jonathan, thanks very much. Robert, stay right there. I`m not done with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Please fix the mess we`re in. Please no more drama at Obama our nation may not get another chance so try to keep your pecker in your pants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BEHAR: Well that was the hilarious Robert Klein singing in his ninth`s special on HBO. You know I have to tell you, Robert, whenever anybody asks me who influenced you as a comedian, I always say you. Did you know that?
KLEIN: No. I didn`t. But I first hooked up with you 1986 or `87 --
BEHAR: Not in the biblical sense.
KLEIN: Yes. You were on my talk show on "USA" network.
BEHAR: That`s right.
KLEIN: We were two years. We were canceled. I have no bitterness. We were replaced by the real estate seminar. Dave Veldotto cash flow method. You were so funny, so clever, and I know you had been a teacher.
BEHAR: But so had you.
KLEIN: I had been a substitute for nine months. It gave me my early - but you know, one of the themes of my show is these really hypocritical and randy politicians.
BEHAR: Right.
KLEIN: Eliot Spitzer is in a slightly different other category. Was just a little depraved --
BEHAR: You don`t mean that in a bad way?
KLEIN: Well he wasn`t one of those values guys. Thirty-five hundred dollars for sex in this economy?
BEHAR: It`s true. It`s true. You know, he paid for the minibar. He`s a sport.
KLEIN: Could have gotten him 12 girls with a free towel. This should end that ugly stereotype forever, though, that Jews always get a good bargain.
BEHAR: That is an ugly stereotype.
KLEIN: These guys like Vitter, Mr. Values and was caught on the hookers list. Larry Craig wanted to have sex in an airport men`s room, the one place I want to get out of as quickly as possible. Ensign in Nevada, still in office.
BEHAR: Yes.
KLEIN: For stuffing his campaign manager`s, and got her a job at Quiznos I think shredding letter.
BEHAR: Yes your standup show is called "UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED." are you taking a shot at FOX news?
KLEIN: What? Mr. Ailes? Not at all. They haven`t had a liberal on that thing since Alan Combs was, you know, sent back to Poland.
BEHAR: They -- with Helen Thomas.
KLEIN: With Helen Thomas.
BEHAR: Helen on the train right now.
KLEIN: Emotional scars that boy has on that network.
BEHAR: Go ahead.
KLEIN: It`s not really -- I`m kidding about it. I find the fair and an pretty ludicrous.
BEHAR: But you also talk about aging in your special. What`s your favorite part about aging and least favorite part? Really fast, I only have 30 seconds.
KLEIN: No favorite parts.
BEHAR: No favorite parts -
KLEIN: Least favorite part -
BEHAR: What about wisdom?
KLEIN: Opening a CD, took me two hours. A soy sauce took me the better part of 10, 15 minutes.
BEHAR: Maybe you`re just a spaz, have nothing to do with your age.
KLEIN: I just played JLO`s gynecologist in this movie, "Backup Plan." see how long it took me to think of that movie? That`s another downside.
BEHAR: And the good side?
KLEIN: I forget I`m a geezer and pass the mirror, came to work in the morning -- same thing with Sandra Bullock. I played her father in that movie, "Two Weeks Notice." What am I thinking she`s a demented drumfile?
BEHAR: Yes, all right, Robert, thank you. Robert Klein, "UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED" airs Saturday at 10:00 p.m. on HBO, good night everybody.
END
