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Out in the Open
Teenage Girls Attack Man on New York Subway; Defending With Deadly Force
Aired December 11, 2007 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We promised this video that we have been following. It's a big New York story, but it's unbelievable to look at.
Will, let's put this up. All right, you see it right there. This is a scene from a New York City subway. Now, it shows a man. He was first being taunted by these girls, teenage girls, and then he is pummeled by this pack of girls. At first they're just harassing him, but then they start throwing punches. He is not even trying to fight back. He is trying to avoid them as best he can.
The father, by the way, as you look at these pictures, the father of one of these girls, he is going to be joining us in just a little bit. He says that his daughter on this tape is acting like a wild animal. That's a direct quote. He even goes on to say that the man that's being beat up should file charges against his daughter.
And there's now a development in this case.
Dan Lothian is at one of the New York subway stations. He's been following this all day.
What's new, Dan? What do we know?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Rick, CNN has confirmed that the victim in this case has now filed a formal criminal complaint with the New York City Police Department, this after not coming forward and remaining relatively quiet for more than a month.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): Teenage girls on a New York subway train beating up on a grown man, and it's all caught on video. What did he do? Or, better yet, what didn't he do? We will tell you in a moment.
But, first, let's back up; 27-year-old Rafael Cruz, that guy all by himself, stands like a lamb facing the lions, outnumbered by a group of teenage girls yelling taunting him relentlessly.
(on camera): Cruz was riding on the A-train under the busy streets of Brooklyn when this whole thing started. Seemingly unprovoked, he is harassed and then attacked on tape for four minutes and 18 seconds.
(voice-over): At first, Cruz appears calm. He even smiles. He tries to talk them into backing off. But this is how one of the girls responds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe I don't want to sit down. Maybe I don't want to sit down. I want to stand up and look at you.
LOTHIAN: The circle around Cruz is closing in, so what does he do? He stands up and tries to put on the brakes again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Just shut up.
LOTHIAN: What he doesn't do is put up a fight. The 17-year-old recording the confrontation on her camera phone spins around and begins interviewing other passengers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have something to say about this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have something to say?
LOTHIAN: They just watch as things really heat up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who do you want to hit you first?
LOTHIAN: Fists are about to fly, and someone heard off camera knows it's coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're going to hit him. I know it.
LOTHIAN: And they do. Punch after punch, Cruz takes it, ducking, guarding himself, but not striking back. Someone hits him with a plastic soda bottle. Take a look at it again. It turns out during this entire scuffle only one person tries to help, this woman.
Take a look at what she does. She uses her arm to try to hold off the attackers, but she's quickly pushed away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: Now, Rick, we did receive a statement from Kajdera Holmes. She is the 17-year-old who was shooting the video.
She says in no way was she involved in this, did not contribute to it, but she did say -- quote -- "I regret not taking steps to end the assault and later not turning my tape over to the authorities" -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: This is amazing. I mean, this is really amazing. It's amazing. First of all, they were such bullies on that subway, and it almost seemed like you would have expected other people to come to this man's defense.
And his restraint is incredible. He never really fought back. By the way, you know, as I'm looking at this, and as we're all looking at this, were they doing this for show? Did they know that they were being videotaped while this was going on?
LOTHIAN: You know, that's a very good question because you can see that the camera moves all around on this phone. And so you would think that they would realize that they were on videotape.
We did try to reach out to them today. They either had no comment or we couldn't reach them. But in some published reports they were quoted as saying that they did not know that they were on camera when that confrontation was taking place.
SANCHEZ: Expect a lot of developments on this. As a matter of fact, we are going to be following it a little bit more.
Hey, Dan, we will get back to you if we need you, because we are going to continue to develop this story throughout this hour. In fact, in just a little bit, we are going to be hearing from the father of one of those girls. This guy is remarkable.
You know what he is saying in this case? He is actually saying: My daughter acted like a wild animal, and I am ashamed of her.
He goes on to say that he thinks that this man, this poor defenseless guy who was on this train, who seemed to be minding his own business, should file charges against his daughter. That's what he is saying tonight. He is going to be on the show in just a little bit. He is going to give us his perspective on this. We are going to ask him if he has reached out to his daughter. He has got a heck of a story to tell about what she's doing now.
We are going to let that all develop for you right here in just a little bit. We're waiting for him to get in place.
Also, this story is the top of our "Quick Vote." We want to know from you, because, you know, as you watch this, don't you almost get the feeling that you are there? If you had been there, if you had watched this take place, would you have stepped in? Would you have tried to help this guy? Yes or no? Vote now, as you usually do, at CNN.com/Rick, CNN.com/Rick.
It's kind of a tough one, but we really do want to know what you think. The results, of course, we will share them with you toward the end of this newscast.
OK. Here's the other big story that we have been following. There's new information out of Colorado tonight on this killer, what his motives were about his hate for certain Christians, and his postings that he left behind on the Internet. This is kind of eerie to listen to.
Remember, here's the background. This is a guy who walks into a missionary center. This is where people are being trained to be missionaries to go overseas. He talks to a young Christian man there, says he wants to spend the night. But, when he is rejected, he takes out a rifle and he starts killing people. He kills two of them there on the spot. Then he travels about 70 miles to Colorado Springs to the mega- church; 7,000 people were there at the time. And he kills two more people and wounds many more. He is 24-year-old Matthew Murray. He was shot by a guard at the church. We thought yesterday that she had killed him, but, you know, these stories change during the first 48 hours. We're now learning that Murray actually killed himself.
Just hours ago, the coroner ruled that his death was a suicide. I know you are trying to figure out how that happened. So am I.
Sean Callebs is joining us now from Colorado Springs.
I don't get it. Either she shot him and killed him, or he killed himself. Could it be both?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you what we know for sure is that the security guard, Jeanne Assam, that we heard from a great deal last night, shot Murray several times, dropped him. She repeatedly said to him drop your weapon, drop your weapon. At that point, he apparently took his own life.
That's the information that we have from the coroner. We also have some other new information. A lot of people in this area, Rick, want to know why. Why did Murray target New Life Church?
Well, we may have a connection this evening. We know from someone at the church who has seen financial records that the Murray family made several donations to this church over a period of years. And that, Rick, may be the tie that people are looking for, because we know on these postings on the Web that we are pretty sure came from Murray he rails against what he says is a presumed hypocrisy among Christians -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, so what we learn from these postings, as we expected, is that this guy is really disturbed, but there seemed to be a certain bent toward either, A, Christianity or this particular Christian group, right?
CALLEBS: Right. He really appears to unravel.
We want to walk you through a number of these posts that first came out on Sunday morning after the assault at the youth ministry that happened about 12:30 in the morning.
SANCHEZ: All right.
CALLEBS: The first one is about 4:00 in the morning. Then he makes about 10 others., the last one coming two hours before the fatal attack here at New Life.
And, Rick, I want to read you one chilling passage, which really sounds a lot like another killer from Colorado, Eric Harris, the killer in the Columbine massacre.
The quote says -- quote -- "I am coming for everyone soon, and I will be armed to the 'blank' teeth, and I will shoot to kill. God, I can't wait to kill you people, feel no remorse, no sense of shame. I don't care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you as I can, especially Christians, who are to blame for most of the problems in this world."
Rick, I want to tell you real quickly, we talked to the forum director who oversaw this Web site. He is at another Midwestern state. It definitely came from the Colorado area. And we know police have seized Murray's computer. And they're poring over that hard drive right now.
SANCHEZ: You know, it's interesting. And what is the connection with New Life Church specifically?
And we should remind viewers that this church has been involved in controversy in the past with the Ted Haggard's incidents and his alleged connections to the White House. So, why this church?
(CROSSTALK)
CALLEBS: Well, we know that, clearly, Murray had a falling out with the youth ministry up the road in Arvada.
And, also, in these Web postings, he just rails against what he calls the hypocrisy of the fundamentalist church movement, says, as a kid, he couldn't watch "The Smurfs," Disney movies, "Harry Potter." All these things had ties to Christianity.
So, what he is saying is, Haggard, who was forced out of this church because of a sex scandal and for using drugs, he lashes into Haggard. We know these blogs also talk about Haggard being his mother's favorite minister.
SANCHEZ: All right, this is really getting strange.
Hey, Sean, thanks so much for bringing us up-to-date on this.
Let's pick up on that now, because this whole idea of a guy going after a specific church, whether it's about Ted Haggard or this specific church or he just decides that he hates Christians, what's this all about? We need to get to the bottom of this. So, that's what we're going to do.
In fact, when we come back, we have got an interview with a woman who may have been the last person to try and reach out to this killer. And she's going to talk about this anti-Christian movement that seemed that he -- he seemed to have in his own head, and she's going to tell us some other details about that.
Also, this -- all right, did you catch the story? There's a protest going on. You heard Lou Dobbs mention this a while ago. We had it on yesterday as well. This thing is getting heat, folks, from all over the country. It's about a man who shoots two burglars, two burglars who were illegal immigrants. They were going after his neighbor's house.
Here's a little bit of the 911 tape. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
OPERATOR: Mr. Horn, do not go out the house.
JOE HORN, NEIGHBOR: I'm sorry. This ain't right, buddy.
OPERATOR: You're going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with that gun. I don't care what you think. OK? Stay in the house.
HORN: You want to make a bet? I'm going to kill 'em.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness. It goes on. We will let you hear it. This thing heats up. Now there are death threats against the man who shot his neighbor's burglars. We are all over it. We are back in two.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Al Qaeda has attacked again. This information we're sharing with you now is developing news.
It's now confirmed that al Qaeda has attacked in Algiers. Some 67 people are dead. We're going to be bringing you that information as we get it here and sharing the story with you, as you see some of the unbelievable pictures that are coming in from Algeria.
Meanwhile, back to me, if you would, Will. Let's get back into this story that we have been following now. We dig deeper into what motivated a 24-year-old man to go into a shooting rampage that killed four people and then take his own life.
This is at a Colorado Church, but it was also at a missionary training center. We found the woman who may have been the last person to try and get help for Murray. We have the words of psychologist Marlene Winell that she posted on the Internet, and the gunman's responses.
As a matter of fact, let's look at what he wrote now. He says this: "My ex-church will say they all love me. Everyone loves me, don't they? I had J.W.s knock on my door -- Jehovah's Witness, by the way -- and say that Jehovah loves me that and that they would love to have me meet with them, but do they have any real answers? Love in our commercial and Christian America is just a word to get people to convert."
All right, Marlene Winell is the author of "Leaving the Fold." It's a guide for former fundamentalists and others leaving their religion.
She's good enough to join us now.
All right, I was just having a conversation with Sean Callebs, and the conversation that I had with him was the fact that this guy seemed to have a real resentment against either Christianity or this particular church that he was attending.
You actually responded to one of his postings. And you said to him the following after reading some of the crazy stuff that he had written and the anger that he had inside of him. You wrote to him, and you said, Dr. Winell: "I can see that you are in a great deal of pain. And I would like to invite you to contact me," because you could obviously tell that this was a troubled person.
Did he respond to you?
MARLENE WINELL, PSYCHOLOGIST: No, he didn't. No.
SANCHEZ: Did you expect after reading what you did that he might respond to you?
WINELL: I thought he might. And the Webmaster had invited me to do that, and he had already mentioned me and my Web site to him, and told him that he needed professional help, that there were limits to what could go on, on the Web site. So, he invited me to do that.
And then he followed up and suggested again to him that he contact me.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you...
WINELL: But I didn't keep on asking him to call me. I left that up to him.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you this, because, you know, in hindsight this stuff looks so clear to us, but when you first read that posting where he goes on about -- let's see if I can get it over here. He goes on and he says things like, I have never felt so final, someone find me, please -- this is what you had read that he wrote -- losing all reserve, I'm gone, I think I'm dying, crawling, crying all alone. Cut me, show me, beat me, molest me.
This is weird stuff.
Did you think this guy was capable of doing something like this?
WINELL: No, I didn't -- certainly didn't expect him to become aggressive like that.
And I guess what I would like to say here is that -- and the reason why I reached out to him and said I can see you're in a lot of pain is because I have seen a lot of pain like that. This is a big area of what I call some secret suffering in this country. There are a lot of people that are in a lot of pain because of what they have gone through with religion, so it's actually not as unusual.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Let me stop you there, because that's interesting. That's what he seemed to be saying, that the religion had caused him this pain. Are you saying that this is something we will see more of with people as a result of being part of any Christian movement or any church might get this angry, not necessarily kill, but be this angry?
WINELL: Well, it's already true. It's already true. It's not any religion or any Christianity. It's this particular insidious kind of fundamentalist Christianity that is a crazy-making system. It has all sorts of circular reasoning. It's got bottom-line rules like, don't think. Don't respect your own feelings. You consider yourself bad and wrong in every way.
Small children are told they're going to burn in hell. And, so -- and, if it doesn't work for you, if you are not getting the peace and love and satisfaction and loving results within the religion, it's your fault; it's because you're not doing it right. So, people go through...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Before we -- look, while I disagree with very much of what you said, as a Christian, I certainly respect your right to say it, but you are not saying...
WINELL: No, I'm not talking about as a Christian. I'm talking about as a certain kind of Christian. This is a very...
SANCHEZ: But you're not saying that we can blame the faith for this, right? I mean, a man has free will.
WINELL: No. I'm not talking about blame and responsibility here. When you talk about something as extreme as a killing like this...
SANCHEZ: Right.
WINELL: ... there are always multiple factors. So, I'm not laying the blame for this at any -- on anybody or anything. I'm just talking about the possibility of this being an influence.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Dr. Marlene Winell, we thank you for your insight into this, and we will get you back. We're out of time.
Up next, an update on a man who shot two burglars trying to rip off his neighbor. This is the one we told you about yesterday.
Now, does this 911 tape reveal him as a killer or a hero?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HORN: I ain't going to let them get away with this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) They stole something. They have got a bag of something.
OPERATOR: Don't go outside the house.
HORN: I'm doing it.
(END AUDIO CLIP) SANCHEZ: All right. We have now learned that he has received a death threat, and we're going to be all over that. Plus, we are going to be talking to officials there.
Also, who at the White House admits to not knowing what the Cuban Missile Crisis is or the Bay of Pigs? Do you know?
And if you had seen that attack on that New York City subway that we have been talking about, would you have stepped in to help? Tell us yea or nay at CNN.com/Rick.
And I am also going to be talking to the father of one of those girls on the subway, by the way. That's coming up in just a little bit. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right, welcome back.
And let's get back to the subway attack that we have been following for you. Take a look at that. Listen to this. I mean, this poor guy is sitting here on this bench on a subway. He is verbally berated and then he's physically attacked by these girls.
And you are wondering, what in the world got into these teenage girls?
Well, joining us now is a guy I got a lot of respect for, a guy who has been talking about this.
And this has got to be real painful for you. This is one of your daughters. This is one of your daughters that we're looking at here.
This is Keith Belvin. Your daughter is Kierra Brown.
KEITH BELVIN, FATHER OF SUSPECT: Yes.
SANCHEZ: She's one of the alleged suspects. Hey, no charges have been filed yet, but it's very possible that possibly somebody is going to file charges in this case, right?
BELVIN: Actually, they have. They were filed last night. And that's when I got word. So, I guess it's in the hands of the detectives now, and they're trying to take care of business.
SANCHEZ: Well, I think what's happened is, this suspect or -- I'm sorry -- this victim is saying he is now willing to press charges. So, the police will actually bring the charges.
BELVIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Or the DA will bring the charges.
BELVIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: How did you learn about your daughter's situation? Did you see this video on TV?
BELVIN: Yes, her mother got in touch with me and said that it's been on the news. And so I watched the newscast, and saw the 30, 40 seconds of the time. They didn't show the whole video, just showed 30, 40 seconds.
And then I contacted my daughter.
SANCHEZ: What was your reaction when you saw it?
Will, yes.
Look at the video there. What was your reaction? By the way, when you see your daughter, can you point her out for us on this video?
BELVIN: She's actually the young lady in the front right there standing in the front. That's her doing the talking right there in his face in the front.
SANCHEZ: That's her with the squiggly kind of sweater on right there?
BELVIN: Yes, with the big earrings.
SANCHEZ: I mean, you said -- this is your quote.
BELVIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: She behaved like a wild animal.
BELVIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: You stick by that?
BELVIN: Yes, because any time you get into a stranger's face and you go at him, you don't know what he is, what he is doing, what he is about. And so you are taunting him. You are pushing him. That's not sane. That's not rational thinking. And that's not what she's about.
SANCHEZ: You are angry at her, aren't you?
BELVIN: No. I'm ashamed for her, because we taught her better than that. And regardless of whatever might be going on inside, she knows better than that.
SANCHEZ: That's amazing to hear you say that. It's your flesh and blood, but you are willing to own up. Have you talked to her?
BELVIN: We spoke briefly before things hit the newspaper, and then we talked the morning of the newspaper article, after I spoke to the newspaper, which was Friday morning.
And our conversation was, how are we going to make this right? And she said, I will do whatever I have to do. And I said, OK, hold on to that, because, when the police come, I want you to tell them the same thing.
But, once everything came down, we haven't had any contact. And I know that she's very angry at me, feeling betrayed by me.
SANCHEZ: She's probably watching right now.
BELVIN: OK.
SANCHEZ: Look at the camera and tell her what you need to tell her as her father.
BELVIN: One, I love you. And I don't want you to take this any way but love. And I know you're questioning, how could someone love you and do the things that they do?
It's because, in the long run, I'm trying to save your life. Whatever I didn't do before, I'm trying to tell you right now, you can overcome this. But you got to own up to it first, because you know better than that. And all of us love you. And we're here. And, if you want us to help you, then we will help you.
SANCHEZ: Do you expect that charges will be brought and -- because the detectives have made that decision? And, if they are, are you going to be able to deal with those consequences? And is she?
BELVIN: Well, I can't speak for if she is going to be. She's going to have to.
I'm ready, because I knew what the situation was going to be the minute that I made that phone call. But, in talking to the principal and assistant principal of the school, I was willing to stand by whatever happened, because there are some things called just being right.
And that gentleman did not ask to be beaten, should not have been beaten.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BELVIN: And sometimes you just got to stand up and do what's right. I tell my students all the time that I tell you this in school, but I am this way at home. Well, there's not too many opportunities that a teacher gets to show that I am what I say. And right is right.
SANCHEZ: I have got to tell you, I am unbelievably impressed by you and I'm unbelievably impressed with the way that you are handling this.
I wish there was a different outcome. I wish your daughter hadn't done that. But I think, in the end, she may be better for it, for having a dad who stands up for what's right, like yourself.
Keith, thanks for coming in.
BELVIN: Thank you. SANCHEZ: God bless you.
BELVIN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: And, hopefully, we will continue to talk and we will see how this thing unfolds.
BELVIN: Thank you so much.
SANCHEZ: Maybe it's just youthful exuberance.
BELVIN: Hopefully.
SANCHEZ: Well, these people are fighting mad. These are some of the disturbances that have been taking place in this Houston, Texas, suburb. Look at this.
And this is, look, to a certain extent a black and white issue. Boy, you almost hate to say that, but that's what it is, and it still could get uglier. A homeowner sees two men robbing his neighbor's house. He takes out a shotgun. He kills them. It turns out that they were chronic thieves. They were also illegal immigrants. And now he is getting death threats.
First, take you look to what happened this night of the shooting, all right? Joe Horn, he calls 911, and he tells them he is about to go after these guys. The 911 operator tells him, look, don't do this. It's not going to be smart, and you could end up getting killed. But he goes ahead and does it anyway.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HORN: He's coming out the window right now. I have got to go, buddy. I'm sorry but he's coming out the window.
OPERATOR: Don't -- don't -- don't go out the door. Mr. Horn? Mr. Horn?
HORN: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) They just stole something. I'm going out the window. I'm sorry. I ain't going to let them get away with this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). They stole something. They have got a bag of something.
(CROSSTALK)
OPERATOR: Don't go outside the house.
HORN: I'm doing it.
OPERATOR: Mr. Horn, do not go outside the house.
HORN: I'm sorry. This ain't right, buddy.
OPERATOR: You're going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with the gun.
HORN: You want to make a bet? I'm going to kill them.
OPERATOR: Stay in the house.
HORN: They're getting away.
OPERATOR: That's all right. Property is not worth killing someone over, OK? Don't go out of the house. Don't be shooting anybody, OK? I know you're (expletive) frustrated but don't do it.
HORN: They've got a bag of loot.
OPERATOR: OK. How big is the bag? Which way are they going?
HORN: I can't. I'm going outside. I'll find out.
OPERATOR: I don't want you going outside, Mr. Horn.
HORN: Well, here it goes buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking and I'm going.
OPERATOR: Don't go outside.
HORN: Move you're dead. (SHOTS)
HORN: Get the law over here quick. I've... man... one of them's in the front yard over there. He's down. The other one's run down the street.
OPERATOR: Where are you?
HORN: I had no choice. They came in the front yard with me, man.
OPERATOR: Where are you?
HORN: I had no choice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We've since learned that both men were shot in the back. Now, I want you to hear this. This is an anonymous call that was left with the district attorney who is investigating this case yesterday. Now, this is a threat against this guy, Horn. It's eerily threatening, in fact. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLER: "What you better do -- you better indict Joe Horn and you better find him guilty. If you don't, somebody's going to kill him. They're waiting on him in prison and we're waiting on him on the outside. Let me tell you something, we're going to kill that (expletive). Bye."
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: By the way, the two dead burglary suspects are Hernando Torres and Diego Ortiz. Police are reviewing this case. The district attorney will decide whether to file charges against Joe Horn once the police investigation is over.
Yes, they were illegal immigrants apparently from Columbia. And we've just received word -- we've been trying to reach out to some of the officials in this case, they're going to be meeting with us again tomorrow to bring us up-to-date on whether a decision has been made to prosecute Joe Horn as a result of the shooting, as many in the community say that he should be charged with murder, and there are just as many seemingly who are saying that he shouldn't be. Some are even calling him a hero. We're going to stay on top of this story.
Meanwhile, President Bush's press secretary says that she doesn't know what the Cuban Missile Crisis is or was, and she speaks for the most powerful head of state in the world. Figure that out.
Also, I'm going to be trying to make contact with the man who saved the life of a little boy stuck in the desert after his mother died. He has been deported, but he says it was worth it to save a life. What a story. What a man. We're going to talk to this guy. He's in Mexico. We'll talk to him by phone in Spanish and English. I guess that's Spanglish, and give us some feedback on the subway attack story that we've been following for you.
Our "Quick Vote" question. Would you have stepped in to help? Had you been in this situation, what would you have done? Let us know CNN.com/Rick.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I had a situation the other day when they said President Putin thought that our missile defense program was like the Cuban Missile Crisis, and so I got asked about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I was panicked a but because I really know about nothing about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: What you just heard was the spokesperson for the president of the United States. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, and what she admits to knowing very little about is the Cuban Missile Crisis. It's one of the most documented events in modern American history, movies, television shows, books, magazine articles. Many described this, in fact, as the closest that we as a nation have ever come to all out nuclear war.
Here's Dana Perino being interviewed on the NPR quiz show, and we're going to let you hear this now in its entirety. Wait. Wait. Don't tell me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PERINO: I had a situation the other day when they said President Putin thought our missile defense program was like the Cuban Missile Crisis, and so I got asked about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I was panicked a bit because I really know nothing about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE INTERVIEWER: It was just last week.
PERINO: It had to do with Cuba and missiles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE INTERVIEWER: Yes. It had to do -- it did, in fact, have to do with Cuba and missiles, Dana.
PERINO: I'll have to get back to you on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REVIEWER: Really? I have to go Google this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tropical drink. You should try it on spring break.
PERINO: Well, I came home and I asked my husband.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PERINO: I said, "Wasn't that like the bay of pigs thing?" He said, oh, Dana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Wasn't this like the bay of pigs thing? Perino is 35 years old. She graduated from what was then known as the University of Southern Colorado in 1994, with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication and a minor in both political science and Spanish. We thought you should know.
Should she have known this, though? To be fair, do most Americans know this? I take it to the streets for you this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (on camera): What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh (bleep). No idea.
SANCHEZ: None?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: None.
SANCHEZ: Tell me about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It involved cruise Chef, Kennedy and Bob and John.
SANCHEZ: What did the United States do? First of all, what was the United States trying to stop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to stop the missiles from coming into Cuba.
SANCHEZ: And what did Kennedy do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had an embargo. Took the ships and put them around Cuba.
SANCHEZ: So it was a blockade?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A blockade, yes.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Thanks for the help.
What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Cuban what?
SANCHEZ: Tell me about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1962, 13 days, the Soviets had installed, I don't know, a couple of potential missile launch sites in Cuba.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know Cuba had -- the missiles were pointing at -- it's on -- missiles were pointing. Oh. Help, help.
SANCHEZ: Tell me -- you took history, right? Tell me what you know, what you remember of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't born yet.
SANCHEZ: Of course not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't born when Lincoln was around, but I can look some more. It was '62? Fall of 1962.
SANCHEZ: Very good. Very good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Fall of '62. I remember the -- I got this book on my shelf. I just haven't read it yet.
SANCHEZ: What would you say if I told you that Dana Perino, the press secretary for the president of the United States, doesn't know what the Cuban Missile Crisis is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd be concerned. Very concerned.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Our White House correspondent, as do all White House correspondents, rely on Perino for news and for access. So I'm sure I'm not Ed's favorite guy today, Ed Henry that is, when I asked him to ask Perino about this embarrassing admission today. But being the pro that he is, Ed asked the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Has the President teased you about the Cuban Missile Crisis at all?
PERINO: No. It was a humorous show, and I was exaggerating. I saw your host of your late night shows back.
HENRY: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: She was referring to Anderson Cooper who caught a piece of the story last night, by the way, and there you have it. Check this out.
This is video that we've gotten from Iraq. All right. Put it up, Will, if you can. You recognize that guy right there? Could that be -- but how in the world can he get his hair in that helmet?
Yes, Don King. He's got a story to tell. We're going to join him in just a little bit. Also, that wild subway attack. Would you have intervened had you been there on the subway when that happened? CNN.com/Rick. Tell us all about it. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We have gotten these pictures. See those right there? It's coming out of Iraq, and we were struck by the guy right there. Look at that. Yes, that's the hair. Don King. He's seen in these pictures coming out of Iraq. We got curious and we wondered what in the world is Don King doing in Iraq?
So we checked and see if we can maybe talk to him. And lo and behold, there he is. Folks, Don King. Freshly back from Iraq. How are you, Don?
DON KING, BOXING PROMOTER: OK.
SANCHEZ: Are you there? Can you hear me?
KING: I'm here.
SANCHEZ: It's Rick Sanchez.
KING: Yes, I'm here, Rick.
SANCHEZ: I'm talking to you.
KING: So, well, I'm happy to have you talk to me.
SANCHEZ: So why were you in Iraq?
KING: I was in Iraq, you know, with the USO which everybody should support, is to facilitate, to make these troops' families from deployment to hospitals in Landstuhl where we went to...
SANCHEZ: Yes.
KING: ... for thanksgiving and also at Ramstein. And so, we visited those that were wounded and then we went to Iraq to see the guys on the frontline that are fighting, and it was just great to see those troops, the vanguard of our nation, the protectors of our soul that was there putting themselves in harm's way for the benefit of the freedom that we enjoy here at home in America.
SANCHEZ: I know. I know you watch our show a lot. I talked to some of your peeps and they say you've been watching, which makes me feel good. I know you're a straight shooter, so let me ask you directly. You probably got a chance to talk to a lot of these guys, right?
KING: Yes.
SANCHEZ: I know -- I have talked to some of them, and they tell me they're frustrated. They really want this thing to come to an end. Tell us what's in their heads and in their hearts like only Don King can?
KING: What's in their heads and their hearts is quite different from what they have told you. I can relate to them because living in a combat zone, which is the ghetto, I can understand what we were doing, what you are up against. These are the best people in the world. These men and women wearing that uniform is the embodiment of what America is all about, and they want to stay the course to see it get done because they're fighting for freedom and democracy.
And I think that President George Walker Bush was touched by God intervention to appoint General David Petraeus, who is a genius as a general, but he has worked with the word inclusive in his surge policy. He has brought all the different ethnic backgrounds together.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: You're right. You're right.
KING: And they're sending --
SANCHEZ: Hey, listen, Don. We're seeing progress there, and we're happy to see it. But what do you tell almost 75 percent of the American people now in some of the latest polls who are saying, you know what, enough is enough, we're fed up, let's bring the boys home? What do you tell them? What do you tell the parents of some of these kids who want to see their sons come back?
KING: Well, you tell the parents this. We lost 680,000 men in the civil war, and a guy named Abraham Lincoln said we cannot dedicate, we cannot concentrate this land because the world -- those who have fought and died here, as dedicated and committed far beyond anything we could do these days. So it is our job too, as the living, to maintain what they were fighting about. You know what I mean?
He said we have to resolve that those who have fallen here are not forgotten and that their deaths shall not be in vain.
SANCHEZ: And -- KING: The first American that fell in Iraq, that means we are committed, and we got to be committed to supporting these guys and realize because they are fighting for our freedom. And to all of them, it's an honor for any soldier to be there and to be able to put himself in harm's way for the benefits of us, and I love the parents of those who have sent these men and women there. And we are -- we owe them a vote of appreciation, Rick, because that's what makes this nation so great.
SANCHEZ: And, by the way, you owe me lunch, Don.
KING: And I love you, Rick, and I think that you've got to understand that we got a president that's visionary and revolutionary. He's name is George Walker Bush.
SANCHEZ: All right.
KING: And I think that you got to understand that what we are doing there is to commit ourselves to the freedom that we have, and it couldn't be done by cut and run and leaving and using these soldiers as political football.
SANCHEZ: And, by the way, your hair looks great. Don King, thanks so much for being with us.
KING: Rick, thank you. Only in America. God bless America. God bless our president, George Walker Bush, and look out for Ed Gillespie. That's going to be the man. He's the guy with a plan that's really working for the betterment of this nation called America.
SANCHEZ: All right. In our "Life After Work" segment tonight, you ready to get jealous, because you are going to get jealous when you watch this story. You've heard of Google, right? Everybody's heard of Google. What would you have done for a ton of Google stock before they got big?
And you didn't even have to know who they really even were. This is an amazing story that you are going to enjoy, as told by Ali Velshi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sally Bingham is a woman of the cloth, but what she preaches is one part bible and one part being green.
SALLY BINGHAM, MINISTER, GRACE CATHEDRAL: Two of my greatest passions are environment and my Christian faith, so bringing those two things together was probably the epitome when there became the opportunity to be a priest and talk about stewardship of creation from the pulpit.
VELSHI: Bingham is a Episcopal minister at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. But 16 years ago, instead of raising environmental awareness, she was raising children. BINGHAM: Prior to becoming a priest, I would spend most of my time being a wife and mother, and it occurred to me that people who sit in the pews and profess a love for God should be the people that are protecting the creation.
VELSHI: So in 1991 at age 51, Bingham went to study at a seminary. And now, she preaches her environmental sermon from the pulpit and across religious lines through her regeneration project. The organization helped religious groups around the country make their facilities more green.
BINGHAM: One of the really fun and exciting things about this ministry is the fact that it's interfaith because it brings Muslims, Jews and Christians together, around a table standing in solidarity on a particular issue. And I have been completely overwhelmed by the affirmation and the growth of this ministry over the last three to five years. Utterly startling to me, but that tells me that I just happened by the grace of God to be in the right place at the right time.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We apologize. That had nothing to do with Google. Wrong tape. Interesting story, nonetheless. Here's another one.
An illegal immigrant risks his own safety to help save a little boy's life and then he's deported. But he still has one heck of a story to tell. He is live from Mexico, and we're going to talk to him. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. The story now of an illegal immigrant who was willing to stop what he was doing, get caught and get deported to save the life of a 9-year-old boy whose mother had just been in a horrible accident. She drove her car off of a canyon in the Arizona desert.
He came upon her. She dies. But he takes the little boy, takes his coat off, puts it on the little boy, makes a fire, saves his life, stays with him until the very first day, some hunters show up and he's turned over to authorities.
All right. Manuel Cordova is his name. He's been deported to Mexico, and he is there, and he is joining us live. Manuel, es casa y' con nosotros?
VOICE OF MANUEL JESUS CORDOVA, SAVED 9-YEAR-OLD BOY: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ, TRANSLATING FOR MANUEL CORDOVA: I'm asking him what he first found in the desert when he came across this accident.
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish) SANCHEZ: When you found this 9-year-old little boy, how did he appear? What did you find in him?
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: He said he found the little boy. He was on the roadway. (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: Was he next to his mom's car?
CORDOVA: No.
SANCHEZ: No.
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: So he had left the car. (Speaking Spanish)
Did you go back to this vehicle? And we're looking at the vehicle now. Did you go back to the vehicle with him to try and save his mother? (Speaking Spanish)
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: Yes. He says yes, but he wasn't able to do nothing for her. (Speaking Spanish)
Was she dead already, or did she die while you were there?
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: She was -- she was -- he describes her as being in pain and that she was complaining. (Speaking Spanish)
When you decided that you would stay with this little boy, (Speaking Spanish) why?
CORDOVA: (Speaking Spanish)
SANCHEZ: He says because I have a son, and I would want someone to take care of them if they were ever in this situation. Well, there you see Manuel getting awards now from Arizona, and there's a possibility that they might give him a work visa to reward him for his heroism in saving this little boy.
Manuel Cordova, muchas gracias, (Speaking Spanish). We'll be in contact with you. Thanks again.
Up next, the answer to our "Quick Vote" question of the night. We'll have it for you.
Also, Brad Pitt is going to be joining Larry King. He's coming up in about four minutes. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: So how many of you would have stayed and helped this poor guy? Eighty-four percent say yes. You would have helped stop the attack on that New York subway. Sixteen percent would have said, sorry, buddy. You are on your own.
By the way, Joe Horn, that story we have been following about the guy who shot his neighbor's burglars, we just learned that his attorney is going to be joining us here tomorrow for an exclusive interview on OUT IN THE OPEN.
I'm Rick Sanchez. Thanks so much for being with us. "LARRY KING LIVE" is coming up next. And here now, my Heisman pose. Go ahead.
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