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Rick's List
Quick Fix For Toyota?; President Obama Meets With Senate Democrats; Man Tasered to Death by Police; White House Says Christmas Day Bomber Cooperating
Aired February 03, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Here is what is on THE LIST -- not good enough.
RAY LAHOOD, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: We need to fix the problem so that people are people don't have to worry about disengaging the engine and slamming their brakes on or putting it in neutral.
SANCHEZ: Is it back to the drawing board for Toyota? And is your car safe?
A high school halftime turns into a borderline riot, this student tasered. He joins me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that Barack Obama is anti-American.
SANCHEZ: What started as a protest against higher taxes morphs into a fired up, middle-class movement, but now what? I will talk to the man behind the weekend's National Tea Party Convention. Who are they and what do they stand for?
AIG, $100 million in bonuses paid with your money. Are you mad, jealous, or both?
And this driver just keeps going and going. How is he running?
The lists you need to know about. Who is "Today's Most Intriguing Person"? Who is on "The List You Don't Want To Be On"? You will find out as our national conversation on Twitter, on the air starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Making the list right now on your national conversation, we have just gotten some information. Robert, go ahead and shoot this area, if you would. You are going to notice that Brooke Baldwin is here, as is Ali Velshi. We're going to be taking you through this Toyota story, and it has just moved again.
We say that a story moves when there's brand-new information coming in. We just now got some remarks from Toyota that we are going to be sharing with you in just a little bit, and it is in answer to -- well, let me start at the beginning. Let me go back to the very beginning of this story.
Look, folks, it is all about this, all right? This is a gas pedal. This potentially sticky, possibly problematic gas pedal is a major sore spot today. It is trouble for Toyota. Its stock is down. You heard Ali say that just a little while ago when I asked him. Trouble for the U.S. Transportation Department and for dealerships coast-to-coast.
By the way, we have got correspondents standing by at one of those dealerships. Trouble for you, possibly, as well. And here is what set the whole thing off.
Secretary of transportation Ray LaHood, he made some alarming statements earlier today that he has kind of walked back somewhat. This is where I bring Brooke in. Ali is going to join me in just a little bit to talk about this as well.
But, first, tell us Ray LaHood say?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood speaking to a House Appropriations panel hearing just this afternoon said something. It was a major headline. It had a lot of us watching the TV, saying, what did he just say? Just watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY LAHOOD, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: We need to fix the problem, so people don't have to worry about disengaging the gears or slamming their brakes or putting it in neutral.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
LAHOOD: And that's really our goal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. No, I agree.
(CROSSTALK)
LAHOOD: My advice is, if anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop driving it. Take it to a Toyota dealer, because they believe they have the fix for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, that is what got us talking, because he said, just stop driving your vehicle. A couple minutes later, we had a gaggle of reporters just camped outside of that closed door. They talked to him.
He said, hang on a second, I misspoke, changed his tune. Listen to what he really meant to say. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAHOOD: If you own one of these cars, take it to the dealer. If you are in doubt, take it to the dealer and have them fix it if it is one of the ones that needs to be fixed or at least have them look at it.
And, so, what I said in there was obviously a misstatement. What I meant to say and what I thought I said was, if you own one of these cars or if you are in doubt, take it to the dealer, and they are going to fix it. OK? Is that good enough for everybody?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, you got it, take it to the dealer. And now in response to what he said today, Rick Sanchez, you now have an e-mail from Toyota.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes.
And, Ali, this is where you are going to come into it. We will read this together. We will read it on the air as best we can. This is the information that's coming in. I was trying to print it, but the printer is down, wouldn't you know?
"We appreciate Secretary LaHood's clarification of his remarks today about Toyota's recall for sticking accelerator pedals." We appreciate his clarification. "We want to make sure our customers understand that this situation a rare and generally does not occur suddenly. In the rare instances where it does occur, the vehicle can be controlled -- in the rare instances where it does occur, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes."
Remember that sentence.
"Our message to Toyota owners is this. If you experience any issues with your accelerator pedal, please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive. Nothing is more important to Toyota than the safety and the reliability of its vehicles that our customers drive. Our entire organization of 172,000 North American employees and dealerships, personnel is working around the clock to fix these accelerator pedals -- working around the clock to fix the accelerator pedals for our customers."
So, that is the Toyota statement in full -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reality is -- and you will talk to Poppy Harlow about this in a minute -- you can't take your car into many dealers and get it fixed. The fix is not ready for this new problem.
The old problem which Brooke told you about where pedals were getting stuck on the mats, that they have been able to fix, but this new problem, they have not. By this weekend, they should be able to fix it.
Here is the problem. If I were Toyota, I would not want the transportation secretary being out there making these kinds of comments. They need to be in front of this thing. This is serious to people. As much as they say it probably is not serious, the reality is it feels serious to people.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: It would not be serious if they had not put this note out right away making sure that it was read by Rick Sanchez and I'm sure all the anchors all over the country.
But, listen, I am a pretty simplistic guy. I just look at language and try and figure it out. That is pretty much what we do for a living, isn't it? I am looking at this language and I have got a question here. "If you experience any issues with your accelerator, please pedal contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with your gas pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive."
Well, there's -- what is the obvious question there? Do you wait to find out if you have a problem and by that point is it so dangerous?
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Well, according to Peter Valdes-Dapena, our auto writer at Money.com, who we just talked to, he said, this problem doesn't develop suddenly. You feel it happening. It starts to happen over time, which means you get some sense that there's a roughness with your accelerator pedal.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: OK. That is helpful. That is helpful.
VELSHI: That said, again, they have got to use language that doesn't say we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive. I need unequivocally from Toyota that it's safe.
And until it is, you let somebody else handle that message. And that's the problem.
SANCHEZ: Well, let's take it right down to the dealership level.
Poppy Harlow is standing by for us right now. She is following this story.
Poppy, tell us where you are. Tell us who you have talked to.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
SANCHEZ: And tell us what you have learned.
HARLOW: Rick, we are here at the Bay Ridge Toyota dealership in Brooklyn, New York, the biggest Toyota dealership in Brooklyn. I have been here for a few hours. I have talked to a number of customers. I sat down for a talk with the general manager, Mike Ianelli (ph). He would not go on camera with us.
No Toyota employees, really, other than Jim Lentz, the head of Toyota U.S., have gone on camera on this. But he said to me, listen, you will not damage Toyota's reputation with one incident. That said, Rick, he is concerned. He put this letter right here that I am holding in my hand up on his Web site last night to all of his customers.
And he said, "I want to promise you we will do everything in our power to ensure this recall is handled to the best of our ability." He is waiting. He's waiting for the training for all of his service men and women here. He is also waiting for the parts from Toyota.
But you know what, let's bring in a customer, because the customers are the people that matter in all of this. We have Adina Samowicz (ph) here.
You are sitting here waiting for them to check out your 2008 recalled Camry. What are you feeling right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm feeling a bit nervous. I don't like what is happening. I am a former Toyota customer for many, many years. And I always had full, faith and credit in Toyota, and I am quite concerned, quite concerned.
HARLOW: But are you feeling any problems with the accelerator pedal or are you just being very cautious?
HARLOW: I am very cautious. I don't feel anything. I look around at all the other Toyotas on the road, or especially the Camrys, which is what I am driving, so I'm aware of that model. And I try to stay away.
HARLOW: Yes.
So she is concerned. She is literally waiting to hear from the technicians here, but I will tell you the other customers, Rick, to be fair that I talked to, they owned Toyotas before. They were here looking to buy more. This Toyota dealership is selling cars, despite the recall, despite all of the press that it is getting -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: That interesting to note. We have got Poppy Harlow out at a dealership. Brooke brought you the story itself begun by Ray LaHood.
Ali is checking on the business end of this story. There's one other thing I would like to do now if we can get him up.
Let's see if we can to Bob Bayer. He is the owner of Toyota of McDonough. McDonough is a municipality outside 30 minutes outside of downtown Atlanta.
Mr. Bayer, you are very kind to join us on this day, sir. Sorry to hear about all this news. I can't imagine this is good for your business, is it?
BOB BAYER, OWNER, TOYOTA OF MCDONOUGH: Well, it will have a short-term effort, I believe, but in the long run, Toyota has been in business over 50 years in the United States. They are the number-one manufacturer in automobiles. And we are proud to be a Toyota dealer.
SANCHEZ: Are you happy with the way your -- the suits that run Toyota are dealing with this on your behalf?
BAYER: I would say so. They have reacted very quickly. We received our parts today. And we are currently fixing cars. We're calling our customers and we're taking care of our customers' cars first and then our inventory second.
But right now it is Toyota's efforts and our efforts to make sure that our customers are 100 percent satisfied. And we have experienced a little slowdown, but not much.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes. Well, it is understandable, sir.
Tell me what language you use when some of your best customers call you and say, hey, Bob, what gives? I am really a little bit concerned about what I am seeing on TV and reading in the newspapers about my Toyota?
BAYER: Well, when the news first broke a week ago Friday, we told them the truth, that there's a potential issue and Toyota was going to respond as quickly as they could and accurately as they could and get the cars fixed properly.
If somebody asked me if they could drive the car or not, it is not my department. But I currently drive an Avalon and I have not experienced any trouble with it. And as soon as we were scheduling appointments -- effective last Friday, we were scheduling appointments, because we were anticipating getting the parts. And we're calling our customers and getting them in today.
SANCHEZ: Is this shim that we heard of -- and I'm not sure if I'm using the correct word, but it was described to us originally as a shim that they're putting in to make sure the car does not continue to accelerate -- is this a fix as you see it or is it a temporary fix?
BAYER: No, I believe it is a fix. And it will take care of the problem.
Toyota is standing behind the cars and they shut off production to make sure that the cars were fixed properly. And I think Toyota handled it perfectly. And I believe it is 100 percent the fix in my mind.
SANCHEZ: Loyal Toyota dealer that you are, we thank you, sir. Do me a favor, Mr. Bayer. Can you stick around for just a little bit? I might want to come back. I have got our business correspondent, Ali Velshi, here with me as well. And he might have some questions, as well as Brooke Baldwin. Is that all right, sir?
BAYER: That would great, Rick.
SANCHEZ: You're very kind, sir. Thank you so much.
We also have this coming your way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have six shots fired by 1:40, OK, in three minutes -- or less than three minutes actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: He is talking about a racially-charged incident in Louisiana. Police use a stun gun on a man. He dies. Now there is a videotape possibly coming into play of that particular tasering. That is next.
Also, what could make a man run through fire? That story is coming up in just a little bit.
And an offensive word barely acceptable in bar talk, why did Rahm Emanuel use it?
And if you didn't catch it, Toyota models being recalled. As we go to break, let me show you again what they are, so you can react accordingly.
This is THE LIST. It scrolls on. I'm Rick Sanchez. I will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As we come back, we want to see some tweets that might be possibly making news. This is a Twitter alert. It's coming from Toyota officially. They are now putting out this.
It says: "Ray LaHood says that he misspoke when he said owners of recalled Toyota vehicles, stop driving them." So, again, this is Toyota putting this information out, this tweet, to everybody who could possibly see it," letting them know that Ray LaHood has walked back what he said earlier today.
Let me bring Bob Bayer back in.
I want to ask you about Mr. LaHood's comments, secretary of transportation. How would you characterize it? Were you concerned about the language he used?
BAYER: It is hard to say if I was concerned or not, but when it came across my desk, I already knew that we had the fix. When customers called, we immediately scheduled appointments to bring their car in and fix it.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you then maybe a little more directly. Is it responsible for the secretary of transportation to tell people who drive Toyotas that their cars possibly may not be safe and that they should stop driving them?
BAYER: I can only speak for Toyota McDonough, Rick. And, you know, I would -- I don't need to get into that.
But I would say that we are handling it as responsibly as we possibly can. And we will come out of this stronger than ever. But, to comment on that, it would be beyond my capability.
SANCHEZ: OK. You are avoiding answering the question, just for the record. That is OK. I certainly respect your right to do.
Ali, what do you make of this? You are listening to Mr. Bayer's explanation. He is dealing with this as best he can, stiff upper lip, to say the very least.
VELSHI: Yes. And I actually think -- and, Bob, I am very sympathetic to your situation there. But I think the stiff upper lip is what is hurting Toyota.
The bottom line is, this is not a lot of recalls that we are used to. This is something that is people associate with their safety. There may be a solution. There may be a fix. There may be a way of maneuvering it. But the reality is, people hear brakes and sudden acceleration, and they get scared.
Now, when you look back to probably the biggest PR recall disaster in history when it comes to cars, it was Ford and Firestone, continuing to put those Firestones on to the Ford Explorers. Took them a long time to fix it. And, yet, we only now use that as an example of something that happened to Ford. You don't actually -- it doesn't stick out in your head.
So I think Bob is right and I think the manager that Poppy talked to is right. You won't destroy Toyota with one recall and with one set of comments.
SANCHEZ: Because they have been a very good company for many years.
VELSHI: But stop the stiff upper lip. Say, this is serious, full-page ads everywhere. Get out there and say, we know what the fix is. We're going to do it.
Because Bob is telling us he is fixing cars. And I believe you, Bob. But Poppy's dealership is not fixing cars, because their mechanics are not trained to do so. They have to get trained this weekend and then they can start fixing them.
SANCHEZ: Do you think, from a PR front, possibly, you should be little more out front? That's what Ali seems to be suggesting. What do you think of that, Bob?
BAYER: Well, I believe as soon as the fix was OK'd, that Toyota came out and shipped parts and built parts and said we have the fix. So...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: He said there should be a full-page ad today in "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," as there should in newspapers all over the country, saying, we have got a fix, we're confident your car is safe.
Ali is saying, why we are not seeing that?
BAYER: I cannot speak for Toyota Motor Sales, but I am sure that they will take care of everything the best that they can.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Would you like to see that?
BAYER: I believe are doing everything they can, Rick. They had ads on Sunday. And they are going to take care of that. And we are taking care of customers. That is our number-one goal from Toyota.
Mr. Carter came out and told the dealers to do everything they possibly can to take care of the customers, no ifs, ands or buts. And we are doing that. And I believe all the Toyota dealers are.
SANCHEZ: Bob Bayer, you're a good man, a good sport. We thank you, sir, for letting us take so much of your time to talk about this story. We appreciate it.
Ali, Brooke, thanks to you guys as well.
Did you want to say something?
BALDWIN: I just wanted to make a point that we are not even sure if this is the final fix.
SANCHEZ: That's correct.
BALDWIN: Congress -- I have this letter from Stupak and Waxman saying, hang on a second. We're still investigating that. And some people are dubious. They're thinking it's an electric issue, which you alluded to in your questioning of Bob Bayer. So, hang on.
SANCHEZ: Well, that seemed to be the suggestion coming out of Washington today, that a shim does not a fix make. And it is a very good point you raise.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Just want to get it out there.
SANCHEZ: All right. Also, this: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know why we would expect a different outcome pursuing the exact same policies that got us into this fix in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Tough words from the president to Democrats today. Why is he telling them to get aggressive and call out Republicans? It is time for some yelling with Jessica Yellin. That coming up next.
Also, let's just call them the couple of the year -- not. They are making our list that you don't want to be on. Who are we talking about? Who could it possibly be? You are probably guessing, aren't you? We will tell you when we come back. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Did you see the president today visiting with Senate Democrats? Last week, he told Republicans to stop blocking his proposals. Well, did he take his own party to task as well as he did with Republicans? Actually, some Democrats seemed to take him to task. Take a listen to this exchange with Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN (D), ARKANSAS: What can we tell the people in terms of predictability and certainty in getting this economy back on track? How are we going to do that?
And are we willing as Democrats not only to reach out to Republicans but to push back in our own party for people who want extremes, and look for the common ground?
OBAMA: Look, there's no doubt that this past year has been an uncertain time for the American people, for businesses and for people employed by businesses. Some of that certainty just had to do with the objective reality of this economy entering into a freefall.
Moving forward, Blanche, what you're going to hear from some folks is that the way to achieve even greater economic growth -- and keep in mind the economy is now growing at a 6 percent clip, so the question is when do businesses actually start hiring, because they're now making a profit -- what you're going to start hearing is the only way to provide stability is to go back and do what we'd been doing before the crisis.
So I noticed yesterday when we were -- there was some hearing about our proposal to provide additional financing to small businesses and tax credits to small businesses. Some of our friends on the other side of the aisle said, "This won't help at all. What you have to do is to make sure that we continue the tax breaks for wealthiest Americans. That's really what's going to make a difference." Well, if the agenda -- if the price of certainty is essentially for us to adopt the exact same proposals that were in place for eight years leading up to the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression -- we don't tinker with health care, let the insurance companies do what they want, we don't put in place any insurance reforms, we don't mess with the banks, let them keep on doing what they're doing now because we don't want to stir up Wall Street -- the result is going to be the same.
I don't know why we would expect a different outcome pursuing the exact same policies that got us into this fix in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Jessica Yellin joins me now from New York.
Hi, Jessica.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rick. Lively debate.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes. Well, this is interesting, because it is Democrats-on-Democrats here this time.
YELLIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We just heard the president. He's crossing swords with -- that was conservative Democrat Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
Is there a story behind the story of these confrontations among Democrats?
YELLIN: Yes.
Well, first of all, Blanche Lincoln is one of the most endangered Democrats. She is up for reelection. And she's in very, very tough, tough fight, extremely vulnerable. And almost all the Democrats you saw asking questions today, all those senators, the majority of them, are also in tough reelection fights.
And this was giving them an opportunity to show their constituents that they are standing up, representing this home state, and asking tough questions of their president.
But, beyond that, what Senator Lincoln was doing is, she is under particular pressure to prove her centrist credentials, the she is no liberal Democrat. And there is one other thing she said in there, which you didn't get to hear, but she accused essentially the administration of having an economic team that is too close to Wall Street.
This is a topic you talk about all the time. She said, there is basically not one person on your team, Mr. President, who wakes up everyday knowing what it is to have to meet payroll, to pay employees, and be thinking about small businesses.
And that is a knock the president has been taking for some time. And it is something that is hurting some of these Democrats out in their home districts.
SANCHEZ: How many of the folks who were asking questions of the president today just happened to be perhaps by sheer coincidence coming from conservative districts where they are up for reelection?
YELLIN: Yes, almost -- all except one, as I recall, all except two.
And...
SANCHEZ: Should we take that as a coincidence, or is that the kind of thing that can often be orchestrated by either Republicans or Democrats?
YELLIN: Majority Leader Reid said, I have a list here of who I'm going to call it. And he began top-down with some of the people in the toughest reelection battles, beginning with Arlen Specter, who did the Democrats a huge favor last year switching parties over from Republican to Democrat. So, he gave Specter a chance to take on the president.
And you saw that on down the line. But what we did not see, I would argue, is we did not see the president take on the Democratic leadership of Congress. And there are a lot of Democrats out there who I know are privately urging the White House to have the president go out to and be more aggressive in challenging the Democratic leaders to get more done.
He seems wary of doing it. He takes on the media. You heard him attack -- he said, CNN, MSNBC, these are the networks that are creating an echo chamber. Stop listening to them.
But it was not the media that took months to negotiate a health care deal. It was not the media who negotiated it in private. It was Democratic leaders. There are a lot of Democrats who want him to take on the leaders and say, change the way you do business.
SANCHEZ: It's interesting. I think the word that comes to mind as a lot of folks are watching this now and see that conversation between the president and some of the Democrats might be posturing, posturing. Great word.
YELLIN: In Washington?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Nah.
Jessica, you are great. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
YELLIN: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: This.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "I put them on the bus with the Americans with my own hands. I played with them up until the last minute. Then I kissed them both goodbye and told them, don't forget daddy."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, why is the Haitian government holding and investigating these Americans after hearing that? That story is coming up in our next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to THE LIST, I'm Rick Sanchez. We are in the world headquarters of CNN here in Atlanta.
This is a story about a piece of videotape that is so explosive a judge has decided that this thing should not be released. What is on it that is so troubling? It is police tasering a man to death. He died. So, this is also important. The man was African-American.
This is so bad that they believe if people see this, it could cause big problems in the community and possibly for the case. This is a CNN special investigations unit follow-up report from two years ago, and the reporter is Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sources involved in the case tell CNN the videotape of Baron Scooter Pikes literally dying chained to a police chair was shot by the officer now facing charges of killing him.
The now-fired Winfield, Louisiana, police officer Scott Nugent had nothing to say as he left court shortly after both his lawyer and the local prosecutor asked the judge to seal the tape as evidence. The 17 minute videotape according to those who have seen it shows Byron Pikes handcuffed to a chair.
And when Parish Corner told CNN, by the time Pikes was in the, he had already been shocked by a police taser nine times in 14:00. Source tell CNN off-camera voices on the tape can be heard taunting the suspect and shouting the n-word and demanding to know if Baron Pikes was high on drugs.
CNN has learned the tape also shows Pikes foaming at the mouth and attempting to breathe. He later slumps to the floor and is ultimately taken to hospital with shackles around his ankles.
In an CNN exclusive interview two years ago, coroner Randolph Williams told CNN that the white officer armed with the taser violated every Winfield police department procedure on taser use.
WILLIAMS: It is a homicide.
GRIFFIN: Pikes was being sought for an outstanding warrant for possession of drugs. The coroner told CNN Barron Pikes did not have drugs in his system at the time of his arrest, was healthy, but was having trouble standing up after being arrested. That is when officer Scott Nugent took out the taser and began 14 minutes of repeated shocks with 50,000 volts.
DR. RANDOLPH WILLIAMS, WINN PARISH CORONER: The first shot was fired at 1:27 p.m., and you have six shots fired by 1:40, so, within three minutes or less than three minutes actually.
GRIFFIN (on camera): According to the coroner, when they got here at the police station, Baron Pikes in the back seat handcuffed and already tasered six times wouldn't or couldn't get out of to back seat fast enough for Officer Nugent. So Nugent tasered him again.
Shot number seven is what they call a drive stun, the taser placed directly onto Baron Pike's right interior chest and fired. And still, it wasn't over.
WILLIAMS: After he got the dry stun to chest, he was thrown out of the car onto the concrete and then electro-shocked two more times.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Now we know Baron Pikes was dragged into the police department, shackled to a chair according to sources, and taunted as he died.
The attorney for former officer Scott Nugent would not comment on the videotape, but two years ago told CNN that his client used his taser according to procedure and only after Baron Pikes resisted arrest. The tape could be admitted as evidence, and shown in court when the trial begins this summer.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: This is not just a criminal case. There could be a civil trial here as well. Attorneys representing the family of Baron Pikes have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal district court. They are suing not only the town and the police department, but each officer individually.
What happened two years ago is likely to hang over the town for a long, long while.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of here. Hey, hey, hey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There he goes, a high school basketball brawl, and a student ends up being tased. His parents join was his side of the story. Look at that video. We'll take you through beginning to end, by the way.
And we have a police chase that might remind you of the well, energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going and going. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
As I mention just a little while ago, the energizer bunny may have finally found his match. Let's do "Fotos."
We are going to start in California, an alleged robber sprinting his way through obstacle course of police blows past one police officer and falls, gets up and keeps going. Police try to block his path with the cruiser, and that does not stop him either. What finally got him? Tracking dogs who cornered him in a parking garage.
Let's go to England now, what do you say? It is a race for survival there, a race so dangerous that competitors have to sign a death disclaimer before signing up. To win these daredevils must literally jump through fire, climb through barbed wire, and wade through icy water. Talk about brain freeze.
Now, to New Jersey. Let me introduce you to this high school volleyball coach who takes his job a little too seriously. You see what he just did? When the ball gets by one of his players the coach leaps into action and pegs her right in the face with the ball.
He says he was aiming for wall, but he was thrown out of the game anyway for what he did. Coach of the year? No, I don't think so.
An FBI secret trip to Nigeria, and now the so-called Christmas Day bomber is supposedly spilling the beans. That is next.
And Michael Jackson's personal doctor turning himself into authorities today. Will it happen? The story is ahead.
Mixed signals from the secretary of transportation on whether you should drive a recalled Toyota cars. We are keeping you informed with a look at the models that are being recalled, and we are also talking to correspondents around the country, our business reporters. We have this story covered for you. If anything happens, we will let you know.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back, I'm Rick Sanchez.
The accusation is upsetting, and it goes something like this. We read a terror suspect his rights and informed him of the right to remain silent, and then lo and behold, he clammed up. And not just any terror suspect, this guy, Umar Farouk Abdullahmutallab. He's the one who tried to blow up the airliner on Christmas Day.
The Obama administration has been taking, as you probably know, a pounding on this from the Republicans.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just don't know how many timely leads have been lost as a result of his refusal to cooperate after he was Mirandized. This approach gave his terrorist colleagues time to cover their tracks while Americans remained at risk.
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SANCHEZ: Well, hold the phone. The White House is now saying, number one, we didn't read him his rights under after he clammed up, and two, now the guy is singing his head off because we didn't torture him like the Bush administration, seems to be what they imply, and we got his family involved to boot.
So, two different stories here. Who's right? Ed Henry is joining me now from the White House. What is the new information on Abdulmutallab talking?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the newest bit, Rick, is that late last night we were called into a briefing. It was rare around here, almost 7:00 p.m., the White House was almost shut down for the night, and they called us back to the West Wing, and there is a marine there right now, and that always signifies that the president is in the Oval Office right now.
Late last night we were called into a meeting with senior officials and the new information they were imparting was that FBI agents secretly flew to Nigeria on January 1st and worked for a couple of weeks to gain the trust of two relatives of the suspect Abdulmutallab, and then on January 17th flew back to the United States with the relatives, used the relatives to gain the cooperation of the suspect.
And as you mentioned, since last week on a daily basis we are now told by the senior U.S. officials the suspect has been talking to interrogators about what he knows about Al Qaeda, and so on. They are not going into great detail about it, but the point is the White House after being silent on this for weeks on the details to push back on those attacks you just mentioned and say, look, we did this methodically, and in tend, it is paying off with good information.
And I think what the Republicans are saying is what about those three or four weeks where he was not talking after he was read his Miranda rights. What type of intelligence did we miss then, Rick?
SANCHEZ: We have another piece of sound I want you to listen to. Here it is, Roger?
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REP. MAC THORNBERRY, (R) TEXAS: Can you tell me a national security reason that it would be helpful to the people in the intelligence community to have it broadcast from the White House, basically, that, yes, he is telling us everything he knows. Is there any way that could be a helpful thing?
DENNIS BLAIR, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: Let me just say, Congressman Thornbury, I have been surprised by the combination of reality and politics having to do with this issue. I just try to do the job to do the right thing for the country, and I just can't control all of the politics.
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SANCHEZ: Here is what I don't understand. And it's a good point as we listen to that, Ed. Maybe you can clear this up for me and the viewers. Isn't this something that the Justice Department normally does? A guy gets arrested, they read him his rights and do whatever they need to do and question him and get information. The bigger the case, the more information they seek and get.
Why is this a political argument? Why are we having people having news conferences in all of this?
HENRY: Well, I think it is a reality post 9/11 that many of the terrorist cases have been politicized and it becomes a back and forth. If you listen to the White House and these senior officials last night, they can cite precedent saying this is the FBI procedure, as you noted, to read the Miranda rights.
And they also point back to the fact that some of these Republican critics seem to be forgetting that in late 2001 when the shoe bomber, Richard Reid, was apprehended, he was read his Miranda rights within just a few moments by the then-Bush administration, and the Republican critics have not really mentioned that.
I just got off of the phone in fact a few moments ago with a Republican on the Hill who is insisting no, that was shortly after 9/11, the military commissions were not set up, there were no procedures to deal with these suspects.
And what some of these Republicans are pushing for is they want to see somebody like the underwear bomber now, Abdulmutallab in Detroit, sent down to Guantanamo interrogated there indefinitely until they get as much intelligence as they want.
That obviously opens up a whole other can of worms of Guantanamo as a lightning rod. So no matter what you turn in this issue, you kick up politics even though both sides insist they are only concerned with national security.
SANCHEZ: But we are left with this fact today before we all go to bed, he is talking and giving information that may be extremely useful, and they were able to get it with old-fashioned law enforcement tactics, for what it is worth.
HENRY: Right. That is the point this White House is trying to make.
And I think the other thing that we need to underscore for our viewers is that in testimony yesterday some of the nation's top intelligence officials said it is a certainty, that is the word used, a "certainty" that in the next three to six months there's going to be another attempted terror attack on the U.S. soil.
They didn't say it will work. They are still confident they can thwart it. But these are the stakes that are out there right now, and that's why the political back and forth seems to be out of step with the fact that there are some real national security issues that need to be dealt with.
SANCHEZ: Shoe bomber and underwear bomber all in one sentence while talking about the politics of terrorism. Who better than you, Ed? We appreciate.
HENRY: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: This too.
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SANCHEZ: What in the world is going on there? A high school halftime brawl turns into a borderline riot with a student getting tased. And his parents are going to be joining me in a little bit.
Then there is also the question of Rahm Emanuel. Is he eating his words now on some very politically incorrect statement that he made? It is one specific word that you are really not supposed to use unless maybe you are a bunch of guys sitting around at a bar, and even then. I will tell you what it is. We'll be right back.
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RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: If anyone owns one of these vehicles, stop drives it, take it to a Toyota dealer, because they believe they have a fix for it.
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SANCHEZ: This is a moving story. Not just because it's about Toyota. That's Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He is now saying that he misspoke with what he said today.
We're following the latest on this global recall. Toyota's having plenty to say, by the way. We're keeping you up to date on that. We're checking all the information that they're putting out in any form and fashion.
Also, is Michael Jackson's personal doctor surrendering? Will he be charged? With what? Expect this thing to go. This story is ahead.
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SANCHEZ: I want you to take a look at this. This is a fight that broke out Friday night during a high school basketball game in Mannassa, Pennsylvania in the heart of the rustbelt. It used to be a steel town. More than 20,000 people lived there, but when the steel companies left, most people did too, and the population is now less than half of that.
Take a look at this. This is a hallway just outside a high school cafeteria not far from the gym. The impact of this fight on this high school gym with several hundred people and the questions being asked today about what police did to clear the room -- was it enough?
First of all, take a look. Let's watch it together. Take a look at what happened out in the hall.
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SANCHEZ: All right, that young man in the video is a 15-year-old sophomore. His name is Mario Tarver. He said he was following orders to go to a cafeteria when a school official yelled at him. Mario turned around to go find his mother in the gym. That's when he says the school official told the officer to "get him," that the official told the officer to "get him."
Mario says he got upset, left the cafeteria, and that's when police zapped him with the stun gun. He got to his mom in the gym and then collapsed. When he woke up, police handcuffed him.
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MARIO TARVER, SHOCKED WITH STUN GUN AT BASKETBALL BRAWL: Once we came around the corner, I shouldn't have snapped out like that, but he was still tries to tase me. I was so embarrassed that he put me in handcuffs in front of all those people and tried to make me look like the bad guy when I didn't do nothing. There were all those people fighting, and you don't see them in handcuffs.
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SANCHEZ: The school superintendent tells a different story. Let's take a listen to that.
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CINDY CHELEN, SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDANT: He kept running from the police officer. He did get into an altercation with out of were school administrators, who was trying to keep him from going into the gym. And he refused, so the police officer had -- you know, was going to escort him out of the building.
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SANCHEZ: Mario's parents are Bylly and Melissa Tarver. And they are good enough to join us now. Your son was going to be here, but I understand he's a bit upset and a bit exhausted. Is he all right?
BYLLY TARVER, SON SHOCKED BY POLICE STUN GUN: Yes, he's just emotional, more or less.
SANCHEZ: I heard in that report that your son was eluding police, running from police I think is the word the superintendent used. Is that true?
MELISSA TARVER, SON SHOCKED BY POLICE STUN GUN: No, that isn't true.
SANCHEZ: Why do you believe they used a stun gun on him?
BYLLY TARVER: He was actually abiding by what the administrator told him, to go into the gym, but he was upset because they grabbed his arm. And the administrator continued to edge him on in his chest, saying -- he just was like all up in his face and chest, which this view doesn't show.
And then as he was turning the corner, the administrator told the officer to get him. And that's what the officer did.
SANCHEZ: Why would the administrator be all up in his face, as you say? What was the accusation? What was the administrator saying he had done wrong, if anything?
BYLLY TARVER: He felt Mario had flinched. And Mario says that he was startled. He just was grabbed from behind. There's a crowd, he's grabbed, I mean, who wouldn't like jump? And then it must have upset Mr. Willard to a point where he felt the need to barrel down on Mario and bump his head and chest into him.
At the point where Mario became compliant and started going towards the cafeteria, if there was a problem with the direction he was going at that point, it's over with. But no, he continued to charge into Mario in an intimidating manner, which no official should do.
SANCHEZ: Well, let me first of all tell you what the police are saying. We've reached out to them repeatedly for a comment on this, obviously. You heard from the school superintendent. This is what police say -- "We're letting the D.A. review the situation, and they will make the determination if anything wrong was done."
I'm wondering what you think wrong was done and what would like to see his parents done about it.
BYLLY TARVER: I definitely feel that the school administrator overreacted. He didn't handle the situation professionally. I feel that the officer definitely overreacted, because my son wasn't involved in the altercation that caused the disturbance in the beginning. Those people were still allowed to remain in the gym, in the hallway, and be disruptive. You didn't see a taser used on them. But yet still, my son tries to get back to his mother, because he's scared, and all of a sudden the officer feels the need to tase him.
SANCHEZ: Our use a stun gun, which is actually what he was using.
BYLLY TARVER: Yes.
SANCHEZ: I know those words are sometimes used interchangeably.
It's an interesting story. We thank you for bringing your side of the story to us, and it's obviously one that we'll stay on top of. Thanks once again.
BYLLY TARVER: Thank you
MELISSA TARVER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Here's a story that's got a lot of people upset. AIG says it's just doing what it has to do. It's paying $100 million in bonuses.
Bailout madness, seriously, people are mad about this. Ali Velshi will be coming back to explain this, because here's the thing that makes so many Americans so upset. The money they are being paid is your money. You lent it to them. Is it right? Stay there. We'll ask.
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