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Rick's List
What Does Bipartisanship Look Like?; Blizzard Pounds Northeast; Iranian Authorities Attempt Media Shutdown Ahead of Protests; Higher Unemployment Rate for African-Americans
Aired February 10, 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 making THE LIST.
Stuck in the mud in California, buried under snow in Maryland. How many hundreds of canceled flights? How many thousands of homes without power?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want no one on the road.
SANCHEZ: An earthquake in Illinois?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought a truck hit my house.
SANCHEZ: We have got you covered coast-to-coast.
By the way, who has got to money to clean this up? A new military assault in Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our secret weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't want to mess with this guy.
SANCHEZ: He better be good.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all of the things that they believe in or want and they agree to none of the things I believe in and want.
SANCHEZ: So what does bipartisanship look like these days?
And this swimsuit model may leave little to the imagination, but a lot of people find her quite intriguing.
The lists you need to know about. Who's "Today's Most Intriguing Person"? Who's on "The List You Don't Want To Be On"? You will find out as our national conversation on Twitter, on the air continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Hi, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here is what is making the list right now. What a day to just be following the news. And there is a lot of news going on. Here's what we're going to be doing for you.
We have got several cities we're keying in on. The weather is the story. Behind me, we have got a place we have designated as the pit. That's where Brooke Baldwin is going to be letting you know exactly what is going on. We're also going to be checking in with Chad Myers in just a little bit.
But here is what I'm going to do for you, all right? We have got three cities where they are, let's say, in serious jeopardy based on what is going on right now with the weather. And we are going to start in Philadelphia.
Now, it is interesting, but, at the beginning of the day, Philadelphia was not the city that was in the most trouble because of all of this snow, but in the last hour or so, it has become so. Let me tell you about Philadelphia.
Delta Air Lines temporarily has ceased all flights in and out of the city as we speak. This is what the airport looks like right now. We thank WPVI for sharing these pics with us. American Airlines operations in Philly have been grounded to a halt as well.
Really, parts of the city are closed right now. It is breaking an all-time snowfall record in Philadelphia, again, breaking an all- time snowfall record in Philadelphia. Interstate 76 is closed, Interstate 476 as well. The only thing that is open, we understand, are parts of the turnpike, parts of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Roger, let's go to Washington, if we can, now. Let's talk about that. Here is the situation in Washington. You know, this is obviously a very familiar shot. This is the White House. Let me tell you what is going to on in Washington. No flights are going to operate at Washington Dulles International Airport or Reagan International Airport, according to the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority.
And, obviously, that is Reagan Washington National Airport is what I should have said. Airport broke new snow records, 61.9 inches, with a new total of 65.7 inches. Look at some of the pictures, as we continue to see different parts of Washington, D.C.
That has been the big story as of this morning, although Philly seems to be eclipsing it now, as we head into this hour. Mail service has been suspended there. Schools in the district have been closed. Federal workers, forget about it. Stay home. This is the third straight day there have been no federal officials working.
Let me get you to D.C. and stay with it, if we possibly can. Who do we have on the line now? All right. This is Dennis Rubin. He's the fire chief there in Washington.
Chief, are you with us, sir?
DENNIS L. RUBIN, WASHINGTON, D.C. FIRE CHIEF: Yes, sir. I got you.
SANCHEZ: My thanks to you for being on the air. We are live now here on CNN. I'm Rick Sanchez. Good to have you.
Tell us about what the situation is there, and what you are able to do for your citizenry.
RUBIN: Rick, thank you, first of all.
And we are inundated with snow. We are in blizzard conditions. At this point, we are continuing, of course, to provide fire, emergency, medical and police services. The way we're doing that is all the vehicles are chained, of course. We're working in partnership in partnership with the D.C. National Guard that is providing Humvee service in areas that we can't get to, as well as we have many four- wheel-drive vehicles, and we also have wrecker trucks strategically placed throughout the city to make sure that we can get our vehicles and resources back on track.
SANCHEZ: Do you have enough people, enough resources to take care of a problem that seems to be so gigantic?
RUBIN: So far, we have responded to about 2,700 calls since the first storm began, continuous 2,700 emergencies, about 100 or so non- emergency events.
At this point, we have doubled our staff. We have added additional ambulances, fire trucks, heavy rescue squads, et cetera. And, so far, we are keeping up with the workload. It has been a real surprise to us to see the demand go up so high.
We have had about 22 building collapses. We have had about seven children born. We have had many automobile accidents, as well as some trauma calls, many, many, many slips and falls. And now we are seeing responsibilities to pick up folks to get them to dialysis center, because simply other transportation has not been available long enough where that is becoming an emergency situation.
SANCHEZ: I would imagine, Chief, that you want folks to know that if they really absolutely need you, you are going to be there for them, but I bet you want them to really think about it before they call and make sure it is a real emergency, because I bet you ain't got enough people to get this done.
RUBIN: Rick, that is exactly right.
And we really do have a luxury in our city. If anyone is listening in the District of Columbia area that needs non-emergency service, 311, 311, and they will do their very, very best to assist that person.
If they have any need for a firefighter, paramedic, police officer, the 911 is up and running. We are really seeing some heroic work out here. We have had five or six major fires during this snow event. Today, we are really nervous that more buildings may collapse or that the fires may be wind-driven, but, so far, we are meeting the needs of this community.
SANCHEZ: Well, folks, if you are just now joining us, it is about six minutes after the hour. I'm Rick Sanchez. You are watching our newscast. And it is even worse than we thought it would be. This is a breaking news story now, not only because of what has happened in Washington, but, apparently, the same thing is going on in Philadelphia right now.
We are lucky enough to be taking some of the time of the fire chief there in Washington, who is good enough to join us and take us through what he wants his citizens to know.
I want to bring in my colleague Chad Myers, who is going to give us some of the numbers throughout the newscast. And he also has a couple of questions for the chief.
Chad, go ahead. Take it away.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Chief Rubin, I lived in Buffalo a very long time. And I know that fire hydrants get buried in snow. Are you out there digging them out, or are you asking the public to go out in front of your house and make sure that we know where your fire hydrant is, just in case there are fires that you're concerned about?
RUBIN: We're asking the citizens to do that. I just do not have the capability or the members to be able to go out and shovel fire hydrants at this point.
The workload has more than doubled. In a typical day, we do about 400 calls. What we have seen so far is about 800 calls. And, as I was mentioning earlier, so far, since the storm began, 2,700 emergency responses is what we have been able to get to.
As families get outside and start removing the snow from their sidewalks and driveways, if they have another minute or two to knock down the snow around the fire hydrant, that would be greatly, greatly appreciated.
MYERS: I remember many times where you could not even find the fire hydrant. And if you -- literally, if you don't have the ability to dig it out, go out there put a flag where it is, so that in case that fire hydrant does need to be used on your block, at least the firefighters can find it, because, you know, these -- these things are -- they are buried now very deep at this point in time, right?
RUBIN: We have been very lucky in that we do have them all mapped out, so we can get pretty close to knowing where the fire hydrant is to dig. But the extra time that it would take -- one of the fire events that I mentioned earlier to Rick, a fire truck had actually come across that fire before the dispatch had received a call for help for the 911 call.
Three people were rescued. If we weren't that Johnny-on-the- spot, I am afraid we would have had fatalities.
SANCHEZ: just before I let you go, because we got another shot coming in now with some news from Baltimore, this is an opportunity for you to talk to your citizens who are watching CNN right now. What would you say to them right now? RUBIN: We would ask them to continue to stay prepared. In fact, it looks like there's another potential snow event on President's Day. They haven't declared exactly what we should expect, but they are telling us to get ready.
That means food, water, make certain that they have alternative ways of providing heat, such as blankets or candles or fireplaces that operate properly, next, to stay informed. Watch great news programs like CNN. Get it on the radio. Make sure that you know what is happening.
And then the final request would be to stay indoors. Stay inside. Stay safe. We have had lots of problems with people abandoning vehicles. And also we have had exposures to this cold, cold weather. The windchill in Washington, D.C., now approaches zero.
SANCHEZ: All right, Chief, my thanks to you, sir, for sharing all that information with us. We will be checking back with you.
We have got Chad standing by to bring all the information weather-wise. He is going to share the maps, the numbers, and the tell you what you can expect as the evening draws on.
We have got Brooke Baldwin. She's standing by inside in pit with all the folks inside the newsroom who are getting phone calls and talking to all the different municipalities.
Brooke, I'm going to take it to you. What have you got?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wow. It is rocking and rolling in here, Rick. This is essentially the nucleus of the newsroom. This is where everything is happening.
And I just got handed -- let me read you off this piece of paper. This has to do with airports here. From the FAA, Dulles and Reagan National Airport both closed until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
Walk with me. And I want to show you this is essentially our entire international desk. These people you see picking up the phone are folks covering the Southeast region, the Northeast region. And right here, this guy is Rick Martin, whose job today is huge today.
Hello, sir.
He is covering -- you see the sign over here? Yes. This is his jurisdiction. This is Washington, D.C.
And I know you are the guy essentially who got Chief Rubin for us on the phone to talk to Rick Sanchez. We are looking at pictures right now of, what, essentially, fire and EMS responding.
RICK MARTIN, CNN NATIONAL DESK: Exactly. D.C. Fire and EMS responded to tons of calls today, emergency calls. As a matter of fact, you know, within a few days, they have helped deliver so many babies on the road also.
BALDWIN: On the road?
MARTIN: On the road, on the road, and, you know, on location at the homes. They have been very busy, lots of 911 calls, and he described what it was like and what his troops are doing.
BALDWIN: I know you helped us get D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on the air, I think it was last hour. What was his message, if people missed it?
MARTIN: Well, you know, again, it's just, keep in mind, not just me, but tons of people, including our bookings department.
But, regarding Mayor Fenty, he said on the air he was very encouraging that he wanted people to stay off the roads. He also described that it is the worst snow event he has ever seen in basically Washington history.
BALDWIN: Rick Martin, I see your phone lighting up over there. I'm going to let you pick that up.
I am just getting some information also on an accident out of our Northeast region. Do we have time? Can I run over to Paul Caron or hold that?
SANCHEZ: Go ahead and walk over there.
BALDWIN: OK.
SANCHEZ: I'm going to talk about New York while you do that, though.
We got into Washington. And we are about to get some more information on Baltimore. And we're also trying to get you all the information we can out of New York City. We know so many of you -- obviously, the biggest city in the United States -- are watching us from the Big Apple.
Let me just share with you some of the notes I got, in case you're interested. I know some of you are probably listening to us in your cars in parts of the United States where you can drive.
Let me tell you what is going on for our friends and neighbors in New York. All metro area airports operational, but airlines have canceled most of their flights at La Guardia, JFK International, and Newark Liberty.
So I guess the airplane -- the airport is operational, but there's no flights in and out, so it doesn't make it very operational now, does it? Many of the schools around New York City are closed. They are bracing for another foot of snow in New York City.
And, remember, as this thing goes here, Chad, let me just bring you in here real quick, because I think it is important at this point just to give folks a picture of where the storm has been and where it is going. Can you do that for us real quick? MYERS: Well, Rick, it started in D.C., really. Then it slid on up into Baltimore. And now, as the storm winds up, actually gets stronger, due to the ocean water being warm out here -- it's called bombing out.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: As the storm bombs out or becomes more intense, a lot like a hurricane gets more intense in warm water, a winter storm will get more intense in warm water. Now, it is relative. The water temperature is 42, but compared to the air, that is a lot warmer.
So, a lot like a lake effect event in Buffalo, the lake is open, you get a little bit more moisture, you get an ocean effect event here, and that ocean effect can really put a lot of moisture into the storm and make very heavy snow. That is what is happening right now.
SANCHEZ: Well, Chad, you are going to be a very busy guy during the next couple of hours, because I'm going to depend on you to take us through this thing.
And, obviously, there's a lot of folks out there who are depending on us to bring them this information, really a storm that seems to be either as bad or maybe a little worse than had been anticipated.
MYERS: Certainly affecting a lot of people.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: I know the D.C. storm was a lot of people, Baltimore, too, but now you're talking I-95, New York, all the way into Boston, all the way through Long Island, millions and millions and millions.
SANCHEZ: Chad, thanks so much.
We have put -- we have got some news just into the CNN NEWSROOM as well about contractors who work in Iraq. Remember Blackwater? Remember the guys from Blackwater who got in a whole lot of problems in Iraq? Well, Blackwater does not exist anymore. They changed the name and a lot of the guys work for different agencies.
But, still, a lot of the same folks are there. There is breaking news about what is happening to them, information they may be kicked out of the country. Again? We will tell you what they did, what this may be all about. Stay with us. We're going to bring you that in just a moment, and, of course, the very latest on what is going on all over the country with this breaking news story.
I'm Rick Sanchez. This is THE LIST. And we are going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: During this newscast, we are going to be taking you to New York City. That is what you are looking at right now. We're also going to be taking you to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and parts of Philadelphia.
Throughout the next couple of hours, we're going to let you know what is going on in all of these cities that are being hit by a blizzard, short and simple. This is a blizzard that is hitting these cities. It's bigger than some people imagined it would be, as you heard Chad say, reaching perhaps more people. So, as a result, the emergency workers are spread extremely thin.
And they're telling us, folks if you don't need them, please, just stay home. Don't get in your cars when you're in these places. Don't drive. You're just going to create huge problems. And you may hurt somebody else who really needs these emergency workers at this time.
So, again, we are going to be giving you all the news, all the information, everything you need to know about flights, about road conditions, and about the weather in your specific area. We are also going to be following the weather out in California, where we understand they are experiencing mudslides. So, it is the whole country in many ways that is affected by this.
Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST. We are in the world headquarters of CNN.
And I want to bring in one of my colleagues now who is following a story that we have just learned about, this having to do with -- do you remember the Blackwater? Do you remember the contractors who were in Iraq? They were pretty much beaten down because they had screwed up on several occasions over there.
And now it appears that there's another action against them, which is really confusing.
Let me bring in my colleague Suzanne, Suzanne Simons, because is an expert on Blackwater, expert on contractors, in fact wrote a book on it. It's called "The Masters of War." It's about the company and its founder, Erik Prince.
SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Right.
SANCHEZ: What is the news that is coming out? What are they saying to
SIMONS: Well, the ministry now is saying all Blackwater -- now, keep in mind, Blackwater does not exist anymore, right?
SANCHEZ: Yes, right.
SIMONS: They changed their name. They got in so much trouble, they changed their name.
But they are saying -- the Iraqi government is saying all Blackwater contractors must get out of the country within seven or so days, or else.
SANCHEZ: So, in other words, the guys who used to work in Blackwater have now stayed there, because it is a big, big money job.
SIMONS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And they are staying there and trying to maybe get on with some other companies?
SIMONS: Or are already on with other companies, and they're independent contractors. So if Blackwater is not the boss anymore, they go the work for Triple Canopy or (INAUDIBLE) or one of the other several companies that are still operating.
SANCHEZ: And these are guys who have created a black eye for the United States of America, aren't they, in many ways?
SIMONS: Well, they certainly were right up at the top of the list of bad headlines. If they have done anything well, they have attracted a number of bad headlines.
Now, when you dig a little deeper, a lot of the stories, things have not been proven yet. However, the headline...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Still.
SIMONS: ... was Nisoor Square, when all the innocent Iraqis were killed in Nisoor Square.
SANCHEZ: And I think the problem a lot of Americans have with this is, I feel like, if I have a soldier representing me, he is accountable to me.
SIMONS: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: A contractor works for some company somewhere. He is not accountable to me.
SIMONS: Yes. Well, that has been the big debate from day one, when -- we now have more contractors working in Afghanistan and Iraq than we have troops.
SANCHEZ: Exactly.
SIMONS: Is that scary? Does that scare you?
SANCHEZ: Yes. It does scare me.
SIMONS: It scares a lot of people in the government, too, who are trying to get their head around how to handle that.
SANCHEZ: All right. So, the Iraqi government is now trying to make sure all the guys who used to be Blackwater who may now be in other contractors, they want them out of the country, 200 or so?
SIMONS: It's going to be really hard to do.
SANCHEZ: How many were there?
SIMONS: Well, there were at the height of Blackwater working in the country 1,000. Now it is, I'm sure, a much smaller number, but they have now gone to work for other companies.
So how does the Iraqi government find out who used to work for Blackwater and who didn't? That's going to be the key.
SANCHEZ: You're absolutely right.
Suzanne, thanks so much for bringing up to date on that.
SIMONS: My pleasure.
Let me take you back inside the pit.
My colleague Brooke is standing by now with information about the weather.
Brooke, what have you got? I understand -- what is this, a pileup somewhere?
SIMONS: Rick, yes.
I have Paul Caron here. He's in charge of our Northeast desk. And he just got word of a 50-vehicle pileup.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
PAUL CARON, CNN PRODUCER: This is from our affiliate WJAC, which we're trying to confirm with authorities ourselves, but 50-vehicle accident, 30 tractor trailers, 20 vehicles, at least 15 people taken to the hospital.
And it is a challenge to get the video in from the news-gathering point, because it is in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania. Luckily, we have got affiliates in Johnstown. And we should be getting...
BALDWIN: Take a look at the pictures.
CARON: ... video in. This is the first video, first image we have got. This is a still photo taken from by our affiliate WJAC. And we should be getting video in at the top of the hour, maybe some live pictures, too, 15 people possibly taken to the hospital. This is all information from our affiliate WJAC. But we are trying to confirm the information ourselves and get further details on it.
BALDWIN: And, again, the name of the county, Clearfield County?
CARON: Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, I-80, major problems. In fact, that roadway is probably shut down in both directions.
SANCHEZ: Hey, Brooke, you stay where you are.
BALDWIN: Yes. Yes. SANCHEZ: I am curious. I want to bring Chad into this.
Chad, how could so many people be driving on the highway?
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Obviously, they're in a whiteout situation. They bang into each to each. But how did they not know? And where is this area. Put some perspective on this.
MYERS: Well, Rick, the topography, when you leave Pittsburgh or north of Pittsburgh, on the way over towards Scranton, it is pretty significantly up and down, until you get literally the highest spot east of the Mississippi there.
And, so, the up and down event for the snow, all of the sudden, you are in a nice valley -- and, here, I will try to get this up for you, so you can see.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: You're in a nice valley here on I-80. And then you get toward DuBois. And then you run up the hill. And then you are back down. And you're either in the Alleghenies or you're in the Poconos.
And I have driven that road more times than I really care to count, and the topography is so bad that you can be down in the valley, where it is raining, be on top of the hills, just literally the grade up on top of the hill, it is a ice event or a snow event up there. You can't see and you can't stop.
SANCHEZ: Wow, it just hits you out of nowhere.
Brooke Baldwin, Paul Caron, Chad Myers, my thanks to all three of you.
Stick around. We're going to continue to take you through all the events that are taking place throughout the country, and also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense and I don't think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues, another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there's a lot of posturing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Yes, even on snow days, they do have political turmoil in Washington. What is the president talking about? President Obama is saying that he doesn't want political theater. Is bipartisanship -- that means working together, by the way -- even possible in Washington anymore? I mean, really, is it possible? Jessica Yellin is going to be joining us in just a little bit. She's going to be drilling down on this for us.
Stay right there, this, and, of course, everything happening in Baltimore, New York, parts of California, Washington, D.C., Philly. I will go on and on. I will tell you what is happening.
Blizzard, folks. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Remember the movie "Charlie Wilson's War?" Remember, it was played by Tom Hanks. Do you remember it was the movie about how the United States decided that it would help the mujahedeen in Afghanistan, so that they could kick the butts of the Russians, who they were in a war with, or the Soviets, who they were in a war with at the time?
It was a fascinating look at history, history in a way that is affecting us now, because, essentially, it was the creation of a guy named Osama bin Laden. Here is the breaking news as it comes in to us right now. The guy who "Charlie Wilson's War" was named after, former Congressman Charlie Wilson, has just died. He was 76 years old. He served from 1972 to 1996.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Folks, you are not going to believe some of the pictures that we are getting in. Look at this. Believe it or not, that is not a mistake. That is actually a picture we are showing you. I know you can barely make out what is there, right?
That is you call whiteout conditions. That is coming to us from Fairfax, Virginia. And it just goes to show that it is really a day for the dogs. Unbelievable.
Again, situations like this all over parts of the United States, and they have got their own problems out in California as well. We are going to be getting to that issue in just a little bit.
In the meantime, let's talk about the stuff that matters to every single one of us. I can't stand the word bipartisanship. I will just be real honest with you. That is one of those, like, made-up-by-TV- people words that's used by nerds and politicians and news readers who oftentimes use words they are not quite sure exactly what they mean.
What does it mean? People know what it means maybe inside Washington, but bipartisanship, what is that? You know what it means? It means can't get along well with others. That is what it means, really. That is what they would put down if you were in fifth grade. Remember when you got your report card, or if you're working somewhere and you got your evaluation at the end of the year, and they wrote down, can't get along well with others?
Usually, you get fired after something like that, if you get enough of them, right?
Let's see what the president says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all of the things that they believe in or want and they agree to none of the things I believe in or want, and that's the price of bipartisanship.
I'm willing to move off some of the preferences of my party in order to meet them halfway, but there's got to be some give from their side as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, that's the president's take. That's Barack Obama after hosting Republican leaders on the gridlock blocking Washington. They are all saying they need to work together and they are all seem to be saying, no, you first -- no, you first.
Let's go to Jessica Yellin who is standing by. What is going on here? At the same time he seems, or he says that he's offering Republicans an olive branch, he is also drawing sort of a line in the sand with Republican. What is going on?
JESSICA YELLIN, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, on that note, Rick, he is saying that he won't be bill Clinton. You remember when Bill Clinton lost Congress, what he did is he adopted a lot of positions that the Republicans had been pushing for --
SANCHEZ: "Triangulation" it was called.
YELLIN: Yes, one of those wonky D.C. words. He's saying, I'm not doing that. I'm not walking all the way over to your side of the playing field to shake hands. We have to meet somewhere in between.
But I have to say, what I know the White House wants to do is to tack right and tack left on different issues. They would not put that it way, but adopt some things that seem more Republican-friendly and some things that are very held closely dearly by the left base.
And then you can't really pin him down as to doing any one thing, he's sort of post-partisan. That works well if you can get one of them passed. And right now, Washington feels bottled up. They have to get something done.
SANCHEZ: You, me, Wolf, and everybody else I've talked to, we're always having these conversations about this incredible disconnect, this incredible detachment between what the people of this United States want and what the people in Washington are actually giving them.
Do they think that we as a citizenry are sending them there so they can hate each other and fight with each other every day? I mean, that is what the word "bipartisanship" means. YELLIN: You know, I was home for the weekend and asked what Washington feels like, and I said it just feels like a dam where all of the waters are building up and something has to be let go. And you can feel it in the air, nothing is getting done.
And there was an old guy I was talking to, and he said, look, he lived in Washington for years, and he said, look, the problem is nobody drinks in the cloak room anymore. It used to be at 5:00 at night people sat down with scotch, Democrats and Republicans, and you could work things out.
(LAUGHTER)
I am not promoting drinking.
SANCHEZ: Well, get them drunk if that is what it takes.
YELLIN: To be able to come together and talk as people is gone. Democrats and Republicans don't socialize that much anymore, they don't know each other as people anymore, and so they don't work well together.
SANCHEZ: I tell you, it gets uglier every day. Here is Boehner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The president wants to have bipartisan conversations. It is going to be very difficult to have a bipartisan conversation with regard to what 27 health care -- a2,700-page health care bill that the Democrat majority in the House and the Democrat majority in the Senate can't pass.
So why are we talking a about bill that can't pass? It really is time to scrap the bill and start over.
OBAMA: What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense and I don't think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues, another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there is a lot of posturing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I have a seven-year-old and nine-year-old at home that are more mature than most of these guys half of the time when you watch them on TV and when you watch them trying to figure things out. I have to tell you -- I hate to say that, but I am thinking it, and I guarantee you everybody else out there is, too.
YELLIN: It's bad. It's bad.
I'll tell you, the president and the -- the president says he does not want posturing or posing for the cameras, but what do you think this summit is going to be on the 25th of February? It's going to be like a high school debate with everybody checking how the judges are reacting the entire time. SANCHEZ: Jessica, you're good. Thanks, I appreciate it. We have to cut this early because apparently we have some more breaking news with the weather. Brooke Baldwin standing by. She's in the pit talking to some of our folks here who are on the horn with everybody else. Brooke, what have you got?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Real quick update, we now have pictures feeding in from that affiliate out of Pennsylvania, I believe it was WJAC, so we're going to roll those pictures. That was s 50 vehicle accident that happened just a short time ago -- no, not looking at the pictures quite yet, but we have pictures.
As I am walking and talking, I want to introduce you the Hank Bishop, and Hank has been watching what is going on in Virginia here. First things first, you all were just chatting about what is happening at 4:00?
HANK BISHOP: Yes, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is going to speak live at 4:00, so we will work with the affiliate stations in Baltimore and other markets to get his live news conference in.
BALDWIN: We heard about that. You were also going to point out we have another 50-vehicle accident happening in Virginia.
BISHOP: Yes. This was just between Richmond and Virginia Beach tide water area. This was Interstate 64 and near Williamsburg in this area. It was a 50-car pileup, and one of our affiliates tells us that 50 cars, and they sent us in video and they just managed to open up one lane on Interstate 64, and they are looking at about seven minor injuries.
So it doesn't sound quite as serious as the Pennsylvania situation, but you can see the conditions.
BALDWIN: Take a look at the snow just on the road.
BISHOP: And the interesting thing -- this is a part of Virginia. The western part of Virginia and the D.C. areas typically see more snow and winter conditions than the coastal areas. So just speaks to how serious and large this storm is with the cold conditions.
BALDWIN: Rick, that's the latest we have from Virginia. Go ahead.
SANCHEZ: I've got something else, now, look at this. I just got a tweet from Maryland. We've been telling you about Baltimore and the conditions there. This is what the officials are sending us. They say 600 soldiers and 190 vehicles supporting the historic Maryland snowstorm effort. That's from the Maryland National Guard.
So, the National Guard has been called out in Maryland to go to work to help the citizens there, 600 of them, and 190 of those vehicles are heading out on the roads and trying to help as many people as they possibly can.
Meanwhile, near blizzard conditions being reported at Central Park. Have we got -- look at Central Park in New York. I know that most of you have been there at some point vacationing and have seen it. Well, you can't see it today. You probably could not see it if you were standing right outside of it right now, or looking at it from one of the hotels across the street there on 40th.
I tell you what, LaGuardia, no flights in and out, JFK, no flights in and out, Newark, no flights in and out. And from coast to coast the weather is the story on this day, including problems that they're having out in California down the Malibu. Look at these shots coming in from now California. This is part of a mudslide and a weather situation that developed there earlier on.
We will stay on this for you, folks. I'm Rick Sanchez, this is THE LIST. We're in the CNN "NEWSROOM" and as the story and the information comes in from all over the country and all our affiliates, we will be sharing it with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Folks, just want to let you know that we may are having some action. Some more things are heating up inside of Iran, and we haven't nailed it down yet, but as you know from Ali's newscast a little earlier, apparently there was some heated rhetoric if nothing else going on.
We're watching that for you, and we have Ivan Watson standing by at the international desk and we will hopefully be able go to him in just a little bit.
In the meantime, let me bring you up to date to what is happening right now. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale is a great place for a Super bowl and a great place for cars, fast cars that can't seem to stop. Now, "Fotos."
Watchy, watchy this, a furniture store where a car comes crashing through the doors and through the window. Some of the furniture was reduced to splinters and a shower of broken glass. Witnesses say that the car got sideswiped into the store. The store was installing hurricane shutters, but they weren't quite up on time.
Storms in southern California are setting off mudslides and destroying homes, and now roads are being washed away -- iReporter Julie Ellington (ph) sent us this video of part of a road in Malibu which is collapsed. Residents of the area have to find alternative routes.
That is not all -- more rain is on the way and could result in more damage. And get this -- the roadway isn't expected to reopen until June. That is off of Malibu.
Winston-Salem, now, North Carolina -- this is a headache in the making. The rider calls himself stormy wing, the bull calls itself Cajun Blast, and guess which one lived up to the moniker? That is right, Cajun Blast, he blasted stormy into the air and through the gate. He was knocked out cold, suffered a concussion.
We are told he is OK now, although, judging from that shot, maybe not, at least not then. Ouch!
Well, I told you about New York and Washington and Baltimore, let me tell you now about Philly, because Philadelphia is the place that's getting the worst of this storm right now. That is basically where the storm is as it was being described by Chad Myers just a little while ago. Those are the pictures from Philly right next to me.
Let's check in with Brooke Baldwin in a little bit. She's going to be getting some information out of the pit for us from some of our folks who are calling city officials in Philadelphia. Chad Myers manning the maps and the information for us. We will get to both of those when we come back. Stay right there. THE LIST continues. I'm Rick Sanchez.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back THE LIST. I'm Rick Sanchez. Obviously there is a lot of news going on domestically, but there's also news internationally.
There is something going on right now. I told you a little while ago there is some heated rhetoric in Iran. Apparently it's more than just rhetoric now. Let's go to Ivan Watson, he is manning our Iran desk to fill us in on what's going on over on the other side of the newsroom. He's in the international area. What have you got, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. We are following an information blockade that Iran has set up ahead of a day of expected protests on Thursday in Teheran.
And we have been hearing from locals on the ground -- in addition to the arrests of dozens of Iranian journalists blocking us from going and reporting there, denying our visas applications to go ourselves. We have heard of phones being tap and about Internet shut on and off, and about g-mail being blocked for several days.
And now the "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Iran's telecommunications agency announced it would permanently suspend Gmail, saying that a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled.
This is from the "Wall Street Journal." Again, Rick, this is done to build trust between people and the government, again, according to the "Wall Street Journal," and just before a day of planned opposition protests.
Despite this information blockade -- I want to bring you over here where it is shortly after midnight on the Iran desk where we are trying to follow this. Sara Muslamazacki (ph) is our producer here, and listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Rick, that is video just uploaded to Facebook despite these blocks, and what it is it's a defiant cry of "Allah Akbar" around midnight. I checked with a couple of my sources on the ground and they confirmed that people went to the rooftops and yelled.
That is a sign of defiance against the Iranian government. We saw it last summer, and it is happening again tonight in Iran, and that despite the fact that two people a week ago, two opposition activists were executed and hung just for voicing their opposition to the Iranian government.
SANCHEZ: Ivan, we live in a world sometimes where the truth is turned upside down, and when the Iranian government says they're getting rid of Gmail because they want to build trust with the people, isn't that the truth essentially being turned upside down?
WATSON: Well, you might suggest that they don't trust the people very much because they are controlling phone calls, emails, Internet, Skype calls, really limiting information getting out or in.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. They are creating a blackout, and when you create a blackout you don't want the citizens to be informed. That usually doesn't meaning that you want them to trust you more, it means you don't trust them. That is what it means to people with a little common sense. Good stuff, Ivan, thanks for reporting that for us.
In the meantime, I want to take you to Cory Booker, who is the mayor of Newark. I interviewed him a couple of time, interesting guy. He just sent this out, given what's going on in his city and all over the northeast today.
This is the advice he sends to the people, his citizens -- "Being good is commendable, but only when it's combined with doing good is it useful. Help someone today. Let's get through the storm together."
Interesting tweet I thought I would share with you since the mayor seemed to want to get it out to the folks who are watching us now from Newark.
Also this, African-American leaders braved the storm today to call on the president to use bank bailout money to help -- I will talk to Roland Martin about that. He is coming up in a little bit for our "R&R" segment.
And then of course, the weather -- what a story. It's everywhere, folks. Is that what it looks like right now? That's what it looks like right now. That's pretty good. So it doesn't look like it is snowing in Washington right now, at least it doesn't look like it is snowing. A little bit, all right.
I guess part of it is that because of the wind conditions what is on the ground keeps blowing around as well. I will tell you what, folks, it's everywhere. We're on it. We will bring you updates from our pit, which is the middle of the newsroom there. We have Chad Myers standing by and reporters in all of these cities. THE LIST scrolls on.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
On a day when the weather is the story, let's go back inside the pit. That's where our reporters are looking at what's going on. We're talking to potential all over the country, and Brooke Baldwin is talking to them. Brooke, what do you have?
BALDWIN: So, remember how I brought you this story about a 50- vehicle accident in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: Eve Bauer (ph) here on the northeast desk has been working that. And I believe we have pictures now to show you of those 50 vehicles. What do we know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're hearing about 30 tractor-trailers and 20 passenger vehicles. We don't know the exact circumstances around the initial crash, but obviously the winter conditions are to blame.
BALDWIN: You're telling me you heard one fatality?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One fatality, a passenger car that crashed into a tractor trailer.
BALDWIN: And we just heard Governor Ed Rendell coming out and shutting down a couple interstates in Pennsylvania. Which interstates?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know Interstate 81, 83, and 78. And again, he came out and said he doesn't want people on the road because of the safety concerns.
BALDWIN: Eve, thank you.
Rick, if I can real quickly just hop up and walk. I just got handed two pieces of paper, one, I believe you'll have a live shot with a reporter out of Maryland in a second who will tell you the Maryland Transit Administration says most of the public transportation has been shut down in the Baltimore area. Here's your reporter. You're going to talk to them in a couple minutes.
SANCHEZ: As a matter of fact they're calling out the National Guard in that area. That's how serious the situation is. The reporter you're looking at that Brooke was pointing to is Brian Kuebler. He's with WMAR. Brian. You're on TV, you're on CNN. Tell us what the situation is there.
BRIAN KUEBLER, WMAR REPORTER: Rick, I'll tell you, this storm is massive, and it's quick, and the wind keeps hounding this area. We're actually about a half-an-hour north and east of Baltimore where our forecasters said this storm would really hit the hardest, and I've got to tell you, they're right.
I don't know if the camera can do it justice, but we are in whiteout conditions. You can barely see the other side of the roads here. The roads here are horrible.
This area went through two feet of snow this weekend. This is an entirely different beast, because you have wind swiping through this area blowing snow all over the place, making it a blizzard condition. And the last time I checked VWI had about a foot they measured. So add that to the two-plus feet from the weekend, you're talking three to four feet.
SANCHEZ: Brian, have you seen any of the National Guard guys out there yet? We just got a report they were going to be heading out.
Also tell us about the traffic accident that you guys have been reporting about there, which apparently was quite massive in size as well.
KUEBLER: There have been a lot of traffic accidents around here, Rick. The National Guard, we have seen a couple humvees. I think the only business open in this part of Maryland is a Denny's across the street, and they called ahead today to say please stay open, we need to come by and get some food. So the National Guard is out, too.
SANCHEZ: Interesting. Brian, thanks so much for bringing us up to date.
Folks, good day to stay inside. That's the situation throughout the country. We're staying on it. Over the next hour for those of you just getting home from work, we'll fill you in on what the situation is in your cities. We have got reporters in cities and making phone calls behind us in the pit.
We also have our own extreme weather specialists also, like Chad Myers, following the situation. Stay right there. Get comfortable, put your feet up. We'll take you through what's happening all over the country as we continue on THE LIST.
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SANCHEZ: Once again, the big story is the weather, and we're going to be taking you from New York to Philadelphia to Baltimore and all places throughout.
The story changes every five minutes because we keep hearing of another accident, another situation, more National Guardsmen being sent out in this city or the next, more advisories being put out by cities, more flights being canceled.
We're collecting all that data, collecting all those numbers so we can share them with you. In fact, that's what we'll be doing with Brooke Baldwin as well. Brooke is going to be joining us from time to time just to lay out the numbers for you.
Sometimes the best way of understanding a story, which is being called an emergency -- it's obviously a blizzard at this point, and we'll be all over it.
As we do that, I want to do something else. Let me show you a couple of other numbers. These are the national unemployment rate -- 9.7 percent. Really? That's not bad considering what it could be. Remember, the president said, the very first speech he said this thing would be double digits, folks, and it did.
It was a little bit down last month, down to 9.7, nothing to brag about, but that's what it is.
But now look at this, African-Americans unemployment in this country -- 16.5 percent. And unlike the other one that was going down, this one is going up. Al Sharpton led a group to the White House today to talk about that problem with the president.
I want you to listen now to Ben Jealous, the head of the NAACP. Listen to Ben Jealous. He's pointing a finger here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN JEALOUS, NAACP PRESIDENT: Senate Republicans want to kind of keep on using tactics quite frankly from the last century that were used against black people in this century against working people. We're going to hold them to account, and we're going to push them even harder to come up with ideas, because it's not enough to say no, no, no, when people are suffering, suffering, suffering across this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Martin is joining me, my friend and colleague who does this thing we call "R&R." Roland, good to see you.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Likewise.
SANCHEZ: Is this a political problem?
MARTIN: No. First of all, it is an economic problem. The meeting today was not led by the Reverend Al Sharpton. It was led by several civil rights leaders, Ben Jealous, head of the NAACP, Sharpton, Dorothy Height, the last surviving member of the big six civil rights leader. She was snowed in, 97 years old, so she was in attendance at the meeting.
But this economic issue, and that is here are individuals who deal with the issue of economics for African-Americans every single day. And what they are saying is, what are the policies put in place to help those most in need? As you said, black unemployment went up last month, as opposed to going down.
SANCHEZ: Aren't Republicans going to use that and say, look, we have a Democrat in the White House, an African-American leading the nation, and still the unemployment rate for African-Americans went up. Maybe he's not doing something right.
MARTIN: First of all, That is irrelevant in terms of him being African-American and the African-American unemployment rate going up. The fact of the matter is there's a common phrase, when America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia.
You also see folks who are last hired, first fired. Also you have to deal with what you're facing with African-Americans with college degrees having a higher unemployment rate than white with a college degree.
And so again, this is a major issue you are dealing with. And so what these leaders are saying is, what are specific remedies being put in place to help those again most in need. You can create a general plan, but the question is, can you have specific plans?
And look at Detroit. The unemployment numbers suggests some 50 percent of the entire city unemployed. I mean, that is a huge, huge number, and we're talking about those people who are reporting unemployed. You go into some places in New York, the black male unemployment rate 50 percent.
Some folks would say that's because of folks not graduating from high school or going to college. But if look at those who actually go to college, finish from high school, the numbers are even higher than that of whites.
SANCHEZ: What is the problem then? I mean, what is causing the unemployment rate among African-Americans to be higher than any other groups? If you could put your finger on one thing, if there is such a thing --
MARTIN: No, there is no one thing.
First of all, you can look in terms of where folks are actually living -- are you having the kind of jobs in those particular areas. Look historically, you saw manufacturing jobs for African-Americans just like for whites who didn't go to college, a lot of those jobs have left.
You look at what's impacting Detroit, those kind of, you know, jobs with car companies, Ford, GM, Chrysler cutting back. That impacts as well. There are a variety of reasons there.
And so what they're saying is let's get to the institutional issues there that we can confront. Other people are saying let's look at education and those kinds of issues.
And congratulations are in order, as well, for your Who Dats and what they did in the Super Bowl, my friend.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: Well, I'm born and raised in Houston, but I was there. And I enjoyed New Orleans winning.
SANCHEZ: And that...
(CROSSTALK) MARTIN: But I figure, if Earl Campbell went to play for the Saints, I would go ahead and adopt them.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Here we go, the next hour of RICK'S LIST right now.
