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Rick's List
Tiger Woods to Speak Out; President Obama Touts Stimulus
Aired February 17, 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 right now -- new details about this woman's pattern of angry outbursts. She went off at a pancake house?
Stimulus one year later. Who is taking the money? Who is taking credit?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are those who have tried to score political points by attacking what we did, even as many of them show up at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects in their districts.
SANCHEZ: More importantly, is any of that cash actually helping you?
Sarah Palin is mad at "Family Guy." The debate over TV satire. Is her outrage warranted? It's "Family Guy."
She's a superstar from Indy to Daytona.
DANICA PATRICK, NASCAR RACER: Unlike in an Indy car, in a stock car, you can run literally right behind one another.
SANCHEZ: Why the switch to NASCAR? Is it working for her career behind the wheel? My conversation with Danica Patrick.
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.
Man, there is a lot of news going on. And it's all happening within the last 10 minutes, just as we were getting ready to go on the air. The Tiger Woods story, you've heard about Tiger Woods, right? And he's going to making a statement. This could be big news for anybody who follows golf or sports or marketing.
Ali Velshi is going to be joining just in a little bit. And we are going to be taking you through the news, the information, what we know, what it could mean, what it means to golf, what it means to the networks and all of that.
But, first, I want to tell you something else. There is a picture Ali. Have you seen this? Take a look at this. This is in Delaware County. There is an 18-wheeler that is literally dangling right now off the side of a freeway.
You see that right there? You see it is hanging over, right? Now, this picture is going to whirl around the other side in just a little bit, and you will be able to see a little bit better, but it is quite interesting.
It is the state road 67 bridge. It's north of Muncie, Indiana.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wow.
SANCHEZ: It almost looks, doesn't it -- doesn't it look like to you, Ali, like there was a little bit -- yes, there it is. There's some snow. There's some snow on the bridge. I wonder if Chad is around.
Chad, are you there, by chance?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Of course, sir.
SANCHEZ: Man, you are great. It is like the sound of your voice is always so welcoming.
Is this a weather event?
MYERS: Well, Muncie, Indiana, has been below 32 degrees for -- get this -- 300 hours straight. So, for more than 12 days, they have not been above 32.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
MYERS: But I can see some spots there on the roadways that probably melted with some sunshine. They were mostly cloudy today, but the sun peeked out. And if the sun melts it, just like an icicle, you melt a little bit with the sun, the sun goes away, and then the temperatures can get below 32.
Notice, though, that was a front-end collision. Something hit that silver car right there. Air bags had gone off. And the front of that car is just completely crumpled.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: The crumple zone worked on that car, but there was some kind of impact there as well.
SANCHEZ: Is there -- I just to make -- it is so far away, Ali. I don't know if your eyes are better than mine or you're looking at these smaller -- is there a chance that thing could still go over or is it braced up pretty good?
(CROSSTALK) VELSHI: It seems to be tilting toward the road, which is fortunate, so unless there is something that was going to tip it over, i.e., a driver in the driver's seat of the cab, but it looks like they have hooked up that rig to it, so...
SANCHEZ: Well, here's the good news. He got out. So, there you are.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I think at this point, it is probably stable. And they have got that rig hooked up to it, so I think they're going to try. They have just got to figure out how to -- you know how it goes over? If they mess up pulling it out. So, I think they are just going to be very careful about how they do that, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Well, you know what is interesting when you look at stories like this is, we -- Chad, you and I were talking about this other day when we were following all these big weather stories. That black ice condition that forms, why is it that this is more apt to form on overpasses and bridges than it is on roads?
MYERS: Well, because, when the roadway freezes, the bridge has no air or no dirt underneath it to insulate it from those freezing temperatures right away.
So right at the -- the temperature goes from 33 to 31, those bridges are going to freeze. It is going to take the roadway just a little bit longer. By the time the roadway freezes, in fact, it is easier for -- this is all about latent heat of fission and latent heat of fusion and all those other things that I spent way too much money on learning about, but the water...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Hold on. The water wants to evaporate from the roadway before it freezes, but the water will freeze on the bridge before it evaporates.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Ah.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: You got it.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: I heard it the background. Was that you, Ali?
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER) VELSHI: Cheap seats over here.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: ... paying attention.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Ali is on your team.
So, bottom line, when we see these signs that tell us or warn us that the ice will be building on the bridges and overpasses, it makes sense. You really should slow down.
MYERS: It is because the water does not have a chance to evaporate first. It freezes first because there's nothing underneath it to insulate that roadway.
MYERS: All right. We Gates keep an eye on this picture, obviously, a heck of a thing to look at. Imagine if you are driving home and you see that.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Woods story. Folks, we are getting this information as I am sharing it with you.
Let me go to the PGA Web site. Hey, go ahead, Robert, if you can get a shot of this thing right here. You can see it right at the top there. I mean, look, that is how we are learning. Breaking news from the PGA, Tiger Woods to make a statement at PGA tour headquarters.
You know, obviously, the question that we are all asking, Ali, is, is this guy coming back to play?
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: Is -- is -- wait a minute. I think we have got Susan Candiotti.
Susan Candiotti is standing by. She has apparently got some information to share with us on this story.
Susan, what do you got?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tiger Woods' agent confirms to me that he plans to apologize for his -- that he, Tiger Woods, plans to apologize for his behavior. That is how the agent describes it, and that he intends to talk about his past, his future in the game of golf.
So, we will all find out together tomorrow at 11:00 tomorrow morning at tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, as Tiger discusses for the first time in public that accident heard round the world on Thanksgiving night.
SANCHEZ: So, I heard you say tomorrow. We weren't sure if it was originally -- let me check the PGA... (CROSSTALK)
CANDIOTTI: Excuse me. You are right. It is Friday.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: It's Friday, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on Friday.
Did he tell you anything more about Tiger's return to golf, outside of the apology?
CANDIOTTI: I believe that he plans to talk about his future. There is talk that that includes a return to golf. The question is how, when, and, of course, who will he be received?
It's been widely said, Rick, you know, for a very long time, since the start, that many people have said that if Tiger Woods does not come forward and apologize in some way, that he could never go back on the tour without people hounding him constantly about what happened.
Since the disclosure that he has, as he said, failed in his marriage, failed in his past, had personal transgressions, and, of course, has lost millions of dollars in endorsements...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: There is a series of things that you have to go through when you are found in this type of pickle.
VELSHI: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: And one of them is, you immediately try and take care of your family. You show care for your family. Then you go into some kind of rehab.
VELSHI: Right.
SANCHEZ: Then you apologize. You come back from rehab. You apologize again. And then you announce that you somehow are going to go back to the thing, which shouldn't be as important, which is golf.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: It is going to be so humiliating for him to do this, which is why he has not done it so far, so the fact that he is going through it, either it's because somebody told him he should. But it means he is coming back to golf.
SANCHEZ: That's exactly what I am thinking.
VELSHI: Because he would not do this -- for all the news that continues to trickle out about his transgressions, if you weren't coming back, and if you were not the best golfer in the world, and knew you could back, you would say, you know what? Forget it. I don't need to go through this. SANCHEZ: I just had some of the folks at the CNN wires -- Susan, if you are still there, I just had one of the folks at CNN wires do a little research for me, and here is what he found.
A network executive, probably with CBS, says to the Associated Press that ratings generally rise 50 percent when Tiger Woods is in the field.
VELSHI: Sure.
You have heard it. You have people -- you know people who have watched golf or learned about golf who had no interest in golf before Tiger Woods was involved in golf.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VELSHI: He has got a lot of people going.
And, remember, unlike Eliot Spitzer or the governor of South Carolina, they don't affect anybody's ratings.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VELSHI: These guys can come or go. This guy means a lot of money to a lot of people. As Susan said, he has lost a lot of sponsorships, but he is still worth more than most people will ever be because of his particular skill.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But this is what is important. I mean, this is a major business money story. Tiger Woods is an enterprise into himself.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right. Yes. And he is one of a handful of athletes in the world, the Wayne Gretzkys, the Michael Jordans, the people who are at the absolute top of their game.
And, remember, before this happened on Thanksgiving, I remember. You know why? Because I was sitting here in this seat. You were off when we were doing this news. He was -- he was not -- he had not won everything he needed to win. Tiger Woods was not finished with his career yet. He wants to come back and finish.
SANCHEZ: Well, sure.
VELSHI: If he comes back, it becomes the world's most historic comeback story.
SANCHEZ: Well, we're -- our sources are telling us that he will likely make an appearance at the Tavistock Classic, which is basically a neighborhood event, by the way. It's his way of edging his way back into without...
(CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: I am wondering though -- Susan, are you still there?
CANDIOTTI: I am still here, yes, Rick.
SANCHEZ: I am just kind of wondering whether Tiger Woods is going to be, according to his agent, softening his position back into golf? In other words, does he -- if he -- there is no question, right, that he wants to get back into golf?
CANDIOTTI: Well, that is what he does. I mean, Tiger Woods equals golf.
And you are absolutely right. He is everything to that game. He is everything to television in that game, all of his sponsors. So, yes, if he didn't do that, what would he do?
SANCHEZ: You know, we have got a tweet coming in right now from the PGA Tour.
Here it is, similar. This is similar to what they put out. This is exactly one minute ago. "Tiger Woods will be making a statement from PGA Tour headquarters on Friday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. Coverage will be stream lived on PGATour.com."
So...
CANDIOTTI: And you know what, Rick? If you can still hear me, too, I the format that he has chosen here is very interesting. Remember, he is going to be talking to, as they put it, a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates.
There will be pool reporters present, which means, if you are a credentialed person, you might be able to get in. Otherwise, you are going to watch from an ante room, a separate room.
SANCHEZ: Right.
CANDIOTTI: Will they be able to ask questions?
SANCHEZ: No.
CANDIOTTI: I'm not so sure.
SANCHEZ: I doubt Tiger Woods is going to put himself in his very news conference...
VELSHI: At some point, he's going to have to.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VELSHI: Because this doesn't get behind him until he starts to.
SANCHEZ: And will it be right after he tees off at some big tour event, where some reporter or paparazzi suddenly pops out of nowhere and starts hitting with him questions, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: It's going to be very distracting to play championship golf if you have not answered the questions.
SANCHEZ: Yes. This is not baseball, where they have security guards keeping the fans from the field. In golf, the fans are right next to the field, and so are the reporters.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes, they're right up there.
SANCHEZ: It's an interesting scenario.
Susan, good hustle. Great job on that. Thanks for breaking that information for us, as usual.
And, Ali, thanks for your analysis. Appreciate it.
VELSHI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: All right, also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He moved back and said get Rainier, Mount Rainier, in the background. And right about then, pop, and he was grabbing for the edge, or grabbing the air, I guess, at that point, and disappeared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: His climbing partner fell into the crater at Mount Saint Helens volcano. We have GOT new information on how this happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK: Those stock cars make a lot of smoke when they GET sideways, so when you Can't see in front of you at all, there is nothing you can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You recognize her? Well, she wrecked in a 12-car pileup Saturday. So, I sat down to talk to Danica Patrick. And suddenly she starts challenging me, And asking me questions, almost like she was a little defensive. But everything got squared away. Stick around. It is a heck of an interview. I was honored to interview her.
In fact, I will let you see it. It is coming up in Just a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. Here is what is making THE LIST right now on your national conversation.
More than a year into this presidency, still no health care reform, still no new rules to govern Wall Street to prevent another meltdown. And something else that we don't have, well, we don't have another Great Depression, right?
Today, Barack Obama is reminding us of that, because, a year ago today, he signed the stimulus package that he credits with saving our bacon, and he has taken a lot of heat for this thing, but the White House is saying -- the White House is saying -- key word there, saying -- it is working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One year later it is largely thanks to the Recovery Act that a second Depression is no longer a possibility.
It's one of the main reasons the economy has gone from shrinking by 6 percent to growing about 6 percent. And this morning we learned that manufacturing production posted a strong gain. So far the Recovery Act is responsibility for the jobs of about 2 million Americans who would otherwise be unemployed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So the president is saying again that the stimulus has created or saved some two million jobs. Is that what he promised?
Well, we have done a little fact-checking on this one. In this video, he promises up to four million jobs, but not necessarily within the first year. So, that is not a broken promise, at least not yet.
And, today, they are telling us this. The White House is saying that the stimulus spending is about to shoot up. Stimulus money already approved is going to get pumped into our economy at a rate of $32 billion a month, up $5 billion a month.
So, based on what he promised, the president can credibly argue that the stimulus has delivered. The Republicans can also argue that it is falling short, though, which is exactly what they are arguing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: A year ago, Barack Obama promised jobs.
OBAMA: That is why I hope it passes as soon as possible, so we can start creating jobs.
NARRATOR: But his plan has failed to deliver. Democrats might be breaking out the champagne to celebrate the stimulus' one-year anniversary, but Americans are still losing their jobs, while being saddled with debt to pay for Obama's binge spending and broken promises.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: So that's the Republican line, broken promises.
Here it is again from House Minority Leader John Boehner. "Today's anniversary of the Democrat stimulus marks one year of broken promises, bloated government wasteful spending."
Now, the White House, it is playing a little hardball as well. It says the stimulus gave a tax cut to 95 percent of all taxpayers. And, oh, guess what? Every single Republican voted against it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Now, up until this point, I have never met a Republican who didn't like a good tax cut.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: But you remember when I mentioned this at the State of the Union, Joe, they were all, kind of, squirming in their seats. They weren't sure whether to clap or not...
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: ... because most of them had voted against all these tax cuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: This is a kind of different President Obama, some interesting back and forth on this, with more yet to come, because here is what we find interesting.
How can certain members of Congress vote against the stimulus, criticize it up and down -- every single Republican voted against the stimulus -- and then turn up and take credit when they go around to their districts awarding stimulus checks to their constituents? How can they claim credit for what they say is bad for America, bad for their constituents?
We are going to be naming names here in just a little bit, because this is an interesting story. It is an interesting dynamic, one that we want to share with you. So, stick around. I will do just that in a little bit.
All right. Let me tell you what else we are following right now, Tiger Woods. There is news that Tiger Woods from the PGA is going to give a news conference on Friday at 11:00 a.m. Then we checked with our correspondents, usually Mrs. Ready on the spot herself, Susan Candiotti.
And she talked to Tiger's agent, who said that Tiger will indeed apologize once again when he gives that statement on Friday. So, this is interesting. Is this the beginning of the return of Tiger Woods to professional golf?
We are all over this, folks. We are going to reach out to some folks, and see if we can get some more information on this.
Meanwhile, this. It is a man cave to end all man caves, a four- room ice house with music, TV and even a fireplace. All right. We will bring you that in just a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back, I'm Rick Sanchez.
Is it possible that Tiger Woods is going to be prepping to make a return to professional golf? Well, we know this. The PGA just a little while ago, just as we were getting ready to go on the air, put out a statement saying that, in fact, he is going to make a statement Friday at 11:00 a.m.
And then we checked with our correspondents. And Susan Candiotti, being among the best of them, took it upon herself to make some phone calls. She got a hold of Tiger Woods' agent. And he reported to her, yes, it is all true. He is coming out and he's going to making a statement and apologizing once again for everything that happened between him and his wife and their SUV, and you know that story.
What is going on here? There is a lot of answers.
I know you have got some answers as well, so let's go to Geoff Shackelford. He is a golf writer who has joined us in the past to talk Tiger.
Geoff, what do you think is happening here?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD, WWW.GEOFFSHACKELFORD.COM: Well, Rick, it is pretty strange. He is going to have this press conference. It's not really a press conference.
A story just broke that it is going to be in front of a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates -- that's according to his agent -- and there will be three wire services and a small group of reporters, but no questions.
So, it is very odd, and then the timing is very odd, because it is a Friday of the week of the Accenture tournament, and I don't believe it is probably a coincidence that he chose this week, when it is a tournament that is sponsored by a company that dropped him.
SANCHEZ: Look, because this is not a matter of national import, and it is just a sports story, I will do something I normally don't. This is not exactly nailed down, but we are getting a sense that there is a scuttlebutt out there that he is also be making an appearance soon, maybe like at a small tournament like the Tavistock Cup tournament that is going to be coming up, which I understand is going to be televised as well.
I think we have got the Web site up. Is that -- that is the Web site over there. Go ahead and get a shot of that. Is that the kind of thing where you would see Tiger Woods coming back, small neighborhood tournament, not too much attention, but little by little, easing his way in?
SHACKELFORD: Well, it makes sense if you are approaching this the way he has approached this entire crisis, if you will. It is a very private event.
Yes, it is on the Golf Channel, but the press is very limited. The galleries are very small, and it is really relegated to friends of the two developments that are involved, so it makes sense if you are approaching this from the way he has approached this whole process.
SANCHEZ: How important is Tiger Woods to professional golf?
SHACKELFORD: Oh, he is incredibly important.
You look, the ratings this year have been about what you would expect. The sport needs him. It needs the buzz that he creates. There is just nothing like him.
SANCHEZ: I just read to our viewers something I was handed by one of our researchers, where he said it is down 50 percent. Without Tiger Woods in the field, 50 percent fewer people will watch professional golf. Or let me restate that. The ratings will go down 50 percent. I don't know if that breaks down to 50 percent less people.
Do you buy that?
SHACKELFORD: That is generally fair. That is generally the way it has gone.
SANCHEZ: Wow. That is a big number. That's a lot of power in one guy's hand.
So it is behooves the PGA, it behooves the networks, it behooves the marketers to get this guy back in the ring.
SHACKELFORD: Absolutely. And that is probably why they are willing him to let him make this statement at tour headquarters on the Friday of one of the first big events of the year.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you this. How difficult is it going to be for this guy if he tries to -- let's take it to not just this week, where he apparently is going to going to make this statement, which is probably going to be a controlled environment, right?
He's not -- this is not going to be one of those situations where there's, like they do in the movies, thousands of reporters shouting questions at him. This is a controlled environment, right?
SHACKELFORD: It is, yes. And I understand that, although I think, personally, I would just get it over with and deal with it, but this is obviously maybe just the first step.
SANCHEZ: OK. All right. Well, let me stop you there. Let's go to the next step. Let's go to steps two and possibly three.
At some point, if Tiger wants to play golf again, he is going to show up in places like Doral and other, Pebble Beach, where the galleries are huge, where you can't control who is there, where any paparazzi can show up with a camera. Even if he is kicked out, so what? He got his picture and his question in. Where people can shout things at Tiger.
Are we about to see something the likes of which we have never seen before in professional golf?
SHACKELFORD: Oh, absolutely. We are going to see some strange things.
However, these first two events that he will likely play will be very controlled. And maybe their hope is that they are so well controlled that he will get out, he will play, and then, by the time he is done playing those events, the hecklers and all that will have lost interest.
I am guessing that is their hope, but I just don't know if it's really going to play out that way. So, he will play the Tavistock. He will play the Masters. And they think maybe it will just be quiet after that.
SANCHEZ: Mr. Shackelford, thanks for joining us, sir. Good stuff. Appreciate it.
Meanwhile, this. Police records of Amy Bishop show that there is new information about her shooting her brother. Remember we mentioned to you earlier in the week that that report was missing? The state had a report, but the local report from the local yokels, the local police department there, that it was missing?
Well, guess what? It has turned up. What does that mean for the professor who is also accused of killing three of her colleagues in Huntsville, Alabama? We're going to bring you that story in just a little bit. And you are not going to believe the newest element to that story. You are not going to believe the newest charge or accusation against her.
And then she went from NASCAR to RICK'S LIST. Wait until you see how Danica Patrick turns the tables on me? She did? She did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Hey, Rick. This is Chuck from Nevada. Hey, if hot air will create energy, let's hook up to Washington.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
All right. You ready? This is making a lot of hay, so follow me here. I want to take you through this story.
Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia voted against the president's stimulus package. Yet, there's Congressman Gingrey front and center, pink tie, grinning from ear to ear as he passes out stimulus checks to the -- or a stimulus check, one of those big oversized ones, to the city of Cedartown, Georgia, to build new streets and other projects.
He voted against the stimulus. He spoke out against the stimulus. Then he takes credit for a stimulus project in his own district. That's Gingrey.
Then, there is Congressman Mike Castle, Delaware, Republican. That is Castle on the left. He voted against the stimulus. He then showed up when they
***31 RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Then takes credit for a stimulus project in his own district. And then there is Congressman Mike Castle, Delaware, Republican, and that is Castle on the left. He voted against the stimulus, and then showed up when they passed out the check.
We don't have enough time in the show to show you all of these guys, but here is Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. You remember all of the comments he made about this. He is a Republican and criticized the stimulus, and then he toured his state from city-to- city to pass out the checks for it to his constituents.
And then there is this, according to the website, ThinkProgress.org, and yes it is a liberal website, but still, they document it, that 111 lawmakers who voted against the stimulus, and they go through page by page by page showing every exact time when it happened right there -- every lawmaker who voted against the stimulus called the idea all sorts of names -- 111 of them.
They are also taking credit for stimulus projects that land in their states and districts. How many Republican voted for the stimulus by Republicans? A big giant goose egg, nada, zero, zilch. How much are now part of the process where they take credit for it -- 111.
Jessica Yellin, is the White House right to fight back against the so-called party of no with this argument that they are making sure that all media outlets know about?
JESSICA YELLIN, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it is a why so late, is the big question, Rick. This is a good gotcha moment in politics for the Democrats to use against the Republicans, not just because of the apparent contradiction here, but also because these are folks who are campaigning on a message that is anti- spending.
And when you see these Republicans out there taking these checks and promoting government spending, they are going to make an argument for it, but a lot of the voters, the key voters who have to reelect these Republicans, are going to be mad because their own base is anti- spending, they will not like to see the elected officials who they put in office spending government dollars, and this could hurt the Republicans in the polls come November.
You can bet that you will see a ton of Democrats running ads showing the Republicans holding up those checks and making the point that they are spending government money just as fast as anybody else.
SANCHEZ: There is no question the White House is pushing this line, like you say. Maybe they should have been doing it earlier. But nonetheless, Republicans are responding. We have one of those responses today. Let's play it and we will talk about it on the other side, you and I, Jessica.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A year ago Barack Obama promised jobs.
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I hope it passes as soon as possible so we can start creating jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But his plan has failed to deliver. Democrats might be breaking out the champagne to celebrate the stimulus' one-year anniversary, but Americans are still losing their jobs while being saddled with debt to pay for Obama's binge spending and broken promises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The question that obviously comes up there is, yes, Americans are still losing their jobs. That is a fact. But the experts in the Bush administration said that if we hadn't had a stimulus package like the one we have we could have been looking at 25 percent unemployment, we could have been looking at a possible great depression.
YELLIN: Absolutely. There are plenty of conservative economists who argue that the stimulus package was necessary.
The difference is that the administration may have made a miscalculation in saying they would create jobs and count the number of jobs it has creates when in fact it has helped to grow the economy more broadly in other areas, keeping businesses open, keeping the economy humming, and then jobs follow that.
So, they have created a problem where how do you prove that the stimulus actually held on to a job? How do you prove a negative? And so that is what the Republican Party is running with in that message and that is what they are running with effectively since the stimulus passed. It is a much easier case to make.
SANCHEZ: But when somebody like Grover Norquist goes on one of our competitors this morning and said that in fact the stimulus has caused people to lose jobs -- he is not right, is he?
YELLIN: Well, how do count -- yes and no. It is in the eye of the beholder. What they would argue is that there are jobs being paid for with the stimulus money that will then go away. When the money goes away, that job goes away, and where is that job?
And if you hadn't created that job would that person have gone out and created their own job? And you know, I mean it is a vacuum of what if.
SANCHEZ: And to call something as imperfect is perfectly fair, and very likely accurate. But to actually say we spent all of that money and more Americans lost jobs than they had to begin with, that does not seem correct or fair, and that is why I throw it out there. But there is a lot of language like this going back and forth.
YELLIN: Fuzzy math.
SANCHEZ: Fuzzy indeed. So fuzzy, I can't see.
YELLIN: I can't see.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Jessica, appreciate it. See you again.
And meanwhile, Sarah Palin is outraged at a TV show, "Family Guy." Does she know what "Family Guy" is, what they do? Parody every day, everybody, left, right, middle, in between? Well, we will tell you about it.
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SANCHEZ: OK, here we go with breaking news. We thought this might happen and apparently now it is taking place. I want to go to Haiti. John Vause is standing by, the story of the Idaho missionaries. John, fill us in, what is going on?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rick, we just heard from one of the lawyers who is representing the Baptist missionaries here in Port-au-Prince, and he said all of the American missionaries will be set free immediately on bail. They are free to leave the country and free to go.
Two will be remaining behind. The two who are staying here in Port-au-Prince will be Laura Silsby and her assistant, if you like, Charisa Coulter.
And they will stay in jail, we are told by this lawyer who was told by the judge that he wants Silsby and Coulter to stay behind in Port-au-Prince for a few more days more because he wants to investigate what they were doing in Haiti on a trip prior to when the earthquake happened.
So this lawyer says it will take another couple of days and then his clients will stay in jail. As for the other eight, we said they are now within the next hour or so they should be free from jail, and they should be free to leave this country. That is all we are told by the lawyer, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let me clear some of this stuff up. First of all, for those of you who are joining us, John Vause is now reporting from Port-au-Prince, it in fact appears that eight of the 10 will be free to leave the country. He and I will talk about the specifics of that in a moment.
But first, just to clear this up for the viewers, John -- the two who are staying, we have had a lot of conversations about these ten. And as we understand it, those eight are eight volunteers who agreed to go along with the other two originally to help them do what they needed to do. But they were not so -- they were not so help me out here, Brooke?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Connected.
VAUSE: Well, what we are told is that there were some who were sort of -- like Jim Allen from Texas. He was a late-minute addition to the group of Baptist missionaries coming to Port-au-Prince. He is in reconstruction and he came because he thought according to the lawyer anyway that he would help to rebuild Haiti. He didn't know anything about this plan to try to take orphans out of the country.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VAUSE: And some others who say, hey, we weren't really part of this to begin with, we didn't know what she was really up to. There has been a lot of division within the group and tension there as well. Some say they haven't actually been told what is going on, and they weren't told the whole truth by Laura Silsby.
All these are allegations that have been flying around the court building for the last couple of days.
SANCHEZ: John, I am just going to interrupt you just for a moment to welcome viewers around the world who are joining CNN now as we report this new information coming out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that eight of the 10 Americans who were being held there behind bars -- there you see Laura Silsby -- eight of the 10 are being allowed to leave Port-au-Prince and return to the United States, most likely, back to Idaho.
They are Baptist missionaries who were being accused of trying to take children out of the country illegally. John Vause is joining us, and he is on the phone with us taking us through this story, as is my colleague Brooke Baldwin. John, back to you.
VAUSE: Yes, let's just clarify all of this, Rick. We are getting this from the lead attorney for most of the Americans. What happened today is that we, you know, we have talked to a lot of this in the last couple of days with the judge in the case getting the recommendations from the prosecutors.
That happened a couple of hours ago. The judge looked at the recommendations and he summoned all of the attorneys together. He met with them for 20 minutes a short time ago, and then those lawyers have emerged from his chambers, and we are talking to the lead attorney.
He told us just as he came from the judge's chambers that the judge has decided to grant bail to those eight American missionaries, but Silsby and Coulter will stay behind in jail.
And according to the lawyer, he says that the judge wants to know why those two women in particular had traveled to Haiti on an earlier trip, why they were here last year, what they were doing, what was the purpose of the trip.
And when that is cleared up -- the lawyer says it will only take a couple of days. We don't know that for sure, but that is what he says, but once that is cleared up he said he is confident the rest of the missionaries, the other two women, will be set free on bail as well.
SANCHEZ: But help us understand this, and perhaps Brooke, you can help us as well. And Roger, put that video back up. I want to identify for the viewers who we are talking about when we talk about Laura Silsby. Laura Silsby is one of the organizers, right? She had the intent to go down there and help these children out.
BALDWIN: Yes, and I believe that the second woman that John is referring to -- John, correct me if I'm wrong, but this is her nanny. She was 24, 25.
VAUSE: That's right.
SANCHEZ: There is Laura on the left with the reddish auburn hair.
BALDWIN: And her nanny who became one of the co-organizers of the group who had the impetus, if you will, the engineers of the idea --
SANCHEZ: There she is again!
BALDWIN: This is significant, because in Haiti if you are charged with child kidnapping you are not eligible for bail. So that's a big deal.
SANCHEZ: That is what's interesting about this. Brooke makes a great point. Originally we had heard, John, that the charges are so great that they don't allow bail for these types of charges. When did that change?
VAUSE: Yes, there has been a lot of talk about what is and is not Haitian law and the case with the bail, and a lot of it does not seem to be entirely true.
Haitian law isn't clear in the best of times. I sat down, we have spoken to the judge, we have spoken to a number of attorneys, and I have spoken to the former justice minister and former head of the Haitian bar association, and he said that bail was always going to be, you know, considered by the judge once the attorney general, the prosecutor in this case, had made his recommendations, and that was always going to be the case.
And once the judge received those recommendations from the attorney general about bail or no bail or whatever, that would be when the judge in this case would decide whether or not these missionaries would be allowed to go.
So, I am not too sure if bail was ever ruled out and maybe it is one of the things that they were talking about because the charges were in fact so serious, but what we were told was bail was always a possibility. There was always a possibility that it would be denied.
SANCHEZ: But here's what's interesting -- as I have read Haitian law, and I have just looked into it briefly, but extensively at the same time looking at some of the documents so I could understand this case. Correct me if I am wrong -- a judge will now go into this case and decide whether charges will in fact be brought or -- no, not charges. I misspoke. Let me correct myself.
Charges have been brought. Now another judge in their system of justice will decide whether in fact they will be prosecuted, correct?
VAUSE: Correct, yes. And that all happens within three months.
SANCHEZ: And within three months he has to decide whether they will be charged. Even though they are out on bail and in the United States, they can ask them to return, these eight?
VAUSE: Correct, correct.
They basically have a system here where these people can be released on bail without bond, without any money, just on their word, an assurity that when they are called they will return to the country. Don't forget Haiti has an extradition treaty with the United States, so there is always that way you can play it out if you like.
But essentially they are letting them go on their own word and there is no bond or assurity put down apart from their word that they will return if needed.
SANCHEZ: What about them returning to the United States? What do we know about those plans? Have you made any inquiries with their lawyers as to how soon that's going to happen?
VAUSE: Once again, the only thing I can tell you is what the lawyer told. This is all happening right now. Just a short time ago the lawyer said his clients, the ones being released, will leave this country, in his words, "immediately."
Now, not too sure how soon that can happen. They have to get a flight out of here and drive to the border, and direct flights out of Port-au-Prince don't resume until Friday, so they will have to take some charter or small flight to the Dominican Republic or drive. So that is easier said than done.
The U.S. embassy and State Department said they are standing by to offer the assistance necessary as they would in any other consular matter. They will get some help from the embassy, but essentially they have a lot of arranging to do before they get out of the country.
BALDWIN: John, I know all this the information is trickling in right now, but when they return, presumably to Idaho, this group of eight, will any limitations then be placed on them once they are home?
VAUSE: It appears, and, like I said, we are still trying to work out if there are any conditions on bail and all the rest of it, but it appears that it's completely unconditional, that they can leave this country, which, when you think about it, child kidnapping charges, allowed to leave the country, all of that type of stuff, it is very, very unusual.
BALDWIN: Right.
VAUSE: And again, I asked another lawyer about this, and I said, would someone charged with something like this be allowed, you know, bail unconditional bail under ordinary circumstances? And he said, no.
SANCHEZ: Yes, but it is a very different legal system, and let's remind our viewers that we are not talking about a European system or an American system. We're talking about a system devised there probably closer to the French system I would imagine, John.
VAUSE: Yes, Napoleonic law where you are basically guilty until you're proven innocent, and all that kind of stuff.
SANCHEZ: It is an interesting case. I think I am hearing from you Angie Massey, my executive producer, in my ear, that we may have another part of this coming in to us from Idaho. Is that right, Angie?
All right, so, let's do this. Guys, we will take a break. Those of you joining us around the world internationally, we will continue to stay on this story here in the United States. We will as well continue to see if we can get new information on what is happening on this side of the pond, so-to-speak, in the United States, what reaction is coming in from Idaho.
The latest information, in case you didn't hear it, is that eight of the 10 who are being held in Port-au-Prince will be in fact be released, so says the judge. There is still an outstanding decision by another judge who will decide if in fact they will be prosecuted, as strange as that may sound to us.
Stay with us. I'm Rick Sanchez. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back, I'm Rick Sanchez.
Just trying to bring you up to date on what is going on. You heard the big story coming out of Port-au-Prince, and that is that eight of the 10 Americans who were being held there for trying to take Haitian children out of the country illegally will be released, will be released and allowed to travel to the United States.
That doesn't mean the charges against them are dropped, mind you. What it means is that they essentially are getting bail without having to post bonds, as interesting as that might sound. It's different from our system, but that's the legal system there.
Still, there is a chance that another judge will come in, review the case, and decide that they will in fact be tried and prosecuted. That decision is still outstanding.
Still, two of the people, two of the ten are remaining in jail in Haiti until that judge makes that decision, which will come within the next three months from the date that they were charge.
Laura Silsby, for example, is one of those who will stay there. She is, as you know, one of those involved in the planning or the intent to go there. And originally the intent was to help the children. Since then it seems some mistakes were made and that's what brought about the subsequent charges.
Here's what we hope to do. John Vause is continuing to talk to attorneys and the attorney general there in Haiti. We're also going to be talking to Dan Simons, our correspondent in Idaho who's been talking to the Baptist church from whence this group came. As soon as we get information or any updates from him, I'm going to share that with you as well.
There's a lot of stuff going on, folks, and we're trying to keep our head above water as we bring you all these developments.
SANCHEZ: Also, did you hear about Tiger Woods? CNN's own Susan Candiotti has now reported that in fact she's talked to Tiger Woods' attorneys and agents, and they told her that Tiger Woods will in fact give a statement on Friday, and that Tiger Woods is going to apologize once again to his public about everything that happened.
The circumstances about how he's going to deliver that statement, whether he's going to be asked to receive questions, how soon Tiger Woods comes back to play in professional golf, those questions still remain as well.
My friend Roland Martin will be joining me here. Give us a two- shot if you possibly could. He's got some thoughts on Tiger Woods, and also he has some thoughts on the Obama administration and all the heck that it's getting in many ways, and firing back as well. So Roland will take us through this.
Stay with us. A lot going on, and we've got it handled for you. We'll be right back. This is THE LIST. I Rick Sanchez, and we're scrolling on.
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SANCHEZ: It's time for "R & R." We usually talk politics, buy today we can't help ourselves, maybe because most of us are golfers, and if you look at the demographic breakdown of most of you out there watching this newscast right now, you either play golf or know somebody who does, and everybody knows who Tiger Woods is.
This is interesting news. Tiger Wood's is going to give a statement. Our Susan Candiotti tracked down his agent and found out from his agent that it goes beyond that, that it's going to be an apology. It won't be too long before this cat is back out playing golf once again, right?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. Frankly, what you've often heard people say is that's what he needs to do.
Let's just be honest. People turning on the television are not watching Tiger Woods change diapers. They're not watching him to see how he relates to his wife. They're watching him based upon how at the plays golf.
SANCHEZ: Half want him to win, and the other half want him to lose.
MARTIN: People have talked about Michael Jordan's infidelities, but he's still referred to as the greatest basketball player of all time. Barbara Walters, prominent journalist, in her own book wrote about cheating with a Senator Edward Brook, who was married at the time, but she is still considered one of the top journalists in the game.
Jack Welch, of course, we call him "America's CEO." Let's be honest. He's talked about cheating on his first wife to marry the second, cheating on his second wife to marry the third. And so he's still called the greatest CEO in the country. Let's cut to the chase.
SANCHEZ: But let's also be honest about it. If that incident hadn't occurred that was ugly and strange, where there are reports of a woman chasing her husband out the door with a four iron or nine iron, whatever it was, it's almost like because it was cataclysmic, a high-impact story.
If it had just been "The National Enquirer" reporting about Tiger Woods, and then that low drawl little by little, it would have been different. You must admit that.
MARTIN: First of all, it took off because initially, was he seriously hurt?
SANCHEZ: Exactly.
MARTIN: All of a sudden it was people concerned about whether or not he was seriously injured. And then all of a sudden, it was like, what actually happened? Then, how did the window break? Then, who called the cops? Then like every three hours there was something new coming out.
SANCHEZ: And the image of his wife going after him with a club.
MARTIN: This crescendo -- one woman, then two, three, four, five.
SANCHEZ: It was the dynamics of the story, yes.
MARTIN: But let me also say this, which I think is important. The experiences with Governor David Paterson. A lot of these people talk about the slip with Tiger Woods, but you only have two or three who have presented text messages or voicemails.
SANCHEZ: True.
MARTIN: So I'm not one of these folks believing every single one of these so-called -- I don't want to call some of them women, frankly.
SANCHEZ: Do you think he can make a comeback?
MARTIN: Oh, yes. Tiger Wood has 14 majors.
SANCHEZ: Do you think people will leave him alone?
MARTIN: No, because he's a celebrity. But if Tiger wins a 15th major and a 16th and he breaks Jack Nicholas' record, he will be called the greatest golfer of all time.
SANCHEZ: But we both love the sport.
MARTIN: Absolutely, yes.
SANCHEZ: Golf is not played physically. It's played between this ear and that ear. It is a head game.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: And you've played golf knowing there are people out there screaming names and holding banners saying "cheater" or whatever they're going to do.
MARTIN: First of all, I've walked about ten golf tournaments with the final group with Tiger Woods. One, you can't bring signs out there. If you yell something, they can throw you off the course.
SANCHEZ: So what? You still did it.
MARTIN: What will happen is golf will not allow those shenanigans. It's not like basketball or the NFL.
SANCHEZ: You think they'll kick you out?
MARTIN: Not think -- they will.
SANCHEZ: How do you know you're going to do it? How do you keep an irresponsible reporter from going out there and shouting something?
MARTIN: First of all, they credential everyone. Second of all, golf is a matter about the rules. Other fans -- if you're a jerk, other fans will point and say, not me, this fool right here. I've seen with Greg Norman pointed, and they threw somebody off the course because they yelled at him.
SANCHEZ: And Tiger's a bit of a baby as far as noises to too, by the way. He doesn't even like shutters on cameras.
MARTIN: But again those are the rules. The other point with Tiger Woods is very simple. It is a question of the head game, but the reality is this -- if you've seen this guy on the course, this guy has been just totally focused.
I watched one time, he was walking out of pro shop, his mother right next to the sidewalk. He walked right past his mom and didn't realize she was there. He was focused.
SANCHEZ: Did you get his autograph?
MARTIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Can you get one for one of my kids?
MARTIN: I can arrange that, but he never signs anything, because he knows you'll sell it. He will ask whose name to put on it. So I'll hook you up.
SANCHEZ: I appreciate it. Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk politician.
MARTIN: Not a problem. What's your handicap, Rick?
SANCHEZ: Nine.
MARTIN: Nine?
SANCHEZ: Yes. We'll leave it at that, on a good day. We'll be right back with this.
MARTIN: I'll give you two strokes.
