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Rick's List
David Paterson Under Fire; Shooting Occurs Outside Pentagon; Images of Jaycee Lee Dugard Released; Interview With New York Congressman Gregory Meeks; Congressman Massa Stepping Down; White House Reversal on 9/11 Suspect?
Aired March 05, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I want to start by telling you what's going on with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 terror suspects. Where should they be tried?
Remember, the whole idea was that we should be trying them in New York, take them back to the very place where they perpetrated the crime. There's a change in that now. The Obama administration and the A.G., Eric Holder, appear to have changed their minds. We are going to be all over that story.
And this:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST.
Most dangerous. Who is this man who fired on Pentagon police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was very well-dressed, in a suit.
SANCHEZ: Where did he come from? What was his beef?
Most embattled. The heat is on, New York's governor, accused of interfering in a domestic abuse case and taking free Yankee tickets, aides dropping from around him, and yet Congressman Gregory Meeks defends him. He will join me live.
The worst part of this swim with a shark, the shark hasn't eaten in days.
Anatomy of a rumor, and this one's a doozy. Chief Justice John Roberts, he is retiring. No he's not. Where did it even start?
The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why I keep a list, pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
The very top story on our LIST today has to do with someone who tried to break into the Pentagon yesterday. He was shot and killed. Two police officers were also shot. There's one of the officers as he was being taken away in the ambulance. That's the scene.
We learned as we followed the story that the man was in fact heavily armed and tried to get inside the Pentagon. We are now learning from his hometown in California that he apparently had some kind of mental problems, not described in detail by parents or officials there, only suffice to say that he had them, and his parents were dealing with them, and they were quite disturbed by them.
Exactly what his motivation was, we don't know, but this, we do. Moments ago, the police department released this statement. I'm going to read it to you. Again, this is a developing story that we're just getting information on right now. This is what the statement is from the family.
Quote -- "We are devastated as a family by the news from yesterday. To the outside world, this tragedy is the first and only thing they will know of Patrick. To us, he was a beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew, and cousin. We may never know why he made this terrible decision. One thing is certain, though. His actions were caused by an illness and not a defective character.
"We wish for the speedy and complete recovery of the two officers involved. The family asks that you respect their privacy in this terrible time."
Once again, we have got several correspondents that are working on this story. Dan Simon just a short while ago told us that his family told several stories of strange behavior on the part of this suspect.
And we have also learned from our own correspondents there, Barbara Starr among those, as well as Chris Lawrence and the Pentagon, that the Pentagon felt like there was nothing they could have done. Their procedures were to stop anyone from going inside the building. And that's exactly what they did.
They shot at the suspect. The suspect shot back, lots of gunfire exchanged. In the end, all three were injured. Only the suspect went down and was killed. The two officers, we understand, are still hospitalized.
What we're hoping to do now is get even more information for you, so that we can drill down on what the motive was, because it's still until clear. OK, he had mental problems. We understand that. But why the Pentagon?
Did he have an issue with the military? Was he anti-government, for example? And we haven't really gotten a clear answer on that. We're hoping that some information will be able to shed more life on John Patrick Bedell's real story.
Stay with us., because it's our number-one story on the LIST today, and we are going to be drilling down on it. Also on the LIST today, did you hear this one?
John Roberts, chief justice of the United States of America, quitting the Supreme Court. Why? Personal reasons. It spread like wildfire. There's one problem with this story. It's not true. You won't believe how this rumor started. Newsrooms all over the United States, including our own, both here in Atlanta and in New York, were trying to find out if there was possibly something to this.
Well, we didn't go with the story, because we couldn't nail it down or confirm it. But it showed up in some places, interestingly enough.
Brooke Baldwin is joining us now.
Sometimes, it's as interesting to tell the stories that are real as the ones that didn't become real.
How in the world...
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... did this story get to the point where everybody in the United States who calls himself a journalist was considering it, at least?
BALDWIN: Short answer is, we're hearing it was a quirky Georgetown Law professor.
It was fascinating. Like you said, it's the story, but it's also the backstory. It was yesterday. If you were watching, if you were reading tweets, you were watching some news outlets, now you saw it, then you didn't.
The news that chief John Roberts was retiring happened around 9:00 a.m. yesterday, texts, tweets, e-mails. Here we go. Take a look. This is from RadarOnline. This is sort of a celebrity Web site. They were the one to first publish the report right around 9:00 in the morning. And then, I want to emphasize, they retracted it about...
SANCHEZ: And they have often...
BALDWIN: ... a half-an-hour later.
SANCHEZ: And they have often been right on stories.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Radar does not have a -- not a great reputation, but they have got a pretty good reputation on stuff like this.
BALDWIN: And I want to be clear. I reached out to Radar to try to find out how it was that they got this information specifically, and I have yet to hear back. As soon as I do, we will pass it along.
But I want to read to you their retraction. They said: "Despite considering resigning from the U.S. Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts will stay on the bench."
OK. So, a lot of people are saying, hang on. That's a little disingenuous. Back to the real question. It's kind of the interesting part of the story. So, where in the world did this rumor originate? Well, apparently, it happened at Georgetown Law, not too far from -- from the Supreme Court of the United States, a criminal justice class.
I did reach out to Georgetown. They're not calling me back. But we have talked to a couple students, 1L -- that's first-year law students -- spoke with CNN. They explained sort of the chronology of events, if you will.
This all comes from this professor, Peter Tague. He was teaching students about the importance of verifying informant sources.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: How about that? OK. Here he is.
Now, students describe the professor, they say he's quirky. He likes to challenge his class, as any good professor might, with thought- provoking hypotheticals with real-word implications.
So, he started this class, saying, hey, guess what, class? Chief justice will be stepping down for health reasons, but he wouldn't quite explain how he knew that. OK? So, half-an-hour later, apparently, he told the class, hang on, this is a hypothetical.
But, then, some time between the beginning of that class and then half-an-hour later, you know, when he explained that this wasn't true, that was the whole Radar...
SANCHEZ: Well, you know what happened. The students are sitting there with their BlackBerrys...
BALDWIN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: ... or their iPhones: "Oh, my God. The chief justice is retiring. The chief -- the story gets out.
BALDWIN: It gets out.
SANCHEZ: It's coming from a credible source. It's a major university.
BALDWIN: It spreads like wildfire. We talked to one student who was on the receiving end of the one of the tweets and admitted to tweeting it to a few of her friends.
And, so, it just continues. The rumor perpetuates, until, wham, you have this coming out on a Web site and then other news outlets start reporting it. So, we just thought it was fascinating.
SANCHEZ: Well, let me ask this.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Did the story come out at the time that the professor said it? And was it retracted pretty much at the same time...
BALDWIN: Pretty much.
SANCHEZ: ... that the professor took it back?
BALDWIN: From what I have said, pretty much right around the same time.
SANCHEZ: So -- so, it fits the exact scenario.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: That's pretty much then the source of the -- of -- of...
BALDWIN: There you go.
SANCHEZ: ... of the rumor, the false report.
BALDWIN: There you go.
SANCHEZ: That's fascinating.
BALDWIN: It's amazing, like that.
SANCHEZ: Well, and -- and, when I saw it, I was in New York yesterday, and were getting...
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... ready to prepare the 8:00 show. And I immediately picked up the phone and called everybody that I possibly could and said...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Sure. I was in the middle of this newsroom. And people thought it come on the computer, and thought, hang on.
SANCHEZ: And everyone was doing the same thing. Can anyone verify this?
BALDWIN: And we couldn't, and we didn't go with it.
SANCHEZ: There was a network that went with it, though, right?
BALDWIN: There was.
SANCHEZ: Yes. That's interesting. I -- I -- we're not going to mention their name, but there was a network that went with it. You could find out yourself.
Thank you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: It's been a horrible week for cruises. This time, it's not a rogue wave, but a rove pack of ice. More than thousands passengers on a fairly were trapped, literally icebound for hours. We have got the pictures. It's on the LIST. It's coming back.
Also heard, more on that warning that went out before a gunman opened fire near the Pentagon. We're continuing to try and get you the latest information on who this person is. We have got several correspondents working the story. As we get the information, we are going to be sharing it with you. Stay there.
I'm Rick Sanchez. The LIST scrolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Here's the list of the absolute worst accidents of the day, and they were bad.
First, let's take you to Interstate 10. This is just south of Phoenix, tour bus traveling from Mexico to Los Angeles. It ran into the back of a vehicle. It flipped. It went off the side of the road. Look at what's left. Six people are dead. Fifteen people are injured. Many of them are injured critically, we understand.
The injured include at least two teenagers, several victims thrown from the bus.
All right. Number two on the list, look at this scene in Wisconsin. It almost looks these cars just all came together, converging from 25 different directions. They were all piled up, no serious injuries. Apparently, it was the whiteout conditions that caused this.
We talked to at least one person involved in this situation. She said: "I had no why the. It was like I suddenly just hit a white wall, and then people started crashing into each other one after another." Amazing piece of video. We will follow up on it.
Now this: Take a look at this. This is what it's like to be trapped on top of the world, literally. This is not a small ship. This is one of those huge ships. It usually can cut through the ice, not this time. It sailed right into thick ice yesterday in the Baltic Sea. This is right off of Sweden.
Now, the last time this happened in this place to a boat this big, 20 years ago. Gale-force wince are pushing the ice back into rare levels, but crews don't seem to get it, because a couple of dozens of the boats made the same mistake. They all got stuck on the same waters. Haven't seen the deadliest cash? Some freed, other still stuck. It took three icebreakers, but the passenger ferry boat finally got out. And it docked in Stockholm, we're told, just this morning.
Imagine spending more than half of your life held captive, far from family, forced to give birth to your kidnapper's babies. That was the reality for Jaycee Dugard, until last year. It's one of the most horrendous stories we have told here ever.
What's her life like now, now that she's free, now that she's back with her family, after having to deal with that terror for decades? The answer is coming up in the LIST, as we show you some of the very first videos and sounds of Jaycee Dugard just released.
Also ahead, this doctor, he was on trial for murdering his wife, the weapon, a calcium supplement that he laced with cyanide. Now the jury is back with the verdict to decide what is going to happen to him. That's him, the good-looking guy there in the middle. You hear what the jury decides when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We call this the list because we keep a list of all the people who are relevant, and everyone who gets involved in our newscast, including the politicians, who have a lot to say.
Joe Lieberman is among those. We follow Joe Lieberman, so you don't have to.
"No movement KSM trials" -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is what he's referring to -- "in New York City or Miranda warnings to people who try to blow up our planes in Detroit" -- Joe Lieberman tweeting his thoughts this afternoon.
Remember Jaycee Dugard, kidnapped at 11 years of age, abused in a creepy compound, basically tents and sheds in a California backyard? For 18 years, she was kept there, while this monster had his way with her, according to police.
She was discovered and suddenly set free last summer. We're finally getting a glimpse of her life now. Jaycee's family has given ABC News this video. It's showing her back at her home with her family. That -- that's Jaycee in the gray sweater, making cookies with her mom and her half-sister. And for the first time Jaycee's voice.
ABC is holding it for prime time, but they showed a tiny snippet just this morning. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAYCEE LEE DUGARD, FORMER KIDNAPPING VICTIM: Hi, I'm Jaycee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Jaycee has been doing all the stuff the rest of the -- the rest of us do when we're growing up. She just got her driver's license, we understand. And she's working on her GED as well. Her alleged abductors, convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, they are all sitting in jail, now waiting to go to trial, as they should be.
Still ahead: Could this shoot-out at the Pentagon have been prevented? The gunman's parents say yes. Their story, their statement, it's coming up -- right here on the LIST.
And then, up next, she's not just the most interesting person. She's our chief intriguing person. She tops the list for doing something that hasn't been accomplished since the 1700s. Talk about breaking your glass ceilings. Who is she? Have you figured it out?
Stay right there. We will tell.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: I welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is the LIST. We're in the world headquarters of CNN here in downtown Atlanta.
A pioneer for her gender and for her people -- let's talk now most intriguing.
This list is important, because she's a nurse and a hospital director in Connecticut, but her strongest leadership calling occurred just this week.
More than 1,800 people align themselves with the Mohegan Native American Tribe, which only received federal recognition in 1994. Yesterday, the tribe announced their very new tribal chief. It's a lifetime appointment. Show her face, Dan.
This is Lynn Malerba. Her new title is chief of the Mohegan Nation. Get this. She's the first woman to hold that title since the year 1723. Leadership and talents lies ahead for our most intriguing person on this day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: I don't have any plans to resign. I am working on the business of the people of New York State, the most urgent of which is that we pass a budget that's deficit has now ballooned to $9.1 billion. And, at a certain point, I will cooperate with the investigations. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: OK. So, what people are really talking about there is not the state's finances in New York City, but the governor and how he reacted, and what he did, and the fact that he may have used an abuse- of-power privilege in a domestic abuse case, which makes it really a double abuse whammy, right?
Who's defending him? Well, there's a congressman who is defending him who's coming on this show in just a little bit. I'm going to challenge him on this, as I think most people would. But he's standing firm.
Stay right there, because I'm going to be bringing you Gregory Meeks in just a moment, New York congressman.
Also ahead, the suspected 9/11 mastermind, he is going be going on trial, but where? Guess picture, by the way, huh? The Justice Department went out on a political limb and called for trials in civilian courts, but now guess what? Uh-uh. It has changed its mind. What caused the change?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Politics? What do you think?
Stay right there. We will be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: At the top of the list is the story of John Patrick Bedell. And the question remains, why in the world did he try to get into the Pentagon with all those weapons on him?
It's hard to figure it out. You are looking there at the scene, and you were just seeing one of the police officers that was shot. Two police officers were shot by Bedell until they returned fire and shot and killed him. He died late last night.
Now, we're trying to get the information as to what his motive may have been. We know this. He seemed to have some kind of drug issue, mostly, though, with marijuana. He was also troubled, as in mentally troubled, as in very much disturbed, even according to his own family. In fact, the family put out a statement a little while ago. Police read it. We want you to hear it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURTIS HILL, SAN BENITO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, SHERIFF: He feels that he's delusional. He's agitated. He got -- he got upset with her because, you know, she's asking questions about what he's been doing.
And, so, in that -- in that conversation, there was a question. She's asking him about something she saw online where, the day before that, he had may a $600 purchase up in the Sacramento area from a gun shop -- or, you know, a -- like a gun range in the Sacramento area, El Dorado Hills.
So, but he -- she doesn't know what that was. He didn't tell her. At one point -- and you will see that in the -- in the copy of the report, she actually sees a bag, like a -- like a duffel bag type of an -- like, in police language, we call it go bad, where, on the bag, it says "tactical" on the bag.
And she was concerned that perhaps he had been purchased -- that he had purchased a gun. But she didn't know what that was. And he wouldn't -- he wouldn't tell her. So, he was agitated and left the house and was gone by the time my guys got there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, there's the situation as described by one of the deputies as to what was going on with the family.
Apparently, they were confused by his behavior, couldn't make contact with him, and then found out that he was driving across the country. That's what that sheriff was trying to describe.
Now, the sheriff came up just a little while ago. I want to share this with you as well. This is the statement they just received from the family explaining their own -- well, their own bewilderment, and I guess putting it in words that just about any family would put it in, given a -- something cast upon them like this.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: "We are devastated as a family by the news from yesterday. To the outside world, this tragedy is the first and only thing they will know of Patrick. To us, he was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin. We may never know why he made this terrible decision.
"One thing is certain, though. His actions were caused by an illness and not a defective character. We wish for the speedy and complete recovery of the two officers involved. The family asks that you respect their privacy in this terrible time."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There's obviously a lot more to learn about John Patrick Bedell, and we're going to try and keep digging down and try and find out what we can.
In the meantime, I'm happy to tell you two Pentagon officers have now been released from the hospital. They were superficially wounded when Bedell opened fire near the Pentagon on them. They returned fire. Bedell was killed when the officers did so.
All right. Here's another big story that we're going to be following on THE LIST -- jaws in a jam. What would you do if you saw a shark in trouble? Would you swim away or would you swim toward it? A diver swims toward to try and get this thing off of it, to try and help the shark.
It's kind of an amazing story. The thing to take away from this is, please, folks, don't throw crap in the ocean.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Time for yet another list, everyone's favorite list. This is the list of the best video. It's Brooke Baldwin's favorite list.
But in Spanish, we call it, "Las Fotos del Dia."
All right. Check out the shark. It's got something stuck around its body.
BALDWIN: That can't be good.
SANCHEZ: Yes. It's one of those -- remember those toy-throwing rings, like Frisbees?
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Clearly, the animal is in distress. It's cutting into its skin. Watch what this scuba diver does though.
It grabs onto the ring to try and pull it off. And as they say, the struggle ensues. One of those, do not do this moments, unless you've got a lot of experience.
BALDWIN: Do not try this at home.
SANCHEZ: But here's the big thing to take away, because I lived in Miami, next to the ocean. Please, folks, don't throw your crap in the ocean. It's not your toilet. You know, animals live there too.
BALDWIN: Right.
SANCHEZ: It makes me crazy when people --
BALDWIN: Do not litter.
SANCHEZ: -- when they go -- it makes you want to cry. You know, like the Indian in the commercial. You're too young. You're too young for everything.
BALDWIN: Marlboro man?
SANCHEZ: Yes -- no, no. She's too young, too.
Anyway, nice going there, Jacques Cousteau. The shark world owes you one, baby.
Now look at this, fisticuffs on a basketball court. These are ladies going -- look at this. Can you believe this?
What did you say that was?
BALDWIN: It looked like a sucker punch.
SANCHEZ: A sucker punch, no less.
BALDWIN: Right?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: She didn't see it coming.
SANCHEZ: No. Like a suckering succotash punch.
BALDWIN: Ooh, ladies.
SANCHEZ: Baylor star forward Brittney Griner hauled off and socked off Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle with a roundhouse after some rough jostling there. Barncastle's nose is now broken. Brittney Griner is ejected immediately, suspended for two games, Brooke Baldwin, for her little shenanigans.
BALDWIN: That will leave a bruise.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it will, including this weekend's big 12 tournament opener. She's not going to be able to play because of what she did there.
BALDWIN: Bummer.
SANCHEZ: What do you think? It's the right thing to do, isn't it?
BALDWIN: Yes, it's the right thing to do.
SANCHEZ: All right. What the hell is this thing? Look at this -- I want to help you.
BALDWIN: This is your favorite word, Rick Sanchez.
SANCHEZ: This is a chupacabra.
BALDWIN: What is it?
SANCHEZ: A chupacabra. That's right.
BALDWIN: Never heard of it.
SANCHEZ: Why am I so sure? Because it's fun to say. All right, look, this is either the legendary mythological creature that sucks the blood of goats, or it's a raccoon with a case of mange.
BALDWIN: Gross.
SANCHEZ: That's what some smart people are suggesting. My money is on --
BALDWIN: Chupacabra.
SANCHEZ: Very good. Well done. End of discussion. End of "Fotos."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I understand that you have reached a verdict in this case. Is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED JURORS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very good.
Mr. Foreperson, if you would, hand me the verdict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's funny, because he just looks like Mr. Average, right? He's a husband. He's a defendant as well. He's an ER doctor.
He's accused of poisoning his wife with cyanide that he stuck in her vitamins so that when she took them in the morning she would die. She did.
Now he's there and the jury's about to come back with its decision, its ruling, as to whether or not he's guilty of killing his wife or not. And you're going to watch this play out as soon as we get back here. All right?
Stay right there. We're coming back. We'll reveal his fate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Sometimes we like to count back on THE LIST.
Remember a little while ago -- give me a two-shot, if you possibly would, Dan. Remember a little while ago when I made reference to the crying Indian and --
BALDWIN: And I didn't know what you were talking about.
SANCHEZ: It's ingrained in people of my generation that you shouldn't pollute, and it was ingrained by a famous public service announcement that we all called "The Crying Indian." It was "Keep America Beautiful."
There it is. I'll let you watch it.
BALDWIN: I'm watching. This is what our amazing producers do in the two minutes that they hear you mention this commercial.
SANCHEZ: Now watch. Watch what happens.
BALDWIN: OK.
SANCHEZ: He gets off his canoe --
BALDWIN: Oh no.
SANCHEZ: Now watch the tears. He cries, and a tear sheds, and it comes down his cheek.
That thing had such an impact, that people of my generation, it stuck to them. You would never see me, like, just throwing something out of a car or --
BALDWIN: That one image stuck with you.
SANCHEZ: No. I swear, it's probably one of the most powerful PSAs ever done in this country. I wish they would come up with something as powerful today.
BALDWIN: Keep America clean. Keep America beautiful.
SANCHEZ: And since you're 14, you have no idea what it is.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Sanchez. Yes, I was born in '79.
(LAUGHTER) BALDWIN: Sorry.
SANCHEZ: Brooke, you're great.
BALDWIN: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: I love having you around.
All right. Stick around. I want you to see this, OK? This is cool.
I want you to watch a verdict as it came down in a courtroom in Ohio today.
Did you see this? This is amazing as it came down.
This defendant, he's an ER doctor in Akron, Ohio. He's accused of taking his wife's vitamins -- because he wanted to kill her -- and he --
BALDWIN: And putting cyanide --
SANCHEZ: -- and he injected cyanide inside the vitamins so that when she ate the vitamins she would die. So today was his day in court. It went to the jury. The jury came back, and here is their verdict.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "We, the jury in this case, being duly impaneled and sworn, do find the defendant, Yazeed Essa, guilty of aggravated murder in violation of 2903.01A of the revised code.
Juror number 1, is this your verdict?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Juror number 2?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Juror number 3?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Juror number 4?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Isn't that amazing?
BALDWIN: That must be the parents. Almost motionless.
SANCHEZ: Yes. The parents of the other ones are there. And immediately, as soon as they say "guilty," you can see the bailiffs there. They grab his hands, they throw them together. They put the cuffs on him.
I mean, this guy is a doctor. I mean, you know, tall, you know, good- looking guy.
BALDWIN: As we've learned, doctors abuse their power sometimes.
SANCHEZ: I'll tell you, what a story this is, guilty of killing his wife with cyanide. The prosecutor said he was trapped in a loveless marriage and wanted to live with his mistress instead.
So get a divorce!
Sorry.
After his wife's death, he fled to Lebanon, he was extradited to Ohio last year. Now he faces a maximum sentence of life -- can you believe that?
BALDWIN: Awful. Awful.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
Up next on THE LIST, John McCain on the campaign trail. Look who's out there with him. Yes, that's the guy from Massachusetts, a Senate superstar, Scott Brown, giving the old maverick a hand.
And then looking ahead to next week's LIST, Iraqis go to the polls to cast their ballots for president. How much will terror be a deterrent?
Former CIA operative Robert Baer (ph), he's the one who has written all the books on this. He and I are going to drill down on this one. He'll tell us what the outcome could possibly be.
Stay there. We're coming right back with more of THE LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. I told you about some new information coming in to us. Man, it seems like there have been a bevy of elected officials that are deciding in recent months to step down. And now there's another one.
This is -- boy, I'll tell you, nobody works the Washington beat better than Dana Bash, and here she goes again. She just -- I see her name on this CNN report that I was just handed.
Representative Eric Massa, first-term New York Democrat, will resign his seat in the House of Representatives.
Let's go to Wolf Blitzer for a little background on this.
Wolf, what's going on with Mr. Massa? WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he's been sick. He has had his issues with cancer, and he said earlier, in the past few days, that he wanted to not seek re-election because of that, wanted to spend more time with his family, although others in the House of Representatives said there is an investigation under way in the House Ethics Committee, an allegation that he was involved in sexual harassment of a male staffer, an allegation he denied.
But, all of a sudden today, he's announcing that he's stepping down. So that's going to obviously add some credibility to that allegation. We don't know if that allegation is true or not, but Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat in the House, the majority leader, he has confirmed that there is an investigation in the Ethics Committee under way. So it's obviously a problem.
SANCHEZ: It sounds like there's more here than meets the eye.
Wolf, I want to talk to you now about what's going on at the White House and what's going on with the AG, Eric Holder. One moment they decided -- in fact, they're firmly convinced that terrorists need to be tried in the United States. In the case of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, that he should be tried in the place where the crime was committed. And now, suddenly, we seem to be getting an about-face on this.
What's going on?
BLITZER: Well, they originally wanted to try him, as you know, in Manhattan, lower Manhattan, near the World Trade Center. And originally, they had the support of the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, the police chief, Ray Kelly.
They thought that everything was along the lines, ready to go to have that trial in civilian court in New York City. But then all of a sudden, people started seeing the complications, the security problems, the financial burden, and all of that.
The mayor said he didn't want it there anymore, the police chief said he didn't have the ability, necessarily, to provide all that massive security that would be required. There was then some talk, keep it in New York State, in Upstate New York, maybe in Newburgh, which is a suburb of New York City. The mayor there said he would have that trial there because he thought it would be good for employment, good for business in Newburgh.
There was some talk on the campus of West Point. But now there was threat of a resolution passing the House, then Senate, a very real threat, that would deny any funding to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in the United States in a civilian court. And that resolution probably had the support. And I think under those circumstances, Eric Holder and the president decided -- they haven't formally decided yet -- they're still considering it, although it looks like they'll go back to the military commission, military tribunal.
SANCHEZ: Well, I mean, all the things that you just said are certainly true and very legitimate, and important concerns. But I think in the end there is also only so much heat that this White House can handle all at the same time. I mean, they're getting heat from so many directions. It's almost like it comes down to whether or not this is a fight that's really worth fighting.
BLITZER: Yes, you're probably right, because when all is said and done, remember, Eric Holder, when he announced that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was going to be tried in New York before a civilian jury, he also made it clear that they're leaving open the option for other detainees to go before a military commission or a military tribunal. He made that case as well.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BLITZER: So they always had that option. I guess you're right, in terms of, you know what? At some point you have got to fight the wars you think you can win, and the other battles you've got to save for another day.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's right. Prioritize.
Wolf, look forward to your show, as usual. All right?
BLITZER: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer coming up in just about seven minutes, folks.
All right. Now let's talk politics in New York City.
You know the story. Embattled New York Governor David Paterson, he appears in public just a couple of minutes, right, opening a restaurant at JFK airport. Still faces a fight to hold onto his job.
A short time ago, he talked to reporters, insisting that he's just not going anywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: I don't have any plans to resign. I am working on the business of the people of New York State, the most urgent of which is that we pass a budget that's deficit has now ballooned to $1.9 billion. And at a certain point I will cooperate with the investigations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. Here's what's going on.
First of all, let me back this up a little bit.
What the governor's accused of doing is picking up the phone and calling a woman who may have been the victim of a domestic abuse case and trying to talk her into not testifying against his chief of staff. Some would say that's abuse of power. He says, well, I was actually returning a call.
Either way, there seems to be enough proof that he made the call. And he's kept the backing though, at least for now, of a key group. A meeting last night of African-American leaders there in New York, and they've decided not to call for Paterson to resign.
Congressman Gregory Meeks was at that meeting, and he's good enough to join me now.
Congressman, good to see you, sir.
REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D), NEW YORK: Good to be with you.
SANCHEZ: Defend your position to why you shouldn't be coming out and saying, look, what he did is serious enough that he should consider leaving the position. Why not?
MEEKS: Let me just say, first of all, everybody at the meeting and I, certainly, the father of three daughters, are concerned about domestic abuse and domestic violence. And we want to make sure that's clear.
The purpose of the meeting was to hear certain things. Number one, though, what we came away with is that everyone is entitled to due process.
There is currently an investigation that's taking place, and we think that that investigation should be completed. Let due process move forward. And we think that's the appropriate thing.
SANCHEZ: Well, but Congressman, you know, this is not a legal matter. I understand, you know, that you can -- he might win this in court, he might win this in an ethics challenge, but there's enough prima facie information there already to show that he did something that he shouldn't have done.
And he didn't exactly have a perfect record coming into this situation, did he?
MEEKS: Well, the first thing is I just think -- I mean, we've had situations where there were public officials that were under the cloud of something previously and they continued to govern, because that's the second issue -- can he govern? We just heard the governor talk about a $9.1 billion deficit, and so we wanted to focus -- I know I wanted to know whether or not he has the ability to govern because we have a budget deadline of April the 1st.
From talking to many members of the state legislature, they said that he had the ability to govern. They thought that they could get the deal done. I spoke to the majority leader, John Sampson --
SANCHEZ: Congressman, hold on. I'm going to ask you a question.
MEEKS: And the Speaker said they could get it done.
SANCHEZ: I want to ask you this question, because I'm really challenged by this. It's not, can he govern? The question should be, does she have the proper judgment to govern?
A man who's willing to pick up the phone and call a woman who's a victim of domestic abuse and try and pressure her into not testifying is using the kind of judgment that I, as a citizen, would not want to see in someone governing my state. Don't you agree?
MEEKS: And due process says -- because all we've heard was -- or all that I know is what was reported in the papers. The reason why that you have investigations going on and the governor said that he will cooperate is so that we know what's factual and what's not.
SANCHEZ: Did the governor say he didn't do that? Did the governor say last night that he did not do that?
MEEKS: The governor wasn't there last night, but I heard the governor say that his side of the story has not been told, and that he has not mentioned it because he's cooperating with the investigation. And so, if that be the case, then I think then the only appropriate thing to do is allow the investigation to continue, and then we can pass judgment once the investigation is completed. And that's what I believe due process is all about.
SANCHEZ: Are you bothered by the allegations? Let me ask you that.
MEEKS: Oh, no question. The allegations are troubling. As I said, as I started out, you know, being a father of three daughters, you know, I -- they are troubling, there's no question about that.
SANCHEZ: Do you think he's being pressured any more because of his race?
MEEKS: I'm not going to put race in this situation. I mean, there's individuals that, you know -- it's been a tough ride for Governor Paterson. I don't think that anyone can deny that. And I don't think that race necessarily plays a part in that.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes. No, and I'll tell you where I agree with you. I'll tell you where I agree with you.
I think some of the parodies that they have done with him on "Saturday Night Live" have been over the top. I also believe that, you know, funny, in some cases, but certainly over the top. I wouldn't want that done about me. And this new thing about the World Series tickets, give me a break.
MEEKS: Well, I agree with that.
SANCHEZ: He's the governor of New York, and he got free tickets to go see the team that represents the state of New York? I think that's just bull, don't you?
MEEKS: I couldn't agree with you more on that. I saw Mayor Giuliani, when he was the mayor of the city of New York, about at every World Series games when the Yankees were there. Every governor at various games, it has never been an issue.
And one other thing that I think I need to get out is, when I say it's been a tough ride for the governor, it's been a tough ride for governors all across this nation when you talk about the crisis that we're in. And at least this state is not giving out IOUs as California was and/or in bankruptcy the way some other states --
SANCHEZ: No, listen, I --
MEEKS: -- have been. And we need to make sure that we stay focused on that. And I think that's why keeping the governor in place now working with the Speaker and majority leader and a budget is really important for the state of New York.
SANCHEZ: I got it.
Congressman, we're out of time, sir, but I thank you for coming on and holding firm on your position. Although as I think I may have intimated, I find it somewhat questionable, given his behavior.
Thanks, sir. And you're welcome to come back any time. I hope you will.
Meanwhile, Wolf Blitzer is standing by now. Here is "THE SITUATION ROOM."
