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Rick's List
Oil Rig Sinks in Gulf of Mexico; President Obama Speaks Out on Wall Street Reform
Aired April 22, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is time for the closing bell.
Poppy Harlow joins me now with the CNN Money list.
Poppy, you know, a lot of people were expecting the president to go into the belly of the beast today, the financial sector of New York...
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
GRIFFIN: ... and do a little butt-kicking.
HARLOW: And he did -- he didn't, really.
GRIFFIN: No, he didn't.
HARLOW: It -- it was surprising.
But, you know, the White House said, listen, he doesn't have to do that, because we have got a lot of support behind financial regulatory reform. But, in the audience, who did you find? You find a lot of bankers. You found even Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, the firm facing fraud charges from the SEC.
And you heard the president pushing for an end to too big to fail, saying we need more consumer protection, and, listen, shareholders should have a say on the pay of those bank executives. And he said there's really nothing to worry about if you're doing business the right way. Take a quick listen to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And unless your business model depends on bilking people, there's little to fear from these new rules.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: So...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And, you know, Drew, that was the little jab, basically saying, if you're doing business the wrong way, well, then you should be scared. But, if you're doing it the right way, you don't have to worry. He said he believes in a free market system, but, listen, that's not free license to take whatever you can get, Drew. And then you have critics saying, but, wait, don't regulate our economy too much, so, still a lot of debate.
But, no, we didn't see the tone from the president that many expected, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Well, you know, the big question, Poppy, is, if you're doing business the right way, who decides if you're doing business the right way?
HARLOW: Sure.
GRIFFIN: I mean, there's a lot of ground here.
Is this too ambitious a plan or too risky to put in the government's hands?
HARLOW: You know, what it is right now -- yes, that's probably not what's going to make it through Congress. The president is pushing very aggressively for a lot of reforms that Democrats want and not all Republicans do.
But, you know, look at the closing bell. Wall Street didn't hate what the president said. We're up just slightly, about 10 points at the close, Drew -- the president confident here in the speech that he has the support he needs at least to get some reforms through Wall Street, and, obviously, as you can see, the market not really reacting to it much at all, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Poppy, thanks a lot.
That's funny, that -- the market up.
HARLOW: I know.
GRIFFIN: It was down when he was speaking. And then it -- it kind of rebounded after the news sunk in.
HARLOW: Yes.
GRIFFIN: Hey. Also in the audience, apparently, on Twitter, Reverend Al, Reverend Al Sharpton -- he says that he attended Obama's speech in Lower Manhattan on finance reform. And "I thought it was an interesting gathering of attendees."
Not much insight there, Reverend Al, but thanks for attending.
Fast-moving developments on that oil rig fire and collapse 50 miles off the Louisiana coast.
And, from Denver, a tornado warning, our severe weather team is keeping track of that, and a lot more. Plus, this guy is coming up next. So, stick around. We will be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The president takes the lead on financial reform right in Wall Street's backyard.
OBAMA: I have insisted that the financial industry, not taxpayers, shoulder the costs in the event that a large financial company should falter.
GRIFFIN: Dangerously close to the oil rig that exploded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what a burning rig looks like. Mostly everybody got off. Still got people missing.
GRIFFIN: I will speak to the captain behind the camera.
Cows wreaking havoc on America's largest college campus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bulldoze it.
GRIFFIN: Is that really the best way to round up loose cattle? Oh, doggie.
Plus, the lists you need to know about. Who is most intriguing? Who is on the list you don't want to be on? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why Rick keeps a list. Your national conversation starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Bad news: That oil rig that exploded off the Gulf of Mexico sank this afternoon. The Coast Guard telling us they're still searching for these 11 workers missing since Tuesday's blast. But it looks like it's going to be a miracle if they find them alive.
And the first lawsuit now has already been filed over this blast by a family of a missing crewman.
I have the attorney who filed that suit, Scott Bickford, on the lines from New Orleans.
Scott, thanks for joining us.
Quite frankly, surprised this lawsuit has been filed so fast. We don't even know if your -- your client's husband is, indeed, dead or where he is.
SCOTT BICKFORD, ATTORNEY: Well, the lawsuit was filed -- and good afternoon to you.
I just actually walked out of the Coast Guard news conference, and at which point they reported that some of their exit interviews indicated that the 11 who were missing were near the area of the explosion and may not have had the opportunity to escape the -- the rig, which would be very, very unfortunate.
We had hoped this morning, when a lifeboat was found in the Gulf, but -- and we were actually on the ground at (INAUDIBLE) examining that lifeboat, but it appears to have just been blown off side of the rig at the explosion. And I don't think there's anyone -- anyone on board or anyone actually got on -- ever got on board.
GRIFFIN: Tell me about your -- your client. You filed this on behalf of the crew member and his wife. Tell me who these people are, how old the crew member is.
BICKFORD: He's a 21-year-old (INAUDIBLE) who was on the rig. She is -- Natalie (ph) is 20 years old. They have a three-and-a-half-year- old child in Liberty, Mississippi.
She is devastated at this point. And, you know, we're just praying that the search efforts that the Coast Guard are making is going to turn him up. The -- the conditions in the Gulf are still very favorable for a long-term survival in the water.
And the Coast Guard is going to continue. We have got still good weather down here, although I think it's supposed to change tomorrow. So, you know, they have got a good window right now.
GRIFFIN: One final question, and that is, why -- you know, I read your suit, seven-page complaint, very short, very broad. You obviously don't know what happened out there. What was the rush in filing this so soon?
BICKFORD: Two reasons.
Number one is a jurisdictional reason. And the second, more important reason is to protect the interests of these people in terms of being able to view evidence. I mean, for instance, we're on the ground inside the BP facility at (INAUDIBLE) looking at this life capsule at this point, where we would have not had that opportunity, having not filed the suit and gotten a motion to preserve evidence before the court.
And that's the -- the primary reason is really, while -- while the evidence is fresh, before everything gets stale, get on the ground and investigate. That's what good lawyers do.
GRIFFIN: Fair enough. Thanks for joining us on this hour of RICK'S LIST.
That was the attorney who filed the lawsuit, Scott Bickford, on behalf of a 21-year-old crewman missing, and, according to Mr. Bickford, presumed dead at this point.
Well, we have amazing pictures to show you right up next to the rig.
And next to me, right up next to me is the guy that shot those pictures.
Look at this video, though. It was shot yesterday, right? This was shot yesterday...
CAPT. MICHAEL ROBERTS, SHOT VIDEO OF OIL RIG FIRE IN GULF: Yes. Yes, sir. It was shot yesterday. GRIFFIN: ... by Captain Michael Roberts, oil in the water, obviously fire on the rig. How did you get there? Why did you get there? And how close were you?
ROBERTS: I'm on a 200-foot offshore supply vessel. I was working in the proximity a few miles away from where the distress location was announced.
I received it via GMDSS. Also, the Coast Guard was hailing the position over the VHF channel. Once I plotted where the actual rig was, there was limited information at the time. Once I seen how close we were to it, as an offshore worker, you're pretty much obligated.
GRIFFIN: You go.
ROBERTS: You go.
GRIFFIN: Yes. How close were you?
ROBERTS: At the time, we were about 40 -- about 44, 45 miles from the scene of the rig.
GRIFFIN: So, you didn't hear explosions or anything? And...
ROBERTS: No, sir.
GRIFFIN: ... when did you start seeing what was going on?
ROBERTS: A good little ways away.
I would say about 25 nautical miles, you could -- you could literally see -- it appeared as if the sun was coming over the horizon.
GRIFFIN: Really?
ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, it was like 1:45, 2:00.
We actually arrived on scene at about 2:30.
GRIFFIN: Was there anybody to rescue by the time you got there?
ROBERTS: I saw no one in the water.
GRIFFIN: Uh-huh.
I talked to the Coast Guard earlier today. And I said, look, calm seas. The rig has now sunk.
ROBERTS: Uh-huh.
GRIFFIN: You're a seaman. You're a captain. I mean, if you don't see anybody in a boat in the general vicinity, where would they be?
ROBERTS: I hate to speculate, but the only other logical place would be is in the water. You would -- you would definitely like to think that they had an opportunity to get off, but, like I say, I don't want to speculate on what they were able to do.
But, if -- the only other place I would suspect would probably be in the water.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
You're close enough to feel the fire, I assume?
ROBERTS: Definitely.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: ... burning hot, huh?
ROBERTS: Definitely.
GRIFFIN: And -- and the fact that the rig has now sunk doesn't surprise you?
ROBERTS: No. When I left the location yesterday, about 12:30, 12:45, it was right around 1:00 -- 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. The rig was already listing 70 -- 70 degrees. I mean...
GRIFFIN: Wow.
ROBERTS: ... it was...
GRIFFIN: It was going.
ROBERTS: Yes. It was pretty apparent that it was -- it was not going to make it.
GRIFFIN: No.
You have been in this business a long time?
ROBERTS: Thirteen years. I started in '97.
GRIFFIN: Accidents somewhat rare like this. I know we have one-offs, guys falling off...
ROBERTS: Yes.
GRIFFIN: ... guys getting hurt by equipment, but explosions, rare.
ROBERTS: I have never seen anything like this in -- in my tenure.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
Well, we really appreciate you coming. Really appreciate the -- the video that you shot. It's just an amazing documentary on what took place out there.
ROBERTS: Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Captain Michael Roberts, thank you, sir. And we're going to go back to Reynolds Wolf about that tornado in Denver, or a warning, I should say.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. How right you are.
We do have the tornado warning just south of Denver, Colorado. Something else you're going to notice, you and viewers across America, you're going to notice a couple shapes that we have here shaded in red.
These are the areas we happen to have our tornado watches that are in effect through a good part of the afternoon into the early evening. First and foremost, let's go south of Denver, where we have a Doppler- indicated tornado, no visual confirmation of this on the ground, but still some heavy rainfall, some small hail, damaging winds possible, all due southeast of Denver, right along parts of I-25, this storm actually moving due north at about 25 miles per hour, about to go to the I-70/I-25 interchange.
And as we go back a little bit more into the downtown area, you're going to notice the -- the rain especially heavy in places like Parker and just north of Castle Rock. If you're over in Littleton, the heaviest rainfall will be just due east of you. So, certainly be advised of that.
Something else you will notice, if we move a little bit more to parts of the Southeast, we have had reports of a tornado, this one visual confirmation on the ground just to the southwest, rather, of Eads, this one also moving to the north at a rate of about 15 to 20 miles per hour, another one we're watching very carefully.
Could be certainly very busy into the rest of the afternoon, early evening hours. And then tomorrow could be a very busy severe weather day for us. So, we will certainly keep everyone advised on this unfolding situation.
Let's send it back to you, Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right, Reynolds, thanks a lot for watching that.
WOLF: You bet.
GRIFFIN: Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: A vote for reform is a vote to put a stop to taxpayer-funded bailouts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: It's the speech Wall Street's been waiting for. How tough was the president, and did he announce real, concrete change? That's coming up.
And Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the former, deserves his own special list. Today, he plans to subpoena the president. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Plenty of news on the list of stories we're watching today -- President Obama on Wall -- near Wall Street talking to and about the big moneymakers. With a lot of the bailout money paid back, you think he's going to let up the pressure on major corporations? No, no, no. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: To save the entire economy from an even worse catastrophe, we had to deploy taxpayer dollars.
Now, much of that money has now been paid back, and my administration has proposed a fee to be paid by large financial firms to recovery all the money, every dime, because the American people should never have been put in that position in the first place.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor, preparing for his federal corruption trial in June. And who does he want to testify on his behalf? The president of the United States. Who better?
The Blagojevich legal team filed a motion today to subpoena President Barack Obama, saying the president has direct knowledge of the allegations made in the indictment.
To say a sitting president testifying in a federal trial is unusual is an understatement. The former governor is charged with trying to sell or swap the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the newly elected president.
Take a look at that. What is going on in the Persian Gulf today? It looks pretty serious. It is a large-scale military exercise, land, sea and airborne war games conducted by Iran. According to state-run media, the exercises are intended to show off the Iranian military's new weapons systems. And it's going to last three days. The U.S. Navy has some ships in the area. They are watching, just like we are.
A man punches his wife in the face in the middle of the night, that guy -- domestic violence or a rare sleep disorder? Brooke is going to have that in Brooke's block.
Plus, our political scandals list -- the price John Ensign may be paying as he tries to fund his Senate campaign. That puts him on another list, too. And that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: My, how the mighty have fallen, all the way down to the top slot of our list that you don't want to be on -- case in point, Senator John Ensign, up for reelection in 2012, the subject of investigations by both the Senate Ethics Committee and the Justice Department right now.
The latest reports from the Federal Election Commission shows he has raised $50 in campaign contributions in the first quarter of the year -- 50 bucks -- not even enough for a nice dinner in Washington for one person. Those $50 came in the form of two checks, $25 each, from the same guy, a sympathetic Nevada voter who told a Las Vegas newspaper that he believes Ensign has repented.
Let me remind you what for. Ensign is accused of cheating on his wife with her best friend, a campaign aide, and then allegedly helping the mistress' husband find work elsewhere, outside Ensign headquarters.
Looks like campaign donors don't want to get anywhere near the senator until the smoke has cleared. And that's why he is on the list you don't want to be on.
From the legal list, Bristol Palin takes the stand against the man accused of hacking her e-mail. But that wasn't the most interesting comment at the courthouse. We have saved that for Brooke's list. That's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: This is a big (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deal.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Remember that impulsive and profane outburst from the vice president last month? His explanation and the president's reaction, that's next here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: It's one of those moments that's impossible to forget, kind of overshadows the event, Vice President Joe Biden introducing the president at the signing of that big health care bill? You can bet nobody is going to forget this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: This is a big (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deal.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) OBAMA: Thank you.
Thank you, everybody.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: So, what happened later, behind closed doors, when Biden was all alone with the president? It might not be what you think. Listen to what Biden told the ladies of "The View."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I realized there was a microphone, but I had no idea it was that sensitive.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: I was as far away from the microphone as there to here, and I was whispering in his ear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BIDEN: And, after it was over, we walked out, and -- and we got in -- in the limo to go over to another event, and he was laughing like the devil.
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: I said, "What's so funny?"
(LAUGHTER)
BIDEN: "I don't see anything funny about this."
And he said, "Well" -- he said, "Katie, my secretary, told me, when you said that to me, everybody could hear it."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: The vice president said he's glad one person didn't hear it, and that's his mother, who passed away. He's glad she didn't hear him say that word. You know, that word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About a third of the building has been blown away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's obvious that there's much more to this case than what some in the government want us to know about.
(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: His views just days after the Oklahoma City bombing cost this politician his job. Well, now he's back with a warning. If there's another terror attack, blame the federal government. That is ahead.
Plus, what brought the country's largest campus to a stop? Hmm, just a couple cows trying to bust loose. We will have those for you, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Oh, those crazy cows, right, docile, calm, kind of dopey. Not yesterday. Not on the campus of Ohio State University.
The best video of the day, we call it "Fotos."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it's drooling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, yes. If I was a cow, I would probably be drooling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. You know what? I don't like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Interestingly, perfect black-and-white cows. Hmm. Who let them out? A little barnyard drama on the campus of Ohio State University yesterday. A couple of bovines about a half-a-ton each bolted from a trailer at the school's veterinary department.
They tasted an hour-and-a-half of freedom before a guy from the zoo showed up who had a tranquilizer dart and put them down.
Next picture, please. Your mom said never look at the sun. She was right. But look at this. Never seen images like this before. NASA released them, amazing high-resolution, highly detailed images of the sun. They're from an orbiting telescope that launched in February with one mission, to study that orb. NASA hopes to learn more about the nearest star and how it's affecting us here on Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another -- that's McSherry -- rounding third, coming to the plate, and diving over home, and safe!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: I don't that's allowed in little league, but take a look what this guy did. The base runner somersaults over the catcher's head, tags the plate, and scores.
Fordham University baseball player Brian Kownacki, that's his name. Watch the opposing coach come out. He's going to argue, saying that the catcher lifted up and tagged him -- but not so. Sports blogs calling it the Fordham flip today. You probably won't see this in the majors, but you better believe it makes "Fotos."
And you can see all of our las "Fotos Del Dia" on CNN.com/Ricksanchez.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He started yelling at me. And I couldn't -- I couldn't reason with him. He looked like he was asleep, and I didn't understand what was going on. And, all of a sudden, he beat the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: I don't understand this one. A husband beats his wife. She calls 911. Is it assault or a sleep disorder? That's next in Brooke's block.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Brooke Baldwin back, joining us with this -- you know, I don't believe this.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't -- you don't believe this.
GRIFFIN: No way.
BALDWIN: Such a skeptic, Drew Griffin.
GRIFFIN: If this was my daughter? Hey, sweetie, let's leave.
BALDWIN: You wouldn't believe it? OK. So, here's the...
GRIFFIN: Time to move.
BALDWIN: Here's the deal.
So, we're talking about sleep.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: I'm a -- I'm a little bit of a talker, I will admit, in my sleep. Some of us snore. Some of us walk.
But this is a serious story out of Oregon. Listen, this man, this husband of 10 years, middle of the night a couple months ago sits up in bed, punched his wife three times in her face, went back to sleep.
What did the wife do? Called police. Here's the 911 call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He started yelling at me. And I couldn't -- I couldn't reason with him. He looked like he was asleep, and I didn't understand what was going on. And, all of a sudden, he beat the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of me. He was sound asleep. I'm not (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you. This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen. (END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, you heard her.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: She says she was sound asleep.
The husband, Adam Kearns, he was arrested on domestic violence charges. That's Oregon law. Two people, same household, in a kind of assault like this, you're arrested.
Now, the judge ordered him, and he's still doing so, living apart from his wife. There she is, their three kids. And he says he has no recollection of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM KEARNS, DIAGNOSED WITH SLEEP DISORDER: But I don't remember what happened. I don't remember. You know? Why is that so hard to believe? From the 911 call that I heard, the first thing she says was that I did it and I was asleep.
RANDI KEARNS, WIFE: I didn't even get to see him. It's so hard. And so it's just -- it's just sad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, Adam says he has since been diagnosed with a probable case of what's called REM Behavior Disorder. According to sleep specialists, that basically means it's a sleep disorder. You know, your body kind of gets paralyzed somehow. You yell, you thrash, you punch.
Now, this case heads to court next month. You say you don't buy it.
GRIFFIN: No, of course not.
BALDWIN: And prosecutors are tough on this kind of thing. He, they say, has no criminal history, no issues background-wise. But they say, look, this kind of law is there to protect the victim. But he says, and you hear it in the 911 call, he was asleep.
GRIFFIN: What does she say? Is she going to go back with him?
BALDWIN: She is dying to get back with him.
GRIFFIN: She may be dying if she does go back with him.
BALDWIN: There's that.
Story number two --
GRIFFIN: All right. Number two.
BALDWIN: -- Bristol Palin. OK? Bristol Palin taking the stand to testify in a case involving a former University of Tennessee student charged with breaking into her mom's e-mail account. Now, this all happened during the 2008 presidential campaign. There are all these screen shots of her e-mails posted online. People got her e-mail address, her phone number, sent her texts.
Remember, she was 17. She was pregnant at the time.
She testified that she had to cancel her cell phone because her number was posted online. That's the news story.
Here's what people are talking about. There's video out there of what the alleged hacker actually said to a Memphis TV reporter as he was walking into this courtroom yesterday. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they making you work, David? What did you think about Bristol Palin?
DAVID KERNELL, ALLEGEDLY HACKED SARAH PALIN'S E: -MAIL: Not my type.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "Not my type."
Attorneys for 22-year-old David Kernell say, hey, it was a prank, not a crime. His dad, by the way, is a long-time member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, a Democrat.
Sarah Palin and her husband have been subpoenaed. They are expected to testify a little later. But there you have it.
GRIFFIN: I'm zipping my mouth.
BALDWIN: You are. OK.
GRIFFIN: Little punk.
BALDWIN: Thanks, Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks, Brooke.
Well, back to our political list, President Obama lays out his Wall Street reform plan. Capitol Hill's reaction? We'll get some of that with Senator Sherrod Brown coming up.
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Just reading about this debate that's going on right now while our show is going on in England between the three guys that are running to be the prime minister there. Gordon Brown, of course, is the prime minister. His two challengers, David Cameron of the Conservatives and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Party, well, they were kind of going at it, and we want to show you a bit of that debate that was taking place a short while ago.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need action. That is what's required. Instead, what we keep getting from the other two parties is more institutions, more regulation, more new agreements. That's not what's required. It's action at the European level, and that requires political will.
Of course you don't need a new treaty, but you do need to at least work with people in Europe who believed that climate change exists. That would be a helpful start.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the point Gordon Brown keeps saying, anti- American, I have a simple attitude towards our relationship with America. It's an immensely, immensely important, special relationship. But it shouldn't be a one-way street. We shouldn't automatically do what our American friends tell us to do. We've got to make sure we act on the world stage in our interest, not simply at the beck and call of anybody else.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I persuaded the Americans to be part of a G-20 that dealt with the banking crisis. And I'm still pushing the Americans to take action on climate change as well.
But David, I mean, your anti-Europeanism becomes more and more obvious as this debate goes on. It's the big society at home, but it's the little Britain abroad. I think you've got to rethink your policies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Interesting stuff there. You know, the last debate they had, the guy who was in third, Nick Clegg, the liberal, he jumped up to first. And the Labour Party sank to third. So it's been topsy- turvy as we watch this over in England, and as they do a little bit of comparison with their cousins across the pond. Right?
Well, the agony on the Ecstasy when this cruise ship hit a rough patch. So rough, dozens of passengers actually got hurt.
We're going to tell you about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: It's supposed to be smooth sailing. Cruise ships have radar to help them navigate, help them keep an eye out for what's in the sea. But it didn't help this Carnival cruise liner. The ship seen here on a final day of a five-day cruise when a buoy was suddenly detected. The ship had to make a sudden turn to avoid hitting that buoy, causing it to lean. All right. Sixty passengers actually suffered minor injuries. Some unsecured objects were damaged, too.
The guests were treated on board in the ship's infirmary. But why didn't the radar detector notice that buoy? It was adrift and mostly submerged, we're told. The Coast Guard has been notified of it. Kind of like one of those ladders in the freeway.
Well, we showed you part of the president's speech on Wall Street reform. And we showed it to you in its entirety when it happened. Well, now I need to tell you what happened in the Senate.
Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to introduce the bank reform bill on the Senate floor, the 1,400-page bill. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shot him down. McConnell objected, saying that Reid was trying to preempt talks to change the bill.
Let me show you what Harry Reid's response was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: This game is apparent to the American people. My friends on the other side of the aisle are betting on failure again, as they did with health care, as they have done everything this year. They didn't get -- health care was not Obama's Waterloo. Maybe they want this to be his Waterloo, but it's not going to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Reid says he'll hold a vote Monday to end this current Republican filibuster.
Joining me now from Capitol Hill, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, member of the Senate Banking Committee.
I should mention, Senator, we did comb the list of your Republican friends on that Banking Committee, and we didn't get any takers for this interview. But -- excuse me -- agricultural committee.
But what's happening there in the Senate? Just a behind-the-scenes, real quick. What was Harry Reid trying to do and what did Mitch McConnell prevent him from doing?
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: Well, it's the same routine over and over. Harry Reid tries to bring a bill to the floor, and Mitch McConnell finds a whole host of reasons to slow it down, saying we need more time to negotiate, we're not in the room, we're out -- one thing after another. I mean, they did it on health care for six months. They're trying to do it now.
And, you know, they're always doing it on behalf of their benefactor. And in this case, for the -- for Mitch McConnell and his followers, the benefactor is Wall Street. They're protecting Wall Street. Harry Reid wants to fight for Main Street and finally do this Wall Street reform the way we ought to do it. GRIFFIN: You know, that's a blanket statement you're making about who's for Wall Street and who's for the people.
BROWN: Well, it is.
GRIFFIN: But let me ask you a question --
BROWN: Well, wait, wait, wait.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: -- is why you guys can't figure out a way to work together. Every single bill from the outside looking in, this happens all the time.
BROWN: I understand that. You can say it's a blanket statement, but the Republican leadership in the House had a meeting back in December with 100 banking lobbyists. Mitch McConnell, with the head of his Republican Campaign Committee, Senator Cornyn from Texas, went to Wall Street to meet with 25 hedge fund and other Wall Street executives on how to kill the bill.
So you can say we tried to work together. And I think we do. And we do on some things. But when the Republicans are trying to protect Wall Street -- and for them, a Republican compromise, bipartisanship, would mean let's bring Wall Street and the big banks to the table and let them write the bill.
No. That was the problem -- that's what's happened the last 10 years in this place, is Wall Street sat at the table. They deregulated. They weakened the rules.
We ended up with this terrible crisis. And I'll stand up on the floor and object if we bring Wall Street in to help them write the rules to govern Wall Street. That's why people are so angry.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Well, I mean, quite frankly, if we don't have the Republicans here, they refuse to come on this show or they didn't have time for us, or whatever, so I've kind of got to argue their point. But I can hear the he said/she said already.
We've got Wall Streeters in the White House. We've got Wall Streeters at Treasury. We've got Geithner and on and on and on.
But let's move on.
What in this bill is going to work to prevent the next financial meltdown? What is the one thing that you think sticks out as among all that's going to protect we, the little people, who are still trying to have some kind of faith that this whole system isn't rigged?
BROWN: I would give you two things that are in the bill and one that I and Senator Kaufman and several others, Senator Whitehouse, Senator Casey, and several others and I are trying to do to put in the bill.
One, is we much more strongly regulate derivatives which were the synthetic CDOs that were sold back and forth and don't add any value to our economy. They're only sort of side bet casino games played that yielded tens of millions of dollars to people. That's one.
Second, a strong consumer agency which is in the bill. We'd like to make it a little stronger.
The third thing, Drew, that I think is maybe even the most important is my legislation that we're going to offer as an amendment on the floor either next week or the following week to keep the banks from getting too big. And let me give you one statistic.
Fifteen years ago, the six largest banks, their assets totaled about 13 percent of the GDP. Today, the six largest banks' assets total 67 percent of GDP.
We can't let the banks get too big. Too big to fail means too big. And we've got to make sure they aren't too big.
GRIFFIN: All right. Let me argue a point with you that the Republicans are making, at least through other networks that they will talk to.
BROWN: Sure.
GRIFFIN: John Boehner talking about Fannie and Freddie. I just got a memo from another congressman from New Jersey talking about Fannie and Freddie. They're all talking about Fannie and Freddie and saying that the president is not talking about Fannie and Freddie.
Will any of this legislation that you guys want to pass regulate these government-backed home mortgages that I think we all can agree went way too far in lending way too much money to way too many people who couldn't afford it?
BROWN: Fannie and Freddie made mistakes, absolutely. I'm very willing to address them, but it's all diversionary tactics. I mean, it's what they do.
I mean, again, I know you don't like to hear this, Drew, and maybe some of your viewers don't either, but when one party -- and there are too many Democrats that are responsive to Wall Street. I don't deny that either. But when one party is totally captured by Wall Street interests, just like in the health care bill they were totally captured by insurance company interests, then it's hard to move forward.
All this other stuff is diversionary tactics because they're trying to protect Wall Street. They meet with them. They ask them for campaign money. They try to protect them.
We've got a lot of work to do this right. We know how to do it. I hope we deal with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but they aren't the underpinning of the problem.
They were basically imitating some of the awful things that Wall Street did. That doesn't let them off the hook, but the fundamental reform is to do what we're doing in this bill, and to do it, frankly, a little bit stronger than we're doing it now.
GRIFFIN: OK. It's hard to argue the other side when the other side isn't here, I must tell you. You're getting a bit of a free pass. I'm trying to be as tough on you as I can.
BROWN: I understand. Well, that's fair. That's OK.
GRIFFIN: But I don't want to end this by allowing you to say that Republicans are taking Wall Street money and Democrats aren't, because we know that's not the case.
Is the underlying problem in Washington, Senator, the fact that so many of you guys are so dependent on so much money to win and stay in your offices?
BROWN: First of all, I never said that Democrats aren't taking it. I'm saying that Republicans take a good bit more. That doesn't let us off the hook. But I'm saying look at what we're doing.
And, you know, there's an old saying, don't tell me what you believe, show me what you do. I'll tell you what you believe. Look at what they're doing trying to block this Wall Street reform. Look at what we're doing as Democrats.
We're not perfect. There is too much Wall Street influence in this body, in both parties. But the Republicans are doing the bidding of Wall Street. The Democrats are trying to do real Wall Street reform.
We need to put -- it sounds trite, as you pointed out, but we need to put this government on the side of Main Street, not on the side of Wall Street. For 10 years this government has been on the side of Wall Street. That's why we have these problems.
We need to do something very different, and that's the direction we're moving in. And we want to move this bill next week to do that.
GRIFFIN: All right. Senator Brown, thanks for joining us.
BROWN: Thanks, Drew, very much. I appreciate it.
GRIFFIN: I know Thursday is get up and go time, but we appreciate you hanging around. Thanks a lot.
BROWN: Great. Thanks.
GRIFFIN: All right. So President Obama has painted Wall Street as the villain in the economic meltdown of 2008. And when he speaks, not just the bankers and traders listen. So will the pizzeria owners.
Even bad guys have to eat, right?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANTHONY SORISI, OWNER, PIZZA ITALIA: Oh, yes, if Wall Street dies, I die. I might as well just walk out the door. If they're not making the money, I'm not making the money. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wall Street is the heart of New York, and we need Wall Street because they employ thousands and thousands of people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Wall Street's doing well, they don't want you to leave the desk. They buy lunch from you. The first thing that gets cut a lot, when things are bad, are the free lunches and the taxis and all of that.
SORISI: Tina (ph), you have Ross coming in at 1:30.
As far as my business is concerned, normal clients that I would see on a weekly basis, rather than seeing them every week, now I would see them once a month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wall Street does well, everybody does well. That's where everybody depends on.
SORISI: It's a trickle-down effect. People that are making a lot of money like to spend a lot of money. And that's what we're here for. I'm here to serve those people that make a lot of money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At its height, yes, things were good. I was making a living, you know? Like I said, I wasn't wealthy, but I was making a living. That's all I want. That's all I ask.
SORISI: Wall Street is -- I think is going to make a comeback, of course. It has to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I've been here 17 years. I have to root for Wall Street. I want Wall Street to succeed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Real Americans.
What was your first reaction to the Oklahoma City bombing? Outrage? Fear?
One politician instantly thought conspiracy and blamed the government. Well, after being shunned by voters, he is now finding an audience for his new message.
We're going to have that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: A couple of key events happened over these past few days. One, a national movement of people who call themselves Tea Partiers rallied in Washington. There are people who say they're fed up with the federal government, no matter who is in charge.
Something else happened. Monday marked 15 years since the Oklahoma City bombing.
How are these two events related? A state lawmaker in Oklahoma, an elected official, now, says he was talking like a Tea Partier before there was a Tea Party. And it's because he thinks the federal government's version of the Oklahoma City bombing is 100 percent BS.
It's not his only beef with Washington. Not by a long shot.
Here's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you ready?
Oh, yes.
CHARLES KEY (R), OKLAHOMA STATE HOUSE: OK. Here we go.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oklahoma State Representative Charles Key. His political philosophy is rooted in distrust of the federal government.
KEY: The federal government has gone way out of its bounds.
BOLDUAN: Fifteen years ago Key was in the national spotlight, claiming federal authorities covered up the truth about the Murraah bombing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About a third of the building has been blown away.
KEY: It's obvious that there's much more to this case than what some in the government want us to know about.
BOLDUAN: His views cost him his job.
KEY: It was the issue that was used against me, and no doubt was the reason that I was defeated.
BOLDUAN: Today, Charles Key is back. Once again, a celebrity. Crusading now for state sovereignty.
KEY: When will you say no to the federal government?
BOLDUAN: Key is a champion of the Tenth Amendment, where the U.S. Constitution limits federal power over the states and citizens.
KEY: They're not anti-government views. It's what type of government?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends, this is not a controversy. This is an attack on the Tea Party movement.
BOLDUAN: Like the protesters on the Capitol steps, he wants less government, lower taxes, more liberty.
KEY: The government has switched the role. It doesn't listen to the people now, it dictates to the people. It treats the people as if they're -- the people are its servants. That's the way it acts.
BOLDUAN: The rhetoric could have unintended consequences, according to political scientist Keith Gaddie. How so? Because it may resonate with extremists.
For example, Tenth Amendment, it's shorthand for state sovereignty. And state sovereignty is about states' rights.
KEITH GADDIE, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA: The problem is in the American politics when you say states' rights, historically that means segregation.
BOLDUAN: Charles Key says it's the other way around.
KEY: Because it's not people's peaceful actions. Petitioning their government, expressing their views is not what causes violence. As a matter of fact, it does just the opposite, if it does anything. It's an avenue that people need to have so they can express themselves to the government.
BOLDUAN: He warns that if there's another attack like the one 15 years ago, the fault will lie with the federal government, not with law-abiding citizens exercising their right to free speech.
KEY: The problem really is government getting out of its proper role. And so people get their buttons pushed, to put it one way. They get their buttons pushed. And some people will take violent actions. It's the government not following the Constitution.
BOLDUAN (on camera): That you think is the fuel to the fire of extremists, not the average people?
KEY: Sure. And history tells us that it's government becoming too heavy-handed. Going out of its proper role is what fuels extremism.
BOLDUAN: This memorial where the Murrah building once stood serves as a constant reminder of the true risk of domestic extremism. It is seared in this city's collective memory. And it sets a limit on how far people can take their anti-government rhetoric.
(voice-over): Last week, when a Tea Party leader called on the state legislature to create a citizens militia, leaders of the Republican Party which controlled the legislature wanted nothing to do with it. Not surprising, says Keith Gaddie. The man who bombed the Murrah building, Timothy McVeigh, had ties to militia groups.
When you say "militia" in Oklahoma, it raises the specter of the thing that happened here. And voters in Oklahoma know that.
BOLDUAN: Even Charles Key dialed it down.
KEY: And as I've said to other people in the media, I don't have a view. It's not on my radar screen.
BOLDUAN: Key is fighting other battles on other bills to protect Oklahomans from the financial Armageddon he sees on the horizon.
KEY: Are we just going to sit around and go, gosh, wait for the federal government to tell us what to do next?
BOLDUAN (on camera): Do they listen to you in here?
(voice-over): His legislation is, well, unorthodox. For example, under his proposed State Sovereignty Act, Oklahoma could divert federal gas taxes into the state treasury.
(on camera): Can Oklahoma actually do this?
KEY: It's certainly something that hasn't been done before.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): Another bill would allow local banks to create their own money.
KEY: It's a starting place to begin a debate and a discussion about, what are some of the options that we have to take care of Oklahomans in the event that our country does default and go bankrupt or the dollar completely fails?
BOLDUAN: Pilloried in the local press, Key's bills never even got a hearing.
(on camera): We're talking about these proposals, but they're dead. Do you think you've wasted your time, then?
KEY: No, not at all. I understand that this legislation is different than your typical legislation.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): As steadfast as the cowboy at the Capitol's front door, he vows to stay the course.
KEY: I'm an optimist or I wouldn't be here this long.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Time is running out, though, for Charles Key. He's likely to become a victim of -- get this -- an anti-government movement from the '90s -- term limits. Here in Oklahoma, after 12 years, you're out.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Oklahoma City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: Let's now move to Washington to see -- Suzanne Malveaux is doing "THE SITUATION ROOM" today.
