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Rick's List
Disruptive Passenger Forces Plane to Land; Arizona's Immigration Battle
Aired April 28, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Strange combination of words are making the news today, Ali, eight Ambien and a place called Waga (ph). What?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST on this day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we do it?
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SANCHEZ: Is the Arizona immigration law dividing Republicans? Jeb Bush, critical. So is Karl Rove.
Who is suggesting illegal immigrants have microchips implanted in them?
Who asked this superstar athlete, "Is your mom a prostitute?" And is that question appropriate for a job interview?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're glad to be down on the ground.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: A plane diverted, hundreds of passengers delayed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nervous? Yes, of course, especially when, you know, the pilot comes on and tells you that the plane has to divert.
SANCHEZ: And it is all about a sleeping pill. What's really going on with pills and passengers?
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: The only people who seem to be willing to come out in support of this bill are the executives at Goldman Sachs.
SANCHEZ: Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and Democratic Senator Ted Kaufman join me live.
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.
Let me tell you why I just mentioned the eight Ambien and a place called Waga (ph), whatever that means.
Topping our LIST today: Derek Stansberry. He's the guy who acted so bizarre on that commercial flight yesterday that the pilot had to divert the plane and land it in Bangor, Maine.
Well, federal air marshals had to get him off the plane. It turns out it was not just a disruption. It may have been the mother of all disruptions. According to some of the allegations in this document that I have here, he may have taken possibly Valium and possibly as many as eight Ambien.
And then he went on to say some of the most outlandish and strange things you will ever hear, talking about his passport being fake, his identity being fake, about him not even being an American citizen, about he's -- he's from a place called Waga (ph). Nobody knows what he's even talking about.
I'm going to take you through the story as it unfolds because there's more facts coming in.
And then there's this question that a lot of people are asking. Is it time that we star looking at some way to maybe quell the use of prescription drugs when flying overseas on long flights? Just a question, but one we will looking in to.
Topping our LIST today: immigration again, the election-year firebomb Arizona threw at Washington, the law that lets police question and to detain anybody that they suspect is an illegal immigrant.
Democrats are screaming that the Arizona law is too harsh, but they also aren't exactly tripping over each other to try and fix the national problem.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, he tried to put this on the front burner, remember, in Nevada? Republicans aren't jumping to Arizona's defense. Florida Senate candidate and conservative star in the making Marco Rubio says he, today, has major concerns with it. That's different.
And you know who else? This may shock you. The loudest critic of illegal immigration, former Congressman Tom Tancredo, he's saying he doesn't like it because it might be unconstitutional, yes, Tom Tancredo criticizing the law in Arizona. Then there's Karl Rove. He told a group of seniors in Florida, "I wish they hadn't passed it, in a way."
But wait. There's somebody else I got to tell you about. Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, he told Politico, the Arizona law -- quote -- "places a significant burden on law enforcement," and he goes on to say, "It has significant civil liberties issues." So, is there a rift developing in the GOP or among conservatives, possibly between populists and the GOP establishment? And there's even a bit of a rift among some in law enforcement when it comes to this. And -- and it's interesting. And it's all part of the national conversation that we're taking you through with this story.
Roberto Villasenor is the police chief of Tucson, Arizona. He's not crazy about this law, although he's got a job to do, and if he has to enforce it, he will. Mark Spencer is the president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. He does support the law.
Gentlemen, my thanks to both of you for being with us.
Chief, let me begin with you.
Are you uncomfortable, because this is the charge -- in fact, this is the word, usurp, that's being used by critics of this law. So, I will throw it out at you. Are you a little uncomfortable usurping the duties that have previously been reserved for federal agents, for the federal government?
ROBERTO VILLASENOR, TUCSON, ARIZONA, POLICE CHIEF: Well, actually, Rick, I'm very uncomfortable with that. And I believe that that's the position of the majority of chiefs of Arizona. The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police was the only entity that actively lobbied against this legislation before it was passed.
Our concern is that local law enforcement should not be assuming the responsibilities of federal immigration enforcement.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: All right, Mark -- let me just bring Mark into that.
Mark, do you agree? Are you a little uncomfortable with the fact that suddenly the local cops are going to be doing and the state cops are going to be doing something that used to be reserved for the feds?
MARK SPENCER, PRESIDENT, PHOENIX LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATION: No, absolutely not. All this bill is, is -- is, we have had a policy in place for Phoenix for two years.
We have test-driven this statute for two years successfully in Phoenix. And it does not mandate that police officers engage in routine immigration enforcement. What it does do, though, is it allows officers to make a discretionary phone call to ICE to verify a person's status and to allow ICE the option to take disposition.
We have test-driven this statute for two years successfully -- 3,000 people have been deported without any additional cost to the city.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Man, you're giving me talking points, and let's go back to the question that I asked you. SPENCER: OK.
SANCHEZ: Do you believe that it's appropriate for the locals to be doing the jobs of the feds and why? Why do you think at this point in time in the state of Arizona this drastic step has to be taken?
SPENCER: Well, certainly, the local authorities at a city or state level need to be given the ability to partner with feds. We do in bank robberies. We do with counterfeiting. We do with the DEA.
SANCHEZ: Right.
SPENCER: But when it came to illegal immigration, it was forbidden.
The federal government's failing on the border, as I'm sure the chief in Tucson can understand, and we would agree on that. If they're going to fail and not do their job, then give local law enforcement the ability to facilitate the success of the federal government in addressing the crime of illegal immigration.
SANCHEZ: How about that argument, Chief? He's saying, look, they're just not getting the job done and we got to help our own state and our own people here, so we got to step in and do it?
VILLASENOR: I do agree with the fact that the federal government has not taken care of the immigration problem. That's why we're at where we are today. I disagree with the fact about that this law just allows law enforcement officers to take enforcement action.
It actually requires law enforcement officers in the scope of a legal contact to determine immigration status. That's a whole new bent on the law. And that's an unfunded mandate that local law enforcement in local communities are not able to accept.
SANCHEZ: Mark, is it a bad precedent? I mean, do you want to be going into areas that the were previously withheld for the feds?
Here, let me ask you -- let me give you an example. What's the biggest economic problem in the United States today, immigration or the problems we had on Wall Street and the problems we have with mortgages in this country?
SPENCER: Well, Rick, I guess you would have to ask that question at a funeral from an officer that's been murdered by an illegal alien or at the sentencing hearing of parents of five young girls in Chandler who have been raped by illegal aliens, or at the rancher's funeral at the southern border, when he was murdered by an illegal alien.
I guess when you're on the front lines in the state that's taking the brunt, with four murdered officers, four seriously injured officers, that question and the priority of that question takes on a different meaning.
(CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: But is that fair? What you just did right there is, you took specific examples of crimes that have happened. I can give you examples as well, couldn't I? And couldn't most Americans? I can take you to Detroit and show you incidents that have been caused in the inner city there by African-Americans.
I can take you to Miami and show you incidents that have been caused by Hispanic-Americans of Cuban descent. I can take you to Boston and show you as many incidents as you just described that have been taken place by either Irish-Americans, et cetera.
So, the idea that you could just say, well, but look, there was an illegal alien on the corner of Fifth who once did something to try and stir anger against a whole generation or group of people, I'm just questioning if that doesn't create almost a sense of xenophobia.
SPENCER: Well, and I look at your comments, Rick, and the common theme throughout your comments were, they were Americans. They had legal authority and a legal right to be here.
You know, criminality is not based upon the color of a person's skin. It's based upon conduct. And being in this country illegally is a choice. It's not driven by a skin color. So, people who have the right to be here...
SANCHEZ: Right.
SPENCER: ... need to be addressed in that fashion.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But you get my question. And I think this is what I was alluding to earlier was, and just to be fair, are you also going to start usurping the mandate of the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission? After all, they haven't done their jobs either, have they?
And they almost created, as a result of not doing their jobs, many would argue, the next Great Depression in the United States? Is it time for the states to step in and start hitting the bankers and hitting investors?
SPENCER: Well, Rick, understand, once again, this does not mandate local law enforcement engage in routine immigration enforcement.
What it does mandate is to tell police chiefs to get out of the way with policies that restrict interaction with the federal government, so that the feds can do their job. When you had a restrictive policy that said an illegal alien needs to be given an opportunity to commit another crime, to create another victim, to cause more damage, enough was enough for us in Arizona, and we were going to be proactive.
(CROSSTALK) SANCHEZ: But you know what's -- you know what the problem is? And I think some people will hear your argument -- and, Chief, you can help me out here.
I know you have a serious problem with the illegalities involved with people crossing the border and coming to the United States illegally, and there's no one who could disagree with you there. You're absolutely right.
But your last couple of statements have made it sound like the only thing that people who have come to this country undocumented do is kill and murder and destroy lives of police officers, et cetera. I mean, that's what your tone sounds like.
Chief, am I hearing that, or...
(CROSSTALK)
VILLASENOR: Rick, I agree completely. We are using emotional anecdotes to paint a broad brush to try and justify a law which puts law enforcement officers in a very difficult position.
We haven't defined all the elements of this law. It does mandate certain actions on the part of local law enforcement that have never been mandated before.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VILLASENOR: It also leaves a lot of definitions that are unexplained, such as in a legal contact. Proponents of this bill are saying that this will only take effect when you have already stopped someone for some time of illegal activity, be it a crime or a traffic violation or something of that nature.
In reality, the bill says that in the course of a legal contact.
SANCHEZ: Right.
VILLASENOR: A legal contact for a law enforcement officer is responding to a crime victim, talking to a witness, talking to people on the street. Those are all legal contacts.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: So, you're saying, the way the law's written right now, all you have to do is respond to a place where someone's a victim...
(CROSSTALK)
VILLASENOR: And then if we develop reasonable suspicion, we are required to check on their legal status.
SANCHEZ: Yes. It is -- it is legally a perplexing question that I'm sure -- look, the key is, come up with something that works. And good for Arizona for trying to come up with something that works, because the federal government has not done so. VILLASENOR: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: And I think we're all in agreement there.
Hey, Mark, I enjoyed the conversation. Let's get you back and do this again, OK?
SPENCER: We will do it again, Rick. Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Chief, same here. Same to you, sir. We will look forward to it.
VILLASENOR: Thank you, sir.
SANCHEZ: All right, take a look at this. Now, is another state getting on the immigration reform bandwagon? And, if so, which one is it? We're bringing you the news on this, so it's coming up.
And then this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: The only people who seem to be willing to come out in support of this bill are the executives at Goldman Sachs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Mitch McConnell, he was proved wrong when he called financial reform a bailout, but is he right now about Goldman being happy because of the latest financial legislation that they're trying to get through? That's next on the LIST. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to RICK'S LIST. I'm Rick Sanchez.
In the financial reform list, in case that you hadn't noticed, they're all lining up on Capitol Hill to take shots at Goldman Sachs, Dems, Republicans, everybody, even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the guy who is leading the charge against the Wall Street reforms in many ways. In fact, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: The only people who seem to be willing to come out in support of this bill are the executives at Goldman Sachs, the biggest bankers at the biggest Wall Street firm of all. Goldman Sachs is behind this bill. But Republicans aren't about to push this bill just because Lloyd Blankfein is happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That is Mitch McConnell sounding actually more like, I don't know, Michael Moore?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL MOORE, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Mr. Blankfein, by the end of his testimony, said that he thought generally the Dodd bill was a good bill. Well, that should kill the bill right there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Two strange bedfellows, right, Michael Moore and Mitch McConnell. What gives?
Here's who's got the answer, our national correspondent, Jessica Yellin. She's joining us in just a little bit, and she's going to take us through this.
Also, take a look at this. Whoa. Look at that. What happens when an explosion literally knocks a firefighter off his feet? Whoa. You will see it for yourself. That's ahead on RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right, let's go through this financial reform news. I want you to listen once again to Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is leading the Republican filibuster that's blocking this push to reform Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: The supporters of this bill may have locked up the support of the folks at Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs is behind this bill. But Republicans aren't about to push this bill just because Lloyd Blankfein is happy, and not before there's a...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. This gets interesting, because that's the same Mitch McConnell who met this month with 25 Wall Street executives to hear their concerns about financial reform.
As to Goldman Sachs specifically, the Associated Press is reporting today that Goldman Sachs' PAC, which contributed predominantly to Democrats between 2007 and 2009, shifted to Republicans in March, March, contributing more than $167,000 to Republican members of Congress and $117,000 to Democrats, $167,000, $117,000. Similar patterns have emerged for J.P. Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, whose PACs both shifted to Republicans last month.
With this in the background, let's bring in Jessica Yellin, our CNN national correspondent.
Let me read again from this -- from this AP report, if we possibly can. It says: "If campaign contributions are any barometer, large Wall Street institutions approve of what Senate Republicans have been doing to alter the Wall Street reforms envisioned by the Obama administration and its Democratic allies."
Hmm. You know, it's funny. When Americans look at this argument, Jessica, it's kind of hard to figure who is on who's side. Both parties charge, the other side's in Wall Street's pocket. How do we get through this? What perspective can you give our viewers to help understand what's really going on here?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT:
Well, first of all, this bill is not backed by Goldman Sachs. Let's get that straight. Goldman Sachs has not been spending millions on lobbying with multiple lobbyists because they're really happy with the new rules and regulations in the bill, Rick. We all know what happened yesterday. We're not dumb.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
YELLIN: When Lloyd Blankfein went up to the Congress and he was rapped over the knuckles, he acted like a good boy who is about to get his curfew, and say, yes, ma'am, I was wrong, we want more rules and regulations, please bring them on. Then he's excused to go about his business.
We all know that doesn't mean that he's psyched about this bill. That's first of all. Second of all, there's an inevitability factor here. Wall Street knows this is coming and so they would rather get on board to some piece of it than be run over by the Mack Truck.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: So, then -- but you have got Mitch McConnell saying -- I mean, our viewers just heard that a little while ago.
YELLIN: Right.
SANCHEZ: And it's not to pick on Mitch McConnell...
YELLIN: OK.
SANCHEZ: ... because politics, this kind of stuff goes both ways, but in this case it's Mitch McConnell saying Wall Street loves this bill as it is. That's what he's saying.
YELLIN: Right. And, you know, let's dig a little deeper here. So, Mitch McConnell is saying that and so is Michael Moore, who we all know is a real progressive. But let's ask the next question. What's the solution?
Michael Moore would like to break up the big banks, give them less power and more regulation. Guarantee you that is not the Republican solution. In fact, their solution is to change what the Democratic bill is, which is somewhere in the middle, and add more provisions that are friendlier to business.
Now, they are doing that not because they're cold-hearted, but because they think that's better for the overall economy. But it's certainly not because they're too -- so deeply concerned that this has been crafted by Wall Street.
SANCHEZ: Are we going to get by this filibuster situation today? YELLIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Or we going to finally -- is this going to be every single day the Dems try and say yea, the Republicans say nay? What is going on?
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: What, you find it annoying? Yes.
SANCHEZ: Well, it's like the same story every day.
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: I know. I know.
So what we are going to see now is the Democrats are going to keep the Senate in session all night, so people can continue yammering away about financial reform to ramp up the pressure. The expectation by the administration at least and by many Democrats is that we will see this logjam break by the end of the week, so at least one Republican will vote to move this debate to the floor. That doesn't mean voting for the bill...
SANCHEZ: No, no, I get it, yes.
YELLIN: ... to advance it.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: It's just to continue the conversation, so to speak.
YELLIN: Right. And so next week, it will break out with a big fight on the floor, probably over consumer protections and derivatives.
SANCHEZ: You always know your stuff. You are a superstar.
(LAUGHTER)
YELLIN: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Jessica. Appreciate it.
Take a look at this. The British prime minister has a microphone that is still on. Oops. And you're going to hear it, in fact. That's coming up in just a little bit.
Also, who is now drafting another bill that's very much like the one in Arizona? He is making our LIST. And do you know what? We're checking it twice. He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And once again, the tweets are pouring in. We don't have to share them with you now, but just to let you know, this immigration debate, that conversation I had with those two cops at the beginning of this newscast and the points that they both made back and forth are being shared or criticized by many of you on Twitter. And it's -- it's a relentless conversation that's being had all over this country, which is why it's an important issue that we're going to continue to follow for you.
Meanwhile, I want to check the list now of the most intriguing people in the news today. Here we go.
This guy here's an architect by education, but was elected to his state's legislature in 2006. He is a representative in Utah. Today, he's looking in to the future and he sees a tidal wave of undocumented people fleeing Arizona heading north because of this new bill to other states, like his state line.
So, he wants to follow Arizona's example and introduce a law requiring all immigrants to carry proof of status. And he wants his state's police officers to question people that they suspect could be illegal. His words -- quote -- "Utah is a state of choice to move out of -- out of Arizona and come to Utah because we have pretty lax laws when it comes to illegal immigration. This is not the cream of the crop of people we would want in our state from other countries."
There he is, Stephen Sandstrom. He's a Republican. He's a Utah state legislator. He claims to have enough support to pass an Arizona-style bill, and blames the federal government for choosing to ignore the immigration law.
For his interpretation of states' rights, I am calling Utah state lawmaker -- well, not I -- CNN -- certainly one of the most intriguing persons in the news today.
Breaking news coming in to us right now. Are you ready for this? Give me a breaking news banner, will you? I mean, come on, just in? This is more than a just in. Thank you.
Charlie Crist, Governor Charlie Crist, will run for the U.S. Senate as an independent. He will make the official announcement at an event tomorrow in St. Petersburg. Now, this is obviously a very important political story, when you take into consideration that some of the polls recently show Republican Marco Rubio, who is, by the way, extremely popular in Tea Party circles, for example, and has this dynamic appearance and speaking quality, as described by all who have seen him, has been leading Charlie Crist in this race by as much as 20 points in some polls, I mean, depending on the poll that you look at.
It was starting to appear, according to Republican insiders that we have spoken with, as something insurmountable. So, as a result, there's been a lot of talk that Charlie Crist could possibly switch over and run as an independent.
Now, this is interesting. What is -- to what advantage? How will that work for him? How might this tighten this race at this point? Here's what we're going to do. We're going to be joining some of our political experts in just a moment. I think we're going to try and get as many as we can. Obviously, we're going to try and get some folks out of Florida to take us through this.
I know Gloria Borger's been all over this story all day long, and she's been making phone calls and getting information. She may be part of the team that's actually breaking this story right now that, in fact, Charlie Crist will run as an independent.
You want -- Angie, what do you want to do? You want to take a break or you want to get into this a little bit here? You want to take a break? All right, let's do this.
We're going to kind of put our stuff together here, so we can bring you the latest on this information, because I think the question that you have and a lot of the questions that a lot of folks are having that are watching this newscast right now is, to what end? Where is the advantage there for Charlie Crist? And how is this going to possibly work for him? What's it mean to the Republican Party? What's it mean for the Democratic Party? What's it mean for Marco Rubio? We're going to be all over that when we come back.
In the meantime, take a look at this. If you're thinking about giving somebody a job that pays, oh, let's say, oh, $50 million, yes, $50 million, should you be able to ask him anything? Should you ask him if their mother's a prostitute? Think about that. That's ahead.
Also, we have heard of drive-throughs, but a car into a school? Wait until you hear what caused the car to go into this school. That's next on the LIST.
And, by the way, if you ever want to join us here and have a conversation with me during commercials, maybe even appear on camera with a cameo, all you got to do's call this number, 1-877-4CNN-tour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here's the breaking news, in case you haven't heard it, and now we're going to give you some of the background on it. Charlie Crist, governor of Florida, has decided he is running for Senate, but not as a Republican. He has just announced that he will run as an independent. He will run as an independent against Marco Rubio and against Representative Kendrick Meeks, the likely Democratic nominee in what was a three-way general election matchup.
Now, I should tell you that Charlie Crist was not faring well against Marco Rubio and that may have something to do with this decision. But to confirm -- there's Marco Rubio now.
To confirm this decision and to get the background on this, one of our most intrepid diggers, Gloria Borger joins me now to get the lowdown on this situation. What's going on, Gloria?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: How are you? Well, what Charlie Crist is doing, he's spending today and tomorrow morning doing, is calling his supporters and telling them -- and I'm reading actually from an e-mail I got from a top Republican strategist saying that he's calling his supporters, telling them that he intends to run as what they call in Florida a "nonparty affiliated candidate."
Which means essentially he can say I'm not really leaving the Republican Party. I'm just running as a nonparty affiliated candidate, which is another line on the ballot.
Now, he's trying to keep as much of his -- excuse me. I lost my IFB.
SANCHEZ: That's OK.
BORGER: He's trying to keep as much of his money support as he can, so he's calling his funders, and he's telling them, he's giving them a heads-up.
And his pitch is essentially, look, I've been going around the state. I've been listening to the Florida voters. I've been talking to the Florida voters. They're sick of politics as usual. And so I'm -- I'm running to give them a different kind of partisan politics.
SANCHEZ: Well, if that's the case, why didn't he run as an independent to begin with?
BORGER: Well, you know, that's a very good question. Another very good question is how much of his money will go away? But don't forget, as this Republican told me, he has $7 million in the bank.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
BORGER: So, you know, he's got some money.
But the Republicans I'm hearing from in Washington -- and, again, you can say these are establishment Republicans who don't like this very much -- but they're saying it's foolish. They're saying he's going to lose his money. They're saying he's ending a promising political career, that he could have run against Senator Nelson in a couple of years, et cetera.
SANCHEZ: But here's the question to you, and obviously a lot of folks at home are probably asking the same question, maybe you can give us some perspective on this. So, what is the advantage for him politically from going -- from going it as a Republican to going as an independent?
BORGER: Well, he thinks he could win, you know. In a three-way poll, at least one that's been taken, it shows that he -- he can even beat Rubio because he may get the more sort of moderate Republican. But, you know, he clearly believes that this is a path to victory. There are people who say that that's crazy, that it's not a path to victory.
SANCHEZ: Well, you'd have to assume there's enough independents. It's interesting, is he almost to a certain extent saying, look, OK, Republicans don't like me anymore because I hugged Barack Obama at one time -- BORGER: And I voted and I supported the stimulus package. Do you remember that?
SANCHEZ: Fine, I'll run as an independent and I'll get enough support there.
BORGER: Yes, that's what he's saying, otherwise he wouldn't be doing. He doesn't believe it's a fool's error obviously. He believe that he can win, and there's enough of sort of the anti-establishment feeling out there that candidates of both political parties may be seen as too partisan and that in the state of Florida, which, as you know, is a very unpredictable state that maybe it could have some appeal.
But there were Republicans saying to him, look, just get out of this race right now and we will help you get to the Senate in a couple of years.
BORGER: One final thing, and we're down to, like, just 30 seconds on this.
BORGER: OK.
SANCHEZ: But I want to know about Marco Rubio. Has any of that campaign investigation on him where some of his funds may have been a little tricky the way he was using them, let's just leave it at that, has any of that stuck? Or has it not?
BORGER: Well, it's early. And so far obviously Crist -- the fact that Crist is staying in the race means that he believes that he can start making some hay with it.
SANCHEZ: OK.
BORGER: You know, Crist is, you know, in it to win it as they all say. He's not doing it for fun.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BORGER: So, you can be sure that he'll be throwing a lot of stuff at Rubio to see what sticks.
SANCHEZ: No, you're right. I know all three of these fellows. I know Meeks very well. I know certainly Charlie Crist, and I know Marco Rubio. And I will tell you this about Charlie Crist, he's a dogfighter of a politician.
BORGER: Right.
SANCHEZ: And when he's been taken short -- when he's been taken lightly, he's usually done pretty well. So, it will be fun to watch and see what happens. Gloria, thanks for joining us.
BORGER: Florida -- Florida, Florida, Florida, always interesting.
SANCHEZ: Always Florida, right?
Roland martin certainly knows Florida. He's joining me next. He's getting into this conversation.
And he's also talking to me about an NFL official who actually asked a prospective player if it's true that his mother is a prostitute. Is that out of bounds? Ask that is that a question that should not have been asked? Or do the circumstances mitigate this? This is an interesting thought process and we'll take you through it. "R&R," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: "R&R" can only mean one thing, "Rick and Roland," or is it "Roland and Rick"? Roland Martin's joining us now. Are you shocked --
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's "Roland and Rick"!
SANCHEZ: Gee, what a surprise. Like you weren't going to do that, right?
(LAUGHTER)
Hey, listen, are you shocked by this decision, by Charlie Crist down in Florida?
MARTIN: No.
SANCHEZ: I didn't think you'd be. What's your take on it?
MARTIN: It's the smartest political move that he can make. Here's what Charlie Crist should say. "I'm not leaving the GOP, the GOP left me."
SANCHEZ: That line's been used before!
MARTIN: No, no, no, no, but here's the deal, though. He was a very popular governor, strong numbers. All of a sudden you had this anti-stimulus belief, this anti-bailout. You had the, you know, the whole tea party movement. They get behind Rubio.
And so Crist is a moderate Republican. And it's smart for him to be running as an independent because, as Gloria says the polls already show, he'll be leading Rubio as well as Kendrick Meeks, congressman from Florida. His whole standpoint in terms of Congressman Kendrick Meek, he has to establish himself as a statewide name.
Rubio now has to be concerned because Crist will pull Republican votes. What Crist also should say I'm not representing the D.C. Republican establishment in the Senate. I am representing Florida. So he has to appeal to that.
The other problem that the primary --
SANCHEZ: Let me just -- let me just -- MARTIN: It is a small window from the primary to the general, so a smart move by him.
SANCHEZ: Let me stop you real quick and nail you down on this. We're looking at Marco Rubio, handsome kid -- he's not a kid, but handsome young man. He really has won the hearts of the conservative side of the Republican Party.
Now you got Kendrick Meek, Kerry's little boy, Kerry's little pride and joy, a guy who has been fighting in Florida politics for years now carrying on his mommy's legacy, and then you got Charlie Crist going in as an independent. How do you see this thing?
MARTIN: Right.
SANCHEZ: And is it too early to call? I mean, if I had to nail you down on this right now.
MARTIN: No, first of all, you can't predict what is going to happen because it is too early to call.
But here's the point that people have to remember, a primary, especially in off election years are all about getting the base out. So, you look at the numbers. Crist down, 15 points, 20, 25 points.
Look at what's happening in Arizona. Senator John McCain has to turn more conservative, now saying he's not a maverick, he's changing his whole tune to appeal to a conservative base.
In Texas, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was dusted by Governor Rick Perry. Why? A moderate Republican running against a conservative Republican. And so from Crist's standpoint, wait two years, there's no guarantee they'll back him in two years, there's no guarantee that they'll support him over someone else. These same Republicans were telling him you're the guy until Rubio got in.
And so if you're Crist you strike while the iron is hot. And I'll give you one more thing, Rick. Senator Joe Lieberman lost to Ned Lamont in a Democratic primary, ran as an independent, statewide, beat Lamont because moderate Republicans voted like Lieberman as well. So it's a smart move by Crist.
SANCHEZ: That's analogous. I think that's fair. I think it's analogous.
Let me ask you about the big talk that has the sport guys talking.
MARTIN: Still in Florida.
SANCHEZ: Wide receiver Dez Bryant, a superstar, all the makings of a great NFL, Randy Moss-type wide receiver. There he is. He said he was doing an interview with the Miami Dolphins and Jeff Ireland, one of the managers of the Miami dolphins, asked him if his mother was a prostitute. Apparently something was said because Ireland has apologized for it. But there's two arguments here, and one of them goes like this -- if I'm going to offer a guy a job that's going to pay $50 million and put him in the limelight, I should be allowed to ask him anything. Just like we ask --
MARTIN: BS.
SANCHEZ: Just like we ask prospective members of cabinet all kinds of stuff before we introduce them on the national stage. What do you say to that?
MARTIN: It's BS. It's BS, OK? Rick, those are us who are on television, we have high-paying jobs. Should CNN ask you that question? Should CNN ask me that question?
SANCHEZ: Last time I check, I ain't paid $50 million -- $50 million.
MARTIN: No, no, no, no.
SANCHEZ: If I give you $50 million of my dollars, I want to know everything about you.
MARTIN: No. That's why you hire a private investigator. But you don't ask those questions. These players have the exact same rights as employees as anybody else. It is a labor issue. That is an offensive question. But here's the other deal --
SANCHEZ: No question that it's offensive. He apologized for it.
MARTIN: How many other players are they asking is your momma a madam? What's the basis of the question? Because his mom has a drug past and she had three kids and she was in high school she's now a lesbian. Are they basing it on rumors?
No, I think if you're going to ask the question, you better have the information.
SANCHEZ: If you're a young man of 19 years old, isn't your background relevant? Where you come from, where your parents are?
MARTIN: Where you come from, all that stuff is relevant, but it's your job to do a background check. I'm hiring somebody right now for my company --
SANCHEZ: You're saying they shouldn't ask it?
MARTIN: Rick, I'm hiring somebody right now for my company. I'm doing a background check as we speak. But you don't ask that question, is your momma a prostitute? Brant, he should have said, Jeff Ireland, is your wife a madam? How would he feel? How would Jeff Ireland feel if Dez Bryant asked him if his wife was a madam? He wouldn't appreciate it.
SANCHEZ: Well, let me tell you, this is what a lot of folks are talking about all over the country. It's an interesting situation. And obviously if it was just some guy interviewing for a job anywhere, is it different, though, because this guy is going to be, like, the marquee player on the team?
MARTIN: No, forget that.
SANCHEZ: You say it's not, and respectfully taken.
MARTIN: That's nonsense, because we all make big money, too.
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.
MARTIN: Especially you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: I don't make $50 million. Call my wife and tell her, will you? I think she'll have a heart attack. Appreciate it, Roland, as usual. Always enjoyable.
Listen, there's breaking news coming in to us now. This is about an Iranian plane that flew 300 feet from a U.S.-flagged carrier in the Persian Gulf -- 300 feet, folks.
Speaking of football, what's that? A football field? Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has exclusive details on this, and she's going to be joining me to take us through it next. You'll hear it here on CNN first thanks to Barbara. "Rick's List" scrolls on.
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SANCHEZ: Barbara Starr does it again. She comes up with some new details on a story that is going to be news to all of us, and we appreciate it. This is exclusive information about an Iranian jet that buzzed a U.S. carrier, right? I know that's the term often used with this kind of thing. Did he buzz it?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's the term that's used, Rick. It wasn't quite a buzzing, but pretty darn serious anyhow.
Last Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Oman which is outside of the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran, we have learned that the sailors onboard the USS Eisenhower, some 5,000 of them got an unexpected wake-up call from an Iranian military Navy airplane flew within 1,000 feet of the carrier at 300 feet altitude.
It stayed for about 20 minutes circling in the vicinity of the Eisenhower, possibly taking pictures. The U.S. Navy tracked this Iranian aircraft for over 100 miles and made sure that it left without incident. There was no threat. There was no provocation.
But look, Rick, any time Iranian military comes that close to the U.S. military it's a serious matter.
SANCHEZ: But not a provocation? What you described sounds like a provocation. STARR: Well, all right. So let's be clear. The aircraft that the Iranians had was basically a reconnaissance aircraft, unarmed. They were coming to have a look at the U.S. Navy.
But this was just one day ahead of the Iranian military beginning major military exercises in the region and tensions between Iran and the rest of the world, obviously, at pretty high levels so everybody really had their attention up on all of this, Rick.
SANCHEZ: There you go. Once again, Barbara Starr. You heard it here first, exclusive details. And my thanks to you, Barbara.
STARR: Certainly.
SANCHEZ: You've heard about microchips and animals? Who is suggesting that we implant microchips in people, as in illegal immigrants? That's ahead.
We brought you this story as it happened yesterday. A plane is diverted, but why? First we heard it was sleeping pills and now charges are starting to change. In fact, wait until I take you through the details of what they're saying really happened on that plane. You may be shocked -- maybe not. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: We keep a list of stories we need to follow up on any given day. And today there's no question. It's the story we ended the newscast with yesterday, that plane that was diverted to Bangor, Maine. There it is making the landing.
We were told at the time there was a guy on the plane that was threatening to blow it up with a bomb, but wait until you hear some of the stuff that we're hearing about today that he was saying that caused this near panic -- that he was from Oaga, that he was not an American citizen, that his identity was fake and so was his passport.
It just goes on and on. This report that's been given to us reads like, well, I don't know -- like a Fellini movie. Jeanne Meserve is joining us to pore through some of these charging documents. What do you make of this, Jeanne? This is bizarre, isn't it?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, authorities are trying to make it very clear that there is no tolerance for this kind of false bomb threat. Derek Stansberry is facing to felony counts that has a potential sentence of 20 years.
Here's a picture of him from Facebook. In the affidavit new details about what happened on that flight, including that note you mentioned. Here are the specifics. "I am not an American citizen. I was in Ouaga illegally. My passports and identity are fake. I bought that bag on eBay and have no association with the United States.
I will take whatever COA the U.S. wants." That might mean "course of action," we don't know. "I will leave my wallet and passport on this aircraft. Please let my family know the truth. I blanked-up and will let the HN preside over prosecutions, and that I love them."
The flight attendants saw that and called on the federal Air Marshal. He tells the Air Marshal he has dynamite in his boots and in his backpack and he has a pressure switch that will detonate the dynamite, and also said he had explosives in his laptop.
SANCHEZ: And the cause according to what I heard you report earlier, is this true, that he was claiming he'd taken eight Ambien?
STARR: We don't know if that's the cause or not, but it's something that was mentioned in the affidavit that he allegedly told an Air Marshal that he had taken eight Ambien and a valium some time previously.
SANCHEZ: You and I talking here, we keep hearing -- I happen to live in a community where a lot of my neighbors are flight attendants, and when we gather they tell me stories that sound an awful lot like this, Jeanne. When people on overseas trips take these types of drugs, not just Ambien, but anything, they wake up and suddenly they don't know where they are and they start saying ridiculous and stupid things.
I'm just wondering if you've talked to any airline officials about them addressing this in any way or whether they should or whether they will or whether this case in and of itself might bring them to do that.
STARR: I haven't heard anything along those lines at all, Rick. It's sort of an interesting question. But alcohol poses a very similar situation. Very often you have the disruptive passengers who have been drinking.
Another not here -- they want this to have a deterrent effect. Well, today there was another diversion -- a flight taken down because the word "bomb" was scrawled on a mirror in the plane. The CSA tells me they have now cleared the plane and the luggage in that instance.
SANCHEZ: What a waste of time and money it becomes, too.
STARR: That's exactly why they're prosecuting.
SANCHEZ: I bet.
Good stuff taking us through this yesterday and bringing us details once again. Jeanne Meserve, we appreciate it.
STARR: You bet.
SANCHEZ: What's with actress Sandra Bullock's unexplained absence from the spotlight? Here's a hint. It's not because of the cheating episode that everyone had been talking about. There's something else going on.
And then, of course, the Senate blocks financial regulatory reform vote again. They're not actually blocking the vote. I may have misspoken when I said that, or we may have prepared it wrong. They're blocking it from continuing the discussion, so to speak.
And there's a lot of beating up on Goldman Sachs. Poppy Harlow has it on her money list and she'll take us through everything that's going on, including what the market's doing right after the break. Stay right there.
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