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Rick's List
Police Investigate Times Square Car Bomb; Iranian President Criticizes United States; Flooding in Tennessee; Arizona Police Officer Pushing Back Against Immigration Law; Oil Slick in Gulf of Mexico
Aired May 03, 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: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
This is hour two. Time to pick up the pace of today's LIST.
For those of you who are just now checking in, let me get to you some of the developing stories that we're following right now. Let's start with this: President Obama just moments away from a ceremony at the White House, a presentation of the Commander in Chief Trophy to the Naval Academy. We are all over it. Look at all of those guys moving around there.
This is also the first chance that we're going get to the hear from him today on the attempted New York car bombing, and also that oil spill in the Gulf. We're going to bring you those comments as soon as they start. So, stand by, folks. You will see it here live.
And we're also standing by for a live update from the Coast Guard on the cleanup efforts in the Gulf. That is just a disaster. It topped our list for days now. Conditions are literally getting worse by the minute. Have you heard of what's happened today? Have you seen the pictures?
The spill has tripled in size in just three days.
And the other big story that we have been following since the very beginning of the 3:00 show, we showed what you Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. I mean, he just hammered the United States. He obviously talked the nuclear proliferation.
Well, our secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, she took to the podium. She's at the United Nations. She said this just a little while ago.
Take it, Rog. Brand-new sound for you, folks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We know there are some countries who will choose not to be constructive. This morning, Iran's president offered the same tired, false, and sometimes wild accusations against the United States and other parties at this conference. But that's not surprising. As you all heard this morning, Iran will do whatever it can to divert attention away from its own record and to attempt to evade accountability. Ultimately, however, we will all be judged, not for our, but for our actions. And we will all be measured not by how assertively we claim our rights, but by how faithfully we uphold our responsibilities.
And, as the secretary-general said, in this regard, the onus is on Iran. So far, it's failed to meet its burden. Iran is the only country represented in this hall that has been found by the IAEA Board of Governors to be currently in noncompliance with its nuclear safeguard obligations, the only one. It has defied the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA and placed the future of the nonproliferation regime in jeopardy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: By the way, it's important to note that there are three developing stories. As they continue, if there are any updates on them, I will bring you those changes right away.
But this is the story that many Americans are also watching, especially Americans who travel to New York or live in New York. That's only about 14 million people, right?
On the most wanted list, the driver of that crude car bomb left with the engine running and blinkers flashing in Times Square Saturday. Police have found, they have talked to the owner of the SUV. It's a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder.
Here it is. You're looking at it, right, in surveillance pictures released by police now. They say the owner is not a suspect -- the owner, again, not a suspect -- in Saturday's attempted bombing. They also aren't saying what he told them about the car. Police are also putting out this video. See it right there?
It shows this man in his 40s taking off a long-sleeved shirt, looking back at the car bomb. Police are not calling him a suspect, but they want to know if he knows anything or if he saw anything that could possibly lead them to the would-be bomber.
We're waiting for investigators to release another video, one of hundreds that they're going to be poring over. And that video says -- it apparently show somebody running -- somebody running from the scene.
What does that mean? Let's ask Lou Palumbo. He's a longtime New York City security expert and a former police officer.
This video that we could be getting any moment now, I wish we had it already, because I would like for to you look at it and then tell us what's going on. But they say it shows some guy running from the scene. How important is that going to be? What do you think, Lou?
LOU PALUMBO, FORMER NEW YORK POLICE OFFICER: Well, that's -- we consider it suspicious behavior. Probably would like to know why this individual decided to run down that block, as opposed to walk, like everyone else. And it drew attention to him, and they want to know why.
SANCHEZ: Hey, this bomb, I'm interested in the fact that it was just a whole bunch of hodgepodge of stuff thrown together in a van. I mean, it sound crude to me. I don't -- look, I have never made a bomb. As I mentioned little earlier, I have been to bomb school, ATF bomb school in Phoenix, learned a little bit about signatures.
But this one sounds -- I mean, firecrackers, cheap clocks, non- explosive fertilizer? The stuff from here looks like somebody in high school would try to do in their backyard.
PALUMBO: Well, I will tell you, Rick, all of those things that you have just outlined are -- play to our favor. We're very fortunate that the individual who attempted to construct this explosive or incendiary device wasn't quite literate in this area.
As you just mentioned, there are reports that there was approximately 100 pounds of fertilizer, two gallons of gasoline --
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
PALUMBO: -- three propane tanks, fireworks. You know, obviously, this person was not too astute in constructing what would normally be perceived as an IED, an improvised explosive device.
And we're hearing reports now that there is some tie to some type of terrorist network.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But here's the question. You know, we throw this terrorist -- I think the word terrorist is overused. Terrorist is now a word used by every police department all over the country. They use it to describe people, you know, in domestic situations, to everything else.
Just because it's terrorists, does that mean al Qaeda? And I guess that's the question I want to ask you.
PALUMBO: No, not necessarily.
In fact, you know, I was with Don Lemon earlier today in Times Square kind of making an assessment of the video surveillance equipment that's present there. And one of the comments I made to him is, it's difficult to conceive that an individual so haphazard in this construction of this device could be tied to any kind of network that clearly knows how to construct IEDs, just based on what goes on, on Iraq and Afghanistan --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Well, what about domestic -- but what about domestic terrorism? What about one of these yahoos from one of these militias? Not that all people in militias are yahoos, by the way. (CROSSTALK)
PALUMBO: I definitely think that that's a strong possibility. And I will tell you that our federal agencies, along with the New York City Police Department, are investigating every possible lead and consideration that will lend itself either to a form of international terrorism or internationally based terrorism.
But I have say -- and I know there are reports contradicting my comments right now -- it's difficult to absorb the fact that this guy would come from any type of organized base of operation.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
PALUMBO: So, I do say it could be a domestic terrorist incident.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I will tell you, though, you're a New York guy. Look, Times Square, you could like just go -- you could do a lot of damage there easily. There could be tens of thousands of people walking the streets there at any given moment.
And that's why this story takes on so much importance, because of the crowded conditions that occur there. One final question to you.
Roger, show him the picture of the guy with the shirt, that guy taking off his shirt next to the SUV. What do you make of this guy here? People are saying that that looks a little odd. Frankly, hanging out in Times Square as much as I do when I travel up there, it doesn't look odd to me. But what do you make of all this?
PALUMBO: You know, in all candor, Rick, I don't think it lends itself to much of anything, primarily because, if I was an individual that just ignited some type of device, whether it was a firecracker or a candle in a car, I would wouldn't be stopping in front of Junior's, which where I just was an hour ago, to do a wardrobe change. I would be fleeing the area as expeditiously as possible.
(LAUGHTER)
PALUMBO: So, I'm struggling with that this individual is tied to this.
Now, I could be wrong, but I don't think the natural behavioral pattern to is get out of a car, stop in front of Junior's on West 45th Street, a few feet from Minskoff, and engage in wardrobe change.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
PALUMBO: I'm having a hard time with that.
SANCHEZ: You know, blue wasn't his color, Lou. Point well-made.
(LAUGHTER)
PALUMBO: Whatever it was.
(LAUGHTER)
PALUMBO: But, again, it's something for the police to look at. The behavior is somewhat unusual, although this is New York City.
And it's quite eclectic. And we have many forms of behavior, from the many different people --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I get -- I get it.
(CROSSTALK)
PALUMBO: We were just with a naked cowboy again today. How do you explain this?
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Yes, no, I know. Don't explain it. We're on national television. Just don't explain it, Lou. Leave it alone.
Hey, good -- good to talk to you, my friend.
By the way, this next video that we might get of the guy running from the scene might be a little more, might be a little noteworthy or newsworthy. And, hopefully, we will able to get you, if nothing else, back on the phone to take a look that thing when it comes out.
We might get it in the next couple of minutes, so hang tight, Lou.
Hang tight, folks.
Lou, good to see you. Appreciate it.
PALUMBO: You, too, Rick. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: All right.
Take a look at this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I don't know. It also kind of gives you reminiscent of Katrina or something like that, and to think, well, it can't happen here. Well, it has happened here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You know Nashville's in trouble when areas very close to the Grand Ole Opry are swamped. This is tough, folks. People are really being hurt by this. And, you know, our hearts go out to them. Folks in Nashville right now, not too far from where we are right here in Atlanta, we're on this story. We got crews there, Chad Myers all over it. These floods have been swift. They have been historic. And, unfortunately, they have been deadly. That is ahead.
Also, remember the brutal attack on four U.S. contractors in Fallujah? Navy SEALs caught the suspected killers. So, why is one of the SEALs on trial? Americans are angry about this. You punch a suspected al Qaeda guy, and you go on trial?
That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We have three big developing stories that we're following for you, but we have also got a bevy of stories on our roundup list. In fact, here is number one.
A U.S. Navy SEAL is on trial today for punching an al Qaeda suspect -- punching -- ad accused of lying. Many are asking, so what? His name is Petty Officer Matthew McCabe. Protesters say the military is going overboard. By the way, two other SEALs of this unit were cleared of similar charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Regrettably, the United States has not only used nuclear weapons, but also continues to threaten to use such weapons against other countries, including my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Number two: the president of Iran on our list. He calls Americans today among the most hated individuals in human history, his words referring to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He also let Israel have it, as usual, and the rest of the West for what he calls monopolizing nuclear weapons and nuclear energy programs.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today at the United Nations speaking for hours, a nonproliferation conference. Lower-ranking U.S., British and French and U.S. delegates all walked out -- see it there -- right in the middle of his speech.
Number three: Actress Lynn Redgrave has passed on. The twice Oscar-nominated stage and film star had fought breast cancer for several years. She died at her home in Connecticut.
Lynn Redgrave -- our thoughts go out to her family -- was 67 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want them to be afraid of me. Officers, police, are supposed to be the good guys. We're not the bad guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: This is an interesting way of telling a story. It kind of turns it on its ears. He's a cop, right? He's supposed to enforce the law. But Arizona's new immigration plan has put this officer, who is a naturalized citizen, in a very difficult position, he says. He's going to take us through his thought process on this in a special report.
Also, last fall, he was in federal prison. This fall, he could be back in Congress. There he is. There's the toup, baby. The list you don't want to be on is next. And guess who's on it?
Also, as we head to break, there's some breaking news I want to share with you on South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. He's being cleared of all criminal wrongdoing for two trips to Argentina to visit his lover. Now, he was accused, as you might recall -- accused, as you might recall -- of using his state plane and some campaign money for some of these trysts with his Argentine lady friend.
But the attorney general says there wasn't enough evidence to find him guilty. There you go.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. You're on RICK'S LIST.
And I want to tell you that we have got some breaking news coming in. It appears we have got a better handle now on exactly where that vehicle came from that was used in that attempted car bombing on Times Square Saturday night.
Deb Feyerick has been drilling down on this story. She's joining us now with more information on the vehicle, which we hope, I guess, Deb, is going to tie the vehicle to a person, possibly the person who may have been responsible for this.
Take it away.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, what we found out, a law enforcement source who has an inside track on this investigation is telling us that the Nissan Pathfinder was sold on craigslist three weeks ago by a seller here in Connecticut, which is where we are right now.
The buyer bought the car for about $1,800. It was all cash. Little paperwork was exchanged, and the buyer and seller apparently met at a shopping mall in Connecticut, where the transaction took place. The buyer gave the money and then he drove off.
Police have questioned the owner, the original owner of the car. They have cleared him from suspicion right now, but, again, right now, that's what they're working on, just why this guy bought this car in cash.
SANCHEZ: Well, wait a minute, though. The guy who sold the car knows, then, what the guy who bought the car looks like. What --
FEYERICK: Well
SANCHEZ: Isn't that important?
FEYERICK: He does. He definitely know what the guy who -- looks like.
However, the -- law enforcement authorities are being very careful in issuing any kind of description right now. They do believe that it was a man who purchased the car, but, again, right now, they're not releasing specifics on what he may have looked like. They're just trying to figure out, by running down a couple phone numbers, to figure out exactly where this guy might be.
SANCHEZ: Yes. No.
Well, and, by the way, I guess, you know, just following up on this logical enthymeme that you and I are creating, just because the guy bought the car doesn't mean he's the one who put the fireworks in the gas, and, et cetera, et cetera, in the car, right? He could -- there could be a couple of other generations between him and the person who actually did it.
FEYERICK: Well, there could be. The only thing is, is that this deal was done about three weeks ago. It was an all-cash deal. That means, had it been at a dealership, for example, then the people would have had to take information who was purchasing this car.
So, whoever did buy the car was able to do it virtually anonymously. They paid cash -- $1,800 is what we're being told -- and then sort of drove off. The seller took the money, and the buyer took the car.
So, that's why it's a pretty interesting lead. We're right now at Kramer's Used Auto Parts.
SANCHEZ: But -- but -- but -- but -- but -- but -- but -- let -- let -- hold on.
FEYERICK: This is the place --
SANCHEZ: Let me stop you. As far as I know, like I -- I'm not familiar with laws in New York, but the -- the states where I have lived, like, you know, Florida, and living in Georgia here now, you can't just buy a car from somebody with cash. You have got to sign the registration form that shows that you own the car.
At some point, somebody's name has to be done there, and that's usually an act that has to be done with a certified public accountant deal or a state agency seal on it, right?
FEYERICK: Well, usually, that's the way it happens, but what we're being told is that, in fact, one of the reasons -- and, if you think about it -- and we will look into this -- but, apparently, the man was able to buy the car in cash and just sort of drive off. SANCHEZ: Huh.
FEYERICK: The reason that authorities were able to question the owner of the car and basically clear him, or at least the man who had the car registered in his name, is because it was still registered in his name.
SANCHEZ: Ah.
FEYERICK: There's effectively no written trace of the -- of the buyer of that vehicle.
SANCHEZ: That's bizarre, but interesting.
And I'm so glad that you, Deb, have been trying to get all the latest information for us on this. This is -- this is amazing.
Deb, if you get anything else, just call us back and let us know, OK? Appreciate it.
By the way, we have got some live pictures coming in from Tennessee now. These -- this is a story that's been changing all day long, and I want to bring you up to date on what's going on right now. This is part of the Cumberland River, I think. Did we just lose that shot, Angie? We had it and we -- it's one of those --
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: One of those -- here, we got it back. All right. This is -- Chad, if you're here, correct me if I'm wrong.
Chad, you hear me?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, sir, I do.
SANCHEZ: Is this the Cumberland?
MYERS: It should be, if this is from SVM. And SVM is out of Nashville.
SANCHEZ: All right.
MYERS: And this now cresting an 51 feet.
The old record -- and it's still the record -- is 56 feet. So, it didn't get all the way up to record stage, but still massive flooding in downtown Nashville.
SANCHEZ: All right, this is the -- this is the Cumberland River. This is the river in question. This is the one that has gone up -- what is it, Chad, 11 feet above flood potential, or as it's being described by you all?
MYERS: Well, we already know the Opryland Hotel has six feet of water in it. And we also saw some of the amusement parks around there. So, we're talking the -- the real money-driving part of Nashville, downtown, not every part, but certainly the money-driving part of Nashville completely inundated with water with this.
Well, they got 17 inches of rain in 24 hours. That's what is going to happen.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
And there's the shots of the river as we're getting it now. These are live pictures that we're kind of dipping into from one of our affiliates. We appreciate them.
We appreciate you sticking around. There are three big developing stories that we are all over. Stay with us. This is your national conversation. It is scrolling on. This is your -- RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to our new digs. This is your national conversation. This is RICK'S LIST.
As you probably know, those of you who watch us regularly, at least once a week, it seems that a member of Congress says something worthy of the list that you don't want to be on. Today marks the first time that a former member of Congress is landing there.
Today's number one is James Traficant, former Ohio congressman turned convicted felon. Just got out of the pen, after serving seven years for racketeering, tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and bribery.
Here's a reminder from our highlight reel of the Democrat with the disheveled do. Is it a do or is it a toup? You decide, America. His last speech on the House floor before his sentence began, here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES TRAFICANT (D), OHIO: You didn't elect me. Yes, you have the right to throw me out. My people don't want me out. I will go to jail before I admit to a crime I didn't commit.
I will go jail, but I will be damned if I will be pressured by a government that pressured these witnesses to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: What a man. What a day. What a hairdo.
Jim Traficant ready to go back into the halls of Capitol Hill, not as Democrat, though. This time, he's filing paperwork to run as a -- in a congressional seat again as an independent, which leads to this question: If you're a convicted felon, who's not allowed legally to cast a vote for yourself, will you be able to ask the people of Ohio to vote for you?
And, today, we learned this, his platform. What is it? To get rid of the IRS. Everybody cheers, of course, for, today, number one on the list you don't want to be on is James Traficant.
What --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started working here when I was a little boy, and this all I know. It's a lot of if, and, buts. I'm just -- I'm really worried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: What a disaster. And it's only getting worse. Can you imagine, if that's your livelihood, you work off the coast, you're a fisherman, and somebody says, sorry, you can't fish, period?
The Coast Guard is playing catch-up. So are the officials. So are the feds. So is the company responsible. We're all over this story in Gulf of Mexico. As we get the information, we're going to be sharing it with you.
And Chad it taking us what through they're trying to do.
Stay right there. We're coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcomes back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
I want to bring you up to date now on a story that's really got a lot of folks scratching their heads. I mean, on both sides. If you look at this story, you look at this situation that's going on right now in Arizona, it's making a lot of police officers in particular do things that to them is uncomfortable. Take, for example, the story we're about to share with you.
This is the police officer who lives in a community where most of the people who live around him are Hispanic, immigrants. He goes to church with them, lives with them, knows them. Many of them are even illegal immigrants.
He says that this law is not going to make him trusted. The word he uses is bad guy, as opposed to good guy.
Listen to him as he takes you through his thought process. Our reporter is Thelma Gutierrez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OFC. MARTIN ESCOBAR, TUCSON POLICE: I have to do my job. I have to serve and protect.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not often a police officer speaks out publicly against the laws he's sworn to uphold. But Officer Martin Escobar, a naturalized citizen and a 15- year veteran of the Tucson Police Department, says he can no longer remain silent. We met to talk about the new Arizona law that Escobar calls unconstitutional. And as a police officer, he says he doesn't want to have to enforce it. As a private citizen, he's challenging it in federal court.
ESCOBAR: I said, OK, you know what? It's got to be done. It's the right thing for me to do. And sometimes you've got to stand up for what you believe.
GUTIERREZ: Officer Escobar took us to the area he patrols on Tucson's south side. It's where he grew up.
(on camera): What is this neighborhood like?
ESCOBAR: This is a predominantly Hispanic community, predominantly Mexican community here.
GUTIERREZ: Lots of new immigrants.
ESCOBAR: Lots of new immigrants coming through here. A lot of people that don't know how to speak English.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): He says he and other officers work hard to gain trust in their communities. It's how crime gets solved.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to stay here by myself because I have no family here.
GUTIERREZ: But now even the children are running scared he will deport them.
(on camera): So they're afraid of you?
ESCOBAR: Of course. Of course. I don't want them to be afraid of me. Officers, police officers are supposed to be the good guys. We're not the bad guys.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Under the law, Escobar would have to investigate the immigration status of anyone he stopped, detained or arrested if he suspected they were in the country illegally.
(on camera): Under this law, you can be sued if you don't investigate?
ESCOBAR: Yes, that's correct.
GUTIERREZ: Does that worry you?
ESCOBAR: Yes, of course it does.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Within a week of passing the new law, Arizona lawmakers amended it, tightening provisions that critics claimed would lead to racial profiling. The state's governor says racial profiling will not be tolerated in Arizona. But Escobar knows how things work on the streets.
(on camera): Are you saying that in Arizona, if you come upon a person with an Irish accent and a person with a Spanish accent, you'll investigate the person with the Spanish accent?
ESCOBAR: It's most likely that person with the Spanish accent is going to get investigated.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): It's that assumption that bothers him most.
(on camera): It sounds like you can relate to what some of the people are feeling right now.
ESCOBAR: Well, and that's exactly what I'm saying. And if you having (ph) that's why some people are not going to understand what the feeling is unless they've been through it. I've been through it.
And that's a school picture when I'm in elementary school. I didn't have one -- one word of English. I remember then, at that time, being called a wetback, you know? That used to sting so bad.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Officer Escobar remembers being questioned by border patrol agents as a child. And he says he knows exactly what some of these children are feeling. He argues in his lawsuit that determining who is in Arizona illegally should not be his responsibility. He says under federal law, that job is reserved for trained federal immigration agents.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And just when things in Arizona could not get any crazier, they are not. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has just announced that he will not be running for governor of Arizona. Not be running for governor of Arizona.
We have been following this for you throughout the day. That's the news, as we understand it, but I believe that he will make a statement which should be coming up in the next 25 minutes or so. When it does, whether it's on our watch, here on RICK'S LIST, or on "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer, you will see it live.
Now to one of our premiere lists.
Last hour I counted down a list of states with the most illegal immigrants, all the way from 10 to six. It came from statemaster.com.
Now I want to bring you the top five. Here we go.
Number five: Florida. -- 337,000 illegal immigrants said to live in Florida.
Number four: Illinois -- 432,000 illegal immigrants live in Illinois.
Number three: New York, with 489,000 illegal immigrants living there.
Number two: Texas, 1,041,000 illegal immigrants live in Texas.
But number one, as you can see right there is California, 2,209,000 illegal immigrants living in the state of California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: When you think of a volcano, you think of, like, Hawaii and long words (ph) like that. You don't think of Iceland. You think it's too cold to have a volcano there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I guess that's why they're the most trusted name in news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Stop that, Mr. President. I was kidding. I've done segments on this.
Here's the president of the United States, owned the room at White House Correspondents' Dinner, and he's making fun of me. And if that isn't bad enough, he also makes fun of my colleague, Wolf Blitzer.
Nobody puts homey in a corner. OK?
We'll be right back. I'm defending Wolf Blitzer?
We'll be right back with RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
One of the things that we do on RICK'S LIST is we follow news on Twitter that is relevant to the news that we have been telling you. Nothing bigger than what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico, so let's go to a tweet that we're monitoring now from one of our own.
This is from Deirdre Walsh, and she is saying that "CNN has now learned that BP officials will brief House oversight Subcommittee on the oil spill tomorrow." Again, BP is being called to the table. They have to explain themselves in front of an oversight subcommittee. That will happen at 2:00 p.m., according to one of our folks here at CNN.
One of our best here at CNN is Brooke Baldwin. She's joining us now to bring us up to date on what's going on with her list.
We call this "Trending Topics." And I'll tell you, if you go on Twitter or any of the social media sites, one of the biggest trenders right now is the situation in the Gulf and the situation in Tennessee.
Which are you starting with?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm going to start with the oil spill, just sort of coming off of that tweet from Deirdre.
You know, the area really impacted by the spill in the Gulf Coast. It is actually, ,we're estimating, the size of Delaware. Delaware.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
BALDWIN: And I know they'll be briefed, the House oversight committee, tomorrow, but we do know, behind closed doors today, members of the Obama administration met with BP execs. As you would say, they got some explaining to do, right, to talk --
SANCHEZ: Splaining.
BALDWIN: Some splaining to do. They've got to talk about the response plan, of course, mitigating the potential impact on the Gulf.
Meantime, I just finished listening to this for you. U.S. Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby publicly commented on the cost and the well's owner, BP. You know after the Exxon Valdez spill in '89, in 1990, that Oil Pollution Act was passed. So that means it is the responsibility of the company to do the cleaning up.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: I would just say it this way -- they're not too big to fight. If they can't pay, and it takes everything they've got, they should cease to exist, and the -- hopefully that won't happen.
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R), ALABAMA: In the meantime, I hope they don't go broke. I hope they thrive. But in the meantime, there's a lot of resources, a lot of insurance and assets they have. And they're going have to step up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: How do they step it up?
SANCHEZ: Well, they have to come up with valves. What is that valve called? What is it called?
BALDWIN: It's your favorite topic -- blowout preventer.
SANCHEZ: They need to get one that works.
BALDWIN: They need to get one that works. That's precisely the problem, it's not working. They have to fix this stuck valve. It's about 5,000 feet under water, and that's the problem.
So, BP, they've been trying to stop the flow by using those remote-controlled submarines to activate the blowout preventer. It isn't working. Got to come up with Plan B.
Plan B is this: they need to collect the oil directly from the leaks -- by the way, there are three -- so that doesn't go into the ocean. So what they're doing right now -- and I was just listening to the Coast Guard on a news conference as well. They've made one of these containment chambers. They have to make three, one per leak.
Also, BP -- I think you were trying to do this with the straws last week. You remember?
SANCHEZ: Right. Right.
BALDWIN: BP is drilling a second well at an angle so they can kind of intercept the first one, try to pour some of the concrete deep down a clog. That initial leak, still, we're talking weeks and weeks here.
SANCHEZ: What a mess.
BALDWIN: It is a mess.
SANCHEZ: I woke up Sunday morning, and I must have had 50 or 60 e-mails from my buddies, or my friends, from you, from correspondents who were with the president on Saturday night, all telling me that the president had just made fun of me.
BALDWIN: Oh, man, Rick Sanchez. That was the place to be Saturday night, I guess.
Why don't we -- let's have a little fun.
SANCHEZ: Oh, yes. Sure. Let's have a little fun.
BALDWIN: Roger, let's roll it.
SANCHEZ: Go ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: -- a different way altogether.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I was just asking Chad, how can you get a volcano in Iceland? Isn't it too -- when you think of a volcano, you think of like Hawaii and long words (ph) like that. You don't think of Iceland. You think it's too cold to have a volcano there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I guess that's why they're the most trusted name in news.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Oh!
BALDWIN: Oh, no he didn't!
SANCHEZ: Such a funny guy, that Barack Obama.
BALDWIN: Hardy har, har.
So what did you think when you saw that?
SANCHEZ: I was kind of --
BALDWIN: Kind of sort of flattered, kind of sort of not?
SANCHEZ: Yes. I was like, he's making fun of me.
BALDWIN: You were kidding. Remember you talked about that?
SANCHEZ: No. No. No. You know, my kids and my wife, Suzanne --
BALDWIN: I bet they thought it was hilarious.
SANCHEZ: -- said that was great. "Dad!" I mean, my kids started calling their friends. "The president of the United States is talking about you and making fun of you at a place where everyone is being made fun of."
BALDWIN: So we just wanted to poke a little fun. That's part of my fun job.
SANCHEZ: Well, but I still don't like it because --
BALDWIN: They knew you were kidding. We knew.
SANCHEZ: But know I'm a very sensitive guy.
BALDWIN: People wouldn't know this.
SANCHEZ: No?
BALDWIN: No. You're kind of gruff on the outside.
SANCHEZ: But you know this.
BALDWIN: You have warm and fuzzy in you.
SANCHEZ: But you know this?
BALDWIN: I do know.
SANCHEZ: I'm going to ask Wolf about this.
BALDWIN: You do that, because they were kind of slamming him a little bit, too. SANCHEZ: Yes. He was making fun of Wolf Blitzer.
BALDWIN: Let's get to the bottom of that.
SANCHEZ: As if it's not bad enough.
Thank you --
BALDWIN: All right, Rick Sanchez.
SANCHEZ: -- "Trending Topics" woman.
All right.
You want to know how bad the Nashville floods are now? Houses, washed off their foundations? You know, cars didn't stand a chance. Thousands of people are stranded.
This is a heck of a scene. I mean, we're just going to drill down on this thing as much as we possibly can. Chad Myers is all over it.
The good news is, with these kinds of flash floods, "flash" means it's fast going in. That means it will be fast going out. That's what Chad says. And he knows.
We'll be right back. This is RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. This is RICK'S LIST.
How do you guys like our new digs?
I've been reading all the interesting tweets and e-mails that you all have been sending me, and I thank you. We do like it and we do think it's kind of got a space-age look to it. It feels pretty comfortable.
There are about three big developing stories that we're following for you today. Obviously, the situation in Tennessee, the situation in the Gulf. Those are ongoing, they're ever-changing.
But there's another situation that we're following for you now. This having to do with that explosion -- well, I guess we should say the beginning of an explosion, because it was never actually -- it never actually detonated, but there was smoke around it on this Nissan Pathfinder that was found right there in Times Square, which had enough stuff in it to blow it up. And if it would have blown up on a Saturday night in Times Square, with tens of thousands of people walking around, you can just imagine the fiasco, the mess, the melee it would have created. It was still a mess, but not quite as bad as it could have been.
Now, there's the vehicle. This is what we've just learned. We've learned that this car was sold on Craigslist for $1,800, and that it was a cash transaction.
We're still trying to figure out, because any time you sell a car from one person to another in the United States, you have to show some kind of proof of ownership, which means you have to sign some kind of registration form that goes along with the vehicle, the same one you show if a cop pulls you over and wants to see your license and registration. Well, in this case, it doesn't sound like there was an exchange of a registration.
So, who was that person who bought the car? Police officers are trying to nail that down right now. And as we get information, we're going to be sharing it with you.
In the meantime, Wolf Blitzer is coming up in just a little bit. He and I have got a lot talk about, as usual. Not to mention just the big news stories, but that party he went to on Saturday night.
Wolf and Rick, back in a jiff.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: So, when the president of the United States started making fun of Wolf Blitzer the other night on Saturday night -- you could ask my wife -- I started throwing things at the television. I was -- I had such a sense of ownership. Don't you talk about my homey. Don't you talk about my Wolf Blitzer.
I was angry. And I'm sure -- Wolf was there. Wolf Blitzer was there when the president tried to make fun of me as well.
I'm sure you stood up and said, "Mr. President, you're out of line." Right?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I was about 20 feet away, and I laughed like everybody else did.
SANCHEZ: You laughed at me?
BLITZER: It was all done in a good sense of humor. It's a fun night.
I've been the source of a lot of ridicule over the years. You know, there's nothing wrong with the president having a little fun at the media's expense. So we all have thick skins, don't we, Rick?
SANCHEZ: You're like, well, it's about time they start making fun of that little Hispanic guy down there in Atlanta.
BLITZER: You know, it's good publicity. He got your name right.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: You know what? You're right. And it's funny.
I almost felt like it was like a caveat. It was like he to -- because he talked about our two competitors. He talked about MSNBC, said something bad about them, and said something bad about Fox. And then he said, I've got to say something about CNN. So, I know, I'll criticize Sanchez.
Right?
BLITZER: It wasn't that bad.
By the way, did you see the tweet I just put out on Twitter?
SANCHEZ: No. I missed a tweet?
Angie Massey (ph)?
BLITZER: A little picture. Go to Twitter.com. Check out what I tweeted just about a half an hour or so ago.
SANCHEZ: Oh my God.
BLITZER: A picture of me and a celebrity at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
SANCHEZ: Don't tell me. Don't tell me. Was it -- the Hispanic gal? What's her name?
BLITZER: No, no, no.
SANCHEZ: Shakira? No?
BLITZER: Justin Bieber.
SANCHEZ: All right. Hold on. We've got it. Hold on.
Move the camera. I can't see.
Is it up there? You got it, Angie?
Oh, you guys. I can't believe -- oh, there it is. Here's a pic of -- here, shoot that.
Shoot that, if you would there, guys. Robert?
OK. "Here's a pic of Justin Bieber and me, Wolf Blitzer."
Oh! Look at you! He looks like he could be your -- your brother.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: He was at the "TIME" magazine, "People" magazine little reception before the dinner, and he was there. I've seen him sing. I saw him sing at the Turner Broadcasting Christmas in Washington event that goes on around Christmas. He's really got a nice voice.
SANCHEZ: Oh, great. You're such a superstar, Wolf Blitzer. There you are with your --
BLITZER: No. He's a superstar.
SANCHEZ: That's great.
Hey, good talking to you, man. Have a fantastic show today.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right.
Up next, the very latest on the Nashville flood. We're going to drill down on it for you. And some new pictures are coming in and we'll share them with you.
I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Chad Myers joining us now. He knows Tennessee. He's following the horrible situation.
You ever been to Dollywood?
MYERS: I have not. I've been to the Grand Ole Opry and I've been to --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I love it. Well, you know I've got little kids. I've got a bunch a little kids. My wife and I, we overbred.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: TMI, all right?
SANCHEZ: Four kids. Four kids, and we go to every amusement park you could ever -- and Dollywood is like an old-fashioned one. And she -- you know, Tennessee means a lot to her, to Dolly Parton.
She just sent this tweet out a little bit -- a while ago. Look at this. "Thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the flooding in Nashville and the surrounding areas."
She's a nice lady, and I'm glad we got a chance to put her tweet on the air, because I'm sure she's extremely sincere about that. That's part of her hometown and it means a lot to her.
Now, take us through what's going on right now in Tennessee.
MYERS: I just went through the river flood warning system that occurred over the weekend. The river on Saturday morning, at 5:00 a.m., was at 18 feet. That was well below the bridges, hadn't even started raining yet.
Fifty hours later, right now, it is at 51 feet. So that river came up 23 feet from where it was.
SANCHEZ: Brand new pictures coming in now, Chad.
MYERS: There you go.
SANCHEZ: I was just told by Angie.
Go on. I just wanted to tell you that.
MYERS: Well, at this point in time, a lot of downtown is wet and under water, and the Opryland Hotel was under six feet of water. And so it all depends on how close you are to this Cumberland River that they're on there.
SANCHEZ: Man. Now, these pictures that we're looking at here -- I've been to Nashville. Oh, there's the stadium. Yes. That's next to the museum, the Nashville -- the rock 'n' roll museum that they have there, which is a really cool place, by the way.
MYERS: Is that right?
SANCHEZ: Yes. I mean, this is like right in the center of town.
MYERS: Absolutely. Absolutely. And downtown, and to the southwest of Nashville, they picked up 17 inches of rain. Nashville picking up 13.
Now, what's the difference in 24 hours? Not much. But look at the boats on the streets. Yes, this is what the people are dealing with in Nashville. This is almost Atlanta-like floods like we had months ago.
SANCHEZ: That is amazing. Wow. Thanks for taking us through.
MYERS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: I guess we'll stay on top of it. The good news is it hopefully will recede pretty quickly.
MYERS: It goes down below flood stage in 33 hours.
SANCHEZ: We can't wait, 33 hours.
Wolf Blitzer standing by now. He's taking you through "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Here, Wolf Blitzer.
