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Rick's List

President Obama Speaks Out on Oil Spill; Arizona Schools Banning Ethnic Studies?

Aired May 14, 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: At the top of the hour, our historical list, footage never been seen before, President Kennedy in Texas. This is the night before his assassination. This is .8-millimeter film, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Remember that? Made nearly 50 years ago. Now, it's been sitting in a chest of drawers in a Texas home. It is a LULAC gala, who lives -- in Houston, and an impromptu visit by the president and the first lady.

You see the first couple. They're seated with the mariachis singing right there behind them. The president turns to the first lady, who knew Spanish, by the way. We're told that she appears to be explaining and translating what's going on behind them at the time.

The very next day, on their tour of Texas, it was their fateful trip through Dallas. The owner of the film says he would like to give it to the National Archives. The JFK Presidential Library and the Sixth Floor Museum call the film a national treasure and would like to include it in their archives. Wow.

Welcome back, hour two. Time to pick up the pace of today's LIST for those of you now checking in.

Number one: President Obama says the oil slick in the Gulf is an urgent crisis and he's calling the conduct of some parties ridiculous. That's the president of the United States suddenly sounding hard-nosed over this situation in the Gulf.

Here's -- here's the president a few hours ago when he came out and spoke at the Rose Garden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The most important order of business is to stop the leak. I know there have been varying reports over the last few days about how large the leak is, but since no one can get down there in person, we know there's a level of uncertainty. But as Admiral Thad Allen said today, our mobilization and response efforts have always been geared toward the possibility of a catastrophic event.

And what really matters is this: There's oil leaking and we need to stop it, and we need to stop it as soon as possible.

With that source being 5,000 feet under the ocean's surface, this has been extremely difficult. But scientists and engineers are currently using the best, most advanced technology that exists to try to stop the flow of oil as quickly as possible.

Our second task has been to contain the spill and protect the Gulf Coast and the people who live there. We are using every available resource to stop the oil from coming ashore.

Over one million feet of barrier boom have been deployed to hold the oil back. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of dispersants have helped to break up the oil. And about 4 million gallons of oily water have been recovered.

Thirteen thousand people have been mobilized to protect the shoreline and its wildlife, as has the National Guard.

And this week, we also sent to Congress legislation that would provide us with the additional resources to mitigate the damage caused by this spill. And I ask for prompt action on this legislation.

Now, it would help with cleanup efforts, it would provide unemployment assistance and job training to folks whose jobs are affected by this crisis, and it would help with the region's economic recovery. That's why this legislation's important.

It would also help ensure that companies like BP that are responsible for oil spills are the ones that pay for the harm caused by these oil spills, not the taxpayers.

This is in addition to the low-interest loans that we've made available to small businesses that are suffering financial losses from the spill.

Let me also say, by the way, a word here about BP and the other companies involved in this mess.

I know BP has committed to pay for the response effort. And we will hold them to their obligation.

I have to say, though, I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter. You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else.

The American people could not have been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn't.

I understand that there are legal and financial issues involved, and a full investigation will tell us exactly what happened. But it is pretty clear that the system failed, and it failed badly. And for that, there's enough responsibility to go around. And all parties should be willing to accept it.

That includes, by the way, the federal government. For too long, for a decade or more, there's been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies.

That cannot and will not happen anymore. To borrow an old phrase, we will trust, but we will verify.

Now, from the day he took office as interior secretary, Ken Salazar has recognized these problems and he's worked to solve them. Oftentimes, he has been slammed by the industry, suggesting that somehow these necessary reforms would impede economic growth. Well, as I just told Ken, we are going to keep on going to do what needs to be done.

And so I have asked Secretary Salazar to conduct a top-to-bottom reform of the Minerals Management Service. This week, he announced that the part of the agency which permits oil and gas drilling and collects royalties will be separated from the part of the agency in charge of inspecting the safety of oil rigs and platforms and enforcing the law. That way, there's no conflict of interest, real or perceived.

We've also ordered immediate inspections of all deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. And we've announced that no permits for drilling new wells will go forward until the 30-day safety and environmental review that I requested is completed.

We're also closing the loophole that has allowed some oil companies to bypass some critical environmental reviews. And today, we're announcing a new examination of the environmental procedures for oil and gas exploration and development.

Now, as I have said before, domestic oil drilling continues to be one part of an overall energy strategy that now includes more clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency than at any other time in our history.

But it's absolutely essential that, going forward, we put in place every necessary safeguard and protection so that a tragedy like this oil spill does not happen again.

This is a responsibility that all of us share. The oil companies share it. The manufacturers of this equipment share it. The agencies and the federal government in charge of oversight share that responsibility. I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility.

The people of the Gulf Coast need our help, and they deserve nothing less than for us to stand up and do whatever is necessary to stop this spill, prevent further damage, and compensate all those who've been harmed already. That's our job.

It's also our job to make sure this kind of mess doesn't happen again. It's a job we've been doing. It's a job we will keep doing until this well is capped and the spill is cleaned up, and all claims are paid. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This has been an interesting day.

If nothing else, as you heard the president say, there's starting to be outrage, or foment of outrage, not just at the highest levels at the White House, and some people are saying politically it's about time that this administration shows some outrage with this situation, but also with the citizenry and certainly with people who are living along the Gulf Coast, because there seem to be no explanations, no solutions, few strategies.

And the solutions and the strategies that there are, are usually either so confusing or so unable to work.

A short time ago -- and you heard it right here -- Coast Guard commandant Thad Allen appeared to say that several more strategies, several more fixes are going to be tried at once.

Well, we have seen many of the fixes that haven't worked. That's what it now looks like. For the first time, BP has allowed us to show you what they probably should have showed us a long time ago. That's video they have had of the actual leak. That's what it really looks like.

Now, what Thad Allen has been saying has varied today at different occasions both in substance and in nuance, from what he said this morning, for example, on Dauphin Island when he was in Alabama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THAD ALLEN, U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT: The top hat is a device over the leak that will collect oil and take it to the surface. BP has also looked at another opportunity where they might be able to actually tap into the pipe and put a pipe in there as a risk mitigator. But the main effort today is the top hat and trying to get that oil to the surface through a pipe and then evacuate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: What Allen seemed to say there this morning is that they are trying this top hat solution. It's a -- it's essentially a cap on the leak, which doesn't precisely square with what CNN has been reporting.

We called the Coast Guard for clarification and they told us that Allen got his sequencing out of place. They said -- quote -- "The flow of information isn't always simultaneous."

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: So, we will continue to work to nail down precisely what they're trying to do to stop this leak. I took you through some of it earlier, and I will continue to do so. All right. One day, she's an average college student. The next day, she's jailed and told that she could be tossed out of the country. She's, by the way, an illegal immigrant whose story touched a nerve with a lot of you on both sides. So, our Brooke Baldwin stayed on top of this story. And, today, there's been a new development. Will she get to stay in the country? Will she get to go back to college? She's a good student, mind you. Or will she, should she, be deported? That's ahead.

Also, what's the penalty for trying to leave Haiti with nearly three dozen children, three dozen children, none of them yours? An American missionary held since the earthquake is now closer to finding out, finally, a resolution on this Haiti story.

I'm Rick Sanchez. This is your national conversation. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Time for the roundup list. And here we go.

Number one: liftoff, baby, space shuttle Atlantis right on time, destination, the International Space Station. This might be the last time that you see Atlantis roar off of the launchpad. After this 12- day mission, there is just two more -- or there are just two more scheduled trips in NASA's shuttle program involving Discovery and, of course, Endeavour. The shuttle fleet is being retired.

OK, here we go, number two. Ready? Bang. It's not getting better in gang -- in Bangkok, riot troops patrolling the streets, clouds of smoke and tear gas, burning cars and echoes of gunfire throughout the city today, reports at least eight people are dead, more than 100 are hurt, and protesters have been clashing with riot police in Thailand's capital.

Just yesterday, somebody shot a protester -- a protest leader in the head as he spoke to reporters. He was left in critical condition. The protesters call themselves the Red Shirts. And they're furious at the government for what they are the major departures from democracy.

Number three: The legal wheels are turning for Laura Silsby. She's the American missionary held in Haiti charged with trying to smuggle children out of the country after the earthquake in January.

Yesterday, the prosecutors urged the judge to send her to prison for no less than six months, saying Silsby and others from the church knew it was illegal to take kids out of the country, earthquake or no earthquake. The trial is being held in a tent near the demolished courthouse in Port-au-Prince. No trial session today, though. The judge could rule as soon as next week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HORNE, ARIZONA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: This bill is not an anti-immigrant bill. It's a bill designed to get schools to teach kids to treat each other as individuals, and not on the basis of what race they were born into.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: OK. That's one way to look at Arizona's new ban on ethnic studies. But many say it's just wrong. They say it's a backward idea.

We have received heated tweets from all of you on both sides of this argument. We have considered both sides of this argument. Coming up, I'm going to talk to a top Tucson educator who not only opposes the plan; he heads up a controversial ethnic program that we have been talking about.

So, he's the guy to talk to who can get us through this. And, folks, there's a lot of questions in this story. So, stay right there. I will try and answer them for you.

Also, a girl, baseball and our most intriguing, I'm going to add them up for you. Stay right there. You're going to love this. We're going to be right back. Happy Friday, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Time to check the list of the most intriguing people who are making the news today. Here we go.

The folks we're talking about today will make you look like a fool in many ways. That's a job of a professional baseball player, of course, and especially a pitcher, especially one who has mastered the knuckleball, that wobbly, jumping, maddening pitch that any batter is just plain lucky to even get a piece of.

Remember Phil Niekro? I mean, remember some of the great knuckleballers? Well, today's most intriguing just got signed to play minor league baseball in the United States, a knuckleballer, despite her language barrier and a couple of other unique issues. That's what the team manager likes. That means knuckleball.

Good luck swinging at that thing. Here's the unique part of this story. This pitcher is 18 years old. She -- that's right -- she just graduated high school in Japan. Yes, I said she, 5 feet tall, the first Japanese woman ever to play pro ball in Japan. And now she's on the roster of the Chico Outlaws in California, because she throws one heck of a knuckleball.

Eri Yoshida expected to take the mound in her American professional baseball debut next week. We are going to bring you video of that, all right? I'm going to make sure we bring you video of that. The guys who think she's a novelty or a gimmick, they might get a bit of a shock. We're not making any promises. They might have some words for that knuckleball she will throw past them. For now, she will just stick with what we call her on this day, the most intriguing person in the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was clear to us soon after it took place that this simply was just not true. The -- just the evidence just didn't support the story he was giving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Didn't support the story he was giving. You know why? Because he's -- because he lied. That's why. This police officer made our list you don't want to be on earlier this week because he lied about how he got shot. He -- he made up a story about, "Yes, two black guys did it; I saw them," when the officer actually shot himself.

Now we know more about his motive and how he got caught. That's ahead right here.

And now ethnic studies banned in Arizona schools -- this is a controversy. A lot of people are saying, that sounds xenophobic. that sounds ethnocentric. Some people are saying it's bigoted. Well, there's two sides to every story. I'm going to be talking to one side today. We're going to be reaching out to the other side as well on Monday, tried to reach out to them yesterday. But we're going to stay on top of this story.

This guy we're going to talk to says, it's a witch-hunt. But what is it really? Stay right there. This will be good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Here we go on our follow-up list. Yesterday, I got a lot of heat on Twitter from many of you. And -- and, look, that -- that -- that -- that's OK. I mean, that's why we call this the national conversation, right?

We express some ideas and suggestions from time to time. And, sometimes -- sometimes, folks agree, and, sometimes, folks disagree. I said that "la raza" maybe shouldn't be the best name of a course in the study in public schools -- or a study to be taken in public schools, I should say. Maybe Mexican studies? Maybe Hispanic studies, but La Raza?

Isn't that akin to teaching a class, instead of calling it African-American studies, you would call it black power? Think about it. Maybe I'm crazy.

We were talking about ethnic studies program in Tucson, Arizona, and a new law that could force changes there, and possibly put an end to some of those classes.

Listen to what the Arizona school superintendent says about the program.

Roll it, Dan. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HORNE: In Tucson, what they did was, they divided the kids into different races, so African studies for the African-American kids, raza studies for the Latino kids -- raza means the race in Spanish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mm-hmm.

HORNE: Asian studies for the Asian kids, Indian studies for the Native American kids.

And in the -- particular in the raza studies, they taught a very radical agenda, a separatist agenda. We have testimony from teachers and ex-teachers that they were teaching kids they live in occupied Mexico, that the United States is oppressive. They were making them angry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, there's no question -- that man's name is Mr. Pearce, right? Isn't that superintendent's name -- Horne, probably. Horne. I'm sorry. Pearce is the fellow who made the law -- the other law in Arizona.

There's no question that he sounds a little xenophobic, maybe a little -- maybe a little ethnocentric. OK? And some people have argued that.

But I'm wondering -- Augustine Romero is joining us now. He's in charge of the ethnic studies program in the Tucson school district.

I'm wondering, Mr. Romero, if you didn't give that fellow the ammunition to almost throw out the baby out with the bathwater. I mean, he's got some pretty serious charges there, things, for example, that most people, whether you look at the story from one side or another -- and I know everybody does -- that you can't help but say, well, were they doing that in Tucson?

Now, let me give you an example. He just said right there you were separating the students, the Hispanic students over here to study Hispanic studies, or la raza, the Asian students over there, American studies -- or white students over there.

Were you doing that?

AUGUSTINE ROMERO, TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

SANCHEZ: So, he's lying? So...

ROMERO: And let me -- let me...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: So -- so, he's lying? ROMERO: He's -- he's lying. He's lying. It -- this legislation is based upon untruth and it's -- and it's centered in the idea of political rhetoric and political gain.

That's where the -- all this is coming from.

SANCHEZ: OK. OK.

ROMERO: They are straight-out lies.

SANCHEZ: No, just...

(CROSSTALK)

ROMERO: Let me tell you...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: No, just -- just -- just...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: You know what? I don't want speeches. I just want to you answer my questions. Let's you and I have a discussion.

And let me just take you through my questions, and then you can tell me whatever you want, all right?

ROMERO: Sure. Sure.

SANCHEZ: Why did you name the class -- why did you name the class la raza? Why don't you name -- is it -- first of all, is it true that it's named la raza? And why isn't it just called Mexican- American history or Mexican-American studies?

ROMERO: OK.

The class is called -- the class was Mexican-American raza studies. It's not la raza. It's raza studies.

SANCHEZ: OK.

ROMERO: And the intent was to -- the intent was not only to connect our -- our children and those taking the courses to our Mexican side, but also to our indigenous side as well. The word raza is loosely translated to the people, just like the (INAUDIBLE) it translates to the people, just like (INAUDIBLE) translates to people, (INAUDIBLE) translates to the people.

These are indigenous tribes. And the idea was to connect.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: But you will -- but you're -- but you will grant me that, you know, you are asking for trouble when you do -- I mean, raza -- look, Raza is a wonderful organization. And I don't think -- I -- I'm not here to judge them one way or another.

They -- they do what they do, and they do it well. But it tends to be viewed in this country more as a political movement than it is a study. When you throw the word raza in there, just like you if you were to call African-American studies black power, for example, you know, you are kind of making peoples' ears perk up, aren't you?

ROMERO: No, not whatsoever. But when we take a look at the political terrain in Arizona, it doesn't matter what we would have called ourselves, we would still be under attack. We could have called ourselves Hispanic studies, and it doesn't matter. We still would have been under attack here in the state of Arizona.

SANCHEZ: OK.

Let me ask you about "The Pedagogy," which is the -- a book which, you know, look, some people say that it's a book that might be viewed as -- that may be viewed as Marxist, "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed."

Do you believe that's a book you should not have used?

ROMERO: Not -- not whatsoever. We -- we believe the book is appropriate for our kids.

First of all, the book is not as Tom Horne says. It's not based upon the communist manifesto. It's very spiritual in nature. It's Paulo Freire's response to the Bible and response to how we use pedagogy, how we use teaching to help people redeem their humanity, and actually forward humanity in a way that we humanize all others around us.

SANCHEZ: Let me ask you about this video. And we got a -- we got a clip of it.

It's called, interestingly enough -- it was produced by students at two of the high schools. It's called "Decolonize" -- look at the words, I mean, because this suggests that, somehow, the people of Mexican descent need to take back what was rightfully theirs. That's a suggestion, not a claim. "Decolonize and Reclaim."

Let's look at the video, and then I will ask you about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The uprising has begun. The revolution is here. The propaganda will be smashed. And establishment will be shaken to the core. A new regime is being ushered in on the back of the people. We will not be held down any longer. This is a new day. (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: What -- how -- how would you defend that, which does seem to sound revolutionary? ROMERO: No. What -- what -- what are -- those students are trying to accomplish and what we're trying to help our students understand is that there's a place for them in this country, and that what they need to do is they need to find what those spaces are, find what their strengths are, and then use those strengths to create a better place, find a place in this society where we can make things better.

And I -- I don't think -- there will be very few people that would argue the fact that people of color have been excluded from full participation in this country. And what we're trying to tell our students is, regardless of that fact, there is -- there are places for you to fit in. There are places where you can make contributions, and you can make this a better place for everybody.

SANCHEZ: So, you are saying -- fair enough. You're -- you're saying -- and -- and, look, I will read what the House bill says. They're trying to stop classes that promote the overthrow of the United States government.

Have you promoted the overthrow of the United States government? Have you promoted, number two, resentment toward a race or a class of people? Do you believe that your classes in Tucson do that, those first two that I just read?

ROMERO: Absolutely -- absolutely not. Absolutely not.

What we promote is -- is multi-perspectives of history. And what we hope is that all children, regardless of their race or cultural background, will experience these courses, because we do believe that these courses lead to better understanding of who people's neighbors are, better understandings of -- of their cultures.

And by having these understandings, we're able to move forward together, in -- in -- in the hope of making this a better place.

SANCHEZ: And, by the way, you told me...

ROMERO: They're not...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: You told me at the beginning that anybody can take these courses, right? I mean, if I -- if I'm...

ROMERO: Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: ... my son is Hispanic, but he wants to take Asian studies, he can, right?

ROMERO: Absolutely. We have a governing board member in Tucson Unified who is a Latino who went through one of our high schools and took the African-American studies courses. And that happens very commonly. That's not something that just happens every now and then. It happens all the time. SANCHEZ: That's good, because as I suspected, it sounds like the statement that had been made by the superintendent then is either misinformed or just wrong from all the evidence that we have seen.

Do you feel -- from all of the things that I have just mentioned -- and you've negated most of them, but let me just look at you man to man here and ask you, do you feel like maybe with this course you overreached, and by overreaching you may have set some of these folks off who are going to use this as an opportunity to just, you know what, say, OK, the hell with it, no more courses, period, in Arizona? If you had it to do over again, would you have rethought allowing a video like that to be produced?

I mean, be honest with me. Would you have rethought the video to be produced? Would you have rethought some of the words that maybe have been used? Would you have rethought using the word "Raza" in the title of the class, for example, and make it maybe a little more inclusive?

ROMERO: No. I think the word "inclusive" that you use is inappropriate, because what we believe is that we have been inclusive and we are inclusive. So, given that understanding, and given that reality, there's nothing we would have done different. We've done nothing wrong.

Regardless, like I said before, regardless of what we call ourselves, regardless of the discourse we would have used, we still would have come under attack. Tom Horne would have found a way to attack us. This attack --

SANCHEZ: Why would he do that? Do you believe -- I suggested at the beginning of the show that some people may have called him ethnocentric, maybe even xenophobic. Do you believe he is?

ROMERO: Absolutely. Absolutely.

He's used the Latino for political gain ever since 2002 and his first run for the superintendent of public instruction. He won that campaign on the backs of Latinos, and now he fast forwards his campaign eight years later and thinks he's going to win the attorney generalship on the back of Latinos all over again.

SANCHEZ: So you think this is political?

ROMERO: That's what's really happening. This is political and racist in nature.

SANCHEZ: Well, Mr. Romero, we thank you, sir, for -- listen, you came on. I asked you all the questions that I could. I tried to make it as difficult for you as I can.

There's a lot of questions out there about the course work itself. And I'm glad we gave you an opportunity to respond.

As to Mr. Horne, obviously we've invited him on, and we will ask him about his proposal, his law, and give him due opportunity to respond as well. It's how we do things.

Meanwhile, still ahead, I'm going to talk with a man who worked on oil rigs for years. He says the oil industry routinely lies about tests on equipment. This is incredible. You are not going to believe what you hear him say about what he accuses BP and other oil companies of doing to cut corners, cheat, lie, especially when it comes to these blowout preventers which would have prevented this situation in the Gulf of Mexico.

Stay right there. You'll only see that right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that he stated that two African- Americans were involved in this, again, just, I think, inflames tensions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This police officer right here apparently hated his job so much, he shot himself. OK.

He wanted to change jobs, maybe he wanted to stay at home, maybe he wanted to go somewhere else. Wait. It gets worse.

He then blamed his shooting on nonexistent black men. You just know we had to dig deeper into this. Right? We did. That's ahead.

Also, a young college student with a huge problem. She is an illegal immigrant, and when police stopped her for a traffic violation, she was threatened with deportation.

Brook Baldwin has been following this case for us, and she is breaking news on this one on this day. Should she be deported? Should she be sent back to school?

That's all next, right here.

I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

I'm reading some of your tweets. We're coming to you from New York, by the way. And I know there's been a lot of response to the interview I just did with Mr. Romero. A lot of response, as you might imagine.

But let me bring you first to our follow-up list, the case of a college student who's in this country illegally. Now, her run-in with the law has been blown up into an immigration nightmare. Remember, as we understand it, she was driving without a driver's license. She was in the United States illegally. But she's been here since she was 10, and she's a real good student and generally a very good citizen.

Brooke Baldwin is joining us now.

I understand that there was even more news on this today. She had already spent some time in jail, and today she turned herself back into jail.

What's going on?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So, 21, Jessica Colotl, who is we're talking about.

She got out of jail again today. You mentioned the issue, the story that we broke about a month ago.

She was jailed, she was in a detention center facing deportation because some deputies in Cob County, under this law, 287(g), she would have to go home because she's been here illegally. Well, ICE has since intervened. They have granted her what's called a deferred action.

Basically, they said, hey, we recognize you can stay here for a year. We want you to complete your college education. We'll give you a work permit, you can get that driver's license.

Meantime, the sheriff in that same county where she was initially arrested came forward, issued a warrant for her arrest. She voluntarily turned herself in today.

She's out. She is speaking out now. She's really become the face of this immigration debate in Georgia.

She granted me a one-on-one interview. Here's a part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You got caught when you were parking, and the guy pulls you over. You don't have your license and you end up in jail, long story, short, because they could lawfully ask for your immigration status in Cobb County.

JESSICA COLOTL, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STUDENT: Yes.

BALDWIN: It is a voluntary law, but it is a law, and you broke it. Do you understand that?

COLOTL: Yes. I mean, my intention as to obey every law. And even though I technically broke the law, I'm just trying to fulfill my dream. I'm just trying to get my education.

For me, there's no way of using public transportation because I live in Gwinnett and I go to Kennesaw. BALDWIN: What does that mean for a national audience? They don't understand that.

COLOTL: That it's a long commute. And I think it just shows the determination of how passionate I am about my education.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Rick, you hear those words, "determination," she wants to fulfill a dream. But if you talk to the Cobb County sheriff, he says the law is the law, she broke it.

Here's Sheriff Neil Warren.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF NEIL WARREN, COBB COUNTY, GEORGIA: She should know right from wrong. She should known that she should not operate a vehicle without a driver's license. And then when she was dealing with my staff, she should have known not to give them false information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, several immigration advocacy groups, Rick, here in Georgia are now calling on ICE to sever its contract with Cobb County with regard to this controversial 287(g) law. And, you know, I talked to ICE. They say, look, they look at individuals on a case-by-case basis.

This is supposed to target hardened criminals. Some people in Georgia say, look, Jessica was just the victim of a racial profiling.

I want to read a statement to you, because, of course, I reached out to ICE as well, and they said this: "ICE has exercised that authority in Ms. Colotl's case for one year and did not issue a detainer for today's arrest. ICE will review her case again on its merits at the conclusion of the one-year period."

So, case closed, at least, Rick, ,for a year. Either Jessica goes back to Pueblo, Mexico, a place she hasn't been in 11 years, or she gets to stay in a place she calls home -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: But, you know, what's difficult about this is -- and while a lot of people -- you know, you almost want to open your heart up to somebody like this . They've been here since they were 10 years old. She's obviously not a bad kid.

She's worked hard. She's in school. She's doing well in school.

She was driving without a license. And that's a violation of the law in the United States. And then on top of that, when she was asked about her legalization in the United States, it turns out that she is illegally in the country.

I mean, that's like breaking the law on two counts. It's got to be difficult for police to deal with something like this, right? And I'm sure this is what Cobb County is going through.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. And like the sheriff said, look, you're right, she broke the law on two counts. The law is the law. Some people say she needs to go back to Mexico.

If you hear Jessica, I think her language to me was, yes, I technically broke the law, but I want to fulfill my dream. It's a sticky situation.

SANCHEZ: It's a difficult, difficult thing.

Thanks so much. Thanks for hustling back out there, Brooke. And you're all over the trending topics, even if it takes you outside of the building. Right?

BALDWIN: Right. You got it. Enjoy New York, friend.

SANCHEZ: It's another trender for you. I will enjoy New York by getting on a plane at 6:00 in the morning and going home because my wife has "honey dos" for me tomorrow.

We'll see you. Take care.

BALDWIN: Nice.

SANCHEZ: Bye.

Meanwhile, we're coming back with a lot more news, including -- we'll be talking to our colleagues in Washington in just a little bit.

Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

A lot of comments that are being made by many of you about what's going on in the news today. Shall we?

Angie (ph), shall we? Shall we share with our viewers what some of the folks are saying?

Let me walk over here.

Can you guys get a shot of me?

Man, I'm getting old.

All right. From the very top, "Send Jessica back to Mexico. And when she can come back legally, then she can finish her education." That's the one that we were just talking about a few minutes ago, obviously.

"The immigration laws are clear. No excuse. There are illegal immigrants who can't stay and have never done anything wrong."

Number three, "My opinion, let her study. Why ruin her life for her conscience and wanting to benefit herself and her family?"

Number four, "ICE came from the federal law. They are doing an excellent job and should not be discredited by any state law that conflicts."

Now, there, they are talking about the law that has been embraced by 26 different states, which essentially gives the states the right to enact some of the federal laws a la Arpaio.

Finally, number five. "Sometimes I can't believe you're Latino. These people, like many, are angry, fed up and want to stand their ground in these videos."

"Sometimes I can't believe you" -- referring to me, Rick Sanchez -- "are Latino. These people, like many, are angry, fed up and want to stand their ground in these videos."

That's interesting.

Today, President Obama was -- speaking about fired up, he was about as fired up as we've seen him in quite some time. I don't know if you had a chance to see this.

The president came out and finally gave a declarative statement, almost an angry statement, almost outraged statement about what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. He talked about the bungled cleanup operation in the Gulf. He talked about mixed messages.

It's become really a political landmine for the president and for Congress, and certainly for these corporations that are trying to work to clean this thing up down in the Gulf. We're going to dig a little deeper about that with Wolf Blitzer. He's coming up in just a little bit. That, and a whole lot.

Hey. There's the "Blitz Man."

A one-man soccer team right there in front of you, folks. We'll be talking to Wolf when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Wolf Blitzer joining us now. Wolf is in -- you're in Dallas, Texas, today. Why?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Because I had a special interview with the former first lady, Laura Bush, at Southern Methodist University earlier today. We're going to have the interview coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And she's really a wonderful woman, and it was nice to hear what she had to say eight years after serving as the first lady. She's got a lot on her mind. She's got a number one "New York Times" bestseller that's just out, so it was a good session. SANCHEZ: Well, from the former first lady and the situation that involved her husband during Katrina, we now find ourselves in a situation in the Gulf of Mexico that some people are saying is maybe not exactly the same, but certainly a real headache for this administration, Wolf. I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm as perplexed as most Americans.

It doesn't seem like there's a solution to this thing. Every day we get a different strategy. Every other day it seems like the strategy backfires or doesn't work. And now there's a lot of conflicting information coming out of there.

Finally, today, we saw the president come out, and he seemed somewhat outraged himself.

What do you make of all this?

BLITZER: Well, he should be outraged. This is a horrible, horrible situation.

And if they don't get this fixed in the next few days, the next six days are critical, because they've got two or three options that they're hoping will do something in the next six days or so. But if they don't, this could go on until August. And they don't even know for sure whether 5,000 barrels a day are spewing out or 10,000 or 60,000 or 70,000.

It's just a horrible situation. And it doesn't look good at all. My heart goes out to everyone in that Gulf region.

And this could spread. If it goes on, God forbid, until August, it's a real, real environmental disaster.

SANCHEZ: No question, though, this is becoming a political story as well though, right?

BLITZER: Right, because BP is blaming the subleases, if you will, and they are blaming -- and the federal government was sort of MIA, at least parts of it. The president acknowledged that, that there was too cozy of a relationship, his words, between this one agency over at the Department of the Interior, that's supposed to regulate these offshore oil drilling rigs. And that's got to change. Ken Salazar, the secretary of the Interior, earlier in the week, announced that they're going to divide this agency up, because they just couldn't -- it was too cozy of a relationship with the oil companies.

SANCHEZ: That's been going on for quite some time.

Wolf, we'll be looking -- by the way, the president supported Ken Salazar today, defended him, in fact, during one of his comments.

Wolf, we'll be looking forward to you in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And we're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

Last hour I talked to Mike Mason. He worked in the oil industry for years and is now a freight hauler. Mason accuses BP of cheating on testing that's on the blowout preventers, similar to the blowout preventer that apparently hasn't worked in the Gulf of Mexico that's created the mess that we're in now.

Well, before I go any further, I want to point out that we did reach out to BP to come on the show, but they said that they're declining comment at this time, noting that there is still an ongoing investigation.

Now, back to Mason.

He alleges that due to the lack of inspectors and roughly half of the time BP would police themselves on weekly tests, this, he alleges, would lead to blatant cheating, cheating where they would literally create marks on a piece of paper. Marks that the rig, if it were to pass the test, were supposed to create.

In other words, the tests of the blowout preventer, they were supposed to test them for five minutes to see if it would do what it's supposed to do and keep its structural integrity. Instead of testing it for five minutes, they would test it for 10, 20, 30 seconds, he alleges.

Let me replay some of this interview for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: You're saying they cheated on the tests to make it look like their equipment, these blowout preventers like the one that's caused this mess in the Gulf of Mexico, had integrity, when, in fact, they didn't.

Did I get any of that wrong?

MIKE MASON, ALASKAN FREIGHT HAULER: No, sir, you did not.

SANCHEZ: So, did you ever bring this to the attention of anyone at the board that certifies these companies that work off the coast of Alaska?

MASON: Yes, I did. I testified in a deposition on a different lawsuit that was brought to the attention of the AOGC and the state regulator commissions in Alaska, and they did do an investigation.

SANCHEZ: And what came of that investigation?

MASON: It was an internal investigation, and the neighbor's (ph) drilling manager admitted to falsifying the test and said that BP company reps and other company reps had witnessed this and OK'd it. And he was fired because he wouldn't turn any of them in or name names. SANCHEZ: How often would this happen? Would you say this was an isolated incident that you may have just witnessed because someone got lazy on one or two days, or would you say that this was a consistent practice?

MASON: Yes, it was a consistent practice. When the state witness was not there, they would do it on a normal basis.

I would say it's a culture. It's time is money. And what they would do is, they would do these tests, and they're supposed to last a certain amount of time. Well, of course they don't when they cheat, so then they would change the books and be go on and do other things to be ahead for the next drilling process.

SANCHEZ: You know, some people are going to be listening to you say that you were fired and say, oh, he's just a fellow who's upset at the company and he's going to do anything he can now to hurt them, to get back at them.

How would you answer that charge? I'm not saying it's come about yet, but in case it does.

MASON: Well, I expect that from BP, because that's their culture. I expect them fully to try to smear me as much as possible, but I don't do it for that reason. I do it because of the 11 men that died and because of the culture that if he has the refineries, and 15 people are killed there, that's my only concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We'll stay on top of that story for you, folks.

Here's Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."