Return to Transcripts main page
Rick's List
White House Announces New Sanctions Against Iran; President Obama Meets With BP Executives
Aired June 16, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And all eyes, we keep on the Dow and on Wall Street, because we know, lately, it has been really, really jittery and going up and down. So, there you go. It is the top of the hour.
On a day when all eyes are on the disaster in the Gulf, the White House announced sweeping new sanctions against Iran.
Plus, a shocker for shareholders in here and Britain, and its cost -- it is a cost of spilling -- spilling millions of gallons of oil.
Plus, there is this:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): He spent three days trapped under a furnace. He even tried to cut off his own arm to escape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pain became absolutely too much to continue.
LEMON: You will hear more of his traumatizing experience.
The White House showdown with BP executives. Will face time with the president change anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took the issue at hand and then he transitioned it over here into our addiction to fossil fuels.
LEMON: You're still talking about last night's speech turned sermon.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We pray for the people of the Gulf.
LEMON: The lists you need to know about. Plus, who's today's most intriguing? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why we keep a list, pioneering tomorrow's news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Everyone, it is hour two. I'm Don Lemon. Rick is off today.
Time to pick up the pace of today's LIST, for those of you just now checking in.
Number one: BP cancels its planned dividend. That is what you might call the political perp walk. Chief executive Tony Hayward and other top officials hauled into the White House for several hours of meetings, and they were placed across the table from President Obama.
There you see the picture there. And they agreed to establish an escrow account to compensate victims, $20 billion. Both sides called the meeting constructive. It was long, two hours long.
CNN's John King is in Washington.
So, John, what are you hearing about the tone of this meeting? It did go long. Does that say anything?
JOHN KING, HOST, "JOHN KING, USA": It's funny, Don, because everybody wants to say it was businesslike. Remember, coming in, last week, the president, that interview where he said he was looking to kick a little you know what?
LEMON: Mm-hmm.
KING: So, that what was everyone is asking. Is that what happened at this meeting? Was it contentious? Was it feisty?
By all accounts, most of the details were negotiated in advance. They had to work on some of the language at the meeting today. The president came in, was in that meeting you just showed the picture of, also had a meeting privately with the chairman of BP in the Oval Office. Everyone says businesslike. And the bottom line for the White House here, Don, is, they view it as productive, because they could make those big announcements, that BP has agreed to put $20 billion into the escrow fund, the White House stressing that is a beginning number, that it could go higher.
And, also, interestingly, remember all the controversy about the deepwater offshore moratorium. Well, the president saying BP also will put $100 million aside to pay those workers, not on BP rigs, but on other company rigs that can't work right now because of the president's decision, not BP's decision. They will get paid as well.
LEMON: OK. Let's talk about that $20 billion you said set aside. Is that a cap? because the president said in his -- when he responded to this, he said when he came out after the meeting, "This fund will not supersede individuals' or states' rights to present claims in courts. BP will continue to be liable for the environmental disaster it caused," and on and on.
So, they were explaining that. Robert Gibbs was talking about it, as well as Carol Browner in -- in the press briefing. This is not a cap, and they have other means to file lawsuits if they want. Is that -- am I correct on that?
KING: You are exactly right.
There's a guy who ran the 9/11 victims compensation fund, Ken Feinberg. He will now administer the claims fund. If he gets to the point where he says $20 billion is not enough, he can come back and ask for more money. And if a state or a business or an individual says, I want to sue BP in court, I don't want to go through this claims process, they have every right to do that.
And BP acknowledges in its own statement that this is not necessarily the final number, $20 billion. BP certainly hopes that $20 billion is the final number, maybe even that it comes in a little lower than that, but there is more wiggle room as we go forward.
One -- one quick point, Don, I want to make, because you heard everybody -- you were playing parts of the White House briefing earlier. And heard Robert Gibbs using the words, this will make people whole.
That's an interesting word, because I spent the last week-plus down in the Gulf region. And, yes, these businesses, these shrimpers, these fishermen, these oystermen, they want a check because they need to feed their families and pay their mortgages and make their car payments. But that will not make them whole, Don.
You know the Gulf Coast. They love those waters. We come to the office every day because we love telling stories. They love fishing not just to pay the bills. They love raking oysters not just to pay the bills. They do it because they have a relationship with those waters.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: And a lot of them, they won't be whole unless they can get back out there and do what they love to do.
LEMON: That's what I say. It is part of the fabric there. And if they lose all of that, right, which is -- they're in jeopardy of now, and they have lost a lot of it, talk about identity crisis, because that's how we relate, as a Southerner, through the food, the things that come out of the Gulf.
And oil -- both of my -- both of my parents worked for an oil company. That's how I got to college and was able to do what I'm doing now.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Listen, let me ask you this, John, because we have been hearing a lot of criticism about the president's speech last night. Even online now, people are saying, you guys are not being fair to the president, when we are saying what others are reporting.
People who are normally on the president's side are saying, last night, he kind of -- they weren't sure about his performance and what he said. KING: Yes. Look, I -- I'm not sure the president can win here. I have covered politics for a very long time. And he is getting heat all across the spectrum, from the left, from the right and from the middle.
From the left, there are people who are saying he wasn't big enough, he wasn't grand enough, he didn't present a detailed plan to plug the damn hole, as the president himself has said. And that's another big issue. This is a day of progress, getting this money put aside. But if you can put the picture up right now, we still don't know how much oil is spewing into the Gulf.
So, the president gets criticism from that side. He gets criticism from the right, saying, wait a minute, Mr. President. This is about an oil spill and fixing it. Let's not have a climate change and an energy policy debate right now. Let's move that down the right. So, some are saying, you're politicizing it.
And others are saying that, you know, the president just simply, he sounded almost like the guy handling the claims last night, not a big grand picture of the president of the United States. So, look, the president -- this is a tough one. There are so many problems here.
LEMON: Mm-hmm.
KING: And the big issue, Don, you have the president of the United States in the most -- you know, the greatest shrine of our democracy, the Oval Office, and he can't answer the big questions. He can't say how much oil. He can't say when it will be stopped. He can't say when those waters will be safe, if they will be safe to fish in again.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: So, the president is in a box, and the criticism comes from all across the spectrum.
LEMON: Hey, John, listen, we have to run here, but that's well very put. Thank you.
And -- and that's why I enjoy watching your program every day. But here's what -- what I have to say here, and we're talking about it is a no-win situation for the president, sort of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
People are still concerned, again, as we said, about their livelihoods there. Let's not let the moment pass, because, within the past hour, hour-and-a-half, this is really the most information and the most transparency we have gotten from the administration and from the people who are in charge down there to figure out what they're going to do putting in place not only to stop it, but also for the people there who -- whose livelihoods are in jeopardy.
KING: Yes. And -- and this will help. This is an important day. But, on the big-picture questions -- and has the president made mistakes along the way? Of course he has. They would all acknowledge that. Has the federal government made mistakes? Of course they had. They would acknowledge that.
On the big picture, we know now there will be money to help compensate people. On the biggest question, when will the oil stop spewing, we don't know the answer. That still could be the middle of August. And, even as they do those relief wells, Don, that -- that is not proven. That's a risky operation. They hope it will work. They don't know it will work.
LEMON: Hey, we will see you tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Thank you, John King.
KING: We will be there, Don. Thank you.
LEMON: In our next half-hour, we will talk with Florida Senator George LeMieux. He's been very critical of the disaster management so far. Does he have any better ideas?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would describe I guess what was a near- death experience at that point. I had given up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. But, before that guy gave up, he tried to cut off his own home. His ordeal started in the basement of his house. That is ahead.
And what happened when an attempted arrest for jaywalking took a very ugly turn? A teenage girl punched in the face by a police officer -- straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: For you people in New York, my former city, jaywalking, it's like when you cross the street at a place, not at an intersection, because you guys do it all the time, you're going to go, what is this story?
All of this is for jaywalking. It isn't usually high on the list of crimes that land you in jail, right? I said usually. Have you seen this home video of a Seattle police officer punching a teenage girl in the face?
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (OFF-MIKE)
(EXPLETIVE DELETED) are you doing? (INAUDIBLE) (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(EXPLETIVE DELETED) off of me. Get off of me! (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Get off of me (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE)
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh (EXPLETIVE DELETED) no. Are you serious?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, apparently, he was serious.
This all started when the officer spotted a group of girls trying to cross a busy street just feet from a bridge pedestrians are supposed to use.
And the police say the young woman in the dark jacket became verbally abusive, put her hand up and started to walk away, when the officer tried to cite her for jaywalking. Now, I want you to watch this again.
The struggle started when the officer tried to lead her back to his car. The girl in the pink, who is 17 years old, grabs the officer's arm, and then she pushes him. And he punches her square in the face. You saw that.
Then the young women were both taken to jail. The 19-year-old in the dark jacket is charged with obstructing an officer. The 17-year- old in pink could be charged with assaulting an officer. Now, that is a felony. Both have been cited for jaywalking. And the police department is investigating the officer's reaction, but says the young women are partially to blame for what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK METZ, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF: I think, if the young women had just cooperated with the officer, I can't say what the officer's actions would have been, whether he intended to cite them, whether he intended just simply to give them a verbal warning.
It certainly would not have escalated to where it did. These women do have to bear much of the responsibility in the altercation that occurred.
The issue here is going to be and that we have to investigate is whether or not the force he used was reasonable, given the kind of combative resistance that he was facing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Community leaders always have something to say, and they say this is the type of situation that's all too familiar in Seattle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES KELLY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, URBAN LEAGUE OF METRO SEATTLE: Unfortunately, this seems to be -- become too far and too often of the typical police response.
The provocation of the 17-year-old may have presented a confrontation situation, but the use of violence in the form of a full-blown fist to the face was wrong. This is another case of where we stand in here and saying to the police, shame on you.
Let me be clear, though, that what the 17-year-old did was wrong. I'm not making any excuses for her. But two wrongs don't make a right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So, who is ultimately responsible for keeping the peace, for making sure something as minor as jaywalking citation -- as a jaywalking citation doesn't become something worse?
Andy Hill is a formal police sergeant. He's just retired from the Phoenix Police Department.
I'm sure you saw the video. What do you make? Was it an overreaction, or is it two wrongs don't make a right; both parties were wrong if.
ANDY HILL, FORMER PHOENIX, ARIZONA, POLICE SERGEANT: Hold on.
First of all, I want to say I couldn't see what happened before the actual incident started taking place by the police car, but the reaction of the Seattle community seems to be pretty balanced, in terms of those from the community and from the police saying there will be an internal investigation.
That's a great step. The emotions that took place, of course, indicate that, on both sides there was a reaction and probably poor judgment. The officer was responding to what he perceived at that time was going on.
I don't know what all the audio was, but, certainly, at that time, he felt like he needed to defend himself. And was that force appropriate is the question. And that needs to be looked into...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So, Sergeant -- Sergeant Hill, he hit her right square in the face. And usually, in training -- or, sometimes, in training, I should say, especially self-defense training -- and this is for civilians -- they train you to go for the most vulnerable spot, and, sometimes, that's right between the eyes, or a groin in the man.
Are police officers trained to do what he did?
HILL: Oh, absolutely. There could be a time when the appropriate use of force -- and it depends on the state, but I'm sure there's a state law that says use that amount of force which is reasonable and necessary.
And that depends what they teach. And I'm sure strikes and blows are part of that. He received a blow to the arm and pushes and shoves. A strike is somewhat, I believe, appropriate in most places. However, nobody wants to punch a woman in the face. And, so, that's the hardest thing for a police officer to do.
But, sometimes, women can hurt people. So, what you have to really do is look at, what -- what kind of judgment was used, and was it within their policy, and was it within the state law? I think they -- they're going to get a pretty good look at it. It's going to take some time.
LEMON: And, listen, it's one thing to mouth off to a police officer. You're taking a risk by doing that. But the person in uniform really always should be the person in charge, and you work it out later. Yes? No?
HILL: Oh, absolutely. You have to exercise good judgment.
And, obviously, in a -- if it was, as it seems to be, a jaywalking violation, it's probably a criminal traffic violation there in Seattle, so it is a crime, but you have to use your good judgment. And I don't think it was an appropriate use of judgment at the moment, unless there's an extenuating circumstance we don't know about.
What were the people around them saying? What were some of the men around them saying? Nobody was obviously stepping in to help the police officer. It appeared that one of the young men there was trying to help by getting one of the girls away. But the girls were out of control. There's no doubt about it. And the officer was having difficulty being in charge.
LEMON: Yes.
Hey, let's say -- let's say something really quick here, Andy Hill, here, because this is an issue in Seattle. And they recently did a study. But, listen, in 2006, almost 2,500 citations for jaywalking was written that particular neighborhood that they were in, the area. Many of them were in that area.
And just a civilian auditor, 2009, there was a report that -- of concern about this, about these jaywalking citations escalating. And that was in 2009 in November. And now look what happened. They need to have this looked at. And, again, it is an issue there.
HILL: Yes. It seems like there is a larger issue going on.
If the police department was using that jaywalking citation because of a number of other crime problems in the area, almost like a shattered glass type thing, where you use -- everything gets addressed with a criminal citation or a violation, there's probably a better way to do it, while working with those members of the community that live there.
LEMON: OK. Retired Phoenix Sergeant Andy Hill, thank you, sir, for helping us sort through all of this.
HILL: My pleasure.
LEMON: Hey, we want to take a look at -- this is getting a lot of response -- thank you, sir -- a lot of response online.
This is on Twitter. This is @RickSanchez. And you guys are writing me here @DonLemon as well.
"Resisting arrest to point for frustration for officer, needs partner, everyone with cell phone looking for Internet glory," and then on and on.
Another one says: "Another Seattle cop caught on tape punching a child in the face. All this for jaywalking. For jaywalking?"
Yes, it was. And then this one says: "Just ask" -- this is from mine -- "ask if the officer would have punched any childish teenager that way. He may be legally OK, but he is a moral failure."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It took me about six hours to psych myself up to the point where I thought I was capable of actually doing what I thought needed to be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. He sounds pretty calm there, but get this. This man went to extremes to save himself from almost certain death. His extraordinary story and what firefighters found when they came to his house -- straight ahead.
When the first officer collapsed mid-flight, this woman stepped in to help land the plane. How she did it and what went through her mind, that's coming up.
The LIST just scrolls on and on and on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right.
Topping our international list today: Iran is under increasing pressure to end its nuclear program. The United States stepped out front today to not only implement, but to add to sanctions imposed by the United Nations just last week.
The U.S. targets are front companies, individuals and insurance and energy companies Iran allegedly uses to hide its nuclear and missile programs. And Washington isn't done. Geithner says Washington plans to increase financial pressure on Iran and is targeting Iran'S support for terrorist groups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TIMOTHY GEITHNER, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: To be truly effective in ending Iran's proliferation activities and Iran's support for terrorism, we need to have in place a concerted international approach. This is not something the United States can do alone. We need other countries to move with us.
So alongside our efforts in the U.N. to build international support for sanctions, we have been working behind the scenes building support among finance ministries for additional actions to prevent abuse of the global financial system by Iran.
We expect to see additional actions announced by other governments soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the U.S. also plans to keep putting pressure on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which is used to carry out Iran's nuclear efforts.
Now for my roundup list. Number one, the Colorado man arrested in Pakistan while on a hunt for Osama bin Laden has been moved to Islamabad by the Pakistani government.
That is according to his brother. Now, the Pakistanis are questioning Gary Faulkner, but have not charged him with anything yet. Faulkner was armed with a pistol, a sword, night-vision equipment, and Christian religious books when he was stopped near the Afghan border.
And, number two, it could be another busy night for helicopters working to rescue people from flash flooding that has taken to -- at least 19 lives in the hills behind France's Southern Riviera. Look at the video there of that flooding. More storms -- storms are expected tonight.
Intense storms filled streets with several feet of water and knocked out power to more than 96,000 people. Look at that guy on his roof. Look familiar? Remember that? So far, 1,000 people have been rescued and taken to shelters. What a mess.
A first-degree murder charge is lodged against a former professor accused of killing three colleagues during a February faculty meeting at the Alabama -- University of Alabama, I should say. A Massachusetts grand jury today indicted Amy Bishop for shooting her younger brother to death back in 1986.
Police were booking bishop for murder right after the shooting when she -- suddenly released to go home with her brother -- with her mother, I should say. The case was reopened when questions about police handling of the case came up after the Alabama shootings.
The president meets with BP executives. Now what? That's the question they're asking all around the Gulf today and really all around the world. We will be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: OK. Patti DeLuna is not calling herself a hero. She doesn't think she's a hero, even though plenty of other people are today. The American Airlines flight attendant slipped into the co- pilot seat after he got sick, and she helped land Flight 1612 at Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport. She did that on Monday.
That's why she's made our most intriguing person list this last hour.
Patti DeLuna is back home in San Francisco and joins us to talk about what it was like changing roles -- OK, I will say it -- on the fly.
Patti, thank you.
I know...
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I know you don't want to be called a hero, but you are to many people, especially the people who were on that flight. Were you nervous? Did you have that little shaking in -- were you weak in the knees because of what you were doing?
PATTI DELUNA, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: No. I -- you know, the adrenaline was up, but, no, I -- I wasn't really nervous.
I suppose, on some level, the entire crew was a little nervous, because it wasn't a standard -- standard procedure, but, you know, we just all worked together, and it all came out right. And...
LEMON: Yes. We're glad it all came out right, because you're here to talk to us today because it all -- it did come out right.
OK. So, take us through it. You're on the flight. The co-pilot gets sick, and then I think, what, you make an announcement, someone makes an announcement, is there a pilot or someone who can help fly a plane on board? Is that correct?
Take us through the sequence of what happened.
DELUNA: All right.
About an hour, I think, into the flight, the co-pilot got very sick, and, you know, wasn't able to stay in the cockpit the whole time. And -- and, then about two hours out, the captain decided that he wasn't going to be able to be in the right seat for landing.
So, there was no announcement made, you know, no need to upset the passengers. So the purser, the next procedure was that she would look through the passenger list and see if there were any deadheading pilots on board.
LEMON: So, the purser looked through. Apparently, there was no one else. So, you never made -- you never made an announcement to scare -- that would, like, scare the people on the plane? DELUNA: No.
LEMON: OK.
DELUNA: No.
LEMON: So, they came up with you because you have a certificate, but it is expired. And you have what, about 300 hours of flying. And then so...
DELUNA: Well, right. But...
LEMON: ... they decided on you?
DELUNA: The certificate never expires. It can be revoked, but it doesn't expire.
What -- what expires is the medical. And, so -- and my medical has been expired for years. But, you know, I -- I was their best bet, because I had more experience than anyone else available.
LEMON: So, where do you go from here? You thinking about taking flying back up again, as a pilot, rather than a flight attendant?
DELUNA: Not at this point.
(LAUGHTER)
DELUNA: You know, hopefully, I would like to do it recreationally, but not as a -- a job. I have kind of missed my window of opportunity there in terms of age.
But, anyway, it was...
LEMON: Yes.
DELUNA: It was great fun. The crew coordinated very well.
LEMON: Yes. Well, Patti...
DELUNA: The captain was exemplary. He was so collected. And, you know, I spent an hour-and-a-half in the cockpit before landing.
LEMON: Yes.
DELUNA: So, I had a chance to ask questions, familiarize myself with the cockpit, and, you know, just...
LEMON: Yes.
Well, I have to say, Patti, you said that the pilot was exemplary, but a lot of people are saying you are as well, because the pilot does it every day. You don't do it every day. And you did a great job. So, I would say they're crazy with the age thing. Go and fly and -- and enjoy it.
And congratulations to you, OK?
DELUNA: Well, thank you.
LEMON: All right.
We're going to move on now here on the LIST.
A Connecticut man trapped by a furnace tries to cut off his own arm. What happens after that is just as emotional and intriguing. That is straight ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was crazy. We saw people throwing chairs off the -- off the balcony. They were throwing garbage cans, plants, food, bottles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, she got that right; that was crazy. It was billed as a free concert, but it turned into a circus. Why so many Drake and Hanson fans were out of control and angry? We'll tell you why and we'll show you the video, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So, usually generosity is a good thing, right? But sometimes it can backfire.
Time for our video list that we call "Fotos del Dia."
OK. So, this is crazy. A free concert became a free-for-all in New York yesterday.
Organizers were expecting 10,000 people to show up for the Drake and Hanson concert. Instead, an estimated 20,000 people showed up, and things got, shall we say, just a little bit out of control.
People threw chairs, garbage cans, bottles, plants, whatever they could get their hands on. You name it. The show was canceled before it ever started, and Drake didn't even make it to the stage.
So, you're looking at your TV and you're hearing this, and you're going, "What in the world is going on?" Well, here's what's going on.
The sport is called Formula H2O. The event was the inaugural Vandenberg Underwater Grand Prix in Key West. The challenge was to race underwater vehicles around shipwrecks, and they did it. But the real purpose of this, though, this grand prix, was to show that Key West is oil-free. OK.
All right. So, crews in Connecticut were replacing a bridge when things suddenly went very wrong.
Part of the structure came crashing down. Things could have been a lot worse had it not been for one worker, though. He ordered everyone off the bridge moments before the bridge collapsed, and that part of the bridge was already closed to traffic. The worker who warned everyone was injured, but he is recovering.
And you can see all of our "Las Fotos del Dia" on CNN.com/ricksanchez.
Everybody in the studio goes "Ay, dios mio" when that happens.
We showed you about New York City and the Drake and Hanson concert that had to be canceled because too many people showed up. Let's go to Twitter now.
One person writes -- this is Drake, actually. Drake is responding here on his account.
He says, "I am so disappointed to all the devoted fans that came out. I wish you could have seen what I had planned. Until next time."
And don't we have one from Hanson? Didn't Hanson -- here's Hanson from Hanson Music. He responds, "It was a real bummer to have the show canceled yesterday. We really wanted to play. But it was quickly becoming unsafe for everyone -- Z."
Yes, it was. I don't know what's going to happen, if they're going to make up the tickets, or what have you, but, boy, that was crazy.
All right. Let's scroll on, on THE LIST today.
You know, you can give away half of your net worth to charity. Could you?
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are asking the nation's richest people to do just that.
So, who are the U.S. biggest billionaires? I have got the list coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. You need to know about this.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett want the nation's billionaires to do something that many of us could never imagine, and that is give away half of their fortunes. The duo are asking the richest Americans to pledge at least 50 percent of their net worth to charity during their lifetimes, or at death.
Now, that would roughly total $600 billion. So, who are some of the U.S. wealthiest people? I've got the list of the top five U.S. billionaires. Here they are.
No. 5: Look at that. Man, he's worth a lot of cash. Bloomberg, founder and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with $18 billion. No. 4: Of course, the Walton family, heirs to the Wal-Mart throne, founded by father Sam in the '60s. Their fortunes range from $19 billion to $22 billion.
And no. 3: Lawrence Ellison, the mind behind Oracle Software. His net worth, $28 billion.
No. 2 on the list: The "Oracle of Omaha," investor Warren Buffett, $47 billion.
And no. 1: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with a whopping $53 billion.
Now, I'm checking the list here for -- oh, I don't see Rick Sanchez. Where is Rick? Rick is not on that list?
All right. Must have been an oversight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know, for months, even years, that is not what Gulf Coast residents want to hear right now. In his message and also his plan, is it failing to connect both of them? We'll ask a Florida senator.
That's next, right here on THE LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Joining me now from Washington, D.C., Senator George LeMieux, Republican of Florida. He's one of the many officials criticizing the Obama administration's response to the Gulf oil disaster.
So, I have to ask you this -- last night's speech, the last couple of hours, the president came out -- officials at BP -- you heard Robert Gibbs and others who are trying to get a handle on what's happened down there.
Is this a big leap forward within the last day or so?
SEN. GEORGE LEMIEUX (R), FLORIDA: Well, you have to give the president credit where credit is do. I've been critical of him on several parts of the response here, but one thing that we've been asking for since the beginning of May is an escrow fund that would have money in it that would be available to pay claims, and the president got that done. So, I'm happy he got that done.
LEMON: Are you satisfied with $20 billion?
LEMIEUX: He talked about that yesterday in Pensacola.
LEMON: Are you satisfied with $20 billion?
LEMIEUX: I think $20 billion -- I am. And I understand that it can be replenished if we need more. So, I think he did a good job on that. Now what we have to do is really focus on keeping the oil from coming ashore in the first place.
I talked to the president yesterday in Pensacola, and we're in a situation there where there is an oil slick right off the coast -- I mean, imminently approaching -- that's two miles wide, 40 miles long, a thicker oil than we've seen before. I want to see every skimmer available, not only in the United States, but around the world, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Right now there's only 32 skimmers off the coast of Florida. That's unacceptable.
LEMON: Yes.
LEMIEUX: That's like, you know, me and my buddies getting our boats out there. That's just not the kind of effort you want to see.
LEMON: Yes. You called for more skimmers. You said that all skimmers within the country should be used. There are thousands of skimmers and there are only a handful being used.
Listen, so, Florida, give me the scenario in Florida, because I know that you're concerned, I'm sure, for tourism. A big tourist season now in Florida. Not all of the beaches there have oil on them, and some of it washing up, they're not even sure it's from the Deepwater Horizon.
So, give me the scenario from Florida. And besides having the skimmers, what else would you like to see done?
LEMIEUX: Well, let me just say, first of all, right now there's not oil on the shore. And that folks who want to plan a vacation to Florida should come, because you're going to get a great discount.
But what I'm worried about is the oil that could come to shore. There's a lot of booming up. We need to keep putting the booming up. But we really need these skimmers.
There are all sorts of great technology from all over the world that could be brought here. I asked the president yesterday about the Jones Act, this law that's supposedly keeping the skimmers from coming to the United States. He said it's not a problem, but the State Department yesterday said that 21 requests -- or 21 officers have come in from 17 countries, and the State Department said we had refused them.
So, we've got to clear that up. We've got get every skimmer possible. We've got to do everything we can to keep that oil from coming ashore. I'm hopeful that they will get the oil capped, the wellhead, and stop the leak. And that's what the president told us yesterday, that he hopes by the end of the month, it will be 90 percent contained. But let's stop that oil from coming ashore.
LEMON: Yes. And Senator, listen, I was just down in Florida about a week ago, and there were people who were selling tar balls, and what have you. And when I said we're not sure if the oil that's washing up, these tar balls, or whatever it is, that it's from the Deepwater Horizon -- because that's a natural effect in some instances -- and the point that I want to make here is that not all of the beaches on the Gulf Coast have oil washing up on them, and I'm trying to get your point about what's important for Florida --
LEMIEUX: No, you're right.
LEMON: -- for tourism and what have you.
Listen, when you reach out to the administration, when you reach out to Thad Allen, or anyone with BP, what's the response? Are you feeling that they're being helpful enough at this point?
LEMIEUX: Well, I've been pressing for the president to come to Florida. He did yesterday.
I asked him last week to come to Florida. He agreed to. And I was pleased about that. It's a good first step.
He needs to show that he's more engaged. You know, frankly, going down and having a couple photo-ops is not enough.
So, yesterday was a good first step. We had an hour-long working meeting right on Pensacola Beach with the governor and other state and federal officials. I want to see more of that, because when the chief executive officer of the United States, the commander-in-chief, says look, Thad Allen, I want more skimmers there, Thad Allen is going to respond.
That's what leaders do. And we've seen that in Florida when we've dealt with our hurricanes. You know, a governor on the ground that pushes for solutions gets answers. We need to see the president of the United States doing that. I'm going to be all over this skimmer issue and hope that he will too.
LEMON: Hey, listen, let's talk about personal responsibility, because millions of people get into their cars ever year, drive to your state for vacation. A lot of people just drive around your state. There's not a lot of public transportation there like a big city like New York, trains and what have you.
So, we as a nation, are we obligated to wean ourselves from the dependence on fossil fuels? And what are you doing in your own state to get people to do that?
LEMIEUX: Well, we are, I think, obligated to get ourselves specifically off of foreign oil, and some day off of gasoline and oil if we can. I mean, that's not something we're going to achieve right away.
I would like to see a lot more clean energy. We have got companies like FP&L in Florida that are building huge solar power facilities. We need to see a lot more nuclear power in this country.
The Chinese are building 50 nuclear power plants. We're building one. We should be building 100 in this country, because that's the best way to create clean energy.
Seventy percent of our clean energy right now is from the 103 nuclear facilities that we have in this country. We need to get serious about it. I'm a supporter of it.
LEMON: Hey, Senator, we're almost at the top of the hour, so we're going to have to take a break here in just a little bit. But I want to ask, are you doing anything specifically? Do you have any initiatives to wean the people in your state off of fossil fuels?
LEMIEUX: Well, I'm working on this energy initiative that we're talking about here in the Senate. Over the next couple weeks, there's going to be an energy bill.
What we need to do on that is strike the right balance, though. We need to create more clean energy jobs and more jobs that will take us off of foreign oil, specifically. But what I don't want to see is an energy tax that's going to be harmful to the people of my state.
We've got 12 percent unemployment. We've got to be very careful that we hit the sweet spot on this.
LEMON: All right.
Senator George LeMieux, Republican of Florida.
Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it.
LEMIEUX: Thanks for having me on.
LEMON: All right.
Hey, listen, let's go now -- we're getting some information from BP. BP America, that's the official BP site.
They are tweeting now. They said, "Response in numbers: Approximately 29,700 personnel currently responding to protect and clean up coastlines." And then there's a link to a photo.
So, BP responding today on Twitter.
We're going to move on now on THE LIST. And as we've mentioned, a lot of late-breaking developments on this story. Every move has consequences for the Gulf and the White House.
As a matter of fact, it tops Wolf's list. And we'll break it down with him. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This is why I love what we do here, because you saw that interview that I did with the Senator, and he said there's no oil washing up on the beach. Our affiliate there called and said -- WEAR said, yes, there's oil washing up on the beach. Our own Ed Henry reported that there was oil washing up on Florida beaches as early as Monday. There is a swimming advisory in Okaloosa, and there have been oil sightings as far east as Navarre Beach.
That's according to our affiliate and our very own Ed Henry, who reported that.
So, when I said that to the Senator, he said there was no oil. We just want to tell you exactly what's going on.
So there you go. You see the oil gushing out of that pipe there, and it's still gushing and gushing.
So let's toss now to our Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf, you saw the president last night, today. Are people being too hard on the president?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I think my own personal opinion is, if he would have delivered his Oval Office address tonight, as opposed to last night, he would have been better off, because tonight he could have come out and said, I have got a $20 billion escrow deal with BP, they've set up $100 million to pay for some of the oil workers who are being laid off because of the moratorium. He had more to brag about, if you will.
He could have done that in his Oval Office address tonight. I think they wanted to do all that last night, but they weren't finished with the negotiations with BP in time for the Tuesday night Oval Office address, and that's why it dragged on today. But my sense is they probably would have had a more successful -- in terms of the punditry, a more successful Oval Office address if they would have done it tonight, as opposed to last night.
LEMON: I ask you that because the president is being criticized very highly, and even reporting it here. People are like, "Oh, lighten up on the president." Some people, and some people are the other way.
But here's the thing. This is a quote from Craig Crawford. He's from CQPolitics.com. He says, "Does President Obama even understand the presidency? Obama instinctively seems to view the presidency as all about big ideas that should not be cluttered by in-the-weeds management issues like cleaning up an oil spill until political pressure forces him in the weeds."
Now, listen. This is the last thing that he says. "Oddly, Obama, the campaigner, seemed to get the inspirational aspect of the job, but once in office he just doesn't seem to get it."
What do you make of that, Wolf? BLITZER: Well, I think it's still early. It's a year and a half into his presidency. And, you know, the deeds will more than make up for the lack of words, if you will right now.
We'll see what he gets accomplished during his first term, see if there is a second term. So, it's still very, very early. I wouldn't draw any hard and fast conclusions on this president yet.
LEMON: Yes.
Here's the interesting thing. And not that I'm not on either side here, but you know the old saying -- that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. What do you think of that?
BLITZER: Well, I think he's smart enough to learn from mistakes. He's made plenty of mistakes so far. Every president makes mistakes. The key is, will he learn from those mistakes, and how will he go forward?
Right now, he's got this huge oil disaster, he's going out on a limb. He's saying 90 percent will be recovered, 90 percent of the spilled oil will be recovered over the next few days or weeks, and then will it will end sometime in the summer. Thad Allen thinks the first or second week in August, those relief wells will be ready to go.
We'll see. If this thing works out, it's resolved, if BP pays everyone the money they deserve, then the country will be able to move forward, he'll move forward. He has got a lot on his agenda right now. It's not easy being president of the United States.
LEMON: Oh, yes, it's not easy. Not that I would know. I'm not the president, but I don't envy him at all right now. And I'm sure you don't as well.
Wolf, I'll be watching you at the top of the hour, because you're always great. Always great to watch.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer coming up at the top of the hour.
Thank you, sir.
BLITZER: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: You know, up next, the unthinkable. The man who tried to amputate his own arm to save his life talks about that agonizing decision. Imagine that.
THE LIST scrolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Some of us are better at taking pain than others. I'm not real good at it. So think about how much pain you can take. For a man from West Hartford, Connecticut, the pain from trying to cut off his left arm was so unbearable, he literally couldn't take it and then he passed out.
Jonathan Metz is awake now and speaking about what happened to him last week in his basement. He trapped his arm in a furnace there trying to get a part from his vacuum.
He cried out for help for 12 hours -- for 12 hours. Then he says it took another six hours to make himself grab his cutting tools. By that point, he could smell himself rotting, he says. He's had two surgeries and will need more before getting a prosthetic arm, but he says this experience proved to him what the human spirit can do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN METZ, STUCK IN FURNACE FOR THREE DAYS: I would describe it, I guess, what was a near-death experience at that point. I had given up.
There was really no hope in sight. And, again, I started to have these images about my dog Portia (ph) upstairs, who was probably also battling dehydration at that point, and my fiancee and my parents and my friends.
I had began to notice a smell, which I had only heard before might be indicative of rotting flesh or gangrene, or whatever the medical term is. At that point, I had a decision to make. I could continue to shout and hope somebody came, or I could come up with something else.
As luck would have it, I had the blades that I would use with some of my power tools. I mean, I'm just an average guy. And if I can go through this, whether it's human spirit or whatever you want to call it, yes, I think -- I guess I would say to anybody out there who is saying, oh, I'm not sure I could do that, no, the human spirit is strong. And trust me, whether it's cutting your arm off or find something other way, I think all people would be surprised what they're capable of.
In the short term, it's going to be difficult. But in the long term, boy, if you need a kick in the pants to get you to tackle, take on those dreams, or whatever your aspirations are, this was it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And guess what? That could happen to any of us.
How many times have you been at home and done something like that, gone to the basement, the electricity goes out, or whatever? It could happen to any of us.
There's a solution, I'm sure. A personal emergency device or something.
Glad he's OK. That's it for me.
Thanks for watching. Appreciate it.
Now let's turn it over to my friend in Washington for "THE SITUATION ROOM," and Mr. Wolf Blitzer.
Take it away, Wolf.
