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Rick's List
Interview With Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek; Leaders Speak Out on McChrystal Departure; Same-Sex Couple Trying to Start a Family; Spirit Airlines Ad Mocks BP Spill; Afghanistan: Change of Command
Aired June 24, 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. We know the housing numbers came back yesterday, and it was miserable news. But we got some good news for you. You ready for this? CEOs of America's leading companies got together and they came to the conclusion that over the next six months they are going to expect capital spending to go up or at least remain even.
And they have got more good news about buying and sales and, boy, finally something out there we can a little bit smile at or get excited about. Right, Poppy?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It's true, right. You've got these jobless claims numbers we get every week. More today -- they were abysmal, 457,000 Americans lining up for the first-time unemployment claims.
But get this, Rick. A study from the business roundtable, all the leaders of the biggest companies in the country get together three times a year. I went to that a few months ago to that.
And from their survey they said 39 percent of them said they plan to hire this year. Might not sound like a lot, but it's the best reading we've gotten from this group in three years so since sort of the beginning rumblings of the recession. They said the reason is because 79 percent of them expect better sales. That's what you were alluding to.
Look at that, though. Look at the market, not paying attention to those hiring numbers at all today, in the red the entire session, down 147 points. We're at the close, Rick, pretty much the lowest level we've seen all day. A big selloff, abysmal housing numbers on Wednesday leading into today. Rick?
SANCHEZ: We will just hope that all these CEOs are right and that there's some hope on the horizon.
HARLOW: Right.
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Poppy.
HARLOW: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: We certainly appreciate it. If you haven't heard, you're just now getting home from work, we have got two big stories we're following for you today. First of all, there's something going on in Toronto, where they have stopped a man that seems to have a lot of -- wait until you see what they have stopped this guy with.
We have got a live report from Jeanne Meserve, because this is just on the heels of the -- of the G20 summit.
Now, the other story is what the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say from their heart when they are asked questions about General McChrystal. Wait until you hear what they say.
And this is what's coming up on the LIST.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST today. Is it time to deal with the Taliban or risk this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we had the stomach to stay there for 20, 25, 30 years.
SANCHEZ: Say it ain't so. The oil spill, worse. Who blew it? What happened?
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: We had an incident earlier today. The problem was a remotely operated vehicle.
SANCHEZ: And now what does it mean for Florida's beaches?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tar balls are horrible. This is the worst I have seen yet.
SANCHEZ: We will take you there.
And which FOX News host says President Obama's job is only as tough as hers?
The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who's landed on the list you don't want to be on? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why I keep a list.
Pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: All right. We have got a couple of things going on.
First of all, Chad is going to be joining us in a little bit because he just found a brand-new picture underwater that shows what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. And it puts a little bit of a different spin on some of the information that we have been bringing you over the last 24 hours. Also, the very latest on what's going on with General Stanley McChrystal. You will be surprised to know that two men who love and respect him, as much as they love their country, had to face reporters today and answer some very difficult questions about Stanley McChrystal, and wait until you hear what they have to say and how they say it.
But, before we do anything else, I want to take you to Canada, because there are some terrorism fears close to home. This is in Toronto. Canadian police have arrested a 53-year-old man near the site of the G20 summit.
Now, you know the G20 summit starts the 26th and 27th. That's this Saturday and this Sunday, so you have all these world leaders going there, just as police are finding this -- this man in this vehicle with, according to reports, gas cans, a crossbow, saws, hatchets, a winch, weapons.
They say they found a pellet gun, and they found gas tanks, so they essentially want to know what's going on here. Look at these pictures. They put it all on the sidewalk. And now I understand they have been trying to interview the guy to make sure everything is OK or not.
To find out more, let's go to our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve. She's standing by right now in Toronto.
Jeanne, what have you learned?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, they are still investigating, trying to figure out who this guy is, exactly what he was up to.
I can tell you that the car that had this makeshift metal car carrier on the roof is about to be towed away by officials. All of the weaponry and other things that they found in the car that had been arrayed on the sidewalk for all of us to see, it has now been collected, presumably as evidence, as they continue to investigate this man.
He was driving near the site of a demonstration in downtown Toronto when police pulled him aside because of this very odd contraption that was just affixed with ropes to the top of his car, and because his car was very heavily weighted down.
They could see some of this peculiar stuff inside. They asked him some questions. They weren't happy with his answers, so they took him into custody and did a more thorough investigation. As you mentioned, there were gas cans in there. Police tell us that three of them did indeed have gasoline inside. The other two had some other material. They are not telling us exactly what it was, but they are now telling us now that it was not hazardous material.
But there still was a loaded crossbow and pellet guns and sledgehammer and -- and a chain saw and all kinds of other things... SANCHEZ: Hmm.
MESERVE: ... but certainly raised more than their curiosity, given the current state of security here in Toronto, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, it's a good thing that they have him in custody. I know this is not necessarily an arrest. They're just asking him questions. And he may be perfectly innocent, but I think most people would say there's probably reason to be asking him those questions.
If he finds out anything else, or if you find out anything about him, Jeanne, let us know, and we will get back to you.
Also making the LIST today: Afghanistan. U.S. General Stanley McChrystal is removed as the top commander. You know that. General David Petraeus has been nominated now to replace McChrystal, although, for him, it's probably more of a step down. You know that.
But here's the story today. We heard from the president, right? Well, what do other men who have worked with Stanley McChrystal, even the one who -- who actually recommended him, have to say?
First, we will start with the president of the United States. He gave another news conference today, was -- when he was meeting with the Russian leader, and he was asked once again about McChrystal. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The issues with General McChrystal that culminated in my decision yesterday were not as a -- as a result of a difference in policy. I want to be very clear about that. He was executing the policy that I had laid out, that he was executing the orders that I had issued, and that were reflective of the review process that took place last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. Now I want you to hear from Secretary Robert Gates, secretary of defense, I should say. He talks about the pressures that were brought about by this "Rolling Stone" article and General McChrystal and his team in Afghanistan that led to this power shift. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: My primary concern over the past few days has been to minimize the impact of these developments on the conduct of the war in Afghanistan. The president's decisions fully and satisfactorily address that concern. This is the best possible outcome to an awful situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, the question is, what effect will it have on the war in Afghanistan, a question a lot of people all over the country are suddenly asking themselves, and a lot of really smart people are putting their heads together to try to figure out, well, what is the best course? Should there be a deadline of next summer?
Should we extend it, or should we just pull our troops out of there and try and resolve this in a different way?
I want you to meet somebody now. This is Tom Gouttierre. He lived in Afghanistan for 10 years. He's now the dean of international studies at the University of Nebraska.
Professor, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate your time.
THOMAS GOUTTIERRE, DEAN OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA: Good to be with you.
SANCHEZ: Let me start by this.
I'm hearing people today say, you know what? If we're going to try and get this thing done, we need to sit down and talk to the Taliban, because, whether we do it ourselves or we use intermediaries, that might be the only reasonable way of not having this war continue for several more decades.
You say what about that?
GOUTTIERRE: Well, you're talking about a very complicated situation. Indeed, who are the Taliban in this situation?
In fact, the Afghans, including President Karzai, and others have been recommending right from the beginning that there be negotiations, meetings, et cetera with Afghan elements that are a part of the Taliban or the broader Taliban, but who aren't necessarily connected with Mullah Mohammed Omar and the Quetta Shura in Pakistan or Gulbuddin Hekmatyar up in the northeastern part of Afghanistan, and those various groups that seem to have perpetual fighting on their mind, rather than concerns about how they are going to be able to participate in the development of Afghanistan's future, which many of those...
SANCHEZ: Well...
GOUTTIERRE: ... who are called Taliban really are involved in.
So...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But -- well, but...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But -- but -- but...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But the short...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Hold on a minute. The short question to you then would be, if we identify them well enough to kill them, can we not identify them well enough to talk to them?
GOUTTIERRE: Well, I think -- I think that we can, and I think we have and I think, of course, those who understand who they are and can differentiate between the two different kinds that you described are people in the Afghan government.
They know about this, all the members of parliament. We have got to remember we have all of -- every district in Afghanistan is represented in that parliament now, and those members from those districts understand the people and what kind of inclinations they have. And we need to rely on that more.
SANCHEZ: Well, that brings me to another question, Professor. The idea that we need to build an Afghan army, no matter how long it takes, listening to what you just said makes me think that maybe we need to do this on a regional basis, in other words, maybe help some of the tribes, but not necessarily build an entire army, because that might not be feasible.
What do you say?
GOUTTIERRE: Well, I think we need to focus on the construction of a national Afghan army. And we are doing that. But I think at the same time, there are ways to incorporate regional militia groups into perhaps regional security matters and make them part and incorporate them in parts in some ways to the national army.
I think that's a good strategy. It was used in Iraq during the time of General Petraeus with the people in the western part of Iraq...
SANCHEZ: Right.
GOUTTIERRE: ... the Sunni Arabs there, and it was effective.
SANCHEZ: But...
GOUTTIERRE: And I think the same kind of thing -- it's a different deal in Afghanistan, but, again, if you know who you are dealing with, you can find a way to incorporate them.
SANCHEZ: Final question, sir. Should we leave our troops there to continue fighting this war, and, if they continue fighting, to what end? What is a win in Afghanistan?
GOUTTIERRE: The win for us is to make sure that we get as many Afghans working as possible. It's a -- should be our major objective.
Right after the -- our coming into Afghanistan we, unfortunately, outsourced the -- the whole reconstruction and rebuilding, because the Bush administration wasn't interested in it, to other nations and to big-ticket private corporations.
So, now we have a lot of very expensive expatriate teams in Afghanistan, and we have 70 percent of the population of Afghanistan in Helmand Province unemployed or other parts of Afghanistan.
Public works projects in the past were utilized very effectively by the Afghan government in collaboration with the U.S. government to put Afghans to work. That really was a good strategy. If we do that, we're going to find things...
SANCHEZ: But do we need 40,000 troops -- but do we -- but just -- let me just ask, and quick, because we're down to about 15 or 20 seconds before my producers start yelling at me too much, but do we need 40,000 troops to do that?
GOUTTIERRE: We -- we need to have the right number of people.
We undersourced it from the beginning militarily, and outsourced it in terms of development. And I think the strategy that the -- that Gates and Mullen and Petraeus and -- and McChrystal were trying to follow was on -- on the mark.
And we need to get that coordinated, which is not being done now, with a civil reconstruction effort, which is too outsourced, has too many stakeholders, too many messengers, and is not well-managed, creates waste and creates corruption.
SANCHEZ: Tom -- Tom Gouttierre with the University of Nebraska, the dean of international studies, spent some time over there, and has been kind enough to share some of his very direct thoughts on this.
Professor, thanks for taking time to join us today.
GOUTTIERRE: Good to be with you again. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL RANDALL (R), NORTH CAROLINA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I feel there's a possibility that there was some sort of collusion. Maybe they wanted it to leak. Is there a cover-up going on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That man is saying the Obama administration caused or had part, took part in the oil spill in the Gulf on -- the Gulf of Mexico, as in did it on purpose, just like some people were accusing George Bush of blowing up the Twin Towers.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Well, we understand that now he's backpedaling from this conspiracy theory. We will tell you who he is and why he's important enough to report on. Also, did Iranian police grab three American hikers in Iraq, drag them into Iran, and then arrest them? We're following that story for you.
Stay right there. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: There are some stories I want you to know about. This is our roundup list.
Here we go, number one, news today about those three American hikers sitting in jail in Iran. A magazine article coming out next month quotes witnesses who say that Iranian police crossed into Iraq to arrest them almost a year ago.
Well, that goes against Iran's claims that the Americans were on their side of the border illegally. Those witness accounts appear in appear in the next issue of "The Nation." The hikers' mothers went to Tehran last month to plea for their release.
Here now, number two. That man is Bill Randall, a Republican nominee for Congress in North Carolina. He won the primary election. He is backed by the Tea Party. But that's not why we're talking about him. Randall is suggesting it's possible the Obama administration intentionally caused the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDALL: I feel there's a possibility that there was some sort of collusion. Maybe they wanted it to leak. Is there a cover-up going on?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: He is now walking back some of those assertions. By the way, the man who lost the GOP nomination to him wondered to reporters if Randall has also believes that man has yet to walk on the moon.
Number three: Look at the high water in China. Floods have already killed more than 200 people across 10 provinces. Torrential rain over several days overwhelmed rivers, flooded villages, and sent more than two million people running for higher ground. We're on it.
Meanwhile, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADMIRAL MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINTS CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: When I first read it, I was nearly sick. It made me -- I -- literally, physically, I couldn't believe it. So I was stunned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Two of General McChrystal's colleagues open up about his ouster. You're going to hear more on their heartfelt and personal response. That's coming up in just a little bit. It's like nothing you have heard yet on this story.
And then, yesterday, we watched for about 10 hours as this oil freely gushed into the Gulf. Well, now there's an effect on some northwest Florida beaches, but there's also something good to report. I'm going to show it to you. It's in the form of a picture that Chad just shared with me a little while ago, and we're going to be sharing it with you in just a little bit.
Stay right there. We're coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: OK. We have got a brand-new picture coming in I want to share with you.
Chad Myers just came to me a little while ago and he says, take a look at this. This is a different angle on the picture that we have been looking at before, and you know what? This is promising.
Go ahead, Chad. Take it away.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is promising, the picture I couldn't show you about 20 minutes ago.
This is the one that I did show you, obviously, still things coming out, oil going around, which is -- right here is the cap. This whole thing is capping the tube coming out of the blowout preventer. Well, around the outside of that cap, oil is still coming out. We know that.
But let me take you 300 -- well, 180 degrees around the other side.
SANCHEZ: I like that.
MYERS: That is a much better seal. That's the seal right there of the blowout preventer cap. It's a little bit tilted. I'm kind of looking at it. I'm going, really? Is the whole camera tilted or is it just the cap tilted?
And I think they kind of got it on a little bit crooked, but so what? Look, there's -- there's no oil coming out here. You can see the cap. You can see the oil coming out here and on the other side clearly, but almost one full side of this cap is completely sealed, Rick. That's way better than I have ever seen it.
SANCHEZ: How long before they get the relief well done, by the way? I mean, I know you're not going to know to the day.
MYERS: I don't know to the day. And you know what? For all the failures they have, I -- I...
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: ... I got nothing, man.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Let's hope it happens soon.
MYERS: All right.
SANCHEZ: We will leave it at that.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: A federal judge, by the way, today has again rebuffed President Obama. He sees no reason to halt the drilling of any type in the Gulf of Mexico, and that isn't sitting well with many Florida officials who are now seeing their beaches threatened.
As we showed you a little while ago, these are some of the pictures now from parts of Pensacola along the Panhandle in Florida. And, by the way, Florida is one of the states who has always said, no, we we're against drilling. We don't want drilling near our coast. And yet they are now paying the consequences.
Nobody is more upset than Kendrick Meek, who said today -- quote -- "BP's massive oil spill more than justifies erring on the side of caution."
So, obviously, he disagrees -- he disagrees with this judge in Louisiana who is ruling against the president.
And he's good enough to join us by phone now.
Congressman Meek, are you there, sir?
REP. KENDRICK MEEK (D-FL), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm right here, Rick. Thank you for having me on.
SANCHEZ: Well, no, the pleasure is all mine.
Listen, what -- what do you make of this judge, Martin Feldman, who you so adamantly disagree with?
MEEK: I'm very, very disappointed by his decision. And I'm pretty sure that it will be appealed.
Senator Bill Nelson and I filed legislation calling for a moratorium until we find out what happened as it relates to the incident that we're dealing with now. House Bill 522 is in force and considered before the House. The administration adopted that same philosophy calling for a moratorium.
This is the worst environmental disaster in the history of our country as it relates to petroleum. And for a judge to even side on the fact that there's no reason why we should have a moratorium is just mind-boggling, but we are going to continue to fight for it.
We have 48 miles of beaches in Florida that are -- that are -- have oil on the coast right now, and 166 miles in the Gulf altogether. So, I mean, that's prima facie evidence to show that we have to make sure that it's safe before...
SANCHEZ: Well, he...
MEEK: ... we continue this kind of drilling.
SANCHEZ: It sounds like he's not having any part of it.
Hey, by the way, I understand that you debated your opponent Jeff Greene the other night, and it got interesting, because everybody is talking about the fact that he was part of the reason that we had the meltdown economically, but he tried to turn it around on you.
Here, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEEK: That you created the uncovered credit default swap, and there were very few individuals that were able to play at your level at this game.
You made millions of dollars on the backs and misery of Floridians and people in California. You wanted to profit. Now you want to turn around and use those dollars to convince Democrats...
JEFF GREENE (D), FLORIDA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Not a single Floridian lost a penny, Kendrick, because of the investments I made, and you know that's the case.
The housing crisis happened because of you, Kendrick. Let's be honest here. You took money for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. You had subprime housing seminars in your district. You also took money from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch.
I don't regret protecting the jobs I created. I would do it again, just like when I'm in the Senate I will be pounding the table and protecting Floridians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now, just so the viewers know, what you were talking about in his case were credit default swaps. Those are those shenanigan-type deals that they did to help get credit that really wasn't deserved.
We all know about that. We have talking about it. But then he turns around and he blames you for encouraging people to get mortgages that may -- they may not be able to afford. What say you to that, Congressman?
MEEK: Well, Rick, let me -- you were in the South Florida market once upon a time. There were a number of people who wanted information on housing. We held a housing fair. I didn't have a housing fair that's calling for subprime people only. It was a housing fair, credit background, counseling, how do you save for a home. All of those things were involved in that housing fair, along with U.S. HUD and a number of other agencies.
But I can tell you one thing. The reason why Jeff Greene wants to focus on other things outside of his past is because it's a murky past. When people went to bed at night praying to keep the equity in their homes or to keep their home altogether, he was praying that they lose their home, so that he can profit to the tune of $600 million to $800 million.
(CROSSTALK)
MEEK: And to run in a Democratic primary is just really, really stomach-turning, especially with that kind of background.
SANCHEZ: Well, what if this guy wins? Because I'm hearing there's a lot of talk out there that, if Greene wins, instead of you, the Democratic Party is going to back Charlie Crist. That would be interesting. Have you -- I'm sure you have heard that yourself, have you not?
MEEK: Well, let's put it this way, Rick. That's -- that's a -- that's high hypothetical, that Greene would win in the first place. He was a Republican for all of his life. He changed his registration in '08 when he moved to Florida.
And if there's a Floridian that's listening and has a 3-year-old granddaughter born -- I mean, 3-year-old granddaughter that was born in Florida, they would -- she would have been there longer than Jeff Greene.
SANCHEZ: Well, let me ask you this, is, who is a better -- who is a better Democrat, Greene or Charlie Crist?
MEEK: Well, I can tell you this -- I can tell you this much, Rick.
(LAUGHTER)
MEEK: Out of the four major candidates running for the United States Senate, including myself, I'm the only one that hasn't ran as a Republican in the past.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Kendrick Meek good enough to join us.
I know you had to step outside. I'm holding you longer than I should have. Go back inside and vote. Thanks so much. Appreciate your time.
All right, ahead: An airline has turned a national catastrophe into a money-making opportunity? I'm going to show you what they are doing and how they are doing it.
Also, which national television show host thinks that her job is just like President Obama's? It's not on this network.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
CNN is bringing you a groundbreaking look tonight at a unique struggle, as a same-sex couple longs for kids and tries to become parents.
Our Soledad O'Brien gives us a sneak peek at "Gary and Tony Have a Baby."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tony Brown and Gary Spino -- they can't get much past their front door before they're reminded of what they're missing. Everyone seems to have a child.
GARY SPINO, PROSPECTIVE FATHER: Hi, Blaze (ph). How you doing, buddy?
O'BRIEN: Gary can't even ride his bike to work without a stroller whizzing by.
SPINO: Growing up Italian, this is something I was taught to want -- grow up, get married, have kids.
O'BRIEN: They've been together 20 years. Both men are in their late 40s.
(on camera): There are a zillion kids at this park.
SPINO: And I've got to tell you, since we moved here, I would come here and try to sit there and, like, watch one or two kids interact and run around, and follow them and think, I want to have a child.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): This couple is ready for the next big step in life. Gary and Tony want to have a baby.
(on camera): Why have a baby? Why was that the next logical step?
SPINO: I thought at the end of my life, what am I going to say? Do I wish I would have had a bigger apartment, or do I wish I would have had a family? And it was a no-brainer.
TONY BROWN, PROSPECTIVE FATHER: I've always loved kids. It brings out the kid in me. You know, there's nothing like the love of a child.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): It might seem an unlikely step for two men who spent a lifetime fighting for gay civil rights.
(on camera): Were you activists early on here?
BROWN: Oh, yes. Absolutely.
SPINO: It was with Act Up. And it just felt so good to finally yell out and say, "No!"
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Theirs is a story of how love changed everything.
Tony remembers the moment they met.
BROWN: Gary was across the room, a dance floor, a crowded dance floor. And our eyes met.
O'BRIEN (on camera): That's such a cliche.
BROWN: It is. It's totally true, though. It absolutely happened that way.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): They married in Canada. The U.S. doesn't recognize the marriages of same-sex couples, though five states grant gay couples limited marriage rights.
SPINO: We've been talking about having a family for a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you remember what she looks like? Remember what she looks like?
O'BRIEN: A family to them meant having their own biological child. That means doctors, lawyers and a whole lot of money. And women. Not one, but two women --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If my grandmother were to know the entire situation, I think she would give up.
O'BRIEN: -- one to donate an egg, another to carry a baby.
SPINO: They are coming out of the gate right now.
BROWN: I'm nervous.
SPINO: I'm nervous, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: You can catch the rest of Soledad's report. That's tonight, right here at 8:00 Eastern, on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: He is a friend. He's an extraordinary officer. He made a severe mistake, and I think the actions that were taken were appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's Admiral Mullen. You're going to see what the chairman of the Joint Chiefs has to say when he's asked some very direct questions by members of the media about the removal of his friend and colleague, General Stanley McChrystal.
This is interesting television. Maybe as interesting, if not more so, than what the president had to say yesterday.
No teleprompters here. He just said he and the secretary of defense -- by the way, they were both side by side -- they say what they think, and you'll hear it perhaps for the first time. That's coming up in just a little bit.
Also, can you find nirvana in a jungle? Over 5,000 people in New York think they have. We're going to be right back with that story.
I'm Rick Sanchez. This is your national conversation. This is RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Are you ready, Brooke Baldwin? Because you know we haven't heard the sound in two days now.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh. I know. We've been missing it.
SANCHEZ: Yes, I guess so. A lot of people on Twitter, that's what they are saying.
Anyway, road trips can be great fun if -- if the road holds up.
What is this? It's "Fotos."
Northern India, the road to Darjeeling is paved with, well, not much. Not in this spot anyway. Oh my God. It looks a little precarious, doesn't it? But you know what's about to happen.
Wait for it. Yes -- no, it's coming. Down goes Frazier!
The landslide hit the location. The truck hit the road. The road hit the hill. And suddenly, 300 feet down the incline it goes.
Good news, though. We wouldn't be telling the story this way if everybody wasn't OK. The driver got out. The passenger got out. But, hey, a whole lot of metal went rolling down that hillside.
Now there's this picture.
Did you see this, Brooke Baldwin?
BALDWIN: No.
SANCHEZ: I love this.
BALDWIN: What is it?
SANCHEZ: This is a goose-stepping rooster.
BALDWIN: A goose-stepping rooster.
SANCHEZ: Yes, a goose-stepping rooster. It's not a geese.
BALDWIN: It's a confused rooster.
SANCHEZ: It's a confused rooster, exactly. He must be all riled up or something. Look at that.
Is that amazing?
BALDWIN: Is it trained way?
SANCHEZ: I don't know. We found the video, and we wanted to share it with people.
BALDWIN: That's kind of fun.
SANCHEZ: So here we go. Why did the chicken cross the road? Don't answer that question. Maybe he was just following orders. He's marching.
BALDWIN: He is marching.
SANCHEZ: All right. Now look at this. It's a neon buzz in the city streets of New York. They aren't exactly -- you don't think of spirituality when you think of New York City. Right? Everybody is hustling and bustling.
But thousands of yoga practitioners might beg to differ. They brought the calm of nirvana to the urban crush of Times Square Monday. Over 5,000 of them crowded into the crossroads for a moment of stillness in the bustling Big Apple.
BALDWIN: Is this your yoga voice?
SANCHEZ: Yes. By the way, do you know the sound of one hand clapping?
BALDWIN: No.
SANCHEZ: Just think about that.
You can see all of our "Fotos del Dia" on CNN.com/ricksanchez.
All right. These are the guys who came before cameras today, totally unexpected, and literally just shared their souls on the McChrystal situation. That's right.
It's a general they knew and respected, and they had to come out today and say he deserved to go. No matter how hard the questions were, that's what they held to.
You're going to hear exactly what they say. That's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're actually quite eager. You might not be matched --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And a player serves up a scolding to a Wimbledon commentator. Yes, this is a confrontation you don't want to miss. We're going to share it with you in just a little bit.
Stay right there. We'll be right back with more, including the sound of one hand clapping.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Brooke Baldwin is coughing all over the place.
Are you OK?
BALDWIN: I'm OK.
SANCHEZ: You need some water or anything?
BALDWIN: Sure, thanks.
SANCHEZ: Thanks. There you go. It really is water, by the way.
BALDWIN: You're so handy dandy.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: All right. Here we go.
I understand that you have something on Spirit Airlines, and this is a spoof you've been chasing down for several days now.
What's going on?
BALDWIN: Right. So, you know, with the Gulf oil spill, a lot of people are trying to get tourists down to those beaches, of course. And so a lot of places are running promotions.
Well, I want you to check out the Spirit Airlines ad. It was just put out on the Web this week. It got a lot of people talking.
The promotion is 50 bucks off to the Gulf Coast to certain destinations. And no, it's not getting people talking because of the ladies in bikinis, Rick.
They are making light, some are saying -- making light of this disaster. You know, at the end of the slide show you see that SPF bottle, and it's in that bright BP green and yellow, best protection.
SANCHEZ: Oh. BALDWIN: This thing has been all over Twitter. The campaign has been called offensive, tasteless, because their tag line was, "Check out the oil on our beaches."
So the airline, they have come out with a statement. They say, look, our ad has simply been misunderstood. They say, "We're merely addressing the false perception that we have oil on our beaches, and we're encouraging customers to support Florida and other beach destinations by continuing to travel to these vacation hot spots."
Apparently, Spirit Airlines has had, you know, run-ins in the past with some of their controversial promotions. Here is my favorite, Rick Sanchez. Are you listening?
SANCHEZ: I am.
BALDWIN: Last summer they apparently ran a promotion that said -- they called it "We're no Virgin Sale." And apparently their slogan was, "We've been cheap and easy for years."
SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness.
BALDWIN: Yes, that's Spirit Airlines.
SANCHEZ: There you go.
BALDWIN: There you go.
SANCHEZ: They got attention though.
BALDWIN: They did get attention. That's probably what they were looking for.
SANCHEZ: So, it's bizarre, because I've always been kind of a super jock all my life, and I played football and I played baseball and all that. And suddenly --
BALDWIN: You were?
SANCHEZ: Well, I was. I mean, that's before I got old.
BALDWIN: Just kidding, yes.
SANCHEZ: Suddenly everybody is talking about soccer, and now everybody is talking about tennis.
BALDWIN: Tennis, oh, my gosh.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: What's going on with Wimbledon?
BALDWIN: So, not to out everyone who works in your studio, but in the commercial breaks yesterday, everybody was running to the Internet to check Wimbledon, right? And it now turned out to be the longest match ever in tennis history. It wrapped today in Wimbledon this. This match took more than 11 hours -- 11 hours over the course of three different days. And, in fact, yesterday's set actually lasted an historic seven hours. So, when you kind of do the math, you can actually fly from, you know, Atlanta to London Heathrow in the time it took for them to play that set.
There he is, John Isner from the U.S. Actually went to the University of Georgia, playing tennis there.
SANCHEZ: There you go.
BALDWIN: Beat out Nicolas Mahut from France, 70-68 in that final set.
Let's listen in for just a second.
Yes. They're a tad exhausted, right, after playing this.
SANCHEZ: How long?
BALDWIN: Eleven hours total.
SANCHEZ: Eleven hours.
BALDWIN: Five, though, being the longest seven. They embraced. It was just a huge, huge deal. All over Twitter, everyone talking Wimbledon.
And also, everyone is talking about this, this exchange between -- you have this player at mid-court, this tennis player, and this ESPN announcer.
Have you seen this? We're talking about Pam Shriver and this player, James Blake. Keep in mind, like golf -- you're a golfer -- tennis is a quiet sport. You don't talk loud, especially at Wimbledon.
SANCHEZ: Whisper, right.
BALDWIN: So, I'm asking you, who is at fault here? I want to play this for you, this exchange. This is between the player, the announcer.
I want you to be the judge.
SANCHEZ: All right. Here we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM SHRIVER, ESPN: They're actually quite eager. You might not be matched tough. You might miss a lot of shots. But mentally, you're not burned out. I'm just surprised --
JAMES BLAKE, TENNIS PLAYER: Amazing that you played tennis. I can still hear you. SHRIVER: James just yelled at me for -- I'm way above the court, but evidently he can hear me. He's got rabbit ears.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "He's got rabbit ears."
Then Blake shot back something I can't play for you on TV, not very family-friendly. But look, they kind of had that exchange.
A lot of people are saying, you know, she's to blame, she shouldn't have been speaking that loud. And others are saying that he should not have -- he should have just been focused on the match.
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, rabbit ears, by the way, you know what that is?
BALDWIN: Rabbit ears like from your TV set?
SANCHEZ: No, no, no. Rabbit ears is an expression they use in sports of somebody who just can't get focused on the game.
BALDWIN: So, they --
SANCHEZ: It's kind of -- when you're playing sports and people in the stands are yelling, "Hey, Sanchez, you're an idiot" --
BALDWIN: Right. You need to focus.
SANCHEZ: -- you should be focused and you shouldn't turn around and shoot --
BALDWIN: Rabbit ears being large?
SANCHEZ: That you're paying too much attention to something other than what you're supposed to be focused on.
BALDWIN: Hmm.
SANCHEZ: It's kind of an interesting sports criticism. We used to do it in baseball a lot, especially if you're sitting in the dugout and you find out, like, what the other guy's girlfriend's name is. He's in trouble.
BALDWIN: Oh, no. Look, you've got to be in the game, like you've got to be in the show. Thanks, sports guy.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Good stuff, Brooke. Appreciate it.
BALDWIN: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: All right. A news host has made our list for suggesting that her job is just like President Obama's. That's what she said, and she was serious. Not a gaffe, a very serious statement.
Who is she? Well, you'll hear it for yourself. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
What we have learned on this newscast over the last couple of days interviewing people on both sides of the political divide, as we continue to do today, is that Americans who consider themselves red- staters or blue-staters, what we learned is that General McChrystal was wrong from them (ph), and that this is not about this general or this president, but rather about preserving civilian control of the military and respecting the chain of command. That's what we were told by Democrats, Republicans, officials.
That has been, it seems, after doing this story for the last 48 hours or so, the respected consensus from the right and from the left. But then there are those who chose to just blame it all on President Obama.
Here now, "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
Host on a competing network blamed the firing on "left-wing magazine," and they suggested that General McChrystal did only one really stupid thing, letting a reporter have access to him. Then, predictably, they went on to blast President Obama repeatedly.
But this is where that conversation caught viral fire. Here now, the gem as captured by "The Daily Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": This wasn't about the media, it was about the president. And one reporter had the perspective to see that.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, "FOX & FRIENDS": I mean, this is what being president of the United States is all about. It's these tough, huge, monumental decisions.
It's not about how you run a campaign. It's not about whether or not you're popular. It's not about whether or not you're a celebrity, or you're good looking, or tall or short.
It's in the time of crisis making these executive decisions. It's just like our job.
(LAUGHTER)
CARLSON: It's just like our job.
(APPLAUSE) STEWART: What? What? That was fun. I wonder if she's going to keep going with this thing.
CARLSON: It's just like our job. I mean, from a day-to-day basis, a lot of times when there's not big breaking news, we just sort of roll along. But what's the roll of an anchor during huge breaking news?
You remember growing up? You'd tune to the television, and that one moment during the year they would have to carry a story all along. It's the same thing as being president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Same thing as being the president of the United States.
And there it is, today's "List That U Don't Want 2 Be On." .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MULLEN: I have an expectation that a commander certainly someone with four stars and this kind of responsibility follow that guidance. He really committed a significant error in judgment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You get a feeling that it was difficult today for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to answer reporters' questions, but he used words like "unacceptable," "inconsistent," "terrible." Those are just some of the words used to describe McChrystal's scathing comments in "Rolling Stone," and yet it came from two men who respected him an awful lot.
They faced the cameras today, and you're going to hear for yourself what they said. It's personal, it's emotional. It's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. We do have one interesting tweet to people who are actually reacting. Did George Bush try and blow up the twin towers? Absolutely not. Did people accuse him of that? Yes.
Did Barack Obama try and create the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Is he being accused of that? Apparently so.
And here we go. "No way that the feds wanted BP oil spill to happen. Create a disaster? That politician must have sniffed too many fumes."
One of the reactions that we're getting to that accusation that we were hearing just a little while ago. But, you know, it's a free country. People are allowed to say whatever it is they want to say.
And because it's a free country, people are allowed to come here and hang out with me while I'm doing this newscast. And I want to welcome another one of our big crowds.
How you guys doing out there today? Everything good? Give a big thumbs up as we go to break. Here we go.
All right.
By the way, as soon as we come back, you're going to be able to hear for yourself what the secretary of Defense and what the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had to say about this man. And you know what? You believe these guys because they are real Americans. They really like this man, McChrystal, but they had to say what they had to say today, and you could tell it was difficult for them.
You'll hear it for yourself in just a moment.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: This is interesting, because yesterday we heard the president of the United States, and obviously it was difficult for the president to have to relieve a commander in Afghanistan of duty. However, today, in a much more informal setting, the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff both stood before reporters and had to describe for them why they did this, why it's good for the country, and how difficult it was for them.
The first question was for Admiral Mullen, and interestingly enough, what the reporter asked him is this: "Why did you let him go?" After all, he really didn't say anything in the 'Rolling Stone' report. It was a lot of the people who worked for him.
And interestingly, enough this is what Admiral Mullen says --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MULLEN: When I first read it, I was nearly sick. It made me -- literally physically. I couldn't believe it. So I was stunned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Here's another one I want you to hear now. This is from -- by the way, he went on to describe there how what the general said didn't matter because in the military, your control -- you're in control of those people who work for you, and the fact that they have messed up reflected on the general itself.
Now, here's another one. This is Gates. He's talking about the systemic problems while answering the reporters' questions today.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We had seen this kind of problem. There were concerns about General McChrystal's comments in a Q&A session in London last fall. That was discussed with him at the time. So I think that from my standpoint, this is an anomaly, not a systemic problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Down to 30 seconds.
Let me ask the folks in the audience here.
You guys have been watching this story. Raise your hand if you think that General McChrystal should in fact have been relieved of his command in Afghanistan based on what he said in that "Rolling Stone" article. Raise your hand if you think he should have -- should have.
One, two, three and four.
Raise your hand if you think he should not have been removed.
One, two, three, four.
That's interesting.
And the rest of you who didn't raise your hands, you're just in the middle? Just not sure. Not enough information. I've got to read the story again.
Hey, my thanks to all of you for coming. It's great to see you here.
Meanwhile, let's go to "THE SITUATION ROOM." Here is Suzanne Malveaux.
