Return to Transcripts main page
Rick's List
Hurricane Alex Impacts Gulf Cleanup Effort; President Obama Focuses on Immigration Reform
Aired July 01, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the second quarter was a rough ride for investors. All three major indices took hits. And today's jobless report doesn't really help here. First-time claims were up 13,000 last week.
That and the third-quarter outlook tops the CNN Money list, of course, with Alison Kosik.
And, Alison, let's talk optimism. Is there any reason to be optimistic as we roll forward?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, Wall Street is trying to stay positive, but, you know, I will tell you what. They are not very hopeful about the near-term outlook. Traders tell me they really just want to hear some reassuring news on the economy.
They think this market is oversold. All they say they need is one bit of good news, and they say they will see people buy back into the market. But I will tell you, we have gotten lots of doom and gloom, a constant drumbeat of disappointing reports, jobless claims up, pending home sales down, construction spending down, you know, manufacturing activity down. We just got the closing bell.
Let's see how we did: the Dow down 43 points, though off the session lows of the day. That's good news. We were down over 100 points. So it looks like people felt a little more confident buying back into the market. We will see what tomorrow brings with the all- important jobs report -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: I just feel like you were rattling all that off, and it was like down, down, down.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: What about -- Alison, what about last week's unemployment claims? How are investors reacting to those numbers?
KOSIK: Well, those were up.
I mean, those -- those numbers jumped by -- to 472,000, and that was more than expected. I mean, and if you think about it. The market doesn't react well when we hear that more people are lining up for jobless claims benefits, because that means that people's spending power goes down. The economy doesn't grow as fast as everyone wants. And it begins to slow down the growth that we want to see, and that's what's happening now, and that's why you see the market down so much right now, Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right, Alison Kosik, thank you. For you, we will hope for up, up, up.
We want to break out of that and go straight to some breaking news we're getting also out of New York, where one of the suspected Russian spies is making a surprise announcement.
Now here is the national conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST today.
An estimated 83 million gallons and counting, that is how much oil has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20, and it's not slowing down.
Meanwhile, Alex pushes more oil on to beaches and slows down containment and cleanup efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really docked our skimming vessels from getting out into the open water.
BALDWIN: Can the Gulf really handle another setback?
As the immigration battle rages on, one woman who came to the U.S. illegally once feared deportation more than her own safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We arrived in America, and what terrible things happened.
BALDWIN: She says her husband beat her up for years, but she was too afraid to call police, fearing she would be sent back to Mexico. Her story makes the LIST.
Police reopen their probe of a sexual assault allegation against Al Gore -- what the former vice president says. And is this woman and her story even credible?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: When they approached this woman initially about coming forward to tell this story, she asked for $1 million.
BALDWIN: The lists you need to know about. Who is today's most intriguing? Who is making news on Twitter? It's why we keep a list. Pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: All right. Let's get back to that breaking news that we have promised.
Here we go, top of the hour, hour two.
And I want to go straight to our national correspondent Susan Candiotti, who is live in New York with, what -- what, Susan? Is this a new twist on what seems like a mystery novel. Hello to you.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we have been hearing about this alleged Russian spy ring that we all found out about earlier in the week.
Well, now, according to a bail letter that was filed by the United States attorney's office here in New York, we're finding out that one of the defendants in this case is allegedly admitting: Yes, I was working as a spy for the Russian intelligence service.
Now, we're talking about the defendant by the name of Juan Lazaro, and you will recall that he is one of the people that has been charged in this case. Well, according to this letter that was a statement -- that he made a statement back on June 27 while being interviewed by federal agents, after which he had -- after he made -- he made the statement after he waived his Miranda rights.
And in the statement, he told agents that he was not born in Uruguay. I'm reading from the statement now, that Juan Lazaro is not his real name, and that his house in Yonkers had been -- quote -- "paid for by the service," and although he loved his son, that he would not violate his oath of loyalty for -- to the service, even for his own son.
All this is stated in this letter. And the document goes on to say that he says that Lazaro is not really his real name and that, remember, he's also married to a co-defendant in this case by the name of Vicky Pelaez.
And Lazaro told agents that she had delivered letters to the service on his behalf. So, this is all interesting, another interesting development happening as he is appearing in court at this hour for a bail detention hearing -- back to you, Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right, Susan. Thank you for that update. This really is like a spy novel. Keep us posted if you hear anything new.
Meantime, I'm being told we're going back live to Washington, to this picture, poignant picture, a little bit more of this ceremony as the body of Robert C. Byrd, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the dean of the Senate, 51 years serving the state of West Virginia -- we're watching this entire ceremony, all this pomp and circumstance.
It's lovely, as they are all paying respects and remembering this man who served Congress as the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history. His body had been lying in repose in the Senate. We saw a moment ago the honor guard taking that coffin. And, of course, where are they taking it? They are taking it to Charleston, West Virginia.
We have Dana Bash standing by.
I know, Dana, you were going to talk immigration, but let's just -- if you can join me in this conversation, and let's talk about Senator Byrd. I know you have been covering Capitol Hill for years and years. I know that the flags are all at half-staff, and just talk to me about how much this man has done.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he certainly has done a lot with regard to an imprint on this institution, the institution of the United States Senate, which is exactly why he actually personally chose and asked to do what happened today, which is, as you said, to lie in repose on the floor of the United States Senate.
Now, he actually -- you're looking at pictures from just a few minutes ago. At this moment, the casket is on its way to Andrews Air Force Base. He is going to continue to lie in repose tonight and through -- through the weekend in the Capitol Building of -- of West Virginia.
But, with regard to here, it's been a very interesting day, very rare, because what we saw today has not happened since 1959, Brooke. A senator has not lain in repose since 1959. Usually, when a dignitary or somebody of stature dies and wants -- and people want to pay respect, it happens in the Capitol -- in the Capitol Rotunda, not the Senate floor.
And that's posed some interesting issues for those of us in the press corps who have wanted to show the world what is happening, because you didn't see any pictures of what happened inside, at least...
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: C-SPAN went dark, right? I mean...
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Right.
BALDWIN: Even C-SPAN. They never go dark. I mean, this is -- why?
BASH: Exactly. That's exactly right.
And what happened was, you know, the official rules of the Senate are that the television cameras are only on when the Senate is in session. The Senate was not officially in session. However, this was a unique circumstance. So, the Capitol Hill press corps really pushed to get these cameras opened, and we were denied.
So what we have instead are a couple of still photographs. Photographers were allowed to come into the chamber when the casket was brought in, really before the family came in. They were able to take a few photographs, and that's all we have from inside.
However, I can tell you that, as a member of the press corps, first of all, earlier, I was able to go into the galleries above the -- the Senate chamber, inside the Senate chamber, so I was able to look at -- at the scene, and it was really interesting.
His family was there. They were greeting members of the staff who were coming in and senators, lots of people who had served with him years and years ago coming back to pay their respects to the man who really taught them a lot, now, even people who are pretty old right now, taught them a lot about -- about procedure.
And one interesting note. Just before I came over here, Brooke, right before...
BALDWIN: Yes.
BASH: ... they brought the casket out, we got a -- a page saying, members of the press corps, if you want to come and pay your respects, you can.
So myself and some of our producers and others went on to the floor of the Senate. We walked through. We were able to pay our respects, a very, very rare thing, because we are never allowed on the floor of the Senate, so that was a pretty remarkable moment.
BALDWIN: Kind of gives me goose bumps. I don't know if it's because I lived in West Virginia, and I can appreciate what he did for so many people there. But it's truly amazing, the fact that his body lay in repose on the Senate floor, the fact that we're literally watching history unfolding in front of us.
Dana Bash, do me a favor. Stick around. We talked Senator Byrd. We're going to talk immigration just -- just on the other side of this break.
RICK'S LIST will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Want to continue the conversation when it comes to immigration reform.
The president spoke today at American University about this very topic. In fact, we have a snippet for you. Here is Mr. Obama's message to the 11 million undocumented immigrants here in the U.S. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They must be required to admit that they broke the law. They should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine and learn English. They must get right with the law before they can get in line and earn their citizenship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You hear that? A lot of us were watching earlier today, and we thought oh, my gosh, Mr. Obama is saying to immigrants that, yes, they have a duty to learn English. Let's continue this.
Joining me now from Chicago, Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Joshua, good to see you. Of course...
JOSHUA HOYT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ILLINOIS COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS: Hi, there.
BALDWIN: ... I wanted to pose this very question to you.
It seems to me, in listening to the president speak today, he talked a lot about accountability. That was one of his themes. He's saying, basically, yes, members of the government, they need to be accountable and responsible in securing our borders. They say to businesses, you need to be accountable in making sure the people you're hiring are -- are not undocumented.
And, finally, he's saying to immigrants, they are saying, you need to be accountable as well. And he says you need to register, pay taxes and learn English.
Sir, fair?
HOYT: Yes, of course that's fair.
I mean, you're talking about 11 million people who desperately want to become legal, who desperately want to become a part of this nation, and many of whom are contributing with their sweat and improving our standards of living. They want to be part of this nation, and are begging for the opportunity to do that.
Learning English is what you do in this country, not only to get among with your neighbors, not only to contribute fully, but to be able to earn more money. And they are here to take care of their families, and so that seems -- that seems very fair.
BALDWIN: They are here to take care of their families. You know, I have talked to them. You have talked to them. They want to come. They want to live the American dream and provide.
What do you say, though, to the Americans, those hardworking Americans who are here, who are very much so American citizens, and they say to some of these undocumented workers, you're taking my work from me?
HOYT: Well, we have a situation in which they have been invited in by a way by employers, who pay them very badly, and it's been convenient for the employers. It's been convenient for anybody that wants cheap lettuce, and now we're fixing this problem.
We need to fix the problem, and so you have got to hit the pause button and you say, OK, let's start this thing right, with low-wage workers being able to come here legally, with secure borders, and with those who are here, not committing crimes, taking care of their families, able to get into the line for legal status.
BALDWIN: I am...
HOYT: That's a solution.
BALDWIN: I am...
HOYT: That's what grownup people do.
BALDWIN: ... sure -- and I imagine you -- and I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I imagine you're in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.
And might I ask you, sir, when would you like to see that happen?
HOYT: Well, as soon as possible. The president gave a beautiful speech. I wish he had given it six months ago.
The legislative window here may be closing. Hopefully, there's still time. But, every day, 1,100 families are destroyed. There's over 100,000 U.S. citizen children who have a parent who has been deported.
The president made the economic case. He made the national security case, but he also said this is a moral issue, and it's something where the president has stepped forward. It's important that Republicans join him at the table and say, let's be adult and come up with real solutions that work for our nation.
BALDWIN: Joshua Hoyt, thank you for talking to me. I think you really set the stage for me to continue my conversation with my colleague Dana Bash, who is standing by in Washington.
And, Dana, Joshua said, look, he wished that this could have happened, the speech could have happened six months ago.
My question to you, twofold.
BASH: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: One, why did this speech happen today? And, two, comprehensive immigration reform, realistically speaking, friend, when might this happen on the Hill?
BASH: Just between us?
BALDWIN: Just between us.
BASH: Not any time soon, not any time soon at all. I will start with that answer.
Look, despite what the president did today, despite the fact that, after he spoke, the Democratic leader put out a statement saying, I'm committed to doing comprehensive immigration reform this year, it is -- in talking to pretty much anyone who will admit this to you realistically, it's not going to happen this year. Four-and-a-half months before an election, they -- at least on the Democratic side, they don't actually -- they have a -- they have a rough outline, but they don't have legislative language. It hasn't even begun to go through the committees.
And they know on the Democratic side what the president said. It is true that Republicans, who they need to pass anything, they just say, no, this is just the wrong approach at this point, they think philosophically, in part because they truly believe it, and other reasons is -- are because there's a lot of pressure from the conservative base that their perspective is you have to secure the border first before you talk at all -- at all -- about dealing with the problem of illegal immigrants.
BALDWIN: Sure.
BASH: Having said that, Brooke, I will tell you that, on the Democratic side, there are -- there are a number of members who really much pretty -- pretty much feel the same way. So the president doesn't only have problems with the Republicans, but some of his fellow Democrats, in doing this right now.
The earliest possible, I'm hearing, that they could actually do this is early next year, but one source told me that was even happy talk.
BALDWIN: Happy talk. I'm glad you mentioned that, though, because it's not just Republicans. It's the Dems as well.
My -- my other question to you, though -- and he mentioned -- and I have covered bits and pieces of the DREAM Act -- if we're not talking comprehensive immigration...
BASH: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: ... reform any time soon, just between the two of us, are we possibly talking...
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: ... about smaller pieces of immigration reform, like the DREAM Act, to enable, you know, children who were brought here to the country illegally by their parents, didn't have any say in the matter, who would like to continue on to college, who could stay here? What about -- what about smaller victories?
BASH: I am told by Democratic sources that is possible. It is possible that, as we get through the summer and into the fall, it is possible that they could bite off little pieces like the DREAM Act, another issue that is big in -- for -- with California senators.
Another is -- others is jobs for those in the agriculture sector. That's another small piece that perhaps they can address, because, look, big picture here, to answer the question you asked earlier, why now, again, we're four-and-a-half months before an election.
BALDWIN: Right.
BASH: And cannot underestimate how angry Latino voters are at the president, at Democrats who run this Congress for not addressing this earlier. And they promised that they would do it.
And the Democrats who are on the ballot in four-and-a-half months are very concerned that they are going to -- that they are going to face a backlash from the Latino voters that many of them need and rely on to get elected saying, you know what? Why should we trust you this time.
And that's a big reason, I'm told, why the president gave this speech now, to at least say, look, I'm laying the groundwork. We are going to try to do it in the future. See, I'm trying. I'm at least trying.
BALDWIN: Yes, it was the Latino base, right, who helped elect candidate Obama at the time. And he was saying today, I don't want to kick the can down the road.
BASH: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: We're just wondering how -- how long that road may be before -- before we see anything.
Dana Bash, good to see you. Thank you so much for your perspective.
BASH: You, too. Thanks, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Also, this ahead:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then he wrapped me in an inescapable embrace as I turned around, giving me this "come hither" look deep into my eyes and caressed my back and buttocks and breasts.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: Hmm. Who might she be talking about? Could it be this man, former Vice President Al Gore, facing some old allegations of sexual advances from a female massage therapist? And why are police reopening this case now? We're talking this is like end of '06. Now it's 2010. Why now? We are drilling down on the legal ramifications in that case also ahead.
And Tropical Storm Alex, no longer a hurricane, still making a mess for people down in the Gulf. How bad was the damage to that oil spill in the Gulf? What about the skimmers? What about the booms? What about the waves?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When do they start up again?
BALDWIN: See, we have got lots of questions.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Chad Myers.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Oh, boy oh, boy, here's the latest chapter, if you will, on what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico.
We're talking about the remnants of what was Hurricane Alex drenching parts of Northern Mexico, Southern Texas today. You see on the video it's causing massive flooding problems for folks there. Alex is strengthening as the day is marching on.
But winds and waves -- waves, that's really the big story here from Alex -- hampering those oil recovery efforts, the containment efforts, even those controlled burns, hundreds of miles away in the Gulf.
In fact, listen to what Admiral Thad Allen had to say at today's briefing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: The hurricane passed by, generated some swells and weather up towards the well site. That required us to delay bringing on board the third production vessel, the Helix Producer, which we thought we would have online today.
We will need about three days after the weather calms to less than three to five feet for that vessel to be able to hook up to the flexible coupling that it will be required to do, so we're looking at somewhere around midweek next week to bring the third production vessel online that will bring our capacity up to 53,000 barrels per day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: OK. So, meanwhile, that multipronged effort, you know, you heard us talking about the booms, the skimmers, the controlled burns, even the spraying of those aerial dispersants. That is all on hold.
And one huge worry here, where will the storm's aftermath push the oil-polluted water?
Chad Myers, he's the man with all the answers.
I mean, it seems like it's sort of two different issues.
MYERS: It is.
BALDWIN: One being the fact that the oil is being pushed onshore. MYERS: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: And, number two, the fact that the containment effort, forget about it for days.
MYERS: The -- obviously, the oil is still coming out, right? They are -- they are gathering as much as they can.
BALDWIN: Sure.
MYERS: But they want that other vessel that he was talking about. Isn't it odd to see him in a suit and not in his uniform?
BALDWIN: I know. Yes.
MYERS: I looked at it today and I went, whoa.
BALDWIN: Who is that? Who is that?
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Anyway.
BALDWIN: That's Thad Allen.
MYERS: You're right. Exactly.
But that was part of the plan. That was not like -- he didn't get like downgraded. That was always part of his retirement. Anyway, I digress.
BALDWIN: Side note.
MYERS: I digress. And back to this. So, these -- sucking vessel up there trying to get as much oil out is still working.
BALDWIN: That's an official term, sucking up...
MYERS: Yes. It's still working.
BALDWIN: Uh-huh.
MYERS: And so is the other one that is hooked up to where the blowout preventer on the bottom was, they tried to put that junk shot?
BALDWIN: Uh-huh.
MYERS: That's still sucking, too.
BALDWIN: That is still...
MYERS: Those are still working.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: The waves would have to be 12 feet to get those to stop. BALDWIN: And right now they are just seven.
MYERS: Seven.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: So we got close, but...
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: And around the hurricane, waves were 26 feet. Could you imagine being in any ship at 26 feet?
BALDWIN: No.
MYERS: No. I...
BALDWIN: No, forget about it. Yes. No.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: I would have the patch. I would have the Bonine. I would have everything. It would be like...
BALDWIN: No.
MYERS: Anyway, so...
BALDWIN: But that was nowhere that kind of -- those waves?
MYERS: Six hundred miles away.
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: But those waves are still in the water.
Yes, they are calming, but they are still propagating closer and closer to the oil. So, even though the waves are getting smaller technically, because they go from 26 to 23 to 20, you know, down, down, down, down, down...
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: ... by the time they get here, they still may be -- for the next two or three days, they still may be above the threshold of what he was talking about, about three feet.
They don't want to be in the water with these -- with these skimmers at above three feet. Look at the oil. This is the latest from NOAA, kind of an amazing little picture here. And you can see these little streamers here. Now, this would be the end of the Mississippi River. Here's Grand Isle, and then back up here, here's the -- all these here, these are the islands that you were at, Brooke, right here.
BALDWIN: Chandeleur. MYERS: The Chandeleur Islands all the way right through there.
BALDWIN: Beautiful.
MYERS: And then back out towards Pascagoula and then kind of touching here right around Pensacola. And the winds have been in this direction for many, many days now. And that's kind of blown this oil closer and closer to shore and into these bays and into these estuaries and on up in near the bayous of Louisiana.
That's the biggest threat of what this -- what this hurricane did in the first place. And another thing, here's still the buoys. Look at this. This is the latest and greatest right there, wind speeds nine miles per hour, wave height still seven.
BALDWIN: Seven feet.
MYERS: And that's right here at that buoy. And that buoy is as close as we can get to where that Deepwater Horizon went down. So, seven feet. Everything shut down. Nothing going on at seven feet. They don't skim.
You know why they don't skim? Because there's only this much oil on top of the water.
BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: Right? I know we're talking about depths and depths of oil down below, but they are only skimming the very, very top. If the water is doing this and the booms are not, the water...
BALDWIN: Right.
MYERS: The oil is going right over the top of the boom.
BALDWIN: The booms are useless right now.
MYERS: It's basically irrelevant, absolutely irrelevant.
BALDWIN: Yes.
MYERS: And then the one thing we will watch today, just rather quickly, if are you in South Texas -- and there aren't that many people that actually live in this area, but there are tornado warnings, those little pink spots right there. There are tornado warnings. Still storms coming on shore that are spinning that could make a couple tornadoes -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: All right, Chad Myers, you're good, friend.
MYERS: And there's oil still coming out.
BALDWIN: There it is, still leaking.
MYERS: It -- this never stops.
BALDWIN: And it keeps going and going. Chad Myers, thank you for that.
MYERS: Sure.
BALDWIN: Also ahead, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had a greater fear of losing her at the hands of my father than I did at the hands of a police officer. I truly believed that my mom was going to be killed if I didn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, that was me sitting with these three young gals. They are all teenagers, right? And it's bad enough being a victim of domestic abuse, but imagine not having the option of telling police, picking up the phone and calling 911, simply because you fear you, maybe your parents, will be deported. You will hear one emotional example next on the LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Well, we have been talking a fair amount today about immigration, simply because the president has been talking a fair amount about immigration.
The nation has focused on that very topic today, as he spoke about it at American University in Washington. And he called on lawmakers to put aside their differences, set politics aside. We can create a system that's accountable.
Well, our show wanted to take this -- this story a step further. We wanted to tell you about a side of the immigration story that is oftentimes hidden. It rarely gets mentioned in the debates you have heard, at least up until this point.
This is a story. We're going to call her -- let's call her Theresa (ph). We're protecting her identity. She is a woman I interviewed who basically found herself caught between being, at the time, an undocumented immigrant and a victim of domestic violence.
And I sat down with her. And in this very emotional conversation, she -- she told me how her husband brought her here illegally from Mexico, along with her two young children, and then, in those years to come, she told me he began to beat her, verbally, physically, and threatened her through the years that he would have her deported, so she could never see her children again.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF "TERESA", VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE(through translator): He would tell me that when I got to Mexico, he would chop me up in little pieces. It's not easy for me because I didn't have rights. I didn't feel I was protected. He was white, and I wasn't. He was tall, and I was short.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now fortunately for Teresa, the present immigration law actually helped her. She was able to take advantage of what's called a special statute for domestic violence victims. It's this rigorous process filled with demands. You have to document your life, you have to document your abuse, show pictures of the bruises. So she is now able to stay in this country. She now has her papers. She is now legal.
However, not every story has this, and I say this loosely, a happy ending. Most families who are illegal and suffering from domestic abuse are constantly torn about picking up the phone and calling police. Imagine the impact on children who are often the only English speakers in the home. I spoke with three teenagers who say they remember very early on growing up in these houses and seeing and hearing their mothers who, yes, they are here illegally, taking hits, suffering bruises, but calling police was a complicated decision.
Now I also talked to one woman who was part of this - part of this whole story, and she was also part of this group. In fact, do we have the sound from the young woman? Can we roll the sound of the young woman? Yes. Let's go to that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF "LAUREN", DAUGHTER OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM: I truly believed that my mom was going to be killed if I didn't, so at that point it didn't matter if we would be separated. It mattered that I wanted her to live, so it was - I had a greater fear of losing her at the hands of my father than I did at hands of a police officer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, there are a few state agencies that try to help these women and their children who are undocumented and abused, and one woman from this group here in Georgia, it's called Caminar Latino. She says that her concern right now is that fewer requests are coming in for help, and she explains to me why that is not a good thing. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA NUNAN, CAMINAR LATINO: It's scary because of the fact that in spite of us serving women we provide 2,000 more direct services and so what that told us is that the need isn't going away. What sometimes people forget is the impact that these immigration policies can have on women and children who didn't make the choice to come here, especially the kids, a woman and kids who if they are sent back to Mexico, it could be a death sentence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A death sentence. Now, Jessica Nunan brought up a point that affects a lot of people. When kids in these cases do not get help, many grow up not recognizing what a normal relationship is and perhaps repeat the violence that they experience first hand on their families.
It's quite an interesting story. It's part of the immigration story that we don't always hear. And some just curious, what's your reaction to that. Do me a favor. Send me a tweet. I'm just interested to hear what your thoughts are on people who yes, they are here. They're undocumented and they don't have their papers but they are also victims of domestic violence, just something to think about.
Also, Elena Kagan, she has gone out of her way to avoid controversy during her career, but she has had her moments that were caught on camera, and you know we have those for you. We'll play those for you just ahead. And kids, if you're watching. Do not try this at home. Look at this guy. Don't try that anywhere. It actually has a name. It's called car surfing. Yes, we're going to talk about it next on "The List." Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BALDWIN: All right. Yes, yes, yes. We were all teenagers once. Some of you are parents, you have teenagers at home and you know some of them do really stupid things, and on that note let's do "Fotos."
Watch this with me. Watch this kid. Kids, do not try this at home. I don't care if you're home, you're on vacation. I don't care where you are. These kids are riding on the top of cars. They are moving up to 40 miles an hour. You saw him. They spring into air, some of them doing back flips and plunge into this river like 30 feet below. Some just leap from the edge of the bridge. Either way, police say it's dangerous and, oh, yes, illegal.
Now to this one. Big pop under the big top and I'm not talking about a circus. This is a fireworks tent. This was an early fourth of July celebration of sorts in Troy, Missouri. Flashes of, you know, the colors, red, white and blue, and oh, yes, orange, green, yellow, purple as well. You get my drift. We're talking about a fire.
The entire thing was on display after two men allegedly torched the place on Tuesday. Amazingly no one was hurt. Fire fighters snuffed out the fire and arrested two suspects after a hot pursuit.
And take a look at these guys. Yes. They got some moves. They are not exactly the real village people. They are real live fire fighters, and they have - they are showing off their hot moves. The Luther, Oklahoma, Volunteer Fire Department has a burning need for equipment, apparently, burning so hard, in fact, they need to make a little money.
Why? When part of their tanker blew up, they exploded into action. They became dancing machines. Look at them go. Competing for a new fire engine. Hopefully they will smoke the other six finalists and get that fire engine they want. By the way, you can see all the "Fotos" of the day, just go to "Rick's blog" at cnn.com/ricksanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He grabbed my right hand hard, shoved it down under the sheet and said to me, "there," in a very sharp, loud, angry sounding tone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She is talking about, or she is alleging that this man did that, former vice president Al Gore facing this renewed allegation of sexual misconduct from a massage therapist. The case is old. It has been reopened by police. We're asking questions including why is it reopened? Why is it new and why is Gore welcoming this reopening of the investigation? We'll be drilling down on that.
Coming up. Also, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has managed to keep her career relatively free from controversy, but she has had her moments caught on camera. We've compiled them all for you. We're having a little fun here on "The List."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So, if you've been watching the show the last couple of days you know we've been showing you a lot of the back and forth in Washington regarding Elena Kagan's confirmation hearing. In fact, that Supreme Court hearing just resumed a short time ago.
But the president's pick to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens is not in the hot seat today. Instead, friends and colleagues are there testifying on her behalf. While Kagan has presented a cautious front during these hearing, the last couple of days, she has declined to indicate how she might rule if she is approved.
In fact, she was a little less guarded in several on-camera appearances while she was dean of Harvard Law School. Our Jim Acosta managed to dig up some of those tapes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENA KAGAN, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: What do we know about her? What do we think of her?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 2005, and then dean of the Harvard Law School Elena Kagan was leading a panel discussion.
KAGAN: Does anybody know anything about her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Not much.
ACOSTA: The subject, Harriet Miers, President George W. Bush's pick for the Supreme Court. In this exchange, Kagan is off camera, but she and the panel appear to have some fun with Miers' lack of name recognition.
KAGAN: How do you pronounce her name? Harriet Miers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miers, at least that's how everybody else has been pronouncing it and they don't know anything either.
ACOSTA: The panel questions Miers' legal past, a criticism that helped doom her nomination. On this video recorded at Harvard, Kagan appears to agree with Miers' critics.
KAGAN: We don't know much about her views. Honestly, the Republicans have a little bit of, you know, reason to want to know better who this person is, too.
ACOSTA: The comments sound eerily similar to what Republicans have been saying about Kagan.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: Miss Kagan has less real experience of any nominee in at least 50 years.
KAGAN: You know, I have something of a political background myself.
ACOSTA: Also in '05 as a Harvard Alumni Award dinner for then Senator Barack Obama Kagan gushed over the man who would become president and calling him her hero and praising his speech to the 2004 Democratic Convention.
KAGAN: You could have heard a pin drop, and in part that's because of, you know, all of the rock star qualities that he has, the eloquence, the magnetism, the great looks, the brilliance.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am glad that Dean Kagan set the proper tone.
ACOSTA: At a graduation ceremony in 2007 -
KAGAN: You will face choices between doing what is easy and doing what is right.
ACOSTA: Kagan sharply criticized key members of the Bush White House over the administration's secret wiretapping program. She slammed Alberto Gonzales who as White House counsel once tried to pressure former attorney general John Ashcroft to approve the program while Ashcroft was in the hospital.
KAGAN: This is a story, to put it bluntly, of some lawyers who failed to respect the rule of law and of other lawyers who stood up for and vindicated it.
ACOSTA (on camera): On another video, she takes a gentle dig at Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia saying his Harvard degree was the best thing about him. Kagan is known for her wicked sense of humor but on many of these videos Kagan is cautious and steering clear of controversy. The videos are now up on the judiciary committee's web site.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: All right. I want to share with you this old case. It's a couple years old. This alleged sexual misconduct. It's involving our former vice president Al Gore. We now have tape of the accuser's police interview. Will what she says possibly hurt the former vice president? Is her story even credible? We'll continue this conversation with former prosecutor and legal contributor to "In Session" on TruTV, Sunny Hostin in the seat, next here on "The List."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: He has a pretty impressive resume. He's been a senator, a vice president and a candidate for the Oval Office. He also has a Nobel Peace Prize, but now Al Gore is on the receiving end of an old sexual assault allegation. You see, Portland Police are now reopening this investigation into a 2006 complaint by a female massage therapist, and there's the cover.
Yes this, tabloid magazine, the "National Enquirer" has identified this woman as Molly Haggerty. Police in Oregon have also released audio of an interview in which she describes the incident. Here is a piece of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF MOLLY HAGERTY, AL GORE'S ACCUSER: He grabbed my right hand hard, shoved it down under the sheet and -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, a Gore family spokesman did issue a statement saying that the former vice president most definitely stands by the denial he made years ago when that accusation first came out. Sunny Hostin is the legal contributor for TruTV's "in session" and she joins me there in New York.
And Sunny, OK, I have a lot of questions. But I just first want to get back to that audio tape. We have a couple more snippets I want to play and then we'll chat. So in one point of this interview, the accuser says she feared she would actually be raped. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAGERTY: I had the fear that rape would be inevitable if I could not get out and I could not see no any way to immediately leave without it also being a risk to my safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A risk to her safety. She then goes on to describe what sounds like physical restraint. Here's that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAGERTY: And then he wrapped me in an inescapable embrace as I turned around. Giving me this 'come hither' look deep into my eyes and caressed my back and buttocks and breast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Sunny, an "inescapable embrace," improper touching, shoving her hand, when you hear all of that, what is your first reaction?
SUNNY HOSTIN, HOST TRUTV'S "IN SESSION": Well, it certainly sounds like a sexual assault, at least in the third degree which is what the police originally in 2006, Brooke, were investigating. All it is is an unwanted sexual touching, unwanted sexual contact, and that is really what she's explaining.
It's an extensive police interview. I've actually read the transcript, it's about 73 pages.
BALDWIN: Wow.
HOSTIN: So you know, to say that these are just spurious allegations. I don't know if that's true. If she is telling the truth, it does sound like a crime occurred.
BALDWIN: Before we talked about the timing, because I'm interested in the timing because the case is closed and now it's reopened. First I just want to talk about this woman because "The Nation" is saying who in the world is Molly Hagerty? Who, Sunny, do we know who she is and is her story credible? Do we believe her?
HOSTIN: Well, we know that she's a licensed massage therapist, and we don't know much more than that. I've been doing some research on this story, and I have to tell you we just don't know much about her. Her credibility is certainly an issue because this happened almost four years ago and she's just coming back again and I think people are really questioning her motives, why now? Why not in 2006? Why didn't she pursue it then? That's really the question, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Why didn't she pursue it then? I mean maybe in history or perhaps cases like this, if this came out in 2006, if she decided not to press charges and she decided I guess for whatever reason to keep her mouth shut, then she goes, to police and perhaps initially then the "Enquirer" and decides to tell her story to them and then police decides to open this investigation. What's your reaction to the timing? I have questions over that.
HOSTIN: I - I will say I agree. I think the timing is odd. Apparently in 2006 she waited two months until she contacted an attorney. That attorney contacted the FBI, the Secret Service, the state police and he was referred to the - you know, the local police and she missed three interviews and finally said I'm going to pursue this civilly, and I think people are really concerned about that, because is she after the money?
She never went forward civilly, and now she came back in 2009 and contacted the police again. Now people are saying isn't it too late? Well, the statute of limitations is not up yet, so it isn't too late, but why, why now? Why did the police reopen the investigation? That's the question that I have.
BALDWIN: A whole lot of questions, and I'm sure Americans are also wondering, hang on a second. We heard a couple of weeks ago that Al Gore and Tipper Gore after 40 years of marriage now separating, so there are a lot of questions, but we cannot link those. You cannot link those. We're just going to have to wait and let the facts speak for themselves.
Sunny Hostin, thank you so much for chatting about that. The big embrace some time ago. Sunny, thank you.
His presence on the court could affect any major city's local economy. A basketball player totally can affect the economy. Listen to this. We're talking about Lebron James, the basketball superstar who just became as of like midnight last night a free agent. Where in the world will he end up? We will explore that ahead, and you can imagine the Lebron tweets. They are pouring in. I swear we will go through them. We'll throw some of your tweets coming up next.
This is your national conversation. This is "Rick's List." Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Two words for you. Lebron James. A lot of people talking about this story today. Maybe you're sitting there thinking I don't care about this guy. So he plays basketball. But let me tell you what. A lot of people care about where he's going. Will he stay in Cleveland or will he move on?
We're getting some tweets and including, let's take a look, we have a tweet from the New York Knicks confirmed this afternoon we will be meeting with Lebron James in Cleveland. Have one from rudygay22. "Thanks everyone for the love. Good luck to the rest of the boys in free agency. Let's make history." People are calling this the wildest free agent period in history.
And one more tweet, you know this guy, Conan O'Brien. "I don't care where Lebron James ends up, as long as it's not at 11:00 p.m. on TBS." Very nice, Conan. Leave it to him for the joke.
All right. Well, some people are calling it he's kind of like a one-man stimulus plan. Lebron James. He is bringing in a ton of cash to really whatever city he goes to. Why where he decides to play next could actually affect your bottom line. We're going to have that conversation next on "Rick's List."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: "Sports Illustrated" calls him the chosen one, but actually Lebron James should really be called the choosing one. That is because seconds after midnight this morning, 12:01 a.m., King James as he's called became a free agent, able to choose where he wants to play among, and you know it, many a team offering him a spot.
Now, it seems like they are all offering the 25-year-old professional basketball player a spot on their team. Where might he go? What might that city be thinking? Let's talk about that with CNN contributor Max Kellerman, who is also an analyst for HBO Sports.
Max, OK, we're talking - hello, by the way. He's on the phone.
MAX KELLERMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There you go, Brooke.
BALDWIN: So we're talking potentially Miami, L.A., Chicago, Cleveland, New York. I mean, I don't know if you have your sources in the sports world, but what are you hearing might be the top of his list?
KELLERMAN: The amazing thing about this phenomenon is there's such an issue of selective perception among those in the media who claim to have some kind of insight. No matter who you talk to -
BALDWIN: Somebody has the scoop.
KELLERMAN: If they are from Chicago, he's going to Chicago, it's obvious. Look at all the reasons - if they are from Cleveland, clearly he's going to stay in Cleveland. If they are in Miami, it makes all the sense in the world. I'm from New York, I can tell you why he's going to the Knicks.
I really do think that if he does not stay in Cleveland, and clearly loyalty is an issue for this guy. He kept a lot of the kids he was in high school with around him when he turned pro and took care of a lot of people, and he means so much to the city of Cleveland, not just to the franchise of, you know, the Cavaliers' franchise, that he may stay in Cleveland, but I think when you add it all up, the Knicks make the most sense primarily because of New York City, and the fact that New York is the media market of the world, the media capital of the world.
BALDWIN: Yes.
KELLERMAN: And what it would mean, not only for Lebron's brand but for basketball worldwide if he succeeds in New York.
BALDWIN: Right. And let me jump in because you know, I heard someone saying earlier, look, he's certainly - he's proven himself and his own individual performance. But the guy's got 10 fingers, he's got not a ring on one of them. Might he be looking for the team where he'll win a championship?
KELLERMAN: Well, the criticism of Lebron, legitimate one really is, does he have the kind of killer instinct necessary to put away a team, you know, in the playoffs with all the chips on the line? A guy like Kobe Bryant surely has that. Lebron has something very interesting. He has not let his talent isolate him from everyone.
To an extent that happened to Kobe Bryant early in his career, happened to Michael Jordan early in his career. Lebron has this kind of gift that Magic Johnson seemed to have where he elevates those around him. He uses his talent in an inclusionary kind of way and elevates those around him. It's an exceptional thing. BALDWIN: He has a gift and he gives quite a gift to the city. Max Kellerman, I could keep talking to you about this but, unfortunately, it's just about 5:00 on the dot. Got to let you go and I got to pass it along to my colleague up in Washington, D.C., Suzanne Malveaux. Suzanne, it's all yours.
