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Rick's List

BP Nearing Fix for Gulf Oil Leak?; Fidel Castro Speaks Out; George Steinbrenner Dies

Aired July 13, 2010 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And here is what is happening in the news on this day.

Roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here is what is making your LIST today.

The new cap is in, but now they have to connect the extraction line. Cross your fingers. The end may be near. We are underwater as it happens.

The bad news about BP, did they get this Libyan terrorist out of prison by allegedly scheming and lying for profit?

Fidel Castro goes off. How much did he set back the move to reestablish relations between the United States and Cuba?

And baseball icon George Steinbrenner is dead on the day of the All-Star Game. Even in death, his timing impeccable.

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: Hi, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Yes, I have just been reading all of your tweets, and you're telling me, please, Rick, concentrate on what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico and break it down for us. So, here we go.

At the top of our LIST: We may be on the brink of stopping the spill. No, really. On the very day when the Obama administration officials are again billing BP, this time for close to $100 million, BP may be close to plugging this leak once and for all. See that picture you're looking at right there? This is the underwater video of the new blowout preventer.

That's what Chad's been using as his nomenclature for this. It's essential a new cap with a tighter and hopefully more secure fit. It's on, but not tightly closed yet. They have to do some pressure tests, we're told.

So, joining me from Houston is going to be Don Van Nieuwenhuise. He's a petroleum expert at the University of Houston. And also joining me here in Atlanta is our meteorologist, Chad Myers. He and I have been having a lot of conversations about this since we first started this.

And I remember not long ago, you and I were talking about something that was similar to this and one of the problems they were having with this, Chad, was the accumulation of hydrates. How are they avoiding that problem this time? Do you know?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Completely different system. The open system that we had before was this almost rocket ship-like cap that went over the top that wasn't very efficient. It was a dynamic seal, which means it wasn't really a seal.

And oil would come around it and go up and away from it. That's kind of what it looked like. The hydrate problem really came in with the older one which was much larger. And hydrates can be thought of as almost like ice crystals, although it's just a little bit different.

How does it get cold at the surface of the ocean down there when this is obviously water? Well, you have to understand that there's pressure down below the ocean. That pressure is allowed to expand as soon as it gets out one of these holes, either the hole in the bottom of the ocean, the hole at the top of the blowout preventer or the hole somewhere else.

And as it expands, it cools off, like trying to cool off your coffee by going like this. You purse your lips. You make a small hole. Then, all of a sudden the air goes away. As it expands, the air cools off. If you try to cool off your coffee like this, it doesn't really work because it's not pursing your lips and not really all that cold. Your air is still 98.6 degrees coming out.

So, as this air expanded, which was the gas, the methane, all those gases that were part of this crude mixture, and we know that there's an lot more in there than just crude oil, it expanded, it got cold, it filled this up with things that clogged it. So now what they have done is they took this pipe with warm I want to say almost water, but it's not.

It's a complete mixture of almost like an antifreeze and a methanol and that came down there and it kept this part, the inner part, warm enough that these hydrates never did -- they never did work, never did form. But now they're getting rid of this altogether.

So, Sean (ph), take it away. And then this little part here, that part that was bent over, that kink that they cut off, it was an ugly cut, it was crooked because it was damaged and they couldn't get a good seal on top with that part that we just took off. They got rid of that. They took that away yesterday and they bolted on a brand-new -- new -- nicely sealable cap top to this thing. The top now looks good. It's got a nice ring on it. They're going to be bring down another cap. You called it the blowout preventer. It's just enough cap. As it comes down, it's going to clamp itself on there. Going to be a good seal here, good seal here and then make a good seal here and the whole thing is stopped.

SANCHEZ: So that last part you just showed us right there, the top part, that is not there yet?

MYERS: Yes, it's there. It's there.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: It is?

MYERS: And oil is still coming out already. Oil is still coming out of the top here.

SANCHEZ: So, let's get a live picture if we possibly can. Do we have a live shot? OK. There it is, Chad.

MYERS: That's the top of the top, the top of the new. That is not the top of the old. That's the part that they put on there, the 150,000-pound part that drops from the ocean all the way down to the bottom.

So, oil is still coming out, yes. We know that. And then they're going to start to close these valves. As the closed valves start to get closed, the whole thing is going to begin to get pressurized. That's where it gets interesting. Did the old blowout preventer, was it damaged enough that when these valves shut, will the blowout preventer literally explode? Will it be able to take 8,000 PSI or not?

SANCHEZ: We're looking at -- 8,000 PSI.

Professor, you have been listening to this explanation. We're all crossing our fingers and hoping that this thing works. Now, you give us a dosage of reality if you possibly would. What is the possibility that it won't work and if so, why not?

MYERS: Yes, please.

DONALD VAN NIEUWENHUISE, GEOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: Well, there's a really high probability that it will work.

And the reason being is that it is a good sealing cap. And they have valves that they can control. They can open and close them as much as they need to. And basically what they're going to do in the test is try to close the system completely down and do a pressure test where they set it for a period of time and allow the pressure to build up.

And as that pressure builds up, if it gets up around 8,000 to 9,000 PSI, then they will have a good indication that the well has good integrity and that all the seals are going to hold. (CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Professor, let me just stop you real quick.

VAN NIEUWENHUISE: Sure.

SANCHEZ: Rather than looking at the professor, who's, by the way, a very handsome man, why don't we look at the shot of this thing on the ground under the water so we can see it?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: No, not that one. The one where you actually see the oil leaking, guys. Switch over to the other shot. Thank you very much.

Professor, as we're looking at this, we're wondering and you said, well, they're going to do this and they're going to do that and then they're going to seal this up and close it up. Why is it taking so long? If they have the apparatus in place, why not go ahead and do it like right away?

VAN NIEUWENHUISE: Well, if you seal it immediately, it will be like a shock to the system and it will be like a train running into a brick wall.

And what they want to do is slow this train down, so to speak, slowly with a set of brakes. And that's what they're going to do. And the first thing they're doing right now is they're actually closing down all the production ports that were sucking oil out of the oil stream. They're going to close that down so that they have a complete seal at that point.

Then they're going to close the chokes in this new apparatus down slowly so that they can slowly break that flow. And the reason they're doing that is they want to make sure they don't damage anything. There is a high probability that there could be some damage. And it's also possible there's limited damage and it won't be a problem.

But they need to turn off the flow slowly so they don't shock the system because a powerful shock like this could damage even a well- designed well plan.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Yes. Any time you're dealing with something that involves -- what did you say, Chad, 8,000 PSI?

MYERS: Well, yes. Even at 60 PSI, you shut your faucet off too much on your kitchen faucet, you can jerk your whole water system. Multiply that by a couple hundred.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: So you want to go real slow and you want to go carefully.

All right, best-case scenario, Professor, when do you believe for our viewers who want to know that we will look at this picture and finally not see all that oil gushing out? Best-case scenario, in the next couple of hours, three, four, by tomorrow morning, what?

VAN NIEUWENHUISE: The best-case scenario, in the next couple of hours, you will start to see it slow down and they will start to secure and close all the valves.

And if the pressure maintains itself, they will hold it steady for two days. But, of course, while they have it steady, there will be no oil coming out of it, unless there is a leak somewhere. One of the issues they're trying to do is look at some seismic so they can take a look at the subsurface and make sure there's no leaks in the subsurface.

SANCHEZ: We will be checking and we will be checking back with you, Chad, as well as we follow this process. This is phenomenal information, brand-new. You might be able to see it as we move forward here on RICK'S LIST.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: If indeed they're able to plug this thing and if it looks like it's starting to be under control, I will tell you what. Why don't we do this? Ang, you're hearing me. Let's try as much as possible during the next couple of hours, keep that shot of that new blowout preventer as we call it, that new cap up so our viewers can see it.

Not to the point where it gets monotonous, but let's just remind our viewers. Let's keep an eye on it. Chad, you let us know if it starts looking to you like less oil is getting out.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: I can do better than that. If you go on to BP live video on Google, and you click on it, you can actually see 12 or 15 different pieces of video that are coming out live streaming.

SANCHEZ: That's that 12-pack we have been calling it.

MYERS: Correct. One of that 12-pack is a picture of the valve and a picture of the gauge right next to it, how many PSI being put into the system. Right now, there's 300 PSI -- 300, not bad.

That may just be -- that might be the gauge not being zeroed out. Good enough, right. We're already down a lot, pressure down at the bottom of the ocean. When that gauge starts to come up, I will know that they are shutting valves. You will be the first to know.

SANCHEZ: All right. Fantastic. Give me a shout-out, as I always do with you.

MYERS: Fair enough. SANCHEZ: I know I irritate you, but it's the kind of relationship we have.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: All right, take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FIDEL CASTRO, CUBAN LEADER (through translator): The United States, they are the one who sank this boat. How they did it? A mine. So they promote a conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Can you believe what Fidel Castro just said? When he says they sank the boat, he's actually saying that the United States sank that warship off the coast of Korea that the United Nations is putting on North Korea.

Now, this is interesting that he would go there on the brink of Americans actually talking about the possibility of establishing ties between the United States and Cuba. Did he set that effort back?

Also, baseball's most prominent, most engaged, most controversial, some would add, most hated, most loved, most talked- about, has died. What was it about George Steinbrenner? Guess who I'm asking in just a little bit. Joe Torre. Joe Torre is going to be joining us here on RICK'S LIST.

And, by the way, one other big name to throw out as we go to break, prepare yourself for the possibility of having Zac Efron on RICK'S LIST. Yes, get your teenage daughters next to the TV. It may happen soon.

This is your national conversation. I have got one, too, a teenage daughter, young daughter, I should say.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm glad you're here.

If you're my age, you're going to probably recognize what I'm about to show you, specifically these next two guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY MARTIN, FORMER NEW YORK YANKEES MANAGER: And it's let's filling.

GEORGE STEINBRENNER, NEW YORK YANKEES OWNER: And the best thing is, it tastes so great.

MARTIN: No, George, the best thing, it's less filling. STEINBRENNER: No, Bill, it tastes great.

MARTIN: Less filling, George.

STEINBRENNER: Billy, it tastes great.

MARTIN: Less filling, George.

STEINBRENNER: Billy?

MARTIN: Yes, George?

STEINBRENNER: You're hired.

MARTIN: Not again.

NARRATOR: Lite beer from Miller, everything you've always wanted in a beer and less.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Oh, that's fantastic. Remember that commercial, former Yankee manager Billy Martin and tempestuous owner George Steinbrenner, who died today in Florida at the age of 80?

When people pass away, we in the media tend to talk about their good side, right? And in Steinbrenner's case, look, it was abundant. He gave millions and millions of dollars to charity. But let's be straight. It was Steinbrenner's other side that was a whole lot more compelling, the side that, for example, hired and fired Billy Martin five times. It's hardly a stretch to say that he was not an easy man to work for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY CHASS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": To the people who worked for him, he was awful. He was a tyrant. He supposedly fired a secretary once for getting him the wrong sandwich for lunch. If you didn't work for him, he was fine. If you worked for him, it was just the kind of thing that no employee would want to be subjected to by his boss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This is interesting. That's how Steinbrenner did it, that and emptying out his wallet to field the best baseball club that hundreds of millions of dollars could buy year in and year out.

It's hard to believe, but I remember it plain as day. When Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees, they were a franchise in decline, true. Since then, the Yankees have won seven World Series. They're worth nearly $1.5 billion, and they play in a brand-new stadium that draws four million-plus fans a year.

And as late George Steinbrenner would surely remind you on this day, the New York Yankees are the defending world champions of baseball. Joining me now to discuss the passing of his former boss is Joe Torre, former manager of the Yankees.

Coach, good to see you, sir.

JOE TORRE, FORMER NEW YORK YANKEES MANAGER: Thank you, Rick. It's nice being with you.

SANCHEZ: Hey, listen, everybody that I'm reading is saying, I couldn't help but admire the guy, but he was the toughest man to work for. Can you amplify that thought for us?

TORRE: Well, there's no question about it.

It didn't matter -- I remember we beat the Mets in 2000 in the World Series and you would think that would have been nirvana. But George was already saying, you're supposed to do it. You got the best team. And let's try to go out there and do it again.

But that's what made him who he was. He was a tough man to work for. But he always felt the obligation to the city of New York to put the best team out there for them and he certainly was able to do that.

SANCHEZ: When that door was closed in his office and you're one of the few people who had the experience, you and Billy Martin and some others, how tempestuous was he? Did he get loud? Did he scream? What was it like?

TORRE: Yes, he did scream. He did get loud. But when you closed that door, there was a human side of him, too. And that's the one thing that I think when you do work for George Steinbrenner, you can't pick and choose the parts of him you want to keep and hug.

You have got to understand that it's the whole package. And he certainly changed my life by allowing me to manage his team for 12 years, because it was like no other experience I have ever had.

But there was a soft side to him, and especially for kids. I know my daughter, Andrea, who happens to be sitting next to me right now, she -- he used to just give her whatever she wanted when she went up into the office, because he loved kids. He had a soft spot in his heart for kids. And anybody like that would be hard to really dislike for a while.

SANCHEZ: We're talking to Joe Torre, great baseball player and some would argue even finer manager, about the late George Steinbrenner, for those of you joining us now.

We hear all the time that owners -- this guy was a shipping magnate from Tampa when he bought the New York Yankees. And the first thing he said was, look, all I know is about shipping. I don't know baseball, so I'm not going to interfere in the day-to-day running of the team.

Untrue, right?

TORRE: Untrue. Untrue.

(LAUGHTER)

TORRE: He certainly was hands-on. But, again, knowing this -- in fact going into this job, I remember my brother Frank says, you sure you want to work for this man? I said, Frank, the only thing I know is that if you're ever going to get a chance to go to a World Series, it's going to be working for this man, because he's going to spend the money to put the players on the field.

So, to me, it was worth having to deal with whatever I had to deal with. And it wasn't as bad as everybody thinks it is. Trust me.

SANCHEZ: What's it like to work for a guy whose pockets seem to be like a fountain that never runs out of fuel or water?

TORRE: Well, the one thing about it, the thing that made it tough, Rick, was that there was -- every free agent that was out there, he didn't really concern himself with how it fit -- how he fit in.

It was just about getting that player because he wanted him on his team to make his team the best. So, there were conversations. And I must admit that he did listen when it came to what's best for his team. And he didn't trust a lot when it came to being told what to do, but he did listen a lot when it regarded his team.

SANCHEZ: Can you think of any argument that you guys had that you won?

TORRE: That I won. Well, it was funny because we would discuss things, and he would say, I don't want to talk to you, because a lot of times he would go through the general manager to talk to me. But I would call him directly.

And he used to say to me, I don't want to talk to you because you have a habit of talking me into something.

(LAUGHTER)

TORRE: So -- but I can't think of any particular thing. But there were a lot of things that we would sit around and talk about, and I think one of them was Joe Girardi, who's the manager right now.

SANCHEZ: Former Marlin.

TORRE: Yes. And Joe Girardi was one of the players that I wanted on board when I came on, when I started to manage in '96. And George was a little resistant to the fact that he wasn't the hitter that Mike Stanley was, who was the former catcher over there.

And I tried to get it across to him about the importance of having a catcher that had the abilities of Joe to deal with the pitching. And every time Joe would go 0-4 or something, he would always throw it in my face.

But that was an argument, I guess, that I won. And I know he wasn't unhappy that I did win that argument.

SANCHEZ: One legend talking about another legend on the day of his death.

Joe Torre, thank you, coach. Appreciate your time. Appreciate you calling in.

TORRE: Thanks, Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right. Well, the shock of hearing the alleged Mel Gibson rant is now setting in. What effect, though, is this rant that everybody seems to be talking about from barbershops to beauty salons all over the country and at dinner tables, what effect is this going to have on his career? Will people still go to see his movies? And the question that a lot of people are now embroiled in, is he a bigot?

Also, the president's numbers are down, but he doesn't seem to be taking it sitting down. In fact, he's stepping it up. The president's newest TV push, that is next on the LIST.

And, Chad, you said you would keep us up to date on what's going on in the Gulf. You want to give us a headline as we go to break?

MYERS: We're still at 300 PSI on our valves. We're not seeing any closure...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Hold on. Hold on. You got mikes?

Chad, go. Mike is up now, right?

MYERS: Let me come over here. I will talk to your mike.

SANCHEZ: All right.

MYERS: We're still seeing 300 PSI, no closure of the valves just yet. So, we will keep watching it. That oil is still coming out unabated.

SANCHEZ: All right. We will keep checking. You said you want to know at home. I have read your e-mails. I have read your tweets. So there you go. As it happens, you will hear it first here on RICK'S LIST. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right, I showed you or I had a conversation with Joe Torre just a little while ago and I called him a legendary manager. Here's another.

We just got this tweet that we noticed a little while ago from Tommy Lasorda. Yes, talk about a legend and a great eater of Italian food, by the way. "George was a friend who I admired very much. He was a visionary, a builder and a giant in our game. All he wanted to do was win." And Tommy Lasorda concludes by saying on this tweet, "And he did."

That he did, on the day that George Steinbrenner has passed away at the age of 80.

Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is your national conversation.

I showed you a poll last week that had some pretty bad news for President Obama, his support among independent voters dropping to 38 percent. Now, the independents, they're really the ones who elected him, right? I think that's what most people would agree on. So, that's not good.

And this isn't good either, because this is about people's pocketbooks. ABC News -- this is a "Washington Post" poll and an ABC News poll. Obama's handling of the economy, 43 percent approval. And more than half disapprove, 54 percent.

The White House will say, we don't read polls. They all say that, but they really do read polls and they probably aren't going to be able to ignore something like this.

Jessica Yellin is joining us now, our national political correspondent.

And as I turn to you, let me ask you, is this thing from a numbers standpoint starting to get ugly for the president?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's not looking good, Rick.

And here's part of the reason why. Another number from that poll shows that only 43 percent of American voters say they have confidence in President Obama to make the right decisions about the country's future, 43 percent. That's down from 61 percent right around the time he took office.

So, that's why the November elections are not looking great for the Democrats. The one arguably silver lining for the White House is that voters have an even lower opinion of Republicans in Congress. So, it looks like voters aren't happy with anyone.

SANCHEZ: He called Senate Democrats to the White House today. Do we know what he said? Do we know what it was about? How did that go?

YELLIN: What I'm told is that when top Senate leaders met with the president, he sort of gave them his sense of the frame for the November election.

So, he said that in the White House's view, things had been looking good, better for them, poll wise, the response of the public was getting better, until the oil spill, obviously, and until the Greek economy exploded, fanning this global anxiety about the economy.

So, his message -- sorry -- no, his message essentially just to -- was that the Democrats face a headwind, but they have to frame this election as a choice. And this is the language we have heard before.

SANCHEZ: You know what's interesting? Those who give the president credit will do so by saying, look, passing financial reform, health care reform, a massive stimulus bill, he gets a lot of credit, it seems, in the media and among some politicos for that. But it doesn't seem to transcend. It doesn't seem to reach the voters. Is there -- what's the thinking behind that, Jessica?

YELLIN: Well, there are a couple of things.

First of all, Republicans say the media gives him way too much credit for everything. The White House says we don't give him credit for anything. But the truth is, Rick, he has racked up some very significant legislative accomplishments, between health care reform, the stimulus package, a huge economic shift. And now Wall Street reform is about to pass.

The big question here is that many people are uncomfortable with the change all of this brings. So, what's not translating is that some people just don't like this shift. The change that's coming isn't what they want.

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

YELLIN: That leads to anxiety.

SANCHEZ: Yes, makes sense. And there's a drumbeat about that as well certainly on one side of the aisle. Thanks, Jessica. Appreciate it.

Was the Lockerbie bomber released -- and we told you a story about BP at the beginning of the show. Here's another BP story. Was the Lockerbie bomber released for BP's drilling rights? Say it ain't so. This is one hell of a story.

Also, Fidel Castro hitting the big screen. Did his unusual appearance hurt U.S./Cuba relations that seemed headed for a potential turnaround? Well, that's next right here on the LIST. Take note. This will be good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. This story is important. Fidel Castro made a rare appearance on Cuban television. Raul Castro, his brother, the president of Cuba, has said that Fidel Castro looks very good for his age.

But did Fidel Castro also look and sound like he was in charge? I want you to take a listen here to what he says about the United States. He claims the United States destroyed a South Korean warship, a theory in contrast to what the U.N. and the rest of the world seems to believe. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTRO (via translator): They are not going to admit -- the United States -- that they are the ones who sank this boat, this sophisticated boat in South Korea -- 46 men died. So what happened? The torpedo they used as a defense, how they did it? A mine that they installed in the boat, in the body of the bow, so they promote a conflict between South and North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So was it a mine or was it a torpedo and did they do it on purpose? It's one heck of a Machiavellian plot. Hour after that, we see this. This is the first of 52 Cuban prisoners being released since being jailed in 2003.

We thought that would be the headline out of Cuba this week. We thought that would get political officials here to possibly lift the embargo with Cuba. But did Fidel then step in and set that effort back by reinserting himself into the Cuba conversation? It's a hell of a thing.

I'm going to break down that theory with the Republican Florida lawmaker, state representative David Brevara. That's coming up in roughly 45 minutes.

Now this -- is Leonardo DiCaprio already reading the script for this one? The "barefoot bandit" was on the run for years, leading police on a wild goose chase for years. Remember the movie "Catch me if you Can"? This is similar, except it really happened.

It ends with a stolen plane, a run on a dock, and a trip to court, and we've got brand-new video to show you that will, well, make you raise an eyebrow or two.

Also this -- they are mad at BP. So what do they do? They took their vuvuzelas to BP's London headquarters. That's the first time I've said that word, I think, "Vuvuzelas," did I get it right? How do you say it? All right, there's three of you talking in my ear. Vuvuzela, thank you very much.

That's next. Your vuvuzelas are next on the list.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here we go. Welcome back. The World Cup may be over, but the vuvuzela -- got it right that time, didn't I? It lives on. Let's go "Fotos."

Some people found those horns annoying. What do you think? Yes. Video producer Adam Quirk capitalized on that. He organized this demonstration to irritate BP executives outside -- man, it's annoying just hearing it while I'm talking.

He was trying to irritate BP executives outside their headquarters in London. Let's hear a little more of that. OK, enough of that. Mr. Quirk lived up to his name. This is about as quirky as the protest gets.

Now this -- in man's attempt to fly, he tried many, many devices, right? The one that finally worked, of course, was the airplane. But nobody told these guys that. These are some folks in Miami -- 35 teams competed in the red bull flying tug competition.

(LAUGHTER)

It's judged -- I have to watch one more of these. These are too good. They're judged by the way -- this guy is going to do really well. Not bad. Look at this. It's the bus. It's judged on creativity, distance, and the thing they all seem to do well on, showmanship.

One of our iReporters had to grin and bear it when he came across this black bear. He was in Kingdom Come State Park in Kentucky. Watch as the burly fellow stands up on his hind legs. When asked what he felt when he filmed it, Richard had one word -- "fear." No kidding. You can see it all on "Fotos del Dia" which we capture for you on my blog, which is CNN.com/ricksanchez.

Take a look at this. It's the new cap that is leaking less than it was leaking before and at some point may not leak at all. And that could happen over a span of the next couple of hours. That means it could happen during this newscast? Well, I'll tell you what, we're going to be monitoring it for you. We've got lots of eyes on it.

And as they increase the pressure and we start to see the flow reduced, we'll let you know what's going on.

Also this -- Mel Gibson, his so-called rant seems to have targeted every single group that most Americans can think of. What is he allegedly saying about Hispanics now? Because it was the only group that he hadn't yet cursed. Guess what -- Hispanics now on the list. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to "RICK'S LIST." I'm Rick Sanchez.

By now you've probably heard that Mel Gibson is on the list by everyone's standard of low-down, troubled people practically every single day. I've been sharing these alleged rants with you on almost a daily basis. So have many others in the news.

There's a lot of racist, there's a lot of anti-women, there's a lot of -- just generally some very disturbing material having to do these days with Mel Gibson. Most people who listen to this are going, wow, who is that guy on that tape?

It seems, though, that he's insulted just about everybody except, interestingly enough, I have noticed that he had not insulted Hispanics, for the most part. He'd talked about women, Jews, you could go on and on and on. But he hadn't talked about Hispanics.

Well, you can cross them off the list now, because we finally actually heard the new audio that we'd heard was out there but hadn't been able to confirm from Radar Online. According to that site, this is Mel Gibson talking to his ex-girlfriend about a woman who works for them. She happens to be Latina.

Now, take a listen in full until the very end. This is about 37 seconds.

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(Inaudible)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIBSON: Yes. "Wetback" was the word he used at the end. A lot of Hollywood a-listers are staying out of it. But many people are sticking up for Gibson. Whoopi Goldberg, she says he is not a racist. She said this on "The View".

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WHOOPI GOLDBERG, HOST, "THE VIEW": I know Mel and I know he's not a racist. You can say he's being a bonehead, but I can't sit and say he's a racist having spent time with him in my house with my kids. I can't say it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: About that audio that I played for you earlier, I want to let you know that the ex-girlfriend says the female voice on the tape is hers and the other voice is Mel Gibson's.

We have been reaching out to Gibson for a response, and to verify the authenticity of the tape. So far, he simply has not commented.

I want to talk now to Marvet Britto. She's president of the Britto Agency, a PR and brand strategy firm. We talked about this a little bit -- were you taken aback -- I love Whoopi Goldberg. She's a good gal. She's called me on this show many times, and I appreciate that she's very transparent, she's very open. She says what she thinks.

Were you surprise that had she said on "The View" that she doesn't think he's racist?

MARVET BRITTO, ENTERTAINMENT, PR, AND BRAND STRATEGIST: I was a bit surprised, because Whoopi has certainly been really the victim of racism in many ways throughout her career. So, to me, I think it's clear that the repeated use of racial slurs typically classifies you as a racist of some sort. So I was really surprised.

This isn't one slip of the tongue. This is repeated habitual use of words where he is really targeting specific communities, not individuals. And in this instance, his rage and the deep fuel of his rage towards various segments is very disturbing at best.

SANCHEZ: When he uses especially -- this is what I think -- the "wetback" term is a very nasty, derogative thing to say about people who are Hispanic, like myself. And it's hurtful. But you hear it out there a lot. The "c" word used when referring to women, oh, my goodness.

But I think it's when he uses the "n" word in describing a sexual act of rape, a violent act of rape, really, of many African-American men taking on one woman. That image is one that is as negative and is as bigoted as just about any that a man could make in this country. And I think that's the one he's going to probably in the end have to answer to the most, don't you?

BRITTO: Absolutely. But not only is he being stereotypical in his use of slurs, but he is targeting people who have nothing to do with the issues at hand in Mel Gibson's life.

It's one thing to be specific when something specific has happened. But for him to use the words and attack the groups and the segments -- people who have been his fans throughout his career is beyond disturbing and troubling and really classifies him as a racist, for me.

From the mouth, the heart speaks. I think what we're hearing from Mel Gibson is how he really feels about various communities he's interacted with.

SANCHEZ: Marvet Britto is with the Britto Agency, a PR and brand strategy firm. We'll continue talking to you through this, because it's early to say, but it might be interesting to see what affect this has on his brand as we hear that some people are distancing, not all, but some are starting to distance themselves from him.

Thank you, Marvet Appreciate your time.

BRITTO: The Hollywood community has, for sure.

SANCHEZ: They have. They have?

BRITTO: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Ari Emanuel, who is the head of William Morris Endeavor, has made remarks in the past that he wasn't a fan of Mel Gibson's, which is why he was dropped from the agency when he made the Jewish slur. So it's already begun to see backlash.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much. We appreciate the info. We'll keep in touch.

By the way, he's being called a modern-day Jesse James. Why has this "barefoot bandit" captured the nation's attention, and what happened to him today? That's ahead right here on "The List."

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CASTRO: United States, they are the one who sunk this boat. How they did it? A mine, so they could create a conflict between South and North Korea.

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SANCHEZ: Did Fidel Castro just sink the boat that was carrying the potential for U.S.-Cuban relations? That's the question I'm going to be taking up with an official from Miami.

And then Iran says one of its researchers was abducted by the CIA. What? Abducted by the CIA? What's really going on here? It's our most intriguing person on the news on this day. Who is it? You're about to find out. Stay with us.

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SANCHEZ: Kidnapping, torture, nuclear secrets -- what's going on here? This is the backdrop just today for our most intriguing person in the news on this day.

Right now we know where this guy is. He's hanging out at a Pakistani embassy in Washington, but what's his back story? The back story -- according to him he was kidnapped last year by the CIA. Last month two videos surfaced on the Internet, and they showed somebody claiming to be this man saying he had escaped from the U.S. agents and was hiding in Virginia.

He said he was tortured for eight months. Why? He says it's because he knows a lot about Iran's nuke program. He's a nuclear scientist.

And Tehran says the U.S. wanted to get its hands on some of this top-secret information. The State Department says that's nonsense and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says this guy is in the U.S., has his own free will and can go back to Iran anytime.

There he is. His name is Shahram Amiri, a man with some nuclear knowledge and perhaps a very active imagination, today's most interesting person in the news.

OK, the leak -- is it capped? If so, will it hold? Chad came over here and gave me a little update just a little while ago, in fact, during the break, a couple of seconds ago. And he's got some new information he's going to be sharing with you.

Folks, if you're just joining us now, this thing is on the brink of actually happening. We just interviewed a scientist who says he's confident it could happen within the next couple of hours. This thing could finally be plugged.

Also, the international manhunt for the barefoot bandit end. Who is this guy? Why are some already calling a folk hero? That's ahead on "The List." Stay right there.

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SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I want you now to take a look at this. This is the last sprint by a teenage attorney run, the American teenager who's become an Internet folk hero. All right, here it is. These are some of the very last moments of freedom for "barefoot bandit."

Stay with me on this video. Police say that's 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore looking for a getaway boat to steal just moment before he picked one out. Get who it belongs to? That couple right there.

The boat only took him so far, though. Harris-Moore appeared in court in the Bahamas just a couple of hours ago. There he is. There he is on his way out of the courthouse wearing shoes and shackles. He's pleaded guilty to illegally landing a plane. He's been sentenced to three months in jail or $300 fine. No word from his attorney.

Harris-Moore will be back in the United States to face what's expected to be a long list of charges. But the judge is kicking him out of the Bahamas where he was caught over the weekend in a chase that was straight out of a James Bond film.

I want you to watch this. I know we talked a lot about this. We said this could be a remake of "Catch me if you Can," right? A great movie by Leo DiCaprio. Here's my colleague Susan Candiotti putting it all together for us.

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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: True to form, he was caught, you guessed it, barefoot. Bahamian police escorting him with guns in plain view. Colton Harris-Moore, the alleged "barefoot bandit" was at the end of his run.

ELLISON E. GREENSLADE, BAHAMAS POLICE COMMISSIONER: The suspect in an effort to evade capture engaged local police in a high-speed chase by boat.

CANDIOTTI: American businessman William Sport owns the getaway boat allegedly stolen by police. He points out where police riddled the engine with bullets to stop the escape.

WILLIAM SPORT, BOAT OWNER: The Bahamian police did a great job of apprehending him before he could have gotten further away.