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Rick's List
George Steinbrenner Dies; BP Nearing Solution for Gulf Oil Leak?
Aired July 13, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(VIDEOTAPE IN PROGRESS)
WILLIAM SPORT, BOAT OWNER: He actually had enough fuel on the boat to make it all the way to Florida. I have been cruising with Bahamian Islands for 40 years and have never had any problem at all like this. Unfortunately, it was an American that caused the problem.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDEN (voice over): Moore escaped from a group home in Washington State in 2008 after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries. A victim who lives next door to his mom talked about his arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like him to get some help.
CANDIOTTI: For nearly two years, authorities blamed the teenager for a series of burglaries across several states, including Idaho, North Dakota and Indiana. His calling card -- leaving behind barefoot prints. Authorities linked him to at least two stolen airplanes, including the one he allegedly flew to the Bahamas. He's believed to have taught himself to fly from watching video games. His mom tells CNN affiliate KIRO --
VOICE OF PAM KOHLER, COLTON HARRIS-MOORE'S MOTHER: If he did, I'm quite proud because I was going to get him flying lessons. And if he taught himself how to fly a plane, I'm very proud.
CANDIOTTI: The barefoot bandit became an Internet cult hero, scooping up more than 60,000 Facebook followers. Web sites sell T- shirts that read "Run, Colton, Run." On YouTube, fans idolized him in songs. Back home in Washington, locals scratched their heads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like incredible that he spent all that time sneaking around and nobody could catch him.
CANDIOTTI: It's pretty hard not to compare him to the true life character in the movie "Catch Me If You Can." No comment from his mother Sunday. Outside her home, this message: "If you go past this sign, you will be shot."
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: What a story. And, by the way, as we begin this newscast now, I am honored to report that we are the news of record for American Forces Network at this hour. We welcome all of the troops who are watching us overseas.
Here is your national conversation.
(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: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez. Those of you who tune in every day for your national conversation are with us, and there's a sad but important story to report, and it is about to have an update.
You may have heard that George Steinbrenner, baseball's biggest icon, has died. And I think we have got a shot coming in from Anaheim, where momentarily we're going to be hearing -- do you see those four seats right there? They're going to be taken in just a moment by the manager Joe Girardi, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, all All-Stars in their own right.
In fact, they're there at the All-Star Game. And they're going to say some words about George Steinbrenner. And we're going to take a part of that live as soon as we can.
But the really big story that the rest of the country is focused on, on this day, as well they should be, is what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico.
Folks, there it is. There's the oil leak, and there is a real possibility that within the next couple of hours, that leak will either be minimized or completely stopped. I'm serious. And so are the people who I have been talking to about this. There's the latest shot. Now, there's been a lot that's actually happened there. They have put a new cap in and then have put a new -- essentially like a new blowout preventer. It's the best word to use because all of us are familiar with what that is right now.
Let me bring in Chad Myers in before I do anything else and he's going to tell you through the explanation of what they have done and what they still have yet to do.
Take it away, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Did you see how the oil was still coming out of that shot, Rick?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: It's still coming out. It's still free-flowing.
When they began to turn the valves, turn the knobs, and stop the oil from coming out basically unabated, the numbers will start to go up and this, the big gauge, will begin to approach what they think now almost 8,000 PSI. At this point, nothing.
So, let's bring you over here. How is that gauge going to go up? Why do we care? Here's what's happening -- been happening for many, many months now it seems, oil coming out. There's a cap under that. I'm going to shut the oil off just so that you can see it. The cap under there is the one that is not working very well. It's working. It's sucking oil. They're getting tens of thousands of barrels a day, but oil is still leaking around it.
It's leaking because this part right here, the part that was damaged on top of the blowout preventer, wasn't really connectable. Remember this whole thing? Let's get rid of that. Remember this pipe came up and then it kinked off, it went over this way? And oil was coming over here. It was leaking over there. This part was damaged. When they cut it off, it wasn't perfect. It was bent.
A couple of days ago, they took it off. They took all the bolts off and they took it up away with them. They have brought down a brand-new one. Somehow -- I don't know how they do this. I don't know how they get the torque to do this. They brought down the new one and they bolted on a brand-new top to this blowout preventer. There it is.
There's the brand-new top. And then I lost it.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Bring it back, Sean (ph). I'm on the bottom of the ocean and I can't see. I have fallen and I can't get up, Rick.
SANCHEZ: We can go to the actual picture.
MYERS: Let's go.
SANCHEZ: I think we have got that now.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Maybe Sean can bring it back, if he can find it.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Here we go. He is -- he is getting it. So, there's the very top of the new part, the new valve system that they put on top of the new clean valve.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: The new clean valve is a new clean transition top pipe. That is what we're really -- we're talking about. OK. Come on back. Now we're back to here. And we can -- I have found myself on the bottom -- the ocean's a big place.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: When you get lost you don't find yourself very easily. So, here comes the brand-new top. There's the top, very good seal. It's flat. It's smooth. There's a rim on there. That ring is going to be connected to this thing, 150,000 pounds of steel coming down from the top of the ocean that connects to it now, good connection here, good connection here.
The oil is still coming out the top. That's what we're already seeing, but the valves will be shut. As the valves get shut, the valves will begin to increase the pressure in here. And, eventually, at, they think, 8,000 PSI, there will be no oil coming out anywhere. That's the best-case scenario.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Let's -- let's -- let's say this part of the valve can only hold 6,000 PSI.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: All of a sudden poof, pop, oil comes over here. It comes out one way or the other. This isn't a perfect world. This may not work altogether. They're pressure testing it in the next couple of hours.
SANCHEZ: I was just going to say, I hate to rain on your parade but we have been through this dog and pony act so many times before.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: And you yourself have told me, and so have scientists, that it's very difficult under 5,000 feet below the surface to be able to fight the pressure to make a really good seal.
Why do we think we can do this time what we haven't been able to do the last three or four times? MYERS: Because this is fixed, and this is fixed. There was no way to attach that to the old top of the blowout...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: So, it's like putting a screw in a place where you're trying to drill into something. If there's already a pre-done hole, then the screw will go in.
MYERS: Right.
SANCHEZ: And, in this case, there wasn't. It was just a hole.
MYERS: There was a hole there, but it was an ugly hole. And it was cut poorly because they were just down there with their ROVs cutting it off.
Plus, that old pipe came up and then was kinked over and was bent. So there was not really a good attachment point to put this thing on there. Plus, this thing just started existing.
SANCHEZ: So these robots are able to do all the finite work...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Dude, I watched...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Like a wrench and a screw and a hammer, all these things they do?
MYERS: I watched it at home last night. It was mesmerizing on the John King show. John -- OK, mesmerizing for me, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: But...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: ... as they brought it down, there was a rope or a line that was kind of stuck in the way. And we could see. We could see that this new top wasn't going to make it over the top of this thing.
And another arm from another rover came over and grabbed the rope and pulled it out of the way, just like you and I would do with our real hands, pulled it out of the way, and then the thing went back down. It was -- I was like, go team.
SANCHEZ: We will see if it happens.
We spoke with a scientist, Chad and I did, just a little while ago from the University of Houston, someone we trust who is a petro specialist, expert. He said he's very confident...
MYERS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: ... that this is actually going to happen. And this is a guy who spent his entire life studying this. So, let's hope so.
MYERS: They still could put a new pipe on top of this like you said and suck it to the boat on top. They still could.
SANCHEZ: Then they could sell the oil and be able to pay for the $99 million they're getting charged for, for the mess they have made.
MYERS: And why don't they want to do that? Because the boat would have to leave every time there's a hurricane.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: That's true.
MYERS: They don't want to make it leave.
SANCHEZ: All right, so they are going to have to plug this thing.
MYERS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: We will wait and see.
Here's what else we have got coming up. Show them this video, if you would.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Did BP help this Libyan terrorist get out of prison in a scandal that was essentially for profit?
All right. We -- we told you what BP might be able to do in -- just a little while ago. Well, now we're going to be talking about what some people are saying BP did that was not good, not good at all. We're drilling down on that one. Pardon the pun.
Also, if you haven't been keeping up with Mel Gibson's rants against his girlfriend, there is more. I'm going to tell you what else he has allegedly said that is making news. And beyond that, we will be focusing on his career, or what's left of it.
We will be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: I want to show you this picture that we have up there right now. That is from the All-Star Game, when we're told four of the most prominent New York Yankees are about to go before cameras. They say they have something important to say about the passing of George Steinbrenner.
So, we are going to bring that to you as it happens. It's scheduled in about two or three minutes, so we will dip into it and take it live.
And then I want to ask you a question. Which standing U.S. senator -- we're not talking about the mayor of some small town somewhere in America -- which standing U.S. senator came out and agreed over the weekend that the president of the United States is not legitimate? Which one has actually come out and bought the birther argument and said on the record that he supports them? What list do you think he's on? Stay right with us. We will be right back on your national conversation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Boy, I will tell you, I was as much taken aback by this as the next guy. I had a chance to cover this yesterday live. Wolf Blitzer asked me to stay and do "THE SITUATION ROOM" for him.
Welcome back, by the way. This is your national conversation, RICK'S LIST. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Fidel Castro is what I'm talking about. He made a rare television appearance on Cuban TV. That's what he looks like. Now, his brother, Raul Castro, the president of Cuba, has said that Fidel looks, well, very good for his age, brother to brother.
But did Fidel Castro yesterday sound like he was in charge of Cuba? I want you to take a listen to what he says about with the United States when he claims that 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)
FIDEL CASTRO, CUBAN LEADER (through translator): They're not going to admit, United States, that they are the one who sunk this boat, this sophisticated boat in South Korea. Forty-six men died.
So, what happened? The torpedo, they use as a defense, how they did it. A mine that they installed in the boat, in the body of the boat, so they promote a conflict between South and North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So was it a mine? Was it a torpedo? What is he talking about? Quite an accusation.
Hours after that video was released, then we saw some different video, the first 52 Cuban political prisoners freed by the Cuban government after being jailed since 2003 -- jailed, by the way -- and I should add this again -- jailed essentially for simply disagreeing with the Cuban government.
These people are not criminals in the normal sense of the word. We thought that would be a headline out of Cuba this week. And we thought that Cuba would hope that that would be seen as a gesture, so that the rest of the world, including some politicians here in the United States, many Republican the politicians in the Farm Belt, would continue to argue that we should lift the embargo against Cuba.
But no. Fidel Castro comes on and starts arguing about Iran and the United States and a potential nuclear war, and how the United States was actually responsible for blowing up a warship. Interesting theory, but that may have set back what many thought was Cuba's intention. It is weird.
It is a question that I'm now going to pose to David Rivera. Rivera -- David is a Republican state representative in Florida who is a candidate for Congress and is good enough to join us.
David, how are you, sir?
DAVID RIVERA (R), FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Good Good. How are you? Thanks for having me.
SANCHEZ: I will tell you I was taken aback a little bit yesterday when I heard Fidel Castro start going off. I really thought that he was going to address the releasing of the political prisoner. But his whole -- he went on for an hour and 20 minutes, I understand. And it was all about Iran, Iraq, the United States, and the two Koreas.
What was with that, in your opinion?
RIVERA: Well, actually, you shouldn't have been taken aback. This is more of the same ruminations of a senile dictator.
You've seen this years and years in the past. He's had conspiracy theories for 51 years of dictatorship. There's no reason he change. Fidel Castro has not changed his dictatorial ways. He's still imposing -- or ruling over an island prison, so there's no reason you would have been taken aback.
SANCHEZ: Well, actually, I disagree with you. And let me tell you why. I took that same tone once.
I was talking to a fellow named Mikhail Gorbachev. He and I were in New York. And I started asking him questions and used some of the tone that you just used in describing Fidel Castro, insane and senile and all that other stuff in the form of a question.
He stops me in my tracks, shoots back and me and says, Mr. Sanchez, he says, that's your problem in Cuba. You don't understand that this man is playing you, and you make him bigger than he is.
In essence, Fidel Castro knows exactly what he's doing on most occasion. Shouldn't you be real careful selling this guy short?
RIVERA: No, I actually agree with that statement. He knows exactly what he's doing, absolutely. But that doesn't mean his ruminations don't go off-base in terms of his conspiracy theories.
But the fact of the matter is, he knows exactly what he's doing in terms of these political prisoners, using them as negotiating tools, using them for propaganda purposes...
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: ... as they have for 51 years.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: But he didn't.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: He didn't. David, David, David, he didn't use them at all.
RIVERA: I disagree.
SANCHEZ: As a matter of fact, he was set up perfectly by his brother, if his brother made the call. You and I probably agree on the fact that Fidel Castro is still in charge.
RIVERA: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: But he was set up, 52 people out. Here, all he had to do was come out and say this shows once again that the Cuban people are a good-natured people who want nothing more than to help the world, and this is why the United States should now consider lifting the embargo.
It was handed to him. You play baseball. It was like a meatball coming right down the middle. And what does he do? Instead, he starts talking about North Korea, South Korea, and Iran, in essence helping you and people who are out there saying that we should not lift the embargo.
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERA: Actually, I believe that message was for internal consumption.
When Fidel Castro goes sporadically on these shows, he's only doing that to let the people in Cuba specifically know that he's still in charge, that even though his brother might have a title, he's still in charge. That was a purposeful message that was sent out internally to the Cuban people in terms of what he was speaking of, in terms of foreign policy.
(CROSSTALK) RIVERA: The external message was the release. That was what he was trying -- the regime was trying to show the world that somehow something has changed in Cuba, when the fact of the matter is they have been doing this for 51 years in terms of prisoner releases for propaganda purposes, whether it be with Jesse Jackson, Jacques Cousteau, whoever it may be over previous years. It's happened many times before. We shouldn't be surprised.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting -- 65 percent of the people, according to an FIU study, say in Miami, Cuban exiles, that we should reestablish relations with Cuba. And the University of Miami just did a similar study and interestingly enough found the same exact thing.
You're on our show saying today we should not lift this embargo. Yesterday, we had a Democrat Cuban-American on the show who was saying -- Joe Garcia -- that, in fact, we should.
It's an interesting debate. We will continue to have it. And we thank you, David, for taking the time to join us.
RIVERA: Thank you. My pleasure.
SANCHEZ: We have got a breaking -- thanks, David.
We have got a breaking story that is taking place right now. I told you we would be taking you to Anaheim. This is where four Yankees are speaking now.
Is this the coach? Is this Girardi? Yes. That's Joe Girardi. He's flanked, I believe, by Pettitte and several other Yankees. Let's listen live.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andy or Alex?
ANDY PETTITTE, NEW YORK YANKEES: You know, just like Joe said, you think about obviously what he's done for the game of baseball, but obviously with the loss, you think about what he's done for you personally.
And, you know, he's just -- he just was great to me. He was always great to me in my whole career, during the good times and the bad times. His family has been great to me. And, you know, I just -- I had a great relationship with him. He was always good to be around.
He was tough, you know, but he was always fair and he was great to be around. And, you know, to be able to come back after I left -- and I know that he had brought me back here and was a big part of me coming back -- you know, it's just this -- like Joe says, it's a sad day for us. That's for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alex?
ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES: Yes. I mean, for me, it was -- it's always a dream to have an opportunity to play for an owner like George Steinbrenner. I mean, unlike Andy, I came up in another organization. And the opportunity to play for the boss and the family was something that was second to none.
And he's a man that has more passion than anyone, and really passionate about his game, and for many, many years spent the most money to try to bring the best players in the world to play for his organization.
And the one thing I can share with you is in '04 he wrote me a handwritten note and it was hand-delivered by a clubhouse kid. And at that point, I got very -- a little nervous. And it said this from GMS.
And he said this was -- I still have this note. But, in the end, he basically said, I'm counting on you, with capital letters and an exclamation point. And to this day, I hold this dear and I think we're still playing for him, not to let him down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tyler Kepner?
QUESTION: Yes.
I think Alex touched on it, and I know Andy and Joe. George was I think one of the kind of guys who would test you and would challenge you a little bit. Can you talk a little bit about how -- how you overcame that challenge sort of or met that challenge and ultimately had the strong relationship that you all had with him?
PETTITTE: Yes, I mean, he would. And he was tough, like I said, but he was an encourager.
You know, for me, just getting a little personal, you know, like Al was saying, George used to hand me Bible verses before some of my playoff starts and stuff like that. And that was just -- he was tough, but he was always there to support you also.
And, again, I don't think enough is said about the support that he would give you. But it was tough support. So, I think sometimes the tough support doesn't get, you know, quite the limelight. But, you know, he expected a lot. He demanded a lot.
He raised, I believe, the level of not only the Yankees organization and what they want to do as far as winning and winning championships, but I feel like he's raised the bar around baseball for other teams to try to keep up to compete with what he was trying to put on the field every year.
JOE GIRARDI, MANAGER, NEW YORK YANKEES: His toughness came out, to me, in expectations. And I think the expectations that he had carried over into the clubhouse. And we had the same expectations as he did, which I think is the sign of his influence on all of us.
SANCHEZ: Joe Girardi among the many present Yankees talking about the legend among Yankees, George Steinbrenner.
And guess who's going to be joining us here in just a little bit? A legend in his own right. Don Imus might disagree with that, but, you know, Don Imus disagrees with almost everything this man says. Warner Wolf is going to be joining us here in just a little bit.
Those of you who have grown up in and around New York City remember Warner Wolf. Man, I will tell you, talk about the king of sportscasters there. There he is with the big smiles, looking really good.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: And, man, he's got some George Steinbrenner stories he could share with us, good, bad, and everything in between.
Stay with us. We're going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A little while ago, we had a chance to talk to Joe Torre.
I don't know if you -- a lot of you have been tweeting me and saying that you really enjoyed that conversation. I have got to tell you, once in a while in this business, you get to talk to somebody that you're in awe of anyway, because it's somebody you've known for a long time.
And talking to Joe Torre, a legend in his own right, about the deceased owner of the New York Yankees, in George Steinbrenner, was really an interesting conversation.
We're going to flip that and turn some of that around for you in just a little bit.
But let me bring you another legend, New York legend, as they say. Sports commentator Warner Wolf is joining us now.
What did you think -- hey, by the way, good to see you, man.
WARNER WOLF, SPORTS COMMENTATOR: Thank you. Nice to see you. Thanks for having me on.
SANCHEZ: What did you think when -- I mean, I know, look, he's 80 years old, and we all get up in years, and people pass on. But George Steinbrenner was different in so many ways as a sports icon. You're a guy who probably had his tussles with George Steinbrenner, covered him enough.
What did you think when you heard the news early this morning that Steinbrenner had passed?
WOLF: Well, you have hit it on the nose. The fact that he had been ill for the last perhaps five years took perhaps the complete shock away, because the thought of George Steinbrenner in his prime, this guy was indestructible. I mean what do you mean he died? But the fact that you knew he wasn't that well off, perhaps it wasn't that much of a surprise.
But I think the biggest thing, in my opinion, I don't care what the sport. He was the greatest fan/owner in the history of sports.
If they needed a pitcher, boom, he went out and got Catfish Hunter. If they needed a third baseman, boom, they got A-Rod. If they need an outfielder --
SANCHEZ: What do you make of these kinds of owners? You know, you've got this fellow down there in Dallas, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, too.
WOLF: Jerry Jones.
SANCHEZ: Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban --
WOLF: Cuban.
SANCHEZ: -- two guys who look like they're little kids in the stands rather than owners in the old traditional way.
Was Steinbrenner like that, a guy who just wanted to -- just loved the Yankees and wanted them to do well? It wasn't like a bottom-line thing for him.
WOLF: Well, here's the biggest difference between the three of them. Or I should say two of them and Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner had the money, as these guys do, but Steinbrenner knew how to spend the money on the right player. Jones and Cuban might not necessarily do so.
SANCHEZ: Well, Joe Torre just told me something interesting. Joe Torre just told me on the phone a little while ago that he would argue with him because he wanted to get the best players. He didn't care what position they played, almost as if, OK, you've got two right fielders out there, they're both the best in baseball. Rather than getting a left fielder and a right fielder, he'd say, no, give me both of them.
That's an interesting way of going about it. He just wanted the best guys.
WOLF: Well, that's right, because in the early '80s, he already had Reggie who was in right field. So he got Dave Winfield, who was a right fielder. So he just put Winfield in left.
But he was a tough guy to work for, as you point out. Two instances come to mind to me.
One was in 1980, they're in the playoffs against Kansas City, losing 3-2 in the second game. In the eighth inning, Willie Randolph tried to score from first. The third base coach, Mike Ferraro, waved him home with two outs, and he was out at the plate. But it was good strategy. There were two outs. Steinbrenner wanted to fire Ferraro. He had to be talked out of it. I mean, come on. The guy waved him home and he's out?
And the other case is, many years ago, I used to do "Monday Night Baseball" on ABC. And we're doing a Yankee/Red Sox game, and my partner, Bob Uecker, says after the game we're going to meet up with Billy Martin. Well, you know Martin was hire and fired five times.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Boy, do I ever.
WOLF: So, Martin comes out, he gets into the car, and the first thing Martin says is, "That SOB Steinbrenner. He called me in the sixth inning. I ripped the phone out of the wall."
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: I can only imagine the stories.
Hey -- and you know a thing or two about working with guys that are difficult to get along with. You work with some guy named Imus these days, right? Don? Don Imus? Is that his name?
I've heard of him.
WOLF: Oh, that's a walk in the park. That's not difficult at all.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Don made my career. Just tell him that.
Hey, good to see you, Warner. I appreciate it.
WOLF: Well, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Before we go to break, talk about New York.
Get over here. Where have you been, by the way?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stuck at the airport.
SANCHEZ: You were supposed to be here earlier. Do you know what I want to hear from you?
ROTH: Does anybody know who I am?
SANCHEZ: Well, here we go once again. Introduce yourself to the good people of RICK'S LIST. Will you?
ROTH: Hi. This is CNN's Richard Roth, as it says here.
SANCHEZ: Richard Roth and I have been talking this afternoon. And one of the reasons we wanted to bring him in real quick was to give us a New York experience.
How significant was George Steinbrenner to the city of New York? ROTH: He was definitely the most famous team owner in sports history, and for the New York City environment he brought the Yankees back to prominence. I mean, he bought them at a cheap price from CBS in the early '70s. I don't know of Warner mentioned that. And the New York Yankees are the prestige franchise around the world. I mean, more so than the Mets.
So he became a star. He was a star owner. Back page headlines, firing Billy Martin, hiring him five times.
SANCHEZ: "New York Post," "New York Daily News," front cover, probably recognized --
(CROSSTALK)
ROTH: Leaking stuff, calling reporters at midnight. I mean, in this day and age, in a way, we have more openness with Facebook, Twitter, but this is an owner. Usually they're in corporate jets, or in their own homes, or in the luxury privacy box.
He was out there. He supported New York causes. He made the Yankees the ticket in town. And they still are. Even if they had stars that already played in the positions, he brought in more stars.
SANCHEZ: Love and hated, or both?
ROTH: Yes. He played a gambler to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield, a current player. He ran afoul for campaign contributions I think, Richard Nixon.
SANCHEZ: Yes, he did.
ROTH: He was bigger than life. He was called "The Evil Empire." I don't know if you talked about that with Warner.
The Boston Red Sox called the Steinbrenner team "The Evil Empire," they always got what they wanted. Not necessarily the case.
His sons own the team now. A little bit more restraint, but I think the Steinbrenner way is still there. If they want a player, they'll go out and get him.
SANCHEZ: They can play hardball with the best of them.
Interesting story. Interesting man.
I'm glad we had a chance to remember him with some folks like you. And the interview with Joe Torre a little while ago made me feel, well, almost important.
ROTH: And also Bob Sheppard, the Yankee announcer, died just a few days ago. A Steinbrenner statement was issued. We don't know how much in name only, but very interesting timing. Two icons in Yankee history both passing away in the last few days.
SANCHEZ: Richard Roth, my thanks to you. ROTH: You're welcome.
SANCHEZ: Thanks for making the visit. We appreciate it. We'll see you in just a little bit.
By the way, my interview with Joe Torre, I just told you, we're going to show a little bit more of that. That's coming up in just a little bit.
ROTH: Those two men had a different parting.
SANCHEZ: Well, it's interesting what he says about him, including the closed-door meetings.
And then, of course, which standing senator do you think is now on the record supporting the Birther movement? Which standing Senator do you think is now on the record supporting the Birther movement?
On "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
Stay with us. This is RICK'S LIST. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: 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 former passing of his former boss is Joe Torre, former manager of the Yankees.
Coach, good to see you, sir.
JOE TORRE, FORMER YANKEES MANAGER: Thank you, Rick. 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: There you go. That's the interview that we were talking about just moments ago.
By the way, we just heard from Joe Garcia's office. Joe Garcia has been a frequent guest on this show down in south Florida. And he wanted to remind our viewers that he's only in favor of lifting the embargo if and when the Cuban government does some of the gestures or comes through with some of the gestures that they've promised that they will in the future.
So there is a caveat to his standing on that. We just wanted to make sure that was clear.
Now, this. A U.S. senator making today's "List U Don't Want 2 Be On" because he's apparently joined or agreed with the Birther movement on the record. In fact, you're going to hear this for yourself. I'm going to tell you who is on "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
Here now, the segment that many of you look forward to every day.
Critics of the president of the United States make cogent arguments against many of his policies, and that's the way our political system works. Then, though, there are the Birthers. They are a special category of anti-Obamans. They are generally, by the way, called out by most true conservatives and Republicans as being off point, a distraction, and even just plain wrong.
Here now, "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
The Birther movement has recruited a new supporter. Senator David Vitter of Louisiana is now on the record as endorsing a legal movement to challenge the president's legitimacy and birthplace. David Vitter.
The question that I'm about to show you has been asked of many politicians, Democrats and Republicans, who, for the most part, have had the backbone to say to those questioners, no, you're wrong, the president of the United States was born in Hawaii, and you're distracting the conservative agenda. That's what the Republicans from Castle to McCain have done.
We've shown it on the air. Here's Vitter's moment to show his courage and conviction to truth-telling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to ask you, Senator Vitter, what you personally know about this and what you personally will do about it, if anything, and that is Mr. Obama's refusal to produce a valid birth certificate.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So there it is. It's not the first time we've heard the question. Here is David Vitter being asked a question that has been refuted by the left and the right, by most, if not all, responsible news organizations, including this show.
I write about how factcheck.org went to Honolulu and published not only his birth certificate -- the president's, that is -- but also showed the announcement in the Honolulu advertisements, in the paper, on the day that he was born. I write about that in my book. It's, for the most, part irrefutable.
How does David Vitter respond when put in this situation? Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DAVID VITTER (R), LOUISIANA: I support conservative legal (ph) organizations, others who would bring that to core. I think that is the valid and most possibly effective plan (ph) to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We reached out to Senator Vitter, as we always do for the people that we put on this list. We'll continue to try and reach out to him. So far, no comment from Senator Vitter's office. I listen mostly to conservative talk radio because I live in Atlanta, and that's, for the most part, all there is here. I hear almost all of them tell their Birther listeners when they call in, you're wrong. But what did this standing U.S. senator do when presented with his chance to be a truth-teller? He's essentially agreed with a lie, and for that he is today's top candidate for "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
Was a deal cut by BP and the British government to have the Lockerbie bomber released from prison in exchange for oil profits in Libya? Did Libya want to be able to do drilling off the coast -- or did BP want to be able do drilling off the coast of Libya so badly, that they were willing to make this exchange happen?
We're drilling down on this. This is a huge story with Jim Clancy, who's going to be joining us in just a little bit.
And when we come back, Wolf Blitzer is going to be joining me as well. He and I are going to be talking about an island 90 miles off the coast of the United States.
We'll be right back. This is your national conversation. I'm Rick Sanchez.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Wolf Blitzer is joining us now.
I had a chance to -- I was honored to be a part of his newscast yesterday in "THE SITUATION ROOM," when he asked me --
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for doing it. Thanks for sticking around. You did a good job.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'll tell you, I was really taken aback by Fidel Castro --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You know, I was really surprised he never got into the whole issue of releasing these political prisoners. He was focussing in on a real serious attack against the United States -- supposedly the U.S., as you know, Rick, blew up that South Korean warship to try to provoke a war with North Korea. He's really going off the deep end.
SANCHEZ: Yes. In fact -- and I was talking to David Rivera (ph) about this just a little while ago -- you know, he was really kind of handed a big old meatball right down the middle in baseball terms. I mean, here he was -- if he really does want the U.S. to lift the embargo as he says he does, why would he come out with these accusations against the United States? It seems to go against -
BLITZER: Yes. I thought he would reach out to President Obama, who would like to reestablish some sort of relationship with Cuba, throw out an olive branch and establish a dialogue. He did exactly the opposite. I was surprised.
SANCHEZ: Yes. I'll tell you, it was.
All right, Wolf. I look forward to catching up with you. Too bad about Steinbrenner. I know you're a big baseball fan.
BLITZER: I love baseball.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BLITZER: Love football, love basketball, love hockey, and now I love soccer.
SANCHEZ: Talk about an icon. Yes, I've seen the pictures. I've seen you over there whooping it up with the former president of the United States while watching our team.
Good stuff, man. Look forward to seeing you in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BLITZER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Meantime, as BP comes close to finally plugging this leak in the Gulf, there's another story that could set them backward. Did the oil company actually help to arrange the release of a terrorist to gain a profit? Yes, there's some good news coming out of there.
But then there's this story. Jim Clancy is going to be joining us here in just a little bit. He's going to be coming and walking up to the set. Look forward to doing that.
Stay with us. We'll be right back with that and more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As if BP wasn't in enough hot water for the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, get this -- some senators are now asking whether the man who blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was set free in a deal to help BP make billions of dollars drilling for oil off of Libya.
Listen to this from a letter from a Democratic senator, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, sent to John Kerry and Richard Lugar of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"It is shocking to even contemplate that BP is profiting from the release of a terrorist with the blood of 189 Americans in his hands." He goes on the say that the families of Flight 103 "deserve to know whether justice took a back seat to commercial interests in this case."
Jim Clancy is joining me now. He's been covering this case from the very beginning, went to Lockerbie right after the bombing almost 22 years ago.
Well, here's what we just got moments ago, all right? Let's move the story forward.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you've got a response there from BP. Remember, this is a guy who served what, 11 days for every victim, each one of the 270 people that died? Eleven days.
SANCHEZ: Well, they let him out. And they say he's got maybe a day and a half left to live. OK, maybe a week and a half.
CLANCY: And he's 11 months so far.
SANCHEZ: And a year and a half later, he's still there. And we have no reason to believe that he's not going to be there a couple of years from now.
CLANCY: BP knows this is up. They know it's being examined, and I think they're coming out here and trying to defend themselves.
SANCHEZ: Well, listen, I don't know if they're copping to it, but here's what they say. "As a matter of public record that in 2007, BP discussed with the U.K. government our concern at the slow progress in concluding a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya."
Right there I'm asking myself, why is a corporation talking to a government about the transfer of a terrorist? But --
CLANCY: Because the Libyans were talking to BP about it.
SANCHEZ: But what the hells is it -- this is not their business. And then, "Like many others, we were aware that a delay might have negative consequences for U.K. commercial interests, including ratification of BP's exploration agreement." "However," they go on to say, "we did not express a view about the specific form of the agreement, which was the matter for the U.K. and Libyan governments, or make representations over the al-Megrahi case, which was solely a matter for the Scottish executive and not for the U.K. government."
But here they are admitting that they had very much an interest in making sure that this transfer took place. And now we know that they did, in fact, get permission to drill off the coast of Libya and it was worth like $20 billion.
CLANCY: Twenty billion dollars is what it's expected to be. They're just starting the exploratory drilling right now.
SANCHEZ: So we don't have a quid pro quo.
CLANCY: You've got -- this is -- well, this was 2007. This is when they signed this exploration deal worth $900 million at the time. That's what they were investing in exploration.
SANCHEZ: Right.
CLANCY: But nothing could move forward until that prisoner transfer agreement was ironed out. And although they never mentioned al-Megrahi's name, what was talked about was a cutoff date, that all prisoners who were sentenced after this date couldn't be included in it. And so Megrahi was covered that way.
And the British tried to negotiate it that way. But then Jack Straw came back and said the Libyans aren't going for it. And all this pressure was there. And so, they just changed the rules and said, all right, we'll include -- no, they didn't say they'd include al-Megrahi. They said we'll drop the dates.
SANCHEZ: But then we get -- that's all well and good. And if they would somehow like to expedite it, that's fine. But then we learn that this guy is let out of prison, and we thought it was because he was on death's door.
He's not on death's door.
CLANCY: Well, the Libyans shopped for a doctor. They found one in London.
SANCHEZ: Who lied.
CLANCY: I don't know that he lied. There's some medical evidence that says it's impossible to predict that the guy is going to die within three months. Well, then, why did you predict that he was going to die within three months?
SANCHEZ: Good question.
CLANCY: Because that was what was necessary to get him out of the country to make this happen.
SANCHEZ: So a guy who killed a planeload of Americans and others is allowed to get out of prison, and now we're finding out that as a result of that, Libya may have gotten -- we're not saying they pushed for it, but may have got this $20 billion deal for deep drilling --
CLANCY: Well, look, according --
SANCHEZ: -- off the coast of Libya.
CLANCY: -- to (INAUDIBLE), who negotiated the deal, the two were not connected, he says. But he also, wink-wink, nod-nod, says they were negotiated together. In other words, BP's oil deal and the release of al-Megrahi, the prisoner transfer agreement, they were all negotiated together.
So this is what Lautenberg wants to investigate. What comes out of it, BP will, no doubt, have more to say. I think British officials in the government of Tony Blair are going to have a lot to say.
SANCHEZ: We are here to ask the tough questions, and I think there is plenty of room here for tough questions to be asked. You and I will keep talking. We'll see where this thing keeps going.
CLANCY: You bet, Rick. Good to be with you.
SANCHEZ: All right. We appreciate it, Jim. Good to see you.
CLANCY: Like the new studio.
SANCHEZ: Look at that. We've got some folks over here.
Say -- wave, guys. Say, "Hello." And ready? We're going to move to Wolf Blitzer in three, two, one.
Here now, "THE SITUATION ROOM."
