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Rick's List
Rewriting the 14th Amendment?; Remembering Killed Connecticut Workers; Senate Confirms Elena Kagan as Supreme Court Justice; Naomi Campbell Testifies in War Crimes Trial of Charles Taylor; South Carolina Conservative Republican Congressman Loses Badly in Primary
Aired August 05, 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: Hey, Teej.
You know what we're going to do? For the very first time now, we're going to be hearing from the family members and some of the people who were there in Manchester, Connecticut, when the shots rang out in that bloodbath we have been telling you about. We're going to be sharing that with you in just minutes, minutes.
Here's what else we have got.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here is what is making the LIST today.
Is a child born in America an American? Some Republicans say no. But are they willing to change the U.S. Constitution?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: There's thousands of people coming across the border to have their children in American hospitals illegally.
SANCHEZ: But is the argument now softening, aimed at foreign tourists? Huh?
GRAHAM: People in China and throughout the world who are rich get a tourist visa to come to an American resort, have the baby as an American citizen, turn around and go back to China.
SANCHEZ: A Tea Party expecting thousands ends up barely with hundreds. What happened? And what does it say about the movement?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn't thinking too much, just getting the hell out of the plane.
SANCHEZ: The brakes catch fire as it lands in Chicago, and 200 passengers evacuate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some people fell off the slide.
SANCHEZ: A baseball milestone is reached. Does anyone care? The shame that is Major League Baseball and how they screwed up the national pastime.
An officer has a carjacker right where he wants him. Or does he? Whoa. Didn't see that coming.
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: Hey, everybody. So glad that you're with us once again. I'm Rick Sanchez. Here we go with RICK'S LIST.
Stay right there, because we're about to turn this piece of video around, a piece of video that I want you to watch because you will hear for the very first time in it some of those who were actually there when this horrible bloodbath took place in Manchester, Connecticut, eight people killed by this angry co-worker.
The owner of the business, the beer distributor where the shootings happened, is among those who is expected to come up and start speaking.
Meanwhile, there's a new 911 tape now, this 911 tape just released overnight. There are two that have been released so far. This one has not yet been heard or seen. So, I want you to take a look at this. Moments after Omar Thornton began hunting down his co- workers, this call was made from inside the building. Let's listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am hiding in the dark.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Hide in the dark. Get down. Is the door locked?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Headed toward the warehouse inside the building, ma'am
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes, yes.
911 OPERATOR: Are you hiding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: Stay down where you are and hold on one second.
Are you still in the room?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm still in the building.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Are you in the bad hiding? Can you lock the door? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to get up. Do you have him?
911 OPERATOR: We do not have him yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me 10 ambulances to Hartford Distributors. We need a few ambulances here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have 10 on their way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Thank you.
911 OPERATOR: Help me, please. Help me.
911 OPERATOR: Ma'am, we are on the way.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: My goodness. Did you hear that? She is panic- stricken, hiding inside what appears to be a closet while she's having this conversation with this 911 operator. When she says, do you have him yet, and she says, no, not yet, and then they call for 10 ambulances, what would you think?
Well, help was on the way, as you heard. But eight of that woman's co-workers would die before the shooter, Omar Thornton would then kill himself.
All right, let me take you back. It begins at 7:30 Tuesday morning, when Thornton was told that he had a choice between being fired or resigning. The beer distributor where Thornton worked had accused him of stealing. They had hired a private detective to follow Thornton as he drove his beer delivery truck.
Tuesday morning, they presented Thornton with their findings. Moments later, Thornton retrieved two handguns that he brought with him to work in a lunch box, and he spent the next 45 minutes walking around his own workplace hunting down his own co-workers and killing them.
Listen now. This is 911 call number two. This is the man who fired him. This man has just been shot, as he says, in the head, but he manages to make a call to police. Let's watch.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Nine-one-one.
STEVE HOLLANDER, VICE PRESIDENT, HARTFORD DISTRIBUTORS: I need the cops here at Hartford Distributors right away. Shooting.
911 OPERATOR: What's going on? Who got shot?
HOLLANDER: Somebody got shot. I got shot.
911 OPERATOR: OK. I need some information, sir. Who got shot?
HOLLANDER: Somebody -- we need the cops. Omar Thornton is shooting people. And I just got shot.
911 OPERATOR: OK, I need to know what his name is and what...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLANDER: His name is Omar Thornton. He is a black guy. Get the cops here right away, please.
911 OPERATOR: Sir, stay on the line with me.
HOLLANDER: I'm bleeding all over the place.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: OK. How many people got shot?
HOLLANDER: I don't know.
911 OPERATOR: OK, you don't know. And you are shot where?
HOLLANDER: In my head.
911 OPERATOR: You are shot in the head?
HOLLANDER: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: And what's your name?
HOLLANDER: My name is Steve Hollander.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Who was the person shooting people again?
HOLLANDER: His name is Omar Thornton. He is a black guy. He is wearing shorts.
911 OPERATOR: OK, black man, shorts. Anything else? What kind of gun?
HOLLANDER: I don't know. I didn't see it.
911 OPERATOR: You didn't see it. And where are you in the building, sir?
HOLLANDER: I'm hiding in an office.
911 OPERATOR: Hiding where?
HOLLANDER: In an office. People are running all over the place.
911 OPERATOR: OK, I understand that. But if you keep talking to me, we can help you more. OK?
HOLLANDER: OK, all right, yes.
911 OPERATOR: OK. And you don't know if it was an automatic weapon or not? HOLLANDER: I don't. He shot pretty fast.
911 OPERATOR: OK, and you are still -- are you bleeding a lot?
HOLLANDER: Yes. There's people running all over the place.
911 OPERATOR: OK. OK.
HOLLANDER: Oh, yes, I see him running now. He's running away right now.
911 OPERATOR: He's running away?
HOLLANDER: He is shooting at somebody else. Yes, he is still shooting.
911 OPERATOR: The shooter is outside.
HOLLANDER: He is shooting at a girl.
911 OPERATOR: OK. How many people are down, sir?
911 OPERATOR: Just (INAUDIBLE) and say we're on the way.
HOLLANDER: He's got a -- he is still running after people. He is not leaving.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Do you see what kind of gun he has, sir?
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLANDER: It's a black gun. I don't know. He's got a -- he's carrying a red -- he's carrying a -- he's wearing a blue shirt and blue shorts. He has got -- he's got a -- oh (EXPLETIVE DELETED). He is still shooting. I hear guns out there.
911 OPERATOR: All right. You said he used to work there?
HOLLANDER: Yes, until I just fired him.
911 OPERATOR: Today?
HOLLANDER: Today, just now, before he started shooting. He is chasing people out in the parking lot.
911 OPERATOR: He is in the parking lot chasing people.
HOLLANDER: With his gun, shooting at them. He's got a -- he's carrying a red lunch bag.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLANDER: He is right out in front of my office right now. I see him walking around.
911 OPERATOR: A red bag? HOLLANDER: He's got -- yes, he's got black shorts and a blue shirt. He's still walking around in the parking lot.
911 OPERATOR: (INAUDIBLE) We have a black male shooter. (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: All right, where is he now?
HOLLANDER: He's -- he may be coming back into the building.
911 OPERATOR: Whereabouts?
HOLLANDER: The side door.
911 OPERATOR: Stay where you are, all right?
HOLLANDER: OK.
911 OPERATOR: Thank you.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And now the question of what made this guy do this. What made Omar Thornton snap the way he did. There have been several stories. We know the fact that he had just been fired and was angered by that.
But there's been another story going around about the fact that he was holding some kind of grudge because people that he worked with had used racial slurs against him. For the very first time now, you are going to hear from his girlfriend, who gives this account to our affiliate New England Cable Network.
She doesn't want her face shown as she describes Omar Thornton's mood. We start with her talking about what he was acting like and saying and doing the morning of the shooting.
Take it, Rog.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He seemed like he just had a lot of stuff on his mind. And I asked him what was wrong. And he said, "Nothing." And I knew something, you know, just wasn't right.
So, I asked him a few other times. And he gave me a big hug and kiss, which was a longer that -- than I had usually gotten. And he looked at me and said, "I love you." And then I followed him out to his car and I opened the door up again and I gave him another hug and kiss. And I told him, "You better call me." And he told me he would. And then I find out on the news about everything.
QUESTION: It sounds like you were worried about him when he went to work?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Then she was asked specific questions about some of the reporting that has taken place, about the noose he said that he saw scrawled on a bathroom, about the fact that the N-word was used against him.
Here's how she answers those questions. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Omar told you what was going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That there was racial things being said to him and there was drawings on the bathroom wall.
QUESTION: Let's start with the drawings. Showing what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like the game hangman.
QUESTION: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a stick figure with a noose around its neck, and it said "Kill N-word."
QUESTION: And you saw this. You say you saw it. You saw it how?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On a picture off his cell phone, because I'm the one that told him to take pictures, because he had told me that they were doing these things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now the other side of the story. I want you to hear from family members.
We finally have this tape cued up and ready to go, so I want you to watch now for the very first time. Family members of the victims, along with officials there and the city of Manchester and police, held a joint news conference where they addressed all the issues that have been discussed and followed by people all over the country.
Let's take this, Rog. Let's take it from -- I'm not sure how long it is, but let's take it from the very top and play it through.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS HOLLANDER, CEO, HARTFORD DISTRIBUTORS: As you can see, we are a very tight-knit group. And each one of us has been devastated by this tragic and inexplicable act.
For our family today, this is a day to honor the dead and begin the process of moving forward with our lives. It's important that you know the victims of this tragedy are not statistics. They're members of our family and cherished friends who have been wrenched from our lives, never to be replaced. Collectively, they represent 125 years of service to this company.
And let me just share a couple of thoughts very briefly, because I could take hours talking about the people here.
Bryan Cirigliano, an employee of Hartford Distributors for 25 years, following a stellar career and retirement of his father and brother from Hartford Distributors. Bryan was a pillar of the work force at Hartford Distributors. Her was tough, but fair.
He's a very bright young man and became shop steward and then president of the Local 1035. He always had the interests of his fellow employees at heart and represented them fairly, aggressively, and with integrity.
Billy Ackerman, 20 years. Billy Ackerman had a key to my house, to anything I own. He was a warehouseman. And the only thing I can say about Bill Ackerman is, if you're hanging off a cliff on a rope, he was the guy you would want at the other end.
Fran Fazio. Fran Fazio never had trouble with anybody. He was just a hardworking man, a family man who came to work every day to make his pay for his family to live a decent life and went home to Bristol.
Victor James, 25 years, one of the best minds I could imagine, a brilliant guy who was -- read everything, read me -- brought me articles from some of the most obscure periodicals you could imagine. He read everything. And although some of the customers may not love me sometimes, the customers love Vic.
Ed Kennison wasn't with us for very long. But he was a very hardworking guy and such a rabid Yankees fan that he had several tattoos to prove it and was looking forward to putting 2010 on the line.
Craig Pepin, one of the most -- one of our dearest employees for 25 years, didn't know how to say no, never said no. Pepin was the ultimate husband, coach and the father to -- father figure to every kid in the town of South Windsor who played on any of his sports teams, a wonderful, wonderful man, will be sorely missed.
Doug Scruton, another 25 years.
I think you get the theme here, that Hartford Distributors is a family that you come to for your life and you stay, and people -- we have the kind of work environment that people stay and work their whole lives. He was a warehouseman, a devoted family man, a hard worker, and an absolute sick, rabid UConn fan.
Louis Felder. Louis Felder had only worked for the company for eight months. However, we had been involved with Louis Felder for at least two years. He's one of the most brilliant people you would ever want to meet. That was one thing we take pride in at Hartford Distributors, that we're smart enough to hire people that are smarter than we are.
And he was president of a company called WMSI, Warehouse Management Systems Incorporated. We liked his work so much and his enthusiasm that we -- and knowledge -- that we asked him to come to work instead for Hartford Distributors, which he did. All I can tell you is, he exemplified the highest level of professionalism that you could have in our industry.
While this has been a tragedy of epic proportions, we remain a strong, incredibly close team.
Sorry.
We all realize that the only thing that we can do now is grieve, support each other, and meet our obligations to our family, our customers, and our communities in which we serve -- to which we serve.
To the families of those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy, we have joined with the Teamsters in order to create a fund to provide continuing support and assistance for you.
To our customers, rest assured that every possible effort is being made to ensure that you will have access to products you need to maintain the success of your businesses.
We want to thank our fellow wholesalers and all the brewers who have stepped forward and offered their assistance at this difficult time. It's just been heartwarming.
To our community, you can rely on our continued support. You can be a strong partner in the many important local and state programs which we have supported together for so many years.
Finally, let me address some of the issues that have been raised as a result of this incident that I know you -- are of interest. As was said in the outset, this is a criminal investigation, and the authorities have been clear that we cannot comment on details of the incident.
However, it's important that you know the following. As an employee of Hartford Distributors, Omar Thornton was embraced as a member of our team and judged purely on the merits of his work.
Based on credible third-party information, we conducted a thorough -- fair and thorough investigation, which provided conclusive evidence that Omar was systematically stealing beer from the company and selling it to third parties.
It was this conduct that led to the disciplinary proceeding on Tuesday morning. There was no indication in Omar's background or two- year history with the company that he posed any safety threat to himself, his co-workers or the community.
As for the claims that Omar's actions were a result of racial insensitivity, I can state to you unequivocally that no such claim has ever been brought to the attention of our company. No such claim has been pursued under Hartford Distributors' internal anti-discrimination and harassment policy. No such claim has ever been filed against the company through our collective bargaining agreement and our procedures.
No such claim has ever been filed with any state or federal anti- discrimination agencies. Nonetheless, these ugly allegations have been raised and the company will cooperate with any investigation initiated by any federal or state agency.
Thank you again for your patience and respect that you have demonstrated during this very difficult time.
Now I guess I will turn it over to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You heard it there at the end. The news is pretty simple. You don't have to have a four-degree in journalism -- go to journalism school to figure out what was the big hit there.
He said it at the end. "No claim was ever brought to our attention of racism or racial insensitivity," to the union or to the company. So, they're addressing this -- they're addressing this directly.
And the interesting point is, they also say, "But we know that those allegations are out there, so we as a company are willing to cooperate with any state or federal investigation."
That's the news out of this news conference. He did also say, and I suppose it bears repeating -- they reinforced the idea that he was stealing product from the company, and he went on to say that he wasn't only stealing it, that he was then selling it to a third party.
We will be all over this story. We will continue to develop it and as we get more information, we will share it with you. Now this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: It makes no sense to me to award citizenship when someone breaks the law to get here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Should a child born in the United States be an American citizen? Some Republicans are saying maybe not. But even the most outspoken critics of illegal immigration are saying that's a crazy idea. So, are Republicans now walking this back? Are they walking it back? The entire immigration debate is changing right before our eyes. That's ahead.
Also, two buses collide. Did you see this? They collided with a truck and then another car, sending dozens of schoolchildren to the hospital. What a picture. We understand there may be some fatalities in that story, by the way, we're sad to report.
Stay with us. This is RICK'S LIST. And we're going to be right back with all the news as it happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST.
Darn if this isn't a difficult story to tell. Look, any time, especially those of us who are parents, any time we see accidents involving school buses, we all talk a giant gasp.
And look at this. Two school buses apparently collided with one another. You know what is interesting? Look at that picture. Try and tell me if you can figure this out. Believe it or not, those two buses were both going in the same direction. They were full of kids, eighth-graders, we understand.
And the really, really sad news is -- they were like on a field trip going to, going to like a recreational park, and two people were dead. As many as 30 other people were taken to the hospital. Some of them because of their age obviously are just getting checked out.
They were all eighth-graders going on this field trip. This is not far from Saint Louis, by the way, just a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri, where this happened, and that is what is left of this accident. There was also an SUV and another small bus that was involved in an accident.
But again it's perplexing, isn't it, trying to figure out exactly how it is that something like this could happen, especially with both buses going in the same direction. But obviously we will be hearing more from police. And we're going to keep an eye on this story for you.
Meanwhile, let met bring Jessica Yellin in now. It's time for our Jessica's list segment.
There's an emergency plan. Remember, we told you about this yesterday when we got a tweet from Nancy Pelosi, interestingly enough. It's an emergency plan that overcame a very key Senate hurdle. Two Republicans have crossed party lines -- that's not something you hear every day -- to give President Obama a victory.
It's $26 billion package designed to save the jobs of public schoolteachers and other government workers. That's -- those are the headlines.
Now let's bring in the expert, Jessica Yellin, from Washington. And she's going to tell us what this is and what the significance is.
Take it away, Jessica.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK.
Well, the significance is it's a measure that the Democrats have been fighting to passed. It's been blocked. And unexpectedly, they got it through the Senate, and now they're calling Democrats back into session to vote on it in the House.
Now, this is very unusual. They very rarely call people back into session in the summer. And Democrats are hoping, Rick, that they will show that they're doing everything they can to fight unemployment.
They have already accused Republicans who blocked this measure to -- quote -- "job" -- of supporting a -- quote -- "job-killing agenda." On the other hand, the problem for Democrats, as you know, is if they don't pass this, hundreds of thousands of teachers and police officers could lose their jobs. But if they do, as we have seen in stimulus time, it's hard to get credit for saving a job.
And Republicans are just going to argue this is more unpopular stimulus spending at a time when voters want fiscal restraint.
SANCHEZ: Yes, but this is interesting. It's a little intestinal fortitude showing on the part of the Dems, trying to show up the Republicans on the unemployment issue, et cetera, et cetera.
YELLIN: Right.
SANCHEZ: What about the Bush tax cut issue? What's the strategy there from either side, if you would?
YELLIN: Well, this -- the jockeying on this has already gotten fierce and these tax cuts don't even expire until year's end.
The argument here is that Democrats want to extend the tax cuts for all except the very richest. And they say that this is not the time to give tax cuts to the very richest. But Republicans are coming back and they're throwing that term tax-and-spend liberal as often as they can. They're flinging that around.
And they're saying this is not the time to raise taxes on the richest because we're in a recovering economy. Guess who tends to win the message war when it comes to taxes, Rick?
SANCHEZ: I would say in -- when it comes to tax, the Republicans?
YELLIN: They tend to win that message war, because the minute you say they want to raise taxes, it's hard to fight back.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
YELLIN: Democrats are trying -- you're right. Democrats are trying to fight back by saying the Republicans refuse to support anything unless it's paid for, but now they want tax cuts for the rich without paying for it. Somehow, that message doesn't quite get through as well as the Republicans' message.
SANCHEZ: The truth seems to be on both sides on that one.
By the way, Elena Kagan, is it a done deal? Will she be the next Supreme Court justice? YELLIN: Yes, she will. It's not a quite done deal, but by the time your show is over, I bet it will be.
SANCHEZ: Well said. Thanks for the brevity, Jessica Yellin. And we will look forward to seeing you just a little bit later.
YELLIN: OK. Good to see you.
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as we landed, like, five minutes after, we were told to leave the plane. I wasn't thinking too much, just getting the hell out of the plane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Talk about your emergency exits. Passengers scrambled to get off of a flight on fire. We're going to show you the amazing video. That is ahead.
Also, what the hell is a supermodel doing at a war crimes trial? Naomi Campbell says that she was scared to testify, but it's trending. And Brooke Baldwin, because it's trending, is all over it, because it's trending.
That's ahead. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You heard this conversation we were having about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Well, you're now looking live at the U.S. Senate, where we understand at any moment now they will take this historic vote and we will have the results to share with you.
As you can see, it looks like they're doing a lot of administrative stuff right now. We're going to keep our eye on this, though, and as soon as we see some action there, we will bring that to you, so you can actually witness it for yourself.
When I was a teenager, I thought I was invincible. I think most of us do when we're teenagers. We also know everything. Just ask my teenagers now. But these three D.C. area teens took that teenage bravado too far.
Let's do "Fotos."
The teenagers jacked this SUV, and when they were stopped by a Maryland police officer, they actually tried to escape by backing up over a police officer with the officer, ouch, still inside.
The stolen SUV flipped over and they all were arrested at the scene. The officer inside the squished squad car is fine. He walked away unharmed. Kids. Where's the ding car? Well, the Clements famous racing sausages posed for photos in Milwaukee and traveled by via Amtrak yesterday for an appearance at a Brewers-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. You've got to love these guys.
One guy would have loved to have been on that train, former hot dog eating champ Takeru Kobayashi. There he is. Instead, Kobayashi was in court after causing a scene and resisting arrest at Nathan's annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. You remember that. Yes, he's smiling now.
The six-time champ was banned from this year's event because of a contract dispute, but still tried to get on stage. He got all roughed up, or roughed back. Today, a judge dropped all the charges.
Those are the "Fotos." Eat away, gang. Those are all on my blog at CNN.com/RickSanchez.
It is a rare glimpse into another side of warfare. We want you to see this -- getting the wounded off the battlefield and into state- of-the-art medical care like you've never seen it before. A life- saving flight and you're going to be aboard. What a story. That's ahead. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It's time to do what we call the trending segment of the day. These are things that are following on, you know, that you're talking about, either on twitter, e-mail, or on other social media sites. I was noticing a lot of folks -- I was reading the tweets here during the commercial. A lot of people are asking about Naomi Campbell. They say she's hot.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she is a super model.
SANCHEZ: That makes sense then.
BALDWIN: She's pretty.
SANCHEZ: So that's why she's hot.
BALDWIN: There's a lot more to this story, friend. But we'll get to that in a moment.
Can we talk about the cell phone video? Have you heard about this flight from London to Chicago? First, let's talk emergency evacuations because the video is just cool. They're OK, and that's why we're sharing this story.
But this flight, about 200 people, they landed at O'Hare after this flight from London. And witnesses say there was smoke was pouring out of the plane, and so they had to evacuate. One passenger had the presence of mind to whip out his cell phone, shoot this video we're looking at right now.
You see that slide? You know how we see that in the safety video? It works. People jumped on it, doors flew open, everyone slipped down the slide on the tarmac.
What was in the world was that like? Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think adrenaline. We were kind of --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were excited a little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven't seen anything like this before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looked pretty rough for some people. Fortunately I didn't have any injuries. Some people fell off the slide or it was difficult to go down. The lady who went down in front of me, she was much older, she fell down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's steep, steep jump into the chute. I've never done it before. For the younger ones, it was OK, but for the older one, it was a little difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I happen to know something about this, because I did a story on it once. When you go down that slide, you've got to make sure you land --
BALDWIN: Have you done it?
SANCHEZ: Yes, for a story in Miami about the George T. Baker Aviation School.
BALDWIN: OK.
SANCHEZ: You have to make sure you land on your buttocks. If you let your legs hit, you can twist your ankle.
BALDWIN: Which is apparently what happened in Chicago. Everybody is OK, but they said the caveat being a couple of twisted ankles. So they did not take the Rick Sanchez school of sliding down the slide.
SANCHEZ: If you look at the video -- I don't know if we've got it again. Can we roll the video again? That's interesting. Watch the video jumping on there. You can tell the ones that are doing it right. Are you ready? Now watch. You jump --
BALDWIN: That guy fell.
SANCHEZ: See them? You have to literally throw your ankles up in the air and land with your butt first. And then you'll have a very smooth, safe slide down.
BALDWIN: I can see for the older folks it would be kind of tough.
SANCHEZ: It's either that or you burn. You've got to get out. BALDWIN: Right. And apparently it was just a fire in the brakes with some constant smoke. Firefighters snuffed it out, all is well.
Let's move on.
SANCHEZ: Naomi Campbell.
BALDWIN: Naomi Campbell -- super model, beautiful. What in the world is she doing as a witness in an international war crimes trial, you may be asking. She took the stand today in the Hague.
Here's the back story. So on trial is Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia. And his charges include murder, rape, forcing children to fight as soldiers. So why is Naomi Campbell wrapped new this whole thing?
Charles Taylor is also accused of funding the civil war with blood diamonds. You have probably seen the movie. Naomi Campbell was reportedly given some of these diamonds as a gift from the President Taylor. She testified today under oath she didn't ask for them, she didn't want them, she called them "dirty-looking stones."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAOMI CAMPBELL, MODEL: I wanted to find my friend who is someone I trust and does great things in charity in Africa for charity to give them to him to do something with. I didn't want to keep them. And that's exactly what I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: She didn't keep them. Naomi Campbell said she gave them to a charity. But here's the thing -- that charity actually says they never got any such diamonds. She's accusing the attorney of keeping them. She's a witness for the prosecution, which is trying to prove that Charles Taylor personally handled blood diamonds. Of course, the former president, denying that.
SANCHEZ: Leo DiCaprio. He was in the movie.
BALDWIN: Excellent movie.
SANCHEZ: Stay here for a moment. I think we have a video for you. This is an important moment. Elena Kagan confirmation. I think it's about to happen. Here we go. Do we want to dip into this? Let's go ahead. Let's dip in and watch history in the making.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Collins, Conrad, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Feingold, Franklin, Gillebrand, Goodwin, Graham, Hagan, Harkin, Johnson, Kauffman, Kohl, Landrieu, Leahy, Lieberman, Lugar, McCaskill, Menendez, Murkley, McCulski --
SANCHEZ: This is the call, the reading of the names.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Tester, Udall of Colorado, Udall of New Mexico, Warner, Webb, Whitehouse and Wyden. Miss Stabenow? Miss Stabenow, aye.
Mrs. Feinstein? Mrs. Feinstein, aye.
Alexander, Barrasso, Brownback, Bunning, Burr, Chambliss, Cochran, Cornyn, Inhofe, McCain, McConnell, Murkowski, Nelson of Nebraska, Rogers, Sessions, Shelby, Voinovich, and Wicker.
Mr. Kerry? Mr. Kerry, aye.
SANCHEZ: Just across from him on the aisle, you'll see the Kentucky senior senator as well.
Mr. Bayh? Mr. Bayh, aye.
SANCHEZ: Mr. Bayh of Indiana votes aye. Some moment, huh?
BALDWIN: It is, and the people lining the room.
SANCHEZ: The third woman in Supreme Court history, and this is the chamber that's making it so. They're not usually this filled to the brim.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: You see flashes going off. You notice that? Who is this on the bottom right?
SANCHEZ: Look at the back there. Oh, those are pages. Look in the back there and you can see all the folks that have actually come into this meeting today that normally wouldn't be there. In fact, oftentimes you watch this and it just looks like one or two senators arguing with the TV set. But everybody is in attendance here.
BALDWIN: Witnessing history, as you said.
SANCHEZ: They're witnessing history, yes. This is quite a moment. And you see all the players there, and you see all the familiar faces. Is that John McCain at the top of the screen? It's hard to tell.
BALDWIN: With his hand on his chin?
SANCHEZ: It's hard to tell from our angle. Some of the folks at home, if they have bigger TVs might be able to tell exactly who's where. I'm just trying to see if I can recognize some of the faces.
Do they call a vote, and now they announce it? Are we in the tabulation period here? Frankly, I don't know. I'm not trying to come across like I know all of the procedures here. We'll see if we can get one of our folks, Kate Bolduan, to call us in, because this is her beat, and I don't want to say something that may not be right.
I know what I know, and I also know what I don't know, and that's important in this business.
BALDWIN: It's a good way to be, right?
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: We'll get Kate Bolduan out here in just a moment and she's going to take us through. But I think it's important to stay with this. So let's go ahead and stay with this for a moment as we watch what appears to be the tabulation of the votes that I believe has all but already confirmed, that Elena Kagan will be the next member of the U.S. Supreme Court and the third ever woman to be a member of the U.S. Supreme Court.
But it's always important to know who voted which way. And we've heard some of the rhetoric from both sides.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Nelson of Florida?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Nelson of Florida, aye. Mr. Carper? Mr. Carper, Aye.
SANCHEZ: Hey, Kate, are you there?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rick, I hear you.
SANCHEZ: Let's do a little play by play while we're listening to this. I'm interrupting it only so people can understand. The names they're calling out right now, why are they calling those out?
BOLDUAN: They're calling each senator's name out as they vote. And I don't have a monitor here, but I was looking at it just before I came up. I believe the senators are sitting at their seat. Normally -- that's a very formal way to vote. The Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, he asked for that to happen.
The do that for very serious votes. I believe they did that for health care. They do it for very impactful votes really to show that every senator is there to listen and make their presence known and make their vote very obvious and make it very clearly.
SANCHEZ: So it sounds like you saying it's somewhat ceremonial?
BOLDUAN: That's a good way to describe it. They could do it the way they normally do where they just kind of mill about the middle of the Senate floor and walk up and say aye or no if they wanted to and kind of walk off.
But for something of this magnitude, this person is going to have a lifetime appointment. This is a lifetime job. This is a big deal. A big deal for all of those senators casting those votes, a big deal obviously for Elena Kagan, and a big deal for this White House we're standing in right here. It is known a Supreme Court pick, Rick, is known as any president's longest lasting legacy. So this is a very big moment for this White House.
SANCHEZ: I understand it's a done deal, right? She's going to be confirmed even though she's getting some resistance from the right?
BOLDUAN: I mean, there -- it seems that all roadblocks are gone. You never say never as if you've ever covered the Senate or Congress, but it seems like it is very, very, very likely, I guess we could say, that she will be confirmed and that she does have the votes.
But still, it's a big vote. The votes have to happen. How many she will get, we will learn. We know of only one Democrat right now, I believe, the last I looked at CNN's analysis, that was going to be voting in opposition of her, voting no. That would be Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
So we'll see just how many Republicans do vote for her. I believe the last count was five Republicans were going to vote in support of Elena Kagan. But you can be sure this White House, the president is at the moment in Chicago, you can make sure the White House is focused on making the last vote count.
BALDWIN: Hey, Kate, it's Brooke. I'm sitting next to my friend, Rick. We've been looking at this picture for a couple of minutes. I know the security is pretty tight to get in and out of this particular chamber. Who are those people lining the room, witnessing this history? How do they get in there?
BOLDUAN: The way the Senate floor is made up, they call them pages, they are aides, they are people that allowed to kind of sit in the rim of the Senate chamber. As well as there is security. You can't just walk into the Senate floor. You have to be allowed in.
But it generally -- there are people who actually have to take note, the stenographers, taking transcripts of everything going on. The clerks actually take a record of it. Of course, each senator has his or her seat. But their aides and their staff, people that have been involved in this that can run the messages that would be lining the Senate chamber right there.
SANCHEZ: How does this conclude? Will they smack that gavel down and say it's official, the vote is such and such to such and such and she is confirmed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President?
BOLDUAN: Unfortunately they did away with the cool gavel. It's kind of a little knocker. It's not as impressive as you think it could be. But once all the votes are in, they will knock that gavel. I believe I saw Al Franken presiding over the Senate today.
SANCHEZ: Here, let's listen in a little bit. Let's see if they're talking. Let's go. We just got word, Kate that it's delayed because some of the senators have not yet arrived. We did see some people briskly walking in. Who's that -- oh, you see she doesn't have a monitor.
BOLDUAN: She's running upstairs.
BALDWIN: Hurry, hurry, you're on national TV.
SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness. Now she's back, ready to go vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Lincoln?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye.
SANCHEZ: Was that Blanche Lincoln? I think that was. It is hard to tell. She was walking backyard from our monitors.
BOLDUAN: No one wants to be caught being the last one in the room.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: That was an interesting moment to be caught on national television here on -- for people to be able --
BOLDUAN: She could have a very important meeting. She could be in a committee hearing.
FRANKEN: The Senate will come to order.
SANCHEZ: Here we go.
FRANKEN: The chair reminds the gallery that any expressions of approval or disapproval are inappropriate. The tally is 63-37. The nomination is confirmed. A motion to reconsider this vote is considered made and laid on the table. The president shall be notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate shall resume legislative session.
SANCHEZ: So there you go. 63 -- oh, hold on, hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.
FRANKEN: Senator from Michigan. No?
SANCHEZ: Someone called out, "Mr. President."
FRANKEN: OK. The Senate is not in order. The Senate will come to order.
SANCHEZ: He's referring to him as president of the Senate in this particular role.
There seemed to be a motion, but I can't hear it. Here we go.
FRANKEN: OK. The Senate will come to order. The Senate is not in order. The senator from -- only if the Senate -- the Senate is in order -- please. Thank you. The senator from Michigan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, it's obvious we're not going to be able to get to the defense authorization bill this week. However, it is important that we get to it as soon as possible after we return, and in order to facilitate that, I am asking unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader following consultation with the Republican leader, that the Senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 4153.
SANCHEZ: There you go. It looks like they have come to a 63-37, I heard. It is confirmed. However, Kate, just one more thing for you. I did hear that there's a potential motion for reconsideration on that. What does that mean? By the way, there's Elena Kagan walking into the room now.
BALDWIN: All smiles.
BOLDUAN: She's walking into the room?
SANCHEZ: Oh, this is tape. I'm sorry, we just put tape in. Nobody told me.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: I was like that's breaking news.
SANCHEZ: My bad, as they say. I thought that she would be walking in.
So anyway, back to the question. I heard there's a motion to reconsider. What does that mean?
BOLDUAN: To be honest, I think it's more of a technical procedural thing. She is -- the Senate has voted to confirm -- to confirm Elena Kagan, I believe. I mean, 63-37, that -- that far passes the number required actually to get the number for her to be confirmed, 63-37.
Just a historical note -- last year, last August, the first pick, Supreme Court pick from President Obama, Sonia Sotomayor, she -- her final vote was 68-31. So the changing dynamic of the Senate, you know. There are -- the changing dynamic of the Senate, but she did get -- I'm now forgetting the number, 63-37.
SANCHEZ: Five fewer votes than Sotomayor.
BOLDUAN: Five fewer votes than Sotomayor. But for all intents and purposes, if you're confirmed, you get the votes, it doesn't mean you're five votes less of a Supreme Court justice.
But we are told that the pool of reporters that are traveling with the president that the last we heard he was not able to watch any of the debate that had been going on today. He was quite busy with two events earlier today. But you can be sure that the message has gotten very quickly to the president that -- of this vote and this victory now for this White House. SANCHEZ: Fantastic. Kate Bolduan, thanks so much for taking us through that, and to your cousin Brooke Baldwin, my thanks to you as well.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Makes me wonder.
SANCHEZ: It's like the Baldwin clan suddenly has to take over everything.
BALDWIN: Aren't you lucky?
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Next thing we'll see is Elena Kagan's reaction at some point, and obviously we will share that with you as well as the president's and the confirmation itself.
I apologize once again. I looked up and saw her walking into the room. Nobody told me that that was file footage. I guess I should have seen the date on the right-hand corner of the screen.
BALDWIN: I thought it was going on as well.
SANCHEZ: No. I have to blame someone. You get the blame. Here we go.
All right, we'll take a little break, and when we come right back -- I'm glad we had a chance to share that with you right here on "RICK'S LIST." A lot more coming your way.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back. My next guest is a conservative firebrand. He is a veteran conservative congressman. In fact, he's maintained a 93 percent conservative voting record. That's how conservative he is.
Pro-choice liberals have called him a "zero." They literally gave him a zero rating. He was a Ronald Reagan Republican, if there ever one was. And suddenly he wakes up one day, and he's simply not conservative enough, not for South Carolina Republicans.
He lost the recent primary. No. He got killed in the recent primary, 29-71. He recently gave his story to a liberal publication, and here's what he told "Mother Jones" magazine that happened when he was approached by people in his party saying that he wasn't conservative enough.
Let me read this to you. You ready. Quote, "Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist, Marxist, who wants to destroy the American economy so that he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that, and he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn the U.S. into a Muslim nation." Bob Inglis joins us now live. When I read that, I was just struck by the language. You vouch for that, right? Who was telling you that?
REP. BOB INGLIS, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: That was several -- several 80-year-old couples that were expressing their views. And, you know, what I should have said was over my dead body that's going to happen. I can guarantee you it's not going to happen. That would have been the better answer, wouldn't it, rather than the one I gave, which is it's not quite that bad. Let's keep it within the realm of facts.
SANCHEZ: Here's another quote. This is you hearing from what your former supporters are telling you. I think we have that one up as well.
"I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card there is a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings." I'm going to try and not laugh here. "And you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks."
And then you write "I have this look -- what the heck are you talking about? I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "you don't know this? You're a member of congress, and you don't know this?"
You know, I'm reading this story and I'm thinking of Robert Frost's famous poem and you're like the guy in Robert frost's poem. I mean, you came to a fork in the road. What made you take the road least traveled?
INGLIS: Well, you know, I think that a colleague put it well to me last week. She said a father used to tell her leaders can either lead or mislead. And you know if you're going to lead, you need to lead with facts and you need to help people see realities we face.
We have big challenges in this country, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. That's where the big dollars are. That's where the big challenge is. We've got some people ready to address that.
And we've got Paul Ryan, for example, who has a great plan about that. We've got credible conservatives like Jeff Blake and Jack Kingston with the right kind of approach to these things. So we've got leaders in Congress on the Republican side ready to lead with credible information.
But what we've got to break through is this scapegoating that's keeping us from the solutions.
SANCHEZ: What do you mean, what do you mean "scapegoating"? Where is this coming from, because I -- I said this or asked this of one of my guests yesterday.
