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Rick's List

Mel Gibson Crashes Car; President Weighs In on Debate over Building of Mosque near Ground Zero; Police Beatdown Under Fire; "Craigslist Killer" Dead; Eight Die in Crash at Off-Road Race

Aired August 16, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, HOST, "RICK'S LIST": Hey, Ali, before we do anything else, I want to bring something to your attention. To do that, I'm going to need to get my laptop and put it right in front of me because this is interesting.

You know all this controversy that's been going on for sometime now with the mosque in New York City. And you'd expect the Republicans to generally be on one side of this argument and for the Democrats to be on the other side of this argument.

Well, this is -- this is -- this is really interesting here. Senator Harry Reid who you know is in a very tight race in Nevada himself, has just come out with this statement, which I think many of you will find interesting -- especially given what happened with the president of the United States over the weekend and the mosque controversy.

Quote, this is Harry Reid, "The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built someplace else. If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long overdue bill to help the first responders whose livelihoods have been devastated because of their bravery on 9/11."

So, there we go. Harry Reid almost seemingly coming out, according to our own Ed Henry's reporting and saying that the agrees with those that are saying that the mosque should not be built in that video around the old area where 9/11 -- the 9/11 attack took place.

I wanted to bring that to your attention, as soon as we started the newscast, I literally got it three seconds before I went on the air.

Now, for the story that we had planned to go with -- this is a beatdown in Denver in a police report that is being called everything from inaccurate to pure fiction. Yes, it seems to have happened.

An independent monitor is set to recommend today that the officers involved in this -- and I'm about to show you this video so hang tight there, folks -- that the officers involved in this be fired. The better question might be: why are they still even in the department?

All right. Let's watch this. I want you to watch this video and tell me what you think. This is caught by a city security camera just outside of Denver nightclub after a young man was kicked out. All right. You see the police right there. They're holding -- now, pay attention to that guy on the left. See the guy right there who's talking on the phone? He is -- he's asking advice from his father who happens to be a sheriff's deputy. He seems very animated but he's not doing anything overtly aggressive or seemingly illegal until the cop comes over to him and just bashes him on the head, bang, and then knocks him to the ground.

Again, in his report, the officer writes that the young man spun around and tried to punch him in the face, folks. Did that look to you like a young man talking on the phone who was trying to punch the officer in the face? Or was it the other way around?

Should we look at this again?

All right. There's the guy, he's talking on the phone. And now, you're going to see the officer come up -- bang, bang, right there, a left and a right and now, he knocks him to the ground.

I got to tell you -- Andy Hill, he's a retired sergeant with the Phoenix Police Department. We've done a lot of stories out there together in Arizona.

I don't know, Andy. I mean, it looks to me like this officer has just blatantly lied in the police report and in his story about what happened.

I mean, this kid may have been out of line, he may have been cursing. He may have been doing all kinds of stuff. But it didn't look to me in that video like this kid took a swing at that cop.

SGT. ANDY HILL, PHOENIX POLICE (RET.): Rick, I agree. I mean, even if we don't know what happened before and we don't know what happened after, just right there at that point, that young man was just talking on the phone and there was no reason for that amount of force.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: But let me just stop you right there. I'm just curious -- is there any case where, as a police officer, you would go to someone and the first action would be a physical action, an assault, a punch to the face or something of that manner?

HILL: Well, if that person had already demonstrated violence by assaulting another police officer using a weapon, killing someone, committing an armed robbery, anything violent, you've got to do what you can to take somebody down. And at that point, though, that young man -- barring any other information that we don't know -- obviously took somebody that was just talking on the phone and threw him to the ground.

So, the injuries that young man received from that were totally unwarranted and that officer used excessive force at that point.

SANCHEZ: Well, as we look at that video --

HILL: That's why his agency wanted him to be fired, you know?

SANCHEZ: Well, and --

HILL: They have a good reason to bring him before a board.

SANCHEZ: And they're probably right. But, you know, the reason we bring stories like this to the forefront is because there's a lot of people out there who have complaints about police officers a lot -- like this. And, you know, we do what we can to just stick to the facts and know that people will exaggerate.

And police officers have a tough job on their hands. And it is a stressful situation. But given that and knowing that, is it -- is it not incumbent upon the cop to do everything he possibly can to show restraint where restraint warrants so that they don't get criticized and all get painted with a broad brush?

HILL: Well, let me put this in perspective for you, Rick. We -- the vast majority of police officers are saving lives and doing heroic acts every day doing their jobs.

SANCHEZ: Of course, they are.

HILL: When these kinds of things happen, you think -- you don't -- a lot of people don't realize it, but good officers, which are the vast majority, almost all, get more upset than the public because it hurts everybody. Police officers that are out there doing the job depend on the public. When you're out there and you're in a fight and someone's -- you know, two or three people are kicking your butt on the street, officers often get help from good citizens. That's the kind of help you get before your back-up can get there.

So, most police officers, you know, that watch that kind of stuff, shake their head and are saddened by it because all it does is really hurt us overall.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes.

HILL: So, I think that -- it's true, but in the perspective of things, there's going to be nobody more angry than good cops. And that's --

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Yes. It's almost like you're saying, no one's going to be angrier at that cop than other cops whose reputations are on the line when they're in situations -- I've got another one for you, Andy. I got another for you.

Take a look at this. This is in a mall in Los Angeles. The man that's being held down right there, he's in a headlock by a store security guard. He's a suspected shoplifter. He's also deaf.

And, now, you see his friend? OK. He's being held down, hold down. The camera is going to wide out a little bit. OK. See the guy in the white shirt? He's also deaf and he's trying to tell the security guard, he's saying, hey, he's deaf. He can't explain to you what's going on. And the guy's been charged with shoplifting.

So, for all we know, he's trying to tell the police officers what's actually going on and he can't because he can't -- this is a -- this is a curious situation.

Here's a statement from the store and then I'll let you take it away, Andy. Forever 21, "We are troubled by the video and do not condone the use of excessive physical force by our employees." But when they say their employee, they're referring to the security guards. These are not cops. These are security guards. "We are investigating this matter and will take action once we have the full story."

What do you make of this?

HILL: Well, a number of things here. You got a difficult situation when you're dealing with handicap people. Everybody has to obey the law whether you're deaf or not, or handicap.

SANCHEZ: Right.

HILL: That person that's on the ground has, I understood, a past arrest for shoplifting. They had committed a shoplifting. So, they are suspects.

The only thing I don't like about this is using a chokehold. Most departments have outlawed that. But these are security guards. They work for a private company. I -- my information is they're not off- duty police officers working there.

So, other than showing too much skin on this guy, I think the officer using a chokehold was probably absolutely -- not probably but absolutely wrong. You don't really want to use a chokehold because it can kill somebody.

SANCHEZ: But, hey --

HILL: So, the use of force to hold somebody down is OK to make an arrest.

SANCHEZ: Yes. But on the other hand, look, you break the law -- you break the law and these guys are charged with protecting the property in the store. They have a right to take this guy down or anybody else down, right?

HILL: Yes, it's just how you do it that matters. I don't have a problem with anything they did. As a matter of fact, they used good tactics.

The other security guard is keeping the other person away who's excited. He's not using force. But the guy that's got to take that guy into custody is doing what he can. And each time that other suspect starts tapping, you know, tapping like he's losing consciousness, the security guard stopped, he took his hands away from the chokehold. But the only thing is that chokehold is really -- isn't something that's used anymore because it can be dangerous unless you have a more violent situation.

SANCHEZ: Well, that's why we talk to you, Andy, because you're an expert on this stuff. And I'm so glad you take us through it. We show these when we can because it's important.

And I think -- you know, I look at my Twitter board and I see that this is a part of the national conversation. There's people all over America who either have complaints, say they know somebody who's been involved in something like this, and have very rooted and well-formed opinions about this.

So, I think it's important when it happens to be as transparent as possible, to show the video and let someone like yourself who's got experience in this field take us through it.

So, Andy, we'll call you back. Thanks again.

HILL: Any time. Look forward to it, Rick. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: All right. Take a look at this, folks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In this country, we treat everybody equally, in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Yes, this is this firestorm that we've been talking about over the Islamic community center possibly going in near Ground Zero.

Now, you read what I just -- you heard what I just read you, right? I mean, here's Harry Reid involved in this very tight race out in Nevada suddenly coming out and almost sounding like he disagrees with the president, that it shouldn't be built there.

Where is this story now going? We're going to be all over it for you and bring you the very latest.

Also, we also -- take a look at this: accused Craigslist killer, Philip Markov, is dead and investigators say it does look like a suicide. This is the number one story on CNN.com last night. We jumped on it right away and we've been doing some digging on it. We're going to bring you the very latest details. That's next.

Also, we're just getting word that Mel Gibson has been in a car accident. Mel Gibson just involved in a car accident. We're gathering the facts and we'll have them for you in just a little bit.

Stay there. This is RICK'S LIST. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST. So glad that you're here.

This is a story that's really caught fire: a so-called "Craigslist killer" is dead. Now, this is interesting because he was -- the big news was the fact that he had been caught and he was in prison. Well, now he's killed himself in a prison or jail.

Now, you remember the guy. His name is Philip Markoff. He was facing murder charges in last year's killing of a masseuse in a Boston hotel room. Prosecutors allege that he got together with her through an ad on the erotic services section of Craigslist, which is what really propelled the story to a different level.

Julissa Brisman was just 25 years old when she was murdered. The D.A. called her killing a brutal, vicious crime. And that was no exaggeration.

Listen to this -- prosecutors say that she sustained blunt head trauma and was shot three times at close range. They think Markoff planned to rob her and when she fought back, he attacked. When police searched Markoff's home last year -- and this is part of the evidence -- they found a gun, they found restraints, and they found duct tape.

These details about how Markoff killed himself are on the "Boston Herald" and "Boston Globe." Police are telling that Markoff, a former medical student -- get this -- knew how he could kill himself with just a pen. He used the pen to puncture himself in the neck area, hitting one of the arteries and then tied a plastic bag over his head to -- on top of that -- suffocate himself.

Julissa Brisman's family issued a statement today, saying that they are still grieving her death and that they are furious that Markoff will not face trial in the killing.

There's breaking word now that Mel Gibson has just been in a car accident. We're breaking this story for you in just a little bit as we gather the details. We hope to have able to have those for you soon

Also, Ben Quayle, he's the son of the former vice president. But he made a name for himself last week when he called out the president of the United States, saying he is the worst president in the history of the United States.

Well, guess what? People have now done some digging on Mr. Quayle. And it turns out that he's got a history of his own. Apparently about writing about sex?

That's right here on THE LIST. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: As the Supreme Court has said in some of the findings in our business, when you thrust yourself into the vortex of a controversial situation, you are, in fact, bound to get publicity. And there's nothing you can pretty much do about it.

So, when you come out and you say that the president of the United States is the worst president in history and you're not a blogger, you're not Rush Limbaugh, but you're a politician, a guy who's running for office -- well, you might expect that you might get a little heat after that at some point if there's anything that would attract heat. You following me here?

First, let's listen to first part of this. Here's Dan Quayle's son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN QUAYLE (R), ARIZONA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Barack Obama is the worst president in history. Somebody has to go to Washington and knock the hell out of the place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Quayle is the son of Dan Quayle. That's Ben Quayle. He talked to CNN's John King on Friday and he stood by his remarks, which he has a right to say. But when pressed to back the claim, he really only offered up, you know, pretty much what you would hear from Republicans who are being critical of the president of the United States.

Jessica Yellin is joining us now from Washington.

So, Jessica, we start with the Obama controversy. But I understand that this story has moved, and now, folks have been actually looking into Mr. Quayle's past. And they have found something which a lot of folks might be a little uncomfortable with. Can you catch us up on this?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, let's actually do the time line, Rick, which is he, Ben Quayle, announced he's running for office. He was doing very well. His dad helped him raise an awful lot of money, $1.1 million, I believe, in part with the help of former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, who held a fundraiser for him, et cetera.

Then it came out he had one campaign gaffe after another. And then he launched this ad. It would seem that this ad you're talking about now is, in some measure, trying to deflect attention from some of the other campaign gaffes. But you want to get to those gaffes.

So, one, OK, I think we have a picture of this mailer. He sent out a mailer to his community there extolling his family values campaign. Only, the two kids in that mailer aren't actually his children.

Now, he says, I didn't say they're my children. But you sort of would infer that. They're his niece, he says. But he hopes to have children someday.

SANCHEZ: Oh, my goodness.

YELLIN: OK. SANCHEZ: Go on.

YELLIN: And then the other piece of this is that there's a raunchy Web site that his campaign says initially launched as just sort of a satirical Web site. It's no longer around. And he admits that he has posted on it some postings before under a pseudonym.

SANCHEZ: Well, the pseudonym -- the pseudonym is a Brock Landers who apparently is this -- right? Did I get the name wrong?

YELLIN: That's what -- the person who owns the Web site says that Quayle was writing under this name, Brock Landers. Quayle adamantly denies it, says it's never been him. He posted other things, not that raunchy. And there's -- the Web site's not here anymore. So

SANCHEZ: Well --

YELLIN: So, it's a he said-he said. But it's not that pretty when you're running for the Senate -- for the U.S. House, and he's in the race against nine other candidates. So, he's looking to distinguish himself, and not in a way, but in a serious way, and hence, this Obama ad accusing him of being the worst president ever.

SANCHEZ: Well, exactly. It's like I said, you thrust yourself into the vortex of a controversial situation, guess what? You will attract heat.

YELLIN: Right.

SANCHEZ: So you better make sure your house is clean.

Let's move on to what's going on in Florida. I mean, this is interesting.

YELLIN: Can I say one thing, Rick?

SANCHEZ: No, you can say -- listen, this is as much your show as it is my show, Jessica.

YELLIN: I just want to give them a chance. His campaign did e-mail me a list of 10 -- nine reasons the president is the worst president in history in their view.

SANCHEZ: OK.

YELLIN: We can post it online so people can look at it. But, basically, they say he's loaded up more debt than ever before. But also, they say, quote, "he's hired people of strange and radical views." Quote, "He has divided America along racial lines and then forced through legislation without Republican support." It goes on.

SANCHEZ: OK. Good.

Now, Florida, my home state.

YELLIN: Yes. SANCHEZ: Apparently, things are starting to heat up down there. I mean, we had Charlie Crist looking like -- God, this guy seems to be able to find a way of saving or salvaging any situation. He was in such trouble and then suddenly, he shot up. Now, I understand there are some new polls out that seem to show he's kind of down and Rubio is up.

What's going on here in this four-man race?

YELLIN: OK. So, in this race, you have the Republican Marco Rubio, very conservative Republican. The independent Charlie Crist, who was once a Republican. And then two Democrats, Meek and Greene.

The latest polling shows, Rick, that neither of the Democrats would win the general election if it were held today. But the Democratic primary could decide which of those other two guys becomes the next senator. And Mason Dixon's poll shows that if Meek wins the primary, then Marco Rubio, that more conservative Republican, is likely to become the senator from Florida. But if Jeff Greene wins next week, then Charlie Crist, the independent, is more likely to win the general election.

SANCHEZ: That makes sense.

YELLIN: So, weirdly, Democrats who prefer Crist, the independent, are privately saying it might be better for their party if Greene wins the primary next week because then they'd end up with Crist in the end.

SANCHEZ: Yes, because -- yes, well, that's true. If you really think about it, it's going to end up as a three-way race.

YELLIN: Right.

SANCHEZ: You're going to the Dem, the Republican and the independent -- Crist being the independent. If Kendrick Meek, Carrie's son, is on there -- and my old, I've known Kendrick since I was a kid, since we were both children -- if he ends up in that -- if he ends up in that race, then he's going to pull a lot of Dems. I mean, you know, the minority vote, for one. He'll do well with that.

YELLIN: Right.

SANCHEZ: And that's -- and that's going to hurt Charlie Crist because he's hoping he can pull all those Dems.

YELLIN: But, you know, former President Clinton is going to Florida today to campaign for Meek. And Meek is the Democratic Party favorite. So, it's a very awkward position for Democrats in Florida right now trying to gain this one out.

SANCHEZ: Well, it is what it is and we'll be watching it. Now, you'll be watching it and nobody does it better than you, Jessica.

YELLIN: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Always remember, it's your show as much as my show. Thanks so much.

People say that eight -- police are saying that eight people didn't have a chance. Things turned deadly after a racer lost control of his off-roader. This is in California.

Are you watching this? Look at these pictures.

Did you hear how fast he was going? Why were some spectators so close to begin with? We're asking some of these questions that may affect how close you are to the action in the future. That's next.

But, first, don't forget, every single day, we're going to give you an exclusive look at how we put this newscast -- in fact, here, check it out. Sometimes these things get seen as much as anything. This is on my blog. You can go to it anytime you want, CNN.com/RickSanchez.

It's unpredictable. It's exciting. It's called "Behind the List."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We handled stories like this enough to know that that man right there is doing nothing wrong. Certainly not --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back on a day of amazing videos. We've got another one to show you.

Eight people have died after a truck has plowed into a crowd at an off-road race in California. Have you seen this video? I'll just let you watch it. In fact, here, I'll let you hear it as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, everybody out the tracks. Wave the crowd! Wave the crowd!

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(INAUDIBLE)

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(INAUDIBLE)

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, someone just crashed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) video. Is he all right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This has got to be awful for these folks. You can see that it happened just on the other side of that hill. As you watch the video, it goes over the hill. And that's where someone got slammed.

The spectators are standing almost too close to touch the tracks as they race by. People who go to see these events say that's part of the excitement, but they're supposed to say -- they're supposed to stay 100 feet away from the course.

Well, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which owns the land used for the race, the race organizer is responsible for the safety. The organizer is Mojave Desert Racing, or MDR.

Now, according to the permit that's granted to the MDR, racers are supposed to drive 15 miles an hour or less when they're within 50 feet to the fans -- and no more than 300 spectators are supposed to be there. Obviously, those differ from what we're seeing in some of this video.

Now, look at -- look at this again. You see the truck is on fire after the crash and you see some people -- you see some people lying around on the ground, apparently injured. It's tough to look at. It's on the back side of that hill.

The California Highway Patrol is still investigating. They say the driver of the truck that crashed, Brett Sloppy -- that's his name, folks -- he was going about 50 miles an hour. Police say he will not face charges.

Sloppy put a message on his Facebook page last night saying he's devastated by what happened and that he's sending his thoughts and prayers to the families and friends that were involved.

We'll let you know what comes out of that.

Also, it's been two months since that controversial "Rolling Stone" article took down General Stanley McChrystal. But now, he's got a new job. Did you hear about this? He's heading to a place where George W. Bush spent a lot of time. That's ahead -- I'll tell you what it is.

Also, it's fairly normal for people to see a fox or a deer in their neighborhoods these days. But a zebra? A zebra? Yes, the stripes hit the birds. That's next right here on RICK'S LIST.

Coming right back, folks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: They do say, don't they, that a guy's supposed to spend two months' salary when he goes out to buy an engagement ring for his beloved? Well, this next guy is probably going to spend at least that much time in jail. Here's "Fotos."

Security cameras caught this man running with a ring while browsing at a jewelry store in New Hampshire. But after listening to his family, he had a change of heart, returned the rock, worth an estimated $11,000, and then turned himself in to police. There you go. Now, check out this car chase from Los Angeles today. The perp led police on a high-speed race in a stolen SUV before pulling over and showing with textbook precision of how to submit to authorities. There you go. Now spread them, buddy. That's right. When you're caught, you're caught. No use making it worst by resisting.

Tell that to these zebras. They ran through traffic in Sacramento and evaded animal control officers for more than an hour. How disrespectful of them. And they already have their prison uniforms on. They were being loaded on to a truck when a dog spooked them. The zebras have been rounded up and are, not in a jail, despite their clothing, but in a ranch.

That's "Fotos."

North Korean leaders have a history of threatening war and making some outrageous statements. Guess what. Now they can do it on twitter, yes, twitter. That is ahead.

Also, police are telling us that Mel Gibson has been in a car accident. I hope -- Brooke, have we got some of the details on that?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course we do.

SANCHEZ: I was figuring. This is the third time I've teased this story.

BALDWIN: I know. When it came in everybody in our pod kind of jumped up.

SANCHEZ: You know what happens? Viewers start getting mad if you keep tease something and you don't deliver. If you're going to make a promise, you have to deliver.

BALDWIN: We're on it.

SANCHEZ: It's like an engagement ring.

BALDWIN: As you say, two minutes.

SANCHEZ: Two minutes, we'll be right back.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, it's time to do trending. Roger, give me this over- the-shoulder shot. Let's get this over-the-shoulder shot. Brooke is all the way over there.

BALDWIN: Hello, over there.

SANCHEZ: How are you, Brooke?

BALDWIN: I'm good. You're so far away.

SANCHEZ: Why don't you start trending from over there today?

BALDWIN: I will, because we can.

Guess who apparently is tweeting now? There are reports that the country of North Korea has started a twitter account. Who's behind it? It may be actually the government. If you take a look it says "location, Pyongyang." They're not following anyone, but so far about 2,300 different people are following.

The first message was posted about last week. And a lot of the posts refer to our nation. Many tweets are actual links to the country's official site. And this super-secretive nation, this is not their first foray into social media, would you believe. They just recently started a YouTube account. That is my number one story.

SANCHEZ: And tell me now about your number two story, because, again, you have teased and you have not delivered. We want to know what is going on with this Mel Gibson story. As we were getting ready to do the 3:00 show, somebody says to us, Mel Gibson's just been in a car accident. And we've asked a lot of questions and I don't really yet know what any of the answers are.

BALDWIN: What is it people say about karma?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

BALDWIN: Yes. Mel Gibson crashed his 2008 Maserati -- you don't have one of those, do you? That's about $120,000.

SANCHEZ: Do you think Suzanne would let me?

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: No. But Mel Gibson had one.

SANCHEZ: I'm not even allowed to do grocery shopping in my house.

BALDWIN: Well, anyway. I don't know if Mel Gibson grocery shops. He definitely has a pretty nice car but he crashed it into the Malibu hillside just last night.

According to California highway patrol, though, here's the lynchpin of the story, alcohol, they say, not involved in the crash. In fact he was not injured at all. CPH says he didn't even a scratch. We're guessing he was buckled up.

Another question, could the paparazzi have been chasing him due to these allegations of abuse? We've been covering this whole story of this nasty custody battle with his ex-girlfriend. His publicist doesn't think so.

But remember it was just four years ago he went on that major anti- Semitic rant with an L.A. sheriff's deputy after being arrested in Malibu under a suspicion of drunk driving. He did apologize for that at the time. The comments he said, blurted out of a moment of insanity, he said. But this time around, CPH described him as gentlemanly.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting. But I heard the reports about him being asleep at the wheel. None of this has been confirmed.

BALDWIN: Not at all. They say he seemed very alert -- yes, no. They don't know what happened.

SANCHEZ: All it is is an accident involving a very famous guy who's been in the news for a lot of controversial reasons.

BALDWIN: Yes, you got it.

One more.

SANCHEZ: Please.

BALDWIN: One more.

So the so-called White House crashers, Tareq and Michaela Salahi, they are apparently extending their some say very much overdue 15 minutes of fame. The Salahis, as you know, they're featured in the new TV reality show "The Real Housewives of D.C." on Bravo.

But on this week's episode, there's this D.C. metropolitan police car that was edited incorrectly into the clip of the reality TV show. The show's publicist confirmed with CNN that it was incorrectly edited in.

Why was it edited in? Apparently the police car gave the appearance that the Salahis got a police escort to their limo to attend some high-dollar party. The Salahis' lawyer says D.C. metropolitan police did not at all escort them to the party.

D.C. police did tell CNN they are still conducting their own investigation just to make sure that wasn't one of their officers.

SANCHEZ: You know, it's funny how 15 minutes of fame can suddenly --

BALDWIN: Get extended and extended, yes.

SANCHEZ: And it goes on and on. And it's 15 and another 15 and another 15.

BALDWIN: A lot of people over it. Here there are.

SANCHEZ: That was the original 15 minutes.

BALDWIN: That's the original crashing moment of fame.

(LAUGHTER)

But now many months later we're still talking about them in these police car.

SANCHEZ: What did Pacino say? "I try and try but they keep pulling me in." (sic) Now I'm getting carried away with movie lines. Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Look at this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: When the president weighs in, the issue gets very hot. The controversy over plans to build an Islamic community center near ground zero is hitting a fever pitch. Is there a trend with this administration? Does this president just overreact to controversies? Does he backpedal too quickly? That's ahead on "The List." Stay there, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You often drive us to cover many of the stories that we do. And I know many of you have been very curious about the stories that have been trending today, Mel Gibson, for example. So Brooke's still here.

BALDWIN: I'm still hanging out.

SANCHEZ: Can't get rid of her.

BALDWIN: You can't push me away.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: I'm kidding. You know how crazy I am about you. Do me a favor.

BALDWIN: What?

SANCHEZ: Take us through some of these tweets.

BALDWIN: So we have a couple. Here's one from "Funny or Die." Mel Gibson crashed his Maserati in Malibu. This all feels anticlimactic without audio of him saying something racist to an operator.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: That's kind of funny -- mean, but funny.

BALDWIN: Here's one from Frank Guardo (ph), one of our big fans here on the show -- "I sure hope that Mel Gibson's not hurt too badly. With all the crap he's going through, he doesn't need this, too." Another one, "I'm glad no other people were involved and Mel wasn't hurt. If not mechanical failure, may be an indicator of his personal stress." We don't know.

SANCHEZ: It was a Maserati?

BALDWIN: It's a $120,000 car. That's your next car.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this close. Thank you, Brooke. You're the eternal optimist.

(LAUGHTER)

Take a look at this. This is a plane sliced in half. Now, the question is, could this have happened just because of lightning? This is in Colombia, mind you. How did more than 120 people survive this thing? It's unbelievable. That's ahead.

Also, one of the people that used to be closest to the president just got a brand-new job and he's our most intriguing person of the day. Where do you think this big head-hauncho is headed? We're going to tell you.

Also, you want to be on the show? Join the many people who come by "RICK'S LIST." They're really coming to see you.

BALDWIN: No.

SANCHEZ: The number is 877-4CNNtour. And soon, we'll be doing auto graphed copies of my book.

BALDWIN: Exciting.

SANCHEZ: That will be fun.

BALDWIN: When am I getting mine?

SANCHEZ: Very soon, very soon. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. It's time to check the list of the most intriguing people who are making the news today.

This retired four-star general has a new job. That's why he's most intriguing. He is going to teach at Yale University starting this fall. Who is this former commander and architect of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan? He resigned last year -- that helps -- after his and some of his staff's controversial comments about the president were published in a magazine article.

Let's show him. Here he is, retired general Stanley McChrystal. He will lecture at Yale on leadership. He says he'll share experiences and insights as a career military officer. Stanley McChrystal is today's most intriguing person in the news. I want to tell you about something now that's unfolding right this minute. We're getting word that a former Israeli soldier has posted pictures of herself online posing in front of Palestinian prisoners. Wait until you hear what those prisoners are wearing. This could be the start of a very dangerous feud, as you might imagine. It would remind some of at least a smaller version of the Abu Ghraib situation that dealt a bad hand to the U.S. military. That's ahead.

Also, does the Obama administration have a history of responding too late to controversies? President Obama weighed in on the proposed Islamic center near ground zero. And now he's taking some major heat for it. Is he backing away? We'll debate both sides of this. That's next right here on "The List."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

A story a lot of folks are talking about on this day, a follow-up list story, the political fallout from the president's comments defending the building of an Islamic center near ground zero in New York, to which some Dems say, ooh, I wish you hadn't done that, Mr. President.

On Friday the White House hosted its Iftar dinner, Iftar being the celebratory evening meal that Muslims have after sunset during Ramadan. The president spoke to the group and had this to say about ground zero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Ground zero is indeed hallowed ground. But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as president, I believe the Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan in accordance with local laws and ordinances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Immediately the president started getting heat from Republicans, so Saturday CNN's Ed Henry asked the president about his comments from the night before. Now, take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What do you think about the reaction to your speech about the mosque?

OBAMA: Well, my intention was to simply let people know what I thought, which was that in this country we treat everybody equally in accordance with the law regardless of race, regardless of religion.

I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right that people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about. And I think it's very important that, you know, as difficult as some of these issues are, we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Sunday Republicans were hammering away at the president. Listen to Congressman Peter King on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER KING: The president is a gifted speaker, he is a tremendous communicator. Obviously his words were carefully chosen on Friday night, and the inference or the clear impression everyone came away with was that he was saying he was supporting the mosque at ground zero.

And he can parse it later on and sort of back away, but the fact is that is clearly the impression I believe he wanted to leave. All I can think is perhaps it was political pressure from people in his own party who were urged him to walk back away from that on Saturday.

If the president is going to get into this, he should have been much more clear and precise, and you can't be changing your position from day to day on an issue which does go to our constitution and also goes to extreme sensitivity. So that's where I'm critical of the president, for not being clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So he is critical of the president not for what the president originally said but now for what the president seems to be doing which is walking back his original statement. Peter King, ladies and gentlemen.

Now Erick Erickson joins us. He's the editor-in-chief of the conservative blog redstate.com. I'll tell you, the president may have given his opponents a hambone here in two regards. A, he said something he knows they'll disagree with, and, b, he seems to be walking it back which is only going to get him in trouble. It's not going to help him with Republicans and it's going to make the left hate him.

ERICK ERICKSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, REDSTATE.COM: Not only that, but he walked it back and the "New York Times" declared this weekend that he walked it back. The White House called to clarify that he wasn't walking it back, and then apparently today Bill Burton has said this is a local issue and we're staying out of it.

SANCHEZ: That's the point, though. The president comes out and essentially says all I'm saying is we need to treat everybody fairly in this country. The president has to know if he makes that comment in regards to the mosque controversy or the community center controversy, then everyone is going to know that's what he's really talking about, right? ERICKSON: Not only that, Rick, but he is not addressing the question of should the mosque be built there? Everyone says the mosque can be built there. This may be the first time ever Barack Obama has spoken kindly of private property rights.

But the fact is, whether or not the mosque can be built there legally, yes. Should it be built there? The president raises the issue that says I'm not going to address whether it should be built there. Why not? He has already weighed in.

SANCHEZ: This is interesting, because what we're really talking about here is the political strategy that once again this president has taken which makes him look like, dare I use the word "wishy-washy?"

(LAUGHTER)

ERICKSON: You used it. Not me. You know, I think he is. This is a guy who when he speaks as a professor gets himself in trouble. and it seems to me very clear he was speaking as a professor. "The constitution gives private property rights."

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

ERICKSON: You know, the president should not be weighing into this issue. It either is a local issue or it is an issue --

SANCHEZ: Who cares what America thinks? If it's black and white, it's black and white. We have a constitution that says you worship. You pray to the god you choose to pray to, and you do it in any form or fashion that you want to as long as you're not yelling in a crowded theater or hurting somebody else's rights.

ERICKSON: But it's not a constitutional issue.

(CROSSTALK)

ERICKSON: I think the president should have used sensitivities. The majority of Americans are opposed to this mosque being at ground zero. They are saying now it is near ground zero, but the people building it fundraised on the proposition this mosque would be built at ground zero.

SANCHEZ: Do you remember Skokie, Illinois?

ERICKSON: Yes.

SANCHEZ: What was done there that really made the Jews angry?

ERICKSON: This was the --

SANCHEZ: Nazis were allowed to literally march down the middle of Skokie, Illinois, and the Supreme Court said, I'm sorry. I know it's going to hurt. I know you're going to be offended, but in this country we can't let people's sensibilities and sensitivities affect what we do, because once we start going down that route it's a slippery slope. ERICKSON: That's where you're wrong on this one.

SANCHEZ: And tomorrow it's going to be me, my people, the Catholics are going to be told, sorry --

ERICKSON: That's where you're wrong on this one. I think the problem is now we have this wonderful idea that everyone across the nation should have the same sensibilities, and we don't. People in Georgia have different sensibilities from people in New York and California.

SANCHEZ: It's not about the sensibilities. That's my point here --

ERICKSON: It should be.

SANCHEZ: If the law is black and white and the constitution of the United States says we will pray who we want to, where we want to. I can't choose for you where you pray.

ERICKSON: That opens a bag of worms. You really want to go down this road? Yes, we have freedom of religion. Does that mean that I should be rubbing my religion into the nose of people who died on 9/11? Why should they be building a mosque right at ground zero when by and large --

SANCHEZ: Because they can.

ERICKSON: Yes, they can, but should they?

SANCHEZ: Because legally the constitution says they can. That should be the end of it.

ERICKSON: Just because the constitution says something can be done doesn't mean it should be done.

SANCHEZ: Now you're into the issue of whether it makes me feel good or you feel good. Obviously it's not going to make a lot of us feel good, but this is not a feel good issue. This is a law issue.

ERICKSON: It is not an issue of what the law says. The law says plenty of things that --

SANCHEZ: The law says you can. The constitution says you can.

ERICKSON: -- build "god hates gays" build where Matthew Shepherd was killed? Should the KKK build something across the street from where Martin Luther King was shot? I say no. They can do it, but that doesn't mean they should do it.

SANCHEZ: If they are a religion the constitution says they can. This argument is put on hold for a moment. We're going to bring in two more tweets from people who may agree with your position or not.

Let's go. Mayor Ed Koch. You know he is a big fan of "RICK'S LIST"? He watches this all the time.

ERICKSON: There you go. SANCHEZ: "Citizens, Muslims have a right to build their mosque in lower Manhattan. The U.S. constitution" -- this is -- he agrees with me! "The U.S. constitution protects their right." I got one that agrees with you. There you go, Newt, the Newtser. He's on your side. "The fact the president refuses to face is the ground zero mosque is a political statement of radical Islamist triumph over the World Trade Center."

So there you go. A little bit for everybody. Thanks for coming in.

ERICKSON: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: I really enjoyed the conversation, as always.