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Rick's List

Taken Hostage on a Tour Bus; Tiger Woods' Divorce Final; Congressional Primaries Across U.S.; Ammonia Leak In Alabama; Mistreated Pet Reptiles Sheltered in Munich. Miners Trapped Alive In Mine in Chile

Aired August 23, 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: Good stuff, Ali. Yes, you're right, Ali. We are going to be focusing a good part of our show on what's going on now.

Brand-new information coming in on Elin and Tiger Woods now, as you said, officially divorced. I understand and was just told moments ago by one of my producers in the control room that CNN is expecting to get a good look at the settlement which some have estimated to be upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars that he will pay her. We should get that in about 20 minutes or a half hour or so.

And when we do, we will be sharing the details of that with you -- frustrating and difficult and sad situation, obviously, his screw- up which has become very, very well-covered and her reported humiliation, as told by most insiders who know the couple.

Now, here's the other big story we're following for you throughout the course of the day. And let's just begin with some -- well, let's begin with some video here. Take a look at this.

Roll it, Rog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you hear me? I don't know whether you can hear me, but I'm showing you looking at live pictures --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Another shot. There's another shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's hold that right there if we can because I want to get -- I want to get back to that in just a moment. You're about to hear more of that -- let me set this up for you folks. Unbelievable television drama is what it is. This is no movie of the week, though.

What you're looking at here is a hostage drama on a bus that's filled with tourists in the Philippines. This took hours and hours to unfold. It ended up with a dramatic police assault. And we'll be taking you through it. And I'm going to take you through the scene minute by minute.

It starts this morning when a former police officer, the guy's name is Rolando Mendoza, boards a bus that's carrying tourists from Hong Kong. He'd been fired just last year. He lost his pension. He was just months away from retirement. He wanted his job and his benefits back and he was armed. Now, that was around 10:00 in the morning.

All right. Come back to me if you could now, Rog.

Let me take you through the last part of this just as we start to explain exactly what happened. Things are pretty calm until about four hours later. This sign was posted in the bus windshield -- see that right there -- apparently by Mendoza. It reads, "Big deal will start after 3:00 p.m. today -- 3:00 p.m. today, deadlock." He did release nine hostages. But the situation suddenly went very sour.

Here we go. Are you ready to watch this unfold? This, as night fell.

Take it, Rog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Erwin Tulfo was speaking to the hostage taker on -- there's another shot. Another shot rang out. Erwin was talking to the hostage taker. He was saying -- another shot, Tina, there's another shot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is the direction of the shot?

REPORTER: More shots. More shots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming from the bus or going towards the bus?

REPORTER: You know, Tina, we had to run here towards the back, so we can't -- I can't see from where I am. We're crouched here behind some vehicles.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So, now, we're watching pictures of the SWAT team. They have surrounded this bus. They are smashing the window. They are smashing the doors.

They are trying to get inside this bus where this gunman, this former police officer, 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza. He took this bus hostage at 10:00 a.m. this morning. It is now 20 to 8:00 p.m. local time.

And we know that he was cooperating earlier today. He was cooperating with police. He released nine of the hostages, three women, three children, three men. We know that he was cooperating. Police said he was cooperating.

And then a short time ago, his tone seemed to change. He started making threats. He then said he would take more drastic action if approached by police.

So, now, we're looking at the SWAT team as they smash the door of this bus, this bus that belongs to Hong Thai Travel. This is a tourist bus that has been carrying 25 people on board, 21 of those, Hong Kong nationals -- 21 of those, Hong Kong nationals here on holidays.

There you can hear more gunshots. We don't know whether they came from outside the bus or inside. We don't know where the Rolando Mendoza is still firing from inside the bus. Everyone is staying down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: That was CNN's anchor Anna Coren. She's on the phone with me now as she's been describing this scene for us.

Anna, you were on the scene reporting on this drama throughout the day. At last count, how many fatalities were there? How many people died in this situation?

All right. We're going to have problems -- we've been trying to get back and forth with Anna. You see what she's been going through trying to report this situation. So, let's see if we can hook up with Anna once again in just a little bit.

In the meantime, I want to bring in another guest who's been following this for us. This is Gary Noesner. Gary is a former chief of the FBI crisis negotiation unit and author of "Stalling For Time." Appropriate book title for an author joining us on a situation like this.

Have you been watching, Mr. Noesner, this thing unfold throughout the course of the day?

GARY NOESNER, FMR. CHIEF, FBI CRISIS NEGOTIATING UNIT (via telephone): Yes, Rick, I've tried to follow it and see what you're reporting and then what's been in the wire services.

SANCHEZ: I'll tell you what, I mean, this has been as wild and woolly has anything I've ever seen. As far as you can tell, was the response correct?

NOESNER: Well, it's hard to determine from what you see. But, obviously, what's being shown on the screen now, the police felt compelled to try to conduct an entry mission to rescue hostages. But the questions are: what prompted that? What action had been taken?

SANCHEZ: At one point do you make that decision, by the way? I'm just -- I mean, I'm just curious. If you're negotiating a situation like this and you've got a guy at the other end, what are the telltale signs that tell you, you know what, there's no more negotiating with this guy, we have to go in and bust some doors down?

NOESNER: Well, I think it's driven by the perpetrator or the subject's behavior. Do you have a sense the situation is unraveling and the risk to the hostage is increasing? And if you have articulable facts to lead you to believe that, then you have to consider some action to try to rescue the hostages. However, if the situation is stable and there's process on going through -- through dialogue, then that would mitigate against taking a very risky rescue effort.

SANCHEZ: So, you kind of call it as you see it, huh?

NOESNER: Well, it's basically, again, driven by the individual's behavior. I mean, when Mendoza took that bus, he's obviously looking for attention. He's frustrated at not being able to address his grievances about losing his job.

SANCHEZ: Well, and in fact that the guy's a former cop, how does that play into the equation? Does that make you more apt or less apt to want to work with him?

NOESNER: Well, I don't think it really factors in on your willingness to work with him. But it certainly makes him somewhat aware of what the police are doing. He's aware of tactics and procedures and policies. And he may be familiar with how they've handled other situations.

So, it could make it extremely challenging to convince someone like that that you're really there trying help them get out of this situation alive.

SANCHEZ: Once you start hearing guns go off and people start dropping, dying, does that create an exigence for you as a hostage negotiator to just throw caution to the wind and go in and do whatever you can to save the rest of the hostages?

NOESNER: Well, not necessarily. I mean, what you try to find out through whatever observations can be made outside, have the hostages tried to overpower him or has there been an accidental discharge of his weapon or, in fact, is he engaged in specific acts to try to harm people? Sometimes you don't have the answers to those questions. And with multiple gunshots ongoing, I suspect they felt like they had to take some action. But sometimes we find that action is taken prematurely when it's not necessary.

SANCHEZ: For those of you joining us, you're watching this scene that's been taking place throughout the course of the day, started early this morning when a former police officer overtook a bus with passengers still inside. He's a disgruntled officer who felt that he had been wronged and for some reason, he felt compelled to take it on -- take it out on some of these folks inside the bus.

Gary Noesner is taking us through this. Gary has experienced this kind of situation both with the FBI.

And I understand you've spent some time overseas. What can you tell us about the -- these folks who have been doing this operation there in the Philippines?

NOESNER: Well, they certainly have a very large and organized police force in Manila. However, their level of proficiency probably would not rise to what we would see in a major urban United States city.

How well-trained are the negotiators? What influence do the negotiators have on the on-scene decision-making process? How adept is the commander? How much training does he or she receive on how to use these resources?

Often overseas, we see that there is a proclivity to try to use force to resolve situations far earlier than we would typically see it in the United States.

SANCHEZ: And sometimes you want to just sit back and let time run its course.

Finally, these poor passengers who are inside this bus watching this whole thing unfold. From your experiences in the past, how do difficult is it for them and how often are they justified in trying to take down their assailant, the guy who's holding them hostage?

NOESNER: I think it's a terrifying situation. You're caught in a scenario that you have no ability to influence the outcome. We certainly want hostages to remain calm, to try to create a relationship with the perpetrator, if possible, so they decrease the likelihood that they'll be victimized.

But at the end of the day, they may feel they have to try to overpower their captor to enhance their own survival. It's hard to tell people what to do with precision in each and every situation. It's very much determined by the factors of what's going on in this particular event.

SANCHEZ: Gary Noesner has been joining us.

I can see why you'd be a good negotiator. There's something calm about just listening to the sound of your voice, like you have experienced talking about this type of thing. My thanks to you, Mr. Noesner, for taking time, for guiding us through this and good luck with your book. We certainly appreciate it.

By the way, I mentioned the Tiger Woods story just moments ago. Information coming to us just moments ago that Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin, are officially divorced. There is information about the settlement coming in in about 15, 20 minutes, and I think we're going to be able to share some of those details with you. There's been a lot reported about that and we're going to have that for you in just a little bit.

Meanwhile, take a look at this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know my husband is fine, I know he's alive, and I know he's keeping up all the others in the mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Can you imagine this? Her husband, along with 32 other people, are right now trapped 2,000 feet underground. We just found out that they're even alive. A whole country is celebrating, they're jubilant.

But here's the bad news: they don't think they're going to be able to get to 'em until maybe Christmas. Meanwhile, they're communicating with them through this tiny little hole where they're sending them their nutrients and communications, et cetera, et cetera. We're going to take you through that.

Also, more on this hostage drama that I was just telling you about in the Philippines. The reporter who's been covering the story, we keep losing her. She's in, she's out. And, obviously, it's a tough situation for Anna Coren. She's going to join me after the break.

Stay with us. This is RICK'S LIST, your national conversation. And we're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I told you a little while ago that we'd be able to get Anna Coren on the phone. I understand that we do have her now. Let me just -- let me just check as we're kind of flying by the seat of our pants here as we get some of this information. There you see that bus behind me, there you see police going through.

Anna Coren -- Anna, are you there?

COREN (via telephone): Yes, I can hear you loud and clear.

SANCHEZ: Fantastic. Well, Anna, hang tight. I'm going to let our viewers listen to your reporting earlier today and then you and I are going to talk about it on the other side.

Go ahead. Roll it, Roge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: So, now, we're watching pictures of the SWAT team. They have surrounded this bus. They are smashing the window. They are smashing the doors.

They are trying to get inside this bus where this gunman, this former police officer, 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza. He took this bus hostage at 10:00 a.m. this morning. It is now 20 to 8:00 p.m. local time.

And we know that he was cooperating earlier today. He was cooperating with police. He released nine of the hostages -- three women, three children, three men.

We know that he was cooperating. Police said he was cooperating. And then a short time ago, his tone seemed to change. He started making threats. He then said that he would take more drastic action if approached by police.

So, now, we are looking at the SWAT team as they smashed --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, there's the threat that he's going to take more drastic actions.

And Anna's joining us now.

Finish that sentence, if you would, Anna. When he started threatening to take drastic actions, did he, and in what fashion?

COREN: Yes, that's right, Rick. The situation certainly deteriorated very quickly. Police thought they had it under control and (AUDIO BREAK).

But there was an exchange of gunfire. This 55-year-old former police officer, Rolando Mendoza, he began firing from inside the bus on board where about 15 hostages -- this is after the bus driver escaped out the driver's window.

This police officer, this former police officer, he was sack off (ph) from his job last year, following an extortion and robbery investigation. He was armed with an M-16. The SWAT teams -- they surrounded this bus, special forces surrounded the area, and there was a very tense standoff for several hours.

SANCHEZ: I'm just wondering, as we look at this situation, did anyone ever have a feeling that this guy could snap? I mean, it seemed like he had a pretty big beef with his own department. How did he slip under the radar as he did?

COREN: Most definitely. He boarded this bus at 10:00 a.m. local time. He was dressed in his uniform. Of course, he was sacked last year. So, he's no longer a police.

He boarded the bus claiming to be a police officer with a rifle just needing a ride and make the bus driver obliged. It was shortly after that that he took the bus hostage. He said he wanted to be reinstated, that he wanted his name cleared, that he was innocent of the charges.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

COREN: And, of course, he wanted -- his pension, which was -- which he would be entitled to if he reached the age of 56 that this is something that basically spun out of control. They had described him as stable and cooperative, and then the shootout ensued and that's when the sniper shot him in the head with that bullet.

SANCHEZ: So, Mendoza's gone. Finally, how many other people -- how many other casualties were there? How many injuries? How many fatalities?

COREN: Yes, seven people survived from that confrontation. Eight hostages were killed. Eight hostages were killed. Seven of those, Hong Kong nationals, one of them being a local Filipino. So, all nine dead, including the gunman, seven people survived that hostage crisis.

Keep in mind that the bus driver managed to escape earlier and when this gunman was cooperating, he had released nine people earlier today. So, it certainly was a situation, Rick, that spiraled out of control. I don't think anybody in their wildest dreams thought this would be the outcome.

SANCHEZ: You're a tough reporter, Anna Coren. Doing a good job, hanging your head in there, following that story with guns a blazing, as they say. What a story.

My thanks to you, Anna, for diligently taking us through that report. And hustling back to try and get back with us. I know we were kind of touch and go there trying to establish communication with you.

Meanwhile, there are at least half a billion eggs out there right now that may be tainted with salmonella. You've heard of this, right? Well, there's an estimated 1,000 people that have gotten sick so far.

This is information that you need to know about. I'm going to talk to you about what to look for and why the plant responsible for this recall has a history of trouble. You've heard of this, right? By the way, the increase in eggs that could possibly be affected is higher today than it was yesterday. I'll take you through that as well.

And Howard Dean is the latest high-profile Democrat attacking the White House. Did you hear what he said about the people surrounding President Obama? Well, you will. That's next right here on THE LIST.

I'm Rick Sanchez. This is your national conversation. We've got so much stuff to share with you. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Let's do some politics for you.

The president staff is taking a little bit of heat from the left once again. This time, it's former DNC chair, Howard Dean. He was on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION." Did you see this? It was there that he gave this advice to the White House about ignoring its base at its own peril.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DNC CHAIRMAN: I don't think that the left -- what Gibbs was talk with the so-called professional left -- I don't know what he meant by that. I think that the people around the president have really misjudged what goes on elsewhere in the country other than Washington, D.C.

I don't think this is true of the president. But I do think his people -- his political people have got to go out and spend some time outside Washington for a while.

The average Democrat is a progressive. And, you know, there are some things that are upsetting about the kind of deals that were made by the president's people on health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: But the real political news today is coming from Florida and Arizona. Those are two places where you want to go vacation and play a little golf. And our own Jessica Yellin is about a 60 degree wedge away from the golf action.

That is absolutely -- you know, even during the commercial, I was looking at you and I was looking at that background and I didn't know which one was more beautiful, you or those gorgeous greens behind you as well.

Welcome to Arizona -- Scottsdale, I hear, right?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Rick. But it's better from your vantage. It's 108-degree high here today. So, it's better watching it -- it's a beautiful state, though.

SANCHEZ: Somebody get that woman under a tree or something. As I know the difference between the shade there in Arizona and the -- and being out in the sun is about 20, 30 degrees sometimes.

All right. Let's get to the business so I can let you go and you don't have to sit there and perspire for so long or schvitz, as they say in New York.

Is it just me or was this a wink and a nod from Howard Dean about something that's bigger?

YELLIN: No, it's not just you exactly. Howard Dean is expressing a sense of frustration that's shared by a lot of base Democrats who talk about the fact that they think the White House is -- your term -- out of touch, not in step with what's going on with Democratic voters around the country.

And it's not just progressives. I know we talk a lot about the progressive left. And Howard Dean often represents them.

But, Rick, the bottom line for a lot of Democrats is the White House promised the candidates this year could campaign on health care reform, that a win would beget future wins. They're having a hard time doing that.

Financial regulatory reform -- even that is tough issue in some ways because people want to hear about jobs. And there's a sense among Democratic voter -- Democratic activists that the White House needs a little bit of a -- White House will hate me for saying this -- but the staff shake-up, some changes --

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

YELLIN: -- to get some fresh voices in there, even some people who don't work inside Washington as often.

SANCHEZ: Well, I know some of the frustrations. Everybody, they were frustrated about health care. We covered that extensively here. A lot of them said, no, you promised you're going to give us something a little more akin to what they have in Canada and in parts of Europe. And instead, you gave us something that was watered down. That's what the progressives say, that's what the left says.

Angry about Pakistan because the president has been pushing almost a la Bush in the Afghanistan situation.

So, given those situations out there -- they can't be solved overnight. What can this administration -- this president -- do to get some of those progressives back on board?

YELLIN: One simple gimme he could do for the progressive left is Elizabeth Warren, two words. She is the outspoken consumer advocate you've seen on TV. You've interviewed her. She was overseeing the bailout. She was sort of a bailout watch dog for a bit.

And she came up with the idea of that Consumer Protection Bureau that was just passed into law. Progressives want to see her get that job. They have been sending out petitions, pushing the White House, 200,000 signatures, getting senators and members of Congress on board. There's even a rap that's come out supporting Elizabeth Warren. We have some of it if you want to take a look real quick.

SANCHEZ: Hmm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (rapping): Elizabeth Warren, we got your back. Wall Street, you better watch out. Giddyap, giddyap, giddyap. Sheriff Warren's what we need-o. She's not about the money and the green-o. She's about working class families and bring them out of the crisis and tragedies. She wants to expose the banks, and all the greed, and get rid of unnecessary fees, which means more money in my pocket, (INAUDIBLE) stop it, (INAUDIBLE) and make a profit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: You get the point. There's a lot of support for her. Even the National Organization for Women is calling out -- claiming its sexism if they don't appoint her.

The bottom line is, Rick, there is some sense that Wall Street will resist her, that she might have a hard time getting confirmed. But the progressive left really wants the president to get behind her and put her in this slot and at least show he's committed to these issues in their way. We'll see.

SANCHEZ: And you're going to be following the races for us. The big one is tomorrow. Florida, oh, my God, that thing is getting so heated -- so interesting between Meek, Greene, Crist, Rubio -- I mean, wow. All four names in the national spotlight, race gets tighter. Now, changes every day, it seems. You're going to be all over that.

And then John McCain, how's his campaign finance going?

YELLIN: Right. He -- this is one of the big issues out here for his opponent. You know, he was the big champion of campaign finance reform. He's broken a fund-raising record or spending record. He spent $20 million on his primary alone. So, you know, we'll talk about more of that later on today, maybe tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: And from the distance that you are right there from the green, I mean, I'd say you're about 10 yards from the apron. I would say you could use a 60-degree wedge or you could use a putter as a Texas wedge and you'd be able to put the ball right next to the hole.

YELLIN: What's an apron?

SANCHEZ: Oh, these are all -

YELLIN: An apron?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

YELLIN: I'm so clueless on golf.

SANCHEZ: We'll go -- we'll go to dinner next time you're here and I'll take you through all of that.

YELLIN: I've heard of a putter.

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE)

YELLIN: OK.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Jess. Look forward to talking to you again tomorrow. Stay dry or at least cold?

So, you think that your traffic commute is a nightmare? I want you to take a look at this highway in Beijing. Try nine days and counting. You won't believe how long this line actually is. I'm going to take you through that in just a little bit. That's ahead.

Also, speaking of highways, a state trooper performs a gutsy maneuver to stop a driver going the wrong way on the interstate. Oh, my goodness. Wait until you see this video.

Also, we are following the breaking news about Tiger Woods' divorce. We understand that there's going to be some kind of information that we're going to be getting on the actual settlement and we'll take you through some of that.

I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right, here we go, moving forward. By the way, an apron is the area around the green when you play golf. The edge of the green is called an apron because it looks like an apron. There's so many tweets coming in from people either wanting me to define what an apron is or thinking I was referring to the apron you wear sometimes when you cook, which I wasn't, by the way. Interesting terminology.

Here we go, talk about being caught red-handed. A Utah woman, it's a state trooper's squad car as she's driving the wrong way on the interstate. It was all caught on the trooper's dashboard cam. I want you to watch and listen to this video. This is pretty remarkable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've just been hit by the individual.

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Look at this. Luckily the trooper and the driver of the wrong-way car were not seriously hurt. You just heard him describe how she hit him. She, I say, that's right. She's a 19-year- old. Her name is Haley Arnell. According to police she was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Interstate 15. The driver went after her and then she crashed head-on into his vehicle. Let's watch the video one more time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've just been hit by the individual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries. She was taken into custody. Police say she had a blood alcohol level two and a half times the legal limit. Again, 19 years old.

It is official now, Tiger Woods is divorced. He ended, the golf's superstar's marriage to Elin Nordegren. It comes almost nine months after that late-night SUV crash in Florida, of which, by the way, there are still questions.

Woods later admitted that he had been unfaithful again and again and again. We're getting these details about the settlement now. Woods and Nordegren apparently will share the duties of their two children. It's a joint statement from their attorneys. It reads, in part -- "We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future. While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children, and their happiness has been and will always be of paramount importance to both of us."

Jean Casarez from "In Session" on Tru TV is joining us now. She has been learning about some of the details. I tell you, I play a lot of golf on weekends when my wife lets me out. And the big conversation at just about any golf course in America is not just Tiger Woods playing miserable golf of late, but the divorce settlement.

And there's been talk that this thing is going to be upwards of a half a billion dollars (ph), that literally she will get what she's asked for. Do we know how much money she's going to be given her by him?

JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRU TV: The money is sealed, so we don't have it. But Rick, as you're saying all that, it's so sad. This is really sad. I've been poring over the petition for dissolution of marriage. The filing date is today's date, August 23rd. The petitioner is Elin Woods. So she obviously is asking for the divorce.

They talk about in this agreement, and this is not the final order, by the way, but a marital settlement plan that has been worked up -- settlement, that's money right there. That's what that's all about. And it was drawn up on July 3rd. It was signed by both parties July 3rd and 4th.

So this is really a private agreement between the two of them that involves all that money that you're talking about. In addition to that, there's a parenting plan. That was dated on July 3rd and 4th. It is in the best interest of the children.

But here are some fascinating things. Both parties had to take a parenting class as part of this parenting plan, and their certificates are part of the legal document.

It also says that in regard to that settlement that the wife is requesting that it is adopted and confirmed by the court. So she wants to make sure that this marital settlement agreement, i.e., money, is something that's really certified by the court so it will be followed through with.

But here's the most fascinating thing on an emotional point, she is asking for her maiden name to be restored, and, Rick, I think that speaks volumes.

SANCHEZ: It certainly does.

Look, given his behavior, how public it was, how repetitive it was, and the level of humiliation that she was put through as a result of all of that, I don't know much about divorce law, never had to deal in that arena, but couldn't she almost name her price?

CASAREZ: You're exactly right, which brings us to another big point. She is asking -- he is agreeing to waiving a 20-day grace period. It's a delay period, usually sort of a cooling-off period between the time you file and between the final settlement for divorce. That is waived by both parties. So as soon as this final word comes out, it's going to be a final divorce. SANCHEZ: Likely record-setting numbers, as well. Jean Casarez, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on that story. A lot of people in the country have been talking about that and following it. If you get anything else, let us know.

There is a major war of words in the Arizona Senate race, and the political future of Senator John McCain hangs in the balance. That's coming up in just a little bit.

Also, if you like things that go "boom," we've got a power implosion for you. Oh, my goodness, don't show it yet. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Let me bring you up to date on a story we're just getting information on. I understand there's an ammonia leak -- do we have some pics? This information just coming in to us now from the control room, I want to take you to whatever it is that we're able to share with you.

Let me bring you up to date. From what I understand, there have already been several people who are being treated as a result of this. This is some of the very first tape that's coming in. Several people being treated for illnesses after this ammonia leak at Millard Refrigerated Services in Theodore, Alabama.

And 35 people have now been taken to the hospital after claiming illnesses related to the ammonia leak in Theodore, this according to a CNN affiliate WKRG. Officials there at the hospital are telling patients not involved in the leak that there is a six-hour wait to be seen in the hospital.

Let me read that again. Officials at one local hospital are telling patients not involved in the leak that there is a six-hour wait to be seen at the hospital. That's interesting. That could mean that they're expecting more people to come in.

Again, it sounds like a rural area. I'm not sure. Chad, have you got your ears up? Do me a favor -- I'm trying to get a beat on that. I have no idea where Theodore, Alabama, is. Is that rural?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is, although the issue is -- ammonia is a poison. To be from Nebraska and to know where farmers would spray ammonia on their field and to get literally a whiff of it just from the tractor itself would send these farmers completely to the hospital.

It is a toxic substance, and I think that's what the problem is now. They are completely full in these emergency rooms. That's why they're saying, please, do not come here.

SANCHEZ: This would possibly lead to extreme respiratory illness if you take a big whiff of this stuff?

MYERS: Absolutely. SANCHEZ: Officials are saying the leak was capped at the plant. But all residents within a one-mile radius of the plant are being told to stay inside.

MYERS: This would be the same road if you were going from Mobile all the way down to Dauphin Island --

SANCHEZ: That's Interstate 65.

MYERS: Yes, an 10 all the way down there. You would be near Tillman's Corners in south of Mobile. So as 65 t-bones into 10, you would take 10 over to Tillman's Corners and then down south. I'm not even sure of the name of the road. It's a highway here. I'm zooming in on Google Earth. It has a big exit on I-10. And I'm reading the words "Spanish Trail" on the way down to Theodore, Alabama.

So it's seriously a bedroom community of Mobile, but that's a stretch, because you're talking like 25 miles away.

SANCHEZ: Boy, we wish them well. We'll keep an eye on the story. And if there's anything else, we'll bring to it you right away. Thanks, Chad, for joining in on this and giving us whatever information you can. Appreciate it.

All right, no matter how old we get, there is something inside us all that still likes to see things go "boom" from time to time. So given there's that inner child in all of us, it's time for "Fotos."

Watch as these two iconic smokestacks at Cape Canaveral power plant send their last plumes of smoke into the sky. The towers were brought down using explosives to make way for a brand-new million- dollar power plant on Florida's coast. Environmentalists are excited. The new plant is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent.

And more explosions. Check out this iReport from South Africa of two cooling towers imploding at a power station in Cape Town. They had been a landmark for decades, but the station was closed in 2003 after it became clear the towers had become dangerous.

And speaking of things that go boom, watch as Cleveland Indians third basement Jayson Nix goes over the dugout rail to catch a foul ball, and then he goes boom. Darn. Is that something or what? He's good. Caught the ball, stands up, shows it to the umpire, and says, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

That's "Fotos." You can see for yourself if you go to my blog at CNN.com/RickSanchez.

Here's another item on my baseball list. One of sports' true icons is suddenly leaving the game in the middle of the season. He's got a good reason. But wait till you watch the video of how he does it. I'll just let you see it.

Also, there's a billionaire shaking up the closely-watched Senate race in Florida. His name is Jeff Greene. His story is fascinating. Mike Tyson even served as best man at his wedding recently. But is that good or bad for him?

And as I go to break, I want to tell you now what I've learned from you. You say your money's being wasted. You say that politicians of all stripes couldn't give a crap about you. And you also say that too often the media just puts you in a spin cycle hoping to keep you there long enough to collect.

And what do you get? You get what you're supposed to accept as conventional wisdom. What is "conventional wisdom"? It's what we're told is generally believed by the experts, whoever they are, whatever it is they know. These experts are more often than not just plain wrong. You know that. You tell me that. Conventional wisdom more often than not is really more like conventional idiocy.

That is the name of my new book. It's as bold as you are. In fact, it's dedicated to you because if we connect, you and I and the rest of the hundreds of thousands that talk to each other every single day, we can change things. "Conventional Idiocy," available in bookstores in two weeks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

The top of our follow-up list today, primaries across the nation tomorrow. The big news is going to be in Florida and Arizona.

Let me start first with Arizona. That's where John McCain appears to have fought off a primary challenge. The challenge is from J.D. Hayworth, who has the tea party movement as part of hi support. This contest has gotten real heated with McCain putting out an ad that called Hayworth one of the dumbest people previously in Congress.

We also saw McCain, the old campaign finance reformer, spend more than $20 million in his primary campaign. You start to wonder if that's campaign reform, what is spending? I will talk about this now with Erick Erickson. Let's do a little Arizona --

ERICK ERICKSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: OK.

SANCHEZ: -- because I do want to leave some time for Florida. That is my home state. Does J.D. Heyworth got enough muster to make this thing come down --

ERICKSON: No. It's interesting. McCain has been able to go across the country campaigning for others. Interestingly enough, most of the people John McCain has campaigned for wound up losing because of John McCain campaigning for them. He's not very popular.

SANCHEZ: You know, what's interesting. If you listen to the guys on the right, you know, the guys with all the gravitas, the Rush Limbaughs, they can't stand John McCain. What is it about him? He's a conservative.

ERICKSON: No he's not a conservative. The problem is that John McCain when he's with the right treats the right worse than he treats the left when he is against them. He rubs their noses in their face constantly over stuff. He's just a jerk, frankly.

SANCHEZ: But J.D. Heyworth, on the other hand, is a guy who will --

ERICKSON: He is not bright.

(LAUGHTER)

McCain's commercial is totally on the money. The guy is running in Arizona on the birther issue. He is not bright.

SANCHEZ: I like the way you answer my question before I get it out.

ERICKSON: It's true.

SANCHEZ: OK, so "Dumb or not Dumb?" Let's play.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's talk about Florida if we possibly can. And this is what's interesting -- you have four really interesting personalities. You've got Greene. You've got Kerry Meek's son Kendrick. You've got Rubio, the Cuban guy who kind of looks like me, maybe a little younger version of me.

ERICKSON: And orange guy.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: And you got the orange -- isn't he somebody else? And then we got Crist. Who of these four guys is the most formidable right now? Because on any given day you read a different poll and a different story and they're all on top.

ERICKSON: The issue is what's going to happen in the Democratic primary tomorrow night. It looks like Kendrick Meeks is going to beat Greene, which in every poll that's come out it helps Rubio against Crist. People have forgotten that Rubio is still running in a primary and there are still a lot of people in Florida, surprisingly so, who don't know anything about him.

So Greene helps Crist, Meeks helps Rubio, and it looks like Meeks is going to win. So it'll be a fun race for Republicans.

And then you have this weird gubernatorial race down there. I've been told they've already had more absentees or as many absentees cast already for this race as voted totally four years ago.

SANCHEZ: In which one? The Republican side? Rubio is -- I mean, he makes a strong candidate.

ERICKSON: Right.

SANCHEZ: You know, he is a little more to the right than most Republicans. He's a Cuban American. ERICKSON: Right.

SANCHEZ: It fits him, you know, the message that he is trying to get across.

Crist -- are you convinced that if this guy wins he's going to caucus with the Dems?

(LAUGHTER)

ERICKSON: They actually finally got him on record asking this. Charlie Crist has for a long time said for a long time he didn't know who he'd caucus with. Now his answer now is whoever has the majority. That's his actual answer, whoever has the majority.

SANCHEZ: Is the way he'll go.

ERICKSON: God bless Charlie Crist.

SANCHEZ: So he could go either way on that.

ERICKSON: You know, everybody says politics is all about opportunism. Here is a quintessential example, politics really is about opportunity for Charlie Crist.

SANCHEZ: By the way, I should probably say when it comes to J.D. Hayworth and John McCain -- the views expressed by Erick Erickson are his and his alone.

(LAUGHTER)

You didn't have a good thing to say about either one of those guys.

ERICKSON: No. I don't like either one.

SANCHEZ: All right. And we're glad you're honest enough to share. Let us know what you think next time, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

Iguanas, crocodiles, and poisonous snakes all looking for a home. We're going to take you to a refuge for reptiles and show you efforts being taken to save them. That's ahead right here on "The List." That should be good.

Also, the most intriguing person making news on the list today. He is known in baseball for being tough, loud, and contentious. This guy takes bats and gloves and hats and bases and just throws them at umpires. I'm not kidding. But then he cries like a baby.

Also, hey, you want to be on this show? Call 1-877-4-CNN/tour. This is "RICK'S LIST."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Welcome back. Looking for a home, but slimy, dangerous, a bit prone to bite when a little unhappy or shaken up. Luckily, there is a place for these endangered animals. It's a reptile rescue center. Did you know there was such a place? Well, you got to go all the way to Munich to find it. This is a story from my colleague Diana Magnay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Down in the cellar of Munich's reptile house there are nearly 700 reptiles waiting to find a home -- green iguanas, a host of poisonous snakes, crocodiles, those once unable to grow properly because their previous owners hadn't given them enough space.

That's why they were confiscated and brought here to Tobias Friz, who runs Germany's largest reptile rescue home.

TOBIAS FRIZ, REPTILE VETERINARIAN (via translator): these were two animals handled very badly, two males unfortunately put together. Male iguanas don't live happily without other males and every time they come in contact they hunt each other.

MAGNAY: The vast majority of the animals are in safe keeping, dependent upon a court's decision to see where they'll go next. There are plenty of happy endings. Fritz just flew 16 of the mini crocodiles to a zoo in southern Spain.

MAGNAY (on camera): This is a soft shelled turtle from North America and they are very rare, but our little friend here is not very happy about coming to say hello. We've tried a couple of times. Try again. That's good. Apparently they have -- they have no teeth but they have a very sharp -- oh, a very fierce bite. They have a kind of beak that they can use. But he is very unhappy.

MAGNAY (voice-over): Last year in Germany, according to the Federal Office for Conservation, nearly 40,000 protected plants and animals were found illegally in travelers' suitcases. Others are seized from so-called animal hoarders, people who just can't stop collecting pets.

Friz says owners often don't like to face up to the fact that they can't cope.

FRIZ (via translator): Once they came in the bag on the front door. A visitor saw the bag was moving and said there's something in there. And there they were.

MAGNAY: Diana Magnay, CNN, Munich, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)