Return to Transcripts main page
Rick's List
Miners Trapped in Chile; Former Top Republican's Gay Bombshell
Aired August 26, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Log Cabin Republicans -- the head of gay Republicans group is asked tonight, well, how does it sit with you that Ken Mehlman is now saying, I'm gay, when at the time that he was in the Republican Party during the Bush administration, he was actually helping to spearhead some of the moves against gay Americans.
This is an interesting conversation. And you're going to hear it right here on RICK'S LIST.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST on this day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're very nervous, in some ways, depressed.
SANCHEZ: We are keeping track of the 33 miners in a cave underground, as we learn some of them may be too big to get out.
The Republican who spearheaded the push to keep gays from getting married announces he's gay.
We're told it's really bad here. We soon realize it's even worse than we imagined -- taking you back to a story, a moment and video I myself find too difficult to look back at.
And this American soldier is not willing to fight for religious reasons. He's Muslim. So, why did he join?
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: And hello again, everybody. We are going to going to begin tonight with some breaking news.
There's new information that is coming out of Chile. You know the situation. There's some 33 miners. They're trapped about 2,300 feet underground in what amounts to a small cave. There's been a lot of information coming out of there today about how police and officials are going to be able to deal with them, how they're communicating with them, what they're doing to send them nutrition and air and water.
There's also been information about some of the psychological efforts that they're working with to try and deal with them, how they're going to have to come up with some leaders, for example, to help them.
These are some of the pictures that we have been getting out of there. Now, in the last couple of minutes, we understand that there's news from the scene.
Our Karl Penhaul has been diligently following this story. There, you see some of the officials with some of the devices that they're using to communicate with them, including cameras that they have been sending down from time to time. You see it right there, as they're sending that wire with a camera attached at the other end?
This is an important part of the story.
And Karl Penhaul is here to fill us in.
Karl, what's the latest? What's going on?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, right now, as we speak, relatives of the trapped miners are in a meeting with government officials and rescue workers.
It's an enclosed area away from the press in the living area where the families have been living and that meeting is under way. One of the people that saw the meeting being set up said a projector was also being set up.
And I talked to two family members just as they headed into the meeting, and they said that they were going to be shown a video. They said that there was possibly new video that had come up from the shelter where the miners are, a video that may contain recordings of messages from each of the miners to their loved ones up here on the surface.
Now, we're still waiting for that meeting the progress some more. We do hear some clapping coming from that meeting. We also heard from a government official earlier on in the day that, indeed, some kind of camera had been sent back down into that hole to allow the miners to record a message.
And so possibly we're going to see once again some of those images coming up from the bowels of the earth, and we are going to have the first visual contact that the relatives are gong to have with the miners after more than 20 days after that mine cave-in. So we're really expecting some good news here, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Karl, that's interesting. And, look, we're looking at that picture right there. As a matter of fact, if you could, Kel (ph), show those shots once again.
You see that right there? Those are the first images that we got and that was Karl Penhaul describing how they had originally sent down a camera.
But, Karl, if I hear you right, what you're saying now is, it's not just going to be a camera. It seems to be a camera that's going to be able to shoot a wider area, because, before, all we saw was a very small frame. And this time, it sounds like it's also going to have a recording device so it can pick up their audio as well, correct?
PENHAUL: Exactly. Those first images that you saw on Sunday were kind of a wide-angle camera device that had no audio components on it. And so it was just this eerie image of one or two of the miners, all peering into the camera.
But now we are told by a government official who talked to me earlier in the day that in that metal cylinder, they sent down a kind of a small handycam and that they were going to ask the miners to record a message to each of their family members.
And, as I say, we believe the meeting that's going on now is because that handycam has been sent back up with the recording and now in a few minutes what those family members may begin to look at are the first messages, the first recorded messages of their loved ones who have been gone now, who have been trapped now for 20 days.
So, this will certainly be for them exhilarating news if, in fact, that video has been successful.
SANCHEZ: You can expect that we're going to have more on this controversy. Karl Penhaul doing yeoman's work down there, bringing us every detail as this drama unfolds. It's being watched all over the world.
Karl, let us know. If there's any information about this video, just contact Angie in the control room and we will get you on the air lickety-split. We so appreciate you hustling to get on the air at the beginning of this newscast.
Now to our list of controversies tonight, and the first two involve some horrific crimes of rape in New Jersey and in the Congo. Let me count these down for you, beginning with number five in Congo, where nearly 200 women are gang-raped and the U.N. is now being accused by some of knowing about this, but not doing enough. Is that true?
The United Nations now admits that they knew that those rebels had occupied villages in late July and early August, but they insist that they didn't know that these Hutu rebels were raping the women until after the sexual attacks had ended.
We know this. It happened. The U.N. peacekeeping base is only 20 miles from all -- from where all of this happened. Today, the U.N. Security Council held a special emergency meeting to look into what went wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUSAN RICE, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: The secretariat was clear in acknowledging that things did not occur as they should have.
VITALY CHURKIN, U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: The general feeling, that things did not work the way they should have and some things were missing which should not have been missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Tonight, the U.S. is condemning these attacks.
And here's number four, also a sexual attack. Tonight, a man who police are calling a rapist is caught in Trenton, New Jersey. And police have released the videotape that they used to capture him.
Here we go. This is the victim whose identity we are protecting. She is seen here walking to a gym early in the morning when a man grabs her, drags her behind a van, and then sexually assaults her. Police say that this surveillance tape shows that he held her captive for seven minutes, and then both walked away.
Another camera inside a nearby deli captures the image of the suspect. The woman is 19 years old. The suspect is 22-year-old Jonathan Worley. Police are throwing the book at him tonight and holding him on a bail of $250,000.
Here now, controversy number three. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is cracking down on gypsies. They call them Roma. Today, planes carrying 300 of them left French bound for their Romanian homeland. French authorities say that they're cracking down on crimes including illegal immigration. More than 8,000 Romanian and Bulgarian nationals have been expelled this year alone. Each person was given cash in exchange for being willingly departed.
Critics say this smacks of racism against one of Europe's poorest minorities. But interestingly enough, a poll by a French newspaper finds 48 percent support this crackdown.
Here now, number two. Tonight, this cake is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some Floridians. It's decorated like the Confederate Flag and being put on sale. Bakers are getting a lot of heat from customers who feel it's an ugly reminder of the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me personally, I think it's disrespectful. I know the people of the South have their own beliefs, white or black, you know? But I don't care for the Confederate Flag at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Winn-Dixie -- that's the grocery store stain where the cake was sold -- has now pulled it from the shelf, saying it was -- quote -- "an error in judgment." So, what's the number-one controversy in the news on this day? It's about New York and a building every single one of you has thought about or seen at some point or another in your life.
And as night falls in New York City, here's a look at the skyline, which provides a hint of what we're actually talking about next.
And then there's this. Ken Mehlman is among those who helped spearhead a political campaign to stop gays from getting married. Ken Mehlman is gay. How does that sit with gay Republicans, the Log Cabin crowd? I will ask.
You're watching the newscast with the richest list of news and people making news, in other words, more news, less bloviating.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
There's a lot of stuff going on tonight, and want to get you through as much of it as possible.
Tonight, the number-one controversy on my list involves, of all things, Mother Teresa's birthday. These are nuns in India. They're honoring her in a very place where she founded her order, the Missionaries of Charity, some 60 years ago. She would have been 100 years old tonight.
So, where's the controversy, you ask, right? Well, let me show you something. You are looking live at the iconic Empire State Building. What does this have to do Mother Teresa? The owners often light up the building in special colors to observe all types of occasions, but they said no to a request to celebrate Mother Teresa, whom Catholics revere and who is destined for beatification, sainthood.
Building officials say, sorry, we don't honor any religious figures or organizations. And that, tonight, has Catholics fuming. Here's a tweet for you. This is former presidential candidate Fred Thompson's tweet.
We intercepted it. "Empire State Building lights up to honor China's 60th, but not Mother Teresa's 100th? Obviously a case of age discrimination.
Tonight in politics, the top-ranking African-American U.S. congressman says he will not, will not vote for Alvin Greene, even though Greene potentially could be the only African-American in the Senate. South Carolina's James Clyburn, the House Democrat whip, says voting for Alvin Greene would be an insult to his daughter and his three granddaughters.
As you know by now, Greene has been indicted on a felony porn charge for allegedly showing illicit pictures to a 18-year-old woman. Clyburn suggests that Greene is a Republican Party plant, but he's offered no supporting evidence, important to note.
And that story serves as a springboard into tonight's political list.
And we begin with number five. The bad blood in Florida between the top Republicans, governor nominee Rick Scott and the man that he beat, state Attorney General Bill McCullom, is getting worse, in fact, much worse.
Most of the time, when a campaign's over, it's over, right? It's the loser calling the winner and saying, OK, fine. And that's it, but not with Bill McCullom. He is saying this about Scott -- quote -- "I still have serious questions about issues of Scott's character, his integrity, his honesty, things that go back to Columbia/HCA."
Interesting, his character, his integrity, his honesty. That's from a guy who -- Scott's own party.
Now, Columbia/HCA -- and let me catch you up on this -- is a health care firm that Rick Scott founded. It paid a record $1.7 billion for defrauding the taxpayers.
Here's what McCullom is referring to. This newscast, RICK'S LIST, was the very first to quiz Scott about those allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Some would argue, and it would be hard to say they're wrong, that you would be the poster child for everything that's wrong with the greed that has hurt our current health-care system. People would ask, why should they listen to you?
RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you don't have to listen to me. You should look at the facts. You should read the bills.
Now, if you want to go back and look at Columbia/HCA, you should look at what we accomplished. Health-care costs when I got into the industry in '88 were 16 percent a year inflation. When I got out in 1997, they were less than 1 percent.
SANCHEZ: But $1. 7 billion? That's the highest ever paid in the history of the United States that your company ended up having to pay as a result of what you did by defrauding the government?
SCOTT: The -- no one went to jail. I was never accused of anything. Now let's think about it -- $1.7 billion sounds like a lot. We had 343 -- 343 hospitals, 150 surgery centers, over 100,000 patients a day.
Now, let's look at the industry. Cleveland Clinic paid big fines. Mayo paid big fines. Yale paid big fines. Now, were they as big? No. How many hospitals did they have?
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: Keep in mind, Rick Scott's opponent attacked him over the scandal, but Scott won anyway. You can see the rest of that on my blog.
Also, keep in mind that, even though there's talk of Florida Republicans being divided, with Rick Scott's personal fortune, he may not even need the party's money to get his message out to Florida's voters. We will stay on it.
Now, number four: Sharron Angle's new attack ad, it slams her opponent, Senator Harry Reid, and links Reid to two other Republican targets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
NARRATOR: It may be the most tragic love story of our time: Pelosi, Obama, and Harry Reid. Together, they promised to change America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There you go. That's Sharron Angle's new ad.
And number three on my list is Harry Reid's new ad. His ad, of course, is against Sharron Angle. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
NARRATOR: What do you call a candidate who says the way things are going, the time may be coming for Second Amendment remedies, an armed response to our government, who says a teenage rape victim should be forced to have the baby?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, Sharron Angle punches and former boxer Harry Reid counterpunches. Reid leads this race, by the way, but only by a hair.
Here is number two tonight on our political list. It's in Alaska. Lisa Murkowski is said to be fuming mad over Sarah Palin. And there are indications it may make her dig her heels in deeper. Today, "The Anchorage Daily News" is reporting that Murkowski has narrowed the lead of the Tea Party-backed Joe Miller, who shocked Murkowski in Tuesday's Republican primary.
But as election officials count those absentee ballots, beating Miller is still very much a long shot for her. So, what's the new word? Here it is. The word that I'm hearing is, one, Murkowski's furious with Palin, who endorsed Murkowski's previously unknown opponent.
And, two, there's a chance now that Murkowski, because of that, could still find a way in November to get her name on the ballot, not as an independent -- that would be impossible -- but as a Libertarian. By the way, a three-way race with two conservatives would be a real boon to the Democrat, another guy you have probably never heard of. His name is Scott McAdams. And he's the mayor of the town of Sitka, population 9,000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. CLARKE COOPER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: There's a point where, before someone is publicly out, they have to go through their own personal reconciliation process. And so I don't know when that happened for Ken. That could have been a month ago. That could have been a year ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The political bombshell of the week -- one of President George W. Bush's closest advisers helping to block same-sex marriage comes out, says, I'm gay. Ken Mehlman makes that statement. What are other gay Republicans saying about this tonight? I'm going to have that for you -- the interview, that is.
Also, the Muslim taxi driver attacked by a passenger because of his religion, tonight, he describes what hate feels and looks like.
You're watching RICK'S LIST, three times more news than you will get on any other channel, and we won't tell you what to think.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back to the LIST, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Just want to let you know that there are some developments on the story in Chile. Apparently, officials are meeting with the family and they're thinking about sending another camera down so that the families can actually see their loved ones in the cave, a different type of camera. And this one will have a recording device, so they may be able to hear or talk to each other. As the drama unfolds, we will bring it to you. Karl Penhaul is going to call us and let us know. And if the pictures come out, you will see them during this hour.
Meantime, my number-one story on my political list tonight: the former head of the Republican Party who now says he is gay. So how was Ken Mehlman able to lead and even spearhead some of the platforms that included opposing gay marriage and gays serving in the military when he was in the Bush administration or part of the effort to lead the Bush administration?
Today, I called the head of the Log Cabin Republicans, who support gay rights, and I asked them if the apparent hypocrisy sits well with them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: So Mehlman is one of the people who's spearheading -- one of them -- you know, with Karl Rove and others, the idea that they should come up with an amendment, some would argue for political reasons because it was never talked about after the election, to make sure that gays could not get married. Ken Mehlman was part of that push, and now we learn that he was gay. How does that sit with you?
COOPER: Well, Rick, for starters, I don't want to speak for ken but maybe you have read and your viewers have seen, he has actually come out and said that he apologizes for those actions.
Again, I can't speak for his coming out process. I can speak to mine. It is different for everybody. The clock is different.
And for anybody who's ever come out to family, friends, colleagues, peers, it's a very difficult, it's a crucible for one to go through. I was working for then governor Jeb Bush when I started struggling with it. I did not come out until the end of the first term of the Bush administration. I was blessed that all my colleagues and the Bush-Cheney government were very supportive.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I get it. I get it. Let me follow up the question now. I get it. If you're a person who's not dealing with an issue specifically, I get it, or if you're an underling, for example. You are the guy in the room, and you know what, it's not my place to tell the bosses what to do.
But if you're in a position of power as he was -- he was no underling. He was one of the top dogs, one of the top decision makers. And they're making a decision that is essentially going to hurt gay Americans, should he have stepped up and said, either, A, guys I don't want a part of it or, B, I'm going to resign?
COOPER: Rick, the question you're asked is based solely on the presumption that he had reconciled with himself that he was gay. So if that's true, but we don't know that, then the answer should be, yes, he should have. But you have not had to come out because you're not gay.
SANCHEZ: Right.
COOPER: But I have, and I can tell you, if you're in that phase, if one is in that phase before one is actually come out, be it to family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, you have to come out to yourself first.
SANCHEZ: Then I'm confused. You're --
COOPER: Hold on.
SANCHEZ: You're confusing. I keep hearing --
COOPER: No, no, no.
SANCHEZ: -- that you're born gay, and now you're saying --
COOPER: That's true. No, no, no, you are. It's an orientation. But I can tell you, based in society, we all grow up in Western society, most of Western society, that that's not the norm. And so if you're told that, you know that, raised that way, I can tell you from my own experience growing in Tallahassee, Florida, that there were not many positive or even any references to same-sex couples or anything same-sex oriented.
So I had girlfriends in high school and university. I'm sure Ken did too. But there's a point where before someone is publicly out, they have to go through their own personal reconciliation process.
And so, I don't know when that happened for Ken. That could have been a month ago. That could have been a year ago. But I would bet it probably wasn't happening four years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not sleeping well. They -- they're very nervous, in some way, depressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's the very latest. See that picture right there? That's one of the original shots. See that man's face? He is one of those miners. We're being told now there's a possibility we might get some brand-new video that they're going to be sending down there, 2,300 feet below the surface of the earth in that cave.
And, this time, they're saying there's a possibility it might have audio on it, in other words, like a microphone, so that we can hear their voices and look inside the cave. This is a fascinating story. As it happens, you will see it first right here on RICK'S LIST.
Also, did you see that movie "Food, Inc."? It left a lasting impression on my family. We sat and watched this thing. The man behind the movie says corporate farms are the big reason we have so many recalls to report tonight. Oh, yes, you didn't hear? There's another recall out there. This one involves something like 380 pounds of meat. Meat now? Not just eggs?
What's going on? We're down on this. Stay there. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Here we go, breaking news once again. This has been really touch and go. We had Karl Penhaul. We lost Karl Penhaul. He's reporting that the family's going to be meeting with some of the rescue officials there and that there's a possibility that there might be some new video coming out of that cave, video that this time might even have recording devices on it.
So, let's go to Karl now. He has just established -- reestablished contact, I should say, with us, and he's joining us live from Chile.
Karl, what do you have? What do we know? PENHAUL: Well, Rick, now a government official has just come out a few minutes ago and confirmed to us that, yes, there is a new video. It is 25 minutes long. It was filmed with a high-definition camera by the miners themselves.
And, in this 25 minutes, each of the 33 miners is sending a message to their families. And the families right now as we speak, in private are watching those video messages from their loved ones.
Also on the 25-minute high definition video, we're also seeing the miners show us around the space that they have to live in and the space that they have to exercise in. And they're also telling us a little bit about how they've organized themselves, how they've disciplined themselves to survive as long as they have in these precarious conditions. What we don't know just yet is the actual content of the messages to the families but as I say, in the next few moments we expect possibility that the government will be giving us some copies of those DVDs so that we can show you them.
SANCHEZ: That would be interesting. You know, it would also be interesting, not just to see the video, but also, maybe to talk to some of those family members as they come out to get their sense, their impression of what they saw in those movies, in those tapes that they're going to be taking out. Where are they meeting with them? Is there like some room out there near the cave or something where the government and the rescue officials put them?
PENHAUL: Yes. Really, at the gates to the San Jose mine, a camp has grown up here and it was the relatives that first arrived here, set their own tents and said we're not moving until our loved ones come out of what mine. And so, it's in an area of this camp and it's known as Camp Esperanza (ph), camp hope. And it's here that the -- that it is -- that it has been -- there's a room that's been set up and now that is where they're looking at these first video images on a projector. As you say, not only video but they've got audio and so that's where they've got a message to their families for the first time, Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right. We're going to hang tight. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of this. I'm looking forward to your next report. But I know the best thing to do for you as a former reporter myself is to leave you alone, stop talking to you so you can go do some reporting and talk to some folks. So, go ahead and do that, Karl. Let us know. We'll get you back on the air as soon as you say that you're ready to go.
When we come back, the very latest on the list of trending topics. And you know, Brooke Baldwin is the one who brings us that. Brooke was sick yesterday and she wasn't able to come here and report for us. We had to get a substitute.
Well, she's back. In fact, I see she's walking right into RICK'S LIST right now. So glad to see her. She's got apparently a lot of hot stuff for us.
ROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here. SANCHEZ: So, we're looking forward to this.
BALDWIN: We're talking food tonight.
SANCHEZ: "Food, Inc."
BALDWIN: "Food, Inc."
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Well, you're not going to believe what's trending tonight. Brooke Baldwin is back. Are you feeling OK?
BALDWIN: I'm good. I'm doing all right.
SANCHEZ: You're tough. You're tough.
BALDWIN: Thanks for your concern.
SANCHEZ: No, you are.
BALDWIN: One day off. Back on the job, friend.
SANCHEZ: Well done.
Here's the story. I mean, a lot of Americans are getting sick and they're getting sick because there's a lot of contaminated bad food out there.
BALDWIN: I know.
SANCHEZ: And we just got a new report. We've been telling you about the eggs, right, folks?
BALDWIN: Right.
SANCHEZ: And guess what, there's something else now. Something like 380,000 pounds?
BALDWIN: You got it. Deli meat.
SANCHEZ: Of meat?
BALDWIN: Deli meat. Who eats deli meat?
SANCHEZ: Tell me.
BALDWIN: This girl right here. We've been talking about that nationwide salmonella outbreak. By the way, I have news on that. Let me get to the meat, though, first. Contaminated food, I'm talking deli meat from Wal-Mart that could be contaminated with Listeria. That's according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This meat has originated from this company in Buffalo, New York. They're called Zimco Industries owned by Tyson Food. Tyson Food, huge food company.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: Recalling 380,000 pounds of deli meat from -- we want to be very clear on this. We're not talking individually-wrapped deli meat. I'm talking market-side grab and go sandwiches. Take a look. We're going to throw this up on the screen in case you bought some recently. I'm talking about ham and Swiss, Italian hero, roast beef and cheddar and smokehouse hero.
Look, Wal-Mart says you bought one, bring it back, we'll give you a full refund. The bacteria apparently was found in some sample that was taken from a store in Georgia. So far, no one has reported being sick.
Number two, let's talk eggs. That egg recall, we're not learning tonight the source of that salmonella outbreak traced to the feed, you know, the feed to the hens.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: That's where this whole thing came from. The FDA said today the feed could have been contaminated in a couple of different ways. Birds, rodents, people shoes, boots, walking around these farms. Meantime, the CDC said today the number of salmonella cases in the U.S. from May has now passed the 2,400 mark.
So I want to bring in somebody who probably is sitting there and listening to me talk about all of this and is not at all surprised. Did you see the film "Food, Inc."? Robert Kenner, he wrote, he directed it, which essentially, unlifted the veil, I think, perhaps is how he would put it. He's joining us from L.A. exposing the nation's food industry.
And, Robert, I want to get just right to the news tonight. I'm talking about deli meat. I'm talking about salmonella outbreaks. You just sit there and think, yes, that's what you get when you have an industrialized food nation?
ROBERT KENNER, DIRECTOR, "FOOD, INC.": Well, our food is changed more in the last 50 years probably than the last 1,000 years. When you go into a supermarket, you see pictures of farms but our food is really coming from giant factories, very centralized places of production. And so --
SANCHEZ: So why is that worse? Why is that different than the family farms that we grew up with? Take us through the tangible explanation, if you would, Robert.
KENNER: Yes. On one level, we're getting food cheaper than at any time in history so there are advantages on some levels. The disadvantages are when you're putting tens of thousands of hens into one building and you get one, you know, one hen that is sick, all of a sudden you're contaminating all the other hens. So you have the chance of, you know, many more contaminated eggs than if you had one small farm.
BALDWIN: But Robert -- as we're explaining these stories and we're seeing, you know, the headlines, how, though, do we change a culture? I mean, let's say we go out and we see "Food, Inc." and we say, ick, and I don't want to eat that chicken sandwich I was planning on for lunch. But the next day, it's sort of farther from mind. I mean, how do we change the way we eat permanently?
KENNER: Yes. One of the problems is that we are subsidizing food. The corn that goes for many of the animals is being subsidized with our tax dollars. The soy is going, you know, we're paying for it with our tax dollars and then we're paying for it later on because these foods are making us sick. So, that we need to be able to put small farmers and help small farmers so they're not at a disadvantage and they can operate on an equal footing. And we need to help support the smaller farmers again.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'll tell you, it's called "Food, Inc."
BALDWIN: It's called "Food, Inc."
SANCHEZ: It's a damn good documentary. I made my wife and kids -- well, I didn't make them. I sound like I'm a task master at home, but I did suggest to my wife and kids one day --
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- that we have to watch a documentary once a month. We chose his. We sat, we watched it, and we learned an awful lot.
BALDWIN: It's eye-opening.
SANCHEZ: Although, I must say, the next day I had a cheeseburger.
BALDWIN: I know. Look at you eating your pork barbecue every Wednesday afternoon. I mean, come on.
SANCHEZ: It's kind of -- well, I mean, you know, the whole system is based on an easy and cheap way to eat and it's what we do.
BALDWIN: Quantity versus quality. You want cheap and fast.
SANCHEZ: I'll tell you, Robert, it's tough but your information is solid. My thanks to you for being with us.
BALDWIN: Yes. Thanks, Robert.
SANCHEZ: We appreciate it.
KENNER: Thank you very much. SANCHEZ: When we come back, we're going to be letting you know exactly what's going on with the very latest. It's coming out of that area of Chile right now. There's a possibility that we might be able to see some video.
Also, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: Hospital officials are telling us that many of the nurses resorted to giving themselves IVs just to remain hydrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Some of the stuff that I did when I was in New Orleans. It's going to be five years this week.
BALDWIN: It's tough for you to look at the pictures, isn't it?
SANCHEZ: I've never gone back and looked at these pictures just like --
BALDWIN: Five years.
SANCHEZ: I was there on 9/11 when I saw the building come crashing down.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And I've never been able to return. I've never been able to revisit some of my stories that I did there. Just like I couldn't revisit the stuff from Katrina, either.
BALDWIN: It's still fresh.
SANCHEZ: It's too painful.
BALDWIN: It's haunting.
SANCHEZ: I mean, you wouldn't believe the stuff that we saw there. But some of these pictures we'll show it and we're going to bring that to you, as well.
Welcome back.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
This network, CNN, was honored with a distinguished George Foster Peabody Award. It's arguably the highest distinction that you can get in journalism for our coverage of Hurricane Katrina. It began one night while this reporter was on the air anchoring as I am right now, the hurricane coverage when I got a call from the vice president of Tulane University telling me that the levees had just broken. We thought the hurricane wasn't going to do as much damage as we suddenly learned it did. All hell she said was breaking loose in New Orleans.
A few days later, I was in New Orleans on a boat trying to help rescue people who were stuck in their attics. As I write about in my book, I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes hearing screams and wondering how many of them we didn't get a chance to save. This week marks five years. The video I'm about to show you, I've never seen. Too painful to relive until just today. My producer Michael Herd (ph) who travels with me and did then found and assembled this collection for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: According to the vice president of Tulane University Hospital, Karen Troyer Caraway (ph), who we just spoke to, there is a levee that has been breached.
(voice-over): For five days, tens of thousands of people have waited to be saved. For some, it was too late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A woman had a baby last night with no medical attention. The baby didn't make it. We're suffering.
SANCHEZ: This afternoon, help finally arrived. A row of amphibious vehicles loaded with relief supplies rolled through the bottom waters of downtown. Their destination, the convention center. There, armed national guardsmen filed past men, women and children in dire need of food, water and medicine.
(on camera): Meanwhile, the airlift and the bussing continues by the thousands. This is the latest group. They're from Tulane University Hospital. They've been stuck there for several days. They all come with their individual stories but none perhaps like this. Hospital officials are telling us that many of the nurses resorted to giving themselves IVs just to remain hydrated.
(voice-over): It is a mountainous mess. An estimated 22 million tons of garbage and refuse that residents are now returning home to.
(on camera): To get a sense of just how big a job this is, imagine if you would 200 football fields all of it stacked with trash, 50 feet high. That is what officials say they're dealing with here.
(voice-over): A full week after the hurricane brushed New Orleans, others are still waiting to be rescued.
(on camera): You want us to go out there and see if we can find her and bring her back to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, please.
SANCHEZ: What's her name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joyce Roll (ph).
SANCHEZ (voice-over): We joined paramedics as they look for Joyce Roll (ph) in a 17-foot airboat. But when we finally get to the place where she's supposed to be, she's not there.
We motor through the overpass, across I-10. Enter the city of New Orleans. We're told it's really bad here. We soon realize it's even worse than we imagined.
After patrolling for a full hour, there's a sign from above. National Guardsmen are signaling us in the direction of a building. We negotiate the debris in the water and countless cars left in the middle of the road. We pass a shopping center where locals say many perished. And finally, we spot the rooftop where the chopper was leading us. The white flag signals the way and brings us to the evacuees who we bring out one by one, all thankful to finally be out.
(on camera): What country are you from? China?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: China.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Turns out they're Chinese cooks from a nearby restaurant who were suddenly trapped after getting caught in the hurricane and subsequent flooding. They were desperate to get out.
Our return route is marked for evacuation, but our method is not how it was intended. It's a dangerous and complicated journey and this is why they do it.
(on camera): What are you going to do when you see your mommy and your daddy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, hug them.
SANCHEZ: You're going to hug them?
(voice-over): They do it so a scared little boy can eventually meet up with his parents. These men who are strangers to this town say they'll continue their missions of mercy until the last person who wants to get out is found.
(on camera): Good luck. Thank you. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: That's about nine or ten different stories that Michael Herd (ph) consolidated there to show you, you know, what it was like. And I'll tell you this straight out. Of all the stories that I have ever covered in my entire life as a journalist, Miami, around the world, around the country, Latin America, et cetera, et cetera, no story has had such an impact on me and will probably for the rest of my life as that one did, because of the stuff I saw, the frustrations I left with and some of the guilt that I still carry from those people who died.
Anyway, Larry King is joining me now. You know, you experience sometimes stuff like that, Larry. You know? Stuff that just kind of -- man, you've had a longer career than I have. I imagine there's stuff that's just --
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Yes, but not -- I didn't do much ever in my life outside studios. I mean, I did a lot of sports but I never, like --
SANCHEZ: Yes.
KING: I broadcast during a lot of hurricanes. I never went out in one to broadcast. And also, why do you have guilt?
SANCHEZ: Because there were so many people who died and I felt like if we maybe worked a little harder or if I commandeered a boat, I would have been able to get to them. And they died in their attics. They literally drowned. And I still sometimes hear their voices crying in the darkness and it's crazy. But it's one of those things. You know, it is funny. But it's one of those things.
You know, it's funny because -- I remember when I've been on your show in the past you always asked me, when I was doing a hurricane or something like that, you always say, Sanchez, why do you do this kind of stuff? Do you like covering these things?
You know it's funny, for a big part of my life and still to this day, I do. I like being in the thick of this kind of stuff.
KING: You and Anderson Cooper and Dan Rather. Dan Rather, we used to have him on in hurricanes hanging from trees.
SANCHEZ: Right. He used to tie himself.
KING: Submerged. Neck down. Anyway, this is a tough segue after what you just did. Jimmy Fallon is here tonight.
SANCHEZ: Sorry, sorry. But you can pull this off.
KING: Jimmy Fallon is the guest tonight, so that should be a lot of fun with him. Getting ready, he's going to host the Emmys Sunday night. We'll talk to him about that. We'll talk about Conan and Jay and Dave and "Saturday Night Live."
SANCHEZ: He tweeted. He tweeted us. He tweeted us. We got a tweet from James Fallon. You know why I call him James?
KING: James.
SANCHEZ: You know why?
KING: Why?
SANCHEZ: Watch. To the Twitter board we go. I am 'm heading to the television program "The Live Broadcast Show with Lawrence King," he tweets tonight.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Well, Richard, it's always good being with you.
KING: Thank you very much, Lawrence. RICK'S LIST is preempted tomorrow night, I should let you know. But tune in at 8:00 to see "Sudden Fury." Anderson Cooper takes you on Katrina's path and surveys the damage then and now.
We are going to be right back. I love talking to Larry. I'm just coming in tomorrow just to talk to him. Nah. I'll take a day off. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Look, it's no secret that many politicians like to be on stage. You've got to watch this. This is amazing. One guy takes his performance to a whole new level. Time now for "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
I want you to meet Chris Young. He's running for mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He's no stranger to local politics. He's run for several offices in years past.
Well, it appears he is not so good off the cuff. I want you watch how he handles -- first, a couple of videos here. Here's the first one. It's a pretty easy question from a local news anchor. Take it, Kel (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joining us this morning is Democratic candidate Chris Young. Thanks for being here this morning.
CHRIS YOUNG, RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN RHODE ISLAND: Thank you for having me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But first of all, tell me a little bit about why did you get into politics in the first place?
YOUNG: Well, I got into politics to bring attention to the issues that matter to the people of the state of Rhode Island, including issues of poverty and inequality within our society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: OK. So he has to read his notes to tell her why he's getting into politics. Maybe he's not so good at remembering the talking points but he's pretty comfortable with something else -- song lyrics. Watch what happens next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS YOUNG, RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN RHODE ISLAND: Sing it for you. To the rich man stands in his house high upon the hill. The chains that bind you the flames surround you for the price you haven't seen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really appreciate you coming in and serenading me this morning. I didn't realize that you --
YOUNG: Next time, our guitarist could come in, it would be great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That would be great. I didn't realize that you --
YOUNG: He's right out in the lobby if you want to have him in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that's really nice of you. I'm afraid we're out of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Is he done yet? They're out there -- we could do it again but with guitars. His band was ready to go. He really had his band out in the lobby. And now with the sweet serenade like that, you got to think well, Chris Young, this guy is going after the female vote.
Watch what he does the very next night. Now he's debating his opponents and watch what he does in the middle of a debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS YOUNG, RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN RHODE ISLAND: So I want to say to Cara, will you please marry me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's what he did. Romeo. His girlfriend said, yes, by the way.
But here's the deal. Here's the deal with this one, right? Young later said the proposal is only good if he wins the election. So if he doesn't win, he doesn't want to marry her. But if he wins, then he wants to marry her.
Sounds like a stunt, right? We asked him about that. He told us this is not a stunt. He's serious about his plans. Really. This is how he gets voters to understand where he stands on the issues. Bizarre. Politics is looking more and more like a circus these days. There are just more proof. Chris Young, topping our list, "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
Just ahead, you think this guy is allowed in the carpool lane? Oh, dear. The video that you've just got to see in "Fotos." And there's more. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: You know the expression, right? Pass the buck. One of our iReporters is giving that famous saying a new spin. Here's where you help us with the news. Time for "Fotos."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.
SANCHEZ: Who says you've got to strap these things on the hood? No. Check out the video from an iReporter passing a guy on the highway with the backseat full of buck. Yes. He's buckled up. Back there. Huh!
By the way, look at this. You think you're a fan of a Miss Universe pageant? Well, you've got nothing on these guys. When the Miss Universe pageant recently aired this group of excitable Filipino guys, they get very, very worked up over whether Miss Philippines is going to make the cut in one of the events. Wish he had a camera in the room when Miss Mexico won. These guys are really excited. Anyway, let's move on, shall we?
By now, everyone has seen this viral video of a British woman allegedly trapping her neighbor's cat in a dumpster. The clip took the media by storm infuriated animal lovers. The world over. Right?
Well guess what? The cat is back and he wants revenge. Check out this new viral video. It's a cat giving a woman a taste of her own medicine. The cat's now going to take the old lady and he's going to put her inside that dumpster and then he's going to close the dumpster and teach her what it's like to feel like a cat who's been thrown into a dumpster.
There you go. Bye, bye, Sylvester. That's "Fotos."
You can see it for yourself, by the way, at CNN.com/RickSanchez.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.
SANCHEZ: Here's the very latest on the story that we've been following for you tonight. We've been talking to Karl Penhaul all night long and there is a possibility that family members have been talking to their loved ones through videotape that has just been taken out. It's about 25 minutes of videotape we understand. It has messages on it, and it also actually has pictures from inside that cave underground. So, when those videos are released, we here at CNN will talk to Karl, acquire them, go back to Karl, get the very latest information and then turn that around for you.
We're committed to bringing you the very latest on this story, given the fact that so many people not just here in the United States but around the world are following it to see what is going on. As we get that, we'll share it with you.
Meanwhile, as far as RICK'S LIST go, I want you to know that tomorrow night we are going to be preempted. Well, actually, I'm taking a day off. Doing three shows these days. But I want you to tune in at 8:00 because we're going to have something special for you given it's a five-year anniversary of everything that's been going on. Anderson Cooper is going to take you on Katrina's path and he's going to survey the damage then and now. I hope you watch. We look forward to seeing you on Monday, nonetheless.
I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll be looking for you. Here now, my favorite conversationalist with a man named "James" tonight as his special guest. That's our show. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
