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Rick's List

Roger Clemens Indicted; Fire at Tennessee Islamic Center

Aired August 30, 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: We have got breaking news, John. And we're going to be bringing you the details of this in just a little bit.

It's a complicated story, but it has to do with, listen to this, they have found on this plane, cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones wrapped, several watches wrapped together, box cutters, three large knives, all this from Alabama eventually to go to Washington, D.C. and then it was going to go on to Dubai and Yemen.

But the two suspects were on a plane from Chicago O'Hare all the way to Germany. Now, this is what makes this story so interesting. We have got FBI experts on it. We have got our own correspondents on it. Stay right there, because as we get this information, we're going to bring it to you.

Here's what else we got on the LIST tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): It's prime time, and here's what's making the list. More than a half a century of experience covering hurricanes, here on RICK'S LIST and here we go again, Earl.

ROGER CLEMENS, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH.

SANCHEZ: Roger Clemens accused of being a cheater in more ways than one and now arraigned, charged with six felonies. We're on it.

CAMIE AYASH, SPOKESWOMAN, ISLAMIC CENTER OF MURFREESBORO: This incident has really raised the fear factor for everyone.

SANCHEZ: A fire at an Islamic center in Tennessee, it's not an accident. It is about hate.

President Obama calls them out -- what he says about those who call

And all this for glasses? Really? Glasses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: All right, let's begin the story by letting you know that we have got two developing stories that we are going to be getting to. Chad Myers standing by. Chad is going to join me in just a little bit. The news there is that Earl its now a Category 4. New update coming from the folks down at the National Hurricane Center. And soon as we get that update from Chad we will break the news and let you know what the latest is on the models and what the projections are for this storm. Obviously that is very important information.

But I think this story that I am about to share with you actually trumps that one. Here is the very latest. It appears two men have now been picked up in Amsterdam. CNN confirming these two men have been arrested. Their names -- and this is according to ABC -- are Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, and Hezem al Murisi.

Now, here is what is interesting about al Soofi. Apparently, he was set to board a plane. This plane was going to taking off from Birmingham, Alabama, eventually going to Chicago, and Washington.

Now, follow this map that I have got there for you. Follow me if you possibly can, all right? It was going to start in Birmingham, Alabama, then go to Chicago, then go back to Washington, then eventually go to Dubai, and then to Yemen.

But somehow he didn't end up on the plane but his luggage did. His luggage did. And that's why this is important. Let me read to you now -- see if we have got that full screen of what was found on that luggage, inside that luggage, and inside the plane. And now start asking yourself how is it possible that a plane with this stuff on it was able to take off? Good question.

Let me take you through this. A cell phone that was taped to a Pepto-Bismol, three cell phones that were taped together, several watches that were taped together, a box cutter, and three large knives.

And, now, the second part of the story, as I bring it to you, has to do with the fact that these two men, apparently, neither one of them was on that flight. The flight was diverted, but here is what is interesting. The two men did make it on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, where we understand that they have been picked up.

Jeanne Meserve is joining us now to bring us up to date on what she has been learning from Homeland Security.

And, Jeanne, pick is up for us. There is going to be a lot of questions being asked out there, first of which is how did this plane take off with all of this stuff on it and when did they eventually find out that it was on there and did they turn the plane around?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, there are a lot of unanswered questions here.

Right now there are many things that are a mystery. I can tell you that CNN has talked to a number of sources who say the federal government is not particularly ramped up about this situation. But we don't have all the facts yet. We don't know exactly how much the federal government knows at this point. So let me tell you where we are at this point. Yes, Dutch authorities confirmed that these two men were taken into custody at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, after getting off a United flight which originated in Chicago and they were arrested according to an airport spokesman at the request of the Netherlands National Detective Department.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security has come out with a statement this evening that sheds a little bit of light on the situation. Let me read that.

It says: "Suspicious items were located in checked luggage associated with these two passengers on United Flight 908 from Chicago O'Hare to Amsterdam last night. The items were not deemed to be dangerous in and of themselves. And, as we share information with our international partners, Dutch authorities were notified of the suspicious items. This matter continues to be under investigation."

Now, you laid out, Rick, all the items that ABC News reported that these individuals or one of them had in his luggage. I am told by a law enforcement official that many of the details being reported right now are based more in rumor than on fact.

What this law enforcement official tells me is that there was an X-ray of the luggage of the individual who was traveling from Birmingham, and in that luggage they found some cell phones strapped to bottles of medicinal liquid.

These are not prohibited items. And, so, this individual was allowed to fly. The individual was however put through secondary screening before he got on that flight from Birmingham.

What is a little bit more problematic here, perhaps, is the fact that the luggage was going someplace different from these men. We don't know how or why that happened. We are still trying to get that answer. And I suspect the federal government is trying to get that answer, too, Rick.

SANCHEZ: By the way that plane was supposed to go from Birmingham, Alabama, I guess to Chicago, then to Dulles Airport in Washington, and eventually it was going to head on to Dubai and eventually to Yemen.

I understand it was turned back at Dulles, right? They brought that plane back. They didn't let it take off for Dubai, did they?

MESERVE: Rick, I do not have that information from our reporting. So, I can't either confirm that or otherwise.

SANCHEZ: That is OK.

Now, going back to some of this stuff on the plane, you say that your sources are saying that there is some information relating to cell phones that were taped together with some medicinal bottle. But there are also reports -- and, again, I'm going to going to attribute this to ABC News -- three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives.

That's the rest of the information. When you combine that with the fact that this plane was traveling, according to ABC News, with that stuff on there, but without a passenger who would claim those items, that's when it becomes I imagine an alarming situation or a potentially alarming situation, right, Jeanne?

MESERVE: Well, the box cutters and the knives, keep in mind that if those items were involved, and we don't know from our reporting that they were, they were in a checked piece of luggage. They were not on a passenger.

What might be potentially more concerning is the idea of there being some sort of liquid. Lord only knows what it might have been. Apparently, it wasn't explosive, or this individual wouldn't have been allowed on the plane.

But here is another issue of concern. There is supposed to be 100 percent baggage match. When you get on an international flight they're supposed to verify that every piece of luggage is associated with an individual on that flight. Apparently the two split up. Luggage went one way. The men went another way. I think that's one of the really big outstanding questions here as to how that system broke down, whether or not these were actual threat items.

SANCHEZ: Hey, Jeanne, let me bring in Tom Fuentes. Maybe he can give us a little -- share some light into this conversation as we try and work through it ourselves, because it certainly is interesting.

Tom, what do you make of the fact that there are these reports that this stuff may have been on this plane? And are you as troubled as Jeanne and I are by the possibility that this stuff was on the plane, but not claimed or not registered to a passenger who was on that specific flight?

Are you asking yourself as well, well, how did this flight take off like that then?

TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Rick.

I think the question is did the flight actually take off with the luggage that didn't have a passenger matched to it? When you board a plane the luggage is already being put on aircraft before the people even get on the plane. So, it is only after all of the passengers have boarded a flight are they able to determine that the passengers for certain pieces of luggage aren't on the flight.

And I have actually been on planes like that where they have prevented the plane from taking off, had everybody get off the plane while they took the luggage off to make the match.

SANCHEZ: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Well, we know this. The flight originated in Birmingham, Alabama. So, it would have...

(CROSSTALK)

FUENTES: Yes, we know that it did.

And it did -- they did find those items that were taped together and the passenger that they matched to. And as Jeanne mentioned, none of those items are contraband. And there is -- it's highly suspicious the way they packed them. Most people don't tape their luggage together or cell phones to medicinal bottles in their luggage, but in and of itself, you know, the machinery that looks for suspicious items found suspicious items.

The fact that they didn't have explosives, they would not trip an explosive detector, and they went through secondary screening, and as they found no record and no indication that they were on any of the threat lists that are out there, all you have is a couple of guys or one guy in particular packing -- unusually packing his items.

SANCHEZ: Jeanne, back to you. Are we sure, or do your sources confirm, that these two guys have been picked up there in Amsterdam and are prosecutors saying they have picked them up as, what, persons of interests, targets or suspects?

MESERVE: We do know from the Dutch authorities that they were arrested. As to charges we know nothing about that.

We did have a conversation with one FBI official who said to his knowledge no one has been charged in Amsterdam, no one has been charged in the U.S., but this hasn't played out to the end yet. I am sure that this investigation is ongoing. And if there are no charges at this point in time that does not mean they might not be forthcoming.

It also doesn't mean that when the investigation is completed these two guys may be cleared and walk away completely innocent. We just don't know yet how it's going to turn out.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: I get that. And you know what? You're absolutely right. Unfortunately, we live in times when people see situations like this, certainly dealing with international flights, and we become at least concerned enough to try and learn as much as we can. And that's why we have you and that's why we have Tom.

And if either one of you guys learns anything else detail wise about this information, as we go through it here ourselves, let us know. And we will come back to the story immediately. So, we have got another 49 minutes in this newscast. As we work our way through it, we will hopefully be able to shed some light on the story. And we will definitely update it before the end of the hour.

We also have breaking news now with Hurricane Earl, now a Category 4. Chad is standing by. We are going to get a break in right now. And when we come back, Chad is going to update us on the latest advisory that he has gotten from the folks down at the National Hurricane Center. Now, remember, the advisory previous to that one, the one around 4:00, upped this thing to a Category 4. We're not talking about 150-mile-an-hour hurricane.

Also ahead on our controversy list, who is to blame for those contaminated eggs that made people sick? You are not going to believe what the egg industry is saying, what they're saying, who they are saying is responsible for this. You might be taken aback somewhat.

Also, a couple of stars at last night's Emmy Awards got a little raw on stage. And we got the highlights. This is your national conversation in prime time. We're checking tweets. As they make news, we will bring it to you as well. RICK'S LIST back in a jiff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right, I want to take you through a series of pictures, satellite shots, and also tweets.

First tweet from Coast Guard. Take a look at this if we possibly can. The Coast Guard is now saying, "The Coast Guard is urging preparation for Hurricane Earl, urging preparation for Hurricane Earl."

A couple of things I want to talk you through. First, some of the videos, all right? This is the video that we have got coming in, some of this from iReporters. This is from different parts of the Caribbean. As we show you these pictures, you can see how some of these islands are being affected.

And Chad is going to tell you in a minute, none of these islands are getting a direct hit at this point, by the way. This is just the waters off of the coast of these islands. Now, let's put the loop up and let me show you what the storm looks like, just so you can see how big this thing is, with a very, as Chad will always say, well-defined eye.

What does this all mean when you put it together? I'm not going to tell you, but I'm going to let Chad tell you.

What is going on here, Chad? I know the latest advisory said this guy is now a Category 4. That starts getting into the monstrous level for hurricanes.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And it is getting -- going to get bigger.

SANCHEZ: Really?

MYERS: It's 135. Forecast is for 150 -- 156 is Category 5. OK? So, we are six miles an hour from a Cat 5 here in about 24 hours as it moves to the east of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, still no landfall, still no landfall.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MYERS: It's not hitting any islands yet.

SANCHEZ: And no expected landfall yet.

Don't go so fast.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Yes. I wish I could say it and mean it.

MYERS: Because every day now the computer models have been changing their mind to the west.

SANCHEZ: Damn it.

MYERS: Every day last week it was missing Bermuda, east of Bermuda. Over the weekend started shifting farther to the left, because it wasn't making that turn. Make the turn. Make the turn. Make the turn. It wasn't doing it. Computer models are going, if it doesn't make the turn yet, maybe it is not going to. And then they kept moving it, moving it, moving it.

Now, literally in the last 10 minutes, I have a computer model that brings it right onshore to Cape Hatteras.

SANCHEZ: Show us the map, because I think this is affecting people all over the Eastern part of the United States.

MYERS: I'm going to show you something that I don't think you're going to see anyplace else.

SANCHEZ: I'm going to come over here and hang out with you. OK?

MYERS: You love talking about computer models.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MYERS: Nobody ever shows you one ugly computer model on TV. I figured if we are going to do ugly I am going to do it on your show and you are going to appreciate it, because this is what a computer model looks like. A couple missing frames, but whatever.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: This is just a -- this is a random model that I picked, but now, there is the storm. And right there is Cape Hatteras.

But watch. Here it is. Down here, here it is. The computer is thinking, where am I going, where am I going? Right over Cape Hatteras and right over Cape Cod.

SANCHEZ: But what is interesting is prior to this that you've just shown me, every other model you've shown me has it over here.

MYERS: Absolutely, way out here. All day, all week, last week, way out there in the middle of the Atlantic.

SANCHEZ: So now we're seeing one model at least. And one does not make -- does not a storm contact or point make, right?

MYERS: I know what you meant.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: This is one, one of many. That's the only one that brings it onshore. But it's the latest one that we have. Typically we think, the later and the farther out you get the closer these models are going to get because their cone of uncertainty is smaller, right, because you are closer to making landfall.

SANCHEZ: Right. Right. Right.

MYERS: Let's hope this doesn't make landfall because this is just a beast. There it is right there. There's the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vieques. And there is Puerto Rico right there getting lashed with these north winds at 100 miles per hour here. Waves on the north shore of Puerto Rico must be amazing right now.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Even before it gets to us, you have got the Turks and Caicos -- sorry about that.

MYERS: It's all right.

SANCHEZ: You have got the Turks and Caicos over here. You have got the Bahamas over there. We don't want this thing to hit those little islands at 150, 156 miles an hour.

MYERS: Because it's going to get overwashed. We are forecasting 35-foot waves. How high do you think those Bahama islands are?

SANCHEZ: Not at all.

MYERS: Like this, a bunch of sand in the way.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: It's on a continental shelf.

MYERS: Right, but some -- some coral islands, but mostly just sand beaches. And so, the forecast, here is the islands. Missing them. There they are. But the forecast still, now, for that left side of the cone to possibly make landfall.

Could you imagine a landfall at Wilmington, driving straight up over Virginia Beach, just to the right of Richmond, over Washington, D.C., and then to New York, and then to Boston? Could you imagine the people, the number, the millions of people that could be affected by that compared to over here, right side of the eye, right side of that cone, no issues whatsoever? SANCHEZ: So all we can do is cross our fingers. When do -- do we have any sense yet of when we will be seeing what? Put me off the coast of Charleston. When would that be?

MYERS: I think this is Wednesday afternoon into Thursday.

SANCHEZ: Wednesday, two days from now.

MYERS: Monster waves, another big story. Even if this is out here, I don't care where it goes. If it is out there, great. There is going to be deaths this weekend because of rip currents.

SANCHEZ: Right.

MYERS: I'm telling you right now, you need to keep your kids out of the water, because this is going to be ridiculous. You are going to pound all of this water onshore over the sandbars. And then that sandbar is going to break, not breaking where you are swimming. You're doing fine. That sandbar breaks and that water goes that way, dangerous rip currents if nothing else.

SANCHEZ: You've got another advisory coming up in...

MYERS: Forty minutes.

SANCHEZ: ... 40 minutes.

Let me know soon as you get it. All right? Thanks. Appreciate it. Talk to you in just a bit.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Go ahead, Kell. Show that video, if you would, as we go into this next segment. I want to show you what we are talking about now. Look at this, all right? These are new pictures that we just got coming in. This is -- well, you know what the East Coast is expecting. But these are from the areas that we were just describing.

This is the U.S. Virgin Islands, folks. I believe this one is what, Andreas (ph), Saint Thomas? Saint Thomas from an iReporter watching us there now and just sent us this.

We want to thank James for sending us this video. We are going to stay on top of this. And obviously as we get more information, we are going to -- I hope -- I have got a lot of friends in the Bahamas. I have got a lot of friends in those islands as well growing up in South Florida.

I hope the storm is not a direct hit on any of those places, because it would be -- it could be, not would be, but it could be catastrophic.

All right, here are some of the other stories that are stirring controversy on this night. Number five, the egg industry is now blaming consumers for getting sick. That's right. You heard it right. It's your own damn fault you got sick because you ate eggs without cooking them or cooking out the salmonella.

Here's a quote, in fact. This was on "USA Today." Let me read this to you. What they are saying is, "Consumers that were sickened reportedly all ate eggs that were not properly or thoroughly cooked. Eggs need to be cook, so that the whites and the yolks are not runny, which should kill any bacteria." That's from the United Egg Producers.

Another spokesperson agrees. "All the responsibility cannot be placed on the farmer. Somewhere along the line, consumers have to be responsible for what they put into their bodies."

So, Rocky was wrong. But I digress.

The U.S. government agrees. It is safest to make sure that your eggs are cooked all the way through. However, they also say food safety advocates say the industry is just passing the blame. They suggest, raw or not eggs, should be safe in the first place. So, we have got a lot of controversy on the story. We will continue to follow all sides.

Here, watch this. A new study that a lot of people are going to have problems with, but I will read it to you. Researchers at the University of Texas say, you will live longer if you drink moderately, longer in fact than if you don't drink at all. Say what? They say you will live a longer life if you are a moderate drinker. Next longest life, teetotalers, and then the first to die, heavy drinkers. This is a 20-year student, by the way, which brings us to controversy number three.

More than 3,000 Mexican federal police have been fired. We followed the Mexican government's Twitter account. They tweeted this just today. Three million, pardon me (SPEAKING SPANISH). That's 3,200 people were fired by the police federal (SPEAKING SPANISH) as part of (SPEAKING SPANISH) its strategy to revise (SPEAKING SPANISH) to essentially purify the federal police department in Mexico.

That's directly from the Mexican government. There is the tweet. We saw that. We thought you should know. They're being let go they say for corruption and for incompetence as a result of an internal probe that has been going on now since May. And there is more -- 465 of them are being charged with crimes now, charged officially. In all, the fired officers account for about 9 percent of the entire force, this as Mexico battles a deadly drug war that is raging right up to the U.S. border.

Here is number two. A Mormon lay bishop and a father of six is shot and killed in his church by a man who later got into a gunfight with police. This happened yesterday -- 42-year-old Clay Sannar was in his church office in Visalia, California. He was doing paperwork in between services when a gunman walks in. His name is Kenneth James Ward. He walks in and shoots him -- 20 minutes later, Ward calls police and tells them where they could find him.

When police track him down, a gunfight breaks out and police killed Ward. The killer's brother is telling reporters that Ward was mentally ill and felt he had been shunned to hell -- quote -- "shunned to hell" by the church back in late 1980s.

Ahead here on the LIST: Paris Hilton is in trouble again. Did she tell a little white lie about a little white powder police say they found on her?

Then there's this on the people list. Why is the mosque the most controversial topic of the day? It is nowhere near New York City. I will show you. You're watching RICK'S LIST. We are in prime time. And we have got so much news tonight we don't know what to do with it. But we will keep bringing it. Stay right there, all news, no bloviating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: So I gave you the biggest controversies in the news so far, number five, number four, number three, number two. What is number one?

Here we go. Our number one controversy tonight, fire at an Islamic cultural center. Somebody tried to burn equipment at the center which was already at the center of a contentious debate. The Islamic center of Murfreesboro has been in the town for about a decade now. But plans to expand to a bigger site, which include a mosque, as well a school, a recreation area and a cemetery, have caused problems. And those plans have provoked a national debate.

Saturday morning, somebody set fire to a construction vehicle and damaged three other vehicles at the new mosque site. The FBI, along with the ATF and the sheriff's office are investigating. They're working under the theory that the fire was set deliberately by somebody who was against this Islamic center.

Now, Essam Fathy is a chairman of the planning committee for this Islamic center. He is telling me there was no controversy there in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, until the mosque debate in New York City stirred things up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESSAM FATHY, CHAIRMAN, ISLAMIC CENTER PLANNING COMMITTEE: Murfreesboro has proved to be a very peaceful place for Muslims for quite some time.

Prior to this incident, there was opposition since we had the approval of the site plan. Before we had the approval of this site plan for our new mosque...

SANCHEZ: Right.

FATHY: ... there was no opposition. There was nobody voicing any opposition to the Islamic center.

SANCHEZ: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: By the way, I want to bring something else to your attention, just a programming note, OK? I have just gotten from my producers this information, that Nic Robertson is going to be joining us in just a little bit. As you know, he's one of our chief international correspondents. He has got a lot of details confirmed now as to what is going on with these two suspected, these two potentially suspected terrorists, shall I say that have been picked up in Europe after flying there from Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

So, stand by. I'm going to be bringing you that in just a little bit.

Meanwhile, now to our list of people making news tonight. Number one, celebrity wannabe Paris Hilton. That's right. Hilton and her rumored boyfriend, Cy Waits, were stopped on the Las Vegas strip Friday night when police smelled marijuana coming from the SUV that they were in.

Waits was arrested. Hilton was taken by officer to a restroom, where she opened her purse and police say a small bag of cocaine fell out. That led to her arrest and this mug shot. Do we have it? There it is. Hilton and her lawyer claim the purse and the cocaine in it were not hers, even though the cash, credit cards and the rolling papers found inside the purse were hers.

One more thing, when she was shown the coke, police said Hilton told them she thought it was gum. She now faces a felony drug possession charge and will be arraigned in October. She tweeted this last night. I'll share it with you. Quote, "I am so thankful to all of my fans for all the love and support that you are giving me. Thank you all. Love you so much."

Here now, "People" controversy number two. Ricky Gervais and George Clooney had heads turning at the 62nd annual prime time Emmy Awards. Clooney was presented with a humanitarian award but during his acceptance speech he had some criticism for the audience and for himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: When a disaster happens, everybody wants to help. Everybody in this room wants to help. Everybody at home wants to help. The hard part is seven months later, five years later, we're on to a new story. And honestly, we fail at that, most of the time. That's the facts. I fail at that. So, here's hoping that some very bright person, right here in the room or at home watching, can help find a way to keep the spotlight burning on these heartbreaking situations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Here now, Ricky Gervais having a go as they say at Mel Gibson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICKY GERVAIS, ACTOR: Hello. Me again. I am going to keep it short and sweet this time, and clean. I'm saving all the really offensive stuff for the Golden Globes.

Mel Gibson, come on. No, come on. I'm not going to have a go at him. He's been through a lot. Not as much as the Jews, to be fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Next on the list among the stories that we're going to bring you. Pitching great, Roger Clemens in federal court. I'm going to tell you why he is the number one person that is making headlines on this night.

Also, stand by, we've just made a -- established contact with Nic Robertson, one of our top international correspondents. He said he's got some new details on this -- this potentially suspected terrorist duo that has been apprehended there in Europe. We'll bring you that story in just a little bit. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. We keep lists. And I want to get now to the number one person making news on this night. We gave you the other four. Here we go.

Number one, Roger Clemens. The baseball pitching legend pleading not guilty to charges that he lied to Congress when back in 2008 he told a House committee that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.

Clemens appeared today in a Washington, D.C. courtroom. The trial, by the way, could begin this spring. Just about the same time that home run king, Barry Bonds, is expected to be tried, tied to perjury and obstruction of justice in California. If convicted, Clemens once destined to be in tried in Cooperstown, could find himself imprisoned for up to two years.

All right, let me bring you up to date now with the very latest. Our senior international correspondent is Nic Robertson. He's been drilling down on the story that we told you about moments ago. Again, two men, apparently have been picked up. The men picked up in Europe. Originated their flight from Chicago's O'Hare airport. But it's not so much about the men. For those of you who just may now be joining us, the men are being questioned about some stuff that was found to be very questionable that was on some luggage that may have originated in Birmingham, Alabama. As we work this way through the story, let me bring Nic in. Nic, you've talked to your sources. What are you learning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ahmed al Soofi (ph) is one of the men. Hezem al Murisi (ph) is the other man. Both taken into Dutch police custody after they landed from that United Airlines flight plane from Chicago. As you say what is of interest here, extreme interest was what was in some of the luggage that between these two men they were traveling with. Plastic bottles with cell phones strapped to them. Plastic bottles with watches strapped to them. And what is also interesting here is that this baggage didn't travel on the same flight that they traveled on. Some of it appears to have ended up at Dulles Airport.

What well-placed U.S. sources, U.S. sources are telling me is that these items were never a danger to the public because there were no explosives in there. But what they indicate are devices that you might expect would be terrorists to be using if they had been filled with explosives for example. You only have to think back to the liquid explosives plot that was attempted to be perpetrated from Britain, flying multiple different aircrafts into the United States and Canada, where the would-be attackers there planned to use liquid explosives on board an aircraft to blow holes in the fuselage.

SANCHEZ: Well, Nic, here's what --

ROBERTSON: Here's the difference. But here's the big difference.

SANCHEZ: Go ahead.

ROBERTSON: Here's the big difference, Rick. Back then that was hand luggage. This time these items have been in the checked baggage. And that's what's ringing alarm bells right now.

This is a change in pattern. What were they doing? Is this a dry run? Are they attempting to see if they can prove that you can get away with doing this sort of thing? Did they get cold feet? Or is it just to scare us? Is it just to say, hey, what, Al Qaeda and all their sympathizers are now putting items in checked luggage? And obviously, this is what's the investigators are going to drill down on.

SANCHEZ: But here's what gets really confusing. And you're right, and that's the question I was about to ask you. You just mentioned to our viewers that this may have been a trial run, for example. And by the way, we don't know this. This is obviously one of the questions that's going to be asked by some of the federal officials as they start investigating the story. But we've got a map now that we have.

Kel (ph), see if you can bring back that map that we showed just at the beginning of the show. Look how many different cities, both internationally and in the United States are affected by this. You see Chicago there, and you see Amsterdam, right? That's where the men flew from. Apparently they flew from Chicago to Amsterdam.

Now look at the bottom of your screen, just under Chicago. You see there, Birmingham, Alabama. All right. I put Birmingham, Alabama, on the screen because that's apparently where the flight originated with these things that we were talking about. Supposedly the cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle. Three cell phones taped together. Several watches taped together, maybe three large knives or box cutters. Now that was on the luggage that left from -- stay with me here -- Birmingham, Alabama to Washington's Dulles Airport. Eventually it was going to go to Dubai and then it was going to move on to Yemen. It didn't make it to Dubai. It was turned back, right, Nic? Apparently they started realizing that this stuff was on there. But it did fly apparently from Birmingham to Washington with that stuff on it.

What are your sources saying to explain how something like that could happen? And is that a breakdown in security at this point?

ROBERTSON: They're saying it's not a breakdown in security. That they knew these items were there. That they had found them. That they found that they were harmless. Then there was no explosives involved. And look, you know, there are a lot of potential terror plots out there. And this is something that investigators worldwide have to work with all the time. And if you have something, something that tells you that somebody you're now watching, perhaps you didn't know about them before. You can now trail them and watch them. They're not carrying something that's dangerous, but you can trail them and watch them, see who they talk to, see who they make phone calls to. You want to do it for a limited period. You don't want to let them get out of your sight. Perhaps that's why the Dutch decided to arrest them in Amsterdam.

Again, we're in the realm of speculation here, Rick, so we're going to be really careful.

SANCHEZ: No, I understand.

ROBERTSON: But you're not going to -- you're going to see where this runs. If they're not carrying something dangerous, then let's see the next steps that they take. And that maybe what we've been witnessing here. We may also find out there had been mistakes made, that the bags ended up in Dulles and should never have been separated from these men, even if there's nothing dangerous as we've been told actually contained.

SANCHEZ: Well described. Well reported. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us live. Nic -- Nic Robertson, thank you, Nic. We appreciate -- appreciate your time.

Next, I'm going to tell you what Barack Obama said to make him the number one story on today's political list. Politics is what we take you through next. Stay right there. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. Progressives as you know, want the president to come out swinging to directly answer his critics. In fact, some are even saying, does this president have a pulse?

Well, he seemed to exhibit a pulse over the weekend when asked by NBC's Brian Williams about the recent poll that shows 18 percent of Americans believe here, the president, is a Muslim. This is worth listening to. And it's the number one story tonight on our political list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The facts are the fact, right? And so we went through some of this during the campaign. You know, there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly. We dealt with this when I was first running for the U.S. Senate. We dealt with it when we were first running for the presidency. There were those who said I couldn't win as U.S. senator because I had a funny name. And yet we ended up winning that Senate seat in Illinois because I trusted in the American people's capacity to get beyond all this nonsense.

BRIAN WILSON, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": What does it say to you? Does it say anything about your communications or the effectiveness of your opponents to --

OBAMA: Well, look, Brian, I would say that I can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, the president answered those critics. And he also said that given what we've been through and or going through economically, quote, "It is not surprising that somebody like Glenn Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country."

Is he sharpening up for the midterm elections? Gearing up for a political battle? Ready to take off the gloves as progressives want him to? Well, here's uber-progressive Paul Krugman, the Nobel winning economist who writes today in his column in the "New York Times," quote, "My guess is that the president will continue to play it safe all the way into catastrophe."

There you have it. By the way, why would a newspaper call the first lady of France a prostitute? That's just one of the stories on my list of what is trending on this night. That's coming up on your national conversation here.

We're in prime time. This is it, RICK'S LIST. We keep a list for you. In fact, many of them. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: At the beginning of the newscast, you guys watched Chad and I have this discussion about Hurricane Earl. And a lot of you have been tweeting this question. Let me read you one version of this question that has come in many forms tonight. Here we go.

"Hurricane Earl, no one said anything about Haiti yet. Will Haiti get hammered?" There's a lot of concern about Haiti. They went through an earthquake. Is it possible that this storm could affect them?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Don't think so.

SANCHEZ: No?

MYERS: No. It would have to do a big hard left turn. We've been hoping for the right turn for a long time. Now there's a chance because of the circulation coming around it that one or two little squalls may come in Port-au-Prince, you know, but it's not --

SANCHEZ: All right.

MYERS: It's in the inch of rain (ph).

SANCHEZ: An advisory --

MYERS: And they need it.

SANCHEZ: And your advisory should be coming any moment now.

MYERS: ASAP.

SANCHEZ: If there's big news, let us know.

MYERS: I'll jump up and down. Hold my breath.

SANCHEZ: You're funny like that. Appreciate it.

Social media is the new model which is bringing us together, helping us find the middle and avoid the shouting.

You notice it's how we do this newscast. It's also what my book is about. My new book is called "Conventional Idiocy." And I wanted to let you know that it's coming out next week. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Time to check and see what's trending on our list. Brooke Baldwin is off on this night, so let me take you through some of the stories that are being talked about on the Internet.

Vice President Joe Biden surprise visit to Iraq. He arrived earlier today to take part in what the White House is calling the change of command and change of mission ceremony. The ceremony takes place Wednesday. Tomorrow, as you know, marks the official end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. Official end that is. That means there will be less than 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and the U.S. will be one step closer to fulfilling its promise of, having all of the U.S. forces out by the end of 2011.

According to the White House, the vice president plans to spend his time in Iraq, urging Iraqi leaders to finalize negotiations and finally form their new effective government.

Now, to the first lady of France, Carla Bruni. She's been called a lot of things before, but a prostitute? Yes, that's the latest and it comes from a state-run newspaper in Iran. The paper, "Kayhan," used the word in the headline of an article that singles Bruni out. The headline reads "French prostitutes" -- that they use an even more determined word, are talking about human rights. And the article criticizes Bruni for supporting the Iranian woman who has been sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery. The article specifically accuses Bruni of being a corrupt Italian actress and singer who succeeded in destroying the Sarkozy family and marry the French president. And it accuses Bruni of now having an affair with another singer. All this in an Iranian newspaper.

We have not heard any response yet from Bruni, by the way. But the "AP' is reporting the attack in the Iranian paper is in response to an open letter that Bruni recently wrote supporting the Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned. We should also note the woman sentenced has been put on hold at least for now.

What would you do for a great pair of designer sunglasses? We're going to show you one robber's smashing idea. Plus, the latest pet craze in China. Coloring your canine. What? Video you've got to see to believe. That's next, as we prepare for Larry King. "Fotos," up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. One burglar gives new meaning to the term breaking and entering. Cue "Fotos."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.

SANCHEZ: OK, here we go. Who needs high-tech glass cutters when you have a two by four? Store cameras caught this guy smashing and grabbing his way through a sunglass store in Cincinnati. Police say he made off with about 100 pairs, some worth 500 bucks or more. No arrests yet. But a word of advice, those shades may be hard to sell after they've been pummeled by a large piece of wood. Just saying.

My thanks to one of my tweets, by the way, for letting me know that's a burglar not a robber.

Now a major meltdown for a minor league manager. After arguing a call with an umpire, Gary Robinson, the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates farm team, he gets thrown out of the game. That's when he loses it. I mean, loses it.

Not content just to kick dirt on the home plate, Robinson uses his hands to cover it completely. But he's not done yet, oh, no. Here he goes. On to first, where he literally steals the base. Take it, go ahead, it's hard to get. Yes, there you go. Good job. And then he comes out with a Sharpee, never seen this one before. Who saw that coming? He signs the base and hands it to a kid in the crowd. The kid is like, huh?

Here is the kicker. Before he became manager, Robinson was a AAA manager/umpire evaluator. I'm sensing low marks for this particular ump by the way.

Finally, that's not a panda that we're showing you. That is a dog with a dye job. That's right. Look at that.

It's a new trend in China. People are dyeing their dogs. Not dyeing for their dogs, they're dyeing their dogs. What a story. Thanks so much for being with us. That's "Fotos."

Here now, "LARRY KING LIVE."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.

SANCHEZ: Perfect beginning. Ah, dios mio.