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Rick's List
Tracking Hurricane Earl; President Obama to Address Nation on Iraq; California May Ban Plastic Bags From Grocery Stores; "Dancing With The Stars" Participants Announced; Protestors Object to Planned Mosque in Tennessee; Educators Attempt to Use Proven Techniques to Teach Students
Aired August 31, 2010 - 14:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Ali Velshi.
Here we go. We are going to be talking about everything associated with Earl. And there is a lot associated with Earl.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: As you probably have been watching, the winds -- this is not just a hurricane. This is potentially a monster hurricane, winds from, what, 150-some miles an hour last night, 135 miles an hour throughout the day today, may brush the U.S. coast later this week. That's important.
Remember, Chad several days ago, when he first started talking about this -- heck, I think it was the end of last week -- he said, look, there's a storm out there and it's going to do one of these, you know, go -- become one of those Bermuda storms, as they say.
This thing is looking like it may not be that now. All right? With a hurricane, things change, and that's why we have to be attentive. We are going to show you the loop in just a minute. That's what it looks like behind me. I want to show you some -- in fact, go -- go to the loop first, if you possibly could, just so we get an idea of what this thing looks like, how big it is, how well- defined it is, as you look at right there.
In fact, Chad's over here to my right. I'm just -- you know, I -- I'm going to -- look, I'm going to take you through a -- a whole bunch of video that we have been getting in. And the video really can tell the best stories of these things.
But, as we look at the loop, as we look at the satellite, Chad, what -- what are your impressions of this thing today?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It has not one computer model on shore in the U.S. landfall.
SANCHEZ: Good.
MYERS: Good. We had one yesterday out of about 13 --
SANCHEZ: Yes. MYERS: -- one onshore that concerned me.
SANCHEZ: But it's getting a lot closer than we were talking about -- in fact, with each day, we have been talking about it coming a little closer.
MYERS: Yes, we're probably talking a -- a miss of the Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks right now by about 100 miles and a miss of Cape Cod by 200 miles.
SANCHEZ: So, that's an interesting question. Let me ask you this that a lot of people sometimes don't ask. When you say it will be a miss by 100 miles --
MYERS: That's the eye.
SANCHEZ: You're talking about the eye.
MYERS: The center of the eye.
SANCHEZ: Thank you very much.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Now, the winds extend?
MYERS: Oh, 200 miles out.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: It's not hurricane winds, but certainly tropical storm- force winds.
SANCHEZ: So, in meteorological terms, when you say that Cape Hatteras -- Cape Hatteras is being spared or when others use that terminology, they're being spared the eyes.
MYERS: Correct.
SANCHEZ: They're not being spared the outer bands.
MYERS: OK. You were in Miami for Andrew.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: Right? Did Fort Lauderdale get anything?
SANCHEZ: Well, actually, hardly --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: -- anything at all.
MYERS: It's -- it's -- it's amazing what -- what that storm did to Homestead --
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: -- what it did Coral Gables. Then, all of a sudden, 40 miles away, 50 miles --
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: -- away, it's like --
SANCHEZ: It was 50 miles away, right.
MYERS: -- they lost some shingles.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: Right?
But all the houses were still OK.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: That was a tight storm.
MYERS: That was a very tight storm. And those winds -- they -- those winds go down rapidly on a very tight storm.
This is a broad thing. This thing goes out for hundreds of miles. So, the 60-mile-per-hour winds will be out at least --
SANCHEZ: Well --
MYERS: -- 200 miles from the center. And overwash --
SANCHEZ: Speak -- speak --
MYERS: -- is going to be the biggest thing.
SANCHEZ: -- speaking of those outer bands and speaking of those winds, let's --
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- let's look at something together. Let's -- let's talk over it together. All right? Here we go.
These are video iReports that have been sent to us here at CNN. And I want to share them with you. We're starting in the Caribbean. They have been sending us tons of these videos. Let's start with -- this is Frigate Bay Beach. This is on the island of St Kitts.
I -- watch and listen, first of all, to this report. Do it, Rog.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's a roaring (INAUDIBLE) damage trees down. (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: See, these were people going out in the storm. This is Tom Veira. We thank Tom for sending us this.
What, strong winds pounding a popular beach club there. The iReporter says he went to check on his bar and restaurant.
MYERS: Mm-hmm.
SANCHEZ: He found water and sand damage. And he also found downed power lines.
What would you say about that video?
MYERS: I would say that's about 65 or 75 miles per hour. That's the typical damage of a -- of a Category 1 hurricane right there, probably a strong tropical storm, either one.
SANCHEZ: And --
MYERS: You can't -- it's -- it's hard to tell.
SANCHEZ: And, again, hurricane nowhere near these shores?
MYERS: Nowhere near.
SANCHEZ: Let's go now to Marigot. This is on the island of Saint Martin. Check out this iReporter's hurricane experience, as he sends us this one.
These are 12- to 15-foot waves pounding the beach there. Local authorities say the storm packed heavy winds at about 100 miles an hour, gusts of 120 miles an hour?
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Can -- can that be, Chad?
MYERS: Sure, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Really?
MYERS: Sure, because now -- now you're getting closer and closer to the eye. You still are not in the eye, but you're getting closer and closer to it. So, therefore, the winds, as they go -- as they diminish away from the eye -- still, at this point in point in time, when this was shot -- when this was shot --
SANCHEZ: Uh-huh.
MYERS: -- winds were literally about 135, gusting to 150 in the eye.
SANCHEZ: So, this is what people along the coast of the United States might experience --
MYERS: And waves.
SANCHEZ: -- worse, maybe less, who knows, right?
MYERS: The waves were 29 feet --
SANCHEZ: Damn.
MYERS: -- and a buoy at 5,000 feet.
The water was -- you know, OK, we say how -- how -- what were the waves like on the shore? Well, they probably weren't 30 feet on the shore --
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: -- because, you know, they would get broken down by reefs and things like that. But open water, could you imagine being in any boat or any ship with waves being at 30 feet?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: It's amazing.
SANCHEZ: No. The answer is, no, I wouldn't want to be in that.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: -- ocean swell.
SANCHEZ: I have a boat. I spend a lot of time on the water, and I wouldn't want that.
MYERS: No.
SANCHEZ: My wife doesn't let me go out with a two-foot chop.
Here's another iReport.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: This one comes from -- this is Frederiksted, Saint Croix.
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: This -- this is in the U.S. Virgin Islands, beautiful place, by the way. Oh, my God.
MYERS: I golf there.
SANCHEZ: The city experienced -- showoff -- strong winds --
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: -- and heavy rain as Earl passed by. Here are some of the pictures. This is a sailboat washed up on the rocks at (INAUDIBLE) beach.
MYERS: Wow.
SANCHEZ: I iReporter says most people moved their boats to more secure areas. Folks in this resort community experienced occasional power outages, but, really, no damage to the homes, nothing big, so to speak.
However, a lot of them are losing water and they're losing electricity.
MYERS: Yes, of course, especially all these power lines that are above ground.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: It's hard to put power lines below ground when below ground is coral.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Literally, you're on an island.
SANCHEZ: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Do you really recall want to blast through coral just to bury your power lines? No. So, most of these power lines are above ground on these island nations.
SANCHEZ: Hmm.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Let's go to Puerto Rico now, shall we? These Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. You know, obviously, look, nobody has gotten a direct hit, s they didn't get a direct hit either. Water filled some of the streets as a storm dumped tons of rain there.
This iReporter says the island was almost at full panic. Gas stations were packed. People were going to supermarkets and then they buying up everything. Traffic jams were developing. So, I mean, these are the kind of things that create these problems, and, yes, in Puerto Rico, a lot of lost electricity.
MYERS: And a lot of rain. Literally, these -- these guys really got pounded. The more --
SANCHEZ: Why is that?
MYERS: The more -- because the way the -- and there were even flood warnings for quite a bit of time. I -- I know there's a rain forest. I know there's -- (CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: It rains a lot.
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: It just -- it just kind of does.
But the way these rain bands came in around and around and around, they set up right over San Juan and --
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
MYERS: -- and right on down toward Ponce. And it rained for hours and hours and hours.
Wind -- and every time it came in, the winds kicked up to about 60 or 70, knocked more power lines down.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes.
MYERS: And then the rain stops and then the winds stop. And so squall is --
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Remember --
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: -- squall comes in, the squalls go out. It -- it -- it blows and then it stops and it blows and it stops.
SANCHEZ: Well --
MYERS: And that's what Puerto Rico --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: -- do this for us. Show us where this -- this baby is now, and show us what it -- the models are saying it might do.
MYERS: I believe -- and this is my thought -- and we are -- the East Coast is still in the cone, question --
SANCHEZ: Right. MYERS: -- no question about it. So -- so, don't go with what I'm saying -- what I'm saying here. This is my opinion, and my opinion only. I believe this storm is going to turn hard to the right, and it's going to -- as it -- as it was always forecast to do --
SANCHEZ: Right.
MYERS: -- as it never did. It's finally going to get this northward turn and then turn on up.
Right now, it's a very good storm. This thing is really -- it -- it has come back. Earlier today, it looked really bad. It didn't look good at all. It lost its eye. We had -- we call it eyewall replacement cycle. Remember I told you that yesterday?
SANCHEZ: Yes. Right.
MYERS: Yes. It collapsed. The eye completely collapsed. But now it's coming back again. So, the last couple of frames -- and hurricane hunter aircraft in there right now flying through it, still finding winds at about 100 miles per hour, not 135, but still 100.
And when that eyewall comes completely back, then we will be back up to that same big storm, because the pressure has not gone away.
SANCHEZ: By the way --
MYERS: The -- the pressure is still very, very low.
SANCHEZ: -- can I -- can -- can I just can ask you a quick question?
MYERS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Because, you know, I think it, I say it. You know how I am. And I get in trouble for this, but this is a -- this is a safe one, I think.
I'm noticing that storm is going into much shallower waters.
MYERS: True.
SANCHEZ: Because I have fished those waters, and so have you. Does the fact that the water is shallower increase or decrease the intensity of a hurricane?
MYERS: The -- because the water is shallower, it can actually not have as much energy in it --
SANCHEZ: Hmm.
MYERS: -- because it's only a few feet deep. And the energy can be used up rather quickly.
That -- the water is the fuel for the hurricane. SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: Once you cool the water down, you don't have as much energy. You want -- if you have -- if you have used all five feet of that hot water, you're done --
SANCHEZ: Ah.
MYERS: -- where, if you have 150 feet of warm water, then, all of a sudden, you have a lot more potential energy below that hurricane --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: So, when it gets going, it gets on that continental shelf off the Bahamas, for example, where there are really very shallow waters, it could actually decrease the energy of the storm?
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Overall, yes.
SANCHEZ: OK.
MYERS: But if you want -- if you go into that five-foot-deep water, is it warmer or cooler than the 150-foot water?
SANCHEZ: It's warmer.
MYERS: It's warmer.
SANCHEZ: It's warmer.
MYERS: It's warmer.
SANCHEZ: Much warmer.
MYERS: So -- so, briefly, you have got that surge of energy, because you're going to grab all that warm water, but then that warm water is going to turn cold rather quickly, and then it's not going to be a long-term gain.
SANCHEZ: By the way, we -- we just got a quick tweet I want to show you now, Chad. And I -- and I'm going to let you continue --
MYERS: Sure.
SANCHEZ: -- because I know a lot of people want to know where this thing is going, especially folks who are watching us in the Carolinas, et cetera.
But go over my shoulder here real quick. We just got this from the Red Cross. Well, no, I'm sorry. It says here it was three hours ago, but it was just brought to my attention. I want to be as transparent as I can with this. "We're busy in our disaster operations center with actions for Earl in the Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, N.C., New York, and Massachusetts -- North Carolina" -- pardon me.
MYERS: Yes. Yes.
SANCHEZ: "New York and Massachusetts. Are you ready?"
And this is from the American Red Cross.
Sorry, Chad. Go on.
MYERS: Certainly, Massachusetts and the cape, they -- they are in full -- they are -- they are in full mode right now.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MYERS: And Cape Hatteras as well all along this, because I will just kind of draw the cone, because it does come onshore. There's no question the U.S. is in the zone. And we try not to focus on the center of the line, but every model now that has come out, Rick, today has been here, off to the east, off to the east --
SANCHEZ: Good.
MYERS: -- off to the east, off to the east.
SANCHEZ: Good.
MYERS: That is great. We have not had that. Every model in the past 10 days has been off to the left, off to the left, off to the left, saying, hey, this thing is going to keep going, this thing is going to keep going.
I believe now that it has made its turn. It will take its turn, and it will probably miss the U.S. But you cannot let your guard down. You have to watch us every single time, especially if you are still in the cone. OK? You still have to watch this as you get in the cone and make your preps. It is time to make the preps on that U.S. East Coast, for sure, whether it misses us or not.
SANCHEZ: And we're going to be checking back with you throughout the day.
And you will -- by the way, nice haircut.
MYERS: Why, thank you.
SANCHEZ: It's a very tight cut.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Looks -- looks good on you.
MYERS: I told her not for a summer cut, because summer is over.
SANCHEZ: I'm one of those guys that just procrastinates about haircuts.
I got -- I'm going to get one tomorrow, I promise.
Thanks, Chad.
Less than five hours from now, President Obama is going to be speaking to Americans about our future in Iraq. He will say that combat mission is over. Is it? And what happens if militants decide it's not? That story is ahead.
Also, crews are now -- they're digging a hole 2,000 feet above 33 miners trapped underground. But is the escape route safe? And how many rescue plans are they considering at this point? This is a fascinating story. That's next right here on the LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.
At the very top of our update list today, an escape route for those 33 miners. This is such an unbelievable story. You talk about human drama. They're trapped, as you know, underground in that cave. Crews are now working on a rescue shaft. And we have got new pictures. Take a look.
Here is the giant drill that they're going to be using. The drill will open a narrow hole first, and then engineers will use a larger drill bit to make the hole wide enough, wide enough to pull the miners out. And some of them are really big guys. That's a problem.
The miners are going to help by clearing away rubble and rocks that fall during the drilling process. Now, you know what the miners are calling their underworld living space? They're calling it Refuge 33. Today, crews sent them some music and a copy of a book. It's called -- get this --
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: -- "Tactics of Oration." It's supposed to help them face media scrutiny when they get back up.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: That's what they're preparing for?
Tomorrow, they will get their very first taste of hot food. It's going to be some meat with some rice.
Now, I -- I want to share this with you. It's the story of a father's love and his devotion to his son. His son is one of the trapped miners. I want you to hear what this dad was willing to do to try and save him.
I love this story. It's from my colleague and friend Karl Penhaul. He sent this up. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Richard Alex Vega is one of the 33 miners trapped half-a-mile underground. His father, now 70, has been a miner all his life.
"I have been through the school of life, and I have been working in this since I was a boy," he says.
So, when the San Jose mine caved in on August 5, Vega wasn't about to let his son die without a fight.
"I'm not a person to sit there with my arm's crossed and crying. I said, my son needs help and I'm going after him," he said.
With five others, including his eldest son, Vega went deep into the mine shaft, until it was impossible to go any further.
"It was terrible, terrible. I looked up, and the roof was opening, rocks were falling down, and I was looking for a way to make it through the shower of rocks," he said.
All routes were now blocked, forcing him to go back outside, even though he had been ready to sacrifice his own life to save his son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Nobody's forgetting about the trapped miners. They're going to get more help this week from, guess who, experts at NASA, who have plenty of experience helping people who are stuck in confined environments.
You know we're going to be watching this one for you, and we will bring you every development as we get it, as far as what the plans are and what they're going to be sending them down there.
Also, there's a whole lot of drama going on in Alaska. Right now, there's no winner in the Republican race for the U.S. Senate. And -- and, really, it all comes down to absentee ballots. They're counting the votes today. That's ahead.
Also, what will President Obama say tonight when he addresses the nation live from the Oval Office, more than seven years after the war in Iraq began? The White House is giving us an idea of what he may or may not say. Dana Bash is going to join us next to take us through that. There she is, as a matter of fact.
We will be right back with more on your LIST, your national conversation. This is RICK'S LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You know what's coming up next on the LIST? Well, as a matter of fact, it's right over my shoulder. There you have it.
Combat mission in Iraq will be over in one hour, 40 minutes and three, two, one -- oh, wait, make that 39 minutes. Isn't that interesting? We have got a countdown clock for you. And the reason we're showing this is because the president tonight gives his end-of- the-combat-mission speech in Iraq, because today, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Operation Iraqi Freedom will come to an end. That's the combat mission to be replaced by Operation New Dawn, as we have been telling you on this newscast for the better part of two weeks.
That is going to be about advising and training. It's not going to be about combat. I know. There's a lot of variables here, folks. Whether the war was worth the price remains a subject of fierce debate among many of you. I get that.
Now, remember, President Obama based much of his campaign for the White House on Americans tiring of the combat mission itself. But, tomorrow, there's going to be a ceremony where the U.S. will officially hand it all over to the Iraqis.
Today, President Obama called former President Bush. That's right. The two presidents talked to each other. A White House spokesperson is saying that Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush talked for a few minutes while the president was aboard Air Force One.
While we do not know what they talked about, this naturally leads us into this question of acknowledgment. Republicans -- John Boehner, for example, Mitch McConnell, Senator John McCain -- are now making a push. The push that they're making seems to be to not give credit for the current success in Iraq to President Obama.
They give it to the troops. They give to it the buildup. They even give it to -- the credit to the former president, but none to President Obama. In fact, they say that it worked in spite of President Obama. So, they're -- they're being very clear about this.
Dana Bash is our senior congressional correspondent. She is joining me now from Washington.
Dana, is this -- is this a political strategy that is political strategy -- key word, political --
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: -- that is really aimed at voters in the fall?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rick, you know this as well as I do. They do not take a breath these days --
(LAUGHTER)
BASH: -- two months before Election Day without thinking about the voters on Election Day.
Look, that's just the bottom line right now. But, with this particular issue, in talking to Republican sources, you get a sense that there is some -- there's -- there's -- it's not just politics. There's some heart feelings -- hard feelings going on here.
In fact, I will read you a quote from somebody I just talked to a little while ago -- SANCHEZ: Huh.
BASH: -- a Republican aide, who said: Look, we took a lot of crap for sticking our necks out and supporting the surge when it was unpopular. And -- and then Senator Obama, then Senator Clinton and then Senator Biden were racing to -- to get to the point where they could vote against funding the troops, never mind supporting the surge.
So, there -- there certainly are some hard feelings, but you said it. There is no question a lot of this is about just marking another thing there --
SANCHEZ: Hmm.
BASH: -- on the ledger saying, look, President Obama may be taking credit, but, if he had his way, we wouldn't be here. That's their -- that's their -- their strategy.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: You know, what's interesting about this, and there's so much of this, and you and I talk about this all the time, politics, politics, politics -- so much of this is about politics.
And I wonder. You know, the American people, where do they stand on this? I will give you an example. I know Americans are nonplused by Iraq and Afghanistan, both. I have talked to movie directors who say, Rick, I can't write a script or a screenplay that anybody will buy anymore, because every time we do a television show, a movie, script, anything about Iraq or Afghanistan, Americans are just nonplused by it.
They tend to turn their nose down on these -- stuff. And they -- but they will eat anything up from WWII, for example.
Is there a poll now that reflects that as well?
BASH: There is. I mean, I think Americans -- I think you're right. Americans are nonplused and maybe a word also is that they're just exhausted by it --
SANCHEZ: Hmm.
BASH: -- because, for the past -- remember, for the past three election cycles, Iraq drove the politics. It drove Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats into leadership in -- in the Congress in 2006. It, in -- in large part drove Hillary Clinton out of the Democratic primary race against Barack Obama because of her earlier positions on Iraq.
But it really has changed. You mentioned the poll. And this is something I want to show you just to sort of back up what you said about how Americans feel, very, very, very different this election year. This is just taken in the last few weeks.
Check this out. What is very important to you? This is what was asked of the people in this poll. The economy, no shocker there --
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BASH: -- 56 percent.
But look how far down Iraq is. You have to go down behind -- behind unemployment, the deficit, terrorism and Afghanistan, even immigration, to find Iraq at 32 percent.
So, that really does back up what you're saying, what you're hearing from movie producers and -- let's just be honest -- what we even see from our ratings when we sometimes talk about this issue --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Right. Right. You do, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: People are just exhausted by it.
SANCHEZ: Everybody will say they want to know more about it, but when you talk about it, they tend to say, it's just been going on so long.
Dana Bash, good stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for joining us with that report. We will be looking forward to talking to you later.
I want to let you know what's coming up. I'm going to talk with a man, in fact, who lost his son in Iraq. This is no ordinary guy. This guy's a colonel. He says the fight is unwinnable. He says America will be at war forever. He's written a book about this.
And we have been wanting to get him here on RICK'S LIST for quite some time. And I want you to hear what he -- what his perspective is on this. You may find it very interesting. That's ahead.
Also, as we go to break, I -- I want to give you an exclusive look at how we put today's newscast together.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: You know, it's kind of like watching an episode of "The Office" at times. This is what we do every morning when we call get together. This is called Rick Vid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I'm becoming a chai guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
SANCHEZ: I am now a chai --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I get home. I eat too much. I eat too much here. I'm just -- I'm just very unhealthy. And I'm getting to that age where any moment, this thing could blow up.
It's like you know me better than I know myself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I -- I book your guests. I do.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the worst intervention ever.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Oh, my God. Somebody get me a meatball sandwich.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: I talk about this a lot in my book, the partisanship, the blind partisanship in some cases, and that tit for tat between politicians, those guys on the left and those guys on the right.
And just after this interview that I had just moments ago with our own Dana Bash, I wanted to bring to your attention, if we possibly could, some of this tit for tat that's going on right now.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Let's go to our tweet board, and you will see what we're talking about, all right?
This is Robert Gibbs, as you know, press secretary. He was making the rounds today on all the morning shows. He writes to John Boehner, GOP leader, sends him a tweet saying, "Do you support president's decision to bring our troops home from Iraq?" Trying to put the pressure on him, right?
And here's the GOP leader tweeting back to suggest what his answer would be: "Rewriting history, White House now claims President Obama always said surge would improve security in Iraq."
So, you know, it's interesting. You have these two gentlemen in this case literally going after each other through Twitter?
Did you hear what Paris Hilton told police officers during her arrest? She's now facing a felony drug charge. And her story is raising some serious eyebrows. It's about everything that was in her purse, except one thing that was in her purse. Huh? I will explain.
Also, imagine riding in a hot air balloon, just taking in the view, when suddenly it all comes falling to the ground. It happened, and we have got some of the video of this as well.
Stay there. That's next in "Fotos."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You know those big, graceful, sometimes not so graceful, hot air balloons? Did you ever wonder how the pilots control those things? Did you ever wonder what would happen, for example, if something goes wrong? You're in luck. Let's do "Fotos."
What goes up must come down, and not always in a perfect place. Drivers outside San Diego over the weekend got a little surprise when this hot air balloon made an unscheduled landing right in the middle of a busy road. It turns out that a shift in the wind blew the balloon off course.
The pilot obviously knew what he was doing, and thanks to him, nobody got hurt. But the drivers, they were freaked out, California- style.
OK, next time you're bored at the airport, just wish you were in Singapore. Look what they have installed there, the tallest slide in all of Singapore. It's four stories high. It is the first attraction of its type at any airport anywhere in the world. I would ride it but I'm just way too dignified as a CNN news anchor to go on that giant twisty, flimsy thing, right, Brooke Baldwin?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, you're all over it. So am I, it's awesome.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Watch this folks.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one, fire.
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SANCHEZ: Now, that's a fire. The NASA rocket boys hit the gas on one of their own solid fuel rocket motors yesterday in Utah. It was built for the Eris rocket which was mean to be used on a spacecraft that was supposed to replace the shuttle program but may never be used. The program it was designed for may be dumped by Congress. But NASA is still developing and testing for the future, whatever the future of space travel holds. And, yes, those are your tax dollars that are burning up as well. Great.
Those are "Fotos." You can find them for yourself anytime you want on my blog, CNN.com/RickSanchez.
As we move forward, I want to show you the loop. That's what we call it here in the news biz.
BALDWIN: Highly technical, "the loop."
SANCHEZ: The loop. All seriousness considered here, we're going to keep a very close eye on hurricane Earl. We know it's far enough way and we know there's a real good chance it won't hit the United States. But suddenly it's coming close enough, and we've got to put a lot of attention on this potential bull's eye.
We're getting new information on the storm's track. They put out advisories down in my hometown, the National Hurricane Center. And we're getting close to another one. Chad's going to bring it out and share that with us as we move forward. Stay tuned. We'll bring you the very latest on Earl and where Earl is going.
Also, the secret's out. Wait until you hear the new cast of "Dancing with the Stars." I know. It's an honor for me, but I don't want to show off too much.
BALDWIN: Don't give it away. Don't give it away.
SANCHEZ: The thing is, when you and I dance, I never quite hold my own.
BALDWIN: Let's cha-cha.
SANCHEZ: You make me nervous. We're going to get through this, right?
BALDWIN: I also have props for another story.
SANCHEZ: Cool. Really? That is so nice.
BALDWIN: It's really nice. It's a grocery bag. It's a plastic grocery bag.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Fancy stuff there, Brooke.
BALDWIN: I'm bringing in the good stuff for you, Sanchez, the chai guy.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: This is the part of the show where we do those things that are trending, the things that Americans are talking about on the Internet and checking Google for and tweeting.
BALDWIN: All kinds. We like to pick a potpourri of sorts.
SANCHEZ: For those of us who live a boring life in the suburbs with a dog and four kids and a wife --
BALDWIN: Your kids are watching --
SANCHEZ: I love my children.
BALDWIN: I know you do.
SANCHEZ: What are you doing with a bag? That's the ugliest bag I've ever seen in my life.
BALDWIN: They're bags. I have brought props to make it a little bit more illustrative.
SANCHEZ: That bag's been around for like ten years, hasn't it?
BALDWIN: Listen to me. If you go to the grocery store, normal people go to the grocery store and get the question, paper or plastic? This soon may be a moot question for grocery shoppers in California.
Take a look. Let's swing over this way. There's this live webcast. This is calchannel.com. They're talking budgets. The deal is the state Senate is voting today in California. They could be the first state in the country to totally ban plastic bags at grocery, drug, maybe even some convenience stores.
This California assemblywoman, Julia Brownly, she authored the bill. If the bill makes to it the governor's desk, reports indicate that Schwarzenegger's signature is in the bag -- are you with me? You're not even laughing.
SANCHEZ: I was. It's just that my mic wasn't up so nobody heard it.
BALDWIN: Right. Some people opposed the ban. There's some kind of plastic bag manufacturing plant in L.A. County that might mean 200 jobs gone.
But the next option is, bring your own bag. So you can grab your reusable bags just like this. Either take them or buy the recyclable bags in the stores. And I have a feeling if it catches on in California, it's in the forefront in terms of carbon emissions --
SANCHEZ: Unless the bag manufacturers all get together and have rallies. You know what this reminds me of -- speaking of California, I want you to watch this documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car".
BALDWIN: Is this part of your one documentary a month with your family?
SANCHEZ: Yes. It's the latest one we watched. California led the move to try and get us to drive more electric cars.
BALDWIN: They are absolutely on the forefront.
SANCHEZ: But somehow, it got killed. Go watch the documentary.
BALDWIN: Note to self.
This isn't a documentary I want to talk about. This is a TV show. I can see a couple of little Sanchezes sitting on the sofa watching "Dancing with the Stars."
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: A big season, season 11 is officially announced last night. CNN cameras were there. I'm going to run through the rundown. Number one, everybody's talking about Bristol Palin. Here she is from last night.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does your mom think about you being on the show?
BRISTOL PALIN: She's excited for me. She knows it's going to be hard work but she's excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, singer actress Brandi. "Dirty Dancing," one of my favorites, Jennifer Grey.
SANCHEZ: Really? We know she can dance.
BALDWIN: She was like, I'm 50, I haven't been dancing. So we'll see. But you would think, right? Also we have the Hoff, not just looking to impress the judges but his family as well. Here he is.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My two daughters love the show and they convinced me, dad, you have to go for it. Life's about a journey. It should be a lot of fun.
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SANCHEZ: Goes to show what I know. You said "the Hoff," I thought Arianna Huffington was going to be on this thing.
BALDWIN: No, no, no.
SANCHEZ: You're talking about the guy with the cheeseburger.
BALDWIN: "Nightrider" -- I don't know why his name escapes me at the moment. David Hasselhoff, thank you!
Super bowl winning QB Kurt Warner, for NBA champ Rick Fox, Adriana Patridge, Margaret Cho, Florence Henderson, actor Kyle Massy, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, and singer Michael Bolton. Rick Sanchez, an honorable mention, maybe we could hold out for next season.
SANCHEZ: As Maxwell Smart would say, missed it by that much.
BALDWIN: It would have been hilarious.
SANCHEZ: You didn't get the cheeseburger reference, by the way.
BALDWIN: What cheeseburger?
SANCHEZ: This is a big YouTube thing. Finally got one on you.
BALDWIN: Teach me in the break.
SANCHEZ: We'll be right back with this.
Was the fire at this Islamic center that's causing such a controversy in parts of Murfreesboro, Tennessee a crime or an accident? This has now got the attention of some federal agents. So we're continuing to dig deeper into that.
Also, many of you asked me about my book "Conventional Idiocy." It's about social media, politics, and how we can turn around the idiocy of our times.
But it's also very personal for me. Here's one personal anecdote. When we left Cuba, my family, the Castro government wouldn't let my oldest brother, Rudy, come with us. Castro kept young males for the military. But eventually we were able to smuggle him out to on orphanage in Arizona through the Peter Pan Program.
When we got to America, we had no money and no way of getting him back. So I watched my mom as she cried almost every night until she was able to save enough change for the bus fare from downtown Miami all the way to Tucson, Arizona, where my brother, Rudy, my big brother, was living as a frightened little boy.
On the way to the Greyhound Bus terminal, my mom lost her chance to retrieve her eldest son. She was mugged and all her money was taken away from her.
Crime is one of America's realities for immigrants, but so is goodness, which is what she experienced next. It's in my book. It's called "Conventional Idiocy." parts of it are very personal for me. It goes on sale next week. I think you can get it on Amazon now, though. Anyway, we'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back, everyone. As we get through this -- let's go back to this controversy that we began -- we were discussing yesterday over the Islamic center being built in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Officials say somebody set fire to some of the construction equipment there at the site over the weekend.
I want to bring back our local activist on this. His name is Kevin Fisher. He against the Islamic center being built, one of the people that we've been checking on throughout this controversy. Kevin, so glad you're back. Thanks for being here.
KEVIN FISHER, TENNESSEE ACTIVIST: My pleasure.
SANCHEZ: I owe you an apology. And I want to begin by being very transparent and stating when we introduced you, for some reason, we made the mistake -- and as I was introducing you, we said you were an atheist. It was an error on our part and we apologize. I just want to be real clear about that. Somehow your communication with one of our researchers got into the script a center way and things happen. But please accept my apology for that.
FISHER: Thank you, sir.
SANCHEZ: Now, I'm wondering how this suspected arson has affected the debate over the Islamic center and the mosque. Is it making -- is it putting more pressure on guys like you?
FISHER: I think it's infuriated a lot of people. I think the inflammatory rhetoric that's being used has gotten a lot of people upset. I don't think it's going to affect the long-term debate because the issue that are present now are the same issues that were present before. But I think some of the inflammatory rhetoric being used is upsetting a lot of local people.
SANCHEZ: Let me bring you back to the part of the debate that a lot of folks are having in New York as well. Someone like you is on the record saying you're opposed to what is going on with this Islamic center in Murfreesboro.
And people will come back at you -- I'm sure they have -- and say, look, don't you understand, it's a constitutional right for people to worship where they want, where they want, to whom they want, wherever they want. So how do you deny those people that? Under what grounds is your argument based?
FISHER: No one's saying they don't have a right to freedom of religion. We believe very strongly in someone's freedom of religion. If that were the issue, I would agree with them.
But the issue here doesn't have anything to do with freedom of religion. It has to do with where it's being located. We have concerns about the water quality. We have concerns that adequate notice wasn't given. We have concerns about traffic in this area. This is one of the most dangerous roads in the state of Tennessee according to the Tennessee state highway patrol.
SANCHEZ: So if they built it further out or found another venue for it that met all those criteria, you'd be perfectly fine with an expanded Islamic center/mosque in Murfreesboro? FISHER: I would be willing to sit down and talk with them. But so far every time we've offered to speak with someone, they've rejected us outright. Anytime, anyplace, I'd be more than willing to discuss it with them.
SANCHEZ: Maybe we'll see if we can bring you guys together. It's an interesting discussion, one people are having all over America. Kevin, thanks for joining us once again.
La Barbie is behind bars, and Mexican authorities call it a victory against the cartels. Barbie? We're going to tell you why a Texan is accused of some pretty terrible crimes in this case. That's ahead.
Also, as U.S. troops pull out of Iraq, who's in charge of the U.S. force that remain? It's what makes him our most intriguing person of the day. That is next.
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SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. This is your list. I'm so glad you're here. It's time to check now the list of the most intriguing people in the news today.
Three star general United States army West Point, brigade commander in Afghanistan, two combat tours in Iraq. Now he's starting a third, this time as the man in charge. Here he is, Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin.
Tomorrow he will get a fourth star and take the reins of command in the ground in Baghdad. His mission, Operation New Dawn, a noncombat phase of the U.S. military operations. He will train Iraqi troops and get ready for next year's complete American pullout. For leading in a most critical time he is today's most intriguing person in the news.
All right, in just about an hour the U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially comes to an end. We are counting down to that, and we'll be asking just how valid and realistic this really is. What do the 50,000 troops left behind face? We're live in Baghdad and we're going to take you through that.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's just one of 49 techniques Kelly Regan learned from this former teacher and principal. Doug Lemont says he has figured out how to take good teachers and make them great.
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SANCHEZ: Because many of your kids are going back to school this week and next or maybe the week prior, we are going to put a special emphasis this week on fixing our schools. And we're going to try and do it by talking to one expert at a time -- teachers, parents, administrators, and on and on. We'll be right back and do it again. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: "Fixing our schools," those three words are going to drive much of what you see on CNN this week. We've made a commitment to this, all right, partly because of you. You've been talking to us saying what can we do to make this work in our country?
So a lot of your kids are returning back to school, mine, too. We've created this kind of as a mission statement for us. We've sent reporting teams all over the country to try and document as best we can the education crisis in America.
Most importantly, we're trying to shine a light on success stories that can hopefully empower all of us and offer our children so much more than, frankly, what they're getting now. Our focus today, building a better teacher. I want you to watch this story from one of my great friends and a colleague, Randi Kaye.
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KELLI RAGIN, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, MATH TEACHER: What is the measurement of the second angle?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Take a good look inside this classroom. Notice what isn't happening. Not a single student day dreaming or doodling. Each one alert, focused, engaged.
RAGIN: What is the greatest of the three angles? Anthony C.?
KAYE: This fifth grade math teacher at Rochester Prep Charter School uses dozens of techniques she says make her students want to learn.
STUDENTS: Pushing the bottom number, seven, it's pinky time. Eight, nine, ten, 11, 12. How many do I got? Five. And keep it lined up.
RAGIN: Instead of just doing a regular subtraction problem, it may get a little boring after a while, you hit them with a song and it's so much more interesting to them.
KAYE: That is just one of 49 techniques Kelly Ragin learned from this former teacher and principal. Doug Lemov says he has figured out how to take good teachers and make them great.
KAYE (on camera): You do not believe that a good teacher is born. You believe a good teacher is made.
DOUG LEMOV, AUTHOR, "TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION": Yes. I believe great teachers are made.
I double dog dare you to use the word "adjacent" later on.
KAYE: What do you think makes a successful teacher?
LEMOV: I think the first thing that has to happen is the teacher has to have control of the classroom environment.
KAYE: Doug has been at this five years. He seeks out schools with high poverty and high performance. Then asks himself what's in the water? Why does this work? He sits in the classroom, takes notes, and records the teachers to perfect his techniques. He already has more than 600 hours of videotape.
KAYE (voice-over): Doug shares his favorite techniques with his teachers, sort of like paying it forward. In this video the teacher asks a question, then calls on a student at random, even the same girl twice in a row.
LEMOV: The kids have to be on their toes.
KAYE: And in this seventh grade math class students snap if a classmate's answer is right and stomp if it's wrong.
LEMOV: Two snaps or two stomps on two. One, two. Nicely done. Number four.
KAYE: It forces the whole class to engage in the answer. Eighty percent of the students here come from poverty. This may be their only shot at a future.
KAYE (on camera): Here at Rochester Prep, some students arrive only able to read at a third grade level. Some don't even know their letters. But after just two years here, Doug says those same students are twice as proficient as the rest of the district and ten times more prepared for college.
LEMOV: And 100 percent of the kids were proficient in seventh grade in math and in English which --
KAYE: One-hundred percent?
LEMOV: Every single kid.
KAYE (voice-over): Good odds for improving public education.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Rochester, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We've got some new information just in. A lot of you have been tweeting me about what you're hearing on the latest on Zsa Zsa Gabor. I know she is 93-years-old. She is going through a bit of a bout right now, first with an accident. She has been returned to the hospital.
And we understand, we understand this is from her spokesperson who spoke to Gabor's daughter that they say the situation is not life- threatening. In fact, she should not be at the hospital very long. Whatever happened Tuesday morning ended, and her condition went back to normal.
So whatever is the reason that Zsa Zsa Gabor had to go back to the hospital according to her family it was not life threatening and she should be OK.
