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Rick's List

Tornado in Downtown Dallas; Ground Zero Islamic Center/Mosque Moving Forward

Aired September 08, 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: You're not going to believe this video that we've just been getting out of downtown Dallas, of all places.

Go ahead, Cal. If you've got to have video, let's give them a taste of what we're going to be showing. Look at this. This is an apparent tornado that suddenly starts coming over the business center there in Dallas, Texas.

And we start watching it and it just continues on. You're going to see as it goes through the city it starts ripping up some of these buildings. There have already been roof collapses. Authorities have been called out.

We're following the story. It's still going on. This is just one of the stories that we're going to bring you tonight as we follow all 50 states.

Here is what else is on RICK'S LIST tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): It's PRIMETIME. Here's what's making the list.

The imam at the center of the Ground Zero controversy. About to speak for the first time since his return, and right here on CNN. While one of his critics joins me live.

GEORGE PATAKI (R), FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Why there? Why does it have to be a block or two from where Islamist terrorists attacked us on September 11th?

SANCHEZ: George Pataki makes the list.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's still a choice between sliding backwards and moving forward. That's what this election is about. That's the choice that you will face in November.

SANCHEZ: Good-bye, charm offensive, hello, Mr. Forceful. President Obama lays out the new him.

Flash flooding in Texas. As expected. Look at Dallas. We're there.

And why is the bomb squad blowing up a toy pony? The answer just ahead.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: OK, as we begin this newscast, I want you to know a couple of things. You're going to see exclusively here an interview with the imam who's been at the center of this controversy in -- here in New York City. You see the Columbus Circle there just behind me.

And as we begin this newscast, I also want to let you know that we've got former Governor Pataki coming in who's opposed to what this Imam Rauf wants to do. So all of this could only be taking place right here in PRIMETIME tonight on CNN.

But I want to begin with something else. We've got breaking news as we begin this newscast tonight and it's taking us all the way to Dallas, Texas, where we just moments ago we started seeing some of the very first pictures of what appears to be a tornado.

This tornado apparently is a remnant of Hermine. It's one of those storms that has hit that area not long ago.

Now take a look at this right there. This is the tornado as it just started coming in to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. This is a business area. Now we're going to be talking to Chad Myers in just a little bit.

Stay with me here, folks, because it's not every day that a tornado comes into metropolitan U.S. city like this one has. As you watch the pictures -- Cal, go ahead and take me off there. I'd rather get the folks to look at the video of the tornado, if we can.

There you go. As you watch the picture, you can actually see this tornado. It's hard to tell. This is not a still, folks. These are pictures that we were watching. And if you stay with me, you'll see the tornado starts to suddenly rip through some of these roofs. One after another.

You actually see it cross from street to street to street. Then it crosses across a major freeway. You actually see cars stunned, frozen in place, as they watch the twister suddenly go in front of them.

What's also interesting, as you watch some of these pictures, and maybe not necessarily reflected in these here, but you actually see the tornado pick up, then almost get lost visually. You don't see it. And then it starts to pick up once again.

All right, here's what we got. We got -- what did you say, Angie? That's what this is? We've got Ed Lavandera -- been watching this. He's there in Dallas and he's been watching this thing unfold.

He ran out and called us and started reporting on it the moment he saw what was going on. So did all the affiliates there in -- our affiliates there in Dallas including WFAA. This is one of the pictures that Ed sent us just a little while ago. This is a picture that actually shows the tornado as it starts to form. Angie, I'm wondering where the pictures are that we were watching a little while ago of the tornado actually moving. Here we go, here we go. This is what I was telling you about.

Hey, Cal, do me a favor. Get rid of the banner in the bottom. It's just getting in the way. Or move it or something. Thanks. There you go. Look at this, folks. OK, there's the tornado. Look at it there as it starts to form. And now watch as it moves.

Did you see that right there? Did you see that big blow? It was either one of the air conditioning units or one of the transformers that it apparently took out. Just watch this. In fact, I'm going to be quiet and just let you -- let you watch it for yourself.

Isn't that something? Look and it's hard to tell but look at the size of those pieces of debris that it's picking up off these different rooftops. I mean we were marveling as we were watching this. Don't know how severe it is. But we're going to show it to you once again in just a little bit.

Let's go through these pictures and as we do, all right, Chad is standing by. He's got a lot to say. We called him back in. Eddie (ph) Lavandera is standing by in Dallas.

Ed, you're there. Take us through this. What's going on in your city?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, it's kind of a surreal moment. You know we're so used to chasing storms but this one essentially came to me.

That picture -- that still picture that you showed a little while ago was actually the view from my office window here in downtown Dallas. So we saw this storm essentially move just along the west side of downtown Dallas.

And those pictures that you're seeing now really kind of tell the picture. Fortunately, the area where it spent the most time on the ground was mostly in an industrial area. So the hope is that most people by this time of the day had already -- perhaps left work or that sort of thing.

And some of the local stations are showing damages of collapsed rooftops in some of these industrial buildings. But this is absolutely surreal. No more than two miles away from our office window where this storm came by.

But from where we were standing, we're watching this. It was almost surreal. It was very calm where we were. When you see these pictures up close, you really get the sense -- you almost get the sense that the storm was trying to turn into a bigger tornado?

SANCHEZ: Yes!

LAVANDERA: It couldn't quite do that. SANCHEZ: Yes. That's interesting you would use that phraseology because I was thinking myself that it was rather relentless. When I first looked at it, I said, it's just one of those -- you know, one of those dust buster things that you see from time to time wherever we live.

But that all of a sudden we started seeing all this debris in the air. We started to see it try and form. And there's a shot coming up here in a little bit where it actually goes through town and crosses the freeway. We'll show you that in a bit.

And you watch the reaction from the drivers who are just stunned as they're watching this.

Ed, stand by. Let me bring in Chad Myers.

Chad, you're looking at this.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Would you -- can you describe this for us, from a meteorological standpoint? What is this?

MYERS: Yes, you know, Rick, it's good pictures. Otherwise, it's a water spout that happened to be on land. Very small tornado, F-0, probably 60 to 70, maybe 80 miles per hour.

I've seen dust doubles that were bigger than this tornado. At one point, this is the biggest that we saw it right here. You can't think that this is more than about a 70-mile-per-hour -- we go from zero to five. Texas is used to three, fours, and fives at a couple of hundred miles per hour.

This is nothing, in fact, nothing of that sort. This obviously did damage near that Mockingbird area, kind of the western part of Dallas proper, but then rolled up towards Love Field. As it ran toward Love Field, the controllers in the control tower said we're going to give this thing a couple minutes and if it gets any closer we're out of here, we're getting out of the tower.

SANCHEZ: Really?

MYERS: Well, luckily, at that point it did turn and did not get into the tower.

SANCHEZ: Well --

MYERS: But this is small. This is a very --

SANCHEZ: Well, but -- but that's the thing, as you watch it go, you always start to wonder, well, yes, I was think the same thing, this looks like it's kind of small.

MYERS: It is.

SANCHEZ: But it looks like it keeps trying to -- it almost looks -- as I was talking about with Eddie a little while ago, it's relentless. It's like it's trying to form up.

Kenny Shaw's with the Office of Emergency Management there in Dallas. He's on the phone as well.

Mr. Shaw, I understand we've got some pictures just a little while ago that we were looking at from some folks that are building -- there you go. There's some of the damage that's being reported now. There is the area where this twister went through.

Chad Myers says there's nothing to it. But, you know, unfortunately, if you live in this building, there is something to it.

Mr. Shaw, are you there?

KENNY SHAW, DALLAS OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Yes, uh-huh.

SANCHEZ: Tell us what's going on. What are you doing for the folks in your city? It's kind of scary to look at.

SHAW: Well, we had a -- bad weather all day long. We started off with the remnants of Hermine going through all day and then finished up with these tornadoes. You've described them very well. They hit the warehouse district and did the damage you're showing there now.

And also we do have a two-alarm fire from a building that was heavily damaged on Mockingbird Road, which is right near the Love Field Airport. They did shut down the airport for about 10 minutes but it's back, reopened now, and we're just waiting --

SANCHEZ: It looks --

SHAW: -- to hear more from people, police and fire are out on streets now, checking the damages and --

SANCHEZ: Well, let me just --

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Let me just tell you, Mr. Shaw, what we're looking at here. We're looking at a building that seems like the roof has collapsed. And we're seeing water. And I'm not sure if that's water that's being used for preventive purposes by the -- by the fire department or not.

But do you happen to know -- if you could see up, look up and look at our signal on CNN right now, what is this building and what do you know about it?

SHAW: No, I don't know what that building is.

SANCHEZ: OK.

SHAW: There's a large warehouse district out in there and it could be anything. I just haven't got reports on the details of it. SANCHEZ: I'm looking at that right now on the left there. You guys at home are watching this with me. That looks like a collapsed roof, right?

SHAW: Yes. Mm-hmm.

SANCHEZ: OK. So you have confirmations of that collapsed roof as well.

SHAW: Oh, yes, we're on that scene and we're on the scene of the working fire and then we've got police and fire going all over town, checking areas for damage and for injuries and all that sort of thing. Fortunately, at this time, we haven't had any reports of injuries.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Well, that's good. Well, you know, Chad was just talking to us and he said this not like a big -- I mean this is not a big storm or big tornado by any means, other than the fact it happened right there in downtown Dallas.

I mean it happened --

SHAW: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- right before our very eyes.

Chad, before I go to break --

MYERS: Go ahead.

SANCHEZ: Is it rare -- I mean is that part of the story here that these things happen all the time but how often do they happen in a big city like -- a big metropolitan city area like Dallas, Texas?

MYERS: Well, fly over any place in the United States and look down to see how small the city is, compared to how much farmland there is around it, how much forest land there is around it.

The populated places of America like Dallas, Texas, like Ft. Worth, are 1 percent of the total population density of the entire -- of the entire rest of the country. So you have 99 chances out of 100 to hit nothing. Then you got one chance out of 100. And there is your chance right there.

And the reason why you saw that building collapse is the reason why we don't put children in gymnasiums during a tornado warning. It was a large span building with not too many girders going in between. And that's why we say get in the smallest room, not the biggest room because the biggest room doesn't have a very strong structure above it in the roof section.

And that's why the building collapsed and you need to be away from those large span gymnasiums, the cafeterias, when you get a tornado warning like this.

SANCHEZ: Chad Myers, always has a way of turning these things into a learning experience. Thanks so much, Chad. Good information. By the way, as these pictures continue to come in, we're going to continue to share them with you. And we'll have this as a developing story throughout the course of the next hour here on RICK'S LIST.

Here we go. The imam who wants to build an Islamic community center is about to take center stage. Breaking his silence and appearing here on CNN. And guess who joins me here in studio as well? The man who was governor during 9/11 and who, by the way, has no love lost for Imam Rauf.

Also, twitter, tit-for-tat, breaks out here on RICK'S LIST today between the president of the United States and the House minority leader. I'm going to take you through that in just a little bit as well.

This is RICK'S LIST. We've got a lot going on and we'll bring it to you. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. We're getting a lot of tweets and a lot of information from many of you in the Texas area. We appreciate that. We're staying up with what's going on with this tornado.

Once again, there it was, as we started to look at it. It started to blow right through part of the city. Not a large tornado. I mean, as tornadoes go. Considering the damage it could have done. But because it's in a densely populated area, it has in fact done a lot of damage.

We know of at least one, maybe two buildings that have had their roofs collapsed. Rescue officials are in the city right now, looking to see if there's any damage, if there are any injuries, if anyone needs any emergency care.

Again this happening just as we're getting ready to go on the air and we're going to stay on top of it for you.

Meantime, I want to give you a programming note and a reminder that Imam Rauf is going to be coming up on "LARRY KING" in just a little bit. But that leads me to my list of controversial stories, and here is number four.

Tonight, Ron Paul, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Pail are all united against a Florida pastor who wants to burn Korans this Saturday. The Vatican is calling it an outrageous and grave gesture. Secretary of State Clinton is condemning the book burning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're a country of, what, 310 million-plus right now? And, I mean, it's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida with a church of no more than 50 people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan, and get -- you know, the world's attention, but that's the world we live in right now. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Well, guess what? Sarah Palin's also weighing in tonight, saying that it's insensitive and an unnecessary provocation. How does the pastor react tonight?

Well, here watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY JONES, PASTOR, DOVE WORLD OUTREACH CENTER: As you can imagine, we have received very -- very much pressure in the direction of canceling the event. As of this time, we have no intention of canceling.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This thing won't stop. Then there's Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He takes it a step further tonight, comparing the pastor's actions with the actions of the U.S. government in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

He said this to my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, just a while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: As much danger as burning the Koran might be, what about our invasion, our bombing, collateral damage, arrests and secret prisons and pictures of torture, drone attacks?

You think that isn't, you know, an incitement to violence overseas? I mean, they already have so much.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Here now, controversy tonight, number three.

A lion attack. A lion attack at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. Now I use the word attack loosely because you and I both know that if this lion really wanted to attack this trainer, the trainer would be a goner right now, right?

But something did irritate this lion enough for him to bug out against that one trainer. Look at that. I mean, he's mad at him, right? Now, in slow motion, you can actually see how the female lion and the second trainer have to try and stop this irritated beast.

MGM officials say the trainer was bitten in the leg and received several stitches. Otherwise, he's fine. So what happened here?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SALMONI, ANIMAL PLANET BIG CAT EXPERT: You'll see right at the beginning he shifts his weight and he stares at the young guy. The young guy -- I mean I don't know if you can read the body posture but it was obvious to me immediately he stiffened up, kept his eyes on the animal and shuffled his feet.

What that tells the lion is that guy is nervous. And the male lion then switches immediately in, if you're nervous of me, I should dominate you. So he went over and was doing what I would consider to be -- like a teenager testing his boundaries.

He went in and said, I know I'm not allowed to bite people, but I'm going to bite you and see what you can do back to me. And so it wasn't a full-on, "I want to kill you," obviously because he didn't, but it was definitely him saying, I'm the boss here. I'm bigger than you. You're scared of me. I am going to show you why.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: MGM, by the way, tonight is saying the animals are only on display once a week.

Here now is controversy number two.

Don't mess with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. A few weeks ago, Christie fired the state schools chief after he messed up a grant application. Today during a town hall meeting, a teacher lashed out at Christie, accusing him -- the governor -- of trashing New Jersey schools and making too many drastic cuts.

Watch now. You ready? Watch what happens when Christie starts to respond and feels like -- like he's being dissed here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: First of all, I have not lambasted the public school system in the state of New Jersey. What I have lambasted -- listen, let's start with this. I sat here, stood here and very respectfully listened to you.

If what you want to do is put on a show and giggle every time I talk, well, then I have no interest in answering your question so if you'd like to --

(APPLAUSE)

CHRISTIE: So if you'd like to -- if you'd like to conduct a respectful conversation, I'm happy to do it. If you don't, please go and sit down and I'll answer the next question.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: There you go. So here's the big question tonight. What is the number one controversy on our list?

The man who was governor during 9/11 and has no love lost for Imam Rauf who wants to build the mosque at Ground Zero, the imam will be on "LARRY KING" at the top of the hour.

The former governor, Pataki, is going to be right here with me. Again, you need to hear what he has to say about this conflict. Also, check out some of the picks coming in tonight from Texas. Look at these twisters. This is rocking down downtown Dallas. We're also following live pictures because all the local affiliates in Dallas are now picking this up as a live story.

And we'll dip into that as well, as necessary. This is RICK'S LIST. Another busy night here. If it's happening anywhere in America, we're going to be on it and it will be on RICK'S LIST.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right, there you go, look at what's going on there at Columbus Circle. It's one of the prettiest places in the country. New York is the center of the world, really. And it's also the center of some controversy tonight.

I'm Rick Sanchez. This is RICK'S LIST.

In just a few minutes, the imam behind the Islamic center and mosque here is going to sit down during "LARRY KING LIVE" with Soledad O'Brien for his very first interview on a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE."

He will explain why he is going forward with his plans to try and build this mosque, this Islamic center, just two blocks from Ground Zero. And we're starting to get a sense of where he's coming from after "The New York Times" posted a op-ed by the imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf.

He believes that allowing the center to be built in Lower Manhattan will help strike a blow against anti-American sentiment around the world. That's what he says. That, though, is not stopping his critics who are saying its location is just terribly insensitive since radical Islamists were behind the attack.

Who says that? Well, a lot of people. But leading the charge in many ways is the former governor, George Pataki. He was governor of New York on September 11th, 2001.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: It's almost as if, Governor, you've taken ownership of this issue. And a lot of it, I believe, has to do -- I was there, you were there on 9/11. On that day. You were the governor of this great state of New York.

It seems like you have unfinished business with this.

PATAKI: I have unfinished business, as I think all Americans do, until Ground Zero represents the symbol of freedom and the symbol of sacrifice that I believe it will. And you say it's almost like I have ownership. And when it comes to the memorial, when it comes to the site, I think all of us do, and certainly I feel that way.

And I'm just very proud of what is happening there and the tremendous effort that has been made by so many millions -- SANCHEZ: Well, but let -- let me stop you there, sir. What if -- what is wrong with sharing that ownership with people who say, as Imam Rauf has said today in "The New York Times," that he wants to do this to show the rest of the world how committed Americans are to sharing other faiths? To believing in other faiths?

And he goes on to say -- in fact, let me read this to you real quick. He says if we don't do this it would seriously undermine the ability of anti-American radicals to recruit young impressionable Muslims by falsely claiming that America persecutes Muslims for their faith.

Those were his words.

PATAKI: You know, and I think those are inflammatory and very poor words because what he's saying basically is unless we let him do things his way.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

PATAKI: That we're going to be held up in the rest of the world as being intolerant. I certainly don't and I don't think America needs Imam Rauf to tell us what we have to do to show that we are a tolerant, open, free society. We are. And the world knows that.

We have over 100 mosques in New York City. And in fact the reason we were attacked on September 11th was because of our belief in freedom. Freedom of speech. Freedom of assembly. Freedom to worship as we choose, which we respect for every religion. And those who attacked us hate us because of that belief.

SANCHEZ: He says, by the way, this is not really a mosque. He says there will be separate prayer spaces for Muslims, for Christians, for Jews, and men and women of other faiths. He says the center will also include a multi-faith memorial dedicated to victims of the September 11th attacks.

PATAKI: We have that memorial right across street that the people of America and the people of the world have worked very hard to put in place and it will be the most moving place I believe in the United States of America.

And, Rick, let me just ask you a question. Why there? Why does it have to be a block or two from where Islamist terrorists attacked us on September 11th? And why, if it's about building bridges and reaching out and showing understanding, doesn't he understand the emotion that those of us who were there on September 11th and so many others feel about this?

The governor of this state said we'll find you a more appropriate site. He said no. Why does it have to be there?

SANCHEZ: Last time you and I spoke, you were very concerned about where the funding was coming from.

PATAKI: Right. SANCHEZ: I remember you made that point.

PATAKI: Correct.

SANCHEZ: He now says in this letter that he wrote today, this op-ed in "The New York Times," that he will actually share all the information of where all the funding is coming from. Does that satisfy you?

PATAKI: No. It's one thing to say it. It's another thing to do it. He could start by explaining how someone who a year and a half ago was a waiter in a restaurant in New York was able to put down almost $10 million in cash to buy the rights to that site.

Why doesn't he explain that today? The money has already been spent. It's already been put up. He doesn't say that he won't take money from Iran. He should. He should make it equivocal that he will not do that.

So -- so, you know, I want to see -- and I think the American people have the right to see where those funds are coming from. And I also question, as I said before, why there? Why does it have to be a block or two from where Islamist terrorists attacked us?

SANCHEZ: Let me ask you one final question, if I possibly can. There's this new hullabaloo going on in Gainesville, Florida, with this pastor who wants to literally burn Korans.

And now we're getting protest in Afghanistan. Our generals are saying this guy's going to get our troops killed.

Do you feel in any way that some of this backlash that has been seen led by some fine gentlemen like yourself in New York City has kind of paved the way for that controversy? And if so, do you feel guilty?

PATAKI: I can't claim or understand what the motive of this person in Florida is. All I can say is that it's wrong, it's reprehensible and it should be condemned by all Americans. And it's just -- we are a free and a tolerant society. Any sign of bigotry such as this person is talking about in Florida is utterly unacceptable and has to be condemned.

SANCHEZ: George Pataki, former governor of the state of New York, thanks for coming by, sir.

PATAKI: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: We appreciate it.

PATAKI: Nice being with you.

SANCHEZ: God bless.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: I don't want you to go anywhere because this is just getting started here. I mean this is going to go and get better. The imam's first U.S. interview. He has just listened to what George Pataki said, the questions that have been raised by him. We expect that he'll be answering those questions directly. He's going to be sitting down with Soledad O'Brien who is co-hosting a special edition tonight of "LARRY KING LIVE." It's going to be coming up at the top of the hour, 9:00 Eastern, right here, after RICK'S LIST prime time."

Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake, he and his party believe we should also give a permanent tax cut to the wealthiest two percent of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: OK, so what is the number one political story on our list tonight? The president accusing a key figure of standing in the way of tax cuts for the middle class. Then suddenly, as I said, a tit-for-tat starts right here with that person who the president is accusing, sending tweets to us, answering the president. You'll see it. Also, this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this matter, I have concerns about how much of this episode was scripted by your show or how much was actions of your own initiative. I mean if this was scripted, only you can determine if it's worth trading your dignity for a paycheck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Dignity? Dignity. Yes, that's Snooki. Say it ain't so. Wait until you hear what else a judge had to say to the "Jersey Shore" star in court today. Trust me, America, you're going to want to know. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome. We'll jump right to number one today. The president of the United States is giving his party reason to hope that maybe, maybe, this election is not lost. That's what he's telling Democrats, progressives, despite what all the polls say.

Here we go. For the second time in two days, he has come out swinging against the Republicans and their leader in the House, specifically, John Boehner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake, he and his party believe we should also give a permanent tax cut to the wealthiest two percent of Americans. With all the other budgetary pressures we have, with all the Republicans talk about wanting to shrink the deficit, they would have us borrow $700 billion over the next 10 years to give a tax cut of about $100,000 each to folks who are already millionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Remember Monday when the president said that his opponents have treated him like a dog, that's in that speech that he gave in Milwaukee? Well, the speech he gave in Cleveland today was certainly more restrained, but every bit as pointed when it came to the other party. Among other things, he accused them of blocking a tax cut, holding it hostage on behalf of the wealthy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me be clear to Mr. Boehner and everybody else. We should not hold middle class tax cuts hostage any longer.

(APPLAUSE)

We are ready this week if they want to give tax cuts to every American making $250,000 or less. That's 98, 97 percent of Americans. Now, for any income over this amount, the tax rates will just go back to what they were under President Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, here's what's so interesting about this story. While the president was attacking John Boehner, calling him out, John Boehner immediately sent me a tweet here at RICK'S LIST to address or answer back what the president was saying about him.

Joe, if we can, go over here and get a shot of that tweet that we got from the House minority leader. "If the president of the United States is serious," he says to me, "about jobs, he should then cut spending to the '08 levels and listen to his former budget director. Freeze tax rates."

So there's that tit-for-tat I was telling you about between the president on Twitter and the House minority leader and on it goes.

So why is the White House interestingly enough targeting John Boehner specifically? Is this part of their strategy? Attack John Boehner? More importantly, what makes them think that it will spare congressional Democrats a bloodbath in November, as so many have predicted? That's the question I want to ask our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. She's standing by.

How about it, Suzanne? Is this the new game plan? And what makes them, the White House, think that something like this will work?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's so interesting, Rick, that he actually tweeted you. I mean, this just goes to show just how personal and political this whole thing has become. But I had a chance to talk to the White House communications director earlier today, Dan Pfeiffer, and I asked him that question.

I mean, the president mentioned John Boehner's name eight times during his speech today. You know who John Boehner is. I do. Maybe in Ohio they certainly do. But some people may not know. Why elevate it to that level, give him that platform and that kind of debate?

And Pfeiffer said, look, this is a fight that they actually want to have here. They want to make some clear distinctions and some choices and make the American people believe that it's the Obama administration, the Democrats on one side that are helping us get out of this recession, out of this economic gloom, and that the Republicans and the Bush administration were the ones that got us into the mess in the first place.

The why they're having this fight, they welcome this fight, is because, quite frankly, Rick, they're losing this fight right now. If you look at all of the polls and you see those poll numbers, a lot of Americans are blaming the president's economic policies and saying that they don't believe that he's done a good enough job here. And so you have a White House that is in full aggressive mode here. You're going to see the president do this time and time again. Go after Boehner, go after the Republicans, make it very clear that they believe they're on the right side of this, even if it's not the recovery summer that they have envisioned, that they are at least going in the right direction.

SANCHEZ: And that is a clear explanation to boot, one of our best, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much, appreciate it. Folks, take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, UNHCR GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: This part of the world, they are resilient people. Think of all that they've been hit with and they continue to move on, to rebuild, to trade, to educate, to learn. You know, they're really trying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Angelina Jolie in Pakistan, pleading for help for the millions affected by deadly flooding. We're going to hear more from her next in that interview that she did with us.

Also, for all you men out there who think you can dance, apparently scientists have found that there are good moves and there are bad moves when it comes to impressing women. We've got this down to a science, folks. You wouldn't believe it.

By the way, there's been some unbelievable video that's coming out of Dallas as well. Just as we were getting ready to go on the air, we suddenly see this twister blowing through parts of downtown Dallas. And we're now getting some of the pictures of what is left. Look at this residential area. That's another area where this twister blew through.

By the way, we're also getting this caveat to the story tonight. The twister apparently blew very close to the present residence of the former president of the United States George W. Bush. That's interesting. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. So glad that you all are here in our prime-time edition of RICK'S LIST.

Now to our list of people that are making news on this night. We begin with number three.

Wedding bells are ringing for Rodney King. Who's he marrying? According to radar online, one of the jurors from his civil case against the city of Los Angeles. Cynthia Kelly, juror number five, was the only African-American in the group that awarded King $3.8 million back in 1994. And now they're hooking up as they say.

Here, now, number two -- Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi in court today because of the -- Polizzi for being annoying, they say. Yes, the "Jersey Shore" cast member was in front of a judge today answering to charges of disorderly conduct, creating a public nuisance and, you guessed it, annoying people on the beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, according to the police. Here's what the judge had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You seem to be acting like a Lindsay Lohan wannabe in this matter. Going through life rude, profane, obnoxious and self-indulgent is not the way you want to live your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Then he went ahead and fined her $500 and sentenced her to two days of community service. Is "Snooki" done? Well, she's tweeting. And we're going to share it with you. As a matter of fact, Joe, to the Twitter board we go, and you'll see what she says tonight.

She says, well, "Never again. So scary. Thank you, judge, for understanding. I'm very thankful for that. Whew, now I can breathe."

So, who is number one on the people list tonight? That is coming up next. And then later, Meghan McCain goes after her dad's running mate Sarah Palin. She had a pretty nasty nickname for Sarah Palin when they were on the campaign trail. It's the kind of thing you wouldn't expect that someone would share but Meghan McCain, she shares. Stay tuned.

This is RICK'S LIST. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. Number one on the people list. Angelina Jolie. The superstar actress and activist in Pakistan this week. She is serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, visiting refugees displaced by the worst flooding Pakistan has ever seen. Our own Sanjay Gupta just returned from there. He spoke with Jolie this morning about her travels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, UNHCR GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: It pretty much confronted every different type of disaster. I think that's one of the reasons I think people have a fatigue in general when it comes to disaster relief. But if I can say that the thing that I've learned the most in being here is that we tend to focus on one issue at a time because that seems to be what people can absorb and care for. But Pakistan, as you know, is so complex because it has not just the people from the flood and the 18 million affected now but it still has the 1.7 million Afghan people who are here and they've been displaced from the flood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now let's hear from my friend Larry King. He's standing by. He's going to bring you a very special edition of his show tonight. In many ways, a continuation of the interview that I did a little while ago, with former Governor George Pataki who, Larry, I'm sure you watched it, did not have good things to say about Imam Rauf.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": No, he did not, but we will hear the Rauf side tonight because we've got an exclusive with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He grants his first U.S. television interview to CNN. Excuse me. He's going to tell us why he wants to build an Islamic community center near Ground Zero. He'll talk about the controversy these plans have generated and why he waited so long to publicly address the concerns of 9/11 victims, their relatives in the city of New York. It's all next on "LARRY KING LIVE," Rick.

SANCHEZ: I'm looking forward -- I'm very much looking forward to that, and I also think that that blue on blue with the polka dots thing you're doing looks really good.

KING: You like it?

SANCHEZ: For what it's worth. Yes, I do.

KING: You know what, it's me, it's me. It's me.

SANCHEZ: It fits. It's you. You know what it does? It completes you.

KING: Ah, well said.

SANCHEZ: Yes. See?

KING: I always knew I was incomplete. Which I got on a lot of tests in high school.

SANCHEZ: It's that big "I" across the top. Larry King, ladies and gentlemen, coming up in just a little bit. Brooke Baldwin is going to join me as well to tell us are the dance moves that -- by the way, I've been reading all your tweets. Thanks a lot, folks. No, I'm not going to do this for $20 or $100 or whatever else you're offering me tonight. Won't do it. Well -- no, just kidding.

Dance moves, good, bad. This is scientific. OK? And Brooke's going to break it down for us. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: What, what, what? An interesting night this has been. Now we're joined by one of my favorite people in the entire world. I know I just told Larry that but I really meant it for you.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. Larry's like wait, hang on.

SANCHEZ: Here's Brooke Baldwin. She has trending. What have you got?

BALDWIN: OK. Number one on my list, it's official, British TV personality Piers Morgan will begin his new talk show right here on CNN in January next year. In fact, he and Larry King, your pal from Miami, caught up in front of cameras today. We have a snippet of it. Of course, Larry being the uber interviewer went right into Larry King mode. Here they were.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": I wish you nothing but the best.

PIERS MORGAN, TO REPLACE LARRY KING: Thank you very much.

KING: I think it's going to be in great hands.

MORGAN: Well, I hope I can just live up to half your success and continue the legacy that you brought to this network. It's been an amazing career.

KING: What's the name of the show? Piers now?

MORGAN: I think it's called -- "used to be 'Larry KING LIVE'."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Used to be "LARRY KING LIVE" but begins in January. Larry is finished mid-December.

SANCHEZ: Can we take a quick break?

BALDWIN: We got more.

SANCHEZ: Yes, well, we've got this stuff coming up here, the big dance-a-thon thing, right?

BALDWIN: Are you excited for this?

SANCHEZ: I am because these guys are betting me to do it. Stay right there, folks. We'll bring you this when we come back. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to RICK'S LIST. Did you know that RICK'S LIST now comes in the form of a book as well? I want to thank my friends at Penguin because it now is called "Conventional Idiocy." It's a book that we put out just this week. Couldn't have done it without you as a matter of fact. And that's why I want to thank you now by giving out a book at the end of every newscast for the best tweet sent in.

Many of your tweets are in this book, by the way. Let's go, Joe, over here at the board and you'll see the tweet has been chosen today.

There is a new book signed and autographed by me and Brooke coming your way, Shaun Daily. Congratulations. He tweets, hope GW (ph) is OK, but what about Southfork Ranch? Was it damaged?" He's referring to that twister that went through Dallas earlier today.

BALDWIN: Dallas.

SANCHEZ: All right. Here you go, Brooke, ready? What's you got?

BALDWIN: Trending number two. I have Senator McCain's daughter Meghan McCain. She's dishing for the first time about her thoughts about her dad's running mate, Sarah Palin. In fact, she told Jay Leno -- there she was last night on the show, she told him she cried. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGHAN MCCAIN, AUTHOR, "DIRTY SEXY POLITICS": I found out an hour before I went on stage with her. I think they were scared I would say something, whatever, and, you know, like the rest of the country, I had no idea who she was. And I was actually like crying on the bus on the way to the rally. And I remember being on stage and distinctly remembering, thinking, God, let her not have any skeletons in the closet, please, God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Meghan McCain even shared her nickname for Palin which is --

SANCHEZ: And what would that be?

BALDWIN: Named after a Beck song, music people, "Time Bomb."

SANCHEZ: "Time Bomb."

BALDWIN: I guess she was waiting for her to --

SANCHEZ: Ouch.

BALDWIN: All right, number three. This is what we've been waiting for. Men, lean in, I'm talking to you. You think you can dance? I'm getting to you in a second.

Psychologists in England say they know what dance moves make men apparently more attractive to the ladies. In fact, they studies a group of men dancing. They mapped their moves. They showed them to this group of women.

SANCHEZ: No.

BALDWIN: They have recent findings.

SANCHEZ: No.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Don't tell me.

BALDWIN: So we're going to go to two videos because this is going to have you like rolling on the floor laughing -- the videos themselves.

These are the men simulated. This is the -- what do they call these, the avatars.

SANCHEZ: Avatars.

BALDWIN: So let's start with the bad dancing. And let's all watch this together.

SANCHEZ: All right.

BALDWIN: And we'll see why this is bad. With the music.

So, it's bad because apparently they're barely moving around, kind of twitchy, repetitive. Are you impressed?

SANCHEZ: No. Ah, dios mio.

BALDWIN: Ah, dios mio is exactly right.

Let's go to the good dancing. Apparently, see, rocking the elbows and the knees, getting the whole body in it. Right? Right?

SANCHEZ: That's exactly how I dance.

BALDWIN: Well, let's see that.

SANCHEZ: No.

BALDWIN: America wants to see Rick Sanchez shake his bonbon.

SANCHEZ: All right.

BALDWIN: Let's go, Kelly. Cue the music.

SANCHEZ: No, I am not. I am not. Stop it. You want to go to break this way? We can't go to break. BALDWIN: We can't go to Larry like this.

SANCHEZ: Not on a night like this, as a matter of fact. You knew you'll get me in trouble.

BALDWIN: Pay for the good dance and the bad dance. It's all science.

SANCHEZ: Before you know I'll be getting a phone call from Jon Klein on the way home tonight or something like that.

BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE)

SANCHEZ: You know, actually, you know what we can do, after the show.

BALDWIN: What?

SANCHEZ: We'll dance after the show.

BALDWIN: After our Cuban dinner?

SANCHEZ: Here now the man who knows how to dance because he's done it before, "LARRY KING LIVE."

That's it for us. We'll see you tomorrow.