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Atlanta Pastor Under Fire; Connecticut Home Invasion Murder Trial Continues
Aired September 23, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We do have a lot of news on this night.
There is that new development that is coming out of Atlanta, and there's also unbelievable development that are coming out of Connecticut on that trial that we have been following for you. Here is what we have got on RICK'S LIST.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): It is prime time on CNN and here's what's making RICK'S LIST.
These men accused of raping are and killing this doctor's wife and little girls. And guess what? They took pictures of their deeds and even texted about what they did to them. It's pornographic. It's gruesome. And it was shown today in court.
Why would this pastor send this picture of himself to a fourth young man?
CRAIG GILLEN, ATTORNEY FOR BISHOP EDDIE LONG: There will be no news conference today.
SANCHEZ: That is not the voice of embattled Pastor Eddie Long. It's his lawyer, talking for him, again. Three days into the alleged sex scandal, and the megachurch minister still has not confronted the accusation.
B.J. BERNSTEIN, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING PLAINTIFFS: There, the pastor started to do what adult pedophiles do with younger, younger people.
SANCHEZ: Long's lawyers say it is all a lie.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: You know what? It is people who raise their voice and yell and scream like you that are dividing this country.
SANCHEZ: The governor of New Jersey takes on a heckler.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Efforts to chip away at Israel's legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States. SANCHEZ: The president supporting Israel in no uncertain terms. Then there's the man who suggested wiping Israel off the map -- Ahmadinejad and Obama, two big speeches at the U.N.
A man I have known for years joins me to explain how "Survivor," yes, the show, has saved his life.
JIMMY JOHNSON, FORMER NFL HEAD COACH: Well, it was an adventure, but it was one of the most miserable times I have had in my life.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: This is weird, but it's Jimmy Johnson's story, and it offers an important lesson for all of us.
And pop queen Katy Perry's video is pulled from Sesame Street. Why did moms complain? I will tell you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. We're going to get to the story about Bishop Long in just a little bit.
But, tonight, as we begin, so glad you are here, by the way. An astonishing update on one of the cruelest stories, one of the most cruel stories that we have ever reported.
In court today, the man who lost his wife and his two young daughters to a bloody and brutal home invasion, he walks out of the courtroom because he couldn't stand to hear the gruesome details that jurors were about to hear themselves. He is having to sit through the trial of one of the men accused of raping, torturing, murdering, and then setting his family on fire.
It happened during the summer of 2007. Police say these two men, see them right there, they targeted the family and broke into their home. So, why did Dr. Petit have to walk out today, when he has been in the court all throughout?
Here is why. And there is really no easy way to say this, so I'm going to just come out and say it. Prosecutors say that the suspects took cell phone pictures of themselves as they sexually assaulted the girls and the mom, eight pictures in all. Five of them show a young girl with her arms tied above her head and a cloth over her face. She is in her underwear.
Another picture shows the mother I can't even describe. The judge did not show the pictures to the courtroom because they were just too horrific, he said. Before the invasion happened, jurors were shown text messages that these two suspects allegedly sent to each other.
These are messages that show just how anxious they were to attack and violate these women. One of them reads -- quote -- "I'm chomping at the bit to get started. Need a margarita soon."
Another reads: "I'm putting the kid to bed. Hold your horses."
The response: "Dude, the horses want to get loose. LOL."
On top of all this, we are now hearing what prosecutors say suspects' original plan was. We are told that they just wanted to rob the house, but they say that things somehow spiraled out of control.
You may remember, one suspect drove Mrs. Petit to the bank early in the morning and told her to withdraw $15,000. She did just what they said, because she thought it would mean her family would be freed. That's when she told the bank teller, whispered calmly that she and her family were in danger. The teller hears the mother's story and then dials 911. Here, we got the call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lady who is in our bank right now who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. The people are in a car outside the bank. She is getting $15,000 to bring out to them, that, if the police are told, they will kill her children and the husband.
Her name is Jennifer PETIT, P-E-T-I-T. She lives at (ADDRESS DELETE). She says they are being very nice. They have their faces covered. She is petrified.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Hmm. They weren't nice. And that is the last time anybody ever saw the mom alive. Minutes later, she would be dead.
We are learning that when the suspect returned to the house with the mother, the other guy said he had already raped the littlest of girls, 11 years old. So the suspect said he wanted to -- quote -- "square up" and do the same thing to the mother.
They texted this. Now, these are pictures of the crime scene, as you can see right there, the flames in the background. We are also told that the suspects then wanted to put the entire family in their car and torch the house.
Instead, they strangled Mrs. Petit, and left the girls to die of smoke inhalation tied to the bed. You can see the rope that they used to tie one of them right there. Mrs. Petit was so badly burned, she could only be identified through dental records.
I want you to take a look at this new video. It shows one of the suspects, one of the suspects here buying gasoline that was used to burn the home. He pays for $10 worth of gas and then he fills up several gallon jugs.
I want to bring in someone now, because so many people have been writing to us about this story and about what this doctor, this father has been going through in this trial. He has been in the courtroom all this time, by the way.
It is Michael Christian. He's a senior field producer for "In Session" on truTV.
Michael, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER, "IN SESSION": Sure.
You are joining us from New Haven, Connecticut.
What was the -- when you were in the courtroom -- and I didn't think this case could get any worse, but apparently it did today -- what happened when suddenly these pictures were revealed to certain members of the courtroom? And I'm most interested in what happened with the father. Was he there or did he know it was coming and did he leave earlier?
CHRISTIAN: You know, he has been in the courtroom for almost all of this trial, Rick, but he does leave and other members of his family leave when they know there is going to be autopsy evidence.
They don't necessarily need to hear about the autopsies of their loved ones. And he is a doctor. He certainly knows clinically what all this means. But it's one thing to know it scientifically and it's another thing to know it about your family.
So, he is always gone for that sort of thing. But,today, he was in the courtroom when they were describing these photos which were found on the cell phone belonging to Joshua Komisarjevsky.
SANCHEZ: Oh.
CHRISTIAN: And, clearly, that could not have made him very happy.
I looked over. He tries to be as calm as he can. I think he may have gripped the railing at one point, because he sits in the first row. But, obviously, that's horrible stuff to have to hear.
There were eight photographs on this cell phone. Two of them, apparently, are shots of Komisarjevsky, the other defendant, who will be tried next year, touching his erect penis.
Then there are, I believe, five photographs of someone who is believed to be the younger daughter, Michaela Petit, who was only 11. She had a towel or some sort of cloth on her face. But she is laying on the bed. She is tied. Her hands are over her head. And she is in various states of undress.
I believe, at one point, her skirt is pulled up. At one point, the camera apparently focuses on her genitalia. And then there is one photograph of an older female. We believe it is Hayley Petit, the older sister. She was 17. And according to the description in the courtroom, that photograph shows a woman who is naked and her legs are spread, and, again, camera focusing on the genitalia.
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTIAN: That is not something that any parent under any circumstances would ever want to hear.
SANCHEZ: This is as horrific as anything I -- and I have covered a lot of trials, Michael. I can't imagine anything being -- these guys, I have never heard of anyone sounding so monstrous.
Why does it continue? There seems to be enough evidence to rest this case now. How much longer is this going to go on? And, by the way, do they have to do this all over again when they try the second guy?
CHRISTIAN: They do have to do it all over again.
The decision was made a long time ago to try these defendants separately. It is actually good legal strategy, because the defense is going to be: I didn't do it. That guy did it.
Each one of these folks is going to try and blame the other for the most egregious acts. They were caught virtually red-handed running out of the house. There's no question that they were there.
And, in fact, in Steven Hayes, the defendant who is on trial here, in his attorney's opening statement, he admitted, just blatantly admitted, that Mr. Hayes had assaulted and had strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit, the mother.
So, there is no question that something happened here and that each of them played a role. But they're certainly going to try and blame the other. So, each side is trying to be very careful to make sure that the jury knows there is another defendant here -- I'm sure we will hear this in the second trial -- and maybe that guy was really the ringleader. Maybe he is the one who got the ball rolling.
SANCHEZ: Michael, thanks so much for bringing us these details as we continue to follow this story that has people in shock all over the country.
CHRISTIAN: Sure.
SANCHEZ: Thanks again.
Watch this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GILLEN: These false allegations are an attack to on Bishop Long personally.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: New pictures released of Eddie Long, but there's the catch. These are pictures the megachurch pastor sent to a fourth young man. And, by the way, where is Eddie Long these days? We are now about four days into this controversy, and, still, he has not confronted the accusations.
Why do these U.S. delegates in these next pictures I am going to show you right here -- see if you can get those up, Dan -- I'm going to show you these U.S. delegates. They're walking out of the United Nations -- there you go -- in the middle of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech. We are going to play you the exact moment, what it is that Ahmadinejad says that causes them to stand up and walk out.
This is your national conversation, no bloviating, just the news, and more of it than -- well, than all of our competition combined.
We will be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Glad you are here. This is our list of the day's most controversial stories.
A homophobic comment was posted online from a computer at the Atlanta office of a U.S. senator. His name is Saxby Chambliss. This story comes in at number five.
"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" is reporting the senator's staff has confirmed the slur came from his office. Someone calling themselves Jimmy posted the comment, "All 'blanks' must die," referring to gays, but using a much more derogatory term.
Well, the comment was posted on Joe.My.God. It's a blog that covers gay and lesbian issues. The hateful remark was made while Chambliss was debating the military's don't ask, don't tell policy in the Senate. Chambliss' office says they have not yet determined who in the office posted the comment. They have turned the matter over to the Senate sergeant at arms.
Number four, the feds are not pulling the diabetes drug Avandia. No, they are not. Here is what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided to do instead. They say you can only use Avandia if you can't control your condition with any other drug. What does that tell you?
Their finding is based on studies that show an increase in heart attacks and strokes in patients who use Avandia.
Here is number three, tonight, a shocking discovery in New York on the same day that Presidents Obama and Ahmadinejad were delivering speeches. A Central American diplomat was found dead in his Bronx apartment with his throat slashed. Here's the video from the scene.
Thirty-four-year-old Cesar Mercado's throat was slashed and he was found with a knife next to him inside his home. Mercado's body was discovered by his driver. He was the consul of Nicaragua in New York for the past eight years.
His driver was believed to be picking him up to meet with other diplomats attending the U.N.'s General Assembly today, where all the big speeches were about to take place, including the president's. A neighbor says they heard screaming and banging coming from his apartment late last night. Here is number four. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gets the U.N. going today, I mean going, as in going out the door. Here is what happened. He actually suggested in the speech that the U.S. attacked itself on 9/11. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: In fact, the 9/11 attack had a devastating effect on the U.S. and world economies, despite what he just said. One by one, delegates from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Spain all rose up and just walked out on Ahmadinejad. He then ended his fiery speech by defending Iran's nuclear ambition.
All right. So we have been through four. What is the number-one most controversial story on this day? Once again, it is the embattled pastor who is accused of carrying on with teenaged boys -- new developments on this tonight. We have pictures sent out by the pastor to a fourth young man. Why would a pastor send out a picture that looks like that? I will share it with you.
You are going to wait and see what happens here. He goes over and starts arguing with this man right here. What happens when this politician goes after the heckler? It is usually the other way around, right? Well, it is because this guy is, in many ways, the real deal.
RICK'S LIST continues with more news and less bloviating. Stay there. We're going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Boy, here is another story we have gotten Just a ton of reaction on.
Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Tonight, there are revealing new photos of an Atlanta megachurch minister accused of having sex with young parishioners. This continues to be the most controversial story of the night.
This is Eddie Long. Yes, he is a pastor. He's wearing some very tight and some very revealing clothes. He is posing in front of a bathroom mirror for photos that he took of himself on his cell phone. That's according to the man who received those photos.
The lawyer for the young men accusing them of coercing them into sex says that she has more photos like this one. She says long sent those pictures to a fourth young man not yet named in the litigation. This was supposed to be the day that Long broke his silence, by the way, but, instead, he backed out of a radio interview early this morning, the one that I had told you he was going to do with my colleague Roland Martin. He also then was supposed to have a news conference, but he decided not to have that at the last minute either.
Instead, he just had his attorney show up and read a statement that supposedly he had written.
Here is CNN's Ed Lavandera, who first broke the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what has been difficult for us, as we have tried to report this story. Look, we are trying to -- I didn't know much about Eddie Long before this story broke and I don't know many people who go to that church, but I have been trying desperately the last 48 hours to get people close to him. I know he is not talking much.
SANCHEZ: What are they saying? Is there a split?
LAVANDERA: I'm definitely getting that sense. There is many people who are -- want to stand by him, believe in him and the people who have contacted us and said, look, we believe him, we believe him. But then when we asked them to come on camera, it's been difficult.
SANCHEZ: Like pulling teeth, huh?
LAVANDERA: So you know, just let our audience know, I know there is a lot of people thought who think this has been very one-sided at this point.
SANCHEZ: Fine.
LAVANDERA: And just please understand, you know, trying to get -- we are trying to get people who are trying to paint a fuller picture about what is going on here and it's been difficult for us.
SANCHEZ: But they won't go on camera.
So his defenders are a little shy about appearing on camera now, right?
LAVANDERA: And this is a man who is --
SANCHEZ: He is shy about appearing on camera right now, to be fair.
LAVANDERA: Very shy. And he also has very high-profile friends who appear before cameras all the time, and we haven't seen anything from those folks as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And we will keep trying to. Bishop Long denies the allegations against him.
In a statement, his attorney calls the lawsuit an attack on Long and the church. And Long tweeted this afternoon when we were in the middle of our newscast, just after that discussion.
He tweets this: "Thanks for all your prayers and your support. Love you all."
There you go.
Note to self: If you go to a political rally to heckle a speaker, you might want to avoid a political rally that involves the governor of New Jersey. That's right, because he may very well make you pay for it. It is time to take a look at the top political stories making the list on this night.
And we begin with number five.
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, running for governor in California, she was making a speech at a rally in Los Angeles when a man began to heckle her. Didn't take long for her supporter, Chris Christie, who was there speaking on her behalf, came to her rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
CHRISTIE: Hey, listen. Hey, listen. You -- hey, listen. You know what? You want to yell, yell at me, but don't give her a hard time.
We are here. We are here talking about the future of the state of California and the future of our country. And you know what? And you know what? And you know what? Let me tell you -- let me tell you this.
You know what? It is people who raise their voices and yell and scream like you that are dividing this country. We are here to bring this country together, not to divide it.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Chris Christie taking his act out West.
Let's go to number four. House Republican leaders unveiled their Pledge to America today. They are calling it a governing agenda for what Republicans would do if they win control of Congress in November.
Listen to Minority Leader John Boehner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Government is out of control in Washington, and we need to rein it in, and begin a new drive for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government in our nation's capital.
These are the things that the American people are demanding. And our pledge to America is that the Republicans stand ready to get it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The 21-page document includes promises to slash taxes, cut government, and reverse President Obama's health care reforms. Democrats say they had their chance, and they blew it.
Here's number three. Speaking of those looming midterm elections, let's take a look at some interesting polls in some key races.
First to Pennsylvania, where Republicans seem to be in pretty good shape right now. According to a new CNN/"TIME" magazine/Opinion Research Corporation poll, GOP nominee Pat Toomey is in the lead over Joe Sestak -- 49 percent of the likely voters surveyed say they will pick Toomey over his Democratic opponent.
Now to number two. Here is another poll, this one out of Delaware -- 55 percent of likely voters there are saying that they are going to back the Democrat, Chris Coons, for Senate -- 39 percent say they support the Republican candidate instead, Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell -- 55-39 there.
So, what is number one on our list of the most important political news of the night? Well, it is a governor's race that is about as nasty as they come. And, today, this race even got a little tighter.
Also ahead, how sexy is too sexy for "Sesame Street"? Well, this has to do with moms. And most Americans are saying, bravo, moms. We will tell you why this story is important to you.
Stay right there. This is your national conversation. I'm Rick Sanchez. And we are going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. So glad you're here -- or, as Bill O'Reilly refers to me as, the new guy over at CNN. Who knew?
So what's the number one political story that is making news on this night? Roll it, Dan.
A Tea Party favorite versus a political giant. Could things be changing in a New York minute? Depends on who you ask.
Andrew Cuomo is considered the favorite for governor. He is the state's attorney general and the son of a three-term governor, Mario Cuomo, as most of you know. Challenging him is Carl Paladino, who became somewhat famous here, being interviewed on RICK'S LIST. He's a Republican businessman with some very controversial views. Among them, he told me he is not in favor of abortion, even if the woman is a victim of rape and incest at the same time. In a new Sienna College survey, Cuomo is holding a commanding 57-24-point lead over Paladino. But wait. But wait. There's another poll that's painting a very different picture. According to the Quinnipiac University poll, Cuomo is only up over Paladino by six points. Six points. So why the big difference?
Well, the first poll includes registered voters. The second one includes likely voters. Likely voters don't always vote. So according to our CNN political team, this race could depend on which base turns up at the polls.
He's one of the richest people in America and at age 26, one of the country's youngest billionaires. Now, he's giving a chunk of it away and for a very good cause. That's why he's on our list of people that are making news on this night. He comes in at number five.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, expected to announce tomorrow he's giving $100 million to improve public schools in Newark, New Jersey. Newark is one of the worst-performing school districts in the country. News of the donation comes one week before the release of a new film which portrays Zuckerberg in a bad light. Coincidentally, Facebook's Web site crashed again today and was unavailable or very slow for much of the afternoon. No explanation tonight from Facebook as to what happened.
Here is number four. The person is Katy Perry, too sexy for "Sesame Street?" The pop star was supposed to appear on the long- running kid show. That was before this clip of the segment made it onto YouTube. Perry performed in a very low-cut dress singing a kid- friendly version of her hit "Hot and Cold" with "Sesame Street"'s resident furry red monster, Elmo. So moms that were watching said no, no, no, no, that's just a little too hot for our kids. Apparently, Perry showing a little too much cleavage. You be the judge.
Parents demanded producers cut the bit out which they eventually did. Perry today tweeted in response, and here we go with that. "Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short. If you still want to play, see it at katyperry.com. Tag, you're it, Elmo." And tag, you're it.
Number three. Jimmy Johnson, well known to all of us from his years coaching the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. He's one of the newest castaways on the latest "Survivor," "Survivor: Nicaragua." It's a role that literally saved his life. Johnson was supposed to be on the previous season of "Survivor" until he failed the show's physical. Listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIMMY JOHNSON, CONTESTANT, "SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA": I tried the second time, went through the process again and it looked like I was going to make "Survivor." And so, we got through and the doctor, after the physical, they called and they said, coach, we'd love to have you, but you've got two blocked arteries so you better see your cardiologist. I had one artery 100 percent blocked, another one 70 percent blocked. A week later, I had stents put in. I went on a strict diet and workout routine, lost 30 pounds. My cholesterol went from 220 to under 100. So in some ways, "Survivor," you know, let me survive. And after all of that process, then I applied the third time and finally got on.
SANCHEZ: My wife and I were watching the other day and one of those promotions or commercials comes on, whatever they're called, you're there. It's on like every 40 seconds during the ball games and stuff. And Suzanne says, "Is that Jimmy? He looks skinny." You lost -- you do. I mean, this is a wakeup call for you, but there's a lesson here for most of us, right?
JOHNSON: Well, you know, I worked out all the time throughout the years. I would jog and run and do one thing or another. And I thought because of that, I was healthy. But until they actually had the nuclear stress test and put the dye in and checked my arteries, I never knew I had a problem. And I'm one of the few people, I guess there's a small percentage of the population that can have a heart attack and not feel it. He said I had a heart attack at one time and didn't know it. He said if they hadn't have done the process of putting the stents in, he said I could have gone at any day. So, it really did save my life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Many of you, by the way, tweeted me to ask Coach Johnson, notice I call him Coach Johnson when I prepared this part of the story, if he would return to coach the Dallas Cowboys who are now 0-2. Fans aren't happy, so I asked him. His answer, no. He said he's just having too much fun in life right now to go back to that.
Here is people in the news number two. President Obama. He's at the U.N. today. He's trying to drum up support for the U.S.-led peace plan for the Middle East. It was most of the speech. During the speech, the U.N. General Assembly, the president called on world leaders to stand behind Israel and Palestinians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Peace must be made by Israelis and Palestinians, but each of us has a responsibility to do our part as well. Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand the true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine, one that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity and opportunity. And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means, including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Incidentally, the Israeli delegation was not in the room for the president's speech. Today, is, as you probably know, a Jewish holiday. The U.S. knew about the absence beforehand.
So, here's where we are. Who tops the list of people making news on this night? I will tell you, next.
Plus, look at this. Stephen Colbert is called before Congress. He's a witness for a hearing on illegal immigration, farm workers and other issues regarding this. Is this a joke? Or is he actually going to provide expert testimony?
Well, our Brooke Baldwin is following this story and as we go to break, I want you to take a look as well at what we do, Brooke and I, as we meet in the morning, really early, sometimes, too early, right? To put our newscast together. There she is.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am in the dark.
SANCHEZ: You are in the --
BALDWIN: I'm emerging from the dark.
SANCHEZ: Here's what you call the "Rick vid."
BALDWIN: The "Rick vid," here we go.
SANCHEZ: Let's do it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry.
SANCHEZ: Give me a good -- little sound bite from the president from this morning at the U.N. I was listening to him on the radio, now we do a turn. The president supporting Israel in no uncertain terms and now we do a turn to Ahmadinejad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today we have a big event. Right? The Iranian president is speaking.
SANCHEZ: But this is -- the only thing I'm thinking about is the president gave his big speech today and I'm wondering if we ought to consider the popular 3:00 using some of President Obama's --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A grandmother and a convicted killer set to die by lethal injection tonight. As a matter of fact, the decision could be being made as we speak right now. The first woman to be executed in the United States in five years. She's number one on our people list tonight.
This is interesting, because the moment that I throw to Larry and say, you know, good night, here's Larry King, that's when they're supposed to be doing this. She is 41-year-old Teresa Lewis. She's set to die in less than half an hour, at exactly 9:00 Eastern, unless, of course, the governor picks up the phone, calls and says no, let's wait. And she's also a trending topic tonight.
Brooke Baldwin is joining us now with more on this. I mean, it's kind of eerie to hear about something like this.
BALDWIN: It is, but it's the fact that she's a woman. In fact, some of the numbers I have seen this is the first from the state of Virginia in about a century that they have put a female to death.
SANCHEZ: What did she do?
BALDWIN: Let me get there.
SANCHEZ: OK.
BALDWIN: First, 19 minutes or so away from when Virginia should be -- should be executing her. Teresa Lewis is her name. Here's just a little bit of background.
She's a 41-year-old grandmother. She was condemned to death for plotting the 2002 killings of her husband and his son. So her stepson. She did not pull the trigger. This is why a lot of people are talking about her case. She plotted with two men who did. They got life sentences. Now, Lewis spoke with CNN's Brian Todd over the phone from her jail cell just days ago. Here's that conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERESA LEWIS, DEATH ROW INMATE (via telephone): I would tell the governor if I speak to him one-on-one, I am sorry, how sorry I really am, for allowing this to happen to two people that I loved very much. And I just wish I could take it back. And I'm sorry for all the people that I've hurt, in the process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now her attorney has come forward. And this has been what people have been debating about. Her I.Q., he says, is just above the level of retardation. She's at 72. That level is 70, so very close.
Prosecutors disagree with that argument. The Virginia governor has obviously sided with them, denying her clemency as did the U.S. Supreme Court. Teresa Lewis set to be executed 9:00 p.m. Eastern by lethal injection.
SANCHEZ: It's 18 minutes from now. Wow.
BALDWIN: I can't imagine.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BALDWIN: But a lot of people are tweeting, talking, blogging about that one.
SANCHEZ: That's right. Yes.
All right. Stephen Colbert?
BALDWIN: Stephen Colbert. SANCHEZ: Our fave.
BALDWIN: Our fave at Stephen at home. We keep trying to tweet you, Stephen Colbert. So fake newsman, Stephen Colbert, who we're used to seeing right in a TV box.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BALDWIN: Well, we're going to be seeing him on Capitol Hill tomorrow. He's testifying before Congress tomorrow. And according to the paper, "The Daily Caller," yes, he will appear in character. A lot of people are wondering that, including myself. He will be there in front of the House Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration.
Why Colbert? This summer, he participated in this United Farm Workers program. It's when they invited Americans to get out into hot summer fields to see, you know, if they really think that good jobs are being lost to undocumented immigrants. So, he talked about that experience in character. You be the judge, this morning on "Good Morning, America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST: Obviously the main reason that I'm testifying before Congress is to get that C-SPAN one bump for my ratings. I hope it's C-SPAN one. If it's C-SPAN two, then I have been lied to.
The UFW had this program called take our jobs please, and they offered any Americans who believe that illegal immigrants were taking their jobs, and I believe that they are. You should watch your back. That you go out there and take -- go out there and take their jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you actually did it.
COLBERT: Only 14 people took them up on it, and I was the fourth to take them up on it. And I went out there and I worked 10 hours in the fields and I had to stop, because my doctors told me I had developed a condition known as a blister.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Condition known as a blister, call the doctors. And yes, he really did. He went out into these fields and so they're going to be airing -- Comedy Central will be airing this video of him working in the farm. Airs tonight, 11:30 over on that channel.
Meantime, a lot of people, specifically Republicans on Capitol Hill are saying his presence tomorrow morning not so funny. We found two tweets. This first one from Sarah Palin. And she says, "Joke's on us? This is the first substantial immigration discussion. C-SPAN covers House judiciary with Stephen Colbert testimony? Do they take it serious?"
Tweet number two: Republican Congressman from Utah. "What a joke. All the serious issues and we have Colbert as an "expert." I'm a fan of Colbert, but immigration expert?" So, we have to wait.
SANCHEZ: Yes, because our nation's politicians have done such a great job dealing with the immigration issues, that they're ones to criticize anybody here.
BALDWIN: So they're criticizing and we'll be watching for Stephen Colbert tomorrow morning. Four witnesses, he's one of four.
SANCHEZ: Good God. All right. Hey, thank you so much.
BALDWIN: You're welcome. Wait, I'm not done.
SANCHEZ: You're not?
BALDWIN: There's some more.
SANCHEZ: Well, then, do more.
BALDWIN: Well, after the break.
SANCHEZ: You're sure?
BALDWIN: After the tease.
SANCHEZ: Is that what we're going to do?
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Well, then, (INAUDIBLE). Let's go to break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back. Earlier today, my colleague, Anderson Cooper, introduced us to this year's top ten CNN heroes. So now, Brooke is going to take us through the voting procedure.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Is it that difficult?
BALDWIN: It's really not that difficult.
SANCHEZ: All right. Hold on, let me get a pen and pad.
BALDWIN: Pen and paper, Sanchez.
SANCHEZ: All right.
BALDWIN: Take notes right now. Write down this url. This is CNNheroes.com. So this is the main page. You hop on here, right? You can scroll down, you can see all the top ten heroes. By the way, there were like 10,000 originally with this amazing team who narrowed it down to ten. So you can click through and read about all these different wonderful people.
You move on. And this is what you want to know. This is the site where you can vote. By the way, you can vote more than once. You can vote for different people. So you can vote for Susan. You can vote for Linda. You can vote for Harman. And then, we say thank you for voting. You can share your vote on Facebook. Our tribute show Thanksgiving night with Anderson Cooper, November 25th.
And finally, they tweet. You know, we're tweety on the show, Sanchez. So just, you can follow them. Follow their progress at CNN heroes on Twitter. Back over to you.
SANCHEZ: I got all of that. I got --
BALDWIN: There will be a quiz later.
SANCHEZ: I got you down. It's great to see parents encourage their kids, but this woman that we're about to share with you brought a whole new level of encouragement. Here is "The List That U Don't Want 2 Be On," next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: I'm always telling you guys I'm so proud of my kids, all four of them, the big one, the second one, the third one, and then Savannah, little girl, the last. We go to their softball games. You tell them how good they're doing in school, unless, of course, they're not doing in school.
But you know, you guys get that. If you're a parent, you know, it's just part of what you're supposed to do, call them out, encourage them, but there's something you don't want to encourage and that's what leads us to this. This is "The List U Don't Want 2 Be On."
This is April Newcomb from Florida. It's safe to say that she won't be running for mother of the year. Why? Why? Why do you think? Well, here's what happens.
Two high school girls getting ready for a brawl. A what? Unlike any high school fight, kids gather around in a circle and cheer them on, and watch and act like kids. They're punching, they're pulling hair, they're slapping, they're kicking. But here's the twist in the story. This fight has a chaperon.
Yes, police say the woman screaming the loudest, right there, that's April Newcomb. She's the mother of one of the girls. She's not only a chaperon, she's a cheerleader in her fight which involves her daughter. She eggs on the kids. She even tells her daughter, don't bleeping stop. But doesn't mom know it's 2010? Kids have cell phones and cell phones have cameras. Somebody's always watching. The clip ends up on YouTube.
Police end up at April Newcomb's door. They arrest her and charged her with child abuse.
You want to know what she told them? She says her daughter fractured her skull in the past, so she was monitoring the fight to make sure that she didn't get hit in the back of the head. Her daughter. Oh, yes. That makes sense. Look, if she really wants to see her kid fight, take her to a boxing class. Don't encourage violence in some empty parking lot. Even the kids were surprised to see her there. Listen to what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her mama was hitting me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did her mom come from, dude?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Well, don't know where she came from. But I know where she's going. April Newcomb, tonight, straight to the very top of "The List That U Don't Want 2 Be On."
Does getting a parking ticket get you stressed out? One city says chill out. "Fotos," next. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Watch this. Watch as it comes out the top. Isn't that cool? We play with these every day. It's one of the coolest things we've ever had. My kids think it's so, so tight. Anyway. There you go.
Oh, "Conventional Idiocy". This is the book I wrote with your help. Much of what you say is in this book. It's about the show. It's about politics. It's about the stuff that we talk about on the show. And I'm honored that I get to give one out every single day. My publishers are being real nice about this, so here we go.
The winner tonight is Kim Wallace. Kim says, or tweets, "I finally get tweeting down, watch you in the afternoon and evening and now you're leaving the evening? Enjoy your family."
You're right, Kim, I will. I've been working 12, 13-hour days now for quite a while, but you're going to love what CNN has planned for 8:00 p.m. here.
Also, they say nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes, right? Even the jobs you get sometimes. A lot of people would add parking tickets to that list. Let's do "Fotos."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.
SANCHEZ: Parking ticket have you bent out of shape. (INAUDIBLE) Cambridge, Massachusetts -- look out again. Cambridge, Massachusetts are handing out what they think might be solutions. They have issued 40,000 ticket envelopes printed with yoga postures.
It is part of a public art project but yoga buffs are warned being able to touch your toes still won't get you out of paying the ticket. And you could also bet this next guy is getting more than just a ticket, in fact. Police pulled this driver over in the middle of the night in Monroe, North Carolina. And look what they found in the back of his truck, 614 pounds of Mary Jane. That's right. Enough to make many marijuana cigarettes. Street value, about $300,000. The driver is now in jail and the dope is off the street.
And finally, getting creative for charity. Great iReport from Orange County, California. The food bank there put on a canned food drive and challenged donors to build sculptures out of the cans. The results are on display now, but not for long. The food will eventually go to needy families.
That is "Fotos" and you can see them on my blog at CNN.com/ricksanchez.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, dios mio.
SANCHEZ: Here's my pal, Larry King.
