AC360 - 10/21/09
taurenova is not doing 360 tonight as it's on an hour later than normal, so I am taking over.
1) Bail-out, bigwigs, and ... no, I got nothing. CEOs using money to pay for frivolous things like jets. Ali Velshi is here with the Magic Wall to tell us what's what.
Many Americans support cutting CEO pay. Ali thinks "the White House may have been dictated to by mob rule in this case" and Anderson asks if they're on solid legal ground telling people to accept pay cuts. Ali is anxious to see the legal argument.
ETA: Earlier Anderson talked to James Carville and Kevin Madden about government setting pay for CEOs and such. Kevin thinks that businesses have to be in the business of doing business, control of free market, James makes some faces. James says it is not setting pay but controlling the government money that they gave out.
Kevin thinks that is a consideration they should've made in the first place and whether government wants to create a punitive relationship with business. James says the businesses should not have wrecked the country.
At this point I will note James's lime green jacket, because I can't stop staring at it.
2) Still talking about whether the White House is tough enough or too tough on businesses (or, planning to be at least). Still with James and Kevin.
Pulling out references to Nixon and how D: some people are over possible similarities. Alexander guy in Congress was kind of :( over it today.
James says that eleven people in the Nixon admin went to jail and we should take the word out because "it's a bunch of bullshit" (which was softened out by the startled censor, lol). Kevin says that Obama was going to change the status quo in D.C. so ... they look like they're hyperpartisan.
New poll numbers. Kevin says that people are separating the President's personal popularity from their ideas on the issues. We are "essentially a center-right nation" Kevin says, and people are fleeing the Democrats. Fleeing! James says the Democrats have won the popular vote in four out of the five last presidental elections (oh, snap) and will probably lose a few seats in 2010, but they'll be okay if they do healthcare and such.
3) The Texas execution case, which AC360 has been following for a long time.
Keeping them honest with Randi Kaye. She was in Texas talking to an arson expert, nationally recognized, who says there is no evidence whatsoever that there was arson in the case. He says the original science was "junk" and "folklore" but his report didn't do anything to get a stay from the governor.
ETA Arson expert says the investigation has been botched but he expected it to be more sophisticated and behind-the-scenes (the governor's office). And the governor is not backing down. Arson expert also says that Willingham's defense was pathetic. Nine arson experts, nationally recognized, have come forward to back up his ideas.
ETA 2 Jeffrey Toobin is here to tell us how governors have all the freedom they want in death penalty cases. There's no standard of behavior. Jeffrey thinks the governor's biggest issue is moral, that there's overwhelming evidence that he's innocent.
Anderson brings up that there's thousands of other cases of people being convicted on things that are junk science, and Jeffrey says that people used to become experts based on tradition and folklore. DNA is pointing out how many forensic things once trusted are not actually all that reliable (like ballistics). The NSA is trying to change what's accepted in courts in the future.
4) Erica's Bulletin: Missing VA Tech student, Mass. man arrested on terror suspicions, Iranian negotiators agree to a draft of a deal about shipping uranium out of the country but no promise, Michelle Obama (hee) hula hooping on the lawn -- 142 swivels (Anderson says he couldn't beat it: "No way!").
5) Latino in America recap. Part of it looked at illegal immigration. Interview with Aracelli Torres who was seven when her family drove across the border, she barely even remembers it and didn't realize she was undocumented until she was preparing to go to college.
She got a job to help out her family. One day the police came in and rounded up employees, arresting 11 of them who had fake SS numbers. It's a felony -- as a crackdown on illegal immigration. Aracelli was detained for five months and she pled guilty about a year ago. Her little daughter's an American citizen. She faces deportation soon but she barely even remembers Mexico. She doesn't know anybody in Mexico and other members of her family are citizens. She's appealing the case.
Guests: Sheriff who's conducted raids though the Feds have asked him to spot, and a public defender representing Aracelli. Public defender says she's been here since she was a kid, graduated from HS here, paid into SS, etc. Sheriff says that although families are being split up, but so are the families of everyone else in jail. People are taking up jobs that US citizens could have.
Public defender finally got her name, Isabel Garcia, says the sweeps have hurt economy of Arizona even more. Also that the sweeps are reminiscent of
"You were down in Tuscon with your pinata cutting my head off" which I thought was hyperbole but oh there is footage of an actual pinata of the sherrif that was beheaded by protestors. Anderson says if someone did that to an effigy of Obama people would be up in arms. Garcia says it's symbolic speech.
Anderson talking about state police officers enforcing federal laws and that illegal immigrants don't report crimes against them because no one will help. Which I could go on about from my Border Lit course but the Sheriff says the crime rate is down now.
6) Big 360 interview tomorrow with a former Pakistani president.
7) Gary Tuchman got an interview with a lady from the sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead. Beverly Bunn talking about people passing out and the leader of the group saying he'll deal with them at the end of the first round because the door was already closed.
Bunn is a dentist with medical training and when she tried to help she was horrified by the condition all these people were in. The "Dream Teamers" would not let her help even though she knew CPR and was begging. She's having trouble dealing with knowing she didn't do this and was prevented from doing what she could have.
8) Erica's Bulletin: Breaking News! A judge has declared a mistrial in the Travolta case because someone in the jury might've had communications outside the jury room. Get some business tips from George W. because he's doing some motivational speaking now. Lifetime has canceled a Heene family rerun of "Wife Swap" after the balloon incident, so Erica shows us some clips from YouTube. Anderson is :| and Erica sings the song again.
9) Tonight's Shot: Some people in offices singing Backstreet Boys songs into webcames.
Anderson: "I don't know if we still have time. Do we still have time? Who the hell is Wolf Blitzer do we have that?"
And 360's new theme song seems to be Richard Heene Science Detective, which Erica likes to sing to.
1) Bail-out, bigwigs, and ... no, I got nothing. CEOs using money to pay for frivolous things like jets. Ali Velshi is here with the Magic Wall to tell us what's what.
Many Americans support cutting CEO pay. Ali thinks "the White House may have been dictated to by mob rule in this case" and Anderson asks if they're on solid legal ground telling people to accept pay cuts. Ali is anxious to see the legal argument.
ETA: Earlier Anderson talked to James Carville and Kevin Madden about government setting pay for CEOs and such. Kevin thinks that businesses have to be in the business of doing business, control of free market, James makes some faces. James says it is not setting pay but controlling the government money that they gave out.
Kevin thinks that is a consideration they should've made in the first place and whether government wants to create a punitive relationship with business. James says the businesses should not have wrecked the country.
At this point I will note James's lime green jacket, because I can't stop staring at it.
2) Still talking about whether the White House is tough enough or too tough on businesses (or, planning to be at least). Still with James and Kevin.
Pulling out references to Nixon and how D: some people are over possible similarities. Alexander guy in Congress was kind of :( over it today.
James says that eleven people in the Nixon admin went to jail and we should take the word out because "it's a bunch of bullshit" (which was softened out by the startled censor, lol). Kevin says that Obama was going to change the status quo in D.C. so ... they look like they're hyperpartisan.
New poll numbers. Kevin says that people are separating the President's personal popularity from their ideas on the issues. We are "essentially a center-right nation" Kevin says, and people are fleeing the Democrats. Fleeing! James says the Democrats have won the popular vote in four out of the five last presidental elections (oh, snap) and will probably lose a few seats in 2010, but they'll be okay if they do healthcare and such.
3) The Texas execution case, which AC360 has been following for a long time.
Keeping them honest with Randi Kaye. She was in Texas talking to an arson expert, nationally recognized, who says there is no evidence whatsoever that there was arson in the case. He says the original science was "junk" and "folklore" but his report didn't do anything to get a stay from the governor.
ETA Arson expert says the investigation has been botched but he expected it to be more sophisticated and behind-the-scenes (the governor's office). And the governor is not backing down. Arson expert also says that Willingham's defense was pathetic. Nine arson experts, nationally recognized, have come forward to back up his ideas.
ETA 2 Jeffrey Toobin is here to tell us how governors have all the freedom they want in death penalty cases. There's no standard of behavior. Jeffrey thinks the governor's biggest issue is moral, that there's overwhelming evidence that he's innocent.
Anderson brings up that there's thousands of other cases of people being convicted on things that are junk science, and Jeffrey says that people used to become experts based on tradition and folklore. DNA is pointing out how many forensic things once trusted are not actually all that reliable (like ballistics). The NSA is trying to change what's accepted in courts in the future.
4) Erica's Bulletin: Missing VA Tech student, Mass. man arrested on terror suspicions, Iranian negotiators agree to a draft of a deal about shipping uranium out of the country but no promise, Michelle Obama (hee) hula hooping on the lawn -- 142 swivels (Anderson says he couldn't beat it: "No way!").
5) Latino in America recap. Part of it looked at illegal immigration. Interview with Aracelli Torres who was seven when her family drove across the border, she barely even remembers it and didn't realize she was undocumented until she was preparing to go to college.
She got a job to help out her family. One day the police came in and rounded up employees, arresting 11 of them who had fake SS numbers. It's a felony -- as a crackdown on illegal immigration. Aracelli was detained for five months and she pled guilty about a year ago. Her little daughter's an American citizen. She faces deportation soon but she barely even remembers Mexico. She doesn't know anybody in Mexico and other members of her family are citizens. She's appealing the case.
Guests: Sheriff who's conducted raids though the Feds have asked him to spot, and a public defender representing Aracelli. Public defender says she's been here since she was a kid, graduated from HS here, paid into SS, etc. Sheriff says that although families are being split up, but so are the families of everyone else in jail. People are taking up jobs that US citizens could have.
Public defender finally got her name, Isabel Garcia, says the sweeps have hurt economy of Arizona even more. Also that the sweeps are reminiscent of
"You were down in Tuscon with your pinata cutting my head off" which I thought was hyperbole but oh there is footage of an actual pinata of the sherrif that was beheaded by protestors. Anderson says if someone did that to an effigy of Obama people would be up in arms. Garcia says it's symbolic speech.
Anderson talking about state police officers enforcing federal laws and that illegal immigrants don't report crimes against them because no one will help. Which I could go on about from my Border Lit course but the Sheriff says the crime rate is down now.
6) Big 360 interview tomorrow with a former Pakistani president.
7) Gary Tuchman got an interview with a lady from the sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead. Beverly Bunn talking about people passing out and the leader of the group saying he'll deal with them at the end of the first round because the door was already closed.
Bunn is a dentist with medical training and when she tried to help she was horrified by the condition all these people were in. The "Dream Teamers" would not let her help even though she knew CPR and was begging. She's having trouble dealing with knowing she didn't do this and was prevented from doing what she could have.
8) Erica's Bulletin: Breaking News! A judge has declared a mistrial in the Travolta case because someone in the jury might've had communications outside the jury room. Get some business tips from George W. because he's doing some motivational speaking now. Lifetime has canceled a Heene family rerun of "Wife Swap" after the balloon incident, so Erica shows us some clips from YouTube. Anderson is :| and Erica sings the song again.
9) Tonight's Shot: Some people in offices singing Backstreet Boys songs into webcames.
Anderson: "I don't know if we still have time. Do we still have time? Who the hell is Wolf Blitzer do we have that?"
And 360's new theme song seems to be Richard Heene Science Detective, which Erica likes to sing to.