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RICK'S LIST

RNC Chairman Tries to Rally Base; New Questions in Connecticut Massacre; Iranian Woman Sentenced to Stoning for Adultery by Iranian Court; Air Canada Dismantles Wheelchair Disabled Boy Without Warning; Black Farmers Still Await Senate Approval of Settlement

Aired August 6, 2010 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Here's what's making the LIST today: a bitter blowout between Republicans and Democrats, our nation's 9/11 first-responders stuck in the middle.

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: It's Republicans wrapping their arms around Republicans, rather than doing the right thing on behalf of the heroes. It is a shame, a shame!

LEMON: Remember Congressman Anthony Weiner's angry rant against Republicans and Congressman Peter King? Now it's King's turn, saying the Democrats have blood on their hands.

Here's a sight for sore eyes: a Gulf Coast flyover and no oil as far as the eye can see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what we are seeing is a very rapid biodegradation of this oil.

LEMON: As far as the eye can see.

Let me eat cake. Why is the first lady being compared to Marie Antoinette? It's trending and we're following.

One top al Qaeda operation, one of America's most wanted, one and the same, and he's an American.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's out there plotting the attacks and recruiting people to actively do that.

LEMON: The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why we keep a list. Pioneering tomorrow's news right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. Rick is taking a much-deserved day off. I'm Don Lemon.

So, topping the LIST right now: Republican Chairman Michael Steele here still making a fashion statement in Kansas city today. That red hat you see, the Republican cap, says, "Fire Pelosi." He's trying to fire up his party going into this important upcoming election. Steele says, you know what you can look for next? A "Fire Pelosi" tour bus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Get on the bus -- 117 cities, get on the bus. Every state, get on the bus. We're going to win in November, and Nancy Pelosi will be in the back of the bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, fire Pelosi tour bus.

Our political editor, Mark Preston, is there at the meeting.

Mark, good to see you.

You know, we all know about Steele's past gaffes. But do you get some sense from this meeting that Republicans are behind him going into this very important election?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, no question Michael Steele is embattled at this point in his chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.

However, we're three months out before the midterm elections. Republicans are very energized. They think they can take back the House. They think they can take back the Senate. If you look back 18 months ago, Don, it looked like Republicans were on the rope, that they were left for dead.

In fact, listen to what Steele had to say about that just a few moments ago here in Kansas City, Don.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEELE: We have gone from a demoralized super-minority party to a legion of effective citizens who are on the offense and making Democrats sweat. How does that make you feel? How does that make you feel?

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: So there you have it, Don. You have Michael Steele, again, who -- a lot of questions of his stewardship of the Republican National Committee.

In fact, just a few moments ago, I spoke to him about that. I said, look, Mr. Chairman, there's been a lot of questions about your fund-raising ability, a lot of questions about how you are running the committee. And he said, that is just summer chatter, that in fact they are heading into November. He's going to get on that bus, as he says, head across the country, 117 cities. Republicans, again, Don, think that they can take back the House of Representatives and maybe the Senate -- Don.

LEMON: OK. Before I tell you about what a Democratic spokesman told us today, I want to know, how was he received?

Was it tepid? At some points, it looked like it was tepid, and at some points it looks like he was well received.

PRESTON: Well, Don, throughout the past couple of days here in Kansas city, Michael Steele has been holding private meetings with these 167 members of the Republican National Committee. These are the grassroots activists and the party chairmen from around the country.

He had been meeting with them, answering questions, acknowledging by -- what we're told now by some of these participants in the meetings, acknowledging that there have been problems, but saying, look, this is where we're at.

At the end of his speech today, Don, it sounded like he was able to connect with them. He got a standing ovation.

And, interestingly enough, Don, the big question on the table is, will Michael Steele run for another two-year term of the Republican National Committee? We asked him about that as well. He was noncommittal.

What he was committal about, though, Don, was getting to lunch. He wouldn't answer our questions.

LEMON: Yes. Is he going to have another two years? I think Democrats say -- at least one says that they would like to have that. A Democratic spokesman is quoted today as saying, the Democrats will have their own bus tour, the "Don't Fire Michael Steele" bus tour, if Republicans win Congress in the fall.

Here's the thing. If they do, does Michael Steele cease to become a punch line, really?

PRESTON: Well, I mean, look, who knows what's going to happen?

I will tell you, talking to Republicans over the past couple days here, they just want to focus on November. They don't even want to talk about what's going to happen after the elections.

Really, the line of thought right now is that he will get a challenge. In some of these private meetings, some of these members have stood up and said, enough is enough. We can't be fighting anymore about Michael Steele. We need to focus on the midterms. And, in fact, Michael Steele said that today, not only in his speech here behind me, but also when he talked to reporters afterwards, Don.

So, the big question is, will he run, will he not run? We don't know. There are a lot of people still unhappy with Michael Steele.

LEMON: Do you think he won some people over, because, as you said, obviously, he's embattled? Do you think he won some folks over today with that speech and with the private meetings he's been having?

Mark, can you hear me?

Apparently, Mark is having some trouble hearing me there with our last question. We will try to get back to Mark Preston -- Mark Preston joining us from where Michael Steele made a speech just a short time ago here on CNN.

We have this as well today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEINER: You vote yes if you believe yes. You vote in favor of something if you believe it's the right thing! If you believe it's the wrong thing, you vote no.

We are following a procedure --

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: I will not yield to the gentleman, and the gentleman will observe regular order!

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: The gentleman will observe regular order!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Remember that? I was sitting here just last week when we that playing for you in its entirety, Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner lashing out at Republicans for not supporting a bill that would give health benefits to 9/11 responders.

But now one Republican says it's the Democrats who have -- quote -- "blood on their hands." It's a big political mess. And we're getting to the bottom of it. That is ahead.

And new questions today in the Connecticut massacre. We have heard the chilling last words of the gunman. So, where is the phone he called from, the one that apparently has proof of alleged racism at the workplace? That's next on the LIST.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The voice of a killer.

Now that we're hearing the chilling last words of the man who shot up his workplace in Connecticut, the question today is, where's the proof that his co-workers were racist?

Where are the pictures that his girlfriend says he took of alleged harassment?

First, here's how the tragic shooting spree went down. Police say Omar Thornton killed eight of his co-workers at a Manchester beer distribution company. Witnesses say he chased his targets, hunted and shot them, before making this call to 9/11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: State police.

OMAR THORNTON, GUNMAN: Is this 911?

911 OPERATOR: Yes. Can I help you?

THORNTON: This is Omar Thornton, the -- the shooter over in Manchester.

911 OPERATOR: Yes. Where are you, sir?

THORNTON: I'm in the building. You probably want to know the reason why I shot this place up. This place right here is a racist place.

911 OPERATOR: Yes, I understand that.

THORNTON: They treat me bad over here and treat all other black employees bad over here, too. So I had to take it to my own hands and handle the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, did you hear that? He said he wanted to kill more people. But he didn't. Thornton spent about four minutes on the phone with the dispatcher just before he turned the gun on himself.

I want you to listen to how Don Clark, a former FBI special agent, described the tone of Thornton's voice.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI INVESTIGATOR: I tell you what. From my working around criminals and people who are intent on doing these types of things, it certainly seems to me that he is as cool as he can be.

That's what really gets me, is that it seems like to me that ice is going through his veins. So, whatever has caused this has gotten him to this point that he feels, in my opinion, totally relaxed and going ahead with doing with whatever he's going to do.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: And we feel that it's a must, it's important for us to point out here that the company is defending itself against allegations of racism. It and the union say Thornton never filed a complaint. Police say they have Omar Thornton's phone, but have not yet found any evidence of discrimination.

Want to make a big turn right here. Have you heard the uproar over the first lady's trip to Spain? There's a lot of it. Just check online. Mrs. Obama is getting some heat, a lot of heat, for going on an expensive vacation with one of her daughters. So, is the criticism fair? Is it warranted? That is ahead on the LIST.

And a bitter battle on the Hill all over health benefits for the first-responders of 9/11. That includes police and firefighters. So, why can't lawmakers on both sides agree? You're going to hear the reasons next right here on the LIST.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: At the top of our follow-up list today is a very important story. It's about the failure of the 9/11 health bill, the events on 9/11 obviously horrific. Look at that. And when you think back to that day, you picture the first-responders doing what they were trained to do, marching into burning buildings, searching for anyone who needed help.

So, when it came time to pass a bill that would give health benefits to 9/11 first-responders, one would think -- you would think that this is a bill that everyone could agree on.

But then, remember, we're talking about Capitol Hill, aren't we? I want you to listen to Representative Anthony Weiner. He is a Democrat. He's from New York. You have heard this before. It's him getting angry on the floor of the House. But, this time, pay attention to the part about procedure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEINER: Great courage to wait until all members have already spoken and then stand up and wrap your arms around procedure.

You vote yes if you believe yes. You vote in favor of something if you believe it's the right thing! If you believe it's the wrong thing, you vote no.

We are following a procedure --

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: I will not yield to the gentleman, and the gentleman will observe regular order.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: The gentleman will observe regular order!

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: The gentleman think that if he gets up and yells, he's going to intimidate people into believing he's right. He is wrong! The gentleman is wrong! The gentleman is providing cover for his colleagues, rather than doing the right thing!

It's Republicans wrapping their arms around Republicans, rather than doing the right thing on behalf of the heroes! It is a shame, a shame!

If you believe this is a bad idea to provide health care, then vote no! But don't give me the cowardly view that, oh, if it was a different procedure.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINER: The gentleman will observe regular order and sit down! I will not! The gentleman will sit. The gentleman is correct in sitting!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, so you hear him talk about the procedures of the House. This is important. It's very important, because this is how Washington works.

I will get back to that in just a second, about how Washington works.

As far as the second part of this video, the gentleman he was referring to was Representative Peter King. He is a Republican, and he's also from New York.

Well, yesterday, King accused House Democrats of -- quote -- "sabotaging the bill." I want you to take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER: Anthony Weiner and the Democratic leadership sabotaged this bill.

Anthony Weiner doesn't know because he never worked on this bill the way I did. Anthony Weiner, the first I really heard him get involved was on the House floor that night.

I had said throughout this, going back to five years ago, we would be lucky to get 24, 25 Republican votes. This is not supported by the Republican Party. I have broken with the party on this. This has never been a partisan issue to me. And why they are making it partisan now -- if they want to have a campaign issue, fine. But the fact is, cops and firefighters are dying, and it's on their hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, this controversy obviously far from over, because Representative Weiner's spokesman released a statement.

And I'm going to read you -- the last sentence to you. He says, if he and they are -- talking about Representative King -- "He spent less time whining about procedure and more time fighting for the bill, it would have passed."

Now, when it comes to this particular bill, both sides make good points and both sides could also tone down the rhetoric, obviously.

But what I am trying to show you is even bigger than this one bill. This is what often happens in Washington. The majority party wants to pass a bill that they consider important.

The minority party sticks amendments on the bill so that they can have a voice. The bill gets bogged down in, as Anthony Weiner said, -- quote -- "procedure," and then it fails.

Jay Newton-Small is a congressional correspondent with "TIME" magazine.

First, let's talk about this bill.

Thank you for joining us, by the way.

JAY NEWTON-SMALL, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, "TIME": Thanks for having me on, Don.

LEMON: I want to talk about this bill. Why didn't the Democrats bring this bill up for just really a simple vote, simple majority?

NEWTON-SMALL: Well, like you said, it's a problem with amendments here.

And Democrats are worried that we're in a -- as they say, the silly season. We're in the campaign season, where people are -- would love any excuse to hold all kinds of difficult votes for both sides of the aisle.

And, so, Republicans were threatening to put on amendment on the bill that would have barred illegal immigrants who also were first- responders on -- to 9/11 from benefiting from this fund, which is a really tough vote for Democrats to take at this point.

LEMON: OK. Hang on. I want you to hang on there. I want you to make that point again, and then we're going to go through this again. Republicans wanted to put an amendment in there for?

NEWTON-SMALL: That would bar illegal immigrants who were also first-responders to 9/11 on the scene and down on -- at the Twin Towers who were there helping save people, any -- they would bar illegal immigrants from benefiting from health care, from this bill, essentially.

LEMON: And the Democrats said to that?

NEWTON-SMALL: Democrats said, we don't want to vote on that, because that's a tough vote for us to take. It's an election year. We don't want to anger Latinos and other immigrant groups, and they also don't want to anger and bring down the bill and anger the sort of 9/11 widows fund -- not widows, but 9/11 victims here. And so they said, instead of allowing amendments, we're just going to bar amendments and raise the -- raise the standard, essentially calling it a suspension bill, which takes a vote of two- thirds of the House.

LEMON: OK, because they didn't want that amendment and other amendments.

NEWTON-SMALL: And other amendments.

LEMON: But this was -- this was obviously, we're told, the main sticking point.

So, should -- should we glean from this -- and here's what -- here's what the talk is, is that because the Hispanic Caucus couldn't vote for this, the Democratic-Hispanic Caucus did not want to be seen as the group who were voting down this bill, that Democrats raised the bar, so that it didn't look like the Democratic Hispanic Caucus was voting against this bill, so then, in turn, it would look like Republicans were voting against this bill.

NEWTON-SMALL: Exactly, because you need a two-thirds majority of the House. Virtually every Democrat -- I think every Democrat voted for the bill, and only -- but only 12 Republicans voted for bill.

And so then they say, look, if Republicans really supported this, enough Republicans would vote for it and we would be able to pass the bill, but because every Republican except for 12 voted against it, they're the ones that brought down the bill.

LEMON: Did Democrats ever think -- did they really think they could get a two-thirds vote on this bill and win?

NEWTON-SMALL: I don't think they did. I think they're realistic to know. I think Peter King probably informed them well ahead of time.

They talk to each other. They know each other's whip counts. But it just came down to a game of chicken, essentially, political chicken, saying, you know, either you don't offer this amendment and let the vote go through as a simple majority passage without the amendment, or we're going to pass it as a suspension bill, requiring two-thirds majority, and it will look like you brought down the bill. So, it --

LEMON: So, Democrats, in fact, are you saying that they sabotaged that bill, their own bill?

NEWTON-SMALL: Well, I mean, you could say the Republicans sabotaged it, too, because Republicans could have said, you're right. For the greater good, we're not going to offer this highly political wedge amendment essentially that puts a wedge between Latinos and the rest of the Democratic Party. For the better of the victims of 9/11, we're not going to do that and we're going to pass the bill.

Democrats could have said, well, we're going to put the Latino Caucus in a tough situation, but we're going to -- you know, for the greater good, we're going to vote for the bill.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: All right, I get that, Jay. So, then there was such outrage. Anthony Weiner, everyone was like, why can't people -- why can't members of Congress be so passionate about everything and so real and so transparent?

Was Anthony Weiner then being disingenuous about this? Was this just a show to make Republicans look bad?

NEWTON-SMALL: You know, I can't say what Anthony Weiner was thinking when he was on the floor. Clearly, he was very mad. But he was pissed. I think most people were very angry at the way this played out. It was a lose-lose situation on both sides. And Peter King -- there was a colloquy later on between the two on the floor and he was equally as mad. So, it's -- a lot of it is the blame game, and you're just playing, like, not my fault, not my fault, like it's -- and they just -- nobody wants --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Well, what I'm saying is that Anthony Weiner knew -- if he knew the bill wasn't going to pass, because you said they wanted a two-thirds vote, if he knew this, and then got on the floor and did this and had all these histrionics, and wasn't completely transparent about his reasons behind all of this. That's what I'm asking.

NEWTON-SMALL: Well, I think, you know, a lot of -- look, three- fourths of politics is a show. It is -- everything on the floor in C- SPAN, there's nobody's sitting in that room.

LEMON: Jay --

NEWTON-SMALL: There's nobody's listening to them do these speeches. It's all for TV. It's all for the show.

LEMON: Jay, is there ever a bill that is important enough where procedure will not invite amendments? If this bill -- if this for 9/11 first-responders is not important enough, what bill will be important enough or big enough where you won't have to do this?

NEWTON-SMALL: Well, there has been bills in the past. Look, right after 9/11, they passed the Patriot Act. They passed the -- the -- giving the president the authority to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are bills, there are times when Congress, in exceptional circumstances, can come together and really get stuff done.

But, right now, we're four months away from elections, less than 100 days away from elections, actually. And everything at this point, everything, even a bill about 9/11, the health of 9/11 first- responders, becomes political footballs at these point -- at this point. It's just all the silly season of politics.

LEMON: And that's why people get so upset about Congress and what the -- and the partisanship and everything and the blocking and everything that goes on in Washington.

NEWTON-SMALL: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: Yes. All right.

Hey, Jay Newton-Small, congressional correspondent with "TIME" magazine, thank you very much for helping us get through this. Appreciate it.

NEWTON-SMALL: Thank you.

LEMON: Got a problem with a pilot? Well, you might want to think twice before complaining. We will tell you what happened when a Delta passenger suspected a Delta pilot had been drinking. That is ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you, when it's your Web site? You're the one posting this online. I just want to know. I mean --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was the owner -- the founder, I should say, of craigslist, Craig Newmark. Is the owner, the founder, doing enough to prevent racy, suggestive and possibly illegal ads on that site?

We will see if he has something to say about that. That will happen in our next hour. The LIST is going to scroll on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, here's where we check in with you, the viewer, on the LIST. Here's your list of tweets. Let's go to the Twitter board. This is from @RickSanchezCNN.

And you know we're talking about? The first lady' vacation, going to Spain. Some people are saying it's very lavish. Some are saying, hey, you know, even the first lady and her daughter, they deserve a vacation.

Krayoncolorz says -- Kristi is her name -- says: "I could care less where the Obamas vacation. It's life. And let's remember that at least Obama is working. Bush was always gone."

The next one from Beau 1969 says: "Cannot believe that POTUS and wife would make this type of mistake in this economic environment. Let's wait for the other shoe."

Next up, Racetostop says: "M. Obama, lavish vacation with all the folks she took is very much not appropriate at this time."

And then, Pilivar says: "This Michelle Obama's vacation is absolutely inappropriate, liberal hypocrisy at its highest. Just imagine Laura Bush did that." One more from Shandev says: "Only OK if she's paying her way. Still should have kept it local. Cali coast much? Could have really, really used the money."

Appreciate all your feedback here. We're going to be talking about that story a little bit more here on CNN. So, start tweeting and we will get it on the air.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes him more dangerous is that he is out there plotting the attacks and recruiting people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's what the feds are saying about that man right there, that he is a rising star of al Qaeda. And listen to this. He used to live in Florida and New York, and there are urgent fears that his knowledge of our cities makes him one of the greatest threats to the U.S. That is ahead.

Plus: a stunning end to a high-speed car chase. The driver is accused of threatening the life of an officer and then taking off. Wait until you see how it all played out. And it's on the list of the day's best "Fotos" -- "Fotos Del Dia" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There can really be a fine line between crazy and criminal. This next guy doesn't just step over that line. He speeds right past it and puts the lives of others in danger in the process.

Time now for "Fotos."

ANNOUNCER: Aye dios mio.

LEMON: All right, so, check this out. It is a high-speed police chase in Los Angeles, of course. It began after a man allegedly walked into a police station, unprovoked, and threatened to blow away an officer, and then he fled. Police finally subdued him after he drove the wrong way on several streets and sidewalks.

Let's go to New York now. New York State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. encounters enraged protesters. This is Albany, New York. So what does he do? He throws crumbled bills at the crowd which is chanting "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Espada has got to go." The lawmaker is under fire for having a bloated payroll with 40 staffers and spending more than $36,000 a week. That's according to the "New York Post."

And video from Japan. It's really an amazing catch that's being watched by sports fans all around the world. Want to know why? Did you hear the guys in here? The outfielder Suici (ph) Marada (ph) is nicknamed the "spider-man." You want to know why? Watch as he literally climbs the wall to tear down this would-be home run. Amazing, isn't it? Can we see that one more time? Nice.

You can see all of our "Los Fotos del Dia" on CNN.com/RickSanchez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever think you would fly out over this bay again and see this water this clean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I thought we'd have problems for years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. The question is, is the environment already rebounding from the worst oil spill in the country's history? We toured the Gulf with crisis experts to see where the recovery stands right now. That is ahead for you.

And you're about to get on a plane and you think the pilot may have had a little bit too much drink. As a matter of fact, you kind of smell it as he walks by. Who is asked to leave, the Delta pilot or the worried Delta passenger? Brooke Baldwin has that story, and it is trending.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What would you do?

LEMON: What would you do?

BALDWIN: What would you do?

LEMON: Listen, you're about to get on a plane. This guy's in charge.

BALDWIN: A couple of people around you going like --

LEMON: What would you do? Hold that thought until after the break, right?

BALDWIN: Right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now on "The List" to see what's trending with our Brooke Baldwin for a very serious story about stoning.

BALDWIN: This has generated huge, not just domestically, international outrage over the story. I'm sure you've heard about it. This 42-year-old Iranian woman was sentenced to stoning after being convicted of adultery.

In fact, before I go on, I just want to show you, if I can. There it is. This is a virtual petition that's circling the world. Lots of people have signed it. I just saw several names, Peter Gabriel, Gwyneth Paltrow, Arianna Huffington, just to name a few. Thousands and thousands of people were talking about Sakineh Muhammadie Ashtiani. She is still waiting for word from the Iranian judicial authorities if she will either be hanged, stoned -- which was her original sentence -- or holding out hope that her death sentence might be commuted.

The Iranian government has rejected the president of Brazil's offer of asylum for her. That happened over the week and Iran rejected it, I believe it was Tuesday.

But Ivan Watson is really the guy that has been covering the story for us from Istanbul on behalf of CNN. And I've been in touch with him through the day. He's been in touch with this activist group who has been lobbying for Ashtiani's release.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They say they spoke with the woman's son Sajad and that he was able to meet with his mother in prison in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz for roughly 10 minutes on Thursday.

And during that meeting his mother thanked the president of Brazil for offering asylum to escape the death penalty. That is an offer that was rejected by Iran even though it is a new ally of the Brazilian government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And also just to speak to the climate within Iran, if you try speaking up against the government. One of Ms. Ashtiani's defense attorneys was actually arrested in Turkey after fleeing Iran a couple of weeks ago. In fact, we learned just a couple minutes ago he was released and is now under European diplomatic protection.

So it's touch and go for this 42-year-old, still.

LEMON: Boy, a sad story.

This is not really that difficult of a term because this could have tragic consequences as well. I have seen passengers taken off airplanes before because they've had a little bit too much to drink. But what do you do --

BALDWIN: What do you do when you think you smell your airline pilot wreaking of alcohol? Something to think about. Recently happened to Cynthia Angel from California. I hopped on the phone with her and she told me the story firsthand. She told me she was boarding a plane a couple of week ago in Atlanta headed to LAX.

Hanging out on the jet way with a couple of passengers. Pilot passes by. The lady behind her says, whoa, did anybody smell that?

LEMON: Don't light a match.

BALDWIN: She said three other people commented and agreed. She said she quietly approached the flight attendant and asked about proper protocol. What do you do if she thought the pilot had been drinking? She said she was seated and several conversations later she was asked to leave the plane.

In an office, a couple of minutes later, a Delta manager says to her, we take the matter serious. We tested our pilot for alcohol. The pilot tested negative for alcohol.

They also said the pilot and crew don't want you on their plane. We'll get you out and the next morning we'll take care of you. So she was booked on the flight the next morning, not happy about that at all.

We did reach out to Delta. They said they follow their policy, they tested the pilot, pilot cleared for duty but, quote, "because the passenger continued to express concern even after the pilot was cleared that it would be best to re-accommodate her on another flight."

LEMON: I was going to say, wouldn't you as pilot and someone who worked for the airline want a passenger like to point that out just in case?

BALDWIN: You want to, but she says she didn't complain any further. But we weren't there. We don't know the whole story. But it's the plane, it's the pilot's jurisdiction to be able to say, lady, you're hopping off my plane.

LEMON: They're the boss.

So the next morning, did she miss anything? Was she late?

BALDWIN: She couldn't get her bag and she said she paid a little extra and the vouchers weren't enough. She was just perturbed.

LEMON: Yes, you don't know what happened.

BALDWIN: It caught our attention.

LEMON: I have found that especially after 9/11 and maybe some would say with good cause, obviously, but I think the people at the airlines know they have you over a barrel. So any little thing, if you cross your eye wrong, they've got you. There's nothing you can do.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the story --

LEMON: Let's not talk about airplanes and traveling, right?

BALDWIN: Yes. Michelle Obama --

LEMON: OK, go ahead.

BALDWIN: Michelle Obama's in Spain. We're so into this story. Michelle Obama's in Spain with one of their daughters and a bunch of friends. And they are having a nice time at a pretty ritzy hotel. It's a private trip, although she took Air Force Two over there as well as a lot of secret service detail, which you and I are paying for.

And so we've been soliciting tweets from people. I know I've gotten a lot. So send us tweets. We're doing this next hour.

LEMON: We haven't even told the story. We've just teased it, right?

BALDWIN: Yes.

LEMON: And so we read some of the tweets. Someone said, Don Lemon, you didn't get any tweets whatsoever saying they didn't care about Michelle's vacation? You have lost all credibility. Number one, the first tweet we showed said "I don't care about the first lady." But we haven't even told the story yet. So you can see how people are --

BALDWIN: People are outraged. It's amazing, given the economic climate. So we're going to go there next hour.

LEMON: I told you about -- I had a conversation with a member of my family. And I'll tell you what they had to say, just being very honest about this story.

Thank you. See you, soon, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

LEMON: A decorated army officer, a doctor would rather face court marshal than deploy to Afghanistan because he has a huge issue with the commander in chief. He says President Obama can't prove he's an American citizen. Strange story. That is ahead.

And when Air Canada ruins a wheelchair belonging to a terminally ill boy, the blogosphere springs into action led by this woman. We'll talk with her when we come right back on "The List."

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LEMON: This one is a David versus Goliath Twitter storm. and it is making "The List" today. It all started after Air Canada damaged a 10-year-old boy's wheelchair. The $15,000 chair -- that's right, $15,000 chair -- arrived in New York in pieces on Wednesday.

The boy, Tanner Bonn, has muscular dystrophy. He can't get around at all without his wheelchair. So when Air Canada wasn't getting the wheelchair fixed in time for Tanner to take part in the charity race, his aunt turned to Twitter. His aunt is a blogger, her name is Catherine Connors. She joins us from New York.

Thanks for joining us. Are you doing OK?

CATHERINE CONNORS, HERBADMOTHER.COM: Yes, I am.

LEMON: Tell us what happened once the tweets started.

CONNORS: Well, once the tweets started, it took off pretty quickly. There was a big community on Twitter that has been following Tanner's story for weeks because we had had a tweet-a-thon auction for him to raise funds for one of his wishes. And he was coming to New York. And there were a lot of people in the online community that knew that.

And so when I tweeted after having already tweeted that had they broke his chair, when I tweeted that had they weren't getting him a replacement one as they promised, Twitter got pretty angry.

LEMON: Yes. And?

CONNORS: And it went crazy. People started tweeting directly at Air Canada, asking them to -- where's Air Canada? You need to call these people. You need to help tanner get a wheelchair, any wheelchair --

LEMON: Do you think it forced Air Canada's hand in any way?

CONNORS: It absolutely did. It absolutely did. We couldn't get them on the phone Wednesday night when we were trying to -- when the promised loaner chair didn't arrive. We were desperate because Tanner was confined to the hotel bed. He can't even sit up without his custom chair.

So we were desperate, but we could not reach Air Canada. We could only get customer service reps. It wasn't until the tweet storm blew out of all proportion the next day that Air Canada started to act.

LEMON: Started to act. Where is this now, Catherine, the replacement chair?

CONNORS: They have actually functionally repaired his custom chair. So late yesterday afternoon, they brought back his chair. It still needs further repairs, but it's functional. He can sit in it. He can move in it.

LEMON: And then they said they're going to take care of all the --

Let me read this real quick, Catherine. This is a statement, just a portion of the statement from Air Canada. Air Canada says "It goes without saying, after all the efforts by so many of us at Air Canada to make this right over the past 24 hours, including numerous attempts to reach the family by phone, e-mail, and Twitter, we are very disappointed with how this has transpired. We will be looking at how this happened in the first place and how we can improve in the future."

Your response?

CONNORS: Well, I'm glad that they want to improve how they address this. They were issuing press releases yesterday saying they had tried to reach us and that they had actually provided an electrical loaner chair. Neither of those things were true. I wasn't called by anybody at Air Canada until late yesterday afternoon when they had started trying to fully resolve the issue and get him a proper chair.

That said, once they did start to resolve the issue, that the people that I spoke to were extremely apologetic and they're going to work to help with a couple of Tanner's wishes. And that really made him smile.

LEMON: Listen, that's great. I have to ask you -- this is just coming in from someone who works at our assignment desk here. They're saying, I have to ask you if the airline told you in advance they might have to take the wheelchair apart? An Air Canada spokesman said it was standard procedure, but I wonder if they tell people this. Did they tell you?

CONNORS: No, they did not. My sister's traveled with Tanner a few times and nobody's said a thing to us that that would be standard procedure. It's an expensive piece of medical equipment. It's not an IKEA bookshelf. It can't be taken apart. If we had been notified, we would have had to have made other arrangements.

It's not possible for Tanner to even last really an hour outside of a bed without his chair.

LEMON: OK, are you satisfied so far if Air Canada makes good on what they said they're going to do and you got awareness to this? Are you OK?

CONNORS: Yes, I'm happy that we've raised awareness. I'm happy that air Canada is working hard to make it up to tanner. I'm still upset that it took a Twitter storm to make it right.

LEMON: And Tanner's doing well, everything's OK for now?

CONNORS: Tanner is much better now that he's back in his chair.

LEMON: Thank you very much. Tanner's aunt who's also a blogger, the power of social media -- the power of social media. And our best to tanner. Thank you so much.

CONNORS: Thank you.

LEMON: Up next, the army officer who'd rather risk a court- martial than fight for President Obama. That puts him on the "most intriguing list" today.

LEMON: OK, it's time to check the list of most intriguing people in the news today.

A commissioned officer in the United States army got orders for Afghanistan. He says he won't go. He won't go. Says it's not lawful. Says he's not satisfied that his commander in chief, President Barack Obama, is allowed to deploy him.

My most intriguing today is one of those people who call themselves "birthers" and believe the president has not proved he was born here in the United States. OK, so show them, Roger, Lieutenant Colonel Terrence Lakin. He is the highest ranking military officer to bet his career on that birth certificate belief.

He said before a judge today in part of the pre-court martial proceedings on some very serious charges, very serious charges -- dereliction of duty, disobeying orders -- a conviction could send him to prison for four years.

We're following this case for you, and Colonel Terrence Lakin, a die-hard birther, is definitely most intriguing today.

Now from the president to the first lady, and it's a firestorm. Why is the first lady, first lady Michelle Obama's vacation the hottest topic in social media? Is she showing poor judgment, or should her life be beyond political bickering? That is ahead on "The List."

And black farmers looking for long promised government relief are in for yet another disappointment, also ahead on "The List."

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LEMON: Black farmers of America are making the list today due to partisan bickering in the Senate over a settlement payment. A deal between minority famers and the Agriculture Department was reached back in 1999 to resolve longstanding claims of discrimination and mistreatment.

We talked a lot about this with the Shirley Sherrod case that happened recently. One payment has been made, but tens of thousands of African-American farmers missed the initial deadline to sign up. They're now waiting on Congress to approve the remaining nearly $5 billion so they can file claims.

Funding measures have come to the Senate floor seven times, seen times, all unsuccessfully. The Senate broke for its August recess yesterday without passing the measure. The head of the National Black Farmers Association, his name is John Boyd, is calling on President Obama to break the logjam. And John is joining us from Washington.

Thank you, sir, for joining us from Washington.

JOHN BOYD, PRESIDENT, BLACK FARMERS ASSOCIATION: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: I would imagine, do you think this is an outrage?

BOYD: I think this is horrible and a national disgrace for the Senate not to pass this bill that black farmers have been waiting so very, very long for. This is the seventh time, Don, that the bill has come before the floor and we got basically a no vote.

We've been attached to tactics on this bill, the war bill, this bill, that bill, with no avail. And we're calling on Senate leadership and for President Obama to get involved and see what can be done so that the black farmers can receive our money.

The Senate now has gone home for a recess until September 13th, pretty much a month and some change away with no avail for black farmers. And right now I've heard from black farmers today wanting to know why we can't get recess.

And it's starting to look like a black thing here, Don, where black farmers can't get justice we need. This has been going on for far too long.

LEMON: Hold that, because I have a question about that, about the black thing. But I want to ask you. You said it got attached to other bills.

BOYD: Yes.

LEMON: And we've been talking about adding amendments and talking about the 9/11 bill, first responders. Do you think, obvious question, that politics -- they're playing partisan politics here when it comes to black farmers? Is this a Republican versus Democrat thing, or is this just a Washington bureaucratic thing, political thing, where everything gets mushed and mashed into other things?

BOYD: This is partisan politics at its absolute worst. Any time you can get seven tries at a bill and it fails seven times, all for different excuses -- first they told us we had to find offsets. We found offsets. This bill wasn't the right fit. That bill wasn't the right fit.

But not one Republican has voted to secure the funds for black farmers, and we're going to be out in the month of August, Don, raising some Cain in these senatorial elections where we feel we can make a difference.

It's time for this partisan politics to stop and for the Senate to start working for the American people. We've sat back and been nice about this thing long enough, and we're sick and tired of being sick and tired and sick and tired of waiting.

LEMON: It really has been four years that black farmers have been trying to at least get some sort of restitution or something from Washington when it came to what they believe, you know, was discrimination and what have you for farmers.

BOYD: Yes.

LEMON: Back before the civil rights movement and even after the civil rights movement. Here's what I want to say. We've been talking a lot about Shirley Sherrod.

BOYD: Yes.

LEMON: This was a big part of her story. She said in that speech, "I began to learn that it was not about black or white, that it was about the haves or the have-nots." There are white farmers, too, who are suffering, but do you feel that white farmers have gotten at least their due more than African-American farmers have?

BOYD: I would say the white farmers are receiving all of the benefits. We're shut out of the U.S. farm subsidy program, and just this past week there was a deal with Senator Blanche Lincoln and the White House to get $1.5 billion in disaster aid within two weeks out to large scale corporate farmers and white farmers.

And I've been pleading with the administration to meet and see what the next steps are for the black farmers so that we can secure our funding. I mean, how does it look when we are out here doing everything that we can in the Senate to secure the funds for black farmers who have been mistreated by the government.

And we have white farmers who get loans on time and it takes 387 days to get loans for black farmers. We're shut out of all of the lending programs. So it just doesn't look good when the administration puts a deal like that on for large scale white farmers and tells the black farmers they have to continue to wait. It just does not look good anymore.

LEMON: John Boyd, you can believe we'll be following this story here on CNN.

BOYD: Thank you very much.

LEMON: John Boyd, head of the Black Farmers Association, appreciate your time.

BOYD: Thank you.