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White House Responds to Nancy Pelosi's Comments on Iraq; Arms Race in Space?; Steve Irwin's Widow and Daughter Speak at National Press Club; "Grey's Anatomy" Star Makes Controversial Anti-Gay Slur

Aired January 19, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips.

A bad review for Vice President Cheney from one of his predecessors. Our Wolf Blitzer has the interview.

LEMON: Already frozen over. Many regions will be getting another big dose of cold over the next couple of days. We'll check in with the severe weather center.

WHITFIELD: And a word that cut deeper than that scalpel he wields on "Grey's Anatomy." We're talking about Isaiah Washington's much publicized slur with the head of the leading gay organization. That's who we'll be talking to.

All that straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Our top story this hour, the White House's response to the speaker's comments on Iraq.

Elaine Quijano is just out of the White House briefing and joins us now -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka.

Well, the White House certainly is pushing back hard against comments made in an interview with ABC made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And part of what Nancy Pelosi said -- and I quote -- was that "The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way, that we won't cut off the resources." This is Pelosi in that ABC interview. "That's why he's moving so quickly to put them in harm's way, but we would hold the president accountable. He has to answer for his war."

Now, it was that particular statement that prompted a forceful response last hour in the on-camera briefing by White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino. Perino taking issue in particular with the idea that Pelosi was questioning not just the president's policy, but his motives.

Here is Perino from a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: One of the things that's happening up on Capitol Hill is there is a sound bite war going on. For Pelosi to say -- and I quote -- "The president knows that because the troops are in harm's way that we won't cut off the resources. That's why he's moving dough quickly to put them in harm's way," is poisonous, and it's certainly not in keeping with the bipartisan spirit and civility that the Democrats pledged and that we looked forward to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, certainly significant comments coming from both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, especially considering that, of course, we are just days away from the president's set to deliver his State of the Union Address before a Democratically-led Congress.

Now, Perino also said, though, on Tuesday that the president would seek to talk about areas in which there is common ground or there can be common ground, perhaps found between the White House and members of Congress. She said that the president in his State of the Union Address would not lay out a laundry list of proposals, but rather would talk about sort of larger themes.

Of course, the war on terror being one of them. Also energy, immigration and education policy among them.

We know, Fredricka, the president had one rehearsal, at least one rehearsal so far. He'll be heading to Camp David this weekend, where we presume he will be continuing to focus on crafting that State of the Union Address -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano, thank you so much for that update -- Don.

LEMON: Harsh words about the vice president from a former vice president. Walter Mondale says Dick Cheney stepped way over the line, promoting his own priorities instead of supporting President Bush. Jimmy Carter's VP gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MONDALE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT: The current vice president seems to have stepped across the line that we thought was important in our time. In other words, I tried to work as a representative of the president. I didn't go around volunteering my own policies. I considered myself that kind of office holder and not a prime minister, not a deputy president or something like that.

This vice president, see, is troubling to me, because time and time again we've seen the establishment, for example, of almost a parallel national Security Council, the involvement of the vice president in trying to pressure, influence the kind of information that flows to the top and up to the presidency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And a Cheney spokeswoman says Cheney was elected twice and is committed to protecting Americans.

We'll be talking to our Wolf Blitzer later on in our show about this interview, and Wolf will speak to the former president, former President Carter and former Vice President Walter Mondale later today in CNN's "SITUATION ROOM."

That's at 4:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: The United States is against it. Britain is against it. Japan is against it. And China still won't admit it even happened, a missile test that shattered an orbiting satellite.

More from CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Low Earth orbit satellites have become indispensable for the U.S. military for communications, for GPS navigation to guide smart bombs and troops, and for real-time surveillance. But they are also extremely vulnerable, as the just revealed test of a satellite killing weapon by China ominously demonstrates.

JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: If we, for instance, got into a conflict over Taiwan, one of the first things they'd probably do would to be shoot down all of our lower orbit spy satellites, putting out our eyes.

MCINTYRE: According to U.S. government officials, after three misses, China last Thursday succeeded in shooting down one of its own aging weather satellites with a medium range ballistic missile fired from the ground. U.S. censors tracked the satellite as it disappeared from its polar orbit 537 miles above the Earth and was reduced to hundreds of pieces of space debris after impact with a kill vehicle carried by the missile.

The U.S. has lodged a formal diplomatic protest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was this a provocative move by China?

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Don't know that, but we are concerned about it and we have made it known.

MCINTYRE: Under a new space policy authorized by President Bush last August, the U.S. asserts a right to freedom of action in space and vows to deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests.

Experts say the concern is not as much about Chinese capabilities, as their long-term intentions. PIKE: The thing that is surprising and disturbing is that they have chosen this moment to demonstrate a military capability that could only be aimed at the United States.

MCINTYRE (on camera): In effect, the Chinese have fired a shot across the bow of the United States and made it clear they feel no constraints in developing space weapons. Some observers feel this may mark the lowest point in U.S.-China relations since the downing of a U.S. spy plane back in 2001.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Oh, boy, here we go again.

WHITFIELD: Oh no.

LEMON: More winter misery barreling toward the central and southern plains. Snow is already falling in New Mexico. And by Sunday, as much as half a foot could blanket parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

That is the last thing they need again. The Sooner State is still struggling to recover from last week's paralyzing ice storm. Tens of thousands of homes without electricity there. FEMA and the Red Cross on the scene with generators, food and shelter.

At least 70 deaths in nine states are blamed on the storms that have spread all the way to New England. A nasty Nor'easter is blowing in there.

Chilly and stormy. Another weekend to stay indoors.

At least for some of us, Reynolds.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: We want to get you to Washington now. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died late last year. His wife and his daughter carrying on his mission. They're speaking at the Press Club in Washington today.

Let's take a listen.

TERRI IRWIN, STEVE IRWIN'S WIFE: I just need to whack myself with this really quick.

(LAUGHTER)

IRWIN: This is why you keep this up here, don't you, Jerry (ph)? For the emotional parts.

OK. I'm fine now.

If he was to be remembered for one thing and one thing only... Sorry. I need you to whack me.

... then it should be that he was the best dad. When Bindi was born the world for Steve as he knew it suddenly changed and it was never to be the same again. And when Robert was born it got even better.

His focus expanded to embrace his children completely. He was never happier than when he was around them.

He wanted Bindi and Robert to travel everywhere with us. He involved us in everything that he did, shared all of our experiences together. We took them everywhere.

Bindi and Robert had grown up in a world quite different to most families.

(LAUGHTER)

IRWIN: They live in the middle of a zoo. We wake in the morning to the sounds of tigers roaring, elephants trumpeting, lemurs screaming, crocodiles roaring, parrots squawking, Kookaburras kooking -- do they kook? I'm not sure. They kook -- dingoes howling.

I live in a great place.

You know, we've got wildlife all around us, and the children have been blessed with an upbringing that has given them hands-on experience with all sorts of animals.

Bindi has been filming with us since she was born. There went any shred of dignity I might have left. And watched and learned from her daddy every day.

(LAUGHTER)

She's following in his footsteps just like Steve has followed in his dad's footsteps. And I think it's a tremendous gift that we're able to nurture what we see our children wanting to do and be able to help them do it.

Bindi loves to sing and dance and tell the world about her wildlife. She's a natural role model for a society that has far too few standouts that set an example worthy of following.

Her daddy taught her to love all wildlife, even the ones that are the apex predators like sharks, snakes and crocodiles. And I have to tell you, I was the woman of routine in our family. I was the one who said, "Brush your teeth, be ton bed by 8:00 and have a bath." Or as we say in Australia, a tub.

Steve was the exciting one, the unpredictable one. Steve is the one who would show up on the morning on the motorbike for a tour of the zoo with kids, and "Don't worry if you didn't brush your teeth. Let's just go." I never knew when an ice cream cone might directly follow breakfast, and sometimes we just would pack up and go to the beach for no apparent reason. You know, I miss that spontaneity and enthusiasm, but I learned a lot from it. And hopefully I can learn that, too, and occasionally, just occasionally it's OK to eat dessert first.

You know, Steve never feared any animal. He just had the utmost concern for its well-being. But he also held a deep concern for human life and was deeply affected by the tragic events that have unfolded around the world since 9/11.

His kinship and bond with America and Americans was never more evident to me than the day of that tragedy, when his efforts to fly to New York and help the rescue mission were thwarted by distance. So he gathered up bundles of toys and gifts and sent them off to the families of the FBI teams that were working on finding the perpetrators.

He wanted their families to know that someone outside the U.S. cared and respected the work they were doing. That's what Steve was really like behind the scenes. He never asked for acknowledgement or acclaim.

There's this one time when he was filming on a boat in the Sea of Cortez on the Baja Peninsula. He heard two divers had gone missing in the ocean, not far north of his location. He immediately abandoned his shoot to divert his energy and entire resources to search for them.

He was determined to find them. And he did. Unfortunately, one of the divers had already died. But Steve found the remaining man clinging precariously to a rock and saved his life.

He would constantly put his life on the line to save others. He was the only man I know who could actually survive if you dropped him in the middle of the outback with absolutely nothing at all. He was an expert bushman in every sense of the word.

You may also be surprised to learn just how disciplined Steve was. He was never a great sleeper. He would always wake early, sometimes around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. And he would slip into his office and write.

He'd write up his latest research, write down his ideas and vision for the future of the zoo, study notes on wildlife documentaries he was filming, or plan how to do something better for animals. And today I'm very blessed because I have all the documentation, all of his plans, all of his ideas for the future.

So I'm really lucky to have a direction for where Australia's zoo is headed, where our filming is headed, what research projects were most important to him. And I'm very proud to say that on every single research project he came away with more questions than he had when he started the project.

He was meticulous in everything he did. He had a drive and passion to do everything straightaway.

Imagine being a procrastinator living with that. He could never wait until tomorrow. I think that's one of the greatest gifts that I learned from him -- take the moment to experience it now.

His dedication and enthusiasm for animals and conservation was contagious. He rubbed off on the world, and the world heeded his message.

This Sunday night, January 21st, at 8:00 p.m. on Animal Planet, and simultaneously broadcast on Discovery Channel, you can see the documentary that Steve was making when he had his tragic accident "Ocean's Deadliest." This film is a testament to the strong environmental message that Steve was able to deliver among some of the most action-packed and breathtaking experiences.

It is a fitting statement to his life's work and successfully leaves a chilling message for all of us that time is running out for the ocean's wildlife. There is a sequence in the film that he did in the water with a huge and highly venomous Stoke sea snake which is probably one of his finest pieces to camera, considering that he was in the water free-handling the reptile in its own territory.

And I enjoy his description because he said, "Check it out. It's as thick as me arm! No, it's as thick as me leg!"

Which is probably why I married him. I just found a guy with bigger thighs than mine.

That encounter was to be his very last segment for the documentary, but compelling evidence of his passion and enthusiasm right to the end.

It will be followed at 9:30 by a moving tribute called "Crikey, What an Adventure," and which features insights of Steve's life through the eyes of his family and friends. Plus -- and this is really cool -- a recently uncovered interview with Steve himself filmed some six years ago which has been lost in the archives until now and has never been broadcast before.

And it's amazing, because it's as if Steve is part of the interview. It's really well done.

I hope if you get to see these special programs that you will all be inspired enough to spread Steve's message to the world through your news avenues and keep a constant vigil to make sure we heed the warnings before it's too late.

All of us in this room have a duty to show those we inform or entertain to keep wildlife and the environment in the forefront of everyone's mind, to ensure our children inherit a healthy planet with healthy wildlife and healthy wilderness. And it is an important message.

It won't be until we've lost it that we realize how intrinsically entwined we are with wildlife and wild places. We are very dependent on the oceans to feed us. We're dependent on clean air and clean water. And it's an issue that was very important to Steve.

Steve's sole mission in life was to bring awareness to wildlife conservation and the critical need for their habitat protection. It's predicted that our ocean's fisheries may collapse by the middle of this century. It is believed by many biologists that we are in the throes of a mass extinction, that up to one-fifth of all animal species could disappear within the next 30 years.

Just think about it. We could lose precious wildlife like polar bears, tigers, hippos, some species of sharks, orangutans, and gorillas in our own lifetime.

This was one of Steve's greatest concerns. We are all animals, and Steve believed by using his gift with wildlife he could bring awareness to the world through the eyes of a television camera.

Putting apex predators like crocodiles, sharks and reptiles at the forefront of everyone's attention, he succeeded. Whenever you think of a crocodile or alligator you will always remember Steve Irwin.

"What a little beauty." I had to throw that in.

He made the world see snakes and lizards in a different light. He made people want to help him save the world's most feared and unlovable species. He made wildlife fun and exciting for kids.

He was pretty much just a big kid himself, which is why he could relate to them so well.

Quit nodding. Have some respect.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: All right. You're listening to Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin. We know him as "The Crocodile Hunter." Talking about his mission, how he cared about the environment.

We're expecting to hear from his 8-year-old daughter very shortly, but we're going to get a break in here and then we'll come back as soon as we hear from Bindi Irwin.

Back in a moment with the NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere. And you can watch it on Pipeline.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Heart on the mend. One year after experimental surgery, a man has a lot to live for.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his report from his series "Saving Your Life."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year ago, Charlie Hoff was being wheeled into the O.R. His health had deteriorated to the point where he sometimes used a wheelchair to get around. He was taking part in a clinical trial that he hoped would improve his failing heart.

CHARLIE HOFF, HEART PATIENT: You know, I was feeling like an invalid, and thinking about that at my age, and I consider myself a young man at 60, you know, really disheartening.

It is up to the politicians to find a way.

GUPTA: A former CNN television reporter, Charlie suffered a heart attack in Jerusalem while he was bureau chief. And he admits, he ignored his symptoms.

HOFF: Bottom line was I waited too long and I did a lot of damage to my heart.

GUPTA: His medical history looked bleak. He had a stressful job. He smoked for over 30 years. He suffered three heart attacks and open-heart surgery. And his father died at the age of 47 from a heart attack. Time was running out, and he was running out of options.

So doctors took some muscle tissue from his leg and cultured those cells. Then they injected millions of his cells into the dead heart muscle in order to regrow his muscle, or at least booster his failing heart.

This is Charlie today, a year after his heart operation.

HOFF: I feel so much better. I can get out, I can do things. I've even played golf a couple of times.

GUPTA: And his cardiologist, Dr. Nick Chronos, is encouraged by his results.

DR. NICK CHRONOS, CARDIOLOGIST: His quality of life has dramatically improved. He's much less short of breath, he doesn't retain as much fluid, and his heart, on echocardiography, appears to be functioning better.

HOFF: I'm optimistic. I feel like I can live a long time. I feel like I can watch my boys grow up. And life is good.

GUPTA: He says the surgery saved his life, and it gave him his life back.

HOFF: Good catch.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And for more information on what you can do to survive or prevent serious illness, go to CNN.com/savingyourlife and click on "Web Extras." Including there, a link directing women to free or low-cost breast cancer and cervical cancer screening.

And be sure to watch Sanjay's special, "Saving Your Life." That's tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Eastern and again on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

LEMON: And of course we all remember "The Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin. His wife and his daughter both speaking at the National Press Club in Washington. A very interesting speech they had there.

Bindi Irwin, 8-year-old daughter, is going to speak soon, and we'll bring that to you.

Don't go anywhere. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: She is the daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin. Bindi Irwin, 8 years old, speaking today in Washington.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BINDI IRWIN, STEVE IRWIN'S DAUGHTER: He told everyone how they were apex predators and were an important part to all the animal kingdom.

I don't want to grow up in a world without wildlife. That's why we must do something now to help save their homes.

We have to stop cutting down forests and polluting our oceans and rivers and buying wildlife products. These are just some of the important things everyone can do.

My daddy was a wildlife warrior, and I'm going to continue his work for him. I want to become a wildlife warrior just like he was.

Thank you for allowing me to tell you about my daddy's important work here today.

I miss him very much.

Thank you and show your wildlife warrior wristbands. I know daddy is watching.

(APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: Well, what a moment. Mother Terri and daughter, 8- year-old Bindi Irwin, paying tribute to Steve Irwin, who was killed when a barb pierced his heart last year. And so you heard it from the 8-year-old daughter, that she wants to be a wildlife warrior just like her dad, to carry on the baton in his honor.

And now a major car company is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.

Never a good sign, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: No. And from this company, which is going to at some point in the near future become the world's biggest company in terms of selling cars.

Toyota recalling more than 500,000 Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickup trucks in the U.S. The company says it has discovered a problem with a component of the vehicle's front suspensions which may make them difficult to steer.

As a result, 11 accidents and six injuries have been reported. The recall covers certain '04 through '07 Sequoias and '04 through '06 Tundras. Toyota says it will begin contacting owners next month and will fix the problem at no charge.

Toyota has been under pressure to improve its operations after a series of recalls last year raised questions about quality. But, Fred, some analysts say as Toyota ramps up production and sells more vehicles, that there's inevitably an increase in recalls, as well, unfortunately.

WHITFIELD: And, Susan, what is this now about an executive from a rival automaker that won't necessarily be riding high in style anymore.

LISOVICZ: Well, this is a story that certainly has riled the rank and file at Ford for some time, Fred. The head of Ford's North America division is giving up one of his perks. Mark Fields has agreed to stop using the company's private jet for his personal use.

Fields had come under fire for using the jet to visit his family frequently in Florida on weekends. It became an issue for many workers and shareholders as Fields was literally flying high at the same time the company was closing plants and slashing staff to cut costs.

The private plane cost the automaker more than $200,000 during the last quarter of '06, the only period disclosed so far. Ford, you may recall, lost $7 billion through the first nine months of last year.

Fields will now commercial flights for his personal trips and the company will still pay for them and even if he flies first class every week of the year, it will still be a lot less than flying a private jet.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and, you know, he'll still be somewhat comfortable.

LISOVICZ: Yes.

WHITFIELD: He'll make do. All right, well, what about the markets?

(MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, he said what? A rude backstage remark hits the spotlight and hits a lot of nerves. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, we're talking slurs and whether a TV physician can heal himself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Apologies and outrage after the use of an anti-gay term by a star on one of the nation's most popular TV shows. The show is "Grey's Anatomy." The star is Isaiah Washington. He used the word to defend himself during a backstage appearance at the Golden Globe Awards, but the controversy has been simmering for months.

CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions tune in to "Grey's Anatomy" each week to see the sparks fly on the TV drama. But it's the show's backstage drama that's making headlines.

T.R. KNIGHT, ACTOR: It's pretty bad.

VARGAS: The controversy started in October when during an off- camera argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey, Isaiah Washington reportedly referred to cast mate T.R. Knight using an anti-gay slur.

KNIGHT: He referred to me as a faggot.

VARGAS: Knight, who plays Dr. O'Malley on the show, told Ellen DeGeneres this week that the highly-publicized incident forced him out of the closet.

KNIGHT: I've never been called that to my face and so I think when that happened it's -- I don't know. There's something that shifted and it just became bigger.

VARGAS: Knight's tell-all interview comes on the heels of the show's Golden Globe win Monday night, when during a backstage news conference, Washington stunned cast mates by grabbing a microphone and insisting he never used the epithet on the set.

ISAIAH WASHINGTON, ACTOR: No, I did not call T.R. a faggot. Never happened. Never happened.

VARGAS: But the fact that Washington used the same offensive language when defending himself has reignited the uproar, infuriating many.

KATHERINE HEIGL, ACTRESS: I'm going to be really honest right now. He needs to just not speak in public, period. I'm sorry. That did not need to be said. I'm not OK with it. VARGAS (on camera): Co-star Katherine Heigl is not alone. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is also lashing out, condemning Washington for his use of the slur and demanding an apology.

(voice-over): A statement from GLAAD's president says, quote, "When Isaiah Washington uses this kind of anti-gay slur, it does more than create a hostile environment for his cast mates. It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way."

Shortly after a statement released by the show's network, ABC, saying Washington's actions were unacceptable, the actor, through his publicist, issued his own apology and welcomed the chance to meet with leaders of the gay and lesbian community.

GLAAD says it welcomes that opportunity and hopes to meet with Washington as early as next week. Perhaps now the healing process can begin for cast mates on a show that's all about healing.

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And joining me now to talk about this, Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

You asked for an apology. Many are saying why didn't you go further than that? Why didn't you ask that he be fired? If any one of us made a slur, we'd probably lose our jobs.

NEIL GIULIANO, PRESIDENT, GLAAD: Well, and there certainly are organizations and individuals who are demanding he be fired. There are certainly individuals who are saying, you're making too big of a deal of this entire thing.

Our role is to have a broader dialogue, and now that Mr. Washington has apologized, we're going to take him up on his offer to sit down, talk about anti-gay bigotry in this country, talk about the use of this kind of very offensive and unacceptable language, and hopefully engage him in changing the climate in this country and educating Americans about these kinds of situations.

LEMON: Why then -- and maybe you have some responsibility in this, in an organization that is supposed to support gay and lesbians. Why is this then relegated to the entertainment pages or the entertainment section?

That is, I think, the criticism. Why aren't you making a bigger deal out of it? Because if it was someone had been called the N-word or another derogatory term, it would be on the front page, a la Michael Richards.

GIULIANO: And we -- I couldn't agree more, Don. We'd love for this to not just be on the entertainment pages and just sort of on the -- you know, sort of the showbiz-types of shows. It is a much broader issue. It's a much bigger problem.

The type of language that Mr. Washington used is quite often the last word that kids hear when they're pushed to the ground and kicked and beaten up on the playground. So, I agree with you 100 percent, it shouldn't just be on the entertainment pages.

LEMON: Mr. Washington issued an apology saying I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. "I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul and I've asked for help." And then he goes on to say, "with one word, I've hurt everyone who has struggled for the respect so many of us take for granted. I welcome the chance to meet with leaders of the gay community -- gay and lesbian community to apologize in person and to talk about what I can do to heal the wounds I've opened."

You're one of those leaders, you're going to talk to him. What are you going to ask him? What are you going say to him?

GIULIANO: I'm going to first listen. It is a very interesting comment that he puts out there. So I want to listen. I want to hear him talk about what some of those issues really are. Maybe there's something in his history, in his background or his understanding of lesbian and gay people that caused him to say that.

So, I don't know anymore than I have a read in the statement so far. But I'm going to listen and then we're going to have a dialogue about the state of affairs for lesbian and gay Americans in this country right now and what he can as a very visible person who has a lot of star status to help raise the awareness of the kind of issues that we face.

LEMON: Have you spoken to him yet?

GIULIANO: I have not yet, no.

LEMON: ABC Entertainment issued this statement in part, saying, "we are greatly dismayed that Mr. Washington chose to use such an inappropriate language at the Golden Globes. We take this situation very seriously. His actions are unacceptable and are being addressed." Do you think an apology and a statement on their part are enough?

GIULIANO: I don't know yet. And I've only had a couple of brief conversations with executives at ABC. Hopefully we'll be having more when I get to Los Angeles on Monday. And we'll kind of take that next step.

We know that there's also the employer/employee relationship here that's very significant and that's what ABC is speaking to. And we'll learn more about that when we have the opportunity to talk with them in depth.

LEMON: He actually said the word. He said the word and many of us in the media and many people when we repeat it, we say either the n-word or f-word.

GIULIANO: Which we appreciate.

LEMON: Do you appreciate that? Or does that take away from the impact of this? Does that sort of sanitize saying that word because once you hear that word, both those words, or any words like that, they have a certain impact. When you say it, you don't think it's being sanitized?

GIULIANO: I don't think it's sanitizing to simply refer to it as the f-word, because it's important to let everyone know it's unacceptable. And if it's repeated and repeated, then that just sort of -- that does make it sort of more of the norm and more acceptable. So we appreciate it not being used at all or being referred to as the f-word.

LEMON: You are an openly gay politician.

GIULIANO: I was.

LEMON: Were at least in Arizona. You were the mayor there. T.R. Knight says, you know what, I hadn't spoken to my colleagues about my sexuality at all but when -- he didn't think it was important, but when he uttered those words it suddenly became important. Do you think that Washington in any way outed this young man?

GIULIANO: Well, I think there's a relationship there to the experience that T.R. had with hearing this word and him being the subject of the word and sort of T.R.'s own journey with his own awareness with regard to his sexual orientation and his own willingness to be out and to be open. We all sort of go through that as individuals and we're all sort of on that continuum at any time.

I think T.R. would probably say that he is a more healthy and a better person overall now being able to live open and be honest with all of his friends, his family, his cast mates and people in general, so I think so.

LEMON: When is your meeting with Mr. Washington?

GIULIANO: We're trying to set it up for early next week.

LEMON: Will you come back and tell us what you talked about?

GIULIANO: I'd be happy to.

LEMON: Neil Giuliano, president of GLAAD, thank you so much for joining us.

GIULIANO: Thank you, Don.

WHITFIELD: Well, perhaps you want to avoid a slow burn over your heating bill this winter. You might want to get smart with a smart meter. Ever heard of that? That and other ways to cut your power costs straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: So much of the country is in a deep freeze, you know that by now. But if you use electricity to heat your home, you could be in for a huge shock when your next bill arrives. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us with some ways to save money and stay warm beginning with a smart meter. What is that?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka, good to see you.

Well, a smart meter is a very cool technology that helps you save money on your electricity bill. Here's how it works. In the real world, the price of electricity goes up and down depending on how many people are on the grid and how much energy they're using.

The smart meter lets you take advantage of that. Instead of having your meter go up and down and being charged an average price, the smart meter actually lets you pay according to how much energy you're using vis-a-vis how much energy is being used in the grid. So you can actually cut your costs pretty dramatically.

Now, these are the numbers for the smart meter savings. And as you can see, if you were doing your laundry or running your vacuum cleaner at 6:00 a.m., you would be paying far less than you would if you were doing it at 2:00 in the afternoon.

So now a Chicago utility company called Comed ran a pilot program with smart meters. And you can see one right here. And they did it with 1500 homes. Well guess what, it was wildly successful. So they're rolling it out to 110,000 homes. People love this.

WHITFIELD: So does everyone -- sorry. I'm excited about this because I want to know how do I get one? Does everyone have access to a smart meter?

WILLIS: No, not but a long shot. It's not really widely available. However, there is another technology that you can use that works in sort of a similar way. It's a meter that gives you time of use rates.

Now, you don't get hour by hour updates, but you do get blocks of time and you learn how -- as you can see right here, how much is being charged for per kilowatt hour for a block of time. And so clearly you can kind of change what you're doing and rearrange, you know, what you're doing in your household to save on electricity costs. And, of course, for people on fixed incomes, I got to tell you this, this would make a ton of sense, you know.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Everybody would welcome this. Who wouldn't?

WILLIS: It's really good. Yes. Now, let me tell you something before we move on, you got to opt in. You got to call your utility and ask to be made a part of it.

WHITFIELD: All right. I'm doing that this afternoon. So meantime, when you talk about savings, are we talking about pennies or are we talking about many dollars?

WILLIS: Well, you can save hundreds of dollars a year. And it really depends. It really depends, you know, on how big your house is, how much you're using electricity.

But at the end of the day, we found a very interesting number. If consumers changed what they were doing, moved just 7 percent of their usage, they could save $23 billion worth of electricity. So that's a lot. And it means a month's worth of free electricity for the country. So you can see that a little change can mean a great deal.

One problem, though, that I should mention here. If you get the smart meter and you start using your electricity and use it a lot during the high cost times, you could increase your bill.

WHITFIELD: Oh, God, now this has got confusing.

WILLIS: Well, your bill is tied to what time you use that electricity. Sometimes that usage rate is very high and sometimes it's very low, so you absolutely have to change how you do business even at your house.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, we can always watch you this weekend and every weekend on "House Call." What do you got?

WILLIS: "Open House" is 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, Saturday morning, "House Call" is a great show too there

WHITFIELD: I know, I'm getting my days mixed up.

WILLIS: It runs at a different time though.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "House Call." You, "Open House", Gerri Willis.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much.

WILLIS: Fred, thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Fredricka.

Straight ahead entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." What's on tap A.J.?

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Well, Don, the Sundance Film Festival now officially under way in Park City, Utah. It truly is the premiere showcase for independent film. But has the glitz overshadowed the movies.

Robert Redford, the festival's founder, tells us what he thinks when NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: You know that red carpet, forget about it. And trade in those designer heels for a good pair of boots. Hollywood is in Utah this week for the Sundance Film Festival and "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer joins us with the dirt and the details. I hope you've got your boots and a warm coat A.J.

HAMMER: Well, fortunately I'm in the nice cozy CNN New York studio. Brooke Anderson however, she's out there with her snow boots on. You know now Don, for 22 years Hollywood has been putting on its collective parka and heading up to Park City, Utah. They're basically going there to look for the next great independent films and, of course, to pick up some free swag along the way.

It's kind of funny when you think about it, sometimes the stars are getting these gift bags worth more than what they actually get for acting in these little indie films.

But the focus was on film making last night as festival founder Robert Redford kicked things off with a special discussion and a screening of the opening night movie "Chicago Ten." It's a documentary about the anti-war protests of the '60s.

Now, Redford feels it is exactly what the festival should be about, not the glitz and glamour and gift bags and as he told our own Brooke Anderson, all that began once the celebs with the press in tow started coming up in big numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT REDFORD, ACTOR: Once the press came, then fashion came and when fashion came, the paparazzi came, so these are kind of like tiers that formed outside of what we were doing.

At a certain point I mean there's a certain part of the media that's more interested in that than what we're doing. That's fine. That's their business. But it's not who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Well, Brooke will have a lot more from Sundance. She is there over the course of the festival. She'll be giving us the soon on all the stars and movies that are getting all the buzz. So be sure to stay tuned to CNN for all of that.

Now coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," we'll have much more on the "Grey's Anatomy" feud, the star of TV's biggest drama has apologized for his gay slurs but the question is, should Isaiah Washington be fired anyway?

"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" dares to ask the question on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. It is "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," getting into your weekend at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on Headline Prime.

LEMON: This controversy certainly appears to be heating up more, A.J.

HAMMER: It certainly does.

LEMON: All right. We'll be watching. Thank you.

HAMMER: All right.

LEMON: Have a great weekend.

WHITFIELD: 30 years of perspective or would you say 60? A preview of Wolf Blitzer's interview with a former president and vice president, Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale coming up.

And zapping the strength of al-Sadr. Iraqi and U.S. troops go after the Mehdi militia in a bid to reclaim Baghdad. We'll have the details on a key capture. That's next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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