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Accused Duke Players to Hear Update on Charges; Tours of Duty to be Extended in Iraq; Baghdad College Students Brave Dangers; Advertisers Withdraw Support from Imus Show

Aired April 11, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Hello. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips, who's on assignment in Iraq.

Three Duke players could find out today the status of those sex crime charges against them. We're live from North Carolina for the announcement.

LEMON: And seeing red and green over the Imus controversy. The Reverend Al Sharpton joins us with his response to the major sponsors now distancing themselves from Don Imus.

WHITFIELD: And classroom in the crosshairs, students share their biggest challenges when a war is being fought in their own back yard.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Well, 13 months ago, they became the accused, but the criminal case against three Duke lacrosse players could be in its final hours. Defense sources tell CNN they expect that kidnapping and sexual offense charges will be dropped today. Now, the rape charges were thrown out months ago.

CNN's Jason Carroll is in Raleigh awaiting word from the North Carolina attorney general.

And Jason, is there any significance to the timing of this announcement?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we can tell you about the timing of the announcement is that it will be happening just about an hour and a half from now, just at about 2:30.

And I have to tell you, defense sources do tell us that these charges will be dropped against the three players, Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann, and Dave Evans. But Don, what this really comes down to is how the charges will be dropped.

What defense attorneys are really hoping for is what they're hoping for is that the attorney general will come out and say that all three of these players are completely exonerated. If that happens, they will hold a press conference praising the attorney general and the other prosecutors for their work. Now, if the attorney general's office comes out and says something, what they perceive to be a weaker announcement, which would be basically saying, look, we're clearing these guys. We're basically saying that our -- our investigation revealed that there wasn't enough evidence to show that a crime was committed, Don, that sort of leaves open somewhat of a window, a window of doubt. And defense attorneys don't want to see that.

If they do want to hear that type of announcement, they will hold a press conference where they outline a timeline, a specific timeline, which basically details why these three boys are innocent -- Don.

LEMON: OK. So the rape charges were thrown out months ago. And then we're getting the word from sources about these other charges. What about the possibility of anyone facing civil suits if these criminal charges are dropped?

CARROLL: Well, Don, that's a real strong possibility. Defense sources are telling us that they will, in fact, go forward with civil charges against Michael Nifong. You know, Michael Nifong, he is the district attorney, the Durham county district attorney who recused himself from the case. They will file civil charges against him, as well as possibly Duke University.

We're also hearing, though, that they will not seek civil charges against the accuser. They describe her as a troubled soul and basically don't see what the worth in that would be -- Don.

LEMON: All right. That's very interesting. All right. Jason Carroll following the story for us throughout the day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for that report.

WHITFIELD: Radio host Don Imus is taking more heat and losing advertisers for his racial insults of the Rutgers women's basketball team. Staples, Procter & Gamble, and the Bigelow Tea Company are among the companies which have yanked their spots from the Imus show.

Also today, former NAACP leader Bruce Gordon said he hopes Imus is fired for his remarks. Gordon's opinion carries extra weight. He is a director of CBS Corporation, which oversees Westwood One, the syndicator of the Imus radio show. And we'll be speaking to Mr. Gordon at the bottom of the hour right here in the NEWSROOM.

The problems for Imus started, as you know, when he called the Rutgers women's basketball team some offensive words. Imus has been suspended for two weeks, but critics want him fired. He is expected to meet face-to-face with the members of the Rutgers team very soon.

LEMON: In custody. Coalition forces say they've nabbed a key terror leader south of Baghdad. They're not naming him, but they say he's a security chief for al Qaeda in Iraq in a region called Arab Jabour.

Now this week, troops were -- there have been on the move against insurgents, killing one suspected militant and arresting several others. WHITFIELD: Civilian life in Iraq bad and only getting worse: that's the finding of a new report of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It blames not just insurgents, but also coalition forces for a growing humanitarian crisis.

The report cites daily insurgent attacks on Iraqi civilians, along with coalition military operations that force thousands from their homes. Also, fewer doctors, fewer jobs, and more power shortages. The report says security is better in southern Iraq, but crumbling in Baghdad.

LEMON: Wanted: war czar. The White House confirms it's looking for someone to directly oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's reportedly having trouble getting any takers.

"Washington Post" says at least three retired generals refused to even be considered for the spot. One of them tells the "Post", "Rather than go over there, develop an ulcer, and eventually leave, I said, 'No thanks'."

The White House won't comment on the "Post" report.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's probably the last thing U.S. troops in Iraq want to be told: you'll have to stay longer. But that's exactly what they might hear if the Army gets its way.

Let's go straight to the Pentagon and CNN's Barbara Starr -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the Pentagon hallways at this hour are buzzing about all of this, because rumors are flying that the Pentagon, that the U.S. military is about to announce that U.S. troops will now have 15-month tours of duty in Iraq instead of the 12-month tours.

Now I must add and emphasize, we are told no final decision has been made by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. But what we do know is today there have been a number of discussions here in the Pentagon, a number of meetings across Washington talking about this possibility.

Keeping the troops on the ground for a 15-month tour of duty would be extremely significant, because it opens up a whole nest of questions. Is it just the active duty force? Do you also keep the National Guard there for that extended tour of duty?

Do you promise these young troops, again, that they will be able to have one year at least at home with their families before they have to turn around and go back? That's a promise that the Army is already having a very tough time keeping.

Do you apply this longer tour of duty to the troops who are already there and tell them they simply have to stay longer?

Why is it all an issue, Fredricka? It's because of that so- called surge of troops of the security operations that are ongoing in Iraq. They have to find a way to keep 20 brigades, 3,500 troops apiece, on the ground in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

So, right now, one of the options is, in fact, simply to tell all of the Army troops they will be staying longer -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Barbara, meantime, let me ask you about some other problems that are taking place in Iraq. We know that Iran has been accused of its association with Iraqi militants, but now there are new allegations about that relationship. What are they?

STARR: Exactly right, Fredricka. Earlier today, Major General William Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, had new information about Iran's involvement in shipping those improvised explosive devices that are killing so many American troops about Iran's effort to ship those into Iraq. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE IN IRAQ: The fact that we know that they're being manufactured and smuggled into this country, and we know that training does go on in Iran for people to learn how to assemble them and how to employ them. And we know that training has gone on as recently as this past month from detainee debriefs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Very recent links, he is pointing out there, between Iran and Iraq.

General Caldwell went on to say that there is now new evidence Iran is supporting Sunni extremist groups in Iraq. That would be a potential expansion. Mainly, they've been supporting the Shia.

And he also said that recent debriefs of detainees that have been interrogated, at least two detainees say they were trained in Syria. So, a lot of new information emerging today from the briefing about links to potential new enemies in that area, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr, thanks so much from the Pentagon.

And Barbara was telling us about extended tours of duty. Well, how about this? Uncle Sam doesn't just want you; he wants you to stay. And he's willing to shell out big bucks for it.

The Associated Press reports military spending on reenlistment bonuses has surged since the start of the Iraq war. The Army and the Marines spent about $1 billion on bonuses last year. That's almost six times what they spent in 2003.

LEMON: Risking your life just to learn. For students in Iraq, every day is a life lesson. And our Kyra Phillips got quite a lesson herself when she attended class at Baghdad University, where bombs badly, sadly, serve as backdrop to books.

Kyra, what's going on? KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Don, what happened was -- you know, in the United States, we've been talking about this debate about is Iraq another Vietnam? A lot of people talking about that, debating that.

And when I got here to Baghdad, I met this professor that teaches at the University of Baghdad. And I said, "Do you ever discuss that? Is that ever a part of your lecture?"

He said, well, as a matter of fact, we'll be talking about that next week. Why don't you come sit in on the class? So we did, and started engaging in, well, are there similarities or not?

Then within about five minutes of the class, I started to hear the bombs drop. And as you can imagine, everything changed from that point on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): "The U.S. military always finds a reason to go to war," Yasser Thar (ph) tells me. "Just like Vietnam, and now Iraq. The U.S. is in a trap again."

Vietnam versus Iraq. Can you even compare the two wars? I thought this was today's classroom debate, until this...

(on camera) Are those bombs? Those are bombs going off?

ABDUL JABBER AHMED, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: Yes, yes.

PHILLIPS: How does that make you feel when you hear those bombs going off as you sit here in class?

(voice-over) "Fear, anxiety. I wonder if my family is OK," Yasser (ph) says, "because we have no idea where those bombs are landing."

These Baghdad University students don't even flinch. The explosions continue as they answer my question.

"These explosions have united us as the sectarian violence divides us," Mouklas Ali (ph) explains. "Whether we are Sunni, Shia, or Kurd, we are all targets, and that has brought us closer."

In Iraq, if you want a college degree, you risk your life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a woman or as a girl here, I want to say we suffer in coming to college and going to home and studying with the sounds of bombs.

PHILLIPS (on camera): So why do you do it? Why do you still come to school even with the bombs?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a big challenge for us. I think we are -- we are very (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We are brave. PHILLIPS (voice-over): I realize at this point, comparing Vietnam to Iraq is not today's lecture. Living this war, this moment is the lesson.

AHMED: Maybe the situation in Iraq now, it is not a good situation. But the challenge of the human is how to create the best situation in order to provide future to the society.

PHILLIPS: And believe me, these students face challenges.

(on camera) Why do you think it's important to debate this war?

(voice-over) "We have to discuss the mistakes," Hashem Haydar (ph) says. "Saddam was the worst tyrant in the world. He had to go. But look at Iraq now. The U.S. military hasn't controlled the borders. Raids and bombs scare innocent Iraqis. This is occupation, not freedom."

However, mistakes are not destroying dreams. These poli-sci students know exactly what they want. Yaha Jundi (ph) wants to work for Iraqi intelligence, Abir Mohammed (ph) a professor, Hannah Rasheed (ph), a diplomat. And Mohammed Solomon (ph)...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iraqi embassy in anywhere.

PHILLIPS (on camera): Do you feel like you have a future here in Iraq?

(voice-over) "It depends on security. And that keeps getting worse," Mohammed Ali (Ph) says. "Our professors are being killed, departments closed down, and that impacts our education and our future."

But for their professor, there is hope in this class.

AHMED: For me the best thing, how to keep the unity in this classroom, in order when I go out of this classroom -- their job how to keep unity in the street and their family.

PHILLIPS (on camera): So ask your students whether they're Sunni, Shia, Kurd, in this classroom, do they all feel as one -- Iraqi?

AHMED: (speaking foreign language)

PHILLIPS: Yes, no? Yes. Yes.

(voice-over) Perhaps the first time I have seen true unity in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Don, I have to tell you I hope that every American young student that goes to college sees this piece and realizes how lucky they are and not to take their education for granted. Twelve explosions I counted while sitting in that lecture, and still those students didn't flinch. But they kept talking to me about it.

And also just 48 hours ago, the entrance into Baghdad University, the same entrance that we went to, even had to pause for a short period of time, it was bombed. There was a car bomb that exploded. Five students were killed and 18 others were wounded.

LEMON: It certainly puts things into perspective, Kyra.

Now how many students have a question -- how many students are back going to school? And what risks do they continue to endure even now?

PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting. When the war first started, basically, nobody was going to school there. It was just -- it was way too risky. And then about a year later, after the war started, you saw about 40 percent of the students to head back.

Now, even with what happened in the classroom that day that we were there, about 70 percent of the students are back at the university, trying to get a degree, hoping to get a job.

But 100 professors and assistant professors have been killed at the university. And dozens of students have been assassinated just waking up and trying to make their way to the university. So obviously, it's still a risk every single day.

LEMON: Absolutely. Kyra Phillips, thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Well, he says he's embarrassed, losing sponsors, and now he is suspended. Is that enough for Don Imus? The Reverend Al Sharpton weighs in, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: If you drive a Ford Escape, your ride, well, might have been recalled. Find out why straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Eighteen minutes after the hour. Here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM this hour.

We're awaiting what could be a major announcement in the sexual assault case against three former Duke lacrosse players. Defense sources tell CNN they expect all charges to be dropped. An exotic dancer had accused the players of assaulting her at a party last year.

Another call for radio host Don Imus to be fired over his recent comments. This time from a higher up at his parent company. Bruce Gordon is former head of the NAACP. He is now director at CBS Corporation. He says Imus crossed the line by using offensive language to describe some female college basketball players.

And a doctor says former senator and possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson has been diagnosed with lymphoma in 2004, but he adds the disease is in remission and the type of lymphoma Thompson had wasn't very aggressive to begin with.

LEMON: More now, Fredricka, on the Imus controversy.

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton was one of the first to criticize Don Imus for his remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Imus met with Sharpton, but Sharpton is sticking with his call for Imus to be fired.

I spoke with the Reverend Al Sharpton just a little while ago, and I started by asking him why he's pressuring advertisers to abandon the Imus radio show.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The precedent of saying that someone can just call our women -- any women, nappy-headed hos and nothing happened. What do we say a year, two, three, four, five years from now when people say, well, you know, this happened and they just got away with it? They got too resolved. They were doing $25 million a year, but what's two weeks to him?

LEMON: Right.

SHARPTON: We can't live with that precedent.

LEMON: Yes. You said -- you mentioned the -- a couple of groups -- at least a couple of advertisers, Staples, Morales Health Care, AT&T, a number of people. And not necessarily AT&T, and Procter & Gamble and GM, not necessarily from this, but they pulled their advertisement earlier.

But why do you think these advertisers are pulling out now before he's even been suspended, before we've really heard the end of this story? He hasn't even met with the team yet.

SHARPTON: I think that, first of all, the meeting of the team is personal. It should happen. I think that's a good thing. But that does not do a public policy.

How does a company sell its products in the community where it is understood that they're subsidizing -- the women in their community are being called nappy-headed hos?

If I was a corporation advertiser, I would say that I cannot offend the marketplace. If you want to make a living, Mr. Imus, offending people, fine. But I'm not going to subsidize it or I'm not going to participate in that. And I think it's a wise decision.

Just like he has the right to say what he wants, although I don't feel he has the right to say it on the public airwaves with FCC- regulated radio. They -- we have the right to say to companies that we have the right to spend our money where we're respected.

Everybody has rights, not just Don Imus. We had a right to say, "You want to spend money with him? You won't spend our money."

LEMON: Well, the young ladies are going to meet with him, and they said they're going to reserve the right to say whether he should be, you know, suspended or fired or if advertisers should pull out. They want to reserve that until after they talk to him. Why are you proceeding with this?

SHARPTON: Well, first of all, one of the reasons why I had a conversation with the coach -- I've not talked to the young ladies, and someone asked them that yesterday. Though the young lady was very complimentary of what we were doing and have done. Is I did not want to confuse that I'm trying to tell the young ladies what to say or that they told me want to say.

There is a public policy issue here. The young ladies are dealing, as they should, with their personal hurt and personal development. But the company, NBC and CBS that owns a radio show, have a public policy to deal with those in the community. And those of us who had community groups had nothing to do with whatever personal conversation Mr. Imus had.

LEMON: Well, Reverend Sharpton, and you know, with this sort of publicity, everybody is going to come out. There are people who say, you know, that you and Reverend Jackson, nobody's perfect. You -- you know, you've made your missteps. Nobody's calling for you to be fired or for advertisers to pull out from supporting you. Who -- what gives you the right to do this to Don Imus?

SHARPTON: First of all, that's absurd. If I have said anything in my career that offended people, people did have the right to withdraw support and did. And if I was on the public airways and did that, I should have been fired. That's absurd.

Reverend Jackson said some people did not vote for him or didn't support him. So I think that is the most ridiculous thing I've heard of.

What they're asking for is that they want to go back 20 years and say that Sharpton said something that I had to pay for, but that Imus shouldn't have to pay.

I think that the fact of them digging that up convicts Imus more than it excuses them. Name one thing me or any other public figure did that we didn't have to pay for.

LEMON: Where did you see this going after this? After you -- you're going to try to get advertisers not to buy into his show. You're going to try to get him fired. And then is that going to be it? Are you going to be satisfied with that?

SHARPTON: I think that where it goes, I think that in this particular incident, I hope that he is fired. And I hope that it will then set a standard that people cannot, based on gender or race, just say what they want to disparage people.

I always think it will break a general argument under use of language, something that I've been on for a long time. I went to the FCC a year and a half ago saying we need to do something about the use of calling women "B's" and the "N" word in our own community. LEMON: Now that you bring that up, what about people who say, you know what? In rap music, you've got hip-hop, you've got people calling people "B's" and hos and all this stuff in the music. And no one is calling for people not to buy that music.

SHARPTON: Again, that's absurd. We've been saying that all along. I had -- the last two years at the National Action Network convention, we've taken those positions.

Just a week and a half ago, I had a press conference with a woman whose son was beat up by a rapper. So that is not true. I have been on this station talking about that. We just had a campaign earlier this year against the "N" word. City council of New York did a resolution vote that I supported against the use of the "N" word. That's just simply not true.

There are those who want to cover up Don Imus for acting like all of a sudden we started raising this. I wouldn't have raised this on Imus if I had not already been raising it with hip-hopers and rappers that were guilty of this. Not all hip-hop, by the way, is doing that.

LEMON: Right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Don Imus, called on the carpet. And who knows what his future on the air looks like. But is the next generation of broadcasters paying attention? You better believe they are. Journalism students get a master class in what not to do. Stay with the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New safety concerns for one of Ford's top-selling sport utility vehicles. Ford is recalling more than half a million Escapes from model years 2001 and 2004. The reason: brake trouble.

Ford says it has received about 50 reports of engine fires linked to corrosion on anti-lock brake connectors. The company says there are no reports of any accidents or injuries. The recall, however, includes the Escape's twin, the Mazda Tribute, but does not apply to hybrid Escapes.

LEMON: Two words workers hate: job cuts. Those are the two words. But that's all they're talking about today at the nation's largest financial company.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange will tell us just how many people are going to lose their job. We hate hearing this, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We do. And you know, we knew it was coming. It was one of Wall Street's worst kept secrets, Don, that big job cuts were on the way at Citigroup.

Now we've got the specifics: 17,000 employees will lose their jobs. That's more than 5 percent of the company's workforce. About half of them, or more than half of them, just a little bit more than half of them, are coming from overseas. The rest, obviously, here in the U.S.

Another 9,000 jobs will be moved to what Citi is calling lower cost locations, many of them overseas.

This is Citi's first restructuring in a decade. The result, according to Citi, a leaner, more efficient bank. Investors...

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another 9,000 jobs will be moved to what Citi is calling lower cost locations -- many of them overseas. This is Citi's first restructuring in a decade. The result, according to Citi, a leaner, more efficient bank. Investors have been pressuring Citigroup because the pace of the company's spending has been increasing much more quickly than its profits. That's kept a lid on Citigroup's stock price over the past few years, but the bank says these job cuts will result in savings of more than $10 billion by 2009.

Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: $10 billion savings. So then what's the reaction on Wall Street? Do investors think this is what Citi needs to be doing, laying off people?

LISOVICZ: Well, oftentimes that is, unfortunately, what happens when a company tries to turn itself around. But here it's not being met with applause, that's for sure. Some analysts are skeptical, Don. They think the job cuts will help Citi in the short term only. Some analysts say the bank should focus on more long-term strategies, like growth in core markets and boosting revenue.

Shares of Citigroup rose about 1, nearly 2 percent yesterday, are now down 1.5 percent. One of the most actively traded issues. Citi is down 7 percent this year-to-date. It's definitely still lagging the market. Now, Citi is a Dow component. The Dow Industrials not doing so well today, but they are coming off an eight-session win streak, and that's the longest for the Dow in four years.

We also have a dismal housing report. That revives worries about consumer spending. Investors will get more clues as to what's worrying the Federal Reserve when the Fed releases minutes from its last meeting. That comes at the top of the hour.

Ahead of that, the Dow's down 51 points or about half a percent. The Nasdaq is down a third of one percent.

Coming up in hour, attention bargain shoppers. There's still time to get a good buy on a house. The startling numbers from the National Association of Realtors.

Don and Fred, back to you.

LEMON: I'll be paying attention to that.

LISOVICZ: Oh, well you will.

LEMON: Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was looking at African-American women who, number one, are getting an education, number one, who are athletic, who are taking care of their bodies, they work out, I mean, and they're hos? They're hos?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: They are young, they're African-American and they're future journalists. We hear from a few other voices reacting to those Don Imus comments.

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, who is on assignment here in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Let's talk about that Don Imus story. The Don Imus insult controversy has been a real life lesson for students learning about journalism at Howard University. Our Brianna Keilar spent some time with a class of future reporters to hear what they think about the debate over race, insults and free speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): At Howard University, Washington, D.C.'s, historically black university, the slur that made Don Imus a pariah.

DON IMUS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: There's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that now.

KEILAR: Has earned him a place in the classroom. These are aspiring journalists, soon to graduate seniors majoring in broadcast journalism.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should this story be covered in the way it's being covered? Is it newsworthy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Except I think they should take more angles on it. It's really a broader issue of racism. KEILAR: The consensus of the class -- Imus' comment is a window to American society where bigotry is tolerated in the mainstream media.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He still has his job, which says that a lot of people support him and think the same way that he does. But the thing is, a lot of those people who think like that are in leadership positions, so they have the right to, you know, tell him that he can just come back in two week.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just concerned that it wasn't just a racist remark, but as Andrea (ph) said, address the fact that he called them hos as well. Like he -- it's like he correlates black women with being nappy-headed and being hos.

KEILAR: Imus' two-week suspension?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was a slap on the wrist.

KEILAR: Imus' apology . . .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The words "I'm sorry" need to have some meat to it. Meaning that, what are you going to do to show you're sorry.

KEILAR: They're outraged.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was looking at African-American women who, number one, are getting an education, number one, who are athletic, who they are taking care of their bodies. They've work out. I mean -- and they're hos? They're hos?

KEILAR: But they're not surprised.

Does it worry you to hear these things? That perhaps this is just a reflection of society?

SEFANIT BEFEKADU, HOWARD UNIVERSITY SENIOR: It doesn't worry me. If anything, it motivates me even more. I don't want him to be the only voice available.

KEILAR: Even so, at least one student welcomes the role Imus has come to play.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a person like a Don Imus is in a sense needed for the simple fact . . .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he makes us realize that we're black, in a way. Like I think after a while, when you're assimilated into a community for so long, you start to feel more and more comfortable and somebody like that brings you back to reality.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: All right. Brianna Keilar, before I even get to you, she joins us now. This was a great idea. It's a great story. I really enjoyed that.

So, tell us what these students think should or at least what do they think will ultimately happen with Don Imus?

KEILAR: Well, there are two very different things. They think that Don Imus should be fired. That's what they hope. But they really don't think that's what's going to happen. In fact, they pointed out, and correctly I should add, that when Michael Richards went on his racist tirade at that comedy club, that actually the DVD sales for Seinfeld went way up. And they just think that in the end, Imus will end up back on the radio permanently and that this is just going to mean very good ratings for him.

LEMON: Yes. And, obviously, you know we've been covering these racist remarks and rants by celebrities and other people a lot. You mentioned Michael Richards. Have they talked about any of the other remarks made by people that's been in the news lately?

KEILAR: They did. They talked about Michael Richards, but they also talked about the flip side, Don. And that is, of course, members of the black community, prominent members, saying things, intolerant things about other communities. For instance, they talked about Tim Hardaway, former NBA player, saying on the radio in February that "I hate gays." And what they said was that even though Don Imus' comments really hit closer to home for them, that all of these people, black or white, should be held to the same standard.

Now that said, they did say that if Don Imus were a black man and if this role was reversed here, they think that that person -- that Don Imus if he were black -- would be playing a much greater price than he's paying now.

LEMON: Brianna Keiler, again, it was a fascinating story, thank you so much, joining us from Washington, D.C.

KEILAR: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Don Imus, stay or go? What used to be a few voices calling for his job, well now it's turning into a chorus of big names. Influential names are now joining in. Stay with the NEWSROOM. A live discussion coming up next.

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LEMON: Take a look at this. When was the last time you saw a college campus protest? Kind of reminiscent of the '60s, right? Or a war protests. Well, these kids, I guess, have declared war on outrageous language. This is the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. A coalition of student groups and faculty, staff, administrators, all from the university holding a rally today in support of the women's basketball team and against radio host Don Imus. Hundreds have gathered there on the campus. We're seeing signs that are saying down with racist language and what have you. That's happening right now on the campus of Rutgers University. "Women of Rutgers," it says, "stop hate."

WHITFIELD: Strong opinions now about Don Imus and what was said. Bruce Gordon is another voice calling for Don Imus to lose his job over those comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Gordon is the former president of the NAACP. He's also a member of the board of directors at CBS Corporation, which manages Westwood One, the syndicator of the Imus radio show. Bruce Gordon joining me now live from New York.

Good to see you.

BRUCE GORDON, CBS BOARD MEMBER: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Right now, two-week suspension. Not enough in your opinion?

GORDON: I think that it is absolutely the right first step. Understand that this is a complex situation. It is a decision that needs to be made by the management of CBS. And all factors need to be considered. So I think that it's a good first step.

WHITFIELD: What makes it so complicated? What makes it so complicated to make the decision, however? Because universally people have said in chorus, it seems, these are offensive remarks that are really inexcusable. So what is so difficult to understand about moving forward on this?

GORDON: Let me join the chorus, first of all. These are outrageous remarks. They are totally unsatisfactory. They violate our community. Not just the African-American community, but I think the American community. And there should absolutely be a consequence.

So the conclusion in my mind is fairly clear. But the thought process needs to be diligent. There are public policy issues. There are revenue issues. There are shareholder issues. There are diversity of policy issues. All of these things I think CBS management needs to take into account.

And when they arrive at a decision, it's one that is fact-based, it is thoughtful, it is not a knee-jerk reaction. So I think that taking two weeks to sort through all the details, understanding the legalities of the issue is very important for CBS management to do and I'm sure they will do that.

WHITFIELD: So you mentioned a number of issues that are being considered within the family of CBS. But when you mention revenue issues, is that really what's overriding all of the issues?

GORDON: I don't believe so. I think that revenue is a factor. CBC is a business. It has an obligation to create share owner value. So you can't ignore -- you can't ask CBS management to ignore those revenue implications. They have to take those into consideration.

Having said that, I believe that what's really at stake here, what's really at issue here, is the power of the media has to match responsibility with that power. I think that Don Imus, in this particular case, has abused his power and there needs to be a consequence as a result. But it has to be thought through and that's what management is doing.

WHITFIELD: And let me ask you more about that. Responsibility -- that's huge. Everyone know if I or anybody else on the air were to use such language, it doesn't seem like it would take weeks or even months to determine whether or not I was worthy of the job. I would be fired. So what is taking so long? What are the issues really at stake that CBS Corporation has to consider to come about a final penalty or decision? If you're saying two weeks is just baby steps, then why does it take so long to come down with a final conclusion on this?

GORDON: I don't want to suggest that I know every single fact that needs to be checked and every single detail that needs to be thought through. I simply don't want to suggest, on the other hand, that this is just a simple issue. I think that the principle is, this is a bad pun. The principle is black and white. Don Imus violated the community, there needs to be a response. That's very clear. And any level-headed American, I think, has no choice but to draw that conclusion.

Having said that, this is still a business. It has to be run. It has to be thought through. And there's nothing wrong with being diligent in the thought process. Ultimately, management will have to defend its actions. And in order to defend their actions, they need to consider all the facts.

There, in my mind, is nothing wrong with crossing the t's and dotting the i's. Across America, what you are hearing is an outrage because of the violation of our community. That outrage is legitimate. It cannot be ignored. And all of the parties that have a say in this -- advertisers, viewers, regulators, managers, directors -- have to think it through and make the right call. I'm confident that the process is the right process and the outcome will be what it needs to be.

WHITFIELD: And you mentioned advertisers, which are dropping like flies. Meantime, when you talk about the contractual obligations that CBS and Westwood have to Don Imus, I understand there's a five- year extension that was most recently signed at $10 million a year. So how much does that further complicate the issue of what to do about his job on the air?

GORDON: Well, it certainly complicates it. That's my earlier point. When you say, why can't they just make the decision today? They can't make the decision until they've been through a very careful analysis of the contractual obligations that they have.

And, once again, there's nothing wrong with thinking those things through. So I applaud CBS for being thoughtful. And what I believe is that CBS -- I believe that Les Moonves, who I work with closely, who I believe in, in terms of his value system. I believe that he's principle and he will think this through and he'll get to the right conclusion. It takes time and I expect him to take that time.

WHITFIELD: What do you believe the right conclusion is? Do you believe that he should be fired?

GORDON: If I was the decision maker -- let me first start -- let me disassociate myself as a director of the company and simply say, as an African-American, as an American in this country, Don Imus would not be able to retain his position with my company because I believe that companies across America have to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to race relations, when it comes to managing diversity. And I believe that this kind of behavior cannot be tolerated. So it's easy for me, as a red-blooded African-American and American, to say, he's got to go. It is more difficult for management to weigh all the factors. So I simply am counting on them to weigh those factors. I am hopeful that they'll get to the right outcome and time will tell us that.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bruce Gordon, one of the directors of CBS Corporation and former president of NAACP, thanks for your time.

GORDON: Fredricka, thank you.

LEMON: Well, we're going to talk about diabetes and its painful daily burden for millions of suffers. Might the insulin shots soon be a relic of the medical past. Well, some new research offers new hope. Details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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WHITFIELD: Heavy snow, strong winds and thunderstorms. Not in the Weather Center, but our Rob Marciano is talking a lot about it. It's a mess out there.

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LEMON: All right. Diabetes and it's painful daily burden for millions of suffers. Might the insulin shot soon be a relic of the medical past? Some new research offers new hope. Details straight ahead.

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LEMON: You have live pictures of a fire happening, Fredricka, in Newark, New Jersey. This is from our affiliate WABC.

WHITFIELD: All right. This fire burning on Tichner (ph) Street, if anyone knows that area there in Newark. Multiple structures as you can see right there. Obviously the fire beginning in one of them because you can see the concentration of the damage in what appears to be that center structure before moving outward. You see the firefighters there on the scene trying to contain it as best they can or at least put it out for now. When we get any more information about this and whether any people's lives are in jeopardy as a result, we'll be able to bring that to you.

LEMON: We're talking now about encouraging news in the battle against diabetes. A study conducted in Brazil suggests that stem cell treatment may help many type one diabetics avoid the need for insulin shots. During the study, stem cells were removed from 15 young, newly diagnosed diabetes patients. The patients then received high-dose chemotherapy. Then their harvested stem cells were injected back into their bodies. After that procedure, 13 of those patients no longer needed insulin shots or any other medications. Doctors stress that more studies are need, but they say these initial results are promising.

A New York City health inspector has resigned one and a half months after giving this KFC-Taco Bell restaurant a passing grade. Now, this notorious video revealed a rat infestation at the restaurant just one day after the inspection. In reports released this week, investigators accused the health inspector of a gross dereliction of her duties. They also said the health department was warned about the rat problem even before the inspection. A customer had filed a complaint about a rat falling from the ceiling.

WHITFIELD: That will certainly make your lose your appetite.

All right. Well staying on message, let's talk a little politics now. McCain message, a White House hopeful, hanging his hat on success in Iraq. A senator's unbending resolve. That's coming up.

LEMON: And he's America's man in North Korea, and bringing home more than nuclear promises. What's in these boxes will make several American families complete again. Details from Bill Richardson's trip north of the DMZ, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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