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Astronaut Wally Schirra Dead at 84; CENTCOM Boss Testifies; Vietnam Memorial; 50 Years of Larry King

Aired May 03, 2007 - 13:59   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Susan Roesgen, filling in for Kyra Phillips.

He thought some hip-hoppers needed to clean up their acts. Now that he's gone, James Brown's daughters are picking up where he left off. More of Don's special report.

LEMON: So many microphones, so little time. Ten GOP candidates at tonight's debate in California. Can anyone stand out from the pack? That's the big question. We're going to try to answer it for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: He was an American pioneer, a NASA original, one of the seven astronauts who led America into the space age almost a half a century ago. Wally Schirra is dead at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer. As one of the seven original Mercury astronauts, Schirra became the third American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

And CNN's John Zarrella joins us now from Miami -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.

You know, it's interesting that, you know, here we are when the United States space program is kind of struggling to find an identity, the shuttle program is winding down, perhaps we'll go on back to the moon and on to Mars, and Wally Schirra, one of the original seven, passes -- passes on today, and came from an era where there was direction. There was a moon race. There was a race to beat the Russians in space. It was part of the Cold War era. The space program had the direction back then.

And as you mention, Wally Schirra flew in the Mercury program on Sigma 7. They chose the name Sigma 7, the Sigma, because he said he wanted to get rid of -- get away from the gee whiz names that had been used to something a little bit more technical. And the 7, of course, standing for the seven original astronauts, which, of course, he was one of.

After his Mercury flight, which lasted nine hours and 15 minutes, Schirra went on to fly on Gemini 6. And on Gemini 6 they actually rendezvoused with another spacecraft, the Gemini 7 spacecraft which was already up in orbit. That was the first time that had ever happened. Then he went on as the commander of the Apollo 7 mission. Apollo 7 distinguished because it was the very first flight after the Apollo 1 fire that killed astronauts Grissom, Chaffee and White. And Apollo 7 was a redesigned spacecraft and came at a time when the United States was desperate for good news, a successful mission, and Apollo 7 certainly was that.

Now, Wally Schirra, I always remember him from the times I talked to him as always funny, filled with a sense of humor. And he certainly exhibited that when he talked about how when they were first chosen they had no idea what they were getting into.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALLY SCHIRRA, ASTRONAUT: It still didn't intrigue me about being an astronaut, though. I had to be ordered to Washington to be invited.

But when I was in Washington getting briefed on what it would be like to be an astronaut, they said, "Don't worry, we'll put you in a capsule on top of this rocket, but we'll launch monkeys and chimpanzees first."

I'm out of here.

That same fellow who sent me to test pilot school, Bob Elder (ph), said, "Wally, if you want to go higher, farther and faster, this is the only way to do it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: Schirra was also a big defender of his peers in the original seven. He made no bones about his distaste for the movie "The Right Stuff" and how it depicted astronaut Gus Grissom. He said that he thought that "The Right Stuff" would have made a perfect comedy and should have been played by Aykroyd and Belushi.

So he was also very tough, but at the same time very compassionate. He is now dead at the age of 84. And that leaves now just two of the original seven still alive -- Don.

LEMON: John Zarrella.

Thank you so much, John.

ROESGEN: Well, despite all the speeches and the big debate this week, President Bush and congressional leaders may be heading toward some kind of compromise on an Iraq War funding bill. Just one day after the meeting between the president and congressional leaders, Democrats began negotiations with White House aides. And in the meantime, the Bush administration is taking temporary steps to keep the money flowing to the troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Let's just put it this way. We know that already there is a requirement of transferring money from certain accounts to others to make sure that we have full funding. That will continue to be the case until the emergency supplemental has been passed. We think it is preferable to have all accounts funded fully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: The Democrats tried to force the president to accept a timetable to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, but the president vetoed that and Democrats were not able to override the veto, leaving both sides now searching for a compromise.

And on Capitol Hill today, a man with a deep interest in the war- funding debate -- the commander of all U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our forces in many other countries besides.

Let's go to CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, with news from the CENTCOM commander, William Fallon.

Jamie, what does Admiral Fallon see as the most pressing issue now in Iraq?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Admiral Fallon told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the number one question in his mind is the willingness of the Iraqi government to bring about the kind of political reconciliation required for peace.

This comes as 3,700 additional U.S. troops are heading into the Baghdad area, part of the plus-up of troops, part of the Baghdad security plan, to buy more time for the Iraqi government to bring about some of those reforms. But while the U.S. is buying them time, the Iraqi parliament is still talking about taking time off, a summer vacation. And that's rankled a lot of people, including Admiral Fallon.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. WILLIAM FALLON, COMMANDER, CENTCOM: They're not going to take a two-month vacation. We're going to get them to work, which is clearly necessary. How can we have our people out there fighting and dying if they're off on vacation?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: A lot of pressure on the Iraqi parliament to get to work on some of the key measures that still have to be passed, like the oil-sharing revenue law, and also just trying to bring about some of the political reconciliation.

Admiral Fallon was also pressed on whether he was making any contingency plans to bring U.S. troops back. He said, no, at this point all of the focus is on trying to get what they call the surge to be successful -- Susan. ROESGEN: Yes, I guess he couldn't talk about bringing the troops back when his president is saying, no, no, we're not going to pull them back.

What about Saudi Arabia's role in stabilizing Iraq? I understand that Admiral Fallon had some interesting comments on that.

MCINTYRE: Well, you know, he had apparently a very frank conversation with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. And normally those kind of conversations remain private, but he was -- he was actually quite forthcoming in saying that the Saudi king was -- had grave misgivings about the government of Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq and was very concerned about the ties with Iran.

And Admiral Fallon says that he urged the Saudi king to give the Maliki government a chance and said the United States is not going to be a puppeteer and try to change the government, but he needs to work with the government that's there. But, you know, as -- when General Petraeus was here last week, he mentioned the fact that the problem with Maliki's government is he simply doesn't have a ruling, you know, majority. He can't make things happen sometimes.

So, there is a lot of pressure on him, but it's not clear what he can really deliver.

ROESGEN: OK. Jamie McIntyre reporting for us, our senior Pentagon correspondent.

Thank you -- Don.

LEMON: A raid north of Baghdad, a militant leader is killed. The U.S. military says the man is Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri, the chief propagandist for al Qaeda inside Iraq. Baghdad officials say the man also was known by an alias and was the head of a terror umbrella group known as the Islamic State of Iraq. U.S. forces are skeptical of that, but they seem certain about the death of Abdul- Latif.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: As a result of that operation, that is when we in fact did kill the senior minister of information for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Muharib Abdul- Latif was in fact killed on a target set on the first of May at about 2:00 a.m. in the morning.

Based on multiple detainee debriefings, we know that he was responsible for the transportation and movement of Jill Carroll from her various hiding places. Again, from multiple detainee debriefings, we know he was responsible for the propaganda and ran some videos from the Jill Carroll kidnapping. Muharib was also the last one known to have had personal custody of Tom Fox before his death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Journalist Jill Carroll was held by militants in Iraq for three months. The other man Caldwell mentioned, Tom Fox, was a Christian activist in Iraq. He was kidnapped and killed there.

Well, if it is quiet today in the Green Zone of Baghdad, it will be the first time since Sunday. We're coming off three straight days of rocket attacks. Yesterday's being the worst.

Four civilian contractors working for the American government were killed. They were from India, Nepal and the Philippines. A U.S. military spokesman says attackers appear to be trying to score a spectacular hit.

Three more names are being added this week to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington.

And live with the story from Washington is CNN's Brianna Keilar.

Hi, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Don.

Twenty-five years after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was completed, the end of a very long journey for some of these family members here. The name that was added today was of that Army Sergeant Richard Pruett, known to friends and family as Rick Pruett.

He actually was wounded in Vietnam in 1969 and suffered for decades with complications from those wounds, finally succumbing to those complications just a couple of years ago in 2005. I spoke with his wife, Ann Pruett, who is here today to see her husband's name join the more than 58,000 names up there on the wall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What does it mean to be up there with all of these -- with all of these other people?

ANN PRUETT, WIFE OF FALLEN SOLDIER: He's at home. I think he's really at home there. He's with the men who fought the same cause he did, and he's at home. His physical body is in Sherman, Texas, but there is a big piece of Rick right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Two other names that are being added to this memorial throughout this week. Yesterday, the name of Joseph Krywicki. He was in the Navy, and he actually died in Vietnam in 1966, but his name was inadvertently omitted. And that obviously has now been rectified yesterday.

Before Sunday we're going to see the third name put up there, the name of Alvin Stiverson. Like Pruett, in 2005, he succumbed to complications from wounds that he received in Vietnam -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's Brianna Keilar in Washington.

Thanks, Brianna.

ROESGEN: And now let's get a check on the severe weather around the nation today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Why do so many Republican presidential candidates do their best to appear Reaganesque? Ahead in the NEWSROOM, our Bill Schneider joins us with the power of Ronald Reagan's legacy and how it might play into tonight's debate.

ROESGEN: And they may not be able to duplicate this act, but they can carry on in his name. The daughters of James Brown join a cause that was near to their dad's heart. Don will talk to them ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

LEMON: Ten Republicans -- count them -- 10 of them who hope to be the president are converging on California for their first major debate. They'll square off at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a site that speaks volumes about the former president's influence on the current candidates.

Here's our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): For Republicans, the Ronald Reagan Library is sacred ground.

DUKE BLACKWOOD, DIRECTOR, RONALD REAGAN LIBRARY: All of the candidates are trying to align themselves with Ronald Reagan. And we thought, what a great place to have a debate.

SCHNEIDER: For decades, conservatives had fought and sacrificed and suffered and bled to realize their goal of gaining control of the Republican Party. When Reagan became president, their dream came true.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thirty years ago in this very conference, one man stood up and told America what was needed. It was conservatism.

SCHNEIDER: For conservative Republicans, 1980 was the year one.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I campaigned for him because I said that guy is right. And he was true to principles, and he said it with a smile.

SCHNEIDER: All Republicans now call themselves Reaganites.

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is in fact one of my -- one of my heroes.

SCHNEIDER: Reaganism is not just conservatism. It's also leadership. GIULIANI: Ronald Reagan was a leader, which is a combination of being a visionary and a practical person who can achieve results.

SCHNEIDER: We asked the director of the Reagan Library what was the secret of Reagan's political success.

BLACKWOOD: Communication. Again, you've got to be able to know what your vision is, you've got to communicate that vision.

SCHNEIDER: Reagan could reach out to his political adversaries, whether it was the Democratic speaker of the House, or the communist leader of the Soviet Union. A few days before the Republican debate, the featured guest at the Reagan Library was Senator Edward Kennedy.

BLACKWOOD: What we're trying to emulate here at the Reagan Library is to reach across the aisle and say, you know, Senator Kennedy, we may not agree with everything, but it's a good, constructive debate that we're looking for. And we're proud to have Senator Kennedy here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Bill Schneider joining us live now from L.A.

Bill, there are two actors who are also politicians like Ronald Reagan, but they will not take part in the debate tonight. What's their significance to the party? Why aren't they taking part in this?

SCHNEIDER: Well, Fred Thompson is not taking part because he is not a candidate for president at this point. Though he has indicated he is seriously considering entering the race.

He will be here, however, in southern California, Reagan country, to give a speech to a prominent conservative organization, the Lincoln Club of Orange County, tomorrow night. So he will be heard from.

The other one of course will be at the debate, and that's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, another actor-turned-politician. You heard the director of the Reagan Library say communication skills are essential, were essential to Ronald Reagan's political success. That's what actors have, that's what they do, and lot of them have become politicians.

The interesting thing is that a lot of them have become Republican politicians. Where are the Democratic actors?

LEMON: Well, we won't go there. But Governor Schwarzenegger here could be -- I mean, could be? I think he is, probably -- it's his state. He's a king maker.

Is he endorsing anyone, Bill?

SCHNEIDER: He hasn't yet, but that's going to be an important endorsement, because he is a very, very popular figure here in California. He wasn't back in 2005 when he got into serious trouble, but he apologized for making mistakes, and he changed course, and now his popularity has gone way up.

George Bush is not a very popular figure here in California. Two different Republicans, two different messages.

So the early California primary, it's going to be on February 5th, right near the beginning of the primary season. That early California primary could make Arnold Schwarzenegger a key figure. His endorsement could carry some weight among Republican voters in this state.

LEMON: And Bill Schneider, you always get great behind-the- scenes, great analysis. Can't wait to talk to you tomorrow to find out what you saw.

SCHNEIDER: All right.

LEMON: All right. Thank you so much, Bill.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

ROESGEN: And still ahead here, sex, scandal and the seminary. Former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey's new calling still ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Well, you know, getting in to college can be hard enough, but then finding out a way to pay for it sometimes can be even harder. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us what some schools are doing to try to ease the pinch for parents.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well he is talk show royalty and now our very own Larry King has reigned over the airways for 50 years. Tonight a CNN prime- time event, Anderson Cooper takes us through 50 years of pop culture as seen through Larry's trademark glasses. Check out this clip, one of Larry's biggest gets from 1994.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: In the 90's Larry was "the place" for star sightings. In '94 he landed "a street car named desire" actor Marlon Brando. Over the years the film legend had become something of a recluse.

WENDY WALKER, EXEC. PRODUCER, LARRY KING LIVE: One day out of the blue we get a call. He's decided to write his own book, they're making him do one interview and he's chosen Larry King.

LARRY KING: The phone rings, I pick it up, and I'm a little nervous. Hello, and this voice is, Larry King, its Marlon. I said Marlon who. I swear to God, I said -- and he goes Marlon Brando. So he says I'm going to send a car for you. It will be downstairs in about 20 minutes. So I go downstairs and who pulls up but Brando, in the car driving a white Chevy, like a Chevy Nova. I get in the car and we start to drive doing songs. Like he would do the first line of a song and I had to do the second.

COOPER: The duo took their show on the road. Well, at least to the bright lights of Larry's set.

KING & MARLON BRANDO SINGING: I've flown around the world in a plane designed the (INAUDIBLE) solutions in Spain.

COOPER: Before the show was over the songbirds were in a lip lock. The kiss became a King classic.

KING: Good-bye.

BRANDO: Good-bye.

KING: I've kissed my brother on the cheek and I've had friends hug me but he's the only man to ever kiss me on the lips and I can't stop thinking about him.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: He's the first metro sexual I think. Joining us on the phone now is the king himself. Larry, we really like seeing you kiss Marlon Brando. Were there any other -- I'm sure there have been plenty other great moments that you've had with guests that stand out over the years.

KING: There have been so many, Susan. You know you do 50 years, I broke in when I was 23. I interviewed Eleanor Roosevelt when I was 23. I interviewed Bobby (INAUDIBLE), Jimmy Hoffa. Later on, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and so many down through the years, the seven American presidents and started on CNN June 1st of 1985. And that special tonight, that two-hour special, really traces it all through a kind of look at pop culture as well. So much happened in the second half of the 20th century.

ROESGEN: Do you have any real favorites, interviews, could you say who your favorite guest of all-time was or your top three?

KING: My favorite guest, if I had to pin it down, it would probably be Sinatra. The reason is he was hard to get and finally getting him, and then he turned out to be a great guest and then later we became friends and he was very kind to me, did two radio shows. The one on the screen now is the last televised interview that Sinatra ever did. I don't think he did many in his whole life. But he was a wonderful guest, he was passionate, he was funny, he had a little chip on his shoulder. He was what you want in a guest. He could put you on the stage. He had it all.

ROESGEN: You know Larry, I'd say you are what we want in an interviewer. You really listen to your guests.

KING: I do. ROESGEN: You don't cut them off. You listen to them. Sometimes I feel as if people go to you as like a sympathetic priest at confession. They seem to open up to you. Do you ever feel that people are outright lying to you, that they're not giving you the truth?

KING: Sometimes. I don't know the truth of everything, nor does anybody. If somebody's -- unless you have a fact in front of you, then of course I would bring it up, the audience -- I'm a conduit. It's through me to the audience that they see the guest. And then the audience will make their impressions of the guest. I don't have an agenda, I've never gone on the air looking to embarrass a guest, nor necessarily to praise a guest. I'm there to learn and at the same time make it entertaining. My style is to be engrossed. I ask short questions. You'll never hear me ask a question running over two sentences. And usually lot of them begin with "why" which is the world's best question. Because "why" commands an answer more than one word. And you can't answer a question beginning with "why" in one word. And I listen to the answers. That, of course, is the key to listen to the answers.

ROESGEN: Any guests that you'd still like to get that have just always said no that you really would like to say yes to you?

KING: We were close to getting Pope John Paul, because that would have been incredible. And now we're working hard on Fidel Castro. I'd love to get him on. The man has led his country, whatever you think of him, for longer than any other leader of the 20th century, and now seven years into the 21st century. In fact, I was on the air on January 1st, 1959 when Castro marched into Cuba, completing his successful revolution. But I would love to get him and we of course would make every arrangement to try to make it possible.

ROESGEN: OK, we hope that you do and you would be a fantastic interviewer for that, as you are for all your interviews. Thank you, Larry.

KING: Thank you, Susan. I hope you watch it tonight, I didn't do it. The "CNN PRESENTS" people did it and I saw an advance of it, they did an amazing job.

ROESGEN: Well you're an amazing topic. Thanks Larry.

Again, Anderson Cooper does host a special two-hour edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight looking at the top pop culture moments of the past 50 years. It starts at 9:00 eastern, don't miss it, it's only on CNN. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: A new calling for the nation's first openly gay governor. Jim McGreevey now a former governor of New Jersey is leaving politics for a different kind of public service, really different kind of public service. CNN's Carol Costello reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mere suggestion Jim McGreevey could become a man of God is mind boggling to many in New Jersey. After all, scandal has been his middle name. But it's true. New York's General Theological Seminary told us, "We are pleased to confirm that he, Jim McGreevey, has been accepted to the seminary's three-year master of divinity program." At graduating McGreevey will decide if he wants to continue the process and become an Episcopal priest. It's an interesting next step for a man who has publicly announced his failings. In 2004 when he was governor of New Jersey, McGreevey with his wife beside him told his constituents he'd lied to them.

JAMES MCGREEVEY: My truth is that I am a gay American.

COSTELLO: Not only that, but he'd been having an affair with a staffer. McGreevey created more controversy with his book "The Confession," detailing his long struggle with his sexuality, sometimes graphically. One memorable passage, "I settled for the detached anonymity of book stores and rest stops, a compromise but one that was wholly unfulfilling and morally unsatisfactory." This year McGreevey is in the middle of a sometimes-bitter divorce. His wife appeared on "Oprah" this week telling millions she was still angry at the damage he'd caused.

MCGREEVEY'S WIFE: He had married me for political gain. You lied and cheated on me!

COSTELLO: All of this will matter in whether the Episcopal Church will allow McGreevey to become a priest. Speaking about the qualities the church looks for, the bishop of New York told me, "Of course moral background matters. We don't expect people to be sinless but to live a quality of life with a deeper knowledge of God."

Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: They may not be able to replicate his act, but they can carry on his name. The daughters of James Brown will join us to talk about their cause and to talk about what's in their dad's heart. We'll talk with them straight ahead. There they are right there, hi, guys, wave. We'll see them just on the other side of the break. You're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: He was just an awesome performer. Here's a question though. Does hip-hop need to clean up its act? Well the Godfather of Soul certainly thought so, and today James Brown's friends, his family, they're honoring him, his 74th birthday and they're also marching on record companies asking them not to use certain offensive words in rap and hip-hop. Joining me now from New York, Brown's daughters, Yamma Brown and Deanna Brown Thomas, certainly we've been talking a lot about hip-hop and the language there with what happened with Don Imus and folks saying, you know what, the language needs to be cleaned up as well. First of all, how do you guys feel? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel good!

LEMON: I knew you were going to say that. It's his birthday so happy birthday to you, on behalf of him. You know what I mean by that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

LEMON: Why are you guys doing this today, marching?

DEANNA BROWN-THOMAS, JAMES BROWN'S DAUGHTER: Dad lived and died for decency in music. His music was decent. His performances were decent. You could go to his concert, he's not going to cuss, you're not going to see clothes come off. It's going to be a great entertaining show that the whole family can go to. It was just that important. This is no coincidence that Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network is doing this march today and that it's on his birthday and that we are here. Because like I said, he lived and died for it. He just did an interview with him in June and talked about how we're shooting ourselves down, we're killing our own self and we're also destroying our children if we continue to do the music like this. On tomorrow, his band, the Soul Generals, along with my brother Darryl, myself --

LEMON: Yeah, you guys are going back on the road.

YAMMA BROWN, JAMES BROWN'S DAUGHTER: Yes, back on the road.

BROWN-THOMAS: Tomorrow is a free concert in Augusta, Georgia. So if you're in and around Georgia, come on out because we're going to do a free concert, the Soul Generals tomorrow in Augusta, Georgia.

LEMON: And you know what, I may take you up on that because I'll be here in Georgia. But I have to ask you, we've been doing, you know we're doing the special on your dad which is going to air Saturday, 8:00 p.m. eastern, Sunday 8:00 p.m. eastern, it's going to air here, it's a tribute to him. I interviewed a lot of people, including Usher and the Reverend Al Sharpton, and you know what they said to me, they said you know James Brown didn't say "Say it loud I'm the "n" word and I'm proud," he said say it loud I'm black and I'm proud. Let's listen to Usher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHER: He talked to me about putting a positive message in the world for our youth. I had to get real close to him in order to hear each and every word. I was like, what is he saying? We got to teach the kids, the babies, we got to teach the kids. He used his music truly to speak to the masses.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Everyone wants to imitate your dad in one way or another, if it's not the way they perform but the way he speaks. But also Usher wants to imitate him in how he dealt with music and his lyrics and being inspirational and uplifting. BROWN: Right. And Usher is very positive, too. I mean he falls right along in there with a lot of the positive. We don't want to focus on just the negative. There's even in hip-hop, there's a lot of positive that's coming out of it. But we just feel it's important. You know our dad instilled in us take a stand. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. So in the decency in the lyrics it just has to be changed, because we have to empower the next generation.

LEMON: I have to ask you about this when your dad died. The memorial services were just fantastic. I mean we played the entire thing here on CNN. You know, let's keep it real, there was lots of controversy and turmoil surrounding the death and all of that. Was that an added strain for you and how are you guys dealing with it now? 75 days after he died is when he finally got put into the ground.

BROWN-THOMAS: It's a struggle every day. Between all of us, me, Yamma, Niecey, Larry, Darryl, Terry, we all deal with it in our own different way. Just before we came on the air I had to fight back some emotions because I didn't want to be sitting here crying. But like today is a bittersweet today.

BROWN: Right, it is.

LEMON: How are things with you and with Tommi Rae and the rest of the family?

BROWN: Well, you know, Tommi Rae, she loved dad, dad loved her. And you know, she's right in there. We all just want to be a family and stay positive and the things that she has to deal with in the courts, that's for her to have to deal with. We're not bitter with her or anything like that, but you know we love our little brother. And that's just the way the whole family feels about it.

LEMON: All right, is she going to be at the event tonight? Do you know?

BROWN-THOMAS: I'm not sure.

BROWN: We don't know about in New York, but I do believe she'll be there in Augusta.

LEMON: Tell us about the event tonight, it's at the "Apollo." It's his birthday and we do have to say parts of our documentary are going to be played as a tribute so again, happy birthday. We're glad that you're playing it there and we hope you like it. Tell us about tonight's event at the "Apollo."

BROWN-THOMAS: It's a private event where we want to spend our time just listening to James Brown, enjoying his music, listening to his message. Because I think a lot of times in order to go forward you got to go back, you got to reach back and see what started you so that you could go forward. And dad was right at the beginning with all of his songs and the messages.

LEMON: And I got to ask you about that purse Deanna, because everybody's asking me about it.

BROWN-THOMAS: Why is she holding her purse.

LEMON: Women in the NEWSROOM, I know my mom's going to want one, my sister. If we can get a close up of that bag. It is, it's really cool, it says "I'm black and I'm proud" and it has James Brown on it. Where did you get that and how do we get one?

BROWN-THOMAS: My dad had it made for my mom 35 years ago. So it's a special one and so I kind of stole it out of mom's closet and won't give it back.

LEMON: We got to run. But what do you want people to know about your dad's life? If there's something you wanted everybody to know, what would you say to them?

BROWN-THOMAS: Dad gave his life to the music industry. He gave his soul to the music industry. And he lived and died for what was positive and clean. He doesn't -- he didn't understand the negativeness, he didn't understand the cursing and wearing the pants low and the young ladies half naked. He didn't understand that. He didn't come into this world with it that way, and unfortunately he had to leave this world with it that way now. But we hope and pray to God be the glory that things change, because we have children that we have to raise. We all do and we don't need to destroy them before they get a chance.

LEMON: Deanna Brown-Thomas, Yamma Brown, we really appreciate you joining us today.

BROWN-THOMAS: Thank you, Don.

BROWN: Thank you Don.

LEMON: And best of luck and happy birthday, OK?

BROWN: OK, thank you.

LEMON: You can see James Brown, the real story, this weekend, the latest presentation from CNN Special Investigations Unit. It airs at 8:00 p.m. eastern Saturday and Sunday nights, only here on CNN.

ROESGEN: It should be great.

Violence at an immigration march in Los Angeles, now the police are under fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was not a pretty picture. This incident raises serious concerns regarding the use of force by some individual officers.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: CNN is following the fallout straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And Richmond, Virginia rolls out a royal welcome for Britain's Queen Elizabeth, including a taste of the country's finest bluegrass music. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM, our Richard Quest has the details of the royal visit, including an upcoming day at the races. We'll be right back.

LEMON: There's a live look at what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE LAPIN: It's fire, it's ice, it's a horrific crash and it's all caught on tape by our i-Reporters this week and you're going to find it all at cnn.com.

While renovations were under way, a fire broke out at an historic public library in Georgetown. So our i-Reporter Thomas Blackburn shot this video as flames were engulfing the roof of the library. And even as firefighters fought the blaze, the fire basically consumed the tower on the roof, and it later collapsed.

Here's a very different story to tell you about out of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. (INAUDIBLE) captured quarter-sized hail fell for 15 minutes following severe thunderstorms.

If you missed this clip, here it is again. Our i-Reporter Laura Kennedy shot this video of a speeding train hitting an 18-wheeler stuck on the railroad tracks. Luckily amazingly nobody was hurt. But Laura also shot some aftermath video from the other side of the tracks showing the debris that was scattered all around this crash site. And you can view all of those clips and many more by going online to cnn.com/exchange. For the dotcom desk, I'm Nicole Lapin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: The Los Angeles police are under fire for their crowd control tactics at one of the immigration reform rallies this week. The cops fired more than 200 rubber bullets or beanbags and they whacked who-knows how many people with sticks but they didn't arrest anyone. The police chief is promising a full investigation. CNN's Ted Rowlands follows the fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The images are disturbing -- families and other innocent bystanders caught in the line of fire as L.A. Police in riot gear shoot rubber bullets and hit people with batons.

JOHN MACK, LOS ANGELES POLICE COMMISSION: This was not a pretty picture. This incident raises serious concerns regarding the use of force by some individual officers.

ROWLANDS: Police say the chaos started when this group blocking traffic refused to get out of the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to defuse the situation.

ROWLANDS: Eventually the group started taunting the officers and as you can see here, throwing objects, including a full can of what looks like soda. Then, some sort of large stick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get those sticks out of here now!

ROWLANDS: Police also say they were hit by rocks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course there were insults thrown, we're used to that. But the rocks and bottles were another factor.

ROWLANDS: A few minutes after the objects were thrown, police started shooting and rolling over anyone in their way. For most people, including the ones responsible for the trouble, getting away was easy, but for others like people selling food, it was difficult. Watch as this woman tries to get her cooler. She's pulled to safety by someone in the crowd. A policeman kicks her cooler over as he passes. Members of the news media were also caught in the crossfire. This reporter went down, appearing to have been hit by a police baton. These anchors for the Spanish language network Telemundo were actually on the air when they were stampeded by a crowd being pushed by police. Three members of the media ended up in the hospital, many people were left with large welts from the rubber bullets shot by police. This woman who was there with her 5-year-old son says she got this bruise from a police baton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They just started hitting us because they wanted to hit us. There were bullets flying everywhere and it was like we were in a war zone.

ROWLANDS: Police say officers fired approximately 240 rounds, yet they made no arrests during the episode.

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