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Thousands Protest Hate Crimes; Barry Bonds Indicted on Charge of Lying to Grand Jury; Cyclone Devastates Southern Bangladesh

Aired November 16, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it finally happened. Federal prosecutors take a crack at Barry Bonds. The home run record holder isn't charged with steroids, just lying about steroids. Larry Smith joins me from the CNN sports to sort it all out.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don is on assignment. He's going to join us momentarily from Washington. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Marching for justice, the big rally going on right now in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators calling on the Justice Department to step up its prosecutions of hate crimes. You can see my colleague, Don Lemon, right there in the middle of it all -- Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, you were at the march in Jena, and now this one here in Washington around the Justice Department, really quite amazing. Gone around the Justice Department already once. And we haven't even reached the end of the line going the other line going the other way. A lot more people here at this march than folks anticipated. Really, I think, than the Reverend Al Sharpton anticipated.

Reverend Al Sharpton, we're going to keep walking. Can I get in here? I'm going to walk in, right in the middle with Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King Jr. The Third [sic].

We've been around the Justice Department once and didn't even reach the end of the line. You have to alter the route a little bit because so many people are here. What do you feel about the turnout and the mood here?

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: Well, it's amazing. In all my years of activism I've never marched to where the front had to finally extend itself to catch up with the end of the line.

The idea was to go around seven times. We have so many people, we've actually surrounded the Justice Department and two blocks more, which shows that this is a real outcry, a real outrage from people around this country, around hate crime.

This is not one or two people. This is not three or four personalities. People are concerned their civil rights are not being protected, and they showed up by the thousands here today.

LEMON: What do you say now about -- you know, Michael Mukasey just took office ceremonially this week, last week officially. And you're at the Justice Department. Have you met with him? Have you spoken to him?

SHARPTON: We have not. The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter, and Martin Luther King III and Charles Fields (ph) of CLSC and I have sent one, asking for a meeting.

And if he sees this outpouring of citizens, he should -- the responsible thing to do is sit down and talk about these cases, about hangman nooses, about swastikas. Clearly, he cannot look at this mass gathering, one of the largest protests. Again this is not a march on Washington, it's a protest. And ignore it, he should not do so.

LEMON: Charles Fields standing to your right, Martin Luther King Jr. The Third [sic] standing to the left. I'm going to talk to him.

In 1963, your dad did march on Washington, which was the biggest march. Then this one. How do you feel about this? What does it feel like for you to be back here so many years later?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Again, I must say, this is a little bit different, because this is a demonstration, whereas the march on Washington was more of a gathering. Close to a march even though it was called a march.

What's incredible about this (AUDIO GAP) never been in a march in all of the 100 or so marches where the front of the line caught up with the back of the line. And we are two blocks beyond that. So, it's incredible. It just shows that people in America are concerned about justice.

LEMON: We're right in here. We're right in here so you don't have to quiet them down. We're going to continue to talk.

We want to tell you Tom (ph) joined us here. We've got Steve Harvey here, all the radio hosts who helped to make this march as big as it is by putting it on the air. So we're going to continue to walk with them, and then we'll talk with the rest of the folks here and also the people who are in the crowd who were inspired to come out.

We'll do that later on in this broadcast, Kyra. We're going to be walking. You see we have the technology here.

We also have a guy for CNN -- turn right here. This is Dave Albriton (ph). You see the camera. He's got a backpack on with a computer, and he's streaming it live on CNN.com. So when we're not live on TV, you can go to CNN.com and catch this march live. So we're showing you, you're looking...

PHILLIPS: We're actually seeing it right now, Don. We're actually seeing Dave's camera, what he's shooting.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And we're able to get that perspective as well as yours as it's streaming.

LEMON: So we got it. Kyra, we're on top of it. And as you know, you've been doing this story on Jena. You did the special there. You did the noose special. You were down there. You know how this sort of grips people, these sorts of racial things. So that's why we're here to bring this story home to you.

PHILLIPS: It's obviously on the forefront of what America is talking about now. That's race relations. And we saw it start with Jena, Louisiana. We're now seeing the march there in the nation's capital as they circle around the Justice Department.

You know, you hear the voices of that protest outside, but it's silent inside. The Justice Department declined our request for an on- camera interview on the march on hate crimes, basically, in general.

But CNN justice producer Terry Frieden is there. He's on the phone now with reaction about these marches.

Terry, you're inside the Justice Department as all these thousands of protesters are working their way around the building. Give me a feel. Is it business as usual? Are people talking about it? Are they reacting to it?

TERRY FRIEDEN, CNN JUSTICE PRODUCER: Good afternoon, Kyra.

It's quite quiet throughout most of the main justice building. My CNN desk at main justice happens to be on the first floor on the Tenth Street side between the famed Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue. And so, we can easily see and hear the marchers.

I just poked my head into the office of the civil rights division to see what they were doing, and a few people were looking out the window to see and hear the marchers.

They're on the fifth floor on the corner of Ninth and Pennsylvania, so if you train your cameras on the fifth floor of Pennsylvania and Ninth Street, that's where -- that's where the assistant attorney general for civil rights is.

PHILLIPS: And let me -- Terry, let me ask you about that, OK? First of all, I'm getting a sense that there really isn't much reaction to this inside the Justice Department. Is that because they are -- they're not seeing this as a big issue today, as a big deal?

I mean, are they -- we tried to get an interview from somebody there. We obviously would like to talk to the head of the civil rights division there. I understand there's an acting director in that post right now. Can you just tell me, are they taking this seriously?

FRIEDEN: Well, I would say that they're taking it seriously in the sense that they certainly are aware of and care about people who are concerned about the enforcement of hate crime.

And in fact, to note that, they did have a conference telephone call with reporters a couple of days ago in which they basically kind of laid out their defense. And that is that they're doing as much as they can, that they claim to be aggressively and vigorously pursuing hate crime and other civil rights violations; and they insist that it's the limited narrow nature of many of the statues -- statutes, along with the falling number of complaints that they receive, which are really accounting for a decrease in the number of hate-crime prosecutions.

PHILLIPS: Well, Terry, have they told you why they will not grant us an on-camera interview?

FRIEDEN: Not really. And to tell you the truth, it is puzzling. In many -- there are protests at the Justice Department all the time, so to have a protest here is hardly unusual. But the scope of this is somewhat larger than many.

And in the past, for example, I recall during the -- when Janet Reno was attorney general. It was not uncommon for someone from the department to, at least, go outside and meet with some of the protest leaders. And in fact, even address them, and on a couple of occasions I recall the protest leaders were invited in to meet with officials here.

I don't know what's happening or what the reasons are, or what the plan is. But as far as I can tell, at the moment there is no plan, Kyra, for any of that to happen here today.

PHILLIPS: Well, and you tend to wonder where the priorities are. Because since Jena, Louisiana, and the march that we saw there with thousands of people turning up. And now we're seeing this march in Washington, D.C. You tend to wonder where do they really stand when it comes to caring about prosecuting hate crimes and dealing with issues of diversity.

And I'm -- I'm offering up an open invitation to anyone from the Justice Department that would talk to us about that and talk about these crimes that they say they are prosecuting and going after. So I hope that that can happen eventually.

In the meantime, can you tell me about who this person is that is the acting director of the civil rights division, and tell me what she is doing, and is she going to get that job as a permanent position?

FRIEDEN: Well, currently the acting assistant attorney general who heads the civil rights division is a woman named Marina Comasak (ph), who has been in that job since this summer when the confirmed head of that office, Wan Kim, left.

But she's only -- only there temporarily because, as of yesterday, in fact, one of her deputies, Grace Chung Becker, was nominated to fill the post for the rest of President Bush's term.

But you know, this is not the high-profile position that it once was. I'm sure you can remember that, in the past, there have been huge battles in Washington over William Bradford Reynolds during the Reagan years, Bill Lann Lee and Lonnie Lanier (ph) during the Clinton years. I mean, this is a very high profile and a very intense position. It's quite low key now, and there is really kind of a quiet internal frustration and sometimes bitterness within the division. But they do seem to be going about the business of doing as much as they can to -- at least from their point of view, they're doing everything they can to enforce civil rights laws.

PHILLIPS: Terry Frieden is our producer inside the Justice Department.

Terry, thank you so much. I know we'll be talking to you throughout the afternoon.

Obviously, we're following the live pictures there of the march in Washington. Our Web site is also a great place to keep up with everything that is going on at today's march for justice in Washington. You can log on, see it live, streaming video. CNN.com, the only Web site you'll need for the very latest.

Well, more proof today, it's not what you do; it's what you say about it afterward. It's not Barry Bonds's alleged steroid use that got him indicted by a federal grand jury; rather, the home-run king is charged with lying in his grand jury testimony of 2003.

CNN sports' Larry Smith joins us with more.

You know, it's not just about steroids and just about lying, but this is about one of the greatest athletes, so we thought, home run king.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And now you tend to wonder, can you even compete? Can you even -- compete to that ability unless you're on steroids?

SMITH: Well, I think that one thing about -- you know, about Barry Bonds, the people I talked to all last night and this morning, you know, were talking about Barry Bonds. We knew this was going to come down at some point the perjury. It was on its way. The timing is a little strange right now, as there's still some time left in the grand jury, you know, term.

But, you know, Barry Bonds was a phenomenal athlete before this. He was on the verge, you could say, to a hall-of-fame career before any of this happened.

And again, we should, you know, reiterate again, he has not been charged with this, but because in this indictment is the first, you know -- now there are some reports now that they are -- actually for the first time they actually have evidence of, you know, a failed drug test by Barry Bonds being. It's being reported right now by the "San Francisco Chronicle."

PHILLIPS: Now, how serious are these indictments at this point?

SMITH: Well, I mean, it's serious. I mean, in terms of, like, with Marion Jones we just saw with her, in terms of, as you mentioned, this is not about the story of abuse...

PHILLIPS: She gave up her medals.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I don't know if that's going to happen with him. We'll see what happens. Baseball really doesn't go back and they don't change records or things like that or vacate MVP titles. They don't do those things.

But again, it's lying. This is the federal government. This is Michael Vick, Marion Jones-type serious. The federal government, it's been a four-year probe trying to get, you know, Barry Bonds on this. You know, it's very serious in terms of he's going to have a fight ahead of him in 2008.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's interesting. Michael Vick, obviously, we're talking about illegal gambling. Marion Jones, we're talking about steroids. Now Barry Bonds, we're talking steroids.

And you bring up an interesting point. They're great athletes so, if indeed, he is convicted you tend to wonder is it because you always want that just a little bit more? You always want to be even greater than great. And that's sort of sad when you have to -- you wonder would Babe Ruth have taken steroids? I wonder.

SMITH: Well, then again...

PHILLIPS: Would he have corked his bat?

SMITH: Well, but I mean, Babe Ruth wasn't a model citizen either. Some of the things that...

PHILLIPS: That's true. He chose alcohol.

SMITH: And yes. And that's one thing, too, I think we should keep in mind when it comes to athletes, and I've always made this point over the years, that, you know, show me one thing in sports that isn't a microcosm of society. And that's what sports is. If this happens in sports, it happens in society, as well.

People are trying to -- when you have athletes that are trying to reach for the edge -- we discussed so many times with Marion Jones and other athletes -- you're always trying to force that line. That's just -- that's the competitive...

PHILLIPS: That temptation.

SMITH: ... spirit in that. Now, I'm not saying what Barry did or didn't do or not absolving anything like that.

PHILLIPS: Right.

SMITH: But in terms of -- in terms of the spirit we're always trying to find what's that edge I can go to? You know, what did Barry do? Well, we may find out in this.

PHILLIPS: All right. Larry Smith, appreciate it. SMITH: OK.

PHILLIPS: We'll stay on top of it.

SMITH: Right.

PHILLIPS: Well, what do they want? They want justice, and they want it now. Thousands of people in D.C. saying it loud and clear, and our Don Lemon is right there with them.

LEMON: Absolutely, Kyra. A march on Washington, 44 years after the original march on Washington, led by the son of the person who led the first one, as well as other folks who are very important and powerful voices here in the U.S. We'll have the rest of that story coming up, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be watching.

And young Pakistanis try to move on with their lives, crisis or not. "You can have a normal life here." That's what somebody said. "We're not the worst state in the world."

And do you ever get the feeling your child's doctor needs his or her hearing checked? What you need to do if the pediatrician just doesn't listen to you.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, now 1:17 Eastern Time. Here are some of the stories that we're working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Thousands of people marching in Washington this hour, demanding more federal action against hate crimes. The Justice Department insists that it's working aggressively to investigate all reported crimes.

Lawyers for home-run king Barry Bonds say they are surprised Bonds was indicted on perjury and obstruction charges. The indictment charges Bonds with lying when he said he didn't knowingly take steroids given to him by a personal trainer.

And the death toll keeps climbing in Bangladesh. A local news agency says at least 1,100 people have been killed when yesterday's tropical cyclone crashed into that country.

Any time now, we should learn whether metro Atlanta's water crisis will ease a bit. Word is that federal biologists have OK'd a plan to reduce the flow of water from Lake Lanier, the main source of drinking water for the area. We're waiting to hear whether the Army Corps of Engineers agrees.

And by state and federal estimates, this area of 4 million people has just 79 days of drinking water left, all because of that horrific drought. Chad Myers, of course, has been following the weather conditions and the drought conditions.

What do you think, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, they have a press conference going on now. The Army Corps is there. The secretary of the interior there by phone. And they have decided, Kyra, to reduce the output from the Woodruff Dam which is downstream from Lanier, but that's good, because then we can move the water back upstream as it follows in.

They're going to go from 5,100 cubic feet per second down to about 4,500 cubic feet per second. So they're going to reduce the water down into the river, down into the Gulf of Mexico by about 10 percent, which may give us from 79 days, that may bump it another 10 percent there. We'll see.

Desperately need rain, no matter what. Whatever you talk about here, the water that's missing from Lake Lanier because of this drought would cover the entire island of Manhattan, the entire city, 22 square miles with 79 feet of water. That's how much of the basin's reservoir is missing. Seventy-nine feet deep even in downtown -- yes -- downtown New York City. That's how much water is actually out of the basin.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep tracking it. Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: A killer cyclone barrels into Bangladesh. Many hundreds are dead, tens of thousands homeless. And that's just an area that rescuers have been able to reach.

Let's get right to CNN's Cal Perry, who made it to the capital of Dhaka. Cal, I talked to you yesterday. You were on your way. What was your first impression?

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been driving around the capital in the past hour. And I can tell you right off the bat, Kyra, that this country of Bangladesh is dealing with an absolute logistical nightmare. The infrastructure has been brought to a complete halt.

In the capital here, some 200 miles to the north of the worst struck areas from the storm, the power is completely out in the city, the phones are not working. There are mass traffic jams. So from the infrastructure perspective, the country has been absolutely brought to its knees.

Now as you said we're starting to get the first figures of potential death toll. Now, we have to stress, as we have been throughout this story, these are very initial reports we're hearing. At least 1,100 people killed. That could rise all the way to 2,000, depending on which aid organization that you listen to. Now, we've heard from World Vision in just the past few minutes. They say that in the Barguna region -- that is the south, the very southern tip of Bangladesh. That is the tip that sticks out into the Bay of Bengal, of course. That was what was most devastated by this storm. Sixty to 70 percent of structures, they're telling us, have been completely decimated.

Now, in the past just few minutes we've seen first pictures from that region from local television networks, of course, efforting to get those pictures out to the world. And I can tell you that estimate from World Vision, that 60 to 70 percent of structures, based on the video that I saw, seems about correct.

We do understand that some two -- 20,000 families are stranded, that aid organizations are trying to get to these regions. But again, it's an absolute logistical nightmare. The roads are closed. Trees have fallen across the roads. A drive that would normally take just some four hours from here in the capital to the southern tip of Bangladesh could take up to 15, 16 hours at this point.

So, the government here is really trying to get back on its feet, trying to get aid organizations down to that region to try to help people as they continue to deal with the aftermath of what has been a very large storm here.

PHILLIPS: So Cal, what do you think about the aid? Is there enough of it? Are they able to get it in there? Can they distribute it quick enough?

PERRY: Well, this is a country that's dealt with cyclones in the past and have a history of dealing with cyclones. In 1991, over 130,000 people were killed. And since then, the government has made great strides in trying to prevent loss of human life during these storms.

But you're talking about an incredibly densely populated area, especially to the south. Some 10 million people live in southern Bangladesh. And this is an area that's just a few feet above sea level. And when you're talking about, of course, a 15-foot storm surge, there's very little that people can do.

Now, we know in the days leading up to the storm there were up to 30,000 aid workers combing the beaches in southern Bangladesh, telling people to move to the north. And over three million people did.

We also know that some 600,000 people went to these new cyclone shelters built by the government. These are concrete shelters on top of pylons. But again, in an area that holds some 10 million people, three million fled, 650,000 went into shelters. That leaves a lot left down there.

And aid organizations are really trying to get a grip on how bad the disaster is. What we're hoping for is to get this video, surely, out to the world. These will be the first pictures from the south. And of course, to get down south is incredibly difficult at this point. PHILLIPS: And we'll be waiting for that. Those pictures, including our first live hit from the area with our Cal Perry next hour.

Cal Perry, thanks so much.

You get on with your life when your country is in crisis. Young Pakistanis are doing it the best that they can. And they want you to know something about their home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Starbucks brought high-end coffees to the masses. But now the masses aren't visiting Starbucks stores quite as often. Susan Lisovicz joins us from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to tell us about a brewing problem for what was once a Wall Street darling.

And Susan, it couldn't be because it costs about $50 for a double frappucino caramel vanilla latte soy milk no fat, et cetera, et cetera?

LISOVICZ: Yes, I think you hit it on the nose. That's one -- that's one of the problems, Kyra, you know. Starbucks has not only been a Wall Street darling; it's been a retail phenomenon. There is one on every block, and they're always crowded. And yes, they do cost a lot.

But guess what? For the first time ever, Starbucks says that its traffic in U.S. stores -- in its U.S. stores -- slowed. And the CEO says, "It's apparent that our customers are feeling the impact of the economic slowdown."

And it's not only because the economy in the U.S. is slowing down; it's because it's got more competition. McDonald's, the biggest restaurant chain, says ah, it sees a gold mine in coffee. So it has been heating up the pressure, so to speak, and so has Dunkin Donuts.

It costs more to make coffee. For instance, dairy costs have been going up. And this is coming in a year when Starbucks has been trying to mix it up. It's been selling music; it's been selling food.

Its CEO earlier this year in a memo said that he was afraid, or rather its chairman, Howard Schultz, said that he was afraid that Starbucks was losing its cachet and its soul.

Starbucks is even going to advertise on TV for the first time. That's how much it's feeling the pressure. And it's going to scale back its expansion, Kyra, but just by a little. It plans to open 1,600 stores next year, just 100 fewer than it had originally planned -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. I know, it's amazing. You sort of see them on every corner now. You wonder how they all stay in business.

Another well-known coffee brand, though, has some new plans in the works, as well. Right?

LISOVICZ: Yes. And for folks in eight U.S. cities, I guess you'll find it just a little bit easier on the day before Thanksgiving, a very busy traffic day, travel day.

Maxwell House says tolls are going to be on the house. The cities include Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami, Denver, Atlanta, Pittsburgh. And here in New York City, they'll be paying some subway fares, some tolls in the cities. Not all of them.

But of course, there will be some free coffee distributed. You know, it's all about marketing. So some single serving packs of Maxwell House.

And the best thing about this story is that, for every toll that it pays, Kyra, it's going to make a donation to Second City Harvest, which fights hunger in the U.S., up to $100,000. It's going to be making a donation at this time of year when we're thankful for so many things.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Well, what do they want? They want justice and they want it now. Thousands of people in D.C. right now saying it loud. And our Don Lemon is right there with them.

LEMON: Oh, absolutely. Derek Powell (ph) is here from D.C. What do you say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice for all races, man.

LEMON: Justice for all races. He said that -- he grabbed me out of the line and said that.

Hey, listen, a little bit of a bottleneck here. There are so many people washing, that's a -- marching around the Justice Department. That's the Justice Department right here. That's the Capitol right there. That's the end of the line, the beginning of the line, who knows where it is. There are so many people here today in Washington marching on the Justice Department.

Details, we're going to talk to Mychal Bell's dad from the Jena Six coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Marching for justice. Thousands of people converging on the U.S. Justice Department demanding more federal prosecutions of hate crimes. We're going to check back in with Don Lemon in just a second. He's right there in the middle of the rally. And we're able to connect with him, he's on a wireless technology right now.

Don, where are you exactly? All right, we got the picture but no audio. We're working it. That's what happens when you go wireless, folks. It's amazing technology, but every now and then it takes hits. We will try to get fired up back with Don with video and audio in just a second.

Pakistan's president says he's introduced the essence of democracy whether anyone believes it or not, and there's no shortage of doubters. Pervez Musharraf has sworn in a new cabinet, all of them hand-picked and Musharraf-friendly. Their job, warm the seats in government until elections in January.

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is free after three days of house arrest, and wasting no time criticizing the new regime. She says that Musharraf is an obstacle to democracy. Deputy U.S. Secretary of State, John Negroponte is in Islamabad. He's going to try to persuade Musharraf to end that emergency rule.

We know where Musharraf and Bhutto stand. But what about the Pakistani people, young people, in specifically. It's their future hanging in the balance. And CNN's State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is in Lahore with their story.

Hey, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra.

Well, we went to this cafe and we had an opportunity to speak to quite a few young Pakistanis about the crisis in this country and also, we asked them how they see their own country in general.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...every time we have a democratic demo over here, the army takes over or something happens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do they take over?

VERJEE (voice-over): At Lahore's Jammin' Java cafe, emergency rule is sparking debate over sheza (ph) and snacks. Young Pakistanis argue over where their country is headed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you supporting the army?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're supporting the army, we're just not supporting the enemy.

VERJEE: For magazine staffers, Safna Deem (ph) and Asad Zavi (ph), the state of emergency hasn't changed life much.

ASAD ZAVI, MAGAZINE STAFFER: I mean, I'm doing my job. I'm very opionated (ph) and after that, I'm hanging out with friends.

VERJEE: Some of their friends slam President Musharraf for running the country into chaos. But both Safna and Asad say, although he's made mistakes, nobody else can run the country as well.

SAFNA DEEM, MAGAZINE STAFFER: I'm pretty sure a reason why I think that is because this country needs a strong leader. I do not think that ... VERJEE: As the crackdown on lawyers, journalists, activists and politicians continues, the pair tries to focus on helping shape the future of Pakistan through the magazine where they work. It focuses on development issues and success stories in the country.

DEEM: We want to make a difference, we want to improve, be active in the country.

VERJEE: Back at the office, changing the face of Pakistan means more than backing a candidate.

YAWAR MIAN (ph), MAGAZINE EDITOR: I don't think this is a time to take sides.

VERJEE: The magazine's editor, Yawar Mian says all the confusion in Pakistan today only hurts the next generation, which needs to work together to make opportunities for a better future.

MIAN: The only thing that we can hope is that this is something that gets over as soon as possible so we can get on with our lives.

VERJEE: Life in a Pakistan that many young people here say is far different than the hot bed of fundamentalism being portrayed in Western media.

DEEM: Pakistan isn't a bad country. It's not what the media thinks it is, the worst state in the world, it's not.

VERJEE: Politics in Pakistan is volatile and uncertain, but these young Pakistanis are sure of themselves and confident about their country's potential.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So Zain, how do -- do these students actually tell you they're afraid to go out on the streets? Because I know that these protests aren't as big as they had planned.

VERJEE: Yes, that's right, Kyra. A lot of people are scared to go out on the streets simply because of the brutality of the police and security forces. They have been cracking down on lawyers and rights activists and opponents and just pretty much throwing them into jail and often times, beating them up.

The other thing, too, Kyra, is that a lot of people are just apathetic and cynical. They've seen, you know, the military come in and out over the last 60 years and they care more about putting food on the table than going out onto the streets and getting thrown in jail.

PHILLIPS: Our Zain Verjee in Lahore, Pakistan. Zain, thanks so much.

Now back here in the states, marching for justice, thousands of people converging on the U.S. Justice Department right now, demanding more federal prosecutions of hate crimes. Still, no one from the Justice Department wanting to speak out on CNN.

We're going to check back in with Don Lemon who's right there in the middle of that rally -- Don?

LEMON: Hey, Kyra, got me now right ?

PHILLIPS: All good, audio and video.

LEMON: All good? All right, great. Hey, listen. I want to tell our viewers again, we're streaming this on CNN.com, there's our CNN.com person with a backpack there. You mention the Justice Department. There's the Justice Department right there, and the Justice Department refused to do an interview with CNN to talk about this march and also, the organizers of the march as well said that they didn't want to talk about it.

How many times have we been around, Reverend?

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: This is the third time around. We have four more to go.

LEMON: We've been around three times, and they said they've got four more to go. But I want to talk to -- Kyra, you might recognize this next person because you've been intimately involved with this story, and uncovering the truth and the facts and whatever it is about this story.

This is Marcus Jones, he's Mychal Bell's dad, Mychal Bell one of the Jena 6. And of course, most people, most of our viewers know who he is, involved with the incidents in Jena, Louisiana. He has since gone back to jail. How's he doing?

MARCUS JONES, MYCHAL BELL'S FATHER: Physically, he's doing all right but his mind is just all clogged up you know, all this you know, mistreatment that the legal system, that's surrounding him now.

LEMON: How's your family doing?

JONES: We're doing all right, staying prayerful, staying, visual (ph) of each other, with the threats still coming in and we just still staying prayerful and that's about it, just hopeful.

LEMON: You know what, a lot of people obviously though are wondering about Mychal Bell, but they also wondering about the town of Jena, Louisiana and how life goes on, if normal, there. How is it being in Jena?

JONES: It's still about the same. The mind state of some people there still the same mind state now. Ain't nothing changed there. The system ain't changed. As you could tell because my son's still locked up. They trying to do a, what they call make their own law as a double jeopardy law with him, going to try him all over again for the same charge that the third circuit court threw the case out on. As Mychal (INAUDIBLE). Now, the D.A. is coming back around and trying him again as a juvenile. This ain't nothing but the same old soup warm all over again. LEMON: Maybe this is an obvious question. Is that the reason that you're here, do you think that this can make a difference when it comes to Mychal Bell's case?

JONES: Oh yes, yes. See, I'm here for business, I'm here for the march and let the Justice Department know that this illegal prosecution, this illegal judgment that's going on in Jena has got to stop. Somebody got to come in and do something.

LEMON: I've got to ask you this because people say you know what, Mychal and -- the start of the march, people saying, you know, we can't condone what's wrong. Obviously, Mychal did something wrong. And are you saying -- how are you saying he should be treated in the justice system? He's done something wrong. Obviously, the Justice Department you feel has not treated him properly. But then, he's no angel in all of that. That's what folks are saying.

JONES: It's the illegal prosecution and the charges that have been brung up on Mychal. I mean, people have their own judgment, they can read what they want to read on the Internet or whatever, it is illegal prosecution, illegal judgment that is going on with my son now. My son don't have his self locked up. Jim Crowe got him locked up. And that's what I'm here for, the march against the Justice Department for them to end Jim Crowe.

LEMON: All right, let's talk about -- more about your son. He's a young man, obviously, you're a young father. People talk about cleaning up their own backyard. How much -- we're going to keep walking slowly when they go. How much do you think men should be involved, especially African-American men, in their own sons' lives. Don't you think that would make a huge difference?

JONES: No, I mean, just being invited -- be involved like I am now. I haven't failed my son in no kind of way in the present or in the past.

LEMON: Yes, that's it?

JONES: That's it.

LEMON: That's all you want to say. All right. Very -- hey, very honest, very candid.

This is real here. We've got a lot going on. A lot happening here in my ear, a lot of people saying that they want to move and what have you. So that was a nice conversation to have with you. Thank you very much for your candor. And we appreciate you guys being here.

This is Genarlow Wilson's mother. I didn't realize that she was here, Kyra. I didn't -- I'm not looking over. How you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beyonce Farrell's (ph) mother.

LEMON: You're Beyonce Farrell's mother. OK, yes, because I was -- you're Beyonce Farrell's mother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beyonce Farrell, yes.

LEMON: Yes, I'll take care of (ph). Yes, talk to me about this. How's Beyonce?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beyonce -- Westminster police department, the officer shot and killed him.

LEMON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been like four months ago, and the Justice Department come back and said that it was justified. The Justice Department come back and say it was justified and we don't even know what they base their determination on.

LEMON: Right, and then -- there are a bunch of families here who are like this, who feel that their sons or daughters have been mistreated by the law, some of them alive, some of them aren't. And so, that's why they're marching. And there are circumstances behind, these cases aren't clear cut. They're not -- you can't draw a straight line with them.

So, what they're trying to figure out is how to navigate the justice system, how to get the Justice Department to intervene and at least they feel, treat these people fairly because they are feeling now that they're not being treated fairly. So, the mom here, a dad here, we're told Genarlow Wilson was here, we're told Megan Williams' family might be here as well.

So, there you go, live march and this is what we're bringing to you live. Again, also streaming on CNN.com.

Kyra, I'm going to toss it back to you. We're going to talk much more with these folks, among these dignitaries as well coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good, Don. see you in a little bit.

And also, our Web site is a great place to keep up with everything that's going on at today's march for justice in Washington. You heard Don right there, right next to him, Dave Allbriton (ph), he's shooting this video right here that you're seeing. You can log on, see the live streaming video, CNN.com, the only Web site you'll need for the very latest.

The pediatrician says one thing, you think another. Elizabeth Cohen has a prescription on how to disagree with your baby's doctor.

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PHILLIPS: Well, your baby keeps coughing and your pediatrician isn't listening. How can you turn this into a win-win situation? Well, you could become an empowered patient. CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with her weekly tips featured on CNN.com. And you, being a mother of many, many.

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Of many, many, right. PHILLIPS: I know you never let your pediatrician off the hook.

COHEN: Oh no, but it's tough sometimes. This time of year is a tough time for the pediatrician/parent relationship. And the reason why is because kids get sick a lot this time of year. So, you show up with this very unhappy baby who's coughing and sneezing and maybe has a fever. And the pediatrician sometimes says it's a virus, there's not much you can do. But as a parent, you want to take care of your child. So, what do you do if you feel like your pediatrician just isn't listening and isn't doing enough for your child?

Well, in this week's Empowered Patient column, we have some advice for parents and for pediatricians alike, though we focus on parents. And for parents, we tell them if you feel like your pediatrician is not doing what you need them to do, one thing you can do is to set time tables. So, if the pediatrician says, it's just a virus, don't worry, say well, at what point are we going to say, maybe this isn't a virus, maybe it's worse. At what point do I bring this child back and we think about what else it might be. So, set a firm time table.

Also, have stock phrases ready. This is what one expert recommended. She said, you can say to the doctor, doctor, I respect your decades of medical training and experience, but please, can you trust my 10 years of being this child's parent. Have that phrase in your back pocket. So sometimes, when you're with a doctor, you can -- some people get kind of intimidated. And you feel like you just can't say what you want to say. But if you have those stock phrases ready to go, it'll make it easier to say what you want to say.

PHILLIPS: Good trigger. Well, can you give me another example and tell me what most of these conflicts are usually about?

COHEN: Right. When I was interviewing people for this column, one of the things that I kept hearing over and over again is that they keep giving my child the same treatment and my child's not getting better and they don't listen when I say this it's not working.

So, for example, one mother of a child with behavior problems was diagnosed with ADD and given Ritalin-type drugs over and over again, stimulant drugs for years, and they monkeyed around with the dosage. And she kept saying to them, something's not working, we need to think of something else. And it turned out the kid was autistic. And what they needed was therapy for an autistic child.

And so, in that situation, the experts I talked to said, you really have to stick to your guns and you have to say look, I respect you, but this clearly isn't working. Let's set a time table for when we're going to think, maybe it's not ADD. You think it is, but at some point, we have to consider something else.

PHILLIPS: We really are the best advocates for our kids and for each other and ...

COHEN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: ...especially when it comes to medical care.

COHEN: And you have to respect the doctor, but you also have to be able to stand your ground. And if you look on CNN.com/health, if you scroll down to where my picture is, that's where you see the rest of the tips.

PHILLIPS: And a nice picture it is.

COHEN: Oh well, thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right, dangerous cold virus, we are going to be talking about that coming up in the next hour. Give me a little preview.

COHEN: Right, this is an interesting story. This is this virus that's been around since 1955, it's one of the viruses that causes the common cold. But, it's been killing people, it's killed 10 people in the United States and Kyra, when we come back, I'm going to tell people what should you be looking for so that you don't become a victim.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good, see you in a little bit.

COHEN: Great, thanks.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Elizabeth.

PHILLIPS: And if you have questions or you need expert advice, just check Elizabeth's Empowered Patient feature right here on CNN.com/health. The topics range from alternative treatments that work to tips on finding the right doctor. New features are always being posted. Thanks for Elizabeth.

Edwards and Obama take the offensive against Hillary Clinton. But they insist it's nothing personal. The Democrats spar in the sin city showdown and we've got all the highlights.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The Democratic presidential candidates.

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PHILLIPS: Well, the Democratic showdown lived up to its billing. In last night's debate here on CNN, Senator Hillary Clinton's frontrunner status made her a target from the start. Barack Obama questioned her directly on Social Security and health care and John Edwards, while insisting that it wasn't personal, accused her of being part of a broken system.

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JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton defends the system, takes money from lobbyists, does all those things, and my point is simply that people have -- all right, no, wait a minute. Voters have those choices.

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PHILLIPS: Senator Clinton responded to her critics and she hit them where it hurts. She compared them to Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't mind taking hits on my record, on issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope that it's both accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senator Clinton has a strong lead in Nevada polls and nationwide. But a new Iowa poll shows the Democratic race there virtually tied among Clinton, Edwards and Obama. The Iowa caucuses are just seven weeks away.

And you did it once for the Democrats, now it's time for history to repeat itself. Go to CNN.com/youtubedebate, post your questions for the Republican presidential candidates. Their debate is coming up Wednesday, November 28th. Your voice will be heard only on CNN, your home for politics.

Pounding the pavement in a march for justice. Thousands of people gather in Washington to demand more prosecutions for hate crimes and our Don Lemon is there.

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PHILLIPS: She was brutally beaten, raped and left for dead. The woman who became known as the Central Park jogger nearly 20 years ago is now ripping Oprah Winfrey. Back in 2002, Trisha Meili broke her silence and gave her first interview to "O Magazine." Now, Meili tells New York -- New York 1 TV, rather, she was stunned by a question that Winfrey had asked her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRISHA MEILI, CENTRAL PARK JOGGER VENTS: You know, she kind of leaned over to me and said, what were you doing in the park, you know, at that hour?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right off the bat?

MEILI: And I thought -- you know, I was thinking, oh my gosh, OK, you know, a million things going through my mind, how do I answer this and I just -- I said basically, well, you know, it was a time to relax, but it in no way justified what happened to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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