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American Morning
Police Sergeant Defends Actions in Gates Arrest; President's Health Care Reform Delayed; Medical Records of Jackson's Former Nurse Subpoenaed; Usher Holds Youth Camps; Erin Andrews Video Hits Internet
Aired July 24, 2009 - 07:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Couple of minutes now to the top of the hour. Thanks for joining us. It's Friday. It's the 24th of July. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. We're following a lot of developing stories this morning. We'll be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes.
President Obama's refusing to back down from a statement that he made about Cambridge police regarding the arrest of a prominent black Harvard professor, also his friend, Skip Gates. We'll play you what the president is saying now. And also we'll hear from the Cambridge plice commissioner in an interview you'll see only on CNN.
ROBERTS: Uh-oh is what they're saying around the White House this morning. President Obama's health care timeline, it's a major speed bump. The Democratic leader of the Senate now saying getting a reform bill passed by the August recess can't be done.
One of the blue dog Democrats told us the same thing in the House, as well. We're live on Capitol Hill with the details today.
CHETRY: Across the nation, some workers will be getting a raise today, the federal minimum wage jumping from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour. So why are some economists worried that that could actually translate into more layoffs?
Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business."
ROBERTS: We begin this morning with new reaction just into CNN from Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley. He is the officer who arrested noted black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his own home.
Gates was mistaken for a burglar by a neighbor. Police were called, tempers flared and Gates ended up in handcuffs. Then on Wednesday, President Obama, a friend of Gates, said Cambridge police, quote, "acted stupidly."
Now reporter Kim Khazei with CNN affiliate WHDH has the latest reaction from the arresting officer, Sergeant James Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SGT. JAMES CROWLEY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. POLICE DEPARTMENT: I was a little surprised and disappointed that the president, who didn't have all of the facts, by his own admission, then weighed in on the events of that night, and made a comment that, you know, really offended not just officers in the Cambridge police department, but officers around the country.
KIM KHAZEI, WHDH-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sergeant James Crowley, sitting down with "7 News" tonight, reacting to President Barack Obama's comments about the day he arrested Harvard Professor Henry Gates, and talking extensively for the first time what happens at the Cambridge house.
CROWLEY: I asked him if he could step outside and speak with me, and he said, "No, I will not." And again, words to the effect of, "What's this all about?"
And I said, "I'm Sergeant Crowley from the Cambridge Police Department. I'm investigating a break in progress. And he responded, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" in a very agitated tone. And, again, I thought that was a little strange.
KHAZEI: Sergeant Crowley saying after getting a call about the break-in, he was just trying to protect Gates as well as himself.
CROWLEY: There was a report that there was two individuals. I see one, and it could be him, so where's the second person? Or there's two people in the residence that he doesn't know are there.
Either way, I wasn't expecting his response, which was, "That's none of your business." To me, that's a strange response for somebody that has nothing to hide, is trying to cooperate with the police.
KHAZEI (on camera): So did he come out and speak with you?
CROWLEY: I was leaving. As I reached the porch, I could -- I was aware that now he was following me because he was still yelling about racism and black men in America, and that he wasn't somebody to be messing with.
KHAZEI: Sergeant Crowley says he warned Gates he was acting disorderly, and when he didn't calm down, he arrested Gates. The professor wants an apology, but the sergeant says he will not set that precedent for police officers. He regrets the event and wants to let his story be heard.
CROWLEY: The amount of negative things that are untrue that he was saying about me at least warranted a response and allow people to see that I'm not a monster or the bigot or racist that he has portrayed me to be. This is me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: There you go. And our CNN's Don Lemon also had a chance to speak exclusively with the Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas. He joins us live in Boston.
So, it's interesting to get these other perspectives about what the police officer is saying happened. And questions about whether we'll ever find out the whole story.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And not only spoke to the police commissioner, Kiran, I also spoke to Sergeant Crowley's brother for a long time last night, who said his brother was just tired, he didn't want to do any more interviews because throughout this whole process he hadn't had any time to spend with his wife and his kids. And he just wanted to enjoy his family.
But, today, Sergeant Crowley is expected to be at a press conference along with other officers of the police union here, the Association of Superior Officers. They're going to hold a press conference at noon, and he is expected to speak.
Also, just developing now, I just hung up the phone about 10 minutes ago with Professor Gates's attorney, Charles Ogletree, who says they have been paying close attention to the news, and they're concerned about this attitude, it appears, or this perception coming from the Boston -- from the Cambridge police department that somehow Gates was acting unruly and that this officer somehow has never done anything wrong.
Here's what they're saying. If it continues in this thing -- they want to work all of this out. They said they have not decided for sure if they're going to sue. That they're just trying to consider that. That's one offer on the table. But they say if it continues to play out this way, that they will bring forward witnesses and other people who are here in the community who have had similar experiences with Sergeant Crowley. And that is coming from, again, Charles Ogletree.
He says there are complex and different perspectives about this sergeant from the community. They have their own experiences with him, and these witnesses are not afraid to come out. They say that Sergeant Crowley has been -- he's a native of Cambridge. He's been with the department for a long time, so there's a lot of public record. And so they would like to see this resolved and see some dialogue, but they say if people keep coming out and treating -- they feel portraying Gates as this bad character and the sergeant as saintly, that they intend to move forward, possibly with a lawsuit or bring these witnesses forward.
Now, yesterday, when I spoke exclusively with the police commissioner, he had very good opinion of Sergeant Crowley and spoke very highly of him.
Take a listen, Kiran and John.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT HAAS, COMMISSIONER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., POLICE DEPARTMENT: I depend on Sergeant Crowley to make very critical decisions based on his assignment. He's in a very special assignment within the department, and I trust his judgment implicitly. He is a stellar officer. If you ask any officer in the department, they have high regard for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They feel like the president's comments -- the commissioner and other officers at the department, they feel like the president's comments singled out the sergeant, singled out the officers in this department, and also police officers around the country. And they want the president to at least speak to them about it or at least try to make amends.
So, we shall see. And, again, today at noon, another press conference, this time by the Officers Association, John and Kiran.
CHETRY: So, again, just to clarify. You're saying that Gates's attorney, Professor Ogletree, was saying that they do have people who have told them they've had similar incidences with Sergeant Crowley?
LEMON: Yes, and I asked him for specific incidents, and if he could point us towards those folks, and he said that will all come out in due time and due process depending on how the police department reacts from here, where they decide to go from here. What they say in this press conference. Whether or not they want dialogue instead of just sort of castigating Professor Gates. And here's a quote. He said, "This is a teachable moment." And that is a quote. And he hopes the department sees it that way and not continue to polarize the community and polarize the police department and the country they say.
CHETRY: All right. Do you think those tapes are going to come out anytime soon?
LEMON: The tapes -- they're trying to figure that out. The city supervisor there saying also with police brass, also with the folks at 911, the 911 call and also the radio traffic because they're saying that Gates can be heard -- overheard in the background on the radio traffic being out of control. I posed that question to his attorney. He said you won't hear him being out of control. What you'll hear is someone who was very stern, very serious and concerned about the way he was treated.
He said he had not heard the tapes, but he thinks that that's what you will hear on those tapes. And by the way, Gates is on the phone with one of the resident supervisors, one of the maintenance guys, and so the maintenance guy, it will be interesting to hear what he overheard on the telephone, as well, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Talking about the jammed front door.
All right, Don Lemon, good stuff.
LEMON: Yes.
CHETRY: You got to talk to a lot of people this morning as well. Thanks so much. And stay with us. We're going to continue the debate with Boyce Watkins. He's a professor at Syracuse University and a resident scholar for AOL Black Voices. And also Michael Eric Dyson, radio host and sociology professor at Georgetown University. We're going to get them to weigh in on the latest developments in this case this morning. ROBERTS: Now to our developing story this morning.
The sudden slow down on the health care reform. The president getting hit with a delay from the Senate that he didn't want. And this is what he said at his town hall meeting in Ohio yesterday about lawmakers dragging their feet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want a delay just because of politics. And I have to tell you sometimes delays in Washington occur because people just don't want to do anything that they think might be controversial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Our Brianna Keilar is live on Capitol Hill. She's got the very latest for us this morning.
So, Brianna, we've got the Senate majority leader saying not going to happen by the August recess. We have one of the leading blue dog Democrats from the House saying essentially the same thing.
So, where does it all stand this morning?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you heard President Obama, John, say that he can deal with a temporary postponement here as long as lawmakers are working towards a consensus. And he really doesn't have a choice, because as you mentioned in the Senate, Harry Reid saying it's just not going to happen before Congress leaves for its August recess here in a week or so.
The Senate Finance Committee where they're trying to find a bipartisan agreement that can bring some of the votes from those centrist Republicans and Democrats, they say they need more time. And then on the House side, as you mentioned, John, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is essentially dealing with insurrection from these conservative Democrats, these blue dogs.
They have concerns about the costs. How you're going to pay for this health care proposal. We've been able to delay at this point the process for days. I have to tell you, though, John, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she's still set on having a vote before the House leaves for its recess.
ROBERTS: It's one thing that we didn't ask Congressman Mike Ross about today, but he has been asked about it whether she's got the votes to pass this in the House, and he said, I don't think she does. So there's some dissension in the ranks there.
Meantime, the Republicans doing everything they can to try to slow things down and get what they want in this bill. And they're bringing something back from the campaign against Hillary care back in 1993. A very interesting visual aid.
What do they got out there?
KEILAR: That's right. The dreaded flow chart. The dreaded flow chart. And here it is, John. This is put together by Republicans. It's supposed to represent the House Democrats' health care plan. And as you can see, it's a bit of a mess. And that's really the whole point here. This is something that Republicans, House Republicans have been taking to the House floor as much as possible.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: This is what it looks like. Now, anybody thinks that all of this bureaucracy is made to fix our health care system likely disagree.
REP. DAN BURTON (R), INDIANA: This is the organizational chart of the health care plan the Democrats are proposing.
REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: We're talking about a health care system that's going to have the good heart of the IRS and the efficiency of the postal system. You know, let's take a look at some of these different government agencies and how much do we really want to trust them with our personal health care?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Now, Democrats say that this is a complete exaggeration that what they're really doing with their health care plan is streamlining the process and taking out the bureaucracy of the health insurance company that you have to deal with.
And for their part, John, they've put up -- they're floating their own chart to represent what they say House Republicans are doing if we can take a look at that. It's got a lot of question marks on it. You can see here, they say this is -- I mean, this is their tongue and cheek retort, John, because House Republicans have not put out their own bill.
ROBERTS: They just can't help but have fun there in Washington, can they?
KEILAR: No, it's the dueling charts. This is how we do it here.
ROBERTS: Fantastic. Your tax dollars at work.
Brianna Keilar for us this morning. Brianna, thanks so much.
Ten minutes after the hour.
Also new this morning, Michael Vick may return to professional football. According to ESPN, Vick and NFL commissioner Roger Gadel met for three hours yesterday. And the league has agreed to reinstate Vick if he is picked up by a team.
The former Atlanta Falcon quarterback would also be suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season. Vick spent 19 months in prison after admitting to bank rolling a dog fighting ring and assisting in the killing of dogs that performed poorly in practice fights.
CHETRY: Super Bowl champ and Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is flat out denying charges of rape. Those charges being made in a civil suit by a Nevada casino hostess.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN ROETHLISBERGER, STEELERS QUARTERBACK: I did not sexually assault Andrea McNulty. Saturday was the first that I learned of her accusations. Her false and vicious allegations are attack on my family and on me. I would never ever force myself on a woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Roethlisberger read the statement at the Steelers' practice complex in Pittsburgh. He didn't take any questions from reporters about it. The 31-year-old casino hostess said that he raped her in a hotel penthouse, where Roethlisberger was in Vegas for a celebrity golf tournament last year.
ROBERTS: And pitcher Mark Buerhle was perfect. But White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise saved the day with an incredible ninth inning catch.
Take a look at this one. Right up there on the wall, grabs it and bounces it a bit. Oh, he's down. And there's the ball. It's the 18th perfect game in major league history. Buerhle already had another no-hitter to his credit.
After the game, he got a congratulatory phone call from the White Sox' number one fan, President Obama, who said, "If I were you, I'd take that center fielder out for a big steak dinner."
CHETRY: Yes. He saved it for him. But you know how hard it is to pitch a perfect game. I mean...
ROBERTS: Oh well, yes.
CHETRY: ... 18 times, right?
ROBERTS: Only been 18 -- yes.
CHETRY: Good job, even though, I'm not a White Sox fan. Sorry.
Good job, anyway.
ROBERTS: It's good for the game of baseball.
CHETRY: It is. It is.
ROBERTS: Come on.
CHETRY: Absolutely. Well, still ahead, the information keeps coming out, more sides of the story keep coming out over this controversy taking place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between a sergeant and a Harvard professor. We're going to have a debate about it. The president weighed in, of course. And now, we are hearing from the sergeant himself refuting what Henry Gates said yesterday. We're going to be talking about it coming up.
Twelve and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Do you want to take one last question?
All right. Sure, why not roll the dice one more time?
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Thank you, Mr. President. Recently, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you? And what does it say about race relations in America?
STEWART: No!
OBAMA: I think it's fair to say...
STEWART: ... that it's a complicated issue, and I don't really have any comments at this time because I wasn't there and I don't know all of the facts.
OBAMA: ... the Cambridge police acted stupidly.
STEWART: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! I couldn't save him! I couldn't save him!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, that's John Stewart's take on, I guess, what he views as the fallout from President Obama, landing himself in the middle of this controversy as we've been talking about the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates.
And in case you miss it, here is what the president said again at the end of the news conference Wednesday night, and then what he told ABC News about that reaction to his comments a day later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.
I'm surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement, because I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don't need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who is in his own home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, here to continue the debate is Boyce Watkins, a professor at Syracuse University and a resident scholar for AOL Black Voices. He's in Syracuse this morning.
We also have Michael Eric Dyson, radio host and sociology professor at Georgetown University from our Washington Bureau.
Thanks to both of you for being with us this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
CHETRY: Also this morning, we had a chance for the first time to hear from Sergeant Crowley himself. The president also saying that he understands that Crowley is a quote, "outstanding police officer." And that ultimately he wished cooler heads prevail.
But let me start with you, Boyce. Did the president make a mistake by weighing in on this controversy?
BOYCE WATKINS, PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: Well, I would say that it's not necessarily good to start off by saying that Skip Gates is a friend, I'm probably biased, I don't know all the facts, but the department behaved stupidly.
You know, that's just not a Barack Obama kind of statement to make. And I think that the president has to understand that he's launched an absolute verbal nuclear war strike on this little police department. And it only makes things worse.
And I think that President Obama realized what he did wrong. I'm a supporter of President Obama. And I think that, you know, he made a mistake like all of us do. I think that, you know, one of the things I can say is that, you know, I fight consistently against cases on racial profiling. That's something that I really believe in.
But in this case, I just want to know all the facts. I want to hear from Sergeant Crowley. I want to hear from Skip Gates. I want to hear from Charles Ogletree. I want to hear from the department. I want see the officer's record. I want us to do our research to make sure that we're not going to destroy the career of an innocent man, because what that does is that it undermines our ability to fight racial profiling all across the country.
CHETRY: And, Michael, do you think that there were some premature statements made perhaps by the president, perhaps by others as it relates to this particular case?
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, no, I think in regard to President Obama, he was merely stating his opinion when asked a question at the close of a press conference. I still think he didn't call the police officer, Sergeant Crowley, stupid. He said acting stupidly. As Professor Watkins just indicated, all of us make mistakes.
So, I think that in this case, we have to see the legitimacy of the possibility that he acted inappropriately. I think all people who are thinking rationally regardless of what actually happened since none of us were there, we don't know what transpired, when you arrest a middle-aged guy with a cane, who's a distinguished professor in his own home, when the ostensible reason for the call in the first place was breaking and entering, you know that he was not breaking and entering.
Then from there, I think, that as the National Organization for Black Law Executives -- Law Enforcement Executives said at the head of it, look, that should have ended the police contact right there. He should've gone about his business, and we should have no news.
CHETRY: All right.
DYSON: So, at this level, I still hold the police responsible for what happened subsequently.
CHETRY: All right. Well, let's listen because our CNN affiliates there in Boston, WHDH reporter Kim Khazei had a chance to actually speak to Sergeant Crowley who came out about it, saying he felt the need to speak out about it, even though he didn't want to, because he felt his reputation was being impugned. So, let's see what he said about the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. JAMES CROWLEY, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: I asked him if he could step outside and speak with me and he said, no, I will not. And, again, words to the effect of what's this all about? And I said, I'm Sergeant Crowley from the Cambridge Police Department. I'm investigating a break-in progress. And he responded, why, because I'm a black man in America, I'm not a monster or the bigot or racist that he has portrayed me to be. This is me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You know, we're hearing a little bit more from him. Also apparently, he was in charge of teaching racial sensitivity courses within the department. His actual department head, the police commissioner, speaks highly of him, says he trusts him implicitly.
Is this perhaps, maybe, a clash of egos more than it was about race, Boyce?
WATKINS: Well, it certainly looks like it could be a clash of egos. And honestly, with respect to Professor Gates, who I think is a great scholar and a great man, you know, when he made his comment, in which he said that Officer Crowley should beg for his forgiveness and he might forgive him, you know, that was not a good comment to make, because what that does is that lends credibility to what Officer Crowley said that, you know, Skip was saying inside the home, that you don't know who you're messing with, you know, and things like that. I mean -- because, you know, the undertone of that kind of comment is to say, I'm a Harvard professor, I'm very powerful and very wealthy, you shouldn't mess with me like that.
Ando so, I'm not here to say that that's what happened. I'm not here to say that Skip Gates broke the law or that he deserved to be arrested. But my question is, did the officer follow procedure?
And unlike a lot of people, I actually, you know, did a lot of homework on this. I talked to several officers. I talked to several other black scholars. I talked to a lot of people across the board to get a sense of the big picture.
One thing the public doesn't understand is that when an officer goes into a home in which he thinks there's a breaking and entering, even if the person proves that they are the resident of the home, that doesn't mean that the questions are over, because a lot of men break into their own homes in order to hurt their estranged wives. I mean, one-third of all women that are murdered in America are killed by a former lover who made this by breaking into their own homes.
So, this doesn't mean that this is what was going on here, but it does mean that the officer had an obligation to do due diligence. So, I'm not defending him completely, I'm not saying that he's innocent. I'm saying that we need all the facts before we can pass judgment on either Skip Gates or this officer. And I don't think we have all the information we need.
CHETRY: And I want to Michael to get the last word. The thing is, this is the front page of many national newspapers. This is all over the Web site. People have an opinion either way, strong opinions. What does this say in the larger issue about race relations in America?
DYSON: Well, I think Professor Watkins would agree here. Despite this leaf, there's a bigger tree. The bigger tree is the racial profiling to which he has pointed. And when we talk about racial profiling, even if Skip Gates is found out to have said what Sergeant Crowley said he said, the reality is this, that in American culture, we have to have a Harvard professor and a black president to leverage the authority of their esteem and their pedigree against the word of a white officer.
Imagine if the professor was not Henry Louis Gates, but Henry Kissinger at Harvard. Imagine if the president was not Obama, but George Bush, the first one, and a black sergeant arrested Henry Kissinger. I submit to you, I think that this would be an incredibly different position and as Mr. Watkins -- Professor Watkins argued in his book, what if George Bush were a black man, what if then Henry Gates was a white man, he would be treated differently.
And I think that racial profiling in this country is about the vicious stereotypes that stalk the collective imagination that feed and fuel outrageous behavior that ends up being unjust.
So, at the end of the day I think that this has struck a nerve in so many black Americans and Latino Americans, because we realize no matter how much we achieve, no matter how much degrees -- many degrees we have, no matter how much money in the bank, that at the end of the day, we are reduced to just another Negro on the street when it comes to interaction.
If Professor Gates felt that, certainly we thank God that he has become the Rosa Parks of racial profiling, because no more unlikely person imaginable could have been subjected to this treatment than Henry Louis Gates. And now he becomes the face for a problem that has stalked the rest of black America and Latino America.
CHETRY: And you bring up a good point. But Boyce, I want to put this to you, because there's a very different feeling for people that are in law enforcement. You said your father for nearly three decades was in law enforcement. You have a very, very different point of view about this.
Does this hurt the relationship that many departments are trying to build and trying to build in terms of trust with minorities?
WATKINS: Well, let's be clear. Many police departments across the country do not have a lot of credibility when it comes to dealing with the black community. And they're earning that lack of credibility through egregious behavior in the past. So, that trust is going to take time to develop.
But I will also agree that listening to my father, who has a lot of views that are very different from my own, you know, listening to him through the years, talking to a lot of officers through the years, helped me to humanize this issue because a lot of people don't see officers as human beings. They don't realize the fear that officers have to experience when confronting the most dangerous elements of our society every day.
So, what I submit is that a dialogue that respects communication, and one that respects the humanity of both parties in which we realize that black men are also human, as well, will be more effective in helping us to achieve our goals.
I honestly -- I don't necessarily see this as the Rosa Parks sort of case, but I do think that we need to continue this fight against racial profiling because it is a problem across America.
CHETRY: All right...
DYSON: I think only when white Americans die at the same level as black Americans, and when white Americans are harassed and harangued and haunted by the prospect that they will be arbitrarily subjected to police power, then I think when the shoe is on the other foot, we begin to see. As long as for the most part black and Latino men are the ones subjected to this vicious sort of behavior, I don't think we'll have parity, no other perspective that would allow us to be balanced and humane. And I wish for that day.
CHETRY: We are going to have to leave it there. We are about to lose one of the satellites here. But I want to thank you both for a great discussion this morning on this issue.
Boyce Watkins and Michael Eric Dyson, thanks.
Twenty-five minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The federal minimum wage goes up today from $6.55 an hour to $7.25. That's the last hike in the three-year-three-increase plan that Congress passed back in 2007.
CHETRY: Yes, 2007, a lot's changed since then especially the economy. Now there's a lot of financial minds worrying that this wage hike could lead to actually more job cuts having the opposite effect, unfortunately.
Christine is here for us.
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And mostly, you know, when we talk to the small business owners, small business owners keep saying, this is the last time -- the last thing we need on our minds right now, raising the minimum wage.
Thirty states are going to raise, this 2.2 million people are going to get a higher minimum wage. I mean, these are workers who really need the extra dime, 15 cents an hour, over the past few years.
But the question is, is this going to force some small business owners to have to lay people off? Because they're going to have to raise their wages or -- are you going to pass on higher costs?
For example, we went to a New Jersey shop where this owner of a shop, he's very concerned, he's got 40 or 50 minimum-waged workers. And he's worried that even the people who are supplying food to him, who had minimum wage workers that this is going to be a rough time for that.
And there are others who say it's just right thing to do. It's the right thing to do when you're talking about somebody who, working a whole year at minimum wage, makes only $15,000. It's the right thing to do when the biggest economy in the world to raise the minimum wage.
ROBERTS: But with the margin shrinking in small businesses, how much more can they afford?
ROMANS: They always fight about this.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: They can't even afford what they're doing right now. Some of the small businesses, they tell us that they're operating on such a slim margin. They can't afford it at all right now. They're concerned they'll have to put people off the books, using labor off the books, which is never good. You know, I mean, there's no protections. You know, it's not good for the business owner. It's not good for the people who are working.
So, do you always have this debate even in good times? Now you're really having this debate because it's such a tough time for small business right now.
ROBERTS: Well, the stock market is going up, so maybe that's a leading indicator for good things to come.
ROMANS: Maybe you're right.
ROBERTS: Christine Romans...
CHETRY: Green shoots, green shoots, we're looking for them.
ROBERTS: Keep the weed killer out of here.
Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" this morning. Thanks, Christine.
Coming up in a half hour, we're tracking several developing stories this morning.
Police in Indonesia say there was a third bomb that was set to go off one week ago when suicide bombers attacked two hotels in Jakarta, killing seven people. That bomb malfunctioned, though. They say it was rigged to go off before the two bombers blew themselves up, a move to create extra chaos.
CHETRY: Also, actress Angelina Jolie in Baghdad. She's visiting people who've been displaced by war there, part of her role as a U.N. ambassador for refugees. Speaking exclusively to CNN, she says that the time to act for Iraqis is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS/U.N. GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: These countries years on have all of these little problems because it was this moment that wasn't given enough attention. It was this moment that we didn't have enough support that they didn't have the right education and -- and so this is the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Jolie visited a makeshift village on the outskirts of Baghdad. It's where around 20,000 Iraqis still live because they can't return to their homes due to sectarian violence.
ROBERTS: And the World Health Organization says the global swine flu outbreak is still in its early stages and that we should expect around 2 billion cases over the course of the pandemic. They have only confirmed 130,000 global cases so far of the H1N1 swine flu virus. CHETRY: Well, there are some dramatic developments in the Michael Jackson investigation today. There were court documents that now reveal that the doctor who was with Michael Jackson when he died, Dr. Conrad Murray, is the focus of a manslaughter probe.
And one of the first people to come forward publicly with some concerns over Michael Jackson's drug use after he died was his former nurse, Cherilyn Lee. She said that Michael begged her for a powerful sleep sedative.
Her medical records on Jackson were just subpoenaed, and Cherilyn Lee joins us from our Los Angeles bureau. Cherilyn, thanks for joining us once again.
CHERILYN LEE, REGISTERED NURSE: And thank you for having me. Thank you.
CHETRY: What did police communicate to you about where they are in this investigation and why they wanted to subpoena your records?
LEE: Well, I was contacted shortly after that I made a public announcement that -- about what happened with Mr. Jackson, the medication that he had asked me for.
And the coroner's office and the police both contacted me shortly after, and said, you know, by phone, and said, thank you, this really helping us with our investigation.
And shortly after I was contacted again from the coroner's office, and, again, they had thanked me.
But on July 3rd, I spoke to one of the person who worked for the coroner's office and she said, you know, I want to come by and just talk to you. And because we know what you have already stated, which is now want to see it in hard copies.
I said, OK -- I'm sorry?
CHETRY: Were you concerned that you were perhaps a target of the investigation or they were looking into whether you prescribed drugs to Michael? Did you ever feel as though they were trying to --
LEE: No, not at all. They were calling, really, thanking me.
And on July 3rd, when I spoke to someone from the office, she said that we just want to meet with you and get a hard copy. It has really helped us out with our investigation.
And then last Friday, I received a call, because we didn't meet until July 3rd, and Friday, she called and she said, you know, I have to -- legally, you know, follow protocol and issue you a subpoena for the records. And I said fine.
And she said, well, you can just fax me. She e-mailed me the subpoena. I wasn't issued a subpoena. It was e-mailed to me.
And then she said you could just fax me over the report. We have a dedicated fax line, and just fax over the report.
Well, I'm very thorough in what I do, and I what I'll do is just go ahead and give you a hard copy, because trying to fax this over is just too much paperwork.
So, I was just waiting -- I'm sorry?
CHETRY: I want to ask you about the situation. I know that you're not a suspect in this situation and they have to subpoena medical records because of patient privacy and the like.
But you were one of the first people to bring up the possibility of Diprivan or Propofol, this extremely powerful sedative that's usually used in operating rooms to put a patient under.
And at the time, there were people who said, is she really serious about this? Now that you've learned they've taken bottles of Propofol out of the home and that the target of the investigation is perhaps Dr. Conrad Murray and whether or not there's any links to the use of this in his home, what is your reaction as this death investigation develops?
LEE: Well, that was my major concern when on Father's Day Mr. Jackson had given me a call and expressed to me the symptoms he was having. I was really concerned, you know, at that point what was really happening with him.
But I didn't hear from him. You know, I suggested at that time he go to the hospital.
And then the day of his passing, you know, it became very, very -- I was just very troubled, very troubled. When they had to perform the first autopsy and said they could not find anything, then I became more and more concerned, and spoke to my medical director, who was also an attorney, and said, you know, I think maybe I should come forward. So maybe -- and just to suggest they look for it.
CHETRY: I'd like to get your reaction to this. This is part of the search warrants that were filed by the district court in Harris County. They said investigators were looking for, quote, "items constituting the offense of manslaughter that tend the show Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense."
What do you think happened?
LEE: Well, you know, that would just be my opinion and speculating, but, you know, it just saddens me, because Michael was so adamant about wanting this medication, which he thought was going to help him sleep well, which is not a sleep medication at all.
And what I -- you know, it's just really hard to say. And I don't want to really speculate, but it just saddens me, and I have a great, great concern as to what happened.
CHETRY: You think that he was -- eventually, finally got somebody to give him this medication? LEE: Well, that's the thought I had, yes.
CHETRY: All right. Well, as we continue to find out more details, we still await the full autopsy and those toxicology results. Hopefully we'll learn more.
Cherilyn Lee, who treated Michael Jackson, registered nurse, thanks for joining us this morning.
LEE: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: You know, he created a camp to mentor disadvantaged kids. He's got a program going to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. He's got an e-learning education program. He launched a voter registration drive.
And in his spare time he managed to sell $35 million CDs and win five Grammy awards. Usher joining us exclusively, coming up live in a few minutes.
It's 36 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
So when your kids go off to college this fall, will they have everything that they need? Yes. You went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
What about health insurance?
CHETRY: Do they have the egg crate foam for their dorm mattresses?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: This is the voice of experience.
ROBERTS: My daughter was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond yesterday.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: But you know what else you need? You need health coverage. A lot of young adults do lose their coverage after they graduate college, some of them lose it before then. And so what do you do now right now? Can you stay on mom and dad's policy? And if not, what are you supposed to do?
Well, Gerri Willis is here with more on some affordable options out there, fingers crossed.
WILLIS: Right. Well, you're absolutely right. The first thing to do is see if you can stay on mom and dad's plan, because that is the best options -- 25 states allow you to have coverage under your parents plan, but they have different age cutoffs. It varies per state. It could be 24, 25, or 26. New Jersey has the highest age limit at 30, but I have to tell you, the president's plan for health reform would set that age at 26 across the country.
You can find out what your state requires at statehealthfactsonline.org.
And if you're too old to qualify, you're going to have to get into the individual health insurance market and get an individual policy. Usually this is really expensive, but the good news here is if you're young and in good health, it might not be as expensive as it usually is.
You can compare prices at different policies at ehealthinsurance.com.
And also go to your state insurance department's Web site to look for companies that sell these policies, because that's a great place to go for information - John.
ROBERTS: So, what if people want something that's either temporary or for emergency only?
WILLIS: Well, you can buy that, too. There are all kinds of options out there.
Short-term health insurance offers you coverage for six to 12 months. So let's say you lose a job and you want to be covered for the interim, you can get some coverage. It's pretty expensive, and it doesn't typically cover preexisting conditions.
There's also catastrophic insurance coverage. This is really if you get hit by a bus, this is a coverage you want to have if you don't have employer-provided coverage that has high deductibles, and I mean shy-high deductibles, thousands of dollars, very low premiums.
It usually does not cover the costs of regular doctor visits and prescriptions. That's not what it's about. And you have to have enough money to cover those deductibles because it's thousands of dollars.
But there are stopgap policies out there if you do need a little coverage between gigs, or let's say you have no coverage and you just want to cover the worst-case scenario.
CHETRY: I seem to remember, though, when I was in college that we had a great health clinic at school. Some schools do let you go there if you're a student.
WILLIS: Let's face it, you want to have ongoing coverage with the same doctor. That is the best -- the best solution for so many people. And if you're doing that, you're saying I'm a nurse practitioner maybe, you don't know who --
CHETRY: I like them. ROBERTS: Some schools have clinics that are free and others you have to use your health insurance. So make sure you double check on all that, too.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Thanks, Gerri.
Meanwhile, we have a special guest joining us, Usher. He is a fabulous, fabulous entertainer.
But not only that, he's actually giving back, as well. And he's going to be talking to you about some of his projects.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. We're not talking music this morning. We're talking about service programs and mentoring young people.
Stay with us. It's 42 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
For African-American women, breast cancer is a growing threat. According to research, they are 37 percent more likely than white women to die from the disease.
In this week's "CNN Heroes," we'll meet one person who is fighting to better the odds for all women.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA IVORY, MEDICAL MARVEL: In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Initially there's a shock, but I realized how blessed I was to have health insurance. It made me think about all of the women who didn't have health insurance. I wanted to make a difference in their lives.
I'm Andrea Ivory, and I'm fighting breast cancer in south Florida one household at a time.
The Florida Breast Health Initiative is an outreach organization. We're targeting working class people. We're going to make a difference and save some lives. We have a take it to the streets approach.
We feel like little pixies spreading breast cancer awareness.
Can I ask you a few questions?
IVORY: We target women that are 35 years or older and make appointments on the spot for a free mammogram.
I look forward to seeing you. I'll be there. IVORY: Bring in the mobile mammography vans into the neighborhood, because it's one of the most important facets of the work that we do. We provide a service that is so needed. I know I'm saving lives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said it was free, so come right over and get it.
IVORY: We're giving free mammograms on the 25th. That's easy.
I was saved from breast cancer to serve other women. Every time I knock on the door, it's another opportunity to save a life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: And now a CNN exclusive.
You know him as an award-winning musician, but there's another side to Usher, and he's here this morning to talk about something important as important to him as his music. Usher is live in Atlanta this morning along with Quanisha Davis, who has reaped the benefit of Usher's other passion.
Thank you both for being with us this morning. Usher, let's start with you. We'll be talking about this New Look Camp, which wraps up today in Atlanta. What's the New Look Camp all about?
USHER, AWARD-WINNING ENTERTAINER: Well, New Look Camp is basically all about motivating our generation's next youth leaders. And you know, through real world experiences, teaching them about the business aspect of the sports and entertainment industry.
A lot of kids look at television and say I want to be that entertainer, I want to be that personality, but they don't necessarily know what it takes and, you know, if that's really what they want to do.
It's all about hard work. For two weeks, we mentor 130 kids this year. And, as you said, the finale of the camp is today at Emory University.
ROBERTS: So you teach them about the business side of sports and entertainment, but you also teach them a lot about public service, service programs, service campaigns.
And you've got a big announcement to make today. What have you got?
USHER: Absolutely. Finding a way artistically and through their athletic abilities to motivate them to go back into their communities and make a difference.
Ultimately, every change that happens can be powered by service. The announcement that is to be made is a partnership that has been forged with the U.N. Foundation, the United Nations Foundation for Malaria Prevention. It is the ability, or the effort to raise money for nets for malaria prevention in Africa. So really excited about that.
So a lot of kids this year -- this year they actually pledged to raise $40,000, you know. Basically Nothing but Nets is an organization where you pledge $1 for a net for a child in Africa.
So they pledged this year that they would raise $40,000 -- raise money for 40,000 nets in Africa, which is, you know, which is really great. These kids from all across the nation are taking these concepts and ideas.
And the U.N. is providing them with $500 to go back in their communities and to raise awareness, one, about Malaria in Africa, and also give them the opportunity to believe in themselves so that they can go in and the can do something productive.
ROBERTS: Yes. There are those malaria nets that are about $10 apiece, so raising enough money for $400,000 malaria nets would be about $400,000, which is a terrific amount of money.
USHER: But as a special treat, I wanted to bring one of our campers here today and talk about her experience at the camp.
ROBERTS: I was just about to ask. Quanisha, let me just paint the background here. You're from New York City. You had a difficult childhood, Quanisha, when you were born to a mother who was in jail at the time.
You're now a junior at the Frank Sinatra School of Arts in New York City. You play basketball and volleyball.
What did you learn in the last two weeks from this camp?
QUANISHA DAVIS, ATTENDING USHER'S CAMP NEW LOOK: I would say that I learned how -- whatever my field is, to use that to also give back to my community when I'll be successful in the future.
ROBERTS: And part of the deal that you come away with from the Camp New Look is that you've got to create one of these service campaigns in your own neighborhood. Are you ready to do that? You've got the background and the necessary skills to do that?
DAVIS: Yes, I think I learned everything that I needed to actually go through with it.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: So, what's the first thing you do when you hit the ground here in New York City when you come back?
DAVIS: I'll go to my community center and tell them everything that I learned from this camp experience. ROBERTS: Excellent.
As we said, Usher, what you're trying to do is you're trying give the kids the skills they need to try to get a job in either the sports or the entertainment industry.
But when you look at the current state of the economy, particularly the fact that you mentor a lot of minority kids there, and African-American unemployment is running at about 15 percent, about five points higher than the national average. Does that make what you're doing there that much more difficult?
USHER: Well, you know, you know, we have so many issues that plague us here in America.
The one thing that I found is it can all be fixed for service. The power of service is incredible.
And change has always been something that youth has been at the forefront of. So giving them this opportunity and, you know, knowledge, one, is ultimately what our agenda is for the New Look Foundation, but more than anything, as I said, to make them understand the true value of service and giving back.
ROBERTS: Now, you've got the New Look Foundation there. You've also got a program to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. You've got an e- learning education program. You launched a voter registration drive last year.
And I'm wondering, where did this desire to give back come from within you? You know, you're just 30 years old now. You're selling millions and millions...
USHER: That's young, by the way.
ROBERTS: I know it's young, compared to me it's awfully young, Usher.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: But where did this desire to give back come from within you?
USHER: Well, as the founder and chair, I really wanted to be able to connect the power of service. And, you know, it's my one way to go where the kids are and give them that opportunity to make a difference in their communities.
ROBERTS: Is it something in your background that really kind of drove this?
USHER: Well, I honestly feel like I've been blessed to be a blessing. That's one.
But more than anything, as I said, giving them that voice, because sometimes the youth gets looked over. And they don't understand -- or maybe sometimes we don't understand that as I said, they're at the forefront of change. You know, a lot of our issues here in America can be addressed by simply addressing them.
ROBERTS: Right.
USHER: And, like, for instance, as a young lady who through service acknowledges homelessness. She takes pictures and she shows the issue. There's kids who have come far and wide who have philanthropic efforts in their communities to truly make a difference.
This gives them that platform to want to have a voice, but also understand how to utilize the power that they got.
ROBERTS: Well, mentoring even one young child or one young person is a noble calling. And you've done it for more than 1,300. So, good on you. Great work that you're doing.
Congratulations, Quanisha, for completing the camp, and we look forward to hear what you're doing with the service campaign.
Thank you so much for joining us.
USHER: Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: We really appreciate it.
Five minutes now till the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is fighting back after someone secretly videotaped her naked in her hotel room. She and the Sports Network are promising legal action against the people responsible as well as any organization that actually shows that video.
ROBERTS: Yes, but this morning, some are questioning about whether it's much more than just one perverted peeping tom that's perpetuating all of this. CNN's Carol Costello "Just Saying" this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, guys, thank you so much.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you didn't know who Erin Andrews was, you do now. It seems everybody is talking about an uninvited videotaping of the ESPN reporter.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, HOST OF "THE VIEW": Erin Andrews was the reporter that was secretly taped by a peeping tom in her hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No idea there's a perv at the door. GOLDBERG: And nude video ended up on the Internet.
COSTELLO: Andrews's attorney is threatening legal action if anyone continues to post the videos online. But a French Web site persists.
Andrews, it seems, has lost control over who has the rights to her body. And while her attorney wants whoever took the pictures to be criminally prosecuted, others say many more are guilty.
Just saying, who is to blame?
JESSICA VALENTI, FEMINISTING.ORG: I do think we're all complicit in a culture that objectifies women, that is interested in seeing titillating videos of women who don't know their being filmed.
COSTELLO: And if you think people aren't interested in that kind of thing, Google says searches on Erin Andrews have gone up 5,000 percent in the past few days.
The blog sites Sports Media Watch isn't surprised. It says "For years there's been a national stalking of Andrews online by those who turned her into a body that exists for leering at."
An inadvertent ESPN shot Andrews behind got half a million hits on YouTube. And while ESPN calls Andrews one of the premiere sports reporters in the business, some charge it stoked the fire too by playing up Andrews' looks. And some of those who she interviewed, well, they didn't help either.
And then there was this at a college football game.
Through it all, by many accounts, Andrews dealt good naturedly with those who objectified her. And some say while Andrews is definitely the victim here, it's time she pushed back.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, "USA TODAY": Play to the 12-year-old girl and her mom and dad on the couch. Don't play to the frat house. Do everything you can to make sure that those whackos do not interfere in my life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: We've been asking for your comments this morning. I have a couple. This from Charlotte, "Who's fault is this? It's the fault of the guy who took the pictures. But anyone can walk around with a camera today and claim they are paparazzi. The laws need to be changed."
This from Paul, "What happened to Erin is a crime, there's no question about that. It's also true this has happened to a lot of women, and there has really been no national outrage, so maybe something good can come out of this" -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's amazing that could've happened to her.
Carol Costello this morning. Carol, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: And we'd like you to continue the conversation on all of today's stories. Head to our blog at CNN.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: Thanks very much for joining us. Have a great weekend. We'll see you back here again bright and early on Monday. Right now the news continues with Heidi Collins.
