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Lawmaker Reprimanded for Hoodie; Newt Gingrich's Financial Realities; In-Flight Freak-Out; Pope Celebrates Mass In Cuba; $500 Million Record Jackpot; Healthcare Law in Court; Interview with Gingrich's Chief of Staff; Interview with Rep. Bobby Rush; Jane Fonda Could Play Nancy Reagan in New Film; Wildfires in Colorado Kill Two, Destroy 28 Homes

Aired March 28, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right, getting close to the top of the hour. I'm Don Lemon. Suzanne Malveaux is on special assignment. We want to get you up to speed right now.

The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin say they have faith in the agencies investigating their son's death and are patiently awaiting justice. The initial police report says homicide and manslaughter charges were considered against the shooter, George Zimmerman, on the night he killed the unarmed teenager, but the state attorneys' office determined there was not enough evidence. Zimmerman told police he killed the unarmed teen in self-defense. The boy's parents spoke this morning to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACY MARTIN, TRAYVON MARTIN'S FATHER: A crime has been committed here. Everyone is trying to turn the focus off of George Zimmerman and trying to make George Zimmerman become the victim when, in fact, Trayvon is the victim. Trayvon's family is the victim. We have a dead 17-year-old son. That life will never be replaced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie when he was killed. It has become a symbol of the case, and this morning Illinois representative Bobby Rush was reprimanded for wearing one on the House floor. The video is going viral. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BOBBY RUSH (D), ILLINOIS: On quasi-official clothes. Racial profiling has to stop, Mr. Speaker. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum. The bible teaches us, Mr. Speaker, in the book of Michael --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The member will suspend -- the member will suspend.

RUSH: These words -- these words --he has shown you old man -- what is your --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The member will suspend. The chair must remind members of clause 5 of rule 17. (INAUDIBLE) order.

RUSH: -- what you do justly as you love mercy, as you walk humbly with your god, and in the new testament --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I've got to tell you this, I can't wait for this conversation that's coming up in about 30 minutes here on CNN because representative Bobby Rush will join me to talk about that speech and that moment. Make sure you stay tuned.

Newt Gingrich lays off a third of his staff and replaces his campaign manager, but Gingrich says that's not a sign he is dropping out of the presidential race. The campaign says it's just a response to financial realities. Gingrich vows to stay in the race until the Republican convention. We're going it talk with his campaign chief of staff. Can't wait for that interview, live this hour as well.

A JetBlue captain has now been suspended after this bizarre rant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: His actions forced the co-pilot of the plane bound for Las Vegas to make an emergency landing in Texas. JetBlue's CEO says a, quote, "medical condition led to the incident." That captain, shown here, was removed from the plane and is currently receiving medical care while in FBI custody. He has now been suspended. The federal charges -- no federal charges -- no federal charges have been filed.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass today in Revolution Plaza in Havana, Cuba. Thousands attended including Cuban president, Raul Castro. Former Cuban president, Fidel Castro, has asked for a private meeting with the pope, but it's unclear if that will happen. The pope steered clear of the political messages during his homily, but earlier, he said the communist nation is in need of change.

If you play the lottery, you know it is a very big day, very big day for mega millions. The jackpot rolled over last night, again. It is now a record $500 million. The largest in the history of the game. Tickets are sold in 42 states and the District of Columbia. So, what are your chances of winning the big jackpot? One in 176 million. Good luck.

The Supreme Court is wrapping up its third and final day of hearings on the fate of the sweeping health care reform law. Arguments are getting under way right now on expanding Medicare and what it means for the state -- Medicaid -- Medicaid, and what it means for the states. Earlier today, the issue was whether the fate of the law hinges on the individual mandate, the requirement that almost everyone have health insurance. The affordable care act, as we have said, would expand Medicaid adding millions more. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to talk about that. Elizabeth, how does this new health care law expand Medicaid?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's interesting, this is a part of the law that I think has been overlooked to some extent. Everyone has talked so much about the exchanges and what not. Well, it would be the largest Medicaid expansion since Medicaid came about, so let's take a look at how it would expand Medicaid. It does it a couple different ways. So, first of all, what it does is it changes the income requirement.

So, let's take a look at the foster family, these are my imaginary friends, I bring them along every so often. These are the fast food fosters. Now, in order for the parents to get on Medicaid, their income has to be below about $23,000. After health care reform, if it goes through, which is looking I guess more and more doubtful, it -- they would have to make less than $31,000. So, that's a big difference. The big difference between making $31,000 and making $23,000. So you can see that would add on many, many more families if health care reform comes to pass.

LEMON: All right So, those are the changes for income. What about other changes? What other changes are there?

COHEN: You know, it's interesting. A lot of people don't know that when you're single, you cannot automatically get on Medicaid, even if you're very low income.

LEMON: Oh, OK.

COHEN: If you're single, you can't just get on it. So, here's the big change. Let's take a look at seamstress sally. Seamstress sally owns 15 -- I'm sorry, earns $15,415. She -- that's low, but she cannot get on Medicaid right now because she's not pregnant, she doesn't have kids, doesn't have a family. If health care reform -- if it comes to pass, if the Supreme Court doesn't get rid of it, she can get on Medicaid.

LEMON: That would be 2014, right? When all of this goes into effect in full.

COHEN: In 20 -- yes, several years from now, right.

LEMON: In full. In full, yes. OK. So, how many more people will be covered with Medicaid if the reform law stands?

COHEN: Seventeen million.

LEMON: Wow.

COHEN: Seventeen million more people will get on Medicaid. And Don, Medicaid will become the second biggest way that people get their health insurance. Employers will be number one as the source of health insurance, Medicaid will become number two because it's a 44 percent increase of the number of people on Medicaid. That's huge. LEMON: Everyone I have spoken to on the air, and I have heard off the air, as a matter of fact, say they're looking at this as a domino effect. So, if the individual mandate doesn't stand, does the whole thing -- it's gone, right?

COHEN: Right. And to sort of recap what the individual mandate is, that's the part of the law that says you, nearly every American, has to buy health insurance, even if you don't want, it you have to buy it. If the Supreme Court says that's not constitutional, guys, you can't do that. It may be that the whole law just ends up in the garbage can. That's possible. It may be that parts of the law end up in the garbage can. It may be that only the individual mandate goes away and the rest of the law stands. That's what the Supreme Court is deciding, and as we speak, they're debating the Medicaid part of it, because it is such a major part of health care reform.

LEMON: I tell you, Jeffrey Toobin, he did not -- he said it didn't sound good for the whole --

COHEN: He -- that's --

LEMON: -- entire thing, the whole kit and caboodle as they say.

COHEN: Right. He just said on our air that Medicaid expansion could go away. The whole kit and caboodle could go away as you said.

LEMON: Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen. We appreciate it.

Want to give you a rundown of some of the stories we're covering for you in the next hour. First, we're learning more and more about the death of Trayvon Martin, and about the man who pulled the trigger. I'm going to talk to a lawmaker who is refusing to be silenced, and representative Bobby Rush isn't afraid to wear his hoodie on the house floor either.

And later it is a landmark case that we have been talking about here, and health care for millions of uninsured people hangs in the balance, right now.

Then chaos at 35,000 feet when a pilot's meltdown forces passengers to spring into action.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The more that is learned about the killing of Trayvon Martin, the more complicated the case becomes. Several reports now say police considered homicide and manslaughter charges against the shooter, George Zimmerman, on the night he killed the unarmed teenager. But the state attorney's office say, no.

Martin Savidge is in Sanford, Florida, following up on all of this for us. That's where Trayvon Martin, of course, was killed. What are you hearing about the investigation and what's the reaction there in the community now, Martin?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there has been a lot of reaction to this latest turn of events. We should point out that this information regarding negligent homicide charges and possible manslaughter charges actually dates back to the night of the initial event, that's February 26th. CNN has a copy of the initial police report, and it's listed right there when you look at the document, and it says quite plainly negligent homicide and manslaughter. However, it should be point the out that that was the desire of the lead investigator, but as you point out, he was overruled as a result of the state attorney.

And here is the reason why, it has to do with Florida's stand your ground law. The law says quite plainly that it expressly prohibits police from arresting someone who had unreasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily harm. This is what authorities have been saying. Once George Zimmerman claimed he shoot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, it changed everything under that Florida law. That's why even though the lead investigator that night wanted to charge him, he was overruled because the state attorney said you cannot. This stand your ground law says you cannot. It doesn't mean it's all over. The investigation continues, just makes it a harder investigation for authorities. So, that's where it stands now.

LEMON: This is -- it may appear a gruesome question but it's all part of the unfolding case. I understand, Martin, that you were able to reach out to the funeral home that handled Trayvon Martin's body. Did they have any insight into his wounds, the wounds that he received?

SAVIDGE: Right. This is, of course, very important for the understanding of how severe was the conflict that George Zimmerman describes, was there really this life and death struggle that he has outlined, and what kind of wound? All of this information is key to the investigation. Authorities have not released any of it, so that's why we reached out to the funeral home. We wanted to find out -- George Zimmerman, of course, says that he suffered blows to the face, the back of the head. The funeral director who handled Trayvon's body says there was no indication of trauma like that to the young man. We asked about the bullet wound. Trayvon Martin had undergone an autopsy. As a result of that autopsy, it was not possible to discern where there was an entry or exit wound as a result of a gunshot. So, there was not a lot of information gleaned, but some insight, and right now any insight when there happens to be this dearth of information is helpful.

LEMON: All right. Martin Savidge, thank you very much. Stand by. You're going to be busy for quite some time there in Florida with this case. We appreciate it.

Meantime, we have something just into CNN regarding the health care debate going on at the Supreme Court right now. And this is in response to Paul clement, the lawyer for the state opposing the individual mandate. This is Sonia Sotomayor -- justice Sonia Sotomayor -- associate justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SONIA SOTOMAYOR, JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: Why should we be striking down a cost-saver when if what your argument is was that Congress was concerned about costs rising?

PAUL CLEMENT, ATTORNEY: Well --

SOTOMAYOR: Why should we assume they wouldn't have passed that information?

CLEMENT: I think a couple things. One, getting -- I would think you sort of have to take the bitter with the sweet. And if Congress -- if you're going to look at Congress' goal of providing patient protection but also affordable care, we can't -- I don't think it works to just take the things that save money and cut out the things that are going to make premiums more expensive.

SOTOMAYOR: I just want to bottom line this, why don't we let Congress fix it?

CLEMENT: Well, let me answer the bottom line question which is no matter what you do in this case, at some point, there's going to be -- if you strike down the mandate, there's going to be something for Congress to do. The question is really what task do you want to give Congress?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: OK. After a quick break though, we're going to hear from Antonin Scalia -- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as well.

In the meantime, we're going to talk some politics here. After slashing his staff, everyone wants to know if Newt Gingrich is signaling the end is near. I'm going to ask his chief of staff about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Newt Gingrich's campaign says it is facing financial realities. Gingrich has cut his staff by a third, but he says he's not dropping out of the race. Joining us now from Washington is Gingrich's chief of staff, Patrick Millsaps.

Thank you, sir, for joining us.

You know, he calls it downsizing in order to stay in the race, but realistically, realistically, can he continue to campaign if the money isn't coming in?

PATRICK MILLSAPS, CHIEF OF STAFF, NEWT GINGRICH CAMPAIGHN: Well, it's all about campaigning at the level that the money is coming in. And we have plenty of people still going to newt.org and donating to the campaign. And so like many businesses in America, we have to look at what we can afford to do.

Look, this is going to be -- it's now clear that neither Romney nor Santorum nor us is going to get to 1,144, which means we are headed headlong into one of the most interesting, open conventions and example of democracy we have.

LEMON: But let's not get ahead of ourselves in the interview. Mr. Millsaps, let's just be honest, the odds are that Mitt Romney or either Rick Santorum -- it's really not in Rick Santorum's favor either -- the odds are that Mitt Romney will get to the number needed before any of them. The math is not there for Newt Gingrich. You have to be realistic about that. And to say that the money is coming in at some level, it's not coming in enough for him not to have to pull back. You said it was financial realities. I mean what's -- what is it?

MILLSAPS: OK, well let's start with the first part of your question. To say that the reality is that Mitt Romney is probably going to get to 1,144, the odds are, the odds in this -- I would not be putting money on the odds in anything in this race. I mean this race has had eight or nine front-runner. At one point Donald Trump was a front- runner. Anything that could have happened in the presidential campaign has happened. So to try to cite to conventional wisdom I think is a dangerous thing to do. So as long as we are focused on how we can get to Tampa and in the manner we can get to Tampa, that's what we're going to do. If Mitt Romney gets to 1,144, and it's unlikely that he will, but if he does, we will support him as the nominee. If not, we will be at the convention along with Senator Santorum and Mitt Romney.

LEMON: OK. All right. OK, now the money part where you said that money is coming in at some levels, but it's not enough for him not to have to scale back on his staff.

MILLSAPS: Well, I mean, you know, there was a report earlier that I think Mitt Romney has 100 staffers. We were somewhere in the middle. And Rick Santorum, I think, has five full-time staff. That's something when you adjust to strategy, you adjust your staff accordingly. That's just the reality of when you change your game plan, sometimes you change your staff.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk about this new poll.

MILLSAPS: OK.

LEMON: Sixty percent of Republicans surveyed say Gingrich should drop out of the race. Is that a sign to you that the party is ready to rally around the front-runner, which is Mitt Romney at this point?

MILLSAPS: Again, the premise of the question is that Mitt Romney is a foregone front-runner. If he's a front-runner, he's a weak front- runner. The other part of that poll is, 43 percent of the party would like to see this go to the convention. And I don't know how many people are in that poll are polled from Delaware and Maryland and Wisconsin. People who have not had a chance to participate in the primary process yet I think deserve a chance to distinguish themselves or vote for who they want to carry their conservative mantle in this race.

LEMON: OK.

MILLSAPS: This is a state-by-state deal and we were up in Maryland and Delaware the past two days and the party was ecstatic to be a part of the process. They're growing their parties. The base is becoming excited. They're being part of the conversation. This is a good thing for the Republican Party.

LEMON: OK. So, listen, did you -- and I don't want to misquote you. Did you say that you're on your way -- that you believe -- you believe to a contested convention? Is that -- were those your words?

MILLSAPS: Well, if there is not a front-runner -- I mean, I'm sorry, if there's not a candidate that gets 1,144 delegates, then it's an open convention. And after the first vote --

LEMON: It's an open convention.

MILLSAPS: After the first vote, it's a jump ball.

LEMON: That's what I want to ask you though. Gingrich has said that he would drop out if Romney gets enough delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention.

MILLSAPS: And support him.

LEMON: You think it's a foregone conclusion that he's not going to do it. But will he stand by that?

MILLSAPS: Yes. I mean once you get to 1,144, he is the -- he becomes the nominee. And we will -- we will support our nominee to do the ultimate goal and beat Barack Obama. And that's -- that is the ultimate goal. I think that the things that we are doing are leading to that ultimate goal by making all of our candidates stronger and by debating the president. A president who is willing to make a political deal with the president of Russia when he didn't know the mike was on.

LEMON: Mr. Millsaps, here's the thing. You -- Mr. Gingrich is a seasoned veteran when it comes to politics and I would imagine that you are as well and you have to be realistic about this.

MILLSAPS: Yes.

LEMON: By staying in the race, what is he hoping to accomplish? And I'm just being honest, besides beating up on the eventual front-runner so badly that it makes him look bad in the general election, or what is it -- what is he hoping to accomplish, because that, from convention wisdom is, you don't believe in it, you said. That's what it appears by all accounts that he's doing.

MILLSAPS: Well, he's giving the voters of Maryland and Delaware and Wisconsin an option. That's number one. Number two, you know, I don't think like, for instance, Rick Santorum has been fully vetted. Your earlier segment on the Supreme Court where Justice Sotomayor was asking, why shouldn't Congress fix this? One of the things that should be pointed out is, Senator Santorum voted for her confirmation as a U.S. district judge. That's something that needs to be part of this debate.

LEMON: I understand that. But when it comes down to the reality on the campaign trail, all right, it's not at this point -- it's not playing out on the campaign trail what you're saying. Right now what you're giving me is rhetoric about why Rick Santorum should not be the nominee, why Mitt Romney. But the reality on the campaign trail, when you look at the numbers, the numbers are not there for Newt Gingrich. That's the reality of it. But surely you can see that.

MILLSAPS: The number that is important is 1,144.

LEMON: Right.

MILLSAPS: Nobody has that yet. The moment they do, they become the nominee. If they don't get to 1,144, we are going to have one of the most fascinating, most well-watched Republican conventions in a generation.

LEMON: I do not disagree with you on that. Patrick Millsaps, thank you.

MILLSAPS: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: A pilot's meltdown forces passengers to take action at 35,000 feet. We're going to get the details on the JetBlue in-flight freak out coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on for you.

Trayvon Martin's death is sparking some difficult conversations about race and justice in America. And one lawmaker is refusing to stay quiet about it.

Then, a pilot's meltdown sends passengers into action at 35,000 feet.

And later, a tweet by Spike Lee forces an elderly couple out of their home.

We've got to get this plane down. That was a quote. We've got to get this plane down. Chilling words from a JetBlue captain whose erratic behavior sparked in-flight chaos and now CNN can confirm he has been suspended. Today, JetBlue's CEO is praising the passengers and the crew for bringing the situation under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BARGER, CEO, JETBLUE AIRWAYS: That individual action, really the follow-up of the crew, and then the customers. As Tony (ph) and Lori (ph) mentioned, I mean, that was a true team effort at 35,000 feet. That's the example of the rest of JetBlue's 14,000 crew members in the industry. That's what takes place day in and day out. It's not so much one individual's action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Want to bring in now aviation and regulation correspondent Lizzie O'Leary.

Lizzie, I can't imagine being on that flight. And I'm sure most people can't. How horrific to be there. But there are new details that are emerging now about the pilot. What have you found out?

LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that he's been suspended. There is an investigation that's going on right now, Don. And that's being looked at, at the federal level by the FBI, the FAA, and also by the local authorities. Remember, the plane was diverted to Texas and he's been under medical care there.

We can also say, according to a federal law enforcement official, the captain was identified as a man named Clayton Osbon. JetBlue confirmed that the pilot flew with them for 12 years. And, in fact, the CEO said he knew this man personally. Had never seen any behavior like that before.

There is one thing that I think is important to note, is the way that JetBlue is characterizing this has shifted a little bit. Initially they were saying this was a medical incident. That's how the co-pilot referred it to air traffic controllers when the plane was coming in to land in Amarillo. And today they are saying it was both a medical situation and a security situation. And that gives you a little bit of a sense of how this is shifting and probably reflects the fact that an investigation is ongoing.

LEMON: Yes. And as you were speaking there, we saw the video of the passengers having to react there on the plane. And they stepped into action. They are being praised now.

O'LEARY: They are being praised. And one of the questions that I have been asking JetBlue is sort of, was this enough? Should passengers be put in this position? They said their flight crews are trained to handle a situation like this, but that their flight crews are also trained to ask passengers for help should they feel they need it. That that is, the airline says, part of the way their crews are trained to deal with it. And, you know, in this situation, the captain was a big guy, reportedly somewhere around 6'3" and it took several passengers and members of the flight crew essentially sitting on him for 15 minutes while the plane descended down to Texas.

LEMON: Unbelievable. Lizzie O'Leary, thank you.

O'LEARY: Thanks.

LEMON: A school cafeteria lunch lady and her husband got hate mail and were hounded by reporters all thanks to director Spike Lee. We're going to tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, parts of it, the entire thing, being debated now by the Supreme Court.

An interesting exchange between Antonin Scalia, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and one of the attorneys presenting the case in front of the Supreme Court. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIN SCALIA, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: You really want us to go through these 2,700 pages?

(LAUGHTER)

And do you really expect a court to do that? Or do you expect us to give this tedious function to our law clerks? Is this not totally unrealistic that we are going to go through this enormous bill, item by item, and decide each one?

EDWIN KNEEDLER, DEPUTY SOLICITOR GENERAL: Well --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't have to because --

(CROSSTALK)

KNEEDLER: That is correct. And I'd also like -- I just wanted to finish the thought I had about this being a matter of statutory interpretation. The court's task, we submit, is not to look at the legislative process to see whether the bill would have passed or not, based on the political situation at the time, which would basically convert the court into a function, such as a whip count --

ELENA KAGAN, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: And, Mr. Kneedler, that would be a revolution in our severability law, wouldn't it?

KNEEDLER: Yes, it would.

KAGAN: We've never suggested we're going to say, look, this legislation was a brokered compromise and we're going to try to figure out exactly what would have happened in the complex parliamentary shenanigans that go on across the street and figure out whether they would have made a difference. Instead, we look at the text that's actually given us. For some people, we look only at the text. Should be easy for Justice Scalia's clerks.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: She just said complex parliamentary shenanigans that go on across the street.

Very interesting. We're standing by at the Supreme Court. We'll keep you posted.

Meantime, the uproar over the shooting of an unarmed Florida teen, Trayvon Martin, has captured the attention of people all across the nation, including celebrities. But a move by film director, Spike Lee, reportedly has one Florida group living in fear -- one Florida couple, I should say, living in fear. According to "The Hollywood Reporter" Lee wrongly re-tweeted the address of the couple as that of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed Martin.

CNN's entertainment correspondent, Nischelle Turner, live in Los Angeles with the details.

OK. So what happened?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot apparently, Don. But what seems to have happened is Spike passed along information without checking it out. Now, as you said, he re- tweeted a message with what he thought was George Zimmerman's address. Well, the smoking gun says the house actually belongs to an elderly couple in their 70s, Elaine and David McLean. Elaine reportedly has a son from a previous marriage who is named William George Zimmerman. So it looks like someone found that out and assumed it was George Zimmerman.

Now, Spike has removed his tweet, but the damage has already been done. The couple have reportedly felt threatened enough to leave their home. And if you look in some of the Twitter traffic around this, you can certainly understand their fears. It's pretty nasty.

But, Don, the bigger question may be here, even if that information was true, why would you send that out? Why would you re- tweet it?

LEMON: Yes. Yes. All right.

TURNER: It's someone's address.

LEMON: Yes, I know, I know, I know.

Let's move on now and talk about Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan. So tell me, what are you hearing about Jane Fonda possibly taking on the role of the former first lady?

TURNER: This could happen. It could very well happen. "Showbiz Tonight" has confirmed Jane Fonda is in talks to play Nancy Reagan in the upcoming film "Butler." It's based on the real life of Eugene Allen. He worked on the White House staff from 1952 to 1986. Jane Fonda is very active with a lot of liberal causes. That makes a lot of conservatives kind of upset about this. They say Hanoi Jane has no business playing Nancy Reagan. On the other hand, if you need a fantastic actress to play this kind of role, Jane Fonda may be the perfect casting. Considering the other names that could be attached to the project, Forest Whitaker as Eugene Allen, Mila Kunis as Jackie Kennedy, Liam Neeson as LBJ, John Cusack as Nixon, and Oprah playing Eugene Allen's wife. Amazing cast, right?

(LAUGHTER)

It really shouldn't matter what an actresses political affiliations are, right? She is an actress. That is her job, to act.

LEMON: Of course. You are an actor or actress.

TURNER: Yes, exactly. LEMON: Thank you very much, Nischelle Turner. Appreciate it.

(LAUGHTER)

TURNER: All right, Don.

LEMON: Want more information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, check out "Showbiz Tonight" at 11:00 eastern right here on HLN.

OK. There we go. That's a Congressman, by the way, on the House floor. Not afraid to wear his hoodie where he works. I'm going to talk to this lawmaker who is refusing to be silenced about the Trayvon Martin case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Two people are dead and 28 homes destroyed as a wildfire continues to burn near Denver.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here now.

We're hearing about high winds and dry conditions hurting the firefighting efforts there.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's all of those things. The humidity is going to be dropping and the winds are going to be increasing and that's going to make it more difficult. The terrain has been an issue as well, because this is steep, up at about 8,000 feet in elevation.

You've got a lot of shrubs, a lot of dried trees, and a lot of those dry grasses, and all of those things acting together to fuel it. And this is literally zero percent contained right now. Keep in mind, when we talk about containment, we're talking about building a fire line surrounding that main line where it's advancing to try to protect those areas. They have been working on structures and work on getting some of this containment. You have the National Guard up with two Blackhawk choppers dropping water on it and retardant as well. Yes, they --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Imagine that was once someone's home, and 28 of them gone.

JERAS: 28. Two people have been killed, one person reportedly missing.

No rain in the forecast. Winds up to 20 miles per hour. Hopefully, they'll be able to make a little bit of progress on this, this afternoon.

LEMON: So sad. OK, we hope they are.

All right. Thank you very much. JERAS: Sure.

LEMON: When we come back, you saw the video of the Congressman on the House floor wearing a hoodie in tribute to Trayvon Martin. That Congressman is Bobby Rush. He's going to join me live in just moments. You do not want to miss that conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The Supreme Court is hearing arguments for a third day on the constitutionality of the president's health care law. If the law is thrown out, what will that mean for the 52 million people who don't have any health insurance right now?

Joining me now is Dr. Irwin Redlener, the co-president of the Children's Health Fund. He's also on the National Commission on Children and Disasters.

Doctor Redlener, thank you so much.

We know that the mandate that all Americans have health care coverage doesn't go into effect until 2014, but some parts of the bill are already in effect. So what will happen if the Supreme Court throws out the president's bill? How will families be affected immediately?

DR. IRWIN REDLENER, CO-PRESIDENT, CHILDREN'S HEALTH FUND & NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND DISASTERS: We're very concerned about the stability of this bill right now. This goes beyond the legalities and the discussions happening in the Supreme Court that all the attention is focused on.

The problem is we have at least another four million to five million children who will be insured under the Affordable Care Act provisions. We have the elimination right now of pre-existing conditions as a barrier to getting care. And we have the promise over the next few years of much more improved access for children and other vulnerable populations because the bill also includes expansion of community health centers, of doctors being placed in underserved communities and so forth.

So what's at stake for children is something that's extremely important to the current health status of children and their future prospects. We're deeply concerned that anything that might occur in terms of a Supreme Court decision to disrupt what's now on the road to getting fully implemented would be a very dangerous idea from the perspective of what children need.

LEMON: You said currently now. What about long term? What will happen if Americans aren't required to have health insurance beginning in 2014?

REDLENER: Well, if we don't have the requirement for health insurance, it's hard to see how we're going to get any kind of reasonable reforms of the health insurance industry. And everything is sort of coupled together at this point, Don. And that's what really we're concerned about. For example, if we say to the insurance companies, you can't have the elimination of potential customers because of a pre-existing medical condition, that means the insurance company system begins to fall apart and even fewer will be insured because they won't have the benefit of having an expanded market, to include everybody, including the people without pre-existing conditions. So all of these pieces fit together in an intricate puzzle. And I think the Supreme Court has to pay attention to the consequences for Americans if, in fact, this bill is somehow undermined by a Supreme Court decision coming out in the next couple months.

LEMON: Do you see any other way to make sure children and low- income people get the coverage they need without requiring all Americans to have insurance?

REDLENER: You know, it's interesting you ask that. If it was up to me, I'd simply make access to health care the right of every single child in America. You know, you're born and you automatically are in a health care system. Whether that's in the private sector or we develop new ways of creating the public systems that we really do need, whatever we do, I think we really have to pay attention to children who are really pretty powerless in the political dynamic that's going on right now.

But at the end of the day, let's say everything fell apart. We would come back hard, we, the children's advocacy community, and say let's at least make sure there is no child in America that doesn't have access to health care. There are some fairly simple ways of doing it. We've had a good start with programs like Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. These programs could be expanded but we really do need to pay attention to this.

LEMON: There are some practicing physicians who oppose the bill, saying it will make it or expensive for them to practice medicine. Why are some doctors against it?

REDLENER: I think they're against it ideologically because they don't believe the federal government has a role in this, which we strongly disagree with. And other doctors are concerned that the reimbursement rate, say for Medicaid, is so low that that needs to be addressed. That's another issue that was addressed in the Affordable Care Act, to give parity, to make it equal payments for children under Medicaid as they are for a senior's health care under Medicare. It's just another issue that I think we can address if we go ahead and implement the Affordable Care Act. That will make a lot more doctors significantly more comfortable with what's in store.

LEMON: All right, thank you, Dr. Irwin Redlener. We appreciate it.

REDLENER: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: A Congressman isn't afraid to wear his hoodie on the House floor. I will talk to this lawmaker who is refusing to be silenced about the Trayvon Martin case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A tribute to slain Florida teenager, Trayvon Martin, going viral right now. It's of Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush speaking on the House floor this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BOBBY RUSH, (D), ILLINOIS: -- quasi-official clothes. Racial profiling has to stop, Mr. Speaker. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum. The Bible teaches us, Mr. Speaker in Elijah --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: The member will suspend --

RUSH: These words --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: The member will suspend. The chair must remind --

(CROSSTALK)

RUSH: These words, he has shown you a man what is good.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: The contrary must remind you of rule 17. You're out of order.

RUSH: As you allow mercy and walk humbly with your God. And --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: OK, so the Congressman was kicked out of House chamber for wearing that hoodie. He joins us from Capitol Hill.

Congressman, we just heard from House majority leader, Nancy Pelosi, reacting to your speech. Before I speak with you, I want you to listen to it and get your reaction. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Frankly, I'm more concerned about some of the language that is used on the floor to undermine the security of our seniors, the education of our children, the protection of our neighborhoods, the health of -- the strength of our environment and the rest, then I am about what somebody is wearing on the floor.

When I first came here -- when I first came here 25 years ago -- did you not remember I'm observing my 25th anniversary? Did I say that yet today?

(LAUGHTER)

Women could not wear pantsuits on the floor. That was a violation of decorum. It wasn't until a number of years later that we were allowed to do that.

But again, I'm more concerned about actions taken, words spoken, and the impact on the American people, than whether somebody has a hoodie or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So there is the former speaker standing up for you. Your reaction to that? And the bigger question is, why did you decide to wear a hoodie? You're wearing one now.

RUSH: Well, I just wanted to express, Don -- and thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity. I just wanted to express that a hoodie is nothing but a piece of clothing. I'm glad that the speaker said what she said about women not being able to wear pants. It's nothing but clothing. It has nothing to do with character.

But Trayvon Martin lies dead, partially because he was a black man wearing a hoodie in a white neighborhood. Shot in the head. Something is wrong with that. The assailant has not been charged. Something is wrong with that. The police let him go scot-free. Something is wrong with that.

This is a mere example, protest about the failure of the judicial system as it relates to African-American males and the clothing they wear. Their life is much more than a piece of clothing. And we can't lie down and accept murder because someone wears a hood. A hood is nothing but a piece of clothing.

LEMON: Congressman, I know you're impassioned by this. And I'm a former resident of Chicago. You're there in Illinois. You know what happens in Chicago. A lot of it happens on the south side of Chicago, gang members, African-Americans. People kill each other all the time. I'm talking about your specific area. This is something that's close to you because so many people have died. And you know them and their families come to you and you have to deal with it. And this is something very personal to you. I want you to tell our viewers why.

RUSH: My son, in 1999, was shot down in the streets. Since I've been a member of Congress, I've railed against the NRA, the National Rifle Association, introduced legislation to register handguns, to license handguns. I tell you, if we -- if you have to have a VIN number for an automobile, a vehicle identification number, then why not have a VIN number for all these guns, a gun identification number.

I'm against this violence. All right? The agency will allow someone because they are a black male to be shot down in cold blooded in the back of the head on our streets, and they walk away scot-free. This is just not something that happened in Florida. It happened in Chicago a couple of years ago. Where a man who walked into a drugstore -- they said he stole toothpaste, a container of toothpaste, and he ran out. The security guy chased him, who was not a police officer now. A security guard chased him, put him into a chokehold and he died. Killed him right there. And he still has not been charged. So this goes on and on and on.

All my life, I have been dedicated, fought hard against police brutality and police murder and the willful non-pretension that young black man -- and I'm not excusing those who are criminals, those who are real hoodlums. But just because you wear a hood, a hoodie don't make you a hoodlum.

LEMON: Congressman, I want to jump in now and I want you to hear this. This is Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother talking about you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: This just shows the passion of what's going on with Trayvon Martin. It also shows that some people don't quite get it. They don't quite understand. It's almost like they're an ostrich. They have their head buried in the sand. They don't quite understand what's going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The parents of Trayvon Martin speaking out about your reactions. I have just a short time to go. What do you say about that?

RUSH: Let me just say, this family lost a son but they have gained a whole generation of children who are now protesting in the streets, walking in the schools. They're doing what they need to do in order to make their voices heard because they do not want to be the next Trayvon Martin.

LEMON: What are you doing next for this?

RUSH: We are trying to get the word out. We have some plans that I'm not -- we haven't firmed them up right now. But this is just the beginning.

LEMON: Congressman Bobby Rush, thank you for coming on and pouring your heart out. We appreciate you. And we'll talk to you soon.

RUSH: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Interesting.

Brooke, take it away.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Don Lemon, I will. Thanks you so much. Fascinating interview there.