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RNC Needs to Modernize Message; NYPD Stop and Frisk Law Challenged; Lindsey Lohan Back in Court; Obama Nominates Labor Secretary.

Aired March 18, 2013 - 11:30   ET

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


ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: They're also going to implement a $10 million minority outreach program. And to that point, you might want to check out this brand new Pew poll finding that 62 percent of American people think the GOP is out of touch. When I say brand new, February 13th to 18th. This is something that the party leaders are openly admitting.

Joining me now is Jake Tapper, chief Washington correspondent and anchor for "THE LEAD," debuting today.

Welcome to the daily rundown, Mr. Tapper. It's nice to see you.

I want to ask you right off the bat, I said RNC is looking to nation's 30 Republican governors. And one of them, who is extraordinarily popular, Mr. Chris Christie, wasn't even invited to CPAC. I'm not sure I understand this.

JAKE TAPPER, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT & ANCHOR, THE LEAD: Not only him but the governor of Virginia wasn't, Bob McDonnell, who is conservative, but he's shown that he's willing to work with Democrats in the legislature there, and that also has made him not popular among some party faithful.

Look, the truth of the matter is this is not a done deal what the Republican National Committee outlined today. People will say that, first of all, there's the minority outreach program that you talked about but there's another part that's very controversial and that's the desire to limit the length of the primary process, to limit the number of debates. Many people in the Republican Party grassroots, many conservative activists think this is nothing more than an attempt by Republicans in Washington, D.C., the establishment, to foist and force their candidates on the Republican Party without enough debate.

So I think when it comes to whether it's reaching out to minorities, when it comes to issues, when it comes to truncating of the primary process, this is not a done deal just because Priebus put it out there for everyone to see.

MALVEAUX: Mr. Tapper, at 4:00 today. I've been watching your career as you have been doing mostly Washington politics, and then I watched promos that say you like comic books. And I understand --

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: -- you have a very special interview with one of my --

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: it's a good thing I'm already marriage. It's a good thing I'm already married by the way.

MALVEAUX: Isn't it though. We would be clamoring at you.

(LAUGHTER)

You have an interview with Stephen Colbert? Are you kidding?

TAPPER: We're trying to make this very, very broad in terms of topics. Smart coverage of course, but broad. Today, on our show, we have an interview with Mayor Bloomberg talking about the overturn of the oversized soda ban. We'll also have an interview with Lebron James from Rachel Nichols, CNN's own Rachel Nichols. And then we'll have a sit down with Stephen Colbert. His sister is running for Congress. Her primary in South Carolina is tomorrow. But also, of course, we took an opportunity to have some lighter moments with Mr. Colbert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP):

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE COLBERT REPORT: I can't give you advice. You're an actual newsman. You know things about your business. I can't give you any -- if you did a comedy show, I could give you advice.

TAPPER: I'm not doing a comedy show.

COLBERT: We'll see.

(LAUGHTER)

I'll be the judge of that. We'll show what clips show up.

(CROSSTALK)

COLBERT: Don't be too funny because I don't want to have to pull my punches.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That's our sit down with Stephen Colbert. We'll have more later today on the show, on "The Lead," 4:00 eastern, 1:00 pacific -- Ashleigh?

MALVEAUX: Oh, cannot wait. We are looking forward to it. If I haven't said it many times before, it's great to have you on board here at CNN. Thanks, Jake. TAPPER: Thanks, Ashleigh.

MALVEAUX: Next up, is this an effective crime-fighting tool or is this just straight up racial profiling? Critics are hoping the federal judge will really change up the NYPD's so-called Stop and Frisk law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The tiniest state in the European Union is at the center of some major financial shock waves today, and I'm not talking about Greece. This is Cyprus. Cyprus is being asked to tax the savings accounts in people's banks at about 10 percent in exchange for a 10 billion Euro bailout from its E.U. partners. That's a first in the short but painful history of Eurozone bailouts, and it set off a weekend run on ATMs, people trying to get their savings out before taxes hit. Banks are staying closed through Wednesday to prevent a run. Parliament is due to vote on that tax tomorrow.

So how offensive is this? Check out that salute. The Nazi salute on the field of a professional soccer game in Greece over the weekend. And the player is actually doing this to celebrate a goal. That 20 year old was immediately admonished. Look at the look at the face of his teammate. Eke. In his defense, he said he did not know this was a Nazi salute. That he doesn't know politics. But he certainly has time to learn now because he's been banned for life from ever playing on his country's national team.

A close call for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. He was on his way home from his son's soccer game when a truck sideswiped his car while making an illegal turn. Governor Jindal wasn't hurt but a state trooper sustained minor injuries. The truck driver was cited for making that improper turn.

New York City's controversial Stop and Frisk law is facing a court challenge starting today. The police say that the Stop and Frisk has cut the crime rate dramatically. The critics say it racially profiles minorities at far too great a rate.

Here's what we know about numbers. New York City police made five million stops in the last decade. More than half of them, 52 percent, were black people. 32 percent of those stops, Hispanic. Only 11 percent of the stops were white people. But if you look at the population breakdown, it shows that the numbers are upside down because blacks and Hispanics are each only a quarter of the population while whites are almost half, 44 percent.

While the numbers do seem to make a case for a class action suit if you look precinct to precinct, the NYPD says it actually represents the numbers of people who are actually cited in crimes, the number of minorities who are cited in crimes.

Joining me now, former juvenile court judge, Glenda Hatchett, and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

Joey, let he will start with you.

Numbers are a tricky thing. There's fuzzy math. There's different math. There's math that makes sense. There's math you can fudge. In this respect, does math play into this case in front of the court today? JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, I really think it does, Ashleigh. Just to be clear, I know police have a very difficult job. We depend on them in large measure to keep us safe. They do a wonderful job. The question becomes, there's a tension between our wanting them to deter crime and police stopping people inappropriately who don't deserve to be stopped. When you look at the statistics, they are telling. In a city of 8.2 million people, the disproportionate number of people of color that are being stopped. If you strike the appropriate balance you stop people because there's a basis and legal justification, that's one thing. If you're not, that's quite another.

MALVEAUX: So, Judge Hatchett, the person who sort of was at the genesis of this case was a young African-American doctor. He was just stopped one too many times for his liking and ultimately this snowballed into a class-action case. Without question, anybody would say it's awful to be in his position. At the same time, the NYPD says, where they do the majority of these stops, it so happens those are minority communities, and that their argument would be, should we not protect those minority communities from crime?

GLENDA HATCHETT, FORMER JUVENILE COURT JUDGE: I agree with Joey. It's necessary. I understand that. What I'm concerned most about, Ashleigh, and I want to make sure that we all understand that the federal district judge today will not decide on whether this is legal or not, but what the methods and should there be modification.

The bottom line, out of the approximately 540,000 stops last year, only 10 percent of those resulted in an arrest, and a few of those, even fewer of those, involved cases with weapons. So perhaps there should be some kind of modification. There should be more balance. The disproportionate number of African-American and Hispanic is really alarming so we might -- I think that we should take a step back and see if there's a way that we can balance it so the community is safe but yet people's rights are being protected.

MALVEAUX: Joey, the judge makes a great point. 10 percent where they get arrests out of those people stopped. But if you take those numbers and look at them in non-percentage numbers, we had 419 murders in 2012 here in New York and back in the 1990s those numbers were in the 2,000s. That's dramatic, 10 percent. So again, I bring up the math. Glenda Hatchett is clearly pointing out this will not stop. This process, it will just allow tailoring of the process. What can you do to tailor it, Joey?

JACKSON: The police will argue it's dramatic. Murders are at an all- time low and it's because of the aggressive job that we do that this is taking place. What we have to look at is whether the end justifies the means. We want murder rates to be low. We want everyone to be safe. We don't want people's constitutional rights and liberties to be affected unduly. What a judge can do is rule on the law. You don't approach people for discriminatory reasons. You don't profile. However, if you see there's a crime being committed or about to be committed or there's some other measure that gives you probable cause, you do what a police officer is lawfully entitled and expected to do.

HATCHETT: That line is very fuzzy.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Is it ever. You got probable cause, reasonable suspicion and then a hunch. That's where this gets really fuzzy.

All right. Thank you to both of you.

I have a test for our viewers, and I just want to throw this out there for you. What is Lindsay Lohan in for this time? She's due back in court this morning. We tried to remember what it could be. We looked up the things it might be. Are you ready? Allegedly punching a reader in a New York nightclub, a crash between her truck on a highway, allegedly hitting a New York restaurant worker and leaving the scene, stealing a necklace, her Santa Monica DUI arrest. Maybe it was her Beverly Hills DUI arrest. Maybe it was driving on suspended license, perhaps missing alcohol counseling sessions, or maybe it was cocaine possession or failing a drug test. She has faced all of these. And I think we ran out of time in our research. Tell you what today's issue is all about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to take you back to our quiz on the Lindsay Lohan saga. She's do in court later this hour. The charges she faces stem from our answer "B," the Porsche-truck crash on the Pacific Coast highway. She's charged with lying to a police officer, reckless driving and violation of her probation for a shoplifting conviction connected to this last year crash when her Porsche landed in the back of a truck. If she's convicted of any of these charges, she could face another stay in jail.

Back with me now is former juvenile court judge, Glenda Hatchet, and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

I don't even know where to begin. When I looked at that list after our crack researcher, Charlie Lee, put it together, I was astounded.

How many probation violations might this actually be, Joey Jackson?

JACKSON: Well, multiple. You know, first, she has to find a lawyer because, of course, her New York lawyer, he's not really versed in the laws as it relates to California. There was a California attorney who stepped in, who I know. Very good attorney, by the way, who could potentially represent her there. And a judge will make a decision whether or not the statement she gave to the police, which is the basis for her lying, since it was given at a hospital, whether it's even admissible. And then when you get past that, whether or not if, taken as a whole, it violates her probation. If that's the case, yes, it represents more jail time.

MALVEAUX: Hold on for one second, if you will. I want to add that she missed her flight last night and was in peril of not making it.

But I have to jump out of this segment for a moment. The president is speaking with his labor secretary nominee, Tom Perez. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- instrumental to taking these challenges is having an outstanding secretary of labor. So I want to begin by thanking Hilda Solis and her entire team --

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: -- including acting secretary, Seth Harris --

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: -- for the outstanding work they've done over the past four years. Their efforts at the Department of Labor have given more young people a chance to earn new skills, more returning vets the chance to find a job. They've looked out for worker's safety from construction sites to coal mines. They stood up for worker's rights to organize, women's rights to get paid equally for the work that they do. They've done an extraordianry job of fighting on behalf of working families across the board.

And today, I'm proud to nominate a leader to carry on those efforts as America's next secretary of labor, Tom Perez.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Like so many Americans, Tom knows what it's like to climb the ladder of opportunity. He's the son of Dominican immigrants. He helped pay his way through college as a garbage collector and working at a warehouse. He went on to become the first lawyer in his family. So his story reminds us of this country's promise that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what your last name is, you can make it if you try. And Tom's made protecting that promise for everybody the cause of his life.

As a civil rights attorney, an aide to Senator Ted Kennedy, a member of the Montgomery, Maryland, county council, Tom fought for a level playing field where hard work and responsibility are rewarded and working families can get ahead.

And this is not the first time he's chosen to be a labor secretary either. We've got here today Governor Martin O'Malley. And Martin appointed Tom as secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, where he helped implement the country's first statewide living wage law because he understood minimum wage should be a wage you can live on.

In his current role as the head of the U.S. Justice Department and Civil Rights Division, he's fought to open pathways into the work force for everyone willing to contribute, including people with disabilities, LGBT Americans and immigrants. And he's helped settle some of the largest cases ever on behalf of families targeted by unfair mortgage lending.

Now, while he's tackled plenty of tough issues, Tom's also spent a career as a consensus builder. He's worked with CEOs, labor leaders. He's worked at federal, state and local government levels. And throughout, he understands that our economy works best when the middle class and those working to get into the middle class have the security they need on the job, a Democratic voice in the workplace, everybody playing by the same set of rules.

Tom's knowledge and experience will make him an outstanding secretary of labor. And there's plenty of work to do. We're going to have to work very hard to make sure that folks find jobs with good wages and good benefits. We've got to make sure that our veterans, who are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, have a chance to put their incredible skills and leadership to work at home. We need to build an immigration system that works for every employee and every family and every business.

I'm confident that Tom's going to be able to work to promote economic growth, but also make sure that that growth is broad based. And he's going to be an integral part of our team. These are a few of the families are facing and where they need an advocate and Tom's the right person for that job. So I hope that the Senate will act swiftly to confirm Tom so we can work together to address all these concerns.

I want to thank not only Tom but his wonderful family for agreeing to take on this new role. I just heard that Tom has been coaching basketball and baseball. He doesn't claim to be a great coach --

(LAUGHTER)

-- but he brings passion to it.

(LAUGHTER)

He may end up missing a few of the games over the next several months, but it's going to be for a good cause. And I appreciate his family being willing to make these sacrifices as well.

So with that, I would like to introduce my nominee to be our next secretary of labor, give him a chance to say a few words. And, again, I'd urge the Senate to confirm him as quickly as possible.

Mr. Tom Perez.

(APPLAUSE)

TOM PEREZ, LABOR SECRETARY NOMINEE: Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

PEREZ: Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President, for your confidence in me.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

PEREZ: It is a remarkably humbling and exciting phenomenon to be here today.

My parents taught my four siblings and me to work hard, to give back to our community, and to make sure that the ladder of opportunity was there for those coming after us. Over my career, I've learned that true progress is possible if you keep an open mind, listen to all sides and focus on results. I look forward to taking these lessons with me, if confirmed, to my new role as secretary of the Department of Labor.

As you well know, our nation still faces critical economic challenges. And the department's mission is as important as ever. I am confident that together with our partners and organized labor, the business community, grass-roots communities, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, we can keep making progress for all working families.

In the coming weeks, as the confirmation process unfolds, I look forward to meeting with Senators of both parties to discuss the Labor Department's key role protecting and growing the middle class.

I'll close again, Mr. President, by thanking you once again for this tremendous opportunity.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

PEREZ: I look forward to this opportunity to continue serving our nation. Thank you so much.

(APPLAUSE)

MALVEAUX: Tom Perez, congratulated by the president. His Spanish is impeccable because he's first-generation Dominican-American. And he would be the only Latino, at this point, in Mr. Obama's second term. As he goes to meets the crowd, we're going to fit in a quick break. We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The chief operations officer of Facebook is challenging women to fight against the barriers that keep them from succeeding. Sheryl Sandberg's new book, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead," says it's time to begin a national conversation about the problem. Why, for instance, do women hold only 18 percent of the jobs in Congress and 14 percent of the top corporate jobs? Here's a surprise. Sandberg told CNN's Soledad O'Brien that most of her critics are women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN HOST: Most of your critics are women.

SHERYL SANDBERG, COO FACEBOOK: Most of the debate about women has been women, especially for the first couple weeks before the book was out. One thing -- someone asked me, what was the most surprising thing. The most surprising thing was that no man said a word. I couldn't find a man writing a line saying a word.

O'BRIEN: So what do you think that means? That they're just going to keep their head down?

SANDBERG: I think it's too hard for men to talk about gender. A friend of mine, who runs a large institution, says it's easier to talk about your sex life in public as a man than talk about gender. We have to let men talk about this. I hope men enter the conversation and the controversy around my book because we need men to talk about this, too, if it's ever going to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Sheryl Sandberg with Soledad O'Brien.

That's all the time we have today. Thank you very much for watch. Stay tuned because AROUND THE WORLD with Suzanne Malveaux and Michael Holmes begins right now.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to AROUND THE WORLD." I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Good to see you in person.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you back.

MALVEAUX: It's very nice to be back.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: All right, I'm Michael Holmes. Let's begin in Cyprus, because that's where the news is.

MALVEAUX: Tiny European country packing a big punch on the markets. That is AROUND THE WORLD today.

HOLMES: Indeed. Why? Because that accounting, like a lot of its European neighbors, needs a bit of a bailout. But it's the rescue plan being proposed that's the problem. It would scoop out as much --