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Three People Killed In Indianapolis Bus Crash; Bride-To-Be Killed In Boat Accident; Pope Francis In Brazil; Anthony Weiner Confronted By New York Voter; Deadly Floods Left Entire Towns Underwater In North Carolina Today
Aired July 28, 2013 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN NEWSROOM: Hi, Pamela. Thank you very much. Nice show today. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon.
We have the biggest stories, weekend and week ahead. Let's talk about this. The driver in the deadly Indianapolis bus crash tells witnesses his brakes went out.
Millions upon millions greet the new pope in Brazil. We are going to go live to Rio as the pontiff says good-bye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I'll make it --
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): That's quite all right.
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): As a former New York City --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: She made headlines dressing down Anthony Weiner. Why did she do it? She is coming up. I'll ask her live.
And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don, I think your comments of a conservative preacher on a Sunday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A lot of people got riled up about my no-talking points on black America. Why all the fuss? You can judge for yourself. We have got it in its entirety. Plus, more coming up.
But we are going to begin this hour in Indianapolis with new details in the deadly crash of a church bus. The bus had just exited off the interstate at high speed when the driver said his brakes failed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw this bus going so fast. And I thought, God, that guy is going fast. The light turned green for the southbound traffic and then the bus just flew in to my vision right away and flipped just in an instant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bus flipped over. There were people, you know, crawling out of the bus. There were people who were severely injured. People who were dead. People who were hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The bus was carrying teenage members of Colonial Hills Baptist church who were returning home from a camping trip in Michigan. Church officials today said they identified three people who died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF LEFFEW, DEACON, COLONIAL BAPTIST CHURCH: The deceased was our youth pastor, Pastor Chad Phelps, and his wife Courtney Phelps and their unborn child due next month. We also lost Tonya Weindorf. Tonya is the mother, a mother here in our church, long-time member, mother of five. Tonya was at camp because she has a special needs child who wanted to go. And she wanted to go and make it a good week. And according to her husband, it was a great week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Very sad. At least 19 people were hurt in the crash including a person listed in critical condition.
Police believe they have recovered the body of a second victim after a boat accident in the Hudson River. Six people, all part of a wedding party, were cruising in this boat near the Tappan Zee Bridge Friday night. They hit a barge and two of the people were thrown out. One of them was the bride to be. She died. Her body was found yesterday. Police think the victim pulled from the water today is the best man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS FALCO, SHERIFF, ROCKLAND COUNTY, NEW YORK: It's horrific. No one expects to experience not only that but the families, the parents of both of the victim that is are deceased as well as the other victims in the boat that are injured. But I don't think you could put words to the fact of what we need to do to console these families and I don't know that you can. I know that the communities will rally around them. In Rockland County to try to give them the best support that we can. But I don't think, nothing but time will heal this and never be forgotten.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, this is the bride and groom to be who were on the boat. They were planning to be married in two weeks. The man operating the boat when it crashed has been arrested. Police think he had been drinking.
Deadly floods left entire towns under water in North Carolina today. I want you to look at this video. A woman scrambles from the flooded car on to the back of an emergency rescuer. Flash floods are swamping homes, washing out roads and causing power outages. Rising water proved fatal for two swimmers in a rain swollen creek. Swift currents pulled a 10-year-old girl away from her family. Her body has been found and it was found about an hour later. A short time ago, emergency crews found the body of a 48-year-old man in the same creek in North Carolina. Meanwhile, state of emergency has been declared in the towns of Hickory and also Newton.
Nick Valencia is tracking the flooding for us.
Nick, what are you learning about the two deaths?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Don.
We know they are from separate families but they were swimming in the same rain-swollen creeks yesterday when those flash floods just ripped through there. That creek, two feet higher than normal because of the severe weather that swept through there. And as you mention, the body of the 10-year-old found late Saturday and that 48-year-old found just a short time later. But even for those that did survive the severe weather, Don, they are going to be dealing with the cleanup for weeks -- Don.
LEMON: You know, Nick, flooding, is it a bigger problem this year? We have seen floods in the Midwest, the northeast and the south, plus, big floods in Canada just a few weeks back. This doesn't appear to be usual.
VALENCIA: No, it is unusual. And out weather team can probably tell you a little better but we have seen higher than average rain totals this summer in the southeast. And as far as North Carolina is concerned, I spoke with the department of emergency management and they gave us some context about the severe weather system that swept through there and why it caused so many problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF CARDWELL, NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: It's probably the worst flooding that we have had in western North Carolina since 2004. And that was really -- that was tropical storm Francis and Ivan that resulted in that in 2004. And of course, since then we have been in, you know, a large drought area and now because of the amount of rain we have had and we are seeing a lot of flash floods and a lot of landslides and, you know, taken a toll on the emergency services as well as the residents of this area of North Carolina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: Don, the rain was constant. The rain was severe. The rain proved to be deadly -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Nick Valencia in Atlanta. Nick, thank you very much for that.
In the Pacific, Hawaiians are bracing for big surf today. It is all due to tropical storm Flossie which is turning toward the island at about 20 miles an hour. Tropical storm warnings are already posted from Maui and the big island and expected to push past Hawaii, I should say, tomorrow morning.
In Egypt, no sign the deadly unrest will be ending soon. Supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi clashed with the military-backed government last night deep into the night in Cairo.
The latest fighting has left at least 72 people dead. Morsi supporters insist police opened fire on them. Government officials denied that. They claim protesters attacked and wounded police.
Well, the long dormant Mideast peace talks are taking a step forward as the state department announces they will resume tomorrow evening in Washington. Secretary of state John Kerry spoke with both Palestinian (ph) authority, President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They accepted his invitation to send senior negotiating teams to Washington to formally resume negotiations. And for years, Israel and the Palestinian authority made attempts to negotiate but have repeatedly failed to get the process moving.
Take a glance at President Obama's schedule for a week. It looks more like election season than summer vacation. As new battle brews over government spending and debt, he has been on the road to sell his economic plan.
Sending Capitol Hill reporter, Lisa Desjardins joins me live from Washington.
He is on the road and looks like he is back on the campaign trail. What's the strategy here, Lisa?
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Don. Bear with me here but if you think of Washington as an action movie, seriously, an action movie, this is the moment where people paying attention should start to squint their eyes and realize a major plot line is being built.
Why should you care about the plot line? Well, who wins in this political theater can determine the future of our taxes, our economy, immigration and health care. The latest move from President Obama came this weekend in an interview with "The New York Times." Listen to this clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not just going to sit back if the only message from some of these folks is, no, on everything. And sit around and twiddle my thumbs for 1,200 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DESJARDINS: OK. Did you hear that last part? Twelve hundred days. What's left in the term of office. Remember, this is the president who doesn't have to run again. His supporters want him to push harder and his allies are stressing that time may be running out for him to flex any muscles. After this year, the 2014 and 2016 elections will be suffocating in Washington so with all that in mind, think about this new offensive. That sound bite we played and also listen to these three speeches from last week. President Obama is trying to sort of pin down Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: You got to be for something. What are your ideas?
The Republicans don't agree with me. I want them to lay out their ideas. If they have a better plan to make sure that every American knows the security of affordable health care. If they have a better plan to create jobs, to rebuild our infrastructure, is strengthen American manufacturing and rebuild the country's infrastructure. Let's go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DESJARDINS: If that doesn't remind you of a campaign, I'm not sure what will. Expect more of that. The president will speak to Tennessee workers on Tuesday, Don, then he is going to make uncommon visit to the capitol on Wednesday. Notable, he is talking with Democrats. So, not only does he need to shore up independence but clearly huddle with his own members.
Now, Congress leaves the end of this week and you can expect drama to build over August as members are back in their districts facing voters -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Lisa, so this is one side of this dramatic moment. The president's said. But you know there's always the other side. What are Republicans saying? What are they doing?
DESJARDINS: Yes. Republicans are not sitting on their hills. They are going on offense, too. And their main point of attack, Don, has the name of Obama in it, Obamacare. They are going to be talking about the president's health care system. They call it a jobs killer. They will be bringing up hearings. In fact, we will have one this week. And there will likely be more votes to defund Obama care. All right, of this, really, is a chestnut, I think it is pretty thrilling, but it's setting up a huge battle in September once congress returns and we face what could be another major budget crisis, these two sides staring each other down, trying to gain muscle and momentum, each of them right now.
LEMON: But you love it. That's why you're the Capitol Hill reporter. It's drama. I love it. I love it.
DESJARDINS: It's important.
LEMON: Thank you, Lisa. Appreciate it.
DESJARDINS: You got it.
LEMON: OK. Everyone, ruffling feathers, part of my job. When I talked about problems facing the African-American community and how to fix them, some said I needed to chill out. Well coming up, you are going to hear me agree with Bill O'Reilly about certain issues facing the African-American community and African-American families. What? Yes, me and O'Reilly actually agree on something. You will hear more in just a few.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Anthony Weiner, goes without say, he had a bad week and this weekend it got worse. First, the newest sex chat and pictures and online name, Carlos Danger, all of that came to light. Punch number one, and then that news conference with his wife standing awkwardly by his side, and then the poll numbers falling like a rock. And news today, the man running the Weiner campaign for New York City mayor called it quits. New York Republican in Congress says it's time for Anthony Weiner to look clearly at what he's doing and to just stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: I had nothing personal against Anthony. He's getting along but nothing. This is a real pathological problem here with him. I mean, how he could be out there knowing the information would come out. After this, I think he should do himself and everybody a favor and just step to the sidelines. He's not qualified, not psychologically qualified to be mayor of the city of New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Anthony Weiner has not explained himself, at least, to the satisfaction of many people in the city where he wants to be mayor. I want to watch what happened to Weiner just a couple of days ago when he met voters on Staten Island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEG BRUNDA, ARGUED WITH ANTHONY WEINER: I don't quite understand how you would feel you would have the moral authority as the head administrator in this city to oversee employees when your standard of conduct is so lower than the standard --
ANTHONY WEINER, NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Are you not voting for me?
BRUNDA: I would not.
WEINER: I certainly understand that.
BRUNDA: Quite obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Anthony Weiner ran right in to a buzz saw by the name of Peg Brunda, a New Yorker and educator and someone who would not let candidate Weiner off the hook. She wanted answers. She got an argument. And we're not exactly sure who won this exchange. I know who won this exchange. So, look who's here. There's Peg right there. Peg, when I saw it yesterday, I said, I told my team, I was like, we have to get her. Find out who she is. You really gave it to the candidate Weiner with both barrels the other day. Are you satisfied with the answer he gave you?
BRUNDA: I don't feel he gave may answer. And, you know, I just want people to understand where I was coming from. My point in asking him that question was, why do you have a system of behavior and acceptable behavior for your employees when you are the top employee and everybody is an employee of the city of New York when you put your name on that list. And as the mayor, he's being paid by the city of New York. And he needs to have a standard that's going to be comparable or you end up in a situation where you have conflicts going on. What do you do as the mayor when you have as a firefighter, a police officer, a teacher who's now up to be fired for behaving in the same manner you did? I just think it leads to chaos down the road and I didn't understand, as I said, how he could feel he would be able to be in the position of the leader.
LEMON: Yes.
BRUNDA: My point and my --
LEMON: You had him there for a good long time. I was saying, is she going to ever let up? I mean, is he going to walk away? What is going to go on?
Let me ask you, did you ever at any point consider voting for Anthony Weiner before this -- maybe the last scandal?
BRUNDA: I had left my mind open. I had left my mind open. I was not standing there and committing to anyone and up until the week -- the prior week when this second level of allegations came out, I had left my mind open. We all make mistakes. I was not there to judge Mr. Weiner. I was not there to judge anyone. And we are all guilty of our own indiscretions. No one is perfect. And I did not stand there and ask the question for that reason. I asked the question merely as a former employee of the city of New York who deals -- had dealt with situations with students. And it was almost the same thing where you don't expect a student to stand there and behave in a manner which is unacceptable when a supervisor or a teacher's behaving in the same manner that's unacceptable.
LEMON: How will you discipline them?
BRUNDA: Excusing them.
LEMON: Right. How are you going to do that?
OK. I have to ask you. You're a wife and mom?
BRUNDA: I'm sorry?
LEMON: You are you a wife and mom?
BRUNDA: No. LEMON: No. You're not.
BRUNDA: No, I'm not.
LEMON: I was going to ask --
BRUNDA: Although, to be honest with you, I have had thousands of children over the course of the last 30 years.
LEMON: I was just going to ask you about -- because his wife has been getting criticism about standing by her man and fairly or unfairly and I thought if you were, I would ask you what you thought about that.
BRUNDA: I think that there's a problem with the role of women and how he responds to them and I don't know what her motivation is. That's not for me to judge, just as it's not for me to judge his behavior. I was quoted as saying he was saying a pervert. I was quoted in saying I was voting for Christine Quinn. There were a lot of things that were inaccurate in that. I never said he was a pervert. I'm not judging him. I'm not judging his wife either.
LEMON: But you think now though that he should get out of the race, right?
BRUNDA: I think it's distracting to the issues and I think that he has some good and valid points to make. However, I think he is not the vehicle for implementing them.
LEMON: All right.
BRUNDA: I think that he needs to stand there if he's truly insisted in the city of New York and in any class of citizen, because everybody's important.
LEMON: All right.
BRUNDA: He needs to stand there and share that information and then disseminate it in that manner.
LEMON: I have to tell you, Peg, you keep talking just like a politician. I ask you a question and you have the long answers so maybe people will write you in as the mayor of New York.
BRUNDA: You know what? No, no, no, no, no. You know, I was in the spotlight for 30 years and very happily out of the spotlight. This has just been thrust upon me in a manner that I never expected, never expected.
LEMON: All right. I have to move on. I love your chutzpah. I love your personality. Thank you for coming on CNN. Best of luck to you.
BRUNDA: Thank you so much. Have a great day.
LEMON: You, as well.
You know, he was in the infantry in Vietnam War and shock medics when they heard him breathing from inside his body bag. That incredible story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Radio personality David "Kidd" Kraddick has died unexpectedly at a charity golfing event in New Orleans. His syndicated show "Kidd Craddick" in the morning was carried in nearly 100 cities around the country. No details yet on the cause of his death.
More than 100 golfers were hand for yesterday's charity event. Kraddick's charity benefits children with terminal or chronic illnesses. The proceeds help send them and their families to Disney world. Kraddick was just a few weeks shy of turning 54.
How do we tackle the thorny problems facing the African-American community? I made a list of possible suggestions. One starts with how young people present themselves. Young men, if your pants are sagging, your self esteem may be sagging. You will hear more from my very special "no talking points" coming up in about 20 minutes here on CNN.
But first, this is an incredible story to tell you about. A soldier thought to be killed in action and even put in to a body bag. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of how he's helping others in this week's "human factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 1968. Infantry platoon sergeant Urban Miyares, was on patrol in Vietnam.
URBAN MIYARES, VIETNAM VETERAN: As we're going out, going by the rice paddies and the delta, I hear mortars coming in, machine guns going off.
GUPTA: Then something odd happened.
MIYARES: Next thing I feel myself falling in to a rice paddy and that's it. Two days later, I woke up in the Saigon military hospital and they were telling me I was lucky they found me in a body bag.
GUPTA: You heard that right. Urban was put in a body bag, presumed dead because he was unconscious. And a stood combat medic had discovered him still breathing.
MIYARES: Diagnosis was diabetes.
GUPTA: Urban hadn't been hit by the enemy. He passed out from the effects of the disease. He was only the soldier in the platoon to survive.
MIYARES: If it wasn't for diabetes, I probably wouldn't be here.
GUPTA: The 45 years since having a roller coaster ride, as well. Urban is legally blind since the '70s. He lost most of his hearing. He needed a kidney transplant. But one thing, sailing, that kept him afloat.
MIYARES: When I went to Vietnam and came back so sick and especially with the eyesight loss, I never thought I'd get in to sailing again. And until I met two gentleman in wheelchairs, Vietnam era veteran --.
GUPTA: The three of them started challenged America, the therapeutic sailing program for people with disabilities primarily Veterans.
MIYARES: Sailing is therapy. There is nothing like being on the water, being with nature. No one's going to jump out of a hole and shoot at me.
GUPTA: The program now has 27 modified sailboats based in San Diego. Urban's goal is to help the world see people with disabilities as equals.
MIYARES: It is nice, you know, you get front of the line privileges I like to say but that's not really what we're doing. We want to be equal with you. We want to, you know, give us a chance to prove that we could do it. You may be surprised.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now to the NASCAR brick yard 400. You think this was just a race? Well, you should think again. This redemption weekend for his redemption weekend for Ryan Newman at the brickyard 400. Yesterday, Newman took the pole position for today's race. Look at them all going out there. They are so excited. Today, he took the whole enchilada, this, after learning earlier this month that Tony Stewart is booting him from the Stewart Husk (ph) racing team next year. And by the way, Stewart finished fourth. It is to stick it to the man? Congratulations to him.
NASCAR is about as American as apple pie but amid the tailgating and the roaring engines at this weekend brick yard 400, there was to be an unlikely sight, a pro-pot ad to be shown dozens of times on a giant screen just outside the Indianapolis racetrack. But just as the weekend was kicking off, the company who owns the Jumbotron (ph) pulled the ad after complaints of anti-drug groups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are an adult who enjoy a good beer, there's a similar product you might want to know about, one without all the calories and serious health problems. Less toxic so it doesn't cause hangovers or overdose tips and it is not linked to violence or reckless behavior. Marijuana, less harmful than alcohol and time to treat it that way. For more information, visit --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Sounds like someone should say I'm such and such and I approve this message. You know, the ad has the power to potentially reach hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans over the course of the weekend. The first time a pro-marijuana legalization ad would have appeared so close to an entrance gate of a major sporting event. It was created by the Marijuana Policy Project. It is a group that advocates legalizing pot.
Mason Tvert is the project's communications director. He joins us now. So what's your reaction to the ad being pulled, sir?
MASON TVERT, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT: Well, you know, it's really unfortunate that this company has decided to take down an advertisement that simply highlighted the fact that marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol. When meanwhile, this is a race that's sponsored by alcohol companies. The teams racing in it are sponsored by alcohol companies, and everyone at the event is -- if they're an adult and they're able to drink responsibly, then they are. Why's it such a problem to have a discussion of marijuana being safer than alcohol?
LEMON: All right. Before we move on then, we'll talk a little more about that. But I want to read the statement of the Jumbotron company. "The content displayed on Grazie Media's screen outside of the speedway does not advocate nor reflect the opinion of Grazie Media and it affiliates. The decision to move the risque Marijuana Policy Project ad was made without any prejudice toward the advocacy of alcohol or marijuana. We did not make this decision based on any outside pressures."
So, are you planning on taking any legal action about this?
TVERT: You know, we just want to get our money back since we weren't provided with the service that we were promised when we signed into a contract.
But listen. You know, this company can say that they weren't pressured, but we know what happened. We know in this country everyone accepts the fact that alcohol is available for adults 21 and older. They accept the fact that family sporting events like NASCAR races can be sponsored by beer companies.
And it's simply a matter that when we start talking about marijuana being a safer product for adults, all of a sudden people get upset. And this company caved in to that type of pressure from anti-marijuana organizations and potentially pro-alcohol organizations like NASCAR. Who knows?
But it's really unfortunate because this is an important discussion to have. People should know that alcohol contributes to overdose deaths, it contributes to violence and all sorts of reckless behavior. Marijuana has never found to contribute to those types of problems.
LEMON: All right. Mason, thank you. You make an argument a lot of people are making. Thank you for coming on to CNN, and we're going to talk a little bit more about what you said.
I want to bring in Dr. Devi. Dr. Devi, you know, he makes a very good point when he talks about a lot of studies that said that. I'm actually surprised that the ad was pulled, because many people think when it comes to marijuana, it's like same-sex marriage. It's kind of over. It's not even a story anymore.
So but what are the impacts of alcohol and marijuana, the use on the body and how do they differ? Help us understand that.
DR. DEVI NAMPIAPARMPIL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, I think first of all in terms of safety, we have to talk about different time periods. So, for example, we could look at immediate effects within 24 hours. We can talk about short-term effects and we can talk about long-term effects which are more over the course of years.
So I think they're right when they say that marijuana is safer maybe within that immediate time period. There are people who have alcohol- related overdoses from having a large amount of alcohol or large quantity at any one point. And marijuana by itself hasn't been shown to have overdose deaths, at least immediately unless it's in combination with other drugs. But we don't know about the short-term and long-term effects of marijuana as well. Although we have some studies, it is not really studied in detail because it's been illegal.
LEMON: So, we don't know about the long-term you said versus the immediate effects because there hasn't been enough studies of it, right? Do you think -- but do you as a doctor, do you find it a generational thing even in the hospital, even when you're treating people -- maybe alcoholism versus uses for other drugs like marijuana?
NAMPIAPARMPIL: Yes. I think so. I mean, I see more people with alcohol-related problems, but I think that's because it is legal and because it is more accepted. Especially if we talk about alcohol or even tobacco, which isn't in this specific discussion. Because it was so accepted before, I mean, people didn't really realize the long-term effects until several years passed. And by that time, because it's part of the culture you just kind of continue with that.
So I think it's somewhat generational. I think there's also a difference between medical use and recreational use of the drug.
LEMON: Right. Absolutely. OK, thank you, Dr. Devi. Very good insight. Appreciate it, okay?
NAMPIAPARMPIL: Thank you.
LEMON: All right.
The pope after an amazing visit to Brazil is saying good-bye to millions who is came out to see him. He just arrived at the airport now. You are looking at live pictures of the pope. He is leaving Brazil now. There's going to be a good-bye ceremony. We're going to have more on this next. We're going to go live to Rio.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In Rio de Janeiro, the Catholic Church's World Youth Day served as a backdrop for this huge turnout today for Pope Francis. The festivities included this enormous flash mob.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: How cool is that? For the pope! It looks like a giant concert! The Vatican estimates some the million people crowded the Rio de Janeiro beachfront to celebrate today's papal mass before the pope returns to Rome.
Shasta Darlington is there. Shasta, the people of Brazil gave Pope Francis quite a sendoff. This looks like very good news for the Vatican and for Roman Catholics, especially when it comes to younger people and Catholicism. What's the latest from there?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don. I think this really exceeded expectations even though we already had very high expectations. Remember, this is the first Latin American pope. We were already billing it as a homecoming for Pope Francis, and yet he got more people out here on the beach in Copacabana than anybody expected.
The organizers are saying it was at least 3 million; many of them spent the night. They were lined up one right next to the other in sleeping bags early this morning. They also slept along the route they expected the Pope Francis to take to get to the stage behind me where he led Mass.
You know, another fun detail, that flash mob that you were talking about, the bishops and the cardinals also joined in singing and dancing. Just an incredible scene. And of course, when he did get up on stage, he delivered a message. Basically telling young people to get out there. Don't stay inside the church doors. Get out there and spread the gospel. He said go to the shandytowns, go to the far edges of society. Get the message out there.
As you mentioned, he is now at the last few minutes here in Brazil. He's about to get on a plane back to Rome. But this is a very successful visit, Don.
LEMON: Shasta Darlington, thank you very much. Shasta, thank you very much. Really appreciate it.
When I talked about tough problems facing the African-American community and my controversial ideas for solving them -- they were suggestions -- I expected some pushback, some feedback. But this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don, I think your comments sound like a conservative preacher on a Sunday, and certainly Bill O'Reilly should welcome you on his show. I'm disappointed in you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You'll hear the No Talking Points segment that prompted that remark coming up shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A second American died as a result of that horrific train crash in Spain on Wednesday. Merta Freiza (ph), a 58-year-old Houston woman, died today. She had been in Rome to attend her daughter's wedding and was on her way to a festival with her husband. Her death bring the is total to 79.
Meantime, the driver of the train, Francisco Jose Garzon, is in a Spanish court tonight to learn if he will be formally charged in the crash. Police have accused Garzon of reckless homicide. Tonight, tonight's questioning of the driver has been going on for several hours now. We're going to bring the court's findings to you just as soon as we have it.
Ruffling feathers, part of my job. When I talked about problems facing the African-American community and how we might fix it, some suggestions, well people said I need to chill out. Coming up, you'll hear me agree with Bill O'Reilly about certain issues facing African- Americans. That's right. Bill O'Reilly. I actually agree with him on something. That's next. But first, this.
This is weeks away from their big triathlon. Here's a quick look at how CNN's Fit Nation viewer team is doing as they prepare.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Fit Nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, everything's been going well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Douglas Mogul here checking in from Atlanta, Georgia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I started this whole journey, I couldn't run 40 seconds. And now I'm a runner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not about being elite. It's that we're stronger together than we are apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Working out on a regular basis, watching my weight, trying to eat right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's about the rhythm of your stroke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at the point now I know I'm going to finish the race. But finishing is no longer good enough for me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't say this has been easy. It's been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Has it been worth it? Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to do it one more time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, it is the beginning of lots more triathlon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, here we go. After the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and the George Zimmerman not guilty verdict, you could almost hear the loud buzz of conversations about race relations. People talked, people shouted, people roared and they screamed. Obviously, we still have thorny problems facing the African-American community.
And I say now is the time to talk about solutions now that the verdict has been handed down. We all must accept it. We need to talk about how to fix problems and not just focus on hurdles standing in our way. Not about how to fix racism but how to pull yourself up in the face of racism, in the face of discrimination. Here is a very special No Talking Points.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The Trayvon Martin murder case got just about everybody talking about race, and not just specifically how it related to the case. It got some, many on the political right, wondering why the so-called liberal media wasn't talking about other problems in the black community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY MILLER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Let's talk about race. Let's talk about black-on-black violence.
DAVID WEBB, HOST "THE DAVID WEBB SHOW": The outrage that I have is in the lack of really the national attention to what is an epidemic of crime in the black community committed largely by blacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Why aren't we talking about it? Good question. Actually, that's not a good question. We talked about it many times on this show and on CNN. It's actually a good deflection as I've said a number of times to a number of guests here on CNN and also on the radio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: David, do not that false equivalent. That is not --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not trying to equivocate --
LEMON: But, listen, crime happens all the time and because a crime happens, it does not mean that you should shift the focus from what happened here. Let's stick to this particular point so continue and let's talk about this case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this case -- (END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: So, that's the reason I didn't want to discuss at length crime in the African-American community or how to fix other ills that seem to be plaguing the community in general. But now that the jury has reached one that everyone must accept it's time now for some tough love on the subject.
Someone on another network got the chance to go first because I couldn't go during the week. I'm only here on the weekend, so listen to this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: The reason there is so much violence and chaos in the black precincts is the disintegration of the African- American family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He's got a point. In fact, he's got more than a point. Bill?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Raised without much structure, young black men often reject education and gravitate towards the street culture, drugs, hustling, gangs. Nobody forces them to do that, again, it is a personal decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He is right about that, too. But in my estimation, he doesn't go far enough. Because black people, if you really want to fix the problem, here's just five things that you should think about doing. Here's number five, and if this doesn't apply to you, if you're not doing this, then it doesn't apply to you, I'm not talking to you.
Here's number five. Pull up your pants. Some people, a lot of them black, gave me flak for saying that recently on "The Wendy Williams Show."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: If you're sagging, I mean -- I think it's your self-esteem that is sagging and who you are as a person it's sagging. Young people need to be taught respect and there are rules.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Sagging pants, whether Justin Bieber or No-name Derek around the way, walking around with your ass and your underwear showing is not OK. In fact, it comes from prison when they take away belts from the prisoners so that they can't make a weapon. And then it evolved into which role a prisoner would have during male-on-male prison sex. The one with the really low pants is the submissive one. You get my point?
Number four now is the n-word. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY-Z, RAPPER: For our generation what we did was we took the word and we took the power out of that word.
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: We took this word, and we made it into poetry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I understand poetic license, but consider this: I hosted a special on the n-word, suggesting that black people stop using it and that entertainers stop deluding yourselves or themselves and others that you're somehow taking the word back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: By promoting the use of that word when it's not germane to the conversation, have you ever considered that you may be just perpetuating the stereotype the master intended acting like a nigger?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A lot of African-Americans took offense to that, too. I wonder if I gave the right advice, I really did. But confirmation came the very next day on my way home when I exited the subway in 125th Street in Harlem. This little kid in a school uniform no older than seven years old, he was crying his eyes out as he walked down the sidewalk with his mother.
I'm going to be honest here, she turned to me, and she said "I'm sick of you. You act like an old ass man, stop all that crying, nigger." Is that taking the word back? Think about that.
Now number three. Respect where you live. Start small by not dropping trash, littering in your own communities. I've lived in several predominantly white neighborhoods in my life, I rarely, if ever, witnessed people littering. I live in Harlem now, it's an historically black neighborhood, every single day I see adults and children dropping their trash on the ground when a garbage can is just feet away. Just being honest here.
Number two, finish school. You want to break the cycle of poverty? Stop telling kids they're acting white because they go to school or they speak proper English. A high school dropout makes on average $19,000 a year, a high school graduate makes $28,000 a year, a college graduate makes $51,000 a year. Over the course of a career, a college grad will make nearly $1 million more than a high school graduate. That's a lot of money.
And number one, and probably the most important, just because you can have a baby, it doesn't mean you should. Especially without planning for one or getting married first. More than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock. That means absent fathers. And the studies show that lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison and the cycle continues. So, please, black folks, as I said if this doesn't apply to you, I'm not talking to you. Pay attention to and think about what has been presented in recent history as acceptable behavior. Pay close attention to the hip- hop and rap culture that many of you embrace. A culture that glorifies everything I just mentioned, thug and reprehensible behavior, a culture that is making a lot of people rich, just not you. And it's not going to. That said, though, the political right is not off the hook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN POWERS, DAILY BEAST COLUMNIST: If conservatives are so concerned about black-on-black crime, it's a little concerning the only time I hear them talking about it is when they want to stick it to the black community.
LEMON: And that's today's No Talking Points.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So that little boy walking on the sidewalk in Harlem with his mom crying, the one that she called the n-word, you want to know what happened with that? Well, coming up, you'll hear reaction to my No Talking Points and you're going hear what happened, my confrontation with that mom. You're going to hear two people with very different views.
Don't miss No Talking Points, a panel discussion coming up in just a few minutes here on CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Fans flocked to the movie theaters this weekend to see their favorite X-Man member fight solo. The "Wolverine" clawed its way to the top of the box office, raking in $55 million for its weekend debut. That is nothing compared to the last X-Men spin-off, which grossed $85 million back in 2009. In second place this weekend was "The Conjuring" at $22.1 million.
