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Carson Apologizes DOJ Report on Ferguson; India Bans Documentary on New Delhi Rape; Whos Going to be the NBA MVP?

Aired March 05, 2015 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

GOP presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson is backtracking this morning after a day of trying to explain exactly what he meant when he said this on CNN's "New Day."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": Do you think they have control over their sexuality?

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL: Absolutely.

CUOMO: You think being gay is a choice?

CARSON: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Why do you say that?

CARSON: Because a lot of people who go into prison, go into prison straight. And when they come out, they're gay. So did something happen while they were in there?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The backlash started immediately, and Carson started to do some damage control. He immediately blamed the lame stream media on Sean Hannity's radio show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARSON: It was a 25-minute interview, they chopped, and you see what part they emphasize. We talked about some really important things, none of that was brought up. But I did learn something very important, for certain networks, never do a pre-taped interview. I'm not going to really talk about that issue anymore because every time I'm gaining momentum the liberal press says, let's talk about gay rights. And I'm just not going to fall for that anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Except that's not true. No one edited what Carson said. And by the end of the day, he realized he could not escape what he said and finally issued an apology. Carson said, quote, "I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues. I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended."

So let's talk more about this. David Zurawik is a media critic for "The Baltimore Sun." He joins me now live.

Welcome.

DAVID ZURAWIK, WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ON DR. CARSON: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: Glad you're here.

Carson says he's not going to talk about gay issues anymore, but as the conservative blog Hot Air points out, quote, "he's beloved by his supporters because of his opinion on that particular topic. Ben Carson muting his social conservatism on the most hot button social issue of the day makes him Mike Huckabee minus the boldness." So can he really afford to stop talking about gay issues, David?

ZURAWIK: Well, beyond - beyond that sort of political appeal to the right, the other problem with him saying he's going to stop talking about it, Carol, is that every journalist he encounters, including any moderators at debates, is absolutely going to talk to him about it and ask him the same kinds of questions that Chris Cuomo asked, which are absolutely fair questions. And given the fact that in March of 2013 he compared homosexuality to bestiality and then walked it back in the exact same way saying, well, I apologize if it was a poor choice of words, blah, blah, blah.

This now becomes a pattern and it becomes a problem. And there's no way, as a responsible journalist, to do an interview with this man who is considered a person of science and a person of great science, an esteemed neurosurgeon and -- emeritus from Johns Hopkins, one of the greatest sort of scientific institutions in the country. So how does he get to the point where he offers as evidence things like this prison example that he offered to Cuomo yesterday? It's a huge question. You have to wonder about him. And now I think it's a big problem. He is not going to be able to avoid it.

COSTELLO: And it's not just a problem for him, but if he continues to say such things, it's going to start to affect other Republican candidates, right?

ZURAWIK: Absolutely. I mean, I think it really plays into a narrative that's developed sort of in the culture and ideological warfare of Congress that Republicans are extremists on the right and want to take the country to a dangerous place and infringe on basic human rights. That plays right into it. And at some point the Republican Party has to deal with that and say, look, this guy's hurting us in a generic sense. COSTELLO: And I wanted to talk a little bit about Dr. Carson's image

because, you know, he's a celebrated surgeon. He worked at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. There was a movie made about him called "Gifted Hands" and it starred Cuba Gooding. Is all of his talk on gay issues affecting his celebrity in the state of Maryland and across the country?

ZURAWIK: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. That movie in 2009 was probably the high point. It was a TNT made for cable movie. And it was actually a pretty good movie. I mean Cuba Gooding Jr. is a very good actor and he played Ben Carson. Good movie. That's the - that -- and then, from that part, 2009, to 2013, February, at that prayer breakfast with President Obama, he breaks out as a celebrity and then he becomes a regular guest on Fox and finally a paid contributor. And I think that really hurt him when he was sort of schooled --

COSTELLO: He was just on to a very important point, but I know what he was saying. David Zurawik, I'm going to have you back. Thank you so much for your insight.

Oh, he's back. OK. So, David, you were just saying before you froze on air that Dr. Carson became a paid contributor for Fox and he was schooled on what?

ZURAWIK: I think he was socialized to a kind of that extreme political rhetoric that you sometimes hear on the primetime cable shows, not just on Fox, you hear it on MSNBC as well. That's sort of the language of some nighttime cable programs, and he was really on the Sean Hannity show initially a lot. As a matter of fact, he made those comments about bestiality and homosexuality on the Sean Hannity show. In fact, he was sitting in this chair in this studio I just found out from the people here when he made those, which was a little unsettling. But I think that's really, really hurt his reputation.

You know, after he made those statements in March, he was scheduled to speak at the graduation of the medical school, one of the graduation ceremonies, and protests started. My in box blew up with people from Hopkins who said, look, I don't want this man speaking. I went here. I battled to get a degree from one of the greatest medical institutions in the country. I'm gay. I don't want me and my partner have to sit there and listen to somebody who says this kind of thing about our lifestyle. Hopkins gave him the chance to step down somewhat gracefully saying, look, it's the student's day.

COSTELLO: Right.

ZURAWIK: I don't want to interfere. If people aren't happy with it, I will step down.

COSTELLO: Right.

ZURAWIK: But that's indicative of where his reputation started to go in this community. And it really took a hit from that point. And he's ratcheted up the rhetoric as he's advanced as a political candidate.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll see if he ratchets it down. David Zurawik, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

ZURAWIK: I don't think so, Carol. Thanks.

COSTELLO: I don't think so either.

I'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: For African-Americans in Ferguson, it was like living under siege. That's how Eric Holder described an findings of a Justice Department investigation into the town's police force. Among the findings, cops saw residents, particularly those in African-American neighborhoods, as sources of revenue, ticketing them at higher rates than whites. A series of racist e-mails sent by cops and law officials, including one from 2011 that showed a photo of topless dancing women in Africa with the caption, "Michelle Obama's high school reunion." Additionally, the disproportionate use of dogs by canine officers that the DOJ says left serious puncture wounds to non- violent offenders, some of them children. After the report was made public, the mayor of Ferguson faced the cameras and vowed to improve conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JAMES KNOWLES (R), FERGUSON: These actions taken by these individuals are in no way representative of the employees of the city of Ferguson. But today's report allows the city of Ferguson to identify the problems, not only in our police department, but in the entire St. Louis region. We must do better, not only as a city, but as a state and a country. We must all work to address issues of racial disparity in all aspects of society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Is that even possible in Ferguson at this point? Joining me now to talk about that, Missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, whose district includes Ferguson.

Welcome back.

MARIA CHAPPELLE-NADAL (D), MISSOURI STATE SENATOR: Thank you so much for having me.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. I appreciate it.

The mayor did not take questions at this press conference. Why?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Well, I think he was in an uncomfortable position obviously after reading 105 pages of the Department of Justice's report. There are some issues that he is facing, obviously. On his watch, and on the watch of the chief of police, they are accountable for some of the actions that have been happening for the last several years. And we know that it's not just the --

COSTELLO: Did anything - did anything the mayor said like assuage your fears for the community?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: Right now there's very little credibility that the city of Ferguson has right now. I am very glad that they are in the process of hiring more minorities in the police department. But what's really important is the training of police officers. Even if you do have representation -- representative policing, it doesn't mean that you're going to have police officers who are going to follow the law, and that is one of the injuries that happened for years.

COSTELLO: The Ferguson police chief has yet to appear. When he does appear, and when he does say something, what should he say? Is there anything he can say to repair things with the community?

CHAPPELLE-NADAL: I really don't think so. He has lost total credibility at this point. For the last six months he has stated that there has not been a racial issue in the city of Ferguson. And, obviously, after reading this report, he has known that there has been racial behavior and institutional racism expressed and exercised by his own officers. And I think by the firing or termination possibility of three officers because of the e-mails, it's just not going to do. Many people want an overhaul. They want the department to be disbanded altogether and, frankly, I'm asking for the chief of police to resign at this point because he doesn't have the sincerity that's needed for the community to have faith in the city.

COSTELLO: All right, Maria Chappelle-Nadal, thanks so much for being with me. I appreciate it.

I'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: A question. Is it necessary to hear evil to defeat it? India would say no. Hearing vile things just creates more monsters, it says.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

COSTELLO (voice-over): The Indian government feels so strongly about that it may investigate the BBC for airing a documentary about a brutal gang rape that caused protests like these across India and shock waves around the world. In this documentary which has been banned in India, one of the convicted rapists admits what many rape counselors already know about how some rapists think. A girl, this rapist says, is far more responsible for rape than a boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

COSTELLO (on camera): He added victims should just be silent and allow the rape and they would live. That man, along with five others, brutally gang raped a 23-year-old student on a bus in 2012. She died of her injuries 13 days later. Anushay Hossain is here. She was born in Bangladesh in South Asia. She spend a decade on Capitol Hill working on women's issues. She blogs about women and feminisim on "Anushay's Point".

Thanks so much for being with me. I appreciate it.

ANUSHAY HOSSAIN, BANGLADESHI JOURNALIST: Thank you, Carol. Good to be here.

COSTELLO: It's just such a disturbing story. Why does India want to ban this documentary?

HOSSAIN: I think India's general sensitivity to media criticism, especially when it's foreign or Western media criticism, is in overdrive here. I also think it's a really important detail that this documentary is made by a British woman, and I think there tends to be a little bit extra sensitivity when, you know, the criticism -- this film was made by a British film documentary filmmaker, so I think there's a little bit of sensitivity over there as well.

What I'm really concerned about is that everybody is getting caught up in this controversy over this documentary., but the documentary here is not the crime. The crime that we're dealing with is violence against women and the role that men play in it, and I think that's what we should keep our focus on. I'm very, very concerned that the brouhaha being made over this documentary is distracting us.

COSTELLO: Freida Pinto, the actress famous here tweeted this. How can we change mindsets if we don't know what we're up against. Facts are a reality we need to face head on and tack. It's #Indiasdaughter. Do you agree?

HOSSAIN: I completely agree. This is what we should focus on, the outrage should be directed -- the snippets of the interview with this alleged rapist, he is expressing a sentiment that is shared by the majority of men, not only in India but in the Indian sub continent, next door in Bangladesh.

COSTELLO: Really? the majority of men?

HOSSAIN: Exactly. The majority of men in the Indian subcontinent really do share this sentiment. I know that's a big blanket statement. That is a discussion we need to be having, why is rape culture the norm in the Indian sub continent? why do men feel like this. Why do men rape and feel like this is a right that they have. This is a conversation that we need to be having, the fact that India has -- sorry. Continue.

COSTELLO: Go ahead. I love your passion.

HOSSAIN: I just wanted to say the fact that India has a violence against women pandemic is undeniable. It is something that begins at birth. There's something about female infant side and how three million girls are missing, quote, unquote missing in India. The U.N. declared India as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be born a woman, to be born a girl. We clearly have a much larger issue we must deal with. That's why rape culture is the norm. It's the normal culture in the Indian sub continent.

COSTELLO: A discussion will help but will only go so far. How do you really change minds?

HOSSAIN: I think the way we change minds is by starting to have these conversations. When this brutal gang rape first happened in 2012, it wasn't the first gang rape that had taken place in India, of course. But it did receive so much international coverage, and I really do feel like the women's rights movement in India is very much alive, very strong, very vibrant. I feel like some kinds of progress has been made. The laws have been made tougher. This is a cultural and a social issue that we need to understand, and I think right now India is kind of having a clash between thousands, centuries of years' worth of misogynistic culture. The rise of this new generation of empowered women, this is where the clash is really happening.

COSTELLO: Anushay Hossain, thank you for your insight. I appreciate it.

HOSSAIN: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Morning. Who is going to be this year's NBA MVP? Russell Westbrook is certainly making his case with another record setting performance last night. Andy Scholes has more on this morning's Bleacher Report.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: This run Russell Westbrook is on right now has been incredible. The first player to have four straight triple- doubles since Michael Jordan In 1989. Jordan had seven in a row. In case you don't know what it is, double digits in three statistical categories. Westbrook had another last night by scoring a career high 49 points, grabbing a career high 16 rebounds to go along with ten assists as the thunder beat the 76ers? over time. He'll go for five tonight on TNT. Thunder at the Bulls at 8:00 eastern followed by the Blazers hosting the Mavs.

Alex Rodriguez made his long awaited return to the Yankees yesterday. A-Rod receiving a mixed reaction when he came to the plate the first time. More clapping than boos. In his first at-bat, A-Rod singled to left. After that a ground out and a walk. He missed all of last season as he served a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. After this game he said he was thrilled to be back on the diamond.

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ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES: It was pretty exciting, pretty emotional to be honest with you. And I'm just happy to play. It's really a dream come true to be back in pinstripes. I feel grateful the Yankees have given me the opportunity to put the uniform back on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: A fan knocked down a half-court shot last night to win $25,000 and a scholarship. He's, of course, going nuts after he makes it. All the fans going nuts. A pretty cool moment. One of the workers at the arena actually carried him off after he hit the shot. Take a look. The bank was apparently open in Houston last night. There's nothing quite like the joy of hitting a half-court shot, is there?

COSTELLO: No. That's so awesome.

SCHOLES: Your body goes nuts and runs around in circles.

COSTELLO: I would do exactly the same thing. That's awesome. Andy Scholes, thanks for the fun. I appreciate it.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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