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At This Hour

Obama Speech on Federal Contractors, Sick Leave; Dentist Lion Killer Speaks Out; Teen Provides Backup for Deputy; Flight Attendant Job Conflicts with Religion. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired September 07, 2015 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00] BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It means reforming student loans and increasing Pell grants so every kid can afford a college education. And we've got to keep working to make two years of community college free for everybody who is willing to work for it.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It means helping 16 million Americans gain the security of health insurance because nobody in America should have to live in fear of going broke just because they or somebody in their family got sick. That's what it means to us to have middle class values. And we know we've got more work to do to make sure more families feel the gains of this recovery. But the fact is the verdict is in. Middle class economics works. Looking out for working people works. Bottom-up economics works. Middle class-out economics works. When you make sure everybody gets a fair shot and a fair shake and you're fighting for decent wages for workers and making sure they've got decent benefits, when you reward people who are playing by the rules, that's how everybody does better. That's how America gets ahead. That's how it's always been in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Unfortunately, there are some folks in Washington and some folks who are trying to get to Washington who don't want to face these facts. No matter whether we're supporting working families or signing up folks for health care or anything else that we do, we keep on hearing back from them, oh, you're going to destroy jobs. You're going to destroy business. You're going to crush freedom. You can't have a minimum wage for people. It's bad for business, bad for jobs. You can't provide people health care, it's going to destroy the economy. In their world the only way to help the country grow and help people get ahead is to cut taxes for millionaire and billionaires and loosen up rules on big banks and polluters and then you just wait and then you look up at the sky and prosperity will come raining down on us from the top of the whatever high rise is in your city.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So he's pretty relaxed for the president. Sometimes they get right to the point and sometimes they don't get right to the point. I know our banner said this is all about sick leave. It's going to be about sick leave. In the meantime he's doing some victory laps about some of his policies he thinks are very popular and things he say are still on the agenda. We'll watch that for you and when he actually gets to the sick leave, we'll bring it to you.

In the meantime, we've got this other story on the hopper here and it's about someone who is breaking his silence for the first time. And we've been waiting for this. Walter Palmer -- recognize the name? -- Minnesota dentist caused a worldwide uproar after killing a beloved lion in Zimbabwe. He's talking and he says he has regrets but he insists what he did was legal. In a joint interview he told the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" and the Associated Press -- I'm going to quote him -- "If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study, obviously I wouldn't have taken it."

Boris Sanchez joins me now with the latest.

I know his dental practice was closed originally. It opened up a little while back without him there, but he says he's heading back tomorrow. Is it safe for him to go back?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The police department in Bloomington thinks it's safe. They've said they're not going to dedicate any resources to that office unless things get out of hand. Certainly you can expect protesters to be there tomorrow as he returns to work. In part of that interview, he pleads for privacy for his family. There was a tremendous backlash when the story broke through. He did receive death threats as well as threats to his family. You can imagine it's a concern of his.

BANFIELD: He's not charged with anything.

SANCHEZ: He has not been charged with anything. Two of the people that helped him on the hunt, the hunter and the man who organized the land where the hunt took place, are both facing charges in Zimbabwe. He's actually not revealed whether or not he would fight extradition charges if Zimbabwe officials would press charges against him.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: Thank you. Thanks for working on Labor Day. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, a teenager in Texas had a message for a police officer filling up her car, her cruiser, at a gas station, and he said, "I've got your back." He meant I've got your six. That's the lingo. Their brief meeting led to this photo and it went viral. It's giving us all a little more hope for the future. We'll talk about it with these two guests after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:16] BANFIELD: Today slain Illinois police officer, Lieutenant Charles Joe Gliniewicz, is being laid to rest. Live pictures at the Antioch High School where thousands of people have gathered to mourn and pay their respects to the 30-year police veteran. Joe was 52 years old. He was gunned down last week. You may remember this. Those three killers still at large. Two white men, one black man. More than 100 police officers and federal agents are on the hunt for those suspects, by the way. But Gliniewicz leaves behind a wife and four sons.

And just days before Lieutenant Gliniewicz was gunned down in Illinois, you'll probably remember Deputy Darren Goforth was also shot and killed. This time, it was in cold blood while filling up his police cruiser at a gas station in Harris County, Texas. And out of that tragedy may have been born this act of kindness. The teenager in the back there offered to provide some backup for one of Goforth's fellow sheriff's deputies who was pumping gas into her patrol car. Overwhelmed by what that teenager did, that deputy constable, Tommy Jones Kelley, took this selfie and posted it online. It's just the beginning of it because the story and the photo spread like wildfire across social media. It went viral.

Joining me now to talk about it is both of the folks in that photo, Deputy Tommy Jones Kelley, and her backup, McKinley Zoellner.

Thank you to both of you for joining me.

If I can, I want to jump over to you, McKinley.

You're just adorable. You got everybody smiling. I love the fact you're smiling, too, but what made you do it, McKinley?

[11:40:04] MCKINLEY ZOELLNER, TEEN PROVIDES BACKUP FOR SHERIFF'S DEPUTY: You know, it just seemed like a good thing to do. All the heat our officers are getting these days.

BANFIELD: I wanted to put myself in your position, and also Tommy Jones Kelley, yours as well.

I'm wondering, Deputy, if you were a little scared all of a sudden that someone was coming up behind you, because you probably did not know what McKinley had in mind.

TOMMY JONES KELLEY, DEPUTY, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Yes, we're a little defensive. It was still dark in the morning, it was raining. He came right behind me. I was a little defensive.

BANFIELD: How did that break? Deputy, what did he do to assuage your fears and make you realize you had some backup?

KELLEY: Just his demeanor. He was just like ma'am, do you mind if I stand here behind you while you pump your gas and initially my reaction was why? And he said to make sure you're safe. His demeanor is what I could tell he was being sincere.

BANFIELD: McKinley, did you have any idea when Deputy Kelley snapped that selfie with the two of you that it was going to get the kind of online traction that it got and that you effectively both would become pretty famous for this?

ZOELLNER: No, I had no idea. It was honestly a big surprise. I just thought we were going to have some people that she knew and my family, but it turned out to be way more than that obviously.

BANFIELD: Does this change how you feel about law enforcement or did you always have that affinity? And, of course, the next question, McKinley, would be do you plan to pursue a career one day when you're big in law enforcement?

ZOELLNER: It has not changed my perception. I have always had a good feel around police. I've always had a respect for them, and I did plan on going to the air force after high school and getting my degree in criminal justice from the air force and after I got out doing -- pursuing a career in law enforcement or the criminal justice field, yes.

BANFIELD: Boy, I hope my sons end up like you.

Deputy, can I just ask you one last question? We're just constantly -- I mean, I have so many pieces of paper on my desk that have to do with memorial services and funerals for fallen officers and suspects on the loose and even today in Las Vegas two more officers were targeted, and I just wonder if this restores your faith, especially as your colleague, Deputy Goforth, was just buried with such pomp and circumstance last week?

KELLEY: It does restore faith. It still hurts every time you hear about a deputy or an officer getting hurt. It just makes you feel better but it doesn't take it away.

BANFIELD: Deputy Tommy Jones Kelley and McKinley Zoellner, thank you both, "A," for being on the show, "B," for being awesome, and "C," Deputy, for your service, and McKinley, for your future service. Thanks, guys.

KELLEY: Thank you.

ZOELLNER: Thank you.

BANFIELD: I will turn to this other story we're following. A flight attendant says she can't do her job and hand out the drinks from the drink cart because of her new religion. Does she have the law on her side? And how do you weigh in on this debate?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:47:02] BANFIELD: I got a question for you. Should a flight attendant on your next flight be required to serve you alcohol if you ask for it but it violates her religious beliefs? Charee Stanley converted to Islam shortly after taking a job with the ExpressJet company three years ago. She says the airline recently suspended her because she refused to serve alcohol saying she can't, it's against her religion. And now she's filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to get her job back but without requiring her to serve that alcohol.

Joining me now is CNN legal analyst, Danny Cevallos.

Here is my question, if she was a bartender and then she found religion, could she make that same argument she wanted to keep that job?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Title seven requires that an employer make reasonable accommodations. First, an employer cannot discriminate based on religion but if someone has religious practices, an employer must make reasonable accommodations. However, the operative word is reasonable.

BANFIELD: Reasonable. Reasonable.

CEVALLOS: It's a balancing test, as with many things in the law. That reasonable accommodation cannot impose an undue hardship on other employees or the company's business operations. If it does the employer doesn't have to accommodate every request to practice religion. In your example of a bartender, if a bartender decided I cannot, based on my religion hand out liquor any more, that particular job, that would probably unduly interfere with that --

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: It would bankrupt the bar.

CEVALLOS: It would be a bit of a problem. And it begs the question, why would you choose to work in a bar as a bartender if you thought your religion might interfere.

BANFIELD: The other argument is she also cannot be a hair model because she does not want to take off her hijab in public. My assumption is she works in a job, she can't take that job either. Is it reasonable when you look at the job of a flight attendant -- because I have never been on a flight where that drink cart doesn't come by. I abstain all the time, but it doesn't mean --

(CROSSTALK)

CEVALLOS: So you say, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: So I say.

CEVALLOS: I will be subpoenaing your credit card bills.

BANFIELD: I'm sticking to it.

But you know what I mean? Every person watching this program today who has ever been on a plane knows full well that drink cart is a giant part of the flight.

CEVALLOS: It's not just a giant part of the flight. It's a giant part of the movement. If you watch, the flight attendants have a very specific procedure in requesting who wants what and handing it out, and if somebody needs to get to the other side of that cart to hand something out, it usually takes up the entire aisle. What courts do is they look at each job individually based on whatever its requirements are. Not all jobs are created equal. The operative question will ultimately be, does this accommodation impose an unreasonable burden on the job, and has the employer really, as a first question, made the efforts to reasonably accommodate in the first place?

[11:49:58] BANFIELD: Apparently, according to her, she says her boss told her, you have your fellow flight attendant do the serving, and one of the flight attendants said, no, it's not fair I have to take on someone else's work. I was wondering what ExpressJet had to say about this. We called them and got this statement: "We respect and embrace the values of all of our team members. We are an equal opportunity employer with a long history of diversity in our work force. As Ms. Stanley is an employee, we are not able to comment on her personnel matter." And that's the statement from ExpressJet.

Stay tuned. You will have to comment when the courts find what they deem reasonable, if it ever gets there.

Thank you, Danny.

CEVALLOS: Thank you.

BANFIELD: OK, so CNN anchors always play nice on the set, right?

(LAUGHTER)

You should see behind the scene what is we do to these poor guys. There's some serious grudge matches, it turns out, especially on the setoff the Quiz Show. The CNN Quiz Show is going to expose all. Next, hear why Don Lemon wants to rumble with Chris Cuomo. I think I have no idea who would come out the winner.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Mark your calendar for tonight for 8:00 eastern and 8:00 pacific because six of my colleagues, whom I love and can't choose between, are going to test their TV knowledge of CNN's Quiz Show. The defending champs, John Berman and Don Lemon, love television and they put that to test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You watched a lot of television growing up?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I did. It was my babysitter. Did you?

BERMAN: I watched some. You're a little older so you had a longer period of time to watch television. What were your favorite shows growing up?

LEMON: Oh, my gosh, growing up I loved science fiction, so I loved "The Jetsons." I wanted to have a flying car and everything that they did. I loved "Lost in Space." That was my favorite. I would pretend I was Will Robinson. I would have like a flying saucer --

BERMAN: Danger, danger, Don Lemon.

(CROSSTALK) BERMAN: Your executive producer says that.

LEMON: That's true. I love "My Three Sons," "The Brady Bunch," "Gilligan's Island."

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: I feel like I saw every "Brady Bunch" multiple times.

LEMON: But didn't you want to have the "Brady Bunch's" house?

BANFIELD: Look, there's a lot that I wanted out of the "Brady Bunch" and people have noted that my wife -- whose picture I will not show on television -- looks not unlike Marcia Brady.

LEMON: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.

BERMAN: Something I said a lot growing up.

LEMON: Are you serious? Maria, do you remember --

BERMAN: Can I tell you a funny story?

LEMON: -- pork chops and apple sauce?

BERMAN: Of course, I do! On "Good Morning, America" once, I was getting my makeup done next to Marcia Brady.

LEMON: But you weren't even on TV that day.

[11:55:13]BERMAN: No --

(LAUGHTER)

I was afraid to say anything. I was speechless.

Alright, heading into this CNN Quiz Show on television, you are a reigning champion, a defending champion.

LEMON: You are, too.

BERMAN: That's right, because we're teammates.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Boom! Do you know what felt good on that show?

BERMAN: Winning.

LEMON: Winning.

BERMAN: Winning felt good.

Going into this one as a champion, it's hard, isn't it?

LEMON: There's pressure, a lot of pressure because people are gunning for you and one of the people gunning is some guy who sits in that chair.

BERMAN: Chris Cuomo.

LEMON: Chris Cuomo, that guy is -- talk about peacocks. He walks around like he owns the place. He's like, "Yeah, I'm a Cuomo and my dad and my brother, oh, governor, look how big my muscles are." Urgh. That guy, ugh.

BERMAN: I will leave it there, Don Lemon.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm will just say it's been a pleasure to be your partner. Have fun with Chris in the coming days and weeks to be sure.

LEMON: Coming for you, Cuomo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: I'm actually scared. That scared me. That is some smack talking! Better put his money where his mouth is.

Don't miss it, folks. The showdown, CNN Quiz Show tonight, 8:00 eastern, 8:00 pacific. Great TV, as we like to say.

Hey, thanks for watching, everybody. It's been nice sitting in.

"Legal View," the show I normally do, starting right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)