Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hundreds of Fishermen Trapped in the Middle of Icy Lake Erie; Obama Turns Up Heat on Lawmakers; The Faces of Recession; Thieves Hacking into Facebook
Aired February 07, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, we go behind the numbers. Real stories, real people, just like you, "The Faces of Recession."
Ice-bound. Hundreds of fishermen trapped in the middle of icy Lake Erie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to have common sense. And if there was a section in the code about common sense, we would have had 150 arrests out there today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What were they thinking? We asked one of the rescued men.
History of a hate crime. Now half a century later, they meet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I have to apologize to the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A former KKK member asks a high-profile Congress man to forgive brutality and extreme racism. Both men confront their past on this broadcast.
Plus, the greatest play of his life. A basketball player saves a little boy's life during the game. The news starts right now.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Don Lemon.
LEMON: Good evening, everyone. Saturday night, just not the same anymore in this dismal economy. Many of you are staying home, a night out just too expensive. So we sit here together and watch lawmakers haggle over what goes in and what should be taken out of this giant stimulus package.
Senators were at it again today, a Saturday. Their urgency fueled by Friday's horrifying unemployment numbers. But so far, all they've come up with is a new $780 billion compromise, plenty of them, even the president, find things not to their liking. But it's looking like there will be just enough support to pass it come Tuesday.
The compromise cuts $100 billion out of the original bill, but even after it passes the Senate, it will have to be reconciled with the house version. One Republican moderate says the process must not be used to change the terms of the Senate compromise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: If the bill comes back from the conference committee with a lot of wasteful spending reinserted or if it comes back in excess of the $800 billion, it will not have my support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In his weekly radio address to the nation today, President Barack Obama turned up the heat on lawmakers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Because if we don't move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs, their homes, and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Senate Democrats originally submitted a whopping $900 billion package but they backed off to $780 billion. $14 billion for Pell Grants still in. So is $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings, $7.5 billion for education grants. But what's out now, $25 billion for education, $16 billion for school construction, and $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters and Icebreakers.
The economy is sure to be the focus of President Barack Obama's first primetime news conference on Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN will carry it live for you.
The numbers are frightening, but when they hit your home, they are downright devastating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CORY CLAPSADDLE, LAID-OFF WORKER: With the economy and the lack of jobs, you know, there's people out there losing homes left and right. I was the sole breadwinner for this family. I think the biggest factor, the one that stressed me out the most, I didn't want to lose my family's home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Cory Clapsaddle one of the many faces of recession. He followed his father into one of Maine's paper mills, now he's out of work. His story later on this hour. We're listening to you, tonight. Here's what one viewer says, "I'm handling the recession by hoping that President Obama's plan for green jobs becomes a reality and not more political talk." Another viewer writes, "Wondering if I'll ever pay back my student loans for med school or if I should have stayed at the Gap as a sales associate."
Make sure you become part of our show. Join us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.
Dozens of people trapped. One even died after an icy-lake rescue today. The Coast Guard plucked 134 fishermen from a giant ice floe on Lake Erie near Toledo. The massive miles long ice sheath shifted and at least two people ended up in the water. Listen to what a local sheriff said about the fishermen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF SHERIFF BOB BRATTON, OTTAWA COUNTY, OHIO: These people should not have been out there. I take a whole different approach. In our financial status going across the country, this was wrong. These people endangered lives of the volunteer firemen, the United States Coast Guard. I have estimated already we're well over $25,000 for this, and I'm sure that's going to climb. I'm sorry a man lost his life out there today. These people should have known better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One of the rescued fisherman fired right back tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CORY COMAR, RESCUED FROM ICE FLOE: He doesn't know the situation. First of all, that there was an ice breaker. A boat that drove through around 9:00, 10:00. It broke the ice up. Allowed the ice to be able to give away. So the combination of the wind and the ice breaker made this situation -- this situation normally doesn't happen. This is the first warm day we've had. The ice was at least 16 inches thick. And we pay taxes. He had to do his job. And it's very disappointing to hear him say that. It's all part of his job. I'm sorry that he had to do his job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Comar says the fisherman played it safe out there. By the way, he says he is not going fishing -- ice fishing ever again.
From ice to fire, arson to be specific. To Coatesville, Pennsylvania now, where there's a $20,000 reward to catch serial arsonist. City leaders now count at least 23 deliberate fires this year all or near the City of Coatesville, just outside Philly. 15 last year. The most recent one, however, is a mobile home fire last night. No one was hurt. The state is giving Coatesville $500,000 dollars in relief.
Overseas now to Australia and what could be the worst outbreak of wildfires in a quarter century. The death toll is climbing by the hour in southeast Australia. At least 35 people are dead. Temperatures are cooler, helping thousands of firefighters on the front lines but not enough to gain control. So far, about 30,000 acres charred at least 100 homes reportedly destroyed.
Real people, real problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that are out there, that have lost their jobs, they feel like they failed. My heart's with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Facing unemployment and an uncertain future, we take a closer look at "The Faces of Recession."
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a knock at the door and the doctor was like, Marvelyn, I have something more serious to tell you. And I looked at him and I said, am I pregnant? He was like, no, you're HIV positive. And I just looked at him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The AIDS crisis ravaging the African-American community with black women in its bull's-eye. Tough talk next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Here's what some of our viewers are saying about the stories we are putting on the news for you tonight.
CTguy2625 says, "A law enforcement official speaking out about the ice rescue, very irresponsible. These people were in danger. His job to help."
Cless55 says, "Neither of my parents can find jobs and keep them. So I have been the only one to provide. I am a 13-year-old programmer."
Wow. Themadliberal says "I'm abnormally thankful to be on social security disability while my friends can't find work."
Become part of our show by sending your comments to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.
Well, you have to go back more than three decades to see unemployment numbers this bad. The government says another 598,000 jobs were cut last month, the biggest one-month hemorrhage since 1974. And to give you an idea, that's about the entire population of the City of Boston. Economist brace for the jobless rate to jumped to 7.5 percent. It ended up at 7.6 percent. The numbers putting extra pressure on lawmakers. The Senate spending part of today debating a massive economic stimulus package after a bipartisan group of lawmakers reached a compromise agreement. Look for a vote come Tuesday.
OK, put aside the facts and all the figures we've been telling you about. This recession is really downright personal. One example, a mill worker from Maine we're about to introduce you to through the lens of CNN's Bob Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CORY CLAPSADDLE, LAID-OFF WORKER: It's a nice community, a nice place to live.
Everybody knows everybody. The biggest part of the economy in these two towns is the paper mills. Jay Livermore Falls and Jay was built on paper. I wanted to work in the mill. I wanted to follow my father's footsteps.
You're looking at the very backside of Warsaw paper, the oldest mill. That paper machine area was my work area. We all got complacent in our jobs. We were all comfortable, coming to the same place every day. I like what I did. I like the guys I worked with. I liked the jobs I did. Just kind of miss it all.
I picked it up at a used game shop. It's something to pay the time by. I'd rather be working than playing video games, but it's not quite the case.
It's a bad economic time. There's nothing out there.
It's not very often you find a very local job less than a mile from home for the amount of pay that we was getting. There's the boys right there. What's up, pal. They kind of like having dad around.
You did your homework? I love being here with my family, but there ain't a lot of money coming in. It's tough. It's tough. We're pinching pennies now. You know, whether it's cutting down on phone, cutting down on electricity usage, well, we're burning wood in the winter time. It helps alleviate the usage of heat and oil. Our money is really tight right now. And we've got to take a savings any way we can.
I don't believe there's going to be a mill in town left when my boys are out of school. We're heading to the Wilton Career Center.
Hi, how are you. Nice to meet you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's see if we have your TAA papers.
CLAPSADDLE: So that allows us to get some sort of schooling trade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's different jobs for the TA program. CLAPSADDLE: Get out there and get a job.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that's also for your unemployment, too. You have to be in attendance.
CLAPSADDLE: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
CLAPSADDLE: Appreciate your help.
With the economy and the lack of jobs, there's people out there losing homes left and right. I was the sole breadwinner for this family. I think the biggest factor, the one that stressed me out the most, I didn't want to lose my family's home. There's no way I could have accepted failing my family.
The people that are out there that have lost their jobs. They feel like they've failed. My hearts with them. This flat-out stinks. It's sad that you're not going back to a job you called home. It really stinks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: "Faces of the Recession" and Cory Clapsaddle is one of them. Best of luck to Cory, and our thanks to CNN photojournalist Bob Crowley.
Facebook, I'm on it. Many of you are on it, too. And guess what, so are the hackers. They found a wicked new way to fool all of us.
Plus, we'll have this for you --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It moved me and hiding in the corner and covered his body over mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Gunfire breaks out at a high school basketball game. A player on the court leaps to a young boy's rescue. You're going to love it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're talking about life on the Internet, where you know things are often not as they seem, but you may not know about the latest online swindle. Thieves hacking into Facebook Web sites, issuing urgent pleas for money. Would you ignore the desperate request if it appeared to be coming from a friend or a relative in need? CNN's Jason Carroll explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Facebook has become a popular way to reach out and touch someone in cyber world.
BRYAN RUTBERG, FACEBOOK TRACKING VICTIM: I've reconnected with old friends from high school days, college days, grad school days, people I used to work with.
CARROLL: Bryan Rutberg expected to find old friends. What he didn't expect was for a cyber criminal to find him. What happened to Rutberg started about two weeks ago when his family noticed something frightening.
RUTBERG: When my daughter was alarmed that my Facebook status had changed. And I hadn't changed it.
CARROLL: A new message on Rutberg's page read "Bryan is in urgent need of help." of course he wasn't. He was safe at home in Seattle.
RUTBERG: Somehow they had taken over access to the page. I had been locked out, someone had changed the e-mail address associated with the account.
CARROLL: A hacker, posing as Rutberg, sent messages to friends claiming he was robbed at gunpoint in London and needed money to get home. He even left a message with Rutberg's Facebook friend Benny Rubinstein. Listen to the recording.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is currently in London. He is in trouble um, he was robbed.
CARROLL: Rubinstein wired $1,200 to London.
BENNY RUBINSTEIN, FRIEND VICTIM: It's not only not just a financial thing. It's also an invasion of your privacy, who your friends are.
ROBERT SICILIANO, SECURITY ANALYST: People really have forgotten, you know, basic safety. When mom said don't talk to strangers, that was good advice.
CARROLL: Security experts say there are two ways to better protect yourself.
JIM LEWIS, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INT'L STUDIES: Having anti- virus programs and making sure they're up-to-date. The second thing you can do is everyone can kind of push some of these companies to do a little bit better job in protecting privacy.
CARROLL: With the help of Facebook, it took about a day for Rutberg to regain access to his account.
RUTBERG: Every user of the Web should be better educated and I think Facebook has a role to play there as do any of the social networking sites. Letting users know that if their site is hacked, how to respond and giving them an easy way to get in touch with the companies.
CARROLL: Facebook says though this scam affects a small number of users, they're instituting changes that will better notify users when their account is modified.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Use Facebook to catch the bad guys in this case. Kissimmee police, well, that department is launching a Facebook page where officers post information about recent crimes. They are hoping other users will help identify the offenders. Facebook members can search Kissimmee Police Department -- Kissimmee Police Department and become a fan of the department. Fans will get a note when new information is put on the page.
So what can you do to protect yourself and you family? We're going to give you some very useful information from an online security expert who has found a way to put the predators on hold. You need to see this.
And also confronting. A history of hate. A half century after a former Klansman attacked a future congressman. He asked for forgiveness. And he does it right here on CNN. It is an emotional meeting tonight and a conversation you need to see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, so you feel like you've protected your child on the computer. You know you put up some things. But guess what? Online predators are still out there, but they're doing it in a different way. Because they can send your child easily a text, an explicit one or an image on your child's cell phone and you would never even know about it. It's a new thing.
Our guests tonight, Bob Lotter. His company eAgency Mobile Solutions has developed a security software to close this loophole. It is called my Mobile Watchdog.
Is this where law enforcement is lacking? Is this where parents are lacking in this one area?
BOB LOTTER, EAGENCY MOBILE SOLUTIONS: Don, predators have figured out how to stay ahead of law enforcement and ahead of parents every step of the way, and it's really a big problem. And so we had to come up with something to do, you know, do something about that.
LEMON: So they just text this explicit language or a photo just right to their phone and kids can look at it and you may not even know about it, right?
LOTTER: Well, you know, the number five most viewed video on the iPhone today is a video called oral sex. I don't have to tell you what that's about.
LEMON: OK, probably just what it says. OK, so listen, describe this technology that you're talking about. How does it work? LOTTER: Well, really what this technology is it's designed to help parents keep track of strangers that may come into their child's life via their cell phone. So the parents can go online. They create a white list or a list of all the friends and family, people they are comfortable with and they trust. And if any stranger e-mails or text messages or sends a photo or a phone call to their child, a copy goes immediately in real time to the parents' phone.
LEMON: OK. Almost like a spam protector that we have here at work. That you put on you computer. You can invite certain people, you can get e-mails from everybody else, now it goes to a different file. This one being the parents.
OK, how did it come about? Is this sort of how you figured it out?
LOTTER: Well, it came about because my law enforcement friends came to me and said, you know, we have a problem. We can't keep up with these guys. They moved to the cell phone. And so we created a version for law enforcement. And then the first pilot we ran, we arrested 42 predators in 90 days. That's one every two days in a very small little county in Colorado. And that's kind of how this whole project grew.
LEMON: Oh, that seems you're getting a lot. Real quickly, if you can give us some insight on what is next? Where do you see this technology going? Where are the predators going to now? If they can't get through the cell phone, they're going to try something else.
LOTTER: Well, today, unfortunately, the cell phone is a very safe venue for them. And so we have to conquer that first. We think there's about 5 million people predatory towards children via the cell phone and the Internet. One in seven children receive unwanted sexual solicitations through this venue. And so until we can get ahead of that technology wise, they are going to be able to use this for a long, long time.
LEMON: Yes. So first things first. Let's take care of this one before we move on to the next one. And so parents, I hope you are listening to this. Tell me your Web site again. What is it called?
LOTTER: It's my mobilewatchdog.com.
LEMON: Bob Lotter, appreciate it. Have a good night, sir. Thanks for joining us here, late on Saturday.
LOTTER: Thank you.
LEMON: We have been asking you your responses. Here's what Glenda Green is saying on Facebook - "I hope that President Obama can reunite our country and our economic recovery. I believe he can. But nobody can fix everything in less than three weeks."
On Twitter CTguy2675 says, "It's a tough time to be looking for a job. You can go back to school to improve the odds. But what do you do in the meantime? Willkriski says, "Revenge of the fishes! Those ice fisherman should be charged for the costs of rescue."
Make sure you become part of our show tonight if you send us your comments on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. We sure appreciate it.
A devastating diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a knock at the door and the doctor was like, Marvelyn, I have something more serious to tell you. And I looked at him and I said, am I pregnant? He was like, no, you're HIV positive. And I just looked at him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Can you imagine that? Heterosexual woman, HIV positive. You don't know what happened. Well, you know how it happened but you never even suspected. Fighting the AIDS crisis that's ravaging the African-American community. I will say it again, ravaging the African-American community and taking a particularly heavy toll on black women. Let's talk, everybody.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So today is a day of awareness. It's definitely not a day of celebration, a day of awareness for National Black HIV Awareness -- National Black HIV Awareness Day. And the battle against AIDS in the African-American community is one of the biggest health care crises facing the nation.
Consider this, even though black Americans make up about 13 percent of the population, the U.S. population, they account for nearly 50 percent of the diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS. And I think we can all agree that is a crisis.
During CNN's "Black in America" series, our Soledad O'Brien met a woman who has turned her HIV status into an opportunity to educate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's young, confident, outgoing. She's Marvelyn Brown. She's 24, and she's HIV positive.
How old were you?
MARVELYN BROWN, HIV POSITIVE: I was 19 years old. I was in and out of ICU. I had a fever of 106.
O'BRIEN: They had no idea what was wrong with you?
BROWN: No idea what was wrong with me. But at this time, I was stabilize. And I was just in a room by myself, basically waiting to be released from the hospital, when there was a knock on the door and the doctor was like, Marvelyn, I have something more serious to tell you. And I looked at him and I said, am I pregnant? And he was like no, you're HIV positive. And I just looked at him.
O'BRIEN: For blacks in this country, AIDS is an epidemic. The toll is shocking. Blacks account for nearly half of all the HIV cases in America.
Sadly, AIDS in America today is a black disease.
O'BRIEN: Phill Wilson is the head of the Black AIDS Institute. He is also living with AIDS.
PHILL WILSON, HEAD, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE: No matter how you look at the epidemic from the lens of gender or sexual orientation or age or socioeconomic class or education or region of the county where you live, black people bear the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right, that was from "Black in America: The Black Woman and Family." Part of our "Black in America" series. It airs Wednesday, February 25th -- Wednesday, February 25th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. And "The Black Man" airs Thursday, February 26th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
So you heard part of Marvelyn's story. She is brave enough to share her story. So many others so we need to talk about this. Let's really just get right to this. David Malebranche is here with me on set. Phill Wilson is in Los Angeles. He's with the Black AIDS Institute. David is from Emory University. And Marvelyn, of course, from the piece.
Marvelyn, thank you so much for joining us. I got to tell you -- I got to tell you, as we would say, girl, I picked up your book and could not stop reading it. And you know why? Because the first thing, and I think so many people can relate to this. Your book, the dedication says, as you talk about your nieces and your nephew, you said, "But for anyone who has ever been isolated, disowned, or felt they had to lie to be loved, this is for you." So you had me at the word hello with that book. An amazing book.
So what do you say to women who may be in a similar situation as you, may not be protecting themselves, make think that they will never get HIV. It doesn't happen to them.
MARVELYN BROWN, AUTHOR, "THE NAKED TRUTH": As I discussed in "The Naked Truth," HIV is a human disease and it is one that affects us all. I never thought that I would contract the virus. And now as a person living with it, I can't express enough how this virus can affect you.
LEMON: Yes. And you said your life started -- you think your life started once you got the diagnosis that you were HIV positive. Obviously, you went through a lot. If you had to do it all over again, I'm sure you wouldn't. But your life started there. Before I get to David and Phill, talk to me about the stigma in the black community and people not wanting to talk about it and thinking it's, you know, it's a gay disease. But it's really a black disease now. One of our guests said that. What do you say about that?
BROWN: I do agree that it is a black disease, and the stigma is one of the hardest parts, living with HIV. I contracted this virus through unprotected sex with one person, one time. And people often forget or don't want to accept that. But it's very easy to contract HIV and I want them to know that.
LEMON: Let's go to Phill Wilson from the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles. Phil, you say that HIV/AIDS must not be lost among the many challenges facing the country and the new president. This has to be number one on his agenda, at least very high up.
WILSON: Well, absolutely, Don. You know, the Black AIDS Institute released a new report today, our annual state of AIDS in black America report. And the state of AIDS in Black America is basically a story of two cities. You know, for some, it's the worst of times. For some, it's not so bad. Now, the bad news is that black folks continue to be devastated by HIV. You know, we're two-thirds of the new cases among women. We are nearly 50 percent of the new cases among men.
LEMON: I mean, why is that? Why is that, Mr. Malebranche? Why is that?
DR. DAVID MALEBRANCHE, EMORY UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, there's a whole plethora of reasons why it may be. And it may be from individual behaviors. It may be from the social contextual factors. But I think what we need to kind of keep in mind is that a lot of people are still having unprotected sex. So this is not necessarily something that black people have a monopoly on. But you see it in different social situations -- who you're having sex with, sexual networks, those things all play a part.
LEMON: You can't deny the numbers. And you guys can jump in at any time if you want, Marvelyn and Phill. But you cannot deny the numbers. It's higher in the African-American community. So somebody -- something is going on and somebody's not getting something.
MALEBRANCHE: Yes. One of the things that we actually talk about a lot in the literature is that there's a couple of things that are contributing to this. Maybe late HIV testing practices. People don't know they're HIV positive. Therefore they can't get on treatment. They end up having more of the virus circulating in their body. It's easier to transmit the disease. Plus, co-infection with sexually transmitted diseases. But still, the root of all that, we don't really understand what are all of these reasons of why it's taking place so hard in the black community today.
(CROSSTALK)
WILSON: One of the things that's really important that people need to understand, it doesn't have to be that way, that we in fact can turn around the AIDS epidemic in black communities.
LEMON: Well, Phill, that's what I was going to say. We had this conversation back when I worked for NBC, was it 1999, 2000, 2001, or whatever, when we tried to do the same thing. And it was tough to get stories about black people and HIV, the staggering rates on the air. And that's the truth.
So -- but you say that it's -- you've got to reach out to the church. Gay men were cohesive, and sort of stopped the rise in their community and black people need to do the same, but so far they're not getting the message.
WILSON: Well, we're starting to happen. You know, I think the main message is that black folks have not understood the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS in our communities, and we've not understood what we could do to make it different. You know that we can urge our traditional black institutions, our civil rights organizations, our elected officials, our clergy to step up to the plate. And fortunately, that is beginning to happen. Black leaders from all walks of life are starting to step up, to speak out, to take action. And now it's up to each and every one of us to play our part.
LEMON: And Phill, the new president helping?
WILSON: Well, you know, the new president is definitely helping, but my worst fear is that black folks will think, you know, we got a brother in the White House now. So we can sit back and not do anything. And that won't work.
LEMON: David Malebranche is laughing.
MALEBRANCHE: No. But, I mean, the reason is that we need an HIV strategy here in the United States period.
LEMON: All right. We need to have a longer time to have this conversation.
MALEBRANCHE: Absolutely.
LEMON: I'm going to get Marvelyn the last word. Whatever you want it to be, Marvelyn, go for it.
BROWN: I just want people to make healthier and wiser decisions in their everyday lives. I contracted this virus because I didn't love myself enough to protect myself, and I want people to start loving themselves.
LEMON: Marvelyn -- Marvelyn Brown, David Malebranche and Phill Wilson. And the book is right here. And you see it's all dog here. It's called "The Naked Truth." Marvelyn -- and it's a fantastic book. I suggest that everyone gets it and reads it.
Have a great evening all of you. It's fantastic talking to you.
MALEBRANCHE: Thank you.
LEMON: I hope to see you on TV again, to get this issue in the light. Thanks.
Asking forgiveness for an unforgettable act of hate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I have to apologize to the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: 50 years after a former Klansman attacked Congressman John Lewis, well, he reaches out and says sorry. Their emotional and honest conversation will definitely move you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, there is Bumpy (ph) working the audio for me. Bumpy, give me some bass. More bass. All right, thank you for that, sir. Bumpy, one of the many people who take care of us here at CNN. Appreciate it, Bumpy.
You know, it was almost 50 years ago when Elwin Wilson and his friends attacked a black man at a bus station in South Carolina. That young black man went on to become a congressman, Congressman John Lewis, who at the time was traveling this country championing civil rights. The man who attacked him, Elwin Wilson, says he's been carrying around an apology in his heart and has been waiting for an opportunity to get it off his chest. And he did.
Here they are, Representative John Lewis and Elwin Wilson, a former KKK member. Nearly a half century has passed since that attack, and John Lewis says, all is forgiven. I spoke with both of them tonight, not long ago. And Representative Lewis talked about that. It was a brutally honest conversation between the two of them. Take a listen. Pay attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): Mr. Wilson, I know you have spoken to the congressman recently, but is there anything else you would like to say to him?
ELWIN WILSON, APOLOGIZED TO REP. LEWIS: I thought about him a lot, since I left Washington. And I found out what kind of man he was, and I enjoyed the trip up there and I didn't think I would ever see the day when I would find out who I beat up at the bus station in Rocky Hill. And it started off with -- they had a picture of -- they called them the City Sisters in Rock Hill that went to Friendship College. Then they had the Friendship Nine that went to college there. And when I saw the sisters, I had -- I had already tried and did change my life. And I'm talking about spiritually and everything.
LEMON: I'm going to continue on and let you talk in a little bit. But I just -- before we go forward, I want to get Congressman Lewis' response.
What do you say to him after -- I mean, you were beaten up, hurt pretty bad. Lots of other folks. Some people even lost their lives because of the actions of men like Elwin and Mr. Wilson. What do you say to him?
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, I said to Mr. Wilson, I met with him early during the week when he came to Washington to visit with me, and he said he wanted to apologize, and that he was sorry and I said, I forgive you. And I don't have any bitterness or hatred because it was in keeping with what we believed in, that we should have the capacity and the ability to forgive, that love is much stronger than hate. And it was very moving and very touching for me for him to come to Washington and say I'm sorry for what I did.
And Mr. Wilson for almost 50 years has been the only and the first person, the first and only person, who attacked me that said I'm sorry.
LEMON: And Congressman, I don't even know if you know this. I spoke with Mr. Wilson earlier today by telephone, and he was a little reticent on the phone to even answer. And when I told him who I was, he talked to me.
But Mr. Wilson, tell him about some disturbing phone calls that you have been getting.
WILSON: Well, I got one phone call from a boy from Rutledge College. And the telephone rang, I answered it. He said, is this Elwin Wilson? I said, you're right. He said, you are slummy black n- dog. And he just kept on talking. He told me, he said, here you are with KKK, took an oath and here you are going back on your word and against the white people.
LEMON: You were outraged by that phone call. And you said you had to call the police. Can you believe, Mr. Wilson, you know 2009, some 50 years after that confrontation that you had with Mr. -- with the congressman, that there's still that sort of hate in the world?
WILSON: Not as much as it used to be. I don't think.
LEWIS: But I'm sorry that someone would do something like that to you, Mr. Wilson. That someone would call and use those words and it is -- it is sad. But what you're doing I think is right and is very much in keeping with what we all believe in.
LEMON: Mr. Wilson, do you have -- people are watching. What do you want them to know about why you did it and about what we should be doing or how we should be treating the topic of race right now in this country?
WILSON: Well, I would like to put another -- add something to what we were talking about, the guy that called me. He -- I don't know why he would be like that because just like I told him, I said, one day I hope that you get the hatred out of yourself and I am -- he said, why did you change? I said, well, I said my daddy always told me that a fool never changes his mind and a smart man changes his mind. And that's what I've done, and I'm not ashamed of it. And I'm not trying to be a Martin Luther King or something like that. It all started off with Andrew Dye and the local newspaper and snowballed on up. And I never would have thought I could apologize to this many people. I feel like I'm apologizing to the world right now.
LEMON: Well, thank you, Mr. Wilson. And Mr. Lewis, I will give you the last word on this, if you would like to comment.
LEWIS: Well, I think this shows the power of grace and love. It is very much in keeping with the philosophy and the discipline of non- violence to have the ability, the capacity to say I'm sorry, forgive me. And the person that received the attack was really forgiven. Because hate is too heavy a burden to bear. Maybe Mr. Wilson will inspire others to come forth.
LEMON: And so this is going to be the last question, but it just crossed my mind. Did you ever think that you would be in this position with someone like Mr. Wilson apologizing to you?
LEWIS: I never thought in all of these many years that someone like Mr. Wilson would be apologizing to me, no.
LEMON: Well, you both are, again, very brave for doing this. And we appreciate your candor. And Mr. Wilson, thank you very much. We hope you don't get any more of those phone calls.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our conversation a little bit earlier with those two men.
Well, this coming on Facebook from Betty Beptacious (ph). She said "Good story there on the former KKK member and Congressman Lewis. Shows the strength of our colored brothers to forgive and also that of Mr. Wilson. And to think that Mr. Wilson is receiving hate calls in today's America, sad."
On Twitter, Kaycarr78 (ph) says, "KKK apology, wow. Can't wait to share this story with my students on Monday."
Ctguy2675 says "As a gay man, I am very aware of the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Other demographics should not think they are immune."
And MusicalQT says, "I think the AIDS epidemic really needs to be driven home with African-Americans. Get tested"
Well, be part of our show by sending your comments to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.
A high school hero in more than ways than one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was crying, you know. And I was also on the ground, you know. But I looked up, he's just sitting there, oh, my dad, I'm scared, I'm scared. And so I grabbed him. Like, I got you, I got you. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Gunfire breaks out at a high school basketball game and a young athlete leaps to the rescue. This is a story you have got to see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So you've gone to a high school basketball game, I have on a Friday night. I mean, everyone, just about everyone in America does. So the scene is a Friday night basketball game. This one's at a community center. And in the blink an eye, a fight breaks out. Shots are fired. In all the chaos, a little boy is crying for help. Well, that is when a courageous and quick-thinking teen springs right into the action -- into action, and here's Amy Anderson of KCTV in Kansas City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN MERRITT: I saw about 15 guys walk into the gym, and I looked, and I was like, whoa, that doesn't look right.
AMY ANDERSON, KCTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the night Sean Merritt won't soon forget. Last Friday four people were shot at the Tony Aguirre Community Center during a basketball game between De La Salle and a Southeast Community Center.
MERRITT: All of a sudden in the midst of the fight gunshots started.
ANDERSON: And standing on the sidelines watching the game was Merritt's 6-year-old son Desean.
DESEAN MERRITT: And I was just standing there, I didn't know what to do.
ANDERSON: Desean had stepped away from his dad just as the gunfire started.
S. MERRITT: I went to look, and he wasn't there, and I'm like, where is my baby?
JULLAION JONES: Man, the whole (INAUDIBLE), they just shooting non-stopped.
ANDERSON: That's when 19-year-old Jullaion Jones stepped off the court and into Desean's life.
JONES: He was crying, you know. And I was also on the ground, you know. But I looked up, he's just sitting there, oh, my dad, I'm scared, I'm scared. And so I grabbed him. Like, I got you, I got you.
ANDERSON: The soft-spoken athlete put the tiny 6-year-old on the ground and covered him until the gunfire stopped holding him tight even after a bullet grazed him in the leg. D. MERRITT: Jullaion moved me. And had me in the corner and covered his body over mine.
ANDERSON: It was a potentially life-saving act of kindness no one will ever forget.
S. MERRITT: I almost get teary-eyed just thinking about it, because you know he could have been worse than he was. And, you know, God is really good and nothing happened to anyone, and I'm glad that he put Jullaion in there do what he did.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Ooh, he's really cute. I'm glad he saved the little guy's life and everybody is OK.
OK, are you looking for your own personal bailout? It's as easy as getting in line, and we're going to tell you where.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, so perhaps you've been wondering, where's my bailout? Well, for a couple of days this week, it was at Times Square.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard about the free money. On my daughter's birthday so I could buy her a present.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So you're here to get something nice for your daughter and to get a bailout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, you're a good father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Let's see what bailout bill can do for you, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we've got $50 for you today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, well, everyone who stood in the freezing weather received at least 50 bucks. I could use 50 bucks. No strings attached either. A lucky few got substantially more if they could persuade the mystery man in the booth that they needed the cash. The giveaway was a publicity stunt for a new Web site, bailoutbooth.com. And all you had to do was to get the money, must be 18 year older and explain on camera why you needed the cash. Similar stunts are playing in Philadelphia. Get ready Philadelphia, Washington and Boston.
All right, we're checking on what you're saying to us, sending to us online. Simonoh says, "The stimulus package must be passed ASAP. So many people are hurting and money needs to be spent to revitalize the economy."
Toopretty says, "I am a nurse. And it is very hard for me to find employment even with years of experience. I'm still stuck with student loans."
Farhany says "Economic recession means controlling impulse spending and buying less expensive items of everything." Good advice. I like that last one.
We want to know what's on your mind. Hey, become part of our show by sending your comments to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So glad you joined us. I'm Don Lemon. We'll be live tomorrow night from the nation's capitol on the eve of President Barack Obama's first primetime address. Join us at 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Now "LARRY KING LIVE."
