Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Assessing the Summit; Meghan McCain Says War Brewing for GOP
Aired April 19, 2009 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EARL LLOYD, FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER: The ball knows no prejudice. It doesn't know what kind of hand it's in.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Earl Lloyd, an African-American first, and an inspiration far beyond basketball.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, we're following some breaking weather news tonight. A tornado threatened the south. Let's go straight to Bonnie Schneider in the CNN Severe Weather Center -- Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Don, we are tracking three tornado warnings across Alabama at this time. We have one in Choctaw County and in Washington County. And you can see real time lightning occurring as we zoom into these Doppler radar indicated rotation and thunderstorms that we're seeing just to the south now of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
This is part of a wider spread area that is under a tornado watch until 9:00 tonight. The yellow boxes you see here, these are actually severe thunderstorm watches, not tornado watches but still some very strong winds with the system working its way through Tennessee including the cities of Memphis and Nashville at this time. So we're watching for this severe weather to work its way through the region.
We are also tracking fires across Florida. Take a look at some video that we have for you now to show you that we have two fires to tell you about. We have a fire in Orlando, about 20 homes had to be evacuated in Orange County where a brush fire threatened homes there; about 40 acres were scorched. Luckily, no one was injured.
We also have a fire to show you in Miami-Dade. I can show you where that is on Google Earth. This was located at near Southwest 174th street and Chrome Avenue. And it took about three hours to put that fire out.
It really is a tough time, because we do have some very, very warm temperatures across much of Florida right now. You can see it's 78 degrees in Miami; lighter winds but the relative humidity is the problem across the region, with hot temperatures, dry conditions and gusty winds and no relief in sight.
Don, as we go for tomorrow we'll be looking for temperatures working their way in the Miami-Dade area all the way up to 79 degrees; 80 in Tampa, there are some hot conditions there.
It's also pretty hot in California, I will talk more about that coming up.
LEMON: Oh boy, oh boy, Bonnie lots of weather to tell you about. Thank you very much for that.
Then we have more severe weather news to tell you about across the nation. It is windy in Oklahoma, and wet in Colorado. We have gotten word from the National Weather Service tonight that it was in fact a tornado that wrecked homes north of Oklahoma City. Four houses were smashed in Langston late last night, but no reports of any injury, so that's good.
Meantime, run off from melting snow has the city of Denver on alert for flash flooding. Firefighters had to rescue a man who fell into a water-swollen creek yesterday. He is expected to recover. Authorities are warning people to make sure storm drains are clear and to be aware of the rising river levels.
Let's go to the nation's capital, now; President Obama back at the White House. He is returning from his first trip as president to Latin America.
He first had to stop in Mexico, followed by the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago where he met with leaders from across the western hemisphere. He is calling the trip very productive. Mr. Obama also acknowledging that leaders at the 34-nation summit certainly didn't see eye to eye on every issue but they proved, he said, that they can disagree respectfully.
And as he wrapped up the summit, President Barack Obama talked about signs of a thaw in relations with U.S. critics like Cuba and Venezuela. Cuba's president says he is open to talks on human rights and other issues. And Venezuela's leader says he is planning to send his ambassador back to Washington.
But critics say Mr. Obama is going too far.
Here's the president's exchange today with CNN's Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): During the campaign, you were criticized by some within your own party for not being able to be tough on foreign policy matters. Now you have had this friendly interaction with Mr. Chavez. Are you concerned at all about how this might be perceived back in the U.S., as perhaps being too soft? Already one senator is calling this friendly interaction irresponsible.
And as a quick follow-up if I may, when you got the book from Mr. Chavez, what did you really think?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it was a nice gesture to give me a book. I am a reader. You are right. We had this debate throughout the campaign. I mean, the whole notion was that somehow if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness.
The American people did not buy it. And there is a good reason the American people did not buy it, because it does not make sense.
You take a country like Venezuela. I have great differences with Hugo Chavez on matters of economic policy and matters of foreign policy. His rhetoric directed at the United States has been inflammatory. And there have been instances in which we have seen Venezuela interfere with some of the countries that surround Venezuela in ways that I think are a source of concern.
On the other hand, Venezuela is a country whose defense budget is probably 1/600th of the United States. They own Sitco (ph). It's unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the interest of the United States. And I don't think anybody can find evidence that that would do so.
Even within this imaginative crowd, I think you would be hard pressed to paint a scenario in which the U.S. interests would be damaged in the consequence of us having a more constructive relationship with Venezuela.
So if the question, Dan, is how does this play politically, I don't know. One of the benefits of my campaign, and how I have been trying to operate as president is I don't worry about the politics. I try to figure out what is right in the terms of American interests, and on this one I think I am right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, tomorrow, the president meets with his cabinet. He'll ask department heads for ideas on where to trim their budgets. Also Congress comes back to work after a two-week long spring break.
Is there a war within the Republican Party? John McCain's daughter says absolutely. We'll tell you what she told a group of gay Republicans.
And taking it to the streets, thousands of people taking part in the 2009 TEA parties; we are digging deeper to tell you the truth about taxes. We want to hear from you about this subject or any other subject that we put on the newscast here, or something you just want to tell us about. Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, iReport.com, get your voice on the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The daughter of Republican senator John McCain warns of brewing trouble for the GOP. Meghan McCain is chiding her father's party saying old school Republicans are scared of the future.
Here is part of what she said yesterday to the Log Cabin Republicans which represents gay and lesbian party members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MCCAIN, JOHN MCCAIN'S DAUGHTER: I did not expect my frustration with what I perceive to be an overly partisan and divisive Republican Party to cause a national incident. And no, I am not that engaged with myself to think it was even that much of an incident.
People in our country have more important issues to deal with on a daily basis. But the experience did reinforce what I learned on the campaign trail in some major ways.
I will summarize them in three points.
Number one, most of our nation wants our nation to succeed. And number two, most people are ready to move on to the future, and not live in the past. Number three, most of the old school Republicans are scared [bleep] of that future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Those are very, very strong words. Let's bring in Charles Moran from the Log Cabin Republicans. Charles thank you for joining us.
CHARLES MORAN, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: Thank you so much, Don.
LEMON: When you hear that from Meghan McCain, what do you say as a Republican?
MORAN: Well, she has a really good assessment of what the current situation is. Right now the Republican Party has lost touch in the way it communicates with the average Americans, and we saw a lot of that after the 2008 elections. It's not so much that the GOP values and those of conservatism are lost, but it's the way that we relate and communicate those to the American people through the issues.
That's what Meghan McCain is talking about; keeping us relevant, keeping the bad issues that separate us and divide us in the past and looking forward about how we can make America a better place through the principals of conservatism being individual liberty, and the preservation of it, small government and individual choices and responsibilities.
LEMON: Which is very interesting because there is always been the argument for people that don't understand that and I hear that now. And I will ask you this question since I have you live. If it appears that Republicans don't believe in gay marriage -- this homosexuality is a sin and all that -- then why would anybody who is gay want to be part of the Republican Party?
MORAN: Well, the premise to your question is blatantly incorrect.
LEMON: Republicans are not against gay marriage? Conservatives are not against gay marriage? MORAN: If you believe that conservatism is letting people make choices that are best for themselves and for their own families, then you don't need a federal government coming in and telling you what -- who you can and cannot marry and what gender they should be and what choices you should be making.
LEMON: Ok, let me ask you this.
MORAN: That's conservatism.
LEMON: You are a gay man, right, obviously a Log Cabin Republican...
MORAN: Right.
LEMON: Do you think that gay people should be married?
MORAN: I do. I am a strong supporter of marriage equality. I am very proud of it. And I route my choice in that to be congruent along the lines of my conservatism.
LEMON: Then that's my question. Because it seems like, then it is -- I don't know, it seems like -- I don't know if it's an oxymoron.
MORAN: It's absolutely not an oxymoron. When you get down to the point of it, my personal life...
LEMON: It seems contradictory, that's a better word for it.
MORAN: It's not. True conservative -- if you actually -- conservatism as it's defined through the scholars, and not since the Reagan revolution takeover of the Evangelical wing of the party in the early 1980s. They do not get to define conservatism. Conservatism is having the ability to make choices that are the best for yourselves and not having somebody else tell you what to do. That's what conservatism is.
LEMON: I still don't understand. It still seems contradictory to me.
But let's move on to talk about Meghan McCain because she also said that it's a war between -- not necessarily between liberal and conservative, but a war between past and future with the Republicans. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: I think we are seeing a war brewing in the Republican Party right now. But it's not between us and the Democrats. It's not between us and liberals. It's between the future and the past. I believe most people are ready to move on to that future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What do you say to that?
MORAN: Well, she is definitely nailing it on the head there. She is basically saying if the Republican Party does not change its direction, it's going to continue and walk off a cliff if it continues following people like Mike Huckabee, like Sarah Palin, the Evangelical conservative wing of the party. They continue to make the Republican Party about their own brand of religious traditions and values instead of standing up for true conservatism.
LEMON: How do you think the Republicans will respond to this or react to what she is saying?
MORAN: Republicans already are responding to it. A lot of people are saying that this is the breath of fresh air to keep the Republican Party and its message of conservatism relevant to the millennial generations which are going to be voting in ever larger numbers over the next, two, three, four election cycles. She speaks for my generation.
LEMON: I have not heard any of the Republican leaders -- has John McCain responded to any of this? Or any of the leaders in the Republican Party, the party chair, Michael Steele, anyone?
MORAN: The speech has not even been out 24 hours yet. And it's a weekend. You have to give a little bit of time for reaction here. But at the same time, we saw interview in "GQ" magazine that chairman Michael Steele gave, talking about homosexuality -- our choice in that as akin to his choice of being a black man. It's not a choice, and it's who we are, and that the Republican Party and our conservative values have a home and it's based around our ability to make the best decisions for our own lives and not somebody having somebody else tell us how to live our lives.
LEMON: I'm listening to you -- I have to run. But I interviewed Michael Steele no more than three weeks ago, and he said something completely different than what you're saying. He doesn't believe in...
MORAN: Read the "GQ" article.
LEMON: I am telling you about my experience with him.
MORAN: Ok.
LEMON: I appreciate. Let's hope that Meghan McCain can make some change because obviously the Republican Party right now needs more diversity, at least according to you and to her as well. Charles Moran, Log Cabin Republicans, thank you.
MORAN: Thank you.
LEMON: Caught on tape, an off-duty police officer is heard and seen mocking people he's encountered on his beat, including a murder victim. We'll show you the tape.
Plus a CNN special investigation, foreclosed homes and why many might never be sold. Houses across America, left for dead. Look at that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: This is a quote, "One less drug dealer to deal with. Cool." Well, those words caught on tape and straight out of the mouth of an off-duty cop, his name is James Cousins, from the Erie, Pennsylvania Police Department. For 7 minutes and 40 seconds, he is seen on an Internet video mocking people he's encountered on the beat including an apparent murder victim.
Just listen to this, and I warn you, it is graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES COUSINS, POLICE OFFICER, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA: I swear to God it looked like (bleep) out of a movie. It was (bleep) perfect. Right in the middle of the (bleep) forehead; right in between the (bleep) eye.
He's laying on the ground and his (bleep) leg is doing one of these. Did you see it? Let me show you again. He's twitching like a (bleep) chicken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, as you might expect, the mother of the apparent the murder victim is incensed with Officer Cousins who has been suspended and she had plenty to say this morning to our T.J. Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YVETTE JENNINGS, MOTHER OF MURDER VICTIM: I was shocked and disturbed. I was distraught. And it did add a lot of more pain on top of what I was already feeling. He needs to be held accountable, gravely accountable. He is not someone who I feel confident to be able to protect and serve me or my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ok. So Jeremy Orr shot that video, and he is on the phone with us now. He joins us from Brisbane, Australia. Jeremy, thanks for joining us.
JEREMY ORR, VIDEOGRAPHER (via telephone): Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Can you straighten this out for me because I have been reading about this. Where did you shoot this? Were you in the U.S. or was this officer in Australia?
ORR: I was in the U.S. I was just visiting family and I've just returned over the weekend from that visit.
LEMON: So explain to us what happened? You are in a bar, you're in Erie, Pennsylvania, correct?
ORR: Just outside of Erie, a small town called Gerard.
LEMON: Yes, I know it. I know Gerard. So go ahead, tell me what happens. ORR: Well, I was just there looking to find an old friend I'd gone to high school with and what-not. And into the bar came the officer and started to tell other stories like that, and I just really did not think that was very appropriate or very good conduct of an officer.
And the only tool I guess that I had to sort of try and get some action out of that to get that sort of behavior corrected was to take a bit of a video with my phone and shot that.
LEMON: Were you surprised by his actions? Because you know, some people -- I am sure I'm getting a comment -- some people would say I am not surprised by this at all.
ORR: In a way, I am not surprised, because it's not something that's unique to this event. It's something that I have seen before and certainly heard about from other people before. I just don't think that that general behavior is correct.
LEMON: Since you put this video out there, what has been your response? You have been harassed, haven't you?
ORR: Not myself, actually. The local Erie police had a very -- threatening, I guess is what you could say, contact with the rest of my family, but not with myself. Most of the feedback that I have gotten has actually been positive saying we don't like this. We agree that this is not the sort of behavior that a police officer should have on duty or off duty.
LEMON: Jeremy, hang on because I want to play a little more of this and then I'll get your comment. Take a listen, everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COUSINS: He's dead. He's laying on the sidewalk plain as day.
There's signs all over the (bleep) bar, Bud Light 12 pack, $12.99. Busch Light, $6.99.
The (bleep) dude is dead right there. There's a sign right here...above.
He's dead. He's dead. There's a sign right above. This guy's shot to the head. There's a sign above him that says St Ides 40 ounce bottles, $4.50 a box.
Anybody want to take a (bleep) wild guess of what St. Ides (bleep) slogan is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh dear God, no.
COUSINS: Swear to God, "Take it to the Head."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Listen, I have a number of police officers who are friends and I work with them and most police officers are good guys. There's bad apples in every bunch, and it appears -- I don't know, I didn't have a breathalyzer or anything -- that this guy may have been drinking. Do you think that maybe this is just an act of a knucklehead who -- spouting off and had been drinking or was inebriated?
ORR: Well, certainly a lot of it is definitely chalked up to that. And I think that overall, police are asked to do incredibly dangerous and very difficult jobs, and not even just with the danger but making the decisions they have to do day-to-day.
But I think that as a society, you know, we want our best people out there protecting us and helping us and serving us as the community officers. And, you know, I guess it calls into question whether -- what caliber of people we are putting on the street to do that very important job for us?
LEMON: You bring up a good point. Listen, I've to run. There had been some folks who say they were racists overtones. Do you believe that?
ORR: I'd rather not really get into that. There had been some prior, and that's really what caused me to really decide to make the video. But, you know, I don't have that. And I don't know him well enough to say if that was really just off the cuff drunken talk or if it really is a racist remark.
LEMON: Well, you know what, it's very interesting whatever is it. And anytime something is caught like this, and that officer has been suspended. Jeremy, I think you would agree, it's usually good for self-examination.
ORR: I agree with that, yes.
LEMON: Jeremy Orr, we appreciate it. Thank you. Best of luck to you and your family, ok?
ORR: Thank you Don.
LEMON: We have some breaking news to tell you about, and it involves tornado warnings. Bonnie Snyder standing by in the CNN Severe Weather Center -- Bonnie, take it away.
SNYDER: Well, Don we are tracking tornado warnings across Alabama and they are coming in fast and furious. We have reports from public (INAUDIBLE), according to the National Weather Service in the Birmingham area that a tornado was actually spotted by several people in the public as on the ground. And now, this was reported in and around the area of Newbern (ph) and in Greensboro, moving northeast at 35 miles per hour.
You can see this area in northern Hale County is still under a tornado warning at this time. We are tracking, once again, numerous tornado warnings. This one just came in south of Birmingham on its way in the vicinity of Pell City just further to the west of Talladega. And a new one just came in right now as I'm speaking in the vicinity of Alabaster and areas further to the south of that. So we are tracking severe weather across much the region. But the main thing to note is that we are no longer just talking about Doppler radar indicated tornadoes, we are getting reports from the public of tornados spotted as well as funnel clouds in the vicinity.
So this is a very serious situation. If you're in the state of Alabama, really from north to south, there is the threat for severe weather because a tornado watch continues for the entire state as well as into Mississippi. This watch box actually extends as far south as Biloxi. We are going to see this threat for severe weather straight until 9:00 tonight.
Just be careful out there. It's a serious situation, once you start actually spotting the tornadoes. You know, we are going to likely see more of this as we go through the evening hours.
LEMON: Thank you very much for that, Bonnie Snyder. We appreciate it.
Have you noticed your credit card rates on banks are going up, and you are not alone? We'll look at why this is happening and we'll tell you that help is on the way.
Also, the 2009 TEA parties across the country; thousands of people hit the streets, all riled up over taxes. But what were the protests really about?
Also, send us your comments here; Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com on any of the stories that we put on the air, even the one involving that Erie police officer. And by the way, CNN reached out to the Erie Police Department for comment, but so far no response.
We are back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Interest rates are down, so are mortgage rates, so why are you having to pay higher fees and credit card charges to many of the same banks taking federal bailout money? That's a good question, and Mary Snow is looking for answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brian and Shannah Boone are reminded of the bailout each time they pay their credit card bill. Despite paying on time, they see their interest rate double, and so did their monthly bill.
SHANNAH BOONE, CREDIT CARD CUSTOMER: It's anger, fear.
BRIAN BOONE, CREDIT CARD CUSTOMER: I feel as though these financial companies that brought in to the situation with all these companies giving us bailout money and everything else, why don't they help? Instead they are putting a burden on us by raising the interest rate.
S. BOONE: Exactly. SNOW: The congressional oversight panel that oversees the federal bailout is looking into that question. A spokesman says the panel may issue a report examining whether there should be restrictions on banks and fees for banks that receive taxpayer money that was intended to make it easier for people to borrow money.
The American Bankers Association responded in a statement saying "the competitive market dictates fees and interest rates for banks," adding, "the downward turn in the economy has increased the risks associated with all types of lending, and the secondary market is still frozen, making funding of credit cards and other loans more expensive."
Some analysts say they are observing across the board hikes.
GREG MCBRIDE, BANKRATE.COM: We are seeing more and more card issuers raising interest rates, raising fees, changing terms and that this is also something that's being applied to consumers that typically would have a little bit more immunity. It's consumers that have very good credit and would otherwise qualify for the best rate.
SNOW: And many banking fees have also gone up. An independent economic research firm, Moage Services (ph) estimates that fees on over drafts and insufficient funds will bring in about $40 billion for banks and credit unions this year. That's up about $4 billion from a year ago. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Mary. We'll talk taxes and it's a sure fire way to get people all riled up. But what is really the truth behind the money we pay into the system? Earlier, I put that question to three of our guests, author, columnist and blogger David Sirota, radio host Ben Ferguson with the Icon Radio Network and tax attorney Roni Deutch. They were not short on answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Roni, where did we stand on taxes? What is the truth about taxes that Americans have been playing the last couple years, rising, falling and compared to other countries?
RONI DEUTCH, TAX ATTORNEY: Here is the issue. Tax payers are intaxicated. We are paying federal tax, state tax, gas tax, property tax, sales tax. We will be taxed when we breathe. So when you and I step back and think about that taxpayer who is out there protesting, they want tax reform. They are not saying to President Obama, hey, we don't think you are going to lower taxes for us. I think what they are saying is I am tired of getting taxed to death when we are printing money and rewarding failure and mediocrity.
Do you realize that 60 percent of the American people, small business owners like myself, we bear the burden. We are the people employing Americans. I want to see great tax programs for small business owners. Don, what about the 30 to 40 million people who cannot even afford to pay the IRS? These are much larger issues. LEMON: Roni, I heard that you were enthusiastic about taxes when we reached out to you, and you are. Thank you, I appreciate your energy and enthusiasm.
BEN FERGUSON, ICON RADIO NETWORK: The reason why you had people from both political spectrums show up is because they realize that something just happened. The deficit just went up drastically. We just literally made a trillion more dollars and threw it out there. We are bailing out huge corporations and this guy is saying, hey, I am going to give you a tax break, and they are going, you know what, if you are going to tax the guys that employ me to death, I lose my job. That's the reason why this week, the Obama administration said in Washington...
DAVID SIROTA, AUTHOR: Trickle down, trickle down, trickle down.
FERGUSON: No, no, hold on. Hey you can say that, it's a cute point, but you are missing the facts here.
LEMON: Go ahead, David.
SIROTA: We have been hearing this stuff for 30 years. Cut taxes on the wealthy and they will benevolently be nice to all of the masses.
FERGUSON: There's a reason why we're the greatest country in the world.
SIROTA: Tax on the super wealthy and it will trickle down.
FERGUSON: Why do we have more millionaires in America than any other country in the world?
SIROTA: You have to get new talking new points, Ben. You've got to get new talking polls. Most recent polls show that the American public wants taxes raised on the wealthy.
FERGUSON: Really?
SIROTA: The most recent Gallup poll shows that the public thinks the wealthy pay too little taxes.
FERGUSON: So most Americans want their Americans to be killed.
SIROTA: The majority of the community understands that the tax system is not fair and rewards the super wealthy and they want tax standards.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: There is a reason why America is the greatest country in the world, and that's because you actually can.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: Hold on, listen to what I'm actually saying, OK? My point is just about America. The reason why we are the greatest nation in the world and the reason why we have low taxes is because we actually in this country allow people to succeed and we don't tax them to death. Your mindset is if you make too much money, you should pay more and that's what kills the American economy.
LEMON: OK David, quickly respond to that.
SIROTA: I'll respond to that by saying remember, our economy did the best, was the strongest and grew at the fastest when the highest rate of taxes was over 70 percent. So you're idea for slashing taxes for zillionaires as a way to build our economic is what got us into this.
LEMON: Hang on, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, that happened earlier. Well many people across the country expressed their frustration with the current tax system by holding tea parties on tax day. I asked "Washington Post" columnist Howard Kurtz to assess the message it sent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD KURTZ, WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST: Well, there is no question, Don, that FOX News hosts, heavily promoted and publicized these tea party protests, and some of the commentators were the big shows who did their shows in some of the cities where the protestors gathered. And at the same time, I think most of the mainstream media, including the "Washington Post," "New York Times," CNN, kind of missed the significance of these protests. This was no Million Man March, but clearly there is some grassroots unhappiness with President Obama and his big budget. And I think there was a little bit too much of a dismissive attitude among some journalists as, well this was just something that was orchestrated by FOX, when in fact it did have a grassroots aspect to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And you can catch Howard Kurtz on Sunday mornings, part of "State of the Union," with John King. There are self-made millionaires and then there is Farrah Gray, an African-American first. You are going to meet him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I am sure you have heard of self-made millionaires. Generally older men or women with a lifetime of experience climbing the corporate ladder in their business. And then there is this guy. His name is Farrah Gray, an African-American first. The youngest black man of this generation to make his mark on Wall Street and become a millionaire. And as can you probably tell, he wasted little time on the playground before he started going for his first fortune.
Farrah Gray, an African-American first, up from a past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A millionaire, by the time you were 14-years-old. That is really unheard of.
FARRAH GRAY, ENTREPRENEUR: According to statistics, I suppose I would be in prison or dead. So I think what I have accomplished growing up in the projects in the South Side of Chicago, being on 77nd and Jeffrey, what I have accomplished is common sense. It's just not common practice.
I think entrepreneurship really takes place in the lunchroom, especially in the hood, as they call it. I will trade you my chocolate cookies for your chocolate milk. But I thought from a perspective of understanding that I personally believe that the two most important times as my grandmother taught me in anybody's life is when were born and when we find out why we were born. So I think at an early age, I was blessed to get in touch with that.
LEMON: You know and my parents taught me valuable lessons as well. How did you know and how did you have the wherewithal at that age, that young, to start selling things? You said you started selling rocks. And people are like, isn't that the rock that was by my door, and you sold it to them. How did you have the wherewithal to do something like that and the courage?
GRAY: Well, I think that comfort is the enemy of achievement. Growing up poor, when I woke up, my mom was up. When I went to sleep, my mom was up. And my father was a black leader and activist, and activism doesn't come with a salary. So I realized, I said wait a minute. My mom had a heart attack. I said, I must do something to help her.
So I went out I sold oversized rocks that I saw on the street. I would paint them and I would ask people, would you like to buy this? And people would look at me like isn't that the rock that was in front of my door? And I said yes, but it can be used as paper weights, book ends and door steps.
So I didn't really know what entrepreneurship was, but I believed that necessity is the mother of invention. So I got out there and I tried. And I think that of course as grandma says, nothing beats a failure but a try.
LEMON: It's very interesting that you say that because I remember were doing stories on this phenomenon that was going on across the country called "The Secret." And there is an anecdote in "The Secret" about this guy who started selling these rocks, any rocks, but he started calling them gratitude rocks, right? And so people started buying them because it was to remember to be grateful.
And so you can always do something. Do you think that you are exceptional in any way, or can just about anyone do what have Farrah Gray has done?
GRAY: Absolutely, I believe anybody can do it. I don't believe that I am one in a million. I believe I am one of a million. What I have accomplished, anyone can do because again like I said, I am supposed to be in prison or dead. And it's not that people like brain power but we like resources. I had a teacher tell me -- I told her I was going to be a millionaire entrepreneur one day, I was seven. She looked at me and said no you are not, you are poor and your family is poor, you better go find somebody to work for and she kind of pointed towards McDonald's.
LEMON: Doesn't that make you go, hey wait a minute, no no no. Doesn't that sort of empower you even more or just give you the fuel to prove that person wrong?
GRAY: Well, at 7-years-old, it didn't. I didn't know, and I remember going home to my grandmother and I said, "The teacher said I wouldn't be successful, and I couldn't be successful."
And she said, remember that no matter what anyone says to you, wake up every morning honey and she said say, why not me? If you want millions, if you want a mansion, she said empathetically, she said if you want to put an end to homelessness, and I've been the spokesman for the National Coalition for the Homeless when I found out that the average age of a homeless person was 9.5 years old, I knew that I could give back.
So she said, wake up and say, why not me? She said if you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
LEMON: Excellent message to everyone. And listen, your life hasn't been a fairy tale. As you said, your mom had a heart attack, you lost your sister, which had a profound effect on your life.
GRAY: Yes, to leukemia. And I've been a spokesman now, I have been working hard all over the country trying to raise the awareness within the various urban communities to get more people in the bone marrow registry, because we are losing people that could live if they could find a perfect bone marrow match.
LEMON: As an African-American, first, we're calling because you are very young to be a millionaire, and a multimillionaire now I am sure. It has been 10 years, you're 24-years-old.
GRAY: I am an old man.
LEMON: What should people take away from the interview about Farrah Gray? That they can achieve what you have achieve? Or it's really not all about money, is it?
GRAY: It is not. I believe it is about being rich from the inside out. Growing up, I saw so many people that were rich that were rich, but unhappy, and conversely I saw so many people who didn't have money in my neighborhood, but that were happy. So I said it's important to combine the two and that's why I came up with the Reallionaire philosophy, somebody who is rich from the inside out. And I think it's important to find your area of excellence.
LEMON: It's also important to though because really, money is power if you are interested in having influence. If you are interested in having influence, you do, if you look at what Oprah Winfrey has done, and anyone that has achieved anything, a lot of power comes through having the money and the wealth to be able to back it up, let's just be honest about that.
And your book, "Reallionaire," I wish you could see it because it's dog-earned. I read it a couple years ago when I lived in Chicago. At the same time I read your book, there was this young guy who had been a community organizer and then was a state senator. And the same thing, your father you said was in community relations, and planning and it doesn't come with a salary.
What do you think about that? You have met him, you've been to the White House, you're from the same city?
GRAY: Sky's the limit. The sky is the limit. I say that to every person that I meet that now we can truly say that any and everything is possible. Because at one time, we did see a glass ceiling as African-Americans. You know, we are the great grandchildren and great great grandchildren of those who took the greatest fall.
So to see someone that a lot of African-Americans say he represents us, but we also represent him. And I think that's important. And we all have a seat in the Obama administration. That's what I tell people with the stimulus package, we can all do our part to see a better today and a better tomorrow for generations yet unborn.
LEMON: Thank you very much. Let's hope there gets a point, Farrah, where it doesn't have to be first anymore, that everyone will have achieved the first and we are truly the melting pot that we are supposed to be. Farrah Gray, thank you.
GRAY: Thank you for having me.
LEMON: It's a pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very impressive young man. Farrah Gray, can you imagine being a millionaire when you are 14-years-old?
Well, next Sunday, we sit down and talk with the first African- American head coach to win a Super Bowl. You know his name. He is former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. He will talk about life after football, and how he dealt with the untimely and unfortunate death of his son. That and more next Sunday right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We appreciate you tuning in for that.
Well, they have faced off on the court, and they are toe-to-toe in the ad wars, Kobe versus LeBron. Who is the marketing MVP?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: What a total waste of a ticket. He's just talking, he's talking. This is Rick Horrow, he's usually out somewhere, crazy man. Good to see you.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Good to see you, my man. LEMON: He's our sports analyst here at CNN. He's just talking as we come out of a break. Before we -- we were talking about this ticket, actually. Want to show it to you? This is a Hawks versus the Heat.
HORROW: Hawks, heat, beginning of the playoffs, $800 face value. This is a hat by Tiger Woods. Well, it's your hat.
LEMON: We'll get to that. But look, check this out. This is Rick Horrow's wallet. And you wear this in your back pocket. My dad wasn't this bad, but he was pretty close. Look at this.
HORROW: There's nothing in there, by the way, which is a good segue because remember George Costanza on "Seinfeld" with that and that was the Yankees, so we'll talk about the Yankees.
LEMON: We were talking about everything. We talked about basketball, but let's start with baseball. And you know, we've been talking a lot about the economy. Baseball, full swing. But can anybody really afford this? The price of that basketball ticket?
HORROW: Well, here's a down payment on the Yankees ticket, $2,650, keep it, for a legends suite seat times 82 games times two tickets minus the $20 that you're taken and the bottom line is it's a billion dollar stadium. And they've got to pay for it. $200 million payroll, you see the Yankees. They're not getting off to a good head start.
The bottom line is you've got to raise those prices to pay for it, and nobody can afford it, especially in this economy.
LEMON: Oh my gosh and we always say, sports is usually the last to be hit. This time, give that money back. Speaking of dollars, thank you, by the way, the NBA playoffs, they started. And many people are picking the Lakers right, it's the Lakers and the Cavaliers. So Kobe Bryant will match up with LeBron James. Why is that so special?
HORROW: Well, it's special because LeBron James is clearly the king of endorsements today, $27 million annually. Forbes has him as the top moneymaker for under 25-years-old. His first deal right out of high school was a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike. So he's there. Who's number two? Kobe Bryant, $16 million. He's also selling black Mamba watches, his namesake, for $285,000 a watch. Good luck to the man.
LEMON: So LeBron is the marketing VMP.
HORROW: LeBron, marketing MVP, we'll see what happens if they meet in the finals.
LEMON: I said Kobe when you asked me. I said LeBron, but I think it was Kobe because he's been around so much longer.
But you know what we're talking about, let's talk about the Masters. Thank you for that.
HORROW: We'll talk about the masters. The bottom line with the Masters is every endorsement is trumped compared to Tiger Woods, $127 million. But his tide raises all boats. Golf is very important now, 30 percent increase in merchandising including, by the way, a Masters hat. And since I'm on the set, even though you don't play golf, probably don't know anything about the sport, that is an official Masters hat you only get in Augusta. And that is yours not just to keep as a mindless prop, but yours forever in exchange for one $800 basketball ticket for the Hawks and the Heat.
LEMON: That's very nice. I've got a friend who went to the Masters last week. Probably went back and I was wearing this at dinner the whole night. And they were like, take it off and I said no, I want to wake up in the morning and show that.
HORROW: Well, congratulations. That is your hat. I will continue to give you trinkets as long as you continue to be nice to me.
LEMON: Thank you for hat. Thank you for the $20. We appreciate it.
HORROW: By the way, one other thing. On a regular basis, CNNLive.com, I'm on now every Thursday morning at 10:00. And we're talking about a lot of this stuff that leads into the weekend. So, shameless plug, but it's part of the family, so I thought that was important.
LEMON: Promotion, self-promotion.
HORROW: CNN promotion.
LEMON: See you, thank you. We're back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, this just into the CNN NEWSROOM. Look at this. Dramatic video into us, an apparent attempted attack by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. It was thwarted. A Canadian warship helped chase down and detained the pirates after they approached a Norwegian tanker in a small boat. Obviously, you are looking at this is night vision video.
U.S. and British ships also joined in on this. Warning shots were fired to get the pirates to stop. Canadian sailors found a rocket propelled grenade on the pirate boat but released men after disarming them. NATO says the Canadian forces had to let the pirates go because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests. That's amazing video coming into the CNN NEWSROOM.
We will take a longer look at that coming up tonight 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.
We're following breaking weather news as well. A tornado threat in the South. Let's go straight to Bonnie Schneider with that. Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well Don, if you are driving anywhere from Birmingham, even as far to the east as Atlanta, you are facing some powerful thunderstorms, particularly in and around the Talladega area. We are tracking a lot of severe weather in this region. Watch out for the tornado warnings. They're in effect for many counties across Alabama from north to south. We're seeing it in Birmingham and these cells are on their way, moving to the northeast. We even have reports of damage in and around the Mount Hope area with trees and power lines down.
We also had reports of funnel clouds there and the public reported a tornado, an actual sighting of a tornado in the Cedarville area. That is in Hail County.
Now the threat for tornadoes will persist straight into the evening tonight. We still have a tornado watch and that's in effect straight until 9:00 tonight, this entire region all the way from north to south across Alabama to the coastline, The Gulf Coast.
So this is a big, widespread area with a lot of sightings and spottings of tornadoes so far. It's not over yet, Don.
LEMON: All right, thank you very much for that, Bonnie Schneider.
We want some of your responses on the air because man, Twitter is really going crazy right now.
Wlperie says "It's nice to see Meghan McCain is trying to fix what's wrong with her party. She needs to get her father to give her a hand."
Armpit44 says "sexual orientation isn't a sign of IQ, it's a sign of style and imagination and maybe a sense of humor, thus GOP gays do exist."
Ecurra19 says "I think that Republicans are trying to please all groups in a desperate way."
Nardo58 says "I'm not sure what Meghan McCain has anything to say has relevance in our political system. Why does she get air time?"
Domoroboto says "If the GOP were serious about gay rights why didn't they say so at the CPAC or at the tea party? Smells like hypocrisy."
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com, that's how you get it on. Hey, real quickly, we want to go back to the pirate video that we have been telling you about. It's just into the CNN NEWSROOM. It is an apparent attempted attack by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden thwarted. It was a Canadian war ship that helped chase down the pirates after they approached a Norwegian tanker in a small boat. They ran away, couldn't be detained because they did not, we're told, attack a Canadian citizen.
We're going to have a full investigation on this coming up tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 10 p.m. Eastern. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you back at 10:00. "State of the Union" with John King right now.
