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Severe Storm Damage in South; Pirate Attack Thwarted; President Obama Sees Thaw in Regional Relations; Meghan McCain Warns of Brewing Trouble for the GOP; The Truth About Taxes; Polo Horses Drop Dead
Aired April 19, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A huge talk of the country. Menace by storms tonight. Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
As we go on the air, live, right here in Atlanta, we are under a tornado watch along with other parts of the South. These pictures you're seeing are from a town outside of Birmingham, Alabama, where there have been a number of tornado and funnel cloud sightings.
Let's get straight now to our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN severe weather center.
Bonnie, a big part of the country here under storms and bad weather.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, Don. Particularly Alabama has been very hard-hit by these strong storms that have been working their way through the region as this cold front has been coming down, pulling in so much colder air behind it. We're still under the threat for severe weather in this region.
I want to show you this tornado warning. This is in Hail County, and it's in Alabama. The same place where we saw those pictures of those funnel clouds. We even have reports -- the public reported some possibility of tornadoes in Cedarville, which isn't too far from where these pictures were taken. So it looks like it could very well have been a tornado. We'll wait to see what the storm damage looks like and after surveyors are on the scene. But what a dark, menacing wall cloud.
I want to bring you up to speed with what's happening right now. We have brand new tornado watches to tell you about. Including one that's been extended to 2:00 in the morning. A little bit further east into Alabama. And then we have yet another one. And this one includes the city of Atlanta.
This particular tornado watch, well, this is going to extend all the way into 3:00 tomorrow morning. You're looking at a live picture of downtown Atlanta. So far so good. But when there's a tornado watch that means that the threat of severe weather is out there. These storms have a history of producing large hail, frequent lightning strikes. You're seeing real time lightning right there. Plus, we could also see very strong, gusty winds, whether or not there is a tornado. There's lightning popping up right now just to the east of Aniston. And you can hear my printer going, but we even have more possibility of tornado warnings popping up. But here's the one we're focusing on right now, just to show you this one. Fairly recent coming in, including Rome, Roswell, Atlanta, Peachtree City. And when a tornado watch is extended all the way to 3:00 in the morning, that means that these are slow-moving storms, not fast-moving storms. So they could potentially dump heavy rain.
And this is an area that's been very drenched with rain over the past few weeks. So we're likely to see flooding in the region. We already have reports of some smaller streams in Alabama overtopping. So just be careful out there. If you're driving particularly on I-20, this is where we're seeing some of the worst of the weather right in this region, where we're getting some of the heaviest downpours at this time.
Don, we're monitoring this here in the CNN weather center. But once again, the south east under the threat for tornadoes tonight.
LEMON: Yes. And it's going to cause some problems with the commute in the morning. So make sure you stay tuned to CNN.
Bonnie, thank you very much.
There's more severe weather across the nation that we're following as well. It's windy in Oklahoma and it's wet in Chicago. We've 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. No reports of injury. That's the good news there. 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. And authorities are warning people to make sure storm drains are clear and to be aware of the rising river levels.
In Houston, police now have file charges after a car accident that killed five young children yesterday. The car plunged into this flooded waterway. Four of the children's bodies have been found. One is still missing, but presumed dead. CNN learned just last hour that police have filed manslaughter charges against the driver, 32-year-old Chanton Jenkins suspected of being intoxicated. He is the father of some of the dead children who range in age from one-year-old to 11. Jenkins managed to escape the car along with a 10-year-old daughter and an adult passenger.
We're also following two brush fires that threatened homes in Florida. New pictures in tonight to CNN from our Orlando affiliate. About 20 homes had to be temporarily evacuated in Orange County because of an approaching brush fire. No one was injured in that one.
And we head south now to Miami-Dade County, where firefighters sprayed down homes to protect them from the flames. Air rescue helicopters attacked the brush fires there with thousands of gallons of water. Neighbors were startled by the sights and the sounds of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a huge, huge flames, and pops and booms. And it was frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like you heard it. It was like, pow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're concern because our neighbors right there do help us away from here. And then we've leave like --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, it took about three hours to put out the 25-acre fire near Miami fueled by high winds and dry conditions.
This also new into the CNN NEWSROOM tonight. Dramatic video off the Coast of Somalia. Tonight, a pirate boat pursued and detained by Canadian forces. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That is night vision video there. After firing a series of warning shots, the Canadian warship caught and disarmed the pirates after they approached a Norwegian tanker in a small boat. U.S. and British ships also joined in. The Canadian sailors released the men after disarming them. NATO says the Canadian forces had to let the pirates go because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests.
President Barack Obama is back in Washington. He arrived at the White House tonight following the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Obama is calling the trip very productive. He acknowledged that regional leaders certainly didn't see eye to eye on every issue, but they proved he said that they can disagree respectfully.
President Obama talked to reporters today as he prepared to leave the summit, and our Dan Lothian was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do believe that the signal sent so far provide at least an opportunity for frank dialogue on a range of issues including critical areas of democracy and human rights.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a 45- minute press conference, Mr. Obama also seemed unconcern about his friendly interaction at the summit with America's chief antagonist, Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez.
OBAMA: It's unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez, that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States.
LOTHIAN: But one Republican critic on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" had a different take. SEN. JOHN ENSIGN (R), NEVADA: I think it was irresponsible for the president to be seen kind of laughing and joking with Hugo Chavez.
LOTHIAN: Again, Mr. Obama brushed off the criticism.
OBAMA: If the question, Dan, is, how does this play politically, I don't know. I don't worry about the politics. I try to figure out what's right in terms of American interests, and on this one, I think I'm right.
LOTHIAN: Leaders from across Latin America and the western hemisphere are seeking a new relationship with the U.S., and on the global economic crisis, they welcome investments, too. But Mr. Obama said what they think will help the most, it's for his domestic economic recovery plan to work.
OBAMA: People are rooting for America's success.
LOTHIAN (on camera): This is President Obama's second overseas trip. As he works to build a better relationship with many of these world leaders, he says it should now be based on a partnership, not on America's military might.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Dan.
Well, the president won't have any down time after his trip tomorrow. The president holds his first full cabinet meeting. He'll ask department heads for ideas on where to trim their budgets. And across town Congress comes back to work after a two-week long spring break. There will be hearings on energy and global warming.
Is there a war within the Republican Party? John McCain's daughter says, absolutely. We'll tell you what else she told a group of gay Republicans.
Plus, police believes he picked his victims on the Internet from a very popular Web site. The latest on a two-state manhunt.
Also, it's time for you to have a voice on our show. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. Your responses get on the air here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Police in New England are searching for a man they believe used a popular Web site to find his murder and robbery victims. They are looking for this man.
Surveillance cameras captured him in the lobby of a Marriott Hotel in Boston, where a woman was killed. She was offering full body massages on craigslist. Warwick, Rhode Island police made the connection between the murder and two armed robberies after a woman was bound and held at gunpoint there. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF STEPHEN MCCARTNEY, WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND POLICE: The female population here that makes a decision to engage themselves in these kinds of commercial transactions, OK, because they appear to be legal in the state of Rhode Island, we clearly have a situation where they're putting themselves at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Twenty-six-year-old Julissa Brisman was found unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds in that Boston Marriott Hotel. That was on Tuesday night. She died from her injuries at the hospital.
We're learning more tonight about the Maryland man who apparently killed his entire family and himself. Christopher Woods' wife wrote on a blog entry just last month that he was having a hard time adjusting to his new manager's job.
Well, she wrote, "I worry somewhat about the change Chris is experiencing. It is currently causing him stress." Well, meantime, tributes are pouring in to the family on Facebook. At their church today, parishioners say the sudden deaths have them thinking about reaching out to others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE PARKER, PARISHIONER: I was thinking of another family I know that got foreclosed and they got kicked out of their house. And I'm just thinking, I need to call him and say, you know, if there's anything I can do to help you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The bodies of Woods, his wife and three children all under the age of six were found yesterday in their home. It may be a few days before autopsy results are released.
Well, one picture causing a huge uproar. Is President Barack Obama acting too friendly with the world leader known for being hostile towards the U.S.?
And breaking news tonight. Severe weather in the southeast. Tornadoes reportedly touching down. Atlanta under a watch right now.
(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's part of what she said yesterday to the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents gay and lesbian party members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MEGHAN MCCAIN, DAUGHTER OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: I did not expect my frustration with what I perceive to be overly partisan and divisive Republican Party to cause a national incident.
And no, I'm 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'll summarize them in three points.
Number one, most of our nation wants our nation to succeed. Number two, most people are ready to move on to the future, not live in the past. And number three, most of the old-school Republicans are scared (EXPLETIVE DELETED) of that future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, that was strong words from Meghan McCain.
Well, how did Meghan McCain's comments sit with her audience? How will Republicans and the Republican leaders react? Tonight, I asked Charles Moran from the Log Cabin Republicans that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: When you hear that from Meghan McCain, what do you say, as a Republican?
CHARLES MORAN, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: Well, she's got 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 GOP values and those of conservatism are lost, but it's the way we relate and communicate those to the American people through the issues. And 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 principles of conservatism, being individual liberty, and the preservation of it, small government and individual choices and responsibilities.
LEMON: Well -- which is very interesting, because there's always been the argument for people who don't understand, and I hear that. I'll ask you this question since I have you live.
If it appears that Republicans don't believe in gay marriage, homosexuality is a sin and all of that, then why would anyone who's gay want to be part of the Republican Party?
MORAN: Well, the premise to your question is blatantly incorrect.
LEMON: How so? Republicans aren't 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 you can -- who you can and cannot marry, and what gender they should be and what choices you should be making.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: OK, let me ask you -- let me ask you this. That said, you are a gay man, right? Obviously -- 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 and I'm very proud of it. And I root my choices in that to be congruent along the lines of my conservatives...
LEMON: All right. That's my question. Because it seems like, then it is -- that, I don't know. It seems like, I don't know if it's an oxymoron or...
MORAN: It's absolutely not an oxymoron. When you get down to the point of it.
LEMON: It seems contradictory, that's a better word for it.
MORAN: It's not. True conservatism. If you actually -- it is -- conservatism is defined through the scholars, not since the, you know, Reagan revolution, take over 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: OK. I still don't understand. It still seems contradictory to me.
But let's move on and talk about Meghan McCain, because she also said that was -- it's a war between -- not necessarily between liberal and conservative, but a war between past and future with Republicans.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. MCCAIN: I think we're 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's definitely nailed it right on the head there. And she's 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.
If 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, will react to what she's 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 generation, which are going to be voting in ever larger numbers over the next two, three, four election cycles. This is -- she speaks for my generation.
LEMON: 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We're watching severe weather tonight in the southeast. Parts of country under tornado watches, including the Atlanta area right now where we are broadcasting from. Bonnie Schneider will have the latest in just a moment for you.
And this picture. Sure has a lot of people talking. An obvious shift in the way the U.S. is dealing with foreign adversaries. We'll talk about it.
And there they are. Bill Schneider, Lynn Sweet, don't go anywhere. It's going to be an interesting discussion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Barack Obama's Latin America trip has given us a lot to discuss from diplomatic shifts abroad to his critics right here at home. So let's talk about it with two of the best in the business.
Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau chief from the "Chicago-Sun Times." She's a regular. She's here every Sunday night. And our very own Mr. Bill Schneider. He is CNN's senior political analyst.
Thank you both very much for joining us tonight.
OK, let's talk about that handshake. This diplomacy. You know, with Hugo Chavez. Lynne, talk to me about this handshake. The president today said for him, I think he said even with you, some of the most creative minds here, he doesn't think that it's a big deal -- this picture between him and Hugo Chavez.
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, absolutely. This the handshake that shook the world for the moment. And Obama, Mr. Cool, is saying, let's not overreact about it. And, you know, reverbs back in the United States, he says, just don't matter. He reminded everyone that the defense budget of Venezuela is probably at 1/600 of the United States. So me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez does not endanger the United States.
LEMON: And he said, and then yet they own CITGO or something like that, right?
SWEET: And then -- yes, he said in that same riff they own RITGO (ph), and he says there's no consequence for me shaking hands. That is really a serious down side to the United States.
And at the same press conference, Don, Obama was asked about the Obama doctrine. What he called it Obamaism.
LEMON: Yes. Those are new phrase -- yes.
SWEET: And if you kind of want to figure out what this is, part of what I think an Obama doctrine is talk to your foe. And if it doesn't cost the United States security or anything, if it doesn't cost the wealth of the nation or anything, go shake his hand, take his book.
LEMON: OK. All right.
Bill, I'm going to let you in. And I'm going to ask you this question, but I want you to hear this first. The question is going to be -- is this a new way of dealing with adversaries?
I want to play a little bit of the president, Bill, and then I'll talk to you about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If we are practicing what we preach, and if we occasionally confess to having strayed from our values and our ideals, that strengthens our hand. That allows us to -- to speak with greater moral force and clarity around these issues. And, again, I think people around the world appreciate that we're not suggesting we are holding ourselves to one set of standards and we're going to hold you to another set of standards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: New way, Bill?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: We are all sinners is what the president was saying. Religious Americans, all of the people all over the world understand that sentiment. Certainly Christians do. We're all sinners. None of us is absolutely pure, and the United States should not take the view that we're always right. We never make mistakes to the rest of the world. And if they disagree with us, they're always wrong. We'll talk. We'll listen. We won't necessarily shun those who disagree with us.
LEMON: And, Lynn, and I want both of you to respond, because it seems like it's directly opposite of the last administration's philosophy when it came to these issues.
Lynn?
SWEET: Absolutely. One of the other things that Obama talked about is, you know, there's no junior partner. There's no senior partner. It's just partners trying to get, you know, get along in the world.
Now, clearly, he knows that the United States is a senior member of the establishment here. But what he wants to do is just be more respectful towards the other countries. And especially in the southern hemisphere, where we have had long tortured relations with -- or lack of with Cuba where we've had a lessening of restrictions. Still have the embargo.
So on his maiden visit down there, I think he wanted to show that he will be different, and he won't want to impose everything that the United States wants, but he wants it to be a two-way dialogue.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. The president said we will defend our values. We won't necessarily impose our values. And that is a bit of a departure. He's certainly going to defend our values. He said in his remarks about Cuba, that freedom for the Cuban people will always be a guiding principle of our foreign policy towards that country. We will defend the value of freedom. That's a moral value that he adheres to, but we won't necessarily believe that we can simply go out and impose our values on the rest of the world.
LEMON: I want to get you guys take on this, because, you know, we work late here on the weekends. And so, you know, sometimes we sleep in on a Sunday morning and just -- we'll have the morning shows on in the background.
And I woke up to the president speaking this morning live on CNN. It was very interesting to hear him take questions in that way and he seemed much more casual than -- he is casual anyway, but he just seemed much more casual in his approach.
Listen to this, and I want to talk to you guys about it. Just a light moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: It's warm, and I've got to get home. But I appreciate you guys. Thank you.
By the way, whose wallet is this? Is this one of my staffs here? (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And he just went on, and to talk that way. But it was just a very interesting approach.
Am I alone in that, Lynne?
SWEET: Well, I've seen him, you know, laid back. Barack Obama when he was in the Senate and on the campaign trail. I think when you're outside of the formality of the White House and the formality of a formal press conference, you get a little bit of a different view. And, you know, he's on a stunning place, too. And I think it kind of...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: That's it. You hit the nail on the head. He was on a trip, and it seemed that way.
Bill, five seconds, if you want to respond. I got to run, though.
SCHNEIDER: He wasn't using a teleprompter. That's when he's often at his best.
LEMON: OK. Bill Schneider, Lynn Sweet, we appreciate it. Thank you both very much.
SWEET: Thank you.
LEMON: Here's what you guys are saying about the stories that we're putting on the air tonight.
Tinkthekat says, "Can't people say hello without everything going crazy? Reading all sorts of things into it. President Obama said he would reach out and he is."
Jwsherrod says, "It was two socialists shooting the breeze."
WalliesWorld said, "I thought that it was the most intelligent way to begin a real dialogue between two countries."
Kimbreab said, "Here's a better question. When did Meghan McCain become a major player in the GOP?"
JoyRothke says, "Meghan McCain seems like a nice person, but I doubt if she can convince them to abandon their obsession with gays."
Karanjasan says, "Ms. McCain is right. The GOP is scared. No policy leg to stand on, and Obama has beaten them at their P.R., which was all they had."
You can have a voice on our show. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com. That's how you get your responses on.
We're monitoring severe weather across the Southeast tonight. Tornado watches in effect. And look at the radar. It is lit up like crazy. That is a huge part of the country. We'll get an update from our Bonnie Schneider in a moment, especially on how it's going to affect your commute tomorrow.
And then taking it to the streets. Thousands of people taking part in the 2009 tea parties. We're digging much deeper to bring you the truth about taxes and tea parties.
And later, horses, mysteriously die just hours before a polo championship. This is new just coming in. We'll tell you what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You need to pay attention because many of you could be in the path of severe storms tonight and it could affect your community tomorrow. They're rolling through parts of the country. Let's go straight to Bonnie Schneider in the CNN severe weather center.
Bonnie, what's going on?
SCHNEIDER: Oh, Don, we have a lot of thunderstorm activity. We did have tornado warnings that have persisting across a good portion of the region. Check out this area here where we have severe storms. Well, it's through Alabama, Mississippi and even in Georgia. In fact, I want to show you right now where we have the latest tornado warnings. We have one continuing in northern Alabama. Some rough weather driving through areas into Hope County.
Let's take a look at the video now. And I can show you what the wall clouds look like in this region. We've been tracking severe weather across much of this region as we go through much of the afternoon. You're looking at what's possibly a wall cloud in this area that could have been a tornado. We're tracking some tornado warnings now south of Alabaster, where severe weather is rolling through, and you can see that over I-20. We continue to watch the threat for heavy downpours of rain, frequent lightning and reports with this entire system of nickel and dime-sized hail.
And, yes, there is a brand-new tornado watch, and this goes for Atlanta, Georgia. Check this out. This brand-new tornado watch covers almost the entire state of Georgia, including the city of Atlanta, and it goes all the way until 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
You're looking at a live picture outside right now. The Atlanta skyline looking good. Kind of dark, though. Certainly, we have some clouds out there, but this could be a night where the thunder, the roar of the thunder, wakes you up in the middle of the night as those storms roll through, and they are on the way - Don.
LEMON: All right, Bonnie, thank you very much for that.
OK. Let's talk about taxes, and when you do, it is really a sure way to get people all riled up. But what is really the truth behind the money that we pay into the system? And the truth about tea parties? I put the question to three of our guests -- author and columnist and blogger, David Sirota; radio host Ben Ferguson with ICON Radio Network and tax attorney Roni Deutch. Check out what they had to say. Fiery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Roni, where do we stand on taxes? What is the truth about taxes that are -- Americans have been paying the last couple of years, rising, falling and compared to other countries.
RONI DEUTCH, "THE TAX LADY'S GUIDE TO BEATING THE IRS": Here's the issue. Taxpayers are intaxicated. We are paying federal tax, state tax property, gas tax, property tax, sales tax. We'll be tax when we breathe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen.
DEUTCH: So when you and I step back and think about that taxpayer who is out there protesting, they want tax reform.
LEMON: Right.
DEUTCH: They're not saying to President Obama, "hey, we don't think you're going to lower taxes for us. I think what they're saying is I'm sick and tired of getting taxed to death, when we are printing money and rewarding failure and mediocrity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
DEUTCH: 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 some great tax programs for small business owners.
Don, what about the 30 million to 40 million people who cannot even afford to pay the IRS. These are much larger issues --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hang on. Hang on. Roni, you know, I heard that you were enthusiastic about taxes when we reach 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 $1 trillion more and threw it out there. We are bailing out huge corporations. And this guy is saying, hey, I'm going to give you a tax break. And they're 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, "THE UPRISING": Trickle down, trickle down, trickle down.
FERGUSON: No, no, no. Hold on. Hold on. (CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: Trickle down, trickle down, trickle down.
FERGUSON: Hey, you can say (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: Go ahead, David.
FERGUSON: It's a cute point, but you're missing the facts here.
SIROTA: We have been hearing this stuff -- we have been hearing this stuff for 30 years.
FERGUSON: Hey, there's a reason why we're the greatest country in the world.
SIROTA: Cut taxes on the wealthiest people in the country, and they'll benevolently be nice to all of us -- all of the masses. Cut taxes on the super wealthy and it will trickle down.
You got to get new talking points, Ben. You got to get new talking points.
(CROSSTALK)
FERGUSON: I go back to this point. Why do we have more millionaires? Why do we have more millionaires in America than any other country in the world? Why?
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: Most polls -- most recent polls show that the public -- that the American public wants taxes raised on the wealthy.
FERGUSON: Really?
SIROTA: That most Americans -- the most recent Gallup Poll shows that the public thinks the wealthy pays too little taxes.
FERGUSON: So most Americans...
SIROTA: That's right.
FERGUSON: Most Americans want the American to be killed.
SIROTA: The majority understand that the tax system is not fair and rewards the super wealthy, and they're not tax standards.
You want to keep cutting taxes for zillionaires.
FERGUSON: I go back to -- there's a reason why America -- there's a reason why America -- hold on, hold on.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: OK. One at a time. (CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: You want to keep cutting taxes for zillionaires.
FERGUSON: There's a reason why America is the greatest country in the world. And that's because you actually can, and I believe --
(CROSSTALK)
SIROTA: It's because we didn't used to cut taxes on billionaires.
FERGUSON: Hold on. I let you talk. Hold on. Hold on.
Listen to what I'm actually saying, OK? My point is it's about America. The reason why we're the greatest nation in the world, and the reason why we have low taxes, 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 dream.
LEMON: OK. David...
SIROTA: Let me respond to that.
LEMON: ...quick response.
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 your idea of slashing taxes for zillionaires...
FERGUSON: (INAUDIBLE)
SIROTA: ... to build our economy is what got us into this economic problem.
LEMON: Hang on. All right, hang on, guys, we're going to...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. That was a ruckus conversation that happened earlier and we're not done yet. No taxation without representation. Well, we'll talk tea parties and taxes and how the media handled it. We're going to talk about all of it. These guys don't hold back. Our radio hosts are on it.
You guys ready?
MARTHA ZOLLER, HOST, "THE MARTHA ZOLLER SHOW": We're ready.
WARREN BALLENTINE, HOST, "THE WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Let's go.
LEMON: We're going to talk the truth about taxes and tea parties?
BALLENTINE: I'm the truth part. You know I'm going to do it.
LEMON: All right.
Plus, they are self-made millionaires. You've heard of them. And then there is this guy. His name is Farrah Gray, an African- American first. We're going to introduce you to him. You don't want to miss his story as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. This was a fodder for the radio and blogs and a lot of media this week. Many people across the country expressed their frustration with the current tax system by holding tea parties on tax day. Now earlier, I asked "Washington Post" columnist Howard Kurtz to assess the message it sent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD KURTZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST (via telephone): Well, there's no question, Don, that Fox News hosts, you know, heavily promoted and publicized these tea party protests and some of the commentators were the big stars, who did their shows in some of the cities where the protesters gathered. At the same time, I think that much of the mainstream media, including the "Washington Post," "New York Times," CNN kind of missed the significance of these protests.
This is 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 saying, well, this is just something that was orchestrated by Fox, when in fact it did have a grassroots aspect to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So this week's nationwide tax day tea party really seems to have intensified the chasm between the left and the right. This is how it's being played. Our radio hosts Martha Zoller and Warren Ballentine. Martha is conservative, you know. Warren is liberal. They're on the radio and they talk about this.
So, Martha, I hear you have a bone to pick with us about the cover.
ZOLLER: Well, I will tell you. The reporter that covered the one that everybody saw, I just think that she treated the person that was there with very little respect. And, sure, it was tough crowd. CNN was not the most favorite person in that crowd, but she's supposed to be a professional. And instead of, you know, yelling at a guy who's got a kid in his arms, she really should have been more respectful and listened to what he had to say. She was a reporter, not a part of the news. She made herself a part of the news, which really hurt.
LEMON: All right. I'm not a media critic and it's not my place to criticize anyone I work with, so I'm going to stay out of this one. But I know it was a very tough crowd.
ZOLLER: Sure.
LEMON: And, you know, as soon as they got out of the van, people were screaming, you know, CNN, whatever, all these things.
So, anyway, Warren, go ahead.
BALLENTINE: Well, Don, I don't think she did anything no different than what Fox did. Fox literally took what was something about spending and made it its own agenda. And, literally, I've never seen a network take something and push an agenda for organizing and holding public outcry. I've never seen that done before. They call it themselves fair and balanced. What a joke.
LEMON: Yes.
BALLENTINE: And that's why the CNN reporter took the position as she took. I think that's why a lot of Americans took the positions that they took. Look, I'm all for flat taxes, all for getting rid of the IRS. But let's be honest here. Taxes have not been raised under this administration. In fact, 95 percent of the people out there probably will be helped by Obama's tax plan.
And, and this is the big thing -- if you're going to get into spending, if the spending is the issue, why didn't you say that when we had George Bush spending $10 million a day in Iraq?
LEMON: Warren, we want to move on to talk about taxes. But I want to ask Martha something before we do that.
ZOLLER: Yes.
LEMON: Now there was a reporter from another network and who was part of their business channel who called, on the air, the president, a fascist and spoke out about the tea parties. And not much was made of it.
ZOLLER: No. And that was why you shouldn't call the president a fascist. I mean, that's not the right thing to do. But what you should do is give the appropriate respect to this. This was well over 100,000 people across the country in meetings that began at 7:00 a.m. in Connecticut on the East Coast and ended at 7:00 p.m. in Hawaii on the far West Coast.
LEMON: OK.
ZOLLER: It was a newsworthy story.
LEMON: All right. Here's what I have to say. I mean, does everyone have to take things so personally all the time? I mean, you know, nobody's perfect. And we all learn and...
ZOLLER: Very little -- but, Don, very little discussion was made of the president during these things. It was about spending and taxes. BALLENTINE: No, Martha, I disagree with that.
LEMON: Hang on, hang on, hang on. I sit here and watched all the feeds...
ZOLLER: I was there.
LEMON: ...and I saw the video coming in and there were signs.
Martha, that's not exactly true because there were people who said very hateful things about the president, very hateful things about members of his staff, very hateful things about Hillary Clinton, and some of the things we had to edit out of the signs...
ZOLLER: There was very little of that of what I saw.
LEMON: Yes. So I just -- I just, you know -- it just seems like people get really personal about for some things and I don't know why that happens.
But also, let's talk about taxes. The folks we had on last segment, the tax act expert said we were at the lowest. We're paying at the lowest among nations as far as how much we pay in taxes, and that the president's plan, if it's as it says it's going go, will be the middle class will fair much better than they had been.
ZOLLER: But that's just income tax. And I thought that was a good point made in the last segment where there's taxes everywhere. And you can't continue to spend a trillion dollars over what you're taking in and not have to raise taxes, Don.
LEMON: Right.
ZOLLER: I mean, and I'd rather be pro-active than wait until it happens.
LEMON: And let's move on because...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hang on. But it wasn't just about taxes, guys. It was also about...
ZOLLER: Spending.
LEMON: Yes. There you go.
BALLENTINE: And you know, the problem with both of those arguments is this. We had the Boston Tea Party in this country because it was taxation without representation. You have representation now.
ZOLLER: This wasn't the Boston Tea Party.
BALLENTINE: It should not have been about degrading this administration. This man has been in office for 87 days. This is all based off of the Bush administration and nobody said anything about. Now, when you look at that crowd out there at these tea parties, 90 percent of them were Republicans who have voted for McCain. The other 5 percent were libertarians and the other 5 percent were people who were just out there trying to figure what the hell was going on. This had an agenda of Fox. This is about the Bush administration.
ZOLLER: That's not true. It's not true.
BALLENTINE: And for anybody to say that this was all about America coming together, that's a bunch of baloney. It's all a bunch of baloney.
ZOLLER: What?
BALLENTINE: Our taxes have not been raised.
LEMON: OK.
BALLENTINE: The only taxes that's been raised...
LEMON: Guys, we're out...
BALLENTINE: ... is cigarette tax for the SCHIP to give health care for children that need it. That's it.
LEMON: We have to go. We're out of time. And, you know, and I think all of you agree, everyone has the right to protest.
ZOLLER: Absolutely.
BALLENTINE: Absolutely, absolutely.
LEMON: And you don't get anything accomplished...
ZOLLER: And it should be peaceful protest.
LEMON: You don't get anything accomplished when you call people names or when you do, say hateful things. You just -- you need to talk in order to work it out.
BALLENTINE: I hope the folks at Fox are watching this.
LEMON: No, that's not what I'm saying. I mean, anyone, I'm talking about us, too. So thank you very much.
BALLENTINE: Thank you.
LEMON: We appreciate it.
ZOLLER: Thank you.
LEMON: Have a great two hours left of your weekend. Monday comes in a little bit. Thank you, guys.
A mystery at an international polo club in Florida. Investigators are trying to figure what caused several horses to drop dead just hours before a championship match.
And later, self-made millionaire Farrah Gray, up from a past. His incredible story about how he became the youngest black man of his generation to make his mark on Wall Street.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Breaking weather news. Let's go back to Bonnie.
Bonnie?
SCHNEIDER: Don, we are tracking now the threat for severe weather north of Atlanta. This just in. We now have a tornado warning for southern Cherokee, northern Cobb and northeastern Fulton County. This doesn't include the city of Atlanta. But as you can see, the thunderstorm is coming very close to downtown.
Here's where the tornado warning is. And you may recognize some of the area here. The city of Kennesaw is under this tornado warning, as well as Roswell. A tornado has not been spotted, but the tornadic activity is possible within these strong thunderstorms. We are picking up rotation. A tornado could touch down at any time.
Be prepared and take cover if you live in this region or if you live across Georgia or Alabama because we run the risk of severe weather as we go into the evening hours and overnight.
Stay tuned. CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: At least 14 thoroughbred polo horses have mysteriously dropped dead today. We're hearing unconfirmed reports there may be more. Seven of them died at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. The others died en route to the vet hospital from the club. This happened shortly before the horses were to compete in a championship match. State and local veterinarians are trying to find out how this happened.
Still ahead here on CNN -- a candid conversation with Farrah Gray, the youngest black man of his generation to make his mark on Wall Street and become a millionaire. He became a millionaire at 14 years old. Up next, "Up from a Past."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This story is certain to inspire you. Farrah Gray is an African-American first. Youngest black man of his generation to make his mark on Wall Street and become a millionaire. He is tonight's African-American first.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): A millionaire by time you were 14 years old. That is really unheard of. FARRAH GRAY, ENTREPRENEUR: According to statistics, I suppose I had to be in prison or dead. So I think what I've accomplished growing up in the projects in the South Side of Chicago and, you know, 72nd and Jeffrey, what I've accomplished is common sense is just not common practice. I think entrepreneurship should really take place in the lunchroom, especially in the hood, as they call it. I'll 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 told me, in anybody's life is when we were born and when we find out why we were born. So I think that at an early age, I was blessed to get in touch with that.
LEMON: You know, 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? I mean, you said, you started selling rocks. And people like, isn't that the rock that was by my door? And you sold it to them. You had 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, an activist, and activism doesn't come with the 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 and I sold oversized rocks that I saw on the streets. I would paint them. And I would ask people, would you like to buy these? And people look at me like isn't that the rock that was in front of my door? And I would say yes, but it could be used as paper weights, bookends and door stoppers.
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 said that because I remember we 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 rock, but he started calling them "gratitude rocks," right? And so people started buying them because it was to remember to be grateful.
And so, I guess, you can always do something -- do you think, though, that you're exceptional in any way or can just about anyone do what Farrah Gray has done?
GRAY: Absolutely. I believe anybody can do it. I don't believe that I'm one in a million. I believe I'm one of a million. What I've accomplished, anyone can do. Because, again, like I said, I supposed I had to be in prison or dead. And it's not that people like brain power. We like resources. As a teacher told me -- I told her I was going to be a millionaire entrepreneur one day. I was seven. She looked at me and she said, no, you're not, you're poor and your family's 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 seven years old, it didn't. I didn't know. I was going home to my grandmother. 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, she said, and say, why not me?
If you want millions, if you want a mansion, she said, and prophetically, 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 9-1/2 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 that you put your mind to.
LEMON: That's a message to everyone. And, you know, your life -- your life hasn't been a fairy tale. As you said your mom had a heart attack. And you lost your sister, which had a profound effect on your life.
GRAY: To leukemia. Yes. And I've been the spokesman now. I've been working hard all over the country trying to raise the awareness within various urban communities to get more people in the bone marrow registry because we're 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're very young to be a millionaire and a multi-millionaire now, I'm sure. It's been 10 years. You're 24 years old.
GRAY: I'm an old man.
LEMON: You're an old -- what should people take away from this interview about Farrah Gray? That they can achieve what you can achieve? Or it's really not all about the money, is it?
GRAY: It is not. I believe it's about being rich from the inside out. Growing up I saw so many people that were rich but unhappy. And, conversely, I saw so many people that didn't have money in my neighborhood 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, too, though, because, really, money is power. If you're interested in having sort of influence.
GRAY: Money is (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: No, if you're interested in having influence, you do. I mean, if you look at what Oprah Winfrey has done and anyone who's achieved anything. A lot of their power comes through having the money and the wealth to be able to back it up.
GRAY: Right.
LEMON: Let's just be honest about that.
And your book, "Reallionaire" -- "Reallionaire." I wish you could see it because it's dark here. I've read it a couple of years ago when I lived in Chicago.
GRAY: Thank you. Thank you.
LEMON: 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, you know, community relations and planning, and it doesn't come with a salary. What do you think about that? You've met him. You've been to the White House. You're from the same city.
GRAY: Sky is the limit. The sky is the limit. And 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, you know, 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 it gets a point, Farrah, where it doesn't have to be first anymore, that everyone will have achieved a first, and we're truly the melting pot that we're supposed to be.
Farrah Gray, thank you.
GRAY: Thank you for having me.
LEMON: It's a pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Farrah Gray, remember that name. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We go now to "ADDICTION: LIFE ON THE EDGE." It starts right now with Sanjay Gupta.
