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12 Injured When Practice Facility Collapses; Mexican Man Dies in Brawl: White Teens Acquitted of Murder; H1N1 Flu Update
Aired May 02, 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: Boy, take a look at that. First, came the rain. Then, came the wind, then chaos. As a practice field canopy comes crashing down on the Dallas Cowboys, the man who shot this video will join us live in just seconds.
Tears and shouting in a Pennsylvania courtroom after a stunning verdict in a deadly, racially charged brawl, a verdict that goes far beyond the small town. Tonight, we hear live from someone involved with this case.
Swine flu overkill. Ron Paul says it is deja vu all over again, and he is sick of it.
We'll talk to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a gay staffer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, no closet is safe for gay politicians these days. A new movie is naming names and it is catching fire. Who are they exposing now? It all starts right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
This video that you're looking at is amazing. It's even frightening, of course. It is from the Dallas Cowboys training facility in Irving, Texas. A powerful thunderstorm blew through the area.
It happened this afternoon knocking down part of the team's indoor practice facility. It is an air-supported canopy with a metal frame. Players and coaches up to 70 people overall were on the field when the storm hit. Holding a weekend mini-camp for the team's rookies. CNN has confirmed that 12 people are injured. Two or three of them are seriously injured. And here's what happened as captured by our crew, from our affiliate, WFAA, in its entirety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is everyone all right over here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh. Sam! Sam! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is everybody out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, baby. Hi, baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sam!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get under here. Come on, come one.
Watch out. Watch out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a light on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on out of here now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all right. Here you go. Get out of there, fellows, come on. Enough with the story.
Come on, now, let's go. Get your helmet off. Here you go. Here you go. I got you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Frightening moments. That video explains it better than we can. And the story, it is incredible. And we want to talk to the man inside of this facility, the man who captured those dramatic images for you. There you see him in the red shirt, photojournalist Arnold Payne of WFFA in Dallas.
Arnold, we're glad you're OK. I can only imagine what you were thinking as this all started to happen. I see there that you caught the lights as they were starting to shake. Tell us, what did you hear and then what caused everyone to look up at the ceiling and then start shooting this?
ARNOLD PAYNE, WFFA PHOTOJOURNALIST: Well, we were -- they were, the Cowboys were right in the middle of their afternoon practice. And the rain was falling tremendously hard outside. I mean, it was just absolutely pouring all of a sudden. And I noticed that the walls started to waiver. I mean, the wind was so strong that the -- this was kind of a tarp-type structure that they practice in when the weather is bad outside so they go inside to escape the weather.
And then I noticed that the lights that are hanging from the ceiling starts to sway. And it wouldn't stop. And then it caught the attention of the players and my attention, and shortly after that, it was as though someone took a stick pin and then hit a balloon. It just collapsed. The walls collapsed. The ceiling was falling. And by the grace of God, I had the mind to just kind of take my time and see where things were falling before I tried to run out because otherwise it could have been obviously worse than it was.
LEMON: I was looking at some of your images there, Arnold. And it looks like at times, there were people who were trapped under this metal. You caught some of that on tape. Explain to us what the guys were doing. It appears that they were not only running for cover, but they were trying to help each other out and point out people who were trapped in this thing.
PAYNE: No question. Well, initially, everyone was really trying to get out. I mean, players were about as frightened as anybody else, obviously. It just happened so fast. So once guys figured that they could actually get out, that's when their attention immediately turned to helping their partners and calling out their names and their teammates. It was just a lot of screaming of names. And they knew how many players were here and obviously the coaching staff and a contingent of media people. At that point in time it was not about football, but people helping people.
LEMON: And what were they screaming? You said they were screaming names and looking. There's one guy who is on his knee pointing over, saying, there is someone over there. And tell us about the people also who were trapped under. Because I saw there were several folks who were laying under this metal.
PAYNE: Yes. Well, there was nowhere to go. And obviously, you had light fixtures falling. The metal that's holding the tarp up, all the stuff collapsed on to the field. And these guys couldn't go anywhere. And the players were calling other players names. Because they -- those were their partners, their friends.
And as a matter of fact, the Dallas Cowboys had two photographers. This facility, it's about three stories high. And they have two photographers that tape the game -- I mean, the practice for the coaches for them to review, and apparently thee guys, there was nowhere to go and they actually rode the building down with the storm.
LEMON: They were above -- they were in the top part of the building shooting this practice, shooting from up above this practice, and you're saying that they were in that top level and then fell down with the building?
PAYNE: That's exactly what happened. There was nowhere for them to go. And it fell so fast. It just collapsed as though the building was being imploded. I mean, it was -- it was just that type of a scene. And they actually had to ride the building down. I think one of them actually was in surgery tonight.
LEMON: How many -- did you see -- that's my next question. Did you see who was injured? None of the players was injured, I believe, but did you see the folks and did you know any of the people who were injured in this, because we're hearing it's up to 12 people now, Arnold?
PAYNE: Well to be honest with you, although I was taking these pictures, it was happening so fast. I really can't relate to faces and names as it was happening. I was just instinctively trying to get the videotape and also just counting my blessings that I just come out of a building that collapsed on top of us.
LEMON: Yes. Counting your blessings, and what are you saying to yourself now and to your family and friends and probably to the guy upstairs as well.
PAYNE: There's no question. I was spared. And apparently, a lot of other people were spared tonight or this afternoon. And I know that there is only one reason why I'm here right now, and that's because somebody was looking out for me from up above.
So it's just -- it makes -- life is so -- it can happen so fast, you know. So you would never expect something like this to take place at a professional football training facility.
LEMON: Yes, it is fragile. And we are glad that you're OK, and we wish everyone well.
The photojournalist who was on the scene, Arnold Payne with our affiliate WFAA in Dallas.
We really appreciate you for this, Arnold. Stand by, we may be coming back to you a little bit later on. But, again, we're glad you're walking around and we wish everyone the best.
Thank you.
PAYNE: Thank you.
LEMON: All right.
We want to take a closer look now at this indoor practice facility before and then after. Such facilities are very popular these days with NFL and with college teams. Now ironically enough, because they allow coaches to hold practice regardless of the weather.
The Cowboy's canopy was built back in 2003. This is how it looked before the storm, covering an entire 100-yard practice fields here.
Look at that.
And this is how it looked after that storm. The air supported canopy lying on the ground along with piles of its aluminum framing.
Lucky anybody made it out of that alive.
We want to go now to our Karen Maginnis. She's standing by in the CNN severe weather center.
It's a volatile weather there. That one rolled through. An hour later, another one rolled through. And as you told me just seconds ago, another system is rolling through as well.
(WEATHER REPORT) LEMON: Yes. And it is still going on. So stay tune.
Karen Maginnis, thank you very much for that.
A Mexican immigrant is beaten to death in rural Pennsylvania. But was it a hate crime or a simple assault? The jury says one thing, his family is saying another. We'll tell you about the tears and shouting in this courtroom also tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This town is full of gay people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember when I first moved here thinking how gay it was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes I think Washington is more gay than San Francisco is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Opening the closet door on gays on Capitol Hill and beyond. It's a movie. It's called "Outrage." And it is outraging a lot of people. People are going to be outrage by it, because it's outing gay people.
Is that right or wrong? We'll talk about it in our conversation coming up.
Also, here's how you can weigh in on that conversation -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking. We're back with our breaking news and much, much more in moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
We're going to keep following that breaking news out of Irving, Texas, where a storm caused a canopy over the Dallas Cowboys practice field collapsed. 12 people are hurt now. And the number keeps going up. First, it was three. Then, we heard four, then six, now twelve. Two of those people are hurt seriously.
Now let's get to another developing story that we've been telling you about. This one is out of eastern Pennsylvania. An all white jury has acquitted two white teens of murder and aggravated assault in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant. The verdict has ignited passions on both sides. And Joscelyn Moes of our affiliate WFMZ covered the verdict for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was right from the start. That's my comment.
JOSCELYN MOES, WFMZ REPORTER (voice-over): Emotions ran high as the defendant's friends and family came out of the courtroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God the jury listened carefully.
MOES: The jury reached its verdict after seven hours and 40 minutes. Seventeen-year-old Brandon Piekarsky was found guilty of simple assault. He was acquitted of all other charges, including third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. Nineteen-year-old Derrick Donchak was also found guilty of simple assault. He was acquitted of aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation.
The verdict left some community members disgusted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I just hope they are going to live with themselves for what they did.
MOES: The charges stemmed from the beating death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah Schuylkill County last July. Prosecutors have called Ramirez's death a hate crime.
JIM GOODMAN, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It was a long case and the jury has rendered their verdict. And they took a long time and deliberated in the case, and we respect their verdict. And at this time, we have no further comment.
MOES: All along, defense attorneys called Ramirez the aggressor and said the brawl was a street fight that ended tragically.
FREDERICK FANELLI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: In my mind, it was the lack of evidence to tie these kids to these serious charges that they brought.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, at least one group hopes the all-white jury's verdict is not the last word here. The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund wants the Justice Department to investigate this case as a hate crime.
The Fund's attorney Gladys Limon, who represents Ramirez's family -- she joins us now by telephone from Newark, New Jersey.
You are quoted as saying that this verdict is an outrage, Ms. Limon?
GLADYS LIMON, RAMIREZ FAMILY ATTORNEY (via telephone): Yes, that's right. We are astonished and extremely disappointed in the jury determinations that completely absolved the defendants of all responsibility for their actions and brutally beating and killing a young man, a father of two, Luis Ramirez.
You know, hear the overwhelming evidence established that accusing a friend, the yelled racial epithets when they first encountered Luis. They became aggravated when they heard him respond in Spanish, which they do not understand. They engaged in violent acts that resulted in -- he knocked to the ground, stomped and kicked multiple times. The medical expert's testimony here established that he suffered two fractures in chest, serious injury to his head, fractured bone in the left side of his head and his skull, where he was kicked in. Has brain hemorrhaged, swelled to the point of, you know, oozing out of his skull in the medical experts own words.
You know, they established that the cause of death was blatant force injuries to the head and the manner was homicide. And here the jury decided that these actions amounted to simple assault.
LEMON: Before I get on to, because I'm hearing that your organization is going to at least go to the Justice Department and at least try to get the possibly federal charges filed in this case. So you are trying to take it to a new level.
LIMON: That's correct.
LEMON: But before we go there, let's talk about this small town, about Shenandoah. There are racial tensions there. It is a town where immigrants are drawn to, and because of jobs and what have you.
But there is a racial tension. And let's put in perspective, these are two football playing stars there, then an immigrant. An undocumented immigrant at that.
Talk to us about the tensions in this town and what's going on there.
LIMON: Well, I'm not going to indict the entire town. I have met some amazing, really good people in that town who are equally as astonished and disgusted by these results.
There are racial tensions. Not the entire town, obviously. There is a small segment that has almost sort of placed these defendants as, you know, hometown heroes. It is very unfortunate. You know, these acts have not only disrupted the lives of the -- Luis Ramirez's family, but also the entire community.
LEMON: OK. And let's talk, Ms. Limon about you taking this to another level, about the Justice Department.
What's next for you here?
LIMON: Sure. While, you know, we have seen a complete failure of the judicial system here. The system failed to indicate the death of Luis Ramirez and the national interest. So we will continue to strongly urge the Department of Justice to file federal charges against defendants and to seek to vindicate the death of Luis Ramirez and the national interest of that issue.
LEMON: OK. We appreciate you joining us tonight.
The attorney is Gladys Limon. It's her name again.
Thank you very much. And we want to say that the defendants in this case, their attorneys agree with this verdict. And they said the verdict was right on. There was also the jury foreman here, said that he sympathized with Ramirez's loved ones, but says the evidence pointed to an acquittal, and that has what happened in this case.
We will be watching it, because this could set some legal precedent if this does go on to a federal level.
More states are reporting more cases of H1N1 flu. But haven't we been through this before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I just wish people would back off a little bit, stop and think for a minute, and not panic people. There is too much hysteria in the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, what lessons did the government learn from the last time around.
Plus this for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS, THE WASHINGTON POST: There is a running joke that actually link gay men make Capitol Hill run on time. They don't have like a wife or children to go home to so they can work really long hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They are the power behind Washington and the power behind politics in this country, and many of them are still in the closet.
Well, there is a new movie and it is shining light on gay D.C. staffers and gay politicians around the country. In fact, it outs some of them.
Is this fair?
We're digging deeper.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. This is when you become part of our show, because this is your feedback that we solicit.
OK, here's what DreaOtero says, "How are the kids being acquitted of murder if they assaulted him? Justice should be served even if he's an immigrant."
Aparna8 says, "Yes, I think in U.S. media is stuffing a lot of hype to swine flu. Every year, thousands die due to flu but nobody cared so far."
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking. Hey, we will get it on for you.
Even your questions, we'll try to answer them.
More cases of H1N1 flu are being confirmed around the world. It does not mean more people are getting sick, though. It simply means this. That as more suspected cases are being analyzed, more tests are starting to come back positive for the illness commonly called swine flu.
The World Health Organization says so far it is identified 658 cases in 16 countries. More than half, or in Mexico, 16 deaths there. Here in the United States, 161 cases have now been confirmed in 22 states, including one death. The World Health Organization has started sending anti-viral medicine to more than 70 nations.
President Barack Obama keeping a close eye on the flu outbreak, and he says the government is taking no chances. Today in his weekly radio address, he explained why his administration is taking the threat of the H1N1 virus so seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the last week, my administration has taken several precautions to address the challenge posed by the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. Today, I would like to take a few minutes to explain why.
This is a new strain of the flu virus, and because we haven't developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to cause us harm. Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it's a flu that's spreading from human-to-human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Well, that's what's happening now. A lot of you know this, some of you don't know.
The United States went through a swine flu scare 33 years ago. It's 1976. The government pulled out all the stops to get everyone in the country inoculated.
Here's what they did.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't need another flu shot. I had a flu shot last year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A swine flu epidemic may be coming. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Swine flu shot? Well, I don't know. I've been thinking about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could make you very sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Swine flu. I'm too fast to let it catch me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll want to be protected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the healthiest 55-year-old you've ever seen.
Hey, I play golf every weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get a shot of protection. The swine flu shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was 1976.
There were some PSAs released yesterday by the government as well.
Well, one person who didn't go along with the government program back in 1976 was a freshman congressman, a doctor from Texas, none other than Ron Paul.
Well, tonight, I spoke with him about swine flu, then and now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So congressman, you've been through all of this before. You saw it back then. You saw what happened now. What's your take on it?
Are we doing too much?
Are we over-hyping this?
Meaning, all of us -- the media and the government?
REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: Yes, they are. It's overblown, grossly so. And I just wish people would back off a little bit. Stop and think for a minute, and not panic people. There's too much hysteria in the country. And so far, there hasn't been that much greater danger. So, the sooner we get calmer, the better I'll feel.
LEMON: So take us through it. It was back then, 1976, I believe. You were a freshman congressman.
Take us through what happened. The same sort of thing -- swine flu. People were concerned about it.
Talk to me about it. PAUL: In 1976, I was sworn in in a special election. And I obviously was very new to the situation. It was at that time that Ford was running against Reagan. It was a tight race, and it was politicized. And the flu came in, and it was a big deal.
We had a vote to indicate that we should inoculate everybody in the country. Medically, it has made no sense to me and politically, it sounded like a bad deal. There were two of us have voted against it, another doctor. Dr. Larry McDonald. And I said it was bad in us and it was bad politics. And it turned out that was pretty perceptive, because we only had one person die from the flu. And that might have been from other reasons. 25 people died from the inoculations.
LEMON: If you were in charge, what would you do?
PAUL: I would probably do a lot less and just think about it, and see if there's any need to do anything at all. This idea that government has to come to the rescue. I think it's more or less a reflection that we have too many people in government that like the idea that they have to justify their existence.
So whether it was foreign policy, scare the people to death. Great fear, then you can do what you want. It was economic crisis. Scare the people to death, and then you can socialize the economy. In medicine, scare the people to death, and then you'll say only the government can take care of us. So I think a lot of that is happening, and we're on the move to socialized medicine. So we are scaring the people saying the only people who can save us will be the government.
LEMON: What's your response? What have people said to you since you made this video? And you came out and said that, hey, you know what, tamp this down a little bit. Come on, let's stand back and don't be so crazy about this.
What have people said to you?
PAUL: You know what, I have to tell you that, honestly, I have not had one person say to me that I have undermined anything about dealing with this problem. Everybody comes out -- you know, that's exactly what I thought. It's about time somebody said it. It is just an attempt for government to scare the people.
I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that might disagree. And I don't down play the seriousness. As a physician, I don't say there is no danger at all, whatsoever. But you got to put it into perspective. Put in perspective of HIV and AIDS, and tuberculosis, and all these things. It really is a total non-event.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Everything old is new, again. Some are saying better safe than sorry.
OK. This could be one of the worst-kept secrets on Capitol Hill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICH TAFEL: To this day, I have not seen any place like it. So this probably like the most gay place. Unfortunately, it's probably still the most closeted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. And it is the topic of a new movie.
"Outrage" shines the light on D.C.'s gay power brokers and politicians around the country. And they are naming names in this movie.
Our conversation, coming up.
You don't want to miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Time now for one of those conversations that we have on this program that's meant to enlighten you, open your eyes. Some people, it may tick off, other people will go OK. So let's talk about opening the closet door on gays on Capitol Hill and other politicians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This town is full of gay people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember when I first moved here thinking how gay it was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes I think Washington is more gay than San Francisco is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. That's just a very tiny bit of it. This movie is called "Outrage."
It is spotlighting, in some cases outing politicians who have a hand in crafting legislation that is perceived as anti-gay -- perceived as anti-gay. Last week in New York, I spoke with "Outrage" director Kirby Dick.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): Kirby, why focus on Washington, D.C., of all places? Why not Hollywood? Why D.C.?
KIRBY DICK, DIRECTOR, "OUTRAGE": That's a good question. The reason I focused on Washington, D.C. is that this is a film about hypocrisy. It's about the hypocrisy of closeted gay politicians who voted anti-gay. And I felt that it's very important, because this was a story that hadn't been told. And I wanted to dive into it and really take a look at this.
LEMON: Well, you said hypocrisy. And if you look at the movie and one of the clips says, I think it says you can't swing a dead cat in Washington without hitting a gay person.
DICK: A gay staffer.
LEMON: Yes, a gay staffer.
Let's take a look at this, and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Capitol Hill is packed with gay staffers. There are so many of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a gay staffer.
JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS, THE WASHINGTON POST: There is a running joke that actually link gay men make Capitol Hill run on time. They don't have like a wife or children to go home to so they can work really long hours.
TAFEL: To this day, I have not seen any place like it. So this, probably like the most gay place. Unfortunately, it's probably still the most closeted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is that true? Per capita, there are more gays in Washington, or at least closeted gays in Washington, D.C.
DICK: Well, actually, in Washington, D.C. there are a lot of out gays. That's what's really interesting.
LEMON: Yes.
DICK: Certainly, in Congress, staffers, perhaps 30 percent to 40 percent of them are gay. So, I mean, this is something that, you know, I found very interesting.
LEMON: Here's a thing, though, people are -- people don't like it usually, many people don't, when people are outed. They find it intrusive. They find it rude. Why is that?
Why out people, and what's been the response from doing that?
DICK: The response to the film has been incredibly supportive and incredibly positive. The reason is my film doesn't out gay politicians. What my film does is report on hypocrisy. It reports on closeted gay politicians, who vote anti-gay and as a result of their votes harm millions of Americans who are just like them.
I think that's the job of any documentary filmmaker, any journalist to report on hypocrisy.
LEMON: Do you think that -- before I ask you this, because there are people who you mention in the film, who you talk about in the film, who -- people who are aware, people in the gay community have heard that this person is gay but no confirmation. You hear those rumors, then they get married, and people laugh.
Do you have evidence to back it up on some of these folks who you talk about in your film being gay?
DICK: Yes, I do. I mean, this film was made over a nearly three-year period. And a lot of that, of course, was shooting, but a lot of that was also research. We had a team of researchers working over three years. And I'm 100 percent confident that everything in the film is 100 percent accurate.
LEMON: Any hate mail?
DICK: Not yet.
LEMON: Not even from people who are supposedly in the book and are supposedly gay? They haven't contacted you. And you're probably the last person they want to talk to.
DICK: Probably. That's probably correct.
LEMON: Do you think this film -- I'm sure you probably hope it will help. But, realistically, do you think it will help or do you think that more people will be outrage by outrage, and you, you know, you may tick some people off and make people grow even further into the closet. Or do more harm to the cause of gay rights than good?
DICK: No. I mean, I really, I firmly believe that this will help the cause of gay rights. And I think one of the ways to do it is it reports on hypocrisy. And this is something that certainly people within Washington and within the political system know, but outside of Washington, it will come as a real surprise to them.
But the reason the closet exists is because the media as a whole has not talked about it as much as they should. And what I hope is that in 20 years, the closet will no longer be a factor in American politics, because people will start talking about it, and then politicians will realize that it isn't the best choice to live a dishonest life to themselves or to the public. They should come out and run as an openly gay politician whether Democrat or Republican.
LEMON: Kirby Dick, thank you.
DICK: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Who do they name in this movie? Who do they out?
Outspoken radio host Michelangelo Signorile is in New York and in Los Angeles, Log Cabin Republican spokesman Charles Moran.
They will debate this issue.
Are they right?
You can't swing a dead cat in Washington without hitting a gay politician?
We'll talk to them.
You don't want to miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We have some breaking news that I'm just getting in here to CNN. And it is sad news to report tonight.
Former congressman and Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp has died.
Jack Kemp rose to prominence as a New York congressman and a tireless advocate for tax cuts. In 1996, he accepted the Republican nomination for vice president running alongside party nominee Bob Dole. In Congress, Kemp represented the area around Buffalo and western New York. Did that for 18 years. He mounted a run for the Republican presidential nomination back in 1988, and he later served as a cabinet secretary for President George H.W. Bush.
In his younger days, Jack Kemp played professional football for more than a decade, twice leading the Buffalo Bills to the AFL championship.
He announced in January that he was suffering from cancer.
Jack Kemp, 73 years old.
Sad news just in to CNN that Jack Kemp has passed away.
Our thoughts go out to his friends and his family and loved ones.
Welcome back, everyone. We are going to try to get more information on Jack Kemp as it becomes available here. Another breaking news.
We want to go now to a topic that we have been discussing. And it is a controversial one, and we want you guys to weigh in on it.
We've been talking about a film. It's called "Outrage." It is outing gay politicians and staffers in Washington. Really, not just in Washington, around the country.
So joining us now are two openly gay men, Sirius XM radio host Michelangelo Signorile. He joins me live from New York, tonight.
Republican Log Cabin spokesman -- Log Cabin Republican spokesperson Charles Moran. He is live in Los Angeles. One of you is on the left coast; one of you is on the right coast.
Imagine that.
OK, Charles, is this movie true? You can't swing a dead cat in Washington without hitting a gay person?
CHARLES MORAN, SPOKESPERSON, LOG CABIN REPUBLICAN: That is an accurate assessment. There's definitely a lot of jokes made. And with all rumors, there is reasoning behind that. That there are a lot of gays. Some closeted, many open, who are working in the halls of Capitol Hill and the White House and the Supreme Court, and all levels of the government.
And I think that this movie definitely is going to be starting some conversations and shedding some light in an area that is usually kept in the dark.
And I think the reason why so many people are looking at this issue and always pay attention to it because it hits the issue of hypocrisy as, you know, was stated before. But, really, I think a lot of it is that Americans don't really do well with inauthenticity. And I think that's one of the problems that, you know, people find when you've got bloggers such, Mike Rogers, then obviously the creator of this film as well who are trying to out people who are -- who are basically saying one thing and then acting another way.
And I just want to get it on the record that Log Cabin Republicans does not support third party outing, because we do believe it's an intensely personal process.
LEMON: And that is interesting. I'm sure Michelangelo Signorile would have something to say about that.
Michael, because is this -- to you, is it hypocritical that someone maybe voting against gay rights legislation.
MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE, SIRIUS XM RADIO HOST: It is hypocrisy. And this word "outing," is a contrived media-created word. We're talking about reporting. We're talking about reporting on hypocrisy of public officials, Don. When CNN reports on the corruption of public officials, when they say something that's not true, when they vote a certain way, but they are really involved in something else. That is called reporting. And that's what this is.
And being gay is no longer the most horrible, hideous, disgusting thing imaginable. I think, you know, with so many people out, it's another fact of life. And politicians are hypocritical if they are voting against who they are.
LEMON: What difference does it make with politicians -- whether a politician is gay or not. I mean, why would the American electorate even care?
SIGNORILE: Well, the American electorate is made up of a lot of people who certainly believe in civil rights, certainly believe that gays and lesbians deserve civil rights, and a lot of people who express a morality, especially in the Republican Party, about their own politicians, family values that is all about heterosexuality.
It is important that America knows some of the greatest promoters of that fraud of family values are gay. That needs to be known.
LEMON: Charles, I want to let you get in here. But you are actually in the movie, Michael. You are in the movie. And you -- do you do a review of it. What do you say in this movie?
SIGNORILE: I talk about the history of this kind of reporting. How it came about.
You know, I was at a magazine called "Out Week" magazine back in the early '90s, talking about the media, not just Washington, when we look at Hollywood as well, tells the truth about public figures and tries to get to the truth no matter what, when they are heterosexual, every detail -- divorces, boyfriends, girlfriends. But if they are gay, they are expected to lie. That is a double standard. The media is not doing its job.
LEMON: Will people be surprised about who is named in this movie? Is that going to be a shock to anyone or is it already people that most people say, I really don't care about it.
SIGNORILE: No. I think most people don't know. I think most people aren't going to have any idea about it until they see this movie.
LEMON: OK. You have hogged this thing a little bit more. And I'm going to get Charles in a little bit. We're going to get Charles Moran right after the break.
Our conversation is going to continue.
What do you think about this conversation? Who is in this movie?
I want you to log on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or ireport.com. Tell us what you're thinking.
And from one watering hole to another, we talk about a CNN hero. How he is changing lives -- changing wine really into water.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I want to get back to our conversation. Charles Moran, I'm going to let you talk, because Michelangelo Signorile kind of hogged the time there.
Do you think that people will be surprise by who in this movie. And do you think that some politicians are running scared in the country now because of this?
MORAN: You know, I think a lot of it is ending up, you know, being rumors here and rumors there. And that's a lot of what this is. It's chasing rumors, chasing details.
And in politics today, politics are very much like, you know, the mass media or, you know, Hollywood movie stars, where there is -- you know, entire magazine devoted to what new brand of clothes actor "X" is starting to wear. Or what perfume, you know, musician-wise promoting.
What it really comes down to is gay and lesbian Americans are just like any other Americans and just like anybody who is in the public eye. And that's why I think that there is this much attention being paid to them.
I really think that the main question here when we're asking this is what kind of leadership example does this show to, you know, younger people?
The colleagues of these closeted members of Congress and staffers. That's the real question.
LEMON: That's going to have to be the last word.
Charles Moran, Michelangelo Signorile, thank you both very much for joining us on this Saturday evening.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: CNN brings "Money & Main Street" together so you can see the hard realities of this economic crisis.
CNN's Gerri Willis met a family in Spruce Pines, North Carolina, where one out of seven workers are out of work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH MURDOCH, UNEMPLOYED: My job search is filled out about three pages already.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Like most parents Vickie and Keith Murdoch worry about providing for their family. Keith is unemployed following his second layoff in eight years.
K. MURDOCH: Everybody you talk to, we ain't hiring, you know. We ain't got nothing open right now.
WILLIS: Vickie and Keith met at a textile nearly 20 years ago in tiny Spruce Pine, North Carolina. But Keith was laid off when the mill closed in 2001. And Vickie lost another job in 2006, when furniture make Ethan Allen closed its plant here.
Their situation is not unusual in this area.
Looks like lentils, maybe.
K. MURDOCH: Yes, salad dressing. WILLIS: Oranges, canned fruits.
Workers at the Shepherd Staff Food Pantry say they are seeing three times as many clients as they did just last year.
REV. BILL SWEETSER, SHEPHERD'S STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Right now, I would say we are barely keeping up.
WILLIS: The community has lost more than 2,000 jobs in the last six years. Major industries, textile, mining, furniture, have left the area. But residents are hoping new businesses will help. A growing crafts and tourism industry is adding jobs. And the town is hoping to attract retirees looking for second homes.
Vickie and Keith both did the right thing. Keith went back to school and retrained for a job as an auto body mechanic. Vickie retrained, too. She'll graduate as a certified medical assistant in May. But retraining doesn't necessarily guarantee long-term employment.
K. MURDOCH: I heard of a place coming in (INAUDIBLE). I got a job with them, and I love it. And then hear just recently I got laid off from it in January.
WILLIS: In the meantime, Keith and Vickie keep their spirits up.
VICKIE MURDOCH, UNEMPLOYED: When we get to worrying how are we going to pay for this, it is like the Lord makes a way.
WILLIS: They are hopeful that they will find new jobs soon, and keep their family afloat.
Gerri Willis, CNN, Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: How do you get clean water to the world's neediest people? If you are a CNN hero, you figure it out.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOC HENDLEY: Approximately 1 billion people lack access to clean water. It's killing more children than AIDS and malaria combined, and yet all that can be prevented. I used the only resource I which was tending bar to try to do something about the problem.
Yes, sir? Your regulars especially sit on the same stool, drink the same drink, pay the same tab every day. I felt like they really did want to be a part of something, they just were waiting for somebody to bring that something to them.
My name is Doc Hendley, I used to be a bartender and now I provide clean water to people in need. I got on the ground in Darfur to get my field training. The security issue is not a deterrent for me. I wanted to go to where the greatest need was and that's where my heart is. Seeing these people living in conflicts and bullets whizzing by their ears yet their biggest concern was the huge loss of life because of the unclean water. That's when water changed from being my passion to the burden of mine.
Whether we're filtering water or drilling a well, we want to train and educate people that are already on the ground, enabling locals to fix their own water needs. Doing work like that, you've created ownership. That is going to change lives as well as bring in that clean water.
That joy, it's the only thing that helps lift the burden. You can be just a regular anybody, and you really, really can change the world. I'm walking truth of that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very proud of all of our heroes. They are chosen from people you nominate. Go to cnn.com/heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) a lot tonight.
I'm Don Lemon.
Good night.
