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Military Condemns Release of Soldier Video; Second Chance for Main Street Lender?; Obama's Health Care Plan Gets Pushback in Congress; Politics and Rock & Roll Among Iranians in New York City; 15-Year-Old Flies Cross-Country; Program Trains Young Minorities for Leadership
Aired July 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: Tonight, holding out hope. A worried family speaks out about this video -- their loved one in the hands of Taliban militants. What now?
Lifeline. Unfolding news about a big-time lender, who helps the little guys, now in desperate need of help itself. The government said no. We'll tell you who just might say yes.
And coming to America. Iranians bring the election fallout right here to the U.S. We're live tonight.
And "BLACK IN AMERICA." Soledad O'Brien is here to kick off part two of her groundbreaking special. We'll talk solutions right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters tonight.
Reaction is pouring in tonight from across the country as Americans get their first look at images of a U.S. army soldier held captive by the Taliban.
This is Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It is the first time he's been seen since he disappeared more than two weeks ago in southeastern Afghanistan. Now on the video, he is heard talking about his captivity, his family and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, CAPTURED U.S. SOLDIER: Well, I'm scared. I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner. I have my girlfriend, who I was hoping to marry. I have my grandma and grandpas. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America.
And I miss them every day that I'm gone. I miss them, and I'm afraid that I might never see them again and that I'll never be able to tell them that I love them again. I'll never be able to hug them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan condemns the video, calling it public exploitation and humiliation of a prisoner and a violation of international law. Private Bergdahl's family has also released a statement. It says, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation. Thank you and please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayers."
In Private Bergdahl's home state of Idaho, a family friend had a message for the young private and all of the men and women serving in uniform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM BAKER, FAMILY FRIEND OF MISSING SOLDIER: Bowe, if you see this, know that we love you and we are praying fervently for you and prayers are going up for you from all over the world. Stand tall and stand firm. And to all of our valiant men and women in uniform, know that the American people believe in you, support you and are 100 percent behind you. And we thank God every day that you have our backs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, we talk now about the Private Bergdahl's capture and what happens next. We're going to do that with Tim Crockett. He is the executive director of AKE Group, a private security and intelligence firm.
Tim, you know -- you have some -- I was talking to you about this with you before. You really have mixed feelings about the airing of this tape.
Why is that?
TIM CROCKETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AKE GROUP: Well, straightaway when you air something like this, on air, it increases their value. It's not a good situation for him to be in, going from a private now to on the air in front of thousands, if not millions, increases his situation.
LEMON: Because the more people get to know him, the more they get to have some sort of connection to him.
CROCKETT: A connection to him, yes.
LEMON: And so the captors may ask for even more than what they're asking for now.
CROCKETT: It increases their leverage.
LEMON: Yes. But you think it's good in the sense that people -- other -- you think other people could learn from it, other people in the armed services can learn from it?
CROCKETT: Well, there are questions being asked. Why he wandered off base in the first place? I think it will be used to reinforce the need for their own safety, their own security, and not to do things like that.
LEMON: Tim, talk to us about what's going on behind the scenes now, especially the military. How are they going about securing this soldier?
CROCKETT: Well, they're going to be perhaps liaising with other agencies, other countries, armed forces and so forth to try to find out where he is. That's their number one obstacle at this stage. Once they find him, then they can obviously plan and execute some sort of rescue mission or appeal to the captors for his release.
LEMON: And they're working with the family as well.
CROCKETT: Of course. They're going to -- they're going to make sure that the support is there for the family and ensure that they're getting the right information to make sure that their concerns are put to rest.
LEMON: All right. Tim, I just spoke with CNN security analyst Peter Bergen earlier tonight, and he says the captors will have a list of demands. I want to play them for you and then we'll talk about it.
CROCKETT: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: They will ask for the release of prisoners from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, Taliban prisoners. They may also ask for a large ransom. The U.S. government, unfortunately, or -- you know, it is policy not to release prisoners from American custody, policy not to pay ransom.
So, unfortunately, this is an extremely difficult situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So as you listen to that, it is kind of what you said, you don't think that this video being aired will help with any of that.
CROCKETT: No. Like I said, it gives them more leverage. They're going to ask for higher demands.
We've seen in the past they have asked for the release of prisoners and then being satisfied with a ransom of some sort. Hopefully, this will be the case in this situation, but, again, the more attention it receives, the higher the stakes increase and then who knows.
LEMON: All right. Tim Crockett, we appreciate your insight on this. Thank you very much.
CROCKETT: You're welcome.
LEMON: And of course, we should tell you this -- we're going to keep following this story, this developing story. Coming up, Ken Robinson shares his thoughts. He's a veteran of U.S. military special operations and a former military intelligence officer. That's coming up in just a little bit here on CNN.
A helicopter plunged to the ground in southern Afghanistan today, killing 16 civilians. The chopper crashed just after taking off from NATO's Kandahar airfield, a major hub for coalition operations. This is the latest in a string of air crashes this weekend in Afghanistan, raising urgent safety concerns amid an anti-Taliban offensive.
New developments in a small town and a slaughter of six people in a murderous rampage that span two states. Thirty-year-old Jacob Shaffer is held in a Lincoln County, Tennessee jail on five counts of murder. Police say they found him sitting on the porch at one of the crime scenes. Shaffer is accused of killing his wife, her 16-year-old son, her brother, her father, and a 16-year-old family friend. Friends of Shaffer's wife say they thought trouble was brewing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARLEE TURNER, FAMILY FRIEND: I knew that she was having problems with him. And she was already having her own personal problems as we all do to deal with, you know. She kind of had a hard time in life, but she was a very kind-hearted person and definitely loved her children and loved her family and was a typical concerned mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A sixth and unidentified victim was found 30 miles away at a Huntsville, Alabama business. Shaffer has yet to be formally charged in that death. Investigators believe the motive behind the murder was domestic related.
A lender that keeps the lights on at nearly 1 million small and medium businesses could get a bailout, but not from Uncle Sam. Bondholders are reportedly cutting a big check for the struggling CIT Group after the government failed to give it more TARP funds.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York tonight, and she joins us by phone.
Poppy, a lot of people are upset about this, asking how this company keeps Main Street running, but yet no one will get behind it. Tell us what's going on.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (via telephone): That's exactly right, Don. This is a subject of a lot of debate throughout last week. This is a 101-year-old lender. It services nearly 1 million small and medium-sized businesses in this country, the largest lender to those small businesses across America.
But they made some mistakes. They made some aggressive pushes into subprime mortgages and student loans like almost every other bank. Then the credit market froze up, obviously, it took a big hit. And I should say, this group, CIT Group, this lender did get $2.3 billion of TARP money last December. But it found out a few weeks ago that it needed more help and it went to the government. The CEO really working with people in Washington, trying to get additional aid, and it was not able to secure that additional aid.
You heard from lawmakers coming out last week talking about how this bank is not like others, for example not like AIG and others that -- or Bank of America, Citigroup, that posed systemic risk. It's not too big to fail. So, therefore, Don, it said you're not getting more money.
What we know tonight, reportedly through "The Wall Street Journal" -- we're working to confirm this -- is that CIT Group is securing a deal with its bondholders for an emergency $3 billion loan. And what that would do, Don, is that would stave off Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which obviously would be a big hit to the bondholders and all of these small businesses that rely on this company not only for startup loans but also for loans to continue their business, Don.
But that's reported from "The Wall Street Journal," again, that they could be securing that $3 billion in emergency funding as early as Monday morning.
LEMON: Poppy, I got to ask you this. What happens if this reported deal does not go through?
HARLOW: What we'll probably see, Don, as early as tomorrow morning, in just a few hours really, would be a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing, a restructuring process similar to what you saw with Chrysler and similar to what you saw with General Motors.
But this -- for a financial institution, if we see a failure of CIT, which I don't think is likely at this point, it could be the biggest collapse since Lehman Brothers, this -- this lender of all $75 billion in assets. So, it's nowhere near as big as Lehman was, but it's still substantial.
And what this really means, Don, is it could really hurt medium and small businesses because, again, it's one of the largest, if not the largest lender to them. So that's what we could see is a Chapter 11 restructuring. Our team, our writers, CNNMoney.com is on top of it. So, take a look at our home page. We've got continuing coverage on there, Don.
LEMON: All right. CNNMoney.com is where you can go, and that's Poppy Harlow. Poppy, thank you very much. And make sure you stay tuned to CNN tomorrow throughout the day. We'll be covering this story for you.
Growing signs that President Obama's health care plan is on life support. His big push could dominate the news this week. It is a topic for tonight's political panel. There they are, Mark Preston and April Ryan. They'll join us in a second.
Plus, a new development in that deadly home invasion in Florida involving the children left behind.
Also, we're taking your feedback tonight. Log on to anyone of those sites you see right there. We'll get your feedback on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Pushback in Congress on President Obama's health care plan could be one reason his approval rating has been slipping a bit. The Senate hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor also captured a fair amount of attention.
So, here to talk about it, April Ryan is White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Network. She joins us from Owings Mills, Maryland. And CNN political editor Mark Preston joins us from Washington tonight.
Good to see both of you.
I'll start with you, Mark. The president wants to make his health care plan a done deal, but it looks unlikely. He's getting resistance even from those in his own party.
Can he do anything right now to help move his case along?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, you're absolutely right. His biggest problem is not the Republican Party, it's his fellow Democrats and their big concern is, of course, cost. We saw the Congressional Budget Office come out this week, Don, and say that this health plan, the Democratic health plan, is not going to save money.
So, what does the president have to do? He needs to really interject himself more personally into these negotiations. We haven't seen that so far. But President Obama needs to do that.
Don, guess what? If he is not able to do that, if he does not do that now, you know, sooner rather than later, this needs to get done because, you know, the more it slips into, you know, October, November, December, we might not see a health care bill.
LEMON: Yes. And, April, he brings up a good point.
APRIL RYAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN URBAN RADIO NETWORKS: Yes.
LEMON: Because his inability to get this done is affecting how Americans feel about him. His approval rating is 57 percent now. It was 61 percent in June.
RYAN: Well, piggybacking off of what Mark said, you know, some leaders on the Hill, Democratic leaders on the Hill, are saying, look at the president, leans in, puts his shoulder in as little bit more, you know, something could happen.
But, you know, Don, it's also about expectations. When we talk about the numbers, the expectations of this president are very, very high. He came in, people were expecting him to change the world. And to see a little bit of a tug-of-war with the Republican Party is one thing, but within your own party, that's causing the problems and for the numbers to drop.
LEMON: I think you're right there. But there were also a lot of promises made on the campaign trail, and he took on a lot as well.
RYAN: Yes.
LEMON: So, it's not just, you know, it's not just people's perception about what they want him to achieve.
Hey, Mark, let's talk about Supreme Court Justice Sonia -- nominee Sonia Sotomayor. She handled herself well during last week's hearings, but there are some ranking Republicans who are -- who are wanting to delay her confirmation process.
Why?
PRESTON: Well, Don, you know, what they're looking for is a smoking gun. And we won't see a vote this week. You know, they want another week to look into her history as a judge and some of the things that she might have said even before she was on the bench.
But the fact is, we will see a vote in two weeks. And I was told by a senior Democrat on Capitol Hill tonight, just a couple of hours ago, that when that vote occurs, which will be at the end of this month, Don, that they expect her nomination to be on the Senate floor and within one or two days, that she will be voted out and she will become the next Supreme Court justice.
LEMON: All right. President Obama had some tough love for the NAACP last night. Listen, both of you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It also means pushing our children to set their sights a little bit higher. They might think they've got a pretty good jump shot or a pretty good flow, but our kids can't all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne.
I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be the president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So, April, you rode with him on the plane before that speech, on the way to that speech. You were there for the speech, and I'd imagine you rode back with him. Tell us about the reception in the room and then the praise afterwards and then also some criticism. Some people did not like that speech.
RYAN: Well, I talked to some of the board members of the NAACP, and they're saying it was balanced. And one thing you have to remember, there has been some criticism of this president, because he has not really in the first six months, really targeted the African- American community.
This was his first speech to black America as president. This is something that he does so well. He connects. He goes into this from politician to preacher, and he even evoked, yes, we can, and at the end of the speech, they were chanting, yes, we can.
He came in, thunderous applause, standing ovation, during the speech, even during that clip that you played. P. Diddy, a former rapper -- well, still rapper as well as entrepreneur, he even stood up and applauded, talking about, I don't want you just to be a rapper or also a baller.
So, it was a very interesting speech.
LEMON: I want to know if you took any pictures on that. I didn't see them. I don't know if I wasn't looking at the monitor. But did you take any pictures on the plane or did you have some behind-the-scenes moment? Did he realize how serious this was? There -- there are some pictures there.
RYAN: Yes.
LEMON: Did he realize that this was a serious moment for him?
RYAN: He was in a very good mood that day. And he did realize the gravity of the day because he had seven black journalists in a roundtable discussion with him aboard Air Force One to talk about issues in black America.
And one thing he said for sure, just because I am president does not mean that racism still doesn't exist. And he said the number one issue is education and bridging that divide, the education gap in the black community and also stopping crime. He said, you know, education, if that is a lack thereof for young African-Americans, it trickles into unemployment. It trickles into crime.
LEMON: And all of the other things that are problems in that community. April Ryan...
RYAN: And he wanted people to know that he was part of the group. So that's why he said it. And he said, there but for the grace of God, go I.
LEMON: All right. Aril Ryan, thank you.
Mark, thank you. Got you in there a lot at the beginning, but, you know, she was on the plane, so I had to get her -- the back story on that.
Hey, thank you, guys. Always appreciate you joining us.
RYAN: Thanks.
PRESTON: Thanks, Don. LEMON: Well, for the first time since the story broke about dug- up bodies at a Chicago area cemetery, we finally hear from the cemetery's lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But police investigators aren't quite buying that explanation.
And coming to America. Iranians bring the election fallout right here to the U.S. We are live tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, new developments in that home invasion that claimed the lives of two foster parents near Pensacola, Florida last week. The Associated Press is reporting that Ashley Markham, the 26-year-old daughter of Melanie Billings, plans to raise the 13 special needs children the murdered couple had cared for. Eight people have been arrested and charged. Byrd and Melanie Billings were laid to rest on Friday.
And for the first time since the arrest of four employees in an alleged burial plot scam, an attorney for the embattled Burr Oak Cemetery outside Chicago is firing back at the sheriff's department, saying conditions described by investigators have been grossly overstated. But the attorney does concede the cemetery's owners did not have full-time oversight of the graveyard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDI FOUSHEE, ATTORNEY, BURR OAK CEMETERY: Apparently, it happens when you hire what you think are good people and you leave them to do their jobs and they find schemes of taking money where they shouldn't. There was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery. We have people in and out of the cemetery every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A spokesman for the Cook County sheriff scoffs at the suggestions by the attorney. Cemetery workers allegedly dug up hundreds of plots and resold them, dumping the bodies in mass graves. The alleged scheme is thought to have pocketed more than $300,000.
The Iran election dispute comes to American shores, but it is not quite the chaotic displays we saw in the streets of Iran. Tonight, we take you to a concert where they are raising awareness with the sound of music.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Rockers with deep Iranian roots hit the stage in New York City tonight, singing politically powerful songs to a packed house. It is a benefit to rally support for Iran's opposition still railing against the outcome of last month's presidential election.
Reza Sayah is in New York tonight.
Reza, before we talk about the concert there, some developing news out of Iran about the resignation of a key government official. Tell us about that.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don. This does not look good for the Ahmadinejad administration. Three days after President Ahmadinejad appoints a new vice president, the vice president resigns under fierce criticism from hardliners. These are hardliners, supposedly supporters of Ahmadinejad.
Let's tell you about the former appointee. His name is Rahim Mashaei. These two men are very close. Ahmadinejad's son is actually married to his, Mashaei's, daughter, but that wasn't the problem.
The problem came last year when Mashaei, as head of Iran's cultural heritage and tourism organization, said Iranians are friends with everyone, including Israelis. This did not go down well with the hardliners. He came under harsh criticism.
That's why when three days ago Ahmadinejad appointed him as the new vice president, there came another wave of criticism and he resigned.
This is significant because it's the first sign of the infighting among hardliners themselves. Of course, we've seen reformists and hardliners fight. Never hardliners fight within their own camp, but it looks like it's happening in this case, Don.
LEMON: Hey, Reza, so take us now to this concert in New York. It was powerful songs from bands who are from Iran with really deep Iranian roots.
SAYAH: Yes. And interesting scene today in New York City. Iranian leadership is really trying to shut the door on any kind of rallies for the opposition inside Iran, but they haven't been successful, obviously, in shutting up Iranians outside of the nation.
This was the scene in New York City tonight. A bunch of artists born in Iran. They couldn't do what they love to do inside Iran, so they left the country, and they've really been inspired by the opposition movement.
So what Hypernova, Electric Black, Ali Eskanderian, Esfand did was to play their music in order to raise awareness about what's happening in Iran and show the Iranians, especially the young Iranians back in their home country, that they have their support. Here's what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHNNY B., IRANIAN-BORN MUSICIAN: Our role is to support them and show solidarity so they don't feel alone and understand that there are millions of people all over the world who sympathize and think that their fight is righteous.
RAAM, IRANIAN-BORN MUSICIAN: It's just been such an absolute pleasure to be a part of this because we feel that we really want to help out our brothers and sisters back home in any way that we can and hopefully this is only the start.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAYAH: Iranian rockers in New York City, they call this collaboration the Freedom Glory Project. More rallies in support of the opposition coming up. For this week, a hunger strike in front of the U.N. on Wednesday and a worldwide rally scheduled for Saturday - Don.
LEMON: Reza, thank you very much.
The search for Private Bergdahl. The military is handing out pamphlets across eastern Afghanistan asking for the public's help. We'll update you on our top stories, straight ahead.
Plus, get ready for our talkers. There they are. Oh-oh. Chris Plank on the right, Warren Ballentine on the left. They tackle the big issues in the week ahead and each other. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I want to update our top story for you. The military says this Taliban video shows U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It is the first time he's been seen since he disappeared more than two weeks ago in southeastern Afghanistan. He can be heard talking about his family and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGDAHL: I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan has issued a statement about Private Bergdahl. It says, "We strongly condemn this public exploitation and humiliation of a prisoner. It is a violation of the international law of war and we continue to use all resources available to us to return this soldier to safety."
Private Bergdahl's family also released a statement saying, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation. Thank you and please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayers." As more and more people see the video, Americans are speaking out in support of Private Bergdahl. And in military towns like Pensacola, Florida, stories like this one really hit home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we need to go in and get him out whatever it takes. Send the Marine Corps in, you know. We've done it for other hostages. I have a son that's a Marine. He's been in Iraq three times. Not only do I worry about him, but I worry about the men and women that are over there that need to come home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anytime I heard of service members in any kind of predicament like this, it's pretty disturbing. I can just imagine how their families feel. I'm retired military. I feel pretty distracted about it. I can just imagine the family of these guys. I mean, the guys that have been working there. It's very disturbing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A lot of people paying attention to this story and a lot of people have been writing to us saying this video of the captured U.S. soldier is tough to watch and the captors know it.
I discussed this earlier with Ken Robinson. He's a former military intelligence officer with experience in special operations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN ROBINSON, FORMER MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: One of the things that in sheer training, survival evasion, resistance and escape, we teach soldiers that if they can get on video, they should, because it gives the United States proof of life. It lets us know that they are alive and there maybe things that can be learned from it. And also, if they're willing to take video, yes, they are exploiting the soldier, but it also means that there is a potential for communication for some form of negotiation.
LEMON: But isn't this also a form of propaganda, too, Ken?
ROBINSON: It absolutely is. It-- what it does is it strikes fear in any soldier that doesn't want to get captured. We saw that exclusively used with the al Qaeda beheading videos in Iraq. We haven't seen that same thing happen in Afghanistan, and this is Taliban. It's suspected to be the Haqqani network which is holding this individual soldier.
And we'll see how it plays out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was Ken Robinson in my conversation wit him earlier.
You've heard what others had to say about Private First Class Bergdahl. Now it's time to bring in Warren Ballentine and Chris Plante to weigh in on this and other hot topics in the news. Welcome to both of you.
Warren, let's start with you. It's a -- no matter, left or right, Republican, Democrat, when you see this, you know, we're all Americans in this situation and our hearts go out to that soldier and his family.
WARREN BALLENTINE, HOST, "THE WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Well, when I first watched it earlier today, Don, the first thing I did was say a prayer for the soldier and for his family.
And I agree with some of the comments that were made earlier by the people you got interviewed. I think we need to go in and get this young man. I think no matter what, whether we have to send the SEALs in, if we have to send somebody in, in a diplomatic way. I hope the president steps up to the plate and get this young man back to American shores.
LAWRENCE: And, Chris, what about -- some people are talking about the airing of the video, they're uncomfortable with it.
CHRIS PLANTE, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Well, it does certainly serve the propaganda purposes of the people of the Taliban group that took him captive. It's painful to watch. It's one of the -- one of the tragedies of war. And, obviously, I'm with Warren and I know Warren grew up in an Air Force family. And if you can get him back, you get him back, but there's a -- there's a real concern he may have already been taken to Pakistan. So, it could be tough.
LEMON: All right. Let's move on, Chris, and talk about health care. The president says he want it done soon. He's getting lots of resistance and not only from Republicans.
PLANTE: Yes. Well, it's -- in fact, his -- his primary opposition, his central problem right now is not the Republicans, it's the Democrats that are not on board with this. They're not on board because it doesn't hit the targets that President Obama said he wanted the legislation to hit. It's not being supported because it's not being paid for. It's going to lead to tax increases...
LEMON: Not being supported now, but will it pass, Chris?
PLANTE: Well, you know, in its current form, I don't think that it will, no.
LEMON: OK.
PLANTE: You know, the Republicans left out of it entirely. The Democrats won't pass it, and they don't want ownership of it.
LEMON: All right. Let's let Warren get in on this. Warren, will it pass and why is he getting so much resistance from Democrats?
BALLENTINE: I don't think it's going to pass, because you have these Democrats who are up for re-election in 2010, and they don't want the tax increase. The tax increase is going to kill them in this upcoming election term. They want to keep their position and they want to keep their seats.
I think that what's going to end up happening is this will be revisited in 2010 and at that point, it will pass.
LEMON: Now, Warren, I spoke to you about this last week. We talked about the confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor. By the end of the week, there were some Republicans who are actually praising her, but then some leading Republicans are coming out, saying they want to delay the process now.
BALLENTINE: Well, I think that's a bad political move on their part. I think that she, you know, is very much qualified. I agree with some of the Republican banter that, you know, some of the things she said -- if a white man would have said it, it would have been blown out of proportion.
But at the same time, if you look at her rulings, she's ruled 98 percent of the times as the way Republicans would have ruled. So, I think that they need to just shut up and go ahead and pass -- and let her be given that seat.
LEMON: Go ahead, Chris.
PLANTE: Well, I think that she will be confirmed by the Senate. I don't think there's any great mystery about that.
But I'm going to tell you, you know, you talk about the Republicans. Again, this is another situation where the people that are angriest with Sonia Sotomayor are the liberals that wanted her to go up there and defend her Latina woman comment making better judgment calls than white men, who wanted her to defend her 15-year record of social activism. And instead they're very disappointed.
And in fact there's a guy, Mike Seidman, who is a law professor at Georgetown University, an avowed liberal who questions whether she didn't perjure herself and whether she is even morally now -- and this is a liberal, who is initially a supporter, going after hammer and sickle.
LEMON: OK. Perjure herself about what? They're telling me to wrap it up. I don't -- about what? What are you talking about?
BALLENTINE: What could she have perjured herself on?
PLANTE: Well, what she -- what she believes, what she stands for, what she meant when she said that, her association with the Puerto Rican activist group, the civil rights group and her involvement with that group. She tap danced her way through very exquisitely, but there are a lot of questions about what she said.
LEMON: I think with perjury that would have to be -- she would have to be under oath in a courtroom.
(CROSSTALK)
PLANTE: I didn't raise it. LEMON: If you're saying she misrepresented herself or didn't tell the full truth, yes, but perjury. All right, Chris, come on.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: She played the game just like everybody else, Chris. She did what she was supposed to do.
(CROSSTALK)
PLANTE: And it's an awful game. Let's face it. It's a terrible game.
LEMON: We want to move on. We're going to talk about shattering that glass ceiling. It can be tough to do, especially for professional black women. We're trying to change that. Soledad O'Brien joins us live. The special "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" reports solutions.
There's Soledad. She's going to join me straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We've been talking about, building up to this, it's time for "BLACK IN AMERICA 2." It's going to start airing next week. And one of the things we're going to be talking about is helping America's brightest black professionals shatter the glass ceiling.
There is an innovative program that is doing it. And my colleague Soledad O'Brien -- she saw it firsthand. She joins me tonight with the latest on her special report, "BLACK IN AMERICA 2".
Hello, Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. Good evening to you.
Yes, you know, you really just have to look at the numbers of black and minority CEOs to recognize that there's a serious problem when it comes to filling the ranks of the folks who get to occupy the corner offices. So, what if there was a boot camp that would take the best and the brightest young people, young minorities, and help train them for leadership positions? And turn that success into opportunities for an entire community to celebrate? Well, there's something called Management Leadership for Tomorrow that's doing just that.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): By any measure, Mia Jackson is a success. At 26, she owns a home, a car and earns $77,000 a year as an engineer.
MIA JACKSON, MLT FELLOW: I knew that an engineering degree was going to be financially stable when I got out of college. Chemical engineering is the most versatile out of all the engineering disciplines.
O'BRIEN: She is a project manager at ZEP, a chemical manufacturing company with over half a million dollars in revenue.
JACKSON: Step back. Working at ZEP, I have had a lot of great opportunities.
O'BRIEN: But she has also experienced roadblocks and frustration.
JACKSON: I couldn't see what my next step was, and I had no one to help me see it. I didn't want to get pigeonholed as that engineer.
O'BRIEN: In taking charge of her own career, she is about to walk away from everything she has for an 18-month program created by this man, John Rice.
JOHN RICE, FOUNDER AND CEO, MLT: We have underrepresentation of minorities in corporate America, in the non-profit world and entrepreneurial world. Yes, we do. We need to solve that.
O'BRIEN: Rice was an executive with the NBA, but left to serve others in his innovative organization, Management Leadership for Tomorrow. MLT teaches a series of prescribed steps. Step one, know your story.
RICE: Introduce yourself. Talk to us. Who are you? Convince this group that you have the juice.
O'BRIEN: Step two, articulate your goal and passion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm most passionate about empowering others.
O'BRIEN: And step three, build important relationships.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: We want to get to know you.
JACKSON: We want to be an entrepreneur.
O'BRIEN: That is what Mia Jackson has been doing for the past 18 months in MLT's MBA Prep Program.
JACKSON: I didn't know most of the assignments were going to be grueling and repetitive. It's definitely another full-time job.
O'BRIEN: One final challenge before Mia's MLT journey ends. Four rigorous days in the rain of around-the-clock training, crash courses in consulting, entrepreneurship and investment banking, where Mia must quickly digest information she has never studied.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After market liquidity concerns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Equity-hassle (ph) market.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Price times volume.
O'BRIEN: Can Mia prove she's got the right stuff for corporate leadership?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: And the basic idea is to test Mia now and put her through those paces now so that she can succeed when she actually does get to business school. The big picture is not just Mia's success, it's really that if Mia is able to be successful, then the community where Mia comes from is going to be a community where she can give back to that will make the community successful as well. Her community benefits, she benefits, it's a connection that can raise the bar for everybody - Don.
LEMON: And you said it right there in your lead-in. I mean, the numbers don't lie. If, you know -- if you don't think there's a problem, all you have to do is look at the numbers. And this one group is helping our.
Am I right, real quick -- is that Ambassador Rice's brother who is helping with that program?
O'BRIEN: Susan Rice's brother, yes. He would say that Susan Rice's his sister possibly because what his program has done is really innovative. And, you know, they bring in 200 young people every single semester, season that they do this. So, he has got a lot of young people who look to him as a true leader and a true innovator.
LEMON: Yes. And I have to say, Soledad and I have talked about it. And Soledad has spoken to a lot of people about this.
You know, "BLACK IN AMERICA" the first one, we did this one, and this one is about solutions. Soledad felt strongly enough so we're doing one about solution.
So we wish you well, Soledad. We will all be watching. Thanks for joining us tonight, OK.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. Thanks.
LEMON: We have a programming note for you. Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern on CNN, catch the "MOMENT OF TRUTH" with Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner, live from Times Square. Then at 8:00, the premiere of "BLACK IN AMERICA 2."
Tonight, though, she is 15, he is 87, and her flight instructor. An original to Tuskegee Airline.
With his help, she became the youngest African-American female to fly solo across the country. I'm going to introduce you to both of them. It is part of our special series "Up from a Past: African- American First."
Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Most 15-year-olds are busy preparing for school dances and SATs. Well, Kimberly Anyadike was learning how to fly a plane.
Kimberly is the youngest African-American female to fly solo across the country. Her mentor, Levi Thornhill, a man with plenty of experience. He's one of the original Tuskegee airmen. I talked with both of them tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVI THORNHILL, TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: She's one of those young ladies that you notice right off the bat because of her bearing and her manners and everything. It was very pleasing. And you knew that she had had the kind of upbringing and schooling and what have you that she was going to go far. And she has.
LEMON: And so you got in touch with her, she got in touch with you? Was there a program that you guys met through?
KIMBERLY ANYADIKE, FLEW ACROSS THE U.S.: Well, we met through the Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum program. Occasionally some of the Tuskegee airmen go over, and they are great mentors to the students that are available at the center.
LEMON: How old are you now, Kimberly? You're 15?
ANYADIKE: Yes, 15.
LEMON: You have been flying since you were, what, 12?
ANYADIKE: Since I was 12 years old, three years ago.
LEMON: Yes. What made you want to fly? Why are you interested in flying?
ANYADIKE: I think I was always kind of interested in flying. Ever since I was young with my brother, sister, and I, we would go on top of the roof and watch the big 747s and the jetliners go by, and we were like, "wow, that was so cool." And we would wave to them to see if they could see us. I doubt they ever could. But when we found like a program that could actually put our ideas to manifestation, we just jumped to it.
LEMON: So listen, you have flown across country. You were one the youngest. Do you even have a driver's license yet? You're only 15.
ANYADIKE: No. Of course, I'm thinking about my driver's license, but like I like flying way more than I think I like driving, because you can go way farther in a plane than in a car.
LEMON: Kimberly, Mr. Thornhill said that you were an exceptional student. What's next for you? What would you like to do next?
ANYADIKE: Well, I plan on getting my private pilot's license when I turn 17, and I also want to become a cardiovascular surgeon.
LEMON: OK. I think you should aim higher, but -- I'm kidding. That's sarcasm. Very nice. I'm sure you will achieve that.
And Mr. Thornhill, don't you think she can probably do just about anything she wants?
THORNHILL: Truly. Truly, I sincerely believe that.
LEMON: All right. Levi Thornhill, Kimberly Anyadike, congratulations and thank you for joining us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: They are really cute.
Next week in our special series, "Up From A Past: African- American First," I'll introduce you to Sophia Danenberg. She's the first African-American to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
It takes a great golf story to get Tiger Woods out of the headlines, and we have one for you. Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson's quest for history has everyone talking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The oldest winner of the British open is not Tom Watson. For a while today, it looked like the 59-year-old might make history becoming the oldest golfer to win a major tournament, and he had to do -- all he had to do was sink an eight-foot putt to win. He missed. That tied him with Stewart Cink, but Watson's performance went downhill in the four-hole playoff. Cink walked away with the title by six strokes. And CNN's Justin Armsden spoke with Watson immediately after that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN ARMSDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the end, a heartbreaking end to the open championship for you Tom Watson. I just wonder if you can sum up the entire week for us.
TOM WATSON, 2ND AT BRITISH OPEN: Well, right now, it's very disappointing. It's hard to -- hard to take a lot of positives away from it. But the positives were at the beginning of the week, I really feel like I had a chance to win the tournament. I started off great, and I knew I was playing well enough to win the tournament and it almost happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know, I still think he did win. Congratulations because that's quite an achievement, don't you think Jacqui Jeras?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Heck, yes. A big winner in my book.
LEMON: Oh, yes, what a great day for golf. At least here it was.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: All right, Jacqui, thank you very much.
Some sad news to tell you about tonight. Author and teacher Frank McCourt has died of cancer. McCourt was best known for the best-selling novel "Angela's Ashes," a memoir about his impoverished childhood. The book was a huge favorite with critics and readers. Frank McCourt was 78 years old.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A lot of you writing in and weighing in on President Barack Obama's health care plan. Here's what Sam Dredd says: "When an employee contributes for insurance for ten years, never gets sick and gets laid off, he must be reimbursed instead. not lose."
Ecurra19 says, "The fact is that we need the health care plan. I need it because I have one of those labels, pre-existing condition."
RandyPDX says, "It will end up being too expensive, and there is a chance some government hack may make a decision about who will get treatment."
Slackadjusterr says, "I can't get health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. If I get sick, hospital stay, will go into bankruptcy, lose house and everything. What can I do?"
Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Texasrodeoqueen says, "I keep hearing what plan will do for individuals. I work in a large hospital. How will the plan affect hospital reimbursement?"
All right. We'll find out.
Log-on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. We always like getting your comments on the air. We appreciate it. We like your feedback around here.
We want to tell you this. You can bet President Barack Obama is going to talk about health care during his news conference. It's going to be Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. And, of course, CNN will bring it to you live.
And I want to tell you this, another programming note on Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern, CNN, catch the "Moment of Truth" with Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner live at Times Square. Then at 8:00, the premiere of "BLACK IN AMERICA 2," part one.
I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. Thanks for joining us. I'll see you back here next Saturday and Sunday night if I don't see you before. Have a good one.
