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Pres. Obama to Make Recess Appointments; Mayor of Juarez Under Threat for Assassination; Tea Party in the Desert
Aired March 27, 2010 - 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: While the Senate takes a vacation, the president takes action in Washington. It is a breaking political firestorm. We have it tonight, before the Sunday talkers.
Sarah Palin takes on one of the highest ranking Democrats right in his own backyard, all while causing another uproar by urging tea parties to, quote, "reload." And the question is, are comments like that inciting the violence and name-calling over the health care bill and the like? A conversation about words that you definitely need to see.
Plus, we're live tonight in a city on edge. Philadelphia police on alert, flash mobs are terrorizing the city of brotherly love.
Good evening, everyone. It has been a week of confrontation and bitter back and forth in Washington, and tonight America's frosty political scene shows no signs of a spring thaw. Late today President Barack Obama announced plans to use what's called a recess appointment to bypass Senate confirmation votes on 15 of his top nominees. Republicans are outraged that the administration insists it had no choice.
Our national political correspondent Jessica Yellin joins me. She's been on top of the story.
Jessica, why is this such a big deal?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Because to Republicans in the U.S. Senate, this is a slap in the face by the Obama administration, and from the point of view of the White House, it's a sign of just how bad Republican obstructionism is, in their view in Washington. The bottom line, the president did an end run around the Senate and appointed 15 people that the Senate had refused to confirm to their jobs in the executive branch of the president. This is a purely partisan move, and it comes just a day after the members, 41 members of the U.S. Senate who are Republicans sent the president a letter asking him not to do this. They said, to not recess, appoint one man in particular whose views they don't like on unions. He did it anyway. So it viewed as a very partisan move by the president after the health care fight which obviously left everyone incredibly tense.
LEMON: So, Jessica, what exactly is a recess appointment. Explain to our viewers. YELLIN: Such a good question. The U.S. Senate has the power to confirm, though the constitution said give advice and confirm the president's nominees to certain posts. The constitution also says that the president has the power to do without that and appoint these nominees, if Senate isn't there. Now this was designed probably originally for the days when Congress was frequently not in session many years ago. And the president had to keep the continuity of power going when Congress wasn't there.
Now presidents, for many, many administrations have used this to appoint people that the opposition party doesn't want in office, and they just want to move ahead with it anyway.
Don?
LEMON: So then you heard some of the Republicans are outraged. Do they have any recourse? What can they do to stop these nominations, anything?
YELLIN: Nope. Nope. The president is the final word on this. The recess appointees are in office only until the end of the next congressional session. So what it means is likely usually these people will not get confirmed again. They won't be able to hold their jobs beyond the end of next year. But for now, the Republicans' hands are tied.
Don?
A very busy day for our national political correspondent Jessica Yellin. Jessica, we're going to talk to you in a little bit about tea parties. Thank you very much, though. Make sure you stick around.
You know, the appointee that really has Republicans fuming is a man named Craig Becker. The president is appointing him to the agency that oversees relations between unions and employers. He's a long- time labor lawyer, currently with the service employees union and the AFL-CIO. All of the Senate's 41 Republicans recently sign a letter warning Mr. Obama not to appoint Becker, but Democrats accused Republicans of playing politics.
Here's what a top White House adviser told our Candy Crowley in an interview for CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Senate Republicans wrote him and said, "Please don't do a recess appointment with Craig Becker to the National Relations Board. They think that he is a union plant, if you will. They think that he will do check card, they think he is bad for this board, and yet the first thing the president did, of course, was to go ahead and do that recess appointment.
Was that necessary?
DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Well, he made a series of recess appointments, because, Candy, we are in a position where the Republican Party has taken a position where they're going to try and slow and block progress on all fronts, whether it's legislation or appointments, just to make the comparison. At this point in the Bush administration, there were five appointees who on the floor of the Senate who had not been approved when the president -- that President Bush made 15 recessed appointments. We have 77 appointees who have not gotten a vote, because they've been held up by the Republican Party.
Some of them are in very sensitive positions -- in Treasury, in Department of Homeland Security and on boards like the Labor Relations Board that -- where there are a huge number of vacancies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And make sure you catch Candy's full interview with David Axelrod tomorrow morning, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."
Philadelphia tonight is bracing for possible unrest in the form of a teenage flash mob. That's what a group of people using Twitter, Facebook, texting, instant messaging, converge suddenly on a place, on a large group and wreak havoc.
Last Saturday night, a flash mob on Philadelphia's south streets scared a whole lot of people. Businesses locked their doors. Police responded with a show of force.
And tonight Susan Candiotti is in Philadelphia where city officials there, city leaders, are now talking about imposing an earlier curfew.
So, Susan, I see that you're there., near South Street now. What is the mood in the city?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's one that's a bit expected. But I have to tell you that last Saturday night it was a lot warmer out here by all accounts. It's a lot chillier out here this night. A lot of cars out here. You're seeing, here's a patrol car going by on South Street, but there are a lot of shops, a lot of businesses on South Street. If you've been to Philly you know this area. It's a fun place to be, especially on a Saturday night. So we're seeing some foot traffic here. A lot of foot patrols, as we said, by police. And earlier tonight, the mayor was also out for a stroll. A little bit later on, the district attorney will be taking a walk about.
But we also ran into some people who are here tonight who were here last Saturday night when the trouble broke out. But it was about a couple blocks away from where you were having dinner. Nevertheless, did you see anything, or were you worried about what was going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we saw the street was blocked off. There were blockades, and I guess the problems were maybe two blocks up on South Street. But because of the barricades, by the time we had left the restaurant, I guess for the most part it was over. CANDIOTTI: What do you think of what's been going on, and did it make you think twice about coming back tonight to have dinner? You're here, after all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. It didn't stop us from coming tonight. We were cognizant of it, absolutely. And at about two hours ago, prior to eating dinner down here, I did see the police present and the mayor. So it was very reassuring. It didn't stop us from coming.
CANDIOTTI: What do you think is behind all this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Misbehaving kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably a complicated question, but -- you know, I think kids who don't have anything else to do, who probably have a lot of time on their hands, and probably have not been taught the most, you know, the best moral values. I mean when I was a kid, sometimes I hung with kids, but we have never done that. I mean -- times have changed. It's unfortunate.
CANDIOTTI: Well, it is a tough issue. Part of the problem is exactly what is the city -- what is the state supposed to do about that? Can they (INAUDIBLE) kids to do -- Don?
LEMON: Yes. And that's our Susan Candiotti. Again, she's on South Street right in downtown Philadelphia.
Susan, I can understand some people are concerned. Let's hope nothing happens and go in that place right next to you. Get a cheesesteak and enjoy the city of brotherly love. Our fingers are crossed. Thank you, Susan.
CANDIOTTI: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: And still ahead here tonight on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know I have a lot of people that, not only don't like me but would like to do something to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you know what? That may be putting it mildly. The mayor of Juarez, Mexico, a walking target in his home city where drug cartels have told him to quit or die.
Also reckless conduct. Dangerous words flying as emotions are stirred following last Sunday's health care vote. We explore the reason behind the anger.
And it's time for you to become part of the conversation tonight. Just log into the social networking sites. We'll get some of your comments on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is getting easier to score illegal drugs in America. This according to a new report this week from the National Drug Intelligence Center. The report shows illicit drugs are costing the U.S. nearly $215 billion every year. That includes the cost of things like pursuing traffickers, prosecuting offenders and treating addicts.
The report also tells us just what Americans over the age of 12 are using to get high with the most recent numbers from 2008. Marijuana is the most popular drug in the country. More than 25 million people used it in 2008. Prescription drug abuse is the most rampant after that. Cocaine is the third most popular. And DMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy is fourth.
Well, some drugs you probably consider the most dangerous are actually at the bottom of the list. Crack is fifth from the list. More than a million people used it in 2008. Methamphetamine and LSD are tied for the sixth spot. Heroin is actually the 8th most used drug.
The report also calls Mexican cartels the single greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States. Those cartels have turned the border city of Juarez into a war zone. Drug lords have even made the city's mayor a marked man. And CNN's Gary Tuchman spent some time with them.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, more than 2,600 people were murdered in Juarez, Mexico last year. The highest murder rate in the world. It's a very dangerous city. The mayor of that city has been trying to make it safer. He's fired hundreds of police officers he believed were in bed with the cartel. And it's made the cartels very angry. And two weeks ago, they sent him a warning -- quit your job within two weeks or you'll be dead. Fortunately, the mayor is still alive. It's a very tense time for him. And we decided to spend the day with him in Juarez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): The mayor of Juarez, Mexico, hates the drug cartels that have turned the city into a dangerous and violent place, a city with the highest murder rate in the world. The cartels want him gone permanently.
MAYOR JOSE REYES FERRIZ, CUIDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO: The threats are real. They're not just intimidating; they're real. And I have to take it very seriously.
TUCHMAN: Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz was told two weeks ago that if he didn't quit his job by this week, he would be assassinated. For added emphasis, a bloody animal head came with the note.
FERRIZ: I know I have a lot of people that not only don't like me but would like to do something to me.
TUCHMAN: So that's why his driver carries an automatic rifle with him at all times. And in public, like at this patriotic celebration, the mayor has elaborate security and he's not backing down. Not only does he continue to appear at public events, he talks a lot about how the bad guys have ruined his city.
FERRIZ (through translator): Juarez is a lover of peace, and peace is what we are lacking.
TUCHMAN: During his three-year term, the mayor has fired hundreds of cops. He believed they were in bed with the narco- traffickers. The city's police force is now considered much less corrupt, and that angers the cartels and has led to assassinations of police and several threats against the mayor, including this very specific one involving the animal head.
(on camera): Mayor, how scared are you personally?
FERRIZ: Well, I take all the necessary precautions I can take.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): I asked the mayor if it's safe to tour the city a bit. So we go to a skateboard and bicycle park. It's not crowded, but there are some kids having fun. Nevertheless, even in this environment, he doesn't go anywhere without an armed guard, although here, the rifle is left in its case.
FERRIZ: It's hard to have a normal life. It's -- it's extremely difficult. I love playing tennis. I haven't played in a couple of years. I love going to the movies. I haven't gone to the movies in a couple years.
TUCHMAN: He's a family man, a lawyer by trade. The mayor could quit tomorrow and live a less stressful, financially lucrative life. As we travel in his armored vehicle, he says he's well aware a killer could target him at any time. So I asked him about quitting.
(on camera): Do you have any thoughts about that possibility?
FERRIZ: No. I won't step down my position. It's a very important position. What we're doing is extremely important for our city. If we don't do it today, it's going to be very hard to do it tomorrow. It's going to be double hard.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): The contrasts in his life are surreal: the law-abiding citizens of Juarez want him to succeed. The cartels want him punished, they want him dead.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Juarez, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Who could blame the mayor if he quit, but he says he will stay on the job. His terms comes to an end in October. Will he run for a second term? Under Mexican law, you can't. So then he would go into the private world.
Don? LEMON: All right, Gary, thank you very much.
The lights went out all across the world today. Landmark, skyscrapers and homes alike were left in the dark for one hour. We'll tell you the reason for this orchestrated blackout.
And recalls have embarrassed Toyota over the past few months. There's news tonight of another recall, but this time it's an American automaker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Iraq's election results are in, and it means new leadership in the country. The coalition led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi took the most seats in the parliamentary election. And Allawi says he's open to direct talks with all parties as he forms a new government for Iraq. The current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki wants a recount, but the U.N. says the election results are credible.
General Motors is recalling 5,000 of its heavy-duty cargo and passenger vans because of a risk of engine fire. The Chevrolet Express and GMC Savannah built in February and March of this year are affected by the recall. Owners are being advised to stop driving the vans and park them away from other vehicles and buildings. A suspected faulty accelerator led to that recall.
U.S. Empire State Building went dark tonight for one hour. As did buildings and homes all across the world. Millions of people flipped off their light switches at 8:30 local time for Earth Hour. The hour of darkness is meant to enlighten the world on global warming. Organizers say last year more than a billion people took part in the event last year.
It's certainly interesting to watch. We watched some of it here on our routers behind-the-scene. New York, Chicago. Where else were we? Philadelphia. Jacqui Jeras, it was interesting to see.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's kind of cool, too, because it's that ripple effect, you know. Every hour for every time zone.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Look at you. I bet you were great in school. You brought show and tell. You've got props. What is that? Is that --
JERAS: It helps people understand. Well, you know, this is the whole hog. This is the whole thing. It's a satellite picture from NASA that shows the light, or like pollution, really, from the United States. So you can see these areas, and it's really easy to pick out the cities.
You mentioned Chicago. There it is. You can pick it out just by looking where the lights are next to Lake Michigan there. Here we can see Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C. down here. Here you can see Miami. We've got Houston down here. There's Dallas, and there you can see Los Angeles certainly and San Diego as well. So this is what it looks like when everything is on. I kind of give you some perspective of just how much of that electricity we actually use. So hopefully participate and maybe create a little awareness. It makes you think about conservation just a little bit. So there's my little lesson for you.
LEMON: Are you becoming a school teacher now? That was good. That was good.
JERAS: Part of my job. I'm here to educate and to warn.
LEMON: More show and tell, Jacqui. Look at you. You've got stuff happening everywhere. What's going on?
JERAS: Well, this is the next thing we're worried about. And that's the threat for severe thunderstorms. We've been seeing some pretty nasty ones that have been moving across Arkansas. They're just to the west of the Memphis area right now, and they have a history of producing large hail. And keep in mind that the severe weather criteria for hail has changed now to spring. So it's up to an inch in diameter. That's about a quarter size or so. And that can cause some damage. So you certainly don't want to be outside in this.
We'll watch that system move eastward throughout tomorrow. Slight risk of severe weather here plus Florida up through the Carolinas. Wet weather spreads up into the northeast by late day tomorrow so expect to see some travel delays. And, of course, we've been very, very wet in the northeast already. So flood watches in effect in advance of this storm. In affect for Sunday night into Monday.
Don?
LEMON: All right, Jacqui Jeras. Thank you very much.
And look over here. And now that way. You don't do it backwards anymore. Remember when we used to do it backwards when you had the green screen or whatever.
JERAS: Yes.
LEMON: You don't have to do that any more.
JERAS: Yes, we don't.
LEMON: Jacqui and I are just having fun. They're going, "come on, come on." We're having a good time. All right, Jacqui, thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up next -- do you have cross hairs on a map? You have gun language. Militaristic language and they're sort of inciting violence. That's a very problematic thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP) Sarah Palin stirs up a crowd in a tea party rally in the hometown of the Senate's top Democrat. Tonight, the party has move to Vegas. We're live there.
And an American working in Iraq missing since January is safe and sound tonight. We're talking to his family about the great news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: They travel from states across the American west to rally in a tiny Nevada desert town for one reason: to send a message to Washington. Tea Party activist descended today on Democratic Senator Harry Reid's hometown of Searchlight to protest his role in advancing President Obama's agenda. He kicked off the new nationwide bus tour and to hear from Alaska governor -- former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Delivering a verbal smack down of Democrats, liberals and all things big government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Washington has broken faith with the people that they are to be serving. That's why here in Searchlight and across the country we're sending a message to Washington. It's loud, and it's clear, and in these upcoming elections, we're saying that the big government, big debt, Obama/Pelosi/Reid's spending spree is over. You're fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And from Searchlight, the Tea Party Express headed off for its next stop tonight, which is Las Vegas, and the CNN Election Express is there. Beautiful bus. You'll recall that CNN Election Express was our mobile election bureau during the 2008 presidential campaign and it's back on the road again.
Our Jessica Yellin is onboard.
So, Jessica, I know, you weren't driving. You were just onboard. Probably can't reach the pedals, right? But you're at the next stop for the tea party.
YELLIN: No. They won't let me hear the driver.
LEMON: So, listen, you're doing a good driving up front when it comes to informing the American people. So next stop for the tea party. What's going on now?
YELLIN: They move on to Henderson, Las Vegas, for a smaller gathering, and they're going to keep taking this across the country, stopping in the districts of vulnerable Democrats that they want to target for defeat. They have become very organized quickly as a political movement that's using its power to encourage voters to vote Democrats out of office.
And their biggest symbol, the rallying cry right now is defeat health care reform. More than anything else, this one issue has seemed to crystallize their anger at all the issues you've mentioned. There's too much government intrusion in their lives that they believe the media isn't listening to them, because otherwise this wouldn't have passed, and that the elites, as they call it in Washington, don't respect their opinions. There's such fury that this bill passed, that has really galvanized their movement and put these people into action in a very substantial way -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. And we heard Sarah Palin, and you know, we've heard all day long the reporters talking about the issues there, and what's going on? Big government, big government.
YELLIN: Right.
LEMON: So you mentioned, you know, what threw hem there. Is there something that we haven't heard? Tell me something I don't know. What was the one thing that really got the crowd going the most today?
YELLIN: Something you don't know. OK. Well, the thing that got the crowd going I have to say was just Sarah Palin's arrival. They love her. She's such a rock star. But something you don't know. How about this? There is a U.S. Senate candidate running right here in Nevada as a tea party candidate that the movement won't recognized, that is being denounced, and they called on him not to vote for him.
He shares their values. He says he stands for smaller government, less spending, all of it, but they say he's not recognized. They don't know him. He hasn't been to their meetings. He hasn't been to their tea parties, and so they don't want people voting for him.
So it's beginning to sound much more like a traditional political organization, where you have to be one of the team to get the endorsement of the team. They deny that. They say -- they're just -- they don't want him as one of them but on their ticket. But it is an interesting development.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And conservatives think they have question there. They think he's going to throw a whole monkey wrench into the process, because Harry Reid is in trouble there, and I think another candidate might throw a monkey wrench into it.
So, Jessica, thank you. You told me something I didn't hear a little bit about.
YELLIN: Yes.
LEMON: Thank you for explaining it. And I'm glad they don't like you near the driver sit there. We appreciate it, Jessica Yellin.
YELLIN: OK. Good to see you.
LEMON: Threat, vandalism and vicious rhetoric. Sarah Palin tells the tea party to reload, but then denies it a call to take up arms. Where should public officials draw the line when it comes to incendiary speech? That discussion coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: "What Matters" tonight, the vigorous debate over health care reform has stirred up a lot of emotions across the country, including death threats and vandalism against members of Congress. Now earlier I spoke about the power of words with Tim Wise. He's the author of "Colorblind," "New York Times" columnist Ben Zimmer, and Mark Lamont Hill of "Columbia University."
And I started by asking, if the White House had perhaps helped fuel some of the hostility with its own terminology.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIM WISE, AUTHOR, "COLORBLIND": Back in the summer of last year, we're using the phraseology of a public option. I think they were naive in the sense that what they forget is for the past 40 years whenever we talk about public anything in this country. Public transportation, public housing, public schools, an awful lot of people hear, whether it's meant or not, hear "people of color" as the beneficiaries. And so when you put that out there, a lot of the white folks who already are being told by Limbaugh and Beck that this health care bill is just reparations for slavery end up having that reinforced by the somewhat naive post-racial rhetoric of the administration. I think they played right into that.
LEMON: I see Mark shaking your head trying to get in here. Mark, why are you shaking your head?
MARC LAMONT HILL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Well, because I think there's been very consistent strategy from the right to racialize public policies so that poor white people who are often most vulnerable or most in need of those policies will vote against it to align themselves with a certain kind of whiteness, whiteness of property. So the poor white guy in Mississippi that needs welfare votes against welfare because he thinks he's voting against a poor black woman in Harlem.
WISE: Right, right.
LEMON: I want to get Ben in on this. Because, Ben, again, you write about language in the "New York Times," and Sunday magazine every Sunday.
Words matter, and when you look at this -- you've written a little bit about it. How are you seeing the words being played out? Because they can move and motivate people.
BEN ZIMMER, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: They sure can. And very often there's this kind of a flashpoint and certainly the health care reform debate has been that kind of flashpoint. And with last summer, from the town hall meetings and the rise of the tea party movement, we've seen an increasing polarization of the rhetoric, and that has led to some real rancor. And we can see that when times are really tense like this, that words really do matter, and especially when there are threats to public officials. That means that everyone has to be cognizant of the kind of tone that they strike, and the kinds of metaphors and figures of speech that are being used may sometimes be inappropriate and sometimes can really be a cause of concern.
LEMON: Well, here's a question. Should lawmakers be held responsible for the rhetoric that they're putting out there? We're going to play some of it in just a little bit. Do people even realize that they're being motivated by this, and that the talking points that are coming from lawmakers? A whole lot to talk about here, including Sarah Palin out today talking about reloading. So, guys, stick around. We'll right back with more on this important discussion right after a short break.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, now back to my discussion earlier tonight about the overheated rhetoric across America. My guests are author Tim Wise, "New York Times" columnist Ben Zimmer, and Mark Lamont Hill of Columbia University.
And before the break, we were asking whether political leaders should be held accountable for the language they use. I want you to listen to Sarah Palin as she spoke earlier today at the Tea Party rally in Searchlight, Nevada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: When I talk about it's not a time to retreat, it's a time to reload, what I'm talking about -- now, media, try to get this right, okay? That's not inciting violence. What that's doing is trying to inspire people to get involved in their local elections and these upcoming federal elections. It's telling people that their arms are their votes. It's not inciting violence. It's telling people, don't ever let anybody tell you to sit down and shut up, Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mark, listen, freedom of speech. I always say that people have a right to say whatever they want. I will fight tooth and nail for that. But is it responsible for someone to say that? Especially a leader, considering the anger that's going on right now?
HILL: This is wholly irresponsible for anyone who pride him or herself as a political leader. I mean, you have cross hairs on a map, you have gun language, militaristic language and the sort of inciting towards violence, that's a very problematic thing.
We live in a country where just 50 years ago people were shot down for public policy progress. This is another major public policy moment. The same thing could happen again. Twenty years ago -- 30 years ago, we had a President shot. We live in a moment right now where people are constantly threatening and intimidated through gun violence. We live in a country that has had more gun violence than any other developed nation combined. So it's very irresponsible in that moment to throw rocks and hide your hands and suggests that you're only using metaphors as opposed to possibly inciting the extreme wing of your party.
LEMON: So I want to ask Tim this, because I just got someone on Twitter. If we can show the board here. Tim said, "Unbelievable. Don Lemon, all three panelists are working from the assumption of racism. Anybody see this, nice diversity of opinion."
And there are people I've been getting things saying when we do discussions like this, don't talk about race. You're dividing people when you talk about race. And to that you say?
Well, look, I mean, to blame the conversation about race for racism is like blaming the speedometer on your car for the ticket that you just got. It doesn't make any sense. When you have mobs of people surrounding John Lewis, one of this nation's pre-eminent heroes in the civil rights struggle and using the "N" word with him. When you've got folks showing up at rallies with signs with the president with a bone through his nose, dressed like a witch doctor, or pictures of the White House lawn covered in watermelons, you don't get to retreat and go, gee, don't talk about that. You wouldn't talk about it, it would go away. We wouldn't say that about any other problem.
I mean, think about world hunger. Who would say, world hunger, gee, if we just don't talk about it maybe food will miraculously appear on the plates of hungry? I mean, no other problem on earth would we say that. And here's the thing, Don. Historically, white America has never wanted to talk about race. We didn't want to talk about it in 1963, when two out of three white Americans said the civil rights movement was pushing for too much and was being divisive. And in '68, Pat Buchanan told Richard Nixon not to go to Dr. King's funeral because he was one of the most divisive people in American history. A lot of white folks on the right have always wanted to stop talking about this, and they've always been wrong.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And Ben, you know, this isn't just -- you mentioned, you talked about whites and blacks and what have you. This is -- this isn't a Republican -- or is it a Republican or Democrat thing? Because language has been used on both sides to sort of stir people and to row them up and to get them motivated. Is it a Republican and Democrat thing?
ZIMMER: Well, I mean, I think that no party, no side has a monopoly on inflammatory rhetoric. Very often it's the party that is out of power that will have the most inflamed rhetoric, let's say. Very much kind of raging against the machine. Now sometimes you might be able to look at it through the racial prism, as has been suggested, but a lot of times what we see is that just a kind of a polarization of both sides, and we can see that this happened through the kind of echo chambers that happen on both the right and the left through partisan blogs. And the use of social media now as a way of actually hardening the positions on both sides of the debate.
LEMON: As I'm sitting here reading some of the comments now. So, listen, I'm going to wrap it up here.
Ben Zimmer, thank you.
Mark Lamont Hill, you know this, quick. What's the solution? Where do we go from here? I mean, really quickly.
LAMONT HILL: We need to change the language. The language reflects our sensibilities. But in addition to changing the language, we also need to change our practice and really address structural race and racism in this country.
LEMON: Same thing, Tim. Five seconds.
WISE: Mark's right. So you have to bring me back and I'll tell you more.
LEMON: OK, thank you. Thanks to all of you. Ben Zimmer, Mark Lamont Hill and also Tim Wise. We appreciate the conversation, and appreciate our viewers weighing in as well.
All right. And if you missed part of this conversation, we'll be posting it on our blog. Just go to cnn.com/newsroom, and you'll see it there.
It is a job the Obama administration just can't seem to fill. More bad luck with another nominee that had the transportation security administration.
Plus, he was missing and presumed kidnapped in Iraq. But, tonight, an American contractor is back and he is safe back -- in a safe area, we should say. We'll talk to one of the relieved family members coming up in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Thousands of people took to the streets of Los Angeles today for an immigration reform marching rally. The protesters are urging lawmakers and President Barack Obama to move forward with immigration legislation. Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsay Graham are sponsoring a bipartisan immigration bill that they say would create a tough but fair path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. A major set back for the Obama administration. The president's second pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration has withdrawn his name.
No one has filled the role in more than a year. Retired Army General Robert Harding pulled out less than three weeks after he was nominated. Harding says he fears his prior work as a defense contractor would be a distraction in the position.
A civilian contractor in Iraq is back in the hands of a U.S. military after he was believed to be abducted in Baghdad two months ago. The Department of Defense says 60-year-old Issa Saloumi of El Cajon, California was returned to military control on Thursday. There are no details on how Saloumi was returned. He was assigned to U.S. forces in Iraq when he turned up missing in January of this year. You can bet it's been an emotional few months for the Salome's family. And since he was kidnapped back in January, he's had a chance to speak with his family in California, since being recovered in Iraq. His niece Vivien Tilly joins me now on the phone from San Diego.
Thank you so much. I know this is a very emotional ordeal for you. And for you to join us on the phone is very brave. So, again, thank you, OK.
VIVIAN TILLEY, NICE OF ISSA SALOUMI (via telephone): Thank you.
LEMON: So you've had a chance to speak to him. You don't know exactly where he is. So tell us what he had to say? What he was like on phone call?
TILLEY: First of all, I want to say it was the most exciting thing to hear his voice once again. And he just -- we, you know -- he was just so excited to hear our voices, just like we were excited to hear his voice, and he was just a lot of emotion involved in it. How much we love him. How much he misses us. How much he loves us. How much -- you know, he's been speaking about us. That we kept him alive just him thinking about us, and that's what kept him going the whole time.
LEMON: And he's -- I can see there's a picture. You sent us a picture. This is him on the left in the blue shirt, right? Along with --
TILLEY: The gentleman standing up. Correct.
LEMON: Along with the family member. So I imagine this is a huge wait. That was -- you feel like a huge weight has been lifted.
TILLEY: Oh, definitely. Definitely.
LEMON: How did you find out he was safe?
TILLEY: On the 25th of March, I received a phone call from FBI agents informing me that my uncle was recovered and he's alive.
LEMON: And that's good news.
TILLEY: Oh, great news.
LEMON: Vivian, thank you. We're so happy. Please keep us updated. We're glad that he's safe. And let us know as soon as you hear something about when he's coming home. OK?
TILLEY: We will. Thank you so much again.
LEMON: Thank you.
Listen, we have an update on a "CNN Hero" who didn't stop when she won our award. She used it to help even more people.
And where's a cowboy when you need one? A bunch of horses decided in this California town, it look like a nice place to take a stroll. So they did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In 2008, Ann Mahlum started a program to help the homeless get back on their feet. That earned her a CNN Hero Award. And as Anderson Cooper tells us, she was just getting started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN Hero Anne Mahlum.
ANNE MAHLUM, CNN HERO: You can change the world through decent humanity, kindness and encouragement in giving people a second chance.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago, Anne Mahlum was honored a as a CNN Hero for helping those who might otherwise be forgotten -- the homeless.
MAHLUM: So we're going to go over there and we're going to fit you for shorts and we're going to fit you for your shirt.
COOPER: Her Back on My Feet program inspires homeless men and women to change their own lives, sharing the benefits of running, as well as providing job training skills.
What started off as a small running club of 300 has expanded to more than 1,500 members, with 17 teams running three times a week, spread throughout Philadelphia, Baltimore, and just this week, Washington, D.C.
MAHLUM: You're doing great.
Since being a CNN Hero, it's been extraordinary. We've received so many requests for expansion and people wanting to bring this program to their city.
COOPER: Anne has done more than just help them get off the streets. Last year alone, more than 170 members found work, started job training, or moved out of shelters.
And Anne isn't stopping anytime soon.
MAHLUM: All right. We're at the homestretch, guys. So pick it up.
COOPER: Along with first lady Michelle Obama, she's featured in this month's issue of "Fitness" magazine and has plans to expand to Boston and Chicago later this year.
MAHLUM: We just gave them the opportunity to do something great. They took advantage of it and they did it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And to find out if Ann's program is coming to your city next, or to nominate someone you think is changing the world go to cnn.com/hero.
It is a presidential moment you won't find in the history books. Did George W. Bush rub Bill Clinton the wrong way? Wait until our Jeanne Moos gets her hands on this one.
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LEMON: So every weekend we like to bring you interesting news items that might have been overlooked. In Chile Vista, California, police were called in the other day for an impromptu roundup. A dozen horses ran wild through the streets for about 90 minutes. And you can see officers were even using metal barricades to try to steer the horses. But every time they were about to get them corralled, the horses found the gap and they bolted. These horses wanted to be free.
And look at this amazing video. This is out of Iceland. What's fascinating is a volcano erupted underneath the glacier. Scientists are concerned that the intense heat will melt the glacier and cause a flood. More than 600 people had been evacuated just as a precaution, though. The last time this volcano erupted was 1821.
In Oregon, loggers have discovered the remains of a military bomber that's been missing for more than 60 years. It's been positively identified as Curtis S.B. 2C Hell Diver which vanished during a routine flight in August of 1945. No bombs were found at the site. The search is still on for possible remains.
And this is what Curtis looked like. The plane was a small two- seater. Based on aircraft carriers, it was responsible for most of the bombing raids on Japanese targets in World War II.
OK. So try to wrap your head around this one. Anyone who got married at the Cactus-Rose Wedding Chapel in Arizona over the past 30- plus years had their ceremony performed by a convicted murder. Frank Dryman was on parole when he disappeared from Montana. It was back in 1972 after serving 15 years for murder. A private investigator recently found Dryman living under an alias and running a wedding chapel in Arizona. Can you imagine that? Can you believe that? No?
All right. So here's a question, we have to watch this next scene. Here's a question -- did former President George W. Bush rub former President Bill Clinton the wrong way, literally, by wiping his hands on him? You probably have seen the video. I didn't until today. I don't know. I guess I've been under a rock. But now see the most in depth and the unusual analysis by CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill Clinton, human Handi Wipe?
With handiwork like this while shaking hands in Haiti, comedians didn't even have to write a joke. They just rolled the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE," COURTESY ABC)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST: And -- (VIDEO CLIP)
KIMMEL: President Bush, the first time we've seen him in two months and this is what he does. He's the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The former president's office had no comment on Handwipegate, though some floated alternate theories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY MSNBC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Signaling to Clinton that he was ready to move on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM YOUTUBE.COM/MILDYRELEVANT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check out what some soft core porn music does to the video. And Bush thought marriage should be between a man and a woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Maybe the brouhaha over the back rub he gave Germany's chancellor led to a more subtle affectionate touch when it came to Bill Clinton. Former President Bush is said to be somewhat germophobic.
Who wouldn't be shaking all those hands?
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Shall we get on?
MOOS: Barack Obama writes in his book that when he shook President Bush's hand the first time they met, Bush turned to an aide nearby who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president's hand. "Not wanting to seem unhygienic," Obama wrote: "I took a squirt."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE," COURTESY ABC)
KIMMEL: And by the way, if you're germophobic, is Bill Clinton the best place to wipe your hands?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Speaking of human hankies, remember, that's what they called the stranger whose shoulder Oprah cried on after Obama won the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We saw a nation conquer fear itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW," COURTESY HARPO PRODUCTIONS) OPRAH WINFREY, HOST: At one point, I was just sobbing on his shoulder, mascara everywhere. Anyway, thank you, Mr. Man, for letting me cry on your shoulder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Impersonators already tend to portray former President Bush --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY FUNNYORDIE.COM)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, Charles, may I put the Iraq War on my credit card? I never dreamed I'd be paying 28 percent in interest rates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: -- as somewhat uncouth.
(on camera): If George Bush wiped his hand on Bill Clinton -- and it's only an if -- it wouldn't be the first time that he used someone as a human tissue.
(voice-over): Letterman loves to show --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN," COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: It's right there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: -- the time George Bush cleaned his glasses on a staff member during a commercial break. You've got to hand it to the former president, at least he's clean.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: Or at least wipe us.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
(MUSIC)
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Oh, boy. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. I'll see you back here tomorrow night, 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Good night.
