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Justice Thomas' Wife Asks Anita Hill to Apologize; Countdown to Election Day; Openly Gay Recruits May Enlist; Graco Recalling Two Million Strollers; Pacific Gas and Electric Buying Out Homes Damaged in San Bruno Pipeline Explosion; Uganda Newspaper Prints List of Top 100 Homosexuals, Calls for Hanging; People Wearing Purple to Fight Back Against Anti-Gay Bullying; Hillary Clinton Tells Gay Youth "It Gets Better"; Shocking Chants from Yale Pledges
Aired October 20, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm not touching Jon Stewart.
Good morning, everybody. Great to see you.
Names, pictures and addresses of suspected gay men printed in the Ugandan paper under a yellow banner reading, "Hang them." You'll see that article that reads like a hit list.
And here in the U.S. for the first time ever openly gay Americans can sign up and serve in the military. But it's not without a fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: No means yes. Yes means (EXPLETIVE DELETED). No means yes, yes means (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And frat pledges at Yale, chant about rape. Today, we talked to a student activist who says no means no and enough is enough.
It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
This morning, we've got new developments on the case that first got Americans talking about sexual harassment. It was 1991. Anita Hill versus Clarence Thomas. Millions of Americans glued to the congressional hearings and for good reason.
After all Thomas was being considered for one of the most venerated jobs in the country. A Supreme Court justice. But what Hill said about her boss was shocking and tawdry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANITA HILL, THOMAS ACCUSER: Conversations were very vivid. He spoke about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape scenes. He got up from the table at which we were working, went over to his desk to get the coat. Looked at the can and asked, who has put pubic hair on my Coke?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Justice Thomas has never waivered in his denial before his confirmation now or since. Now 19 years later his wife is bringing the scandal back into the headlines. Ginny Thomas left a voicemail for Anita Hill asking her to apologize for the accusations.
CNN's Kate Bolduan in Washington with this latest twist in a landmark case -- Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Has some people scratching their heads, as well, Kyra.
The wife -- you said it right there, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, she's asking for an apology from Anita Hill, the woman who accused Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation hearings in the early '90s.
Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist, left a voicemail -- left a voicemail for Anita Hill, now a law professor at Brandeis University. She left the message at her office. And here's what the message said.
Said, quote, "Good morning, Anita Hill. It's Ginni Thomas. I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband."
She goes on to say, "So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did." She ends it with, "OK, have a good day."
Thomas says that she was extending an olive branch of sorts after all of these years and that -- and she did not intend any offense in the message, but it seems Anita Hill, Kyra, doesn't see it that way. She turned the message over to campus police which then turned it over to the FBI.
PHILLIPS: So is she saying anything more than just commenting on this voicemail?
BOLDUAN: Well, definitely seems like an apology isn't coming any time soon. In a statement to CNN, Anita Hill said, quote, "I certainly thought the call was inappropriate. I have no intention of apologizing because I testified truthfully about my experience and I stand by that testimony," she says.
Now, almost 20 years later, Mrs. Thomas seems to be really kind of reopening one of the most emotional and truly controversial incidents in Supreme Court history -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes. No doubt. Kate, thanks. And we're just 13 days away from an election that could change the direction of our country. First, the balance of power is at stake in Congress. All 435 House seats up for grabs plus 35 seats in the Senate. And closer to home, voters will also elect governors in 35 states.
One key Senate race we're following is Delaware where Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell is taking on Democrat Chris Coons. O'Donnell has said that she's an expert on the Constitution, but at a debate last night her opponent taught her a lesson about the First Amendment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?
CHRIS COONS (D), DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: It's in --
(LAUGHTER)
COONS: No. An excellent point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on. Hold on. Please. Please.
COONS: The First Amendment establishes the separation -- the fact that the federal government shall not establish any religion and decisional law by the Supreme Court over many, many decades --
O'DONNELL: The First Amendment does?
(CROSSTALK)
COONS: Clarifies and (INAUDIBLE) that there is a separation of church and state that our courts and that our laws must respect.
O'DONNELL: So you're telling me that the --
(CROSSTALK)
COONS: Facts to Roe versus Wade --
O'DONNELL: -- separation of church and state -- embrace of the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: O'Donnell stumbled over two other amendments as well when asked if she would repeal them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: I'm sorry. I didn't bring my Constitution with me. Fortunately, senators don't have to memorize the Constitution. Can you let me -- remind me of what the over ones are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 14th Amendment defines citizenship and the 16th Amendment --
O'DONNELL: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you should know what the 16th Amendment is. Federal Income Tax?
O'DONNELL: OK.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: O'Donnell's gaffe is just one of the stories making news from the campaign trail this morning.
Let's check in with our senior political editor Mark Preston with CNNPolitics.com desk.
Well, it makes you a little uncomfortable hearing that, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: It does, Kyra. And you know, the problem for Christine O'Donnell is that she has portrayed herself as expert of the Constitution. And of course as a Tea Party candidate, you know, she has talked very much about how the Constitution needs to change or how the Tea Party would like to see how the Constitution is interpreted.
Why this is devastating to her is that she's already down in the polls right now significantly to Chris Coons. This is just yet another stumble, and here in Washington, D.C., when you talk to Republican strategists, Kyra.
They're just frustrated by her and they're frustrated by some of the other candidates out there heading into Election Day that are making gaffes like this, because literally they see the eye on the prize. If they just talk about the economy and they just talk about jobs they think that they're going to take back the House and perhaps the Senate.
But as you said, that's not the only news that's crossing the ticker this morning and crossing CNNPolitics.com. I have a story up right now that talks about a very high-profile Senate race out in Nevada. Specifically, I looked at the cost of television ads that is happening out there.
And just imagine this mind-boggling figure. In the last week alone, Kyra, more than 50 hours of television time was dedicated to political ads. That means every time, you know, that a commercial would pop up, for two straight days, more than two straight days, it would be a political ad. So saturation out in Las Vegas.
We're also seeing that in markets in Florida and in Oregon. Also in Ohio. Just really important races, a lot of political ads on the air.
And let's close with this. Jon Stewart, of course, he really has carved out a niche as being a very powerful figure in -- when he's bridging politics and comedy, and President Obama is going to appear on his show. He is -- on October 27th he's going to tape an episode with Stewart and why would Obama do something like this? Well, because clearly, President Obama is trying to reach out to younger voters, and Stewart has such a very good following with younger voters.
We've seen President Obama in the past couple of weeks hold major rallies on college campuses. And bottom line for Democrats, they need young voters to come out and vote in the midterm elections. Otherwise, again, Republicans are going to take back control of Congress -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mark, thanks so much. We'll hear more from you obviously later in the hour.
All right. Let's head it over to Jacqui Jeras at the Weather Center. Stormy weather in parts of the country, right?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We're focusing on the southwest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Last thing I want to show you is a really cool picture here guys from space. We're able to see an eclipse. This picture was taken from NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory. Really cool pictures. They're going to use this picture to help them calibrate one of their telescopes.
Neat stuff, Kyra, hey?
PHILLIPS: Yes. It's pretty cool stuff.
JERAS: Look at that.
PHILLIPS: I love the NASA shots.
JERAS: It was a little Zen.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. I'm ready to meditate now. Perfect for the morning. Thanks, Jacqui.
Well, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It's in limbo but it's not dead. One man who lost his job because of it hopes the policy's gone for good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN CHOI, DISCHARGED FROM ARMY UNDER DADT: I was thinking about going back to Iraq and I wondered if I was -- if I was injured or if I got killed would my partner ever be notified? Would my partner ever be acknowledged? And that's what makes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as putrid as it is.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now this former soldier has gone back to the Army Recruiting Office starting over and he's not keeping his sexuality a secret.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, so here's the quick update on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The Pentagon is telling recruiters that they may sign up gay and lesbian applicants. This comes after a federal judge reaffirmed that the military may not kick out openly-gay service members.
So here's one openly gay man who went to sign up in an Army recruiting center. He's not really a new recruit, though.
Daniel Choi was an Army lieutenant and saw combat in Iraq until he challenged "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and he got kicked out. So the first chance to rejoin, well, he went for it. Choi says he told the recruiter he was gay and he got no hassle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHOI: I said that I was discharged in a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." I have no intention of keeping it secret. I want to sign up and serve with the full measure of integrity and honor and tell the truth of who I am. I don't intend to keep that part of my life silent.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Choi goes back to the recruiting center in less than an hour to actually finish up his paperwork. But the Obama administration likely will appeal the court's decision and that means the ban on openly gay service members could come back.
Legal defense group for service members is telling troops not to come out now and recruits to be careful while the case is still in flux.
Well, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" sure changed Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach 's life. He was abiding by the policy then someone else outed him. Now this is a guy who's a decorated fighter pilot. Flew dozens of combats missions over the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He's got nine air medals including one for heroism and many others. It's just too long to list. And after the September 11th attacks he was handpicked to protect the air space over Washington, D.C.
Now he could lose his military pension after nearly 20 years in the Air Force. He's with me from his home in Idaho.
Great to see you, Victor.
Thanks, Kyra. Great to be here.
PHILLIPS: So, you know, first of all, what has happened here? How will it directly impact you and your case?
FEHRENBACH: Well, I've been in limbo, essentially, for 29 months now, and I've been serving openly for 17 months. So, I'm sort of used to this limbo status. Right now, just like all the other discharges that are ongoing, as we understand it, mine is currently suspended. PHILLIPS: And so, you really -- you're -- I guess for you, then, it's not a matter of going back to the recruitment center and signing up again, because you're lucky in the fact that you are still able to serve. I mean, your case is very unique. But if, indeed, this does get appealed, does that mean you will no longer be in limbo, or could we see this going back and forth for a while?
FEHRENBACH: I think that's one of the problems here. I think you can see this go back and forth with judges and courts and the Justice Department for weeks if not months. And so, that contributes to the uncertainty and the confusion that a lot of service members are seeing right now.
I think my case will remain in limbo. I've got ten months left until I'm eligible for retirement. But while this is still tied up in the courts, like Service Members' Legal Defense Network has told all the troops out there, they need to be careful. They can't come out if they're not safe yet.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is still the law, so if this appeal fails, if the Justice Department gets its stay or this injunction, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," they'll start enforcing it once again. So, this is only temporary. The only long-term solution is for the Senate to take this up again as soon as they get back from the elections in November, December.
PHILLIPS: So, let me ask you this, Victor. If you had -- if a young man came up to you and said, "I'm gay, I really want to sign up. I want to join the military. What do you think? Should I do it now, or should I wait?" What would your advice be to men and women right now?
FEHRENBACH: Well, the military has been great to me, if not for the last few years. But it's such a great way to serve your country. If you love your country and you want to serve, I would encourage anyone to do that.
But I would definitely have them contact the Service Members' Legal Defense Network, call their hotline, because they're the experts and they can advise people on what to do. And they need to ask go in with the understanding that right now, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is the law. This is only suspended until we can get this resolved. We really need to contact our senators to push for a full vote to repeal coming up this November and December.
PHILLIPS: You stayed in the fight for a long time. I know you will continue to do so. That's the heart and soul of a fighter pilot. We'll keep following this with you. Victor, great to see you.
FEHRENBACH: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: The names, addresses, and photos of suspected gay men splashed across the front page of a newspaper in Uganda. That yellow banner on the upper right-hand side? It says "Hang them." You'll see the article that reads like a hit list.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Graco recalling about 2 million strollers due to a risk of strangulation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that accidents can happen when the baby is not harnessed. The recall involved older versions of the Quattro Tour and the MetroLite strollers.
"The San Francisco Chronicle" reporting on a buyout offer for homes destroyed or heavily damaged in the San Bruno pipeline explosion. Pacific Gas and Electric's offer includes a $50,000 bonus for homeowners who sell within six months.
And Anita Hill says she will not apologize for sexual harassment allegations made against Clarence Thomas. The Supreme Court justice's wife left Hill a voice mail message over the weekend asking for an apology. Hill's charges came during Thomas's confirmation hearings nearly two decades ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Heading out on our Morning Passport to Uganda, now, where who's gay and who's suspected of being gay is not only front page news, it's potentially dangerous. A paper there printed a list of the top 100 homosexuals with a bright yellow banner across it that reads "Hang them." The article includes pictures and addresses. David McKenzie, live in Johannesburg, South Africa. David, t reads like a hit list.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Kyra. Let's take a look at the headline. Really, it's quite shocking. This tabloid newspaper in Uganda in east Africa producing what they say is a list of the top 100 homosexuals living in Uganda, telling people that they need to go out and target them, and calling for police to arrest them. It includes pastors, it includes community leaders. And certainly in Uganda, deeply conservative country, it's really a dangerous exercise to do this. The newspaper's been shut down, but on technical reasons only.
And gay activists are telling us that already several people have been targeted for harassment by -- because of this article. And also, that people have lost their jobs.
As you said, right there, on the top corner of that headline in the yellow banner, it says, quote, "Hang them." So, certainly, very disturbing in Uganda, a country with a history of targeting gay people in this deeply conservative country. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: So, is there any protection at all for these individuals?
MCKENZIE: Well, in fact, the opposite is true. It is illegal to be gay in Uganda, as it is in most of Africa. In fact, the people who target these individuals because they say they are gay would be protected under the law because, in fact, it is illegal to be gay.
Not only, if you remember, Kyra, but exactly a year ago, in fact, there was a bill put forward in the government in the parliament of Uganda where they wanted to make certain acts of homosexuality to be punishable by the death penalty, and even by life in prison for lesser offenses. That got kind of quietly swept under the carpet by the government.
But certainly, that is resurfacing again, and gay rights activists here in Africa and around the world certainly condemning the fact that a media house is kind of getting into the game and, as it were, outing people publicly and asking them to be targeted. So, very disturbing for a lot of people in east Africa.
PHILLIPS: Yes. No doubt. David McKenzie, we will definitely follow the story, that's for sure. Thank you.
People fighting back against gay bullying are making a statement today. A fashion statement. It's Wear Purple Day, and a Facebook page for the event shows nearly 1.6 million people are signed up to take part. The day is in memory of the string of children who killed themselves after they were bullied for being gay.
Wear Purple Day comes as Facebook launches a network of support with GLAAD, MTV, and the Human Rights Campaign, among other groups. All of it is in the name of helping LGBT teens protect themselves from bullies online.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton adding her voice to the chorus of public figures telling bullied gay teens it gets better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I have a message for all the young people out there who are being bullied, or who feel alone and find it hard to imagine a better future. First of all, hang in there. And ask for help. Your life is so important to your family, your friends, and to your country. And there's so much waiting for, you both personally and professionally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the "It Gets Better" project started last month, and it now includes thousands of videos posted by people who have spoken out against gay bullying.
A Muppet with a message about her hair style grows into an internet sensation. Why the "Sesame Street" video for "I Love My Hair" is striking such a chord with kids and grown-ups, alike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUPPET (singing in child's voice): It's curly and it's brown, and it's right up there. You know what I love, that's right. My hair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BUSINESS HEADLINES)
PHILLIPS: A Muppet who loves her hair is belting out a new anthem, teaching black girls their hair is beautiful and that self confidence never goes out of style. Here's the song that has not only rocked Sesame Street, but it's gone viral.
(VIDEO CLIP YOUTUBE.COM SESAME STREET)
PHILLIPS: Well, Joey Mazzarino is the guy behind that song. He's the head writer for Sesame Street. And, why did he do it? Well, he's got an adopted daughter from Ethiopia and he actually talked with our John Roberts this morning.
And, John, that's what he said inspired him, right? Because he was trying to work with his daughter's hair and she wanted to know why her hair was so different from the long, blond hair on the Barbie doll.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": It's such a terrific story because it comes from such personal sense with Joey Mazzarino. In fact, he says a lot of the things he writes for Sesame Street have their basis in things that he has seen his daughter do. But when he saw his daughter looking at her doll and then looking at her own hair and suggesting that, well, I don't like my hair, he was concerned about self image problems that she might have in the future. So, he together with somebody else from Sesame Street got together and they put together that song.
Here's the back story from Joey Mazzarino.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOEY MAZZARINO, HEAD WRITER, SESAME STREET: I noticed about when she was four, she started to sort of have a problem with her hair and want to have princess hair and have straight hair and have blond hair. And I started to think, oh geez, this is maybe a unique problem to us because we're white parents with an African-American daughter. And then, Chris Rock's film came out "Good Hair," and we said, oh wow, this is actually a broader issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And not only that, right? But he has even tried to do his daughter's hair and he's kind of struggled with that and he told you about that, too.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAZZARINO: My wife really handled it. My wife's an actress and she was away for a summer and, I was like, oh God, I'm in charge everyday of doing her hair. So, I was like, all right, honey and the babysitter, I was like, show me how to do it. OK, I want to be able to do it right because I don't want my daughter going out with wild hair because daddy doesn't know what to do. And I can do, like, puffs. I can do some braids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: He's pretty hip. He's got the puffs and the braids down. I love it.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, as the father of a now 19-year-old woman, I know that when my daughter was three, four, five-years-old, I used to love trying to do her hair and she let me do it back then. Wouldn't let me get anywhere near it now.
But, you can see he was concerned. He wanted to make sure that his daughter had a great self image, that she was happy with the way that he was doing the hair. He didn't want himself to become the blame for all of this. And I said to him, was it the way you were doing her hair to look at her dolls and say, that's how I want my hair? He said, no, just a general sense of why am I different? So he put together this song to celebrate the difference, as oppose to question the difference.
PHILLIPS: And it's Will Smith's daughter that sings the song, right?
ROBERTS: Yes, I believe so. The character is so fantastic, as well. You know, Sesame Street for decades has been such a great place for kids to go to learn about the differences between us and how those differences should be celebrated. And, you know, they're continuing in 2010 to do exactly the same thing.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's great. It's a great song, it's a great video. Everyone should go online and see it. It's a fabulous, fabulous message behind it.
And you still do very well with Taylor's hair. I've seen you help her because she's got those long, tight curls. Dad's always there.
ROBERTS: Yes. If she ever lets me touch it, it's a rare event these days, there's no question.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, John.
Well, some Democrats running against the president. Not out west where Mr. Obama hits the campaign trail later today. We've a preview for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Nearly 20 years later, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is asking Anita Hill for an apology for accusing her husband of sexual harassment. Hill says the request was made in a voice mail message to her office. Hill says she won't apologize because she testified truthfully during Thomas' confirmation hearing.
Gay activists are lashing out at Uganda's "Rolling Stone" newspaper. The tabloid published a story featuring the country's top 100 homosexuals, complete with names, photos, and addresses. Next to it was a banner that read, "Hang Them." There's no connection between the tabloid and the American magazine with the same name, by the way.
For the first time in the nation's history, the Pentagon had advised the Military to accept openly gay applicants. It comes as a federal judge reaffirmed her ruling that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We are less than two weeks away from an election that could change the balance of power in Congress. And President Obama is working hard to keep that from happening. CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian here to talk about the president's latest road trip.
And Dan, he's really hitting the trail hard.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He is. We've seen this over the last few weeks where the president has really ramped up his campaigning for Democrats all across the country, critical midterm elections where so much is at stake control of the House and the Senate.
We saw the president over the last weekend, he was in Massachusetts stumping for his friend, the governor of Massachusetts who has a slight lead there. But nonetheless he wants to make sure that he hangs on to his seat. And the president was also out in Ohio, this time taking a swing out west focusing on five states. But there are three races that obviously everyone is paying close attention to.
Down in Seattle, the president will be campaigning for Senator Patty Murray, longtime senator who's in a very tight race. The polls show that she leads the Republican Dino Rossi by a number of points. But still, analysts see that race as toss-up. Then the president also will be heading down to Los Angeles. Senator Barbara Boxer who also is in another tight race. And then, of course, the race that everyone has been focusing on down in Nevada, Harry Reid, the majority leader who is in a race that no one really expected he would be in, which is the race of his political career.
And so, the president obviously, trying to add momentum to these three candidates, to their campaigns. So much at stake, again, and the White House hoping that these Democrats can stay in their seats. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: And the White House making any predictions about how the Democrats are going to fare on Election Day? Any tactics here, strategies? Revelations?
LOTHIAN: That is one thing that the White House has stayed away from. Robert Gibbs saying that he's not going to make any predictions of how this will all turn out. And the hope, obviously is that whoever really picks up seats and control of either the House or the Senate, that still, that the president's agenda will still be able to move forward, that both Republicans and Democrats can focus on doing some of the key issues, like fixing the economy.
But yes, not willing to make any predictions. But pointing out that this is a very critical time and that's why you're seeing not only the president, but the vice president, the first lady, and former president Bill Clinton hitting the trail for these Democrats.
PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian at the White House. Dan, thanks.
We'll have your next political update at the top of the hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, you can always go to our web site, CNNPolitics.com.
All right. Let's buckle up and go cross country. First stop, Miami-Dade County in south Florida. Is this what they mean by double parking? Police say the driver of the white car hit the gas instead of the brake and oops, somehow no one was hurt. That's good news.
Also escaping injury. Two 10-foot alligators have been wandering under an a subdivision in Moss Point, Mississippi. Somehow they landed in a drainage hole and got stuck. Wildlife trappers came in, captured them, and released them in an area far from any neighborhoods.
It was also moving day for this furry little fellow in Kansas City, Missouri. The pet chimpanzee managed to break his rope and just started roaming the neighborhood. He damaged a couple of cars, including this police vehicle before he got caught. Our affiliate there, KSHB says that it's the second time that this chimp has escaped. And the owner may now lose custody.
Behavior that belongs in the gutter: not on the campus of any Ivy League university. The school that gives us both the Bushes, William Howard Taft and Dr. Spock can't think that they would be proud of what happened during a fraternity pledge ritual.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we wanted to follow up on a story that had so many of us talking yesterday. About a fraternity pledge ritual at Yale University that's gotten the Delta Kappa Epsilon Chapter in pretty big trouble. Listen to what the deep pledges were chanting over and over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DELTA KAPPA EPSILON CHAPTER: No means yes. Yes means (EXPLETIVE DELETED). No means yes. Yes means (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: No means yes, yes means and yes, I bleeped that last word because I'm not going to say it. Look it up online if you want to see it.
Basically, these big pledges are chanting about rape and that chant was one more g-rate -- that was actually one of the g-rated ones.
Now the guys were shouting this stuff in an area of campus where freshmen women live. Just imagine being an 18-year-old, young woman in a new place hearing that from your room in the dark of night. Imagine your daughter hearing that; a gang of young men moving around in the dark chanting about rape in area that's supposed to be a safe home away from home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure that -- well, they didn't actually mean to do that. They didn't mean to be that serious. But it wasn't -- probably wasn't a good thing to be saying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Yes. You think so? Well, that freshman weighed in but the head of the DEK fraternity, no, didn't have anything to say. We reached out to him but he declined to talk with us.
The National Fraternity has told the Yale Chapter to stop all the pledge activities for now. The school says that this is a good chance to talk about sexual harassment. But it's not saying anything about punishment.
Well, for at least one female student, this episode is the last straw. And she wants the school to act. Hannah Zeavin is a junior and she's managing editor of Yale's feminist newspaper "Broad Recognition".
And Hannah, we read your editorial about this yesterday and that's why we really wanted to have you on today. And since you published that and since this has happened and since it's starting to gain more and more publicity, have you heard from president of DEK or anyone from that fraternity? Have they responded to you?
HANNAH ZEAVIN, YALE JUNIOR: To me personally, no. Last Friday, the Women's Center held an open forum to discuss Yale's sexual climate now, and DEK members did come including the president so Dean Mary Miller (ph) and Dean Gentry who are both high up in the administration at Yale but they haven't spoken yet with "Broad Recognition" or our online magazine.
PHILLIPS: Do you feel that that was enough for you? Do women there on campus feel that that was enough, or do you think more needs to be done?
ZEAVIN: Well, of course, we're hearing from both extremes right now, and it's unfair for me to speak for the median student, but, no, it's not enough for me that the boys have apologized. This was a completely offensive and shocking thing to -- to do in front of our all -- almost all -- 10 out of 12 Yale freshman women and men.
And so something must be done further than an apology more than an open forum, more than dialogue. PHILLIPS: Now, we all know frat boys are going to do stupid things, you know. They're not always the most mature of the student body. Tell me, though, where you thought this really crossed the line.
ZEAVIN: I think it really crosses the line when you deny a woman or man -- of course, there's no subject in the sentence, so it's not gendered -- their bodily agency and their right to body. That crosses the line, and then to do it in such a symbolic way, in the dark, where all the freshman lived, almost all of the freshmen live is totally unacceptable.
PHILLIPS: Do you remember what it was like as a freshman woman? Did you feel safe there at Yale? Did you ever experience anything like this?
ZEAVIN: Personally, no. I was very lucky. I had a great group of friends, but I was totally scared all of the time. Yale is built up a lot to go to a new place, even though my father is a professor there and even though, I'm only from New York City, so it's only two hours away. It was still nerve wracking. And luckily my year, in freshman year, there wasn't a huge incident like this at the beginning.
But last year, there was another scandal that didn't make it really to the national media, called the "preseason scouting reports", scare quotes, where named women were targeted by various organizations on campus and rated according to their physical appearance.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
ZEAVIN: And I can't imagine what it would be like to be a freshman and have that be my welcome to Yale.
PHILLIPS: So -- so why is this kind of behavior tolerated then? You would think if this -- if something of that nature happened in the past that punishment would be taken right away? What -- what are you expecting from Yale? What more do you want and when it comes to instance like this, because this isn't the first time there's been an issue on this university, obviously?
ZEAVIN: No. It's happened before. I mean, historically, there have been many incidents and particularly a rash of them in the last three or four years. And what we would like to have happen is for our administration to lead us, the Yale students, in changing the culture and shifting the culture to a -- to a school in which Yale will no longer tolerate this, where there is an actual deterrent.
I mean the structures for punishment both legally in the state of Connecticut and also at Yale itself, exist. They're in place already. What we need now is for the structures to be used by our administration such that these punishments act as an active deterrent.
You know a conversation is really great, but if the conversation doesn't do anything, and historically it hasn't, we need more. We need more education, we need -- we need active deterrents against events like this.
PHILLIPS: Wow, these boys should be ashamed of themselves and I just wonder what their parents think of their behavior as well.
ZEAVIN: I don't know.
PHILLIPS: Hannah Zeavin, I appreciate -- yes, I appreciate you joining us. And we'll definitely follow up on this story and see what happens. Thanks for your time and we appreciate your writing as well.
ZEAVIN: Ok, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
We got a ton of responses to this story on our blog. Here's what some more of you had to say.
Wally said, that "As the father of three daughters, I'm disgusted that this behavior would be tolerated by the university based on protecting freedom of speech. The fraternity should be disbanded and these young men at the very least ask how they would respond if those chants were directed at their mothers, sisters or girlfriends?
Great point and this from Homer, "In my opinion, no, the punishment does not fit the crime. It seems to me that the fraternity is issuing a challenge to the administration, who is in charge? It's time to draw the line. Consider expulsion of the fraternity and the students involved. The administration needs to demonstrate a strong hand here."
Ed says, "While I do not condone the actions of this fraternity, I do know for a fact that many, if not all, frats and sororities have dirty songs, chants and rituals. It's not nearly as big a deal as you're making it out to be."
Remember, we always want to hear from you. Just log onto CNN.com/Kyra and share your comments. We sure appreciate you weighing in.
All right. Here's what we're working on in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. We'll start with Stephanie Elam in New York -- hey Steph.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra. Yes, we are taking a look at subprime and predatory lending. Claims of it have swept the nation, but we wanted to put a face on the story, so we headed to Chicago to meet a couple of families who say they feel like they've been taken advantage of and we talk to the attorney general of Illinois to see what she's doing about it.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Rob Marciano in New Orleans, Louisiana. Six months ago today, the DeepWater Horizon oil rig exploded. It's one of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. It's been cleaned up now, pretty much, for the past couple of months, but there is still oil out there threatening the shoreline. We'll show you where and what's being done about it in a live report next hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta, and today I'm looking at hormone replacement therapy. For women who are still taking it, news today about more dangers. All of that at the top of the hour.
PHILLIPS: When Anita Hill got a voice mail asking her to apologize to Clarence Thomas, she assumed it was a prank caller. It turns out the call was for real, from Clarence Thomas's wife; 20 years after the claims that captivated the country. We're taking a closer look at the he said/she said coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
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