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Friends, Family Celebrate Reagan's 100th Birthday; Officers Beat Teen, Get Misdemeanor Charges; Michael Fosberg Discusses Revelation He is African-American; 24 Hours Before Super Bowl Kickoff; Mubarak's Son Resigns from Party; Rallies Held across U.S. to Support Egyptian Protesters; Charlie Sheen Reportedly Doing Rehab at Home

Aired February 05, 2011 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK, I want you to take a look, take a good look at this shocking video. Police beating an unarmed teenager. Is it excessive force? The officers are facing indictment by a grand jury and we'll tell you what happened to that teenager.

Also, I want you to take a good look at this man. Look at him. He looks white. And as a matter of fact, he thought he was until he was 30 years old and then he found out he was actually black. He's going to join us live to tell about it.

And Charlie Sheen, the actor, hitting rock bottom in Hollywood. Now he has checked out of rehab saying he can do it himself at home. Is it a good idea or is it lunacy? We're going to discuss.

Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us. What gets you call up on the day's news? It's midnight in Egypt right now, the end of day 12 of a national pro-democracy uprising that threatens a long- time presidency of Hosni Mubarak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(PEOPLE CHANTING)

Go away, go away, go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And unlike a week ago, today's demonstrations have been relatively peaceful and non-confrontational. In apparent bid to placate protesters, Egyptian state TV reported that Mubarak's son Gamal, has resigned from the ruling party. One demonstrator dismissed the move as a silly stunt that would have no effect. There were some tense moments. So, at one point the protesters formed a human chain to block army tanks from passing through barricades that encircle the demonstrators in Nathan (ph) and Tahrir Square.

Also today, newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman met with a group of intellectuals, artists and businessmen known as the committee of the wise to discuss how to resolve the crisis. The elite group also called for continued demonstrations twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, until Mubarak steps down. A live report from Cairo on today's events just ahead here on CNN.

The former U.S. ambassador to Egypt says, President Mubarak should remain in power for now. Frank Wisner told the global security meeting in Munich that Mubarak is utterly critical for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The U.S. government quickly countered wizard saying he was only speaking for himself and not the Obama administration. A State Department spokesman says that he has not been acting in any official capacity since he traveled to Egypt last week on behalf of President Obama.

The FBI is trying to find out who's been hacking into the Nasdaq. The Wall Street Journal reports, hackers infiltrated the computer network that runs the Nasdaq stock markets several times over the past year. The exchanges stock market trade platform was not breached but other parts of the system were accessed.

President Obama is moving forward with his theme of winning the future. First unveiled in his reason state of the union speech. He's using his weekly address to promote what he called a true measure of progress for the nation, defined as whether every American who wants a job can find one. He also acknowledged that progress towards this goal needs to happen faster.

And Dallas probably seemed like a pretty good bet when the NFL picked it to host tomorrow's Super Bowl, but the weather isn't playing along, is it. Look at that. In a single night, Dallas got nearly twice its annual average snowfall. Ice slid off the roof of cowboy's stadium and hurt workers below, but at least the game will be played under a dome. And we'll take you to Dallas later on in this show for a live report. For the latest on today's ongoing demonstrations in Egypt, let's go straight to CNN Ivan Watson. He is live for us in Cairo. Hello, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. That's right, the Egyptian government, the Mubarak regime, making another concession to the demonstrators, announcing the resignation of most of the leadership of the ruling national Democratic Party of Hosni Mubarak, but stopping short of saying whether or not Hosni Mubarak himself would step down. In the meantime, there were some meetings that took place between opposition, some opposition parties and the Vice President Omar Suleiman. Let's take a listen to what one of the participants of those talks, one of the opposition party leaders, had to say about those negotiations. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUNIR FAKHRI, WAFD PARTY LEADER: As long as the protesters are not really to lower the level the demand, very bluntly the demand is that President Mubarak leaves, quits, and as long as the regime refuses to take steps towards meeting at least part of those demands, I think it's very difficult to reach a compromise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, Don, the opposition parties, the opposition movement does seem to be rather split. Some of the opposition parties refusing to sit down at all with the government. They do not trust the promises they say that they are hearing from Hosni Mubarak, promises of reform. They are repeating the demands that the protesters out in the square, Tahrir Square are making for his immediate dismissal. And you had mentioned the standoff that we witnessed unfolding. We have a photo, a series of photos to show you where tanks tried to approach and start to cross the barricades that the demonstrators have used to fortify what is effectively an anti-Mubarak enclave in the heart of Cairo.

Well, the protesters would not let the tanks through. They formed a human chain in front of the tanks. And allowed a general to come in and to walk around and actually address the crowd from a stage. He at one point asked the crowd what do you want? I don't understand what your demand is. The crowd chanted leave, leave. He must leave, then we leave, meaning Hosni Mubarak. And after that, the army general walked off the stage and left the square -- Don.

LEMON: Hey, Ivan, it's just after midnight there in Cairo where you are. I want to talk a little bit more about the demonstrations. There have been folks who were asking the demonstrators to continue it at least twice a week. I was at a rally here today and the people here say, they will continue as long as possible until Mubarak steps down. Do you have a sense there about how much more the protesters will last? How much more will they protest until they get what they want?

WATSON: These guys are committed. These people are proudly walking around showing the bloodied bandages left after days and nights of fighting against pro-government demonstrators. For them, that is a symbol of pride and of courage and they're very proud of it. These people are sleeping out on a very cold and damp night here in Cairo, for Egyptian weather, sleeping out on sidewalks right the now and huddling around campfires.

Some of them are lined up still sitting on the ground in front of those barricades to make sure that Egyptian troops do not come in. They actually stopped several dozen Egyptian soldiers from coming in because they clearly do not trust the military. The military is asking them to leave. So, I think they're committed to stay there for now, and the Mubarak government has not succeeded in dividing the opposition with these concessions yet. They're feeling strong -- Don.

LEMON: Ivan Watson, live in Cairo. Ivan, thank you very much.

A numerous Egypt pro-democracy rallies were held around the United States today, including New York and Washington. And CNN Sandra Endo was among the crowd this afternoon outside the White House. Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, protesters here are energized. They are in front of the White House after marching from the Egyptian embassy earlier this afternoon. They are chanting, carrying signs, waving flags, all in solidarity for the uprising in Egypt. They say they want change. They are calling for President Mubarak to resign immediately but they also have this message to President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The message to the White House and specially to Obama, just stop supporting like dictatorship and let people live free and don't ever, ever help like, you know, dictator to implement, you know, injustice in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We're mainly out of here to support the Egyptian people back home. I know they're dying every single day for their freedom. I'm just hoping that they will stay calm and stay united and not go off in a civil war or anything. And just stay strong, things are happening slowly, but we'll definitely get our freedom very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Now, this is one of many protests that have been held for days now in solidarity with Egypt. And protesters here say they will not stop getting their message out until there's actual change. Sandra Endo, CNN, Washington -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Sandra, thank you very much.

Much, much more in the crisis in Egypt from the perspective of a former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Excuse me, she'll speak tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on an exclusive interview on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY." Again, that's tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.

One of the groups calling for change in Egypt is the Muslim brotherhood. But what do you know about them? We're learning more about the organization that could be a major player in the future of one of the U.S. biggest ally.

And Charlie Sheen, his brilliant acting overshadowed by problems with alcohol and drugs and allegedly hookers. Now he is in rehab at home. What is home rehab? And is it real therapy? Will it work?

And I'm online, I know you are too. Make sure you check out my social media accounts. Let's connect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. So listen, this is a very important conversation. You'll learn a lot, I promise you. You probably heard of the Muslim brotherhood. You've heard them come up a lot recently. But who are they and what role do they want to play in Egypt's future.

Joining me right now is Rashid Naim, he is a professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. He has studied the region and the brotherhood for decades now. So, thank you for joining us today. All right. So, listen, are they a real threat when it comes to stability and the uprising in Egypt?

RASHID NAIM, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE: Well, they're certainly important players in the uprising. But if you mean by threat that they are an organization which is going to cause chaos and violence in Egypt, I don't think that's accurate. LEMON: Most people when you think of, let's say the Muslim brotherhood and you compare this to other regions, Iran and what's going on, people would think al-Qaeda or people would think the Taliban. Is there a comparison there?

NAIM: There is none except that al-Qaeda considers organizations like the Muslim brotherhood to be traitors and sell-outs. And though when we talk about finding groups and organizations who can using Muslim cultures still stand up to extremists like al-Qaeda, I would think that the Muslim brotherhood would be one such organization which would be able to do that.

LEMON: OK. So, they're not considered quite as extreme?

NAIM: No, certainly not.

LEMON: All right. So who are they and what do they want? What do they stand for?

NAIM: Let me just say one thing and then we'll talk -- how about we talk briefly about the history because they have...

LEMON: Sure, yes, go for it.

NAIM: So, the first thing to remember about, this is a lot of what we hear about al-Qaeda -- sorry about the Muslim brotherhood is really what the ruling the list of the region say and they're really using this organization to frighten western countries into supporting dictatorial governments. And what they're saying is, look, it's either us or these crazies out here. And that is really not accurate.

LEMON: OK.

NAIM: First of all, they're not crazies. And secondly, they're not in a position necessarily to seize power everywhere either, right?

LEMON: They're -- you say they're not crazy, but they are extreme?

NAIM: I wouldn't even call them extreme, because if you look at how the organization has evolved over time, it has really moved from being a hierarchical, very conservative organization into being a much more totalistic organization entirely and there are lots of streams of thought within the organization. They are much more inclined to accept what we would consider to be accountable government and open government.

LEMON: OK, professor. Not that we want to dumb it down, but when you talk about pluralism, like those are terms that you use in the classroom and, you know, you hear the political using those words. What do you mean by pluralism?

NAIM: Well, I mean that they understand that Egypt is a complex society, it's made up of many different groups of people who have different ideas and that no one group is capable of running the country by itself.

LEMON: Are they generally on the side of Mubarak?

NAIM: No, they're not.

LEMON: They're not.

NAIM: They have actually not been on the side of any Egyptian government since they were formed.

LEMON: OK. Here's the thing that people are concerned about it and I heard this, I've been hearing this since it started. That maybe the Muslim brotherhood is sort of laying in wait, letting the young people get out in front of this uprising and then once there's a change of power or there is no government or what have you, then they will come out and do their thing and take over. Right now they know too many people are watching.

NAIM: Yes. Well, you know, it's obviously impossible to predict what's going to happen. But based on what I know of what I have studied about the organization, I really don't think that's what's going on. What I think is going on that the Muslim brotherhood like a lot of other political organizations in Egypt have really been caught by surprise at the extent of the opposition and willingness of the protesters to go out there and protest and so on and so forth. We know, of course that members of the organization are among the protesters. And they -- but they have certainly not tried to, you know, take over the movement or anything of the kind.

LEMON: OK. So, basically, they say, they don't have much power now.

NAIM: Well, I'm not saying they don't have much power. They probably are the single most important political group in Egypt in terms of their strength right now, but they certainly don't have the support of the majority of Egyptians. I don't think that would -- the case, if we were ever to have free elections.

LEMON: OK. Listen. I want to bring this up. Tom, can we just go to the picture real quick in Tahrir Square of the Christians who are protecting the Muslims, who are praying there. I went to the rally today and they were saying, Christians and Muslims together and that is a huge transition for this region.

NAIM: It is. It is.

LEMON: What does this mean?

NAIM: Well, it means that people realize that the problems that they are facing are problems which are common and that this is dividing them along religious lines, or ethnic lines or whatever lines. It's just something which weakens their ability to get what all of them need. And there's some conscious -- I just want to point out here that we know that in 2005 in the last elections in Egypt which were held which were relatively open in which the Muslim brotherhood emerged as the largest opposition party. They got about 88 seats, about 20 percent of the vote.

LEMON: Yes. NAIM: It seems that there were areas of Egyptians voted for them because -- they thought they were capable of bringing something better than what the current...

LEMON: And it shows that those pictures and what you said, it shows that this uprising is not about faith.

NAIM: No.

LEMON: It's more about democracy and it's about young people who want freedom and democracy and equality.

NAIM: Absolutely. Absolutely.

LEMON: Thank you, professor.

NAIM: Thank you.

LEMON: I appreciate it.

NAIM: OK, Don.

LEMON: Thank you. I see why you're a professor, you explained it perfectly.

OK. Once President Mubarak is out, one of the top names to replace him is leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei. And CNN has him tomorrow on Fareed Zakaria GPS, so make sure you tune in, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, Fareed Zakaria GPS, we'll have Mohamed ElBaradei on.

What a difference a generation makes, politicians with staunch stands on issues and their children who take opposite stands. From the Bushes to the Cheneys, to the McCains. What is going on?

And a Caucasian actor is claiming he is now African-American? All right. We'll hear him explain how he made the discovery and how it's changed his life when he joins us straight ahead. But first this.

The oldest -- turned 65 this year but many members of this group still have 10, 15, even 20 years before retirement. And while they may not be more likely to be laid off, a new study finds that when they are, they have a tougher time finding a job than younger workers. Christine Romans reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

E. VON MCCANTS, JOB SEEKER: I'm not trying to move up the ladder.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Boom -- is a 27- year telecom veteran with an MBA, a baby boomer who's been looking for a job since July.

MCCANTS: If I had to describe how it's been going, well, it's not been very fruitful.

ROMANS: She's followed all the advice about networking, the resume and online job searches.

MCCANTS: I spend a lot of time looking at jobs, looking and saying, is this something I really want to do? Do I have the skills that this employer is looking for?

ROMANS: The good news for E. Von, the jobless rate for boomers is actually lower than the national average. The bad news, once out of work, it's harder for a boomer to get a new job. Men aged 50 to 61 are 39 percent less likely to get a job each month than younger workers. Women, 18 percent less likely. For even older workers, that number jumps to 50 percent. Glenn Grossman found himself in E. Von McCant's position about ten years ago.

GLENN GROSSMAN, FOUNDER, DINOSAUR SECURITIES: I actually had no real opportunities. I got very depressed about it. And you know, you've got to take, you know, control.

ROMANS: Now he is the one hiring. With his background in finance and accounting, he started Dinosaur Securities, pun intended.

(on camera) You've got basically four generations of work here, they are working for you then, is that right?

GROSSMAN: I think more generations, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s.

ROMANS (voice-over): Yes, it is hard to be an out of work boomer, but he says, ideas, contacts and sales is what counts, not age emphasize that.

GROSSMAN: It's not about age, it's about working. And just forget about, you know, gender, age, anything like that.

ROMANS: Recruiters see better days ahead for boomers. Boomers have experience and less turnover.

FORD MEYERS, AUTHOR, "GET THE JOB YOU WANT": And that means ultimately less cost for the employer. So it's good to have some adult supervision around the office and employers are finally beginning to realize that.

MCCANTS: All right, then, you know, let's start over again.

ROMANS: E. Von mccants is an adult ready to supervise again.

MCCANTS: It's a new year, I feel like OK, it's a new year and a lot of new things are going to happen.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Now, some stories that people are really buzzing about, especially this first one. Television star Charlie Sheen reportedly is insisting he is fine and hopes to be back at work within a month. He is now rehabbing at home after his neighbor called 911 saying Sheen was, quote, "very, very intoxicated."

I want to bring in now psychologist Wendy Walsh. She is in Los Angeles. Wendy, hello. Are you doing OK?

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Hi, Don. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.

LEMON: Yes. That's the thing. Rehab at home. I mean, is this legitimate? Because most people can't -- I mean rehab at another facility is tough for most people.

WALSH: It may not be the most proven way to get the best results. You know, let's remember and let's not lose sight as we all roll our eyes here that this is a life and death situation.

LEMON: Right.

WALSH: You can probably count on two fingers, celebrities who have overcome drug addiction and are clean and sober now. But there -- road to Michael Jackson, there are generations of celebrities who have died along the way. This is very, very serious. Marilyn Monroe actually went to live with her psychiatrist at one point to see what it would be like to live with a normal family and see if that helped in with her recovery. I don't know about, you know, how -- remember, it's a biopsychosocial model. So, we have to address his biology, he's got to detox. Then there's the psycho and social and going to have lots of psychological...

LEMON: Wendy, Wendy, here's the thing, and we know this. People who have addiction issues, alcohol, whatever it is, you hide things in places that people don't know about. You have little stuff places.

WALSH: They're highly manipulative.

LEMON: And if you are in a facility, they can control that. If you're in your home, who knows what Charlie has stashed, if he indeed has a problem, what he has stashed in his home, where it is. That's what I think most people don't get. Why?

WALSH: That's the bottom line. Is that, who are the body guards and is Charlie paying them. So, really that's the question.

LEMON: Yes. OK. All right. I hope he's OK. He's a great actor, I love his television show. He comes in a long line of great, you know, his dad, all of that, his brother, we wish him well. But I don't know so much. I think most people are wondering if this is a good idea.

OK. So, let's go from entertainment to politics, Wendy. One of George W. Bush's daughters, Laura Bush, now in a video that promotes legal, gay marriage in New York State. I want to play this clip for you and then we'll talk about it.

WALSH: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BUSH, GEORGE W. BUSH'S DAUGHTER: New York is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love. Join us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I said Laura, that's Barbara Bush. So, one of several celebrities. Her mom came out not long ago saying she supported gay marriage. The president did while he was in office. What's going on here? Megan McCain, all of these -- what's going on, Mary Cheney?

WALSH: You know, it's very common for the next generation to sort of break the family way and be influenced by their culture, by their peers, by the media. And you know, we shouldn't assume, by the way, that just because someone comes from a republican family or votes republican that they aren't liberal in certain areas.

LEMON: Great point.

WALSH: I mean, and so I just think that she's probably influenced by a progressive culture and understands the biological piece to homosexuality and so she has broken with her family. It reminds me of -- remember the Patrick Reynolds story, the heir of the tobacco family, who sold his stock and he came out in an anti-smoking campaign?

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

WALSH: So, you know, this kind of stuff, it happens definitely.

LEMON: Yes. And it's probably younger people have more experience I would think with people who are out, gay people who are out, so they know them a lot better. It's something you keep it and you used it when you're in college, kids are coming out in junior high and high school now. So, they may have a different take on it.

WALSH: And family members.

LEMON: Yes, and family members.

WALSH: And family members, I mean Republicans have gay people in their families. Hello. That's part of life.

LEMON: Mary Cheney, I mean, come on, you know.

WALSH: Yes.

LEMON: And the vice president, former vice president talked about it.

WALSH: OK, Wendy, always a pleasure. Enjoy your Saturday. Thank you.

LEMON: Good to see you, Don.

WALSH: You too.

LEMON: Celebrating what would be the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan. Speaking of Republicans. What does an Apple iTouch have to do with learning about our 40th president? We'll tell you straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Former President Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 years old tomorrow, and this weekend his friends, his family and former staff members are among those honoring his memory at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Our Ted Rowlands is there as well.

Ted, they have a big celebration planned. Tell us about it.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, all weekend long, Don. Tonight, there's a concert featuring the Beach Boys, among other folks. They are gathering in the Air Force One Pavilion. If you've ever been here or seen the debates, the one on CNN, there's an actual Air Force One here. The plane that President Reagan flew during his eight years in office. It is just a fabulous backdrop for what will be a concert tonight. And then tomorrow, there will be events here as well.

There are also events at the Reagan Ranch, now privately owned, up in Santa Barbara. In fact, Sarah Palin was up there yesterday with her daughter riding horses. Last night, she spoke at the Ronald Reagan Center in Santa Barbara.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: As an Alaskan, I proudly consider myself a western conservative in the spirit of Ronald Reagan, in that tradition, because I know that he understood the small-town pioneering spirit and values of hard work and rugged individualism and love thy neighbor. Those are the values that we grew up with. Those are the values Ronald Reagan embodied. They are the values of his ranch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: Now, tomorrow, Don, of course, is Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, so the big celebration takes place here at the library tomorrow, including Nancy Reagan, coming up and cutting the ribbon on a $15 million renovation of the museum, which is here at the library. And it is fabulous. We had an opportunity to go through it this week. There are new exhibits featuring the Berlin Wall where you can actually crawl underneath the wall. There are a lot of interactive things. You can be in a movie with Ronald Reagan back in his acting days. You can deliver the inaugural address outside the capitol with Teleprompters, and the actual speech in the Teleprompters. There's also an exhibit recreating the assassination attempt of Reagan after his 70th day in office. It really is a fabulous, fabulous series of exhibits here at the library.

This weekend, everything is closed to the public. It's the invite only. But on Monday, it will be open for the first time, the new exhibit, to the public, and they'll be serving birthday cake until it runs out on Monday. A lot of festivities here.

LEMON: It looks like a beautiful exhibit.

Thank you, Ted.

CNN is the place to be for complete coverage of the Reagan -- Ronald Reagan birthday centennial celebration. Our John King hosts our special coverage tomorrow from the Reagan Library. It all starts at 2:00 eastern, 11:00 a.m. pacific, right here on CNN.

A teenager suspected of burglary, caught by police. It's what happens when everyone -- what happens that has everyone talking. I want you to take a look at this. Judge for yourself. There's the video. Wait until you hear the charges against those officers. Our legal contributor, Sunny Hostin, is here to talk about it. And you'll see the full video coming up.

And the Green Bay Packers, 24 hours before kickoff of Sunday's Super Bowl XLV, a look at the city that doesn't just love its team, it owns the team too. It's really a unique arrangement in today's big-bucks NFL world. We are live from north Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want you to take a look at this, because we're going to talk law and justice right now. Sunny Hostin is here, a contributor to "In Session" on our sister network, TruTV. You're going to be seeing her every week at this time. That's what we want to tell you.

So, Sunny, thank you for joining us.

But let's take a look at this incredible video from Houston first, OK, Sunny. It happened last spring, but it has just been released. Police chase a teenage burglary suspect.

Look at this, everybody at home.

They corner him at a storage facility. And you can see what happens there on the ground. He's not resisting, but he's paying a price. He wasn't armed, by the way. Seven of these officers were fired. Four of the seven have been indicted and five others were suspended or disciplined.

So, Sunny, it's very interesting here, because I've been out in L.A. Can you believe, 20 years since the Rodney King beating? Remember that video and now we have this.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Wow. Yes.

LEMON: So the officers, they are indicted. They are facing what's called official oppression charges, basically misdemeanors. What's going on here?

HOSTIN: People are really outraged by that, the charges, a misdemeanor charge. If found guilty, they would be possibly put in prison for about a year. They could possibly be fined. But many people are asking, why not more. Why is this not a felony? Why not aggravated assault? Why not some sort of assault charge? We don't know, Don, what happened in front of the grand jury, because grand jury proceedings are secret, but I have called around. What I have learned is, they may have presented assault charges to the grand jury but the grand jury didn't indict, because there was no serious bodily injury, no impairment. He actually is fine now. So perhaps that is why the officers are looking at misdemeanor charges.

But I will say this, and you mentioned Rodney King. Perhaps this is a teachable moment for the police department there in Houston. Perhaps it's a time to sort of clean out -- you know, clean up the police department.

LEMON: Listen, you know I love you, right? And we always put -- we say that about every story like this, maybe it's a teachable moment. Maybe people will get it. Maybe the officers will get it. We don't know exactly what happened, until the officers go to court and a verdict is rendered. We don't know exactly what happened.

But how many teachable moments like this do we need? How many times do you have to kick a suspect on the ground? The kid was guilty of something, don't get me wrong. But did it take all of this for an unarmed teenager? That's the question. And why isn't it called anymore excessive force? Why is it called official oppression? What does that mean?

HOSTIN: Exactly. It really should be excessive force. And I think I am just as outraged as you are, Don. And I think just as outraged as the country is at this moment, especially given that this happened on tape, because oftentimes, these things happen and there is no tape. And so how many times does this have to happen? I think it probably unfortunately happens more than we know.

LEMON: Yes.

HOSTIN: I don't know what the answer to that is. Perhaps the Justice Department needs to get involved.

LEMON: Sunny, listen, we're going to move on. We have a short time here. I want to say that the Houston police chief, Charles McClelland Jr., says, quote, "I've already taken disciplinary action and will have no further comment until the last case is adjudicated and/or appealed," which is kind of what I was just saying. And from the Houston Police Officers Union, quote, it says, "We have thousands of officers who do a great job every day and are not involved in this. Police officers do the best job they can do. This is a case that has to be sorted out. It's serious, and it's a reflection on the department. But we have to let the system work." And they go on. And they respond to it so I'm not going through all of that, but the department is trying to respond.

You know, Sunny, it's unfortunate. But also, it may be a lesson too. What police can do in situations like this? They can't do everything. There are certain actions that police officers can take that I have learned this week, during the Rodney King story, 20 years later. There are certain actions they can take, and that's it.

HOSTIN: That's right. LEMON: And so they may have -- they may be the only tools at their disposal. So again, it looks bad, but let's not jump ahead of ourselves here. OK. Let's move on here and talk about a brazen robbery here. What are we doing, Sunny? There are a couple of things.

HOSTIN: We're going to do Bellagio.

LEMON: Yes.

HOSTIN: I think we're going to do the Bellagio.

LEMON: Yes, we were going to go to Garrido, but I'm going to lose Garrido because I want to talk about Bellagio. This is a judge's son that ran off with a half million dollars in chips?

HOSTIN: Yes. I think that was really an interesting story in the sense that this suspect is a judge's son. The judge came out and said, you know, I am devastated by this. Our family is devastated by this. But I expect people to be held accountable for their actions. Because this judge is a former prosecutor.

I will say this, Don. What is so fascinating, how was he caught? He was back at the scene of the crime. He was at the Bellagio, gambling, and tried to sell a $25,000 chip to an undercover detective. He had been living there on his gambling proceeds. So really, really just so brazen, so cavalier. Pretty shocking behavior from a judge's son.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.

And we are going to talk about Philip Garrido, saying that he didn't want to be competent to stand trial, but he is. Philip Garrido in California who kidnapped the girl and she was -- for years.

All right, thank you. 18 years. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Sunny Hostin will join us every Saturday.

HOSTIN: Thank you.

LEMON: OK, imagine growing up Caucasian and then learning later in your life that you were really African-American. You'll hear from a man who says that was his experience.

Also ahead, a college football star beats bone cancer and gets ready to chase his dream of professional football.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. So for all of you who have been tweeting me about this story, here it is finally. Don't be mad. We are doing the story. Here it is. In tonight's "What Matters," a strange case of mistaken identity. Michael Fosberg is an actor and author who, until about a decade ago, believed he was white. He grew up in a white middle class family in Chicago, and he spent most of his adult life as a white man. Then his mother divorced Michael's stepfather, the man who had raised him, and she revealed a secret. Michael's birth father was African- American. As you can imagine, it was a major jolt to his psyche.

Fosberg eventually wrote about discovering his true identity in a book called "Incognito, an American Odyssey of Race and Self Discovery." He also turned his story into a one-man play. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I heard the phone ring twice and then a click. Hello? Hi. I'm -- I'm -- I'm looking for a John Sydney Woods.

You're -- you're speaking with him.

(LAUGHTER)

Did -- did -- did you live in the Boston area in 1957?

Yes, I did.

Were you married to a woman by the name of Adrian Pillapulsian (ph)?

Yes, I was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: OK. Michael joins us now from Chicago.

Michael, thank you. We just watched you enact that fateful phone call. I want you to go through what happened next. But listen, OK, I'm looking at you. I'm from Louisiana. I have lots of relatives who looked like you. I have lots -- and I would not have known -- I wouldn't have thought one way or another had I met you. I probably would have asked or maybe it would have come up in conversation. But that whole time, you had no idea that you were black?

MICHAEL FOSBERG, ACTOR & AUTHOR: Well, I don't think the afro that I sported during high school really was a big clue for me. But, no, I really didn't.

(LAUGHTER)

I mean, I grew up in a white family, a white working-class family, so there wasn't anything there that really gave me any indication that I would be any different than what they were. So it was -- it was quite a shock, yes.

LEMON: OK, so you went through --

FOSBERG: But you know this plays -- this plays --

LEMON: Go ahead.

FOSBERG: This plays to the idea when you were saying that you have a lot of family members that might look like me, this plays to the whole idea that in the black community it's kind of understood that there's lots of mixing and lots of different colors in a black family. You can have a very light-skinned brother and a dark-skinned brother and that doesn't occur in a white family. It's pretty much one tone.

LEMON: And I'm sure in researching this story, you know about passing, right? There are lots of African-Americans who went up north and passed as white. And there are lots of whites in this country who have black ancestors and probably don't even realize it.

OK, let's go on now, let go on know and take me through that phone call. So what happened after that?

FOSBERG: Well, after I sort of braced myself against my dresser, and then I kind of caught myself in a mirror across my room and looked at myself quickly, like did I really just change or what just happened? And then we exchanged information, we exchanged phone numbers and we swore we'd stay in touch. And about a week later, I woke up at about 6:00 in the morning to a phone call from my grandmother. For the first time, my grandmother had called me to find out how I was and, as she said, where the hell you've been, we've been expecting you ten years ago. They had hoped that I would come back to find them a long time prior to this.

LEMON: Were you upset by this?

FOSBERG: Well, you know, you can't -- you have to forgive in this life. I once heard that forgiveness is the hardest work that you'll ever do but the most rewarding. And I think my mom went through something during the late 1950s, living in Boston, from an immigrant family. And I don't want to downplay my grandparents' racism or prejudice, but they were not unlike other immigrants that came to this country. Whether you were Irish or Italian or Greek, they wanted you to marry one of your own.

LEMON: I get what you're saying. It was a different time then. But were you upset to find out, oh, man, I'm black.

FOSBERG: Yes.

LEMON: Or did it not really matter?

(LAUGHTER)

FOSBERG: No, my whole life, I've felt connected to African-American people, to African-American culture.

LEMON: Hello.

(LAUGHTER)

FOSBERG: So when I found out it was like this piece really fit.

Yes, exactly.

LEMON: Hello, afro, the Richard Pryor routines. FOSBERG: Yes, all that.

LEMON: I wish I had more time to spend with you, but unfortunately, I'm up against time. There's another show that has to come on after this.

FOSBERG: Sure.

LEMON: But, you know, I think it just -- maybe you can say this. It really just an exterior, isn't it? We put all this emphasis on things, it's just an exterior.

FOSBERG: Right. Right. And I think that -- you know, it gives us a sense of, how do we look at people and how do people look at us. You know, it's a very different thing. And I think we need to reconsider that. So I want to encourage people to go to the web site incognitotheplay.com. This is what I'm trying to do, Don, is heighten the national dialogue about the issue of identification, who we are and how we identify.

LEMON: That's going to have to be the last word. As I said, it's just an exterior, but in reality, we don't do that in the world unfortunately.

Thank you. Your story is fascinating.

FOSBERG: Yes. Thanks, Don. Appreciate it.

(THE HUMAN FACTOR)

LEMON: Mark's ultimate dream is to play in the Super Bowl some day. His next step is the NFL draft on April 28. Good luck.

And speaking of the Super Bowl, we're live from a chilly north Texas in two minutes. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, we're almost at the 24-hour countdown to Super Bowl XLV. And the host city, Dallas, is thawing out. Unfortunately, after a wintry blast, put a serious damper on travel in the pre-game fun.

Mark McKay joins us live from Arlington, Texas.

Mark, first things first, I see there's sun. Yesterday, when I spoke to you, there was snow falling. You were wearing your Elmer Fudd hat or something like that.

(LAUGHER)

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Somebody is pretty excited about this game. I am too. I'm excited that we have springtime weather here in the Arlington/Dallas/Ft. Worth area after ice and snow. It all went away. Pretty chilly this morning, but all of the ice patches we've seen gone. A lot of Steeler and Packer fans out and about here in the Dallas Cowboys -- Dallas Cowboy Stadium area here at the Arlington Convention Center as well. A lot out today. Happy that it's springtime and the winter weather at least temporarily is gone, Don. We're hearing maybe low 40s, chance of wintry mix tomorrow. But it's going to be inside. That retractable roof will be closed, Don.

LEMON: That's not bad. That's not bad. 40s, we can take it. That five degree stuff, terrible.

So give us a rundown on what we can expect tomorrow, Mark.

MCKAY: Well, two storied franchises, Don, Green Bay and Pittsburgh playing for the Super Bowl trophy. Of course, there's much more than just the game going on. We wonder about the commercials and, of course, the halftime entertainment. The Super Bowl has gone contemporary this year. The Black Eyed Peas will be playing in the Super Bowl. I guess I must bring them good luck. I was in Jacksonville. The only other Super Bowl I did was Jacksonville. They did the pre-game. Now they're bumped up to halftime. Should be a great show.

LEMON: Oh, sure.

MCKAY: We were at the "Sports Illustrated" party last night. They sounded good, Don. I have the feeling Sunday is going to be a good night here.

LEMON: Mark McKay, as I said to you, you have the best gig at the network this weekend. Enjoy.

And I want to tell your viewers, guess what, we're working to get Will I Am on our show tonight, either 7:00 or 10:00 tonight, so stay tuned.

Enjoy, Mark McKay. Appreciate it.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "SPECIAL REPORT: EGYPT UPRISING" with Suzanne Malveaux, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)