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Indy Winner Dan Wheldon Killed in Crash; Next Major Test for GOP Candidates; Who is Herman Cain, Can He Win the GOP Presidential Nomination; Paralyzed in Football Play is Inspiration; On the Set of "The Walking Dead"
Aired October 16, 2011 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us. I'm Don Lemon. You're in THE CNN NEWSROOM.
OK. We're going to start with a developing story right now.
Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was seriously injured today in Los Angeles.
Take a look at these pictures. The race is in the 12th lap when the fuel suddenly exploded into flames. Several cars actually went airborne. Flames, smoke and car pieces flew in all directions. More than a dozen vehicles were involved in this massive wreck.
Wheldon was airlifted from the track to the hospital. Several other drivers were also hurt.
And we're going to bring you the very latest on this as we get it. We are working on getting new some details on this. But if you look at these incredible pictures, again someone is in the hospital right now. Cars went airborne. The field really went into flames. A developing story for you out of Las Vegas.
In the meantime, this is a horrifying story, as well. Police have made a really horrific discovery. Four mentally challenged adults, locked and chained in the basement of an apartment building. The three men and one woman are believed to have been there for about a week.
Three people are now in custody because of this. They are suspected of holding the captives to get their Social Security checks.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Philadelphia.
Susan, this is unbelievable. It is outrageous. A whole lot of questions here. Who are the victims? How are they ending up locked in a basement room and how are they discovered?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Don, you practically run out of words to describe it. From outside of this apartment building that you see over my shoulder, it looks pretty nondescript. But police say, inside, there's a basement below a basement, a 15 by 15 room. And inside, trapped inside -- four adults, one woman, three men. Ages 29 to 41. As you said physically and mentally handicapped, trapped and locked in that room. One of the people inside, one man was even chained to a boiler.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
DEP. COMM. RICHARD ROSS, PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPT.: Simply this case makes you shake your head. It is despicable and unspeakable. The mere fact that, you know, individuals would treat disadvantaged people like this is just ridiculous. I mean, and it just simply makes us sick.
LT. RAY EVERS, PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPT: They will be pretty much charged with everything we can find in the crimes code we're going to put on them -- from aggravated assault, to kidnapping, to false imprisonment, you name it. We're going to stick it on them.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
CANDIOTTI: Now, the discovery was made by the landlord who also does maintenance on this building. He was in the building on Saturday. He went to do some maintenance, heard some dogs barking. There are no pets permitted in the building.
He investigated and found that that little room downstairs was chained shut. And when he opened it up and looked inside with a flashlight, he could see there were people inside. He got scared. He called police. They came over and used a padlock to unchain the man that was trapped in a boiler.
Every neighbor around here says the whole thing is crazy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANYELL TISDALE, BLOCK CAPTAIN WHO ALERTED LANDLORD: Oh, it was bad. I mean, people was coming out on stretchers. It was just so much -- we just didn't know what was going on. We've seen the cops coming up, ambulance. We've seen them coming out with people. We didn't know what was going on. And then the landlord says that they were being held captive, that's what he said, in the basement with chains.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Three people are charged. One of them a woman by the name of Linda Weston. Police tell me that she served time eight years in prison in Pennsylvania on a murder conviction more than 10 years ago.
Now, police say that she and the two other men who were also charged for traveling together, they were in Texas and then went to Florida and then came to Philadelphia here on October 4th.
Why were with they in this building? Police say this Ms. Weston has a son and daughter who live in this building. You heard about the charges. Police are involved. The FBI is also involved and they are looking at whether the motive might have been to live off of their Social Security checks, to steal their money.
What happened to the victims, Don? They are now hospitalized. They are being treated. And you can imagine how difficult, Don, it was for police to try to get information from these victims because of their physical and mental handicaps.
They had bed sores. They are emaciated but they're being treated now.
LEMON: Talk to me about the charges. Arraignment set for the suspects.
CANDIOTTI: Well, we think that's going to happen tomorrow. They might have a bail hearing tonight. But they are currently in jail and waiting for that to happen. Of course, authorities will ask for a high bail or no bail at all.
LEMON: All right. Susan Candiotti -- thank you very much, Susan, for that. We appreciate it.
And, listen, I want to update you on the breaking news we told you about, the developing news at the top of the show. It's about the Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, Dan Wheldon, who is our top story moments ago, Indy racing league officials have just announced that the driver Dan Wheldon has died following this horrific crash a couple of hours ago at a race in Las Vegas.
Again, Dan Wheldon has died according to officials. It happened on lap 13 and the race has been suspended now.
Has it been suspended or cancelled? Do we know? It has been either suspended or cancelled -- the race has been cancelled.
And I'm being told by my producer, the remaining drivers are going to perform a few laps in his honor in just a few minutes. Make sure you stay tuned to CNN for updates on this developing story out of Las Vegas.
We're going to move on now and tell you about the National Guard. They have joined the search for the missing 11-month-old baby girl in Kansas City, Missouri -- the one that we have been reporting on so much. Twenty-five members of the state national guards spent the day helping local and federal teams search for Lisa Irwin. Two anonymous contributors are offering $100,000 for the child's safe return.
Here she is in home video. Her father says she came home four weeks ago and her crib was empty. Three cell phones were also missing from the home.
The FBI is investigating after a dead newborn baby was found in a carnival cruise ship. A crew member found the body while the boat was docked at the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten. Authorities interviewed the mother, a 20-year-old American woman. She stayed behind as the cruise ship returned to Port Canaveral, Florida.
No one has been charged with the crime and the American woman is expected to return to the United States within the next 24 hours. All right. Now, let's turn to politics -- for odds makers, political or otherwise, the setting of the CNN's next Republican debate really can't be beat. On Tuesday, the candidates will meet in Las Vegas for the next major test in the battle for the White House.
And our T.J. Holmes and CNN senior political editor, Mark Preston, standing by live on the Vegas Strip.
We're going to start with you, Mr. Holmes. So, take us forward to Tuesday night. What's the mood there?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood is one -- well, it's Vegas. So you anticipate the mood to be a certain way to a certain degree because of the tourists and the visitors that come in. But there is a different mood among the people who actually live here and who will be paying attention to these candidates.
That mood is -- hey, we've got the highest unemployment rate in the country in our state and the highest unemployment rate in the country among metro areas right here in the Las Vegas area. That's not something that me or you, Don, and people think about taking vacation to Las Vegas think about, but it's a reality here for them. They have been so dependent on the tourism industry, people coming here to spend their dollars.
When people don't have money in the country to take a vacation, you can't afford a flight, you can't afford a hotel, but you certainly can't afford a flight, hotel and come to a casino and blow cash.
LEMON: Yes.
HOLMES: So, that is what they have been suffering from. Construction has been huge during the boom here in Las Vegas. So, of course, when things die off, construction goes down, jobs are lost and also right here in this Las Vegas area, the highest foreclosure rates in the past four years have been right here in Las Vegas.
So, Don, you talk about the bad drop in the setting and this gambling mecca, but there's no better place for us to have this debate given the economic situation right here.
LEMON: Especially when it comes to unemployment, when it comes to unemployment because I would imagine that is going to be among the major questions and subjects that these candidates will face in this debate, T.J.
HOLMES: Of course they will. And we talk about it on a national level. We see those national numbers come out -- 9.1 percent unemployment -- and that's bad for the country. It's been that high for quite sometime now.
But we hear 9.1, and we think it is bad, well, what about 14.2, Don? That is the unemployment rate in Las Vegas, this metro area. Well, what about 13.4 percent? That's the unemployment rate for the state of Nevada. So, the country is hurting as a whole with this high unemployment -- I guarantee we can back it up in the interviews we have done. We can back it up in the stories we have heard. We can back it up with those statistics. But it's horrible, horrible here for this place.
So when you and I and the rest of the country are doing bad, well, Las Vegas is going to be doing bad, as well, because they depend on all of us to have money, literally, not just to spend, Don. They need us to have money to blow. And certainly in this day and age, people don't have that.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely.
I'm going to bring in Mark -- because he brings up a good point. He is talking about not having money. Another big issue they're going to have to deal with here is immigration, and especially Herman Cain is going to get it. We know that Rick Perry is going to get it because he is in a border state -- but Herman Cain, when it comes to the remarks he said, especially about the fence, he's now walking that back or saying that it was something. He meant something else.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: He is, Don. And, look, Herman Cain just yesterday said that if he was elected president, he would build an electric fence all across the Southern border, which is really impractical in many ways and he's come under a lot of criticism for that. He's walked that back this morning.
But especially when you come here to Nevada at a time when the Republican Party is trying to reach out to Latinos to try to grow their party. Herman Cain is going to come here. He, of course, is going to face that question when he gets on the stage, probably from one of his rivals on the stage.
So, Herman Cain is having to take it back. And, look, it says a lot about Herman Cain. The fact of the matter is, he's going to be a focal point during this debate because he has surged in the polls in the last three weeks and in some polls, he has come out of nowhere to be number one. So, Herman Cain is going to be in the middle, Don, as is Mitt Romney. They are going to be the ones that are going to be really facing a lot of fire from the flanks, from the Michele Bachmanns, the Rick Santorums and even the Rick Perrys.
It's Rick Perry who needs a good debate performance on Tuesday night here at the Venetian, Don.
LEMON: Yes. He certainly does, and Herman Cain as well, his 9-9-9 plan coming under some scrutiny. He's going to have to answer questions about that, as well.
Thank you very much, Paul. Thank you, T.J. We'll see you guys a little bit later on this evening.
Who will come out on top in the CNN Western Presidential Debate? Make sure you join us from Las Vegas on Tuesday night 8 p.m. Eastern.
CNN's Anderson Cooper will be asking the questions. He stood tall among our nation's leaders, even though he wasn't a president. Now, a memorial in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is dedicated in Washington. And up next to tribute the civil rights leader and the thoughts of those who knew him and followed in his path.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. This is our breaking news. It was our top story just a few minutes ago at the top of the hour.
Indy car racing officials have just announced that driver Dan Wheldon -- driver Dan Wheldon has died following a horrendous crash just a couple of hours ago at the season ending championship race in Las Vegas. Look at these images, unimaginable there. Really the field just exploded into flames.
They were on lap 13. It happened on lap 13. And now, we are being told that the race has been cancelled and in just a couple of minutes, the other drivers will do a few laps, in honor -- in honor of Dan Wheldon. We have pictures of Dan Wheldon when he won the Indianapolis 500.
There he is. We have him with his wife there and his children. But again, we want to tell you. There he is with his wife and his baby. This is from the Indy 500 victory in May.
And so, this is sad news to report. Dan Wheldon is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He stood to win $5 million check if he took the checkered flag. But I'm sure it doesn't matter to his family. They would just rather have him with them.
Again, on lap 13, when the field just exploded in to flames -- not sure what happened. They are reviewing the videotape to figure out exactly what happened here. But Dan Wheldon has passed because of injuries he suffered during this crash in Las Vegas.
We're going to continue to update you on this breaking news story on CNN.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. now stands with presidents as a nation dedicates a memorial in honor of the civil rights leader.
The first family among the dignitaries at today's ceremony. King's 30-foot tall likeliness is placed between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials on the National Mall.
President Barack Obama spoke, as well as actress Cicely Tyson, Congressman John Lewis, newsman Dan Rather, and others, including King's children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: This is a day that all Americans can be proud of. And may I remind you that this is not just celebration for African-Americans, but for Americans and citizens around this world. And no doubt, today, the world celebrates with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP0
LEMON: And to reach King's statue called the Stone of Hope, visitors walk through the mountain of despair where a wall contains inscriptions of Dr. King's most famous quotes.
I had a chance to sit down with Reverend Joseph Lowery. Few men knew Dr. King better and I asked the civil rights icon what King would make of this memorial.
(BEGIN VIDO CLIPS)
REV. JOSEPH LOWERY, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: Frankly, I think Martin would be a little embarrassed at all adaptations. But he's understood that it only reminds us of how far we've come, but it's a symbolism of how far we still got to go.
Let me tell you when I was out there on the Mall and as it was when I was on the steps of the Capitol, during the benediction, looking down across that Mall and saw the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument and heard Martin's voice calling the nation to come out of the basement of race and color to the higher level of content of character.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ICON: We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.
LOWERY: We have committed, as a nation. That's what the civil rights act is all about. That's what the commitment is about to let justice roll down (INAUDIBLE). Equal rights to all Gods' children. If we do that, what a great day we'd have.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
LEMON: That was Reverend Joseph Lowery, discussing King's legacy and the memorial.
You know, the King Memorial means different things to different people. I recently got this reaction from Dr. Cornel West of Princeton University and PBS host Tavis Smiley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
TAVIS SMILEY, PBS HOST: For those who want to understand who the real Dr. King was, don't just stop with the "I Have a Dream" speech but go into his corpus, go into beyond Vietnam, see what he said about war, see what he said about wealth redistribution. See what that last sermon was going to be had he lived to Sunday, why America may go to hell. There's so much about Martin that we don't know that we have to start to do some research to understand as we celebrate this monument, who the man really was.
DR. CORNEL WEST, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: I must say this, on a very personal note, I would like to actually do on October 16th what I think brother Martin Luther King, Jr. would do and that is to get arrested. And by getting arrested, it reflects the tremendous love that Martin Luther King Jr. embodied in his life and the fact he's been crying from the grave in terms of the greed that is running amok, especially at the top, the indifference of working people and the polarizing politics with a broken political system, a culture decay, escalating economic injustice, and he would want to bear witness.
He was a Christian preacher. He believed in the gospel, the good news in which you try keep track of the humanity, of the least of these echoes of the 25th chapter of Matthew, and I think if there were a memorial for him and he would have come back from the grave, he would want to be in jail.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
LEMON: And, you know, Cornel West promised us during the interview. He said, on 16th, on the day, today, for this memorial, that he wanted to be arrested and there's word that may have happened. We are checking on that for you. But, again, that is Cornel West and Tavis smiley reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Herman Cain firing up his base and his poll numbers at the expense of his own people? You don't want to miss that discussion in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. The red light is almost gone. Time to shine for the Republicans battling over the White House. Tuesday night, the glitz of Las Vegas will be the backdrop for the GOP debate sponsored by CNN and the Western Republican Leadership Conference. These guys will be watching as well as you, I'm sure -- all of you.
CNN contributor Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson, a CNN.com contributor and a senior writer for ESPN.
OK, guys, just weeks ago, a lot of people were calling this a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. You all know it. But now, Cain is surging in the polls. Now, they're saying it's a three-man race.
So, how's it going to make a difference in the debate? Is it going to be -- are they going to be sparring over different things?
I'm going to start with you, Will.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Herman Cain's positions are certainly going to get a lot more scrutiny from his substantive positions like 9-9-9, to his statements, such as the ones he's made today on "Meet the Press" that, for example, not really knowing what neo-conservatism is. So, he's going to have a lot more scrutiny.
But that being said, he's also a front runner and I think that guys like Herman Cain and Mitt Cain can kind of play ball control and run out the clock. It's a guy like Rick Perry that really has to show up and score some points. LEMON: L.Z. Granderson, go ahead.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: You know, I'm really amused by Herman Cain. I think he has run a fantastic campaign in terms of getting his name out there. But now that he is the front runner, he's going to have to be more than a sound byte, more than a comedian, more than a punch line, or a 9-9-9 kind of campaign. I think you're going to start to see him be disassembled a little bit. I think you're going to see the real politicians pick him apart and he's not going to be just kind of have a quick wit to get himself out of that situation. He's going to have to back up the things up that he claims.
LEMON: You sound like -- I was watching Christiane Amanpour's show this morning. You sound like a conservative. George Will said the same thing. He said he hasn't been running for president. I think he said sauntering or just sort of strolling for the presidency of the United States.
And I wonder -- let's go to another show now. He was on "Meet the Press" this morning and he's talking about issues among African- Americans and he claims a lot of black people are ready to vote for him but not because of his race but because of his ideas. He also had this to say. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You created a contrast between yourself and your experience as an African-American. A term you don't like, by the way.
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I prefer black American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is that?
CAIN: Because my roots go back through slavery in this country. Yes, they came from Africa, but the roots of my heritage are in the United States of America. So I consider myself a black American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So that comment came just days after he said this on "The Neal Boortz Show." He says, "Obama has never been part of the black experience in America."
So, L.Z., what does he mean by this? Is he trying to say that the president isn't a true black American? Are we going back to this argument that Obama is not black enough? What's going on here?
GRANDERSON: You know what? That dude is really starting to work my nerve, because he is black when he wants to be black and that he's American when he wants to be American. You can't call Barack Obama for not being black enough and then came in front of a microphone and say color doesn't matter, race doesn't matter. People just want to vote for Americans.
You can't have it both ways. You can if you are doing a pizza joint and you're a doing a 9-9-9 kind of pizza campaign, you have a side dish with your pizza. But you can't in terms of talking about ethnicity, talking about matters of race because it's too important just to have some sort of flipped attitude about the entire thing. He's really irking me right now.
LEMON: Well, what do you make of this comment? Is it a divisive comment about -- that the president doesn't really appeal to black voters, that he doesn't have the real black experience?
CAIN: Well, I would say mainly that's just inaccurate because we know that 80 percent to 90 percent of black Americans vote Democratic. So, President Obama being a Democrat is going to appeal to them.
You know, I do think that we are being a little too dismissive of Herman Cain. There are a lot of substantive problems with him or substantive things to research like 9-9-9, like his foreign policy perspectives.
But I think it's important to remember this. This guy was the son of a chauffeur. He rose to the ranks of the Pillsbury Company and ran Godfather's Pizza.
He knows about a thing or two about running something. His biography is impressive. He stands on the stage with guys who were governors of states. I don't think we should so quick to just dismiss Herman Cain because he's witty, or make his lights of certain situations.
If we want to explore substance on Herman Cain, let's do it. But I don't think we're in the right place on dismissing him.
LEMON: But who's dismissing Herman Cain?
Herman Cain has been all over the media. I think people are taking him seriously. They're talking about his 9-9-9 plan. We've been saying how he's urging in the polls. He's a front runner.
Who's dismissing Herman Cain here?
CAIN: No, no. I think -- and I'll be honest, L.Z. and I are friends, but I would criticize L.Z. right here. I think some of these things, like constantly referring to 9-9-9 as a pizza box advertisement and dismissing -- I feel like many people are dismissing him as though he is not smart, he's not up to the task. And I'd say his biography suggests that he is.
LEMON: But the whole 9-9-9 thing, I mean, is it that par for the course? The guy was a pizza CEO. I mean, come on, that's what happens in these races.
Go ahead, L.Z.
GRANDERSON: My thing with Herman Cain is I got several things that bother me about him. One, he always every now and then, I have seen him refer to himself in third person. Who does that? OK?
Two, he likes to tout how he's never been in office. It's not because he hasn't tried to get in office. He ran for president in 2000. He ran for Congress in 2004. He lost.
But he keeps this framing conversation as if he's an outsider who's never been involved in Washington when he was actually a lobbyist. He's not being completely genuine. And this comment he made about President Obama is again another example of him bobbing in and out of what's truth and what he can nuance a little bit.
And that's the reason why I dismiss him because he's a like charlatan. It's like if you want to tell it like it is, and then tell it like it is. But don't tell me that you were in high school and that's why you didn't do the civil rights march. And then we find out you were actually a freshman at Morehouse and you just didn't go.
I mean, come on, dude, be real. If you are going to tell it straight, then tell it straight.
LEMON: OK. That's going to have to be the last word. Will, I'll give you the last word next time. I promise. OK, remind me of that. Thank you, guys.
CAIN: Hey, just so --
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Yes?
CAIN: I am wearing my Texas Rangers hat, Don. I was too classy, L.Z., I was to classy to wear my Rangers gear tonight.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, guys.
You know, our political discussion doesn't end here. Ahead, you'll hear from someone who knows Herman Cain but, first, we are following breaking news from the world of auto racing. Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon has died after an absolutely horrendous accident at a race this afternoon. The full story is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Getting new information on our breaking news that we told you about at the top of the hour from Las Vegas. A somber tribute right now, just moments ago to two-time Indy 500 winner, Dan Wheldon. He was killed today in a fiery crash today. Look at those pictures. It just shows what happened. Really illustrates what happened and how bad the crash was. It happened earlier in the Los Vegas Indy 300 race, the season-ending championship race for the Indy Car series. Wheldon stood to win $5 million if he had won.
The race was halted and the drivers were informed that Wheldon had died from his injuries. The remaining cars that were not damaged in the multi-care crash returned to the track to make five slow trips around the track. Wheldon's car, number 77, appeared at the top of the leader pole in the infield. Dan Whaldon was married and he had two small children. 33 years old, we're told.
Three other drivers, including the championship contender, Will Power, were also hurt in the pileup. It was a 15-car pileup, and then it was over another, on lap 13, and smashed into the wall. They smashed into the wall just outside turn two. This information is just coming off of the wires, just coming off of the wires.
We're being told that drivers were told of Dan Wheldon's death in a meeting about two hours after the fiery crash. And just getting a statement now from Indy Car on the passing of Dan Wheldon. This is just coming into CNN. It says, "Indy Car is sad to announce that Dan Wheldon passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family. Indy Car, its drivers and teams have decided to end the race. We will run a five-lap salute in honor of Dan." Again, that is Indy Car, on the death of 33-year-old Dan Wheldon.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's go back to the political scene. It's been a good week for a man who prides himself on how he can crunch the numbers. Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain, that's who I'm talking about. He came in first in the South Carolina straw poll, winning more than half of the vote, and second in a CNN poll showing who Republicans are favoring for the nominee.
Let's roll down and see who is Herman Cain, the candidate, and how primary voters may react to his political positions.
So, at first, people were saying, oh, my gosh, when we were reporting this. No, Herman Cain doesn't stand a snowball's chance in -- that's what the voters were saying that, and the pundits.
GOLDIE TAYLOR, INDEPENDENT REPORTER & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.
LEMON: So,
TAYLOR: He still doesn't.
LEMON: Goldie Taylor is here and she is an independent and she's a regular on the show. And?
TAYLOR: And he still doesn't.
LEMON: Why do you say that?
TAYLOR: I think Herman Cain has -- you have to give it to him. He's had an incredible life in terms of his personal accomplishments, personal achievements, the way he decided to educate himself and build himself in corporate America and became CEO of Godfather's Pizza. So you have to give him a lot of credit for that. But it takes a lot more than a message to win a presidential campaign. It takes money and it takes boots on the ground organization. And today, he doesn't have either.
LEMON: Let's talk about money and a plan. Here's his signature 9-9-9 plan on taxes. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN, (R), FORMER GODFATHER'S PIZZA CEO & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I say we throw out the entire tax code and put in my 9-9-9 plan.
(APPLAUSE)
9-9-9, a 9 percent business flat tax, a 9 percent personal income tax and 9 percent national sales tax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That makes you smile. Is that a shrewd move? Why does it make you smile? That's what I should say.
TAYLOR: I remember being in college and you get two pies before 9.99 if you call before 10:00 and you know. So that's the interesting part of this. The problem with the 9-9-9 plan is a couple of things. One, it will widen disparity between the haves and have-nots in this country. It will stop production in its tracks. It will cause a huge tax increase for the poorest Americans but a huge tax break for the richest Americans. So the plan, in and of itself, is flawed. But I think he is moving the conversation toward the idea that we need a plan. We need tax reform. And so if there is a value to Herman Cain, that's it.
LEMON: I think Herman Cain probably takes the publicity where he can get it because he realizes that 9-9-9 and the pizza comparison will get him on SNL, get him on the "The Daily Show," get him on those shows.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: -- I can't believe the media and 9-9-9, that's where it goes.
TAYLOR: But it sells more books.
LEMON: Yes, there you go.
TAYLOR: It will raise his stature as a speaker.
LEMON: Yes, take it where you can get it.
So let's look at a statement he made on border security. He's what he said. He said, "The U.S. should use three things, technology, troops and a fence."
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: When I'm in charge of defense, we are going to have a fence. It's going to 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrified.
(LAUGHTER)
CAIN: And there's going to be a sign on the other side that will say, "It will kill you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: Wow.
LEMON: He said it was a joke. He said it this morning again on the "Morning Show." What does that say?
TAYLOR: It tells me he is not ready to be the president of the United States. It depends on which side of the fence you want to kill them on, Herman. If you want to kill them on the southern border side, then it is an international crime. If you kill then on the U.S. side without due process, you have murdered someone in cold blood. I don't think that is a joke, no matter how you put it. And it says something about Herman Cain. And anyone who is there listening and laughed, it says something about them as well.
LEMON: His message is different when it comes to abortion. Here's what he said about his position on abortion when it comes to what he believes is killing the unborn.
TAYLOR: Sure.
LEMON: Here's what he said on "Meet the Press." Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: I believe in life from conception and I do not agree with abortions under any circumstances.
DAVID GREGORY, MODERATOR, MEET THE PRESS: Exceptions for rape and incest?
CAIN: Not for rape and insist.
GREGORY: What about life of the mother?
CAIN: Because if you look at the rape and incest, the percentages of those instances is so miniscule that there are other options. If it's the life of the mother, that family will have to make that decision.
GREGORY: Would you condone abortion if the life of the mother were --
(CROSSTALK)
CAIN: That family is going to have to make that decision.
GREGORY: You won't render a judgment on it?
CAIN: That family is going to have to make that decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Go, Goldie.
TAYLOR: This has been Herman Cain's position since he joined the public stage and was running for U.S. Senate in the late '90s, when he ran for president again in the early 2000. And I don't think he's going to move about that. He has taken a very ultraconservative view on the life question and that is something he's willing to live with.
LEMON: Here's what he said whether or not he would appoint a Muslim to his cabinet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN: Would I be comfortable with a Muslim in my administration? Not that I wouldn't appoint one. That's the exact transcript. And I would not be comfortable, because you have peaceful Muslims and then you have militant Muslims, those that are trying to kill us. When I said I wouldn't be comfortable, I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: Let's replace "Muslim" with "black" or "African-American" and change what he just said, and see what Herman Cain has to respond -- what his response would be to that. Some black people are dangerous and some are not. Some are trying to kill us and some are not. You wouldn't say that about an entire race of people, nor should you say that about an entire religion.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.
The reason we went through all of that is because that is what he will be questioned about at the debate coming up on Tuesday, his position on those things --
TAYLOR: That's right.
TAYLOR: -- and whether or not he becomes the nominee for the Republican Party.
TAYLOR: When you are running for president, here comes the scrutiny.
LEMON: Thank you very much, Goldie. Always appreciate it.
TAYLOR: Thanks.
LEMON: A college football player's courageous fight against paralysis. What he is showing doctors and you about overcoming the odds. Talk about inspiration. Ready to be inspired? Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Because of our developing news now, we want to bring in Jon Wertheim with "Sports Illustrated." He is joining us, as he does every Sunday at this time.
Jon, we will get to the topics we had planned to talk about in a moment, but first, I want to do a follow-up on the breaking news from Indy Car racing. Driver, Dan Wheldon, killed this afternoon in a race this afternoon in Las Vegas. Last time we were talking about this, we were racing a different race, NASCAR. I think it was Dale Earnhardt in 2001. And then there was an Indy Car fatality back in 2006.
JON WERTHEIM, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes, first Indy Car fatality in five years, but this was a race in Vegas. Track was running fast. They were saying 225 mile an hour practice laps. Drivers had talked about this. And today, the terrible tragedy. The Indy 500 winner, just 33 years old. Here, you're jut reading some of the quotes from the other racers, Danica Kilpatrick, "It looked like a movie scene. It looked like 'Terminator'." I'm sure there's going to be an investigation.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hey, Jon, can you hang on a second?
I want to tell our viewers now that this is a video of the crash. If we can rack it back again. This is just in to CNN for the first time. You are seeing the video of the crash. Let me tell you, they were on lap 13. There it is. And this is from the inside of the car.
WERTHEIM: Yes, it just looks like a horror movie.
LEMON: Yes.
WERTHEIM: This is the sort of Damocles that sort of hangs over auto racing. And it is a pretty grim exhibit today in Las Vegas.
LEMON: Yes. 33 years old, leaves behind a wife and two children. And we are going to continue to follow this developing story.
Thank you for talking about that, Jon Wertheim.
There is his wife there, and his baby and his little boy as well, two boys, and a wife. Very sad.
Listen, Jon, let's go to break and we will talk more sports when we come back.
We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We know how dangerous sports sometimes can be. We're talking about the death of Dan Wheldon, 33 years old, an Indy Car race in Las Vegas. We're going to have more on that on CNN in a bit.
But I want to talk about another sport now. Paralysis, it is a scary word for anyone. And for a college athlete, it is a condition that almost -- that is almost impossible to imagine. But on this date, one year ago, a Rutgers football player named Eric LeGrand suffered a devastating life-changing injury on the field.
And CNN's -- Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated" is back with us now. And, Jon, you recently spent time with Eric LeGrand. You just posted his incredible story at si.com. Eric really is an amazing person, isn't he? And we have a video of the injury. As we watch, we want you to tell us what happened to him.
Jon, tell us what happened to Eric?
WERTHEIM: You can see him. Yes, you can see Eric make a tackle on a kickoff. Pretty routine play, but he tucked his head, and you can see he doesn't get up after this. It may seem distasteful to show this, but I should say that Eric has played this again and again. He said it is the last play I've ever been a part of, I may as well watch. So he's comfortable with this. He fractured his C-3, C-4 vertebrate and hasn't walked since. He's been paralyzed.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh. What's his condition now and how's he doing?
WERTHEIM: Emotionally, it is really inspirational. He is realistic, but optimistic. He still feels like he's part of the team. He obviously hasn't walked, but made strides and gotten some progress, and he's just such an out-going, magnetic guy. You can see from this, from the wheelchair, he's benefited from technology. He's got the voice activator. He's able to tweet. He's able to do Facebook. And he really just has a tremendous attitude. He's not deluded about the challenges he faces but, at the same time, he's optimist. And there has been, he says, baby steps, no pun intended. And there have been some small victories. And he really does believe he will walk again.
LEMON: You got to witness his great attitude up close and personal. And I want our viewers to hear his great attitude now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC LEGRAND, RUTGERS FOOTBALL PLAYER WAS PARALYZED: If I want to do something, I have to fight for it. No days off. I am very blessed and very thankful that this is happening, and I hope I can inspire a lot of people to never stop believing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK, so his response, never stop believing. Great attitude. How has he responded to this injury? Is he able to take classes now? and how is he doing in those classes?
WERTHEIM: He is. He is back in school. He does some by Skype. He attends in person. He feels like he's part of the fabric of his football team. And he says, there's no way around it, this is devastating. A year and a day ago, I was a 200-pound college athlete, on scholarship, living the dream. Now it's much different. But he thinks he can inspire other people. And he said, in the rehab, he has seen people that have given up and quit, and that's what really bothers him. He says, look, I know what I'm facing. But I have to go forward. What choice do I have? There's no bitterness, no self-pity. And he has these gradual victories. He's been able to stand with some assistance. He's improved cardio. And little by little, he does things to walk again. You can't help but wish him absolutely unqualified success.
LEMON: Yes. We hope. Why do you think though, having met him, why has he had such an impression on so many people?
WERTHEIM: Some of it is just the circumstances. Here was this college athlete, great kid, prime of his life, on a scholarship. But I think some of it is the way he dealt with this. He's been out there. He's very happy to talk. He's the most outgoing guy you'll meet. He's on Twitter, razzing teammates. His attitude is I cannot afford to get bitter about this. People spend time with him and you can't walk away not feeling inspired. He is just a great kid. And again, he had a couple victories where the flame still burns. He thinks he'll walk again. And god bless him.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely.
Listen, update us if you get more information. We are all thinking about him. He's in our prayers. Let's hope he can walk again. Let's hope so.
Thank you, Jon Wertheim. Jon is the author of the book "Scorecasting."
WERTHEIM: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Appreciate it.
One of TV's hottest and goriest shows finally makes its long-awaited return tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I thought you were going to bite me and somebody would have to kill me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
SARAH WAYNE CALLIES, ACTRESS: That would just be weird.
LEMON: Well, I don't know.
CALLIES: I would just be a person biting another person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'll take it. We're taking you to the set of "The Walking Dead" just ahead of the season two premiere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, all right. So I don't normally watch horror. But when I heard about this show on AMC, it's called "The Walking Dead," I was curious, because they shut down streets near CNN to film it a while back, and I was late for work every day. Even though it's a story with zombies, I was really hooked by the characters. So I had to get on the set for season two, which premieres this weekend.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I thought you were going to bite me and somebody would have to kill me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
CALLIES: It would just be weird.
LEMON: Well, I don't know.
CALLIES: I would just be a person biting another person.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLIES: We need Hershell. He'll know what to do.
Rick, Rick, Rick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLIES: I made a lot of choices in season two.
LEMON: I mean, do you choose a man or do you choose (INAUDIBLE). What's the deal?
CALLIES: That's sort of the story of the second season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLIES: What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What if he was calm?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLIES: Cool is able to keep Laurie safe, and more importantly, he's able to keep Karl safe. What would be a very simple decision starts to become more and more complicated by these things.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW LINCOLN, ACTOR: I just had a long talk with Jane.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LINCOLN: He is led by a very strict moral code seemingly, but he ends up bringing zombies. And yet you find yourself kind of with it, because he is so -- there is a certainty about him, that is -- is so kind of righteous.
JON BERNTHAL, ACTOR: I think he loves Rick. And I think that he -- he believes in Rick and he wants to follow Rick. But there is a whole lot other stuff going on.
CALLIES: She legitimately loves both of these men and doesn't wish either of them harm. But I love working with Andy and John. They're amazing actors. We are having a ball.
GREG NICOTERO, CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & DIRECTOR: Camera, and action.
LEMON: This is a show that people want to be involved in, I'm sure.
NICOTERO: Yes.
LEMON: Why?
NICOTERO: You may not like the gory stuff, but you're pulled in by a love triangle, or the dramatic aspect may not appeal to you, but you get a cool monster or two here or there.
LEMON: You're shooting season two, right?
NORMAN REEDUS, ACTOR: Right, season two. We're at Hershall's Farm, which is this beautiful farm we're at right now.
(CROSSTALK)
REEDUS: That's our campsite over there. So Hershall -- this is Hershall's house. And he won't let us in the house but let us stay on the property.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he also give you the impression of my consent?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Why are you so angry?
REEDUS: Darrell is sort of like -- somebody that really needs a hug, but if you try to hug him, he'll stab you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ugly skank.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN YEUN, ACTOR: Darrell gets a lot of kills.
LEMON: Yes. YEUN: I think I'm going to start a petition for more evened out kills.
LEMON: We'll start that online.
YEUN: Yes, please.
LEMON: Like a whole Facebook page.
YEUN: Yes, you know what? They should run -- have a running tally.
LEMON: Who gets the --
YEUN: Who gets the most kills?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Tell us a secret that nobody knows about, either the characters --
YEUN: Yes, OK. Shane, John, Shane is really into fashion, high-end fashion. Really high-end fashion.
LEMON: Really? You're joking, right?
YEUN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
NICOTERO: Doesn't matter. Just act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The smell is washing off, isn't it? It's washing off?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, it isn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What can you reveal?
YEUN: What can I reveal? I can reveal that Glen gets a love interest.
LEMON: Glen does get a love interest?
YEUN: Yes, absolutely. Her name is Maggie Green. Lauren Cohen (ph) plays Maggie Green. She's fantastic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAUREN COHEN (ph), ACTRESS: This is my daughter's P.E. teacher.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing, Brian?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boy, right after lunch too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YEUN: Do like this. This thumb, this thumb.
LEMON: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Don't get bitten.
YEUN: I will try not to.
LEMON: Yes.
YEUN: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was awesome.
Thank you to the cast of "The Walking Dead."
I have to say that I wanted to be a zombie. Do you know what the reason way they told me they couldn't to it? I have to be skinnier. I'd have to lose 20 pounds, 20 pounds, because the zombies are really skinny. So I can do this in the episode.
Great show.
Thank you for watching, everyone.
I'll see you back at 10:00 p.m. eastern.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "THE MLK PAPERS, WORDS THAT CHANGED A NATION," begins right now.
