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CNN Projects Santorum Wins Kansas; Little Hope of End to Syrian Crisis; LRA Victim Shares Her Story
Aired March 10, 2012 - 19:00 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. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.
We're going to start with politics.
Well, it is a win for Rick Santorum in the Kansas caucuses. He got 51 percent of the vote, giving him another win, following his three victories on Super Tuesday. And we should note that Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich essentially conceded the state, ceded the state, spending practically no time or money there.
All four GOP candidates will slug it out Tuesday in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries.
I want to begin now with CNN political reporter Shannon Travis. He is live in Kansas right now.
So, Shannon, it looks like Santorum's conservative credentials, well, it won the day for him.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, won the day yet again. You know, him touting his conservative credentials has helped in Oklahoma and North Dakota and Tennessee and now in Kansas yet again.
Earlier, I was at a caucus site and that was the topic on a lot of people's minds: social issues. They talked just very little about the economy, but a lot of people were saying, you know what, Rick Santorum is our guy -- in terms of leading the charge on the hot- button social issues that the conservatives care so much about.
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum wasn't here himself. Ron Paul was the only candidate actually in Kansas today.
But Rick Santorum campaigning in Missouri, Don. We got some fresh sound of him talking about his win here in Kansas. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A great win. Awesome win. Feeling great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: You know what, Don, quick and to the point.
LEMON: Short and sweet, man.
TRAVIS: A win is a win. Yes, a win is a win heading into Tuesday.
You know what? He might -- a lot of people are wondering how well he's going to do in critical contests in Mississippi and Alabama. But he pulled it out here in Kansas today, Don.
LEMON: All right. Very interesting.
We talked a little bit about social issues. Can you drill down on that? What issues specifically seem to dominate in Kansas? Was it just social issues? It had to be the economy as well. Everyone is concerned about that.
TRAVIS: Yes. Everyone is obviously concerned about the economy. And a lot of people at this conservative caucus that I was at obviously want to oust President Obama. That's their number one concern.
But again, social issues, people feel like Rick Santorum speaks with passion when he talks about the issues that he cares about. Obviously these are things that he has been drilling down now on for years now. We know his position against gay marriage. We know he's staunchly against abortion and pro-family and pro-religious freedom.
So, those are some of the things that I overheard and actually talked to people about today, not to say that the economy wasn't important, but they feel like that those are key issues that should be a part of the conversation and they feel like Rick Santorum is making that a part of the conversation in ways that they want from their candidate.
LEMON: Let's look ahead, now, Shannon, to Mississippi and Alabama.
Who needs a win most? Obviously, it's important to all of them, but who is -- can afford the -- least afford a loss there?
TRAVIS: Well, you can't ignore Newt Gingrich, right? He won Georgia on Super Tuesday, right? He's banked a lot of his candidacy going forward on "I can win in the South". Rick Santorum has been saying, "I can win in the Midwest" and some of these states. Mitt Romney obviously has racked up wins.
But Newt Gingrich said, I need to win in the South to prove that, hey, you know what, I am still a viable candidate. He said it's a media infatuation, dismissing his candidacy time and time again. But he really needs the South arguably more than others do. Obviously, all of them want to win Tennessee and Mississippi.
But I would say Newt Gingrich is probably the one with the most to lose in terms of those two races.
LEMON: Shannon Travis, appreciate it very much, sir.
In other news now -- a new national study has found HIV in black women in certain parts of the U.S. is almost as high as what researchers see in parts of Africa. Take a look at this map now in your screen.
The study funded by the National Institutes of Health says in these cities, the HIV rate for at risk black women is five times the rate of black women overall in the United States. The study focused on areas known for higher occurrence for the AIDS virus. Researchers followed more than 2,000 women over two years for the study.
Make sure you join me tomorrow night, tomorrow, when I'm going to speak with the authors of the study. One of the authors who says it shows how this forgotten disease is alive and well. Dr. Carlos del Rio will join me on Sunday, 7:00 hour of THE CNN NEWSROOM. Make sure you join us.
One of the world's most high profile diplomats tried to defuse the Syrian crisis today. Former U.N. Chief Kofi Annan visited Syria and asked the president to end the violence. But Bashar al-Assad wasn't in the mood to bargain. He dismissed the idea of dialogue with the opposition.
Many opposition activists want to see President al-Assad step aside. But as Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr explains, new intelligence suggests that might take a while -- Barbara.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Don, we've all seen the videos on television. But now, we have newly declassified imagery from the State Department.
This is kind of critical intelligence that the U.S. is looking at frame by frame to assess the Syrian military. It shows widespread damage across many neighborhoods and cities more than just what a camera can capture on the street, the real evidence of Syrian artillery and tanks on the move.
U.S. officials say the Syrian regime claims it's aiming at its enemies. But plenty of evidence that civilians -- men, women and children -- are being killed, evidence of mosques, hospitals and even playgrounds are being struck.
U.S. intelligence analysts tell us the evidence shows Assad right now has a firm grip on power. He is directing these assaults. They see no evidence any of the military defections or movements by the elite to get their money and relatives out of Syria, none of this is part of his inner circle. And unless he believes he is at risk or that his inner circle is cracking, he has no incentive to step aside. U.S. officials believe that Bashar Assad will hang on to power for sometime to come -- Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Barbara, thank you very much.
A quick programming note for you. CNN's Arwa Damon and her team were inside the besieged Syrian city of Homs, one of the most dangerous places in Syria right now. Make sure you join us on Sunday night as she gives us an eye-opening first account. A CNN special, "72 Hours Under Fire," tomorrow night, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Washington state police tracked down a suspect who say they shot and stabbed a deputy and attacked a judge. The latest on that developing story in two minutes.
And a campaign to capture an African warlord accused of killing innocent people and forcing children to become soldiers. A woman who says she was victimized by Joseph Kony joins me live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, this afternoon Washington state authorities arrested a suspect who they say shot and stabbed a deputy and attacked a judge inside a courthouse yesterday. Investigators say the suspect stabbed a female deputy, threw her to the ground, grabbed her gun and shot her, and then stabbed a judge who rushed to the deputy's aid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE DAVE EDWARDS, GRAYS HARBOR SUPERIOR COURT: When I went to assist the deputy, he had a weapon in his hand, a knife or something, and he was stabbing at her.
We got him away from the deputy and pop, pop. And turned and looked at me then went out the courthouse with the gun in his hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, deputies say the arrest of Steven Kravitz (ph) happened without incident. The suspect's mother called police after seeing media reports about the incident. The deputy and the judge were treated and released from the hospital.
Surveillance video shows officers detaining an American Airlines flight attendant whose rant was so disturbing, she delayed a flight from Dallas to Chicago on Friday. Passengers said that parts of it sounded demonic.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: Witnesses say the flight attendant mentioned crashing four times and talked about problems with the labor union. A handful of crew and passengers subdued her and investigators took her to a hospital for evaluation and say there will be no criminal charges.
Make sure you're joining me at 10:00 p.m. when I will speak with one of the passengers who restrained the flight attendant and find out what she said to him as he tried to calm her.
This past week, everyone was talking about the short film "Kony 2012," on Facebook, on Twitter, TV, print, everywhere. And we're going to look at the phenomenon on this viral video and then I'm going to talk to a former victim of Joseph Kony to find out what she thinks of "Kony 2012." That is next.
But, first, the make up of the American family is changing. So, when it comes to searching for the best schools for children of same- sex parents, how do they choose a state and supportive environment in addition to get education?
CNN's education contributor Steve Perry gives advice to a mother named Laurie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURIE ROBINS, GEORGIA RESIDENT: Since my kids are coming from a lesbian family and we have different faiths, and I want my kids to be really raised in an open environment, how can I decide which private schools are best for her?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Well, that's a really good question and an important one because you need to understand where your children are going to school, not just because of what they're going to learn academically, but how they'll be treated.
What I suggest you'd do is go to visit the schools. Go as a family. Ask the question that you're asking me. What are your values of diversity? How do you respond to a gay family? Get them to answer your questions. And ask the question until you feel like you've gotten the answer.
Ask the reputation of the school, not just the school itself, because if they want your money as a private school, they're going to tell you what they want you to hear. But more importantly, ask your friends. When you get the opportunity, go on a tour, go with other students, ask them.
Kids, in all they do, they don't typically lie. The kids will tell you the truth. So, somewhere between asking the school directly, visiting the school, asking their reputation, and finally asking the students who attend that school, you should find your answer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Kony 2012. It's been hard to turn on the TV or log on to Facebook or Twitter or your e-mail and not hear about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Most had never heard of him. Now, millions of people do know the name, thanks to a video posted on YouTube this week.
And as Miguel Marquez reports, that was the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a 30- minute video. It's hope: to change the world. NARRATOR: In order for it to work, you have to pay attention.
MARQUEZ: What the narrator and filmmaker want you to pay attention to is this man, Joseph Kony. He leads a Ugandan rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army, and his goal is to overthrow the Ugandan government.
In his 26-year campaign, Kony has kidnapped more than 65,000 boys and girls, kids, forcing them to maim their fellow villagers, and sometimes to prove their loyalty to Kony, kill their own families.
Kony says he's doing it all to the name of God, but the children's stories paint a picture of hell on earth. CNN has covered it since the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): We were forced to bite him with our bare teeth as he screamed in pain. We continued biting until he was dead.
MARQUEZ: Russell and his charity, Invisible Children, are on a mission, because of a promise he made to a 12-year-old boy in 2003. Jacob was kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army, his brother, killed by it
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After spending a few weeks with Jacob, he told me something I would never forget.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: So it is better when you kill us. And if possible, you can kill us, you kill us. For us, we don't want now to stay --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't want to stay on earth?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: There's no one taking care of us. We are not going to school. So --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You would rather die than stay on earth?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, even now?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Even now. How are we going to stay in our future?
NARRATOR: He told me more about his brother and what he would say to him if he were still alive.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I love you, but now I miss you. So, it is better when we meet -- we are not going to meet, but we may meet in heaven, you see? So it is better -- I will not talk much, it will start something, because if I saw my brother once again, I don't --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Jacob is one of thousands who are brutalized at the hands of Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army.
Last fall, we spoke with another. Her name is Evelyn Apoko. She was abducted by the LRA when she was just 9 years old. And while in captivity, an explosion blew off part of her face which impedes her speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVELYN APOKO, L.R.A. SURVIVOR: The Lord Resistance Army, they abducted me as child from my parents, from their home, where I grow up and they took me in the bush with a lot of hundred thousand of kids also were there with me. Some of them are still missing and some of them made it back home. And some of them I'm not sure where they are.
Joseph Kony has continued to abduct young people in Congo right now and some of them are still dying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was back in October of last year. Evelyn Apoko escaped the Kony army when she was just 13 years old. She is now 22. She is part of the Strongheart Fellows program, an advocate for children abducted by the LRA.
You have seen the video "Kony 2012." Evelyn, thank you for joining us. What do you -- what's your reaction to the video?
APOKO: Thank you very much. I am here tonight to advocate on the thousand of young people who are still in the LRA, in the bush with Joseph Kony.
The way I feel about the campaign of Joseph Kony of 2012, in my own opinion is that I think I would be glad to see the faces of the children who are being abducted to make those kid become well-known to the people around the world. Not the face of Joseph Kony. Because Joseph Kony, he is the one who abducted the young kids. And I feel like it might be better to see the faces of the children. It's better than Joseph Kony himself.
LEMON: Evelyn, the "Kony 2012" filmmakers -- the filmmakers say that we should support the army to get Kony and military strategy, right? You were there. Do you believe that is the best way to apprehend or kill him? I understand that you say we should be showing the children. But do you think this is best strategy to apprehend him?
APOKO: I think there is many other ways we can find a solution to figure out that one out, to find and capture Joseph Kony. I have a very strong opinion about this and I am not agreeing with this one because Joseph Kony is not in there, in the bush right now by himself. He has a thousand of young kid who are surrounding by him. He used them as shield.
And in order to do that, we need to look in a way to put a plan somewhere, a structure which we -- to protect those kid if they want to capture Joseph Kony. LEMON: Yes.
In the last interview, I think there was something that you said that's very important. You said that he is killing thousands of people now, or killing many people in Congo now. The film is about Uganda and there has been criticism from people saying, you know, he is -- he hasn't been here for years and it's actually harming the people in that part of the country. Now, he is elsewhere.
Do you agree with that?
APOKO: I agree. Joseph Kony right now is no longer in Uganda. He is no longer in Sudan, but he is in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I agree on that.
And on the video, what I didn't like about it on what I saw, they're still concluding Uganda. They're supposed to be focus more is in the Congo where the issue still continuing there, instead of -- and also to what horror all the people who have been affected in northern Uganda to (INAUDIBLE). These children or the people who (INAUDIBLE) LRA like to make them go back to home and start their own life. And I didn't see that on the video.
And I wonder what it is all about? What is our interest in to see in northern Uganda right now is to see the people. They are getting back into their normal life. And I want to see, like, more school and hospital built for those people who have been suffering for so many years.
LEMON: Evelyn, I'm going to ask you, and this is on a personal note. As a survivor of Joseph Kony, and I'm not sure if you have spoken to other survivors since this film has been out -- what sort of memories and what sort of feelings does all of this stir for you when you see it, you know, on social media and when you see the "Kony 2012" film, and so much attention being paid to what happened?
APOKO: I feel -- in my point of view, I feel really hurt because -- I don't know. It's not easy to be a survivor but I'm glad I able to escape. Maybe the purpose is why I'm sitting here. And it's very painful for me to hear that Joseph Kony is well-known as a celebrity. And I ask myself what is a celebrity. The kids are the one who are supposed to be a celebrity because they have been through a lot, and to be putt a lot of all kind of tragedy he has put on their live and you traumatize them and you don't know what to do for their life.
And this kid the one that supposed -- the one that supposed to be spread around the world, they're the ones who are supposed to be a celebrity because they're been through -- they live their life every single day.
And I'm not happy they are showing the face of Joseph Kony, the guy who is committing all these atrocity in young people like me life, which is I am not agree with of any of this campaign in 2012.
LEMON: It's very painful for you obviously. But you are a survivor and we -- the world has to commend you for coming on and being so strong and brave to come on this program and talk about it.
You are part of the Strongheart Fellows program. I want you to tell our viewers about that program and your work with them and how it's helped you and how it's helping others.
APOKO: Yes, I am right now in the Strongheart Fellows organization. They're helping me through my emotional feeling and my education and all of that, they're helping me. So in the next coming future I can become somebody and I am already right now, I feel grateful because I have no life. I am right now working with them. They have been a pleasure for me, because I finally I can find my voice to speak up for a thousand of young children who have been abducted, who don't have a voice, and I feel I have that opportunity right now.
LEMON: Evelyn Apoko, you are amazingly brave. Thank you. We appreciate you. Best of luck to you, OK?
APOKO: Thank you very much
LEMON: Thank you.
And a reminder for our viewers, tomorrow night at this time, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children and the filmmaker behind the "Kony 2012" documentary will join us live here on CNN to talk about the film and the motivation behind it, the social media phenomenon it has created and the controversy surrounding it. That's tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
So, what is happening in Uganda right now? Next, I'll talk to a member of UNICEF. They are on the ground in Uganda, all over this region in Africa. And she says Joseph Kony is a bad guy. But there is not just one guy like this and it's not just happening in Uganda. Her firsthand account, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. The short YouTube video "Kony 2012" has been all over the Internet and the news. Its' stated goal is to stop Joseph Kony. He is the Ugandan warlord responsible for among other things the abduction of African children and turning them into child soldiers and sex slaves.
Sarah Crowe, a spokesperson for UNICEF and she has been to Uganda and the region. And first of all before I ask you about "Kony 2012," the film, were you able to hear Evelyn Apoko and her response to this film and just her, how brave she is?
SARAH CROWE, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: Oh, she was extraordinary. And really she just bears testimony to the incredible, remarkable resilience of young people throughout that region who have been through hell for so long. Things have moved on largely in Uganda. We are going back now to 2006 and I was there at the time. And the country has really put that behind it to a large extent just as Evelyn was saying. And of course there is still -- Kony is believed to be at large in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been seen in the Central African Republic and South Sudan as well. And right true that extraordinary impenetrable region which is very dense, some equatorial forests these groups are operating and the (INAUDIBLE) resistance army and Joseph Kony is just sadly one.
Next week we have the pronouncement from the International Criminal Court in the Hague on Thomas Lubanga who is a suspected war criminal from Congo. So the story and the situation is extremely complicated. And sadly the video has given us a rather simplistic view. If we could harness the kind of following that has been churned up, this 70 million odd viewers to support people like Evelyn then we would really see a fantastic thing happen.
LEMON: And Evelyn, she is so selfless that she is saying it should be put on the children and she is not even talking about herself here. And that was her criticism of the film. She said why make Joseph Kony famous? Because, you know, she would like him to be obviously caught or killed or whatever it is, him to be stopped. I don't want to put words in her mouth but she said it should be about the children, the victims of the LRA first. Do you have that same criticism of the film?
CROWE: Well, she's absolutely right. If ever there was a war against children, though, this is it. And this was it. Even though the LRA is a shadow of its former self there are about 300 fighters, believed to be 300 fighters now in the region with their dependents and so on. But is it -- the good thing about it is that it shows the international community cares and that they care about justice being done and being seen to be done.
So that is very important but the solutions are very much more complex and Evelyn quite rightly points to the ordinary children on the ground and their stories. And what we have seen, experience has shown us in the four countries that we are working in the region is that these children and young people can be resuscitated with the right psychosocial support, with the right education support, by helping their communities and by building back and really build up the communities back to what they once were.
And that's going back about 25 years in some cases. But is it possible. And I think this movement needs to start looking at the impact of children -- the children on the ground and look at the kind of issues like poverty, malaria, schooling. These are the fundamental kind of tools that will help them survive and thrive.
LEMON: And you say that Joseph Kony has moved on from Uganda. He is now in Congo and you believe -- should the focus move on? He's not the only bad dictator or war lord there. So where should the focus be, then?
CROWE: Well, the focus as Evelyn said should be on the children.
LEMON: I mean in finding him and stopping dictators? CROWE: That certainly has to take -- justice has to be done and to take place. That's a given. I think that's a very important road to follow. But the real heroes are the ones who have been able to rise up and to survive. And those are the children in the communities that have been affected. And I think if we can find ways to support them, that would be enormously helpful. And rather than focus on one suspected war lord -- one war lord.
LEMON: Very well said. Sarah Crowe, thank you very much. We appreciate the great work that UNICEF does and continues to do. Be in contact with us. OK. Thank you.
CROWE: Thank you very much.
LEMON: Coming up I want you to see President Obama from 1991. How conservatives hope to use the old video against him in 2012. That discussion on the other side of a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A conservative activist Breitbart announced earlier this year that he had uncovered a video that could cost President Obama the election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW BREITBART, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I have got videos. This election we're going to vet him from his college days to show you -- why -- to show you why racial division and class warfare are central to what hope and change was sold in 2008.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: As you know Breitbart died earlier this month but the video he was apparently talking about surfaced just a few days ago. It shows then law school student Barack Obama speaking at a 1991 student rally demanding more faculty diversity at Harvard. I want to bring you Goldie Taylor now. You know her well. She is a political analyst and a managing editor of Goldie Taylor Project, goldietaylor.com. She is a cultural critic. Goldie, is this really a political bombshell?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, there was a great movie phrase that said "Is that all you got?" You know, you would imagine that if there was going to be a bombshell video then there would actually be videos of President Obama on camera with an actual radical. Instead they have him on camera hugging a very well respected law professor who has done a great work in terms of advancing civil rights in this country and worked for Justice Department in the late '50s, did a lot of work, a lot of incredible work with the NAACP and then went on to write great bodies of work including developing the critical race theory which, you know, examined the intersect between race, politics and the law.
LEMON: And the law. OK. So he spoke favorably -- I'm talking about Obama then Barack Obama now president. He spoke favorably about Derek Bell and hugged him as (INAUDIBLE) of affection. Does that necessarily lead someone to believe that he agreed with everything that Bell taught or wrote?
TAYLOR: Well, you know, a few years ago, President Obama then Candidate Obama hugged me too. And there's a photograph. I doubt very seriously that President Barack Obama believes everything that I've ever written or said. Let's hope he really doesn't. But no, it doesn't mean that he believes everything a man said. But he certainly had a great deal of respect as he should have for someone like Derek Bell who was certainly a pioneer and leader in law in this country. You know, black, white, or yellow he was just a very, very important figure.
LEMON: I have shaken hands with the president even before he was president when he was a state senator in Illinois where I lived. I'd shake hands with him and the next word out of his mouth is "Why did you guys at this station did this story about me." And it doesn't mean he agreed with everything but he did shake my hand.
So why then people who see this video see it as evidence of Obama's alleged radicalism? And why did they think it has any impact on 2012 at all? Won't most judge the president November on his record in the White House so far?
TAYLOR: You know what? What I love about democracy is that when we can have a very rigorous debate about the issues I think, you know, not having a very strong Republican candidate this year is not a good thing for all of us. And so, you know, they're looking for something, just anything to put -- you know, to level a decent charge at this president and they just haven't been able to come up with anything. They can't even able to beat him on policy. Listen, the Muslim smears didn't go (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: Listen. There is plenty to go on if you're talking about -- there is gas prices. There's unemployment. There's the economy. Some would say, you know, liberals would say OK, well it's improving and others say it's not going fast enough. There are plenty of other things than a video from college days where you can hit the president on. I think that is what most people don't understand.
TAYLOR: What happens, Don, is that the economy is improving. The economy isn't cooperating.
LEMON: Well the other side -- quite honestly the other side said it hasn't come fast enough and I think there are many people who have dropped off the rolls and who are not even looking for job any more when it comes to the job situation. We're not going to beat that dead horse.
TAYLOR: Sure. Absolutely. Speaking of the president's re- election. I want you to take a listen to this and then we'll talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our time of standing pat of protecting narrow interest and putting off unpleasant decisions, that time has surely passed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His advisers would ask where to begin? Which urgent need would he put first?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. What is the first thing you noticed, Goldie?
TAYLOR: You know, a lot of -- I don't know. I noticed -- I noticed the music. And I don't notice any hope and change stuff going on. I don't know.
LEMON: Go ahead.
TAYLOR: I just -
LEMON: Goldie, you are stumped and at a loss for words for the first time ever. My producers are like, Goldie Taylor's at a loss for words. Why?
TAYLOR: I think this president has a lot of pressing needs and which thing will he answer first? You know is the work of every president in this office. But you know, I just think that you know, he's doing the job that we elected him to do and I think he will be elected again this fall.
LEMON: All right. Goldie. Thank you. We stumped Goldie for the first time. Thank you. Good to see you, Goldie.
TAYLOR: Thank you.
LEMON: Reports of illegal bounties in the NFL by the Saints, two pro football vets, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tankerton and defensive bat Lamar Campbell weigh in on that plus Peyton Manning's big move next.
But first, during the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled throughout the deep south, championing against injustices. But have you ever wondered how Dr. King learned about issues that impacted the lives of African-Americans? Many of them simply wrote to him. One hundred year old Amelia Boynton is one of them and today she is making her mark. Considered one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement, Wayne helped organize a Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 known as Bloody Sunday. She was one of 17 who were hospitalized after being beaten and tear gassed by police and left for dead on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. An incident that brought national attention to the voters' rights movement and led to the signing of the 1965 Civil Rights Act.
All this week activists mark the 47th anniversary of Bloody Sunday by recreating the march and other activities. They say the push for voter rights is just as relevant today. So for her fight against injustice and contribution to history, we choose Amelia Boynton as our person who is at 100 years old, certainly making their mark.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Peyton Manning switching teams because of an injury and the league taking hits over the Saints' illegal bounties. Let's get more, some insights now from two NFL veterans. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton, founder of onemorecustomer.com and Lamar Campbell who made his living playing defense for Detroit Lions.
So, Fran we start with you. Do you think the Colts did the right thing by making this move?
FRAN TARKENTON, HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK: This deal has been done for a long time.
LEMON: Really?
TARKENTON: The Colts are rebuilding. They are going to draft Andrew Luck number one. They had to pay Peyton 28 million on March 8. They're rebuilding. A new general manager and new coach. They had to start over.
LEMON: Didn't you predict this the last time?
TARKENTON: The last time we were here, I don't know before the Super Bowl I said the same thing.
LEMON: How did you know?
TARKENTON: Because it was -- it didn't work out for the Colts. Peyton doesn't want to go back there. They're rebuilding. They fired the general manager, the head coach. He wants to go to a team that will have a chance to win a Super Bowl. And he's going to play and I think that probably today he knows exactly where he is going.
LEMON: Where do you think he's going? You say you know, Lamar.
LAMAR CAMPBELL, FMR. NFL PLAYER/DEFENSIVE BACK: I think he's heading to Miami.
LEMON: Some team is going to pay him the money and you think it's going to be Miami, even though he's 36 years old -- he's going to do, coming off surgery here?
CAMPBELL: Well, you look at Peyton Manning's career, you are looking at over 50,000 yards. A career rating of 95 and a quarter of that winning out of 100. A career completion percentage rating of 65 percent, 300 touchdowns.
LEMON: Go Lamar.
CAMPBELL: I mean you look at what Peyton has done in his career, four MVPs and one Super Bowl. You are going to take a chance on anybody that might be injured, you're going to take a chance on Peyton Manning.
LEMON: Let's talk about bounties now. We've all heard about the bounties on the saints and then there's been some talk about that it is happening in the rest of the league that is common. When you played, Lamar did you know about this, do you think it is common?
CAMPBELL: Never to the extent of what we're hearing about what happened with the New Orleans' Saints not?
LEMON: What did happen?
CAMPBELL: It did happen. You did hear about it by the league. I was never part of a bounty myself. When you look at a situation when a coach is involved, when a GM is involved and a head coach himself is involved and they were asked this question were they involved in bounties, not only denied it but continued to put bounties on all these players of $10,000 to $30,000 allegedly. That's (INAUDIBLE) I've never heard of and it's definitely appalling to the game. It's definitely going to hurt the integrity of the game moving forward.
LEMON: Deal with the Lions, right?
CAMPBELL: Yes.
LEMON: That you said you heard but -
(CROSSTALK)
TARKENTON: But the Lions always cheated.
(CROSSTALK)
TARKENTON: The black and blue division, they always cheated.
LEMON: Are you going to take that? We got some helmets, put the helmet.
CAMPBELL: We beat up on Minnesota numerous times.
LEMON: Did you know about it?
CAMPBELL: No.
LEMON: Did you know (INAUDIBLE) are coming after you.
TARKENTON: I played 18 years. I missed five games because of injury. There was no bounty. I mean it wasn't this kind of dirty play. And here is the problem. You've got young men playing the game. You got a coach and you look up to your coach and if he says go knock a guy out, go cart him off the field, we're going to give you recognition and they'll give you money, you go do it because that's what you're told to do.
Gregg Williams, the defensive coach did it in New Orleans. He did it in Tennessee. He did it in Washington. He did it in Buffalo. He should be banned from the league. Banned, B-A-N-N-E-D from the league! And I think Roger Goodell is going to come down hard.
LEMON: All right. Well, from football to the round ball. NCAA, March madness is almost here. Well, selection Sunday is tomorrow and you can test your bracket skills in the official NCAA March madness bracket challenge game. Just head to cnn.com/bracket. CNN.com/bracket. I'm doing a bracket of my own. Well I'm going to have some help with it. Pretty sure it won't be my producer, Tom (INAUDIBLE) because he lost it from me last year. Make sure you join me and the rest of the CNN group to see if you can pick the NCAA brackets better than we do. Tom said, "Thanks, Don," in my ear. You're welcome, pal.
Next, a who's who of the digital world has gathered in Texas for one of the largest tech festivals in the world. A report right from south by southwest right after the break.
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LEMON: The city of Austin, Texas, being overrun right now by music and film lovers and tech nerds like the next person I'm going to introduce. The annual festival South by Southwest is under way and our very own Brooke Baldwin, our tech nerd, is there getting her nerd on. Brooke, fill me in on what's going on.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello @donlemoncnn. This is @brookebcnn, you're a big Twitter nerd, you'd love South by Southwest. So we're in part of the interactive part of this whole festival. You have interactive, you have film, you have music. And let's go inside.
Keep in mind, it is a rainy day in Austin. You need your umbrella, you need your iPhone. No high heels. Follow me.
I'm sorry, this is how everyone here at the circus that is South by Southwest walks. Everybody is staring at their phones. And I tell you, we want to show you one thing and we get turned off to something else. It is like information interactive overload on all these different hallways. There are different vendors trying to get the buzz out about the next big thing. It was 2007 when Twitter really took off. (INAUDIBLE) and so we're kind of checking it out with everyone else from all around the world to see what the next hot thing is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an electric skateboard. You lean forward to go, lean back to stop. Get on the pad and lean forward.
BALDWIN: Sweet Jesus. And this is just one thing that jumped out at us. It just shows that this may be the interactive portion of this festival. But take a look at this, there are all these different sort of columns around the Austin Convention, talking about, you know, politics. This is probably one of the maybe films, music to go to tonight. Check it out. You know, the Anonymous here or there are the little codes, you can use your phone to find out what this is, where you can go.
And so finally, since I have a little something, Sanjay Gupta, that's for you. So we headed back, and guess what's going to be newly located all three blocks away from the Austin Convention Center? Tada. The CNN Grill. (INAUDIBLE) entire grill which, by the way, three months in planning, 24 hours in basically putting this together. I'm actually sitting in the beer garden. We do have a little cider and we have the ale, both dark and light. And that's pretty much here. This is the beginning of the end of the day, the beginning of the night.
Yes, I am drinking cider, Don Lemon. But it's pretty amazing the interactive portion. We're going to be here at the CNN grill the next couple of days. Don Lemon, you have to come next year, right?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Of course I do. Thank you, @brookebcnn. I'm drinking water with ice. Rub it in. Why don't you Brooke?
All right. Glad you're enjoying yourself. We'll see Brooke all this week. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "CNN Presents" begins in less than three minutes.