Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Francois Hollande is the New French President; Vice President Joe Biden's Comment on Same Sex Marriage; President Obama's Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

Aired May 06, 2012 - 22:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Opinion or future policy.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: What this is all about is a simple proposition works do you love? Who do you love?

LEMON: Vice president says it comes down to who you love, but did he go too far?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was at my wit's end. I didn't know what to do, and I thought about suicide.

LEMON: The school wouldn't listen so a bullied teen says enough is enough. Now he's the one in trouble.

A new discovery could point to a lost colony with ties to your family tree. That, our "no talking points" point and "Sunday mystery."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I'm Don Lemon. We're going to begin tonight with Vice President Joe Biden. He has managed to complicate the official White House line on same-sex marriage, and he did it with an outspoken defense of gay couples who want to get married, even though President Barack Obama says his view on the issue is, quote, "Evolving." It sounds like Biden's evolution is complete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Is what you believe now?

BIDEN: That's what I believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: And you're comfortable with same-sex marriage now?

BIDEN: Look, I am vice president of the United States of America. The president set the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual -- men and women marrying are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties and quite frankly I don't see much of a distinction beyond that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Those words sparked a quick response, not from Republicans, but from the president's own campaign. What the VP said that all married couples should have the same legal rights is precisely POTUS' position. That's what David Axelrod tweeted.

So, the vice president gets out in front of his boss on an issue that on the ballot Tuesday in North Carolina, a presidential battleground state. A Biden gaffe or is it a trial balloon? The answer depends on who you ask. And we'll get much more into this debate coming up in moment right here on CNN.

Meantime, there's a major shift in the halls of power for a key U.S. ally. France's new president is a socialist.

Francois Hollande beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in Sunday's runoff. It all came down to the economy and where have we heard that before?

Here in the United States, of course, our Hala Gorani is in Paris for us.

Hala, quite a turn of events.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, this is a new era for France. For the first time in 17 years this country has elected a socialist president. It is over for Nicolas Sarkozy after only one turn. Francois Hollande made a victory speech just a few hours ago. He said he would promise to unify the country. Because it was a close race, essentially half of France did not vote for him. Some of the big challenges ahead for Francois Hollande, the Euro zone debt crisis.

Nicolas Sarkozy had come to an agreement with Germany that would lead to big budget cuts for Euro zone countries. The socialist challenger said not so fast. You also need a growth plan. Why is this important for America? Because this Euro zone debt crisis has a direct impact on U.S. stock prices.

Whenever there are fears here in the Euro zone, it directly impacts the Dow Jones and other major indices in the U.S. The other big issue that Francois Hollande has discussed, there will also be of interest in the United States, and that he promised to withdraw all French soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Nicolas Sarkozy was a little bit more flexible saying that next year would be an adequate deadline.

But for now street parties all over Paris and all over France for those who voted for Francois Hollande, a new socialist French president for the Euro zone's second largest economy.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: Hala, thank you very much.

President Barack Obama called French president-elect Hollande to offer congratulations. The White Housed released a statement saying in part, President Obama indicated that he looks forward to working closely with Mr. Hollande and his government on a range of shared economic and security challenges.

Deep austerity cuts are also changing the political landscape of Greece. Voters booted out many centrists who pushed those measures. Greece's economy is so bad. It could drag the rest of Europe down with it. The country accepted bailout money in exchange for extreme spending cuts, but they are so unpopular voters flock to the far right and far left on Sunday.

Economic ripples in the elections in Europe could hit close to home for Americans. And our Ali Velshi says we better pay very close attention here in the U.S. -- Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Don, let me tell you, when you look at these elections in France and Greece, there are few takeaways. Now, Greece's is a small, small economy but its kind a bit holding Europe hostage. France, on the hand, is a big important economy. France's president is the last in a long line of leaders who have been put out of office in the last two years because voters are unhappy with the austerity policies or this talk of government cutbacks. They think government should be spending more n.

In Greece you'll remember last year there was a massive parliamentary crisis, a coalition government was put into place to try and impose some of the cuts necessary for Greece to continue to get loans from Germany and other countries, another rejection that have coalition.

People don't like austerity. It is painful. It is government cutbacks. It's joblessness.

But here's a lesson for America. Watching this election, these two elections very, very closely, on the one hand, you have liberals and the left, the Keynesians who say, hey, too much cutting hurts an economy. So, this is the lesson to you, Republicans, out here. If you go down this road, we'll have double the unemployment and, by the way, everyone who supported it will get booted out of office.

But there's a message here that Republicans can take away or those in the tea party who are preaching austerity. They look at Greece in particular and say this is what happens when you don't get your fiscal house in order. You end up like Greece, and maybe, Don, there's something to be said for both sides of that argument.

LEMON: Ali, thank you very much. Warren Buffett has a better grasp than most on the financial pitfalls facing the world from. From Wall Street to Washington the billionaire investor is respected for his insights on the economy, and he's clearly worried about Europe's future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFET, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: Europe is not going to go away. Europe will be producing more goods per capita 10 or 20 years from now, but they have huge problems to be resolved. They took on our common currency, and they do not have common fiscal policies. They do not have common cultures. And when you have common currency and they have the bonds of some countries, major countries yielding close to six percent and others below two percent, you know that you know you've got a big, big problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It pays to pay attention to Buffet. "Forbes" estimates Buffet's net worth at $44 billion.

It's what political junkies are talking about. It's what we're talking about, the vice president and his new remarks on gay marriage. But did he go too far and speak for the president when maybe he shouldn't have? The conversation evokes passion from both sides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Thank you both.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

LEMON: Goldie and I disagree, but we're still friends. Those two not so sure about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, don.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Tuesday is decision day for a controversial amendment proposal in North Carolina. It would ban same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships. Protesters for and against the amendment, amendment one have turned out in the streets ahead of the vote.

And CNN's Randi Kaye breaks down the debate for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Tuesday, North Carolina voters will be making a big decision at the polls, the decision to change the state's constitution. Amendment one would make marriage between one man and one woman the only recognized domestic legal union in the state.

PAUL STAM (R), NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The reason we have to put it in our state constitution is that half a dozen other states have by judicial fiat had a handful of judges change the laws of those statements.

KAYE: It's something several other states have done, but amendment one goes a step further. Not only would it ban same-sex marriage which is already illegal in North Carolina, it would also invalidate all civil unions and domestic partnerships. REV. WILLIAM BARBER, PRESIDENT, NORTH CAROLINA NAACP: This is bad law because it will hurt even heterosexual families because it does not recognize any other domestic union.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: What makes the North Carolina law different from others it even bans domestic partnerships between heterosexual couples. And as we approach that vote, vice president Joe Biden today declared his comfort, his comfortable -- he's comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage, a comfort level President Obama has not shared publicly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I just think that the good news is that as more and more Americans come to understand what this is all about as a simple proposition, who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Earlier I discussed Biden's remarks with Goldie Taylor, the managing editor of Goldie Taylor project and Crystal Wright, the editor of conservative blackchick.com. And as you will see, passions ran very high. I started by asked Goldie of Joe Biden is breaking with his boss on this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST, SOCIAL CRITIC: I think this president knew what Joe Biden's position was when he took him on as the vice presidential running mate. I think it's much ado about nothing.

LEMON: OK. So, listen. If the vice president is invited on to a show like "Meet the Press" and David Gregory is asking him about policy, about the president, he is in turn speaking for the administration and speaking for the accomplishments of the president and so why on this issue --

TAYLOR: He's the vice president of this United States. He neither formulates nor proposes legislation in congress. He neither formulates nor proposes anything to the judiciary branch.

LEMON: Can the people watching make that distinction? Can the voter -- does a voter make that distinction?

TAYLOR: I don't know if the voter makes that distinction or not, but that is the legal distinction, and does he have the right to speak for Joe Biden? He absolutely does.

LEMON: OK. Crystal Wright, you were watching this morning. Did you think the vice president minced words, and I ask you this because here's what -- here's what David Axelrod tweeted out afterwards. He said what VP said, he tweeted this, a little bit earlier right after he said what. What VP said that all married couples should have exactly the same legal rights is precisely POTUS' position.

I don't really quite understand that, but can you make sense of that?

CRYSTAL WRIGHT, EDITOR, BLOGGER, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: Don, I think it's a hot mess all the way around, and, you know, I think Obama is loving the fact that Goldie is trying to now legitimize the vice president of the United States remarks as personal remarks. She's trying, to you know, parse this on a legal analysis that he has a right to his own opinion and then in the next breath Goldie admits, along with you, that most American people can't distinguish between vice president Biden appearing on a television program as vice president of the United States and his personal opinion.

He does not have a right when he represents the office of vice president, and he's supposed to be the teammate of the president of the United States. To get ahead of the president who says that his position on same-sex marriage is evolving and he does not support it, that he supports civil unions.

So this is just a mess, and then Axelrod, the senior adviser to the Obama White House tweets moments later, oh, yes. Obama, that's his position. Biden just, you know, expressed the position of the president of the United States. I'm sure many gay Americans are surprised by all of this and perplexed.

LEMON: OK. I think not -- think many Americans are surprised, because I think it was pretty clear what the vice president had to say and then to hear, Goldie, I'm sure you want to respond to what Crystal said.

TAYLOR: I actually don't spend a lot of time responding to Crystal either on TV or on twitter. But, you know, at the end of the day --

WRIGHT: I don't spend a lot of time following you on issues either, thanks.

TAYLOR: At the end of the day the president says, has always said that he believes that this is the wrong question, whether people have the right to marry one or the other, you know, is something that he's evolving on, but should everyone have the same legal rights, I think that the president has never stood back on what -- you know, the human rights question.

LEMON: But, why not take a stand? What does the president have to lose by taking a stand, either way --?

TAYLOR: There are fair-minded people on both sides of this issue who both agree and disagree with gay marriage. I think the president has a conviction on one side of this. He's like a lot of us who are continuing to evolve. I'm willing to give him that time, as long as --

LEMON: OK.

TAYLOR: As long as he comes down on the side of human rights.

LEMON: I get that, but continuing to evolve seems like a position that's not --

WRIGHT: It's a copout.

LEMON: That's not a position, you're either for or against and people hit Mitt Romney on that. Hang on. Let me finish that. Mitt Romney has not has a backbone, that he doesn't take a stand on issues. And that's the same thing about the president.

TAYLOR: I've run into it in my own life. I was also a member of this military, United States marine corps. And in the Marine Corps, at that time I had a favorite drill instructor who was not allowed to serve, kidding out in the middle of my boot camp because it was found out she was gay and at the time, as a young person, I agreed with that. Over time I evolved and when this president worked to strike down don't ask, don't tell I was in full agreement with that.

LEMON: I appreciate your passion.

TAYLOR: I think we evolve with things over time.

LEMON: I respect what you're saying but you're not the president of the United States, and people are asking the president of the United States to take a stand on that issue.

TAYLOR: I think the president is the human and I think that the president also gets the time to evolve over time just as I did and everybody else.

LEMON: Crystal, sorry. What's wrong with the president taking a stand either way, and I'm sure you want to respond to some of that were.

WRIGHT: You know, I think what Goldie just said is she's blasting the president -- saying that the president needs to have a conversation with his priest or shaman who actually believes --

TAYLOR: No, actually --

WRIGHT: Let me finish, please.

TAYLOR: Actually that's not what I said. That is a lie. Don't lie.

WRIGHT: Excuse me. You just said people who don't support same-sex marriage need to have a conversation with their religious leaders, whoever they go to for religious council. That would include the president of the United States, because the president of the United States, Goldie, has said he's not taken a position. He does not support same-sex marriage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: In addition to the day that David Axelrod tweet, a spokesman for vice president Joe Biden issued a statement today insisting that Biden's words mirror President Obama's position on gay marriage. It continues. Stay tuned to CNN. The hearing for 9/11 terror suspects is being called a circus from stripping to short skirts to screaming that someone is going to die, all happening in the courtroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The arraignment of the 9/11 terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was expected to run about six hours on Saturday. Instead, it went much longer with the judge presiding over the case, sometimes serving more as ringmaster.

Our Chris Lawrence has the story tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 9/11 terror suspects turned their arraignment into a chaotic court circus which left the victims' family members stunned.

EDDIE BRACKEN, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: They are complaining, and our families can't complain no more, because they took their lives. They took my sister's life. I wouldn't care if they were on a bed of nails, you know what I mean. But it's our justice system, and they have rights as of right now, and whatever the due course is and how the process works, eventually they are going to either be in jail for the rest of their lives or they are going to be dead.

LAWRENCE: Walid Ben Attash (ph) came into court shackled to a chair. Later, when his attorney was alleging this treatment, he took off his tunic and exposed his bare chest. The judge scolded him and told him to put it back on.

Ramsey bin Al Shib (ph) shocked the court room by comparing American guards to dead Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He shouted maybe they will kill us and make it look like suicide and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who once boasted he was the mastermind behind the attacks refused to speak or even listen to the hearing through earphones.

DAVID NEVIN, COUNSEL FOR KHALID SHEIK MOHAMMED: Now the government wants to kill Mr. Mohammed. They want to extinguish the last eyewitness to his torture so that he can never speak again about it.

LAWRENCE: One of the American defense attorneys came dressed in conservative Islamic Hijab and chastised the women on the prosecution team for wearing skirts saying the detainees had to avert their eyes to avoid committing a sin just by looking at them. And so it went for hours, silence, and side issues dominating the hearing.

She said there was a particular paralegal who both in '08 and yesterday was wearing a short skirt and was a distraction to their client and could not focus on a proceeding which could lead to his death. Could you respond to that?

BRIG. GEN. MARK MARTINS: Well, I didn't think it merited or deserved a response yesterday so I don't think it deserves a response today. The women on the prosecution team are dressed in an appropriate and professional manner.

LAWRENCE: The next court hearing will be in June, but this had to be a embarrassment on all sides, for those who pushed to have these men tried in a military commission here this, cannot be what they had in mind, and for the Obama administration who promised to close Guantanamo Bay and move these trials to federal court, Saturday was a reminder of that failure.

Chris Lawrence, CNN. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform killed a NATO soldier Sunday in southern Afghanistan. The shooter was immediately killed. That wasn't the coalition, only casualty though. An American died when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in eastern Afghanistan to other Americans who are wounded in that attack.

Osama bin Laden's death was one of America's greatest national victories, national security victories. So, if you're going to spike the ball over it, admit you're spiking the ball over it.

"No talking point" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: living IN Iraq during the war was pretty hard with explosions, the kidnappings. We wanted to come to United States. That was like a dream, you know.

MARK KABBAN, CNN HEROES CANDIDATE: The United States with some of the most refugees in the world, many from Iraq, and they are being resettled in San Diego in large numbers. When they get here, they are learning a new language. They have to find employment. Really in a lot of ways the struggles is just beginning.

When my family came from Beirut, I was 9-years-old. Working as a refugee case manager, I saw a lot of kids just idle, alienated and having a normal childhood is something they really deserve.

My name is Mark Kabban and I use soccer to motivate refugees to succeed in the United States. It's an Arabic word which means let's go. And really what we're trying to do with the kids.

Stay on him.

We have 200 refugee kids in our program. These kids come from all over Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The families have endured the same struggle. When they realize that, they become like brothers and sisters.

KIDS: One, two, three.

KABBAN: Soccer isn't an escape. Its confidence, it's making them feel like they belong and it's just fun. We use soccer as a hook and we have them in our education program. Try to get them on to college.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help me find friends and they teach me how to speak English, and now with Coach Mark it's a fun life.

KABBAN: Families that sacrifice everything for kids that have a better life. We can do everything that can help them. It's my honor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead, from the White House to Wall Street, our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We are going to begin tonight with the president's plan for the week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at White House.

After officially hitting the campaign trail in the battleground states of Ohio and Virginia, President Obama heads to Albany, New York, where he will attend an event focus on lifting the struggling economy. Then later in the week the president flies west to attend two major fund- raisers that expected to haul in millions of dollars for the DNC and his re-election campaign.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN political desk.

Tuesday, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate fights for his political life. Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana faces a primary challenge from the state's treasurer who has strong tea party support.

The same day, a controversial anti-same-sex marriage amendment is on the ballot in North Carolina.

And Saturday, Mitt Romney speaks at Liberty University, the evangelical school founded by the late Jerry Farwell.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

Following the jobs report on Friday, Wall Street will turn its attention to corporate earnings again on Monday this. This coming week, we'll get results from Disney, AOL, Cisco and Sony just to name a few. And Facebook kicks off its IPO road show here on New York on Monday where it's pitching the company to institutional investors, big hitters on Wall Street before it goes public.

We'll track that and all the business news of the week for you on CNN money.

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer. Here's what we're watching this week. The winner of "the voice" stops by "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" right after his or her big triumph and the latest cast member to hear you're fired on "celebrity apprentice" tells all to me.

Catch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" exclusively, weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on HLN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Let's check the headlines right now.

A socialist is the new president of fence. Francois Hollande beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in today's run off. French voters are unhappy with high unemployment and austerity measures which forcing painful cuts all across Europe.

Hollande will be the first socialist to lead France since Francois Mitterrand left power back in 1995.

Union officials say an air strike has killed one of the country's most wanted terrorist. The 37-year-old Fahd al Quso was suspected of playing a key role in the bombing of the "USS Cole." Seventeen American soldiers died when the "Cole" was hit by suicide attack while it was refueling.

Louisville police are investigating a possible suicide hours after yesterday's Kentucky derby. The body of a Hispanic man was found near the racetrack in a barn early on Sunday. Detectives won't know the cause of death until an autopsy is finished on Monday.

George Lindsey known best as Goober Pile on the has died. He was 83- years-old. Lindsey played the lovable Goober on "the Andy Griffith show" in 1946 and later on the she's spinoff "Mayberry RFD." He also made appearances on shows like "M.A.S.H.", "gun smoke" and ""hee haw."

It is time now for "no talking points."

Politicize sergeant subject on the right and the left and everywhere in between. This isn't a new subject for the "no talking point" segment. We covered it before. But the closer we get to Election Day, we feel the needs covering it again because the more obvious it comes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does everyone agree that the president was spiking the football?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States who said he wasn't going to spike the football.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Using it as a partisan weapon which diminishes him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is doing a shameless end zone dance to help get himself re-elected. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, politicizing hit its peak with the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The right up in arms saying the president is gloating, spiking the ball, as they say, over killing bin Laden. And when I heard that for the first time earlier this week my initial response was, well, I'll just let this guy say it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: Wah. Wah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Thank you, Jon. Whining is not allowed especially over the killing of the most wanted terrorist ever, a terrorist that a Republican president didn't catch, but celebrated anyway on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit with a helmet and a humongous sign that read mission accomplished.

And don't forget he used our men and women in uniform as a backdrop. Republicans, I know the truth hurts, but in this instance it's -- it doesn't hurt enough to cry over it. However, though President Obama has only himself to blame for giving his critics the talking point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But we don't need to spike the football.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: At first he, his is administration and Democrats denied spiking the ball, politicizing the issue, and then this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. President Obama is in Afghanistan. He's catching the world off guard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: On the anniversary of bin Laden's death, the president shows up in Afghanistan on a surprise trip. It is his prerogative as commander in chief, and our men and women in uniform were ecstatic to see him, but to deny that this wasn't calculated in an election year is disingenuous to say the least. There are 364 other days in the year to visit Afghanistan than on the bin Laden anniversary.

So why not just own it. Nothing wrong with that, especially if it's true. Just like it's true, that the right is crying foul because they can't claim the bin Laden victory.

I usually like to make my own "no talking points" point. But again, this week, someone from another network when commenting on another political story makes the story better than I can.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Politics is weird and creepy and now I know lacks even the loosest attachment to anything like reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Thanks, Shep, and that's tonight's "no talking points."

Some adults wouldn't listen to a bullied teen took matters into his own hand. Now he's the one in trouble.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Bullying in America's school, some call it an epidemic but for a young man in Indianapolis, it is personal. 17-year-old Dynasty Young says he was taunted and threatened for being openly gay. After complaining to school officials with no result, his mom gave him a stun gun, a self-protection device, to carry just in case.

But after an incident last month where no students were hurt, the school is threatening to expel Young saying, he violated school policy by bringing a weapon to school.

An interview with "the Indianapolis Star," the principal of the high school says "if you wear female apparel, then kids are kids and they are going to say whatever it is that they want to say because you want to be different and because you choose to wear female apparel, it may happen."

I talked with Young and his mother, Chelisa Grimes, earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: You gave him the stun gun. Do you think that that was a bit extreme, or would you do the same thing over again?

CHELISA GRIMES, GAVE SON A STUN GUN: I would most definitely do the same thing again. The first thing that I want to say, and I want to make clear, is I do not promote violence, not at all. But, what is a parent to do when she has done everything that she -- that she felt she that she was supposed to do as far as contacting the officials that are at the school. So, I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do but protect my child.

LEMON: And Dynasty, I'll ask you the same thing as your mom. She said that she would do what she has to do to protect her child. She would give you the stun gun. Would you bring it back to school if you had to? Did you feel safer because of that stun gun?

DYNASTY YOUNG, BULLIED GAY TEEN FACING EXPULSION: I only felt safe when -- the only time, the reason I brought the stun gun because I wasn't safe. If I was at your school and I was safe I wouldn't have to bring anything because I was safe. The only thing that makes me upset was that I got kicked out of school for -- for me just bringing a weapon to school.

But honestly, I don't think that that was fair because the six bullies that was coming up to me, all I did was raise it in the air, and I didn't use it on nobody. I want to make that clear. I didn't use it on nobody. All I did was raise it up into the air and go back to my class.

LEMON: Mom, I'm sure people are saying where does it stop? This was a stun gun. They are lucky. Everyone in this case is lucky, including your son that no one got hurt, but could have escalated. Someone could have gotten hurt, but where does it end? Does it end with a stun gun, a knife, a weapon? Where does it end? Do you understand that?

GRIMES: Yes, yes, and that's just the -- I think that's why everybody is so interested in my son's story because where does it end? The focus is on the self-protection device that I sent my child to school with. But, I think the focus should be on the -- the teachers and the administrators, they are in power positions in our kids' lives, and that's just what they are, they are kids. They are minors, and it's our job to protect our kids.

I think that the self-protection device is what's making the news, but the big picture is that my child is not the only one who does not feel safe in our schools.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Coming up, he is known for his punches, from his fist and his mouth. Boxer Floyd Mayweather, hear what he has to say about jail, his dad and yes, the year's biggest fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Floyd Mayweather Jr. did just what he said he was going to be, beating Miguel Cotto to win the WBA super welter weight belt in Vegas. His record is perfect still, but in less than a month he reports to jail for the battery of his ex-girlfriend.

Now, I cornered him on that and talked to him about that and on his often volatile relationship with his father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I watched the HBO special with you and your dad, and you and your dad have this very tense relationship. You enjoy each other and all of a sudden the big fight breaks out and then you also said that you want to try to repair your relationship with your father.

What do you mean by that? How are you doing?

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR., FIVE-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION BOXER: I wish my dad nothing but the best, you know. No hard feelings, just like any family. Any family's go through ups, any family go through downs, but the thing is what me and my father, is my father, he sometimes can be stuck in his ways but there's no hard feelings. LEMON: After this fight you're going to, and you live in a mansion now, you'll have to spend time in the confines of a small jail cell, is that a distraction for you at all. When you smile when I ask you that question, why do you smile? You're not worried about that, Floyd?

MAYWEATHER: It's just how you said it. When that presents itself, then, you know, I will deal with it. But, as of right now my main focus is going out there and performing and performing well. When my jail sentence, when it's time to deal with it, then I'll deal with it.

LEMON: There may be women out there who might be fans of yours but then they hear about domestic violence and that sort of thing and then they go that guy.

If you're not guilty of it, of hurting your ex-girlfriend then why take a plea then?

MAYWEATHER: You just said that you have watched 24/7. I mean, I don't want to drag my children of my family through the mud. And you know, I mean, and is just like any situation with O.J. and Nicole. You've seen pictures of her battered and a lot of domestic cases, seen the woman battered and beat up. You have yet to see pictures of a woman battered or beat up and when it's all said and done God can judge me.

LEMON: You'll be spending time in jail when Manny Pacquiao is going to be fighting in Vegas. Did you ever think about that? I mean, the irony in, that you guys haven't fought each other yet; you are going to be in jail. He is going to be fighting and where you are in jail in the same city?

MAYWEATHER: I wish Manny Pacquiao nothing but the best, you know. I think he's fighting Timothy Bradley. I wish him nothing but the best.

LEMON: When are you two going to actually fight, because that's the match that everyone wants to see and they keep saying there's an excuse there, an excuse there. When are you two going to get into the ring?

LEMON: You know, Bob Arum, which is Manny Pacquiao's promoters, in the way, you know. I can't be out here chasing a fighter. The only thing that I ask is if you're the best, take the test, you know. Miguel Cotto took the taste. Shane Mosley took the test. Marquez took the test. I mean, Ortiz took the test. I'm taking the test just to clean up the sport of boxing.

LEMON: If we held this interview on Sunday the day after the fight, what will I be interviewing? Will I be interviewing you or will I be interviewing Cotto for the win?

MAYWEATHER: Most likely, 100 percent chance you're going to be interviewing me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I guess Floyd was right. Congratulations to him.

The big diesel. Superman, TV analyst and now doctor, that's right. Shaq. There he is, Shaquille O'Neal. Look at him, former NBA star known by many names. He now has a doctorate degree in education from Florida's Barry University. How cool is that? Again, congratulations, Shaq.

We have more on the Republicans crying foul over President Obama's trip to Afghanistan. They say the president's timing is suspect and political. Decide for yourself next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You only saw part of it in my "no talking point" segment tonight about a year after bin Laden's death. President Obama goes to Afghanistan getting accused of spiking the football.

Here's my conversation now with CNN contributors Will Cain and Lz Granderson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Let's talk about spiking the football. Now, speaking of "talking points," President Obama said there would be no celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. But Republicans say he's doing just that. I want you to listen to this ad by an outside group. Here it is.

OBAMA: I can report. I directed Leon Panetta. I was briefed. I met repeated. I determined at my direction. I called President Zardari. I as commander in chief --

LEMON: OK. Will, what's wrong --

Yes, sir.

LEMON: -- with taking credit?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, OK, so specifically how you phrase that, Don. What's wrong with taking credit?

First of all, he deserves credit, right. He did make a call here that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden which someone I think everyone in the United States celebrates. Not everyone, but the majority of people I would guess.

So -- but then, you're asking me what's wrong with taking it and cloaking yourself in it and using the first person over and over and over. The issue is it becomes unseemly.

Phil Jackson doesn't go to the podium after he wins the NBA championship with the Lakers and the Bulls and say I did this, I did that. I did that. He realizes there are other players and that ad you just played, positing him against the military men who actually did it, you know, it becomes unseemly. You want to talk about politicizing things. You have costs to that. It comes off poorly. LEMON: Listen, I've got to ask you this, Will. What if someone took the same -- a similar ad and took every single time he credited the men and women in uniform and turned that into an ad? Isn't this just sort of picking apart the part that you want to make into a political point?

I mean, listen. Don't get me wrong, whoever would have been democrat, Republican or independent, whoever was responsible for killing Osama bin Laden would be patting themselves on the back.

I don't understand, and this is someone who is independent. I don't understand the Republican side of this on this particular issue. Go ahead, Will.

CAIN: You don't understand that it's possible that President Obama could be taking undue singular credit for this, by using first person over it.

LEMON: I do understand it. If --

CAIN: And I recognize.

LEMON: In a vacuum. Hang on. I do understand it in a vacuum if you take that particular ad and play it over and over and over. Everything is about context. If you take the entire context of what the president said, even the night, yes, he did, and I notice that had the night Osama bin Laden, when the president made the announcement and he said, wow, he is very direct. He is saying I, I, I.

CAIN: Right.

LEMON: But also, in that same speech he credited the men and women in uniform and the people also responsible and the former -- the president who came before him, but yet no one is using that in an ad. Go ahead.

CAIN: OK. Let's put it this way then. You know, you're right. It's not as though he denied credit to the men and women in the uniform that put this operation together. I'm not suggesting that he did. But you just said the same thing that I'm saying, Don.

That night, you noticed when he's using the first person over and over, and that is what this ad is playing off. When I did hear that that night, it did resonate. You know what, don't we usually hear people say we, kind that have ubiquitous we. We accomplished something tonight. We made this -- put this mission into place.

I'm telling you that by using I, and that I, the first person glory has penetrated not just here but in that ad he used against Mitt Romney where I did this, Mitt Romney might not have done this, or wouldn't have done this. You begin to put this image together that you're the one. You're singularly responsible for this.

LZ GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I -- I can't -- I can't sit back anymore, Will. This is just a bunch of crap, all right. I'm going to cut right to it, man. It's a bunch of crap. It's an ad that's put together, a strung together him saying the same word over and over again.

And as Don said earlier, if you were to piece together the many times that he's actually said thank you and given credit to other people including our brave men and women, can you put together the same ad.

As a matter of fact, "the Daily Show" which is a wonderful source of information actually did that. They strung together all the thank yous from Osama bin Laden, and it was so many thank yous, it was actually hilarious.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: My thanks to Will and Lz

Four hundred years ago, one of the first colonies in America simply vanished off the face of the earth and now hidden images on a map may finally reveal a secret location.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's time right now. That spooky music means "Sunday night mysteries" with Jacqui Jeras.

First, a 400-year-old mystery may soon be solved. What are you talking about? What have you got?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is the lost colony and if you're not family with this. This is Roanoke Island. It's in the outer banks of North Carolina. And basically, back in the 1500s, they were trying to make the first English colony permanent here and these people after a while they came back to check on them and they basically fell off the face of the earth.

But now, there are new clues on an old map which could lead to -- help us find out what actually happened to them. This is really cool. So, there's the image we're talking about. This map literary has been in existence since that expedition began in the late 1500s. And it was like something out that - had you ever see that movie, "national treasure" with Nicolas Cage where they had the declaration of independence and invisible ink and all that.

LEMON: Yes, yes.

JERAS: There are these patches, you can see in there on the map, and underneath the patches, which weren't unusual to have at the time because they would make chamber of commerce as they learned more about navigation, they used bright light and found there was invisible ink and that is the symbol for a ft.

So that's across the sound on the other side in Bernie county, South Carolina. And so, now, the golf course so they think maybe they tried to move there. There are a lot of theories as to what happened. Were they starved to death? Were they diseased? Who knows? Maybe this will lead to answers.

LEMON: A golf course. It's amazing, or a parking lot. This I always figures.

Next story I want to get to this one quickly. Saturn's rings. Something is missing the rings up or one of them.

JERAS: Yes, yes, take a look at the images. They are really cool. This is the outer ring or "f" ring and there's half a mile white object that's tearing into the outer rings, what we call the "F" ring and there's about a half mile wide objects that's carrying into the outer rings and NASA has been trying to figure out what's been causing this. And they went back through old images and they found like at least 500 different cases of when this happened, so within this ring there are two moons, OK, and they have known that the moons have been out there this whole time, but as the moons move through that area, they create these big snowballs, and they think the snowballs are what's moving through the layer of ice and gas and dust and all that stuff creating these long debris trails or these mini jets as they call them. They can get up to like 100 miles long.

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: Interesting.

LEMON: Love to have those on my wall at home.

JERAS: All right.

LEMON: Last one speaking of space, I guess aircraft, yes, spacecraft, with the aircraft of the future will look like. Whose idea was this?

JERAS: Airplanes of the future from NASA actually. And NASA basically asked America's best aerospace engineers to come up with an idea, because, you know, airline travel is so expensive and not necessarily clean. So, they wanted fuel efficient. They want if cleaner, quieter airplanes and these are designs.

LEMON: hot.

JERAS: That people came up with.

LEMON: Hot, hot, that's hot.

JERAS: Aren't they - that's so cool.

LEMON: I want one.

JERAS: Picked the top three. This is cold the box wing jet by Lockheed Martin. It designed with the wings in the loop configuration because it increases lift.

This next one, get the name of this one, Supersonic green machine.

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: Do you love it? It's kind of like the old Concorde and reduces pollution by 75 percent. And that v-tail because it goes mach 1.6, it eliminate the sonic booms. You don't hear it. it such a beautiful thing. The last one there is called the sugar volt, a big name.

LEMON: It is sweet. Love those.

JERAS: May become reality.

LEMON: I miss the Concorde, too. Those are great.

Thank you, Jacqui Jeras, appreciate it. It's been a long weekend with some great stuff on the show.

Thanks everybody for watching.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Go to bed. Have a great week. Good night.