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Congress Looking into Security Leaks; Tommy Chong Has Cancer, Talks Marijuana Legalization; Does Sugar Deserve Bad Rap?; Pastor Creflo Dollar Denies Charges of Child Abuse; Baltimore Looks to Fill Empty Houses; Who Leaked National Security Info?
Aired June 10, 2012 - 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, I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us.
I'm going to start Creflo Dollar. You've heard his name. He says everybody has got it all wrong. Dollar is megachurch preacher with a giant congregation near Atlanta. He spent a few hours in jail on Friday, arrested for child cruelty, family violence, and battery. Dollar's daughter told police he punched her, he choked her, he threw her to the ground. And today, Creflo Dollar stood in his pulpit and said anyone who says he abused his daughter is lying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. CREFLO DOLLAR, MEGACHURCH PASTOR: The truth is she was not choked, she was not punched, there were not any scratches on her neck, but the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema. Anything else is an exaggeration and sensationalism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Nick Valencia is here. Something happened that police felt was enough to arrest him. So here is a question. He says somebody is lying. So who?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are two different versions.
LEMON: Somebody is trying to discredit him, so who? Are we watching a family spat or does someone have a real beef here with Creflo Dollar?
VALENCIA: Well, the point that he made in his service today was that it is tough in today's society to discipline a child. This is not 20 years ago. I got hit with a belt. I know that was part of a conversation we had out there. So this is an issue for him saying, how do you discipline a child in today's society?
He is saying the one side of the story that he did not rush his daughter, he did not trip his daughter, it was just a family dispute. Police are alleging something else. Now we want to make this clear, police were not involved before the 911 call, the 15-year-old daughter is who made the 911 call.
LEMON: OK. Nick, yes, right, we've talked about this, and I have talked about it with a number of other people. I don't know what happened, so I am not condoning anything that he did or she did. That's the family, only they know what is going on, and whatever the investigation turns out.
If I had said to -- apparently she wanted to go to a party.
VALENCIA: She did. And he says, you have bad grades, you can't go.
LEMON: You can't go. Now if I had said to my mom when I was a kid growing up, I want to go to a party, she says, you can't, I'm going to call police, she would have said, I am going to give you a reason to call police. And then she probably would have whipped me or whatever or sent me to my room and nobody would have called police or police would have came and said, she's your mom, do what she says, now go to your room.
VALENCIA: The action at question here though is his confrontation with his daughter. She tried to avoid confrontation and apparently, according to the incident report, went to the kitchen, tried to get away from her dad. He got into -- went into the kitchen and asked her, what is wrong, apparently he felt disrespected, and that's when he allegedly put his hands on his daughter.
LEMON: How old is she, 15?
VALENCIA: Fifteen. And the 19-year-old daughter witnessed all this. And what's interesting about this, Don, is that there are two statements that she gave police. One statement being poorly reflecting on the character of Creflo Dollar, and the other against the 15-year-old, saying that she was disrespecting her father.
LEMON: Yes. He is right. It's tough to raise in this environment, because, you know, it's an open hand, it's this, it's that, and there are people who are saying you should never strike a child. I don't know, I'm not a parent, but I know in my day, kids got spankings, but there is a difference between a beating and a spanking.
OK. And there is a -- where does it end? Who knows what the difference is?
VALENCIA: But this incident though does not seem to have affected any of his supporters, parishioners. His parishioners are supporting him.
LEMON: Remind me, who is he? He is a huge deal.
VALENCIA: He is what you call a "prosperity minister." Other familiar names you may know, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, and they preach that God rewards followers with material wealth and spiritual gifts.
LEMON: As I understand, though...
VALENCIA: He has got a big congregation.
LEMON: Oh, he has a huge congregation. He is up there. He is one of the most well-known megachurch pastors in the country. He got a standing ovation at his church. VALENCIA: He did. Let's take a listen to what he had to say there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... simplicity and understanding, he is a great father and husband.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I know this is a great man of god, him and his family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a 15-year-old daughter myself and if she needs discipline, that is what she will get. Case dismissed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you think for a second about not coming this week?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, no. And come on in and join us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So...
VALENCIA: There you have it.
LEMON: ... they are saying what I was saying. It's like, you know, I have a child, I know, kids are bad. So, who knows here? But again, he did get a standing ovation at his church. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So everyone wants to know, why is this such a big deal? Why is this a lead story? Look at all these people. These are just the people in the church.
VALENCIA: Thirty thousand-member congregation.
LEMON: In his church, but the people who follow him online, the people who listen to him, the people who look up to him, the people who believes his interpretation of religious doctrine, he has a flock and a following.
And if he is accused and is consequently found guilty of abusing a 15- year-old, that's a huge deal.
VALENCIA: He posted $5,000 bond. He did spend the night in jail though. This happened on Friday, early morning on Friday at 1:00 a.m. He did spend the night in jail. Now he is out.
LEMON: Whatever it is, though, as a family, let's hope they work it out themselves personally and then as far as the official investigation, we will follow on that. Nick Valencia, thank you. I want to follow up on a story that you brought to us yesterday as well right now.
Because I want to show you this video. Have you seen the video of this little boy being whipped with a belt in his backyard. We showed it last night here on CNN. It was Nick Valencia's story. We led with it. This is an elected official in Imperial County, California, hitting his stepson with the belt while the two of them are playing catch.
A neighbor videotaped it from next door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am having a (expletive deleted) problem with you for beating the (expletive deleted) out of him because he won't catch the (expletive deleted) ball.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know my son?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know your son. But I'm watching you. I'm a (expletive deleted) father, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the stepfather was arrested on felony child abuse charges. The boy's grandfather went on TV today and has mixed feelings about what he sees on this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY GRAMMAR, SANCHEZ'S FATHER-IN-LAW: I will say Anthony had excessive spanking. He spanked him a little, you know, too much. But Anthony, again, is in a very difficult situation. He is trying to be a stepfather for a child that has some behavioral issues, a child that I love dearly, like I said, that has blessed my life.
And on top of that, they have -- and this is all documented, Zack (ph) and my daughter, they are going behavioral counseling in California. And the first thing, they tried time out. They tried removing things. But -- and it is documented in his church, it's documented at school, when the spanking discipline has worked. It has helped his behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was the boy's grandfather on weekend "Today." And the boy's stepfather is out of jail after posting bail. Prosecutors will decide tomorrow whether they will formally file child abuse charges against him.
A ranging wildfire in Colorado has grown significantly in the last 24 hours, engulfing more than 14,000 acres. It is dubbed the High Park Fire. It is being fuelled by dry brush and high temperatures. Firefighters went door-to-door to make sure people got out safely, but some residents are not sure what they will come home to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't imagine that my house is there right now, to be honest with you. I really can't imagine that it is, from how close the fire was, and now I am not going to have a home. And I have no place to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It's fire there and water other places. By the way, I should tell you that fire officials say 18 structures have already been lost or damaged. Again, fire there, water other places.
More extreme weather, this on the Gulf Coast. Record amounts of rainfall for Alabama and Florida. Look at all that rain. And the worst is not over yet, believe it or not. Storms have drenched Escambia County, Florida, and a state of emergency has been declared there. People living in low-lying areas are being asked to evacuate because of flooding.
More than 20 inches of rain, 20 inches of rain fell in one day in some areas near Pensacola, and the rain is still coming down. We'll follow it for you.
I want to go to Alabama now. The intense manhunt for a gunman wanted for killing three people, including two former Auburn University football players. This is the man police are looking for, 22-year-old Desmonte Leonard. They also say they want to talk to two people they consider persons of interest.
This all went down last night at a party in an off-campus apartment. In addition to the three people killed, three others were wounded in the shooting including another Auburn player. One of the wounded is in critical condition right now. Former Auburn football player Edward Christian was the first victim found, the 20-year-old was dead at the scene.
A second former player, Ladarious Phillips, also 20, died at the hospital, as did another man, identified as Demario Pitts. The Auburn police chief this shooting has rocked the community to its core.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TOMMY DAWSON, AUBURN POLICE: This is a trying time because it's not only university students and athletes, but it's young people. It's six young people have been shot. And we're -- as you can tell, the community is shaken by this and grieving today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, of course they would be. Police say they consider Leonard to be armed and dangerous. They are not discussing a possible motive here, but they did say are not aware of a connection between the university and Leonard. They are not aware of a connection between the university and Leonard.
A major U.S. city is days away from declaring bankruptcy all because the state won't hand over tens of millions of dollars. Meantime, another major city has come up with a unique solution to resolve its housing crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Presidential candidate Mitt Romney once wrote an op-ed saying "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." Now the city of Detroit could actually go broke. That is according to Mayor Dave Bing and the city's chief financial officer. They say the city will run out of money on Friday. State officials are refusing to hand over $80 million owed to the city unless Detroit drops a lawsuit that would block the state from seizing control of the city's finances.
Detroit has already cut services, including street lights just to stay afloat. Tomorrow morning the mayor and city council will meet to try to avert the crisis.
Unemployment benefits are ending this month for tens of thousands of people who have been out of work long-term. Now here are the numbers. Latest labor report shows 12.7 million Americans are unemployed. Of those, more than 5 million have been out of work for at least six months. The average is actually around 40 weeks or about nine months. That's a long time, man.
Unemployment and underemployment, a big piece of the economic puzzle, housing is another one, Baltimore was hit hard by the housing bust. The city is dealing with a lot of vacant and abandoned homes. But it has decided to get proactive, encouraging perspective homeowners to come in and revitalize trouble spots.
Athena Jones explains now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joseph McCard grew up in Baltimore but later moved to the suburbs. Now he is back.
JOSEPH MCCARD, BALTIMORE RESIDENT: Baltimore has always been a great city for me.
JONES: Lured by an affordable and renovated home on a block not far from Johns Hopkins Medical School, his is a neighborhood in transition.
MCCARD: You are having pride coming back into the neighborhoods, you're also having assets returning. People are now paying taxes.
JONES: This street was once lined with abandoned homes. Several have now been rehabilitated through Baltimore's Vacants to Value program, an effort to address the city's 16,000 vacant homes.
MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE: We have these neighborhoods that need to know that there is hope, that there are people, you know, small developers and large developers that see value in them. And that's what we are seeing here.
JONES: Vacant homes are a problem nation-wide. The number of vacant properties jumped 51 percent to 10 million between 2000 and 2010. And 10 states saw an increase of 70 percent or more.
JAMES BROOKS, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES: Whether it's large urban centers or suburban communities or exurban communities, we're still seeing a lot of residual vacancies both from the economic downturn and job loss, and also from the foreclosure crisis.
JONES: Baltimore's program uses millions dollars in government money to make it easier for home-buyers and developers to buy vacant homes. It streamlines the sale of city-owned properties at prices as low as $1,000 and uses property laws to encourage absentee owners to rehab empty buildings.
RAWLINGS-BLAKE: This is long overdue in this community, and there are more communities like this in Baltimore.
JONES: The city has a long way to go. But Mayor Rawlings-Blake is hopeful. Her goal? To grow Baltimore by 10,000 families in the next decade.
McCard is hopeful too.
(on camera): What are your hopes for the area, you know, five years down the road, 10 years down the road?
MCCARD: We have 104 vacants in this community. I would like to see every one of them occupied with a home. I want them to come and be in this community, because we need more people.
JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, Baltimore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Athena, thank you. A new approach to take out Syria's government and end the attacks that have killed thousands, the main opposition group reorganizes but not in time to keep dozens from dying today.
Keep an eye on CNN on your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Syria's opposition is slowly getting its act together, but activists can't stop the killing that goes on every single day.
This is in Homs province where the sound of gunfire echoes in the streets. Activists say 16 people were killed in Homs today, at least 14 in other parts of the country. Outside Syria, the Syrian National Council named a Kurdish exile as its leader. He vowed that his country will one day be a free democratic state.
Back on terra firma and happy about that, Sarah Outen was rescued by Japanese coast guard officials Friday after a fierce storm disabled her boat in the Pacific. The British adventurer was aiming to be the first woman to kayak, bike, and row her way around the world, about 20,000 miles. She made it to -- pretty far, I should say. More than 11,000 miles. That's a long distance.
Plugging the leaks, is the president responsible for the alleged confidential and classified leaks from the White House? A top Republican senator says he is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The organ is not what it is about, it's about the performer. We have a whole community of American organists sort of saying to each other that we need to do something to promote the organ. And this is a ridiculous and a fruitless idea which is of course doomed to failure because you don't promote a medium any more than painters promote the paint in the tube.
We don't go to hear a cellist's cello or a rock guitarist's guitar, we go to hear them. And so naturally I want to continually try to reinvent myself. And there is a camp sensibility to that.
My name is Cameron Carpenter (ph), and my work is the playing of the organ in an unprecedented way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time to talk politics. The election is getting close, isn't it? Holding President Obama accountable, Senator John McCain told our Candy Crowley today the president needs to own up to leaks coming out of his White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I have no idea whether the president knew or did not know. I have never alleged such a thing. But I have alleged that if you look at the information that has been leaked, again, that information in the book says that several officials said that they had to remain anonymous who gave this information because they would lose their jobs.
The president may not have done it himself but the president is certainly responsible as commander-in-chief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So the senator was responding to several classified reports that were leaked from the White House. Some claim the leaks were done intentionally to make the president look tough in an election year. The White House flatly denies his claim and Attorney General Eric Holder said he has assigned two special prosecutors to investigate the issue.
So let's investigate right now. We're going to do it in a couple of minutes. There we go, with L.Z. Granderson, he's a CNN contributor, also senior writer to ESPN, that's not here in the copy, but we must say that. We must give you your accomplishment, sir.
Republican strategist Ana Navarro, hi, Ana. We missed you last night. How was the wedding, by the way?
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Don, everything was great, but I want you to add, and Heat fan Ana Navarro.
LEMON: Oh, that's right. OK. I forgot. Heat fan Ana Navarro.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, congratulations, Ana.
LEMON: Congratulations. Who are you going for, L.Z., quickly?
GRANDERSON: The Heat.
LEMON: OK, so you're both happy today? All right. Back to the subject at hand. I'm going to start with Anna. Should the president take responsibility for these leaks?
NAVARRO: Yes, Don. And the reason he should do it is because it's a national security issue. We're not talking a political issue. I saw a sight this week that you rarely see today in Washington. I saw the leadership, the head Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, of the Senate Intelligence Committee, together with the head Republican, Saxby Chambliss, together with the leadership, the Democrat and Republican leadership of the House getting together and saying this is a huge problem.
National security is at risk. The lives of people, of U.S. agents, the lives of people serving our country, is at risk. Our relationships with our allies are at risk. We must address this. When you see Republicans and Democrats get together, not only in the Senate but with their colleagues in the House, you know that this is serious and must be addressed.
LEMON: Well, L.Z., I was actually here anchoring live when they held that press conference after the meeting in Washington, and I said to our Dana Bash, Dana Bash asked the question about politicizing this in an election year. And it is hard to say that it is being politicized if you have people on both sides of the aisle saying, hey, this is a serious problem that needs to be investigated.
Do you think that the president has taken responsibility for this or has handled this properly?
GRANDERSON: Absolutely. And I don't see him ducking his administration. In fact, The New York Times had a story today in which it stated that the Obama administration has investigated leaks within its administration more than any other presidency.
So it is not as if he is taking this lightly at all. He understands the risk of that. He understands how important this is.
LEMON: L.Z.?
GRANDERSON: You know, my problem is just -- yes, sir.
LEMON: Hold on, stand by. Let me play you this sound bite and I'm going to let you continue because it's sort of -- it's sort of saying what you are saying. Here is the president. He says its personal to him. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mm-hmm. So, L.Z., I'm going to let you continue on, but if someone else in the White House did this, and that's (INAUDIBLE). And if the president had no idea then why should he take responsibility? But continue on with what you were saying.
GRANDERSON: Well, he should take responsibility because at the end of the day it's his responsibility, it's the Justice Department's responsibility to find out where these things came from, if not for his administration, then for the administrations after his. This is about the country, this isn't about a party.
The only real issue I have is just with, you know, the tone of Senator John McCain. You know, I have a lot of respect for the Senator, however, I feel as if he's trying to inject a sort of political angle with the way in which he is attacking the presidency, as if he is not ducking this.
He is not ducking this, he is taking responsibility.
LEMON: OK. Ana...
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: I don't agree with that. I know John McCain very well, and I can tell you that when it comes to issues of national security, when it comes to issues of freedom, when it comes to issues of the armed services and the people who risk their lives for this country, John McCain does not play politics. He doesn't play games.
He has been there himself. And for him I think that's as personal...
GRANDERSON: Are you kidding me?
NAVARRO: ... as it can get. No, I'm not.
GRANDERSON: Are you kidding me?
NAVARRO: No, I'm not.
GRANDERSON: John McCain plays as much politics as any politician can.
NAVARRO: Not with this.
GRANDERSON: Think about it --
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: -- L.Z., not with this. The American public knows --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANDERSON: His very first major decision, once he secured the nomination, was to pick his V.P. And he politicized that and put the country at risk by giving Sarah -- freaking -- Palin. So don't you tell me that John McCain would not be technical and political, even if it risked the health and security of this country? Picking Sarah Palin, not vetting her properly? That epitomizes politicizing something and risking national security.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: L.Z., Sarah was not --
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: Sarah was not --
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: Sarah Palin always comes up some kind of way.
(CROSSTALK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We've got to move on. We've got to move on.
NAVARRO: She is not talking about national security secrets.
LEMON: We have got to move on. I don't know how Sarah Palin comes up in these conversations. Very interesting.
NAVARRO: I don't know how Sarah Palin came up.
(LAUGHTER)
But that's a good strategy.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: It's 2008 all over again. It's 2008 all over again.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: It's all about --- let's move on and talk about money. Done with that. And in this case, we are talking about Euros, one billion Euros. That's $125 billion to you and me. We don't have that much money. It has been promised to bail out Spain.
President Obama said this week that Europe has some money problems. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right now, one concern is Europe, which faces a threat of a new recession as countries deal with a financial crisis.
In the short term, they have got to stabilize their financial system, and part of that is taking clear action as soon as possible to inject capital into weak banks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I need negative 10 seconds from you, Ana. You guys have chatted so much, we're over.
So shouldn't we be --
(LAUGHTER)
-- seriously cleaning up out own house?
NAVARRO: If I was Europe, that's what I would be thinking. I would be saying, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
That being said, Obama is right. Europe needs to clean up their own house. They are going to do it and they're doing it themselves. They have gotten themselves into trouble and they are the ones that have to get it out.
What we can't have is Barack Obama blaming our problems on Europe. He spent three years blaming it on Bush and now he is blaming it on Europe.
LEMON: L.Z.?
GRANDERSON: You can't blame problems on Europe. It's part of the problem. It's inherent. We are no longer able to say we are living in vacuums. Everybody's economy connects to everyone else's. What happens to Europe directly affects what happens to the United States and vice versa.
LEMON: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: Surely, Sarah Palin must have some responsibility here.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: It's all Sarah Palin's fault.
(LAUGHTER)
It's all Bush, Obama and Palin's fault.
GRANDERSON: I'm just saying, you said he didn't politicize national security risk issues --
LEMON: OK.
GRANDERSON: -- and he brings a girlfriend to be out V.P. presidency. LEMON: All right, all right, it's over. Kumbaya
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We're good, L.Z.
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: The man got hung by his thumbs for five years, L.Z. The man got hung by the thumbs for five years.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: L.Z. is always stirring up stuff.
GRANDERSON: I have a great deal of respect for him.
LEMON: All right, you guys keep talking.
GRANDERSON: A great deal of respect.
LEMON: I'm gone. Thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
Actor Tommy Chong makes an announcement about his health right here on CNN. They're still talking. And he tells us why he believes his time in prison may be the reason that he now has cancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The storybook right here on the Don Lemon show on Saturday night. Just this weekend, Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, announced to us he has cancer. I spoke with Chong just last night and we were going to talk about the legalization of marijuana issue and what's happening in New York this week. But then he told me this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: "The" Tommy Chong is here.
Tommy, good to see you.
We brought you in to talk about this New York State, about lessening the laws for possession in public, but you have an announcement to make. What is it?
TOMMY CHONG, CHEECH & CHONG: My announcement is that I was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a month ago. And I am going to start treating it with cannabis oil or hemp oil or pot oil. And the reason I am treating it with hemp oil is because I looked at a video just recently called "Run From the Cure" by Rick Simpson, and it documents how he cured his melanoma cancer by using hemp oil.
LEMON: You believe that -- you think that you got prostate cancer in prison after the paraphernalia and the company, the Internet company selling the bongs. This was 2003. You think that you got it in prison? Why?
CHONG: That's my feeling. Because I was totally healthy when I went in jail and I had not smoked pot before I went in jail. While I was in jail, I was clean as a whistle because they drug tested me almost every day. And I started having problems with my prostate. Right there. And I remember very well, because when you have problems, you have to get up in the middle of the night and pee a lot. And I also contracted gout while in prison from the food. I think it is a combination of the food and the fact that the prison itself in Taft, California, is built over a toxic waste dump. They have a thing called Valley Fever that other prisoners were getting. And they don't even know what it was. It is some sort of wasting disease. I think I got it there.
LEMON: You have not smoked pot in how long? People think you are a pot head. But you haven't smoked pot in --
CHONG: No. Well, I layed off for about a year, you know. When I started getting weird health issues, which actually turned out to be prostate cancer. So I did everything. I'm a very holistic person. I went on the juices and everything, low red meat and the whole bit. But now that I found out that the hemp oil will help the prostate, hey, I'm back.
LEMON: Do you think people are shortsighted because many people have an issue with it morally? Do you think that people are being shortsighted about, especially what marijuana can do to you as it compares to alcohol and other drugs? And also what it means economically? Should we, meaning the country as a whole, the leaders, be looking at regulating marijuana as a way to help to boost this economy?
CHONG: Actually, I am against it. I think it's -- leave it the way it is. I mean, we don't need more taxes. We don't need to be taxing something like they are doing with tobacco. I mean, because, again, where does that money -- where does the tax money go? It runs into a black hole called the government.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I think that people are going to be surprised that you don't think it should be legalized. Let's get this straight. You don't think pot should be legalized?
CHONG: No, I don't think it should be taxed.
LEMON: You don't think it should be taxed?
CHONG: I think it should be totally -- it should be totally legal. Yes, but it shouldn't be taxed.
LEMON: Why? How can you legalize it and regulate it and then not tax it? Most things that are regulated --
(CROSSTALK)
CHONG: Because, all you have to do is decriminalize it. Just take away the penalty. We don't need a system of who we're going buy it from. We've got growers that we buy it from. We got people that deal it that will come to your house. We don't need a government regulation to tell us, this is good pot, that's bad pot. We don't need any of that. We have got everything in place. Just take away the penalties.
LEMON: Tommy Chong. Thank you so much. Thank you for being candid with us about prostate cancer and telling our viewers in that exclusive here on CNN. And we wish you the very best, OK?
CHONG: Thank you. And I want to come back when I'm cured and let you know how it went, OK?
LEMON: Yes. We will have you back.
CHONG: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Stay well, Tommy Chong.
In Colombia, horrific attacks against women. Horrific attacks. Splashed with a toxic acid that leaves them scarred for life. And now these attacks are becoming more common.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A warning for you. The images we are about to show you are going be disturbing.
The scars are both physical and psychological as well. Victims of acid attacks having to live with the trauma. And in Colombia, reports of an alarming rise in these types of attacks against women.
Reporter Toby Nues (ph) has more now from Bogota.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
TOBY NUES (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In January, Luce Suevuentez (ph) opened her front door as she set out for work. A man was waiting outside. He tossed acid in her face.
LUCE SUEVUENTEZ (ph), ATTACKED WITH ACID (through translation): I couldn't recognize him. His face was covered up. He didn't say anything so I can't recognize his voice. I don't know who he cough been because I don't have enemies.
NUES (ph): But she forgives him.
SUEVUENTEZ (ph) (through translation): I forgive them but I want this person to face justice. These types of attacks can't keep happening. NUES (ph): Acid attacks are on the rise in Colombia. They seem to be linked to relationships gone wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lately, we have seen an increase in these assaults that always are against young beautiful women. It's always a boyfriend, a lover, or a person with a grudge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: CNN international's Azadeh Ansari, going beyond the headlines here.
Beautiful women. You saw the pictures. Gorgeous women. This appears to be scorned lovers who were scorned or spurned and they are upset right?
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Activists and doctors are calling these crimes of passion. You have ex lovers, husbands, boyfriends committing these acid attacks on their girlfriends, wives, what have you, because they are jealous or trying to seek revenge. This is what we're seeing as a result surge that we're seeing in Colombia.
ANSARI: It's a surge. We have seen it in other countries -- India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan. We have seen it.
ANSARI: In those south Asian countries, absolutely. That is where we see the highest rates and continue to see the highest rates. 80 percent of the perpetrators are men. Thought, in Cambodia, for example, women commit acid attacks on women mostly. Why? Because it's the women who are jealous of their husbands taking on a lover or having affairs, so that is where we are seeing women-on-women acid attacks. Most recently, last month, we saw in Pakistan the man who was attacked by his wife because she wanted to get a divorce from him and he said, no, I'm not going to divorce you.
LEMON: Depending on the country, it's different ramifications for committing these crimes. Do they go unpunished largely or --
ANSARI: Well, in the case -- let's go back -- it depends on the country. Even though internationally, it's -- you can't do it. It's illegal. However, it depends on the country. In the case of Colombia, they're saying, we are seeing such a surge that a group of lawmakers have come together and introduced a bill that put a tougher punishment on those individuals who commit these crimes, up to 20 years in prison. And they're also providing -- they want to provide better medical care for the victims as well as making it harder to buy the acid in the first place.
LEMON: OK, Thank you. Good stuff.
I can't talk all the time on TV, so --
(LAUGHTER)
Whose mouth? Did they get somebody else's mouth? This isn't working. Thank you, Azadeh.
ANSARI: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Let's hope they get a handle on this terrible thing.
Thank you.
Something that is in your house, probably on your table, got quite a beating from the mayor of New York City and some others as well. We're talking about sugar, public enemy number one, and whether it deserves the bad rap, next.
And also keep an eye on your phone. Keep an eye on us on your phone as well. You don't have to be just in front of the television. Go to CNN/live for your laptop and on your phone at CNN.com/live
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, I want to you take a look at this. Do you see this right here? This is sugar. This is the amount of sugar that is in 20 ounces of regular soda. Did you know that? Right? All right. So more about sugary soda in a second, but sugar is having one hell of a bad week. It's already blamed for child obesity and diabetes and tooth decay. This week, the mayor of New York City came out strong with a proposal to ban the sale of large-size soft drinks that contain sugar.
Even this guy is fighting against sugar and we can all agree he knows a thing of two about drugs. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHONG: Let's face facts. The worst drug on the planet today, in my estimation, is sugar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: All right, Mark MacDonald is here. He's a nutritionist, author and fitness training.
You just heard Tommy Chong, who is not well-known for coming out against most substances. He loves his pot. Is that an absurd statement about sugar? Is it? Or maybe it is the most dangerous substance on the street.
MARK MACDONALD, NUTRITIONIST, AUTHOR & FITNESS TRAINER: Sugar is how our body creates energy, so whenever -- when we look at how we breath, how our heart beats, we need sugar. It's not about you can't have sugar. It's how can you balance out your sugar levels.
LEMON: Is it the abuse of sugar, the overuse of sugar. Maybe the mayor agrees that it's one of the most dangerous substances on the street. MACDONALD: When you look at soda, soda is full of sugar. That spikes your blood sugar and that makes you store fat.
LEMON: OK. I'm looking at -- I want to do this.
MACDONALD: OK.
LEMON: Talk about the large soft drinks ban. What's the opinion on -- this is a 42-ounce. That's pretty big. That is giant. We don't realize that. This is a 32-ounce. So from the fitness community, from the nutrition community, what do they think about what Bloomberg is doing?
MACDONALD: I'm personally not a fan of regulating whether people can have soda or not. Is soda great for you? Of course, not. It's full of chemicals. It spikes your blood sugar levels. But I think it's education. So I don't think it's Bloomberg coming in and saying they're going to make it -- you can't get that large soda. I think we need to educate people on how to do that.
LEMON: You're saying you can drink it? Because you always tell me, drink water, Don. Drink water, Don.
(LAUGHTER)
Cut out the sugary substances.
MACDONALD: I don't think regular soda is the best choice. I think diet soda is a better choice. Overall, I don't think soda is your best choice. But I'm not a big fan of "you can't have stuff." I think we need to educate. I just came from the American Diabetes Association, the scientific sessions, and we talked directly about blood sugar.
LEMON: I want to talk about this tweet.
Do we have the tweet from Bloomberg up?
More than half of NYC adults, 58 percent, are overweight or obese. Then he says, "We're doing something about it." That's what he's saying. He's being criticized about it. I get what he's saying. When he says he wants people to think about it before they just get a drink.
MACDONALD: Don, that's not what's causing obesity. Soda and having someone drink a large soda is not causing obesity. People are not understanding food. Sugar is how our body creates energy, so you have to understand how to stabilize your blood sugar.
LEMON: Let's go through all this, all right?
MACDONALD: OK.
LEMON: Sugar is in just everything. We don't even realize we're getting it.
MACDONALD: An apple is pure sugar.
(CROSSTALK)
MACDONALD: Your body breaks this down. Grapes are pure sugar. Oatmeal, brown rice, it's all broken down to sugar. What you have to do is, every meal needs to have a balance of sugar, which is a carbohydrate; protein, which could be turkey, string cheese, yogurt; and then some fat, which could be nuts. That keeps your blood sugar stable just like a baby.
LEMON: I know.
MACDONALD: Just like a baby. A baby feeds every three or four hours. A balance of protein packed carbs, same calories per meal.
LEMON: I know that. When I first started with you, I wasn't fat. I wasn't lean. Everybody says, what did you do, you look 20 years younger. I just started eating right. And you lose weight. You lose that little layer of fat that you have, right? You can eat these things but you have to be balanced about it, right?
MACDONALD: Exactly. My son, Hunter, you know he loves Skittles. Skittles is pure sugar. But by him having a slice of string cheese before that, with the Skittles, it stabilizes the sugar. I'm not saying soda is great for you, but what I'm saying is it's all about moderation and education.
LEMON: When you drink a 30-ounce soda, you might as well take some water and this, because that's how much sugar you're taking in. Many people drink more than that in one day.
MACDONALD: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We missed you.
MACDONALD: I missed you, man.
LEMON: We need a workout.
They're like, got to go. We're going, we're going.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you, Mark MacDonald.
MACDONALD: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: See you.
How to eat healthy when you're ordering out at fast-food places.
MACDONALD: Yes.
LEMON: That's our next theme. Ipads. Apparently, they're so easy to use, even an ape can get it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: IPads, so easy, apes can use them. It turns out they are.
CNN's John Zarrella found some orangutans moving well past tree swinging and banana peeling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet the orangutans at Miami's Jungle Island. There are six here. Some are young. And some are --well, let's just say some are getting long in the tooth.
LINDA JACOBS, MIAMI'S JUNGLE ISLAND: Let me see those teeth. Let me see them. Open. Open. Stay open. Open again. Those are beautiful.
ZARRELLA: And just like many of us, the kids love playing with new gadgets. The older ones, Sinbad, and Connie, not so much.
JACOBS: Those two have no interest in it. These four can't get enough of it. They understand. It's just like they catch on. And Connie and Sinbad just sort of look at it as if to say, what is this new-fangled thing?
ZARRELLA: This new-fangled thing is an iPad. For a year now, they've been drawing and painting on it. Most recently, they've been identifying symbols. The app called Tap to Talk shows a group of symbols like banana and peanut. The orangutan has to pick out the right one.
JACOBS: Can you touch the peanut? The peanut?
ZARRELLA (on camera): Peanuts.
JACOBS: Good girl.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Caregivers say they are amazed that there seems to be no end to their ability to learn. And the iPad is another way to stimulate them to enrich their lives.
JACOBS: They're so underestimated in their intelligence. There is no limit to what they can learn.
ZARRELLA: These great apes may be smarter than chimpanzees, says Patti Ragan, founder of the Center for Great Apes Sanctuary in Central Florida.
Here, too, the iPad is used to enrich the sanctuary's 15 orangutans --
PATTI RAGAN, FOUNDER, CENTER FOR GREAT APES SANCTUARY: Good job.
ZARRELLA: -- and to raise awareness to their plight. There are, according to the World Wildlife Fund, only 53,000 or so left in the wild. RAGAN: Habitat destruction is leading to the deaths of probably 2,000 to 3,000 orangutans in the wild a year right now.
ZARRELLA: The work with the orangutan intelligence is working beyond just recognizing symbols. They're Skyping. Yes, you heard me right. Using the iPad 2, a zoo in Milwaukie and one in Toronto carried out the experiment.
JACOBS: They're interested in seeing each other in real time. They recognize it's not just a recording, that it's actually real time.
ZARRELLA: Back at Jungle Island, 14-year-old Hanna has taken a shine to me, letting me brush her hair and then returning the favor. So maybe she'll play the iPad game with me.
(on camera): Touch mango.
No, huh?
Come on. Where's the mango? Where's mango?
She actually did it. She absolutely did it. She is amazing. I'm amazed.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
