Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Rodney King Dead at 47; Interview with Documentary Filmmaker Larry Spann; China's First Manned Space Docking, First Female Astronaut; Elections Results from Greece; President Obama to Attend G20 Summit

Aired June 17, 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. It is a very busy day. We want to get you up to speed on today's big story.

First up, Rodney King, a man whose beating by Los Angeles police sparks riots 20 years ago, has been found dead in his swimming pool. Police in Rialto, California received a 911 call from King's fiancee and found him at the bottom of the pool. There were no preliminary signs of foul play. The acquittal of L.A. police officers seen beating King on videotape sparked days of rioting and looting that left more than 50 people dead, and in just moments we're going to have a live report from King's home in Rialto, California.

Election day in Greece to tell you about. Results are in, and now we wait to see how global markets will react tomorrow. The center right party got the most votes today. That's the party that pushed for a European bailout and to stay in the Euro zone. It is complicated, but you need to know why this election has big impact on our economy right here in the United States. We're going to go live to Athens in a moment as well.

Election results not so clear in Egypt. Polls are now closed there after two days of voting for president. Voting wrapped up today in a runoff that will elect the first post-revolution president of Egypt and the first leader other than Hosni Mubarak in nearly 30 years. Official results are to be announced on Thursday.

Jerry Sandusky's defense will present its case this week possibly starting tomorrow. His attorney is expected to argue the former Penn State defensive coordinator suffers from a disorder called histrionic personality disorder. It is a disorder involving low self-esteem that requires approval from other people. Sandusky is charged with 52 counts of molesting ten boys for more than a decade.

His brutal videotape beating at the hands of police fundamentally changed Los Angeles and opened up a whole new race dialogue here in America. Today, Rodney King was found dead at his California home. His fiancee discovered him at the bottom of the pool early this morning. Police say there were no obvious signs of trauma to his body, no outward signs of injury. Rodney King found dead suddenly early this morning at the age of 47. And CNN's Paul Vercammen is live at the King home in Rialto, California. And Paul, I'm very familiar with that home and that neighborhood. What a shock to everyone out there! PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Don. They are absolutely stunned here. As you know, Rodney King considered a good neighbor and a friendly person and someone who, you know, they knew to be -- give them a hearty wave and that sort of thing. And what police say to us is shortly after 5:00 Rodney's fiancee heard a splash in the pool. She herself is described as not a great swimmer. She tried valiantly to pull his body out of the pool. That did not happen. She called 911. Police arrived before paramedics. Two officers dove into the pool with their full gear on. They pulled out the body of Rodney King, they were unsuccessful in trying to revive him, Don. And when you talk to neighbors around here, they are absolutely saddened and stunned. Let's listen to what one neighbor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB CARLBERG, NEIGHBOR: I was shocked.

VERCAMMEN: Because?

CARLBERG: Because of who it was. I thought, you know, he was one of those persons that, you know, would always be around. He's one of the icons that you would look up to because when -- with the L.A. riots, he's the one that actually really stopped them, I think, by telling everybody can we all just get along? Everybody just started getting along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And now back here live. Rodney King dead here, and police say absolutely no signs whatsoever of foul play. There was talk that perhaps there was a party here last night, but they say so far no indications that alcohol or drugs or anything else was involved, and that's the latest here from the scene, Don. Back to you.

LEMON: All right. Paul Vercammen, thank you very much. I want to bring in CNN producer Stan Wilson, who is also on the scene there with Paul Vercammen in front of the home. Stan and I did a documentary on Rodney King just about a year ago at that very home, and, Stan, Rodney King, his fiancee, Cynthia Kelly, they were very protective of their privacy and that home, and they didn't -- they don't usually allow people into the home which is why we -- when we -- but they allowed us and we were able to get the videotape around the pool where Rodney King was found dead. Were you able to talk at all to Cynthia today?

STAN WILSON, CNN PRODUCER: I did. It was early this morning, and she was extremely distraught. And just very much unable to compose herself and understandably so. She was a protective figure for Rodney King, and also an integral part of his life, especially during this recovery process. And, you know, when we were preparing for our documentary "Race and Rage." It was quite unusual for him to allow us into their lives because they are so protective. He was joyous to have Cynthia in his life, and she was very grateful to be able to help someone who had been tormented. Rodney King was a -- gentle -- had a gentle heart, but a tormented soul because of his struggle with addiction. LEMON: You know, and Rodney King, his fiancee, they will tell you, listen, Rodney is not an angel. He said himself, I'm not an angel. I'm not a role model. He was just someone who did something silly, as he said, he wouldn't be -- shouldn't have been speeding. He admitted to us for the first time just how fast he was going that night, Stan, and he said, listen, people should not look at me as a role model. We don't want to make Rodney King out to be an angel here, but he never set out to be an example for anyone in his life.

WILSON: Absolutely. And he was candid about what happened. He acknowledged speeding, and -- but during his account of what happened when he brought you to the scene, which he hadn't visited in 20 years ...

LEMON: Right.

WILSON: His story was pretty much consistent about what happened 20 years ago. And the other part of it, which was a part of his recovery process, Don, is that he forgave the officers after all these years ...

LEMON: Right.

WILSON: ... and wanted to move on with his life.

LEMON: Yeah, he said why hold onto that. He told us -- he told us in the interview, he goes why hold onto that. He said, I have nightmares, Stan and Don, you know, but why hold onto that anger and that rage? What good is that going to do? And I'm glad, Stan, that you bring that up because for the first time in 20 years, he did go back to the scene and in a sense he re-enacted that hellish night to us, and we were all surprised when he got on the ground and started telling us what to do, all of us, you, the producer, photographer, we were all in shock at his display there.

WILSON: Yes. And it was consistent, and the other aspect about his life, Don, is his daily routine, to help him recover from the injuries, he had suffered not only from the physical injuries, but signs of arthritis. And his workouts were in that swimming pool were daily routines ...

LEMON: Yes.

WILSON: ... and when he walked us through and shared with us those moments, he reminded us all that not only was he struggling with the physical part of it, but this was part of his therapy for addiction.

LEMON: Right.

WILSON: And -- tragically, Cynthia was there at that part of it, and she certainly felt helpless, but overall Rodney King had a lot of redeeming qualities, and over those 20 years he worked hard on that part of his life.

LEMON: All right, Stan Wilson and Paul Vercammen, thank you very much. We appreciate it. During my interview with Rodney King, we went back to the scene of that police beating as we just said moments ago, and you can see that interview in its entirety tonight. It is a part of our special CNN presents "Race and Rage: the Beating of Rodney King," 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

It is all Ohio all the time for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. He is making multiple stops today. Day three of his five-day bus tour. He's arriving in Troy this hour with Ohio senator Rob Portman, a potential running mate. House Speaker John Boehner is there welcoming them to his home district, and earlier, Romney made his strongest statements yet on the president's surprise shift on immigration policy. He told CBS today that the president's decision is rooted in hopes of political gain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What the president did, he should have worked on this years ago if he felt seriously about this. He should have taken action when he had a Democrat House and Senate, but he didn't. He saves these sort of things until four and a half months before the general election.

BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS CORRESPONDENT: Why do you think he did that?

ROMNEY: Well, I think the timing is pretty clear. If he really wanted to make a solution that dealt with these kids or with illegal immigration in America, then this is something he would have taken up in his first three and a half years, not in his last few months.

SCHIEFFER: So he did it for politics?

ROMNEY: Well, that's certainly a big part of the equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Romney would not say if he would definitely repeal the president's policy shift, only that he would look for more long-term solutions to the problem of illegal immigration.

There is a winner in the Greece elections, and we're paying close attention to politics there because it has a huge impact on our economy here in the U.S. Live report from Athens is next.

And moments from now President Obama departs for Mexico for the G20 Summit. World leaders meeting there are being urged to stick together to address Europe's debt crisis. A live report from Mexico is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Much more than usual we're paying attention to politics in Greece, that's because what's happening there has an enormous impact right here in the states on our economy. It's election day in Greece, and, yes, people voted for members of parliament, but they really voted for the future of Europe's common currency, the Euro. Whether to keep it or potentially throw it out. Richard Quest in Athens right now. So, Richard, do we have some results in this election? What can you tell us? RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we do have a result, and the result is that New Democracy, the party that's to the center right, has garnered the most votes, and tomorrow will probably be invited to form a government. But they didn't get enough seats in parliament for an absolute majority, so they will be looking, Don, to form a coalition, and that's where it gets really interesting because who they form a coalition with, the terms of that coalition, and ultimately going back to their European partners to ask for a little bit more time to pay bills and debts. The core point tonight to take away from Greece is, I think, that the country has taken one step back, a sizable step back, from the edge of the cliff that could have taken them out of the Euro.

LEMON: Richard, can you talk about the markets? That's everyone is wondering about here, the impact on the markets. Does this raise confidence that the Euro zone is safe for now?

QUEST: All right. I'm just looking on the screen at the moment. And we've got about another hour or so before Asia starts trading, which is where we would get a good indication. If I look at currencies, you're seeing a little bit of support for the Euro, the pound has weakened a bit. I mean, by and large, yes, I would expect to see at least a relief that things haven't gone as bad as they could have done ...

LEMON: Yes.

QUEST: But, you know, like Scotch mist, Don, the question is how quickly it evaporates. If the New Democracy don't put a government together fast, if they don't all seem to agree, I promise you we're back to the races. So the next 36 hours from a market point of view does become rather crucial.

LEMON: You said it was a significant or a sizable step back from the cliff. So, how close were we seeing the Euro zone break apart here, Richard? If that had happened, how would that have impacted the world markets? That would not have been good.

QUEST: No, I don't think the Euro zone would have fallen apart. I think Greece would have left and there would have been volatility and there would have been disruption, and that is exactly the one thing President Obama does not want. You know, when he gave his press conference recently and specifically addressed the Europeans on a Friday afternoon, you know, one thought this is very unusual, but put it into context. The U.S. economy at two, 2.1, 1.9 whatever it's growing at two percent, people take, that level, the slightest disruption from an external force such as the Euro zone could have a very serious effect. It could literally blow the thing off course. Which is why President Obama is worried about it, Ben Bernanke is worried about it, Tim Geithner is worried about it, and now they're not -- they are not shy in telling Europe to sort it out.

LEMON: OK. So it can -- I guess we can take a deep breath, everyone, but are we really out of the woods yet as far as this debt crisis in Europe is concerned?

QUEST: No.

LEMON: No?

QUEST: No, absolutely not. You still got problems of banks. This is about the banks, Don. Now, Spain has started a recap, but there is no -- a recapitalization of banks, but there's more to be done, and we still don't know just how many -- you know, if you were to dig down into the sewers of many of Europe's banks in Germany, in France, in Italy, just what nasties you would find there. And until they have really got the drains up, as we used to say where I came from, got the drains up and really find out what's going on, the banks will be the big problem. Things are easier today, but be under no illusion, it's still nail-biting.

LEMON: Richard Quest in Athens. Thank you, sir, I appreciate it.

President Obama puts his own re-election campaign on hold this week. He will spend tomorrow and Tuesday in Los Angeles -- Cabos, in Los Cabos, excuse me, Mexico, for the G20 Summit. For world leaders the economy is issue number one there, but it is not the only one as our Dan Lothian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Eurozone crisis has rattled world markets, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty. Greece, Spain, and Italy remain the hotspots, driving concerns in the U.S. over what that instability will mean for its own slow economic recovery.

LAEL BRAINARD, UNDER SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: Euro area fragility remains the key risk to our recovery and to the global economy. Europe is our largest export market, so weaker demand in Europe means weaker job growth here at home.

LOTHIAN: President Obama views trade as a key component of domestic job creation and an overall boost for world economies. As leaders meet in Mexico to discuss the crisis and global partnerships, no major decisions or solutions are expected, but Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. is already delivering a reality check.

ARTHURO SARUKHAN, MEXICAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: I say this quite bluntly, look at past G20 Summits. Everyone leaves the summit, promising to not create artificial barriers to trade. Five seconds after everyone has left the G20 Summit, half of the countries in the G20 is erecting trade barriers. It's sort of walking the walk besides talking the talk.

LOTHIAN: But other pressing issues are also on the agenda as President Obama meets on the sidelines with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Mexico's President, Felipe Calderon and for the first time with newly elected Russian President Vladimir Putin. That face-to- face encounter will be closely watched because a Cold War-style atmosphere has been re-emerging of late. The biggest point of contention, Russia's refusal to strongly condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or call for his ouster amid ongoing government sanctioned violence. BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Syria, of course, has been a point of difference between the United States and Russia over the course of last several months. However, we have been working to see if we can move forward in a common position through the international community in support of a political transition within Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Dan Lothian joins me now from Los Cabos, Mexico, where the summit begins tomorrow. Dan, you said there in your piece all eyes will be on Vladimir Putin. This is important because of the tension in Russia.

LOTHIAN: It really will, you know, many people are talking about what this rift, if you will, will do to the relationship, the reset that the U.S. has had with Russia. The White House downplaying that, saying at the time that this reset got under way, it was clear that the U.S. would not see eye to eye with Russia on everything, but they say there are other issues such as the role that Russia has played in allowing or enabling U.S. troops to move supplies into Afghanistan remains key. They point to the new START Treaty. So, they believe that this restart still remains intact, although there are clear differences between what the U.S. and what Russia believe should be happening in Syria.

LEMON: All right, Dan Lothian, in a beautiful Los Cabos, Mexico. Thank you very much, Dan.

The president seems to have a new strategy when it comes to Congress. If you can't beat them, don't join them, simply do nothing. The politics of perpetual inaction, that's next.

You don't have to be in front of a television to watch CNN. You can stay connected, you can do it on your cell phone, or you can do it from your computer at work. Just go to CNN.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The president makes a surprise announcement on immigration policy, then he gets heckled in the Rose Garden, and his move spotlights an emerging White House strategy. Two topics sure to get smart responses from CNN contributors Will Cain and Maria Cardona. I have to tell you, Maria, we're having a technical problem with Will. Do we have Will now? Will Cain is there. We were going to try --

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I'm here.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yay.

LEMON: He can hear now. OK. So we were going to have this conversation without you.

CAIN: No, no, no. I'm here. You need me for this. You need me for this. LEMON: Just messing with you. All right, so I am going to start with Maria first, though. So, Maria, you know the story, the president's shifting immigration rules so that certain young people who came here with their parents can avoid deportation. The criticism is that he could have done this three years ago. He could have done this at any time. This is all about political gain and support among Hispanics. And I say to that, OK, the big surprise is what?

CARDONA: Well, he would have loved to do this three years ago or at any time before now, Don, but what happened? Absolutely zero support from any Republican in Congress to help him do this. Let's remember, he cannot change the laws or pass laws by himself. Democrats can't do it by themselves. He needs Republicans.

Let's remember, in 2010 he famously tried to pass the DREAM Act. He called Republican senators asking them for their support on this. You know how many voted for it then? Three.

LEMON: Maria --

CARDONA: He needs help on this.

LEMON: I understand what you're saying, but you can't say this isn't about politics. Of course it's about politics, he wants to be the president again.

CARDONA: Look, Don, if the president yawns during an election year --

LEMON: I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but shouldn't we just be honest about it?

CARDONA: -- people will say he's trying to get the votes of sleepy voters. But look, you asked why didn't he do this three years ago? I answered the question. He would have loved to, but what happens when you are really trying to do the right thing -- and, again, it's never the wrong time to do the right thing -- and all you come up with is absolute obstruction? You use the tools at your disposal, and that's what he's done.

LEMON: Maria, I'm not disagreeing with you on any of this.

CAIN: We know--

LEMON: I'm just saying that it's all about politics, so why pretend it's not? There is nothing wrong with saying yes.

CARDONA: I'm not pretending it's not. I'm saying that everything he does this year is going to be looked at through the prism of politics.

CAIN: We know what happens -- Maria asked, we know what happens when your policy goals meet a stone wall of inaction through the democratic process. We now know the answer to that question, and we have numerous examples to support our conclusion.

The president then picks and chooses which laws he will support, which laws he will enforce -- that's the word to use, enforce -- because that's the power granted to the president through the Constitution, to enforce the law.

We now know the president will pick and choose which of those laws he chooses to enforce. And listen here, Maria, I hope we could have this conversation with no partisanship. This lays a precedent regardless of who the president is, regardless of what party he comes from, that should terrify everyone, should terrify everyone.

LEMON: Listen, OK, I'm going to ask both of you this. And everyone is saying it's no secret that people believe that there is inaction in Congress and in Washington, that nothing is getting done. So if the president can figure out a way of getting it done -- hang on, Maria, Will, what's wrong with that? If you are being stonewalled every place you turn, and you figure out a way to get something done regardless of which party you're from, what's wrong with that if you can figure out a way to do it?

CAIN: Well, Don, what you're suggesting is the democratic process is now being insufficient to accomplish your policy goals. The president basically has two outs on not enforcing a congressional law, a law passed by Congress through the democratic process. One, if he sees the law as unconstitutional. There's nothing here, there's no serious argument about whether or not this is constitutional, whether or not our immigration laws are constitutional.

The second is prosecutorial discretion, which usually means we as the executive branch don't have the money to pursue a certain criminal. It does not mean we will invalidate an entire law. This does not fit into either precedent, and you really -- honestly, you have to ask yourself this. Maria has to wonder, what happens if a President Mitt Romney decides I don't like the capital gains tax rate, so I'm not going to use the IRS to prosecute those who don't pay their taxes? Or I don't like Obamacare, so I'm not going to use the IRS to prosecute those that don't pay the fines in Obamacare for not buying the mandated insurance? You start asking these questions.

LEMON: Let her answer. Go ahead.

CARDONA: First of all, let's tell truth here. This is not an absolute decree, and the president has said this very clearly. This is still a case by case review of each case that comes before them. It is, like you said, will, prosecutorial discretion, which the president has under the law. So he is not basically ignoring anything.

CAIN: No. That's not true.

CARDONA: He's using the authority that he has under current law to do a case by case review of each of these kids --

CAIN: That's not true, Maria.

CARDONA: Who by the way, have done nothing -- have done nothing wrong of their own doing. And by the way, you're right, this actually has been done before. Bush famously, when he signed legislation, would include statements basically saying if he didn't like pieces of law, he wasn't going to enforce it. CAIN: Let me respond to that, please.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I can't let you respond.

CARDONA: It's never the wrong time to do the right thing.

LEMON: On that subject, that's going to have to be the end of that, but I do want to have -- I do want to ask you guys this very quickly, because we're over our time here. What happened at the White House with the heckler on Friday? Over the line, Will, yes or no?

CAIN: Yes, yes, I guess. We've got to treat our politicians aggressively with questions, but balance that against respect. So, yes, I wouldn't have done it. And I can only speak for myself.

LEMON: OK. And Maria?

CARDONA: Absolutely over the line, Don. No question about it.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, guys. I wish we had more time, but we had some developing news.

CAIN: We need to talk about that issue. It's a big issue.

CARDONA: Yes. Let's do it, absolutely.

LEMON: And we will. You guys are always on CNN, all over, I'm sure you'll get a chance somehow on this 24-hour news network to talk about it.

CARDONA: Thanks, Don.

CAIN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Not the last opportunity. Thank you very much.

Remembering Rodney King. The man at the center of the worst race riots this country has ever endured. He was found dead in his swimming pool today, and I spoke with King not long ago. He says he was fortunate to have survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODNEY KING: A real hard blow to the temple. We did -- and I just (inaudible), I went like that and I ran this way, with my hands up to show no threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: My conversation with Rodney King ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Don Lemon here. It is all about Ohio, all the time, for Republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney. And there you see live pictures of him. There he is making multiple stops today, day three of his five-day bus tour. This is Troy, Ohio. And there you see him there with the speaker, House Speaker John Boehner. He arrived in Ohio. And also on stage is Ohio Senator, Rob Portman, who is a potential running mate. You also see him on stage with his wife as well, Ann Romney. So, they're there. We'll continue to watch. We'll monitor it for you. If any news comes out of it, we will bring it to you right here on CNN.

Moving on, the man, whose beating by Los Angeles police sparked riots 20 years ago, was found dead today at the bottom of his pool in Rialto, California. Rodney King was discovered by his fiancee. Police said there were no signs of trauma on his body. The acquittal of the LAPD officers, seen beating King back in 1991, sparked days of deadly race riots. Rodney King was 47 years old.

It was just last year that I sat down in Rodney King's living room, a one-on-one conversation that he told me about his nightmares and his regrets. And he walked me through, step by step, of what happened along a California road back in 1991. It was the first time he had been there in 20 years on the night that changed America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A city in flames. Entire neighborhoods burned to the ground. Now two decades later, what's it like to be the man whose beating, seen round the world, ignited one of the worst race riots in U.S. history?

(on camera): Do you still have nightmares?

RODNEY KING, BEATEN BY LAPD OFFICERS 20 YEARS AGO: Yes. Yes, I do.

LEMON: What's a nightmare? Do you wake up like tossing and turning?

KING: Sometimes even hearing the voices, you know, that was going on that night. Get down, get down! Get down, you "f"'ing -- those words. So I have to wake up and, man, it's all right, look outside and it's all green and blue.

LEMON (voice-over): King's nightmare begins just after midnight. He and two friends, out celebrating, head west on the 210 freeway.

KING: I had just gotten word that my old construction company had called me to come back to work that following Monday.

LEMON: But the celebration is cut short. State police clock King's car going 110 miles per hour and immediately start a nearly eight-mile high-speed chase through L.A. neighborhoods. KING: I was doing 100. I did every bit of 100, and I'm not proud of it.

LEMON: Following our interview, Rodney King agrees to re-live those terrifying moments by taking me back to the scene.

KING: Coming down the 210.

LEMON: As we retrace his steps, we discuss those split-second decisions.

KING: I exit here on Paxton.

LEMON (on camera): Where did you pull over?

KING: I saw all those apartments over there so I said, oh, man, let me stop right here. If it goes down, somebody will see it.

LEMON (voice-over): Once he stops, they are surrounded by police. King's two friends are arrested without incident. But Rodney King would have a much different fate.

KING: When I opened the door, she said, take three steps back away from the car, which I did, took three steps back. After I took the three steps back, she said lay down. When I laid down, I laid down like this, and my face was facing this way, so I could see them. And they said, no, put your "f"'ing head down. When I finally face down, bam. Took the blow, bam. A real hard blow to the temple. When he did that, I just looked, and then I went up like that, and I run this way with my hands up to show no threat. And that's when I didn't know but my leg was broke.

LEMON (on camera): When Rodney King had the blood on his face -- that mug shot of you with the blood on your face, who was he then?

KING: Oh, man. A guy that was almost dead and just like happy to be able to still have that face to be able to see that face.

LEMON: And Rodney King now, all cleaned up, trimmed goatee, beads around his neck. Who is Rodney King now?

KING: I consider myself a decent, good human being.

LEMON: Are you able to forgive those cops?

KING: Oh, yes. I have been given a break many times in life. Everybody is entitled to a break. I didn't die, you know, what I mean.

LEMON: No animosity?

KING: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Rodney King dead at the age of 47. And you can see that interview in its entirety. It's our special "CNN Presents: Race and Rage," 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead. From the White House to Hollywood, our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with the president's plans for the week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Athena Jones in Washington. President Obama begins this week in Mexico at the G-20 summit. There, he's expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. And differences over Syria are almost certain to come up. At the end of the week, the president heads to the battleground state of Florida where he'll talk to Latino leaders at the conference in Orlando. Latinos will be a key voting bloc to watch in November.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. All eyes will be on world markets following Greece's Sunday election. The outcome will impact markets around the globe, given the significance of this election to the future of the Eurozone. Back here in the United States, the Federal Reserve will hold a two-day policy meeting this week. Very close attention will be paid to comment from Chairman Ben Bernanke following that meeting, especially any hints as to whether or not the Fed will act further to stimulate the U.S. economy. Also on the docket, we'll get the latest home sales and home building numbers. So lot ahead coming up on Wall Street this week.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" Nischelle Turner. Here is what we're watching this week. "Showbiz Tonight" is bringing you all the biggest Daytime Emmy Award nominees. We're going to one-on-one with soap stars like Heather Tom and Maurice Bernard. Watch all next week and make sure to watch the Daytime Emmys on June 23rd right here on HLN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thank you, guys. And, remembering dear, old dad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SPANN, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: I often wonder what fatherhood means to other men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fatherhood is one of the best things that could happen to any man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a very beautiful experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Calling all fathers. A frank discussion about fatherhood on Father's Day. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Happy Father's Day, everyone. And on this Father's Day one man is calling all dads to action. Documentary filmmaker, Larry Spann, wants fathers everywhere to listen up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So, Larry, your documentary is called "Listen Up: Calling All Fathers." Are you calling out fathers? It sounds like you're may be saying that -- I don't know, have we failed fathers or have fathers failed us?

SPANN: I don't want to generalize but I think fathers have dropped the ball in many cases. There are many people with -- unfortunately with children and they're not involved in their children's lives.

LEMON: Right.

SPANN: I think fathers have really dropped the ball in terms of participating in their kids' lives.

LEMON: You ask 10 questions in this documentary. You ask the questions of fathers. What were some of the responses from the questions that you got? What were the questions and some of the responses?

SPANN: Well, I started first the obvious question, what does fatherhood mean? You would be surprised hearing the different answers of what it means to be a father to different men. Generation-wise, people of an older generation, what it means to be the role -- the father figure. What that means is different than with the younger generation today.

LEMON: And so, OK, you said what does being a father mean. What else did you ask?

SPANN: Why is there a problem with absentee fathers? Why are so many fathers neglecting their responsibility?

LEMON: During your questioning -- I find I will ask people questions they never thought of before. Did any of the people you asked questions to have any epiphany, and go, you know what, I have never thought of that, or change the way they think?

SPANN: I loved the question, what do you wish your father would have done better? To see men take a step back and be like, gosh, I wish he didn't let me get away with things or -- there were people giving honest answers. As a young person, you want a cool dad who let you get away with what you want. But I was surprised that there were men who were honest and who wished their fathers were, of course, more present in their lives and actually supplied more discipline, which you don't think you would hear from an adult.

LEMON: And this whole process, of course, it's important to have a father and mother. Anything that gives you a jump on things, to be able to go to a good school, to have tutors and all that, but did anyone come to a conclusion that, you know what, my mother was absent or my father was absent and that's not going to stop me, I am still the man that I am today. And maybe I'm an even better person, because my father wasn't there, it made me have to rely on myself more and use my own skills to --

SPANN: Granted, like I said, there are people who take initiative in their lives, so, yes, those things are wonderful. You are able to go forward to go to a good school or you have financial resources and that helps you along the way.

LEMON: Because, let's face it, we live in the real world. Not everyone is going to have a father, early presence, not everyone's dad is going --

(CROSSTALK)

SPANN: But everyone should.

LEMON: But it can't. That's not possible. Everyone -- it would be great, but it's not possible.

SPANN: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I'll tell you why it's not possible.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: No, no, no, let me tell you why it's not possible. My dad died when I was 7. There is no physical -- it's an impossibility for him to be there because he's dead.

SPANN: The last question that I ask on my documentary is, what can you do to be a better father?

LEMON: OK.

SPANN: So every father, whether you're a better father, whether you're involved, whether not at all or at all, you can always do something better. And I'm sorry, in your situation, the death of a father. But I'm saying, like, every father who's not involved in their children's life now, they could be doing more. They could be taking the kids -- and that's what I want, that's the last message that I want to give. Fathers, who are dropping the ball, try to be more involved in your kids' lives. It makes a difference. And I don't think you're going to argue that. And that's the point I'm trying to make, that you can be involved. We can all be better fathers. I'm a great dad, but I can be an even better dad --

(LAUGHTER)

SPANN: -- that I am now.

LEMON: You answered -- that was my last question, was to say, what's the take away? That's it.

And I was just challenging you because you know it's impossible for every -- yes, every person should have a father --

SPANN: Yes.

LEMON: -- present in the home, but that's not going to happen. This is the real world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Thank you, sir.

She is a wife, a mother and a veteran pilot, and now she is aboard a spacecraft as China's first female astronaut. We'll look at what this mission means for her country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It's an historic day for China. It's hoping to become one of the only three nations that have conducted a manned space docking, the other two, the United States and Russia, of course. But much of the talk surrounding yesterday's launch focused on of the astronauts, the first female astronaut from China.

CNN International's Azadeh Ansari is going to be on the headlines.

This is huge deal for China.

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: It's a huge source of national pride. It's the biggest thing that's happened in a long time for them. And, Don, the thing is, it's not only this historic milestone, it's also great international P.R. for their space program and for the country. And as you can see, they've put billions of dollars into this space program to compete with the U.S. and Russia.

And they were very particular about what kind of female they wanted to send into space. She'd have to be married and they preferred she had a child because they were afraid if they just sent a single woman who didn't have a child into space, that the radiation she would be exposed to would enable her to have children in the future.

LEMON: Oh, children in the future. It's been 50 years though since the first woman went into space.

ANSARI: That's right. The Soviet Union sent the first woman in 1963. And here, we have a picture of the first woman, Valentine Tereshkova. And 20 years after that, we had Sally Ride in 1983, and then the tragic moment where the world witnessed the "Challenger" disaster in 1986. We had Judith Resnik, the first Jewish-American women in space, but also sadly the first woman who died in space. And then most recently, Anousheh Ansari. And then in 2006, there was the first woman tourist. And I know what you're going to ask, is she related to me.

(LAUGHTER) I think somewhere in the genetic line, we might be, but it's always good to know people in high places.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Oh, yes. You're a trailblazer as well.

The U.S. has scaled back its space missions while China is making advancements. So what role do you think that this will play in China's economy?

ANSARI: Well, again, they want this -- this is a sign of their economic growth and technological progress they've made. The goal here is to say, look, we're also a leader in this game. We're also going to be a front-runner. And that's the message they're going to send in addition to the progress they've made on the space front.

LEMON: Good stuff, Azadeh. Let's hope you're in space as well with your namesake.

(LAUGHTER)

That would be great.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you very much.

He's a seven-time winner of the Tour de France and a hero to millions, but Lance Armstrong can't shake the doping allegations. What he's up against this time, and why the new claims could do lasting damage to his reputation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Tiger Woods stumbles, a virtual unknown teenager on the leaderboard, the U.S. Open gold tournament. Let's talk about it with Jon Wertheim, senior investigative reporter, "Sports Illustrated."

The new cover of S.I. shows NBA playoffs.

I haven't seen you in a while, Jon, but was watching the other night, the U.S. Open, and Tiger was using some cuss words. I was reading his lips as I was watching him. Man, he was close, but no cigar.

JON WERTHEIM, SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: No. Two solid rounds and then a round and a half that looked pretty dismal. This is not the Tiger Woods we're used to. The consistency isn't there. He may well win another major, but a lot has got to go right, and it did not go right this weekend in San Francisco for him.

LEMON: Can we talk about this never-ending saga when it comes to cycling and these doping allegations against Lance Armstrong because, this week, he is facing some very serious accusations. Where are we now on this and his denial, and what he is up against? WERTHEIM: His denial is steadfast. This is not a criminal matter, but this is the United States. This is -- yes, this is the doping organization that basically says, we have sufficient evidence, we are going to pursue this. He may well be striped of his Tour de France titles. And from a court of public opinion stand point, this is not good for Lance Armstrong.

LEMON: What's the evidence, Jon?

WERTHEIM: Well, there's all sorts of anecdotal evidence. There are interviews. They say that there's behavior that's consistent with blood doping. And we've seen this in the past but there haven't been this analytical or haven't been positive tests but they've been able to finger athletes for doping and they claim that they've got the goods. The standard of proof is lower again than the criminal, but boy this is -- this is not good if you're Lance Armstrong.

LEMON: It's certainly not.

All right Jon Wertheim thank you very much. I wish we could spend more time. But we have to move on it is the top of the hour now. We appreciate Jon Wertheim.