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Enterovirus 71 Hits Cambodia and Kills Children; Ernest Borgnine died at Age 95; Michael Johnson made a Controversial Comment on the Black Athletes; Frank Ocean Admitted He's Gay; Roger Federer Won Against Any Murray
Aired July 08, 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): A deadly medical mystery is targeting children. It's a disease no doctor has ever seen, a disease without a name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In one case, the child's lungs deteriorated within hours.
LEMON: One of the fastest men on earth --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to get up to speed as quickly as possible.
LEMON: Reveals the secret to his success, slavery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was able to break the world record.
LEMON: Is he right? Does the color of your skin make you better, faster, stronger?
Plus, a cyber attack. The criminals already behind bars, but the impact of the crime is yet to be felt. Why you could be a victim just hours from now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Let's get you up to speed.
Tonight, more American troops dead in Afghanistan. Six U.S. service members killed in just one explosion today. It was a bomb that went off in eastern Afghanistan. Two other NATO troops, we don't know their nationalities, were killed in separate attacks over the weekend.
That bigger than life image, and that unmistakable blooming voice, a Hollywood legend died today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you hold it right there. This war was not started for r your private gratification. And you can be damn sure this army isn't being run for your personal convenience either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ernest Borgnine gave Lee Marvin the business in the "Dirty Dozen" but really got super famous when he starred in "McHale's Navy" in the 1960s. Borgnine died today in Los Angeles hospital. He won an Oscar in 1955. Remember the classic film "Marty?" Ernest Borgnine was 95 years old.
Egypt's military is deciding how to handle a defiant move by the country's new president. Mohamed Morsi is calling parliament back into session, overriding the army's decision to dissolve it. That move, would take power away from the generals who have run Egypt since last year's revolution.
A break is coming this week from the extreme heat that has set thousands of records around the country while temperatures are expected to ease, storm warnings will still be up. The weather was deadly last night in a small Missouri town of Cuba. Killed in Cuba in Missouri 29-year-old Kayla Martin, a new mother, was riding out a storm in her car in a food store parking lot. She was killed when the wind lifted the roof off and dropped it into her car.
In London, Roger Federer stole the spotlight from Andy Murray's run at Wimbledon's tennis history. Federer won his seventh title at Murray's expense. Murray was the first British final to reach the finals in 74 years. Federer has 17 grand slam trophies.
A nasty internet virus still infects hundreds of thousands of computers. And anyone with the virus could be hit with an Internet blackout starting tomorrow. I spoke with CNN Money Stacy Cowley about how to get rid of this fire. He told me, the first thing you have to do is find out what the virus does.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STACY COWLEY, CNN MONEY: It redirected Internet traffic. So if you were trying to go, for example, to apple's iTunes store, it would reroute you to a fake Web site. On a lot of these Web sites, they served fake advertisements. The FBI conducted a sting. Over the course of two years, they shut this down. They completely shut it down this November. At the time they caught it, about four million computers worldwide were affects, including many government computers. So, it is a really nasty one.
LEMON: And you can find out if your computer is infected, right, Stacy?
COWLEY: Yes. The good news is they've created a Web site. Go to dns-ok.us. That's a Web site the FBI and the groups it's working with put together. If you go to that Web site, you'll see it go green, hopefully. If you see a green light there, your computer is not infected. You are OK. If you go to hat Web side and see anything else though, there are instructions on that page for what you can do to help get your computer cleaned up.
LEMON: No, we're not going to let you off. What do we do if the computer has a virus?
COWLEY: If the computer has a virus, running any major anti- virus software will help. That page also has instructions to check your own computer's dns settings and see if everything looks OK. If you have a problem, they'll recommend contacting your internet service provider.
LEMON: You should check tonight before tomorrow.
How is this for support? The house speaker says you're probably not going to fall in love with Mitt Romney between now and November. The kicker is he says that is OK.
And a mystery illness targeting children. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tonight an awful mysterious disease is scaring the hell out of doctors. Here's why. So far, almost everyone who gets it dies, and it's a horrible death. Their lungs are destroyed.
Here's something else. Every victim so far is a kid, two or 3- years-old. This outbreak, whatever it is, is also happening in a place where people don't have great resources or communication. It's Cambodia. But maybe, just maybe, doctors tonight may have cracked the puzzle. At least we hope.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now in Cambodia. And he's on the phone with us.
So, Dr. Gupta, talk to me about this so-called breakthrough that we have been hearing about. What is do you think of this disease and this breakthrough?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, you know, it's been a complete mystery for some time now. This is a significant development. What doctors have discovered is the beginnings of a pattern among these dozens of kids that, you know, there's been -- the numbers vary a little bit, Don, but 66 cases of this sort of mystery disease, 64 as you mentioned, Don, children have died, so, nearly 100 percent lethality.
What they have found is something known as Enterovirus 71. It's a particular type of virus that can cause something known as hand, foot, and mouth disease. And they've seen outbreaks in various parts of the world. And oftentimes it can be contained. Certainly, it doesn't have the same degree of lethality as this. And so, that's where a little bit of the mystery still remains, why is this killing children so universally?
It could this potentially be a mixture of this virus with something else, either some toxic reaction to a medication or something else. These things in combination, could that be the problem. But Don, let me just tell you, it's merciless the way these children are dying. Within 24 hours, they develop a high fever. They develop oftentimes encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain. And they get neurological symptoms. And then the big concern is that whatever it is completely destroys these children's lungs. They have no ability to breathe on their own once this virus takes hold. So it's still a bit of a mystery. And again, just merciless in the way it's behaving.
LEMON: Yes. You know, we were talking during the break when we were trying to make sure you were there. And I said can I talk to Dr. Gupta. And I asked if you had seen anything like this before. You said that you haven't.
So if doctors haven't seen anything like this before, if it's this frightening, then how do you even start to fight it or to treat it, Dr. Gupta?
GUPTA: Well, you know, the doctors in certain parts of the world have seen similar things to this, and the treatment, if you will, Don, is often similar. You know, that there's no specific cure for a lot of these viruses. You and I have talked over the years about different outbreaks that some of those have originated here.
So, the care is often, what we call in the medical world, supported. Meaning that if it the brain is inflamed, we give medication to decrease that inflammation. If the lungs are in trouble, oftentimes a breathing machine is required. For these particular sort of viral outbreaks, at least, you know, the beginnings of a viral outbreak like we're seeing now, you know, the care of support and obviously the key is to try and diagnose it and prevent any spread.
One thing I will say, if there is any positive news in all this, this particular disease does not appear to be clustering, meaning spreading very quickly from person to person within communities. So it doesn't appear to be a big threat outside of certain communities and certainly outside of Cambodia. But obviously doctors still want to figure it out completely, figure out why it's so destructive in this particular case and obviously, how to prevent it from occurring.
LEMON: And Doctor, you're going to be there all this week, upcoming week reporting on this, right?
GUPTA: That's right. We're going to go speak to one of the doctors who are the first to sort of tip the alarm on, this Don. The way this often works, really, in any part of the world is a vigilant health care person just starts seeing a number of these cases, starts calling around different hospitals and asking other doctors, have you seen the same thing? And they start putting it all together. That's what was happening here over the last couple months now. And now the World Health Organization aware is there, the centers for disease control. So we're going to try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
LEMON: Dr. Gupta, thank you very much. We appreciate it. We'll be looking forward to your reports.
To politics now. You want some candor out of Washington? Well, try this one on. House speaker John Boehner says you don't have to vote for Mitt Romney. He just wants you to vote against President Obama.
I spoke earlier with Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and Republican strategist Ana Navarro about it.
And in remarks, quoted by roll call, Boehner told the Republican audience, the American people probably aren't going to fall in love with Mitt Romney. I will tell you this, 95 percent of the people that show up to vote in November are going to show up in that voting booth and they are going to vote for or against Barack Obama.
And I first asked Republican, Ana, if that quote worried her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It doesn't worry me at all. I think the man is absolutely right. You know, look, the first time you marry for love, the second time you marry for money. You know, we fell in love with Barack Obama. Four years ago, this country fell in love with Barack Obama, the young, charismatic leader. It was all about hope and change.
Well, four years later we're in cope and wait. Unemployment's been at -- over eight percent for 41 months. And I think people have fallen out of love with Barack Obama. I don't need to fall in love with Mitt Romney. I just need for unemployment numbers to fall. If we're looking for love, we can go on match.com. If we're looking for a president, it's an entirely different thing.
LEMON: I think the concern is passion with actually going to the voting booth, going to the polls. You have to be -- we use that term love. Something has to move you in order to get you out of the house to do that.
Maria, is Boehner right? By the way, I like first for love, first for money. That was very good, Ana.
But is Boehner right? Is this election just enough or down referendum on Barack Obama? And if so, is that good or bad for him?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it's not, Don. Here's where I think Boehner, who I think it was an astounding moment of candor, because I think he realizes that Mitt Romney is not lovable and is not somebody that the voters are going to ever feel passionate about.
Now, it would be or could be enough if the guy that he was running against, Barack Obama, wasn't so likable himself. And you know, I agree with Ana on one thing. There's certainly disappointment from a lot of voters in the fact that this president hasn't been able to do everything that he set out to do four years ago. But they're also giving him, and I've seen this in many polls and in many focus groups that I've been in, they're giving him the benefit of the doubt. And these are independent voters. So they understand what he was going up against. They also understand that it's going to take more time.
So Mitt Romney is going to have to offer something a little bit more than I'm not Barack Obama, especially when Barack Obama still has some very high personal likability numbers.
LEMON: All right. So let's talk about --
NAVARRO: I agree. I agree with Maria. I agree with Maria on that, Don. I think Barack -- I think Mitt Romney needs to offer more. You know, we are in the Oprah and Dr. Phil generation. We want to know this guy. And we don't know him yet. He needs to tell us more. We need to understand what he stands for, what his convictions are, what moves him, how he feels about things, what he likes to eat, how he likes to dance, what he likes to sing.
LEMON: That's the whole thing about being drawn to someone because you know them personally. You know, listen, I agree. The economy could be better. President Obama did have -- the economy was gone off a fiscal cliff when he got into office.
So -- listen, I see both sides to it. Sometimes there are not both sides, but I see it here. People are frustrated. They've been out of work for a long time. There were issues going into the campaign. So, we all get it. But at least there has been at least positive job growth. Maybe not what people wanted over many months.
NAVARRO: That's right.
LEMON: So, the question s is, are people going to say, hey, why change horses in midstream, or is the 59-point plan, whatever he has on paper, is that going to actually work once Mitt Romney gets into office if he ever gets into office? That's a huge if as well, Ana.
NAVARRO: You know, I agree with you, Don. I think he should listen to John Sununu who is one of his staunchest supporters and said, let's keep it simple. Let's talk in small sentences. A 59- point plan.
Don, I can't even follow a 59-point recipe. I just think, you know, that gets too complicated. We need to feel confidence. We need to understand what he's offering. And yes, look, the question is going to be, do you stay with the devil you know, or do you go with a devil you don't know?
I'm not calling Obama a devil. I'm not calling Romney a devil. Don't anybody get excited. The -- so not only do we have to -- not only is there passion to leave Obama and to turn away from Obama, but also Romney has got to give us something to run towards. And that's something that I think he needs to start working on and very effectively in a very short period of time. He needs to start going big. He needs to start talking big. LEMON: Ana, I get it. Let's move on. Can we put the quote up here from Jeanne Sahadi up in the screen? Here's what Jeanne Sahadi says. She says, "Lawmakers can't control for all the potential head winds that can hurt hiring such as the turmoil in Europe or the pace of the economic growth globally. But they can choose to clear up the uncertainty about U.S. fiscal policy. Problem is, almost no one expected them to do so before November elections."
Is the president going to get involved, or is he just going to focus on his re-election? Because listen, something has -- we know two people are running. But something has to be done in Washington while all this is going on and they're going back and forth, its attacks, whatever. Nothing is happening pap people are out of work and the economy isn't getting better. Substantially better, put it that way.
CARDONA: Sure. Right. Exactly. So the president has already said he would sign a bill tomorrow that deals with this fiscal cliff if the way that you deal with it is balanced. Meaning that there is substantive and robust deficit reduction but there are also new revenues. And this goes back to the first topic we were talking about.
The majority of the American people want for this deficit and all of our problems in terms of the fiscal cliff to be solved in a balanced and fair manner. They know, and a lot of independent economist had said this. You can't just cut, cut, cut your way to increased jobs. And that's what this president is talking about.
He's talking about fairness. He's talking about fighting for the middle class. And so, going back to the first topic, when voters go into the voting booth, they want to vote for somebody, even if they're getting married for the money, they want to know that person is waking up everyday thinking about them, thinking about fighting for them. And that's what this president is going to make the case in this election for.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. That is the end of it. I mean, some people marry for money the first time, Ana. Nothing wrong with that either. Thank you so much.
Thank you, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The up side of being on the DL --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are going to be people who don't understand it.
LEMON: A bold move or bad for business?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: An up and coming R&B and hip-hop singer stunned the world this week. He said in an online posting that when he was 19 years old, he fell in love with a man. I talk with commentators, Dean Obeidallah and Ana Navarro about it and here's what Frank Ocean wrote on his blog.
"We spent that summer and the summer after together, every day almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide, most of the day I'd see him and his smile." Ocean went on to say, "By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping."
Joining me now is Dean Obeidallah and also Ana Navarro.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Hey guys, many of the headlines reporting this story call him brave as does his mom. But Ana, this is 2012. Is it brave to be honest about your sexuality now?
NAVARRO: You know, it is still brave, unfortunately. I wish it weren't. I wish we didn't have to make these announcements. I wish that, you know, coming out and saying I'm gay was just like coming out and me saying I'm straight or saying I'm Hispanic or you saying, you know, you're black. This really, I hope one day, stops being a political issue and it turns into a personal issue.
LEMON: Dean, how do you think this is going to impact Ocean's career, or will it at all?
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: That's really an interesting question. And that's - I mean, that's the part that gets the brakes. At first, I thought I made it with the yawn. I think a lot of people as well and another gay celebrity, big deal.
But you know what, country singer, Shelley Right, after she came out, she lost a third f her sales in a record. They say there is a certain places don't book her anymore and he might go up against that as well, and hip-hop community, homophobia is notorious. Every video was a hot woman in it. Even his last video, a woman came in hot woman. So, only time would tell, will it hurts his career or not. I hope it doesn't, sincerely.
LEMON: What do you think that Ana? When it comes that -- he brings up a very good point about other entertainers that who have come out, but then when you look at Neil Patrick Harris who really sort of personifies the other side of that, he has been very successful and is an openly gay man.
NAVARRO: Well, you know Don, first, let me confess and say that I know more about high hop than I do about hip-hop.
(LAUGHTER)
NAVARRO: And you know, but I have read it is a very macho driven music movement and I will also tell you that the only Mr. Ocean I knew until this week was the guy from Oceans 11.
That being said, I think it's great that, you know, that folks come out and they show that you can be an award winning journalist covering wars and you can be gay. You can be a hip-hop artist singing about macho lyrics and women and whatever else and be gay, that it doesn't define you. It's just, you know, something like your hair color. It's something - it's a personal, you know lifestyle that people have and it does not mean there is anything they can or cannot do.
LEMON: Do you think Dean, that, this is going to make any difference with the hip-hop community because hip-hop community has been deemed as very homophobic. I've heard it and read it in a lot of places this week. And at first, the response to what Frank Ocean did was very tepid. No one said anything and then all of the sudden, you know, Russell Simmons and other people start to jump in. Maybe, I don't know if it's guilt by association.
But, do you think this is going to change anything?
OBEIDALLAH: You know -- but when you look at the responses, Anderson Cooper came out and overwhelmingly people come out and say this is a great thing. You have Russell Simmons and Jay-Z, but you don't have a lot of other people in the community, the hip-hop community coming out. I think they are actually still afraid of being tainted as somehow being gay. Because clearly the sheer number of people at hip-hop, there has to be gay hip-hop performance and people don't want to talk about it in that business, and in time I think overcome it.
If Frank Ocean's sales don't go down, he is more popular are not effective, I think others who are gay might have the encouraged to come out as well.
NAVARRO: The gay community has a tremendous amount of financial powers. So, if all of a sudden they become hip-hop fans, this could be a very good thing for hip-hop!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: My thanks to Dean and to Anna.
Up next, priorities. Why are politicians wasting your time and leveraging your future just to keep their own jobs and you're falling for it? Tonight, I let lawmakers have is in tonight's no talking points.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is time now for "No Talking Points."
It has been ten days and counting since all hell broke loose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is CNN breaking news. JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John Roberts, the chief justice appointed by George W. Bush, of course, saying that this law now stands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ten days and counting since the right leapt on to the Justice Roberts' hate wagon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should conservatives despise John Roberts?
RICH LOWRY, EDITOR, NATIONAL REVIEW: He rendered an activist decision that rewrote the law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a mess. It's a mess. A court in crisis and reports of a chief justice like a weather man in a storm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Like I said, ten days and counting of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ROY BLUNT (R), MISSOURI: Let's repeal this and start over again.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: It makes a fresh start on the road to repeal.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: To make sure that this law is, in fact, repealed.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: We will repeal Obamacare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's got to be more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's repeal and replace Obamacare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Repealing the president's health care law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Repeal Obamacare.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to repeal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Repeal it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So Obamacare is so bad and repealing it is so urgent that Republicans in the house are pushing a vote to repeal the law this week on Wednesday. We know lawmakers left to leave D.C. on Thursday. So, maybe a bunch on them weren't watching the TV on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Just minutes ago, we learned unemployment is still bogged down at a dismal 8.2 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And again the numbers are a big disappointment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The third straight month of tough news on jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Friday, eight days after all hell broke loose, a jobs report came out that showed only 80,000 jobs were added to the economy. That is bad for the president. It's bad for Democrats. But mostly, it's really bad for you. It's bad for the American people. And conservatives are still planning to vote on replacing Obamacare.
But some of lawmakers who happened to look at the news on Friday appeared to be gloating at the jobs numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: There are almost a half a million more people unemployed today than four years ago. Fire Barack Obama and hire Mitt Romney. That's the best stimulus plan for this country.
MCCONNELL: Take Friday's job figure, for example. You can go back two years ago and the job figure was better. And the president said we're turning it around. You know, clearly what they're doing is not working.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And it is another kick in the gut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So look, of course the jobs numbers could be better. They can always be better. And the president is going to say at least the numbers are going up instead of down. That's what he's going to say.
But no one, Republican or Democrat, should be gloating over just how bad things are. So, instead of gloating and putting all that energy into a futile Obamacare repeal procedure, why don't you put together a jobs bill? That's a novel idea. Or work on the one the president has authored and is purposely being held up until after the election.
We know what you're doing, guys. You're sitting on your hands amongst other body parts playing politics while the people who sent you to Washington suffer. Remember, there are more people on the ballot than the president come November. And I hope the American people keep this in mind when they cast their ballots. That when you, Mr. or Ms. Lawmaker could have been working to help them, you were making television appearances.
Instead of working for them, you were leveraging their jobs, their finances, and their health just because you wanted to keep your own job in the worst possible way.
And that's tonight's "No Talking Points."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Bottom of the hour, we're going to get you caught up on today's big stories.
In Afghanistan today, six American service members died in a roadside bombing that happened in the eastern part of Afghanistan. There were among a total of eight NATO troops killed in three separate incidents over the weekend.
Doctors are cautiously optimistic they may have found the cause of a disease that had them scratching their heads for weeks. This mystery illness has so far killed 64 children, all of them in Cambodia.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta just landed there. I talked with him a few minutes ago about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: It's something known as Enterovirus 71. It's a particular type of virus that can cause something known as hand, foot, mouth disease. They've seen outbreaks of this disease in various parts of the world. And oftentimes it can be contained. It certainly doesn't have the same degree of lethality as this. So that's where a little bit of the mystery still remains. Why is this killing children, so universally, and could this potentially be a mixture of this virus with something else?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In other news, a Hollywood legend of the big screen and small screen, Ernest Borgnine, well, he has died. Did you know that he won an Oscar? He did in 1955. Best actor for the movie "Marty." But he was really known for guest starring in a bunch of TV shows like "Air Wolf" and McHale's Navy." Ernest Borgnine died in a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 95 years old.
John Rocker, his baseball career ended in controversy and not shying away from controversy, he's now a political writer. My conversation with him is coming up.
And Next --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One of the fastest men on earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to get up to speed as quickly as possible.
LEMON: Reveals the secret to his success, slavery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was able to break the world record.
LEMON: Is he right? Does the color of your skin make you better, faster, stronger?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, everyone. Here we go. I'm going to ask this question right up front. Are black people better at sports than white people? More specifically, are black people genetically engineered to be better?
Michael Johnson, remember him? Four-time Olympic gold medalist, once referred to as the fastest man in the world. Well, he's now pretty fast with his opinion. He's telling London's "Daily Mail," quote, "all my life I believe I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves has left an imprint through the generation generations. Difficult as it was to hear slavery has benefitted descendents like me, and I believe there's a superior athletic gene in us."
LEMON: Yes, he did a say that. So, let's talk about it.
Join me to talk about it is Bomani Jones, ESPN and SBnation.com contributor and Kenneth Shropshire. Kenneth is the author of "In Black and White, Raised and Sports in America."
Gentlemen, thank you for being there.
So, listen. What do you think? What is the bottom line here when you hear those comments from Mr. Johnson? I will start with you, Kenneth.
KENNETH SHROPSHIRE, PROFESSOR, WHARTON, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Well, it's problematic. It's nothing new. This is something that has occurred over the past hundred years initially with African-American athletic success, post the Berlin Olympic Games with Jesse Owens. And then, again in the '70s, we saw it a lot.
But this is a story that emerges and there rarely been any sort of foundation for anyone to make such statements.
LEMON: There have been a number of studies gone, I mean Bomani, and this is drawing controversy because there are many people who believe that what Michael Johnson says is true, both black and white. BOMANI JONES, CONTRIBUTOR, SBNATION.COM: Yes, but I think it is number one issue of correlation and cause sayings because so many different issues with the same structures and everything else. Because one thing you can say are black people better at sports and then it begs the question what sport are you talking about? Soccer is the most popular sport in the world in the Europeans seems to do just fine with it.
The next thing I want to bring up is Michael Johnson is not a scientist. So, I think it's easy for a lot of people to bag on him about this but he knows so much on the topic. It's a correlation cause sayings issue and when he says there is a super athletic gene in all of us I'm trying to figure out why I'm sitting here talking to you and not going to London next month.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Let's talk a little bit more this breeding argument. I want to read something that Lee Evans said. Lee Evans is an Olympic gold medalist. He says, "We were bred for it. Certainly the black people who survived in a slave ships must have contained a high proportion of the strongest then on the plantations a strong black man was mated with a strong black woman and we are were bred for physical qualities."
So again, he is saying this is, Bomani, but still you're not buying into that?
JONES: He's not a scientist either. I mean, this is -- it's worth noting we are a little bit falls beyond slavery. I don't know exactly how much the 150 years since then would have out-bred some of these characteristics.
But once again, I understand why people could say that they seen a certain thing and then say, well, of course, it has to be da, da, da. Well, who is Lee Evans?
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Mr. Shropshire, listen. I want you to weigh in on this because -- can you understand why some people may think if you look at the NBA now and you see the numbers, mostly African-Americans. And if you look at baseball, it is becoming now more Hispanics. In baseball, some people are saying, well, it is because of the way that Hispanics were bred. In basketball, it's because of the way African-Americans' bodies are made. They are longer. They are lankier. They are taller. And I say, what about the, you know, the tall Russians? What about people like Zaza Pachulia who from the Georgia Republic who is also tall and lanky as well? What do you make of that?
SHROPSHIRE: Well, as Bomani points out, there is something to hard work as well. Look at the influx of eastern Europeans in the NBA. Look at the -- as you said, the increase in Latinos in baseball and the decline of African-Americans of also an African-American becomes un-athletic. LEMON: But, listen, when you think about Jeremy Lin, the whole reason that Jeremy Lin, number one, because he is very talented. But number two because rarely do you see Asian basketball players succeed or get to that level. And even so, even that tall. Well, it hasn't -- doesn't it have something to do with genetics you don't see people who are as tall because they are certain ethnicities?
SHROPSHIRE: Look, Don. I hope science at some points takes more time with this, but that has not occurred. I mean, science should be focus on those 61 kids you talked about at the top of the hour that decide from some mysterious disease. The idea of focusing on this idea of there is some athletics superiority based on genetics, is a waste of time.
LEMON: It is waste -- my question was going to be, why isn't science taking more time to study this? And you think even by doing it, it would be a waste of time?
SHROPSHIRE: What is the ultimate outcome? You know? In the 100 meters of London we see blacks with ten-pound weights on like we have race horses or we will see whites in baseball, all of the sudden, they only get two strikes.
I mean, what kinds of changes do we begin to make other than saying there is something to the hard work of individuals, no matter what their race, the desire, the interest, in different sports and the opportunity.
LEMON: Listen. I want to go beyond this because you guys, as you guys said at the top of this broadcast, this has happened before. We heard about in the '70s and '80s and '90s and one of the most iconic moments came in 1988, you guys remember, when sportscaster Jimmy the Greek made these comments and they played back by CNN's Larry King? Take a listen to this.
JIMMY "THE GREEK" SNYDER, SPORTSCASTER: Black is a better athlete to begin with because he has been bred to be that way, because of hi his high thighs and big thighs that go up into his back and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs, you see.
The white man has to overcome that. But they don't try hard enough to overcome it. This goes back all the way to the civil war when during the slave trading the owner, the slave owner would -- would -- would -- would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big -- a big black kids.
LEMON: OK. So CBS promptly fired Jimmy "the Greek" who was a long time sportscaster there. Michael Johnson is also a sportscaster, but he works for the BBC. And Johnson told London Daily Mail in part that he believes slavery benefited the descendants like him and lot black athletes with the superior gene.
So, Bomani, what do you think? Should Jones be fired or this is a double standard because he is a black athlete, or just have times changed now? JONES: Well, somebody were to fire him, I would understand but I think an important variable to point out on that is Jimmy "the Greek" worked on CBS, the NFL today. And the NFL is a very conservative, don't rock the boat, sort of operation. That's the sort of thing that being associated with the NFL, you will wind up getting fired for.
I think it's hardly ridiculous. If Jimmy "the Greek" had he not been fired I don't think an issue. But, I think the real fireable offense for him was letting somebody put a microphone if his face when he had absolutely no business talking on television.
LEMON: Kenneth, should he be fired?
SHROPSHIRE: I don't think so. I think Michael is more on a personal journey. This is in context of a documentary. He made some comments at a point believing what he believes but without going through a full scientific method and understands what the reality is.
LEMON: Kenneth Shropshire, Bomani Jones. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, guys.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Next, a man that knows all about sports and controversy. And now he's a political pundit. My conversation with John Rocker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You don't have in front of the television to watch CNN. You can do what I do. 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. That's John Rocker. He was a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves and a critic of all things New York. Remember he got himself into big trouble in 1999 with the now infamous profile in "Sports Illustrated." He's sharing his opinions again, this time as an online political columnist. He's also written a book called "scars and strikes." And he knows a lot about both.
When I asked with him earlier, when I spoke with him, I asked him about some of the comments that got him in so much trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: You said, imagine having to take the number seven train - this is when you - someone asked you if you have ever work -
JOHN ROCKER, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER: I rode the number seven train.
LEMON: Let me read the quote then you can talk about it. "Imagine having to take the number 7 train to the ballpark looking like you're riding Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing."
So those comments led to all kinds of things, suspension, and a fine. You ha --
ROCKER: I do regret the homophobic comment. I really do.
LEMON: That's what 'm going to ask you.
ROCKER: Everything else was just --
LEMON: What do you regret?
ROCKER: It was a little depressing at the time and a little bit shocking and I had only been three or four years e moved from high school, small town, you know, small town Georgia. It was a little bit eye-opening and awakening and like, oh, really some OK. You know?
Obviously, since then, I mature. Been all over the world and things like that. But, at the time, it was a little bit unnerving. I'm not going to lie to you. Homophobic comment was inappropriate.
LEMON: Why do you regret that?
ROCKER: It's just inappropriate. It was, you know, I guess -- I guess the definition would just be inappropriate in every sort and every way the term inappropriate can be used.
LEMON: You've grown up. Do you think you were just a dumb kid back then?
ROCKER: Dumb, inexperienced.
LEMON: I'm not trying to insult you.
ROCKER: Naive.
LEMON: So, you think you've grown up now?
ROCKER: Absolutely.
LEMON: What do you say to the people of New York if they are watching now and people you may have offended?
ROCKER: I didn't realize my place in time at that point, playing on national TV every day. That time, every movement, every comment watched, critiqued, analyzed. At 23 years old, you're not prepared for that. When it happens, you're like, oh, my God. I didn't know they were all watching, you know, to this degree.
When it happens, and something like that slips out, you're like, I'm being observed this closely? It was an eye opening and almost a stepping back kind of moment. Oh, my God. I had no idea I was this important. It never dawned on me until that point.
LEMON: Let's talk about the race for the White House now, John. No surprise that you have strong opinions, especially when it comes to the president. An interview for "World Net Daily," you said, in my strong opinion, Barack Obama does not hold a single core value or belief consistent with the principles that created this amazing country we call the United States of America.
What do you mean by that?
ROCKER: This is -- this could get into a very long-winded type answer. I just think President Obama comes from a very socialist- minded platform. I don't think socialist-minded platforms and ideals is what built our capitalistic economy. It's what the greatest generation held close to their hearts, as far as the way they conducted their lives daily in individual by individual in the greatest generation, you know, call from the '20s, you know, on to where we find ourselves now.
I just don't think the dependence on the government, 49 percent of Americans right now depend on the government in some way shape or form. Is Obamacare becomes law in 2014, that has to go up to the 70, 80 percent range.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I didn't get to ask him on air because we were out of time. I did ask him on the break though. People were saying he's the real Kenny Powers. He didn't like that. That's all he said.
OK. So take a look at this piece of interstate. See how it is buckled up and broken? It looks like a ramp. Imagine hitting that in a car at high speed. Oh, yes. A car did, and it's caught on video. I'll show you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now to the stories in the week ahead. From the race to the White House to Wall Street, our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with the latest from the campaign trail.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN political desk.
Mitt Romney starts his week in Colorado reaching out to voters and raising campaign cash in the important battleground state.
Wednesday, Romney speaks before the NAACP convention in Houston.
Vice president Joe Biden addresses the same gathering the next day.
President Obama hits the campaign trail this week in Iowa and Virginia, two crucial swing states.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
We are following the disappointing jobs report on Friday. Wall Street will turn its attention to some big corporate earnings starting on Monday. We'll get the latest numbers from aluminum dime, ALCOA, that's on Monday.
Then later in the week, we'll hear from Google, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. All eyes will be on earnings from JPMorgan to see if the bank releases any update on how much money it has lost since an announcement earlier this year that a massive bad bet on credit derivatives caused the firm at least $2 billion. A lot of focus on that.
We'll keep an eye on Wall Street for you all week on CNN Money.
NISCHELLE TURNER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" Nischelle Turner.
Here's what we're watching this week. "American Pie" star Chris Klein joins us to talk about his new TV show.
Plus, country music darling and former American Idol Kelly Pickler (ph) talks to us about her brand new mission that is close to home.
LEMON: OK. Let's leave you with this. A couple of impressive and freighting on the road moments caught on camera this week.
Remember that buckled up piece of interstate in Wisconsin? Look at that. Well, it got that way from the heat. We have the unlucky driver who hit that thing at high speed. OK, show it.
Can you imagine? So an SUV hits that ramped up piece of road and gets major air. Police say that two people were inside. So, talk about scary. The car crosses the grass median and comes close to a stop. People inside went to the hospital with back pain.
OK. Here's one more for you. Watch the top of your screen. Look at this, OK? It's an 18-wheeler. There it comes. No brakes. Comes barreling through an intersection. It rolls over into a gas station. It smashes right into the pumps, but no explosion. Nobody was badly hurt. Witnesses say that somebody was using that pump just a minute earlier. Close call. Wow.
Thanks for joining us. See you back here next weekend. Have a good one.
