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Asiana Airlines to Sue TV Station; Black Moms Shielding Their Sons; Athlete's Controversial Tweets about Zimmerman Verdict; Different Rules for Black Kids

Aired July 15, 2013 - 13:30   ET

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

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: KTVU though did apologize. Shortly after making the error, it apologized on air and on the web.

But what's really happening here, in speaking to the spokesman, are a couple of things. Number one, the airline has global aspirations. It is a company based in Korea. It does feel that having this joke, these racist names existing on the web does hurt those global aspirations and it hurts its reputation.

But another thing that's happening here is that this is a company, again an Asian company, having a visceral reaction to really what amounts to a juvenile joke. I mean, if you read the first name, Sum Ting Wong -- I think I was called that on the bus in the first grade -- something Asians can react to and certainly feel. So the company is having that visceral reaction.

Here's risk for the airline. The airline may be viewed as being myopic. It's going to have a tough time meeting that defamation bar. It's also, perhaps, going to be viewed as forgetting that what it has on its hands here is a serious and deadly plane crash. It is still in the midst of a very important investigation. Three young people died in this crash.

So, Wolf, KTVU, having a jaw-dropping error, but Asiana may be in the midst of making another one -- Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Kyung Lah, I can't imagine anyone saying anything bad about you in second grade or any other grade.

Thanks very much for that report.

Trying not to end up like Trayvon Martin, one mother is so hopeful that the right answers, the right manners will keep her son alive, she put it all in a book. The tips she uses to protect a young black man in America, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Athletes throughout the sports world took to Twitter to express their feelings on the George Zimmerman not-guilty verdict. Some had controversial things to say.

Andy Scholes is joining us with more in the "Bleacher Report."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHERREPORT.COM: Good afternoon, Wolf.

Twitter exploded Saturday night once George Zimmerman was found not guilty. As you can imagine, emotions were running high while many athletes voiced their disappointment with the verdict.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Roddy White, took it to another level. His first tweet read, "Zimmerman got away with murder today. Wow. What kind of world do we live in". He followed that tweet with, "All them jurors should go home tonight and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid." White later apologized for that tweet saying, "I understand my tweet last night was extreme. I never meant for the people to do that. I was shocked and upset about the verdict. I am sorry."

One golfer to keep your eye on this week at the British Open is 19- year-old Jordan Spieth. The former All-American holed this shot from the bunker to force a playoff in yesterday's final round at the John Deere Classic. Spieth would go on to win for his first professional victory. He's the first teenager to win a PGA tour event since 1931.

Tonight is the Home Run Derby at Citi Field in New York. The favorite to win it this year is Baltimore first baseman, Chris Davis. The Orioles slugger crushed his league-leading 37th home run yesterday. He's on pace to hit 62 home runs this season, which is, of course, one more than Roger Maris' old record he set back in 1961.

That will do it for your "Bleacher Report."

Wolf, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Andy, thanks very much.

Not guilty -- those two words are sparking conversations about race in America. Moms of black males say there are different rules for their kids. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: George Zimmerman's not guilty verdict certainly has sparked a huge debate across the country. It's a debate similar to the debate we heard following the Rodney King beating trial and the O.J. Simpson murder trial, although there are great differences in all these cases.

The U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke out about the Trayvon Martin case before one of the nation's oldest black female groups, the Delta Sigma Theta Surety just moments ago. We had live coverage here on CNN.

Some civil rights activists say George Zimmerman profiled Trayvon Martin and the teenager is dead today because of that. Listen to the president of the NAACP on CNN's "State of the Union."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: We are calling on them to do just that because when you look at his comments, and when you look at comments made by young black men who lived in that neighborhood, about how they felt, especially targeted by him, there is reason to be concerned that race was a factor in why he targeted young Trayvon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We want to get some perspective on all of this right now, so we've invited two guests, Rashad Robinson and Karen Grigsby Bates. Rashad is the executive director of Color of Change, a group working to make sure black voices are heard. Karen covers urban issues for NPR as a mother, who wrote the book "Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times," writes about what young black men and boys should do when confronted by the police.

Let's go to Rashad first.

Does this case, Rashad, and the reaction to the not guilty verdict, reveal that we haven't really had a complete conversation about race in America, or are people simply overreacting to one single case in America?

RASHAD ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COLOR OF CHANGE: I think this case absolutely underscores the ongoing challenges that we see in our criminal justice system, the way in which black boys and black girls and black folks in general are treated from the schoolhouse to the courthouse. And, you know, while Trayvon Martin is one situation that's really animated America, we see every single day at Color of Change the stories and the voices of our members about issues they are face with the criminal justice system, with Hollywood images coming from the media. So the reaction that you are seeing from folks is a reaction not just about Trayvon, but about the lives and the future of black folks in this country.

Karen, let me read to you a statement from a young black man named Alex Fraser. He wrote an open letter to George Zimmerman on his Facebook page. Among other things he said this: "Dear George Zimmerman, for the rest of your life, you are now going to feel what it's like to be a black man in America. You will feel people stare at you, judging you for what you feel are unfair reasons. I bet you never thought that. I bet you never thought that by shooting a black male you'd end up inheriting all of his struggles."

Karen, you have a son. What goes through your mind when you hear Alex Fraser talking about that?

KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, NPR & AUTHOR: Well, you know, we often say -- I work on a team at NPR called Code Switch, which covers race and ethnicity. We've been covering this for like the last year. And one of the things that we say is that, in the black community, you often get this talk before you are even able to drive if you are a black male. You know, if you are out in your car, you may be pulled over. You may be asked for I.D. Be sure to do two things. And I interviewed police to ask them about this. Make sure you tell -- make sure you keep your hands on the steering wheel so people can see that both of your hands are where they are supposed to be. And if they ask for license and registration, tell them where it is before you go for it. Don't dive for it under your seat or the glove box because those are the things that make reporters like me end up reporting about tragedies that happen because of misconceptions. We wanted them to be as armed as possible with information that would save their lives.

BLITZER: Rashad, can you relate to that?

ROBINSON: I can absolutely relate to that. I can relate to it in my own life and the stories and the background information that my parents gave me and my brother growing up. And I can also relate to it from the stories that we hear from mothers and parents, whether it's here in New York, where we have an office and I live, and we hear the stories of stop and frisk here in this city, and stories of football coaches telling their young players to walk home with your helmet on the outside so the cops can see you and see that you are a good kid. We're living in two Americas here, America for black folks and America for white folks and for people of color in general. And the way that law enforcement, our media and our larger culture deals with our community is really underscored by this Trayvon Martin issue.

And the verdict and the reaction that we're seeing from everyday people, hopefully, will spur ongoing conversations that are need and a larger movement for real policy and culture change.

BLITZER: Have you -- you've had this conversation I assume, Karen, with your son?

Oh, unfortunately, I think we've lost our connection with Karen. We'll have her back another time.

I want to thank Karen Grigsby Bates for some good stuff.

But give us a thought right now, Rashad, best case scenario, something positive emerging from what the country has gone through as a result of this trial.

ROBINSON: I think something positive would be some closure for Trayvon's parents. And the Justice Department -- we just saw, Eric Holder talk about the investigation, but the Justice Department stepping in and providing some closure for the family and some justice for a lot of people who have been watching this.

But also an ongoing conversation and some real policy change in states. Ending Stand Your Ground in states and really building a movement to push against the type of laws that not only shielded George Zimmerman for so many months, but also provided the crux of his legal defense and sends a message to the other George Zimmermans out there that vigilantism is OK and is supported.

And then the ongoing work around culture change. And at Color of Change, we've launched represent.colorofchange.org. It's a movement to start holding Hollywood and the larger culture accountable.

When George Zimmerman saw Trayvon Martin, he saw a young black man with a hoodie and he didn't see a child. He saw someone he thought was a thug, someone that deserved to be followed, someone that was less than human, and he dehumanized him in that way. And every single day, we see images coming into our home that support that. And so at Color of Change -- we're the largest online civil rights organization, over 850,000 members all around the country. We hear these stories from our members. We want to help them raise their voices and the voices of the larger community to bring about some real change.

BLITZER: Rashad Robinson is executive director of Color of Change.

Rashad, thanks for joining us.

ROBINSON: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: A couple stops to help some guy on the side of the road who needs a lift. Turns out, it's Dave Matthews. We're going to tell you how the musician thanked them. That's next.

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(SINGING)

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Look at this, the East Room over at the White House. The president of the United States getting ready to pay tribute to a former president, president George H.W. Bush, who's been invited to come to the White House. They just showed the folks who have gathered there video that the president is going to be walking in and paying tribute to George H.W. Bush. Barbara Bush will be there. They will both be speaking soon. They're going to be -- it's always nice to see a president and a former president get together at these kinds of events. We'll dip in. We'll hear what they have to say. Standby for that. The two presidents will be there in the White House.

Let's do a quick market check right now. Stocks haven't been moving much today after hitting record levels last week. The Dow up about 27 points. Investors are weighing news out of China that its economy has slowed down a bit. China has the second-biggest economy in the world. It is one of the biggest trading partners with the United States. So that's creating some concerns over how much this could hit the economy, the U.S. economy, actually, right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This jamboree is going to involve white water rafting, zip lining, skateboarding, things we've never seen. It's going to be a totally new experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Jamboree 2013 starts today in West Virginia. It's the first requiring Boy Scouts and Scout leaders to meet body mass index standards based on their height and weight to be eligible for intense physical activities. The Boy Scouts say this year's jamboree will be more demanding than previous years.

The royal baby is expected any day now -- at least we think so. Buckingham Palace has never given an official due date. There have been enough clues to indicate this could be the week. Fans and the media have been camped outside the hospital in west London for a while now waiting to catch a glimpse of either the duchess or the baby once that baby is born. So what was Prince William doing this weekend while he waited? Look at this. I guess what any expectant dad does. He played polo with his brother, Prince Harry. They were at a charity match about 100 miles or so outside of London. The mother to be, Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was reportedly off visiting her parents who are also outside the city.

Let's go to the president of the United States. He's hosting a very lovely event for the former president, George H.W. Bush. The president was just introduced. He's going to be walking in. You see the folks, the invited guests, who have come together to honor George H.W. Bush. There he is, the president, and the former president. They are coming in. This is going to be an emotional moment.

You know what? I want to hear what President Obama has to say about George H.W. Bush. Then we'll hear what he has to say as well. It's a nice moment in the White House whenever these presidents get together.

There he is. George H.W. Bush getting a very, very nice standing ovation from all of his friends and other distinguished guests who have come into the East Room of the White House.

So the president will ask everyone to be seated. And then he'll speak. You know, he gets emotional. You can see him getting emotional right now in the East Room. He spent four years as president of the United States.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House.

23 years ago, President George H.W. Bush began a tradition. He knew that across the country, every day, Americans were finding ways to serve each other and give back to their communities, often with very few resources and very little recognition. And President Bush knew that their good works were valuable to the people they helped. But beyond that, he knew that their spirit of service was vital to our national character. So he created an award, the Daily Point of Light Award, to recognize Americans who serve their neighbors and communities in innovative ways that inspire us all. And for the rest of his presidency, nearly every single day, President Bush gave someone a Daily Point of Light Award.

After he left the White House, he kept going and going and going. In between skydiving and other activities --

(LAUGHTER)

-- he kept going, which should come as no surprise, since we're talking about somebody who has served his country in such extraordinary ways. And, you know, when you do a parachute jump at the age of 85, not just a parachute jump, but another parachute jump, I believe his seventh, this is somebody who's not going to slow down any time soon.

So today, we are extraordinarily honored to be joined by the family that helped build the Points of Light Foundation into the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service.

President Bush, Mrs. Bush, Neil Bush, we want to welcome you.

And we also want to recognize Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Points of Light.

It's worth applause.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, this is not the first time President Bush and I have come together for an event like this. Four years ago, I went down to Texas A&M where President Bush has his library to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Points of Light. And I appreciated the warm welcome, by which I mean the extremely loud "howdy" that I received.

(LAUGHTER)

I was deeply impressed by how invested the students there are in community service. But most of all, I was moved by how much they love President Bush.

And now we've come together to mark another milestone. As of this minute, 4,999 Point of Light Awards have been presented to individuals and organizations across this country. And so now I have the honor of joining President Bush in presenting number 5,000.

(APPLAUSE)

Number 5,000.

About 10 years ago, Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton were getting ready to retire. They had been farming for years. They had earned a break. They planned to sail around the world. And then their friend told them about a special place that they should visit along the way. In a village in Tanzania, a volunteer mission was helping to renovate an HIV/AIDS clinic. Floyd and Kathy thought it sounded like a worthwhile detour. When they arrived in Tanzania, the country was in the third year of a brutal drought. The people were starving and dying, many of them were children. Having seen this, Kathy and Floyd simply had to do something about it. So their vision of a leisurely retirement was replaced by a new mission, fighting global hunger. Today, the nonprofit they created, Outreach, has distributed free meals to hungry children here in the United States and in more than 15 countries worldwide. To date, more than 233 million meals. They've gotten to see many of the kids that they met in Tanzania grow up healthy and strong. This work, they say, is the most rewarding thing that they've ever done. I have to say, having just been to Tanzania with Michelle, we can attest to how important this kind of work is, how it changes lives.

It's also fitting that later this week, on July 18th, people around the world will celebrate the legacy of the magnificent public servant, Nelson Mandela, by performing acts of public and community service.

As people look for examples, Outreach provides an extraordinary demonstration of how service can lift people's lives.

And so if the purpose of this award is to celebrate Americans who work to make our country and the world a better place, not for their own advantage or for any ulterior motives, but just to serve, pure and simple, I can't think of anyone more deserving than Kathy Hamilton and Floyd Hammer.

Now, before we actually present this award, I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to honor the man who made this all possible. He hates this, but I'm going to do it anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

Much has been said about President Bush's own extraordinary life of service but I'm not sure everybody fully appreciates how much he's done to strengthen our country's tradition of service. In addition to this award, he created the first White House office dedicated to promoting volunteerism and he championed and signed the National and Community Service Act. By Washington standards, it was a modest law. It involved little money.

President Bush signed it with little fanfare. But looking back, we see that it sparked a national movement by laying the groundwork for the Corporation for National Community Service and AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. It gave tens of millions of Americans meaningful opportunities to serve. And today, thanks to those programs and others like them, and thanks to the passion of leaders like President Bush and citizens who found the same passion over the years, volunteerism has gone from something some people do some of the time to something lots of people do as a regular part of their lives.

Since 1989, the number of Americans who volunteer has grown by ore than 25 million.