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Olympic Fears over Russian Anti-Gay Laws; JetBlue Goes Premium; Telling Your Kids About Cancer; Photo-Bombing the President
Aired August 05, 2013 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: NEWSROOM, the threat against U.S. embassies overseas is very real. So much so, the unprecedented emergency closures have now been extended. Plus, this --
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MADONNA, SINGER: This is my house, Russia. You can be gay in my house.
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KEILAR: Lady Gaga and Madonna both facing heat in Russia for their support of gay rights.
And flying the friendly skies just got a little bit easier. JetBlue's new plan and what it means for you.
NEWSROOM starts right now.
Good morning. I'm Brianna Keilar in this morning for Carol Costello.
Could gay athletes be arrested at the 2014 winter Olympics? That may sound like a wild question but a controversial new anti-gay law in Russia which is hosting the games allows police to arrest foreigners they suspect as being pro-gay and it outlaws homosexual propaganda as they call it as pornography.
The International Olympic Committee says it has assurances Russia won't apply the law during the games, but not every athlete is so sure. Hudson Taylor is the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally. It's a non-profit group focused on ending homophobia in sports.
So Hudson, first off, what do laws like this mean for you and your organization? It's everything you really worked to fight against.
HUDSON TAYLOR, FOUNDER, "ATHLETIC ALLY": Yes. You know, I founded Athlete Ally to make sports safe and accessible for everybody. And when we have an athletic competition as high profile and important as the Winter Olympics, being hosted in a country that is violating human rights every single day, it is in direct opposition to everything that we're fighting for. So it's really important that we focus on how these -- how LGBT athletes, how LGBT-affirming fans are going to be treated at the games. We want to make sports safe and accessible for everyone. And right now it's not certain that Sochi is going to be a place where that's -- that's the case.
KEILAR: So you work with a number of gay and straight athletes. How are they responding to this?
TAYLOR: There's a lot -- a lot of mixed -- mixed approaches. I mean I think there are still a lot of advocates that are unsure as to what the proper approach is and what's the outcome that we wish to achieve. While the athletes that we work with, there's really two things that we're fighting for.
The first is to insure that LGBT athletes, fans and LGBT affirming participants are able to be free from persecution at the games. And then the second is to strategize how we can use the Olympics to meaningfully improve the situation for the LGBT Russian community. You know, many of the athletes that we work with are ready, willing and able to speak out about Sochi. But there's still some uncertainty as to how these laws are going to affect any stance we take.
KEILAR: So Hudson take a look at this. Because this weekend I spoke to figure skating champion Johnny Weir. He is openly gay. He's also married to a Russian-American. I talked to him about his fears of breaking the propaganda law, and here's what he said.
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JOHNNY WEIR, U.S. OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATER: My sheer presence is already propaganda. First of all, I'm a figure skater. We wear very elaborate crazy costumes, which has been alluded to in Elton John's case in Russia as of late as being propaganda. And I'm married to a Russian-American man. I'm a figure skater. I'm very well-known in Russia. So, just my sheer presence is a big statement going against this anti-propaganda law.
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KEILAR: So Hudson, it's interesting because he was saying, look, I'm showing up and I am, you know, I am obviously who I am and that is going to be enough to make a statement. He's saying that. "I'm just showing up." Some other advocates have said, yes, show up and make this -- I read one article said quote "The gayest Olympics ever. Take a stand." You know to the point where some people may say go, get arrested, bring awareness to this.
And then you have some folks who say you know what this should be boycotted. So what is really do you think the right or most effective approach here?
TAYLOR: I think boycotts always end up hurting the people we don't intend to affect. It hurts the athletes who have been training and working their whole life to accomplish, to win an Olympic medal. So boycotts I don't think are the right approach. Instead, I think, you know, we have an opportunity to show the world that gay rights are in fact human rights and that the LGBT community deserves the same dignity and respect as their heterosexual counterparts. And we can only do that by organizing and mobilizing people to speak out not sit out at Sochi.
So that's Athlete Ally's game plan and that's what other advocates I think are really thinking long and hard about, how we can use Sochi as a vehicle for inclusion and respect of the LGBT community. And hopefully, it will make sports safe and inclusive for everybody for many, many years to come.
KEILAR: It's certainly going to be a story line that's playing out during this Olympics that we haven't seen before. And we're interested to see how it all turns out.
Athlete Ally's Hudson Taylor thanks for being with us.
TAYLOR: Thanks for having me.
KEILAR: Now two superstars' vocal support for gay rights in Russia may have landed them in a bit of trouble. Lady Gaga and Madonna are facing possible punishment in the country after officials there say they had concerts without the right work visas, something though that may have something to do more with their political stance.
CNN's Matthew Chance is joining me live now from Moscow. So Matthew what's the link here?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: well, the link, Brianna, is that both Madonna and Lady Gaga are being investigated now by Russian prosecutors for visa violations and both of those artists have appeared in Russia over the course of the past 12 months or so making very kind of pro-gay rights statements whilst on stage.
Now there's no link being drawn by the Russian authorities to this investigation into their visa problems and their remarks but the fact is, the problem with the visas only came to light after a complaint was made by the Russian lawmaker who sort of authored the very controversial gay propaganda -- anti-gay propaganda laws in the country. And so it's raised a suspicion that these two megastars are really being investigated because of their gay stance.
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LADY GAGA, SINGER: Baby I was born this way --
CHANCE (voice-over): Even if you're one of the world's biggest superstars speaking out on gay rights in Russia is risky as Lady Gaga is finding out.
MADONNA: Don't be a drag, just be a queen.
Tonight, this is my house, Russia. You can be gay in my house. CHANCE: Now, Russia officials say the pop star staged her concert without proper work visas. It's not officially linked to her remarks but the complaint was filed by Vitale Milonov, the lawmaker behind Russian's controversial anti-gay laws.
Another icon Madonna is also accused of spreading what Russia calls gay propaganda after she spoke out at her concert in St. Petersburg last year.
MADONNA: I am here to say that the gay community and gay people here and all around the world have the same rights.
CHANCE: But in Russia, activists say gay rights are under increasing pressure, along with anyone who dares to support them.
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CHANCE: Well Brianna, if they are prosecuted, both Madonna and Lady Gaga could face steep fines, even a ban on entering the country in the future -- back to you.
KEILAR: And all of that will just bring more and more sort of notoriety to what they're doing. Matthew Chance, thank you for that from Moscow. We appreciate it.
Now coming up in on the NEWSROOM, I should say, a first for JetBlue. The discount carrier just unveiled new brand premium seats. When can you get them, everyone wants to know, and why the change from coach only? We have details ahead.
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KEILAR: The airline JetBlue unveiled a first today, brand new premium seats and this is a big deal because, well, the airlines only offered coach seats since they started flying back in 2000.
And Alison Kosik is live in New York with the story. I mean Alison it kind of goes against what we know them for.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes it really does. It is a huge shift for JetBlue -- a huge shift in strategy. You know you think as you said this is an inception, it only offer coach seat you know with those blue chips and the little blue cookies or whatever they offered.
Well now they're going a bit more upscale so next spring they're going to be offering two classes of seats. They're not going to be calling it business or first class though but they're going premium seats and they're going to be front of the plane they're going to lie flat like a bed. They even have a massage function and offer up a 15-inch TV screen. Nice right?
Well they're going to be testing this out on it's New York to LA in san Francisco route. What JetBlue is essentially trying to do is tap into a lucrative market that it's not tapping into right now -- premium seating. If you look at JetBlue right now a flight from New York to LA in two weeks would cost you about $700. Look at the same ticket on Delta United or American that will cost you $2,500 to $3,500 if you're going to fly business.
So JetBlue is not saying how much it's going to wind up when it does start this but you can see how much it's really missing out on a lot of revenue and the potential is big. You also have to realize that come a week after JetBlue issue disappointing earnings, it said it was getting hit with higher costs. This could be an answer to bring in more revenue.
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KEILAR: They're going all-in on those premium seats. Ok so before I let you go, just give us a quick look at the markets will you?
KOSIK: (inaudible) are taking a bit of a breather after the Dow and S&P reached fresh record highs on Friday. We've got our eye on Facebook shares they are trading above $39, it's highest level ever for the first time ever since as you remember it went public last summer at $38 a share. It's had this really long climb back. It gave a really good earnings report and you're seeing investors continue to buy into Facebook -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Alison Kosik, thank you so much.
KOSIK: Sure.
KEILAR: And still ahead, she is back at work after undergoing a double mastectomy for breast cancer.
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SORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey.
I'm so happy to be back. Thank you so much.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's so nice to have you back.
I'm happy to have you back.
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KEILAR: And we are so happy to have her back. CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin says her treatment wasn't even the toughest part -- her advice for other families that are staring cancer in the face next.
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KEILAR: Here at CNN we are very pleased to welcome back a very special member of our family.
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ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Good morning. And welcome to "EARLY START". I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Yes, so are.
SAMBOLIN: I'm so happy to be back, folks. Thanks you for --
BERMAN: So nice to have you back.
SAMBOLIN: It's so nice to be.
BERMAN: I'm the other guy. You bet.
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KEILAR: The other guy -- John Berman.
Now "EARLY START" anchor Zoraida Sambolin returned to work this morning for the first time in months. As you probably know, she was probably diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent and underwent a double mastectomy under the care of doctors in Chicago.
And just take a look at what she came back to today -- dozens of balloons, a message in her office window reading "We Heart Z" -- a warm welcome indeed. But as Zoraida points out, there was something even harder than the treatment itself -- Zoraida.
SAMBOLLIN: Good morning, Brianna. As you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in April. And I had a double mastectomy. Today is my first day back on the job after being out for eight weeks, and I'm doing great. My prognosis is wonderful.
But as I'm reflecting on this journey and actually now having gone through the procedure and through the recovery, one of the most difficult times I would say in this whole journey has been having to tell my children, especially my son Nikko, that I have cancer.
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SAMBOLIN: The first thought I had when I was diagnosed with cancer was this. How will I tell my kids? I have two. Nikko is 14 and Sophia is 10.
What do you remember about how I told you?
NIKKO: You asked me what I thought of when I thought of breast cancer. And if I thought --
SAMBOLIN: You said "I think of a fight."
Once he knew, my son became one of the 2.85 million U.S. children sharing their parents' fight against cancer.
At Gilda's club, which provides support to people coping with cancer, they urge kids to seek strength from each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Children and adults have very different life experiences. So, part of the goal of educating kids about what cancer is, is helping alleviate any of that anxiety or fear when they hear that word. SAMBOLIN: Nikko reached out to his friends, Kyle and Miles to find strength.
What kind of advice were you giving him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay strong. Know that everything is going to be okay. Look to God and just reach out to me if he needed anything, if he needed any support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you ever need anything, I'm there for you. And yes, just stay strong.
SAMBOLIN: Nikko worried my fiance Kenny would walk away.
NIKKO: What was tough for me to think about, what is Kenny's reaction. To know that he stuck by your side through the entire situation --
SAMBOLIN: That is a good man, right? You are two of the strongest men I know.
I need their strength. Nikko's was the last familiar face I saw before surgery and the first when I came out. I was used to caring for my kids, not the other way around.
KENNY: Zoraida is a rock, is a matriarch of this family, and to think that you may lose her, that's a very debilitating thought at times.
SAMBOLIN: Now you know it's over.
Cancer has caused a role reversal. Even as he's there for me, I can't always be there for him. I missed his graduation.
NIKKO: She wanted to be here, but she couldn't even though I didn't really want her flying after the operation. So -- but it's still good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
NIKKO: Thank you.
SAMBOLIN: But I am getting better and it helps that we're in this fight together.
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SAMBOLIN: It was great to see the loving support that Nikko had from his buddies but really humbling to have your 14-year-old son take care of you. I think that as I reflect on this and this journey for both of us, that I learned that part of his healing and his coping was to be able to take care of me -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Zoraida Sambolin, thank you so much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KEILAR: Checking this morning's top stories, hundreds of criminals on the loose after a rash of prison breaks. And now Interpol wants to know if they're linked. The global police organization issued an alert asking member nations for help in getting to the bottom of it. Al Qaeda is suspected of being involved.
An armed 14-year-old boy shot dead by New York Police and the NYPD says this happened after two uniformed officers heard gunshots. A surveillance camera captured the teen running down the street with a gun chasing another man. Police order him to drop his weapon but they say he didn't comply. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
And a sigh of relief for commuters in San Francisco -- a transit strike has been averted there, at least for now. Governor Jerry Brown stepped in late last night just before the strike was to go into effect at 12:01 today and he ordered the trains keep rolling for another week as contract negotiations continue.
We are back after a quick break.
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KEILAR: It was a snapshot that the burst out over the airwaves in a matter of hours. Believe it or not, bunny ears behind the president.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Photobombing the president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't remember another case of someone flashing bunny ears over the President of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently holding the title of commander in chief does not make you immune from a good old fashioned photo bomb.
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KEILAR: Nope. Nope, it just doesn't anymore I guess. Jeanne Moos takes a look at the photo bomb seen round the world.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may be the leader of the free world, but basketball players felt free to give the president bunny ears. Seriously? Bunny ears? Behind the president's back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Photo bombing the president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its kids today. MOOS: The kids in this case were two members of the University of Connecticut Huskies. The White House was honoring the women for being the NCAA champs. Now, usually, it's the president making jokes.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My bracketology needs some work.
MOOS: Oh, snap.
Suddenly, the laugh is on him.
The two perpetrators were identified as Stephanie Dolson and Kia Stokes. Stephanie even tweeted out the photo casually giving the president bunny ears. What they weren't giving, the university said, was interviews.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disrespectful or funny? You let us know. Tweet us.
MOOS (on-camera): CNN's crack investigative team, you're looking at it, has determined the true culprit -- the person who instigated this affront to presidential dignity.
Recognize the guy? Listen to him incite the team as they pose.
OBAMA: We all saying cheese? No rabbit ears behind me.
MOOS: Now, you can't expect young people within earshot to resist that bait. In less than ten seconds, the rabbit ears went up.
(on-camera): Anyway, President Obama can't really complain. After all, when it comes to rabbit ears, he's not entirely innocent.
(voice-over) Look what the White House did to Bo, the first dog, just to say Happy Easter, and after a get-together of the five living presidents, someone photo shopped President Obama into giving President Bush bunny ears.
After the basketball team photo op, the president ended up shaking the hands that just rabbit-eared him, but try this with tough guys like Russia's President Putin or Korea's Kim Jong-Un, and you'll end up with a rabbit ear ache.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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KEILAR: Oh, the irreverence. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now.
