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V. Stiviano Gives Interview about Donald Sterling; NBA Owners to Vote on Donald Sterling Forced Selling of Clippers; Tip Leads Police To Stop Possible School Shooting; Joel McHale to Host White House Correspondent Dinner; Search For Missing Malaysian Plane Continues; Kentucky Derby About to Commence; CNN Hero Physically Trains Disabled Individuals

Aired May 03, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We are not stopping, that's the vow from Ukraine as it battles pro-Russian militants from the street and from the air. You see the violence is exploding. Now there's a real fear of an all-out civil war.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And this woman is at the center of the Donald Sterling firestorm. Now his alleged girlfriend is breaking her silence. She has got a lot to say. Hear what she said about that infamous audio tape and what Sterling is saying now about her.

BLACKWELL: And poking fun at President Obama to his face. Believe it or not, that is one man's job tonight.

PAUL: I'd feel a little nervous with that job.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I think most people would.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Don't you think? I wonder if you would be up for it. I'm Christi Paul. We're glad to have you with us today.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Always a pleasure to be with you. It's 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 out west. You're in the CNN Newsroom. And first up this morning, she has been dodging cameras, wearing that odd visor ever since her recordings of the Clippers owner Donald Sterling went public one week ago. Now V. Stiviano is sitting down and speaking with ABC's Barbara Walters. Stiviano is defending Sterling, the man who was heard telling her not to bring black people to his games.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: Is Donald Sterling a racist?

V. STIVIANO: I don't believe it in my heart.

WALTERS: Have you heard him say derogatory things about minorities in general or blacks in particular?

STIVIANO: Absolutely. WALTERS: You've heard him say derogatory things.

STIVIANO: Yes.

WALTERS: Don't they sound racist to you?

STIVIANO: I think that the things he says are not what he feels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: CNN's Deborah Feyerick is looking into this. I know in the recordings you hear Stiviano say he is in love with her. In this interview, she said she loved him like a father figure. She told Barbara Walters, look, I'm just his personal assistant. What is going on?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, whatever you want to call it, whether you want to call it a girlfriend, a mistress, whatever label you want to put on it, the one thing I think we can safely say is this is not a platonic relationship. Sterling's estranged wife in court papers identifies V. Stiviano as having a sexual relationship with her husband. A friend of Stiviano's says that she has seen video, totally inappropriate behavior. It was almost uncomfortable to watch because they crossed the line on all levels.

And Stiviano herself, the lawyer says they were never boyfriend- girlfriend, but they were together all the time. She was his personal assistant. She traveled with him. She took notes on everything he said. She said she was makes his life easier in the professional realm and also the personal realm.

We did talk to the Clippers organization. They say she was never on their payroll. But he had a foundation, he had a charity, he had a lot of other things going on. What is interesting is all of this, this whole thing, all the behavior, all the comments, everything that Sterling did, it is being judged right now not just by the public at large but also very closely by the NBA, specifically the team owners. We took a look to see who exactly is going to be voting on the fate of Donald Sterling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: It is arguably one of the most elite clubs in the world, 30 NBA team owners. About half are self-made billionaires. One is a Russian financier, another head of the largest online retail mortgage lender. Some have broadcast interests or made fortune in technology. Others have lots and lots of real estate. There's a handful of bankers and at least one former basketball player, one industrial machine dealer, and one owner of a popular cruise line. All are expected to vote on the fate of disgraced Clippers owner Donald Sterling, including Sterling himself. Marc Edelman specializes in sports law and anti-trust.

MARC EDELMAN, SPORTS LAW SPECIALIST: It is primarily ego. It is toys for boys. It is fantasy basketball with billions of dollars at stake. FEYERICK: The owners have not said when or where they will vote or whether they will meet in person when the time comes.

Is it possible is Donald Sterling could bring up issues on some of other owners and says what makes them more fit than me to run a team?

EDELMAN: As a matter of comparison he certainly could or could attempt to. And as Mark Cuban said, it is always a matter of a slippery slope.

FEYERICK: Miami Heat owner Mickey Harrison was publicly crushed after he turned up courtside in 2013 while passengers on one of his Carnival cruises suffered days without food or facilities. In 2009, Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos was heavily criticized for anti-gay comments. Others have been accused of their own extramarital activities.

Still, bad behavior itself is not grounds for terminating an NBA team owner. Regardless of whether Sterling fights back or not, if he is forced to sell, after taxes, he will still end up hundreds of millions of dollars richer from his original $12 million investment. As for the new owners, whoever it is, whether it is Oprah or movie mogul David Geffen or Magic Johnson, a name change may be the first order of business.

EDELMAN: The Clippers are signified with losing and are signified with racism, and whoever buys it, my gut, is not going to take that with them. They'll start anew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: They have got 30 owners. In order to take him out they need at least 75 percent to say he's done. We don't know where that vote is going to take place. We don't know when the vote will take place. The NBA owners, many not simply not commenting. One of them said we are not going to do a straw poll through the media. So a lot of interesting conversations, and of course we heard the discussion that Donald Sterling could very likely file an anti-trust lawsuit. These are not only his colleagues but they are also his competitors. If they vote to kick him out, he may have grounds, if nothing else, he will certainly tie it up in litigation for a long time. Christi, Victor?

PAUL: Great explanation there. Deborah Feyerick, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Let's turn now to the escalating violence in Ukraine. It is stoking even more concerns the country is on the verge of an all- out civil war. This morning Ukrainian troops roll into the eastern city, and residents say they heard sounds of fighting and gunfire in some neighborhoods.

PAUL: In the city of Odessa, skirmishes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels have left at least 46 people dead, some during street fighting, others when a union hall was set on fire. The group of western observers held by pro-Russia separatists have been freed, which is also new this morning as well. BLACKWELL: Also in Ukraine, the escalating violence there brings us to Nick Paton Walsh. We have Nick Paton Walsh there from the city of Slavyansk just a few moments ago. Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing above the town of Slavyansk where the last few hours a delegation from the OSCE military observers were held here for eight days by pro-Russian militants and protestors, have been released according to the OSCE and the self-declared mayor of this town, all 12 of them, the seven foreigners including four Germans, and their Ukrainian escorts, too.

The self-declared mayor has told me that was facilitated by the arrival of an envoy from the Kremlin and not the result of an exchange of prisoners as they had been hoping would be the case. Their activists held by Kiev authorities exchanged for those military observers.

They are now moving to the outskirts of town to meet the OSCE delegation to take them away from this volatile area. But potentially a good PR move by the Kremlin, who facilitated this release that was causing great anxiety certainly in Berlin and had the chance for pro- Russian protesters and militants here to have a bit more favor put their way in international opinion.

But right now, Slavyansk is encircled pretty much by the Ukrainian military. Many of the checkpoints around this town, there are now Ukrainian soldiers in place, which one interesting exception. Over to my left, there are a number of Ukrainian soldiers who do not want to be filmed. We saw many of them down on a bridge below the hill where I'm standing yesterday. During the night, they came under sustained attack from what they referred to as professionally trained militants who had grenades and heavy weaponry, even shoulder-fired missiles. Two of them killed according to the ministry of defense and 12 injured.

They now pulled back it seems away from there to the top of this hill. They have taken up defensive positions, a helicopter even in support of them. It's this issue, though, that will persist in the days ahead. What happened to these troops? Do they come under attack? Do they respond with force? Do civilians get killed? The real concern is if the civilian casualties mount here, that could cause the Kremlin to feel they need to intervene. They have 40,000 troops just across the border here. That is why this city is such a flashpoint and that's why its continued encircling by Ukrainian forces is of such great concern, not only here by across Europe.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Slavyansk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Nick, thank you very much.

PAUL: So, searching for flight 370, which I think has just thrown everybody, now thousands of miles away from the Indian Ocean. Not even close to where we have been looking the last few weeks. Is it possible that a potential wreckage sighting is the real thing? BLACKWELL: Also, if you see something, say something. That is what law enforcement police officers, FBI investigators always say. Now a woman in Minnesota is being lauded for tipping off police to what could have been a nightmare scenario at a small town high school.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 14 minutes past the hour right now. This morning, another ship has been added to the search for flight 370. But we're talking this time in the Bay of Bengal which is thousands of miles from where search crews have been looking in the southern Indian Ocean, as you can tell on the map.

BLACKWELL: Let's get right to CNN's Will Ripley in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Will, any reason for the addition of the third ship?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. No reason has been given to why there are three ships in the Bay of Bengal. Keep in mind, these are ships that were not involved in the search off western Australia. So this is the Bangladeshi military, the navy specifically sending these ships to this area, checking out this possible lead reported by a private exploration company that claims they detected wreckage in this area.

One of the ship actually has the side-scan sonar technology that can scan the ocean floor to see if it can find the trace of debris. That's important because water in this area is not as deep as it is off western Australia. So these ships, according to the officials here in Malaysia, should have the tools capable to, one, scan the surface and see if there is debris floating, obviously unlikely considering we're in week nine here, and also there is the side-scan sonar to put to work as well.

So the tone that we're hearing here in Kuala Lumpur is that for now, they will wait and see what the ships in Bangladesh find before making a decision to divert additional resources which would be expensive and to take away time from the primary search area off western Australia.

PAUL: I have to think this is a topic of conversation on Monday with the trilateral meeting between China, Malaysia, and Australia, and they are set to meet to talk about where they go from here. Is there any indication of where that will be?

RIPLEY: We know the search und underwater is going to be expanded and we know that private contractors are going to be brought in with additional technology to try to speed up the process which still could take up to a year and cost $60 million. So these three countries are going to be getting, working together to come up with a blueprint to decide who they will hire, where they are going to dispatch the different assets, and assign -- this whole process shifting. Also tomorrow in Australia on Sunday, there is going to be the first funerals for one of the couples who was onboard that plane, even though sadly for the families, they don't have the couple. But they will gather and say goodbye. So perhaps some of the families are now really starting to accept these people aren't coming home. It is sad to think there are still some who haven't accepted that yet, who are still holding on to some sliver of hope that perhaps their loved ones could be alive.

BLACKWELL: Will Ripley in Kuala Lumpur for us. Will, thank you so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Will.

The big question a lot of people are asking is should Malaysia send search crews to the Bay of Bengal? Let's talk about it with CNN aviation analyst Jeff Wise and CNN safety analyst David Soucie. Good morning, gentlemen.

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Good morning

JEFF WISE, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: Jeff, I want to start with you. Earlier this morning Miles O'Brien, another CNN aviation analyst, said there is no specific backing or scientific backing to suggest this possible sighting of Bay of Bengal by GeoResonance is the real thing. What do you make of this? Could this be -- I don't want to cast aspersions -- but a publicity stunt?

WISE: I'm willing to cast aspersions. I'll go even further. This is a hoax. GeoResonance is not a company that has the track record that it says it does. This technology that it claims to have is more or less physically impossible. They have basically retreated. They said they don't want to talk to the press anymore. So it is a hoax. I don't think we need to mince words.

And it's sad because we have a lot of voices come out of the woodwork. Now the narrative by authorities has reached a dead end, it's kind of a free-for-all. Anybody can say anything, and there's really no grounds to discount it. And frankly, there has been an extraordinary impasse in this investigation where the Malaysian authorities released their preliminary report on the investigation, and now we understand why they are searching this particular stretch of the Indian Ocean. And, frankly, it is bizarre. The case they are making is they believe the plane flew between 320 and 350 knots, extraordinarily slowly for a plane, but not only that but that it was changing speed as it went and changing direction. It was not a ghost ship scenario. It was flown under intentional control, but it is hard to know why anyone would fly a plane in that manner. It's very, very strange.

PAUL: David, in this report it did talk about how there was a communication of some sort at 2:03 in the morning in Cambodia airspace, I believe it was. That makes you wonder, are we going to hear from Vietnam and Cambodia about this?

SOUCIE: It wasn't in the report -- it talks about the communication to the operations, to Malaysia operations. The same thing happened in flight 447 when they asked where is the aircraft at that point. And they gave the destination it was past where the aircraft crashed. So what happens in operations is their job is to plan ahead. Where is the aircraft going to be at the next point? What do we have to do to support the aircraft in that area? When can we expect communications in that area? So operations, which is a guy sitting back here with the radio, their job is to plan ahead. So when they get the call that says where is the aircraft? It is here. But they don't know it is here. They know it is intended to be there. At that particular time, it would have been. The report is not uncommon to get from operations when you talk to them because they expect the aircraft. They are giving you information where it should be, not necessarily where it is.

BLACKWELL: David, the next phase of this search could cost upwards of $50 million, it is estimated. Experts say it could take a year. Others suggested it could take longer. How long at this level will this commitment continue?

SOUCIE: Well, I don't know how long it can stand to be there. The problem is that you can't ignore the fact that something happened to this aircraft that we don't know. And in order to ensure the safety of other travelers, you have to know. This is not something you can just let go and say, OK, everybody who flies from now on has to accept the risk that an airliner disappeared with 230 people on it. Where did it go? And to be able get on an airplane with surety, which is the job of International Civil Aviation Authorities, the Federal aviation Administration and every other countries civil aviation authorities to make sure there is a standard level of safety. And you can't do that if you don't know what happened to the aircraft.

Jeff Wise and David Soucie, thank you so much.

SOUCIE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: A teenager gets caught in an alleged plot to attack his own school.

PAUL: How authorities discovered this really massive arsenal and the new threats they say he made.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: OK, so gun powder, a pressure cooker, and chemicals for making a bomb, this is what police say a Minnesota teen was able to somehow amass along with a written plan to attack his parents and sister and his school.

BLACKWELL: And add to that, this morning in custody, and reportedly making new threats. This kid is threatening people in the detention facility. A small town is thankful, though, for the quick thinking of a neighbor who saw something strange and said something. That's what law enforcement said you should do every time, you see something, say something. Nick Valencia is here following the story. What's this new threat?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's start there. He threatened a counselor at a juvenile detention facility to kill her, to strangle her with a phone cord. So that led him to be transferred to another facility. He woke up in a detention facility this morning. What is unclear is still how John Ladue was able to acquire this arsenal for the alleged plot. He is waiting for his May 12th court date. He is waiting for that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: John Ladue appeared to be just a typical teenager. His Facebook page showed the 17-year-old playing an electric guitar with a skull on his shoulder strap. He liked assault rifles, a list of movies dominated by blood and gore. Not so different from many others his age, but Ladue had a darker fascination. And in a journal discovered by police in his home, the high school junior allegedly detailed his deadly plan for committing mass murder.

OFFICER CHRIS MARTENSON, WASECA POLICE: His plan was to kill his family members and start a diversionary fire in rural Waseca to distract first responders and travel to the Waseca junior-senator high school. Once there, he intended to set off numerous bombs during the lunch hour, kill the school resource officer as he responded to help, set fires, and shoot students and staff.

VALENCIA: The attack was thwarted by Chelsie Shellhas, a watchful resident who reported what she believed to be suspicious activity.

CHELSIE SHELLHAS, NEIGHBOR: He shut the door. I thought it looked funny because normally when we see people come here it doesn't take 10 minutes to open up a storage shed. It looked funny, so I called it in.

VALENCIA: That led police to Ladue, and inside police found a locker with bomb-making materials.

MARTENSON: Numerous guns, ammunition, prepared bombs, and paperwork documenting his plans.

VALENCIA: The investigation started in late March when police discovered explosive devices at an elementary school playground, a place police believe Ladue used as a testing ground. They say his deadly plan was to target students at Waseca junior and senior high school, and they say he expected SWAT teams to kill him, a plan officials say he originally wanted to carry this out on April 20th to commemorate the massacre on Columbine but didn't because it was Easter Sunday and school was not in session.

TOM LEE, SUPERINTENDENT, WASECA SCHOOL DISTRICT: We can either believe that this occurred as a result of a lucky break, or, as I do, choose to believe that god was looking out for all of us.

VALENCIA: A small Minnesota town thankful this day their town didn't become just one more in a long list of tragic school shootings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: The town of Waseca, Minnesota, very thankful for those two watchful residents. We should mention he is facing a litany of charges, including four counts of first degree attempted murder.

PAUL: What do we know about the family and the mom? I heard somebody was able to contact her, and all she would say is we are all grieving. VALENCIA: It's a very confusing time for the family. We asked her to comment, CNN National Desk asked her to comment about the circumstances involving her son. She would not. She did not feel comfortable talking about that. But the grandmother of John Ladue spoke to a local newspaper and said he is a good kid, got along well with his sister, the same sister was planning on killing before he carried out this plot.

PAUL: Nick Valencia, thank you so much. Kudos to those people for saying something.

BLACKWELL: Nick, thank you.

PAUL: So the woman at the center of the Donald Sterling scandal, we did not even know her name this time last week, did we?

BLACKWELL: Now it is a household name, V. Stiviano. She is saying the embattled billionaire Clippers owner is not a racist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's 31 minutes past the hour right now. I hope Saturday has been good to you thus far. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: If not, it will get better. I'm Victor Blackwell. Pleasure to be with you.

PAUL: So let's talk about the woman at the center of the Donald Sterling scandal. We are hearing more from her today than probably we thought we would in a long time. V. Stiviano is the other voice heard on that audio recording, of course, with Sterling when he made those defamatory statements about African-Americans, statements that triggered a firestorm now that's led to the billionaire's lifetime ban from the NBA.

BLACKWELL: But Stiviano is now coming to Sterling's defense. Listen to what she told ABC's Barbara Walters. This is from last night's "20/20" interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTERS: Is Donald Sterling a racist?

STIVIANO: No, I don't believe it in my heart.

WALTERS: Have you heard him say derogatory things about minorities in general or blacks in particular?

STIVIANO: Absolutely.

WALTERS: You heard him say derogatory things?

STIVIANO: Yes.

WALTERS: Don't they sound racist to you?

STIVIANO: I think the things he says are not what he feels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Stiviano also went on to call herself Sterling's best friend, his everything, and his quote, "silly rabbit."

BLACKWELL: Oh, silly rabbit. Joining us to talk about this is CNN political commentator Marc Lamont Hill and Lamell McMorris. He runs Perennial strategy which includes a sports agency and law group. Good to have both of you.

PAUL: Good morning, gentlemen.

LAMELL MCMORRIS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, PERENNIAL STRATEGY GROUP: Good morning.

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be here.

BLACKWELL: Marc, let's start with you. Stiviano now says he is not a racist, that he doesn't believe this in his heart. However, on the recordings, she says I feel sorry for you that you have hate in your heart. What do you think?

HILL: Well, there are two ways to think about this. One, she could be saying a gap in what is in his mouth and heart and who he is at the core. It could be a deep, existential argument that she is making. Or she could be running from this because she knows she messed up. I'm saying if she has a financial tie to Donald Sterling, getting him kicked out of the NBA probably is not the best way to keep it. She could be looking out for her own interests right now. My favorite part is here saying "I am his confidante." You cannot be a confidante while you are taping him. Either she doesn't know what "confidante" means, or she thinks we don't.

PAUL: Let me ask you about, do we know, and how much does it matter whether she is the one that released this tape?

MCMORRIS: You know, it really doesn't matter. The bottom line is his private comments became public. I think if Donald Sterling's words and actions take us back to an era of old, I think the person who released these private comments represent the future. Privacy is over. We are all under a greater scrutiny in light of our private comments.

PAUL: Whoever released it, are they not vulnerable to a lawsuit from him?

MCMORRIS: I think, look, Donald Sterling is highly unpredictable. We clearly have -- he has clearly shown a propensity to use the law. He is an attorney. We don't know yet the unpredictable nature of what Donald Sterling and his legal team could do.

BLACKWELL: And Marc, there is this CBS News-"New York Times" poll out overnight specifically about the Sterling controversy. There is one question that stood out to me, the disparity in the responses. Are Sterling's views about blacks widespread among pro sports owners? And 17 percent of whites believe the views are widespread, 54 percent of black respondents.

HILL: This is not surprising at all. If you look at any major, national, race-based incident, there is always a disparity between black people read it and how white people read it. We could go all the way back to the O.J. verdict, the Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman trial. Black people and white people always see it very differently.

Black people deal with racism every day. They deal with micro- aggressions. When you go into a store and you get followed. When you get a good grade on a paper in school and your teacher is not sure you wrote the paper or not. All of these are incidents where black people experience doubt around race based on how they are being treated. For them, they feel like the world is filled with Donald Sterlings. Not everybody, but there are people like Donald Sterling everywhere. Many white Americans would like to believe in the post-racial moment, that Donald Sterling is an outlier, that he sits down with 29 other NBA owners saying racist stuff and everyone else shakes their hand in disapproval, as opposed to the idea that maybe some of them think the same thing.

PAUL: Lamell, how long do you think it will be before we see a new owner? We know the owners are due to vote on this. We don't know when, necessarily, but let's say they vote on it and vote for a new owner to come into play. How does that work when you have a guy who doesn't necessarily want out?

MCMORRIS: I think the swift action that you've seen from Commissioner Silver and the executive committee is the indication of the swift action that would take place here. The only thing that would delay this is if Donald Sterling looks to have a big, huge legal fight, and to stop this. I expect this matter to move swiftly and I think before the summer, this team and ownership would be in process.

BLACKWELL: Quickly --

HILL: I hope the ownership team is fronted by someone of color. It would be a great statement by the league.

MCMORRIS: I think it represents a great opportunity for the owners.

BLACKWELL: All right, we will end it there. We will wrap it up. Marc Lamont Hill and Lamell McMorris, thank you very much.

MCMORRIS: Thank you.

PAUL: Thank you, gentlemen.

So, would you want this job? Joel McHale's big night tonight headlining the White House correspondents dinner.

BLACKWELL: How hard is it to tell jokes standing next to the leader of the free world? You know some people who are watching would jump at the chance to take that job. Some people not so much, hence all the comments on twitter. Presidential historian Doug Brinkley and comedian Kim Coles join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: So the president, Hollywood's a-list, and the White House press corps walk into a bar. I don't know the punch line.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: But I know it will happen tonight in a ballroom in Washington. Somebody is going to get drunk. I don't know who, but there are drinks. And it is one of the hottest tickets in town.

PAUL: Of course we're talking about the annual White House correspondents dinner which features President Obama doing stand up and headliner Joel McHale in what may be a pretty darn tough gig when it comes to comedy.

BLACKWELL: There have been some great hosts and there have been some pretty bad ones at this event. How hot is tonight's spotlight? Joining us are comedian and actress Kim Coles and historian Douglas Brinkley.

KIM COLES, COMEDIENNE/ACTRESS: Hello, hello.

BLACKWELL: Kim, let's start with you. If you're Joel McHale, how do you prepare to do stand-up standing next to the president?

COLES: That has to be the most nerve-wracking gig of all. You have to be political, but you have to toe the line. You have to talk about what everybody else is talking about, but do it in a way that is not too sarcastic and not too snide, politically correct, but right on the edge. It's got to be tough.

BLACKWELL: It's a difficult line to walk.

COLES: But he is funny. He is going to do just fine, though. He's hilarious.

PAUL: Professor Brinkley, is there any president, I'm wondering, drastically unfunny?

DAVID BRINKLEY, HISTORIAN: Well, a lot of them. You know, it has grown. Now you have comedy writers. Barack Obama will be prepared with probably a video and some of the best writers in the country delivering jokes, because we're judging presidents on how they do. We had a whole series of unfunny presidents in Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. In those days, there were not these massive televised events. The celebrity of this really began with Ronald Reagan in 1987 when, you may remember, Fawn Hall who worked for Oliver North came, and suddenly all the cameras were turning on her and not the politicians. And since then, people are looking for the train wreck, like you made the joke, who will get drunk tonight. It has become a little bit of a bizarre affair, so much so that some serious journalists don't even like going.

BLACKWELL: Yes, namely Tom Brokaw, who said after Lindsay Lohan became such a big star a couple years ago, give me a break. Kim, if the president is going to have a team of writers, as Douglas said, how difficult is it to write, one, for someone else in their voice, but to write for a president or senator for someone with that title?

COLES: Well, I think that Barack Obama has a sense of style in his own sense of humor. I think if you get his voice, you could get and you could write for him. Of course he will reject any jokes that he doesn't think are appropriate or right or in his voice. It will be tough, but there's a template that has been set and there's a bar that's been set.

And I have never written for other people nor have I ever hired other people to write for me. But it's a very interesting dance. And you in the end, I'm sure Barack Obama in the end, will have to choose what he thinks is the right tone and the right edge just enough to be extra, extra cool, because in the end, you have to come off cool at this dinner.

PAUL: President Obama famously ripped Donald Trump in 2011. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No one is happier or prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than the Donald. And that is because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So let me ask you, Douglas, what person or topic is likely to get slammed tonight? Is there anything off limits, you don't go there.

BRINKLEY: Well, you always can go with Donald Trump. He is just a joke in himself. And it was particularly hilarious because Trump was there. I think the president likes to do a joke like that when somebody is in the audience, not do it when somebody is not there.

With that said, I think Donald Sterling will have to be on the table in some ways. It has just become such a national joke. I think it is probably fair game. However, something like Benghazi where you had the deaths of Americans overseas and a tragedy like that, I think that is off the table. I'm sure the president will want to do zingers FOX News way. FOX gets under his skin and this is a good change for him to ping guys like Ed Henry a little bit.

BLACKWELL: Kim, what would you expect? What would your joke or jokes be tonight?

COLES: All I know, I think Donald Sterling is not only on the chopping block as far as I know, not on the table, on the chopping block. I would say to Joel McHale, I would caution you going against Michelle. Leave Michelle alone. Leave the sister alone and everything else is fair game. The trick is also to talk about everything everybody is talking about. Talk about what everybody is thinking about and just go for it. Go for it, but leave Michelle alone or you will be in trouble.

PAUL: Clearly he will be in trouble with Kim.

BLACKWELL: And the president.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: Douglas Brinkley and Kim Coles, we so appreciate you being here with us, thank you.

BRINKLEY: Thank you.

COLES: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: It is time now to get ready for the mint juleps, although it is 10:46 on the east coast, it's a Saturday morning. Maybe some people are starting the celebration early?

PAUL: Why not? The race for the Triple Crown starts today, and we will take live to the center of the action.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Get your big hats and mint juleps. That sounded more provocative than it was meant to be. But it is Kentucky Derby time.

BLACKWELL: Nothing wrong with a mint julep. This afternoon 19 thoroughbreds will line up for the fastest two minutes in sports. Francesca Cumani is live outside Churchill Downs with the countdown to post time. There are several sentimental favorites in today's race, including one -- oh, that camera is moving.

PAUL: Do you have a connection?

BLACKWELL: I share a name with.

FRANCESCA CUMANI, CNN HOST, "WINNING POST": One in particular is a horse called "Wicked Strong" who was actually renamed last year in honor of all of those affected by the Boston bombings. A percentage of the winnings today will go to the One Fund.

Another sentimental favorite would be the jockey Rosie Napravnik. She's bidding to become the first female jockey ever to win the Kentucky Derby. She's had to goes at it before and her best finish was fifth last year on a horse called My Loot.

It is a huge social event as well, and there are some great fashion aspects, not only in the outfits, but also the hats. They say hats bring a lot of luck on race day. Not only the women wearing hats, but the men, too. They are adorned with flowers and feathers and ribbons and, you know, that is probably why the bigger, the better. I have not done very well with mine today, although it won't be blowing off in the wind that is just starting to pick up here today.

BLACKWELL: Your hat is styling.

PAUL: You look great.

BLACKWELL: A good hat.

PAUL: What about "Vick is in Trouble"?

CUMANI: Vick is in Trouble, he is the horse being ridden run by Rosie Napravnik. He is probably not one of the favorites. He has quite an inside position in the gate. He will have to be careful. Rosie will have to be at her very best to have a safe passage and a winning passage.

BLACKWELL: All right, Francesca Cumani, thank you.

PAUL: Have fun there.

CUMANI: Thank you.

PAUL: Sure. So a body builder with a heart as big as his biceps, this week's CNN Hero when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It's no secret that fitness training can benefit our health and well-being, but people with physical or mental disabilities, that benefit may be out of reach.

PAUL: And that is where this week's hero comes in, because when a long-time fitness buff learned about the limitations that were faced by people who are disabled in his community, he got to work the best way he knew how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED NORTON, CNN HERO: When I'm running, I feel limitless. Being in motion makes me feel free. When you are really pushing yourself, that's when you feel alive. But there are millions of people around the world that are facing severe physical limitations. They can't be independent. They can't live their lives. I spent years training Olympic athletes, football players, body builders. One day, a young guy, spinal cord injury, came to the gym asking for help. At first, I did not know what to do. but we worked together and he made tremendous progress.

Take a breath. Reach out. Reach out. Bring it back.

Before you knew it, my phone rang off the hook, people asking for help. I opened a gym designed to fit their needs.

Ready to go to work?

For the past 25 years, I provided strength and conditioning training for people with disabilities. People come to me when they are at their lowest. You come to the gym and all of a sudden you have a natural support network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1971, I broke my back and I have been in the wheelchair ever since.

NORTON: That's it, Tom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks to Ned, I keep my upper body strength at maximum. I have been able to live a full life.

NORTON: I never worry about what they can't do. I worry about what they can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do it, Ned.

NORTON: Yes, you can. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did up to 10.

NORTON: I'm building them up and stronger so they can go out and live life like they are supposed to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Doesn't that make you feel good?

PAUL: Yes. Love it.

BLACKWELL: Each week we honor a new CNN Hero, an everyday person who makes a difference. If you know someone who deserves this recognition, tell us about that person at CNNheroes.com.

Speaking of heroes, two brave, brave women, their actions helped save a bus full of students.

PAUL: Betty Windeman and her sister were at a red light when they noticed the flames were shooting out of that school bus. That's when they said we had to do something. So they drove parallel to the bus and honking and screaming and finally getting in front of it and slammed on the brakes to get them to stop. All 23 students and three chaperons and the bus driver were able to get out of that thing before it turned into this, what you are watching now.

BLACKWELL: Isn't that amazing?

PAUL: Kudos to them.

So we hope you make great memories today, a beautiful Saturday. And thank you so much for spending part of your day with us.