Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
1 Year Since Tucson Rampage; Romney Taking Political Heat; Dan Rather on the 2012 Race; Van Der Sloot Wants to "Reflect"; 1 Year Since Tucson Rampage
Aired January 08, 2012 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Today in history --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have 18 individuals who were shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One year ago, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords shot but lives. Six others die. Her progress, lessons learned and a nation remembers.
Tick tock. The first presidential primary just two days away. Did Mitt Romney's debate rivals make a dent in his armor? We'll show you just how contentious it got.
Daring Dan. Legendary anchorman Dan Rather is in New Hampshire. True to form, he's got some choice words for the GOP hopefuls. And he's sharing them with me.
And who are blah people?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to make people's lives better by making them somebody else's money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He says he didn't say what you just heard and he's not alone. It really is time for our "No Talking Points" segment.
That and more right here, right now on CNN.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us.
The congresswoman who took a bullet to the brain exactly one year ago standing tall and leading her community in our country's sacred pledge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, still recovering from her severe head trauma, took to the stage at a candlelight vigil in Tucson.
On this day last year, January 8th, 2011, a gunman opened fire in a supermarket parking lot where Giffords was meeting constituents. Six people died. But Giffords survived a pointblank shot to the head.
Our Thelma Gutierrez is standing by live at the vigil in Tucson.
Thelma, some inspirational sights compared to the absolute horror of a year ago and to see her and hear her giving the pledge, it really just made your heart swell in a good way.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don. In fact, that is exactly what struck me is that one year ago today she was actually fighting for her life. And then to watch her lead thousands of people in the Pledge of Allegiance, just a remarkable moment.
There was another moment, too, Don, that really took my breath away. When all of a sudden, Ron Barber, who works for Gabrielle Giffords and was also injured in that terrible shooting, asked the crowd to hold up their glow sticks as they read out the names of each of the six people who died. It was a remarkable sight because you could see thousands of people holding those glow sticks in the air.
I looked at the crowd. You could see tears in their faces. People were very emotional. They were choked up at this moment. And then Mark Kelly, the congresswoman's husband, took to the stage and he reminded the crowd that as they were mourning those who were lost, that they also had to deal with the reality and the pain of moving on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORD'S HUSBAND: Those of us who survived were forever changed by that moment. For the past year, we've had new realities to live with -- the reality and pain of letting go of the past, the reality of letting go of dear friends and family members. There is also the pain of knowing that with adequate mental health intervention and treatment, that we may not be here tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: And he was also saying that it's very hard to believe that it was just a year ago that all their lives changed, that the city's direction changed, and it was all because of this terrible event on January 8th.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We have breaking news for you. Several people have been shot. The shooting occurred at a grocery store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have discovered that we have 18 individuals who were shot.
GUTIERREZ (voice over): January 8th, 2011, a day Tucson will never forget.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bodies laying on the concrete.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The screaming, the crying, the bleeding.
GUTIERREZ: Nineteen people were shot that day. Six of them died. The youngest, 9-year-old Christina Green, was one of many who had gone to the Safeway store to meet Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Christina was there with her neighbor Suzie Heilman.
SUZIE HEILMAN, SHOOTING VICTIM: And then, it's gunshot.
GUTIERREZ: Christina was shot in the chest.
HEILMAN: I was holding hands with Christina. We were just eyeball to eyeball. She was confused and scared. And I knew when we were lying on the ground outside of Safeway, the light went out of her eyes.
GUTIERREZ: As many of the victims lay bleeding in pools of blood, two men wrestled the gunman.
JOE ZAMUDIO, WITNESS: I put my legs on his -- behind his knees and my arm on the back of the small of his back. The other guy was stepping on his neck.
GUTIERREZ: The gunman who is in police custody --
TAMMY VO, KGUN 9 REPORTER: He is Jared Lee Loughner, 22 years old.
GUTIERREZ: The scene was chaotic with sheriff's deputies and civilians trying to triage victims.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did anybody get injured? Did you say Gabrielle Giffords was hit?
GUTIERREZ: The congresswoman had been shot in the head. Her intern, Daniel Hernandez, ran to her side and used his bare hands to stop the bleeding.
DANIEL HERNANDEZ, FORMER INTERN FOR GIFFORDS: I couldn't see an exit wound. I didn't know if there was one. All I saw was the entry wound. And that's where I was applying the pressure.
GUTIERREZ: In the end, it was Hernandez, the paramedics and the trauma team who saved Gabrielle Giffords' life.
DR. PETER RHEE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, UMC TRAUMA CENTER: Overall, this is about as good as it's going to get. You know, when you get shot in the head and the bullet goes through your brain, the chances of you living is very small, and the chances of you waking up and actually following commands.
GUTIERREZ: January 8th, 2011, will be remembered as a catastrophic day, one where a year later a community has pulled together to honor the victims and survivors of the deadliest rampage in the city's history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And Thelma, back to tonight's vigil. There were a number of significant events.
GUTIERREZ: There really were. And one of the events that really stood out to me, Don, was this very poignant moment where there were 19 candles on stage, and all the relatives of those people lined up waiting to go up to the stage and to light those candles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PEOPLE LIGHTING CANDLES ONE BY ONE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: One by one, Don, each of the relatives came up and they lit the candles. Each candle representing one of the six people who were killed that terrible day. And then 13 people lighting candles to represent each of the 13 people who were injured in that terrible shooting.
LEMON: Thelma Gutierrez in Tucson, Arizona. Appreciate your reporting tonight.
Now this.
After all the debates, all the rallies and all the stops in small town diners, Mitt Romney looks like the man to beat in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
Let's go to Manchester now. That's where CNN Political Director Mr. Mark Preston is standing by along with CNN's political correspondent Jim Acosta.
Guys, good to see you again. Just saw you a couple of minutes ago.
Jim, I'm going to start with you because I know you've been on the road today tracking the Romney campaign. So tell us what's going on with a little more than one day left to go.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. Well, as you know, we've been talking about this. It's going to take a Tim Tebow-style comeback for one of these other contenders to beat Mitt Romney here in New Hampshire.
But they are seizing on some comments that the former Massachusetts governor made earlier today in Rochester, New Hampshire, when Romney was talking about how he understands the struggles in today's economy. He made some pretty interesting comments and his opponents are seizing on them big time. Let's listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know what it's like to worry whether you're going to get fired. There were a couple of times I wondered whether I was going to get a pink slip. And I care very deeply about the American people. And it frightens me to see a president who has made so many mistakes when people are hurting so badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: It's worth noting that Mitt Romney, you know, he is the son of George Romney who was a presidential candidate, governor of Michigan, the president of American Motor Cars. So he led by -- I think, by most accounts, a fairly privileged life.
But we asked the Romney campaign what did Governor Romney mean when he said that? And I talked to a spokeswoman, got an e-mail from a spokeswoman who said, well, when he got out of college, there were moments in that early part of his career when his employment was not a sure thing. And so, you know, Mitt Romney is obviously a target out here on the campaign trail.
And at an event earlier this evening at Exeter, there were some protesters at an event that he was at with Chris Christie, one of his top surrogates, and there were protesters yelling Mitt kills jobs, Mitt kills jobs, basically talking about Mitt Romney's days as the head of Bain Capital, a venture capital firm that at times did downsize some companies.
And then the same protesters tried to go after Chris Christie and said Christie kills jobs. They're chanting Christie kills jobs, and that's when the New Jersey governor went after those protesters. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Americans are right to be angry and the right to be disappointed in a government, that in Washington, D.C. is doing nothing but posturing and bickering and solving nothing for the people who wind up needing, needing to get this done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christie kills jobs! Christie kills jobs!
CHRISTIE: Really?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
CHRISTIE: You know, some may go down tonight, but ain't going to be jobs, sweetheart. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there was Chris Christie with a very Chris Christie- style moment.
And, you know, just to tie this all together, Don, there's a common thread in all of this. And that is, as I said earlier, Mitt Romney's time at Bain Capital, part of the reason why you heard Mitt Romney talking about those times in his life when he was worried about his paycheck. And the reason you heard those protesters heckling Chris Christie and Mitt Romney is because of this issue of Mitt Romney's time at Bain Capital.
I have to tell you, Don, the Newt Gingrich forces are going after Romney on this -- on this issue big time. There's a pro-Gingrich super PAC called Winning our Future that is coming out with a 30- minute documentary that highlights some of the job losses that occurred when Mitt Romney was in charge of Bain Capital. It's going to be a big issue in the coming days.
LEMON: Yes, it will. I don't want to get to it but it's going to be -- get very interesting. I mean, what did he say there, Mark? Did you hear it's sweetheart? That's not going to go over well with a lot of folks. Comments like that aren't going to help, but still he is in good position, Romney is.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, I mean, look, you know, Mitt Romney will win on Tuesday night. It's a foregone conclusion. He has the money. He has the ground game. He's been working this ever since he lost, Don, the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
The big question is, how will he use his victory here now in New Hampshire and propel ahead to South Carolina? And when he gets down there, can he win South Carolina, a state that's considered to be difficult for him because he is Mormon. Evangelical voters really seem to have a grip on the state. But the polling shows that he could do well down there.
But, Don, specifically what I'll be looking at on Tuesday night, what you will, what Jim will is who comes in second place, who comes in third place? Will Rick Santorum be able to continue his rise up and show that he is the conservative alternative? Will Newt Gingrich try to grab the mantel back and what happens to Ron Paul?
We don't talk a whole lot about Ron Paul but he always has a steady show of support. He did come in third in Iowa. Good chance he could come in second, Don, Tuesday night here in New Hampshire.
LEMON: You guys have it all covered and we're going to have it all covered here on CNN. Thank you very much, Jim and Mark. It's the best political team on television. Make sure you stay with us for complete coverage of the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Coming up in this broadcast, veteran news anchor Dan Rather in New Hampshire with some personal thoughts on the GOP political race.
And a U.S. military base on lockdown for nearly a week all because someone has stolen valuable equipment used in battle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Here are your headlines right now. Prominent political adviser and D.C. pundit Tony Blankley has died after a battle with stomach cancer. The 63-year-old Blankley was a staff member for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich from 1990 to 1997. He later served as a political commentator for CNN, NBC and NPR and as editorial page editor for the "Washington Times." He also was a speechwriter in the Reagan administration.
It is night number six for nearly 100 soldiers who are on base and on lockdown in Washington State. Military police are investigating a recent theft and no one can leave until they're done. Officials say no weapons were stolen. Hundreds of pieces of equipment were taken like rifle scopes and night vision goggles. A flyer on base is offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.
Tonight, park rangers in Kansas and Washington State are lighting candles to honor a ranger who was shot to death on New Year's Day. Margaret Anderson was killed while on duty in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. She's a graduate of Fort Hays State University in Kansas. Authorities believe Anderson was killed by former soldier Benjamin Barnes. His body was found face down in a creek not far from where he allegedly shot Anderson.
Gas prices in the United States jumped about 12 cents a gallon over the past three weeks. It is the first price hike since just before Halloween. Lundberg Survey puts the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded at $3.36. The spike is being blamed on higher crude oil prices.
Iowa Republicans have spoken. Now it's New Hampshire's turn. We'll preview the first in the nation presidential primary straight ahead.
Plus -- we're not going to pretend the Republican Party has a huge African-American base. But just in the past week, black voters have brand new reasons to turn away from the GOP. My "No Talking Points" coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I want to talk some strategy now, political strategy. The New Hampshire primary is a little more than a day away and the impact of this small state could have a lasting effect on this field of Republican hopefuls.
Michael Dennehy is in Manchester for us tonight. He is a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist and Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman joins us now from New York.
So Robert, I'm going to start with you. Is Romney the guy Democrats want to face in 2012?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's not about wanting to face him. The reality is we're going to be facing him in all expectation, except for that concept Jim Acosta brought up about a Tim Tebow-comeback, which really, Don, I don't want to hear about after our New York Giants beat the Atlanta Falcons today. So I'm not looking for any Tim Tebow comeback to take place here.
LEMON: Do you think though that you may be jumping ahead? Because there have been -- you know, Newt Gingrich was up and there have been so many Republican hopefuls who were up at one point and now all of a sudden it's Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney has been steady. Tough to get above 25 percent. We've been hearing that. But do you think he may be pushing forward a little bit too soon here?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, I think the reality of the situation is, just on the basis of organization alone, he's well positioned to be able to go the distance or run the calendar versus the others.
I mean right now the challenge for Mitt Romney is not just to win but to make sure he doesn't have Rick Santorum finishing in second or perhaps Newt Gingrich, individuals who might have traction in the southern states. That's going to be his biggest concern -- to make sure that he can secure his position as a frontrunner to go -- to go into South Carolina and then into Florida.
But, clearly, you can't discount the organization. Obviously, he's polling the best of all of them against Barack Obama. His downfall, though, is that these debates have become infomercials for anger management therapy. And he's had to move so far to the extreme right. Very hard to position back to mainstream voters.
LEMON: Yes, and in all fairness, we're not giving Michael Dennehy short shrift. We're having a problem with communications with him. So I'm going to continue to talk with you, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: I'll brag about Mike. He's a great guy.
LEMON: Here's a -- Rick Santorum won in Iowa, and it was really the Cinderella story there. The person that everyone thought didn't really stand a chance came in second. Basically it was a tie, so they say it was a win there. Does he pose -- who poses a bigger threat, you believe, to Democrats? Is it Mitt Romney or is it someone like a Rick Santorum, as you said, who will get traction in the southern states?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, Rick Santorum poses a threat to Mitt Romney. For Democrats, any Republican who can reach independent voters provides a serious threat. The reality, though, is that we've seen so many -- all of them move so far to the right wing in terms of their rhetoric and in terms of their positions that it's almost -- it's virtually impossible for them to come back and reach the mainstream voter.
Look at just -- today, Ron Paul challenging the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Newt Gingrich's comments about the African-American community and food stamps. It shows a tremendous insensitivity and a stunning ignorance of history to hear, for example, Rick Perry, for that matter, talk about the idea that he's going to turn Congress into a part-time legislative body which he has no authority to do.
Or for that matter, Mitt Romney advocating deportation, advocating bringing our troops into Iraq which he said previously. It just shows that in order to appeal to their base, which has become extreme right wing, they are losing the mainstream. My party went through this in the 70s. Their party is facing it now.
LEMON: Yes. And this has become the Robert Zimmerman Democrat segment. Oh, now we do have Michael now.
Michael, are you there finally?
ZIMMERMAN: I yield to Michael.
LEMON: Michael, can you hear me?
MICHAEL DENNEHY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I can hear you.
LEMON: Oh, great, thank you, because this is becoming the Democrat segment here. So we're glad to have you. Listen. You are there--
DENNEHY: Fantastic.
LEMON: You are there now. But I have to tell you, Robert had some really good things to say about you.
Listen. Any surprises here? Or do you feel -- we keep saying, you know, it's going to be Mitt Romney. I hate to forecast here. But do you feel this is -- it's Mitt Romney's to lose? No surprises here, right?
DENNEHY: Just until the conservatives can coalesce around a candidate, which is not happening. There are several candidates in this race, and Mitt Romney is a frontrunner. He's got all the money and the financial resources. He's polling between 30 percent and 40 percent. There will be no surprises until there are fewer candidates in this race and the conservatives can coalesce around someone.
LEMON: All right. Short and sweet. We got you in. Thank you. Sorry about that. We had a communication problem.
Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Michael. Have a great evening.
Coming up on CNN, we'll run down the big stories you'll be hearing about in the week ahead from the Beltway to Wall Street to Hollywood. Think of it as your weekly news primer.
And Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center will tell you what to expect for your Monday morning commute. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead from the state department to Wall Street. Our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's plans for the week.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENTL: I'm Jill Dougherty. Iraq and Afghanistan are at the top of the list for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week. She'll be talking to state department staff in both countries. Wednesday, she meets with the foreign minister of Qatar. The possible location for the Taliban to set up an office for peace talks with the U.S. Also on the agenda, the man with the reset button swearing in the new ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence in Washington. And coming up this week, the Pentagon is still dealing with the aftermath of President Obama's visit to the Pentagon in which military leaders laid out a new strategy that involves a lot of cost- cutting measures. Now comes the hard part is military leaders start to talk to members of Congress and start to hammer out some of the details of those cuts. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says everything is on the table.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, coming up this week on Wall Street, earnings season kick offs with numbers from JPMorgan Chase and aluminum giant Alcoa. We'll get the latest retail sales numbers as well as a look at consumer sentiment. And the Federal Reserve releases its latest outlook on economic conditions across the country. Investors, of course, will be looking very closely at that for any signs of improvement. We'll track it all for you week on "CNN MONEY."
A.J. HAMMER, ANCHOR, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. Here's what we're watching this week. I'm going one on one with my old friend Camille Grammer. We got to talk about her life after Kelsey. Also awards mania. Yes, the season is on and the country's top critics reveal their favorite movies of 2011. Be sure to catch "Showbiz Tonight" exclusively weeknights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on HLN.
LEMON: All right. So what will tomorrow bring as you head into work? Should you be carrying an ice scraper out the door or a shovel, an umbrella? Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center with your Monday morning commute forecast.
Hey, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, you, Don. Go with the umbrella, and that's really going to be the rule for a lot of people across parts of the South tomorrow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: You're right about the umbrella and the rain boots as well. Thank you very much, Jacqui. We appreciate it. We want to check your headlines now around the world. British police now know the identity of the young woman found dead on one of Queen Elizabeth's royal estates last week. DNA tests helped to identify the 17-year-old Latvian student who had been missing since August. There is no cause of death yet, but it's being investigated as a murder.
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un is believed to have had a birthday this week. The state-run newspaper did not announce the occasion as the country is still observing a period of mourning after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il. State TV aired new footage of the young leader on a horse and a tank and with military officials. He's believed to be 28 or 29 years old.
An Australian tourist is recovering from a New Year's Eve bungee jump that went horribly wrong on the Zimbabwe border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Erin Longworth fell 365 feet into the Zambezi River after her bungee cord snapped. The plunge left her with bruises all over her body and a broken collarbone. And Longworth was treated at a clinic before being evacuated to South Africa.
Tens of thousands of people in South Africa marked the 100th anniversary of the African National Congress this weekend. Past and present officials attended. However, 93-year-old Nelson Mandela could not because of failing healthy. The ANC played a critical role in ending apartheid.
Did you ever think you'd see the day when Ziggy Stardust reached retirement age?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, it is true. David Bowie, one of the most influential rock stars on this or any other planet is now 65 years old. Here are some other numbers for you.
43. That's how many years have passed since Bowie released his breakthrough album "Space Odyssey." It was back in 1969.
140 million. That's how many albums he's sold over his four- decade career.
2003 is the last time he released an album of original songs.
So Happy birthday, David Bowie. And how about a comeback tour? That sure would be nice.
Up next -- must see television. My no talking points segment. Tonight's subject, the GOP candidates and black people.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is time now for "No Talking Points." Tonight's segment is about that very uncomfortable subject for many. Especially the GOP presidential candidates. Black people.
First the question for you. What exactly is a black person? Don't think about it too much. Let's hear Rick Santorum use it in a sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, to just about everybody it sounds like he said black people, but he walked it back in a CNN interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANTORUM: I looked at the video and I don't -- in fact, I'm pretty confident I didn't say black. What I think I started to say a word and sort of mumbled it and changed my thought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Play it again, Rob.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANTORUM: I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So you be the judge. But Rick Santorum is not the only GOP presidential hope who's had some explaining to do this week over remarks about black people.
Newt Gingrich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention and talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, to be fair, the former speaker says his comments were taken out of context and context is very important. Here's political analyst Goldie Taylor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST/SOCIAL CRITIC: If you put this in the context of Newt Gingrich's entire political career, he's been saying this for 30 years. He has been saying that African-Americans, by and large, are a welfare dependent population.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And then there's Ron Paul who usually steers clear of talking points by answering questions directly, except in this Fox News Sunday interview about his comments on the civil rights act of 1964 undermining the principles of liberty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Are you saying that the owner of a restaurant, a private restaurant, should be able to decide whether or not to serve black people?
RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I'm saying is, I'm challenging individuals to say what is private property. The whole thing is that's ancient history. That's been settled a long time ago and nobody is going to go back to it. It would be the most devastating and stupid for people to do that. They would lose their business. So that's really --
WALLACE: So would it be wrong?
PAUL: It would be wrong. It would be morally wrong, but I'm not going to throw out because I have such high regard for property rights. You have to change people's hearts and minds. But you have to understand property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the answer to that question really be a two-minute diatribe about property? Yes, context is everything. For all the candidates in every situation, but some answers especially to questions over race and discrimination to be emphatic.
The question from Fox News interviewer Chris Wallace was, "Do you think the owner of a restaurant should be able to decide whether or not to serve black people? A direct answer to that question, regardless of political party, would be a simple yes/no. And that's tonight's "No Talking Points."
Up next, the legendary Dan Rather joins me from New Hampshire and has a lot to say about politics and Republicans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: No doubt Dan Rather has covered the biggest news stories of our time for more than four decades. Today he is on the job in New Hampshire covering the Republican presidential primary for HD Net. And I asked him for his impressions about the GOP race just two days before the first Republican primary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RATHER, HOST, HDNET'S "DAN RATHER REPORTS": In terms of the substance of the race, we really haven't had much genuine substance discussed, although we've had debate after debate. Such subjects as really what to do about our shaky and volatile economy, what to do about the war in Afghanistan. What to do about the problems of race in the country. Those kinds of really fundamental questions have yet to be addressed as the campaign deepens and lengthens out, we can hope that they will be.
LEMON: You seem to think that the American people aren't quite being served by them, by what the candidates are saying in these debates?
RATHER: Well, the direct answer to that, Don, is no. That not only in the debates, but in the early stages of the campaigning for the GOP nomination, basically, when you boil it down, the candidates have been talking to, trying to get through to the fringes of their party. The fringe is their own party. Never mind the mainstream of the American public in the debates, and for that matter, in most of their campaign appearances at small gatherings and so forth.
They're really not talking o the masses of Americans. They're not talking about the lives that most Americans live them. So far the campaign is -- primarily the candidates are taking shots at one another and as they say appealing to what they see as the extreme, but very important parts of the more hard right part of the party.
LEMON: Then I guess the question is, having done this and having moderated debates, what would you do differently? How would you get them on track with the topics you think are important?
RATHER: Well, the questions have to be direct and tough. I want to make clear here that I know most of the people who have been conducting these debates, and with almost without exception, they're good journalists, some of them great journalists. But everybody's a little bit afraid to ask, you know, direct questions.
For example, one direct question is, tell me, Mr. Candidate, who gives how much money to your campaign, and what do you think they expect to get for it should you get elected? That's a very important question, in that money is almost overwhelming American politics. We're talking about a $3 billion presidential campaign. So that's one line of questioning.
Another line of questioning might very well be, listen, every one of you up there in that debate platform, you supported president George W. Bush. Tell us where you think that administration went wrong. You're quick to tell us how the Obama administration went wrong, and certainly, they made some mistakes, but you also supported president George W. Bush, so tell us where you think that administration went wrong, in, among other things, leading us into this economic recession, if not depression. A third area is, we all know how important race relations are in our country. It's unchanging. It's one of the biggest subjects in the country. And so, a direct question to each candidate, if elected president, what would you do to improve race relations in the country? Those are the kinds of questions that unfortunately don't get asked. It's my hope that as the campaign goes along, they will be.
LEMON: Let's stick to this. We just had a discussion about race, about some of the comments that the candidates have made, and some of them have said that they were taken out of context. And even this morning when Ron Paul was asked on Fox News Sunday about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there was not really a direct answer there.
Why do you think that is? And then do you think that whoever's asking the question should be more pointed and not fear being labeled as ideological or biased in some way? And just ask the direct question, especially when it comes to race?
RATHER: Well, I think that's part of it. Don, those of us who are in journalism, and particularly those of us who have been in it a while, we have to acknowledge. And I do not accept myself in this criticism. There's a certain amount of fear. There's a fear that if you raise the race question in any way in a public forum like the debates, that somehow you, the questioner, will be accused of doing something wrong. I'd like for all of us, including myself, to get over that.
But this is part of the reality. You know, journalists are human. They have their concerns. They have their fears. And so often when it comes to any discussion of race, almost everybody's afraid to touch it for fear they'd be somehow misunderstood or it would be used in some way against them.
LEMON: I want to ask you though about President Obama, Mr. Rather. History says he has an uphill fight in November given the state of the economy. How do you assess his chances in all of this?
RATHER: I think at this moment, it's still early in the race, and I would like to remind everybody about how early it is. I think he's the underdog. Not the underdog by much. My personal opinion, which is frequently wrong, is if the election were held today, depending on who the Republicans nominate, of course, that I think he might very well lose in a close election.
However, again, my opinion, I think these debates and the Republican race for the nomination up to now have revived President Obama's chances, somewhat. Also, his chances have been buoyed just in the last few days and certainly the last couple of weeks, the unemployment figures are still terrible but at least they are now headed down. I expected, November, number one, a close race. I think it will be decided by independent voters and swing voters in the middle.
LEMON: Dan Rather, thank you, sir. HDNET "Dan Rather Reports," he's the host. Make sure you tune in. I appreciate it, sir.
RATHER: Thank you, Don. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Up next here on CNN -- HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell joins me to talk about Joran Van Der Sloot yawning instead of confessing to murder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Joran Van Der Sloot says he needs more time to consider how he wants to plead to murder. The prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway is in Aruba now charged in Peru with murdering a woman in May of 2010.
I talked with HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell about his antics in a Peruvian court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Jane, what a character this Joran Van Der Sloot is. He says he needs more time to figure out how he's going to plead to this murder. What's he trying to accomplish here?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL": Well, I think he's sort of got a reality check in court today. I think, Don, that he thought he was going to sort of breeze into court and do this simple confession. Oh, yeah, I killed her, but I didn't mean it. It was no big deal. And then, boom, he gets hit with the statement of the prosecutor who outlines a vicious, brutal murder that involves pummeling and strangulation and blood.
And all of a sudden, he's like, oops, maybe if I confess they'll dovetail my confession with what the prosecutor says happened and put me away for a long time. I'm going to backtrack and re- evaluate this.
LEMON: It's so weird. It's like, wait, I'm going to plead to murder, but I need to negotiate it first. It's just very odd. And what's up with the shenanigans in court. He's sitting down. He's standing up. He's yawning. He's dosing off. I mean, is he putting on a show or is he just this weird?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don't think he can help being the arrogant person that he is. He reeks of narcissism, of arrogance, of contempt and this is the story of his life. And so he goes into court even though being contrite would certainly be a check off in his favor. And he acts so arrogant that he has to be reprimanded by the court. So that's very self-destructive behavior. But criminals are often supremely self-destructive.
LEMON: Yes, and you thought that your freedom was on the line for years and years and years, you might want to be on your best behavior.
Let's move on because, this case, everybody is watching this case. But everyone just, you know, they watch the Casey Anthony case as well. So this latest video, what is up with this video where you see her. It looks like a confessional or something where she's staring into a camera. How did this get -- where did this come from?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We don't know. Now her attorney insists she did not release it and that it was obtained illegally. A lot of people are suspicious about that. They don't buy it. She's a pathological liar. We all know that. So maybe she lied to her attorney and said, yes, I didn't release it and did release it.
The fact is that there are a lot of claims now, people coming forward saying, oh, I found it on a for pay site and I decided to release it and put it on YouTube to prevent her from making money off it. But nobody can actually find the for pay site. Who knows what's really happening. It's gone viral on the Internet. And now still photos of her showing up in various hairdos and various colors are also showing up. And some people are releasing very risque, even a topless shot of an unidentified woman and claiming it's Casey. So the whole thing has become an online circus.
LEMON: And we don't even know why she would do this because sometimes in order to, I guess, maybe get better you have to, you know, -- if you have issues, a therapist will tell you do a confessional or start a video sort of diary or what have you. But no one really knows why she's doing this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don't buy that. I've done years of therapy and I was never asked to speak into a camera. And anyway, what she says is nonsensical. She goes, oh, this is so good because now I have somebody to talk to. But she's not talking to anybody. She's delivering a monologue. I personally think she needs to do script doctor.
There appears to be other people in the room. We are hearing reports that she has a boyfriend. She's obviously been in contact with her attorney because he released a statement. She's staying at somebody's house. There's a cast of characters behind this and who knows the real story. But I think at the end of the day, Casey Anthony is always out for herself and probably out to make a buck in some way, shape or form. If not this video, some other way.
LEMON: So, Jane, what's coming up on your show? What are you going to be cove covering next week?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I'm sure we're going to be covering more of Casey Anthony and Joran Van Der Sloot. Joran is back in court on Wednesday so we're going to have to see if he ultimately does confess or if he goes to trial or perhaps both.
And then there's Casey Anthony. We know that she's planning on doing more or having more of these videotape confessions. Maybe we'll see another one next week.
LEMON: Oh, boy. Jane, thank you. Jane Velez-Mitchell. "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" every night on HLN at 7:00 p.m.
Thanks again, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks, Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We want to get back to our top story now. One year after an assassin's bullet nearly ended her life at close range, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords stood up and led her community in the pledge of allegiance at an event marking the one-year anniversary. We want to leave you with images from the vigil for the victims of the Tucson massacre.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: For the past year, we've had new realities to live with. The reality and pain of the past, the reality of letting go of dear friends and family member members.
CROWD: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What a great way to end this newscast. Be kind to the people you love and the ones who love you. I'm Don Lemon. Good night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
