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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  June 29, 2013 2:00pm-3:01pm PDT

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you may want to look at the annual list of the country's cleanest and dirtiest beaches. some of the top include gulf shore beach and newport beach. you want might to think twice if you're headed to avenue lodge beach in california and beachwood beach in new jersey. both have been listed add the dirtiest for the past five years. let's get the conversation going on twitter at dr. sanjay gupta. time now for a check of your top story maxing news now. it's the top of the hour. thanks for joining us. here is what's coming up on the cnn news room. 120 degrees and rising. west coast bracing for some of the highest temperatures ever
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recorded. jury heard nearly two dozen witnesses in the murder trial of george zimmerman. we have the must see moments. plus, we're having a conversation you won't see anywhere on television. we're going to do it right here. you want to stick around. former nfl star aaron hernandez could be in even more trouble linked to another homicide case in boston. this one from two years ago with two victims. that story is coming right up. first as if the nfl's image problem wasn't bad enough another player, this time from indianapolis, the indianapolis colts arrested early today in washington, d.c. joe lefeged faces multiple gun charges. police say he fled from a traffic stop only to be caught immediately. the colts say they are aware of the situation but they have no comment now.
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now the saga of aaron hernandez which seems to grow uglier by the hour. police in massachusetts have found more evidence tieing him to a second homicide case. police believer they a silver suv impounded yesterday overnight and registered to hernandez is linked to an unsoevered drive by hootishooti where two people were killed. earlier today family members attended the funeral of odin lloyd. hernandez is being held without bail right now. here is another hot story. it's massive and dangerous. i'm talking about the weather system blasting the western part of the country of the u.s. with a furnace like heat. check out the high temperatures expected today through monday. no less than eight states are under heat advisories. it's just about 2:00 in the afternoon.
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how hot is it and how are people handling the heat? cas casey, can you hear me? >> reporter: now i got you. we're here at a water park in palm springs, california. if you want to know how hot it is, look at this thermometer. 120 degrees and that is tieing the all time record for palm springs, california. this is not an official expensive thermometer. we got it at a discount store this morning. that gives you a sense of how hot it is. a lot of folks out here trying to stay cool in the water. the folks here at the water park tell us that attendance is less today than on a normal day because it's simply too hot for people to really get the full
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enjoyment out of a place like this. a lot of life guards on duty. they are keeping a close eye out for heatstroke. they haven't had any cases so far. they are watching closely because it's expected to get even hotter over the next couple of hours. don. >> stay safe out there. coming up, we'll be joined from death valley, california where the temperature will be close to 130 degrees. overseas now. nelson mandela is still in critical condition now. a visitor today, president barack obama, our chief white house correspondent jessica jell yellin. how much was this reflected in
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today's vent? >> reporter: the president and mrs. obama called former president mandela's wife who has been mandela's side. the president visited with mandela's relatives. he pays tribute to the man he calls his political hero and the inspiration for his own first activism. here is what the president sate about his legacy during a town hall with young south africans this afternoon. >> the struggle here for freedom. it gives us moral courage. this country's historic transition to a free and democratic nation has been a personal inspiration to me. it's been an inspiration to the world. >> reporter: tomorrow i think
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you'll hear more of his thoughts about mandela at the president's big speech of the trip at the university of capetown which is the same location robert kennedy gave a speech in 1966. don. >> thank you so much. joe biden has spoken to the president of ecuador about edward snowden. they would not confirm any details about their conversation. the u.s. asked him not to grant asylum to snowden. protest ters in egypt are bk in the street. critics are planning massive nationwide demonstrations to mark a year since morsi took office. they gathered millions of signatures on petitions demanding morsi step down.
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there's been casualties in the latest violence. an american schoolteacher was stabbed friday during the protests. coming up, the visceral reaction to the n word. it's played a pivotal role in two story this is week. we've had five days of testimony. the must see moments, next. ts we in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.
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they're coming. yeah. british. later. sorry. ok...four words... scarecrow in the wind... a baboon... monkey? hot stew saturday!? ronny: hey jimmy, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? jimmy: happier than paul revere with a cell phone. ronny: why not? anncr: get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.
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16 months after the shooting that took the life of 17-year-old trayvon martin, the jury of six women began hearing evidence. here is a look at the most dramatic moments of the week. >> opening statements getting under way right now. >> looking inside that courtroom. >> helicopters have been buzzing over the crowds outside the courthouse while expletives have been flying around inside the courtroom. >> [ bleep ] punks. these [ bleep ] they always get away. those were words in that man's chest. >> then you have the defense that opens up with a joke. >> knock-knock. who's there? george zimmerman. >> the joke that bombed. >> what was he thinking? >> i really thought that was funny. >> reporter: the contrasted styles could not be more
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obvious. >> it's day two of his second-degree murder trial. >> at issue were calls that zimmerman made to police in the months before he shot and killed the 17-year-old unarmed teena teenager. >> there's some suspicious characters. >> the defense is concerned about jurors hearing these tapes. they believe the prosecutors will try to show a pattern. >> testimony has shifted to the night that trayvon martin was shot. for the first time today the jury saw gruesome photos of trayvon martin's splaed on the ground in the minutes after zimmerman shot the teen. >> very graphic and very grim. >> they had to walk out when the court saw pictures of their son's lifeless body, it was particularly hard on martin's father. >> it's day 3 of george zimmerman's second-degree murder trial. >> on the stand now is a neighbor. >> they are relying on these witnesses to determine who was screaming for help. >> the star witness in the zimmerman murder trial may take the stand at any time now.
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>> it looks like she's about to testify. >> good afternoon. >> yould state your name for the record around spell your last name. >> rachel jenteel. >> it was one of the most remarkable testimonies i have ever seen. >> her testimony flaclashes in face of zimmerman's successful. which is why her examine nation was crucial. don west went after her credibility. >> it could be i don't know. you know it's not. >> the longer she was questioned, the more aage agita she appeared and even defiant like when told she would have to return the next day. >> what? >> round two from the young woman on phone with trayvon martin only moments before he was shot. >> started out nice enough but it wasn't long before her yes,
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sirs seem to take on a sharper edge. >> yes, sir. >> another witness who was called is this woman who made one of the 911 calls. >> you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> what is your -- >> there's gunshots. >> there's no shortage of action in the courtroom featuring florida versus george zimmerman. >> prosecutors are out to shatter claims that zimmerman killed 17-year-old trayvon martin in self-defense but the state's case took a bizarre turn when a witness was asked to give testimony that seemed to back up some of zimmerman's claims. >> are you able to describe their facing or just clothing descriptions? >> going back to when they were vertical i could tell the person on the bottom had a lighter skin color. >> the state tried to get at zimmerman's state of mind with a
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different witness. >> i had a connection with him right away and i said your husband is involved in shooting. he's being handcuffed and will be held for questioning. around that time he kind of cut me off and said just tell her i shot someone. >> the state is trying point out isn't that an odd think thing we he says just tell her i shot someone. then the defense came back and said actually, he said a number of other things besides just that. it was an attempt to point out state of mind. >> what a dramatic week to wind up week one. >> just one week. after five days, who's winning? who's losing? my guest says the prosecution is blowing this case. why she feels that way, next. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.
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wish i saw mine more often, but they live so far away. i've been thinking about moving in with my daughter and her family. it's been pretty tough since jack passed away. it's a good thing you had life insurance through the colonial penn program. you're right. it was affordable, and we were guaranteed acceptance. guaranteed acceptance? it means you can't be turned down because of your health. you don't have to take a physical or answer any health questions. they don't care about your aches and pains. well, how do you know? did you speak to alex trebek? because i have a policy myself. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. it's perfect for my budget. my rate will never go up. and my coverage will never go down
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because of my age. affordable coverage and guaranteed acceptance? we should give them a call. do you want to help protect your loved ones from the burden of final expenses? if you're between 50 and 85, you can get quality insurance that does not require any health questions or a medical exam. your rate of $9.95 a month per unit will never increase, and your coverage will never decrease -- that's guaranteed. so join the six million people who have already called about this insurance. whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing what you already have, call now and ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. so, what are you waiting for? go call now! we'll finish up here.
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welcome back. the first week of george zimmerman trial was jam packed with contention testimony. a serious of expletives and a fiery cross-examination of the star witness. there's still questions about what happened the night trayvon martin was killed. >> are you watching the trial? >> i'm not watching the trial. >> why? >> it's hard for me. to see and hear the things that
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led to his death is hard for me. i don't care to hear it. i don't care to hear that. i don't. >> it's really great interview. we should probably run more of it. great interview. we're going to run it tomorrow 5:00 eastern in its entirety. holly hughes is here. nearly two dozen witnesses have been called by the state. witnesses who seem to have been turned by the defense. >> that's exactly right. the prosecution came out very strong with their opening statement. they laid it out in graphic detail. they used the defendant's own words against him. then the defense makes the huge blunder. telling a joke in a murder trial
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is never appropriate. after that it was not smooth sailing for the prosecution. this is their case in chief. in any criminal case prosecution has the burden of burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. they have charged second-degree murder here. they have to prove those elements. they have to prove that george zimmerman acted with a depraved mind. witness after witness seems to back up his version. the lady from the neighborhood watch association got on the send. she called him meek. she said he is great and looks out for all the neighbors and gets along with everybody and such a wonderful man. we wanted him to be head of neighborhood watch. we wanted him to be the captain. john good, one of the witnesses the state put up bolstered the defense's claim of self-defense because he says i saw the altercation. i was just a couple yards way and at all times george zimmerman was on the bottom and was, he uses these mma terms. >> holly. let me jump in here.
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george zimmerman was on the bottom and trayvon martin, his estimation was hitting him. he saw arms flailing. i have to ask you this because those witnesses are out there. they're still more testimony to come. if the prosecution knows the witnesses are out there and they're going to be called, wouldn't you want those witnesses called early on so that the jury and even the public at large maybe wouldn't remember them. don't you think it was a smart call to get the witnesses out of way so they can get stronger witnesses toward the end of the trial so it may be fresher in your memory? >> that could be a strategy. i don't think it's a good one because who is left? whose left is the police officers. you better believe they will be cross examined on the fact. this the same police department that didn't want to arrest him. they had him in custody for five
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hours and released him. they did not make an arrest for h 44 days until after there was a public outcry. >> what do you do then? you've been involved in a number of cases. you've been the prosecutor. what do do you? do not not call the witnesses and have the defense call them? >> right. why would you put up a witness who will sabotage your defense and -- sabotage your prosecution and prove the defense side. they can put these witnesses on. they also put up a lot of witnesses who didn't seem prepared to answer the prosecutor's questions. there were several times when the witnesses looked at the prosecutor and said i don't know. how do you put up a witness that you haven't asked those questions. the first rule of lawyering no matter what side you're on is never ask a question you don't know the answer to.
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>> one of those witnesses was rachel which we didn't get chance to talk about. i'll talk about her more later on in the broadcast. i have to run. i have to take a break. thank you very much. i appreciate your insight on this trial. many you have will find the next segment difficult to watch. it relates to this trial. some you have may find it offensive. events this week have shown us we can't ignore the pain that words can cause or the impact they have on society. i want you to stick around. you don't want to miss what we're going to talk about, next. first, do you believe in fate? you might have to watch on this cnn's hero. it's a story of man's best friend bringing together two war heroes in way you could never have imagined. > he loves to play but is trained
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to serve. she's helping disabled veterans. back in march she got an e-mail from an army sergeant. he lost both his legs an was desperate for a service dog. >> i sent him a picture and said how would you like this dog? he was so excited. he text me every day. >> one day she didn't hear from him. >> i went to hiss facebook page and i'm like no, no. >> derek died in the night. devastated karen spread the word to find another veteran to fake gaberiel. >> she said my husband would like this dog. >> jake lost his legs and karen realized they had much more in common. they served in the same unit and derek helped evacuate jake and hours later derek sustained his own injuries. now the two soldiers share another connection.
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gabriel. >> i don't know if it's fate but if derek can't be here it's almost fitting that i get gabriel as my service dog. he will always be in my thoughts. >> they lost their independence, giving independence to others. that's who i wanted to help. this was bittersweet. i think it was meant to be. i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh...no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir.
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-free is good. -free is very good. for a store near you go to benjaminmoore.com/bayarea. i'm going to have a conversation that may make some
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people very uncomfortable. it's a conversation we need to have. i hope you sit down and i hope you watch the next part of this broadcast. it's about words like some of these words here. this word. mostly about this word. these words can cause a visceral reaction when people hear them. you may have been flinched when i said them. they played a role in two major stories this week. it's a catalyst for an honest and difficult conversation. that's all we're trying to do here is to get people to talk about it. there's a discussion here without sensorship and code words and awkwardness. we have a group of people to help with this conversation.
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first, let's take a look at how we got here. >> this classic saturday night life sketch ran unbleeped in 1975. >> jungle bunny. >> pecker wood. >> burr head. >> cracker. >> it probably wouldn't run today. why? have we lost our sense of humor. >> what was so profound about that sketch wasn't just that they got away with using the n word and a lot of other racial slurs but what that sketch demonstrated is certain slurs there are no trump cards for and the n word is one of them. >> all over words paula deen is losing her tv job and millions in endorsement money. >> inappropriate language is totally, totally unacceptable. >> the prosecution in the george
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zimmerman murder trial could lose credibility all because of the words a witness said martin used to describe the man who shot him. >> creepy. [ expletive ] cracker. >> yes. >> it was racial but it was trayvon martin that put race in this? >> no. >> you don't think that's a racial comment? >> no. >> you don't think that creepy. [ expletive ] cracker is racial comment? >> no. >> is there a difference between witness rachel jenteel and paula deen. >> the difference is about 40 years. i think to expect a 19-year-old to know the history of a term like cracker as opposed to a 66-year-old knowing the history of the n word is a ridiculous comparison. >> did martin bring race into it by using the term? >> the problem with that
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argument is it's comparing to be on point with this case, it's like comparing skittles and handgun. they don't have the same power. >> is he right? we took the words to the people on the street. >> they are both derogatory and racist. the feeling i get inside from when i hear that word is different. it's a psychological thing. >> if someone were to call me a honky or cracker, i don't think it would offend me as much as this word offends other people from my experience. >> if you hear other people saying this word or this word as opposed to that word, this still offends you more? >> yes. >> even if it's a black person calling a white person those words? >> yes. i'm being completely honest. >> honesty might be the answer says a professor who says he shouldn't be censoring this snl clip. >> spade. >> honky, honky.
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>> i think we hurt ourselves as a community and a country and a group of people trying to improve the racial circumstances in this nation by running from these words and censoring these words and by throwing people away as soon as they use them. >> let's bring our panel in now. you saw me out on the street with the cards with the words right. wendy, let's talk about this, the most powerful -- >> too afraid to say the words. go ahead and let's talk about the most powerful. why do you think it makes people so uncomfortable? >> it's a word that's been socially prohibited and it tends to be prohibited individually and institutionally. it's policed by authorities who literal lly punish people who u
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it. the taboo words are out there. the thing that helps them retain their power is their nonusage. the more they become taboo, be more they keep their power. we get more nervous about usie ing them. now we're seeing a word that has different uses. different populations are using it in different ways. it may not have anger. people who research this are having a hard time determining harm. >> wendy, i said the word. i said the word and you said the n word. do you have trouble saying that as a white woman? >> yeah. i think you and i had this conversation on the phone last week is because my children are biracial and they are young and trying to figure out how to use words and they have friends in many different ethnicities, my 10-year-old said the other day, mom, if i'm not -- if you're not allowed to say the n word but daddy is, what's the rule for
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me? what do you tell a multiracial child? i didn't have a good clear answer. >> mark, do you think we hurt ourselves by not using these words. i have the tell you when i was researching this you saw the snl clip. they said he goes and then he does it. i've watched the jeffersons and what was the saying? they said that on television in the '70s. we can't say it now. >> we moved into this post-racial idealogy that says if we don't talk about race somehow the world will be racially better and it's not true. i don't have a problem with the sitcom using the word in context because it has explanatory value. do i think someone with a
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biracial son should be confused about this? absolutely not. i find it remarkable that white people find the n word a complicated usage. ju just don't use it. >> i have to disagree with you. >> let me finish the thought. there's some things in the word, at least one thing that you can't do that black people can and that might just be okay. >> i'm not talking about me in particular. what about the huge consumers? what about the huge consumers of hip hop who have been exposed to a new word through usage. when a teenage boy uses it with his teenage friend as a tear of endearment, i'm not foiighting use the word. >> mark i hear white kids. i was in ohio in october coming up on the election and i was with a white kid in his late teens, early 20s. he was talking to another white
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friend and they both were calling each other that term. i was like -- at first he was on the phone and i thought he was talking to his black friend. we met him and he was talking to his white friend. it's not just black people using that word. >> i would be happy if no one used the word. i was saying that white 20 something should learn you can listen to the music and hear the words but it doesn't mean you have to repeat them because the truth is they can turn -- >> you can't sing along? >> why are white people fighting so fiercely for the right to use the n word? let it go. >> one person who is fighting fiercely to have a say and that's buck davis. go ahead. >> i have trouble comparing those words don because you can't compare the stories behind those words. let's take cracker for instance. if anybody calls me cracker, there's no power associated with it. you call me honky, there's no
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privilege, now power associated with it. no few generations of my people have been systematically discriminated against and some of them lynched while mobs of people scream kill the honky, good-bye cracker. that would be different for me. the narrative around the n word carries so much evil attached to it that for many of us in the m majority, we have a hard time connecting to the depth of the pain. that word has been used to demoralize, dehumanize, and kill groups of people. from i know from my friends and
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family of people of color when they hear that word, it cuts to the bone. >> stand by. >> but, but. >> after a quick break. >> i'm still going to sing in my car. >> right after a quick break. we'll be right back. ts and veggs with produce from walmart. it's a fresh-over. that's great. tastes like you just picked them. so far, it's about the best strawberry i've had this year. walmart works directly with growers to get you the best-quality produce they've ever had. all this produce is from walmart. oh, my gosh. i'm shocked. [ laughs ] i know where i'm going to be shopping for strawberries now. find fresh berries and all your quality produce backed by our money back guarantee. walmart.
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your stock portfolio may have taken a beating but the bond market could have a much bigger affect on your final life. everything from your mortgage, credit cards and 401(k) are influenced by the interest rate or yield on the treasury bond. it's gained more than a full percentage point since april. if your mortgage is adjustable your interest payments could rise. at 4% the payment on a $250,000 home loan is about $1200. at 5% it's about $150 more. >> if you're either in the market to buy a house or been on fence about refinancing, i would say do not wait. >> reporter: here is something you may not know. you can refinance your car loan too. >> if your auto loan rate is
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let's bring back our panel. wendy, when you said that, you reminded me of the chris rock skit where he's talking about when he's with his white friends and the rap song is on and when it gets to the part for the n word, and they are whispering. he goes i know they sing along loud. you're still going to sing along. >> my friend and i follow a youtuber who says add a w. that's our way of doing it. we have to think about context. we're talking about specifics of one word but let's talk about taboo words in general. the one that helps me the most is the c word. when people say it it tells me more about them than me.
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we have to consider if beauty is in the eye of the beholder than the power to harm is in the ear of the listener. the most dangerous thing about a racist culture is not individual acts of discrimination that happen, it's an overall and internalized sense of feeling less than in a culture. if you're walking around with this internalized sense because you look at every magazine and it's got people that do not look like your families then when you hear that word there's more chance it will feel more painful. >> i think one of the reasons why so many people are unnerved because paula deen admitted to saying she said the n word is because i think a lot of white people are still using the n word. the you're calling her racist because she admitted to saying a long time ago, if you don't say it then i'm not talking to you. if you're calling her racist because she admitted to saying it then you're calling me a
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racist because i'm still using it and that's what is lighting a fire, i believe, for a lot of americans who don't want to hear they are using words that are associated with racism. >> i think you're right about that. when we had this discussion and talking about paula deen there are people immediately on social media calling you a reverse racist. i say there's no such thing. that would mean you're fair to every one. just by asking that conversation i think you're right. here is what i have to say. if you listen to people who support paula deen or who don't their problem is not with the n word that she said a few years ago. the problem is with her seemingly not understanding the culture references and what is wrong with what she did and wanting us to feel sorry for the position she's in and not to feel sorry for her. people are feeling sorry for her
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because she's so ignorant about what she's not understanding. >> it's also a contradiction of her brand. she's a brand of comfort, nurturing and nice. for us to hear her say that and not take full responsibility and be remorseful it's really shock. >> it's shocking for some of us. >> shocking for some people. >> this is exactly what i expect from someone like paula deen. her whole brand is built on the culture legacy of black folk and work. she's exploiting it an making it money off of it. treating us like the n word. there's always a relationship between what people say and what people do. >> i don't think that paula deen should -- i'm saying my personal opinion. i don't think paula deen should be fired. i think the marketplace should decide. if you don't like her, then
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don't buy her products. >> the marketplace did decide. >> not true. >> her bosses decided. >> the marketplace did not decide. her bosses decided. corporate america. >> because they thought it was bad business. >> it's not bad business if her books are number one. how do they know what the ratings will be? >> there's 50 million people on twitter. >> it's a still not the marketplace. people on twitter hate all the time. this guy will break his rule. he's right here. he's sitting next to me about being on panel. i just had you in on the end opinion you said -- what did you want to say about this use of the particular word. frankly, as far as this idea there's some sort of confusion the use of the n word as a slur and term of affection, the idea that anybody is confused about that is performance art.
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we all understand it completely including the non-black people using it that way. a lot of non-black people feel like they can use it with affection among each other. >> he's going to be back with us on the other side of the break. we'll talk about the star witness for the prosecution. rachel jenteel. why didn't people understand her? we'll talk about black english. you don't want to miss this conversation. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.
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wish i saw mine more often, but they live so far away. i've been thinking about moving in with my daughter and her family. it's been pretty tough since jack passed away. it's a good thing you had life insurance through the colonial penn program. you're right. it was affordable, and we were guaranteed acceptance. guaranteed acceptance? it means you can't be turned down because of your health. you don't have to take a physical or answer any health questions. they don't care about your aches and pains. well, how do you know? did you speak to alex trebek? because i have a policy myself. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. it's perfect for my budget. my rate will never go up. and my coverage will never go down because of my age. affordable coverage and guaranteed acceptance? we should give them a call. do you want to help protect your loved ones from the burden of final expenses? if you're between 50 and 85, you can get quality insurance
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that does not require any health questions or a medical exam. your rate of $9.95 a month per unit will never increase, and your coverage will never decrease -- that's guaranteed. so join the six million people who have already called about this insurance. whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing what you already have, call now and ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. so, what are you waiting for? go call now! we'll finish up here.
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would have a hard time figuring out the rules as the english
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we're speaking right now. she grew up speaking black english and she's using it and there's a tendency to look at it as something that's wrong. and there are a lot of reasons for that just as there's a tendency to look at her as something that's wrong in general and there are a lot of reasons for that. >> yeah, talk more about that because as she was -- when i saw her on the stand i understood everything she was saying. obviously, i grew up in the black community. >> that helps. >> but she was very soft spoken so at times i'd have to lean in. >> sure. >> i thought she is not having him and that's how young kids are. like mm, yes, sir. >> in other words, she has a kind of poise. and all of a sudden on the stand it's being made to seem as if she's somehow prelingual in some way, and really it's just that she's different. and the fact of the matter is that we have to admit that there is a class element here as well. if this were the honey booboo teen mom genre people would be making jokes too. but they have a particular sting. she's been made a particular side show because of the color of her skin. black is less human in the eyes
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of many people. and that's what she's laboring under in terms of how he she speaks as well as how she looks and conducts herself. >> the difference is, though, that the honey boo boos of the world will get a show. she won't. it's highly unlikely or it would be a show that would make all of us cringe. it's kind of like this. every now and then i'm walking around in new york and somebody will say, john, i love your work on cnn. and i have to think to myself, wait a minute, they think i'm don lemon. and we don't look that much alike. it's just that there's a certain -- not racist, but there's a certain sense that you're a little bit less real. that's what she's lake under except in a way that's hurtful. because people are thinking of her as a kind of creature when actually she's somebody speaking a very interesting, very dynamic form of english. she's actually speaking it very well. >> yeah. i spoke with tim wise, you know, the anti-racism -- he said it actually makes her a more cred iblt witness because she's real. she didn't have to say that trayvon said that he was a crazy cracker, whatever she said. that makes her more credible.
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>> exactly. she's actually telling the truth. and as far as the cracker bit goes, i mean, she's dissimulating a little bit in saying that it's not racial, but on the other hand think we all understand that there's a power issue here. his using that word "cracker" given that he's black and that there's a history and that the relationship between young black men and the police i think is the main thing keeping us from even beginning to get past race in this country is such that it's completely different from somebody using the n word as a slur. and i think most of us understand that. >> thank you, sir. >> thank you, don. >> we'll be right back.
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don lemon back with you at the top of the hour. this hour we've got stories everyone's talking about as we look back, compared to this exact moment last week, the united states is a very different country right now. the supreme court dropped decisions sending shock waves that could change the nation. affirmative action, voting rights, gay marriage. we break it all down. president obama is in south africa. a welcome voice as that country worries that these are the last days of nelson mandela.