thank you very much. we're leaving it up to you. >> so there you go. we have a new version of the village people. and they live if idaho. i'm bill weir, that's all for us tonight. cnn's special report with don lemon starts now. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> this is a cnn special report. i'm don lemon. breaking news on two big stories. there are reports from "sports illustrated" and from usa today that donald sterling through a new lawyer told the nba that he will not pay his fine, and he will sue. plus, fires burning out of control in southern california. threatening homes and generating fire nados. cnn is on the scene. first, we get to cnn's gary tuchman. he is in san marcos, california where fierce files forced at least 23,000 people out of their homes. gary, there are multiple houses burning in something calls fire nados. what is going on where you are?

>> don, i can tell you, this has been a scary frightening volatile day here in san diego county. this is san marcos, california. you see fire trucks there. they just put out a blaze on top of the hill. perhaps we've reached a turning point. you can see the helicopter dumping water right there. winds have now calmed down. the weather has gotten cooler. but many homes have been destroyed, don. you're talking about those fire nados. basically a fire tornado, combination of wind. combination of heat and we saw it swirl in and literally looks like a tornado. it propels ashes and embers. hundreds of yards away and areas that were completely not touched with any fire within seconds erupt in flames. it is very dangerous for firefighters. dangerous for outsiders like us in the area. but we saw it many times today and that's why people here know it's been a very perilous day here in northern san diego

county. >> gary, do you know anything about the cause of the fire? >> yeah. there's a lot of speculation. because at least nine major fires are burning, that it's arson related. so kwins dencoincidental there fires. one man brought in for questioning and released. they are looking at the possibility that it is arson-lated. cooler over the weekend. so perhaps as we stand here talking to you, the worst might be over. >> gary tuchman. gary, we will get back to you through out the hour. thank you very much. other breaking news tonight, donald sterling reportedly gearing up it sue the nba. refusing it pay the fine. joining me now is cnn's sunny hostin. she is our legal analyst. initial turner is our correspondent. and espn columnist rick riley and stephanie elan, cnn correspondent. sunny, usa reporting this as well. >> i say game on. i said it from the very beginning. i said this is a guy when tijous

by nature. he sues for sport. and hiring an antitrust lawyer means the game is on. that is his strongest legal argument. he is saying that team will have forced him to sell his team. sort of below market price. so an illegal restrain of trade. not to get too legally wonky, the legal nerd that i am, but a strong, strong showing initially right out of the gate by donald sterling. >> the fine was $2.5 million. the fine was already overdue. not just antitrust attorney, prominent antitrust attorney litigator, maxwell bleker. he wrote a letter to the nba saying he should not have been fined. there was no reason for any punishment and he should keep his team. >> he is not only saying i'm going to sue you if you take my team from me, i'm not going to honor the suspension and i'm not paying the fine. that is huge. that a huge statement by donald

sterling. >> sterling does not warrant any punishment at all for his comments and also saying that it violate his due process rights. >> i think that's the weaker argument. because we he know that he signed on to these franchise agreements. he signed on to allow the nba's rule of law to sort of subsume everything. but i think the antitrust argument is serious. i do think he is serious. and bottom line is, i told you so. we all knew he was going to do this. >> again, this is usa today. today's reporting and "sports illustrated" reporting. cnn has not been able to independently confirm this information entirely but it is not entirely unexpected. rick riley, do you think it is entirely unexpected? >> this guy i've known since '81. he will sue over a bowl of soup. this guy sues for everything. what he is doing here is buying time so he can figure out how the divorce will go down.

trying to find a way to save taxes on the capital gains he will make. he bought the team for $12 million. it will be worth at least a billion dollars. who does he think will advertise in his arena. what players will want it plto for him if he remains owner. i think he is trying to get a position for both he and his wife to be completely silent owners of this and the new nba would bring in a new ownership team and they would be -- these two people from having anything to do with the team while he tries to put his money ducks in a row. >> rick riley is espn.com sports columnist. rick, stand by. i want to get to stephanie elim. you've been following the team very closely. and you know the sentiments how they feel. they also have been following public sentiments in the los angeles area. what's happening with the team?

>> stephanie? >> yes, don, i can barely hear you. it is so loud inside staples center. but just to give you an idea, the people i talked to so far are saying, if there is any sterling ownership, that will be a problem next season. right now they are focussing on the playoffs. obviously we weren't able to ask any of the team members or doc rivers. this is a team when the team is trying to focus. and fans are still behind the team. but i don't think anyone is surprised by this. he is digging in his heels. at the same time, i think some people were hoping this just wasn't going to happen, don. >> that he wasn't going to drag this on. a lot of people were hoping that this was not going to happen. news does travel fast here in the los angeles area. what the reaction area, so far,

if any in los angeles, players, celebrities, almost everyone has been speaking out against donald sterling. >> exactly. i kind of lean towards what sunny was saying. i don't think it is a shock or surprise to anyone that donald sterling is choosing the litigious route in this situation. you know, we were just getting this information but in the letter, in the reported letter that his attorney sent to the nba, he says, donald sterling did nothing wrong but in donald sterling's own words to anderson cooper in his exclusive interview, he said i made a terrible mistake. i did wrong. so which is it? >> yeah. he said i made a terrible, terrible mistake to make a specific quote there. >> exactly. >> sunny, let's get back to you. stand by, nischelle. he said it will rejudecated and we reject your demand for payment. >> that's lawyer speak for we will sue the pants off you. lawyers make threats all the

time in these letters. i used to call them fire faxes. because i would get them when i was practicing, by fax. it is a veiled threat. if you continue on your course, we will have no other choice but to sue. >> can he sue the nba and win? >> you know what, he has sort of flouted the nba rules before. remember when he bought the clippers, they were not in l.a. he moved the team, even though the nba told him he couldn't. the nba sues him. he sues them back for more money. and guess what? the l.a. clippers are in los angeles. so this is a guy who sued the nba before. he will do it again. and he can do it again. i think what's interesting about the argument, everyone has been talking about the nba constitution and flailing it around. bottom line is, this is unprecedented in sports. i have talked to so many sports attorneys and they throw their hand up. i just read the nba constitution. it was private. it just became public. no one interpreted the conduct

portion that says you can be terminated for unethical conduct. is this unethical conduct? well, i don't know. i think he is on descent legal footing. and a court needs to interpret it. that's why we have the laws. make things make sense when they are unclear. >> rick riley, you know, sports writers from all over the country, i'm sure, are scrambling to get information and write about this now. the big question is, what will the owners do, team owners do. it is up to them and i think they will be asking, what does this guy have to lose? he has a lot of money. should we just settle up with him? what do you think? >> i don't think they can settle up. he is worth $1.9 billion. i don't think he wants to sell. this is his course of action. which is incredible. he told anderson cooper, what good would it do me to sue? by the way, don, there is something else. i remember this guy now representing him. he's the guy that represented the l.a. coliseum again the nfl

when the raiders moved between l.a. and oakland and won. >> yeah. rick, he's also the same guy that represented sterling in 1982 when the clippers, when they were planning it move the clippers from san diego to los angeles. he is has worked with donald sterling before. you see, and there was a settlement -- >> he is a winner then. >> didn't donald get like $4 million or something? >> yeah. what happened in a nutshell, what just happened tonight, totally screws the pooch on this whole thing. we will be in this now for a couple of years. if the players think their's going to boycott over this long complex whatever of legal maneuvers, i don't think that's going to. happy just don't know how he's ever going to get a free agent to go there or get anybody to advertise in his arena. it is a mess now. >> rick is totally right about that. we've been talking about the players and how they have banded together and lebron james says they will by cot.

but they are also under contractual obligations. i spoke to someone familiar with those contracts. they told me bottom loon they are under contract. >> can a team be place need a conservatorship where donald sterling or his family doesn't have control? dick parsons is already the new ceo of the team. is it in that place now? >> who knows. that's the answer. again, this is unprecedented. but i do think that is sort of ultimately what well see. i said that about shelly sterling. i think he we will see the sterlings keep a piece of it. whether it is donald or shelly or both and have this passive relationship. >> you said it will take years in your estimation, in your experience? >> i covered mark and the cincinnati reds who said the same kind of who ill things. it took major league baseball two years no untangle all the webs.

so i could see two years, easy. >> all right. stephanie elam, i know you're at the arena. if you get any more information, please get back to you and we will get on the air. coming up, well talk about some celebrities behaving badly. jay-z and beyonce speak out about their elevator battle caught on tape. what's their explanation? that's next. capital to make it happen? without the thinking that makes it real? what's a vision without the expertise to execute it... and the financing to make it grow? whatever your goal, it can change more than your business. it can change the future. that's why, at barclays, our ambition is to always realize yours. you want a loan to build you can't do that.ica? nobody builds factories in the us anymore... you can't do that. using american raw materials makes no sense...

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add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance... ...and we'll replace destroyed or stolen items with brand-new versions. we put members first. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ welcome back, everyone. the elevator battle caught on tape. beyonce, jay-z, and sister, solange. mark is the attorney for the photographer who is currently

suing justin bieber. nischelle turner is cnn's entertainment correspondent and sunny hostin is with me and she is in the hot seat tonight. >> so jay-z, beyonce and her sister, solange release a statement about the elevator battle. j and solage each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. they both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. they both apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family. nischelle, i've been saying everywhere, we're family, just like everybody else. we worked it out. it doesn't tell you what happened inside the elevator. >> and they're not going to tell you what happened inside the elevator. you must have known that sunny and i were having this conversation in the hallway today. we stood there and were bumping our gums. that's probably why --

>> we've been obsessed with it. >> exactly. i do think they are saying, listen, this stuff happens in families. we're not different than any other family. we're just like you. i think they are trying to be more relatable to people. but my point here is, what else could they do? i mean, look at this video. we all watched this over and over and over again. they had to say something. they are known for being tight-lipped about everything. but this is so bad they had to say somethig. >> you know he what my problem is, nischelle, my family consider be a little crazy, but we don't beat each other up in elevators. >> my sister doesn't hit my brother if law. they may have a disagreement but not like that. i got to read the rest of the statement. it goes on to say the reports of solage being intoxicated or or

diplacing erratic behavor throughout the night is false. we love each other and above all we are family. we put this behind us and hope everybody else will do the same. >> i heard you guys say, my family doesn't do this. and my family have had some knock-down drag-out argument. but not to fist to cuffs. i got in such a bad argument with my uncle, i pulled over on the side of the road and made him get out. stuff happens. >> but this is an assault on the elevator. >> would you have advised this statement? >> oh, yeah, exactly. the best defense is an offense. the only offense today is a relentless one. you just have to stay on offense. if don't define the narrative, history will define it for you and you won't like it a lot. the whole thing is nutty as a squirrel's breakfast. >> that's a good one.

>> nutty as a -- >> a squirrel's breakfast. i like that. >> mark, you represent the photographer. we are moving ton to justin bieber. filing a lawsuit last night against justin bieber and a bodyguard, suing bieber for battery and false imprisonment. this transpired just before bieber's dui arrest. explain. >> just before bieber was arrested, he left a nightclub. nunez was about 20 feet away, took a picture. he wasn't in his face. justin had his bodyguards come over, chase mid client down the block, into a subway restaurant. they locked the door, beat him up, tried to take his camera and hurt him very bad. there is a 911 call which tells a lot of what happened. there are a lot of independent witnesses who have given sworn statements about what happened. very serious matter for my client. >> we have the 911 tape. >> let's hear it. >> hello, sir, did you say they

left or they are still there? >> yeah. they are waiting outside. i think they are waiting outside. >> okay. >> are you inside the rest raupt still? >> yes. justin bieber bodyguards. >> we have to tell thought lawyer provided us with this tape. we did reach out to the miami beach police. we haven't heard anything. the 911 call was made and a police statement issued. why no criminal charges filed here? >> there is a criminal investigationed. ing. whether charges will be filed will be up to the attorney general's office in florida. my client is looking for this not to happen it somebody else. this is happening in a day and age where we are all paparazzi, as i believe you said last night on the show, don. everybody's got a camera. everybody's taking pictures. and people like pictures of celebrities. justin bieber is the one

celebrity sending bodyguards after people who take his picture. >> a statement on the screen, the new lawsuit filed by paparazzi is yet another shake down for money from justin bieber. the paparazzi admits justin wasn't there at the assault. there was a different statement to police admitting he was demanding $10,000 for the security guard for pictures he took. paparazzo told him he only scratched his knee when he was allegedly triped. now the attorney for the paparazzo is the same lawyer who represents another suing for millions in an incident where justin was not present and which there are no damages. is this a shake down? >> that is something a celebrity would say when they are being sued. bodyguards are supposed to protect the celebrity. what justin bieber is doing is using body guards to go after people that take pictures. he has personally attacked individuals himself who took list picture.

two incidents in the last week where he had altercations with other individuals who have taken his picture. he also sends out bodyguards. the body guards involve fled this incident was arrested in hawaii last year for attacking another photographer. for those of us not that famous, we wonder, isn't that trade-off of being famous? if you don't want to do it then don't be famous. >> in a sense. >> what would you advise justin to do, michael? >> a lot of celebrities refer to this as a luxury tax. exactly what you're saying, which is the price of stardom. it is a luxury tax. it has become the way of the world right now. >> don, can i -- >> everyone has a cell phone. and it has become a luxury tax. >> can i weigh in here. >> of course. by all means. >> i'm not taking sides because i'm an entertainment reporter. i would say the attorney for the

paparazzi said all the time the celebrities say that pap razzo do this, well, pap razzo a lot of times say i wasn't doing anything at all. and let me he tell you, i have been on a lot of scenes and a lot of situations where i've seen pretty darn aggressive and really down right vicious and mean pap razzo. just a couple weeks ago at a hotel in los angeles, there were paparazzi that were trying to sneak into the hotel to try to get a picture of gwyneth paltrow, inside, going through all these means. let me take the other side and say, not all pap razzo are just, i wasn't doing anything. >> all right, nischelle, that has to be the last word. good point. we'll move on. thank you very much. michael and mark, gentlemen, and nischelle and sunny, stay with me. a battle that begins in the playground, soap boxing continues up to the high school levels in corporate america. the gender war, that's next. latte or au lait?

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as media pioneer barbara walters gets ready to call it quits on a 50-year career in journalism, another female power player is asked to leave. the gender war continues. jean casarez has more. >> reporter: in one day, proof of how far women have come and how far some say they still need to go on the job. tv trail blazer barbara walters retiring after over 50 years in broadcasting. but as the first female network co-anchor, she wasn't always welcome. >> i had great, great difficulties and it was a very

difficult and unhappy experience. >> she talked about how she was a flop as the first female co-anchor on the newscast and how the male co-anchor undermined her every chance he got. those barriers she was breaking down decades ago. >> i'm honored to be the first woman to serve as executive editor. >> at the same time, another female pioneer gets the axe. jill abramson, executive editor of the new york times since 2011. speculation as to why, a national conversation with some wondering, does america have a problem with powerful women and female bosses? it turns out that female ceos are forced out of their jobs more often than their male counterpart. a recent study found 11% more. the "new york times" says the decision was made the because of an issue with management. npr's media reporter says some who worked with her found her to

be brusk, even to the point of rudeness. it is said she confronted top bass when finding out she made less than her male predecessor. they answered saying compensation made no part in my decision that jill could not remain as executive editor. abramson isn't talking about it. but her daughter posted this picture of her on instra gram, referencing her mother's character with the hashtag, pushy. hillary clinton, close to clenching the democratic nomination for president in 2008, but not close enough. in her concession speech, she referenced the struggles, even the most powerful women face. >> although we weren't able to shatter that highest hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18

million cracks in it. >> but cracks in the glass ceiling may be replaced with the glass cliff for women who do break through. begging the question, whether for women get together top is only half the battle. jean casarez, cnn, new york. >> all right. thank you, jean. i want to bring in my guests now. christina hoffsomers, host of the factual feminist and back with me in the hot seat is sunny hostin. >> i love that you have so many women. >> yes. and i'm very aware of what i just said on television. hello, ladies. go easy on me. what is your take on what happened to jill abramson at the time? some say it is the hand of gender biassed.

others say, it is just how a man would be treated. >> there is no way to know what happened behind the scenes but what is clear from reading the "new york times" story is that it is the same old horrificster why types trotted out in a way that i'm shocked by actually that no one had the editorial eye to say word like aggressive management. sorry, my hair is out of control. pushy, abrasive, i may not be quoting directly. but that same story we read dozens and dozens and dozens of times about a strong powerful woman. and i know jill abramson in passing. she is an investigative reporter. you don't get the story if you're not persistent and pushy and abrasive. it is that obvious sexism in the hand of a departure. >> we will talk more about that an i want hilary rosen in here. report that jill abramson found out that she made less man than her predecessor, bill keller.

and they say compensation had nothing to do with it. and that blew up. when they say compensation, that could be investments or retirement. it doesn't mean that's what you take home. >> and an update of his story after the new york times published it, questions some of those numbers, in the times response. so let's just say it is still not clear exactly what numbers were. but there's another point here which is, jill abramson's manner was well known to everyone in the new york times newsroom. that paper in many respects has never been better. never been more powerful. the stories have never been richer. by all accounts. and yet it really wasn't until the last few weeks, you know, a few days after jill abramson asked her lawyer to talk it management about this comp issue that all of a sudden the hater that she had had for several

years, became a tremendous problem. now there was one other issue, don, that's important to raise. which is that she has a deputy, who is a guy, who is now the -- now chief editor. and a great guy. and a fantastic journalist. so this is not against him. but it appears as though he might have had his feelings hurt during this process and he went and complained. this is all a terrible story for the new york times. >> conservatives don't buy that there is any paid disparity between men and women. they say women gravitate toward lower paying jobs. leave to have babies. there is no war on women. any truth to that christina? >> that's bs. >> conservatives, libertarians have different opinions about that. i think the simple claim that women earn 23 cents less than men has been disputed quite effectively. there are just differences in how men and women behave in the

workplace. different hours. different jobs. but the question about jill abramson is complex. we don't know all the details. i think that we should take a deep breath and not rush in and immediately impose a narrative of that it is the pay gap. remember when mare mary berry became ceo of general motors, people said oh, she is paid less than predecessor. it was not true. it could be the good old boy network. possible, but maybe other things as well. >> sunny is sitting here. >> i'm holding my tongue. >> i want our viewers to see this. we saw photos that her daughter instagramed today. boxing. hashtag, pushy. why does the work pushy seem to have a female gender connotation. do we call men pushy? >> no, we don't. and this is just make meg siege.

as you can imagine, i was a federal prosecutors. managing director. i've been in charge of people. guess which add vektives were used for me. pushy. per cural, which means moody. abrupt. all the things they are calling this woman. guess what? if i were a man i would have been called decisive. i would have been called assertive. and i'm quite sure in many of my positions in my life, i've been made less than men. i want to know hugh much jeff tubin gets paid. i'm sure he gets paid more than i get paid. >> a lot of bosses are as and jerks. >> women are treated differently. >> we've got take a break. we'll take up with this right after the break. don't go anywhere. of complete darkness. i am totally blind. i've been blind since birth. i lost my sight to eye disease. i lost my sight in afghanistan. and it doesn't hold me back.

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back with our guests. discussing how gender makes a difference from washington all the way to hollywood.

sunny says i want the same money, right? >> they are arguing, it is the new york times so they are word smiths. so maybe they are arguing her total compensation was different. but if the article was accurate, apparently when she was editor in 2011, she made 475. what did keller get in 2011? 559. >> whoa! >> yeah. i want some money. i don't care about the benefits. >> i don't disagree with that. let me tell you why. depend on experience. if someone comes out -- sunny listen to me. if someone comes right out of college, right out of law school, cnn hires them as legal analyst. i do not think -- >> don, don -- >> i do not think they should get the same amount of money. >> no, no, no. >> go ahead. >> if you are held accountable for a responsible implementation of the same job as a guy, you

have been hired for that job to do that job. you're not going to do it 20% less. you're not going to say, we're giving her a break because she is paid 20% less. it doesn't work that way. >> that's not that big a difference. >> women do not ask -- >> it is not that big a difference when you look at 475,000. >> please listen to me. i'm talking about men and women. i mean, even if a man came in, i think the same thing. he should not get paid as much as you if he does not have the same experience level. >> equal pay for equal work. >> experience counts. good ahead, naomi. >> i was just going to say, i find it extraordinary that you make this argument. and if it was two men we were discussing in the same position it would be a much harder thing to say. >> i think the same thing. i feel the same way. >> let me go to a different subject. the article in the main section

of the new york times was a hatchet job. and it will destroy that woman's career. it won't because she will be hired by many people who are seeing this as the massacre that it is. but the point is, you never see what a man leaves a senior position, especially powerful white man leaves a senior position, you never see that hatchet job on his way out. it is always covered over with some kind of pr. they spin, agree in advance, that doesn't leave blood all over the newsroom floor. you only see it with women. i wrote a project about this for project syndicate. and that journalism lethality, does dial it down with women. it dials down a well's reputation. >> reading far too much into a case we barely understand. >> i read the paper. i'm talking about the "times." >> oh, you read an article in the newspaper. >> it is much too soon.

>> go ahead, christina. >> when competent economists review men and women in the workplace, there are pockets of discrimination. but evidence is systemic discrimination is very hard to find. so i think that we should settle down to reality based analysis and not just carrying on -- >> hang on, everyone. i got to go. but i have to say, i don't understand the argument, the experience argument. experience counts. you are an accomplished -- hang on. you are an accomplished former prosecutor. someone right out of law school who does not have your experience should not get paid -- >> she wasn't right out of cool. >> they wouldn't get my job. >> this is a job about cuteness. a lot of it. >> oh, my god. >> i'm just telling the truth. >> on national television. as television business. it's a television business. i'm just being honest. >> that's unbelievable.

>> unbelievable what you just said. >> if someone said that about you, did not, you would go ballistic and not let anyone go off air. >> no. sunny, sit here and said -- sunny, what do you say? >> i say often times the viewer response rather than responding to what i'm saying is how i look. but that doesn't negate the argument that i'm qualified for what i do. and someone should be paid for -- >> and when someone says, don lemon, you look great. i go wow, thank you. and i don't think twice about it. >> are you aware that men and women in television journalism -- >> i got to go. my producer says, you're killing me. i love you guys. i relent. i'm going to do something very sexist. yes, dear. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] hey, look at you!

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a high school in odessa, texas is the for best selling book friday night lights. but staff has been accused of having improver relationships with student. in the last week up with of the teachers allege lid involved took his own life. >> on the surface, the candle light vigil looks like a tribute it a beloved teacher. for 17 years, teaching golf at odessa high school, yes, the football crazy permian of friday

night lights. but lurking at the edges of this vigil is something no one is talking about. the controversial end of his life. the married teacher and father of two children committed suicide last week after he was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with a female student. >> but the case isn't an isolated story at odessa, the famed high school which inspired the book "friday night lights" and in the last 13 months school district officials four teachers and one school employee have been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage student. bringing unwanted attention to this high school in the middle of west texas oil patch. so far three teachers have been arrested. april collins' attorney says she's not guilty. katherine naples says the allegations were made by her husband who she is divorcing. alicia knight yon was arrested

thursday and we vent been able to arrest her attorney. and another resigned after allegations were made against her. a current teacher who didn't want to speak on camera, says around town, some started calling permian predator high. we asked the school superintendent what is going on at odessa permian. >> honestly, if i knew the answer it that, we would have stopped it by now. >> when you ask the same question around town, you discover another layer to this story. some who blame the student just as much as the teachers. >> there is a problem, i believe, but i'd also like to put some of the blame on students. because they are receiving no punishment or even anything whatsoever. it is all going on to the teachers. >> most of the accused teachers are young women in their 20s and not that much older than their students. superintendent tom crowe says it is still no excuse. teachers must know where to draw the line. >> people said well sometimes the kids are flirtatious.

well, the educator is still the adult and they've got to be aible to turn to their principle or supervisor and say, hey, this isn't right and i need help handling this. >> watching student gather for the vigil, chuck eisner struggles to make sense of it all. >> i don't understand it. i can't grasp how a teacher allows themselves to get into those positions. whether it happened or not, i don't know. and five times in 13 months is just completely baffling to me. >> football brought the rallying cry of mojo to permian but some say the school is struggling to regain its mojo. cnn, odessa, texas. >> i'm joined now by gina martinez, a reporter at kwes news west 9 in midland, texas. she is with us on skype. and joe nick is an author of the

dallas cowboyets, outrageous history of the biggest loudest most hated best loved football team in america. that's some title, right? then dr. michael oversnyder is a psychologist at ash burn psychological and psychiatric surface enes a back with me in the hot seat is sunny hostin. gina, it is surprising to hear that some people there place the blame on students. why is that? >> well, don, lot of people are around 18, 19 years old. others feel they are adults an they know what they're diddioin. but like you heard someone say, the student needs to know when to draw the line. under texas law, it is illegal to start a relationship with a student no matter their age. >> why are there so many instances of this in one town in 13 months. >> i guess there are a couple thoughts. the first would be that there

are a lot of p the second would be that there aren't. these are five reported cases, meaning that these were five teach wloers got caught. maybe this is happening more frequently than we want to think it's happening and people aren't getting caught. >> that's the question then. how prevalent of these relationships. are they more common? is it just at this school people are caught. or are we not taking good sta tst iks of them, what? >> yes. i think what happened at this school is a real tragedy. but i don't think it is uncommon. i think teachers across america an perhaps worldwide are sleeping with their student more than we would like to think they are. >> i'd like to think if that isn't true, thoen i will say when i was a prosecutor, one of the cases that i remember very well was this kind of case. a coach basically, you know, i think molesting one of his students. i do think, though, that it doesn't really matter what age the student is. we are talking about this disparity in a position of power. we send our children to school,

whether or not they're 10 or 18 to learn from a person of authority. and that person does have authority. and there is no way that this should be happening in this school or any of the schools. and i think you have to prosecute someone to the full ex extent of the law. >> absolutely. joe, permian high school was the inspiration for the book, tv show and movie "friday night lights." what is this school like? >> it's really one of the best examples of community supporting athletic programs in the state. pt reputation is well deserved. a hard critical book about it where football seemed to just, you know, soak up the culture. and a few years ago, i went to a permian game against their rival, odessa high.

on the level of texas high school football, this was one of the most intense events that i witnessed. >> there is a different -- >> football is a big deal. >> absolutely, in the south especially. you know you mentioned they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. why the difference in perception of -- >> for me, there is no difference. you know, i'm the mother after boy and girl. i think if a female teacher has sex with a male student, that is child sex abuse. pure and simple. and we've seen it in history. we saw the one teacher, the one woman -- >> letourneau. and she got married. they've been married like seven years. >> that's a child sex abuse case. >> they are still married. >> it doesn't matter. >> you see he it that way but the public didn't always see it that way. >> they should though. i remember when i was prosecuting these cases, isn't that everybody boy's dream to have sex with their teacher?

i think that is despicable. >> we saw the images of the candle light vigil for a well-liked teacher who committed suicide after the allegation about him. what happened to the investigation now? >> right now, police and school district say they are looking into the claims. they want to do a full investigation to see if the accusations were in fact true. but as of now, they haven't been in their investigation. >> i appreciate it. we'll be right back.

let's continue our investigation from "friday nights night lights ". how is social media contributing to this. we are asking all to refrain from inappropriate hateful post owns social media.

>> yeah. it got very heated, once word first got out about what happened. people were defending mr. latman like we mentioned. he with as teacher here for 17 years here. so he had a lot of current and farmer students. those people were defending him but there was another half who felt that by the way he took his own life it proved his guilt. people were calling out the victim, blaming her. very emotional, very heated and even the school district had to say something. >> the dynamic is upsetting. i'm not surprised there was a split. just because he he did what he did doesn't mean he is a bad person. i'm not going to surmise to know why he did it. perhapses with abused himself as a child. resear flch this area would support that predators are abused at higher rates.

perhaps he had some other psychological or personal issues going on. but he he sounds like he was a very well respected and well-liked teacher. on the other hand, what he did was wrong. i'm very sorry he chose a solution to end his life. it is a real tragedy all around. i feel sorry for the school and everyone involved. >> we don't know because he ended his life the outcome because he didn't admit to anything. joe, the school is known for football and maybe now known for this. to a degree does permian high school have the football identity that it once did? >> it still does. he keeps the identity despite the fact they haven't won a state championship since 1991. that's longer than the dallas cowboys being out of the super bowl. it really matters and athletics matter. i've got to say, i've been on the high school campus. and i've been inside the administration building. >> quickly, joe, we have to run.

>> these gr programs. >> thank you all for tonight. >> thank you for getting my sense of humor. >> you're welcome. >> i'm don lemon. that's it for us. ac 360 starts right now. hey, good evening, thank you for joining us. we begin tonight with breaking news from southern california where wildfires are threatening thousands of homes and have burned about 10,000 acres so far. dozens of fires raging overnight is now down to eight fires, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes, and amid the chaos people are capturing very intense pictures that really tell the story of what it is like across san diego county. take a look at this. >> wow, there it is right there! there it is right there! [ bleep ] [ bleep ] oh my god! ohy