on lou dobbs news on twitter.com. and yes, tomorrow on the radio, we'll also be talking about health care and, of course, without question, that birth certificate. for all of us, thanks for watching, good night from new york. sitting in for campbell brown, john roberts. john? tonight, here are the questions we want answers. the honeymoon. oh, yeah, it's over all right. others will simply focus on political points. >> there's no question, we are at a cross roads. >> the president taking punches as republicans ramp up the fight. is the health care battle just the start of a whole new political slug fest? how did this noted harvard professor end up in handcuffs? >> it was not professor gates' best moment and it certainly wasn't the cambridge police department's best moment.

>> did race make the difference? joe jackson in his first major live interview since micha michael's death. >> well, i'm thinking it's foul play. yeah, that's what i'm thinking. and then there's this. >> and michael was never beaten by me at all. >> tonight, we're putting those and other claims to a truth test. childhood obesity, the numbers are alarming, but is that any excuse to charge a parent with neglect? authorities are getting tough on this mom. should having fat kids be a crime? hi, everybody, thanks for joining us. those are our big questions tonight. but we start as always with "the mash-up," our look at the stories making an impact right now. and the moments you might have missed. we're watching it all so you don't have to.

the health care wars heating up tonight. battling the ultimate washington reality. more often than not delay equals death. and tonight the call for delay is coming from within the president's own party. conservative house democrats putting the brakes on the fast-paced negotiations on capitol hill worried that the plan is too big, too expensive, and will just explode the deficit. tonight, in an interview with cbs news, president obama seemed to be speaking just to them. he was on message. >> got to be deficit-neutral, it can't add to our deficits. i won't sign a bill that i think does not reduce costs, does not keep deficit neutral. it will not add to the deficit. i will not sign a bill that adds to the deficit. >> president obama extending one hand to conservative democrats slapping down republicans with the other, seeking to persuade an increasingly skeptical public that any opposition to his plan is pure politics. >> the american people have suffered because people in washington play the politics of

the moment. let's fight our way through the politics of the moment. we can choose progress over the politics of the moment. >> the white house political operation firing on all cylinders to save health care reform take their opposition research. check out how they seized on comments a certain republican senator made on a conference call. before long, his words were on everyone's lips. >> just the other day, one republican senator said and i'm quoting him now "if we're able to stop obama on this, it will be his waterloo." >> waterloo. >> waterloo. ♪ >> waterloo. ♪ >> waterloo.

>> waterloo. >> waterloo. >> waterloo. >> waterloo, the defeat that cost napoleon his empire. >> the waterloo senator, jim demint of south carolina. and today in an interview with fox news, he was not backing off one bit. >> we've got to stop him. we have cannot let him roll over us in the next couple of weeks. i'm ready for a debate, but he doesn't want to debate it, and i think he's played right into my hands. they know they're slipping, they're panicking a little bit. any time the president of the united states goes after a freshman senator, he's losing his grip. >> members of congress questions on health care, on visits home, but that's not the only thing on constituents' minds. check out this extraordinary video of republican congressman mike castle's recent town meeting in delaware. the woman you're about to see was seen waving her own birth

certificate and demanding proof that president obama is himself an american citizen. >> and i want to know why are these people ignoring. he is not an american citizen. he is a citizen of kenya. i am an american, my father was -- fought in world war ii with the bravest generation. and i want my country back. >> if you're referring to the president, he is a citizen of the united states. >> question, the crowds reaction

unbelievable. that clip has been viewed more than 465,000 times on youtube. a troubling story out of boston tonight, harvard professor lewis gates, a scholar arrested in his own home. >> he got home from china thursday, he tried to get in his own home in cambridge, mass, but his front door was stuck, so he used his key in the back door, later the cops arrived responding to a burglary call and he wound up under arrest. the charges have been dropped but the stakes have been raised. >> looked at the allegations and very disturbing allegations that one of the most prominent scholars in the united states is a victim of racial profiling. >> the officer and gates both contend they were being mistreated by the other person involved. the officer arrested gates for quote exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior. >> reporter: despite his criticism of the police, gates and the cambridge p.d. calling

the incident "regrettable," one that shouldn't demean the reputation of either side. >> much more on the story tonight, including an interview with the lawyer representing professor gates. marines deeper into afghanistan tonight. our ivan watson embedded with them as they hit back at heroin, a deadly harvest for the war-torn country. >> reporter: the marines that i'm with right now from the second armored reconnaissance battalion, they took a step this week that they believe will try to limit the number of deadly roadside bombs that the taliban has access to. they have been moving through a nearby market and gathering tons, literally tons of poppy seeds for that cash crop, which grows opium and can be used to make heroin. those are 1,000-pound bombs dropped on more than 1,600 sacks of poppy seed. it's going to definitely put a dent into the poppy harvest here

in southern afghanistan, which can be described as the opium capital of the world. >> reporting for cnn's ivan watson. back on our shores, tonight a few thousand voters could have a huge say in the battle to legalize pot. votes are now being counted in a referendum that would tax medical marijuana. if it's approved, it would be the first tax on the drug. in the meantime california residents looking to toke up can use their iphone to find out where. check out this from the cbs "early show." >> cannabis on your iphone. >> there's an app for about anything. >> reporter: indeed there is, this will literally pinpoint pot sellers near you. this google search of just one section of l.a. revealed 24 starbucks, 10 mcdonalds, and more than 39 shops selling medical marijuana. >> yep, we just don't make this stuff up. and that brings us to the melee between john stewart and

john williams. >> walter cronkite was a giant, is that a man you looked up to? is that a man -- >> i wanted to be when i was a kid. >> really? it was like carrot top to you. >> so, how does it feel to fall so short? >> i think that ended up about even. john stewart brian williams, everybody, and that is the mash-up. can the president use his bully pulpit to get health care redone? those questions to our panel coming up after the break. and the harvard professor

arrested in his own home. police say it wasn't racism, just an unfortunate incident. new details on what happened coming up.

president obama is in pr overdrive fighting to get health care reform through congress. the ongoing battle shows the president and the republicans are done being nice and are, in fact, ready to rumble. >> this is all about politics.

this is -- that describes exactly an attitude that we've got to overcome. because what folks have in their minds is that somehow this is about me. >> now the president wants americans to trust him again. but he can't back up the utopian promises he's making about a government takeover of health care. >> he's made calls to democrats and republicans in the past few days. the staff has met endlessly with members on capitol hill to try to work toward a solution. >> it's hard to be bipartisan when you're not even invited in the room. we're not taking the suggestions and republicans of republican in the house and senate and making it a part of the bill. >> let's bring in our cnn political contributor james carville in new orleans for us tonight, in washington, susan, a republican congresswoman from new york, and our senior political correspondent candy crowley is live in washington tonight. candy, let's start with you. the administration showing a lot of concern about its signature issue. are they still confident they

can get this done? >> they're certainly acting confidently. and we've heard the president say in recent days, well, if the august deadline for getting bills on to the floor slips like a couple of days a couple of weeks, then that's no big deal. that shows you they understand that the deadline self-imposed by the president probably will not be met at this point. but what democrats at this point are looking for is a little less of the political back and forth, the president has been out there, been very strong about his critics and a few more specifics from the president about what he actually wants. >> james, you know, today's remarks part of a week-long blitz by the president, includes a town hall meeting on thursday. can he use the bully pulpit here to get what he wants on health care? >> well, he's got a lot of different tools. this is a big battle, very important, it's critical, i think he understands that, and to have a legislative strategy, to have a pr strategy, this

thing is going to get very, very interesting here before it's over. and it's going to be kind of fun to watch it. i agree with candy, i think that -- i don't think they're just acting confident, i think they're confident they're going to get something. and if you listen to us in the media, you listen to republicans, it's all over. he's already lost this thing. it'll be a big win if he gets it. >> on the republican front, let's go to you for this. the president accusing republicans of attacking him, trying to score political points instead of helping to enact health care reform. do republicans just want to kill any chance of reform and maintain the status quo? >> well, first of all, john, i think republicans want to make sure that the bill that comes out, something that is being rushed through this by this arbitrary august 1st deadline is something that can work for american people that doesn't kill some of the finer points of health care, the incredible hospitals and doctor services but allows health care to become more affordable, accessible, and control health costs. number one, we know this bill does not control health costs.

cbo says it increases the deficit by over $200 billion. and number two, he can blame the republicans, but his real problem is not the republicans, is it? there's a filibuster-proof majority in the senate now and an overwhelming majority in the house of representatives. he can blame the republicans for partisanship, but it's the democrats, the blue dogs stopping it right now. >> no question he does have some problem with democrats. they are worried about the cost when the cbo went before congress last week, his former congressman pointed out and said this is going to balloon the deficit by $240 billion over ten years, democrats in the senate said, whoa, wait a minute. let's take another look at this. how does the president win those people over? >> well, it freaked them out, frankly. it really did, they looked at that and said, whoa, they're going to have to put themselves out there to vote for something to begin with and then find out it wasn't going to do what the president set out as one of his goals really made them, you know, walk back. and i want to point out that the

democratic leader on the house side said this is not just conservatives, not just the blue dogs, this is progressive and everyone in between. what did the president do? he's going to have to get to specifics, i think. capitol hill is about nothing but wheeling and dealing. what does he have to give up? what does he have to put in order to pull over enough people to pass his bill or some form of the bill that he wants? and that's what it all comes down to. >> gene, one of the democrats, go-slow approach, senator ben nelson from nebraska, also ron widen is saying, slow down, take a close look at this thing. but if the bill is delayed, you start to lose momentum, could that kill it? >> anything can happen. i don't know if it's going to matter. we're killing it on this show pretty good if i'm listening to candy and listening to susan, it's dead right now. i'm not sure that's the case. and it may be it'll be october.

who's going to care if they pass a bill on august 7th or october 7th? the answer if they get one through, nobody. it's tough sledding. people say, arbitrary deadlines, harry truman tried this in 1948, it's been by my count 61 years we've been trying it. and he's closer than anybody has gotten so far. and let's not bury the corpse until it's dead. let's see this thing has a long way to go between now and the end of it. we'll see. >> didn't teddy roosevelt also try? >> i don't know if he tried. >> i think teddy roosevelt tried too. you say republicans do want reform, but we haven't seen much in concrete proposals yet. are we going to see that tomorrow? >> well, they've actually had the group that has been working on a series of -- i wouldn't say legislative proposals -- but certainly a whole set of goals they believe need to be incorporated in health care reform bill. >> thanks so much for joining us tonight, folks. >> thanks, john. was a harvard professor

arrested for simply being black? a lot of people think so, but police see it differently. >> our position is very firmly that race did not play any factor at all in the arrest of >> a simple misunderstanding or did the color of the professor's skin make a difference? and is the government going too far in the name of protecting our children? a mother arrested because her teenage son weighs 555 pounds. p<

well, as we saw tonight in the mash-up, a prosecutor is dropping a disorderly conduct charge against one of the country's most prominent african-american scholars.

henry louis gates was arrested last thursday after he had trouble opening the door to his own home. a neighbor thought he was breaking in and called the police. the police spokeswoman says no one comes out of this looking good. >> i think that what went wrong personally was that you had two human beings that were reacting to a set of circumstances and unfortunately at the time cooler heads did not prevail. >> so should the professor have been arrested? >> well, our position is that there was probable cause for the arrest. >> was that the color of his skin? cnn special correspondent soledad o'brien joins me this evening, and on the telephone is professor gates' attorney. professor, you heard what the police spokeswoman said, the charges were dropped, but maintains that there was probable cause at the time to arrest professor gates. do you agree with that? >> that's a silly idea and it's a breathtaking suggestion to say that gates is in his home with his i.d. and his driver's license, with everyone knowing

he lived there to say that he was in some way violating the law, just didn't happen, and that's why this case was so completely resolved today and the charges were dismissed. the prosecutor, the city of cambridge, and the police department decided to dismiss the charges, which means he's never been prosecuted for violating the law. this was not some plea, this was not some no contest, this was a dismissal of an arrest. >> soledad, we have a copy of the police report in which says professor gates was observed exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior. does he seem like the type of person to exhibit that behavior? >> for people who do not know who professor gates is. he is the preeminent black scholar. he is -- harvard is a campus full of stars, star professors. professor gates is a star among the stars. he is the guy who has a burger

named after him at our local burger restaurant right outside of harvard square. so he is the star. the idea that someone of his stature could be arrested in his home. pictures of him in a polo shirt and slacks in cuffs is actually shocking and breathtaking. and i think all of this has led to this discussion about when people talk about post-racial america and where are we, you can have on one hand the first african-american president and on the other hand, this -- he has 50 honorary degrees. i can go on and on for you who this man is if you don't know. the idea that gates is in cuffs and the picture of his mug shot being shown around the world is absolutely shocking. >> professor, let me read more from the police report for you tonight. the arresting officer writes the gentleman was shouting out to the sergeant that the sergeant was a racist. as the sergeant was trying to calm the gentleman, the

gentleman shouted you don't know who you're messing with. professor gates was obviously upset he was being confronted in his own home. i'm wondering how could this whole episode transpired differently? after all, the police officer was there legitimately checking out a report of a potential break in that was called into the police. >> let me answer your question. how could it have been resolved? >> very easily, the police officer said we have a report of a break-in, show me your identification. professor put out his wallet, his harvard i.d. with the photograph, put out his driver's license photograph and address and even in the police officer's report, it says it seems that the suspect is the person who lives here. it's over, there's nothing more to do. and the only way he could arrest professor gates was to take him outside and then say he committed a public crime and disorderly conduct. you can't commit that in your house by talking to a police

officer, even with strong language protesting about an arrest and asking for identification. so the reality was, once he was outside, the officer said -- professor gates said so clearly, thank you for accommodating my earlier request by coming outside now and put the handcuffs on him. this was not a case of a valid arrest, not a case of probable cause, a case of a police officer who was not happy that the person said it's not me, i didn't do it, i'm not a criminal, this is my house and all of those things turned out to be true. >> you're going to be examining this and other issues in "black in america 2," which begins tomorrow night. this has been this innate mistrust between african-americans and white police officers over the generations. is that getting any better? or is there still that same mistrust? >> i think there are many people who one of the reasons this story resinates so much is many people had a version of the story, that there's an expectation. if professor gates had been white and the same thing had transpired, many people told me it would stop at the i.d., sir,

excuse me. a man in a polo shirt and gray slacks and his spectacles on, sir, i'm so sorry. but because he's black, there's this sense that he's not -- maybe it's not his home. he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt that this could be his home. my brother who is black, my friends who are black, harvard students in may of last year were i.d.ed on the campus, student who is go there and pay that enormous tuition were asked to show their i.d. because people didn't expect that could be their campus too. it's demeaning, humiliating, offensive, and we're not a place where it's stopping. >> looking forward to your examination tomorrow and thursday night, as well. thank you for being with us. 7:00 p.m. eastern, by the way, professor gates is going to be joining soledad for moment of truth, the count down to "black in america 2." and at 9:00 eastern "black in america 2."

soledad is going to be back a little later on in this program with a preview. so don't miss it. more violent protests in iran, more bombing deaths in afghanistan, and the longest solar eclipse of the century. all of those stories in the download. and later on we talk to tom watson, the 59-year-old guy who came so close to winning a major golf tournament. (announcer) illness doesn't care where you live... ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care.

if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on.

time now for a look at the other must-see stories of the day. erica hill has tonight's download. security forces breaking up anti-government crowds, taking to the streets. this video we're about to show you. we want to point out that cnn has not been able to verify and appears to show police ordering marchers in tehran to leave. the protest comes 30 days after the death of neda, the young woman who became a symbol of protests after the video of her shooting death was broadcast around the globe.

also the 50th anniversary of a protest around iran. and afghanistan, seven suicide bombers posing as women targeting police officers. three of them were able to blow themselves up and in turn killed three police officers. the other four attackers were shot and killed before detonating their bombs. that attack happened about 60 miles outside of kabul. norths blame the taliban. the pennsylvania children after being kicked out of a swim club are now headed to disney world courtesy of tyler perry. he says he was angry after hearing the mostly black and hispanic children have their swimming privileges revoked at the club sparking allegations of racism. club officials deny any wrong-doing. perry is paying to send all 65 kids to the magic kingdom for three days. andta tyler perry will be featud

in "black in america 2." happening right now in asia, the beginning of the longest total solar eclipse. visible from india to china at least by those who want to see it. these are some early pictures. >> pretty impressive. >> pretty sure this is from a chinese-owned network. this is their coverage of the eclipse right now. interesting, though, john, in india, millions of pregnant women are staying inside. worried by a superstition that the rays could harm the fetuses. >> pretty impressive when you see the moon blocking out the sun. >> it really is wild. this is the longest one in the century. a lot of people are focussed on it. remember, don't look directly at it. >> the century is young yet, though. >> indeed, it is. >> great to see you as always. the late michael jackson's father, joe jackson telling cnn remarkable things about his son's life and death. tonight, we are putting his words to the test. welcome to the now network. population 49 million.

right now, 1.5 million people are on a conference call. 750,000 wish they weren't. - ( phones chirping ) - construction workers are making 244,000 nextel direct connect calls. 1 million people are responding to an email. - 151 accidentally hit "reply all." - ( foghorn blows ) that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network bringing you the first wireless 4g network. - sprint. the now network. - ( whoosh sound ) deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day men's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. that's a great call. one a day men's. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage

because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act.

welcome back. if you missed joe jackson on "larry king live" last night, well, let's just say it was not to be missed. new and revealing insight into the relationship between michael and his father. >> where is michael's body? >> i don't know, do you have to ask somebody that? no one knows. >> you're the father. >> i was at the memorial, and where they took it from there, i have to find out. i'll let you know later, larry. >> joe, did you talk to michael about drug use? >> no, i did not. >> why not? >> i never got a chance to. >> i'll go back to you, you're his father. if you pick up the phone and you call your son and you're worried about him and you know he's had some problems with this, why wouldn't you counsel him? >> larry, i'm going to cut to the chase on this. i could never get to him. i tried all i could.

>> didn'to you get a private autopsy for the family? >> yes, but they haven't reported anything to me yet. >> you're the father. >> yes, i'm the father. >> don't you have the right to say will you show it to me? >> well, they have not showed it to me, larry. >> joining us now is the chief correspondent of "inside edition." along with randi kaye. what do we know about the relationship between michael and joe? was there anything of it left by the end? >> joe found out by his own admission from a fan. he didn't get a call from his family. joe lives in las vegas and he and katherine are still married, but they live separately. michael jackson has stated on at least two interviews, one with oprah, and one with bashir 10 years later he was beaten and abused by his father and there was clearly an estrangement

there. >> and since you mention that now, jim, i was going to save that, but let's play some of that right now. clearly what joe jackson told larry king about the allegations of abuse and follow that immediately with michael jackson told oprah winfrey about it. >> what do you say about all of these things that have been said over the years that you harmed michael as a child? >> that's a bunch of bull s. that's a bunch of bull s. >> straighten me out. >> that's not true. >> you never physically harmed him? >> never. never have. and i raised him just like you would raise your kids, you know. but harm michael, for what? that's my son, i loved him. >> there's a lot of sadness about my past life and, you know, adolescence and my father and all those things. >> he would tease you, make fun of you? >> yes.

>> would he -- did he ever beat you? >> yes. he did. yes. >> and that was difficult to take getting beaten and going on stage and performing? >> yes. >> why would he beat you? >> because he saw me -- he wanted me to, i guess, i don't know if i was his golden child or whatever it was. >> let's bring in roland martin, michael jackson says my father beat me, his father says that's a bunch of bull s. >> you have someone like joe jackson who grew up in a different era and likely to say this is how i'm going to discipline a child. i think tyler perry who talked about his abusive father and how there was estrangement there. a generation of parents, that's how they actually disciplined their children. so a father may say, no, i'm simply disciplining you, the son says, no, it's a matter of abuse. not only that, joe jackson also made a point when he said, look, my kids weren't in trouble, a lot of the kids went to prison, they went to jail. so you know what?

i kept them out of harm's way. it's a matter of your perspective. >> so his perspective is that a beating, a whooping was just discipline. >> but again, all depends where you come from. if you believe in discipline, you believe in spanking a child, but you can cross a line from spanking to abuse. >> joe jackson basically said that michael jackson's death was because of the tour, the tour company aeg. what did they tell you? >> we talked to aeg, actually, several times over the last few weeks and they told us -- actually joe jackson first of all is saying, he believes and his good friend leonard rowe who was on the show with him last night. they both believe that aeg controlled michael jackson's finances, his tour schedule, putting him on this gruelling tour schedule. aeg tells us that michael jackson agreed to do 31 shows and only did the 50 shows because they sold out, but they also told us that he "needed the money." in fact, they said that michael jackson wanted to be sure that a representative from the guinness book of world records was there for the 50th show so he could go into the guinness book of world

record book. but aeg sent a statement last night and said whether michael jackson did one show or 50 shows, the rehearsal schedule would have been the same. also had an opportunity to take days off if he needed. and said he was in tiptop shape, passed the physical, and was ready to go. >> larry also asked him about the idea he signed a piece of paper to allow katherine jackson to have custody. jim, what do we know about that? what do we know about some deal that might have been struck to allow katherine to have the kids as long as joe stayed out of the life? >> well, joe refuted that statement on larry king last night. and we know that debbie rowe was vocal in wanting him to stay away from the children. >> very quickly. when we see joe jackson talking about this stuff, again the issue of credibility, how much does he have? >> well, look, he was the father, and part of the problem, you have people with all kinds of opinions. he's a father, he had a perspective, we really don't know what the truth. it's all his point of view. >> folks, thanks for joining us.

chris rock and his wife challenging kids in his old brooklyn neighborhood. >> these kids have been on the receiving end of aid, not on the giving end of service. our dream, the goal is to come back and these kids are going to be our next leaders. >> also, a 500-pound teenager. a mother arrested, are the parents of obese children criminals? stay with us. there's the life i live. and the life i want to live. fortunately, there's enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma and nervous system... and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. also ask your doctor if you live in an area... with a greater risk for certain fungal infections. don't start enbrel if you have an infection, like the flu.

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if your child is obese, morbidly obese in medical terms, are you responsible? even more, are you criminally responsible? well, in the case of jerry gray, the state of south carolina says yes. take a look why. gray gave us this school photo of her 14-year-old son alexander. he weighs 555 pounds. he is now in foster care and she has been charged with criminal neglect. she told "the early show" on cbs how he got this way. >> a lot of times i had to work full-time second shift or full-time third shift, and i wasn't home a lot. there were times that i would have to purchase, you know, maybe some fast food when i came in. if i was working third shift

because i would have to lay down for second shift. >> it's a tough question to untangle to be sure. jerry gray's legal team kim and grant varner. because her son was so overweight, your client has been charged with a crime. there does appear to be some case law on this. what have you found? >> to be honest with you, john, we haven't found much that is identical to this situation. we've been made aware of cases stemming from new york where it's similar, but again, it was misdemeanor charges not felony charges. she's been charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person. she's also been charged with taking the child to baltimore, maryland. and again, that's a felony. and the case we've been made aware of from new york, it was misdemeanor charges that were neglect. so nothing quite on par with what we're experiencing here.

>> what i've ready about this case was she was trying to control his eating habits, but he was out of her care and sight for a good portion of the day. where was he getting enough food? because she didn't have a whole lot of money to buy it. where was he getting enough food to put on 555 pounds? >> john, she does have a very limited income. she's indicated to us there were no colas at the house, no sweets, the child does not particularly like sweets, but quite obviously with most 14-year-olds and this is not a new situation that just arose, but he is at school all day, we have indications that he's been eating several lunches during the day at school, there were friends giving him food and snacks. and part of the fundamental question is, if you're trying to teach a child individual responsibility, how do we come about with the parent is now responsible for the child's acts? she cannot be a police officer. she does have to work and she does have a limited income and, hence, that's part of the

problem. >> here's what the state of south carolina said and grant let me put the question to you. he was at risk due to his mother's inattention to his medical needs. other officials said she did not take advantage of opportunities to get him some treatment for his weight. what's your response to that? >> well, i think that's a little bit biassed. she did, in fact, try to take advantage of every opportunity that was given to her. and the state has heavily leaned on one instance where she was awarded approximately a $30,000 scholarship for a program, she packed up, put her son in the car, they went to north carolina, knocked on the door of this facility and they were very politely told, ma'am, we apologize, we're not aware this child weighed 555 pounds, we don't have the facilities to handle it, we're going to have to turn you away and the state has very unfairly held that against my client. it's just not right. she tried to take advantage of the program, but because the programs were not equipped to

handle this child, she's being punished. >> you're suggesting access was a problem there. and grant, i know you've got some concerns. maybe we could throw this to kim about the precedence this sets. if you're the parent of an overweight child, you could be charged. the child may not be overweight, what if the child is anorexic or bulimic. >> john, this could potentially open a flood gate of the state's interference with a parent's right to raise a child. there are many children out there, particularly young girls who have a tendency to try to starve themselves. and if this precedent is set, we may see a situation in the future where parents are charged because their child doesn't weigh enough, they're not feeding their child, also situations such as a young lady getting pregnant and a young man who participated in that could also be -- the parents could be charged, and that's a situation in which she's guilty of loving her child, she maybe didn't say

no often enough. but loving a child and especially when you're in an economic status like her, food is about the only thing you get to escape. this child didn't go to drugs or but we'll keep watching this case very closely. >> we appreciate you coming on. you want a good definition of a real news maker, how about a 59-year-old guy who almost had a major triumph. when at last we're alone. when we both decide. announcer: today, guys with erectile dysfunction can be ready with another dosing option from cialis. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. so relax and take your time. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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champion athletes have a lot of things in common. their drive, determination, and another thing they have in common is that almost none of them are 59 years old. but the great golfer tom watson is. and sunday he came this close -- it's more like this close to winning the british open. tom watson is our "newsmaker" tonight. tom, it's so good to talk to you

after what happened last week. you put so much enthusiasm in the hearts of everyone over the age of 40 to believe that maybe there is still some life left after that time. what was it like for you, first time in 26 years, leaving the british open walking up 18? >> well, it was an almost championship. walking up after my tee ball, i said if i get this ball on to the green, i might have a good chance of doing something very special. and when i hit the eight iron and the ball was in the air, i felt that that was the shot i wanted to hit. and as i watched the ball go to the back of the screen, i said i hope it stops and when it disappeared i said "uh-oh" and the rest is history. >> when you were walking up to the green, there was a thunderous applause and cheers for you. people were so appreciative of what you had accomplished up until that point. it must have been a very special moment for you. >> well, it was like that all day. i have to admit, going up to the

different tees and different greens. the scottish fans were so warm and generous with their applause. i was trying to stay focussed, but also i wanted to say thank you to them. and just -- i've been around scottish golf for a long time in the open championship. and there were quite a few faces in the crowd that i recognized from quite a few years ago. and it was a great walk. >> so in the post playoff news conference, you said that a good headline would have been "the old fogie almost did it." did he have an advantage mentally and physically? you've been around so many golf courses, so many major championships. did you have an edge? how were you feeling? >> well, i was feeling a little bit deflated after not winning it on the 18th hole after hitting a good shot from my second shot. >> did you it was missing that

putt? kind of took the air out of you a little bit? >> i think it did. i think it just deflated me just a little bit. but i said let's just carry on and see what we -- let's get the job done, the best we can. >> you know, next year, i guess, under the current rules, you hit the age limit for appearances at the british open was 65 a couple of years ago they reduced it back to 60. there's talk because of what you did over the weekend of increasing it again. would you like to come back year after year after year again with the british open? >> well, it's hard to predict at my age what you're going to feel like next year. so i'm not -- >> oh, come on, you're in great shape. >> i'm not going to predict too much about that. >> well, i'm in good shape right now, i got a brand new hip, it's doing well. but, you know, there's a time and place for everything. and there's time to let the young players have their say and have their place in the open championship. and this is what i told peter

dawson when he called me last year to say they had lowered the age limit to 60. i said that's a sensible decision. and i concur with it. >> well, tom, i know there's an awful lot of people who would love to see you come back year after year after year. you didn't win, but what an amazing showing and good luck at the senior open this week. >> thank you, john. well, a big poll planned to help inner city teens. expanding horizons coming up next.

time for tonight's breakout, the most compelling of all the reports we've seen today. chris rock and his wife are challenging inner city teens to

dream big, really big. here's special correspondent soledad o'brien. >> and we're walking. my name is la toya, and this is my hood. i have friends that live here. we party and stuff. >> so everyone, my name is jerry. this is where i hang out. i'll take you to the basketball court. >> reporter: latoyia and jeremy live around here, bushwick, brooklyn, bushwick weathered lootings in the '70s, and then crack in the '80s, the neighborhood is improving, but

wrong choices litter the streets, a lure to many teens. >> right here, you can see. >> reporter: one right choice is the bushwick salvation army. it's where activists, the wife of comedian chris rock has come with a big, bold plan. she's going to select 30 kids age 12 to 15 and take them to south africa. she calls it journey for change. >> why did you focus on bushwick? it's kind of in a way a classic inner city neighborhood. it has crime, drugs, entrenched poverty, 50% high school graduation rate. is that why? >> no. these kids come from the bushwick salvation army community center, and it is a community center that my husband attended as a child. he really always talk about it being an amazing place and what

if he didn't have it. >> reporter: malaak believe the children on these streets limit their dreams and futures. she wants to expand their horizons, not by exposing them to a better life, but exactly the opposite. the plan two weeks of volunteer work in the south africa's shantytown where the poorest of the poor, the country's aids orphans survive. >> these kids have been on the receiving end of aid, not on the giving end of service. i think that's going to open up their world. i also feel that travel just gives you a sense of confidence. you know, some of our kids haven't left here. >> reporter: what's your goal for them? >> our dream, the goal is to come back and these kids are going to be our next leaders, our next civic leaders. >> soledad o'brien reporting for us tonight. she's a major part of tomorrow's big night on cnn. soledad hosts "moment of truth" the countdown to "black in america 2." president obama holds