at the berlin zoo. some of this week's hot shots. i'm wolf blitzer. join us weekdays in "the situation room" and every saturday 6:00 p.m. eastern on cc cnn and every weekend at this time on cnn international. the news continues next on cnn. off the cuff. vice president joe biden making explosive and critical comments about rush's past, present and future. and he says the u.s. holds all the cards. wait until you hear what the russians say. tough week. the president losing ground on health care reform and trying to save face over racially charged issues that is dividing the nation. what is his next move? and let's talk. the president wants to meet the cop and the professor over a few beers at the white house. our experts on race, policing and social media standing by to

walk us through that tough conversation, what that will look like. make sure you tell us what you want to know, logon to facebook, twitter, or ireport.com. hell lo, everyone. i'm don lemon. we're used to hearing joe biden speaking his mind. after all, that's one reason the president chose him to be the vice president. as biden wraps up a trip overseas to george joshlg and ukraine, his willingness to speak out is again making headlines. in an interview with the "wall street journal," the vice president abandons a typical dcht ick niceties and says things about the russian government no one else in the obama administration is saying at least not publicly. they have a shrinking population base, he says. they have a withering economy. they have a banking sector and structure that is not likely to be able to withstand the next 15 years. they're in a situation where the world is changing before them and they're clinging to something in the past that is not sustainable. the russian government appears

to be a little perplexed by the reported comments. the chief foreign policy advisor to russia's president has this response, as quoted by interfax and the "new york times." if some members of obama's team and government do not like this atmosphere, why don't they say so? if they disagree with the course of their president, we just need to know this. let's bring in now our senior political analyst bill snyder to talk about the remarks. are you surprised by the me marks? >> yes. very undiplomatic. true. they may very well be true. russia has deep problems, a shrinking population base. they're in very serious trouble. but you don't say that if you're in the business of diplomacy. he even acknowledges that. he said, it is never smart to embarrass an individual or country when they're dealing with asignificant loss of face. the vice president doesn't listen to his own advice. >> this one quote stood out to me. i know the vice president goes off the cuff sometimes and it

has been -- it's gotten him in trouble a few tim times. he says, i can see putin sitting in moscow saying, jesus christ, iran gets a nuclear weapon. who goes first, moscow, not washington. i mean, bill? >> it's called rubbing it it in. saying these things publicly, even though they probably are true. for everything we know, russia has serious problems. but we need russian cooperation. we need them to cooperate on their claim of his sphere of influence in the former soviet republics. we need they're help on korea and iran. you don't get that help by insulting them. he insults one of america's friends, one of russia's satellites, georgia. he visited georgia and said, the president of georgia said that they were going to try to promote democratic ibs tuitions. and joe biden said in this

intervi interview, the opposition believes the only reason he said it was because i was coming. that may be true, but you don't say that. >> what does this do for the relationship between -- i'm not sure if it does anything about the relationship between president obama and the vice president, but what does it do about the relationship between the united states and russia and its allies? >> it's a little embarrassing in the russian response you just put on the air, the advisor responded to it. the russians would like to probably talk to the obama administration a little bit abo about this and a lot about the public comments. in their view, this spoils the atmosphere for the cooperation that the united states desperately needs as well as russia for their own self-interest. biden is correct. i'm not saying what he said is wrong. i'm saying it spoils the atmosphere to say those things out loud. very undiplomatic. >> it puts one more thing on the president's plate. he's had a tough week so far. we'll talk in a little bit. thank you. president obama's push to reform health care seems to be

flatlining. his hopes for a quick vote have been banished and congressional democrats are divided. in short, he is fighting to hold focus on capitol hill. kate? >> reporter: don, trying to return the focus to his top domestic priority, president obama is out fighting for momentum in the debate over health care. president obama in his weekly address is pitching to small businesses across the country, saying they will only benefit from health care reform. >> these are the mom and pop stores and restaurants, beauty shops abdom and construction co that support families and sustain communities. right now they with are getting crushed by skyrocketing health care costs. >> we talked to two business owners who face challenges every day. david employs 170 people at his office products store in virginia. brian england has 18 employees at his maryland auto repair

shop. both small businesses that provide heblg insurance to their workers but both admit it's getting harder to keep up. >> top line's not going up, gross profit not going up. expenses in teams of health care will go up and that affects the bottom line. >> the pay is the number one expense over running a business. next is rent, then health care. it's third in line. a very large third. >> reporter: these men and their employees are keeping close watch on washington and the health care debate. one idea england supports, requiring employers to provide coverage. he says it would help level the playing field for him against competitors. >> every year it gets worse, the rates go up, and then that makes a big problem for the ones that are left. >> reporter: but one fears that expanded coverage could come with an expanded price small businesses simply can't afford. >> if the requirement were such that the kind of coverage we

offered were dramatically different, dramatically more comprehensive and the cost accordingly would go up significantly, that would then be a problem. >> reporter: instead, he hopes small businesses will be allowed to pool their coverage to help drive down prices. president obama supports allowing small businesses to buy coverage through an insurance exchange where he says they could shop for different, cheaper plans for their employees. wednesday the president heads to north carolina and virginia to continue selling the white house reform efforts. >> kate, thank you very much for that. from washington to alaska and sarah palin's final hours as governor. she leaves office tomorrow, but not before saying good-bye to the people that elected her. she's hosting picnics, including one this afternoon, in anchorage. chris well with mu chris welch is there and joins us. sarah palin has criticized the media over the past few months. how have you been treated since

you've been there? >> reporter: it's funny. i spent a good portion of last night at her picnic in wasilla trying to get close enough even to ask her something pretty simply, what are you doing with your last two days? what's on your mind? how are you feeling? tried to shout that at her. the only thick we got back was, yep, 48 hours left and she turned around. media trying to get close, her handlers often get touchy feelly, pushy and vicious once in a while. but there are throngs of people trying to take pictures of the woman, get autographs. they're everywhere, especially last night in wasilla, her hometown. she had a great reception there. >> usually she's pretty receptive to the media. she's very open to interviews but who's there? are these only palin supporters the at these events? >> reporter: well, it's not just palin supporters, though that has been the primary makeup. last night and even today in aink rablg. for the most part it's

supporter. i ran into a few today who say they're definitely not palin supporters or fans. they just wish she would go away. they came out because they live here and wanted to take a look at the spectacle and see what it's about and come to the picnic and all. >> what are you hearing about supporters about 2012? anybody talking about that. >> reporter: a lot of people in the crowds have siebs that say palin 2012, even the occasional shout at palin from people just, president 2012, president palin, commander in chief. when you sit down and talk to people and say, do you think she will run for president in 2012, they say, i don't know. maybe. it would be nice. i just want her to be happy. that's what her supporters are saying. >> chris welch, we appreciate it it it, sir. a quick reminder for you. sarah pail be will deliver a farewell speech tomorrow night. join us on cnn and watch it

live. back to washington now. sarah palin stepping down, the battle over health care and the national discussion over the president's comments about the arrest of a harvard professor. a lot to talk about in washington. we talked about joe biden now, the vice president. let's talk now about those other issues. we'll bring bill back. bill, do you think that president obama may be looking at his next opponent in sarah palin come 2012? >> doesn't look that way. her reputation has taken a hit. she has support of conservatives but not nearly as strong as last year. too many of them are seeing this action of leaving the governorship as quitting, leaving a job in the middle. they don't admire that. >> let's go to health care real quick. we talked earlier and you said, this is really all about -- this whole fight is about knowing your political strategy, knowing how to navigate washington,

really getting out in the trenches and not necessarily with the american people as a president often does but with the folks in washington and winning them over. how is the president doing with that? >> not spectacularly well because he's facing dissention within the democratic party. a lot of congress is say, i don't know what the president wants, what he'll settle for. he needs to do legislative arm-twisting. i pointed out that's where he's missing tom daschle. he was his first choice to be secretary of health and human services abdomen is a master strategist. he has smart legislative people with experience, but apparently they're not being effective. a philosopher once said a leader doesn't have to be loved. he has to be feared. one of the problems is that a lot of members of congress don't fear president obama or what he can do to them if they break ranks with them. >> let's talk about this other

issue that some say -- i guess it didn't derail health care but at least derailed the talks about health care, the attention from the media and the american people. where do you see this going next? the president wants to sit down with these guys, beers in the white house. this is a tough conversation to have. everyone i'm getting remarks from are saying, you know what? they should have cameras in there because the whole world needs to hear this conversation. >> the world does need to hear it. the core of this issue, the president said he overreacted. professor gates overreacted. the police sergeant overreacted. everyone overreacted the. but there is a serious conversation at the heart of this. it should be about stereotyping and the damage that they do. too many people stereotype african-american men as guilty, as criminals. too many people stereotype white police officers as racists. those stereotypes are very damaging. that's exactly what we're seeing in this incident with everyone overreacting. that's the issue. stereotyping, what do you do about it?

what consequences does it have? how do you fight that? that's the conversation we need to it have. >> but that conversation is tough to have because people are -- people get upset. they don't -- they're afraid of being called racist or ignorant about something if they have the conversation. a real deep conversation. and guess what? we're going to do that coming up in about 15 minutes or so. >> very good. >> a conversation we'll talk about what that conversation in the white house might be like. >> good. >> send in your comments. bill schneider, appreciate it. let's take you overseas where there was a shootout in afghanistan. nato says it ended with at least seven suicide attackers dead. it happened today in the city of k khost. officials tell cnn the taliban insurgents wore suicide vests and struck a bank, a police station abdomen a military hospital. more than a dozen people were wounded, most of them civilians. all thoefr over the world, people are demanding the release

of raubians arrested after the june presidential election. the protests stretched across six continents and about 100 cities. we begin with video from the nation's capital where demonstrators marched from the u.n. from that office downtown to the white house. jody williams called for human rights in iran and an end to the violence following the june 12th presidential vote. in new york city, crowds gathered outside the united nations building that snon straighters want baun ki moon to send a delegation to iran to investigate the fate of the detainees. they're demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners and journalists. in london, protesters waved green flags and wore the color of the opposition party in iran. demonstrators also blind-folded, gagged and chained themselves together, according to protesters they say were silenced in iran after the election. a harvard professor arrested in his own home.

who is to blame for the snowballing effect? dmends on who you talk to, the police officer, the professor, even the president. also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight about that story and any others. go to myspace, facebook, ireport.com or twitter. we'll present your questions and your comments to our panel of experts on this subject. en... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid.

eeps my airways open... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long.

and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid.

by cambridge police. as we all know by now, the professor is black, the officer is white. the incident spotlighted some of the most sebs tiff issues in american society, including race and police profiling. where does it go from here? elaine ka haub know is in massachusetts with the latest. >> reporter: don, president obama tried to turn down the volume by calling the professor and the sergeant and inviting them boblg to twhite house. he tried walking back his comments when he said cambridge police "acted stupidly." how is that being received? pretty well, it seems. it wasn't a full-out presidential apology. >> in my choice of words i think i unfortunately gave an impression that i was ma liebing the cambridge police department

or sergeant crowley specifically. i could have calibrated those words differently. >> for police officers in cambridge, massachusetts, united in their outrage, the president's expression of regret appears to be enough. >> we were happy. it was a good thing. we said, yeah. give him the high-fives. >> reporter: the sergeant of the cambridge police department was on the scene the day his colleague, sergeant james crowley arrested prominent african-american professor on his property. >> had it been differently if i would have shown up first? probably. >> reporter: he says he supports the actions crowley took that day. >> i too probably would have placed him under arrest if it would have gotten further out of control. >> reporter: at this national conference of black law enforcement law executives in verge virginia, the consensus, that what happened in cambridge can be a valuable training tool in navigating the complex issues surrounding law enforcement and minorities. while most steered clear of

commenting on the gates case, one officer believes police deserve the benefit of the doubt. >> i would say it's a tough job for law enforcement to make those decisions on the spot. i would say that we need to look at all of the possibilities that what could have happened. >> reporter: here in cambridge in a written statement, a coalition of area police unions said that the sergeant was profoundly grateful that president obama had take be the time to try to resolve the situation. the statement went on to say that it's clear president obama respects police officers. don? thank you very much for that. be sure to joib us in about ten minutes or so. you want to stick around for this. we'll have a panel discussion. we have experts here on race, diversity, policing, profiling. we'll take questions and have an open, frank discussion. coming p up in ten minutes. a sudden tornado shreds an east coast, florida, community

leaving neighbors with the monstrous cleanup project. the twister slammed pieces of mobile homes into upper branches of trees. it all happened in port orange, florida. it sent debris flying. one perish was hospitalized with minor injuries from shattered glass. more than 160 homes were with damaged. tonight, parts of the ohio valley facing a hail and wind threat right now. jacqui jeras in the cnn severe weather center. what's going on? in the middle and in the southeast. >> we've had a lot of action throughout florida today. those pictures were amazing. believe it or not, that's what we call an ef-0 tornado, the weakest of all, winds between 65 and 85 miles per hour. that's the kind of damage even a weak tornado can cause. check out some of these pictures, waterspouts, this was sent in from a viewer as well. there you can see, you've got to look in the water, there you can see a little bit of the debris.

you start to see the funnel forming a little bit more here. we're going to tib to progress along. it starts to get tighter and stronger. then we see a really well-developed, strong looking waterspout. look at that. just off the shore. there was one yesterday, by the way, in ormond beach that started out as a waterspout, made its way on land and caused some damage as a tornado. we'll be watching florida today as well. there you can see the showers and thunderstorms have been severe here. we've had nasty thunderstorms toward the jackvilsonville area. in the northeast, two watch boxes, wind and hail damage. new york city toward philly, this will come in late for you tonight. check out what's going on around washington, d.c., some very intense thunderstorms. if you're heading out tonight, try to wait until this line passes. we also have a lot of problems at the area airports because of these thunderstorms, even if it's not storming in your city, the planes are having to try to

fly around them. make sure to call ahead if you have a flight tonight. >> if you're heading out tonight, maybe you should think of alternate plans. >> not a bad idea. >> you could stay home and watch cnn for a couple of hours before you head out. >> jacqui, you're so smart. thank you very much. something is brewing in massachusetts and one woman is spilling the beans on how she hopes to cash in on it. plus -- forget about who's right and who's wrong. where do we go from here? experts on race, live right here on cnn coming up. it's not a ste. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid.

i think i'll go with the preferred package.

good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. there is an old saying, do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life. cnn's stephanie elam found a woman whose passion for coffee has given her a new daily grind. >> reporter: this woman is hooked on coffee. >> i had my first shot of espresso when i was 14 and it was pretty amazing pour me. >> reporter: with the dream

opening a coffee house, she went to seattle to learn from the best. >> i just saw her pour this, i said, i won't leave without learning to do this. >> reporter: she returned to boston and launched a mobile espresso catering company. her corporate headquarters -- >> this is where all the magic happens. >> reporter: she knew her business acumen could use a jolt. so with the help of aides -- >> i wrote my business plan with all of these business plan writing for dummies. >> reporter: she then took her plan to the small business administration and was directed to axion usa, a plan specializing in microloans. >> i love lucy's dedication to the quality of her product. i'm a big believer that a great product and the passion that an entrepreneur brings to that can carry it a long way if you have

a helping hand. >> reporter: she started voltage with her 2,0$2,000 and a $4,000 loan she got from sam adams. >> it covered the espresso machine, the grinders, my table some membership costs, licensing, and my costs for a few months with the commercial kitchen facility that i use. >> reporter: now she's focused on a storefront but has to incorporate, find a space and get a lobe. >> i need to convince somebody to give me 180 grand. that's a good chunk of change. >> reporter: despite the economy, she remains undaunted. >> i'm just going to keep working at it. i'm not letting up, boston. i don't care. >> reporter: stephanie elam, cnn, jamaica plain, massachusetts. it's time now because it has been the topic of the week. the professor, the police officer, and the president. now what? want to learn something?

stick a stick around for this. we're going to talk about diversity, racism, profiling, social media. our experts live in the newsroom and we're taking your comments. the distance from the field to your table just got shorter.

because at safeway, there's always... freshly picked local produce at great prices. it's 100% guaranteed to be fresh and ripe, every time. so hurry in for delicious goodness, all right down the street. that's ingredients for life. that's safeway. right now, get locally grown platinum sweet corn -- 8 ears for just $2 with your club card. safeway just lowered the price of summer.

now on cnn. it started innocently enough, one neighbor looking out for another. a woman in the neighborhood saw what was going on and mistook it for a crime in progress, reporting a crime. turns out one of those african-american men lived in the home. a prominent scholar and a friend of president obama's. when the cops showed up, the trouble had just begun. >> i was tibsly telling him to calm down during this exchange because i didn't want this either. i didn't want to take such drastic action because i knew it was going to bring unwanted attention on me. nonetheless, that's how far professor gates pushed it abdomen provoked and just

wouldn't stop. >> what it made me realize was how vulnerable all black member are. how vulnerable all people of color are and all poor people to capricious forces like a rogue policeman. >> reporter: one officer supporting sergeant crowley said he heard gates say this. >> this is how a black man is treated in america. a white woman calls the police and he gets arrested for breaking into his own home. >> reporter: the case was basically dropped until this question to the president. >> recently, professor henry louis gates was arrested at his home in cambridge. what does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations? america? >> i don't know, having not being there, what role race played. the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> reporter: from a simple arrest to a presidential smack-down to a defiant police department calling out the

commander in chief. >> as far as the president's comments, the governor's comments and comments that i did not hear that our mayor made, i think when the time is right they should make ab apology to us. i think the president should make an apology to all law enforcement personnel. >> i voted for him. i supported him. i will not again. i agree that i think it's admirable that he would speak on behalf of his friend, but he should have recused himself. he should have stepped back and said, i support my friend, but i don't have all the facts. i won't weigh in yet. >> reporter: the president felt the pressure and a need to explain. >> the fact that it has garnered so much attention i think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sebs tiff here sensitive here in america. you know, so to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate but rather contributed to more media

frebzy, i think that was unfortunate. >> reporter: he proposes a meeting at the white house. so what happens when the president, the professor, and the police officer sit down? let's talk right now. >> and i mean that. let's talk. we are going to have an open conversation here. i want to introduce you to a few people who are experts on the subject and we picked them very carefully. buck davis is a diversity and inclusion consultant with global accent consulting. alan is ceo of basic diversity, has provided training to ceos to sanitation workers. both are with me in atlanta. i want to introduce you to ronald hampton with the national black police association in washington and james andrews is a blogger and a social media expert, he's written about many issues including the topic. he is going to talk about what has been happening on social media about this issue and how we can have a conversation similar to what the president is having with these men online. that's the way to get it to the

entire world and very quickly. i'm holding this because i'm going to read from facebook. buck, we'll start with you. >> all right. >> when this all went down, i would imagine that you saw it coming and you know, from teaching, how these things can escalate. why did this escalate? let me take this back. what is the first thing the president and those gentlemen should do when they sit down and speak? >> they should absolutely set the ground rules to make sure they'll have an open dialogue, listen to everybody, make sure they're gaining each other's perspective and they sit down and be open and honest about their true feelings about race abdomen what it feels like to feel like you have been betrayed as racist and also what it feels like to be portrayed as a thief in your own home. >> what is the biggest stumbling block not oenly in this conversation but other conversations you have every day when you teach. >> for the white folk, it's the

fear of looking racist. we don't want the conversation because we don't want anybody to look at us like we are part of that population who really wants to generally oppress a group of people. we don't want to appear like we are racist. >> and that's usually -- what about for people of color, for black or brown or asian people? is there a big fear there as well? >> i think the fear is that they're not going to be heard or listened to, or it may be, here we go again, just to have another conversation that won't be valued. >> let's talk to al. al, when you're doi ining this, talk basic diversity as well. when he said fear of being a racist, you said uh-huh. >> absolutely. >> i have conversations with people i know. i've had conversations with buck davis. he talks to me about diversity and racial issues all the time. he's one of the most honest people i know about that. but you can't have those conversations with everyone. i try to have it with people, and they all of a sudden clam up or they're looking for and

agenda behind it when it it's just to talk. >> the fact is you have to find the right way to do it. buck's correct on setting some ground rules. this is how we're going to talk about it. this is what we're going to do. we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. you set some ground rules and then as buck said you've got to be very hobreally honest. you can get that honest. it may take time. once you do, you get great results. the reality is you won't get great results unless you get honest. everybody's hiding what you think, you don't get results. >> i'll go to ronald real quick and then i'll go to james. i want to ask you this because i should have followed up, should have been a better questioner. why are white people afraid of being thought of as racist? because there are perceptions about african-americans and black men, but yet people will want to talk about it and are open to discuss it. why are white people afraid of being perceived as racist if it gets you to something else? >> i think we don't want to say anything -- for the most part, people want to do the right

thing. they don't want to offend other people. they want to share their experience. the trouble is that we fear that if we have the conversation we may stumble a bit. see, don, this is a conversation we have not been taught to have the we didn't grow up having the conversation. it's not an easy conversation. there's a lot of history, fear for us because we don't want to look like an offender. >> you said may stumble a bit. i'm going to go to you, ronald hampton, talking about the police. profiling is real. there are people who say this case wasn't profiling. it was simply two people who got into an altercation of sorts and things got out of control. but it was not racial profiling. what are your thoughts on that, firstly, before i ask you about the solution. >> well, first of all, i think it reflects profiling situations. profiling can take place in a number of instances. profiling takes place when you walk into a grocery store and they follow you around. it takes place sometimes at the

airport. >> but in this incident, mr mr. hampton. what about in this incident? >> well, it could be perceived as being racial profiling. i think if mr. gates had been a white man it wouldn't have ended or resulted in him being arrested. it would have been handled altogether differently. there's an expectation that he doesn't live in that community. >> you have come across that as being a black police officer those expectations about who lives in what neighborhoods? >> oh, absolutely. >> who drives what kands of cars? >> oh, absolutely. i've worked with guys who draw conclusions based on those assumptions. they didn't know anything about the person other than the fact they are an african-american person. >> james, real quick, are these conversations happening online? has this sparked something? i know the deblg of michael jackson, what is this doing online? >> it's chilling that online in the -- that's where the truth is happening. if you want the true heartbeat

selection, go to the boston globe about professor gates. there are plenty of honest people having conversations. >> do you find that is happening online? that's happening in social media now? >> it's absolutely happening. it's happening in twitter, facebook, in what we call microblogging. these conversations are driving after i leave cnn tonight, it will happen online on the my blog, on my stream. it's happening all the time. it's now media. >> let's hope it's constructive. all of you, stick around. we're going to talk a lot more about this. our conversation is going to tib. if you mi continue. if you missed "black in america 2," it's at the top of the hour. we're back with our conversation. don't go away. when this hotel added aflac

to compliment their benefits package aflac! it made a big splash with the employees yeaaaahhhh! find out more at aflac!... ...forbusiness.com (laughter) p me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

right back to our conversation. i want to ask you this from twitter. talk about predispositions, don, of mistrust and how to overcome that. who wants to take that one? al? >> sure. you oe you only overcome it by having the honest deep dialogue. we've created a pc world where

you can't say anything that may be seen as wrong. if you create the environment, you'll never get the honest answer. the reality is, we should be able to say what we think and feel. that's how you get to solutions. >> some of the hobs answers may hurt you. you may go away with hurt feelings. but hurt feelings often make you grow. any time you stretch and grow it's going to hurt a little bit, whether it's professionally, personally. no matter. i'll go back to james. someone sent this, sadly, don, some of the conversations happening online are not so constructive. >> yeah. i mean, there's not a -- yob line is a place where people are saying things that are not positive, are saying things that are confounded in stuff that doesn't make sense. that's why we need to use the online space, social media, to bring folks together. it's a great place to show the divide, the racial divide, of how people feel about the subject.

>> so even if the online conversation, buck, is not that constructive, right, does it still need to be seen, or do you still need to have that? or should there be some sort of control or parameters placed on these types of conversations? >> i think if the conversation is not constructive it doesn't need to be happening because i think people will just bury themselves in stereotyping other people and you might set us back instead of moving us forward. if it's not constructive and positive, it doesn't need to happen. >> ronald -- go ahead, ronald. >> what i was going to say is you have to have the conversation. there's going to be negatives. positive thing -- one of the things that should be happening is not only should the president be having the conversation with gates and crowley, he should be having a town hall meeting with people from the criminal justice community, african-americans, police organizations, to talk about this issue. this is a very real issue. for example, a senator proposed

legislation to address some of these disparities that's in the criminal justice system, and we keep putting it off because we are concerned about hurting someone's feelings. fact of the matter is we need to look at these issues. i agree with the two experts there, but one of the things i know that they are familiar with some of the work of people like packag peggy macintosh or others. i mean, there's such a thing as white privilege in this country. there's also such a thing as if you're not working on these issues to get rid -- >> ronald, stand by. that's really sort of at the bottom of this. i'll talk to al. i know you want to talk about privilege as well. he says if you don't address white privilege you're not addressing the issue at all. >> exactly. white often that gets overlooked. the reason why president obama

has had to dial back is because of the feeling that it has to be talked about, but if he says it, if he brings it up, there's a problem with him bringing the issue up. that's why it was important somebody asked him the question, quite honestly, in the black community, everybody said, yes, i'm so glad he actually addressed the issue. he cannot bring it up because he's looked at as if, there you go, see what happens when you let him get in office. >> look what happens when a black man gets in office. >> he uses it as a teachable moment. >> we've got to run. buck, i want to say this. white privilege, you have this whole thing that i find interesting. it just happens to be white. same thing with people who have money. >> right. >> you're not aware of your prif leblg because you have it. talk to us. >> i think the white privilege has been one of the largest sources of frustration for me over the last decade of doing this work. white people simply denying there is no issue. then you have barack obama get into the presidency and we go, look, we've got a black fellow here. there is no racism, no barrier

to these folks. you can rise up and achieve what he's achieved. the fact of the matter is that while the opportunity exists across america, opportunity does not exist in the same form and fashion for everybody. people of color experience barriers that white people don't experience. rich people don't have the same experiences that people of different socio economic classes have. privilege is a concept that i think should be on the radar screen of all americans. >> buck, we've got to run, al, ronald, and of course james, thank you all. we could have this conversation all day long. thank you. i'm sorry everybody didn't get in. we'll try to have it again at 10:00 this evening. a lot of these folks will join us. join us at 10:00 p.m. eastern. i want to say this is a sad note, good-bye to a literary pioneer, a favorite for millions of women. that will happen next in the "newsroom." es strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss.

then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss. i know i did. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. i've got this one body, and this one life, so i wanted to stop my bone loss. but i did more. i reversed it with boniva. ask your doctor if boniva can help you stop losing, and start reversing. (announcer) for a free trial offer, call 1-800-4-boniva.

all right. we have been talking about diversity a lot here on cnn.

really, media, all media. but i want to tell you cnn's special series black in america 2 is all about solutions, people who have committed their lives to making a difference in someone else's difference. you never know. you could be inspiring is the next star. my colleague soledad o'brien talked to d.l. hughley during the black in america's pre-show. it was a very emotional reunion. look at this. >> you know, i've been teaching for 38 years, and i have not -- i'm just telling you right over here knowing i did something positive to create this gentleman right here, this wonderful person, i'll take that over any award they can give me. >> you're crying. you are crying. how come he affects you? you know, you joined a gang. you were not -- you dropped out. you ended up getting your ged. >> yeah. >> why is what he's saying

upsetting you so much? >> because i was this close to never making it. never being nothing. so when i see people, when i see people who don't believe they can do it, just one person can say one thing that nobody believes in me ever, and to have a dude say, you can be what you want, i remember we had a fair, and i wanted to win my mother an apple. i won the apple and got it to my mother. she said this apple's rotten just like you are and i lavender and i told him that story and he said you're not rotten. you're going to be something. i'll never forget that. i hope he's as proud of me as i am of him. >> the funny thing is i knew he was going to be something. >> you knew it. >> i knew it because his family, they're very bright kids and the parents were very hands-on. and they were very concerned. and but i didn't ever think he was going to be a comedian or anything like that. he was too quiet.

it's funny when you find your niche. you're not going to find it at 10 years old. >> wow. that was a very moving moment. d.l., wow. d.l. i like that. usually he makes people laugh but he's crying. if you missed even a minute of our black in america 2 special you can see it again. >> soledad o'brien hosts black in america 2 coming up at the top of the hour. the literary world has lost a best selling author who pioneered his own jenry of fiction. e. lynn harris died thursday night on a business trip to los angeles. no word on the cause of death. he introduced millions of readers to the life of affluent black guy men. his characters were sometimes tormented while living double lives. his book signings were often standing room only. he eventually became one of the nation's most popular writers with 4 million books in print,

dead at the age of 54, e. lynn harris.

i'm sorry. i can't hear you very well. announcer: does someone you know have trouble hearing on the phone? dad. dad, let me help you with that, okay? announcer: now, a free phone service shows captions of everything a caller says. i'd like to make an appointment to see the doctor. announcer: to learn more about captioned telephone, call 1-800-552-7724

or go to our website. i'll see you at 3:00! announcer: captioned telephone - enjoy the phone again! all right. i'm just going through some of your comments here. so bear with me because wow. the response has been crazy. i want to say thank you to the

person, someone said, here it is, i don't have time. journal project says don, you're the only anchor acknowledge e lynn harris passing. thanks for remembering a great writer. i can't tell you how many e-mails i got about from people wanting to say something about e. lynn harris. i want to go to my twitter page. brother grimace says law enforcement is notorious for making up mind early. joy fulkira says i can't help but be moved by the honesty and reasonableness of the gentlemen's conversation. bravo. need more of the same. thanks a lot for your program. drier buzz says more at 10:00 or repeat at 10:00 please. here's what joyful cure says, i love that white man. where does he come from that he understands? the actual facts says how does sergeant crowley teach