>> they are all pioneers, creating innovative solutions. "black in america" continues tomorrow at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tonight, careful what you say, the vice president's explosive and critical comments about russia's past, present and future. tonight the russians respond and the white house. tough week, the president losing ground on health care and reform and tries to save face over a racially charged issue that is dividing the nation. what's his next move? let's talk. what do the president, the police officer discuss if meet over a beer? white privilege? black anger? they might not but their experts will and so are you. we are used to joe biden speaking his mind. after all, that's one reason president obama picked him.

but as biden wraps up a trip overseas his candor is making headlines. the vice president abandons the niceties and says things about the russian government no one else in the obama administration is saying, at least not publicly. they have a shaking population base, he says. they have a withering economy. they have a banking sector and structure not likely to withstand the next 15 years. they are in a situation where the world is changing before them and they're clinging to something in the past that is unsustainable. "the new york times" reports the chief foreign policy advisors to russian's president as saying, quote, 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 need to know this. just moments ago white house spokesman issued a statement saying working foggy for the

prosperity for american and russian people is the focus of our effort to reset relations. the president and vice president believe russia will work with us not out of weakness but out of national interest. what does it all mean? we turn to david gergen, the veteran white house advisor and cnn senior political analyst. what does it all mean, david? >> well, it means that, what should joe biden say? i should have calibrated my remarks somewhat differently. >> we have heard those words this week. >> somehow we have heard those words somewhere else. joe biden is a valued member inside the administration. the president obviously relies on him heavily for foreign policy. once again i'm afraid he's gotten off message and spoken out in ways that were very awkward, if not diplomatically difficult for the president. and in contrast to what he said

earlier about, you know, we misread the earlier signals on the economy, i don't think that hurt much because it told the truth. it was an insight that was important to get out there. this one, while true, is very difficult. it is damaging to international relations because the united states wants to, needs russia to help us with iran, to help us with korea, to help us on energy issues, on nuclear proliferation. there's a whole series of things. while it's true that russia is a weakened country, it's still an important, it's been important for the obama administration to reset that relationship and what's central to the russians is to be treated with respect. they are looking for other nations, especially united states, to treat them with enormous respect. joe biden said i don't want to embarrass them, but that's exactly i'm afraid what has happened here. think of it if a major russian

leader had said something similar about the united states how angry people would be here. >> there was some talk during the election that joe biden might be picked as the secretary of state because of his foreign policy experience. and that is one reason that the president picked him. you're not behind those closed doors there, but you have worked for a number of presidents on both sides, republican and democrat. might the white house and the people in the administration, including the president, be grimacing right now saying, you know, why did you say that? >> well, i think they are wincing. and, you know, the truth is, don, this is the kind of conversation that people in government and foreign policy often have with a reporter but off the record so that it can't be used. it's a way to paint a picture, and i'm sure there are some in the administration who share his view. but what was damaging here, and i think what the importance of the white house response tonight was in effect it said they are so weak they are going to work with us out of weakness. it suggests that this is a country that has no choice but

to work with the side of weakness, and the administration tonight through the press secretary at the white house issued a statement saying we believe that the -- president and vice president believe they will not work with us out of weakness but out of national security interest. well, they clearly had to clarify and back pedal. this is another one of those moments. joe biden remains a valued member of this administration, but i'm sure there are people inside who wish, you know, how do we retain the value and stop these somewhat errant comments? >> david, i'm up against other news here. but is this just a speed bump? this is fixable? >> it is but coming on top the gig thing is exactly what the administration does not need right now. it's not what they need in foreign policy. >> thank you, sir. we appreciate it. david gergen joining us on a saturday night. not often and the white house releasing a statement as well. so you can imagine how important this is. president barack obama is doctoring his health care reform

after congress derailed the configure vote he had hoped for. the president says he can save small businesss in your neighborhood by lowering health care costs. but republicans simply aren't buying it. i want you to listen to both sides right now. >> these are the mom and pop stores and restaurants, beauty shops and construction companies that support families and sustain communities. they are the tiny startups with big ideas hoping to become the next google or apple or hp. as shown in a new report released today by the white house council of economic advisors, right now they are getting crushed by skyrocketing health care costs. >> the democrats health care plan crafted largely behind closed doors isn't the right thing. it's a prescription for disaster. one that will put washington bureaucrats in charge of your family's personal medical decisions. >> the lawmakers stayed on topic about health care today, but all week mr. obama has been fighting to hold focus after landing in the center of a snowballing

racially charged debate. our discussion on the president, the professor and the politics starts in about ten minutes -- on the police officer, i should say, starts in about ten minutes and you are going to be a part of it as well. sarah palin leaves office tomorrow. she is holding several picnics across the state alaska and the lieutenant governor takes over that state tomorrow. no word on her future plans except for a book deal and a speech at the ronald reagan library. she will deliver a farewell speech tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern. join me in the news room to watch it live. a shoot-out in afghanistan between the taliban and security forces ended with at least seven suicide attackers dead. it happened today in the city of khost. they wore suicide vests and bran dished machine guns when they struck a bank a police station and a military hospital. it is election day for

iraq's largely self-ruling kurds. voters streamed into polling places. mainstream groups widely expected to hold onto power. many voters are looking for a shakeup. the big issues, rising tensions with baghdad over oil and land and allegations of government corruption. all over the world today people are demanding the release of hundreds of iranians arrested after the june presidential election. the protest stretched across six continents and 100 cities. we begin in chicago where protesters gather in support of the iranian prisoners. recently freed sa bars was a keynote speaker. she was arrested in january and charged with spying for the u.s. >> i am very, very touched that first of all that all of you have turned out here today and that you are speaking out. the voices cannot be heard as well. >> in washington demonstrators

marched from the u.n. office downtown to the white house. called for human rights in iran and an end to the violence following the june 12th presidential election. in new york city crowds gathered around the building to investigate the fate of the detainees. they are also demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners and journalists. in london protesters waved green flags and wore green wrist bands the color of the opposition party in iran. they also blindfolded, gagged and chained themselves together to protest the silence in iran after the election. when the president said police acted stupidly in cambridge, massachusetts, its time for officers to call for backup. >> not only sergeant crowley, but the men and the women, the officers of the cambridge police department who were good outstanding officers did not deserve this, did not deserve

this negative attention, didn't deserve it at all. >> the police, the professor and the president. the story you have been talking about. so what next? a frank and honest conversation live right here. and you're a part of it. we want you to log in. twitter, facebook or myspace or i-report.com.

president obama says he is looking forward to hosting both men at the white house. he talked to them by phone yesterday. he spoke first with officer crowley whom he called a good man. later he called professor gates who said he was glad to hear from the president. in an e-mail gates said to me yes, i was very pleased that the president called me and he was pleased that i meet the sergeant, sergeant crowley at the white house since i had offered to meet him since last monday. last night i spoke with gates' attorney and i asked him if he was amazed the president would call both men directly. >> if you know, president barack

obama like i do, it's not amazing at all. he wrote in his book about the very same thing, the indignities he experienced, he worried about how his children might be affected by that. so it's a conversation that we all tip around but now we have an opportunity and indeed an obligation to have a conversation about race in america in a way that might move us all forward. the election of president obama was the spark that generated this conversation, but trying to govern all of us, taking personal responsibility all of us, understanding our brother's keeper, all of us would make a big difference. >> is professor gates going to show? >> i don't know. >> why not? >> because that decision hasn't been made. right now he's not thinking about suing. he's thinking about resting, meeting with the president and sergeant crowley and thinking about some other dialogues. >> that conversation in boston last night. and tonight make sure you stay with us, at the bottom of the hour we are going to have a live

panel discussion about this. you heard the attorney say we are going to have a conversation tonight. open, honest, frank. make sure you don't miss it coming up at the bottom of the hour. powerful storms and winds slamming into east florida this weekend. along for a ride, a devastating tornado. jacqui jeras will tell us all about it. >> real rough weekend all across the state of florida and thunderstorms are moving to the northeast. if you have travel plans, you won't want to miss our forecast tonight. 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.

a sudden tornado tears through a community on florida's east coast leaving dozens of neighbors with a monstrous cleanup projects. the twisters slammed homes into

trees and sent debris flying across yards. one person was hospitalized with minor injuries from flying glass. more than 160 homes are damaged. >> florida has really been a big focus of showers and thunderstorms, heavy downpours and yeah, that tornado we saw, but also a lot of water spouts. take a look at some of these pictures that were sent in. this was a progression from when this thing really started. this was from one of our viewers that sent us these photos. you've got to look closely on the water to see that water getting kicked up by the start of what is a funnel. let's go ahead and go through the series. you can kind of see it starting to develop a little bit more, just a little bit of a connection taking place here. and then oh, yeah. there you see it. you really can't miss that funnel right there in the middle of your screen. and this turns into a much stronger water spout. take a look at that picture. very, very impressive. offshore. when a water spout goes into

land, it becomes a tornado. that happened in orman beach yesterday and it did cause a bit of damage in that area. mostly seeing showers and thunderstorms across south florida today. so far no reports of any severe weather other than some h downpours associated with this. also had some pretty strong storms around jacksonville heading towards the beach. so it wasn't the best sunny day in florida. unfortunately the northeast starting to get socked in with showers and thunderstorms. we had some wind damage, ef-1 tornado across parts of east state new york. the watches have expired but if you live in new york city, philadelphia, d.c., i hope you sleep well in thunderstorms because it's going to be a bit of a bumpy night. hopefully most of this will come out of there by midday that you might get a bit of an afternoon in outdoor activity. slight risk of severe thunderstorms right there in the meg lop lis. one of the big issues we are going to be dealing with is travel problems. here we are 10:30 at night, and

we have got delays from denver all the way to atlanta. this is pretty late in the night to still have delays. expect to see some, especially in the northeast tomorrow. >> jackie, thank you very much. so brace for it, hey? something is brewing in massachusetts. one woman is spilling the beans on how she hopes to cash in on it. forget about who you think is right or wrong. where do we go from here? experts from race live in the news room.

there's an old hearing, do something you love and you will never work a day in your life. a passion for coffee has given this woman a new daily grind. >> lucy is looked on coffee. >> i had my first shot of esproio at 14 and it was pretty amazing for me. >> reporter: with the dream of opening a coffee house, valena went to seattle to learn from the aprons of the best. >> irista pour it and i said i'm doing that.

>> reporter: so she launched a voltage coffee, a mobile espresso catering company. her corporate headquarters -- >> this is where all of the action happens. >> reporter: she knew she needed a jolt. so with the help of aides -- >> i wrote my business plan with all of these, business plan for dummies. >> reporter: she then took her plan to the small business administration and was directed to axion usa, a company specializing in microloans. and had just begun a partnership with samuel adams to help companies get funding and free advice. >> i love lucy's dedication to the quality of her product and i'm a big believer that a great product and the patience that an entrepreneur brings to that can carry a long way if you have a helping hand. >> reporter: velana started voltage with her $2,000 and the $4,000 loan she got through the sam adams brewing the american dream program. >> so it covered the espresso

machine, the grinders, my table, some membership costs, licensing and my cost for a few months with the commercial kitchen facility that i use. >> reporter: now she's focusing on a storefront. but she has to incorporate, find a space and get a loan. >> i need to convince someone to give me $180,000. that's a good chunk of change. >> reporter: despite the economy, she remains undaunted. >> i'm just going to keep working on it. i'm not letting up. i'm not letting up, boston. i don't care. >> reporter: stephanie elam, cnn, jamaica plain, massachusetts. get ready. if you did not see our 7:00 show, you missed a really great conversation. and we're about to have another one live. open, honest, no holding back. issues of raise rose to the forefront this week in a stunning way. our guests are ready to weigh in. we're going to take your questions and we're going to be open and honest, guys. we're just going to talk about it, right? shake your heads. >> absolutely. >> good.

>> just a few minutes away. we're back in a moment. athe betr 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.

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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, calling police. reporting two african-american men with backpacks trying to force their way in. 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 continuously telling him to calm down during this whole exchange because i really didn't want this either. i really didn't want to take such a drastic action because i knew it was going to be a certain amount of attention, unwanted attention, on me. nonetheless, that's how far professor gates pushed it and provoked and just wouldn't stop.

>> what it made me realize was how vulnerable all black men are. how vulnerable all people of color are and all poor people to capricious forces like a rogue policeman. >> 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. >> the case was basically dropped until this question to the president -- >> recently professor henry louis gates jr. was arrested at his home in cambridge. what does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations in america? >> i don't know not having been there and not seeing all of the facts what role race played in that. the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> from a simple arrest, to a presidential smackdown, 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 an apology to us. i think the president should make an apology to all law enforcement personnel. >> i supported him. i voted for 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 he should have said, i support my friends but i don't have all of the facts. >> the president felt the pressure and the 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 sensitive here in america. and so to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate but rather contributed to more media frenzy, i think that was

unfortunate. >> 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. all right, let's talk. why don't we? and we want you to weigh in as well. if you can logon to any of the social media sites, we'll take your comments. first up, emory university professor enry gillespie and a blogger and social media experts who has written about many social media issues. spoorp especially the present topic. he joins us via skype. to have this conversation online to try to get as many people involved as possible. where should we start? since i have you here, andrea, where do they start in this conversation and where do we? >> for president obama, professor gates and sergeant crowley, they need to start to humanize one another. so when they meet, they need to figure out where they have common ground. they may be all married men. they may have children. they may share the love of a same sport.

once people get to see the common ground, they can more delicately delve into a lot of the tough topics they need to discuss about what happened and clear up some misunderstandings that transpired a week and a half ago. >> are they still going to see each other? and i ask you this, tim, when they walk into a room, are they going to see each other, here's the police officer, the white guy. here's the black guy, who is the professor at the university. and here is the president, who is black. are they going to see -- i know people say we don't see race but we all see race. we all see race. >> of course. but i mean, look, the issue is not. and i think we need to be clear about this, whether sergeant crowley is a racist or whether professor gates acted belligerently. my guess is sergeant crowley is a decent guy and professor gates was angered for being arrested for breaking into his own home. the real issue that i think they need to talk about is not whether or not these individuals are bad or acted badly. the question is, is it possible the initial caller, the witness, the woman who made the call,

thought that this was a burglar because he was black in a way she wouldn't had he been white? is it possible that sergeant crowley, though he is not by all appearances a bigot in any sense of the word, may have perceived professor gates' behavior as more belligerent than he would have had this been a white person? the reason i ask this question, we have about 20, 30 years of social science research if cops or just average citizens will oftentimes view the behavior of black people as more dangerous, more criminal than in the very same behavior engaged in by a white person. they don't do that because they're bigots or racists or bad people but are internalized because of implicit bias. they don't make us bad, but they happen. we need to have that conversation. >> as you said implicit bias, andra was here mouthing the words. and i'm sure there are people at home saying come on, we hear this all the time. that's not true. >> let me give an example i think is perfect.

in the early '90s, i lived in new orleans, louisiana. i was 22, 23 years old, just out of college. one day i locked myself out of the car. i was trying to break in with a coat hanger and a cop drove up and instead of saying, is this your car? he didn't ask for proof. he didn't say a word except, you know, you're doing that wrong. let me show you the proper way to break into a vehicle and he then pulled out a slim-jim and tried to break into my car for me. anyone who thinks a 22-year-old or 23-year-old black man in this country would have had that experience is either insane or high. >> jim, i go to tell you growing up in new orleans, baton rouge, not far from louisiana, would i get stopped as a young man in my parents' nice car and they would say, where did you get this car? and i would have to show all of the identification. and then they would call my parents. so that's a completely different experience. james, i'm not sure if you had that experience as well. you've written about this

online. you can talk to us about your experience of what you have been hearing folks seeing online in the social media. >> sure. in my experience, i grew up a mother was italian, my grandfather was a german-born jew and my father is west indian. but i, too, have been pulled to the ground, pulled over by police for no reason. and we hear people about talking. thinking about an online space, it gives people anonymity, a space to talk about things and not share who they are. for white people, i think we heard a lot of vocal voices. if you look at the "boston globe" and story, you see a lot of angry white people who are upset by professor gates. this is a moment in time, the white house needs to use social media to open up this dialogue. not make it about those three individuals but open a town hall, discussion forum. >> but i see a lot of angry black people as well, who are angry at sergeant crowley. who are saying, absolutely, and i met him personally.

i do i think he's a bigot from meeting him personally? no, i don't. i was not at the house. i'm sure the truth is somewhere in a middle. we are not discussing that. that is a catalyst. to get this conversation going. we want to talk more about this conversation and how we bring resolution to this, a solution. more from this distinguished panel after a break. plus, standing by their man. take a look. >> there has been a tremendous rush to judgment and i think the thing to be learned first and foremost from this is to look at all of the evidence, to consider all, to weigh all. i think professor gates has done a very good job of throwing up a very effective smoke screen calling race into this. it had nothing to do with it. al. 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.

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good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. all right. time now for some of your feedback and our experts are listening and they will probably weigh in on some of this. here's a question that says why didn't the black cop step up and really intervene? ps1968 says, as long as people

and the news media keep making race an issue, it will continue to be an issue. people are people, get with it. you know, we didn't go on the police call. we're just reporting it. joanne says, teachable molt. gates overreacted and the police officer did his job. get over it. cop taught classes on racial profiling. rigo 3078 says this is a teachable moment. i hope president obama uses the opportunity. miss sunshine says do you think too much testosterone or racism had more influence on the arrest? let's talk about one of those. let's talk about the one who said he taught diversity, so, therefore, get over it, andra, does that make a difference? >> it certainly works in sergeant crowley's favor to suggest he's not in fact a bigot not a bigot and perhaps more sensitive. >> people say if he taught about diversity and about how not to racially profile and lives in cambridge, he should have known

professor gates. >> that's part of it. but you still have to be on your guard for your own self-conscious and implicit attitudes to come to the forefront. i teach african-american politics. i study this for my living. but that doesn't mean i don't have to deal with my own prejudiced attitudes and i have to check them. you're quite capable of having a racist moment if you're on the whole racially progressive. >> five years ago when i wrote my memoir "white like me" i tell a story in there even after 11 or 12 doing anti-racism work, diversity work that could mean anything and nothing, but anti-racism work, even after that experience of doing that for 12 years, i got an airplane to go to a conference that we were going to be discussing racism at the conference, and i got on the plane and for the first time i had two black men at the pilot controls. it never happened before. i understand why racism is completely based on false thinking but what was the first

purely emotional thought that popped into my head? unfortunately it was not, free at last, free at last. thank god almighty, we're free at last. it was, oh, my god, can these guys actually fly the plane? the good news is i caught myself and stifled that belief and realized how absurd it was. the point is, even i had it. if we were going to have an honest conversation about race in this country, those of us who are white will have to step up and admit we have been conditioned to have those reactions just as men have been conditioned to have sexist reactions with regard to women. we can fight those reactions, but not if we do not acknowledge them. >> what is -- i don't know if i ever asked this question. why do white people get upset if there's any insinuation of bias, prejudice or racism if you bring it up just to get it out there on the table to get it over with? >> i think we've come to think that racism is a personal, individual level thing so if i say that a comment or an action

or a joke or whatever was racist, the person thinks i'm calling them a bigot. this is not so much about bigotry. it's not about individual level biases except insofar as we're all conditioned to have them. what racism is is a social condition, a structural reality, and if you were raised in an environment in which that is everywhere, the odds of you somehow escaping it, not being affected by it, are infinitesimally small. if we can acknowledge it isn't personal, as the old saying goes, this ain't personal, it's business and understand we must be about the business of undoing it both at the individual and institutional level, we wouldn't get so incensed. >> isn't it if we are not aware of it, if you don't live it, you don't know it. sometimes i talk to people and you're not aware that it is. sometimes it's culture or the media or the way a certain neighborhood works or a company works or an environment works but you're not even aware of it? >> we have as white folks the

privilege what i call obliviousness. the privilege of obliviousness. i don't have to know black and brown truth because it's not going to be on the test, right? no matter what it is i have to go to get into a school, graduate from a school, civil service exam, to get a job, i don't have to know what people of color experience. on the other hand, people of color better know what the white america knows or they will never get through school at all. and that is why we were left with a huge blindspot. >> and in post civil rights america, it's a lot more complex it used to be. if we go back 50 years and look at the jim crow era, it was stark, it was black and white. there were lines for blacks and whites. there were waiting rooms for blacks and whites. street cars and schools for blacks and whites and people openly said the ""n" word. it is not socially acceptable to do those things anymore. most people think as long as i don't say black people are monkeys or explicit segregation.

>> or the n word. and there are certain words that are concrete. i always say, i'm not sure. sometimes i don't have -- it's not concrete tangible but when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you know it when you see it or you know it when you feel it. >> and actually the sociological element suggests that blacks -- middle class blacks in particular, will give people the benefit of the doubt and generally they will go to a friend, explain the incident, and the friend has to affirm that it was, in fact, a racial incident. >> it has happened to me. james, i want to talk to you about this. this story on social immediately in the beginning but since the president, what has happened? >> it's really gone down. interestingly enough, your "black in america" series has become the popular, what we call internet reading. "bia" on twitter is a popular trending topic right now. we're talking about this right now. we're talking about it on cnn and you're actually opening up a dialogue to allow us to talk about it. and "bia" is becoming part of the trend.

we have a lot more work to do. i think this is an open opportunity for the white house, for all of us, cnn involved, to open up the dialogue and the conversation. >> i can imagine being a journalist, you know, and i'm being objective but just by sitting here people white people asking the question, i'm going to get criticized from people. it's kind of tough. but i think we all need to have this conversation. the country needs to have this conversation. it is obvious from what happened in cambridge, we all were not there, but it certainly caused a huge ruckus. tim, you know your work is so amazing. i respected you for a long time. i will give you the last word on this. what is that teachable moment we need to take away? >> i think the moment is very simple. the reality is that when people have different experiences with the institutions of the society, they're going to have different perceptions about reality. if we're going to bridge the perception gap, we're going to have to bridge the experience gap. until people of color are treated equitably in police and housing and education and in the

job market, don't be surprised when folks of color think racism is prevalent. if you want to have the perception issue be closer together, you have to get the experiences closer together. >> tim, james, andra, you guys were amazing. thank you. i wish we could have voted an entire hour to this. this is the "pre-black in america 2" event. thank you. it was a pleasure meeting all of you. talk to you soon, james and tim. appreciate it. it was time to round up the troops in cambridge. police officers showing support for their own. >> not only sergeant crowley but the men and the women, the officers of the cambridge police department who are good, upstanding officers, did not deserve this. did not deserve this negative attention. did not deserve it at all.

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a story we're keeping our eye on this weekend. a second chicago cemetery is under investigation after human bone was found lying on the ground there. the cook county sheriff's office says it doesn't know if the discovery is a son of a broader problem at the mt. glenwood cemetery. according to "the chicago tribune," three people sued the cemetery alleging, quote, unauthorized tampering with gravesites. earlier this month authorities charged four workers of digging up hundreds of bodies and reselling plots. it's been a couple of days in cambridge, massachusetts, talking to people on both sides of the professor gates/officer crowley issue. following yesterday's news conference, i spoke to several of sergeant crowley's colleagues with him there in the room listening, and i have to tell you, they were very passionate and at points, pretty emotional. take a look. >> this happens to be a white

officer on a black man and the common call a lot of times is to call it a racist situation. don't get me wrong, it does happen. it has happened here in cambridge. and i can't say it will not ever happen again in cambridge. this situation right here was not a racial motivated situation. >> and you know people obvious lib are going to play closer attention to you because you're an african-american man. you're supporting this white officer that has been put out there by some that he was racially profiling dr. gates. they're going to pay attention to you. >> i hope they would. they called him -- i heard one of the comments a rogue cop. there's nothing rogue about him. he was doing his job. >> not only sergeant crowley, but the men and the women, the officers of the cambridge police department who are good, upstanding officers, did not deserve this. did not deserve this negative attention. didn't deserve it at all. >> when you heard about what happened with this sergeant,

what did you think? >> i was appalled. i know jimmy. i have known him for more than 11 years with the cambridge police. i knew him when he worked for harvard. i know him to be a good police officer and a good man with character. i knew these charges were bogus. there has been a tremendous rush to judgment. and i think the thing to be learned first and foremost from this is to look at all of the evidence, to consider all, to weigh all. i think professor gates has done a very good job of filling up a very effective smoke screen calling race into this. had nothing to do with it. >> and the president? >> it's unfortunate. i supported him. i voted for him. i will not again. i agree i think it's admirable he would speak on behalf of his friend. but he should have recused himself. he should have stepped back and he should have said i support my friend but i don't have all the facts. i won't weigh in yet. >> and the governor?

>> i apply the same to him. >> what do you want the people around the country to know who have may have already made up their minds about sergeant jimmy crowley? >> keep their minds on. and realize we would not support someone that we felt wronged someone else. we took this job to do the right thing. we all took this job to do the right thing. we would not support anyone in blue doing the wrong thing. >> i know you can't respond, you can't talk. you can -- you can nod your head. you have to be touched by this. that was sergeant james crowley standing there. on the advice of counsel, he could not speak to us. but if that happens, if they allow him to speak, he says he will talk to us. we will bring him on and hear his full side of the story. we hope that happens soon. good-bye to a literary pioneer.

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we focus on the uninsured and on a horrific killer. breast cancer. uninsured women are less likely to get annual mammograms and therefore are at greater risk. and black women are 37% more likely than whites to die from the disease. this week's hero is fighting to better those odds for all woman, and she is doing it by hitting the streets. >> this is cnn news. in 2004 i was diagnosed with breast cancer. initially there was shock. but i realized how blessed i was to have health insurance. it made me think about all the women who didn't have health insurance. i wanted to make a difference in their lives. i'm andrea ivory, and i'm fighting breast cancer in south florida one household at a time. the florida breast hope

initiative is an outreach organization. we are targeting working class people. we are going to make a difference. we have a take it to the streets approach. we feel like little pixies spreading breast cancer awareness. >> ki ask you a few questions? >> we target women that are 35 years or older and make appointments for a free mammogram. bring in the mobile mammography van into the neighborhood is one of the most important facets of the work we do. we provide a service that is so needed. i know i'm saving lives. is the lady of the house at home? we are giving free mammograms on the 25th. that's easy. >> i'm like, okay, i'm going. thank you so much. >> i was saved from breast cancer to serve other women. every time i knock on the door, it's another opportunity to save a life. >> find out more about her work

and nominate a cnn hero of your own at cnn.com/hero. next week is your last chance, tell us about your hero because nominations close august 1st. so if you know of a hero, go to cnn.com/heroes right now. the literary world has lost a best selling author who pioneered his own genre of fiction. e. lynn harris died wednesday night on a business trip. no word on the cause of his death. he will be remembered for novels that introduced millions of leaders to the life of affluent black gay men. his characters were often complex and sometimes tormented by living double lives. his novels enjoyed a huge following among black women. his book signings were often standing room only. he became one of the most popular writers with 4 million books in print. e. lynn harris dead at the age of 54.

some of your comments. let's go to the board here. angelina 247 says, don, there's only one color in the police department, blue. officers better support officers who might have their back one day. sad to say, but i would caution our president as he is under enough pressure right now. sadly haters are lurking. bacodebus says you show your bias when you act as a filter and discussion for permits some tweets to show and ignoring others. bias matters. no, i'm reading all of them. these are live coming in. the motivating factor, he came in to investigate a possible break in. if they professor proved he lived there, then they shouldn't. very real talking about racial profiling. no matter how much money you have, some caucasians will always see a