not boston proper, to this controversy and the assertion by the president saying that the cambridge, massachusetts, police department acted stupidly? >> right. i think some residents are very defensive of the cambridge police department. we have talked to some who say they have had good interaction with them. i believe the feelings are somewhat split along racial lines. some do have problems with their interactions with police in general, not saying cambridge specifically. but they have talked to us about previously being profiled and they're happy this brought it to light on a national, worldwide level, brought this conversation to such a high profile. >> would you consider this to be an instance of racial profiling? >> i cannot say that. i wasn't there myself. i'm not going to make -- go ahead. >> i'm just saying, based on what we know from both individuals, the fact that a neighbor called in a complaint that possibly a home was being broken into and the police responded, what is the basis for any claim that it's racial profiling? >> well, from the professor's previous statements, i think there

at his home in cambridge, massachusetts. the cambridge police department is supporting the sergeant who made the arrest. hari sreenivasan reports. >> reporter: the cambridge, massachusetts police commissioner is standing by the sergeant who arrested a respected harvard professor. >> i believe that sergeant crowley acted in a way that is consistent with his training in the department and consistent with national standards of law enforcement protocol. i do not believe his actions in any way were racially motivated. >> reporter: cambridge police showed up at professor henry louis gates jr.'s home last week, responding to a report of two african-american men trying to force open the front door. according to the police report, gates was already inside and angry at officers after he identified himself. >> 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. and this man clearly was a rogue policeman. >> the apology won't

the mayor of cambridge, massachusetts, is meeting with the city's police chief today, to discuss the recent arrest of harvard professor, henry louis gates jr. gates was arrested in his own home last week when an officer arrived to investigate a possible break-in. the officer reportedly demanded gates slow him i.d. police say gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism. the mayor has apologized to gates and said she wants to insure that such a scenario won't happen again. but the the arresting officer said he won't apologize because he was merely following police protocol. >> the reason i asked the professor to come outside was not, as some would suggest, because i knew i couldn't arrest him in his house. i didn't know who he was. i was by myself, i was the only police officer standing there and i got a report that there was people breaking into a house. that was for my safety, first and foremost. i have to go home at night and i have three beautiful children and a wife who depend on me. so i had no other motive, other than to insure my safety. >> sergeant james crowley a

. >> nbc's ron allen is in cambridge, massachusetts, for us today. ron, you've been covering this story. you know the feelings and the emotions that play on both sides. can you try to dissect where we stand today and whether there is any chance of communication between these two sides? >> reporter: well, i think we stand in the surprising situation, i think everybody involved in this case on all sides is probably amazed that it has become such a huge issue. but i think that speaks to the passions, the feeling of hurt, the feeling of resentment, the feelings -- strong feelings that go with discussions about race, racism, profiling in this country. i was struck that the police officer's unions officials used some very strong, measured, but strong language directed at the president of the united states, and also the governor of the state, duvall patrick, whose role in this we really haven't discussed a lot. but it was clear, as you said, they felt resentment towards these two men because of what they said about the situation. they said both men showed a

again, i want to point out that we're waiting on a news conference from cambridge, massachuset massachusetts, and as soon as that starts -- it could start at any moment now, but as soon as it starts we will take you there live, that being from the cambridge police and union and other area law enforcement associations, as well. we're also taking your views on this story. let me ask you, what do you think should happen in this case? do you think race is a part of this incident? and in a broader scope, is race still an issue in the united states? give us a call right now, 1-877-tell-hln, or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or text the word "views" plus your comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply. we're going to be airing your comments. thank you so much for participating. want to get you now to cambridge, massachusetts, as we understand some people are starting to walk up to the podium there. and we are going to be hearing from the police union. you can see all the people there. now, we do understand sergeant james crowley is in attendance, but we do not know whether he will speak to

bret: the woman who basically started the cam cambridge, massachusetts police controversy with a phonecall breaks her silence, and are these ma jessew tricks. i'm 66 years old now, and i have back problems. i can't walk very far at all. i was really worried about coda and nalla. it really broke my heart that i couldn't take them for a long walk like i used to. so i called hoveround, and they suggested i might qualify for a power chair. and with medicare and my insurance, they said i'd pay little or nothing for it, and boy, were they right! as hoveround's medical director, i make sure we handle all of the paperwork efficiently to make things easy for you and your doctor. that's why over 100,000 physicians have already prescribed hoverounds for their patients. and with medicare and supplemental insurance, most of those patients paid little or nothing to get their hoveround. they said that hoveround is the only round power chair, so i could go where most other chairs couldn't. my hoveround is sure different. i'm able to turn around in the kitchen and get to my garden with absolutely no pr

bret: the woman who basically started the cam cambridge, massachusetts police controversy with a phone call breaks her silence, and are these ma jess stick animals worth $700 million of your money? bep secretary of state hillary clinton has said running for political office is no longer on her radar, but the new york daily news has reported that clinton has turned her campaign debt into a surplus of $3 million. records show clinton's campaign has eight people on staff and is still accepting contributions. one of those workers says the operation is just there to wiens down the business of her campaign. speaking of money, there is plenty of yours going to people who want to make their homes more energy efficient, but is there enough oversight to ward off abuse? we report. you decide. here is correspondent jamie colby. >> for what nita, having her home weatherized is a godsend. >> it will really help. >> federal weatherization assistance program meant a liner and weather strip, and the money saved on energy means she won't have to choose between paying her electric bill and buying her med

. >>> now to cambridge, massachusetts where awful this starred when a neighbor called police about a possible break-in at the gates' home. and where sergeant james skrouly is speaking out. nbc's ron allen is in cambridge. ron, good eqól)j >> reporter: good evening, amy, before the president spoke out all eyes were here on cambridge where the incident did happen. as you said the arresting officer is now telling his side of the story, and his fellow cops are offering their support. >> we completely support sergeant crowley and the fine men and women of the cambridge police department. >> reporter: the police uni unirepresenting james crowley rallied in his support. crowley did not speak but has told tv about his arrest of dr. henry louis gates. >> i asked can he step outside and speak with me. no i will not. words to the effect, what is this all about. i am sergeant crowley from the cambridge police department. >> reporter: he insists, gates provoked the confrontation when he explained he was responding to a 911 call about the possible barack in. >> why because i am a black man in ameri

jim axelrod, cbs news, cambridge massachusetts. >> couric: up next, the battle lines are drawn over a plan to allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons across most state lines. ked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your docto

obama caused a stir after saying that the cambridge, massachusetts police had acted stupidly. this afternoon, the president said he could have calibrated his words differently. reporter chris clackham has that story. >> reporter: the surprise visit at the briefing by the president follows his remarks this week that cambridge, massachusetts police sergeant, james crowley, acted stupidly in the arrest of harvard professor, henry gates. >> i actually just had a conversation with sergeant jim crowley. >> reporter: admitting he contributed to the uproar, the president said he could have calibrated his words differently. and put a bit of the blame on both sides. >> there was an overreaction. in pulling ploe fesor gates out of his home. professor gates probably overreacted as well. >> reporter: at an earlier news conference, crowley didn't speak, but his supporters did. saying crowley went by the book in arresting gates last week. >> after his own intensive investigation, the cambridge police department also expressed its support for sergeant crowley. clearing him of any wrongdoing.

in a few moments, sergeant james crowley, involved in the skip gates case up in cambridge, massachusettswill speak live and you can watch it live on msnbc ahead. >>> welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. >>> u.s. military says two american service members killed today in a bomb attack in southern afghanistan. today's death actually brings the american death toll to 37 for july. making it the deadliest month ever for u.s. and nato troops in afghanistan. with me now live is msnbc military analyst and retired u.s. army general barry mcaffrey and here with me in the studio is gied i don't know. the cover article in the latest issue he wrote, "waking from its sleep." and i'm joined by my co-host mort zuckerman. general, we're focused heavily in the states on the health care ballots whaen is going on with skip gates and the issue in harvard. we know what is happening in afghanistan, it seems to be getting bloodier which you and i talked about a couple of weeks ago. how significant is what has happened in july or while horrific is it kind of somewhat predictable as we step up that's wh

>> elaine quijano in cambridge, massachusetts. stand by. we'll get back to you. thank you very much. >>> make sure you tune in tonight for a 7:30 p.m. right here on cnn. a live no holds bar discussion. a panel discussion. we're going to be honest and open and frank about what that meeting might be like at the white house and how they should start and what issues they need to work upon how do we resolve this? tonight 7:30 right here on cnn. >>> before he angsted that now famous question about the gates' arrest, president obama took almost his entire news conference talking about health care. simply put, some serious, serie road block. his hopes for a quick vote have vanished. democrats and republicans are divided on this issue. >> reporter: hi there. 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 r

courtney keeley is live in cambridge massachusetts. berger this weekdays is running up his legal team. this is a marked change of tone. and it seems once again audio issues so we're going to work on all our glitches and i promise you -- i promise you we will fix them before the bottom of the hour. >> julie: no new word tonight on just how far america's leaders consider pushing the bits of the cost addition to prevent another 9/11 to attack. the new york times reports the bush administration that it's sending troops to the suburbs of buffalo to arrest a terror cell that suspected myself qaeda but such an option had not been used since the civil war. and would certainly be a test of constitutional rights. stinson tommy has more. >> in the wake of 9/11 with heightened security concerns in this country, bush administration is reportedly considering the idea of sending the u.s. military into a major american city to arrest terror suspects. the new york times reports administration officials in 2002 debated the idea of sending troops into bu

jane: we want to get back to cambridge, massachusetts.olice, talking about the 911 call that led to this hoopla over the black professor from harvard who was arrested after he was in his own home. a neighbor thought that the home was being broken into. a lot of questions about what she said to police. her lawyer said that she never said that there were black man trying to break into this home. we have the call queued up direct from the news conference. you will first hear the call from a woman and that we will hear radio traffic between officers who were on the scene. >> control to car one. respond to a possible beating in progress. stand by. [unintelligible] both people are still in the house. one could be a hispanic male. i'm not sure. [unintelligible] a single family yellow house. [unintelligible] i am sorry. repeat. it is not her house. she does not live there. she is a witness in this. [unintelligible] >> the gentleman says that he resides here. he is not cooperative. >> we can send in the harvard university police. [unintelligible]

he followed this by cambridge massachusetts police. from baltimore to baltimore, many are weighing in on the issue. >> today, a contrite president obama clarifies remarks he made after the arrest of scholar henry louis gates. >> to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media friendly, i think that was unfortunate. >> reporter: the president said he even spoke with sergeant james crowley, an officer with the cambridge massachusetts police department. >> my impression of him was that he was an outstanding police officer and a good man and that was confirmed in the phone conversation. >> reporter: now, cambridge law enforcement officers, each the baltimore s.o.p. stand in support of officer james crowley. >> yesterday, we were pleased to learn that after its own intensive investigation, the cambridge police department also expresses its support for sergeant crowley, clearing him of any wrongdoing. >> before the facts are in, kai, i think people need to step back, you know, have a breather, an

he lambasted a white cambridge, massachusetts police sergeant. now the president wants everybody to come to the white house and talk things out over a beer. henry gates says he's game. courtney keeley picks up the story from cambridge, massachusetts. >> reporter: what is really interesting is the professor is vacationing in his country home on martha's vineyard. the president is going next month. we are waiting to see if the sergeant will have that beer with them on the beach next month. in the meanwhile the police union says they are happy by what they see as apology by the president. crowley describes what was going on during the time after the res. he said gates was furious, he was insulting, it was very one-sided. gates' lawyer said gets felt humiliated by the incident and the arrest. in massachusetts all public police transition -- transmissions are recorded. the public records law says they are to be made public so far we haven't heard that tape the city solicitor has to make that decision. the president did smooth things over with his call

essentially provided some even handedness to the situation that took place originally up in cambridge, massachusetts. i think this story finally is probably put behind the white house after two consecutive news cycles in which all the talk was about what happened in cambridge and the president's comments on wednesday night. >> i'm curious how much damage overall in your mind has this con from versy done to the message that the president is trying to send on health care? >> reporter: the president acknowledged it himself. two news cycles where the talk wasn't about health care reform, but, rather, about comments he made at the white house news conference. that set the president quite a bit and like viqueira pointed out, there are problems right now in the house of representatives. a vote will not take police in the senate. a vote will probably not take place in the house before the august recess deadline that the president has set and that's a problem, because this means congressmen and senators go back to their districts, their home states and it gives some time for the opposition to mobilize agains

this time it centers on president obama and the cambridge, massachusetts police department. the state of new jersey reclaimed its status as the most corrupt state in the union. and we have the details on that. and news from c street as there always seems to be. we begin with a surprise and direct political attack by former vice president dick cheney against the man for whom he chose himself as vice president, george w. bush. since leaving office, george w. bush has surfaced for about five minutes. he's given a few speeches but largely taken himself overtly, at least, out of american politics. the same, of course, cannot be said for the now nearly ubiquitous former vice president, dick kmcheney. he threw a roundhouse punch to his former boss over an issue that divided the two men. the issue is whether president bush would pardon cheney's former chief of staff, scooter libby accused of evading justice, perjury, two years ago. the guilty verdict still stands. but he commuted the 2 1/2 year prison sentence. that, apparently, is not enough for dick cheney. mr. cheney wanted and c

obama caused a stir after saying that the cambridge, massachusetts police had acted stupidly in arrestingrvard university professor, who is also an obama friend. the president said he could have calibrated his words differently. reporter chris clacken has the latest on this. >> reporter: the surprise visit at the briefing by the president follows his remarks earlier this week, that cambridge, massachusetts police sergeant, james crowley, acted stupidly in the arrest of harvard professor, henry gates. >> i duly just had a conversation with sergeant jim crowley. >> reporter: admitting he contributed to the uproar, the president said he could have calibrated his words differently and put a bit of the blame on both sides. >> there was an overreaction in pulling professor gates out of his home. professor gates probably overreacted as well. >> reporter: at an earlier news conference, crowley didn't speak, but his supporters did, saying crowley went by the book in arresting gates last week. >> after his own intensive investigation, the cambridge police department also expressed support for serge

the police officer at the center of this month's racially-charged controversy in cambridge, massachusetts was back at work today. also today, the voice of sergeant james crowley was heard as his confrontation with a black harvard professor was playing out. correspondent molly line reports on the tale told by the just-released police tapes. >> saying they wanted to dispel any lingering doubts about what happened in the arrest of harvard professor henry louis gates, cambridge officials an police today released the recordings of the radio transmissions of officers responding to the scene after this 911 call. >> they are using their shoulder to try to barge in. >> the caller describes two men forcing their way into a home, gates and his driver who, returned from a trip to find themselves locked out. the 911 call revealed the caller never mentioned race until prompted by the dispatcher. >> and what did you see? >> two larger men, one looked hispanic but i'm not sure. >> the arrest that followed ignited a national debate about police and racial profiling, inflaming president obama when he criti

. >> in cambridge, massachusetts, where president obama said a white police sergeant, quote, acted stupidly in arresting a black college professor in his own home, there are protests. >> i don't believe it's a racist situation at all. they're >> they're trying to put whites against blacks. >> the professor said, in the end, it's not about me at all but about the creation of a society in which equal justice before the law is a reality. crowley avoided questions after president obama's remarks friday. >> to the extent that my words didn't illuminate but led to more problems is unfortunate. >> will it put -- will a meeting put this to rest? >> what i don't want to see is beer-drinking, back-slapping like nothing ever happened and we put it on the back burner again. >> he talks about health care again. >> we need to get it done this year. >> republicans argue taxing small businesses to pay for reforms could cost millions of jobs. >> it's a prescription for disaster. >> in a report out this weekend, the white house said small businesses would get a tax credit and would be exempt from fees for no

tonight, race in america in the aftermath of the arrest of a harvard professor by the cambridge massachusetts police officer. we talk about the meaning of this with the reverend floyd make, david remnick and raina kelly. >> when this happens, it comes another time when you say we thought we were past this and here it is again. if it can happen to dr. gates, then it can happen to me. >> these are not questions anymore about, you know, kind of binary questions about water found towns and lunch counters they are questions about institutional racism. they're questions about incarceration rates which are crazy and out of control which have to do with thought just racism but drug laws in the country. it's a complex of problems that i think obama's very aware of. >> it's amazing that obama allowed himself to make that speech this afternoon. we're so used to seeing people harden their position over the course of a new cycle. i will never apologize. the rhetoric gets built up and built up and built up and then when the american people say to themselves, please let this be over. >> charlie: we continue

. ♪ >>> the firestorm swirling around a harvard professor and a cambridge, massachusetts police officeraking yet another twist today. the 911 call that sparked the investigation and the arrest now out for everyone to hear. fox 5's molmoe re more on the comment controversy. >> i n't know what's happening. i just had an elderly woman standing here and she noticed two gentlemen trying to get into a house. >> reporter: the caller was just passing by whether she made this call. she says repeatedly she wasn't sure if she was actually witnessing a break-in or someone locked out of her home. contrary to earlier reports the caller never told the dispatcher the men were black. >> black or hispanic? >> well, there were two larger men. one looked kind of hispanic but i'm not really sure. the other one entered and i didn't see what he looked like at all. >> reporter: during radio dispatch tapes, you can hear sergeant james crowley confirming the dent indication of gates. -- identification of gates. although sergeant crowley confirmed gates was the resident when he arrived, he claims gates became unr

before we discuss the dope fields of afghanistan, juan williams suggested the incident in cambridge, massachusetts was not racial profiling. ann coulter agreed with him. my concern for juan's career i want to give him a chance to respond. >> i am glad that ann agreed with me. i have a lot of respect for ann. i wrote one about black leadership and the dysfunction and so much of the black leadership. al sharpton called me the black ann coulter. let me tell you something, you heard from the professor you talk about organizeing this and doing that in larger issues you cannot have what the president calls a teaching moment if it's based on a lie. if it's a case that this guy was -- >> hold on. hold on both of you. do either of you deny the reality in this country that one of the cases we have at the end of this program that black people and brown people have entirely different and far more negative experiences than law enforcement? >> that's not the point. the point is this -- >> that you are going -- >> i grew up black in brooklyn. i understand the tensions with cops. when cops stop me to this day i a

. >>> the police commissioner of cambridge, massachusetts is assembling an independent panel to review last week's arrest of a prominent black harvard professor. president obama said police acted stupidly when they arrested henry lewis gates outside his home -- well, inside his home. since his arrest, he claimed he was a victim of racial profiling. turns outs the arresting officer sergeant james crawley taught a course at the police academy how to avoid racial profiling. other officers have defended him saying he followed standard procedure. >>> new information about the deadly bombings at two hotels in indonesia. the suicide attackers planted a third bomb but it malfunctioned and never gone off. if it went tough a would have sent crowds into the hotel lobby where the other bombs were set to explode and did. that information indicated the attacks were to kill seven people who died. several americans were injured. >>> a courtroom outburst caught on tape in kentucky where a handcuffed suspect is tasered and sent twitching to the ground. >> wow. the incident started when the defendant tri

the arrest of professor gates inside his home in cambridge, massachusetts, two weeks ago. the event was held beyond ear shot of the press. reporters can kept behind a rope about 50 feet away from the festivities but were allowed to shoot about 30 seconds of video. we can report that president obama, as expected, drank a bud light. vice president biden enjoyed a non-alcoholic buckler beer. he says he's never taken a drink of alcohol in his life. and let's face it, frankly, this would be a weird time to start. professor gates had a sam adams light and sergeant crowley drinking blue moon with a slice of orange in it, which is how the company that makes that beer suggests that you drink. i'm just a saying, the interaction between sergeant gat crowley and professor gates was friendly. they crossed paths before their actual sitdown why they and their families were shown around the east wing. >> the professor and i encountered each other while we both on individual tours of the white house, and the professor approached me and introduced his family. i introduced my family, and the

. >> nbc's mike taibbi joins us live from cambridge, massachusetts, and how are the president's remarks going over in cambridge? what's been the reaction? >> reporter: well, the president is right in this respect, it certainly is the topic of conversation in the newspapers and the talk shows and wbur. i was listening to a while back. passions really ignited about this. we're waiting right now for another comment by police commissioner paul hsass of the cambridge police department. the president's remarks today seemed to be an attempt to lower the temperature. of course sergeant krcrowley's colleagues standing up for him, including one african-american cop who was on the scene. basically the president lowering the temperature and saying both men, professor gates and sergeant crowley shared responsibility for turning a tense situation toxic. >> i continue to believe based on what i have heard that there was an overreaction in pulling professor gates out of his home to the station. i also continue to believe based on what i heard that professor gates probably overreacted as well. >> nothin

he was arrested outside of his cambridge, massachusetts home while trying to get in he says he forgot his keys in the door jam. police officers, who were white, thought he was eabr ngki in. there we srdomwoe ngs and gates was arrested on disorderly conduct charges. well, president obama weighed in last night. >> i think it is fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly. in arresting somebody when there was proof they were in their own home. and number three, what i think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in the country of african-americans and latinos being stopped bylaw enforcement disproportionately. >> reporter: the prosecutors in massachusetts have dropped disorderly charges against professor gates. the officer, who arrested him, is also speaking out. >> it is comforting. i have gotten a lot of calls of support and i'm very grateful for my friend and colleagues. >> reporter: what if it means discipline or your job? >> i have the support of my organization and have been gra

he was arrested outside of his cambridge, massachusetts home, while trying to get in. he forgot his keys and the officers who were white thought it was a break in. there was an exchange of words, the ofpressor was arrested on disorderly kokanee even the president weighed in last night. >> i think it is fair to say, number one that any of us would be pretty angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was proof they were in their own home and number three, what i know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of african-americans and latinos being stopped by prlaw enfot enemrtditeioroionadily. >> reporter: the prosecutors na massachusetts have dropped disorderly conduct charges against gates. the officer, who arrested him, is pooh also speaking out. >> it is comforting. i have gotten a lot of calls of support and i'm very grateful for my friends an colleagues. >> reporter: what if it means discipline or your job? >> it will. i have the support of my organization and it is not a c

. >> the president was asked about the arrest of henry louis gates in cambridge, massachusetts, last ek and here is what the president said. >> i think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> and today the officer involved, secretary james crowly went public with his thoughts on the president's mark during a radio show interview in boston. >> i think it's disappointing that he waded into what should be a local issue and something that is really -- that plays out here. as he himself said at the beginning of the press conference, he didn't know all the facts. he certainly doesn't based on those comments. >> today the president responded again to a lot of talk out there acknowledging the tough job the police have, but in an interview with abc news, the president added, quote, i am surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement because i think it was pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don't need to handc

dan harris, abc news, cambridge, massachusetts. >> president obama is standing by the remarks that set that debate. he tells abc's terry moran he's surprised by the rction to what he calls a pretty straight forward commentary. >> reporter: do you regret saying the cambridge police acted stupidly? >> i think that it doesn't make sense to arrest a guy in his own home if he's not causing a serious disturbance. from what i can tell, the sergeant who was involved is an outstanding police officer but my suspicion is it's probably that it would have been better if cooler heads prevailed. >> the president says he has extraordinary respect for the difficult job police officers do but he didn't think it was necessary to handcuff a middle-aged man who uses a cane. >> the president switches his focus to education reform today. he's announcing a new multi-billion dollar fund to encourage states to overhaul their schools. the president wants to toughen academic standards and find better ways to recruit and keep effective teachers. education secretary duncan spoke to abc news about the new priorities

the arrest of a black harvard professor is escalating after the president said police in cambridge, massachusetts, acted stupidly. the police sergeant involved in the arrest said she followed procedure and has nothing to apologize for. >>> and the left wing media launching an all-out attack against me because i simply called for transparency on the issue of the president's birth certificate and said the president is a u.s. citizen. a comment, by the way, that was not quoted by the left wing media. we'll exam this controversy in our face-off debate here tonight. >>> first, a major setback for the president's health care plans. senate majority leader harry reid declared there will be no senate vote on health care until the fall. despite the president's urgent call for a vote by august 1st. senator reed says he wants a bill based on quality and thoughtfulness. meanwhile, house speaker nancy pilosi said she would take that legislation to the floor of the house when it is ready. she did not rule out keeping lawmakers at work over the august recess. dana bash is on capitol hill. ed henry is traveling w

president obama invited cambridge, massachusetts police sergeant james crowley and harvard professor henry louis gates for beers at the white house thursday evening. vice president biden also sat down with the men for a conversation the president called friendly and thoughtful. professor gates applauded the meeting, saying he hoped it led to education, not recrimination, and there were no apologies. >> this was a positive step in moving forward as opposed to reliving the events of the past couple of weeks. and an effort not just to move the city of cambridge or two individuals past this event, but the whole country. >> reporter: the two munched on peanuts and pretzels and sipping beer while sitting on a patio in the rose garden. gates' arrest sparked a national debate about police profiling. the sergeant says the past couple of weeks are still a blur. >> i'm not really sure this is happening. i'm not caught up with this. >> reporter: both men brought their families to the white house. they took a tour and then sat down with the president in the oval office before they headeded to the

he was arrested outside of his cambridge, massachusetts home last week and he was charged with disorderly conduct. after a neighbor reported a break in at the home. it turns out that it was gates who was having trouble getting to his jammed door. the charges were later dropped, but it was the comment by the president that drew strong reaction from the cambridge police department and the law enforcement alliance of america. >> politician who should know better, in this case the president of the united states comes out and says something that is flat out wrong and by his own admission based on no information, no knowledge and no investigation and yet basically it would appear that there's a white police officer and a black subject and now we have a racial component and that comes from the bully pulpit of the white house and that's wrong. >> i support the president of the united states 110% but i think he is way off base weighing in on a local issue as he stated before knowing the facts. >> president obama said sergeant crawley is an a outstanding officer but thinks cooler heads could have p

. >> you can buy t-shirts i cambridge, massachusetts, that's a "the world's most opinionated and zip code." everybody has an opinion about what happened in the home of the nation's most famous black scholar. but it is a rear of that an american president takes time off from an important news conference to talk about an arrest that occurred 440 miles from the white house. nevertheless, the president did it, nina. >> it was probably stupid to use the word "stupidly." i don't know what he did that, and to this day, having read the police report even, i don't understand why the officer felt compelled to arrest professor gates, even if he was doing everything that the police report said he was doing. you have the right to act like a jerk in your own home. when he found out he wasot breathing in his house, why didn't they just leave? >> they did drop the charges against him. >> they drop the charges because they could not prove it. that is why they dropped it. i read the police report, and the statement issued by professor gates' lawyer, charles ogletree, and it seems to me that once they

. >>> prosecutors in cambridge, massachusetts, have dropped charges against henry louis gates.the noted scholar was arrested at his home tuesday, after having words with police. he came home from a trip and found his front door was jammed. well, someone mistook him for a burglar and called the police. but his arrest is prompting outrage. >> all the parties have agreed that this was an incident this that was unfortunate and regrettable. hindsight being what it is, i think everyone has viewed this incident is one that we wish had not occurred. it wasn't the best moment for anyone involved. and after looking at all the facts and all the circumstances, all of us have come to the decision that the best thing to do is simply get past it at this point. >> the reverend jesse jackson and others say they are not satisfied with the resolution. gates says if the police officer gives him a sincere apology, he is prepared to forgive him. >>> racial tension for a hostile standoff in the streets of the texas town of paris ap a group of african-americans were protesting how the case of a man wa

. >> i -- >> everyone it seemed was talking about the arrest in cambridge, massachusetts, of the scholar henry louis gates at his own home. he had locked himself out and police were called when he was observed trying to get inside the front door. at his press conference last night, president obama, a friend of gates, spoke out. >> i don't know not having been there and seeing all the facts what role raced played in that, but i think it's fair to say, you were in one, any one of us would be angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. and number three, what i think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of african-americans and latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. that's just a fact. >> i had to ask him about all this today and he was eager to respond. and you were tough on the cambridge police department. do you regret saying that the cambridge police acted stupidly? >> you know, i have to say i'm surprised by t

crowley is the policeman who arrested gates at his cambridge, massachusetts home, after neighbors thought someone was possibly breaking into the house. you know the story, the episode turned into a national debate over race. should be interesting. >>> fresh out of prison, michael vick, he is back in the nfl. commissioner reinstated vick with a condition. if he can find a team that will sign him, he can practice and play in the final two preseason games. during the regular season, vick can do all team activities and possibly start playing in games by week six. so far, no team has shown interest and some teams stated they won't sign him. sports attorney ryan smith says that is a problem for vick. >> that is going to be a real challenge. and i think for at least for now, he's going to have trouble finding a team. a lot of people out there are saying let's give him another chance, but the moment he walks on that field, especially during the pre-season, the attention for the team will be focussed on him rather than the team's development. and then throughout, if you're going to his game, you'r

in handcuffs outside his home in cambridge, massachusetts. to the image viscerally, blurred by the color of their skin. >> i think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> barack obama is our first african-american president and his reaction to what happened in cambridge was to sense that the country's legacy of injustice. >> race remains a factor in this society. >> but many others saw the cambridge police doing their job properly. >> they make hundreds of decisions each week and thousands of decisions each year in the preservation of the peace. race does not play a role of any kind in that decision making. and played no role in the decision making in this case. >> so it went, again. another minor incident turned into a template of our troubled racial history. a flash point for racial misunderstanding. >> let's hear the tape -- >> the temperature was rising. the noise was drowning

know that if lucille whalen is the type of example of the person who lives and works in cambridge, massachusetts, contrary to the criticism later on, as race relations go, cambridge is doing real well. as you have all heard, the city of cambridge is convening a panel of experts to come up with ideas for best practices in cases like this. i'd like to suggest someone who should have a seat at the head of that table. ladies and gentlemen, lucille whalen. >> thank you for, here and giving me this opportunity to speak with you today. i was not planning to make a public statement, but after the media managed to reach my mom, i thought i'd better speak for myself. the criticism at first was so painful for me and difficult, i was, frankly, afraid to say anything. people called me racist and said i caused all the turmoil that followed, and some even said threatening things that made me fear for my safety. i knew the truth. but i didn't speak up right away. because i did not want to add to the controversy. after the tapes came out, there was so much public support. i felt better about the idea of speaking