you know, donald likes to have fun. donald likes a lot -- donald likes a lot of women. it's obvious. the world knows donald, i mean it's no surprise. >> so how did you meet him. >> how i met him? i met him through a few -- a friend of mine introduced me to him. and i actually ran a service in las vegas. >> okay. >> in your previous life, you were involved in an escort service. is that how you know donald sterling? >> correct. that's how i know him. >> so you introduced him to ladies from time to time. >> correct. >> okay. >> and -- go on. >> and after a while, he didn't show no sign of racist to me. he seemed, you know, straight forward. he didn't have any -- he never showed no sign of racism to me. when i heard the tape, it threw me off. >> did he like a certain kind of girl? did the race of a girl matter or anything like that? >> he liked, you know, he liked light skinned. i'm not going to light. he always prefer light skin. >> all right. okay. listen, we have not spoken to donald sterling about this. these are your claims. what did you think when the recordings first

and so -- i had known donald, not very well. i knew him, i have met with him three or four times, been to his office. >> so were you guys friends? >> i would say we were friends. my first trip, when i got here in l.a. over 35 -- about 35 years ago, i was taken to the beach house for his annual beach house party in the summertime. so that was one of the first things i did. so to reflect back to that, to the statements he made about myself and minorities, it was just -- disappointing. it was -- i was in disbelief that he would say these things. and then you know to throw me into the situation i don't know the young lady. barely know donald. so now i'm caught in the middle of this love affair, or whatever they have. and so it was sort of disappointing. but i had to respond in terms of okay, you don't want me to come to your games, i won't come to your games you don't have to worry about that. but also i was upset because he threw minorities in, african-americans, minorities into the situation. look, i'm one of the leaders of the bl

let me correct, donald, what does he do?ns the dodgers, he doesn't work for the dodgers, he owns the dodgers. >> we'll leave it at that. >> he owns the dodgers, doesn't work for them. i should point out that last night of course we spent the hour airing a lot of my conversation with donald sterling. when i spoke to donald sterling we spoke for about an hour and 20 minutes and frankly ran out of time to bring you everything he said. there is a lot more of that conversation. there is some of that conversation right now coming up. who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ] the internet of everything is changing everything. cisco. tomorrow starts here. woman: welcome to learning. spanish in the car.c on. the internet of everything

i know your history with the nba. >> that's donald. that's donald.hat's donald. >> you have no doubt he knew? >> there's nothing new. >> it's got to be so difficult to come forward with allegations to launch this lawsuit against somebody very powerful, very wealthy. spends a lot of time in court. >> yeah. >> and then to not really be able to have it play out. i mean to not feel like justice has been served. >> it has been in one case. >> now. >> donald has been exposed. >> this also bears repeating the year of their lawsuit in 2009, while the suit was going on, the naacp the local chapter actually honored donald sterling as they were going to do again this year. that's something that obviously surprised the baylors and that mr. baylor felt was obviously an issue of money trumping what they really believed. just ahead, breaking news. va secretary eric shinseki is breaking his silence on health care scandal. drew griffin has been out in front of it for six months. shinseki is now talking it seems to everyone but us. plus our interview with michele knig

i don't believe them, and i think that donald sterling -- obviously donald and shelly sterling shouldng to happen. >> l.z., what do you think? >> you know, i think there is a part in there in which donald sterling would like to be able to go back into an nba building. i'm not quite sure how stuck he is on the $2.5 million fine. i thought it was interesting the lawyer said that kobe's $100,000 fine was a drop in the bucket because $2.5 million compared to donald sterling's worth is also a top in the bucket. i do believe there's probably an element of him wanting that lifetime ban lifted and that's kind of seen whether or not commissioner silver is willing to yield anything in terms of the punishment that's been brought down. >> l.z. granderson, don lemon, jeffrey toobin, thanks very much for joining us. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. be sure to join us again tomorrow in "the situation room." watch us live, dvr the show so you won't miss a moment. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." now let's step into the "crossfire" with stephanie cutter and newt gingrich. >>>

donald sterling got what he deserved.bably should have been bounced from the nba for a long time before for other practices. things like that. but the real problem here is what the government is doing or able to do that we have no a understanding of. and what access they have to what we are saying. that's the real troubling part for me. >> remember kareem abdul-jabbar's statement, saying, sterling is a villain and this is troubling for many reasons. shouldn't we be equally angered by the fact his private intimate conversation was taped and leaked to the media. didn't we just call it task the nsa for intruding into american citizen's privacy in such an unamerican way. making an releasing of this tape is so sleezy that just listening to it makes me feel like an accomplice to the crime. we didn't steal the cake, but we were all gorging ourselves on it. do you agree with this point? >> i do agree with this point. fundamentally, we don't want to live in a world where there is no space for privacy or private thoughts. i'm more

which made donald sterling green with jealousy. here is the answer on whether he even knows her. >> first of all, you were photographed with v. stiviano, you were probably photographed with millions of people. he claimed in this interview i did the other day he said you knew her and knew her well. >> here are the facts, i never met her, i took a picture with her, looked like at a dodgers game. that is it. that is all i know of her. and then he says i'm trying to set him up. how am i trying to set you up? >> so the whole thing, you pull one thread and it all comes apart in a lot of ways? >>> yeah, donald sterling in my interview claimed that magic johnson knew v. stiviano well. in the original recording v. stiviano said look, i took a photograph with him. i respect him but i don't really know him. it was donald sterling who said you can do whatever you want, just don't bring him to games and be photographed with him in public. so just for the record to clear it all out, magic johnson pointing out he takes photographs with tons of pe

donald sterling and i'm not black either. yes, donald sterling is a racist and that's an easy one.ow do we really know if we are racist? maybe a tougher question than you think. that's next. i am totally blind. i've been blind since birth. i lost my sight to eye disease. i lost my sight in afghanistan. and it doesn't hold me back. but my blindness can affect my sleep patterns. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. but i learned that my struggle was with non-24. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind and can't perceive light. talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and learn about non-24 by calling 844-844-2424. that's 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com. now i know that non-24 is real. and i'm not alone. it's time for a new day. >>> my panel is standing by now. fir first, i want to tell you about this. magic johnson has long been a popular figure in los angeles. stephanie elam noins he now. you went out into the los angeles area to get reactions to this scandal. this is clearly s

donald sterling himself. in a new audio recording released by radar on-line, a man said to be sterling is speaking on the phone with an unidentified man. cnn can't independently confirm this is donald sterling but if it is it is the first we've heard from him since he was banned for life from nba. on the recording sterling says he is not a racist and seems to lament the fact that everybody jumped to conclusions about him. listen. >> it breaks my heart that magic johnson, you know, a guy i -- that i respect so much wouldn't stand up and say well, let's get the facts. let's get him and talk to him. nobody tried. nobody, from here on -- on beverly drive and sunset, across from the beverly hills hotel. you know? >> donald, i think they're probably trying to force you to sell it, that is the thing. >> you can't force somebody to sell property in america. >> by the way, we've offered donald sterling the opportunity to speak any time he wants. i met with him on friday. he has not spoken. other people have met with h

you heard the apology from donald sterling. he says he's not a racist. >> i almost spit on you i was laughing so hard. his wife says he has dementia. >> possibly. >> come on. the finney thing, he walked out of the studio and i had a chance to talk to him. i said to him, anderson, i guarantee you when you walk into work tomorrow there is going to be a bouquet of flowers from adam silver. all he has to do is hit play on that thing and do an up and down vote. >> let's look at more. he did call anderson a racist. watch. >> i think you have more of a plantation mentality than i do. you know what? i think you're more of a racist than i am. i'm not a racist. and i've never been a racist or will have be a racist. you're asking me about questions. what do you mean a mentality? >> a plantation mentality is to feel you own these guys. they're working for you. >> do i own them? >> i don't know. >> my players earn $100 million a year. now do i own them? >> also says 25%, cedric, of my whole gang are black people and i love them. >> it's abs

he made a difference for this black attorney. >> blacks want to play golf with donald sterling. >> donald sterling can't be a spokesperson for the black community, the jewish community or anyone. this man is delusional. >> stephanie, let's talk about that. you are in l.a. you have been looking into this. magic johnson, he's done a lot for a lot of people over a lot of years. >> and he is very well loved. the day that magic johnson announced that he had hiv, i will never forget. i was in college in swim practice so i was literally underwater when the news broke. when i came out on campus at howard university, it was silent across campus in a packed dining hall. it was silent. people were moved by this. what magic could have done is crawled into a hole and disappeared and just gone and acted like that was it. instead what he did is he started his foundation. he became a very savvy businessman and he's worth $500 million but he's had such big dealings bringing businesses to areas that were underserved and saying there's money here to be made. let me show you. you can put a business in south

donald sterling is the boss.tely different role from somebody who is subject to a boss' whims. he is the boss. he is the guy with the whim of iron if he wants it. it's a different example than brendan ike. he was the ceo. >> it's a perfect example. what brendan ike said was obnoxious and the board hated it, and brendan got fired because the board didn't like what he said. >> you're talking about brendan ike who came out against same-sex marriage. >> brendan ike was the ceo. you're a ceo of a corporation or a large organization, then your personal views, your personal activities are very much a part of what you are hireto put forth. and that's exactly what happened. >> let's stick to donald sterling here. i'm glad you said that. so, louis, you think his first amendment right is being violated in this particular case? >> the first amendment wasn't violated because the constitution doesn't apply to corporations. but his right to free speech certainly was. >> michael? >> i don't think his right to free speech has bee

i hope donald can see the mistake that he has made. and also the people he has hurt along the way. >> johnson spoke after sterling publicly attacked him in his one and only interview on monday night. >> this attack on magic is crazy. he is messing with the wrong brother. and magic is loved by everybody around the world. >> reporter: sterling was apologizing for his racist remarks but ended up making things worse with this attack. >> what guy goes around and has sex with every girl and then he catches hiv? is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? i think he should be ashamed of himself. i think he should go into the background. but what does he do for the black people? doesn't do anything. >> reporter: reaction was swift. nba commissioner adam silver quickly issued a statement which said quote, i just read a transcript of donald sterling's interview with anderson cooper and while johnson doesn't need me to i feel compelled to apologize to the johnson family that he continues to be dragged into this issue and attacked.

>> it's sort of like the tale of two donalds. spoke to him and he was forthcoming about some things. but then he wouldn't talk much about magic johnson to this friend of his on the phone. one thing that really struck me is when you asked him about whether or not v had tried to extort money from him or asked him for money and he sort of danced around the question. he didn't want to talk about it. but with his friend on the phone, he said this. he said, sterling told him i'm going to take you down. so that's what a lot more forthcoming about that than what he said. i guess it just depends on what donald you get that day. >> who knows what is real and not. appreciate it. just ahead, imagine seeing this from your car. take a look. >> oh, my god! oh, my gosh! >> flames of one of five wildfires in and around san diego. there are a lot of evacuations. we'll have breaking news on that. plus an outrage in turkey after the deadliest mining disaster that the country faced. 274 are dead. dozens missing. i have bayer a. i'm not having a heart

donald sterling. this is odious? >> repellant, actually, from start to finish and by the way, there are still questions surrounding if she is actually 31 but reporters the try to get to the bottom of the credibility of -- she does not say she is the accuser but her voice is on the tape. she could be running into a problem having recorded him without his. >> she is black and mexican and he is spewing racist garbage and she chooses to go on tv defending him. >> of course. >> saying it is racial. >> she agreed to the interview with barbara walters and agreed to put herself in the public spotlight by participating in the tape in some manner whether it was to release or record it but all the characters are sordid and gross. >> v. stiviano denies leaking the tape but obviously she gave it to somebody who gave it to somebody and the media not buying her sympathy or do you have victim sympathy for her? >> i don't know if people are sympathetic to her. once something like this is out it has legs of its own and it takes on a l

donald sterling cannot be in the nba. as the panelists said, he will not go down without a fight. it's going to be -- he's not going down. the nba is not going to get rid of donald sterling that easy. >> yeah. >> i think so. i think so. if i can just say quickly, i think given the constitution, i think sterling's out. i agree with jeffrey, the matter with shelly is a little bit more complicated but at the end of the day, regardless of what happens with the vote of the owners, the leverage really is with the players in this league. the fans, the sponsors, and ultimately with the players and they will both be gone. it's what i predict. >> ken, do you agree with that? >> oh, i agree. and again, i can't express more strongly. there's a long history of sports law cases where the league, the fellow owners have the right to select and work with people they want to work with. so there's a lot that hasn't really been looked at in terms of the legal strength on that side. i fully agree. part of the constitution will give strength t

tonight, my exclusive interview with donald sterling and magic johnson who got brought into this by donald sterling. we heard from donald sterling for the first time since he was banned after making the racist comments. i sat down with him in his home. there were no ground rules or limits, no pr or staff telling him what to say. he denied saying he was a racist, he also said a lot of shocking things. his comments about magic johnson will be deeply offensive to a lot of people. as i said later you will also hear from magic johnson who sat down to speak about what sterling said. but first, it started with the audio recordings released on line to tmz sports to sterling talking to a woman, v. stiviano, and in response to a picture she posted with her and magic johnson. >> he happens to be black, and i'm sorry. >> i think it is nice, i have known him well and he should be admired. i am just saying it is too bad that you can't admire him priva privately. and during your entire whole [ bleep ] life, admire him, bring him here, feed him. i don't care. but don't put him here, and don't -- >> people

embattled clippers owner donald sterling. the parts you have not heard from him as the backlash grows by the day. there's been talk of a player boycott led by lebron james if sterling is still the owner when the new season starts in the fall. in a few moments, we'll hear from roger mason, jr., the national president of the national basketball player's association. he'll try to set the record straight on what the players are planning to do. sterling has been banned for life, fined $2.5 million for racist comments he made and there is another new recording that just come out where a person believed to be sterling is talking about his relationship with v. stiviano. the story begins to gain momentum because of the interviews that aired on this program over the past two nights with sterling and then, of course with, magic johnson. throughout the hour, you'll hear parts of the interview donald sterling that you never heard before, including his thoughts on his estranged wife shelly, whether they're going to get divorce and what he

donald sterling does not know those facts.aker spike lee joins me tonight to talk about all of this. overall what do you make of donald sterling? of what he said? >> why they let him speak. who is around him -- >> that's an interesting thing. there was no lawyer there. no pr person there. it seems like it's just kind of him. >> i'm amazed. i don't know -- >> for the record magic johnson has the magic johnson foundation. his business life invests in inner-city communities. his foundation has given millions on hiv/aids education, on overall education on scholarships to people, on, you know, working communities. so for 20 years he's -- >> this attack on magic is crazy. he's messing with the wrong brother. and magic is loved by everybody around the world. and to talk about some other stuff that has nothing to do with nothing is ridiculous. and the whole what jews do and what blacks don't, that's insane. anderson, i did a documentary which was nominated for an academy award called "four little girls" it's about the bombing of the b

as is donald sterling's daughter, his wife. which seems that all the other members of the family want to hold onto this thing. >> that is true, but i think what mark and sunny are neglecting is this is not just a dispute about whether or not the sterlings are good people. this is a contract. can i finish? that give certain rights to the nba. that -- i think trumps their rights. >> that is right -- it doesn't trump the family law code sections in law here in california. i'm not in california. but in california it doesn't trump it. and that is the problem you have got, jeff. they can take whatever action they want. and i agree with you. donald sterling. it is not economically feasible. they can ground him into the dirt, and at a certain point they will tell him you have to remove yourself from this. and i'm telling you, they gave the path way the nba will take. they're going to get him out and brin bring in a new ownership group and she will be a passive owner -- >> we agree, mark geragos. >> he left the door open. >> he really d

is donald sterling a racist? >> no. i don't believe it in my heart. >> have you heard him say derogatory things about minorities in general and blacks in particular? >> absolutely. >> you have heard him say derogatory things? >> yes. >> didn't they sound racist to you? >> i think that the things he says are not what he feels. anyone can say anything in the heat of the moment. >> not everybody makes alleged racist remarks in the heat of the moment. sometimes in the heat of the moment you say things that -- >> that you mean. or that you feel. >> yeah. explain how he says these things. >> i think mr. sterling is from a different generation than i am. i think he was brought up to believe those things. >> what things? >> segregation, whites and blacks. he was brought up to believe these beliefs in his own way. and they're engrained in him, deep and in his body and in his mind. through his actions he has shown he is not a racist. through his actions he has shown to be a very generous and kind man. >> she claimed that these co

donald had been a very respectful to me in person. unfortunately, he was harvesting these types of feelings for years and it was unfortunate. for me, when i was with the clippers, he cost me millions of dollars by not playing me. not only did i not get a chance to be on the court, which was very important, it cost me endorsements, it cost me an opportunity to have a second contract and i was probably just one of a series of players that, in reality, they thought we were a bust but we never got the chance to shine. so imagine this. i come out of college, i'm a lottery pick, eighth pick, averaged 35 numbers in college, numbers that no one has put up in 70 years. yet, that being said, i can't even get on the court and contribute to a team that needs that type of scoring. now, what do you think would have happened if i had eight more minutes of playing and had been allowed to do the great things that i was allowed to do at loyala mount? there was a lot of marketing and endorsements and at the end of the day it just didn't work out for me

. >> donald sterling does it again. another jaw-dropping recording. in it, the embattled nba owner says it was sexual desire that drove him to make racist remarks. 'cause that's attractive. so who's buying this excuse, anybody? buehler? speaking of buying, sterling's estranged wife shelly says she wants to keep a 50% ownership in the clippers and bring in investors to buy out her husband's half of the team. so coaches, players, fans, how's that going to work out for ya'll? >>> later this hour, murder mystery in georgia. an 88-year-old man's mutilated body found in his home in his posh lake side resort. no sign of his wife. also no sign of the man's head. so far, not a clue to go on. >>> hello, everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield. it is friday, may 9th. welcome to "legal view." you may have heard the l.a. clippers are home tonight for game three against the thunder, but how can the nba keep the focus on basketball? when we, instead, have this. more explosive and sometimes salacious audio recordings released by radar online. and in the recordings, the clipp

on the clippers' owner donald sterling. he may have been ousted by the nba but his wife has made it clear she's not going anywhere. >>> and now, one of the owners is getting ready to speak out in "the situation room." there he is. bruce levin son, one of the co-owners of the atlanta hawks. say hello to jason bin. when jake and i first set out on our own, we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. and that's epic, bro, we've forgotten just how good good is. good is setting a personal best before going for a world record. good is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ] good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experime

it's therapeutic for me. >> donald pippin meets with dr. holbrook for the last time before he's released from holman. >> hey. mr. pippin, how are you doing today? good to see you. >> i wrote my aunt. she wrote back and said i had a place so i'm going to stay with her. >> that's a for sure thing? >> yeah, that's a for sure thing. you can call her. i told you last time i would probably go to the halfway house but i ain't going to no halfway house. it's one thing to be able to go somewhere and be comfortable where you're at and another thing to be forced to be somewhere you don't want to go. when i get out of prison, i want to be free. i don't want to have to abide by some more rules that are institutionalized, you know. >> well, keep in mind that your aunt will have expectations, also. >> right. i know, she -- >> she has chores to be done around the house. >> that's one of the main reasons why i'm going. she's -- she's not a midget but she's a small person. and she has problems getting around the house and doing stuff and running errands. she

could donald sterling hold on to his team? joining me is layla ali, the daughter of muhammad ali, one of the greatest athletes of all time and a civil rights icon. thank you for being with us. your dad is known as both a sports and civil rights icon. i have been wondering what he thinks about the story. have you had a chance to speak to him about donald sterling? >> hi, don. thanks for having me on. yes, i have been able to get my father's perspective on this. and you know, he feels that if he was playing for the clippers that he would, you know, once those statements were made, he would have walked off and just wouldn't have played. >> he wouldn't have played. >> yes. >> let's talk more about that. he put his believes above his sports prowess. he once sacrificed his title by refusing to go to vietnam. how do you think he would have handled the situation. the players were saying that they were going to boycott the game and weren't going to play as well. did he speak to you more about it? >> my father did put everything on the

maxwell blecher, donald sterling's attorney telling me moments ago a lawsuit has been filed by donaldus news reports saying this is in excess of $1 billion for damages and we're trying to get more details -- >> they haven't released the actual text, the actual document, have they? >> not at this time that we can tell. we have people at the courthouse. we're searching other outlets and we're trying to get some more information from his office right now. just a lot more detail that we want to get on the damages we're seeking, what they're claiming in the lawsuit. we're also trying to get response from the nba. we're trying that for a while and have not heard back from them. >> let's get quick reaction from don lemon and l.z. granderson. don, what do you think? >> he's not going to go away quietly. i don't think he was going to from the very beginning. i'm not sure what this means for the sale of the team. i'm not sure what this means between him, he and shelly sterling. he's going after the nba. wants to be vindicated. i imagine this is one way he thinks he'll be vind kaicated. >> l.z.?

donald sterling, he has nothing to lose right now. take a listen to one expert that we spoke to in terms of the power that these teams sort of imbue, these businessmen. >> it's primarily ego. it's .poise for boys in his fantasy basketball with billions of dollars at stakes. this is every day, it gets them more media attention they would be able buy in any other manner. >> you think about that. look. i'm not a basketball fan, i couldn't pick donald sterling out of a room full of ten people. because he's on the side of that court, everybody know who's that is. that elevates him. that's the pornsz of it. it's not just the basketball rights. it's the media in which they live. a lot of stakes. >> there are a few hand. of nba team owners who are quite notable. people know them for other things, ventures, mark cuban, statement acting and then, of course, you see him on a popular television show in the evening. so, you know, i guess real nba stars might know who the majority of the owners are. >> i don't think, you know, that's one thing -- >

donald sterling says it was

clippers owner, donald sterling, his team. >> is donald sterling a racist? >> no. i don't believe it in my heart. >> v. stiviano's surprising comments on this whirlwind story. plus, what sterling is now saying about how he should have handled her. >>> up in flames. a school bus inferno. >> we were yelling at him to get off the bus. >> a wild move two heroes pulled off to warn students that their lives were in danger. >>> caught on tape. the frantic moments after a 4-year-old girl fell into a pool. >> she's not breathing. she's turning blue. >> you're going to hear the officer's efforts to rescue a girl. and the exact moment he knew he had saved a life. >>> princes and the king. taking care of business, william and harry go to graceland, the home of elvis, while in memphis for a big wedding this weekend. plus, a strip club special invitation for harry to check them out. >>> good morning, everybody. we want to get straight to that abc news exclusive interview this morning. barbara walters, sitting down with v. stiviano, the woman who set off the scandal that has engu

♪fame >>> the voice of donald sterling. allegedly.d-new audio to play for you that purports to be the voice of the banished l.a. clippers' owner, donald sterling, talking to an unknown speaker apparently on the phone. it comes from radaronline.com. >> we're going to play manufacture it to you. you hear a male voice, as you said, said to be donald sterling, vowing and saying and denying that he is not -- that he's a racist, rather. and vowing not to sell his team. take a listen. >> you think i'm a racist? you think i have anything in the world but love for everybody? you don't think that. you know i'm not a racist. >> i know i got the -- i mean, when i heard the -- >> i can't hear you. >> what about when i hear -- >> you know -- >> -- when i hear that tape, though? that tape i heard? >> i grew up in east l.a. east l.a., you'd die to get out of there. i got out of east l.a. -- i was the president of the high school there. i mean, and i'm a jew. and 50% of the people there were black, and 40% were hispanic. >> all right. donald sterling

clippers owner donald sterling -- >> donald sterling going on a racist tirade. >> donald sterling. >> l.a. clippers owner donald sterling. >> and the anchors and the pundits were quickly joined by pretty famous faces from nba history who rallied against the owner of the l.a. clippers. >> it was one thing to say something that's controversial but it's another thing to say something that's repugnant. >> we cannot have an nba owner discriminating against a league -- we're a black league. >> he shouldn't on a team anymore. he should stand up and say i don't want to own a team anymore. >> we don't want mr. sterling's face to be the face of the nba. >> sterling backed out of discussions to appear on abc's 20/20 leaving v. stiviano to explain their relationship. >> what's the biggest misconception about you? >> that i'm a mistress or a whore. speculations of not real journalists doing their job, asking the wrong people information about me, that they don't know or have real facts. >> and sterling's sole comment to the website du jour? "i wish i just paid her off." amy holmes, and mara of nat

the public shame of donald sterling. >> i'm not a racist., terrible mistake. >> should the nba still force him to sell the clippers? >>> and, this historic kiss is drawing praise every outrage. on the left, van jones. on the right, newt gingrich. in the "crossfire," jamal anderson, a former pro athlete, and harry jackson jr., senior pastor of hope christian church. are the speech police out of control? or are bigots getting what they deserve? tonight on "crossfire." >>> welcome to "crossfire." i'm van jones on the left. >> i'm newt gingrich on the right. in the "crossfire" tonight, guests with different views on free speech. in 90 minutes l.a. clippers owner donald sterling speaks in an exclusive interview with cnn's anderson cooper. here's a preview. >> i'm a good member who made a mistake and i'm apologizing and i'm asking for forgiveness. am i entitled to one mistake after 35 years? i mean, i love my league. i love my part. it's a terrible mistake. and i'll never do it again. >> the vice president of the nba players association, roger mas

to the game to see donald sterling. they come to see chris paul, they come to see blake -- i mean, this is why the players make a lot of money and they don't probably make enough money. >> guys, thanks very much. don't go too far, as i like to say, because you will be back later in "the situation room." >>> more major developments moving ahead. our panel will be here. also, i'll speak live with james rainy, one of the l.a. times' writers who has obtained new dramatic details about the audiotape that started it all. he'll be joining us in "the situation room." >>> up next, a possible tourist area threatened by a massive wildfire just as this holiday weekend gets under way. we're going live to arizona. >>> and russian's president vladimir putin call it is a dangerous civil war. dozens are dead. cnn is on the ground. we'll go there. vo: once upon a time there was a boy who traveled to a faraway place where villages floated on water and castles were houses dragons lurked giants stood tall and the good queen showed the boy i

first, donald sterling as he talks to anderson cooper. >> honestly you believe that? >> i believe it 100%. >>> it seemed like donald sterling was going to fade into obsecurity after being banned by the nba. we had enough of the tape after he scolded his girlfriend regarding magic johnson. he sat down with anderson cooper. >> what time of guy goes and has sex with every girl and then he catches hiv is that one we want to respect and tell our kids about? what does he do for the black people? he doesn't do anything. >> i spoke earlier with mike, the co-host of espn's pardon the interruption from chicago. mike, welcome. >> thank you, howie. >> i thought the media were done with this donald sterling story. now there are new tapes in which sterling talks about having sex with his girlfriend. he's fighting the $2.5 million fine. is this an important story? >> yes, it is. it is salacious as well, but it is an important story. i don't know the last time that we had a public figure in a place like los angeles, no less, someone who owns a sports franchise, all these things are t

he worked under donald sterling.or the first time before a national audience, he's talking about the donald sterling he knows. he talked with anderson cooper. >> elgin, you worked with donald sterling for 22 years. what was your reaction when you first heard that tape? >> when i first heard it, it just brought back memories of some of the things that were said by donald. >> did it surprise you? >> it didn't surprise me at all, no. >> that's the donald sterling you know? >> that's the donald sterling i know. he says a lot of things, different things. different mood swings. you never know what he's going to say or do. >> do you think he even realizes what he's saying? >> he's an intelligent man, great businessman. i'm sure he's aware of what he's doing and saying. there are times when i would say things to him and say, hey, you shouldn't say things, certain things. i would express my opinion. >> do you think he's a racist? >> of course he is. there's no doubt in my mind now. at the time -- i thought then and now that h