sergeant james crowley talking about the meeting with the president, with professor henry louis gates, the man who was arrested by sergeant crowley, and vice president joe biden. and over the past few minutes, the president has issued a statement, we want to add this. i'm bringing in dan lothian at the white house now. dan, we're starting to get some reaction. we've not heard yet from professor gates. what's the statement from the president? >> that's right. a short statement from the president, the president saying, quote, with i am thankful to professor gates and sergeant crowley for joining me at the white house this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation. even before we sat down for the beer, i learned that the two gentleman spent some time together, listening to one another, which is a testament to them. i have always believed what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. i am confident that has happened here tonight and i am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode. the president making those remarks tonight. as you

of the president's decision to host a meeting between professor henry louis gates and sergeant james crowley at the white house? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. no word on whether there is a two-beer limit. 5:37, 70 degrees on tv hill. officials release the list of people that will be the first to receive the swine flu vaccine. >> we know the dangers of tanning but could it be as dangerous as cigarettes if >> we have a downed tree in freeland blocking york road and one in owings mills.@÷p and that will change the pattern the first half of the weekend. we will be a little less humid on saturday. meantime, basically dry today. tomorrow partly sunny in the morning and clouds will thicken in the afternoon and bring in a 60% chance of showers and couple of isolated thunderstorms. 9 friday and saturday 87 but air mass will be more comfortable for us. sunday we roll back in with more moisture, 40% chance of late-day showers and storms then it looks like we are seasonably normal for the start of august as far as temperatures. >> a massive environmental clean up effort along south

massachusetts law enforcement officials staged what they called a visual show of support for sergeant james crowley. >> we completely support sergeant crowley. >> for them to happen to him was wrong. >> reporter: they were also openly showing their disappointment with president obama. >> cambridge police are not stupid. >> reporter: sergeant crowley got support as well today from this man, sergeant leon lashley. lashley was one of the first officers to arrive at the home of professor gates when sergeant crowley arrested him for disorderly conduct. >> i support what sergeant crowley did. i support what he did. that's as simple as i can say it. i support what he did 100%. >> reporter: sergeant crowley did not speak at the press conference, but he did continue to defend himself in this interview with local station whdh. >> i'm not a monster, the bigot, the racist that he portrayed me to be. >> reporter: do you think, and discuss the group think it would have been best for sergeant crowley to simply walk away? >> he encountered a full lack of cooperation and he was fully within his discretion when that

and serant james crowley.ident has said he made a poor choice of words in saying police acted stupidly in this incident. >>> firefighters were hampered by water pressure problems while trying to fight a massive overnight house fire in washington. the flames broke out on chain bridge road in northwest not far from american university. the home belongs to former d.c. school board president and well-known arts patron peggy cooper cafritz. >>> the washington redskins are gearing up for the start of training chasm. their first practice today begins at 8:30. parking lots open at 7:00 a.m. admission and parking is free. >>> today's morning person is described as a person with such smi wheutn you ity that n w you see him. an dy culps i aups delivery man as hasererelived packakages toe 22 years.es in southwest 22 ntdensi ishe t neighborhood alsoay thethandyt culp is a wonder hdolnde a hold and an excellent role model. if you know someone lie andy, e-mail that psern'sod story anda clear close-up picture or video to morn

women of the cambridge police department. >> reporter: the police union representing sergeant james crowleyallied in his defense today. 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. he said, no, i will not. and again, 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. the moment the officer explained we was respond ing to a 911 call about the possible barack in. >> he responded why, because i am a black man in america, in a very agitated tone. i thought that was a little strange. >> reporter: crowley said he has spoken out he was tired of being called a racist. he is an 11-year veteran, father of three, for several years trained officers how to avoid racial profiling exactly what gates accused him of doing. >> he was the one that was being provocative, this wasn't a back and forth exchange of bantor or arguing. this was one sided. >> reporter: today an african-american sergeant seen in the foregr

sergeant james crowley, the officer involved, is expected to hold a news conference in a few moments.e're going to have live coverage. you'll hear the sergeant speak on msnbc live in moments. don't go anywhere. still ahead, in addition to that, a brief one-on-one conversation with samuel l. jackson who stops by msnbc live to talk to me. he will talk about getting involved in the political process and about america's first black president. >> your wife was involved the first time she met obama? >> yeah. i was on location. she told me she was going to meet this guy who is probably going ton to be the president one day. first she said is black and his name is obama. i said no president like that. he has to change his name, first. wer total price. plus, if another orbitz customer then books the same hotel for less, we send you a check for the difference, automatically. a day on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number... of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve art

the president, professor gates and cambridge sergeant james crowley whose response was backed up by witnesses. >> i support what he did 100%. >> charges against gates were dropped. his supporters took a stand last night. and the naacp backs up the president's first comments. >> the president was right in his first analysis. we commend him for having the courage to raise issues about racial profiling and relationships within the united states. >> no apologies are expected from anyone though many say blame is shared. >> i think that the cop might have overreacted. i think that gates, the homeowner, definitely overreacted. and i think obama spoke his opinion before all the facts were in. >> will the divide extend to beer? >> all i can see is one party saying less filling and the other saying more taste. >> no indication that beer will soften the first instincts in the latest image of race and police. sergeant crowley and gates say it was the other who made the arrest about race. aides say president obama hopes to open a dialogue and put an end to what supporters admit has been a distraction from

> we're hearing for the first time the 911 call that brought professor gates face-to-face with james crowley. we have more, including an invitation for president obama for both men to visit the white house. >> james crowley returned to work monday morning after a tumultuous week in which he was indirectly criticized by the president for arresting dr. henry louis gates, jr., in his home. cambridge police made the 911 tapes from the suspected break- in on july 15 public, presumably to silence critics, including gates himself, who charge the professor was racially profile. >> are not sure if these were two individuals who lived there. >> you think they may have been breaking in. >> i have no idea. >> the caller does not mention the race of the individual. only when asked as she speculates one of the men in the house might be hispanic. >> i do not know if they live there, but i notice they use their shoulders to barge in. >> after officers arrived, crowley is heard saying gates claims to live there but discuss him as uncooperative. >> while this has been a trying time, we are confident we can ul

news conference, all the police groups said they stand behind the arresting officer, sergeant james crowley, whom you see there in the blue, and they insist that race was not a factor here. sergeant crowley, he's been rather tight-lipped about his side of the story thus far, didn't speak during today's news conference, but he did sit down with whdh one-on-one. >> i was a little surprised and disappointed that the president, who didn't have all the facts by his own admission, then weighed in on the events of that night and made a comment that, you know, really offended not just officers in the cambridge police department, but officers around the country. >> sergeant james crowley, sitting down with 7 news reacting to president barack obama's comments about the day he arrested harvard professor henry gates and talking extensively for the first time what happened at the cambridge house. >> i asked him if he could step outside and speak with me, and he said, no, i will not, and again words to the effect of what's this all about. i said i'm sergeant crowley from the cambridge police department.

gates and sergeant james crowley as elaine told us there, crowley of course, is the officer who made that arrest will meet with president obama at the white house tomorrow. we'll be covering that for you. >>> we're getting word of a major agreement that would clear the way for a house vote on its version of the health care reform bill. this is happening as president obama hitting the road today to push for an overhaul of the nation's ailing medical system. back in washington though, the final holdouts within the democratic party have signed onto the house version of the reform bill and the blue dogs had said it cost too much. in raleigh, north carolina, the president was reassuring his audiences in spite of what critics say, people shouldn't be afraid of reform. >> i have been as clear as i can be under the reform i proposed, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. these folks need to stop scaring everybody. you know? >> even with the agreement today, the house measure may not head to the floor for a vote until

reporter: and that was after the president spoke and the president called and spoke with sergeant james crowley. that sergeant's name is leon lashley. he was there when the president called, lou, and he said when sergeant crowley said, hey, the president is on the phone, nobody believed him. they thought he was joking. then they realized it was true and they said they were happy after that that the president spoke out and they hope some good comes to this and they hope to go to the white house and sit down and talk it out. >> it's a remarkable controversy. did you sense any bad feelings toward president obama for his remarks, because the police association, the police unions have called for an outright apology? what is the emotional sense that you have of what is happening with the cambridge police department right now? >> reporter: lou, there were absolutely some bad feelings. when i got here yesterday, you could feel it. the tension was in the air. the police commissioner told me that morale was very low. when i spoke to these guys today before the president called, they thought it was a rush

but i'm not sure. >> reporter: sergeant james crowley arrived at gates' home and arrested him for disorderly conduct. the charges dropped. but tensions escalated over whether crowley treated gates differently because he was black. >> to the extent that my choice of words did not illuminate but rather contributed to more media frenzy, i think that was unfortunate. >> reporter: so, the three men will meet at this picnic table behind the white house, to talk about what happened. >> the president will drink bud light. professor gates likes red stripe. and i think sergeant crowley mentioned he likes blue moon. >> reporter: their drinks diverse. their dispute, still to be resolved. the president said he wanteds an apology from sergeant crowley. the sergeant said he is not a racial profiler. drinks will be served up later tonight. jeremy? >> emily schmidt in washington. thanks, emily. >>> after weeks of traction, health care reform is gaining traction in capitol hill. in the house, conservatives and democrats are on board. meaning the final committee could vote before lawmakers leave town. importan

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

blue moon for james crowley. >> the private meeting is two weeks after gates was arrested outside of his cambridge home by sergeant crowley. gates accuse the crowley of racial profiling. it intensified after the president put it this way. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> now mr. obama says it was a bad choice of words. >> i could have calibrated the words differently. >> the 911 caller who made the initial report is also trying to clear the record. >> people called me racist and said i caused all of the turmoil that followed. some even said threatening things that made me fear for my safety. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the president's decision to host a meeting between professor henry lewis gates and james crowley at the white house? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> a federal grand jury has indicted the white supremist accused of killing a security officer. james van brun faces first degree murder. the 89-year-old fired a rifle after walking that the museum killing steven johns. von brunn remains hop lies

ne yi de nies has more on the call that set it all in motion. >> reporter: this is sergeant james crowley on friday, taking an unexpected phone call. >> all these guys are looking at each other going, is this a hoax? >> reporter: david runs tommy doyle's bar, a cambridge police favorite. crowley was here when the president called out of the blue, verify comments about crowley's arrest of professor gates. the two spoke for five minutes. when he hung up, the bar went wild. >> the roar went up. people were high-fiving. sergeant crowley was probably the quietest man in the bar at that time. you know? i looked over at his face. what i saw was, like, a cocktail of emotions. >> reporter: perhaps inspired by the setting, crowley suggested that he, the president and gates meet for a beer. the white house says they'd like that meeting to happen in the next few days. >> the beer at the white house starts the conversation. >> reporter: cambridge mayor, denise simmons, will continue that conversation in a forum on race, set for later this month. >> we'veve all been talking abo this. you know, what can

reporter: now cambridge law enforcement officers, even the baltimore fop, stand in support of officer james crowley. >> yesterday we were pleased to learn that after his own intensive investigation, the cambridge police department also expressed its support for sergeant crowley, clearing him of any wrong doing. >> before the facts are in, kai, i think people need to step back, you know, have a breather, and sort things out. >> reporter: earlier in the week the president said this about arrest of gates. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> i acted appropriately. mr. gates was given plenty of opportunity to stop what he was doing. he acted very irrational and he controlled the outcome of that event. >> reporter: gates is charged that he was being racially profiled. >> my father might be one of the last black men on earth to actually believed in the justice system. >> reporter: before the president spoke a multiracial group of officers stood side by side with sergeant crowley, asking for the president and massach

president obama sharing beers with police sergeant james crowley and harvard professor henry louis gates. the meeting ended amicably. but without an apology on either side. >> reporter: the drinks with the president and vice president did not appear chumy. then, professor gates said sergeant crowley profiled him. and crowley says he did nothing wrong. after their meeting, sergeant crowley said no one had apologized. but called it a frank and private conversation, that was cordial and had no tension. >> this is a positive step forward, as opposed to reliving the events of the past couple of weeks. in an effort to move not just the city of cambridge or two individuals past this event. but the whole country. to move beyond this and have meaningful discussions in the future. >> reporter: president obama said he was, quote, fascinated about the fascination about his drinks with gates and crowley. the president said instead of anger and hyperbole, he hoped tonight would bring self-reflection. a fact lost amidst the hype. >> you lose sight of just the fact that these are people involved, includ

. >> reporter: shawn, in the end professor henry lewis gates and sergeant james crowley agreed to disagree. the president embroiled himself in this controversy last week with his own sharp comments aimed at the cambridge police. tonight the administration ss it is ready to move on. it was around a table in the rose garden where the president, professor henry lewis gates and sergeant james crowley finally had their beer. get together fine but the president is fond of the term "beer summit." >> i know this has been called the beer summit. it's a clever term buthis is not a summit, guys. this is three folks having a drink at the end of the day and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. >> reporter: it was sergeant crowley's idea for the men to share a beer. crowley suggested it to the president when mr. obama called to clarify his own remarks over the arrest of professor gates. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: gates was arrested on a disorderly perns c pharge after police responded to a break-in report at his home. gates claimed racial profiling wh

today, that officer, james crowley, and his department, responded. here's jim axelrod. >> reporter: with the cambridge police department squarely behind him... >> based on what i have seen from the other officers, he maintained a professional decorum during the course of the entire situation and conducted himself in a professional manner. >> reporter: ...today sergeant james crowley pushed back against both the president's comments. >> i support the president of the united states 110%. i think he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts as he himself stated before he made that comment. >> reporter: and the idea that he should apologize to henry louis gates. >> the apology won't come from me. i've done nothing wrong. >> reporter: it's now been a week since gates, a professor at harvard and a leading thinker about african american culture was trying to push open his jammed front door when a woman passing by called the police thinking gates was breaking in. >> it wasn't her fault, it was the fault of a policeman who couldn'

so what we know about cambridge police sergeant james crowley?oining us is a reporter from the "boston herald." the second police officer says he will not apologize, because he has nothing to apologize for, he is not a racist. what are you finding out about him. -- what are you finding out about him? >> [inaudible] he was in the news back then, trying to give reggie lewis mouth to mouth resuscitation. but at the time, he told the paper that people were saying about him, "there is the guy who killed reggie lewis." he said that left him broken hearted and he cried out for several nights. he also teaches racial profiling courses, instructing police recruits in avoiding the very practice he is accused of the engaging in by the harvard professor, henry louis gates, jr.. juliet: what are people at brandeis saying about him? >> everybody we talked to so far says he is a by-the-book officer, very even keel, and even the police commissioner said he stood firmly behind him, saying that he acted according to protocol. good things are being said about this o

that's how sergeant james crowley described the so-called beer summit at the white house. was it the teachable moment the president hoped for? here is abc's viviana hurtado. >> reporter: the president joined the men at the center of an inflamed racial debate for a beer. cambridge police sergeant james crowley arrested henry louis gates, junior for disorderly conduct at his own home. he described the meeting as productive and cordial, and said this was the beginning of talks between the two. >> i think what you had today was two gentlemen agree to disagree on a particular issue. i don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. >> reporter: moving on is also what the president wants. crowley's arrest made headlines for days. but president obama's comment that the police acted stupidly touched off feelings. and the acknowledgment of different views. >> and you lose sight of just the fact that these are people involved, including myself, all of whom are imperfect. >> reporter: no one expects the complicated u.s. history of u.s. race relations to be solved over c

harvard professor henry louis gates and police sergeant james crowley, who arrested gates in his own home, were invited by the president to talk about lowering the temperature on race. the president said he hoped to turn this controversy into a teachable moment for the nation. but today, he downplayed expectations for what has become known as "the beer summit." >> this is not a summit, guys. this is three folks having-- having a drink at the end of the day, and hopefully, giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. and that's really all it is. >> reporter: in fact, though, for the president, it's also about political damage control. a photo-op, the white house hopes will quell the furor created by the president's own words. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: that comment infuriated many police officers. >> i think the president should make an apology to all law enforcement personnel. >> reporter: he did not apologize, but he did later express regret for making the situation worse. >> i, obviously, helped to contribute ratcheting it up. >> reporter: but tha

the meeting between henry gates in james crowley, they will try to move past a controversy. one of the questions, what to serve? >> the refrigerator will be served with several beers. the president will have a bud lite. have you seen the political cartoon having gates and the officer arguing less filling, tastes great? >> fights happen when you drink beers. >> the bier of choieer of choics sparked a controversy. one past to have a domestic beer. all three men were asked to drink sam adams. >> it is always something, right? >> when you are the president, yes. >>> your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> adam caskey has a check on the morning forecast. he has not had a brewski yet. >> i wait until 4:00 p. a beautiful morning. the grass is green here. e etgtigetting an eisxerce g 'isrclee. let's rcmpteat.we at 70 desreesegre. at 70 degre. muggy muggy,siutde,da ng triangle, .70 nts le hnotice howtithe tempes e w point. the air is saturated -- notice how the temperature equals the dew point. i cannot rule out a few passing storms. high near 90. some added cloud cove

national correspondent jim axelrod has the story and the tapes. >> reporter: sergeant james crowley headed back to work this morning as the cambridge police department released audiotapes from the first moments of the incident that led to the arrest of henry louis gates. a woman who worked in the neighborhood was walking to lunch when another elderly woman approached and asked her to call 911. >> reporter: from the outset, the caller raises the idea that the men may not be robbers but pushing through their own front door. >> reporter: the caller, a woman named lucia whalen, wants to stay out of the spotlight, but today she had her lawyer tell reporters whalen was a concerned citizen, not a racist. >> it's really been very difficult because she's been characterized as kind of the racist spark that got the controversy going. and nothing could be further from the truth. now that the tapes are out, you can hear for yourself. >> reporter: that's true. in the call that sparked a heated national debate about racial profiling, whalen doesn't mention race at all until the 911 operator asks her for

it started after sergeant james crowley arrested henry gates jr. for disorderly conduct. gates was forcing open a jammed door at his own home. crowley says he's glad the president got involved. >> are you satisfied with how the president handled this? >> yes. >> you are? what about that -- what about the beer? are you going to -- are you going up to the vineyard? >> i don't know. >> well, the vineyard is martha's vineyard. that's where the president's family will be vacationing in august. the president initially said the police acted stupidly in arresting gates, the white house now says he didn't realize his words had such impact. crowley said he charged gates because he was belligerent and wouldn't stop yelling at him. gates said the cop harassed him because he was black and actually the cambridge police department is now holding a press conference. let's listen in right now. >> -- forward. the mayor, mayor simmons, commissioner, and i are pleased to announce that the city has taken significant steps toward that end. last thursday, the commissioner announced that a group

quoting from it, sergeant james crowley and president barack obama had a friendly and meaningful conversation this afternoon. sergeant crowley was profoundly grateful the president took time out of his busy schedule to attempt to resolve the situation. we appreciate his sincere interest and willingness to reconsider his remarks about the cambridge police department. we're joined from the white house by press secretary robert gibbs. robert, thank you for your time tonight. >> happy to be here, richard. how are you? >> i'm good. does the president walking out to your podium this afternoon means that he said and did the wrong thing on wednesday night? >> well, look, richard, i think he wanted to make sure that everybody knew the full context and understood what he was trying to say on wednesday. and i think as he said out there, we had a situation that was becoming wildly overheated. he described it yesterday as two individuals that probably needed to step back and i think he believed the situation needed that today and felt it important to go out and tell the country that. >> the cambridge poli

. >> sergeant james crowley there arrested gates on a disorderly conduct charge. and he wrote in his police report that gates became belligerent upon questioning. gates dispute that and said he'd forgive crowley if he told the truth. >> i haven't heard from sergeant crowley, i would be prepared to listen to him. if i were convinced that -- if he would tell the truth about what he did. about the distortions that he fabricated in the police report. i would be prepared as a human being to forgive him. that would not deter me from using this as an educational opportunity for america. if this can happen to me in harvard square, this can happen to anybody in the united states, and i'm determined that it never happen to anybody again. >> now, during a prime time address last night, president obama said he thinks police made a mistake in arresting gates and applied race may have been a factor. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. race remains a factor in society. that doesn't lessen the

now, cambridge law enforcement officers, even 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 expressed 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, and you know, sort things out. >> reporter: earlier in the week, the president said this about the arrest of gates. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> i acted appropriately. mr. gates was given plenty of opportunity to stop what he was doing. he didn't. he acted very irrational. and he controlled the outcome of that event. >> reporter: gates has charged that he was being racially profiled. >> my father might be one of the last black men on earth who actually believed in the justice system. >> reporter: before the president spoke today, a multiracial group of officers stood side by side with the officer, aski

and sergeant james crowley of the cambridge p.d. met yesterday with president obama and vice president biden over beer at the white house. crowley, the officer who arrested gates at his home earlier this month, the confrontation, of course, led to a national debate over race. both gates and crowley promised to talk again, and to put the whole thing behind them. >> what was accomplished was just a positive step in moving forward as opposed to reliving the events of the past couple of weeks in an effort to move not just the city of cambridge for two individuals past this event, but the whole country move beyond this and use this as a basis of some meaningful discussions in the future. >> gates, a harvard professor released a statement saying thank god i live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day and i've come to understand their sack very nices on our behalf. the president said i always believe what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. i am confident, he continued, tha

all this, two weeks the day after cambridge police sergeant james crowley arrested harvard's henry louis gates jr. at his home. then president obama weighed in, talk radio erupted, the president made calls, sergeant crowley suggest a beer and here we are. that's not all, not by a long shot. candy crowley has the "raw politics." >> reporter: on a humid summer night, the vice president, the president, the black professor and the white policeman who arrested him had a beer together. >> no tension? >> no tension. >> reporter: apparently it did go well. the president called it a friendly, thoughtful conversation and you'll never guess what, sergeant james crowley says he and professor henry louis gates are planning their next meeting. >> i would like not only to discuss but i'd also like to listen to professor gates' perspective. he has the credentials to enlighten me a little bit and perhaps the professor as he expressed to me has the willingness to me and my perspective as a police officer. >> reporter: heads of state have come away from the white house with a lot less but do not call this

want to share a portion of her 911 call which led to a confrontation between gates and sergeant james crowley. >> are they still in the house? >> they're still in the house, i believe, yeah. >> were they white, black or hispanic? >> well, two larger men. one looked kind of hispanic but i'm not really sure. >> now, as soon as that news conference begins -- we're going to take you there live. we're keeping our eye on it. you saw the podium. the mikes are set up there. >>> meanwhile, former secretary of state colin powell thinks cambridge police and professor gates could have handled gates' arrest a lot better. powell's response on "larry king live" is pretty popular on cnn.com right now. he said the police escalated the situation beyond a reasonable level. the professor who powell calls skip should have been more patient. >> are you saying gates was wrong? >> i'm saying skip perhaps in this instance might have waited a while, come outside, talked to the officer and that might have been the end of it. i think he should have reflected on whether or not this was the time to make that big of a deal

president obama invited gates and sergeant james crowley to meet over a beer outside the oval office. white house has given us one premeeting tidbit. gates will be drinking red stripe. crowley is going to have a blue moon and the president will toss back some bud light. >>> well, a boston police officer will likely lose his job because of something he said about the arrest of professor gates. justin sent out a mass e-mail in which he used a racial slur to refer to the professor. he sent the e-mail to some fellow members of the national guard and also to "the boston globe." yesterday he did apologize for the language he used but denied he's a racest. his lawyer explicitly referenced the slur when he said barrett's comments were taken out of context. here is what was said. we will caution you, you might find some of this language offensive. now, listen. >> i am sorry that i wrote that. i'm sorry that my family has to deal with this selfish motivation and feelings that i had. i regret that i used such words as -- i have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name and i

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, and you know, sort things out. >> reporter: early ner the week, -- earlier in the week, the president said this about the arrest of gates. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof they were in their own home. >> i acted appropriately. mr. gates was given plenty of opportunity to stop what he was doing. he didn't. he acted very irrational. and he controlled the outcome of that event. >> reporter: gates has charged that he was being racially profiled. >> my father might be one of the last black men on earth who actually believed in the justice system. >> reporter: sergeant crowley teaches officers how to avoid racial profiling. the president has invited sergeant crowley and professor gates to the white house for

national correspondent jim axelrod has the story and the tapes. >> reporter: sergeant james crowley headedthis morning as the cambridge police department rele

sergeant james crowley arrested henry gates jr. for disorderly conduct in cambridge, mass., after some to call the police to report a possible break in. it tonight, the president admitted that his, or silk comments may have added to the controversy over the incident. -- a controversial comments may have added to the controversy over the incident. >> president obama spoke today. >> my choice of words created more of a media frenzy. >> earlier this week, the president was asked about the arrest. that happened outside of gates's own home, and the president said he thought the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> my imession of him was he was an outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation and i told him that. >> the comments came less than two hours after several massachusetts police officers standing next to searching crowley criticize the president for getting involved in the situation that they say he knew little about. >> in our view, there was nothing stupid about what happened. to pr

. >>> president obama will meet with professor henry louis gates and sergeant james crowley. they'll talk over a beer about gates' controversial arrest. meanwhile the woman who called 911 that day is finally speaking out. >> reporter: lucille whalen, the woman who called 911 broke her silence today, speaking to reporters in cambridge for the first time in describing how her life was turned upside down when she made that fateful call. >> when i was called racist and i was a target of scorn and ridicule because of the things i never said. >> 911 call, what's the exact location of your emergency? >> reporter: on monday cambridge police released the 911 call and audio transmissions from sergeant james crowley arrest of are harvard professor henry gates and she's clearly heard on the call describing to men forcing their way into a home. >> they kind of used their shoulder to try to barge in. >> reporter: what she never mentioned race, not until she was prompted by a dispatcher looking for a better description. the 911 call set in motion circumstances that led to a national debate

press conference, several police association standing four square behind 42-year-old sergeant, james crowley. crowley himself didn't speak today, but yesterday, he said again that he did nothing wrong, that it was professor gates who controlled the situation. so both sides right now, narrow descriptions of what happened. may not be tapes or absolute cooperation, but this dispute has as "the new york times" put it this morning, reignited a national discussion about the relationship between race and law enforcement. >> mike, thank you for that. we're just learning now from the massachusetts news wires, that a black police officer who was with, at the home when gates was arrested, says he supports 100% how his white fl low officer handled the situation. >> let's bring in kevin sack of "the new york times," who won a pulitzer prize a few years ago. thanks for being with us. let me ask you from your experience in that series, how universal are experiences of the kind that skip gates and this police officer had in cambridge? that is mutual misunderstanding. skip gates thinks there was profiling in

the president invited harvard professor henry gates and claim bridge police sergeant james crowley foro-called beer summit. gates claimed that racial profiling led to his or aa disorderly conduct charge. the charges were later dropped. sergeant crowley, who nied any wrongdoing, said the white house meeting was polite but no apologies were offered. >> in the big scream of things, i think there is more important things than have been a beer on the white house lawn. >> i don't think it would solve anything. i think they got together for a beer. >> it probably solved some problems. people need to communicate with each other. >> just some thoughts from folks on the street about what they thought of that summit. after that meeting, the president said he is hopeful all of us are able to draw a positive lesson from this episode. >>> he didn't want to go to church so one #-year-old took his parents' car for a joyride. we'll show out video up next. >>> another metrobus driver ing th llegedly e viatg th zero tolerance lipopolicy. >>> we'll be take august look at your forecast and julie wright wil

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 criticized the police action. the radio transmissions today are for the most part innocuous, but heard on the tape sergeant james crowley w

. >> last week, james crowley responded to a report of the break-in in progress at home of harvard professor henry gates. crowley says gates was so uncooperative and insulting after he asked the scholar for identification that he arrested him. >> there were references to my mother. >> sergeant crowley has the backing of his boss, who dropped the charge against gates. >> i did not believe sergeant crazily -- crowley acted with that motivation. >> he weighed in big time and there was tough language, and he is getting pushed back today. >> today, the president reworked his rhetoric. >> my suspicion is that words were exchanged between a police officer and mr. gates, and everyone should have settled down. >> gates from can a different approach, calling him a rogue. >> a policeman could not withstand a black man standing up for his rights in his face, and that is what i did. >> ironically, the officer has taught a class on how to avoid racial profiling. meanwhile, a cambridge police are forming a panel to review the incident. >>> thank you, jake. keep us posted. benita jacks murder trial -- today

police officers sergeant james crowley to the white house. the both accepted the vitation. gates said it is time to move on. he hopes his arrest will lead to greater sensitivity about racial profiling. >>> hundreds of protesters took to the streets of d.c. tonight, calling for the release of activists in iran, part of a global demonstration. john gonzalez has the details from the national mall. >> hundreds have gathered. this is one of dozens of rallies around the world. about 110 in cities like berlin, amsterdam, and new york city. hundreds of protesters are here in d.c., condemning what they call human rights abuses by the iranian government. this is in light of last month's disputed presidential election and the turmoil that has continued in that nation. it dozens of protesters have been killed and more than 100 arrested and detained. today, the protesters, many of whom are wearing green and solidarity, are demanding those protesters be freed. we spoke with an organizer and i asked how this affects the rest of the world. >> iran has led the islamic world and many differe

obama placed calls to both the prof., henry gates jr., and a man who are arrested him, sergeant james crowley. two days after saying that the police acted stupidly. >> to the extent my choice of words did not eliminate but rather contributed to a new media frenzy, that was unfortunate. >> and appeared that the actions helped calm the standoff that seem to be pitting of the cambridge police department against the president. >> the cambridge police are not stupid. >> monday their dates nor crowley issued a public response, -- while neither gates nor crowley issued a public response, opinions are mixed. >> it is ridiculous he made a comment before he knew anything about it. the whole thing is ridiculous. >> it was a bold statement, but it was honest. i respect the president for having made that statement. >> comedian bill cosby spoke from boston. >> if both parties woul realize that they would be huge, huge human beings and tell exactly what happened, nobody has to apologize. >> the president invited both men to the white house for a beer. it is not clear when it will happen, but professor gates

by sergeant james crowley. cambridge police officials may decide to release audio tape evidence in the case and could include the original 911 call an officer radio calls by cops who arrested gates last week. gates was arrested outside his home after a 911 call of a possible break-in. he says he proved his identity to officers and the dust-up leading to his arrest in his own home was racial profiling. the arresting officer, sergeant jamts crowley, says he did nothing wrong and surprised when president obama said the police acted stupidly. fast forward to friday. president obama made a surprise appearance at the daily white house briefing yesterday in an attempt to diffuse the situation. he said he spoke to both gaets and crowley, and invited them to the white house for a meeting. and while he said he gave the impression he was minding the police department he did not apologize. >> as a consequence of this event, this ends up being what's called a teachable moment where all of us instead of pumping up the volume

and sergeant james crowley. they're going to talk and the aftermath that made so many headlines. >>> pregnant women, health care workers and children over the age of 6 will be the first to get the swine vaccines this fall. that's what a panel recommended to the cdc. the virus is believed to have affected more than 1 million americans. >>> breaking news right now comes from the weather department. bob's talking about a tornado warning in ft. worth. >> luckily it just expired about a minute ago for terrent county, but we're still looking at the squall line racing to the east at about 35 miles per hour. in south of ft. worth it has a history of producing winds to 75 miles an hour. if you live near loathian, be prepared. get away from dallas. time of arrival, 5:49 central time. heading toward dallas, into arlington in a couple of z minutes. here's what it looks like. the storm is all the way to your west. you're going to see constant lightning in just a moment. the winds are going to be gusting easily to 60 miles pe