they are the thing that made me johnny weir. >> reporter: openly-gay u.s figure skater johnny weir is law but hopes to compete at sochi. >> johnny weir, u.s. figure skater: i think and believe really that our presence in russia will do nothing but help fight this law and help the lgbt community >> reporter: the gay rights group "all out". has launched a global campaign, urging pressure on the russian government to repeal the new law ahead of the sochi olympics. >> jeremy heimans - 'all out': we are going to take the message directly to the putin regime, >> reporter: some gay rights groups however, are boycotting russian vodka. and they're calling for boycotting the olympics. international gay rights groups say the law is fueling violence against gays in russia. two gay men were savagely murdered in less than a month. >> jessica stern, international gay and lesbian human rights commission: if you are an olympics fan who is vacationing in russia and you happen to be gay, or you are with your child happens to be gay and you pick up some information or have a book with you, you could be d

if i want to be accepted as johnny weir, i have to act as johnny weir. i'm not a propagandist.their life and that lives it openly and proudly and for me to go on a medal stand and wave a rainbow flag, while it would be a beautiful moment for the lgbt community around the world, it's not in my own personal principles to do that. the olympics are a peacetime. they're about sport and excellence. the olympics aren't about politics. >> and certainly though i think we'll see a little bit of that as it comes into the olympics. johnny and blake, we will be watching, and certainly good luck to both of you as you try to qualify for the olympics. we do wish you the best of luck. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> all right. coming up at 3:00 on cnn "newsroom," fredricka whitfield asks greg lieu gain nis about his thoughts. do you go and say i am here and that's the statement? >>> we'll tell what you the former nfl star told a fan about the first-degree murder charge against him. if your moisturizer leaves an oily finish behind imagine what it's doing to your pores. [ female announcer

johnny weir, megan rapinoe, thank you for making the time for us. two. >> good luck, johnny. >> we're back after this. was t? when her sister dumped me. grandpa was my dad a good athlete? no. oh dad, you remember my friend alex? yeah. the one that had the work done... good to see you. where do we go when we die? the ground. who's your girlfriend? his name is chad. and that's where babies come from. [ male announcer ] sometimes being too transparent can be a bad thing. this looks good! [ male announcer ] but not with the oscar mayer deli fresh clear pack. it's what you see is what you get food. it's oscar mayer. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare

johnny weir, u.s.e skater: for me the olympics are the most important aspect of my life. they are the thing that made me johnny weir. openly-gay u.s figure skater johnny weir is against the new law but hopes to compete at sochi. johnny weir, u.s. figure skater: i think and believe really that our presence in russia will do nothing but help fight this law and help the lgbt community the gay rights group "all out". has launched a global campaign, urging pressure on the russian government to repeal the new law ahead of the sochi olympics. jeremy heimans - 'all out': we are going to take the message directly to the putin regime, some gay rights groups however, are boycotting russian vodka. and they're calling for boycotting the olympics. international gay rights groups say the law is fueling violence against gays in russia. two gay men were savagely murdered in less than a month. jessica stern, international gay and lesbian human rights commission: if you are an olympics fan who is vacationing in russia an

but johnny weir, a two time olympian and openly gay american figure skater says the law isn't going to stop him. >> i'll take proper precautions but at the same time i won't stop being myself. i won't stop being johnny weir, the gay fabulous ice skater person walking down the street. >> reporter: homophobia is rampant in russia. gay rights demonstrations are usually met with violence. police often ignore the attackers and arrest the protestors. activist say it's only gotten worse since the law was passed. >> government officially permitted the attack to these people. >> reporter: could you and i be arrested for talking in public right now about you being gay? >> yes, i can be arrested. >> reporter: in the u.s. activists are calling for a boycott on products like russian vodka and even participation in the olympics. so far the international olympic committee has remained silent on this latest warning. >>> back here at home tonight another soaring day on the stock market, another record high, the dow up almost 20% this year. the s&p 500, a broader measure of the market, another record. t

johnny weir is a decorated american figure skater and is openly guy.o him about russia's new law and calls for athletes to skip the games altogether. and you may be surprised at what he says. >>> revulsion russia is spreading for newly passed laws against gays and lesbian. we talked about this yesterday. new york city demonstrators dumped the contents of russian vodka bottles, look at this, right in front of the russian consulate. just a short time ago, west hollywood, california, same kind of drill. we talked to folks at this west hollywood bar. >> it's something that each of us can do individually today. we don't have to wait for the involvement of politicians, civic leaders, other activist groups. each and every one of us can basically take part in a grassroots movement to highlight the injustice of the lgbt community in russia right now. >> stoli has said they're not necessarily a russian company even though a lot of stuff comes out of russia. but there's an importance behind it. if it's going to bring attention to it, there's importance behind it.

. >> that was olympic figure skater johnny weir speaking about the upcoming winter games in sochi russia. who is openly gay is hoping to nab a spot on the u.s. team. a growing concern over a new and vaguely worded russian law aimed at banning gay propaganda. with the games six months away, international fire storm is brewing over russia's crackdown on gay rights. president obama has spoken out against the law twice noting while he finds the law offensive, he rejects the idea of an outright olympic boycott. >> i want to just make very clear right now i do not think it's appropriate to boycott the olympics. we've got a bunch of americans out there who are training hard who are doing everything they can to succeed. >> the law passed unanimously in june is supported by an overwhelming majority of russians. russian president vladimir putin publicly defended the law earlier this summer. this is not about imposing any kind of sanctions against homosexuality, he said, this is about protecting children. many in the u.s. beg to differ on that assessment. one, a vodka boycott that picked up all kin

this comes as athletes, including figure skater johnny weir are starting to weigh in about competing. >> it's heartbreaking that i could be suppressed in a country that i love so much and that this olympics, this thing that we train every single day for, blood, sweat and tears, it could end in disaster for people like they that could be arrested for simply wearing the wrong costume. >> joining mess is michelle kosinski in moscow and jonathan capehart. michelle, we'll begin with you. help us understand the confusion in terms of how the law may be enforced and the olympic international olympic committee's view right now. where does this stand? >> reporter: everyone has been weighing in on this, top leaders in government, arts and sports, but it's a tough thing to figure out for people both inside and outside russia. what we're talking about is a new law, actually a set of laws, but the one that's drawn a lot of attention was passed unanimously in june and bans the distribution of propaganda of nontraditional relations to children. that's accessible to children. it's ambiguous, and by t

an idea that johnny weir says would only hurt athletes. >> the olympics are the athletes' lives, it'sur livelihood. >> reporter: it's unclear whether the news this morning about the law not applying to athletes and fans will impact mounting calls for a boycott. and it's worth noting that russia is now promising to be, quote/unquote, politically correct and tolerant during the games, that probably does not mean they will improve their treatment of gays the rest of the time. that's why we're seeing these ongoing protests. >> dan, you will keep us updated on what's happening there. >> we probably haven't heard the last of it. >>> we want to turn now to paula faris with the other top stories this morning. good morning, paula. >>> we begin with a new picture of the guy being called the most wanted man in the world. take a look at edward snowden. the former nsa contractor, who exposed the u.s. government surveillance programs, grinning as he left moscow's airport, alongside a lawyer for the website wikileaks. now, russia has granted him asylum for one year, infuriating u.s. officials. membe

openly gay american figure skater johnny weir who says he won't boycott the olympic games in russia that country's controversial law against homosexuality. george is back to talk about that and more, and we're joined by christine brennan from "usa today" and lz granderson from "espn the magazine." christine, i want to start with you. do you think the olympic committee is really missing an opportunity here? >> i do, martha. i think the international olympic committee could basically say to the russian government, you must change this law, and here's why. it is a great gift, and it's a great bargaining chip to have the olympic games given to a country. russia, putin wanted these olympics more than anything. he himself lobbied for the olympic games several years ago, so just as the opportunity was missed in china with dissidents being thrown in jail because the olympics were held in china, the ioc missed an opportunity there to demand human rights change for generations. the same thing -- >> it's really quite extraordinary what's going on in russia. even if they say they won't arrest a

i want you to listen to figure skater johnny weir. >> i believe our presence in russia will do nothing this law and help the lgbt community. >> we've also seen protests of the vodka boycott, people taking to the streets to pour out russian vodka. the prison break star went with miller. he came out and declined to speak at the russian film festiv festival. does an issue like this threaten the brands in russia at all? what are those executives talking about behind closed doors? >> they're talking about what they're going to do with their employees to reassure their employees that the policies they've put in place and earned their trust over the years are still their policies. they're going to separate the sponsorship of the olympics from any discussion of their internal policies, which they can do. remember, the olympics is a part of each of these companies' brand, and if they give up that podium, their biggest competitors will take the podium. >> i think it's interesting that so many of these companies have been so out for gay rights in this country, and then they find themselves suppor

we did speak with johnny weir. he's quite well known. you see him here. an openly gay scatter from the united states. he also loves russia very much. we wanted to find out what his view is on this. here's what he said. >> i would never want to boycott the olympics or take the opportunity away from other athletes who have worked as hard as i have. i think our presence will do nothing but help fight this law and help the lgbt community. i urge americans not to push for a boycott. >> meanwhile you have gay groups in russia who are trying to take this to the constitutional court. also here in the united states senator jeff murkly said he will be raising this for some type of vote urging the international olympic committee to criticize it an also to urge the russian government not to enforce it. >> all right. thank you so much. appreciate that. it's interesting they say we're not going to enforce this during the olympics and what happens to the gay citizens afterwards when everybody goes home and not paying attention to this. they're the ones that get oppre op

johnny weir, two time olympian and openly gay american figure skater says the law isn't going to stop, fabulous ice skater person walking down the street. >> reporter: homophobia is rampant in russia. gay rights demonstrations are usually met with violence. police often ignore the attackers and arrest the protesters. activists say it has gotten worse since the law was passed. >> government officially permitted to attack gay people. >> could you and i be arrested for talking in public right now about you being gay? >> yes, i can be arrested. >> reporter: in the u.s. activists are calling for a boycott on products like russian vodka and some on participation in the olympics. so far, the international olympic committee has remained silent on this latest warning. kirit radia, abc news, moscow. >>> now to italy where for the first time in decades of prosecution, conviction against former prime minister berlusconi has been upheld. the 76-year-old berlusconi appealed a tax fraud conviction and it was upheld yesterday. all appeals exhausted. the conviction comes with a four-year prison senten

johnny weir join thomas roberts the next hour. >>> she grew up believing she was related to amelia earharts just a name with the famous flyer. a team of researchers were hired to look into her ancestry. the modern day amelia says she still hopes to become the youngest woman to fly around the world. >>> never one to mince words. larry ellison predicts apple is doomed without cofounder steve jobs. mandy, he was clear about what he was thinking? >> he was. he doesn't mince his words and made it clear he thinks apple could be lost without that cofounder steve jobs. in the interview where we learned this, chris, was with charlie rose. i've got a little except for you so let's take a listen. >> so what happens to apple without steve? >> we already know. >> what? >> we saw. we conducted the experiment. we saw apple with steve jobs. we saw apple without steve jobs. we saw apple with steve jobs. now we are going to see apple without steve jobs. >> so ellison and jobs i should say were close friends. nonetheless in terms of the stock today, apple is back above 200 and moving average for the first ti

you know, we have johnny weir who is out and open about who he is.ve blake, from new zealand, short track speed skater. he is out and open who he is. there are -- you know, walking propaganda as it were. you know? but they are individuals. where is the ioc going to stand up and stand up for them. >> and what about -- the ioc seems to be concerned about nothing but don't bother our athletes. they seem to be absolutely no concern about what happens to russian gay people the day before the olympics arrive, and the day after the olympics leave. >> well, that is reason why we're really pushing in athlete ally, is that wake up, you have an opportunity in september when you, you know, designate who the next olympics are going to be going to. and i know madrid, spain is one of the candidates. and they're very open and very accepting. and so you know, do the right thing. take the olympics so where the olympic ideals and the olympic movement can thrive. >> there are two candidates running for president of the ioc, and this is an issue where they say this is th

. >> johnny weir said his presence is more effective than any boycott. >> i am a figure skater.r crazy cost toms and has been alluded to. and as as of late. it is propaganda. and i am married to a russian-american man. >>> russian sports eve physicians say the antigay laws will not p connect tohe d athl olympics. >>> tensf thousands of people celebrated the events and point of pride for the netherlands. they were the first to realize gay marriage in 2,001. >> one of the most notable floats is from the football association. despite the level of acceptance there. most of the gay athletes are still after trade to come out. >> they consider legal action after being told to sit in the back of a bus. it happened in albuquerque, they he were asked to moved to the back after they were seen holding hands. the couple said they were shocked and complied. once the bus stopped. they approached the driver. >> i said you didn't like the fact that i was holding my partner's hand. >> he said. see, you are telling on yourself. >> my partner said that's discrimination. >> he said. see, you are tel

a couple of weeks ago on this show we had the opportunity to speak with american figure skater johnny weiraws and whether or not he plans to wear any type of pin publicly in opposition for these russian laws if he competes or whether he is a sports commentator for nbc. last week we saw wentworth miller to turn down an invitation to a russian film festival in st. peterpetersburg? will that send a message to the lgbt that they aren't isolated and not forgotten? >> i think those moves are very positive. i'm not so sure i would support a boycott because -- is not a state-owned company and i don't see the effectiviveness of that and it's bottled in latvia where i was today. as for boycotting the olympics, i don't know if that is a great idea. what is effect if the political leaders boycott. usually at the olympics they have prime ministers and presidents from all over the world come and they are seen publicly. i think great if vladimir putin is left all alone with other dictators. i don't think any leaders of free countries should show their faces at this. i think those are the sorts of moves t

listen to figure skater johnny weir. >> i think and believe really that our presence in russia will dong but help fight this law and help the lgbt community. >> people taking to the streets to pour out a russian liquor and celebrities are getting involved. bravo's andy cohen declined to hold the miss universe pageant in russia. he came out to the public this week and declined an invitation to the st. petersburg film festival. so, bob, does an issue like this threaten the brands at the olympics at all? i mean, what are those executives talking about behind closed doors? >> tear talking about what they're going to do with their employees to reassure their employees that their policies that i put in place and earned their trust over years are still their policies. they're going to separate sponsorship of the olympics from any discussion of their internal policies which they can do. remember, the olympics is a part of each of these companies brand and if they step away from it, if they give up that podium their biggest competitors will take the podium. >> it's interesting that they've been

and, you know, you hear from skater johnny weir and many others who say you spend all this time preparingf for olympic games, and if you do qualify, you want to be able to carry on with that pursuit. but if you boycott the games, that may have been your only shot. so who benefits from it, ultimately? >> yeah, it could have been your only shot. boycotts hurt the wrong people, it hurts the athletes. but there again, we can't ignore what's going on in sochi. that's the reason i joined up with athlete allies and all-out sports because, you know, love is love. i mean, love -- everybody -- it's a birthright to pursue love and not be incarcerated for loving and wanting to find love. >> do you feel like it will be difficult if there is no organized boycott, will it be difficult for some olympians to feel comfortable, to feel at home in sochi, to concentrate on their game knowing that there are these anti-gay laws in place, knowing that there have been discussions about whether american olympians should go to sochi at all. >> well, you know, when you're an olympic athlete, when the competition sta

this weekend i spoke to johnny weir. he is openly gay and married to a russian american.to him about his fears of breaking the propaganda law, and he's here's what he said. >> my sheer presence is already propaganda. first of all, i'm a figure skater. we wear crazy elaborate costume ans. and i'm married to a russian american man. i'm a figure skater. i'm very well-known in russia. just my sheer presence is i an big statement going against this anti-propaganda law. >> so hudson, it's interesting because he was saying, look, i'm showing up, and i am, you know, i am obviously who i am and that is going to be enough to make a statement. he's saying that. i'm just showing up. some other advocates have said, yeah, show up and making this -- i read one article that will said "the gayest olympics ever." take a stand. some people may say go, get arrested, bring awareness to this. some folks who sayish should be boycotted. what is the right or most effective approach here? >> i think boycotts always end up hurting the people. we don't intend to affect. it hurts the athletes who hav

from it's part the olympic committee [ inaudible ] figure skater johnny weir explains he'll be at leastut i won't stop being myself. i won't stop being the gay fabulous ice skater person walking down the street. >> they are calling on russia to guarantee no discrimination during the olympics. the spokesman says he will work out the language over recess and present the bill when congress reconvenes in september. house republicans once again are going to try to dismantle the affordable care act. they are voting for the 40th time. what they are going to vote on today would prevent the irs from implementing any part of health care reform. good luck with that. we're back after the break. young turks! i think the number 1 thing than viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. they know that i'm not bsing them for some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know i'm going to be the first one to call them out. cenk on air>> what's unacceptable is how washington continues to screw the middle class over. cenk off air>>> i don't wa

. >> johnny weir said he's prepared to go to the winter olympics in russia and get arrested. >> stephaniee says head of russia's state-controlled tv news. since 2008, dmitri -- that guy -- has been the deputy general director of the russian state television. >> he's bad, i meant. >> stephanie: on russia's number one top news show which airs all across russia every two hours. he told his fellow russian citizens that the hearts of lgbt people are unsuitable for life. he said i think just imposing fines on gays among teenagers is not enough. he continues saying gay people should be banned from donating blood, sperm, adds in their hearts in the case of an automobile accident should be buried in the ground or unsuitable for the continuation of life. >> oh, my god! >> stephanie: he means their actual hearts. apparently he believes that his fellow russians should die than accept a heart transplant from a gay or lesbian or transgender human being. russia is part of a larger tv network wholly controlled by the kremlin and they were saying this wouldn't happen on state television without putin's ap

we will have a frank conversation with olympian, blake skeler and johnny weir. >>> after the break, twomoscow relationship. >>> and we will talk about hillary clinton's latest moves. dt i'm the next american success story. working for a company where over seventy-five percent of store management started as hourly associates. there's opportunity here. i can use walmart's education benefits to get a degree, maybe work in it, or be an engineer, helping walmart conserve energy. even today, when our store does well, i earn quarterly bonuses. when people look at me, i hope they see someone working their way up. vo: opportunity, that's the real walmart. [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity to discover a hybrid from the luxury car company that understands that one type of hybrid isn't right for everyone. come to the lexus golden opportunity sales event and choose from one of five lexus hybrids that's right for you, including the lexus es and ct hybrids. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and