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Florida School Shooting; Netanyahu Calls Out Iran at Munich Security Conference; Trump Scoffs at Mueller Indictment of 13 Russian Nationals; Lebron James Spars with Fox News Host; Russian Delegation Notified of Failed Drug Test Russian Delegation Notified of Failed Drug Test; Stars Wear Black in Support of #TimesUp and #MeToo. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 19, 2018 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Survivors remember their classmates killed in the Florida school shooting and demand change.

Critics of U.S. President Trump say he's not saying or doing enough about that shooting and saying too much about the FBI.

Also:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS FORWARD: I mean too much to this society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to the -- some of these kids that feel like they don't have -- they don't have a way out.

ALLEN (voice-over): The world's top professional basketball player has a message for the FOX host who told him to shut up and dribble.

It's all ahead here this hour. Thank you for joining us, everyone, I am Natalie Allen in Atlanta and CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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ALLEN: And we begin with the outrage turning into action in the U.S. state of Florida. A deadly school shooting killed 17 people there last week. Now many of the survivors say they will march on Washington to demand tougher gun laws.

They're calling it the March for Our Lives and want students to descend on the capital March 24th. Survivors and supporters held this rally Saturday to condemn lawmakers beholden to the gun industry.

They are also slamming U.S. president Donald Trump after he tried to pin the shooting on the FBI and Russia probe.

The president tweeted this on Saturday, "Very sad that the FBI missed all the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. There is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud."

Here are some of the responses to the president. They appear to be from students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting occurred.

One wrote, "My friends were brutally murdered and you have the nerve to make this about Russia. I can't believe this."

Another tweeted, "Oh, my God, 17 of my classmates and friends are gone and you have the audacity to make this about Russia. Have a damn heart. You can keep all of your fake and meaningless thoughts and prayers."

It is possible that President Trump will face some of that ire in person this week. He has plans to meet with high school students and teachers to talk about school safety. Boris Sanchez has more about it.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: An interesting item being added to the president's schedule for this week on Sunday afternoon. On Wednesday, the White House announcing that the president would be hosting a listening session with some high school students and teachers to talk about campus safety.

What's unclear right now is exactly who the president is going to be hearing from. The White House not telling us if he is going to be hosting survivors from last Wednesday's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High School in Parkland, Florida, which is only about 40 miles from where the president is spending his long weekend at Mar- a-lago. Sources telling CNN that the president opted not to go golfing on Saturday or Sunday, in part to show respect to the victims and families of that shooting.

However, the president is staying inside and sources tell CNN that he is watching cable news and growing frustrated with what he sees, the president apparently having dinner with his two sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., on Saturday night.

And sources tell CNN that they encouraged him to be tougher on the FBI after it was revealed that the FBI mishandled the tip about the shooter involved in last Wednesday's attack.

The president apparently went to the residence at around 10:00 pm. And then at 11:00 p.m., we started seeing the beginning of this tweet storm. The president going on some 13 tweets, attacking some of his favorite targets, including Democrats, the media as well as his own national security adviser, H.R. McMaster.

One tweet in particular raised a lot of eyebrows and drew anger from some of the survivors of the shooting. Here is that tweet now, the president writing, quote, "Very sad that

the FBI missed all of the many of the signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They're spending too much time trying to prove Russia collusion with the Trump campaign. There is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud."

That tweet getting several responses from some of the survivors of the shooting at the high school, many of them upset with the president, saying that he crossed the line by making this all about himself.

We got a chance to ask them -- our colleague, Fredricka Whitfield, asked some of the students if they would take part in the listening session with the president. They told us that they would not be approaching the president -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The survivors of the tragedy said they want it to be the --

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ALLEN: -- last school shooting. Here's what some of them told CNN's Dana Bash about their planned march on Washington and what they hope to achieve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON KASKY, DOUGLAS STUDENT: On March 24th, You are going to be seeing students in every single major city marching. And we have our lives on the line here. And, at the end of the day, that is going to be what's bringing us to victory and to making some sort of right out of this tragedy.

This is about us begging for our lives. This isn't about the GOP. This isn't about the Democrats. This is about us creating a badge of shame for any politicians who are accepting money from the NRA and using us as collateral.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And David Hogg, lastly, you just heard your friend there talk about this march in March next month.

What exactly are you hoping will come out of that?

DAVID HOGG, DOUGLAS STUDENT: I hope that the American public takes action. We've sat around for too long, being inactive in our political climate and, as a result, children have died. It's time for us to stand up and take action and hold our elected officials responsible.

And if our elected officials are not willing to stand up and say, 'I'm not going to continue to take money from the NRA because children are dying,' they shouldn't be in office and they won't be in office, because this is a midterm year and this is the change that we need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio is getting heat for his cozy relationship with the National Rifle Association. Despite what critics argue, Rubio also said gun restrictions would not have prevented the mass shooting in his home state this past week. Here is what he has to say about legislation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: (INAUDIBLE) as a political figure, well, you know, how -- what could we have done in the law. Am I wrong? Have we missed something that we could have done different?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how do you answer that question?

RUBIO: I answer the question I always have and that it's complicated. I know people don't want to hear it but it's a complicated issue and I hope we'll have a chance to delve into the reasons why it is complicated. It's not unsolvable. It should be addressed. I've never said that we should (INAUDIBLE) reported. It's unfair. I've never said we cannot do anything. I've just said we need aim to do something that works.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: For now Rubio, blames the FBI for failing to stop the shooter when red flags were raised.

For more now let's turn our guest, Larry Sabato is director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He comes to us via Skype from Charlottesville.

Hello to you, Larry.

LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Hello, Natalie.

ALLEN: And also with us, John Thomas, a CNN political commentator comes to us from Los Angeles also via Skype.

Hi, John. Thank you for being with us.

JOHN THOMAS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hi.

ALLEN: Much to discuss here regarding the shooting in Florida. We want to start, though, with one of President Trump's tweets regarding the shooting. It somehow ended up being, though, about the Russia story. Here it is. Let me read it for you now.

"Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many of the signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They're spending too much time trying to prove Russia collusion with the Trump campaign. There is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud."

John, what's your response to this?

Do you have an issue with his turning this toward collusion and seeming to focus on the fact that he is still innocent here?

THOMAS: Well, I think the president is frustrated, Natalie, because the recent indictment as to what the 13 Russian trolls from Russia continue to show that Mueller and this investigation has yet to produce any real collusion. It's sucking up massive amounts of government resources at the same time that the FBI is failing to do their essential job which is to vet threats to the homeland, real tangible threats, which we knew in the case of the Florida shooter that it was a failure of law enforcement to do their basic job.

ALLEN: So you do not think it shows any lack of leadership or support on the president's part, that he goes there and links these two issues?

THOMAS: No, I don't. I think president's frustrated with the whole -- what he calls the Russia hoax in general. So that's obviously top- of-mind for him. But a bigger issue really that is why was -- why did the FBI fail not just to identify the shooter that should have been obviously identified via tipline in Florida but they did not identify the Las Vegas shooter or these other shooters.

There's a systematic problem with the FBI at the same time that all of the public focus on the FBI continues to do, seems to be on this Russia thing that has to date yield no fruit.

ALLEN: So you're focusing as well on FBI, more so than the gun situation.

Let me get Larry's response to that.

SABATO: Well, I certainly agree, this was a major slipup by the FBI with tragic consequences and certainly the FBI is going to have to get to the bottom of it and correct the problem. But these are two very separate issues, the Florida school shooting --

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SABATO: -- and the Russia probe. It is certainly not a hoax. The Russia probe is real and it has to with do a lot more than collusion between Donald Trump or the Trump campaign and the Russians.

This has to do with a foreign power, a hostile power interfering in a major way with an American presidential election and basically getting away with it. And what a president should be doing, any president of either party, is putting first in his tweets and his pronouncements and his -- in his administration a prohibition on foreign governments ever doing this again and making it very clear that it will never again be tolerated.

Where are these pronouncements from President Trump?

They are nowhere to be found because he is obsessed with his personal situation, as he demonstrated with the ridiculous tweet storm Sunday morning.

ALLEN: And yet he is still, in certain respects, hiding behind Twitter instead of coming out and addressing the nation on the issue of Russia as well as this massacre. I want to talk about the massacre last fall, the deadliest ever. More than 50 people gunned down at a concert in Vegas. No movement came out of that. Then a church shot up in Texas. No movement came out of that.

What is it about the kids, John, this high school in Florida, that may spark a movement that has teeth?

Let us start with listening to the mother of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre student. Her son was killed at the school. Here is what she had to say about what these students are doing in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE HOCKLEY, DIRECTOR, SANDY HOOK PROMISE: Now momentum has continued to build since Sandy Hook. What's different about Parkland is that these are the actual kids speaking out. My son, Dylan, was far too young to have a voice and survivors from his classroom were too young to have a voice.

These are teenagers. These are intelligent young people who know what they want and they know how to articulate their pain and their needs. And therefore, we really need to listen to them. This isn't parents advocating for their children. This is kids advocating for themselves and saying, help us. Listen to us. Keep us safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Are these high school kids going to be able to do something where others have failed as far as assault rifles and the epidemic of massacres, John?

THOMAS: I do not think they're going to make a difference on the issue of guns in particular because you've got a party, the Republican Party and Trump's a part of that party that does not fundamentally believe that a law, a single law or even multiple laws would have prevented this shooter. Didn't Sandy Hook, for instance, when that happened, there was an assault rifle ban; didn't stop that shooter from getting an assault rifle.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: They have not changed the laws, though, in that state in this scene of reduction in shooting --

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: Right, well, I think -- I think what these children's passion, voices are going to end is that real after action tangible list of recommendations to harden these soft targets, to keep our schools safer and also look at how our law enforcement, both local and federal communicate with one another, just like we did after 9/11 when it turned out the left hand wasn't talking to the right hand.

So I think they're going to force some kind of change here. But I do not think we're going to see it on the issue, no. ALLEN: Larry, you get the last word here on this situation.

SABATO: Well, look, I'm rooting for them. I think a large majority of Americans are rooting for them. They're doing the right thing and they're trying to accomplish something that no one else and no other generation recently has been able to accomplish.

I'm less pessimistic than usual. But I am still pessimistic that we will see any major change in gun law. I do agree with John that there are other changes that have to be made. Maybe they can create momentum for those changes.

ALLEN: We'll wait and see. A lot of people are pulling for these students because of their passion and their pain. Thank you both, John Thomas, Larry Sabato, thank you.

The people killed by the gunman weren't his only victims. Four people wounded at Stoneman Douglas High School remain in the hospital as of Sunday. They were listed as being in fair condition.

As the community mourns, it is also burying those who were killed. We've learned a viewing will be held for student Cara Loughran in the coming hour. She was just 14 and loved Irish dancing. On Facebook, Cara's aunt said the family is, quote, "gutted."

She said people's thoughts are appreciated but begged them to do something so other families do not have to suffer.

Funerals and memorial services are also being held for other victims who died. CNN's Kaylee Hartung has more from Parkland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This South Florida community continues to mourn the loss of 17 lives after last Wednesday's fatal shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School.

Scott Beigel, a 35-year-old geography teacher, was --

[01:15:00]

HARTUNG: -- among those laid to rest on Sunday. He's been hailed as a hero over the last week because of his actions in the final moment of his life, trying to protect his students from the gunman.

But as friends and family reminded us, he was a hero for more than his final moments. Also, for the way that he lived his life, the impact that he had on his students, those athletes that he coached on the school's cross country team and also the campers that he counseled at a summer camp he began attending as a child.

He was remembered for his compassion and kindness. Also, his humor and wit.

Alex Schachter was also remembered, a young man who loved music. This 14-year old played the trombone and the baritone in the school's marching band and orchestra. He was one of four children who had already endured the loss of their mother in 2008.

We also remember the life of Jaime Guttenberg, a young, talented and beautiful dancer. Orange was her favorite color, so dancers across this country could be seen over the weekend in competition, wearing orange ribbons to remember her.

Alex and Jaime both had brothers who also attended Stoneman Douglas, though they both escaped last Wednesday without harm.

On Monday, the life of Luke Hoyer will be remembered, a 15-year old, was the youngest of three kids. He loved the game of basketball, playing video games and eating anything sweet, his family said.

This community continues to mourn and heal -- in Parkland, Florida, Kaylee Hartung, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And amid all the pain we are getting a new, disturbing look at the murderer who carried out the shooting. This surveillance video appears to show the gunman walking to a McDonald's restaurant shortly after he killed 17 people. School officials and authorities say multiple warning signs were missed about the gunman, including a tip in January to the FBI about his gun ownership and his desire to kill.

We are going to have a town hall to address the gun issue with students, parents and others impacted by the shooting. We're calling it "Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action." And our program airs live on Thursday at 10:00 in the morning Hong Kong time, that's 9:00 pm Wednesday in New York.

An update now to the Russia investigation that President Trump continues to denounce. Former Trump presidential campaign aide, Rick Gates, has agreed to testify against former campaign chair, Paul Manafort. That according to the "Los Angeles Times."

The report says Gates will plead guilty to fraud related charges and, in return for a lesser sentence, he will cooperate with Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Iranian authorities fear the worst as they investigate a plane crash in a mountain range. We'll tell you about that ahead here. Plus a FOX News says she is not backing down from her comments about the world's top basketball player.

Were those comments racist?

We will have an interview here. CNN NEWSROOM pushes on.

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ALLEN: There are new revelations about the Oxfam sex crimes scandal. The aid agency has released an interim report from 2011 and it details how the agency dealt with allegations of sexual crimes by some of its staff working in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010.

The report revealed that three aid workers physically threatened and intimidated a witness during an internal investigation. The report also says the program director admitted to having sex with prostitutes at his Oxfam residence. He denied the allegation just last week.

Oxfam announced on Friday it will not request new funding from the U.K. government until measures to prevent abuse have been implemented. The aid agency has apologized but denies there was a cover-up.

All 65 people on board a plane that crashed in a snowy mountain range in Southern Iran are presumed dead. Aseman Airlines said on Sunday the twin-engine turboprop disappeared less than an hour into a flight from Tehran to Yasuj. Worried relatives of some of the passengers gathered at the airport in Yasuj to wait for any news on the rescue effort.

The cause of the crash, of course, is under investigation and that rescue going very slow, the search as well.

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ALLEN: Israel and Iran are trading jabs one week after they were involved in military clashes in Syria at a security conference in Munich, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of trying to increase its influence in Syria and around the world and to make his point, as you can see, Netanyahu held up what he says is a piece of an Iranian drone, flown into Israeli airspace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Israel will not allow Iran's regime to put a noose of terror around our necks. We will act without hesitation to defend ourselves.

And we will act, if necessary, not just against Iran's proxies that are attacking us but against Iran itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Iranian foreign minister replied by warning, "Iran will respond seriously if its interests are threatened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: You were the audience for a cartoonish circus just this morning. This does not even deserved a dignity of a response. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The Israeli prime minister is blaming a media witch hunt for a new police investigation. Mr. Netanyahu was not named as a suspect but the new investigation is reaching top levels of his government.

Separately, Israeli police announced last week they had enough evidence to charge Netanyahu for corruption in two other cases. The prime minister denies the allegations.

Ahead here, CNN gets a look inside a Russian factory that produced ads and messages designed to cause discord in American society. We'll take you to what they call a troll farm -- coming next.

[01:30:00]

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ALLEN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. Here's a look at our top stories.

Aid agency, Oxfam has released an internal report from 2011 and it revealed that three aid workers accused of sexual misconduct in Haiti physically threatened and intimidated a witness during the internal investigation. The report also says the Haiti program director admitted to having sex with prostitute at his Oxfam resident. He denied that allegation last week.

Many survivor of last week's high school shooting in Florida are demanding tougher gun laws. They want students to descent on Washington next month for an event they're calling, "The march for our lives." At a rally with (INAUDIBLE) Saturday they slammed politicians who get donations from the National Rifle Association.

Iran is investigating the cause of a plane crash in a southern mountain range, all 65 people onboard the Aseman Airlines twin engine turbo prop are presumed dead. The airline says the plane disappeared less than an hour after takeoff from Tehran on Sunday.

Former Trump Presidential Campaign Aide, Rick Gates has agreed to testify against former Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, that according to the "Los Angeles Times." The report says Gates will plead guilty to fraud charges and his cooperating with Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

U.S. President Donald Trump does not see Mr. Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian groups for election meddling as a victory. Instead, he blames political discord in the U.S. on the Russia investigation itself. And tweeted Sunday that, "They are laughing their asses of in Moscow." But (INAUDIBLE) as Matthew Chance explains from Moscow, the Russian troll factory that produced fake political ads during election are very real and the people behind him had very real goals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):

This is the only glimpse we have of a Russian troll factory in action. The undercover video was recorded inside the secretive internet research agency in Saint Petersburg where paid internet provocateurs works 12-hour shifts distorting the U.S. political debate.

CNN spoke to a Russian journalist who went undercover there as an internet troll in 2016.

LYUDMITA SAVCHUK, JOURNALIST (through translator): The U.S. elections are the key issue for the Kremlin and, of course, Russia has invested a lot of effort into them that's why the troll factories are working, I have no doubt.

CHANCE: And this is the publicity shy Russian oligarch now indicted in the U.S for bank crawling the troll factory. Yevgeny Prigozhin dubbed by Russian media as "Putin Chef" has lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin but denies any involvement in election meddling.

"Americans are very impressionable people" he told Russian state media. "They see what they want to see. I have great respect for them, I' not at all upset that I'm on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see one" he added.

But the possible extent of Prigozhin's alleged involvement in the often shadowy world of Russian foreign policy is only now starting to emerge. He's already under U.S. sanctions for supporting Russian forces in Ukraine. And now through a complex web of relationships, he suspected of links to covert Russian mercenaries deployed in Syria where CNN has reported several were killed in a recent U.S. airstrike. Prigozhin denies any connection to the group.

Whatever the truth "Putin Chef" and his network of secretive companies seem to extend far beyond the kitchen. Matthew Chance, CNN Saint Petersburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Inside a Russian troll farm right there. International Basketball Super Star Lebron James is making headlines this weekend and not just for his performance in his performance in the NBA All- Star Game, we'll tell you why he's sparring with a "Fox News" host coming up.

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[01:35:14]

ALLEN: Welcome back. The NBA All-Star Game ended a few hours ago with a win for the team led by Lebron James. But the athlete also made headlines this weekend for sparring with a "Fox News" host. Laura Ingram slammed James and fellow NBA Star Kevin Durant on Thursday after they appeared in a video criticizing President Trump. She in a mocking tone called James remarks barely intelligible and took jabs at his education. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAM, FOX NEWS HOST: This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA. And it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball. Oh, and Lebron and Kevin, you're great players but no one voted for you. Millions elected Trump to be their coach, so keep the political commentary to yourself or as someone once said, "Shut up and dribble."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: James fired back at Ingram telling her to check her facts. He also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS FORWARD: We will definitely not shut up and dribble. I would definitely not do that. I mean too much too society, I mean too much to the youth, I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don't have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they're in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The "Fox News" host invited Lebron James on her program. On Friday, she also released a statement standing by her comment and dismissing claims that her remarks were racist.

Let's talk more about this with Dave Zirin, he is the sports editor at the "The Nation Magazine." Dave, thanks for coming on.

DAVE ZIRIN, SPORTS EDITOR, NATION MAGAZINE: Sure thing. Because this is turning into a big story, what were your thoughts after hearing Laura Ingram on "Fox?"

ZIRIN: Well my first thought is that it was a very old script. I mean, to hear, "Shut up and dribble" it reminded me when people used to say to Muhammad Ali, "Shut up and box." It reminded me of when people used to say Jackie Robinson, "Shut up and bunt."

I mean, these are the things that have long been said to black athletes to make sure that they don't use their hyper exalted platform to actually say something about politics and just as they say stick to sports.

[01:40:15]

ALLEN: So you think this is something that is specific toward African-American athletes and not other athletes?

ZIRIN: Historically that's what its been and if you look at for example Donald Trump's tweets since he's been president, he's gone after black athletes with a particular vengeance and ignored people in the sports world who are white, who have criticized his presidency. I think the same is true with Laura Ingram, she proudly carries water for Donald Trump.

They like to play these racial games, it's not so much a dog whistle as is an air raid siren but I think this time truly Lauran Ingram and the people around her bid off far more than they could chew. I don't think they expected for one second not only for Lebron to respond the way he did but for the sports world to rise up in unison to say, "No, we defend the right to be more than an athlete."

ALLEN: How could they not know there were big backlash? Lebron James, 40.7 million followers, Kevin Durant, 17.4 million. These are mega stars, that many people care what these athletes are doing and likely what they're saying.

ZIRIN: It's interesting that you said their Twitter numbers because Michelle Roberts, the head of the NBA Players Association, she referenced them as well and said, "Well now, 57 million new people have been introduced to who Laura Ingram is and they're getting a very negative impression of that."

I just think they did not expect the athletes to pushback. I think they realized that these athletes over the last five years or so have really been in a kind of training for this kind of political activism. I mean, it started with the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin when Lebron James got the Miami Heat to all wear hoodies and that picture went viral.

And since then, it's been regular political discourse and dialogue for almost six years and I don't think "Fox News" has any conception whatsoever that these athletes are ready for this kind of political fight.

ALLEN: Right. You talk about the pushback from the athletes. Let's talk about the role of athletes. James posted this message, "I am more than an athlete." And he also says this is bigger than him playing basketball. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES: You know, if it's for the greater good, then I don't mind being a symbol. I don't sit up here trying to get a reward for it. I don't think Muhammad Ali sat up there trying to get a reward. I don't think Jim Brown or Bill Russell or Jackie Robertson and the list goes on and on.

They sit up there trying to get rewarded for it, it's just -- because this is who we are and we know it's bigger than us, it's not about us. I'm going to do what I have to do to continue to play this game that I love to play but this is bigger than me playing the game of basketball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: He made his feelings very clear on that, didn't he?

ZIRIN: He certainly did. And he wasn't alone. I mean, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, even Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA, he did what is known as the State of the NBA Union where he does a big press conference during All-Star Weekend which is what we're in right now.

And Adam Silver started his comments unprompted with a defense of Lebron James and any players right to be political. I mean, that's a remarkable level of institutional support in the NBA that for example in the NFL players simply do not have and I think it's one of the things that's attracting people to the NBA because whether you agree or disagree with the politics of the players, you see them as three- dimensional people and that three dimensionality is exactly what "Fox News" was pushing back against. And I think they really did learn a lesson that to quote "The Wire," "If you come for the king, you best not miss."

ALLEN: Lebron James encountered direct racism recently. Last summer, his home was vandalized with graffiti and after that he said this, "No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough. We've got a long way to go for us as society and for us African- Americans until we feel equal in America."

And this story involving "Fox" certainly illustrates the fact that he's been targeted unfairly more than once, many times and then he's been quite eloquent talking about to the issues he faces. All of this while he does his day job, play basketball quite remarkably.

ZIRIN: Right. No, it's a remarkable story. And I reminds of Seattle Seahawks, Michael Bennett who was asked why he supports the Black Lives Matter Movement and he said, "Well I'm going to play in the NFL for another couple of years, I'm going to be black the rest of my life."

And there is this rhetoric certainly from Donald Trump, the word he uses is ungrateful to describe protesting black athletes and that word ungrateful, it assumes this idea that somehow racism is no longer an issue in your life or the life of your family just because you're a star athlete.

[01:45:16]

And I think what Lebron James's recent experience has shown and that what he's trying to be a voice for is that this is everybody's responsibility to do something about whether you're directly affected by it or not. "Fox News" is a very different perspective on the question of racism in U.S. society and that perspective is, "Just shut up and dribble."

ALLEN: Dave Zirin, sports editor at "The Nation Magazine," we appreciate you coming on. Thanks for your thoughts.

ZIRIN: Thank you.

ALLEN: News out of the Olympics, it is not about medals, the Russian Olympic Delegation says one of his athletes has failed a drug test. CNN's Amanda Davies joins me now with more from Pyeongchang, South Korea, what we're learning about this, Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thanks Natalie. Just three golds being decided today and not until later in the day, so it's a real day where it's sports news dominating the headlines instead of the sport not what the IOC would have wanted.

And while there's interest in the current climate when you hear of a failed drug test, if that failed drug test involves an athlete from Russia, then as you can imagine and that is magnified at least ten folds and the spokesperson from the Olympic athletes from Russia team confirm to CNN that the Russian delegation was told on Sunday that one of their athletes has failed a test and are waiting for the results of the B sample which should be confirmed later today.

But neither the OAR or the International Olympic Committee have confirmed the identity or sports of the athlete as things stand. In terms of the bigger picture though, it's going to be very, very interesting to see what impact this might have on whether or not Russia will be able to march under their own team name and flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday.

You might remember that one of the clauses in the agreement that allowed the band Russian team to compete here in Pyeongchang under the neutral flag was that the option is there for them to reinstated for the final proceedings if they stick to the rules. And the IOC Spokesperson, Mark Adams wouldn't really be drawn on that matter when he was pressed in a daily news conference, he simply said it's too premature to say with the official decision set to be made on Saturday. Let's have a listen to what he have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ADAMS, IOC PRESIDENT'S SPOKESPERSON: On the one hand it's extremely disappointing when prohibited substances may have been used. But on the other hand, it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the games which protects the rights of all the clean athletes. If this case is confirmed, if this case is confirmed, it will be considered by the OAR implementation group chaired by IOC Executive Board Member Nicole Hoevertsz which will report to the IOCEB at the end of the Olympic Games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: If the results of the B sample that we're waiting for Natalie to discover whether or not this case will be confirmed and you suspect at that point, a lot more detail will come and the decision in terms of the bigger picture will need to be made.

ALLEN: All of the lead up concerning Russian athletes and drugs and it seems surreal, we're talking about this yet again. Amanda Davies for us, thank you so much for that report Amanda.

You knew him for his movies such as "Alien" and "Gladiator" but the BAFTA honored Director Ridley Scott for much more, we'll have that next. Plus, look at this year's winners at the BAFTA in London, coming right up.

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IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. As we check in on conditions across the Northeast where they just had several centimeters of accumulation of snowfall followed by some rain that's going to be coming heading into the next few days with a big story here if you're traveling into the United States, a big warm up having a rise to the middle part of the week.

In fact, we'll have temperatures much above average where we stayed there through the weekend with temps that didn't make it to zero, well now, we'll kind of go well above zero. And look at that, for the first time we're seeing even the potentials of strong thunderstorms rolling through for the first time through the season, right, this is the time of year. Winter in spring start fighting and then when that happens we can get some nasty weather here.

Thirteen in Chicago, down in Dallas, we'll have temperatures into the lower twenties. That boundary will continue pushing east so that by midweek if that's when you get into the estates across the east, we'll see some rain at that point there. As far as temperatures further south across the Caribbean, pretty typical for this time of year, great weather that is with plenty of sunshine. We'll continue to see that across Cuba and into the Bahamas with temperatures there in the upper twenties to lower thirties. My (INAUDIBLE) thirty one in Mexico City, Distrito Federal in the low twenties through the (INAUDIBLE)

South America looking pretty good, we do have this area of low pressure that's going to be moving along a boundary here and so that will impact places like Brazilia heading into Manaus, temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s.

ALLEN: The issue that Hollywood's been dealing with took center stage in London at the British Academy Film Award Ceremony. Stars wore black on the red carpet to sand against sexual harassment and gender inequality. That did not overshadow the awards.

Here are some of the winners, Gary Oldman took home the best actor price for his role as Winston Churchill in the World War II era film, "Darkest Hour." Frances McDormand won leading actress for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." At the award show also Sir Ridley Scott was honored with the highest BAFTA Award, the fellowship award recognizes the director's outstanding contribution to film. Neil Curry has a look at his 40 years cinematic career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIDLEY SCOTT, FILM DIRECTOR: Good movies should always be ahead of the audience, never with them or behind them, they should be ahead of them always, that's called drama.

(VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Scroll to Ridley Scott's movie credits is a journey through titles which conjure up some of the most unforgettable scenes in film history. His works spans genre from science fiction to sword and sandals. Often peppered with a range of real-life characters and fictional

figures, it haunts the memories for years, decades even after their appearance on screen. Books of his mojo estimates the movies he's directed have grossed more than $1.6 billion.

SCOTT: People keep saying, is there a thread between the films you make and there's not really. It's always story, story, story.

CURRY: Scott's storytelling skills were recognized with his first movie making venture at the (INAUDIBLE) age of 40. His featured debut, "The Duellists" won best first film at prestigious CAM Film Festival.

But 40 years since then have yielded direct nominations three times at the Oscars and the BAFTA and five times at the Golden Globes but he's never won.

SCOTT: With my movies, I've got no regrets about anything. They're all my favorite children.

CURRY: His work has been recognized instead through a British knighthood in 2003 (INAUDIBLE) him with the grand title of Sir Ridley and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: The images that he's created over the course of his career and the adventures that he's taken us at the cinematic -- cinema audience on has just been amazing.

CURRY: Scott is renowned as a fast filmmaker which enabled him to react quickly to recruit Christopher Plummer and reshoot Kevin Spacey scenes in his latest film, "All the Money in the World" following allegations of sexual misconduct made against Spacey.

[01:55:27]

SCOTT: (INAUDIBLE) don't go with filmmaking, so you got to kind of stay fit and clear. So filmmaking is my adrenaline, is my rush and that's why I love to make films.

CURRY: He's received two special awards from BAFTA in the past, the second shared with his brother, "Top Gun" Director Tony Scott who committed suicide in 2012. But the fellowship is BAFTA's highest award with Ridley Scott joining such names as Spielberg, (INAUDIBLE), Kubrick, and Hitchcock.

SCOTT: This is the best fitting room in the world, in here.

CURRY: Now at the age of 80, Ridley Scott is far from ready to vacate the director's chair with a war film, "Battle of Britain" and another "Alien" prequel already announced. So his clapperboard will continue to operate along after the clapping has ended at the BAFTA. Neil Curry, CNN London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Why retire? That's CNN NEWSROOM but we have more right after the break, I'm Natalie Allen. Thanks for watching.