but having interviewed bob dylan and spent some time with bob dylan and met bob dylan's son, jacob, and spent time with him, i got to say flat-out, bob dylan is not a racist. i can't believe i even have to say that, but we know this in a way that we know martin luther king is not a racist, nelson mandela is not a racist. we know this from their work. this guy has a track record. "lonesome death," "in the wind." "hurricane." human dignity. it's threaded throughout the fabric of who he is as an artist. this whole thing just seems insane. i'm saying that with all due respect to whatever pain the people are bringing this charge are feeling. >> jeff, dylan was in paris to receive the legion of honor award when he was charged. the government is not trying to fine him. they're apparently just looking for an apology. if you were his legal adviser, would you tell him to give one? >> you know, bob dylan operates by his own rules. he is a truly great man. i don't think there is any dispute about that. he is a major cultural figure in american history and he has been on the right side of all these

we heard the announcement from jacob zuma, the president of south africa. we want to welcome our viewers who may just be tuning in here in the united states and around the world. we'll have special breaking news coverage of the death of nelson mandela here in "the situation room." we're watching what's going on, christiane and robyn kurnow is in johannesburg watching what's going on as well. we will only now begin, christiane, to get reaction. i'm sure that leaders around the world will want to speak out and pay their special respects to this world leader, from the president of the united states, the leaders in europe, africa, all over the world. it's only just beginning now. >> reporter: that's right. indeed, president zuma paid tribute to how much nelson mandela had been embraced by the world, that he was also the global representation of this relentless and unyielding struggle for freedom and justice, and he never gave up. i remember, you know, watching him being released from prison from very far away, from here in new york, watching the television, and

age of 95, just a few hours ago, the official announcement was made in south africa by the president, jacob zuma. a very, very sad day. people are celebrating, though, the life and times. these are coming in from johannesburg, outside the home of nelson mandela. it's approaching 2:00 a.m. in south africa, but the people are out on the streets. i suspect they will be throughout these next ten days of official mourning in south africa. we're watching what's going on, and writtening us on the phone right now is basimo gabriel, who spent years in robben island in the prison with nelson mandela. mr. swatwali, thank you for joining us. give us some thoughts, what it was like during the apartheid regime. tell us what it was like, eye specially on robben island in prison. >> well, let me first say that our people in south africa and the world have lost . >>> that's what we learned from nelson mandela. during the dark days with him on robben island. today he is seen as an icon of the world, whose teachings, as well as principles need to be embraced by all. he was embraced even by his own jailers, be

can see dawn is breaking and the announcement came just a few minutes before midnight from president jacob zuma that nelson mandela had passed away. so while there has been a sense of mourning in the last six, seven, eight hours, i think you're going to see a real sort of wave of emotion, of shock, of understanding, of knowledge, as people wake up to this news. so i think there is going to be a sense of thankfulness, though. i think you're not going to see hysteria, you're not going to see sort of great scenes of overemotion. you're going to see people singing and dancing. there's going to be a sense of thankfulness, although also deep deep deep sadness. >> and spike, i know you've got to go. but just to bring it back to rick stangel's point. to me that is what leadership is all about. to push down whatever feelings you may have very legitimate feelings after having been in prison for 27 years and to reach out to those who jailed you who oppressed you, oppressed generations of your brothers and sisters. to me that is just an extraordinary, extraordinary thing. >> yes. and that's why he was

i'm trying to make it out. >> it was jacob zuma. >> we both thought it at the same time. it's just the been confirmed to us by producers, that is the current president of south africa, jacob zuma in that shot. it is important to point out to our viewers from around the world, you can hear the singing there and see the dancing. it may seem a lig jarring, but south africans sing, they sing whenner that happy, when they're sad. they sang a great amount for nelson mandela in prison and they are singing many of the same songs. >> listen to what they are doing now. [ music playing ] i guess one thing, too, south africans have had 26 weeks upset by the news mandela has finally passed away. as they are saying, 26 long weeks he has been gravely ill. he spent that time in hospital, three months in hospital. then they finally moved him to his home. he was under medical care. in many ways, he was on life support machines at some stage, he was taking a lot of drugs. he was on a dialysis machine. the news has been constantly in the headlines in south africa. so they had 26 weeks really

i think it's a challenge for the anc there, a challenge for jacob zuma to learn the lessons and move on. >> we've been hearing a lot of wonderful personal stories. we talk about the global impact, the personal stories the people have with the man, the figure, the father. what was your first impression of him when you started your journey with him. >> i had a funny first meeting with him. i was walking with him on "long walk to freedom." he came out of prison, he was unsophisticated about things. he told me about when they first held sound mikes over him, he held his head back like this. he thought it was a weapon. he didn't know what it was. after our first meeting, i said we'll have to have many, many meetings like this. he said, i don't have time for that. i stormed out. i thought, my god, the whole project was over with. when i apologized to him, i said, i have been he was in prison for 27 years, a lovely person to be around, he was sunny and he was a happy warrior and it's very hard to be out of his presence once you've been with him for a long time. >> i want to talk about the n

jacob zuma yesterday spoke about his legacy. >> we'll always love madiba for teaching us that it is possible to overcome hatred and anger in order to build a new nation and a new society. >> president zuma also announced funeral plans for nelson mandela, including a national day of prayer and reflection this sunday, an open air memorial service at johannesburg soccer stadium next tuesday and his burial on december 15th. and in johannesburg and throughout south off africa a variety of tributes, among them flags flying at half staff, a mood echoed in the uk why david cameron said mandela's dignity inspired millions. here in the united states white house flags were lowered on the order of president obama. up on capitol hill house speaker john boehner issued a similar request. in johannesburg crowds have been gathering since mandela's death was announced. arwa damon is on the scene for us. there's been a flurry of emotions from mourners, some in tears, others celebrating the life of their beloved former leader through song and dance. tell us what you are seeing and hearing. ♪ >> reporter: well

>> the last time that i saw him was actually at the inauguration of president jacob zuma. it was a passing on of the torch first to m becky, then to jacob zuma, but he was still the moral force that will held that country together and he still is and will continue to be. >> and we are almost out of time. i've got to throw this into you. you knew the mandela days. there's been a lot of disappointment in thao mbeki and jacob zuma on management levels and personality wise. do you think nelson mandela would have been happy with the country he's left behind now? >> no, he would never be happy until the hungry are fed and the naked clothed and the sick are healed. but they start the out with a nation where 85% of the people were discriminated against. they're probably now down to 70% of the people hole still in poverty. but we have in this nation probably 30% of the people are still in poverty. so we've got a long way to go. >> ambassador young, thank you so much for your time. >> fascinating >> other world leaders have been inspired by mandela's ability to fib his enemies. a ma

it was all happening so fast, says edison tech basketball coach jacob scott, who was less than a block away and making his way towards the bus stop. when he got to his students, he also got a surprise. >> i told the police officer who i was, why i was there. explained to him that these guys were down here to catch the bus to go to a scrimmage. did they do something wrong? >> and what did the officer say to you? >> yes, they didn't disperse. they didn't leave. we told them to go home and they didn't go home. at that time, i'm just -- i'm puzzled. next thing i know, he turns around and says, if you don't disperse from here in the next few seconds, we're going to take you downtown as well. >> rochester's police chief defended the officer's actions saying his department has received complaints about loitering and fighting in the area. and he says the boys were not actually standing at their bus stop but rather they were standing 100 yards away from it. >> this is an officer on a day-to-day basis dealing with students in the downtown area, and in this instance, based on their interaction an