Lots of drama with serious issues at stake in the heated exchanges between Piers Morgan and Touré about Trayvon Martin Friday night, on Morgan’s CNN show. Here’s a previous Mediate article about the conversation, with video of the complete interview.

In the past week of the media covering Trayvon Martin, Howard Kurtz observed that MSNBC and Fox News seemed to be acting in lieu of the prosecution and the defense, completely leaving the justice system by the wayside. Hosts on the liberal network are taking a much more aggressive line, especially in Lawrence O’Donnell‘s now-infamous interview with George Zimmerman acquaintance Joe Oliver, while the more conservative network has been more open to the idea that Martin may have done something to initiate an attack of self-defense.

Before having a pretty contentious interview with Touré later tonight, Piers Morgan hit on the legal aspects of the Trayvon Martin case, including the controversial “stand your ground” law, with Mediaite founder Dan Abrams. Morgan asked if based on all the evidence presented so far, if the police should have arrested Zimmerman that night. Abrams touched upon the crucial point that no one quite knows “exactly what happened” and the most important thing right now is that “the authorities ought to take their time.”

Earlier today, MSNBC contributor Touré and  CNN’s Piers Morgan duked it out on Twitter over the Piers Morgan Tonight host’s interview with Robert Zimmerman, Jr., brother of Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman (who claims self-defense in the shooting). The result of all that smack-talk was an impromptu booking that culminated in a crackling Touré appearance on Friday night’s PMT.

CNN’s Piers Morgan had a good night Thursday with an exclusive interview with George Zimmerman‘s brother. In the demo, Morgan beat The Rachel Maddow Show with guest host Chris Hayes filling in. Here are your full ratings for Thursday: TV NEWS RATINGS: 25-54 DEMOGRAPHIC (L +SD) 5 pm The5  447 Blitzer  103 Matthews  148 Special  [...]

MSNBC contributor Touré slammed CNN’s Piers Morgan via Twitter starting last night, criticizing the Piers Morgan Tonight host’s interview with Robert Zimmerman, Jr., brother of Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman (who claims self-defense in the shooting). Morgan and Touré traded barbs on Twitter, until Morgan challenged Touré to come on his show to debate the topic. Alas, the invitation conflicts with Touré’s MSNBC schedule, so they had to work something else out.

One of the unfortunate by-products of the Trayvon Martin tragedy is the existence of a Twitter account calling for the death of George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed the 17 year-old, claiming self-defense. On CNN this morning, HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong explained why Twitter has, thus far, elected not to delete the “@KillZimmerman” account, which has become yet another opportunity to distract from the fundamental injustice that this story illustrates.

Earlier today, ABC News released surveillance footage showing George Zimmerman on the night that he shot Trayvon Martin, footage that showed him appearing not to have wounds on his face or the back of his head where the police report claimed. Martin’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, got their first glimpse of it on Piers Morgan Tonight, where the host solicited reaction.

On Tuesday night, Piers Morgan sat down with Joe Oliver, George Zimmerman‘s friend who has been defending Zimmerman’s side of the story in the Trayvon Martin case. Oliver underlined that the incident had nothing to do with race — and that Zimmerman is a good man who was trying to do the right thing, but “something horribly wrong happened.”

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul appeared on Piers Morgan‘s program last night, where he was asked by the CNN host why he doesn’t “just do the decent thing and pull out” of the GOP race.

Paul chuckled. “Why don’t you do the decent thing and not pester me with silly questions like that?” he asked Morgan. “That would be decent of you.”

In his interview with Newt Gingrich, Piers Morgan asked him about Robert De Niro‘s joke about the country not being ready for a white first lady. Saying he might be taking it too seriously, Morgan asked if he’s running the risk of being “overly pious.”

On Thursday night’s show, Piers Morgan spoke to guest Newt Gingrich about a host of topics. Among them was the Trayvon Martin story that has jumped to national attention. Morgan asked for the GOP hopeful’s perspective on the case, as well as the on the larger issue of Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

Ann Romney, widely considered to be one of the strongest cards up Mitt Romney‘s campaign sleeve, sat down with Piers Morgan tonight to answer all sorts of questions on the campaign trail, the recent events (good and bad) the Romney campaign has had to deal with. Ann Romney told Morgan the campaign was thrilled to hear of Jeb Bush‘s endorsement today, didn’t think social issues were as important as economic ones, expressed frustration at Etch-a-Sketch mania and admitted she laughed at Robert De Niro‘s allegedly offensive joke.

Like many mornings, Piers Morgan’s day in the news on Tuesday began with a spat. Today, the media plaintiff is Kirk Cameron—the same one who objected to homosexuality as “ultimately destructive to… civilization” on Morgan’s program a while ago. Cameron is blaming Morgan for his own comments, a sort of protest the host has little patience with. Noting that, as a Catholic himself, “it wasn’t a question of me berating him as a Christian because I am a Christian myself,” he concludes Cameron “dug his own grave” and his gripe is “ridiculous.”

As we’ve mentioned, on Tuesday morning, Kirk Cameron made an appearance on Fox & Friends — and while his segment was largely about his upcoming movie, he took a minute to address the fallout from his controversial Piers Morgan Tonight interview. Wasting no time, Piers Morgan shot back, saying he didn’t toss out a “stitched up” soundbite.

Kirk Cameron has recently made a return to headlines due to his comments about homosexuality on Piers Morgan Tonight. On Tuesday’s Fox & Friends, Cameron defended his remarks and went on to criticize the ‘disingenuous’ way in which Morgan conducted the interview. The appearance was to discuss his upcoming movie Monumental, Cameron said, not to talk about issues like gay marriage and contraception.

Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown‘s interview with Piers Morgan began on a rebuttal. Morgan’s previous guest, Karen Santorum, had said she tried to laugh at the senator’s birth control joke at her husband’s expense, but she didn’t seem too happy. “I took a whack at everybody,” he explained, before diving into an extended conversation with Morgan that explored his reasons for running for reelection, his experience hanging out with Gene Simmons, and the time his wife greeted him naked in the driveway (really).

Piers Morgan‘s guest last night, TV host Montel Williams, isn’t particularly known for his political stances, but on Morgan’s show last night, Williams was brimming with opinions on everything from Rush Limbaugh to Republican calls to war, calling into question anyone not having done military service having “the nerve to send our children to die.”

Thursday night, CNN’s Piers Morgan asked guest Rick Santorum to impart his two cents on the controversy regarding comments that actor Kirk Cameron – that “Growing Pains young heartthrob of the 80s” — had made on the show regarding homosexuality.

“I think both sides need to respect both sides,” Santorum replied.

On his show Thursday, CNN’s Piers Morgan entered into a rather heated discussion with filmmaker Davis Guggenheim — the man behind the new very pro-Barack Obama documentary The Road We’ve Traveled — on the apparent lack of balance in his film. When asked what negatives he focused on in order to balance the positives highlighted in his documentary, Guggenheim replied that “the negative for me was that there were too many accomplishments.”

The View tackled Kirk Cameron’s rather controversial views on homosexuality, which he was asked about in a recent Piers Morgan Tonight appearance. Cameron told Morgan that he thought that homosexuality was detrimental to society, and that if one of his six children believed he or she was gay he would do his best to talk him or her out of it. Yiiiiikes! Elisabeth Hasselbeck admitted that, although her walls used to be festooned with Kirk Cameron memorabilia when she was a teenager, she finds him to be completely in the wrong here.

Piers Morgan had former presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann on for the hour tonight, and picked her brain on every topic from Rush Limbaugh to Mitt Romney, but the tensest part of the conversation surrounded none other than Kirk Cameron. Morgan asked Rep. Bachmann several questions about his comments on homosexuality, particularly whether she agreed with Cameron that homosexuality was “unnatural,” and after arguing that “traditional values” people were offended publicly more, she simply stopped answering questions.

Former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann got into a tête-à-tête with CNN’s Piers Morgan after the anchor referred to her as being judgmental. “I am not here as anybody’s judge!” Bachmann exclaimed. “Well you’ve been pretty judgmental in the past, come on!” Morgan retorted.

“Me?! Hardly! Hardly! Hardly!” Bachmann responded incredulously. “Well that’s rude! That’s absolutely rude!”

Former sitcom star Kirk Cameron told Piers Morgan on Friday that he personally believes that homosexuality is “ultimately destructive to so many foundations of civilization.” Over the weekend, Morgan was confronted by TMZ and asked what he thought of Cameron’s comments. Morgan did not defend what Cameron said, but gave him credit for saying “what he believes.”

Former teen heartthrob turned conservative opinionator Kirk Cameron visited Piers Morgan earlier in the week and talked faith and politics, though Morgan had to work to get some answers. When he did get answers on social issues, however, Cameron’s declaration that homosexuality was “ultimately destructive to so many foundations of civilization” left him somewhat shocked.