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George Zimmerman Apologizes in Court; Secret Service Scandal Grows; Romney Speaks to Republican Leaders in Arizona; Viral Rape Video in South Africa
Aired April 20, 2012 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now this.
And here we go, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Stunning moments in court. The man who admits shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin will get to taste fresh air again, possibly within days. George Zimmerman can now go free on $150,000 bond. A judge just this morning granted the bond after a lengthy hearing in Sanford, Florida, today.
And in a surprising move we heard from the man himself when he took the stand. Zimmerman apologized to Trayvon Martin's parents, who were sitting there in the courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, DEFENDANT: I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The attorney for Martin's parents says Zimmerman's apology there is too little too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF TRAYVON MARTIN: Zimmerman makes this self-serving apology in court 50 days later. The real George Zimmerman Web site -- and you all have reviewed it -- never once said I'm sorry. Why today? When he made all these statements to police, why not show remorse there if he was sincerely apologetic for killing this unarmed child?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also in court this morning, we heard from Zimmerman's mother for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLADYS ZIMMERMAN, MOTHER OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: He's very protective of people, very protective of homeless people, and very protective also of children, no matter the race, because he is very -- well, he was very active.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The Zimmerman family testified over the phone simply for their own safety.
Our own CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin is on the case here.
Welcome back here.
As we talked about now that the judge has granted the bond, how soon could he get out?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It could be just a matter of days.
We're on the watch now. We know there are things that need to be put in place like a monitoring system, a GPS ankle monitoring system, they have got to put at least $15,000 in cash down. My understanding is this is a family of limited means. That may be a bit difficult. And they also have to figure out whether or not he's going to be out of state.
It could be as early as tomorrow, more likely in the next few days.
BALDWIN: Which the judge today said would be OK, he could leave the state.
HOSTIN: If they could work it out.
BALDWIN: If they could work it out.
You're not necessarily surprised the judge granted the bond. You're a tad surprised at the dollar figure, $150,000. Fair?
HOSTIN: Again a family of limited means, we heard that in testimony, but we are talking about a second degree murder case.
And I have got to tell you, I was a little surprised. The government asked for $1 million. I thought that was a little much, perhaps excessive -- $500,000 in my view would have been a $50,000 cash bond. I don't know that that would be excessive in a case where it's an alleged that an unarmed boy was killed.
BALDWIN: What about the fact that we simply and this was a gasp moment, a wow moment, actually seeing George Zimmerman in his suit and tie taking the stand and contradicting himself a little bit.
HOSTIN: Yes, I'm still so shocked by it.
I went back and sort of tried to look through my notes to see if I have ever seen anything like that in a bond hearing, this kind of case. I have seen it before and I have watched a lot of trials and prosecuted a lot of cases. I don't know that it helped him that much. Some people are saying maybe it did help him get bond, it humanized him.
But he said three things. He said I'm sorry for the loss of your son. Perhaps that humanized him, but he also said, I thought he was a little younger than I am. We know George Zimmerman is 28. Yet when he was speaking to the police dispatcher he said this is a kid, this is a teenager.
That's a contradiction, a pretty serious one. Then he also said I did not know if he was armed or not. He said Trayvon Martin reached for his gun and that's why he shot. That's another significant inconsistency.
And let's face it. If he goes to trial, he's going to make my statements. He has got to perhaps testify at the stand your ground hearing and he then has to testify at trial perhaps. He's already spoken to the police several times. Now you're talking about five or six different versions of what happened. That's going to make for a very difficult cross-examination for George Zimmerman.
BALDWIN: It almost felt like this mini-trial.
(CROSSTALK)
HOSTIN: That's what it was like.
BALDWIN: It felt like a mini-trial.
In case you missed some of this, I want to just play one exchange. This is Mark O'Mara, this is the defense attorney for George Zimmerman and one of the investigators. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: So do you know who started the fight?
DALE GILBREATH, INVESTIGATOR, STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE: Do I know?
O'MARA: Right.
GILBREATH: No.
O'MARA: Do you have any evidence that supports who may have started the fight?
GILBREATH: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So no. So police don't know who confronted whom. Is that not the crux of the case?
HOSTIN: It's a significant issue, no question about it.
I keep on wondering, was he trying to keep things close to the vest, was it sort of a game of semantics, which often happens? This is a very experienced investigator. He's been a homicide investigator I believe over 20 years. I think perhaps what can be read into that was that the government doesn't believe George Zimmerman's account of things.
They're putting together their own theory of what happened. Perhaps at this point, they don't have anything to contradict what he has to say. Maybe they don't think they need it because they just don't believe it. That I think is the best case scenario for the prosecution. The worst case is they don't know anything.
I can't imagine that. They charged him with second degree murder. It's against a prosecutor's oath to charge a case that they know they can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt. There's a lot more to this case than we know and we're going to be finding out about that sort of in, yes, drips and dribbles.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: And then I imagine another gasp, I guess, is hearing the voice of George Zimmerman's wife. I think a lot of people didn't realize he was married. And now here she is calling in. She is calling in just for her own safety, right? They don't want her coming into the courtroom. I just want to play a little bit.
This is when one of the prosecutors pressed the wife on whether or not he has anger issues. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE DE LA RIONDA, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Mrs. Zimmerman, I was curious. You mentioned that he had to go through anger management?
SHELLIE NICOLE ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S WIFE: I believe so.
DE LA RIONDA: You stated that you believe he was successful in completing that?
S. ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
DE LA RIONDA: And I gather my follow-up question regarding that is have you ever seen him angry or do you think he has -- let me ask first thing. Have you ever seen him angry?
S. ZIMMERMAN: No, I haven't.
DE LA RIONDA: You don't think he has anger management problems?
S. ZIMMERMAN: No, I do not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Did that help? Did that help humanize him?
BALDWIN: I think so. I mean, I knew he was married because I have been doing so much background on this. He's been married almost five years.
But it's a testimony of a wife. I'm surprised she said she's never seen him angry. I have seen married almost 15 years. I have seen my husband angry. He's seen me angry. I wonder if there was just a bit of being disingenuous as well.
And that won't play well in front of a jury. For a bond hearing, that's OK. But the fact she said that she's never seen him angry, I don't know. I don't know if that rings so true to the average person.
BALDWIN: What a morning.
HOSTIN: What a morning, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: Breaking right now here on CNN, brand-new developments in the alleged sex scandal rocking the Secret Service. We are now learning the investigation just got wider. We will take you live to the Pentagon and the White House next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Just into us here at CNN, new developments in the alleged sex scandal rocking the Secret Service.
I want to bring in Barbara Starr who is live at the Pentagon.
Because, Barbara, you very well know, we're not talking about just Secret Service employees, but members of the U.S. military, and I understand the number has changed.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It has, indeed.
The U.S. military has been investigating potential misconduct of several of its personnel that were in Colombia. We have just gotten a statement from the U.S. Southern Command that the number of Army personnel involved has grown. Now six Green Berets instead of five. Six Green Berets under investigation, that is in addition two members of the Marine Corps, two Navy members and a member of the U.S. Air Force. All now part of the military investigation into the allegations.
They were in Colombia supporting the president's visit. There is a military investigating officer in Colombia. He's expected back in the United States we are now told some time this weekend. When he returns to the United States he will then interview these 11 people again, talk to them and give them their side of the story.
A lot of people may be wondering, how is it that we're seeing personnel action in the Secret Service so quickly and not with the U.S. military? Because of this very detailed procedure. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, there's a lot of procedures about how allegations of misconduct are investigated. And the military is doing this one by the book. It could take some time.
But this investigating officer will write a report and he will make recommendations about how to proceed -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: I was going to ask why it's taking so long. I think you just answered my question.
We have 11 members of the Secret Service, 11 members of the military bringing it to 22 now being investigated. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.
I want to go to the White House now to our correspondent there Brianna Keilar.
We have been hearing today there might be more firings, more resignations in the works of some of the Secret Service personnel. Is there any movement on that?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, we're still awaiting that, Brooke. Officials telling us there will be more resignations today.
As you know, three of the 11 are already sort of out of the picture, I guess you will, in terms of employment, two supervisors, one who retired, one who the Secret Service is moving to fire, and a third who has not been with the service as long as the supervisors who have served for a very long time who did resign.
So there's eight Secret Service members who are still on administrative leave. They have had their security clearances revoked at this point. We're assuming obviously the firings come from those eight.
BALDWIN: Let's talk about this one agent here who went on Facebook of all places and posted this picture of himself and Sarah Palin. Who is he?
KEILAR: That's right. This is a Secret Service agent, actually one of the supervisors, one of the two of the three who are supervisors who are now out of the Secret Service. This is obviously someone who served a long time at the Secret Service.
His name is David Chaney. He did serve on the detail when Sarah Palin was John McCain's running mate. According to a photo that was posted on his Facebook page in January of 2009, you can see a picture of him standing there wearing dark glasses. And a comment that came from him said, "I was really checking her out, if you know what I mean," in response to some other comments people had posted on his Facebook page.
We also understand, I should tell you, from a former Secret Service official that Chaney as well served on the detail of Vice President Dick Cheney and before that he was serving on the detail of Vice President Al Gore while he was running to be president.
BALDWIN: And he's posting about checking out Sarah Palin on Facebook.
I do want to get this in. I have just been told CNN has now confirmed three more Secret Service agents will be forced out today. That's what we have concerned. And you know, we shake our heads about this conduct. These are people, this elite group protecting the president. You're at the White House. What is the White House saying?
KEILAR: Well, right now, the White House is saying pretty much what President Obama said when he was in Colombia, that this is no way to act because the Secret Service is a representative of the United States while they're overseas.
But there's also another element to this that is coming out. You're hearing from some Republicans, for instance, Jeff Sessions, a Republican senator, as well as Sarah Palin, who are really calling into question President Obama's leadership over this, as well as some other scandals the White House is dealing with right now.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney dealing with a lot of questions today having to do with that. He said it's ridiculous and that it trivializes the seriousness of the work the Secret Service and also the military do.
BALDWIN: Brianna at the White House, Brianna, thank you.
To New York. The search for Etan Patz is happening now in Lower Manhattan. Parents right now talking right now about what they can do to protect their kids. Should children just forget playing by themselves and just stay inside? We're going to talk about this with my next guest, Marc Klaas, who says this case revealed America's dirty little secret.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The FBI today digging in Lower Manhattan, digging right there in that red brick building, piece by piece, removing every square foot of the basement in there.
This is a story we first talked about yesterday, the search for the remains of Etan Patz missing for 33 years. Etan Patz was all of 6 years old when he disappeared walking from his home in SoHo to a school bus stop.
You can see just the close proximity there from the home and that is where he was trying to go. Looking at this map and you will see right smack dab in the middle of this picture, we marked it search, that's the building where they're digging today right there in the middle. And this renewed search here 33 years later was prompted by a mysterious comment made by a possible suspect.
Joining me now live from San Francisco, Marc Klaas, founder of the Klaas Kids Foundation. His daughter Polly was kidnapped and murdered in 1993 when she was 12 years old.
Marc Klaas, thank you for joining me. I want to just first talk about the family of Etan Patz still lives all this many years later, still lives in that same apartment block there in Lower Manhattan. They're not talking with members of the media, that's entirely understandable.
But what do you think they're going through as the FBI is digging out this basement all of half a block away?
MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT, BEYOND MISSING: Well, sure.
Think about it this way. If the best possible news that you can receive out of this is that your son was murdered and buried under a slab of cement 33 years ago, how would you feel? You would feel absolutely horrible. And that's the best outcome they have. The worst outcome is that this then just raises their hopes again, only to be dashed and left with the ongoing mystery of what happened to Etan.
BALDWIN: That puts it in perspective, given the fact that that would be the best case scenario, which is just awful for this mother and father.
I know we heard from police Commissioner Ray Kelly. He said today that this renewed search has really been enabled by new technology that has really come about in the last couple of years. We're talking new chemicals, new techniques
What message does this send to potential childhood abductors that more than 30 years later, you could still be caught?
KLAAS: It sends a message to the abductors, but it also sends a message to the families that there is always hope, that hope remains alive and that law enforcement is not necessarily going to stop investigating a case because it's gone cold.
We have new DAs, we have new cold case investigators that come into these things. They use new information and use new technologies and as we have seen over the years oftentimes they actually do solve cases. So this is good on every level.
BALDWIN: We heard today, Marc, from another children's advocate about the case here, Etan's case and what it meant to parents and children all across the country. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERNIE ALLEN, CEO, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: I think it ended an era of innocence in this country. Parents around the nation saw how it happened and thought there but for the grace of God go I or my child. It really awakened America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Ronald Reagan marked the day. It was the beginning of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Do you agree, was this disappearance, this particular disappearance, May of '79, Etan Patz, was it a wakeup call?
KLAAS: I look at it more as opening the lid on America's dirty little secret, because I think we had ignored the abuse, the abduction, and the neglect of children throughout our history. This really let people see that this beautiful little boy, who was absolutely innocent, was somehow victimized and somehow disappeared into the ether.
What we found after that, Brooke, is that people started talking about a million kids a year disappearing in our country, which we know is not true, but we started collecting the data. We started looking at investigative techniques. For instance, we didn't know -- we always thought that kids were taken by strangers.
BALDWIN: Not the case.
KLAAS: But as a result of the research that's been done since, we now know it's family members and friends that are ones that most often victimize kids.
BALDWIN: Well, we will be watching as members of the FBI and the New York police there literally jackhammering through the entire basement of this building for the next couple of days, working 24 hours and we will see if and -- anything they may find.
Marc Klaas, thank you for coming on. Appreciate it.
KLAAS: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Still ahead, a huge story involving two airlines impacts anyone who flies.
Plus, 4/20. Check the date. It's today. And it's a time of day that has a very special meaning for stoners -- why one college campus actually closed down today. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Half past the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Two big airlines could be looking toward a merger. And it's 4/20, a day when some smoke lots of marijuana. But police are cracking down on thousands of smokers this year with all of things fish fertilizer. Time to play "Reporter Roulette."
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
BALDWIN: Next on "Reporter Roulette," there's a little bit of a party of sorts today at the University of Colorado that campus officials are hoping to extinguish.
Look at all that smoke. Thousands of, we will call them marijuana enthusiasts lighting up at 4:20 in the afternoon. This is an annual tradition, did you know, on the school's campus. But this year, university officials they are cracking down.
Jim Spellman is on the phone in Boulder.
Jim Spellman, I hear things could smell a little fishy at Boulder.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, it's about T-minus three hours to mountain time 4:20 here today.
What a difference scene here at the University of Colorado, Boulder, than in previous years. The quad which usually has about 10,000, 12,000 people, many of them here by this time of the day, is completely empty, largely because to make it inhospitable for the people who want to come and smoke marijuana here, they treated the whole area with really, really smelly fish fertilizer.
So you might come here expecting to smell marijuana spoke. Today you're smelling dead fish. It's incredibly effective. Nobody wants to hang out near this quad.
BALDWIN: Are you smelling it?
SPELLMAN: They're trying to regroup and figure out where to do their 4:20 later in the afternoon.
BALDWIN: Are you smelling this fish, Jim Spellman? Are you on campus as we speak?
SPELLMAN: I am. Brooke, you know, I will go to any steps to report for you. I'm standing right next to this really smelly field as we speak.
BALDWIN: Jim Spellman.
Hey, quickly, I understand people -- who are these people? They fly in from all over the country just to do this on campus?
SPELLMAN: Oh, they do.
This is the closest thing stoners have to a holiday. And this is really ground zero for it. People come from all over. I think today what the university has attempted has been effective. A lot more people are going to be down in Denver or just doing more small localized 4:20s here today.
So it's a huge day for them. I don't think they will have a problem finding a cause or even -- or a place to smoke when 4:20 comes around, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Jim Spellman taking one for the team, smelling fish all for the sake of news. Jim, thank you.
Happening right now, Senator John McCain welcomes Mitt Romney to address Republican leaders. Will he respond to President Obama's silver spoon comment? Remember the silver spoon comment from Ohio earlier in the week? Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the "Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Gary Schatsky is a financial planner and president of ObjectiveAdvice.com. Carmen Wong Ulrich is the president of Alta Wealth Management. Thank you both for coming in.
SCHATSKY: Pleasure.
HARLOW: Carmen, your question comes today from Susan in California. Susan wrote in, "We have a mortgage at 5.9 percent and have been paying for 10 years. Should we refinance or continue with the mortgage we have?" Let's assume she has a 30-year.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PRESIDENT, ALTA WEALTH MANAGEMENT: And let's assume that she wants to stay put. If they are willing to stay put in the house and they want to stay there for five, 10 years, that's great. Because don't forget that when you re-fi there are costs involved and even taxes.
So depending on the state you're in, you need to be able to stay there long enough to recoup all of those costs. But 5.9, very expensive.
(CROSSTALK)
ULRICH: In this environment, absolutely. At the worst case, she would probably qualify for 4.5. But make sure that you've already put 10 years in, make it a 20-year, don't give up those years.
HARLOW: Right. Absolutely.
Gary, your question comes from Jim in Texas. Jim wrote in, "I want to pay off my credit cards and build my emergency fund, what percent of my income should I devote to each?"
GARY SCHATSKY, FINANCIAL PLANNER AND PRESIDENT OF OBJECTIVEADVICE.COM: Well, there's no fixed percentage. But let me just say this, you know, paying down credit card debt in the current investment environment is probably the best investment anyone can make.
So, you know, if they have a high interest credit card, which most people do have, they'll be willing to lend you more at that rate anytime. So I would be putting most of your money toward the credit cards. That should be the major focus. You can't get that interest rate anywhere else. And if it's a high interest rate, there will be a lot of people lining up to lend to you again.
HARLOW: Yes, bravo to him for wanting to pay down those cards and have an emergency fund.
SCHATSKY: Absolutely.
HARLOW: Good. All Americans should think that way.
Thank you both. If you have a question you want answered, just send us an e-mail anytime to CNNHelpDesk@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A major development today in the case everyone has been watching here, the killing of Trayvon Martin. And the man who admits pulling the trigger, George Zimmerman, could be out of jail very, very soon. A judge just this morning set his bond at $150,000 during a lengthy hearing today. And here are just some of the highlights from both inside and outside this courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, FORMER NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH OFFICER: I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you wait so long to tell Mr. Martin and the victim's mother, the father and mother, why did you wait so long to tell them?
ZIMMERMAN: I was told not to communicate with them.
MARK O'MARA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S ATTORNEY: Since my involvement with him, he had always wanted to acknowledge what happened that day in the death of Trayvon Martin. And I was hopeful that that could be accomplished in more private ways. And that wasn't -- we weren't afforded that opportunity.
BENJAMIN CRUMP, MARTIN LAWYER: The real George Zimmerman website -- and you all have reviewed it -- never once said I'm sorry. Why today? When he made all those statements to police, why not show remorse there, if was sincerely apologetic for killing this unarmed child?
BERNIE DI LA RIONDA, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: Isn't it true that Mr. Zimmerman did not wait for that officer?
DALE GILBREATH, INVESTIGATOR: Correct.
DI LA RIONDA: In fact, he continued to follow or to pursue Mr. Martin, isn't that true?
GILBREATH: Yes.
DI LA RIONDA: And during the reporting, there was mention of two bookmarks (ph) -- those are actually the language, the words that Mr. Zimmerman used to describe Mr. Martin, or the people he felt were breaking into those houses, correct?
GILBREATH: Yes.
O'MARA: Do you know who started the fight?
GILBREATH: Do I know?
O'MARA: Right.
GILBREATH: No.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, FATHER OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: His face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose. His lip was swollen and cut and there were two vertical gashes on the back of his head.
O'MARA: You have evidence of (inaudible) concern, both for your safety and that of your husband, is that correct?
SHELLIE NICOLE ZIMMERMAN, WIFE OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: That's correct.
O'MARA: Is it that concern that has led you to request that this -- that this testimony be presented by telephone?
S. ZIMMERMAN: That's correct.
O'MARA: Are your other family member similarly concerned?
S. ZIMMERMAN: Yes, they are.
GLADYS ZIMMERMAN, MOTHER OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: He's very protective of people. Very protective of homeless people and very protective also of children, no matter their race, because he is a very -- well, he was very active.
JUDGE KENNETH LESTER JR., PRESIDING JUDGE: I'm going to find that the motion is well taken. I'm going to grant the motion and set bond in the amount of $150,000 with the following conditions: electronic monitoring, GPS. I'm going to require the state and the defense to meet with the sheriff's department to accomplish that. That means that Mr. Zimmerman is not going to be released today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So not released today, still not really clear at this point in time where Zimmerman will go when his bond is posted. CNN's following the case, obviously, for you very, very closely. We'll let you know more as soon as we know.
Just ahead a video of a horrific gang rape goes viral. The accused are in court and the victim's mother speaks out to CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The mother of a South African rape victim is now speaking out. And first, let me just remind you, some of the particulars of this horrendous crime. This is the girl at the center of the story. She's 17. She's mentally disabled. But it's the pictures we can't show you that has South Africa really in a state of shock right now. Video of her gang rape captured on a cell phone and then passed from person to person until it went viral. Seven men and boys, some as young as 14, one nearly 40, appeared in a South African court yesterday facing charges, their heads down at that particular court appearance.
But on the cell phone video, their heads aren't down, they're laughing. And one of the biggest newspapers in the country describes the rape as, quote, "our disgrace."
I want to bring in Nkepile Mabuse. She's covering the story for us again there in South Africa.
Nkepile, you spoke with the girl's mother. What did she tell you?
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, obviously she's totally devastated. She broke down into tears when she told me that this is not the first time that this has happened to her daughter, that her daughter was raped in 2009 and also raped again in 2010, and that she had been pleading with social welfare to intervene, because where they're living is not safe for her anymore.
She wanted her daughter to be placed in a home where she would be safe, something that the authorities have done, but the mother feels that it's because the story is so big, is so international, has put the spotlight on rape in South Africa and the government wants to be seen to be doing something.
Here's a little bit of what she said to me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MABUSE: "They arrived after the fact, just like you. I might as well thank you for the boarding school that they put her in. They're coming now because things have turned out this way. They shouldn't pretend as if they've been standing up for me. They never stood up for me. I asked for help and they said there was no abuse in our home and no need to remove her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MABUSE: Of course, Brooke, I confronted the government with these accusations and the minister for children, women and people with disabilities says she will investigate these claims. And if anybody in government is found to have neglected to help this family, action will be taken against her, Brooke.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: What about action as far as the court? What's the next legal hurdle here?
MABUSE: Well, the men will appear again next week. At the moment, what's happening is this girl who's mentally disabled really has a huge team of people trying to support her and prepare her for this ordeal that she's facing.
She needs to support this court case so that there can be a conviction at the end of the day. Her mother told me that in 2009, the case was thrown out because she just couldn't testify for herself because of her mental disability, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Nkepile Mabuse, thank you for staying on the story with us and speaking with this mother, we appreciate it.
Still to come, American women trying to serve their country. They say they were discharged from the military after they tried to report something bad that happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE SCHROEDER, USMC: I need to report an assault. And she just looked at me and then she started laughing and said, "Don't come bitching to me because you had sex and changed your mind."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Wow. Sanjay Gupta investigates. He's going to join me live in studio next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A disturbing trend in the military appears to hit all forces and defies rank. It's now prompting this question: is the military using psychiatry to cover up sex assault?
It goes like this. A woman in the service claims she's raped. Her allegation is dismissed. Then she getting diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is here with me to talk about it. But first, let's watch this one woman's story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Doing the right thing was in 21-year-old Stephanie Schroeder's blood.
SCHROEDER: I joined shortly after 9/11. I thought it was the right thing to do.
GUPTA (voice-over): Six months after enlisting in the Marines, she found herself training at a base in Virginia. One Saturday she decided to blow off steam with some fellow Marines.
SCHROEDER: We went out to dinner. I got up to go to the restroom and my attacker followed me and forced his way into the bathroom. I went to pull the door shut and he grabbed it and flung it back as hard as he could and charged into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
GUPTA (voice-over): Back on base, Schroeder reported what happened to the officer in charge. SCHROEDER: I told her I need to report an assault. And she just looked at me and then she started laughing and said, "Don't come bitching to me because you had sex and changed your mind."
GUPTA (voice-over): Schroeder said she took a lie detector test about her assault and passed. But charges were never filed against her attacker. In fact, she was forced to work by him side-by-side for over a year. Meanwhile, her rank was reduced and her pay was docked, she says all because of the incident.
SCHROEDER: If you want to keep your career, you don't say anything, you just bear it. You just deal with it.
GUPTA (voice-over): But dealing was a struggle. In early 2003, five months pregnant with her now husband in Iraq, Schroeder felt suicidal. She went to see an on-base psychiatrist.
SCHROEDER: The first time he was very nice. The second time we got into the assault and then shortly after that, the chain of command said, well, we're starting an administrative discharge against you.
GUPTA (voice-over): On June 30, 2003, Schroeder received her discharge papers. The reason given for separation, personality disorder, a disorder that the textbook for psychiatrists defines as a long-standing pattern of maladaptive behavior, beginning in adolescence or early adulthood.
ANU BHAGWATI, SERVICE WOMEN'S ACTION NETWORK: It makes absolutely no sense for people to be diagnosed, all of a sudden, after being sexually assaulted as an adult and the military to say no, you've had this all along.
GUPTA (voice-over): Anu Bhagwati is a former Marine and also executive director of Service Women's Action Network, it's a veterans advocacy group.
BHAGWATI: It's also extremely convenient to slap a false diagnosis on a young woman or man and then just get rid of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: And the false diagnosis is exactly sort of what's at issue here. And we had a chance to ask Defense Secretary Leon Panetta specifically about that issue. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Obviously, our goal here is to try to put in place what we need in order to deal with these cases as we move forward. There are procedures within the Department of Defense that allow these individuals to raise these concerns and determine whether or not they have not been treated fairly.
But I think -- and I hope that they'll follow those procedures to determine whether or not that has been the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: And part of those procedures, as well, Brooke, the Pentagon saying that, look, there's an appeal process if you feel like you were discharged dishonorably for unfair reasons. You could appeal through this discharge review board. But it's a process and you know, this happened, you know, nine years ago with Stephanie and she is still sort of making her way through that system.
BALDWIN: I'm so going back and I'm hearing her tell the story in a piece of how she reported it and then she was laughed at by another female.
GUPTA: By a senior officer, yes.
BALDWIN: How often are these psychiatric discharges happening?
GUPTA: Well, it's amazing, because it's a harder number to find than you might think, but we were able to do some digging. Between 2001 and 2010, for example, 31,000 military people were discharged because of personality disorder. That's over nine years.
Now this is men and women alike, and there's no specific link, they're saying, with these 31,000, to sexual assault, for example. But the point is that a personality disorder, if you look at the definition, it's typically something that comes on in early adulthood, adolescence.
The fact that they're being diagnosed suddenly after some traumatic event is where a lot of people are sure scratching their head and saying, wait a second. How are you drawing these two things together? If they had a personality disorder at all, why wasn't it diagnosed sooner?
BALDWIN: What about losing benefits? Will this affect benefits as well?
GUPTA: It does, and it's sort of two reasons. And one thing that you and I have talked about a lot is this whole idea, now you have a pre-existing condition, right? So now you're out and trying to get your medical treatment from the VA Hospital, and they're saying, well, wait a second. You have this pre-existing condition.
And it can really make things challenging, and in the private insurance industry as well, but also things like the G.I. Bill. You know, these young soldiers going into the military thinking that they can help, you know, sort of get some money for college later on. They become ineligible for that. And it really has a significant impact in many different facets of their lives.
BALDWIN: You tried to talk to Secretary Panetta. What is the military doing?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting. If you follow the timeline now -- so back in 2003, the story with Stephanie, at that time there wasn't a mandate that a psychiatrist, someone trained in this particular area, had to be the one to give the diagnosis of personality disorder, which could lead to you getting a discharge.
BALDWIN: My, how the times have changed.
GUPTA: Yes, in 2000, there were hearings on this and they said that you do have to have a psychiatrist or somebody involved.
But now, you know, the question is should you have an outside person involved, someone outside the military also, you know, confirming the diagnosis and what exactly would be the protocol in terms of how the person's benefits and everything else is handled? It's still a big question mark for a lot of people. And Stephanie is just one ex.
BALDWIN: I was going to say she's not the only one. She's not the only one. We're going to hear much more about this over the weekend. Thank you.
And let me just remind everyone, more on the story, both tomorrow, Sunday morning, your show, 7:30 am, Sanjay Gupta, M.D.
GUPTA: We'll talk a lot about it.
BALDWIN: Dr. Gupta, thank you.
GUPTA: Thanks for having me, Brooke.
Coming up here, "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer in a matter of minutes, Wolf joining me with a little bit of a preview. Wolf, what do you have coming up?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Well, we're going to have full analysis of what happened down in Florida today with George Zimmerman. He's going to be going out on bond. Sunny Hostin, our legal analyst, Jeff Toobin, our other legal analyst, they're both going to be joining us.
We're going to have all the details, if you are just coming home from work right now and missed out on what happened, we actually, as you know, heard from George Zimmerman for the first time. He spoke out publicly and made several points in that courtroom.
Also the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Peter King, he's being briefed on the Secret Service prostitution scandal that's erupted, as all of us know, down in Colombia, South America. We get the latest information from him.
We have all of our reporters digging, more members of the Secret Service about to be fired, dismissed, what's going on on that front. So we have got a lot of news coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BALDWIN: Wolf, we'll see you then. Thank you.
And it's Friday, each and every Friday. I'll let you ask me some questions and we answer this in this behind-the-scenes video we call "Week One." Here's just a little a sneak peek here. It's what we call -- what we shoot each and every day, it's called the Super Tease. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: This is one of our veterans, PJ. He is Mad Dog. Yes, that's his name.
Hey, Mad Dog.
MAD DOG: How are you?
BALDWIN: You ready for this today?
MAD DOG: (Inaudible).
BALDWIN: So we do this thing every day, called the "Super Tease," that pops up in the first hour of the show. So we try to figure out a unique place in the building to shoot it.
You ready?
MAD DOG: Yes, let's go.
BALDWIN: Let's do this.
MAD DOG: OK.
BALDWIN: This is the tricky part. We try to find a new place in the building, which we're kind of running out of places, and we always try to find a CNN, because we always say, "The news is now."
Three, two, one.
George Zimmerman's bail hearing takes a surprising turn, suddenly turning into a mini trial and not only are we hearing from Zimmerman's wife, we're also hearing from the man himself, (inaudible). I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
Yes!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We just want to take you to Arizona. Let's just eavesdrop for just a moment. This is Mitt Romney. He's addressing our Republican leaders in Arizona. In fact, Senator John McCain, he walked in the room with Romney. This is the Republican National Committee spring meeting. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- I wrote it down, all right? But Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain and Rick Perry and Ron Paul and Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, thank you, this extraordinary team. We have all fought hard and well and we are going to fight for the things we believe in.
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: And I express my appreciation to Senator McCain for his battle for the presidency, for standing true to the principles of our party, for the fact that he has been a fighter for America for decades.
This is not someone who came late to the game. He has been a stalwart champion of the things that make America America from his earliest days, and he has sacrificed enormously and continues to battle to this day. I hope we can always count on seeing John McCain in the U.S. Senate, fighting for the things that we believe in.
Thank you, Senator.
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: I'm surprised that Senator McCain did not regale you with some of his favorite jokes. I heard a couple of them. He has one where he says this is the only state in America where mothers do not tell their children that some day they can grow up to be president.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMNEY: I think I can join the millions of Americans that wish you would have proved them wrong, John. You would be president right now.
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: Now four years ago then-Candidate Obama was speaking in Denver, not far from here, standing in front of Greek columns.
You remember that? I don't think he will be standing in front of Greek columns this time. Won't want to remind people of Greece.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: He laid out in his speech there at their convention how he would measure progress.
He literally used these words. He said, we measure progress differently than do Republicans, presumably, but it was the fact that he said we measure progress, and then he described how it was he and his party measure progress.
And I think it's interesting given the fact that he laid out what his report card would be to go back and score him on the very report card he laid out.
He said, for instance, he said we, the Democrats, measure progress by whether people have good jobs that can pay for mortgages. OK. We're three-and-a-half years later and he has not yet created a single net new job in America. We're three-and-a-half years later. Actually, there have been job losses and 93 percent of the people who have lost jobs have been women.
On the measure that he himself put in place, creating jobs where people could pay mortgages, he fails. Then there was another measure that he laid out. He said in a setting where you were having progress, you could measure it by whether people saw wages and incomes going up or going down.
Oh, yes, OK. Over the last four years, the median income in America has dropped by 10 percent. In Barack Obama's term, the median income in America has dropped by $3,000, this even as health care costs have gone up, gasoline prices have doubled, food costs have gone up.
Second measure, he's failed. Third measure he spoke about, he said to see progress you would want to see people with a dream or an idea being willing to take the risk to start a new business. So what's happened in the world of business startups? They have dropped by about 150,000 a year under this president.
Again, on the measure he himself set out, he's failed. Now, there are a lot of other measures as well. We have record levels of people on food stamps, record levels of poverty. The number of people who dropped from the middle class into poverty has reached historic proportion.
You have at the same time home values that have dropped by 30 percent or more in some places and in some cases still going down. On almost every measure, this president has failed.
Now, he's also failed overseas. Senator McCain described one of the areas that he's failed and that's with regards to Israel and our relationship with that country and the need to show solidarity with our allies. We're not closer to peace in the Middle East by virtue of his policies in Israel or elsewhere there.
The Arab spring has turned into an Arab winter. He failed to execute a status of forces agreement to make sure that the gains that were achieved at great costs in Iraq would be able to be preserved and secured.
He entered into an agreement with the Soviet -- excuse me -- with Russia with regard to the New START treaty, which I think it was exceptionally one-sided. Iran of course is rushing towards nuclearization with no indication of any slowdown in sight.
And I believe that with regards to Afghanistan, he made a number of errors in the way he managed our relationship there. He is very clearly out of ideas and out of excuses.
So it's our job in November to make sure we put him out of office.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END LIVE FEED)
