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What Has Changed Since Trayvon Martin's Death? Will We Avoid the Sequester; Marking the One-Year Anniversary of Trayvon's Death; Manti Te'o Unimpressive at NFL Combine

Aired February 26, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three topics, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today, CNN political analyst Roland Martin and Amy Kremer, chairwoman of the Tea Party Express.

Welcome to both of you. First up, one year ago today two strangers meet for the first and only time, an unarmed black teenager named Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, a white neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling with a gun. Martin, just 17, died that night, sparking a debate over guns and race in America. The question Trayvon Martin one year later what have welearned. And I'd like to start with you, Roland, because you wrote a piece on CNN.com entitled "Trayvon Martin Did Not Die in Vain" writing in-part, quote, "Even though the trial of Zimmerman won't take place until June, almost 16 months after the fatal shooting of Trayvon, a lot of things have changed and are in the process of being debated." So, what are some of those things?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: First thing a lot of us had no idea about stand-your-ground law and how they were significant across the country. Also, the American Legislative Exchange Council a group that was supposed to be about tax policy, we learned as a result of this they were actually behind these kinds of laws, behind voter I.D. laws and after Change.org began to launch the petitions against those companies, the companies pulled back and said we're going to stop doing some of these different things.

We also of course remember at the department of justice they're investigating the Sanford police department because of their actions as well. It is also caused people to recognize that they have to pay attention to local races like district attorney, and prosecutor, those kind of races and local judges because that's where a lot of the decisions were made. Remember the Seminole county DA was the one who chose not to initially charge George Zimmerman. So I think a number of things have happened since the last year that have been productive and positive.

COSTELLO: And Amy what do you think has changed, if anything?

AMY KREMER, CHAIRWOMAN, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Well I think if anything, Carol, we've learned that we need to let the court system work and let justice be served. Too many times there is so much commentary and the media is involved and we saw reports come out from another network that were edited and it wasn't the full and accurate report and so people jump to conclusions. We need to let this, the court system work and let justice be served and you know, since then unfortunately we've had other incidents with guns and we know that's an issue that's going on right now and being debated in our society so we're going to have to wait and see where that takes us.

MARTIN: Except one thing, Amy, the reason we are even at this point now is because there were people on social media, folks in media, bloggers, who are pushing this case. Remember, Zimmerman wasn't even arrested. The family said at least let's have a collection of evidence so it was the media pressure. It was the pressure of the people in the streets, that even got us to this point. The parents simply said let's have a day in court, that's an important distinction because without out all of that, we wouldn't be where we are today.

KREMER: And you know what, Roland, you make a good point because social media has become such an integral part of our lives and it pushes a lot of things now. We've talked about that before on air. So yes, it has played a part in it, but you know what? I mean we go back to look at the violence in Chicago, look at these other cities where people are being murdered and it's not -- nobody's even really talking about it until after Newtown.

MARTIN: Folks like me have been.

KREMER: I commend you to are that because it's really, really important. When you have 6-month-old or younger infants being murdered in cars in Chicago and nobody's talking about it, that is just a shame. I mean we seriously have a problem and I've said before on air that I think it has to do with so much violence in movies and video games and other aspects of our lives. But look, I think the courts need to work and let justice be served here.

COSTELLO: Okay, we're going to wrap up this question because I'm going to talk more about this with Chuck D coming up in seven minutes. The next question, three days and counting until the forced spending cuts kick in. President Obama warning politicians at all levels of dire consequences and that has Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal and others crying foul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL, (R ) LOUISIANA: I think it's time for the president to show leadership. The reality is he's been engaged in almost nonstop campaigning, trying to scare the American people, trying to scare now states and others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Critics accuse the president of exaggerating the effects of the cuts which are across the board and will hit everything from the military to early childhood education. So our question, who do you believe when it comes to forced spending cuts. Amy?

KREMER: Look, Carol, you can't blame this all on the president. Yes the idea did originate in the White House but both houses, both chambers voted for it, the House and the Senate. They're all to blame. The reason they had this they couldn't agree on spending cuts in august of 2011 over the debt ceiling. The bottom line is we cannot continue to spend money the way that we're spending it. We have to rein in the spending and when you talk about cutting essentially $44 billion from the budget just this year alone the rest, the remainder of it is going to be in future years, $44 billion is nothing when you're spending $3.6 trillion a year.

COSTELLO: Okay, got to get to Roland. Roland?

MARTIN: I'm sick of all of them. I'm sick of the Republicans and Democrats. Again, if you voted for sequestration, if you signed it into law, you are culpable, and so when Bobby Jindal talks about leadership from the president, yes, we need more leadership but also why did Congress go on recess? How can you have this coming down the pipe and you decide to go on recess? The president should have used constitutional authority and said bring your butts back to Washington. And I also say the president should say Boehner, McConnell, Reid, Pelosi, Cantor, Clyburn, you come with me at Camp David and figure this out over the next three or four days but I'm sick of all this whining and complaining. Get to work.

COSTELLO: I think could you both agree on that.

KREMER: I agree.

COSTELLO: Wow, okay. CNN political analyst Roland Martin and Tea Party Express Chairwoman Amy Kremer, thank you so much.

KREMER: Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: Thanks a bunch.

COSTELLO: We've been talking about this this morning, his killing became a rallying cry with supporters calling for justice for Trayvon Martin. Year later what's changed? What have we learned? I'll talk about it with activists and pioneer rap artist Chuck D.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 40 minutes past the hour, time to check our top stories. The winter blizzard blasting its way across the plains, is expected to drop two more feet of snow, icy highways in Kansas blamed for two deaths now, another death happened in Woodward, Oklahoma, after a roof collapse. Thousands of customers are reporting power outages in Missouri and Oklahoma and officials are asking people to be extra careful and stay off the road.

A memorial service for country music star Mindy McCready will be held in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. The country singer was found dead after apparently committing suicide at her Arkansas home.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Today marks one year since the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. His death sparked protest rallies and cries of injustice after his shooter, George Zimmerman, went for weeks without being arrested. Zimmerman says he shot the unarmed 17-year-old in self-defense. Later today Trayvon's parents plan to mark the anniversary of his death by attending a candlelight vigil in New York. His mother talked with Soledad O'Brien just a few, actually a half hour ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: We're doing this for Trayvon but this also, we need to also do this so that we can help other kids. Because we have seen since this happened last February to Trayvon that other kids, other teenagers have been shot and killed, you know, through senseless gun violence and we just feel like we need to do something about it as parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Race has figured prominently into the case with the pioneering rap group Public Enemy penning a song about it on their latest album, listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CHUCK D, CO-FOUNDER, PUBLIC ENEMY: From the pages of the crisis theory, I know you hear me if you out there, listen up, you might feel me. Do I look suspicious on this track, with the black in it, black hoodie, consciousness and black facts young kids shot, is the cry we heard like Emmett until it was tears and our hearts fell no arrest warrant and no weapon found one eye witness, black body down.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Co-founder and front man of Public Enemy Chuck D and his wife Professor Gaye Teresa Johnson join me now from Santa Barbara, California. Welcome to you both.

PROF. GAYE THERESA JOHNSON, BLACK STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA: Thank you. Thank you for having us.

CHUCK D: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Thank you for being here. We sure appreciate it. Chuck I'll ask you the first question. Not only did your group perform a song about the case you've also released artwork surrounding it. How did that come about?

CHUCK D: A bunch of artists in Chicago called Theo (ph) they also wanted to be able to connect their art to my art and I have a graphic art background, and my whole point of view has always been able to have some kind of social commentary and put it through music and art to be able to get the point across to people in a lot of -- in a multidimensional way.

So we combined and continue to make statements like we did on beyond Trayvon which actually speaks for all those youth out there who are now being victims, for the last 25 to 30 years of this senseless violence. And it's not the young people's fault, which is maybe a collapsing of an infrastructure society that we need to pay attention to.

COSTELLO: And Gaye I'd like to ask you this question. You know we've been asking a lot of people today what did we learn from the Martin case? And we found that it's pretty tough to answer because this case has polarized the nation along racial and political lines. Do you see a middle ground here?

JOHNSON: Well I think there's two things that are really important to come away from this with some of this with and one is that we need to work really hard to understand what Trayvon Martin's death represents. So there's that, but then there's also the fact that we need to work very hard to make him much more than a symbol, because there's so much that we need to do, there's so much in the way of race and racial representation that needs to happen.

I mean, Zimmerman is not somebody who exists in a vacuum. He's somebody who is part of a society that persistently gives young people messages about the danger that black men pose to the United States and to the whole world and so we have to look at that in a context that needs a lot of work.

COSTELLO: And Chuck D, George Zimmerman has become a symbol to a lot of people too, to many in America and they would say let's let the trial play out first because we make Trayvon Martin an innocent victim in all of this.

CHUCK D: I don't know, we should know better than that, because people are still mad at O.J. Simpson, so let the trial play out, what does that mean?

COSTELLO: Well, but a lot of people believed O.J. Simpson is guilty, but I think what they're saying is let all of this --

(CROSSTALK)

CHUCK D: And that - and that -- and that trial played out, didn't it, so I mean, I'm pretty much not the one to be told that a trial is going to make everybody feel straight and clear.

COSTELLO: Well I can understand it when you say it that way, but I think that what they're saying is like we were quick to make a judgment on both sides of the issue when this originally went down and maybe it's time to step back, let all the facts come in, and then make a decision.

CHUCK D: I don't know. I don't think we're quick to make a judgment. I think the emotion happened to be in step and in line with what's been happening the last umpteen amount of years with black youth, also being disconnected from the tools that they need, just to be able to live like all the other youth.

And you see now through culture and all these other areas that are bombarding black youth without the tools it's actually you know almost like life has -- has almost imitated art but who is behind the art? Who is behind the whole social structure? And so these tools are very, you know, necessary, I've always felt for young black youth, as far as and especially young black men to be able to look at themselves and figure out how to survive here in America.

It's important and they're just not there or they're not being emphasized. That's my personal point of view.

COSTELLO: And Gaye going back to that question about what have we've learned, some say what we've learned is that identity is everything in this country. I mean would it have been different had Trayvon Martin been white and wearing a hoodie, if Zimmerman had not been a white Hispanic, would he have been labeled a white conservative vigilante?

JOHNSON: Well I think that much has been made of Zimmerman being Latino, but again, you know it comes down to not whether or not Zimmerman is racist or being if I might just kind of add to the last answer, that in terms of letting the trial play out, I mean we're talking about a grown armed man who shot an unarmed child.

Regardless of race I mean, I think letting the trial play out is one thing, but I think people's sense of justice and scale is another. But I do think that you know Zimmerman is easy for us to focus our attention on as whether or not he was racist or not, but that takes us away from the real issue. And that is what is it about a young black boy with a hoodie on that makes everybody feel threatened.

And it's not something that you know I think we -- it's easy for us to get caught up in the details of you know did the Skittles look like a gun, or you know was he imposing. But I mean, the fact remains that every message in our society tells us that a figure like that is a threatening one if he's black. Because even though Geraldo Rivera apologized, there were so many pictures of him after his comments about Trayvon Martin not -- he shouldn't have been wearing this hoodie because he should have known that it made him -- him look dangerous.

I mean, there were so many circulated images after that of -- of Geraldo Rivera wearing a hoodie and nobody ever assigns that kind of danger to him or to Justin Timberlake for example. But when it's somebody like Trayvon Martin, again a child, then yes absolutely it had something to do with the race.

COSTELLO: Yes.

JOHNSON: Because if he hadn't have been black, then I don't think he would have had that problem.

CHUCK D: Yes and that's why coming on a news program even early in the morning like this is necessary because of all the poison that's been spewed throughout for this past year about what America thinks. But the obvious point that is that this young man lost his life from an unjust situation. And it needs to be like hammered home. And that's bottom line.

COSTELLO: Thank you both for joining us this morning and sharing your insight. Chuck D and Professor Gaye Theresa Johnson.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

CHUCK D: Thank you.

COSTELLO: All right, on -- you're welcome.

On to our "Talk Back" question. "Who do you believe when it comes to forced budget cuts?" Your responses next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Ok. "Talk Back" question today: Who do you believe when it comes to forced budget cuts?" This is a hot issue. We got hundreds and hundreds of responses.

This from Val, "Naively some believe it is their party only. It's both sides whether they like it or not. That's politicking, folks."

This from Aja, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I believe the Republicans. That being said, Democrats and Republicans need to work together on this. Grow up, pay the bills. It is best for the country."

This from Richard, "Both sides share some of the blame, but the onus falls on the GOP. Being a senior citizen on Social Security and Medicare, I realize we all should expect to share the burden."

This from Brian, "Republicans have no objective except stopping the President while whining about his leadership. They'll ruin the country yet."

And this from Donald, "Not Congress, the chief executive or the media. Other than that, I'm open-minded."

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/Carolcnn or please tweet me @Carolcnn.

Manti Te'o finally took to the --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Manti Te'o finally took to the field at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and the reviews of his performance were less than impressive.

Vince Cellini here with more with today's Bleacher Report.

VINCE CELLINI, BLEACHER REPORT: Right, Carol. You know the girlfriend, that was a hoax, but the results were all too real for Manti Te'o at the NFL combine in Indianapolis where we find that he is actually slower and smaller than expected. It went like this as Te'o, it doesn't mean he can't play at the NFL level, but a combined 40-yard dash done at 4.82 seconds, 20th of 26th linebackers who ran Monday. Generally unimpressive by pro football standards.

He's also lost some weight. He's down to 241 on a 6 feet 1 and one- quarter inch frame. Not big for inside linebacker, yet the projection is he could be a top 20 pick in the April draft.

And talk about taking one for the team, New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady taking a pay cut to help out his team's salary cap according to "Sports Illustrated's" Peter King. The new contract extension for him said to be worth $27 million over three years and Brady will be 40 when his deal is over. He'll retire as a Patriot.

But the numbers putting them in perspective, the Patriots were on the hook for Brady for $43.6 million until they reworked the deal. So this new contract will allow New England much more flexibility in building their team for the future. So a generous move.

And finally this. Cheerleader Ashley Arno became an Internet sensation when she hit this amazing somersault half court shot during a time-out for her college in Mississippi. Since she's such a big star now, it would seem to make sense that she practice for the Harlem Globetrotters, trying to teach them the trick shot.

And Carol, they got it sort of, putting their own spin on it. But that's pretty impressive in its own right.

COSTELLO: I couldn't do it.

CELLINI: Yes, absolutely. For all the entertaining sports news including more on Brady's new contract, and the Patriots' future, go to bleacherreport.com. Carol, you do that kind of flip entering the studio, I know, every time you come in here to the show.

COSTELLO: Every day. And you're always amazed that I can do that sort of thing.

CELLINI: Yes, always impressive. Yes. Always impressive.

COSTELLO: Thanks Vince.

CELLINI: Sure.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.