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Women Still Support Hernandez; Morales Speaks after Plane Grounded; Boy Faces 10 years for Facebook Comment; Lawsuits against Horse Slaughters in U.S.

Aired July 04, 2013 - 13:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Postal Service is reportedly tracking your mail for federal law enforcement. According to "The New York Times," two programs allow postal service computers to photograph every piece of mail processed in the U.S. About 160 billion envelopes and packages last year alone. We don't know how long the government keeps the images, but the reports suggest that postal mail is subject to the same kind of scrutiny the NSA gives phone calls and e-mails.

Former major league star, Manny Ramirez, is heading to the minors. He is set to report today to the AAA team, the Round Rock Express, part of the Texas Rangers system. The slugger has a checkered past. Ramirez was suspended from the L.A. Dodgers after testing positive for a banned substance. He retired two years later to avoid another suspension following a second positive test.

There is new evidence in the murder investigation involving former New England Patriot's Aaron Hernandez. According to court documents, police found ammunition and a sweatshirt matching the one Hernandez was reportedly seen wearing the night the man he is accused of killing died.

But as our John Berman reports, Hernandez still has supporters, many of whom are women.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 37-page search warrant released Wednesday may be piling on the evidence against former New England Patriots star, Aaron Hernandez, evidence not found in his multi-million dollar estate but in a two-bedroom apartment in Franklin, Massachusetts, 19 miles from his home.

Only discovered after interviewing an associate of Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz, the documents reveal they found two items of clothing, a white hooded sweatshirt matching the one Hernandez was wearing in this photo, obtained by Boston TV station, WHTH, and in the surveillance video the night of the homicide, and a blue and cranberry colored baseball cap matching the one Hernandez was reportedly wearing outside a night club. The documents also say three different calibers of ammunition were found in a bedroom night stand.

Ortiz told police, on the night after the incident, he and Hernandez stopped by this apartment location.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, Aaron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: But despite all of this, Hernandez still has supporters including some women who are speaking out on Twitter with tweets like, "Aaron Hernandez is too sexy to be in jail for life," and "I don't care what Aaron Hernandez did, he is still sexy."

DR. GAIL SALTZ, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: The reason women may be tweeting that is many of them are going to be attracted to the bad- boy image, that this makes him more macho, and so women fantasize that he isn't capable of a murder, for example, because he is so handsome. And unfortunately, looks are deceiving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hernandez is still being held without bail at the Bristol County, Massachusetts, jail on first-degree murder charges.

A mistake in the desperate search for NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, may have enraged an entire nation if not an entire region of the world. Details on that next.

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LT. COL. ERIC SLOUGHFY, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: Hello. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Eric Sloughfy with Task Force Life Line (ph) here in Afghanistan. I want to say happy Fourth of July to my family in Fort Campbell. And I want to say happy Fourth of July to my wife, Kim, and my two daughters, Sara and Rachel. And a shout out to my family back in Pennsylvania. OK. Love you all. Miss you. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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WHITFIELD: The Fourth of July means fireworks, but some military families will be missing out this year. That's because of those across-the-board cuts known as the sequester. The cuts have snuffed out fireworks displays at military bases across the country. They represent only a tiny fraction of the defense budget. Offers of donations have been pouring in from people upset over those cuts, but donations cannot be earmarked for specific events.

Bolivian President Ivo Morales is back in his home country today and he is condemning the U.S. after his jet was held up in Europe over suspicion that intelligence leaker, Edward Snowden, was on board.

Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (SHOUTING)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Bolivia's capital, there is outrage at Western treatment of Ivo Morales, the popular socialist president. The Bolivian media quick to blame his imperialist enemy. "Pressure from the United States," reads this headline, "forces European countries to threaten the president's life."

Bolivians see the refusal to allow the presidential plane to enter key European air space as a national insult.

JULIA MAMANI, NEWSPAPER VENDOR (through translation): We came very early to offer up the newspapers and the day's news. The news about the president seems like a very bad incident. That country's discriminate, that cannot happen. They need to ask President Morales for forgiveness.

CHANCE: The Bolivian leader had been traveling home from an energy summit in Moscow when, according to Bolivian officials, both France and Portugal refused to allow the presidential plane to cross their air space. The aircraft eventually landed in Vienna where President Morales expressed his concern.

IVO MORALES, PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA (through translation): There has been no explanation as to why I was not allowed to fly over France, Portugal, Italy, and later Spain, too, because we had permission to land in the Canary Islands.

CHANCE: Later, Bolivian officials accused the United States of spreading a rumor that Edward Snowden was on board. Just hours before, President Morales had told Russian television he was considering an asylum request by the fugitive U.S. security analyst.

Reaction to the incident across South America has been swift. In Ecuador, the country's foreign minister called it a huge offense against the Bolivian leader and the entire region. In a statement, the Union of south American Nations, UNASUR, condemned what it called the dangerous act taken by France and Portugal, and the spread of malicious information that former CIA agent, Edward Snowden, was traveling on this plane.

(on camera): Among nations here in South America, some fiercely oppose the U.S. foreign policy. This latest incident is being seen as an unprecedented insult. Bolivia has called it an act of aggression. Venezuela's president says it was disproportionate and unacceptable. At the request of Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, a regional summit will convene to discuss a common response.

(voice-over): Already there is broad sympathy in the region for Edward Snowden. Bolivia, along with Venezuela and Ecuador, is seen as the countries most likely to grant him asylum.

And now the treatments of this South American president may toughen their resolve. Matthew Chance, CNN, Hito (ph), Ecuador.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The dad says it is just a misunderstanding. Prosecutors say it was terrorism. A teenaged boy could spend now 10 years behind bars for a comment he posted on Facebook. That's next.

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PV2 NOLAN PRICE, 2ND INFANTRY BRIGADE: I am PV2 Nolan Price, from Afghanistan, here to tell you all back at home from Georgia, happy Fourth of July. I miss you all. I love you all. See you all soon.

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WHITFIELD: An update on Justin Carter, the 19-year-old from Texas who is in jail and could be there for many years. He posted a comment on Facebook that he says was a joke, but it got him arrested on a terrorism charge.

Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez, speaking to Justin Carter's father.

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JACK CARTER, FATHER OF JUSTIN CARTER: I just want my kid back. He is my best friend. And I miss him so much.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jack Carter devastated that his teenaged son behind bars for months facing up to 10 years in prison.

CARTER: I just want to tell Justin that we love him and that everybody is here for him, and that everything is going to be OK. We're going to -- this is going to be right.

MARQUEZ: Carter is now getting help, a new legal team taking the case for free.

We spoke to Attorney Donald Flanary just after meeting his client for the first time.

DONALD FLANARY, ATTORNEY FOR JUSTIN: He is distraught. He is confused. He is sad. This is somebody who has never been to jail before.

MARQUEZ: Justin Carter, arrested in February, charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony.

The alleged threat, says his father, came after he played the online multi-player video game League of Legends. In a Facebook conversation, the person he was chatting with called him "F-ed up in the head," and Carter responded, "I'm F-ed up in the head, all right. I think I'm going to shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them."

FLANARY: They need to look at the context of what's put online. Because if they would have, I think they would have seen that it was sarcasm.

MARQUEZ: Investigators say they found evidence Carter was engaged in online bullying and made a threat to a woman, a random stranger, though several warrants turned up no evidence of an actual plot.

While prosecutors had no comment on the case, Jack Carter says Justin was offered a plea deal that would have put him in prison for eight years.

CARTER: This kid is just beaming with -- he is beaming with life. He is just trying to -- you know, I mean -- and they took all away from him.

MARQUEZ: Real consequences for a comment made in the virtual world.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Perhaps are you ready to fire up that grill for the Fourth of July barbecue. Hot dogs, burgers, and soon? Do you see something in there that could end up on someone's plate? I am not kidding. We're going to explain, next.

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STAFF SGT. CYBELLE REY HERNANDEZ, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: My name is Staff Sergeant Cybelle Rey Hernandez with Task Force Life Line (ph) in Afghanistan. I just want to say happy Fourth of July to my daughter, Juleasa (ph), and my sister, (INAUDIBLE). I love you.

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WHITFIELD: You've got to see to believe. The people of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, are waking up to a very white Fourth of July. Almost two feet of hail fell in the city, some the size of golf balls. Looks pretty. It did do damage to roofs and to sky lights. Thankfully, no reports of injuries.

And the winner in the Coney Island hot dog eating contest set an amazing new record today, although it is kind of a little gross. Joey Chestnut from San Jose managed to force down 69 hot dogs in just 10 minutes. It is his seventh straight victory. The annual contest has been held on Brooklyn's Coney Island since 1916.

A New Mexico company will be the first in the U.S. allowed to slaughter horses for export in seven years. Five animal welfare groups have filed lawsuits to overturn the approval.

Kat Kinsman is joining me now. Kat, first of all, we're talking about horse meat, it cannot be sold in the U.S. as food, however, right? This is strictly export.

KAT KINSMAN, EATOCRACY.COM: That's true. There is not going to be a sudden stampede of McTrigger burgers at any point in the near future. It might show up in pet foods and feed zoo animals. But for the most part, it's going to be exported to countries where it's already part of the diet, like China, France, Russia and Belgium and Mexico -- are the main consumers of horse meat.

WHITFIELD: OK. Tell us about these horses. Apparently, they're very specific about the types of horses that end up in slaughter houses like this.

KINSMAN: Well, I think what a lot of people don't know is that, in 2012 alone, 166,000 horses were exported from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico. So this provision wouldn't necessarily mean the death of any additional horses. Mostly, that it would be done in the country where there are more regulations on how they're actually slaughtered.

These aren't horses that are necessarily having -- in the best circumstances as it is. They're mostly -- it's really expensive to feed a horse. They're, you know, from farms where they just don't have enough to feed them. They're old. They're tired. Some people -- yeah --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: We're talking about that poor horse. I mean, you know. If you happen to be somewhere where they can't afford your upkeep, you're going to end up in a slaughter house?

KINSMAN: Yeah. It's pretty terrible. People are actually looking to use this provision to cut down on the wild horse population that is considered an invasive species in parts of the west.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, now, horses being allowed for consumption in the U.S., is there some movement to try to make that happen? Or is there even a discussion taking place involving that notion?

KINSMAN: There really is. And it's really an emotional argument for a lot of people. We think of horses as these tremendous, heroic pets, and mighty steeds. But the reality is that, out west, there is -- there are a lot of, you know, wild horses that are considered to be pests that are a strain on the environment. And some people are advocating that allowing the slaughter and selling of their meat would actually cut down on the hunger problem in the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. All right. That's a tough argument. Because we are talking about very compassionate, graceful animals. Yeah, it really hits close to home for a lot of people. Have a hard time seeing that they would then be part of the food chain.

KINSMAN: It's complicated.

WHITFIELD: It is complicated. Kat Kinsman, good to see you. Have a happy Fourth.

KINSMAN: Have a great Fourth.

WHITFIELD: Some doctors coming to the U.S. don't get jobs as doctors. Instead, they work fast-food or manual labor. Why? We'll explain, next.

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MAJ. CASEY MINER, 311TH ESC COMMAND I.G.: I'm Major Casey James Minor from Manhattan Beach, California, currently deployed to Afghanistan. I just want to take this opportunity to wish Southern California and the Pack 12 an awesome Independence Day. Happy Fourth of July. I'll be home soon.

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WHITFIELD: Imagine starting a career as a medical doctor, then suddenly becoming a maid or house painter. This is the reality for many immigrant doctors who come to the U.S. and aren't able to get their medical licenses. Doctors at UCLA created a program to help immigrant physicians get licensed in the U.S. in hopes of addressing a major shortage of primary care doctors.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.

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DR. PATRICK DOWELLING, UCLA: We always wondered, given there are so many international medical graduates working in the country, where are the people from Latin America? We stumbled upon them working in menial jobs.

This is a woman that works at McDonald's in Colorado.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): UCLA's Dr. Patrick Dowelling and Michelle Bulot are on the hunt for Latino immigrant doctors.

DOWELLING: She was in University of Family Medicine.

GUPTA: Why? Potentially, as a solution to America's primary care doctor shortage.

Dowelling says there are a few thousand Latino immigrant doctors living in Southern California alone, but they aren't practicing medicine anymore. Instead of treating patients, many spend years cleaning houses, working on construction sites, and in fast-food chains.

DOWELLING: Often, they work in their own country for 10 years and then come here. They're not licensed. Then they see the process. So they have to get a job to support themselves. JOSE CHAVEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GUPTA: Jose Chavez was a doctor in El Salvador with more than eight years in medical training when he moved to the United States in 2005.

JOSE CHAVEZ, PHYSICIAN: I'm going to call this patient. Let her know we're going to refill her medication. Is that OK?

GUPTA: Prior to last year, he wasn't working in this U.S. hospital, or any hospital. Instead --

CHAVEZ: I would do anything you asked me to as long as it's legal. And you pay me for it. I was helping, you know, cleaning houses, painting, doing flooring.

GUPTA: For years, he juggled odd jobs during the day with studying for the U.S. medical boards at night.

CHAVEZ: It requires that you study at least 10 hours a day. Imagine you're working eight to 10 hours a day and then try to study eight to 10 hours at night. It's really impossible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All residents are required to submit a personal statement.

GUPTA: It's a costly, time-consuming process that most Latino immigrants aren't prepared for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the things I want to help you avoid is to help you --

GUPTA: UCLA's IMG Program helps fast-track these doctors to practice medicine again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, everybody. How are you doing today?

GUPTA: It provides a stipend, as well as medical board prep classes and mentoring by UCLA physicians.

CHAVEZ: When I got accepted I was able to stop construction and focus on my exam. That gave me the opportunity to take the test six months after joining the UCLA program.

GUPTA: They've helped 66 Latino immigrant doctors, including Chavez, pass the U.S. medical boards and then get placed into residency programs in Southern California. There's a desperate need there. In Riverside County, there's just one M.D. for every 9,000 people. But now, Dr. Chavez gets to be one of their physicians.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Under the watch of hundreds of police officers and more than 2,000 cameras, runners and wheelchair racer competed in the Peachtree Road Race today in Atlanta. Participants wore yellow and blue to honor the victims of the Boston bombings. A moment of silence took place before the race actually started. The Peachtree Road Race, by the way, is one of the biggest races in the country. And today, there were about 60,000 runners. Congrats to them.

All right. Look at this. Gorgeous Fourth of July scene out of San Francisco. The world-famous Coit Tower is lit up in red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day. The 210-foot-high tower is one of San Francisco's most famous fireworks viewing spots.

We end this hour, with a couple of special tributes to America's independence. First, a reading of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

(SINGING)

WHITFIELD: Nice. Happy Fourth, everyone. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Brooke Baldwin takes it from here.