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Bolivia Willing to Give Snowden Asylum; Morsy Supporters Rally in Egypt; Egypt Has Peace Deal with Israel; Defense Continues Case on Monday; Mom vs. Mom at Zimmerman Trial; Missing Madeleine McCann May Still Be Alive; Egypt's ElBaradei Named Interim Prime Minister; Excitement Growing over Royal Baby; Stars Hold Relief Concert for Oklahoma; No Nonsense Allowed in Zimmerman Case
Aired July 06, 2013 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN: Hello, again, everyone. A look at the top stories we're following for you this hour. A third country has just extended an offer of asylum to the NSA leaker. We'll tell you which countries are willing to take in Edward Snowden. And two mothers take the stand in the George Zimmerman trial with different interpretations of a 911 call. Which will the jury believe? We'll have an update on the case.
And they're watching and waiting in the U.K. a royal baby is due at any day now. We'll have the latest on what the press is doing to prepare.
And this just in, after a couple of days after the ousting of the democratically elected president in Egypt, now, the opposition leader has been summoned to the presidential palace for talks. He is expected to be appointed as the country's next interim prime minister. Of course, when we get information on that, we'll bring that to you.
Now three countries have now extended offers of asylum to Edward Snowden, the man behind the NSA leaks. Bolivia just added its name to the list today. The country's president called it a fair protest after European countries restricted Snowden's flight this week out of concern that he was on board. Yesterday, Nicaragua has said it would over asylum if the circumstances permit and Venezuela also gave Snowden the OK.
Frederik Pleitgen has more now from Moscow.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has said that he would be willing to take Edward Snowden in. Now of course, the government of Venezuela is very antagonistic towards the United States. They keep calling the U.S. an imperialist nation and they from the very beginning have been very sympathetic to Edward Snowden.
So in a speech late last night, Maduro told supporters that he would be willing to allow Edward Snowden to come to Venezuela and to give him asylum. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRES. NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELA (Through Translator): I announced to the deference to the friendly nations in the world that we have decided to offer the international humanitarian right to asylum to protect this young Edward Snowden from the persecution that has been unleashed from the most powerful imperialist in the world against the young man who only spoke the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Now Venezuela, of course, is one of the few countries that are willing to give Edward Snowden asylum. And it certainly looks as though there might be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel to this whole saga.
Another country that's now come out and said they might be willing to let him in is Nicaragua. We're still waiting to see whether or not they actually firm that up. Otherwise, though, most countries that he's applied to have already said they're not going to let him in either on technical grounds or on merits. So at this point in time it seems as though Venezuela might be his best bet.
The big question is now logistics. What can all of that happen? That's still totally up in the air and how. Is he going to take a commercial flight possibly here from Russia to Cuba and then to Caracas, Venezuela? The next flight would leave sometime around noon tomorrow local time. So we'll wait and see whether or not he's going to be on that flight, whether or not he's also going to have the necessary travel documents because we also know that the United States has revoked his passport.
Certainly, the Russians will be very happy to hear all of this. They have been getting more antsy by the day. It seems as though they're very uncomfortable with Snowden's presence here. One of the things that is a big problem for Vladimir Putin at this point in time is that he can't hand him over to the U.S. because that would cause absolute humiliation here at home at Russia, but also, he can't really let this drag on for a very long time and risk threatening the relationship that he does have with the Obama administration.
So the Russians will be very happy to see all this come to an end, but we're still not sure how long it's still going to take -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Frederik Pleitgen.
OK, now on to Egypt. We just reported a moment ago that now we understand according to Reuters reporting that Mohamed ElBaradei, who was the opposition leader there in Egypt, has been summoned to the presidential palace and that the interim president, Adly Mansour, wants to lead some talks with ElBaradei, and reportedly ElBaradei may be appointed the interim prime minister of the country of Egypt.
All of this taking place just days after the ousting of the democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsy.
Our Karl Penhaul is actually in Cairo. We've seen for the past few days masses of people. Those supporting Morsy and those supporting who of course say --
(CROSSTALK)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, another night is beginning to fall here outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard building. Barbed wire here separating the military on one side. They are defending very much their headquarters. The significance of that building is that is where we believe the deposed Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsy, is still being held under arrest.
If you look across here, then what you can see are thousands, possibly even tens of thousands of supporters of the deposed president. They have marched from one of the mosques that is a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood and with them, they've brought four coffins. Those coffins are empty because this has been a symbolic funeral cortege to mark the scores of deaths that there have been overnight last night, for example, even where we are now.
Yesterday, the Muslim Brotherhood say five of their members were gunned down here. The military said they didn't use live fire. Then they have denied that. Egypt's health minister has given us an idea that they confirmed at least one person was killed right here. But right now as night begins to fall, tension is beginning to mount. The supporters of Mr. Morsy are about to start to play here. But they have given the military one hour. They say that if the military in one hour does not hand over the deposed president, this crowd of thousands, they say, will plan to go in.
Now, of course, it's very difficult to see how in fact they will go in here. We have seen no visible evidence of weapons and on this side, if you peer through the barbed wire, you can see the military here. Some are armed with AK-47s, some of them with riot shields and long sticks. Behind them, armored personnel carriers with machine guns mounted on top and some of the buildings that make up the Republican Guard compound, we can see men on rooftops there.
It is going to be very difficult to see how all this is going to pan out. If the supporters of Mr. Morsy make good on their promise to storm these barbed wire barricades and go into the Republican Guard buildings. That, if it happens, will happen. The deadline they have issued will expire now in a matter of minutes -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right, Karl Penhaul, thanks so much. Painting a picture of the tension there building up as that large crowd then gathers outside the Republican Guard headquarters. The military rule headquarters.
All this taking place on the heels of what now CNN can confirm that there is an appointment of an interim prime minister. That being opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei. Of course when we get more information about the structure of this new interim government, we'll be able to bring that to you live and watch the situation there as it continues to boil there in Cairo and beyond.
Meantime, the political uncertainty in Egypt has put the Obama administration in a very difficult position. Should the U.S. cut aid to Egypt or not? Republican Senator John McCain says yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: We cannot repeat the same mistakes that we made at other times in our history by supporting the removal of freely elected governments. And so I believe that the aid has to be suspended, that the Egyptian military has to set a timetable for elections and new constitution, and then we should evaluate whether to continue the aid or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And we're talking aid in the amount of a billion and a half U.S. dollars. Egypt has been a close ally of the United States and it's one of only two Arab countries that has a peace deal with Israel, but as CNN's Vladimir (INAUDIBLE) reports, things are tenuous between Egypt and Israel and Israel has said little about the recent uprising next door.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): With the removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy by the military, world leaders ranging, from U.S. President Barack Obama to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, have all weighed in on the developments, but one regional power has remained silent from the sidelines. Israel. So far there's been no statement from Tel Aviv.
(Voice-over): But Shimrit Meir, an analyst with the Israel Project, a think tank with offices in Jerusalem and Washington, D.C., says Israeli officials believe that Egypt's future should be decided by its people without regional influence.
SHIMRIT MEIR, DIRECTOR, ISRAEL PROJECT'S ARABIC MEDIA PROGRAM: Israel, first of all, needs to be in sync with the United States and be sure of this very important point, but it has to stay out of it. This is an internal Egyptian issue and we should let Egyptian decide their own future.
DUTHIERS: My Meir says privately many Israeli officials are encouraged that Egyptians have protested the policies Mr. Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood tried to implement. Moves that were seen as an attempt to fashion Egypt into an Islamic state from a secular one.
(On camera): Meir says at the end of the day, no matter how events play out in Egypt, there's one concern that matters most to the state of Israel. It's security.
MEIR: So this is, I think, what official Israel is interested in. Security, mostly, and fighting terror.
DUTHIERS: But on the streets of Jerusalem, the mood is cautiously optimistic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the one side, I think it's a great thing that they're coming out to the streets and it's like -- it's been a big revolution this past year where people can say their opinions out loud and especially in these countries, where usually you can't see that very much.
DUTHIERS: And while Israel may not be talking officially, from the look of things, Egyptians will continue to voice their opinions out loud. On the streets of Cairo and across the country.
Vladimir Duthiers, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Ben Wedeman is also following developments in Cairo. Take a look at what happened while he was filing a live report near Tahrir Square.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've come to an end and I'm told we're told --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language)
WEDEMAN: I think we're having some problems here. They're trying to take away our camera.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The soldiers did eventually take Ben's crew's camera away. Ben says that later it was returned but without the video footage. Again, that was live television that you're seeing right here. All of that happening while we were live on CNN.
Back in this country, the murder trial of George Zimmerman is in recess for the weekend, but emotions ran high on Friday as the mothers of both George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin testified.
CNN legal correspondent Jean Casarez joining us live now with a closer look.
The jury is sequestered, but they have an awful lot to think about, ponder about, because we're talking about something like, what, 38 witnesses while the prosecution was laying out its case and now the defense. Isn't it expected the defense will have many witnesses to call beyond George Zimmerman's mother and uncle?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: I think they will. They're going to have a forensic pathologist out of San Antonio, former Bexar County medical examiner, Vincent Dimaio. Benjamin Crump, the family attorney for the Martin family, could be called, but yesterday, Fredricka, I don't think you will ever have a day like this in a trial, in a court of law for a long time because this all female jury, five out of six of them are mothers, listened to the testimony of mothers on both sides to say that it was their son that was crying out for help and there is a chance that these mothers could cancel each other out, right? Because they both think that it's their own child.
So what else will the jury be thinking about? Well, there is witness testimony, especially Jon Good, who was an eyewitness, who said I know that the person on the bottom who he described as George Zimmerman, was calling out help, help, and he said the voice was coming to me instead of it being the person on the top where the voice would be going away toward the wall and then bouncing back to me.
Then you had multiple witnesses that said they were hearing cries for help and then you've got George Zimmerman, that one minute about after the shot when law enforcement arrived, he said, I was crying out for help and nobody came to help me. You've got his recreation the next day where he says, I kept crying out for help, but then on the other side, Fredricka, when that gun shot went off, you didn't hear one more cry for help, not one, but yet George Zimmerman said in his statement, I didn't think I got him. I didn't think I shot him, so the jury might be thinking about, well, why wouldn't you keep crying out for help if you didn't think you had shot this person?
WHITFIELD: Wow. Those are powerful things to think about and, you know, these jurors, the evidence including eyewitness accounts, that's very minimal, so it really is up to the jurors to kind of fill the hole, isn't it? I mean, to try and piece things together. This case is not being laid out like so many other criminal cases where, you know, there is a very clear cut story line. This one doesn't have that, does it?
CASAREZ: It's a very good point. You've got eyewitnesses to a point. You've got ear witnesses because it was so dark out there. People just couldn't see. So that's something the jury has to consider, too, the darkness of the night and in regard to Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, that darkness, I think, can have an impact so there's so much testimony for them to consider and now they're going into the defense case.
But remember, the prosecution has to show as one of the elements of second degree murder that George Zimmerman had hatred, ill will, spite, evil intent against Trayvon Martin as a person, so the jury has got to be thinking about the words of George Zimmerman, the actions of George Zimmerman, was that hatred, ill will, spite or evil intent? That's a very challenging issue right there.
WHITFIELD: All right. Lots of stuff to think about there. Thanks so much, Jean Casarez, for putting it all together for us.
After the trial resumes Monday, of course, you can get a recap of the key moments from our Anderson Cooper who'll have "AC 360" special report, "SELF-DEFENSE OR MURDER." That's Monday night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
All right, six years ago, Madeleine McCann vanished while on vacation with her parents. Find out why police now say she may still be alive.
And the mothers testifying in the Zimmerman trial. What is next in this controversial case?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S ATTORNEY: I never thought that there was a proper case against George Zimmerman, so, you know, they're putting on their case as prosecutors do. That's their job. And my job is to defend George and then the jury's job is to decide who did the better -- you know, whether or not the state proved their case. We'll get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In the George Zimmerman murder trial, the prosecution has wrapped its case. And now defense lawyers resume on Monday.
The jury must decide if Zimmerman is guilty of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin or if he was acting in self-defense. The prosecution put Trayvon Martin's mother and brother on the stand and the defense called on George Zimmerman's mom and his uncle.
Attorney Mark Geragos is a criminal defense testimony.
Good to see you, Mark. So listen to the testimony of the two mothers.
MARK GERAGOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: How are you?
WHITFIELD: I'm doing good. This was a really riveting day of testimony from these two mothers. Both had a very similar interpretation. The only difference is they've got, of course, different sons. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think he's yelling help?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's gunshots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, that screaming or yelling, do you recognize that?
SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And who do you recognize that to be, ma'am?
FULTON: Trayvon Benjamin Martin.
O'MARA: Were you able to hear that voice in the background?
GLADYS ZIMMERMAN, DEFENDANT'S MOTHER: Yes.
O'MARA: You heard of course a woman's voice in the foreground, correct?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
O'MARA: Do you know whose voice that was screaming in the background?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
O'MARA: And whose voice was that?
ZIMMERMAN: My son, George.
O'MARA: And are you certain of that?
ZIMMERMAN: Because he's my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So this is tough because both mothers are very credible. Both very believable, both very graceful on the stand, so is this an issue not of does the jury believe the mothers, but what does the jury hear when they hear that call?
GERAGOS: I think it's clearly what is the jury here because -- and I thought it was a very smart move on the part of the defense. Rather than let the prosecution kind of end on that emotional note, they countered immediately, you put up a mother, we're going to put up a mother. And I think ultimately what that does is it kind of washes out the testimony by the prosecution, forces it back upon the jury. And then you'll hear about this I think again in the closing arguments and you're going to hear from the prosecution argue it one way and the defense diametrically oppose.
WHITFIELD: So if you're a juror and the prosecution has rested, what's missing in your view of how the state is laying out second- degree murder that carried out by George Zimmerman?
GERAGOS: I just have been shocked by the way the prosecution has kind of unveiled their case. They've called witnesses, they've made I think a stronger case for Zimmerman than they have for -- against Zimmerman, some of the people they've called, it's astonishing to me. It's almost as if they didn't know what they were going to say, that you --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: So it's unintentionally the case. Right?
GERAGOS: Right.
WHITFIELD: It's as if the prosecution was even surprised by what people were delivering?
GERAGOS: By their own witnesses and I was going to say, the thing that is -- that's mind boggling is that in Florida, unlike almost any other jurisdiction, you get pretrial depositions so they presumably have had hours with their witness and know what they're going to say. Yet they put them on and you're right. They look at them as if wow, I didn't expect that, I didn't know that was coming. And I said it, you know, somewhat tongue and cheek the other day. It's almost -- it almost as if they want to throw the case.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. But certainly, they wouldn't, right?
GERAGOS: Well, I just don't know. I mean, some of this -- after doing this for 30 year, some of what the prosecution has done in this case is inexplicable to me and it's too bad that the public see this and think this is how a normal criminal trial takes place because this certainly is not how the average criminal trial unfolds in courtrooms across this county.
WHITFIELD: So the flipside to that, the defense has seized upon this and if these are considered weakness by the prosecution, then the defense is using it to its advantage. Does it put the defense in a situation now where it really doesn't need to call too many people?
GERAGOS: That's exactly why this case -- the defense will rest this week. This will be argued to the jury this week is what I would expect. Less is more for the defense. They've been able to effectively tell their story and present their defense in the prosecution's case. And so, you back fill, they did exactly what they should have done by putting on Mr. Zimmerman's mother and then they'll probably call one or two other family members and then I would expect an expert, and then I would expect they would rest.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Fascinating stuff. I think -- was it your expectation this would take much longer to carry out this trial?
GERAGOS: Yes, they had originally estimated at least two more weeks, but when the judge excluded the voice recognition experts, that was basically four witnesses, four expert witnesses, so you cut that out. That takes a week out of this and the fact that the lead detective ended up becoming such a good defense witness, the defense didn't need to put in four or five other witnesses. They were able to get -- eliminate those witnesses just by getting out all the stuff that the detectives said -- had testified to.
WHITFIELD: All right. Wow. All right, Mark Geragos, thanks so much for perspective and joining us today. Appreciate it.
GERAGOS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Another case. And this one is really that of a missing person's case. It has captured the world's attention for many years. I'm talking about Madeleine McCann. Well, now police say they have new leads in this case. A little girl who disappeared while the parents were on vacation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Now to new developments in the case of the missing girl from Britain. Madeleine McCann. British police say they have identified more than three dozen people of interest in her disappearance six years ago.
Atika Shubert has more.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is basically a review of all the material collected by British police, Portuguese Police and private investigators, and it's given them new leads.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): Madeleine McCann was 3 years old when she disappeared from a resort in Portugal six years ago. Now British police say they have new leads and are reopening the investigation, called Operation Grange. They want to question 38 people across Europe including 12 British nationals who they believe were in Portugal at the time.
Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann have campaigned tirelessly to keep her in the public's memory while still raising two other children.
KATE MCCANN, MADELEINE MCCANN'S MOTHER: I don't want them to go through that emotion and I don't really want them to have the burden of this, of having to keep looking and looking and looking, and not being able to stop. You know? So we need to find her now.
SHUBERT: British police say their help from private investigators has made a difference and after 16 visits to Portugal and reviewing more than 30,000 documents police are hopeful.
DCI. ANDY REDWOOD, METROPOLITAN POLICE: There is no clear definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, and so on that basis, I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive.
SHUBERT: Police have released this photo of what Madeleine may look like at 9 years of age. She has now turned 10. And authorities are asking the public to help find this little girl wherever she may be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now, as they search for those 38 people they want to talk to, the focus will be on Britain and Portugal, but also a number of other European countries -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Atika Shubert.
And when we come back, we're going to take you back to Cairo, Egypt for more on the unrest there and now reports of not just a new interim president, but an interim prime minister as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news. WHITFIELD: All right. More now on the breaking news out of Egypt. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been named the country's interim prime minister. A short time ago he was summoned to the presidential palace for talks with interim president, Adly Mansour.
ElBaradei ran for president of Egypt back in 2012. He is the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as you recall, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with the IAEA back in 2005.
Our Ben Wedeman is live for us right now in Cairo.
And so, Ben, tell us more about these threats of Morsy supporters who were thinking about storming the Republican Guard headquarters because that is the place where the ousted president is believed to be, right?
WEDEMAN: Yes, that's correct but in fact today it's been relatively quieter despite the fact that those -- there have been funerals taking place for supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and others, so compared to yesterday, many few people on the street and fewer clashes, but Fredricka, by Cairo standards, the night is young.
WHITFIELD: And then tell us about these reports of ElBaradei becoming the interim prime minister. Has he been sworn in yet or is that even relevant?
WEDEMAN: Well, he will be sworn in, we're told, within the coming hour. Definitely relevant. Now Mr. ElBaradei is somebody who is very well regarded nationally. Of course he was an international diplomat for decades, but here in Egypt, he's unpopular with the Islamists, he's unpopular with some of the young revolutionaries. It's hard to say how much of a bridge builder he'll be able to be at this point in Egypt right now needs exactly that, somebody to build bridges.
WHITFIELD: Is it -- is it difficult to tell what side to have the most momentum? Are we talking about Morsy supporters? Are we talking about the supporters of now Mansour? Because if ElBaredei was someone who ran for president and didn't win in the democratically elected process, why would they Egyptians embrace him as prime minister now?
WEDEMAN: Well, that's a very good question, but in fact, really, it's not a question of supporters of Morsy at this point and supporters of the opposition ElBaradei. Really it's a question of support for the army and the army is a powerful institution in itself and they seem do seem to be the upper hand -- have the upper hand in terms of sheer numbers, sheer support.
The Brotherhood -- the difference between the Brotherhood and those who are opposed to it is the Brotherhood is smaller but very well organized. They have the ability to mobilize lots of people into the street where as the opposition really doesn't have any such mechanisms, but they have the army on their side. And really that's the deciding factor.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman, thanks so much. Keep us abreast of all that's taking place there in Cairo now that it is sundown. All right. NSA leaker Edward Snowden, well, he could have a few countries to choose from now to seek asylum. Just this morning, Bolivia said it would be willing to give Snowden asylum. That's in addition to Venezuela and Nicaragua doing the same, saying yesterday that their doors are open to Snowden. Nicaragua did add, quote, "If circumstances permit," end quote.
Venezuela's president went on an angry tirade against the U.S. and said Snowden is being persecuted for telling the truth.
Meantime, the world is awaiting the arrival of the newest member of the British royal family. The official due date for the royal baby is still a week away, but that hasn't stopped reporters and well-wishers from starting to gather outside the hospital waiting for any sign that a baby has arrived.
Richard Mineards is a royal watcher and columnist for the "Montecito Journal."
No surprise that there would be so much fascination over this baby to be for William and Kate. What is happening? To what extent in London are people greatly anticipating this moment?
RICHARD MINEARDS, COLUMNIST, MONTECITO JOURNAL: Well, the anticipation factor is really palpable. There's nothing more joyous to the country than a royal wedding which we had two years ago and now a royal baby, and already almost 10 days before the schedule of delivery of this child, be it a boy or a girl, the places have been marked out by all the cameras, waiting outside St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. The Lindo Wing, it's called, is the private clinic there where -- both William and Harry were born.
So of the betting shops are making a killing out of this with people saying what the names are going to be of the child and whether it's going to be a boy or a girl, and that's very important now because the law of primogeniture, which had been in place for centuries has now changed, so it won't be the first born male. It will be the first born. So if that first born is a girl, she will be the future monarch after Prince William.
WHITFIELD: And this is very exciting and very historic. And let's talk about the memorabilia that goes with anything royal. You know, you've got the diamond jubilee, there's got to be memorabilia. You've got the wedding, memorabilia. What kind of memorabilia goes with the baby to be? Especially since publicly, we don't know the sex.
MINEARDS: Well, it's a classy memorabilia. You know, you've got these wonderful porcelain tankards made by shops that by appointment to the royal family, and quite frankly, there's an awful lot of what I call tect. I mean, you know, tea towels and plastic key rings and god forbid.
(LAUGHTER)
But the souvenir hunters are very rabid and of course they'll buy all this stuff. WHITFIELD: Of course.
MINEARDS: But again it's great -- well, it's great for the economy, it's great for the country and William and Kate are enormously popular, which is great for the royal family for the future. And this child of course when it comes out of the Lindo Wing, Diana brought William out in '82. Just one day after giving birth.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MINEARDS: And then the baby will be taken to Kensington Palace where the couple live which is great for security. And in due course they'll be --
WHITFIELD: And where Diana lived, right?
MINEARDS: Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
And then we have the christening which will undoubtedly be in the music room of Buckingham Palace where both child and William were christened. And there's this wonderful silk and lace pristine gown that dates back 150 years.
WHITFIELD: Gosh.
MINEARDS: That Queen Victoria used for her daughter, Victoria.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
MINEARDS: So there's a lot of tradition here. And of course, when they announce it, there will be an easel set up in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace.
WHITFIELD: Right.
MINEARDS: With the sort of royal announcement with the Royal Covance at the top saying that the child has been delivered and whoever it is, a boy or a girl, he'll be a prince or princess, for example, Prince -- maybe Prince Harry of Cambridge --
WHITFIELD: My gosh.
MINEARDS: -- or whatever. They say if it's a boy, then they're looking towards Edward, James, Harry. If it should be a girl, the most popular names are Alexandria, who was the wife of Edward (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MINEARDS: And Charlotte who was the wife of King George III.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's lovely.
MINEARDS: King George III. WHITFIELD: Well, Richard, if no one was excited before hearing you speak, they're very excited now. The anticipation is palpable. This is an exciting thing and, you know, I can't wait to have you back so that when we do get that announcement, you can add even more color to the big momentous occasion.
MINEARDS: Go and place your bet now.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. Will do that. Privately. All right. Richard Mineards, thanks so much. Good to see you from the "Montecito Journal."
All right. Let's talk weather. It is hot, it is stormy. It's all of that and is there any end in sight? We'll check the forecast. Plus, some big stars are hitting the stage tonight to help storm victims who need it most. We'll talk with country star Toby Keith.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's a little bit of everything or maybe a lot of too much. Heat, storms, flooding, all of that. This summer has already seen its share of extreme weather and Karen Maginnis has been watching all of it for us. Even though it's -- I don't know, kind of shaping up to be a rather damp day, hey, but you still have kids playing outside in the fountains there in Centennial Park. That's cool.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It's very mild and it's pretty muggy, but temperatures have been running a good 10 degrees below where they should be for this time of year. Let's take you back to May, May 20th. Moore, Oklahoma. Twenty-four people killed by that EF 5 tornado. And then just last week, we were looking at the searing heat across the desert southwest. Possibly topping the world record. Well, it really has been an extraordinary summer so far.
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MAGINNIS (voice-over): The Saturday swelter is on along the East Coast. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia. All sizzling, making it feel like they're in triple-digit conditions thanks to the high humidity. Emergency officials in the Big Apple have now opened the city's mini cooling stations with heat advisories now extending through the weekend.
The big-time heat didn't keep the crowds from flocking to the spectacular light shows this extended holiday weekend, but the blistering temps were just too much for some. One hundred twenty people received medical attention at Boston's Esplanade.
It's a very different picture across other parts of the nation. Heavy rains and floods continue across much of the south, parts of the Florida panhandle received as much as 18 inches of rain. There is also the high threat of rip currents with thousands heading to the beach this weekend. One North Carolina man drowned off Holden Beach, the fourth drowning in the area this week. And in the west, golf ball-sized hail pummeling parts of northern California and New Mexico. A summer surprise for an area that normally seeing temperatures in the 90s.
No doubt this season has seen its share of extreme weather from deadly tornados to massive wildfires, widespread heat and floods, and especially severe summer impacting us all.
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MAGINNIS: And speaking of floods, in Inlet Beach, Florida, that's from the Panhandle, since Tuesday, they have collected in excess of 22 inches of rainfall -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Boy, that has been quite the wet summer thus far. Thanks so much, Karen. Appreciate that.
All right. Well, speaking of extreme weather today, really only about an hour and a half or so from now, country music star Toby Keith and other country music legends will hold a concert to raise money for tornado relief. And they're doing it at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. . Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Ronnie Dunn, Willie Nelson and others will be there and right after the tornado hit Keith's hometown of Moore, Oklahoma, this spring, he talked to Anderson Cooper.
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ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S AC 360: What's it like for you to have seen this place like this?
TOBY KEITH, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Ain't nothing I haven't seen before. Grown up here my whole life, 35, 40 years, we've seen this a lot. Yes. And so it's much the pretty same. Gets you right here every time.
COOPER: It seems like -- I mean, I've seen a lot of them, too, but every time, it -- you know, every time it seems like different. Every time, it's -- never get used to it.
KEITH: No. It's a different path every time. This -- we're about two miles south of where the last one, a mile and a half south of the big one in '99, but there was one, the day before this one, that no one talked about, but those people up there if you ask them, theirs is just as devastating. It looks like there's (INAUDIBLE) in places. So it's part of living in the plains.
COOPER: It seems like everywhere we go, we see people, you know, trying to salvage whatever they can. Possessions from their house.
KEITH: Yes.
COOPER: Whatever they can get out of the -- out of the rubble.
KEITH: Well, my sister -- my sister-in-law and my niece all got hit and if your house looks like something like that where you still got a structure left.
COOPER: Right.
KEITH: If you can get a shot of that. Then you get most of your possessions back, insurance company fix your house, if you have a storm shelter, which you should have, then you're rocking. You know? It all comes back.
COOPER: It does seem -- this is -- we're on the base of the foundation, this is a slab of someone's foundation. Obviously they didn't have a basement. It seems -- I think a lot of people who don't live here are surprised to hear that people don't -- not everybody has storm shelters. Are they expensive?
KEITH: Well, you know, if you go into -- if you go into the neighborhoods, a lot of people that can afford them will have them and then three or four people won't and they -- and they'll share. Everybody knows where the closest shelter is, so if you ask somebody that survived it that got hit and they had a shelter, their neighbors were in there with them.
COOPER: I talked to a woman today in the hospital who was holding on to her 65-year-old husband, he got sucked out of her arms and died. And she -- she said I'm going rebuild the same place because I've got any neighbors. I'll never find neighbors -- like this anywhere else in the world.
KEITH: I know. Last night, I was -- I got here, went straight to my sister's house and we got her boarded in, and got her roof covered and I was standing there doing an interview, and this lady goes, he's standing in front of my car. And it's -- you're like, what? She's like, it's neat you're standing in front of my car. I said, is this your house? She's like, yes, I lived through it. And she was happy, uplifting. And you're like, I can't believe you're this happy. She goes, what else you going to do, rebuild it? It didn't hit for 31 years, I'm going to rebuild right here, this is my home. So it's like, that's the part that makes you go, you know, that's my neighbor.
COOPER: Toby, thank you.
KEITH: Yes, my pleasure.
COOPER: That's a pleasure. Thanks.
KEITH: Thanks for covering it.
COOPER: Pleasure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And if you want to help, go to CNN.com/impact. There you'll find more information.
It's quick, it's convenient and it's deep fried. We'll tell you which popular fast food meal was rated the least healthy. And the first post-surgery video of a little girl whose family had to fight to secure her a lung transplant. An update on her condition straight ahead.
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WHITFIELD: I know it's tempting but you need to hold the onion rings and skip the hush puppies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says Long John Silver's Big Catch value meal is the worst restaurant meal in the U.S. Their opinion, not mine. The fried fish combo has more than 1300 calories, 33 grams of trans fat and 19 grams of saturated fat. The combo includes fried haddock, two side dishes and more than two weeks' worth of fat in a single serving.
The family of Sarah Murnaghan has released the first video of the 10- year-old girl since she had lung transplant surgery. Sarah mouths the words "hi" and "I love you" to her mother who was shooting the video. The young girl cannot speak because she remains intubated as you see there.
In a Facebook post Janet Murnaghan says her daughter's transplant appears to be successful and her body is showing no signs of rejection. Sarah's family sued to change a policy that put children under the age of 12 at the bottom of a waiting list for adult lung transplants. Sarah has cystic fibrosis.
All right. So you think Judge Judy is tough, but wait until you get to know the judge who is presiding over the George Zimmerman murder trial. Order in the court.
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WHITFIELD: There have been some testy moments in the George Zimmerman murder trial, but the judge in the Sanford, Florida, courtroom is making it known that there will be order. Take a listen.
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JUDGE DEBRA NELSON, SEMINOLE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: If you will, please, after your question, allow Dr. Bao to answer. Dr. Bao, after you have answered wait for the next question.
OK. No problem.
NELSON: Thank you. You may proceed.
(CROSSTALK)
NELSON: Again. Stop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask a question, your honor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I didn't answer your first question.
NELSON: OK. Dr. Bao, please wait. There is another question. If he has not finished answering the first question, he will be allowed to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So who exactly is this judge? Here's CNN's crime and justice correspondent Joe Johns.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This court is in session.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Judge Debra Nelson is a no nonsense 13-year veteran of the Florida bench.
NELSON: May I finish? I will let you finish of course.
JOHNS: Former substitute teacher, married to an engineer and best known until now for her tough 30-year sentence given to a woman who pleaded guilty to kidnapping a one-day-old baby from a Florida hospital.
DON WEST, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S DEFENSE CO-COUNSEL: My response there is that --
NELSON: I'm not finished.
WEST: I'm sorry.
NELSON: Thank you.
JOHNS: Nelson is the third judge assigned to the George Zimmerman murder trial.
WEST: Our position is we have --
NELSON: I understand your position. That's my ruling.
(CROSSTALK)
WEST: Do we have to get any further?
NELSON: No.
WEST: Thank you, Judge.
NELSON: I'll refer you that to the court's rules.
JOHNS: She's kept the lawyers and the witnesses in check.
MARK NEJAME, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: One reason I've been so complimentary of this judge is that this case could easily unravel. With all the personalities. With all the media. With all the racial tensions. There's a lot going on. And to keep a tight courtroom is imperative.
JOHNS: But she has a very different style from the judge in what was perhaps the most celebrated television trial of all. DIANE DIMOND, NEWSWEEK/THE DAILY BEAST: She's not Lance Ito from the O.J. Simpson case. I think Judge Debra Nelson has a firm control over this courtroom. She's very quiet about it.
JOHNS: In fact, Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson case, says Judge Nelson is more like Belvin Perry, the measured jurist who presided over the Casey Anthony trial.
MARCIA CLARK, FORMER O.J. SIMPSON PROSECUTOR: She never lets the lawyers go past the point of relevance. When there's an objection that they've asked a question that's either irrelevant or improper for some reason, she drops the hammer immediately and then she enforces her own ruling, and doesn't let anybody fly around without a net.
NELSON: I will not have any speaking objections in the courtroom.
JOHNS: Still, she has made some controversial rulings, including keeping out circumstantial evidence of character traits, such as a tendency toward violence for both Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman saying they will not be part of the case.
DIMOND: This judge was very firm. The defense cannot bring in character information on Trayvon Martin, specifically that he smoked weed, that he liked to fight, that he took pictures of fighting on his cell phone. But if the prosecution opens the door to George Zimmerman's character, that stuff may come in later.
JOHNS: Nelson also ruled in favor of Zimmerman's defense by keeping the prosecution's audio expert from testifying that it was Trayvon Martin's voice on recorded audio the night he was killed. A potentially crucial witness for the prosecution.
NEJAME: It was a cornerstone of the state's case, saying that it was in fact Trayvon Martin's voice who was screaming for help, help, so she's given to one, she's taken from another, and vice versa.
JOHNS (on camera): Judge Nelson made another potentially important ruling when she said that prosecutors could introduce evidence about George Zimmerman's course work in criminal justice that would have given him an understanding of the law of self-defense which Zimmerman has claimed he did not know. The question is whether such evidence is irrelevant or if it says something about the defendant's state of mind.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The trial resumes Monday and at the end of the day you can get a recap of the key moments from our Anderson Cooper, he'll have a special "AC 360" special report, "SELF-DEFENSE OR MURDER," Monday night 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
And now this breaking news update from Egypt. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been named interim prime minister and he is expected to be sworn in at the top of the hour. Meanwhile supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsy are continuing to protest in Cairo.
And I'll be back at 3:00 Eastern Time with more from the CNN NEWSROOM. Among the stories we're following, the latest on that train derailment and fire in Canada just across the border from Maine. Scores of people are believed missing.
And another suspect linked to former NFL player and accused murderer Aaron Hernandez talking to police. We'll have an update on that investigation.
And a vacation past time with a troubling safety record. A look at the dangers of parasailing.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll see you in about an hour. But more on the desperate work still being done out there in the jobs recovery. Mitt Romney's former economic adviser offers a surprising government solution.
"YOUR MONEY" with Christine Romans starts right now.
