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New Day
President Gets Personal on Race; Justice for Trayvon Rallies Today; Relief from Heat; Showing the Real Face of Terror; Bleacher Report; Woman Dies After Falling Off Rollercoaster; Demonstrators Push DOJ to Bring Federal Charges Against Zimmerman; Royal Baby Watch
Aired July 20, 2013 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Trayvon Martin could have been me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama breaks his silence. What he says about Trayvon Martin and his thoughts on Stand Your Ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the real face of terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The "Rolling Stone" cover featuring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has infuriated a lot of people and prompted a national dialogue. Now a police officer has risked his career. So, here's the question, is it harmless or is it irresponsible?
HARLOW: And now, a week after the royal due date, the wait is still on. The world is on edge for Kate's baby. We are still on royal baby watch.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. So glad you're with us.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 6:00 here on the East Coast. Welcome to your NEW DAY SATURDAY, July 20th.
HARLOW: Protesters gearing up for a day filled with rallies across the nation. It is being called "Justice for Trayvon." We'll have more on that in just a moment.
But we begin this new day with 17 really extraordinary minutes from President Obama.
BLACKWELL: Yes, speaking from the heart. They were his most extensive and personal comments on race as a president. Here's White House correspondent Jessica Yellin.
Jessica. JESSICA YELLIN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, Victor, White House officials tell me President Obama has been watching the reaction to the verdict, both in the African-American community and in other communities across the nation all week. They say he's talked to his family about it and then to his team. Finally, Thursday night, he decided he'd like to speak to the American people. And together they decided that the White House press briefing room would be the best venue because he can speak there at some length and in personal terms. So he surprised the press on Friday by stepping behind the podium right before Jay Carney's daily press briefing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN (voice-over): President Obama broke his silence, offering his own experiences as a window into frustrations and sadness in the African-American community.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is, Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.
YELLIN: He spoke in uncharacteristically blunt and personal terms.
OBAMA: There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me. There are very few African- American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me, at least before I was a senator. Those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida. And it's inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear.
YELLIN: For a president who often offers color blind answers to questions about race --
OBAMA: And the best thing that I can do for the African-American community or the Latino community or the Asian community, whatever community is to get the economy as a whole moving.
YELLIN: His comments were a striking departure.
OBAMA: There's a lot of pain around what happened here.
YELLIN: President Obama said his team is weighing a number of policy responses to Trayvon Martin's death -- training state and local officials to avoid racial profiling, encouraging states to reconsider Stand Your Ground laws, backing new programs that support young black men.
OBAMA: Is there more that we can do to give them a sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them?
YELLIN: The president made clear he respects the jury's decision.
OBAMA: They rendered a verdict. And once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works.
YELLIN: But said he believes the reaction to the verdict has to do with something larger.
OBAMA: And that all contributes, I think, to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that from top to bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different. I just ask people to consider, if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk? And do we actually think that he would have been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman, who had followed him in a car, because he felt threatened? And if the answer to that question is at least ambiguous, then it seems to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Sources tell me President Obama has not spoken with Trayvon Martin's parents, although he did acknowledge them in his remarks in the press briefing room. Also in his comments, the president suggested that he believes race relations in America are improving with every generation.
Victor. Poppy.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jessica Yellin at the White House for us. Thank you.
You know, we were watching the daily briefing yesterday -
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: As we do every day. And when the president came in, the newsroom went silent.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: And when he started to speak about this, it was surprising.
HARLOW: It was very surprising. He listed off a few things. Said, of course, Jay Carney is ready to answer all your questions. We're going to tackle immigration. But first, this.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: And then you could hear the silence. You know it's interesting. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mom, put out this statement, and also Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, put out a statement saying, "we're deeply honored and moved that President Obama took the time to speak publicly and at length about our son." So as you heard Jessica say, her sources say, the president hasn't talked directly to the parents, but the parents did put out this statement.
BLACKWELL: The question is, will this just be something we talk about for a couple of days or will this statement have a place in history, much like his 2008 campaign speech on race, much like Kennedy on Catholicism or Johnson on civil rights? Will this have a place in history? We're going to talk with some experts and analysis. Some analysts coming up throughout the show.
HARLOW: Absolutely.
All right, well across the country, as we told you at the top of the show, protesters are getting ready for what they're calling "National Justice for Trayvon Day." They want the Justice Department to bring a federal civil rights case against George Zimmerman. Of course you know he was acquitted a week ago today of killing Trayvon Martin. CNN's Nick Valencia has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While Trayvon Martin supporters protest Florida's gun laws at the governor's office Friday, other supporters are planning a day of rallies.
PHILLIP AGNEW, DREAM DEFENDERS: Not only just here but around the country and express their anger about this verdict.
VALENCIA: Calling it "Justice for Trayvon Day," rallies and vigils are being planned in about 100 cities. Often seen side by side, organizers say the father of Trayvon Martin will be at a rally in Miami and his mother will be at one in New York.
SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: My son was unarmed. And the person that shot and killed him got away with murder.
VALENCIA: Many of the demonstrations are scheduled to take place outside federal courthouses like this one in Atlanta. Their message, to demand that George Zimmerman be charged by federal prosecutors.
REV. MARKEL HUTCHINS, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We believe that Trayvon Martin's civil rights were violated.
VALENCIA: While some protests last weekend turned violent, civil rights leaders are calling for calm, as is the president.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I see any violence, then I will remind folks that that dishonors what happened to Trayvon Martin and his family.
VALENCIA: Siding with Martin's family, protesters at the Florida governor's officer are demanding a repeal of the Stand Your Ground law that permits deadly force and self-defense with no duty to retreat. After occupying the governor's office for several days, Rick Scott met with the group. The governor told the protesters he, too, mourns the death of Trayvon Martin, but he supports the law and won't push to change it.
GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: I'm not going to call a special session.
VALENCIA: Refusing to take no for an answer, protesters vow to keep up the pressure on lawmakers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: And Nick Valencia joins us now from Miami.
Nick, these are scheduled to start at noon eastern. How are the preps go, the preparations there in Miami at least?
VALENCIA: Hey, good morning, Victor.
Yes, we're standing here on sort of the fringes of the U.S. courthouse here in Miami and so far preps, there's not really much going on right now. But as the morning goes on and as the sun comes up, we're expecting a very large crowd to turn out here. As we talked about in that piece, the Justice Department has already pledged a full investigation.
But here today, protesters will be pressing for something a little bit more concrete. And the goal, of course, here in Florida anyway, as these rallies go on across the nation, here in Florida, the goal is try to get attention on this controversial Stand Your Ground law. They want the governor to amend it at the very least.
Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. Nick Valencia for us in Miami, thank you.
Let's take a trip around the world now. First to San Francisco. The coroner now confirming what was suspected. One of the three people killed in the Asiana crash landing two weeks ago was thrown into the runway alive but she died when she was hit by a rescue vehicle. San Francisco's fire chief called it a tragic accident. She apologized to the family of the victim, this 16-year-old girl from China.
HARLOW: All right, I want to take you to Libya now. Some news there. The former head of U.S. forces in Africa is speaking out about that September 11th attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that, of course, killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Former General Carter Ham says it was quickly clear to him that the assault on the 9/11 anniversary was the work of terrorists. He made those remarks at the African Security Forum on Friday. Five days after that attack, you'll remember then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice went on the Sunday talk shows and said that it was the belief that this was a result of a spontaneous demonstration, not an act of terrorism. Critics still pressing the White House for answers on what happened in Benghazi.
BLACKWELL, Now, Colombia. The rebel group FARC is offering to release a kidnapped American soldier as a gesture of good will to advance peace talks with the Colombian government. They rebels claim they captured Kevin Scott Sutay last month. He's an Afghan War veteran.
HARLOW: And in the Middle East, there is new hope that long stalled peace talks will resume in Washington, maybe within days. Secretary of State John Kerry says the Israelis and Palestinians may be ready to return to the table. He has been meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank on this trip and there are reports Israel has agreed to Palestinian demands to release some Palestinian prisoners to ease negotiations. BLACKWELL: Canadian investigators say not enough breaking force was applied to a runaway train that slammed into the center of Lac- Megantic, a Quebec town, and ignited an inferno. They say the unmanned train got out of control because it wasn't fully immobilized. Now, the train was carrying oil tankers that exploded in the July 6th crash. At least 38 people were killed.
HARLOW: And a top secret court now says that the government can keep collecting data about our phone calls. The surveillance program is the same one that was exposed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. That program has been renewed before, but in a really unprecedented move, officials are now acknowledging the renewal for the first time publicly in an attempt to be more transparent after all the criticism the administration received.
BLACKWELL: More southern California residents may have to pick up and leave because of that raging wildfire. The Mountain Fire has already destroyed several homes, burned almost 25,000 acres. Firefighters are trying to protect the home -- the town of (INAUDIBLE). About 6,000 people have already been told to leave. Now the fire, which started Monday, is only about 15 percent contained.
HARLOW: All right, it is hot. You are feeling it across the country to the eastern half of this nation, where temperatures are expected to soar once again today into the 90s. But relief may finally be in sight. Let's bring in meteorologist Jennifer Delgado in the CNN Weather Center.
Hey there, Jennifer.
JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey there, Poppy.
You know, you got lucky today because typically you're out of New York and you were mentioning earlier how hot it is in New York. And, of course, when you get into the subways. But here in Atlanta, we're actually a little bit cooler than New York. Right now we are still looking at excessive heat warnings in place from anywhere you can see from Washington, D.C., all the way up to areas including Massachusetts. And that means we're going to see heat index values right around 107 degrees still today alone. But the good news is, today is the last day of this heat wave.
Now, as I show you some of the temperatures out there, it's still very steamy. It's 81 degrees right now in New York and 81 in Boston. You can see, 77 in Scranton. But relief has already hit parts of the Midwest. And you can see these temperatures are actually a little bit cooler this hour. In the mid 70s for areas like Chicago, as well as into St. Louis.
And it's all because of this frontal system that's making its way over towards the northeast and that is what's going to be providing the relief. But here come the negative. We do have a chance for severe storms to pop-up later on this afternoon for areas like Ohio, all the way up into the northeastern part of New England, and that includes areas like Maine, as well as into Boston, Massachusetts. So the main threat today is going to be large hail, as well as damaging winds. Let me show you high temperatures for today, tomorrow, to show you the cool downs on the way. For New York, today a high of 93 degrees. By Monday, you drop down to 84. That's even below average. And the same for areas like Washington, D.C. So today is the last day of the bad news.
Poppy.
HARLOW: Last day of the bad news and the heat, but did you say large hail?
DELGADO: Yes, a chance for some hail out there, yes.
HARLOW: Just - just in July
DELGADO: Hey, you know what? Just watch the skies. Make sure you have your car in the garage if you have one.
HARLOW: All right, Jennifer.
DELGADO: All right. Take care, guys.
BLACKWELL: What I want you to take notice of is that she started by saying -
HARLOW: Poppy.
BLACKWELL: Atlanta is a little cooler than New York.
HARLOW: Than in New York. Just like last weekend.
BLACKWELL: I'm just saying, it's every weekend.
HARLOW: Oh, it's cooler.
But where you going next weekend?
BLACKWELL: Next weekend, New York.
All right, just ahead on NEW DAY, revealing the other side of the accused Boston bomber. Yes, she got me there. We'll tell you why a Boston police officer risked his career to release images of a bloodied and defeated Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: A New York woman accused of defrauding the fund for Boston bombing victims is under arrest this morning. The Massachusetts attorney general says Audrea Gause was awarded nearly half a million dollars after claiming to have suffered a traumatic brain injury in that attack. But acting on a tip, officials discovered that she wasn't even in Boston on the day of the bombing.
BLACKWELL: (INAUDIBLE) Boston there is more backlash now following the release of that controversial "Rolling Stone" cover. A Boston police sergeant released these images of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to counter the one shown in the "Rolling Stone" story.
HARLOW: And that officer is now facing a hearing next week to determine whether he can remain on the police force. Our national correspondent, Jason Carroll, he's been looking into these developments.
Good morning, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, Victor, the police sergeant apparently felt conflicted about releasing the photos, but he also felt very strongly the "Rolling Stone" cover was an insult and hurtful to survivors. So this was his way of helping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): These new photos showing a much different picture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, captured by police. A bloody face, his hands up, the laser from a sniper rifle trained on his forehead. A vastly different image from the one depicted in the controversial "Rolling Stone" cover.
Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Sean Murphy says he was so angry with "Rolling Stone's" cover, he released these new photographs to "Boston" magazine. The police tactical photographer told the magazine, quote, "what "Rolling Stone" did was wrong. The guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber, not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of "Rolling Stone."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's the real face of terror. I agree with him 100 percent.
CARROLL: "Boston" magazine's editor told CNN, Murphy thought the cover sent the wrong message.
JOHN WOLFSON, EDITOR, "BOSTON" MAGAZINE: I think he was genuinely worried about the impact on the families of the victims and I think he was also worried that certain impressionable people might be lured to replicate that by the kind of glamorous looking photo that is on the "Rolling Stone" cover.
CARROLL: Tsarnaev's first public appearance since his arrest was in court last week. He pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges, including four killings. While images like these are already having an impact, some say the focus is all wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they should focus all the attention on the brave people and the people who lost their lives, not at the monster who caused it all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Apparently Murphy did not want "Rolling Stone" to have the last say, so he decided to release the police photos himself. A police spokesman said in a statement, the release of the photos was not authorized by the Massachusetts State Police. Murphy was suspended for a day and now faces a hearing next week to determine his status. Poppy. Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jason Carroll in New York, thank you.
A quick break. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: A fascinating find this morning. A possible piece of Civil War history found right here in Atlanta this week. An unexploded cannonball. "The Atlanta Journal Constitution" reports that construction workers digging at the site of the future college football hall of fame unearthed this cannonball. The workers called the police, who then reached out to military officials. One expert says the cannonball may have been left over from the siege of Atlanta back in 1864.
BLACKWELL: And that really is just a few hundred yards from where we are right now.
HARLOW: Is that? I was wondering.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it's right next door.
HARLOW: Wow.
BLACKWELL: There was no huge scene, but I wonder where it will go.
HARLOW: I don't know. Maybe in the -- maybe right where it was found.
BLACKWELL: That would be nice.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Hey, Tiger Woods at the British Open is looking for his first major win since 2008. Jared Greenberg joins us now with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
I didn't realize it had been that long, Jared.
HARLOW: Me neither.
JARED GREENBERG, BLEACHER REPORT: It has been a while. We'll see if he can make the chase this weekend.
And age is just a number at this year's open championship as a 49- year-old leads after two rounds. However, maybe the more impressive number might be 22. That's how many golfers enter Saturday within five shots off the pace.
Out at scenic Muirfield in Scotland, Tiger Woods is among those very much in contention. On 18, Tiger's only birdie on the back nine, par for the day, two under for the championship. Tiger chasing a grizzled veteran, Miguel Angel Jimenez, broke his leg earlier in the year. Now he enters the weekend poised to be the oldest major champ ever. Jimenez tees off at 10:20 a.m. Eastern today, 10 minutes after Tiger Woods.
You'd have to be an eternal optimist to find a positive about the Houston Astros these days. Friday night, Brandon Barnes supplied a diamond in the rough. The rookie hit for the cycle. He was also a perfect five for five at the plate. Barnes became the eighth Astro to ever hit for the cycle. And, oh, by the way, only fitting, Houston got beat by Seattle. It's their Major League leading 62nd loss of the season.
Baseball players often take their gloves to bed. It's because their gloves help them do stuff like this. With no regard for his own safety, Yasiel Puig continues to be a must-see attraction. What a play by Puig. Andre Ethier would homer in the ninth as the Dodgers beat the Nationals.
Nick Markakis is a modern day Robin Hood. Markakis here robbing Adrian Beltre of a home run. He preserved a 2-0 Orioles lead. However, more significantly, Markakis saved a woman from getting a face full of nachos. Upper left hand corner of your screen. Haven't we learned by now if you're going to sit in the first row, don't have a beverage or food in front of you. And also, what are you doing wearing white because if you're going to have the food, it's going to get all over you.
HARLOW: Yes, but then you have heroes like that jumping up and saving you from a big mess.
GREENBERG: But, hey, that's a risk because she was a home fan and he was at an away park or field (ph).
BLACKWELL: Might have just gave it to him (ph). All right, Jared Greenberg, thank you.
HARLOW: Thanks.
BLACKWELL: Members of the royal family say they're waiting by the phone. You know, this is my favorite story.
HARLOW: I know. We think maybe it will be born during the show today. Maybe. Maybe.
BLACKWELL: Yes. Hey, everyone's eager for the British royal baby to arrive. But did reporters get the due date wrong? We are on royal baby watch coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell, here are five things you need to know this morning.
From Miami to L.A., rallies in more than 100 cities is planned today. Demonstrators are pushing the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. A jury acquitted Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin a week ago today.
HARLOW: Number two, social media is abuzz after President Obama's deeply personal remarks on race. He spoke Friday about being followed in a department store as a young black man, also hearing car doors lock as he crossed the street. That was before he was a senator, the president said. His remarks came six days after the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.
BLACKWELL: Number three, police in Houston freed four men from a home where they were being held captive, possibly for years. They're all adults and may have been homeless. Police say they were lured to the home with the promise of food and cigarettes and then were locked up. And may have been forced to turn over their disability checks to their captor. We'll have much more on this next hour.
HARLOW: Number four, relief, finally, from a week of scorching heat across much of the country. That relief is in sight. Storms already cooling off the upper Midwest. Now they're pushing east where the heat index from Washington to Boston has been topping 100 degrees. Get this, in Pennsylvania, it was so hot that Amtrak officials slowed down the trains in case the heat had warped the tracks.
BLACKWELL: Wow.
HARLOW: And number five, a woman -- this is tragic. A woman has died after falling out of a roller coaster in Texas. This happened yesterday. Witnesses say she came out of her seat on the steep turn.
BLACKWELL: One of the witnesses was next in line for the ride when the cart showed up with an empty seat. That man, Gabe Flores (ph), joins us by phone. Gabe, thanks for joining us. You say that the victim's son was sitting next to her. And when the ride pulled up, he was saying, let me out, my mom fell off. What else did you see, what else did you hear? Take us to that moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And actually, the man was sitting next to a woman and they were both saying, let me out. Let me out. My mom fell off. My mom fell off. I need to go find her. And the park workers were kind of taken aback by it and didn't really know if he was being serious or not. Once they realized that he is being serious, then they rushed to go assist her.
HARLOW: And I know, Gabe, I was reading about this more. And it sounds like this man was somewhere in his 30s, it sounds like. So she may have been an older woman. Is that right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Yes. That is correct.
HARLOW: And the park officials actually blocked him because he started to sort of try to run around to try to find his mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. He was pretty broken up as I mean you would imagine. So he was doing whatever he could to try to get to where she was. And they had to kind of keep him in one area and make sure that he didn't go down there and injure himself. BLACKWELL: Tell us about this ride. I mean people have ridden roller coasters, feel that moment where you leave the seat and you feel your thighs hit the bar.
HARLOW: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: What was the harness situation here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The harness, it wasn't anything that came over your shoulder. It is actually a lap bar.
BLACKWELL: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a bar that went over your lap. And I haven't ridden the Texas Giant since they remade it. They redid it a couple of years ago. It used to be all wooden and now they put steel tracks on it. But from what I've heard, you definitely get some air time on that ride. And there is the fun parts where you're leaving your seat. So it's very possible that that lap bar did release whenever she lifted on the turn like that.
BLACKWELL: And take us through what happened to you. Because you were actually standing at the gate next to get on the roller coaster when it pulled up. We know they've closed down the ride. They're investigating. But the rest of the park is open. But what happened to you? Did they - did they just say sorry. Everyone has to leave now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, initially, they were still kind of confused and didn't really know what was going on. And me and my girlfriend, Marisol (ph), we were at the front of the gate. And we are - I mean we still wanted to ride. But we didn't know if this man was joking or not. And after a very short period of time we realized that he wasn't joking. And the workers, we asked one (ph), if the ride is going to be shut down here? Like I really don't know right now. I'm trying to assess the situation. And we're just trying to figure out what all the facts are. And so just for standing there for a couple of minutes, we realized that this is going to be something pretty serious and after a while, we decided that it's going to be best for us to just leave the area and let the medical staff and the six flags staff just take care of everything.
BLACKWELL: Yeah. Traumatic, I'm sure, especially for the people waiting to get on that ride and the son of the woman who was lost. Gabe Flores, thanks for talking with us. You know, we all - people ride roller coasters, no that moment - that feeling ...
HARLOW: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: When you leave the seat and you think am I safe?
HARLOW: I'm terrified, I've always been terrified of them. And I don't think I'll be getting on another one. It is just not something I enjoy and it really scares me.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, well this investigation continues into exactly what happened. HARLOW: But it is rare.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, very rare. Very rare.
HARLOW: Just to point out, something like this is very rare.
BLACKWELL: So, one year ago today a gunman shot dozens of people during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises." It was at a theater in Aurora, Colorado.
HARLOW: Yeah, I was there. It was a tragedy. You know, last night family, friends, and activists gathered to remember the victims of that tragedy and other recent gun violence. They read the names of shooting victims from Aurora, from Newtown and from across the country and called for stricter gun control.
BLACKWELL: CNN's Ted Rowlands spoke to a survivor from Aurora. Ted?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy and Victor, the movie theater shooting was so emotional for people not only directly affected but for everybody here in the city of Aurora and those emotions are coming back as they mark the one-year anniversary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... Century Theater, 214, they're saying somebody is shooting in an auditorium.
ROWLANDS: The chaos and fear inside the Aurora Century 16 theater is what 23-year-old Steve Barton vividly remembers a year after getting shot in the neck and chest.
STEPHEN BARTON: I remember I (inaudible) start gas flying through the theater, landing in the center. And as that detonated, there was this flash of light, the front right emergency exit and this huge booming noise that was echoing off the walls. And, you know, it looked and smelled and seemed like fireworks. And I thought someone was playing a prank or - you know I couldn't really see the figure behind the gun. But, you know, suddenly I kind of felt this immense pressure against my body, against my neck in particular. And I knew in that incident, you know, I had been shot.
ROWLANDS: Over the past year, a lot has changed. The theater where 12 people died and 70 others were injured has reopened. The accused shooter, James Holmes is claiming insanity. His case is slowly moving through the Colorado justice system. The national debate over guns, which grew after Aurora and then exploded after Newtown continues. Steve Barton joined other victims of gun violence Friday to remember the Aurora victims and call for stiffer gun laws. Tom Sullivan lost his son Alex during the Aurora shootings. He'd like to see restrictions on high capacity magazines.
TOM SULLIVAN: The guy walked into a movie theater with 100 round drum and one second my son was watching a movie and the next second he was dead.
CARLEE SOTO, NEWTOWN VICTIM'S SISTER: She died shielding her students from the gunman.
ROWLANDS: Carlee Soto's sister Victoria was a first grade teacher killed in the Newtown massacre. She came to Aurora to honor the victims who died in the theater shooting.
SOTO: From a movie theater to an elementary school to a church, it's all different, folks. We all share the same grief and we all share that, you know, the wanting to change the, you know, our gun laws.
ROWLANDS: A handful of gun rights advocates were also there peacefully protesting the event. Police kept the two sides apart.
(on camera): Why come to their event on this day?
ROB BLANCKEN, GUN RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Well, it's an event for all Coloradans to remember that tragedy. It's also a tragedy that a fire arm was not allowed to be used in the theater that may have prevented that tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Grace McDonald, age seven.
ROWLANDS: For more than ten hours, volunteers took turns reading thousands of names of gun violence victims ending with a moment of silence at 12:28 a.m., the moment the shootings started inside the theater changing hundreds of lives forever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And there are a couple of other events planned for this weekend to commemorate the one-year anniversary. One couple who was inside the theater at the time of the shooting has actually chosen this weekend to get married. Poppy? Victor?
HARLOW: All right, Ted Rowlands, thanks so much for that.
BLACKWELL: The Motor City, stalling out. We're going to talk about the city's beleaguered finances and the tens of thousands of city workers and retirees caught in the middle.
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BLACKWELL: 17 minutes before the top of the hour. Let's take a look at your money now. The Dow ticked down just the tiniest bit on Friday. But for the week, it ended higher, marking a fourth straight week of gains. Better than expected bank earnings and reassurance from Fed chief Ben Bernanke regarding the government's stimulus program helped push the stocks up.
HARLOW: And the motor city is running out of gas. Big story this week. Just a day after declaring bankruptcy on Thursday, a judge has actually ordered the city to withdraw its bankruptcy filing declaring it unconstitutional, but Michigan's attorney general said he will immediately try to appeal that decision. Meantime, a significant part of what drove Detroit into bankruptcy is pensions that the city just can't afford. Tens of thousands of current and retired city workers could see significant cuts to the pensions that they were promised. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did everything I could. I did my part of the bargain. And now this is their part in the bargain.
HARLOW: Promises made to city workers. Now those promises can't be kept because Detroit is more than $18 billion in debt.
KEN PELTIER, FORMER DETROIT POLICE OFFICER: We paid a percentage of our wages every year into that. So, it's not something that's being given to us. It's our money.
HARLOW: Detroit emergency manager Kevin Orr filed for bankruptcy and he's proposed cutting the city's debt by 83 percent. That will hit city workers and retirees.
(on camera): Is it likely that they're going to have to see some sort of concessions made?
KEVIN ORR, DETROIT EMERGENCY MANAGER: There are going to have to be some concessions.
HARLOW: Right.
ORR: Because that's just the reality.
HARLOW (voice over): Government officials say it's gotten this bad, 78,000 abandoned buildings, 40 percent of the street lights don't work, and average police response time is 58 minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you call the police now, you wonder if they're coming.
HARLOW: Michael Wells and Janet Witson worked for the Detroit public library for more than 30 years.
(on camera): What do you think this bankruptcy means for you?
MICHAEL WELLS, RETIRED DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY EMPLOYEE: Well, I think it's going to possibly mean a reduction in my monthly pension check.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe at this point it would mean I would lose my home.
HARLOW (voice over): They're willing to take cuts if the city improves.
WELLS: If I've given up something, OK, and I now have a police department that responds on a 911 call, OK, if I have EMS when I'm having an emergency, if the lights are turned on in the city, but if it's simply to pay off the bond holders, all right, and the insurers and all of these other issues are still there, then not only has my city not improved, but I've gone down through as well.
GOV. BILL SNYDER, (R) MICHIGAN: What would happen if we didn't declare bankruptcy? Detroit would continue to go downhill. And downhill to what point? So while people say this will probably be the lowest day in Detroit's history, isn't that a good thing instead of having a lower day tomorrow?
HARLOW (voice over): The enormity of Detroit's bankruptcy hit Washington Friday.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Can we help Detroit? We are now going through exactly in detail. The question is we don't know at this point.
WELLS: That's the anxiety. That's what a lot of us are concerned about is the unknown.
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BLACKWELL: OK.
HARLOW: Well, you know, there are a lot of unknowns about Detroit, as you saw. We were there just yesterday reporting on this bankruptcy. A lot of unknowns. And we all hope that there are brighter days ahead for Detroit. But right now this city is facing the stigma of bankruptcy and also millions and millions in legal fees to try to fight this out in court. And exit bankruptcy. So we want to show you some of the images. Because you heard in that piece, that we talked about the 78,000 abandoned structures.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: Just in the city of Detroit. 78,000. That is part of the real problem here. So, we want to show you some pictures of the city, how it has changed. Some of those images, these are taken by a photographer for Detroit Turbacks.com.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, this is originally St. Luke's Hospital. It later served as a homeless shelter, that's the name of it. It was abandoned and then later ravaged by fire.
HARLOW: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: OK, so. We got pictures here. These are the offices in 2009. And then take a look at the offices now. And this building just sits in the city.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Former kitchen in 2009. We have to have that picture again. The kitchen. And then take another look here.
HARLOW: Yeah.
BLACKWELL: You know, it's sad, because I've got a lot of really good friends from Detroit. And I got a tweet yesterday from a good friend from the D, as she calls it.
HARLOW: Yes, the D.
BLACKWELL: And she said, be gentle.
HARLOW: Yeah, well, I think, you know I've spent years, the past five years reporting there a lot. And it's this wonderful city of people with great determination and hope. And I do not think that this is the end for Detroit or Detroit is down-and-out. They have a long road ahead for them. But these are the images you see. And it's right to show them because you do have all these abandoned structures blight. That it is really holding the city down. But you have some bright things in Detroit along the riverfront ...
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: ... all the investment we were talking about. Private money coming in.
BLACKWELL: Quicken loans moving from the ...
HARLOW: ... in downtown, Detroit.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: A lot is happening. And so, hopefully this great American city will rebound.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: All right. So, here's the big question. Will today be the day?
HARLOW: Will it be the day?
BLACKWELL: Everyone is eager for the royal baby to arrive. But did reporters get the due date wrong? Royal baby watch next. London, London.
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HARLOW: It is the royal birth that everyone is waiting for including the queen. Britain's Queen Elizabeth said this week that she would very much like to see the baby arrive because she's going on holiday.
BLACKWELL: I love that. Hey, kid, I've got things to do.
HARLOW: I've got things.
BLACKWELL: Come on. We're talking about, of course, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Much anticipated, the addition to their family. Let's go to CNN royal commentator Katie Nicholl in London.
So we're a week late, or are we? Did the media confuse the due date here, Katie?
KATIE NICHOLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, that's a good point. Are we actually late? Possibly not. There were reports in the British press yesterday that yesterday was the due date, not last Saturday as has previously been reported. Do you know what I think it comes down to? No one really knows. Apart from the couple. And one thing is for sure, this baby is going to be making an appearance and I would say it will be probably in the next couple of days that people speculate and there might not be until August if yesterday was the correct due date. You know, it's very visible, first baby, she could be two weeks overdue. Although I'm told and my sources tell me that they really won't let her go past ten days. They will, at that point, induce the baby. You also have to remember we've had incredibly hot weather over here. I know it doesn't look like it at the moment. But we've had a heat wave. It's going to be very uncomfortable for her carrying around that much weight and that big a bump at this time. So, I don't think they are going to (inaudible) too much discomfort.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, but she's not sitting in front of the window in a box fan getting a hot breeze. I'm sure she is very comfortable.
NICHOLL: Maybe she is.
BLACKWELL: OK.
NICHOLL: Who knows? Well, let me tell you, that if she is in London and, of course, we don't know whether she's in London or in Bucklebury at the moment. I think that she is in Bucklebury. But in London, just up the road, their home in Kensington Palace, they're living in a very small two bedroom cottage without air conditioning. So you know what - the box fan might be a very likely commodity.
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HARLOW: Quickly here. Can we go over some of the names that are getting the most odds put on them right now? And also the fact that apparently everyone born on the date that the royal baby is born, gets some special minted coin.
NICHOLL: Yeah, that's right, if your baby is lucky enough to be born on the future heir's birthday, you will be sent a beautiful silver one pound coin. If your baby is not born and you still want that coin, you're going to have to pay 60 pounds for it. So, you know, any expectant mother, just try to coincide your due date with Catherine and you'll be very, very lucky. In terms of names for the royal baby, top of the list, it hasn't changed much. If it's a girl, top of the list is Elizabeth, Alexandra, Charlotte is being one of the most popular names, and for a boy, George and James. But I would also expect to see Philip in there with the reference to the Duke of Edinburgh. Because the royals tend to name their children with ancestors in mind.
HARLOW: All right. We're waiting, we're watching. This is Victor's favorite story. We're on baby watch here. Katie Nicholl, you're on top of it for us. Thank you so much.
NICHOLL: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: And some serious news here back state side. In more than 100 cities, it's national Justice for Trayvon Day. In our next hour, we'll take you to Miami where Trayvon Martin's father is set to join demonstrators in demanding new charges against the man who killed his son.
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HARLOW: Here's a little gem for you. This will wake you up. Granny rocking it out on the drum set. So the music store that posted this video on its YouTube page, says invariantly, she showed up out of nowhere, picked up the sticks, worked it out. Look at her. She ...
BLACKWELL: And that's what I love, the twirl.
HARLOW: Looking on her fingers, they love that. Just like a pro there.
BLACKWELL: Good ...
HARLOW: Good going.
BLACKWELL: A couple of weeks ago we had a 92-year-old man who roller skates. I guess this is this part of the show where we feature our senior citizens doing something active.
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HARLOW: Exactly.
BLACKWELL: They should get to know each other. Hey, thanks for starting your morning with us.
HARLOW: Your "New Day" continues right now.
