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Eric Holder To Make Major Announcement On Same-Sex Marriages; Sage Kotsenburg Wins First Olympic Gold For Team USA; Heroin Use Becomes Epidemic On Long Island; Carmen Carrera - Rising Star In The Fashion World; Man Accused Of Killing Teen Over "Loud Music"; Snow Slams Northern California

Aired February 08, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. attorney general Eric Holder is about to make a major announcement on same-sex marriages. His plan and the impact it will have on millions of Americans lives.

And in Sochi, Russia, the U.S. medal count climbs. Find out whose athletes are winning them and who's on top of the tally board.

Plus, she is a rising star of the runway, but model Carmen Carrera is not being noticed just for her beauty and poise, she's breaking transgender barriers.

We begin with a historic announcement from U.S. attorney general Eric Holder involving same-sex marriage in America. In a speech tonight Holder will announce the justice department's plan to extend the federal government's recognition of same-sex marriages even in the 34 states don't consider it legal.

I want to go straight to CNN's Erin McPike. Actually, let's go to Evan Perez on phone with us now.

So Evan, what do you know about Mr. Holder's speech tonight and why tonight?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, Hi, Fredricka.

The attorney general is doing a speech in New York with the human rights campaign, which is a group that has been obviously working on the same-sex marriage issue for some years. And the attorney general is saying that he plans to, on Monday, the justice department plans to adopt new policies that would extend federal recognition of gay marriages, of same-sex marriages, in matters such as bankruptcies, visitation for prisoners. Even in cases where, for example, right now if you're married, you don't have to -- you have the right to refuse to give testimony to incriminate your spouse, which is a right that a lot of, you know, heterosexual couples already have. Now that's now going to be extended to same-sex marriages as well. This is a big, a big announcement. It obviously affects millions of people. And you know, it's something that the justice department has been working on for several months in light of the fact that the Supreme Court last year overturned the defense of marriage act which as you know, was the federal law that refused to grant federal recognition of same-sex marriages, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Evan, help us understand, how will it be imposed on the 34 states that don't necessarily recognize same-sex marriage? I mean, will it be an option or expected that those states would challenge this?

PEREZ: Well, this applies to federal jurisdictions. So if you have a federal court case. Let me give you an example. A couple gets married in Massachusetts, for instance or in the District of Columbia, where it's legal. And then moves to Alabama or Mississippi, a place where they don't have same-sex marriage. This federal government will recognize those marriages, even if it's a case in Alabama, as long as those people are legally married in a state where they -- where it is legal.

So that's the wrinkle, and because this is all federal jurisdiction issues, the justice department has the right to do that. The states can't really -- this has nothing to do with their laws. This has to do with federal law. So you know, in states that don't have gay marriage right now, same-sex marriages, it doesn't change their law at all.

WHITFIELD: OK, Evan Perez. Thank you so much for bringing us that. Appreciate it.

All right, overseas, Russian forces aren't letting up on massive security surrounding the Olympic Games. Russian security source tell CNN special forces carried out a deadly raid in a republic of Dagestan targeting a group of suspected militants. Five of the suspects were killed including their alleged leader. A sixth was taken in to custody. The source says the suspects were connected to a group linked to militants behind the deadly bombings in Volgograd back in December.

And a spectacular start for team USA in Sochi. They just got bronze in the mogul, thanks to skier Hannah Kearney. And before that, Sage Kotsenburg, remember the name. He claimed the first Olympic gold in a game never seen in the Olympics Games. It is called Slopestyle and run where it is even called too dangerous by fellow snowboarder Shaun White.

Joining me now, Andy Scholes, CNN's sports anchor.

OK, I wonder how much Shaun has been a regret having not been in that or if it is just hey, that's the way it goes. It worked for him, it didn't work for me.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: You know who's happy about it? Sage. He is pretty happy that Shaun White didn't compete in this. But imagine this, Fredricka. You know, you train for the Olympics for years. You countless practice runs. Sage Kotsenburg, he tried a move that he had never even done before, never even tried it before during this final run, pretty amazing stuff. Now, when he came off the second ramp, Kotsenburg pulled off what called a 1620 Japan air mute graph.

WHITFIELD: What is that?

SCHOLES: Well, that is basically when you spin around 4 1/2 times in the air. Now, he says he didn't even think about doing this move until right before he went on.

WHITFIELD: Insane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAGE KOTSENBURG, U.S. GOLD MEDALIST, SLOPESTYLE: Before my run I was like, hey, Bill, this is the U.S. team coach, might do a 1620 Japan. And he was like it have never done before, and I've never even tried it before. He's like you're in the finals in the Olympics. Like, might as well go all-out. All right.

So, I call might brother and I was like might try a 1620 Japan. He is like, really? My brother is like what? Send it, I guess like you're at the Olympics and I dropped in. I was like, this is coming to the last drop. This is going too well. I got to definitely do the 1620, and I just threw it and half way through the air was like it's coming around perfect, and it ended up coming around just like the 1260 but a full 360 more. But it felt a little of the same feeling. I put my legs down right when I felt it, and it was unreal. I could not believe riding out of it that I landed that first try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Just so off, you know, Kotsenburg is just 20-years-old. I got to tell pretty late that guy. This morning he tweeted this morning, how random and made the finals at the Olympics. Fredricka, now, I have the gold medalist.

WHITFIELD: It is so cool. He is my favorite story of the games and wet just got started.

SCHOLES: So hard, yes. Hard to top. Tell you that. All right, now, team USA, they won another medal in the ladies mogul competition, Hannah Kearney. She claims the bronze medalist. This is although a little disappointing. Kearney, she was the favorite to bring home the gold, but ended up way bronze. At least she did medaled.

WHITFIELD: Please.

SCHOLES: So, here's a look at the current medal count. Norway, they remain in the lead with four medals, Canada up to second after winning both the gold and silver in the ladies mogul competition, Netherlands, three medals as well, team USA right behind them. They -- currently, we, o should say, currently have two. Now, team USA, they are going to have another great chance to add to their medal count tomorrow when Bode Miller competes in the downhill. The 36-year-old the favorite to win after recording the fastest time during the practice run.

Now, the course for the competition is being called one of the most dangerous ever. After today's practice round Miller said quote "if you're not paying attention, this course will kill you." And Fredricka, he meant that literally. Miller already owns a U.S. record five Olympic alpine medals, then, you know, he is trying to go out with a bang. This is, of course, expected to be his last Olympics, 36-years-old. Hopefully he will -- fifth Olympics games for him. Pretty impressive stuff. Hopefully. He said the secret to this danger course is not trying to slow down. If you slow down then you mess up and then you could be in trouble. He in his practice round west even faster.

WHITFIELD: Well, it was amazing. I want that practice and he just glide. HE looks so relaxed and at ease. And maybe that's the secret of his longevity.

SCHOLES: I'm hoping he can repeat that.

WHITFIELD: I think we all are rooting for him.

SCHOLES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Appreciate that, Andy.

And we will have much more on all of the Olympic events, the winners, the losers, all the highlights right here on CNN. And you can always find all the results from CNN.com.

All right, a man is on trial accused of killing a teenager in an argument over loud music. He claims self-defense, but did the teen have a weapon on him? Hear what both sides are saying today.

And the Justin Bieber has another run-in with the law. This time the feds are investigating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Carmen Carrera is a rising star in the fashion world. She has more than 200,000 followers on Facebook. And last year, thousands of fans signed a petition trying to have her added to the Victoria's Secret fashion show. But what really sets Carrera apart from most other fashion models is that she is transgendered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARMEN CARRERA, MODEL: I take selfies all day long. And little by little I was seeing my photos, I was like, great. When I look in the mirror and I was like kind of see it, but not really. But now it's like, I really see my angles and I'm like. I even tell my husband, like, I'm kind of pretty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Her name is Carmen Carrera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carmen Carrera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Transgender knockout, and online petition started by fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Getting Victoria Secret to hire her as their newest angel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Now, she says to Victoria Secret, bring it on.

CARRERA: As (INAUDIBLE) was filmed, so I knew in the back of my mind, I don't think it's going to happen, you know, but I decided I'm going to audition this year. I have already reached out to Victoria's Secret so, why not? It's 2014.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Our next guess, from Miranda --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Just one catch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Meet the glamorous model who used to be a boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Your private parts are different now. Aren't they?

CARRERA: They always kind of just make it about, OK, well let's see your before. Let's see your after and now what do your genitals look like? It doesn't really give trans people the proper credit. And so, when you're working hard and you are doing things that, you know, not a lot of other trans people have been able to do. I have, you know, a crazy amount of creativity. And I'd rather be respected for that. You know, rather than, put on makeup. Like can you believe this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She definitely has a spark. And we saw Cindy Crawford in her. We say Daisy Fuentes. We saw Jessica Alba.

CARRERA: The spread is for "Glamour UK."

It's my first, I guess, international magazine feature. It just goes to show that it's like, I'm a model. Like this is what models do. You know, we pose in magazines all over the world and it's exciting, because I don't know too many trans models that have done that. There's very few.

ADRIAN TORRES, CARMEN'S PARTNER: Carmen Carrera, I mean, look at her now. I mean, everybody look at her. She has this positive energy and she goes out there and she's -- I know for a fact she's going to make history.

CARRERA: The "Victoria's Secret" petition started, it's kind of a validation. It is like no matter how insecure I might be, no matter how, you know, un-pretty I might feel, it's like, there are people out there that look to me to be strong. Like, no matter what. I don't care if it's being trans or just Latin. I'm proud of these things, you know. And just because it's not respected by some doesn't necessarily mean I'm not going to respect myself. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Carmen Carrera, and it is the top story on CNN.com that has everyone interested. Check out more on Carmen Carrera at CNN.com.

Also, closely behind there, an epidemic on parts of Long Island, the interest in heroin use is huge. Some users are as young as 12-years- old. In a minute, we'll meet some of them and their families.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Final good-byes to academy award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Mourners lining at the church Friday as the casket carrying Hoffman's body lies inside a private service for family, friends and some of Hollywood's biggest names. A public memorial is planned later on this month. The 46-year-old died last Sunday after an apparent heroin overdose.

So, heroin use has exploded as an epidemic on New York's Long Island, where addiction councilors are seeing users as young as 12, many from middle class suburban families. Nearly one in four people who use heroin become dependent upon it. And parents are caught between denial and shame over the stigma of having a heroin addicted child.

Here's Poppy Harlow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first time Chris shot up heroin he was too scared to do it himself. So his friend did it for him when he was 16.

CHRIS, HEROIN USER: I would shoot up mostly in my feet.

HARLOW: And how many bags a day?

CHRIS: It escalated to almost five or six bags every time I shot up.

HARLOW: He spent hundreds of dollars a day feeding his addiction.

How do you get that money?

I was stealing money from my parents. I was doing illegal actions with my friends. I broke in to houses. I've done all of the above, besides selling myself.

JOANNE, CHRIS' MOTHER: Heroin? My son? Never. How did I not see that?

HARLOW: Did you feel like you'd lost your son?

JOANNE: Absolutely. I said, you look like Christopher but you don't act like Christopher anymore.

HARLOW: Chris is now 17, and in rehab full-time at outreach and adolescent treatment center. He had survived heroin, but others in his community have not and these are the loved ones left behind.

SUSAN ROETHEL, LOST DAUGHTER MEGAN TO HEROIN: It's easier for them to get heroin than get a beer, and it's all over. And these kids are not afraid to use it.

DIANE SCARABINO, LOST DAUGHTER JACQUELINE IN HEROIN: I'm furious. I think the reason why the price came down was because somebody's making a lot of money selling this.

HARLOW: Diane and Robert's daughter, Jacqueline was just 24 when she overdosed in her own bed. Susan's daughter, Megan, a straight A student dead at 22. Dorothy's son, Max, was 28, and Tara's brother Paul, 19.

How do you even put the pain into words? Can you?

SCARABINO: No. There's just a hole in my heart. A part of my heart died the same day, and you just learn to live with it.

HARLOW: Addiction specialist Jeffrey Reynolds says he seen a sevenfold increase in new patients in Long Island in the past five years.

JEFFREY REYNOLDS, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Ten years ago if you used two to three bags of heroin a day, you are considered a chronic heavy user. For kids these days, that's breakfast.

HARLOW: A crackdown on prescription pain killers has had an unintended effect to pushing more teens to cheaper and more accessible heroin. Here on Long Island, heroin has killed a record number of people in the last two years and heroin arrested by the DEA are up 163 percent in just the last year.

We're on the Long Island expressway, which has become a main route for transporting heroin from New York City out to the suburbs and it's gotten so bad that some authorities have dubbed this the heroin highway.

REYNOLDS: I've been in public health for 25 years, and I've never seen anything like this before. The migration to heroin has been wholesale in nature.

DOROTHY JOHNSON, LOST SON MAX IN HEROIN: Our children are just like every other mother or father's child. And they're not junkies and that term needs to change.

HARLOW: There's a stigma they tell us that leaves many parents isolated in the battle to save their children.

CHRIS: It can happen to anyone at any age.

HARLOW: Chris is proof of that. But 11 months of rehab have brought him to the other side in the fight for his life.

Did this place save your life? CHRIS: I feel that it did. I put myself in so many circumstances where I could have died. I'm not being able to say that. I have different ways that I can manage my emotions, besides getting high. It makes me very happy and excited to go through my future.

HARLOW: A future he'll begin in a week when he completes treatment and faces the challenge of staying sober.

He says this place saved him.

JOANNE: It did. It saved us, too.

HARLOW: Poppy Harlow, CNN, Brentwood, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, is heroin the next drug epidemic in America? Joining me now is Carl Hart. He is associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also the author of "high price," a book that looks critically as drug policies in the U.S.

All right, so looking at those kids we just saw on Long Island, why would anyone decide to start thinking about even trying it once, when we've heard some folks who profess to be experts on this topic will say, you try it once and you will be hooked?

CARL HART, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: It's difficult for me to stop laughing at -- that is quackery. There's nothing in life that you try once and you are hooked. Addiction by definition means that it requires work. Remember, back in the 1980s, 1986, 1985, 1987, we were saying the same thing about crack cocaine. Try it once and you're addicted. And the hysteria surrounding crack cocaine was kind of similar to what's about happening now with this heroin sort of thing. And we passed bad policies and a number of people's live was ruined. Not so much by the drug, but by the policies and hysteria. And so, one of the things that I'm trying to make sure we do is that we understand what's real, what's reality, and what's just hysteria.

WHITFIELD: So what -- in the real category, is it real to you that it is an addicting drug?

HART: Sure. Alcohol is an addicting drug. Tobacco, marijuana. All of these things can be an addicting drug. Absolutely, certainly can be.

WHITFIELD: So, in the real category, or maybe false category in your view, is it the case? We heard theories from some experts say experts say, you start using heroin, you are not going to see 50.

HART: Again, I don't know where you get those experts from. Whoever says that, perhaps maybe we shouldn't call them an expert. That's just simply not true. If you look at -- let's just look in the United States. The number of people treated for heroin or what have you. We have a number of people who are on methadone maintenance who are past 50 in this country. When you go to Switzerland, a place where they actually prescribe heroin in heroin addicts to help them deal with their problem, they have people there who range from the age of 21 to 75.

WHITFIELD: So then, based on your expertise, what's the best way, or is -- I guess are there a set of best ways that you think this problem of heroin use, whether it be the age of 12 or 21 or 31 and 41, how do you tackle it?

HART: First of all, if you have a child like you all kind of showed in this clip beforehand, if you have a child at 12, 14, 16 doing heroin, you have bigger problems than heroin. People still have to parent. That's related to parenting. That's not so much a heroin problem. That's a parenting problem. So, we need to make sure we don't conflate bad parenting or parental issues --

WHITFIELD: But then how do you help that 12-year-old, OK, bad parenting, whatever it is, but then how do you reach that 12-year-old?

HART: First of all, I need to know a lot more about the 12-year-old. But I assure you that if a 12-year-old is using heroin, heroin is not that person's problem. So, when you say, how do you help that person? I need to have a lot more information. So, if somebody tells you some simple response how you deal with that 12-year-old heroin problem and they focus on heroin, you have before you somebody who is probably a quack.

WHITFIELD: Do you have worried the energies are not being placed in the right areas to tackle, to stem the problem?

HART: Yes, I do, particularly when we think about why people are dying from heroin-related deaths, in this country. The vast majority of them die because they combined drug with another sedative like alcohol or benzodiazepine, 75 percent of the people. So you want to make sure people are not combining heroin with another sedative. That's one.

Another sort of concern I have is that, we need to make more available this heroin antagonist or this drug that blocks heroin's effects (INAUDIBLE). If people have that available to them, they can inject that and it reverses the effects of heroin.

WHITFIELD: All right.

HART: Eighty-five percent of the people who die from heroin-related death do so in the presence of someone else, and that someone else could administer this drug that blocks heroin's effect.

WHITFIELD: All right, we have to leave it there.

Dr. Carl Hart, thanks so much. I know there are so -- it is just the tip of the iceberg. And this conversation will continue. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

HART: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, we got a deeper look at the heroin crisis in America. Next hour, join CNN the Don Lemon for a Special Report. "Heroin: a century of seduction" at 4:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN.

All right, escalating tensions inside a Florida courtroom, a man accused of murdering a teenager during a fight over loud music claims self-defense. Hear today's heated exchanges and testimony that could be critical to the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): A big announcement coming from the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on same-sex marriages. He's expected to announce tonight that he will extend federal recognition, even in the 34 states that do not consider same-sex marriage to be legal. Holder also plans to say that the justice department will recognize the marriages to the greatest extent possible under the law. That means everything from bankruptcy cases and prison visitation to survivor benefits.

A Tennessee couple is facing murder charges for allegedly forcing the man's five-year-old daughter to drink excessive amounts of water and grape soda. Prosecutors say the liquid caused the sodium level in the girl's body to plummet and triggered fatal brain swelling. The couple is also accused of child neglect and child abuse.

And Woody Allen is speaking out in a new op-ed for the "New York Times." He says he did not molest his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. And he blamed ex-girlfriend, Mia Farrow, for coercing Dylan to believe it. This comes after Dylan wrote her own letter last week claiming Allen molested her as a seven-year-old girl.

She responded today saying Allen is rehashing lies he's told for 20 years and she will not be silenced. The controversy dates back to 1992. Police investigated the allegation but did not file any charges against Allen.

And the winter Olympic Games in Sochi, and the U.S. has another medal on the tally board. Hannah Kearney skiing her way to a bronze in the moguls. The U.S. has also snagged the first Olympic gold in the games from U.S. snowboarder, Sage Kotsenburg, who did it with a trick he had never tried before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (on-camera): All right. Happening, right now, in Florida, heated exchanges in the trial of a man accused of murdering a teenager during a fight over loud music. He claimed self-defense. Prosecutors from the George Zimmerman murder trial are trying this case. They say Michael Dunn opened fire into an SUV full of teenagers at a gas station after arguing with them. Our Tory Dunnan is covering the trial in Jacksonville. Tory, what's the latest?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Fred, lots of witnesses have been called to the stand today, and we still have got an hour and a half of court left to go. Now, people have been called up to the stand today include detectives who covered all aspects of this case, those who gathered evidence from the scene, and this is day three of a trial that showed some emotion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LELAND BRUNSON, JORDAN DAVIS WITNESS: When I reached and touched him, blood appeared on my fingers.

DUNNAN (voice-over): Michael Dunn, the man charged with first-degree murder in the Jordan Davis case looked on as witnesses relived the night the 17-year-old was shot and killed. Davis' best friend, Leland Brunson, among those who testified. He was sitting next to Davis in the back of a red SUV when an argument over loud music broke out at a Jacksonville gas station.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's fair to say, he asked for a common courtesy just to lower the music, correct?

BRUNSON: Yes.

DUNNAN: Tevin Thompson (ph), another teen in the SUV, says Dunn who is in his parked car next to them, asked them to turn down the music. Everyone agrees the music was turned down. But that's when things escalated between Davis and Dunn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't it true that Jordan Davis said to you, "(EXPLETIVE DELETED) that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) turn it back up?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

DUNNAN: Thompson testified he did exactly that and that he turned the music back up. It's at that point the timeline gets fuzzy. Dunn told investigators he heard threats, then saw a weapon.

MICHAEL DUNN, ALLEGED SHOOTER: I saw a barrel come up on the window, like a -- a single shotgun where there's a barrel, and this part of the barrel, I saw that part of the barrel. Either a barrel or a stick. But -- sir, there are like - "we're going to kill you."

DUNNAN: Dunn, by his own admission, says he pulled out a gun that he kept in his glove compartment and he said in self-defense --

(GUNSHOTS)

DUNNAN: -- fired multiple times. Jordan Davis was shot. As for Michael Dunn's claims of being threatened with a weapon first, police say they never found a weapon inside the teen's SUV. In court, all three teens maintained they never had a weapon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DUNNAN (on-camera): All right. So, Fred, one of the key moments in court that people seem to be talking about today is when the lead prosecutor actually grabbed a gun, started showing it. And according to the detective who was testifying at the time, it was the same gun he found inside Mike's Dunn's car.

That detective went to Michael Dunn's house, when they went to arrest him, his house, of course, is not even near Jacksonville, but when they went to arrest him, the detective went to look at the car, which is parked in the garage, and that's where they found that gun inside the glove compartment.

So, it's the first time that we've seen the weapon in court today, and obviously, there are a lot of questions about what was and wasn't found in his car, but also in the red SUV that the teenagers were in.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tory, thank you so much.

Justin Bieber is already facing charges in Miami and Toronto, and now the feds are investigating him. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into allegations that passengers on his charter flight from Toronto to New Jersey interfered with the crew. Sources say he and his father verbally abused a flight attendant after she repeatedly asked them to stop smoking marijuana, and the pilots had to wear oxygen masks to avoid inhaling the marijuana smoke.

The relentless winter is taking its toll on the nation, the one thing many areas are now running low on and paying a big price on.

All right. You know him as the rough and tough patriarch of the Orange County Chopper's family, but what you may not have known about Paul Teutul, Sr. is he's a recovering addict. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares his story in this week's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Grinding, blowing things up, and building bikes. It's what Paul Teutul, Sr., star of the show "Orange County Choppers," does best. But there was a time that Teutul's future didn't seem so bright.

PAUL TEUTUL, SR., FOUNDER, ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS: Back in the day, I kind of started early drinking and getting high, and you know, back then you think that that stuff's going to go away as you get older, and what it does, it gets progressively worse.

GUPTA: As a younger guy, Teutul and his buddies hit the sauce early and often.

TEUTUL: I could drink a quart of whiskey at lunchtime and then go back to work.

GUPTA: And after years of giving everything to alcohol, he realized it all came down to a simple choice, live or die.

TEUTUL: I was pretty fortunate that, you know, I was able to get in a 12-step program. I went nine years straight and I was afraid to miss a meeting.

GUPTA: He began to change, but his friends didn't. TEUTUL: Just because I stopped drinking didn't mean anybody else did, and you know, the people -- everybody that I associated myself with drank, and drank hard. The first two years were -- it was really -- it was really tough.

GUPTA: And the consequences were dire.

TEUTUL: I had a partner. He was 35 years old. I got sober. He didn't. He died the same year.

GUPTA: And that's why senior, he's now been sober for 29 years, continuous to share his story.

TEUTUL: After 12 years of TV, being myself, everybody knows that -- how (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crazy I am. So, it's no secret. It's kind of like I always look at it, if I can get sober, anybody can.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: California which is under a drought emergency has been battling dry conditions for weeks now, but one area of the state is getting slammed with snow. Check out the scene northeast of Sacramento, near whiteout condition and several spinouts shutting down traffic there. Sixty-seven of California is under extreme drought. The folks in these areas will also get some rain this weekend.

Winter weather is blamed for all kinds of problems, and we're talking about burst pipes, cancelled flights, scare city of road salt (ph), and slumping sales,and it stretches nearly from coast to coast. Here's Ted Rowlands.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this unrelenting winter is not only horribly painful to deal with, it is also very expensive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Out of business because of a broken water pipe.

KENNETH MCGILL, CONTRACTOR: Found water just all over the place, and --

ROWLANDS: It is hard to imagine anyone more upset about this winter than the owner of RoSal's Italian Cucina in Chicago's little Italy.

MCGILL: It was literally prime (ph). When I spoke to a phone, it was literally prime (ph).

ROWLANDS: The harsh unrelenting snow and freezing temperatures have forced cities across the country to shell out thousands in overtime pay to plow streets, and now, many areas are running low on road salts, forcing crews to cut back or pay three times the regular price for the other white stuff now in short supply.

TOM BRIER, GENERAL MANAGER, ICE MELT CHICAGO: Prices have skyrocketed because of -- really because of the lack of supply.

ROWLANDS: Several industries are feeling the effects of this winter. Airlines have lost an estimated quarter of a billion dollars, according to analysts. Poor auto sales in the Midwest, south and east are being blamed on the weather, along with some lower retail sales.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROWLANDS: Even restaurants without broken water pipes are getting hit.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROWLANDS: At Gyro-Mena in Chicago's Greek town, the owner says his business goes way down --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $11.87.

ROWLANDS: During heavy snow or freezing cold.

DEAN MARKELOS, GYRO-MENA OWNER: I might see about a 40 percent decrease in my carryout sales. Now, we deliver. So, I see an increase. Overall, about 25 percent hit.

ROWLANDS: Consumers are also feeling the effects.

JACK GORDON, ASHLAND TIRE AND AUTO: You hit that pothole and the wheel bottoms out and you get a nice debit in the wheel like that.

ROWLANDS: Business at Ashland Tire and Auto in Chicago has never been better.

Good for you guy, but you feel bad for some of the customers?

GORDON: Absolutely, because we're humans, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need a 2x10.

ROWLANDS: RoSal's is expected to be closed for at least another month because of water damage. Meanwhile, we all still have at least another month of winter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (on-camera): And, Fred that 5 1/2 more weeks of winter sure does sound like a long, long time -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right. Thanks so much, ted. Stay warm.

All right. His story sounds incredible. A drift in the ocean for more than a year. What the doctor who treated him is saying.

But first, a look at some of the books making Amazon's top 100 books to read in a lifetime list, "1984" by George Orwell, "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, "All The President's Men" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and "Angela's Ashes" by Frank MccCourt. Look for the full list, CNN.com.

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WHITFIELD: To Florida now, inside the courtroom in Jacksonville, a rare Saturday session there. And this is the case of Michael Dunn who admits to shooting a teenager who was in an SUV because of loud music. But now, the trial is over whether he should be convicted for murder. This is the girlfriend now on the stand of Michael Dunn. That's Michael Dunn right there, the defendant. Rhonda Rouer is on the witness stand. Let's listen to her testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Rouer, I'm showing you now state's exhibit two to be on the screen in front of you.

RHONDA ROUER, ACCUSED MAN'S FIANCEE: Aha.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you recognize that to be an overview aerial shot of the gate gas station?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Looking at state's exhibit two, can you tell the jury which entrance you used when you got to the gate gas station? Do you remember?

ROUER: I do remember. I just don't know how to tell you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can actually touch the screen and make a mark on it.

ROUER: Oh, OK. So, I think we went in this entrance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. So, you would turn -- entrance. And for the record, it's the turn off south side boulevard showing on the screen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you put pressure on there, you can actually draw a little line with your finger with it. There you go.

ROUER: Good?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, Ms. Rouer, when you pulled into that entrance or when the defendant did, did he then park the car?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the reason for stopping at the gas station?

ROUER: To get a bottle of wine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And whose idea was it, Ms. Rouer? ROUER: Mine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, Ms. Rouer, i'm showing you state's exhibit five. Is that then just the front doors of the gas station you stopped at?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Ms. Rouer, this is now state's exhibit seven. Can you show on this screen where the defendant parked his car?

ROUER: Right there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, in that first spot?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Rouer, when the defendant parked in that spot, do you remember whether or not there was any car directly to the left of him?

ROUER: Yes, there was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you remember what color that car look?

ROUER: Red.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. It was red car. Now, how close was the defendant's car to that red car, Ms. Rouer?

ROUER: Pretty close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would the defendant have been able to get out of the car?

ROUER: I don't think so because his car -- his doors swing wide. It's a two-door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

ROUER: Is it a two-door? No, it's not, but they still swing wide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Now, Ms. Rouer, when you pulled into that parking spot, was your window up or down?

ROUER: My window was up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you remember what the defendant's window was like on the driver's side?

ROUER: It was up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you know whether or the back windows were up or down?

ROUER: They were up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the defendant pulled into the parking space, could you hear any music --

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- coming from the red SUV?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you could tell it was coming from that car?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From where you were sitting inside of the car, could you hear any the lyrics of the music?

ROUER: No, I couldn't make out the lyrics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you tell, though, what kind of music it was?

ROUER: Yes, I could.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you hear the bass?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, from inside the car, was anything in the car rattling from the bass?

ROUER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did the defendant say anything about the music when he parked the car next to the red car?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did the defendant say?

ROUER: Oh, "I hate that dumb music."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what was your response to the defendant.

ROUER: I said, "yEs, I know."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened, Ms. Rouer, after the defendant parked the car? What did you do?

ROUER: I gave him a kiss. I took $20 and I went into the store.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, prior to pulling into that parking spot, had it already been discussed who was going to be going into the store?

ROUER: No. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Rouer, when you got out of the car, were the windows in the black Jetta, were they still up?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you close your door behind you when you got out?

ROUER: Yes, I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, when you got out of the Jetta, could you tell whether or not the windows on the red SUV were up or down.

ROUER: No. I paid no attention to the vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you tell whether or not the door was open on the red SUV?

ROUER: I paid no attention to the vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you were walking into the store, could you hear the lyrics, the music that was playing?

ROUER: I could hear words being said, but I couldn't make out the words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And while walking into the store, Ms. Rouer, did you hear any sort of arguing going on behind you?

ROUER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Rouer, where did you go once you got into the store?

ROUER: I went over to the aisle where that they have wine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Rouer, now showing you state's exhibit 41, do you recognize states exhibit 41?

ROUER: I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what do you recognize those two items to be?

ROUER: The items that I picked up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Once you picked up the wine and bag of chips, where did you go?

ROUER: I was walking to the cash register.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you were inside the store, could you hear the music that was coming from the red SUV?

ROUER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And while you were in the store, could you hear any sort of arguing going on?

ROUER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you were walking to the register, did you hear anything unusual?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you hear?

ROUER: I heard pap, pap, pap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when you heard those noises, did you know what they were?

ROUER: No, I didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you know where they were coming from?

ROUER: No, I didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where were you when you first heard pap, pap, pap.

ROUER: I was walking -- the register kind of goes like, you have a long then and the cash register is right here. So, I was kind of walking up the aisle and the clerk was standing there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you at all paying attention to what was going on outside?

ROUER: No, I wasn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you do when you first heard those gunshots?

ROUER: I said what was that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And were you speaking to the cashier in front of you?

ROUER: Yes, I was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you hear next?

ROUER: When I heard another pap, pap, pap.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did you do after you heard the second set of pap, pap, pap?

ROUER: Well, I didn't do anything. The cashier said the guy has a gun. And I turned around to see what she was talking about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Whitfield: All right. Your listening to the powerful testimony of Rhonda Rouerr, there she is, the girlfriend of the defendant, Michael Dunn, in the case of shooting into an SUV full of teenagers. In the end, a 17-year-old boy was killed, 17-year-old Jordan Davis. You heard Rhonda Rouer explained there that Michael Dunn expressed right away he didn't like, in his words, "I hate that kind of thug music."

Didn't like the music that was playing so loudly from the vehicle, the SUV. She went inside to buy wine and chips, and that's when she heard the gunfire. We're going to continue to watch the trial there in Jacksonville, Florida.

That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for joining us. CNN NEWSROOM special report with Don Lemon is coming up, heroin, a century of seduction. It begins right after this.

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