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Thousands March to U.S. Capitol Building; Protesters Marching to NYPD Headquarters; Senate in Session Over Trillion Dollar Bill; Severe Weather Rips Through California; Key Evidence Thrown Out of Aaron Hernandez Case; U.S. Navy Creates "Silent Nemo"; Justice for All March Under Way in D.C.

Aired December 13, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Right now all eyes on Washington, D.C., for our two top stories. First, a march for justice underway right now. We are just moments away in fact from hearing from the families of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin.

Plus a live look at the Senate floor where they are working on a rare Saturday session of the spending showdown.

And why is this may be the worst week ever for A-lister Angelina Jolie. There was the Sony hack attack, where the whole world found out a Sony exec called her a spoiled brat. And now there's more bad news for Jolie.

Good to have you with us. Thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Fredricka Whitfield.

The voice of protests loud and clear across the nation today. Sounds from our nation's capital. Thousands of protesters there holding a Justice for All march to the U.S. capitol building, where some have already arrived.

This is a live picture right now. You see there are speakers who will be talking to the crowd today, we know, including family members of some of those young men, those teenagers, and the 12-year-old boy who lost their lives at the hand of police officers.

Sunlen Serfaty and our Nick Valencia are both there following this story.

Sunlen, let's start with you. What's the mood now at the street level?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, this has been a peaceful, but I would say, very passionate crowd out here. As you can see behind me, thousands of people just pooled here at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourth Street. That's a full city block from where those families will speak in just a few minutes. Thousands in the crowd. And we just took the march with them from Freedom Plaza over to the capital building. That's just under a mile long.

And while we were talking to some of the protesters as they were marching, a lot of them expressing solidarity with the families, but telling us how important it is for them to be here. We talked to people who came from all over. Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania. I talked to one man who got up at 4:00 a.m., just to be here today. He said it matters to him. It's his responsibility to be here.

Another woman told me that she's 24 years old, she wants to have kids one day, she wants to raise those kids in a world where all lives matter.

Now, Ana, a lot of people also spoke about the symbolism of this, the location, but also the four families being together for the first time. The families of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and Tamir Rice. They said that was a moving moment, that here in Washington, D.C., they did not want to miss -- Ana.

CABRERA: All right. Sunlen, thank you.

Nick Valencia is also there in Washington, D.C., in a different location.

Nick, set the scene where you are. And I know you've been talking with protesters out there as well. What are they telling you?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is quite a moment to be a part of and just to look around the sea of people, all peacefully demonstrating, all here for a united cause. We've heard chants like "I can't breathe," that phrase that was made famous after Eric Garner was put in a chokehold by the New York Police Department. Also hearing people saying "hands up, don't shoot," that anthem that became an anthem for change in Ferguson, Missouri.

And you can just see around me here, people are here, they're listening intently and they all want change. Everyone sees that change a little bit differently, though. And I spoke to demonstrators a little while ago, and they talked to me about why they're here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNA LAWRIE, PROTESTER: I am here for the voices, for those that died, for the injustice and the systematic racism that is happening on this land.

VALENCIA: Do you believe it is a race issue, or do you think this is a police excessive force?

LAWRIE: It is the race that is instilled in our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And we're joined now by another one of those demonstrators from Massachusetts, Christina Brown.

What brought you out here today?

CHRISTINA BROWN, PROTESTER: We just want to see that justice, justice for everyone, justice for the victims out here, that's why we're all out here raising our hands. We just want justice.

VALENCIA: What does that mean to you, justice?

BROWN: Equalness, equality. We want to -- we want to make sure everyone is given a fair chance out here. We want to see better police regulations. We just want to make sure that everyone is given an equal chance when a situation occurs.

VALENCIA: Christina, I spoke to your police chief just a little while ago and she says that she's here to stand in unison with you.

BROWN: And that's awesome.

VALENCIA: She's here to stand in solidarity with you. What do you hear when you hear that -- what do you think?

BROWN: I feel good when I hear that and I'm happy to see that the police chief is just doing the same thing with us, being out here with us. That's awesome. And that's what we want to see. You know, so.

VALENCIA: People have equated this to modern civil rights movement. Do you think it's that -- it's that big of a moment right now that's happening?

BROWN: I mean, look -- can you look around right now? Can you see what's happening? All these young men and women out here, wanting the same thing, standing here in unison with each other, of course it is. Of course it is.

VALENCIA: Got to be a special moment to see.

Thank you so much for taking the time with us.

And you hear there, people are very passionate about what's going on. They're also demonstrating very peacefully. And by and large, this crowd of thousands has been peaceful. They've been marching from that half-mile down here towards the Capitol, and they're all listening to a speaker right now, standing by to wait to hear from members of the family of those unarmed civilians, who were recently in high-profile cases across the country.

That's really led to the momentum of this movement here that you're witnessing right now -- Ana.

CABRERA: And those folks are part of history here.

Sunlen Serfaty and Nick Valencia, thank you.

We want to head to New York City now, where another major march for justice gets underway in just under an hour.

Our Alexandra Field is joining us live in Washington Park. More people are starting to gather there.

Alex, what's the plan there in New York City today? ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ana, a lot of people are

here well in advance of when this march is set to start. Just look around behind me, you can see people starting to gather here. And one of the reasons that they come early is because these people aren't just here for a march, these are people who really believe that they are part of a larger movement.

These marches happening in different cities and different cities across the country. But these are people who've been organizing for days, if not a couple of weeks now. They've wanted this opportunity to come together and to be together. These are a lot of activists who are taking this opportunity to gather in Washington Square Park and actually meet each other, so that they can coordinate even more.

The roots of this march are really online. A lot of this was generated through social media buzz and sharing. That's how they've attracted so many people here, some 45,000 people went online and RSVP'd saying they would come here. So it's quite possible that thousands of people could come here.

We are seeing a number of different groups here, they're carrying different signs, like the one next to me that says "stop police brutality and murder." A lot of people holding signs that say, "black lives matter," people even selling wristbands that say "I can't breathe." Everyone who we're hearing from is here, you know, not just because of Eric Garner, those were his last words. "I can't breathe."

Not just because of Michael Brown, but because they believe that these cases which have really gripped public attention are a catalyst for change in their communities and they want to see a different interaction between the communities and the police and we know that there are going to be some uncomfortable moments to achieve that.

A lot of people have been out here really for days doing these protests feel that their voices do matter and that they are raising awareness of what they want and the kind of change that they hope to see.

CABRERA: I know, Alex, in some communities, like when you were covering what was happening in Ferguson, Missouri, we talked about some of the changes that the local community members, leaders, were trying to implement like a citizen oversight board, changes to the court system, fees so that minorities or people who had less money weren't unfairly punished through the system.

What kinds of changes have happened in New York City or the surrounding communities there since Eric Garner's case?

FIELD: Yes, I think you're raising a good point there because sometimes people look at these marches or these movements and they say, what are you really trying to change, what are you trying to effect?

The group that's organizing this did put out a sort of bullet point list at some of the immediate things that they're looking for. One, they say they want Officer Daniel Pantaleo fired. He is the officer who was involved in the death of Eric Garner, that chokehold death on Staten Island. But they're also calling for broader reforms, saying they want independent prosecutors appointed for cases of police misconduct.

They want the names of officers who are involved in police shootings to be released within 48 hours. So they're looking at different actions, which they think could improve the way the communities are policing, could improve interaction between the community and police officers, which they feel could also lend towards better policing of the police, and that's a phrase that you hear out here a lot, you know, in the last few days that we've covered these demonstrations, they said, who polices the police?

That's what people here are saying and that's where they're really looking to target their reforms. We're talking about accountability in cases where they feel that police force is used excessively. Who is accountable? Who holds these people accountable?

CABRERA: Right. Accountability and transparency.

Alexandra Field, thank you.

Our other big story that's happening in Washington, D.C., right now, is happening there on Capitol Hill, we have live pictures, where senators are working right now to try to avert another government shutdown. They're trying to pass a $1.1 trillion spending bill. The House already passed it, so it's sitting in the Senate. Until they can get this done, they will also need to pass a stopgap measure, just to keep the government up and running.

Our Erin McPike is at the White House where, of course, the president is waiting to sign this bill, should it pass. Also joining me is CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein. With me from Los Angeles this morning or this afternoon -- I know it's morning in L.A., but 1:00 here in New York -- Atlanta.

Erin, when we see the Senate here back in session, do you know if they're making any progress?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, they are, and one of the byproducts of having this Saturday session is that they're going to be voting on a number of President Obama's nominations that Republicans have held up throughout the years. So there is some progress on that.

Now Harry Reid said a short time ago that he expects that the Senate will vote around 1:00 a.m. tonight, early Sunday morning, I guess you can say, on a vote that kicks the procedure forward, so that they can have the vote on final passage of the large $1.1 trillion spending bill on Monday. But he is very frustrated about the process, and I want you to listen here to some of the comments he made just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Before the United States Senate is a bill that does nothing, absolutely nothing to stop President Obama's illegal and unconstitutional amnesty. That's why I rise to speak here today.

SEN. MIKE LEE (R), UTAH: I certainly don't see any reason why we should agree to move forward then and not have any assurance that we would at least have an opportunity to vote on an amendment that would impose a spending limitation on the president's ability to implement his executive amnesty action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: OK, so that was actually Texas Senator Ted Cruz, followed by Utah senator, Mike Lee. Those are the two junior Republican senators who did not agree to unanimous consent, which earlier Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell had agreed upon to have. But Mitch McConnell now says that he was blindsided by those two because they did not agree to that. They objected, they held up this vote, which is why the Senate is on -- is in session this Saturday.

Here, I think, we have Harry Reid speaking moments ago about why he's so frustrated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Regrettably, a small group of Senate Republicans has determined that it's in their political interests to hold this legislation hostage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: But we should see that this vote occurs later tonight to kick the procedure forward, then they should be voting on final passage on Monday. And both sides expect this to pass. They're just frustrated with Lee and Cruz for holding up this process -- Ana.

CABRERA: I think the American process are frustrated, too, to see this delay in the process once again.

Erin McPike, thanks.

I want to turn to Ron now. I know, you know, it's been both sides who have had their say and who've been sort of tugging and pulling at this legislation. What does it say about this particular bill itself?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. You know, this is kind of the calm before the storm, I think. You know, this is a rare case we're going to see over the next two years, where the interest of the Republican and Democratic leadership is somewhat aligned. The Republican leadership has decided after their experience in 2013 that a government shutdown is not the way to press their fights against President Obama.

And that's why you saw Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid make a deal, much as John Boehner was able to bring along a number of House Democrats to pass this, you know, must-pass spending bill. So that is going to take this tactic off the table. But I think what you're going to see in 2015 is a series of confrontations on the underlying substance through different mechanisms.

And the fact that Ted Cruz and Mike Lee forced -- you know, held this up over the immigration executive action, that I think is the more accurate signal of what lies ahead.

CABRERA: So does that mean anything has really changed since the midterm elections?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think, obviously, Republicans have a lot more leverage, they have a lot more seats starting in January, to press their case against President Obama. Now one thing that has changed in a kind of fascinating way is because the House majority has grown bigger. We saw, you know, in the maneuvering this week, that John Boehner actually has more flexibility to say no to the most conservative members of his caucus.

He has a little more margin for error on the votes, and so he is able to say no to them on some I think of, again, the tactical maneuvers. But on the underlying substance, when you think about the Obama health care plan, Obamacare, the immigration action, what -- another one that's going to be coming up quite a bit is the EPA regulations, limiting carbon from power plants.

I think on all of those fronts as well as the budget and taxes, we are going to probably see significant confrontation over the next two years.

CABRERA: Do you think we could see this bill, this particular legislation, change again in a few months with other amendments after the new House and the new Senate gets in place, when the Republicans have a much larger majority?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, on one front the answer is yes. On the larger front, I mean, what they've done is fund the government through the end of the year. So that -- that is a win for President Obama because it limits their ability to come back at it. But as you know, as part of this bill, they're only funding the Department of Homeland Security through February, to give themselves another opportunity to go after this executive action the president took to provide a legal status for up to five million undocumented immigrants.

So that fight, specifically, is left open in the funding process, but he is getting a win. And that's, of course, why he is supporting it, despite elements of it that he opposes, particularly rolling back aspects of financial regulation, because it does fund the rest of the government and takes that lever largely away from Republicans.

CABRERA: All right. Ron Brownstein, thanks for your insights.

Overseas now, a U.S. Defense official confirms to CNN that two American soldiers have lost their lives as a result of a bomb that targeted a NATO convoy. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for this and we're just getting new information. We'll bring you more details as they become available.

Severe weather in California leaving houses buried in mud and rock, and now this area could get more bad weather.

Plus, the March for Justice underway. We have live pictures right now in Washington, D.C. Speakers, you can see, have started to take the podium. We expect to hear from the family members of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown at any moment, so we will bring you some of those speeches live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: The cleanup underway right now in California after severe storms left behind some really serious damage. We have live pictures in fact from the scene in Camarillo Springs, California, where you can see homes buried up to their rooftops, and some places completely covered with rock and debris after huge mudslides were triggered there, after all that rain in the last couple of days.

Luckily, the mandatory evacuations were ordered before those mudslides began, so nobody, as we understand it, was injured. But we want to get an update from meteorologist Karen Maginnis.

Is the rain over?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is pretty much fading away fairly rapidly. And the storm system is moving across the interior west, eventually pulling into the central plains for tomorrow. That could mean some severe weather there. But we've got another storm system that is going to make its way onshore of California, as we go into Monday.

But I want to show you this. Southern California, it's December. It's almost Christmas, and you wouldn't expect to see this.

OK, so, a little bit of language problem there, but you can understand, he's pretty excited. There's a tornado. It was an EF-0, which means that the wind estimated with this at 65 to around 85 miles an hour. There was some damage, some trees were blown over, power outages, but fortunately, no one, including the shooter of this video, was injured.

Well, we did see between one and about three inches of rainfall across Southern California. You have to remember, a part of this is due to the fact that we have that Pineapple Express, but also, the Camarillo Springs, the reason they saw that mud and devastating pictures on the inside, about 18 homes, considered destroyed because of that mud. But the mud is up to the roof in some areas. It pushed furniture around in the rooms.

Well, this particular tornado, as I mentioned, is an EF-0. That's the lowest on the scale, but nonetheless, you can still have plenty of damage associated with that.

Our next storm system just kind of poised to take aim at California. As it does, more rain is expected, the bulk of which should be north of the bay area, going into Monday. But even Southern California is expected to pick up some wet weather. But tomorrow afternoon, Ana, I think that we'll be talking about the potential for severe storms in places like Austin and Dallas and Wichita and Oklahoma City. So a very topsy-turvy December.

CABRERA: Yes, no kidding. And that tornado in Los Angeles, that's pretty uncommon, right?

MAGINNIS: It's very uncommon. The last time I saw that is 2007. But they see a tornado or a funnel cloud once every four or five years. 2007 and then before that was 2004.

CABRERA: Wow. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis, thank you.

Up next, a former NFL player going on trial for murder gets some good news, you could say, at least for him. Why the jury won't see certain text messages sent the night of the killing.

And we have more live pictures this time coming out of downtown Boston, where one of the many marches for justice are underway right now, happening across the nation.

Our team coverage of these rallies rolls on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Protesters around the nation are calling today the culmination of their week of outrage.

More live pictures right now from downtown Boston, where hundreds of people have gathered there. We know there's a protest happening right now in Washington, D.C. Also one about to begin in New York City. So we are monitoring these pictures and the events on the ground there for you, and we'll continue to bring you these live images and talk to our reporters on site as we go.

There's a big win in court for a former NFL star, who is facing murder charges. A judge ruled certain evidence will not be allowed at the murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end, Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is still awaiting trial, accused of murdering Odin Lloyd, happened in Boston 2013, and now prosecutors will not be able to mention a couple of other slayings, allegedly committed by the former New England Patriot.

The defense argued that it would be prejudicing the jury against their client, but perhaps the most surprising here is the judge threw out a text message Odin Lloyd, the victim, sent to his sister shortly before his death. Prosecutors say it showed Lloyd was afraid for his life, and it says, quote, "You see who I'm with? NFL," apparently referring to Hernandez. "Just so you know," he wrote.

Let's bring in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Philip Holloway, again joining us.

Thank you for being here. First, how does this impact the case?

PHILIP HOLLOWAY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it hamstrings the prosecution to a certain degree. Obviously, the text message, they would have loved to get that in to show that this guy was afraid of his attacker and he's letting somebody know who he's with. CABRERA: Why can't they use the text message?

HOLLOWAY: Well, I would respectfully disagree with the judge. I think that it would be admissible, I think it's relevant, and I think that whatever weight it might have should be considered by the jury.

CABRERA: She called it innocuous.

HOLLOWAY: Right. Well, we don't know from looking at it exactly what it means and I think that's what she's hanging her hat on. That being said, I do believe the jury should be allowed to make that decision and let a jury decide whether it has any weight and what it means.

As to the other crime evidence, I do agree with the judge on that. We don't want to try people based on their general bad character. We don't want to try them on other cases that they might be involved in, unless they are sufficiently similar. If two crimes are so closely related and similar that it shows their modus operandi, sort of somebody's criminal signature if you will, then the law would allow that evidence to come in.

CABRERA: Well, I mean, for an outsider's perspective --

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

CABRERA: -- looking at these different cases, it does seem to be that they would be similar. I would, we're talking about in 2012, a double homicide, somebody who, you know, shot and killed these people, and he is the primary suspect in that case. He's also accused in another shooting in 2013, where the victim survived. They all involve Aaron Hernandez.

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

CABRERA: They involve some kind of violence using a gun.

HOLLOWAY: Well, they allegedly involve Aaron Hernandez.

CABRERA: Thank you. Yes, allegedly.

HOLLOWAY: And you're correct, those are all the arguments that the prosecutor makes. But there's one overarching principle that the judge looks at. Does the danger of unfair prejudice apply here? And if bringing this stuff in is so damning, if you will, to Mr. Hernandez's case, it's so overly prejudicial, the judge has every right to keep it out.

CABRERA: And you said you agree with her decision, at least when it comes to those other crimes where he's a suspect.

HOLLOWAY: Of course, because he's not been convicted.

CABRERA: Yes.

HOLLOWAY: You know, she probably would be on solid ground if she let it in, but she's playing it safe by -- by keeping it out. She doesn't want to have to try this case twice.

CABRERA: It seems like this is a big win for the defense. How does this impact the prosecution?

HOLLOWAY: Well, certainly, the prosecution wants to get this in because it's very, very powerful. If a jury hears that somebody's involved in another murder or allegedly involved in another murder, it makes their job very easy to convict. So it is a huge win for the defense. You'd never want to allow prior crime evidence to come in from the defense perspective, if you can help it because it's so prejudicial to your case. And it just makes it very, very difficult to win an acquittal, if the prior crime evidence comes in.

CABRERA: All right. Philip Holloway, thank you so much for being here.

HOLLOWAY: My pleasure.

CABRERA: And still to come, Angelina Jolie, she called in sick today. She took it to YouTube to prove she's not faking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Mortgage rates dropped this week. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: The U.S. Navy has a new weapon to stop terrorism in its tracks, by spying on America's enemy from the water.

CNN's Tom Patterson has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM PATTERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine a machine that looks like a fish and swims like a fish, but it's not a fish. It's a robot. A military spy.

The Navy is calling it Project Silent Nemo, AKA, "ghost swimmer." It's being developed right now at a base in Virginia. This thing is about five feet long and it weighs about 100 pounds. It can be controlled by a joystick or it can be pre-programmed to move on its own. It's modeled after a blue fin tuna, because it looks like a fish and swims like a fish.

The Navy thinks it might easily evade sophisticated sonar. The Navy thinks that it might be useful to do three things. Swim into hostile waters, search for destructive underwater mines, or to inspect ships for underwater damage. Saving lives by performing dangerous underwater tasks that might otherwise be performed by humans.

(On camera): It's still in development, but if it pans out, it might be important technology that could be part of the next wave in underwater surveillance.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CABRERA: In this week's "Ones to Watch," we head to the streets of Chicago to explore the world of street art. It's a subculture once associated with vandalism, but one artist's iconic images have now prompted people to think differently. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Shepherd Fairey, the American street artist behind the "Obama Hope" poster, an image he plastered over the streets of America during the U.S. president's first election campaign.

SHEPARD FAIREY, STREET ARTIST: It is a great example, I think, of how grassroots imagery and activism can make a difference.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Shepard has used simple images to make a statement and to build a brand. He's worth an estimated $15 million, thanks to his clothing company, Obey, which features his most iconic stencil images and his prints, which sell at auction for upwards of $80,000, and still he takes to the streets to paint.

FAIREY: I used to be far too street, you know, to be considered mainstream, now some people consider me too mainstream for the street. But there's validity to both and there are different things about the street and a gallery, but they're -- you know, they're both useful platforms. Democratizing art has really been what I've been about.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Today Shepard is in Chicago, scaling the heights of a brick wall with a bold message.

FAIREY: What I think it takes to break through as a street artist is a tenacity, a willingness to go out there, put work up, and you know, have it cleaned, have it covered by other artists, and not be too precious about it to accept that street artist is an ephemeral. Of course, finding good places and making imagery that has a -- you know, a unique that sets your work apart from other people's work is really important, but tenacity is crucial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And talent. He is pretty good, isn't he?

Well, you can see the entire "Ones to Watch" show at CNN.com/onestowatch.

Thanks for being here. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Right now thousands are gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest unarmed African-Americans shot and killed by police officers. We now understand Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown, is about to take the podium, along with Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown's mother.

We'll be taking you there as soon as they arrive there to speak to the crowd and we're looking there live right now, and here she is. Let's listen in.

LESLEY MCSPADDEN, MICHAEL BROWN'S MOTHER: Thank you. Wow. What a sea of people. If they don't see this and make a change, then I don't know what we got to do. Thank you for having my back.

CROWD: Hands up, don't shoot. Hands up, don't shoot. Hands up, don't shoot. Hands up, don't shoot.

CABRERA: Again, that was Lesley McSpadden, a few words there. She is the mother of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old African-American who was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson. That happened in August of just this past year.

Now listening in to the mother of Eric Garner.

GWEN CARR, ERIC GARNER'S MOTHER: See all of you have come to stand with us today. I mean, look at the masses. Black, white, all races, all religions. This is just a great moment. This is a history-making moment. And you know, we need to stand like this at all times. And you know, our sons, you know, they may not be here in body, but they're here with us in each and every one of you.

You all brought them here today, OK? And I thank you. I thank you so much. Because without you, we would have an empty podium. OK? But we just love you all so much. And like Reverend Al said, we will come here as many times as it takes. We will come here over and over and over again. But the next time we come, we don't want to come -- you know, when we come, we want to come for a celebration, not an assassination, OK?

So, again, we thank all of you. And we hope we're here for justice. We hope they hear our voices. You are helping us have our voices heard. And when we go home today, we hope that they have heard our voices, they yield to our commands, because no justice, no peace. Thank you, everybody.

CABRERA: Again, that was Gwen Carr, she is the mother of Eric Garner, the man who died in New York after being put into a chokehold by a white police officer and now his wife is speaking to the crowd.

ESAW GARNER, ERIC GARNER'S WIFE: Everyone of you all for coming out here, because like I said in the beginning, my husband was a quiet man. But he's making a lot of noise right now. And he's -- his voice will be heard.

I have five children in this world, and we are all fighting for everybody, not just for him, for everybody's future, for everybody's past, for everybody's present, and we need to make it strong, and I just want to hear everybody in unison say, I can't breathe. They took my breath away. I can't breathe. Thank you.

ERICA GARNER, ERIC GARNER'S DAUGHTER: I can't breathe. I'm Erica and my voice is a little raspy right now, but I just want to thank everybody who just supported us and, you know, my father, he was a great man. The way that they -- that the media is portraying him to be, he wasn't that man. He was a family man. He loved his family, he did anything for his family. He loved his kids, he'd do anything for his kids. And that's all I wanted to say and thank you for the support and -- I can't breathe.

CABRERA: So we just heard from the mother, from the wife, and from the daughter of Eric Garner, who again was the man killed in New York. They are wearing those sweatshirts that say "I can't breathe" in solidarity and his last words before he died.

And we understand that there are other mothers, family members of other young men and boys who have been killed by police officers and they are joining these protesters, all showing solidarity to demand change, to demand justice, not just in those cases, but in the greater cause, about the racial division that we see in communities across the country and what they perceive as the unfair treatment of African- Americans.

This is the mother now of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was killed in Cleveland. Let's listen.

SAMARIA RICE, TAMIR RICE'S MOTHER: I just want to thank everybody for coming out, for all your support, and across this nation. We will get justice for our children. Believe that. Like Reverend Al Sharpton said the autopsy came out. So -- I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it.

RICE: Like Reverend Al Sharpton said, the autopsy came out, my son's death was ruled as a homicide like everyone should know, and with that being said, let that officer get arrested and bring him in front of a criminal, criminal jury, so he can get the opportunity to prove his innocence. And we can prove our justice.

My son was 12 years old, just a baby. A baby. My baby, the youngest out of four. And he is here with me right now, and this is what he would want me to do. I want to thank the nation and the world for the support, because that's the only way I'm standing up right now. That's the only way. And for everybody that don't know, I'm a mother that I keep my kids away from toy guns, water guns, BB guns, because boys -- boys of all color, they just like those type of things, you know? They just like those type of things.

And 12 years old, had a promising future, a promising future. What else? May God bless this nation, all the families, we share the same pain, all the mothers across the world that got shootings -- in police shootings for their sons. Hands up, don't shoot. I can't breathe. Please don't shoot. I want to grow up, too. Thank you.

CABRERA: Again, that was Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, and Tamir is the 12-year-old who was shot and killed on November 22nd in Cleveland, Ohio. He was killed by police because they mistook a toy gun for a real gun. And that's why she was referencing the fact that she didn't let her son play with toy guns, apparently, she says he got it from a friend on that fateful day.

Let's go to Nick Valencia, who's live there on the ground in Washington to see among the protesters that have gathered there. Nick, it seems like you can hear a pin drop in that crowd. Everyone

just hanging on the words of those mothers.

VALENCIA: That is a great way to describe it. You look around here at the faces of people that have showed up as demonstrators and they are all looking towards the stage. They all want to listen. They all came here for this message, to stand in unison.

I'm joined by one of those who came here. Not too far away.

You're from right here in Washington, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The street. Right up the street.

VALENCIA: What do you think about what's happening in your home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're looking at this message to stand in unison. I'm joined by one of those who came from not too far, right here in Washington.

VALENCIA: What do you think about what's happening in your home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is what needs to happen. We need a change in the area. I mean, we're just tired of it. It needs to stop today.

VALENCIA: What does your sign say? Show us your sign. What does that mean, when you say "Racism is a deadly disease" and "Heal America." What does that mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, it means a lot, man. You know what it mean, because you feel it. Whatever's right is right. Whatever's wrong is wrong.

VALENCIA: And you're listening to the family members of Eric garner, you're listening to the family members of Mike Brown, you know, you're black and you're young.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed.

VALENCIA: What do you think? How is that internalized in you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you know being that, we already got two strikes anyway. So we got to be very careful of how we carry ourselves. That's why we need to unite, everybody need to get together and think together, because we can change it that way.

VALENCIA: But this is -- this is what I hear from people that I speak to. You know, this is the first step in many.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.

VALENCIA: What happens next?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's in their court now. We figure --

VALENCIA: Who's they? Who's they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know the government. Besides the government, you know, they're going to try to -- you know what they do.

VALENCIA: I was speaking to somebody here and they said that this isn't a rally against police. This is a rally against bad police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed. Get rid of the crooked police. They are everywhere. You know who you are. We need the names so we can expose them.

VALENCIA: You hear -- that's a message here by so many, Ana. People want change. And that comes in varying degrees for everybody that's witnessing this moment. They say that this is not something that happens every day in Washington. You know, this is a city that's very used to marches. This is a city where marches and demonstrations are very organized. But some people that I have spoken to here, who have lived here their whole lives, say they have never seen anything like this. And for them to be here is like being a part of history -- Ana.

CABRERA: And they're waiting for the national leaders to really take action. We heard from the president earlier this week addressing this movement of people around the country who are frankly fed up. And he says, you know, this isn't something that's going to be solved overnight. I'm quoting him from his interview earlier this week where he said, "This is something deeply rooted in our society, it is deeply rooted in our history."

And I think that speaks to the much larger issue that people feel so passionate about.

VALENCIA: And you know, Ana, what I was about -- when I was speaking earlier to the police chief here, she even acknowledged -- I asked her very directly, are there issues in your police department? Are there issues here in Washington, D.C.? And she said back to me, she said Nick, you could see that they're coming up to us and they're hugging us.

Yes, there are issues. Yes, this is a systemic problem. This is not a new issue. This is one with great emotion behind it, though, and a lot of passion and one that exists in all police departments according to the police chief here. She says they do as -- as best a job as they can and that their goal every day is to make sure that no one dies while they are on their watch. But she's here, she said earlier when I was speaking to the police chief of D.C. that she's here to solidarity with the community and it's very important for police officers around the country to do the same thing -- Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Nick Valencia, reporting live in Washington, D.C. We'll talk back with you in a little bit. Thanks for joining us.

We will be right back. We just have to take a quick break.

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CABRERA: Welcome back as we give you live pictures right now around the country, in fact, where all of these different protests are taking place at this hour. People demanding justice. Culminating in what they are calling a week of outrage with a million march today.

We have pictures in D.C. We have pictures from Boston. And we have pictures from New York City. You're seeing, up there on the top left, we're also monitoring what's happening inside the U.S. Capitol where the senators have returned to continue their work today on the spending bill. They have until tonight to make some kind of extension and we expect a vote to come Monday.

We will be right back.

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