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Whitney Houston's Daughter Found Unresponsive; Coalition Launches 27 Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against ISIS; Measles Outbreak?; Airbag Defects Prompt Millions of Vehicles Recalled; Former NFL Patriots Facing Murder Charges; Tough Year for NFL Leading Up to Super Bowl

Aired January 31, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And it was very clear that it wasn't -- it didn't reveal a brother-sister kind of relationship, but more of an intimate one. Boyfriend-girlfriend. And now we know they have since married.

So, again, if anyone is just now joining us, Don, let me just reset for folks who are just now joining us.

Twenty-one-year-old young lady that you're seeing on that screen there, Bobbi Kristina, the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, just about 20, 30, 40 minutes outside of downtown Atlanta. Found unresponsive in the bathtub by her husband, Nick Gordon, and another friend.

They did try to administer CPR, according to Roswell Fire and Police. And now we understand from Roswell Fire and Police she has been transported to North Fulton Hospital, just outside of downtown Atlanta, as you look at these file pictures of the family, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina. She is now 21 years old.

And again, we don't know the status of her, but we do understand she's been transported to North Fulton Hospital outside of Atlanta.

So back to you, Don. We're just discussing the life of Bobbi Kristina, what has publicly been revealed in recent years. Clearly, she was always by Whitney Houston's side in so many public appearances, growing up, but now as a young lady --

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: She was a baby.

WHITFIELD: Yes, she was a baby. But now a young lady.

LEMON: To be with her, up on stage.

WHITFIELD: Now a young lady after her mom's passing. And carrying on her own life, but that has been what's been, I guess so perplexing, and also fascinating, which is, you know, what is Bobbi Kristina going to do with her life, especially at the passing of her mom.

And have we -- have we gotten a clearer understanding of, you know, there were some aspirations expressed that she was going to try to sing, she was disappointed that she wasn't consulted or even thought about being cast in that bio-pic.

Do we know about her aspirations in the entertainment industry?

LEMON: She -- can you hear me, Fred?

WHITFIELD: I can hear you.

LEMON: Yes. She -- yes, she wanted to be a singer. I remember after her mom died, she wanted to sing. And probably before. And many -- you know, obviously, realized she didn't have the voice. Her mother's voice. She has a nice voice, but a lot of people have nice voices. Her mother was an icon. Right? She had an iconic voice. So her -- her nickname was "the voice." That's what they called Whitney Houston.

So I -- and she wanted to be an actress. But if you look at that bio- pic, which, you know, many people liked, it sort of ended when it got to the good part. Maybe there will be a second part to it. But you have to have -- you have to be an actress with chops in order to do -- to pull something like that off. Bobbi Kristina could not have pulled that off.

But let's -- you know, let's talk about -- let's not forget here, the irony in all of this, is that how Whitney Houston died, in a bathtub. With -- I think she had taken several muscle relaxers and other drugs that were found in her system after the autopsy, and -- which was revealed in the coroner's report. She was found in the bathtub as well, in the Beverly Hilton.

And that room has since -- they took the room out of commission for a while and they changed the number on the room so that people don't know, and it's on the fourth floor somewhere in Beverly Hilton so that people don't know that they're staying in, you know, the same room that Whitney Houston died in. But Whitney Houston herself was found in the bathtub and now her daughter. It's just really strange.

WHITFIELD: It is very eerie. And again we don't know the circumstances because we haven't received those details about why Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in the tub, but in her home and by her husband and friend. And, of course, we -- you and I were talking just moments ago, you know, especially shortly after the death of Whitney Houston, when people would see Bobbi Kristina out publicly, they would see her with a young man who was raised as -- like a son by Whitney Houston, but then she would eventually marry.

And then, you know, we saw in tabloids -- we would see more images of Bobbi Kristina no longer as the little girl, you know, in the shadows of Whitney Houston, but in these tabloids, and in publications, on the Internet. There are images of her experimenting with drugs, and a lot of inferences that she was having a hard time finding her way.

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: That was in the entertainment circles. Was that the feeling that she was having a difficult time finding her way, or was she's just a young lady who was, you know, exploring things now that, you know, she was on her own, so to speak?

LEMON: Well, Fred, we were, you know, in our 20s once a long time ago. And, you know, in your 20s, people find themselves. I think people really don't find themselves, all of us, until we're probably in our 30s, and some of us even older. And in our 20s, we think we know everything and we think that we can conquer the world and we're invincible. And I think that's -- Bobbi Kristina felt the same way, and that's no different than any young person all across the world.

And just imagine having that much attention. You know, we forget that Whitney Houston was the highest grossing, highest selling artist ever, and that much -- growing up with that much attention, we first met Bobbi Kristina on the stage with Whitney Houston. She'd bring her up on the stage. So she has been in the public eye and famous her entire life. And, you know, having -- and not only that, not just, you know, having to go out in public and have cameras on them, but cameras in her home.

Her entire growing up. You know, "Being Bobby Brown," we saw -- we saw Bobbi Kristina grow up. And just within, I would say, the last year, maybe, except for, you know -- if not for the -- lashing out against Angela Bassett, we really hadn't heard that much from her. And it was assumed that maybe she was, you know, getting things together, and maturing and growing up, and -- again, it's not to say that Bobbi Kristina is a bad kid.

You know we have -- there are lots of famous people's children who we watch, you know, go through some things. When other people can go through things in private. They can't.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: And so she did it publicly. And that's a tough thing to do. A lot of people's kids experiment with drugs, as I mentioned earlier.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LEMON: It's a tough thing to do when you're in public. Not that they should be doing it, but it's just -- just the reality of it.

WHITFIELD: All right.

LEMON: But it was assumed that since she had, you know, married, that she was settling down a bit. But, you know, here we are.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: And we have to see what is going on and why exactly it happened.

WHITFIELD: Sure. It's unclear. Still so many details that are unclear, Don. Hold on a moment. Because I want to bring in Nischelle Turner, special correspondent and contributor to CNN, and now also with "Entertainment Tonight."

And, Nischelle, for those who are just now joining us, again, Whitney Houston's daughter, the late Whitney Houston's daughter, only daughter, to she and Bobby Brown, Kristina -- yes, Bobbi Kristina found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home in an Atlanta suburb of Roswell found by her husband and a friend.

What information are you receiving, Nischelle, about the possible circumstances? This information that we have so far is being confirmed by Roswell Police and Fire. She has been transported to a hospital.

Our own correspondent, Nick Valencia, on his way to the hospital.

But, Nischelle, let me ask you. What more do you know about Bobbi Kristina and this news?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes, there's not a lot of information -- we do know right now, Fred. I've been, of course, making calls to my sources close to the family. Not getting a lot of answers right now. That's probably because everyone is focused on what's going on with Bobbi Kristina.

The things that we know generally is that this happened around 10:25 this morning Eastern Time. That her husband came home with a friend, found her unresponsive in the bathtub, started performing CPR on her and of course when the emergency services got there, they did the same and they have taken her to the hospital.

Now there are some outlets, they're reporting that she is breathing and that may have been stabilized. But beyond that, we really don't know.

The thing that is really eerie here, Fredricka, and I know everyone is thinking, those that heard this story, we are coming up on the anniversary of Whitney Houston's death, which is February 11th. That happened February 11th, 2012. She also was found unresponsive in the bathroom. That is a very eerie situation that nobody wants to have happened. So we do hope that she is OK. We do hope that going forward we can, you know, figure out what happened here.

But right now, we don't have a lot of information. We're just trying to figure out, number one, what happened. What's going on with her right now and going forward. You know, what we can find out. But there's not a lot to say here at this point.

WHITFIELD: Right. There isn't a lot that we know about the circumstances right now. But as we await some of those details, you know, we'd be remiss in not trying to understand what may have been going on in her life prior to today. Prior to her being found unresponsive in her home in the bathtub by her husband.

So, Nischelle, what is your best understanding as to what the last two years have been like for Bobbi Kristina? With her mother's passing? She used to be with her mom all the time. You'd see her in photographs in any kind of public appearance. It had to have obviously been very devastating to lose her mom. But what has her life been like the past two years as she's tried to find her way? TURNER: Well, to say that Bobbi Kristina and Whitney Houston were

best friends is probably an understatement. You never saw one without the other. They were thick as thieves, always together. So when Bobbi Kristina lost Whitney, it's like she lost a part of herself. You know, she has been very open with saying, you know, she lost the person closest to her. And I think she has definitely been struggling.

I mean, we saw directly after her go into seclusion with other members of Whitney's family, with Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy, who had kind of come in and started taking care of Bobbi Kristina. She's had a little bit of a rocky relationship with her father, Bobby. But Bobby has been saying lately that he and Bobbi Kristina were repairing her relationship, and that they had been trying to spend more time together.

But, you know, she's had some problems. She's definitely had some problems. She got married to a man who was a family friend, who Whitney had kind of taken in and helped raise. A man named Nick, who is now her husband. They began a relationship with a lot of the family didn't like that. They thought that it was a bit odd, because he had been raised so close to her by Whitney.

She has had some problems adjusting since her mother, you know, passed away. She has also had some situations that, you know, people have been wondering what was going on with her, you know, had she been kind of following some of the same patterns maybe that her parents had. None of that had been substantiated, but I know that there were a lot of people that had been worried about her.

So to say that she has been OK since her mother's passing, I don't think that's the correct term to use because she's definitely had a rocky road. I'm just hoping that this is a really bad accident, an incident, and that she can recover from this.

WHITFIELD: Of course. We're all hoping that she is going to be able to recover from this. And again, all we know is that she has been transported to a hospital. We don't know her status right now. But the starting point being that she was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home by her husband and a friend. Alarming nonetheless. And of course we're all hoping the best for her.

Nischelle, was it your understanding that she'd even, you know, tried to make her own way, you know, career wise? We know that --

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Well, she tried to sing, that didn't work out so well. Maybe even, you know, looking for a foray into acting. That didn't work as well. Was she looking outside the entertainment industry or was there something that had been clear that she was trying to pursue, if anything?

TURNER: Well, you know, she was -- she was the beneficiary of her mother's estate, as well. So she was coming into some money. I know that was something that people were worried about, as well, having her come into a lot of money at one time. But you're right. She did at one point say that she wanted to try singing. She wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps in that way.

I know that she was interested in acting. At one point, she wanted to play her mother, and in one of the movies that was being made about her. That didn't work out as well. You know, there just was that Whitney Houston movie that aired on Lifetime a couple of weeks ago that Angela Bassett directed and Yaya DaCosta starred in as Whitney Houston.

And I had spoken to Angela Bassett, you know, just a couple of weeks ago about it, and had asked, you know, if she was -- if she had spoken to Bobbi Kristina, if Bobbi Kristina had seen the movie. She said she did not know if Bobbi Kristina had actually seen the movie, but she said she did put it out there for them, you know, to watch the movie for the family to see and to get their feedback. She had not heard back from Bobbi Kristina just yet.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nischelle, hold tight that for a moment. Let me bring back in Don Lemon and our legal analyst, Sunny Hostin is also with us.

So, Don, to you first. Have you learned anything new?

LEMON: I haven't. I've been checking with sources. But I just -- it's just so weird. I don't know if you can have Nischelle and I both on at the same time because Nischelle and I both -- Fred, you were there that weekend, as well. But when it broke, Nischelle was at the Beverly Hilton when Whitney Houston died. It was a Grammy weekend, which I believe is next weekend.

And -- so I mean, we're closely coming up on the anniversary. But just to be on the air with Nischelle again, you know, talking about, you know, Whitney Houston and her family almost to the day, it's just odd. And, you know, again, we don't know what happened. But we would hope that the anniversary of Whitney's death would not trigger anything within Bobbi. Again we don't know what's going on, but one would hope not.

And I think Nischelle is right on, that she had been struggling. They were in all of the photographs when we saw her during the Grammy, back in 2012 when Whitney died, it was photographs of Whitney with Bobbi Kristina. There was a hardly a photograph where she wasn't with her. And so they were always together. So she'd lost not only her mom, but her best friend.

And as Nischelle said, she's right to say that she had been struggling over the past couple of years would really be an understatement.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Don.

All right, legal analyst Sunny Hostin with us, as well.

Sunny, you know, this is stunning. It is sad. But, of course, everyone is hoping and wishing for the best for Bobbi Kristina, found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home, but now as we understand being transported or has been transported to North Fulton Hospital right outside of Atlanta.

So, Sunny, have you learned anything through your sources or any information to add to this troubling news of Bobbi Kristina?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I have. Thanks, Fred. I had the opportunity to speak to someone that is very close. Not only to the family, but to Bobbi Kristina. This person had the opportunity to speak to Bobbi last night. She seemed to be fine. She seemed to be in good spirits.

My understanding, though, is that she is at the hospital. She was being treated by doctors. She is now breathing on her own. Her Aunt Pat is at the hospital with her. They are all, of course, very concerned.

I'm being told that she will be OK. But there has been concern to echo what Don and Nischelle have said about Bobbi Kristina since her mother's death. There has been concern about possible drug use. And there has been just concern about how she has been missing a very close relationship that she had with her mother. She hasn't been necessarily fine as many people have said. She has been troubled. And they are trying to get her the help that they believe she needs.

WHITFIELD: And so, Sunny, did any of these friends reveal how they were trying to get her help? That they were concerned about this possible drug use? What kind of conversations were they having with her? Had they tried to get her to receive any kind of treatment? What kind of details were they able to share with you?

HOSTIN: You know, they were able to share with me that they did have these concerns but that they wanted and they felt that Bobbi Kristina had to seek the help herself. They had spoken to her about their concerns. But she wasn't necessarily open to them about some of these struggles. But they did suspect that there were drug issues. And they were hoping to speak to her tomorrow about their concerns.

And so this has been an ongoing concern, and they are certainly all rallying behind her. She does have a support system. Again, she is very, very close to her Aunt Pat, who is at the hospital with her. And they are concerned about her, but they are there to support her. She does have the support of family and close friends.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunny Hostin --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

HOSTIN: And many of those people were also close to her mother as well.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sunny, thanks so much.

Hold it right there. We're going to take a short break.

Sunny Hostin, Nischelle Turner, Don Lemon, all will be back with me again.

If you're just now joining us, Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, found unresponsive. But we're hearing from Sunny Hostin by way of a friend in Atlanta who has been in contact with the family, that Bobbi Kristina is breathing, and is being treated at the hospital. This according to a friend talking to Sunny Hostin.

We're going to get more information on the treatment and the situation with Bobbi Kristina Brown when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We're following this breaking story out of a suburb of Atlanta, just about -- by about 15 or 20 minutes.

We understand that 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, who is the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, is being treated at a hospital outside of Atlanta after being found unresponsive in a bathtub in her Roswell, Georgia, home just after 10:00 this morning found by her husband, Nick Gordon, as well as another friend who came into the home after being out, running an errand, came inside and saw her unresponsive in the bathtub.

This coming just three years now, almost to the anniversary date of her own mom being found unresponsive in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She consequently, of course, died of an overdose. But now we understand that their only daughter, 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina, is being treated at a hospital. Police are confirming that she is breathing, still unclear whether she is breathing on her own or through a ventilator.

When we get more information about the status of Bobbi Kristina Brown, we'll, of course, bring that to you.

Meantime, we're also following a developing story out of the Middle East. There has been a new round of airstrikes against ISIS by the U.S. and its allies. There were 27 attacks in total, 17 in Iraq and another 10 in Syria.

The coalition is trying to prevent ISIS from opening a new front in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in Iraq and now some are wondering if the U.S. will have to offer more than airstrikes if the coalition wants to defeat ISIS.

During an exclusive interview with CNN, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the option is still on the table.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I asked Secretary Hagel if he thought it was possible a small number of U.S. troops might get sent to the frontlines in Iraq to help Iraqi combat troops do things like picking up targets. He made clear it's an idea that cannot yet be ruled out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: He said to his combatant commander, specifically General Dempsey and General Austin, if you believe and you want to recommend, you think you need to recommend to me, to the president, that we should look at other options then I want you to bring those recommendations to me.

That so far has not -- has not happened. Whether that would happen in the future, again, the president has said to his commanders, if you think this is what's going to be required, I need to know it. You need to make the recommendation and I'll listen.

STARR: What do you think?

HAGEL: Well, I think just as the president has said and this is the advice I've given the president, it's what General Dempsey has is that we have to look at all the options. And I think it may require a forward deployment of some of our troops, not doing the fighting, not doing the combat work that we did at one time for six years in Iraq and we did for many, many years in Afghanistan. But to help airstrike precision, locate --

STARR: Intelligence.

HAGEL: Those are things we can continue to support. Now we're -- I would say, though, we're not there yet. Whether we get there or not, I don't know. Whether that's something that our military commanders would recommend into the future, I don't know. But I think just as the president has made clear, I need to know your honest opinion, and he's been very forthright about that, what you think. Is that something that you think --

STARR: But you're saying --

HAGEL: -- is required.

STARR: You're saying, you think it could be necessary.

HAGEL: It could be, but I'm -- I'm not willing to say that it will be necessary. I say it could be necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Hagel leaves office in a few days, but his view is one that is shared by some current military commanders.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. And we continue to follow the breaking news out of Atlanta. The only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown is being hospitalized after being found unresponsive. Bobbi Kristina Brown, being found unresponsive in the bathtub of her

Roswell, Georgia, home, just outside of Atlanta. Now being hospitalized. We'll have more information when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back now to our breaking news. Just outside of the -- out of Atlanta, we understand that the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina, is being hospitalized now outside of Atlanta after being found unresponsive in the bathtub of her Roswell, Georgia, home, just about 20, 30 minutes, 40 minutes outside of downtown Atlanta.

We have a picture of her home, her townhouse there, with police tape in the front. We understand that her husband, Nick Gordon, along with a friend, came home just after the 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour and found her unresponsive in the bathtub. They tried to administer CPR, called 911, and then she was transported to North Fulton Hospital, where we understand, according to Roswell Police and Fire, that she is breathing at the hospital, but it's unclear whether she's breathing on her own or through a ventilator.

We've had our own number of guests on the air, our own Sunny Hostin talked to a friend, who said that indeed she is breathing at the hospital, and she had just spoken with her last night, and it seemed like that she was OK. But again, we're also coming up on the thee- year anniversary of the death of her mother, Whitney Houston, eerily also found unresponsive in a bathtub, found dead, in fact, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. And we know from coroner's reports that she died of an overdose.

But again, 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina, found unresponsive in her home in a bathtub. But we understand she is breathing, according to sources, and according to Roswell Police, and is being treated at a hospital.

More information as we get it.

All right. Meantime, now let's talk football, and let's talk about all on the eve of the Super Bowl, when the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks at the Super Bowl game tomorrow. One of the team's former stars, of the Patriots, Aaron Hernandez, who scored a touchdown the last time that the team was in the Super Bowl, will not be watching the game. He is in jail, accused of murdering semi-pro football player, Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez's trial began this week, and CNN's Susan Candiotti is at the courthouse in Fall River, Massachusetts.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Aaron Hernandez's defense team comes out swinging in opening statements this week, asking why, why would such a promising, outstanding young athlete kill his buddy, Odin Lloyd?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL FEE, HERNANDEZ DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Why would you kill his friend, Odin Lloyd? Aaron Hernandez had the world at his feet. Aaron Hernandez was planning a future. Not a murder.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Yet, testimony from Shaneah Jenkins, Odin Lloyd's girlfriend, who is also the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, appears to question how close Hernandez and Lloyd really were. Jenkins told the jury Lloyd only knew Hernandez about a year, the beginning stages of a friendship. That they smoked marijuana together, that Lloyd sometimes made joints for the football player as seen in this photo.

CNN first showed it in its special report "Downward Spiral."

SHANEAH JENKINS, VICTIM'S GIRLFRIEND: He showed me a picture of a bunch of them rolled up and stacked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And when was that in relation to his death?

JENKINS: Right before sometime.

CANDIOTTI: For the second time in as many days emotion in the courtroom. Jenkins wiping away tears and Lloyd's mother leaves crying, when photos of Lloyd's body with gun shots are shown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And on this Super Bowl weekend, a reprieve for the jury. The judge telling them to enjoy watching the Super Bowl, but warning them to steer clear of any possible mention of Aaron Hernandez and by the way, he won't be able to watch his former teammates play in the big game because the jail where he is staying bans television for high-security inmates -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Susan Candiotti.

Let's bring in our legal panel now. Here with me in studio, David Cornwell, a former attorney for the NFL who represented Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and -- with his legal troubles, some of them in Georgia. And CNN legal analyst, Danny Cevallos is a criminal defense attorney in New York.

All right. So let's talk about where this case goes, and how, perhaps -- I guess there are some accusations that maybe the NFL looked the other way as it pertained to a reputation that maybe even Aaron Hernandez had.

So -- you know, David , to you first. You know, we're talking about the case unfolding now. The defense says, you know what, there was no motivation for him to kill Odin Lloyd. So much was at stake, multimillion dollar player. This just doesn't make sense. The flipside is, there are some people who know Aaron Hernandez who say the NFL, the team, should have known that he was someone who found trouble or trouble found him.

DAVID CORNWELL, SPORTS ATTORNEY: Certainly he had a history coming into the league. He dropped in the draft because of suspected drug use. And I'm not sure that anybody could have expected or guessed that he would have been a murderer. But certainly there were reasons to ask more questions and to dig deeper.

As we're talking about the new NFL conduct policy, we have to say, what did we miss? Were there things that we can learn about Aaron Hernandez that can be applied going forward? Because the conduct policy has to be about more than just discipline. It has to be about giving these young men the tools to have life skills to confront and deal with life and address issues before they become problems like this.

WHITFIELD: When you -- when you use that language where you talk like that, is there a presumption of guilt? And when you talk about somebody who is accused of, he hasn't been found guilty of, is that the conversation, you know, that is appropriate now?

CORNWELL: Of course. Because whether he's guilty of murder or not, he -- as you said, he was close enough to this trouble to be accused of murder. Here's a man in 2013, signed a contract that paid him $12.5 million signing bonus and guaranteed him $16 million. And if he played it out, he would have made $40 million.

What is he doing anywhere near a murder investigation?

WHITFIELD: So then, Danny, that's -- that's the perfect precipice for, you know, the argument being made, some people say, where is the motivation? How could anyone want to throw all of that away and because of that, you know -- and there is no murder weapon. There is no eyewitness account saying that he pulled the trigger or that he was even there. And given that argument, and some would say how in the world could he be found guilty?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: In a word -- well, in a couple of words, very easily. This is a very strong circumstantial case, which is why you're seeing the defense fall back on some very effective tactics. Number one, accusing the police of narrowing their focus, such that the real bad doer may have gotten away. Another is pointing out motive. But remember, motive is not an essential element of any crime. Intent is. And motive can be evidence of intent. But you never --

WHITFIELD: So what's the difference? Help me out. What's the difference?

CEVALLOS: Sure. Sure. So intent is about what was in your heart and soul at the moment you did something bad, like pulling a trigger. Did you intend to kill? Did you intend to be reckless and scare someone? On the other hand, motive asks, why did you do it? What was the underlying reason? And that is ultimately immaterial to a conviction. It's not an element of a crime.

But that motive, the why, hey, he owed me money or he shoved around my sister. Now these are just hypotheticals obviously. But the motive -- I was angry at him and why. That gives information to a juror about why somebody might have the intent to kill. So that if I claimed I shot somebody and it was an accident, but then they introduce evidence of my motive, that I hated this person for a long time because he owed me money, well, they didn't need to prove that motive.

But now that motive has gone a long way towards establishing and giving some evidence of intent, which must be proven in a murder case.

WHITFIELD: So Danny and David, and there's the issue of, you know, he's being treated differently. He's a star football player. And you heard from his attorney in the courtroom with opening statements to the jurors who said he is being treated differently because he's a star. And so he was singled out. The prosecutors are after him, because he is a big fish.

And then when you talk about, you know, David, the moral code, the code of conduct, and how within the NFL, you know, a lot of these star players are treated as that. They are stars. And so can a player or can after a while, you know, become intoxicating, that stardom, and maybe there becomes I guess a difficult -- some difficulty in reality versus, you know, your life as a big star? Does that make sense?

CORNWELL: It does. And there is no question. I -- I mean, I work in professional sports. But I'm a fan. So I go to training camps once every two years. And I ride with the team from the hotel to the facility. And guess what? There's police escorts. You can get used to riding like that. You can get used to riding on private planes. But the concept that celebrity justice operates in favor of the celebrity, in my view, is a myth. It operates against you. I have a client who we asked the prosecutors --

WHITFIELD: That's kind of what his attorney is arguing.

CORNWELL: That's right. I -- I asked the prosecutors last week to allow my client to do something. And they said, we're not going to give your client special treatment. And I said, well, you tell me all -- what other defendants have their name posted in the paper yesterday, and the date of their court appearance?

Celebrity justice works against these guys.

WHITFIELD: So --

CORNWELL: But in -- under the conduct policy, there's no question that they're held to a higher standard. That's what the commissioner has been saying.

WHITFIELD: So, Danny, last word on this celebrity justice. Does it exist in this case? Or is that an anomaly here?

CEVALLOS: Well, if Aaron Hernandez is acquitted, it's not because he's a celebrity. Instead, it's because this is a high-profile case. And there's a big difference. Because in many cases, there's a strong case to be made that people may go after celebrities harder. But in a high-profile case, even if the defendant isn't a celebrity, there is a tendency for judges and jurors to -- because they know they're going to be subjected to scrutiny later on. To take more seriously the burden of beyond a reasonable doubt and to

consider more carefully motions which in the run-of-the-mill case might not be considered at all. So to the extent jurors may take that beyond a reasonable doubt standard much more seriously than the run- of-the-mill case, maybe that is something that works in favor of this defendant, celebrity or not. The high-profile nature is the key.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

All right. Danny Cevallos, David Cornwell, thanks to both of you gentlemen. Appreciate it.

CORNWELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We never have enough time. I know. There is so much more to discuss, isn't there?

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, guess what, the discussion will continue later on, because tonight on CNN, "DOWNWARD SPIRAL," is what it's called, a special report inside the case against Aaron Hernandez airing at 11:00 p.m. right here on CNN. And we will be right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to follow this breaking story. 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, who was found unresponsive in her bathtub in her Roswell, Georgia, home just outside Atlanta earlier this morning. We understand she is at the hospital right now and sources say she is breathing, still unclear whether she is breathing on her own or by way of a ventilator.

When we get more information about the circumstances involving Bobbi Kristina Brown, we'll bring them to you right away.

All right. Now to another big story we're following this hour. It involves another confirmed case of measles. This morning, New York state health officials are reporting a Bard College student has been diagnosed with the highly contagious disease.

Bard College is a small school about an hour south of Albany.

This comes on the heels of two more confirmed cases in California yesterday. In fact, the majority of the measles cases started from an outbreak in Disneyland in December. And since then, the virus of cases has spread to at least 14 states, including Arizona, where the Super Bowl will be played tomorrow.

CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is in Phoenix for us. Not to talk Super Bowl, but a whole lot of people are coming to that city and so there has to be some concern now since there are cases there in Arizona about the potential spread of measles?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There is concern. And so that's why health officials are saying, look, if you are sick, don't come to the Super Bowl. They actually say that, you know, for any large event. But, of course, more importance this year.

But Fred, I'll tell you what the problem is with that advice, is that measles can start out -- as just a runny nose, a cough. You don't necessarily feel that sick at the beginning. But you are still contagious. So my guess is, if you have Super Bowl tickets and you have a runny nose, you're still showing up.

WHITFIELD: Well, something tells me that's not going to be enough to -- yes, keep people away. Now, you know, this really is an issue of those who are unvaccinated, in large part, say, many in the medical community are helping, you know, in the spread of the measles. That perhaps even the original source, though, could have been from someone who traveled from overseas, didn't have a measles shot, you know, was in Disneyland, and those who were unvaccinated.

So now what is the concern from the medical community about trying to encourage people to make sure if they are six months or older, get vaccinated so that they are protected.

COHEN: Right. So the first vaccination comes at around 12 to 15 months, and you know, pediatricians have really launched campaigns over the decades to get parents to vaccinate their children.

I mean, I must say, I spent part of the day recently with a doctor, interestingly enough, who is vehemently anti-vaccines. And there is nothing you can say to him to convince him to vaccinate his children. He believes there are toxins, he believes there are poisons. So I actually think based on conversations I've had with parents who don't want to vaccinate, I think it's going to be very hard to convince them to change their minds.

They are convinced that vaccines cause all sorts of problems, including autism, even though studies show that that's just not true.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much from phoenix. Appreciate it. Just ahead of the Super Bowl.

All right. Also today, a story developing right now that could affect many drivers. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is announcing another massive auto recall over air bags that can deploy, even when you're not in an accident. More than two million vehicles are being recalled.

CNN Money's Peter Valdes-Dapena joining us by phone.

So what are the details of this defect and what makes and models? Because I think earlier we talked about some GM vehicles, Chrysler vehicles -- sorry. Toyota, as well. But this is separate from the whole concern about the Takata air bags, right?

PETER VALDES-DAPENA, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: It is separate, but it's overlapping. And this can get very confusing for people, because about half the cars in this recall, 2.1 million cars being recalled for a crash sensor that can cause air bags to go off inadvertently. About half of those two million cars were also in the Takata air bag recall.

The Takata air bag recall is because the air bags when they went off could send metal shrapnel flying into people's faces. So that makes this very important. So if you're going to have an air bag go off inadvertently, you literally don't want it to be also a dangerous air bag in itself. So they really want people to pay attention this time and get this -- get this fixed.

WHITFIELD: OK. And it's a temporary fix initially, right, so people would go to CNN.com or maybe even the NHTSA.gov to find out if their vehicle is under that recall and then what do they do, go to -- go to the dealer and get a temporary fix until there is a permanent one?

VALDES-DAPENA: Yes. People should go to safercar.gov, this is the Web site, to find out. They can find out there if their specific vehicle is being recalled. Our story will give the makes and models.

WHITFIELD: OK.

VALDES-DAPENA: And if it is, you should go to your dealer, if you haven't already had this temporary fixed and a number of vehicles haven't, you should go to your dealer and get that temporary fix that gives you about 85 percent protection. Later on, you'll have to go back again for a permanent fix that will give 100 percent protection and really fix the problem.

WHITFIELD: OK.

VALDES-DAPENA: But NHTSA does want people, even though it's not 100 percent effective, to get that temporary fix done because your car is still much safer.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Peter Valdez-Dapena, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

Meantime, we just want to update you that 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of the late Whitney Houston remained hospitalized right now. We understand from sources including that of Roswell Police that she is now breathing. We don't know if she's breathing on her own or through a ventilator but she was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her Atlanta suburb home this morning. Found by her husband and a friend.

We'll have more information when we come right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Countdown is on. The Seahawks and the Patriots meet in the Super Bowl tomorrow.

Let's head out to the host city of Phoenix. That's where we find our Andy Scholes. It is sunny and gorgeous and hot, but there have been some dark clouds hanging over the NFL lately.

Do tell us what's happening today. ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Hey, Fred. Yes it's not sunny and gorgeous

today. That's the forecast for tomorrow. Right now it's rainy, pretty gloomy, and that perfectly sums up, you know, this NFL season.

There's been a dark cloud hanging over the NFL as they dealt with all these off-the-field issues. Roger Goodell, he talked about all these issues during his annual State of the League address yesterday and he also had to get a little defensive during the question and answer session.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: It has been a tough year. It's been a tough year on me personally.

SCHOLES (voice-over): Saying NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's job this season has been tumultuous is an understatement. From the Ray Rice domestic abuse case to other issues, Goodell has been under fire for months, some even calling for his resignation. The latest issue facing the league is deflate-gate which Goodell finally addressed on Friday.

GOODELL: This is my job. This is my responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. I represent 32 teams. All of us want to make sure that the rules have been followed, and if we have any information where the potential is that those rules were violated, I have to pursue that. And I have to pursue that aggressively.

SCHOLES: All the off-the-field issues this season have cast a shadow over the NFL's image, and that's something Goodell plans on fixing.

GOODELL: We, obviously, as an organization have gone through adversity, but more importantly, it's adversity for me, and that is something where we take that seriously, and it's an opportunity for us to get better, so we've all done a lot of soul searching starting with yours truly.

SCHOLES: The way Goodell and the league office have handled investigations and issues like domestic violence cases and deflate- gate have drawn criticism from many, and then as Rachel Nichols asked the commissioner if there was a better way to conduct investigations.

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: A lot of the issues have in common is a conflict of interest. When you do something like hire an outside investigator like Ted Wells into the Patriots' investigation, you're still paying him, and Robert Kraft, who owns the Patriots, is still paying you.

What steps can you guys take in the future to mitigate some of those conflict of interest issues?

GOODELL: Well, Rachel, I don't agree with you in on a lot of the assumptions you make in your question. I think we have had people that have uncompromising integrity. I think we have done an excellent job of bringing outside consultants in.

Somebody has to pay them, Rachel. So -- unless you're volunteering, which I don't think you are. We will do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES: And we'll hear more from what Goodell has to say later on today 4:30 Eastern. Be sure to watch CNN's Rachel Nichols and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino when they host "KICKOFF IN ARIZONA." Rachel is going to talk with Drew Breese, Pete Carroll, Randall Cobb and more.

Again, that's later on today, 4:30 Eastern right here on CNN -- Fred.

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

And we'll be right back in the NEWSROOM with more on 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown being hospitalized after this.

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