Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Aaron Hernandez Murder Case Now In Hands Of The Jury; Obama Administration Has Framework Deal To Curb Iran's Nuclear Program; HBO Launches New Program Package. Aired 3:30-4p

Aired April 07, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:27] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Just in now to CNN, the Aaron Hernandez murder case is now in the hands of the jury. Hernandez is accused of killing semi-pro player Odon Lloyd in June of 2013. Lloyd was found shot to death at an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez's home. The lengthy case has been a tricky one. The prosecution has had to build a largely circumstantial case without eyewitness testimony of a murder weapon.

CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Susan, you have been inside of the courtroom. Tell us what moments really stood out to you today.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, as we speak, while those deliberations are going on, Aaron Hernandez for now is still in the courtroom talking with his lawyers as they look over some of the evidence that the jurors will be looking at if they wish to do so.

The foreperson was selected by the judge. It is a middle-aged woman. You have seven women and five men who will be deciding the fate of Aaron Hernandez. And he appears actually pretty relaxed at this time. He is smiling. He turned around and spoke with his fiance, laughing for a bit before a court officer said, OK, that's enough time. And then when he leaves the courtroom, he'll wait in a holding cell until he's taken back to jail. If the jurors have not reached a decision by 4:30 in the afternoon. That's how long they will work each day. They will not at this time be sequestered.

During the closing arguments, passions on both side. The prosecution for the very first time during this trial saying it was Aaron Hernandez who pulled the trigger on Odon Lloyd at that industrial park, that he orchestrated this plot, that he put it all together with two of his friends and that when he carried that gun in his house before and after the murder, according to prosecutors, he held it, quote, "like a trophy."

The defense for its part argued that Aaron Hernandez was just an unwilling witness to this -- unwitting witness to this. And for the first time, they acknowledged that he was at the industrial park at the crime scene. As they put it, he was just a 23-year-old kid who witnessed something committed by someone else.

So they are shifting the blame on the other two people who were with him that day. Now a jury will decide whether he's guilty of first- degree or second-degree murder. Back to you -- or not guilty at all -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, or not guilty at all. We'll see, Susan Candiotti following this for us from the very beginning. Thank you so much.

Next, the president already had a tough job trying to sell the Iran nuclear deal to Republicans in Congress. But Democrats could be skeptical too and plenty of them it appears. I'm talking to President Obama's former nuclear adviser next.

Plus, a woman is raped, but her rapist is a married man. So she's thrown behind bars for adultery. Now in an exclusive interview with CNN, she sits next to the man that she's forced to marry, her rapist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:47] KEILAR: President Obama's top sales pitch just got a little bit tougher. We know that he's got a framework deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. Now he needs to sell it to congress, and not just Republicans, Democrats as well.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer has just backed a bill. He's a key figure and this is a bill that would allow Congress to reject a deal, giving Congress oversight here. It's worth a reminder that one of the harshest critics of this deal is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a man who has the ear of this congress.

Speaking to NPR, President Obama made it clear the idea that a nuclear deal hinges on Iran recognizing Israel's right to exist is, well, misguided.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The notion that we would condition Iran not getting nuclear weapons in a verifiable deal on Iran recognizing Israel is really akin to saying that we won't sign a deal unless the nature of the Iranian regime completely transforms. And that is, I think, a fundamental misjudgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:39:57] KEILAR: Joining me now to talk about this is Gary Samore, former top nuclear adviser to President Obama.

And so Gary, before we talk about Israel's demands, this -- let's talk about Chuck Schumer. He is expected to ascend to the top democratic position in Congress in 2017. He is a key figure. His backing this corker bill that would give Congress the ability to really have a say in these Iran -- this Iran agreement really complicates things. How does the president sell this deal?

GARY SAMORE, FORMER TOP NUCLEAR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, of course, under the constitution, Congress does have the right to review and disapprove any agreement with a two-thirds vote. So the question for the administration is whether the Corker-Menendez bill would go beyond the constitution.

For example, under the current draft of the bill, implementation of any final agreement would be suspended for 60 days while Congress holds hearings and reviews the agreement and then has a vote, either to approve or disapprove.

So my guess is that the administration will probably recognize that there's a strong sentiment within Congress to play some role in approving and reviewing this agreement, which I think is legitimate under the constitution. And will probably try to work out some agreement with Senator Corker and Senator Schumer so Congress has a role without jeopardizing the upcoming phase of negotiations.

KEILAR: How could, really, what could the White House give in a situation like that?

SAMORE: Well, as I said, Congress has the authority under the constitution to review and disapprove any agreement. So I think certainly the White House could recognize Congress' constitutional authority. I think there should be an oversight element in terms of the administration providing briefings and notifications and certifications to Congress, which is also a very normal practice under these kinds of agreements.

KEILAR: OK. And then let me ask you about this demand by Israel. The president making it very clear where he stands on this. That Israel obviously wants Iran to recognize its right to exist, and the president is saying, you're asking Iran to basically not be Iran in that.

As you look at that, and you look at that demand from Israel, is that just a poison pill, even if it's something that, of course, Israel would genuinely want?

SAMORE: I'm afraid it is. It's very impractical to imagine that this Iranian regime, which has an ideological position on Israel that's very extreme and hostile, calling for Israel's destruction, I don't think it's practical to imagine they would meet that condition.

KEILAR: All right. Gary Samore, thank you so much for chatting about this with us. Really appreciate it.

SAMORE: Thank you, Brianna. I appreciate it.

KEILAR: Next, a woman raped by her cousin's husband, first sent to prison, and now forced into marriage. She's telling her story as she sits alongside the man who raped her. We have that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:35] KEILAR: A family forged from rape. This is one of the most disturbing stories of the past decade. A woman is raped, but her rapist is a married man. And under Afghanistan's warped justice system, she's labeled an adulterer and jailed.

CNN helped get her out of prison, but today she's in a new kind of hell. CNN has an exclusive interview as she sits next to her rapist, the man that she was forced to marry, to absolve her of the shame of extramarital sex.

Nick Paton Walsh has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here's one portrait of how an Afghan family formed and of women's rights in Kabul in 2015.

First, (INAUDIBLE) raped his wife's cousin. He was convicted and jailed for it. The beautiful girl here, whose name means smile, is the child from that rape. Born in jail because her mother (INAUDIBLE) here was charged with adultery on what passes as Afghan justice as her rapist was married.

Yet, it got worse for Golnaz (ph) still to be accepted into society again, she had to marry him, become her rapist's second wife. Now things are said to be OK, settled. Their third child is on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If I hadn't married her, according to our traditions, she couldn't have lived back in society. Her brothers didn't want to accept her back. Now she doesn't have any of those problems.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I didn't want to ruin the life of my daughter or leave myself helpless, so I agreed to marry him. We're traditional people. When we get a bad name, we prefer death to living with that name in society.

WALSH: This is a home built around crime where (INAUDIBLE) first wife lives unseen, where little smile has a home among seven other children. Global uproar led the then-president Hamid Karzai to pardon (INAUDIBLE) of adultery in 2011. She was offered asylum abroad but was pushed into this deal living here. He still denies the rape happened, saying she was told to make it up.

[15:49:57] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Now she's beside me and knows that it was not as big as they had shown it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No, I am not thinking about it anymore. I don't have a problem with him now and I don't want to think about the past problems.

WALSH: (INAUDIBLE) did not look at her husband once in our meeting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My life is OK. I am happy with my life. It is going on.

WALSH: He still stands outside. Four years ago she told me she was raped. But now backs his story. (INAUDIBLE) says her family would have taken her back until she married him. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My brothers opposed the

marriage and told me to take my daughter and go to Pakistan to live with them instead. But now we're married they disown me and won't see me again.

WALSH: At 23, could anyone have imagined their life would have turned out like this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No. I couldn't have filled my wishes in life. I married this man. I cut relations with my family only to buy my daughter's future.

WALSH: Global outcry, a presidential pardon, billions of dollars on women's rights, yet still it ends like this. A family built on one act of assault.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Developing right now, ISIS storming the streets of a refugee camp on the doorstep of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, 18,000 civilians caught in the standoff. We'll take you there.

This is CNN.

Plus, the head of HBO is talking about the stunning series, "the Jinx," about accused killer Robert Durst.

And the controversial scientology documentary going clear. What he told our Brian Stelter just moments ago, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:55:55] KEILAR: Cable dramas like true detective and game of thrones are hugely popular with deems watchers around the world. But what if you don't want the whole cable TV package, just your favorite specialty content? Well, that's becoming possible starting today with the launch of HBO now. It is a service that allows consumers to stream HBO content online through Apple TV, iphones and ipads. And it also available through broadband provider cable vision. And HBO says more providers are coming soon.

Let's bring in CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter. He sat down for an exclusive interview with HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plefler joining me now.

Thank you so much for chatting with me about this. And how is it going to impact cable TV subscription?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It is definitely like the future of television is coming into focus this week. Because this service has been talked about for months. As of today, it is online. It is the first time you can get HBO without cable.

You know, we were so into "the Jinx" there, the Robert Durst documentary and I watched it. There is a lot of had bee, watched it through HBO go. But in order to do that, you had to have cable unless you stole your parent's password or something.

Well, as of today, there's a new option. You can buy it through the Internet. And the big question, and really, that is going to cannibalized cable. But there is going to cost people to cut the cable cord that people are watching us through. Now, the CEO says no. And here's what he told me about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD PLEFLER, CHAIRMAN/CEO, HBO: There are 10 million, 11 million broadband only homes in the United States, previously couldn't get HBO. That was just too big an audience for us. Not do go after. It's part of what informed us. But I think you're going to see broad dimensions of how people are going to subscribe to HBO going 40.

STELTER: But how is it possible for everyone to benefit if you are essentially unbundling HBO from cable for the first time? Is that not going to hurt the cable, traditional cable, business?

PLEFLER; No. Because remember, of those 10 million doubling it by the end of the decade 20 million cord nevers or cord cutters, those people will are never have going to have a cable subscription or satellite subscription.

STELTER: You've given up on those people.

PLEFLER: We haven't given up on them. But I think of the research is that they're unlikely to have one. So what we are doing is we're providing an opportunity for our partners to go after those largely millenials. We think HBO now is something of a millennial missile. And they can go after those millenials, bundle it with broadband and grow their business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: That is the big question. And we will find out if that is the case. If the cable industries really able to adapt, make its products more convenient, more accessible the HBO is trying to do by putting it on your cell phone.

KEILAR: All right, let's talk about two of the HBO programs that I have been really obsessed with. "The Jinx," which you mentioned, and I can sign (ph) old fashion because I actually watched it every week. And then "Going Clear" which I just watched on demand, fascinating documentary about scientology.

STELTER: Scientology always attacks its critics.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Why has HBO not been sued?

STELTER: HBO said, you know, Plefler said no legal threat from the church. And his quote was priceless. He said facts are stubborn things. You know, that gets to the heart of this documentary. They haven't been able to challenge it on the facts. The scientology has attacked people in it, but they haven't been able to change on the fact.

KEILAR: Even the IRS like decided that it wasn't going to deal with the lawsuits from scientology, at least according to the documentary.

STELTER: Yes. By the way, that was the highest rated documentary on HBO in ten years.

KEILAR: It was fascinating.

STELTER: It goes to show the interest in that church.

KEILAR: And so then "the Jinx." This idea that the producers had this admission, killed them all, of course, that is said on the audio that Robert Durst has. He's talking about these murders. The producers had it for some time it appears now.

STELTER: At least a year.

KEILAR: There are folks wondering, did they sit on it too long?

STELTER: Right. Did they not share it with investigators with enough time? There's been questions about the time line, about how this all came about. And of course, then Durst was arrested on the eve of the finale. It was all very suspicious. And it got more suspicious when the filmmakers stopped talking. They said that is because they may get called to testify in the trial. Corporate (ph) says, though, unequivocally, we did not withhold any evidence. He says they did make sure that police were aware of what the researchers were finding so that the police were able to act.

KEILAR: Fascinating stuff. Brian Stelter, thank you so much for sharing your interview. You can watch Brian on "RELIABLE SOURCES" this Sunday morning at 11:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

And that does it for me. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.