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Pope Visits Paraguay to Deliver Sermon; FSU Football Player Accused of Assaulting Woman; Donald Trump to Give Speech in Arizona; Greek Parliament Offers Financial Settlement to Creditors; Serena Williams Wins at Wimbledon; LAPD Reports Open Case on Bill Cosby; CNN Hero Provides Healthcare to Underserved. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 11, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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


[09:59:45] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the Pope delivers mass to massive crowds in Paraguay's most important Marian shrine.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of huge crowds, Donald Trump, here stateside, scheduled to speak to one in Arizona, that's so large, this crowd is expected to be, that organizers had to change the venue to the convention center because of the amount of people expected to turn out later today.

PAUL: Also developing this morning, another FSU player in big trouble for allegedly hitting a woman several times. This is the second time in less than a week. What is going on?

And with all that news, we wish you a good morning. We are so grateful to have you with us. I'm Christi Paul.

I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 out west. This is CNN Newsroom.

PAUL: And we want to begin with you in Paraguay where in 30 minutes Pope Francis will celebrate mass. Thousands of people are all gathering near the shrine of the virgin miracles to hear Pope Francis speak. Earlier this morning we know he visited a children's hospital and was embraced by a child as he exited his van.

BLACKWELL: Let's go down to CNN's Shasta Darlington. Tell us what you are seeing there, Shasta?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN BRAZIL BUREAU CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, first of all, Pope Francis is on the move again, as you can see. He is headed to that shrine, thousands of people lining the Papal route. His first stop this morning was that children's hospital. He is just a magnet for children. Seeing him around young people, it is just something to watch. They tend to rush him and hang on to him. And then the security people have to gently peel the children off and send them back to their parents.

He enjoys the experience, always smiling and hugging them. In the children's hospital he was obviously getting more of that opportunity to be around the young people. He really champions the cause of the young and the elderly, something he tries to do wherever he goes. Now, the shrine he is headed to, this is a hugely important

destination for pilgrims. And they actually expect thousands of Argentines to cross the border and be waiting for him as well. More than a million people expected. This is a small country, just around 7 million, so that says a lot. This will be an important time to for him to speak not only to Paraguayans but from people from his native Argentina, Victor.

PAUL: We also know that the Pope is going to be meeting a leader from the LGBT community a little bit later this afternoon. What do you know about that meeting?

DARLINGTON: This is being called a historic meeting, Christi. We actually had an opportunity to talk to that gay rights activist, and he said he was shocked at first when he received the invitation, didn't even know whether or not to go, but that he decided it was important and Pope Francis could be an important tool in fighting violence against gays and lesbians here in Paraguay, a deeply Catholic country where 90 percent of the people are Catholic and where young gays and lesbians are often treated with violence and abuse by their own families, kicked out on the street. So he said if he could just get Pope Francis and the Catholic Church to send a message to families that they should accept their children the way they are and love them that that would be a huge step forward, and that's what he is hoping will come out of this meeting, Christi.

BLACKWELL: Shasta Darlington, reporting for us live from Asuncion, Paraguay just before the Pope begins this very special mass. Thanks.

PAUL: Let's bring CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen as well. John, so glad to have you with us. Some people might be looking at this and wondering why is this such a significant visit for the Pope? Explain.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: First of all, Francis is the first Pope in history from Latin-America. And just like it was always massively significant when the late John Paul II went back to his native Poland, he made seven of those trips, it is equally massively significant when the first Latin-American pontiff goes back to his own backyard, so to speak.

But beyond that, I think it is very clear that Pope Francis has a kind of geopolitical strategy that he is trying to move the ball on this week. He wants to promote greater concern for the poor, greater concern for the environment, greater concern for people who are at society's margins. He thinks Latin America has an enormously important role to play in that. He has talked throughout the week about this idea of a patria grande or a great Latin-American homeland, basically meaning a kind of politically and economically integrated Latin America that can stand up to the west, stand up to the Russians, the Chinese, the other great powers on behalf of the world's impoverished masses.

So it is not just this is a photo-op for Francis. He has some real political heavy-lifting he's trying to get done this week, Christi. PAUL: He does. And Shasta was just talking about this, a meeting

with the leader of the LGBT community there. What do you make of them reaching out, and what do you think is going to be the message coming out of that meeting?

ALLEN: Well, this has been another consistent theme of Francis' papacy. Under the heading of reaching out to the marginalized, he has made a real point of trying to reach out to gays and lesbians. Make no mistake, he will defend traditional church teaching on sexual morality, that is, he is not going to embrace gay marriage. He has in fact repeatedly criticized attempts at what he calls trying to redefine the family.

[10:05:11] But at the same time he also wants to project an image of compassion and tolerance and acceptance in particularly in a part of the world where he knows there is some real vestigial elements of homophobia, that gays and lesbians suffer violence and various forms of discrimination. I think he wanted to make a statement about tolerance and that's what this meeting is about, Christi.

PAUL: Do you think he will do the same when he is visiting the U.S. here in September, in just a couple of months? And overall, what do you see happening in that visit?

ALLEN: If you look at Francis' poll numbers in the States, you look at his status as a media icon, fundamentally I think he is going to be a rock star when he comes to the state. But there is no doubt there will be elements of his message that will be challenging for various constituencies.

On the right, obviously, his rhetoric on the environment and economic justice is often something of a mixed bag. Remember, though, Christi, he is also coming to attend a Vatican-sponsored world meeting of families where there, no doubt, will be a lot of criticism about the press for gay marriage, particularly in light of the recent Supreme Court decision that may upset some of the left. So overall, I think the trip will be sensational, but I do expect on both sides of the political aisle, there will be some headaches along the way.

PAUL: All right, John Allen, always appreciate getting your voice in the conversation. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: A big day for Donald Trump's west coast swing. In a few the 2016 presidential candidate, he is expecting a huge crowd for his rally in Phoenix, thousands of people potentially. Organizers even had to change the venue to the Phoenix Convention Center because of the amount of people expected that increased exponentially. But not everyone, as we know, is a Trump fan. These protesters in Los Angeles are angry that Trump continues to reinforce this narrative that Mexicans crossing the border are rapists and criminals. Trump's special counsel appeared on "SMERCONISH" last hour to address those comments. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL COHEN, SPECIAL COUNSEL TO DONALD TRUMP: What Donald Trump said in his speech was not directed to Mexicans. That's a gross distortion by the press, by the liberal media that wants to take Donald Trump out of this race. He did not say Mexicans, and he certainly did not say Latinos. He said Mexico, and he was referring to the Mexican government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, let's bring in CNN politics reporter M. J. Lee and CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston. I want to start from you, Mark. What we heard from the special council, is that a distinction without a difference, or is there an important difference pointed out?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Michael Cohen saying that the liberal media wants to get him out of the race and liberals want to get him out of the race. That's not necessarily true when you're talking about liberal Democrats. They want to see Donald Trump in the race because it allows them to use him as a wedge against Latinos. It is Republican, establishment Republicans and certainly the other 16 or so candidates that are running for president that don't want to see him in the race.

I think, Victor, there is an understanding, certainly, in the Republican Party, probably throughout the country, that something needs to be done on the border. But when you have Donald Trump saying such hurtful, bombastic things, that is very hurtful to the party not only in 2016 but certainly the long term growth of the Republican Party.

BLACKWELL: M. J., what he is saying, this continued narrative, is in part we'd expect what's garnering so much support in Arizona. They had to change this venue. But we expect there will also be protests outside of the venue, right?

M. J. LEE, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Absolutely. He is expected to draw a very big crowd today in Arizona. Originally, there were supposed to be some 500 people attending this event. And now we are hearing at least 4,000 people had RSVP at least by Friday, could be as many as 7,500 people that are showing up to listen to Donald Trump.

I think the fact that this event is going to be in Arizona is all the more significant because, as we know, Arizona, probably more than any other state in the country, the issue of immigration has been extremely controversial there. I think that is why we are expecting to see protesters at this event as well, people who are going to come out to say to Donald Trump, look, we don't appreciate the comments that you have made about illegal immigrants coming into the country. This is a state where many people might be undocumented or have family members or friends that came into the country illegally. And I think they are wanting to make a point to Mr. Trump that his comments are not appreciated.

BLACKWELL: Mark, we heard two hours ago from Republican strategist Lisa Boothe that in the last cycle, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, it seemed everyone had a chance at the top. And this is just Donald Trump's moment. But then they ran out of money, which led to their demise. Trump isn't going to run out of money if he wants to continue on this run.

[10:10:17] PRESTON: No. And you know, Victor, I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately. Donald Trump is all in right now. The question is, how long is he all in? You're right, he has the fuel. He has the money to take this as far as he wants to take it.

What's interesting is Donald Trump is already taking financial hits right now, and I don't think any of us in the media would have thought that Donald Trump would have stayed in the presidential race when it really started to hurt his wallet, and he has. We have seen Macy's pull out, we've seen Univision, with seen NBC. And M. J. has done a lot of reporting on this about how he has been hurt financially.

But Donald Trump might dig in and try to take this as far as he can. So I do think that that is what is giving concerns to the Republican Party that, yes, he is doing well in the polls right now. But even if he doesn't do well in the polls, is he still going to be a major voice heading into January, February, March?

BLACKWELL: All right, so this major rally coming up in a few hours. And the rally, we understand, will likely be met with protests as well. We'll watch it, of course. Mark Preston, M. J. Lee, thank you both.

PAUL: We have been following breaking news out about Afghanistan this morning. An ISIS leader has been killed in a U.S. drone strike, 30 other insurgents also killed in that strike on their compound. We have new details on this story coming up for you.

Also developing this morning, another FSU player, there he is, in big trouble for allegedly hitting a woman. This is the second time in less than a week. We are going to have that conversation as well. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: All right, this video just in to CNN. This obviously Pope Francis, as he is known to do on these visits, kissing babies and saying hello to the faithful, as he is just moments away from the start of this very special mass. This is in Asuncion, Paraguay. And this is a shrine. We'll continue to watch this and bring you updates throughout the morning as the Pope here wraps up the visit to Paraguay, the third of three countries there in Latin America on this tour.

Now to an update on some breaking news this morning out of Afghanistan. An ISIS leader has been killed in a U.S. drone strike, and 30 other insurgents were also killed in that strike on their compound. Hafiz Saeed is a former Taliban leader and has believed who have joined ISIS. Well, actually, is, he was.

PAUL: Right. Let's bring in CNN military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Lieutenant General, I want to clarify something, because there is another Saeed that has a $10 million bounty on his head. This is not believed to be that man. And because of that, I am wondering how significant this particular man was to ISS.S LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It is very different.

Go ahead.

PAUL: No, go ahead.

HERTLING: The differences between the names, the spelling of the names, the organizations they are with, it's all very confusing, Christi and Victor. And sometimes it is difficult, again, when these initial reports come out. It would have been a huge target to get Saeed, the one that part of Lashkar-e-Taiba. This could be another individual who is part of a Taliban organization that is leaning toward or is attempting to get Islamic State embedded within Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So again, it is a dog's breakfast of different characters, and they are all very flowing between organizations based on who they join, what is the power of that organization at the time, and how can they influence, the Islamic State.

PAUL: We hear about ISIS in Syria and what about in Iran. But what about in Afghanistan and in Pakistan? How strong is their presence, how solid is ISIS in those two countries?

HERTLING: It is not solid at all, but it is gaining traction. And here is why, Christi. There are a lot of former Taliban members of the Taliban organization who are somewhat disgusted at the Taliban who are now starting to look like they are coordinating with the new Afghan government. So they are saying they are selling out. They are not part of the jihad anymore. So let's flow to another organization that continues with this jihad toward the west, toward these failed governments.

And so you will see a lot of people giving up on the Taliban, giving up on Al Qaeda in some places, and saying, let's join the new kid in town that seems to be the power and the influence, and that happens to be ISIS. Now, do they all consider themselves with the same ideology? There is a requirement or desire to have an Islamic state, but shat manifests itself in different ways in different countries, whether it's in Yemen and North Africa or now what you're talking about in the tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is not the same Islamic State that you will see in Iraq and Syria right now, but it is connected to them.

PAUL: All right, General, Lieutenant General Hertling, we so appreciate your voice on this, thank you.

HERTLING: It's hard to understand, Christi, but thanks for asking.

PAUL: Yes, we appreciate the clarifications. Take care.

BLACKWELL: So let's examine this foreign embassy attack in Egypt. We'll talk about who authorities say may have set off a deadly car bomb outside the Italian consulate in Cairo.

Plus an attempted attack at this morning's commemoration of the 1995 massacre in Bosnia. Angry crowds rushed the Serbian prime minister. We'll tell you how this ended.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:22:57] BLACKWELL: It's 22 minutes after the hour. Let's take a look at stories making headlines now. And we're starting Italy which says it will not intimidated after one person was killed outside the consulate in downtown Cairo. A car bomb exploded there early this morning. Seven others were injured, including two police officers. Now, it's important to say that no group has immediately claimed responsibility.

PAUL: Former president Bill Clinton was part of a delegation to travel to Bosnia to commemorate the anniversary of the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II. These are the pictures we are getting in this morning. Of course this is for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre against the Muslim population during the civil war that tore Yugoslavia apart. Here's something that was interesting. Protesters rushed the Serbian prime minister at this event. Take a look at this. And then the prime minister was then forced to take off with the help of his guards.

BLACKWELL: Back here in the U.S., Office of Personnel Management director, Katherine Archuleta, has now resigned in the wake of the worst ever hack of the U.S. government computer systems. April's breach, possibly orchestrated by China's government, stole sensitive data of more than 22 million people. President Obama accepted her resignation because new leadership was, quote, "badly needed" in the agency.

PAUL: And President Obama next week will become the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. The White House announced yesterday that he will tour Oklahoma's El Reno's federal correctional institution and meet with inmates and law enforcement officials. This visit apparently also includes an interview for an upcoming HBO documentary that examines America's criminal justice system.

BLACKWELL: All right, this morning we are following what is happening in Asuncion. We're about minutes away from Pope Francis delivering mass to thousands there in the Paraguay capital. We will go there live straight ahead.

PAUL: Also, now that a deal is reached in Greece, what is next for the country's debt crisis? A live report for you from Brussels next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:28:15] BLACKWELL: Live pictures now for you from Paraguay, the sight of a mass that will be celebrated by Pope Francis in just a few moments. This is the Shrine of the Virgin of Miracles near the capital, Asuncion. You can see the crowds here, but it is really difficult to get the respect for the numbers there, a million people expected to be there for this mass. Let's bring in CNN Vatican analyst John Allen with us this morning. John, I want you to start and tell us a bit about the place chosen for this mass this morning.

ALLEN: Yes, Victor, this is a very famous shrine to the Virgin Mary, as you indicated a little bit outside the capital city of Asuncion. In the local language it is known as Our Lady of Caacupe, which is a devotion that is very near and dear to the heart of Pope Francis. One of the great slums of Buenos Aires that is located around the parish church of Our Lady of Caacupe, which is a great devotion of Paraguayans. That slum is made up almost entirely of Paraguayan immigrants in Argentina.

When he was the cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, he would make an annual pilgrimage every year. He also placed in that parish one of his favorite pastors, a guy known locally as Don Pepe, who was known, very famous for standing up to the influence of the drug gangs that tend to terrorize those regions of Buenos Aires. So this connection with this devotion and with the people of Paraguay, it has to be said, is something that has always been very important to the Pope. And obviously it is being reciprocated this morning. You can see in those images how excited these people are to have the Pope with them.

[10:30:03] BLACKWELL: You know, I think it is important to talk about the Latin, American born Pope returning to Latin America and what we have heard from some of the other leaders, specifically from the Bolivian president, Eva Morales who said, and this is a quote, "For the first time I feel like I have a Pope, Pope Francis." Put some punctuation on that for us.

ALLEN: Well, listen, I think the Latin-American context is just absolutely fundamental for understanding Pope Francis. In the States, Victor, we are still three years in, debating whether he is a liberal or a conservative. The plain fact of the matter is those terms really don't work. He comes from the Peronist tradition in Argentina. That heritage is absolutely essential.

It is also the linchpin of his sort of geopolitical strategy. You have heard him talk about the idea of a patria grande, a great Latin- American homeland, which is code for tighter economic and political integration in Latin America and Latin America taking its place on the global stage as a counterpoint to the west, the Chinese, the Russians, promoting a third position as the Pope would see it between capitalism and socialism.

So all of that is enormously important. And I think that in this one sense, at least, Evo Morales, is not just speaking for himself. There are tens of millions of Latin-Americans, Victor who feel very much like this is their Pope.

BLACKWELL: And of course, that apology this week in which the Pope apologized for many grave sins committed by Christians against the indigenous people of South America. As the weeks and months go on, we will be able to put this in greater context, this visit to Latin America. John Allen, always good to have you with us.

ALLEN: Thanks, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Christi.

PAUL: Let's talk about Greece, because at this hour, Eurozone leaders are gathered in Brussels to decide Greece's economic fate. This of course after the Greek parliament overnight voted to approve reforms aiming to end the country's financial crisis. The new proposal would result in spending cuts, in tax increases. But some of those reforms are the very reforms voters had rejected in a referendum just last Sunday. So CNN's business correspondent Richard Quest is diving into this. What do you know about this proposal and the conversations that are going on right now?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The proposals that are taking place, and the meeting is now underway, the Eurozone ministers are basically saying, yes, the Greek proposal makes all the right noises. It probably doesn't go far enough, but is there enough there to even begin negotiating further with the Greeks?

At first blush, you are attempting to say, they have certain passed the starting point, if you will. But what this really is about, Christi, is trust. It is about whether the other Eurozone countries feel confident that the promises Greece has made will be lived up to.

But there is history here, of course -- two previous bailouts, a massive write down of private sector debt, numerous targets and economic figures that have failed to be matched time and again. So when the ministers arrived they all said the same thing. This is possibly a moment for progress, but can we trust the Greeks? But it is a harsh reality, it's sometimes undiplomatic. But that's what these talks about here in Brussels.

PAUL: We know that France is welcoming the Greek plan, Richard, but Germany obviously has some doubts. Many in Germany pushing Angela Merkel to not give Greece this bailout package. What does Germany want most in order to make this happen?

QUEST: Germany, which, of course, is on the line for the most money in all of this, if it goes ahead. They say they want Greece to remain in the Euro. But they want Greece to follow the rules. But unfortunately, the rules are seen from Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schaeuble, are different than they might be seen elsewhere. And that's the difference.

Now, we believe that Merkel is in favor of opening negotiations and it's her finance minister who is very hardline, very disliked by large numbers of people in Greece. He is regularly parodied in Greece. He is saying no. He is saying, we can't go with this. We need to have better guarantees. How many will sign up for Germany? This is politics European style on a grand scale.

PAUL: Very good point, Richard Quest, I thank you so much for breaking it down for us.

[10:35:03] BLACKWELL: Another FSU player in trouble this morning allegedly for hitting a woman. This is the second player in less than a week. We have a live report next on details of this case and the possible consequences.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: A Florida state football player faces charges after allegedly hitting a woman several times. Coy Wire has more on yet another disturbing story that is eerily similar to last week's, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Christi. So for the second time in a five-day span, college football powerhouse, Florida State, finds one of its players being charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly punching a woman. Yesterday running back Dalvin Cook was suspended indefinitely by the team. The alleged incident happened outside a bar in Tallahassee on June 23rd. And according to Leon County sheriff's office, he turned himself into authorities hours after an arrest warrant was issued but he is denying the allegation.

Remember FSU also made headlines when this video surfaced that shows another seminal player, quarterback De'Andre Johnson, striking a woman at a bar in Tallahassee, charged with misdemeanor battery as well. It happened just one day aft Dalvin Cook incident. So these cases actually a disturbing recent trend with Florida State football. Last year star running back Carlos Williams was involved in a domestic battery investigation. He was never charged. And of course Heisman trophy winner and last year's overall number one draft pick Jameis Winston was accused of sexual assault in 2013. He was never charged either, Christi.

[10:40:08] PAUL: They just can't seem get away from it, lately.

WIRE: Yes, having a tough time down there. So we will key an eye on it and see how these things progress.

PAUL: Coy, thank you.

WIRE: You're welcome.

BLACKWELL: All right, we are going to talk about this now with Attorney Erin Ehrlich joining us now. Erin, good to have you.

ERIN EHRLICH, CIVIL AND FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Thank you for having me, good morning.

BLACKWELL: Unfortunately we have to talk about this. We know that De'Andre Johnson has been dismissed from the Seminoles, the football team, charged with battery. I wonder, though, when we look at Dalvin Cook, he is also charged with battery. Could we see additional charges considering the video we are seeing in one of these cases?

EHRLICH: Right now, I don't think there is a video. The video we saw was from the player from a few days ago. That was, I believe, Johnson. Right now we are not sure there is a video. All we have to work with are the allegations that the victim has come forth with. All we know thus far is that she was in the parking lot. She was approached by another gentleman, I guess a part of Dalvin's posse. And he basically said to her, can I have your phone number? And she said, no, I have a boyfriend.

And somehow that turned into all of these men coming over and the situation escalated into Cook apparently and allegedly punching her in the face. But that's all we know so far. So we don't have much to go on other than this victim's testimony and potentially any other eyewitnesses that happened to be there. BLACKWELL: What does FSU need to do, because this is a disturbing

pattern that has now developed?

EHRLICH: You know, the statistics itself are disturbing. Pardon me, I need my cheat sheet. In a three-year study, it shows that while male student athletes comprise 3.3 percent of the population, they represent 19 percent of sexual assault perpetrators, and 35 percent of domestic assault perpetrators. So we are really talking about a very big problem, and certainly we see now with FSU, a very big problem for them.

And they can on the hook concerning how much they knew about it, not just about specific incidents, but also about the history of particular players behavior. For example, with Dalvin Cook, we know he was involved with two prior incidents back in 2014, one involving a bb gun where he was shooting a bb gun at a property and an apartment complex, and another allegedly involving aggravated assault. I think that was in July, 2043.

So really the question for FSU becomes, what do they know about these players history that could put them on the hook for future civil liability from victims that would say, you knew about this guy, you knew this guy was violent.

BLACKWELL: And maybe you should have done more to protect the student population, at least not have him on campus, much less the football team.

Let's talk about Dalvin Cook specifically and these cases we've been discussing. The woman has not yet been identified. In the De'Andre Johnson case, there is video and we see the woman's face. But here, do you expect we will learn about this woman? How concerned are you for her safety?

EHRLICH: I don't know that they are going to release the individual's identity to the public. But I'm certain that the prosecution is going to know exactly who she is and they have obviously spoken with her, but they are also going to probably speak to the several eyewitnesses who appear to have been there. They are really going to go by those eyewitness accounts to try to deduce exactly what happened, whether potentially there was any cause for the incitement, although there really hasn't been any evidence indicating that there was. But maybe that will come forward.

But right now I'm sure they are going to keep the identity of the woman under wraps. I know that in past experiences at FSU, there was a rape victim that ended up having to leave the school altogether because she became the victim of a social media frenzy. But they may have to keep her identity under wraps for the time being.

BLACKWELL: All right, Attorney Erin Ehrlich, thank you so much for helping us analyze this one.

EHRLICH: Absolutely. Happy to be here.

BLACKWELL: All right, Christi? PAUL: All right, just want to get to Christina McFarlane right now. Turns out Serena Williams is making history at Wimbledon this morning. Christina live for us there in London. Give us the lowdown, Christina.

CHRISTINA MCFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Christi. The queen of center court has done again, 13 years after she took her first Wimbledon title she has just followed up with her sixth Wimbledon title behind me here, and her 21st Grand Slam title. It's incredible. When that last point went over the net, she dropped her racket and looked to the sky and started jumping up into the air.

But it wasn't an easy match. She started badly and lost the first game of the first set. But she is the world number one. And she battled back with serves of up to 123 miles an hour to take the first and then eventually to take the second set.

And I can tell you all eyes will be on the USA next month because Serena Williams is making history. Not only has she taken the Serena slam here today, that's all four Grand Slams consecutively back to back, but if she can win the U.S. Open next month she can take the calendar Grand Slam, something that has not been done since 1998 and Steffi Graf. So a very exciting finish for Serena Williams and we all look ahead to next month.

[10:45:09] PAUL: And you get to be there to witness it. That is awesome. Christina McFarlane, we appreciate it. Thank you so much. And congratulations to Serena Williams, again, her sixth Wimbledon title.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: The Los Angeles Police Department has said it has an open investigation concerning comedian and actor, Bill Cosby. The LAPD won't provide details because it concerns sexual allegations, obviously. But Cosby has denied all of those activations.

Let's talk about this. Joining me from Los Angeles, defense attorney Tom Mesereau who represented the late Michael Jackson in his 2005 molestation trial, currently representing murder suspect and former rap mogul Shug Knight. So thank you so much for being with us, Mr. Mesereau.

I wanted to ask you, the LAPD, what specifically are they going to be looking into when these allegations are coming to light? And how would you, if you were representing Mr. Cosby, how would you defend him at this point in the game?

TOM MESEREAU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, first of all, they are probably going to be approaching witness after witness. Reportedly and allegedly, a number of women claim that he either gave them a pill to take, the nature of which they didn't understand and that they suddenly woke up and they felt they had had been raped or molested in some way. [10:50:12] They are going to be interviewing witness after witness.

They are going to check the statutes to see if there is any way a case could be brought today. And they are going to particularly focus on this woman who claims she was underage at the Playboy Mansion when she was raped.

If I were going to defend him, first of all, I would enter with the clean slate. I wouldn't believe what the media said. I wouldn't believe what the accuser said. I wouldn't believe what he or his lawyers or agent said. I would want to spend hours with him first of all to find out who had human being is. And I would not care if this person is a celebrity or not. I'd want to know who the person is, how were they raised, what ups and downs have they had. I would ask key questions to figure out how they perceive the world. I would then gradually get into the facts of the case.

Second of all I would look at all the available evidence. I would want to see what's in the police reports, what's in witness statements, what's in transcripts. What has the media reported and what were their sources?

And third of all I would want a thorough investigation of these accusers. I would want to know what kind of lives they've led. Have they made allegations like this before? I'd want a litigation check to see if they had been in lawsuits before. I would find out what kind of people they are, because it is a little strange everybody is coming together so late. What caused these delays? What is their agenda? Things like that.

PAUL: This report came out earlier this week when a judge released some sealed documents saying, what Cosby said that he had gotten some drugs to use with women. How does that play into this? And because he has come out in the public and called them liars and said that this didn't happen and called them names, is there a chance for the women then to sue him for libel?

MESEREAU: Well, I mean, first of all, some quotes were taken out of what I believe is a lengthy deposition. You want to see the entire deposition. Were these quotes taken out of context? Were there other statements that qualify or explain the quotes that have been reported? You can't just take a few things out of context.

On their face, they are very damaging, if you ask me. Take this woman who says she was raped when she was underage. What is she doing underage at the Playboy mansion? Who brought her there and why? Did she make misrepresentations about her age or anything else?

I mean, a lot of these things have to be thoroughly, thoroughly examined. You can't just give a surface reaction to what looks like damaging information. A lot of work has to be done in this case to find out what happened.

And as far as these drugs go, was there consent? Did these women take them with full knowledge of what they were taking? I know one accuser says he showed her a pill. What was the reaction to the pill? Did she ask him what it was? Did he misrepresent what it was? Maybe he told her exactly what it was. I don't know.

I know in the '70s when some of these alleged acts took place, pills were rampant at clubs, at parties, Quaaludes, cocaine, things like that, different time period. Do they have any culpability themselves? You have to examine all this very deeply.

PAUL: Tom Mesereau you certainly gave us a lot of food for thought here, no doubt about it. And a lot of those questions that need to be answered. We appreciate your time. Thank you, sir.

MESEREAU: Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: Live pictures now as we continue to watch this mass that the Pope is delivering now near the capital of Paraguay. Thousands there, maybe close to a million watching this. Live report straight ahead at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: This week's CNN hero is a medical surgeon who treats hundreds of victims of Chicago's gun violence.

PAUL: Meet Dr. Daniel Ivankovich, who also has a passion for helping patients who don't have health insurance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. DANIEL IVANKOVICH, CNN HERO: Barbed wire and machine guns, welcome to Chicago. These are definitely some of the most challenged communities in America. Not a day goes by without the headlines being littered with deaths, shootings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was returning home from college. I went to go pick up my sister from school. The next thing I know, I got caught up in a crossfire. I was shot seven times. I was paralyzed from the stomach all the way down.

IVANKOVICH: As an orthopedic surgeon, I've seen a very significant number of patients that have been victims of violent crime. There is a whole other layer of patients in these underserved communities that are underinsured or uninsured. But they need care. If you could get those 20 degrees.

I saw people put on list for years and months and their injuries get worse. I just said enough is enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I am just stuck with arthritis.

IVANKOVICH: I run three clinics in Chicago's most underserved areas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been walking better.

IVANKOVICH: You smile more.

We treat orthopedic conditions. We never turn away a patient. We treat patients regardless of ability to pay. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He performed two surgeries on me and encouraged me

to return back to college.

IVANKOVICH: A lot of guys never come out as positive as you. I mean, you are living life and you are moving on.

I know I can't fix everybody. But my focus is to break down the barriers.

I'll see you in a couple of weeks.

The greatest thing we give them is hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: If you know someone who should be a CNN hero, let us know at CNNHeroes.com.

[11:00:00] PAUL: We are so grateful you spend some time with us this morning.

BLACKWELL: Always good to start a Saturday with you. And there is a lot more ahead in the next hour of CNN Newsroom.

Let's hand it over to Fredricka Whitfield.