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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

NBA Player Jason Collins Says He is Gay; The Boston Bombing Investigation; Sources: Female DNA Found On One Boston Bomb; Mysterious "Misha" Finally Revealed; Former Pro Soccer Player On Why He Came Out As Gay; No Suspects Yet In 8-Year-Old Girl's Stabbing Death; New Ricin Suspect Denied Bail; Jackson Wrongful Death Trial Begins; S&P 500 Closes At Record High; Killer Whales Chase Boat

Aired April 29, 2013 - 20:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Join us in a moment to talk about the history-making night for pro-sports in American society. Pro center Jason Collins becoming a true pioneer, the first big league male athlete to say he's gay.

Also tonight, breaking news. Female DNA found on the Boston bomb parts. Female DNA, as the FBI takes DNA samples from the home of the dead suspect's widow.

We begin, though, with that groundbreaking day in U.S. sports. NBA center Jason Collins today became the first active player in a major American team sport to come out publicly. The 34-year-old free agent made the announcement in an essay for "Sports Illustrated." The fact that Collins took this step on his own makes the news even more extraordinary.

Recently there's been speculation that several athletes might possibly come out at the same time, a scenario that would have taken the pressure off any single athlete. That's not how this happened.

Here's CNN's Lisa Sylvester.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jason Collins has played in 12 NBA seasons for teams in New Jersey, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston and Washington. But it's not his stats that people will remember him for. Rather, these three sentences. Quote, "I'm a 34- year-old NBA center. I'm black and I'm gay."

Collins is the first gay athlete currently playing in one of the top four U.S. major league sports to come out. In an essay in "Sports Illustrated" magazine, Collins writes how he kept it a secret for decades, even getting engaged at one point. He answers the question why now. He has simply been tired of living a lie.

With the U.S. Supreme Court debating the issue of gay marriage, he says it was time to come forward. Quote, "I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, I'm different. If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand." Collins' agent approached "Sports Illustrated" about publishing his story.

CHRIS STONE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: I have no doubt that there will be others. How many, I could -- I couldn't -- I couldn't say. But I wouldn't be surprised at all before the end of the calendar year if we see several athletes come out, only because even before we had heard about the possibility of speaking with Jason, we knew that this day was coming.

SYLVESTER: Collins is a free agent. He's been most recently playing with the Washington Wizards. The team president put out this statement. Quote, "We are extremely proud of Jason, and support his decision to live his life proudly and openly."

The accolades continue. Kobe Bryant tweeting, "Proud of Jason Collins. Don't suffocate who you are because of the ignorance of others." President Bill Clinton, whose daughter Chelsea went to school with Jason Collins, tweeted, "I'm proud to call Jason Collins a friend." And world famous tennis player Martina Navritalova sent this tweet, referencing her own coming out. "Well done, Jason Collins. You are a brave man and a big man at that. 1981 was the year for me. 2013 is the year for you."

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, FORMER PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: With each player that comes out there will be less and less of a big deal which is exactly what we wanted.

SYLVESTER: The White House was also asked to weigh in.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We view that as another example of the progress that has been made and the -- and the evolution that has been taking place in this country.

SYLVESTER: It is a watershed moment but what happens next for Collins' career and how he'll be treated by others away from the public eye is not known. But his former coach, Boston Celtics Doc Rivers, compared this moment to Jackie Robinson, number 42, breaking down another sports barrier.

Rivers tweeting quote, "If you have learned anything from Jackie Robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. It will be society who has to learn tolerance."

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: NBA Commissioner David Stern also commended Jason Collins today. The NBA Players Association expressed its support as well.

This essay getting a lot of attention, obviously. Joining me tonight former NBA stars Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, both are basketball analysts in our senior network TNT. Also with us on the phone, Emeka Okafor, who played with Collins last season for the Washington Wizards. So, Charles, were you surprised by this? What was your reaction?

CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER NBA STAR/TNT BASKETBALL ANALYST: Well, the first thing, I was happy for Jason, because I'm -- you know -- people should get to be who they want to be. But knowing there's a gay player in the NBA, I think anybody who thinks they never played with a gay player is an idiot. I played with several gay players. It's their own business. And I think they should get to be who they want to be.

COOPER: Emeka, I know you got a call before the article came out. What did he say to you?

EMEKA OKAFOR, WASHINGTON WIZARDS PLAYER (via phone): He just basically told me that an article is coming out and that he wanted to tell me over the phone before it came out that he was gay.

COOPER: What was your reaction?

OKAFOR: My immediate reaction was I just felt for him. You know? I just imagined just what he was going through holding that secret and I was just glad he could finally get it off his chest.

COOPER: Kenny, you're a former NBA player. Why do you think it's taken so long for someone in one of the four major sports to come out as gay?

KENNY SMITH, FORMER NBA STAR/TNT BASKETBALL ANALYST: Well, I think -- first of all, I think that question about his sexuality is not really that often asked to most people. And I'm always surprised to see that people think that the percentage of people in the world who are anything from being straight, gay, criminals, great people, are -- is immune to sports. There's percentages in every walk of life. And so everyone that's dealing with society, it's not like we're on this island, sports figures are on this island.

They're part of society community. So that's always surprised me. And lastly for me, as -- I learned early as an African-American young man that inclusion is one thing that I'm always going to be part of, and so any time that anyone wants to be included in a group, welcome.

COOPER: Charles, do you think the fans are ready for this? I mean, do you think the sport is ready for this?

BARKLEY: You know, I think your question is great because Doc Rivers said something today, I think he's going to be at peace in the locker room. I think we as jocks have gotten a bad rap for a lot -- for a lot of years. I've heard all these talking heads for the last few years talking about these guys will be uncomfortable in the locker room.

First of all, they're going to be safe in the locker room. We've all played with gay guys. We're going to welcome them with open arms. I think society is more homophobic than teams in locker rooms.

The thing that's going to be interesting to me, I think it's all right for guys to disagree or say they don't like gay people. That to me is going to be the great debate. I've been pro gay marriage for a long time. But right now, if anybody comes out and says they don't -- they are uncomfortable with a gay teammate, they're going to get crucified.

I think that's unfair. I think this is going to open up a great debate. Hopefully some more guys will come out, if they want to be free, they deserve to be free, but I think that's got to be the interesting dynamic of this whole thing, Anderson, because obviously some people are uncomfortable around gay people and they should be able to say that without getting crucified.

COOPER: Well, it's interesting, you know, this guy from ESPN, a reporter, Chris Broussard, just said earlier -- the comments he made that made a lot of -- headlines. I just want to play this for our viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS BROUSSARD, ESPN: I'm a Christian. I don't agree with homosexuality. I think it's a sin. As I think all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is. In talking to some people around the league, there are a lot Christians in the NBA, and they don't want to be -- just because they disagree with that lifestyle, they don't want to be viewed and called bigoted and intolerant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: He was taking issue with Jason for saying he was a Christian and a gay man. But, Charles, you're saying people should have the right to say what they want to say.

BARKLEY: Well, you know, there are some, quote-unquote, Christians are going to feel like that. And that's their prerogative. I just happen to disagree with them. I don't know Chris that well. Seems like a nice guy. But if that's his religious belief, it's not up to me to agree or disagree.

Well, let me rephrase that. I disagree with that. If somebody want to be gay, that's their own business.

SMITH: Well, I think also, Charles, if you look at it, Anderson, as well, is you're in the locker room with a lot of people who don't have Christian views. And they don't do things in a Christian-like manner. So because they don't do that, you can't -- you can't have them on your team, you can't have them in your organization?

I think all of those things have to be thought about because there are a lot of people on NBA teams who have sex outside of their marriage, who are not doing the correct things and criminal activity, and there are certain things that they might not do, so you can't -- are you going to ban those as well because of your religious beliefs? And that's what I'm not taught.

COOPER: You know, Emeka, it's interesting, we're talking about the locker room. And Charles was saying that Charms that he thinks people actually are going to be accepting but then there's that Rutgers basketball coach who was yelling, you know, anti-gay slurs at players on his own team and seemed to be doing it very publicly and quite for awhile, nobody seemed to say anything about it.

I mean, do you think -- do you agree with Charles that folks on the team -- on teams are ready, that the support of the fans are ready?

OKAFOR: I think that, you know, people on the team and the fans, it's a different time. Ten, 15 years in the past, I think we are having a different conversation. Times are more progressive, minds are more open and I think the NBA is ready for openly gay athletes.

COOPER: Charles, Jason is a free agent now. Hoping to obviously get picked up by another team. Do you think this could affect his chances?

BARKLEY: Well, let me say two things, Anderson, first. First of all, I think it's an insult to gay people to think they are going to be looking at their teammates. That was one of the first things you always hear. I think that is such an insult to gay people, gay -- any player, to say oh, he's going to be looking at his teammates in a sexual way. That's an insult to gay people.

You know, Jason's case is a little different because he's obviously on the down side of his career. I don't know if he would have been re- signed anyway. So I think it's a little unfair to judge the NBA -- he averaged a couple of points a game this year. He's been in the league a long time. To say just because we're in the NBA, don't re-sign him, that we're being homophobic, I think that's a little bit unfair.

COOPER: Fair enough. It's a great conversation to have. Thank you so much, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Emeka Okafor. Thanks.

BARKLEY: Thanks for having us.

SMITH: All right. Thank you.

OKAFOR: Thank you.

COOPER: Let's continue the conversation on Twitter. You can follow me @Andersoncooper. I'm tweeting tonight.

Next breaking news. Female DNA found on the Boston marathon bomb parts. DNA taken from the home of the dead suspect's widow today as well. The question is, is there a connection and could there be multiple reasons for female DNA being found on these bomb parts other than the obvious one? We have all the latest on that.

Plus the man some relatives say turned the suspects toward radical Islam. That Misha character we've heard so much about. Well, he has been revealed. We'll tell you the details that we know when we continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Got breaking news tonight. Late-word that parts of one of the Boston pressure cooker bombs had female DNA on it. FBI agents today searching his widow's home, emerging with a bag labeled DNA samples. Meantime, authorities now say they know what killed the older suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. However, they're not yet making it public. His body, meantime, goes unclaimed by either his widow or his family. They say -- they'll make the results of what killed him made public once his body has been claimed. They say that's the procedure.

Also, more sharp reaction today to news that Russian authorities two years ago intercepted a call from one of the brothers back to their mother in Dagestan, a vague conversation apparently about jihad. The younger suspect, now in a 10-by-10 foot cell outside Boston, has a new lawyer on his defense team specializing in death penalty cases. Her name is Judy Clark. She once defended Jared Loughner, the Tucson shooter.

Erin McPike and Joe Johns join me, working their sources tonight. They join us now along with Nick Paton Walsh on new developments in Russia.

So, Joe, this female DNA found on one of the pressure cookers, what more can you tell us? What might it mean?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: There's no way to tell at this point, Anderson, quite frankly. What could it mean, we don't know. One law enforcement source said the DNA could belong to anyone who came in contact with any of the consumer products that were used to make the bomb. Just the same, they want to see if they can track it down and, of course, they started there with the wife of the -- the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

COOPER: So, Joe, you can't assume that it was somebody who helped make the bomb. It could be the hair of a salesperson who sold one of the components, you're saying?

JOHNS: That's right. It may well not implicate anyone of anything, Anderson. They have apparently been trying to get a DNA sample from the widow for a couple of days now but all we know at this point, they have DNA, we're not even sure whether they mean a hair or what, and apparently, it belongs to a female.

COOPER: So, Erin, you saw investigators arrive at the home. How long were they inside and -- I mean, they actually carried out something that said DNA samples on it?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Anderson. This FBI team entered the home at around 12:40 today. They were inside the Russell home for about 90 minutes. Now when they came out, they were carrying evidence gathering equipment, it looks like. There was one black case that one of the investigators was holding tightly to her chest, looked to be about the size of a binder. There was also a big black hard shell briefcase sort of -- sort of case.

Another investigator had a clear capsule that looked like to be about the size of a Coke bottle or something like that, and on top of that, of course, there was this clear plastic bag that I think you can see there, and it's clearly marked DNA samples. It had some items in it and a pair of scissors, Anderson, but the big most interesting thing was that it was marked DNA samples.

COOPER: So, Nick, you spoke to the parents of the bombers today. A, what did they tell you about their plans to either come to the United States or not, because they've sort of been all over the map on that? And also, has the mother made any comments about this phone call the Russian authorities are allegedly eavesdropped in between her and her son talking about jihad?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a phone call with both parents who pretty much both are in a pretty stressed out, traumatic state. The father could only really tell me he was sick and the phone call ended. The mother elaborated a little more, talking about his high blood pressure. Most importantly, though, his trip to the USA, that's off until his health gets in better condition. No idea when that's going to be.

She did say, though, when she's told she can meet Dzhokhar, who is currently in custody, she will endure any risk of outstanding shoplifting allegations and the potential now of the investigation, you mentioned, with those phone taps, potentially -- could potentially widen further inquiries.

She said she'll endure that risk just to go to the U.S. but no comment at all on those particular phone conversations to (INAUDIBLE) -- Anderson.

COOPER: Joe, obviously we naturally think this DNA could be from Tamerlan's wife. It appears from Erin's reporting the DNA was taken during their meeting with her in the family's home. Are officials saying anything about the DNA that they've taken from the family's home or the level of cooperation they're getting from the wife?

JOHNS: No, absolutely not. No comments on the evidence at all. We do know from our reporting that there apparently has been some type of a negotiation that's gone on for one day, two days, perhaps longer to try to get her to allow this DNA sample and apparently now finally it's happened -- Anderson.

COOPER: And, Erin, is Katie now living at her parents' home and to your knowledge, is she cooperating any more with authorities?

MCPIKE: Anderson, attorneys -- her attorneys have said that she is cooperating, but we've only seen Katie Russell about four times in the past week or so. She has been staying at her parents' house this whole time. In the four times that she's left, three of those times, she went to her attorney's office where she had about 90-minute meetings each time.

On Saturday, she left around lunchtime with her sister. Now, on Friday, I tried to ask Katie Russell how she was doing, and if she could tell us what was going on, and she of course didn't answer my questions. She just looked more than anything overwhelmed -- Anderson.

COOPER: Nick, what do you know about this raid that took place this weekend in a village in Dagestan by Russian Special Forces? We haven't heard too much about it here, but is there any kind of link between that raid and the Boston bombing?

WALSH: We should break this down a little. What happened early Sunday morning was Russian Special Forces laying siege to a house in Chontaul, that's a village in Dagestan, killing a man called Shakhrudin Askhabov. Now he is part of a group formally headed by Abu Dujan. We spoke about him last week. He was killed in December also by Russian Special Forces but importantly, a video of him was linked to by Tamerlan Tsarnaev on his YouTube page.

So we don't know if these men ever met but interestingly, while this investigation continues stateside, Russian Special Forces have just killed, taken out, another member of the Abu Dujan militant group. Those could be connected. Bear in mind, the FSB and the FBI really have been exchanging information through private channels recently -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Nic, I appreciate it. And Joe and Erin, as well. Thanks.

Juliette Kayyem joins us now. She's a former Homeland Security advisor to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, former U.S. assistant secretary for Homeland Security, currently a Boston -- a columnist for the "Boston Globe." Also, former CIA officer Bob Baer and senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

So, Bob, how significant is it to you that female DNA has been found on one of the bomb fragments?

ROBERT BAER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the significance for me is the FBI is clearly looking for accomplices. They haven't closed this investigation by any means. They think there's a good chance out there that somebody helped at some stage, whether it's a bomb maker, to put this thing together, so they're very much on this, they're following every lead, but the circle seems to be still very wide.

COOPER: And you think at the end of the day that the bomb itself, the -- the devices themselves, will be the biggest keys in figuring out if these guys had help from -- and from whom?

BAER: You know, Anderson, it's funny. I just got off the phone with a bomb expert who spent three years making these, teaching himself. He was with the CIA. And he said look, it's ludicrous, that was his words, to say that these guys made this off the Internet. You know, the way they learned it was they started with flash cubes first to test the detonators, then small amounts of powder, and this is very meticulous hard work.

And I said, is it just you and he says, no, all my colleagues in the government, he said they just laugh at these -- you know, saying that you could do this off the Internet and have such a high success ratio.

And I keep on checking on this, and somebody -- there is a bomb maker out there I think who probably helped them, probably in Dagestan, but the big question the FBI still cannot exclude is that there's a bomb maker still in this country or fled shortly after, and there's no evidence of one, but they cannot exclude it, because they know the text that these guys didn't do it by themselves off "Inspire" magazine. Period.

COOPER: Juliette, what did you make of where the investigation is now?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think, just like what Bob said, that it's going in many places. This is how investigations happen. There are going to be dead ends. The Misha person appears to be more of a dead end than we originally thought. So there's going to be all these different pieces that have to be linked together.

The FBI here, just to Bob's point about these bombs and where they were made, what the FBI needs to figure out also is, were there any detonations or training, either in Massachusetts or anywhere around here, that might give clues to some testing going on which would then validate some theory that they had help here or that they did build the bombs here and were testing them out here, or if they can't find proof of that, that something more went on with Russia.

You know, we all have agreed by the end of last week that this six months in Russia are incredibly relevant to what actually happened. The Russians now are coming up with all sorts of information that might have been helpful before marathon Monday, and so the relationship or what Russia is saying that it's doing seems very convenient on their part and the FBI and the investigators likely know that, so we have to take some of the stuff they're delivering to us as maybe a little face saving but also as part of an effort to show hey, wait, look, we're tough, too.

COOPER: Jeff, from a legal standpoint, what do you make of this new development in the suspect's defense team, this new attorney who's had experience in death penalty cases in the past? Clearly they believe they need to focus on the death penalty angle.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: This is a huge development in the case, because Judy Clark is an absolute legend in criminal defense. Listen to this list of clients that she's had. Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, Jared Loughner, from Tucson, Eric Rudolph, who did the Atlanta bombing at the Olympics and several others. Zacarias Moussaoui from 9/11, Susan Smith from South Carolina.

All of them horrendously hated murderers. None of them got the death penalty. None of them have been executed. This is the next toughest case and this is why they hired her.

COOPER: So, I mean, would they make some sort of a deal in order to get the death penalty off the table in terms of level of cooperation statements that the suspect would make?

TOOBIN: In an absolute hot second, they would take that deal. Any deal that spares him the death penalty. That's why Judy Clark's been hired. She doesn't do innocence. The issue of innocence is not really realistically on the table here. The only issue here is what he's sentenced to and Judy Clark's one and only job is to get him a life sentence and not the death penalty, and I don't know if she'll succeed, but there's no one better in the entire United States at doing it than she is.

COOPER: Bob, what do you make of possible links or alleged connections or maybe it's just a coincidence between Tsarnaev -- Tamerlan, going to Dagestan and these two militants killed by Russian forces? You have this young boxer from Canada who turned into a jihadist who also was killed in Dagestan around the time that Tamerlan was there.

BAER: Well, Anderson, look, this Dagestan is clearly jihad central and has been for a couple of years. This guy goes back home, he's in his mind, he's accepted global jihad, he's fascinated by it, he's mostly converted to it. This is if reports are right. The chances of him not making contact with the jihadist group just out of pure curiosity I think are zero.

The question is getting the Russians to run down these links and they have political motivations to either cover things up or, you know, accentuate them in some way. The Russian prosecutors, I've dealt with them in the past, are very, very difficult to get the truth out of and I do feel, you know, the FBI's got a tough, tough road to hoe here.

COOPER: It is interesting, Juliette, there was a guy in Dagestan around the same time that he was there who was from Canada, who was a boxer turned jihadist.

KAYYEM: Right. That's exactly right. And all of these -- as we were saying before, all of these pieces will come out over time and some will lead to good places, some will lead to dead ends. I think, you know, over the weekend, you heard a lot of concerns about stove piping, did the FBI stove pipe its information, keep it to itself, could it have done better, shared with other agencies.

I think what you're starting to see evidence of is sort of exceptional stonewalling on the part of Russia, that if they had information both about his contacts there, who he was meeting with, or concerns about conversations that his mother was having, we now know that none of that made it to the FBI and that's relevant not to excuse the FBI, because we don't know where we are yet.

It's just his name was -- his name was in a big list known as the TIDE list, it stands for the environment. It's half a million people strong. He never made it to a more selective or intrusive list because we never got that information from Russia. So like Bob and others who have worked with Russia, this is not, you know, allies going hand in hand to figure this out. This is very, very complicated, at this stage.

COOPER: Hey, Jeff, just got a quick question. Who pays Judy Clark? I mean, his attorney? I mean, because now he has several attorneys. Who pays for that?

TOOBIN: Uncle Sam. Particularly in death penalty cases, at least the federal courts are fairly generous in giving you specialists, giving you not just one defense lawyer, but several, access to experts. It's the federal government.

COOPER: All right. Jeff Toobin, thanks very much. Juliette, Bob, as well.

For more on this story, you can go to CNN.com right now.

Just ahead, new details about that mystery man known as Misha. Juliette talked about him a little bit. There would have been a lot of focus on him on the last week. A lot of people doubted the significance of it because, frankly, the original information you remember came from the former brother-in-law to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. A guy who hadn't seen the brothers in several years. Nevertheless, this Misha has been tracked down. We'll tell you what we know now.

Also tonight, an intimate family moment caught on a video made by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. For the first time, you're going to hear the Boston bombing suspects' voice.

Also the search for Leila Fowler killer. Leila Fowler, 8 years old, stabbed to death in her home over the weekend. A brazen killing that has shaken her small town, the latest on the investigation ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: More new developments in the marathon bombing story including our first chance to hear the younger suspect's voice. It comes from behind a cell phone camera, the suspect videotaping his niece.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at me, I said. Give me a kiss. No, give me a kiss. That's a girl. Now get out.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, OK, come here, give me another kiss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That video was uploaded last month. We do not know, however, when it was actually made.

More now on the mystery man known as "Misha," tonight, there's a real identity to go with that nickname. A writer for the "New York Review of Books" caught up with him in Rhode Island. We learned the FBI has spoken with him as well. We have more now from Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their search for the shadowy figure known as "Misha" has taken investigators to Rhode Island, but it's not clear if the man who is here is the same "Misha" who relatives say radicalized Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Reporter, Christian Caryl of the "New York Review of Books" interviewed a man named Mikhail Allakvherdov who said he had known Tamerlan Tsarnaev. That he was a convert to Islam of partially Armenian descent as "Misha" has been described. Allakvherdov said he had been interviewed by federal authorities, who he said were about to close his case. He told Caryl he had no role in the Boston marathon bombings and --

CHRISTIAN CARYL, "NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS": He denied very emphatically that he was a teacher of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. He said no, I was not his teacher, I didn't instruct him in anything, I had nothing to do with any of his development, but I couldn't get him to tell me anything more than that about their relationship. He was just extremely agitated and didn't want to go into details.

TODD: That interview brought us and a crush of other reporters to this apartment complex in West Warwick, Rhode Island, identified as a residence of his Mikhail Allakvherdov's parents. No leads here until a lawyer showed up.

(on camera): Could you speak to us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I could.

TODD (voice-over): As he emerged from the apartment and was swarmed, Attorney Richard Nicholson said he represented the parents of a man he identified as Mike Allakvherdov. He said they have also been interviewed by law enforcement.

RICHARD NICHOLSON, ATTORNEY FOR PARENTS OF MIKHAIL ALLAKVHERDOV: I suspect that the authorities will be asking additional questions, but at some juncture they will be closing that part of the investigation.

TODD: But law enforcement sources have not told us conclusively that Mikhail Allakvherdov is the same "Misha" who heavily influenced Tamerlan Tsarnaev according to his relatives.

RUSLAN TSARNI, UNCLE OF SUSPECTS: I said this person, he took his brain. He just brainwashed him completely. Tamerlan is off now. There is no obedience and respect to his own father.

TODD: Other relatives say "Misha" was seen preaching to Tamerlan Tsarnaev at their Cambridge, Massachusetts apartment late at night, causing tension between the parents. If "Misha" has been interviewed by federal law enforcement authorities, what would they have asked him about Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How far did that radicalization go and how much involved was this "Misha?" Did he do more than just put these thoughts in Tamerlan's head or get Tamerlan to change his philosophy about his religion, or did he actually do more? Did he introduce him to others that maybe are part of this plot, or maybe provided training on the explosives or maybe provided an apartment or some garage to store the equipment?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Brian Todd joins us now live. So Brian, from all you're hearing, there's no indication at this point that the FBI or anybody else is going to charge this man in Rhode Island with anything? TODD: No, Anderson, there's no indication that they are. Our sources in law enforcement are indicating that in fact, they will probably not charge him in connection with this investigation. And they are being very cagey about information. They are not quite indicating to us conclusively that this is the "Misha" in question.

There may be another person by that description somewhere. Our sources are indicating that law enforcement is working with their overseas partners as of a couple days ago to try to locate this man. So it's not still clear if this person in Rhode Island is the same person.

COOPER: OK, Brian Todd, appreciate it.

President Obama spoke by phone today with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, restating his appreciation for his close cooperation on the Boston marathon attack. The question is, though, what about the cooperation before the bombing on that wiretap information from 2011?

New York Congressman Peter King of the House Intelligence Committee says it could have changed everything and that's not all. He joins us tonight. Congressman, you said this weekend there were, in your words, certain matters in Tamerlan Tsarnaev's folder, presumably the one that came from the Russians. What more can you say about that, what exactly to your knowledge was in that file that wasn't followed up on?

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Well, actually, it's not information that came from the Russians. It was information the FBI came across on its own, which it did not think was significant enough to follow up on or they thought there was not enough substance to it to go further.

My belief was, I can't go into what it was, that you have those two instances, plus the Russians giving him -- giving the FBI his name. To me, this is more than just a coincidence when you have three different events like that. Once, OK, twice, but three times, to me it warranted at least the FBI going further, keeping the file open.

I also mentioned the fact that, you know, the FBI sent a letter to the Russians saying that -- maybe two letters to the Russians saying they hadn't found anything and the Russians didn't respond to it. Why didn't they follow up with at least a phone call or try to meet with the Russians?

COOPER: You have also been critical of how the Justice Department has handled the case. That you say that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should not have been read his Miranda Rights when he was. The Department of Justice was not only able to use the public safety exception and obtain valuable information, but was able to apply the current law as it exists in an entirely appropriate manner.

Are you saying they should have held them for longer, using the public safety exemption? Isn't there a certain amount of time that they have to have judicial proceedings and they basically it's like a two-day window? KING: The FBI have said they never heard of a magistrate walking, a federal magistrate walking in and stopping an interrogation the way this was done. There were only 16 hours of interrogation and actually, a person can be held, there's no magic number of the two days, especially in this case where they actually had surgery or a surgical procedure in the middle of the interrogation.

It was only 16 hours that was done and the FBI agents involved in the case, others believe that much more intelligence could have been obtained which would be very important to find out who else was involved, if anyone, how they were radicalized, how they got the explosives, how they got the weapons.

The FBI was very, very surprised when the magistrate arrived with an assistant U.S. attorney and if he had not been given Miranda Rights, Miranda Rights only means the confession can't be used in court. Once he was given his rights and given a lawyer, then he stopped talking.

COOPER: In terms of how we go about finding potential terrorists, young men, young women who self-radicalize and referring to the Muslim community, you said recently, I quote, police have to be in the community, they have to build up as many sources as they can and they have to realize that the threat is coming from the Muslim community, increased surveillance there. We can't be bound by political correctness.

In what way do you think political correctness is limiting this? Because I guess some critics would say you're advocating a form of profiling.

KING: What I'm saying is that when you know that Islamic terrorists, by ipso facto are going to be Muslims and you know that for instance in New York we have had so many plots against New York, which have been stopped by the NYPD and by the FBI that come out of that community, when we see the number, for instance, Eric Holder saying he stays awake at night worrying about radicalization in the Muslim American community, then this is a serious issue.

And just as when you know whether, I'll use the example the mafia, the Westies, other groups, Aryan nation, whatever, you look at certain areas where you believe those people may be coming from and you don't violate the constitution, you don't wiretap without a warrant, you don't have searches and seizures but you do build up sources. That's common sense.

But I see the way NYPD is attacking in New York. They have a thousand police officers working on counterterrorism and they are being attacked by the "New York Times," the Associated Press and all these other groups. So that to me that's a form of political correctness, which I think causes some law enforcement organizations to back away and not do what the NYPD does. If we didn't have them, it could have been up to 16 plus that could have succeeded in New York.

COOPER: Congressman King, I appreciate you being on. Thank you.

KING: Anderson, thank you. COOPER: Just ahead, more of our top story tonight, Jason Collins from the NBA making history today as the first active pro athlete in a major American team sport to come out publicly. Just two months ago, Robin Rogers also came out publicly and announced he was leaving his beloved sport, pro-soccer. I'll talk to him about both of those decisions.

Also imagine you're on a boat and being trailed by not one, but 20 killer whales. All of it caught on video. We'll show you ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We started the hour with Jason Collins' groundbreaking move today. The NBA free agent became the first active player in a major American pro sport team to come out publicly. He made the announcement in an essay for "Sports Illustrated." We learned that President Obama called Collins earlier today to express his support. First lady Michelle Obama also tweeted her support, writing so proud of you, Jason Collins. It's a huge step forward for our country. We've got your back.

Collins' historic decision comes just two months after pro soccer player Robbie Rogers came out publicly, but also said he was leaving the sport that had been his identity and his escape. In an emotional blog post, Rogers wrote quote, "For the past 25 years, I've been afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Life is only complete when your loved ones know you."

Recently I spoke to Robbie Rogers about what led him to both decisions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Why did you decide that this was the time to tell people you were gay?

ROBBIE ROGERS, FORMER PRO SOCCER PLAYER: It's been 25 years of not living the truth. I'm a religious person. I always thought that my relationship with God was important, but also with the people around me, and I just went crazy. I was going insane.

COOPER: Can you describe to people who don't understand what that feels like, to edit yourself constantly, not just in the public sphere but in your family life.

ROGERS: Well, I think for a professional athlete, especially, you try to live up to the stereotype of this macho athlete, so for me, I was always like you said trying to keep myself in check, making sure I was this straight footballer, soccer player. I wouldn't raise any questions and I went through the motions of having relationships and trying to convince people that I was straight.

COOPER: And to be in the locker room, to be in this, you know, hyper masculine atmosphere, I guess you'd say, and to hear people using derogatory terms against gay people, your friends using these terms, what was that like? ROGERS: Yes. At times, at times, you know, it's a joke, whatever, but there's times it becomes quite malicious and that's when, you know, you are scarred a bit. That's when you're like OK, never coming out now.

COOPER: Even coaches using the term.

ROGERS: Yes. Yes, coaches. Yes. In England I've heard coaches using it and at times I felt really bad for them, and other times I was like, I wish like I could just do something right now to this dude.

COOPER: Did you internalize that growing up?

ROGERS: I had no one to look up to, no professional athlete to like OK, this is what he did, I want to be like him. You know, he made it.

COOPER: There are obviously a lot of people who would like to see you continue on in soccer, not only for because you're amazing at it, but also for the message that it would send.

ROGERS: Yes, yes, I know.

COOPER: Do you feel pressure to do that?

ROGERS: Yes, I do feel pressure, I do. I guess to tell people like relax. I'm human, I love soccer. There's a good chance I might come back to it. But you know, I need a few months to chill out, hang out with my family and go surf in California and just relax.

COOPER: What was the reason for stopping playing?

ROGERS: I felt like I couldn't play and come out. I thought it would be too emotional for me. It would be a circus. I just thought it would be really difficult.

COOPER: The impact on the team?

ROGERS: The impact with the team, with the media, and then trying to perform in a professional sport. It's toxic. I'm glad I did it this way.

COOPER: You were also competing in Europe where the crowds can be pretty vicious.

ROGERS: Yes. That will be interesting if I do go back, if I hear that kind of stuff.

COOPER: Do you worry about that?

ROGERS: I'm worried more about going into the football soccer locker room. And I just, if I go back, I want to go back as a soccer player. I don't want to go back as the gay soccer player. You know, that's important to me.

COOPER: Are you happier now? ROGERS: Yes. Yes. I feel great. I told my mom doesn't matter now what happens, if I go back to soccer or if I go back to school or whatever I do, I'm doing it as myself with all the emotions as a gay man, as myself, and so what's the worst that can happen.

COOPER: You look happy.

ROGERS: Thanks.

COOPER: Does it feel like a new -- like your genuine life now?

ROGERS: Yes, I feel OK, this is me. This is my life. Some people aren't going to, you know, accept I guess who I am or agree with my lifestyle, but at least, you know, I'm authentic and genuine.

COOPER: You also have done this in a big way. You didn't just come out, to your family, and to your team. You came out all at once in the public sphere.

ROGERS: Yes. I wasn't going to come out at all about a year and a half ago.

COOPER: Really, a year and a half ago --

ROGERS: I thought I'll play soccer, live my life.

COOPER: You thought you would live your whole life without --

ROGERS: That was insane. That's what I thought, absolutely insane. So I told my family this past fall, and then told friends and different people, you know, over the winter.

COOPER: Some of the things I'd read that you said were even when you would win a big game, and go out with your teammates and they were celebrating, you never felt like you could really even enjoy it.

ROGERS: Yes. I couldn't -- I was always just worried about this thing that was inside me that at the time I thought, you know, I don't want this. I don't want to be like this. Now I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm so happy with how god created me.

COOPER: This is not something you would ever want to change even if it were possible.

ROGERS: No. No. I used to think like -- I used to pray like I don't want to be this way, please change me, and when I came to terms and realized, no, this is me, this is great, you know, I'm different than some people, but I'm still a good person. I realized that I wouldn't change this for the world. You know, I'm so happy with like I said, how I was created.

COOPER: I'm happy for you.

ROGERS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Robbie Rogers. Up next, the latest on the search for a killer who stabbed an 8-year-old girl inside her California home. Police are trying to figure out who did this.

And a close encounter with a pod of killer whales, amazing video. Florida couple caught the orcas on camera just off the coast of Mexico. More of the video ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Welcome back. A lot more happening tonight, Isha is here with the "360 News and Business Bulletin" - Isha.

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, police are searching for suspects in the stabbing death of an 8-year-old girl in her Northern California home over the weekend. Police say she and her brother were home alone Saturday when he saw an intruder leaving the house and found his sister stabbed. Detectives are now tracking down dozens of leads they are getting from a tip line.

A former Mississippi martial arts instructor is accused of sending ricin laced letters to President Obama, a U.S. senator and judge. James Everett Dutschke is being held without bond. He was arrested Saturday a few days after charges were dropped against the first suspect in the case. The first suspect said he was framed and identified Dutschke as a potential culprit.

The Michael Jackson wrongful death civil trial began today in L.A. Jackson's estate claims AEG Live, the promoter for the singer's comeback tour, is liable for his 2009 death because they ignored quote, "red flags" and hired Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a criminal case. AEG denies any wrongdoing.

The S&P 500 closes at a record high with technology stocks fueling the rally. The index finished the day at 1,594.

Anderson, check this out. From La Paz, Mexico, amazing video shot by a Florida couple on vacation. Twenty killer whales followed their sea-diving boat, jumping and playing in the boat's wake for about an hour. I know you love these kinds of pictures. They make your heart flutter.

COOPER: Although I would want a bigger boat, I must say.

SESAY: I would say I would want a much bigger boat.

COOPER: Yes.

SESAY: Has to be said. The couple, I was going to tell you this, stay tuned, the couple actually scuba diving when they cut the dive short because they told them to get in the boat because the pod of killer whales.

COOPER: Wow. That's amazing.

SESAY: Now you know.

COOPER: Now I know.

Coming up, why I want you to always inspect one's green beans very carefully? The "Ridiculist" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time now for the "Ridiculist." Over the years you probably heard multiple horror stories about gross things being found in fast food, everything from fingers in roast beef sandwiches to condoms in French fries.

These stories pop up every now and then and it's enough to make you want to forego eating out and just cook your own food in the controlled environment of your own home, which is what a very nice woman named Gloria in Indiana did. Here's what she made for dinner one night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Nothing wrong with that. It sounds great, but as it turned out the green beans, which came from a can had a little something extra in them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son puts them on his plate and says what is that? I thought it was maybe a piece of moldy bacon or something because they have bacon on them sometimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Hold on. They put bacon sometimes in green beans? That just might change my mind about green vegetables. I usually don't eat them because I have the palate of a 5-year-old. Alas, it wasn't bacon that lurked in Gloria's green beans. It was technically meat, I guess, but it wasn't bacon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had cut my hand just trying to figure out what it was. And took it out of there and it wasn't moldy bacon. It was a toad with parts of his little legs in the green beans. Other than that he was fully intact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: So yes, she says a frog got into the can of green beans or a toad, frankly, I don't know the difference. I don't want to eat either of them nor do I particularly want to eat green beans. Understandably these days Gloria does not want to neither.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was sick, I mean, absolutely nauseated for two days. And I don't think I'll have green beans any time soon. We eat a lot of green beans. We do. We did. Nobody wants any more now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: I wonder if somewhere in France, perhaps on the "Ridiculist," they're doing a story about someone finding green beans in their frog legs. Anyway, the State Health Department says that the most common things to find in canned vegetables are toads, mice and grasshoppers, which is all I need to know to probably never eat spinach again although it went really well the first time I tried it last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: I'll try -- well, spinach, all right, all right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

COOPER: OK, that's gross. It's slithery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Listen, eat your vegetables, kids. They're good for you. They're definitely not slithery and gross. They're tasty and nutritious, not to mention the super fun way to get a frog in your throat on the "Ridiculist."

That does it for us. We'll see you again one hour from now, a special edition of 360 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. We're doing a little bit something different at 10:00; hope you join us for that.

"PIERS MORGAN LIVE" starts now.