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Insight on Accused Shooter; Gas Price Politics; Neighbors Not Buying Self Defense in Death of Trayvon Martin; Mitt Romney Wins Puerto Rico; Current Delegate Count for GOP Candidates

Aired March 18, 2012 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: New information about the U.S. Army soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghans. Those who knew him described a man with mounting personal problems.

What happened to springtime weather? A late winter snowstorm cripples travel along the major Southwest route.

And a teenager gunned down by a neighborhood watchman. Was it self- defense or is justice not being served?

Those stories and much more this hour right here on CNN.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us.

We're going to begin with this: The attorney for Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has arrived in Kansas to prepare for his meeting with his new client. Bales is a soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians last weekend. He is now at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and he could be charged in connection with those deaths as soon as this week.

Let's check in now with CNN's Dan Simon, who is standing by for us, live at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

So, that's where Bales was stationed for many years, Dan. More on the attorney in a moment, but you have been talking with a former neighbor of Staff Sergeant Bales. What are you learning about his life here in the United States?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, let me give you a little background. Bales and his wife held on to a condo that they used to live in. They were treating it as a rental property.

We drove over to that neighborhood earlier today. That place is under foreclosure, and we spoke to a neighbor who shared a wall with the Bales. And he basically said that he was aware that the family was facing financial pressure, obviously because the place had gone under foreclosure, but they couldn't afford their homeowner's association dues, $120 a year. The place has basically been in disrepair, the neighbor was mowing the lawn.

But he said that Robert Bales was a really good guy, and somebody who is gung ho about serving in the military. He described how Bales had hurt his foot badly in Iraq and was going through rehabilitation, and going through rehabilitation and yet he told his neighbor that he still wanted to go serve his country, and go back into Iraq, into another warzone.

Meanwhile, Don, as you said, the lawyer has just arrived in Kansas City, and he spoke to some of our affiliates a short time ago. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HENRY BROWNE, ROBERT BALES' ATTORNEY: Oh, it was a shock -- believe more of a shock perhaps to them and the neighbors. Even reading all the news accounts, I mean, everyone thinks he's a very nice person, and a very mild-mannered person, and a great person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: So, now, as we understand it, the attorney, John Henry Browne, is now headed to Ft. Leavenworth to meet his client face to face. John Henry Browne is a prominent defense lawyer in the Seattle area. He also put out a statement saying that Bales family right now is supporting him simply because he was a devoted father and a devoted husband.

But at this point, Don, everything we have seen here in the Seattle area, people we have talked to, nobody can comprehend that this is a guy who would go into that little place now in Afghanistan and kill all those civilians.

Back to you.

LEMON: Thank you, Dan. We're going to learn more as this plays out. Dan Simon joining us live. We appreciate that.

A man who has known Bales his entire life is simply stunned by this story. The Robert Bales he knew could not have been kinder.

CNN's national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, had an exclusive conversation with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Durham remembers his last conversation with Sergeant Robert Bales who called him from Afghanistan.

ROBERT DURHAM, FAMILY FRIEND: I said, "I love you, Bobby," you know. Take care of yourself.

CANDIOTTI: That was in December, shortly after he was redeployed to the region for a fourth time.

DURHAM: A real caring, real understanding individual. Even from a real young age.

CANDIOTTI: Durham has known Bales all his life. They lived next door to each other in Norwood, Ohio. He still calls him Bobby.

DURHAM: Bobby and my son were best friends.

CANDIOTTI: An uncommonly kind friend because Durham's son Wade, two years older than Bales, is severely disabled.

DURHAM: Bobby was just a very understanding, very accepting kid. He didn't at one time point out a kid's disability. It was what they could do.

CANDIOTTI: Bobby took Wade swimming, to school parties, to the zoo. Bobby made sure Wade was never left out, no matter what anyone thought.

DURHAM: And with Bobby around, there was never a question. All of Bobby's friends accepted Wade because Bobby accepted him.

CANDIOTTI: At Norwood High School, outside Cincinnati, Bales was a football captain. Yearbook photos show him typing and a playful side. After attending two colleges and working in finance, a fateful day, 9/11.

DURHAM: 9/11 really affected Bobby.

CANDIOTTI: Within two months, he joined the Army.

DURHAM: He was like a lot of young men and women who decided that "Not on our watch. You don't do this to our country."

CANDIOTTI: When they talked about the war, Durham says Bales empathized with civilians.

DURHAM: People are people to him. People are people. I've never heard him say that he hated anyone.

CANDIOTTI: Like most, Durham was horrified to hear about an American soldier who allegedly gunned down 16 Afghan villagers door to door.

(on camera): How did you react when you heard the news?

DURHAM: They are saying Bobby did that and I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. I can't believe it, the Bobby that I knew is not the Bobby that could have done that.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Durham suspects his friends may have snapped and he's worried.

DURHAM: I don't think he can live with it. He'll never be the same. And that -- he's such a great person, that just -- that crushes me. I don't -- I don't know.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): What questions do you have?

DURHAM: I think everyone has the same question because everyone knew the same Bobby. What happened? What happened?

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Questions with few answers.

DURHAM: I don't know what happened to my friend, Bob Bales. I hope somebody figures it out.

CANDIOTTI: And gets him help.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Norwood, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Afghanistan's president has repeatedly voiced his frustration with the U.S. and its handling of the suspect. Hamid Karzai says his nation is at, quote, "the end of the rope".

But the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. backtracked today, telling CNN's Candy Crowley that he trusted the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EKLIL HAKIMI, AFGHAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Well, we do trust the United States. And we do know how important this relationship is, and we are working as a partner to resolve all the issues as a partner. We should coordinate and cooperate with all these issue like I describe.

And the bigger picture is very important. We are in the right direction. But down the road, things are happening that we should manage in a way that should not deter us from our main objectors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was CNN's Candy Crowley's interview with the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION".

Al Qaeda claimed it has killed an American in Yemen. Two defense ministry officials confirmed the killing in Taiz Province.

The terror group says the American was a missionary who was trying to spread Christianity. A head of the security in the province identified the victim as Joel Sharm, and said he had been working for two years at a Swedish-run language center. U.S. embassy says it has heard reports of the killing, but can't confirm them.

An American who was apparently held hostage in Iraq is resting at the U.S. embassy after his release. Militia loyal to radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had Randy Michael Hultz over to the U.N. The embassy says Hultz is a private citizen who didn't work for the government, who's apparently in Iraq on private business. But it's unclear what he was doing in Iraq or why no one appeared to know he was missing.

Rick Santorum makes a Joe Namath-like guarantee about winning Illinois and the GOP nomination. Is it a smart move or kiss of death? We're discussing that.

Plus, whether the president, regarding of his party affiliation, really controls gas prices. Two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Politics, everyone's watching Puerto Rico right now. And results from Puerto Rico's presidential primary are coming in as we speak. Polls closed just a little more than two hours ago. Twenty delegates, of course, at stake in this contest. And not a lot, but as a Republican race drags on, every delegate becomes a little more important.

And here is -- I'm going to show where you things stand right now. Just remember, this is, I think just 7 percent of the polls are in, or the results are in. So, there you see -- Mitt Romney, 86 percent, Rick Santorum 7 percent, Newt Gingrich, 1 percent, Ron Paul, 1 percent. So, again, this is 7 percent of the results are in right now, we're going to continue to update this. We want to tell you that Romney was endorsed by Puerto Rico's governor, and Romney and Santorum both campaigned there last week.

So, if no one gets 50 percent of the delegates, they'll be awarded proportionately. Again, we're going to continue to update these results as they come in, because they're coming in moment by moment. Don't go anywhere.

Man, this thing is going down to the convention and still we don't know what is going to happen. Exciting. Exciting.

And nothing gets Americans riled up more than talking about politics and really than gas prices. But who's really to blame? Let's talk about gas price politics in the White House race with CNN contributor Will Cain, and L.Z. Granderson, CNN.com contributor and a senior writer for ESPN.com.

L.Z., we're going to have to get you a shorter intro like an acronym or something like --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: L.Z., ESPN, CNN.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, that's easier.

OK. Since you have a long introduction, I'm going to start with Will just for that.

I'm going to ask you first. Will, is it really fair to blame the president, any president I'm talking about George Bush, President Obama, Clinton, any one of the presidents, whomever, about gas prices, about high gas prices?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No.

LEMON: Simple answer. That's it. All right? CAIN: Simple, it really is, Don. I mean, I can expound upon it, I can tell you that gas prices are the subject of global supply and demand. I can tell you the current spike we're seeing has a lot to do with unsteadiness, instability in the Middle East, specifically what might happen in Iran. But the truth is, in the short term, in the short term, presidents have very little to do with what the gas price is.

LEMON: But, boy, it sure does get your base riled up. It sure does make for a great narrative, one guy against the other, am I right?

CAIN: Absolutely, it's gold in the political world.

LEMON: Yes.

So, L.Z., you want to weigh-in on this, go for it, because I think you -- I don't know, maybe you don't agree with what Will said.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: No, no. I agree with Will. It hasn't been fair for any candidate to be challenging the White House with regards to gas prices, no more than the loaf of bread or the cost of cotton or any other product that we use in America.

The thing that I find really frustrating right now, though, is because, you know, at one end, they're challenging the president on the current price of gas. But on the other end, they're drumming the war beat about Iran. And not understanding as if -- if you talk about going to war with Iran, you're affecting gas prices through speculation. And so, they're kind of having their cake and eating too. And I wish that the American people could catch up to this game they're playing.

LEMON: All right. The last thing you just said, then why, Will, and I'll ask you again, L.Z. -- no, I'll start with L.Z., why are the American people -- why are they buying into it? Well, the president should open the strategic oil reserves. This president is responsible for high gas prices. Why are people buying into it, L.Z.?

GRANDERSON: Because we want things to be easy. We want things to excess in a vacuum. We don't want cause and effect. We just want things to be easier for ourselves.

And that unfortunately is the real truth about us as a culture.

LEMON: OK.

GRANDERSON: I mean, you can't keep saying we want lower taxes, but we want the government not to touch any of the spending. I mean, but we don't want to borrow. I mean, we want it all, we can't have it all. That's with gas prices, too.

LEMON: Will?

CAIN: Well, it's not just gas prices, Don. It's the economy and business cycles in general. We think the president has like a direct lever -- (CROSSTALK)

LEMON: No, no, no. I get your point --

CAIN: From macro to micro in gas.

LEMON: You said it's not fair, I'm asking you why are the American, some American people -- many I should say -- buying into this narrative then?

CAIN: I'm telling you they buy into the narrative, the president has control over everything, not just gasoline, but macro economic business cycles. They think that Clinton was a great president for the economy because the economy was great during that time.

They think that we see an economic uptick right now and Obama gets full credit for it. He might. He does deserve some credit for it. But there's so many factors at play, what is going on in the economy, and with gas prices, that it's just silly to think that we can blame or credit a president for all of this.

LEMON: Any president, Republican, Democrat, libertarian, independent -- whatever, any president.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely.

CAIN: Yes, but it is a nuanced argument. There are nuanced aspects to president's effects on the economy. But when you boil it down to a simple bumper sticker tag at your local gas station, it just gets stupid fast.

LEMON: Yes. We've exhausted this, run out of gas on this particular topic. Let's move on now, all right?

L.Z., I want to you listen --

GRANDERSON: That was nice, Don. That was nice.

LEMON: I want you to listen to Mitt Romney and I want to get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When he ran for office, he said he wanted to see gasoline prices go up. He said that energy prices would skyrocket under his views and he has selected three people to help him implement that program -- the secretary of the energy, the secretary of the interior and the EPA administrator. And this gas hike trio has been doing the job over the last three and a half years and gas prices are up. The right course is they ought to be fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Yes. I thought we've exhausted --

CAIN: Now, this is more interesting.

LEMON: What?

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Because I thought we were done with this topic and then that sound bite. I wanted a different sound byte. But go ahead, I get your response on it.

CAIN: I just want to say -- this is more interesting, and this delves into some of the nuanced aspects of the energy market. President Obama did run on alternative energy sources and weaning Americans off of carbon-based fuels. Anyone who understands economics knows that means gas prices are going to have to go higher to get consumers off of it.

Now, is he responsible for them? No. But did he want higher gas prices? Eventually he did.

LEMON: OK. The sound bite I wanted was Rick Santorum saying, and we won't play it. But he's that if he wins the Illinois primary, that he is going to win the nomination. That's a pretty bold statement.

Do you think that's strategically smart at this point? L.Z., and then Will.

GRANDERSON: Well, I think it's the kind of things he needs to say in order to make sure that the money keeps coming in, because if the person just looks at the delegates and looks at who are likely to vote for Mitt Romney versus who's likely to vote for Rick Santorum, it doesn't look good for him. So, it has to present this sort of rhetoric so that the money keeps coming in, the interest stays high. And that who knows, if he's able to prevent Mitt Romney from getting the number that he needs, the 1,100 plus that he needs, you know, we may have a convention which things are getting worked on a brokered sort of way.

And so, this is just banter for him to keep, you know, the funds flowing.

LEMON: All right. Will?

CAIN: Look, Rick Santorum has to win something like 70 percent of the delegates from here on out to get the nomination. What he does in Illinois strategically, logistically, mathematically, doesn't have that big of an impact. But the whole thing is a Hail Mary pass at this point. So, why not make some Hail Mary predictions?

LEMON: Good stuff, guys. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

CAIN: You bet.

LEMON: I'll see you next weekend, all right?

And make sure you join us on Tuesday night, we got your complete coverage of the Illinois primary, kicks off at 7:00 Eastern with Erin Burnett. And we'll have complete coverage beginning at 8:00 with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and the entire CNN political team. So make sure you tune in.

You know, this isn't supposed to happen, in the middle of March, especially in Arizona, a snowstorm leaves part of the state crippled and over 100 miles of major interstates shut down. We're going to get a live report in two minutes and find out how this might affect the start of the workweek. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I said, if you're sitting in one of the warm states, you're going to go, what? Are you kidding me? It's not possible.

You can call it winter reload, a foot of snow on the ground two days before spring. Snow started falling in Flagstaff, Arizona, over night. And just last week, some people in Arizona were enjoying temperatures in the 80s. Now, they're dealing with road closures.

Mike Watkiss is live -- oh, boy, look at him, he's all bundled up in Flagstaff.

Mike, it looks like it's still snowing, doesn't it?

MIKE WATKISS, KTVK REPORTER: Don, we got the real deal going on here in Arizona's high country today. A big time spring snowstorm slamming into the Grand Canyon state over this weekend. It blew in last night, drizzly rain, it transitioned to heavy snow in the wee hours of the early morning, and it's basically been snowing to beat the band ever since, as you mentioned, road closures, a lot of the surface streets clogged with snow. And several of the major arteries through this part of the country also closed down.

The major north/south thoroughfare, the I-17, from Phoenix through Flagstaff and north to Utah, that's large chunks of that have been closed down, and the real problem, the major east/west corridor, that's Interstate 40 also closes down for about a 200-mile stretch, we understand. There are a lot of accidents, lots of slide-offs.

We also understand the hard work and firefighters here in Flagstaff on high alert, because they're responding to so many of these traffic accidents. Snow plow crews out doing what they can with -- with snowfalling as hard and as fast as it has been, we've got at least a foot on the ground and probably another coming overnight.

LEMON: Oh, my goodness.

WATKISS: They're going to need a break to get on top of this. So, we've got a lot of winter weather here in what's known as Arizona's high country.

LEMON: OK. Mike, you said that the interstate, big parts of it still shut down. As you're talking there, we can see there's some people still out and about. I saw cars going by. You have a couple of people walking.

How are people dealing with this? Are they taking it in stride or are they like, boy, what the heck is going on?

WATKISS: Well, you know, Flagstaff has a ski resort right by it, and a college campus. So, these kids and these recreators, these mountain recreators, they love it, and no doubt about it, we desperately need this snow. We are looking at another terrible fire season in the state of Arizona.

So, we need this snow, and these folks are basically accustomed to it. But when it comes down so fast and furious, it really makes the travel difficult for a couple days. And it's going to be a mess tomorrow. We understand that the university is going to be closed down, probably a school day for most of the local schools. So, it's just come down so hard and fast, it's a real inconvenience. A danger on the road.

But I can tell you, Don, we certainly need this snow pack. We need it in our reservoirs, it's good for the economy and it postpones our fire season.

LEMON: Well, if you're going to be stuck in a snowstorm and covering one, you should dress as cool as Mike Watkiss. In all seriousness, though, we wish the folks there well.

Mike Watkiss, reporting for us in Flagstaff, Arizona, appreciate it. You know, we've had had 80-plus degree weather right here at our CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. It makes you kind of nervous to think that parts of Arizona had the same temperatures just last week.

Jacqui Jeras joins us now with more on what we can expect with the start of the week.

People are out, running with their shirts off, shorts, in the park today. Jacqui, are we in for the same thing, possibly?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, not quite. There will be a cool down eventually, Don, we're not talking snow across parts of the Southeast, that's for sure.

And it really has been flip-flopped weather. When I say that, I'm not talking about the sandals. I'm talking about places like Phoenix, Arizona, with 50 degrees and rain, in places like International Falls, Minnesota, with 77 degrees, and a record high. So, not really what you would expect this time of the year.

And the snow has been fast and furious, as we heard about, and look at these totals just from today. For example, 26 inches in the Arizona snow bowl. And we had as much as four feet of snow in parts of the sierras and the California. So, what's going on?

This is our big weather system. And we really have to look in to the upper levels of the atmosphere to know what's going on. We have a big trough or big U out here, bringing in unstable conditions and bringing in this heavy snow. It's also a very slow-moving system. So, this is going to be something we're going to have to deal with for a couple days.

Now, as this advances off to the east ahead of it, our big concerns are the fire danger. That's all here across the High Plains. And then ahead of it, that's where we could expect to see some severe thunderstorms.

And because it's going to be moving so slowly the next few days, we could see six maybe 10 inches of rainfall in the Southern Plains. So, the flood threat will be a big deal. At this hour, we have a tornado watch which remains in effect for Texas and Oklahoma. We're also watching areas of Ohio right now. A tornado warning in effect for the northern Columbus suburbs, and there has been a funnel cloud reported with this.

So, you folks need to see shelter right now, not looking for widespread severe in this area.

But this is a big storm system, Don, it's going to stick around for a couple days, and people -- especially in the nation's midsection need to be prepared.

LEMON: All right. Jacqui, thank you. Tale of the different parts of the country. Appreciate it. Your top stories are three minutes away in CNN, including rioting in Canada, students take their St. Patrick's Day celebrations a lot too far.

And we're digging deep on a story that has galvanized a community.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: He just said he shot him. Yes, he person is dead laying on the grass --

DISPATCHER: Just because he's laying on the grass.

CALLER: Oh my God.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: A teenager shot to death while walking in a Florida gated community. The admitted shooter, the head a neighborhood watch. He claims he did it in self-defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is coming up now on half past the hour. We want to take a look at your headlines.

The attorney for Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has arrived in Kansas to prepare for his first meetings with his new client. Bales is the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghans civilians last weekend. He is now at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and he could be charged in connection with those deaths as soon as this week.

In the presidential race, early results are coming in from Puerto Rico's Republican primary. There they are on your screen. 10 percent of the results are in, and Romney's up top, 82 percent. You can see Rick Santorum is 9 percent; Newt Gingrich, 3 percent; Ron Paul, 1 percent. As I said a few minutes ago, they're coming in quickly. Make sure you stay tuned to CNN. We'll bring you the results as they come in live here on CNN. 20 delegates are at stake in that contest, by the way.

Rioting broke out in London, Ontario, overnight as St. Patrick's Day celebrations got out of hand. Canadian police say a drunken mob of about 1,000 people set fires, pelted police with rockets and bottles and caused about $100,000 worth of damage. Most of it took place in a college neighborhood known for parties and a history of disturbances, but never as bad as this. Seven people were arrested but no serious injuries luckily to report here.

Imagine if your son, grandson or brother or nephew headed out to the corner store to buy candy for his brother and never returned because he was shot and killed by someone acting as a police officer who wasn't one. That's exactly what happened to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin of Sanford, Florida, on February 26th.

Goldie Taylor from the Goldie Taylor Project is here to talk about that.

Goldie, Trayvon died face down on the street, unarmed, with Skittles candies in his hand. The neighborhood watch captain, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, who admitted to killing Trayvon, says he felt threatened by the teen. But neighbors who heard the altercation say they're not buying it.

Goldie, I want to you listen to this report from CNN affiliate, WKNG.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY CUTCHER, WITNESS: I firmly believe this was not self-defense.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meeting Trayvon Martin's family for the first time, Mary Cutcher and Selma Lamilla, dropped a bomb during a press conference, saying they witnessed the 17-year-old getting shot, and they were ignored by police.

CUTCHER: What we heard, what we saw that we believe in our hearts 100 percent, it was not self-defense. I heard the crying. It was a little boy. As soon as the gun went off, the crying stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sanford police never arrested Zimmerman because they had no evidence the shooting was not self- defense. But the witnesses say they tried to call police four times to get a statement, and their calls were not returned.

SELMA LAMILLA, WITNESS: We believe as a gun was pointed at a 17-year- old child. He pled for his life and George Zimmerman pulled the trigger.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: The case has devastated the family, outraged the community and put the police department under fire.

But a grieving mother says, for these witnesses, she is grateful.

SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: And just to know that, regardless what happens, there's still good people in this world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Goldie, what's going on here? As of now, in this investigation, appears that Trayvon was not armed. They have not found a weapon or gun, all they found was candy?

GOLDIE TAYLOR, GOLDIE TAYLOR PROJECT: All they found was candy. I have to tell you, I have a 21 and 28-year-old son. I've never heard them cry as grown men. If I had heard them shriek and beg for their lives like this, it would have been devastating to me. I can't imagine what Mrs. Martin is going through tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Let's listen to the 911, since you mentioned that crying and screaming.

Play it.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CAPTAIN: Something's wrong with him. Yes, he's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is.

DISPATCHER: Are you following him?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes.

DISPATCHER: Okay, we don't need you to do that 37.

ZIMMERMAN: OK.

(END AUDIO FEED)

LEMON: That was the one, from George Zimmerman, 28-years old. We'll talk about that one later.

The one with Trayvon Martin and with the neighbor. The neighbor is saying there's someone outside, I can hear he's screaming, crying. You can hear the gun shots. And after the gunshots, you don't hear any screaming.

TAYLOR: Right. You know, George Zimmerman told police that it was his voice on the 911 tape screaming. But I'm a mother. I know the sound of my own son's cries. Mrs. Martin says it was Trayvon screaming and begging for his life.

LEMON: The question is, why hasn't George Zimmerman been arrested? Why are police, and whoever -- they say it's in the hands of the state's attorney now -- why hasn't he been arrested? And the investigation, as we know, it has to play out. It appears there's no movement on this. On social media, people are going crazy about the story -- justice for Trayvon. TAYLOR: I would say that if not for what has happened in social media, specifically among Twitter and some of the leading journalists and key influencers there, that this would have ended because this police chief said it was self-defense and had closed the case. So the idea that the state's attorney now has this, the Justice Department is now looking into this case on civil rights charges and other things, I think that came because of the public backlash.

LEMON: According to the family -- the family believes that the police department and those investigating it are trying not to talk about it. This is according to the family. The police department --

(CROSSTALK)

TAYLOR: The police chief specifically is blaming Trayvon.

LEMON: They're saying they -- they're not commenting on it because they're expecting this to play out in the media. And the media will move on to a different story and then they won't have to deal with it. That's according to the family. But that's not going to happen with this story.

TAYLOR: That's not going to happen.

LEMON: So we're going to talk a little bit more about this incident after the break. Specifically, who is George Zimmerman, and why was he carrying a gun? And did a Florida law -- it's known as Stand Your Ground? Did it embolden him?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now we want to focus on the man who admittedly killed a Florida teenager, Trayvon Martin. He said he did it in self-defense. The 17-year-old was gunned down as he headed home after buying candy for his little brother. The neighborhood watch captain, his name is George Zimmerman, told 911 he thought Trayvon was acting suspiciously. You heard the 911 part it earlier. And against the urging of the dispatcher, he followed and confronted him. There was a gunshot and then Trayvon was killed.

I want to you listen to what the official rules of the neighborhood watch, says about -- what it says about carrying a gun. This is according to one of the neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIE JACKSON, ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN'S PARENTS: George Zimmerman wants to say he has a concealed weapon for personal protection. That day he was acting as armed security. The official manual of the Neighborhood Watch Program, which we will give you all a copy of, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, specifically states that members do not possess police powers and they shall not carry weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We want to continue this important discussion with Goldie Taylor now of the Goldie Taylor Project.

George Zimmerman should not have been armed. The 911 dispatcher told him not to get involved. He said, he looks suspicious, he's on drugs, something looks wrong with him. Then he says these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) always get away with it. That was in the 911 as well.

TAYLOR: It's worth noting that George Zimmerman, since January 1st of this year, has called 911 46 times. In any --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I think it was 2011.

TAYLOR: In any jurisdiction, even 46 times in a year, two years, make that five years, that person would have been named a nuisance caller. He was told specifically not to follow Trayvon. Not only did he do that but he parked, got out of his car, armed, and confronted him. I don't know that this is a black and white issue so much as it is a human rights issue. I will tell you this, victims are the number -- the race and economic status of the victim is the number-one predictor of investigation and conviction. The fact that Trayvon Martin is black is relevant here.

LEMON: How does someone look suspicious?

TAYLOR: I guess Skittles is a suspicious thing.

LEMON: No, I'm serious. How do you -- is it somehow -- is it what your wearing? Is it you're making a threatening move? Because according to this -- it's called Stand Your Ground law, which is on the books in Florida and it's on the books in more than a handful -- I think it's like 13 or 14 other states. And even --

TAYLOR: But Stand Your Ground doesn't apply here. Stand Your Ground means --

LEMON: If they're breaking and entering?

TAYLOR: No, no, no. you have to believe -- it's more than that. You have to believe that you or someone here is in imminent danger of not being hurt, of being killed. And then you do not have to flee. You have no duty to flee if you or someone else -- you must believe that someone's going to be killed right away.

LEMON: But did this law embolden George Zimmerman and others like him? There have been other incidents where people have said this contributed to the shooting or the killing or what have you or to this sort of incident.

TAYLOR: I think there have been reports that George Zimmerman had been more and more emboldened over time. There had been a series of break-ins. He had helped police solve several break-ins in the neighborhood. He had been emboldened over a course of time. Someone who has taken criminal justice classes who was pursuing a role in law enforcement --

LEMON: A volunteer.

TAYLOR: He was a volunteer, armed with a nine millimeter, who accosted a 17-year-old black boy who was no more than 15 pounds heavier than me, and said his life was in danger.

LEMON: I know you're going to go down to Florida to interview people and to talk to them at a rally and do an episode of Goldie Taylor Project. We look forward to that.

TAYLOR: Absolutely.

LEMON: Thank you, Goldie. We appreciate it.

TAYLOR: Thanks for having me.

LEMON: When most of us think of slavery, we think horrors in the past. In one country, it's still happening in 2012. Can you believe it? Next, CNN travels halfway around the world to speak to slaves, slave owners and government officials. Some insist slavery is a thing of the past. But our cameras discovered otherwise.

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LEMON: Breaking news on the Puerto Rico primary. We are now ready to project a winner with 11 percent of the results in now. And there it is on your screen right there. Mitt Romney is the winner in Puerto Rico. 20 delegates were at stake there. They haven't been allocated yet but 11 percent are in, and I think the results are 82 percent -- 82 percent for Mitt Romney, 9 percent for Rick Santorum; 2 percent, Newt Gingrich; Ron Paul, 1 percent.

What does this mean? How are the delegates going to be allocated? How's it going to stack up? Where is everybody now when it comes to delegates overall?

David Frum, Maria Cardona join me now live.

They know a lot more than I about this.

Maria, I'm not being sexist, but ladies first. What does this mean? We don't know the allocation of the delegates here. Talk me through this, how might they allocate them, and what does this mean for everyone?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It looks as if Mitt Romney has such a substantial lead and the way that the delegates will be allocated. If he gets 50 percent or more, he gets all 20 delegates. It's going to be difficult for him to get less than 50 percent given the numbers that we're looking at right now. And also given the support he has on the island, the governor of Puerto Rico is a big Romney supporter. Clearly, he put his machine to work in favor of Mitt Romney. Also he is the beneficiary of Rick Santorum putting his foot in his mouth earlier this week when he was in Puerto Rico pushing English only as a condition for statehood. When you go to Puerto Rico to talk to the, quote, unquote, "Republicans" down there, the Republicans are the statehooders, so I think, not understanding that, Santorum -- and in keeping with his conservative principles, said what was on his mind. It was not what was -- the politically correct thing to say. I think Mitt Romney has also been a beneficiary of that.

LEMON: Listen, this is a delegate -- let's look at the update.

Do we have the full screen that we can put up?

And we can talk about that, David, because here's 513 for Mitt Romney, 239 for Rick Santorum, 139 for Gingrich and 69 for Ron Paul. Almost double -- we'll it is double. 250 by two is 500. It's double for Mitt Romney. And 1,144, that's the magic number.

David, do you agree with Maria there, that with an 82 percent, at least with the 11 percent in, that that's such a big victory that he's going to get all the delegates?

DAVID FRUM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. It's hard to imagine it doesn't happen otherwise. Now look at what happens if he does get those 20 delegates. Mitt Romney needs to win fewer than half of the remaining delegates in order to get to 1,144. Rick Santorum will now need to gain two-thirds of the delegates to get to 1,144. Actually, a little more than two-thirds. The math gets increasingly friendly for Mitt Romney, increasingly desperate for Rick Santorum. I think, at this point, it's formally impossible for Newt Gingrich.

LEMON: We have a shorter show tonight because we're doing a special at 7:30. I want to ask you this, if I could get a quick answer from you. Rick Santorum said if he wins Illinois, he's going to capture the nomination. Does this -- and I don't know if any other caucus or primary has given anybody momentum. It's been so unpredicted.

David, I'll start with you. Does Puerto Rico help in this regard to anyone? Does it hurt Santorum since he didn't win? Does it help Mitt Romney in winning Illinois which is coming up next?

FRUM: I don't think there's a momentum in this race. I don't think it will factor into fundraising or anything like that. The important thing -- that line of Rick Santorum's you just quoted, it's not true. Even if Rick Santorum, by some miracle, wins in Illinois, he still probably doesn't get the nomination because the hill, at this point, is so very high for him. And the hill is much less steep for Mitt Romney.

LEMON: Maria, I'm sorry, I don't have time for a response.

But thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

But thank you, all. I appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thanks, Don.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Mitt Romney wins Puerto Rico and is probably going to get the 20 delegates there. He won by 82 percent.

I don't know about you, but my NCAA tournament bracket has more "L"s than "W"s on it. Up next, we're going to talk to the guy who filled out the brackets for "Sports Illustrated" and he knows college basketball. Who's going to win it after all of these upsets that have been going on?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: March Madness -- sadness in some cases -- in full swing. Already, a few upsets and a few potential Cinderellas in the making. As for my bracket, you don't want to look at that.

Pablo Torre, of "Sports Illustrated" is here.

There's the new issue of S.I. with Kentucky's Anthony Davis on the cover.

Pablo, it's good to see you. A couple big upsets Friday night. What about today?

PABLO TORRE, REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes, today we had another big one. Every year we wonder, when are these things going to start happening, the dominos have officially started falling. NC State, a team that was probably not going to make the tournament, as of a week before selection Sunday, ends up up-ending Georgetown, which I know you had in your lead eight, Don. That's a big, big thing in people's brackets. Nobody thought this would happen. That's the fourth big upset in the last three days.

LEMON: Let's talk brackets right now, Pablo. CNN.com/brackets. Here are the CNN anchors, the results -- mine not so much. You can see Brooke is in the lead there. I just messed that one up. And Kyra's after that. Oh, forget it. I'm down there. I messed up. But anyway, here's mine. I said that Duke was going to win. But then -- I'm still in. I think I'm tied with number seven with someone. I'm still in it here.

Who did you have leading the pack? I have Georgetown advancing. You picked the brackets for "Sports Illustrated." What did you have?

TORRE: I had Michigan State winning all. I had them beating UNC in the final -- in the championship game. My final four is still alive. Michigan Statev. Kentucky, and North Carolina v. Ohio State, they're both alive. I'm doing pretty well, Don. You were five of eight getting those right in the elite eight. You're still standing, but you have some severe flesh wounds to attend to. You had Duke in the final game. Hopefully, Michigan State -- God knows that they look bad today against St. Louis. And it's going to be a slog. You never know what's going to happen at this point.

LEMON: You're pretty good there.

I finally got this to come back up. You see Brooke is number one; Kyra is number two; Soledad is three; Randy Kay. Rob leading among the guys, John King, Wolf, and then I'm way down here, and on and on and on.

Listen, who's a hot team? Who looks really strong to you?

TORRE: Right now, North Carolina is taking Norfolk State to the wood shed right now. Don, you were hurt by 15 cedes. We had 15 cedes beating two cedes twice in the same year, which has never happened before so you were totally off.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I was hurt, because I don't know what's going on. That's why I was had someone else --

(LAUGHTER)

-- fill out my brackets. But still, I mean -- you said --

TORRE: Oh, well. That's no fair.

LEMON: -- Michigan State was going to win it all. Do you still believe that?

TORRE: I do. I do. Tom Izzo is the best post-season coach in college basketball. These kids, they are the game, but coaches are institutions. And you look at Tom Izzo. I like him to get a seventh final four since 1999. He has a system that he's worked out. He has a team, a fleet of managers who help him put together video on the second games of these tough weekends. Michigan State, they're an institution at this point in the month of March.

LEMON: Next year, Pablo, you have to send me some help. And maybe you can --

(CROSSTALK)

TORRE: I'll send you some tips.

(LAUGHER)

LEMON: All right, thank you, sir.

Pablo Torre for "Sports Illustrated."

New information into CNN, just in this past hour, on the U.S. Army soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghans. Those who knew him describe him of a man with mounting personal problems. A live report coming just ahead.

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