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Report: Teen Was On Phone When He Died; FBI To Investigate Death Of Unarmed Teen; Who Is George Zimmerman?; FBI To Probe Death Of Unarmed Teen; GOP About To Release House Budget; France On High Alert After Shooting; Southern Mississippi Punishes Students for Chant; Trayvon Martin was on the Phone When Confronted; Broncos Close to Signing Manning
Aired March 20, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: -- you know, the poppy harvest, because of the weather, things like that. They want to have a significant amount of troops there for next fighting season to get one more strong fighting season in, but the thing is the surge will be done by this fall.
So we're at about 90,000 troops now. We're going to be down to about 67,000, 68,000 by the fall. The key and what General Allen is going to be pushing for is to keep the funding and make the argument to keep the majority of those 67,000, 68,000 for another year.
There are many in Congress, even some, you know, inside the administration as well who would argue a faster pull down to bring more of those troops home is what's warranted now.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know you're going to monitor this conference and hopefully you'll be back within the hour to tell us what was said. Chris Lawrence live at the Pentagon.
More now on Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, he'll likely meet with his attorney again today at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. We're now hearing from Bales' wife for the first time. She put out this statement.
It says, quote, "What has been reported is completely out of character of the man I know and admire. The victims and their families are all in my prayers, as is my husband who I love very much."
She and her two children have the added stress of moving out of their home in the Tacoma, Washington, area. The Bales have been having money problems. Their house was put up for a short sale just before the shootings.
Bales' lawyer says his client, by the way, was not drunk the night of the killings, but he cannot remember what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has an early memory of that evening, and he has a later memory of that evening, but he doesn't have memory of in between.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bales told you he was not drinking that night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said I had a couple sips of something, but he didn't even have a full drink.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he was not drunk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, let's go to Ted Rowlands at Fort Leavenworth. I talked with that attorney, Mr. Browne. He told me the same thing that his client couldn't remember a single thing that happened that night. He could remember before and after. Have you talked to the attorney lately, Ted?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been corresponding over e-mail, but he made those comments basically after meeting with Bales yesterday here at Fort Leavenworth. And he's going to be talking with him again today.
And it just really ads to this mystery because people look at his military record and they looked at the crime that he's accused of doing, and they just don't add up. It's hard to look at anybody's record and that crime and make it add up.
But it just adds to the mystery that now he's saying that he doesn't remember that period of time, some sort of blackout. That he just doesn't recall. So it's adding to the mystery.
We do expect Bales to continue to discuss this case with his lawyer, team of lawyers here at Leavenworth today. Still no charges have been formally handed down yet by the military though -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Charges still have not been filed. Do we expect them to be filed anytime soon?
ROWLANDS: Well, the military does a complete investigation before they formulate the charges, and then -- it's called preferring the charges.
That investigation goes to a commander, and then it's up to the commander then to prefer the charges up. And we don't know when they're going to come down.
Speculation is that they could come down any day or within the week, but we just don't know specifically because they're not telling us. They're not giving us a specific time frame.
COSTELLO: So once Bales is finally charged, do you think he'll stay at Leavenworth?
ROWLANDS: We don't know. That's a good question. Whether he'll stay at Leavenworth and then go to court proceedings at another facility, possibly go out to the Seattle area where he was based, or will the proceedings take place here or at a different facility.
We do know that he will be tried in the United States. That, of course, has made a lot of Afghanis upset, but his criminal prosecution will take place on U.S. soil. We just don't know where.
COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands reporting live at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
All eyes on Illinois today. Voters are going to the polls to choose a GOP presidential candidate. Fifty four delegates at stake. No winner-take all here. Delegates are divvied up proportionally.
It's an open primary. So independents as well as Democrats can cast ballots. Our coverage begins with "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Of course, she'll have all the results for you. Actually that will be followed by the results, which will start to trickle in at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Busy day for President Obama. Right now, he's meeting with the prime minister of Ireland in the Oval Office. Today's meeting is part of the prime minister's annual visit to Washington.
At noon, the two will have lunch at the capital and tonight the Obamas will host a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House.
Michelle Obama joined David Letterman on "The Late Show" last night, and she spoke about a recent shopping trip to target.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: That's my Target run. I went to Target. I thought I was under cover. I have to tell you something about this trip though.
No one knew that was me because a woman actually walked up to me, right? I was in the detergent aisle, and she said, I kid you not, she said, excuse me.
I just have to ask you something, and I thought cover is blown. She said can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent. I kid you not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Mrs. Obama's pretty tall. In a more serious moment, Mrs. Obama told Letterman about her father, who had multiple sclerosis. She said she learned absolute, complete, unconditional love from him.
People are protesting because a neighbor watch captain who shot an unarmed teenager has not been charged. Newly released police tapes are giving us some insight into exactly who the shooter is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In France today, they're remembering three students at a teacher who were gunned down at a Jewish school on Monday. A moment of silence there. The French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined others for that moment of silence.
The gunman is a suspected serial killer. The country, France, is now on high alert. Zain Verjee is in London with more on this story and it's had repercussions here at the United States.
New York City police have -- are patrolling in areas where there are Jewish synagogues there because of this shooting in France.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Carol. This is an area and all places of faith and worship are now under high alert. There's loads of security around. Now a few hours ago the French interior minister came out and said they do not know who could be behind this, who the serial killer is, but there was some interesting detail that is came out.
The Interior Minister was quoting a witness that says that he saw the killer on a scooter with a video camera around his neck. So what police and investigators are doing now, Carol, is they're going through the internet and scouring it to see if this kind of a person.
Because they had an alleged video camera around their neck, would be posting something like this out for the public to see. They're also looking for some kind of psychological profile. It's not clear what exactly the motive with this shooting was, but there are various theories being floated around.
He could be a deranged right winger. He could be a neo-Nazi, an ex-criminal or just someone who just operates in the criminal underworld or even an ex-soldier. So no one's really sure exactly who this is.
But there is a major manhunt and what officials are saying that it's really only a question of time until they get him. Remember the Washington sniper a few years ago, Carol. Toulouse is in that same kind of fear with people going around just scared.
COSTELLO: It's just so strange are they sure this man is targeting Jewish targets because a couple weeks ago, I guess, a gunman on a motorcycle fired on some soldiers.
VERJEE: Right. They're not exactly sure, but the link between the two cases and officials and police are saying there is a link is that, first of all, the same gun was used in all instances.
It was a .45 caliber pistol that was used, and also the scooter that the shooter was on was a Yamaha scooter and CCTV had picked up the number plate in the different occasions. So they are linking it.
The cases I'm referring to, ones where North African soldiers were targeted and killed. So there are two minority groups in the country, and police are making a link, and they're determined to get the guy. But everyone is afraid in Toulouse.
COSTELLO: We can understand that. Zain Verjee live in London for us.
The House Budget Committee chairman will release the House Republican budget blue print in less than 15 minutes and you can expect us to be a big part of that plan. We'll take you live to Capitol Hill with more details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We have some new information for you this morning on the death of Trayvon Martin. A 16-year-old girl told ABC's "Good Morning America." She was on the phone with Trayvon Martin the night he died.
Martin told the girl he was being followed. She then heard someone ask Martin what he was doing. After Martin responded, she heard his phone drop and the call went dead. The FBI and federal prosecutors are now investigating Martin's death.
The Congressional Black Caucus has called for federal action saying Sanford, Florida police have shown a blatant disregard for justice, but police stand by their investigation.
As you can see here crowds protested outside a courthouse in Florida demanding justice and calling it a case of racial profiling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He could so easily have just been any one of us, so I feel like the reason you all are out here is because you all are affected the same way I was affected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all should expect better service from our public servants. That's what they're paid to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: George Zimmerman, the block watch captain, the man who shot Martin, hasn't spoken out publicly about that night. But newly released audio tape shows Zimmerman had a history of reporting crime to the police.
The calls give new insight into who he is, but first here is a look at what we do know about him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Neighbors say George Zimmerman was hard core when it came to patrolling the neighborhood. Records show he called police 46 times since 2001.
Some of those calls concern suspicious people roaming the neighborhood after a string of break-ins like the call he made the night he shot Trayvon Martin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy looks like he's up to no good or he's on drugs or something.
COSTELLO: Some neighbors in the homeowner's association credit Zimmerman's diligence with thwarting several crimes. Zimmerman is of Hispanic descent, 28 years old and married. In calls to police, he often references reports of what his wife saw.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife saw one of kids that did it.
COSTELLO: And he even once had a brush with the law accused of physically interfering with a police officer during a friend's arrest. He was later cleared of that charge.
There are still questions though, like did Zimmerman have a job? The "Miami Herald" reports he once owned a pressure washing company, but not much else is known.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: David Mattingly joins us now. David, we have these new 911 tapes and there are a lot of them. You went through them, you listened to him. What have you found?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're hearing is a neighborhood watch captain who is very, if you want to say aggressive, in what he was doing. He was vigilant. He was calling in everything that he saw was suspicious, calling in people that he didn't recognize.
In fact, we have one of those examples for you. We're going to play one of those tapes right now, and it sounds very familiar when you listen to it. It sounds a lot like the same call he made about Trayvon Martin. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: How can I help you?
ZIMMERMAN: Hi. There was a break-in in my neighborhood recently, and two youths that match the description of the people, my wife ID'ed them and saw them. They're back in the neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: What do they look like? Are they white, black, or Hispanic?
ZIMMERMAN: Black males, two black males in their late teens. One is wearing a black whitebeater, black tank top and black shorts and the other one is wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, and they are at the back of the gate of the neighborhood. If you let the officers know, they typically run away quickly, and I think they head over to the neighborhood, the next neighborhood over. So you may want to send a unit over to Calabria Cove.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: There he's expressing what sounds like a little bit frustration that he calls in people he thinks are suspicious, by the time the police get there, the suspects are gone. We heard him saying the same thing the night he was looking at Trayvon Martin.
COSTELLO: You know, we know that he made these dozens of calls to police since 2001. So the course of some years --
MATTINGLY: Yes.
COSTELLO: Do we know how many of those calls resulted in arrests?
MATTINGLY: No, we don't. We do know that the police were very familiar with him. He made a lot of calls to 911 since 2001, 40- something calls.
So this is a guy who has been in his neighborhood, who has had his eyes open and hasn't been afraid to call police. Now, when we hear from the family, they've listened to the 911 calls of that night when Trayvon Martin was killed, and they've listened to it very closely.
They firmly believe that was his voice on the tape calling for help. And when it comes to the confrontation that's where this issue about profiling comes in. They believe Zimmerman, first of all, should not have gotten out of his car.
He was instructed by authorities that night not to do it. And then go and confront Trayvon, and his father was speaking to Anderson Cooper last night and he said this to say. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACY MARTIN, TRAYVON'S FATHER: I think it's a matter of profiling, which I think that's an issue that Mr. Zimmerman himself considers as someone suspicious, a black kid with a hoodie on, jeans, tennis shoes.
But as you said, thousands of people wear that outfit every day. So what was so suspicious about Trayvon that Zimmerman felt as though he had to confront him?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And now it's really going to be interesting to hear what the Justice Department makes out of this since they're now getting involved in this investigation, but they're already rolling back expectations. They're saying in their statement that they released last night that negligence, recklessness, mistakes, and accidents are not prosecutable under federal civil rights laws.
COSTELLO: And the gun that the block watch captain, Zimmerman, was carrying, he was carrying it legally?
MATTINGLY: Yes.
COSTELLO: You have a right to defend yourself in the state of Florida --
MATTINGLY: Yes, but that's not something in a neighborhood watch are supposed to be doing and that's not something that the neighbors there when they voted to have him as the captain, that they knew that he was carrying a gun. They did not know that.
COSTELLO: Interesting. I'm sure you'll continue to follow this case. Thank you, David Mattingly.
Another note on this story, Martin's family is petitioning the District Attorney's office to prosecute Zimmerman. They have this online petition, and so far more than half a million people have signed that petition on change.org.
In just a few minutes, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan will hold a news conference on Capitol Hill. He is releasing the House Republican budget blueprint, and you can expect cuts to be a big part of that plan.
Our congressional correspondent Kate Bolduan is on Capitol Hill with details on that plan. Kate, fill us in.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol. Well, I'm in a new location here. We're actually getting ready for a press conference where we'll be hearing from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and some of his colleagues.
They will be coming in, in the next few minutes. We are waiting for him and waiting for that. We do have a copy of the budget they just put out just this morning. Obviously, there's a lot in it, but the headlines here, Carol, are really that you should be looking for them deeply cutting spending cap of $1.028 trillion.
This is domestic discretionary spending, a big word that they talk about up here. This is spending on domestic programs that do not include spending on entitlements, the major drivers of our country's debt.
That's a significant number because it's about $20 billion less than the number that Democrats and Republicans agreed to during that bruising debt ceiling battle over the summer that threatened to default and even earlier threatened a government shutdown.
Other big headlines coming from this budget today, it would balance the budget by 2014. It also overhauls the tax code, simplifying it really, and also includes significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid.
Those two elements, all of these elements as you probably -- will be no surprise to you, hugely controversial with Democrats in terms of the Medicare portion of this. Paul Ryan says he's making these changes and suggesting these changes in order to preserve and save the program.
But Democrats have already been out slamming it as ending the Medicare guarantee as Americans will know it. Of course, saying this is an example in their view of Republicans putting more importance on saving tax breaks for wealthy than they are on protecting seniors and the poor.
Just like last year, last time around when this budget came out, it will definitely be getting a lot of talk for the days, weeks, and months ahead, but important to know, Carol, bottom line, this is more of a political document than anything else.
More laying out Republican priorities in the year ahead than anything else, and that is because it really is going to go nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Democrats have already come out to say that it's not going anywhere.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already said it's not going anywhere. They've already kind of laid their stakes out, again, no surprise to you, but it is an important document that will be getting a lot of attention going forward.
COSTELLO: Yes or no, does it include tax increases for anyone?
BOLDUAN: Well, importantly, it does not include tax increases -- as Democrats say it does not include tax increases on the wealthy, but it does overhaul this tax code, which would close tax loopholes, eliminate deductions, simplify the tax code. Again, when you get into the details, there are both sides of the aisle that are going after each other on that issue as well.
COSTELLO: OK. I know you have a lot of reading to do so I will let you go.
BOLDUAN: A lot of reading, yes, exactly. Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, thank you, Kate Bolduan.
The first lady spilled some secrets on David Letterman last night. Does the president really like Congress that much? I'll ask our "Political Buzz" panel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Stories we're following in the NEWSROOM right now. We've learned the unarmed Florida teenager killed by a neighborhood watch captain was on the phone when he was shot.
The FBI and federal prosecutors have now joined the investigation into the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Some people are outraged the shooter hasn't been charged. George Zimmerman said it was self-defense.
France on high alert after Monday's deadly shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse. A moment much silence was held this morning for three students and a teacher who were killed by a man on a motorcycle. Authorities are looking into whether neo-Nazis are behind the shooting.
And the soldier accused of killing Afghan civilians is expected to meet with his lawyer again today at Fort Leavenworth as they plan their defense. The attorney says Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was not drunk the night of the shooting, but he cannot remember what happened that night.
"Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman, Jason Johnson, professor at Hiram College, and the chief political correspondent at Politics 365 and Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.
Welcome to all of you. First question, three words. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. Is the elections now about more than just, its the economy stupid? Robert?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think you're already starting to see that happen. For example, President Obama's approval ratings went down as the price of gasoline went up because of the geopolitical tensions around oil in the Middle East and because of the Iran crisis.
But the Republican candidates are not gaining any traction on it as long as they continue to try to defend keeping our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and trying to justify the criminally negligent bush foreign policy.
COSTELLO: Ron?
RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes. I think that foreign policy could likely be part of the 2012 election cycle because we don't know exactly what will happen in Iran, whether or not Israel will try to do is pre-emptive strike.
With the tensions in Afghanistan, and these are things President Obama is going to have to tackle. Now, people are still very concerned about high gasoline prices and high unemployment, and it still is an economic election.
COSTELLO: Jason?
JASON JOHNSON, PROFESSOR, HIRAM COLLEGE: Foreign policy is a nonstarter for the Republican Party for a really simple reason. Obama killed Osama. That's it.
The Republicans have only been able to argue I would have killed him faster or killed him with a bigger gun. Americans aren't that concerned about foreign policy.
I can't imagine it's going to be a real issue. People are still going to be concerned about the economy, gas prices, and whether Obama can do something about 8.3 percent unemployment. Foreign policy, nonstarter for the GOP.
COSTELLO: OK, let's get to the next question and we start that question with some video. This is Pastor Dennis Terry introducing Rick Santorum at a weekend event in Louisiana. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS TERRY, PASTOR, GREENWELL SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH: If you don't love America and you don't like the way we do things, I got one thing to say, get out.
We don't worship Buddha. I said we don't worship Buddha, we don't worship Mohammed. We don't worship Allah. We worship God. We worship God's son, Jesus Christ.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So Santorum was in the audience and he was politely clapping and he did respond to this by saying he believes in freedom of religion but not necessarily what the pastor was saying.
So was his response spot on or not? Ron?
BONJEAN: Well, it's very difficult for Santorum because he's playing to the Evangelical base but it would be smart to distance himself from this kind, to run from the hills for comments like that. Because that -- that really starts to scare voters. Even Republican primary voters who aren't sure exactly what's going on here, they're not -- they're not going to be, you know, part of that, part of that. I think it's more important to focus on the economy and focus on what voters care about. Not necessarily all this political rhetoric.
COSTELLO: Jason?
JOHNSON: Look, I don't know how much more narrow the base of Rick Santorum can become. I mean, he doesn't want women to choose. He called black people lazy in Iowa. He told Puerto Ricans they have to learn how to speak Spanish. He's on an anti-porn crusade so he's going to lose the male vote. I mean, this guy needs to learn how to not alienate voters and actually bring them in.
So did he back away from the statement fast enough? Yes. But he's going to keep doing this and it's going to make it hard for him to win this nomination against Romney or alone face Barack Obama in the fall.
COSTELLO: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: You know these moments are more than just political calculations, they're tests of character. And for example, when Bill Clinton was an underdog running for president, he had what's became known as the sister soldier moment when he took on a core constituency because of hateful and divisive rap music.
Likewise here, whether at this moment where Rick Santorum didn't have the character to speak up or whether all the -- when the Republican candidates sat silently when a soldier was booed because he was gay, or their very weak response to Rush Limbaugh, they're failing the character test. That's beyond partisanship.
COSTELLO: Ok onto the third question, you're "Buzzer Beater", 20 seconds each. So here is the question. This is First Lady Michelle Obama on "David Letterman" last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Married men and women have conversations --
OBAMA: We tend to talk.
LETTERMAN: We tend to talk. That are for no one else in the world but one another.
OBAMA: That's right, but --
LETTERMAN: Hypothetically speaking, at the end of the day has your husband ever come home and said to you, "Oh, that John Boehner, what an idiot"?
OBAMA: It has -- it has never happened, never, never. He is always upbeat, particularly about Congress.
LETTERMAN: Yes. How can you not be upbeat?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Ok. So here is my question. Seriously? Jason?
JOHNSON: Look, I don't buy this at all. I always figured that, you know, Obama and Michelle are kind of like Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv from the Fresh Prince. They come home at the end of the day and they talk about all the crazy dysfunctional family of Congress. Probably why you know Boehner's bad tan and why Eric Cantor is always sitting by himself in the cafeteria.
There is absolutely no chance that the President of the United States has nice things to say about Congress when he comes home.
Think about 15, 20 years ago when there was that interview with Newt Gingrich's mother on what he used to say about Hillary Clinton --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Oh. Ron?
BONJEAN: Yes I know. You know when the President comes home, he has a wife and two daughters, so I bet you he has a hard time getting in a word edgewise. But when he does, I'm sure he's taking a couple of Advil and complaining about John Boehner because he wants to cut taxes, Republicans want to cut spending, and they want to have more energy solutions like the Keystone Pipeline the President is against. So I could see why he has headaches.
COSTELLO: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: I guarantee you Ron, they're not reciting talking points when they're sitting together. But I would have to say you know when it comes to knowing what's going on behind closed doors of married couples, I will leave it to Rick Santorum and his right-wing buddies to figure out. As far as I can imagine I don't think they are really disgusted with John Boehner. Maybe they are toasting him because of how poorly the Republican Congress is polling. That could be part of it, but realistically I think as far as --
COSTELLO: Oh you can finish.
ZIMMERMAN: I was buzzed out of that.
COSTELLO: Ok. You don't have to. It's ok. Robert, Ron, Jason, thank you so much for playing today. We appreciate it, as always.
JOHNSON: Always a pleasure.
BONJEAN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Tune in tonight for our coverage of the Illinois primary that begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" and that's followed by extended coverage during "AC360" and "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT".
President Obama is making a visit to Oklahoma and it could be crucial to his re-election campaign. That controversial Keystone Pipeline that he vetoed -- oh it's coming back to haunt him. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A bit of breaking news to pass along to you about Trayvon Martin. the Florida teenager who was gunned down by a block watch captain. His father, Tracy, will be holding a news conference at 11:15 Eastern Time. Of course, if we're able, we're going to carry that live for you. We're not clear what he said, although we suspect it has something to do with the -- with the Justice Department getting involved in this shooting incident in Florida. When that press conference happens, we'll bring it to you live.
We've also learned this. We've learned that five members of the University of Southern Mississippi Pep Band have been punished after yelling at a player during an NCAA tournament game last week. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rodriguez has already let the ball go. He's a freshman but he's about as cool as they come right now. And no facial express whatsoever. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson picking up his second personal foul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Of course that was hard to hear there but the Pep Band was chanting, "Where is your Green Card, where is your Green Card?" CNN Espanol's Gustavo Valdes, has been following this story. And so what is the punishment?
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN.COM: Well, the President of Southern Mississippi promised a quick action and she's delivering today. She is suspending the -- she's revoking the scholarships for these five band members. They also are going to miss they're going to be evicted from the -- from the band. And they are going to be forced to take a two-hour course of cultural sensitivity. Yes.
COSTELLO: Wow. I mean -- I mean, I'm surprised because it seems really harsh for these young students some people might say. Wow, they lose their scholarships, they lose their place in the PEP band, they need counseling.
VALDES: Well, she did react very quickly as soon as this video clip hit the Internet. That's where it became known that -- well, somebody paid attention to what was being said from the -- from the band. She reacted quickly. She issued a statement saying that there would be a quick investigation and there was going to be action taken immediately. They came back from the spring break that ended last week. They met with the students I'm being. They met with members of the athletic department, and they came up with this conclusion.
They also reached out immediately to Angel Rodriguez who is the Kansas state player who was about to throw the free throw. He said that he heard the kids yell these things at them. He said, he ignored them. He accepted the apologies of the southern Mississippi officials and he said he's moved on.
COSTELLO: Wow. Thank you so much -- thank you so much, Gustavo, for following this story for us.
Also an NFL legend seems to be ready to suit up for a brand new team. Why it could spell the end to Tebowmania. More on that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: More breaking news to share with you. We've been talking about Trayvon Martin, that 17-year-old teenager gunned down in a Florida neighborhood by the neighborhood watch captain. We told you that his father, Tracy, will be holding a news conference at 11:15 eastern today.
We also just got this statement. It was released by the Florida state attorney general, Norm Wolfinger. And I'm going to read it you. He says "I share the desire of the family and the community to accurately collect and evaluate all facts surrounding the tragic death of Trayvon Martin. That is why I directed the expeditious review of the investigation which was delivered by the Sanford Police Department one week ago today. I respectfully request that the public remain patient as this process continues forward."
Translate that for you: that means the state attorney won't be talking to the media anytime soon until he gets all the information from the Sanford Police Department.
We also found out in the last hour that Trayvon Martin on that night when he was in that neighborhood in the dark, he was on the phone with a 16-year-old girl.
Sunny Hostin is here. She's found out more information about that phone call. Fill us in, Sunny.
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION": Thank you, Carol. I did have the opportunity to speak with one of the Martin family attorneys this morning for about 30 minutes. And she indicated to me that, yes, Trayvon Martin was on the phone with a 16-year-old girl who was a friend. They had traded phone calls with each other throughout most of the day.
The last phone call between the two started at about 7:04. At that time Trayvon told the girl he was being followed. He was nervous about that. She advised him to run. He told her that he wouldn't run, but that he would begin walking quickly, and he did that.
Apparently though Zimmerman was following him. He turned around according to this 16-year-old girl and said to Zimmerman, "Why are you following me?" Zimmerman then allegedly said to him, "Who are you? What is your name? What are you doing here?"
The girl then indicates that the next thing that she heard was Trayvon Martin being pushed to the ground or being pushed somehow or tackled and the phone call dropped. She indicates that the phone call dropped at about 7:16 p.m., and we understand that the police arrived on the scene at about 7:17 p.m. So the last conversation that Trayvon Martin had was with this friend, a 16-year-old girl.
She has given a taped affidavit to his attorney, to the family attorneys. Her family is very concerned about her well-being because of the media attention on this case, so we are not releasing her name or any other details. But I have confirmed that this conversation, she says, took place on that terrible night.
COSTELLO: So Sanford Police, did they question this young girl?
HOSTON: My understanding is that they did not question this young girl. One of the Martin family attorneys did go to her place in Florida and got this interview and a taped affidavit from her.
COSTELLO: So you're a prosecutor. Tell me why wouldn't police ask about whether he got any phone calls, check out his cell phone record, talk to this girl? Why wouldn't they do that?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, this investigation is ongoing. I hate to guess as to why they would not have done this. I will say that in an investigation involving someone's death that is typically done. Phone records are retrieved. All witnesses are interviewed.
And it is odd, if that interview did not take place -- let me also say this, that the family attorney told me that they are awaiting toxicology reports from Trayvon Martin's autopsy to dispel any notion that he was perhaps on drugs and that Zimmerman was allowed to leave the police department in the clothes that he was wearing that night, which means that any evidence that could have been gathered from his clothing is now lost. So that also is something that is somewhat troubling to this family.
COSTELLO: Ok. So we had a 911 call from that night, and we heard screaming in the background on that call. Did this young girl hear anything like that in the course of her conversation with Trayvon Martin?
HOSTIN: My understanding is that because the call dropped at about 7:16, she did not say that she heard any screaming, although the family maintains that it is Trayvon Martin's voice on the tapes that we've all probably heard by now screaming for help and pleading for help.
COSTELLO: Did he seem extraordinarily stressed on that phone call? I'm talking about Trayvon Martin. Did he sound afraid?
HOSTIN: My understanding is that she felt that he was nervous and concerned about someone following him, so much so that she advised him to run. He indicated that he wasn't going to run, but he was going to walk very quickly and try to get away from the person that was pursuing him.
And, you know, when he was confronted apparently, he was trying to ask why he was being followed, and he didn't get any answers before the phone dropped, the phone line dropped.
COSTELLO: Sunny Hostin, I know you're going to continue to follow this story. Thank you so much for bringing us that new information.
And again, that news conference from Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin's father coming your way at 11:15 a.m. Eastern. Kyra Phillips will have complete coverage for you in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
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COSTELLO: President Obama is hitting the road over the next two days to visit key battleground states. Mr. Obama has stops in Nevada and New Mexico, Ohio to defend his record amid soaring prices at the gas pump, but he also plans another visit. This to Oklahoma. Oklahoma is attracting the most attention because of the controversial Keystone pipeline project.
Our White House correspondent Dan Lothian is with us. So, Dan, it's interesting the timing of this trip to Oklahoma.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And, you know, some people see a lot of politics at play here believing that the President going on this trip will give him a chance to essentially answer critics of his energy policy.
And, in fact, yesterday during the White House briefing, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked several questions about why shouldn't the public see this as more of a PR stunt? His response was presidents all the time will travel around the country to push their various policies, in this case it's energy policy and what the President will be highlighting is his all of the above energy strategy which is a combination of alternative fuels and also pushing for more domestic oil production -- Carol.
COOPER: As you intimated, Dan, the GOP is already making hay out of this trip. They call it a pr stunt and they call it -- they say it will just illustrate the failure of the Obama administration's energy policy.
LOTHIAN: That's right, because you know, the message from Republicans has been all along that the President's policy contributes to the high gas prices. And in fact, in a release from speaker John Boehner's office yesterday, there was this quote. "This week's costly dog and pony show isn't likely to fool anyone. The President wants the American people to think his policies have nothing to do with rising gas prices, but the facts tell a different story."
Of course, the White House pushes back on that kind of rhetoric saying that anyone who is promising that they can deliver on a particular number of the gas prices is misleading the public because it's not about doing something that will change the price of gas in the short term but about building a strategy, a policy, a long-term policy that will fix this problem.
COSTELLO: We'll hear a lot more about this tomorrow and Thursday. Dan Lothian, live at the White House, thank you.
An NFL legend seems ready to suit up for a brand new team. How Denver became Peyton Manning's city of choice. That's next.
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COSTELLO: In today's "Daily Dose" of health news, health regulators have given the ok to a generic version of Boniva. It's one of the world's biggest selling osteoporosis drugs. Generic versions of popular drugs usually hit the market after their patents expire and often cost half as much as the original.
The National Institutes of Health says about 40 million Americans have osteoporosis or are at a high risk for it and about 1 in 5 women over 50 actually have the disease.
The big NFL news out today coming out of Denver, the Bronco's close to signing (inaudible) free agent Peyton Manning and that's prompting Super Bowl talk in the Mile High City and some sadness over Tim Tebow. Lindsay Jones is the Bronco's beat writer at the Denver Post. Lindsay, welcome.
LINDSAY JONES, DENVER POST: Hi, thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: We're delighted you're here because it must be an emotional time in Denver because of Tim Tebow.
JONES: Yes, there's a lot of bronco's fans who are really excited about the fact that Peyton Manning is about to be their new starting quarterback but it is a little bittersweet because the ride that Tim Tebow took this fan base on last year was one of the most exciting things that's ever happened in franchise history and certainly the most exciting ride that they have been on since their Super Bowls during the John Elway era.
So the fact that Peyton Manning is coming here, it is signaling the end of Tim Tebow's time in Denver, and that is a little bittersweet, but I think more so than anything people are excited about the fact that Peyton Manning, the biggest free agent in the NFL, is coming here and automatically going to make the broncos a legitimate AFC contender.
COSTELLO: It's all about winning, winning, winning. But let's face it, Lindsay, Tim Tebow did what they wanted him to. Team made the playoffs. He did it humbly. He never complained. He did what he was supposed to. And now we have Peyton Manning and so let's throw Tim Tebow to the sidelines.
JONES: Yes you know what; it was an interesting situation and kind of a dangerous game the Bronco's were playing here when they went all in on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes. Because if Peyton Manning had chosen to go somewhere else, had he gone to Tennessee or San Francisco or Arizona, John Elway would have -- he showed all his cards there, and, you know, it would have been really difficult I think to go back in to Tim Tebow and say, no, we really do want you to be our guy because they went in so hard on Peyton Manning. Really the only decision they have left is that they have to move Tim Tebow and they're going to start working on that basically as soon as the ink is dry on Peyton Manning's contract here.
COSTELLO: It will be interesting. Lindsay Jones, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
That does it for me. Let's throw it over to Kyra Phillips because I know you have a busy hour ahead.
