Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Healthcare in Court; Were Cops Moving to Arrest Zimmerman Early On?; Mid-Flight Meltdown Politics of Healthcare Decision; Newt Gingrich Lays off Campaign Staff; New Book on Tiger Woods from Former Coach

Aired March 28, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So, hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. So, we've got a very busy hour ahead. Let's get straight to the news

And top it with the "what if." It is a "what if" day at the U.S. Supreme Court. What if the justices decide the government can't require Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty? Would the rest of the health care reform law -- and I'm talking about the 400-plus provisions -- have to be thrown out as well?

The high court is nearing the end of a remarkable six hours of arguments on four separate issues arising from the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The session that began last hour is due to wrap up 45 minutes from now.

Soon after that, the final health care arguments will center on the power of the feds to compel states to broaden Medicaid coverage.

We don't expect any decisions until June at the earliest, but our Jeff Toobin and Kate Bolduan will step out of the courthouse to bring us up to speed when the "what if" arguments are over today at the U.S. Supreme Court.

All right, the facts surrounding Trayvon Martin's death are getting more complicated by the day. So far, there have been conflicting reports as to what exactly happened and whether George Zimmerman was really acting in self-defense when he shot Trayvon Martin in the chest.

Now, shocking new evidence that Sanford police were taking steps to arrest Zimmerman early in the investigation. "The Miami Herald" reports the police incident report actually categorized his death as a homicide and negligent manslaughter and officers requested an arrest warrant for Zimmerman.

Those details are in sharp contrast to statements made by Sanford police chief, Bill Lee, who said there was no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman. We're taking a closer look at these latest developments about eight minutes from now.

Since Trayvon Martin's death George Zimmerman has become a household name, but the anger and backlash have had unexpected consequences for an elderly school lunch lady and her husband who have nothing to do with the situation.

The couple's address was identified as that of George Zimmerman and re-tweeted by film director, Spike Lee, but it turns out George Zimmerman doesn't and has never live at this address.

The only Zimmerman there is a William George Zimmerman, the wife's son from a previous marriage, no relation to admitted shooter, George Zimmerman.

But all the hate mail and unwanted visitors have forced the elderly couple to move out of their house and they say they are now living in fear.

JetBlue's CEO says the pilot who had a mid-flight meltdown has always been professional. He believes this was a medical security that turned into a security issue.

And that's the pilot that you see right there in blue being taken off the plane.

Flight 191 from New York made an emergency landing in Texas after the pilot started behaving strangely. The co-pilot was the first to notice it and then locked him out of the cockpit.

And passengers rushed to subdue the screaming pilot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GONZALEZ: He started to curse at me and telling me you better pray about Iraq and Iran. And, so, I said, you know what? I'm going to show you what Iraq and Iran is.

And I took him in a chokehold and I was able to get my hand underneath his chin and put probably enough pressure where his legs gave out.

So, once his legs gave out, I was able to take him down to the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we'll have more on that story a little bit later on this hour.

All right, his campaign manager is out and a third of his staff is being laid off, but Newt Gingrich says he's forging ahead. Gingrich is blaming cash flow troubles for the staff departures.

An aide says the moves are part of a new strategy to invest in low-cost communications. Gingrich trails Mitt Romney badly in the battle for Republican delegates, but he vows to stay in the race all the way to the convention.

Gingrich's Republican rival, Rick Santorum, is back on the trail this hour in Wisconsin. He's holding an event in Sparta -- you're looking at live pictures right now -- where health care was among the top issues on his agenda.

He is hammering away at a favorite topic, the health care reform law currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and why he says it is bad for America.

Wisconsin is one of two states, plus the District of Columbia, holding contests next Tuesday.

A new poll of three, key swing states offers a snapshot of how a Romney versus Obama head-to-head match-up would play out. The president leads Mitt Romney 49 percent to 42 percent in Florida in a new Quinnipiac University survey.

And he leads 47 percent to 41 percent in Ohio, but in Pennsylvania the president is ahead 45 percent to 42 percent, a statistical tie that's within the poll sampling error.

All three states are considered crucial for any candidate since all three are rich in electoral votes and independent voters.

All right, just southwest of Denver, a massive wildfire continues to burn out of control, and it has torched 4,500 acres. Crews are searching right now for a woman who went missing in that area.

The fire has already killed two people. Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze, which has destroyed 23 homes and threatens thousands more.

Authorities say the wildfire may have started from a controlled burn, but they're still trying to determine the exact cause.

All right, Revolution Plaza in Havana. Live pictures right now. Taking you there to Havana for the second time in a little over 14 years, the scene of a papal mass.

Pope Benedict XVI is presiding in a country that until the early '90s was officially atheist. He has publicly called on Cuban leaders to move beyond Marxism and they have politely declined.

But later today, the pope is due to meet the father of Cuba's revolution, Fidel Castro, who famously hosted Cuba's first papal visit by John Paul II in 1998. John Paul exhorted Cuba to open itself to the world and the world to open itself to Cuba.

All right, on to Afghanistan now, women are jailed for apparent, quote, "moral crimes." Human Rights Watch says they are punished for running away from domestic abuse.

Also, rape victims and women forced into prostitution are considered adulterers and punished with prison time. The report is asking the government to release all women being held for such crimes.

All right, the Los Angeles Dodgers set to get a "Magic" buyout. A group including former basketball star, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, will acquire the team. The price tag? Two billion bucks, the most ever for a U.S. sports team. The group will officially take over after the deal is approved by a judge overseeing the Dodgers bankruptcy.

The Dodgers filed bankruptcy last June after Major League Baseball took over the team. It jumped in after the Dodgers hit financial troubles during the time the owner Frank McCourt's divorce from his wife, Jamie, was taking place.

Magic Johnson tells CNN the sale will be a new chapter for that team.

All right, was Trayvon Martin's death originally considered a homicide? New evidence today indicates some in the Sanford police department didn't buy George Zimmerman's story, so why wasn't he arrested?

We go deeper into the investigation coming up next.

But first, you've got to meet this little guy. Six-year-old Reece Holloway. A hint of the major leagues, keep your eye on this kid, because this little leaguer plans to bat with the big guys, like his favorite player, Chipper Jones, there.

Reece taught himself how to hit a baseball at the ripe old age of 2 without a left hand, if you notice there. He was born without it. Reis has never seen it as a disability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REECE HOLLOWAY, BORN WITHOUT LEFT HAND: I was born like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A sports star in the making and our rock star. Reese, we'll see you in the majors, buddy. Dibs on your baseball cards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's a complicated case and getting more so by the day, but the outrage arising from the killing of Trayvon Martin has a lot to do with one simple fact. Trayvon's killer, at least for now, has not been charged with any crime.

Police from Sanford, Florida have said from the outset they had no evidence to refute George Zimmerman's claim of self-defense, but now come reports from ABC and "The Miami Herald" that police did raise doubts about Zimmerman to county prosecutors, but weren't allowed to arrest him.

Andy Hill is not involved in the Trayvon Martin case, but as a veteran of the Phoenix Police Department he has worked many violent crime scenes and high profile investigations.

Good to see you, Andy. So what in your view might have given Sanford police pause if there were some on the scene who thought that this would be at the very least homicide or some type of manslaughter case?

ANDY HILL, VETERAN OF PHOENIX DRUG ENFORCEMENT BUREAU, VOLENT CRIMES TASK FORCE: It's a great question because the process of the investigation is what is at hand here.

When police officers have a high profile crime like this, the first officers responding to the scene will secure the scene. They obviously have a homicide situation. They contact the investigators.

And, in most police departments, the investigators will contact the prosecutor and, at some point, they going to have some kind of an interaction with the prosecutor.

And once the prosecution authorities have been contacted, they generally will make the decision as to whether or not an arrest is made or how to move forward. They work together.

WHITFIELD: But if I could stop you, at the very beginning you said, in most cases of a high-profile case, this wasn't high profile until a month later.

So, you know, by all accounts, this seemed like a crime scene that perhaps any number of the police investigators with that police department might be familiar with and know exactly what to do and how to treat it, et cetera.

HILL: Yes. Actually, to a police detective or police officer, any homicide scene is going to be high profile. Number one, the horrible tragedy of what occurred is key, but number two, we have to look at what did the police department do initially.

Did they do their job at the scene? Was it processed thoroughly? Was all the evidence gathered? Was there a statement taken from George Zimmerman right away so that they had something on hand?

And then the decision about whether or not to prosecute and to arrest, you know, the prosecutors may decide to wait because there may be a speedy trial law to deal with or the clock may start ticking and, if they're not ready, they may want to wait a period of time.

The real focus is that if the police department did their properly job at the beginning, gathered the evidence, presented the case, and were in communication with the prosecuting authorities, there's a good chance that down the road even if it takes more time, justice will be served.

If any of the steps in the process were not taken correctly then there will be trouble.

But I think with all the attention that's rightly being paid to what happened, I think that the process will reveal how things went and that justice may still be served in this case.

WHITFIELD: Well, would it be typical or unusual for anyone within the police department to then press prosecutors and say I need you to take another look at this. Maybe you're initial concerns are it is not a homicide. It is not a negligent manslaughter, which apparently that initial report may have suggested.

Would the police department do that, try to apply any pressure, try to reveal any more information to prosecutors so as to try to coerce or encourage them to take another look?

HILL: Right. I was not there, but in a typical case that I'm familiar with, the detective has a lot of input. They will tell their supervisors and the prosecutor, this is what I have. This is how I feel about it. This is what I want to do.

The prosecutor would then say, well, this is going to end up being prosecuted by us. This is what we see at this point. The prosecution has to think about all the things that deal with the trial.

The police department and the investigators begin with the scene, but they also have to think about the trial, so it's a give-and-take type of process. I don't know how it worked in Sanford at this point. I don't know who else was at the scene that night, whether the police chief was there, whether the prosecutor was on the scene or not.

But those initial investigators will form the opinion and that opinion usually takes precedence at the time. But if the long-term issue of the trial and the prosecution gets involved, it's going to be a give-and-take and it may or may not happen that night.

WHITFIELD: And I understand you have nothing to do with the Sanford police department or this investigation, but your experience as one in law enforcement, what bothers you most about the handling of this case or really he evolution of this investigation or lack thereof?

HILL: Well, there's a few things that bug me. Number one, I think the focus has gotten a little bit off of the family, you know, the ones who are suffering in this process.

I think the focus needs to be on the case itself. I think that giving out information, police departments often have their hands tied when other entities get involved as far as releasing information.

So, the lack of release of information that could have been released, transparency about - even as simple as the fact that the two police officers arrived on the scene and gave Trayvon CPR and tried to revive him.

Little things like that that could have been released, I think should be released to allow the public to begin to understand the process of investigation.

And the last thing that happens I think about is really George Zimmerman walking around with a handgun. There's a lot of talk today about whether or not people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons, whether there should be a privatization of police services. Police officers are trained thoroughly. They do make mistakes at times, but they're trained for situations that get very violent and very active and they have guns.

When somebody has a gun and they're not used to that type of situation and not trained, you often will get a tragedy.

And this is a horrible tragedy that probably could have been prevented, but it happened and now it really has to be done and investigated thoroughly and properly.

WHITFIELD: Andy Hill, thanks so much for your time and insight. Appreciate that.

HILL: You're welcome. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And there's more to this discussion. Join Soledad O'Brien when she hosts a special town hall, "Beyond Trayvon: Race and Justice in America." That's Friday night, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right, one more time, more live pictures now of the papal visit in Cuba. This is Havana where Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating mass at revolution plaza, a historic visit with an equally historic meeting planned later on today.

We've got a reporter there on the ground. We'll be checking in with him right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Pope Benedict is in Cuba and is expected to meet former president, Fidel Castro today.

Now, take a look right now of some live pictures of the pope saying mass in Havana. Thousands turned up at the Revolution Plaza, the very same spot where Pope John Paul II stood 14 years ago. This trip coincides with the 400th anniversary of Cuba's patron saint.

Patrick Oppmann joins us now by phone. So, Patrick, how is the pope's visit to Cuba being viewed in that country? Clearly, thousands of people have turned out.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I'm standing amidst that sea of people and certainly the people of Havana have come out today to see the pope's final mass here in Cuba.

If go anywhere else in Havana but Revolution Square, you find the streets almost eerily deserted, Fredricka, but as you get closer to Revolution Square, the thongs of people begin, even though it's boiling hot day here in Cuba.

And as you get closer in the plaza, you're really struck by some of the changes. This is the heart of the Cuba's communist government. Usually you would look and see murals of revolutionary icon, Che Guevara. Today, next to those murals are large posters of the Virgin Mary. Where the pope is addressing the Cuban people, that's usually where in years past where Fidel Castro addressed the Cuban people and gave us some of his most fiery and anti-imperialist speeches.

But today, though, a religious mass is held there and then, as was announced early this morning, after this mass before returning to Rome, the pope is expected to have a brief meeting with Fidel Castro.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And so, Patrick, do you know anything more about that brief meeting with Fidel Castro? Is that to offer any special blessings for this ailing man who is believed to be in poor health?

OPPMANN: You know, it's quite striking. Here yesterday, the pope met with Cuba's court head of state, current head of state of a communist government. Of course, that would be Raul Castro.

Today, meeting with a former communist -- former head of state, Fidel Castro.

And all Fidel Castro has said because this is really the result of backchannel diplomacy we all have learned about in the last day or so.

And all Fidel Castro would say publicly about this, why he sought the meeting with the pope is that he wanted to have a simple and honest chat with the pope.

The pope will have a brief meeting because the pope's time is coming to an end here, won't be as long as the 40-minute discussion he had yesterday with Raul Castro where he asked for very specific reforms.

And with Fidel Castro, it will probably be more of a meeting between two historic figures.

So again, waiting to see images of that meeting once it happens after this pope's final mass in Havana, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Patrick, thanks so much.

And actually before I let you go now, how about Pope Benedict? How does he appear to be doing because there have been initial reports about his health as well? How's he holding up?

All right, looks like I lost Patrick Oppmann.

All right, well, again, some live pictures right there of the large crowds and what appears to be a choir right now at this mass, this massive mass taking place in the streets of Havana.

All right, by now you've probably heard about that mid-air meltdown on JetBlue flight where passengers had to wrestle the captain to the ground? Seeing these images taken on board. Well, now JetBlue CEO who happens to know that captain is speaking out. What is he saying about his friend? Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're getting more details about the JetBlue captain and his mid-flight meltdown that has many of us talking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAYTON OSBON, JETBLUE AIRPLANE CAPTAIN: Oh, my god. I'm so distraught. We got Israel. We got Iraq. We got Israel. We got Iraq. We got to get down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. Just a glimpse of what happened after the crew and passengers were forced to wrestle the captain to the floor of the plane.

Federal officials say that captain is Clayton Osbon who has flown for JetBlue for more than a decade now.

And JetBlue's CEO who has known the captain for a long time told NBC's "Today Show" that Osbon was a consummate professional.

Here's what he said about the meltdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BARGER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, JETBLUE: What happened at altitude is we had a medical situation. That's how we responded.

Clearly, especially in today's media is real time, Matt. We know that it also became a security situation. As we know less than 24 hours later, it started medical, but clearly more than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, passengers say they could already tell this was clearly more than a medical situation. The co-pilot was reportedly so worried about the captain's erratic behavior that he locked the captain out of the cockpit.

Captain Osbon apparently tried to break down the cockpit door, and that's when six or seven passengers then took action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GONAZLEZ, PASSENGER: He went towards the -- one of the doors on the side, so I got up and I asked him what was his problem. Once I -- he started to curse at me and trying to tell me, you better pray, Iraq and Iran.

And so I said, you know what? I'm going to show you what Iraq and Iran is. And I took him in a chokehold, and I was able to get my hand underneath his chin and put probably enough pressure where his legs gave out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Captain Osbon is receiving medical care under the custody of the FBI, but this is raising serious questions about airline crews, their mental health, and the procedures in place to deal with situations just like this.

Here's a little perspective from aviation expert, Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, AVIATION EXPERT: There are operating manuals that every airline has that are approved by the FAA that go through some of these scenarios, what happens if a crew member for whatever reason becomes incapacitated?

As a matter of fact, they frequently in simulators will drill situations where they're about to takeoff and one of the crew members plays as if he's having a heart attack.

What is that sole crew member supposed to do? What is the decision-mechanism? Well, this is not too unlike that, whether it's a heart attack or a mental breakdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: JetBlue says it is taking a look at other procedures, but it says it is confident with the procedures already in place.

Mitt Romney is not just busy campaigning. He's also planning a $12 million renovation for a beachfront home. But this isn't just any old renovation. Romney wants to build a four-car garage with an elevator for the cars, that is.

Out of touch? A bit too much? That's "Fair Game," coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILIPS: CNN contributor, James Carville, says if the health care reform law is overturned it could be a good thing for Democrats. Here's his argument.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CARVILLE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Just as a professional Democrat, there's nothing better than me than overturning it 5-4. Then the Republican Party will own the health care system for the foreseeable future. I really believe that. That's not spin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Supreme Court politics are always "Fair Game." Let's bring in Democratic strategist, Tara Dowdell; and Republican strategist, Ana Navarro, in Miami. So, Tara, you first. It sounds like James Carville is expecting the law to be tossed out by the high court. Should Democrats hope it's overturned?

TARA DOWDELL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I sure don't hope it's overturned, but I agree with James Carville to the extent that if health care reform is, in fact, overturned, it will expose Republicans because Republicans have no real plan to address almost one-fifth of our economy and the millions of Americans that have been denied coverage and struggling right now to afford medical services. The issue for me about this health care reform battle going on is that from day one Republicans oppose Obama's efforts to fix our health care system. This was never about the constitution, because Republicans previously supported individual mandates. They previously supported different formats of health care reform. The issue is about as Jim DeMint put it, who previously supported the individual mandate. Jim DeMint said this was about breaking President Obama and about making health care reform his waterloo. The collateral damage are the American people.

WHITFIELD: Is that the fallout if overturned?

ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, listen, the minute you hear James Carville say it's not spin, you know you're about to get spin. He's a great spinner. He's a great strategist, and I think there's lodge logic to his madness. It holds true for the Republican side. Nothing has fired up our base as much as fighting Obama-care. I think the silver lining is, if it's Democrats, they fire up their base. And if it's a plus for the Republicans, we fire up our base. Make no mistake about it, a defeat in the Supreme Court is a huge blow for Barack Obama and a demoralizing blow. It's the excuse to not do immigration reform. It's a huge victory for Republicans and a huge loss for Democrats. At the same time, yes, Carville is right there's a silver lining.

WHITFIELD: Gingrich's campaign is resigned. He layed off a third of his staff and replaced his campaign manager. What's really going on here in your view, Tara?

DOWDELL: Newt Gingrich being Newt Gingrich. Newt is a dead man walking in this campaign. He's polling horribly, and I think he certainly is still holding a grudge and that's why he's sticking around. I think Newt Gingrich thinks had he not been carpet bombed by Mitt Romney with the negative campaigns in Iowa that he would be the front-runner right now. So he's sticking around. I mean, he's really a nonfactor at this point except actually he's a fact or in one sense. He's attacking Mitt Romney a lot, and Mitt Romney doesn't need that.

WHITFIELD: Even without a staff, though, Ana, does he still pull a little power to be that anti, you know, Romney contender?

NAVARRO: Look, Newt Gingrich does have a little power. Newt Gingrich runs the Newt Gingrich show. He's the author, the writer, the producer, the actor and audience. Only Newt knows what's going on in his mind. I agree with Tara on this. If Newt Gingrich had an advanced health directive on his political life dictating it not be prolonged by artificial means, we would have pulled the plug a long time ago. He cheated political death a few times this season. He might think he can do it again. I think he's way too smart to think he can actually win the thing, so he has to be angling for something.

WHITFIELD: What is that something? What would that something be when six in 10 Republicans want Gingrich to drop out? He insists he's staying in whether he's got a staff or not. What's that thing? What's keeping him there?

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: This is a fight over delegates, and any little delegate count. He does have over 150 delegates, so he does have a few chips that he can use at the convention.

DOWDELL: He's dangling the carrot.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's move on. Mitt Romney in a very different sense, maybe not what he wants to talk about on the campaign trail, but here it is. Politico has obtained the plans for the California beach house that Mitt Romney wants to renovate. It will feature a 360 square foot basement and a four-car garage with an elevator not just for people but the cars. Is this the right time for him to be doing this?

Maybe not so upset with the man because he has money, but timing is everything, isn't it, Tara?

DOWDELL: Yes. From an optics perspective this is not good for Mitt Romney. His opponents have pounced all over it and are playing it up. Also Mitt Romney -- many Americans can't afford a car, and he has a car garage. The other thing, I think, from my perspective honestly, I'm not going to bash Mitt Romney for being rich. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he's privileged. I don't think he should run from it and pretend he's not. He is. What I think the real issue here is the fact that Mitt Romney acts like everyone else was born with a silver spoon in their mouth. He wants to take away social safety nets here for most of us scraping and scrapping to survive. He wants to do away with the programs. He supports the Ryan budget, which eliminating funding for student loans. Things we really need. Most were not born with a silver spoon in our mouth like Mitt Romney.

WHITFIELD: Tara, Mitt Romney will say he wasn't born with it, he earned that. His capital is based on his earnings.

(CROSSTALK)

DOWDELL: His father was wealthy, though.

WHITFIELD: Ana, about the timing. How does Mitt Romney kind of separate himself from his personal pursuits to trying to connect with the people by saying, I feel your pain, to borrow Bill Clinton's words?

NAVARRO: He's wealthy. We all know he's wealthy. This is a country where we do not resent wealthy people. At least now we know the dog riding on the roof of a car is going to have an elevator to go up to the top floors of the House. I think this is a silly, minor distraction. He's wealthy. He's got a bunch of kids and a bunch of grandkids. Even though it's expensive real estate, it probably is too small to fit all his brood. At the end of the day, this is not going to solve jobs problems, not going to solve our foreign policy issues. It's a minor distraction. His timing could have been different. He's running for six years, and he has to learn something about timing but it's not a big deal.

WHITFIELD: We have to leave it there. Good to see both of you ladies. Appreciate it.

DOWDELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the Tiger Woods tell-all. Tiger's coach talks to me about "The Big Miss." Hank Haney joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Did you see that this weekend with that final putt? Tiger Woods making a comeback winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend? It was his 72nd PGA tour win.

One man who can take credit early on is swing coach Hank Haney. He's out with the new book "The Big Miss." And he joins us now from New York.

Good to see you.

HANK HANEY, AUTHOR: Thanks for having me on.

WHITFIELD: You worked with Tiger Woods for six years. What are your thoughts on his latest win and swing and did we see evidence of a true comeback?

HANEY: Yes, I think so. Tiger played great at bay hill. His ball striking is very good. He got his putting going, and that holds him back. It looks like he's going to be, you know, off and running from here. I would expect him to win a lot of tournaments.

WHITFIELD: Now to your book, "The Big Miss." When did you decide to write the book? Did Tiger you know you were going to write the book?

HANEY: No, Tiger didn't know I was going to write the book. I had thought for a long time it would be interesting to write a book about my experiences coaching Tiger Woods. I mean, he's a fascinating person and he's an incredible golfer. I think the greatest golfer that has plaid and a very complex personality. The book is about coaching. The book is about golf. The book is about life in many, many ways. A lot of people that read the book make that comment, too. It's something I really enjoyed doing.

WHITFIELD: But does all of that really -- take an aside because your book title is "The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods." It would seem as though this book is about your observations of Tiger Woods and less about you and your experiences and what it is to impart on other coaches.

HANEY: "The Big Miss" is golf jargon for "The Big Miss" tee shot that puts you out of play, "The Big Miss" putt, "The Big Miss" opportunity to win a tournament. It also, you know, can mean "The Big Misses" that both Tiger and I had in our lives and in times working together.

WHITFIELD: Big misses like what? Was there conflict between the two of you? His agent had said that you were considered a dear, good friend to Tiger Woods. So what could be the business miss between the two of you?

HANEY: I was a very good friend of Tiger. At the end of any relationship, in terms of a working relationship and friendship, everything kind of gets a little blurred, and it certainly tends to get that way with Tiger. But as far as his being a great friend to Tiger, I know that I was.

WHITFIELD: What happened upon your parting? Why are you no longer working with him? Is this book kind of to get back at you because you're no longer working with?

HANEY: Not in any way, shape or form. I've been teaching touring pros for 32 years and I worked with Tiger for six years. The last three years I worked with him he won 45 percent of his tournaments, and we had a lot of great times. Obviously, Tiger won a lot of tournaments. It was a great experience for me. I felt like six years was enough. I had been doing it for a long time, and I wanted to move on with my life and my career, and it was time for me to leave. I think there's a time and place for everything, and it was just time for me to go.

WHITFIELD: You moved on, but you circled back to reflect on your experience with Tiger Woods. His agent released a statement saying Haney admits he never had an in depth personality discussion with Tiger. This self-serving book is full of guesses and false assumptions. What's your response to Steinberg's response and that Tiger Woods told ESPN he has no intention of reading this book?

HANEY: Well, I mean, Tiger always says that. In the time I was with him, he read just about everything. As far as Mark Steinberg's comments, obviously, how you would describe somebody's in depth conversations would be up to the person. I spent 110 days a year with Tiger. I was talking to him on the phone probably another 100 days a year. I played golf with him probably 50 times a year. You obviously have quite a few discussions. Tiger is a very closed-off person. You don't get a lot of in depth conversations with Tiger. Obviously I made a lot of observations and did talk to Tiger a lot during the six years, over 200 days a year. You have a lot of conversations.

WHITFIELD: What do most people not know about him? Upon reflection, you did talk about how you thought Tiger always had a wall up, that, quote, "on some deep level I've been expecting something to break." What do you mean by that, and is that wall something many people don't know about him, or is there something else?

HANEY: Well, I think a lot of people know there's a wall up. I didn't know anything about the affairs that he was having. In fact, you know, the first time that I really heard an inkling there might be a problem, Mark Steinberg called me and he said, Hank, there's an article coming out in the "National Enquirer" about Tiger and this girl, but it's not true. Everything's going to be OK. If anybody interviews you, just don't say anything. Of course, two weeks later, Tiger hit the fire hydrant. And then we found out that everything was true and there was much more behind it. There is a wall up. I mean, that's something that you see with a lot of people, especially, you know, somebody that's playing an individual sport and is an incredibly great achiever like Tiger Woods is. It's not that unnatural for them to be very self-centered and have a wall up to insulate themselves. He's been dealing with a lot of pressures for his whole life.

WHITFIELD: And then given that really quick, was there ever any trepidation or feeling you were betraying that coach/athlete relationship writing about it. Many athletes look at their coaches as their father or parent figure.

HANEY: I really, really thought that, you know, these were my memories, too. These weren't just Tiger's memories. He doesn't have an exclusive on the memories. I'm not the first coach to ever write wrote a book. Joe Torre wrote a book, John Wooden (ph) wrote a book. Tony la Russa (ph) is writing a book. I'm just one of a long line of coaches that have written books. If there's some code that I broke, I guess all those other coaches broke it, too.

WHITFIELD: Hank Haney, thanks for your time.

The book is "The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time for stories making news at "Street Level" now.

First to Waterford, Vermont, where police have arrested a couple for the murder of a popular teacher. Melissa Jenkins was reported missing over the weekend after a friend found her SUV on the side of the road with her 2-year-old son inside. Jenkins' body was found a day later 15 miles away. Police say she was strangled to death. According to WCAX, a snowplow driver and his wife are now charged with second-degree murder. Police say the couple knew Jenkins and plowed her driveway a few years ago. No word on a motive.

And now to Los Angeles, that's where Dennis Rodman faces legal troubles. The hall of fame basketball player is reportedly very ill and unable to pay child support to his two kids. The "Los Angeles Times" reporting that Rodman faces up to 20 days in jail for not paying child and spousal support to his ex-wife, Michelle Rodman. In court papers, Rodman's attorney describes him as, quote, "broke, and extremely ill." The exact illness not described.

Stockton, California, now. That's where a greyhound bus made an unscheduled stop to put a fire out. The bus carrying 26 passengers burst into flames just one block from the Stockton Station. It was heading there from Sacramento. Another driver noticed the rear of the bus was on fire and then alerted the driver. The bus driver pulled over and the flames were put out. The fire appears to have been caused by a mechanical issue. No one was injured. Very lucky passengers.

The weather is warm enough for to you grab that strawberry frappuccino at Starbucks perhaps, but hold on a minute before you sip your deliciously pink drink. The color you see in there comes from crushed bugs. Yes, you heard me write, bugs. The natural dye is considered safe by the FDA, and Starbucks issued a statement saying it is trying to reduce use of artificial colors.

Los Angeles now, a story that will make animal lovers cry. That moving thing that you're about to see in the trash right there is an abandoned dog. She's blind, sick, and full of flees. Well, when the founders of hope for paws found her last year, they named her Fiona and after a nation wide fund-raising effort and eye surgery, she got well and has since been adopted. The rescue video has gone viral on the Internet around the organization hopes it will encourage others to help abandoned animals. That is one happy dog now. Happy pooch, Fiona.

Arguments just ended in the U.S. Supreme Court on health care reform. Jeffrey Toobin is just out of the courtroom there. He will tell us exactly what happened inside right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Oral arguments just ended in the portion of the health care reform debate -- health care reform act that pertains to individual mandates.

Our Kate Bolduan and Jeff Toobin just outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

What's your assessment?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This still looks like a train wreck for the Obama administration, and it may also be a plane wreck. This entire law is now in serious trouble. It also seems that the individual mandate is doomed. I mean, Anthony Kennedy spent much of this morning talking about if we strike down the individual mandate, how should we habitual the rest of the law? Now, it is less clear that they are going to strike down the whole law. There does seem to be some controversy in the court about that. Certainly there are some members of the court who want to strike down the entire law, but it seemed almost a foregone conclusion today that they were going to strike down the individual mandate. And the only question is does the whole law go out the window with it?

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

OK. So I have got about 20 seconds or so left. How might this impact arguments later on this afternoon, Jeff? JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's hard to imagine how things could be going much worse for the Obama administration, but now they're going to be dealing with the Medicaid portion, and they may decide to get rid of that as well.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks so much. Kate Bolduan, we'll be talking to you on the other side of the break. Much more when the NEWSROOM continues with my colleague, Don Lemon.