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Unarmed African-American Teen Fatally Shot by Police; US Soldier Died for an Afghan Child; Paul Ryan Apologized for Misspeaking; Jeremy Lin Out for the Season

Aired April 01, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICK WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: In Pasadena, California, police chase, shoot and kill a young man who they believe was an armed robbery suspect. Turns out he didn't have a gun. And he didn't have any stolen property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His crime was being black at night in the wrong place at the wrong time.

WHITFIELD: Now, a devastated community demands answers from police and justice for his death.

A loving dad, a dedicated soldier, to save a child's life in Afghanistan, he gave his, the portrait of an American hero.

From Linsanity to linger, Jeremy Lin, the Knicks point guard sidelined. Ahead this hour, we'll tell you why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Another community is also searching for answers after an unarmed African-American teen was fatally shot by police. Here's what we know so far about what happened just over a week ago in Pasadena, California.

It started when a 911 caller said two armed men had stolen his computer and backpack. When the police got to the scene, they said they saw a young man running, and then chased him. That young man was 19-year-old Kendrick McDade. Police said it appeared to them that McDade was reaching for something near his waist. The officers feared it was a gun, fired multiple shots and killed him. Police now admit the young college student had no weapon him.

We are going to talk about this case in a few minutes with criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes.

And mean time, Pope Benedict XVI delivers a message of unity during Palm Sunday mass. Tens of thousands of faithful packed St. Peters Square holding palm branches. Celebration marks the start of holy week and leads up to Easter Sunday, considered the most important date on the church calendar.

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi wins a seat on Myanmar's Parliament, that's according to our pro-democracy party. The official results will probably come out tomorrow. Suu Kyi spent years under house arrest and her party was banned for struggles of democracy in Myanmar, formerly called Burma. The country has been under military rule for 50 years.

U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton said sanctions against Syria are working. Clinton is in Turkey today, talking to world leaders about increasing pressure on Syria to end the conflict. She tells CNN the so-called friends of Syria group formed a committee to coordinate sanctions, and cut off their leadership's ability, quote, "to wage war on its own people."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And the United States will be working with the Arab countries, the European countries, north African and others to have them understand the most effective way to implement sanctions, because as one of them said to me, the Americans have a lot of experience in doing sanctions. We don't. So we're making progress.

Also, the individual sanctions, you know, the travel bans, the visa bans, the kinds of direct personal sanctions are beginning to really wake people up. They're looking around thinking, for the rest of my life; I'm only going to maybe go to Iran? That doesn't sound like a great idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Clinton also announced today that U.S. aid to the Syrian opposition will nearly double. That is money of humanitarian aid and medical training.

The chairman of the house budget committee says he misspoke when he accused U.S. military officials of not being honest about the Pentagon budget.

On CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning, Candy Crowley told Paul Ryan that military leaders were a little offended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: I really misspoke, to be candid with you, Candy. I didn't mean to make that kind of impression. So I was clumsy in how I was describing the point I was trying to make. The point I was trying to make and the general Dempsey and I spoke after that, and I wanted to give that point to him, which was that was not what I was attempting to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ryan is the leading Republican on the budget debate. The house passed his budget plan last week. He's also considered a possible candidate for vice president.

And there are signs of an economic upswing on college campuses. A new survey of potential employers indicates companies are back in bigger numbers on college campuses, looking for talent to hire. How big of a comeback? Employers say they expect to increase their hiring of this year's batch of college grads by 10.2 percent. And here's just a short list of companies showing up on campuses look for new hires. General Electric, Amazon, Apple, and Barclays Global. Recent grads still looking for work are encouraged to contact their school for recruitment dates.

And we're still waiting to find out the winners of that $656 million mega millions jackpot. But we do know they'll get about $218 million apiece before taxes. The winning tickets were sold in Kansas and Maryland, where winners are not required to come forward publicly. The third ticket was sold in Illinois.

And look at what Google announced today, as the next big thing in motorsports. Google racing, a partnership with NASCAR. And here's the amazing part. Race cars with no driver behind the wheel, self- driving cars. But before your mind is blown too much, check the calendar. The small print on the Web site as well. Google is having a little bit of fun on April's fool.

Let me know your best prank on April fool's. How are you fooling someone? Tweet me @fwhitfield. I'll read some of your response later on this hour.

All right. Now, for a story we've been following. A rally in support of slain Florida teen, Trayvon Martin, is happening right now in Miami. Take a look at these live pictures right now at the rally at Base side park downtown Miami.

In attendance, civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. And you see what appear to be thousands of people, members of Congress as well. Celebrities, including singer Chaka Khan and the slain teen's parents are there. The rally is in support of the Martin family, and to call for the arrest of the man who admits to shooting Martin, he says in self-defense.

Let's bring in CNN's Martin Savidge who is in the town where the shooting took place, in Sanford, Florida.

So Martin, today the rally in Miami, but tomorrow the parents are taking a big legal step as well by seeking a federal review in what way?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, what they want is a specific review of a specific night. That was the night that 17- year-old Trayvon Martin was shot. This all goes back to the reported information that came out last week that the lead investigator for the city of Sanford on the night that Trayvon was shot, wanted to take George Zimmerman into custody, actually, wanted to charge him either with either negligent homicide or manslaughter. And in fact, we obtained the initial police report and you see the offenses listed there.

However, as we all know now, George Zimmerman was never charged. Apparently that officer was overruled by the state attorney's office and a man by the name Norman Wolfinger. And this is what the family is questioning, why did that happen? Why was there this difference of opinion? Why did the investigator doubt George Zimmerman's story, but the state attorney apparently believed all of it?

So, that's what they want investigated and that's why they're putting a specific request to the department of justice to look at that with an independent investigation.

WHITFIELD: And Martin, let's talk a little bit about, I know you're in a different location geographically than that rally in Miami, south of you. This is not far from where Trayvon Martin went to school. He went to school at a high school in Miami Gardens.

Why is there this feeling that these continued growing rallies just might indeed put the kind of pressure that family members want on Sanford police, to do more about their investigation, to release more information?

SAVIDGE: Well, what the family wants, of course, is they would like to see George Zimmerman arrested. They believe that is the first step that must be taken in seeking justice for Trayvon Martin.

So what they hope is by continuing these kind of public demonstrations, as well as other efforts behind the scenes, there's been calls for some sort of financial boycotts for, let's say, the city of Sanford, against the city government, that is against the county government, not against the businesses, though. So, a combination of those public and private actions they hope will bring justice.

WHITFIELD: All right. Martin Savidge, thank you so much, from Sanford, Florida.

California police fatally shoot a teen suspected of robbery. They thought he had a gun. Turns out, he didn't. Now the community is demanding answers.

Plus, from Linsanity to Linjured. Why Jeremy Lin will probably be sitting at the rest of the season. We'll talk Lin and March madness later on this hour.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In California, Pasadena residents want to know why a teen was fatally shot by police.

This is what we know so far. The incident began when a 911 caller said two armed men had stolen his computer and backpack. When the police arrived on the scene, they said they saw a young man running, and they chased him. That young man was 19-year-old Kendrick McDade. Police said it appeared to them that McDade was reaching for something near his waist. The officers fearing it was a gun. Fired multiple shots and killed him. Police now admit the young college student had no weapon him.

As for the man who called 911, well, he confessed that he lied to police about the young man having a gun, and then he was arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF PHILLIP SANCHEZ, PASADENA POLICE: Pasadena police officers responded to that scene, believing that an armed robbery had just occurred. The shooting of Mr. McDade is absolutely tragic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The shooting has left many in the community outraged. At a town hall meeting yesterday, the police chief tried to answer questions. And there are still so many questions unanswered.

Let's talk more about this now with criminal defense attorney and former prosecutors, Holly Hughes.

All right. So as a former prosecutor, think about how this investigation will play out. Will it be the police department who are going to ask the questions, exactly how was this played out. Internal affairs -- will it be the D.A. who says, how -- what are the sequences of events? Was there a calling out of, freeze, you know, show me your hands, something before those weapons were fired?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. Well, there doesn't have to be, OK? What happens is, typically when the police holler out, police, freeze, something along those lines, it's to identify themselves. And you might see that with an undercover officer, an officer in plain clothes, detective, who is not necessarily identifiable.

So, the fact that they didn't holler out, police, freeze, is not really the issue here. The issue is, they have been told, the police have been told these guys have guns. They robbed me. So they're already amped up. They're responding to a call where they believe there are weapons involved.

WHITFIELD: It still would be the police's responsibility to double- check or know that for sure because a caller can tell you anything. They know that.

HUGHES: That's exactly right. But here's the thing, that's a split- second decision. And I'm not saying it was right. I'm not saying it's justified to shoot. That's something that will be determined after all the facts and the evidence. And there are some things about it that give me pause.

WHITFIELD: Like what?

HUGHES: OK. What happens is, they get a call that there's two armed robber suspects with guns going down orange avenue or orange boulevard, I believe it was. So it's not a robbery in progress. So it's not like you're going to have to sneak up on them. Why weren't the lights and sirens activated? If the lights and sirens have been activated, Fred, the camera in the car automatically would have been on.

WHITFIELD: Right. And, apparently the videotape on the dash cam because that light is on.

HUGHES: Because that didn't happen. There's also a way to activate the camera --

WHITFIELD: Is there a reason why that wouldn't be activated?

HUGHES: That's a question we need answered. It's one of those unanswered questions we just talked about. I'll say this for the police chief, at least he got up there and gave a press conference. He is not running away. He's not hiding. He's trying to answer the questions. We are going to investigate because again, the young man is unarmed.

Now, the officers responding don't know that. Their adrenaline's rushing. And when they reach for a waistband, the police don't have to wait until they see a gun, because by the time they see it, it could be too late. So it's going to come down to those split seconds, did they have another way to avoid it.

WHITFIELD: But something else might give them pause if they were looking for two men, and they see one.

HUGHES: Right.

WHITFIELD: One running, who fits the description.

HUGHES: That's a good reason to follow. No, I totally understand your concern. That's an absolutely good reason for them to follow. Because they might have split up for all we know.

So what they know is, you know, let's place the blame where it fully lies, with the person who called in, and filed the false report, who has now admitted I made it up. He's been charged with involuntary manslaughter. I think the charges should be higher than that. I think it should be voluntary manslaughter because it was reckless disregard for human life. You send armed police officers after what you're saying are armed suspects?

WHITFIELD: Because of you just mentioned earlier, it's a split decision.

HUGHES: That's right, it's a split second.

WHITFIELD: That bodes well, really, for the police officers who will be asked for what happened exactly. But because there was that split decision, you know, that they had to make, that really does offer a level of protection.

HUGHES: Some level. But again, everything will factor into, why did you not activate your lights and sirens? Is that the only course of action you could have taken? Because this young man based on what we're hearing was in an alley. So, was there a way for him to escape the other end of the alley or do you know for a fact he was trapped because the shooting occurred while the officer was still inside the vehicle? That does not bode well. Technically they're allowed to do it, but there's got to be a really good reason. Because, if you're still in your reason, back up three feet if you think there's a gun pointed at you. At least at that point in time say stop or I'll shoot. Give some type of warning.

But again, everything will be taken into consideration. Because on its face, we're all sitting here horrified that, oh, my God, but let's place the blame squarely where it lies, somebody sat there and said, this man has a gun and he robbed me and he's dangerous. And you've got the police officers out there, and you don't want a widow sitting home at night.

WHITFIELD: Sounds like a series of tough decision.

HUGHES: It absolutely was.

WHITFIELD: Calles that were made.

Holly Hughes, thank you so much. And we'll be talking about this case much more.

All right. Three mega winners, one huge fortune. But when will we find out who won this jackpot? Mega mania, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories. Live pictures right now, of a rally in Miami's Bayside Park of slain teen, Trayvon Martin. People are gathering to show support for the teen's parents and demand the arrest of the man who said he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Civil rights leaders, members of Congress and celebrities are all part of the crowd there in Miami right now.

And we're still waiting to find out the winners of that $656 million mega millions jackpot. But we do know that they'll each be getting about $218 million for those winning tickets before taxes. The winning tickets were sold in Kansas, Maryland and -- they're not actually required to come forward in those states. A third ticket, however, was sold in Illinois.

All right. U.S. coast guard crews are searching for a crippled racing yacht about 400 miles of the California coast. The boat was caught in a storm and smashed by waves. Several people on the yacht are hurt. They reportedly cannot communicate, or steer. The coast guard hopes to reach them sometime today.

In Myanmar today, a woman who struggled for decades to usher in democracy appears to have won a seat in parliament. Election results are not official yet, but people all over the country there are cheering the historic victory of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Myanmar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could this be the dawn of a new Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi the unmistakable symbol of this country's fight for democracy heads to the polls, confident of success, and taking political office for the first time ever.

Many voters in this small village are daring to hope for change. This woman is 95 years old. She's lived through British and Japanese colonization and more than 50 years of brutal military war. Finally she's hopeful.

Whatever changes, it will be for the better, she says. I want good change and a better life.

It's the first time voting for this 18-year-old, and she's delighted.

But not everyone's happy with the process. This man tells me his name is not on the list, and he's been told he can't vote.

I'm very sorry for missing the chance to vote, he says, because one vote is very important. Aung San Suu Kyi's party is also alleging irregularities telling CNN fake ballots have been found and ballots of Suu Kyi's vote watch over. I asked the head of the election commission about the allegations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a fair election.

HANCOCKS: Counting of the ballots started as soon as the polls closed Sunday.

The counting is being done in full view of the media to show transparency. But with these allegations of vote tampering, the question is, is this election going to be free and fair enough to be considered legitimate.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Myanmar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A loving dad, a dedicated soldier, he saved a child's life in Afghanistan but giving up his own. This American hero story, coming up.

Plus, one in 88, that's how many children have a form of autism in the U.S. The statistic is startling, and the cost of caring for a child with autism even more overwhelming.

Coming up, one couple, the former executive officer of GE and NBC along with his wife, they know firsthand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A family in providence, Rhode Island, buries their son tomorrow. Their son who was a soldier, Dennis Weichel, a sergeant in the National Guard died in Afghanistan, not in combat, but while saving the life of a little girl. The people who knew him are not surprised that he made such a sacrifice.

Here now is CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IDENTIFIED FEMALE KID: Daddy! Daddy!

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three months ago specialist Dennis Weichel made a surprise visit home from his tour in Afghanistan. Now the flag flies at half staff over the Rhode Island state capital until the 29-year-old father of three is laid to rest. Weichel was killed in eastern Afghanistan saving the life of an Afghan child.

According to the army, when Weichel's armored convoy came across afghan children in the road, he and others got out to move the children out of the way. But at the last minute, a little girl ran back to pick up some shell casings. Weichel saw her in front of the trucks and pulled her to safety at the last minute. But he was hit accidently by the truck, and died a short time later.

Captain Christopher John Ahlemeyer, Weichel's platoon leader during a previous tour duty in Iraq, has been hit hard by his death.

CAPT. CHRISTOPHER AHLEMEYER, WEICHEL'S FORMER PLATOON LEADER: First I was overcome with emotion. You know, I deployed with him. He was one of my guys. But then I took a step back and I realized that he would have done that. He would have really done that for anyone. That's the type of guy he was.

STARR: Dennis, he says, always responded to children.

AHLEMEYER: We would roll into local communities and villages, and set up security, and you'd see children, you know, peeking out the windows. It was Sergeant Weichel's calm demeanor and the way he handled children that these kids -- he welcomed them. And these kids would come out. He would ensure that every single child received something, whether it is the smallest thing as a pencil, or a booklet to write in.

STARR: During those days back home, everyone could see Dennis Weichel's own children meant everything to him.

SERGEANT DENNIS WEICHEL, SOLIDER DIED SAVING AFGHAN CHILD: It's exciting. These are the most important things to me, my kids. So, I will start to see them on the holidays.

STARR: Dennis Weichel was promoted posthumously to sergeant. He is survived by his fiancee and his three children who were so thrilled to see him just a few short months ago.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And new research released this week shows one in 8 children have a form of autism. That's up 78 percent from a decade ago. Autism takes an emotional and financial toll on families. According to a study from the Harvard school of public health, it can cost a family up to $72,000 a year to care for a person with extreme case of autism. Earlier I spoke with Bob and Suzanne Wright, co- founders of autism speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization. And I asked the former executive officer of GE and NBC along with his wife how they hope these new findings will help families deal with the emotional and financial costs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WRIGHT, CO-FOUNDER, AUTISM SPEAKS: We're hoping that we can really get a prioritized approach from all kinds of people, from the federal government, at the state level, at the municipal level, with academy -- medical academies. We've got so many people who are standing by, but not taking an active role in this. When you have one in 54 boys, which is what in that number, and one in 88, we don't have anything even comparable to this that has anything nearly the devastating impact on families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Wrights have firsthand experience with autism. Their grandson was diagnosed with it. I asked them what their biggest challenge was when they learned the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE WRIGHT, CO-FOUNDER, AUTISM SPEAKS: It was very heartbreaking. We had to move them from another state here, because there were no services. And then Bob and I, and you know, he was the chairman of NBC at the time, I couldn't believe no one was talking about this. So now we have a voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Wrights say 400,000 people will walk for autism speaks this year in 90 events around the U.S.

And it is autism awareness month. So we want to also introduce you to an extraordinary man living with Asperger's syndrome which is a type of high functioning autism. He has made it his mission to educate others about autism and help those newly diagnosed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL MCAULIFFE, AUTISM ADVOCATE: My name's Paul McAuliffe. I'm a flute player, flute maker and autism advocate.

I went to the national institute of health site and decided -- and realized I had almost all the symptoms they had listed for the most common symptoms of Asperger's. And I said, my God, that's me.

Autism and Asperger's in particular is primarily a social disability. We have a real hard time reading social cues. We have a real hard time looking people in the eye. I always look at the bridge of the nose so people think I'm looking them in the eye. Everything is amped up for us. Everything is extremely intense. I tell people that my idea of eternal punishment would be tickets to the 50 yard line for the super bowl. One of the symptoms of Aspergers is we tend to talk about our passions until people are ready to beg for mercy. That's why a lot of people with autism are inventors and innovators because we focus in like a laser beam on something.

I was reading in bed one night and getting sleepy and I looked over at my cane near the night stand. I said, darn, I bet there's music in that puppy.

Body language, tone of voice, things that we just normally do not get. I love the fact that young people now are getting the help and the diagnosis and assistance that my generation didn't get.

I tell the young people, if you work at it, and practice, social skills, reading body language, I tell them it's like learning to play the flute. The more you practice, the better you get at it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And on the political front, Paul Ryan back pedaling after he accused the U.S. military of not being honest about the Pentagon budget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: I really misspoke, to be candid with you, Candy. I didn't mean to make that kind of impression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ryan admits he was wrong. But is this the first time he's misspoken? Coming up, we'll talk with the man who has followed his career since it began.

And presidential contender Mitt Romney had a few tricks up his sleeve for April fool's day. The prank he pulled on his staff. And you won't believe what his staff did to get him back.

All that straight ahead, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now, top stories with the political buzz. Vice president Joe Biden is speaking out about the president's open mic gaffe. Obama was talking to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev without realizing that his mic was on. Biden says Obama was referring to the challenge of making foreign policy decisions in a politically charge election year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITES STATES: This is my last election. And after my election I have more flexibility.

DIMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: I understand. I transmit this information to Vladimir and I stand with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The conversation happened at a nuclear summit in South Korea.

All right. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is feeling confident that he will win Wisconsin. He's even won the endorsement of a major newspaper, the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel." A new NBC Merits poll shows Romney with 40 percent of the vote in the Midwestern state.

The Republican presidential front-runner got franked by his staff on this April fool's day. At a pancake breakfast this morning, Romney walked into a completely empty room after being introduced enthusiastically by his staff. Well, it seems they had set up this room to look exactly like the one he was supposed to be in. And Romney was a good sport. And he took the stunt with laughter.

We've been talking today about house budget chairman Paul Ryan backing off a comment he made about the Pentagon budget. Well, today on CNN "STATE OF THE UNION," Ryan told Candy Crowley that he misspoke when he accused U.S. military officials of not being honest about that budget. Here's what Ryan had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: I really misspoke, to be candid with you, Candy. I didn't mean to make that kind of impression. So, I was clumsy in how I was describing the point I was trying to make. The point I was trying to make, and the general and I spoke after that, and I wanted to give that point to him, which was that was not what I was attempting to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what exactly did Ryan say that he now retracts? We dug up the comments so you can hear for yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don't think the generals believe that their budget is really the right budget. I believe that the president's budget by virtue of the fact that when he released his budget number of $500 billion, was the number was announced at the same time they announced the beginning of their strategy review of the Pentagon's budget. So, what we get from the Pentagon is more of a budget driven strategy not a strategy driven budget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So, let's bring in Craig Gilbert there. He is the Washington bureau chief for the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."

Good to see you. You've covered Paul Ryan for a long time. So what do you think about his comment that he misspoke?

CRAIG GILBERT, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: Well, I can't think of too many occasions, if any, where he's had to walk back something, an attention-getting remark that he's made. He's extremely media savvy. He's in the national media all the time. And he is a very practiced communicator. Now, the fact that he apologized seemed like a smart thing to do. And he's a smart guy.

WHITFIELD: All right. So he's usually very careful with his words. Is that how you would kind of classify him generally? He's very intent about what he's going to say?

GILBERT: Yes. And he doesn't pull his punches in a policy sense. But he also prides himself on -- sees himself as someone who is not a grenade thrower, who doesn't personalize his political disagreements. So I think he was embarrassed that people were reading this as casting aspersions on the integrity of the generals.

WHITFIELD: So then, what do his constituents really think was behind his, you know, initial assertions? And how were they digesting that he admits to misspeaking?

GILBERT: Well, right now he's going around the state campaigning with Mitt Romney in the Wisconsin presidential primary, which is Tuesday. And that's really been the focus. He's a very popular figure with Republicans and conservatives in the state. Even outside of his, own district. I think his endorsement of Romney is having an impact on the primary here.

So it's hard to read how people might react to this. I mean, obviously it reflects a difference, a big difference over budget policy regarding defense spending.

WHITFIELD: So his endorsement of Romney, and in some circles, there have been discussions that maybe he would be, you know, a vice presidential pick. Is that behind perhaps why he feels he needs to offer some clarity that he might find himself on a much bigger stage later?

GILBERT: Well, I mean, he probably, I think, would have gone down this road anyway. But one of his assets as a potential vice presidential pick is what I referred to earlier, is the fact that he has a lot of experience on the national stage. He -- I don't think Romney would have to wonder about his poise and his sort of messaging skills. I mean, he would have his own pluses and minuses on a lot of other fronts.

But he unlike a lot of members of Congress is out there all the time talking, and I think people would agree that in political terms, he's been an effective salesman within his party, and for his party.

WHITFIELD: All right. Craig Gilbert, Washington bureau chief for the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel." Thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

GILBERT: Nice to be with you. WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk NBA. Coming up, from Linsanity to linjured. Will Jeremy Lin be sitting out the rest of the season?

Plus, we'll talk basketball on the collegiate level. The Kentucky wildcats, facing off against the Kansas Jayhawks in the title game tomorrow night. Who do you think will win? We head to New Orleans next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hard to believe, we're here. The college basketball championship is set. Kansas will take on Kentucky. And tomorrow night's title game, NPR's Mike Pesca is joining us now from New Orleans with a preview.

Good to see you, Mike. So K squared now. Who do you favor, Kansas or Kentucky?

MIKE PESCA, NPR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, you've got to favor Kentucky which isn't to say that Kansas hasn't played well. But, you know, Kentucky has been annihilating opponents. When they came into this tournament, they were favored. But they weren't the odds-on favorite, meaning it wasn't the case they had just as good a chance as the entire field combined.

But now, it kind of feels like they do. They won by eight points against Louisville. That was by far the closest game of the tournament, and it ended with dunk after dunk after dunk, it wasn't that close. So the wildcats definitely seem a deserving favorite.

WHITFIELD: How this is a particularly exciting, I guess, March madness in your view?

PESCA: Well, you know, it's interesting. There have been no buzzer beaters. There's been only one overtime game, just objectively or empirically, not as exciting as past March madness'. But the great virtue of March madness is they're always exciting because it's always about young kids and crying in the locker room and cheerleaders and mascots.

And so, all that attended hoopla is what makes it great. And I think this final four with four really great teams has been a good thing. And you know, Kentucky and Kansas, those are the number one and two winningest schools in NCAA history. That's a great final matchup.

WHITFIELD: Hey. That's why they call it March madness. Meantime, why they call it Linsanity, Jeremy Lin, I mean, he has been on fire. But now he's got an injury. He's Linjured. So, tell me. What's this knee surgery that he may be facing?

PESCA: Yes, Linjured. He tore his Linmiscus. Sorry about that.

Yes. He's probably going to be out for the year - I will stop though, it embarrasses us all.

He probably going out for the year and let the Knicks goes deep in the play-offs. But, of course, if the Knicks go deep in the playoff, will it be the case that they need Jeremy Lin. So, it poses kind of a problem, or at least an interesting question. He's going to be a free agent at the end of the year. How do you assess his value? He's worth a lot to the Knicks since he became a starter and he's been scoring 18 points, then exchange coaches. The new coach, Mike Woodson, doesn't have a system that emphasizes the point guard a lot. But he certainly has - he has established himself, as the average perhaps slightly above average point guard. We'll see what the rest of the NBA and the market say about his value.

WHITFIELD: Right. We'll see if the NBA follows the lead of the NFL. We saw what happened to Peyton Manning, he was out injured, and it happened. So, we'll talk about that another time.

Mike Pesca. Thanks so much.

PESCA: Yes. I'm going to say Jeremy Lin's body of work is a little better than -- not as much as Peyton Manning, but yes, yes.

WHITFIELD: I know it. I was trying. You know, what can I say? It's tough to draw compare I sons.

All right. Thanks so much, Mike. Appreciate it. Have a good time there in New Orleans for the final game.

PESCA: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, let's take a live picture of a top story we've been following. Sizeable, quite huge crowd there. That is Miami at Bay Front Park there, downtown Miami. A rally taking place for the slain teen, Trayvon Martin. People are gathering there to show support for the teen's parents and demand the arrest of the man who says he shot and killed Martin in Sanford, Florida, north of Miami. Civil rights leaders, members of Congress and celebrities are all taking part there in that rally in downtown Miami.

All right. Meantime, we've got much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. Don Lemon is here. Give us an idea.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: How this has grown. It has really grown from a local story in Sanford, Florida, to around the country. Every day there seems to be some other thing and so much emotion for this.

Fred, I'm going to show you this. We're going to -- what we're going to do on my show is we're going to try to get away from the emotion, because everyone is so excited about this.

This is a police report. This is what they call the event report. Everything in here, and some things that are not in here, will tell you exactly what happened. It says when you look at this, first officer dispatched, 7:11. Next officer dispatched, 7:13. They arrived, 7:17 one. The next one arrived two minutes later.

So, we go through that. And then we looked at the police report. The thing is, if you look at the surveillance video. WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: That came from the Sanford police department. There is a time stamp on the bottom of that surveillance video with George Zimmerman coming in handcuffed. 7: 7:52 p.m. So, from 7:17, by the time the first officer arrived to 7:52, in the span of 35 minutes, is it possible for everything that they said to have happened including George Zimmerman and the police department to have happened in that short of an amount of time?

WHITFIELD: Someone is going analyze that?

LEMON: Someone is going to analyze that. Law enforcement experts, two of them as a matter of fact and they are going to -- what they will tell you may be surprising to a lot of people because take the emotion out. Let's look at the facts. Tamp the down everyone. Here is what could and could not have happened in that period of time and here is what George Zimmerman is saying, here's what police is saying and here is what Trayvon Martin's family is saying about it.

WHITFIELD: All right. We will be looking forward to that in the NEWSROOM. Thanks so much, Don.

LEMON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We are going to have much more right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Let's look at some stories our affiliates are covering right now. A seventh grader in Charlotte, North Carolina, claimed she got a unique punishment for skipping class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIAH BROOKE, STUDENT: We told that we are going to ask to clean the bathrooms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mariah Brooke says she was one of three middle schoolers that the teacher forced to clean toilets for skipping class. School administrators say, they are now investigating.

A big change for some of the country's military academies. Gay pride groups are being added to campus club rosters. This comes just six months after they repeal on the so-called "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that block service members from being openly gay. Students at the U.S. coast guard academy formed their group to serve as a guy straight alliance on campus. At West Point, cadets are still getting their groups organized.

Reigning entertainer of the year, Taylor Swift is hoping to keep her crown in tonight's academy of country music award. She is up for three awards, but there is a bittersweet snag. Her date, Kevin McGuire, is too sick to join her tonight. He has leukemia and is in the hospital. Back in February, the New Jersey teen asked Swift to be his prom date on facebook. At the time, Swift expressed her apologies that she couldn't go but asked him instead to the award show in return. Well, after hearing McGuire was too ill to join her tonight, Swift tweeted I will make it up to you, Kevin.

All right. And how is this for high-tech. We planned to trip from CNN Atlanta to CNN in New York using Google's brand new eight bit map program unveiled today. Well, the today part should be a clue. It's another fun April fool's day prank by the Google heads. The maps have the perfect 80s look and the map upgrade is full of old school Easter eggs as well.

Well, we wasted way too much time playing with it today. April fool's on us.

So, earlier we asked you to tell us about some of the best April fool's pranks you have pulled.

All right. So, this is what you tweeted today.

ELT33 said "I got a call from an operator at 5:00 a.m. telling me a friend was in jail and chose me as her call. Got up, drove 45 minutes for nothing."

And we also asked our own team members about their April fool's story. One of our producers says her friend posted that she was pregnant on facebook. After folks sent in congratulations, she told them, it was a joke.

Our associate producer says, she told her mother that she had married her boyfriend, but came clean after her mother sounded a little bit worried.

OK. And we know, meteorologist, Alexandra Steele, you had a prank earlier. You mom pulled a prank on you, actually.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: She did. She got me on. Our poor system producer, I think that says more about the boyfriend.

WHITFIELD: I guess. We will not share that.

STEELE: I know. You know, in upstate New York, it's no April fool's joke. But it was 80 a couple of days ago. Now, we have some light snow, look at this. That rain changing to snow as the temperatures drop in the (INAUDIBLE). No accumulation expected. These will all move through. Lots and hard for New York, gets rain tonight, but then it is a faded completed tomorrow morning, dry skies.

Here's the forecast tomorrow. There is a threat for some severe storms. Oklahoma city and down to Dallas, but the big story tomorrow - look at this warm, 25 to 30 degrees above average tomorrow. Kansas City, St. Louis, Little Rock, Nashville, almost 20 degrees. And it can get warmer.

And Fred, look at this. March is over. It was the warmest March on record. For Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis stating back to 1910. Atlanta, Detroit, Cleveland, second warmest of record, New York, Philadelphia and even Denver, Colorado.

So, March, certainly notable, no question about it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And this will be a night spring break or Easter week in warmth for a lot of people.

STEELE: Yes, very well.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Alexandra.

All right, that is going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you around later on the week. My colleague, Don Lemon is coming up nest with much more of the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Bye, Fred.

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