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Heatwave Rages On; A-Rod in his Own Words; Implications of the George Zimmerman Ruling; Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws

Aired July 18, 2013 - 11:00   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Want to show you these live pictures. We're going to show you the wreckage after it plowed into a mobile home.

We're told this is in Anne Arundel County. We're told that's about 20 miles northeast of D.C.

No word yet on any injuries. We don't know if there were people inside that home or in that mobile home park.

You can see firefighters are on scene right now. First-responders are there.

We don't know who the plane belongs to either. Once we get more information, we'll try to pass that along to you.

Also, something we're watching, a massive fire burning in the southern California mountains that is nowhere near control. It's already burned more than 35 square miles in the Idyllwild area. That's about 100 miles outside of Los Angeles near Palm Springs.

Officials have ordered about 6,000 residents to evacuate. We're told 4,000 homes are at risk.

Coming up this hour, live on CNN, President Obama is expected to speak about his Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. We're going to bring you the president live as soon as he speaks.

And if you happen to be in the Northeast, we don't need to tell you this. It is hot. It is so very, very hot.

Let's show you a hot picture. I don't think the statue feels the heat, but we sure do. This is a live picture of New York City.

Let us give you some perspective. The high temperature here in New York City today, 95 degrees, the same high temperature that's expected in Kabul, Afghanistan, just to put it in perspective, not something we see every day.

It is not just here. Much of the nation is feeling it. More than 20 states under are under a heat advisory today.

Meteorologist Indra Petersons, girl, can I just talk about the fact that they sent you outside into Central Park. I think they want you to feel the veracity of your report. How bad is it out there?

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm not going to lie. I feel it now. You get out here around 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, it's like, you know, this is hot. You feel kind of like that steam coming up from the concrete.

But as the day progresses, even as the temperature slowly climbs up, it's that sun directly hitting you that makes it unbearable.

I've actually been talking to a couple of people and they're like, you know what? It's not that bad. That's because they're out here a few minutes.

You can actually see right now, 88 degrees. With the heat indices right now, we're seeing temperatures about 95, 98 degrees, depending on where you are. And this is nowhere near the hottest time of the day.

I spoke to a couple people around here and take a listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're from Arizona, so we came to New York City to get away from the heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cooler in Arizona today. It's 98. It's 100 here with the humidity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot, too hot. But if you don't do it now, you're never going to do it. It gets hot here. Maybe I should go and have a shower and go and see the sights of New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very hot, kind of hot. I'm feeling hot. I feel like sleeping at home. I can't work. It's very hot today. It's like 88 degrees. And later, it's going to be like 97 degrees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PETERSONS: You know, one of the things, Michaela, we talk about is not just how hot it is specifically in one day, but it's how long we have to deal with that heat. And that's the reason we have so many advisories today.

We're talking about major metropolitan cities. Today, even more people affected, hard to believe. (Inaudible) for a fifth day here in New York.

We're talking about anywhere from southern New England, down to Maryland, spreading all the way -- believe it or not -- past even Minnesota into the Dakotas today. That's how many of us are being affected by this.

We're actually going to have a couple of more days to go. We're not going to see relief until about the weekend in the Northeast, specifically, but, eventually, as the cold front kicks through, we'll start to see that relief start in the Midwest and then make its way over here.

But for me myself here in good old gravel, looks like it's going to be a while.

PEREIRA: Indra, I kind of half expected to see you fry an egg on that sidewalk, it's so hot out there. And we appreciate that you actually put flip-flops on today because you cannot wear closed-toes shoes on a hot day like today.

PETERSONS: That's right. I'll make you breakfast about 8:00 tomorrow, Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Indra Petersons reporting on this heat wave. We understand it's going to give us a bit of a break in a few days. Maybe we'll see a little bit of relief in sight.

To sports now, and the expected and highly anticipated return of Alex Rodriquez, A-Rod, the New York Yankees' third baseman says he'll be back on a Major League field on Monday for his first game of the season.

It has been quite a rough ride for the former MVP. Many rumors and accusations for the $275 million man who just can't escape the critics or the comics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON HAMM, ACTOR: There are rumors that Major League baseball is going to suspend A-Rod after the All-Star break.

Honestly, that's OK. Yankee fans are used to him not showing up for the second half of the season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: How about that?

So what is A-Rod hoping for as he gets back on the field? We get that story from our Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, NEW YORK YANKEES THIRD BASEMAN: You know, every day is a new day, you know? Obviously, in this process, there's a lot of challenges.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Alex Rodriguez knows a lot about challenges. He has recovered from hip surgery, the second of his career.

And the New York Yankee third baseman is back on the field for now, with the Double-A team, the Trenton Thunder.

Getting back in the game, the real game, may be his greatest challenge, one he hopes to overcome with help from fans.

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, the support has been overwhelming, and it's fueled me.

I mean, this has been a very difficult process. And I'm just humbled by the opportunity to play baseball. I love this game so much.

I hate all the noise, but hopefully that goes away soon and we can get back to playing baseball.

CARROLL: Part of the so-called noise, Major League baseball's investigation into allegations linking Rodriguez and other players to this Florida clinic shut down for distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez denies being treated by the clinic. A possible suspension from the team, a $114 million contract and his legacy hang in the balance.

A lot of pressures, a lot of allegations out there, how are you managing to deal with that, while also trying to manage the physical part of trying to come back?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, that's a good question. I mean, that's never easy and it's not fun.

CARROLL: What's harder? Is it the mental or is it the physical? Which one is harder?

RODRIGUEZ: I think in this case, it's both.

CARROLL: What happens if there is a suspension? How disappointed would you be if you're not able to come back?

RODRIGUEZ: Well I'm going to focus on the positive, you know.

Obviously, that situation, I can't comment on at the moment, but I'm really looking forward to coming back to New York.

I feel like I owe the Yankee fan base my A-game. I don't think they had that last year.

CARROLL: No negotiations going on, no sort of plea deals? Nothing like that? No deals being made?

RODRIGUEZ: I don't think there's anything that's going on right now. And that's as far as I'm going here.

I think that it's important we have a process. We have a good system with Major League Baseball. And let's get the process play out.

CARROLL: If something is not ruled in your favor, would you want to continue to fight?

RODRIGUEZ: You know, I'd just rather not get into any of that right now. It's too -- it's premature. And we'll let the process play out. That's my responsibility right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: He really doesn't do that very often, Jason, one-on-one like that. That was a great "get."

He really did not want to talk about the Biogenesis issue, though.

CARROLL: No, he did not. And the reason is because of the ongoing investigation. This is what he was advised not to talk about.

But he has been on the record very clearly saying, look, I did not take any performance-enhancing drugs. I was not affiliated with that particular clinic.

This investigation is still ongoing. We're going to have to see what happens when the MLB completes it and what findings they have.

PEREIRA: And part of his reluctance to do these one-on-one interviews is because he wants to kind of keep control of the message that is going out there about him?

CARROLL: He does, and he feels as though in the past, perhaps, that that message has not gotten out the way that he wanted it to.

He also felt as though, over the past year, he wanted to speak to his fans. He says he's been grateful to the fans that have come out to support him.

There have been a lot of critics, too, who say he's overpaid, not worth the money, all these medical issues, not worth it for the Yankees to have him out there.

But, you know, he says he is worth it. He's worked hard and he wants to come back.

PEREIRA: But still that possibility of a suspension this year is weighing over him, I'm sure?

CARROLL: Very much. It's still very much a possibility.

We're going to have to wait and see what MLB comes up with, what evidence they come up with.

Whatever evidence they do come up with, I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez decides to fight or appeal.

PEREIRA: All right, Jason Carroll, our first-time meeting this morning, another Angelino. Indra Petersons is also from California. A little West Coast trifecta here.

CARROLL: We're all in the house.

PEREIRA: We are in the house. All right, Jason Carroll, appreciate it. Thanks so much. Great "get." Great conversation.

Still ahead after the break, Trayvon Martin's parents have been silent since George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murdering their son.

But this morning, they've come forward. They say the jury's decision is sending a terrible message to kids just like Trayvon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Trayvon Martin's parents are speaking out for the first time since their son's killer George Zimmerman was acquitted of second- degree murder.

Trayvon Martin's mother Sybrina spoke this morning. She spoke about the implications the verdict has not only on her family, but on other families across the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: Is this the intent for the justice system to have for victims? I mean, they're sending a terrible message to other little black and brown boys you that can't walk fast, you can't walk slow.

So what do they do? I mean, how do you get home without people knowing or either assuming that you're doing something wrong? Trayvon wasn't doing anything wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: I want to bring in Michael Scherer. He's the Washington bureau chief for "Time" magazine. Thanks for joining me this morning.

The July 29th issue of "Time" features this. Look at it. It's a hoodie with the headline, "After Trayvon."

Michael, I'm curious. Sybrina Fulton mentioned the message the verdict is sending to other African-American children. This is a refrain we've heard both online, we've heard the voices in the media, by parents around the nation.

How do we -- what do we tell our kids? You heard her, can't walk fast, can't go slow.

Do you get a sense of how the community's coming to grips with this, their own children's safety?

MICHAEL SCHERER, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "TIME": You heard it from the president of the United States who said, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon.

You heard it from Eric Holder this week when he spoke to the NAACP, talking about conversations he's had with his son, and that he had with his father when he was a kid.

I think there is a lot of still anger and resentment over this ruling, and the question now is, how is it harnessed and will it be different or lead to different results that other times in our history where we've had major trials, horrible incidents like this, that have started conversations about race and profiling in America and they'd last for a month, they'd last while the trial's on TV and then a couple weeks later, they go away?

Right now in black churches, especially, across the country, there's a real effort to try and transition from this moment, this trial and the aftermath, into education programs for young black people, young black men specifically, and political action to try and change laws around "stand your ground," change laws around gun rights, change laws around voting rights which has come to the fore because of the Supreme Court ruling.

PEREIRA: You know, it's interesting, there's the reaction, the emotion. And then there are a group of people, there have been so many that are saying what do we do now? And they want to find solutions to move forward.

And you talk about that, what the pastors are saying in those community churches what civil rights leaders are doing.

What kind of messages are you hearing? What's the common refrain?

SCHERER: The common refrain is, let's not let this moment pass without doing something. And there's a real history of that happening.

If you go back through history, you have Emmitt Till, you have Amadou Diallo, you have Rodney King, you have lots of moments in our past where you've had these conversations started because of tragic circumstances, and the underlying issues don't change that much.

And you know, one of the things that a lot of these black pastors are also talking about is that they do have the first black president. We do have a country that's clearly moving forward from its racial history in some respects, but at the same time, the black community hasn't really progressed in other ways over the last five years.

You know, unemployment is hurting the black community far worse than it is whites. The recession hit black household wealth far more than whites. You continue to have programs in New York like "Stop and Frisk" which infuriates the minority community up there. So, you know, the promise of Obama when he came in in 2008 is still a promise. It's very meaningful, it matters a great deal. But I think what you hear being said in a lot of these churches is that's not enough. We have to keep going, we have to do something with this.

PERIERA: That's Michael Scherer he's the Washington bureau chief for "TIME" magazine. Thanks so much for joining us. We should point out that Trayvon Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, are going to sit down with our Anderson Cooper live discussing how their family is moving forward. The all-new interview tonight at 8 eastern on AC360.

Now, the Trayvon Martin case isn't the only one raising issues about stand your ground. An appeals court in Tampa says the defense can even be used on a school bus. The"Miami Herald" is reporting about a student who was found guilty of battery. Let's break it down for you. The bus driver testified that a girl grabbed the boy's jacket, pulled him onto the seat and then punched him. The girl, by the way, disputed the claim. We're not sure if she faced any charges, but the boy did fight back. The case went to court. A judged blocked usage of stand your ground. The boy appealed, and the case got sent back to circuit court where a judge will now decide whether the case should be dismissed based on the stand your ground law.

Joining us now, defense attorney Danny Cevallos and attorney and former criminal prosecutor Faith Jenkins. Danny, Faith, thank you so much for being here. Let's talk about this notion, should stand your ground apply in a school bus fight? Not just the notion the fact it's happening on a school bus, but a school bus fight, those things happen likely daily around the country. Faith, let's start with you?

FAITH JENKINS, FORMER CRIMINAL PROSECUTOR: Well, in Florida, the statute is very broad. Anyone can invoke stand your ground defense if they're in a place where they are legally entitled to be. The lower court found the statute only applied if you were in your home or in your car. That's incorrect. The statute is very broad. The higher court recognized that and that's why the decision was reversed and sent back to the lower court. It doesn't matter if you're a school bus or street corner. Under Florida statute, if you're legally entitled to be where you are, you can invoke stand your ground.

PERIERA: Danny, let's talk about the limits that this has because again I go back to the fact that this -- you probably had one of those fights on a school bus growing up.

DANNY CEVALLOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, I was the recipient of many beatings on a school buss unfortunately. The thing to understand about standard ground is that the statute creates a presumption in certain areas. In other words, if you're in your home or in your car, oh what a difference George Zimmerman been in his car when this altercation started this case may have never made it to trial.

So it creates a presumption that the use of force is proper. Anywhere else, the defendant has to prove it. So Faith is absolutely right. It doesn't matter, you can be in a school bus. You can be in a park. You can be eating green eggs and ham. Wherever you are, you may be able to apply stand your ground as a defense. There no -- there is no guarantee that if you're in your home or car it applies. But there is a statutory presumption. Once get outside that locus, as long as you're somewhere you're lawfully allowed to be it is broad in Florida. If you can prove it, preponderance of the evidence you can invoke stand your ground immunity.

PERIERA: And in other cue is that that you're not engaged in an awful -- unlawful activity. I'm concerned, I want to put this question to both of you, this is about -- you know, what kind of message is this sending to our kids and teens?

JENKINS: Well the difference between stand your ground and regular defense laws is there's no duty to retreat. You don't have to stand down. You don't have to count to ten. There's no obligation to try to quell a dispute. You can use force in the beginning. And it takes away that choice, that limitation, and that message that we want to send to our kids. If you don't have to resort to violence don't. But the stand your ground statute says just the opposite. You have that option, you can take it and you're not going to be held accountable if you actually had the opportunity to retreat and you didn't.

PERIERA: Danny final thought?

CEVALLOS: Yes, when applied, actually, there won't be that many differences between self-defense and stand your ground. The real criticism is stand your ground as a policy. What effect, what incentives it creates. That's the real criticism on a global, macro sort of level. That needs to be sussed out.

PERIERA: All right, Danny Cevallos, Faith Jenkins, always a pleasure and a delight to have you both here lending your voices to the conversation. Appreciate you both. Have a great day.

We're going to take a break here.

Thousands of men and women are sexually assaulted by their military commanders and their comrades. What two branches are doing something about that? We'll discuss it next.

Coming up in a few minutes, we expect the president to speak live about his Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare. We're going to take that to you live. We're showing you a live picture from inside the White House. We're waiting the president coming to the podium and making his comments. We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERIERA: It is a damning mark on the U.S. military; rampant sexual assault against both men and women. The Pentagon estimates, kind of a shocking number, 26,000 servicembers were the victims of sexual assaults last year. That's up from 19,000 in 2010.

CNN has learned that the Navy and Marine Corps are actually going to begin to publish their own version a sex offender's list. This is all part of an effort to crack down on sexual assaults in the military. CNN's Barbara Starr is following developments and joins us live at the Pentagon and joining us via Skype is Steven Raiser, a criminal defense attorney and former judge advocate general in the army. Thank you both for joining us. Barbara, let's start with you first. Why don't you give us the key details of this new plan?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a sort of a sex offender's list, Michaela. What the Navy and Marine Corps are going to do is on their homepages online, start publishing a list every month of court-martials, pncluding sex offenders, people up on sexual assault charges. They will publish the charges, the details, the disposition of the cases, whether they are convicted, acquitted, what the punishment was. One key difference from civilian sex offenders' lists, the names will not be published. Those could be gotten perhaps through a Freedom of Information Act.

Why are they doing this? The military is under tremendous pressure from Congress to show that it's taking action against the sexual assault crisis. The feeling in the Navy is this will bring more public attention to it, it's one of several measures they're taking to try and get it into the public arena and show that they are cracking down. Show that to the public and also show it to the troops. Michaela.

PERIERA: Barbara, I'm curious, there are voices that say the military brass has failed so far in reducing the sexual assaults from 2010 to this year's numbers, it's up significantly.

STARR: You know, it's an interesting question, because one of the key problems is, they don't really have a good handle on the statistics. You look at those numbers. Is it the case that there are more incidents? Perhaps, yes. Or is it the case that more incidents are simply being reported? Because what we do know is that victims by -- traditionally, are very reluctant to report these cases. They feel that they would be persecuted, harassed, intimidated. So a lot of the effort is to try and take away the stigma. Get these people to report these cases so they can be prosecuted. Are the numbers up? Probably almost, certainly, they are. But the feeling is that some of it more victims are willing to come forward.

PERIERA: That is the big challenge. Getting them reported. Let's bring in Steven Raiser our criminal defense attorney and former judge advocate general in the army. Do you think this plan is going to go far enough? Is it going to do any good?

STEVEN RAISER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think it's a good first step. I think what they're attempting to do is create a corollary to what we have the in civilian system which is a way to track sex offenders so people on the outside know exactly what they're dealing with. I think it's a good step in the direction. I think they're more or less going to try to mirror what the civilian system is doing and try and create some sort of a symbiotic relationship between the convictions in the military and the convictions in the state so that people that are involved or connected to these individuals have full information as to who they are, and whether or not they are in fact a danger to them.

PERIERA: Now, Steven, I'm going to ask this, some are going to wonder how on earth a person found guilty of sexual assault or even being investigated for it, would be allowed to continue to serve in the military?

RAISER: Well that's one issue that is very obvious, and it does scream for an answer. I think for the most part if someone is convicted after a court-martial. And it's a serious sexual offense, especially if there's violence involved, they will not be in the military. It simply will not happen. There's no doubt about that.

However, I think that what they're trying to do right now is try to create a database that even civilians can be aware of. But right now what we just mentioned about statistics is a way to track to see, if this problem as it is being addressed, whether or not that problem is improving or not. And I think we see this kind of dip upward in reported cases, as was just reported because of the fact that it's becoming easier, and there's more accountability and there's also more protection for the victims.

They need some way to track this. I think that's the main focus here. But also for individuals who are discharged from the military so that people on the state or civilian site can be made aware of who they are along with other sex offenders that have been convicted through the civil.

PERIERA: Steven Raiser and Barbara Starr, thank you for joining us to discuss this. This is a story that we'll be watching and following here on CNN.

We are minutes away from President Obama speaking on his landmark health care act and explaining how it's saving you money. There's a live picture from inside the White House. Photos are being taken, We'll join the White House live in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREA)

PERIERA: All right. A live picture from the White House in the East Room there. The president standing alongside a young woman by the name of Morgan Terrio. She is a self-employed woman from Silver Spring, Maryland. She received a refund check from her insurance policy last summer for $267 after they didn't meet the health care policy spending at least 80 percent of her premium dollars on her health care. President is joined there, you can see the people in the background, by families who have benefited from the health care law. Let's listen in as the president is about to speak on his Affordable Care Act.