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Rallies Urge "Justice" For Trayvon Martin; Woman Falls Off Roller Coaster; Powerful Storm Hits Vegas; Relief From Extreme Heat In Sight; Royal Baby Due Anytime; "Trayvon Martin Could Have Been Me"; Lessons Learned From Zimmerman Case; Man Charged In Captive Case; Five Convicted In Cruise Liner Wreck; Journalist Helen Thomas Dead; Schools Using New Program To Collect Data; Whitey Bulger Witness Found Dead; Katherine Jackson Takes The Stand

Aired July 20, 2013 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. Here are the top stories that we are following for you today. Right now, rallies are kicking off across the U.S. demanding the federal government takes legal action against George Zimmerman.

Millions of Americans are getting hit with extreme weather this weekend from a brutal heat wave to intense flooding. We'll show you how people are coping.

And new technology is letting schools gather a lot of information about your children. We'll tell you why that's raising some red flags for some parents concerned about their kids' privacy.

All right, first up, those demonstrations that are being held right now across the country in support of Trayvon Martin. Our correspondents are covering the rallies from coast to coast. Let's begin with Nick Valencia in Miami. Trayvon Martin's father at the rally and you spoke with him one-on-one earlier. What did he say?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. It was a very emotional time for him at the microphone. He teared talking about his son, talking about the legacy of his son saying he will fight until his death to make sure his son's memory is not forgotten. He also told those in attendance, hundreds and hundreds in attendance, we would also fight for their children. Take a listen to what he had to say when I asked about the overwhelming support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACY MARTIN, TRAYVON MARTIN'S FATHER: It was overwhelming. It just goes to show the love and support that our family and friends have for us here in Miami as well as across the country. And it sends a message to the nation that -- we're not going to sit back and let our children be killed and don't say anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: And, Fred, the message here in Florida is a very clear one. They want an amendment to the stand your ground law. Some people here want that law to be completely wiped away. Across the nation it is a two-pronged approach. They also want the Department of Justice to intervene in the George Zimmerman case. They want to file civil rights charges, filed against George Zimmerman -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Nick Valencia in Miami, thank you so much. Let's go to New York now that's where we find our Alina Cho. Trayvon Martin's mother will be appearing at the rally. We also understand that she spoke earlier ahead of the rally. Let's go to Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, what a surprise. Just a couple of minutes ago, Beyonce and Jay-Z arrived at this rally here at One Police Plaza in New York City. Of course, Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, due to be the headliner, there are traditional headliners now, we are hearing both Beyonce and Jay-Z will take to the podium and give remarks today.

From what I can tell behind me, a couple of hundred people appear to be here at this rally today. Of course, it is one of more than 100 across the city that is planned by the National Action Network led by the Reverend Al Sharpton. We understand that Sharpton and Sybrina Fulton along with her surviving son are on their way down to this rally right now. Due to arrive at any moment and, of course, we will bring you more on this as they come and take to the podium later today -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: We'll check back with you. Thanks so much, Alina Cho in New York.

Let's go to the nation's capital now that's where we find Athena Jones. Athena, organizers there demanding the federal government prosecute George Zimmerman on civil rights violations. That's really is the mantra across the country at many of these demonstrations, but are people talking about the likelihood of that happening there in Washington?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. That's right. If you talk to legal experts, they say there's a very high bar for the federal government to bring civil rights charges in this case. They'd have to show that George Zimmerman acted out of a sense of racial hatred or animus when he shot Trayvon Martin and they've been down there investigating. The federal investigators have been down there for more than a year. They've been interviewing witnesses, talking to folks who know George Zimmerman.

The bottom line is they would have to find evidence that was not found and presented in the state trial. So it could be a high bar there, but nevertheless, you have all of these people gathered. A couple hundred people are out here. I don't if you remember an hour ago, what a difference an hour makes, lots more people are out here. It is very, very hot I should tell you. Many people are standing under the shade of trees.

It's in the mid-80s here. Feels the like it's in the mid-90s. The speeches are about to begin. Members of Congress have been invited. Faith leaders are expected to speak. I can tell you that one of the other goals here of this rally today is to make people aware of, if they aren't already, the stand your ground laws. Make sure they know what states they're in and work to repeal them, change them in the states where they exist so many issues being discussed today at this event in D.C. -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Athena Jones, thanks so much. Keep us posted there from the nation's capital.

Let's go to the west coast now. Dan Simon is in Los Angeles. So Dan, protests earlier this week turned violent. You've got a lot more people who have converged behind you, compared to just an hour ago. What's the mood? What's the tone?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very upbeat. They're stressing that this is going to be a very peaceful rally. They've been working very closely with the Los Angeles Police Department. Just a moment ago, they had a moment of silence. Right now, there are speakers at the podium.

I want to introduce you to one person who came here today. This is Donna Wade who is a Los Angeles resident. Donna, can you explain why you felt so strongly about being out here today?

DONNA WADE: Because as a community, we need to come together, and we need to support justice for Trayvon.

SIMON: What's the message that you want to send?

WADE: That we need to do it in a peaceful manner, and that we need to be organized, and we need to make sure that we do follow through on what we're going to do so that justice happens for Trayvon Martin.

SIMON: Thank you very much, Donna. Obviously, they chose the courthouse for a very good reason. Because obviously, they want a federal case against George Zimmerman, and if you come back to me, you can see this is what they're giving folks who come to the rally. People are getting t-shirts. We want justice. That, of course, is the main message here.

This is going to be going on, I guess, for the next hour or so and a few hundred protesters, and -- again, they're stressing that this is going to be a very peaceful demonstration, and we'll keep bringing you live updates as things get rolling along here in Los Angeles. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Dan Simon there in Los Angeles.

Tonight on CNN, the explosive interview that a lot of people still talking, Juror B37 in our own words. Anderson Cooper's exclusive interview tonight at 8:00 Eastern Time. Then after that at 9:00 Eastern Time on CNN, Piers Morgan interviews Rachel Jeantel. She was the prosecution's star witness, the good friend of Trayvon Martin.

All right, on to Texas, a woman has died at Six Flags over Texas after witnesses say they fell off a roller coaster, that one right there. The theme park confirmed she died riding the Texas giant last night, but didn't give any other details. Witnesses say they saw the woman fly out of the roller coaster as it went around a turn. People standing in line say they heard a man on the ride screaming, my mom fell off. The woman has not been identified. Six Flags says the roller coaster is closed while it investigates.

Now to Las Vegas where a powerful storm swept through last night, the thunderstorm left streets flooded, toppled trees and damaged rooftops. The storm was so powerful, that the roof of this crowded bar located on the Las Vegas strip almost collapsed. This cell phone video was shot by a local DJ and shows water actually pouring in from the roof.

Temperatures meantime are expected to soar across the country this weekend, but for many parts of the U.S., there could be a little bit of relief in sight. CNN's Jennifer Delgado joining us live from the weather center. Folks love to hear there will be relief, where?

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. They're looking at clocks, when is it going to happen, Jennifer? Fredricka, it's going to come especially later on tonight. Once we get some of the storms moving through, but right now, we are still looking at watches out there. The extreme heat wave continues across parts of the northeast as well as New England and some of these locations we're talking it's going to feel like 106 degrees out there.

And what does it feel like right now? Well, not too far away from that is 104. That's the heat index in Boston. That's what it feels like. Then in for areas like Atlantic City, 97, 94 New York, of course, we can get temperatures as hot and you have all that moisture out there makes for very dangerous conditions.

There are reports that people suffering from heat exhaustion. As we show you some video coming in to us, people in New York City, they want a break from the heat. You see people walking through, even in their suits, trying to stay cool. You know what, Fredricka? When it's so hot like this, you're not going to stay cool. Just take it all off.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Roll up the sleeves.

DELGADO: Do it in moderation.

WHITFIELD: Not doing a striptease. You know, shed some of the layers, people.

DELGADO: Shed the layers, wear light-colored clothing. Back over to our radar here, Fredricka, we are going to see relief. You see on the graphics here, our frontal system hitting areas across parts of the Ohio right now. You can see bringing in a lot of lightning with it. That frontal system will bring a chance for some storms to become strong today from Ohio up to areas like New England.

Some of these storms will bring hail as well as some strong winds and then we'll start to see the relief, but we still have to deal with the storms that are going to arrive late in the afternoon and then here comes the reward for Washington, D.C. today high of 95, 88 on Sunday, and 86 on Monday. And for Boston, we do know it feels like 104 degrees. How about an actual temperature of 78 on Monday? That's what I'm selling. Take it. It looks good, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes, it does look good. Goodness, folks in Boston, 98? Whew. Hot, yes, it doesn't help to keep the windows open.

DELGADO: A lot of people don't have air conditioning. That's worse.

WHITFIELD: The natural instinct.

DELGADO: You go to the mall. Go broke.

WHITFIELD: Spend money.

DELGADO: Yes

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Jennifer.

Maybe you, too, Jennifer are excited about all that's taking place, or likely to take place in London. Katherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, due at any time now and the heat wave in the U.K. actually forced her to head to her parents' house, we understand this week, to take advantage of their air conditioning. The media scrambled yesterday when two people they thought were Will and Kate showed up at the hospital. It turns out it was a prank pulled by one of Britain's tabloid newspapers.

All right, thousands of Americans are rallying around the country meantime over the stand your ground laws, and the president of the United States also weighing in with some very personal remarks about why black boys and men are having to always look over their shoulders.

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WHITFIELD: Today across the country, and in fact, 100 American cities, it's being called "Justice For Trayvon Day." A number of demonstrations taking place one week after the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial and many among the crowds of those demonstrations asking for the Justice Department to look into civil rights violations. Live pictures you just saw there in Washington, D.C. and now also live pictures of a gathering taking place in Orlando, Florida.

And the president of the United States breaking his silence on the case, he gave a surprise statement at the White House yesterday. President Obama didn't take sides on the verdict, but he called the decision a painful one for many African-Americans who deal with racial profiling all the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Now, this isn't to say that the African-American community is the naive about the fact that African-American young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system, that they're disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence. It's not to make excuses for that fact, and so the fact that sometimes that's unacknowledged adds to the frustration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me now, Jason Johnson, political science professor at Harem College in Cleveland and analyst on HLN. Good to see you, Jason, and Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor and law professor in Boston. Good to see you as well, Wendy.

So, Jason, I want to begin with you. The president said too often, you just heard it, too often black boys are disproportionately victims and perpetrators, and that he, too, before being a senator has been treated like a suspect, whether in an elevator or a store. This is a situation that's gone on four years. Is it all being interpreted differently, now that the president of the United States has addressed it in this way?

JASON JOHNSON, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT AT POLITIC365.COM: I don't know if it's going to be interpreted differently, but I think it adds a final voice. The president's one small statement after the verdict, it wasn't really strong enough, and you had Jimmy Carter talking, Charles Barkley talking. A lot of different people talking, but I think Obama puts the book end on this discussion and moves the country forward, and it was a brave and candid Barack Obama that the black community certainly has not seen in the last several years. This wasn't eastern the Obama that spoke at Morehouse. So I was surprised and impressed by his candor and sincerity in speaking on the subject.

WHITFIELD: And Wendy, you know, you write about injustice for women, but as an attorney, have you taken notice or how often have you taken notice at the courthouse and jailhouse that that is the case, as the president puts it? Disproportionately victims and perpetrators are that of black men? So hearing the president yesterday, did that change your thoughts, you know, crystallize your thoughts in any way, on what you see in the criminal justice system?

WENDY MURPHY, AUTHOR, "AND JUSTICE FOR SOME": It's interesting. So in my book, "And Justice for Some," I do write primarily about disproportionate failure to redress targeted violence against women and children as a systemic failure in our legal system. But some of the same problems, the structured inequality that I write about my book and that I teach at my law school apply with equal force if not more so to the black community including in particular black men.

I was in a prison recently visiting a client and virtually everybody I saw had brown skin. I asked a guard. He said, you know, most are here for drugs and it's just a huge cyclical problem. That's not news. What I loved about what the president did was he essentially acknowledged the legitimacy of what I right about in my book, but he said was, look, I'm the government.

He is the most powerful representative of the government in this country, and he was essentially saying the government is unfair. The system is unfair and, boy is that important to hear from someone like that. His leadership on this issue, having him say that, be self- critical in that way, I thought was huge and really a very important moment.

WHITFIELD: And beyond that thing, that, it, too, needs reform, and an example of that, said he didn't have all the answers, an example might be the Justice Department assists local law enforcement in training. Is that where the training, is that where the assistance should best come from? Is that a reasonable offer?

JOHNSON: I don't think that's enough, but I think it's a start. You know, Barack Obama said, you know, when he was a senator, when he was in Illinois, he put out information on where racial profiles comes from and what's the impact, but I think the larger issue is this -- he needs to address structural inequalities in sentencing. He needs to address structural inequalities in education. He needs to address structural inequalities in hiring.

It's interesting. One of the first bills Barack Obama signed quietly after becoming president was to close the gap between punishments between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, which is something that had been sending significantly larger numbers of African-Americans to jails for longer sentences for years. He needs to do more than that.

WHITFIELD: Is that what the president can do? Because even he said, you know, it's not necessarily turning to Congress, because he says, fighting about it is not going to get you anywhere, and asking for yet another program isn't necessarily the answer, too, but he did say that perhaps it is more reasonable to rely on the clergy. It is more -- more productive to rely on the business community. I mean, he essentially is saying, government is not necessarily the answer -- Wendy.

MURPHY: Yes. Well, I think he's right in a sense. The solutions come from all sorts of sources. Institutional sources are particularly important because they frame how we think about things and attitudes are part of the solution as well. You know, I think leadership is the most important thing he has to offer. Leadership has been lacking on this issue.

I, frankly did not see everything the president said as sufficient. I want to know, for example, why my president didn't speak out how the three young women enslaved in a basement in chains in Ohio in Ariel Castro's home for 10 years. Why didn't he think that was a civil rights issue to speak out? Why didn't he say those girls could have been my daughters?

I think one of the things he has to do next is say we're never really all going to come together on racism and the problem of racism unless we see all civil rights violations as the same problem.

WHITFIELD: And Jason, last words?

JOHNSON: I really think that this was the one example where I think it's OK for a president to speak on a local issue. As a rule, as an American, I don't want the president invading every state issue, but when you see that a large number of people in the country are unhappy with the system, it is the time for the president to speak as a moral leader and say, look, it's time for calm. It's time for concern, and I think a good thing he did. I don't think that he didn't care about the women in Ariel Castro's case in Steubenville, but it's an issue people are concerned about now.

WHITFIELD: Not that I would be responding for the White House in any way, shape or form, there doesn't seem to be discord when you talk about child abuse, but there is discourse when you talk about issues of race.

MURPHY: Yes, there is. Yes, there is. It just doesn't get nearly enough air time. Five children died --

WHITFIELD: Another segment that we need to book another time and have you back to educate us on that.

MURPHY: Yes, you should.

WHITFIELD: Wendy Murphy, thank you so much. Jason Johnson, good to see you as well. Appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we are going to talk indeed more about the George Zimmerman trial. Will it have an impact on other cases in the future? Our legal guys are up next to talk more about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. It's being called "Justice for Trayvon Day" in about 100 American cities. Right now live pictures of a demonstration in that vein unfolding right now in Sanford, Florida, where the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case began. They're in Sanford, Florida, one week now after the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. We'll keep close watch on all of the demonstrations taking place across the country.

You heard the president yesterday also imploring that as these rallies take place, any kind of violence would be a dishonor to Trayvon Martin. So all have been very peaceful, but, of course, very emotional for all of those involved. We'll take you to various cities across the country as they unfold.

So let's talk more about, though, what's next after the George Zimmerman case, the verdict and the ongoing reaction. Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from Cleveland, and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see both of you, Gentlemen.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred --

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good to see you again.

WHITFIELD: Avery, you first, you know the outcome of this case. You know, is it highlighting a greater need for change in the way of instructions? You know, instructions given to jurors, changes in the overall stand your law ground or change in the criteria of the makeup of the jury, or all of the above?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, honestly, the jury instructions were confusing and I think B37 who appeared with Anderson Cooper, made that very clear. Yes, it's important to have clear instructions, and on makeup, composition of the jury, clearly, that's a process governed by, in this case, Florida state law. But, you know, Fredricka, no one has really talked about the federal law that applies here, and it's a law that's not even four years old.

We talked about the cases, the Matthew Sheppard case, who was killed, murdered because he was gay and James Byrd Jr. who was murdered because of his race. It triggered Congress in passing a law in 2009. That's the law, it has nothing to do with Florida criminal law, that authorizes the Department of Justice to do exactly what Eric Holder announced this week. It's something that has to be examined so that we can get closure and make progress in it.

WHITFIELD: Why is there a -- why is there not a universal -- there isn't a universal consensus that this constitutes what took place between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, constituted it being a hate crime. I just spoke with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales earlier and he said it doesn't necessarily have the criteria of the two cases you just mentioned, would have?

FRIEDMAN: He doesn't know that. He agrees that the Department of Justice should be looking into it. I think it's very difficult for lawyers who really look at the trial, the criminal trial, to say that the verdict was wrong, but that has nothing to do with the federal case. I'm in agreement with the former attorney general that this case has to be looked into under federal law in order to get ultimate closure to it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Richard and the attorney general said, yes, we should look into it, but thus far, it doesn't appear that the civil -- civil justice -- really was a violation here.

HERMAN: Well, Fred, I studied this trial. I watched every day of this trial, and let me just say, there was no depravity element that was required to get the second-degree murder. You need in order to get a successful prosecution for a hate crime or a civil rights, federal civil rights violation. You have to have racial animus, racial motivation for the killing. This jury emphatically said it did not exist.

In fact, the only racial profiling did come out of this case, if we ought to believe Rachel Jeantel were those words spoken by Trayvon Martin describing Zimmerman. That was a racial profile, but here, nobody, not this jury, said that Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin. You need to have that.

WHITFIELD: Racial profiling is not always verbalized, that there's a mind-set.

FRIEDMAN: Right. WHITFIELD: You make your determination in your mind. It doesn't necessarily have to be verbalized, and that is why there are some who say, wait a minute. Racial profiling, whether it happened or not, why is it being disputed here?

HERMAN: Fred, the government investigated this case for a year. They investigated for a year. They interviewed over 40 witnesses -- there is no federal case here.

WHITFIELD: Go ahead, Richard first.

HERMAN: The state case was a sham, any federal prosecution here, and I have to believe the president and Attorney General Holder know this full well, that they are placating people right now politically. There is no basis for any federal charges against Zimmerman, period.

WHITFIELD: And Avery, you disagree?

FRIEDMAN: To suggest that the president of the United States and the attorney general are out there placating, patronizing, condescending, by making these representations is really not fair. This case deserves a complete federal investigation, and let the chips fall where they may. Don't confuse the federal criminal case with what the Department of Justice should be doing, and I think they're doing the right thing here.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right, we clearly are not done with this case and we are going to -- revisit this conversation especially as the Justice Department potentially moves forward on investigating forward.

Meantime though, this hour, we'll see new about 15 minutes to talk be emotional testimony coming from Michael Jackson's mother, Catherine. She took the stand for the first time in his wrongful death case. We'll check back with you, Avery and Richard. Thank you.

The people responsible for that cruise liner wreck that killed 32 people off the coast of Italy, they now learned their fate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Right now rallies are under way across the country marking what organizers are calling a "National Justice For Trayvon Day." Demonstrators are urging the federal government to prosecute George Zimmerman for civil rights violations. The protests are being held in 100 cities. Looking at pictures from Miami and you also saw I think pictures from Orlando, Florida, as well.

All right, a Houston man is facing charges now after investigators freed several men from deplorable conditions in his grandmother's house. Investigators say the men told him Walter Jones lured them in with a promise's food and shelter, but then locked them up and barely gave them food. The men also told Officer Jones took their disability and veterans' checks. Police say three men held in the garage are now in stable condition at the hospital.

On to Rome now, five people have been convicted of manslaughter in the deadly wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner. Thirty two people in all died when that ship ran aground and turned on its side off the Italian coast last year. It is likely that only two of the defendants will serve any time in prison.

Long time White House reporter, Helen Thomas died today at the age of 92. Sources say she passed away following a long illness. Thomas' career ended in controversy, but before that, it was a string of stunning accomplishments. Elizabeth Corridan has more now on Helen Thomas' life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HELEN THOMAS, DECEASED JOURNALIST: My question is why did you really want to go to war?

ELIZABETH CORRIDAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Once the unofficial dean of the pressroom Helen Thomas, the longest serving White House correspondent ever. She gave every American president from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama, a taste of her pointed questions.

THOMAS: What is it that prevents your administration from talking to Castro, the Sandinistas. The widespread, that perception, that you're waffling, that you can't make up your mind? Why are we continuing to kill and die there?

CORRIDAN: The daughter of Lebanese immigrant, Thomas Letter, started writing for her high school newspaper. She spent more than 50 years with United Press International working her way up from a reporter covering women's issues to White House bureau chief, the first woman of any wire service to hold that job. In 1962, she helped convince President Kennedy to threaten to boycott the annual dinners for white house correspondents if women were not allowed to attend.

THOMAS: Going toe to toe with stories from the men. When the scales fell from their eyes they finally realized it was OK to have women.

CORRIDAN: She considered traveling with Nixon to China, a career highlight. In 2000, Thomas left UPI to become a columnist for Hearst. In that role, she became a harsh critic of the Iraq war arguing journalists didn't do enough to question George W. Bush's administration over a war she called illegal and immoral.

THOMAS: I think that the reporters know in the aftermath of 9/11, they were afraid to challenge the government, were afraid to be seen as un-American, unpatriotic, and as a consequence, they really let the country down.

CORRIDAN: A few years later her outspokenness cost her, her job after she was asked about Israel in this interview.

THOMAS: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So where should they go?

THOMAS: Go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's home?

THOMAS: Poland, Germany.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go back to Poland and Germany?

THOMAS: And America, and everywhere else.

CORRIDAN: The video went viral and sparked outrage in the Jewish community and beyond. Thomas abruptly retired and issued a written apology, but later she said she stood by her remarks insisting she wasn't criticizing Jews, but was instead showing support for Palestine.

THOMAS: We had the right to ask questions, to help the poor people, underprivileged, people who have no voice. And I wish reporters would have more responsibility in speaking for the oppressed.

CORRIDAN: Controversial to the end, Helen Thomas always kept true to herself. I'm Elizabeth Corridan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Your child's school knows just about everything about your kid. With new technology many school districts are storing all of that information into a Cloud. Our Laurie Segall talks to one parent who is a little worried about her child's privacy now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After-school activity, Boys Scouts, favorite TV show, "Avatar, The Last Air Bender."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really like this. I told my mom to make my hair like this.

SEGALL: ADHD, it's his last data point about 9-year-old Matthew that would likely end up in a database his school started using this year. A few public school systems across the country are partnering with a non-profit called "InBloom," the company's technology stores all the information collected about students in one place, from test scores to their disabilities and their learning styles. The ultimate goal, they say a one-stop data shop to help personalize learning.

IWAN STREICHENBERGER, CEO, INBLOOM: School and districts collect a lot of data. The system is disconnected. As a result, the data is not usable. It's the difference between data and information.

SEGALL (on camera): Specifically when it comes to Matthew, your son, what's your biggest concern?

KAREN SPROWAL, PARENT: The number concern is who -- who is having access to this information?

SEGALL (voice-over): InBloom is using the Cloud to centralize all the data the school system has including financial information about students' families. Some parents worry that their child's digital footprint is too personal. What's at stake when it comes to that kind of data collection?

SPROWAL: Everything, my son's chances of getting into good schools, my son's chances of getting, maybe, into Ivy League colleges.

SEGALL: Teachers say the data can be very helpful, spurring innovation in the classroom.

JIM PETERSON, ILLINOIS TEACHER, USES INBLOOM: It can be really important parent portals of information about their kids, how much time they spend on a PBS video to learn some kind of content area.

SEGALL: A recent town hall in New York addressing student data collection tracking it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it comes to our children, how dare they.

SEGALL: InBloom says it's just trying to help schools be more efficient.

STREICHENBERGER: Managing information that's already there.

SEGALL: Some parents worry there's not enough transparency. They want more of a heads up about the tech that's being tested out on their children.

SPROWAL: The problem is they're leaving parents and teachers and students out of the process. This is good. Let's do this, but you've got to include us in the process.

SEGALL: A pending bill in New York, would allow parents to opt out of having data track in InBloom. Karen said she would opt out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Lori joining us live right now from New York. So Laurie, are there other companies using data in improving education as well?

SEGALL: There are a ton of companies doing this. This is a huge trend we're seeing in technology right now in that education state. There's actually a company called "Dream Box Learning." It's really interesting. You can actually -- it will analyze how you solve a math problem. So instead of saying, you got this math problem right, it will say your pen hesitated. This is probably an area you could work on a little bit better.

So look, you know it can be a little bit scary with this highly personalized data collection, but when it comes down to it a lot of these folks are really trying to help make the classrooms better. But as you see, it looks like there needs to be a little more transparency.

WHITFIELD: So there might be a lot of reluctance amongst parents. What about among some of the educators? Do they like the idea that, you know, these programs are now kind of taking their place and teaching their kids about like you said penmanship and other things?

SEGALL: You know, I spoke to one teacher, it's a mix. One teacher said, look, all of this data coming in. I like to get to knows these children and know who these children are by interacting with them, not by what a digital footprint looks like. Then there's the opposite side which is, you can maybe help a personalized learning curriculum for a child with disabilities. So it really goes both ways here and it's a heated debate because when it comes to children, everything is very, very personal.

WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Laurie Segall, thanks so much. Appreciate you bringing that to us.

All right, let's go back to the courtroom. A juror in the Whitey Bulger trial is brought to tears during testimony about how the alleged Boston mob boss strangled a young woman. It's just too much, and that was only one of the tough moments in this high-profile trial. We'll be right back with more.

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WHITFIELD: A dramatic twist in the trial of alleged Boston mob boss, Whitey Bulger. A potential witness was found dead a day after he learned he was dropped from the prosecution's witness list. Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland, Richard Herman in Las Vegas. All right, good to see you guys again.

OK, so let's set the scene a bit here. Stephen Rakes body was discovered on a roadside about 20 miles northwest of Boston. The D.A.'s Office says the autopsy revealed no obvious signs of trauma, but police are still investigating. Rakes has claimed that he was forced to give up his South Boston liquor store so Whitey Bulger could turn it into a front for his mob gang. So with this suspicious death of a potential witness, has that now shaken up the case, potentially scare off other potential witnesses, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Wow. Well, I'll tell you something. Rakes really wanted to testify in this case and they find him dead this week. On top of that, the number two guy in the Winterhouse Gang, which was headed up by Bulger testified. That was Stephen "The Rifleman" Fleming and he actually talked about having to work with number one, with Bulger, in strangling his girlfriend.

On top of that, there's a battle about who's a rat to whom and which FBI was taking money? Fredricka, you couldn't hire screenwriters to come up with this kind of a story. It is absolutely amazing, and wait for the cross-examination, which will be starting on Monday.

WHITFIELD: And then, Richard, you have a situation where you've got potential -- a witness leaving the stand. Mouthing off saying a few things to Bulger, he's saying a few things in return, and then they go, you know, their own way after not seeing each other for many, many years. This is quite the soap opera in this courtroom.

HERMAN: Fred, this is better than "The Sopranos." But Avery, I just want to be clear. So you were being antagonistic towards "The Rifleman," right? Is that what you were doing just now, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. That's right. Exactly right.

HERMAN: OK. Anyway, Fred, this case -- I'm going to duck. Nineteen murders here, Fred, are coming out during the course of this trial. It's a massive Rico trial. Everyone's a rat. Everyone's giving up everybody. You know, even Whitey Bulger was a rat for a few years and then he got the tip-off despite the government. They're going to press additional charges against him. So he went on the lam. He hid for so long. They found him and now everybody is laying it on because everybody wants substantial assistance. They want to reduce their prison terms and are saying anything and everything about Whitey Bulger.

WHITFIELD: So some interesting pleas, plea deals, or exchange deals that have been offered here.

HERMAN: Cooperation, cooperation deals.

WHITFIELD: Cooperation, OK.

HERMAN: There you go.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about another case involving the wrongful death case against AEG. You've got the former pop star, Michael Jackson's mom, Katherine Jackson, taking to the stand, getting very emotional saying that she wants to know what really happened to her son. How impactful is the testimony of, you know, Katherine Jackson on the stand there, Richard?

HERMAN: Yes, Fred, it has to be gut wrenching. You know, just like Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin are experiencing the loss of a son. She experienced the loss of her son. It's unnatural for a parent to have to bury a child. That's what's going on. They laid it on today. They made her go through the beginning of the career of Michael Jackson, when he started singing.

It's gut wrenching to hear this as juror. At the end of the day, though, I don't know if her testimony makes or breaks the case. The issue is whether or not AEG negligently hired Conrad Murray. That's really the issue before the jury, but it was compelling testimony, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and that given the case, Avery, thus far is that being established?

FRIEDMAN: I think there are some evidence that the jury is going to be able to consider it. It's not going to be thrown out in the middle of the case, but let me tell you something. The jury has been there 12 weeks, Fredricka, and the people that represent the estate are now trying to end their piece of it by -- by the -- by crescendoing the case and bringing in Katherine Jackson, and she's the sympathetic mother of Michael Jackson.

What's very interesting is the judge even permitted a montage of the children and grandchildren with Michael Jackson singing in the background. I mean, ordinarily that's not evidence, but, remember, we're Los Angeles. So these sorts of things get in, and then we will start up the defense. The defense of this case, we're going hear what AEG Live has to say, but up to this point, Katherine Jackson, was exactly the witness that should have ended this case.

WHITFIELD: Pulling at the heartstrings. All right, Avery, Richard.

FRIEDMAN: That's for sure.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

HERMAN: Good to see you. Great seeing you, Fred.

FRIEDMAN: All the best.

WHITFIELD: All right, of course, you can always catch the legal guys here every Saturday. They are so committed about this time with their take on the most intriguing and fascinating legal cases of the day, the week, the year. You name it. Whatever it is, they're here. We can count on them. Thanks so much, guys.

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WHITFIELD: Much more ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. Next hour, we go live to rallies across the country from Los Angeles to Miami. We have reporters covering the protest of stand your ground laws and we'll hear from Trayvon Martin's father.

Plus, we'll show you what President Obama revealed about his own life experiences and racial profiling.

And later we'll go live to Houston where police say four men including three senior citizens were held captive. How they survived this terrible ordeal?

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