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Chemical Weapons Use Reported in Syria; March on National Mall Celebrates Civil Rights Movement Landmark; Wildfire Burning in Yosemite National Park; San Diego Mayor Resigns in Face of Sexual Harassment Allegations; New Book Examines Personal Life of Jodi Arias; Interview with Jane Velez-Mitchell
Aired August 24, 2013 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It was the speech that defined a movement and inspired a nation. Now, 50 years after the march on Washington, new civil rights leaders descend on the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King, Jr. once told us he had a dream.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, let's go!
IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR: The fast-moving wildfire that has consumed 165 square miles has entered Yosemite National Park. And having doubled in size in just one day, it's now bearing down on thousands of structures.
KEILAR: She was tried, convicted, and Monday she'll be back in court. Now Jane Velez-Mitchell reveals new details about Jodi Arias that show how a previous boyfriend may have narrowly escaped her clutches.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Brianna Keiler.
WATSON: And I'm Ivan Watson. It's 10:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 on the West, and you're in the CNN newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: Let freedom ring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And we begin this hour with history being made again today in the nation's capital.
WATSON: That's right. Marchers are retracing the landmark 1963 march on Washington. It was 50 years ago Wednesday that the reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. called for an end to hatred and bigotry in his "I have a Dream" speech.
KEILAR: And CNN's Chris Lawrence is on the mall. Chris, participants today are retracing the march, but there are still a few differences here, right? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think one of the biggest is that obviously 50 years ago there wasn't the memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. that opened here in Washington just a few years ago. Let's take a look at the crowd, and you can see thousands of people already down here on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, just a beautiful day with the reflecting pool. They will be marching from here to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Just a few minutes ago, the Reverend Jesse Jackson talked about what it's like to be here 50 years after the fact.
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REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOWPUSH COALITION: He said too much war, too few jobs, too little social uplift leads to moral and spiritual bankruptcy. When he was killed, his property ratings went down, his values and standards went up. Say what you will, those who want to embrace me, but I will be speaking what should be heard. So keep dreaming of the constitutional right to vote. Stop the madness in North Carolina and Texas. Keep dreaming. Revive the war on poverty. Keep dreaming. Go from stopping educate, stopping house, stopping jails. Keep dreaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: We have somebody who was born exactly 50 years ago today. Now you're here. What does this mean to you to be back here celebrating this 50th anniversary?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great opportunity for me. I was born the year of the civil rights movement, and I'm 50 years old, so 50 years of celebrating, 50 years I am actually living the dream. I am an entrepreneur. I work. I'm doing exactly what it is that our forefathers marched and fought for my father. My name is Rhonda Phillips. I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio, and my dad fought and marched for so many others, and I'm living the dream, and I thank Jesus for being able to do that.
LAWRENCE: Thank you so much, Rhonda. You hear lots of stories like that today. Later today we'll be hearing from the Representative John Lewis who was one of the last living organizers of that march 50 years ago, as well as the families of Martin Luther King, Jr. and of course Trayvon Martin.
KEILAR: Chris Lawrence, thank you so much. And Dr. King's oldest son is at that rally. A while ago Martin Luther King III told us what he hopes this march will achieve.
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MARTIN LUTHER KING III, PRESIDENT AND CEO, REALIZING THE DREAM: In 1963, the march was for jobs and freedom. Today the jobs are for justice and freedom. This is an action march. This is not just a commemoration. Yes, we are commemorating 50 years. The commemoration activities will actually take place on the 28th, the actual day that dad delivered his speech in 63. But today we are really repositioning and creating a new coalition of conscience. So we are launching the National Action Initiative to realize the dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: That's Martin Luther King iii talking about today's march and what it means. Now, I want to bring in "CNN Crossfire" host Van Jones in Los Angeles, and also joining us from Washington, CNN political commentator Donna Brazile. Martin Luther King III, he talked about creating a coalition of conscience. What does that mean to both of you?
VAN JONES, HOST, CNN CROSSFIRE: First of all, it's just an extraordinary day. You're going to have these truly legends. You've got John Lewis, who is a living legend, beaten for civil rights, and the woman whose husband was murdered in front of her and her children. They're going to be here 50 years later, and at the same time you have a generation that's rising. I think you do see a new coalition of conscience. You heard Ben Jealous earlier today. He was talking as passionately about rights for lesbians and gays as he was for African- Americans. There is a rainbow coalition, so to speak, that Dr. King imagined that is now helping to run the country through the Obama phenomenon, the Cory Booker phenomenon. I think it's a big day.
KEILAR: Donna, what does that mean to you, a coalition of conscience?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the coalition of conscience really came together about 30 years ago during the 20th anniversary celebration. And Mrs. and Mr. King envisioned a much larger coalition that envisioned the body of Dr. King to bring together those who marched for jobs and freedom but also those who cared about peace and justice issues, not just here but abroad.
And so it was an intergenerational movement, and as witnessed this crowd today, it feels the same way it did about 30 years ago when I participated. I wasn't old enough to march back in 1963. I was not yet four years old when Dr. King echoed those words, "Free at last, free at last." But there were many members of my family and community who attended, and I'm proud to be here today.
KEILAR: And it's really, I think, 50 years later, it's this time where you take stock, you sort of measure progress. So I wonder, and to you first, Dan, how has the dream been realized, how has it not been realized, and what more needs to be done?
JONES: Well, I was listening to the great Reverend Joseph Lowry who was a contemporary of Dr. King's, was a cofounder, and he said everything has changed, and yet nothing has changed. I think that's always true in the quest for justice. Obviously, when you have an African-American president, obviously when you have some of the advances we've seen in business and entertainment, et cetera, that's a big deal. At the same time we are still struggling with a racial wage gap, a racial wealth gap, stop and frisk, et cetera.
But one of the things I'm excited about, people forget, Dr. King was, what, 34, 35 years old on the steps. He was a young guy. And you've got a lot of young people who have been touched by the Trayvon Martin tragedy who are now stepping forward. You have the dream defenders in Florida trying to change laws in Florida. You have a whole new generation that's moving ahead in North Carolina, Texas. Let's not forget, Dr. King was not an old guy. He never got to be 40 years old. He was a young person fighting for his country and we still listen to his words 50 years later. That's amazing. That's amazing.
WATSON: And Donna, this march has been described about being about jobs, justice, and freedom. What does that mean for you?
BRAZILE: It means that we are still fighting for full inclusion into the American dream. We're still fighting to get people the skills they need to compete in the modern work force. It's about justice issues. Trayvon Martin, that entire episode reminded us that we're still not a more permanent union when it comes to criminal justice issues.
Of course, this is a time to revitalize and to really reinvigorate those who believe that the civil rights struggle continues with our quest for a full and comprehensive immigration reform. So this is a very historic occasion.
And I just want to show you this is one of the march posters from 30 years ago. We could basically use this one today. So it's important that we continue this fight for civil rights, for jobs, for justice, for freedom because it means a great deal not just to the civil rights generation but I think for all Americans.
WATSON: Van Jones, Donna Brazile, thank you very much, and also that remarkable piece of history she's holding in her hands.
We're going to shift gears and start to move overseas, I think. We have gotten our own Fred Pleitgen. He's on the phone with us from Syria right now.
KEILAR: Yes, Syria. And so first off, new this morning, President Obama has his national security team there. They're at the White House to weigh options on Syria. And one of the things we'll talk to Fred about is the graphic images out of Syria that appear to show the results of the chemical attack. Let's take a look. These are pictures shows rows of bodies that were supplied to the media by the Syrian opposition, and rebels contend that this gas killed more than 1,000 people, including children. This is a huge claim that has been made. This is something that is very significant.
And the president told our Chris Cuomo this week that if a gas attack is verified then the civil war in Syria will, quote, require America's attention. This morning Syrian government media reports rebels used gas on its soldiers. So you're having this sort of back and forth, and that's where CNN's Fred Pleitgen comes in. He joins us on the phone.
WATSON: And Fred, you've been in Syria a couple of days now, trying to learn more about whether or not these chemical weapons were used there. What are you seeing today there in Syria?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ivan. I'm actually right on the edge of the Jobar district which, of course, is exactly the place the Syrian government said rebel forces used gas today on its soldiers. And I've encountered something I haven't encountered before since I've been in Syria. The Syrian military has actually made a soldier available to us to talk and said he was subject to this alleged attacks. He didn't have any trouble breathing or anything as I talked to him, but he did say earlier today they had been involved in a military operation inside the Jobar district, which is a rebel held district, and he said all of a sudden the soldiers got burning sensations in their eyes and in their throat, that they had difficulty breathing, and that, in fact, a lot of soldiers had to be evacuated with ambulances.
I was not able to see any of these soldiers who had been evacuated earlier, and they were likely brought to a military hospital, but that's what the military is telling us at this point in time. Syrian state TV is also showing images of alleged chemical weapons that they think were found in a rebel hideout.
Of course, the timing of all of this seems to be quite awkward because it comes a day and a half after the claim against the Syrian government with the rebels saying there has been a big chemical attack in the outskirts of Damascus. It is impossible to independently verify any of what we're seeing and hearing from both sides. They're both a tradeoff of these accounts. Certainly U.N. weapons inspectors would be the only ones who could possibly shed light on what exactly is going on. This time it's the government claiming the rebels used some form of chemical inside the Jobar district, which has been in rebel hands for quite some time, Ivan.
WATSON: And Fred, I think we're looking at video from Syrian TV which are alleged to be some of these chemical weapons, certainly gas masks being shown. I'm struck. You're saying after days of this international debate and this enormous death toll that we're hearing for the first time, really, that Syrian government forces may have been affected by this alleged chemical gas attack.
PLEITGEN: Absolutely. The Syrian government has, in the past couple days, actually been fairly mute on the subject. They said the stakes were pretty high this time. There was a battle going on in Jobar with lots of artillery. But the Syrian government has been standing mute the past couple days. At first they did issue a statement that the chemical use of their forces was something that was purely fabricated. And now they're going to a different line saying chemical agents were used against their soldiers earlier today.
Some of the guys I talked to on the ground, some of the Syrian soldiers said they had been subjected to some form of chemicals two months ago as well. That's what they were telling me. Again, it's impossible to verify at this point in time, but it seems as though the Syrian government now is going forward, is becoming more forceful and is actually coming out and laying out claims.
Of course, at the same time, we have to keep in mind there are chemical weapons sectors in a hotel, not very far from where I am right now, who are not able to go to any of these places in the community, and they're urging Syria to let these weapons inspectors do their work. There are only some days and hours where any of these claims can be verified, where samples can be taken, and some sort of picture of what actually happened might be reconstructed, Ivan.
WATSON: Thank you, Fred. That's Fred Pleitgen on the phone from Damascus, Syria. If this were true it would be the deadliest case of chemical weapons used certainly in that surge since Saddam Hussein gassed Iraq Kurds in northern Iraq in the late 80s killing roughly 5,000 people.
KEILAR: And certainly if it is proven that it is the Syrian government that is the perpetrator of this, as Syrian rebels allege, that is something that the White House has made clear is very much a redline for them. They said that in the past, but it seems like this would be a much clearer red line than what we've seen happen in the past.
WATSON: Absolutely.
Moving on, a monster wildfire is raging out of control near Yosemite National Park in California.
KEILAR: Flames are threatening 4,500 buildings around the small communities of Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake. And this fire is moving so fast and furious it actually doubled in size in just one days to 126,000 acres.
WATSON: The fire has forced three hydro-electric power stations offline. They feed electricity to San Francisco 200 miles away. So far the supply has not been impacted.
KEILAR: Yosemite National Park drew some 4 million visitors last year, very popular, and it's legendary among outdoor enthusiasts, specifically. Located in California, it was established in 1890, and the park covers more than 1,100 square miles. Almost all of it is designated wilderness.
WATSON: So let's bring our Nick Valencia in. He's just outside Yosemite National Park. Nick, what's going on out there now?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're actually in Stanislaw National Forest just on the edge of Yosemite National Park where the sun has come up. And it's giving us a fresh perspective of just how devastating the rim fire has been. It's very smoky here, somewhat difficult to breathe, and you can get a sense of the damage that this fire has caused. It's singeing the edge of these leaves here.
These charred trees go back hundreds and hundreds of yards, dozens of them impacted by the rim fire, tens of thousands of acres burned. Probably one of the most impressive things when you look at the path the fire took is that it scorches one side and then it just sort of jumps over. We'll get the photographer here to take a look. You see where it jumped here over this road.
And you see sort of in the distance green trees apparently unaffected by the flames. Just a short time ago, we saw crews rushing towards the area of the fire. They're dealing with a lot right now. It' still only five percent contained. And as you mentioned, one of the big concerns at this hour is Yosemite National Park and what it could do to that area, a very popular tourist area. However, having said that, Yosemite Valley is really where a lot of tourists populate. That's essentially where the tourist area is. This has yet to infringe on that. But fire officials are still very concerned that that could potentially happen. Ivan and Brianna, back to you.
KEILAR: Nick Valencia outside Yosemite, thanks so much.
WATSON: Now after a summer of sensational allegations, San Diego's mayor finally quits, but he's going out with a bang.
KEILAR: And we will take you live to the nation's capital where thousands of people have gathered to carry on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and to pursue his dream.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATSON: Welcome back. Bob Filner is vacating the mayor's office at San Diego city hall, but not without a parting shot.
KEILAR: That's right. His resignation comes after a summer filled with sexual harassment. And 18 women now have accused Filner of kissing, groping, and other lewd behavior. And the mayor went out by proclaiming his innocence and zinging the media.
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BOB FILNER, (D) SAN DIEGO MAYOR: Not one allegation, members of the council, has ever been independently verified or proven in court.
(APPLAUSE)
FILNER: I have never sexually harassed anyone. But the hysteria that has been created, and many of you helped to feed, is the hysteria of a lynch mob.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now let's bring in Trent Seibert. He's an investigative reporter for the "San Diego Union-Tribune." Trent, can you tell us about the city's deal with the soon-to-be former mayor?
TRENT SEIBERT, REPORTER, "SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE": Absolutely. There are three main tenets of this deal. One is that the city will pick up $98,000 in the mayor's legal cost. He can spend that on attorneys to fight this. Another key part of the deal is that the city drops its cross-complaint against the mayor.
And probably most importantly, the city and the mayor, Bob Filner, will file a joint legal defense against the sexual harassment complaint -- or the lawsuit that has been filed.
Here's an interesting tidbit as well, though. In return for that, the mayor need to resign, and he signed a resignation letter. But that resignation was not yesterday and not today. That resignation is actually dated on Friday, on the 30th.
KEILAR: And Trent, let me ask you this, because I think a lot of people are scratching their heads over this. They saw Filner a few weeks ago. He seemed very apologetic, said he was going into therapy. Since then we've seen many, many more women come out, and now while he says he apologizes to them, he also says he didn't sexually harass any of them. How do you kind of -- can you even explain this? It's puzzling.
SEIBERT: You can't. It is puzzling. It's bizarre. It's been bizarre from the beginning. Part of the problem with this administration and with this mayor is that it's this lack of transparency.
You know, you talk about therapy. I can't tell you if he's actually been in therapy. There's been no evidence of that. He has refused to show anyone where he's gone or shown anyone any sort of progress report or -- you know, we got a vague doctor's note without letterhead saying he was in therapy, but we couldn't recognize the signature.
It's been odd from the beginning, and it raises all these sorts of questions. And even though the mayor said he did the therapy and has tried to lay low, it's been relentless, woman after woman after woman with allegation after allegation. I think there is a bit of a sigh of relief collectively here in San Diego because he said he would resign.
WATSON: And Trent, CNN is reporting that the attorney general of the state of California is launching a criminal investigation into the former mayor. What potential crimes would they be investigating?
SEIBERT: Well, you've hit it. This is just one -- you know, the sexual harassment aspect of the mayor has gotten a lot of the attention, but there are other things going on. Soon after the lawsuit was filed, the sheriff's office here locally put up a hotline for folks in the region so that if there are allegations of harassment that you wanted to share with the sheriff, or if you feel you were a victim of the mayor, you had a hotline to call. It's based on that hotline and some of those allegations that came through on that hotline that the attorney general is looking at. That could range from anywhere from, say, a sexual battery to sexual assault. We're talking potential criminal charges.
WATSON: Wow. Trent Seibert, thank you very much. We may be hearing a lot more about Filner even after he steps down.
KEILAR: Yes, this isn't the end. Thanks, Trent.
You know, many allergy suffers don't have much choice but carry an epi-pen. But two men who know what that's like have created a new choice that could save lives.
WATSON: And honoring the iconic march on Washington, a new generation of civil rights activists follows in the footsteps of giants.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Brianna Keilar.
WATSON: And I'm Ivan Watson. And I'm having trouble saying my own name.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: We've had a long morning.
WATSON: We've had a long morning, that's right.
KEILAR: We want to talk about Syria now. This is the big story of the day. Syria is claiming rebels are using chemical weapons against the government. State television said that soldiers have suffered from suffocation while entering a Damascus neighborhood. This follows earlier reported chemical weapons attacks that the opposition says killed 1,300 people.
Now, President Obama huddled this morning with his security team to talk about Syria. The president said the use of chemical weapons would be a red line that could change his thinking on the crisis.
WATSON: Now, moving on to number two on the agenda here, thousands of people have gathered on the National Mall in Washington. They're marking the anniversary of one of the most defining moments in civil rights history -- 50 years ago this coming Wednesday, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified the nation with his "I have a Dream" speech. We're looking at Tony Bennett performing now in Washington. Of course, Martin Luther King, Jr., he led a quarter million people in the 1963 march on Washington. Today marchers are retracing those steps and calling for jobs, justice and freedom.
KEILAR: Our number three story today, crews in Yosemite National Park have a long way to go to wrangle a wildfire there. It is just five percent contained this morning. Flames have put 4,500 structures in jeopardy. This fire could also impact the flow of water and electricity all way into San Francisco.
WATSON: Moving on to number four, San Diego's mayor has agreed to resign as of next Friday. Bob Filner has ignored calls to step aside for week as 18 women accusing him of sexual harassment. Speaking of the city council yesterday, Filner said a lynch mob mentality led to his resignation. He also denied ever sexually harassing anyone.
KEILAR: And number five, it appears that a federal lawsuit against southern cooking queen Paula Deen has been resolved. Lawyers signed a deal to dismiss a final part of a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against her. But it's unclear if money will change hands. Deen says she is looking forward to moving past the matter.
Well, epi-pens can prevent life-threatening reactions for allergy suffers, but twins Eric and Evan Edwards found them too cumbersome to carry them around, especially as teenagers. And their alternative version is this week's "Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: As long as twins Evan and Eric Edwards can remember, they had allergies. The official diagnosis came when they were three.
ERIC EDWARDS, SUFFERS FROM ALLERGIES: We grew up allergic all egg products, all seafood, including shellfish and fish, all peanuts, and most antibiotics.
GUPTA: Plus seasonal allergies as well. For them, school was a huge challenge.
EDWARDS: We were those guys that had to be placed at a special table at lunch to try to ensure that there was no potential for contamination.
GUPTA: With the near constant threat of anaphylaxis, which is a severe-life-threating allergic reaction, the twins had to have epi- pens at all times. That's a pen like device that injects a dose of epinephrine to stop a sharp drop in blood pressure and serious breathing problems. But they both thought their epi-pens were too bulky and they often didn't carry them. Both have had three really close calls.
So when they left high school, they decided to invent a smaller, more portable device. They tailored their college classes around the new invention they were designing. After college they started their new company, Intelli-ject, and last year the FDA approved Auvi-Q. It's an epinephrine auto-injector that's about the size of a credit card, and it's the first to talk you through an injection.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Impressive brothers there.
Their faces may be older, but their voices have not lost any passion. And 50 years later, many of the same civil rights activists who first marched on Washington returned to the capitol with many of the same concerns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And 50 years ago, a quarter of a million people marched in Washington, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Spoke for all of them when he said "I have a Dream." KEILAR: Today's civil rights activists have the same dream and they're gathered again on the mall to nudge our nation a little closer to it. So joining us now, CNN political contributor Donna Brazile. We're also joined by "Crossfire" host Van Jones. He's with us from Los Angeles.
So, Donna, first to you. Part of this march, part of the theme is justice. So I ask you, how much is the Trayvon Martin verdict weighing on people in the mall, do you think?
BRAZILE: This is the Emmett Teal case of this generation. Trayvon Martin was an innocent teenager walking home from a convenience store, and he was shot. We know the verdict, we respect the verdict, but the people here today are gathered to petition the government not just here in Washington, but the state governments across the country to eliminate these stand your ground laws.
And this is why justice system, the racial justice system in this country, the criminal justice system, mandatory minimum, all of those themes run and echo throughout many of these speeches. We also just heard from a group of kids who were victims of gun violence in their own neighborhood, and they came here today to petition the government to basically put forward more gun safety laws. So this is a very comprehensive discussion about gun violence, about racial profiling, stop and frisk, and, of course, justice for Trayvon Martin as well.
WATSON: Van, a half century later, are we getting closer to King's dream of a truly color blind society?
JONES: Well, I think we're definitely making progress toward a more fair society.
I do want to underscore, one of the big issues that was not such a big issue 50 years ago and is becoming a bigger issue is this problem with the criminal justice system. You know, black kids and white kids use drugs at the same rate. I'm opposed to drug use and drug abuse. They use drugs at the same rate. Black kids, 10 times more likely to wind up in prison. I don't think anybody of any color thinks that's fair. Those are the kinds of issues you'll see that are new.
The other thing that's interesting that's different now, 50 years ago you didn't see so many women on stage. You see a lot of women this time. And 50 years ago, Bayard Russten, an African-American gay man was the organizer of the march, but he was pushed to the side. James Baldwin, gay man, not allowed to speak. Now you see the lesbian and gay cause raised up.
So you're seeing the civil rights movement evolve to be more inclusive. You see America evolving to be more inclusive, but we're not there yet. And these common ground issues of fairness in the justice system, you're going to see a lot of that talked about today.
KEILAR: And obviously this is going to the event here today, and the coming days is really opening a lot of this up for discussion. It's a good time to take stock, so we appreciate you, Van, and you, Donna, doing that with us. Thanks. JONES: Glad to be here.
WATSON: A community in mourning. Later today, a public memorial service will be held to remember the mother and brother of kidnapping survivor Hannah Anderson. Up next, we'll take you to California for a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A California community is expected to remember the mother and brother of Hannah Anderson later today during a public memorial service.
WATSON: The bodies of Christina and Ethan were found in the burned- out house of kidnap and murder suspect James DiMaggio.
KEILAR: DiMaggio is expected of killing them before kidnapping Hannah and sparking a massive manhunt that ended in his death and Hannah's rescue. CNN's Stephanie Elam is joining us now live from Santee, California. Hi, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brianna and Ivan. This is the Guardian Angel Catholic church, and this is the family church for the maternal grandparents of Hannah Anderson. And this is where they plan to have this memorial service. They're expecting that some 1,000 people could show up to remember Christina and Ethan.
Remember, it's been three weeks since they were found in that burned- out house a few miles away from here in a remote area called Boulevard, California. In that time, Hannah was gone for six days along with her alleged kidnapper, James DiMaggio, who is now deceased as well. So this is something the family has looked forward to coming to so they can focus on remembering Christina and Ethan the way they should be. They said there's been too much emphasis as far as the family is concerned on remembering all the bad things that have happened. They want to remember the good that Christina and Ethan have brought to the world.
WATSON: Stephanie, there have been a number of revelations in the past few days, including a request by DiMaggio's family of a DNA test of Hannah Anderson to find whether DiMaggio fathered the children. What can you tell us about that?
ELAM: First of all, I can tell you this claim is coming from one DiMaggio sister. I actually spoke to an aunt of Jim DiMaggio, and she told me point blank she thinks that there is no reason to get this DNA testing done and she thinks her niece is just after the money because Jim DiMaggio had an insurance policy where he left the money to Brett Anderson, who is Hannah Anderson's father, left it to his stepmother. So because of that there is this whole issue. But this family is saying it is completely ridiculous.
KEILAR: Stephanie Elam in Santee, California, thank you.
WATSON: A killer gets ready to learn whether she'll live or die.
KEILAR: Sorry.
WATSON: Stepping all over your lines.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: You're about to learn a few secrets that didn't come out at Jodi Arias' murder trial. We'll be talking live with Jane Velez- Mitchell about her new book.
All right, how are you doing? I haven't met you but I've seen you so much I feel like I know you. I'm Brianna Keilar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Convicted murderer Jodi Arias will be back in court on Monday for a hearing. An Arizona jury convicted her in May for killing her boyfriend, but jurors couldn't decide on the death penalty. If you think you know Arias after watching this sensational murder trial, think again.
WATSON: A new book by Jane Velez-Mitchell is an eye-opener. Jane joins us now to talk about "Exposed, The Secret Life of Jodi Arias."
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, AUTHOR, "EXPOSED, THE SECRET LIFE OF JODI ARIAS": Thanks for having me.
WATSON: Thank you for being here. So what are some of the secrets that we can get from your new book?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jodi Arias took the witness stand and tried to present that I was a normal girl, a normal woman until I met this guy Travis and tried to demonize the victim that brutally slaughtered. I learned nothing could be further from the truth.
I found out she stalked another boyfriend in much the same way she terrorized Travis Alexander many years earlier. So this shows a pattern. The jury never heard about that. She also described her previous relationship, a four-year relationship, with a guy she was dating before she met Travis as normal. And he also took the stand and said it was normal.
I spoke to people close to that relationship who said she pulled a single white female act, imitating his ex-wife to the point that it got creepy, getting the same haircut, getting breast implants to match hers, driving the same kind of car, working the same job, and even standing behind the same counter. So she had serious dysfunction before she met Travis Alexander, her victim.
KEILAR: On the cover of you book here, you see the two different faces of Jodi Arias, and that's certainly something that came out in the trial. So she actually stabbed Travis Alexander 29 times, she slit his throat. She shot him in the head. Do you sort of delve into how someone gets to that point of moral depravity?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. That's the whole point of the book. I was there covering court. I would go into court every day and listen to her lies. And then I would go outside court and talk to Travis, the victim's friends, and they would tell me totally different things.
I actually went to RadioShack and got an old fashioned tape recorder and started tape recording what they had to say in a search for the truth. Travis is not here to speak for himself. So this book is here to tell the other side of the story because a lot of this didn't get into court. Obviously there are rules of evidence. Some of the things I found out was she was too prejudicial.
Sex was all over this case, obviously. She tried to present herself as this meek, submissive woman who was forced into these degrading sex acts by this sexual deviant. I found out the opposite is true. She was the one who was the sexual aggressor. I talked to many friends who said she was behaving inappropriately and very aggressive sexually, and Travis had told his best friend that she was, and this is a direct quote, a nymphomaniac.
And that actually dovetails with borderline personality disorder, because what they really want to do is merge with the object of their obsession, and the best way to merge with somebody else is through sex. So I believe, and I make a compelling case, is the reason she waited so long before killing him in this fashion is that she wanted to have sex with him one last time before she killed him.
WATSON: Wow. Now, you said, Stephanie, that one of the goals of your book here was to try to clear Travis Alexander's name. What do you mean by that?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A lot of people said, look, she committed a horrific murder. But they were left with this lingering feeling that, he really wasn't a great guy, because she surreptitiously recorded a sex tape. Who knows what she did to set that up. And I make a compelling case in the book that she used that cellphone sex tape filled with raunchy language to blackmail him. That's a complicated case, but I make it in the book.
KEILAR: You did kind of walk away -- even though you felt he was the victim, you walked away with not a great feeling.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But he was a good guy and a lot of people loved him and he was trying to make this world a better place. I dedicate the book to him and his siblings, and also a portion of the proceeds are going to the Travis Alexander legacy fund as well as Mercy for Animals, because he loved animals.
KEILAR: This is the book, "Exposed, The Secret Life of Jodi Arias" by Jane Velez-Mitchell. Thanks for joining us today.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks for having me.
KEILAR: Still to come in the Newsroom, pandemonium at the national zoo. There may be more to come. What does that mean, more panda- monium? We're going to explain.
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WATSON: Welcome back, everyone. In Washington there is a very special new edition, a baby panda born last night at the National Zoo. Now zookeepers are waiting to see if a twin might be on the way. Yesterday's delivery was caught on the zoo's popular panda cam. The new cub is roughly the size of a stick of butter. That's right, a stick of butter, Brianna. According to Chinese tradition, this panda cub won't be named for at least 100 days.
KEILAR: Now to the tale of Marcus. His is a four-year-old yellow lab in training with the Canadian National Institute for the blind. Things were going pretty well for Marcus until the end. He flunked the final test because he's too darn friendly.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately Marcus didn't pass the final test. He's just a little too friendly. He likes to give kisses and play fetch and all those kinds of things, not really what you look for in a seeing-eye dog.
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KEILAR: But don't whine too much for Marcus because these days he is the ambassador for one of Canada's most luxurious resorts in Alberta. He's a lucky dog. And for the past three years guests have been able to walk Marcus around the lake or just play fetch with him. And of course, they love it.
WATSON: I'm sure he likes it, too.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I was pretty surprised.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes him such a great ambassador?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he's really friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's great for people who own pets, it's probably a really nice idea.
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KEILAR: Now, officially Marcus is called the hotel's director of pet relations.
WATSON: OK.
KEILAR: He's got a title. It's on his business card, I think.
WATSON: And he clearly has the social skills for that very weighty and important job.
Moving on, every year thousands of people from around the world attend the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Now, anyone who wants to experience that terror and excitement and adrenaline without traveling to Spain, well, they can do it right here in the U.S. Later today the great bull run kicks off in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. And 8,000 people are expected to descend on the Virginia Motor sport Park for the event. And half of them -- half of them -- will be running. Organizers say just like Spain, runner safety cannot be guaranteed. But for many runners, that's the appeal.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware of the danger involved?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am aware of the danger. And to some degree, that's some of the thrill and excitement about it.
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KEILAR: Now, that will do it for us today. Thanks so much for watching. We're going to turn it over to our colleague, Fredricka Whitfield. Hey, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you both. Thank you so much. Have a great rest of the day, and tomorrow morning we'll watch you again.
