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Zimmerman Back in Spotlight; Syria Deal Eases Market Fears; Syria Accepts Chemical Weapons Deal; Obama to Capitol Hill; Apple Unveiling New iPhone; New Look Eagles Soar on Monday Night

Aired September 10, 2013 - 09:30   ET

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

DISPATCHER: Shellie, you're doing really good, OK? This is a tough situation for anyone. All right?

SHELLIE ZIMMERMA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S WIFE: Yes.

DISPATCHER: I'll stay on the line with you all right until our units can speak with you, all right?

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, RECENTLY ACQUITTED OF MURDER: OK.

DISPATCHER: All right. Are you OK? You said he did take something out of your hand. Do you need medical as well?

ZIMMERMAN: Um, I don't think so. Maybe just shock.

DISPATCHER: OK. All right. I'm going to go ahead and get (INAUDIBLE) respond, OK?

ZIMMERMAN: OK. Dad, get inside right now.

DISPATCHER: Make sure he stays inside until someone -

ZIMMERMAN: Stay inside.

DISPATCHER: Until someone comes and lets you guys know it's OK for you to step out, stay inside.

ZIMMERMAN: OK.

DISPATCHER: We're getting (INAUDIBLE) on the line to come to you, all right, but like I said, they can't come up to check out your father until they secure the scene, OK?

ZIMMERMAN: OK. Um, hold on one second.

DISPATCHER: OK, Shellie, take a couple of deep breaths for me, all right?

ZIMMERMAN: Someone's in there?

DISPATCHER: Excuse me?

ZIMMERMAN: Ahhh! There's a woman in there. Oh my God. Oh -

DISPATCHER: Shellie?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So after all of that, Shellie Zimmerman declined to press charges during which she alleged that George Zimmerman threatened her and her father with a gun. Here's what Zimmerman's attorney and CNN legal analyst Mark O'Mara said about that incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK O'MARA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S ATTORNEY: He had a gun with him, yes, and he was allowed to and absolutely. And I know that there was some reports that said that he did not have a gun with him, but he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: O'Mara added that while Zimmerman did have a gun, he never showed it. He also spoke a little bit more about the challenges facing his client and his soon-to-be ex-wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'MARA: But the reality is, what happened here, it is a divorce case. These people have been living for 16 months under the spotlight. And, you know, they're suffering from it. I think the divorce itself is a fallout from the whole case and it's now showing up with people acting inappropriately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce last week after seven years of marriage. Now, we should be clear, George Zimmerman was detained and released. He was never arrested. Joining me now to help sort through all of this is CNN analyst Mark Nejame.

Good morning, Mark.

MARK NEJAME, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): Good morning. Good to talk to you.

COSTELLO: What do you make of this, that Shellie Zimmerman declined to press charges? I mean on the phone she said George Zimmerman might have broken her father's nose.

NEJAME: It's, believe it or not, not uncommon to have domestic cases like this start off with a police involvement and then one or the other parties end up saying, no, I don't want to proceed, because they realize all the consequences and repercussions. And I think in this case particularly, we know that she reached out to her lawyer and I think that quick discussions were likely had which simply said, hey, you know, do you really want this to be under the microscope of public scrutiny or do we - are we going to handle it on our own behind closed doors? And I suspect that's what happened. I think George Zimmerman got a terrific break here. Aggravated assault with a firearm is a mandatory minimum three years in prison in Florida. So I think that it could have gone either way and because her and her father apparently declined to prosecute, law enforcement opted to go ahead and proceed without an arrest. But he got a break.

COSTELLO: Well, on this 911 call, Shellie Zimmerman did seemed frightened. It didn't seem to be fake, you know, and, you know, sometimes in -- when you're going through a divorce, you do strange things. But in this case, she truly did sound scared, right?

NEJAME: She did sound scared. But perception is reality and, you know, they're not going to be able to prove that he was, in fact, holding a gun. She was aware that he kept a gun and he apparently had a gun throughout. So I think wherever she saw him reaching, she presumed that it was a gun. But you also saw some other acts of violence. You - well, at least you heard them. She said that he broke her - I think it was an iPad, that her father was punched in the face. So, you know, usually when police respond, somebody's going to get arrested in a domestic violence situation. In this particular -- not always, but often times. This particular case, I think he just got a real break.

COSTELLO: Could police, Mark -- could police - could police charge him even though Shellie may not want to?

NEJAME: Well, without independent corroboration, likely not. It happens in a lot of domestic abuse cases that you have one party initially calling law enforcement, then declining prosecution. However, if there are independent witnesses, if there's a videotape, because we know that they took a videotape from the house. From what I've come to find out, though, the video is not going to be in the area where the incident was alleged to have occurred, so it's likely going to be of no value. So with that said, this case will likely just go away.

COSTELLO: Mark Nejame, thanks for your insight this morning. We appreciate it.

NEJAME: You too. Thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Syria's announcement this morning to accept a chemical weapon's deal has shaken up the stock market. In a good way or a bad way, you ask? Well, let's ask Alison Kosik.

Good morning, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Actually, that talk of a resolution in Syria slid those worries about military action to the sidelines. So Wall Street kind of breathed a bit of a sigh of relief. We saw the bulls come out to play yesterday and look at the numbers now. They're not going back inside. The Dow up another 74 points. So we're also seeing some of that volatility over the past week kind of subsiding.

And a big shake-up on the Dow Industrials this morning. Something we haven't seen in years. The average, which is made up of 30 stocks, is kicking not one, not two, but three of its companies, kicking it to the curb. Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard and Alcoa being shown the door because of their low stock prices. They're being replaced by Visa, Goldman Sachs and Nike.

Now Dow -- the Dow, as we know, we refer to it every day. It's certainly what I go to, to tell you what the numbers are. It's meant to give - it's meant to give us a broad picture of the stock market. It's made up of companies, you know, from all sorts of different industries. From the financial industry, technology, retail and pharmaceutical. So the companies, they actually see it as sort of an honor to be included. If you're wondering, these changes are going to be going into effect on September 23rd. Welcome to the club.

Carol.

COSTELLO: That's right. Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Let talk a little bit more about that deal that Syria apparently came to with Russia, that it's going to turn over its stock of chemical weapons to international forces. That usually means the United Nations. And that's where our correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh, is this morning.

So what is the United -- is anyone from the United Nations commenting on this just yet?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is still early days here. But what we do understand from a U.N. diplomat is the French today are beginning a series of discussions with different members of the Security Council. Obviously, mostly amongst them, the permanent five members of Russia, China, the U.S. and the U.K., to try and agree on a text. The key principles of those, of course, are that they should hand over all chemical weapons, the Syrians that is, for eventual dismantling under the offices of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, that there should be a strong resolution which suggests, quote, "serious consequences," and that the perpetrators of the 21st of August attacks around Damascus should face eventually trial in international criminal court.

Now, that's the complexity of the task ahead of the French here. We understand the usual mechanism you'd see is the permanent five members meeting to hammer out the text. They're not at that point yet. They seem to be in talks, one on one, with different countries here. Once that's got something satisfactory, then perhaps you might see the permanent five meet. And then you would see the U.N. Security Council.

So, to some degree, a bit of a challenge ahead for the French here to get this together. And what they are proposing is some distance from the Russian plan, which is much more simply about putting these chemical weapons, if Syria actually admits they have them officially, under U.N. control or international control of some sort. So, while there seems to be this massive flurry of diplomatic activity around the Kerry suggestion that was initially rhetorical, and what we've heard out of Moscow, backed up by the Syrians, and actually practically applying this, Carol, there's a bit of daylight between the different proposals. So we have to see how this pans out at the U.N. today. COSTELLO: OK. So that sounds complicated and sounds like it might take a long time. Is there a deadline attached to this?

WALSH: That's interesting. I specifically asked a U.N. diplomat, who knows a bit about what's going on here today, about a timeline, specifically if the French proposal had a timeline, and they're not really going there that year (ph). Wouldn't even be drawn if we were talking about a month at this point. So that's the real difficulty. The diplomacy on this, and the backdoor trading here at the U.N. could itself take weeks to get a resolution together, you could argue. And then, after that, you'd have to get a mechanism for inspectors, et cetera. So that will play into suspicions that many have that this could be a Russian and Syrian delaying tactic just to kick the ball into the long grass, so to speak. But a lot of pressure here to see results fast.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Nick Paton Walsh reporting live from the United Nations, thank you.

So let's head to Capitol Hill, where President Obama is head this afternoon before his big address to the nation to you tonight. CNN's Athena Jones live in Washington.

Makes you wonder what the president will say tonight, right?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does. He's got a tall order here. And I should mention this new proposal by Russia to have Syria hand over control of its chemical weapons to the international community is being met here on Capitol Hill with cautious optimism by some and serious skepticism by others. Folks have a lot of questions about this.

Now, even the skeptics, though, people like Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, say this proposal can't be ignored. Here is what he had to say this morning about it on "New Day."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It must be examined and I think we could have a very good initial test, Chris, and that would be for the immediate dispatch of monitors, international monitors, to these chemical weapon sites, which we know where most of them are, and secure them so that they can't be used by Bashar Assad, and then we work out the procedures for keeping them under international control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And Senator McCain also said that he believes these international monitors could arrive on site in Syria immediately. He and other members of Congress say that if this is a serious proposal, and that would be one test to see if it is serious, to let those international monitors in, then it means it can't be ignored. It has to be examined. And that's why Senator Harry Reid is delaying a vote in the Senate on this. So it's a new wrinkle that's adding some complications to things here on The Hill.

Carol.

COSTELLO: You've got that right. So the president will still have his lunchtime meeting with Senate leaders today, right?

JONES: That's right. He's going to be speaking to the American people tonight, but he's going to be on The Hill this afternoon to meet with Senate Democrats and then Senate Republicans. And there's actually a lot going on, on The Hill. Soon we expect to hear from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor on this issue of Syria. We haven't heard from him on that. And then later on, the House Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing where Secretaries Hagel and Kerry will be speaking, along with Joint Chief's Chairman Dempsey. So, a lot going on here today.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure is. We'll check back with you next hour. Athena Jones live in Washington.

JONES: Thanks.

COSTELLO: President Obama, again, addresses the nation tonight at 9:00 pm Eastern. And you can watch it right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good news for you gadget lovers out there. Apple, well, it's expecting to unveil a new iPhone today. In just a few hours, we'll see if the tech giant can live up to fierce expectation and top what it's done before. There's a lot riding on this. And, as usual, all the details are shrouded in secrecy. Oh, man! We were going to Christine Romans. We're going to get her back in a second. But I understand she has a story - a taped story for you anyway. So let's listen to that now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: Apple unveiling new iPhones it hopes will help it win the smartphone war. This leaked photo posted on the blog iPhone in Canada. It will be called the 5S. And here's what tech insiders expect. It's not a total redesign, but will have a faster processor. The screen size will roughly stay the same. It will come in new colors, including a gold or champagne option. An improved camera will take better pictures. And there are rumors of a fingerprint scanner as a replacement for passwords.

The cost for the basic model expected to remain the same as the current iPhone, $199 with a two-year phone contract or $649 without. Apple also debuting a cheaper model, the iPhone 5C, which will reportedly come in multiple hues.

DAN FROMMER, EDITOR & FOUNDER, SPLATF.COM: Apple's always done a really good job at meeting the high end of the audience. You know, the top 10, 20 percent. So it's really important for Apple not just to make the premium product, but also a good product for the rest of the people.

ROMANS: Some experts say these reported upgrades aren't innovative enough to overcome the bruises its taken recently losing market share to companies like Google and Samsung. Others say Apple hasn't lost its luster.

FROMMER: People wonder oh has Apple lost its imagination? I don't think so. If you look, you know it took us 20 years of the Mac and iPod to get where we were with the iPhone. It's not as fast as people think it is. And I think Apple is still doing great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: All right, Carol, there's a lot riding on this. IPhone sales made up more than half of Apple's revenue last quarter. Those in the know say there won't be a new iPad or iPad mini announced today, no refresh Apple TV either, no iWatch.

Look very closely for what this company announces about selling phones in China. That's a big market. You think this is a big market -- 750 million people use cell phones in China. Apple's had a hard time cracking that market. That will be important for shareholders. And you probably are one, Carol because it is among the most widely held stocks in the country.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's true. Well I'm kind of looking forward to the rainbow colored iPhones. That's kind of cool, right? I mean isn't that big but everybody wants a pink iPhone right.

ROMANS: You can always go find -- you can go to the corner and buy a sleeve, Carol, you can have whatever color you want already that's the other thing. And will these colors be available just here or will they only be available in this market, the cheaper consumer markets that Apple is looking for? We'll find out for sure at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

COSTELLO: Yes, we will. Christine Romans, thank you.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Here's what's all new in the next hour of NEWSROOM. His off-the-cuff remark might have changed the course of the debate on Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: He can turn over every single bit of these chemical weapons to the international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now John Kerry is back on the spotlight this morning testifying at the top of the hour.

Plus he confessed to killing a Navy veteran after a night of drinking and driving. Now the man behind that viral YouTube video is behind bars and due in court.

And what's a brand new NFL season without a little controversy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The term Redskins is obviously wrong, insensitive and unacceptable. We do not deserve to be called Redskins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The fight to change the team name some call derogatory. I'll talk to the man leading the charge. That's all new in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" at 51 minutes past the hour, New York City voters head to the polls today to pick their nominees for mayor. Recent polls show Bill DeBlasio leading among Democratic candidates. He'll need 40 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner is in a distant fourth place. Whichever Democratic candidate wins will go up against a Republican in November.

A fast-moving wildfire east of Oakland triples in size in Sunday and burns more than 3,700 acres. The Fire near Mt. Diablo State Park is only 20 percent contained. It threatens nearly 100 homes now. The fire also threatening transmission lines, communications infrastructures and Mt. Diablo's visitor center.

Record-breaking swimmer Diana Nyad faces her critics today -- a group of marathon swimmers voicing skepticism about the 64-year-old's recent swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida. More than a dozen swimmers say Nyad may have held on to a support vessel when she hit rough waters. Nyad's navigator and an official observer say Nyad swam the entire distance. She is the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a protective cage.

Take a look at this. That, my friends, is a 741-pound alligator. A Mississippi man made that record-setting catch over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE TURNER, CAUGHT 741-POUND ALLIGATOR: Snagged him with the travel (ph) hooks I actually set into him ended up with five lines on him, tied him up to the side of the boat. We had a good fight on our hands, fought him for about an hour. Really didn't know how big he was until his whole body came out of the water the first time while he was pulling us down the -- down the river.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It doesn't look real. The new record was set in Claire Born County, Mississippi. And in case you're wondering the alligator measured in at a staggering 13 feet, 6.5 inches. Last week, a 727- pound gator was caught in the very same county. It's the new era of football. In Philadelphia the Eagles new coach unveiled his fast-paced and high octane offense and believe me it was impressive. It stole the spotlight from RG3's first game back since knee surgery.

Joe Carter has this morning's "Bleacher Report". Good morning, Joe.

JOE CARTER, BLEACHER REPORT: Hi, good morning Carol.

Yes, that was fun to watch last night. I mean we know that bringing that offense, the Chip Kelly offense to the NFL was a big gamble for the Philadelphia Eagles. I mean his offense well documented worked very well at the college level with Oregon. But people are wondering how is this going to translate in the NFL.

Would the players be able to keep up with this fast-paced offense? Well it looks good, really good in the first half. The Eagles scored 26 points and ran an eye-popping 52 plays by comparison. The Steelers ran the same number of plays all game last Sunday. So Michael Vick, who's seen a lot of different offenses, this one is absolutely fast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL VICK, EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I've never been a part of anything like it when in the first quarter it feels like we've gone through (ph) halftime. I mean, it was unreal. And you know the only thing I could say to myself it's going to be a long season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: All right in the final game of the opening weekend, San Diego, boy, they blew it. They gave up a 21-point lead and lost to Houston on the final play of the game. Houston scored 24 unanswered points. Including this game-winner as time expired. What a win for Texas -- a gritty comeback, 31-28.

And trending this morning on bleacherreport.com, Rafael Nadal, he's the comeback king of tennis this year. Remember last year, a knee injury threatened to end his entire career. Now he's having one of the most dominant seasons ever. Nadal took down the number one player in the world to win his second U.S. Open title. He's 27. He's healthy again and he's got a lot of Grand Slam titles -- 13 in all.

And you know, we've seen managers yelling at umpires, baseball players brawling at other players. Last night it was manager's skipper Buck Showalter against Yankee skipper Joe Girardi. (inaudible) It was because Girardi thought that O's were stealing signs. Showalter thought Girardi was false accusing his guys of cheating.

Here's the reaction out there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK SHOWALTER, MANAGER, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: He's yelling at the third base coach. And now, somebody's wearing black and orange, I'm not going to let that happen. JOE GIRARDI, MANAGER, NEW YORK YANKEES: I'm going to protect our players always. That's what I'm going do. And there was something that I saw. And I'm just going to leave it at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: So why so heated, Carol? We got a wildcard race going on between these two teams. Obviously, Baltimore and the Yankees battling for that last wildcard spot. That's why it was such a big deal I think. The pressure is mounting for these managers to make the playoffs.

COSTELLO: I just wish they would have let them fight. I would have loved to see that.

CARTER: That would have been good too.

COSTELLO: I think Buck Showalter could have taken him.

CARTER: He's got a point. He's fiery, you know, especially when it comes to the Yankees. He's got some sort of chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Yankees.

COSTELLO: Yes, he might be tiny but he's mighty. Joe Carter, thanks so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, military strike or diplomatic solution? President Obama says he's open to both and makes his case to you tonight.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SHELLIE ZIMMERMAN, WIFE OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I don't know what he's capable of. I'm really, really scared.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: George Zimmerman's wife dials 911 saying Zimmerman threatened her with a gun. Wait until you hear her frantic call.

And get ready for faster, smarter, maybe even cheaper. All eyes on Apple as it announces a brand-new iPhone today. But can it live up to the hype this time around?

And is the name "Redskins" racist? The new NFL season kicks off and a old fight heats back up.

Second hour of NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for being with me.

As the world reacts to a breakthrough plan over Syria's chemical weapons, President Obama's trip to Capitol Hill today is still on as he tries to persuade both sides of the senate to back his plan to limited military action. And while the President's plan is not an easy sell in the Senate it faces a bigger hurdle when it comes to the House especially after news that Syria has accepted a plan to put its chemical weapons under international control.

In fact House GOP leaders are wrapping up their weekly conference meeting and we expect to hear from the House Speaker, John Boehner at any moment. When he speaks, of course, we'll bring his remarks to you, live.