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Kenneth Bae Has Been Held By North Korean Government Since November 3, 2012; Twenty Three Americans Held Captive Abroad; Witness Testify in Michael Dunn Case; Kotsenburg Wins Gold; Russian Tweets Controversial Racial Photo of Obama

Aired February 08, 2014 - 17:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And I hope you are paying attention. This is a very special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM. We are working on a lot for you this hour. Escalating tensions inside a Florida courtroom. A man is accused of murdering a teenager during a fight over loud music. He claims self-defense. Hear today's heated exchanges and the testimony that could be critical to the case.

Plus, a major announcement on same-sex marriage from Attorney General Eric Holder. His plan and the impact, it will have a millions of Americans live, it's coming up here. But first, we are going to start this hour and we're going to talk about something very serious. And I want you to sit-down and pay attention on this. Because we are talking about Kenneth Bae. You know, the name, he is the American detained by North Korea for the past 15 months. His plight is often overshadowed by world events, by Geo politics, even by Dennis Rodman. Let's be honest.

Now, a social media campaign is poised to lunch and it's design to shine a spotlight on Bae's 15-month detention and show how all of us, all of you can help bring him home. Again, this is an important story now, I hope you are paying attention here. Events of the last 24 hours, are spotlighting the urgency behind this new effort. The State Department said yesterday, that Kenneth Bae has been moved from a hospital to a labor camp and the U.S. is deeply concerned about that. We are going to talk about this news social media effort that you are going to hear only on CNN. You'll hear about it here only on how you can get involved in just a moment.

But first, I want to bring in now Kenneth Bae's sister Terri Chung and also David Sugarman, he's a sports agent here in New York City. Terry, what do you make of this news that Kenneth Bae has been moved to a labor camp?

TERRI CHUNG, KENNETH BAE'S SISTER: We are deeply concerned and just devastating. It's such an emotional roller coaster. One day we are excited and encouraged that President Obama is, you know, showing his support and commitment and the next day we learn that Kenneth is moved to the labor camp. So, we are really discouraged and concerned.

LEMON: OK. David we are going to discuss this new social media effort that you are launching. But first, I want everyone to look at the clock on your screen. It is counting the days and the hours since Kenneth Bae was arrested in November of 2012 while leading a tour group, something he had done many times before. And since that day, his mother is the only family member who has been allowed to visit him. And CNN Paula Hancock has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An emotional embrace for a son she fears she might lose. Myunghee Bae has so far been allowed to see her son Kenneth just once during his captivity in North Korea.

MYUNGHEE BAE, MOTHER OF KENNETH BAE: My heart was ache when I saw him with a hospital garment in a confined -- in a small pace.

HANCOCKS: Bae has been hospitalized for months suffering from a number of illnesses, including diabetes, heart problems and back pain. The 44-year-old was arrested in November, 2012. Bae was operating a tour group out of China visiting North Korea well over a dozen times. Tried and sentence the 15 years hard labor the following spring, his official crime, plotting hostile acts to bring down the government and planning anti-North Korean religious activities. Bae was filmed in July of last year admitting to these crimes from his prison cell.

KENNETH BAE, IMPRISONED IN NORTH KOREA: My wish is that the North Korean government grants me mercy and the U.S. government will make more effort to help me return home as soon as possible.

HANCOCKS: A former missionary believes he would not have been welcome in a country that is officially atheist. A website set-up to lobby for base release shows Bae as a father, a son and brother. In every photo, he is smiling. A very different man seen here working eight hours of hard labor a day for three months before his health deteriorated and he was hospitalized.

CHUNG: Kenneth is a father of three and American citizen who was there legally working to provide for his family as a tour operator. He has no ill intentions, never, and he has definitely not tried to overthrow the government.

HANCOCKS (on camera): So far, diplomatic efforts to bring Bae home have failed. But the U.S. State Department said that it is ready at anytime to send a special envoy Ambassador Robert King to Pyongyang to bring him home. Paula Hancock, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Paula, thanks very much. Let's talk with the man behind the new effort to free Kenneth Bae, sports agent David Sugarman. And in Seattle. Of course, Kenneth Bae's sister Terry Chung and we just spoke moments ago. So, it's good to see you. We hope there's positive movement here and that we can also help to bring Kenneth Bae home. The latest news, Kenneth Bae has been sent from a hospital to a labor camp. So, David, tell us about this new social media campaign to free Kenneth Bae. DAVID SUGARMAN, NBA PLAYER AGENT: Yes. I mean, first and foremost, I would like to thank the Bae family for allowing me to be here and actually speak about this campaign. You know, what I said to the Bae family initially was we needed to get the world and the American people behind us. When I looked at a petition that was signed by 150,000 people as recently as three days ago, it was concerning to me. More people are voting on "American Idol" versus voting or voicing their opinion or their support of Kenneth Bae, which is something I really felt passionately I had to get involved with.

LEMON: Why would you get involved? Why are you so impassioned by this? And why do you think your efforts are going to help?

SUGARMAN: Well, I know my efforts are going to help. I actually know my efforts are going to help. I reached out to the Bae family after these basketball players came back from North Korea. I'm an agent. I work with Kenny Anderson. And his players came back and I sent this very heartfelt e-mail to the Bae family saying, you know, look, if there's anything I can do to help you whether it's raise money, raise worldwide or public awareness, I'm here to help. And after a dialogue with them, we decided to launch a campaign that we're going to #BringBaeback. Right? Which is, we can develop momentum and people to start to follow this.

LEMON: You believe in your heart that Ken is a young guy, obviously he loves pop-culture, American pop-culture and American Sports, right? Which is your connection to him.

SUGARMAN: Yep.

LEMON: So, you think there's an effort through the American public to be reached and maybe that's better than traditional diplomatic means?

SUGARMAN: Well, I think it's a two sprung approach. I mean, I think the diplomatic approach is going to be the diplomatic approach. I'm not a diplomat so I can't comment or speculate what's going on with the United States government.

LEMON: But you think he's watching? Is that the whole reason that you think --

SUGARMAN: Oh, I know he's watching. I know he's watching. I mean, we have the president of the United States speaking about Mr. Kenneth Bae two days ago. We have four senators speak about Kenneth Bae four days ago and now we have a family speaking to us about how we can get the momentum behind the "Bring Bae Back" campaign. And that's why I'm sitting here today.

LEMON: Well, let's listen to the president then I want to talk to Terri a little bit more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We pray for Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who has been held in North Korea for 15 months. Sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. His family wants him home and the United States will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release because Kenneth Bae deserves to be free.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Terri, what does it mean to have the president of the United States speaking about on your brother's behalf and also with this new movement? Does it offer you any sort of renewed hope here?

CHUNG: It was definitely encouraging to hear the commitment from the highest office of our country. You know, we are thankful for that, for sure.

LEMON: Yes. You are not involved in the planning of this campaign with David but, of course, you support any effort to free your brother. Do you think social media can really make a difference here, Terri?

CHUNG: I hope so. And I am thankful for David and his team for reaching out to us and offering this support. As a family, we don't have the resources to launch this kind of social media campaign. And we appreciate his advocacy and for everyone else who is stepping forward to make sure that Kenneth Bae is not forgotten. And, you know, we cannot rest easy until this American comes home.

LEMON: David, do you think he's watching? Do you have a message for him? What do you want to say to him?

CHUNG: Well, I'm not going to speak about the North Korean government, but I will speak to Kim Jong-il as a human-to-human. I'm going to say this, Kenneth Bae needs to come home. Kenneth Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He's served 15 months. He's a loving father of three children, a loving son to an amazing mother who I met in New York two weeks ago, a great brother. Sports lover to sports lover, human to human, I'm asking you to release Kenneth Bae. I'm going to take it a step further. If the North Korean government actually needs somebody in North Korea take David Sugarman. Allow me to go there. I'm younger, I'm healthier, I'm telling you the Olympics are now a time to show that you have compassion, you have released prisoners before. I'm asking you to please release Kenneth Bae.

LEMON: Yes. And again, I said, I have been asking you because there's so much, there have been so many diplomatic efforts that we have heard about to get him home. I'm just wondering why you think that your approach is going to make a difference here and Terri, also, when you hear him speak on your brother's behalf that way, what do you think?

CHUNG: I was blown away. And I'm thankful for their generosity and commitment. And I do believe a groundswell of support from the American public will make a difference in allowing everyone to advocate for Kenneth and make sure he can come home soon.

LEMON: Every day we put the clock up and we showed the hours and the days and only the minutes that your brother has been held there. Is there a moment that goes by that you don't think about him and your family doesn't think about him? What are you dealing with right now?

CHUNG: You know, it's all consuming. This is our whole life. You know, I have taken a leave from my job, you know, my full time job right now is advocating for my brother's freedom. And we will not rest easy until his feet touch U.S. soil.

LEMON: Terri, thank you very much. David, thank you very much. I don't want you guys to go anywhere. Because next we are going to speak to a congressman deeply involved in trying to bring Kenneth Bae back home and a former CIA Intelligence officer on the challenges of freeing not only Bae but nearly 30 other Americans being held overseas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're back now talking about Kenneth Bae today, the American who has been held in North Korea. And we just learned that he is now in a labor camp there. That development is something that the U.S. State Department says, they are gravely concerned about. But Bae is not the only American either detained or being held hostage overseas right now. At least 28 U.S. citizens are either being held captive by extremist groups or sitting in jail in countries that are hostile to American.

Among them, Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who disappeared in Iran almost seven years ago. His captors sent pictures to his family. Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier captured from his post in Afghanistan. The Taliban have held him since 2009. Alan Gross is a U.S. government employee in jail in Cuba. Several U.S. officials including former President Jimmy Carter have personally pleaded for his release.

So far though, no success. And 72-year-old Warren Weinstein, he was working as a government contractor in Pakistan during the summer of 2011 when he was grabbed from his home. He has been held hostage by al-Qaeda ever since.

I want to bring in now Congressman Charlie Rangel. He joins me here in New York to talk about this. And a CNN National Security analyst and former CIA operative Bob Baer. You can see Bob is in Los Angeles there. Bob, to you first, we are talking about people who have gone through legitimate proceedings for alleged crimes committed overseas. We are talking about men and women who are hostages or being held for obvious political reasons. Explain the distinctions here.

BOB BAER, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, the problem is these regimes we are talking about, one, the Taliban or this group in Iran that's taking Bob Levinson or even North Korea, they are not exactly rational regimes, they don't follow international rule of law. I mean, for instance, there should be diplomatic visitations of these prisoners. And they shouldn't be ending up in labor camps. And try as hard as Washington will, it cannot negotiate with these people or even trade for them. So, we are pretty well bound by what we can do, what we can't do. We can go through proxy powers like China and North Korea, but that doesn't always work, either.

LEMON: Yes. And Congressman, I want to go to -- I want to make sure we are not talking about people who have gone through proceedings for alleged crimes overseas. Right? These are -- you consider these not legitimate proceedings. What they are having to do with there being held as political prisoners and political hostages overseas.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: I don't care what they are being held for. I went to Korea with a lot of young people in 1950 in the war. And a lot of my friends and comrades were captured. We were doing our duty as Americans. And they were captured and charged with a variety of crimes. But I know what it's like for friends and relatives to feel so helpless when their loved ones are held by foreigners.

LEMON: North Korea is probably the toughest nut to crack, I would imagine, diplomatically especially to bring someone home, to bring Kenneth Bae home or any person who is being held as a prisoner. Do you think that if the American public gets behind this more, David mentioned 150,000 signatures or what have you, if the American public gets behind this effort more, that it would make a difference to North Korea and the leader there?

RANGEL: I really do. The fact that it's diplomatically difficult is because we have no idea what the political motivation is that they had of this country. But human beings are human beings. If our churches, and synagogues, and political figures and the good work that David is doing and they really believe that America and the world is concerned about this, it strengthens their hand to try to gain some support for the insanity that their country appears the road that they are following. So, there's no question in my mind, it means that releasing him would have people not to be involved with the actions they have had with nuclear bombs and the threats to United States into South Korea, but to show that they are human beings.

LEMON: Uh-huh.

RANGEL: And no matter how much you deal with them, they have families themselves. And they have to understand what it's like when a loved one has feel so powerless over this.

LEMON: Is there any value to the high profile stunt that Dennis Rodman, you know, that basketball game? Does that help or hurt things?

RANGEL: I don't know Dennis. He's under the influence of liquor. So, there's no sense in me commenting on what he's doing at all.

LEMON: Yes. Bob, I'm going to go to you next. You know, since the U.S. government does not negotiate with extremist groups, what happens when an American is kidnapped and then a demand is made?

BAER: Well, first of all, you know, the CIA is brought in to figure out who the people are and what precisely they want. For instance, Afghanistan is talking to the Taliban right now and I'm hoping with Bergdahl that there's been a message that we want him released. So, we do have ways to talk to these groups that we are not officially talking through intermediaries and that's helpful. You are always looking at the possibility in a place like Afghanistan for rescue missions. I don't see that right now. But a lot of it is just waiting this out. And the other thing is, let's don't forget sanctions. These groups that are not playing by the rule of law, they have to be under continual international pressure to make it not worth it to hold these people.

LEMON: Yes. I think the congressman just alluded to that. Bob, thank you very much. I'm going to let you go. As always, we appreciate your expert insight here. But Congressman Rangel, I want to tell you that Kenneth Bae's sister Terri Chung is with us from Seattle. And I wonder if there's anything that you can say to her, any assurances that you can offer about what the U.S. government is doing to bring her brother home?

RANGEL: Oh, well she already met the secretary of state and they were in the halls of Congress when they heard the president speak. And they know that Americans are very anxious to be supportive in their efforts. They are charming people, they are great Americans. And we have to do everything that we can. People like David should be all over the country, churches, and synagogues should be pleading to this government that this has nothing to do with communism in the United States of America. It's a brother, it's a father, it's a son and they should respond to that effort.

LEMON: Terri.

CHUNG: Thank you Congressman, that's really encouraging, comforting to hear.

LEMON: Yes. And you know, we talked about the diplomatic efforts. I wonder from the congressman how many diplomatic efforts there are going on Clandestine that we don't know about that maybe you are privy to that may assure Terri and the American public that there are efforts being made, unofficially.

RANGEL: I think Bob answered that because when they said we don't negotiate, it means we don't negotiate publicly.

LEMON: Publicly. Right. Right.

RANGEL: And it's just like an any card game. It depends on what card you really need and how much you are ready to pay for it. And so, we don't know the needs of this country. We don't know how many people we may have in jail locked up somewhere that they have a political interest in. And somebody is talking to somebody and depends on what the answer is.

LEMON: Yes.

RANGEL: And if it makes sense, if it's not shadow out national policy, then we can do something. And when you deal with the secretary of state, you're dealing with the right person.

LEMON: And it appears though, it feels too many. I don't know if this is true or not, that there is some sort of movement, that there's something happening when it comes to Kenneth Bae. The president has been speaking about him. You hear about the diplomatic efforts of Bob Baer's been talking about, him being moved. People are getting a sense that something is being done or there is some movement that we can expect with the Bae case.

RANGEL: It just makes sense, Don. I'm a good friend of the Korean Americans here and the Korean government. I have an outstanding Korean-American that works for me and when I heard something like this, I immediately went to the floor Congress and said hey, let's send a letter. And then I found out later that the family was meeting with the secretary of state. Then they had a chance to listen to the president talk about the case. And what David is doing and what CNN is doing and what you are doing is alerting people to an injustice. Don't tell me that if American people get worked up, that this is not going to have impacts on North Koreans that are hearing this wondering why are we holding this guy.

LEMON: Right. Right. For awareness. For awareness. And if you have a push of many American people behind them, I think that there can be some movement and something can be done. As looking back to the monitor, I want to remind our viewers, it is called #BringBaeBack, BringBaeBack. And it's really to bring awareness to the American people and also the American people who can put pressure on their Congress people, on lawmakers and also can put pressure internationally on leaders overseas.

RANGEL: And on people that's doing business with the North Koreans. They should know, too, that this is very important to the United States of America. And to lawmakers in the United States of America wherever they are located doing business with North Korea.

LEMON: Quickly, David.

BAER: I was just going to say one last thing to all the viewers is we need the American people to get behind this campaign. We need the American people #BringBaeBack. It is our responsibility as American citizens. We have the opportunity to be able to do this. We need to get behind this gentlemen, and bring him home to the United States of America and his family.

RANGEL: Let's hear from the churches and the synagogues and the mosque. This is not a political issue.

LEMON: Yes, sir. Yes.

RANGEL: It's a moral issue.

LEMON: And let the church say amen.

BAER: Amen.

RANGEL: Amen.

LEMON: Terri, thank you. And Terri, I want to tell you that we here at CNN especially on this show, we've made a commitment to this story. We are going to continue with this, with the social media campaign in bringing updates and doing stories about the awareness of what's happened to your brother. We will stay with it for as long as it takes.

Thank you very much for coming here on CNN. Best of luck to you.

CHUNG: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Thank you.

CHUNG: OK. Thank you.

LEMON: In the meantime, we move on to other news now, escalating tensions inside a Florida courtroom. A man accused of murdering a teenager during a fight over loud music claims self-defense. Hear today's heated exchanges and the testimony that could be critical to the case, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back everyone. In the moments leading up to Jordan Davis' death, the 17-year-old was doing what many teen boys do, hanging out with friends and trying to pick up girls. Seconds later, he was fatally shot, allegedly during a dispute over loud music. Well, today is day three of testimony in the murder trial of the man who shot him, Michael Dunn admits to shooting Davis, but says it was in self-defense.

CNN's Tory Dunnan is live outside the courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida for us. So, Tory, Dunn's fiancee took the stands today. What did she have to say?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I mean, she was just extremely emotional inside the courtroom when she took the stand, actually when she took the oath, her hand was trembling. She was so nervous when she was up there, she was really crying a lot and she described the night that his all happened as lasting forever. But she talked about when they first arrived at the gas station and they saw that red Durango. And she said, the music was loud, she did notice that. But then she has a conversation with Michael Dunn, her fiance before she went inside to grab some chips and a bottle of wine. Here is how she said everything unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: When the defendant pulled into the parking spacings could you hear music coming from the red SUV?

RHONDA ROUER, MICHAEL DUNN'S FIANCE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: You could tell it was coming from that car?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: From where you were sitting inside the car, could you hear the lyrics of the music?

ROUER: No, I couldn't make out the lyrics.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Could you tell what kind of music it was?

ROUER: Yes, I could.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Could you hear the bass?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: From inside the car, was anything in the car rattling in the bass?

ROUER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Did the defendant say anything about the music when he parked the car next to the red car?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: What did the defendant say?

ROUER: I hate that thug music.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: What was your response to the defendant?

ROUER: I said, yes, I know.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: As you were walking to the register, did you hear anything unusual?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: What did you hear?

ROUER: I heard pop, pop, pop.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: When you heard those noises, did you know what they were?

ROUER: No, I didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Did you know where they were coming from?

ROUER: No, I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUNNAN: So, she actually testified she has no idea it was her fiance who was the one who fired off the shots.

LEMON: I understand detectives and evidence techs testified as well. What were some of the key points they raised?

DUNNAN: All right, one of the key parts about the case is the fact these three teens all testified, the three teens in the car that they never had a weapon. Michael Dunn, though, said he saw a weapon or something pointing out the window. He felt threatened and that's when he grabbed his gun. A tech today said he never found a weapon when he checked out the car. But here is what the defense had to say about that argument.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COREY STROLLA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The weapon was in the car and gotten rid of, you could search it all day long and never find it, correct?

ANDREW KIPPLE, CRIME SCENE TECHNICIAN, JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE: True.

STROLLA: If somebody takes a weapon and throws it in a Bush and you don't look in the Bush, you are never going to find it, are you?

KIPPLE: True.

STROLLA: If somebody goes into a parking lot and throws a gun or weapon under a car and doesn't search that area you are never going to find it, are you?

KIPPLE: Weapons do show up and people find them. But I --

STROLLA: But you wouldn't?

KIPPLE: No, I wouldn't find it.

STROLLA: Because you weren't told to look there.

KIPPLE: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUNNAN: All right, Don, important to point out police never found a weapon as well. There were certain parts where is that red SUV, certain areas where the red SUV may have gone to a nearby plaza where police testified they never checked out the plaza after the shooting took place.

LEMON: Tory Dunnan in Jacksonville. Tory, thank you very much.

Much more on this trial after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If you are just joining us, we are talking about the case of a Florida teenager shot and killed over the dispute of loud music in a parking lot. In day three of the trial, the jury heard from crime scene technicians and an emotional witness, Dunn's fiance.

I want to bring in criminal defense attorney, Holly Hughes; clinical psychologist, Jeff Gardere. Holly is in Atlanta and Jeff is in New York.

Holly, this trial is moving very quickly. What does each side need to prove here? HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: What the prosecution needs to prove is that was not self-defense, which is what the defense attorney wants the jury to believe. The prosecution is making great strides to ward that, don, because everybody that testifies that was there at the gas station has said, we did not see a weapon or any kind. We did not see a gun of any kind in the SUV, in the hands of any of the four young men in the SUV and furthermore, they are also saying that Michael Dunn just opened fire. There was no provocation. You don't get to shoot somebody because you don't like their music.

LEMON: We were just talking about it. We were just talking, Jeff and I were talking about it. I hear people with loud music all the time in a car. I hear it on the subway, walking down the street. But I don't dare say, hey, your music is too loud. You ignore them or keep going. It's ridiculous there's a defense for this.

HUGHES: Don, there was actually testimony from several witnesses at the gas station. There were other empty parking spots. If he was so offended by the music, instead of whipping out your pistol and shooting at unarmed kids, move your car. It's that simple.

LEMON: It's Florida. There are gas stations on every corner.

HUGHES: Right.

LEMON: Stand by, more from the defendants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: When you woke up, was the television on?

ROUER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Did you happen to see something on the news?

ROUER: Yes, I did.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Did you learn a teenager had been killed at the gas station?

ROUER: Yes, I did.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Did you then tell the defendant you wanted to go home?

ROUER: Yes, I did.

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: Why did you decide to go home?

ROUER: Because I thought I was going to be arrested to. I didn't want to get (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Jeff, I'll get to you in a moment, but let me finish up with Holly here.

How is this testimony going to affect the trial?

HUGHES: This is incredibly impactful. She is the fiance of Michael Dunn, but called by the prosecution. She has been brutally honest. She admitted to things that Michael Dunn wrote in letters to her about black thugs, where he's derogatory and she had to admit all of that on the stand. This is incredibly powerful. His own fiance is telling this jury what his mind set was, Don, and what he thought. What he prejudged about those young men who did nothing more than play their music at a volume he didn't like.

LEMON: That wasn't appropriate for him. But the interesting thing is we have dissected the word "thug" so much. Don't think that didn't go by unnoticed. He said I'm sick of hearing that "thug music." What does that mean? What is it coded for?

Very emotional testimony, Jeff. How does this impact the trial to hear from her?

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Already the jurors, when they saw how the Durango had been shot up, all the bullet holes, knowing it went into the legs of Jordan Davis, people gasped. They were like, oh my god. They were saying this didn't have to happen. We saw it with Rhonda Rouer. One of the other reasons she's called by the prosecution is because she's freaked out by the whole thing. Why did this happen? It didn't have to happen. You didn't like the music, it was so loud, then you park in another spot. And if you are so afraid that you felt it was a Stand Your Ground, you had to pull out your gun, why open your mouth in the first place to four young people in a car.

(CROSSTALK)

GARDERE: Right.

LEMON: It's very emotional. She's reliving it. Can you imagine what the family of the kids are doing?

GARDERE: That's, again, what we saw with Trayvon Martin. By the way, some cases have been settled with some of the other young men, because they were so traumatized by this. And actually Michael Dunn's legal people have settled with those young folks. So I think that speaks volumes in itself.

LEMON: Don't go far, guys. You are going to come back in the next hour and talk about this.

In the meantime, we are going to talk about a surprise winner of the Winter Olympics. A 20-year-old who let it rip on the slope-style course and became the game's first hero in Sochi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In Sochi, Russia, the fireworks faded and now it's all about two weeks of nonstop Olympic competition. Looking at the medal count, Norway is in the lead with four medals. Canada and the Netherlands are tied in second with three. The U.S. has two and won the game's first gold, thanks to this man, who wowed judges in a new event called slope-style snowboarding.

CNN's Rachel Nichols has more on the laid-back 20-year-old who won Sochi's first gold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is the first gold medalist at these games. The 20-year-old American Sage Kotsenburg doesn't fit the profile of the clean-cut intense Olympic athlete of days past.

SAGE KOTSENBURG, U.S. OLYMPIC SKIER: My mentality it's not training and going to the gym and making myself better at snowboarding in the gym, it's not how I like to do it.

NICHOLS: The night before the event, Kotsenburg wasn't visualizing his run. Instead, he was tweeting photos of himself making the Olympic rings out of onion rings. After the semifinals, he tweeted, "Whoa, how random is this? I made the finals at the Olympics." Photos have been circulating comparing him to Sean Penn's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" character, which sounds thrilling

KOTSENBURG: That's new. That is sick. I'm so down.

(LAUGHTER)

It is pretty awesome that someone did that. I'm stoked to see that. Good ole Stickely (ph).

NICHOLS: Kotsenburg hails from Park City, Utah. But none of his friends and family didn't make the trip to Sochi. He says they get too nervous watching. In turn, they make him, quote, "Too stressed out." Instead, Kotsenburg called his dad after medaling.

KOTSENBURG: He's like what? They had it on speakerphone. Everyone was there. It was like the coolest moment ever hearing their voices. They were so stoked.

NICHOLS (on camera): Kotsenburg plans to spend the rest of the Olympics thinking of creative selfies he can take with his medal, watching more events and eating more onion rings.

KOTSENBURG: It's like living in a dream. I have really no idea, actually. It feels so random.

NICHOLS (voice-over): In Sochi, I'm Rachel Nichols, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So, an Olympic hero getting flak for a controversial tweet about the president. A Russian figure skating legend is now part of Putin's government. You'll see her doctored tweet about President Obama, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The United States government is about to recognize same-sex marriages in every state in the union. And we have seen an advance of the speech that the Attorney General Eric Holder is going to give tonight at a gay right's group in New York City. He is going to the announce that the Justice Department memo is going to go out Monday to extend the recognition of same-sex marriages even in the 34 states where such marriages are not yet legal. Holder says that means that the same-sex marriage couples will receive the same privileges, protections and rights of every other couple in federal matters. He is giving that speech tonight. And we will follow up on it when he has done it.

The Russian Olympia hero who lit the Olympic flame in Sochi's opening ceremony tweeted a doctored image of President Obama some months ago. Some say the image is racist. She is the woman you see here, who won the Olympic gold during her reign as Russia's figure skating queen. Now she is a member of the parliament in the Russia's government.

I want to show you her tweet about the president from last fall. There it is. There is a superimposed banana in front of the president with food in his mouth.

And now I want to bring in our political panel, Marc Lamont Hill and Ben Ferguson.

You will have to hold me back from calling her a dumb you-know-what on the air.

(LAUGHTER)

Because when I read it, that's what I thought. I said I can't say it on television.

She reportedly defended the tweet months ago, saying that her American friends sent it to her, and it was OK to send it out.

Ben, was Russia's choice Rodnina to light the Olympic fire a direct insult to President Obama?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Well, absolutely. And that is how you move up under Vladimir Putin. If you hate America --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Wait, stop, stop, stop. Who are you?

(LAUGHTER)

Who are you and what did you do with Ferguson?

(LAUGHTER)

FERGUSON: Well, remember, as your token white friend, every one in a while, you and I can -- (CROSSTALK)

LEMON: It is Don. It is Don.

(CROSSTALK)

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN COMMENTATOR: That is Don talking actually.

(CROSSTALK)

LAMONT HILL: We get mixed up a lot.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

FERGUSON: No, I think that this is one of the examples where she's obviously got some serious problems in her life, and if she does not think that this is racist. And you know, she is an idiot. But then again, look at Vladimir Putin and when she sent it out, we were dealing with people killed in Syria, and mocking American policy. And so she did it obviously as being part of Russia, mocking America, and Syria, and people dying in Syria, and mocking the United States' president at the same time, so she is a racist.

LAMONT HILL: I like to hear that.

This is Marc Lamont Hill, the other black guy talking now.

I think that --

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Ben, we are messing with you, because we like Ben, and so it is OK.

FERGUSON: That is OK.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And people at home, don't get upset. "I can't believe you said that Don Lemon." And this is people who like each other. And this is how we talk.

All right, go ahead, Marc.

LAMONT HILL: I agree with Ben. This is a racist tweet. The most generous interpretation is that she does not understand the concept of black people and monkeys, from Russia, that are uniquely American way of thinking about racial caricatures. But I don't believe that. I think she wanted to mock President Obama. I think she sent that out. I think it's very dangerous. But it also speaks to the way the Putin administration takes every effort to take jabs at the Obama administration for political and sometimes cultural and social reasons. It's really disturbing to me that this happened. It is a far cry from Muhammad Ali, and American hero, who lights the torch for us. To do something like this, that is disturbing.

LEMON: Marc, I want to read this. It's Rodnina's response. She said -- and this is from "The Guardian" newspaper. "Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups." Your reaction to this?

LAMONT HILL: Well, first of all, when you call somebody or something racist, people appeal to the freedom of speech argument, nobody has said, if she were an American, that she doesn't have a right to do this. Nobody is making that argument. The argument is you shouldn't do it and that it is offensive. And, yes, I have a hang-up when people call me a monkey. That's my little thing.

(LAUGHTER)

FERGUSON: And isn't it funny, Don, how you have a woman in Russia, where you can be put in jail for freedom of speech, who is claiming that she has freedom of speech.

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: Tell that to the average reporter over there and anybody who is covering the Olympics. You don't have freedom of speech in Russia. And she knows America so well. Well, in America, I claim freedom of speech. And I claim you are an idiot. And there is a real freedom of speech in America for you.

LEMON: And, Ben, don't you think that, first, the Olympics should be a political-free zone inasmuch as it can be, and people are obviously upset about the whole gay issue over there. I don't see anybody bringing it up though, and, you know, on television as far as people who are participating in the Olympics. So should it be a political- free zone in a sense?

FERGUSON: Well, in theory, yes, but in reality, no. Ask the Israelis if it was political-free years ago, and whether you had that or those standing on the podium raising their hands in the air with the black gloves on. It has been political at the Olympics, and this is another example.

There is a difference of standing up for what is right, and then being a complete and utter -- and I would go with the Communist looking, as this woman saying that I'm going to rip on America, and mock the American president with a racist tweet and then claim freedom of speech. There is a difference if you are standing up for equality or gay rights over there, or whatever it may be, but this is mocking the president of the United States of America, which is what Russia really wanted to do. That is obviously why they picked her. They knew that the picture would come back up. But I think that Vladimir Putin -- and this is the old school KGB politics, where it's like, we want everybody to know how much we hate America, and we will mock the president as being lesser than us because he is African-American.

(CROSSTALK) LEMON: And, Marc, you are having an influence on Ben. I have been gone, and what is wrong? You guys hanging out, and have a beer summit?

LAMONT HILL: Yes, we had a beer summit, and now Ben stands up for the president, and points out racism. I'm so proud of him.

And you have come a long way, Ben.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

FERGUSON: And I told you, as the token white friend --

(LAUGHTER)

I'm your token white friend. We have to be tight like this on issues.

LAMONT HILL: That is it, bro.

LEMON: And I have hung out with Marc, and I have seen Marc with other white people. You are not the token white friend, are you -- Marc?

LAMONT HILL: Well, I like Will Cain better.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Ooh, now that is a slam, and I would not stand for that.

Thank you, guys. We will talk to you in a little bit.

Coming up, escalating tensions inside of a Florida courtroom where a man accused of murdering a teenager during a fight over loud music claims self defense. Hear today's heated exchanges and the testimony that could be critical to the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)