Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

"Loud Music" Jury Asks about Self-Defense; Northeast Braces for Another Winter Storm; U.S.A. Beats Russia 3-2 in Hockey Shootout Win; Russia Ok's New Anti-Gay Adoption Ban; Obama Shifting Focus to Foreign Policy; "Juno" Actress Ellen Page Says She's Gay; Syria's War From The Front Lines; Winter Weather Is Driving People Crazy; Beer Saves Town From Drought; Oscar Pistorius Case One Year Later

Aired February 15, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much.

It is the 11:00 a.m. Eastern hour of the NEWSROOM and it begins right now.

The jury in the "Loud Music" murder trial appears to be close to a verdict. The question this morning gave some hints about what might they be thinking about and what they are stuck on in the deliberation room. We have the latest from Florida.

Plus, thousands of people are stuck in airports. Folks we're looking out for you there. And it's all because of that brutal round of winter weather. And with more snow on the way, people are wondering if they will ever get out of those terminals.

And a historic rivalry on Olympic ice today and the U.S.-Russia game delivers in intensity coming down to a shootout. Extraordinary stuff.

All right. I know a lot of you have made evening plans surrounding watching the television set because you want to see the U.S. and Russia take to the ice tonight. So here's a massive spoiler alert coming up. So if you have to, just turn away for a moment. We're going to talk about it.

But here's the update. The USA reviving its Russian rivalry on ice and it was one of the closest games of the Olympics. So exciting coming down to a shootout and in the end, team USA got it -- the final score, 3-2.

Joining me now Joe Carter with more on this. Wow, this was really exciting even if you're not a hockey fan.

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You know I was saying earlier this morning that my Olympic spirit was a bit down.

WHITFIELD: Was it?

CARTER: It's back. It's back.

WHITFIELD: Ok. CARTER: We know it was a thrilling win 3-2, as you said in the shootout. A thrilling game -- a really dramatic shootout as well. The Olympic rules -- what they do is they allow teams to use the same shooter as many times as desired in the sudden death rounds. And USA used T.J. Oshie plays for the St. Louis blues. He was out there six different times and he scored four of those shootout goals. That's just crazy. But team USA now has two wins in their pool. They beat Slovakia on Thursday -- crushed them actually. They beat Russia today. And of course we're banking on a big win against Slovenia tomorrow. That's going to be the same game time as it was today, 7:30 a.m. Eastern time for the live version of that.

But today's win really puts team USA, I would say, in the driver's seat because now we're looking forward to next week, we hope to get a buy in the elimination round, which is important because a buy allows team USA to basically rest.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

CARTER: Keep in mind though that Russia and team USA could meet again. There is a chance for that.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

CARTER: People always think back to -- to the "Miracle on Ice" when we think of those teams going against each other. That was 34 years ago and that was also the last time, 1980 that team USA won a gold medal in hockey.

Of course in 2010, the Vancouver games we came so close. We lost to Canada in overtime in that final game. Sid the kid of course scored the game winner in overtime. But tomorrow, again, we play Slovenia and you know elimination play will begin this coming week.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. You know and I think this Olympic Games has been pretty exciting. And this is just being, you know, elongated throughout the remainder of the games to watch hockey as opposed to some nights you only get to see certain events and then it's gone.

CARTER: Sure. Sure I don't know. I felt and maybe I'm being a pessimist here but I felt the games were a little bit sluggish and a little bit boring for me. I guess that my Olympic spirit was feeling a bit down but now after seeing this I'm feeling a lot more invigorated -- a lot more excited about the old red, white, and blue.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CARTER: So going forward they have a really good shot now because they'll be, you know, the top team in their pool going into the next week's elimination play. So this really gives them a great advantage by beating Russia today, 3-2, in a shootout.

WHITFIELD: Well sluggish is a good word especially if you're a skier or snowboarder because it's been very slushy.

CARTER: Yes. WHITFIELD: And it's been quite the slog and sluggy for them.

CARTER: Warm weather yes.

WHITFIELD: All right thanks so much, Joe. I appreciate it we'll talk with you later with more sports.

CARTER: Ok. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Meantime, in Florida, we are closely watching a murder trial under way. The jury in that "Loud Music" murder trial could reach a verdict at any moment. It's been a pretty busy morning already in the Florida courtroom with the jury asking a very interesting and rather telling question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE RUSSELL HEALEY, DUVAL COUNTY, CIRCUIT COURT: First question: is the defense of self-defense separate for each person in each count? The answer is yes. Second question: are we determining if deadly force is justified against each person in each count? The answer is yes. The third question: or, if we determine deadly force is justified against one person, is it justified against the others? No. Self-defense and justifiable use of deadly force applies separately to each count.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And all of this coming after a question last night. Is it possible to not reach a verdict on one count but reach a verdict on others? The judge said yes. Michael Dunn faces murder and attempted murder charges for a shooting that left a 17-year-old Jordan Davis dead.

CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins me live now from Jacksonville to help break down all of this. So Sunny you know what could we read into these jury questions? When you hear the judge's explanation it sounds very complicated and one can understand why the jurors have these kinds of questions.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. And I think it's very clear from the questions that they are struggling with the concept of self-defense because that has been front and center here.

Michael Dunn testified, which is very unusual in a first degree murder case. But he testified that he was in fear for his life and that is why he shot into that car ten times. He said that he saw a shotgun that Jordan Davis got out of the car brandishing one. Of course, while the other boys in the car said that that is not true that there was no gun, that Jordan never got out of the car.

So it is clear from all of their questions, not just today's question and yesterday's questions but all of the questions seem to indicate that they are struggling with self-defense. But I think what is very interesting is if you read the questions today Fred and the questions yesterday, it's pretty clear they may have reached a consensus as to the attempted murder counts, but are still struggling with the first degree murder count as it applies to -- as it relates to Jordan Davis and his death.

WHITFIELD: And what does happen if -- if they do have some emphatic, very certain decisions on some counts but then they're potentially hung on the others? Will the judge simply say go back at it again you know in perpetuity or does he want a consensus on every count?

HOSTIN: Yes that's a great question. I mean typically, Fred, when a jury comes back and says, we're hung, we hit a wall, we're stuck. There is a charge called an Allen Charge. And it's almost like a pep talk. And the judge will say to the jury, listen go back open up your minds. Try to reach a consensus, try to reach a verdict here. But the judge has indicated that this jury has worked really hard. We're talking about several days over 20 hours of deliberations.

So I don't know that this judge will send them back to try to reach some sort of consensus. If there is a hung jury as to one count, I've been told that this prosecution team will retry that count, especially if it's the first degree murder count as it relates to the death of Jordan Davis.

WHITFIELD: All right. Sunny Hostin, thanks so much. We'll check back with you. I appreciate it.

Of course we're going to continue to follow up on this story all throughout the day. Our legal guys are going to give us their take, as well, coming up at about 12:40 p.m. Eastern time.

All right. Let's talk about weather as if winter hasn't been brutal enough, yet another storm is pushing its way into the northeast. Blizzard warnings, in fact, have been issued for cold coastal Massachusetts and parts of Maine. It could get more than a foot of snow in Maine. It's a nightmare for travelers who are facing cancelations all over the country. More than 500 flights already have been grounded today.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has been talking to stranded passengers. And this is what they have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As airlines work to clear cancelation and delay board and get passengers back on the move this morning, Madison Wolf and her mother who have been stranded and sleeping at Charlotte's airport hope to get to their final destination the junior Olympic competition in Portland, Oregon.

MADISON WOLF, STRANDED PASSENGER: It's very frustrating. I mean, I've been preparing for this for a long time. And it's very frustrating not to be able to get there for this.

CANDIOTTI: Their story was repeated at airports all along the East Coast this week. More than 6,500 flights were canceled Thursday, more than 1,700 flights on Friday.

DON DILLMAN, AIRLINE FOR AMERICA, MANAGING DIRECTOR: That's what was necessary because this storm was so broad and impacted so many key cities and so that's really why those numbers get so big.

CANDIOTTI: Add to that thousands of delays.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our original flight was earlier this morning and it was delayed and still is apparently but it won't let us get a ticket because the connecting flight in Philadelphia has probably got to be rescheduled. So we're in line to actually talk to an agent.

CANDIOTTI: From Charlotte to Newark hit with the most cancelations to Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., airports are trying to get back to normal for the long holiday weekend. And airlines are trying to catch up. Some passengers are frustrated.

SHABREE TINGLE, STRANDED TRAVELER: We're trying to get our flight rescheduled to Atlanta, which has been canceled like three or four times. Basically we're going through hell trying to get another flight.

CANDIOTTI: While others are taking the situation in stride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it is what it is. We prepared for the worst. So we have a flight and we will be ready to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. CNN's Susan Candiotti with us now from LaGuardia. So Susan, what are the airlines doing for people who are stuck? How are they trying to make it comfortable for them?

CANDIOTTI: Well, first of all, let me show you what's happening now. Oh, oh no, snow it started to snow.

So another two to four inches. And in terms of what the airline is going for people who are checking in now, they got here. Their flight looks like is right on schedule. But they're trying to get the word out to you ahead of time. Sending passengers information about whether their flights has been canceled. If you go inside here you see that the people are standing in line here. They're checking the board. They've had a couple of cancelations here but system wide we've had maybe 540 so far this day.

However, if your flight is canceled, we were talking to some people who missed their connection and it was because of the airline. The airline did put them up at a hotel. That doesn't happen too much anymore. Sometimes they give out food vouchers. But those can be a rarity, too. It really depends on the situation. If you -- if they have to delay your flight and you cannot take that delay, it just ruins your plans, you can't go another day, you are entitled to a refund. So there are things that passengers can do, customers can do, to make sure that the airlines do what they're supposed to do and follow the rules -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ok.

CANDIOTTI: We haven't seen a whole lot of that today but I'm hearing horror stories from time to time from the counters.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure. Oh I'm sure there are lots of horror stories. Oh, yes. Ok thanks so much Susan. Keep us posted. And we're hoping that things get better for folks who are stranded and stuck. Nothing is worst than that, it seems.

All right. All right we're going to shift gears a little bit. Most people know actress Ellen Page from the movie "Juno" but did you hear what she just revealed about herself?

And more spoiler alert coverage coming your way live from Sochi -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Winter games spoiler alert. So if you want to watch the U.S. Olympic team take on Russia in hockey tonight, you might want to turn away just for a few minutes so you don't get mad at me. In front of a crowd of some 11,000 people and tens of millions of people watching at home the USA did it with a 3-2 win over their Russian rivals. This very exciting game coming down to a tenth shootout.

Joining me now from Sochi, CNN's Ian Lee. So, Ian, this is very, very exciting. I want imagine that the Russian crowd was too happy about the outcome, however.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Fredericka, wow, what a game. Like you said, it was definitely a close evenly matched game -- both sides going through regular time. A tie 2-2 sending it into overtime and then finally in the eighth round of the shootout, the Americans were able to squeak ahead, beat the Russians.

T.J. Oshie was really the hero of the match scoring four goals in that shootout. And there has been a lot of comparisons with the Lake Placid 1980's win that team USA took on the Soviets and beat them dubbed the "Miracle on Ice. This was a huge build-up to the games. The Russians very eager for this game to take place, wanting to beat the Americans on their home turf this time. And kind of a little bit about a kickback to that Lake Placid game.

The coach of the Russian team was the -- was a player on that 1980's Russian team -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, Ian Lee. All right thank you so much -- very exciting stuff. People will be still very excited to watch it this evening. Even if you did hear the outcome, you still want to catch that game.

All right. Thanks so much, Ian Lee -- appreciate that.

So Russia already has been criticized outside of the games itself, but a lot of criticism because of its anti-gay laws. But that didn't seem to stop Russia this week from enacting an anti-gay adoption ban. Here's CNN's Phil Black.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The decree was signed by Prime Minister Medvedev on the tenth of February, just a few days after the start of the Sochi Olympics and published on the government site on the 13th of February. It states that "No longer will people who are officially part of a same-sex marriage be allowed to come to Russia to adopt children. Nor will single people be able to do so if they come from countries where gay marriage is officially recognized."

The idea has been discussed before and increasingly suggested as increasing numbers of countries have signed on to the idea of recognizing gay marriage. Some of those countries, particularly the European ones like France and Spain, are among those with the highest rates of adoption when it comes to Russian children. And the idea of restricting single people from adoption who come from these countries that recognize gay marriage, that is an attempt to prevent a situation where a man or woman could come to Russia, adopt a child, return to their homeland with the child and later, down the track, enter a same- sex relationship.

Russian authorities have complained about this happening before and they really don't like it. Up until now there has been no official restriction on gay people getting involved in international adoption in Russia. But adoption agencies in Moscow have told us that unofficially there has ever been suspicion that an applicant was gay then inevitably their application would prove to be unsuccessful.

The Russian government says this restriction, as with the controversial gay propaganda law which makes it illegal in this country to talk to children about gay equality, the Russian authorities say this new restriction on adoption is necessary in order to protect Russian children.

Human rights activists say just like the gay propaganda law this new restriction is an attempt by the government to link the ideas of pedophilia and homosexuality in the public consciousness and they believe it ultimately will only lead to greater intolerance, discrimination, and violence across Russian society.

Phil Black, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Back in this country, President Obama is turning his attention to foreign policy. So what does that mean for his domestic agenda?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Barack Obama is about to become a globe trotting president, he's scheduled a slew of trips coming up. Next week, in fact, he's in Mexico. In March he's off to the Middle East. In the spring, he goes to Europe and in April he will visit three countries in Asia. And just yesterday he met with Jordan's King Abdullah during a swing through California to rally Democrats on some domestic issues. But before leaving Washington, he rallied House Democrats to get two more big ticket domestic issues passed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are some big things that we have to do that I cannot do through executive action, where we have to get Congress and where the American people are on our side. A federal minimum wage law is one of them.

Another, though, is making sure that we've got a smart immigration policy in this country that grows our economy, gets people out of the shadows, makes sure that our businesses are thriving. That's got to be a top priority. We're going to have to keep on working on that.

Hilary Rosen and Will Cain are CNN political commentators with me now. Hilary is a Democratic strategist, Will a conservative columnist -- good to see both of you.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey there.

WILL CAIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: Will, you first. Many second-term presidents tend to focus at this time on foreign affairs but especially with the recent release of Afghan prisoners suspected of killing U.S. troops or threatening U.S. troops. Will this president be compelled to kind of change his timeline for troop commitments in Afghanistan? Will this be one of the kind of a top notch foreign policy issues he's got to tackle right away?

CAIN: Yes, you're talking of course of the 65, I guess, Taliban or insurgents in Afghanistan that supposedly have attacked American troops who have been released by Karzai and the Afghans. No, I don't think that will make President Obama revisit his strategy in the Afghanistan because the truth is the strategy for President Obama has never been to rid Afghanistan of the bad guys. It was never to defeat the Taliban. It was never to win the war. The strategy was to end the war.

Now, I'm not passing judgment on that. Truthfully, I am not. I'm just telling you that I know that was the goal. When you simultaneously put out that you are going to put a surge in Afghanistan but also put a timeline for withdraw it's clear to me but not only to me, to the Taliban and to Karzai that the United States is leaving, is ending this war.

And if you're Karzai, although he's done something despicable in releasing these guys, it was also rational. You ask yourself who is going to be here in three years. It's not going to be the United States. It's the Taliban that's going to be marching that into Kabul. So what he's done is entirely predictable and rational.

WHITFIELD: So Hilary do you see the President has to expedite anything, change strategy in any way particularly with the relationship with Karzai which seems to be crumbling, whether it's Karzai trying to appease Afghans knowing that the U.S. will be leaving and he needs the support of Afghans or whether it's something else, do you think this president is compelled to change the strategy, modify things?

ROSEN: Well, that -- I mean that's to be seen. Karzai's obviously relationship with the United States is something that he is no longer making a priority. I think Will is right in one respect which is President Obama promised the American people and American people very much supported an anti -- less involvement in Afghanistan. We originally went in there not to crush the Taliban. We originally went in there to stop al Qaeda from plotting to attack the United States.

The Taliban's domestic terrorism against the Afghan people is dreadful and the U.S. has done and our soldiers have done (inaudible) work against the Taliban but I'm not sure that being in Afghanistan in an on-going war is going to be the answer. And I'm not sure that the administration thinks so. Nor do most Republicans think so, either.

So I do think that it's a protracted problem for the Afghan people. We try to empower their domestic security in force. We tried to increase their local economic stability, but obviously this is a problem internally in Afghanistan that I'm not sure over the long term we can resolve.

WHITFIELD: All right. Something else not necessarily specific to the President, Will, but, you know, we're talking about comments made by Venture Capitalist Tom Perkins who said, you know, there is a war on the rich -- that the richest one percent should be allowed to have more votes than poor people. So doesn't this play right into the Democrat's playbook to make inequality a campaign issue in the congressional midterm elections?

CAIN: No, you know, Fred, I mean politically I don't think this is -- this is not dropping a huge boulder into a pond that causes political waves. Tom Perkins is not some symbolic spokesman for Republicanism. By the way, I don't think inequality is an effective message for the Democrats. I don't think it's resonates with people, not when they go to the voting booth.

But look, you want to have an interesting discussion, I think this is interesting. While Tom Perkins -- I'll give a hat to Kevin Williamson of "National Review" who wrote this. While it's perfectly fine for all of us to say it's morally reprehensible to suggest one person should have more vote, more weight, more influence in front of the state's presence, why is it then also not morally reprehensible to say one person's duty to the state or what they owe the state is vastly more than another? While one person owes the state "x" another owes 10,000 "x". How is the progressive taxation system morally defensible like that statement is not morally defensible?

WHITFIELD: All right. Hilary real quick --

ROSEN: Keep going there.

(CROSSTALK)

ROSEN: Take that all the way Will.

WHITFIELD: Quick comment on that.

ROSEN: Keep taking that all of the way to the American people. I think there's no scenario under which people do not believe that those in the higher income brackets ought to be paying more taxes. That's just a recognized fact. But I do agree with Will that I'm not sure that Tom Perkins is going to be a -- you know, attached long term to the Republican Party.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ROSEN: But this is an increasing issue. People do feel that they are not getting ahead, that their one percent is feeling more oppressive to everybody else and the one percent lashing back like this does not help.

WHITFIELD: We will leave it right there. Hilary Rosen, Will Cain -- good to see both of you. Thanks so much.

CAIN: You bet, thank you.

ROSEN: Ok.

WHITFIELD: All right. It is a battlefield that has claimed more than 100,000 lives and there's no end in sight. In a CNN exclusive we'll take you to the front lines of the Syrian civil war.

And coming up same-sex couples in Virginia who want to get married score a major legal victory but will it become a campaign issue in the midterm election?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Actress Ellen Page says she is, quote, "tired of hiding and tired of lying by omission." The star of the movie "Juno" is acknowledging in a very public way that she's gay. Page got a standing ovation at a Las Vegas conference aimed at promoting issues affecting the gay community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN PAGE, ACTRESS: And I am here today because I am gay, and because -- and because maybe I can make a difference to help others have an easier and more hopeful time regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Page called college football star, Michael Sam, a hero for publicly revealing that he's gay. Sam could become the first openly gay player in the NFL.

All right, the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will remain without a union. Employees at that plant voted against the plan represented by the United Auto Workers union. The UAW met fierce resistance from state Republicans who feared a union shop would discourage other businesses from coming to Tennessee.

And the death toll keeps rising in Syria. That country's civil war has claimed more than 100,000 lives, many of them women and children. But there's also been a war within a war pitting moderate rebels against Islamic fundamentalists, all of whom are opposed to the Assad regime.

CNN's Arwa Damon has exclusive report now from the killing fields near the Syrian Turkish border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We cross from Turkey into Northern Syria escorted by armed rebels. For months these lands were under the brutal and merciless control of the, ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. As we drive towards the town, he tells us -- ISIS came in and took over the area and called it their Islamic state.

(on camera): This is the main ISIS checkpoint leading into Adana and as part of their terror tactics eyewitnesses were telling us that they would leave some of the bodies of the people they executed lining the checkpoints so that every single car coming through will be forced to slow down and could not ignore that brutal message.

(voice-over): Across from it the courthouse. Executions took place out front, freshly dug up dirt marks the graves of some of the victims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are two corpses over there. Two corpses here and some corpse near the north end, some corpse.

DAMON: Anyone who dared defy them paid a price. Even smoking was banned.

(on camera): This was another of the ISIS headquarters and everything here, all of the walls were painted black. You can see that they've just been freshly painted over in white. And when ISIS was under control of that at a time like this and it is Friday and it is prayer time, none of these people would have been able to be out on the street. They would have forced the markets to close.

(voice-over): Many here don't want their identities revealed or even to be seen talking to us. ISIS may no longer be in control, but many fear they could come back. Arwa Damon, CNN, Adana, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you want to stay tuned to CNN starting Monday we'll begin our exclusive in-depth coverage of the Syrian complex. That's across all of our platforms, "The Syrian War," a CNN exclusive.

All right, all the snow and ice pushing people to the breaking point these days. But how do you know if it's just cabin fever or is it's a real disorder? We'll have to watch out for, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, live looks at the very snowy Washington, D.C. and New York City. Perhaps you really love that? Guess what, good news, if you love the snow, more snow on the way for the northeast or perhaps this really gets you down to see these kind of snowflakes, to see the gray skies. Maybe this will really uplift you. Look at all that snow in New York. This is kind of whiteout or grayout conditions depending on how you see it.

Well, this really is serious business. It really does seem depress for a whole lot of folks who have barely recovered from the last dose of snow, ice, and sleet. And here's kind of a consensus from a lot of people who say their bottom line kind of sick of winter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish the winter would stop. We keep getting hit over and over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: it's been very, very cold and one of the worst winters I've seen in a long time.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Cold, a lot of snow. It's coming down a little bit hard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So ready for spring to come and summer and everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, in some cases guess what, tempers are flaring because of all this. Some might consider it a big inconvenience. In fact, a man in Pennsylvania was actually arrested after he allegedly pointed a gun at a snow plow driver who pushed snow into his yard. He didn't like that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ABRAHAM, SNOW PLOW DRIVER: He grabbed my arm. He was trying to pull me out of the truck. I went to put it in park and when I turned my head like this I had a gun up to my face like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: My gosh, serious business. Another snow plow driver on Long Island says a man threatened him with a shotgun and then in Connecticut, a man allegedly attacked a plow driver with a shovel. OK, so tempers are flaring, people are losing it.

I'm joined now by psychologist, Jeff Gardere. So Jeff, what is it about this winter weather that sets some people off or is it the weather that's to blame?

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I think the weather has a lot to do with it, Fredricka. Let's face it. This has been one of the worst winters that we've had across the nation in quite some time. It's just snow, snow, and more snow. People are getting restless. They're getting the winter blues. Some are getting seasonal effective and tempers are flaring because of the mood disorder that comes along with this lack of warmth, lack of sun. People are just feeling miserable.

WHITFIELD: So help us understand the difference between the kind of winter blahs and someone who has this seasonal effective disorder or sad.

GARDERE: Sure. People who have winter blues and a lot of people have winter blues. This is a situation of where they're just really uncomfortable with the winter. They're feeling down about it and they can't wait for something to come around. A lot of us deal with that.

But with seasonal affective disorder this is a clinical disorder where, because of the lack of sunlight, and we see this happening in fall and winter months, we tend to have more melatonin, which is a neurochemical which is being transmitted in our brains.

And because of that we tend to be much more sluggish, much more sleepy, a lot more restless, anxiety, depression, appetite disturbance. We put on more weight because we're eating a t lot of comfort foods to feel better. So this is very, very real and there are treatments for it.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So this is a lot of stuff. Say you are the person who might be feeling all those things you just described and they have not been clinically diagnosed as having SAD. What can people do when they are feeling down, when they are blaming the weather, they don't like the idea that there's more snow in their driveway. They can't, you know, get to places they want to get to on time or at all because of the weather. What do you prescribe to them?

GARDERE: Well, I would tell them that they just have to a cheerier, more sunny disposition when they wake up right in the morning instead of laying in bed, turn on your TV. Yes, I said it, turn on your TV because we need the light. Turn on the lamps, all the lamps in your house. Get it as bright as possible because that will then stop the production of melatonin, which will get you to be much more up.

Do exercise, some yoga and, more importantly, get a good meal and just start the day knowing that you have the energy to be able to get through it and don't be dependent on the weather as to whether you're going to feel good for that day. The weather is what it is, Fredricka. We deal with it and we go on with life and sunnier day are still yet to come.

WHITFIELD: Right, it's right around the corner. Winter is not here forever. All right, Jeff Gardere, thank you so much for bringing your sunny disposition as well. Appreciate it.

GARDERE: Always my pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, perhaps you've wondered what's going on through that little baby's mind. Scientists at Yale say they're actually trying to figure it all out. Straight ahead, on our 3:00 Eastern hour, you'll see what they've found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S "AC 360": Most people think of babies as blank slates. You're saying that's not true, it's not that they have to be taught wrong from right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From very early ages we know there's a lot going on in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Indeed. And just ahead, a severe drought in California is hitting farmers and communities very hard. Find out how beer is helping one town get back on its feet.

But first, on today's "American journey," online dating isn't just for the fringes of the dating world anymore. Tom Foreman looks at its surging popularity and one couple's very bright success story.

BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once upon a time, Brook and Kyle Brandt were living anything but storybook lives. They didn't know each other, each was struggling to find love when instead they found an idea.

BROOKE BRANDT, MET HUSBAND ONLINE: We do our banking online and our social networking is online. So why not try online match making?

FOREMAN: She signed up with an internet dating service. He did, too.

BROOKE BRANDT: You called and I think I saw you the next Friday and we've never been apart since.

FOREMAN: Online dating once widely viewed as sketchy or a haven for the desperate has become a billion dollar business filling the airwaves with ads. A study found one-third of marriages between 2005 and 2012 began online in part because the internet solves a fundamental problem.

RACHEL DEALTO, RELATIONSHIP EXPERT: The biggest question that I get from singles is where do I meet people.

FOREMAN: Rachel Dealto is a relationship consultant who says the massive growth of dating sites that filter choices by religion, race, age, even beauty allows like-minded users to quickly connect.

DEALTO: If you can go hang out with a bunch of vegetarians and you're passionate about being vegetarian, why not join a vegetarian dating site.

FOREMAN (on camera): Another cause for the explosion, the economy. A popular theory holds that when the recession hit, many people started looking for less costly ways to explore relationships, giving online dating a big boost. (voice-over): It does not work for everyone, of course, but --

KYLE BRANDT, MET WIFE ONLINE: Where we are now is starting our fourth year of an internet dating marriage. We have an internet dating baby. We live in an internet dating house.

FOREMAN: For Kyle and Brooke, it's a trend with a storybook end. Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, now to that drought crisis in California. According to the latest drought monitor map released this week, 91.6 percent of California is experiencing severe to exceptional drought. President Obama got a firsthand look at the devastation yesterday when he traveled to Fresno.

He announced that the White House has pledged $100 million in disaster relief to help farmers. But it's not just the farmers who have been hit hard. Some towns are also running out of clean drinking water.

Our Dan Simon found one business that is helping to keep things afloat and it's coming from an unlikely source, beer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One thing has been pouring in Cloverdale, California. And it's not rain. It's beer. It's local beer company, Bear Republic, has been making beer for nearly 15 years. Now it's credited with helping to save the city from a crippling drought. Richard Norgrove is its CEO.

(on camera): So when people say thanks to beer, Cloverdale will have its water needs met, you say --

RICHARD NORGROVE, CEO, BEAR REPUBLIC: I say, hear, hear.

SIMON (voice-over): It started with a problem that many problems would love to have. Too much demand.

(on camera): This is where the production happens with 125 bottles getting filled up every minute. They wanted to get that number up, so it required a new space. There was only one problem. The city said it couldn't have any more water.

(voice-over): And with no water, there's no beer.

(on camera): What did you think?

NORGROVE: I think maybe I need to pack up and go somewhere else.

SIMON (voice-over): The town would need two additional water wells. But Cloverdale, population 8,700, lacked the money, nearly a half million dollars to build them. MAYOR CAROL RUSSELL, CLOVERDALE, CALIFORNIA: Funding is always a problem for everybody. When you're a small city, and we certainly are, it can be even tougher.

SIMON: And what no one realized at the time, there was going to be a tougher problem, a record-setting drought with the local reservoir dwindling to dangerous levels. But then came Norgrove's irresistible offer.

NORGROVE: If we front you the money to put wells in, could we be somewhat guaranteed we'd have water by July of 2014?

SIMON: The city took the money and is in the process of constructing the wells. It's not a gift, though. The money will be applied to water fees Bear Republic would have paid over time. But in the end it gets to make more beer. And the town according to the mayor should have more than enough water to weather the drought and beyond.

RUSSELL: Everybody benefits. It's a wonderful arrangement.

NORGROVE: I think it's beneficial that we give back to the community. This is one way we did it. It helped us and it also helps the community.

SIMON: And for folks who live in this small Northern California town, that's worth celebrating perhaps over a beer. Dan Simon, CNN, Cloverdale, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Overseas, the Oscar Pistorius murder trial gets underway in just a couple weeks. Looking ahead to the events that led to the premeditated murder charge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It was a shooting that not only shocked South Africa but the world. World-famous sprinter, Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He said he mistook her for an intruder, but South African prosecutors have charged him with murder. Robyn Curnow brings us up to date as the case gets ready to go to trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These exclusive pictures from a source close to Oscar Pistorius appear to show a young couple in love, intimate and personal. These would be some of the last photographs they would take together because on Valentine's Day morning, exactly one year ago, it all ended. Oscar Pistorius' agent, Peet Van Zyl, awoke to a phone call.

PEET VAN ZYL, OSCAR PISTORIUS' AGENT: Just had a voice of a girl saying you have to come to Oscar's house. Trying to make sense of what's wrong. No, no. Someone's shot, someone's shot. So I immediately thought it was Oscar that had been shot. So I said no, no, no Reeva's been shot. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paralympic sprinter had killed his girlfriend --

CURNOW: It was a shooting that shocked South Africa. The country's golden boy Olympian had killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, an up and coming model. He was arrested and charged with murder. Pistorius denies the murder charge. He said it was a tragic mistake. That he thought Steenkamp was an intruder. In just a few weeks a high court judge will hear the case.

(on camera): Now, Oscar Pistorius' murder trial will take place in this courtroom. It begins on the third of March. Now, is the state has listed 107 witnesses. Not all of them are expected to be called, but we do expect to hear testimony from Oscar Pistorius' family, some of his ex-girlfriends as well as police forensic experts.

(voice-over): Pistorius' teams will counter with their own forensic evidence.

LAURIE PIETERS-JAMES, CRIMINOLOGIST: I think that the state does want this case over with. They have booked the court for three weeks, I believe. And they should be able to present at least the state case in those three weeks.

CURNOW: After staying away from Pistorius' previous court appearances. Reeva Steenkamp's mother, June and other family members are expected to attend the trial. After a year of waiting, her family says they're looking for closure. Robyn Curnow, CNN, Pretoria, South Africa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)