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Awaiting Verdict on Loud Music Trial; Travelers Frustrated by Cancellations; Highlights from Sochi; New Tough Talk from White House on Syria; NFL Player Harassed Teammate; Window Cleaning at World's Tallest Building

Aired February 15, 2014 - 13:00   ET

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

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Veteran base jumpers say arrest may not deter thrill seekers from taking these dangerous, sometimes deadly, and in this case illegal plunges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And (INAUDIBLE) says that he knows a lot of people who have died from base jumping but he doesn't know anyone who has been arrested after posting their base-jumping video on YouTube -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you so much, Stephanie Elam.

All right. We have much more straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. And it all begins again right now.

Hello, again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Day four now of deliberations in the loud music murder trial. And it seems the jury may be getting closer to a verdict. The question they asked that suggests what might be holding them up.

Plus, it's the winter that simply won't quit. How a new blast of snow could impact travel this holiday weekend.

And three decades after the miracle on ice, here we go again. The U.S. and Russia meeting up in a shootout thriller in Sochi.

The jury in that loud music murder trial could reach a verdict at any moment. This is the case of Michael Dunn who is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis after a fight over loud music at a gas station.

It was busy at the start of this morning with the jury asking very interesting and telling questions. But it's been pretty quiet since then.

Correspondent Alina Cho and CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin are both live for us now in Jacksonville.

Alina, let's begin with you about the questions that were asked of the court. ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Fredricka. There was a question, it was actually a three-part question that was asked. But before I get into that, I want to move out of the way and show you the scene here outside the courthouse. You can see some children are protesting. There's also a larger group of people protesting, standing out there with signs calling for justice for Jordan Davis outside of this courthouse while the jury inside continues to deliberate.

Now they've been deliberating now today for about four hours. And right at the beginning about 30 minutes into their deliberation today, they had a question for the judge. Take a listen.

(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)

MACHADO: Now the judge brought in Dunn, and asked him if he had any concerns or any issues with any of his responses to those three questions. And Dunn did express concerns over the judge's response to the third question about justifiable force saying that he felt that all four people in the SUV are intertwined with his defense of self.

The judge says he understood that, but he still felt that because of the law, he had to instruct the jury to consider each count separately -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Sunny, let me bring you in. Do those questions reveal to you and the answers as well as real clarity? Or does this only bring more confusion potentially for this jury?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, I think it's clear, Fred, that they are with the concept of self-defense. But I think that the judge's guidance was very important because if you look at the law it is true that self-defense doesn't apply a blanket defense for each victim.

It applies victim per victim per victim per victim, and so I think with that clarity they go back into the courtroom and they'll be able to discern the differences between the first counts which is -- which relates to the murder of Jordan Davis, and then the attempted murder counts which relate to the other three boys that were in the car.

WHITFIELD: OK. And Alina, has the court given any instruction as to when the jurors render a verdict, how much notification they will give whether it'd be reporters or, you know, family members of all parties involved? MACHADO: Yes. It's worth mentioning that the courtroom right now is empty. And that's because the judge decided that because there were some issue, there was potential for voices to travel between the walls, between the courtroom and the jury deliberation room. They decided to empty out the courtroom during deliberations. So once there is a verdict, the judge says that he will give anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes notice to make sure that everyone is able to make it back into that courtroom.

And in fact, he mentioned that one of the alternate jurors, at least one of the alternate jurors, has expressed interest in being present when that verdict is read.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alina, thank you so much, and Sunny, appreciate it, ladies. We'll check back with you as we learn more about deliberations now entering 21 hours of deliberating.

All right. We'll have more on the Dunn case throughout the coming hour as well. In just a few minutes we're going to talk to an expert on juries, reading the juries, about the men and women deciding this case. What they might be doing and thinking.

All right. And let's talk now about winter weather. It has been very brutal. Another storm pushing its way into the northeast. Blizzard warnings are up for coastal Massachusetts, parts of Maine. Could get more than a foot of snow. Looking pretty gray depending on the vantage point. Particularly in New York. There are a few flurries still under way. Yes, kind of gray, kind of white. I guess, you know, glass half full, empty, what do you say?

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Jennifer Gray with us now. Some folks are so over the snow.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm with them. I'm over it, too.

WHITFIELD: You're over it.

GRAY: And we're in Atlanta. We haven't even had it that bad. But yes, the good news about this one, Fred, is it is going to be a fast mover. So this is definitely not going to be as bad as the one we had a couple of days ago. There's actually a blizzard warning in effect across coastal Massachusetts. That does include the Cape. Until tomorrow morning at 5:00. Could see 60 mile-an-hour winds there as we go through the overnight hours.

Here's the radar. You can see the snow really starting to fill in. Especially around New York City. We had rain earlier. Now it's changing over to snow. You can see those bright bands of white. Heavier snowfall starting to fall there. Boston, you're getting it, too. And that's going to continue as we go through the late evening hours into the overnight as well.

So let's time this out. 8:00 tonight, you can see Boston still in the snow. Already pushing out of New York City. Northern Maine, that's when we're going to see the highest snowfall amounts. Could see a foot of snow in those areas. Other places like New York could see anywhere from 2 to 4 inches. We could see 6 to 8 -- or 6 to 10 rather right outside the Boston area so it is going to be heavier out there.

New York City, you are not going to get above freezing until Tuesday. So it is going to stay very cold for you. But on the flipside, look at the south. 62 degrees in Atlanta. By Monday. A huge, Fred --

WHITFIELD: This is hilarious.

GRAY: Huge warm-up. Can you believe it?

WHITFIELD: I know. It's strange. And people will be -- and you know what, people will be wearing shorts.

GRAY: I will be wearing shorts. I might be by the pool on Monday.

WHITFIELD: That is so funny. Well, I'm not over the snow yet. Not until I get a little skiing in somewhere where there's snow.

All right, Jennifer, thanks so much.

Let's check on our Susan Candiotti. She's at LaGuardia. Folks are kind of sick of the snow there. Especially when you're stuck in the terminal. I'm feeling you, people. I know what it's like.

But, Susan, maybe you have some good news for folks that they will soon be getting on their planes and take off.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can honestly tell you, Fred -- sure. I can honestly say that throughout the day today, we haven't seen that many cancellations. Only a handful at least in this terminal. There are problems over at Newark Airport as well as at Dulles Airport and now Boston because of that ongoing blizzard forecast that's starting up there.

Snow very light here right now, but people continue to check into their flights. However, you do get those issues every now and again. And a little bit earlier we ran into a woman who was in here checking in with her boyfriend. They were trying to get back to Minneapolis. And their flight had been delayed from a day before so they came back here today. And wait until you hear her tale. They are getting back home tonight, but it won't be easy. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm taking three flights from here to Charlotte, Charlotte to Chicago, Chicago to Minneapolis. He takes four flights. So he's to Charlotte to Raleigh to Chicago to Minneapolis. And he gets in at 11:30 tonight.

CANDIOTTI: You have to make three connections to get back and he's taking four?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. To do a, like, three-hour flight to Minneapolis. Yes. CANDIOTTI: What do you make of this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Yes, insane. No kidding. Can you imagine? Boyfriend, girlfriend, they kiss good-bye. He ran to the gate and then she had to run to her gate. I can't even imagine what that's going to be like.

WHITFIELD: That's insane, all right.

CANDIOTTI: But they -- yes. And they had to get back today because they've got to start work early tomorrow. So, I mean, there was no two ways about it. And the airline did take care of them.

WHITFIELD: Good.

CANDIOTTI: So it all worked out in the end. Not the way they would have planned it, but --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: -- they're getting home.

WHITFIELD: OK. Hey, but at least they're -- they're moving. They're moving the right directions meaning to their, you know, final destination.

CANDIOTTI: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: And you know, you got to hand it to all the, you know, ticket counter attendants. Boy, you know they're getting an earful and a mouthful all of the time and they're trying to keep it together and trying to accommodate people as best they can.

CANDIOTTI: That's right. Interesting you should mention because the woman who worked it out for them, they were at the counter a good 45 minutes. And you could see, she was trying to work it whatever way she could. In the end it did. Taking a long route home for what normally would be a three-hour flight.

WHITFIELD: I get it.

CANDIOTTI: But she made it work.

WHITFIELD: I've been in that situation many a times, too. And, you know, I love them for trying to work so diligently on your specific situation every time. So hats go off to them. They're trying all that they can.

All right, Susan Candiotti, appreciate that.

OK. Guess what? A little history was made on the ice again today. A rivalry between the U.S. and Russia settled. At least for now. Maybe. So if you are watching the U.S. Olympic team take on Russia in hockey tonight, here's a little spoiler alert. I got to give you a little bit of information. If you don't want to know, just look away or probably just turn down the volume. Don't totally turn us off.

All right. So here it goes. It was one of the closest games of the Olympics. Coming down to a shootout. It was exciting, riveting, all that. And in the end, it was USA with the final score 3-2. Unlike NHL rules, international rules permit shooters to take multiple shots after the first three rounds of the shootout. T.J. Oshie shooting at goal six times before giving the U.S. that critical win. And they're going to be taking on Slovenia next.

All right, straight ahead, more Olympic coverage and a look at the medal count so far.

And after asking the judge for clarification, jurors in the loud music murder trial are back to deliberating. We'll ask a jury consultant about what might be going on inside that room next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back now to Florida where everyone is anxiously awaiting to hear if the jury in the loud music trial reaches a verdict today. The jury is in its fourth day of deliberations now.

Michael Dunn is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jordan Davis. Dunn says he acted in self-defense after the teen threatened him, in his words.

Joining us now to talk about the jury is Richard Gabriel. He's a jury consultant and worked on the O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony trials. He has a book coming out this summer, in fact, called "Acquittal" talking about some of those big cases.

All right, good to see you, Richard.

RICHARD GABRIEL, JURY CONSULTANT: Good to see you, too, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So today this jury is already exhibiting its diligence. I mean, it was willing to work through the weekend last weekend and it's working through the weekend this weekend, too, deliberating now four days over 20 hours. This morning the jurors had yet another set of questions for the judge. Let's listen to those three questions asking the courtroom for some clarification.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEALEY: 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 I know this is tough. It's like reading tea leaves trying to figure what is going on, you know, behind closed doors, what, you know, is a jury asking about. What are they hung on. But what do these questions in your view tell you about what might be happening among those jurors?

GABRIEL: Well, this is why both sides rely so heavy on jury selection. Because back there it's really beyond the evidence. We're right now sort of in a phase where it's about the personalities back there and about how they persuade each other. And so it's about their interpretation of the evidence.

So when you have questions like this, I think as one of your guests said earlier, it is problematic for the defense because -- and I think this also goes to where the jurors had asked earlier to see the footage from inside the gas station because the timing of the last three shots, the delay in that could signify where jurors are sitting there going, there's a delay, there's those last three shots into the back of the car so --

WHITFIELD: While it is driving away.

GABRIEL: Is that attempted murder? While it's driving away. So is there no longer a justifiable use of force at that point? And so whether it's one juror, two jurors, or a number of jurors, trying to figure that out I think that's where they're concentrating their efforts.

WHITFIELD: And is -- and is an attempted murder and based on the question being asked, is it the case that that defendant is still feeling like his life is on the line?

GABRIEL: Well, and that's -- that's where the jurors are sitting there. In fact, every juror probably is back there in the room going, am I sitting in Michael Dunn's car? Am I sitting in Jordan Davis' car? Am I watching this from the gas station and what really happened here? Who's the aggressor?

At this point, you know, is he justified if he thinks that there's some sort of weapon that Jordan Davis has? And then at what point is that use of force no longer justified? Is it justified on the first six shots but not on the last three? And that's where they're trying to work through these issues. And that's where some jurors probably are in there saying, look. I think that it is just a flat-out murder.

He wasn't justified in the very beginning. And some jurors are like, no, I think he reasonably did feel threatened. And that's what they're trying to work it out.

WHITFIELD: And if you're a juror are you possibly doing some role- playing where sometimes you are in the seat of the defense, sometimes you are in the seat of the prosecution. Is that taking place among those jurors in that room saying, OK, let's look at this from different points of view? Or is it going to be in its totality which brought the most convincing argument? GABRIEL: Most likely you do have role-playing. And in fact, that's why some of the jurors even asked for some butcher block paper or some things to work things out. You also notice that they asked for the dummy to take a look at the trajectory. The judge said no to that question. So you take a look at the angle of the shots and more than likely you have jurors sitting there going, wait, if my body is in this position, is the bullet going to enter this?

Does that mean he's outside the vehicle or inside the vehicle? So you do have a lot of that as they try and figure out what happened.

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Gabriel, thank you so much for your point of view. I appreciate that. Again, your book coming out later in the summer called "Acquittal." And again we're entering now the 21st hour of deliberations for this jury in Jacksonville. Thank you.

GABRIEL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Overseas now. A historic rivalry on the ice today. Historic again in Sochi this time. The U.S. and Russia facing off in a high intensity hockey game. Who led which team to victory?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. This is huge news coming out of the Winter Olympic Games on Sochi. On the ice USA taking on Russia. The match came down to the wire. One of the closest in Olympic history. I know you guys are going to be sitting around the television sets wanting to watch it tonight. So if you really don't want another results, you need to look away, turn on the volume or something, just for another 30 seconds because we're going to spill the beans.

(LAUGHTER)

The U.S. in the end spanking Russia. Can I say that? Spanking?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I guess.

WHITFIELD: I know it was close. 3-2.

(LAUGHTER)

Joining me now, CNN Sports' Andy Scholes.

I just wanted to say spank because, you know, you're talking sports and you know, they were a little humiliated on their own home turf.

SCHOLES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But it ain't over.

SCHOLES: You know, a hero has really come out of this for Team USA in this whole thing.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SCHOLES His name is T.J. Oshie.

WHITFIELD: I like it. Oshie.

SCHOLES: Now, OK, so Olympic rules in -- when it gets to a shootout, the first three rounds, a different player has to take the short for the first three rounds. But when it gets -- if it's still tied after that, you can have the same guy take every single shot after that. The Americans went with T.J. Oshie. And, you know, he was one of the last players put on this team because he is great for this type of situation.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SCHOLES: He is a shootout specialist. He made four out of six shots that he took for Team USA. Really won it for the Americans. And, you know, he has a cool back story, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes?

SCHOLES: He went to high school in Warroad, Minnesota. The city has a population, I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: He's a fighter.

SCHOLES: The city has a population of less than 2,000 people. But they've had eight Olympians come out of there to play hockey.

WHITFIELD: What? That's the story.

SCHOLES: Hockey Town USA is what they're known as.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

SCHOLES: T.J. Oshie, the latest star to come out of there. He helped Team USA get the win today.

WHITFIELD: That's nice.

SCHOLES: And a great victory for the Americans. They're now going to pretty much guarantee themselves a spot in the quarter final rounds.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SCHOLES: They do have another game tomorrow against Slovenia early in the morning.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SCHOLES: But expected to win that game as well.

WHITFIELD: And maybe they could play Russia again?

SCHOLES: They could see them again later on in the gold medal game. WHITFIELD: And then if that happens, it's going to be ugly. Putin, I mean, he's, like, stoic face. No, we're going to see some expressions on that one.

SCHOLES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: If it happens again.

All right. Let's talk about something else happening during the Winter Olympic Games. A lot of the speed skaters not so happy with their suits. They haven't been performing as well as they -- the skaters haven't been performing as well as they wanted and they are saying it has something to do with the suits.

SCHOLES: Yes. They busted out these new Under Armour suits that they thought were basically going to be their secret weapons for the speed skating competition.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SCHOLES: They had this vent in the back that was supposed to make them go faster, but the skaters are all saying it's making them go slower.

WHITFIELD: They're saying it's a drag.

SCHOLES: So in the first six days of -- six events, that is, no American finished in the top five of any of the races. So they're saying these suits -- these suits are slowing us down. So they went back to the old suits they were wearing in previous competitions.

WHITFIELD: Can they do that?

SCHOLES: But Fredricka -- yes, the IOC approved them to go back to their old suits.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SCHOLES: But it hasn't helped them. In today's 1500 meter race, spoiler alert, spoiler alert.

WHITFIELD: Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler.

SCHOLES: Brian Hanson, he finished seventh and Shani Davis finished eleventh. So Under Armour I guess is a little vindicated here. Hey, it's not the suit.

WHITFIELD: It's not us.

SCHOLES: You're still -- still not winning.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Man. I'm sorry about that.

SCHOLES: But Team USA did get another medal today. We're up to second in the medal count right now. On top Russia, they've got 15 medals total. As you see right here. United States right behind them.

WHITFIELD: So their chests are puffed out. They're happy.

SCHOLES: Fourteen -- yes. Germany, if you're looking at who's winning in the gold medal competition, they've got more than anybody. They got seven. Next (INAUDIBLE) is four.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. Hey, it ain't over yet.

SCHOLES: That's right.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SCHOLES: Hopefully we'll be on top when it's all said and done.

WHITFIELD: I know. Well, it's been exciting. I mean, there've been some very exciting moments.

SCHOLES: This morning has been the most excited I've been so far in these Olympics.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. I said last night's skeleton, too, very -- women's skeleton. Very exciting as well.

SCHOLES: That was very exciting, too.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it was. OK. All right. We'll talk more later.

SCHOLES: All right.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Andy. Appreciate that.

OK. Now to a breathtaking tightrope stunt all caught on video. Right there. Oh, my gosh. Here we go again. Another vertigo moment. Earlier it was parachuting and, you know, jumping. OK, now this. Two extreme athletes attempting to walk a tightrope strung between two hot air balloons.

Are you out of your minds? This happened over some mountains in Spain. The first person tries to make the journey but halfway across, you see what's happening right there. Thankfully the parachute.

Very dramatic, huh? My gosh. It happens again. Another parachute. Thank goodness. OK. Much more straight ahead. Talk about cliff- hanger. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's what's crossing the CNN news desk right now.

Michael Dunn, a Florida man, accused of murdering a 17-year-old, is waiting to hear if a jury will find him guilty or not. He spoke to the judge this morning when the jury had a question. But we have not heard a peep from the jury or anyone else since then.

Prosecutors say Dunn killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis after a fight over loud music playing from the vehicle. Dunn says he acted in self- defense.

Flight delays are rising across the country as snowfalls in the northeast. Dulles Airport, Newark, and Boston Airports are facing the most delays today. Blizzard warnings have been issued for coastal Massachusetts and parts of Maine could get more than a foot of snow.

And there will be no union at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant. Employees there rejected an invitation to join the United Auto Workers. While the company stayed neutral on the vote, state Republicans fought it. They argued it would hurt the prospect for more jobs in that state.

And actress Ellen Page says she's, quote, "tired of hiding and tired of lying by omission." The star of the movie "Juno" is now acknowledging publicly that she's gay. Page got a standing ovation at a Las Vegas conference aimed at promoting issues affecting the gay community.

And in Syria, the fighting continues while diplomats talking in Europe have made little headway to end the war. Syria's ambassador to the U.N. says his country is committed to the talks and wants an end to the bloodshed, but today the U.N. mediator said a second round of talks in Geneva, Switzerland ended without much progress made. The Syrian opposition and the government have agreed to an agenda for a third round of talks.

And more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war. 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 an 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 was the main ISIS checkpoint leading into Addana and as part of their terror tactics eyewitnesses were telling us that they would leave some of the bodies of 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 there are 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, Addana, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you'll want to stay tuned to CNN because starting Monday we'll begin our exclusive in-depth coverage of the Syrian civil war. It's across all our platforms. The Syrian war. A CNN exclusive.

A White House official is leveling some blunt criticism at Russia for the way its handling the Syria crisis.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now from Washington with more details on this -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Fred, even before Team USA won against Russia earlier today in men's hockey, the White House started playing its Olympic politics card, calling out the Russians for continuing to support the Syrian regime. And there are a lot of growing worries those peace talks in Geneva may actually be about to collapse.

A senior administration official briefing reporters saying the Russians, quote, "can't have it both ways." They can't say they're in favor of negotiations in Geneva and have a happy Olympics and then be part and parcel of supporting this regime as it kills people in the most brutal way.

President Obama in California meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah also calling for stepped up action. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be some intermediate steps that we can take to apply more pressure to the Assad regime. And we're going to be continuing to work with all the parties concerned to try to move forward on a diplomatic solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP) STARR: No real indication, you know, of what the president's talking about. No indication of U.S. military support at this point. But there may be a change from somewhere else. The "Wall Street Journal's" reporting that Saudi Arabia is going to start supplying the Syrian rebels with shoulder fired missiles that could bring down regime aircraft and also anti-tank missiles.

The U.S. had not wanted this because they've been worried those weapons could fall into the hands of extremists in Syria, people fighting with al Qaeda. But at this point it's so dire it looks like some Arab countries are just simple running out of patience waiting for the U.S. to find some sort of substantive action to take -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr. Thank you so much.

And an NFL story that has raised a whole lot of eyebrows. One player bullying another to the point of quitting the team. Next, what a new report says about the veracity of those claims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A stunning new report says former Miami Dolphins Richie Incognito did harass teammate Jonathan Martin. Martin, you'll see on the left here, left the Dolphins in October claiming he was bullied by Incognito. Incognito denied it but it did prompt the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to call for an investigation. And that report released yesterday says this.

Three linemen, Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Mike Pouncey, harassed Martin, another lineman and an assistant trainer. The report says they used racial slurs and made sexual comments about Martin's sister and mother. But it also says Incognito and the others did not mean to drive Martin away from the team.

Incognito's attorney says the report is full of errors. Martin's agent says he's glad this is now behind him.

Or is it? I'm joined now by former NFL players Chris Draft and Randy Cross.

Good to see both of you, gentleman.

RANDY CROSS, FORMER NFL PLAYER, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Nice to see you.

CHRIS DRAFT, FORMER NFL PLAYER, ATLANTA FALCONS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Chris, you first. You know, does this report mean anything? Does it move the ball?

DRAFT: It does. It does. I think what you see is it's a culture. It's never just two guys kind of going at it. But I think what's missing within this is that right now it just seems like it's all bullying. It doesn't say anything about the pressures of just playing in the NFL. It doesn't say anything about the Miami Dolphins traded for a left tackle and Brian McKinney a week before all this went down. So it doesn't talk anything about the pressures of just playing in the NFL.

WHITFIELD: And that this is just sort of culturally engrained then, Randy, you know, in being a rookie, being Christened so to speak, which was, you know, kind of the argument being made here about Jonathan Martin, that, you know, we've got to rough you up, we've got to toughen you up first, and that's just the way we roll.

CROSS: Well, weak and soft have never survived in an NFL locker room. Period. And probably never will. But the differentiation was this was so uncommonly cruel in points. But I think in locker room this isn't the break room at Wal-Mart. This isn't -- a training room working environment.

WHITFIELD: Right. And that's --

(CROSSTALK)

CROSS: This is the NFL locker room.

WHITFIELD: This is the way it is. So what's the problem?

CROSS: Well, the problem here in this particular case is it was out of control. And it was a systemic failure.

DRAFT: Yes.

CROSS: It was a failure that started with the group, of the old line, it went into their meeting room, their coach. Then went on to the practice field. That made it a failure of the team.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CROSS: And the locker room. So it really got exacerbated.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And those are not my words, those are other former players who say, you know, what's the problem here? This is the way it is. But you underscored that this is -- this did cross the line. It's too much. But then now what culturally for the NFL, for locker rooms, for rookies, as they, you know, get excited about joining a team? What can the expectations be now?

DRAFT: I think a lot of that has changed. You know, I came in the league in 1998 and there's been a lot of changes that have been happening. And I think at the end of the day, why it has to change is it affects the team -- it affects the team on the field. And that's where changes really start. I mean, all this kind of made it where Miami that started off well, that looked like a good team. All of a sudden you blow up and you're missing the playoffs.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

DRAFT: Well, that affects your winning. That affects on the field. You've got to do something about it.

WHITFIELD: And so now what for the players? What for Richie Incognito? What now for Jonathan Martin? CROSS: The challenge is going to be, I think, mainly on Martin's. Incognito's fate should be and rightfully so is going to be out of his hands for a while. The commissioner has been very fair, but he's been very firm. And you have three players and an assistant coach which I think are going to face his wrath. But when you look at the entire group what's next, they go back to being -- trying to be a winning organization.

Chris has been part of winning teams. I've been part of some big time winning teams. You've never had these problems.

DRAFT: Yes.

CROSS: This was a losing team's frustration that got out of control. And I think it snowballed.

WHITFIELD: And so for Jonathan Martin, I mean, does he have a shot at getting on another team or in a way even though you've got the report that substantiates something terrible went awry here on here, does it also seem like he's got another hurdle, though? Because you talked about, you know, weak and soft, but I mean, is that what people are saying about Jonathan Martin? Weak and soft and that this is, you know, the result of that?

DRAFT: Absolutely. I think the key right now is does Jonathan Martin actually want to play? Like I said, the bullying --

WHITFIELD: He has said that he wants to play again. But now what?

DRAFT: But saying it with words. Saying it with words. Football will take your words and mix them all up. He has to be willing to go out on that field, be willing to hit his head, really to go against other men. He has to make that up in his mind. Now with all the stuff coming out, hopefully he can get some closure and he can really decide that. But it's going to be a very tough decision for him.

WHITFIELD: And I'm not saying he's weak and soft. It sounds like there have been some who justify this kind of, you know, roughening up of a player because we don't accept weak and soft.

CROSS: Well, don't forget in this whole thing as it all takes its -- you know, Incognito is fined or suspended. Jonathan Martin wants to come back. It's really Jonathan Martin's case. It's not a bullying case. It's a mental health case. This is a guy that admitted he thought about suicide a couple times. This is --

WHITFIELD: But is that fair? I mean --

CROSS: Is it fair?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Is it --

CROSS: Is it ever fair to be labeled that way?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Is it fair that he would reveal that but then that would be used as justification, you know, as to why you weren't able to endure this treatment from others?

DRAFT: No, not as far as you couldn't endure it. But it obviously wouldn't be grounds for not being able to work in that environment from a legal standpoint. But it is a mental health. If he's got his house in order, he should be able to play. If he can answer fire with fire, because that's how you have to answer these kind of things.

CROSS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Do you think this report helps tee up a potential legal case?

CROSS: Well --

WHITFIELD: I know you're not legal experts, but I wonder if you were the player and you were involved in this, would you say, you know, this would help me or this gives me the grounds on which to pursue something legally?

DRAFT: Well, I think that's -- when you're talking about Jonathan Martin wanting to play. If he were to kind of pursue a legal case like that and in kind of most instances he's pretty much saying he doesn't really want to keep on playing. And I think, you know, that's what's great about this coming out and really kind of let's put this to bed.

So where is the closure on it? How are you going to deal with the three guys and the assistant coach? How are you going to deal with them?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

DRAFT: And then Jonathan Martin, is that enough for you to feel like that you do want to be a part of the NFL, that you want to go back out, you want to play?

WHITFIELD: Yes. I can't imagine --

CROSS: And the first thing he did was go back to his legal grounds, to his legal sort of center.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CROSS: Which is his two parents.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CROSS: They're both attorneys. He has to go -- he looks across the breakfast table for his legal advice more than likely.

WHITFIELD: Sure.

CROSS: So, you know, he's able to draw on that home and that family now. And he's probably never needed it more than he has now.

WHITFIELD: We'll leave it right there. Randy, Chris, thanks so much, gentlemen.

DRAFT: Thank you. Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Always good to see you. Appreciate it.

All right. Cleaning windows. It can seem more like a chore for anyone, but imagine doing it like this. 2700 feet above the ground. I don't know, you guys. Would you be willing to do something like that? That's insane. We're going to explain how they do it and why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: My gosh. Imagine, whew, the view from the world's tallest building. It's in the Middle East, 160 stories tall. But how do you actually clean all the glass on that building? You might be surprised to know, and scared to see, that they do it just the way you might imagine.

Here's Jon Jensen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON JENSEN, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): When they built the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, it was covered in 24,000 separate panes of glass. Dipak Ghal's job is keeping them clean.

"The work is interesting and the view is beautiful," he tells me. Dipak is one of around 60 migrant workers, mostly from Nepal, India and the Philippines, who clean windows here, and in this dusty, desert climate, there's plenty of work for them.

They start at the very tiptop.

(On camera): We're standing on the 159th floor of the Burj Khalifa. That's about 35 stories higher than most tourists get to go. It doesn't sound that high, perhaps, but if you come over here, take a look over the edge, I think you might change your mind.

(Voice-over): It's more than 2,700 feet or nearly a kilometer straight down. Certainly not a job for the faint of heart. Especially when you're rappelling. When the inspections are done they step out over the edge and get down to business. It will take them three months to clean each and every window, and then they start all over again.

The building's contractor, though, says rope access is still the most efficient way to get the job done. For Dipak, it's also a decent living. As a new recruit he can make over $600 a month, much more than he'd earn as a construction worker building skyscrapers like this one.

"My mom always asks me why I do this and says it looks dangerous," he tells me. "She wants me to come back to Nepal and get a regular job. But I tell them, no, no, no. I like it, and this is a good living," and, he says, just another day at the office. Jon Jensen, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK. So once it's completed, China's Shanghai Tower will be the world's second tallest structure behind the Burj Khalifa. Recently a couple of Russian climbers went looking for thrills on top of that massive skyscraper. And why not? They made it all the way to the top of the building's construction cranes. Insane. The climb, of course, illegal, as is shooting it, but, hey, the two are also known for scaling one of the ancient pyramids in Egypt. So they're all about breaking the rules and, of course, they posted that video as well.

We'll be right back. Safely.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're just minutes away from a look at "YOUR MONEY." Christine Romans is in the CNN Money studio with what's on top for the next hour.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Up next, income inequality from the rich guys' perspective. A member of the top 1 percent thinks that the more you pay in taxes the more votes you should have.

Plus Christiane Amanpour, Candy Crowley and I, we search for solutions from Washington to the world. That's right now on an all-new "YOUR MONEY."

WHITFIELD: Excellent. Thanks so much, Christine. We'll be watching.

All right. You know, the saying, you got to play to win. Well, tonight might be the night to play that lottery. The Powerball drawing now stands at a whopping $330 million. Wow. No one has matched all six numbers since Christmas, which was just 14 drawings ago. So if someone matches tonight's numbers, they'll take home $189 million in cash. Wow. That's nice.

All right. So for classic Corvette lovers, listen up. It was a catastrophe, in fact. Look at the surveillance video, happening right here. Eight priceless Vettes falling into a sinkhole. When the floor of the National Corvette Museum gave way. How in the world does that happen?

Getting them out of the hole will take nearly a week. Boy, why even bother? Restoring them will take much longer if they choose to do so, and a whole lot of money. Drone video showing them nearly -- nearly buried there.

A day after the sinkhole formed, the museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was pronounced safe and reopened. Who is willing to do that? And go check out the rubble?

All right, still ahead, in the CNN NEWSROOM, we're tracking the latest round of wintry weather, and seeing how it could impact travel throughout this holiday weekend.

Plus, an Olympic rivalry returns to the ice with a shoot-out finish. Highlights from Sochi coming up.

And one Olympian who hopes to make headlines for her skills on the slopes finds herself apologizing for a topless escapade.

And wonder what's going through your baby's mind?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most people think of babies as blank slates, but you're experiments say that's not true, that it's not that they have to be taught wrong from right?

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, indeed, lots going on. The stunning look inside the brains of babies, coming up.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. First, "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.