Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Jury Continues Deliberating in Michael Dunn Murder Trial; Snow Storms Continue to Hit Parts of U.S.; U.S. Beats Russia in Olympic Hockey Game

Aired February 15, 2014 - 14:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN Newsroom.

Right now sections of the northeast are bracing for yet another winter storm. Coastal Massachusetts is under a blizzard warning. Boston, Maine -- Boston, rather, to Maine, could see 12 inches of snow or more. And New York City could see even another few inches of snow by tonight. Looking right there at a cloudy picture, a dusty, snowy picture of the Statue of Liberty, and that could mean a brand new round of flight cancellations and delays all over the place.

Rosa Flores joining us live in New York. Rosa, it looks kind of just damp and dreary on the ground there. Not so bad.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it doesn't feel too bad. I'm here with the CNN temperature sign. It's 37 degrees in New York City, and let me tell you, it's not that bad. Thank goodness. I want to show you around so you can take a look, because the snow right now, it's light, particularly behind me, Central Park. Famous Central Park, you can see, whenever it's snowing, Central Park is a beautiful winter wonderland. You can see people out here walk, shopping, doing all their shopping. This is a walking city. People are out here and they're tough.

I don't know if we can zoom into some of the slush, but that is some of the worst slush you can find anywhere, and that's in the streets of New York, because you have to cross the street. So a lot of the times there's a lot of slush. Thank goodness that I am pretty tall, Fred. I'm able to, sometimes, high jump to get to the sidewalk so that I don't have to get into the slush.

So here's the skinny. Two to four inches are expected here in New York. Our friends in Massachusetts, and like you mentioned, in Maine, get it so much worse. This is a fast-moving storm. So it's not going to impact us like a few days ago. You, remember, folks, those pictures with all of the travel trouble. We're hoping, keeping our fingers crossed, that that is not the case.

You also mentioned flights, Fred. What a nightmare. I was at the airport yesterday, and I can tell you that the misery map keeps on growing in the United States, as this winter weather keeps on going. I just checked. Right now 700 flights have been cancelled just today and 2,700 delay, just today, in the United States. High up on the list of the misery map in the United States we have Chicago O'Hare, Fort Lauderdale, believe it or not, and then also Newark, which is in the northeast. And as the temperatures continue to drop in certain areas, we'll definitely see more of, more of the havoc, because of the winter weather. But you know, Fred, I think that you are the luckiest one of all of us here.

WHITFIELD: How is that?

FLORES: I looked ahead to next week, and it looks like -- Atlanta, the southeast, in the 60s and 70s.

WHITFIELD: I know!

FLORES: You're going to be in paradise, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We don't know how to behave, we're excited. I am enjoying the winter. I know, it's strange, but it's nice to have snow every now and then especially in Atlanta where you don't typically see it. Rosa, you're painting a very rosy picture for us. And I do appreciate that. And note taken, tall people have the advantage when walking the streets of New York City today with all that slush. Thanks, Rosa. Appreciate it.

Meteorologist Jennifer Gray joining me now. All right, so what more can we expect? I guess you know, Rosa just gave a little heads up. She hinted about that warm weather that you and I are anticipating.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Good news for the south, but it's not quite good news yet for the northeast, because you have yet another storm, and it is pushing up to the New England area. We are seeing a blizzard warning for the cape coastal Massachusetts, going into effect from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

What we're dealing with on radar, we are seeing those snow showers continuing to fall. New York City, you're in the thick of it. Looks like it's starting to tape you are off just a little bit. We'll zoom in closer. We have rain earlier and then it has been strictly snow for the past couple of hours. Boston, you're going to be getting it for quite some time. It will move out late this evening.

Let's track this for you as we take this low up the coast. Here's 8:00 tonight. New York, you're already in the clear, Boston still getting it by the wee hours of the morning strictly for Maine, and we are going to see possibly up to a foot of snow in Maine. So it is going to be quite a mess up there.

Two to four inches is what's we're thinking overall around the New York City area. As you get up towards Boston, especially east of Boston, could see six to 10 inches and then maybe a foot or more in northern Maine. That does include the I-95 corridor. We are going to see a warm-up, as we were talking about. That jet stream will take a shift. That's going to bring the temperatures up gradually throughout the week, especially for the south. Atlanta, yes, you are in the 60s by Monday. It gets bet around better by Tuesday and Wednesday. New Orleans, 71 degrees, and even places like Dallas, Fred, will be in the 70s, in the next couple of days. So this has been, ah, we deserve it, right?

WHITFIELD: I know nap is kind of back to normal, sort of, kind of for February, isn't it?

GRAY: Closer to average than the other side we've been the past couple of days.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. Everyone gets an A-plus for being a sport and hanging tough through it all. Thanks so much, Jennifer. Appreciate that.

I want to talk about a little winter Olympics and a little potential history being made today. So if you don't want to know the results, then just turn away for a hot second, but we do have a special moment that happened today in hockey at the winter games. It was one of the closest games of the Olympics coming down to a shoot-out. In the end team USA got it. The final score 3-2. Unlike NFL rules, international rules permit shooters to take multiple shots after the first three rounds of the shoot-out.

T.J. Oshie, get to know the name, shooting at the goal six times before giving the U.S. the win. Andy Scholes from CNN sports, you've got more on that. But it's fun saying his name, T.J. Oshie.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: T.J. Oshie, we'll hear it a lot because he really was the hero today, Fred, because, as you said, in the shoot-out in the Olympics, after the first three rounds, the same guy can keep taking a shot every single time, and T.J. Oshie was the man today for team USA. He made four off the six shots he got to take on goal. This is the reason they put him on the team. He was one of last selected because he a shoot-out specialist. He really came through for the team. When he was getting into one of those last shots looking back over at the bench, he was like, hey, guy, I'm running out of moves over here. But he was really happy he got the job done.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.J. OSHIE, TEAM USA FORWARD: It was pretty crazy. There's a lot of overqualified guys that could have been going there as well. So the coaches had enough trust in me to put me out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back in the NHL he was always one of the better guys in the league as far as the shootout. We know what he's capable of. But to go that many times in a row and still have a few tricks up your sleeve and the goalie doesn't get in your head, that's pretty impressive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: It's a big, big win for team USA today, 3-2 was the final. Now they're on top of their group. They're right above Russia. If they win this group they get a straight shot into the quarterfinals and don't have to go to the qualification round. They're going to play Slovenia tomorrow morning, another early game for them. Hopefully they get the win. If they get the win they're guaranteed to win in the group and go all the way to the quarterfinals.

WHITFIELD: Clearly T.J. is a team player, because you could tell he was a little modest. He's like, it's not me, we have a great team.

SCHOLES: He said he doesn't like all the attention. He would rather be on the team and they're a great win today. Good for him.

WHITFIELD: That' nice, and fun to watch. Then you get to watch it again this evening. See it live, as it was happening. Andy, appreciate it.

Team USA's victory over the heavily favored Soviets in the 1980 winter games is among the most famous moments in Olympic history overall. This time it was closer than ever, that exciting game, coming down to the shoot-out, as you just heard Andy explain. All of this while the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was watching it all, stoic like per usual.

Joining me now from Sochi, CNN's Ian Lee. So Ian, what was it like inside that stadium? Just from the still photographs, Vladimir Putin just not cracking a smile, nothing, no emotion. But maybe you all saw something else?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the stadium was going nuts, as you can imagine. This is a huge rivalry, as you said, dating back from the Soviet time, so the cold war. So the Russians really wanted to get back, I think, at team USA, especially from that defeat in 1980 where the U.S. won on their home turf. The Russians wanted to win on their home turf.

It was funny. When the Russians scored they would cut immediately to Vladimir Putin, and he gave a little bit of a nod of approval every time they scored, both times. But the one thing you didn't see on Russian state TV was when they lost. There was no cut to Vladimir Putin. It was -- the Russians were definitely disappointed, but they believed it was a good game. And as we heard, this is just the beginning. They could face each other again.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. That's right. We were just hearing Andy say, you know, the U.S. goes to Slovenia, and who knows? If they win that, and if Russia wins its round, they could be heading it off again. OK, so now what about the crowd? What about the Russians? This is their home turf, and, of course, I'm sure there was a lot of exuberance in the stadium. What kind of reaction was coming from them on that loss?

LEE: Well, you know, they were extremely excited to be playing, and this was built up as the game of the day, the match of the day. Everyone was watching it. Behind me there is the stadium, and you can see on it there was lights, they were lit up showing the score of the game. The Russians very much looking forward to this. And they are favored to win a medal. They were predicted to beat team USA, but the United States was able to pull out ahead. We haven't had any reaction from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but the Russians I talked to said, you know, good game. But like we said, there could be a next time, and watch out.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Ian Lee in Sochi. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

This week it was colder in America's deep south than in the Russian home city of the Winter games. Today it got up to 64 degrees in Sochi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A bit of a nice surprise. We knew it would be warm in Sochi but it's lovely to have a swim in the Black Sea. We don't know if we'll get to do it ever again. Good fun. It's fresh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Chicago this winter we have twice as much snow as we've had, and hit minus 20 below twice. This is like going to Rio for the Olympics, not Sochi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, 64 and taking a dip into the Black Sea.

The unseasonably warm Russian temperatures are disrupting some of the winter games. However, practice sessions actually have been cancelled on the slopes, not good. And some events are delayed as well. In fact, it's been so warm that they're having to bring that snow that has been stored for months to some of the venues, and not all the athletes are happy about the slushy conditions.

All right, back in the U.S., gun sales are plunging. We'll tell you what's behind that big drop, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An earthquake rumbled through west central South Carolina. The U.S. geological survey measured it at 4.1 magnitude centered near the town of Edgefield. It's the strongest quake to hit the state in more than a decade. The quake caused buildings to actually shake and could be felt 160 miles away in Atlanta. So far there are no reports of injuries.

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

And there has been quite a drop in U.S. gun sales. There were 1.6 million requests for FBI background checks in January. That's about a-third less than a year ago. Background checks are often considered to be the most accurate means of tracking legal gun sales. Last year's surge was sparked by fears of new gun restrictions following the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting.

Tension inside a Florida courthouse as the jury in the loud music trial could have a verdict. It could come at any minute now at this now fourth day of deliberations. Michael Dunn charged with first- degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. Dunn says he acted in self-defense after the teen threatened him. The jury reconvened this morning around 9:00 a.m. eastern time, and just about 30 minutes later actually had questions for the judge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE RUSSELL HEALEY, DUVAL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: The 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: I'm joined now by CNN legal analyst Paul Callan. So, Paul, good to see you. You know, you're a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor. Try to get into the minds of those representatives on each side. What might they be thinking as they hear these kinds of questions coming from the jurors?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I think most lawyers watching this case, and I've tried a lot of murder cases as prosecutor and a defense attorney, we're kind of scratching our heads, saying we thought there would be a faster verdict in the case.

But anybody who's tried a lot of cases knows that reading the tea leaves of jury questions is very, very difficult, because sometimes it indicates the direction they're going in, but a lot of times it indicates there are a couple of holdout jurors, and they've got questions, and the rest of the jury said, oh, all right, all right. We'll let you ask the question of the judge. And then they go back in and start arguing about it again. So it's difficult sometimes to really be definitive about what it means.

These questions, by the way, if you were just being logical about it, it looks like they're struggling with self-defense and whether he a reason to use deadly, physical force. And if they find that he had a reason to use deadly, physical force and he had a reason to act in self-defense, they're headed toward an acquittal in the case. It that's the read on the tea leaves. But as I say, I'm not going that far. I think it's too vague I think, to really be definitive.

WHITFIELD: I know it's hard to call. We're going to take a short break, because I do have more questions for you, Paul Callan, on this case, which is very emotional, and lots of parallels being made between this case and the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case as well. We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, back now talking more about the so-called loud music murder trial, live pictures right now outside the courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida. Sorry, we can't show you those live picture, but it's taking place in Jacksonville, Florida, where the jurors are in to the fourth day of deliberations trying to determine whether first-degree murder is something that Michael Dunn, the defendant, should be facing. These jurors have already asked a host of questions to the judge in this case as it deliberates, asking questions yesterday, asking to look at surveillance of videotape presented to the courtroom, and then once again today asking for some clarification about self-defense, about determining whether deadly force is justified against each person that may have been involved in this.

There were a number -- there were four young men that were in that SUV, and there are charges being imposed against Michael Dunn that mean threatening force used against each of the individuals in -- in that SUV. Here again is the judge entertaining and then answering the questions being posed by the jurors in deliberations this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEALEY: The 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: All right, we're going to try and reconnect with legal analyst Paul Callan in New York. We're having some technical problems. For now, he's got pretty prolific thoughts about the questions that were asked and instructions given by the judge there in the courtroom. We're continuing a close watch on this case, day four of deliberations, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to our continuing look at the so- called loud music trial taking place in Jacksonville, Florida, day four now of deliberations. CNN legal analyst Paul Callan back with us now. I think we've worked out the technical problems. There you are in New York. I guess all the snow is impacting our signal.

CALLAN: Must be.

WHITFIELD: So, Paul, we ran that videotape of the questions that the judge was entertaining this morning from the jurors and his answers to them as they pertain to self-defense and looking for real clarity, at least according to the jurors, on the use of deadly force and whether it is justified, or if they were to find that it was not justified against one person, would that mean it would apply to everybody that was part of that vehicle in that SUV.

So what do you interpret from these questions? I know earlier you said, you really don't want to try to read the tea leaves and know what's going through the minds of the jurors, but as you try to extrapolate these questions, what -- you know, what do you think as a defense attorney, and as well as a former prosecutor?

CALLAN: Well, there are actually, Fredricka, they're very sophisticated questions, because the charges in the case basically are against Dunn for having shot and killed Jordan Davis. That's the first-degree murder charge. But there are charges against the three other kids who were in the SUV as well, attempted murder charges involving them.

So the jury is saying, well, you know, if he used appropriate or deadly physical force justifiably when he fired at Jordan Davis, does that apply to the other kids? So that's a good question. Or do you have to evaluate each case separately, in other words, if he tired at the driver of the car and missed him, does the fact that he was firing at Jordan Davis, who he thought had a gun, according to his testimony, justify him shooting at the driver of the car? So this is what they're confused about because these legal charges are very hard for jurors to understand.

And so I think these are good questions, and they're sophisticated question, and the judge is doing the best to be very accurate, because, you know, if the judge make a mistake in instructing them, the whole case will be thrown out on appeal. You have to be real careful.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

CALLAN: Yes. You got to be real careful.

WHITFIELD: As you have been following the case, listening to the testimony, listening to the testimony of Mr. Dunn, his fiance, listening to the evidence presented, would you have guessed that deliberations would carry on in this manner? Day four. That seems fairly lengthy for this kind of case, given that it was argued not very long, just a matter of weeks, or does this seem appropriate, that four days seems reasonable, given the gravity of this case, in your opinion?