Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Northeast Braces For Yet Another Winter Storm; Hockey Team USA Beats Russia; Gay Couples in Virginia Welcome Federal Court Ruling That Strikes Down Ban On Same-Sex Marriage; No Decision From Jury In Michael Dunn Trial Yet; John Oliver: Star Athlete

Aired February 15, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: 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?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, on the side that, you know, let's give the jurors a break here. It's reasonable. Jordan Davis, 17-year-old kid, lies dead. Michael Dunn will likely go to prison for the rest of his life, depending on this decision. So I think it's OK for them to take time and make sure they get right. But if want to compare it to other big cases that have been tried in the recent past, they've already deliberated longer than they did in the George Zimmerman case, in the Jodi arias case, in the O.J. Simpson case, in cases that went much, much longer. So statistically, this is a very lengthy deliberation for a very short trial, and a relatively simple fact pattern.

So I'm really kind of surprised that it's gone this long. I mean, either he saw a gun or he didn't see a gun. Either he had a right to shoot or he didn't, and once you get past that question, the rest of it kind of falls into place pretty easily I think, but these jurors are struggling. So I think you've got a faction of jurors holding out against the majority of jurors and they're having a dispute about what's the appropriate thing to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Callan, thank you so much. Keep us posted and we will be checking back with you. Thanks so much.

CALLAN: Thank you, Fredricka. Always nice being with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. For those just joining us, welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Right now, sections in the northeast bracing for yet another winter storm. (INAUDIBLE) Massachusetts is under a blizzard warning. Boston as well as all the way up to Maine could see 12 inches of snow or more. New York City could see even a few more inches than what they're experiencing today. And that could mean more flight cancellations and delays.

Rosa Flores joining us live from New York.

So, Rosa, that little bit of snow you have behind you. I'm being facetious, really isn't stopping people. They're getting out and about behind you. Slushy or not, but people who are flying in and out of New York, have other much bigger worries. Don't they?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely do. You know, I was just as LaGuardia yesterday and it's just a pain for people. As you know, you're stuck at the airport. Sometimes if there's can cancellations you've got to grab a hotel. Sometimes this is provided by the airlines, sometimes it is not. And of course, you have to spend more money, which in this economy, no one has extra money.

Let me paint a picture behind mere. Take a look. You're looking at a world class come into circle and central park here in New York City. Lots of cabs usually lined up here for folks that are shopping. Again, this is a walking city. Folks are walking out and about. They go shopping, they go grocery shopping. I'm sure if we could see but there there's a piece of equipment back there and there is 2,300 pieces of equipment used to clear the streets in New York City. I can tell you I've been up at all wee hours of the morning doing live shots. And I can tell you the trucks are out and about to make sure that the streets are plowed. And we're expecting between two to four inches just today.

When it comes to flights, Fred, I just looked at the numbers again. It is 700 cancellations so far today. The number upped by about 100 for delays. That's down to up to 2,800 cancel cancellations -- excuse me, delays, when it comes to flights around the country.

Now, Fred, you're going to laugh at me, because I was prepared for a lot of winter weather. Look at my boots.

WHITFIELD: Let me see the boots. What you got? Yes. They look cozy and warm.

FLORES: I'm ready for something big.

WHITFIELD: Very smart.

FLORES: I'm ready for big snow, Fred! We're expecting two to four. We're expecting two to four inches. Right now it's 37 degrees. So we'll have to see. Everybody that I talked to said, this is like the worst winter that they've had in New York City. I'm thinking, it's because I moved here. That's why.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, depends how you look at it. Some of us, you know, kind of like the white stuff and some people don't. But don't mothball the boots yet because more is coming. You're going to get more use out of them. I'm not a meteorologist but listening and paying attention.

All right, Rosa, thanks so much. All right, we are going to talk more of weather coming up on what's expected. And we are also going to talk a little bit more about the jury in the loud music murder trial, possibly to reach a verdict at any moment. This is the case of Michael Dunn, who was accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis after an argument over loud music at a gas station. It was busy at the start of the morning, with the jury asking very interesting and telling questions, but it's been a little quiet since then, as far as we know.

Correspondent Martin Savidge and legal analyst Sunny Hostin, both live with us right now in Jacksonville.

So Martin, let's begin with you. The jury asked questions. We haven't heard a peep or anything since, correct?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we have not. And we're, of course, waiting for anything. And it's the questions that give insight how the deliberations may or may not be going. First question this morning actually came roughly about a half hour into the deliberations. They wanted to know if they could clear some of the bulkier exhibits from the deliberating room so that they can-- in more room, I guess, to move around. But then, it was three-part question that really began to show that this jury is grappling with the issue of self-defense or the justifiable use of deadly force. The question is broadly put, do they apply it in one's count or would it apply to all counts?

Here is Judge Russell Healy talking about it.

(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)

SAVIDGE: All right. And since then, the jurors were sent back to continue deliberations, and the court has been in recess. And we haven't heard a word since for the family of Jordan Davis, of course, all of this has been very difficult. They thought this would be an open and shut case.

We heard a short time in the form of a tweet from Lucy Macbeth, that's Jordan's mother. She said, tomorrow is my boy's 19th birthdays. I pray we will celebrate not only him, but a just of righteous verdict. Patiently, we wait, and waiting is the name of the game right now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right, Sunny Hostin, well, you know, Martin kind of set it up there, that some thought this would be an open and shut case. Certainly not one that would bring at least four days of deliberations, but that's exactly where we are. Was that your view as well, that this open shot? That it is clear as determining whether Michael Dunn shot this 17-year-old Jordan, and whether he felt a threat or not?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, I have been listening to so much of the testimony, I can tell you that I did feel that going into deliberations the prosecution put on very, very strong case, and I thought enough of a strong case for first-degree murder conviction. And so, I am a bit surprised that it is taking them so long to come to a conclusion. And I'm also surprised that they seem to be still talking about self-defense.

And I will tell you, I just came out of the courthouse, and representative, congresswoman from Florida, Corrine Brown is there. She's been there every single day of this trial. I asked why she was here for this particular case, and she said, this is her district, and something needs to be changed about the stand your ground laws. And I've heard a lot of people say that this case isn't about stand your ground, but it really is, because what people need to understand is, in Florida, stand your ground is part of self-defense. It just simply is. And this jury was instructed on the stand your ground law.

And I suspect that perhaps that is what is hanging up this jury. And so, I think it's very interesting that at least inside of the courthouse and including the congresswoman, people are saying that what is sticking with this jury is the stand your ground law and something really needs to be done about it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And maybe that's underscored by that question that was asked about determining you know, whether deadly force is justified against each person. Whether this is an issue of self- defense separate for each person in the case. Those were two of the questions that were being asked by the jurors.

HOSTIN: Right.

WHITFIELD: Sunny?

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry? You said -- which questions are asked by the jurors?

WHITFIELD: Two of the question, right, that as it pertained to self- defense. You know, separate for each person, in each count, as well as determining whether deadly force is justified against each person?

HOSTIN: Yes. I think what is so interesting about that is, when you look at the law of self-defense, basically, self-defense -- a claim of self-defense doesn't just apply a blanket defense to every single person. You have to look at self-defense per victim. And so, if you believe that there was justifiable force against Jordan Davis that does not mean shooting into a car with three other people that were not threatening you, this self-defense claim extends to them. And it was interesting I think to all of us, that they are as asking whether or not that self-defense blanket blankets this defendant for all four victims. It is very, very strange. And it shows that with this 41- page jury instruction, they are struggling with just the mere concept of self-defense, and how it applies in this case. And, again, it really goes back to stand your ground, because in non-stand your ground case, quite frankly, this wouldn't apply because you have to flee. You have to call 911. You can't just stand your ground and basically shoot into a car with so many people. That's never classic self-defense. So, it's really been a fascinating thing to see the jury grapple with something like that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

All right, Sunny Hostin, Martin Savidge, thanks so much.

Martin, I know you'll get back with us. We understand there would be something like a 30 to 45-minute notice if indeed the jurors come to a verdict giving family members all representative, everyone, that kind of opportunity in which to get back to that courthouse.

All right. Coming up next, we're going to talk about this exciting day in Sochi, Russia, as the U.S. hockey team faces Russians with Vladimir Putin watching. Not cracking a smile, nothing nada. The exciting finish, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A heart-stopping match at the winter Olympic games in Sochi, USA taking on Russia in hockey. The match came down to the wire, but in the end, team USA won, score -- 3-2.

CNN's Andy Scholes is joining me live now with more on this. Quite thrilling.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Very thrilling victory and a hero's really come out of this one for team USA and that, his name, of course, T.J. Oshie. He's 27-years-old. And, you know, the thing is, in these Olympic Games, when it gets to a shoot-out, after the first three rounds, still tied, can you have the same player keep taking the next shot, the next shot, the next shot, the next shot. And then USA went with Oshie, said this is what he does. He is the shoot-out specialist. This is one of the reason they put him on the team at if definitely came true for the American taking four out of his six shots.

Now, he has a pretty cool back story too. He grew up and went to high school, that is, in Warroad, Minnesota. And Warroad, Minnesota has a population of less than 2,000 people, but they've had eight Olympians come out of there.

WHITFIELD: That's an incredible story.

SCHOLES: Absolutely, incredible. It is called hockey town USA, OSHIE the latest super star that came from their town. And you know, afterwards, of course, this comes as huge star after carrying the USA to this win today. But he said hey, I want it to all be about the team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.J. OSHIE, TEAM USA FORWARD: It was pretty crazy. There are a lot of over-qualified guys that could have been going there as well. So the coaches had enough trust in knee put me out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back in the NHL, we know he is one of the better guys in the league as far as the shoot-out. And I know what he's capable of. But I mean, to go that many times in a row and still have a few tricks up your sleeve for the goal they doesn't get your head, that's pretty impressive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. We all have winter going on all around the country. I bet little kids everywhere out there put their flame of this game to say, I'm T.J. Oshie. I'm scoring the game-winning goal.

This is a big win for the U.S. Now, they are on top of their group right now. 2-0 so far, they are going to play again tomorrow morning against Slovenia. If they win that, they can guarantee themselves a spot in the quarterfinals. Of course, they are trying to win their first gold medal since the miracle on ice back in 1980.

WHITFIELD: Hey, let's talk more about that. In fact, so many years ago, the miracle on ice. I mean, it is what is kind of reminiscent of that. And if you didn't know about it, you know, do know about it now, because you're hearing about all of these parallels.

SCHOLES: Yes, not the exact same situation, of course. Back in 1980, the USA was a huge underdog. No one expected in tome win that game. Right now, they are almost on par. But this is a big game in terms of this group, to see who could get this win to get on top to get the buy for the quarter finals. For us, that is big deal, much easier road to get to that gold medal game. And you know, USA came up short in last Olympics losing to Canada in the gold medal game getting the silver, of course. I'm sure they want to get back to the game. And I'm sure they want to bring home the gold this time.

WHITFIELD: They do. In fact, I think CNN got a chance to talk to the U.S. captain a bit earlier today about the meaning behind today's win, and the comparisons being made to, God, a couple decades ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE ERUZIONE, 1980 U.S. OLYMPIC HOCKEY CAPTAIN: Now it's, you know, we play Russia. We don't play the Soviets. There's not that, you know, rivalry between the two countries from a political end, and the professionals play now versus the amateurs, you know that we were in 1980. So I think the whole thing is very, very different from the players to just the scope of the game and what the game meant to a nation back in 1980 versus what it means today.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Wow. From 34 years ago today, but feels like just yesterday. And in fact, I guess, well, in a way it did just happen all over again. So that was cool stuff.

SCHOLES: Yes. It is cool stuff. And you know, right now the USA, in pretty good standings in the metal count as well. If you can take a look at that, Russia on top with 15 medals, USA right behind them with 14. And you know, so hopefully when this is said and done, they can get on top of them and take home the medal count.

WHITFIELD: OK. We'll see what happens. It another week or so to go, but it is a very exciting, nonetheless.

Andy Scholes, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

SCHOLES: Any time.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next, same-sex couples in Virginia who want to get marred score a major legal victory. But will it become a campaign issue in the mid-term elections?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Gay couples in Virginia are welcoming a federal court ruling that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. This is the late nest a series of developments on gay rights issues.

So our Barbara Starr joins us now from Washington with more on this -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, as you know, currently same-sex marriage is permitted by law in 17 states and the District of Columbia. But if some court decisions are a barometer, look for more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Gay rights supporters are savoring a victory in Virginia where a federal judge just struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Tony London and his partner of 25 years challenged the ban after being denied a marriage license.

TONY LONDON, PLAINTIFF: We are no different than anybody else out here. We just want the opportunity to be recognized the same way everyone else is and to have the same benefits that married couples have now.

STARR: The ruling comes amid a flurry of activity in the courts, legislators and the executive branch over the question of what rights same-sex couples should have. Just this week, the Kansas house voted to protect people and businesses who deny services to same-sex couples on religious grounds.

In Kentucky, a federal judge ruled the state must recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states and here in Washington, attorney general Eric Holder moved to give same-sex couples equal standing with straight couples in federal legal matters. Things like bankruptcy, the right to not testify against a spouse, and next of kin notification rights.

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: They will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, the same protections and the same rights as opposite sex marriages under federal law.

STARR: Gay rights supporters have gained ground since last summer, when the Supreme Court struck down a law denying federal recognition for legally married same-sex couples. It could be an issue in this fall's mid-term elections.

PETER HAMBY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Democrats could use that as a (INAUDIBLE) against Republicans saying why don't you support this. And then, in southern states like Kentucky or Arkansas, where there are also Senate races this year, some of the red state Democrats could be really reluctant to support same-sex marriage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And that's what people may be watching. Will Republicans use against the Democrats, especially in those southern red state campaigns -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr in Washington. Thanks so much.

All right, babies don't necessarily communicate like you and me, but are they born with a sense of right or wrong? Coming up, Anderson Cooper tells us about a groundbreaking research.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC360: How do we know what she's really thinking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we don't know the subtleties of what she's really thinking, but we find is when they look at associate individual between two individuals they can tell whether that's a positive or negative one and are drawn towards the positive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The top stories crossing the CNN news desk right now.

Actress Ellen Page says she is quote "tired of hiding and tired of lying by omission." The Canadian star of the movie "Juno" is now acknowledging in a very public way that she's gay. Page got a standing ovation at a Las Vegas conference on issues affecting the gay community. Her announcement comes a week after NFL prospect Michael Sam revealed he is gay.

And during the celebrity all-star game in New Orleans last night, U.S. secretary of education Arne Duncan was the big star. But Duncan scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Look at that. He actually took home the MVP award. Duncan was a former co-cap of his former college team.

Americans to buying fewer guns, there were 1.6 million requests for FBI background checks in January. That's a third less than a year ago. Last year's surge was sparked by fears of new gun restrictions following the Newtown, Connecticut shooting. Background checks are often considered to be the most accurate means of tracking legal gun sales.

WHITFIELD: Twelve men and women deciding the fate of Michael Dunn are still locked in a deliberation room right now. They've been at it more than 25 hours now. The judge said this morning, they are obviously struggling.

I'm joined by CNN's legal analyst Mark O'Mara and HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

Good to see both of you, gentlemen.

(CROSSTALK)

MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good to talk to you again.

WHITFIELD: All so Mark, let me begin with you. How do you decipher what's taking place here in terms of four days of deliberations, the types of questions these jurors have asked the judge?

O'MARA: Well, it is always a fool's folly to try to figure out what's going on inside that jury room, but now that we have the time we have to do it. So, when we look to the questions that they asked, it really seems to me as though they were asking questions that suggest the issue is this. They may believe that the way Dunn acted in response to Jordan Davis may have been justified. But the question, I think, is even though he was justified in his reaction to Jordan Davis by shooting, was he justified in shooting at the other three. And I think what they may be focusing on is those last three shots where Dunn got out of the car, aimed at the car taking off and put three shots into it, because if we had to make sense out of the overall picture of the few questions, that's one very reasonable belief, that they may be working through.

WHITFIELD: And then, Joey, one of the questions, which really speaks to that potential theory is, if deadly force is justified against one person is it justified against the others? And the judge answered, no. Helping to give them clarity they there can be different judgments based on the parties involved here. Is that what you ready here?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure, Fredricka. I did. And just to sort of echo what Mark said, I think it's very -- it is right on point. I think that's the analysis you could conclude from the question. In the event this jury does believe that there was justification as to Jordan Davis, what does that mean as to the other three? What were they doing such that it would be excusable, that is, Mr. Dunn's conduct, as to them? Of course, there were multiple shots, nine which hit the car. Ten, of course, fired in total. And so with the other shots, Fredricka, the issue becomes what were the other three teens doing in the car, such that Mr. Dunn felt in fear of them, and would, therefore, be justified under the law in the charges as to them, which is attempted murder.

WHITFIELD: And then, Joey, in your view, is this troubling to the prosecution, in particular, that four days of deliberations and the clock is still ticking?

JACKSON: You know, it is and it's not. And why I say that and why I hedge is that the longer you do this, the more confusing it becomes. There are jurors out a long time, Fredricka, and, of course, they convict. The alternative jurors went out for a long time and then they acquit. So, what I really do believe, particularly in light of the fact that it was a holiday weekend, it was, of course, Valentine's Day yesterday. The jury is sequestered that they really are troubled and they're really seeking to get it right, because this is a decision when you have a jury that's impaneled that there is to live with for the rest of their life. And so, you would expect to build confidence in our system that the jury's really focused and aiming on the evidence so that they could be at least content with the decision they make.

WHITFIELD: And the Mark, do you see that perhaps the case that you were involved in, the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case, in any way kind of set the stage for these jurors to try to be as diligent as possible? To try to be as thorough, to try to take advantage of asking these questions, that with that kind of precedence of the case that you were involved in, that that has directly impacted how this case is playing out, particularly as it pertains to the jurors?

O'MARA: I think that's a great point. I think that's one good lesson that was learned from the Zimmerman case with the high publicity it had was that jurors are looking at these cases and taking them very seriously. Certainly, the idea of self-defense has really hit the forefront for the past couple of years throughout the nation, and the idea of how we are supposed to act responsibly with guns and how it supposed to act to a perceived threat has now been talked about in many, many circles for a long, long time.

And we now know that that exact conversation is going on in that jury room and they're trying to figure out, did Mr. Dunn act reasonably under his perceived threat? If there was a failing, I was concerned about the defense not putting forth a reasonable explanation as to what may have happened, and now it may be the jury's considering that the tripod that was in the car may have been the presumed gun that Mr. Dunn was reacting to, and they're giving him some leeway because of that.

WHITFIELD: Mark O'Mara, Joey Jackson, thank you so much, gentlemen. Again, we're 25 hours and counting for these jurors and they deliberate in Jacksonville, Florida.

We'll check back with you. Thank you.

O'MARA: Thanks, Fredricka.

JACKSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. And new revelations now about what babies may be thinking. And what they know and what they're responding to. What they're trying to tell us. A fascinating look inside their minds, next. But first --

In today's "human factor" Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a man who made Olympic history and continues to change lives for the better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Chris Klug has had numerous successes on the snow. But a routine checkup when only 21 almost ended his budding career.

CHRIS KLUG, 2-TIME OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER: They said you have a disease called PSC, primary sclerosing cholangitis. And I said, doc, you got the wrong guy.

GUPTA: Unfortunately, Klug was the right guy and his liver disease was slowly damaging bio-ducts inside and outside of his liver. He spent almost six years on the transplant list before finally receiving a liver.

KLUG: I said I'm going to do everything in my power to give myself the best chance to bounce back strong from this.

GUPTA: And he did. Klug's body reacted well to the transplanted liver.

KLUG: It is like a new engine got dropped in me. That summer, my best snowboard results ever and was on the world cup podium four times.

GUPTA: In 2002, he became the first-ever organ transplant recipient to compete in the Olympics. He won bronze in parallel giant slalom. But Klug didn't forget how he got there. He started the Chris Klug foundation to help bring together organ donors and recipients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That donors are the real miracle in this whole process.

GUPTA: And this father of two isn't taking that second chance at life lightly.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Have you ever wondered when what a baby is thinking and at what point do they know the difference between good and bad? Well, researchers at Yale University had spent nearly a decade studying the minds and the behaviors of babies and what they discovered is eye-opening.

Here's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC360 (voice-over): Meet Megan, she is 6-months-old.

Look how pretty you are.

So is Connor. Hazel is 11 months, and Lyle, just 3-months-old. These babies are helping to answer one of life's biggest questions. Are we born knowing right from wrong?

So, most people think of babies at blank slates, but your experiments they that's not true. That is not that they have to be taught wrong from right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At very early ages there is a lot going on there.

COOPER: You want to put that in there? Look at that. Good job.

This is the infant cognition center at Yale University, otherwise known at the baby lab. Based on over eight years of studies, researchers here believe babies are not taught the difference between good and bad, but instead are born knowing it. As these babies grow, there moral beliefs are enhanced by parents or society, but they aren't created by them.

The studies are conducted with the help of puppet shows. The puppets act out good and bad behavior. Watch as his puppet struggles to open the box. A green bunny comes and helps to open the box. Green bunny, nice and helpful. Then an orange bunny comes along and slams the box shut. Orange bunny, mean and unhelpful. The actions are repeated a number of times.

But what does this mean to 6-month-old Megan? She watches the show, and is then presented with the two puppets. The nice green bunny and the mean orange bunny.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who do you like?

COOPER: Megan grabbed for the green bunny, the nice one. Dr. Karen Wynn runs the Yale lab. She says by grabbing with her hands, Megan shows she understands the difference between good and bad.

KAREN WYNN, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, YALE UNIVERSITY: When it comes to the social world, little Megan here was hugging -- that's cute. She's showing the really typical response of all of the babies that come in. They gravitate towards the helpful characters and friendly characters and from very early on.

COOPER: But how do we know what she's really thinking?

WYNN: Well, we don't know the subtleties of what she's really thinking, but what we find is when they look at a social interaction between two individuals they can tell whether that's a positive or negative one and they're drawn towards the positive character.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up goes the curtain.

COOPER: Connor and Soshie watch the same show. Nice bunny, mean bunny. According to the studies, over 80 percent of the time, the nice bunny ends up in the arms of the baby. Wynn and her team wanted to see if babies even younger than six months would recognize good and bad behavior. So they tried this experiment with 3-month-olds. Babies this young don't have the motor skills to grab for anything. So how do they show a preference? It turns out by staring. Babies this young are known stare longer at things they like, and they avert their eyes from things they don't like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Noah, who do you like?

COOPER: Noah looks at the bad orange bunny then switches his gaze to the good, green bunny and he keeps staring.

WYNN: They're not old enough to reach, but in their looking they will orient visually to the positive characters much, much more so.

COOPER: They look more at the positive character?

WYNN: They look lots longer at the positive character.

COOPER: Is that surprising?

WYNN: It did. It did. That was surprise me, and what it's caused me to believe is that it's just a kind of a fundamental value. You know, we're build to say, this is good. This is positive. This is bad.

COOPER: Incredible.

WYNN: Yes.

COOPER: Incredible. Yes!

It's also incredible, that about 90 percent of the 3-month-olds tested seemed to recognize good behavior. 19-month-old Natalie takes the experiment one step further.

WYNN: Natalie, we're going to play a game. OK?

COOPER: By not only recognizing good and bad behavior, but acting on it. Natalie is presented with two empty bowls placed in front of the two puppets from the show.

NATALIE, 3-MONTH OLD: No.

WYNN: Natalie, look. There's only one treat left. There's only one treat left to give.

COOPER: Watch as she gives it to the good puppet.

WYNN: Who do you want to give a treat to? That guy? OK.

COOPER: So what does it tell you?

WYNN: They are actually, I think it tells us they're actually evaluating, what does -- who's deserving of what types of behave in the world? And who's, you know, who do they feel warrants getting the benefits?

COOPER: And the babies take a step further. They don't just reward, they punish as well. Here they're given a choice to take a treat away from a good or bad puppet.

WYNN: Who do you want to take a treat from?

COOPER: Almost 90 percent of the time, the babies will punish the bad puppet.

Is it possible this is coincidence? That they're just gravitating to a color of the shirt they like more, or where the placement is?

WYNN: Good question. We switched the colors of the shirts. So for half the baby, the green shirted puppet is nice. For half it's the orange shirted puppets that's nice and we find over and over again it really doesn't relate to color of the shirt or which puppet's on the left or right. It's who's been the positive character?

COOPER: Even though these babies can't tell us what they're thinking, their actions leer at the baby lab are helping us understand more about what's going on behind those eyes.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, New Haven, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. No surprise all of those babies, so inquisitive.

So, straight ahead, if babies can recognize and we know now they do recognize good and bad characters, can they be influenced to actually interact with one over the other?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. We all know that babies are cute and they have their own way of communicating. So in this second part of his series, Anderson Cooper shows us how Yale University researchers are using creative ways to find out whether babies are born with a moral compass.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): It's hard to believe, but these little babies are helping to answer one of life's biggest questions -- are we born knowing right from wrong?

There is a lot of activity. Researchers here at the Cognition Center, Yale University, known as the baby lab, have been studying the minds and behavior of babies for year. They believe that humans are born with an innate sense of moral believes, which means babies don't need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. They are born already knowing it.

We watched babies as young as 3-months-old as they were presented with a puppet show. Here a puppet struggles to open a box. First, we see a green bunny who comes along and helps to open the box. Good behavior, good bunny. Then an orange bunny slams the box shut and run away. Bad behavior, bad bunny. When given a choice between the two, over 80 percent of babies chose the good bunny. And with babies 3- months-old, it goes to about 90 percent.

Researchers at the lab are taking the studies even further. If babies recognize good characters and bad characters, what does it take for them to interact with a bad character? It's an experiment they nickname, the deal with the devil.

Karen Wynn runs the Yale baby lab and says research shows that babies are predisposed to want to interact with good people and avoid bad people.

Here's an example. 12-month-old Lucy watches the puppet show repeatedly and seems to recognize the good behavior and the bad behavior right away. After the show, the good green bunny and the bad orange bunny offer Lucy some graham crackers. Good bunny has just one cracker to offer, but the bad bunny has two. Which one will Lucy choose?

WYNN: Whose do you want? That one.

COOPER: She takes the one cracker from the good puppet. It's a baby version of a sacrifice.

WYNN: Most of them choose the one cracker from the nice guy rather than choosing, you know, two crackers from the mean guy. So, it shows that babies are really willing to take a cost to avoid interacting with the mean guy.

COOPER: Over 80 percent of babies will avoid the mean guy but only it seems when they have just a little bit more to offer than the nice guy.

So what happens when the mean guy has a lot more to offer than the nice guy? Jack is presented with the same puppet show, but a different choice. This time the bad bunny has eight graham crackers to offer, the good bunny just one cracker. Jack goes for the eight crackers from the bad bunny.

So if someone may be unpleasant to deal with, but if they have a reason like more stuff or more things we want or need.

WYNN: You know, it's interesting, I tended to think of it the flip version of it, which the positive. That it exhibits not only that we have an aversion to interacting with negative people, but also that there really is a cost to being a negative person and that is you have to have more, you know, there's a cost and you have to work to overcome it in some way or another.

I tend to see the negative.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Although most babies end up taking crackers from the bad guy, one-third will still choose to take the cracker from the nice guy. This is a good sign to Karen Wynn who say if babies as young as 12- months-old can override their selfish instincts, full grown adults should be able to also.

WYNN: We are creatures that are conducting cost benefit analysis on all aspects of our actions.

COOPER: And even babies are weighing these considerations.

WYNN: Even very, very young ages are weighing these considerations and, you know, deciding where their own threshold is.

COOPER: For baby Jack, his threshold was just hunger and the choice perhaps too tempting.

You got to do what you got to do, Jack.

WYNN: You got to do what you got do.

COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN, New Haven, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Very sweet.

All right in a minute, we'll be meeting a high school basketball player unlike any other out there. The handicap he's overcome to be one of his team's top players.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, take a look at this. They are nuts. A couple of Russia climbers looking for some thrill and they found it in China. And they found those thrills on the top of the Shanghai tower, soon to be the world's second tallest structure. The pair made it all the way to the top of the building's construction cranes. These two did a similar stunt last year when they scaled one of the aged pyramids in Egypt. And so, why did they do it? Just because! Crazy stuff.

OK, as we watch the winter games in Russia, there's a high school athlete that we want to show you who is succeeding right here at home. He doesn't look any different than his teammate, but he is.

Megan Mawicke, from our affiliate WBBM in Chicago introduces us to this young man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MEGAN MAWICKE, WBBM TV REPORTER (voice-over): Mary Ann Catholic's John Oliver has so much heart, energy and talent, you don't think he is missing anything, but look closely. There's nothing beyond his wrist besides the beginning of his palm.

JOHN OLIVER, STAR ATHLETE: I don't get a reaction until later on in the game if not after because you don't really notice it at first. I don't play that way, you know.

MAWICKE: Yes.

MARK TAYLOR, COACH: The thing with John is you walk into a gym and you don't even notice if at first because he doesn't let it bother him.

MAWICKE: The six-foot-three senior was born with a club left hand. He doesn't like wearing a prosthesis and his figured out basketball mechanics on his own.

OLIVER: I learn to adjust. I feel like, recently, I really have gotten better with my left hand going to move a little more.

MAWICKE: Since he was 3-years-old, John's family got him involved in basketball and baseball. They never treated him like he had a disability. A big reason why he says he doesn't feel that way.

OLIVER: I never really that my set of bigger than this because I don't have a certain situation. I just look at it and I was just I had much to work harder than e everybody else.

MAWICKE: John cracked the starting line up his sophomore year and has started every game this season.

OLIVER: A kid came up to me after the game just told me how much of an inspiration I am. I want to show others that you can let things, you know, get you down or hold you back from the achieving a certain goal or just being the kind of person you want to be, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. He is indeed an inspiration. Awesome.

All right, that's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The next hour of the NEWSROOM begins right now with my colleague Don Lemon in a rather snowy New York. Are you enjoying the snow?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: I am. We haven't had a chance to talk in quite awhile. I mean, I understand you guys got like half an inch of snow. Is everything OK?

WHITFIELD: It's paralyzed us.

LEMON: Are you OK?

WHITFIELD: We are OK. The second time around was, you know, a little easier for most folks. They decided, you know, to stay home. Less gridlock. We're OK. It's all melted. I'm kind of sad to see it go, quite frankly. I like snow.

LEMON: We got 12 to 15 inches. And you know, the schools weren't even closed here in New York.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And yet a little soft spot.

LEMON: Just saying.

WHITFIELD: We won't go there. I got it.

LEMON: Thank you. All right.

WHITFIELD: Bye-bye.

LEMON: Here we go. Thank you, Fred. See you later. Roll the open.