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Openly Gay NFL Prospect Speaks to Media; Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Speaks to Crowd of Protestors; Arizona Congress Proposes Controversial Gay Discrimination Bill; Colorado Tax Revenue from Legal Pot Sales Used for Education

Aired February 22, 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. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

What's happening this hour, let's get straight to it. One of Mexico's most notorious drug lords is under arrest right now. Joaquin Guzman, better known as "El Chapo," is the alleged head of the Sinaloa cartel. He was captured in a joint operation between Mexican and American forces at a resort in Mexico. Guzman has been wanted on federal drug trafficking charges and has eluded authorities for years after he broke out of a Mexican prison. Since 2009, Guzman has been included in "Forbes" magazine lists of the world's most powerful people. Most recently he was ranked 67 out of 72 on the list. And last year was named public enemy number one by the Chicago Crime Commission. We'll have much more on this story in a moment.

All right, but first, he is poised to be the first openly gay player in the NFL. But first college star Michael Sam has to impress the league's scouts, and that's what he's trying to do today. Sam is at the legal scouting camp in Indianapolis and he just spoke to the media for the first time since he has announced he is gay. Joe Carter is here with more on this.

JOE CARTER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This is the first stop. This is the first stop, the first step to being that first NFL openly gay player, OK? The NFL combine lasts about four, five days. This is a chance for general managers, head coaches, scouters, to evaluate these players both on their talent on the football field and their character in off the football field. They want to get a lot --

WHITFIELD: The whole package.

CARTER: They want to get a lot of information from these guys, both in their physical aspects as well as their mental aspects. Michael Sam clearly is the biggest story going right now at the NFL combine. We do have some people there, and they said that it's a bigger media circus for Michael Sam than it was last year for Manti Te'o. He'll have plenty of time, Michael Sam to talk about his athletic talent, this was the first opportunity for him to address a number of questions about his personal life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SAM, NFL PROSPECT: I'm not afraid about that, going into that environment. I know to handle myself. I know how to communicate with my teammates, communicate with the coaches, and the other staff, whoever I need to communicate with. Someone wants to call me a name, I'll have a conversation with that guy and hopefully it won't lead to nothing else.

I've been in locker rooms where all kinds of slurs have been said, you know, and I don't think anyone means it. I think a little naive and uneducated, but, you know, as time goes on everyone will adapt.

Heck yes, I wish you guy was just saying, hey, Michael Sam, how's football going? How's training going? I would love for you to ask me that question. But it is what it is, and I just wish you guys would see me as Michael Sam the football player instead of Michael Sam the gay football player.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER: I really like how he said he's not afraid. I think that's the, the real point that he's trying to make to everyone that keeps asking him questions, how will you handle this, how are you going to approach this? I'm not afraid. If someone calls me a name, I'm going to have a conversation with them. I'm not going to fight them.

This is a good football player. If you take it back to what he is, he's a football player. This was the SEC defensive player of the year, co-defensive player of the year. The SEC is considered the greatest college football conference and he was considered the greatest within that conference. So he's already going to be considered a good football play. But now with this element of who he is, Michael Sam comes from a family of eight brothers and sisters.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

CARTER: Two of those brothers and sisters are currently in jail, and have been in and out of the prison system since he was in eighth grade. One went missing and was never found. Another one of his brothers was shot and killed. He says the adversity he's had to go through in his personal life is nothing compared to having to face this and face the kind of media scrutiny, both positive and negative, that he's going to face moving forward, because it's going to take the right team and situation to bring Michael Sam in just because of the attention he'll bring with him.

But again, that team, whoever it is, of the 32 teams that have a chance to take him, they should look at the University of Missouri as an example of how they handled it. Remember his story. He came out to his teammates back in August. The entire football season to play knowing he was an openly gay athlete in that locker room.

WHITFIELD: A lot of teammates already knew, but there was this kind of, camaraderie, this brotherhood.

CARTER: They weren't sure. They suspected. He came out, said this is who I am. Accept me for who I am, and let's go play football. At one point Missouri was a game away from competing for the national championship. So they were a great football team playing in a great football conference and nothing changed just because he was an openly gay player. So we'll see how the NFL football suits him. They should look at Missouri as great example how that university and that athletic department handled that situation.

WHITFIELD: And clearly, the NFL will look what he brings to the game, his sportsmanship but can't help but beyond his mental fitness. And I think today in that kind of arena he's certainly showing that he's poised and confident.

CARTER: We liked him. He was impressive. The moments he had, he was on the podium for five, six minutes and handled himself well. This is a 23-year-old guy facing, like I said, more media in front of him today than last combine for the Manti Te'o situation. Remember that story? There's a lot of people and pressure in NFL. How would you handle it at 23 years old?

WHITFIELD: I thought of it as I saw him. I was like, my gosh.

CARTER: So far, he's been very impressive and the story is far from over.

WHITFIELD: Just beginning.

CARTER: As far as his draft prospects are concerned, they're saying he's a little undersized. He's not going to be a first, second, even third round pick. But a lot of scouts are saying he's going to be a mid-round pick. But wherever he goes he's going have a big following, certainly.

WHITFIELD: I like that. Joe Carter, thanks so much for bringing that to us, appreciate it.

CARTER: You bet.

WHITFIELD: We're going to go back to our other top story, the capture of Mexico's top drug kingpin. Joaquin Guzman, better known as "el Chapo" is the alleged head of the Sinaloa cartel. And Ted Rowlands is joining us now to talk more about this. So Ted, why is Guzman considered Chicago's public enemy number one? He was arrested in Mexico. There's a joint effort involving U.S. DEA and Mexican authorities. Explain the Chicago connection.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the Chicago Crime Commission named him public enemy number one, because of the amount of drugs that the Sinaloa drug cartel pumped into Chicago, and Chicago's been used as a distribution point for the entire Midwest. They estimate that Chicago Crime Commission does, that the Sinaloa drug cartel pumps in about 2,000 kilos a month in various drugs. And the head of the snake here, obviously, is not the entire cartel, but they've put him up as Chicago's public enemy number one because of the effect that his organization has had on the communities in the Midwest, devastating families through drug abuse, the violence it has created in the streets of Chicago.

The Chicago Crime Commission is a group of representatives from law enforcement agencies across the board, and they haven't had a public enemy number one since 1930, with Al Capone. Guzman was the only other one named by the Chicago Crime Commission. That shows you how serious they took the capture of his man. And they have to be very pleased today. Hopefully it will disrupt the cartel a little bit. Obviously, one man does not create the entire day to day business operations, but the hope is that cutting off the head of the snake will help at least at some point.

WHITFIELD: Ted Rowlands, thank you so much, appreciate it. Bring us new information as you get it.

And this dramatic day for a country and a people. And now that charismatic former prime minister addressing protesters live right now after just being released from prison. We're going there live to the Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Moving now to Ukraine where protesters are cheering the release of their opposition leader who is the country's former prime minister. Yulia Tymoshenko is speaking right now in Kiev, not long after being released from prison. Let's listen in.

YULIA TYMOSHENKO, FORMER UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER (via translator): That everyone will be taken responsible for what they have done, for their deeds. All officials who took your -- for their needs. Then we will be -- happy. It is our task that millions of Ukrainians won't be scared.

I was in hospital in town of Kharkiv. You know Kharkiv is a very complicated town. There were simple medics around me, simple nurses, and they are scared. Not everyone has strength to go to my town and lose their lives. They are scared, and they are expecting protection from you, not from the politicians. They are expecting the protection from you. They are laying their hopes on you so that we will heal our Ukraine and heal the wounds of our country. Besides you, no one will heal them.

We have to fill these responsibilities. We have to take our country as a precious fire, which is burning today with the strength to protect it -- protect it from the fears of people, from their fears for their children for their future.

Today we have an open way to build Ukraine as you like it. But it is important that the trust to -- for the politicians is almost not existing. But that's why you have to stand until the end, that the people will be elected, and those people you can trust, too, and those cabinets would be built not from the boudoir politicians. We have to finish those politicians. We have to finish the situations when the politicians from the boudoir are elected.

With your patriotism, you have deserved to rule your country. And if the parliaments or anything new, which would be formed without you, it won't be allowed. It would be immoral. It won't be accepted by anyone who stood under bullets. Please, tell me, how many people were here when it started, 10,000, 5,000, maybe less? But people were coming there knowing that they won't go back. And those 5,000 which stood under bullets -- they were heroes. And that's why everyone has right to take part in building European independent state. I believe that from this moment there won't be any other Ukraine. Only the one you would like to have, and --

WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening to Yulia Tymoshenko. She's a former prime minister in Ukraine. She was just released from prison. She's sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of that city square that in Kiev, the same place where violence has erupted in the past few days leading to the death of so many people. She was released from prison at the same time parliament voted the Ukrainian president to be out of office. He has since responded, saying, he's not going anywhere, yet no one has seen him, however. No one is quite clear where he is and if he still in country there in Ukraine. We'll continue to follow the developments there about all the unrest taking place in that country.

All right, in this country, a bill in Arizona that would allow business owners to refuse service to gays and lesbians. It's controversial, but is it legal? We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, now to that controversial Arizona bill. Members and allies of the LGBT community are slamming it because it would make it legal for businesses to refuse service to gay people on the basis of freedom of religion. The bill already passed the House and Senate. It now goes Governor Jan Brewer for signature. She said she'll probably make a decision on Friday on whether she will sign it. An Arizona state representative explains how this bill came about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KAVANAGH, ARIZONA STATE HOUSE: One of the reasons this Bill came to light was you had a photographer in a different state who was being sued because the photographer would not officiate or take pictures at a gay wedding. Being involved in an action, a gay marriage that your religion says it wrong, that's a substantial burden because you're deeply involved in the ceremony. If that same gay couple came in for a passport photo, there is not a substantial burden upon your religion and you could not use this law to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Arizona is not the only state to take up legislation widely seen as singling out gay people and same-sex couples in particular. So-called religious freedom bills have been proposed in all of these states you're seeing highlighted right here on the map, though Arizona's plan is the only one that has actually passed the legislature. So let's talk to Wendy Murphy. She is a former prosecutor and law professor at New England Law, Boston, and she's also the author of "And Justice for Some." Wendy, good to see you.

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: So help us understand both sides of the coin. Give me an example, how would a business owner say my religion doesn't allow me to dos with this person or group?

MURPHY: Yes. This is a classic example of what I call the rubber meeting the road in law, the rubber being freedom of religion bumping up against the road, called protection against discrimination laws.

The interesting thing about Arizona is, unlike categories such as race and ethnicity and gender, sexual orientation isn't a protected class category there. So your freedom of religion, including your freedom to discriminate as an aspect of your religion, is more protected there because there really is no special protection for the class of people --

WHITFIELD: And you're saying that is the case anyway for -- if that's the case already, if I understand what you're saying, then why would there need to be a statute on the books that would support that?

MURPHY: Right. So this is, I think, where leadership -- Governor Brewer comes in to play, and, you know, basic ideals about democracy and equality and equal protection of the law kick in. Jan Brewer can and should say I respect the freedom of religion, including unfortunately the fact some people based on religion do discriminate against people based and sex orientation. But the fact some people do that doesn't mean we as a state or I as the governor of this state have to endorse as a matter of statute law the right to discriminate.

In other words, if you're going to do it, fine. You have a right to do it, including in the way that you practice your business, and if you want to be a photographer and you don't want to take pictures at a gay wedding, fine. You can do that in Arizona. But I'm not going to put into writing that you have a right to do it under religious principles or anything else.

WHITFIELD: So then why would the legislature in Arizona vote 33-27 in favor of having this kind of law, if Jan Brewer does, indeed sign it? Why would the majority -- now, granted it's kind of squeaky, you know. Just a few votes separate those who support it and those who do not. But why would the legislature say, we think it's worthy of having this kind of law on the books? We're going to pass this bill, that it does have merit?

MURPHY: I guess the most sincere explanation would be that there are people, for example, the photographer we heard about in the package, who, for religious reasons, don't want to work at gay wedding, and they don't want to be sued. So, Fredricka, that's the key here is this law provides better protection against lawsuits against photographers such as the person who does have a sincere religious objection.

But I think there are other ways to get around that short of writing a law saying it's illegal to discriminate, including you can pass certain statutes that simply prohibit lawsuits rather than grant the right to discriminate.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating. Wendy Walsh (ph), thank you so much. Appreciate it. Glad you could be with you.

MURPHY: Still to come, in the CNN Newsroom, much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Looks like the marijuana business is booming in Colorado. The first reports of revenue form pot sales are coming in. They're confirming that the pot business is generating tens of millions of dollars not just for sellers but for the Colorado taxman as well. Ana Cabrera has the story.

ANA CABRERA: Hi, Fred. Remember, it's been about six weeks since recreational pot sales started here in Colorado, and to say business is going strong is an understatement. New tax revenue projections released by the state of Colorado beat expectations by tens of millions of dollars. Now leaders here at the state capitol get to decide how to spend that money.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: High hopes for a Colorado green rush are being realize.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It exceeded all my expectations.

CABRERA: Business at Evergreen Apothecary, previously just a medical marijuana dispensary, has more than quadrupled. More than a month after recreational pot sales became legal people are still lining up at the door get their hands on this stuff. This place is packed at 10:00 when doors opened. In fact, this pot shop averages about 500 customers a day. And the state of Colorado is reaping the benefits as well. Sales and excise taxes on recreational cannabis are over 25 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The total is $147.77.

CABRERA: Marijuana dispensaries were required to turn in January tax reports on Thursday.

CULLEN: We paid about $190,000 in sales tax that we collected during the month of January.

CABRERA: While official numbers won't be made public until March, the governor's budget office just released its own tax projections. It estimates the state will collect about $184 million in tax revenues in the first 18 months of recreational pot sales. Here's Colorado's plan for spending that money -- $40 million automatically goes to public school construction. That was mandated by voters. Then the governor wants to spend about $85 million on youth prevention and substance abuse treatment, $12.4 million on public health, about $3 million on law enforcement and public safety, and nearly $2 million on industry oversight.

MASON TVERT, MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT: I don't think the people who are buying marijuana want the tax money to be used to discourage adults from buying marijuana.

CABRERA: While not everyone agrees on how that money should be spent, and although still early, there's no denying the apparent economic boost. That's come from recreational pot sales.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Right now, Colorado and Washington state are the only places where recreational pot is legal, and Washington is still working through how to regulate sales, but we know at least eight other states from California to Maine considering this. And when they look at the kind of money Colorado is making from taxing marijuana, you've got think that's going to have some kind of influence over their decision -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Ana.