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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
After the Trial; Anger and Protests Across America; Star Witness, Juror Speak Out; Sexual Harassment Accusations Against San Diego Mayor; Spitzer, Weiner Lead Respective Polls
Aired July 16, 2013 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL JEANTEL, TRAYVON'S FRIEND: First of all, Trayvon is not a thug. They need to know a definition of a thug to be judging a person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN exclusive: disappointed and angry. One of the last people to speak to Trayvon Martin live shares her frustration over the verdict that set George Zimmerman free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe George Zimmerman felt his life was in danger?
JUROR B37, JUROR IN GEORGE ZIMMERMAN TRIAL: I do. I really do.
COOPER: Do you think Trayvon Martin threw the first punch?
JUROR B37: I think he did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Inside the verdict, a juror breaks down why the neighborhood watchman was found not guilty on all counts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are mindful of the pain felt by our nation surrounding the tragic, unnecessary shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And the investigation continues. Why the Department of Justice may be able to hold Zimmerman responsible for Trayvon's death.
BROWN: Welcome back to EARLY START. Great to have you with us on this Tuesday morning.
Great to be here with you, Don Lemon. LEMON: Yes. Thank you.
BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown.
LEMON: That goes double. Thank you very much. I'm Don Lemon. It is 5:30 in the morning, Eastern Time.
This is a very nuanced case, very interesting. And to have both exclusives here on CNN.
BROWN: Unbelievable, yes. That's where we start with this morning -- the latest on the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial. He's remained out of sight since Saturday night when a jury acquitted him in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. And it's unclear where he is or what's next for the former neighborhood watch volunteer. But he could face a civil suit in the case.
And Martin's family has not said they will pursue a wrongful death judgment against him. Anger over that verdict boiled over again Monday in Houston and Atlanta where several thousand demonstrated. And in Oakland overnight, at least nine people were arrested for assault and vandalism. Arrest also in Southwest Los Angeles where a protest turned violent there as we see in this video.
Well, she was the prosecution's star witness. Rachel Jeantel, Trayvon Martin's friend, who was on the phone with him the night he was shot. Here's what she told Piers Morgan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN ANCHOR: tell me, first of all, your reaction to the fact that George Zimmerman was acquitted.
JEANTEL: Disappointed, upset, angry.
MORGAN: What is your view of George Zimmerman?
JEANTEL: Weak. If you are a real man, you would have stand on that stage and tell what happened.
MORGAN: In your heart, what do you believe happened?
JEANTEL: He was trying to get home. And he was. And that's a fact. He keeps telling me that the man still watching him. So, if it was a security guard or policeman, they would come up to Trayvon and say do you have a problem? Do you need help? You know, like normal people.
MORGAN: And if George Zimmerman had done that, if he'd introduced himself as a neighborhood watch patrolman, what would Trayvon has said to him, do you think?
JEANTEL: No. I'm just trying to get home.
MORGAN: Be honest with me Rachel, do you think that that was racially motivated or more a case of somebody he thought was a young thug, Black or White? JEANTEL: Racial. Be honest, racial. If Trayvon was White and had a hoody on, would that happen?
MORGAN: One thing we didn't get in this trial, Rachel, was a real sense of what Trayvon Martin was really like. What kind of guy was he?
JEANTEL: He was a calm, chill, loving person. Love his family, definitely his mother.
MORGAN: He was a good friend to you? A kind friend?
JEANTEL: Yes. Yes.
MORGAN: Was he ever aggressive?
JEANTEL: No.
MORGAN: Did he ever lose his temper?
JEANTEL: No.
MORGAN: Did he take a lot of weed?
JEANTEL: No.
MORGAN: How much would you say?
JEANTEL: Twice a week.
MORGAN: Is that normal for teenagers in your community?
JEANTEL: Yes, real normal.
MORGAN: What effect did it have on you, Trayvon's death?
JEANTEL: You can't believe what it happened. You were just on, well, a minute, on the phone with the person. And people got the nerve to tell me oh why (INAUDIBLE).
MORGAN: So, you seem to me a very different character than the one we saw in court.
JEANTEL: I was under a lot of stress for 16 months, I think.
MORGAN: You were grieving a friend.
JEANTEL: I was grieving.
MORGAN: Don West gave you a very hard time, the defense attorney.
JEANTEL: Don West.
MORGAN: What is your view of him?
JEANTEL: Mmm-mmm-mmm. I'm going to have to say, he lucky I'm a Christian.
(LAUGHTER)
JEANTEL: I never cussed out Don. The only reason I have not said nothing to Don West because my parents taught me better. That's an adult. You don't have the right to disrespect an adult.
MORGAN: The juror who was interviewed by Anderson Cooper for CNN said that she felt sorry for you. You're uneducated. You have no communication skills. What do you feel about what that juror said about you?
JEANTEL: Angry. Upset. When the state closed, they tried to say what kind of person I am. You can see the kind of person I am. The jury so shocked what I said. And they're acting like the generation we got now don't say that.
MORGAN: Are you an honest person by nature?
JEANTEL: Yes.
MORGAN: You took that seriously?
JEANTEL: Yes, cause -- remind you, who want to be in a murder case? You think I would make all that up to be in a murder case? Never knew it was going to be nationwide. So, why make that up? Deal with the BS to get the trial? How I make that up?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And we're hearing this morning from one of the jurors identified only as B37. She tells Anderson Cooper on "AC 360" she believes Zimmerman's heart was in the right place trying to catch vandals but probably never should have gotten out of his car. And during deliberation, she says jurors grappled with the court's instructions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUROR B37: There was a couple of them in there that wanted to find him guilty of something. And after hours and hours and hours of deliberating over the law and reading it over and over and over again, we decided there's just no way or other place to go because of the heat of the moment and the stand your ground.
And he had a right to defend himself. If he felt threatened that his life was going to be taken away from him or bodily harm, he had a right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The juror says once they reached the verdict, the six women cried, and she's now dropping plans to write a book about her time on the jury, writing in a statement that she didn't realize the death of pain in the public over the case.
BROWN: Interesting to hear her perspective.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely.
BROWN: And she told Anderson she didn't realize how big this case was until she left the hotel.
All right. Let's shift our focus now to something a little bit lighter her. Actually, we're going to talk about -- we're going to continue with this in the ongoing calls for federal prosecutors to bring a case against Zimmerman for violating Martin's civil rights. Attorney General Holder responded Monday calling Trayvon Martin's death tragic and unnecessary and saying the justice department is investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLDER: I believe that this tragedy provides yet another opportunity for our nation to speak honestly about the complicated and emotionally charged issues that this case has raised. I want to assure you that the department will continue to act in a manner that is consistent with the facts and the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: But legal experts say it may be tough to prove Zimmerman acted out of racial bias when he shot and killed Martin.
LEMON: Yes. And now to something like --
BROWN: Something a little bit lighter.
LEMON: Yes.
BROWN: The weather.
LEMON: It's so hot, it gets to you, right?
BROWN: It does.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Speaking of hot --
BROWN: Yes.
LEMON: Why are you outside? You should be inside enjoying the air- conditioning, Indra Petersons.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I was just going to say, wait a minute, are you guys saying it's hot inside?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK) PETERSONS: I mean, it is 80 degrees, and this is a big difference. It's not even light out right now where it's (ph) 80 degrees, and this is the difference, of course, between the dry heat and what we're dealing with right now. I mean, 70 percent humidity. No joke. We are literally sweating out here. I don't even want to know what the afternoon is going to feel like.
But, let's look at the temperatures and let's talk about how warm it is really across the entire area. So many people, especially out towards the east coast that are affected by this heat. We're talking about temperatures today 83 degrees in D.C. And this is our starting point. So, yes, extreme heat is going to be with us, and it's all the major cities. We're going to be walking around in this stuff.
We're talking about southern New England. We're talking about, of course, New York, into Philly, into D.C. today. Temperature that was out (ph) in the humidity is going to feel like 100 degrees. The reference point, 80, and I'm sweating now. That's the reference point you need.
OK. Hot and humid, we know that. That's the obvious. But here's the problem, this is going to hang with us all week long. The humidity even in the afternoon, it's going to stay high. Typically, we're still talking about 40 percent and 50 percent as we go through the afternoon. So, of course, you add those two together and that's where we get the extreme heat and these heat indices that feels like 100 degrees.
What everyone wants to know and I'm sure everyone is going to continue to ask me when it's going to cool off. Well, the end of the week, we'll also see some weather, potentially, the cold front slide through. So, kind of a mix bag there. It also means to cool off, but maybe some thunderstorms by the weekend.
LEMON: You're lucky you're in the morning, because if you were doing this in the afternoon --
PETERSONS: Nice spin, Don.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I'm trying to help you out.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Glass half full. It's a very cold water, let's hope. All right. Thanks, Indra.
You know, it looks like high name recognition despite some scandals that's helping Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer in their comeback bids. In the Quinnipiac poll, Weiner, who resigned from Congress after exchanging sexually explicit messages with women online, leads the Democratic pack in the race to be New York's next mayor. And former New York Governor Spitzer, who resigned after soliciting prostitutes, leads the field to become the top financial officer in the city.
BROWN: Well, it was another moral Monday. North Carolina and thousands of protesters gathered in Raleigh upset with Republican lawmakers every week for the last three months. Outraged demonstrators have rallied right outside North Carolina's Republican dominated state House.
So far, there have been more than 700 arrests. They say Republicans have cut unemployment benefits, health care for the poor, and just last week, approved strict new rule limiting abortions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAYLE RUEDI, PROTESTER: It's just wrong. What they did with unemployment is wrong. What they did with Medicaid is wrong. What they're doing with abortion.
BEN CLARK, D-NC STATE SENATOR: There's -- movement as we were call it backwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Republicans in North Carolina control the governor's office and the state legislature for the first time in more than a century.
LEMON: San Diego's mayor is again insisting he won't resign despite growing calls for him to step down. Bob Filner faces accusations he sexually harassed women. And now, some of those women's stories are being told.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO GONZALEZ, ATTORNEY FOR ONE OF FILNER'S ACCUSERS: He puts his arm around their shoulder, pulls it in tighter around her neck. The woman believes that the mayor just wants to talk to her. And he says things, "come on, you know you love me, just give me a kiss." Let's go up to my office, no one will know."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Attorneys for the women say it's become unsafe for any woman to be around the mayor. His former fiancee says she caught him texting other women sexually explicit messages. But Filner says he believes he will be vindicated once all the facts are known.
BROWN: All right. Imagine this, you're asleep in your motel room when, well, let's take a look here. This is video from Toledo, Ohio. Watch as this SUV comes screaming across the parking lot and then slammed into the front of the motel. Rochelle Watson and her boyfriend were inside that room on Sunday when this happened. Oh, and did we mention that she's pregnant?
LEMON: Oh, boy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROCHELLE WATSON, WAS INSIDE ROOM: All we hear was a crash. I felt a lot of stuff like hitting me, and I'm pushed up -- I', pushed. The whole bed pushed. And I'm like stuck between the bed and the couch. I thought I was dreaming. But at the same time, I was scared, trying to get up. It was crazy. It was just like something off the TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Scare will be an understatement, right? Well, the stranger part of all this, the driver ran off with no shirt on. Cops eventually did catch up with him nearby. And both Watson and her boyfriend are said to be OK if not a little shaken up from all that.
LEMON: Is -- person in the parking lot?
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Yes. I just missed it.
BROWN: I could watch it over and over again.
LEMON: Yes, unbelievable.
BROWN: Well, coming up right here on EARLY START, we may soon have some answers in the sudden death of a young television star. That story up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. The coroner has completed an autopsy on "Glee" star, Cory Monteith and initial results may be released today. But a spokesperson for the coroner says toxicology tests may delay a ruling on a cause of death. The 31-year-old's body was found in a Vancouver hotel room on Saturday, and fans have created a memorial for Monteith placing flowers and heartfelt notes outside the hotel -- Pam.
BROWN: Well, some good news to report now this morning on the health of country singer Randy Travis. The 54-year-old superstar is now awake and is getting better after surgery for a stroke. His doctors say Travis is on a ventilator but has begun interacting with family and friends and has been getting physical therapy. Travis has been in the hospital for more than a week now after developing a heart infection.
LEMON: Could putting off retirement health cut your risk of Alzheimers? Well, a French study says yes. Researchers looked at the health and insurance records of more than 4,000 workers and found for every year they stay on the job as typical retirement age, their risk of dementia dropped. Author says it could show the use it or lose it hypothesis is true.
BROWN: Not so surprising there, I guess.
LEMON: Not so surprising.
BROWN: All right. Well, let's take a look now at what's coming up on "NEW DAY."
LEMON: Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, join us now. Good morning.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Good morning, guys. Hope you're having a good morning, so far.
LEMON: We are. We are.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Well, Don, nobody knows this better than you. Good morning to you and Pamela.
This trial, the George Zimmerman trial, people continue to debate it. There's a lot of outrage and they keep asking to help understand the situation. So, we brought the defense. We brought people close to George Zimmerman. Now, you're going to get to hear from prosecutors as well as their star witness.
And then, the big get, of course, Anderson Cooper. One of the jurors breaking her silence talking about what happened in the room.
BOLDUAN: It is an amazing interview. You really want to listen to everything she has to say. It's the first time you're hearing it from anyone inside that jury room.
And we're also going to talk about this story later this morning. They're really calling it a miracle. We have new details about an incredible rescue. The six-year-old boy who's buried in the sand for more than three hours in Indiana, they dug him out, and now doctors say he is expected to recover, thankfully, but what a terrifying story. We've been following it
CUOMO: Right. We thank Pamela for doing the reporting for us on that. After you there (ph) on EARLY START, obviously, you come to us and tell us what's going on. Appreciate that.
And then, we all know actor, Jason Patrick. You know, he was a big star, respected for how he looks and how he acts. He's in the middle of a controversial battle now. It's nothing to do with his acting. It's all about custody. He's fighting for partial custody of his young son even though he was called by the mother a sperm donor.
And it involves a law that's on the books right now in a fight to change it. It's a really intriguing case.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
CUOMO: We'll tell you all about it this morning.
BROWN: Interesting perspective, Chris --
LEMON: Yes. And Chris, you know, getting back to the Zimmerman case what you said, all this talk that we have been doing, let's hope we keep communicating. And, you know, it doesn't have to be another case where we start talking about this all over again. Let's hope we get something accomplished this time.
CUOMO: It would be great to move forward when these situations come up. It seems like too often, they wind up reminding us of the problems.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: And Don, that's why, you know, your coverage down there was so important. Everything was done the right way.
LEMON: Appreciate, guys. We'll see you soon.
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
LEMON: We'll see you soon.
BROWN: Certainly opened up dialogue. That's for sure.
All right. Well, coming up right here on EARLY START, Alex Rodriguez back in the game. A-Rod's best showing since rehab when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: What do you say we talk some sports?
BROWN: Let's do it. How about it?
LEMON: What about some Major League Baseball?
BROWN: All right.
LEMON: Major League Baseball, biggest slugger took center stage last night in a home run derby, but a relatively unknown player stole the show. What do you know? Andy Scholes joins us now with more on this morning's "Bleacher Report." Good morning, sir.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, good morning, guys. Well, for the first time ever, a player who is not an all-star won the home run derby. Oakland Yoenis Cespedes, well, the latest edition to the competition, he took advantage of the opportunity. The Cuban defector crushed 17 home runs in the first round.
That secured him a spot in the finals where he faced off against the nationals, Bryce Harper. Cespedes would continue launching bombs in the final round. Just two years after defecting from Cuba, Cespedes is the home run derby champion.
Well, for the first time since September, Alex Rodriguez hit a home run. A-Rod currently played for the Yankees AA team in New Jersey. He's aiming for a mid-July return to the majors, but a suspension for using performance enhancing drugs still looms.
Well, we have a Tiger and Lindsey Vonn sighting. Sports biggest power couple were seen hanging out together during Tiger's practice round at the British Open on Monday. Vonn followed Tiger around and even sat on the putting green while he practiced for this weekend's major championship in Scottland.
Interesting to see Lindsey out there because Tiger is known for being very intense and no nonsense during his practice round.
A top story on the lineup section on BleacherReport.com right now is about tonight's national league starring pitcher, Matt Harvey. You think the New York Mets ace would have one of the most popular faces in the Big Apple, but apparently, that's not the case as Harvey would find out while doing a bit on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's your favorite player?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, dude, Harvey, man.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? We appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, man, Thanks a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like him also. He's a good pitcher. Kind of saw him naked also on ESPN, the body issue, so it's kind of weird.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the one you're talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's him (EXPLETIVE DELETED). That's you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHOLES: Definitely funny stuff, guys. Harvey, a good sport. You know, this is his first full season in the majors. So, I guess, the fans are still getting used to his face.
LEMON: Is that how people react to you like that Andy Scholes when you're on the street and you're doing like --
SCHOLES: You know, I never posed nude for ESPN the body.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Happens (ph) though?
LEMON: Yeah, it does.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thank you, Andy. BROWN: Thanks so much.
All right. Well, coming up on this Tuesday morning. Probation revoked?
LEMON: Oh, boy.
BROWN: Is Chris Brown heading back to jail? The singer's latest legal woes up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Welcome back, everyone. Just about 58 minutes after the hour. Well, here we go again. More trouble for Chris Brown. You're taking like a sigh there, Don. A judge has revoked the singer's probation in connection with the beating of Rihanna amid charges he didn't hand over his driver's license or insurance information after an L.A. fender bender. But the judge is letting Brown stay free. And a lawyer for the other driver now says that they won't want to press charges.
LEMON: All right. Well, let's bring in "NEW DAY" anchors, Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan. There they are.
BROWN: Good morning to you both, again.
BOLDUAN: Good morning, guys. Hope you had a good morning. We'll be talking with you very shortly. Thank you so much.
BROWN: All right. Have a great show.
BOLDUAN: Thank you.
CUOMO: Thank you very much. It is the top of the hour, and you know what that means here on "NEW DAY," time for the top news.
