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New Day
Zimmerman Returns this Morning; Abortion Bill Passes Texas Senate; Snowden Asks for Asylum in Russia; French Train Derails, At Least 6 Killed; U.S. Calls on Egyptian Army to Free Morsy
Aired July 13, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN GUY, PROSECUTOR: It's not a case about self-defense. It's a case about self-denial.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The evidence is in. The arguments have been made. Now, it's up to six women.
What will be George Zimmerman's fate?
We're on verdict watch.
EDWARD SNOWDEN, NSA LEAKER: A little over a month ago, I had a family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort.
HARLOW: Holed up in a Moscow transit lounge for three weeks. He's not in great comfort anymore. Now, Edward Snowden says he's ready for asylum. But there's a problem, getting out of the airport.
And why is President Clinton having a phone chat with Justin Bieber? After a damaging video surfaces. We'll have the answers in today's E- block.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. Happy Saturday. Good to be with you.
I'm Poppy Harlow.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thanks for watching. Seven o'clock right here on your NEW DAY.
Welcome.
(MUSIC)
BLACKWELL: And we're starting this new morning, this NEW DAY in Sanford, Florida, where the sun is barely up. But the spotlight is beating down on the George Zimmerman murder trial.
HARLOW: In just a couple hours, six women, the jurors, will return to work, their job to decide the fate of George Zimmerman. Their choices find him guilty of second degree murder or manslaughter or find him not guilty, and he walks free.
Our George Howell has been following the case the entire time. He's live outside the courthouse this morning.
Good morning, George.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, Victor, good morning.
So, you're right, at 9:00 a.m., we expect the jury to return to the courthouse. Deliberations will continue. A verdict could come down any day as we wait for them to arrive on a final decision on the case.
Yesterday, let's talk about what we saw in court. We saw Mark O'Mara give the closing statements. And when you look at what he did, really, it was sort of a legal lesson. First, he wanted to make sure what it took, what it takes to charge a person as guilty or not guilty. And he also did something that was interesting, he showed how this case has somewhat turned around.
Keep in mind, the burden is on the prosecutor to prove guilty, to prove that a person is guilty without doubt. But for a defense attorney, it's always to show that there's some reasonable doubt. He said it's all turned around in this case. And even though it's not his job, he can prove that his client is innocent. On the other hand, we heard from prosecutors and it seemed to be more of an emotional plea.
Prosecutor John Guy asking the jury to consider what was in each person's heart, what was in George Zimmerman's heart, what was in Trayvon Martin's heart, and he asked, was it fear?
I want to listen to what both attorneys said so you can get a sense of what happened in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The state never, ever loses their responsibility to take away reasonable doubt from you. Don't let them do it with innuendo. Don't let them do it with sympathy. Don't let them do it with yelling. Don't let them do it with screeching.
GUY: I don't have any video clips for you or big long, 10-foot long timelines. I'm asking to you use your common sense. Use your heart. Use what you know is real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And again, you heard John Guy saying there it's a common sense case. That's something that he really wanted the jury to walk away with.
BLACKWELL: George, there was a noticeable difference in each attorney's delivery, from Bernie de la Rionda to Mark O'Mara and then to John Guy with that rebuttal. What can it you tell us about the way the jurors respond and respond to each of these attorneys?
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Are they receiving them as differently as the deliveries have been delivered, I guess? HOWELL: You know, and you can tell, regardless of which attorney was making arguments, the jury was paying very close attention. When Mark O'Mara was given, again, what seemed to be sort of a legal lesson, you saw jurors looking up, looking down, taking notes. They were always dialed in.
Mark O'Mara even made the point, he said, look, I know jurors sometimes, they can fall asleep in this process. It's a long process, there's a lot of detail. But he said, he noticed this jury was dialed in throughout this case.
BLACKWELL: All right. George Powell, thank you very much.
HOWELL: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Let's go to Texas where the state has approved one of the strictest anti-abortion bans in the country.
The bill bans abortions after 20 weeks and requires clinics who perform abortions to meet the same standards as surgical centers. Now, that could cause most to close.
Republican Rick Perry said he's proud lawmakers took the, quote, "final step in our historic effort to protect life." A version of the bill died last month after day-long filibuster.
And passing it Friday, Texas joins a handful of states enacting similar laws.
HARLOW: And Ariel Castro, you remember this name and this man. He now faces nearly 1,000 charges for allegedly holding three women in his Cleveland home for almost a decade. This is a new indictment and what it does is it replaces the earlier indictment that only covered only the first 4 1/2 years of captivity. The new charges still include two counts of aggravated murder. Castro allegedly beat one of the women so that she would abort her pregnancy. That's what those murder charges come from.
He's scheduled to be arraigned once again this Wednesday and if this goes to trial, that will begin on August 5th.
And in San Francisco, the runway where the wreckage of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 sat for nearly a week, that runway is now back open this morning. The airport should be operating at full capacity. The plane's broken fuselage was taken away on Friday. The investigation has been underway now by the NTSB and it shifts to the their headquarters in Washington.
And as we know, this morning, unfortunately, there has been another death in that plane crash. Three people have died after that plane clipped the seawall short of the runway and crashed. Police say one victim was actually hit by a fire truck on the runway when that truck was responding. It's still not clear if that victim was already dead or not.
BLACKWELL: From the White House to the Kremlin: Don't do it. Don't give asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
CNN's Phil Black tells us about Snowden's new moves to get out of the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first video of Edward Snowden since he fled Hong Kong and arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
SNOWDEN: A little over one month ago, I had a family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort.
BLACK: After camping out somewhere in the transit area for almost three weeks, he invited a group of Russian human rights activists to meet him. Those activists listened, asked questions and returned after less than an hour, announcing that Snowden had significantly changed his intentions. He now officially wants political asylum in Russia, but only temporarily.
TANYA LOKSHINA, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: His plans are to move on. He wants to move on to Latin America, but he feels the only way he's going to be safe in Russia is to get an asylum in this country. That's what he's planning to do.
BLACK: He told them he's changed his plans because he has little choice.
VYACHESLAW NIKONOV, RUSSIAN LAWMAKER: He says that the United States will do -- the U.S. government will do whatever it takes not to let him go to Latin American countries.
BLACK: Those at the meetings say Snowden asked them to lobby the Russian government to grant his asylum application. Some of them have promised to do so.
FEODORE LUKIN, RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN: He wants to be free. It's nature and he is not -- he is not a criminal now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: That's our Phil Black. He's been on top of the Edward Snowden saga for weeks in Moscow. He'll join us live next hour.
HARLOW: This is another story we're following closely this morning. You'll remember this girl, a Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban. She's speaking out at the United Nations. Malala Yousafzai received a standing ovation after just an incredible speech at the U.N. on Friday. She's speaking about the need for children's education and why being targeted by the Taliban has only made her stronger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALALA YOUSAFZAI, ACTIVIST: The thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed. And although that silence came, thousands of voices, the terrorists thought that they would change my aim and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And Malala Yousafzai said that pink scarf that she was wearing once belonged to the late Indian Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. You know, it struck me, Victor, she also said this is not about me. This is about every young woman, every young man, everyone fighting for an education.
BLACKWELL: And that has been her fight from the beginning, before she was attacked, and most likely the reason she was attacked by the Taliban.
Let's go to Great Britain now. The big day, maybe, close, Will and Kate's baby due any day and will enter the world, third in line to the throne, beyond only Prince Charles and Prince William. The child will be born in the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in London, the same place where Prince William and Prince Harry joined the royal family.
Baby memorabilia is flying off the shelves in Great Britain. If there's ever been, you know, there's a trinket, there's a token of whatnot for everything. Odds makers are taking bets on the baby's gender and name, even where they'll go to school. The name of the first date -- the first husband or wife.
HARLOW: They can't get enough.
BLACKWELL: Alexandra and George on the top of the names list.
HARLOW: And in two hours time, less than two hours now, the jury in the George Zimmerman trial will be back in the courthouse in Sanford, Florida, to continue their deliberations.
BLACKWELL: It's after a lot of hours of closing arguments. What they heard. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: The fate of George Zimmerman now lies in the hands of six jurors, all of them women, five of them mothers.
And as we wait for their verdict, let's take a look back at the closing arguments they heard from the prosecution and the defense.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERNIE DE LA RIONDA, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: A teenager is dead. He is dead through no fault of his own. He is dead because another man made assumptions.
He profiled him as a criminal. He assumed certain things. That Trayvon Martin was up to no good. And that is what led to his death.
Why is he able to yell if the defendant claims the victim was unable to talk? Or is he lying about that?
Look at the gun. Look at the size of this gun. How did the victim see that in the darkness?
When you see what he is saying now, he's saying that armpits, how does he get the gun out?
He profiled a 17-year-old boy that had Skittles. That's the crime he committed that evening. Oh, he's skipping away, la, la, la.
A citizen, 17-year-old kid, was profiled as a criminal.
O'MARA: How many "could have beens" have you heard from the state in this case, how many "what ifs"?
That's cement. That is sidewalk. And that is not an unarmed teenager with nothing but skittles. And that is not an unarmed teenager with nothing but a Skittles trying to get home. And the suggestion by the state that that's not a weapon, that that can't hurt somebody, that that can't cause great bodily injury is disgusting.
If I were to walk in today, let's say, and just as an example, walked in like this. Just walked in the courtroom as a lawyer. You would just have an impression, what in God's name is he doing with sunglasses on? Who does he think he is?
You might have an impression of George Zimmerman. Had you might have an impression of him because he's sitting at the defense table. And maybe as we talked about he's not just a citizen but maybe he is a defendant. Maybe he has something he has to defend.
You look at these facts. You look at all this evidence, and you have to say, I have a reasonable doubt as to whether or not the state convinced me he didn't act in self-defense. That's all you have to do. You don't have to write innocent on the bottom of that verdict perform.
GUY: If there was ever any doubt about what happened, really happened, was it not completely removed by what the defendant said afterwards? All of the lies he told, all of them. What does that tell you?
There's only two people on this earth who know what really happened. And one of them can't testify. And the other one lied. Not about little things like his age, or whether or not he went to the hospital. But about the things that really, truly mattered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Some of the highlights from the closing arguments in the state's rebuttal. The jurors, the six women in that room, they have been banned from any social media that could possibly mention the case and that's probably a wise move since supporters of Zimmerman and Martin are putting their passions on display all over the web.
Nick Valencia is back with us.
Nick, people have, from the very start of this, since a national story in 2012 have taken to Twitter and Facebook and the other sites to show their passion.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of thousands of people have come out with their comments reacting to the trial. In fact, everyone from celebrities to just people watching the trial.
Let's start with top comments here on Facebook. This coming -- somebody who's reaching out to George Zimmerman directly, saying, "Mr. George Zimmerman, how does it feel to be on trial? How does it feel to have people label you and judge you without knowing you?"
Now average citizens are weighing in, as well as celebrities, Victor. One celebrity weighing in late last night, Miley Cyrus, "May peace be with the Martins as they continue to pray for justice as I will and anyone else that believes in love."
And other supporters of George Zimmerman have come out and just simply, to stand with him in solidarity, the #iamgeorgezimmerman. Though in this forum, it's worth pointing out, in Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, the majority of the support has been in favor of Trayvon Martin.
Now, George Zimmerman, of course, he has his supporters. Those tend to be on conservative blogs on the Web sites. Not so much on the traffic we see on tweets and Instagram and Facebook.
BLACKWELL: It would be naive to think this is organic, because the attorneys for the Martin family have orchestrated this.
VALENCIA: Benjamin Crump has reached out to celebrities directly. If you go on his Twitter page, it's just filled with retweets of celebrities that are showing their support.
BLACKWELL: OK.
Poppy?
HARLOW: This Saturday morning, we have something sweet in business news. It is being called the sweetest comeback ever.
You know what we're talking about. Twinkies hitting store shelves once again. We're going to tell you where you can find them.
Plus, the sight of an ice cream truck remind you of your childhood? Well, one city wants to turn down that sound. We'll explain, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right. Time for the "Biz Block" where we keep track of the top stories of the week. It was a record-breaker on Wall Street. You like seeing that if you're in the market.
The Dow coming back after some midday losses, to close at the highest levels ever. Stocks have pushed higher since midweek, that's when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke made that speech on Wednesday, and reassured the bond-buying program that's helping to fuel the economy so much would likely not be anytime ending soon.
And lunch boxes rejoice, maybe if you're a mom who likes to serve your kids Twinkies, maybe not. The long-awaited return of the Twinkies is finally here. The first batch of the hostess cakes apparently are on sale early at Walmart. They'll run you about three bucks for a box of ten.
Hostess is calling the move, quote, "the sweetest comeback in history ever." That's what the company that makes them is saying.
Twinkies will hit store shelves nationwide on Monday.
Interesting little side note, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Yes?
HARLOW: I heard that they last longer. They have a longer shelf life.
BLACKWELL: What? Fifty years instead of 40? They were already pretty reliable. Are you a Twinkie fan?
HARLOW: No comment. I can't remember the last time I ate one. Or you?
BLACKWELL: I've never had one.
HARLOW: I've had one as a child. They have fried Twinkies at the state fair, by the way.
BLACKWELL: I say (INAUDIBLE).
Hey, let's talk some business.
OK, so we'll admit it's not top shelf story on business news but it's interesting. So, according to nikkei.com, adult diapers in Japan, the market is booming, 6 percent to 10 percent. That's because in Japan, the population of Japan is 65 and older is 20 percent of the population and it's expected to boom in the next few decades.
I mean, the cost is 2 1/2 times the baby diaper so, of course, the profit margin is higher. But people are making money -- oh, fashion shows, too? Oh, that's great.
I wonder when the designers are going to come out.
HARLOW: Oh, gosh.
BLACKWELL: When you can get like a Prada --
HARLOW: Like a Prada diaper? Gucci diaper?
BLACKWELL: Yes, there's a market for them, obviously, if there's a fashion show.
HARLOW: In Japan.
All right. And you know this sound well --
(MUSIC)
HARLOW: Takes you back to your childhood. It is the sound of the ice cream truck rolling on by. Apparently not everyone likes it.
It turns out the city of Long Beach is asking vendors to stop the music when they pull over to serve ice cream. Of course, the vendors are up in arms over this because they're worried that less people are going to hear them and that means less business.
BLACKWELL: I'm not bothered by the sound of that. Actually, it's quite soothing, actually.
HARLOW: No. I agree.
BLACKWELL: All right. Let's talk about internet sensations on the trademark, Sweet Brown. You've got to love Sweet Brown. If you don't know her, where have you been, first? But watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I woke up to go get me a cold pop. Then I thought somebody was barbecuing. I said, oh, Lord, Jesus, it's a fire. I ran out I didn't grab no shoes or nothing Jesus. I ran for my life. And then the smoke got me. I got bronchitis, ain't nobody got time for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: I love Sweet Brown.
OK, Sweet Brown thought someone was having a barbecue, remember that? Now they are, sweet brown has, Oh Lord Jesus the fire barbecue sauce. Yes. And Oh, Lord Jesus it's sweet. And Oh Lord Jesus it's just right.
The website said the barbecue sauce is the only way complement your meat and it's spelled y-o. And everybody's got time for that.
I love the idea that she's making 16 seconds into hopefully $15 million.
HARLOW: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, no question. Good for her.
All right.
BLACKWELL: Six women will decide the fate of George Zimmerman after listening to 56 witnesses and sorting through more than 200 exhibits. Our legal panel joins us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right. Here's a quick update on the latest mortgage rates. Take a look. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
***30
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. Happy Saturday. I'm Poppy Harlow.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
Here are five things you need to know this morning:
First, the Texas state Senate has approved one of the strictest anti- abortion laws in the country. The bill bans abortions after 20 weeks and requires abortion clinics to meet standards that could force most of them to close. Republican Governor Rick Perry issued a statement saying he's proud lawmakers took, quote, "the final step in our historic effort to protect life."
HARLOW: Number two, rail stations across France held a moment of silence just a little while ago to honor victims of a fatal train crash. At least six people were killed, and government officials saying more victims could be found today. The head of the railway says that a mechanical failure is to blame for that crash which happened about 40 miles south of Paris.
BLACKWELL: Three now, Edward Snowden now wants asylum from Russia. It would be temporary while he works out a way to get to permanent asylum somewhere in Latin America. This move could get him out of a Moscow airport. The NSA leaker has been stuck there for about three weeks when the U.S. yanked his passport.
HARLOW: Number four, the United States calling on Egypt's army to free the country's former president. Mohamed Morsy has been detained since the military removed him last week. Dozens of people have been killed in protests since then. It is not clear exactly where Morsy is being held.
BLACKWELL: Number five, prosecutors are asking victims of the Boston marathon bombing if they think Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should die. "The Boston Herald" said victims were asked to fill out a survey. Prosecutors also want know more about injuries, long-term effects and whether they'd be willing to testify at the suspect's trial.
(MUSIC)
HARLOW: Well, the six jurors deciding the fate of George Zimmerman will get back to work in about an hour and a half's time at the courthouse in Sanford, Florida. The women deliberated for just over 3 1/2 hours on Friday. They did not return a verdict when they adjourned at 6:00 p.m. The jury could send Zimmerman to prison for killing Trayvon Martin or let him walk free if they believe his claim of self- defense. So, I want to bring Page Pate. He's been following this very closely. He's a criminal defense attorney.
Thank you for being with us. I appreciate it.
PAGE PATE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning.
HARLOW: I want to talk first about the closing arguments and what kind of impact that has on juries. There are those who say the decision is made before the closing argument. And others look at how different they were, sort of professorial coming from the defense, impassioned coming from the prosecution.
PATE: Well, they certainly have different styles and I think there's a reason for that. You know, in this case, the state needs to use emotion. And they did, both in their first closing argument and in their last closing argument. They're trying to get the jury to remember that this case is about a dead teenage are.
The defense needs to do a lot of things but here's what they did. They said let's focus on the plop the judge is going to tell you what the law is. The judge is going to tell you what the law is, what the state needs to prove, and in this case, the state has not done that.
And if you have more questions at the end of the trial than at the beginning of the trial, you can't convict him.
So, I think both sides did a good job. But as far as purpose of closing arguments, I think you're right, I think most jurors are not going to make up their mind in closing arguments. They're not going to be persuaded to change the way they're seeing the evidence at that point in the trial.
The good purpose of closing arguments is for the lawyer to give those jurors that he thinks is supporting his side good arguments for them to take back with them in the jury room so they can convince the others.
BLACKWELL: I want to ask you specifically about one element of Mark O'Mara's closing that four minutes that they asked the jurors to sit in silence.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Do you think is resonated or did it come off as a stunt?
PATE: I think it resonated. He's not a dramatic personality. Most of the evidence, as you said, was very professorial. Let me walk you through the evidence. Let's talk about the law.
But silence can be very effective, you know, especially when you're talking about timing and trying to put them in George Zimmerman's shoes to see if the state's case makes sense. You know, Trayvon Martin had all this time. Let me show you what it feels like to sit for four minutes and realize what he could have done. BLACKWELL: Burden of proof lies on the prosecution. I want to play our viewers some sound from defense attorney Mark O'Mara talking about the burden of proof?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, ZIMMERMAN DEFENSE ATTORNEY: How many "could have beens" have you heard from the state in this case? How many "what ifs" have you heard in the case?
Well, they don't think -- I don't think anybody -- they don't get to ask you that. They don't get to ask you "what do you think?"
No, no, no. No, no, no. What have I proved to you, what have I convinced beyond a reasonable doubt in this case so much so that you don't have any reasonable doubt as of those issues that I presented to you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Beyond a reasonable doubt. Did the prosecution meet that burden, beyond a reasonable doubt?
PATE: I don't think so. You know, and that's what's unusual about a self-defense case. Once the defense raises the idea of self-defense, then the prosecution has to disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt, in addition to proving all the elements of their case. So, it's a very high burden. And I just don't think they met it in this case.
BLACKWELL: Prosecutor John Guy, he mentioned specifically and did not want the jury to forget, at this case, at the center of it, there's a dead teenager. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GUY, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Was that child not in fear, when he was running from that defendant? Isn't that every child's worst nightmare, to be followed on the way home in the dark by a stranger? Isn't that every child's worst fear? That was Trayvon Martin's last emotion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Our Sunny Hostin who was in the courtroom said that this certainly resonated with the jury. There's been a lot of talk about there being an all-female jury. Five of them mothers, and that hit home.
PATE: I think so. Most of the trial has all been about what was George Zimmerman thinking? What was George Zimmerman doing?
And I think More effectively, Mr. Guy said, wait a minute, put yourself in Trayvon Martin's shoes what was he thinking? Did he deserve to die? Very effective.
But you remember the judge charged the jury at the end of the trial and said, look, you're not supposed to use emotion, you're not supposed to use sympathy or prejudice. Are they going to listen? You know that's always the question.
BLACKWELL: All right. Criminal attorney Page Pate --
PATE: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
HARLOW: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Coming up on NEW DAY, his biggest hit was "Baby", but lately that seems to describe Justin Bieber's attitude. We'll tell you what he did that got an earful from a former president.
Plus, some are saying why the pop hypocrisy. Why a deal with Pepsi did seem to match a different deal she made with the first lady.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Nineteen minutes until the top of the hour.
Country music stars and fans are coming together to pray for Randy Travis. He's in critical condition this morning. He was being treated for a heart failure when he had a stroke. Now the surgery Wednesday was to relieve pressure on his brain. Hundreds of people and fellow country stars like Brad Paisley have used their Twitter #prayforrandy to show support.
HARLOW: All of our thoughts are with him.
All right. We are in the e-block. You know what that means. Time for entertainment news.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HARLOW: Always a fun block.
BLACKWELL: Some fun.
HARLOW: Joining you guys for this.
This week, we've got news on the holy trinity you could call it in the music world right now. Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Jay-Z.
BLACKWELL: Let's start with the Biebs. New video showing him, come on, urinating into a mop bucket in the back of a New York restaurant. He also sprayed cleaning liquid on a picture of Bill Clinton, and followed that up by dropping an "F" bomb on the former president.
You know we've got to talk about this.
Joining us with more, V103 radio personality Kendra G, and the co-host of the "Rickey Smiley Morning Show," Ebony Steele.
Good to have you both back. KENDRA G, RADIO HOST: Good to be here.
EBONY STEELE, CO-HOST, "RICKEY SMILEY MORNING SHOW": Glad to be here.
BLACKWELL: Bieber apologized to the former president. I think we have the tweet. "@BillClinton. Thanks for taking the time to talk, Mr. Clinton. Great guy."
I'm surprised a former president took his call.
STEELE: I am, too. And what's funny about this, first of all, I think it's so cool that you referred to him as the Biebs. My mom referred to him as the Biebs last week. I'm like everybody is talking about Justin Bieber.
The fact that Justin Bieber is doing these things. It's like, is it really a big deal? Or is it the fact that he's a star and his life is so exciting and when he does it, it makes everybody else go up in uproar because it's Justin Bieber?
KENDRA G: You know what, I think it's a big deal. He needs a good shaking. Right now, he's not being parented at all. Shake him up a little bit. Parents, the true definition of child support is if the child is supporting them. He's out of control. I think it's kind of big.
STEELE: Well, in a sense, I agree with you, but he's driving what is it, a leopard print Audi right now?
BLACKWELL: Oh, yes.
KENDRA G: I like that car.
STEELE: That causes trouble.
KENDRA G: I know.
BLACKWELL: My thing, it's just nasty. Nothing in the kitchen.
KENDRA: Oh, yes. It's not proper.
STEELE: He's wearing -- him and his friends they wear the diaper. It's like couldn't you just -- why did you have to go in the mop bucket on the right clothes, boy?
KENDRA G: Right, right.
HARLOW: This is really interesting to me. Jay-Z, a fascinating guy, businessman.
STEELE: Right.
HARLOW: In many senses, just as much as a musician. We've known for a long time that he's friends of President Obama, a big supporter of President Obama in both his runs for office. But he did this interview on Hot 97 Radio this week, talking about texting with the president, talked about the friendship as amazing.
You know, he asked do you text the president, he said, of course -- not of course, you know, not to sound callous or anything. What's your take on that?
STEELE: Well, I think that's the prime example how we as regular everyday people like to see the person become the superhero. We see that with Jay-Z. But we also like to see the person that is fabulous seen regular.
So when President Obama and the first lady are friends with Jay-Z and Beyonce. That's an amazing to see that mix, and that's America is about.
KENDRA G: He's not texting Obama saying, hey, I'm in D.C., I've got my grandma, can I come and see you?
HARLOW: We don't know, we don't know.
KENDRA G: I think he's respectful of that relationship.
HARLOW: It's interesting that the president uses sports analogies, talking like we're in the fourth quarter here. Let's get it in the bag.
KENDRA G: Give me the ball, I've got this.
BLACKWELL: I don't think he's the president to have this because we know that Sinatra was very close to the Reagans. I think every president has some kind of --
KENDRA G: Well, like rocking (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
KENDRA G: A little love.
STEELE: It's all good. That's cute.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about Beyonce. She's got a $50 million campaign, a commercial with Pepsi.
KENDRA G: Yes.
BLACKWELL: It seems people are upset because she's now endorsed and working with the soft drink company while also teaming up with Michelle Obama in her initiative to fight childhood obesity.
Now, in her new interview, Beyonce said it's not a big deal.
Now, is it a big deal? Let me first give you a couple of seconds on the show last night.
KENDRA G: Yes, last night, I went to Beyonce to check out the show. I'm still in my Beyonce --
(CROSSTALK)
KENDRA G: Beyonce came on stage. She was singing, dancing, changed her outfits. She blew across the stage. She's incredible.
Now, with Pepsi, it's OK. She's not drinking Pepsi every single day. I mean, she's perfect with Michelle Obama because she's always moving. I saw her live in action last night.
I think people right now, I think they're picking on Jay-Z and Beyonce really. They're bullying them. (INAUDIBLE) for Pepsi --
STEELE: And it's a commercial. Root word -- commerce. It's money. It's $50 million. If it may have been Coke, you know what I'm saying? She might be drinking Coke, and you cannot make me believe that she's warming up Pepsi and putting it in Baby Blue's sippy cup. I mean, you know, you can't do both.
(CROSSTALK)
KENDRA: I will (INAUDIBLE) Pepsi with $50 million.
BLACKWELL: All right. Kendra G -- on that note, Kendra G., Ebony Steele, thank you very much.
HARLOW: Thanks very much. Through the hoot.
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: (INAUDIBLE) Victor.
One of college football's biggest rivalries is helping a young boy fight a deadly disease. This is a great story. This little boy says Michigan instead of cancer. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: All right. Now, time for some good stuff. In today's edition, doing the right thing.
Wiltandra Campbell of Old Grove, California, and her daughter, they were driving when the dashboard started sparking. In moments, an electrical fire engulfed the entire van. Fortunately, the pair escaped, but they could not escape the tow truck bill.
The tow truck bill wanted $165 dollar which they didn't have. They were stranded with no money and no car. That was until someone just passing by with a little good stuff stepped in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILTANDRA CAMPBELL, STRANDED BY CAR FIRE: A man out of nowhere came. He was like, here is $200. I gave it to the tow man, and he said you can give him the change, and I will take $100 of it, and I was giving the guy back his other $100, and he was like, no, baby, you keep that, you need that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: That's amazing.
When a local station came up to the man, he said he did not want attention just for doing the right thing. He also added he doesn't normally carry that much cash on him, but happened to have it that day, which he says was a sign from God.
HARLOW: I love that story.
All right. We have some more good stuff for you.
Little Grant Reed. Grant is 12-years-old. He's the son of diehard OSU fans, and he loves the Buckeyes. You know what he doesn't love at all? What he hates? His cancer.
You know what else he is not a fan of? The University of Michigan.
So when Grant was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he was scared, very scared. He did not want to talk about it. He didn't want to use the word cancer. So doctors gave him an idea, choose a different word. What did he pick? He said Michigan instead of cancer.
In true Buckeye fashion, Grant got psyche, he got the chemo session timed so that he could actually watch OSU games at the same time that he was getting chemo therapy. His family made t-shirts. So, what happened? We are happy to tell you that after a 16 hour surgery and a 14-month-long battle, Grant beat Michigan.
You know what, no matter who you root for, you have to be happy about that one. Go Grant.
BLACKWELL: It's got to make you feel good. Listen. I know there are people that really hold on to those schools, but when you hear this rivalry helped him make it through, you have to be OK with it.
HARLOW: Exactly.
BLACKWELL: Finally, for a San Antonio 10-year-old, a trip to the circus really was the greatest thing on earth. McKenley thought she won a contest to introduce the ring master, but she go the surprise of her life when the ring master introduced her dad who've been -- these stories always get me when the shoulders come home and their kids are there -- who had been serving in Afghanistan for 15 months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENLEY, DAUGHTER: I literally was like, wow, what is happening.
KEN, HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN: After everything I have done and everything we do for the country, and the sacrifices my wife and her make for us, to be able to give that moment to her is just amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And this was McKenley's dad third tour overseas. Something about the surprise and the emotion of that kid, running and jumping into his arms, it's hard to keep yourself together.
HARLOW: Yes, can't think of better for him. Hope he stays home, doesn't have to go back.
OK, 5,000 tweets per minute. We are not kidding. This is the rage on social media.
A TV movie about sharks, tornados, and why not, a little bit of "90210."
BLACKWELL: Absurd. Absurd.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right. Consider this. If the movies "Twister" -- I can't get through this -- if "Twister" and "Jaws" had a baby, it should be shark-nado. We're talking about this all morning. This sets the Twitterverse on fire.
BLACKWELL: But I would like to pause here and tell people what you called it during the break?
HARLOW: Go for it.
BLACKWELL: No, you deliver --
HARLOW: What did I call it, shark-nado?
BLACKWELL: Shark-nado, #shark-nado. There has not been a movie this fun since "Snakes on a Plane."
CNN's Tory Dunnan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe it's what happens when "90210" meets "Twister" and "Jaws," "Tornados" and Ian Zeiring's "Sharknado".
Let's be honest. The ratings didn't hit it out of the park, but the over the top sci-fi original movie is tearing through the universe with a bite.
(on camera): Have never seen sharks flying out of tornado.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see that and you never see the spectacle. No one has imagined (ph) a movie with sharks and tornado.
DUNNAN (voice-over): At its peak, more than 5,000 #sharknado tweets per minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something happened. We hit the right time and the right place. This doesn't happen to people like me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They took my grandfather. I really hate sharks. MAGGIE FURLONG, WEST COAST EDITOR, HUFFPOST TV: The big news story to come out of this is not that it got great ratings, because we all know tweets do not equal good ratings. It's that the Twitter buzz around "Sharknado" surpassed even the "Red Wedding", which was the biggest "Game of Thrones" episode of the season.
DUNNAN: Hollywood stars, cult and bandwagon fans, and critics alike all had something to say.
(on camera): This one is pretty funny. "Double whammy. Both time and money you won't get back seeing this flick."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But they're still writing about it. You know, I love it.
DUNNAN (voice-over): Even Red Cross Oklahoma took to Twitter saying if it were to happen, it would be in Oklahoma. Why? Because we're tough like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was going beyond fan voice. I think we were stunned we did something right.
DUNNAN: A social media blockbuster in a summer full of flops.
(on camera): So how do you jump the shark so to speak? Maybe with the sequel. And with names like "sharkquake" or "sharkferno", "bearacane" (ph), they've all been thrown out there. But the director also says who knows? "Sharknado" may have been just one trick pony.
Tory Dunnan, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Yes, let's hope it's one trick --
HARLOW: It will always be "Sharknado."
BLACKWELL: "Sharknado".
HARLOW: For the record.
All right.
BLACKWELL: Thank you for starting your morning with us.
HARLOW: We've got much more ahead on the next hour of NEW DAY SATURDAY that starts right now.
