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New Day
Zimmerman Jury Returns Next Hour; Abortion Bill Passes Texas Senate; Asiana Crash Claims Third Victim; Penn State To Differ Settlements; Snowden Asks For Asylum In Russia; At Least Six Killed In French Train Crash; Hopelessness Died, Courage Was Born; Political Gamesmanship; See Norman Scoot
Aired July 13, 2013 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, ZIMMERMAN DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Do not give anybody the benefit of any doubt except George Zimmerman.
JOHN GUY, PROSECUTOR: Trayvon Benjamin Martin is entitled to the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If I had a son, he would like to Trayvon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: When President Obama first spoke about Trayvon Martin, it was before George Zimmerman's arrest. Now that the jury is in deliberations, we will see if Washington weighs in on the verdict.
If you let your toddler play with your smart phones, you might want to take a look at what she is doing? How a little kid's big purchase shocked their family and their wallet.
Good morning, everyone. Happy Saturday. It's 8:00 out here on the east coast. I am Poppy Harlow.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I am Victor Blackwell. Good to have you this morning. Thanks for starting your morning with us. Welcome to this NEW DAY. And we begin in Sanford, Florida and what could be a decisive day in the George Zimmerman murder trial.
HARLOW: Just one hour from now that is when six women will return to the job they have had for three weeks, their job as jurors to decide George Zimmerman's fate. Their choice is find him guilty of either second degree murder or manslaughter or set him free. Our George Howell is live outside the courthouse for us this morning. George, you have been on top of this from the beginning. Closing arguments over the past two days, and now it's in the jurors' hands. What can you tell us?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, Victor, good morning. So, yes, you know, we are expecting a verdict anytime now starting at 9:00 a.m. The jury will return and continue deliberations, and we have crews all over to bring you that verdict as only CNN can do. Want to talk about what we saw just the other day. Defense Attorney Mark O'Mara making his case that his client is not guilty of second-degree murder, that he is not guilty of manslaughter and he gave what was a legal lesson to the jurors, explaining what it takes to find a person guilty, and then not guilty.
And he also made this case. He showed that this particular situation seems to be reversed because prosecutors have to prove guilt without doubt, and defense attorneys have to show a reasonable doubt. He said in this case it's all been turned around, but still even though it's not his job, he believes that he can prove his client is not guilty, is innocent of this charge.
Want to also talk about what we saw the prosecutors doing. It was interesting to see them make this emotional appeal to jurors. At one point, John Guy asked, you know, what was in the heart of each person. What was in Trayvon Martin's heart and what was in George Zimmerman's heart? One person can't testify, the other lied about it. Want you to hear what the two attorneys had to say in court so you can see for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'MARA: 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.
GUY: Trayvon Martin may not have the defendant's blood on his hands, but George Zimmerman will forever have Trayvon Martin's blood on his, forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: It was a real emotional appeal to those jurors. At one point, Guy said, you know, that Zimmerman didn't shoot him because he had to, he shot him because he wanted to, trying to make that case of ill will, spite and hatred, trying to prove second-degree murder and remember that manslaughter is an option for these jurors to consider along with not guilty.
HARLOW: You know, George, what is interesting is that the prosecution got the last word if you will in the case before it went into the juror's hands, with that rebuttal by John Guy, but then they were given lengthy, I think 27 pages of instructions read by the judge to the jury, and one of the key parts there was that you can't consider emotion. HOWELL: Yes, and that's a big part of the prosecution's case, but what we saw these prosecutors do as well, they went through that timeline. Both sides went through the timeline to make their case. So there are a lot of facts for the jurors to consider. Before the day ended, Poppy, it was interesting to see that the jurors wanted to see all those facts. They wanted to see the evidence. They asked the judge for an inventory of all the evidence in this case. You could presume that they want to had that list. So that this morning they start fresh, look at all that evidence and start to arrive at a decision here.
HARLOW: George Howell, thank you very much. Appreciate your reporting. What I think is interesting, too, the jurors are not told what the possible prison sentences could be for either second-degree murder or a manslaughter conviction because they are supposed to focus on not just what the sentence could be.
BLACKWELL: And of course, that could weigh on their decision, but I think it's hard to avoid emotion when you consider all of the tools that were used by these attorneys to evoke some emotion, and again, who said it many times, five of these jurors are mothers. Some of the tools that John Guy used, also Mark O'Mara, there were specifically to evoke emotions. So we'll see what the outcome is.
HARLOW: We want to look at the possible outcomes here. What could happen? So the jury could find George Zimmerman guilty of second- degree murder as the state has charged or they can return with the lesser conviction of manslaughter. They could also deliver a verdict of not guilty or they could become deadlocked in a hung jury. In that case, the judge would have to declare a mistrial. The state would have to decide whether to try him again or not.
If convicted of second degree murder, Zimmerman would face anywhere from 25 years to life in prison, and in Florida there is no parole that would reduce his sentence. A conviction of manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and he could serve fewer than ten years though if convicted on manslaughter, again, no parole in Florida there to reduce a sentence.
BLACKWELL: It was not long after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon martin that this case captured the attention of the nation all the way up to President Obama. You heard the president's thoughts at the top of the show. The verdict is now just hours away, so we're asking, how will the country and Washington respond?
HARLOW: All right, Erin McPike is in Washington this morning. Good morning to you, Erin. What is that the feeling there in Washington?
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy and Victor. Well, right now, everybody is waiting to see what the verdict will be, like everybody else. Of course, the White House has not said much just yet because they don't want to tamper with the process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCPIKE (voice-over): Trayvon Martin's death ignited a national firestorm, tugging at the sensitive nature of race relations. REPRESENTATIVE BOBBY RUSH (D), ILLINOIS: Racial profiling has to stop, Mr. Speaker. Just because somebody wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum.
MCPIKE: And prompting the first African-American president to take the unusual step of speaking out and sympathizing with Martin's parents.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, if I had a son he would look like Trayvon, and, you know, I think that they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
MCPIKE: That did not sit well with some.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: Is the president suggesting if it would have been a white hood been shot it wouldn't look like him? It's nonsense. Dividing the country up, it's a tragedy this young man was shot.
MCPIKE: Fifteen months later, George Zimmerman's fate may do little to satisfy the uncomfortable questions about race this case has raised. Will President Obama weigh in again?
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: His comments on that are, you know, what they were, but we're not going to say anything from here in the midst of a trial of that nature.
MCPIKE: Should he? We asked "New York Times" columnist, Charles Blow.
CHARLES BLOW, COLUMNIST, "NEW YORK TIMES": Weighing in necessary on whatever political outcome on a particular case when there are literally thousands of cases that are killed in the country every year, you know, may or may not be the smartest thing to do.
MCPIKE: But Blow says the racial questions need to be addressed.
BLOW: There are moral questions here that may not be able to be answered in a legal framework. I think the moral questions are questions we have to ask ourselves as a society outside the boundaries of this particular courtroom and case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCPIKE: Now the other thing I can tell you is that there is some preparation going on here. The Justice Department had sent one community relations service official to Sanford just to be prepared for anything that might happen there. But the other thing obviously is that people will be talking about this case for a very long time, and one local collage, George Mason University plans to offer a course on this case -- Poppy and Victor.
HARLOW: Really. That's fascinating a course on the case. Appreciate it. Good reporting, Erin. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Well soon after the jury got the case, Zimmerman's family issued a statement urging people to accept the verdict whatever it is. Here's part of the statement, "Though we maintain George committed no crime whatsoever, we acknowledge that the people who called for George's trial witnessed both events come to pass. We acknowledge that the people who called for George's arrest and subsequent trial have now witnessed both events come to past." The family said.
As Americans we will all respect the rule of law, which begins with respect the verdict. Authorities also have appealed for calm and they have taken steps to insure the peace including going door to door in Sanford, Florida.
DONALD F. ESLINGER, SEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF: We will not tolerate anyone who uses this verdict as an excuse to violate the law.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Rights leader Jesse Jackson is also calling on people to react peacefully. In a written statement, Jackson said if Zimmerman is convicted, there should not be inappropriate celebrations because a young man lost his life. And in just about an hour, we will talk with the Miami pastor that is calling for peace whichever way the verdict comes down.
HARLOW: We want to take you to big news out of Texas overnight. The Senate approved one of the strictest anti-abortion measures in the country. That bans abortion after 20 weeks, and it requires the clinics meet the same standards as surgical centers and what that could mean is that many clinics in Texas may close. Rick Perry made a statement that he is proud of the historic measure.
BLACKWELL: A third person died as a result of the Asiana Airlines crash. A hospital official in San Francisco says a girl has died from her injuries. No other details about her were released. Police now say one of the other two teenagers that died right after the crash was hit by a fire truck responding to the scene. The 16-year-old was on the ground covered in fire fighting foam when she was hit. What is not clear yet is whether she was already dead when the truck hit her.
HARLOW: And some of Jerry Sandusky's victims can soon get money from Penn State. The board is not saying how much money would be on the table. Sandusky was sentenced last year to more than 30 years in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period. And Edward Snowden turned down Russia's first offer of asylum.
BLACKWELL: Now, the NSA leaker is having second thoughts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: It's 15 minutes after the hour now and the White House is again warning Russia not to give asylum to admitted NSA leaker, Edward Snowden.
HARLOW: As you know, he has been stuck in a Moscow airport for about three weeks and apparently now he wants to stay in Russia a little bit longer, our Phil Black is live in Moscow for us today. Phil, you have been following the strange, bizarre, twisting story throughout, and why now is Snowden saying he wants temporarily asylum in Russia? PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, it appears to be necessity. He still has no travel documents and very few options. No choice really to move on to any another country. So that's why he performed this really sudden , unexpected move, calling a bunch of human rights workers to the airport where he has been staying and talking to them and asking them for help. He made a statement prior to the meeting, and it's the first time since we heard from him since he arrived in this country. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD SNOWDEN, NSA LEAKER: A little over one month ago, I had a family and a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort. I also had the capability to search for seize and read your communications, and anybody's communication at anytime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: So it was during this meeting that he announced the change of plans, and he wants the Russian government to grant him temporarily asylum here and the reason why is that he has come to the realization that if does try to move on to a Latin Americans country like Venezuela. That has offered to protect him, it is very likely the United States and its allies will do everything they can to intercept him and return him to his custody.
It's not the first time he applied for asylum in Russia here. It's not his preferred option. The last time he tried, the government's response was it's possible in theory, but he will have to stop leaking information about the United States, and now he is saying that he can live up the condition, and he revealed all he wants to reveal -- Phil.
HARLOW: We know, Phil, that President Obama and President Putin had a phone call last night. What if anything is the White House revealing about the meeting with Putin because we know it was at least in part about Snowden?
BLACK: The fact that Snowden was allowed to hold the meeting in the airport clearly with the assistance of airport officials, this is something that would not have taken place without higher approval, getting the human rights workers there and getting the invitations to them and getting them in the secure zone and so forth, and it applies assistance with the Russian officials, and the White House is not happy about that.
Throughout on the one man, it's voiced clear sympathy, and describing him as a human rights activist, whereas the U.S. authorities clearly believe that he is a criminal. At the same time Russia has not shown any willingness to extradite him. It has been a difficult balancing act. By reapplying for asylum, Snowden again puts the pressure on the Russian government to make it clear on whether it will defy the issues of the United States.
All right, Phil Black in Moscow for us. Thank you, Phil.
HARLOW: Well, rail stations across France observing a moment of silence to honor victims of a fatal crash that happened 40 miles south of Paris. At least six people were killed when the passenger train derailed. Government officials say more victims could be found today. The head of the railway says it's a mechanical failure that is to blame.
BLACKWELL: Well, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban earlier this year is speaking out. She is receiving a standing ovation here while at the United Nations. She is speaking to the United Nations leaders and 1,000 students about the need for children's education and why the Taliban's failed assassination attempt only made her stronger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALALA YOUSAFZAI, ACTIVIST: They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, fervor and courage were born.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Malala says the pink scarf she was wearing here once belonged to the late Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto.
HARLOW: All right, coming up next, we're going to talk about the state of North Carolina and abortion being added into a totally different Vil. We're going to explain coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: It's 23 minutes after the hour. All right, a question for you here. What does abortion have to do with motorcycle safety? In North Carolina they are inseparable. Remember we were talking about the abortion bill tied Sharia law band.
HARLOW: We did and this week the Republican controlled north members were apparently given three minutes to prepare for that debate. I want to play you reaction from one Democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK GLAZIER (D), NORTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE: This bill emerges from yet another secret re-write by moonlight to the early morning sun yesterday in the intriguing and the motorcycle safety act, with change in the wording, but as the Representative Samuelson conceded yesterday in committee, quote, "The same intent," end quote, as the widely criticized Senate bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right, let's talk about the bill in question. It changes the rules for clinics, like what kinds of doctors have to be there and when. Opponents say it could close many clinics. This is the way one Republican describes it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHELLE D. PRESWELL (R), NORTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE: I am trying to put myself in the shoes of go into a abortion clinic. I would never attend a place like that. I am trying to put myself in a state of mind of what they would say. They will not see the blood on the table or the surgical instruments that have not been sterilized. I hope in the mind they are asking the lord is this the right thing to be doing?
YVONNE LEWIS HOLLEY (D), NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE MEMBER: Would you prefer her to do to go to a back alley with a nasty coat hanger.
PRESWELL: First, I wish she could plan ahead. There are a lot of birth procedures that you can take care of birth control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Well, the state's Republican governor said that he would veto the Senate bill, but he has been noncommittal on the House bill. There is enough of a conservative majority to overturn any veto and the new law, if it becomes law, would levy stiffer penalties for reckless motorcycle drivers. This is what the law is entitled, motorcycle safety, but the debate is all about that abortion.
BLACKWELL: Yes, slipped in. Six people try to agree on one verdict. You know the six we are talking about, the jury weighing George Zimmerman's fate. We will talk about the deliberations in the high profile murder case.
HARLOW: Also, first, from the fatal plane crash that really caught national worldwide attention to the conclusion of arguments in the George Zimmerman trial, here is a take. Here is a look at the weekend pictures.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. Happy Saturday. I'm Poppy Harlow.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.
Now the five things you need to know this morning first up the countdown in Central Florida. Just 30 minutes from now jurors resume deliberations in the George Zimmerman murder trial. The jury, six women deliberated for a little more than three and a half hours yesterday and then took a break for the night.
HARLOW: Number two, the Texas state Senate has approved one of the strictest anti-abortion measures in the country. This bill bans abortions after 20 weeks and requires abortion clinics to meet standards that could force many of them to close.
Republican Governor Rick Perry issued a statement saying that he is proud that lawmakers took quote, "A final step in our historic effort to protect the life."
BLACKWELL: Three now the White House is warning Russia do not give Edward Snowden a quote "propaganda platform". Snowden leaked the details of the NSA surveillance program and now he wants temporary asylum in Russia until he can get to Latin America. Snowden has been stuck at an airport in Moscow for about three weeks.
HARLOW: Number four get this a 12-year-old boy arrested in South Field, Michigan yesterday for breaking into a bank. Police responded to an early morning alarm at the Bank of America branch there and found a bicycle and broken glass at the door. That 12-year-old was released to his mother's custody several hours later.
BLACKWELL: And number five this report from "Boston Herald" federal prosecutors are polling victims of the Boston marathon bombings on whether they should pursue the death penalty against the suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Now the mother of the two sons who each lost a leg in the attack says she wants Tsarnaev to die because he showed no remorse in a court appearance Wednesday.
HARLOW: Well the jury in the George Zimmerman murder trial gets back to deliberations in just under half an hour. The decision will be made by six women. They will determine whether or not George Zimmerman goes to prison for killing Trayvon Martin or he walks out of the court a freeman.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk to Paul Callan, our CNN legal analyst and criminal defense lawyer in New York; and here in Atlanta Tanya Miller a former federal prosecutor currently a defense attorney. Good to have you both.
Paul, I'm going to start with you. Give me the strongest element of the state's closing argument or the rebuttal? The strongest element?
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, I think the strongest element of it was sort of the general concept that Trayvon Martin had the right to be where he was. I mean he was walking back to his father's condominium and he was essentially assaulted -- he was followed, provoked and caused to defend himself in this encounter with Mr. Zimmerman. And that's -- you know that really is the -- that's the concept that people have to you know grasp on to, to say that he was profiled.
I mean they didn't use the word race, but they really were saying you know because he was a young black adolescent, there was an assumption he was a criminal and he is dead as a result. And you know I think that's a strong theme that the jury takes into the jury room.
BLACKWELL: Tanya you're a defense attorney, the strongest moment for the defense?
TANYA MILLER, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I think the strongest moment was when they really demonstrated what reasonable doubt is. I mean that is really where the pay dirt is for them in this case. The state never really told the jury what happened. And so the defense wants to capitalize on that. They want to tell the jury, listen, you don't know what happened, and if they can't tell you what happened, that's reasonable doubt. And if you have reasonable doubt, you have to let my client go. HARLOW: You know it's interesting, I want to talk about it because it's really all about the jury now and it's in the hands of the jury. And Paul Callan you and I were talking about this yesterday, you have fought a lot of cases in front of a lot of different juries and you talked to me about the difference in style from the attorneys on the prosecution side and the defense style and how a jury made up of all women, and what we know about them five of them are mothers, we know that five are white and one is black or Hispanic, we don't know much more about the makeup of the jury, but -- but you said it actually matters, the style for this makeup of this jury. Why?
CALLAN: Well you know it's interesting. And I think in the answer to the last question, when you know, Tanya was able to get into a lot of very specific things that the defense raised, whereas when I was discussing what you know you took away from the prosecutor's summation, we were talking more about passion and bigger issues about profiling somebody and treating somebody unfairly. And I think that's going to translate -- that sort of passion is going to translate back to the jury.
A lot of lawyers look at this and I've got to be very careful, because you know in this day and age, we -- we like to think the genders are equal in all respect and that we view problems the same way, but I have to tell you a lot of lawyers look at female jurors and male jurors and say you know they perceive the world from different perspectives.
And here you have it's all women six, five out of the six have children and you know they may be more susceptible and more responsive to the emotional plea of the prosecutors here that this was a child in fear of being followed in the night and who is shot down dead in his own condominium development. That may resonate with female jurors in a way that it will not with male jurors. And I think a lot of lawyers think that might be the case here.
HARLOW: Tanya I'd like your take on that. Because you know all of this talk about the being an all-female jury, at first it sort of bothered me frankly because I thought come on, it's men, women come on you know, a jury of our peers here. What is -- what is your take though? Does fighting in front of many different juries and many different make ups, does it matter?
MILLER: It could matter but it won't necessarily matter. I mean I'm a firm believer having tried so many cases as a prosecutor that really the facts in evidence decide your case. And that women jurors, just like male jurors, are able to listen to the facts apply the law and reach the right conclusion.
Now I do think Paul has a point and I would agree with this point, that certain kinds of arguments might be more appealing to certain kinds of people. And I do think when you start to pull on the heart strings, when you start talking about a child who's in fear and you start talking about fairness, I do think that women are going to be more inclined to -- to listen to that and to give that some credence, not to say that men wouldn't, but I do think that that is uniquely an argument that women will listen to. BLACKWELL: Hey Paul our Martin Savidge spoke at length with Mark O'Mara the defense attorney for George Zimmerman. I want to play a portion of that and because this is now in the hands of the jury, I've got another question about the jury. Let's listen to the sound first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK O'MARA, ZIMMERMAN'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, I think the women are going to be very sensitized to the fact that a son has been lost. Trayvon Martin has been lost. That's going to be a sensitivity that they have.
On the other hand I think they're going to be very aware of what it's like to be in a situation where you might be victimized and have to react to that. So it's -- I think they are -- I think they are a good panel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You know I want to talk less about the gender of the jury. More about the number because typically --
(CROSSTALK)
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- we're all used to a jury of 12 and 12 of our peers, but this is six. Are there strategic differences in that jury room, are there different ways that they're going to try to convince one or maybe two of these people who are holding out on one side or the other?
CALLAN: Very interesting question. And lawyers -- there has been a lot of studies of this. What happened, by the way, the background is how do we get to 12 jurors in most places? And you know people are shocked here there are only six people deciding a murder case. Believe it or not, a Welch king back -- I don't know in the 1400 or 1500s decided that he was going -- because of Christ and the apostles, 12 apostles were going to judge the world at the end that jury trials would have 12 people and that really is essentially how we wound up with 12.
Now in 1970, the Supreme Court said you know something, it's legal, constitutional to go down to as few as six jurors in the United States in every case except capital cases.
Now given that they started to study it and this is what they find. Six people come to a conclusion more quickly than 12. They are less likely to hang. And finally and probably unfortunately, they are less diverse. And I think you see that in all three -- in this particular case.
HARLOW: You know also, I do want to finally wrap it up here by playing some sound from John Guy on the prosecution who had that impassioned rebuttal yesterday, talking about the jury's duty to Trayvon Martin, so listen to this and then I want your response Tanya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GUY, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Let me give you one more old saying, maybe the most important one you're going to hear and that is to the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: What's your take on that?
MILLER: I think that that was -- that was just masterful. Because as a prosecutor, what you are telling this jury, what you want them to do is take a call to action. You want them to right a wrong. You want them to know that they are the last hope, they are the last resort for this victim who is here no more and can no longer speak for himself. If you get that jury to identify with the victim and get them to take on the role to righting that wrong, they are more likely to want to hold someone responsible for his death.
HARLOW: Yes you heard them say many times during the trial Trayvon Martin is not here to give his story. It has been fascinating to watch and we will wait here -- 20 minutes away from the jury being back in that deliberation room.
BLACKWELL: Certainly.
HARLOW: Our thanks to you and our thanks to Paul Callan.
All right it is the story of a toddler and a smart phone. You've got to see this. We're going to tell you how the proud father of this little girl ended up the surprise owner of a pretty big eBay item. That's next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF BRIDGES, ACTOR: Hi I'm Jeff Bridges and we can make an impact on ending childhood hunger here in America. According to the USDA, we currently have over 60 million children who are struggling with hunger -- one in five of our kids.
Any of you kids see "Surf's Up".
We think one of the most important things that we can do to end childhood hunger is to have universal breakfast in schools, another thing that is very important is that there are summer meal programs that are available to kid. No Kid Hungry is all about making people aware of the programs that are in the state.
It affects me on a personal way thinking about what that would feel like if I wasn't able to provide for my -- my kids, but also even on a patriotic way, we can't compete with the rest of the world if our kids aren't in good shape.
Join the movement. "Impact Your World". Go to CNN.com/impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARLOW: All right tweet us about this one, because it is a truly NEW DAY in the world of dog scooting, if you knew there was a world of dog scooting, that is because Norman the Briard is now a world record holder. Look at him there. He is a shaggy speed demon. Here he is practicing for his big day, that camera I think in a (inaudible) of him. And here he is scooting his way into history, right here, going nearly 100 feet in just under 21 seconds. He has been all over national television showing off his scooter skills. I wonder what's next for him. A genius dog there.
BLACKWELL: I had no idea there was a record to beat.
HARLOW: Yes me neither.
BLACKWELL: Of dog scooter.
HARLOW: Me neither.
BLACKWELL: OK. Well, you know there are lots of wonderful things technology -- you know, that technology does for us, but every once in a while, things short circuit and fast, and it happens in a big way. So we'd like to take a look at some of those in a segment we call "Technology is Ruining My Life".
HARLOW: All right. So this morning we ask. How closely do you look at your cell phone bill? It's always too expensive. Do you really dig into it? You might want to look up closer because, get this, on average taxes and surcharges end up costing American cell phone customers an extra 17.2 percent every month. Why? What are the extra charges? Apparently local, state, federal taxes, you are paying for 911 systems, even some of that money going to school districts.
BLACKWELL: I don't even know if I get a paper bill anymore.
HARLOW: It's all online.
BLACKWELL: I get a text, your bill is ready. I go to my app, I pay it, I am done.
HARLOW: I kind of like getting the paper bill just to actually look it all over but I don't mind.
BLACKWELL: Do you still write checks?
HARLOW: I might. I am old school. I'm old school.
BLACKWELL: OK. Cool with me.
You have seen your kids grabbing cell phones, iPhones et cetera to play with them -- fine. This story will make you think twice before you hand over the phone. 14-month Sorella was playing with dad's phone last month -- pushing buttons, sliding screens. I don't know what she's doing but she's got the phone. In the process she made her dad the top bidder for a 1962 Austin Healy. Dad got an e-mail from eBay congratulating him on being the top bidder for a car and his heart dropped. But guess what, they decided to buy the car anyway and give it to their daughter for her 16th birthday.
HARLOW: And you know what I heard? Apparently he changed the PIN number on his phone, and he's also made it so you need facial recognition or something to be able to buy something on his eBay account.
BLACKWELL: OK. And I know this is far-fetched but you know who the loser is here? The 16-year-old -- look at this car. If they planned on buying her a car --
HARLOW: That's going to be the coolest car in the school once it gets all fixed up.
BLACKWELL: Right. Once it gets all picked up. I don't know necessarily what's going to happen. Who knows?
We know you've got a lot going on -- work, family, keeping you from all the latest viral videos.
HARLOW: That's why we have our one, our only John Berman keeping track of the net so you don't have to. John joins us now with "What I Learned on the Internets".
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Good morning, guys. The Internet this week was all about the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.
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BERMAN: These two guys are clear winners. Winners assuming they are competing in a contest for the worst bike jump off a dock ever -- ugly. Now, this has got to qualify as a victory at something -- a man hula-hoops with a 98-pound tire. And they said it couldn't be done.
Now, defeat. There's no such thing apparently as a quick hug with a baby elephant. Next time, plan for the full frontal cuddle.
A bittersweet sports story gone viral.
"The Columbus Dispatch" told the tale of the late Scott Entsminger, a hard core Cleveland Browns fan with one final request. His obituary read, "He respectfully requests six Cleveland Browns pall Bearers, so the Browns can let him down one last time." The Browns did not oblige but they did send a shirt to the family.
Finally, nothing says "I love you" like trying to scare you to death. This man tried to prank his girlfriend by rigging a ghost to fly out of a television when she woke up. It goes pretty well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That was either victory or defeat, I suppose, depends on which end of the ghost you are on. And I'm not sure if that boyfriend is now a former boyfriend -- Victor and Poppy.
HARLOW: All right. Our thanks to John Berman for that.
BLACKWELL: Probably former.
HARLOW: Yes, probably.
BLACKWELL: Less than 15 minutes from now, jurors are due to resume deliberations in the George Zimmerman trial. You have a live shot on the left of the Seminole County courthouse, and the great seal of Florida on the right. The cameras are on in the courtroom. We will bring you every moment of what is pertinent. We will be there live with reports from Sanford Florida as they reach a verdict. Keep it here.
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HARLOW: All right. If you've ever seen a mudslide on television or anywhere, and wondered what it's like, watch this amazing video. This is video from a Colorado journalist who was caught on the highway during this mudslide. This is in Manitou Springs. The storms closed a four-mile stretch for several hours on Thursday. The photographer is fine. The car? Not so much.
BLACKWELL: A typhoon hitting Taiwan has lost a little steam, but it's hitting the island hard with heavy rain -- more than a foot in some areas. The storm should hit mainland China today.
And always an incredible sight -- a huge dust storm covering parts of the Phoenix area. Let's go to Alexandra Steele now for a look at how a haboob happens. First we ought to know what a haboob is and then how it happens.
ALEXANDRA STEEL, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. Well, haboob is actually Arabic. It's an Arabic word and it means wind, and it's all about the wind and it's kind of a wall of dust coming at you.
So here is how they form. You need dusty terrain, which we have in Phoenix. Second of all you need thunderstorms. And within a thunderstorm there are uplifts and there are downdrafts, and within the downdraft what happens is the downdraft goes down and the force of it pushes all the dust and it creates a gust front. And then that gust front kicks up all the dust and creates what you are seeing there, which is just kind of a wall of dust.
And, you know, the biggest problem is it lowers visibility. And that's what it did in phoenix yesterday. It lowered visibility to near quarter of a mile. When we get these haboobs, the biggest problem is the lower visibility and then dust, the traffic and the troubles on these highways.
In Phoenix they are not all that uncommon. We see on the average three a year between June and September. So we have certainly seen them, they are used to them, but again, you saw really just a major one and it's pretty scary if you are out there watching this kind of the wall of dust come toward you.
All right. Closer to home here on the southeast coast what we've got -- shower storms and talk about a wall of water. We have seen it tapping in all this he tropical moisture. We have seen it for about two weeks now here in the southeast. Today will be no different. You can see all the way from the southeast to the mid-Atlantic, a lot of flash flood watches and warnings kind of from Washington south.
The northwest, sunny skies, pleasant conditions, and also here in the southwest, it's monsoon season, so we have hot conditions and we also have the potential for showers and storms.
In the northeast, 80s today, 90s tomorrow, and then in New York City, guys, by Wednesday, in Washington, 97; so an incredibly hot week taking shape today. The coolest are the next six to seven days.
HARLOW: Love getting on the subway in New York City when it's 97 degrees. Because then it's 107 degrees in the subway.
OK. Alexandra, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
STEELE: Sure.
BLACKWELL: In about little more than five minutes now, the jury in the George Zimmerman trial due back in court. We will take you life to Sanford, Florida for the very latest developments in that case that has really gripped the nation.
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BLACKWELL: You heard the old expression, "when pigs fly". Have a look at this -- apparently there is a place in the Caribbean where pigs swim. I don't know if there's a resort here, but it happened in the Bahamas on a place called, what else, Pig Island. Wild boars swim toward sightseeing boats, to say hello and of course, they want food because why -- they are pigs.
HARLOW: That's one thing I would not be scared to see in the water is that. I would be scared of a shark but I would be more curious about the pig.
All right. Well, you have heard about this guy, sports agent -- some call him super agent -- Drew Rosenhaus. We know he fights like a shark for his NFL clients, and in a new video that has gone viral, Rosenhaus he proves he is not afraid to take on a real shark. Apparently he snagged the six-foot shark during a deep sea fishing trip. He jumps in the water, tries to wrestle with it and then all right, he let the shark go. Guess he won that one.
BLACKWELL: Hey we're about a minute away from the top of the hour. We know that attorneys in Sanford, Florida are in the courtroom at the Seminole courthouse to begin the second day, the procedures to go into the second day of deliberations for the jury in the George Zimmerman trial.
HARLOW: And we have much more ahead on NEW DAY that starts right now.
