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New Day Saturday

Same-Sex Marriage Resume in California; Dangerous Heat Wave Roasts the West; Neighbor Testifies in Zimmerman Case; Obama: Our Thoughts Are With Mandela; Alec Baldwin's Twitter Meltdown; Stars React to Same-Sex Marriage News

Aired June 29, 2013 - 07:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: The rush is on in California for same-sex couples, eager to marry after this week's historic Supreme Court decision.

COSTELLO: Some county courts will actually open today on Saturday to issue marriage licenses. Everyone else will just have to wait, though.

KOSIK: Several couples are already celebrating their first weekend together as spouses, including their couples who put their names on the very lawsuit that made all of this possible.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now declare you spouses for life.

(CHEERS)

KOSIK (voice-over): It's the day that same-sex couples like Kristen Perry and Sandra Stier have waited, hoped and fought for, the day when they could legally stand together and exchange wedding vows. That wait ended Friday on San Francisco's city hall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now pronounce you partners for life.

KOSIK: When the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that same-sex marriages could resume in California. Just two days after the Supreme Court cleared the way.

(CHEERS)

KRIS PERRY, PLAINTIFF IN SUPREME COURT CASE: San Francisco has shown couples like sandy and I for generations that we matter, that we are equal. We have leaders behind us right now that have done more than we could ever hope for to make it possible for us to be here today.

SANDRA STIER, PLAINTIFF IN SUPREME COURT CASE: We haven't had the protection of other couples. We've always had to try to do things on our own with the help of a lot of lawyers. And now, with the help of a lot more lawyers that ever, we are finally here.

KOSIK: Kristen and Sandra have been together for more than a decade. They were one of the couples who sued to stop Proposition 8, a vote to approve ban on same-sex marriage in California, from taking effect.

KAMALA HARRIS, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is a profound day for our country and it's just the right thing. And justice is finally being served.

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES, CA: On behalf of the state of California, let me pronounce you married.

(CHEERS)

KOSIK: At Los Angeles' city hall, a similar scene, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo had been fighting against Proposition 8 for 4 1/2 years.

JEFF ZARRILLO, PLAINTIFF IN SUPREME COURT CASE: It just -- it feels really great pipe don't know if you can describe or have a word for how equal feels. But, you know, my parents have been married for decades, my grandparents for them before decades. And this is just an amazing feeling.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And the Supreme Court decision made California the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriages.

COSTELLO: It's going to be hot today. Temperatures will climb to 129 degrees out west this weekend. That's the forecast for Death Valley, 129. You can believe -- you can even fathom that, 129 degrees?

KOSIK: I can't. But it's dry heat.

COSTELLO: It's a dry heat. Phoenix and Las Vegas could suffer, too. They're expecting highs around 118 degrees. The early summer heat wave is already causing public health problems.

Almost 200 people were treated for heat-related injuries during an all-day concert yesterday in Las Vegas, 30 others wound up in the hospital. And now officials are asking people, hey, drink a lot of water. Stay in the shade. Stay inside. Don't do activity in the sunshine.

Those officials also taking steps to avoid the worst case scenario and that would be a power outage that knocks out air conditioning units.

So, how long will it last? I mean, Alexandra, they could hit a record, as you said last hour, the highest temperature ever recorded was what, 134?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A hundred and thirty-four in Death Valley, world record heat. It was actually 100 years almost to the day. Just July 10th from 1913. So, we'll have to see what happens. I don't think we're going to get that high.

But this is why. It's a jet stream extreme. What we've got, a rich of high pressure in the West, a trough in the east. The West is baking. The East is soaking. And it's too two sides of the same coin. So, the area of high pressure, what happens -- the air sinks, it compresses and it warms. Like have you ever kind of pumped up your bicycle tire and you felt the tire, it was warm. And that's what happens. That's what's happening here.

And the problem is, you know, Carol spoke of the air conditioning potentially with the power going out. At nighttime, temperatures are staying in the 90s or above. And that's the biggest problem. And not only that, it's not just a one, two, three-day hitter. It's going to last through the week. Maybe even through next Thursday.

So, here's where the extreme heat is, Oakland, Vegas, Phoenix, those are the biggest cities impacted. Vegas, will get extremely hot. Places like Los Angeles, you can see right there, the hottest they'll get on Sunday is 93. They've kind of out of this. Phoenix currently, they're still sleeping but it's 94.

Here's the temperature: 118 today, 116, 113. By Wednesday, it's still 110 to give you some perspective. And Vegas should be on the average at 102. Phoenix should be 107. Right now, 92 degrees in Las Vegas.

You can see breaking records, the high, 115 was the older record. Today expecting 116, 117, all flirting with records that are dating back to about 1994.

Here's what Carol was talking about. The normal high in Death Valley is 114. Today, 128. Now, the all-time record as we were saying was 134 almost 100 years ago. So, look at these temperatures. You know, just off the charts.

So, I love when -- I was going to put up a graphic: drink plenty of water, don't exercise at 3:00. We know that. You're not jogging in black outfit sweats at 3:00 with this kind of temperatures.

COSTELLO: I know. Do you feel like doing anything when it's 118 degrees? Can you imagine looking at your little temperature thing on

KOSIK: No. And I'm thinking that a lot of air conditioners are going out, that those repair service, really in high gear at this point.

STEELE: You know one thing, 128, that's what a medium-rare steak is. That's how it is, to give you a little perspective.

COSTELLO: You mean a cooked steak?

STEELE: Cooked steak.

Yes, if you ask for it rare, 125, medium/rare, 125, 130. I don't know how to cook, but I read that.

KOSIK: Nice analogy, nice analogy.

All right. Alexandra Steele, thank you.

STEELE: Yes.

KOSIK: Jurors are getting the weekend off in the George Zimmerman murder trial.

COSTELLO: They've been hearing from witnesses all week long, though, about what they heard or saw the night Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin. A neighbor who took the stand yesterday stepped outside when he heard a fight. He saw the altercation before that single shot rang out.

CNN's Martin Savidge is live outside the court house in Sanford.

Bring us up-to-date, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you both.

Yes, Jonathan Good is the witness you're talking a. He is really I guess you could say the first eyewitness. There have been a number of witnesses who have spoken about what they heard. But this was someone who really spoke about from what he said he saw.

He said he was standing maybe 15, 20 feet away from where the struggle took place between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin inside of that condo complex. He says he saw maybe somebody dressed in red, maybe white on the bottom and somebody in dark clothing on top.

Well, we know that George Zimmerman was wearing a red and black jacket. And that Martin was wearing a dark hoodie.

And then, on the top of that came the issue of who was crying for help. And that is something that the defense has been keying on, because they believe whoever is crying for help is not the real aggressor in this case.

So, listen to the exchange on the stand about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK O'MARA, ZIMMERMAN'S ATTORNEY: The voice screaming for help, however many times that you heard it, it was just one person's voice?

JONATHAN GOOD, WITNESS: When I heard it outside? Yes, I believe it was one person's voice, yes.

O'MARA: And you now believe that was George Zimmerman's voice, correct?

GOOD: I never said that. I said it could have been his. But I was not 100 percent sure.

O'MARA: I'm not asking for 100 percent certainty. I'm asking to you use your common sense and to tell us if you think that was George Zimmerman's voice screaming for help, the person on the bottom.

GOOD: That's just my opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: That's defense attorney Mark O'Mara.

What he's done, he's managed to get that with the tons say essentially two strong things for the defense. Number one, that he believes it was George Zimmerman that was on the bottom that was actually being assaulted by Trayvon Martin. And number two, the person crying for help was also George Zimmerman.

So, those are key points for the defense because George Zimmerman is maintaining it was self-defense -- ladies.

COSTELLO: You say those are good points for the defense, Martin. But in listening to the testimony yesterday, this was a devastating day for prosecutors.

SAVIDGE: Well, I don't know about devastating because the previous witness that have been on the stand have said that they thought it might be the other way around, maybe not as certain as you certain as you heard Jonathan Good say, but that in fact that it was George Zimmerman who some had thought was on top, based upon size and a number of other reasonings.

So, the jury has got to be somewhat conflicted over the testimony they've heard. And then, on top of that, you had Rachel Jeantel who described what she heard. This is the young lady who was on the telephone talking to Trayvon moments before this all went down.

So the jury has a lot to think about here. I don't think that the prosecution feels that they were absolutely defeated. Maybe they had a few setbacks yesterday. But there's more to come.

COSTELLO: All right, Martin Savidge, live in Sanford, Florida, this morning -- thank you.

SAVIDGE: You're welcome.

KOSIK: And the defense attorney who told that awkward knock-knock joke in the opening statements in the George Zimmerman trial is in another awkward position. Look at this photo posted to Instagram by Don West's 23-year-old daughter molly. What it shows them eating ice cream cones with the caption "we beat stupidity cones" with the #dadkilledit. The photo appears to have been posted either Tuesday or Wednesday. Molly West's Instagram account has since been deactivated after an outcry over the questionable photo.

Through a spokesman, Don West says, "As parents, we are not always proud with what our children do, when we move on." As parents, we are not always proud with what our children do, then we move on. We understand the context of the comments is grossly insensitive."

COSTELLO: In Massachusetts, prosecutors are building their murder case against Aaron Hernandez and the two men that they call confederates. But that's not the only trouble for the former NFL star. Police are also trying to tie him to a double homicide.

Deborah Feyerick is following these new developments in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Good morning, Deb.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol, this is the home where Aaron Hernandez was living before his arrest.

The tight end with the New England Patriots was earning $40 million -- I'm sorry on Wednesday, the tight end for the New Eland Patriots was making $40 million plus $12.5 million bonus. Last night, police, we are told, impounded a silver SUV which was owned and registered to Hernandez. They believe that that car may have been used or at least embalmed in that unsolved double homicide in south Boston more than a year ago.

So this investigation has expanded significantly as they try to gather evidence to see whether or not Hernandez was involved in that murder as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about the case where Aaron Hernandez is already charged. He's charged with being involved in the killing of his friend Odin Lloyd. Where does that stand now?

FEYERICK: OK, so here's what we know already. And for those folks who may not have been following this with respect to Odin Lloyd. Odin Lloyd was a semi pro football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee. Well, about a week ago, just so you know, his body was found in a gravel pit not too far from this very home.

A week ago, Hernandez picked up Lloyd in a rented silver car and then picked up two other men. The men stopped at a gas station. That's where Hernandez bought this pack of blue bubble gum, among other things. And when the car was returned, a.45-caliber casing from a gun was found along with a chewed piece of bubble gum. And they believe it's the same kind of casing that was used in the murder of Odin Lloyd.

Now, his funeral is today, the family gathering to pay their final respects. But still, police looking very closely at this to see whether in fact Hernandez's DNA was on that bubble gum. And why -- the motive, the motive as to why he may have allegedly wanted to kill this young man. Remember, Aaron Hernandez himself just 23 years old, Carol.

So, this is certainly the end to what was months ago an extremely promising life.

COSTELLO: Unbelievably. CNN's Deborah Feyerick, thanks so much.

KOSIK: President Obama calls Nelson Mandela an inspiration to the world. The president is in South Africa right now as Mandela remains in the hospital. We're going to take you live to South Africa, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to NEW DAY SATURDAY.

President Obama is in South Africa right now. It's the second stop on his three-nation tour at the African continent.

KOSIK: He's just been holding a joint news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma. Mr. Obama first addressed the health of Nelson Mandela.

CNN's Isha Sesay is in Pretoria, South Africa.

Isha, go ahead and tell us more about what President Obama said?

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol and Alison.

Yes, even before President Obama arrived here in South Africa, he spoke of Nelson Mandela as being his personal hero. So, in this press conference that he held a short time ago with the current president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, he really summed up his own personal feelings about the ailing former leader who lies in hospital just behind me.

And it wasn't just his feelings that he summed up, but I think the feelings of so many people around the world. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our thoughts and those of Americans and people all around the world are with Nelson Mandela and his family and all of South Africa's. The struggle here, against apartheid, for freedom, Madiba's moral courage, this country's historic transition to a free and democratic nation, has been a personal inspiration to me. It has been an inspiration to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Yes, indeed, an inspiration to President Obama and people around the world. And I can tell you, Carol and Alison, that Nelson Mandela has been in the hospital behind me for 22 days now. He is in critical condition but stable and still on life support -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know, Isha, that President Obama won't go to the hospital to visit with Nelson Mandela, but he will at some point meet with members of the Mandela family.

Can you tell me about that?

SESAY: Yes, what we hear, President Obama will indeed meet with members of the family, and yes, you're correct. He will not be coming to the hospital. That is what we're told at this point.

We don't know where or when he will meet with the family, but it is our understanding that it will happen today. In a statement put out by the White House, we're told that he will meet with the family, along with the First Lady Michelle Obama, and really express their thoughts and prayers to the family that are going through such a difficult time with their loved one, being in the hospital, as I say, 22 days.

KOSIK: And, Isha, President Obama also planning to visit Robben Island, is that right? SESAY: Yes, he is. After leaving Johannesburg, he will make the trip to Cape Town tomorrow. And will indeed visit Robben Island. For our viewers, just a little bit of context. Robben Island was that high- security prison that Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years of the 27 years in prison, was in a cell 8 foot by 7 feet, living in incredibly harsh conditions.

And President Obama has said it will be a great honor and privilege to take his daughters to that location so they can see for themselves what Mandela endured. And also take the lessons from the life of Nelson Mandela and apply them to their own personal lives and see them in their place in the world -- Carol, Alison.

COSTELLO: I can't imagine what it would feel like to stand in the prison cell that nelson Mandela was held for many years. It was damp in that prison cell. He has a lung infection now. He's been fighting that same lung infection ever since his time at Robben Island.

Isha Sesay, thank you so much.

SESAY: Yes, really. I mean, he's had this --

COSTELLO: Go ahead, Isha.

SESAY: No, just to your point, again, more context for our viewers, that indeed, we know he contracted tuberculosis while he was there in Robben Island. The belief is he damaged his lungs working in that prison quarry while he was there for 18 years, an incredibly hard life. And, you know, the feeling is it is that damage that continues to trouble him today and why he's in the hospital behind us with these lung troubles.

COSTELLO: Isha Sesay, thank you so much.

Ninety-four years old, just amazing. An amazing man.

COSTELLO: Just ahead, brick by brick. The house that Paula built is falling apart. We'll tell you who's ditching Deen and how much it's going to hurt that bottom line.

KOSIK: Plus, Taco Bell packing in more protein, helping to lure in the more health-conscious crowd.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Let's do it. Let's talk some biz-ness.

Would you give up hundreds of millions of dollars, possibly billions of dollars to just make, ahh, a few million?

COSTELLO: Yes.

KOSIK: I know, me, too.

COSTELLO: Wow, just to make a few million. Bummer. KOSIK: That's what these two guys, Brian Acton and Jan -- forgive me, Kdum. Both mean are former Yahoo! executives and they started app. And app actually replaces for text messaging on your iPhone. It charges 99 cents for the app.

Here's the thing, these two guys could make millions more dollars but they refuse -- refuse to allow advertising, Acton in fact said, quote, "No one wakes up excited to see more advertising. No one goes to sleep thinking about the ads they're going to see tomorrow." He goes on to say, they really think about maybe the conversation they had on text. So, he wants to make that -- he and his partner want to make that whole experience more memorable without being interrupted by ads.

COSTELLO: I like that idea.

KOSIK: But what I'm curious about, if they're going to sell out at the end. I know they're standing firm and saying we're not going to take advertising. I wonder, though.

COSTELLO: But then they'll get really successful and then they'll sell it off and still make billions of dollars.

KOSIK: There you go.

COSTELLO: That's smart business.

KOSIK: That is.

COSTELLO: OK. Some people are making the run for the border and they'll soon have a new healthy option.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: Taco Bell restaurants, many of them will soon start marketing its Taco meet filling under the name protein.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LENO: Instead of meat, they're calling it protein. Now, I'm amazed they can still call it Mexican food. Please, how does that work?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It's not really Mexican.

KOSIK: No. But I love it. I like it.

COSTELLO: I know, it's so good but so bad for you. But they're trying. The company will be offering chicken and steak burritos and bowls. Each option is less than 450 calories, more than 20 grams of protein. They'll test that menu out in Ohio. The meat-loving stating of the nation.

KOSIK: Here's -- it's funny, do you really go to Taco Bell for a healthy meal? I mean -- COSTELLO: No, but if there were options on the menu, I might choose that. But I'm thinking if I'm a guy and going to Taco Bell, I'm not going to get a low-calorie item. I'm going to get the big, huge --

KOSIK: Exactly. I know when I was pregnant, I was craving heir burritos I would run over at least once a week because I wanted the just that.

COSTELLO: Just the smell of it or something. It's good they're trying. Good for you, Taco Bell.

KOSIK: Yes, all for it.

All right. From one national food brand to another. It's really been a rough week for Paula Deen. Her $17 million empire crumbling like a butter-laden coffee cake. Business partners have been fleeing since news surfaced about her admitting past use of racial slurs.

And among them Random House, Walmart, Caesars Entertainment, Smithfield Foods. The list really just seems to be growing by the day. Now, Deen has apologized but it doesn't seem to be helping her cause. In fact, her partners didn't really start fleeing until after she posted that apology video or videos.

So how should Deen have handled the situation better, maybe?

Crisis management expert Bob Zito said it's all about hitting the pause button, letting everybody take a time-out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB ZITO, FOUNDER, ZITO PARTNERS: You ask her to suggest that they withdraw for a while.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

ZITO: Let's step back. Let's take a time-out with the relationship. Let me deal with the issues we have, let me get through this, and then let's talk about what we're going to do next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So the outspoken Southerner may be out of the spotlight for a while but it appears she'll have plenty of fans to greet her if an when she decides to make a comeback. Deen's newest cookbook shot up to number one on Amazon's list of hot new releases before it was pulled. And a "we support Paula Deen" Facebook page has more than 500,000 likes.

So, even with all the bad press, there are a lot of people coming to her -- coming to support her.

COSTELLO: Everybody saying she should stop talking.

KOSIK: I know.

COSTELLO: She did too much talking, right? Just like chill.

KOSIK: Yes, we'll see what happens.

COSTELLO: Yes, we will.

Key witness to the George Zimmerman murder trial said Trayvon Martin called Zimmerman a cracker, a racial slur. How could that affect the prosecution's case?

Plus, Alec Baldwin is apologizing for one vulgar anti-gay Twitter rant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Mortgage rates soared this week, their biggest jump in 26 years. Have a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning and welcome back. I'm Carol Costello. At 32 minutes past the hour.

Let's talk about the Zimmerman trial and the prosecution's key witness this week, Rachel Jeantel. Her testimony is critical to both sides of the case, because she was Trayvon Martin's friend and she was the last person on the phone with Trayvon Martin during that deadly confrontation.

But did her testimony turn this case into a trial about race? Instead of murder? Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON WEST, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Describing the person is what made you think it was racial?

RACHEL JEANTEL, TRAYVON MARTIN'S FRIEND: Yes.

WEST: And that's because he described him as a creepy ass cracker?

JEANTEL: Yes.

WEST: So it was racial, but it was because Trayvon Martin put race in this?

JEANTEL: No.

WEST: You don't think that's a racial comment?

JEANTEL: No.

WEST: You don't think that creepy ass cracker is a racial comment?

JEANTEL: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: But some say it is a racial comment.

Listen to what Daryl Parks, attorney for Trayvon Martin, had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARYL PARKS, MARTIN FAMILY ATTORNEY: To this family, race is not a part of this process. And anybody who tries to inject race into it is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So let's bring in our legal guest, Tanya Miller is a former federal prosecutor. She's joining me here in Atlanta. And Danny Cevallos is a criminal defense attorney. He joins us from Philadelphia.

Welcome back to both of you.

TANYA MILLER, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Hi, Danny.

DANNY CEVALLOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi. Thank you. Thank you. I can hear you fine. Sure, I just -- I'm so sorry.

COSTELLO: It's OK.

Tanya, first question, it seems like actually Rachel Jeantel is on trial.

MILLER: It really does. You know, I've been thinking about this all week as I've been watching the trial unfold. And unfortunately what it appears to me to have happened that Rachel Jeantel wasn't adequately prepared by the prosecution for her testimony. She is who she is. Witnesses don't come perfect.

COSTELLO: You think you can prepare Rachel Jeantel for testimony?

MILLER: Oh, absolutely. As a prosecutor, you get all kinds of witnesses. I've had case where the witnesses were convicted murderers, confessed liar, who had been threatened who were deathly afraid of coming to court, who didn't speak well, who weren't educated. It is the prosecutor's job to work with that witness to prepare her for what is coming.

COSTELLO: Because, Danny, when I listen to her, she seems like the kind of young woman who you cannot coach. She is who she is. She's defiant. She's going to say what she says.

CEVALLOS: Yes, counsel brings up a good point. If this business, you have all kinds of witnesses, they're often not polished. And Rachel is certainly someone who is what she is.

But the other side of that coin is that when you are who you are, the jury is free to believe part of your testimony or none of your testimony. And when you contrast Rachel with Mr. Good, who testified yesterday who is very clear, very understandable, the jury probably was able to find him more credible than Rachel.

Even though you may find her likable, you may find her candor -- you might find it really appealing. But ultimately, it's about credibility. Whether or not you think someone's falsifying, this is probably -- Rachel's probably someone that just isn't credible.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's bring the conversation back to race and how this has become very much a factor in this trial. When Rachel Jeantel said on the stand that she didn't think cracker was a racial slur. It was just something that kids say. And she claimed that Trayvon Martin called Zimmerman a cracker. That really did inject race into this case.

Now, if you talk to Trayvon Martin's family, especially his stepmother who was on Anderson Cooper last night, she thinks this case has nothing to do with race. Yet it's there now, isn't it, Tanya?

MILLER: Well, I think race has always been part of the case. I'm not sure I completely understand the about-face of the family's attorney with respect to the role that race has played in this case and frankly how people perceive this case to be sure.

As far as -- as far as Rachel's use of term "cracker" and her feeling it wasn't racial, it's obviously a racially offensive word. But in using the word in part, impart, it's really going to defend on how the person intends it.

Trayvon also according to Rachel referred to George Zimmerman as the N-word. So what's the significance of these terms are they sort of vernacular slurs, who knows, ultimately?

COSTELLO: But the Martin family is taking this very seriously. Last night on the Anderson Cooper show, Martin's stepmother, and Danny, I'll address this to you, she said that George Zimmerman was not racially profiling her stepson. Instead, she thinks Zimmerman was profiling the fact that Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie and acting tough, but he wasn't profiling Trayvon Martin because he was a black kid?

CEVALLOS: Yes. Well, that's I mean, race ultimately is not an element of any of the crimes charged in this case, nor self-defense. So while we can open a dialogue about race, even injecting it into the case, the real reason probably defense injects that into the case is not really racial but more so the jurors look at these witnesses who use these words so freely. And say, wow, that's not the kind of language that I would use, therefore, I can't relate to this person. Irrespective of that person's race, it's just language I would not use in polite company. Therefore, I can't identify with that person, and therefore, I don't find them credible.

So this case is less about race. Race is not an element of any of the charges or self-defense.

COSTELLO: All right. Tanya Miller, Danny Cevallos, thanks so much for the conversation this morning.

MILLER: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

MILLER: Thank you.

KOSIK: Alec Baldwin has a meltdown on twitter, even uses anti-gay phrases in a rant against a journalist. Now, he's trying to explain himself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: We are in the E-Block now. That means time for some entertainment news.

We're going to begin with Alec Baldwin's controversial Twitter meltdown.

The former "30 Rock" star went on a homophobic rant on George Stark, who's a journalist at London's "Daily Mail", who reported Baldwin's wife was tweeting during after James Gandolfini's funeral, writing, "The pregnant yoga instructor's social media feed was full of upbeat posts while 'The Sopranos' star's friends, family and co-stars were gripped with gripped with grief at a New York Catholic church. Messages included a request for idea about wedding anniversary presents and promotional notes on an upcoming appearance on the Rachael Ray show."

Baldwin denied the report in the series of angry tweets, saying, "My wife and I attend a funeral to pay our respects to an old friend and this toxic Brit writes this bleep trash." The expletive-filled rants continued. "I'm going to find you George Stark, you toxic queen, and I'm going to expletive you up."

But in a letter posted to GLAD's Web site, Baldwin apologized for the anti-gay slur, saying his tweets didn't have anything to do with anything to do with, quote, "issues of anyone's sexual orientation."

Joining me now for more, V-103 radio personality, Kendra G. Thank you for coming in.

KENDRA G: Not a problem.

KOSIK: And the co-host of "The Bert Show", Kristin Klingshirn. Thanks for coming in.

KRISTIN KLINGSHIRN, THE BERT SHOW: Thank you.

KOSIK: You know, to be clear, just want to make this clear this. You know, it is possible that the journalist was wrong and that Alec's wife wasn't on the phone, because with Twitter, you can schedule when your messages post. But what do you make of all of this?

You know, GLAD coming out and supporting Alec Baldwin, and then, you know, knowing that he sort of has had this anger and rage on Twitter before?

KENDRA G: Well, Alec Baldwin, he always goes off. I actually appreciate the fact that the celebrities have their platform via Twitter. If the journalist was wrong, he needed to be corrected.

Now, maybe the choice of words that Alec Baldwin utilized weren't proper, but I understand he was angry at the moment. So, I think we should forgive him.

KOSIK: What do you think, Kristin?

KLINGSHIRN: I commend him for one, to stick up for his pregnant wife. I totally understand that. I'm sure, as a husband, who's about to become a father again. But Alec Baldwin is a seasoned actor. This is not his first bout with anger and with issues, and he needs to rise up and he needs to know he's better than that, even on Twitter, when you do have a more personal voice.

KOSIK: Exactly. You know, this sort of brings up the whole Paula Deen thing. I mean, she's come out and sort of apologized at least, what, three, four times at this point. And all of her business associates are dumping her, yet, GLAD comes out and support Alec Baldwin. Is there sort of a double standard going on here?

His career survives, hers goes in the toilet. He supports a lot of gay -- he supports the gay community. He comes out at charity events. From what I understand, he gives his money to gay charities.

And at the same time, we've heard that Paula Deen has supported African-American charities, for some reason, her career does not survive but his does?

KENDRA G: Honestly, I think you cannot compare the two. These are two different circumstances. Paula Deen is being criticized for being a racist. Let's just call it what it. And, you know, with the word that she admitted to using is on a whole different level. And I believe that Paula Deen has apologized kind of. She hasn't really come out and said, this is what I said. I'm sorry. Her quote is "I is what I is." So, I'm not comparing the two. And no, she's not getting a pass, I'm sorry.

KOSIK: Kristin, does she get a pass with you? Actually, do you agree with Alec Baldwin getting pass?

KLINGSHIRN: Well, I know. I mean, an insult is an insult, regardless of who it is being targeted to.

And I think that -- but for Paula Deen, she has a lot suit against her. This say much bigger deal with Paula Deen than it is than Alec Baldwin sending one tweet to a journalist who he deems was incredible with the story.

KENDRA G: And the insults are on a whole different level. I think we can agree on that. So, you can't compare the two to me.

KLINGSHIRN: The gay community would have a different stance. KENDRA G: I disagree.

KOSIK: Let's talk about gay marriage in the spotlight. The "New Yorker's" now cover drawing action. And the Supreme Court same-sex rulings.

The magazine is featuring everyone's favorite "Sesame Street" stars, Ernie and Bert, the two are snuggling on the couch together, watching the justices on TV. I don't know, this is a cute image or are children's fictional characters the way to convey a Supreme Court ruling?

KENDRA G.: They're muppets. They're not human. This is for the kids. We're always trying to complicate things too much.

I love Bert and Ernie, they don't have any sexual orientation. They're muppets. That's how I feel about it.

KLINGSHIRN: Everybody should have been celebrating. Humans, homosexuals, muppets, everybody should have been happy with what happened.

KOSIK: What's interesting sesame street has long denied that Bert and Ernie saying in 2011 that the two were only best friends?

KENDRA G: Exactly.

KOSIK: I'll put that out there.

Let's move on to Beyonce, the Mrs. Carter World Tour just came to America. What do you make of the new mom?

KENDRA G: I love everything about Beyonce. I'm so happy she's on American soil right now. I love the fact that this tour is called the Mrs. Carter World Tour. She's letting everybody know she's married to Jay-Z. I wish I could be Mrs. Carter.

I wake up every day dreaming that I could be Beyonce. But, unfortunately, she's living the life. All I can do is watch it. But I love Beyonce. She's a bad mama jama in every single way.

KLINGSHIRN: It's woman power to the nth degree. I hate when people think you either have to be totally independent or you have to be fully in your marriage.

There is the best of both words. She is an independent women doing her thing. And she is celebrating. I have to commend her for doing both.

KOSIK: All right. Kristin Klingshirn and Kendra G, thank you so much.

KENDRA G: Thank you for having me.

KLINGSHIRN: Thank you.]

KOSIK: OK. This little girl owes her life to a mystery woman with just one arm. We're going to tell you her story and other good news across the country.

But first -- a bio mechanist and musician redefine how athletes train and how instruments are played. Both are visionaries in their respective fields. Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a preview of this week's "NEXT LIST."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This week on "THE NEXT LIST," two extraordinary innovators changing the game in their respective fields. Jim Richards (ph) is a biomechanics who is revolutionizing the way Olympic caliber athletes train.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole point of what we're doing is to accelerate their ability to learn these jobs. We're decreasing a number of impacts, which we would hope would have effect on the long- term health of their lower extremity joint. Motion capture technology, we're doing what other sports haven't done. What can play what if games.

One of the things it allows us to do is we can change their body position when they're on the air and then re-simulate the jump. We're going to see if we can buy you more rotation velocity by adjusting your arm position.

MARIAH BELL: They moved my arms and then showed me how much faster I'd be able to rotate.

GUPTA: And virtuoso ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro is redefining the motion he says can redefine the world.

Their stories this Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Eastern on "THE NEXT LIST."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now we turn to the good stuff. We feature stories about people who are doing the right thing. And in today's edition, little Caylee (ph) and the one-arm Good Samaritan who saved her life. Caylee and her family were celebrating by a lake in Georgia when Caylee went missing.

KOSIK: Being so near the water, they immediately feared the worst, and they were right. And after a few minutes, her family started being held above the service of the water by only one arm.

COSTELLO: Caylee coughed up a lot of water but she is A-OK, but the one-armed woman, one-armed hero, he disappeared without a word. So whoever you are please come forward, because a grateful family wants to say a big thank you.

KOSIK: Hopefully she's watching.

Americans across the country reacted to this week's rulings on DOMA and Prop 8, affecting same sex marriage. But what about Hollywood? We're going to share what the stars are saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Take a look at the spectacular video. You are looking at the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. In case you're wondering, this was taken at Douglas County, Minnesota.

KOSIK: Cool. 2013 is the year for the lights have been seen as far South as Kansas. The colored lights are gas particles in the earth's atmosphere colliding from electrically charged particles from the sun.

COSTELLO: Just in case you're wondering, I just think it was pretty.

KOSIK: It does look very pretty.

COSTELLO: It's awesome.

We've seen reactions around the country to Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling affecting gay marriage. Some in favor of the court's decision, others against them.

KOSIK: But when it comes to Hollywood, the response is positive and often funny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC ISTOOK, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER (voice-over): Cheers from Washington were immediately met with tweets from Hollywood as the entertainment industry's biggest players, famous for their overwhelming support for marriage equality flooded the Twitter-verse.

There was the personal, the serious, and the less than serious. And then there was Joan Rivers who suggested any straight person against gay marriage should have to hire a straight wedding planner.

Food Network's Ted Allen told the world he'd be marrying his partner of 20 years. While Kristin Bell and Dax Shepard, who publicly stated that they wouldn't marry until it was legal for everyone, used the occasion to make their nuptials official. She popped the question, and he accepted enthusiastically.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

ISTOOK: And singer Melissa Etheridge didn't just tweet but jumped on the phone with CNN to confirm her engagement to long time girl friend Linda Whallem. I am looking forward to marrying my partner of three years, and I'm going to get married in the state of California.

(on camera): From Hollywood tweets to late-night laughs, Jay, Chelsea and "The Daily Show" made sure America fell asleep to a supreme chuckle.

CROWD: D-O-M-A, the high court made it go away.

JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: We don't need a Defense of Marriage Act. What we need in this country is a marriage cap. You are allowed three, that's it, you're done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Do you think daddy marrying a man?

ISTOOK: And instead of fighting zombies in "World War Z", this funny or die spoof shows Brad Pitt facing off with something new in World War G.

And speaking of Brad Pitt, he and Angelina Jolie also said the same thing, they would not get married until gay marriage was legal. So, could this ruling mean wedding wells for Brangelina?

We'll keep you posted.

Marc Istook, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)