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New Day Saturday

Rare Tornado Hits Los Angeles; Senate Reconvene at Noon on Spending Bill; "Justice For All" March in DC Today; Torture Report: U.S. Faces Harsh Realities; Interview with MLK III About "Justice for All" March; Beverly Johnson Accuses Bill Cosby

Aired December 13, 2014 - 07:00   ET

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

(MUSIC)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Can you imagine?

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: No.

BLACKWELL: Being in this apartment. He's holding the camera the whole time as this tornado whips through South Los Angeles. You see the thing ripping off rooftops and also tore down some trees here.

PAUL: And developing overnight, the Senate is going to meet today, yes, on a Saturday, after failing to reach an agreement on a massive government spending package.

BLACKWELL: Also, protests continue across the country over recent police killings happening as thousands are preparing to march through the Capitol today to demand change.

PAUL: We're on a mission to get you in the know this morning so you can get on with your Saturday.

We're so glad you're here. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock here on the East Coast.

PAUL: Yes. We want to begin this hour with -- this is frightening video, and think about it, this is very rare to have a tornado whipping across south Los Angeles. Here you go.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

PAUL: That is a lot of bleeping going on. As you know, he is saying things we cannot repeat on a Saturday morning.

But what an incredible scene out of Los Angeles and that monster storm pounding the West Coast. The guy that took this video said he saw his own roof fly off. You saw it, too.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BLACKWELL: You saw all the debris flying through the air. And I don't know if you noticed, but as the pieces of his roof flew off there was an open window a house or two next door, it blew out windows, knocked down trees. The winds here rest up to 85 miles an hour. A lot of people are going to be cleaning up this huge mess this morning, as we know. But it's amazing that he was able to keep his faculties and record that video.

PAUL: I know. This is the first tornado we've seen in seven years.

Karen Maginnis is at the weather center now.

BLACKWELL: Karen, is this unusual to see a tornado in the heart of Los Angeles? I imagine it's been quite a while.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really is unusual. It has happened but I would say it's very rarely. Every five to 10 years, we see a funnel cloud, or a tornado. Back in 1983, there was a March tornado that did damage to a convention center.

Let's go ahead and show you all the activity that we saw across the West Coast. Here you can see Southern California, EF0 tornado. No one was injured in this. And the winds estimated at 65-85 miles an hour.

Let's go ahead and take a look at Camarillo Springs. Now, this is in Southern California, Ventura County. They're saying about 18 homes are red-tagged, meaning that they are going to be destroyed, essentially destroyed.

There was a burn area here and because of that, there was nothing to hold back the rainfall, which was about 2 1/2 inches, and that produced a lot of debris. And one interesting here as well, a balcony collapsed -- this was in coastal California because of the rainfall, record amounts of rainfall between one and two inches in some of these areas.

Also, a home collapsed in the ocean. This was in Los Angeles. The rain came down, high winds associate with this as well. I want to mention not just the rain, but they had snow levels.

And these people in California had been enduring such a miserable year because of no rainfall. They were in extreme drought, most of the state, for most of the year.

Also, there were two people rescued from the L.A. River as that river swelled up after heavy downpours there. A little bit of a break and we go to Monday and yet another Pacific storm system expected there -- Christi, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Wow. Rough time for them out West. Karen Maginnis, thank you so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Karen.

You know, the other big story that we're following this morning, a Saturday surprise on Capitol Hill. In less than five hours, senators are going back to work. They're trying to pass this massive spending package in order to avoid another government shutdown. They were supposed to adjourn for the weekend and resume debate on Monday, but in a late night twist, some junior Republicans defied an agreement reached by the Senate top leaders.

So, let's talk about this with CNN's Erin McPike and CNN's senior digital correspondent Chris Moody. He's also in Washington.

Thank you both for being here.

Erin, I want to start with you. What exactly happened last night?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid had reached this agreement. He wanted to get unanimous consent that the Senate could adjourn until Monday when they could then hold that vote on the overall spending bill. Well, Utah Senator Mike Lee, that junior senator you were speaking about, he was the one who wanted to get a guarantee that he could get a vote on his amendment to strip funding from President Obama's executive order on immigration. Majority Leader Reid said no way. And so, because he objected, the Senate will be in session at noon today. They will be voting throughout the day.

Now, ultimately, people expect that this spending bill will pass on Monday. But it creates all these procedural headaches.

The other thing is President Obama has been saying he does not think this is a perfect bill but he has suggested he will, of course, sign it even though he doesn't like it for some other reasons.

But I want you to listen here to some of the comments he made about that yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This, by definition, was a compromised bill. This is what's produced when you have the divided government that the American people voted for. There are a bunch of provisions in this bill that I really do not like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: What Democrats don't like is that it raises the limits pretty dramatically on what political donors can give to political parties and it also rolls back some regulation on Wall Street reform. Senator Elizabeth Warren has said she doesn't like it for that reason as well. But we've heard from sources that she has made her piece because she has made the statement, but that she's not going to hold it up. But right now, what we're seeing is Mike Lee is holding it up.

Things could speed up today but ultimately expect this vote on Monday, Christi and Victor.

PAUL: All right. Chris, I want to ask you, what do you expect specifically to happen in the Senate today to accomplish -- to be accomplished.

CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, C-Span junkies rejoice, you've got something to watch for the weekend. They're going to reconvene this afternoon.

What we're going to see actually is a marathon of votes on nominations President Obama would love to get in before the Republican majority sweeps in, in January, and ruins a lot of those plans. And then, late into the night, you'll see a procedural vote to proceed. Not a final vote on that omnibus bill, but that will happen next week. They should wrap it up very late into possibly the early morning on Sunday.

But it's going to be a long day on Capitol Hill for lawmakers who thought they would be out of here for Christmas or out of here for at least the weekend.

PAUL: Well, you know, with so much anger on both sides of this, Chris, are you -- are you surprised you believe this to be passed?

MOODY: I mean, there is a lot of anger on both sides. There are quite strange bedfellows here opposing the same bill. You've got Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi on one hand, and Ted Cruz and Rand Paul on the other.

And I think people are angry because a lot of lawmakers use this opportunity, a must-pass bill, to slip in special interest provisions to get in they probably could not get passed on their own. And some of them came in, in the middle of the night, when not a lot of people are looking. So, I think that's why a lot of people outside of Washington look at this and they shrug their shoulders and frustrated with the way things are getting done in Washington.

PAUL: OK. So, Erin, if this is a done deal voted on in Monday, what does that mean then?

MCPIKE: It means that President Obama will most certainly sign it before he heads out of town. He's going to Hawaii a couple weeks with his family on Friday.

But, President Obama -- there was some talk of whether or not President Obama would even sign it. But he has basically suggested that yes, he will sign it next week.

PAUL: All righty. Erin McPike and Chris Moody, we appreciate you both. Thank you.

MOODY: Thank you.

PAUL: So, hours from now, protesters are expected to flood the nation's capital to call attention to police killings, such as the ones involving controversy at deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

BLACKWELL: This is part of what demonstrators call the week of outrage. Protesters will begin their march near the White House and then make their way down to the U.S. capital.

PAUL: Demonstrations are also expected to take place across the country, including in California, in Florida, in New York.

BLACKWELL: This is what it looked like in Cambridge, Massachusetts last night. Waves of protesters stopped traffic, just clogged the intersection there with a so-called die-in.

PAUL: That is a heck of a picture, isn't it?

In St. Louis, look what's happening there. Peaceful protesters gathered outside city hall to demand justice, and law enforcement reform. And it was not without controversy. There was an officer was wearing a Wilson badge on his right arm.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the bad was a reference to the former Ferguson police officer who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown back in August.

PAUL: Meanwhile, Eric Garner's mom accuses the officer who's chokehold led to her son's death of a thrill kill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN CARR, ERIC GARNER'S MOTHER: If it was a take down, why when he had him down he continued choking him, mashing his head against the ground, the rest of the police officers on him. The video plainly shows how long he had his hand around my son's neck. He had no regards for his life, like it was a thrill kill for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Former President Bill Clinton is also weighing now in on the weeks of unrest, saying police departments really need to work to improve their relationships with their communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: The fundamental problem you have anywhere is when people think their lives or the lives of their children don't matter, they're somehow disposable, just like a paper napkin after a lunch at a restaurant or something, it just doesn't matter. And we have to -- if we want our freedom to be indeed as well as word in America, we have to make people feel that everybody matters again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Clinton went on to say there's a lot of work that needs to be done to rebuild trust with communities. In a few minutes, Martin Luther King III will join us to talk about the recent police killings and nationwide protests. So, a unique perspective from him.

BLACKWELL: Also, later today, family and friends will remember the Mississippi teenager burned alive, the latest on the investigation as her family prepares for her funeral.

PAUL: Plus, a former intelligence officer says the worst thing about the Senate's torture report isn't the methods used, but the damage it will do to our intelligence communities. He's joining us to talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PAUL: Welcome back to NEW DAY. We have a busy day. We want to get you your "Morning Read".

BLACKWELL: Yes. A funeral will be held later tonight for Jessica Chambers. She's the 19-year-old in Mississippi who was set on fire and actually burned to death. Hundreds of friends and family gather last night to remember and had a vigil. And police are investigating the strong possibility they call it that someone was with Chambers just moments before flames engulfed her car. CNN affiliate WMC spoke to a man police questioned about Chamber's death and he says investigators told him Chambers last words were either Eric or Derrick.

PAUL: And overnight, a gang task force in Portland, Oregon, did arrest a 22-year-old man, this after four people were shot near a high school yesterday. They did recover a gun from his car apparently as well. And a 16-year-old girl suffered the most serious injury. She is still in critical condition this morning.

And in money news, there is apparently a downside to that cheaper gas prices that we've been seeing lately. As oil prices continue to drop, oil companies say they're going to have to slash jobs. Halliburton says it's going to cost or it's going to cut a thousand jobs. And BP says it will also have to cut jobs as part of the billion dollar restricting plan, but it's not saying how many in that case.

BLACKWELL: Now, it's hard to know who or what to believe when it comes to the CIA's treatment of detainees after 9/11. For starters, there's a debate and a lot of spin on whether the CIA's tactics were in fact torture or as they're known inside the industry, the EIT, simply enhanced interrogation techniques.

What's more, the Senate's report says the tactics, which included things like mock executions, rectal rehydrations, sleep depravations, beatings, waterboarding, were not just brutal but that they failed to produce any intelligence that could not have been gained by other means.

Michael Pregent is a former U.S. senior intelligence analyst. He's also the author of an op-ed on CNN.com about the public release of the report.

Michael, it's good to have you with us.

MICHAEL PREGENT, FORMER U.S. SENIOR INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Thanks, Victor. Thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: So, you write in this op-ed that the most damaging consequence maybe that it would set back our foreign services in fighting terrorism. How?

PREJEAN: When you -- if you look at the abuses of Abu Ghraib in 2003, al Qaeda and terrorists put together these manuals on how to conduct yourselves when in U.S. custody, to each time you're in there claim you're being tortured, you're going to be able to organize, you're going to gather, you can be able to form things, form organizations much like we saw from the report in "The Guardian" on Bucca, was Baghdadi.

What it does it takes away the fear that a detainee has of the unknown. This report basically constrains our intelligence services and lets a future terrorist who becomes a detainee basically says there's nothing to fear in U.S. captivity, just wait them out nothing will happen to you. The fear of unknown results in intelligence information. The fear of the known is not something anybody fears.

BLACKWELL: Yes, you wrap up the op-ed with, if your food is cold, just call Senator Dianne Feinstein, saying --

PREGENT: I expected CNN to edit that out. They left it in.

BLACKWELL: Oh, we left it in.

PREGENT: I was writing it towards the end of that and said, they're going to take that out. There's no way they're going to leave it in.

BLACKWELL: It's still there on the Web site. You know --

PREGENT: I know. But -- go ahead.

BLACKWELL: Let me play for you something Senator John McCain, a Republican, who was tortured, says -- he says releasing this information was the right call. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe the American people have a right, indeed responsibility to know what was done in their name. Because we gave up much in the expectation that torture would make us safer, too much. Obviously, we need intelligence to defeat our enemies but we need reliable intelligence. Torture produces more misleading information than actionable intelligence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's take the first portion first. Do Americans not deserve to know what was being done by their government in their name?

PREGENT: As a former intelligence officer, I believe that things that are classified are supposed to stay classified. And when you have releases like this, absent the conduct of how it was conducted, it's really easy to foment an emotional response.

But the one thing I would say is, I look at target audiences in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southwest Asia, and when they heard this report's release, there's basically two camps in those areas. One said, is that all they did? That's not -- our government does far worse. The other camp thought that the report would reveal that the CIA used far worse tactics. The perceptions are that the CIA uses far worse tactics.

So, this report saying this isn't who we are when we release these things, it doesn't resonate in the Middle East, North Africa and Southwest Asia, when they say, OK, we get it, you're apologizing for the three top al Qaeda guys who were under these enhanced interrogation techniques. What about the 170,000 Sunnis, Christians and Kurds in Syria that you haven't done about for three years or what about this Iran nuclear deal you're trying to work? Those messages resonate louder than this terrorist report or this torture report.

BLACKWELL: Yes. You know, many of the perspectives in this conversation -- we'll continue to have this conversation throughout the morning.

Michael Pregent, we thank you for being part of it.

PREGENT: Thank you. Appreciate it.

PAUL: By now, this is a familiar sight, right? People protesting about the criminal justice system. To the moms, though, of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, this issue is so deeply personal. In a CNN explosive, Anderson Cooper sat down and talked to all of them and they share their experiences to have an important conversation about race in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So, we've got Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and most recently, Tamir Rice -- all four African-American, all four unarmed when they were killed, all except Trayvon, killed at the hands of police.

BLACKWELL: Well, their deaths have sparked outrage and protests. You've seen the demonstrations across the country and even outside of the U.S. many believe they are just a sample of the racial inequities and stark injustices in America.

PAUL: In a CNN exclusive, Anderson Cooper sat down with the mothers of all four victims as well as Attorney Benjamin Crump to have an important conversation about race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you have confidence in the federal investigation going on now?

CARR: Yes. I have much more confidence in the federal investigation than I did in the local prosecutors.

COOPER: You believe your son's civil rights were violated?

CARR: Yes, they were. Yes, they definitely were, because if Eric Garner was a white man in Suffolk County, doing the same thing that he was doing, even if he would have been caught selling cigarettes that day, they would have given him a summons and he wouldn't have lost his life that day. I believe that 100 percent.

COOPER: It's interesting because you talk to -- again, in these polls you see white people don't view it that way by and large. They don't --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no need to. No need for them to view it that way.

SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: They don't quite get it. They don't quite understand. They think there's a small group of African-Americans that's complaining. Oh, what are they complaining about now?

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: You hear that from people?

FULTON: Oh, yes. People say that all the time. What are they complaining about now? What are they protesting about now?

COOPER: What do you say to that person?

FULTON: To that person, until it happens to them and in their family, then they'll understand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't get it.

FULTON: The walk.

They don't understand what we're going through, they don't understand the life and they don't understand what we're fighting against. I don't even think the government quite gets it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

COOPER: Until they walk in your shoes on a daily basis?

FULTON: Well, I think this is shedding light to what's going on. This is not something that's new. It's been happening.

But it's just bringing light to what's been happening. It's bringing it to the forefront. And that's why there's so much conversations, why so many rallies and protests because people are now realizing, if you look at those footage in New York, it's not just African- Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's everybody. Everybody.

FULTON: It's not just about African-American rights, it's about human rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, those mothers, and thousands of others are expected to march on Washington today to protest recent police killings. Some are already comparing it to the historic march of 1963, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

So, just ahead, we'll ask Dr. King's eldest son about it when he joins us here live in the studio. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Guess what. Mortgage rates dropped this week. Here's your look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It is the bottom of the hour right now. We're so glad to have your company. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

PAUL: Demonstrators there in Norfolk, Virginia. Protesters gathered again yesterday to demand justice in the controversial deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police.

BLACKWELL: For weeks now, demonstrations have paralyzed cities across the country. Look at this -- this is Cambridge, Massachusetts, last night.

PAUL: My goodness.

BLACKWELL: Protesters, appears to be 100, more than 200 at those so- called die-ins.

PAUL: Meanwhile in Cleveland, protesters angry over the shooting death of 12-year-od Tamir Rice, through the streets there, with signs that said, quote, "stop police murder".

BLACKWELL: You may remember Rice was shot and killed last month by police officers after officials say he reached for an air soft gun.

PAUL: Now, later this morning, protesters are gathering in Washington, D.C., for national justice for all march.

BLACKWELL: Demonstrators will start just blocks from the White House, there at Freedom Plaza. I think it's 13th and Pennsylvania, and then make their way to the Capitol building. Organizers are calling on Congress to take action against police brutality.

PAUL: The day's event just one, though, of some many that are taking place across the country.

And our Athena Jones has figured out where those are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PROTESTERS: Hands up! Don't shoot!

Black lives matter. Black lives matter.

We can't breathe.

No justice. No peace! ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another week of

protests across the nation, including here in Washington.

(CHANTING)

JONES: The police closed down Lafayette Park, which is the park right in front of the White House where demonstrators gathered outside the White House and blocked major intersections.

(CHANTING)

JONES: And congressional staffers walked off the job to show solidarity for those angry the police officers responsible for killing Michael Brown and Eric Garner won't face criminal charges.

BARRY BLACK, U.S. SENATE CHAPLAIN: Forgive us when we have failed to lift our voices for those who couldn't speak or breathe for themselves.

JONES: But even after the protests fade into the background, the pain and outrage will remain.

TRESSA SHERROD, GRIEVING MOTHER: They are getting away with killing unarmed black men.

JERALYN BLUEFORD, GRIEVING MOTHER: I demand that you hold these officers accountable.

COLLETTE FLANNAGAN, FOUNDER, MOTHERS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY: There is nothing that will prepare you for the fact that the very institution that you taught your child to respect took his life.

JONES: These mothers also lost their sons at the hands of police. They went to Capitol Hill to push for real change.

CONSTANCE MALCOM, GRIEVING MOTHER: It's been 2 1/2 years since my son was murdered. It's 2 1/2 years but it seems like yesterday. The pain never goes away. Every time you see another killing on the news, the wound gets bigger.

(CHANTING)

JONES: At the Justice Department, they demanded nationwide reporting of officer involved shootings and better police training in the wake of deadly force and call for other groups for independent prosecutors in police shooting investigations.

MICHAEL SKOLNIK, POLITICAL DIRECTOR FOR RUSSELL SIMMONS: We have to change how we prosecute these cases. There should be a special prosecutor any time an officer is involved in excessive force or any deadly force or killing of an unarmed civilian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?

JONES: The mothers also wanted Justice Department to create a special division to focus on police brutality cases. Just some of the changes they and many others hope will help end the killing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough is enough.

JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Let's talk more about these demonstrations with our guest, Martin Luther King III. He is the eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and president and CEO of Realizing the Dream.

Great to have you back on NEW DAY weekend.

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, PRESIDENT & CEO OF REALIZING THE DREAM: Thank you. Honored to be here.

PAUL: Thank you, sir.

BLACKWELL: So, first, let's talk about the location of what's happening in Washington. They're at Freedom Plaza not far from the White House, named in part because of the hotel where your father developed part of the "I Have a Dream" speech nearby.

KING: That is correct. Dad, of course, developed -- the speech actually was developed over the years. But the final touches would have been put on at the Willard.

And, of course, the goal and objective is for freedom for all. What I hope today, if that is of concern, is that there are specific type policies that are being looked at, either that need to be -- that are already there that need to be reemerged or new policy.

Now, my dad, for example, when they marched in '63 in Birmingham, the Civil Rights Act was created. When they marched with Selma with John Lewis and Jose Williams, the Voting Rights Act was created. When they marched in Chicago, fair housing in 1968.

So, policy initiatives must be encouraged to come right behind demonstrations.

PAUL: I mean, the fact it's been more than 50 years, you know, since your father was fighting for equality, what do you think he would think now, 50 years later, that this conversation is still where it is today?

KING: Well, that's -- I don't think any of us can totally say, even me as his son. What I think he would say is he'd be very surprised. What probably would be more revealing had he lived and others such as Robert Kennedy, our nation would be on a totally different trajectory. We probably would not be addressing these kind of issues. There may be new issues to address but certainly not these.

I also think that he would -- he would have to raise the issue not just of police that brutality, misconduct, but brutality and misconduct within our own communities. I think he would raise that issue because he always talked about loving each other, sharing, caring, lifting each other up. All of that, I think, must be discussed while the nation's attention is galvanized.

BLACKWELL: I want to pick up on this policy must come after these marches, after the action. Do you think that this can be legislated away, that this is something that is not a heart and mind issue but that Congress can pass and the president can sign something that will solve this problem?

KING: That's a very good question.

The short answer is, yes, but it also entails constant training, not just training once a year or once every two or three years. If you're in combat 24/7, which police officers are and we are certainly sensitive to those women and men trying to do their job everyday, it's a very difficult job.

But if you're in Vietnam everyday and then you're asked to act civil, it's hard to translation, unless you're trained, reinforced sensitivity, diversity, human relations experience. That along with community policing, I believe, has the prospect of the appropriate kind of change.

PAUL: Bill Clinton addressed this yesterday and he said something that I think really hit with a lot of people. He said that "the fundamental problem is when people think the lives of their children don't matter. If we want our freedom to be heard we need make people feel that everybody matters again."

How do we do that?

KING: Well, I think to the initial concept is dialogue. I really think there is a communication breakdown between young people and forces that represent authority. So, there's got to be -- not a dictating scenario, but a conversation so that police truly get to understand what the rejection sometimes is of authority.

And then, at the end of the day, it really is treating everyone equal. We don't seem to do that quite yet. When everyone feels they're treated equally, people, wrong, right, whatever, when you feel you're treated fairly, I should say, that disappears.

BLACKWELL: You know, one of the -- I'll be honest -- difficulties reporting this story compared to I imagine it would have been to report on the march in '63 and the civil rights movement, there is not one singular leader to whom you can go and discuss these messages with. There are small groups, sometimes on social media, you never know who to call. What do you think the difference is, the impact of not having one singular leader, and is that the right way to go for this?

KING: Well, perhaps it is. We have to continue to monitor to find out. What I do believe, however, in one since, it could become disjointed. But then, on another level, if you don't know who the leader is, you can't neutralize it.

BLACKWELL: That was --

(CROSSTALK)

KING: That's the beauty of it.

BLACKWELL: That was the difficulty for some with the Occupy movement. Everyone was the leader.

KING: Absolutely.

I think we're coming into a new age, particularly as it relates to young people. I think that there are some in our society who see these issues differently, and they should be. That's the beauty of what America is about.

But I think as it relates to young blacks and whites and others, they see injustice and they want justice for all.

PAUL: All righty. Martin Luther King III, we so appreciate your voice in this and thoughts and time this morning.

KING: Thank you for the opportunity.

BLACKWELL: Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Another story we're following this morning, developments in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. The judge says some key pieces of evidence will not be allowed at trial. We'll tell you which ones they are and how this could affect the case.

PAUL: Celebrities, they're just like us, right? Angelina Jolie now forced to sit out a major movie event because of something ordinary and very annoying illness. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Let's turn to the some developing legal stories now.

Now, first, a big legal win for NFL star Aaron Hernandez in his murder trial.

Plus, a homicide ruling the shooting death of a 12-year-old Cleveland boy by a police officer.

And also, another Bill Cosby accuser telling all about how he allegedly tried to drug and molest her.

PAUL: Let's bring in HLN legal analyst Joey Jackson for this.

Joey, good morning to you.

I want to start with the Aaron Hernandez case, first of all, because we know that a Massachusetts judge made really key rulings yesterday including text messages sent by the victim, Odin Lloyd that may not be allowed at trial, and also prosecutors may not tell jurors about two other slayings allegedly committed by Hernandez. How much does this hurt the prosecution's case?

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Christi. Always good to be with you.

You know, it's interesting because what happens is before a case begins, defense -- what they do is they files these motions and their motions to suppress. And what does that mean? It means, you know what, there are things that hurt my client that we want not shown at trial. We want to suppress it at trial.

And in this case, Christi, they were very successful. Here's how it helped the defense. When you have evidence and information, for example, that the prosecution wanted to show about a double homicide that Aaron Hernandez was charged with and you try to introduce that into this trial, what do you think it does to that jury? It prejudices them greatly. So, the jury will say, wait, he's charged with a double homicide? He must have done this, too.

And, then, of course, to show that jury the civil lawsuit where he allegedly shot in the face his friend after going to a nightclub? Again, Christi, the jury will say, what? He did that? He must be guilty of this, too.

So, when you're able to get those things out, in addition to the text messages that you were talking about where Odin Lloyd before his death apparently text something about, you know what, the fear, he's in the NFL, he's with someone in the NFL. Now, it was kind of a cryptic message, but even if you get that there in, the jury says, this is a bad guy. And so, I think it was very good on the part of the defense to get that out and not have it seen by the jury as the trial moves forward.

PAUL: All right. Let me ask you about Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was shot by a police officer. His death has been ruled a homicide. So, what happens next? Do we go to another grand jury?

JACKSON: You know what, Christi? Yes, it wasn't a surprise it was ruled a homicide, because remember, it's just a matter of his life being taken away from him by another human being. So, that wasn't really a surprise. And, of course, the nature of it we knew he was shot in the abdomen, which he was, and died as a result of his injuries. But I think what we'll see about that is a grand jury impaneled to see whether or not the officer who was involved in the shooting engaged in any criminality.

And remember as we talk about this, Christi, criminality does not necessarily mean intending to kill someone. It certainly could mean that you were negligent or careless in doing so. And so, we'll see what the jury says and then we know that a civil lawsuit has been filed. That relates to money damages for wrongful death by Tamir's mom. So, that will develop as well.

PAUL: All right. And lastly, we have to get to top model Beverly Johnson, who at this point has joined more than two dozen, Joey, accusing actor and comedian Bill Cosby of drugging or sexually assaulting them. She told her story in an essay that was published in "Vanity Fair." And I think a lot of people are looking at this and wondering, is it time to change statute of limitations? What do you think about that?

JACKSON: You know, interestingly enough, Christi, the -- it hasn't evolved, OK? The statute of limitations across the country, they have evolved.

For example, in New York as of 2006, there is no statute of limitations when it comes to issues of rape and other types of sexual abuse. We're seeing that trend throughout the country.

And so, I think the legislature understands that there's a variety of reasons why women don't come forward right away, a lot having to do with psychological trauma, embarrassment, shame, and all of those things and the things the states and union catching up with that and eliminating statutes, we have to do a better job reaching out to women, saying, you know what, listen, it's OK, these things do happen and we are not going to hold it against you. So, if we do that, in addition to amending laws throughout the country, we'll be in good shape, women can come forward and report. And if true, people will be held accountable.

PAUL: All right. Joey Jackson, always appreciate your expertise. Thank you, sir.

JACKSON: Thank you, Christi. Have a great day.

PAUL: You, too.

BLACKWELL: Oh, it's been a rough week for Angelina Jolie. OK, first, she gets slammed by a Sony exec. Have you seen that death stare picture?

PAUL: Not pretty.

BLACKWELL: Find that if you haven't.

Then, she gets sidelined by an illness -- I guess I had it when I was 7. Most people have it when they're a kid. We'll tell why the star is now sitting out a major movie event.

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PAUL: Fifty-three minutes past the hour. Here are some of the stories we're working on for you.

BLACKWELL: Police in Portland, Oregon, have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection to a shooting yesterday near a high school. Four people were shot. One of victims, a 16-year-old girl, is still in critical condition. Now, a gang task force is investigating.

PAUL: A man suspected of killing three people in the Atlanta area is under arrest now. Police say Aeman Presley shot and killed two homeless men around the Thanksgiving holiday, and then killed another woman last Saturday night. Officials aren't giving a lot of details in the deaths but they say

the murders of the homeless men were committed using the same distinctive bullets.

And Angelina is calling out sick with a case of chickenpox. In a video message, the actress turned director said she is heartbroken she will be at home itching instead of at the premier of "Unbroken", which she directed. It's been a rough week for Jolie, too. Earlier, hacked e-mails of a Sony executive called her a, quote, "minimally talented spoiled brat."

And here was the reaction when one of those people -- one of those executives who was involved in the e-mail exchange --

BLACKWELL: Yes. This is when Pascal --

PAUL: -- meet Jolie at a breakfast. And Jolie looks none too happy.

BLACKWELL: Death stare is what I call it.

PAUL: Uh-hmm.

BLACKWELL: I have no words for you, madam. Death stare.

All right. Be sure to stay with us, because next hour, we're taking you live to D.C. where protesters are getting ready to march and demand justice over the controversial deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and many other black men and boys.

PAUL: But first, in this week's series, "Ones to Watch". We head to the streets of Chicago to explore the world of street art.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER (voice-over): Shepard Fairey, the American street artist behind the "Obama Hope" poster, an image he plastered over the streets of America during the U.S. president's first election campaign.

SHEPARD FAIREY, STREET ARTIST: It is a great example, I think, of how grassroots imagery and activism can make a difference.

REPORTER: Shepard has used simple images to make a statement and to build a brand. He's worth an estimated $15 million, thanks to his clothing company, OBEY, which features his most iconic stencil images, and his prints which sell at auctions for upwards of $80,000. And still he takes to the streets to paint.

FAIREY: I used to be far too street to be considered mainstream. And now some consider me too mainstream for the street. There is validity to both, and there are different things about the street in the gallery, but they're both useful platforms. Democratizing artist's really been what I have been about.

REPORTER: Today, Shepard is in Chicago, scaling the heights of a brick wall with a bold message. FAIREY: What I think it takes to break through as a street artist is

a tenacity, a willingness to go out there, put work up and have it clean, have it covered by other artists, and not be too precious about it, to accept that street art is ephemeral. Of course, finding in places and making imagery that has a unique look that sets your work apart from other people's work is really important. But tenacity is crucial.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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