tv CNN Newsroom CNN April 30, 2013 6:00am-8:01am PDT
6:00 am
obviously the bombing investigation in boston will be a big focus. that's all for "starting point." stay with cnn for continuing live cover rage. a special "newsroom" with chris cuomo starts right now. >> good morning, all our viewers on the east coast and those on the west coast just getting up for the special edition of "newsroom," i'm chris cuomo. carol costello on special assignment in boston. we have new developments on several front of the boston bombing investigation. a new person of interest. this man and they are asking if this canadian boxer turned jihadist may have had a link to the deceased marathon bomber, the alleged bomber. russian troops killed the canadian and other militants last year about the same time the older alleged marathon bomber was visiting nearby. the fbi's also taking a
6:01 am
closer look at the bomber's widow. among the items taken from her home, dna samples. why? to compare them to female dna found on one of the bombs. meanwhile, the younger brother has a new lawyer. judy clarke, a death penalty expert that helps secure life sentences for high-profile clients like the unabomber and eric rudolph, who detonateded backpack bombs during the 1996 olympics. let's go over the investigation with cnn's juliette kayyem. let's begin with something i haven't mentioned yet to close the door on this the miranda issue, circling through politics, about what was done wrong, are you an expert on these things. let's begin with the obvious question. was anything done wrong here to hurt the investigation in your opinion?
6:02 am
>> nothing. nothing whatsoever. the notion we would have held him for some period of time would have inevitably led to good defense attorneys, which he has now, bringing up that issue in court, and then that being a new cycle of litigation. the goal here is obviously to have a strong and solid case through the u.s. criminal justice system. get a conviction or guilty plea, however it would play out. why we would mess with a new theory on how to do the case is a mystery to me. it's a political argument to remain in the space. in terms of bringing a solid prosecution, they are en route and only one goal. the right person, now they want to get a guilty conviction. and to close the circle on this, and we'll move on. speculation, the judge, the judge got involved, and the judge did this, and they filed a complaint, they will arrest and hold the suspect there, they had to make sure the defendant was
6:03 am
aware of the charges and their rights, including the right to remain silent. true or false? >> that's exactly right. and that the defendant that stage, then the process kicks in. close to 24 hours of interrogation of him. that was plenty of time this is just now going through the normal process. almost nothing spectacular about it, and looking back about whether he would have disclosed something that would have unearthed something better is just speculation at this stage. we should be confident that the case will go forward without. what you don't want is bells and whistles at this stage. a solid case through the criminal justice system. done it 100 times before, and though this is an extraordinary situation, the criminal justice system can handle it. this debate should subside. let the prosecution go as it always does, go with a very strong sgilty verdict.
6:04 am
>> juliette, thank you very much. susan candiotti there? great to have you there, susan. what do we know about the search of the widow's home? >> it took about an hour and a half. the fbi going in there, bringing out cases of material and bags labeled dna samples. in fact, dna samples collected from the widow of tamperlan tsavraev. the widow, reason they did this, chris, as we have been reporting from sources, that a female dna remnant of dna was found on the pressure cooker, from one of the bombs that was used in the marathon. so once they had that female dna, naturally they want to look around for anyone it might match. took samples from the widow. our sources tell discuss caution us, even if it's a match, it
6:05 am
doesn't implicate her in the construction of the bomb. anyone could have touched that before, even down to the story cle store clerk that might have sold this to the bombing suspect in the case. one more step that investigators must take to try to put the case together and gather all the evidence they can. the lawyer representing the widow, the older brother, says she is cooperating to the fullest extent with authorities. they have said on her behalf, she wants to get to the bottom of this as well and that she knows nothing about what led up to this. she was in the dark as much as anyone else. of course, the fbi will want to continue to question her about that and about what she knows of her husband, his travels, his activities as they put their case together, chris. >> a quick answer on this. speculation about the canadian boxer turned jihadist, how strong a coincidence is that at this point? what are you hearing?
6:06 am
>> they are still trying to make a link between the canadian boxer, william plotnikov. the reason they are looking at him. he was in russia in dagestan, the same time period when tamerlan tsavraev was making that visit in july of 2012. and he was a russian militant, and he was killed and just a couple days later, the older brother flew back from dagestan from russia to the united states, so investigators are looking to see whether there was any interaction between the two, whether it's possible that tsavraev might have been radicalized, perhaps even trained overseas and possibly by a militant including the possibility of plotnikov. chris. >> susan, juliette, back to you later. appreciate it. a little bit of an update on the victims. bombings may be over, but the bills are just beginning for them. medical costs piling up for the injured, especially those who lost a limb.
6:07 am
so the millions of dollars that's been raised already may not be enough to cover it. let's go to carol costello with more on this. >> reporter: they will need every ounce of courage in the months to come. adrienne haslett-davis is ready. a ballroom instructor who lost her foot, she is determined to dance again. >> i said this many times. dancing is the one thing i do it, when i do it, i don't feel like i should be doing anything else, ever. >> reporter: technology is expensive. upward of $100,000 for the best prosthetic foot money can buy. aheadry yen's friends have already started raising money. ♪ and "dancing with the stars" is stepping up too. >> she vowed to dance again, we vow to be there throughout her recovery. >> reporter: j.p. and nordrin
6:08 am
lost their right legs. when this thing is in the history books, are these guys going to be in good shape, and be able to fend for themselves? that's what i worry about. insurance analysts say medical costs will total at least $50,000. that does not include rehabilitation, or lost income, or prosthetic legs, which cost between $10,000 and $100,000, and have to be replaced every three to five years. >> we need to keep those affected by this tragedy our number one priority. >> reporter: boston's mayor and the massachusetts governor have established the one fund. in two weeks, they have collected $27 million from 75,000 donors. average gift? $65. the challenge now, deciding how much money each victim gets to get on with their lives. and, chris, the one fund is now
6:09 am
up to $30 million. so you can see donations really are pouring in, but ken fineberg, the guy who will administer the one fund and dole it out to families in need, he fears $30 million still won't be enough, because maybe they will have enough to pay the medical bills right now, but what about five years from now, ten years from now, 15 years from now, how are some of these victims going to deal with injuries that might have long-lasting affects on them? it's an open question this morning. >> absolutely, carol. thank you for raising it. we all say, we're all boston right now, now is the time to show it go to the website, cnn.com. information for the one fund is there. give what you can to help these people. we know they deserve it. very easy to get bad news about the economy. we hear it all the time. how about good news? want some. here it is home prices climb at the fastest pace since 2006. that's the headline according to the new report by case-schiller, home prices rising 9.3%.
6:10 am
alison kosik on the floor of the new york stock exchange with perspective. how big is this? >> to put it in perspective, 9.3% is really good news, chris. look at the february prices, yes, up 9.3% from last year. last february. that's a great jump. now, the sort of bad news is you are looking at home prices at 2003 levels. it just shows that good part of it is that the momentum in the housing market continues to moe forward and also shows as far as housing market goes, a lot of ground to make up. these prices of homes right now are still at those 2003 levels, however, we're seeing the housing market recover here in the u.s., albeit slowly. but it's the bright spot right now in the u.s. economy. chris. >> all right, so help me out here, you threw a lot of math at me, allison. those who don't know me as well as you do, my head is in a fog. 2003, 2006, now just the basic
6:11 am
answer this is good if you are looking for signs that the economy is getting better, right? >> right. what's good about seeing improvement in the housing market, you hope it creates a domino effect. if builders are building new homes and people moving out of the old homes and moving into new ones, that also creates consumer spending, can create jobs, especially if you see new homes being built, creating construction jobs, spending goes, going to home depot, lo lowe's to spend money. the irony is if the housing crisis that really caused the economic -- the recession in the first place and it seems to be the housing recovery that is pulling the u.s. out of the d l doldrums. momentum needs to continue. we are getting report after report on the housing market that are good up. new home sales up, preowned home sales up. pending home sales, a great
6:12 am
report yesterday that caused the s & p 500 to actually hit a new high, albeit by one point. less than one point. so you are seeing a market react to some of the housing news, seeing the market react by hitting these new all-time highs, like the s & p 500 did yesterday, chris. >> a great headline to end on. you did have a record at the nasdaq. i want to bring in christine romans, because we need to understand why this is good. first, as i know, someone very intelligent told me once, all real estate was local. christine romans told me that. explain to me what is the significance beyond the number? >> when you buy a house, right, buying carpeting, maybe changing out fixtures in the house, buying a couch, hiring a mover to move you in, move you out. so there is this radiating effect of the movement of money. buying a house, spending a lot of money. it shows confidence as well. consumers confident in the job, where they live, the school district. a big-ticket item.
6:13 am
mortgage rates low. so people are able to take advantage of that. one of the drawbacks so much activity is investor driven, chris. people with a lot of money paying cash for things, if the investor drives up, could you see maybe faltering? >> very interesting. are you saying that these are big-money groups, real estate investment trusts, banker types being collecting money and going out, picking up large blocks of real estate, not necessarily families. >> this is such an opportunity for families too. i want to be clear, really good opportunity for families, you look in places like las vegas, a quarter of some of the hole sales are actually people buying five or six properties and a lot of cash action from foreign buyers in big markets like miami. let me show you -- all real estate is local. 10% gain in more than half the markets that case-schiller looks at. minneapolis, miami, san diego, tampa, here in new york, a slimmer gain year over year, 1.9%.
6:14 am
that's been something we have seen in new york and chicago. not the enthusiasm have you seen in other parts of the country. >> no as much big speculation? prices are higher? >> they didn't have the big boom and crash other people had. new york and chicago, haven't had quite the move that some of the other places had. let's be honest, still lower than you were five years ago. americans underwater. and when i talk about the housing market recovery, i get loads of hate mail, that say it's not better where i live, i can't get out from underneath my mortgage. there is still pain out there in housing, but one of the rare parts in the economy where are you seeing action from investors and low mortgage rates. 3.4% for 30-year fixed money. incredible. 2.6% i think for a 15-year mortgage. that's incredible. if you have a mortgage in the 5% or 6% range, you have to run to refinance, because are you leaving money on the table. a real interesting convergence
6:15 am
of events in housing. >> anywhere you look is good. shows activity in the right direction. not good enough yet for families who we care about the most, but it's good. >> i don't want a bubble this is what you want. slow, steady improvement. >> christine romans, thank you very much. we'll take a break. when we come back in this special edition of the "newsroom," amanda knox opening up for the first time in years for her time in an italian prison. the entire journey, we'll hear about it, when we come back. i've discovered gold.
6:16 am
6:18 am
welcome back. amanda knox's new memoir is on store shelves today. she hopes to convince readers she had nothing to do with the murder of meredith kercher. she spent four years in an italian prison. in an interview with abc's diane sawyer, she says all the harsh names people called her were wrong. >> she devil with an angel face,
6:19 am
sphynx of perugia. >> i haven't heard those. i heard the gist of them. and they are wrong. i was in the courtroom when they were calling me a devil. it's one thing to be called certain things in the media, and another thing to be sitting in a courtroom, fighting for your life, while people are calling you a devil. for all intents and purposes, i was a murderer, whether i was or not. and i had to live with the idea that that would be my life. i want the truth to come out. i -- i would like to be reconsidered as a person. what happened to me was surreal. but it could have happened to anyone. >> surreal and maybe not yet over, because the legal issues
6:20 am
continue. an italian court has ordered a retrial in the case. stay tuned on that one. other headlines, a young mother missing in michigan. investigators desperate for clues on 25-year-old jessica heeringa. she was abducted friday night while working at a gas station. no signs of a struggle or robbery, no security cameras, but police officers are saying "something very bad happened that night." they are searching for this silver minivan seen a few minutes before jessica disappears. try to remember if you have seen that van anywhere else. a tranquil northern california community remains on edge after an 8-year-old girl was killed. authorities did not name a prime suspect. cnn's paul vercammen is covering details. what is the latest on this? >> well, we've gone almost four full days, chris, since the
6:21 am
killing of young layla fowler and so far, they have not been able to come up with a composite of a suspect. that's because in part, one of the witnesses is her brother, a 12-year-old boy, and as each day drags on here, residents still nervous that no one yet is a prime suspect in this murder mystery. >> sheriff's deputies on foot and patrol cars made their presence seen at jenny lind elementary school. this is where layla attended third grade. some classmates held flowers for layla. their parents held on to fear. >> i'm scared. for my kids and for the family. it's horrible. he was friends with her in class. they were classmates. they sit together at school. very sad. things like that don't happen here. >> anything to tell us about what have you and why?
6:22 am
>> i'm sad. i didn't want her to die. >> layla's mother told cnn via facebook, we are devastated and so full of life. look at our baby girl. she didn't deserve this. layla's parents appeared at a news conference monday night. they did not speak and were understandably emotional. through police, they asked for respect and privacy. michael range lives near the fowlers and heard of the deadly stabbing from a neighbor boy. >> i took my kids instantly, locked the doors and waited to find out actually what happened. it's scary. we've been inside all weekend. >> reporter: a lot of residents feel trapped. pinned down after the mysterious death of layla fowler who would have turned nine in june. and tonight we expect an outpouring of emotion as they will have a vigil for layla at the local school. that will start at 7:00, pacific time. chris. >> all right, paul. thank you for that.
6:23 am
happening right now in florida, we'll take a break, but live picture inside a courtroom. soon, the entire nation's eyes will be on here. why? accused murderer george zimmerman in court, down in florida. the future of that controversial stand your ground defense could be decided. we'll take through after the break. everyone's retirement dream is different; how we get there is not. we're americans. we work. we plan. ameriprise advisors can help you
6:24 am
6:26 am
welcome back to viewers on the east coast and those on west coast. accused murderer george zimmerman back in court today. his last scheduled hearing before the start of trial in just six weeks for the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. there are some critical things that could happen today. one, zimmerman might speak. two, the future of his c controversial stand your ground defense could be in play. criminal it was attorney and cnn legal analyst mark la james live in orlando. what could develop with the stand your ground events? >> well, i think we're going to find some turns that nobody expected. there isn't going to be a stand your ground hearing. we've heard a lot of talk about it, a lot of controversy
6:27 am
throughout the country, throughout florida, for white a while now. now we'll find out in fact, mr. o'mara, representing mr. zimmerman, has canceled that. they'll try to integrate the stand your ground hearing into the actual trial, not have a separate hearing. >> that's interesting. obviously. you're a lawyer, i'm a lawyer. but to the nonlawyers, the whole point is stand your ground. to forestall any trial. if stand your ground applies there, is no trial what is the thinking of the strategy here? >> well, stand your ground hearing no chance of the defense winning that. if mr. zimmerman did not take the stand. and i think they simply opined it was better to not have him take the stand a short time before trial and then have those statements available for cross-examination whether he goes to trial. i think they are proceeding on a good old fashioned self-defense
6:28 am
case. the facts seem more like a defense, will go with self-defense rather than a stand your ground, which is a burden the state -- the defense would have a hard time overcoming. >> really? that was a speculation early on, when he gave that interview, mr. zimmerman, right after the event, it seemed like textbook stand your ground case. so much energy directed toward whether it was a good law. >> yeah, things do change as you well know during the course of the case. i think you will find, the reason they try to integrate it into the trial itself, under stand your ground, no civil liability if it's granted by the court. they will try to integrate it to the trial itself. at the conclusion, have the judge say, yes, i hereby find that stand your ground is applicable. why is that important? it then absolves mr. zimmerman of any civil liability. basically gives him immunity from a civil lawsuit which is coming down the line. >> so what do you think? will this trial still have as
6:29 am
big of a butterfly effect in terms of the states that have stand your ground laws or will it become a case of whether or not he's guilty? >> big question. this was going to be the lightning rod case for stand your ground cases, but that will be washed away somewhat. it won't be a separate hearing, you will simply see a trial unfold and play out and then if the judge allow s stand your ground to be integrated, it won't be the focus of the case. the focus of the case will be self-defense. >> how tough to pick a jury here? >> i think we have a new definition for tough. we've never had a case in the united states where you have -- where they have not been able to pick a jury. they will find a jury, but it's going to be difficult. you have a community -- a very diverse county and really everybody knows about it everybody has an opinion and more than an opinion, people are very polarized on this
6:30 am
particular -- with this particular case. so that will make it more challenging, they will get a jury. likely take two or three weeks, that's the general estimate bandied around. >> i appreciate your time this morning. thank you very much. >> thank you. checking the clock, just about 9:30 on the east coast. stock market. irron man, dr. robert downey junior ringing the bell to coi side with the release of "ironman 3." they hope a big day of gains following the news on housing. there he is. actually two iren men there. what does that mean? how is he standing next to ironman when he is ironman? too confusing. alison kosik. are you there? >> i think he may have left his suit home for this occasion, chris. >> my head, my head.
6:31 am
>> focus, stocks are mixed. the focus is the home price report we got a short time ago. over the past year, home prices have jumped the most since may 2006. case-schiller says home prices roast 9.3% since a year ago. phoenix, san francisco, and las vegas include those with the biggest growth. we won't see the positive affect trickle down to stocks. investors taking a breather after a nice rally on monday. along with the housing market. the focus on corporate earnings. 40 s & p 500 companies clocking in with their report cards. today's the final trading day of april. a pretty darn good month for stocks, the dow, s x p 500, up 1.5% since march. dow, five straight months of gains, nasdaq, s & p 500, six months in a row of gains. coming up in a half hour on the radar, numbers on consumer
6:32 am
confidence, chris, we'll see if that can give stocks a more definitive direction. if the record runup can continue today. chris. >> allison, thank you very much it matters even if you don't have money in the market. again a lot of momentum that's positive finds twits other parts of the economy. that's why we follow it so closely. other top stories, ford poised to make history in myanmar. the first major automaker to open a showroom in the country formally subjected to harsh international sanctions. and runners in next month's cleveland marathon will get a chance to show their support for boston. race organizers selling special blue wristbands inscribed with the phrase, boston strong. the wristbands available may 17th, two days before the cleveland marathon. buyers can pay what they want to pay. all proceeds we are told will go to the fun boston fund.
6:33 am
other sports news, looking at the nba's first openly gay player, jason collins. he says he kept another secret. we'll show you that other secret, after the break. we're all set to bundle your home and auto insurance together. i'll just press this, and you'll save on both. [bell dings] ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, llllet's get ready to bundlllllle... [ holding final syllable ] oh, yeah, sorry! let's get ready to bundle and save. now, that's progressive.
6:34 am
oh, i think i broke my spleen! just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights. my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and pilots and stadiums. but, of course, it's a good listener too. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everything works like never before.
6:36 am
6:37 am
he finished the season with the washington wizard announced his sexual orientation. saying i'm a 34-year-old nba center, i'm black, and i'm gay. he said how the recent boston bombings put his life into perspective and tweeting appreciate. all of the support i have received is truly inspirational. i knew i was choosing the road less traveled, but i'm not walking it alone. rachel collins joins me now. this is a big deal. this is major news, not just sports news. >> something people in athletics have been anding to happen. a lot of major u.s. pro sports leagues have come out with anti homophobia policies. anti defamation policies for player who's say defamatory things on the court will fined. big question who will it be? what sport will it be in? the fact that it was jason collins is the biggest surprise
6:38 am
to everybody. not just because he's a journeyman player that a lot of people have known a long time, and haven't seen this side of him. not just because he's seven-feet tall and not what people steero typically expect of what they think is a gay athlete should be. his own twin brother, best friend, didn't know he was gay. something he felt he had to keep so close to the vest. you will see why. he's now decided it's time. for the past 12 seasons, jason collins has done the nba's dirty work. protecting the basket, night after night with little or no recognition. with rev ligs in this week's "sports illustrated" he is gay, that anonymity is over. i have endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. i was certain that my world would fall apart in anyone knew. and yet when i acknowledged my
6:39 am
sexuality, i felt whole for the first time. president obama is impressed with his tourge and the first lady tweeted it was a huge step forward for the country. many expressed support. >> character is found in those who lead. i would like to commend you, jason, for coming out, showing us what leadership looks like. >> i know he feels liberated for doing it, and wish him the best. hope that nba guys can get past sexual orientation, all that bs. in the end of the day, good guy, hard worker, good basketball player and that's what he should be judged for and known for. >> reporter: not everyone is accepting of his sexuality. a prominent espn basketball analyst, chris broussard. called him a sinner. >> i'm a christian. i think home sexuality is a sin. as i think all sex between a man and woman outside of marriage is. >> reporter: he first thought about revealing it during the 2011 nba lockout.
6:40 am
but the boston marathon bombings pushed him to action, helping him realize things can change quickly and there is no perfect time to divulge his sexuality. he decided to wear rarely seen number 98 as a tribute to matthew sheppard. he is not the first athlete to come out, but he is the first to do so while playing for one of the four major leagues. collins is a free agent, which means right now he's looking for a job. chris, i was in brooklyn a few miles from here at the nets/bulls playoff game, talked to a bunch of the players, a few are former teammates of collins, some of them outspoken. wow, great he's done that. it's great. we hope he finds a team next year. some more reluctant. nobody speaking out against him or what he's doing. what i thought was so interesting, players like kobe bryant, and publicly went out on twitter last night, and great
6:41 am
things about jason collins, endorsed what he did. undercurrent in the locker room, if you don't agree with it you need to be supportive of his right to do it. that's the biggest change. not necessarily everybody is in the same boat, but the policy is the regular course of business, this is going to be okay. as opposed to the other way around which is what we had so long. >> i'm thinking. let's bring in zig zeigler, cofounder of outsports.com. great to have you here. here is why i'm a little contemplative here. part of me doesn't like this story. i don't like he has to come out, say this, has to announce it to himself. maybe you need steps like this to get to a point of acceptance where you no longer need jason collins to come out and make this such a central part of the definition of himself. what is your take on this, sid?
6:42 am
>> i don't like the letters that i get from gay youth talking about killing themselves. i don't like the fact that i can't marry my partner of ten years. we don't live in the world we should live in. we live in the world we do live in and in this place, being gay in sports is still strange to a lot of people, still very new. jason collins, in all of the history of pro sports, he's the first active male athlete to come out of the closet and so we could talk about what should be, but the world we live in is a place where some people don't like jason because he's gay, but luckily the fast majority just don't care. they just want to win. >> absolutely. that's a great point, cyd. sports makes this more important. even a tougher community to come out in? >> sports, what we like to see, the best versions ourselves. the guys that can fly the highest, jump the furthest. all in the driveway at one point saying three, two, one, i'm
6:43 am
so-and-so hitting the shot and the fact that gay teenagers can look up to jason collins and say, hey, that guy looks like me and he can hit the shot and he can fly through the air it makes you feel better about yourself. did i some stories with victor cruz, saying hey, the fact that young puerto recolleican kids ck out at his jersey, hey, my last name is cruz, my last name sounds like cruz, it gives people a sense what they can be. >> he certainly has to be applauded for taking this step, especially in a culture not always accepting. cyd, what else needs to happen now? should there be endorsement deals that come his way to kin of balance val date this and bolster the strength of this and it'sence? what do you want to see next here? >> somebody asked me earlier to
6:44 am
rank this on scale of 1-10, and i gave it a 9. because he hasn't stepped foot on the court as an openly gay man with the fans, his teammates. the moment he does that this november, i am convinced he gets picked up. we don't have a lot of productive seven-footers lying around the nba. somebody needs him. when he steps foot on the court and i hope i'm there in that moment, that will be deeply transformational moment. because you will see exactly how his opponents and teammates and the fans in that arena, no matter where he is, feels about the fact that he's gay. >> interesting point. rachel, cyd, we always say that the thing that makes us great is the strength of our diversity. we'll see that when he steps on the court. still to come, the state of a philadelphia doctor accused of killing four babies and a woman is about to be decided by jair. why the issue of race came up in
6:47 am
6:48 am
killing four babies and a mother during a botched abortion. sunny hostin joins u.s. from outsi outside the court. the defense says that their client is being prosecuted simply because he is black. the prosecution says that he preyed on low-income minority women. they are saying that he took advantage of it. how do you see it? >> reporter: well, certainly both sides did bring that up, because we know that this -- this physician is african-american and a lot of patients were minority patients. apparently he had been practicing for many years, he's 72 years old and for about 20 years, there have been reports of his treatment or mistreatment of parents. so the suggestion now that he's only being tried because of his race really i think is a red herring in this issue. what's so fascinating, though,
6:49 am
that both sides argued, just so, so impassioned yesterday, about 2 1/2 hours each side. giving these closing arguments. but really wasn't discussed was abortion. which seems to be at crux of this case. whether or not these babies born six months, seven months, eight months, were viable. were human beings. thus the doctor found guilty of first degree murder of four babies. that really is what the issue is in this case. >> and the penalty at play is the death penalty? the judge threw out several charges. what could be the punishment? >> reporter: that's right. is he facing death if he is convicted. these are first degree murder charges. and also what we will hear, if he is convicted, we may even hear from the department himself
6:50 am
during the penalty phase, i have to tell you, everyone shocked at the defense did not call, not one single witness, including the doctor. he did not testify, of course. . many suspect that if he is convicted, he will get on the witness stand to save his life. >> just to remind people, the defense has no burden to put on a defense, right, it is up to prosecution. they have the burden to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. you would think in a case where you had three people plead to homicide charges, which almost never happens, that they would have wanted to put on some defense. what does that mean to you? >> reporter: yeah. i was surprised. you don't have to put on a defense. oftentimes defense attorneys don't do it. they don't choose to put their clients on the witness stand. but in a case like this when
6:51 am
your client is facing the death penalty -- and as you mentioned, there are people in his office that pled guilty to third-degree murder. you would think the case would put on some sort of case, some medical expert to defend this doctor. that didn't happen here. i will tell you this defense team certainly cross examined the prosecution's witness very great. >> do you think it is a rapid verdict or a long time we're waiting? >> reporter: i'm holding in my hand a list of all the charges in this case. it is several pages. four pages of charges. i don't think they'll be able to come to a quick verdict considering what i mentioned
6:52 am
before, which is that difficult issue as to whether or not these babies were viable. i may be here outside of this courthouse for a long time. >> we'll be coming back to you when we get an answer. no word of abortion there, but to be sure when this case is over that issue will be back on the table. now we're going to take a break. when we come back, mini drones to the rescue. could they have helped in boston? that's the story when we come back. jackie ] it's just so frustrating... ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling?
6:53 am
ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. we are outta here! finding you the perfect place. hotels.com.
6:54 am
but i wondered what a customer thought? describe the first time you met. you brought the flex in... as soon as i met fiona and i was describing the problem we were having with our rear brakes, she immediately triaged the situation, knew exactly what was wrong with it, the car was diagnosed properly, it was fixed correctly i have confidence knowing that if i take to ford it's going to be done correctly with the right parts and the right people. get a free brake inspection and brake pads installed for just 49.95 after rebates when you use the ford service credit card. did you tell him to say all of that? no, he's right though...
6:55 am
6:56 am
mini drones that can act like first responders. they may have been able to help in boston. >> reporter: i have to say it is fascinating technology. these mini drones fly around. you have to see it to believe it. check this out. >> reporter: here at the university of pennsylvania they're developing very small vehicles uavs that will travel in fleets. >> think of these as the first responders. it gets to the scene before a human responder can. >> reporter: it's technology being built by academics that is yet to hit the market. >> we want to make the robots really small. >> reporter: they'll have sensors that help each other so they can work together. these robots are intended to go inside buildings. they think map rooms an
6:57 am
hallways. they tested the technology in japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunasutsunami. this appeals to campus security. >> every police department trains officers to go in as a unit. wouldn't it be fabulous to have a robot who could go a few feet in front of them and project back to a command center and say the gunman is in room 210? >> reporter: when you think about boston, you think about what if these mini drones were flying above your head? you would have a lot of surveillance that could have been used as evidence. those drones would be able to map it out and say whether or not this was an active shooter
6:58 am
in a school. >> the push back is big brother surveillance, that people will be worried that the government will be watching them. there's some discussion to be had here. on a much lighter note, i got my kid an unmanned helicopter toy. very interesting report. thank you very much. in the next hour, president obama is expected to take questions in the briefing room. we'll be bringing that to you live. he's supposed to take to the podium around 10:15 a.m. a special announcement you're going to want to hear about the cnn family when we come back. oce to help replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. ocuvite. help protect your eye health.
7:00 am
7:01 am
one week? that's just my speed. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®. welcome to our viewers on the east coast and those waking up on the west coast. i'm chris cuomo here in new york. in just about 15 minutes the president will come to the briefing room and take reporters questions. we will bring it to you live as soon as it begins. we want to give you a new development to the boston bombing investigation. federal agents have new interest in this man a canadian boxer
7:02 am
turned jihadist who may have had ties to the boston suspects. russian troops killed this man last year about the same time the older marathon bomber was visiting nearby. the fbi is taking a closer look at the suspects widow. among the items taken from her home were dna samples. they're looking to compare those samples to female dna found on one fragments of the bombs. i want to turn now to carol costello. she's up in boston and has the latest on donated money to help boston victims. >> reporter: there's a lot of generous people in this country. i'm here at the memorial site for the victims of marathon bombings. many of you have sent money to
7:03 am
help those affected by the bombings. it has raised more than $27 million. >> how are you? >> reporter: i'm good. i think the fund is now up to 30 million dollar and counting. will this be enough to cover all the costs? >> absolutely not. first of all, never under estimate the charitable impulse of the american people. over $30 million or around $30 million already contributed. mayor and governor took the lead in urging these contributions from all over the country, but it will never be enough. you have deaths and a half a dozen amputees another six or
7:04 am
seven single amputees. it is a great deal of money. it will distributed wisely, but enough? absolutely not. >> reporter: i think people forget some of these people will never get back to life as they knew before the boston marathon bombings. these two brothers are roofers and construction workers. it is unlikely they'll be able to do that again. what dollar amount do you put on their lost wages? >> what's the total amount? how much should we allocate to the families of the four lost loved ones? how much should we allocate to people who have hospitalized and will continue to be hospitalized or rehabilitation for weeks or months? this will be a very difficult job.
7:05 am
next monday and tuesday i'll be in boston holding open public town hall meetings. anybody can come and voice the opinion on how the money should best be distributed. >> reporter: i was talking to some of the victim's family members and they tell me the real worry is not what happens now but five or ten years from now. a prosthetic is very expensive. they require constant care. the family members say, yeah, we have this fund and we have ken deciding where the money goes, but what are we going to do ten years out? >> all i can do is get this money distributed. i promise it will be out by june
7:06 am
30. after that, we may make another distribution depending on the amount of available funds on labor day. that's it. and i agree is that there's a great deal of uncertainty going forward, but there is only so much the one fund boston can do. and i must dampen expectations. if people expect this is going to be some sort of financial wind fall or will give people financial stability, it can't do that. >> just a financial question for you. you have a lot of experience doing this kind of thing. you did it for the virginia tech victims, the gulf oil spill. you know how these town hall meetings are full of emotion. a lot of people will be yelling at you frankly. a lot of people will be crying. how do you absorb that as a human being?
7:07 am
>> you can't help but be effected by it. you must give the public the opportunity to express their views before you make a final decision on how to distribute this money. i brace myself for what will be, i think, next week very emotional, very trying couple of hours on monday evening and tuesday morning in boston. but it is something that has to be done. you give people this opportunity to voice their concern, very transparent, and then you make a decision that will be the decision that will allocate money to eligible claimants. >> ken fine berg, thank you so much for being with us this morning. we appreciate all your efforts. >> thank you. thank you very much. accused murderer george
7:08 am
zimmerman back in court right now in florida. this is the last hearing before his trial in six weeks. he might speak today and the stand your ground defense could be in play. amanda knox's new memory oir waiting to be heard is on store shelves today. both were exchange students in italy. knox spent four years in an italian prison before an appeals court overturned her conviction. she says all the harsh names people called her were wrong. >> she-devil with an angel face. >> i haven't heard that. i've heard the gist of them and
7:09 am
they're wrong. i was in the courtroom when they were calling me a devil. i mean, it's one thing to be called certain things in the media. it's another thing to be sitting in a courtroom fighting for your life while people are calling you a devil. for all intents and purposes, i was a murderer, whether i was or not. and i had to live with the idea that that would be my life. i want to truth to come out. i'd like to be reconsidered as a person. what happened to me was surreal, but it could have happened to anyone. >> again the idea of it being surreal is becoming more real. an italian court has ordered a retrial in the knox case. we'll have to keep watching
7:10 am
that. two stories that could affect your bank account. home prices climbed at their fastest face since 2006. we're just getting a look at new consumer confidence numbers. what does the news mean? >> reporter: it looks like consumer confidence had a big jump in the april. they are more confident about the labor market and many are saying they expect to have higher salaries soon. it is important to keep the momentum moving in the economy. if they're confident, they're more likely to spend money. consumer spending counts for 3 quarters of all economic growth. it was consumer that was a big driver. it's that confidence that helps to drive that spending. in focus today, that key reading
7:11 am
on home prices. home prices rose 9.3% in february. it is the biggest jump since may of 2006. they include, phoenix, san francisco, and las vegas. as for stocks, not seeing much moment momentum. dow is down 69 points. you look at the s&p 500, that is the best representation of the overall market. it is the best gauge of your investments. the s&p hit an all-time high yesterday, but pulling back now. >> the consumer confidence number very important. appreciate the reporting from you.
7:12 am
7:13 am
7:14 am
than a feather duster. if you're looking to go to school, you deserve more than just flexibility and convenience. so here's a few reasons to choose university of phoenix. our average class size is only 14 students. our financial tools help you make smart choices about how to pay for school. our faculty have, on average, over 16 years of field experiene. we'll help you build a personal career plan. we build programs based on what employers are looking for. our football team, is always undefeated. and leading companies are interested in our graduates. we'll even help you decorate your new office. ok. let's get to work. but i wondered what a customer thought? describe the first time you met. you brought the flex in... as soon as i met fiona and i was describing the problem we were having with our rear brakes, she immediately triaged the situation, knew exactly what was wrong with it, the car was diagnosed properly, it was fixed correctly i have confidence knowing that if i take to ford it's going to be done correctly with the right parts and the right people.
7:15 am
get a free brake inspection and brake pads installed for just 49.95 after rebates when you use the ford service credit card. did you tell him to say all of that? no, he's right though... all right. everybody. i'm fixing my tie because i have important news for you. welcome to our east coast viewers and those waking up on the west coast. i'll be one of the anchors with kate baldwin. the guy with the big nose on the inside is me. 6-9 every morning eastern time. we're excited here. it's what brought me to cnn. i've never been more excited to be with two people.
7:16 am
they're great journalists. i know you're going to love them. that's something we wanted to tell you about. we're monitoring for the president to begin his press conference. here a live picture there. we're looking. the press conference is supposed to start at 10:30. there is no president in the picture. we'll keep monotoring. when we have the president, we will go to it live. let's come back to me. a philadelphia jury will decide if a doctor is guilty of murder. prosecutors say the doctor killed four babies and a mother during illegal abortions. the defense is suggesting he's being prosecutinged because he's black. prosecutors are saying he prayed on low minority women. a mexican wear house that investigators say concealed a drug tunnel to go to the u.s.
7:17 am
has been shut down. they went inside the tunnel that is almost four football fields gone. it included electricity and a rail system. it shows the length cartels will go to to get drugs in the u.s. remember the plight of people in west, texas. they're getting a boost from willie nelson. ♪ >> wasn't the best sound. we love willie nelson. he played to a sold-out crowd. donated the proceeds to the town's volunteer fire department. it is a small town. 3,000 people. half of it had to be evacuated when a fertilizer plant exploded earlier in the month.
7:18 am
oakland a fans stuck with their team as the game with the angels went to the bottom of the 19th inning. the six hour 32 minute game was the longest in history. what a way to end it. he is happy. witness testimony begins in michael jackson's wrongful death trial. jackson's family claims aeg live is liable for the pop star's death. they want billions of dollars and the trial is expected to get ugly. opening statements provide add glimpse of what's to come. more from los angeles. >> reporter: you could barely see jackson family members among a rush of cameras. a familiar circus that follows michael jackson even beyond the
7:19 am
grave. part of a rehearsal was a first clip played by the family's lawyer. they say aeg live was a greedy commercial enterprise that put profits ahead of jackson's health. they say aeg hired dr. conrad murray. her lawyer told the jury aeg ignored the obvious red flags and they hired dr. murray. they were ruthless and wanted to be number one at all costs. the jacksons say aeg live should pay. >> the question is what was michael jackson's life worth.
7:20 am
it was worth quite a bit. he was the best known celebrity on the planet. >> reporter: aeg's lawyer says the blame belongs the jackson. his ex-wife helped administer propofol years ago. they were a concert a promoter. how could they know? the next step, testimony begins. from sharon oz bourn to spike lee and lisa marie presley. this could last well into the summer. still to come, struggling to rebuild. that's the story for many families some six months after superstorm sandy. our poppy harlow talked to them about their journey. we'll bring you that story after the break.
7:21 am
s starts with ground beef, onions and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care, for you or your family. twenty-five thousand mornings, give or take, is all we humans get. we spend them on treadmills. we spend them in traffic. and if we get lucky, really lucky, it dawns on us to go spend them in a world where a simple
7:22 am
sunrise can still be magic. twenty-five thousand mornings. make sure some of them are pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org. nehey!r! [squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying] the great thing about a subaru is you don't have to put up with that new car smell for long. introducing the versatile, all-new subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.
7:24 am
that blocked the plan that would have ended temporary housing today. nearly 200 families have been living in hotel rooms till, quote stable housing was found. so poppy harlow is with me now. you went out and spoke to one of the families. >> living through what they call a nightmare. this is a family we met right after sandy. this is what they had to do on the six month anniversary of sandy. it sho >> reporter: ryan panetta rescued his family from the rushing waters. >> i jumped out in the water. >> reporter: you swam to this house? >> yes, right here. they took us into the second
7:25 am
floor. >> what did you think when your 13-year-old son jumped in the water? >> i was panicked. >> did ryan help save your family? >> no question. absolutely. >> i was thinking that the water was going to come -- >> do you feel like your brother helped save you? >> yeah. >> reporter: he didn't just huz his home that day, his school was so badly damaged he had to be relocated to another school. >> what makes it so bad buddy? >> i don't know. >> everything? >> everything. >> reporter: they were determined to rebuild the one thing that could give them help.
7:26 am
the panetta family could only stand and watch after all that work, they were told the foundation was shot. >> this is where all my babies lived. to watch it just be broken down like this is tearing me up. >> tough to go through, watching my house just come down. >> reporter: their homes gone in an hour. >> the impact of sandy is we're living it every day in the last six months. this is a nightmare. >> this is our whole life here. >> reporter: they're still paying the mortgage on the home that is no longer there. their fight is over insurance. >> how do you justify that? insurance only pays you for what you had, not for what you need. >> reporter: they'll have to
7:27 am
build higher and get approval from the city. >> i think a lot of people would ask why rebuild here. it could happen again. >> there's no other way for me to explain than for me to say we love it here. >> reporter: that's one thing sandy couldn't take away. >> as long as we all have each other, that's going to get us through everything. >> an amazing perspective from this family. i saw firsthand why they want to stay there. neighbors came up to them and hugged them and said new home, new memories. they told me their challenge with the fight with the insurance seems never ending. they have a policy for $250,000. they have to pay someone to draw up plans to rebuild, but they don't know what they can rebuild
7:28 am
until they know how much money they're going to get from insurance and what plans the city will approve. >> that's the last part, probably the most important. that's why it is important for you to get out there and tell the stories. here we are monitoring the situation with president obama. he's supposed to be holding a news conference and taking questions from reporters. no lead on it as to why this is happening. let's get to wolf blitzer down in d.c. wolf, take it from here. >> don't go too far away. i'm going to need you in a little bit. the president announcing he's going to have this news conference in the press briefing room. you see reporters getting ready for their live shots. jessica, first to you. jay carney tweets this morning the president didn't answer
7:29 am
questions at the white house correspondents' dinner, but he will answer them today. >> reporter: i think the president is going to come out here to get some of the tension out of the room. a lot of us had not had a chance to ask him questions since the boston marathon attacks, since the news of syria having chemical weapons. perhaps he just wants to let us all have at him. he goes off to mexico and costa rica for a trip in a few days. they find it more effective to let us ask those kind of questions that can be more combative in the u.s. the questions can focus more on the trip that he's on with foreign leaders. he will probably try to talk about the economy and his work
7:30 am
addressing jobs. he'll have to address the questions we ask him. that's what he's here to do. >> i assume he'll open up with a brief statement. there are so many questions. if i or you were in that room, we would love to ask the president were there clues that were missed that could have prevented the boston marathon bombing? were the miranda rights administered too early to the 19-year-old suspect who answered questions for about 16 hours and all of a sudden he got lawyered up to stop answering fbi questions. i assume there will be some questions on boston. >> on boston, absolutely. i can tell you i have never seen this room quite so packed. i don't know if you have a very wide picture of this room, but it is over -- it is filled to
7:31 am
the gills and i think that is because so many reporters expect him to take many questions on boston, on every aspect of what led up to it, intelligence gathering, the mirandizing the subsequent response, and everybody is here i suspect in part to hear how the president responds to those questions. >> i'm sure there will be other questions as well assuming the news conference goes on for half an hour or 45 minutes or an hour. i suspect syria will come up. the so-called red line. syrians if they use chemical weapons, is that a game changer and what will the obama administration now do? those kinds of questions will come up. north korea will probably come up as well. why haven't the north koreans
7:32 am
fired that missile. what's going on. >> i think you'll get foreign policy. the question of wmd, have we crossed the red line? this is a point of what the president is going to achieve in his second term. he has a lot he would like to get done. the window closes pretty quickly on a second term. aside from progress on immigration reform, we haven't seen a lot of progress in a lot of areas. he lost gun control. questions about whether republicans are going to revolt over the debt ceiling. i think the president we've seen on his so-called charm offensive, i'm not sure there have been a lot of second dates on that. the president is going to try
7:33 am
and goose his domestic policy agenda here and tell congress to start moving on it. a lot of questions on domestic policy, as well as foreign policy and of course the big questions about there about terror and the boston marathon. >> and economic issues. kristine romans is also standing by. the stock market is doing great now. there's still a long way to go. there is this debt ceiling deadline looming at the end of july when the nation's debt ceiling has to be raised. it will make the forced budget cuts seem like small potatoes. >> look at the dow jones
7:34 am
industrial average. it is a joke after all. but you have an s&p very close to record highs. really the concerns about the debt fights with republicans in the backseat as a fed has been pumping money into a system as washington thrashes around trying to figure out the budget priorities. the housing market is recovering. a lot of the opponents said the obama economy is going to be devastated are just wrong. one of the talking points of republicans as you know is food stamp enrollment has grown faster than job growth. the president has to say my
7:35 am
policies have helped the job growth situation grow overall. until job growth improves, opponents say the president can't say anything. >> they're getting ready to ask the president questions. the shock was enormous to everyone in the area. would it be wise based on the experience you went through on 9/11 for the president to create some commission of inquiry to make sure we don't repeat any mistakes that may have occurred in the lead up to the boston bombings? >> i think it's an excellent
7:36 am
question. why? because in the aftermath of these things is what happens is there's a rush for accountable. finger pointing. like the mirandizing with the communication between the fbi and russia. you lose sight of how to get better. one of the things about the 9/11 commission was is they looked at the systems that were in place with a very strong eye on how do you improve. so many improvements that came out of that like homeland security and jttf put us in a position where attacks like the boston bombings were very rare. it could be a much more frequent occurrence here. i don't think the president needs a reason to hold a press conference. there's such a need for
7:37 am
leadership that i think this is a good sign if he's holding a press conference just because. i think we probably need more of this. >> i agree completely. i love it when the president comes out and answers reporters questions. we also get frustrated when any president ignores the white house press court. that's always really important. jessica yellin is one of the white house correspondents. she's there. jessica, there was some criticism that 90% of the american people wanted more robust background checks for gun purchases. it failed in the senate. there's been some criticism saying why can't this president
7:38 am
really twist arms the way lbj used to do it when the overwhelming majority of the american people want it according to all the public opinion polls. i know it is something white house officials have been concerned about, the criticism that he's not tough enough with members of congress. >> reporter: his second term agenda is very up in the air and depends on his relationships with congress. he's not the arm twisting kind of president. we all know that very well now. i would point out if you do the math from the 20th of january, today does mark the 100th day of his second term. we could say he's having this press conference because it is the first hundred days.
7:39 am
of cour >> of course not. they would never do anything like that. a hundred days, that's a good point. maybe he'll mention that in his opening remarks. do you think this criticism that the president has been getting, that he's not tough enough or showing that kind of aggressiveness -- >> reporter: that's what he would say his charm offensive is about. if you look at the vote on guns, it is very instructive. he lost four democrats. one announced in montana he's not running for reelections. if the president had better relationships for years going into this, he may have been able to twist those arms. we'll see how far meeting with members of congress gets with
7:40 am
him. he's going to try and goose members of congress. we have to try to get this stuff done. we don't have a lot of time to do it. everybody starts thinking about the midterm elections really quickly. after those, the president becomes a lame duck. he's been stymied on gun control. tax reform, is anything going to happen on that? aside from immigration, he wants to get a bunch of things done and he needs to remind the american public by the way, i'm trying to reach out to republicans in congress and by the way, where's that getting me? i think this is about sending an message to the american people that he's working on things and sending a message directly to republicans and saying i'm going to keep pushing you on things
7:41 am
before he goes to mexico. he doesn't like the get asked a lot of domestic policy questions when you're on foreign turf. maybe he's trying to get it out of the way today as it pertains to the wmd weapons in syria. >> we're waiting for the two-minute warning from the white house staff. we haven't received that yet. we'll take a quick break and resume our coverage. we're awaiting the president in the briefing room.
7:44 am
welcome back to this special edition of "newsroom." welcome to our viewers on the east coast and those on the west coast. we're waiting on the president to start his news conference. he's not in it yet, but we're tracking it. we're going to bring you up to date. good news for american homeowners. they surged 9.3% as of february. that's the best gain since february 2006. accused murderer george zimmerman back in court in florida. this is his last scheduled hearing before the trial. there are some critical thing that is could happen today. zimmerman might speak. two, the future of his controversial stand your ground defense could be in play. we have a developing story in libya. armed men have occupied the
7:45 am
tripoli embassy. militants say they're goal is to get a law passed that would ban officials from -- holding government posts. a philadelphia jury will decide if a doctor is murder. doctor killed four babies and a mother during an illegal abortion. prosecutes say the doctor prayed on low income minority women. another sign things are starting to get back to normal, in boston overnight crews repainted the boston marathon. traditionally it is fixed up within hours of the end of the marathon. just a few minutes, president obama will hold a news conference and take questions from reporters.
7:46 am
he doesn't need a reason why. there's plenty to talk about in the country right now. let's bring in wolf blitzer. >> he will be walking out momentaril momentarily. there's a new start day for a show called new day, june 10th. >> thank you. as you know, you're former coanchor kate baldwin has taken on this mercy mission of helping me in the morning and on the other side -- >> good morning, everybody. i am here to answer questions in honor of ed henry as he wraps up his ten your as president of the white house correspondents' association. ed because of that you get the first question. >> thank you, sir.
7:47 am
i appreciate that. [ inaudible ] a couple questions on national security. on syria, you said the red line was not just about chemical weapons. it was a game changer. seemed cut and dry and now your administration seems to be suggesting that line is not clear. do you risk u.s. creditability if you don't take military action? and then on benghazi there are survivors on that terror attack that want to come forward and testify and they say they have been blocked. >> first of all on syria, i think it is important to understand for several years now what we've been seeing is a slowly unfolding disaster for the syrian people, and this is not a situation in which we've been simply by standers to what's been happening.
7:48 am
my policy from the beginning has been that president assad has lost creditability, that he attacked his own people, has killed his own people, unleashed a military against innocent civilians and the only way to bring sifl civility and peace to syria is for assad to step down. in pursuit of that strategy, we have organizationed the national community. we have worked to strength the opposition. we have provided nonlethal weapons to opposition. there are steps we have been taking precisely because even separate from the chemical weapons issue what's happening in syria is a blemish on the international community in
7:49 am
general. in that context, i have also said the use of chemical weapons would be a game changer for the international community. we have established international law and international norms that say when you use these kinds of weapons you have the potential of killing mass numbers of people in the most inhumane way possible. we don't want that gee knee out of bottle. when i said the use of chemical weapons would be a game changer, that wasn't unique -- that wasn't a position unique to the united states and it shouldn't have been a surprise. and what we now have a evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of syria, but we don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them.
7:50 am
we don't have a chain of custody that establishes what exactly happened and when i am making decisions about america's national security and the potential for taking additional action in response to chemical weapon use, i've got to make sure i've got the facts. that's what the american people would expect. and if we end up rushing to judgment without hard effective evidence, then we can find ourselves in a position where we can't globalize the international community. there may be some objections among some people in the region who are sympathetic with the opposition if we take action. it is important for us to do this in a prudent way. what i've said to my team is we have to do everything we can to
7:51 am
investigate and establish with some certainty what exactly has happened in syria, what is happening in syria. we will use all the assets and resources that we have at our disposal, we will work with the neighboring countries and we have called on the united nations to investigate. the important point i want to make here is we are ready, are deeply engaged in trying to bring about a solution in syria. it is a difficult problem, but even if chemical weapons were not being used in syria, we'd still be thinking about tens and thousands of people, innocent civilians who have been killed by a regime more concerned about staying in power than its
7:52 am
people. what is true if i can establish in a way that not only the united states, but also the international community feel confident is the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime, then that is a game changer is because that portends even more devastating attacks on civilians and it raises the strong possibility that those chemical weapons can fall into the wrong hands and get disseminated in ways that would threaten u.s. security or allys. >> what do you mean by game changer? >> by game changer, i mean we would have to rethink the range of options that are available to us. we are will have invested in trying to bring back a solution inside of syria.
7:53 am
obviously, there are options that are available to me that are on the shelf right now that we have not deployed, and that's a spectrum of options. as early as last year, i asked the pentagon, our military, our intelligence officials to prepare for me what options might be available and i won't go into the details of what those options might be, but clearly that would be an escalation in our view of the threat to the security of the international community, our allys, and the united states and that means that there are some options that we might not other exercise that we would strongly consider. >> on the benghazi question i know pieces of the story have been litigated. will you help those people come
7:54 am
forward and say it once and for all? >> i'm not familiar with this notion that anyone has been blocked from testifying. what i will do is i will find out what exactly i've been referring to. what i've been clear about from the start is that our job with respect to benghazi has been to find out exactly what happened do make sure u.s. embassies not just isn't the middle east but around the world are safe and secure, and bring those responsible to justice. >> hired an attorney because they're saying they've been blocked. >> jessica. >> there's a report that your director of national intelligence -- [ inaudible ] this is in regards to the boston marathon bombing -- a broad review of all the intelligence gathering prior to the attacks. there are a series of senators
7:55 am
who allege the years after 9/11 there wasn't enough intelligence shared prior to the attacks. benghazi and boston are both examples of the u.s. going backwards on national security. is he right and did our intelligence miss something? >> mr. graham is into the right on this issue, although generated some headlines. i think what we saw in boston was state, local, federal officials, every agency rallying behind the city that be attacked. we now have one individual
7:56 am
deceased, one in custody. charges have been brought. i think that all our law enforcement officials performed in an emper rare fashion. we should be proud of their work as obviously we are proud of the people of boston, all the fir responders and the medical personnel that saved lives. we know the russian intelligence services had alerted u.s. intelligence about the older brother as well as the mother indicating they might be sympathizers to extremists. the fbi investigated the older brother. it's not as if the fbi did nothing. they not only investigated the older brother, they interviewed the older brother. they concluded there were no signs he was engaging in
7:57 am
extremist activity. that much we know. the question then is, was there something that happened that triggered radicalization and actual decision by the brother to engage in the attack -- the tragic attack we actually saw in boston and are there additional things that could have been done in that interim that might have been prevented them. standard procedure around here is when an event like this happens we want to go back and review every step that was taken, we want to leave no stone unturned, we want to see if there's additional protocols and procedures that could be put in place that would further improve and enhance our ability to detect a potential attack. we won't know that until that
7:58 am
review is completed. we won't know that until the investigation, the actual crime, is fully completed. that is still ongoing. but what i can say is based on what i've seen so far, the fbi performed its duties, department of homeland security did what it was supposed to be doing, but this is hard stuff. and i've said for quite some time that because of the pressure that we've put on al qaeda because of the pressure we have put on these networks that are well financed and more sophisticated and can engage and project transnational threats against the united states, one of the dangers that we now face are self-radicalized individuals
7:59 am
who are already here in the united states, in some cases may not be part of any kind of network, but because of whatever warped, twisted ideas they may have may decide to carry out an attack. those in some ways are more difficult to prevent. what i've done for months now is to indicate to our entire terrorism team what more can we do on that threat that is looming on the horizon. are there more things we can do whether it's engaging with communities where there's the potential for self-radicalization of this sort. is there work that can be done in terms of detection? but all of this has to be done in the context of our laws, due process, and so part of what
8:00 am
director clamper is going is to see if we can determine any lessons learned from what happened. >> are you getting all the intelligence and information you need from the russians and should americans be worried when they go to big public events now? >> the russians have been very cooperative with us since the boston bombing. you know, obviously old habits die hard. there's still suspicions sometimes between our intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 10, 20, 30 years back to the cold war. they're continually improving. i have spoken to president putin directly. he's working with me to make sure those who are working this are cooperating with
384 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco) Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on