tv CNN Newsroom CNN February 22, 2014 11:30am-12:01pm PST
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history. that's it for "your money." for more of my interview with the treasury secretary, check out cnnmoney.com. have a great weekend. hello, welcome to the "cnn newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield. what's happening this hour. straight to it. one of mexico's most know forrous drug lords is under arrest right now joaquin guzman bet noern at el chappo, aled head of a cartel captured in a joint operation between mexican and american forces at a resort in mexico. guzman has been wanted on federal drug trafficking charges and alluded authorities for years after he broke out of a mexican prison. since 2009, guzman has been included in "forbes" magazine
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lists of the world's most powerful people, most recently ranked 67 out of 72 on the list and last year was named public enemy number one by the chicago crime commission. much more on this story in a moment. all right. first, he is poised to be the first openly gay player in the nfl. but first, college star michael sam has to impress the league's scouts and that's what he's trying to do today. sam is at the legal scouting camp in indianapolis and just spoke to the media for the first time since announcing he is gay. joe carter is here with more on this. >> this is the first stop. the first stop, the first step to being that first nfl openly gay player. okay? the nfl combine lasts about four, five days. a chance for general manager, head coaches, scouters, to evaluate these players both on their talent on the football field and their character in off the football field. they want to get a lot --
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>> the whole package. >> they want a lot of information from these guy, both physical aspects and meant's aspects. michael sam clearly is the biggest story going right now at the nfl combine. we do have people there, and they said that it's a bigger media circus for michael sam than it was last year for manti te'o. he'll have plenty of time, michael sam to talk about his athletic talent, this was the first opportunity for him to address a number of questions about his personal life. >> i'm not afraid about that, going into that environment. i knhow to handle myself, communicate with my teammates, communicate with the coaches, and the other staff, whoever i need to communicate with. someone wants to call me a name, i'll have a conversation with that guy and hopefully it won't lead to nothing else. i've been in locker rooms, where all kinds of slurs have been said, and i don't think anyone means it. i think a little naive and uneducated, but, you know, as time goes on, everyone will adapt. heck yeah, i wish you guy was
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just saying, hey, michael sam, how's football going? how's training going? i would love for you to ask me that question, but it is what it is, and i just wish you guys would see me as michael sam the football player instead of michael sam the gay football player. >> i really like how he said he's not afraid. i think that's the, the real point that he's trying to make to everyone that keeps asking him questions, how will you handle this, approach this? i'm not afraid. if someone calls me a name, i'm going to have a conversation with them. i'm not going to fight them. this is a good football player, take it back to what she. he's a football player. this was the sec defensive player of the year, co-defensive player of the year. the sec is considered the greatest college football conference and he was considered the greatest within that conference. he's already going to be considered a good football play but now with this element of who he is, michael sam comes from a family of eight brothers and steshs. >> goodness. >> two of those brothers and sisters are currently in jail, and have been in and out of the
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prison system since he was in eighth grade. one went missing, never found. another brother shot and killed. he says the adversity he's going through in his personal life is nothing compared to what he'll face and the media scrutiny, positive and negative he's going to face moving forward. it's going to take the right team and situation to bring michael sam in just because of the attention he'll bring with him. that team, whoever it is, of the 32 teams that have a chance to take him, they should look at the university of missouri as an xafrl how they handled it. remember his story. he came out to his teammates back in august. the entire football seize ton play knowing he was an openly gay athlete in that locker room. >> a lot of teammates already knew, but there was this kind of, camaraderie, this brotherhood. >> sure. they suspected. he came out, said this is who i am. accept me for who i am and let's go play football. missouri was competing for the national championship pap great team playing in a great football
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conference and nothing changed just because he was an openly gay player. they should look at missouri as great example how that university and athletic department handled that situation. >> and clearly, the nfl will look what he brings to the game, his sportsmanship but can't help behi behi beyond his mental -- >> he liked him. impressive. the moments he had. on the podium five, six minutes and handled himself well. this is a 23-year-old guy facing, like i said, more media in front of him today than last combine for the manti te'o situation. remember that story? >> a lot of people and pressure. how would you handle it at 23 years old? >> i thought of it as i saw him. gosh. >> so far, impressive and the story is far from over. >> just beginning. >> as far as his draft prospects are concerned, they're saying he's a little undersized, not going to be a first, second, even third round pick but scouts sega mid-round pick. wherever he goes he's going have a big following.
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serm. >> certainly. >> i like that. thanks, joe carter. our other top story, the capture of mexico's top drug kingpin. joaquin guzman. better known at el chappo. ted roland is with us. why is he considered chicago's public enemy number one. arrested in mexico a joint effort involving u.s. dea and mexican authorities. explain the chicago connection. >> reporter: well, fred, the chicago crime commission named him public enemy number one, because of the amount of drugs that this drug cartel pumped into chicago and chicago's used as a distribution point for the entire midwest. they estimate that chicago crimes commission, that this drug cartel pumps in about 2,000 kilos a month in various drugs and that the head of the snake
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here, obviously, is not the entire cartel, but they've put him up as chicago's public enemy number one, because of the effect that his hoororganizatios had in the communities, devastating family through drug abuse, the violence created in the streets of chicago. the chicago crime commission is a group of representatives from law enforcement agencies across the board, and they haven't had a public enemy number one since 1930, with al capone. guzman was the only other one named by the chicago crime dm s commission nap shows you how serious they took the capture of his man and have to be very pleased today. hopefully it will disrupt the cartel a little bit. obviously, one man does not create the entire day to day business operations, but the hope is that cutting off the head of the snake will help at least at some point.
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>> ted ronlwlands, appreciate i. bring us new information as you get it. this dramatic day for a country and a people. now that charismatic former prime minister addressing protesters live right now after just being released from prison. we're going there live to the ukraine. >> -- [ speaking in foreign language ] [ male announcer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories.
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. moving now to ukraine where protesters are cheering the release of their opposition leader the country's former prime minister. yulia tymoshenko is speaking right now in kiev, not long after being released from prison. let's listen in. >> translator: that everyone will be taken responsible for what they have done, for their deeds. all officials who took your --
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for their needs. then we will be -- happy. it is our task that millions of ukranians won't be scared. i was in hospital in town of -- you know it a complicated town. there were simple medics around me. simple nurses, and they are scared. not everyone has strength to go to this place and lose their lives. they are scared, and they are expecting protection from you. not from the politicians. they are expecting the protection from you. they are laying their hopes on you so that we will heal our ukraine and heal the wounds of
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our country. besides you, no one will heal them. we have to fill these responsibilities. we have to take our country as a precious fire, which is starting today with the strength to protect it -- protect it from the fears of people. from their fears for their children, for their future. today we have an open way to build ukraine as you like it, but it is important that the trust to -- for the politicians is almost not existing, but that's why you have to stand until the end, that the people will be elected, and those
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people you can trust, too, and those cabinets would be built not from the boudoir politicians. we have to finish those politicians. we have to finish the situations when the politicians from -- they are elected. with your patriotism, you have deserved to rule your country. and if the parliaments or anything new, which would be formed without you, it won't be allowed. it would be immoral. it won't be accepted by anyone who stood -- in horska. please, tell me, how many people were when it started?
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10,000? 5,000? maybe less. but people were coming there knowing that they won't go back, and those 5,000 which stood under bullets -- they were heroes, and that's why everyone has right to take part in building european independent state. i believe that from this moment there won't be any other ukraine. only the one you would like to have, and -- >> you're living to yulia tymoshenko. former prime minister in ukraine, just released from prison, sitting in a wheelchair, in the middle of that city square that in kiev, the same place violence erupted in the past few days leading to the death of so many people. she was released from prison at
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the same time parliament voted the ukranian president to be out of office. he has since responded saying, he's not going anywhere, yet no one has seen him, however. no one is quite clear where he is, and if she still in country there in ukraine. we'll continue to follow the developments there about all the unrest taking place in that country. all right. in this country, a bill in arizona that would allow business owners ho erers to re service to gays and lesbians. it's controversial, but is it legal? we'll talk about that, next.
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freedom of religion. the bill already passed the house and senate. it now goes governor jan brewer for signature. she said she'll probably make a decision on friday on whether she will sign it. an ars state representative explains how this bill came about. >> one of the reasons this bill came to light was you had a photographer in a different state being sued, because the photographer would not officiate or take pictures at a gay wedding. being involved in an action, a gay marriage that your religion says it wrong, that's a substantial burden. because you're deeply involved in the ceremony. if that same gay couple came in for a passport photo there is not a substantial burden upon your religion and you could not use this law to do that. >> arizona is not the only state to take up legislation widely seen as singling out gay people, and same-sex couples in particular. so-called religious freedom bills have been proposed in all of these states you're seeing
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highlighted right here on the map. though arizona's plan is the only one that has actually passed the legislature. let's talk to wendy murphy, a former professor at boston and wind, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> help us understand both sides of the coin. how would a business owner say, my religion doesn't allow me to dos with with this person or group? >> yeah. this is a classic example of what i call the rubber meeting the road in-law. the rubber, freedom of religion bumping up against the road, called protection against discrimination laws. the interesting thing about arizona is, unlike categories such as race and ethnicity and gender, sexual orientation isn't a protected class category there. so your freedom of religion including your freedom to
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discriminate as an aspect of your religion is more protected there, because there really is no special protection for the class of people -- >> you're saying that is the case anyway for -- if that's the case already, if i understand what you're saying, then why would there need to be a statute on the books that would support that? >> right. so this is, i think, where leadership -- governor brewer comes in to play, and, you know, basic ideals about democracy and equality and equal protection of the law kick in. jan brew ker can and should say rep freedom of religion, including unfortunately the fact some people based on religion discriminate due to people based and sex orientation, but the fact some people do that doesn't mean we as a state or i as the governor of this state have to endorse as a matter of statute law the right to discriminate.
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in other words, if you're going to do it, fine. you have a right to do it. including in the way that you practice your business, and if you want to be a photographer and you don't want to take pictures at a gay wedding, fine. can you do that in arizona, but i'm not going to put into writing that you have a right to do it under religious principles or anything else. >> then why would the legislature in arizona vote 33-27 in favor of having this kind of law, if jan brewer does, indeed sign it? why would the majority -- now, granted it's kind of squeaky you know. just a few votes separate those who support it and those who do not, but why would the legislature say, we think it's worthy of having this kind of law on the books? we're going to pass this bill, that it does haven't merit? it does have merit? >> i guess the most sincere explanation would be that there
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are people, for example, the photographer we heard about in the package, who for religious reasons don't want to work at gay wedding, and they don't want to be sued. so, fredricka, that's the key here is, this law provides better protection against lawsuits, against photographers such as the person who does have a sincere religious objection, but i think there are oh ways s to other ways to get around it short of writing a law saying it's illegal to discriminate, including you can pass certain statutes that simply prohibit lawsuits rather than grant the trite discriminate. >> fascinating. wendy walsh, thank you so much. appreciate it. glad you could be with you. still to come, in the "cnn newsroom" -- much more. [ male announcer ] imagine this cute blob is metamucil. and this park is the inside of your body. see, the special psyllium fiber in metamucil actually gels. and that gelling helps to lower some cholesterol.
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looks like the marijuana business is booming in colorado. the pot business is generating tens of millions of dollars, not just for sellers but for the colorado tax man as well. anna cabrera has the story. >> reporter: hi, fred. remember, it's been about six weeks since recreational pot sales started here in colorado, and to say business is going strong is an understatement. new tax revenue projections released by the state of colorado beat expectations by tense of millions of dollars. leaders here at the state capitol get to decide how to spend that money. high hopes for a colorado green rush being realized. business at evergreen apothecary, previously just a medical marijuana dispensary has more than quadrupled. more than a month after recreational pot sales became legal, people are still lining unat the door to get their hands on this stuff. this place packed at 10:00 when doors opened. in fact, this pot shop averages
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about 500 customers a day. and the state of colorado is reaping the benefits as well. sales and excise taxes on recreational cannabis are over 25%. >> total, $147.77. >> reporter: marijuana dispensaries were required to turn in january tax reports on thursday. >> we paid about $190,000 in sales tax that we collected during the month of january. >> reporter: while official numbers won't be made public until march, the governor's budget office just released its own tax projections. it estimates the state will collect about $184 million in tax revenues in the first 18 months of recreational pot sales. colorado's plan for spending that money -- $40 million automatically goes to public school construction, mandated by voters. then the governor wants to spend about $85 million on youth prevention and substance abuse treatment. $12.4 million on public health. abouts 3ds million on law
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enforcement and public safety and nearly $2 million on industry oversight. >> i don't think the people buying marijuana want the tax money to be used to discourage adults from buying marijuana. >> reporter: while not everyone agrees on how that money should be spent, and although still early, there's no denying the apparent economic boost. that's come from recreational pot sales. right now, colorado and washington state are the only places where recreational pot is legal, and washington is still working through how to regulate sales, but we know at least eight other states from california to maine considering this, and when they look at the kind of money colorado is making from taxing marijuana, you've got think that's going to have some kind of influence over their decision. fred? >> all right, thanks so much, ana. the next hour of the "cnn newsroom" starts right now.
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