>> i'm sure that was completely spontaneous and not staged! paul said he barely felt the slap. he called it a cute slap, and he, i think, said that tyson is going to get knocked the "f" out. cnn sports correspondent carolyn manno is here with all of the excitement. 58 years old, because there are no other boxers. >> what a time to be alive! it's a great day in america. it's fight night, like you said. and this is something that's going to attract 100 million people on netflix. i mean, this is kind of where we are. whether you love this or hate this, it's happening tonight. everybody logging on to netflix to watch how this goes down. 58 years old, a former heavyweight champ, mike tyson squaring off against a 28-year- old social media influencer. the gloves off already. tyson slapping paul across the face with that open-hander. the two were separated by security. tyson said he got his foot stepped on, but here's both

of them after the incident. >> i didn't even feel it. he's angry. he's an angry little elf. mike tyson, i thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you're getting knocked the [ bleep ] out. >> come on! come on! he hits like a -- >> it's personal now! it's personal now! he must die! >> mike, can i ask, the world is excited to see you one last time, perhaps. can you just tell us the emotions and thoughts that are going through your mind right now? >> talking's over. >> why did you push him there? all right. that's it. that's it for mike tyson. >> this is tyson's first professional fight in 19 years. paul has built a 10- 1 record in his six- year boxing career. six of those wins coming by knockout. this is certainly going to be his most high- profile fight to date by a long shot. we will see what happens. interesting generational experiment when you consider that one has been on the planet twice as long as the

other. we'll see who's rooting for who, but certainly, everybody is going to be watching. >> i don't know if it's an inspiration that you can box deep into your 50s, but maybe an inspiration that you can wear those sort of versace, you know, speedo- ish things. that is an inspiration to us all. carolyn manno, thank you very much. a new hour of "cnn news central" strarts now. air force pilots s that took on a swarm of iranian drones that targeted israel earlier this year. how they made it out alive. that story is ahead. and after 16 years behind bars, a judge has vacated a minnesota man's murder conviction.

how an unreliable star witness, reality tv, and a questionable photo lineup set him free. i'm sara sidner with kate balduan and john berman. this is "cnn news central. " election day one ten days ago. since then, in the words of ron burgundy, boy, that escalated quickly. the president- elect moving fast to get his administration in place and with that, making some not- surprising, yet still highly controversial picks for his cabinet. donald trump tapped rfk jr. for secretary of health and human services. that's just one, following through on his promise after kennedy dropped his own bid for president and gave his support to donald trump. trump also announced a much- less controversial choice for secretary of the interior, doug burgum, then tapped his own defense lawyer, todd blanche, to be deputy attorney general. with these announcements, cnn has

learned that many of trump's nominees are not being subject to a standard fbi background check. cnn's david chalian is here with me now for one big thing to start your day, d. chal, start me off. donald trump essentially promised this was coming when it comes to giving rfk some sort of big job, go wild on public health, and he followed through. what kind of impact is this nomination going to have, do you think? >> well, yes, you are right. anybody that paid attention to donald trump on the campaign trail should not surprised that robert f kennedy jr. ended up where he is. despite, we know, the transition co- chair talking to kaitlan collins a few weeks ago, suggesting that he would not end up as hhs secretary. listen, you guys talked to sanjay gupta before. the ramifications are far and wide. there's no doubt about that. and although it is a controversial pick because of some of robert f. kennedy

jr. 's views, i'm not sure that this is the pick that somehow senate republicans are going to say donald trump can't have his guy. i don't know if they're going to do that with any of these picks, but this one probably unlikely. rfk jr. was such a critical component to the general election campaign for donald trump, bring along his supporters, a couple of places, he was still on the ballot. this was a key partnership, as you know, we watched it unfold in realtime. and this is what a reward looks like. >> and you make a great point. in the places where he was still on the ballot, remember even on election day, he was saying, do not vote for me, vote for donald trump. and that's exactly what you're talking about. you mentioned the senate. >> and remember, kate, he started the cycle as a democratic primary vote to joe biden. that's where rfk jr. actually started this campaign cycle. >> yeah, 7 years ago, is what that feels like at this point. you mentioned the senate and

one big unknown, despite -- i mean, we heard from even john thune, the new republican leader last night, and i'm still not clear exactly what the senate is going to do with regard to their job of advise and consent. when they have the power of -- to confirm these cabinet- level nominees, are they going to hold on to that power or are they going to abdicate it and hand it over to the white house? when do you think we're going to know? >> oh, i think this is going to take a little time to play out. you're going sort of the public investigate vetting of these candidates, just sort of journalists, opposition retailers, the material that will come in the public that we may not already know about some of these nominees. but you're also going to have confirmation hearings. and you know they can play a critical role here in sort of swaying the minds of senators as well as the public, too. but kate, the republicans are likely to have 53 republican senators, right? so that means that democrats would have to remain totally unified in opposition

to a trump nomination and peel off four republicans. so where are those republicans going to come from? you would first maybe look to people like susan collins or lisa murkowski, two republicans who are known to sort of buck trump at times. but not always. and susan collins just indicated that she is likely to run for re- election in 2026. there are going to be cross- currents, especially inside potential republican primaries to pressure all republican senators to give donald trump the cabinet he seeks. >> fascinating is one word to say for what we are about to play out over, gosh knows how long. good to see you, david. thank you so much. >> john? with us now is democratic congresswoman abigail spanberger, who serves on the intelligence committee and a former case member. thanks for being with us. you have written about your concerns about the announcement of the nomination of tulsi gabbard, former member of congress or democratic

member of congress to be director of national intelligence. you have said that you are concerned what it means for national security. why? >> well, this is not about party, this is not about partisan politics, this is not about president- elect trump. this is about our national security. and the reality is that anyone who would traffic in conspiracy theories, who would align themselves with bashar al asad after he used chemical weapons against his civilian population or align herself with vladimir putin should not have the role of director of national intelligence. it is an essential role that frankly most people have never heard of, because every single day, the dni works to ensure that our intelligence community is cooperating, is sharing information, and ultimately, is focused on the singular mission of protecting the united states of america and the

american people. and tulsi gabbard is a dangerous pick for this role. >> cnn is reporting this morning that trump will not use the fbi to vet all of his cabinet selections, background checks, as nominees have in the past. instead, going to use some kind of private security firm. what do you think might be missed by not having fbi background checks on tulsi gabbard? >> this is an alarming step that frankly should alarm every american citizen who wants the basic function of government to work, who wants to ensure that the fbi, as you were reporting earlier, is able to investigate terrorist threats, that can ensure that our intelligence community is able to recognize the threats posed from enemies abroad against the united states homeland. and the fact that they would avoid a traditional background check process, to me, means

that they know they can't pass it, and what it means is thatthat that would be available to the fbi just won't even be considered. the idea that there would be a total step away from the guardrails that are meant to keep the american people safe is a dangerous possibility. >> why wouldn't she pass an fbi background check, as you just suggested? >> well, background checks throughout, for intelligence community officers, and so i'm a former cia case officer. i worked undercover for my time with the agency. and you go through an extraordinary in- depth process between polygraphs and for me, it was a multi- year process, right? because it is important to know that there is no one or no entity that may have any information about an intelligence officer, about someone working ing in a position of extraordinary public trust,

that might be used against them. and so the reality is, any effort to move away from the traditional background check process. to not process someone to determine what risks may be there or what might come to the public purview, through the confirmation process, it is a ridiculously strange precedent to put forth, but it is one that potentially endangers american national security. >> i'm glad you did not get hit by that rolling trash bin behind you right there, congresswoman. listen, robert kennedy jr. , tulsi gabbard, to an extent, matt gaetz, these are people who were everywhere on the campaign with donald trump when he was running for election. people paid attention. they saw them with trump. they heard trump talking about them. what is it that you think that the american people voted for? >> you know, it's

interesting, because people continue to be surprised. and i will say, these nominations, they are shocking, absolutely, because the individuals you mentioned are wholly unfit to lead the vast organizations that do things like protect the american public from the next global pandemic or ensure that terrorists who might wish to do harm here domestically are unable to do it, or recognize the importance and the value of collecting information so policy makers can make good decisions. the fact that these three essential roles might be led by individuals with no quisite or relevant background and in fact, have a history of just kind of outrageous and -- >> but i guess, my point is, didn't america vote for this? isn't this what -- they saw it. they voted for it. >> from my perspective, it is

shocking, it is not surprising. but i -- the american people, and certainly the people i represent, are good people, are people who are focused on their families, are focused on their concerns in and around our communities. they want their kids to be safe in school. they want to be able to afford their prescriptions at the pharmacy counter. they worry about retirement, they worry about being able to afford a home. there is so much conversation about what americans did or didn't vote for. and certainly, i supported vice president harris and her candidacy and recognized that president trump would again be a danger to our country, but i think that we for so long have taken for granted the reality that when a president comes in, they appoint people who are experienced, right? the dni is a relatively new position. it was created after 9/11. the individuals who have filled that role have been

serious, right? we look at negroponte, we look at clapper. clapper served for 40 years in public office under republicans, under democrats, under republicans, under democrats. that is the type of background, avril haynes, our current dni, she has served in roles that prepared her to take the helm of the odni. and so i think that we have a traditional understanding that when someone comes in as president, they do the responsible thing of appointing responsible people. i worried, i suspected that that's not what an irresponsible president like president- elect trump would do, but the reality is that this is where we are now. and so it's important that people understand why it is dangerous in this moment. the recrimination, looking backwards, you know, that's for, i think, you know, it doesn't change the fact that there's potentially someone wholly

unfit who will be leading the odni, the department of justice, hhs. that's where we are now. and certainly, that's where we should be looking forward and using our voices and making clear that this is an unacceptable place to be and we expect more. >> looking forward, it is in the senate's hands. congresswoman abigail spanberger, thanks so much for being with us. sara? all right, ahead today, former trump attorney, rudy giuliani, must give up his penthouse, his benz, and some of his most valuable possessions to pay off that $148 million debt for defaming two election workers. but will he do it? and jared kushner is expected to head back to the white house. new details on the role he could play on the world stage now. and dr. sanjay gupta back to answer all of your questions about whether weight loss drugs like ozempic are right for you. those stories and more, ahead.

dad: hey boss. you okay? son: i said i'm fine. ♪ dad: you can talk to me. son: it's been really, really hard for me.

it is deadline day for rudy giuliani and that $148 million defamation judgment against him. a judge says trump's former attorney must turn over prized possessions, including his manhattan apartment, mercedes benz, and other valuable assets to two georgia election workers he defamed and that should happen by today. the judge warned giuliani and those helping him they could face contempt if they ignore the court's orders. now giuliani's attorneys are trying to quit the case because of disagreements with him. cnn's senior crime and justice

reporter, katelyn polantz is joining us now. there is a lot going on here, but the ultimate thing is, these two election workers have lived through hell because of the lies that giuliani spread. what are you expecting to happen today? will he meet this deadline? >> who knows, sara! this is going to be a day where we need to watch closely what is happening from giuliani's side and in court, what ruby freeman and shay moss' attorneys are saying. what's happening here is that giuliani has had several deadlines where this debt of $150 million that he has to pay to these two women he defamed so severely, who were harassed so severely after the 2020 election, where he has had to meet, but he hasn't, because he's had attorneys in court that have been helping him use different tactics to continue on, to argue different things. and so his attorneys did quit

on wednesday night. they indicated that it was because of some sort of split or disagreement with giuliani. we don't know the full details of that. but ruby freeman and shay shay moss' lawyers have persisted. they have built a foundation in court, they have locked down bank accounts of his. they keep asking him for more and more information. they're chasing down where his most prized possessions, where his most expensive possessions are. and now, if giuliani doesn't meet the deadline, it's 9:00 a.m. , today. the deadline that ruby freeman and shay moss have set. they have been given specific directions, give the stuff to a storage facility in queens. if that doesn't happen, he could face severe sanctions, contempt of court, and that also means, if he doesn't turn things over, it could be jail until he does. >> yeah, it is just remarkable to think that this was at one point, people considered him america's mayor, and now he's in this state, owing $148

million that we don't know if he's going to follow the rules and could end up in jail. just a remarkable turnaround. katelyn polantz, your reporting on this has been excellent. thank you so much. i appreciate it. kate? coming up next, a cnn exclusive. we hear from the american fighter pilots who responded to an overwhelming iranian attack earlier this year. they say they ran out of missile. and a man served 16 years behind bars for a murder he always maintained that he did not commit. and that man is now free. his fight for freedom and how his legal team says that the justice system failed him, over and over again, for more than a decade.

this morning, cnn is hearing exclusively from the u.s. air force pilots that took down a swarm of iranian drones that were targeting israeli back in april. the u.s. fighter pilots say they were not expecting the scale of the attack from iran to be as large as it was. the pilots saying they even ran out of missiles, while repelling this attack. cnn's natasha bertrand has this great reporting and is joining us now. and natasha, you were able to speak with these pilots. tell me more about what they said. >> yeah, kate, there was so much that surprised me in my conversations with these pilots and f- 15 crews about just what happened that night. one of the biggest issues, of course, leading up to that night, which i just learned, is there was a question about whether or not these planes, these multi- million dollar f- 15 jets would even be able to take on these very slow, small, cheap flying ieds, essentially,

flying explosives, which are these drones. this is something that had not really been tested on a large scale before. here's what one of the f- 15 fighter pilots told me about the challenge in pursuing these drones that night. >> this is kind of the new way that we're going to be fighting wars moving forward, right? it's a lot of drone warfare. can you talk a bit about how difficult that was to take down these very small, slow- moving drones. >> you're talking about something that's on the very edge of a fighter aircraft's ability to detect what we call find, fix, track, target, and engage. we weren't sure if our radar, the best radar in the inventory, is in this airplane behind us. no one really knew whether or not its capability to find these things even existed. >> the other really interesting thing is that that aircraft that you saw behind him, the f- 15 strike eagle, that only holds about eight air-to- air missiles at a time. and you had a swarm of drones, you know over a

hundred, at least, that were attacking towards these fighter aircraft as they were trying to shoot them down. and so they ran out of these missiles fairly quickly. in fact, nighter pilot right there, irish, he told me that they had to resort to using a gun at one point off of that fighter aircraft, something that is extremely dangerous, especially in total darkness when the target you're trying to hit is very evasive, kate. >> fascinating. so great to hear directly from them. great reporting, natasha. thank you so much. john? all right, jared kushner was basically absent from donald trump's campaign this time, after being perhaps the most influential figure in the white house during trump's first term. but we have new reporting this morning that he might have a major new role this time. and nearly 60 years old, but still rocking the bikini briefs, mike tyson winning the battle against aging, but can he still win an actual fight? 100 million people might be about to find out.

so new this morning, donald trump's son-in- law, jared kushner, might have been the most important figure in the white house not named donald trump during donald trump's first term, but kushner absent, pretty much, from the campaign. now, though, we are hearing there is a key role for him in the incoming administration. let's get right to cnn national security correspondent, kylie atwood, for this. what are you learning, kylie? >> yeah, john, a key role, but from the outside, is what sources are telling us. the main reason for that is when you talk to diplomats from the region, to people in trump's foreign policy circles, they talk to the deep relationships that kushner developed with arab leaders while he was in the white house during the first trump administration. and the fact that he has maintained those relationships. one diplomat from the region i spoke to said that all of the incoming members of trump's team don't have what kushner

has in terms of the trust from the leaders in the region. he worked on those relationships, he maintained those relationships. another source said that relationships in the region are really fundamental to getting anything done. now, he's not expected to join the team, as i said, as a formal player. but from the outside, even this go-around, it's going to be a little bit different. there will be complications. there will be tension, because one of the things that jared kushner did over the last few years was develop an investment fund. he has a $2 billion investment from saudi arabia in that fund. so there are some current diplomats who are concerned about the role that he will likely play from the outside, because they're concerned about prioritization of the u.s. /saudi relationship in some ways that could potentially benefit kushner. but when you look at the members of the theme trump has already pulled in over the last few days, a key question is how they're going to interact with jared kushner, right? so i've talked to s

who say that they are developing those relationships. a source familiar with the matter says that kushner is able to advise and brief them from the outside as much as they want. and a lot of these nominees has already read jared kushner's book or is reading it, an indication that he's already involved. we'll have to see how it plays out. >> potential conflicts there, but not something that the incoming administration seems particularly concerned about. sara? with us now for his take in all of this, the latest in the moves to go through the trump transition, former republican congressman, charlie dent. glasses or no glasses, i'm glad you're here this morning. we all use them. we don't have to pretend. cnn has some reporting, i want to ask you about, about trump's transition team. he's not using the traditional fbi background checks, according to our reporting, for some of his cabinet picks, but instead using private companies to vet the

potential candidates for administration jobs. to you, does this pose a potential security risk to the united states? >> well, i suspect the reason he's not using the fbi background check system is because he's afraid that they will not pass those tests. and so he's trying to circumvent that process. so, yeah, it does create concerns for me. and by the way, i'm friends with tulsi gabbard, but i'm sure her ties to syrian president assad and her relations with the russias will come under heavy scrutiny for that position. and i suspect they want to avoid that. certainly matt gaetz, he's already been investigated by the doj and obviously is the subject of an ethics committee investigation. he would have enormous problems, as well. so, yeah, they're using this process to -- this new process of other companies to vet these candidates, so they can avoid the fbi. it's very clear. >> you know, on that point, what are the chances that donald trump will try to push this through without senate approval? in other words, use those

recess appointments? >> well, i don't think that the -- senator john thune is a good man and he's an institutionalist. i don't think senate republicans are going to use this recess appointment process. if they do, it will be done very sparingly. and i don't think they would use it for candidates who are deemed unqualified. maybe for somebody who was qualified, but controversial, you might remember john bolton in the first trump administration. i think he became -- took his position because of a recess appointment. but i don't see that happening for a matt gaetz. i can't imagine that the matt gaetz nomination will last long. i think they'll have to withdraw it. and some of these other nominations, too, that are that controversial. and you know, if you're a senate democrat, why would you obstruct this process? i think you would want senate republicans to be on the record voting on some of these very controversial nominees, that would like to

use this politically. >> i do want to ask you about something that "the new york times" is reporting now, that iranian officials say that elon musk met with iran's u.n. ambassador for more than an hour in a secret location. it obviously shows you iran is still willing to talk and have discussions. do you have concerns about this secret meeting? >> yeah, i do, actually. and by the way, it's okay for presidents to use emissaries from time to time. using elon musk, for example, it's also been reported that he's had communications with vladimir putin, now with the iranians, and i guess what would concern me is that elon musk is probably into what many aspects of the government does, classified information, i suspect, he has access to at times. and that would concern me that a private citizen with as much at stake with

the federal government is being used in this unofficial capacity. again, it's not necessarily improper to use emissaries to probe adversaries, but i would -- i don't think that i would be use elon musk, i mean, his high- profile and his extensive engagement with the federal government on so many business matters. >> you were and you mention this, you were the chair of the ethics committee. the committee has canceled its meeting today, where we were expecting to see whether or not they vote to make the report on matt gaetz, on the investigation into, among other things, potential sexual misconduct, drug use. do you think the report is ever going to see the light of day? whether congress members get it, or the public gets it? >> well, it's interesting. ordinarily, once a member of congress resigns, the house ethics committee loses jurisdiction of that investigation. that said, this

investigation appears to have been completed. and the report is ready to go. so the committee was going to meet, apparently, to vote on the report and then release it. i suspect, i don't know, i haven't seen it, but i suspect that the report had very damning information. they were probably going to recommend some kind of a sanction on matt gaetz, a censure, who knows, maybe expulsion, which would be moot at this point at this point. they could recommend all of those things, but now that the investigation is complete, the committee will be under tremendous pressure to release it. i think they can. you may remember senator john ensign was, i believe he resigned from the senate and a report was released after his resignation, as i recall. so it's happened. and as part of the vetting process for matt gaetz for attorney general position, since he is a nominee, both senators durbin and corbin would like to see this report. they would like this report to be part of their record as they consider him as -- as they consider gaetz as the next

attorney general nominee. so i think that this is a -- i think there'll be tremendous pressure to release it. the fact that the committee canceled its meeting today doesn't mean they won't meet mexico week next week or the following week, but there'll be enormous pressure to release it and i think there's some precedent. >> charlie dent, it's always a pleasure. thank you so much for joining us early this morning. appreciate it. today, we are introducing you to one of 2024's top five cnn heroes. since 2021, a record number of unaccompanied migrant children have traveled to the united states, many fleeing violence and extreme poverty. rachel rudder is an immigration lawyer who is trying to help them. >> the cartel started asking for money. they were telling my family that they were going to kidnap me and my sister. my mother chose to just leave everything we had.

>> once the children arrive here in the u.s. , they've already been through so much trauma, it can be jarring when they arrive here and realize that it's really just beginning. these kids are not coming here to ruin the united states or take our jobs or commit crimes. they're coming here to be safe and take care of their families. they want to study. they want to work. they want to achieve something here in the u.s. and they are some of the hardest- working, kindest, most resilient kids. >> and you can go to cnnheroes. com to vote for rachel or any of your favorite top five heroes. coming up for us, hearing about even one ufo sighting is fascinating, noteworthy, and, i guess, should be alarming. how about more than 750 sightings? the new pentagon report just out. and a minnesota man is now

free. a judge vacated his murder conviction after he sat wrongfully convicted behind bars for 16 years. what an unreliable star witness, a reality tv show, and a questionable photo lineup have to do with it all. and a what he wants to do now with his newfound freedom. that man is our guest.

new this morning, a new study estimates that 260 million americans will be overweight or obese by 2050. the study's co- author saying that, quote, obesity is at a crisis point throughout the usa, this as weight loss and diabetic drugs like ozempic and egovy, you know the names, have been game changers for some people. but there are still questions about side effects, accessibility, and ultimately the results. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is here to answer your questions about these drugs. all right, we're going to start with saying, we love our sanjay and we're glad you're here, and then we're going to go with a question from maria in florida. here's her question. she asks, once you reach your weight goal, can you stay in a lower dose of something like ozempic or wegovy? or potentially space out the

injections for the maintenance of the weight that you've already lost? >> yeah, so the quick answer here is, yes. and people aren't used to hearing that. people think, you get your dose with medication, you stick with that dose. these medications, you can dial up the dose on the pen, some people stay on a maintenance dose. they don't actually increase the dose. some people will space out their dosing. there's all of these different things that are already starting to happen. and you know, it makes sense, because you're trying to quiet the food chatter in your brain. you're trying to see, what is the ultimate dose to get you the best results without having side effects. it's best to do it in conjunction with the doctor, for sure, to sort of monitor that. but two things really jumped out at me, while we were working on this documentary. one is that most people are stopping these medications within 12 weeks. i think that's really interesting, because i think the assumption was that these were going to be lifelong meds. not the case, for most people. 50, 58%. and the second thing is, a new study, i actually just printed it out, shows about 80%

of people will maintain a significant amount of weight loss after coming off of these things, if they've done it in conjunction with lifestyle changes. so the medications serve as motivation, almost, as much as a medication. >> that's really interesting. i think people hear 12 weeks, and that seems like, what?! because you heard at the beginning, people thought it was going to be lifelong. we've got another question from sam in arizona. and they write, they're hopeful that these drugs can hope with infertility, but says they're frustrated that insurance companies refuse to recognize this. what can you tell us about these drugs and fertility? >> there's a clear relationship here. you know, there's been these social media memes going around saying that ozempic moms, people who go on these medications, able to get pregnant for the first time, they hadn't been able to in the past. there's a clear correlation between losing weight and pregnancy. something specifically known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, pcos, that seems to be less symptomatic when people

actually lose weight. that's probably the correlation there. that's the first part of the question. the second part, though, insurance, you know, they can cover obesity, but not necessarily pcos, yet for these medications. that may come with more studies. >> that would be the off- label thing, and insurance companies don't generally. sanjay gupta, it's always great to see you. and this is going to be an incredible look. you spent a year, right? >> spent a year working on this, in case you're wondering where i was. >> no, because you're always here, too. you do everything. dr. sanjay gupta, it's always good to see you. >> good to see you, sara. >> john? a new report released by the pentagon reveals hundreds of alleged ufo sightings. in just over a year, it recorded more than 750 sightings in the united states. the reported sightings came from everyday citizens to commercial and military pilots. some of the incidents are still under investigation, although the pentagon claims that there is still no official evidence of extraterrestrial activity. the truth is out there. so, this morning, mike

tyson is 58 years old, which is too old for some things, but apparently, not slapping the guy you're about to box in front of tens of millions of people. tyson slapped jake paul in advance of their ridiculously hyped fight on netflix tonight. paul called the slap cute. he also called tyson anan little elf. kate? >> john, thank you so much. after 16 years behind bars, a minnesota man is speaking out now as a free man. edgar bartiotos quintana was convicted to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of an 18-year-old in 2008 in a drive- by shooting. now after a years- long investigation and an even longer fight for justice, the state's top prosecutor says that he is an innocent man. >> nothing can give mr.

bariotos quintana back those 16 years, and for that, we are so sorry. and our hearts are with the family of jessie michaelson over the irreparable loss. when the criminal legal system does not function ethically, it causes significant harm. >> in a scathing report, some 130 pages long, the state's review board found multiple miscarriages of justice here. things like detectives coercing witnesses, a questionable photo lineup, prosecutors failing to reveal at trial that a reality tv crew was embedded with investigators at the time and gave scripted statements for investigators to read on camera. also failing to reveal evidence that the conviction review unit determined would have shown that bariotos quintana could not have been at the crime scene at the time of the shooting. now, the victim's family supports his release from prison and believes he is innocent. joining me right now is edgar quintana and his attorney.

edgar, after reading about what you have been through, i mean, it's so wonderful to see you, your face, and to see you free. what does this feel like to be a free man once again? >> feels good. feels good to be back with my family. enjoying the last couple of days. it's new. >> to say the least, seeing you say, just as you were being released, that you never lost hope during all of those 16 years that you were in prison, and i mean, you are made of better stuff than me, because i'm wondering, how did you not lose hope in that time? >> man, i have the great lawyers from the innocence project, they were on my case from the start. and knowing that they were working for me to come home, my family just kept me going. kept me going.

>> are you angry about what happened to you? the time that was stolen from you? >> no, no, no. i mean, i'm never going to get this time back, but i'm not mad. i'm just living life right now. i'm just happy i'm out here. and you know, life's too short for that right now, man. >> you know that better than anybody. julie, from the play-by- play that i've read, edgar was let down by, like every single step of the judicial system along the way. from investigators to prosecutors to his own defense attorney at trial. how did they get this so wrong? >> you know, i think it was just, in terms of the defense attorney's real experience, these were people who should not have been trying a murder case. from the perspective of the state, i think it's a significant problem that the first 48 was embedded with the case from the beginning and so when investigators first turned their attention to edgar

and thought that they had solved the case, and then told the family that on film, once they found out about his alibi, that he was across town on video and he could not have made it in time to the crime scene, as the accomplice said he did, it just couldn't have happened that way, once investigators learned that, they were already committed to the story of his guilt, both to the producers of "the first 48," and the family, who they told they solved the case on video. and the television program was already in production and shown on air just before his trial. i think it was very hard for investigators to go back and say, whoops, we made a mistake, this guy couldn't have done it. >> but again, that's their job! you know, you've been representing him for 11 years, julie. was that the most glaring issue kind of along the way of how his case was handled?

>> well, from my perspective, the most glaring issue were his defense attorneys. edgar had a wonderful alibi. as soon as we started investigating this case, i thought, how on earth could he have been convicted. he had the videotaped alibi, all of the scene witnesses, and there were seven of them, said that the shooter was bald or even shiny- headed bald, and we had him on video just before the shooting at a grocery store, across town, and again, after the shooting, at a baptism party that he went to that night with a full head of hair. but his attorneys, at trial, completely mishandled this evidence. and the jury just didn't get a full picture of all of the things that proved he was innocent. >> and i think what we're looking at is a side-by- side, and correct me if you can see this, julie, but this is a picture of edgar on the left, of kind of what his booking photo, but then on the right is an old photo that was used during the photo lineup, correct?

>> you know, i can't actually see the videos that you're seeing. i believe you, because i know that those photos appeared in our post-conviction petition, as as well as the report of the conviction review unit, so i think i know what you're looking at, and that's right. >> yeah, absolutely. edgar, what do you want to do with your life now? >> just live life. that's it. you know, travel, doing what i was doing before i went to prison. same thing, that's it. work, spend it with my family. my kids. >> is there one thing that you were looking forward to most in knowing that your moment of freedom was coming back, or one thing that you've already experienced in just these days that you appreciate the most? >> yeah, spending time with my