pd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. with high drug cost -- >> suzanne malveaux is off, i'm don lemon. president barack obama speaking out on the killing of unarmed teen trayvon martin. he says his concern is for the boy's grieving parents. >> my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. you know, if i had a son he'd look like trayvon. >> meanwhile, more protests are planned in cities across the nation today.

last night thousands rallied in sanford. that's the central florida town where martin was killed. protesters are calling for the arrest of the shooter, neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman. zimmerman says he acted in self-defense. 17 counts of murder, those are the main charges expected today for army staff sergeant robert bales. he is the m.a.s.american soldie accused in the killing of afghan civilians, most of them women and children. bales remains locked up at ft. leavenworth. the rutgers university student convicted of spying on his gay roommate says he wasn't trying to intimidate him. a jury convicted dharun ravi of bias intimidation and invasion of praf si ivacy in the case of clementi. ravi says he doesn't think his opinion mattered that much to clementi. >> he knew i wasn't trying to like intimidate him because he was gay. >> you feel confident of that. >> yeah, i feel confident of

that. after all this time and reading of conversations and how -- what he was doing before. i really don't think he cared at all. i feel like i was an insignificant part of his life. that's giving me comfort now. they went from reporting the news to becoming the big story. that's what happened to a reporter and a photographer at our affiliate wreg in memphis. look. >> we were just trying to find out what was going on, that's all. >> everybody is lying. man, look, get the camera away from me. >> you can't touch the camera, man. >> you really -- >> okay. >> we're leaving. we're leaving. >> all right. you see that? that is a gun. april thompson was looking for answers about the death of a local man, but a friend of the family wasn't too happy about her questions pulling a gun and forcing thompson and her colleague to leave. luckily, no one was hurt in this

incident. unbelievable. wreg says the man has since turned himself in. ridiculous. president obama is speaking out for the first time on the killing of unarmed florida teenager trayvon martin. the 17-year-old was gunned down by neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman. zimmerman says he acted in self-defense. cnn's white house correspondent dan lothian joins us now live from the white house. dan, it's a very interesting moment we have found ourselves in. i'm not sure if you heard owe my conversation can john lewis. he spoke about the president's comments and reiterated he feels the same way as the president. >> reporter: you know, it was quite unusual for the president to address this question today. it was after he was making his announcement for a nomination for the head of the world bank, and often times we throw questions at the president during events at the rose garden

or in the east room or elsewhere here on the white house grounds and if the president doesn't want to talk about it, most of the time he will just pivot and walk away. but today he was asked a question on this issue, and he weighed in. i'm told by a white house aide that this is something that the president had been thinking about in very personal terms for some time. today he decided to speak out even though he also said he wanted to be cautious because his own justice department is involved in the investigation. >> but obviously this is a tragedy. i can only imagine what these parents are going through. and when i think about this boy, i think about my own kids. >> the president said that it's imperative that this investigation play out as federal, state, and local authorities look into this to try to figure out exactly what

is behind this tragedy, don. >> all right, dan lothian now at the white house. dan, thank you very much for that. in the meantime, the father of trayvon martin is remembering his son as a hero. tracy martin told cbs this morning that trayvon saved him from a fire when he was just a little boy. >> he was my hero. and he will be sadly missed. >> why was he your hero? >> trayvon saved my life at the age of 9. he pulled me out of a fire, went back in the house, got the phone, came back out, called 911. he saved my life. >> outrage and protests spreading over the killing of the unarmed youth. george howell is our man on the ground in sanford, florida. george, you were at that press conference we just heard from the city manager. he is saying that the police chief who has stepped aside is still being paid, could be reinstated depending on the outcome of this investigation. how did that go over among the

crowd, among the people who were there? >> reporter: well, all journalists here, no bystanders, people, citizens to really hear this and react to it. but again, as you mentioned, we learned more about the police chief, how the city manager will evaluate whether the police chief gets his job back. take a listen to what he had to say. >> once i have a report that demonstrates to me and which shows me the actions of the police department and how they performed in this instance, that is what temporary is. then i can make a determination regarding chief lee. >> reporter: we also learned that the special prosecutor, the new special prosecutor, will meet with police officers, will meet at this police department at 1:30, so that process is also kicking off, don. >> and he said that -- i thought it was also interesting, george, that he said that the trust that we had that existed is no longer there and they were going to have to work to rebuild that

trust and especially in the wake of all these protests not only locally but nationally. there was one live as we were on last hour, and there it is right there at a south florida high school. they're in human letters t.m. on their football field. more protests going on, george, that you know about? >> reporter: there are. in fact, including this one, there were four other protests, four other student walkouts in miami, and this happened, don, just the other day when students walked out carrying iced tea and skittles in their hands, the same things that trayvon martin had in his hands the day that he was killed, february 26th. we also know about rallies in atlanta that happened today at the university center. civil rights leaders and students, student leaders coming together to protest, and, don, a busy schedule over the weekend. we know in norfolk, virginia, also in greenville, south carolina, rallies are scheduled. and then on monday, don, here in sanford we know that people will come together a the a church.

they will march to city hall for a city commissioner meeting. it usually happens right here, but because of the anticipated size of people coming, in a lot of people coming in from all over, they moved this regular meeting to the civic center. we'll see a march to the civic center then, don. >> george howell, thank you very much. appreciate your reporting. we'll see you throughout the day here on cnn. george zimmerman claims self-defense when he called trayvon -- when he killed trayvon martin. police did not arrest him under florida's stand your ground self-defense law. my colleague carol costello talked to the florida state representative who co-authored the legislation. here is dennis backsly and what he had to say. >> there's a lot of misconceptions about how to apply this law. there's nothing in this statute, this is a self-protection statute, nothing in this statute that authorizes anybody to pursue and confront another individual on the street. >> in your mind, george

zimmerman, should he be charged with a crime? >> i don't like to speculate. i think it's the grand jury's responsibility to sort all this out, but quite frankly, anyone who steps out in a pursuit and confrontational mode with a five arm, they're not covered. that's not a self-protection act. >> the police don't understand the law, they're the very people that should easily understand the law so they can apply it when they're thinking about placing someone under arrest. >> that's a good thing that could come out of this very tragic situation, and that is a clarification of how this law is to be applied. when you have someone carrying a firearm on a crime mission and then actually ignoring the dispatcher's guidance that we don't need you to do that, then i think that's a very different situation, and i think it's been misapplied. >> so far george zimmerman has not been arrested.

a rundown now of some of the stories we're covering for you next hour here on cnn. first, the army sergeant accused of gunning down afghan civilians had a string of troubles long before he got on the battlefield. and for many black parents, it can mean the difference between life and death. >> the best thing you can do that me and daddy think you should do is to be very polite, very polite, and say, i'm visiting someone. tell them exactly what you're doing. a toxicology report reveals the cause of whitney houston's death. new crest 3d white intensive professional effects whitestrips. it goes below he enamel surface to whiten as well as a five-hundred dollar professional treatment. wow, that's you? [ female announcer ] new intensive professional effects whitestrips.

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my meineke. today is the day we expect to hear the formal charges facing u.s. army staff sergeant robert bales. he is the soldier accused of leaving his base in afghanistan earlier this month and killing 16 civilian men, women, and children. people in two parts of the world are watching to hear these formal charges. here in the united states, of course, and in afghanistan as well. cnn's miguel marquez is in seattle and spoke with bales' defense lawyer just a little while ago and you see sara sidner covering the other side of the story in afghanistan. miguel, you spoke to bales' lawyer john henry brown, he told you it will be a tough case for the government to try. why does he say that? >> reporter: well, he says that the government doesn't have a crime scene basically. the bodies were buried. there is no blood evidence, no

ballistic evidence, no fingerprints. he says the government will have a tough time proving its case against staff sergeant bales and he is going to make them prove every point that they contend. >> so if the prosecution is going to have a tough time, as he said, i would imagine -- i don't know if he's right about that because all of this happened in a war zone. did he give you an idea of how he'll go about making this particular case, miguel? >> reporter: yeah. in addition to them having a tough time with the forensics, it's going to be a tough time getting witnesses as well. that's one thing he wants to do. he says he is going to have a tough time, and he has to get to afghanistan in order to survey what they say the crime scene is, survey witnesses, survey the situation there. he says the military is being very helpful in this effort, that they are going to take him to afghanistan, facilitate his trip there. would not say exactly when that would happen but thought it would happen soon, days, weeks perhaps. >> and i have seen a couple interviews with him early on when he first met with bales. he said that he was in shock, he

didn't remember a big part of the incident. so what is he saying about his client's state of mind now? is he talking more about that, miguel? >> reporter: he says he had a very long conversation with him off the bat to get a full scope of this guy's career and his feelings about what was going on in afghanistan and iraq and all these different places. he says that his defense appears to be going along two lines. first, this whole idea that the prosecution will have to prove its point but then also that mr. bales' state of mind. he says that his competency will come into play in this trial, and that's one thing he will be talking about. it appears that he and mr. bales are speaking regularly. he says that he can talk to him. there are others listening in so it's not clear how freely he can talk to him at this point by phone, and bales' wife has had a second conversation with her husband on wednesday night. she was able to talk to him. the first conversation was in kuwait. so it seems he is communicative

and helping out. >> interesting. miguel marquez in seattle. i want to go to sara sidner in kabul, afghanistan, where people there want the accused soldier to face justice in afghanistan. so, sara, why do they want this to happen? >> reporter: well, they feel that the person who is responsible for this, whoever it is, should be tried right here in the country in a public forum so that everyone can see the process and so it's open. but they're also asking for something else, something that we know will not happen. they're asking for him to be charged under islamic law. >> translator: we demand from the court and the united states to give the death penalty to the u.s. soldier who massacred the civilians. he must be hanged because he deserves the biggest punishment. we want a punishment based on islamic sharia law. >> translator: this massacre by the u.s. soldier is against all human law. he murdered 16 civilians with no reason. he must be hanged because he

committed a big crime. we demand the death punishment for him for it to be a lesson to other foreigners in afghanistan. >> reporter: and as we know he could face the death penalty, but as you know, the justice system works in its own time. this is not something that can quickly happen. he has a defense lawyer. he is innocent until proven guilty. the prosecution has to prove that he did what he's accused of, so this can be a lengthy process. something that perhaps people here in the village setting don't really understand. don? >> sara sidner, kabul, afghanistan. appreciate your reporting on this. the court battle over health care is on. it's been two years since president obama signed eed hea care reform.

president barack obama's health care law, all 2,700 pages of it, lands on the steps of the u.s. supreme court next week. it was a fight that started two year ago. our congressional correspondent is kate bolduan and she's live in washington for us. hi, kate. >> hey there, don. >> what are the arguments here? who has a beef with the central

provision of this law? >> reporter: this is a huge case when you look at not only the actual policy impli kacations b the political implications. this is something that really rarely happens. how much time the supreme court justices are giving to this one case. there are four issues for questions that the court is going to consider. this is going to happen over a six-hour period that will spread through days of oral arguments. that rarely happens. that shows just how important this case really is. of the four issues they can get very legally dense, but it really comes down to and hinges on one central issue. the question of the individual mandate, the part of the health care law that really has been the most controversial part all along, don. the part that requires that nearly every american purchase, have health insurance starting in 2014 or they will have to pay a penalty. hours after the health care law went into effect, statingses ac

the country began filing lawsuits. 26 states are challenging this law calling it unconstitutional. they will be arguing against it saying it needs to be struck down. the obama administration will be defending the law in court and that's really where the central issue is on this individual mandate. >> and the timing is significant. it's an election year, kate. >> reporter: it really is huge. not only -- this law is important, it impacts every american. thus, the ruling on this supreme court case is going to impact every american. so everyone will need to watch there, but we cannot forget about the political implications here. it is -- it's pretty amazing that this decision, this argument and the decision will come smack dab in the middle of an election season and we also really can't overstate how important the political implications are then. we know that all the republican candidates have been running against the health care law. republicans calling it obama care. it's been a regular part of their stump speech, and

president obama, this has been a signature achievement of mr. obama's presidency, this health care reform legislation. so he himself has a ton at stake here. and it will definitely be a very important part of the election going forward. >> kate, pack your lunch. use the restroom, whatever. you're going to be watching this for a while. you won't go far. >> lots of coffee ahead of time. >> thank you very much, kate bolduan. appreciate it. president obama said trayvon martin's death particularly resonated with hip as an african-american parent. as a parent in general. i will talk to a mom who had the talk with her son teaching him how to save his life if stopped by anyone. greetings from the windy city of chicago.

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what are you waiting for? this is big news. a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ a rundown of the stories we're working for you here on cnn. next it's called the talk, okay? and many black parents hope it will keep their sons safe. you're going to hear the words of one mother, the words she spoke to her little boy.

then new details in the death of whitney houston. what a toxicology report says about the singer's final moments. and later jerry sandusky's defense team wants those sex abuse charges dismissed. we're going to discuss their strategy coming up. the shooting of trayvon martin hits close to home for many african-americans. black parents raise their children to be wary of con fron tags with police and authorities. lynn varner says she has had the talk with her son like so many other black parents and she says it is a right of passage. she writes about it in her column and she joins me live from seattle. it is a rigte of passage. having lived it, i know it. and here it is 20 years oofer, maybe even more agree havi, havk with my parents.

>> i wanted to let my son be innocent for just a little while longer, but at the same time i was looking at these pictures of trayvon martin, and i just thought, that could be my son, tall, wearing a hoodie, going -- walking around to see his friends, talking on his cell phone, looking a little bit like a little boy but also looking like a young man, and i just realized it was time to have that kind of tough conversation, and it's tough because i've raised him. i quote shakespeare to him and i tell him the world is your oyster and it's your job to feast. but now i have to tell him the world is full of people that may think just because of the color of your skin that you're up to no good and you have to be mindful of that. >> do we have video of lynn? do we have sound of her doing -- giving the talk? no? if we do, let me know in my ear. what did you say to your -- what do you say to him?

>> i told him that as we've always said, when people of authority stop you and question you, you are to be polite and courteous, and we've always said that, teachers, the school principal, the police officer around the corner. be courteous, but now we have to also tell him that as we said, these people, these authority figures, they're there to keep you safe, but some of them may have the wrong idea about you. therefore, you have to remain calm. remain courteous. speak honestly. if someone says what are you doing here, what are you doing in this neighborhood? well, that's a really insulting question. my son could be there for any number of reasons but he has to answer that question and save the hurt for later. >> this is you talking to your son, lynn. what's your son's name? how old is he? >> jack son and he's 11.

>> jackson, 11 years old. and we're going -- i'm going to get you talking to him. let's listen in and i'll get your response, jackson and his mom. >> okay. >> the best thing you can do that me and daddy think you should do is to be very polite, very polite, and say i'm visiting someone. tell them exactly what you're doing. >> what did he say? how did he respond? >> he understood because we've put it in clear terms. it could be a matter of life or death. there are no do overs for trayvon martin. he can't change the situation, and so we made it clear to my son that you have that one opportunity to affect the outcome. so he understood -- i think he's a little overwhelmed, as any child would be, that he might one day be in that situation. >> lynn, these are great

conversations that we're having and we've had during these two hours that i have been on here, hour and a half so far that i have been on here and il would like to go on. but just in the short time left, is this just a black problem? is it just black kids and black mothers and black families? >> oh, no, oh, no. and that is what i keep saying, that my white colleagues, my asian colleagues, trayvon is all of our son. and the reason why is because any of us could have a child who's walking in a neighborhood where he's not recognized. he's on the phone talking with his friends. he's enjoying life as a kid would do, and he could be mistaken for something else or he could be assumed because of the way he's walking, the way he's got his hand in his pocket, that he's up to something. that could happen to any of us, and so that's why we all have to be outraged. but one last thing particularly out here -- >> quickly. >> on the west coast where there's a large number of blended families, everybody has

somebody of a different race in their family nowadays. it could be your black cousin by marriage. it could be -- trayvon could have been anyone's child. >> lynn, i'm sorry, i hate to cut you off but we do have to go. thank you. we appreciate you sharing such a personal story with us, to the nation. thank you. >> absolutely. thank you. more conversations like that we're going to be having this weekend when you join me, and you should at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, saturday. a one-hour special on the trayvon martin killing. as the national outrage intensifies one group in particular caught our attention and that's minority mothers. like lynn, hear their unique perspective and the advice they give their children. you will hear from friends and family of trayvon martin. that's 7:00 eastern right here on eastern. justice for trayvon martin, students all over the country

rallying for the unarmed teen who was gunned down in florida. we'll speak to two college students who plan to skip classes to join the movement. all right, let's decide what to do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out

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walkout and they marked the human letters t.m. for trayvon martin. rashad raymond moore and dane jones, students at moorehouse college in atlanta. they're planning to take part in a protest and march on monday. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. >> we're not keeping you away from classes, right? >> no, sir. >> this is important. >> this is more important. >> tell us about this march. where is it going to be? why. obviously your outraged. >> it's taking place monday afternoon at 5:00 in front of the state capitol here in atlanta, the state capital of georgia wile the nation and the world is focusing on this case, the sad reality is the same exc the crime is on the books in georgia as well. we're asking for our lawmakers to reconsider that law, put more specificity to that to avoid this from happening again. >> all right. so this whole thing, dane, has

been power to the people. that's what everyone is saying. this is the power of the people to get things done. you saw the police chief stepped aside. they appointed someone else, the grand jury. all of that. the movement that has happened on this story, they believe it's come from the people. what do you think is motivating young people, especially students, to get involved? >> well, i think the main motivation is that the case of trayvon martin could have been any of us, right? what does suspicion look like has become the question online and on college campuses. >> you said the question online. i said i'm doing a special saturday at 7:00 p.m. what do you want to know? everyone says where is george zimmerman and the next question is why hasn't he been arrested? but what are those conversations like that you are having on campuses? >> one of the conversations is the reality of race in a, quote, post-racial society. we're glad that president obama spoke up today, but we realize that though trayvon was younger than us in florida, clearly he

could have been a student heading to morehouse next year and we wear hoodies in solidarity because whether they read harvard, columbia, spellman, we're all suspicious. so i think this case though zimmerman may be arrested, he may not, the reality is from these conversations that are going on, students are reconsidering their vocations, reconsidering their callings in life. maybe they'll recommit themselves to law. >> you said they all look suspicious and you're wearing a hoodie. did you wear it on purpose? >> i did. >> put it up. you look like a student. put the of it up. >> does he look suspicious? >> he looks very suspicious. >> if i take cough my glasses i will even look more suspicious. >> i know you're joking. but i see people dressed like you all the time. you can be suspicious wearing anything. >> you can. >> so conversations, dane, that you're having. the real conversations. be honest with me.

>> the real conversations are centered around whether or not we should allow laws that are on the books right now that really allow discretion to police departments to decide how these laws are interpreted or laws that are very similar to the one that's involved in this case. we need to get them removed. that's what the conversation is about. >> see, you have moved beyond the passion and the outrage into how do we affect change in this particular instance. >> right. >> and across the country with this. that's where you said it's going now? >> that's where the students are. >> why? >> because we realize that the passion and the outrage has to be connected to what we can do to move forward and to make things better, to make sure that this doesn't happen again. >> we're also encouraging students to go beyond protesting on facebook and twitter, though that is good. you have to get out, educate yourself, and deeply understand what is the cause at the root of this problem. >> rashad, dane, thank you very much. >> a pleasure to be here. >> you're wearing the hoodie

there. it gives impact. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, thank you. let's talk about something else that happened on another college campus, a rutgers university student convicted of spying on his gay roommate is speaking out. but he hasn't even been sentenced yet. is this a shrewd legal move or a mistake? we're going to ask an expert in our legal briefs today. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week. "why wait if you don't have to." rapid wrinkle repair. neutrogena®. recommended most by dermatologists. time out. sweet. [ female announcer ] with charmin ultra soft, you can get that cushiony feeling while still using less. designed with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent and you can use four times less.

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in the spotlight. the roommate of tyler clementi committed s eted suicide -- he committed sue said after web cam video of him and another man was circulated. a jury convicted dharun ravi of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy. paul, good to talk to you. ravi is sentence eis scheduled sentenced on may 21st. it is unusual for him to be doing tv interviews before being sentenced? >> this is highly unusual to see a defendant in a criminal case go on television before sentencing. lawyers are usually fearful the client will say something to damage his position, but, you know, in this case, the case went so badly for the defense, and i think part of the reason

it went badly was that ravi never took the stand to explain his own position, to really create a little sympathy for himself, and i think now they're trying to play catch-up and do that publicly since they didn't do it in the courtroom during the trial. >> we can all relate, moves of us can relate to being a young person doing something silly being in college and would you want to be judged by that, paul, i think is probably what they're trying to get across. would you want to be judged by the mistakes you were in college and you were just wet behind the ears? >> that's exactly what they're trying to get across. boy, i'll tell you, people have radically different views about this case. a lot of people say he's just an adolescent kid who played a stupid joke and he's facing, by the way, ten years in prison under this strict, strict invasion of privacy and bias intimidation law. but the other side of the join here is that cyber bullying and t the use of the internet to harass and abuse people has

really been a national problem and it's not like the old days when, you know, you'd spread a rumor about somebody, three or four people would hear it. you post it on the internet now -- >> everyone -- >> -- thousands of people may hear it. >> and it's there for the world in perpetuity. in an interview ravi said he's not biased against homosexuals. listen to this and then we'll talk about it. >> do you hate gay people? >> i don't hate gay people. >> do you fear gay people? >> no. >> do you want to not be around gay people? >> doesn't matter to me at all. >> okay. what do you think? he says he is not biased against gay people. what do you make of that because that's not exactly what he was convicted of, right? >> well, no. he was specifically convicted of having hatred toward gay people. it was a bias intimidation crime, and the claim is that the only reason he broadcast the footage of tyler clementi kissing a man was in order to harass him because he was gay. as you can see though, i find it

interesting when i'm watching that interview, don, ravi is kind of flat in his approach. it's sort of an emotion-free presentation, and i'm sure his lawyers didn't put him on the stand at the time of trial for that reason because they probably thought, you know something? the jury is not going to be sympathetic toward him. now, could this be a cultural difference because he's indian, he's here on a visa, and this may just be a cultural thing, that he presents differently maybe than an american kid would present. i think they were afraid a jury wouldn't get it, wouldn't understand him. >> paul, we got to go. thank you, sir. appreciate it. >> okay. nice being with you, don. >> same here. it's likely that you have eaten pink slime. sounds gross. it is ammonia treated beef, parts that -- beef parts that's used as a filler in ground beef. two major supermarkets will stop selling it, and we'll talk about how it affects your health next. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast, you let gravity do the work. [ male announcer ] maxwell house french roast.

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about trayvon martin. the president said, if if i had a son, he would look like trayvon martin. the family said it's humbling president obama took time out from his busy schedule to talk about trayvon and offer his support of the department of justice and other organizations. his personal comments touched us deeply and made us wonder if his son looked like trayvon and wore a hoodie would he be suspicious, too. we would like to thank the president and the millions of people from around the world who have shown support for trayvon by having hoodie rallies and social media. we're working to get justice for trayvon and also to ensure that this kind of senseless tragedy doesn't happen to another child. that's coming from the family speaking out about the president's comments earlier today. my colleague brooke baldwin in the studio getting ready to talk more about that. in the meantime, nothing about it sounds appetizing. pink slime in ground beef.

that's how some refer to the filler in ground beef. the industry calls it lean finely textured beef. some grocery chains are vowing not to sell ground beef with this filler. that includes kroeger and safeway. officials say it does no harm and many people have already eaten it. >> if you mention the name john huntsman, you think of the former presidential candidate, but it's not him in the news today. it's his father. he talks about his latest mission and why it means so much to him. >> reporter: if the name sounds familiar, it's no coincidence. this is john huntsman str, father of former presidential candidate john huntsman jr. while the elder may not be as familiar as his son, the billionaire, businessman,

philanthropist and multiple cancer survivor has made his mark. hunt manslaughter said he was born with nothing and describes his upbringing as tough. but 42 years ago, he started a small plastics company in southern california. >> in 1973, a small team that worked with me, we invented the big mac hamburger container. >> over the years, that little company has grown into the huntsman corporation. one of the largest pet tro chemical plastics and industrial firms in the world. huntsman describes himself as a deal junkie who has also developed an addiction to giving. >> right from the beginning we started giving away money to charity over 40er yaos ago, even when i had to borrow money from the bank. >> he's donated $1.2 billion to thousands of chairities and individuals throughout the united states and abroad. his main charitable focus for nearly two decades, building the huntsman cancer institute. >> i just wanted to have the best in the world.

and i believe that we're -- that that's where we are today. >> that's because cancer has hit his family hard. his mother who taught him about the importance of giving died from cancer. as did his father and stepmother. and huntsman wasn't spared. he survived prostate cancer, mouth cancer and two types of skin cancer. so he built a state-of-the-art cancer center that has technology to treat patients and has top scientists searching for cures. and he uses his own experience as a patient to create an environment that eases patients' fears and gives them hope. >> i learned about hospitals, food, cleanliness, how patients need hope and inspiration in their lives. >>. >> reporter: which is why many parts of the hospital look more like a hotel than a canner treatment center.

. >> everyone is so happy, so kind. >> next up, we're going to look at the whitney houston autopsy report. dad, why are you getting that? is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪ everything. kinda. but why energy? we've got over 100 years worth. is it safe to get it? but what, so we should go broke with imports? look, i'm just saying. well, energy creates jobs. [announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs, less emissions. a good answer for everyone. we gotta be careful. it's cleaner. it's affordable. look, if it's safe, i'm there.

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>> she was known as the voigs, but whitney houston's gift was silenced forever last month after an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub. it adds that heart disease and cocaine also played a role. joining me now, jane velez mitchell, host of the "jane velez-mitchell" on hln and she's also the author of a book called "addict nation." let's get right to it. it says drowning, but the coroner said she did cocaine

immediately before her heart gave out she slipped under the water. >> and she also had in her system pot, xanax and men drill. it is uppers, it is downers. st it was a drug dock pail. this needs to be a wake-up call for america, because her bing could have been triggered by a doctor giving her those powerful mood altering meds. what doctor in their right mind would give one of the most famous singers known with drug abuse heavy mind-altering drugs. that should be investigated. >> and it is a wake-up call also about the stigma when it comes to addiction. we need to remove that stigma

and give people treatment. her friends, who thought they were supporting her when they said oh, she's cured from the hard stuff, now she can go out and have champagne. it doesn't work that way. if we learn that one thing. also, the coroner talked about chronic drug use. who was supplying her? when you're whitney houston, you can not go out and score on your own. she took the cocaine according to the coroner, immediately prior to her collapse, but there was no residue found in the room? was the room cleaned up. >> so many questions. we will be watching you tonight at 7:00. let's get the book up again. it's called addict nation. the book on this particular subject about drug abuse, alcohol abuse. thank you, jane. 7:00, hln, we'll be watching. cnn news room continues right

now with my colleague who's got a whole lot in store for you. brooke baldwin. hello, brooke. >> mr. lemon, you have a wonderful weekend. we'll be watching you on tv. for now, hello, everyone. i'm brooke baldwin. a lot hoop haping over the course of the next couple of hours. one is rapid fire. roll it. >> just into iz us here, a verdict now in the trial of that billionaire polo mogul charged with dui manslaughter. he is the guy who adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend just before the trial. the jury has now found john goodman guilty of causing a crash that killed a young man back in 2010. goodman claims he doesn't remember a thing. we are also a i what itting murder charge against staff sergeant robert bales. a cnn official says bales will face 17 counts of murder for the march 11 slayings of many in afghan, women and children in that village. bales' attorney is asking today, though, where's the evidence.

those charges could be announced today. president obama calling the death of trayvon martin a tragedy. and also saying if he had a son, he would look like trayvon. it's stirred anger around the country and globally. >> if i had a son he would look like trayvon. and ting they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. >> and we have got an statement from the family of trey son martin. the president's personal comments touched us deeply and made us wonder if his son looked like trayvon and wore a hoodie,

would he be suspicious, too. students at several florida schools walked out today, protesting the failure of police to arrest the shooter, george zimmerman. florida's governor has set up an attorney to investigate the killing. and the body of five more victims have been found aboard the costa concord yeah. that now brings to 30 the number of bodies found. still two people are missing. workers completed the removal of 2400 tons of oil from the ship just this week. and the senate has now passed a bill making insider trading illegal for lawmakers and their staff. the measure passed with strong bipartisan support today. critics, though, say this act doesn't go far enough. and mexico, get ready, the pope is coming. making his first trip, expected

to arrival just a couple of hours from now. crews spent months and months building this altar that can hold 700,000 people. we now know what killed whitney houston. drowning as the official cause of death, but heart disease and cocaine also played a role. >> the autopsy results indicated approximately 60% narrowing of the artery. so the finding of heart disease suggests a cardiac event. complicated by the cocaine use. houston apparently slipped under water and drowned. >> the cut will be made as the company is trying to reduce its call centers from 24 to 17. t. bo mill has been losing customers. a planned merger with at&t

failed to get regulatory approval last year. and finally, for the voeks in clintonville, wisconsin, they now know what's being causing those mysterious booms around town. a miniquake registering a tiny 1.5 hit the area here's what people in clintonville now have to say. >> it appears the mystery is solved but i don't think the work is done. >> this doesn't happen here. something is wrong and something is amiss. >> don't worry me at all. we're not going to fall in the ocean. we're not going to fall into lake michigan. >> still bizarre, right? we still have a lot more to cover for you in the next few hour, including this. . >> the government could know your private business, keep tabs on you, even if you're not a

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♪ at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. >> we are standing by for a list of formal charges being filed today against staff sergeant robert bales for that massacre in afghanistan. we believe those charges are coming down today because that's what we're hearing in a senior unnamed u.s. official and also from bales attorney. that u.s. official says bales will face 17 counts on murder for those brutal slayings in an afghan village. just think about that for a second. think about that number 17? why 17 since up to now the

number of dead have been reported as 16. what's changed? and what else might we be learning from this filing. in fort leavenworth, kansas, that is where sergeant bales is being held. do we know where the charges are being filed? >> we don't exactly. we expect them to come out of lewis-mcchord and that may be where the proceedings take place. it's very unlikely the actual proceedings will take place here. it will most likely take place at lewis-mcchord. >> we still don't even know that yet. i want to play a little sound, dead. john henry brown has met with bales twice this week. he says bales doesn't remember march 11, at least not the details of the killings. here's what he says.

he has some memories before the alleged events and after the alleged events, but he really doesn't have any memory. and in meetings with thim, clearly indicates he has memory problems that go back long before that. >> he also described bales as being in a state of shock. >> he's not undergoing psychiatric evaluations yet. he is going through the daily routine of any other prisoner with chores, et cetera, et cetera. he did meet with brown for a couple of days earlier this week, but they claim he's being

detroit trooeted as normal. and we mention those 17 counts of murder. do you have any guidance, ted, as to when that may be happening? or we'll just take it when we get it? by don't know specifically, but there are indications it's coming sooner rather than later because we're getting word that we're going to get a statement out of john brown. he said he would wait out a statement until the charges were official. so stay tuned. we believe they'll be coming down in the next couple of hours. >> ted, thank you. let's go to chris lawrence. as we mentioned, sergeant bales will be facing 17 counts of murder. have you been asking your sources why 17 counts? when you look at the number of dead, chris, it's been reported as 16. >> that's right. that was the first question that

really jumped out at us. we have sbn asking our source, but so far no definitive call. we have been able to rule out a few things. first of all, a senior official saying none of the wounded that have been cared for by the u.s. military have died. in other words, you know, there was no person wounded in the shooting who later passed away to add to that count. so we can rule that out. there's been a lot of speculation that perhaps this was a pregnant woman, in the late stages of pregnancy. that's not very likely either. that would be the u.s. military making a statement on when life begins. it's still unclear where the 17th came from. it may stiimply be that the military never had a definitive count of 16 starting out and that the investigation led them to conclude initial ly that tha

it's now 17 victims. his attorney also asking, where is the evidence? >> i'm a criminal defense attorney. and my first reaction to all of this is prove it. this is going to be a very difficult case for the government to prove in my opinion. there's no crime scene, no csi stuff, no dna, no fingerprints. it's just going to be interesting to see. >> he says there are no crime scene. but there is, the army

detectives who went to that crime scene to interview witness, to collect some evidence. i just spoke with a military jag official who said look, some of that evidence may be in the bodies of the wounded. in other words, some of the bullets that were fired may be in some of the wounded victims who are still alive. possibly some bullets may have passed through some of the victims and lodged in the wall. if those bullets were in good enough shape, they could be possibly matched to a weapon. he said one thing to really think your eye on is when the accused got back to base. did they take custody of his weapon? initiate any immediate sort of evidence chain to sort of keep that weapon secure and not have it passed around through several folks. he said that could be a key going forward as well. >> right. the when, the weapon and wow, evidence still could be in some of the wounded. chris lawrence, excellent

reporting from you. thank you so much for us at the pentagon. moving on, powerful memorials for florida teenager trayvon martin. students at multiple high school created a huge "tm" on multiple football fields. and also the president weighing innen ott death of the 17-year-old. . >> even when i think about this boy i think about my own kids. >> hear what else the president had to say after this quick break. continually monitors blind spots, scans the road to reveal potential threats, even helps awaken its driver if he begins to doze. so in the blink of an eye it will have performed more active safety measures than most cars will in a lifetime. introducing the all-new 2012 m-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services.

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since trayvon martin was

shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer a lot of americans are thinking that could have been my child. he spoke about the victim after a reporter asked him about the case. take a listen. >> but obviously this is a tragedy. i can only imagine what these parents are going through. and th and when i think about this boy, i think about my own kids. and i think every parent in america should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. and that everybody pulls together, federal state and local to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. and so i'm glad that not only is the justice department looking

into it. i understand now the governor of the state of florida has formed a task force to investigate what's taking place. i think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out exactly how this happened. that means we examine the law, the contest for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident. but my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. you know, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. and i think they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and get to the bottom of what happened. >> we now know that message was received by trayvon martin's parents. they have since responded. let me just read part of the statement. >> the president's personal comments touched us deeply and

made us wonder if his son looked like trayvon and wore a hoodie would he be suspicious, too? you also heard the president mention that governor of florida, rick scott has now set up this task force and appointed a new state attorney to handle the investigation on the killing, which still the shooter here, george zimmerman maintains was in self-defense. but the public continues to show outrage and disbelief of zimmerman's story. the online petition for the arrest of zimmerman has been gathering as many as 1,000 signatures a minute. this is according to the group change.org. also last night, look at this crowd. look at this. several thousand gathered in another rally to demand the arrest of george zimmerman. martin's parents erkt aed to the

fact that the chief of police has stepped down from his post. >> he's stepped down temporarily, we need a permanent. >> the step down is nothing. we want an arrest, a conviction and we want him sentence for the murder of our son. >> let's talk more about this with john zarrella. we know the city manager held his first of what he said will be daily news conferences yesterday. the news broke about, you know, chief billie stepping down temporarily. there was a briefing today. what happened? >> well, at the briefing today it gost a little testy there when bonapart was asked about the chief. he said the chief is on paid leave. then bonaparte went on to say which caught on because this is the first time defended chief

lee saying you know what, the problems in this community, the distrust of the police department predate chief lee arriving. chief lee only got here ten months ago. and he said that chief lee had done a lot since then to try and fix things with the community, but now he said they're going to have to start from ground zero once again to build trust with the department. he still r still did not give a clear answer as to what ultimately happened. >> what about the new special prosecutor handling the case. what do we know abouter? >> right, right. the governor made the announcement that in order to preserve complete transparency here, the state attorney in seminole county step aid side from this case. and he brought in angela quarry, apparented her out of

jacksonville to head the investigation, which will ultimately lead to that grand jury convening on april 10. and the team is already in place here in sanford, continuing to go over what evidence was gathered and continuing the ground work they need to do before the grand jury convenes. and she actually spoke this morning about her appointment. >> we don't worry about backl h backlashes from cases. we worry about seeking the truth. that's the mission for prosecutors is to seek the truth. i have the two best lawyers i know of to put on this case that will seek that truth. and then when it's the appropriate time will be able to give the public details. >> the governor also said yesterday that he was going to form a task force that would begin its work immediately after

this investigation is competed. one of the things they're going to look at is the stand your ground law in florida. >> i think it's in florida and 21 other states as well. appreciate it, thank you. and also joining don lemon tomorrow night, he's going to have this one hour special on the trayvon martin killing. obviously the national outrage is intensifying. one group in particular caught our attention. that being minority mothers. hear the unique perspective and the advice they're giving their own children in hopes they don't end up dying young. also you'll hear from neighbors and friends of both trayvon and the admitted shooter, george zimmerman. the trayvon martin killing tomorrow night. please watch saturday 7:00 p.m. eastern. meantime, illegal drug, prescription drug, over-the-counter drugs, all found in whitney houston's system when she died.

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>> cocaine, marijuana, a muscle relaxant, even benadryl was in whitney houston's system when she died. the kor ndur said houston had heart disease, which combined with the cocaine led to her slipping under water and accidentally drowning in a bathtub filled with water. one of the world's absolutely all-time greatest singers undone by an addiction that plagued her for years. i want to bring in a medical examiner with all kinds of experience in this particular area. and doctor, now that we have this report, if you would, just walk us through exactly is what likely happened in her hotel bathroom that day. >> i would be glad to. first thing i want to say is,

the drowning was really a contributory cause. really what she died of was the cocaine. the cocaine in all medical probability produced a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. the heart could no longer propel blood to the organs. the impairment of the heart was due to the cocaine working directly on the heart and possibly indirectly on the hardening of the arteries that she had. she had 60% narrowing of one of the major vessels. cocaine causes contraction of the coronary arteries. and this 60% could be increased to 70, 80, 90 or 100% blockage. and so this produced an arrhythm arrhythmia. she went unconscious, then slipped under the water immediately, or maybe a little later. but she was dying as she went

under the water and the water may have played no role in her death, but cocaine did. >> she was dying you're saying prior to potentially slipping under the water. according to the coroner, she took this cocaine fairly immediately before slipping under water. how can they even tell that? >> well, the only thing you can do is look at the coo cain level and look at the metabolite. if you have a very high cocaine level ar very low metabolite, that means this is an acute dose because it hasn't had time to break down in the body. the problem with cocaine is there are no safe levels. if -- you could have a level on monday and be high on tuesday, be. same level.

>> what can repeated use of cocaine do? >> it can cause skrs of the heart, enlargement of the heart and also development of hardening of the arteries, which she had. and 60% of a woman of her age is unusual. the cocaine also directly acts on the heart muscle to kill the heart muscles by interfering with their exchange of nutrients. it also works to cause spasm of these vessels so the flood with not go through and you can get a heart attack. there are cases of 4-year-old children who have cain co-wane having heart attacks because of the constriction of these blood vessels. >> if whitney houston had stayed off cocaine, would her heart condition have been manageable?

>> she had a bad heart, but she wouldn't have -- but with regul regular med medical attention, yes. there's no reason she should have died of heart disease as best i can tell. people are walking around with hardening of the arteries all the time. if they get real bad they put stens or coronary bypass and you live. but you take cocaine, you're in big trouble. cocaine is cardiac toxic. it works damage to the heart and can kill you. >> so, so tragic. thank you so much. >> coming up, a man threatens a reporter with a gun. the video and the story next. hey dad. see how the carrots i grow

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>> we some news here in the case of robert bales. this is from chris lawrence who's with us from the pentagon. we are learning the charges allege that sergeant bales assaulted, murdered or attempted to murder six other civilians. the maximum possible punishment for a premeditated murder is dishonorable discharges, total forfi chur of pay, allowances and death. with a mandatory sentence of

imprisonment for life with eligibility of parole. this all happening back back on a sunday on march 11 in afghanistan. we know his wife and two small children are now being protected, held back at his home days at joint base lewis-mcchord. what do you read from this? >> well, i think the thing that jumps out, there was a little confusion over the past day about the number 17. this clearly says that it was 17 afghan civilians. so i think that now that clarifies that perhaps there was maybe just some initial confusion about how many victims were in the villages. but it removes the possibility that someone else near the base or on the base may have been killed. i think the other thing are the attempted murder charges. in speaking with some of the

folks who have knowledge in this case, one of the things they talk about is the fact that the prosecutor will always try to sort of stack the case. in other words, if prosecutors are not able to prove premeditated murder, and there are some children challenges to these prosecutors to do so, you want to have other charges that may be more provable so that the person doesn't completely walk if you aren't able to prove your primary charges. >> chris lawrence, that's right. it says with premeditation, murdered 17 and attempted to murder 6 other civilians. my thanks to you. we're going to have a lot more on this.

meantime, this next story comes from arkansas. it shows a man getting riled up and making a choice to pull a gun. in this case, the man in question was talking to a reporter and a photographer when he decides he's had enough. so with the camera roll, we're just going to show it to you. this is a story from wreg. >> this is where goodall lived before his death. his three caretakers were accused of abusing the elderly man. ewept to the home to see if any family were around. that's when an angry friend confronted us. >> we weren't trying to do no harm. >> you need to leave right now. >> we're just trying to find out what was going on. that's all. >> get the camera away. >> you can't touch the camera.

>> we're leaving we're leaving. >> it was clear he had a gun and was threatening. we moved back to our station vehicle and he sped away. we called the sheriff's video and pressed charges. it turns out it's brandon odom, a friend of the son. the three in jail admitted giving him sleeping pills that knocked him out for days. authorities are also looking into some $108,000 stolen from him and reports he had been beaten and left without food before he died. but apparently brandon odom didn't want any of that told and he used a gun to show it. >> what i viewed on your camera is aggravated assault, which is a class d fell gnu. -- felony. >> that was april thompson from wrge with that one. by the way, the man with the gun

has been arrested. he faces aggravated assault charges. coming up, more help. i know many of you homeowners who have been foreclosed upon, and perhaps fear that could be happening to you soon, bank of america is going to let you rent your home to them instead of kicking you out. ben stein, our friend and economist, h ehas some thoughts, surprise, surprise. he's next. uncover stronger, younger looking skin. [ female announcer ] new aveeno skin strengthening body cream helps transform dry, thinning skin, by strengthening its moisture barrier, for improved texture and elasticity in 2 weeks. reveal healthy, supple skin. aveeno skin strengthening. reveal healthy, supple skin. we want to protect the house. right. but... home security systems can be really expensive. to save money, we actually just adopted a rescue panther.

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bank of america's announcement that it will be testing this alternative to foreclosure definitely caught our attention. it allows people to stay in the home and rent it from the bank. the troubled homeowner would lose all rights to the property. but there is a time limit. after three years the deal is up. bank of america are says the rent charged will be less than the monthly mortgage the homeowners are currently unable to meet. is this a good deal or is there a catch? this whole mortgage to lease program. i hear you love it. why? >> i think it's a great idea. because it allows the heem toner to keep his or her dignity. that is the main thing you lose when you lose your house. but if you lose your dignity, if

your neighbors see you packing up and you have to tell them you're in foreclosure, there shouldn't be any lack of dignity in that because it's happening to everybody. but now you can just stay in your house .i'm questioning how the banks are going to treat that as an accounting manner. if they can solve that problem, i think it's a great nationwide approach to the foreclosure crisis. >> so if my toilet stops working do i call up bank of america and say can you come to my house? >> yes, you do. they are your landlord. if your toilet gets clogged up, if your roof is leaking, if your hot water is not working, they'll give you a number, send somebody over to fix it. i think the main casualty of money worries and money problems is your dignity and your peace of mind. this allows yo to keep it. what would be even better is if they would allow you to look

around and see if you can step back into buying it again. >> which could be a possibility. this is a pilot program, only available to 1,000 homeowners, arizona, nevada and new york. you're selected by the bank. but what about all the other americans who are struggling to make that mortgage payment every month, maybe contemplating foreclosure. what would ben stein do? >> well ben steincy thinks the housing market is going to revive soon. although the signs this month are a little bit disheartening, that fluctuates from month to month. i think the long-term trend is up for housing. if you can hang on a little bit longer, i think you will probably not regret it. but i could be wrong. but this program should be ad t adopted by all the banks who are holding ton under water mortgages. it's a great, great, great idea. and it is final whetherly the b doing something to award some measure of dignity to their

customers. >> this doesn't worry you at all. the banks are they too big to fail and giving so much power to the banks, this doesn't worry you? >> doesn't worry me at all. i think too big to fail is a perfectly good doctrine. i think bailouts are much, much better than a great depression. and i love the idea of a bank going to its borrow enerr saying look, you're not a number to us, you are a human being, you have a family, let's see if we can work this out so everyone walks away with a maximum of head held high and feeling good about himself or herself. >> whatn't a the people, though, who are watching and they feel pretty good about himself or herself because you know, look, they're able to make ends meet. it's a struggle, but they're staying current on their loans. but it's tough. you know, no -- no buts about that. but they're not getting breaks and they're thinking hang on a second, the banks are getting

help for the folks who can't make ends meet. >> but that person is going to get to keep his or her house and when the market rebounds, that person is going to make money and that person is going to be happy and that person is going to have that house and be able to call it his own or her own and leave it to their children or grand children. and that's a very good way to feel. i have a friend who thinks that people should be given metals now days every time they make a mortgage payment. maybe they should. but i'm not concerned about the ones who can make the payments. the ones who can't go through agony. i'm 67. for the first time in my life in this recession, i've had many close friends lose their houses. it's agony for them. if they could have stayed in and rented, they would have done it. >> you say if you can make ends meet, forget the medals, you have your dignity and that's the most important part. >> if you can make ends meet, you're all set. people who can make ends meet

are a rare breed. they should be happy with themselves every day. >> ben stein. always appreciate having you on. have a great weekend. >> an honor, i assure you. >> thank you. coming up, we are going to go back to the story out of florida, the teen, trayvon martin, shot and killed by the neighborhood watch volunteer, george zimmerman who says he was acting that night in self-defense. coming up next, we're going to take a closer look at zimmerman's life. we have some new details. his fast. don't misthis.

more than 500,000 people say george zimmerman should be arrested, arrested now. that's

the latest of online signatures. sanford police say they know how to get a hold of zimmerman and aren't providing any more security for them. we have the profile for the man who's now the target of mas outrage. george michael zimmerman, 28 years old. >> one person could make a difference, he was an average guy just like me. >> we only know him of the pictures of him and his voice from 911 calls. >> he look like he's up to no

good, on drugs or something. zimmerman said the shooting was in self-defense. he has not been charged with a crime. what we've been able to piece together about his life, you might say is a contradiction. in 20005, he's arrested for an incident with a police department. as this document show, it's extended two months because, quote, my program participation has not been satisfactory. later this year, zimmerman and his ex fiancee both file for protection against domestic violence after each alleged there was pushing and hitting. none of this sounds like the boy george and kay hall knew. zimmerman was an alter boy in the catholic church.

he didn't graduaarage -- move t florida until after he graduated from high school in manassas, virginia. >> they were faithful. they were act tiff in the catholic church. >> and this is the george zimmerman, the man trying to make something of his life. the side george hall knew. zimmerman was a part-time student at seminole state college, studying general education. but today the college disenrolled him for security reasons. in 2008, he worked at carmax. that same year, he applied for and was accepted into a citizens outreach program run by the sheriff's department which introduces participants to law enforcement procedures. before he's accepted, zimmerman has to explain his 2005 arrest. he writes in part, quote, i hold

law enforcement officers in the highest regard, as i hope to one day become one, end quote. in fact, a couple of years ago, zimmerman called his old neighbor, george hall, asking for a letter of recommendation for a law enforcement application. >> i have nothing but the strongest positive feelings for the whole family, including the boys. >> we don't know what happened to the application, but when he volunteered for and became the neighborhood watch captain a coup of years ago, it may have been george zimmerman's way of walking a beat. john sdp arrella, cnn, sanford, florida. the man accused of hacking into the e-mails of actresses, find out what other the accounts he got into next.

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>> trending today, expected to plead guilty as charged. photos leaked online after this guy got access of accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry. christina aguilera was also hacked. he said he looked at the

pictures but never linked them on line. >> i know what i did was probably one of the worst invasions of privacy, you know, someone could experience. i'm not trying to escape what i did. i know what i did. it's wrong. and i just have to deal with that and go forward. >> now he faces 606 years behind bars. >> the past few minute, we have now gotten word that charges have now been filed against staff sergeant robert bales, charged with 7 counts of murder for that massacre in afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. i first want to go to ted roland. and ted, we know that that is where bales is being held. i just want to hone in on this numb