last day and a half interviewing the crewmembers. when i briefed you yesterday, i indicate they'd were conducting interviews yesterday. the interviews took longer than our team expected. they interviewed two of the flight crewmembers yesterday, and they're interviewing two of the flight crewmembers today. they've completed -- welcome to "politicsnation." we are monitoring the ntsb press conference in san francisco tonight. but we start with a big day in the george zimmerman trial. tonight's lead, the scene of the altercation today. with the defense getting ready to rest tomorrow, focus in the zimmerman murder trial was on the fateful moment of struggle right before mr. zimmerman killed martin. who was the aggressor. who's life was in danger. all playing to the key question, did george zimmerman have a

right to self-defense to kill trayvon martin? today the defense called a forensic pathologist to the stand who supported zimmerman's claim that martin was on top. >> this indicated that the gun was not against the skin, but the clothing itself had to be 2 to 4 inches away from the body. at the time mr. martin was shot. if you lean over somebody, you will notice that the clothing tends to fall away from the chest. if instead you're lying on your back and somebody shoots you, the clothing is going to be against your chest. so that the fact that we know the clothing was two to four inches away is consistent with

somebody leaning over the person doing the shooting. >> that testimony contradicted what two prosecution eyewitnesses said, that it was mr. zimmerman who was on top of martin. the pathologist also said today under a tough cross-examination, he was forced to admit that mr. zimmerman might have been pulling away. which could undercut a claim of self-defense. >> you don't know if trayvon martin was backing up, backing away in terms of providing an angle, or going forward. you can't say. >> all i said it was consistent with his account, mr. zimmerman's account. that's all. >> but it's also consistent with trayvon martin pulling back in terms of the same angle. >> i told you that too, yes. >> by all accounts, this was a brief confrontation. but those last few moments are

the heart of this case. joining me now, former prosecutor faith jenkins, msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom and defense attorney ken padowitz. thank you all for being here. >> thank you. >> ken, let me go to you first. in your view, is today's testimony a win for the defense, or does the jury put it all together and cancels it out? >> well, quite frankly, i think it was a win for the defense, absolutely. this was a very, very strong witness. this expert is a renowned expert. he came across as a very experienced testifier in court, and this guy knows what he is talking about, as his presence indicated to the jury. he knew the medicine. he knew the science, and he applied it to the facts in this case. he was a very, very good witness. and the prosecution's cross examine fell a little bit flat. i was hoping for maybe some better questioning. maybe they hired their own

expert that would give them questions on how to battle with this expert in court. and i just didn't see that. i saw a very flat cross-examination by the prosecution. so i think the win definitely goes for the defense in this case. this was an excellent witness for them. >> faith, the jury has heard now expert on the other side saying that they felt that trayvon was on top. or was on the bottom, rather. we heard eyewitnesses saying they think both. i raise a question to ken on whether it was a wash. but let me ask you differently. if i'm on the jury, and i'm looking for the fact that the claim is self-defense, does the fact that whoever is on top really establish to me whether someone had to shoot and kill to save their life? i mean, does it really matter? >> that's what the defense wants to focus on. they want to focus all about this positioning that trayvon was on top, and therefore george

zimmerman had to use the force that he used. the prosecutors are focusing on who was the initial aggressor here. because if you're in a fight, one minute you're up, one minute you're down, the positions may change. but who was the initial aggressor. you can see when they got up and they first started questioning dr. di maio, that's what they started asking. you weren't there, right? you don't know who threw the first punch. your testimony is strictly limited to that gunshot wound and the angle of that gunshot wound. you don't know how this started. because that's what they're going to focus on. trayvon martin could very well have been defending himself while looking down the barrel of a gun. >> you have certainly, lisa, been probably through this case as much as anybody. how do you judge today's performance by the defense and by the prosecutor? >> so ken's right. this witness came off very well. that's because the prosecution was relatively soft on him on cross-examination. i thought much of what he did was unscientific. and i'll tell you why.

he is wearing a fitted shirt, leak you wear, like most men wear, in the courtroom, and he is demonstrating with his fitted shirt. well, of course the shirt is against him. when he leans forward, guess what? the shirt does not go forward, because it's fitted. why not do some experiments with a baggy hoodie, which is what trayvon martin was wearing, with a baggy sweatshirt underneath it? and guess what you would find? that does not rest against your body when you're in a seated position. the whole point is it's gathered at the bottom, as you can see in this picture. it bags out. that's a style that teenagers like. that's why they wear it. when you're upright, it's not necessarily right against your skin. he didn't do any experiments with hoodies. he actually said he was kind of unfamiliar with them and he joked about it in the courtroom. this is an expert witness who will take a bullet and put it through the brain of an innocent animal as an experiment. and he won't even take a hoodie and a baggy sweatshirt and put it on to prove his point? >> ken, as lisa was raising,

dramatizing that point with the hoodie, something else comes to mind. as the coroner was part of the testimony was going to go by, because if i'm on top of someone, she is saying if i'm wearing baggy stuff, it would be baggy. but if i'm on top of someone, pummelling them, wouldn't that make the clothes come tighter to me rather than hang off of me? i mean, if you're reaching back, that brings the clothes to you. >> lisa has some excellent points. and the problem here is, though, we're debating this on television. but in that courtroom, the only thing those jurors are concerned about is what they're hearing in evidence. and what came in evidence is a very, very strong witness for the defense. and a very mediocre cross-examination. you know, i've done 35 first-degree murder trials. i'm not an expert pathologist. i hire the best pathologists in the country in a high profile case like this to advise me on what questions to attack the defense expert witness. and i don't know if the

prosecution did that here. but it just didn't seem like they did. they just didn't have the one, two, three punch that i was hoping the prosecution would do in front of this jury. because the only thing that matters is what is going on in that courtroom, and what the jury hears from that witness. >> faith, the state argues there are many unanswered questions, how did the fight begin, what position were they in when the shot was fired. why was there no blood entree von's hand. let's go to that. the prosecution did dramatically go to the witness and showed the picture of zimmermann and said what would happen if he put his hand on zimmerman's face. let me show you that. >> the other thing that i want to ask you about this is -- may i approach, your honor? >> yes. >> the photograph that was taken at the scene? >> yes. >> of the defendant, i apologize, where he has blood there, right? >> right.

>> i put my hand over that, right? >> okay. >> what do you expect my hand to have on it? >> blood. >> the fact that no blood was found on trayvon martin's hand at all. >> right. >> does that not in some ways use this witness helpful to the prosecution? >> it's always a big deal when you can get a defense expert to concede a point like this. because on cross-examination, the prosecutor was able to establish george zimmerman's account on this is simply physically impossible. if you are bleeding and you have blood on your face, as demonstrated in those pictures, and trayvon covers your mouth and your nose, he would have blood on his hands there is no trace of blood on trayvon martin's hands. surely if the rain didn't wash away the blood on george zimmerman's face or the back of his head, it certainly wouldn't wash away the blood on trayvon martin's hands. that's another inconsistency or

embellishment or lie. >> both the dna expert and the medical examiner said there was no blood on trayvon martin's hand. >> well, that's right. and i think that is a bit of a problem. i would also add that this expert said dead men don't bruise. and they use that to explain the lack of any bruises on trayvon martin's hands. well, i would ask on my cross-examination, does that also possibly explain no bruises on his body, even if george zimmerman hit him? they would not bruise, because he died immediately afterwards. this whole altercation was just a couple of minutes. i would ask him if george zimmerman had hit him, had punched him, had kicked him in the seconds before he died, that would not show, isn't that correct, dr. di maio? >> let me go back to you, ken. let me ask this. -- not the prosecution, but the defense has indicate they'd may rest as early as tomorrow. in the beginning statements that we all talked about here, the prosecution said i'm going to prove a web of lies.

the defense said i'm going to deal with a vicious fight that was a threat to zimmerman's life. he had to defend himself. he had no choice. if they rest tomorrow as we are seated in standing in your case tonight, has the defense proved there was a vicious fight that was a threat to zimmerman's life? >> well, interestingly, the defense doesn't have to prove anything. >> i didn't say that. >> in the opening statement, have they gone by what they said they would do in their statement? they have no burden of proof. but this is what they stated. >> that is what they stated. and you're right. that's the road map that they're laying out for the jury, that they're trying to show this vicious fight. they did say that but, remember, again, their job is to only prove reasonable doubt, to show reasonable doubts to this jury. and i think that anyone looking at this trial can say that at closing statements, closing arguments, the defense has a number of things they can say to the jury, these are reasonable

doubts. now, whether the jury thinks they're reasonable doubts is the golden question. but they're going to come there to that jury and say look at all these reasonable doubts that we were able to show on cross-examination of the government's own witnesses and on the witnesses that we provided to you on the defense side of the case. so they may not have lived up to everything they said they were going to do in their opening statement, but they clearly have many arguments they can make to this jury that reasonable doubts were shown. and we only need one. >> i want my legal panel to stay with me there is much more from the trial today. and coming up, a major surprise from the defense. they fought hard to introduce trayvon martin's toxicology report. so why are they changing their mind now? plus, george zimmerman's mixed martial arts training does it better to help us understand the altercation that took place that night? and a remarkable story of hope. for the first time we hear from

the three women held captive for nearly a decade in cleveland. >> i may have been through hell and back, but i am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. and with my head held high, and my feet firmly on the ground. >> and remember, friend or foe, i want to know. send me your e-mails. "reply al" is coming. stay with us. ting?

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we've got more on the issue of drugs in this trial, coming up. but first, we want to hear your thoughts on the trial. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends.

there was a major surprise in the zimmerman trial today. this afternoon, sources close to the defense told nbc news they will not bring into trial trayvon martin's toxicology report, which contains evidence that trayvon had small amounts

of marijuana in his body when he died. some believe that the information is irrelevant to determining whether zimmerman had a right to kill martin. the defense decision is a head-scratcher, because the defense had argued strenuously and successfully on yesterday to be allowed to introduce the information into the trial. listen. >> we know that there is a positive level for thc in mr. martin's system. we know from george zimmerman's non-emergency call that he said trayvon martin, the person he didn't know that he later found out was who he was describing looks like he is on drugs or something. the fact that mr. martin indeed was under the influence of drugs at the time is highly relevant and probative for the jury. it supports the -- our claim of self-defense.

>> the judge ruled the jury could hear the evidence. so why did the defense change its mind about using it? back with me again are faith jenkins, lisa bloom and ken padowitz. i want to get everyone on this one. starting with you, lisa, what happened overnight? they were fighting. they said they needed this for self-defense. all of the sudden they're not doing it. >> well, a trial is a fluid and dynamic situation, and obviously they changed their mind. maybe they got tired of beating up on the victim. they had just had tracy martin on the stand and criticized across the board for the way they treated him. maybe they thought it would look like they were beating up on the victim. he had trace amounts of thc in his system. most scientists we have spoken to said this would have no effect on him. he could have smoked pot a week, two weeks earlier. so really it would have just been a distraction. >> the statement we just heard, one of the defense lawyers saying he was under the effect at the time. >> the only person who i heard

say that was dr. bao who changed his mind. initially said no effect and then changed his testimony because he gets to change his mind all the time according to him. it's just an opinion. so he changed his mind and that's what led to all this. i don't think it would have been significant. >> what do you think, faith? one of the callers in my radio show today said that maybe they figured out, and he is a marijuana user. i wouldn't know. that marijuana really calms you down rather than makes you more aggressive. do you think maybe a pot smoker expert down there told him you better not use this? >> that's exactly what i think happened. i think they took into consideration if the state put on a rebuttal witness, what that rebuttal witness would say about the impact of smoking marijuana, and it would be the opposite result of what they wanted. because that want to be ail to paint a picture of trayvon as this really violent person who initiated this violent confrontation. and an expert could come back and say, well, first, just because you have that element in

your system does not mean you smoked marijuana that day. and second, these are the impacts of having marijuana, or smoking marijuana. and it makes you calm down. it makes you mellow, not aggressive, not capable of inflicting the amount of violence. >> you know, ken, last year it was widely reported that george zimmerman had a prescription for medications. here is the associated press report from july of 2012 that says the medication report also said in the weeks before the shooting of trayvon martin, george zimmerman had been given prescriptions for adderall, used to teach attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, as well as an insomnia medication. do you think that maybe they were fearful if they entered this toxicology report on martin, it would open the door for the prosecution to put these -- this record of medication on zimmerman in front

of the jury? >> no. i don't think that was their consideration. i think they had an epiphany. they went into a meeting and it was a smoke-filled room and they came out and went from stupid to smart. they realized this is a two-edged sword and this can hurt their case. they were going to overtry their case when they were create organize attempting to create reasonable doubt, and now they were going to attack the victim. but by marijuana use, and many people may know that marijuana does not turn somebody aggressive. it may do just the opposite. so they got smart, and they got smart real fast, and they did a real good job by deciding not to put in that evidence. >> for the record, ken said they were in a smoke-filled room. i didn't. >> let's put together the facts in this case. if he was under the influence of marijuana, he was the kind of pot smoker who is walking slowly through the rain, talking about the ball game on the phone with his friend rachel jeantel, looking into windows. he is not the kind of pot

smoker, the extremely rare kind that would sucker punch somebody in the face, climb on top of him and threaten to kill him. >> so you think it was more strategic in terms of their deciding -- >> if i were the prosecutor, i'd say bring it on. let's talk about the depressant, marijuana, that was in trayvon martin's system. let's talk about the upper, which is adderall that is in george zimmerman's system. bring it on. let's have all of it. >> and you agree with that, faith? you would put the adderall in and the marijuana? >> i would certainly make that argument. but i think the state is happy that this is not coming in, because trayvon martin so far, he is a kid walking home with skittles and iced tea. and the defense is going to try to argue but he is also a drug user. so i think the state is happy that this isn't coming in. >> now, the fact that, ken, we are starting to wind down now, and we -- if the defense, rather, does settle tomorrow or in the next couple of days, then the prosecution comes back with

a rebuttal case, and then we could be seeing this last another two or three days. the rebuttal case, if you were on the prosecution's side in terms of the strategy meeting, what do you think needs -- at this point, we don't know what is going to be presented tomorrow. what do you think needs to be rebutted? >> well, there are a few things you could do in closing argument or rebut. for instance, nobody has touched on the fact that if trayvon martin is holding a can of iced tea, if he was the aggressor, he could use that can of iced tea as a weapon. he could use that in his hand and punch or hit zimmerman in the face, on the body, anywhere with this can of iced tee tae as a weapon there is no evidence that that occurred there is no evidence that he was the aggressor using this potential weapon. so there is a number of different things. you could go through a lot of different avenues in this case and potentially rebut, or you could put it in as -- and weave it into your closing argument, using the evidence that is already out there before the

jury. >> late today, the judge will rule on whether jurors will be allowed to see a computer animation of the struggle. it was created by an animator who was hired by the defense. the defense has been giving the animator input about whatever it is to take into account. listen to this. >> in fact, what you did is you changed it based on what mr. zimmerman's attorneys told you people said. >> yes. >> okay. >> and that actually apparently was different enough from the way you had originally created the animation that you have changed it at least twice? >> just to be more accurate, yes. >> so one question that we get from one of our viewers is why the prosecution doesn't call zimmerman to the stand to ask him to recreate the screams of the 911 tape.

but, of course, the prosecution can't call zimmerman. it would have to wait for the defense to do so. but it could be a good topic. faith jenkins, lisa bloom and ken padowitz, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. ahead, george zimmerman then and now. could his appearance have an effect on the jury? and in the political world, governor bob mcdonnell is making news today, and it includes hot pockets, mac and cheese, pop tarts, and a ferrari. that's next. you make a great team.

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and more time doing paperwork. ink from chase. so you can. here's what we know. on the evening of february 26, 2012, there was an altercation between george zimmerman and trayvon martin. this whole case centers around that altercation and the events leading up to it. george zimmerman says his life was in such grave danger that in order to defend himself, he was justified in pulling the trigger and killing trayvon martin. but in the trial this week, we've heard testimony that mr. zimmerman was taking mixed martial arts classes in the months leading up to the shooting. it's a fighting style where people learn submission holds, chokes, and locks.

earlier in the trial, a prosecution witness testified that it was trayvon martin who used mma-style ground and pound techniques on zimmerman. but does the testimony this week change how the jurors will view the tragic confrontation that night in florida? joining me now, john burris, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. and seymour iyer, also a civil defense attorney and former prosecutor. thank you both for copping on the show this evening. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> now, yesterday george zimmerman's former mma instructor testified. let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> i think he may have trained two to three days a week at the most. >> okay. and how long were those classes? >> how long is a normal training session? >> yes. >> normal training sessions are two hours long. >> on a scale of 1 to 10, when george zimmerman first got to you, what number would you assign to his abilities? >> 0.5.

>> less than a 1? >> yes. >> so less than a year, give or take a few months he was involved in your facility in grappling, he got from a 0.5 to what rating would you give him on your scale? >> maybe a 1. >> why so little progress? >> well, it's not that he made such little progress. it's a tremendous amount of work. >> john, let me start with you. george zimmerman was taken mma classes for close to a year. his trainer says he was not athletic or physically adept, only at a 1.5 skill level. how might the jury react? >> well, i think the jury will be impressed by the fact that he has had the training, and that he had been there for a period of time. they would be less impressed that he had no ability and that he didn't have the ability to remove trayvon martin or he had no ability to defend himself. at issue for the jury will be

whether or not he had a reasonable alternative than using deadly force. and to the extent they heard he used some training for over a period of time, i don't think jurors would then say that he didn't have any ability, that he didn't have a skill level, that he couldn't defend himself in that way. it will have some impact, but i don't think we'll have to menace. i think it's to the prosecution's benefit around this issue given the length of training that he had. >> having heard john say that, let me raise to you this. the cross-examination, under cross-examination, he had to say to the prosecution the specific skills that zimmerman was learning in the class and how they would help him in an altercation. listen to this. >> so the goal of some of those techniques that we're taught, the shrimping, the bridging, that sort of thing is to take yourself from being, as you put it in, perhaps if someone had you in a mounted situation, to be able to reverse that or at

least get out of where you are. >> to get into a not quite as bad situation for sure, or reverse it. >> so if he was being trained in how to reverse a situation, or to get out of a situation, if you're on the jury, could you then say why if in fact he has been mounted upon, and we don't know, but that's the claim, and it's denied by the prosecution, why didn't he use that skill that he had been studying a year, why did he have to shoot and kill trayvon martin? >> well, bernie de la riondo, the prosecutor, is really crucial. it goes directly to the jury instructs that the prosecutor was trying to establish that george zimmerman had the equipment to get out of that altercation. now, this is the important part. when there is a prolonged distance between one event and the other event, the clock restarts.

so at that point, george zimmerman is no longer being attacked. he has removed himself from the situation. he takes out his gun. and at that point, the new event starts. he's the aggressor. see how the self-defense now falls? >> very interesting. now, let me ask you this, john. let me show you a picture of george zimmerman the night of the shooting. and him in court this week. zimmerman's attorney says he has gained over 100 pounds since the shooting. how will this affect the jury in terms of seeing him, if at all? >> the jurors can make their decision and i'm sure the prosecutor will do that that is based on that particular night. to the extent he has gained weight, that should have no affect at all from the jury consideration. what they will see is the picture of him on that particular night where he looked really fit. he was actually small. he had been involved in a lot of training. so i don't think that the jurors will be prejudiced for him by

seeing that he has gained all this weight. they might think he is having some other kind of problems. but in terms of his conduct on that night, how he looked, how he acted, it will be judged by that night, at least that's what the prosecution hopes, and that's how the prosecution should stay on the point and make those requirements. >> i respectfully disagree with mr. burris, my colleague, and that is this. when zimmerman presents himself in court, it's very natural when a witness testifies and they're testifying about the defendant to look at the defendant. so you have that visual connection. and let's be real. there is prejudice all over the place. these jurors will be prejudiced by natural things. it's natural to have sympathy for someone who is essentially been sitting in seclusion, zimmerman, and who has gained over 100 pounds. why do people gain weight? sometimes because they're depressed, because they're sad and because they're scared. >> john, let me -- >> i don't agree with that, but that's okay. we disagree. >> okay, john. >> you respectfully disagree,

and that's good. >> we respectfully disagree. >> let me say this, john. the fact that zimmerman has said, well, his instructor said he only had limited skills, even though he was training two or three times a week for a year, but it also comes back to mind that zimmerman said he didn't know anything about stand your ground. and then his teacher comes on and said oh, no, we talked about it extensively, and he got an a in the class. so, again, is this web of lie theory going to come back in the end to try to even discount this? >> i don't think so. and it should. the point of it, not only was he in a class where he was learning about stand your ground, he was also learning about the laws of self-defense, and he was taking self-defense classes. so all of this goes to the effect of making himself physically fit to meet any particular challenge out there. and for him to deny it and to try to make himself sound like a clucks and a person's inability to take care of himself, i don't think the jury will accept that.

that doesn't go to a lot of other issues, but certainly what he has said about his mental state and what he has said in terms of his preparation, in terms of classes he has taken and the laws he was aware of and having denied knowledge of some of those. >> seema, there are also, i might add, and i want to be clear that there was a witness that said they thought they saw the guy on top who he described as being trayvon doing an mma attack. but there is no evidence at all that trayvon martin had any mma or any other martial arts training. so you're dealing with evidence that zimmerman did. there is really no evidence that trayvon knew any martial arts. >> that is correct. we just have to realize that some witnesses use certain terms, like ground and pound, because of their own knowledge. not because of the knowledge. >> he said it was mma-type, to be fair to the witness. he did not say that as an expert. >> and the whole event was a fluid event. the fight was rolling around, one on top of another.

>> john burris and seema iyer, i thank you both for cosming on the show tonight. ahead -- >> thank you. >> -- bill o'reilly wondering if bad things are going to happen if mr. zimmerman is acquitted. well, my response to that is coming up. but first, the three women kidnapped and held captive for nearly ten years are breaking their silence. the incredible story of strength and hope, next. [ brent ] now steve's looking pretty good so far. [ herbie ] eh, hold on brent, what's this? mmmm, nice car. there's no doubt, that's definitely gonna throw him off. she's seen it too. oh this could be trouble. [ sentra lock noise ] oh man. gotta think fast, herbie. back pedal, back pedal. [ crowd cheering ] oh, he's down in flames and now the ice-cold shoulder. one last play... no, game over! gps take him to the dog house.

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the three cleveland women held captive for near lay decade are breaking their silence. in a remarkable show of strength, they appeared for the first time in a taped video. amanda berry, gina de jesus, and michelle knight thanked supporters and offered them an incredible message of strength and hope. >> first and foremost, i want everyone to know how happy i am to be home with my family and my friends. it's been unbelievable. i want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal.

everyone who has been there to support us has been a blessing to have such an outpouring of love and kindness. i'm getting stronger each day, and i'm having my privacy has helped immensely. i ask that everyone continue to respect our privacy and give us time to have a normal life. >> gina, if you could say something to each and every person out there who contributed money to your funds to help you, what would you say to them? >> i would say thank you for the support. >> thank you, everyone, for your love, support, and donations. which helped me build a brand-new life. i just want everyone to know i'm doing just fine. i may have been through hell and back, but i am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. and with my head held high and my feet firmly on the ground.

walking hand to hand with my best friend, i will not let the situation define who i am. i will define the situation. thank you for all your prayers. i'm looking forward to my brand-new life. thank you. >> as their captor faces 329 counts in court, including multiple kidnapping and rape charges, the strength and courage of these women coming forward is truly inspirational. joining me now is wendy walsh, a doctor of psychology and behavioral expert. thanks for being here tonight. >> i'm happy to be here. wasn't this a great set of videos? >> it really was. and after watching this tape, let me ask you, wendy, what can you tell us about how these women are doing two months after they have been saved from captivity? >> well, you know, as a clinician, i could look at it and say well, i can see their affect, meaning the way they talk or their tone of voice seems a little young for their

biological ages. so that makes sense if they were kind of got emotionally stuck in their early teens. >> right. >> but i will say they have really taken charge of this in a very positive way. and thing is a lesson here for hollywood publicists who ever have to do damage control. they controlled the video so nay didn't have to have media questions that could have been damaging or asking them salacious questions about what happened in their captivity. they kept it positive. they expressed gratitude. but they also asked again for more privacy. >> now, how difficult is it for them to come forward? >> i'm sure it's very, very difficult. but i'm sure they wanted to. i mean, the donations have added up to nearly a million dollars. they wanted to express gratitude for that. if you remember during their years of captivity, their only connection to our culture, to our society was through the television set. so it makes sense that they would want to use video to explain, to try to connect back with us, if you will. but they also still want to

protect themselves, because it's going to be a long road ahead. this is not an easy thing. >> what do you think about the timing of this? >> well, it may be a little early. it's about two months, i think. but, again, because it was so controlled, it's not like they came out the week afterwards, and it's not like they let us wait for months and months and months. remember, by doing this, they're protecting themselves, because otherwise, you know, certain letsche rou member of the media would stalk them. >> michelle knight talked about her plans moving forward. watch this. >> god has a plan for all of us. the plan that he gave me was to help others that have been in the same situations i have been in. to know there is someone out there to lean on, and to talk to. i'm in control of my own destiny with the guidance of god.

>> she wants to help others. what do you make of that? >> well, actually, that is one of the healthiest defenses against emotional pain. sigmund freud termed it a long time ago. sublimation. taking your own pain, finding people who are experiencing the same kind of thing and helping them. and as you're helping and consoling them, you're also healing yourself. >> you ariel castro, their captor, has been indicted on 329 counts, including kidnapping and rape charges. how will they cope living through his trial? >> well, that's the thing, isn't it? this trial is coming up. these young women will be asked to testify. the question is will this appearance in court be an act of reinjuring themselves and having to relive what went on, or will this trial be a place of empowerment, where finally they are in control. finally, they can have a voice and say what they need to say to this monster of a man. >> dr. wendy walsh, thanks for being here tonight. >> thanks, reverend.

>> and dr. walsh's latest book, "the 30-day love detox" is available. now. ahead, bill o'reilly is asking if things are going to happen if mr. zimmerman is acquitted. "reply al" is next. [ male announcer ] man wasn't supposed to drive on water. ♪ or turn nature into power. ♪ night wasn't supposed to look like noon. ♪ and we certainly weren't supposed to haul 30,000 pounds up by the bootstraps. ♪

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it's time for "reply al." keep sending me all your questions. friend or foe, i want to know. jalen writes in regards to the trayvon martin case, what do you believe will have the bigger impact on america, if the defense wins or the prosecution? well, thanks for that question, jalen. here is what i know. people shouldn't be assuming anything. bill o'reilly is wondering if bad things are going to happen if zimmerman is acquitted. he is asking about the potential for violence if an acquittal comes down. and zimmerman's lawyer mark o'mara says his clients will never be safe because there is a percentage of the population who are angry and might take it out on him. let me be very clear. from the beginning of this, when i was called and came in just to

say this should go to trial and should not be decided in a police station, this family has said we believe in peace and we believe in the criminal justice system. i went and helped to lead the organize the first big rally in sanford, where tens of thousands of people came. and from that rally all the way through the rallies and the marches subsequent, leading to this trial, not one brick has been thrown. not one window broke. with all that on the right wing has tried to project, we have all been a movement of nonviolence just seeking fairness and justice. and this is not new. i sat in a courtroom many years ago, well over a decade ago, with the family of amadou diallo, a young man from africa, who was killed in the bronx, unarmed, not committing a crime,

shot dead by four policemen. and the trial was moved out of the city upstate. they found the four officers not guilty. we walked out of that courtroom with our heartbroken. let me show you what i said then. >> we do not want to tarnish his name with any violence. let not one brick be thrown, not one bottle be thrown, not one evidence of violence come from us. we are fighting violence. >> we are fighting violence, and we always will. justice requires that we stay nonviolent and not become what we fight. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. the defense's strongest witness takes the stand. let's play hardball.