so joining me now to discuss, cnn legal analyst areva martin, the author of "awakening."it's so good to have you. you know california law. you know the law across the country. is this sort of fighting fire with fire? what do you think? >> well, we know, don, that justice sonia sotomayor warned about this in her dissent. she said, look, the court was setting a very dangerous precedent and that other states would start to model what the texas legislature has done. that's exactly what california governor gavin newsom is talking about, not with respect to abortions but with respect to gun laws. you know, some may say it's perfo performative, that legislature states cannot enact laws that subvert the constitution. but i can tell you this, don, he's getting tremendous praise on social media from progressives, from democrats who are saying, you know, two can play this game. if republicans can go after abortion laws and try to restrict constitutional rights to abortions in the way that they have with this texas abortion law, that california can do so with respect to gun laws, whi

areva, the thing that strikes me, this is one of the only cases in which the parents of a school shooter faced charges. explain to us how rare that is and how difficult it might be to build a case against parents for the role they played in this tragedy. >> you're right, boris, it is rare. only four cases reported in the last 15 or 20 years where parents have been charged for kids getting access to a gun and using that gun to shoot someone else. charges are often difficult. people believe parents shouldn't be held responsible for actions of their children. the prosecutor laid out why this case is different, why to the extent you charge parents, this is the case to do so. she laid out chilling text messages between the mother and her son, using the lol language and saying don't worry essentially about searching your phone for ammunition, worry about getting caught. there's evidence of the mom posting herself on her own social media pages bragging, seeming to be bragging about having bought the gun as a christmas present for her son. the notes, chilling notes the teacher found on her son's

. >>> here to discuss, civil rights attorney and legal analyst areva martin, charles coleman jr. and national security analyst juliette kayem. we just heard this statement from the parents' lawyers that the crumbleys are not fleeing the law, they of just out of town for their own safety. how does that square with the fact they were supposed to be in court and did not attend? >> yeah, a lot of it doesn't square so this may just be a covering of themselves. it is hard to tell right now. what makes no sense honestly is why is this a story? this should never have happened. once the prosecutor files and she has a national press conference, you would have the sheriff standing -- knowing where the family is and standing outside the door. so this may get resolved in the next hour. it's a distraction to the larger story which is, of course, dead teenagers and parents who are being charged for being essentially responsible for that killing, but we'll figure it out. but there's been a gap in communication between the school and the sheriff's office and now the prosecutor and the sheriff's o

areva martin for us, thank you so much.ppreciate your insights. >> thank you, paula. >> i was just talking about how traumatizing this has been. i want to remind everyone of the victims in this tragedy. they are four teenagers that had their life ahead of them. you see them there, . we do not want to lose sight of the fact that there are families in a whole heck of a lot of grief right now trying to make sense of this. we will be right back with more news here at cnn. some people have joint pain, plus have high blood pressure. they may not be able to take just anything for pain. that's why doctors recommend tylenol®. it won't raise blood pressure the way that advil® aleve® or motrin® sometimes can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol®. [♪] powerful skincare ingredients come dermatologist-recommended, and there's a brand that offers them at an affordable price. try olay skincare. olay regenerist, with 99% pure niacinamide provides 5 times the hydrating power of a prestige cream; while olay collagen peptide visibly firms and re

joining me, joey jackson and areva martin.this jury is face ing? >> i think it's credibility, kate. you have a he said-he said situation. you have jussie smollett painting the picture of being attacked by these two brothers in what he described as a racist, homophobic rage, that involved the use of a noose, racial slurs. but yoernd, you have these two brothers who took the witness stand for the prosecution and told a different story, a story of being paid by jussie smollett to stage the attack for purposes of instagram and social media and publicity. so the jurors will going to have to really decide who's telling the truth. jussie smollett took the witness stand in his own defense, so he gave his version of the events and, you know, remained consistent that this was a hate crime, that this was not staged, that he did not pay these brothers to attack him. but jurors will have to decide who's telling the truth. that can be very difficult sometimes for jurors. >> everyone accusing everyone of lying from the witness stand in this

we just need to focus on their capture. >> areva, the crumbleys, the parents, are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. break down what that means and what kind of jail time they might face. >> these are very serious crimes in the state of michigan, jake. involuntary manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison, and again, as to why these parents are not making themselves available, perhaps they know how serious these charges are. the prosecution -- prosecutor has laid out some very chilling facts about what these parents did, the flags, the red flags that they ignored, that they were at the school, had an opportunity to tell the school that they had purchased this gun, that the gun wasn't kept in a secure position in their homes. it's really troubling when you think about the conversations happening between the school and the parents and the kid is there all the time with the gun in his backpack apparently. lots of questions to still be answered with respect to how come the police were not called on the day that the parents are having this conversation with the school. ho

that is not the law and areva is correct, it's not a defense.hat the crime of manslaughter itself is about a mistake. it's the accidental killing of another human being, so there is no mistake defense to a mistaken crime. accidents can be crime, and in addition to the racist trope that was brought up, you know, the facts aren't there. the idea that, you know, there was a use of force expert who said not only deadly force was unjustified but even the use of a taser was unreasonable because there was a passenger and other overs around. this was not an's. i love that line. this is not an oopsy. mistake is not a defense of the facts obviously and the law are on the side of the prosecution, ana, but really depends on whether this jury cannot apply their heart to the fact and apply the law to the facts and also one more thinking? my only critique of the prosecution in closing was that i think they should have reminded the jury of that, that she be emotional and can be remorseful. she can be agonized and traumatized but that's a sentencing issue, you k

areva martin, appreciate your point of view. thank you so much. >> thanks, fred. >>> still ahead, democrat stacey abrams announcing that she is running for governor of georgia, just one of several high-profile 2022 raceness the peach state. and later, as the number of countries reports cases of a new covid variant omicron climbs, concerns are growing over the issue of vaccine inequity. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash... and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! (sighs wearily) here i'll take that! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. like many people with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease, i was there. be right back. but my symptoms were keeping me from where i needed to

i'll leave that up to people like areva martin who i'll ask the next question to.d, ivarev. he's being sued already. he said he was told that he was likely highly unlikely that he's going to face any sort of criminal charges. but could he be in some trouble here? >> yeah, done, i, i'm not sure told him that and how reliable that information is. the last words we heard from the prosecutor is this is an open investigation and nobody is off the table and she didn't say no one except alec baldwin. i'm not sure he's getting good information. i understand his desire to want to get his story out. you know, but quite frankly, this isn't about him. someone was killed on a movie set. you shouldn't die on a movie set. you shouldn't die when you go to work to make a movie. it's an open investigation that is criminal and we know there are civil lawsuits filed and others that are likely to be filed so i think there was no win for him in trying to get his story out specifically if he wasn't going to accept full responsibility this notion that he didn't pull the trigger i think fo

areva martin, thank you so much for joining us.lly appreciate it. >> thanks, kim. >>> the world according to vladimir putin laid out in a four-hour news conference. why he says nato is to plblame r the ukraine crisis. stay with us. mom, hurry! our show's gonna start soon! i promised i wouldn't miss the show and mommy always keeps her promises. oh, no! seriously? hmm! it's not the same if she's not here. oh. -what the. oh my goodness! i don't suppose you can sing, can you? ♪ the snow's comin' down ♪ -mommy? ♪ i'm watching it fall ♪ watch the full story at www.xfinity.com/sing2 >>> new satellite images released on thursday appear to show russian forces gathering strength all along ukraine's eastern border. the photos show additional russian tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and long-range rockets are now within striking distance of ukraine. a senior u.s. official says the u.s. and its nato allies are ready to act if russia invades. the official also warned that an incursion would result in nato beefing up its presence in eastern eu

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areva martin, our legal analyst and attorney, she joins me now.r the verdict came down, quote, me too isn't just about male predators, it is about all abusers. how significant is this conviction on five of six counts including the most serious count that is sex trafficking of a minor against ghislaine maxwell? >> good morning, poppy. i think this conviction is incredibly important and significant because we have seen powerful men, harvey weinstein, bills cou s ccosby, brought to and convicted for their predatory actions. we have not seen a female, have not seen a woman, like maxwell, brought to justice, for her sexual predatory actions. i think this is a huge step forward, you think about the me too movement and the history of that movement and how far we have come. we were at a point now where women can come forward, tell their stories of being sexually abused by predators, like maxwell and epstein and be believed. i've been practicing law for 20 years this is a huge sea change in the way that these cases are brought and prosecuted. >> you make a

now, earlier i spoke with cnn legal analyst areva martin about just how rare it is for charges like thisotings. take a listen. >> we have not seen parents charged frequently in cases involving active shooters on school campuses. in fact, according to some research, there have only been four parents charged in similar-type cases. so it really is groundbreaking for this prosecutor to come forward with involuntary manslaughter charges against these parents. but when you look at the evidence in this case, it's really overwhelming. you mentioned at the top of the show about parenting. these parents are examples of everything you don't want to do with respect to a kid, and primarily it's ignore the warning signs. apparently, there were really significant red flags and warning signs that these parents quite simply ignored. >> you know, that text message chilling where she allegedly, prosecutors say, that the mother texted him and said "don't do it." does that perhaps intend to say that she knew that perhaps he was even having thoughts of this? >> that is a really important question, paula. and

criminality during the floyd and kenosha riots, so you have themes, routes, gangs exploiting the media's arevaests, they exploded the law enforcement simultaneously as they were stretched thin and try to deal with the protests, but also being demoralized and being filmed in case they ever did try to stop any kind of crime. so this never was about protests, this was about profit, even the stores that were victimized, they did not want to discuss it, so the democrats traced so far from my sensible worldview when you can't see that no cash bail is incentivizing more crime, you are not fit to run anything. aoc, i defend, i think she has charisma and charm, but to say something there that to the people that have experienced it, she is no good, she's a bad person. spewing corporations in california, and small businesses are closing, dozens of stores might not hurt the corporation, but it sure hurts the people who work at the stores and need to earn a living, i will never forget there was a video interview of a woman named stephanie disabled and lost angeles, not a white woman and she was crying beca

. >> yeah, good point, areva. thank you so much.d to see you. >> thanks, john. >>> coming up here on "cnn newsroom", another phone call over the crisis on ukraine's border. presidents putin and biden set to talk in the coming hours. a report from moscow after the break. >>> also ahead, the aunited ara emirates seeking to gain more leverage. we'll explain. ♪ ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. are you taking a statin drug to reduce cholesterol? it can also deplete your coq10 levels. i recommend considering qunol coq10 along with your statin medication. the brand i trust is qunol. >>> for the second time in weeks and in just a few hours time u.s. president biden and russian president putin will be on the phone. apparently relations have reached a low and are getting worse. the white house believes it could be a prelude to invasion. it is expected to set the stage for the meeting in geneva aimed at ending the ukraine crisis. nic robertson reporting from moscow. >> reporter: the clock is ticking down to t

. >> areva, what is the path forward for the parents? curious, at a minimum they're not showing up for the police when asked. it hasn't been established legally they were running or trying to make a run for the canadian border but they certainly didn't show up when they were supposed to. does that affect or undermine their defense going forward? >> well, it remains to be seen, jim, if they will be charged with absconding or evading the police. the prosecutor hasn't spoken out since they were actually apprehended and we saw the arraignment over the weekend so it's not clear if additional charges will be filed against the parents and then as you said at the top of the show, there is this individual, 65-year-old man or so who gave them access to this commercial building in downtown detroit and also remains to be seen if that individual will be charged with obstructing justice or somehow aiding and abetting the two parents. the prosecutor made it pretty clear this is an ongoing investigation and there could be additional charges not only aga

. >>> joining me now is cnn legal analyst areva martin, she's also the author of "awakening: ladies,nd the lies we've been told." i can't wait to learn more about that and the lies you've been told. let me ask you this, the jury is asking tonight what happens if they can't reach a consensus? that sounds to me like this might be heading, the possibility, towards a hung jury. are you getting that sense? >> yeah, i'm getting that sense. good evening, first of all, and yeah, i'm a little worried about the question from the jurors. we know the judge has the opportunity, if he chooses to do so to bring them in and give them an allen charge. you know, he could encourage them to continue to deliberate telling them to re-examine their opinions, to re-examine the evidence that's been presented, but given that we are so close to the christmas holiday and given that they've already been deliberating for two days suggests that there probably is, you know, a lack of consensus in that jury deliberation room and that could mean a hung jury. >> now, as a defense attorney, of course, that is cause to

areva, the prosecutor is telling us tonight she believes there is a strong possibility that they hadsn't for sure. strong possibility, in that meeting that casey talked about with school officials and the parents just before the attack. he was let back into class after that. is anyone responsible for missing this? >> well, that's the question, don, right? that's why this prosecutor has said she has not ruled out the possibility that both of these parents, not just the father that bought the gun, but the mother as well, could be facing criminal charges. there is conduct that can be so careless and so reckless, such as having a gun in your home that's not secured, such as having ammunition in your home that's not secured, that that conduct, you know, rises to the level of criminality. that's what this prosecutor said is under investigation. i wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see criminal charges brought against this family. there's some precedent, some cases where individuals have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and other kind of reckless conduct for doing something very s

areva martin, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >>> and up next, china isdown measures in one city as that nation battles the biggest covid-19 outbreak in nearly two years. >>> plus, talks betweens moss moscow and washington tentatively set for the new year. we'll hear what the white house is saying now. anna could only ie a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acidid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machineses and buying a car 100% online. now we'v've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car,