george howell is at the rally in sanford. george, tell me what's going on. what's the real objective here today. >> fredricka, the objective for the naacp that's hosting this rally is two-fold. first of all to see george zimmerman arrested and also the police chief to step aside to see him fired or resigned from his post. you see thousands here, photojournalist jerry simon son. you see people wearing shirts, in fact, wearing this shirt that brought a lot of attention. a lot of people out here. manyeople passionate about what happened in the state. also rodney hurst, one of the people who come a long way from jacksonville. >> that's correct. >> tell me why you decided to drive to sanford. >> because the situation that happened, it can happen in jacksonville. it affects all of us. so african-american males, i had to come and show support. >> as far as the family, i know a lot of people have been talking about coming together to support the family. what are your words to the family. >> if i could just say to the family, it affects us. we grieve like they grieve

george howell is on the ground for us in sanford, george, what is the mood like there right now, what are you seeing? >> reporter: randi, people getting ready for this march and rally, as you mentioned, the march starts in less than an hour. at crooms academy in sanford, ends in a rally, that start at 11:00 a.m. eastern right here at the sanford police department, the message from the naacp is very simple, to arrest george zimmerman now. keep in mind from the national action network, the refuse reverend al sharpton says it may come a time to take it to the next level. economic sanctions may be the neck level. >> trayvon martin's parents have been vocal and hearing from his brother. >> javarus fulton is in college. we heard from robert zimmerman, george zimmerman's brother, speaking on behalf of his brother, now we are hearing from javarus talking about his brother and this controversial stand your ground law here in florida. listen to what he had to say. >> i think it sends the wrong message, it tells people that you can murder one, no one sees it and you say self-defense. >> so we ha

our george howell is live in sanford, florida, this morning. s been a lot of shifting around in the last 24 hours, not just the police chief but the governor replaced the state attorney helming the investigation. so far, is it making any difference? >> you know, i think people are just waiting to see what's next really. a lot of this news came as a surprise especially the police chief, and the wording that he used, "temporarily removing himself from office" a lot of the people who were here, thousands of people that came to protest, some who i spoke with said that's not enough. they want to see the police chief either fired or resign all together. so that news came as a surprise to a lot of people. we learned just before the rally also that the family, trayvon martin's family got to meet with members of the department of justice and the word of the meeting was patience, to have patience as this investigation continues. during the meeting, we also learned governor rick scott appointed a new special prosecutor to look into this case. angela cory w

george howell now live in sanford, florida, where it all happened. oing on there now? >> reporter: well, don, we know that there will be a one-hour prayer vigil that will happen later today at 7:00 here at a local church but i want to talk about that video that we are seeing in miami of these school walkouts. we know of four school walkouts in miami. this is in addition to the four that we know about just yesterday, don, the same thing happened, students were on the ground with skittles and iced tea in their hands, the same thing that trayvon martin had on february 26th when he was killed, but i want to talk about other things that are happening as well. we also know there will be protests and rally that is have happened in atlanta at the university center there with student leaders and civil rights leaders, and the list, don, goes on. over the weekend we know there's a rally scheduled to happen in greenville, south carolina, also in norfolk, virginia, and right back here on monday, this coming monday, we know there will be a march to the civic center

george howell was at the rally last night. the police chief stepped down. he stepped down temporarily. is that appeasing critics somewhat? >> reporter: that news, carol, came as a big surprise to the thousands of people who attended this rally in the park here in sanford. a big surprise but many people say it's not enough. they want to see the police chief either resign all-together or be fired. the wording in his plan to step down was he temporarily removed himself from office. people here say that's not enough. we also know before the rally trayvon martin's family members, they got to meet with members of the department of justice and overall theme of that meeting i'm told was to be patient. to be patient as this investigation continues. but throughout the rally we also learned that governor rick santorum appointed that new special prosecutor you mentioned who will now look into this case. she explained how she plans to investigate this case. take a listen. >> it requires a thorough investigation. extensive interviews of every witness and extensive review

george howell is there. george, what's the scene like there so far? >> reporter: randi, i'm sure you can hear the helicopter overhead and the gospel musical in the background. you see a lot of people showing up for this rally that was set to begin at 11:00. just a few minutes ago, we heard from a press conference with the head of the naacp with reverend al sharpton. they made two points very clear, really the focus of this rally. first they want to see george zimmermon arrest and go through due process. and secondly they also said the police chief who has temporarily step add i side he should resign all together or be fired. they were putting pressure on the city manager to take action on this. a lot of people expected today. thousands of people, we're told. thousands bussed in to be part of this rally, randi. >> i know you spoke with ben jell lis earlier this morning from ncaa knaacp. what is the mission? >> it's to put pressure on state leaders to see that this case goes through due process and he is arrested. again, zimmerman has not been charged w

george howell is outside police headquarters. protesters will end up here. and george, one month now since the killing of trayvon martin but the outrage certainly shows no signs of waning. in some cases it seems to be growing. what are you seeing there? >> reporter: randi, indeed, we are expecting thousands of people to be here. here at the sanford police department at 11:00 a.m. eastern here, just in front of the police department, thousands of people. right now people are getting together for a march. the march will start here, rather start at this hour, and end up here at the sanford police department. it's hosted by the naacp. and the message is simple, arrest george zimmerman. keep in mind, the rhetoric from other groups from the national action group, they are saying that, the rhetoric should be raised, level raised, and if george zimmerman is not arrested, there should be economic sanctions. that's what we're seeing right now with these rallies and civil rights leaders speaking. >> and al sharpton is making comments what he thinks the next step is in t

and george howell is standing by with people who live and work in sanford. what are they saying to you? >> reporter: what happened here in sanford touched a nerve in this community. in the country and around the world. right now, we have a group of people here, just a show of hands of how many people were at the rally a few days ago. so the majority of people. and we were talking a few minutes ago, just watching the show, talking about the issues that stood out and if you would tell me, first of all, your name again. >> joseph. >> reporter: we were talking, what stood out to you in the show as we were watching? >> i think that, again, we need to make sure that we understand that the major issue is an investigation and an arrest. i think everyone within the community feels that there's probable cause for that and we need to maintain that focus. >> reporter: but the fact that george zimmerman walls nzimmerg arrested -- >> i think that's touched off the movement and that will continue until there is an arrest. we have to be careful about declaring open season on

. >> george howell is tracking the developments in sanford this morning. george, tell me who will be at today's event? >> reporter: randi, good morning. this event today, this rally and march hosted by the naacp, the president will be part of the event. starts around 11:00, will end at the sanford police department, starts at crooms academy, we are expecting thousands of people, randi, some bused in. the message is simple, to arrest george zimmerman. keep in mind there are other groups, national action group, that hosted by al sharpton who is saying the time may come to take it to the next level, possible economic sanctions in the event that zimmerman is not arrested, randi. >> george, just a few days ago, george zimmerman's brother spoke with cnn now we're hearing from trayvon martin's brother. >> javarus fulton goes to college and he's speaking on behalf of his brother. we heard from robert zimmerman speaking about george zimmerman. now we're hearing from javarus talking about his brother and the controversial stand your ground law here in florida. ran ra

our george howell is standing by with people who live and work in sanford. are they saying? >> reporter: the fact that george zimmerman was not arrested on that night sparked a nerve across the country. specifically here in sanford, with the african-american community, many say there's a long history of distrust -- or mistrust rather with the police department. just a few hours ago, we had a few people here, people who came together, many who were at the rallies here. you were all at the rally yourself. i want to start with laura booker. you were in the news here in orlando, specifically because of something that happened to you when you got on an empty bus here, because of bullying with your daughter. what happened? >> i got on an empty school bus to speak with the driver about my daughter being bullied and i was arrested fortress passing on school grounds. >> but you say you beat the case? >> yes. but 45 officers took me to the ground and took me to jail. what i don't understand is how you can arrest a mother protecting her mother from being bullied but yo

george howell, thank you very much. more on the story in just a few minutes when the presidential of the national urban league joins us. and at 7:00 eastern, a cnn newsroom special report, trayvon martin killing. and one group in particular caught our attention, minority mothers. hear their unique perspective and the advice their give their children in the hopes they don't end up dying young. tonight at 7:00 eastern on cnn. >>> louisiana right now is in the republican spotlight holding its presidential primary. polls show rick santorum could score a big win tonight, but the question a lot of people are asking is would a santorum victory really mean anything? joe johns is in new orleans for us. joe, very nice being down in new orleans. so you're on the ground. what are you hearing about santorum's camp there? >> well, if you look at the last poll that came out, don, it looked pretty clear that rick santorum had a double-digit lead. and running pretty strong in this state. it looks like evangelicals like the fact for exam

thank you, george howell.ven president obama weighed in on the trayvon martin case but republican presidential hopefuls accused him of being political. more in the talking points coming up. don't miss that. >>> hard to imagine why a u.s. soldier might have carried out a brutal massacre of civilians in afghanistan, but new details are shedding some light on what happened last month in kandahar province. investigators police staff sergeant robert bales returned to his base between rampages in two bases. more from kabul and more on the investigation and an attempt to make amends with afghans. >> reporter: this case is becoming more and more curious. for every detail that's released, more questions emerge. the latest detail comes from a u.s. official who told cnn that army staff sergeant bales left his base, went to one village and then returned to base and went to another. in both villages people were massacred. now the questions that arise from that is exactly who may have seen him when he returned to base. did

-- george howell the community.tand by me for a second, to the president who is talking about energy. >> everybody looks like they are doing just fine. thank you so much for your hospitality. it is wonderful to be here. yesterday i visited nevada and new mexico to talk about what we're calling an all of the above energy strategy. it's a strategy that will keep us on track to further reduce our dependence on foreign oil, put more people back to work, and ultimately help to curb this spike in gas prices we're seeing year after year after year. so today i've come to cushing, an oil town. because producing more oil and gas here at home has been, and will continue to be, a critical part of an all of the above energy strategy. now, under my administration, america is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. that's important to note. over the last three years, i've directed my administration to open up millions of acres for gas and oil exploration across 23 different states. we're opening up more

the sad part is, he never made it back. >> reporter: george howell, cnn, miami. >>> hello again, i'm martin has spoken out. in a cnn exclusive interview robert zimmerman jr. said medical records will back up george's claims that george zimmerman was injured in a fight with an unarmed 17-year-old. the gunman's brother insists he was in self-defense. >> when you say have a bag of skittles and an iced tea, nobody just stands there with a bag of skittles and an iced tea. you return force with force. george was assaulted. the last thing he remembers is moving his head from the concrete to the grass so if he was banged one more time he wouldn't be wearing diapers for the rest of his life and being spoon-fed by his brother. and there would have been george dead had he not acted decisively and instantaneously at that moment. >> the witness said he saw one of the men walking toward him. he said the man did not appear hurt. >>> on to politics. the race to the white house. mitt romney picks up the endorsement of another high-profile republican. this time it's house chairperson paul ryan. ryan s

cnn's george howell is in miami. tell us about this new case. >> reporter: carol, keep in mind no one was charge d in this cas and no one was arrested because no one from what we read in this police report wanted to press charges. it happened two years ago and statute of limitation ran out. this is a case that the police department investigated. this alleged case of hazing took place at a professor's home who is a band saxophone director and also assistant professor anthony simons was also allegedly present during this hazing ritual. apparently 14 students were hazed. were paddled and beaten with objects in this case. again, no one wanted to press charges from what we read and dr. white reported this to famu police last year but this was supposed to be transferred over to tallahassee police. from what we learned, that did not happen. it's been a long time since this alleged incident happened. the statute of limitation ran out and no one charged in this case. >> robert champion is dead. if this incident is proved, how

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 al

george howell for us live in sanford, florida. thanks very much for that. keep an eye on things there, george, and we'll come back to you if developments warrant. >>> here is rundown on what's coming up on the program. first, what could the health care ruling mean for you and your family? right down to the wire, we'll break it down for you. >>> also dick cheney has a brand new ticker today. we're going to tell you how the former vice president is doing after a heart transplant this weekend. >>> and then the cheating scandal going national. it wasn't the kids, it was the schools. did it happen to your school? back after this. right out of th. he was just... "get me an aspirin"... yeah... i knew that i was doing the right thing, when i gave him the bayer. i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. so he's a success story... [ laughs ] he's my success story. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am pro

george howell is in miami for us tonight. ction to that news, that there were some in the police department that did say that zimmerman should be arrested immediately? >> reporter: well, erin, there's a lot of talk today about these published reports that the sanford police department, specifically the lead investigator in this case, that he wanted to arrest george zimmerman on negligent homicide and manslaughter charges. now, you'll remember the police chief, who has temporarily stepped aside, that in his first press conference he said that his officers were prohibited from making an arrest that night. also in that initial police report, you see these charged listed on the document. all of this was sent over to the state prosecutor -- or rather the special prosecutor and the prosecutor in this case decided not to file charges. >> so you have been speaking with some people i know that are very close to trayvon today. what have you learned? >> reporter: it's interesting. you know, we're trying to get a better picture of who was

. >> george howell, thank you very much. coming up this afternoon at the town hall, here's the preview. >> the scuffle took place on the grass. this witness seems to be saying and also that george zimmerman did not look hurt after the scuffle. what do you make of this? >> this is consistent with what we see in that videotape that was riveting for all of america to see. >> let's take a look at some of the evidence that we do know. you have talked to a young woman named deedee. trayvon martin's girlfriend. has deedee spoken to police yet? >> not yet. >> why not? >> they're setting it up now as we speak, as i understand. what is very telling, soledad, is the records. >> the phone records. >> the phone records. at 7:12 was her last call to him. the phone call lasted for four minutes. at 7:17, according to the police records, they got to the scene and trayvon was shot and killed on the ground. and that tells us a lot. it tells us that she heard some part of the conversation that happened between george zimmerman and trayvon martin

our own george howell spoke with him this morning. he joins us from sanford. what did he say?rter: carol, first off, i want to talk about one thing we learned just the other day from zimmerman's attorney, that he plans to use the stand your ground law here in florida as his defense if his client is arrested. initially, he planned to just argue self defense in that case. but now -- determined that's the appropriate route to take. now, as far as joe oliver, again, this is a friend who has known george zimmerman for a long time and still staunchly defends him. take a listen to what he had to say to me this morning. >> he's in hiding. he has changed his numbers. his mother-in-law has no idea or any way to get in touch with her own daughter. so, yeah, they're all concerned. they're all in fear. this was not a racial incident. this was an incident where someone who was just trying to do the right thing ended up in a very, very bad position. >> reporter: we also saw joe oliver talking with the reverend jesse jackson, who is also here in florida to be part of this rally. obviously, re

cnn's george howell joins us from sanford, florida. and it is a town where the 17-year-old trayvon martin was shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain. george, what is happening there today, and what's planned for the week? >> fredricka, first off, i want to talk about new news. we learned from george zimmerman's attorney is he will now use the stand your ground law here in florida, previously he told us that he was planning to use self-defense in the case his client was arrested. but at this point he will use his stand your ground law here in florida. but the movement here in sanford u you see it continuing. today we're expecting several vigi vigils, one at 6:30 eastern time, and a few more planned, maybe 8:00 tonight, people coming together to support the family. and across the country, fredricka, as you mentioned, in atlanta and in new york city, we see people coming together wearing hoodies to church, showing solidarity for the family. and also today in orlando, the reverend jesse jackson spoke to the crowd there, to the congregati

here he is sharing memories with cnn correspondent george howell. >> he said i want to fly planes. no black people wants to fly planes. he goes i'll be the first one. >> you'll hear much more on that interview and who he was coming up tonight again exclusively on ac-360, 8:00 eastern. and we want you to tune in friday night to cnn for a special town hall, hosted by soledad o'brien. she will speak about the racial tension in our country right now and how the racial tragedy has now become a nationwide story. don't miss that. >> and now on the case, why you should be careful what you tweet or in this case, retweet. director spike lee is under fire today for retweeting an address for the neighborhood watch captain who shot trayvon martin. i want you to take a look at the tweets. but the problem is, you see the addre address? part of the address, we're not showing it all. that is not george zimmerman's address in the tweet. it's not even close. lisa bloom is an attorney, author of the book "think." this tweet has caught so much fire. so much so that the older couple who live at the addr