i've got lisa bloom and john burress standing by.o to break and be back with more analysis on what we've heard so far. constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. resoft would be great, but we really just need "kid-proof." softsprings got both, let me show you. right over here. here, feel this. wow, that's nice. wow. the soft carpets have never been this durable. you know i think we'll take it. get kid-friendly toughness and feet-friendly softness, without walking all over your budget. he didn't tell us it would do this. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, get whole-home installation for just 37 bucks. >>> welcome back, i want to bring in lisa bloom and john burress quickly. dennis root is still on the stand. lisa, your impression of this witness so far, it seems that he is

let me bring in john burress. the first question from mark o'mara's mouth in this cross-examination was essentially how dr. rao got her job, saying she was appointed by the state attorney who's the lead prosecutor in this case. >> he wants to show to the jury she has a bias. that she was hired by the local district attorney and she's beholden to him and the analysis she's given is consistent with that employment. it's a classic argument people make. at the end of the day, i think that she will overcome that with her own basic testimony that seems to be pretty straight. >> and speaking of classic strategies, mark o'mara's strategy has been in cross-examination to essentially ask the same question over and over. with this dr. rao, at one point he's asking how does this abrasion happen, could it happen this way, could it -- and she stopped him and said, i know i'm not supposed to ask the questions, but i know you're going to imply the abrasions could have happened from a scratch or fingernail, kind of heading him off

let me bring in lisa bloom, john burress with us as well. they've been given their instructions in great detail, lisa. we've watched this. i mean, you know, i think back to the first time i saw a tweet from someone saying, what's happened in sanford, florida? a young man had been shot. he was unarmed. where is the justice? along this journey, trayvon martin's family said they want justice for their son. whatever the outcome that we will eventually see here, we don't know, but in their words, they want it to see justice. today the defense attorneys representing george zimmerman believe they've done a great job, in their words, representing george zimmerman and what he says happened that night. let me get your first reaction to the day and what we saw with these closing argument, lisa. >> you're so right, tamron. i've heard from so many people that consistently stick to that theme, that this entire incident was avoidable if george zimmerman had just stayed in his car. he's the one that set the whole thing in motion. legally, that's a little bi

please step down. >> john burress, lisa bloom still with us. what's being discussed right now, john, the issue here of dna on the gun, key perhaps to the story line that trayvon martin had reached and perhaps touched the gun that george zimmerman had had. what are you hearing from the lab analyst? at one point he was saying he could not include or exclude dna in his analysis. what's your thought, john? >> that's my thought. i mean, i thought initially that it was going to be an exclusion totally of trayvon. i didn't really get that from him. i get that there wasn't enough samples there for him to include or exclude. so in that sense, it's neutral. it was designed to impeach, if possible, mr. zimmerman's claim that he had reached for the gun. but i don't really see that. i don't hear that. what you really have is the dna on things that are pretty obvious. we're probably going to go to the sweatshirt. we went to the skittle cans. at the end of the day, i don't know that this really carries the day in terms of one way or the other. the prosecution

msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom and criminal defense attorney john burress are with me. lisa, i want to get your take on this out of the gate. they were very specific with serino about back to the 911 tape and the voice and the fact zimmerman said that doesn't sound like me. >> there was so much more i would like to hear from chris serino. it's all about the father of trayvon martin, who initially said it didn't sound like his son screaming on the 911 call. chris serino had to admit that tracy martin said, not my son, in a very emotional moment because he's hearing the gunshot that took his son's life. >> meanwhile, john, we've had so many people get up on that stand and testify in the affirmative that they believe that that is george zimmerman's voice. again, this is the defense's turn to put on their case. they've been putting on witness after witness that says, yes, that's george. is the biggest onus on the fact that the jury keeps hearing the fact that george zimmerman said that doesn't sound like me? >> i think that the detective kind of answered that question. i th

former prosecutor faye jenkins, msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom, and criminal defense attorney john burress. thank you all for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> faye, let me go to you first. what impact did sybrina fulton's testimony about the 911 call have on the jury, in your opinion? >> i think her testimony and her presence on the witness stand today had a tremendous impact. i think that the jurors can understand how difficult it is for a grieving mother to get on the witness stand and here that tape live and in their presence and you could see the visible reaction she had from hearing the tape believing that she's hearing her own son get killed. but more than anything, i think her presence meant a lot because we've heard from the defense and they've tried to paint a narrative of trayvon martin as this vicious street kid who stopped george zimmerman and jumped him and punched him and according to george zimmerman's story tried to kill him. then you see this family get up there and the college educated represent themselves so well on the stand. i think that tremendously undercut

. >> also calling for action, civil rights attorney, john burress, who told the crowd, he thinks there's a federal case to be made against george zimmerman. >> i think it's important for the justice department to conduct an investigation, and file their charges. it's going to be a challenge for them. but it's better to do it and lose than not to do it at all. >> reporter: afterwards the mayor deflected questions about why police failed to step in. on several occasions this past week, when protests turned violent. >> i don't want to talk about that. today is about the young people and their voices. >> reporter: justin jones tells me he's attending a university in nashville in the fall. a candlelight vigil is planned for trayvon martin at lake merritt at 7:00 tonight. >>> across the bay, a smaller group protested in san francisco at the federal building there. that rally was also peaceful. there were similar protests in about 100 cities nationwide today the protesters want a federal investigation into the circumstances of martin's death, and they want lawmakers to repeal the stand your gro

i've got with me john burress here in new orleans. lisa bloom is also standing by. it's been an extrord aordinary . i want to start with the immediate, where we are now, john. you have this medical examiner who prior to this picking up or resuming of the testimony referenced his personal notes. this set off a dramatic back and forth. here we are now. why are his personal notes relevant, and why is it perceived as being a benefit to george zimmerman's defense somehow? >> well, it's important. when a witness testifies, they are supposed to have turned over all the information they used in order to give their testimony. if they're testifying at the time and they're reading from them, the other side has a right to know what they're reading from. you are supposed to testify from memory. i don't believe, unless there was something very negative in those note, that necessarily helped either side. at the end of the day, it doesn't look proper. it gives the impression that the prosecution was trying to hide something. point of fact, they were not. that's just the impression i

also, criminal defense attorney john burress with me as well. lisa, let me start with you.far dr. di maio has provided good testimony for the defense, putting a lot of holes in what the prosecution presented with the medical examiner shiping bao. what would your estimation be of what he's done for the defense. >> i think this would be the best day the defense has had so far. this is the kind of hard, scientific evidence jurors tend to like. what he's testified to is that george zimmerman's story is consistent with the physical and the medical evidence that he's reviewed. he said that trayvon martin was likely over george zimmerman in the position when zimmerman shot him. that's because the shirt was two to four inches away from the body based on the tattoo, the powder tattooing, as he calls it, stippling is another term. he said trayvon martin was likely conscious, capable of speech and motion 10 to 15 seconds after the shooting. that's consistent with george zimmerman's story that trayvon martin spoke and possibly moved his hands. and that george zimmerman's injuries are c

. >> let's bring in msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom and criminal defense attorney john burress.ve detective doris singleton. interesting dynamic with the prosecution and how they've chosen to come after this witness that they called to the stand specifically on speculation and her assessment in taking george zimmerman's account of what happened that night. >> this is yet another witness that seems more comfortable answering questions from the defense than from the prosecution. and this police detective had to say that despite her lengthy interview that night of george zimmerm zimmerman, he seemed to have no ill will or hatred, and she tells a very interesting story where she says zimmerman noticed a silver cross around her neck. he asked her if she was catholic. she said no, i'm christian, why? he said because don't catholics think that killing is wrong under all circumstances? she said to him, seemingly comforting him, i don't think that's what god meant. i don't think that god meant you couldn't save your own life. it seems as though at least that evening she believed that he

i have lisa bloom standing by as well as john burress. lisa, let me start off with you. it's interesting. you hear george zimmerman in that interview discuss the media's role. yet, he was giving a very high-profile interview with his attorney seated next to him in an attempt at that time to describe what he says happened that night. >> that's right. well, he chose an interview with a relatively friendly interviewer with his attorney by his side. he gave that one interview answering all of the questions that were posed to him. what the prosecution is doing by in

. >> well, the court is going into recess and the jury is going to get that note, john burress. what do you take from the fact they've decided to order in dinner? they're not going to close this out right now and go out and have dinner? >> well, i think that means -- of course this is a hard working jury. they want to resolve this, they're working hard at it, and i wouldn't be surprised if you don't have a verdict late this evening or first thing in the morning given how hard they're working and where they are in the jury instructions. i think that we'll know more with the next question about how far along they are. because the issue here is have they ruled out self-defense yet. and if they have, then it's a question of does all the elem t elements of manslaughter adhere. if they have not ruled out self-defense, then they still have a lot of work to do. >> and it could be they're just hungry. >> they're hungry, they're hungry. >> i would expect they're going to get their question back fairly quickly. i would expect something to be coming back across -- >> you've been going throu