natalie jackson, charles m. blow, and joy-ann reid, thank you all very much for joining me tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, we're going to have more on the breaking news on the killing of trayvon martin with jonathan capehart and former federal prosecutor from florida, kendall coffey. >>> and later, rick santorum is dropping out of the presidential campaign before a possible humiliation in his home state of pennsylvania. that means the obama re-election campaign can no longer count on republicans to attack the now-inevitable nominee, mitt romney. that's coming up. ok! who gets occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em, with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds, and stops new ones for up to four m

natalie jackson, charles m. blow, and joy-ann reid, thank you all very much for joining me tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, we're going to have more on the breaking news on the killing of trayvon martin with jonathan capehart and former federal prosecutor from florida, kendall coffey. >>> and later, rick santorum is dropping out of the presidential campaign before a possible humiliation in his home state of pennsylvania. that means the obama re-election campaign can no longer count on republicans to attack the now-inevitable nominee, mitt romney. that's coming up. [ male announcer ] considering all your mouth goes through, do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth. cubanso take your oral health to a whole new level. ca jun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chine

blow, editorial writer for "the new york times" and natalie jackson, co-counsel for the martin family. natalie, first of all, what do you make of this expansion of the zimmerman legal team with hal? >> it makes us optimistic that it may go to trial now. that's something that wouldn't have happened had it not been for the public outcry. he has a right to counsel and a right to a presumption of innocence. that's all this family wants, is a fair and just trial. >> charles, craig sonnor, the first lawyer in the case was clearly in way over his head. he never handled a homicide case before. you could tell in his television appearances he wasn't accustomed to handling anything of this weight. does this mean that we are -- is it your sense that this is any indicator that we are headed toward some kind of real judicial process here? >> well, it could mean that. you would lawyer up if you felt like it may go to trial, but another very important thing, i think it's important for everyone to remember, is that this is also a pr offensive on both sides. so the martin -- trayvon martin's family has

natalie jackson joins us this morning.ing with us. >> thanks, soledad. >> we saw videotape of trayvon martin's mother and father and relief on their faces when the announcement came across was episcoppal papable. how are they do? >> i told her that i'm impressed by their goodness. they lost a child. they feel relieved and they feel that someone recognizes that their child mattered. i think that this validates that their child mattered. >> what do you think of the charge of second-degree murder? >> i think that that's an appropriate charge. it's a very brave charge of angela corey and really shows that she conducted an independent, impartial and fair investigation in this case. she could have charged this as a manslaughter to try to appease everyone. she didn't. she did what prosecutors do. she charged it to the hilt. >> let me ask you a question. if eventually it goes to jury which is an if at this point, can they actually convict on a lesser charge so charge is high but they could convict on manslaughter, is that correct?

with me now is natalie jackson, the co-counsel for the martin family. obviously pretty dramatic day today in many ways. what was the family's reaction to george zimmerman being granted bail and also to his public apology? >> the family was prepared for george zimmerman getting a bail. we talked to them about that. so they were prepared for that. what they weren't prepared for was for george zimmerman to get on the stand and pretty much grand stand. we had talked about this yesterday. his attorney had reached out and also his attorney made media statements that george wanted to meet the family. we said this is not the proper time or place at this point. this was the first day this family has been in court and actually heard testimony and seen the killer of their son. it wasn't the proper time or place. so it's easy to conclude this apology was not for the family, it was for george zimmerman. >> i suppose looking at it from his point of view he's been heavy criticized for not apologizing to date for what he did. and he felt it was his first opportunity to

natalie jackson and charles blow join me next, and the death penalty is being rewritten, in californiawho wrote the death penalty here wants to repeal it now. ♪ ♪ lord, you got no reason ♪ you got no right ♪ ♪ i find myself at the wrong place ♪ [ male announcer ] the ram 1500 express. ♪ it says a lot about you. ♪ in a deep, hemi-rumble sort of way. guts. glory. ram. impact wool exports from new zealand, textile production in spain, and the use of medical technology in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. protect the land.t information, risks, fees and expenses economically, it seems like a good choice now. we need environmental protection. we've got more than 100 years worth of energy, right here. [announcer:] who's right? they all are. visit powerincooperation.com. righ

attorney natalie jackson. thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you, sir. >> let me ask you first, what is your response to today's announcement from the special prosecutor? >> as lawyers, we have to advice our clients, so this didn't come as a surprise to us. we knew she had three options. one of them was to utilize the april 10th grand jury. another was to make an arrest and charge george zimmerman, and we have to explain that to our client. so we knew she could exercise any of those options at any time. >> what did trayvon's parents say? >> i didn't talk to them, but they weren't surprised. they were prepared for this. >> i have to tell you they're still cautiously optimistic this is a good thing that george zimmerman will be charged with this crime. >> cautiously optimistic is the right term. let me ask you some questions on law, you're a good lawyer. the attorneys for zimmerman were on the "today show" and hal uhrig talked about a rush to judgment. i want to ask you about the question on the law of wh

. >> joining me now are charles emblow, "new york times" columnist, and natalie jackson, co-counsel for do you make of the prosecutor's announcement that she will not convene a grand jury? >> well, we think that this is the right thing to do. this is not a capital case, it's not a case for a grand jury. and the only reason this would have goen to a grand jury is if there was a passing of the buck, where you didn't want to be involved in something for publicity. it's courageous of her to do this. she's going to make the decision. she has the power and she's going to own that decision. >> charles, the prosecutor's office warned us today to not use this as a factor in any way trying to figure out where this is going, but all the pros i talked to, they see it as an increasing likelihood that she will bring charges since the grand jury is the easier way to just wash your hands of the responsibility. >> that's one way to look at it. it's all, at this point, speculation. as natalie just pointed out, only if it was a capital case would it go before a grand jury. no one, not the attorneys for tr

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natalie jackson, calming words there. nice to hear from you tonight. we'll be checking in as the case moves on. >>> outfront next, a woman donates a kidney for her boss, then she is fired. you want to hear this. >>> and how much is a mcdonald's soda worth to you? it could cost one man $5,000 and five years of his life. we're not kidding. and we'll tell you how. [ male announcer ] this is corporate caterers, miami, florida. in here, great food demands a great presentation. so at&t showed corporate caterers how to better collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards, from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! f

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natalie jackson, calming words there. nice to hear from you tonight.be checking in as the case moves on. >>> outfront next, a woman donates a kidney for her boss, then she is fired. you want to hear this. >>> and how much is a mcdonald's soda worth to you? it could cost one man $5,000 and five years of his life. we're not kidding. and we'll tell you how. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, yo

natalie jackson, calming words there. nice to hear from you tonight.e'll be checking in as the case moves on. >>> outfront next, a woman donates a kidney for her boss, then she is fired. you want to hear this. >>> and how much is a mcdonald's soda worth to you? it could cost one man $5,000 and five years of his life. we're not kidding. and we'll tell you how. >>> we're back with tonight's outer circle, where we reach out to our sources around the would recall. first to france. socialist leader edged out current president nicolas sarkozy in the first round of presidential voting. jim bitterman is watching the race from paris. i asked him about the major issues in this election. >> reporter: tom, the old axiom here is the french vote with their heart in the first round and head with the second round so the second round they will approach things very logically. if they approach it logically, the things that everybody say are the big issues here are unemployment and buying power. both have been high during the years of sarkozy's presidency. he has got the

joining us this morning is natalie jackson, an attorney for trayvon martin's family. h us. >> nice seeing you. >> are you hearing anything from miss corey as of the date of convening the grand jury gets closer? it's just on tuesday. >> no, we haven't heard anything. we know they're investigating the case and we know that she said that it's her option of what she wants to do as far as have the grand jury or not have the grand jury. >> does that mean that she could even once the grand jury is convened on tuesday she could wait weeks and weeks before she makes the decision or do we have to look at tuesday as potentially a deadline? >> well, we're looking at tuesday as a deadline. however, her office can decide that they want to wait. they can decide to arrest without the grand jury, so she pretty much has all the power now, and what happens in this case. >> interesting. let me ask you about again back to the audio clip, i think you and i have talked about this eight times or something over the last few weeks. george zimmerman now says what he, through his lawyers that he'

. >> coming up the next hour, we'll talk to natalie jackson, the martin family attorney.artin's girl friend, who was on the phone with him. the fbi has had a chance to talk to them. we'll get an update on what's happening there. also on "starting point," the real sarah palin joins the lame stream media. we'll talk about how that went. you can follow us on our live block which is cnn.com/startingpoint. bruce springsteen, "rocky ground." and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. the largest class size in the nation. 47th out of 50 in per-student funding. but right now, we can make history with a ballot measure to send every k-through-12 dollar straight to our schools. to every school and every child. not to sacr

thanks very much, charles blow and natalie jackson for joining me tonight. >> thank you. thanks to you at home for joining us this hour. subgate. that kind of unforced error, >>> that kind of unforced error, though, is kind of what wisconsin has been like for him. there's an argument to be made that wisconsin should be a gimmee, all-pain, no-gain, kind of experience for the mitt romney campaigning in wisconsin by saying things like, at the university of california, they don't teach american history anymore. he's been saying things like, in holland, there's mass murder by the state of elderly people. and elderly people are all fleeing the netherlands to get away from the killer dutch government who kills them every time they go to the hospital. it is not fashionable to admit this about the rick santorum campaign, but mr. santorum never corrects this kind of crazy stuff when he gets it wrong. and listening to him wing his way through campaigning for president is more like listening to right-wing conspiracy podcasts in the dark corners of the internet than it is like listeni

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natalie jackson says she has not seen all the evidence but what is nope is more than enough. >> she hasht to investigate thoroughly so i would not say frustrated but we do believe that they have enough information to make a lawful arrest. >> -- allen chapel in sanford, a room filled with people calling for justice, and where a group called the dream defenders got a special welcome. [ cheers ] >> -- several florida universities who made a three day 40 mile march from daytona to sanford. they reached their destination triumphant but knowing their journey isn't over. students hoping their three day march will help their voices be heard. in sanford, florida, susan mcginness, wjz eyewitness news. >> that group says it plans to engage in non-violent civil dis0 bend answer later. >>> in chicago jury selection begins in the trial of a man used of murdering members of jennifer hudson's family. william balfour is charged with killing them. the 150 potential jurors will be questioned by the judge and attorneys beginning today. opening statements are set for april the 23rd. >>> he was a picture on

. >> natalie jackson, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thank you. >> joining us now isl federal prosecutor. how surprised were you? >> i was surprised, i admit it. not because i doubted at that time that there were going to be very serious charges brought. what second-degree murder means is that he intended to do it essentially without premeditation but it was intentional. and just sort of watching this from a distance, knowing that there's much that i don't know, i still honestly perceive as just pointed out, the jury has the ability to downgrade the charge to a form of manslaughter and, let's face it, when prosecutors charge the most aggressive possible count that they can, it certainly improves a chance for getting a plea bargain and complicates the defendant's chance of getting a of self-defense attempted. >> this is angela corey versus mark o'mara. let's look at what mark o'mara is up against if and when he pleads the stand your ground defense. listen to what he said about the stand your ground defense today. >> if stand your ground becomes an issue, we fight it. i

natalie jackson is one of the attorneys representing trayvon martin's family. she comes out front tonight. i talked to her earlier, and asked her why she thought the special prosecutor made the right move. >> we think that she has enough evidence to make the arrest herself. and this time sending to a grand jury. we don't know what the outcome would be with the racial implications that have been brought into this case, and the other agendas that have been brought into this case. >> despite the agenda, we don't know what will happen. have you the 911 tapes coming out, trayvon martin's phone records were released. i'm sure being in touch with his parents each and every time they thought, maybe this time. maybe an arrest. but here's my what if to you tonight, what if the evidence speaks for itself, and george zimmerman doesn't ever get arrested? what then? >> that's a possibility at this point, the evidence is out there, we need to look no further than george zimmerman's own words in his taped phone call to the police dispatch. that's enough evidence to send this t

with with mark o'meara on one side, and natalie jackson helping represent trayvon's family, i know themical lawyers, and if the system is allowed to play out that way, i think we'll get closer to the truth than we could ever hope otherwise, and i think that once all that comes out, we'll all be able to sit back and evaluate. >> paul, final question to you, why then would both sides of this, at least at this point appear to want the record sealed from the public. cnn have asked for those records to be released. given the high national interest in this case. why are they holding back? >> in most states, lawyers fight hard to keep these things out of the public eye. they don't want jurors to be tainted. we don't know what george zimmerman said when they took him into the precinct. he's taken in in handcuffs and released. a detailed statement was taken in the precinct. does that hurt or help him. and will it poison a jury panel in the future? there will be hearings on admissibility down the road. i think for that reason, they're trying to tamp down the public disclosure, get the passion lev