Page 23 - Couldnt Get News Today

That he is a lawmaker? a lawmaker is defined as, quote, one who makes laws, not a law repealer, not a law ender, a lawmaker. but his theory firefighters should be judged by how many fires they start. >> we should not be judged on how many new laws we create. we ought to be judged on how many laws that we repeal. >> well, mr. speaker, youve tried to repeal health care 39 times. and you failed 39 times. youre not even successful by your own standards. and look at what youre trying to get rid of. i...

Who trayvon martin was to them. thats what i want to explore tonight. >> was there any reason, mark, why the prosecution, the state attorneys who were going after george zimmerman with the second degree murder charge, why they didnt speak more about who trayvon, this young 17-year-old kid was? >> i have put a lot of blame on the prosecutors theory and their approach to this case. i think they gave everybody a lot of false hope. i think they attempted to twist the second degree murder to make it ...

The authority. i felt they were a better chance of a conviction involuntary manslaughter. yes, overcharging a case can affect the prosecutions credibility and help the defense. i think it did in this case. i think manslaughter would have been the right -- with the right charge and would have been the right outcome. zimmerman drove to the scene. brought a deadly weapon to the scene. decided to confront trayvon martin. didnt have to do any of that. he was advised by the police not to get out of th...

Don lemon here in sanford, florida, again with cnn special coverage of the verdict and the fallout. lets get back to the conversation about zimmermans defense attorney don west. he said the prosecution was a disgraceful and fired insults at the prosecution accusing them of being sneaky and unethical. >> oh my god. just when i thought this case couldnt get anymore bizarre. the state is seeking third-degree murder based on child abuse? is the court going to give this any serious contention or cons...

Another big day in court. heres martin savidge. >> reporter: unlike his opening, the states closing began with more reverent tones. almost like a eulogy. >> a teenager is dead. he is dead through no fault of his own. he is dead because another man made assumptions. >> reporter: the prosecutor condensed the states case into two hours, emphasizing its claim that george zimmerman actively profiled trayvon martin. >> he profiled him as a criminal. he assumed certain things. that trayvon martin was u...

George zimmerman on top? >> because at points george zimmerman was on top and at points trayvon martin was on top. this is a fluid altercation. the point is how did it start? it started because of the false assumptions that george zimmerman made. and what i think whats wonderful about the prosecution is its being very transparent about the fact that there was clearly an altercation but that different people saw different things and it was a fluid situation. i think thats a good thing for the pro...

The jury recoil. >> so in the courtroom it didnt feel like that? >> not at all. what i bring to this case is the fact that im a former prosecutor, have been in many courtrooms. im a woman. im a mother. im a latina. im african-american. im part white. and i bring the same stuff into the jury room to this case that this jury brings. and i can tell you with bringing all of that, and that perspective, i think the prosecution was masterful today. >> everyone, stick around. its the defenses turn tomor...

And this prosecution did go over what the law was but they went with the facts. and their theory of the case and it was very effective. prosecutors do it all the time and do it effectively just like this one did. >> i guess i might as well do what everybody else does. do you see what he is saying now? hes saying that armpits! how does he get the gun out? armpits! how does he get the gun out?

Felt he had to object to the judge asking questions. weve all had judges ask questions and think thats devastating my case. but its a tough thing to do. >> danny, ive had cases where ive objected to the judges questions and theyve sustained the objection. so theres an upside and a downside. >> sunny, she certainly seems to be very conscious of wanting to move this case along. >> yeah, and i think jeffle is right on this. its because the jury is sequestered and shes almost their lawyer. she wants...

Degree felony murder with child abuse, which has in the manslaughter case a much lower bail, so he could have been out the whole time. doesnt that team somewhat unethical for a prosecutor to overcharge you, to go the entire case to not be able in their own mind to have the confidence to think theyre going to convict you, and then the morning before you argue say oh, by the way, heres the other one, maybe you should have defended against this. this isnt a game. it is somebodys life. >> exactly. a...