Another Day In Omerica

The scandal of the 20 US secret service agents who cavorted with prostitutes in Cartagena before Barack Obama’s visit to the Summit of the Americas last weekend has become a national issue in the United States. Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney is the latest to weigh in on the topic. Elsewhere, though, it remains largely a non-issue. In Colombia, for example, the news item earned only the briefest of mentions – no more than two paragraphs in the national press.

Were the secret service agents providing prostitutes for Obama? Obama’s long affair with his his former staff and international fundraiser Vera Baker has been caught in a shocking cheating scandal after being caught in a Washington, DC Hotel in the form of a video. Vera Baker, 35 years old, had served as an aide during Obama’s campaign for the Senate back in 2004, a position she left after numerous reports and scandals that include jealousy of their close relationship from Michelle Obama, his wife since 1992, allegations from his former limo driver, and supposed sightings in the same hotel.

In Obama’s hush-hush affair with Baker the limo driver who says that he took Vera to a secret hotel rendezvous where the Obama was staying. On the condition of anonymity, the limo driver said he took Baker “from a friend’s home in the DC area to the Hotel George where I learned later that Obama would be spending the night.” The driver recalled that he “waited in the lobby while she went to change her outfit. “But to the best of my knowledge she did not have a room at the hotel and she was not staying there so I thought that it was a bit odd.” Read more

Aired April 20, 2012 – 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

GLADYS ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN’S MOTHER (via telephone): This program started like three years ago and when the problem started, you have to be committed to the program so you have go to classes. And you have to sign like a contract that you will keep on with the program.

With the program was — he sign up for the program, I’m sorry, and because of the economy, it closed after nine months. But George continued with the program. He continued that had whole year and after that year, he kept on with the program.

This was his second year going up to the city of Orlando and taking care of two kids because his wife also mentored. So the couple mentored these two kids for the last two years.

MARK O’MARA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN’S ATTORNEY: And how old were those children?

ZIMMERMAN: I believe one is — the boy is 14 and I had met them, it they are very nice kids. George tried his best to give help love and teach them, you know — teach them good manners.

They are very lovely kids and they love so much George was George used to go to see them every two weeks, twice a month he would go and see them.

And I had begged George not to go. I’m sorry, I had told my son please don’t go, it’s too dangerous. And he said, mom, if I don’t go, they don’t have nobody.

O’MARA: Why were you concerned about George’s safety in that program?

ZIMMERMAN: Because it was a very dangerous place where he goes to.

O’MARA: A very bad what?

ZIMMERMAN: Dangerous place.

O’MARA: Bad news place?

ZIMMERMAN: Dangerous place. O’MARA: I’m sorry, my apologies.

ZIMMERMAN: That’s OK.

O’MARA: What was the racial background of the two children that he mentored?

ZIMMERMAN: African-American, sir.

O’MARA: Nothing further, your honor.

BERNARDO DE LA RIONDA, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Good morning.

ZIMMERMAN: Good morning, sir.

DE LA RIONDA: I’m Bernardo De La Rionda on behalf of the state of Florida. I just have a few quick questions hopefully. You mentioned that he –

ZIMMERMAN: He tries to protect people.

DE LA RIONDA: And you are aware about this prior case in which he was arrested, right?

ZIMMERMAN: I didn’t hear.

DE LA RIONDA: I turned my back. I apologize. You were aware of the prior case in which he was arrested, were you not?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir, that was in 2005.

DE LA RIONDA: And that was in 2005, have you talked to your son about that?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes.

DE LA RIONDA: When you say your son from an authority standpoint when law enforcement tells him something, he’ll abide by it?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes, he will.

DE LA RIONDA: Why didn’t he heave when the police officer told him to leave?

ZIMMERMAN: George told me he didn’t identify himself as a police officer.

DE LA RIONDA: Did he claim that he was defending himself, too?

ZIMMERMAN: I’m sorry?

DE LA RIONDA: Did he say regarding that arrest incident in 2005 regarding those officers, did he say he, Mr. Zimmerman, say, your son, say he was defending himself?

ZIMMERMAN: I don’t recall that, sir. DE LA RIONDA: And you don’t have any knowledge of the web site, do you in terms of the money?

ZIMMERMAN: No. I know I have seen the letter, but I don’t have any answers to it.

DE LA RIONDA: OK, thank you very much.

ZIMMERMAN: You’re welcome.

O’MARA: Thank you, your honor, for the questions. If I can have –

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can she be excused?

O’MARA: Yes, your honor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, ma’am. You’re excused.

(END LIVE FEED)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As Mark O’Mara conferred with his client, we’re going to break away again for one minute. We’ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I’m Carol Costello. You’re watching CNN. It’s 10:05 Eastern Time. What you’re watching, these are live events happening from Sanford, Florida in courtroom number five.

And this is a bond hearing for George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara asking the judge to set bond so his client can be released until his criminal trial begins.

We heard a lot from Zimmerman’s family. We heard from his mother, Gladys, his father, Robert. We also heard from his wife. None of them seemed to have much money on hand.

Although Gladys Zimmerman that she does have a house. Let’s listen to what Zimmerman’s attorney is talking about right now.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

O’MARA: I would call –

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don’t mean to be rude. It’s your motion, however you think it’s best for you.

O’MARA: Thank you, your honor. I would call either Investigator Osteen or Investigator Dale Gilbreath.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please state your full name for the record and spell your last name.

DALE GILBREATH, INVESTIGATOR, STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE: Dale Gilbreath.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State your occupation, if you will.

GILBREATH: An investigator with the state attorney’s office in Fourth Judicial Circuit.

O’MARA: And you are one of the investigators on this case?

GILBREATH: Yes.

O’MARA: I would you consider yourself one of the lead investigators? How do you determine your involvement, how do you define your involvement?

GILBREATH: I’m one of the two investigators working on the case with the state attorney’s office.

O’MARA: And I note in the file that you brought up with you, did you bring a file with you?

GILBREATH: No, sir, I brought a copy of –

O’MARA: Sorry. Do you have anything other than what you just identify, the probable cause affidavit?

GILBREATH: No reports or anything, no.

O’MARA: Did you bring any supporting documentation with you to the courtroom on his bond motion at all?

GILBREATH: No, I was not planning on testifying.

O’MARA: OK, but you do have the probable cause affidavit?

GILBREATH: I have a copy of it.

O’MARA: I would like to spend a few minutes going over a copy of that, if I might. I’ll try to make it easy for us with the court’s indulgence to use blow up of that. You can see that?

GILBREATH: Yes.

O’MARA: Take a moment just to compare the two to make sure that that is in fact the affidavit that you are reviewing. May I examine the witness from the exhibit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever you’re most comfortable with.

GILBREATH: It appears to be, yes.

O’MARA: At any time during this examination you’re concerned that the probable cause affidavit that you have is different than the one I’m examining from, let me know. Starts out with two or three paragraphs preparatory telling the magistrate, the judge, who you are and what you do, correct?

Read more

A version of the 911 tape that we all heard over and over again of George Zimmerman calling the cops to report suspicious behavior by 17-year-old Trayvon Martin just before fatally shooting the boy was like something out of the Nixon White House — edited. Sure, we all heard it with our own ears, but it is what we didn’t hear that’s key to understanding the confrontation between the neighborhood watchman and the Skittles-toting youngster.

Back on March 27, a full month after the shooting, NBC’s Today Show aired Zimmerman’s call to the police, featuring these words: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black.” The recording then went viral as did the presumption of racism in Zimmerman’s overreaction. The juxtaposition of Martin looking suspicious and looking black was enough to accelerate a firestorm of anger and protest.
Apparently, hearing is not exactly believing, or rather shouldn’t be. The folks at the the Today Show had shortened the Zimmerman tape for broadcast (as if the show didn’t have lots of time to devote to the story).

On March 17 NBC anchor Ron Allen ran a segment on the Today show that included an edited version of Zimmerman’s conversation just prior to the shooting of Martin:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good.… He looks black.

Dispatcher: Did you see what he was wearing?

Zimmerman: Yeah, a dark hoodie.

On Thursday Sean Hannity interviewed Brent Bozell from the Media Research Center on his Fox News Media Mash and played the edited and the original unedited versions of the conversation. Here is the unedited version:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

And so, Zimmerman’s description of Martin as looking black came only in response to a specific question about race/ethnicity.

When he was shot, Trayvon Martin was not the baby-faced boy in the photo that has been on front pages across the country. And George Zimmerman wasn’t the beefy-looking figure in the widely published mugshot.  The photo of Martin was taken when he was perhaps 13 or 14 years old but Martin was 17 when he was shot. And Zimmerman’s mug shot, taken six years ago following a charge of assault which was later thrown out, doesn’t reflect the man who, at age 28, is at least 3 and as much as 6 inches shorter than Martin. Both photos are a few years old and [are] no longer entirely accurate. Yet they may have helped shape initial public perception of the deadly shooting.

NBC revealed its blunder. “During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret,” said the network said in a prepared statement. “We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our Read more