[Chris Cuomo:] You know, targeted market cap, Carol. It's not big enough that way, not in terms of his
[P.r. Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] Well, I'm glad you cleared that up for us. Thank you so much.
[Costello:] NEWSROOM starts now. You guys have a good day.
[Cuomo:] No love.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] You, too.
[Cuomo:] No love. Just a lump of coal in human form.
[Costello:] I'm sorry. NEWSROOM starts now. And good morning, I'm carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Closing arguments set to begin in just a few minutes in the trial of Dylann Roof. He's the man accused of carrying out the Charleston church massacre. On Wednesday, jurors got a firsthand account of what unfolded during that night of terror from one of the survivors. Polly Sheppard recalls diving under a table when bullets started flying. She says Roof pointed a gun at her and asked this chilling question, "Did I shoot you yet?" Shepherd's tearful 911 call was played out in court. A warning, some of you might find this disturbing.
[Polly Sheppard, Charleston Church Massacre Survivor:] Please answer. Oh, God.
[Unidentified Female:] 911, what's the address of the emergency?
[Sheppard:] Please. Emanuel Church. There's plenty people shot down here. Please send somebody right away.
[Unidentified Female:] Emanuel Church?
[Sheppard:] Emanuel AME 110.
[Unidentified Female:] And there's people shot?
[Sheppard:] Yes. He shot the pastor. He shot all the men in the church. Please come right away.
[Costello:] Nick Valencia live in Charleston with more for you. Hi, Nick.
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. Court is expected to begin in just about 30 minutes. It has been an emotional week of testimony as shooting survivors have recounted in horrific detail what they witnessed last year. For his part, Dylann Roof has been emotionless, expressionless, showing no remorse for what he's accused of.
[Dylann Roof, Accused Of Shooting In Mother Emanuel Ame Church:] Well, I had to do it because somebody had to do something because, you know, Black people are killing Black people every day.
[Valencia:] Before his trial began, Dylann Roof confessed saying he was willing to plead guilty to all charges on the condition that prosecutors remove the death penalty. They refused. In the closing week of the trial, prosecutors punctuating their case by painting Roof as a cold blooded calculated killer, obsessed with White supremacy and hateful of Blacks. They say Roof hoped to start a race war when he walked into the historically Black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. He prayed with the Bible study group for nearly an hour before removing a.45 caliber Glock handgun and fatally shooting nine people. Evidence presented by prosecutors include this video showing Roof shooting target practice and parts of a 2,000-word manifesto calling Black people stupid, inferior to Whites, and violent. He says the Trayvon Martin case triggered his decision to kill, saying no skin heads, no real KKK, are taking action. Someone must, quote, "I guess that has to be me." The first witness brought to the stand was Felicia Sanders, a shooting survivor, forced to take a break from recounting her gut-wrenching testimony. The last witness, 72-year-old Polly Sheppard, describing how she hid under a table, praying as bullet casings fell around her, until Roof told her he'd let her live to tell the horrific story.
[Sheppard:] He's still in the building. Please help us.
[Valencia:] Newly released audio from her 911 call capturing the panic inside.
[Sheppard:] There's so many people dead, I think. Oh, my God.
[Unidentified Female:] You said there's so many people dead?
[Sheppard:] I think they're dead, yes.
[Valencia:] Roof listening expressionless and emotionless, showing no remorse. The defense rested its case without calling a single witness. Late yesterday, they did try to get two mental health experts to testify on Dylann Roof's behalf but a judge denied that motion. Carol, there's been a lot of drama surrounding Dylann Roof's defense. Up until about two weeks ago, the 22-year-old said that he wanted to defend himself. He did an about-face but only during this phase, the guilt phase of the trial. We do expect Roof to represent himself during the sentencing phase Carol.
[Costello:] All right. Nick Valencia reporting live from Charleston, South Carolina. So let's talk about this. With me now, CNN Legal Analyst Paul Callan. Welcome, Paul.
[Paul Callan, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Good morning.
[Costello:] So they'll do closing arguments, right? The case will go to the jury. The jury will probably come back with a guilty verdict, unless something astounding happens.
[Callan:] Well, something happens, something very bizarre.
[Costello:] So then what will happen next?
[Callan:] Well, then we'll go into the penalty phase, which is really the heart of this case. I mean, obviously, he's guilty. He's admitted his guilt from the beginning, and we've seen it proven in a most compelling way. But now the issue is more difficult for the jury. Should he be put to death, or should he be allowed to spend the rest of his life in prison? And even some of the victims' families in this case have said they oppose the death penalty for these brutal killings. So it's really going to be a very, very interesting penalty phase, I think, as we're coming up, Carol.
[Costello:] It defies logic that Dylann Roof will escape the death penalty just because of the emotional testimony. We played a bit of that 911 call from Polly Sheppard, the only survivor from inside that church. Dylann Roof allowed her to live so that she could tell the tale of his horrific deed. I just want to play our viewers some more of that 911 call. Here it is.
[Sheppard:] He's coming. He's coming. He's coming. Please.
[Unidentified Female:] OK. Ma'am, are you able to if he's coming, I need you to be as quiet as possible. Is there something you can hide under?
[Sheppard:] I'm under the table.
[Unidentified Female:] Did you see him at all?
[Sheppard:] Yes. He's a young 21-year-old White dude.
[Unidentified Female:] OK.
[Sheppard:] Please, and we've got some people very hurt. Please.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, ma'am. And you said were you able to see the gun. Do you know what kind of gun it was?
[Sheppard:] No, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know anything about guns.
[Unidentified Female:] OK. That's OK. And where are the weapons now?
[Sheppard:] He's got it in his hand. He's reloading.
[Costello:] Oh, my goodness. So Dylann Roof gets up to convince the jury that he doesn't deserve the death penalty. How does that go?
[Callan:] Well, it's astounding. Although something very interesting is happening in this case, he's representing himself during the penalty phase. Now, lawyers say this is a huge mistake. And there's been a lot of worry about it, that maybe it will be reversible error and the verdict will be thrown out. I happen to think it's probably a very smart move on his part. And I only say that because if he's trying to convince
[Costello:] You mean a deliberately smart move or an accidental smart move that he's doing?
[Callan:] Well, it's hard to say, but the reason I say this is because, with him standing up in front of the jury for the entire penalty phase, they'll get a very, very close look at him as a human being. And if, in fact, he suffers from some sort of deep and obvious mental illness, that will become clear throughout the penalty phase. Remember, his only hope is that the jury thinks he's so crazy, he doesn't deserve the death penalty. And what better way than for him to be standing in front of them every day, you know, demonstrating the extent of his mental illness.
[Costello:] So during the penalty phase, often, family members of the victims take the stand to tell about the emotional toll this has taken on them. So Dylann Roof will be questioning them?
[Callan:] Yes. And I have to tell you, this is the most horrific scene in a courtroom you can imagine, with the killer questioning family members of the victim. I've seen it happen in courtrooms, sometimes a rape victim being questioned by the rapist, but the law allows it. And I'm just cringing thinking of how bad the scene is going to be.
[Costello:] So might Dylann Roof take the stand himself?
[Callan:] Yes, he could take the stand himself. When he's representing himself, he testifies in what the lawyers call narrative format. He just sits there and tells his story without anybody asking him questions, and then the prosecutor cross-examines.
[Costello:] Well, he has a celebrated defense attorney. His name is David Bruck. He's tried a number of famous death penalty cases. He's adamantly opposed to the death penalty. So will he just sit by and watch this unfold?
[Callan:] It's hard to say how this is going to unfold because, remember, Dylann Roof wanted to fire him initially and represent himself during the liability or guilt phase of the trial, and he changed his mind. Dylann Roof could change his mind again, and this attorney could wind up playing a major role. So I think you have to take this on a day-to-day basis. You're dealing with an extremely strange person who, obviously, is mentally ill. The only question is, how mentally ill is he?
[Costello:] Paul Callan, thanks so much.
[Callan:] OK. Thank you.
[Costello:] In other news this morning, evacuations in Syria finally underway. A new ceasefire in Aleppo is holding, at least for now, but the constant airstrikes have taken their toll. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed, and there is still fear that many people won't make it out alive.
[Unidentified Male:] [Speaking in foreign language]
[Costello:] That is the voice of an orphan in Aleppo. This is what he's saying, quote, "This might be the last day you will hear my voice and see me. I am 10 years old. I have been living in an orphanage for the past two years. I lost my mom and dad two years ago from airstrikes. I am sending this message to those concerned with human rights and the rights of children and to the entire world. I hope you get us out of Aleppo. There are 47 children here, and they are all my brothers and sisters. We hope to get out of Aleppo and eat and drink. We love peace. We cannot go outside because of the airstrikes and shelling. We can't go outside because of that. Please get us out of Aleppo." Oh. More now from CNN's Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen. Hi, Fred.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Carol. Yes. And one of the things that the international community is now trying to do is trying to get those people who are still holding out in that little rebel enclave in Aleppo, trying to get them out. And it seems as though, from the first information that we're getting and from what we're monitoring, that at this point in time, it appears to be working. The first convoys have managed to leave eastern Aleppo, go through government territory, and then get into other areas that are controlled by the opposition. First and foremost, it's the weakest. It's the people who need the most attention, people who are wounded, people who are severely ill, people who need medical attention very, very quickly. Hundreds have apparently already come out. There were some hitches where one of the convoys was actually shot at and one person was killed. So for many of these people, it is certainly somewhat relief after they were so scared the past couple of days. And we managed to get some of the voices of those who are so afraid. Here's what they said.
[Unidentified Female:] I don't know really what to say. Words can't go out now. I hope you can something to solve the expected massacres. Just yesterday, my the next door exactly, all the building collapsed. Many people were killed. Well, many people now are being killed and just kept in the streets and their buildings. No one can help them.
[Pleitgen:] Countless stories from within the rebel-held territory in Aleppo, Syria. It is, by all accounts, an unmitigated humanitarian disaster.
[Unidentified Male:] You may be thinking that this is an old video but it's not. It's a new one. And it's taking place right here, right now, on the day when they were supposed to be an agreement.
[Unidentified Female:] To everyone who can hear me, we are here exposed to a genocide in the besieged city of Aleppo. This may be my last video. More than 50,000 of civilians who rebelled against the dictator al-Assad are threatened with field executions or dying under bombing.
[Pleitgen:] Bana, a 7-year-old living in east Aleppo, with the help of her mother, has been tweeting. Her most recent message, a cry for help. Her mother, following up with a message of her own. Today, from a rooftop, sounds of conflict can still be heard.
[Unidentified Male:] This could be my final appeal. Hoping it will find listening ears of the people making decisions around the world. Everybody who can, please speak to your government, to his country to put pressure to stop the aggression. To stop the killing. To stop the war. At least we know that we will defeat evil. We want to defeat them. We didn't want anything else but freedom.
[Pleitgen:] So there you see, Carol, some of the voices of those who, we believe, are now being evacuated out of that rebel enclave that, after they're gone, will no longer be a rebel enclave and in fact, the Syrian government will then take full control of that city. And as for many of those who are leaving now, for many of them, of course, it's a very bitter moment. They never wanted to leave their district. They never wanted to leave Aleppo. And it's also a move into a very uncertain future because the place that they're going to, they don't know what's going to await them there. Just keep in mind, where they're going is a combat zone, as well. There's some heavy fighting in those other rebel areas, too, Carol.
[Costello:] Frederik Pleitgen reporting live for us from Beirut, Lebanon. Thanks so much. Still to come in the NEWSROOM. President-elect Trump calls a meeting but his children steal the spotlight. Is it a conflict of interest taking shape even before Mr. Trump takes office?