checking our top stories at 46 past the hour. opening arguments under way in the trial of gangster james whitey bulger. after spending 16 years on the lam, the 83-year-old is finally standing trial. he faces 19 murder charges, as well as federal racketeering charges. the trial is expected to last into september. for the the first time since 2005, americans opinions of former president george w. bush are more positive than negative. a new poll by gallup finds 49% of people view bush favorably compared to 46% who have an unfavorable opinion. day three of jury selection in the murder trial of george zimmerman. this is a live picture from inside the courtroom. zimmerman is accused of killing 17-year-old trayvon martin in a case that grabbed headlines for more than a year. potential jurors are pressed how much they learned about the case from the media. a suspected burglar is under arrest and quite frankly lucky
so, an admission of sorts that some of those charges can t be contested. interesting to note today, too, today is the first time the attorneys have been able to look at some of the evidence in this case. so, what it really seems like the trial would hang on is whether the aggravated murder charge is pursued with the death penalty. here s what the attorney had to say about that. we are very sensitive to the emotional strain and impact that a trial would have on the women, their families and this community. mr. castro currently faces hundreds of years in prissen with the current charges and it is our hope that we can continue to work towards a resolution to avoid having an unnecessary trial about aggravated murder and the death penalty. the attorney said that negotiations have not begun with the prosecution, but he did make it clear that he hopes a resolution will be reached
trial would have on the women, their families, and this community. mr. castro currently faces hundreds of years in prison with the current charges, and it is our hope we can continue to work toward a resolution to avoid having an unnecessary trial about aggravated murder and the death penalty. reporter: important to note, his attorney said today they did look at evidence in this case for the first time. he said that so far negotiations the prosecutor s office haven t begun yet, but reiterated he hopes a resolution will be reached so that this doesn t go to trial and that the women don t have to testify. as he said there, he acknowledged today it would be very traumatic for them to have to do that. carol? that is true, but the prosecutor seems very willing to go to trial. in fact, he made a controversial move to charge him with aggravated murder. in your mind as it stands now,
entered a not guilty plea for the 329 charges he faces. it all happened in a flash. castro walked into the courtroom, wearing an orange jumpsuit, was shackled and handcuffed with his head down. during the entire minute long arraignment, he didn t look at his attorneys or the judge. it was similar to the way he looked during the first time he appeared in court several weeks ago. after the arraignment, his attorney came out and spoke to media and actually admitted for the first time that some of the 329 charges castro faces are indisputable. at one point, it seemed he was making a plea to the prosecutor to drop the aggravated murder charge he faces which would come with the death penalty. he hinted that whether or not there s a trial would hang on the fact of if that charge is dropped. let s listen to what he had to say. we are very sensitive to the emotional strain and impact a
minors and vague references to on the field maturity issues by coaches. sports talk radio loves him. yasiel puig, what a reckless, crazy young guy. he is so much fun to watch, and he s energized the city. i am bonkers over watching the kid play baseball. reporter: too soon to tell how far the cuban missile will fly. his rise so far is nothing short of spectacular. casey wian, los angeles. that s awesome. good for him. coming up in the newsroom, sushi delivered on a flying tray? yeah, that s actually happening. we will tell you where after a break. [ female announcer ] the only patch for the treatment of mild to moderate alzheimer s disease is exelon patch. now with more treatment options, exelon patch may improve overall function and cognition. your loved one can get a free 30-day trial. and you can have access to nurses.