George Zimmerman "I Am Sorry"

 Eric Pfieffer - George Zimmerman told Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity that he prays for the family of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, whom Zimmerman shot and killed during a confrontation in February.
"I would tell them that again, I'm sorry. My wife and I don't have any children," Zimmerman told Hannity. "I love my children even though they aren't born yet, and I am sorry that they buried their child. I can't imagine what it must feel like, and I pray for them daily."

It is the first public interview Zimmerman has given since the deadly confrontation with Martin on Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman reportedly agreed to the interview because his attorney says he hopes it will result in donations to his client's defense fund.

Zimmerman appeared alongside attorney Mark O'Mara wearing a gray suit and buttoned blue shirt. He appeared nervous at times, with sweat forming on his upper lip during the interview.

"I hope it's the most difficult thing I'll go through in my life," Zimmerman said of the confrontation.
Several new details about the incident emerged during the interview.
Early on, Hannity asked Zimmerman if he carried the gun used in the shooting with him at all times. "I carried it at all times, except when I went to work," Zimmerman said.
Yet, in a surprising revelation, Zimmerman claimed to have never heard of Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law that has been at the center of the case.
Zimmerman also strongly denied referring to Martin with a racial slur during his 9-1-1 call to police. When Hannity asked if Zimmerman remembers what he said, Zimmerman nodded and smirked. "Punks," he said. "I can tell you that when the police played it for me at the station, it was clear as day."
Click image to see more photos. (George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin/File)
Later in the interview, Zimmerman gave a detailed account of the physical confrontation with Martin that led up to the shooting. Zimmerman claims that Martin punched him in the nose as Zimmerman reached for his phone.
"He started bashing my head into the concrete sidewalk. As soon as he broke my nose, I started yelling for help. I was disoriented," Zimmerman said, saying Martin punched him more than a dozen times.
"I didn't know what would happen at that point," Zimmerman continued. "I would try and sit up and push myself down. Whenever I would sit up he would take the opportunity to slam my head down and punch me in the nose."
When Hannity asked if Zimmerman was talking to him during the confrontation, Zimmerman said yes and claims Martin verbally threatened to kill him.
"[He was] cursing and telling me to shut up and telling me he was going to kill me," Zimmerman said.
"After we were on the ground, I shimmied with him on top of me," Zimmerman said. "After he couldn't hit my head on the ground anymore, he tried to suffocate me."
"He said, 'You're going to die tonight.' He took one hand off and I felt it going down my side toward my holster," Zimmerman said.
"At that point, I realized that it wasn't my gun, it wasn't his gun, it was the gun," he said.
However, Zimmerman claims that he initially thought he missed Martin after drawing his gun and firing.  When asked what he most wants the public to know in the aftermath of the shooting, Zimmerman said, "I'm not a racist and I'm not a murderer."

When asked for Martin's reaction, Zimmerman said at first he didn't realize Martin had been shot. "He said something to the effect of 'you got it, you got me.'"

When asked if he would do anything differently in hindsight, Zimmerman said no. "I feel that it was all God's plan and for me to second-guess or judge it…" he said, trailing off.

Zimmerman told Hannity that he fears for his life and said that media critics including filmmaker Spike Lee and MSNBC host Al Sharpton owe him an apology.

"I can't guess to what their motives were. I would just ask for an apology," Zimmerman said. "If I did something that was wrong, I would apologize."

But by the end of the Fox interview, it was Zimmerman who turned to the camera and asked for forgiveness.

"I do wish that there was something, anything, I could have done that wouldn't have put me in a position where I had to take his life.

"I want to tell everyone, my wife, my family, my parents, my grandmother, the Martins, the city of Sanford, and America that I'm sorry that this happened," he said, staring straight into the camera lens. "I hate to think that because of this incident, because of my actions, its polarized and divided America. And I'm truly sorry."Eric

CBS/NYT Poll - Romney 47% - Obama 46%

(Credit: CBS News)

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.
(CBS News) President Obama and Mitt Romney are effectively tied in the race for the presidency, according to a new CBS News/New York Times survey. Forty-seven percent of registered voters nationwide who lean towards a candidate back Romney, while 46 percent support the president. Four percent are undecided. The one percentage point difference is within the survey's three point margin of error.

Romney leads by eight points among men; the president leads by five points among women.
The president's supporters are more likely to strongly back their candidate. Fifty-two percent strongly favor Mr. Obama, while just 29 percent of Romney voters strongly back the presumptive Republican nominee.

More than one in three Romney voters say they are supporting Romney primarily because they dislike Mr. Obama. Only eight percent of Obama supporters say their support for the president is tied to their dislike of Romney.
Republicans are more enthusiastic than Democrats when it comes to voting in this election, though just one in three registered voters overall are more enthusiastic than they were in the past. Roughly half of Republicans say they are more enthusiastic compared to past elections - up from 36 percent in March - while just 27 percent of Democrats say they same.
One in five registered voters with a candidate choice said they still might change their mind. The percentage of those willing to switch was essentially the same for both candidates.
Forty-five percent of registered voters say they are paying close attention to the campaign, and another 38 percent say they are paying some attention. Seventeen percent say they are paying little or no attention.
Fifty-four percent of registered voters cite the economy and jobs as "extremely" important in their presidential vote, more than any other issue. Here Romney has the edge: 49 percent of registered voters say he would do a better job handling the economy and jobs, while 41 percent cite Mr. Obama.
Romney is also seen as better on the federal budget deficit (50 percent to 36 percent), taxes (47 percent to 42 percent) and illegal immigration (46 percent to 38 percent). Mr. Obama as seen as better on foreign policy (47 percent to 40 percent) and social issues (48 percent to 37 percent). Views of the candidates on health care and terrorism were split.
Thirty-eight percent of registered voters say Mr. Obama cares a lot about their needs and problems, compared to 25 percent who say the same of Romney. Registered voters were slightly more likely to say that Mr. Obama says what he believes (45 percent) than to say that Romney says what he believes (37 percent).
Only 28 percent believe Mr. Obama has fulfilled his promise to deliver positive change for the country. Fifty-eight percent say he has not delivered change, while seven percent say he has delivered change that has been bad for the country.
Mr. Obama's overall approval rating stands at 44 percent, with 46 percent disapproving. His approval rating on the economy is just 39 percent - 55 percent disapprove - and his approval rating on foreign policy is 41 percent. His approval rating on the economy has dropped five points since April.
Both candidates have net unfavorable ratings. Forty-eight percent of registered voters view the president unfavorably, while 36 percent view him favorably. Romney is viewed unfavorably by 36 percent and favorably by 32 percent. Nearly one in three say they do not yet have an opinion about the presumptive Republican nominee.
Seven in ten Americans say the economy is in bad shape. While 24 percent say it is getting better - down from 33 percent in April - 30 percent say it is getting worse. That marks the highest percentage who say the economy is getting worse since December.

Two in five Americans say they are very concerned someone in their household will lose their job.

Post Office May Default On Health Benefits Fund

While lawmakers continue to fight over how to fix the ailing U.S. Postal Service, the agency's money problems are only growing worse.
The Postal Service repeated on Wednesday that without congressional action, it will default—a first in its long history, a spokesman said—on a legally required annual $5.5 billion payment, due Aug. 1, into a health-benefits fund for future retirees. Action in Congress isn't likely, as the House prepares to leave for its August recess.
The agency said a default on the payment, for 2011, wouldn't directly affect service or its ability to pay employees and suppliers. But "these ongoing liquidity issues unnecessarily undermine confidence in the viability of the Postal Service among our customers," said spokesman David Partenheimer.
The agency says it will default on its 2012 retiree health payment as well—also roughly $5.5 billion, due Sept. 30—if there is no legislative action by then.
Most everyone agrees the Postal Service needs an overhaul. It had a loss of $3.2 billion in the second quarter of this fiscal year; it is to report third-quarter results on Aug. 9. The agency blames factors including declining mail volumes and the unusual 2006 mandate by Congress that it annually set aside billions for future retirees. But while the Senate has passed legislation to overhaul the agency, the House says it doesn't expect to take up its own proposal until after August.
The two sides remain far apart. Senators voted in April, on a bipartisan basis, for legislation that largely shores up the agency's finances by returning an estimated $10.9 billion overpayment made into the federal employee pension system. The legislation limits the agency's ability to close postal branches and stop Saturday delivery.
Republican House leaders support legislation they say would require the agency to operate more like a business, in part by setting up a panel to reduce the network of post offices. Some rural-district House members, from both parties, have been worried about closures in their areas.
A chief backer of the House bill, Rep. Dennis Ross (R., Fla.), wouldn't consider financial relief in the Senate bill "absent wholesale reforms" that are in the House bill, said Fredrick Piccolo Jr., chief of staff for Mr. Ross. He said that there will "in all likelihood be no vote before the August recess."
The office of Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.), one of the authors of the Senate bill, said Wednesday that "every day that is lost in passing reform legislation puts the Postal Service another step closer to collapse, and unfortunately it appears that House Leaders are prepared to let that happen."