"As predicted, the verdict caused some distress, but it could have been a lot worse. There were dozens of arrests in New York, Los Angeles, and Oakland, but nobody was hurt. There are two groups of people exploiting the Zimmerman verdict. The first are folks who simply hate America and are using the acquittal to vent their hatred. Talking Points believes that's dishonest; America in general had nothing to do with the death of Trayvon Martin - it was a calamity, not a product of policy. The second group emotionally invested in the demise of George Zimmerman are those who believe their country is flat-out racist, that blacks and other minorities do not get fair play. Many of these Americans are nursing personal grievances, others are victims of the 'victim mentality.' Talking Points understands the anger towards George Zimmerman, who initiated the fracas. But to believe the verdict was 'racist,' you have to believe that six women jurors want to harm blacks and that the state of Florida did not do everything it could to convict Zimmerman. Rational people know that Florida threw everything it had at Zimmerman. The cold truth is that no one knows exactly what happened on the night Trayvon Martin was killed except George Zimmerman. You may not like the verdict, but you are not entitled to undermine the justice system or impugn the basic decency of the United States."

Guests: Kimberly Guilfoyle & Lis Wiehl
The Factor asked legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle whether the Justice Department will pursue George Zimmerman for violating Trayvon Martin's civil rights. "They would have to show to a grand jury," Wiehl said, "that Zimmerman went out that night, targeted Trayvon Martin, and shot him because of race. That's the definition of a 'hate crime' and it is an incredibly high burden to meet. The grand jury is not going to indict on this" Guilfoyle agreed that a DOJ indictment is unlikely. "The FBI interviewed 36 people to determine if there was racial bias on the part of George Zimmerman preceding this event and they concluded that there was no racial basis or motivation." The Factor added, "If the state of Florida had a racist element they would have presented it to the jury."

Guest: Trayvon Martin's family's attorney Daryl Parks
Daryl Parks, an attorney representing Trayvon Martin's family, gave his view of the trial. "I don't want to second-guess the jury," he said, "but I believe their decision is not socially logical, which is why we are seeing the outcry. The main part of the case was self-defense and we believe George Zimmerman was not telling the truth. But this jury decided they wanted to believe Zimmerman, and his team did a good job of making him out to be a nice model citizen while defining Trayvon as some thug. In their mind George Zimmerman was the guy who works to make your neighborhood safe, but the issue was whether he was justified in his killing of Trayvon Martin." The Factor responded, "I understand what you're saying but I hope that you and the Martin family will accept the verdict as part of our justice system."

Guests: Eboni Williams & Jacques DeGraff

The Factor pursued the racial aspect of the Zimmerman verdict with FNC contributor Jacques DeGraff and radio talk show host Eboni Williams. "I believe it was a fair trial and I accept the verdict," DeGraff said, "but verdicts have consequences. We have to put pressure on to change the system. I would tell everyone I know to skip Florida for your national conventions or family reunions. I believe the state failed and our children are in danger. Blacks represent a trillion-dollar economy in this country, we have the muscle to change this situation." Williams specifically denounced the Florida law that allows deadly force in self-defense. "I think the verdict was completely fair, but a 'not guilty' verdict is not the same as declaring George Zimmerman innocent. I fault the Florida 'stand your ground' statute. It is problematic, controversial, and it undermines the legal system."

Guests: Juan Williams & Mary Katharine Ham
For more on the trial and verdict, The Factor welcomed Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham. "I don't think there was any measure of justice for the family in this case," Williams declared. "I don't think the jurors were racist, but there were no black people on the jury. How can you look at that jury and not think that something is lacking in this verdict?" Ham concurred with the jury's decision, even while criticizing George Zimmerman's actions. "You can simultaneously believe that what Zimmerman did was morally objectionable but not criminal. The prosecution went too far and overcharged, and I am not sure the correct answer is to have another charge on a federal level. This was not a 'stand your ground' case, that part of the law had nothing to do with it."

Guests: Bernie Goldberg
During a guest appearance on ABC's This Week, radio host Tavis Smiley accused America of displaying "contempt for black men." Bernard Goldberg criticized both Smiley and the show's host George Stephanopoulos. "What bothers me as a journalist," Goldberg said, "is that George Stephanopoulos sat there like a potted plant and didn't do anything to challenge what Travis Smiley said. He could have easily said, 'Every weekend in Chicago black thugs are killing black people.' And just a few minutes ago Jacques DeGraff said black children are in danger. Yeah, they're in danger because other black children are hurting them and killing them. Journalists have been treating this with a soft kind of liberal racism. Any time there's inter-racial crime, there's an overwhelming chance that the victim will be white and the criminal will be black, but you won't hear Jacques DeGraff or Al Sharpton or Tavis Smiley say that."

Guest: Karl Rove
The Factor asked FNC's Karl Rove to analyze the political ramifications of the Zimmerman verdict. "The President made a huge mistake when he politicized a local criminal justice matter," Rove said. "He elevated it and put himself in a no-win position. After the verdict he was more restrained in his remarks, but he couldn't help himself - he tried to use the incident to call for more gun control laws. It is a mindset that when something like this happens, let's find a political purpose." The Factor lamented that ideologues and politicians on both sides are exploiting Trayvon Martin's death and the verdict.

David Emeigh, Roanoke, VA: "Bill, proclaiming the guy guilty in Boston is the same thing as the networks convicting George Zimmerman."

Brad Pilkington, Newark, OH: "What is wrong with securing the southern border before passing an immigration bill? What is wrong with that?"

Charley Levine, Jerusalem, Israel: "O'Reilly, traditional Jews follow your Tip of the Day every week: no high tech on the Sabbath!"

After the death of actor Cory Monteith, likely the result of a drug overdose, every parent and grandparent should remember to stress the importance of avoiding drug and alcohol abuse.