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Wisconsin Authorities Brief Press on Multiple Shootings; President Bush Visits Colombia

Aired November 22, 2004 - 10:30   ET

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


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


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up this half hour, Americans are giving the travel industry an early holiday gift. We'll explain all about that. Good morning, though, I'm Betty Nguyen in for Daryn Kagan today.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, and here's what's happening right "Now in the News." Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq reportedly are suggesting that more forces are needed to secure that country. The senior military officials are telling "The Washington Post" there is a gap in the needed troop strength over the next couple of months. Military commanders want to put down remaining resistance throughout Iraq, but controlling Falluja and overseeing reconstruction there is tying up a significant number of forces thus far.

Yasser Arafat's nephew says his medical records are inconclusive on the cause of death. Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., says he's not ruling out poisoning as a cause. Al-Kidwa did acknowledge that no poisons known to doctors were found in his uncle.

Also new study suggests risks with a cholesterol-lowering drug were far greater than previously believed. Bayer pulled Baycol from the market in 2001 after some who took the statin developed a severe and sometimes fatal muscle disorder. The reports released today follow recent concerns that the FDA and the makers of Vioxx simply moved too slowly to stop the sale of that particular drug.

President Bush makes his second and final stop at a three-day South American trip in Colombia today, with 15,000 Colombian security forces watching. Mr. Bush and President Alvaro Uribe will discuss drug war efforts. The president left Santiago, Chile, this morning for Colombia. The president was in Chile for an economic summit of Asian Pacific leaders and Mr. Bush used that stage to announce a push for immigration reform next year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not an amnesty program. It's a worker program. It's a program that recognizes, however, that if somebody wants to become a citizen of the United States, they can get in line with the people who have done so legally. I think it's necessary. I think it's an important piece of legislation. I look forward to working with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: The president's plan to give temporary legal status to millions of illegal aliens is strongly opposed by many in his own party.

With Thanksgiving now just three days away, the holiday travel season...

SANCHEZ: Let's do this. Apparently we've just gotten information that they've started that news conference that you and I were talking about moments ago, the one in Wisconsin. So let's take it live. I understand they're just now starting to read a message from the family. In case you haven't heard, this is a case where one man is accused of killing five, and injuring three others (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is the surgeon who was asked to come and render aid. Let's listen in.

DR. LYNN KOOB, SURGEON: ... abdominal gunshot wound and had extensive injuries to his large and small ball (ph) and well as his stomach and pancreas. He had about a three-hour operation yesterday afternoon, and now is in intensive care and is in critical condition. I think last night, at least one time, he was listed in serious condition, and the family has been -- wanted to make everybody aware that he really has not deteriorated. This is just a miscommunication of terms.

He's been in basically critical condition ever since his surgery and actually this morning, he's better than he was last night. We're weaning him off some medications to support his blood pressure. And all of his vital organs are working well. So it does seem that he is stabilizing. But he's still in critical condition.

The second patient is Lauren Heseback. He suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder and arm. He was taken to surgery, where the wound was explored and found not to involve any vital structures. The wound was debrided and closed. He's in very stable condition and is doing well.

And then the third patient who we were involved with Terry Willers. He was seen briefly here and transferred to Marshfield Clinic. And one of my colleagues who transferred him there just talked to the patient's wife, and the doctors down in Marshfield, and Terry is doing fine. He suffered a gunshot wound through his neck and shoulder and has some bone injuries, but no -- again no serious structures or vital structures were involved. He also is in stable condition.

NED WOLF, LAKEVIEW MEDICAL CENTER: I do want to let you know, I was just informed that a fund has been established in the community here for all the survivors and victims. It's entitled the Rice Lake Hunters Survivors and Victims Fund. And any donations can be sent to Dairy State Bank here -- and that's on 16 South Main Street here in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, 54868. Perhaps if there's any questions at this time before we turn it over to the sheriff, we'll take those at this time.

QUESTION: Have the patients who are here -- have they been able to talk at all about what happened?

WOLF: I don't believe they have. And when we talked with the families, they haven't wanted to share that at this time.

QUESTION: The name of the patient of the patient in Marshfield is Terry...

KOOB: Terry Willers. Terry with a T. And then Willers is W-I- L-L-E-R-S.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

KOOB: I don't have their exact ages. They're in their 40s and 50s. But I don't have their exact ages in front of me.

QUESTION: Is it accurate that he is in critical condition, the one at Marshfield?

KOOB: No. I know that's what's been coming out of Marshfield. But from just talking to them down there, I do not think he's in critical condition. They said he's doing fine. They did not give me a condition. They just said he's doing fine.

QUESTION: Sheriff, maybe you can comment on this, have you been able to talk with the victims who are here about what happened?

SHERIFF TOM RICHIE, BARRON COUNTY, WISCONSIN: This is because the incident actually occurred in Sawyer County, it's the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department that's handling the investigation. They have had detectives here. And have obtained some information to bring back.

WOLF: Perhaps at this time it would be just as well, Tom, if you...

RICHIE: OK. This incident has certainly caused a sense of disarray, disbelief in our community. All eight of the victims, including the five deceased, are residents of Barron County. They're all very well known, well respected members of our community.

In regards to the investigation, as mentioned, the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department is responsible for that. Barron County has assisted and has offered any possible resources to them. At 1:00 this afternoon, there will be a press conference at Sawyer County, and at that time, we'll release the names of all the victims and information about the victims.

QUESTION: Can you comment on anything about the suspect or would that be (UNINTELLIGBLE)?

RICHIE: Sawyer County will be talking about the actual incident.

QUESTION: Did each of the victims suffer just one wound, just one gunshot?

KOOB: Yes. QUESTION: All three of them, just one?

KOOB: Yes.

QUESTION: In terms of the person who is in fair condition here, I had heard that the gun wound had gone through his back as well as (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

KOOB: Well, the back of his shoulder.

QUESTION: This must be rather uncommon in this area. Was the hospital prepared to deal with something such as this?

WOLF: We -- I think our folks did an admirable job. We do have procedures and codes that we set up to receive victims of unusually large accidents or trauma. Our people responded. We had multiple positions immediately on at the hospital in the emergency department, and we handled it very well. We have transfer protocols that -- with patients who are beyond our capabilities, are helicoptered out, as with Mr. Willers, and I think we, yes, we can handle it and we handled it very well.

QUESTION: Were there security concerns overnight (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

WOLF: We just -- we did that mainly to secure -- to make sure that the families weren't overwhelmed. Not necessarily by negative aspects, but by well-wishers and people that are concerned and maybe would come to the hospital, small community come to the hospital, check and offer their support. So that's why we were controlling access to the hospital. There were no problems that we had at all.

SANCHEZ: So there you have it. Officials there in Wisconsin still really trying to put their arms around this thing, trying to come to grips with it. It's a very serious and very...

NGUYEN: Bizarre.

SANCHEZ: ... difficult situation for them to deal with.

NGUYEN: Not only that, but the whole way that this situation played out. And to give you some background information on it, we want to go to Scott Wasserman with some details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM ZEIGLE, SAWYER COUNTRY CHIEF DEPUTY: This is completely nuts.

SCOTT WASSERMAN, KMSP REPORTER (voice-over): In his many years in law enforcement, Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle has never seen anything like it.

ZEIGLE: Why? I mean, five people dead because somebody was trespassing on property. It makes no sense. WASSERMAN: A half-mile away from here, the crime scene. Police say the suspect was on private property in a tree stand. When he was asked to leave, police say, he started shooting. A victim radioed to the cabin for help. When they came, more people were shot.

ZEIGLE: We were very thankful to take him into custody, no one else got hurt.

WASSERMAN: Police say the suspect got lost while in the woods. Two hunters helped lead him out. When he emerged from the woods, a DNR officer recognized the deer hunting license on his back, given to police by a victim. Zeigle says the two men who led the suspect out are lucky.

ZEIGLE: All I can tell you is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when he was taken into custody, his gun was empty. And I would imagine those boys are thanking their lucky stars.

SANCHEZ: Scott Wasserman reporting of CNN affiliate KMSP in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. Let's bring in our legal analyst now, Kendall Coffey, to kind of put this in perspective for us.

Kendall, you come from a big city where you've seen a lot of multiple murders. I imagine the folks in this area -- they're not used to dealing something like this. It's going to be difficult for them, isn't it?

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's got to be shocking for them, but, Rick, this has got to be bizarre, unthinkable for almost anybody. Just sort of a spontaneous -- kind of comparable to a road rage situation, some kind of encounter. Eight people shot, five murdered. It's really hard to think of anything like this.

SANCHEZ: Are you having as tough a time understanding how this even played out as I am? Because shooting eight people is not an easy thing to do if you're using a shot -- obviously with a machine gun or something like it, you can do it, but you literally have to stop, aim and shoot eight different times, correct?

COFFEY: That's what's so unthinkable. He kept going. It isn't like some situation where there's an instant impulse and something tragic happens. He kept going, person after person. The only thing you conclude that there's obviously something very unbalanced mentally, although I'd really be surprised if it rises to an insanity defense. We know how difficult that is.

But frankly, whatever lawyer ends up with this guy as a defendant, he's going to be talking his mental capacity or lack of capacity because it's hard to envision another defense here.

SANCHEZ: Chai Vang is his name. There he is, we're seeing his picture now. Do you suspect that there was something else going on here with this gentleman? Would you, if you were investigating this, automatically assume that he may have been under the influence, for example? COFFEY: Well, you're going to be looking at those things. The question why just yells out of your throat when you think of a crime like this. Again, person after person deliberately shot, cold-blooded murder. And there will be any number of things that they may try to argue. Because one of the things that -- I know I'm looking ahead down the road, in terms of what you do from defending a crime this bad, this indefensible, but one of the things they're obviously going to try to argue is some kind of complete meltdown, some kind of lack of premeditation, so it doesn't emerge as first degree murder.

You know, Rick, also interesting, Wisconsin is one of the few states that doesn't have a death penalty. And you wonder if a crime this tragic, this spectacular, is going to cause some of the advocates of the death penalty to think about reinstituting it in that state.

SANCHEZ: We don't know at this point, because it's so new, what he had as far as certification, authorization, whether he was authorized to be there, whether he had proper papers for hunting. But it does beg the question, doesn't it, how much we need to know about the people that we allow to go into these areas and give hunting licenses to and everything else associated with that sport.

COFFEY: It's going to raise a lot of questions. Certainly, how does somebody get that kind of weapon in their hands? For all we know, he had a blameless life before. On the other hand, if he is someone, Rick, that had some priors and shouldn't have been having a gun, you can expect a very, very big examination of that whole issue.

SANCHEZ: Kendall Coffey from South Florida. Thanks, sir, for bringing us up to date and sharing your insight on this still developing story that we're going to be all over here at CNN today.

COFFEY: Thanks, Rick.

NGUYEN: A lot of people still scratching their heads over that one. We do have a check of the financial markets -- that is next, so stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

NGUYEN: We want to take a look at other stories making news coast to coast today. Let's head east to Clemson University and the lesson learned by all Atkins dieters: low carbs can mean higher costs. The South Carolina school says that one reason it's having to raise meal prices about 3 percent is that it seems the students shun cheaper staples like bread and pasta and instead, they focus on high protein meats and cheeses.

Next stop, Pasadena, California, and the end of an era. More than 80,000 people filled the Rose Bowl to hear evangelist Billy Graham. His advisers say this is his last crusade in California, and his next-to-last crusade overall. Graham is 86, and has suffered serious health problems in recent years. In El Campo, Texas, some 250 folks had to be evacuated from their homes and businesses. Take a look at this. As much as 15 inches of rain washed over the community, some 70 miles southwest of Houston. Now, no injuries have been reported. But more rain and more problems, they are expected today. Not what they want to hear there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Well, a new list of America's most dangerous cities. Do you live in one of those? We'll tell you if you do, next.

NGUYEN: Also, just because it's the holidays doesn't mean you have to blow your diet. Next, some stay slim tips you may not have thought of. The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired November 22, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up this half hour, Americans are giving the travel industry an early holiday gift. We'll explain all about that. Good morning, though, I'm Betty Nguyen in for Daryn Kagan today.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, and here's what's happening right "Now in the News." Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq reportedly are suggesting that more forces are needed to secure that country. The senior military officials are telling "The Washington Post" there is a gap in the needed troop strength over the next couple of months. Military commanders want to put down remaining resistance throughout Iraq, but controlling Falluja and overseeing reconstruction there is tying up a significant number of forces thus far.

Yasser Arafat's nephew says his medical records are inconclusive on the cause of death. Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., says he's not ruling out poisoning as a cause. Al-Kidwa did acknowledge that no poisons known to doctors were found in his uncle.

Also new study suggests risks with a cholesterol-lowering drug were far greater than previously believed. Bayer pulled Baycol from the market in 2001 after some who took the statin developed a severe and sometimes fatal muscle disorder. The reports released today follow recent concerns that the FDA and the makers of Vioxx simply moved too slowly to stop the sale of that particular drug.

President Bush makes his second and final stop at a three-day South American trip in Colombia today, with 15,000 Colombian security forces watching. Mr. Bush and President Alvaro Uribe will discuss drug war efforts. The president left Santiago, Chile, this morning for Colombia. The president was in Chile for an economic summit of Asian Pacific leaders and Mr. Bush used that stage to announce a push for immigration reform next year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not an amnesty program. It's a worker program. It's a program that recognizes, however, that if somebody wants to become a citizen of the United States, they can get in line with the people who have done so legally. I think it's necessary. I think it's an important piece of legislation. I look forward to working with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: The president's plan to give temporary legal status to millions of illegal aliens is strongly opposed by many in his own party.

With Thanksgiving now just three days away, the holiday travel season...

SANCHEZ: Let's do this. Apparently we've just gotten information that they've started that news conference that you and I were talking about moments ago, the one in Wisconsin. So let's take it live. I understand they're just now starting to read a message from the family. In case you haven't heard, this is a case where one man is accused of killing five, and injuring three others (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is the surgeon who was asked to come and render aid. Let's listen in.

DR. LYNN KOOB, SURGEON: ... abdominal gunshot wound and had extensive injuries to his large and small ball (ph) and well as his stomach and pancreas. He had about a three-hour operation yesterday afternoon, and now is in intensive care and is in critical condition. I think last night, at least one time, he was listed in serious condition, and the family has been -- wanted to make everybody aware that he really has not deteriorated. This is just a miscommunication of terms.

He's been in basically critical condition ever since his surgery and actually this morning, he's better than he was last night. We're weaning him off some medications to support his blood pressure. And all of his vital organs are working well. So it does seem that he is stabilizing. But he's still in critical condition.

The second patient is Lauren Heseback. He suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder and arm. He was taken to surgery, where the wound was explored and found not to involve any vital structures. The wound was debrided and closed. He's in very stable condition and is doing well.

And then the third patient who we were involved with Terry Willers. He was seen briefly here and transferred to Marshfield Clinic. And one of my colleagues who transferred him there just talked to the patient's wife, and the doctors down in Marshfield, and Terry is doing fine. He suffered a gunshot wound through his neck and shoulder and has some bone injuries, but no -- again no serious structures or vital structures were involved. He also is in stable condition.

NED WOLF, LAKEVIEW MEDICAL CENTER: I do want to let you know, I was just informed that a fund has been established in the community here for all the survivors and victims. It's entitled the Rice Lake Hunters Survivors and Victims Fund. And any donations can be sent to Dairy State Bank here -- and that's on 16 South Main Street here in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, 54868. Perhaps if there's any questions at this time before we turn it over to the sheriff, we'll take those at this time.

QUESTION: Have the patients who are here -- have they been able to talk at all about what happened?

WOLF: I don't believe they have. And when we talked with the families, they haven't wanted to share that at this time.

QUESTION: The name of the patient of the patient in Marshfield is Terry...

KOOB: Terry Willers. Terry with a T. And then Willers is W-I- L-L-E-R-S.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

KOOB: I don't have their exact ages. They're in their 40s and 50s. But I don't have their exact ages in front of me.

QUESTION: Is it accurate that he is in critical condition, the one at Marshfield?

KOOB: No. I know that's what's been coming out of Marshfield. But from just talking to them down there, I do not think he's in critical condition. They said he's doing fine. They did not give me a condition. They just said he's doing fine.

QUESTION: Sheriff, maybe you can comment on this, have you been able to talk with the victims who are here about what happened?

SHERIFF TOM RICHIE, BARRON COUNTY, WISCONSIN: This is because the incident actually occurred in Sawyer County, it's the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department that's handling the investigation. They have had detectives here. And have obtained some information to bring back.

WOLF: Perhaps at this time it would be just as well, Tom, if you...

RICHIE: OK. This incident has certainly caused a sense of disarray, disbelief in our community. All eight of the victims, including the five deceased, are residents of Barron County. They're all very well known, well respected members of our community.

In regards to the investigation, as mentioned, the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department is responsible for that. Barron County has assisted and has offered any possible resources to them. At 1:00 this afternoon, there will be a press conference at Sawyer County, and at that time, we'll release the names of all the victims and information about the victims.

QUESTION: Can you comment on anything about the suspect or would that be (UNINTELLIGBLE)?

RICHIE: Sawyer County will be talking about the actual incident.

QUESTION: Did each of the victims suffer just one wound, just one gunshot?

KOOB: Yes. QUESTION: All three of them, just one?

KOOB: Yes.

QUESTION: In terms of the person who is in fair condition here, I had heard that the gun wound had gone through his back as well as (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

KOOB: Well, the back of his shoulder.

QUESTION: This must be rather uncommon in this area. Was the hospital prepared to deal with something such as this?

WOLF: We -- I think our folks did an admirable job. We do have procedures and codes that we set up to receive victims of unusually large accidents or trauma. Our people responded. We had multiple positions immediately on at the hospital in the emergency department, and we handled it very well. We have transfer protocols that -- with patients who are beyond our capabilities, are helicoptered out, as with Mr. Willers, and I think we, yes, we can handle it and we handled it very well.

QUESTION: Were there security concerns overnight (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

WOLF: We just -- we did that mainly to secure -- to make sure that the families weren't overwhelmed. Not necessarily by negative aspects, but by well-wishers and people that are concerned and maybe would come to the hospital, small community come to the hospital, check and offer their support. So that's why we were controlling access to the hospital. There were no problems that we had at all.

SANCHEZ: So there you have it. Officials there in Wisconsin still really trying to put their arms around this thing, trying to come to grips with it. It's a very serious and very...

NGUYEN: Bizarre.

SANCHEZ: ... difficult situation for them to deal with.

NGUYEN: Not only that, but the whole way that this situation played out. And to give you some background information on it, we want to go to Scott Wasserman with some details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM ZEIGLE, SAWYER COUNTRY CHIEF DEPUTY: This is completely nuts.

SCOTT WASSERMAN, KMSP REPORTER (voice-over): In his many years in law enforcement, Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle has never seen anything like it.

ZEIGLE: Why? I mean, five people dead because somebody was trespassing on property. It makes no sense. WASSERMAN: A half-mile away from here, the crime scene. Police say the suspect was on private property in a tree stand. When he was asked to leave, police say, he started shooting. A victim radioed to the cabin for help. When they came, more people were shot.

ZEIGLE: We were very thankful to take him into custody, no one else got hurt.

WASSERMAN: Police say the suspect got lost while in the woods. Two hunters helped lead him out. When he emerged from the woods, a DNR officer recognized the deer hunting license on his back, given to police by a victim. Zeigle says the two men who led the suspect out are lucky.

ZEIGLE: All I can tell you is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) when he was taken into custody, his gun was empty. And I would imagine those boys are thanking their lucky stars.

SANCHEZ: Scott Wasserman reporting of CNN affiliate KMSP in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. Let's bring in our legal analyst now, Kendall Coffey, to kind of put this in perspective for us.

Kendall, you come from a big city where you've seen a lot of multiple murders. I imagine the folks in this area -- they're not used to dealing something like this. It's going to be difficult for them, isn't it?

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's got to be shocking for them, but, Rick, this has got to be bizarre, unthinkable for almost anybody. Just sort of a spontaneous -- kind of comparable to a road rage situation, some kind of encounter. Eight people shot, five murdered. It's really hard to think of anything like this.

SANCHEZ: Are you having as tough a time understanding how this even played out as I am? Because shooting eight people is not an easy thing to do if you're using a shot -- obviously with a machine gun or something like it, you can do it, but you literally have to stop, aim and shoot eight different times, correct?

COFFEY: That's what's so unthinkable. He kept going. It isn't like some situation where there's an instant impulse and something tragic happens. He kept going, person after person. The only thing you conclude that there's obviously something very unbalanced mentally, although I'd really be surprised if it rises to an insanity defense. We know how difficult that is.

But frankly, whatever lawyer ends up with this guy as a defendant, he's going to be talking his mental capacity or lack of capacity because it's hard to envision another defense here.

SANCHEZ: Chai Vang is his name. There he is, we're seeing his picture now. Do you suspect that there was something else going on here with this gentleman? Would you, if you were investigating this, automatically assume that he may have been under the influence, for example? COFFEY: Well, you're going to be looking at those things. The question why just yells out of your throat when you think of a crime like this. Again, person after person deliberately shot, cold-blooded murder. And there will be any number of things that they may try to argue. Because one of the things that -- I know I'm looking ahead down the road, in terms of what you do from defending a crime this bad, this indefensible, but one of the things they're obviously going to try to argue is some kind of complete meltdown, some kind of lack of premeditation, so it doesn't emerge as first degree murder.

You know, Rick, also interesting, Wisconsin is one of the few states that doesn't have a death penalty. And you wonder if a crime this tragic, this spectacular, is going to cause some of the advocates of the death penalty to think about reinstituting it in that state.

SANCHEZ: We don't know at this point, because it's so new, what he had as far as certification, authorization, whether he was authorized to be there, whether he had proper papers for hunting. But it does beg the question, doesn't it, how much we need to know about the people that we allow to go into these areas and give hunting licenses to and everything else associated with that sport.

COFFEY: It's going to raise a lot of questions. Certainly, how does somebody get that kind of weapon in their hands? For all we know, he had a blameless life before. On the other hand, if he is someone, Rick, that had some priors and shouldn't have been having a gun, you can expect a very, very big examination of that whole issue.

SANCHEZ: Kendall Coffey from South Florida. Thanks, sir, for bringing us up to date and sharing your insight on this still developing story that we're going to be all over here at CNN today.

COFFEY: Thanks, Rick.

NGUYEN: A lot of people still scratching their heads over that one. We do have a check of the financial markets -- that is next, so stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

NGUYEN: We want to take a look at other stories making news coast to coast today. Let's head east to Clemson University and the lesson learned by all Atkins dieters: low carbs can mean higher costs. The South Carolina school says that one reason it's having to raise meal prices about 3 percent is that it seems the students shun cheaper staples like bread and pasta and instead, they focus on high protein meats and cheeses.

Next stop, Pasadena, California, and the end of an era. More than 80,000 people filled the Rose Bowl to hear evangelist Billy Graham. His advisers say this is his last crusade in California, and his next-to-last crusade overall. Graham is 86, and has suffered serious health problems in recent years. In El Campo, Texas, some 250 folks had to be evacuated from their homes and businesses. Take a look at this. As much as 15 inches of rain washed over the community, some 70 miles southwest of Houston. Now, no injuries have been reported. But more rain and more problems, they are expected today. Not what they want to hear there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Well, a new list of America's most dangerous cities. Do you live in one of those? We'll tell you if you do, next.

NGUYEN: Also, just because it's the holidays doesn't mean you have to blow your diet. Next, some stay slim tips you may not have thought of. The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com