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American Morning
Amish School Killings; Foley's Lurid E-Mails; Voting Risks?
Aired October 03, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Tuesday, October 3. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Here's a look at what's happening this morning.
An editorial in today's "Washington Times" is calling on House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign. The conservative paper says Hastert did not do enough to investigate Congressman Mark Foley's sexually explicit e-mails to teenage congressional pages. Hastert already has responded and says he won't quit.
The White House says President Bush is horrified by the Foley case, but a spokesman adds that the scandal doesn't -- quote -- "affect every Republican in the United States." The president is in the middle of a West Coast campaign swing for GOP congressional candidates.
M. O'BRIEN: Iran is proposing a way out of the stalemate over its nuclear program, but top Iranian officials suggesting France create a consortium to enrich Iran's uranium. He says that would meet demands for outside oversight.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Iran must stop enrichment if it wants to avoid sanctions. Rice made the comments this morning in Saudi Arabia, the first stop on her tour in the Middle East.
S. O'BRIEN: Severe storms have left thousand without power in and around Chicago this morning. High winds knocked down power lines, uprooted trees, damaged homes too. So far no reports of any injuries.
And firefighters north of Los Angeles in the Ojai area finally have the Day Fire contained. The fire burned more than 250-square miles over the past four weeks.
Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the forecast.
Good morning, -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad. And good morning, Miles, welcome back from a day off, I guess.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys. M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
MYERS: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: This just in to us now. We begin in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where a fifth student has now died in the wake of that terrible shooting in an Amish school. Police say a mystery grudge may have been festering possibly for 20 years pushed 32-year- old Charles Roberts to kill.
Jason Carroll joining us now from in front of that school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with late details for us.
Good morning, -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
And Charles Roberts' wife describes him as a thoughtful, loving man. Police say he is the same man who killed five little girls. The latest information that we're getting is the fifth little girl, 7 years old, died very early this morning at about 4:30 a.m. Like the other little girls, she had been shot at point-blank range.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Friends and family say there was nothing about Charles Roberts that made you think he was anything other than a good father and a friendly neighbor...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was just your normal father, loving father.
CARROLL: ... until the morning this trucker said goodbye to his own children and went out carrying a grudge apparently against little girls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he began shooting the victims, these victims were shot execution style in the head.
CARROLL: Roberts drove to an Amish one-room schoolhouse armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, a 9-millimeter pistol and 600 rounds of ammunition. He nailed the door shut with strips of lumber. Then he separated the girls from the boys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At that time, he apparently told the kids to line up in front of the blackboard.
CARROLL: He tied the girls' feet together, the youngest 6, the oldest 13. He let the boys go, 15 of them. He also told a pregnant teacher, as well as mothers there with their babies, that they could leave. Then Roberts called 911 to warn police to stay back or he'd start to shoot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't have enough time to really launch a full-scale assault because we were still trying to hail him when we got word. And by the time we got word and were able to try to relay it to the perimeter, he was already shooting.
CARROLL: Police say Roberts shot the girls he held captive at the school, some at point-blank range, then he shot himself to death.
Roberts also left his wife a suicide note, described by investigators as rambling. Police only said that he harbored an undisclosed 20-year grudge and that he wanted to attack young female victims.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see him, you would never of thought that anything was wrong.
CARROLL: It was the third school shooting in the nation this week, this time in an Amish community whose horses, buggies and black coats set it apart from the modern world. Roberts was not Amish. His victims were religious people who reject violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a whole, the community is going to pull together, whether it be Amish, non-Amish, whatever it might be, everybody is going to pull together.
CARROLL: Roberts had no criminal record, no known mental health problems. He leaves behind three children of his own and few clues as to why he targeted a schoolhouse full of little girls.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Miles, police theorize that Roberts targeted the Amish schoolhouse simply because it was convenient. He lives just a few miles from here. It was unprotected. Essentially, it was just an easy target -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Roberts was 32. It's a 20-year-old grudge. This is something that happened when he was 12 presumably?
CARROLL: Presumably yes. That's what police are saying. They're saying that this is a 20-year-old grudge that he held for some reason. So this would have to be something that happened to him, that shook him in some way when he himself was a child -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Jason Carroll in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In Washington, the Mark Foley e-mail is putting a lot of pressure on House Speaker Dennis Hastert. This morning, the conservative "Washington Times" is calling for Hastert's resignation. A spokesman for Hastert responded, saying "Mark Foley has resigned his seat in dishonor and the criminal investigation of this matter will continue. The speaker is working everyday on ensuring the House is a safe productive environment for members, staff and all those who are employed by the institution."
More now on those efforts to contain the damage caused by the Foley scandal from CNN's Andrea Koppel who is on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): For yet another day, House Republican leaders found themselves playing defense as they continued to do damage control, while Democrats continued to accuse them of an election year cover-up.
In an interview with CNN, House Speaker Dennis Hastert continued to say that he only learned of the e-mail exchanges between that 16- year-old former page from Louisiana and Congressman Foley last Friday. That, despite the fact that the head of the Republican House Congressional Campaign Committee Tom Reynolds reiterated on Monday evening that he had told Speaker Hastert last spring.
Hastert also defended the actions of the House Republican leadership and said that they did everything that they could under the circumstances. House Republicans are hoping to wrap this situation up and defuse this scandal from growing any further as quickly as possible. Election Day is five weeks from today.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The man at the center of the scandal is not talking, he is in a rehab clinic.
Here is CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti with the view from Congressman Mark Foley's district in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Where the disgraced congressman is receiving alcohol rehab and mental health counseling remains a mystery. What is also a mystery to many of his friends here in Florida and in Washington is how it is they saw no signs of alcoholism. In fact, some people even question whether he is an alcoholic.
But an attorney speaking on behalf of the ex-congressman says that Mr. Foley did hit rock bottom and does need help. He also says that he and the ex-congressman have not yet discussed any possible legal troubles that Mr. Foley might face. And in fact goes on to describe the inappropriate behavior he had with congressional pages as only inappropriate communications. The attorney says Mr. Foley expects to be in an in-house treatment program for a minimum of a month.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: And now a CNN exclusive. The teenager who exchanged e-mails with Foley got the job through Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander. Alexander was asked exclusively by CNN's Sean Callebs about how the teen's parents wanted this matter handled.
Here is what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RODNEY ALEXANDER, LOUISIANA: Once again, I notified, at that time I talked to Tom Reynolds about that, and let him know that there was a problem. They asked me if the parents were concerned and were going to press any kind of charges. And I said no, the parents want this just to go away. Their concern is to protect their child, and we understand that and that's our concern. But they weren't going to press charges, so we didn't feel like that was our job to press charges, but we did feel like it was our job to notify those that are in leadership roles so they would be able to address the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: More of Congressman Alexander's interview later on AMERICAN MORNING.
Meantime, with the election five weeks away, the Foley scandal creating a political opportunity for Democrats, meaning it's time to make some new campaign commercials.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken joining us from Washington with more.
Good morning, -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, the Democrats from their point of view say it's not only time to give the Republicans a taste of their own medicine, it's time to force feed them their own medicine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): The White House was the setting in July as President Bush signed the Child Safety and Protection Act. Among the honored guests, Congressman Mark Foley, and that's providing an opportunity for Democrats who have been the target of Republican attack ads like this one that ran in Indiana.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you imagine a suspected child rapist being captured in Vanderburgh County, but then mistakenly released by Brad Ellsworth's sheriff's department? At the time, Sheriff Ellsworth, whose department released the suspect, was in Washington campaigning for Congress.
PAUL BEGALA, POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: The Republicans for a long time have acted like they have a monopoly on virtue, that somehow they're closer to God or to children or to families. This is nonsense. Neither party has a monopoly on that.
FRANKEN: And Democrats are particularly enjoying the fact one of the Republicans ensnared in this controversy is the chairman of the party's Congressional Campaign Committee, New York Representative Tom Reynolds. Meanwhile, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and the Congressional Page Board Chairman John Shimkus portrayed themselves as victims too of Foley's deceit.
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: I have known him for all the years he has served in this House and he deceived me too.
FRANKEN: But now Republicans are giving careful thought to their advertising strategy.
REP. JON PORTER (R), NEVADA: As parents, we need to know that our schools are not hiring teachers that are sexual predators. That's why I wrote a law in Congress that gives our local school districts the information they need to ensure that sexual predators are not teaching our children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And Democrats are missing no opportunities whatsoever, Miles, to point out that among the most active congressman in the campaign against child sexual predators was Mark Foley.
M. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken in Washington, thank you very much.
Happening this morning in America, former JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Karr is to face a new judge on child pornography charges. The departing judge said the prosecution wasn't prepared and she has scheduling problems. Karr's lawyer wants the case to be dismissed because prosecutors have misplaced important evidence.
Palm Bay, Florida, police looking for the man in this surveillance tape suspected of breaking into houses and fondling women. A woman said she woke up to find a man standing over her bed. She said he fondled her. He grabbed her -- she grabbed her cell phone and he ran out the door.
In South Dakota, a cowboy adrenaline rush at the annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park. A record crowd there to watch the wranglers heard about 1,500 head, a little thinner than some years because of the drought. They're tested for disease, vaccinated. Most of them are released.
In Sierra Vista, Arizona, police found a youngster in an elementary school playground. What's the news? Well it happened to be a young bear looking for some food. Cops fired a tranquilizer dart giving the bear a nap. No one hurt.
Also in Arizona, a hiker left hanging. To make matters worse,...
S. O'BRIEN: My gosh.
M. O'BRIEN: ... he is stung by a swarm of bees as he waits for rescuers to arrive. Once they do, they're also attacked by the bees. Plan B put into action, a protective suit on a rescuer -- you see him there -- makes it possible to bring the hiker down. All is well that ends well. S. O'BRIEN: Wow, poor guy. That's awful.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, going to have the reaction from the former Chief of Staff Andy Card -- the former chief of staff, of course, to President Bush -- to the bombshell Bob Woodward's book was Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the chopping block? An answer to that question straight ahead.
And Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.
Just how much did the scandal at Hewlett-Packard cost the computer company in terms of dollars and cents and in terms of reputation? We break it down for you coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, we have just learned another girl has died following yesterday's shootings at an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Now five dead, five seriously hurt. Police say the gunman shot the girls execution style before killing himself.
A little more than an hour ago, North Korea announced plans to conduct a nuclear test sometime in the future. North Korea says the test is meant to bolster self-defense.
And it seems al Qaeda's top officials were unhappy with their one-time leader in Iraq. According to a newly-revealed letter from al Qaeda to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terror group was prepared to replace al-Zarqawi before he was killed. The letter warned him about declaring war on Shiites and criticized attacks in neighboring countries.
President Bush is in California this morning. He is campaigning for Republicans and defending criticism of his administration's handling of Iraq and the war on terror.
CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is in Stockton, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Bush continues his West Coast campaign swing with events here in California. Later this morning, he'll attend a fund raiser for Republican Congressman Richard Pombo, followed by two other fund raisers in the state.
The president's visit here comes as the White House continues to vigorously defend against assertions made in Bob Woodward's new book, "State of Denial." The book takes a critical look at the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and the war on terror.
One of the claims, that now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brushed off a warning from then CIA Director George Tenet just two months before the September 11 attacks. Monday, Rice called that notion incomprehensible.
Meantime, as for President Bush, White House spokesman Tony Snow said any idea that the president is in denial is -- quote -- "flat wrong."
Elaine Quijano, CNN, traveling with the president in Stockton, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: And the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld continues to come under increasing fire for his management of the war in Iraq. Efforts to oust the secretary of defense are part of the focus of Bob Woodward's book, "State of Denial." Woodward was on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "STATE OF DENIAL": I think he believes him -- believes in him. And one of the things I report in the book is that Andy Card, when he was Chief of Staff, at least three times really went to the president and recommended specifically that Rumsfeld be replaced. And Card just didn't say it that way, he said and I think you should put Jim Baker, who was the former Secretary of State, in as Defense Secretary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Andy Card told his side of the story with John Roberts last night on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In his book, Bob Woodward claims that you encouraged the president to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at least twice. Is that true, and why did you think he needed to go?
ANDY CARD, FMR. W.H. CHIEF OF STAFF: We talked about change in the Cabinet. And my job as chief of staff was to remind the president when the cadence for change could be complimented. And we talked not just about the secretary of defense, we talked about the chief of staff's position, we talked about virtually every member of the Cabinet and most of the senior White House staffers.
But I did talk with him about potential changes at the Defense Department and it was a normal thing to do. In fact, I think it's the obligation of a chief of staff to do that. I think it was a little bit of a misrepresentation that they were -- there was a campaign to remove Don Rumsfeld. That's not what I was looking to mount. And we were trying not to have a campaign, but I did offer quiet counsel to the president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Andy Card confirms that he has a lengthy list of possible replacements that he keeps in a blue notebook. He calls it the "Hit By a Bus Book: How Do You Replace People If They Are Hit By a Bus?" And he told John Roberts he'd advise the president not to make a change in the Defense Department right now.
It's 20 minutes past the hour, brings us right to the forecast and Chad Myers.
Good morning.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, is your monthly mortgage payment draining your bank account? Well you're not alone. We're going to tell you why it's costing you more to live in your home. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well if it feels like housing is taking a bigger bite out of your budget, it is. The Census Bureau says we're now spending about 21 percent of our income on housing. That's up 2 percent since 1999. In Alaska, things have held steady. So if you want to find a housing bargain, it would be a tough commute for me, but that would be one place to go.
So what did it cost Hewlett-Packard for all of this? Of course it isn't over, but we should get a running tally at this point. We're talking about the Hewlett-Packard investigation scandal. I guess we can call it a scandal now.
SERWER: We certainly can.
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here this morning bright and early.
Good to see you, -- Andy.
SERWER: Good to see you, Miles, thank you.
More stunners from the HP front. Bloomberg is reporting this morning exactly how much Hewlett-Packard spent on the investigation to spy on board members and reporters, these according to documents released by the congressional committee investigating HP.
The total, $325,000. And this is great, it's all broken down. Eighty-three thousand dollars to dig through trash, $51,000 to get records, $37,000 for an article search, $66,000 for a background check. And here's my favorite part of the day, $9,600 spent on a part of the investigation where board member George Keyworth lost his laptop or had his laptop stolen when he was in Italy. Then an investigator says here, one of the HP investigators says we will contact the local criminal element in Italy and inform them there is a reward, no questions asked, for the return of the laptop.
You really can't make this stuff up.
M. O'BRIEN: So the...
SERWER: It's unclear whether they actually got the laptop, but they reached out. They wanted to reach out to the criminals.
S. O'BRIEN: Probably not to get it back is the key word.
SERWER: Right, exactly, Soledad, thank you for the clarification.
M. O'BRIEN: Is it to the Corleones? I mean what criminal element are we talking about?
SERWER: Who knows? I mean it's just absurd. And there's a great comment here from a gentleman named Paul Saffo (ph) who is a professor at Stanford and a very respected one. He says costs of catching leaks at HP, $325,000. Cost to company's reputation, priceless.
S. O'BRIEN: Priceless.
SERWER: And that was his comment, truly fantastic.
And then another little update here in "The Wall Street Journal," questions about when HP's CEO Mark Hurd knew about what was going on here. This is critical of course. And the story suggests that he knew about this investigation in July of 2005 which is just a few months after this began.
M. O'BRIEN: But what details?
SERWER: Right, that's the big question here. This comes from a memo from HP's outside law firm. Not clear whether he knew that illegal means were used to procure phone records, but how do you procure phone records surreptitiously? Good question there.
Now, turning to the stock market, yesterday a bit of some slipping and sliding backwards, you can see here some red arrows. And we're getting further away from that Dow record of 11722. You can see here not very close. And no real reason for the selling except that investors are looking to lock in profits after that bang-up third quarter that we had. Futures are a little bit lower this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: You want to make a prediction on that record, when is it going to happen?
SERWER: I'd say 2007 at this point, but you never know.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. All right, what's next?
SERWER: Next we're going to be talking about Wal-Mart and some new uniforms that the folks there may be getting themselves outfitted into, so we'll talk about that.
M. O'BRIEN: OK, very exciting news.
SERWER: Yes, big stuff.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, all right.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, -- Andy.
SERWER: See you later.
S. O'BRIEN: A look at the morning's top stories are straight ahead as well, including a fifth little girl that has died in that terrible Amish school shooting. We're going to take you live to Pennsylvania Dutch country for an update.
And the Congressman Foley scandal, we're watching that as well. This morning, more and more Republicans are calling for House Speaker Dennis Hastert to step down.
That's all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, North Korea announcing plans to conduct a nuclear test. North Korea says the test is meant to bolster self-defense amid what it calls increasing U.S. hostility toward its communist regime.
Iran is proposing a way out of the stalemate over its nuclear program. A top Iranian official suggests that France create a consortium to enrich Iran's uranium. That official says that would meet the demands for outside oversight.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Iran must stop enrichment if it wants to avoid sanctions. The secretary made these comments this morning in Saudi Arabia. It's the first stop on her tour through the Middle East.
Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
The death toll rising this morning in that shooting at an Amish school in Pennsylvania. A fifth young girl died overnight. She was among 10 shot by Charles Roberts, who was apparently trying to settle a 20-year-old grudge.
CNN's Jason Carroll live in front of the school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Miles, just to give you an update, a representative from the Hershey Medical Center told us that that 7-year-old girl died very early this morning at about 4:30 a.m. after she was taken off of life support. So just a very -- another sad chapter in this story that continues.
She was another one of Charles Roberts' victims. Roberts, a 32- year-old milk truck driver who had a grudge, a grudge that he had been holding for 20 years.
He wanted to take out his revenge on young girls. He decided to exact his revenge at the Amish schoolhouse. That's where he broke in yesterday morning, armed with a semiautomatic handgun, a shotgun, a stun gun, and 600 rounds of ammunition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. JEFFREY MILLER, COMMISSIONER, PA. STATE POLICE: From what we've learned in the last few hours, it is clear to us that he did a great deal of planning. Just from the list of materials that I just laid out, it was -- it was very clear that he intended -- it appears as though he intended to be prepared for a lengthy siege, if you will.
So he came here prepared. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing from what we can see. It appears that he did a lot of time in planning and preparation, and intended to harm these kids, and intended to harm himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: A little bit more about Charles Roberts. He is himself the father of three children. He left a note for his wife early yesterday, and perhaps somewhere in that note there is some information, possibly some more information about this 20-year-old grudge that he had been holding.
His wife describes him as a loving, caring husband. The type of man, type of father who would take his kids to soccer practice -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jason, what -- what more do we know about him? We know that he was not Amish. But beyond that, beyond the fact that he had a grudge, what do we know?
CARROLL: You know, we're trying to learn more and more about this man and more and more about this -- about this grudge. Police just say, basically, that he himself was a father. And there doesn't seem to be any indication from Charles Roberts' neighbors, from those who knew him, that he was capable of committing this type of act. Nothing outwardly, but obviously inwardly he had bv holding this deep- seated grudge, this undisclosed grudge, for quite some time -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll in Lancaster County.
Thank you very much.
Shocking as it is, the shootings in Lancaster County part of a familiar pattern. In just the past week we saw similar attacks at two other schools in this nation.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Dan Lothian joining us live now from Boston with more on the search for ways to end the violence and protect our children -- Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, it really is a place where students should feel safe, but there's concern that schools continue to be easy targets for people trying to send a message with violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice over): The deadly trail of recent school shootings stretches from Colorado to Wisconsin, and now rural Pennsylvania.
KENNETH TRUMP, NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY SEC. SVCS.: The common refrain we hear time and time again is, "We never thought it could happen here." If there's one lesson we've learned from Columbine, it's that we can't have that "it can't happen here" mentality.
LOTHIAN: Ken Trump and the National School Safety and Security Services began tracking cases after the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School, where 15 people died. Since then, by his count, there have been 219 deaths, not including Monday's attack.
TRUMP: The good news is schools have done a much better job since Columbine working on preventing incidents and improving their emergency preparedness measures.
LOTHIAN: But he says there's no way to make a campus 100 percent safe. School shootings have taken place for decades.
Before Columbine, there was Pearl, Mississippi. Two students killed. Seven wounded.
And Jonesboro, Arkansas. Four students and one teacher killed.
What's behind the violence? Boston College sociologist Joseph Tecce says sometimes it's revenge.
PROF. JOSEPH TECCE, BOSTON COLLEGE: There's a certain vendetta involved. There's a certain payback. "I was treated badly in school and, boy, I'm going to get back with those kids because the bully got me and now I'm going to get them."
LOTHIAN: And the fact that some of these shootings seem to occur in some kind of serial order leads Tecce and other experts to suspect copycats.
TECCE: Maybe the murderer or the killer says, "Wow, this other guy got a lot of publicity on this and he nailed a couple of kids. I think I'll try the same technique, because it worked for him and it may work for me. I think I'll get my vengeance the same way as he did."
LOTHIAN: Besides the deadly consequences, attacks can often leave students feeling vulnerable. But experts say they should not be paralyzed by fear.
TECCE: Parents can tell their children these are unusual circumstances, they don't happen every day. Don't go to school expecting it to happen. Go to school zeroing in on your studies.
LOTHIAN: At the same time, there's a growing effort to have schools prepare and practice. Much like they would for a weather emergency drill.
TRUMP: Very often after an emergency, parents want to focus on physical, tangible measures such as security cameras, metal detectors and armed officers. It's the training alertness and preparedness of staff and students that really makes a difference on a day-to-day basis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: The idea is to jolt school officials out of a sense of complacency so they'll be just as prepared to protect their students as they are to educate them -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Dan Lothian in Boston.
Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: There is a call for Dennis Hastert to resign in this morning's "Washington Times". The conservative paper criticizes the House speaker for his handling of the Foley e-mail scandal. A spokesman for Hastert says, though, Hastert's not leaving.
Here's the quote. "Mark Foley has resigned his seat in dishonor and the criminal investigation into the matter will continue. The speaker is working every day on ensuring that the House is a safe and productive environment for members, staff and all those who are employed by the institution."
Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel asked Speaker Hastert what he knew about the e-mails and when he knew it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The first I was really aware of this was last Friday when it happened. And all of a sudden, the press came out and said that there were these e-mails that were from 2003, I guess. And Congressman Foley resigned. That's when I learned of it, at that point. ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. But I thought that you were also notified -- I mean, Tom Reynolds said that he spoke with you about it last spring.
HASTERT: You know, I don't recall Reynolds talking to me about that. If he did, he brought in with a whole stack of things, and I think if he would have had that discussion, he would have -- he would have said it was also resolved, because my understanding now, that it was resolved at that point. The family had gotten what it wanted to get.
KOPPEL: All right. I mean, Congressman Reynolds put out a statement on Saturday saying that he told you in the spring. Do you think he's lying?
HASTERT: No, I'm not saying -- I just don't recall him telling me that. If he would have told me that, would have told me that in the context of maybe a half a dozen or a dozen other things. I don't remember that.
KOPPEL: I mean, other allegations of improper e-mails?
HASTERT: No. Just other things that might have affected campaigns.
KOPPEL: OK. I mean, this is the kind of thing, I've got to tell you, if somebody told me that a senior congressman was sending, perhaps, you know, over friendly e-mails to a 16-year-old page, I'd remember.
HASTERT: I'm just saying that I don't remember him telling me that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to hear from Congressman Rodney Alexander about what he knew and when. That exclusive interview is coming up next -- in our next hour, rather -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get a check of the forecast now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, a humanitarian nightmare. Many people know nothing about it. Exclusive reporting from Anderson Cooper just ahead.
And just five weeks from the midterm election, how safe, how secure is electronic voting? We're going to take a look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Good morning.
I'm in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a town called Goma, where a major humanitarian crisis is under way. A crisis which has received very little attention from the media for the last several years.
The deadliest war in our lifetime since World War II has taken place here in the Congo. Some three million to four million people have died. And though the fighting has ended, the humanitarian crisis continues.
We'll have more of that coming up shortly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Vause in Jerusalem.
Three more Palestinians have died during overnight clashes in Gaza. So far, at least 12 have been killed since violence erupted on Sunday. And Palestinian security forces loyal to the president, Mahmoud Abbas, and his Fatah party took to the streets demanding unpaid wages from the Hamas-led government. Hamas sent its own security force to confront the protesters. The armed wing of Fatah is now threatening to assassinate Hamas leaders.
The Hamas government has been strapped for cash ever since taking office earlier this year. Most donor countries have frozen financial aid because the Islamic militants refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow.
The Kremlin has decided to push ahead with its severe economic sanctions against the neighboring former Soviet Republic of Georgia, despite the fact that the four Russian service personnel who were being held there on charges of spying have now been released. Russia's Transport and Communications Ministry has declared that all air, road, rail, and sea links, as well as postal services to Georgia, will be suspended until further notice.
It could have a big economic impact on that tiny former Soviet republic. There could also be more sanctions, as well. Later on this week the Russian parliament, the State Duma, is to debate a bill that would stop Georgians living in Russia cabling their earnings back home to their families. Many of them very dependent on that flow of cash.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these stories or any of our top stories you can go right to our Web site at CNN.com -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, only 35 days to go before the elections. A lot of people giving thumbs down to electronic voting machines. Will your vote count?
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Election Day is just five weeks from today. When you head to the polls there might be something new in your district: electronic voting machines. The big question, though, is will they work?
CNN's Kitty Pilgrim visited Ohio, where activists are calling for tougher rules.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Cleveland, several hundred people from citizen groups gave voice to their worst fears: Electronic voting machines can fail and can be hacked, and little is being done about it, just five weeks before the election.
The conference, We Count 2006, was open to the public, and drew its share of outrage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just what the hell are people in America doing?
PILGRIM: The conference drew activists from as far away as Massachusetts and Oregon. Signs told the story: "Stop Election Theft."
Bev Harris of Black Box Voting complained, voting machine companies have too much power.
BEV HARRIS, BLACK BOX VOTING: This is lawlessness. This is not a democracy.
PILGRIM: There was outrage that the voting machine software is a trade secret of the voting machine companies.
BOB FITRAKIS, EDITOR, "THE FREE PRESS": Private, partisan corporations are secretly counting our vote with proprietary software -- is that the system does not meet any minimum standard of democracy. And that has to be said over and over and over again.
PILGRIM: The latest estimates find in the last six years, 63 percent of the country's registered voters switched to new voting equipment, most to some kind of electronic system. Many very small jurisdictions have made that switch in just the last year.
KIMBALL BRACE, ELECTION DATA SERVICES: We're very concerned and worried that these small jurisdictions don't have the resources to deal with the conversion process. That conversion process is very strenuous and fraught with potential problems, as we've already seen this primary season.
PILGRIM: Eighty-four million people will use optical scan equipment, but 66 million voters will use touch screen or electronic systems. Activists say the riskiest technology is a touch-screen machine without a paper trail.
Kitty Pilgrim, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Up next, Andy Serwer has our vote.
Good morning, Andy.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Good morning, Miles.
This is a good one. Call it the case of the counterfeit purse. Coach says it's bagged Target selling phony pocketbooks.
We'll tell you about that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the red-hot debate over global warming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), CHAIRMAN, ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE: The American people have been served up an unprecedented parade of environmental alarmism by the media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: That's Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe a week ago on the Senate floor. Our story about his speech claiming global warming is a hoax enraged the senator. How much? Well, we'll hear from ourselves later this morning. The senator will join me live a little bit later.
A couple of retailers will be heading to court possibly over a handbag. And Wal-Mart workers may soon be getting a new look.
Andy Serwer is here.
Hey, I've always wondered, Coach, fancy handbags. Why aren't they called "First Class"? Just curious.
SERWER: That's a very good line. M. O'BRIEN: I'm just curious.
SERWER: I don't -- you know, I was thinking that myself, where the name comes from.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: It sort of doesn't fit. Does it?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Anyway, handbag maker Coach is suing Target. It seems that some people who work for Coach went down to a store in Largo, Florida, and bought a handbag, and, well, it looks just like a Coach.
It has the famous "C" pattern and the hand tag even says "Coach" on it. Gee, that would be a tip-off. And Target is not a licensee to distribute Coach. So, that's kind of a problem.
M. O'BRIEN: That's a problem, yes.
SERWER: Now, they're suing them for a million dollars.
M. O'BRIEN: Just a million?
SERWER: Yes. Well, they -- it's just -- they just want them to stop.
But here's what Target said. This is where it gets interesting.
Target said that the bag in question is an authentic version, and therefore the suit is without merit. Now I like that. What does that mean?
S. O'BRIEN: What does that mean?
M. O'BRIEN: That was from the Hong Kong office. Right?
SERWER: Yes. They said that "The Coach products showcased in our store is authentic; therefore, we believe the suit is without merit."
I have no idea. That's from the department of gobbledygook.
M. O'BRIEN: Maybe it's coach spelled with a "K".
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: You know? And that -- that would be...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: That could be.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, they're saying it's not a knockoff so they shouldn't be sued. That they're allowed to legally sell anything that they purchased? That's an actual item?
SERWER: That's -- ignorance is maybe no excuse here.
S. O'BRIEN: Can you do that?
SERWER: I think -- and Coach says it's had problems in the past with Target over bags like this.
Now, moving on to another big retailer. "New York Times" reporting this morning that Wal-Mart employees may be getting a new look. You know the blue smocks and vests?
M. O'BRIEN: It's timeless.
SERWER: Dowdy. I would call that dowdy.
M. O'BRIEN: It's timeless. That's another way of putting it.
SERWER: Some people really call it ugly, too. Now, they're going to be testing something out, apparently, khaki pants with a navy blue polo shirt.
M. O'BRIEN: I don't see the uniform. There's the uniform.
SERWER: That's the -- yes, that's the old school thing. So maybe kind of a preppy look. The problem is, and the company acknowledges, that the color of the polo shirt may change because that's the exact same thing they wear over at Best Buy.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, right.
SERWER: So it may be confusing to people.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh.
SERWER: They call them the blue -- the blue people over there.
M. O'BRIEN: You'd be thinking the wrong place, yes.
SERWER: Yes. And finally, one other retailer to tell you about. The CEOs have been dropping like flies lately, and here's another one.
The CEO of Pacific Sunwear, the surfing retailer with the not so awesome numbers over the past couple of years, or months, actually. Seth Johnson is leaving. And I like this line here. "What do you do if you are the CEO of a surf company and you're leaving? You say, 'I'm going to go enjoy life in Laguna Beach.'"
M. O'BRIEN: Tubular, dude.
SERWER: Yes. He's out. He is just peace out, I guess.
So that's your business news right now.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. See you in a bit.
SERWER: See you in a bit.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get a check of the forecast.
MYERS: I'm here.
S. O'BRIEN: And so am I, apparently. Hi, Chad.
(LAUGHTER)
S. O'BRIEN: Since I can't do the weather, I'll pass it on to you.
MYERS: That's fair enough.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
CARROLL: I'm Jason Carroll in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where we've confirmed a fifth little girl has died in the Amish school shooting. What could have motivated the shooter? An update coming up.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sean Callebs in Monroe, Louisiana. In just a few minutes I'll share some of my exclusive interview with Congressman Rodney Alexander, the man who brought Representative Foley's controversial e-mails to light.
More on that with this AMERICAN MORNING continues.
S. O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin this morning with some new developments in that Amish school shooting. The tragedy developed overnight when another young girl died. She is now the fifth little girl to die in that horrible attack. For police, though, in the community, still no answer to the big question, why?
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