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Families Testify About Conditions at Walter Reed; U.S., Iraq Troops Work to Secure Baghdad; North Korean, U.S. Envoys to Talk Nuclear Disarmament; Three Shot at California Menu Printing Plant; Hillary, Obama Face Off in Charlotte; Dozens of Flights Delayed by Computer Glitch
Aired March 05, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: And I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNETTE MCLEOD, WIFE OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: All I'm trying to do have my life, the life that I had and that I know. My life was ripped apart the day that my husband was injured. And then having to live through the mess that we lived through at Walter Reed has been worse than anything I've ever sacrificed in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: It's supposed to be one of the premier military hospitals for wounded soldiers, but today family members tell a different story. Just how bad did it get at Walter Reed? Well, more dramatic testimony ahead.
LEMON: And stuck in the airport, a faulty computer causes long delays for thousands of U.S. Airways passengers across the country. How soon will they fix that problem?
NGUYEN: And a random crime, or the work of the Kremlin on U.S. soil? A U.S. expert on Russian intelligence shot and wounded in his own driveway. That investigation is ahead.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Risking their lives overseas, risking their health back home. Are wounded U.S. veterans being neglected instead of nursed at the Army's premier hospital?
A House panel has gone into the field today to find out. It's meeting at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where rundown rooms, rotting walls and rats have lawmakers up in arms.
They've been hearing angry and tearful testimony from wounded vets and the people who love them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MCLEOD: Mr. Harvey made a statement the other day that bothers me. He said that he hoped "The Washington Post" was satisfied because they ruined careers.
First let me come on record by saying I don't care about your career, as far as anybody that's in danger. That doesn't bother me. All I'm trying to do is have my life, the life that I had and that I know.
My life was ripped apart the day that my husband was injured. Then having to live through the mess that we lived through at Walter Reed has been worse than anything I've ever have sacrificed in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Of course we're keeping a close eye on the testimony. First to the Pentagon and CNN's Barbara Starr. Very emotional today, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Don, it is. Several family members and relatives testifying right off the bat this morning at the Walter Reed congressional hearing.
Let's hope people understand what this is really all about one more time. Not the in-patient trauma care that soldiers get when they first come back wounded. Not the surgical care that they get, but once they become outpatients.
Many soldiers living in these facilities on the campus at Walter Reed for months, if not years on end, waiting for rehabilitation, for follow-up procedures, for surgeries. And many of them falling between the cracks of the massive military bureaucracy trying to get the care that they need.
What you saw this morning was really the veil coming off behind the scenes. This is what really happens to soldiers: the pain of coming back home, living in rooms in some cases with this mold on the walls.
So, what is happening now in the hearing, another panel, now the generals explaining themselves. Previous commanders at Walter Reed, the head of the Army medical command, the Army's top medical officer.
And we have also heard now from Major General George Weightman. He was the commander at Walter Reed until just a few days ago when he was relieved of command for his leadership failures. He appeared this morning. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. GEORGE WEIGHTMAN, FORMER COMMANDER AT WALTER REED: Secretary of Defense Gates, all of our Army leaders and you have called this a failure of leadership. I agree.
I was Walter Reed commander and from what we see with some soldiers' living conditions and the administrative challenges we faced in the complex medical board, physical evaluation board processes, it is clear mistakes were made, and I was in charge. We can't fail one of these soldiers or their families. Not one. And we did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Very tough business, Don. This hearing is going on. One of the unanswered questions is will the accountability end now with General Weightman or, as they say, will other heads roll? That remains to be seen -- Don.
LEMON: Indeed, Barbara. Many veterans say the problems being highlighted in these hearings are not unique to Walter Reed. Are we talking about a possible systematic problem within V.A. hospital facilities?
STARR: Well, you know, there's two sides here. There are the active duty military hospitals like Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval Hospital, the ones that are so familiar, as well as the V.A. hospitals across the country, where troops, after they retire from military service, get their continuing care.
One of the things that is -- many experts say is all of the hospital system is simply becoming overwhelmed by the vast numbers of wounded from the war in Iraq.
You know, if there's any good news, it's that hundreds and hundreds of the wounded are surviving. They are getting such good care in the trauma phase that they are surviving their wounds, that they are going on to this post trauma phase as amputees, with burns, with traumatic brain injury, hundreds of troops. The system has got to catch up and find a way to treat them all -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Barbara Starr, I'm sure we'll be checking back. Thank you so much.
And those hearings are going on now. And if you want to watch the full hearing, live and commercial free, just go online to CNN Pipeline, where it's being streamed for you. That's only at CNN.com.
NGUYEN: I want to tell you now about a car bomb at book market. Check it out.
At least 28 people are dead, dozens more wounded in Baghdad. It is the worst bombing in the Iraqi capital in three days. This blast set off raging fires, as you can see.
Well, U.S. and Iraqi troops are on the offensive in Sadr City in Baghdad, which is a vast slum and Shiite militia stronghold in Baghdad.
Our Jennifer Eccleston was embedded with U.S. troops there, and she joins us live.
Jennifer, what was it like in Sadr City? JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, I spent about eight hours on parole with this joint Iraqi and American unit. And people were out shopping. Children were playing soccer. Young girls, groups of young girls, were walking around.
And I've been to Sadr City a half a dozen times in the last three years and I've never seen it quite so calm, quite seemingly normal. And the residents we spoke to said that's because they felt secure for the first time in a very long time.
Why, I asked? Well, because our brother Iraqis are working for us.
And then I said, "What about the Americans? They're a large part of the force here."
"Well, they're helping the Iraqis, and when that's done they'll have to leave."
So a little bit of progress on the ground. It seems that things are moving in the right direction in terms of securing that hostile neighborhood. But these are early days. It is only two days old, this operation in Sadr City. And we expect it to last for weeks if not months.
NGUYEN: Well, Jennifer, let me ask you this. Because the Iraqis feel like it is the Iraqi Army that's really doing the job here. Is that the case? Are the Americans -- pretty much just help facilitate? Did they take the lead role, the Iraqis?
ECCLESTON: In this particular operation, the Iraqis outnumbered the Americans by a great degree. And the Americans are there as facilitators, as trainers, acting as a form of guidance for the -- for the Iraqi soldiers and also the Iraqi police.
But should anything become difficult, should they encounter resistance from militia forces or from insurgents, from al Qaeda, that's when the American forces really step in, because they have the appropriate amount of training, they have the heavy weaponry. They have the air support. So that stage they would certainly take the lead role, with the Iraqis playing a supporting role but an important role.
Part of this is really a battle of hearts and minds, too, Betty. Getting the people in this part of Baghdad to feel secure, to feel confident and to trust not only the Americans but, to a greater, degree trust their own Iraqi forces that they are there, indeed, to help them, to bring them a better life and hopefully have them turn away from any sort of militia elements that are operating in the area -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Jennifer Eccleston in Baghdad. Thank you, Jennifer.
LEMON: U.S. and North Korean diplomats face-to-face on American soil? A meeting many thought unprobable just weeks ago, a topic that's been unthinkable for generations.
Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last time North Korean diplomats were on the sidewalks of New York...
PAK GIL YON, NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: I said sanctions will not solve the problems at all. OK. OK. Please do not block my way.
ROTH: ... North Korea had just tested a nuclear device.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its citizens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very ironic that we are where we are now.
ROTH: Today, both sides are changing tunes and sitting down to talk.
DARYL KIMBALL, ARMS CONTROL ASSOCIATION: Both sides recognize that the situation was worsening. The only option was to really bargain with one another.
ROTH: The goal of these new talks, as far fetched as it once sounded, normalizing relations. With a recent multi-nation agreement negotiated by China, the U.S. appears more willing to deal, or forced to deal, given failures abroad, especially in Iraq. Election losses. The Democrats advocate more dialogue, even with dictators. And the departure of hardliners on North Korea.
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I don't see any real utility to these talks. I think that they simply help legitimize North Korea. I don't think there's any chance that North Korea will voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons.
ROTH: But today's Bush administration seems convinced, unlike with Iran and Syria, Kim Jong-Il, though unreliable and unpredictable, has made serious overtures worth exploring.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Diplomacy is not a matter of just talking. It is a matter of getting results. And when you sit down to talk, I think you want to have some belief that you can get results.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So could we see results any time soon? Richard Roth, awaiting the talks in New York. How about it, Richard?
ROTH: Well, Don, some of the other issues up for discussion here, the abduction of Japanese citizens into North Korea. Plus, North Korea very interested in removing its name from a list the U.S. has on state sponsors of terrorism.
And earlier today the North Korean nuclear envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, met with officials at the Korean Society, and also Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright was there. We see them getting out of a car. They are still at that location.
Back to you.
LEMON: All right. Richard Roth, thank you so much for that.
Next hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM, National Geographic Channel correspondent Lisa Ling offers a rare glimpse inside the secretive state of North Korea, land of restrictions, hardships and unwavering devotion to the Dear Leader. That's in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: We do have some breaking news that we want to bring to you out of California, in Signal Hill, California, to be exact.
Los Angeles County firefighters say that they have found one person dead, three others in critical condition after a shooting at a work place. Now it's unknown exactly what type of workplace this is or why this shooting occurred.
But again, one person is dead, three are in critical condition. Emergency crews are on the scene in Spring Hill (sic), California. And just as soon as we get more information on this we'll bring it straight to you.
In other news, a Michigan wife and mother reported missing by her husband on Valentine's Day, her dismembered body found three days ago. And now investigators say her husband has confessed and provided grisly details surrounding her death.
Stephen Grant was apprehended yesterday after a statewide manhunt. Officers found him shoeless, hiding under a tree in a snowy state park some 250 miles from his home in Macomb County. And he fled that home just before police found his wife, Tara Grant, her torso hidden in the garage and then other body parts just scattered around a park.
After reporting his wife missing, Grant had refused to cooperate with authorities, but they finally found grounds to search the home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC SMITH, MACOMB COUNTY PROSECUTOR: There's been some speculation about what the final thing was that put us over the top, and the sheriff hasn't commented on that.
But it was a Ziploc bag found in a wooded area not far from the defendant's home, which contained latex gloves, baggies, metal shavings, and human blood. And that was the final piece of evidence that got us probable cause to go into that house and also probable cause to go into his business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: According to police, Grant said he killed his wife while their two young children were at home. The county medical examiner says Tara Grant was likely strangled, then dismembered.
LEMON: Coming up, booked on a U.S. Airways flight today? Well, here's some advice to you. Saddle up and get ready to get to the airport early. Travel problems ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Horror on the highway. Millions saw this terrifying image. But just imagine knowing your son was on that bus. Deadly accident and a son's recovery, and a father's devotion. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look. Look at everybody (ph) eating that up. Look at that. Your turn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It is no laughing matter. Police say what happened to these little boys is deeply disturbing. Video you have to see to believe, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: I want to get you more information now on that breaking news out of California. Here's a live picture from our affiliate, KCAL.
And this is in Spring Hill (sic), California, to be exact. In fact, the shooting has occurred at a menu printing plant which has killed one person, critically wounded three. The name of this menu printing plant is Kenyon Press.
And we understand, according to the Associated Press, that this shooting began at 9 a.m., this time, local time. And police did receive a call about a man, possibly a fired worker, who had shot three people.
Again, one person is dead, three people are critically wounded at Kenyon Press, which is a menu printing plant in Signal Hill, California. Many officers are on the scene. And as soon as we get more information into the shooting, we'll bring it straight to you.
LEMON: And we'll be following that one.
I also want to give you live pictures now out of Washington, D.C., President Bush speaking, addressing the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. This address is in advance of his South American trip that will start on Thursday. He's going to Brazil, Uruguay, Columbia and then to Mexico. But there is the president live there, addressing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington.
And two of the top presidential hopefuls crossed paths over the weekend. The place, Selma, Alabama. The occasion, the anniversary of a civil rights milestone. The mission, reaching out to African- American voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Voting Rights Act gave more Americans from every corner of our nation the chance to live out their dreams.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home when I come to Selma, Alabama. I'm here because somebody marched.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We're going to get back to this story very shortly, but we have some more information on breaking news. Betty, what do you have?
NGUYEN: Yes. We're going to take you back to California now. Spring Hill (sic), California, where a workplace shooting has occurred today. On the phone with us is L.A. County Fire Department spokesperson Ed Lozano.
Mr. Lozano, tell me what you know about this shooting.
ED LOZANO, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: OK. At 9:11 this morning, Los Angeles County Fire Department was dispatched to a workplace shooting at the 2800 block of Walnut Avenue in the city of Signal Hills.
Upon arrival we -- a total of three critical patients that are all transported to local area trauma centers. And we do have one confirmed DOA, and the Long Beach P.D. is confirming that the DOA is the shooter.
NGUYEN: Do you know what sparked this shooting? And has the gunman been arrested?
LOZANO: Well, apparently, the gunman is -- is the person that is deceased. And we don't know what sparked it.
NGUYEN: OK. Because we were getting reports from wire services that the gunman has been arrested. So, the gunman is the deceased. And was that a self-inflicted gunshot wound or is that from an exchange with police?
LOZANO: We're not sure on that. That would have to be confirmed with the police department.
We were -- we were -- responded to the scene. We were held a little out. The P.D. was -- managed to make entry and bring the patients to all of the Los Angeles County fire paramedics, and we transported the patients from a block out.
NGUYEN: And speaking with the people that are working this scene, do you have any idea what sparked this?
LOZANO: No, I don't.
NGUYEN: We were getting word that police received a report that a man who had possibly been fired from this menu printing plant was involved in this shooting. Had you heard that?
LOZANO: No. We hadn't heard that. We're pretty busy with the treatment and transportation of the patients. As far as the details of what happened, what started this, it would just be speculation on our point. We were strictly concentrating on all the victims.
NGUYEN: And let me ask you that. Do you feel that all of the victims have been found here? Are there possibly any other gunmen in the building?
LOZANO: We got word from Long Beach Police Department that the building was cleared and all the patients were out, and they were treated and transported by us.
NGUYEN: And these critically wounded patients, they were taken to a local hospital? These were gunshot wounds?
LOZANO: Yes. Gunshot wounds, and they were transported to the local area trauma centers.
NGUYEN: All right. Ed Lozano, with Los Angeles County Fire Department, thanks for bringing us up to date on the story. We appreciate it.
LOZANO: You're welcome.
LEMON: Now back to politics. And we said Hillary Rodham Clinton and also Barack Obama, they crossed paths this weekend in Selma, Alabama.
CNN senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is here with a closer look at Selma and some new poll numbers.
Candy, first off, this one, I want to ask you, not scripted, it definitely seemed like they had their -- let's say -- spiritual voices on this weekend. Did you notice that? They sounded like they were preaching.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I did. They were in churches.
LEMON: Yes.
C. CROWLEY: So we can forgive them that. But absolutely. I mean, there's a whole different, as you know, cadence when you get into those churches. Lots of talk, biblical references on both sides. So, that helps explain it.
LEMON: Yes. Let's talk about the African-American vote. How critical is it, is the African-American vote to both these campaigns? It's probably the reason -- one of the reasons they were in Selma.
C. CROWLEY: It's -- it's enormous, because African-Americans are the most loyal of Democratic voters. And when in the primary, when you begin to go south in South Carolina, you're talking about 40 percent of the primary vote there being African-American. So, that's huge.
That's only the fourth state that's going to hold a caucus or a primary, and it could be a make or break state. It has been in the past.
So, there are a number of states, particularly if we get that Super-Duper Tuesday, as we're talking about when you've got Illinois and New Jersey. You are talking about a substantial black vote there. So, for any Democrat, it's a really important constituency.
LEMON: All right, Candy. Let's talk polls now. In particular, there's an ABC/"Washington Post" poll of black Democrats. Obama seems to be gaining ground on Hillary. Why is that?
C. CROWLEY: I think because people are getting to know him, both whites and blacks. I mean, in the poll numbers we saw before, were -- gave Hillary a -- Hillary Clinton a 40 percent advantage over Barack Obama in the African-American community.
What happened between that poll and this poll? He had an announcement. We talked about him for days, filled in some of the blanks that were out there. So, people began to know him better and began to sort of move toward him.
LEMON: OK. Candy, thank you very much. Because of our breaking news, we wanted to get to the Republicans, but we won't be able to do that in this hour.
C. CROWLEY: OK.
LEMON: But we'll get to it in a little bit later on. Thank you so much for joining us.
C. CROWLEY: Sure.
NGUYEN: in the meantime, young girls rushing into adulthood, and obesity may be to blame. We'll have the details ahead in the NEWSROOM.
ANNA CROWLEY, WCNC CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Anna Crowley, live at Charlotte Douglas, how travelers are dealing with the U.S. Airways glitch. We'll have more in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to update our breaking news coming from Signal Hill, California. A gunman has been killed, reportedly by police. This is according to the Associated Press.
It is a workplace shooting happening at a menu printing plant in Signal Hill, California.
Looking at two live shots there, one from our affiliate KABC, the other from KCAL in California. Three other people are in critical condition. They were wounded in the shooting.
As soon as we have more details on this, we'll bring it to you live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Another story. Some self-service kiosks are out of service at U.S. airports, and that is causing headaches for U.S. Airways. A computer problem means long lines and long waits for many people trying to check in for their flights.
Reporter Anna Crowley of CNN affiliate WCNC joins me now from one of the affected cities, and that is Charlotte, North Carolina.
Give us the situation on the ground, as I can already see the long lines behind you.
A. CROWLEY: There are long lines. The self check-in kiosks are still down here at Charlotte and at other airports across the country. Take a look at those lines. You can see just how long they are. The good news is, is that they're moving, slowly but surely. This after U.S. Airways flew in 20 employees from headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, here to Charlotte to help check travelers in.
Now this morning during peak flying times the lines were even longer and full of frustrated customers. It caused delays in getting through security, and ultimately about a dozen flights were delayed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got to be on the job by 3 p.m. this afternoon. I'm not going to make it. So now I need to call my customer and tell him that I'm not going to be on time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still hoping to get on our flight in time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can't help so it we're doing the best we can with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A. CROWLEY: Well, the kiosks are still down in Las Vegas and Washington and Boston and in Philadelphia.
U.S. Airways is advising passengers to get to the airport at least two hours before your flight takes off. You can also try to check in online, but that's hit or miss, as well, with some problems there, too -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, Anna, let me ask you this. So when does U.S. Airways expect to have these problems resolved?
A. CROWLEY: They don't know. And that's the difficult part. They haven't even determined yet what the actual problem is. They're still looking for that bug. They said they have a triage team trying to find out what the root cause is. And from there they'll be able to repair the problem. But still no estimate.
NGUYEN: Pack the patience. Anna Crowley, thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.
A. CROWLEY: Thank you.
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LEMON: More on a developing story we're following this hour, a shooting at a printing shop in California. Live pictures right there. New details as we get them here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And horrors on the highway. Millions saw this terrifying image, but imagine knowing your son was on that bus. A deadly accident, a son's recovery, and a father's devotion straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We are following emotional, sometimes heartbreaking testimony today. American veterans recounting horror stories not of war, but of their treatment at home. House lawmakers opened hearings into reports of deplorable conditions at an outpatient facility at Walter Reed, the Army's premier medical center. Washington hospital's former chief is also testifying. He lost his job over the scandal, along with the Army secretary.
Well, two heads have rolled, but veterans and loved ones say many more lives have been ruined.
Listen to some of the tearful and angry testimony from this morning's hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNETTE MCLEOD, WIFE OF WOUNDED SOLDIER: All I'm trying to do is have my life, the life that I had and that I know. My life was ripped apart the day that my husband was injured. Then having to live through the mess that we lived through at Walter Reed has been worse than anything I've ever sacrificed in my life.
STAFF SGT. JOHN DANIEL SHANNON, U.S. ARMY: The system can't be trusted. Soldiers get less than they deserve from a system seemingly designed to run and run to cut the costs associated with fighting this war. The truly sad thing is that surviving veterans from every war we've ever fought can tell the same basic story.
SPEC. JEREMY DUNCANC, U.S. ARMY: Conditions in the room, in my mind, were just were just -- it was unforgivable for anybody to live. It wasn't fit for anybody to live in a room like that. I know most soldiers have -- they are coming out of recovery, have weaker immune systems. The black mold can do damage to people, and the holes in the walls. I wouldn't live there even if I had to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, if you want to watch the full hearing live and commercial-free, just go online to CNN Pipeline where it's being streamed. It's only at CNN.com.
NGUYEN: In the wake of a tragedy questions about the interstate exit ramp in Atlanta where a bus crashed Friday morning killing some six people. The National Transportation Safety Board counts 82 accidents at the left side HOV ramp on southbound I-75. And today state officials say they'll listen to the NTSB's recommendations for improvements.
Now last week's crash killed four Bluffton University baseball players along, with driver Jerome Niemeyer and his wife, Jean. Speculation that Niemeyer was confused by the exit was bolstered by an interview with one player. He reportedly heard Jeanne Niemeyer scream, "It's not the highway!" as the bus sped up that ramp and crashed off of the overpass. Jerome Niemeyer had driven the team several times before, and one player called him a "spectacular driver."
Well, several team members are being treated in hospitals, including the coach. James Grandey underwent facial surgery yesterday, and is listed in critical but stable condition. His father talked to CNN this morning about Grandey's total dedication to his players.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM GRANDEY, BLUFFTON UNIV. COACH'S FATHER: There's no seniors on this team. These are the kids that James recruited, and these are his kids. And from the day, from the moment we got there his concern is how's the team doing, and writing out names for us to tell them how they were doing, and that's -- and I heard stories about at the scene, whether they're true or not, but I've heard these stories about his concern for his team members, and that's him. These were his kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Coach Grandey's jaw has been wired shut, as he recovers. He is expected to remain in the hospital at least another week.
LEMON: He spoke out about the Russian spy poisoning case. Now, an American who said the Kremlin was involved is in the hospital. Was he the victim of a random crime or something more? A closer look coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUESTION: Stephen, did you kill your wife? Stephen, do you have anything to say to your family? Stephen, do you have anything to say to your children, Steve? LEMON: That is video of Stephen Grant being taken from the hospital, then to the Macomb county jail, where he will later be charged in the murder of his wife. Authorities tracked him down in the snow and wilderness area and then he confessed to killing and dismembering his wife. The grisly details, gave them details on how he killed her -- that's according to a sheriff's deputy in Macomb county.
That was Mark Hackle (ph), saying that. But again, that was just moments ago. He was released from the hospital after suffering frostbite and other conditions from being out in the cold all weekend, hiding from authorities. But police do believe, and according to his confession, he killed and dismembered his wife after they argued in their home. Details on this developing story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meantime, today in southern Indiana, two people are dead after their small plane crashed into a house in Bedford. No injuries have been reported on the ground, and apparently the impact didn't even spark a fire. Witnesses say the plane looked like it was trying to land, then veered away, and dropped from sight.
NGUYEN: There is intrigue in suburban Washington, where a shooting has some people wondering whether it has links all the way to Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Kris van Cleave, from affiliate WJLA, has the story.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE, WJLA TV: It would seem there may be a lot more to this story than just a random shooting in a quiet Prince George's County neighborhood. Paul Joyal was shot in his driveway shortly after returning home Thursday night. He survived, but was badly hurt. The 53-year-old is a Russian intelligence expert who was reportedly coming home from the D.C.'s International Spy Museum, where he had gone with a friend and former KGB general.
A few days before, Joyal went on national television, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin's government of being involved in the November poisoning death of former spy Alexander Litvinenko. Joyal's shooting has raised some eyebrows. And now an FBI spokesman has been quoted as saying they are assisting the Prince George's County police with the investigation. They admit they do not have a motive for the shooting.
This is Joyal and his friend, the former KGB general. He did not want to talk on camera today, but told the Washington Post, "I would not rule out anything, but...it could be just a regular criminal assault."
Our calls to the Russian embassy were not returned, but others in Washington's Russian community don't see any link between Putin and the shooting.
ARTURAS VOROBJOVAS, CO-OWNER, RUSSIA HOUSE: It just looks very simple as a link to the Putin, but I think it had nothing to do with that, and whoever did it, they'll figure out later.
VAN CLEAVE: But word of the shooting had Spy Museum patrons talking.
MICHAEL DEGOLIAN, MUSEUM PATRON: It's scary. That's all I really know to say.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That was Kris van Cleave, from affiliate WJLA, reporting. Now the victim's condition is said to be improving.
LEMON: Amid the clean-up, a time to mourn. Communities raked by tornadoes remember the victims. That story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And our Rob Marciano has the latest on the next cold front moving through -- coming through town for you. The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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NGUYEN: The final farewell -- today the first of eight funerals in Enterprise, Alabama, a town just devastated by a tornado last week. Just look at these pictures. All eight victims, students at the high school crushed by a collapsing roof. State and federal disaster teams are on the scene, helping survivors begin to pick up the pieces.
And less than a two-hour's drive away the community of Americus, Georgia is also trying to move past the pain. In the middle of all the storm debris, a disaster-recovery center has opened, but schools and universities are closed, at least until Wednesday. Nine people died when severe storms moved through Georgia Thursday night.
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LEMON: We've been telling you about those hearings going on today in Washington about the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital. They are going in different panels. This particular panel wrapping you. They're going to start with another panel soon. We are monitoring these for you, and we'll bring you any information as it becomes available to us. That's definitely warranted for you to know.
Now for more than 100 years Walter Reed has taken care of everybody from Army grunts to five-star generals to heads of state.
Here's a CNN Fact Check.
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LEMON (voice-over): This was Walter Reed. At age 17 he became the youngest graduate of the University of Virginia Medical School. As a major in the U.S. Army, it was Walter Reed who discovered that mosquitoes spread yellow fever. The protective practices he developed enabled workers to finish building the Panama Canal. The nation was at peace when the hospital first opened with 80 beds in 1901.
Then came World War I, and capacity mushroomed to 2,500 beds in a matter of months. The hospital continued to expand, through World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War, as hundred of thousands of servicemen and women were treated there.
Today, the hospital, with a staff of some 600 doctors, admits more than 14,000 patients annually. Among U.S. presidents who were patients -- Dwight Eisenhower received treatment for his heart disease, and following a heart attack died at Walter Reed in 1969. Harry Truman was a patient, as was Ronald Reagan. Foreign patients have included Winston Churchill and King Hussein of Jordan. One of the most recent celebrated Army patients at Walter Reed was Gulf War POW Jessica Lynch.
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NGUYEN: Outrageous Ann Coulter. Did the conservative pundit go too far this time? Harsh reaction from both sides of the political coin. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: All right. If you can't say anything nice, you might have something in common with Ann Coulter. Even Coulter's fellow conservatives say she was out of line for resorting to a locker room slur against a Democratic candidate for president.
CNN's Rick Sanchez has the story.
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RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Say what you want about her, she's loud, she's opinionated.
ANN COULTER: I don't know, I think Democrats have hit on the perfect candidate.
SANCHEZ: She seeks attention, calls people childish names, ticks people off. And you know what, she'd agree with you -- nobody is so, well, Ann Coulter as Ann Coulter.
COULTER: Gore and Hollywood are now telling us...
SANCHEZ: But with her latest anti-liberal tirade, she took outrageous, some say downright hateful, to a new depth.
COULTER: It turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word faggot, so I'm -- so kind of at an impasse. Can't really talk about Edwards, so I think I'll just conclude here.
SANCHEZ: But it's hardly the conclusion. More reaction from Congress and from the man insulted, all who think the best comeback is no comeback at all.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRES. CANDIDATE: I think it's important that we not reward hateful, selfish, childish behavior with attention.
REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: We really need to stay focused on the issues and not make this personal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not a fan of that kind of rhetoric, and I really don't want to get into it.
SANCHEZ: But Ann Coulter gets into it all the time, and nobody, it seems, is exempt, not even 9/11 widows.
This is from one of her books: "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much."
She goes after former ambassadors.
COULTER: Literally the man at our embassies who made sure the plumbing was working.
SANCHEZ: Even presidential appointment catch her wrath.
COULTER: She's not qualified for position. This isn't like, you know, best employee of the month.
BILL MAHER: But you didn't make that objection with every other of George Bush's appointments.
COULTER: It never occurred to us that he'd nominate, as you say, the cleaning lady. We thought this was clear.
SANCHEZ: Edwards actually posted Coulter's f-word diatribe about him on his Web site, uncensored soliciting campaign dollars, so-called "Coulter cash," hoping to turn the incident in his favor.
Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.
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