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Nasty Nor'easter; Virginia Tech Shooting; War Funding Battle; Padilla Trial
Aired April 16, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A heavy-duty storm batters the East. Pounding surf, flooding rains, heavy snow and, of course, airport delays that ripple far beyond the East.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We'll hear from President Bush live this morning. He'll step up to the microphones to step up pressure on Democrats to send him a war funding bill.
HARRIS: Sixty years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, we talk to Robinson's son about his famous father's legacy.
It is Monday, April 16th, and you are in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Our top story this hour. April showers bring spring flowers, right? So what does a nor'easter bring? The answer, lots of headaches. Up and down the eastern seaboard, in New York, the storm has dumped more than five and a half inches of rain. That shatters a century old record, believe it or not. Today, there are power outages, evacuations and lots of stranded travelers and commuters.
In South Carolina, the storm spun off a deadly tornado. One woman was killed, at least four people injured. The tornado carved a path of destruction some 14 miles long.
Up to Boston, the marathon goes on. Runners will test their own limits against the veracity of mother nature. Up to five inches of rain, temps in the 30s and wind gusts up to 25 miles an hour.
Our crews are covering all points of the storm, of course. CNN's Alina Cho is in New York, meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is along the Massachusetts coast and severe weather expert Chad Myers in our Weather Center.
HARRIS: In New York, hundreds of airline flights have been canceled and thousands of passengers left stranded by the storm. CNN's Alina Cho is at LaGuardia Airport with the latest.
Alina, good morning to you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony, good morning to you.
I have to tell you, not too bad here at LaGuardia. Some scattered cancellations and delays. More delays than cancellations. But having said that, on the whole, a pretty busy Monday morning here at LaGuardia. And it's only going to get busier when all those people who tried to fly out last night and early this morning try to fly out this afternoon.
Now yesterday 600 flights were canceled at New York's three major airports. A lot of people who were stuck, including 40 college students from Iowa. Listen to this story. They were scheduled to leave at 1:00 yesterday afternoon. That flight was canceled. Then they were booked on a 9:00 p.m. flight. That flight was canceled. Now they are hoping to get on a 2:00 flight this afternoon, but not before spending a long night at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very, very bad. My back hurts. I've got a headache. And I'm really, really feeling not good right now because I have a layover and I really want to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, we're all making the best of it and doing what we can, but I'm sure all of us are ready to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just really tired and I'd like to go home. I'm kind of fed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: A lot of bleary-eyed travelers this morning. You know, we also talked to 35 high school students who were scheduled to leave from Miami this morning and get on a cruise ship. Well, their flight was so delayed that they had to go to plan b. They have now changed their destination. They're not going to Miami. They're now going to fly to Nassau in the Bahamas and try to catch up with the cruise ship there.
So, Tony, not a total washout, pardon the pun. They will still be able to salvage their vacation, all be it one day late.
HARRIS: Yes, that is a tough plan b. Alina Cho for us at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
Alina, thank you.
COLLINS: And, you know, the worst is not over for Massachusetts. Even the hardy souls (ph) along the coast are battening down the hatches. CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in Hianus (ph) this morning.
Reynolds, how are things looking there now? It's a pretty shot behind you, but it probably doesn't feel so pretty.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. It is. Just -- no, it doesn't feel that great, but it is a beautiful New England town. Not just the best weather, that's for sure. We've seen the rain begin to pick up a little bit. The wind has been kind of sporadic, coming and going. At times we have some strong gusts. Other times it's pretty gentle.
We're going to use the wonderful time machine called video and take you back in time last night and show you some video. This is actually from a community called Beverly, just to the north of Boston. And as you can see in this video, you have some flooding rains. Heavy rainfall.
But that's not the whole story. You also have some tree damage. The tree damage caused by strong winds. Now when you have big trees and you have strong winds, the trees, of course, break. The branches hit the power lines. And then you have wide-spread power outages. And that's the case throughout much of the state, many parts. Here alone in parts of the cape, well, I think we have met 12,000 people -- 12,000 homes without power at this time. So certainly a tremendous headache.
Things have improved in terms of the wind, I've said. Again, sporadic at times. And, in fact, if you look behind me, right here in the harbor, earlier we had some white caps. Right now it's pretty tranquil.
Moments ago I had a chance to speak to a crew member of this great ship and I said to him, you know, now that things are calm in the harbor, that means you guys are going to have to start fill the -- you're going to be able to make your runs out to, say, over towards Martha's Vineyard and even Nantucket? And he said absolutely not because outside of this harbor, when you get out into Nantucket Bay, you still have extremely rough seas to deal with. On top of that, you have high tide coming in around 11:45 and noontime. And with the rough seas, high tide and the wind picking up, especially way offshore, they are going to anticipate some rough times.
So they're definitely going to keep these boats here. Certainly missing out on a lot of customers. Customers are missing out on the great trip, all because of the weather.
COLLINS: And you know rough times are often a part of athletic events. This Boston Marathon coming. You know, in Texas, we used to do this thing I covered called the Hotter than Hell Hundred. A hundred miles riding on a bike in the 100 degree heat. Today a very different situation for the Boston Marathon. But it's still on, right?
WOLF: It is still on. They're going to go out there and they're going to brave the elements. I mean, my goodness, just the topography in Boston, all the hills, Heartbreak Hill, that's a real struggle for people to tackle. And today, with mother nature, with the wind and the rain, and the chilly temperatures is not going to help matters at all.
I was talking with Tony earlier in the show and we were thinking about the athletes from Kenya that come over. They're phenomenal athletes. But you have to think about their climate over there, a little bit different from what we're dealing with here in New England. So it's going to be especially tough for them. So we're certainly going to have to watch out and keep our fingers crossed for everybody that they're going to be able to make their way through. Just finishing will be a tremendous accomplishment. COLLINS: And, you know, I've been so impressed to learn how hard you've been training for this. So it's really going to be fun to watch as you travel through those streets in that rough terrain.
WOLF: Absolutely. Yes. I work hard. I work very hard. You know, I just drink my Tang and then I do my stuff. I do the best I can.
COLLINS: It's impressive. It is darn impressive.
WOLF: Yes. That's right.
COLLINS: All right. Reynolds Wolf, thank you so much.
WOLF: You bet.
COLLINS: We will get to Chad Myers in just a couple minutes for an update on the weather conditions along the eastern seaboard. But right now we've got some breaking news. T.J. Holmes is following it for us in the NEWSROOM.
And, T.J., this is a report of a gunman on the campus of Virginia Tech.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Virginia Tech. In Blacksburg, Virginia, Tony. The information we're getting right now and it's coming to us from a actual website of Virginia Tech, is that there is a gunman loose on the campus. The students there are being updated through the website right now and right on the front page of their website it does have the update, which is telling students right now to stay in their buildings, stay where they are until further notice and stay away from all windows.
Now apparently the police are now on the scene investigating exactly what happened. We don't have any word of anybody might have been hurt, anybody might have been shot or exactly what is happening. But a gunman is on the loose. Don't have word either that even a shot being fired but just that a gunman is on loose, at least according to the information that is on their website.
It just says that a gunman is on the loose and actually a shooting incident. And they say it happened at what's called the West Ambler Johnston. And it happened earlier this morning. The West Ambler Johnston is what they refer to on campus as the West AJ. And that is simply a dorm on campus. It has about 900 students that reside it in, called the West AJ, the West Ambler Johnston.
But very important for the students right now is to get the information out and let them know what's happening. And they're being updated. Certainly we can tell from here, from looking at the website, taking a while to load. So certainly a lot of people probably on there trying to get the updates as they can.
But that's how the information right now is getting out, letting the students know to stay where you are, stay in place, stay away from the windows while police figure out exactly what's going on and they figure out possibly where a possible gunman is on the campus of Virginia Tech. We're keeping an eye on this situation.
Certainly a scary one on a college campus like that. So many people running around the campus and they don't know where a gunman is or might be there. So certainly we're keeping an eye on this and will bring you those updates as we get them, Tony.
HARRIS: And maybe a bit of advice here to folks. If you don't have a need to be on that website, don't go near it because I just tried to pull it up and it is very slow and clearly kids on campus need this updated information. So if you don't have a real reason to be on that website, maybe stay away from it and let the kids who need this information and these updates to get on and get the information that they need.
HOLMES: And we'll try to get it out here as well. We're certainly making the calls and trying to figure out what's going on. But certainly a bunch of kids, a bunch of students on that campus right now desperate to find out what's going on, on campus. But right now the word is, stay where you are, stay away from windows until they defuse the situation.
HARRIS: OK, T.J. appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: All right. We've been following the severe weather all morning for you. Chad Myers, a busy man, working on all of this for us.
Chad, tell us the very latest. What are the trouble spots we should be focusing on right now?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Cars under water, folks forced out of their homes. It's a big mess in the Northeast. Keep it right here for coverage of the storm. We, of course, are going to head live to suburban New York for the very latest on conditions there.
HARRIS: Well, spring break is over. That means back to Washington for Congress. And right now President Bush is preparing to turn up the heat in the Iraq War funding fight. In about one hour he will renew his case for money without strings. We will bring that to you live, of course, 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here in the NEWSROOM. Let's find out more about it from White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
Suzanne, good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
We expect in about 45 minutes or so to hear from the president. Again, he is putting himself before a friendly audience. We're told not to expect any new initiatives here, but rather he's going to make his case. Part of his strategy, to use the bully pulpit to bring directly his message to the American people.
He is trying to frame this debate as one of congressional Democrats against U.S. troops. He is also going to try to make himself sound as the reasonable party here, saying that, look, Wednesday he's going to be welcoming Democrats, Republicans alike to bring forward legislation that he will sign, he will approve. This is not a negotiation.
However, Tony, he says he will not sign, he will veto legislation that requires any kind of timetable or deadline for troop withdrawal. And over the weekend we heard the vice president weigh in on this, claiming that accusing the Democrats of being irresponsible for putting a timetable and attaching that to the funding for U.S. troops in the Iraq War.
But we also heard very clearly from the chairs of the Senate, Armed Services Committee Carl Levin, who simply dismissed Cheney's comments. He said, look, he has zero credibility. He was wrong when it comes to weapons of mass destruction, wrong when it comes to the last throws of the insurgency, wrong when it comes to the Iraqis greeting U.S. as liberators. They believe they are wrong on this one as well.
Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Suzanne, in the president's speech scheduled inside just after 11:00 this morning, and it is from the East Room. I know it was originally scheduled from the Rose Garden but it's been moved because of the weather conditions.
MALVEAUX: A little bit of the wind.
HARRIS: Yes, we can see behind you -- to the East Room. And you know what, Suzanne, all this week a lot of us here are wearing suspenders in honor of Larry King's 50 years in broadcasting. And I'm just taking a sort of informal poll here to make sure.
MALVEAUX: I've got mine.
HARRIS: You're wearing suspenders?
MALVEAUX: I've got my suspenders. I'm rocking the suspenders here. And I have to tell you, I wouldn't normally do that. Wolf said he would wear suspenders. I don't normally wear suspenders. But for Larry, 50 years, you've got to give them his props.
HARRIS: Fifty years. And Suzanne Malveaux rocking the suspenders.
MALVEAUX: Do you have yours? I can't see, Tony. Do you have yours on?
HARRIS: You can't see. Yes, yes, yes. I don't know what this color is, because I'm color blind, but it works.
What is it, maroon?
Heidi says it's maroon. How about that? In the Washington team rocking the suspenders this morning. Suzanne Malveaux for us from the White House.
Suzanne, we appreciate it. Thank you.
MALVEAUX: See you, Tony.
COLLINS: Always love to talk about Larry and his 50 years, but, unfortunately, we need to get directly back to the story we've been telling you about in Virginia Tech. We are learning that there is apparently a gunman loose on the campus. We have someone on the phone with us who can maybe give us a little bit more insight. Josh Whitehead is a student at Virginia Tech.
Josh, I know that you are not on campus right now, but I understand you're getting some e-mails.
JOSH WHITEHEAD, STUDENT, VIRGINIA TECH: Correct. Everybody -- I heard you earlier saying that the website was slowed down, but it's not a problem from students because we are getting e-mails sent to us as soon as its published to the website. First telling us that there was a shooting at West AJ, which is a dorm considered more on the resident's side of campus.
COLLINS: West Ambler Johnston dorm, right?
WHITEHEAD: Yes. Correct.
COLLINS: OK. Go ahead.
WHITEHEAD: I've received phone calls from friends in the morning saying that there was rumor of something going on and then all of a sudden we got the e-mail confirming it. At that point everybody kind of thought it was OK that police were on the scene. And then just a few minutes later received an e-mail saying with, you know, grammatical errors in the subject line it was so urgent, saying to stay indoors. There was a gunman loose on campus. Stay away from windows.
And then started some calls from everybody saying, well, I think he's there, I think he's there and nobody has any clue what's really going on. So everybody just knows to staying indoors and trying to stay out of the way of everything.
COLLINS: Wow. Now if I understood this correctly, you are in contact with some people, some friends of yours who are on campus right now?
WHITEHEAD: Yes.
COLLINS: And what are they telling you?
WHITEHEAD: They're telling us that, you know, there's obviously police everywhere. Everybody's being ordered to go inside. When you look at the web cam on the Virginia Tech web page, you see people being forced from the academic side towards the residential side. Looks like they're just trying to get everybody indoors, into their buildings while they can control things and then figure out what's going on from there. But all the information we have is stuff that has been on the website and that has been e-mailed to us and everything else from there is just the rumor mill flying around here at this point.
COLLINS: Yes, I would imagine a very frightening situation, no question about it. And just in case people are just now tuning in, we're learning that there is apparently a gunman loose on the Virginia Tech campus. And we're talking with Josh Whitehead, who's been able to be in contact with some friends on campus who are there and are sort of experiencing a flurry of activity and some pretty tense moments.
Josh, anything like this ever happened before that you're aware of?
WHITEHEAD: We did have an incident actually the first academic day back in August where there was a shooter -- there was a gentleman that had escaped from the hospital at that point and there was a security guard and a police officer who were killed and the school was on lock-down back then. So it's kind of eerie, reminding people of that. And just over these past two weeks there have been several bomb threats to engineering buildings on campus. So everybody's just wondering what is going on in this area lately.
COLLINS: Yes, the history certainly makes it that much more of a frightening and tense situation, no doubt about it.
Well, Josh, we appreciate you talking with us this morning. If you would mind keep in touch if you hear any more or you can provide us some insight on exactly what's going on there, it would be great to have you, because sometimes it's difficult for us to get information out when a situation like this is developing so quickly.
Thanks again, Josh Whitehead.
HARRIS: All right. We will have continuing coverage of this story. I certainly remember the August incident. And that was pretty scary.
Still to come this morning in the NEWSROOM, as a boy he dreamed of becoming a baseball star. Today he faces the battle of his life on trial for terror. That story in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: He'll answer questions tomorrow, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is already telling his side of the story. Prosecutors fired, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody.
Quickly want to update you on the situation at Virginia Tech. We've been learning that there is apparently a gunman on the loose at Virginia Tech. We've just now gotten word that classes have been canceled, at least for the remainder of the day. Still looking, obviously, for this person who showed up with a gun on campus. Trying to get as many details as we possibly can. But for now, we have just learned that those classes will be canceled at Virginia Tech.
Take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back now to the story that we've been following this morning at Virginia Tech. Apparently a gunman on the loose there. And we've just recently learned, according to the university, that Virginia Tech has canceled all classes and kids there are being asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. People are asked if they're off campus, of course, not to come on campus.
Once again, those classes have been canceled. There's apparently a gunman on the loose at Virginia Tech. And we are continuing to follow this story for you, bring you any information as it comes into us here.
HARRIS: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow. He will address his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. He's already released his opening statement. Gonzales says, "I have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason."
Gonzales' former top aide was back on Capitol Hill Sunday. Kyle Sampson talked with Senate staffers ahead of tomorrow's hearing. Last month, Sampson testified that Gonzales was involved in the process.
To that Gonzales says, "Mr. Sampson periodically updated me on the review. During those updates, to my knowledge, I did not make decisions about who should or should not be asked to resign." And one admission from Gonzales. He says, "I do acknowledge, however, that at times I have been less than precise with my words when discussing the resignations."
COLLINS: Jury selection scheduled in Miami this morning for Jose Padilla. He and two co-defendants facing terror charges. CNN's Susan Candiotti looks at how the case against Padilla has changed over the years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUY LEWIS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: This case is for all the marbles.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Building the case against Brooklyn-born Jose Padilla took five, long years. At first, law enforcement labeled him as a bad guy who wanted to set off radioactive bombs, known as dirty bombs, against fellow Americans. In 2002, he was declared a military enemy combatant and held for three years without charges in a Navy brig. During that time, Padilla claims he was tortured and drugged under intense interrogations. The government denies it.
Then Padilla was flown by the military to Miami where the case against him began in a civilian court. The Justice Department dropped the pursuit of dirty bomber charges and then added Padilla to another on-going case, charging him and two others with conspiracy and providing material support to Islamic extremist groups. Essentially, supporting jihad overseas.
Padilla has pleaded not guilty. A former U.S. attorney in Miami suggests the strongest evidence against Padilla might be his alleged fingerprints on a mujahaden form obtained by the CIA.
How does the defense fight that?
LEWIS: The defense, Susan, is going to come back and say, look, that doesn't mean he read it. That doesn't mean he actually even adopted anything in it. We don't know how he touched it. Or, indeed, I would suggest to you they're going to argue conspiracy theories.
CANDIOTTI: As for Padilla's mother.
ESTELA ORTEGA-LEBRON, JOSE PADILLA'S MOTHER: This is him here. His baptism.
CANDIOTTI: Her once church-going son who converted to Islam and as a boy used to dream of a career in Major League Baseball, now faces the fight of his life.
ORTEGA-LEBRON: He's a good son and good brother and he's always been good to us.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And an update now on the story that we continue to follow here in the CNN NEWSROOM this morning. Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, has decided to cancel all classes today. Police are now trying to locate a gunman on campus. Students are being advised to stay inside their buildings, away from the windows. Police are investigating a shooting on that campus. Matt Waldron is on the line with us.
Matt, are you there?
MATT WALDRON, STUDENT, VIRGINIA TECH: Yes, I'm here.
HARRIS: And let me just be clear on your last name. Is it Waldron?
WALDRON: Yes, Waldron.
HARRIS: OK. Matt, what are you hearing?
WALDRON: What am I hearing?
HARRIS: Yes.
WALDRON: Yes, I'm hearing police sirens and I'm standing up -- I'm up like away from the football stadium, up the hill standing behind a pine tree. It's just like 50 mile-an-hour winds and I was on campus today and I was walking towards class with my iPod on and these police cars started screaming down the sidewalk and kids were peeling off and I guess there was gunshots. It was right behind the building that I was in.
And so they pushed (ph) us all inside the building and we had to stay inside there for like 15 minutes and these two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape, laying on the ground. And it was just mayhem. I mean they told us to get out of there. So we ran across the drill field as quick as we could and there was cops yelling. And it was just a mess. So it was kind of scary.
HARRIS: What building -- did you actually hear the gunshots?
WALDRON: No, I didn't hear the gunshots. I had my iPod on and I was walking to class. So I heard the police sirens and I was just all part of the mess. And when we were inside the building we looked out the back windows and all the policemen were all hugging behind the trees with their guns and stuff and they were pealing (ph) -- kids were running out of the building with their hands up and stuff like that and it was just -- it was a mess.
HARRIS: What building did you hear that the gunshots were actually coming from? We've heard West Ambler Johnson?
WALDRON: Yes, the rumors were it was coming from West AJ, which that wasn't where I was near. So I don't know what they were doing in the building that I was by, but that's where they claim that there was another set of gunshots or something that was there. So that's what the people were saying inside -- the professors were saying in there. So whether that's true or not, I don't know.
HARRIS: And, Matt, what kind a building is West AJ? How would you describe it? Is it a dorm?
WALDRON: Yes, that's actually a dorm. And that's where -- it's not just the freshman building. Anybody can live there. It's mainly like a sophomore/freshmen mix.
HARRIS: OK. And describe the location of that dorm in the campus. Is it to -- in the center of the campus? To one end? West, east, north, south? Where would you place the location of that dorm?
WALDRON: It's on -- I think it's on the south end of the drill field. Let's just say it's close to the stadium, that area. It's kind of like in the heart, by like where you'd go get all of your food and stuff like that. So it's a pretty heavy populated area on a regular basis.
HARRIS: OK. And how many students would you say are in -- live in that dorm?
WALDRON: Oh, boy, I don't know. I would say probably a couple hundred kids live in that dorm easily.
HARRIS: OK. We're getting word that almost 900.
And, Heidi, you have some additional information as well on this.
COLLINS: Yes, we're just looking a little bit on the website here to try to learn more about this building, West Ambler Johnson, West AJ as they're calling it. It is apparently one of the largest residence halls. And as we heard our caller telling us, pretty much anybody can live there. Sometimes you have a freshman dorms and otherwise, but this apparently . . .
HARRIS: Matt, stay on the line. Don't go anywhere.
COLLINS: Anyone can come and live there. They have a fitness room and three lounges that connect to another building. Sort of a marketplace. And a dining hall, too. So it looks like this is somewhere where a lot of students and faculty may be gathering at any one time.
HARRIS: Matt, just a quick question.
WALDRON: Sure.
HARRIS: Did you have an opportunity to talk to anyone who came either out of that building or was running from the direction of the building and heard gunshots?
WALDRON: No. The one kid said that he did hear the gunshots. And the professor said that he heard a set of gunshots, too. And they were over there just panicking with the cops, so that they came in and they were asking them to get on the roof of the building that we were in and stuff like that. And it was just -- it was just a mess. But, no, I didn't talk to anybody besides those guys that I heard say gunshots.
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: And, Matt, we want to make sure that you, of course, are in a safe place. I know you're kind of up on a hill behind a tree and because of the bad weather.
WALDRON: Yes, I'm standing behind a pine tree here . . .
COLLINS: Yes, because, listen, I want to pass this along while we have you here, Matt. According to the Associated Press, apparently one person has been killed in this shooting that we believe at least from our callers talking to us here has taken place at the West Ambler Johnston dorm room. Once again, the Associated Press saying one person killed and one wounded. So we continue to get information here as this story develops.
Matt, still quite a few police and people running around or is it starting to -- I mean everyone's been told to stay inside, so I'm hoping your not seeing to many people.
WALDRON: Yes, I'm in a secure area up on the hill here and I'm looking down on campus and you can still see cop car after cop car just streaking by the stop lights and stuff like that just coming up. Every kind of cop car. From the ones that are undercover and stuff like that. They're sending everybody. And ambulances too. I've seen quite a few ambulances from the different counties around filing in to.
HARRIS: Hey, Matt, just another question for you. Has there been, generally speaking, a lot of concern about security on campus? We certainly are aware of the incident in August.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had a couple bomb threats, even in the past week here on campus. And that's been kind of making kids -- this morning, my friend and I were talking, we were driving to class, and it was pretty scary, like even going on campus today. We were kind of worried about it. It's so weird that something like this would happen on the same day, because we've had our building, Ferguson, over there, had a couple of bomb threats the past week that shut down night classes. It's been kind of a hectic year.
HARRIS: So in the course of the last week you're talking about bomb threats. We understand it was to one or more of the engineering buildings, is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, over there, correct, and that's over in a little bit different area than this happened. But it was still kind of parallel to where this happened. It was over just a little ways down on campus, but it wasn't at the same area, so.
HARRIS: I'm sort of curious about the information flow at the university when you get incidents like this. For example, how was the information disseminated to all the students about the bomb threats from last week?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what you did, you go -- supposed to check e-mail every day, and they send it out via e-mail every time if there's a bomb threat. If I didn't check my e-mail I probably wouldn't have known about it. But until you went on campus and went to class, they had the whole area secured and stuff like that with police.
HARRIS: And you weren't in your room this morning, so you didn't have an opportunity to check e-mail to get information on the events on campus this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a 9:00 a.m. class, and I don't know what time the exact shooting happened, but I had a class at 9:00, and all this mayhem happened about 9:45 when I was walking to my next class that was actually -- there was Byrst (ph) Hall, and it was a classroom right across from it that I was heading to when this all happened, so it was crazy.
COLLINS: Yes. And so, obviously, just as a reminder to everybody. May have been a while since you've been to class in college. But, boy, I remember those Monday 8:00 a.m. classes. And I imagine by about 9:45 as we're hearing from our caller Matt here, that, you know, the campus is pretty busy by then, and people are going off to their classes and maybe even getting their coffee before they go to the next one.
I want to make sure we take a moment here to remind you of the latest news that we are hearing. On the bottom of your screen there, according to the Associated Press, one person has been killed in this shooting that we're talking about at Virginia Tech. And we're also one learning of one person being injured. Apparently it all taking place at the West Ambler Johnston dorm, West A.J., as they call it on campus, one of the largest residence hall there's where there's a first and second floor, has all kinds of amenities, if you will, a fitness room and lounges that connect to a dining hall.
Can you tell us any more about this particular building, Matt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, actually it's kind of hard because I lived -- I'm a transfer. I came from Penn State last year, so I haven't had the chance to live on -- I lived in Harper Hall, which on campus, but it's more of a suite grad dorm. But I had a few friends who live in West A.J., and I think it's just kind a regular place. They say there's a lot of people that live in there, I do know that.
COLLINS: So I wonder, is the talk on campus -- I mean, you're the second caller now we've had this morning referring to these bomb threats, and our other caller also, of course, very well remembers what happened back in August when there was at shooting there, a fatal shooting, of a hospital guard and a deputy sheriff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
COLLINS: Boy, I imagine that the talk on campus, especially now, with sort of a third incident, if you will, is very much centered around some of this activity that's been happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I mean, it's not something to, like, overlook or anything like that. I mean, it just shows that it could happen anywhere. I mean, This is Virginia Tech. I mean, it's a big place, but kind of is in the middle of nowhere down here in Blacksburg, and it shows that it can happen anywhere, and you've got to be on your toes at all times.
COLLINS: What's the police presence usually like there at campus, Matt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's usually pretty heavy. Cops are always around, sitting on corners and stuff like that. I mean, I assuming that when the call happened they responded instantly, and there was a lot of people, a lot of cops around. So they have a pretty good force down here.
HARRIS: Matt if you would, just sort of update up from your line of sight right now. You told us you're on a hill and you're behind a tree. If you would, don't put yourself at any undue risk, but if you could, just sort of take a look, and if you would, describe the scene around you, give us a bit of a 360 view of what you see right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, well, ahead of me I've got the football field, and actually right now there's two news truck -- I believe that's Channel 7 -- heading up that way towards the stadium, heading towards the heat of things. And kind of over by the tennis practice facility, it is kind of quiet here, but you can see on campus that there's really -- people usually walking around and stuff like that, and back on the sidewalk you can't really see anybody walking around at all right now.
And plus, I mean, the Lord doesn't make a mistake in this 50 mile-an-hour winds out here, and it snowed this morning, so I think that's one way to help keep kids in the building this morning, because college kids don't like to go to class when it's cold out. So I think that might have helped a little bit, too.
COLLINS: Excellent point. Yes, I think you're right about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to lie. A lot of kids when it's like this, they won't even step foot outside the door.
HARRIS: And if you would, describe for us what kind of police activity, if any, you see right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually I don't see any. There's no -- none like where I am. Down at the bottom of the hill there's a car sitting down in that area, but that's about it. I can still -- I can still hear sirens clear as day. I don't know if they're ambulance sirens or what they are, but they're there. And I can see the plus station from there, and it's pretty empty over there.
HARRIS: OK. And how far away are you now from West A.J.?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say I'm probably a good mile from it or so.
HARRIS: So you were able to get to high ground and high tail it out of there then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I live, like, three miles off campus or so, so I just started walking this way. My car is actually trapped over kind of where all the stuff that's happening over in the commuter lot over there. So we weren't allowed to go to that way, so I had to get on my feet and get walking, so.
COLLINS: Well, Matt, you've done an excellent job. We appreciate your time here. Please let us know if you see anything else. We certainly want you to stay safe.
Reminding everyone the headline here, apparently according to the Associated Press, there has been one person killed in a shooting at Virginia Tech, and apparently one person wounded. And the other headline, of course, perhaps, the most frightening, is that the gunman is apparently still on the loose. There's a lot of police activity. Classes have been canceled. And everyone is being asked to stay indoors, stay away from their windows. A very frightening situation. And goes without saying, of course, when you think about what happened last August when a security guard and a police officer were killed.
Now that guy, you know, was on the lam for a day and a half or so. So certainly we hope that police can get ahold of this situation just as quickly as possible.
HARRIS: All right, we'll take a quick break, come back and get more information on this story to you.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jim Acosta in Mamaroneck, New York, where the flood waters may be going down, but residents are waking up to a very big mess to clean up. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Well, it is a big weather mess that we're talking about, and we're tracking it for you all morning here in the NEWSROOM. A major spring storm slamming the Northeast today. Our Jim Acosta is live north of New York City.
Jim, exactly where are you and, well, the scene -- no, no, it's pretty nasty behind you.
ACOSTA: it's all pretty nasty this morning in the Northeast, Tony. Yes, We're in the Mamaroneck, New York, which is in Westchester County, outside New York City.
And where we're standing right now was almost completely covered with water a few hours ago, so this is major progress. You can see the yellow line going down through the street here.
But as these waters are receding, people are waking up to find a very big mess out here. We just saw the National Guard and local emergency responders coming through this area, plucking residents out of their home. We actually just a few moments ago saw an emergency responder carrying a woman on his back out of her house. She and her son were pulled out of their home because they had been stranded basically inside all night, waiting for the waters to go down.
And as these waters have been very high this morning, we're seeing a lot of cars -- you know, you see this every time with these types of storms, cars trying to make it through this area. And we have video to show you. Earlier this morning we saw one woman trying to come through about five feet of water down through this street here. And she got stuck, not really a surprise here, was stranded right there in the middle of the road and needed some assistance from good samaritans, good samaritans that included us. We had to get behind and help push her up to higher ground.
But earlier last night, emergency officials here in Mamaroneck had issued a voluntary evacuation order to get people out of this area. A lot of people did not heed those warnings. I talked to a paramedic just a few moments ago, who said they've been plucking people out of their homes all night, and so that is basically what we're seeing out here. People, as the day goes on, are starting to come out of their homes, and some of them needing assistance from people, needing assistance from the emergency responders who are now making their way through this area. Just to make sure there are no problems out here.
So far from what we're hearing from local official no major injuries, just some bumps and bruises from some shaken-up residents -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, Jim, just curious. Are you in an area that is particularly prone to flooding from -- let's just say -- regular heavy downpours, or are we talking about an extraordinary amount of water here?
ACOSTA: Well, this was a significant event. I think this area that we're in right now, from what we understand, is sort of a low- lying area. It's next to the Mamaroneck River, and so that river did go over its banks and flood this area that we're in right now. And so, yes, you know, this is an area that does see flooding from time to time.
But no question, this was almost historic amounts of rainfall that fell across the New York metropolitan area. From what I understand, in central part, it was almost a record. So in that same amount of rainfall fell out here in Mamaroneck, and that's why you're seeing what is normally a low-lying area that floods from time to time significant problems out here this morning -- Tony.
HARRIS: Jim Acosta for us. Jim, appreciate it. Thank you.
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HARRIS: And we want to update the story we've been following for you out of Virginia Tech University. The university had to cancel all classes today, and for good reason. Police are now trying to locate a gunman, still believed to be on campus. Students are being advised to stay inside their buildings, away from windows. Police are investigating a shooting at West Ambler Johnston. We understand that to be a dorm building, referred to as West A.J., West Ambler Johnston. We understand that to be a huge dorm, with as many as 900 students housed there, according to a student we spoke to just a short time ago. The Associated Press -- this is where the story takes a sad turn -- is reporting that one person has been killed, another wounded. We will get additional information on this story and bring it to you right here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, war costs money -- lots of it. And President Bush needs it, soon. He's live this morning, leaning on Democrats to pass a funding bill. The president live at 11:00 Eastern right here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Remembering Jackie Robinson and his impact on modern America. Coming up, we will talk with his son, and one young woman who embodies the ideals Jackie Robinson stood for. Stay with us in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Paying tribute to a trailblazer. Major League Baseball observed Jackie Robinson Day Sunday, the 60th anniversary of his breaking into the Big Leagues, and breaking baseball's color barrier. But Jackie Robinson wasn't just a ballplayer. Oh no, he was a pioneer and leader.
Joining me now from Los Angeles to talk more about his legacy is David Robinson, Jackie Robinson's son, and Nicolette Robinson -- no relation -- but she is one of the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars, sponsored by the L.A. Dodgers.
Welcome to both of you. Great to see you, David and Nicolette.
David, let me start with you -- if you would, take a look at some of these images from yesterday's commemoration, yesterday's celebration, and as we look at these pictures, give us your thoughts.
There's your mom.
DAVID ROBINSON, SON OF JACKIE ROBINSON: Well, it's wonderful to see the unity expressed by an entire team wearing a number that represents honor, and courage, and commitment and direction. It's great to see a nation remembering barriers that have been broken and assessing where we are today and what barriers and what jobs we have to do in the future.
So to see this happening across the country, I think it's important and an extreme honor for all of us to both look forward and look back.
HARRIS: What did your mom think of the commemoration, when you had a moment to talk to her?
ROBINSON: She thought it was a wonderful day that everybody expressed a spirit and a commitment to values that she has spent her entire life fostering, both as a partner with my father and as the founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which really bears the legacy of creating opportunity and now creating opportunity for young people to be able to get an education where they might not have gotten an education before.
So the day, looking back and looking forward, really gives all of us a chance to become involved in shaping America's future going forward.
HARRIS: David, how proud are you of the foundation work?
ROBINSON: It's tremendous. We have 266 students currently in schools, 90 universities across 30 states, 1,100 graduates. It's really Jackie Robinson's living legacy in thousands of students who are not just given four-year scholarships, but are really developed and mentored as leaders and people who will have the key values to be able to take their education and implement it into developing a better society.
HARRIS: Nicolette, you just heard David. Boy, that sounds like a lot on your young shoulders. What does it mean to you to sort of be emblematic, to embody the values of Jackie Robinson?
NICOLETTE ROBINSON, UCLA STUDENT: Well, it's incredibly amazing. I'm just so incredibly honored and humbled to be able to be a part of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. And being a scholar is so amazing. As David said, we're welcomed into a family. It's such an incredible support system, and they're constantly trying to help us, and they just want us to succeed and give back to the community, which is really amazing.
HARRIS: I have to apologize to both of you. We have some breaking news, I don't know if you've been following, from our L.A. bureau, but we have a gunman on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, that we're getting additional information on. David Robinson, thank you so much. Nicolette Robinson, I wish I could have seen it yesterday. I missed that portion of the commemoration. But thank you both for being here this morning.
D. ROBINSON: Thank you. .
N. ROBINSON: Thank you.
HARRIS: We quickly want to give this information to you. According to our affiliate on the ground there in the Virginia Tech area, WSLS, saying one person has now been taken into custody. Once again, WSLS, our affiliate there, Virginia Tech area, reporting that one person has been taken into custody. The Associated Press reporting one person has been killed, and another wounded in this shooting that happened apparently on campus.
We want to get directly to someone we have on the line now. This is Madison Van Duyne. She is apparently in the classroom on campus that is, as you know, on lockdown.
Madison, tell us where you are and what's happening around you.
MADISON VAN DUYNE, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I am in a classroom which is across the campus from where the shooting had occurred, and we are all on lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floor away from all of the windows, and we're just trying to be as safe as possible.
COLLINS: And just reminder in case they are just now tuning in, apparently this shooting did take place at West Ambler Johnston Dorm. It's also known on campus as West A.J., one of the larger residence halls.
Madison, are you still hearing sirens or any police, or is everyone just kind of -- because you have been told to stay away from the windows, just staying there and trying to be calm?
VAN DUYNE: We were actually all just in the middle of class, and we heard, you know, numerous sirens going by. So that's when we kind of started moving over to the side. But since that time period I have not heard any more sirens. I think that they have e all moved on to the side of campus that most of this is going on to.
COLLINS: By any chance, it's probably impossible, but I feel like I should ask, we are now hearing reports from one of our television stations that we work with there, WSLS, saying that apparently one person has been taken into custody. Are you guys able to get any sort of news whatsoever on what's going on outside where you are?
VAN DUYNE: No, we -- well, the university has done a wonderful job of e-mailing us and just trying to keep us updated.
However, we haven't heard who has been taken into custody or any information of that sort.
COLLINS: OK. I just want to let our viewers know what we are seeing on the screen right now, as you to us Madison. There's a webcam that has been set up and broadcasting live, so we have taken that webcam picture now, live pictures of the campus of Virginia Tech. Of course not exactly positive of what we're able to see or where this is positioned. But again, worth reminding everyone that apparently shooting did take place at the West Ambler Johnston dorm earlier this morning, and I have a map in front of me, and now you see it there on your screen.
Sort of give us an idea, Madison, if you could, where that building sits, with relevance to the rest of the campus. Is it near the stadium? I'm looking at something there that says "stadium parking."
VAN DUYNE: Yes, it is actually near the stadium, so -- and we are on the -- my classroom is on the opposite side of that. So we are across the drill field.
COLLINS: OK, and give us a sense of what the environment is in the classroom there? We've been talking a little bit more this morning about two different accounts that we had from callers telling us that there have been several bomb threats on the campus. And then of course looking back to August when a police officer and a security guard were killed by, you know, completely separate incidents, of course.
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