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Day of Mourning for Virginia Tech Victims; Columbine Anniversary; Robert Gates Puts Pressure on Iraq Government
Aired April 20, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live on Friday, April 20th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
A day to mourn. This Friday set aside to remember the students and faculty who were gunned down on the Virginia Tech campus. A moment of silence set for noon.
HARRIS: Republicans hopping mad at the top Democrat in the Senate. They say Harry Reid's conclusion the Iraq war is lost undercuts the troops.
COLLINS: A seaside town watching helplessly as a cliff crumbles. One house already a goner, six more may slide.
Life on the edge in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A week of terror and grief. Today a day of mourning. The spotlight shifting from the gunman who launched the massacre at Virginia Tech to his many victims.
Across the country, churches will hold vigils and services. Across Virginia, a moment of silence.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is on campus this morning.
Brianna, what is the very latest in the investigation now?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, Heidi, this is the end of no doubt the most difficult week in the history of Virginia Tech. Right now evidence has largely been gathered, and authorities tell us that the information coming from the investigation is really going to slow to a trickle from here on out.
What we will be looking for, especially in the coming months, the results of a review, how authorities handle themselves. Of course, this comes amid criticism that police and university officials should have shut down the campus after the first shooting. And this was a review requested by university president Charles Steger of Governor Kaine.
We do understand that this panel will include the former head of the Virginia State Police. That's Colonel Gerald Massengill. And also another name you'll certainly recognize, Tom Ridge, former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, also former governor of Pennsylvania. And it will also include experts -- law enforcement, mental health, higher education experts.
Now, as you said, today is a day of mourning. This was declared also by Governor Kaine. He has requested a moment of silence at noon across the state of Virginia to remember the 32 people who were killed here on Monday.
This is also being called Hokie Hope Day. This is something being organized by the alumni association here. So you'll be seeing a lot of people, probably, Heidi, wearing orange and maroon. And this is just a way for them to show their solidarity with all of the people here at Virginia Tech who are coping with this terrible tragedy -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, we certainly are trying to do that here.
I'm wondering though, Brianna, for a while we had heard that we might see something, a statement, or hear something from Cho's sister. But that has not happened. And I'm wondering if you've heard from Cho's parents yet.
KEILAR: No, we haven't heard anything from immediate members of Cho's family. We do know, according to the South Korean Embassy, that they had -- after a meeting with the FBI, they learned the Cho family is doing OK. And a law enforcement official said this was a meeting that -- so the FBI could assure the South Korean Embassy that they are prepared to deal with any threats against members of the South Korean community -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Brianna Kielar, coming to us from Blacksburg today.
Brianna, thanks.
HARRIS: Experts say the shooter fits the model of a school shooter, a shy and bullied youngster who eventually lashes out.
CNN's Sean Callebs is in Cho's hometown, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Sean, good morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
We came here to find out more about this young man, to see if there were any obvious indications that Cho was indeed some kind of ticking time bomb that would eventually go off. We're outside where he went to high school here at Westfield High School in the town of Chantilly. We had a chance to speak with a number of people who went to middle school and high school with Cho, and one thing we did find out, yes, he is a loner; yes, he rarely said anything in school; and by all indications, no one knew him very well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice over): This is how the world will remember him, sullen and snarling, casting a wide net and blaming those who he says pushed him over the edge.
REGAN WILDER, CLASSMATE: You've got to wonder what went so wrong in his life that this was ultimately the decision he made to get revenge for whatever it was.
CALLEBS: And now, Regan Wilder wonders if anyone really knew Cho Seung-Hui.
They went to the same middle and high schools before moving on to Virginia Tech.
WILDER: If you ask anybody about him that graduated with him or went to school with him, he was just known as that kid that didn't speak. He just -- he never spoke. And that's how everyone remembered him.
CALLEBS: That is, until now.
Cho was born in South Korea in 1984. His family moved to the U.S. in 1992, eventually settling here in Centreville, Virginia, where his parents worked in a dry cleaners.
EBRAM HAKIM, CLASSMATE: Well, you know, he was pretty normal, other than the fact I just thought he didn't know any English and that's why he never talked to anybody.
CALLEBS: Cho was quiet. Even though he was often at this local basketball court, refusing to join games. Cho did pick up a nickname walking to the bus stop each day.
JOHN WILLIAMS, CLASSMATE: We called him the trombone kid because he would just walk with his trombone all alone.
CALLEBS: But there were worse names leveled by others. Cho, they say, was often picked on and taunted because he was such a loner.
WILLIAMS: Such a quiet, shy kid like that is such an easy target. And he took it and took it and took it. And built up all that anger and whatever he felt inside. And then, you know, someone like that is going to explode. It's destined to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: Boy, indeed, a tough week all over this state. Now, here at Westfield, a couple of makeshift memorials that propped up on these rocks. If you look closely, you see the name "Erin" painted in green. That for Erin Peterson, who graduated from the school last year.
And also Reema, for Reema Samaha. We've heard a lot about her, the young, talented dancer.
Cho is accused of, of course, killing and shooting both of those two former students here Monday at Virginia tech.
Tony, it's just a very difficult time for the folks here. Really agonizing. And they simply are trying to cope with this like everybody else as best they can.
HARRIS: It's hard to know what to do and what to say.
Sean, what more you have learned about what kind of student Cho was?
CALLEBS: Well, you know, despite the fact that he said nothing, virtually nothing in class, often put his head down when he was called upon, and had no friends, by the accounts we were able to gather, he was a good student. He took AP classes here at high school.
And in talking to Regan, the girl we spoke with earlier in that story, about the average SAT score to get into Virginia Tech was 1300. So clearly, a bright kid.
HARRIS: Yes.
CALLEBS: But someone -- someone really, really, really troubled.
HARRIS: Yes.
CNN's Sean Callebs for us in Centreville, Virginia.
Sean, thanks.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.
This is a tough day for the families of those killed in the Columbine school shootings. Today marks the eighth anniversary of that dreadful day. Family and friends of the victims not only remembering their loved ones, but also reeling from the Virginia Tech massacre.
CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us from Littleton, Colorado.
And Ed, good to see you.
What is the mood in that city today? ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, what many people here have long suffered with and dealt with over -- since the shootings happened here eight years ago is the hope that this would never happen again. And, of course, it all changed on Monday when many people here in Littleton, Colorado -- the moment they heard about what happened, sending them back to what happened here eight years ago. And many of the thoughts and prayers of the people not only thinking about the loved ones that they lost or the experiences that they had to deal with while they were here, but many of those thoughts are turning to the very same people in Virginia who are going through exactly what they went through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice over): Rachel Scott was eating lunch in the cafeteria at Columbine High School on this day eight years ago when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold launched their bloody shooting rampage. Rachel was the first person killed.
Her brother Craig was in the school library and watched the killers shoot two students next to him. Eight years after Columbine, Craig Scott can offer the wisdom only a survivor and witness can share.
CRAIG SCOTT, BROTHER OF RACHEL SCOTT: I dealt with a lot of anger from Columbine. I hated the two shooters for a while. And I would challenge to not to continue to hold on to and embrace the anger, but take that and actually I would challenge to forgive.
LAVANDERA: To do that, Craig and his father Darrell started a school program called Rachel's Challenge. They tour the country talking about school violence. This is their way of celebrating Rachel's life. But to reach this point, Darrell Scott had to deal with other emotions first.
DARRELL SCOTT, RACHEL SCOTT'S FATHER: I expected Rachel to walk into the room for days. I would wake up, and within that split second remember that she's no longer here, and then it was like a surreal type of a thing.
LAVANDERA: Virginia Tech families are dealing with the pain of loss in a public, high-profile way, but Craig Scott says there is good that can come from that.
C. SCOTT: It brings on some different good things. Some good things are that there's a lot of people now that are aware of your pain and want to -- want to help.
LAVANDERA: Craig and Darrell Scott have found that talking about Rachel has been the best way to heal.
D. SCOTT: That's the best advice I could give, is to celebrate the lives of the ones you lost, because what we focus on is what we become. And if we focus on bitterness and anger, it destroys us.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LAVANDERA: And Tony, you know, we've heard that a lot from people who either witnessed the shooting, were injured in the shooting, or have loved ones that died in the shooting here at Columbine High School, that the one important thing that they say over and over to us is that it is important to talk to us.
You don't have to talk to a reporter about it. You don't have to go on campus tours or anything to talk about it. But even if you're just talking about it with loved ones, that that is an important key in the healing process.
HARRIS: Talk it out. Talk it out. Don't focus on the anger of it all.
Hey, Ed, I'm wondering what's going on in Columbine, at the school, in the town today to mark this event. And I'm wondering if those events might actually turn into a bit of a remembrance of the Virginia Tech victims.
LAVANDERA: Well, it's actually very quiet. Classes here at Columbine High School, as they are every April 20th now, are canceled. It's a day of reflection.
There are a couple of ceremonies. There's a remembrance at the basilica in downtown Denver. And a couple of people do some things. But there is nothing, like an official organized event, per se, that happens here in Littleton.
HARRIS: Well, let's hope folks take the opportunity to talk.
Ed Lavandera for us.
Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: Campus security. Safety in the spotlight this week after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech. Could move have been done to protect students and staff?
Kelly McCann is a form Marine Corps major. He is now president of Kroll Security Group, a risk management and security company.
Kelly, nice to see you.
How safe are our campuses?
KELLY MCCANN, KROLL SECURITY GROUP: You know, Heidi, all institutions of any kind that have a campus are concerned to not make security too repressive. And I know that educators and students alike, as well as corporate people, don't want there to be so much security that it represses kind of the learning process, et cetera.
COLLINS: However, you say that the best type of security there is, is what you call layered and redundant. IT sounds like a lot of security.
MCCANN: It is a lot of security. But a lot of it is unseen. Good security is layered and redundant. We start with trying to dissuade an attacker so that when they look at security they may decide not to try to do whatever it is they're going to do. And this includes high-visibility policing, swipe cards, access controls, all the normal things that you would normally see.
Then you want to try to make sure that you can detect a breach of security as soon as possible. And this is normally unseen.
This is CCTV cameras. This is, you know, other things. Surreptious means that you know that a security breach has occurred.
Then you have to try to deter the attacker, and normally that goes to less lethal weapons, some of the slippery foam, sticky foam technology that is out there. Some of the kinds of things that are used in consulates and embassies so that they're not overrun.
And then lastly, you want to try to defeat attack. And that would be the hardened safe haven space like a classroom, only hardened, where people can congregate so that they're not directly exposed to an attacker -- Heidi.
COLLINS: But Kelly, how many campuses have all this?
MCCANN: Not many. I mean, the fact is, you know, all of this has to be financially sustainable. And if you looked at this problem the day before this happened and suggested that there was that level of security, I think that maybe boards of directors would say that it's not financially sustainable.
The trick is, is to do a professional assessment on the front end and make sure that it is sustainable, that it's not intrusive, but that there are those layers. And don't forget, Heidi, you still have to address communications. How do you flash communicate a threat when you get dynamic information as this thing goes mobile?
COLLINS: Yes. And as we look at this situation that happened on Monday -- and certainly not asking you to armchair quarterback by any means -- but that was clearly an issue in all of this, letting these kids know what had happened earlier in the morning.
So I have to ask you, with your security background, were things handled the best way that they could have been handled, specifically in that two-hour time frame in between the first and second shootings?
MCCANN: I'm sure that the investigators are creating a timeline which will basically show that there was a lag between the time that the initial homicide was even reported. Then there is a response time. Then you have to create the crime scene.
So, if you start adding up the minutes that occurred -- and don't forget, Heidi, no one saw the attacker. There wasn't a physical description. He simply concealed his weapons and walked away from the first homicide.
COLLINS: So then they should have closed it down. They didn't have -- they didn't have anybody in custody. They didn't have any -- anything to go on at that point.
MCCANN: The problem is, you're trying to close down a 2600-acre porous security environment. And to what end?
In other words, there wasn't a physical description. No one knew what to look for. So I think it's -- you were exactly right. You don't want to armchair quarterback this because we don't have all facts yet -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Let's talk for a minute before we let you go, Kelly, about maybe the next layer of all this. And that would have to be the training of the RAs, the resident advisors, or the professors there, you know, on the campus.
I had a chance to speak with one of the professors who said after the first shooting took place -- and I'm referring to the one in August on the first day of school -- they actually did meet with the Blacksburg Police Department and have these little conferences, if you will, about how to better protect their students.
Should there be more of that?
MCCANN: Absolutely. It's got to be at the forefront of your mind.
And the thing is that these events are sporadic and infrequent, thank god. But you must be thinking about that. And in order to act under a crisis, the RAs and professors need to have a response for an active shooter problem or other crisis. And if you're not doing continual training and exercising of those skills, they'll simply be unable to marshal the people that need it the most in the middle of an emergency -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Should they be carrying guns?
MCCANN: No, I don't believe that.
COLLINS: All right. Very good.
Kelly McCann, nice to see you again.
MCCANN: Good to see you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Kroll Security Group. Appreciate it.
HARRIS: Making their mark. Newsmakers who shaped the week, we do this every week here in the NEWSROOM, and sometime the people shape the world, change the world.
Today's choice, an easy one. The students and staff of Virginia Tech.
A gunman plunged them into his madness and thrust them into the spotlight. And there they have captivated the world from stories of courage under fire, to the dignity and strength and heartbreak. It is a sorrow shared by millions. Making their mark, the people of Virginia Tech.
COLLINS: Following the path of a killer. CNN's David Mattingly retraces the steps of the Virginia Tech shooter straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A message for the Iraqi leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm sympathetic with some of the challenges that they face. By -- but by the same token, to pick up General Petraeus' theme, the clock is ticking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Iraq, ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The fight for Iraq. One leading lawmaker saying it's lost. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the troop buildup in Baghdad isn't working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course, and we must change course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: His comments about the war being lost are in direct conflict with what commanders on the ground are saying. And General Petraeus yesterday, in his expressed opinion, that we've got a lot of work to do. But we're starting to see some signs of hope with the Baghdad security plan.
And so it makes you wonder, if this is his true feeling, that he believes the war is lost, then is he going to have the courage of his convictions and be willing to suffer the consequences and actually de- fund the war?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Both the House and Senate have tacked on withdrawal timetables to a war funding bill. President Bush says he will veto any measure tied to a troop pullout.
HARRIS: Defense Secretary Roberts Gates is putting the pressure on Iran's government, stop the sectarian violence. American troops won't be there forever.
Here is CNN's Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Iraq, a speeding ambulance carries a victim from the scene of the latest deadly suicide attack less than a half a mile from the Baghdad home of President Jalal Talabani. The bombing killed at least a dozen people and follows the deadliest day since the surge began. Upwards of 198 people were killed in six separate bombings Wednesday.
It was an unwelcome welcome for the U.S. defense secretary, Robert Gates, who as he left for his unannounced inspection tour, warned that American patience is not unlimited.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm sympathetic with some of the challenges that they face, but by the same token, to pick up General Petraeus' theme, the clock is ticking.
MCINTYRE: Gates met with General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander, who has been given what some see as mission impossible, getting the Sunni and Shia to stop fighting while defeating al Qaeda forces whose strategy is to keep the civil war raging.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: Clearly, these sensational attacks can't be anything other than viewed as setbacks and challenges. And it does show that the enemy has a vote.
MCINTYRE: Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues to put the best face on the effort, releasing statistics that purport to show attacks and civilian casualties are actually down over the past six weeks, 50 percent down in Baghdad, with casualties across the country down 24 percent, and attacks countrywide down 17 percent.
But the Pentagon briefer did not mention that U.S. casualties are running at an all-time high, with more than 80 deaths a month.
MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL BARBERO, U.S. ARMY: I meant to present a balanced picture in that we are seeing, as I said, some early indicators of some progress. However, we should have -- we should realistic expectations. These high-profile attacks are going to continue.
MCINTYRE (on camera): The Pentagon is battling not just the reality of Iraq, but the perception as well. So the new CENTCOM commander is dumping the phrase "the long war" coined by his predecessor.
Admiral William Fallon has directed his staff not to use that description anymore, saying it sends the wrong message that U.S. troops will be staying in Iraq a long time. The characterization, he says, is unhelpful.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: Victims of the Virginia Tech massacre remembered around the nation and around the world. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, a Lebanese journalist talks about how her country grieves.
HARRIS: You've dreamed of that seaside bungalow. But not like this. Hello? A serious landslide, I'd say. And it may not be over yet.
Details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Take a look at these numbers for you as the bell opens today, 9:30 on Friday morning. We are looking at some of these numbers from yesterday. Industrial average only went up about five points or so, closed at 12,808. Today, it's up 68. So we're going to be watching this as the day goes on. Big, big story, Google, boy, they're getting wealthy there aren't they? First quarter profit up 69 percent. We'll be talking more about that as the day goes on here at CNN NEWSROOM.
In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre, we are learning more about what the gunman did in the final weeks, days and hours before committing mass murder. CNN's David Mattingly traces the footsteps of a killer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New details of Cho Seung-Hui's last days bring new focus to how long he was planning to kill. After the discovery of an apparent road trip taken by Cho in March when he rented a car, possibly the vehicle where he made this recording, part of the package he sent to NBC.
COL. STEVE FLAHERTY, SUPT., VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: The vehicle you saw portrayed last night, we had known about since the first day. I'm not going to speak to where it was or what it was.
MATTINGLY: But 19 days before the killings, Cho's whereabouts are clear. He spent a night in this hotel 30 minutes from the dormitory. He checked out in the next day, was pulled over for speeding just seven miles from campus. At the time, he was driving a 2007 maroon minivan. The day of the Virginia Tech killings, however, investigators say Cho was on foot. His dorm room was just a 30-second walk from the scene of the first kings. And it was another easy walk to the post office where he shipped his so-called manifesto to NBC.
(on-camera): Having just walked here myself, I can tell you it's a trip that takes only about 15 minutes. Once he got here, it's unlikely that Cho would have attracted any attention. Authorities say it was a very busy day at the post office because of the tax filing deadline. Still, he could have been in and out of there in a matter of minutes.
(voice-over): Cho interacted with the clerk who took his express mail package and postmarked it at 9:01 a.m. The moment might have been forgotten except for one small detail.
DAVID McGINNIS, U.S. POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE: The clerk recalls the parcel being presented and noticed that there were six digits in the zip code and corrected that by removing one of the digits.
MATTINGLY: After that, Cho was on the move again, walking through some of the most heavily traveled parts of campus, possibly crossing paths with scores of people along the way. From doorstep to doorstep, the walk from the post office to the engineering building takes just 10 minutes. Assuming he didn't stop along the way, Cho could have had as much as 20 minutes inside the building before he started shooting. With the classes already in session, there wouldn't have been many people in the hallways, maybe no one to confront him, stop him, question him, ask him what he was doing as he put his plans into motion. There was plenty of time for the killer to chain the doors, target the classrooms and prepare his weapons. What's clear about his actions, is how much pain he inflicted. David Mattingly, CNN, Blacksburg, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: One of the youngest killed in the Virginia Tech attacks, Reema Samaha, she was an 18-year-old Lebanese-American who loved to dance. Lebanese-American Ross Alameddine was also among those killed. Joining us now with reflections from her home, a Lebanese journalist. Sara Khoury, Sara great to see you.
SARA KHOURY, LEBANESE JOURNALIST: Good to see you.
HARRIS: We spent time over the last couple of days and you have been very helpful in helping us understand the lives of these two victims here in the United States. Let's talk about Reema first. Tell us about Reema as we remember her today.
KHOURY: Well, a lot of her friends have spoken about her. They described her as an amazing friend, a person who loved to live. She loved dancing. She loved theater. She was always friendly and she lived in the dorms. So apparently she was always very kind to everyone. And she was always caring.
HARRIS: And we hear that she had this love for dance. I don't know that we have some of the video. But we understand that she picked up belly dancing recently and maybe ballet as well.
KHOURY: Actually, last night her last night she had, as can you see, she was doing the traditional Lebanese dancing. And her friends said that she was actually the one leading and showing them how to do that. And it was the last time her parents saw her. And according to an interview that her father had, the next morning had sent her an e- mail to tell her how proud her family was of her.
HARRIS: Any family back in Lebanon?
KHOURY: She has a relatives, grandparents, aunts, uncles and actually another (INAUDIBLE) they're holding various memorial ceremonies for her in various parts of the country.
HARRIS: Tell us about Ross, Saugus (ph), Massachusetts.
KHOURY: Well, Ross is also Lebanese. He does have extended family in Lebanon. Ross also was described as a person who was always there for his friends. He was very serious when it came to his work and his studies. But at the same time, he enjoyed chilling with his friends over pizza.
HARRIS: How are we getting these images? Is this, you know, this Internet age that we live in now, these facebook accounts as that how we're getting to know more about these two young people?
KHOURY: Actually, that is what is very interesting is that nowadays with the facebook and other web sites, you actually get really close to the victims. And you realize that they're just like any of us, like our brothers and sisters and loved ones. And you really can sense the humane part of this and you feel them.
HARRIS: Sara, how is this story playing in Lebanon? I know you work for Future TV. That is a channel that is owned, am I correct, by the Hariri family.
KHOURY: That's right.
HARRIS: So how is this story playing back in Lebanon and what you are being asked to file on?
KHOURY: Well, actually in Lebanon, we cover a lot of Lebanese tragedies, even though we have a lot of conflict in Lebanon. A lot of Lebanese are fed up with seeing their people suffering and being victims. And actually, this week in Lebanon there are major story which is a UN official that is there to tackle a very important development. But one TV station actually started by saying even though this official is here, this story, the news now is Ross and Reema.
HARRIS: Yeah.
KHOURY: And they went through to reports about their family, condolences, people are saying and I found a few reports from my TV station. And newspapers have it as front page. I'm sure that weekly and monthly magazines will also be going in depth on these issues.
HARRIS: Any final thoughts? I'm just wondering if there is any editorializing going on, any columns being written about these two young people, how they're being remembered back in Lebanon. Any thoughts along those lines?
KHOURY: Definitely, especially Lebanon is very easy to get a hold of their family members. Lebanese are very close to each other and they're very friendly. And everyone knows everyone. So people do feel very affected and definitely there will be an editorial. If I'd like to also say that regarding violence before I came here, I was asked to do a report on violence in schools.
HARRIS: Before coming here.
KHOURY: Before coming here. Because we know that there are a lot of violence going on in schools. Every few months we hear of shooting or violence. And I think many Lebanese sometimes they get a bit bothered by the fact that there is so much pressure about foreigners, you know, coming and being violent towards Americans whereas, you know, what is being done about American violence itself when laws --
HARRIS: Internally.
KHOURY: Exactly. Laws are being really lenient towards guns and students having guns.
HARRIS: Well, it is a discussion that is likely to heat up here in the months ahead. Sara great to see you.
KHOURY: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thanks for your perspective. It must be just surreal for you to be here during the week when this happens and that there are Lebanese victims. Great to see you. Thanks for your time this morning.
KHOURY: Thank you.
COLLINS: On to Washington now. Alberto Gonzales was on Capitol Hill to throw water on the firestorm over those eight fired U.S. attorneys. Instead, he may have added fuel to the fire. CNN's Dana Bash reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The tone was testy from the start when the attorney general credibility in question and job on the line angered the committee's top Republican.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R) PENNSYLVANIA: I know you've been preparing for this -- this hearing.
ALBERTO GONZALEZ, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I prepare for every hearing, senator.
SPECTER: You prepare for all your press conferences? Were you prepared for the press conference where you said there weren't any discussions involving you?
GONZALEZ: Senator, I've already said that I misspoke. It was my mistake.
SPECTER: I'm asking you, were you prepared? You interjected that you're always prepared. Were you prepared for that press conference?
GONZALEZ: I didn't say that I was always prepared.
BASH: Alberto Gonzalez told skeptical senators he only had a limited role in firing eight Federal prosecutors, saying he left it up to top aides to make judgments about dismissals. In some cases he knew why he signed off on firing someone.
GONZALEZ: Mr. McCain, when I sent the recommendation on December 7th, generally I recall there being serious concerns about his judgment.
BASH: In others, he did not.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R) KANSAS: (INAUDIBLE) the western district of Michigan?
GONZALEZ: Same issue. She's the other person, quite candidly senator that I don't recall remembering. I don't recall the reason why I accepted the decision on December 7th.
BASH: The disbelief among loyal Republicans was stunning.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: Most of this is a stretch. I think it's clear to me that some of these people just had personality conflicts with people in your office or at the White House and, you know, we made up reasons to fire them.
BASH: Senators were openly frustrated that the attorney general's testimony was peppered by three words.
GONZALEZ: I don't recall. I don't recall. I don't recall.
BASH: GOP senators were baffled by Gonzalez' inability to remember key facts like whether he attended a high-level meeting in November where the firings were discussed.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R) ALABAMA: I guess I'm concerned about your recollections, really because it's not that long ago. It was an important issue and that is troubling.
BASH: At the end of the day, the committee's top Republican, Senator Arlen Specter, said he thinks the attorney general mismanaged the firing of Federal prosecutors, said his credibility has been impaired. He also said he plans to call President Bush to tell him just that. Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Let's say we get a check of weather now.
COLLINS: Yeah. It's not looking very good.
HARRIS: We haven't talked to Chad Myers --
COLLINS: Hi, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I've had like three hits in three days.
HARRIS: Yeah. Great to see you.
MYERS: I'll make up for it when that first hurricane comes around.
COLLINS: No thanks.
MYERS: Good morning guys. Good morning, west coast. It is getting wet out there from San Francisco to LA. It will eventually get some rain showers into Phoenix. That storm out to the west that I showed you on radar a little bit ago, that will be the storm that makes big time severe weather in the plains tomorrow. It is across the Rocky mountains, across the four corners and will fire up weather all the way from Nebraska down through Texas.
Now what else will that do for us? Actually, it will put rainfall down into southern California as well. We have a cold air mass coming down from the north. It's making rain in Bakersfield, making rain in San Francisco and all the way down to Santa Rosa. A lot of the areas here are going to pick up good amounts of rainfall in the west. And then tomorrow, you get the clash, 64, 79. There is your clash between the cold and the warm. And that will make the rainfall and the stormy weather in the plains.
Now we really can use the rainfall. Here's the U.S. drought monitor from NOAA and a big time extreme drought across the entire southwestern part of the country. A couple more nodules up here into Wyoming as well. Big time severe weather, severe drought here into water drought, rainfall drought across Alabama, Mississippi. And also down here, right down in southeastern Georgia where you saw that big wildfire. It is still going down there. Here are some pictures though from the nor'easter. No drought in the northeast. That is for sure. Some of the pictures from Camp Ellis, Maine, WGME, our affiliate here. The waves were 20 to 30 feet crashing on the shore, washing away the foundations of those homes right on the shore and taking them right into the ocean themselves. A lot of cleanup here. That was a road. It's going to take a while to get in and out of there. Homes, businesses are cut off. Still 1,000 people in New Jersey had to sleep at shelters yesterday because their homes weren't safe. There is Kennebunkport, a lot of damage there as well. Guys, back to you.
COLLINS: And Chad, stick around for this one, too because more damage to show. Trouble, in fact, a lot of it in Newfoundland. Part of this Canadian town just falling right into the sea. I have never seen something like that, a house tumbling off into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It's been going on since Sunday, one house down. Apparently six more -- you can see them there teetering on the edge, are threatened. The only road into this town is also in danger. Long term erosion seems to be the primary cause of this disaster. Chad, you have ever seen anything like that? We see those sink holes every now and then.
MYERS: They got so much rain up there. It's actually called super saturation. The land just -- the dirt particles actually slide on each other and it actually just falls down. Can you imagine how muddy it can get there. That looks like it is drying up pretty well. It is falling all the way down. They had part of the nor'easter as well, obviously. They're northeast.
COLLINS: Right. Wow. Unreal. All right. Chad, thanks so much. We'll check back later.
HARRIS: still to come this morning in the NEWSROOM, there is no crystal ball. Why mental health experts can't predict a patient's future. That story coming up straight ahead for you in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to give you some information that we just received here at CNN coming to us from President Charles Steger. He is the president of Virginia Tech. It's a letter that he has written to fellow members of the Virginia Tech community. Some of the thoughts here saying he really wishes he could speak to each one of them individually. Thanks them so much for the support to students and families and the community. Says that there is one bright light in the tragedy of all of this and that's been the strength and the spirit that are so prevalent across the campus. He says he's very proud of them and from the bottom of his heart, thanks them all.
And also wants to bring about the sense of beginning again. He says after this traumatic experience it will be difficult to resume our lives and duties. But start again we must. He also says classes will still resume as we've been hearing on Monday, April 23rd. Commencement will proceed as scheduled. That is set for May 11th. You may have heard, I believe it was yesterday, when we learned that all of the deceased victims will be honored posthumously with the degrees that they were pursuing in their fields. And finally, we remember the words he says of Nicki Giovanni, one of the poets there at Virginia Tech that we heard her speak who said through all our sadness we will prevail Once again, these are the words Charles W. Steger, the president of Virginia Tech.
HARRIS: Predicting a storm, it can be as tough with violent behavior as violent weather. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cho Seung-Hui was no stranger to mental health professionals. In fact about a year and a half ago he was evaluated at a mental health facility. So why didn't anybody figure out that he was capable of such horrific carnage?
JOHN T. MONAHAN, PSYCHOLOGIST: Studies have shown for a long time that psychiatrists and psychologists are not very good at predicting violence in the future. We are better than chance but they're not much better than chance.
COHEN: Dr. John Monahan studies mental illness and violence. He says several things can help a doctor figure out if someone is going to turn violent. Have they been violent before? Were they abused as children? Really, doctors don't have a whole lot to go on.
MONAHAN: In some ways predicting harmful behavior is like predicting harmful weather. If an inaccurate prediction is made, that doesn't necessarily mean that anybody has missed anything. COHEN: Which may explain why Cho Seung-Hui was released into the general population after his evaluation at the clinic. Melanie Adkins knows firsthand how difficult predicting behavior can be. A mental health counselor, police often ask her to evaluate whether someone is a threat to themselves or others. Her office is across the street from Virginia Tech and she's often called upon to evaluate students, though she wouldn't say whether she ever evaluated Cho. There is no real test can you do to see if someone is going to be violent in the future?
MELANIE ADKINS, COUNSELOR: Absolutely not. There is absolutely not a test that will give us a yes or no answer.
COHEN: When evaluating students, Atkins asks about past history, whether someone has support from family and friends, if they abused drugs or alcohol. But in the end --
ADKINS: Sometimes it seems like folks think we have a crystal ball and that we can really look into the future and see what will happen with a particular individual. But it's not an exact science and we're just not that good at predicting long-term risk of violence.
COHEN: Mental health isn't like heart health, she says. Cardiologists can look into your heart and see if it's sick. The human brain, it turns out, is much more complex. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Blacksburg, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A day to mourn. The 32 people who died at Virginia Tech, church services around the nation and a moment of silence planned. We'll fill you in coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Nine victims of the Virginia Tech shootings are still in the hospital today and some out enjoyed a serenade outside their windows last night. How about that? The Hokie marching band played the school's fight song outside one of the three hospitals caring for the wounded. Patients came to the windows as you see there, snapped some photos and others just savored the moment and music.
HARRIS: Hokie pride, Hokie pride, Hokie pride. Haven't we heard that a lot this week? That's great.
Still to come, the fight for Iraq. One leading lawmaker suggests it's being lost. A colleague responds this morning right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We've all asked ourselves what would we do if we won the lottery. A lucky man got asked that question after he actually won. CNN's Ali Velshi on one lottery winner's life after work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRETT DUKE (ph): Jackpot was $220.3 million.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brett Duke was managing local gyms in Idaho when he won the power ball lottery nearly two years ago.
DUKE: I started a lot of my days and -- on this bike right here.
VELSHI: But he knew the legends of what can go wrong so he didn't act fast.
DUKE: I still was officially employed and working for two or three months afterwards because I loved what I did.
VELSHI: Duke was 33 at the time. After taxes he ended up with about $85 million. He grew up poor but his work ethic and ultra competitive spirit had carried him far. His new goal was to become a billionaire before he was 50. So Duke decided to diversify his investments. He put some money in with professionals in areas he knows little about like oil and gas. He had other proposals, though.
DUKE: Time machine. This dude thought that he had a time machine.
VELSHI: But he also teamed up with old colleagues in businesses that played off his strengths in the fitness industry. He's busy. But he says it doesn't really feel like work.
DUKE: I feel retired because I have the freedom to make the decisions that I want to make and I can pursue the opportunities that I want to pursue.
VELSHI: One opportunity Duke hasn't pursued is buying a new house. He has however traded up from 2003 VW Jetta, way up, to a brand new Aston Martin and he still plays the lottery.
DUKE: There has never been anybody that's done it twice. And obviously I can't be the guy that does it twice if I don't play.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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