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Military Leaders Dispute Claims that U.S. is Losing War; Can Attorney General Survive Senate Testimony?; Investigators Look at Details of Virginia Tech Massacre; Columbine High School Marks Eight Anniversary of Killings
Aired April 20, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: And I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today.
There are new details as the nation mourns with Virginia Tech today. We are learning more about what went down during the gunman's rampage.
LEMON: And after a day of tough testimony, will the heat force Alberto Gonzales out of office?
NGUYEN: Plus, is the four-letter word one powerful senator used, is the war really lost? Military leaders are responding.
LEMON: It is a day of mourning, not in black, but in maroon and orange. Bells tolled at noon in Arlington, Virginia. It was one of many observances for victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Not only in Virginia, but all across the country and overseas.
In Evans, Georgia, they remembered 22-year-old Ryan Clark. He was one of the first students to die.
Also today, a funeral in Israel. Virginia Tech engineering professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, stood against a classroom door to protect his students from the gunman.
CNN's Brian Todd will join us with an update on the investigation in the Virginia Tech massacre in just a few moments.
NGUYEN: Right now, though, we do want to get you straight to the news room and CNN's T.J. Holmes on a developing story. What do you have, T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Betty. We've got a bomb threat we need to tell you about out in Arizona, specifically the capital of Arizona in Phoenix and at the capital complex. We understand that the buildings on the state capital complex now being evacuated because of this bomb threat.
According to police, they got a call about 7:20 local time there in Phoenix from a caller, a male caller, who said that he was going to blow up the capital building and that, quote, "If you think I'm joking, just watch the news," was the quote, according to the police officials there.
Now, everyone has been evacuated or is being still currently evacuated from the state capital complex, including the state capital building.
Also, one other note here. Of course, this is the day when Virginia Tech, a day of remembrance here is being, certainly, recognized there in Virginia but also around the country. And there was a moment of silence today that was supposed to happen there at the Arizona state capital.
Because of the evacuation, people had to move out. Well, that didn't stop the moment of silence, still. They moved it across the street, where people were gathered. Still had that moment of silence. Just one note there to pass along.
But again, bomb threat at the state capital there in Phoenix right now. According to the governor, Jan Napolitano's officials, that bomb sniffing dogs and police have been brought in to screen all the offices. So it's something we're keeping an eye on here, a bomb threat out in Phoenix. We'll keep you updated there, Betty.
NGUYEN: Definitely not what you want to hear after the week that we've all had. Thank you, T.J. Appreciate it.
LEMON: U.S. troops fought it out with gunmen in Baghdad today. A military spokesman says American and Iraqi troops clashed with insurgents near a Shiite mosque. Two militants were reportedly killed. No U.S. casualties.
Defense Secretary Roberts Gates is in Baghdad, meeting with military commanders and Iraqi leaders. Gates spoke about some war comments made yesterday by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE 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)
LEMON: Straight to Baghdad now and CNN's Kyra Phillips -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Don, it's interesting. You hear a politician make a comment like this, and I wonder, really, how much Harry Reid has been able to spend time in Iraq and the areas that he's traveled to and how exactly he comes forward with that comment.
Because if you live here and you work here and you see what's happening in this country, you'll see that you can't just say you're winning and you're losing. Because there are areas where progress is being made. There are also areas where there is utter devastation. So to come out with a blatant statement like that, is really tough for commanders to hear.
Here's how Bob Gates responded right after he heard about that quote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The fact is that as I -- as I indicated, progress and reconciliation will be an important element of our evaluation in the late summer. And I think that's as far as I need to go on that point.
I would say that I have great respect for Senator Reid, and on this -- on the matter of whether the war is fought, I respectfully disagree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And it's interesting, even as a journalist, that's a question that I wanted to ask all the leaders in this country, whether Iraqi or U.S., and I have had the chance to do that. And then I realized, I can't ask such a general question, is the U.S. winning this war, is Iraq winning this war?
When I asked General David Petraeus, the head of all forces here on the ground, he said, "Kyra, it's not that simple. I define winning as certain pockets of progress," and then he went into detail about those certain pockets of progress.
I just left a meeting with the head of CentCom, Admiral William Fallon. And I asked him the same question. And he said, "It's not that simple. It's not an issue of winning or losing and coming out with that blanket statement. But I can tell you about areas in Iraq where they feel they are winning."
Even the defense minister here in Iraq, I asked him that question, but his answer was interesting. He said, "I feel that we will be winning when the Iraqi army can secure this country."
So when you talk to the key people here dealing with the issues of this war, those are the answers that they give. That's how they describe and define winning or losing. You can't just make this wide statement, whether it's a loss or a win, but you have to look at the little areas of progress.
LEMON: And Kyra, a number of people back here, some leaders even coming out, speaking against the war, saying that it's lost. Are any of these comments back home of course a affecting the morale of soldiers on the ground in Iraq?
PHILLIPS: Well, it's always discouraging when you have a leader like Senator Reid coming forward saying, we're losing this war. I mean, nobody wants to hear that. Because if you live here and you're fighting against the extremists, and you're trying to build the political process, whatever part you're taking -- are taking part in here, you want to believe in the end result, a positive end result.
And people here are very realistic. They know there is a lot of chaos. They know there are car bombs that haunt this -- this country. That's one of the most difficult things. Even the defense minister here said to me, "It's my biggest challenge right now." And U.S. military commanders agree with the same thing.
But bottom line is, they are doing what they need to do, and that is working on security and trying to build up the Iraqi government. So whatever Harry Reid says, yes, it's disappointing, but it's not going to affect how everybody operates here, because it's just -- it's not that easy to just listen to one comment and let it affect so many important issues that are -- that are on the table.
LEMON: All right. Kyra Phillips, and I have to say, we have appreciated so much of your reports there in Iraq, especially in Baghdad. Safe travels back home. We can't wait to see you, OK?
PHILLIPS: Thanks, don.
LEMON: All right, Kyra. Thanks.
NGUYEN: In other news, Alberto Gonzales is still attorney general. But if yesterday was truly the chance for Gonzales to save his job, he may not last much longer.
Even as the White House officially said that President Bush still supports Gonzales, one senior level official was quoted as saying Gonzales went down in flames in his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He was called to explain his role in the firings of eight federal prosecutors. We want to give you a glance now of how that went.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I do not recall what I knew about Mr. Bogden.
I don't recall any dissent.
I don't recall remembering. I don't recall the reason.
I don't recall specifically the genesis of the idea.
I don't recall -- I don't recall exactly when the decision -- I made the decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, joining us now with the fallout is congressional correspondent Dana Bash. She remembers that testimony yesterday.
You recalled. So Dana, can the attorney general survive after his testimony?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, we have new developments now on that issue from a top ranking Republican, in fact, the third ranking Republican in the House. And he is basically telling CNN that he thinks now it is time for the attorney general to go. Our congressional producer, Deirdre Walsh, caught up with Congressman Adam Putnam in the hallway just a short minute ago. And let me read to you the quote of what he said. He did not -- speaking of the attorney general, "He did not distinguish himself in the hearing. There remains a cloud over the department. I think they would be well served by fresh leadership."
So, again, you have the third-ranking Republican, Congressman Adam Putnam there, making clear that he now thinks, based on that testimony yesterday, it is time for the attorney general to go.
Now he's important, also, because he is in charge of communication. He -- a lot of times, he serves as a spokesman for House Republicans. In this case, he was clear that he is just speaking for himself, but he also said that -- that he did not think anyone was doing, quote, "high fives" over the attorney general's performance yesterday.
And I can tell you, Betty, in what we've picked up in our reporting and talking to Republicans, especially after that hearing yesterday, is certainly no one was happy with his performance, because many of them were saying to us over and over that the attorney general's future, his fate did depend, perhaps, on that performance.
But now what we're hearing from some of the president's allies who, again, were not happy, is a more practical reason why they think he should say. Not because they think he is the right man for the job, not because they think that he has the right management skills, but because of the alternative. They say it would be politically worse for somebody to be replaced as the attorney general.
Listen to Senator John Cornyn in an interview I just did with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: If Al Gonzales were to quit tomorrow, it wouldn't end it. It would just, I think, add fuel to the fire. We'd have a confirmation hearing with a new attorney general with a year and a half left to serve in President Bush's second term of office. I think it would be more chaotic than it would were he were to stay and try to do the best he can under very difficult circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So there again, you have a Republican saying that it's not necessarily because Alberto Gonzales is the best man for the job. It's because Democrats are now in control of the Senate. They would be in charge of a confirmation hearing for a replacement. And that would be even worse, politically, for Republicans and for the president -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Dana Bash.
BASH: Thank you. NGUYEN: We appreciate it, Dana -- Don.
LEMON: The Virginia Tech massacre was an act of rage. Just how much rage is becoming increasingly clear. Most of the victims were shot more than once.
CNN's Brian Todd is following the investigation for us -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, we have some new information on that. According to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, that official tells CNN that Cho fired more than 100 shots during his rampage, that known rampage, that he is linked to it, Norris Hall where 30 victims were killed.
This official says that it's likely Cho missed some shots, but that he did use several cartridges and that most victims were shot at least three times. As you may recall, a doctor who treated victims on Monday said that none of his victims had less than three gunshot wounds.
Now, investigators are, in the meantime, are trying to find a link between those Norris Hall shootings in the 9 a.m. hour Eastern Time and two shootings at West Ambler Johnston Hall a couple of hours earlier.
They know that the same gun was used in both shootings. They have matched the ballistics on that. But they are trying to find a link between Cho Seung-Hui and at least one of the victims of the West Ambler Johnston Hall shootings. That victim was Emily Hilscher, a young lady who was a freshman. She was among the first victims there at West Ambler Johnston Hall to try to establish if there is a link, any connection between Cho Seung-Hui and Emily Hilscher.
We are told now that the law enforcement authorities have confiscated Emily Hilscher's cell phone and laptop computer. We have the search warrant affidavits discussing the details of the confiscation of those items. One of the affidavits says the computer would be one way the suspect could have communicated with the victim. It is highly likely that information would still be on the computer.
The affidavits also say the same thing about the cell phone.
They're trying to establish that link. They have held off establishing a definitive link between those two shootings of Ms. Hilscher and Ryan Clark and those other shootings at Norris Hall, but it appears, Don, they could be getting a little closer to that.
LEMON: Yes, and Brian, yesterday we heard the governor say he was going to establish an independent review panel to investigate everything that happened. Is there going to be an investigation, I'm not sure, at the university level or at the police level to find out how the university handled this tragedy?
TODD: Yes, there will be. We are led to believe that that panel will encompass just about all of it: the university's response, the law enforcement response, just about all of it. This panel is headed by the former Virginia state police superintendent, Gerald Massengill. He was the gentleman who led the state's response to the 9/11 attacks and to the sniper shootings in the fall of 2002.
Also, former homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, is on that panel.
But to allude to your question, they are also including experts from law enforcement, education and mental health. A lot of questions about Cho Seung-Hui's mental health, his assessment at a mental health facility and whether anything was done to follow-up on it. So it will encompass all of that.
LEMON: Yes, the governor saying he's covering all bases. I think he's saying he -- Brian, he wanted to find an ex-judge to look at legal ramifications, as well.
Brian Todd on the campus for us. Thank you so much for your reporting over the past week, Brian.
And you can read more about the victims and the various ceremonies taking place in honor of Virginia Tech. Just log on to CNN.com/specials.
NGUYEN: Sharing the pain. On this eighth anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, survivors have advice for the Virginia Tech community. We have that ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: A candidate's crack falls flat. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, international opinion on the song stylings of Senator John McCain.
NGUYEN: Plus, a bust, a makeover? But wait, that is not Ty Pennington. Oh, no. That is Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Yes, and he has a challenge for you. We have the details ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: I think there's more than one doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It is a quarter past the hour. Here are some of the stories that we are working on for you here in the NEWSROOM.
Just last hour, a moment of silence was held on the campus of Virginia Tech as the local community there, as well as the nation, honors those lives lost.
And in western Maryland, rescue crews are trying to remove the body of a coal miner who has been missing since Tuesday in a mine collapse. Another miner remains unaccounted for at this hour.
And the heat rises for former deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz who now serves as president of the World Bank. The bank's board says it will investigate whether Wolfowitz misused his position to help a female friend get a high-paying job.
LEMON: And Betty, before Virginia Tech, sadly there was Columbine. There's no school today at Columbine High School outside Denver, as students, teachers and parents remember a reign of terror that claimed 13 lives. It happened eight years ago today.
Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 killer 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 continue to hold onto and embrace that anger, but take that and -- 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, FATHER OF RACHEL SCOTT: 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 help.
LAVANDERA: Craig and Darrell Scott have found that talking about Rachel has been the best way to heel.
D. SCOTT: That's the best advice I can deal 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.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Classes won't be held today at Columbine High School, canceled just like they are every April 20. It's a day of reflection. And the one piece of advice that the people here have for the people of Virginia is that they should not stop talking about what happened.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Littleton, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And CNN's Ed Lavandera will have more from Littleton, Colorado, on the Columbine anniversary. That's tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" at 8 p.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, a candidate's crack falls flat. Yes, ahead in the NEWSROOM, international opinions on the song stylings of Senator John McCain.
LEMON: And 25,000 acres of trouble in southeast Georgia. Look at that. You can hear it, too. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, the latest on a wildfire. It is threatening thousands of homes and also a national wildlife refuge.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The Dow industrial has already notched two highs this week. And today, well, it could be a third. The bulls are charging, and Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange keeping track of this herd.
Hi there, Betty.
(STOCK REPORT)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Great baseball weather, by the way, Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes. Going to make us wait on that one, though. Huh, Susan?
All right. We'll see you a little bit later today.
LEMON: All right. Check this out. Look out, Ty Pennington, because Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in town with a challenge for you.
Is that his bus? Looks like a really cool Airstream to me, but...
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEMON: It is? Nonetheless, it's very cool. Live pictures right there.
NGUYEN: He rides in style, Don. You know this.
LEMON: It's right in front of the CNN center. And he's got a makeover for you. Not for your home, but you may be making over your closet after you get fit, right? Details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. It got a laugh from a South Carolina audience, but John McCain's singing bombs act overseas. We are going to check it out because you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
From the ground and from the air, an army of firefighters is attacking wildfires burning across South Georgia. More than 25000 acres have already burned and more than 20 homes are destroyed. The largest part of the fire is about 35 percent contained, but that could change as winds pick up again. More than 1,000 people have been forced on out of their homes. Another 5,000, mainly seniors, are being urged to leave because of all the smoke in the air.
LEMON: And we're using to seeing these pictures coming from out west, but here in Georgia, it's more unusual. As close as most of us want to get to a wildfire, Fireman Rick Penneck sent us these photos of fellow firefighters trying to knock down the flames.
NGUYEN: Lots of rain in the forecast. Any for Georgia? That's the big question today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Senator John McCain says "lighten up and get a life." That comment to people who wonder if his spur of the moment musical answer to an Iran comment was insensitive. McCain was speaking to South Carolina veterans, one of whom asked, "is there a military plan for Iran if one existed?" Well, here is how the senator replied to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN, SENATOR: That old Beach Boys song -- bomb-Iran? Bomb, bomb, bomb -- anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, many Americans who heard that may have recognized it as an attempt at a joke, funny or not. But it's getting considerable play in the media overseas. CNN international, all of the media overseas. CNN's Octavia Nasr is here with some reaction. Is the media taking McCain's advice about lightening up on this?
OCTAVIA NASR, SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Not really. They've warned that jokes like these are not appropriate in international politics.
Basically, you know, these comments were reported heavily. The Arab media had them, they reported them. But they didn't focus so much on them perhaps because they thought it was a joke or they didn't pay much attention to them. But John McCain himself has been a focus of the Arab media because they saw him as someone who is a front runner for the Republican nomination. So they've been paying attention to what he says. This one in particular is not going that well. And I think we will be seeing more reaction to it later on, but let's take a look at what is being said about John McCain and his plans for Iran. This one, an opinion from Jalal Farhi. He said, "who will push the button first, America or Iran? The Senator has said before that a military confrontation with Iran is more dangerous than a nuclear Iran."
Ahmadinejad's Iran prefers fighting its enemy rather than being submissive. This man is saying that John McCain needs to be careful not to push the button first in this case, as he says, who will push the button first, America or Iran?
LEMON: Should the context here be considered? His response is, you know, I was with war buddies and I was saying this in the context of that audience, be saying be aware of the audience.
NASR: He said that. We will see if they will gauge reaction to his suggestion that this is a joke.
LEMON: I want to ask you, how important is Senator McCain considered, though, in this region? Is he considered a big player?
NASR: He is considered a big player. They look at him as the front runner for the Republican nomination. Already the reporting on him says that he is not the front runner anymore. And there are those who believe that comments like these are going to make his lose that nomination at the end of the day because they realize, they say that Americans are paying attention to the candidates and they will make their voices heard.
But let's take a look at another reaction to the comment, this one from Al-Ghad in Jordan. "The Republicans are bankrupt. The Republicans in Washington, especially the neo-cons are politically defeated and want to keep the military option open and continue to thumb down a political resolution with Iran. One of them is John McCain, a presidential candidate who is flexing his muscle as Bush did before him." Then this author writes, "Iran will end up in the winning seat by doing nothing but ignoring the threats and the rhetoric."
This is the reaction that we're getting out of Iran as well. They're saying basically they're empty words, they're not going to pay much attention to them and they see themselves as winning by ignoring them.
LEMON: OK. Whoever becomes president, foreign policy is a big part of it. Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for that.
NGUYEN: Coming up, a bus, a makeover, but wait, that is not it. We don't have Ty Pennington, but we have something even better, Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a challenge for you. Details ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, there has been plenty of partisanship between President Bush and Congress on just about everything. But not when it comes to cancer prevention. This morning, Mr. Bush signed a bill reauthorizing the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. It helps promote free and low cost breast and cervical cancer screenings for low income and uninsured women. The bill commits more than a billion dollars for the program that runs through 2012. Breast cancer, as you may know, is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S.
LEMON: How about birth control that eliminates that time of the month for women? That's what the maker of Librell (ph) is touting. Whett Pharmaceuticals (ph) says its research shows nearly two-thirds of women surveyed are interested in doing away with their monthly menstrual cycle.
The FDA is expected to decide whether to approve Librell next month. Studies suggest that there are no extra health risks associated with pills that impact menstruation. Some doctors caution that not enough research has been done relating to possible long-term effects.
NGUYEN: We are three and a half months into 2007, so how is your new year's resolution to lose weight going? Just in case you need some encouragement, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his Fit Nation Tour is back in the saddle and on the road.
Right here outside CNN headquarters in Atlanta, there's Sanjay. We love the bus behind you. That thing is snazzy. Look at him with pride there. I know you've got it good there, Sanjay.
The deal is you travel around the country in this trailer to promote a healthy lifestyle. What's the goal here?
SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We talk about these numbers all the time. Sixty-six percent of the nation of our adults are either overweight or obese. You almost get the sense as a journalist that we talk about this so much, it's time to actually do something about this. We truly wanted to get off the television screens and take this Fit Nation Express air stream and take it around the country.
And start being able to empower communities to actually try and do something about it. That's the goal. We talk about these numbers and overweight is linked to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, just about every chronic disease you can think of.
I can't think of anything more important I've done as a journalist than to try and combat this obesity epidemic. It could impact the longevity of our children. It boggles my mind.
NGUYEN: As you travel around the country, you have your work cut out for you. People interested in this, where can they get more information about this, not only about your challenge, but about the tour?
GUPTA: We have a web site, CNN.com/fitnation. You can get a lot of information there. You're right, it's a big challenge, but it's one worth taking.
We try to make this message as simple as possible. I'll give you one, for example. For every hour of exercise you do now, it could add two hours to your life later on. Contemplate that for a second. One hour now, two hours of life later on.
Our goals as part of this whole tour is to add a million hours of life to America. That's what we want to do. We think we can do it. Go to the web site and pledge the number of hours you're going to exercise. Don and Betty, I want you guys to do it, as well.
NGUYEN: I'm just trying to pledge three hours a week.
LEMON: I'm exercising right here on the desk.
NGUYEN: You may want to add some weight to that. Sanjay, tell us where you're going to be. Where are you headed to next?
GUPTA: We're going to start here in Atlanta, Centennial Park. Lance Armstrong, our partner in this venture, is going to join me for a live show and help me kick off our first stop. We're going to be in New Orleans, Denver, San Diego, Chicago.
We're partnering with major events in all of these cities. This nice, sweet ride will go with us to all of these places and we'll set up all these events to help empower individuals to do something about their weight if they're concerned about it. How weight maintenance and weight loss, we'll have a cycling competition, for example, where you can race against Lance Armstrong's best time. All sorts of tools to empower specific communities to do something about this.
NGUYEN: If you can race against Lance Armstrong, you are definitely empowered. Sanjay, when you talk about pledging an hour to you, what do you want in that hour? What exactly do you want from us?
GUPTA: Well, it's an hour of exercise. It's a good question because a lot of people think, I'm going to jump on the treadmill or I'm going to do something like that. We are going to talk about all sorts of different exercises, trying to combine aerobic and anaerobic activity and all the other things you do in your life count towards this. Chasing around your kids, raking your lawn, shoveling in some parts of the country, shoveling snow, whatever it might be, we talk about the specific activities and how many calories they burn, as well.
Most of all, it's about getting up off the couch and getting moving. Eating less and moving more and we need to do that more than ever before.
LEMON: And you know what? You're absolutely right. I bought one of those old-fashioned lawn mowers without the engine, and I was sore the next day after I did my lawn, seriously. Without the engine?
NGUYEN: Without the engine?
LEMON: Yes. You just push it and it has blades on it. NGUYEN: Yes. That's old fashioned.
GUPTA: That's a good workout.
LEMON: Sanjay Gupta, we'll check it out.
GUPTA: I'm going to be living in the back of this.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Sanjay. We want to let our viewers know that Fit Nation, Sanjay has a special, in that airs this Sunday at 8:30 Eastern on CNN, so you don't want to miss it so you can get fit and live stronger. Be sure to pledge that hour.
LEMON: Look forward to that.
Let's talk about Alec Baldwin. In a rage. An angry voice mail leaked to the tabloid press. It's something you have to hear to believe. Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But first, as we go to break, let's take a look at the big board. There it is right there, the Dow is up, 107 points. A full check of the market from Susan in just a bit. You're watching CNN the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The massacre at Virginia Tech took the lives of 32 people. Some were teenagers, one a Holocaust survivor. Today they are remembered not by how they died, but by how they lived.
Here is CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Liviu Librescu, was a survivor of the Holocaust, well respected in his field, loved by those he taught. He was remembered yesterday by his wife.
MARLENA LIBRESCU, WIFE OF LIVIU LIBRESCU: He was a very good man. I don't know about his heroism. But his life was only his family and his students.
COOPER: Librescu was the oldest who died on Monday. Reema Samaha was among the youngest. She was 18 and loved to dance.
"I'm glad I hugged you at our last practice," one student wrote on a campus memorial.
"Save me a dance up there," wrote another.
Lauren McCain was 20. She was an international studies major, and her great-grandmother still finds it hard to believe that Lauren is gone.
FERN MARTIN, VICTIM'S GREAT-GRANDMOTHER: They told me, and said Lauren's not with us anymore. I said, why? Is she on her way here? And they said, no. They had a shooting over there.
COOPER: Emily Hilscher's friends say she loved animals. That's why she was majoring in animal and poultry sciences.
"You'll never be forgotten, Emily. We love you," a note at the memorial reads.
MARK DEMETRIOU, STUDENT: She was just a really kind person. Always really friendly to me and everyone else. And it was just really hard to hear that she passed away. And that somebody could just take a life like that, an innocent life.
COOPER: Emily lived on the same floor as Ryan Clark. His friends called him Stack, and there are many messages left for him.
"Stack," one friend wrote, "you were the light in the lives of so many people. I can understand why God would want to have you in heaven with him."
Ryan was a resident assistant and planned to pursue a doctorate in psychology.
JACOB LUNDEEN, FRIEND OF RYAN CLARK: He worked so hard. He was a triple major. But he always had fun. He was always having fun, laughing. And that's one of the things I learned from him. No matter how bad things get, you got to think positive. And you've got -- you need to look on the brighter side of life.
COOPER: Jeremy Herbstritt's family is trying to look on the bright side. He wanted to be a civil engineer.
MIKE HERBSTRITT, JEREMY HERBSTRITT'S FATHER: The rest of our life is going to be celebrating his life, what he did good, and to say that Jeremy was a good boy, a good man. And we're going to love him forever.
COOPER: Every day here, tears are shed, fond memories recounted.
Matthew La Porte, a member of the Corps of Cadets, is remembered for always making his friends laugh.
MELISSA FARKAS, FRIEND OF MATTHEW LA PORTE: He was wearing these Joe Cool sunglasses at night. And he wore them all the time. He loved them. And she asked him, "Why are you wearing sunglasses at night?"
He was like, "The sun never sets on a badass." And he just had a very unique and very fun personality and sense of humor.
COOPER: Mike Pohle was funny, as well. A lacrosse player, he was about to get a degree in biological sciences.
LAUREN MOONEY, FRIEND OF MIKE POHLE: He was goofy. Just had a real love for life. He was just a beautiful person. He touched a lot of people without even knowing that he was so important to them.
COOPER: There are so many others, lives cut short, but lives well lived.
Daniel O'Neill was a grad student in engineering. He loved to play the guitar and recorded this song, posting it online. His voice will live on. So will the memories of all those who died.
DANIEL O'NEILL, VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE VICTIM (singing): Life goes on. Life goes on. And I'm sure that we'll be fine. Don't lie to me and tell me that you would love to be mine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Now a celebrity temper tantrum guaranteed to make your jaw drop. Actor Alec Baldwin lashes out at his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, in a rambling, expletive-filled phone message obtained by the web site TMZ. The child is at the center of a bitter custody dispute between Baldwin and his ex-wife actress Kim Basinger. And on the tape Baldwin is furious with his daughter for not picking up the phone for a scheduled call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ALEC BALDWIN: I'm going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.
(END OF AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And that is just some of that phone call. Baldwin's spokesperson released this statement, quote, "In the best interest of the child, Alec will do what the mother is pathologically incapable of doing, keeping his mouth shut and obeying the court order. The mother and her lawyer leaked this sealed material in violation of a court order." Although Alec acknowledges that he should have used different language in parenting his child. "Everyone who knows him privately knows what he has been put through for the past six years."
Kim Basinger's publicist tells TMZ the tape speaks for itself.
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