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Campus Massacre; Plants Brightening Landscape in Baghdad; Copycat Threats; Company Offers Warning Systems for Emergencies; Car Smashes into West Virginia Convenience Store; Insurance Institute Examines Vehicle Death Rates
Aired April 20, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
Measuring a shooter's rage by the number of bullets. Virginia police are just astonished at the total.
LEMON: And Baghdad tries to remake itself from the ground up. Our Kyra Phillips will join us with that story.
You're live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A week that began in horror is ending with tears and remembrance. These church bells in Arlington, Virginia, were among many ringing across the country on a day of mourning for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.
In Evans, Georgia, they remembered 22-year-old Ryan Clark. He was one of the first students to die. The impact of the shooting spree is being felt far outside the United States.
In Israel, Virginia Tech engineering professor Liviu Librescu was buried. Librescu was a Holocaust survivor. He stood against a classroom door to protect his students from the gunman.
CNN's Brian Todd will join us in just a few minutes with the latest on the investigation into Monday's rampage.
NGUYEN: Well, five days after the Virginia Tech massacre, more of the family's victims are speaking out. At least Jarrett Lane, his family. He was a senior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACEY LANE, MOTHER OF JARRETT LANE: Jarrett was so proud to be a Hokie. He was a Hokie through and through.
He had no other ambition except to go to Tech and into engineering, and to go on to graduate school. He would call me up, he would send me pictures over his cell phone. He would be going to a football games, and I can remember he sent me one, he was all in red paint, red and orange paint. And he said, "Mom, we're going to the game. We're going to cheer." And I said, "Don't you think you ought to put a shirt on?" And he said, oh, no, we're going shirtless. We're all painted up."
And of course sent me a picture, and there he was all painted up. You couldn't even tell who he was.
And I said, "Well, how was it?" And he said, "Well, we got a couple of funny looks and a couple of stares, and even people stopped us to have pictures taken." I said, "Did you have a good time?" He said, "I always have a good time."
But aside from that, Jarrett knew what he was there at Tech for. He was there for an education, and he was serious. He was a serious student. Anybody can tell you that.
Besides his fun-loving personality, his first thing was being a student. Jarrett worked so hard the last four years, and he was so close. He knew he was going to graduate.
He had bought his cap and gown, he had everything to prepare for graduation. And to be so close and yet not to walk, it really -- it really touches me as a mom that they've decided to do that. And I'll be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So heart-wrenching. Jarrett Lane, a civil engineering student, was from Narrows, Virginia.
LEMON: Betty, there is no doubt that 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're getting new details about that deadly (INAUDIBLE) unleashed on Monday. A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation tells CNN that Cho Seung-Hui fired at least 100 shots during his rampage. This official says that it's likely that Cho missed a few times at the very least, but the official says that most of the victims were shot at least three times. And as you may recall, a doctor on the scene on Monday said that of all the victims he treated, none of them had less than three gunshot wounds.
Now, a key part of this investigation is trying to establish a link of those shootings at Norris Hall in the 9:00 hour on Monday with the shootings of two people at West Ambler Johnston Hall a couple of hours earlier. Investigators know that the same gun was used in both, but they are holding off a definitive link between Cho Seung-Hui and those two shootings at West Ambler Johnston Hall.
To try to establish that link, they're trying to establish any connection that Cho might have had with one of the victims at West Ambler Johnston. That victim was Emily Hilscher, a freshman who was gunned down in that dorm room.
To try to establish any possible link between the two people, they have confiscated Emily Hilscher's cell phone and laptop computer. We have the search warrant affidavits for those confiscations.
One of the affidavits reads, "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 say the same thing about Emily Hilscher's cell phone, trying to establish whether Cho Seung-Hui had any contact at all before the shootings with Emily Hilscher. They may be getting close to that -- Don.
LEMON: And Brian, you know, everyone has been talking about what a beautiful, normally tranquil place -- we can see behind you just how beautiful the campus is. Any signs of the campus getting back to normal, as much as normal as possible at this point?
TODD: There are signs here and there. Tonight there's going to be the first sporting event to take place on this campus since the shootings occurred. That's a baseball game between Virginia Tech and I believe the University of Miami. That's going to take place at 7:00 tonight.
There will of course be some kind of memorial at that event for the victims. And, you know, there are other things that are going on here.
The university president has sent out a letter to all the students saying that classes will resume on Monday, the commencement exercises are going to take place as they were scheduled to take place, I believe, on May 11th. And things are starting to get back to normal here, but you really get a sense, Don, that the students and faculty are just still trying to absorb the enormity of this event.
LEMON: Absolutely, absolutely.
Brian Todd, thank you so much for your reporting.
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: A senior senator sums up his opinion in the Iraq war, and not everyone is on board, not by a long shot. Majority Leader Harry Reid calls the war "lost" if the president continues his current direction. The Pentagon chief takes issue with that.
Here's Senator Reid and reaction from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
(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)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would say that I have a great respect for Senator Reid, and on this -- on the matter of whether the war is lost, I respectfully disagree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Defense Secretary Gates is in Iraq for a second day. Now, his message to Iraqi leaders, American commitment is long term, but not open-ended.
LEMON: Well, Baghdad, beautiful once. Will it be beautiful again? There's not much very visually appealing about a city broken and burned by four years of war, but there is a dedicated effort looking to a day when beauty can shine in Iraq once again.
CNN's Kyra Phillips on the ground for us in Baghdad with more on that -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don, well I can't like to you, that's for sure. When you drive through the streets of Baghdad, you see the blast walls, the barbed wire, hundreds of armed guards everywhere, the checkpoints. But I will tell you, there are some very brave souls that are desperately trying to change that imagery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice over): This is a moment no one takes for granted in Baghdad.
"We all love beauty, and you can see I'm comfortable talking to you, because we're sitting in a nice garden," Baghdad's governor, Hussein al-Tahan, tells us. "The environment creates relaxation. So, if we increase the gardens and parks in Baghdad, this will help the Iraqi people."
In Iraq, in this war zone, a park, fresh flowers, new paint are considered gifts.
"Instead of planting bombs, we plant flowers. It's beautiful, it makes me feel comfortable."
"Thank god for the flowers, grass, even cleaner streets. It just makes me feel better."
And that's exactly what Governor al-Tahan wants. He's spending millions of dollars trying to replace the destruction of bombs with beauty.
Now painted with the Iraqi flag, these columns used to be covered with quotes from Saddam Hussein. Hundreds of gardens are blooming. Fountains, art, street work, even blast walls are becoming beautiful murals.
"The security situation forces us to put up blast walls," the governor explains. "Not everyone wants to accept this military environment, so we're changing colors, avoiding the ugly appearance and painting positive pictures."
However, that ugly picture of war still makes these projects brutally difficult and deadly.
(on camera): You've had 300 workers and engineers die trying to do this job. How do you keep workers coming back?
(voice over): "We are trying to coordinate more security for them. Their job is more dangerous than being a minister in Iraq."
Dangerous for garden supervisors like Monaff Faroon.
"I just want to defy the terrorists and add something to our country," Monaff tells me. This regains the beauty of our past."
Beauty and bravery still hard for many Iraqis to believe in.
(on camera): This is Zayuna (ph) Park. It cost $500,000 to build this, and it's the first recreation area of its kind since the fall of Saddam Hussein. It has two soccer fields, plus a volley ball, handball and basketball court. It has a garden and brand-new restaurant. It's beautiful.
The only problem is Iraqis are still afraid of the terrorists, which means they're still afraid to come here. Today it's empty.
So how are you going to get the moms and the kids to the park?
(voice over): "We believe that behind every man there's a great woman, and those women are led by their children. The children will convince the women to visit these parks and gardens."
Familiar sounds of sirens now combined with samples of new scenery. One more creative attempt at peace in Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, Don, the governor tells me the next project that he's working on, a subway system. Considering the security threat, pretty ambitious.
LEMON: Yes, that is extremely ambitious. And last hour I said, you know, safe travels. I didn't know you were going to be back with us, but I say it again.
PHILLIPS: I have one more for you.
LEMON: You do? You have another live report? OK.
PHILLIPS: Next hour.
LEMON: Next hour.
PHILLIPS: I'm going to tell you your fortune.
LEMON: All right, Kyra. We'll see you next hour. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: All right. You bet.
NGUYEN: Well, hopefully that's a good fortune, Don.
LEMON: Yes, I hope so.
NGUYEN: Today, in another story, though, on what would have been her 11th wedding anniversary, Mary Winkler stands convicted of killing her minister husband in Selmer, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE WEBER MCCRAW, MCNAIRY COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: "We, the jury. find the defendant, Mary C. Winkler, guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The prosecution wanted a conviction of first-degree murder, but the jury of 10 women and two men settled on the lesser charge during eight hours of deliberations. Near the end of the trial, Winkler had taken the stand in her own behalf, describing years of abuse at the hands of her husband. Her lawyers feel that had a powerful effect on the jury.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LESLIE BALLIN, MARY WINKLER'S ATTORNEY: I think that Mary was Mary, that we saw truly Mary. That she was honest, she had to bear and tell the world what went on behind those doors. And I think that her testimony played a huge role in the decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Mary Winkler remains free on bond for now. Her sentencing is set for May 18th. Her conviction carries a sentence of three to six years in prison.
LEMON: Betty, a California man allegedly threatens a school massacre. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, how a manhunt in Yuba City came to an end.
NGUYEN: Oh, and you have to check this out. Asleep at the wheel in West Virginia. Watch it.
LEMON: Oh!
NGUYEN: Oh, right there. And the fiery results, that's ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Oh, man. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Sixteen past the hour. Here are some of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A moment of silence was held earlier today on the campus of Virginia Tech, as the local community there, as well as the nation, honors those who lost their lives.
In western Maryland, rescue crews are trying to remove the body of a coal miner who has been missing since a Tuesday mine collapse. Another miner remains unaccounted for.
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 -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A nasty byproduct of the Virginia Tech massacre is the would-be copycats threatening similar violence. A California man is now in custody for allegedly making such threats yesterday. And as a precaution, the school system in question does remain closed today.
Rick Sharp of CNN affiliate KCRA has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUG ESCHEMAN, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: So I gave these to her...
RICK SHARP, REPORTER, KCRA (voice over): It was just after passing out this flyer warning teachers of the threats made by Jeffrey Carney (ph) Principal Doug Escheman got an anonymous and disturbing phone call.
ESCHEMAN: We got a call, an anonymous call from somebody saying, "You're it."
SHARP: This school, like dozens of others across Yuba and Sutter counties were locked down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were freaking out. People were calling on their cell phones.
SHARP: Officers were placed at every campus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most everybody was being picked up, so I said, I'm coming to get them, too.
SHARP: And hundreds of concerned parents pulled their students from school.
ANGELA GRESHAM, PARENT: Especially with the Lynnhurst (ph) shooting, what, over a decade ago, you know, you can't say it's not going to happen, it's not going to happen, because it did happen right here in this area.
SHARP: Angela Gresham pulled her first-grader out of class.
GRESHAM: Every parent thinks their kid's safer with them.
SHARP: By the end of the two, superintendents for all of the schools in Yuba and Sutter counties, even parts of Butte County, canceled class for Friday. It wasn't just for the students' safety. Each school campus had at least one, if not many more, officers on hand, putting a drain on law enforcement resources.
RICHARD TEAGARDEN, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: We've made this decision after talking to law enforcement and the amount of demands that we have on their agencies. It seems like it's the right thing to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was Rick Sharp from CNN affiliate KCRA, who adds investigators are trying to determine if Carney (ph) truly had the ability to carry out the threat.
LEMON: Let me say this, take a look at this. Really, take a look at this. Asleep at the wheel in West Virginia, and that's the fiery results of that.
NGUYEN: Oh, my!
LEMON: The full story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We're following several live events right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
You see there at the top of the screen, that's live pictures of the president speaking in Grand Rapids, specifically East Grand Rapids, Michigan.
And then at the bottom of your screen, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaking on the Senate floor. He has been -- has come under some fire for comments he made about the war being lost. And today he explained those comments just moments ago.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Given the White House spin machine has been working overtime in an effort to defend its failed policies, I think it's important for me to repeat what I said yesterday afternoon in this chamber. The longer we continue down the president's path, the further we will be from responsibly ending this war.
I said it yesterday, I say it again. The longer we continue down the president's path, the further we will be from responsibly ending this war. But there is still a chance to change course, and we must change course. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We will continue to monitor the president and also the Senate. And if any news happens from there, we'll bring it to you live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Well, on Tuesday the Dow crossed the 12,800 mark. And today it jumped past 12,900. And the big question on Wall Street is, will we see Dow 13,000?
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LEMON: All right. We're going to talk about keeping students safe on campus. New technology offers new tools.
All those details straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is the bottom of the hour, and I have something to report here. Not -- not easy to report, but there was some concern earlier in the week about the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech. Some of their family members had not been able to see them.
Well, CNN has just gotten word from the state Department of Health in Virginia that all of the bodies, the autopsies and the coroner's reports, have been turned over this morning to the families, including the body of Cho.
And also the families now are in the process of making transportation and funeral arrangements with mortuaries and so forth.
So all of the victims now have been turned over to their families so they can have proper funerals and proper burials now. So the families are in the process of doing that -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Across the country, colleges are retooling their emergency notification plans in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.
In California, cell phones are being used to establish an alert system on campuses, but as CNN's Chris Lawrence reports, some schools are going further.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): School boards are scrambling to avoid what happened at Virginia Tech, where students waited two hours for the first warning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a threat on campus, and we had no idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had no indication that there was anything going on in the morning.
LAWRENCE: But how to inform so many after the decision is made to do so? When an emergency strikes, students are everywhere.
ROBOTIC VOICE: I'm OK. Press one.
LAWRENCE: Companies like MIR3 are adapting technology to notify them online, in class, at home.
MARGI SCHMIDT, VICE PRESIDENT, MIR3: You can actually hit their land line, their cell phone, SMS, their pager, anything that they have on them.
LAWRENCE: All with one keystroke.
ROBOTIC VOICE: You have selected "I'm OK." Your response has been accepted.
LAWRENCE: In MIR3's headquarters, a technician inputs our information, but we're miles away when the warning comes through.
(on camera) Hello?
ROBOTIC VOICE: You have an important message. This is only a test.
LAWRENCE: OK. Obviously, this was not an emergency, but if it had been, it could have told us don't come back in the building, stay away, anything like that?
SCHMIDT: It could have. It could have actually invited you to evacuate a certain area, give you instructions on where to go next.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Margi Schmidt says the technology was originally used by local governments and businesses. It warned Florida families before Hurricane Ivan, and informed employees after Katrina.
SCHMIDT: You know, should we go to Houston? Should we go to, you know, some other city to be safe and set up shop?
LAWRENCE: Technicians can input anywhere from a few names to a few million.
SCHMIDT: I'm going to notify 6,000 students of the situation.
LAWRENCE: MIR3 can just send a warning or ask for a response.
ROBOTIC VOICE: I need help, press two.
SCHMIDT: And I can create another group of those people and actually give that group off to first responders and say these are the people right away right now that need help.
LAWRENCE: And in a situation like Virginia Tech, every student warned is one more out of danger. Chris Lawrence, CNN, San Diego.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, from the ground and also from the air, an army of firefighters is attacking the wildfires burning across South Georgia.
More than 25,000 acres near the town of Waycross have already been burned, and nearly 20 homes have been destroyed. The largest fire is about 35 percent contained. That could change, as the winds are picking up again.
More than 1,000 people have been forced out of their homes, another 5,000, mainly seniors, are being urged to leave because of all the smoke in the air.
NGUYEN: Ware County Commissioner Carlos Nelson has been following firefighters as they confront these wildfires. He sent us these i-report pictures. Take a look. They show us just how exhausting this has been.
Today marks the fifth day of this battle that's being fought from the air as well as the ground, and it's not only firefighters from across the region, but also homeowners who are lending a hand.
LEMON: Yes. And you know what? Rain would certainly help out this situation. Rob Marciano, let's check in with you now in the weather center and see if there's any in the forecast for these fires.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Don and Betty, the problem is we haven't seen much rain in the past three months. We're into the months now where typically we see the most amount of rain, at least last month. And we have barely seen half of what we would typically see across much of the southeast and Georgia.
So the lack of rain has contributed to this, and we're not going to see much in the way of rain over the next several days. On top of that, the weather pattern is such that the winds are kicking up pretty good today, and relative humidities are low, so red flag warnings are in effect for southeast Georgia, and that includes that area where the fire is.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: So Rob, we typically see wildfires out west, but not here in Georgia. Is that because of the lack of rain? Right?
MARCIANO: It is. And you know, things are usually dryer out west. And that's one of the reasons that they do get more in the way of forest fires.
And the fact that we've been so dry month after month after month for the past three and four months, is the main reason that we have this very dry fuel out there, and the winds are not helping. Hopefully, get some rain here next week, but it will be a long weekend for these firefighters, for sure. NGUYEN: No doubt. OK, thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
NGUYEN: We do want to get you to a fiery crash that could have become just a real catastrophe. A pickup truck slams into a gas pump and then a convenience store in West Virginia. You have to watch this video.
We get some details now from Christine Habrle of affiliate WCHS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came in. Those guys both were asleep.
CHRISTINE HABRLE, WCHS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a split second this knocked-out driver veers off 119, across the grass, and takes out pump No. 5, causing it to explode into flames. He never slows down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The car was coming at me. And I saw it, and everybody started screaming, and I just ran and I jumped up here.
HABRLE: Then bam, the truck slams right into the convenience store, narrowly missing two men and a clerk. But look at this beam. It almost hits her right in the head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were screaming, running. There was fire. It was just an explosion. Everything was just crazy.
HABRLE: Amazingly no one got hurt, except for a few scrapes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a miracle of God. It was a miracle of God.
HABRLE: Ofshi Kasari (ph) acted quickly to minimize the damage, getting a visual check on his sister, the clerk, and then racing to the back room to shut down the pump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just saw the pump on fire, and I knew I had to get it turned off so it didn't go into the tanks and the tanks explode and we have a big mushroom cloud here.
HABRLE: The pump is secure now and doesn't pose a threat. This is the second time someone has crashed into the building. Owners are aren't waiting for a third to protect themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bigger the better.
HABRLE: They're putting big boulders on the property to keep any other wayward drivers from doing harm.
Right now they're relieved this situation didn't turn out much worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One second too early, one second too late, somebody could have gotten killed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That is just remarkable. And that was reporter Christine Habrle of affiliate WCHS. Just amazing, like you said, that the thing just didn't blow up, with all the pumps underneath.
LEMON: Did you see the guy pumping gas?
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEMON: He got out of there quick, but you know, he was even luckier. He was right there.
NGUYEN: He was right there. And then of course, he jerks the pump out to make sure that none of that gets anywhere else.
And that was the second time that that happened?
LEMON: Second time. Big boulders.
NGUYEN: What are the chances of that?
Hopefully that will stop...
LEMON: Big boulders should.
NGUYEN: Hopefully there won't be a next person. But good for caution there.
LEMON: Absolutely.
Advancing technology, Betty, leads to declining death rates. A new report on highway crashes, ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: New designs are helping to save lives on the road. CNN's Greg Hunter looks at the safer rides and the more dangerous ones.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash test facilities. And one reason why death rates have gone down is because manufacturers have made cars better.
A good example? The Ford F-15 pickup.
(voice-over) The 2001 Ford F-150 pickup was one of the worst performers in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test. Look at the way the cab folds on impact. Compare that to the redesigned 2004 model where the cab states intact.
ANNE MCCARTT, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: When we looked at driver death rates, what we saw was the newer F-150 had a death rate half that of the older model. HUNTER (on camera): What an improvement.
MCCARTT: It's a dramatic improvement. This is a much safe other vehicle now.
HUNTER (voice-over): The institute compiles statistics on driver death rates for more than 200 vehicles, between the years 2001 and 2004, the latest data available, ranking the best and worst, according to class and size.
Smaller cars had generally higher death rates, but some cars did much better than others in the same category. The Mini Cooper had one third the facilities of the Acura RSX.
(on camera) Does it have something to do with quality?
MCCARTT: Quality is definitely an important factor.
HUNTER (voice-over): Large, heavy vehicles tend to have the lowest death rates. And SUVs, which have a tendency to roll over, are getting safer, mainly because of electronic stability control.
But even in SUVs without electronic stability control, the death rates vary widely. Take, for example, older models of the Honda Pilot. It had six times fewer driver deaths than the Chevy Blazer.
(on camera) Aren't some of these vehicles that have low death rates just built better?
MCCARTT: They are built better. They're built -- and what I mean by built better is they're built so that they do a very good job protecting occupants in the event of a crash.
HUNTER (voice-over): A General Motors spokesman criticized the study for not explaining such details as who drives the cars and driver behavior.
A Honda spokesman told CNN the lower rated Acura RSX tends to appeal to younger, less experienced drivers.
Ford criticized the study, saying it "fails to take into account some of the most critical factors related to fatality rates, including seat belt usage, alcohol consumption and driving experience."
The Insurance Institute says those factors remain similar across categories of vehicles, making comparisons legitimate.
(on camera) The Insurance Institute says when a vehicle does well in its crash test, it will likely protect you well in a real-world accident.
For example, look at this brand of minivan. This did well in the crash test. You can see the driver's compartment stayed intact, as opposed to this brand of minivan. The driver's compartment didn't say intact; it crushed in. It did badly in their crash test. It also does badly in a real-world accident, as well. If you'd like to find out how your vehicle did concerning driver deaths, click on to CNN.com for a complete list.
Greg Hunter, CNN, Rutgersville, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A sailboat with a small motor running, laptop computers running, as well. The table was set, and three men, they're missing. A mystery at sea, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre, we are learning more about what the gunman did in those final days, weeks, and even 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 of 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, SUPERINTENDENT, VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: The vehicle that was portrayed about last night, we had known about since the first day. I'm not -- 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 his dormitory. He checked out and the next day was pulled off 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 killings. 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. And 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 MCGINIS, 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 ten minutes.
(on camera) 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.
(voice-over) 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)
LEMON: It has certainly been a grim week for Virginia Tech students. For Asian-American students, there were additional concerns. Sitting down with Paula Zahn, two guests discuss the shame and the fear that many Asian-Americans feel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PO SHEEN, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: Everybody around me is really afraid that there is going to be some sort of backlash, especially my parents.
And on campus there's a lot of e-mails from our prospective organizations, Asian organizations. They sent out e-mails to us, warning us to be careful. Don't walk out at night alone, you know, just always be with someone. And don't stay out too late. So that's the only thing I'm really afraid of.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Andrew -- And Andrew, I know that you have written that all Asian-Americans were praying that it would be a different Asian group, not their own group, that in some way was involved in this massacre. What is their concern? What are they afraid of?
ANDREW LAM, JOURNALIST: Well, right after the shooting, there was only one designation, and that was Asian. And everyone called me, Chinese, Korean, Pakistani. And they were all saying the same things: please, please, let it not be one of us.
And I thought it was interesting, because here was only one way to look at this person. It was Asian. And we all felt as if we were on pins and needles, I think, because there is a sense of collective guilt and shame that comes along with collective pride. When one of us makes it into NASA, go into Harvard, the whole community feels proud.
And when one of us who makes -- who creates -- acts -- an evil act, I think we can't help but feel a sense of collective shame and guilt, as well.
ZAHN: Let's talk about the collective pride for a moment, Po. And I'm going to read you something that came out of the "Washington Post", and it reads, "Along with profound grief for the victims and concern for Cho's family, many expressed fear that his actions would tar the entire Korean-American community, which has long been associated with such values as hard work, education, and family unity."
So do you think that Korean-Americans are feeling an even stronger sense of responsibility and that sense of collective grief and shame because of their core values?
SHEEN: I believe so, because my friends, they've all gone home, and I talked to one of my friends. And he was just really embarrassed to talk about this event.
I mean, it seems like all my friends, all my Korean friends are just really united, you know, in what they do. And when something like this happens, I mean, it's just -- it's a very embarrassing event. I mean, not just on the Koreans, but just I mean -- I think it's on everybody, as a general.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: "PAULA ZAHN NOW" airs Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Coming up, an unspeakable crime, a nation in mourning, and CNN's special investigations unit examines the Virginia Tech massacre. That is ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: In memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, CNN.com has created a tribute page. We invite you to share your thoughts, your pictures and your video.
Friends of Ryan Clark say the 22-year-old senior was a gift in the lives of people who met him. In this video tribute, a fellow band member says Ryan was one of those guys who was everyone's good friend.
Graduate student Julia Pryde was interested in biological systems engineering. She traveled to Ecuador last summer to study water quality issues. A friend of hers writes, "She was all about making the earth a better place."
Daniel Perez Cueva, originally from Peru, loved soccer and swimming. He spoke four languages. A friend says, "He had a beautiful smile that would brighten up anyone's day and a wonderful sense of humor." Dance (ph) professor Kevin Granata. A former student sent this video of Granata teaching in Norris Hall in 2003. He was considered one of the top five biomechanic researchers in the country, working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.
And you can go online to CNN.com/Virginia Tech to send in your tribute. You can share your pictures or your videos in memory of those who have lost their lives in this tragic event.
I'm Veronica De La Cruz for the dot-com desk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: There is a mystery at sea off Northwestern Australia. Investigators are trying to find out what happened to the three men who had been on board a 36-foot yacht found adrift on Wednesday.
One sail was torn, but otherwise there was no damage. Life jackets, GPS, survival equipment, including an emergency beacon, were all undisturbed, but there were no signs of life. Searchers are scratching their heads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREVOR WILSON, SEARCHER: What's adding to this and making this a particular mystery is how good the condition of the vessel actually is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Investigators are going over the boat's GPS to try to backtrack where the catamaran had been.
The next hour of CNN, well, that begins right now.
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
Tuned in and turned off. Blacksburg, Virginia, has had enough of the national media. Soledad O'Brien has the story.
LEMON: In Baghdad, they already know the news, so viewers prefer a glimpse into the future with a man who challenged Kreskin.
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