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Virginia Tech Report; Iraq Failing to Meet Benchmarks

Aired August 30, 2007 - 10:59   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 again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.

I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Thursday, the 30ths of August.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Virginia's governor live this hour on the Virginia Tech shooting massacre. His investigative panel out with critical conclusions today.

HARRIS: Congress eyeballing classified findings on Iraq today. Iraq reportedly failing to meet most benchmarks set by Congress.

COLLINS: What's a salad to do? Yes, a new spinach recall today -- here we go again -- in the NEWSROOM.

Warnings that took too long. A new report on the Virginia Tech massacre says more timely information might have saved lives.

We'll be hearing from Virginia's governor coming up live this hour, but first we want to get to Brianna Keilar. She is in Washington for us this morning.

Brianna, you know, one of the attention-grabbing parts of this report is a very detailed picture of Cho's mental health history. What does it tell us?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It tells us Seung-Hui Cho was not a troubled young man...

COLLINS: Virginia Tech obviously criticized for not alerting students ahead of the second shooting as we were both there and we heard a lot about that. The report addresses that, right?

KEILAR: It does. And it puts the blame on that very much on the shoulders of Virginia Tech police. It says they may have erred in prematurely concluding that their initial lead in the double homicide was a good one. Remember, they believed they had a suspect in the first shooting who had left campus. They believed it to be a domestic dispute, where two people ended up dead. But they weren't prepared, according to this report, for the possibility that that assumption was inaccurate, as it was. This report says they should have immediately told the university to issue a campus-wide alert and they didn't -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. And what about Cho's parents? I remember talking about them very early on and everyone was wondering how they were feeling about this and a little bit worried that people might even target them at some point.

Is there blame placed on them? Is that even in this report at all?

KEILAR: Not really. And you'll recall, of course one of the big questions that popped up as speculation was, did they play a role? Were they at fault?

Well, this report shows Cho's parents really took a concerted interest in his obvious problems. These are people who spent six days a week at work. They had financial struggles, and yet they made a lot of sacrifices getting Cho to therapy once a week. For instance, a lot of time on their -- what we do see is -- you know what, Heidi? I'm hearing now that Governor Kaine is talking in his press conference.

COLLINS: That's right.

KEILAR: So let's take a look at that in Richmond.

COLLINS: Yes. Let's go ahead and listen in, coming to us from our affiliate WTVR. Let's listen.

All right. While we are waiting for -- well, here we go. Now we have the audio. Let's listen.

GOV. TIM KAINE (D), VIRGINIA: Well, good morning. I'd like to welcome everyone here as we talk about a very important issue, the Virginia Tech review panel's release of their comprehensive report.

On April 16th this year, a very tragic chapter was added to Virginia's history when a disturbed student, Seung-Hui Cho, at Virginia Tech killed 32 students and faculty members, wounded many others, and killed himself. The tragedy in the immediate aftermath raised very serious questions that deserve careful review and straightforward answers. The answers needed to come from people who possessed significant expertise in a wide variety of disciplines, and also from people who had the independence that would be necessary to render a very careful objective and searching recommendations.

On the 19th of April, I appointed the Virginia Tech review panel and I charged them with performing that independent and objective review. I asked them to do the following: to focus on what went right and what went wrong, what were best practices that should be repeated and shared and what were improvements that needed to be made. The report that the panel has given to me and that we are releasing today meets the charge that I gave them. It is comprehensive and thorough, it is objective, and in many instances hard-hitting, and it is fair.

I want to begin by thanking the members of the panel, seven of whom are with me today. One panel member, Bella Sud (ph), is visiting India and was not able to be here, but seven of the eight panel members are here.

These are individuals who have extensive expertise, who accepted a very difficult, complex and emotional assignment without hesitation, and performed it in an exemplary away. The panel members after I speak will each have a chance to address you, but I want to say that the Commonwealth stands in each of your debt because of the work that you have performed.

In addition, the panel was assisted by some key folks that I need to mentions.

First, the firm TriData was the staff support for the panel that was responsible for gathering much of the information and working with the panel as they worked through the conclusions and recommendations. I want to thank the TriData staff who are here.

The law firm of Skadden, Arps, the Washington office, agreed on a pro bono basis to assist the panel with the very complicated legal matters and other matters of wise counsel that were important to reaching this day.

And to the Skadden, Arps lawyers who are here, I express my appreciation as well.

And finally, in my office, Larry Roberts, the counselor to the governor, from the very beginning, from the -- putting together the panel and finding the expertise and from work to ensure access to information all the way through, Larry deserves significant appreciation, as well.

I think it is a remarkable feature of this report that eight individuals who come from as different backgrounds and different expertise as these eight were able in a very short period of time to produce a report of this magnitude, and produce it in a consensus and unanimous fashion. There are dissenting opinions. There are an appendices where panel members express their own views. I view it as a huge tribute that in these deliberations, the panel were able to reach their conclusions and reach them in a unanimous way.

We will spend the coming weeks and months reviewing this panel report in detail, especially the recommendations that have been made. And endeavoring to work together with all who can make these recommendations happen, to implement them so that our campuses and our communities will be safer. The recommendations are careful and thorough and deserve a lot of attention.

I want to talk about a couple of aspects of this report, seven items that I find particularly salient as I review it. I think everyone will find aspects of the report that they view as particularly gripping, but let me focus on a few.

First, there was an intense awareness within Seung-Hui Cho's family, in his school system, in counselors that he was a very troubled young man, that he had, at periods in his young life as a student, fixated upon violence in periods of personal depression, but that thankfully those problems could also be managed so that he could succeed as a student, so that he could be a good student and fit in within the academic setting in a school. Those who have read the report recognize, for example, the degree of that intense involvement with Cho and his family and that he was advised and his family was advised that a school like Virginia Tech, a large school far away from home, would probably not be the best environment for him.

Unfortunately, none of that information about his fixation on Columbine, about his mental health history, about the fact that he could succeed if he had targeted intervention, ever got to Virginia Tech. And I think that was a huge missed opportunity, and I think it's probably pretty common, that students walk on to college campuses all over this country with the college campus possibly knowing something about their GPA or their SAT score, maybe an essay, but not really understanding fully what the student may need in order to succeed. I find that to be a very important narrative of the finding of the narrative in this report and something that should command our attention.

Second, during the time that Cho was at Virginia Tech, many students, parents, resident assistants, the Virginia Tech Police Department, faculty, administrators and personnel at the counseling center had interactions with him that were clearly indications that he was troubled and that he needed assistance. There was not an effective mechanism where all that information could be reviewed together and the university could make an effective intervention -- either intervening in the sense of requiring medical care, or even reporting the fact of Cho's difficulties to his own family members.

I think this issue was compounded by the first problem. If Virginia Tech had had, for example, in their student records, if information about Cho's background and history from his early school years had come to Virginia Tech in the normal course of admitting the student, I have a strong feeling that the first time there was evidence of problem with Seung-Hui Cho, there would have been a review of those records and there would have been an awareness that we have a challenge here.

We know that this student has some particular concerns, and we also can see that there are strategies that enable him to be successful. But the absence of the record following the student compounded that second problem, the fact that the dots were not connected and signals were missed at Virginia Tech.

Third, the response of the state mental health system. In the one instance when it interacted with Seung-Hui Cho, when he threatened suicide, and when a roommate contacted his parents -- not Cho's parents, but his own parents -- and then that led to a hospitalization in the New River Valley, the mental health system failed in that instance because there was a court order for treatment that we now know was not complied with.

Again, I would like to hope that that was an aberration. But the facts in this case suggest that follow-up on mental health orders in our court systems are something that warrant some very scrutiny going forward. Do we have the systems and resources in place so that when people come to the attention of the court system, they're adjudicated as a posing danger to others, we actually do follow up to make sure that they receive the care and treatment that they need.

Fourth, with respect to all these first three issues, we run into the confusing nature of privacy laws. And in many instances, significant misunderstandings of laws that might provide some avenue for evidence to be shared, information to be shared if it will serve a public safety objective.

I worry that since violations of privacy laws can create liability, that there may kind of a default position that lay people get into where they say, well, we can't share this information because it might create liability. There are instances in current privacy laws that allow sharing of information to promote public safety. We have to look to see whether those are clear enough. We have to dedicate ourselves to making them clear, but we especially have to give clear guidance to people working on the front lines about what they can do and what they can share if public safety demands it.

Fifth, the report discusses in numerous instances the value of campus police and security operations being managed to high standards of professionalism and in significant coordination with local and state law enforcement agencies. The report notes that the Virginia Tech police report is a fully accredited law enforcement agency. And in many instances, gives significant praise to the police for their professionalism and for the interaction and coordination they had with other law enforcement agencies. But the report also points out that that's not necessarily the case with the security and police operations on all campuses.

I think this is clearly, clearly an avenue for further exploration. We need to make sure that the security and police operations across our campuses in Virginia and nationally are fully up to professional standards and have strong working relationships with other law enforcement agencies. The report points out, for example, that the response to the second shooting at Norris Hall was done in a very exemplary fashion because of the working relationship and the collaborations that had been formed between the Tech police force and other agencies.

Sixth, the report makes very clear in retrospect that in the immediate aftermath of the first shooting at the dormitory, the broad Tech and Blacksburg community should have been notified of the fact that there was a fatal shooting and the fact that a perpetrator or perpetrators were still at large and had not been apprehended. The report walks through the process.

There was a committee process for trying to render decisions about when notifications would be given. The Virginia Tech Police Department did not have the unilateral ability under protocols then existing to give those notices.

The committee process worked in one sense. The committee convened as promptly as they could, weighed the evidence, and then made a decision and issued a notice, but the notice came too late. In many instances, a process that would lead to a notice in two hours would have been fine. This was not such an instance. This was an emergency, and there needed to be an ability to immediately give information to people in the community and on that campus so they could take steps to protect their own safety.

Seven, most of the emergency response to the shooting was truly heroic. If you read the report, you'll see many instances of people really going way beyond the extra mile in performing heroic service. Some of the law enforcement response particularly to the shooting at Norris Hall, and I think particularly, in my mind, the work of the Virginia Tech volunteer all-student EMT squad has to be mentioned, because those youngsters who had volunteered to serve on an EMT squad performed in an exemplary way in the midst of circumstances that will likely be the most difficult things they will ever see during an entire career of working emergency response.

The medical care and hospital network in the New River and Roanoke valleys also performed in an exemplary way, and the panel lays out the work they did and the cooperation under extreme circumstances. So, there was mush much in the emergency response that was heroic, but there were also instances where either confusion or communication challenges or coordination issues led to frustration on behalf of many, including those most directly affected by the tragedy, the families of victims and the families of those who had been wounded.

An instance that's cited in the report that I think is the most telling instance of this is discussion about the response of the Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office. On one hand, the report finds that the office performed in an exemplary way in trying to perform autopsies in an ongoing criminal investigation within a very short period of time, but the report also points out that in dealings with family members who needed to know about what had happened to their loved ones, the communication from that agency was not near what it should have been.

And so there is much in the sections of the report dealing with the emergency response and the aftermath that suggests people gave so much and worked so hard and extended themselves, and yet, still, there were communication or coordination that should have been improved and can be improved going forward.

As we move forward in the coming weeks, we'll review all the recommendations. We'll review those that I might be able to implement as an executive. We will look at those that would require work in tandem with legislative bodies, either state or federal, budgetary matters. We'll look at items that are recommendations for others, for campus security professionals and others, and we'll do all that we can to review them carefully and implement them. Let me conclude and just say that the magnitude of the losses suffered by the victims and their families, the broader Virginia Tech community and the Commonwealth, are truly immeasurableble. Even the briefest review of the life stories and biographies of those who were killed demonstrate that we lost people of great talent and character, people who had come to Virginia Tech not just from around the Commonwealth, but from around the nation and around the world, people who in many instances, despite their young age, had already done much to advance the cause of knowledge and to help others in very significant ways. And the magnitude of those losses can never be calculated.

But what we have to do now is challenge ourselves to study this report carefully, to make changes that will reduce the risk of future violence on the campus, Virginia Tech campus and campuses across this Commonwealth and across this nation. If we act with that as our goal, we will honor the lives and the sacrifices of all those who suffered on April 16th and we will act in the tradition of service that is the mission statement of Virginia Tech.

With that, I'd like to now offer to Colonel Massengill the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the panel. And I think the colonel may then offer that same opportunity to other panel members who are here -- Colonel.

COLLINS: Virginia's governor, Tim Kaine, releasing the findings of the report from the April 16th Virginia Tech massacre, laying out seven different key findings, as he called them. Several of them really stand out.

One, of course, talking about the intense awareness that Cho was a very troubled man, that people on campus knew, RAs, students, faculty, but they just did not have a system where they could share that type of information.

And also, the others that stood out to me, as least, after the first shooting, it says, in the immediate aftermath, the campus community should have been notified of the fatal shooting and the fact that the perpetrator was at large. He also said that the Virginia Tech Police Department just didn't have the ability to initiate that type of notice and that was a problem.

HARRIS: We'll take a moment to direct you to CNN.com. If you'd like to follow this news conference, it continues right now.

You heard the governor mention that he's going to give the other members of the panel an opportunity to address the gathered media. If you'd like to follow that as it's happening, go to CNN.com and you can follow that press conference.

Right now, I would suspect there will be an opportunity there for some questions, as well.

When we come back, we will zero in on one aspect of the report, Cho's mental health. Coming up, insights on the mind of a mentally ill killer -- selective mutism, depression, and the Virginia Tech massacre.

Elizabeth Cohen coming up in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: ... one that will go off unless money is wired to an account. A Wal-Mart in Rhode Island was evacuated Tuesday after getting the threat. Store employees afraid a bomber was in the store. The phone call was traced outside the U.S. A Maine state police tactical squad was called to a supermarket because of another threat.

HARRIS: New report, old criticisms. Congress briefed today on progress in Iraq. Details of the classified report is starting to leak out this morning.

Live now to CNN Pentagon Correspondent -- there she is -- Barbara Starr.

Barbara, good morning to you. What are you hearing?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, what we're hearing is negotiations behind the scenes. Press Secretary Geoff Morrell here at the Pentagon just confirmed to reporters that the Defense Department is now talking to the Government Accountability Office about trying to get them to change their mind about that report.

Eighteen benchmarks or indicators of progress in Iraq, by all accounts, the draft GAO report says all but three of those indicators get failing grades. The Pentagon now talking to the GAO about trying to get some of those grades lifted up.

Geoff Morrell told reporters yesterday to lower their expectations a little bit about this report. Here is a bit of how he explained what's going on.

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GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: The standard the GAO has set is far more stringent. Some might argue it's impossible to meet. And that is, I think they have to sort of say definitively whether a benchmark has been met or not. Whereas, as you saw in July, with our interim benchmarks report from the president, we're able to say whether there's been satisfactory progress towards meeting the goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So, Tony, all of this is about those 18 indicators of political and security success in Iraq.

The Pentagon trying to get the GAO to change their mind, but as one official said, look, if we had met all 18 benchmarks, the troops would be home by now. So there's a big reality check here, to be very candid. The report is going to be very critical, the administration trying to lower expectations about all of that in advance, of course, of the next round of reports, which is General Petraeus and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

HARRIS: That's right. Reporting season.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.

Barbara, thanks.

STARR: Sure.

COLLINS: Uh-oh. This will sound awfully familiar, I bet. A new spinach recall to tell you about today.

HARRIS: Confronting New Orleans' skyrocketing murder rates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Numbers are very easy to deal with emotionally. I want people to squirm. I want people to feel uncomfortable about the murders going on in the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So, name by name, one priest's mission to personalize the death toll.

COLLINS: Fast drama on an Ohio highway. A crash, police gunfire. A passenger lives through it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought I was a goner, for sure, especially when bullets started flying. I don't know how on this earth I missed all that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Buckle up and hold on for the incredible pictures, after this.

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HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Virginia's governor commented just a moment ago on a new report criticizing the response on the Virginia Tech massacre. The report concluded more timely and specific warnings might have saved lives. The governor appointed the panel that wrote the report. And in a news conference, he talked about some of the key findings. Among them, the lack of information the school received about gunman Seung-Hui Cho's mental health history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE, VIRGINIA: Unfortunately, none of that information about his fixation on Columbine, about his mental health history, about the fact that he could succeed if he had targeted intervention ever got to Virginia Tech. And I think that was a huge missed opportunity and I think it's probably pretty common that students walk on to college campuses all over this country with a college campus possibly knowing something about their GPA or their SAT score, maybe an essay but not really understanding fully what the student may need in order to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The governor called the magnitude of the losses suffered by the victims' families immeasurable.

In the new report on the Virginia Tech massacre, details Cho's history of emotional problems. We want to talk more about that today from our Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen now who's been looking at some of this.

You know, from what I gathered, we've got a diagnosis, which -- I don't know, we'll talk about whether or not it could possibly be linked to what happened, but selective mutism. And we've also got a threat of suicide, a court order for treatment, strange interactions between teachers, RAs and other students. Was there anything that the university could have done to step in and intervene?

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this report was very pointed. They said that people at the university failed to connect the dots. That was the term that they used.

And this report goes into such incredible detail about everything in Cho's life. It starts out actually in eighth grade and it talks about the problems that he had even way back then. It says in eighth grade that he had suicidal and homicidal thoughts, that he was diagnosed with depression and selective mutism. In other words, he couldn't talk or didn't talk in certain social situations, and that he took an anti-depressant for a short time back in eighth grade.

And then in high school, he was in counseling every week and was taking medication until eleventh grade, and then in eleventh grade, he said he was fine and he told his parents that he wanted to stop.

Now, let's skip down to his -- or over to his junior year at Virginia Tech. Again, suicidal thoughts, bizarre behavior. He, for example, was taking a knife and stabbing the carpet. He wasn't socializing with other kids. He spent one night in treatment that he was ordered to spend and the psychiatrist who discharged him said he is "not an imminent danger to himself or others" and he had only one follow-up appointment. Now, something that's also interesting is that when he was discharged, he wasn't ordered to have any follow-up appointments and he also wasn't on any medications. He was just discharged.

COLLINS: Yes, and I think there was some other information in there that was pretty interesting regarding privacy laws and whether or not some of this information, because a person's health is very much their own business, whether or not that should be other people's business when it comes to the matter of public safety.

COHEN: Right, and that's the question you started out with was why couldn't the different components of the university talk to each other? Various people at the university knew that this young man was in trouble. And this report is extremely specific about privacy laws. They say that the university -- people at the university felt that they couldn't communicate with each other, with Cho's parents because of federal privacy laws.

But the report says these laws actually offer plenty of leeway to communicate with one another in a potentially dangerous situation. In other words, the report says that the university overly interpreted these laws or interpreted these laws as being overly restrictive and that in fact, they really aren't that restrictive.

COLLINS: Yes, boy, communication really seemed to be a major, major issue here.

Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for looking into that for us.

And just want to remind everybody that this news conference is still going on. We've, of course, have already heard from the governor but some of the panel members are now speaking. If you want to go to CNN.com -- in fact, the leader of the panel, Tom Ridge (ph), is speaking right now. You can watch it there live if you choose.

HARRIS: And we are still waiting for word about the report a short time ago that more South Korean hostages have been released in Afghanistan. The Associated Press says the Taliban freed four more this morning. That would leave three still in custody. Several were released yesterday, you may recall. They were among 23 South Korean aide workers captured last month. Two were shot and killed.

COLLINS: I want to take a moment now to check on the situation with the weather. We have Rob Marciano back with us today.

So nice to see you there, Rob. How is the -- oh, now, we're in the -- where are we there?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're going (ph) ...

COLLINS: Somewhere where it's 86 degrees, 96 degrees.

MARCIANO: Yes, 96 degrees.

(WEATHER REPORT) COLLINS: Meanwhile, we want to give you this information just in now to CNN. We were aware and had been following the contempt case against former prosecutor Mike Nifong in the flawed Duke rape case. We have just learned now that his attorney entered a not guilty plea today to criminal contempt charges.

And let me remind you really quickly exactly what that was about. Back in June, a judge held Nifong in contempt for telling the court that he provided the defense complete results from those DNA tests that were performed by a private lab. However, Nifong apparently learned in April of 2006 that that lab found genetic material from multiple males on and about the accuser, but none from any of the lacrosse players.

Nifong did not, in fact, provide that information to the defense until October. And only then it was in the middle of this 2,000 page DNA test report that took the defense attorneys several days to actually find.

Again, he has pleaded not guilty to these contempt charges. We'll continue to follow that. If he is found guilty in all of this, he could face about 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. So again, we will stay on this story for you, bringing any more information just as soon as we get it.

HARRIS: And Heidi, another story we're following. Let us show you some pictures out of Chicago from a short time ago. Local and federal officials are on the scene, the north side of Chicago at a bank robbery.

This is pretty much an active scene even now. We're showing you pictures from a short time ago because of what is described as a situation at this location. This is the First National Bank in Chicago on the city's north side. No news of any injuries. We don't know -- if you just sort of judge by the information that we're getting that this is still very much an active scene and the situation is unfolding right now inside that bank.

As you can see, there is a pretty intense police presence underway right now at this bank, north side of Chicago. We're just going to keep an eye on that. No word of injuries inside the bank at this time, but we'll continue to monitor this situation and bring you an update as soon as we have additional information for you.

In the U.S., an HIV-positive diagnosis is no longer considered a death sentence. Abroad it continues to devastate populations and annihilate generations. But a man from New York is using medications that would otherwise be thrown out. He is saving lives all around the world.

Jesus Aguais is today's CNN Hero.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're rolling. JESUS AGUAIS, MEDICAL MIRACLE: The simplest idea could make the biggest impact. Recycling HIV medicine. How many people out there are looking for medicine? And how many people with HIV in the United States have no idea that they could save lives with something that is just a leftover for them?

My name is Jesus Aguais, I'm the founder of Aid for AIDS International. I'm dedicated for improving the quality of life for people with HIV in developing countries.

Early in 1993 I got a job as a counselor in one of the Latino AIDS organizations here in New York, in terms of helping people abroad. There was very little that you could do. There was no medicine at all. Only people with lots of money could come to the United States. The rest, the common people, have to die.

In 1996, the first two protease inhibitors got approved, but some people couldn't tolerate it. A treatment that cost $1,200 was being thrown away. I just knew it was wrong, purely wrong.

I was telling people, why don't you bring it to me? We started using the concept of recycling the medicine. All the medicine comes from people with HIV around the U.S. and goes abroad. People can send it directly to us, or if they live in the New York City area, we can pick it up, And we send it on a monthly basis straight to the patient.

This is a matter of saving lives. People need this medicine. We need to get it to them. It's our responsibility. I see it as what I'm here to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Oh, there is so much more to learn about Jesus and his organization on our Web site, CNN.com/heroes. And you can nominate a hero of your own. You've until September 30th to get your nominations in. Selected winners will be honored during a special live global broadcast on December 6th, hosted by our own Anderson Cooper.

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HARRIS: So "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up in 14 minutes. I did the math. Come on, I did the math.

COLLINS: That was impressive.

HARRIS: Isha Sesay standing by with a preview. Isha, good morning.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you both. Always great to see you. We have a great show lined up for midday.

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of Diana Princess of Whales. After 10 years, those conspiracy theories surrounding her death continue to ride out. They show no signs of going away. We're going to try and find out why that is, and assess the legacy of the Queen of Hearts. Plus, there's a draft-dodging controversy in Israel. Last year, one in four males eligible for military service failed to enlist. We're going to take a closer look at the numbers and at both sides of the argument.

And it's a region known for huge reserves of oil and gas. I'm talking about the Arctic. Stay tuned to find out how the race for that region is heating up. That's all coming up just ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY with me, Isha Sesay, and Michael Holmes. Back to you both.

HARRIS: I love when things start to hot up. Isha, appreciate it. Thank you.

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COLLINS: A high-speed police chase, a fatal finish, all caught on camera by the police officers involved.

Details now from reporter Chris Shaw. He's with CNN's Cincinnati affiliate WXIX.

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CHRIS SHAW, WXIX REPORTER (voice-over): Four different dash cams, caught four different sometimes spectacular angles. But no one saw it like this man.

DARYL BLACK, TAKEN ON CAR CHASE: It's like being shot in a rocket, OK, on a skateboard, OK, and not trying to crash into buildings that are everywhere.

SHAW: Daryl Black was able to walk away from this car. Here he is being loaded into an ambulance just minutes after the more terrifying ride of his life. His says his neighbor, Charles Bennett, was taken him to Wal-Greens early Monday Morning when a police officer caught them making an illegal turn. Police say Bennett, who was driving a stolen car, refused to stop, and the chase was on.

SHAW: Black says Bennett drove as fast as 130 miles an hour, sometimes erratically, like here when he turned around in the middle of the road. Black says the entire time Bennett never said a word.

BLACK: During this I'm screaming at him, stop the f'ing car, get me out of this car.

SHAW: But police say nothing, not even this crash, would stop him . Even after that, police say Bennett tried to run over this officer who had to jump on the hood of the car and open fire to protect himself.

BLACK: I thought I was a goner for sure, especially when the bullets started flying. I don't know how on this earth I missed all that.

SHAW: A total of three officers shot at Bennett. The department says their actions were justified.

BLACK: The police probably followed procedure, but they shouldn't have shot in the car, especially with a passenger. And I think that needs to be looked at.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The police officers who fired shots are on paid leave today. The department officials says all are veteran officers.

HARRIS: So mom said don't play with your food. Come on, kids, don't -- kids, big kids. The message apparently lost on these vegetable warriors.

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COLLINS: A new reason to check your refrigerator this morning. More food being recalled.

Here is CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It does seem that we've been talking about food recalls quite a bit over the last year. The most recent one involves, again, spinach. Spinach considered a health food, obviously, but the subject of yet another recall, specifically talking about Metz Fresh Spinach. It's a small spinach grower located in King City, California. That's is in the Salinas Valley, an area sort of considered the salad bowl of the country. They make a lot of our spinach, a lot of our lettuce. The specific bags of concern here are 10 and 16-ounce bags and cartons containing four-pound cartons.

They also have specific tracking codes that they're making available. You can see them they're on your screen. We'll also put that on our Web site, and there's a phone number to call as well, if you're unsure about all of this.

Sources say thousands of bags have been potentially contaminated. The way that this happens often is animals and produce come in contact, and some of the bacteria actually gets on small swathes of the spinach. The way that it is harvested, the way that it is distributed, all the spinach is sort of mixed together, and oftentimes what may have been a small infection can suddenly spread to thousands of bags, which are subsequently distributed all over the country. So this becomes a nationwide recall.

Now most people who get a salmonella infection may not even know that they get it. They'll have nausea. They'll have vomiting. Maybe they'll have a few bad days. But it may be hard to trace back to the specific spinach. If you have these symptoms and they're getting worse and you've eaten spinach, certainly talk to your doctor about it and try and keep that spinach around to try and match up those lot numbers. As far as we now know, there have been no deaths in any way linked to this specific recall. The spinach company Metz, says they're actually is going to destroy these bags themselves. But, again, if any of these bags have made it into the grocery store or into your homes, make sure and just take them and throw them away. Don't try and wash the spinach again, because you'll get the spinach on your hands and possibly cross-contaminate.

More details will be coming forward. We'll bring those to you as we get them.

Back to you.

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COLLINS: Wow. I can't believe that's happening all over again.

Well, CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Bye, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great day.

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