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Chemical Agent Found in U.N. File; Sex Sting Scandal; Pervez Musharraf's Future

Aired August 30, 2007 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you never know what you might find in a U.N. file cabinet. Vials of a chemical agent more than a decade old turned up the other day. The U.N. and FBI insists there's no risk to the public, but they're not taking any chances either.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

Don Lemon is off.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A surprise discovery at a U.N. office in New York City. Samples of potentially harmful chemical agents apparently forgotten in some old files. There appears to be no immediate danger but hazardous materials crews have been called in.

Let's get to our senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth.

I think a lot of people are wondering, Richard, how these type of vials, especially with a chemical agent, could just be forgotten about for years.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's an open question whether they knew they were there and who knew. The FBI is saying there is no threat to anyone in New York City.

These items were supposedly sealed up, but a U.N. archivist, a cataloger going through the files at the U.N. weapons inspection agency discovered this. Outside the building for the last hour or so, police cordoning off some aspect of one entrance of the building, but there's been no evacuation. And inside this building are some diplomatic offices of various countries and other New York-based companies.

So there's not been that much of an impact here locally, but we are waiting for federal authorities to take the vials out of here and go to a lab. And that may happen somewhere down the road this afternoon or early this evening.

The first public word of this came at the daily briefing at the United Nations, and the spokesman for the United Nations weapons inspections agency, Ewen Buchanan, revealed how this was uncovered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EWEN BUCHANAN, UNIMOVIC SPOKESMAN: We've been trying to organize our archives, which include the materials as well as papers and documents. And while somebody has opened a box and found in the bottom of this box these plastic sealed containers -- and as I say, when they immediately saw what they were, they immediately sealed them and secured them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Now, these vials are no larger than the size of a pen, said the U.N. spokesman.

I got some reaction from people who work in that building. One let's just say Central American diplomat was upset that he and his country were not notified of these vials. May have been there and have been revealed on Friday, and some people are concerned about why they were not told until now.

One other gentleman, a prosecutor for the International War Crimes Tribunal, said why all this attention when people are dying in Darfur once he was told there was no threat.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Richard Roth, we'll follow the investigation into why those vials were left there, forgotten about. A lot of details to figure out.

Thank you so much.

Well, we want to talk about the threat that that chemical agent could have caused if, indeed, one of the vials had broken.

Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent, joining us now.

What if that would have happened? I mean, within the past number of years or even today when someone -- or yesterday when someone came across them?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it would have been terrible. I mean, it really could have been very, very terrible.

This chemical can kill very quickly if inhaled in high concentrations. In other words, if you dropped a vial right in front of you, it could be lethal, really, just within a very brief period of time. And even at lower concentrations, in other words, for people who would have been further away from where that vial would have been dropped, they could have had severe lung problems within just hours.

Now, there's a reason why in World War I this chemical was used in warfare. It killed more people than any other chemical used in World War I.

Now, something that's interesting is that for something that is so toxic and so dangerous, apparently phosgene actually smells pretty good. It smells like freshly mowed hay. PHILLIPS: So you wouldn't think anything is wrong.

COHEN: Not necessarily, right.

PHILLIPS: Can you treat it? What do you do if, indeed, it gets on you or you're exposed to it?

COHEN: There's no antidote. So you can't just go to the hospital and say, hey, I've been exposed to phosgene, please give me an antidote. One doesn't exist.

So, what you're supposed to do is you're supposed to remain calm, get to some fresh air, remove your clothes as calmly and quickly as possible, put them in double bags of plastic bags. And go to a hospital, where they'll, you know, keep up with you and treat whatever symptoms you have. But there's no actual antidote.

PHILLIPS: Of course, we'll follow the investigation, but we also need to remember, too, these were found in Iraq. It's interesting. This is what Saddam Hussein had in his factories there. So years ago -- and that's what the weapons inspectors came across and holding on to.

COHEN: And there was a reason that Saddam Hussein wanted to use that, or that he planned to use that. It's extremely effective.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

Want to bring you more information now on that standoff going on in Chicago, Illinois. We've been following this for about an hour now.

The FBI apparently making some headway with the gunman that's holed up in this bank in Chicago's north side. He has released some hostages. However, there are still individuals inside that bank in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. This is the First Commercial Bank in Chicago on North Clark Street.

Apparently, he went in to rob the bank this morning. Something went wrong. He started to gather everybody up in that bank.

The police responded. S.W.A.T. team is obviously there, circled around the bank, talking with the gunman. He has released a few of the hostages. Still, though, there are more people in there, and he does have a gun. Considered armed and dangerous at this time.

Well, some Republican allies and his state's major newspaper want him to quit, but Idaho senator Larry Craig does not appear to be moving in that direction. Craig's political future has been cloudy since word broke that he pleaded guilty to charges related to his arrest in an airport sex sting.

He insists that he did nothing wrong. So, do people in Idaho believe him?

Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, standing by for us today in Boise.

I know you've been talking to a lot of people. What's your take?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially, that -- the answer to that question to whether they believe him is, by and large, no. And that really is the problem, it seems, for Senator Craig here. Not so much what he did or didn't do, but the lie that he told, apparently, in pleading guilty, even in saying that he pleaded guilty when he was really innocent.

People don't even believe that story, to be honest with you. But I've got to tell you, Kyra, there is a growing feeling here, talking to Republicans, that it is possible that Senator Craig may be moving more towards the idea of resigning.

I just caught up with the governor of this state, Butch Otter, who is a long-time very good friend of Senator Craig. He is somebody who actually is one of the few we know who has talked to Senator Craig. He didn't -- certainly did not call for the senator to resign, but he certainly sounded like that it is exactly what Senator Craig is going to do.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. C.L. OTTER (R), IDAHO: Nobody likes these kind of problems, because these kinds of problems are -- you just can't get rid of, and you can't get rid of with simple explanations, and it takes a long time. And then you never really unring the bell. And the bell has been rung, and so as we go forward, I suspect there's going to have to be additional consideration by Larry and his family on where exactly they're going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the other thing that the governor said is that, of course, that people here in Idaho and probably Senator Craig understands full well the impact of the calls on a national level for the senator's resignation. But even more importantly, the move that his own leadership in Washington made yesterday to strip him of key posts in committees, very influential committees. The governor said of course that's a big deal to people here in Idaho, because that is what gives him some of the influence that he has in Washington.

Now, the governor, Kyra, I asked him point blank if he thinks -- if he can sort of look into his crystal ball, or if he thinks that the senator is going to resign, and he simply said, "I'm not going to go there." And I can also tell you, of course, if in fact the senator does resign, it would be the governor who would appoint the successor.

I asked if he's already starting to think about that. He said, "I don't have to. People are already calling me."

Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Dana Bash from Boise, Idaho.

Thanks, Dana.

Well, if only an independent review of the Virginia Tech massacre points to a lot of "if only," most focus now on Seung-Hui Cho, the student who gunned down 32 people and then killed himself. If only the university had known about his history of violence and mental illness, if only various agencies on campus had shared information about Cho, if only a warning had gone out right after the first shootings in a dormitory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE (D), VIRGINIA: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The governor says this tragedy shows there needs to be better communication among parents, professors and health professionals to prevent future tragedies.

Coming up, Virginia Tech responds to this report. We expect to hear from university president Charles Steger, among others. Hear what they have to say 2:30 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Now a suspected spree killer with a string of ex-lovers, one of whom is dead, three others lucky to be alive. Painter, carpenter, small-time criminal Paul Devoe was taken into custody Monday, reportedly near the homes of two ex-flames in Shirley, New York.

The alleged spree began last week in Texas. Reports say Devoe tried to shoot an ex-lover but missed, killing a bartender instead. Two days later, on Sunday, he allegedly shot and killed another ex- girlfriend whose body was one of four found in a home.

Devoe also is accused of the carjack killing of an elderly woman in Pennsylvania apparently during his trek to New York. Neither of the ex-lovers in New York were hurt. At last report, Devoe was planning to fight extradition to Texas.

And more on that Chicago standoff. Apparently, according to CLTV, there is an all-clear at the bank.

The bank robber came in this morning. It went awry. He started to hold individuals hostage, workers, patrons there of the bank.

A S.W.A.T. team responded. They were able to negotiate with the gunman.

We're told that the hostages one by one were being released. Not quite sure how it all came to a close.

We'll find out more from the negotiations and if, indeed -- or find out what exactly happened to the gunman, but we are getting the all clear that it is over. That standoff has ended in Chicago in the Rogers Park neighborhood at the First Commercial Bank.

Straight ahead, leadership crisis in Pakistan. Conflicting reports from the current president and a past prime minister over who's going to be in charge of the military.

Plus, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Now Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is laying at least part of the blame on Virginia Tech officials.

We're waiting for a response from Tech this hour.

And widely reported, now officially disputed. Owen Wilson's lawyer says no drug overdose is involved in his client's recent trip to the hospital.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 2:14 Eastern Time. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Idaho's largest newspaper calling on Senator Larry Craig to resign now. The Idaho Republican is under increasing fire following news of his arrest in an airport men's room.

A new report on the April massacre at Virginia Tech says university officials bear part of the blame for the carnage. The state panel says officials didn't have the full picture on the gunman's mental health and they should have alerted students as soon as that shooting began.

A scare in New York today, but apparently no danger to the public. U.N. archivists stumbled across samples of a potentially dangerous chemical agent in their files. The samples were taken from an Iraqi chemical weapons plant back in the 1990s.

Will he or won't he? That's the question in Pakistan today. Reports conflict on whether President Pervez Musharraf will step down as army chief in a bid to hold on to the presidency.

Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson has been following the developments from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nic, what are your contacts telling you?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, it seems President Musharraf is showing all the signs. The very fact that he's been a soldier all his life, he doesn't want to surrender.

He knows he's facing a lot of pressure right now. He would rather remain army chief of staff and president of the country.

He's beginning to realize that's impossible, that he has to make compromises. So, while the former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, who is working on a deal to bring her back to the country to get her political support, to make her potentially prime minister, then he, according to this deal, is supposed to step down as army chief of staff but remain on as president.

He's trying not to, if you will, sort of play all his cards at one time and show that he's really losing. Benazir Bhutto says this deal is all but done, that he will step down.

There are ministers who are close to President Musharraf who are saying the deal is all but done and he will step down. But it seems at the moment, until the very last, he's hanging tough on this issue.

He does have a lot of potential problems. Another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, may also come back to the country, come back to Pakistan in the near future. So he's got a lot on his plate.

But right now it does seem he's heading in that direction, that he will step down. But one important thing to remember here, Kyra, that no former army dictator president of Pakistan has ever handed off the commandership of the army and been able to stay on as president for very long, because they lose their power base. And that's it, they can be removed -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, what happens if both former prime ministers show up back in the country? And do you think one was more popular than another? Obviously, Benazir Bhutto has quite the reputation.

ROBERTSON: Well, Benazir Bhutto has a big reputation. She's got a strong political following, she's got a strong popular following, but many people see President Musharraf as discredited. The very fact that she would do a deal with him discredits her to a degree.

The person who is becoming more and more popular at the moment, it appears, is Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister. He seems to be becoming more popular as President Musharraf becomes less popular. And he said when he comes back to the country, he's going to stop President Musharraf becoming president again.

And he said that if President Musharraf won't do that, he'll bring his followers out onto the street. They'll have street demonstrations. These could get potentially very bloody.

But President Musharraf has already told Nawaz Sharif, who was cleared by the supreme court recently from exile, told that he could come back to Pakistan, President Musharraf's government has indicated if Nawaz Sharif goes back, he could well face being thrown into jail on corruption charges. These are charges Nawaz Sharif denies.

So, you can see it's becoming very complicated. It's coming down now to a real head at the moment with both these former prime ministers potentially heading back and President Musharraf knowing that he's got to change, that he's got to compromise, something he hasn't wanted to do before -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And that could have a tremendous impact on the war on terror.

Nic Robertson from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Thanks, Nic.

Straight ahead, inside the mind of a mentally ill killer. Selective mutism, depression and the Virginia Tech massacre.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Good news for the Reverend Billy Graham. We're getting word the evangelist has been discharged from the hospital.

You may remember that he was put into the hospital there in Ashland, North Carolina -- that's not for from his mountainside home -- about two weeks ago for intestinal bleeding. Apparently, doctors found a tangle of small blood vessels in the lining of his colon. Doctors were able to cauterize that spot.

And now Reverend Graham's personal physician says that the 88- year-old evangelist will be able to continue to regain his strength as he is now headed home. Good news for one of the world's most famous pastors.

A new report on the Virginia Tech massacre says that the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, suffered from a disorder known as selective mutism.

Joining us now with some insight, CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

We're getting obviously a number of revelations from this study that was done. And this is one of the things we've been wondering, what exactly is selective mutism?

COHEN: Well, selective mutism is just one of the things that he was diagnosed with.

This report is really pretty incredible for the way it details a lifetime, really, or at least the second part of his life, of problems for Cho. It goes into great detail about what happened to him since eighth grade. Lots of stuff that we didn't know at the time.

First of all in eighth grade, Cho had suicidal and homicidal thoughts, and was diagnosed with depression and selective mutism. Selective mutism is when you're unable to talk in certain settings. And that he took an antidepressant for a short time in eighth grade.

And then in high school, he was on weekly counseling and medication until 11th grade, and then he said he was fine and he stopped. But it really seemed that his high school was very much on top of things and made sure that he got counseling every week and got medication.

And then if you fast forward to his junior year at Virginia Tech, suicidal thoughts, bizarre behavior like taking a knife and stabbing a carpet. Lots of behavior like that.

He spent one night in court-ordered treatment, and the psychiatrist deemed at the end of that night that he was not an imminent danger to himself or others. So Cho left.

He did one follow-up appointment, and talked on the phone a couple of times to therapists, and that was it. He was discharged.

He wasn't on any medication. He wasn't under any order to have more follow-up appointments. That was kind of it.

PHILLIPS: So, given the history, could university officials have done anything to intervene? Because a lot of this stuff is private, right?

COHEN: Well, "private" is a really crucial word here, because what university officials have been saying for quite a while is, in effect, privacy laws tied our hands. We couldn't communicate with each other, we couldn't communicate with Cho's parents. And that is one of the most stunning things about this report.

This report says uh-uh, that's not true. Privacy laws do have some leeway. If you're in a situation where there's imminent danger, privacy laws do give you leeway to communicate. So this report really was quite critical of the university in that way.

PHILLIPS: What are some of the other criticisms in the report?

COHEN: Interesting criticisms of how the counselors worked.

Three times, Cho communicated with counselors. They did phone triage. And in all three times, there's no notes from these -- from these telephone conversations.

It's a very well-accepted protocol, that when you're talking to a patient on the phone and doing triage, you take notes and you file them and you save them. And all three times, they are missing.

And when you read the report, you sort of get this feeling that Cho was a little bit lost. That this was a big system. And, in fact, his high school counselor had warned him about going to a big high school. His high school counselor was concerned that he would get lost in the system.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about this column that you've been writing for CNN.com, empowered patient column.

Tell us about what you're writing about.

COHEN: Right. Every Thursday, I talk about how to be a better empowered patient. And the column this week is about five procedures where, if your doctor tells you to get them, you really need to get a second opinion.

So, for example, if your doctor tells you, "I want you to have surgery for varicose veins," get a second opinion. There's lots of other approaches.

If your doctor tells you, "You're having pelvic pain, get a hysterectomy," again, make sure you get a second or third or fourth opinion.

I talked to a woman for this story, Kyra, who was diagnosed with one type of brain tumor. She had an appointment for chemotherapy and a little voice in her head said, get a second opinion...

PHILLIPS: Get a second opinion.

COHEN: ... and they were wrong, totally wrong kind of brain tumor. She would have gotten the wrong kind of treatment.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's great advice. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

And obviously Elizabeth Cohen has many more advice -- advice for you and calls for a second opinion in her empowered patient feature. You just go to CNN./health for more.

Now we're watching the markets today. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the details from there.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: The mayor attempting to prevent gay cruising in Fort Lauderdale restrooms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have gay men and women having sex together in the bathrooms. At least we haven't had reports of that. It's men having sex with men. And I feel it's necessary for an elected official to tell it like it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Telling it like it is and angering the gay community in the process.

Straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

Virginia Tech's own review placed no blame on University officials for the campus massacre last spring but an independent report says the school failed to connect the dots about a very troubled student. Tech officials about to respond. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A live picture from Virginia Tech right now. This is Blacksburg coming to us from our affiliate WDBJ. More timely warnings might have saved lives. University President, Charles Steger, going to hold this news conference. We're waiting to hear more from this report out today on the Virginia Tech massacre. We'll take it live when it gets down to specifics. Actually let's take it now.

LARRY HINCKER, VIRGINIA TECH: As I noted to you all last week, I don't have fond memories of this room. I spent many hours before some of you at least trying to make something rational out of irrational and trying to explain the insanity that took place on our campus four some odd months ago.

However, trying to perform our duties as public officials, we were doing our best to try to keep you informed, and quite frankly all the while with a broken heart. Somewhere trying to figure out this man's inhumanity to man.

To a certain extent now as we talk with you today and take your questions and listen to the critical report from the governor's panel, we're going to relive that and the analysis of our actions that led up to the horrific mass murder on our beloved campus. Hopefully we will explain to a little bit about the future and how we plan to move forward.

I don't know if any of you all have read the entire report. I tried. I think I got to chapter four or five. So, as a result, there's going to be a limit to what we're going to be able to accomplish today. It's huge. It's wide-ranging. We just received the report this morning at the same time you all received the report. I guess I should say technically at 11:45 last night. Notwithstanding the calls from many of you to my house after midnight, I did not read the report.

But we do have full access, and we will attempt to answer as many of your questions today as we possibly can, knowing what we know.

The procedure today, Dr. Steger will give a prepared statement, and then we'll spend the remainder of the hour taking your questions. I also have several reporters on the line, and so I will be doing my best to monitor and go back and forth between questions here in the room and questions that we have from our colleagues calling in from I believe around the country.

So with that done, I will turn the podium to Dr. Steger. He will then go ahead and sit down and we'll take the questions seated.

CHARLES STEGER, PRESIDENT OF VIRGINIA TECH: Thank you, Larry.

First of all, I want to say we very much appreciate all of you coming here to be with us this afternoon. I want to begin by saying that the university notwithstanding the real joy and exhilaration that comes from the start of a new semester in the academic year, a still traumatized to an extent and continues to grieve over the tragedy of April 16th.

On our campus, as you know all too well, 32 people were murdered, and at least 27 injured by a profoundly sick young man. Moreover, he was a member of our community which magnifies the violation that we all feel.

For virtually all of us in the Virginia Tech family, our hearts will never lose the ache that we feel since this horrible day, and I can tell you it is with us every day. We're trying hard to support those most in need, our 19 injured students that have returned to the campus to continue their education here, and we're doing everything possible to make that transition back to the classroom as easy and as effective as it can be.

In addition, we've created the office of recovery and support to facilitate more effective and ongoing two-way communication between the university and the families of the victims. I believe that there's some wonderful opportunities for Virginia Tech to collaborate with these families in some meaningful program that will commemorate the spirit and generosity of the fallen heroes.

I'm here to speak to you today to the findings and recommendations of the Virginia Tech review panel that was ably led by Colonel Massengill and all the members of the panel who gave so much of their time and thought to what is obviously a very difficult topic. They have provided a valuable and necessary public service.

I also want to just comment on how much I appreciate Governor Kaine's leadership from the early moments of April 16th. I spoke with him when he was in Tokyo after being on the ground for about an hour and a half or two hours. He and Mrs. Kaine got back on the plane and came back to the United States and ever since, his support has been inspirational to the university, to the commonwealth, and beyond.

I'd also like to acknowledge the work of hundreds and hundreds of people within the university who worked on our own reviews and who worked with the panel sharing information and the thousands of faculty, staff, and students who stepped up on April 16th and in the weeks to follow.

And finally, I once again want to thank the thousands of people who flocked to our aid on April 16th and expressed their support.

We asked for this review. We asked that it be direct and objective, and it is extraordinarily comprehensive. It took a great deal of effort to put this together in such a short period of time, and I would not be honest if I didn't say that it's painful to hear the blunt and in some cases critical findings, but it was necessary, necessary for those who have lost something more precious than anything in the world, their loved ones, and necessary for those of us who have interacted with the deeply disturbed student, Mr. Cho.

And it's necessary for those of us with the responsibility to find ways to implement actions to seek to prevent any such tragedy from ever happening again. We just now are beginning to digest the findings and the recommendations. We are distributing the reports to the campus leadership and already to the board of visitors. It's already clear that many of its recommendations for future action are consistent with the reports we released to you last week.

So what we've got to do now is evaluate which actions we can implement immediately, which might have a secondary implication that require further study, which are the providence and responsibility of groups outside the university -- excuse me. And which ones are going to require changes in the law that are going to need additional resources to implement. So I can't review with you everything in the report, but let me just note a few key points.

As noted in our own reports on the interface between units, as we move forward we need to be more aggressive in identifying and assisting students at risk. And, of course, the panel suggests the same thing.

Whether Cho should have ever been in a large college or any college is certainly a legitimate question. When people did reach out and try to help, however, he rebuffed the system. He hid his homicidal tendencies from mental health professionals throughout his entire life. And although hindsight now provides us with the signs or indications within the university, he clearly kept from the university the extent of his troubles in prior mental health history.

Ours is a system that asks for students to help us. When they need help, they request it, and we try to provide it. Mental health colleagues worked tirelessly to help individuals with ailments cope with college, but it's a cooperative effort. Some say the system, that continuum of support from childhood to college, failed the students. In some aspects though, the system worked broadly speaking. It simply wasn't asked to do enough. We didn't ask it to do enough, and for some aspects outside of Virginia Tech, the same is true.

For example, the report noted that professional participants and family stake holders are uniformly frustrated with almost every aspect of the civil commitment process in Virginia. We believe that actions that we announced in our report last week refer to the expanding capacity of the system will greatly improve our ability to identify problems like this.

And I refer to three major recommendations, and I lift them up now because they are key to much of what we have heard from the panel. One, refining and expanding the care team that we have at Virginia Tech, a key student affairs group that identifies and responds to students at risk among its many other responsibilities. Second, creating a threat assessment team charged with examining the most complex cases of distressed students, and empowering it to act quickly when necessary. And, third, expanding the case management capacity by adding case managers to the dean of students' office and the counseling center so we can improving the follow-up and to improve the information flow that's appropriate to share among units.

Now, it's important to note that virtually all college students are legal adults, and over the past 30 years the whole concept of in loco parentis has been changed, largely dismantled, and almost legislated out of existence. Yet we are seeing in this report and other public discussions, a growing recognition that families do not and should not surrender responsibility for a student's ongoing well- being. There are many recommendations in the report relative to communication and privacy laws that will bolster involvement with support groups, but most importantly bolster involvement of the families.

In Cho's case, no one at this university had any foreknowledge of his mental health problems that seemed dominant throughout his life before college. Colleges need feedback groups in order to identify, assess, and help students at risk. We need some way of understanding a student's life before college. If there are aspect that is would prevent that student from success or an extreme could create problems for others.

Indeed, the information about his earlier mental health problems and special education programs would have been invaluable, not only in a general sense in assisting him as a student, but when we had his one encounter with the public mental health system in 2005, if we had known that context, the response probably would have been quite different.

We agree that we need to break down the perceived barriers to privacy within our own organization and with organizations with which we interact. It's still a gray area, and some of the recommendations will require a better understanding of the existing laws, clarification of the existing laws, and there are going to be some changes I feel necessary in the legal structure, and that's going to engender a lot of discussion about the balance of the rights of society and the privacy rights of individuals.

But in the end, we acknowledge the connecting the dots, as was mentioned earlier this morning scenario, and we're going to do everything in our power to end potential problems stemming from the poor or nonexistent in some cases information exchange.

So I can assure you that Virginia Tech will not be a bystander also in the political process, and that there are laws that need to be changed, and we're going to be advocates for that. We're going to be forceful advocates for bringing the legislative gap and for bridging that gap between individual privacy rights and the good of larger society.

Now, the panel report says the police agencies and rescue groups did an outstanding job on this day of the tragedy, and I want you to know we completely agree with that. Their heroic work in Norris Hall undoubtedly saved many lives.

Based on feedback given to me by other law enforcement leaders and in the report itself, and I had conversations with key people in the FBI, state police, and other significant national figures on a private basis helping me to understand what is expected and what we did, our police followed standard protocols for homicide investigation and securing the campus on the morning when the first two shootings were discovered. They immediately secured the crime scene and notified residents in the immediate area.

You've got to remember, there are 1,200 students in A.J., and we sent people up and down the hallways letting people know what was going on, we surrounded the buildings. All those things happened within minutes of when the crime occurred. With the information in only a few minutes, they developed legitimate leads and they quickly followed them. And based on the crime scene evidence, which is substantial -- I won't go into that for the moment -- they did just what they should have done.

The report notes that the notion that there was a two-hour gap is a great misconception, and I can speak to that later in the questions and answers, but I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions about this whole business. There was continuous action and deliberations from the first event until the second, and they made a material difference in the results of the second event.

I'm not aware of anything the police learned that would have indicated that a mass murder was imminent. Indeed, the report notes that there was no similar event in the history of the United States. The report also notes that based on past history, the probability of more shootings following a dormitory slaying were exceedingly low. The panel research reports of multiple shootings on campuses for the past 40 years, and no scenario was found in which the first murder was followed by a second elsewhere on campus. Nowhere. The crime was unprecedented in its cunning and its murderous results, and yet it happened here.

We respect and we commend the panel for what they have done and for what might have happened scenarios. They're illustrative and useful for future actions, but nobody can say for certain what would have happened if different decisions were made. However, to say that something could have been prevented is certainly not to say that it would have been. Moreover, it's entirely possible that this tragedy, horrific as it is, could have been worse.

PHILLIPS: Bottom line, more timely warnings might have saved lives. That's just one conclusion from a new report out today on the Virginia Tech massacre. You're listening to Virginia Tech University President Charles Steger trying to explain the insanity that took place on his campus when that gunman, Sueng-Hui Cho, killed 32 people before faking his own life.

Virginia's governor appointed a panel that wrote the report that the president is responding to. The governor said another key finding is no one connected the dots of Cho's mental health history. We've been learning more about that he did have quite a mental health history. The president coming forward saying there's got to be a way that universities can get a better understanding of a student's life prior to entering college.

We're going to continue to follow this live news conference and the response from the university to this report. We'll have more from the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're going to take a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Former DA in Durham, North Carolina, stood before a judge today, this time as a defendant. Mike Nifong faces criminal contempt charges for the way he mishandled the duke lacrosse team sex assault trial. The judge said Nifong knew DNA tests cleared the three defendants but kept that fact to himself. Nifong pleaded not guilty today in Durham. If convicted he could get 30 days in jail.

He's been arrested, pleaded guilty, and now members of his own party want him to resign. Will Larry Craig soon be out of a job? Washington lawmakers, including two senators, started to abandon Craig yesterday after news of his arrest in an airport restroom sex sting.

Craig pleaded guilty but insists did he nothing wrong. He's already facing new pressure back home. Today's Idaho Statesman newspaper joined the calls for Craig to step aside. In its words, Craig may be one of the senate's more senior republicans, but he is contemplating a future that just doesn't exist. The longer it takes for him to face the facts, the longer of the interests of Idaho are marginalized.

Bill Frist, who was once the top senate republican, tells CNN the people of Idaho have to make a decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL FRIST (R), FMR. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Having been a majority leader of the United States senate, I'm not going to state specifically what I think or shouldn't. I really don't want to prejudge. There's no reason for me to now that I'm a citizen. Clearly such actions, if they are true or if they are as painted, are despicable. It's the sort of issues that ultimately will impact whether or not somebody like Larry Craig or others would be re- elected. I think the people of Idaho, the people of individual states will have to look at the facts and make that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Craig stepped down yesterday from his senior position on several Senate committees. But a spokesperson says the senator is not preparing to resign from office.

Republican congressman Peter Hoekstra was the first Washington lawmaker to call on Larry Craig to resign. And on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Hoekstra says elected officials should be held to a higher standard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: It's really clear that when congress is at an approval rating of 18 percent to 20 percent, we haven't met the expectation of the American people. When we see this kind of behavior by one of our elected leaders in the U.S. senate, I think the American people expect and deserve better, and that is why I suggested and called for Senator Craig to resign from his seat in the U.S. senate. He broke his trust obviously with the people of Idaho, but also with his colleagues in the U.S. senate and with his colleagues and friends in the Republican Party.

I think if Larry believes that he made some wrong decisions and that he should not have pled guilty, I think that he should take every effort to clear his name, but he should do so outside of the United States senate. Right now the facts are very clear. He pled guilty to what I think is a pretty ugly crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: In addition to Hoekstra and several other house members, Craig's fellow republican senators Mack Cane and Norm Coleman also want him to quit.

How do football fans feel about Michael Vick? Fifty-eight percent don't want Vick to return. Just 22 percent said they want Vick to play on the team that they root for. The poll was completed the day before Vick begged forgiveness after pleading guilty in federal court to dog fighting conspiracy charges. Vick is in indefinitely suspended from the NFL as he awaits his sentencing in December.

Straight ahead, the bomb threats were bogus, but they still netted thousands of dollars. Now the feds are looking overseas for the perps. We'll tell you about the scam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it happened again. This time in a grocery store in Maine. In the past weeks stores and banks in more than a dozen states have received threatening phone calls aimed at extorting money.

Jeanne Meserve is CNN's Homeland Security correspondent and explains the scam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the FBI believes that one person or one group is responsible for this extortion scam, and a source tells CNN that investigators are looking for a suspect in Portugal. Over the past week, the FBI says banks and stores in 13 states are believed to have gotten phone calls saying there's a bomb on the premises which will be detonated if money isn't electronically moved into an account. A law enforcement source says it has worked in some instances to the tune of about $13,000.

A grocery store in the small Maine town of Millinocket appears to be the latest target. The local police chief says Wednesday, 38 shoppers and employees were put in lock down for at least three hours while police investigated a call and on Tuesday a call to a Wal-Mart store in Newport, Rhode Island demanded that $10,000 be wired to a location outside the United States. A federal law enforcement source says several thousand dollars were sent but not the $10,000 requested. Local police say the employees were so afraid the would be bomber was in their store they wouldn't leave until the S.W.A.T. team arrived. Police say the call was eventually traced to outside the U.S.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Authorities believe that some of the more recent calls may have been copy cat.

There's another spinach recall to tell you about. Metz Fresh is recalling thousands of cases of bagged spinach after salmonella was found during routine testing. So far there have been no reports of anyone getting sick. The tainted spinach was sent to 48 states and Canada and involves all ten and 16-ounce bags as well as all the cartons. The recall comes less than a year after an E. coli outbreak in spinach killed three people and sickened hundreds more.

The next hour in the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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