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Senator Larry Craig Likely to Resign; War & the Homefront; Wrestlers Suspended for Drugs
Aired August 31, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Friday, the last day of August 2007.
Sources telling CNN a sex sting likely to end Larry Craig's Senate career. They expect him to quit, and it could happen today.
HARRIS: Mortgage rescue -- President Bush's plan to help certain people with risky loans. His announcement live in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Her sons and the queen, part of a royal remembrance of a princess, 10 years after her death.
A decade without Diana, in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And at the top this hour, pressure mounting. A senator under fire may be close to calling it quits.
Sources say Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig could resign as soon as today. Craig has denied making sexual advances toward a police officer in an airport men's room. In tapes released yesterday, he accused the officer of entrapment.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: I don't -- I am not gay. I don't do these kinds of things and...
SGT. DAVE KARSNIA, ARRESTING OFFICER: It doesn't matter. I don't care about sexual preference or anything like that. Here's your stuff back, sir. I don't care about sexual preference.
CRAIG: I know you don't. You're out to enforce the law.
KARSNIA: Right.
CRAIG: But you shouldn't be out to entrap people, either.
KARSNIA: This isn't entrapment. (END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash live from Boise, Idaho, now.
Dana, good morning to you.
What are you hearing about the senator's political future from Idaho?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we have fresh indications that Senator Craig is likely to step down. CNN is told that the Republican National Committee was poised to take the extraordinary step of issuing a statement calling on Senator Craig to resign, but we're told that party leaders decided to hold off after they got clear indications from Senator Craig -- his camp, I should say, that he is actually going to do that himself.
Now, we are also told that there were high-level meetings here in Idaho to discuss the situation yesterday. Now, because, obviously, this is very sensitive, our sources are reluctant to give very many details of these conversations, Tony, but we are told from well-placed sources here in Idaho and back in Washington that they do believe that Senator Craig is likely now to step down, perhaps as early as today -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. I know you'll continue to follow this for us.
Dana Bash for us in Boise, Idaho.
Dana, thanks.
COLLINS: The war in Iraq and the mortgage crisis here at home, both topics commanding President Bush's attention today. In a couple of hours, his plan to help struggling homeowners. You can see it live right here in the NEWSROOM.
Today's main focus, though, a critical briefing on Iraq.
CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry sets the stage for us now this morning.
Good morning to you, Ed.
Who will the president will hearing from exactly?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.
It's crunch time just two weeks before General Petraeus's progress report on Iraq, so the president, this afternoon, after 1:00 p.m., will be heading over to the Pentagon, meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talking about troop levels in Iraq. And also, what's really significant is, senior officials saying the president is likely to get a chance to speak privately to each member of the Joint Chiefs, an indication that maybe not everybody is on the same page. There have been leaked reports suggesting that maybe General Peter Pace, for example, might be more interested in possible troop level cuts, unlike other generals. All this meant to give the impression that the president's heading over to the Pentagon to hear all sides about this debate as he moves forward toward the progress report. But in reality, when you listen closely to the president's own words, he certainly sounds like someone who has made up his mind and is not ready to shift strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I'm often asked about coalition troops. And my attitude is our coalition partners ought to be making decisions based upon conditions on the ground, because failure in Iraq would lead to, in my judgment, to turmoil, chaos in the Middle East, and other attacks on the United States and other nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: That's a statement he could have made three months ago, six months ago. He actually made it yesterday. But the point is, it's the same argument he's been making for a long time. It really sounds like a president who's building up to lay the groundwork to tell the American people he believes a surge has been working, but he needs more time to keep it going -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. There's another topic to talk about today, too, Ed, the president's plan to go ahead and help struggling homeowners.
We have been hearing so much about this. The market is as volatile as we have seen in it a long, long time. What do we expect to hear here?
HENRY: Eleven o'clock in the Rose Garden, we'll hear the president, bottom line, will not call for a federal bailout for people who are struggling right now, but will try to find some things to implement, such as modernizing the Federal Housing Authority. He wants to basically expand their ability to ensure loans for people who can't make their payments, hoping they could get a lifeline from refinancing.
Also talking about suspending on a short-term basis an IRS rule that hits people with a big tax when a lender forgives them on mortgage debt. The idea, again, trying to help people, prevent them from foreclosing.
But the bottom line is that some of the things the president can do through the executive branch, but others, especially the Housing authority modernization, he has to work with Congress on. No sign that they are really close to any sort of a big reform, so the real question is whether any of this will really have a major impact or whether it's about the president just trying to show he is doing something -- Heidi.
COLLINS: We will have to see. Ed Henry, thanks so much for that.
HENRY: Thank you.
COLLINS: And of course we will have live coverage of President Bush's Rose Garden event on mortgage assistance. It is scheduled for 11:10 Eastern this morning.
HARRIS: Boy, a close call for U.S. lawmakers visiting the war zone. Their military plane coming under rocket fire in a flight from Baghdad.
On board, senators Mel Martinez, Richard Shelby, James Inhofe and Representative Bud Cramer. Cramer commented that it's something "... our men and women in combat face every day." The flight crew had to evasive maneuvers, changing directions and firing flares to avoid getting hit.
COLLINS: Word this morning of two more U.S. troops killed in combat, one a marine, the other a soldier. A military statement says they died in separate attacks Wednesday while fighting in Iraq's Anbar province.
A dozen al Qaeda militants also reported killed in Anbar province Wednesday. The military says U.S. troops engaged the men, then called in air support. U.S. jets dropped two precision-guided bombs on the militants and their cargo trucks.
HARRIS: What do you say we get a check of weather now? Rob Marciano is in the CNN weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: How about this? Hitting a 64 million to one shot in the baby lottery. An Ohio mom gave birth Wednesday to her second -- second set of triplets.
The new triplets, like the older ones, were conceived naturally -- my goodness -- without fertility treatments. And doctors say that's a one in 64 million chance.
Mom's not taking credit. Are you taking me? But says dad, on the other hand, is a one in 64 million guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA LASITA, MOTHER OF TWO SETS OF TRIPLETS: I couldn't ask for a better husband. I mean, he works 10, 12 hours a day, and anybody that knows us knows the second he comes in from work, I don't have to do anything. I mean, he takes over. He steps in and, you know, helps me get them fed and bathed and dressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Could we have more of that? Love for dad? Do we have more of that? Is there raw tape of it somewhere? The families' older triplets turn 4 in December.
COLLINS: Their son survived the massacre at Virginia Tech. In a live interview, parents give their views on a report that says that the school could have done more.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Professional wrestling is body- slammed by another steroid scandal.
I'm Jim Acosta. The details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She was our guardian, our friend, our protector. She was the best mum in the world. So say two young princes at a memorial service in London.
I'm Richard Quest. I'll have those details in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And he wants to be a racecar driver. He is practicing now at age 5 and scaring the neighbors senseless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going on? Do you need some help? Is this your child who's driving your car? And she admitted, yes, but he's a good driver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Man. Mom's morning out with a kindergartner at the wheel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Cleaning the mats. World Wresting Entertainment suspends 10 wrestlers for violating its drug-testing policy.
Our Jim Acosta is live from Stamford, Connecticut, now, home of the WWE.
Jim, what is the organization saying about these suspensions?
ACOSTA: Well, what they're saying right now, Heidi, is that they are suspending these wrestlers based on information that the federation received -- or I should say the company received -- from information obtained by investigators with the Albany District Attorney's Office. And that district attorney's office has been looking into allegations of steroid use in the WWE, the World Wrestling Entertainment company, and where those wrestlers are getting these steroids.
According to published reports, the wrestlers that have been suspended were receiving their steroids through a company called Signature (ph), a pharmacy out of Orlando, Florida. That is allegedly the same pharmacy that was supplies steroids to Chris Benoit. He is the professional wrestler who killed his wife, his son and then himself in the Atlanta suburbs back in late June. Now, the World Wrestling Entertainment company says it is getting serious about this. It has not released the names of wrestlers in the past who have been suspended for steroid use, but it says it will now. And here's a quote.
We have a statement from the WWE saying, "It has been WWE's practice not to release the names of those who have been suspended, but notice has been sent to all WWE performers that names of anyone who is suspended under the Wellness Policy as of November 1st will be made public."
And so, that is a departure from what the WWE used to do in the past. Typically, we wouldn't find out about steroid problems on the part of these wrestlers until, in many cases, they showed up dead.
In the case of Eddie Guerrero back in November of '05, that is a professional wrestler who had been using steroids and died at the sage of 38. So the wrestling company worldwide -- excuse me, World Wrestling Entertainment says they're getting serious about it and Congress says they're getting serious about it. They're planning hearings in September on all of this. It may not quite be a smackdown on Capitol Hill, but lawmakers say they're very concerned about these allegations.
COLLINS: Yes, I know that those hearings are coming up.
A couple of questions for you quickly.
Have you learned anything more about the Wellness Policy of the WWE? I wonder about that.
And also, a lot of people might be asking this morning, you know, it's professional wrestling, much more entertainment than it is a sport. We know that there's a predetermined end, who is going to win, who's going to lose. Why use the drugs in the first place?
ACOSTA: Well, as far as the Wellness Policy, this is something that WWE came up with, and it was basically in response to all the scrutiny that was coming down after all of these stories coming out about wrestlers having serious drug problems and problems with steroid abuse. And they basically came out with a policy that said, if you're caught once, it's a 30-day suspension, caught twice, 60 days. And the third time, you're out of the league, as it were.
As for why they do it, obviously it's not like baseball or basketball or football, where it's more performance enhancing that we're talking about here. Here it's all about getting big and having that muscular physique. That sells tickets to these events and has people glued to their TV sets.
This is one of the most popular television programs on cable. And WWE just by themselves rake in about $400 million a year. So this is a huge global enterprise.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Jim Acosta for us in Stamford, Connecticut, this morning. Jim, thanks.
HARRIS: Princess Diana, adored by millions around the world. On the 10th anniversary of her death, a memorial service this morning.
CNN's Richard Quest joins us from Buckingham Palace in London.
Richard, great to see you.
Talk to us about the two princes. We're reminded again this morning that we have watched them grow up before our eyes. They were both great at the service. But talk about the comments from Prince Harry. Boy, talk about mom really -- it choked you up.
QUEST: The most extraordinary thing about this for anybody like myself who covers the royal family, who spends probably more time than most poring over the words that they say, the actions that they take, who have to interpret the minutia of this, is when a member of the royal family actually talks from the heart. And what we saw today was princes William and Harry, who had arranged this service, who basically said they wanted a service to remember their mother, they did just that.
They took charge, Tony, right from the moment they stood at the door of the Guards Chapel. They welcomed the congregation, they saw the congregation out.
But then there was a moment when Prince Harry addressed the congregation and left no one in any doubt about the legacy of Diana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY: When she was alive, we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life -- laughter, fun and folly. She was our guardian, friend and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated.
She will always be remembered for her amazing public work. But behind the media glare, to us, just two loving children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: There was an also very interesting moment when the bishop of London gave the formal address, putting it bluntly, in layman's terms, enough is enough. That's the gist of what he said, let Diana rest. Stop the points scoring about the circumstances of her death.
So, Tony, how can we read today? One level, it was two sons talking about their mother. At another level, it was basically the establishment saying, it's time to put it to rest.
HARRIS: Yes. Amen.
Richard Quest for us this morning.
Richard, great to see you. Thank you.
COLLINS: To this now -- busted in the men's room. CNN sources say the arrest is likely to end Larry Craig's Senate career, perhaps today. New developments on a possible resignation.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Ali Velshi here in New York "Minding Your Business".
The Friday before Labor Day isn't usually a big business day, but two of the most important people to your money are giving speeches this morning, and it could affect your investments.
I'll be back to tell you more about it when the NEWSROOM comes back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Stay with CNN for the very latest on Senator Larry Craig and his possible resignation. The senator is among those making the mark this week. He has been in the spotlight since the revelation of the June arrest, his insistence that he did nothing wrong, and the pressure from Republicans for him to resign.
HARRIS: The stock market poised to soar at today's open. Wall Street investors await major speeches this morning from both President Bush and Fed Chair Bernanke.
What is going on here?
Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business".
Ali, where do you want to start? Do you want to start with the good news in the market...
VELSHI: I should be minding the waves on a beach.
HARRIS: Yes, you should.
VELSHI: It's the Friday before -- Friday before Labor Day, Tony. I'm not sure -- I mean, Wall Street is not really at work today. This is not a day when you're supposed to have one big speech, let alone two big speeches.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: The first one is Ben Bernanke, by the way, who is going to be doing this from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So he's at a bit of a retreat.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: It's some Fed conference on housing and monetary policy, but he's going to be speaking at 10:00 Eastern. And the one thing the markets are going to be looking for here is, is he going to hint toward a rate cut in September, or whenever the case is? That's sort of the main thing that people are going to want to hear from Ben Bernanke.
And then at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, President Bush is going to speak, and he is going to put forward some solid proposals on what he thinks can be done to sort of stem the subprime mortgage crisis.
And you know, Tony, it's hard to know, are we done with this? There are still two million people who are going to have their adjusted rate mortgages reset in the next two years. So that means there are more people potentially who could default and have foreclosures.
HARRIS: You know, hang on a second. Does this smell like a bailout coming from the president and the FHA?
VELSHI: You know, that's interesting, because one of the proposals that we're expecting the president to have is to extend this Federal Housing Administration insurance for people...
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: ... on their mortgages, to perhaps offer a tax break to some people who have been -- who have gotten into trouble with their mortgages.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: And to suggest to some of the lenders that maybe they not be so quick to foreclose. I don't think it's going as far as a bailout. And the problem with a bailout, Tony, is this -- we got into this mess because of risky behavior on the part of borrowers and on the part of banks and on the part of investment houses.
HARRIS: Does the federal government want to be on the hook for the bad paper now?
VELSHI: Do you want to send out that message, that if you do bad things, if you do overly risky things, you get in trouble? Some risk is necessary.
So it will be interesting to see how this all plays out and how it's going to affect people sort of right on the ground. Is this going to help people who are having trouble making their mortgage payments? Is it going to help them get a little further?
HARRIS: Yes. And yet, you want to help folks out who are struggling.
VELSHI: You do want to help folks out.
HARRIS: Figure out a way to help folks who are really in trouble here.
VELSHI: You want to tell people that it's not great to take too much risk.
HARRIS: Yes. VELSHI: But there is some risk involved, and homeownership is good thing.
So, you know, it will be interesting to hear what these two gentlemen have to say.
HARRIS: So, you're minding folks' business on the radio now, Ali?
VELSHI: I am. We've got -- we've got a radio show. And it is going to air on various CNN affiliates...
HARRIS: Oh, great.
VELSHI: ... this weekend. And you can hear it -- if you don't have a CNN affiliate, you can hear it on cnn.com/podcast or you can go to iTunes, where CNN has a page.
It's called "Making Sense of the Markets". And we're going to do this. We're going to have this real conversation, particularly about, Tony, who's to blame for this?
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: Is it the person who took the mortgage and didn't think it was going to go up or didn't think their house would go down? Or is it the broker or the bank or the investment houses who created these investment vehicles? Or the government?
Where does the blame lie and how do we make sure this doesn't happen again?
HARRIS: Outstanding. Have a great weekend.
VELSHI: Thank you. And you, too, my friend.
HARRIS: All right. And we'll be listening for you on the radio.
VELSHI: All right.
HARRIS: Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning.
COLLINS: Their son survived the massacre at Virginia Tech. A live interview. Parents give their views on a report that says the school could have done more.
HARRIS: And the war in Iraq, and the view within the president's inner circle. A key briefing today at the Pentagon.
COLLINS: He was one of the first on the scene when his brother's helicopter went down in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter. And I couldn't participate in that. I knew my -- I knew Nathan was in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: They were a band of brothers. Now just one remains.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HARRIS: All eyes on the president today, as he announces plans to have the FHA, the Federal Housing Administration, throw that life raft to homeowners drowning right now with those loans that they just can't handle, can't pay off.
And the Fed chair, Ben Bernanke, as you just heard from Ali Velshi, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, talking about the housing sector and the so-called credit crunch.
We are following all of the business news of the day with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
OK, here we are, the bottom of the hour.
Welcome back.
Get away day Friday, ahead of the big weekend.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi there, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins.
So is he stepping down?
Several Republican sources tell CNN Idaho Senator Larry Craig likely to resign very soon, perhaps as soon as today. Craig is under fire over his June arrest in a Minneapolis airport men's room.
In police tapes released yesterday, he accuses the arresting officer of entrapment and denies signaling interest in a sexual encounter.
CRAIG: Did I encourage...
KARSNIA: I have been trained in this and I know what I'm doing.
CRAIG: Did I encourage...
KARSNIA: And I saw you put your hand under there. And you're going to sit there and...
CRAIG: I admit I put my hand down.
KARSNIA: You put your hand and rubbed it on the bottom of the stall with your left hand. CRAIG: No. Wait a moment...
KARSNIA: And I'm -- I'm not dumb. You can say, I don't recall, I don't recall...
(CROSSTALK)
CRAIG: If I had turned sideways, that was the only way I could get my left hand over there.
KARSNIA: It's not that hard for you to reach...
(CROSSTALK)
KARSNIA: It's not that hard. I see it happen every day out here now.
CRAIG: Yes?
OK, you do.
KARSNIA: I'm just -- I'm just...
CRAIG: All right.
KARSNIA: I guess -- I guess I'm going to say I'm just disappointed in you, sir. I just really am. I expect this from the guy that we get out of the hood. But, I mean -- I mean, people vote for you.
CRAIG: Yes, they do.
(CROSSTALK)
KARSNIA: Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
CRAIG: And I'm a respectable person and I don't do these kinds of...
(CROSSTALK)
KARSNIA: ... Respect right now, though.
CRAIG: But I didn't use my left hand.
KARSNIA: I saw...
(CROSSTALK)
CRAIG: I reached down with my right hand like this to pick up a piece of paper.
KARSNIA: Was your gold ring on your right hand at any time today?
CRAIG: Of course not. Try to get it off. Look at it.
KARSNIA: OK. Then it was your left hand. I saw it with my own eyes.
CRAIG: All right, you saw something that didn't happen.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KARSNIA: I don't care about sexual preference or anything like that.
CRAIG: I know you don't. You're out to enforce the law.
KARSNIA: Right.
CRAIG: But you shouldn't be out to entrap people either.
KARSNIA: This isn't entrapment.
CRAIG: All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Craig pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge. He now calls that decision a mistake.
HARRIS: President Bush today confronting two of the most troubling topics. One, the Iraq War. He and Vice President Dick Cheney will attend a high level briefing this afternoon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will lay out their progress report. That meeting held behind closed doors, described as an unvarnished assessment.
For the public event in the White House Rose Garden, the issue the mortgage crisis. President Bush will discuss ways to help the glowing number of Americans at risk of losing their homes. Many can't afford to refinance their way out of surging adjustable rate loans.
We will have coverage of President Bush's Rose Garden event on mortgage assistance. It is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. Eastern time this morning and we'll bring it to you right here in THE NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Their son was shot but survived the massacre at Virginia Tech.
This morning, parents react to a report that says the school could have done more.
Anne and Andrew Goddard's son Colin is back at Virginia Tech now. He's recovering from his wounds.
They are with us this morning from Richmond, Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs. Goddard, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
ANDREW GODDARD, FATHER OF VIRGINIA TECH SURVIVOR: Thank you.
ANNE GODDARD, MOTHER OF VIRGINIA TECH SURVIVOR: Thank you. COLLINS: First of all, I just want to ask you how Colin is doing.
ANNE GODDARD: He's doing great. He's back at school. He's looking forward to his last year at Tech.
COLLINS: What was your reaction when you first heard this report that came out?
Were you surprised by anything or did you think it was as comprehensive and as fair as the governor said?
ANNE GODDARD: I think we were surprised it was as comprehensive and fair as the governor said. I think we were -- we're very pleased with the report. We thought it was very thorough. We weren't sure what to anticipate, actually, what would come out. We didn't know the range of how much -- they would go into as much detail as they did. We were very pleased with it.
We do wish, however, that there were -- I wish, however, there was a little bit more detail about exactly what went on in A.J. Dorm, because that was a key part of what happened. They don't describe the circumstances very much of what happened there. And the police drew a lot of conclusions from that, but we don't really know exactly what happened.
ANDREW GODDARD: Andrew, what was your thoughts when you were listening to him speak?
It was seven different key findings and quite a few that addressed the mental health of Cho and also addressed the communications system on the campus and many other things.
ANDREW GODDARD: Yes. I thought the governor did an excellent job of summarizing the report. The report is massive and it contains so many findings and a massive number of recommendations. And it's very important now that this becomes required reading for all of the universities and colleges around the country so that they can learn from the mistakes that were made by others.
COLLINS: Yes. There was actually even a point in there about that very thing.
If you would, listen with me to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger, something that he said in reaction to the report.
Just a moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES STEGER, VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: I believe that we did -- based on what we knew at the time -- we did the right things, quite honestly. I mean it's -- you have to appreciate the -- this is all happening in real time. It's a matter of every minute or two the situation changes. And the first step that you're trying to go through is to figure out what it is that's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Two things here I want to ask you. Obviously, it begs the question whether or not you agree that the university did all it could and was doing the "right things," especially when we go to one of these points here that the governor made yesterday regarding the lapse of time between when the bodies were first found in the dormitory and the events that took place in Norris Hall. That was two- and-a-half hours. There was no communication system to let the community on Virginia Tech know that something horrific had happened and that the suspect was still at large.
Do you feel like they did everything they could and everything right?
ANNE GODDARD: I think the police did not give Virginia Tech good advice. The police is trained -- are trained to investigate crimes. They concluded very quickly with one theory and no backup theory of what happened. They did not recommend to the university to give a warning out. I think the university got very bad advice.
Obviously, the university should have issued a warning to the community. Every second did count. As much, though, as I feel that the police erred in not giving a warning, on the other hand, their very quick action in Norris Hall did save our son's life.
COLLINS: What have...
ANNE GODDARD: So it's a mixed feeling that we have about the police, actually.
COLLINS: Oh, completely understandable.
What needs to be done as parents?
I'm sure you have pored over this and you've been discussing this ever since that day.
What needs to be done with campus security?
Because when this event happened, there was talk about, you know, we can't close down a university of this size. It is virtually impossible to make it 100 percent secure.
Yet, in the days prior, there were several bomb threats. They had at least made some attempts to close down certain entrances to the campus. None of that was done on this day.
ANNE GODDARD: I think the university should have given a warning to students of what was happening, a very specific warning of what had occurred. If the students in Norris Hall had received a warning that there was a potential perpetrator at loose on campus, they might have interpreted the sounds of the shooting in a different way.
ANDREW GODDARD: (INAUDIBLE).
ANNE GODDARD: Many of the students earlier -- many students, as you know, thought it was construction sounds.
COLLINS: Right.
ANNE GODDARD: So I think the university should have given warning.
Now, can they lock down a university of 35,000 people?
No.
Can they give warnings so people can make more informed and smarter choices?
Yes.
COLLINS: I imagine that you've been speaking with a lot of the other parents of the victims throughout the course of this.
Mr. Goddard, have you guys come up with some ideas, maybe, to put forth to the university about ways that you could implement that type of communications system that might be a little bit more immediate, a little bit more effective?
ANDREW GODDARD: Well, I'm not in technical terms. Obviously, they need to apply a number of systems. They can't rely on one technology because that technology might not reach everyone. They have to have an overlapping series of systems, from the very simple, of a siren which gets peoples' attention and says that there is a piece of information out there that you need to obtain, and then put it out on the other methods, which people can either phone in or check on computers or check on their PDAs or what have you.
But there has to be a number of systems, not just one.
COLLINS: As Colin, your son, is healing now and back at Virginia Tech and you get all of this information -- as I'm sure you're still trying to absorb.
We're looking at pictures of him now in the hospital. Boy, some very scary and difficult times, I'm sure, for you as a family.
ANDREW GODDARD: Yes.
COLLINS: does the report bring you type of comfort?
ANNE GODDARD: It does in that I'm hoping that because it's open -- the Columbine reports were not open.
COLLINS: That's right.
ANNE GODDARD: Very little was learned from Columbine. The police learned a lot from Columbine, but the universities and schools did not.
This report is open. It brings me comfort that the report is open. There are a lot of very good recommendations. And if implemented, I think we'll have a chance of making a significant change that can prevent similar circumstances from happening in the future.
COLLINS: Well, to the both of you, we wish you the very best of luck and certainly we're thinking about Colin today back at the school.
Anne Goddard, Andrew Goddard, thanks so much for your time this morning.
ANDREW GODDARD: Thank you.
ANNE GODDARD: Thank you.
HARRIS: OK, we want to take you back to the New York Stock Exchange for a look at the big board.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HARRIS: We'll get you now to weather now, Rob Marciano.
And, boy, how happy is he, because you see those numbers flying.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I love those numbers.
HARRIS: And he's just...
MARCIANO: Cha-ching.
HARRIS: ...big bank Rob.
MARCIANO: Cha-ching.
HARRIS: Watch him soar through this weathercast.
MARCIANO: The bulls, the bears and the pigs.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Oink, oink, oink. You never know when to sell that.
HARRIS: There you go.
COLLINS: It's like a hurricane out there.
MARCIANO: In a way. In a way.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: A 5-year-old gets a head start on his career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WESTIN SCHNOBRICH: I want to be a race car driver when I grow up.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Hmm. The kid takes the wheel, with his mother along for the ride. Now mommy's in jail. We'll tell you why after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A deadly day for Iraqi police. Four officers killed, five people wounded in a car bombing today. It happened near a convoy in the northern city of Samarra.
HARRIS: A family mourns again. A California couple grieving the loss of their second soldier -- their son killed in Iraq.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a solemn home coming for a hometown hero. Twenty-one-year-old Army Corporal Nathan Hubbard was just one month away from finishing his tour in Iraq.
JEFF HUBBARD, FATHER OF NATHAN HUBBARD: The focus of our most recent conversations with him was getting home.
GUTIERREZ: For parents, Jeff and Peggy Hubbard, the grief is unimaginable.
JEFF HUBBARD: I want everybody to remember and celebrate Nate in their own way and the way they want.
GUTIERREZ: Less than three years ago, they buried another son, Marine Lance Corporal Jared Hubbard, killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb.
JEFF HUBBARD: They have a lot of similarities, but they're each absolutely individual, terrible and instances that you deal with the best that you can as -- as you go forward.
GUTIERREZ: Six months after Jared was killed, Nathan and Jason decided to enlist in the Army to honor their brother.
SPEC. JASON HUBBARD, NATHAN'S BROTHER: Part of it, for us, was a healing process because both of us talked a lot about being able to, you know, walk in the shoes of Jared and see what he experienced the last few years of his life.
GUTIERREZ: Nathan and Jason served together in the same platoon. Last week, a Blackhawk carrying Nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed in Northern Iraq, killing all on board. Jason was in a separate helicopter and was among the first on the scene.
SPEC. JASON HUBBARD, NATHAN'S BROTHER: We also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter, and I couldn't participate in that. I knew my -- I knew Nathan was in there. At one point, they did carry Nathan by me and that's when I, you know, the reality -- the complete reality and the complete understanding of the situation came to me, and I began dealing with that.
GUTIERREZ: Jason says the Army will not allow him to return to war.
As for Nathan, he will be eulogized at the same church where Jared's funeral was held.
JEFF HUBBARD: We want him honored and remembered and celebrated. He was a great, great young man; a wonderful young man.
GUTIERREZ: He will be laid to rest here, right beside his brother.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Clovis, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Oh boy.
Can you imagine?
Corporal Nathan Hubbard's funeral will be held today.
COLLINS: Too hot to handle?
Senator Hillary Clinton returns tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, Heidi, we're pod casting later today. And you're going to do with it me.
COLLINS: Oh.
HARRIS: All right?
COLLINS: OK.
HARRIS: No running off to a meeting.
COLLINS: You mean as usual?
HARRIS: No running off to a meeting. None of your lunch dates and none of that stuff. You're doing it with me today.
OK?
We're pod casting.
COLLINS: OK.
HARRIS: And the pod cast is really coming along. And I appreciate the fact that you're watching us every day 9:00 until 12:00. But, also, go to CNN.com and download the CNN NEWSROOM daily pod cast, available to you -- available to you 24-7 right there on your iPod. The next enhancement to the pod cast -- we are going to add music, Heidi, to the pod cast.
COLLINS: Are we going to use shots like this?
HARRIS: Why not?
COLLINS: Tony is laughing now.
HARRIS: Hi. Good to see you.
COLLINS: Look it, the camera is going like this.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Yes. Way to go, Robert.
All right, now get out of here. Get out of here.
COLLINS: We want to get to this story now -- a 5-year-old designated driver. Police say mom downed a vodka and Percocet cocktail and then let her little boy drive home.
Jennifer Carmack of affiliate WRTV reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JENNIFER CARMACK, RTV6 NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 5-year- old Westin Schnobrich (ph) is getting ready to start school, but says he already knows what he wants to be when he's older.
W. SCHNOBRICH: I want to be a race car driver when I grow up.
CARMACK: Saturday night he tried that out behind the wheel of this car, with his 3-year-old brother in the backseat and his mother, 24-year-old Holly Schnobrich, in the passenger seat.
(on camera): Were you driving the car?
W. SCHNOBRICH: Yes.
CARMACK (voice-over): It all started when Wendy Barrett watched this car speed around the corner and come to a screeching halt in front of her home.
WENDY BARRETT: So I approached the car and the windows came down and there is a toddler on his knees controlling the steering wheel.
CARMACK: Barrett says she also saw the boy's mother in the car, incoherent and visibly impaired.
BARRETT: When I asked her, "Ma'am, are you OK? What's going on? Do you need some help? Is this your toddler?
He's driving your car."
And she admitted to, "Yes, but he's a good driver."
CARMACK: Neighbors got Westin and his 3-year-old brother Colton (ph) out of the car then took the keys until police arrived.
PAT HARRINGTON, TIPPECANOE COUNTY, INDIANA PROSECUTOR: He did tell my officer that he had a difficult time operating the vehicle because his -- he could not reach the pedals.
CARMACK: According to the affidavit, Schnobrich says she had taken Percocet and vodka.
HARRINGTON: The mother informed the officer that she took Percocet not for pain control or management due to any injury, but she took it when the children acted up.
BARRETT: And she was just so impaired and out of it that she didn't think anything was wrong.
CARMACK: Now the 24-year-old is behind bars, facing neglect and public intoxication charges.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Mommy went to jail.
ALAN SCHNOBRICH, GRANDFATHER: It was very scary thinking about it. It could have happened, because neither of them were restrained. I mean they were both just crawling around in the car.
CARMACK: The boys are with their grandfather.
A. SCHNOBRICH: At this point, she's staying in jail. We're not bailing her out. We can't.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: Now listen to this. Just last week, the mother was convicted of driving while intoxicated.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
Well, another mom we're talking about here with her hands and her lap full. She has got one set of triplets in toddler hood. And now here comes triplets four, five and six. Talk about a full house in Ohio.
COLLINS: The WWE takes 10 -- takes down 10 of its wrestlers. They test positive for performance enhancing drugs. We'll tell you all about it, after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And now a story about a student exchange program for the YouTube generation, in this week's Life After Work.
CNN's Ali Velshi tells us how a retiree is trying to modernize student exchanges.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A picture is worth a thousand words.
PHIL BORGES, FOUNDER, BRIDGES TO UNDERSTANDING: Let's shoot very wide.
VELSHI: And photographer Phil Borges believes kids taking pictures learn value beyond words, through his Bridges To Understanding Foundation.
BORGES: Bridges is a program that connects kids, typically middle school and high school kids in our country here in the USA with kids around the world. And we do it through digital story telling. So we have the kids produce a story about an issue in their community. We make a little multimedia piece of it and they post it on the Web and the two classrooms discuss.
VELSHI: The Bridges program, based in Seattle, connects students in 15 locations worldwide, including Peru, Nepal and, most recently, South Africa. It's a student exchange program for the YouTube generation.
BORGES: What we're trying to do is get kids to build empathy across cultural barriers and to understand one another, to learn with and from each other instead of just about each other, the way we did when we were in school.
VELSHI: Borges isn't new to building bridges. He is a retired orthodontist. But he left dental work behind after 18 years to become a photographer. And traveling the globe shooting portraits of people for his books, Borges found a way to give back.
BORGES: The idea started with giving indigenous people a voice. Let them tell their stories directly. And then, once we started hooking them up with schools here and I learned more about the school system and how little global and international education was going on, that became another motivation.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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