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Parking Deck Collapses at North Carolina Mall; Details Emerge in Omaha Mall Shooting; Some Subprime Borrowers to Get Reprieve; Mitt Romney Give Speech about His Faith, Politics; Hostage-Taker Speaks Out in Jailhouse Interview

Aired December 06, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A puppy nobody wanted. A mother figure describes the forsaken teen who killed eight, then shot himself at an Omaha shopping mall. This hour we'll get a chilling look at a massacre in the making.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And also this hour, a new lease on homeownership for mortgage holders at risk of default. President Bush is due to announce a freeze on rate hikes for some types of subprime loans.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And we start this hour with breaking news that's coming to us from Charlotte, North Carolina. You can see there these two shots from both of our affiliates there. We appreciate their work on this.

But it appears that a parking deck has collapsed, one level of parking deck. We're getting confirmed reports now that at least one person has been injured in all of this. This happening at the Southpark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, a very busy mall there. And of course, even busier this time of year with lots of holiday shoppers out today.

But we're getting information from the fire department that says the scene of the parking deck collapse is at that mall, and again that one person has been injured in all of this.

They believe, though, that the collapse is limited to a small section of the deck. As soon as we get more information on this breaking news story, we'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: They were working or they were shopping: five women, three men at a mall in Omaha, Nebraska, three weeks before Christmas. Today they're dead, along with the teenager who killed them, apparently at random.

The center of the shock and sadness is Westroads Mall. That's where CNN's Ed Lavandera is today -- Ed. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, authorities remain here at the Omaha mall where the shooting took place yesterday afternoon, as they continue to comb over the crime scene. They have updated some -- a few details here this afternoon, piecing together some of the final moments of Robert Hawkins' journey to this mall.

They say they have collected text messages, gotten details about phone calls that Robert Hawkins made to his biological mother, as well as to some other friends, including of course, the suicide note that he left behind at the home where he had been living for the last year and a half with a high school friend whose mom welcomed him into the home, Debora Kovac, who had told us that Robert Hawkins has spent the better part of the last few years feeling rejected and depressed.

He had lost his job at a McDonald's in the suburb here just south of Omaha where he'd lived. He also had broken up with his girlfriend. We've also learned that he tried to join the Army and was rejected from that.

Authorities also here say that they have seen the surveillance video, or security camera video from inside the mall, following the footsteps of Robert Hawkins as he entered. They say everything was very quick. The shootings only lasted several minutes and that there was not enough time for even the mall security or the nearby police to react in time to save any of the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF THOMAS WARREN, OMAHA, NEBRASKA, POLICE: It appeared that the shooting victims were randomly selected. It didn't appear as if anyone was specifically targeted.

Certainly, there were several people who fled immediately once the shots were being fired. Unfortunately, many of the store employees kind of remained in the area, and as he proceeded to the rear of the store, that's when he encountered the individuals by the customer service area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And officials here in Omaha have also released the names of the eight shooting victims. You can see those names there on the screen, as well.

There were also five other people that were wounded. Three of those people have already been treated and released. Two remain in critical condition, we understand. And of course, authorities here say they continue to investigate.

Also one of the other things they were looking into is where Robert Hawkins got this gun from. And authorities here saying this morning that they believe that Robert Hawkins had gotten the rifle that was used in this attack from his stepfather, or taken it from his stepfather -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Wow. Ed Lavandera, as we continue to learn more about this tragedy out of Omaha, Nebraska. Ed, thanks so much.

We're going to hear more about mall security later in the NEWSROOM, including what one law enforcement expert believes about the vulnerabilities of shopping centers.

Plus, battling the mental health system that leaves a handful of patients to do something so dark. Hear what one father's fight to save his son was like. That and more, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

We also want to know how about you? Will this Omaha tragedy be in your mind the next time you're at the mall? Tell us. Go to CNN.com. Cast a QuickVote. The question today, do you feel safe at the mall?

LEMON: And we're hearing today that home foreclosures are at an all-time high. But help -- help may be on the way for some people with some types of mortgages.

We expect to hear all about it from President Bush this hour. That's expected about 1:40. You're seeing that person there at the bottom right of our screen. That's our Ali Velshi. He is looking into the terms of all of this.

Ali, the big question is who's going to get a break from this and who is not?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's going to be a lot of people, but it's not going to be the biggest part of the number of people who are affected by subprime mortgages. One estimate says that about 12 percent of those people with subprime mortgages will be helped by this proposal. That's about 240,000 people.

Let me show you who those people are. In order to qualify for a rate freeze, a mortgage rate freeze, which could last five years, if you're in an adjustable rate mortgage you might get a freeze out of this deal. If you have an income, you live in your home, you're currently making your mortgage payments on time, you haven't missed them. And you would default if your interest rate were to go up.

You have to have had a mortgage that was taken between January 1 of 2005 and July 31 of this year. And the reset, the moving from the low rate to the high rate, has to be between January 1, 2008, coming up, and July 1 of 2010.

Now the bigger problem here, Don, is who this doesn't affect. For those of you who are in this category, you're not going to qualify. If you've missed any payments, if you cannot -- if you can afford a mortgage rate increase. If your rate is going to reset and you can pay that, you won't be able to qualify. If you don't have an income, you won't qualify. And if your home is worth less than the mortgage value on that home, you won't qualify.

So, there are lots of people who will not qualify for this mortgage rate freeze, but we are expecting, within the hour, to hear from the president and then later from the treasury secretary about a deal between the administration and major lenders to at least freeze some people's mortgages, about a quarter million people.

LEMON: Ali Velshi making a little bit complicated situation scenario there easier to digest. Ali, thank you very much.

VELSHI: OK.

LEMON: And Ali will be standing by, and we are, as well. At 1:40, we expect the president to bring -- make that announcement at the White House. He's going to do it in the Roosevelt Room. All the details coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Well, he talked about the Founding Fathers, and he appealed to America's tradition of religious tolerance. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney today offered his fullest remarks yet on his Mormon faith; said his beliefs should not be a deciding factor in the race for the White House.

Dana Bash was there for Romney's speech. She joins us now from College Station, Texas -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, he said that religion should not be a factor, but he also was quite defiant in one key part of his lengthy speech here in Texas, saying that he believes in his Mormonism. He says that he is -- that for anybody who doesn't like that, that thinks that would, quote, "sink his candidacy," so be it.

But at the same time, he tried to reassure some skeptical voters, especially those evangelicals in Iowa and in South Carolina, skeptical of Mormonism, that he is not going to rely on the church for decision- making, if and when he becomes president.

And you know, for those who are looking for some details about his religion, many people just have no idea the specifics about Mormonism, he was very clear that they're not going to get it from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith, for if he becomes president, he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And the thread that went through this entire speech was Romney really tried to reach out to those so-called values voter, making clear on a whole host of issues that he really does share their beliefs and their goals, which is to reassert faith and God, if you will, in public discourse and in the public square.

He really hit some of those key points that so-called values voters really care about. Really crucial for him, Kyra, especially in that first caucus state of Iowa, just three weeks away, where he has now fallen behind a little bit, a man who is a former Baptist preacher, Mike Huckabee. And this issue of religion is a big part of it, when you talk to voters there.

PHILLIPS: We're going to be talking a lot more about it. Thanks so much, Dana.

Mitt Romney touched on a lot of points in the debate over faith and politics. At the bottom of the hour, two evangelical Christians with very different views will assess his remarks.

Plus, we're going to have more on those comparisons we've been hearing about the Romney speech and the one by JFK in 1960.

And you want the most up-to-the-minute political news available anywhere? Well, CNNPolitics.com is your one-stop shop. CNNPolitics.com, the Internet's premiere destination for political news.

LEMON: And Kyra, we want to get you back now, live, to the scene of our breaking news as we started this newscast. Looks like a parking lot collapse in a mall in Charlotte, North Carolina.

These pictures courtesy of our affiliates, WCNC, as well as WSOC. Boy, we appreciate them bringing this to us.

As you can see there, looks like the top level, top deck of a parking garage there at the shopping center collapsed. They believe that it is only limited to a very small section, but we're getting word that at least one person has been injured in all of this.

Not exactly sure of the extent of their injuries, but we're checking on it; our affiliates, as well. And of course this coming in, the most inopportune time. Because this, as you can see here, very busy time with all of the holiday shopping. So, it has caused some problems here.

We're going to check on the condition of that one person injured. We'll update you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A holiday tragedy at a crowded shopping mall. Do malls need better security? We're going to tell you what they do in Israel.

LEMON: Republican Mitt Romney speaks out about his Mormonism. Will it reassure evangelical Christians?

PHILLIPS: And imagine you're walking down the street and you see this. How would you react?

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Leland Eisenberg, the Hillary Clinton headquarters hostage taker, speaks out. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LELAND EISENBERG, HELD HOSTAGES AT HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN OFFICE: As soon as the last hostage made it clear of the door and I came through the door, I thought that was it. I honestly thought that was it. And I stood there. I was, like, dumbstruck. I'm like -- I couldn't believe it. I was actually disappointed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This fascinating story, the rest of it straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One-fourteen Eastern Time. Here's three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Two people still in critical condition, another person still being treated after yesterday's deadly shooting at an Omaha shopping mall. Police say 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people before killing himself.

A letter bomb kills a worker at a law office in Paris. It's not clear who the target was.

And flood waters recede in the Pacific Northwest, leaving plenty of mud, plenty of destruction. Washington's governor says the damage could be in the billions.

LEMON: Was it a cry for help or a death wish? Days after Leland Eisenberg walked into Hillary Clinton's campaign office in New Hampshire with what he said was a bomb, but what was really a bunch of road flares, he's ready and willing to talk.

Here's some of what he said to CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EISENBERG, HELD HOSTAGES: I wanted to sacrifice myself for the sake of mental illness and the discussion in this country about mental illness. Had I walked into a Dunkin' Donuts, it wouldn't have gotten the kind of national discussion and press that it deserves.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Take me through the process of what you did.

EISENBERG: It all took about an hour to prepare for it. It honestly did. I took a cab. I went and got the flares, the duct tape, the electrical tape. I took some wire. I made it look like a bomb. I strapped it to my -- to my waist, or whatever you want to call it. I put a sweater on.

And someone asked me if they could help me. And I lifted up my shirt and I said, "Yes, you can get off that phone. Everybody in the back room, get down and lay on the floor." I kept repeating that, "Look, I swear on my mother's grave, I'm not here to hurt you." I think I told one of them to call Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters. I wanted to talk to Hillary Clinton. I kept getting the runaround. And at that point, I think the Secret Service or somebody was diverting calls. That made me frustrated.

Then I think I tried to call CNN. In fact, I think I actually talked to Wolf Blitzer, and then I got somebody else on the phone. And that made me mad. I tried calming the kids down.

CARROLL: Was it your conscience that was getting to you, and that was the reason why you were letting the hostages go?

EISENBERG: I just couldn't see them suffering the way they were. It pained me to see that what I was doing was affecting them to the degree it was. They were young kids.

CARROLL: But you must have known that that was going to happen when you...

EISENBERG: You don't think that way when you're doing something like that. You're not thinking like that. You know what I mean? My whole thing is I wanted the police to kill me.

CARROLL: I also want to make sure that we talk about what happened when you walked outside. Again, you thought at this point it was going to be suicide by cop, that it was over?

EISENBERG: That's what I wanted. I was convinced of it. I can see him right in the window where he was in camouflage, and he had the rifle pointed right at me. It was a sniper rifle.

And as soon as the last hostage made it clear of the door and I came through the door, I thought that was it. I honestly thought that was it. And I stood there. I was, like, dumb struck. I'm like -- I couldn't believe it. I was actually disappointed. And I was stunned, because I thought for sure they would have blown my head off, and that's what I wanted.

CARROLL: I'm told you are on a suicide watch here.

EISENBERG: If that's what you want to call it. Yes.

CARROLL: What would you call it?

EISENBERG: I don't want to -- I don't want to make my situation worse by telling the truth.

CARROLL: At some point don't you have to take responsibility in some ways for your own actions?

EISENBERG: I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm not looking, as an excuse, to say because I'm mentally ill this is why I did that, so, oh, don't hurt me, don't punish me. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying this is not about me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Eisenberg is being held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail there. He has a long criminal record, including two rape convictions from the 1980s.

PHILLIPS: You're not feeling well, and your doctor's at a loss? What's next? Patient advocates suggest you go to the Internet and check out the side effects of the prescription drugs that you're taking and how they might interact. Also, write down any questions you think of before you visit the doctor.

Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has more tips on how you can become an empowered patient. Check it out on CNN.com/Health.

LEMON: On the launch pad, fuelled and ready for liftoff, but not today. Find out why. Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: New details now on that parking garage collapse at a mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. We're getting word now from one of our affiliates, WCNC. They're reporting that one person has died in this parking garage collapse.

You can see the pictures there, live pictures coming from both of our affiliates, WCNC, as well as WSOC, the chopper shots there. You can see the top deck of this parking garage collapsed at the Southpark Mall.

Again, we're getting word from one of our affiliates one person has died in this. We'll continue to work this developing story and bring you the very latest.

PHILLIPS: We're also getting word, we're expecting another news conference, 3 p.m. Eastern Time out of Omaha, Nebraska. We're expecting to hear from the Nebraska Health and Human Services. They handle the mental illness wards there in the state.

Of course, we're talking about that shooting that happened yesterday, that 19-year-old that eventually took the gun on himself, after shooting and killing eight people in this shopping mall in downtown Omaha.

We'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens.

No space flight today for the crew of the Shuttle Atlantis. NASA engineers say that maybe tomorrow. It all depends on what they find. This morning, two of the four sensors in the shuttle's external tank went off, indicating the tank was dry. Actually, it's full of fuel, and engineers are trying to figure out whether the sensors are faulty or if something else is wrong.

Three sensors have to be working for a shuttle to launch.

LEMON: Later this hour, actually in a few minutes we're going to hear from the president about a deal to freeze mortgage rates for some at-risk homeowners. But the debt problems are spreading, spreading to other areas, including the auto industry.

You're looking at a live picture right now at the White House. Are we going to go to this now? All right. Let's take a listen in to the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was in Omaha just before the shooting took place. And I know what a difficult day it is for that fine community.

The victims and their loved ones are in the prayers of Americans. The federal government stands ready to help in any way we can. And our whole nation grieves with the people of Omaha.

I just had an important discussion on the housing market with Secretary Paulson, Secretary Jackson and members of the mortgage industry.

The housing market is moving through a period of change. In recent years, innovative mortgage products helped millions of Americans afford their own homes, and that's good.

Unfortunately, some of these products were used irresponsibly. Some lenders made loans that borrowers did not understand, especially in the subprime sector. Some borrowers took out loans they knew they could not afford. And to compound the problem, many mortgages are packaged into securities and sold to investors around the world. So when concerns about subprime loans begin to mount, began to mount, uncertainty spread to the broader financial markets.

Secretary Paulson and Secretary Jackson and Chairman Bernanke are monitoring developments in the housing market and working to limit the disruption to our overall economy. Data released this morning confirmed the difficulties facing the housing market.

Yet, one reason for confidence is that the downturn in housing comes against the backdrop of solid fundamentals in other areas, including low inflation, a healthy job market, record high exports. America's economy has proved itself highly resilient; and it is strong, and it is flexible, and it is dynamic enough to weather this storm.

For individual homeowners, the problem is more difficult. Many of those feeling financial stress have an adjustable rate mortgage, which typically starts with a lower interest rate and then resets to a higher rate after a few years. Many of those borrowers cannot afford the higher payments, and now some are fearing foreclosure, which is a terrible burden for hard-working families and a source of concern for communities and neighborhoods across our country.

The rise in foreclosures would have negative consequences for our economy. Lenders and investors would face enormous losses. So they have an interest in supporting mortgage counseling and working with homeowners to prevent foreclosure.

The government has a role to play, as well. We should not bail out lenders, real-estate speculators, or those who made the reckless decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford. Yet, there are some responsible homeowners who could avoid -- avoid foreclosure with some assistance. And in August, I announced a series of targeted actions to help them.

My administration has moved forward in three key areas. First, we've launched a new initiative at the Federal Housing Administration called FHA Secure. This program gives the FHA greater flexibility to offset refinancing to homeowners -- to offer refinancing to homeowners who have good credit history but cannot afford their current payments.

In just three months the FHA helped more than 35,000 people refinance. And in the coming year, the FHA expects this program to help more than 300,000 families.

Second, in August I asked secretaries Paulson and Jackson to work with lenders and loan servicers and mortgage counselors and investors on an initiative to help struggling homeowners find a way to refinance. They assembled a private sector group called Hope Now Alliance. The leaders are with us today.

Hope Now is an example of government bringing together members of the private sector to voluntarily address a national challenge without taxpayer subsidies or without government mandates.

I'm pleased to announce that our efforts have yielded a promising new source of relief for American homeowners. Representatives of Hope Now just briefed me on their plan to help homeowners who will not be able to make the higher payments on their subprime loan once the interest rates go up but who can at least afford the current starter rate.

Hope Now members have agreed on a set of industry-wide standards to provide relief to these borrowers in one of three ways: by refinancing the existing loan into a new private mortgage; by moving them into an FHA Secure loan; or by freezing their current interest rates for five years.

Lenders are already refinancing and modifying mortgages on a case-by-case basis. With this systematic approach, Hope Now will be able to help large groups of homeowners all at once. This will bring more relief to more homeowners more quickly.

Hope Now estimate there are up to 1.2 million American homeowners who could be eligible for this assistance.

Public awareness is critical to this effort, because the group can only help homeowners who ask for it. So, Hope Now recently mailed hundreds of thousands of letters to borrowers falling behind on their payments, and they have set up a counseling hotline that Americans can call 24 hours a day.

I directed secretaries Paulson and Jackson to expand the public awareness campaign, and I have a message for every homeowner worried about rising mortgage payments. The best you can do for your family is to call 1-800-995-HOPE. That is 1-800-995-H-O-P-E. Third, the federal government is taking several regulatory actions to make the mortgage industry more transparent, reliable and fair. Later this month, the Federal Reserve intends to announce stronger lending standards that will help protect borrowers. Same time HUD and the federal banking regulators are taking steps to disclosure requirements so homeowners can be confident they are receiving complete, accurate and understandable information about their mortgages.

As we take these step, the department of justice will continue to pursue wrong doing in the banking and housing industries. So we can help ensure that those who would defraud American consumers face justice.

These measures will help many struggling homeowners. And the United States Congress has the potential to help even more. Yet in three months since I made my proposals, the Congress has not sent me a single bill to help homeowners. Members are serious about responding to the challenges in the housing market. They can start with the following steps.

First, Congress needs to pass legislation to modernize the FHA. In April 2006, I sent Congress an FHA modernization bill. This bill would increase access to FHA insured loans by lowering down payment requirements, allowing the FHA to ensure bigger mortgages in high cost states and expanding the FHA's authority to price insurance fairly with risk-based premiums. This bill could allow the FHA to reach an additional 250,000 families who could not otherwise qualify for prime rate financing.

Last year, the House passed the bill with more than 400 votes, and this year the house passed it again. Yet the Senate has not acted. The liquidity and stability of FHA are need more than ever and I urge the United States Senate to move as quickly as possible on this important piece of legislation.

Second, Congress needs to temporarily reform the tax code to help homeowners refinance during this time of housing market stress. Under current law if the value of your house declines, and your bank forgives a portion of your mortgage the tax code treats the amount forgiven as taxable income. Worried about making your payments higher taxes are the last thing you need. The House agrees and recently passed this relief with bipartisan support. But the Senate has not responded.

Simple reform could help many American homeowners in an hour of need and the senate should pass it as soon as possible. Changing the tax code can help state and local governments do their part to help homeowners. Under current law cities and states can issue tax exempt bonds to finance new mortgages for first time home buyers.

My administration has proposed allowing cities and states to issue these tax exempt mortgage bonds for additional -- to refinance existing loans. This temporary measure would make it easier for state housing authorities to help troubled borrowers and Congress should approve it quickly. Third, Congress needs to pass funding to support mortgage counseling. Nonprofit groups like Neighbor Works provides essential services to -- by helping homeowners find affordable mortgage solutions and prevent foreclosures. The budget requests $120 million for Neighbor Works and another $50 million for HUD's mortgage counseling programs. Congress has had these requests since February yet has not sent me a bill and they need to get the funding to my desk.

Fourth, Congress needs to pass legislation to reform government sponsored enterprises like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These institutions provide liquidity in the mortgage market that benefits millions of homeowners and it is vital they operate safely and soundly. So I've called on Congress to pass legislation that strengthens independent regulation of the GSE and ensures that they focus on their important housing mission. The GSE reform bill passed by the house earlier this year is a good start. But the senate has not acted. And the United States senate needs to pass this legislation soon.

Holidays are fast approaching and unfortunately this will be a time of anxiety for Americans worried about their mortgages and their homes. There's no perfect solution. But the homeowners deserve our help. And the steps I outlined are sensible response to a serious challenge. I call on Congress to move forward quickly, and join with me in delivering relief to homeowners in need. So we can keep our economy healthy and the American dream alive. God bless.

LEMON: The president of the United States there flanked with Henry Paulson and the Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jackson. Besides laying out tall orders here's what he said.

Our Ali Velshi is listening in. He said he's launched FHA secure, which will help with refinancing qualified homeowners, also hope now alliance, for the private sector there to help as well. And then he says regulatory actions to make mortgage industry more transparent and more fair. Again, tall orders from Congress. Also laying out three specific things that he has taken on his own to do.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We heard about these, Don, about 12 weeks ago from Henry Paulson when Henry Paulson and the head of the fed went over to Congress to talk about things they could do. The bottom line is everybody's late to the game. This has been going on for a year. You know, president bush talked about over a million people, I think I took notes, 1.2 million homeowners could be eligible. Under the mortgage rate freeze. The best estimate we have because the government doesn't provide one, even though I think they might know, is from Barclay's Bank, 240,000 people would be eligible for this

LEMON: Did he say five years? I mean five years. That's a long freeze.

VELSHI: If you qualify. Let's talk about who qualifies. In order to qualify you have to have an income, be in your job, your house has to be worth more than your mortgage. You have to be able to make your payments or have been making your payments on time. And you have to be in danger of defaulting if your interest rate went up. And you also have had to have had your mortgage within a span of time.

Look at the dates. You have to have gotten your mortgage between January 1 of 2005 and July 31 of 2007, and your rate which was an adjustable rate has to adjust between January 1 of 2008 and July 31 of 2010. When you take everybody who is sub prime you're left with that group of maybe 240,000 people. Wish we knew how many. A lot are left out.

If you're watching thinking I'm going to get a freeze, take a look who gets let out. If you don't have an income f you missed payments on your mortgage, if you will not be able to -- in you can't afford the rate increase or you own a home which is worth less than your mortgage, you're not qualifying from this. Which kind of speaks to the fact some people who planned ahead and didn't get into a mess are penalized and people who didn't are getting a break.

LEMON: You know what he said I found interesting because everyone's talking about sub prime mortgage lenders. He said we should not bail out the lenders, and, this was important, though who bought homes they knew they could not afford.

VELSHI: Right. That is an interesting point. A lot of people, we heard a lot of responses to people saying let's not bail out people who made bad decisions. A lot of the people did get bad advice. They were told that the house values aren't going to go down. We know there are stories of people who had homes valued at higher because the deal couldn't fall through. I think there's a percentage who might have been duped. The lesson we learn out of this, don, you've got to sort of -- the biggest purchase most people make. We've got to take responsibility for that.

LEMON: Real quick because we want to get to the stock exchange. Is this going to help -- obviously those who qualify? But at least with people feeling like they might have some relief in all of this. Maybe the bottom hasn't fallen out.

VELSHI: Some. It's a little too little a little too late. The bottom line is every house you keep from being foreclosed is better. You get tax money and the property values stay a little higher.

LEMON: Thank you very much. I want to give this number again the president mentioned. 1-800-995-hope. For those of you who may be wondering if you qualify for what the president spoke about. Our thanks to Ali Velshi again -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Debt problems are spreading including to the auto industry. Stephanie Elam with the latest on that.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it seems another fallout from the housing may be sitting in the garage of some homes. Car loans are increasingly becoming delinquent. "The Wall Street Journal" says September saw the biggest one-month jump in auto lone delinquencies in at least eight years. So these include loans made to top rate borrowers, sub prime car loans are defaulting at the highest rate since 2002. This is obviously a little bit of a trend we're seeing now.

PHILLIPS: What do you think? Will this follow the mortgage meltdown as the next big crisis?

ELAM: Auto industry experts they really don't feel that these delinquencies are anywhere near the scale of what we've seen in the housing crisis. Of course there is a link here. It may be a fine that the housing problems are spreading. Just this morning a mortgage banker's group said foreclosures hit an all-time high in the third quarter. Those with late payments rose to the highest level since 1986. Obviously if people are having a hard time paying for their houses their car payments are going to suffer as well.

Let's go ahead and take a quick look at Wall Street some of the battered financial stocks rebounding, the gains come despite weak November sales for retailers, Target, Macy's and J.C. Penney all sharply lower today. Dow industrials on the up side by 65 points. 13,510, up a half a percent. NASDAQ gaining more than half a percent at 2684 at this time.

Coming up, marketing to kids reaches the report cards. Why some parents are giving an ad campaign from McDonald's a big fat "F." Until then, Kyra and Don, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll talk again. Thanks.

LEMON: We're going to continue to follow this mortgage story. During the press conference, wrong number given out there. No one's perfect. Everyone makes a mistake. The president said 1-800. It's 1-888-995-hope. They are providing that correct number now. 1-888- 995-hope. If you think you may qualify for what the president just spoke about, some of these things that might bail out some folks, 1- 888-995-hope.

After yesterday's shooting in Omaha people are talking about stepping up mall security. Wait until you hear what they do in Israel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures at that developing story out of Charlotte, North Carolina. This parking deck collapsed at the South Park Shopping Mall. We're getting reports one person has died. Charlotte Fire Department Captain Rob Brisley on the phone. Captain, can you tell me, the individual, the deceased woman I'm told, was it due to this collapse or something else?

CAPT. ROB BRISLEY, CHARLOTTE FIRE DEPT.: No, it's tragically to report that indications are the driver of this vehicle. She had a crash with her car on the top level or the third floor deck of this concrete deck at the shopping center here. And the result of the crash itself have caused considerable damage to a small part or corner of the parking deck. The quick arriving firefighters from engine 12 and ladder 16 were able to rescue her out of the damaged area, but efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.

PHILLIPS: Are you able to see the video that we have in right now? Are you near a television set or on the scene?

BRISLEY: I'm on the scene so I'm unable to see it. But to try to describe it, it's a three-story deck. We've got at least two vehicles below that are destroyed which Charlotte firefighters were able to make an extensive search and confirm no other injuries and everybody's out of harm's way.

PHILLIPS: So the one woman that died, we're looking now actually at video, Captain, of a blue four-door or -- yeah a blue four-door vehicle, it looks like it's on the top level where the deck collapsed. Is that the car of the deceased? Is that a separate car?

BRISLEY: Your video is at the right location. However, declining to be more specific as we work to reach the relatives. One of those vehicles there is the factor to a crash and why we have damage here to this parking deck.

PHILLIPS: OK. Got it. Do you have any idea how this deck collapsed? What happened?

BRISLEY: Right now the Charlotte Fire Department has engineers on scene that are part of our urban search and rescue response. They are going to determine exactly the details of the factors why this collapsed. The shopping center itself, the mall is open for business, however, we're controlling this one parking deck and rerouting shoppers and traffic to another area. We want to try and get business back to normal as soon as possible.

PHILLIPS: Charlotte Fire Department Captain Rob Brisley there on the scene. Appreciate it, Captain, thanks so much. This is the parking deck that collapsed at the South Park Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. One person reported dead. You can see the cars affected. There were two underneath, one up top. One woman has died. As you heard the captain say, they are trying to reach the relatives of the deceased so we hope that happens before they see this video.

LEMON: Planned but random. Police in Nebraska say Robert Hawkins was bent on killing at Westroads Mall but had no specific victims in mind except for himself.

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CHIEF THOMAS WARREN, OMAHA, NEBRASKA POLICE: It appeared that the shooting victims were randomly selected. It didn't appear as if anyone was specifically targeted. Certainly there were several people who fled immediately once the shots were fired. Unfortunately many of the employees kind of remained in the area, and as he proceeded to the rear of the store, that's when he encountered individuals by the customer service area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That whole deadly rampage lasted only a matter of minutes. When it was over eight people, including six store employees were dead. Police released their names today, five woman and three men. They range from 24 to 66 years old. Five other people were hurt in yesterday's rampage.

Yesterday's bloody attack in Omaha raises all kids of questions about security at shopping malls. In Israel, a trip to the mall is a very different experience. Here to tell us about that is CNN's justice correspondent Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.

You know, there are a lot of security experts here that believe that mall owners can do a lot more to increase security and many do point to Israel as a very good example.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: This mall in Jerusalem may look like many in the United States, but just try getting inside.

GIDEON AVRAMI, MALL SECURITY DIRECTOR: The major check is here. In case something goes wrong, it will be out of the mall and not inside.

ARENA: The security is intense. Gideon Avrami who is in charge of keeping shoppers safe says that there are armed guards patrolling the perimeter.

AVRAMI: One of the guys with binoculars, watches the mountain around, the buildings around, mostly to be seen.

ARENA: Cars coming into the parking lot are searched. Shoppers go through metal detectors. Seattle's police chief Gil Kerlikowski and the group of U.S. law enforcement officials that he traveled to Israel with, got an up close look at the security measures. Here the private sector works hand in hand with Israeli police. A relationship Kerlikowski says should be emulated with businesses in his area.

CHIEF GIL KERLIKOWSKI, SEATTLE POLICE: I think I need to do a much better job of embracing them and going out to them. Not waiting for them to knock on my door.

ARENA: Heavy security is just part of the offensive. Intelligence gathering is equally important.

AVRAMI: Once there is knowledge or intelligence about a bombing goes from the security services immediately to the police, from the police it goes immediately to the private sector, when you say immediately I'm saying minutes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Obviously, Israel has a long history of dealing with suicide bombers which does change the equation quite a bit. But experts suggest that we can learn from their experience, Don.

LEMON: Even at airports, we've been learning a lot from Israel. Airports and other public places as well, Kelli.

ARENA: That's true.

LEMON: Thank you for that report.

PHILLIPS: When severe weather happens, our I-reporters catch all sorts of crazy video. See if you can guess where this came from. Chad Myers has more next in the NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Another messy day from the west coast and the plains and parts of New England. The temperatures are not helping, right, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A little cool in some spots, absolutely. And snowing in Omaha and Des Moines and the quad cities, a clipper system moving by. A little light rain moving back into the Pacific Northwest right now. But the story really will be for the southwest.

We're talking about southern California as the rain and snow gets all the way here into Southern Sierra. From Sacramento down into L.A., could cause a problem. There are flash flood watches for the L.A. area simply because they had rain a couple weeks ago and an inch or two could make small mudslides. Not a huge event. Not even like we had last time. Maybe an inch or more in most spots and inch and less probably in 99% of the spots.

There will be a lot of rain in some spots. At least they will be partly rain. See these red dots here? That's all four inches of rain or more. The only problem is that's up in elevation, so it won't be rain, it will be a snow event. And a big one, too. From about Mammoth Mountain right through north of Las Vegas through Salt Lake City and the benches through all of this ski resorts into Colorado. Summit County you'll get some although most will be Aspen and Telluride and points to the south and southwest, the major ski resorts that you know of around Vail.

Des Moines, Lincoln, Kansas City picking up a light snow event, two to three inches and it's gone. Big time rain event yesterday, still actually going on today. This is Hawaii. Here's Kauai. Right there the tip, that would be Maui. This figure 8 thing, that's Maui, picked up over 12 1/2 inches in less than four hours. When that happens in Maui this is what happens. Not all the time but some I- reporters, these guys are couch surfing. I'm not sure that's all that safe but they seem to be having a good time.

LEMON: Crazy kids.

MYERS: There you go. Chris Williams sent this in from Maui, probably around the Kapolei. Take the road to Hana, the other way around where they tell you don't go that way because it's the muddy way, don't go that way today. It's a muddy mess. You won't get there. I did at one time in a rental car. Driving in the dark, there was a cow in the middle of the road.

PHILLIPS: I did the exact same thing. I took the rental car back. They said did you what you aren't supposed to. See you in a bit.

LEMON: Look at this. What is this? Dangling from the top of a building in Grand Rapids, Michigan? Well, maybe it's not what you think. We'll find out.

PHILLIPS: More on the mortgage crisis so many Americans are facing. You heard the president's solution. Coming up, personal finance editor Gerri Willis has some advice for homeowners.

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