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American Morning
Omaha Mall Massacre; Mortgage Deal; New Charges for 'Bonnie and Clyde'; Kiefer Sutherland in Jail; New Trial for Jeffs?; Shopping Mall Shootings
Aired December 06, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. It is Thursday, December 6th. I'm Kiran Chetry in New York. A lot of people will be listening to the speech today at 10:30 this morning from Mitt Romney.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of people looking for answers and see how he handles all of that. From Omaha, Nebraska this morning, I'm John Roberts. It's a city that is numb the morning after a shooter walked into the Von Maur department store behind me and committed mass murder just 20 days before Christmas. Police say 19- year-old Robert Hawkins had an assault rifle and sat up on the balcony of a department store and started targeting holiday shoppers. Today, brand new details today about the person who pulled the trigger, what police found in his home during an overnight search, how he was kicked out by his parents, fired from his job and broke up with his girlfriend and left a suicide note. Eight people suffered fatal wounds before police arrived. When they got there, the shooter was already dead. Crowds, meanwhile, were running in terror. Some people hid in dressing rooms and some in those pants racks trying to stay away and others covering their kids, fearing they could be next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER KRAMER, EYEWITNESS: After about four shots, I grabbed my mom and I said we got to get out of here. She, like I said, went back and looked up. I grabbed her and we went running back to the pants. I saw people running into the dressing rooms and I didn't want to go into the dressing rooms because I didn't know if he would be coming down to look for people. I didn't want to get trapped in a dressing room. We ducked down behind some pants. She said what are we going to do? I said get into the pants rack. She went into one pants rack and I went in the other and I called 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Jennifer Kramer said as a child she used to go to the store and she and her sister would play around hiding in the pants rack. It was a technique that served her well yesterday.
What caused Robert Hawkins to snap, take his own life and the lives of eight others? Our Ed Lavandera is in Bellevue, Nebraska. That's about 25 minutes away from where we are, at the house where Hawkins lived. He joins me now with a deeper look into Hawkins' life, the circumstances that led up to this. What are we learning about this fellow today, Ed? ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi John. Well you know, the family he had been living with in this house that you see behind me for the last year and a half, the woman, Ms. Kovac, who had taken him in about a year and a half ago, described him as a pound puppy that nobody wanted. A young man who had been dealing with rejection and depression for quite sometime but she also did say in the last few months, things seemed to have been turning around for him. He had a girlfriend. He was working, even though he had dropped out of high school. He had gotten a job at a McDonald's nearby. Then everything started kind of unraveling again but they still say they were completely shocked yesterday when all of this unfolded. John.
ROBERTS: We've about a couple of things. We've heard about this suicide note and we've also heard he made a phone call to the woman he lived with about 1:00, that would be just about 40, 45 minutes before the shooting took place. What did he say both in the note and in that conversation?
LAVANDERA: Well, the note they discovered several hours before, in that note, it was described as a three-page note addressed to do his family and friends and one page titled "My Will." He talked about not wanting to be a burden anymore to anybody and that he was tired of being a burden on people. But also that phone call about 45 minutes before the shooting started, it was a distress phone call. He seemed very agitated, very upset. The family pleaded with him and urged him to come back here to this house so they could talk, but he never came back.
ROBERTS: We've heard from some people, we talked about a with a friend of his last hour on AMERICAN MORNING described him as being a fun loving sort and never knew he had a tendency toward violence. How did the family he lived with there in Bellevue describe him?
LAVANDERA: The same way. They were surprised it had gotten to this point from what they told us last night. In fact, Debora Kovac who is the mother -- her son actually had studied in high school with Robert Hawkins. That's why they knew him and why they had taken him in about a year and a half ago. But she even told us yesterday that, often times, he acted much better than her own two boys and in recent months had cut his hair and as I mentioned had gotten a job and seemed to be doing better than he had normally been, even though he clearly had been struggling with the feelings of rejection and depression for quite sometime.
ROBERTS: Sometimes the shooters and their background, it seems obvious what they did and other times, they leave you scratching your head wondering. Ed Lavandera for us this morning Bellevue, Ed, thanks.
Now let's go back to Kiran in New York. She's got a look at the other stories making news this morning. Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: Good morning. Another big one today is going to be whether or not there are any answers to the mortgage crisis. The White House will be announcing a planning to give some homeowners threatened with foreclosure a little bit of breathing room. Their deal the mortgage industry is an effort to combat the growing number of foreclosures, 1.7 million already this year. We've been hearing a lot about the sub prime mortgage crisis but is this really the magic bullet to fix it? CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here with thoughts on exactly who qualifies under this deal, who doesn't and whether or not it will work.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Let's look at the details of the plan we know right now. We don't have all of the details. What we do know right now is sub prime mortgages; the interest rates on those will be frozen for five years and a fast track for some borrowers to get new mortgages they can afford. Understand this is a voluntary move by the industry. It is no fast bullet, no quick bullet to solve this problem. Apparently it's only going to help about tens of thousands of people, maybe 250,000 people but as you said, 1.7 million people in foreclosure already this year and another 2 million at risk.
CHETRY: How will we find out who exactly will qualify to get the interest rate frozen?
WILLIS: It's not everybody by a long shot. If you have a sub prime mortgage and you can't make the higher interest rate when it the mortgage resets, you could be someone who might benefit from this program. Keep in mind though, if you can avoid the higher interest payment, you can't take advantage of the plan and certainly if you couldn't afford the teaser rate, they're not going to let you do it either.
CHETRY: So how do you find out, all right, like I think I might fall into one of these categories, do I qualify? How do you go about getting your rate frozen?
WILLIS: You have to know if you are a sub prime borrower. You may not know. It certainly doesn't say sub prime on the mortgage itself. What is more, the details are only starting to come together about how this is going to work. According to my sources that I talked to this week, the most likely thing will happen is servicers and lenders will contact borrowers and say we may have a deal for you but my advice, don't wait for that! Call your lender now and get on the phone. The lenders are in a position to help you. You want to contact them as soon as possible and get in the front of the line and not the back of the line.
And Kiran, I just want to mention, today we are going to have that big announcement with more details of this and I'm going to be interviewing Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson later in the afternoon. We'll bring those details to you tomorrow and talk more in detail about this program.
CHETRY: All right. It will be interesting. A lot of people weighing in, not only the administration but a lot of the candidates running for president as well. It's a big issue.
WILLIS: It is a big issue affecting a lot of American homeowners. CHETRY: Gerri, thanks very much. We want to make sure everyone knows you can catch Gerri with a special mortgage meltdown edition of "OPEN HOUSE" this weekend. It will be airing Saturday 9:30 eastern right here on CNN and Gerri will also have a portion of the interview she just mentioned with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. That's going to be here on AMERICAN MORNING tomorrow. Thanks again.
President Bush expected to make some comments on the mortgage crisis as well and this will be happening this afternoon at 1:40 from the Roosevelt Room at the White House and CNN will carry that live.
Also new this morning, President Bush says Iran has a choice to make on its nuclear activities. Either, quote, come clean with the international community, or remain on a path of isolation. The president made those comments on a fund-raising trip in Omaha yesterday. Monday's national intelligence estimate said that Tehran stopped its weapons program in 2003, nuclear weapon program and the president said Iran is still ignoring parts of the report saying Tehran pursued secret nuclear weapon activities until three and he is demanding details on that. The United States is pushing for another round of even tougher sanctions.
Much of the Pacific Northwest is under water and the region facing a massive cleanup effort. The governor of Washington State says these storms will end up costing billions of dollars in damages and thousands are dealing with power outages. Highways still flooded and mudslides also leading to some of the road closures in the area as well.
A young Philadelphia couple accused of living a high life and using other people's money will appear in court today. Jocelyn Kirsch and her boyfriend Edward Anderton, the so-called Bonnie and Clyde couple, face some additional charges of theft and burglary and they have already been charged with crimes including identity theft, forgery, and unlawful use of a computer. Police say they found an industrial machine that makes I.D. cards as well as dozens of credit cards and even neighbors' mailbox keys in the couple's apartment.
Let's head out to John back in Omaha, Nebraska this morning.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks very much. Nine minutes after the hour now.
We have been learning more about the Omaha mall shooter this morning and there are reports that Robert Hawkins had been taking antidepressants and went off of them. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us and plus, Sanjay's got some new information on the victims. He joins us from the medical update desk in Atlanta. Good morning, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Yes, some more information on some of the victims here. Hospitals right by you, John, Nebraska Medical Center releasing some names now. Fred Wilson, 61 years old, was shot in the chest. He was in the operating room for about six hours yesterday and remains in critical condition. Another woman whose name has not released at Creighton Medical Center also in critical condition. That is a description of the two critically wounded right now. Another man, Jeff Schaffart, a 34-year-old man was shot in the arm and released from the hospital. And there's a few people who were wounded just by running into things, getting cuts and abrasions, who have also now been released from the hospital.
John, we are getting the same thing you are about the antidepressants on 19-year-old Robert Hawkins taking the antidepressants. Keep in mind as well we've talked about -- we reported on this show about the black box warning associated with antidepressants and teenagers actually warning recently of a possible increase in suicidal behavior when someone is starting or stopping antidepressants. So some new information about the victims and antidepressants, John.
ROBERTS: You know, we don't know for sure that Robert Hawkins was on antidepressants. We've heard people who are very close to him say that he was. Certainly, there are a lot of parents out there who have teens, other young children on antidepressants. What should they be thinking this morning, Sanjay?
GUPTA: One of the interesting things, we're trying to explain why antidepressants could be a small, but rare, problem in terms of suicidal behavior. It seems it's one of these situations where someone is so profoundly depressed, they take the antidepressant, it may raise their energy level a bit but not really treat their depression adequately so they are still depressed but they have more energy maybe to carry out some sort of behavior. If they were thinking about suicide they may have the energy to carry it out. The message to your question, John, some people have to be watched when they start the antidepressant and they have to be watched for several weeks and when the dosage of that medication changes and they have to be watched if the medication is stopped. That is the important message. Not the medication you can give and forget about for parents and patients alike.
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay Gupta for us this morning, thanks.
Taking a look at your "Quick Hits" this morning, actor Kiefer Sutherland is beginning a 48-day jail sentence for drunk driving. The "24" actor appeared in court yesterday after pleading no contest to the charge in October. This is Sutherland's mug shot here. This is his second drunk driving arrest in three years. The judge granted Sutherland's request to serve the term in the Glendale city jail rather than going to county prison. He's going to serve his time working in the kitchen and the laundry rooms.
And the leader of a polygamist sect says he wants a new trial. Defense attorneys for Warren Jeffs say their client's September trial contained, "errors and improprieties." They say Jeffs is being persecuted for his religious beliefs. Jeffs was accused of forcing a 14-year-old girl to marry her 19-year-old cousin. He was sentenced to ten years to life in prison.
An incredible story of bravery, a little girl saved her mother from a jealous ex-boyfriend. Sunny Hostin will have more of the little girl's story. And could it happen to you? Millions of Americans will be hitting the malls today. This is not the first mall shooting this year. How safe are our shopping malls? We'll tell you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Susan, who works who works on the same floor I do, she said she walked over to the center of the atrium and it looked like a customer walked up alongside her and the shooter reached over the top of the third floor and just shot the man and she was right there and she looked. He was shot in the head.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 15 minutes after the hour. A look there live at the Von Maur Department Store here at the Westroads Shopping Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, where, yesterday, the scene of that carnage as a gunman shot and killed eight people. Five other people also injured. Two of them remain in the hospital in critical condition this morning. Terror, tears and confusion, some incredible scenes from the Omaha mall shooting to show you now. Horrified holiday shoppers file out of the store with their hands up. Take a look at this. Many of them had been hiding in closets, bathrooms, behind clothing racks and crowded and changing rooms as the gunman opened fire. One witness says they saw bodies as they filed out of the store.
Here in Omaha, police officer guards the door with a rifle strapped to his body. S.W.A.T. teams showed up about six minutes after the first shots were fired. The head of the Omaha police department says President Bush's visit to the city yesterday resulted in a quicker and more organized for police response. The president plane left Omaha about 45 minutes before the shooting began. Some of the officers were still nearby and raced straight to the mall but police say even so, when they got there, the shooter was already dead.
Here is a picture of an employee in tears hugging her daughter after she witnessed the terrible rampage. She was inside the Von Maur store during the busy holiday rush when the gunman started shooting.
Now let's go back up to New York where Kiran has more news related to this. Kiran.
CHETRY: That's right. The shooting at the mall is the fourth this year in the U.S. alone. It's prompted questions about the safety of America shopping centers. General Growth Properties, which owns Westroads Mall, says the mall has a safety program and mall security guards who are unarmed but there are also off-duty police officers who are armed. So is that enough to protect shoppers? Here to talk about that is security expert Lou Palumbo. Great to see you this morning. Most of the time when you are dealing with security at places like this, they are unarmed. Is that the way to go?
LOU PALUMBO, DIRECTOR, ELITE SECURITY LTD.: That's correct. No, it's not right approach to this. The other issue is not just having armed personnel who have law enforcement backgrounds but to know how to position them to minimize the exposure to the shoppers and you do that by posting up what we call points of ingress and digress. You start to observe the people coming into the mall area. To let them in your door and then try to figure out what they're doing, you know, it's not as effective as catching them as they're coming in the door and a lot of these people. This young man came in with what they call an SKS assault rifle which is made in Russia and some of the European eastern block companies. I just don't know how he got in there without anybody seeing him but a trained professional probably would of picked something up here. The interesting part is I was sitting in your green room and I was figuring out how cost effective it would be for them to properly staff these malls and it's not that expensive in direct proportion to the revenues they generate. They have to come to terms with the fact they're going to need to invest in this area.
Bottom line problem with security agents, we detract from your revenue, we understand that. If you look at this, someone might have a wrongful death suit here. This is not an isolated instance. We have a pattern now and there's a responsibility for these people to step up to the plate and properly protect these facilities.
CHETRY: You know, you ask the question why malls. We are seeing four this year alone. Just trying to think of being able to keep your eye on how many people going in and out, especially in a busy shopping season, you can see why things can slip through the cracks. How practical is it to try to, you know, effectively police a place that is covered, just crawling with people?
PALUMBO: Well, it is practical. If you allow me to come in and conduct a site survey and identify your exposures which in this is going to be your points of ingress and properly staff them with personnel. If we had a dozen points of ingress in a shopping mall, which is a lot, if you staff them with the right personnel and then have it layered with additional personnel, you can probably put this problem -- not completely to rest, but you'll reduce the propensity to come to these areas and carry out these acts dramatically.
CHETRY: What about getting metal detectors at some of the points of entry?
PALUMBO: Those are not bad either. I've been doing the golden globes for ten years and after the 9/11 event, many of the celebrities through their publicist expressed concern coming to the event wanting to know we had metal detectors in position at which point we did. Prior to 9/11, we hadn't had them there but post 9/11, we had them there. That is one way to address it. When you put a melts detect oar in there you have to do the mathematics you can process in the metal detector in a minute and the issue with the mall being the target there, if you're what you're going to do is go out with a blaze of glory, quote/unquote, you can walk into a mall that is densely populated and the rest kind of speaks for itself.
CHETRY: As we saw yesterday. Lou Palumbo, Director of Elite Security, retired police officer, thanks for being with us.
PALUMBO: My pleasure.
CHETRY: A brave 8-year-old girl jumps in front of a gun all to protect her mother from an enraged ex-boyfriend. The brave little girl survived. Sunny Hostin will have more on her story. And also, the suspected shooter and his criminal past ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 24 minutes after the hour. A dire situation in the Pacific Northwest this morning all caused by extreme weather. One homeowner's house and nerves literally on edge this morning. It's your morning Hot Shot. This photo sent to us by Joe from Burian, Washington. The devastating rains earlier this week caused a landslide behind his home. It's in danger of tumbling right off the side of the hill. The slide meanwhile buried another home. So far five deaths have been reported in the wake of these heavy rains. Just incredible pictures today. If you've got a Hot Shot send it to us. The address is amhotshots@CNN.com. Be sure to include your name, where you're from and a little bit about the picture and video and one more thing, please make sure the image is yours and not someone else's.
"ANDERSON COOPER 360," airs weeknights at 10 eastern. Here is Anderson now with a look what is on his show tonight. Hey Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: John, tonight a massive corruption problem festering in the largest state in the union. Involving big money, dirty dealing and potentially one of the most powerful men in the U.S. senate, a man known for spending your tax money for his pet projects, the culture of corruption up north. We're keeping them honest, "360" tonight 10 p.m. eastern. John.
ROBERTS: Anderson, thanks. We'll see you then.
Now let's go back to Kiran in New York. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, an incredible and sad story this morning of a brave first grader from Detroit who stepped between her mother and her mother's enraged former boyfriend who had a gun. Police say Alexis Goggins was kidnapped along with her mother and her mother's friend at gun point. When they stopped at a gas station, this man opened fire. The little girl jumped in front of the bullets and she was hit six times in the eye, left temple, the chin, the cheek, the chest and her right arm.
SELIETHA PARKER, SAVED BY DAUGHTER DURING SHOOTING: I knew if I wouldn't have done that I wouldn't be here today. The attendants see me now shaking and crying and he end up calling the police. Next thing you know, I hear, pow, pow, pow ...
CHETRY: Well police caught up with the suspect, Calvin Tillie, shortly after he opened fire. She, the little girl, is in stable condition but reportedly may lose an eye in the shooting. Her mother was hit twice but was released from the hospital and for more now on this story, I'm joined by CNN's legal analyst Sunny Hostin. There's a lot that just boggles your mind about this. But first of all, this guy was a four time convicted felon. Why is he out on the streets in the first place with a gun?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL ANALYST: That's a great question and by all reports, we don't know yet but you know, law enforcement officers know, former prosecutors know, current prosecutors know, people that commit crimes, felonies, typically do it over and over and over again and so I'm not surprised that he did this but I spent the most - a lot of my career as a prosecutor protecting children and in this sort of crime, I think not only it effects me and hits home but hits home for everyone.
CHETRY: Yes it just makes your blood run cold when you read the story. You can't believe it. The other thing that was just so mind boggling to those of us who can't even comprehend, if I thought I was in trouble and called 911 I would expect that a police officer would come to the scene. Apparently there were three calls to 911. The first time, the woman reported that the officer clicked off. She dialed back again. This is as this guy is holding the gun at gun point, her friend is calling. The second time the dispatcher said to her I'm sorry. I just don't have a unit to send and it was then the third time after the shooting had already taken place that a gas station attendant finally got through to the police.
HOSTIN: Right and they finally responded.
CHETRY: How could that happen?
HOSTIN: It does happen. I have to tell you, courts typically protect law enforcement agencies from liability for not responding and there is a public policy reason behind it. If you contact - if you start suing your police officers and police departments, they will be sort of hamstrings and not you know go and protect citizens but there is no liability for something like this. It's egregious and I think everyone is outraged by it but unfortunately there is not going to be any liability in this case is my understanding.
CHETRY: Right but in terms of somebody's calling and saying that I'm literally being held at gun point right now in this current situation, and they would say we don't have anybody to send. I mean is that ...
HOSTIN: It's not common.
CHETRY: Is that an indicator of how bad where they live is or management on the part of the officers?
HOSTIN: Kiran, it could be several things. We know that this was in a, you know, a very terrible part of Detroit. It may just be that all the officers were responding to other crime. It's a very high crime rate area and who knows but it's not the rule that this type of thing happens. It's the exception.
CHETRY: Yes, it's just a heartbreaking story. The school superintendent said she's a courageous little girl.
HOSTIN: Absolutely.
CHETRY: And right now you see more bandages than child and it's a horrific sight so I mean this is something that certainly has gotten the attention of a lot of people. We hope she's going to be okay.
HOSTIN: She's a hero.
CHETRY: She's a hero. Sunny, thank you.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, the latest on the deadly mall shooting in Nebraska, more on the teen gunman, the survivors and to the victims. We're going to go back to John in Omaha next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are in such shock. It's just hard to think and I just kept hoping god would spare us because that's - I kept the rosary in my hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Welcome back.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: Breaking news at Paris, France, this morning. It's Thursday, the 6th of December, from Omaha, Nebraska. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York.
That's right, John. Police in fact confirming in Paris, to CNN that a small device has exploded near the famed Champs-Elysees. The French Interior Ministry says one person killed, another seriously hurt and that police are looking for a possible second explosive device. We'll bring you the latest information as we get it. John, let's head back to you in Omaha, the scene of that horrific shooting rampage yesterday.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks. We are live today outside the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, a day after that shooter put on a deadly rampage inside the department store. Behind me, the Von Maur Department Store. Today, we're learning more about who the shooter was and why he may have snapped. Police say the 19-year-old gunman, Robert Hawkins, left behind a suicide note, saying that the massacre will "make him famous." Eight shoppers were fatally shot before Hawkins turned the assault rifle on himself. Five other people are wounded. Two victims remained in the hospital, in critical condition today. The shots sent panic holiday shoppers fleeing for cover. Police say that shooting appears to be premeditated but the victim apparently chosen at random. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, also new this morning. A lifeline for financially strapped homeowners. The Bush administration expected to announce a deal today with the mortgage industry that would put rates on hold for sub prime mortgage holders, a certain portion of those. Certain rates for certain mortgages will be frozen for five years in an effort to stem a rising tide of foreclosure. Well, not everyone of course covered by the sub prime rate would qualify. Far from it, in fact, even before the plans being announced, the critics are saying that it doesn't go far enough and now on the other side, there should not be a mass bailout.
President Bush is expected to make some comments about the mortgage crisis this afternoon, 1:40 p.m. from the Roosevelt Room at the White House and CNN will have live coverage of that. It also brings us to this morning's Quick Vote question. The government now offering some breathing room to a very small number of homeowners at risk of foreclosure. So, what do you think, you're your votes at CNN.com/am. Right now, we have 12 percent saying it's a step in the right direction, 9 percent saying that it's not enough, 30 percent saying that it's as far as it should go and 49 percent saying it's going too far. We'll continue to tally the votes throughout the morning.
Also, we're getting a better look into the mind of Leeland Eisenberg. He is the man accused of taking six hostages at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire Friday. CNN's Jason Carol got to sit down with Eisenberg behind bars ad asked the man what he was hoping to accomplish. Eisenberg appeared very calm as he gave that answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEELAND EISENBERG, ACCUSED HOSTAGE TAKER: I wanted to sacrifice myself for the sake of mental illness and a 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 (inaudible) that it deserves.
CHETRY (voice-over): Eisenberg says that he wanted to die because he's still suffering and he was hoping that police would believe his fake bomb was real. He says it took little time to piece it all together.
EISENBERG: It all took about an hour to prepare for it. I honestly did. I took a cab. I went and got the flares, the duct tape, the electrical tape. I took some wire and made it look like a bomb. I strapped it 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, can you get off that phone. Everybody in the back room, get down and lay on the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Family members also reported that Eisenberg had been drinking heavily before the standoff and it talked about his problems about getting medical care. He says he still hears voices. He is being held on $500,000 bond and a judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation.
Also, a staffer with Hillary Clinton's campaign has resigned after forwarding an e-mail hoax about Barack Obama. That e-mail falsely claimed that Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy America by being elected president and these are rumors that have been debunked. In fact, we did the story yesterday about whether or not it's hurting his campaign. In reality, Obama is a Christian. Judy Rose, a Clinton volunteer in Iowa, forwarded the hoax to eight people. A democratic party official then posted a note about the foreword on a liberal blog. The Clinton campaign then asked Rose to quit. There has been no comment from Obama's camp this morning. Let's head back out to Omaha and John Roberts.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks. And more political news for you now. It's Mitt Romney's big day. He is breaking his silence about his religion today and talking about the role that his Mormon faith plays in his life and his politics. Our chief national correspondent John King is in Boston this morning. He's been digging into what Romney is going to say. John, what do we think he is going to outline in this speech this morning?
JOHN KING, CNN, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, Governor Romney thinks this could be a defining moment of his campaign. We've been covering this for a year now but most voters are just starting to tune in and a couple of weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. Then Governor Romney knows, as we know, the polling shows some Americans especially evangelical Christians who are critical of republican politics or more reluctant to vote for a Mormon than say a Catholic or a Baptist.
So this you might say, a kick the tires moment. Governor Romney wants to give a speech saying his faith is just like your faith. Mormon is a mystery to many Americans. Governor Romney wants to say if I would swear in as president I would put my hand on the Bible. That is an important signal to Christians, especially evangelicals. He also wants to say that while he is guided by his faith, he would not take orders from any church as president of the United States. A line very similar to the one used by President Kennedy when he was dealing with skepticism about Catholics back in 1960. He also wants to say, look, I believe religion does have a very important role in public life and I would fight any judges who think otherwise. Let's say you're having a fight right now about a nativity scene or a menorah in a public setting, this holiday season. Governor Romney wants people to know that he will be on your side. He will say this, "you can be certain of this: any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen. We do not insist on a single strain of religion, rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith. So John, just a few weeks away from the Iowa caucuses at a time he is hoping evangelicals and others will rally to his candidacy. Essentially, it's chance for Mitt Romney to introduce himself and say to people, if you feel a little bit uncomfortable, if you have questions about my faith, take a look, I'm just like you.
ROBERTS: You said, you're liking it, John, to kicking tires. There's a chance when you do that one of the tires is going to fall off. Last week he was resisting the notion of doing a speech this early in the process. What are the potential risks that he runs?
KING: Well, the risks are that people see it as somehow a calculated political move. And faith is so personal to people and John, they are insisting in the Romney campaign that this was the governor's decision that he, whether or not to do this, for months. But a few weeks back, they were saying if he did this it would likely be after Iowa and before South Carolina. Ask anyone else in politics, not in the Romney campaign and they say one of the reasons has to be the rise of Mike Huckabee in Iowa. A former Baptist preacher who is rallying evangelical support in Iowa. Governor Romney had the best summer among the republican candidates. He took a big lead in Iowa, took a big lead in New Hampshire and moved up in South Carolina where some southern Baptist leaders called Mormons members of a cult. So, there is no question that his campaign has stalled a bit. He is still in a good position but it is stalled a bit and they think he needs a big defining moment and they hope this speech is it but, yes, there certainly are risks.
ROBERTS: All right. We'll see if he can turn his December around. We will be covering that speech live later on this morning. John King for us in Boston this morning. John, thanks.
As you head into work today, here is a question for you. Can the stress of work really make you sick? That's just one of the questions in Dr. Sanjay Gupta's mailbag today.
And extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. CNN pays tributes to the world's unheralded heroes tonight, featuring some big names in Hollywood. Our Veronica de la Cruz has got a preview for you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holiday travel tips on this week's road warriors.
BARNEY GIMBEL, WRITER, FORTUNE: December is one of the worst months of the year to travel. You got bad weather, you got lots of travelers, you got packed planes but there's a lot of different ways you can make your travel experience that much better. It really matters what airline you're flying on.
You can choose a carrier based on the on-time performance reports that are posted by the DOT's aviation consumer protection division online.
GIMBEL: Obviously, always better to fly nonstop if you can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if you can't.
GIMBEL: Try not to connect through northeastern airports. You try to connect in the southern airports you can avoid a lot of the northeastern storms. The best time is always to fly in the morning and avoid the last flight out of the day. Avoid the peak times which is the weekend before and after Christmas and the weekend before and after New Year's.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Seven minutes now to the top of the hour. Rob Marciano in the CNN weather center tracking extreme weather, some snow in Baltimore. And Rob, you know, it might be getting snow in Baltimore but I'm not minced words with you - it's freezing here in Nebraska today. ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: I can tell if it can be a struggle at times out there in the cold. The mouth doesn't always want to thaw out. Well, they are thawing out across the i-95 corridor today. Big time snow, well not big time but some snow and certainly in some cases the first of the season in some cases. Atlanta City 4.4, and Baltimore, Maryland, 4.2. Got some video out from last night. They were getting the plows ready. They were getting the sanders ready and slowing down on the highways that's for sure but this time of the year, you know it's not all that bad. Some folks like to see the snow to get in the spirit of the season. But not quite enough I don't think to cancel schools or to cause too much of a slowdown. Sorry about that, kids.
All right, back out in the Pacific northwest, more rain in the forecast at least for today. I-95 corridor, still struggling with the cleanup efforts there and there still some rivers in flood stage. Most of the rain is going into northern and central California, San Francisco starting to get a little piece of that action. This is going to fall as a big-time sierra storm snow event. You bet. One to two feet expected across parts of the Sierras. Now, just upgraded to winter storm warnings from the Wasatch of Utah into the Colorado Rockies. They could see one to two feet of snow. They'll see three to five inches of snow in Omaha. It is almost on your doorstep, John. Certainly looks cold enough for snow. You'll get a few inches of it before the day is done. Back over to you.
ROBERTS: Definitely cold enough for snow in the first few flakes beginning to come down. Rob, thanks for that.
From the heartbreaking to the horrifying. Witnesses have been sharing their stories with us here in Omaha. The day after a 19-year- old shooter walked into the mall right behind me and murdered eight people before killing himself. The shot sent terrified holiday shoppers running for cover and shocked throughout the community. We heard some of that firsthand this morning. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER KRAMER, EYEWITNESS: I'm torn because I walked out of there and nine people didn't.
CHUCK WRIGHT, EYEWITNESS: My instincts, survival took over. I started backing away from the atrium. I didn't want to be close to it because I was scared that they might come there and start shooting.
SHAWN SAUNDERS, SHOOTER'S FRIEND: It's still so hard to imagine the guy that I knew and used to hang out with is capable of something like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Police say gunman Robert Hawkins left behind a suicide note saying that the massacre will make him famous. There are reports that he was off of antidepressant medication. I spoke with someone who knew him earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAUNDERS: I'm not sure his level of depression. I just know he was on antidepressants for the last couple of months and I guess it was just getting worse over time with the loss of his job and I guess he had issues going on with a girlfriend at the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And friends say he did break up with that girlfriend a couple of weeks ago. He was also fired from his job at McDonald's earlier yesterday, just a few hours before he went on that shooting rampage. Now, let's get back to Kiran in New York. Hi, Kiran.
CHETRY: Hi there, John. Well, for five months we've been bringing you stories of our CNN heroes. These are ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things for others. And tonight, we honor them. Our Veronica de la Cruz joining us with a preview. You know, you see the stories and they are so inspiring when you see what people do to help others.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN, INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Truly amazing people. You know, for the past two months, more than 7,000 of you have nominated people from 93 different countries. All unheralded heroes. So, we have a very special show planned this evening to applaud their work and we're also paying tribute to them on-line at CNN.com/heroes. On the page, plenty of details about tonight's event and those who will be honored. There are 18 finalists and there are three in six different categories. Championing children is one of them. Community crusader, defending the planet, fighting for justice, medical marvel, there is also a very special category for all of the young people who are doing something good in the world. We are calling it young wonders.
Also, at CNN.com.heroes, we have information out on the Blue Ribbon panel. This is a list of 15 that includes seven-time winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong. He is on the panel. He is also an advocate for cancer patients. There is singer and songwriter, humanitarian Jewel. Also, yahoo co-founder and CEO is on that list and goes on and on and on, Kiran. And if you would like to learn more about the finalists themselves, you can check out cnn.com/heroes which also has a video profile of all the different nominees.
Kiran, here you are seeing the three finalists in our young wonders category. And then don't forget about tonight, the big event tonight hosted by our own Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour. It will be held at the American Museum of National History. It's going to be telecast globally at 9:00 p.m., a star-studded event. Kiran, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, (inaudible) and then I think Alina Cho is going to be at the red carpet.
CHETRY: That's right. At CNN.com.
DE LA CRUZ: At 7:00 p.m.
CHETRY: That will be great talking to some of the stars. We will be watching. So, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. DE LA CRUZ: And I'll be at home.
CHETRY: You'll be asleep.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHETRY: It should be fabulous actually. Maybe one night to stay up for. Thanks, Veronica.
Well, the CNN NEWSROOM is just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: Kiran, good morning to you. On the NEWSROOM rundown for you this morning. Who is Robert Hawkins and what set the young man off? Friends, family and police searching for answers after the Omaha mall shooting.
Mitt Romney tries to close the god gap. He discusses his Mormon faith in a speech this morning. We talk about it with four heavy hitters. And the Grammy nominations live this morning. Is this the year for the jazzy blue singer, songwriter Amy Winehouse? Breaking news when it happens. Stay informed. You're in the NEWSROOM top of the hour, right here on CNN. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much. Well, join Heidi and Tony, that will be coming up at the top of the hour.
Meanwhile, we're all aware of the dangers that women face from breast cancer but what about men? How common is breast cancer in males? Well, Dr. Sanjay Gupta opens his mailbag for the answer. It's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eight minutes now to the top of the hour. Breaking news to report for you. More on that explosion in Paris. These are the first pictures coming to us now of the scene. Police say a small device has exploded near the Champs Elysees. It killed one person and seriously injured another. The Associated Press says several other people are suffering from shock as a result of the blast. People are also looking for a possible second explosive device. Stay on the story and we will bring you the latest information as we get it. Kiran.
CHETRY: What an unbelievable story out of France this morning.
Time, though, to dip into our mailbag. Sanjay Gupta is on standby for this. You know, all week, we ask you to send in your health-related questions.
ROBERTS: For the answers to those questions, he is in our medical update desk in Atlanta. Let's dive right into it, Sanjay. First question is from Jane, in Amsterdam. She writes to us "I fear having a stroke because I have high blood pressure and a family history. What are the signs to look for? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jane thanks for writing in, First of all, from Amsterdam. Strokes can affect people pretty quickly. You can have some symptoms that come on very fast. But they can be vague. They can be sudden light- headedness. They can be sudden dizziness and some of the more classic ones are going to be numbness in your face, in your arms, some weakness as well. Those are certainly things to look for. If you have a family history of this sort of thing, you may want to get that checked out ahead of time with your doctor to find out if you're at risk. Jane, I don't know how old you are. One of the common things is you get a little blockage in the arteries that give blood to your brain. You can find out if the arteries are too blocked and get that checked out ahead of time, Jane.
CHETRY: All right. We got another question that comes out of Toronto. International mailbag today.
Gord asks is it possible for male to develop breast cancer and, if so, what is the probability compared to females.
GUPTA: Gord, it's interesting. We've done some reporting on this, and yes, men can develop breast cancer. Now, this may not surprised you about but the rate of breast cancer in women are about 100 times higher than they are in men. So, it's more common in women obviously but the diagnosis is done the same way. Clinical diagnosis, they sometimes do a biopsy. They even do mammograms and sometimes in men if appropriate. One of the caveats here, this is an important one is that because men don't think about breast cancer, by the time it's diagnosed in a man, it's often much more advanced than women because the screening tests aren't in place. So, if you have a family history or if you have some of the risk factors, exposure to estrogen, liver disease or being very obese or having a history of alcoholism, those are the risk factors and you worry about it, again get that checked out.
ROBERTS: Sanjay, final question of the day comes from Chrissy from Florida. She says " can work made you sick when you are under pressure all the time? I get migraines everyday, she writes, when work is stressful? So, can work make you sick.
GUPTA: You know it's so interesting, Chrissy, is that there has long been sort of association between psychological behaviors and physical health. But, for the most part, it was just sort of intuitive. Now, we have a lot more evidence and in fact there is an actual direct impact. You have certain stress hormones that are released. They can do all things to you. They can make you nauseated. They can make your weight fluctuate. They can give you headaches and it really has a lot to do with the stress hormones. The more you can do to try to control the stress, the better you'll probably going to feel probably physically in the long run and obviously mentally as well.
CHETRY: Those are the types of things to think about. You know, don't let at all get to you if you can help it.
GUPTA: Especially this season. CHETRY: Right. There's enough stress as we talked about.
ROBERTS: Reduce the stress in your life.
CHETRY: Easier said than done.
GUPTA: Right. Exactly.
CHETRY: Hey, Sanjay, it's great to see you as always. Of course, please we ask the viewers to keep the questions coming because Sanjay will answer them for you every Thursday. Thanks for being with us, Sanjay.
Meanwhile, here's a quick look at what the CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
HARRIS: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A young man who opened fire at an Omaha mall. Police and friends explain his motive.
Mitt Romney talks about his Mormon faith this morning. Live coverage and an in-depth analysis.
President Bush announces a deal with lenders for rate freeze today on certain sub prime mortgages.
Grammy nominations live this morning.
And a Bible-believing granny gets a carjacker to repent. NEWSROOM just minutes away, at the top of the hour, on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And before we leave you today on AMERICAN MORNING, we want to take one final look at the quick vote question. I thank all of you for voting. The issue today, the government is now offering some breathing room for a very small number of homeowners at risk of foreclosure. You made your voices heard saying many of you saying you thought it went too far. 13 percent say it's a step in the right direction. 10 percent say not enough and 30 percent saying it's just about right, this proposal. And a whopping 47 percent say it goes too far. To all of you who voted, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: That's going to do it for us on this special edition of AMERICN MORNING. Thanks for joining us. We will see you again tomorrow.
CHETRY: That's right CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins starts right now.
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. Are you in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Thursday morning. It is December 6th. Here's the final rundown now.
Who was Robert Hawkins? And why did he open fire at an Omaha mall. The motive. The victims. The eyewitnesses.
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