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Ice Storms Disaster for Midwest; CIA Director Questioned by Senate about Destroyed Tapes; Family Hopes for Reduced Crack Cocaine Sentence; Details Emerge about Shooter in Colorado Church Killings

Aired December 11, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: They call it hard time, but is it too hard? A vote today in Washington could open the cell doors for thousands of crack cocaine convicts in federal prisons. We'll tell you why.
Why did the CIA record interrogations of al Qaeda suspects in 2002 and get rid of tapes in '05? The guy in charge says -- in 2006 faces a grilling on Capitol Hill.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon is away. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The ice is everywhere: on the roads, in the trees and on power lines. Schools and businesses are closed across the Midwest. So are some airports. At least 22 deaths are blamed on this huge ice storm that extends all the way to Illinois.

A third of Oklahoma is without electricity. President Bush has declared an emergency in every county in that state and put FEMA in charge of disaster relief.

The governors of Missouri and Kansas have also declared states of emergency. There, too, many folks have no heat, no lights and no way to get around. Our Jacqui Jeras is right in the middle of it in Kansas City, Missouri.

Jacqui, what are you seeing?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, a lot of rain, actually right now, Kyra. We've had a really changeable morning, really. We started out with freezing rain. We had a little snow trying to mix in. And at this hour, we're right at 33 degrees. So it's a rain coming down.

But things are going to be changing very dramatically, we think, in the upcoming hours. Because the winds have changed direction. More cold air is coming in, so more freezing rain on top of what we already have had.

What have we seen so far? Take a look at this. Down on the ground, everything that's elevated has seen a very strong coating of ice. We've had a good quarter of an inch to a half of an inch of ice.

And the biggest problem hasn't been getting around on the roads; it's been trying to walk, say, to your car or walk from your car to maybe a building, because it's been very, very slick. Now, the ice is also weighing down the branches. And take a look at the bend on this pine tree here. It's kind of getting some support from a railing. Now, the rain has been helping some of this melt off. But, we could see an additional quarter inch of ice on top of what you already have. So we're very concerned, with more freezing rains and winds picking up to maybe 20 miles per hour, that more power outage could be taking place.

Already 25,000 people, on an estimate, have no power right now. But power has been restored to about 30,000 people, so some progress has been made.

The other big concern is those cold temperatures move in tonight. We could be down to about 21 degrees. And look at the roadway here. It's wet. There's standing water everywhere. So, when we get down to 21, all of this wet is going to ice up and freeze and cause some major problems, we think, on the roadways for the morning commute.

That said, thus far the DOT has done a tremendous job keeping bridges and overpasses very clear. And travel at the airport, we've had some flights coming in and out, but more than 100 flights have been canceled. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right. We'll keep checking in with you throughout the day, Jacqui. Thanks so much.

Chad Myers adding to that, I know you're following other parts of the country. You want to expand more on where Jacqui is and how it's all branching out?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has warmed up a little bit for her right now. It has warmed up, but it's still not warm in Omaha, Fall City, back into Concordia, Ottumwa, Des Moines. You're still in the middle of an ice storm. Here's a shot out of Des Moines right now.

Looked a little bit worse earlier because it was still snowing there for a while. But Des Moines, you've had this on and off stuff all day, all night. And it is going to be with you for the most of the rest of the afternoon.

The rain continues; the snow's going to continue. And Chicago, you're going to get in it.

Here's the little piece of warm air that Jacqui is in right now. But cold air will sweep in behind it, through Nebraska into Kansas. There's your Kansas City temperature, 33, 34. And then down to 28 in the next three or four hours. So all of that slush that Jacqui is walking in will all be frozen back up into ice again.

Here's a shot out of Jefferson City, Missouri, the capital here of Missouri. The trees completely shattered.

Some people said it sounded like a war zone as trees were coming down, crack, crack, crack, one right after the other. An ice emergency in many of those towns across central and northern Missouri. And now that weather has moved a little bit farther to the north into southern and southwestern Iowa, and into the Quad Cities. And even for you, for Madison, Wisconsin and into Milwaukee, and into Chicago, we actually have some weather bonk -- yes, I know, weather bonk -- B-O-N-K -- cameras here that I can show you. A couple out of Madison, couple out of Milwaukee and even Chicago. You go to WeatherBonk.com. You can click on these, too.

Here's one out of Madison. We'll click on this one right between the lakes. Yes, I remember this, living in Nebraska. That looks like a whole lot of fun. That's about 15 or 20 miles per hour. Because although you think you've got four-wheel drive and you can move real good at four-wheel drive, you still can't stop with four-wheel drive.

So I know all these guys up there, they get used to it. And -- but every time it comes for the first time for the year, even the second time, it never feels right. I know you get used to it. It just never feels right when the back end starts coming around on that car and all of a sudden you start fish-tailing.

There you go. Back to Chicago. That looks warm now in Chicago, but it's going to cool off tonight and you are going to get that refreezing, especially from about Aurora right on back into Waukegan. It is going to be an icy mess. If you can get home now, I'm telling you, you're going to have a whole lot better commute than you're going to have at 5 p.m. tonight -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chad, we'll keep talking.

MYERS: All right.

Well, he didn't even work there at the time, but now he's the boss. So CIA director Michael Hayden is going before the Senate Intelligence Committee today in private to tell members why the agency destroyed tapes of controversial al Qaeda interrogations. It sparked an uproar on Capitol Hill and calls for independent investigations.

CNN's Brianna Keilar joins us now live from Washington with more -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this is a closed-door hearing, so we're not going to be allowed inside. But Democratic and Republican congressional sources tell me this committee is going to be grilling Hayden about why these tapes were destroyed, who made the decision to destroy them and then who was informed and who wasn't informed about the fact that these tapes had been destroyed.

He's also going to be asked if these tapes were destroyed to bury evidence of illegal interrogation tactics. And at this point, eyes are on top Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to see just how far they'll go in putting this under the microscope.

Here's what Reid said a short time ago on the Senate floor when he stopped short of calling for an investigation independent of Congress and the Bush administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: I expect both the intelligence committee and the attorney general of the United States to investigate aggressively the answers to questions regarding this cover-up.

But the CIA, the Justice Department, the Bush White House, every American should know that, if these investigations encounter resistance or are unable to find the truth, I won't hesitate to add my voice to those calling for special counsel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Hayden said last week when the story first broke that when the -- before these tapes were destroyed in 2005, the CIA informed leaders on oversight committees in Congress about the fact that they would be destroyed. But some Republicans and Democrat leaders on those committees, Kyra, say that's not the case. So this is why it would be very interesting to be a fly on the wall in this hearing, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, no doubt. Do we know if anyone other than Hayden is testifying today about the CIA tapes?

KEILAR: No one else. Hayden is the only person, the only CIA official who will be testifying before the Senate intel committee.

And this isn't the last, as you can imagine. This is the first time that this topic is going to be hashed out in a congressional hearing. And we're going to see Hayden again tomorrow. He's going to be testifying before the House intel committee, as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar, we'll be talking about it all afternoon.

A CIA veteran says that waterboarding is torture. Of course, John Kiriakou also says that agents got important intel from al Qaeda suspects using that technique. On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," he criticized the CIA's destruction of interrogation tapes and elaborated on his feelings on waterboarding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Now, you've actually had this procedure performed on you as part of a training exercise?

JOHN KIRIAKOU, RETIRED CIA AGENT: In training we tried it on each other, just to see what it was like.

ROBERTS: And?

KIRIAKOU: I only lasted five seconds. It's entirely unpleasant.

ROBERTS: What happens to the body when you're undergoing this process? KIRIAKOU: It almost seizes up. It's so -- you're so full of tension that you just tense up, your muscles tighten up. And it's very uncomfortable.

ROBERTS: So this was performed an Abu Zubaydah...

KIRIAKOU: Yes.

ROBERTS: ... to the best of your knowledge? How long did he last?

KIRIAKOU: It's my understanding he lasted 30 or 35 seconds, which was quite remarkable.

ROBERTS: So he had been resisting all of this time. Then within 30 to 35 seconds, he suddenly folded up and said, "I'll give you anything you want"?

KIRIAKOU: The next day he told his interrogator that Allah had visited him in his cell during the night and told him to cooperate, because it would make it easier on the other brothers who had been captured.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're going to hear much more from John Kiriakou later in the NEWSROOM, including details on what the al Qaeda figure told agents after he was waterboarded.

Well, they're serving time on crack cocaine convictions, but right now, thousands of federal inmates and their loved ones, most of them black, are hoping to cut that time short. Their fate rests with the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which meets just over two hours from now.

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that judges may choose to hand out lower crack-related sentences in future cases.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports on one family anxiously awaiting a decision on whether past sentences may be shortened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GWEN LYDA, SON IN PRISON FOR CRACK POSSESSION: You know, I'm coming to your school tomorrow.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a time of life when she should be slowing down, 58-year-old Gwen Lyda is working full time and raising a 6-year-old granddaughter. Her son Jay is in prison, serving nine years for possessing crack cocaine.

G. LYDA: This has really been hard, because now everything is on me.

ARENA: What really gets Lyda is, if her son had been busted for powder cocaine instead of crack, his sentence would be shorter. Jay called her last week to say he's doing OK.

JAY LYDA, IN PRISON FOR CRACK POSSESSION: I have a lot to offer. I've learned a lot. I'm taking a class. I'm in the process just trying to get an associate's degree in psychology.

ARENA: This holiday there is new hope for Lyda.

G. LYDA: I've claimed it. I've claimed it. It's going to happen.

ARENA: New federal guidelines have cut the mandatory sentences for crack cocaine. Today, the sentencing commission is expected to decide whether to apply those guidelines to people already doing time, like Jay. If it does, nearly 20,000 inmates could have their sentences reduced by 27 months, on average.

Critics say letting criminals out early will cause even more problems in communities already under siege. But Lyda argues her son wasn't violent to begin with, and jail is just wasted time that could be spent raising his little girl.

JADE LYDA, DAD IN PRISON FOR CRACK POSSESSION: I sing my praise and I wish that Daddy comes home. And I say my prayers a lot for him, because I really want him to come home. And I say that every day to my mom.

ARENA: Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The woman you saw profiled in Kelli's piece is definitely not alone. At the half hour we're going to talk with the mother of these two twins doing time on crack convictions. Karen Garrison is speaking out for them and thousands like them. She joins us 1:30 Eastern, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Outrage in Australia. A victim of a gang rape might also be victim of the justice system. Why aren't her attackers going to jail?

And is your blood pressure high? Will your brain function be low? We're going to tell you what you need to know.

And blood pressure on Wall Street might be a little high, waiting in Washington, as the Fed decides whether to put interest rates on the chopping block again.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And back to our severe weather coverage now. In Oklahoma, the heroes are the utility crews trying to get electricity back to hundreds of thousands of homes. A third of the state has no power right now. It's the worst outage ever in Oklahoma.

Reporter Adam Slinger with our affiliate KOCO is also out in the mess to kind of give us a live update, a live feel for those conditions -- Adam.

ADAM SLINGER, KOCO REPORTER: Kyra, all 77 counties here in Oklahoma in a state of emergency. And here in Oklahoma City, we're having to kind of dodge missiles ourselves, because it's raining ice on us. In addition to the rain, and you can see as it brings down these tree limbs, it's also chipping away at some of that ice that's been building up the past few days.

This is one of the historic neighborhoods here in Oklahoma City. Some of these are very old trees, more than a century old. That's older than the state of Oklahoma. And we have tree trimmers out here, trying to break the limbs off those power lines.

Six hundred thousand customers here in the state are currently without power. And as sad as that is, as sad as it is that we're losing all of these trees in this historic district, there is one tree in particular that lots of people are trying to save.

That is the Survivor Tree over at the Oklahoma National Memorial. It survived the Oklahoma City bombing. So crews have been out there at all hours of the day, trying to break the ice off that, making sure that what's happening to these trees out here in northeast Oklahoma City does not happen to the Survivor Tree. Of course, that tree has survived much worse things than this ice storm.

And we may have to wrap things up here shortly, because I think another chunk of ice is about to hit us right now, Kyra. So we'll send it back to you.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'm definitely not going to put you in a dangerous position. Adam, thank you so much.

Shattered lives, shattered glass, bullet holes and a frightening picture still coming into focus of the gunman who killed four people at a church and a missionary training center in Colorado.

Authorities say that Matthew Murray killed two staff members at Youth with a Mission Center in Arvada just about noon Sunday. Two other people were wounded.

I-Reporter Richard Werner sent us this picture of Murray. Werner tells us that he trained with Murray at the missionary center five years ago and that Murray acted strangely. Sources tell CNN that Murray was not allowed to join the group's final mission trip.

About 12 hours after those shootings, Murray shot and killed two teenage sisters in the New Life Church parking lot in Colorado Springs. The girls' father and two other people were hurt there before a guard killed Murray.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, a senior pastor of New Life Church says, quote, "The book of Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. This is obviously a time for our church family to mourn together for the loss of two very sweet and wonderful girls." The church has set up an area on its Web site where you can donate money for the victims' families. The address: www.NewLifeChurch.org.

Reports from Colorado says that Matthew Murray's anger at Christians was evident in some online rants. Details from CNN Internet correspondent Veronica De La Cruz in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been checking out our affiliate, KUSA's Web site, also "Rocky Mountain News" and DenverPost.com. And here's that I found.

These Web sites are reporting Matthew Murray used the screen name nghtmrchld26 and posted messages in a chat room for people who break away from a fundamentalist religious lifestyle.

Before he left for the first shooting, Murray reportedly posted this message to the group: "You guys were awesome. It's time for me to head out and teach these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) a lesson."

He then went on to write, "Thanks for listening and all, even though many of you ex-Pentecostals don't understand. See you all on the other side. We're leaving this nightmare behind to a better place."

According to DenverPost.com, Murray left behind a manifesto, or an online diatribe which mirrors the one left behind by Eric Harris before the Columbine shootings. He also posted lyrics from a song by KMFDM, an industrial rock band.

Others in the chatroom realized what he might be up to. One of the users tried to stop him, posting, "Please don't do it. You'd only make them into martyrs and yourself into a fanatical, hateful zealot in the public opinion."

Then in a message time-scanned between the two shootings, Murray writes, "I'm coming for everyone soon, and I will be armed to the teeth. And I will shoot to kill. God, I can't wait till I can kill you people. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you as I can, especially Christians, who are to blame for most of the problems in the world."

Here's a photo of Murray sent in by I-Reporter Richard Werner. It was taken back in 2002 when the two studied together at YWAM, Youth with a Mission. Werner says Murray slept on the bunk next to him and would always make very bizarre comments.

Police say Murray spent up to five hours a day on the computer he used to attend an online school. Now, police say that they confiscated that computer during a search of the family's home and are investigating for further evidence.

I'm Veronica De La Cruz, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And as we said, Richard Werner once roomed with Matthew Murray at the missionary training center. He sent us this picture of Murray and told us this story about him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD WERNER, FORMER ROOMMATE OF MATTHEW MURRAY: On October 23, 2002, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning, and he was just tossing and turning, making some strange noises. And I was like, "Hey, Matthew, what are you doing?"

He said, "I'm just talking to my voices. And they just come down."

And I said, "Dude, you got to be kidding me."

He said, "Don't worry, Richard. You're a nice guy. You know, you don't have to worry. The voices, they like you."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now Murray was not allowed to join the mission group's trip to Bosnia.

An outback outrage. Guilty pleas in the gang rape of a 10-year- old girl but no jail time. Looking for answers in Australia, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One-twenty-four Eastern Time. Here's one of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Dangerous roads, canceled flights. Hundreds of thousands of people without power. It's just part of the life in the heartland right now. At least three states are declaring states of emergency because of the paralyzing ice storm.

A top Algerian official now blames an al Qaeda-linked group for the massive destruction that you're seeing right here. Two car bombs rocked the capital, striking U.N. and Algerian government buildings, rather. Dozens are dead, including at least four U.N. staffers.

U.S. Sentencing Commission meets about two hours from now. The panel is deciding whether its move to ease crack-cocaine sentencing guidelines should apply retroactively to nearly 20,000 federal inmates.

The Federal Reserve will announce its decision on interest rates at 2:15 Eastern Time. Stephanie Elam is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the latest mortgage fallout ahead of this afternoon's announcement.

Hey, Steph.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

That's right. We are looking for that Fed meeting to give us the notes and tell us if there's a rate cut. It's widely expected that there will be one. We're looking for probably a quarter point cut.

However, some are thinking it might be a 50 -- half of a percentage point there that might be a cut, as well. So we're going to keep our eyes on it.

Just to keep you up to date on what this really means, the Fed funds rate, that's the one that affects all sorts of consumers: your credit card, your auto loan. That's the one that really affects us. It is currently at 4.5 percent. It is down from 5.5 percent before all these cuts started. This will be the third cut in a row, if they do decide to go ahead and do that today.

The purpose of any cut would be to prevent more fallout from this mortgage meltdown. And as if to illustrate the point, let's take a look at Seattle-based Washington Mutual. The company is warning of a quarterly loss; also saying they're going to lay off more than 3,000 people.

Shares of WaMu are actually down more than 6 percent.

Let's also take a look at tax preparer H&R Block. We all know that company, as well. The company said it expects a net loss of half a billion dollars for the quarter ending October 31.

So obviously, there's still signs out there that this weakness is not done just yet, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, what's happening on Wall Street just ahead of this decision?

ELAM: Not much. Really. Seriously. We've been...

PHILLIPS: That was easy.

(STOCK REPORT)

ELAM: And coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM, we'll finally get the decision we've all been waiting to hear, 2:15 Eastern. Will it be half a percentage point cut? Will it be a quarter? It's just -- it's like soap operas right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We always like a little drama.

ELAM: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Stephanie.

ELAM: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne Assam, the hero in a horrific situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JEANNE ASSAM, SECURITY GUARD WHO INTERCEPTED MATTHEW MURRAY: I just knew I was not going to wait for him to do any further damage. I just knew. I just knew what I had to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The security guard who wasn't going to wait for a gunman to do more damage. Now she's talking about what happened.

Twin brothers serving time, some say unfair time, on crack cocaine convictions. But will they and thousands like them get an early release? We're going to talk to their mom in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips live at CNN headquarters in Atlanta. They call it hard time, but is it too hard? A vote today in Washington could open the cell doors for thousands of crack cocaine convicts in federal prisons. We'll tell you why. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First though, back to this developing story we've following out of Colorado Springs. You'll remember the shootings that took place at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. And Pastor Brady Boyd who has been talking about the shooter, Matthew Murray who was once involved in the ministry. Two young sisters were left dead in that church when that shooting took place. You remember the life of that shooter was taken by a female security guard that we've just heard from for the very first time. And now we're hearing from the pastor moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PASTOR BRADY BOYD, NEW LIFE CHURCH: But the reality is, we live in a world that's filled with violence and evil, and we need to be prepared for it. We can't bury our head in the sand and say that violence and evil will never come on our campus just because we're a church. We have to assume that we're going to be a target, and prevent it in every way. To live with wisdom and prudence but not be fearful.

We will not live in fear at New Life Church. We're not going to come here on Sunday looking over our shoulders, wondering if we're going to be attacked. We're going to come and be a people of faith and trust God to protect us. This needs to be stopped. This is a pattern that needs to be stopped and I pray that God would give our law enforcement officials wisdom and strength to find them, arrest them, put them behind bars so that we're safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The church has set up an area on its Web site where you can donate for the victims' family. The address is www.newlifechurch.org. The security guard who I just told you about, who took down the church shooter in Colorado, says that God gave her the strength and a steady aim.

Here's CNN's Sean Calebs.

SEAN CALEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As bad as it was, the shootings at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, could have been much worse if not for Jeanne Assam. One of about a half dozen volunteer security guards at the church who had a weapon, she confronted the gunman, 24- year-old Matthew Murray, head on.

JEANNNE ASSAM, SHOT GUNMAN: I saw him, seemed like the halls cleared out and I saw him coming through the doors. And I took cover and I waited for him to get closer and I came out of cover and identified myself and engaged him, and took him down.

CALEBS: Assam, a former law enforcement officer, was prepared for a confrontation. She had heard about a shooting 80 miles away at the Youth with a Mission Ministries in Arvada, Colorado. Two people were killed, two wounded.

ASSAM: I saw it on the internet. I saw it that morning and I got chills when I saw it was Colorado and that he had not been apprehended.

CALEBS: Police say that Matthew Murray was the shooter in Arvada and 12 hours later in Colorado Springs. Sources tell us that he had worked with Youth with a Mission a few years ago, but had a falling out and had sent threatening messages.

Police say after the Arvada shootings, Murray made the hour drive down I-25 to the heart of Colorado Springs and the New Life Church campus and he had a plan of attack. Police say he first tossed a smoke grenade at the north entrance of New Life. Sunday service had just ended, so it was crowded.

Murray made a short drive to the east exit of the building, as soon as he got out of his car, he opened fire with an assault rifle, hitting five people, including the father and two daughters of the Works family. 18-year-old Stephanie and 16-year-old Rachel were killed.

SGT. JEFF JENSON, COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE: 24-year-old Matthew Murray was a gunman that was in the parking lot in the east corner of the complex near the east entrance into the worship center. The suspect at this time begins to fire several rounds in the parking lot.

CALEBS: Inside, the chaotic crowded hallway, Jeanne Assam heard the gunfire.

ASSAM: I'll never forget the gun shots. They were so loud. And, I was just focused and I just -- I knew I was not going to wait for him to do any further damage.

CALEBS: Murray carrying two pistols, a rifle and about 1,000 rounds of ammo was now 80 feet in the building. Assam says it's not overstating it to saying that God took over, and helped her bring down a killer.

ASSAMM: God was with me. And I asked him to be with me and he never left my side.

CALEBS: Sean Calebs, CNN, Colorado Springs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Thousands of crack offenders hoping to cut their prison time short, their fate hinges on the U.S. sentencing commission which meets two hours from now. Last month the panel eased sentencing guidelines for crack offenders and now is deciding whether to apply that retroactively to federal inmates already doing time.

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that judges can choose to hand out lower crack-related sentences in future cases, citing a big disparity between crack sentences and those involving powder cocaine. Crack sentences are much tougher and critics say they unfairly target poor African-Americans.

If the sentencing commission votes to make the new guidelines retroactive, it could affect nearly 20,000 inmates, including Lamont and Lawrence Garrison, twins serving tough prison terms on crack convictions. Their mom maintains their innocence and says her boys were set up. But she's not just speaking for them, she is also speaking for others like them.

Karen Garrison joins us now from Washington. Karen, good to see you.

KAREN GARRSION, TWO SONS IN PRISON: Hi.

PHILLIPS: And just to set up, I mean, your boys were convicted, they had been serving time for a decade now. However, I do want to point out, they were getting ready to go to college, they were getting great grades, just give us a sense for your boys and why you maintain their innocence.

GARRISON: I maintain their innocence because I've looked for 10 years and found no evidence to say that they are not innocent. You know, and my sons have been in for 10 years. They weren't going to college, they were finishing college. They graduated in May, after being arrested in April on these charges. And went to prison in June and never came back out -- and went to court in June and never came back out.

PHILLIPS: Did you ever know your sons to take drugs, to deal drugs? Did they ever admit anything to you with regard to drugs?

GARRISON: No. I know that they didn't take drugs. They got a test, the morning they arrested them, they took them and tested them. And they tested negative for any drug. My sons never even spent the night out. They went to school, they came home, they went to my cousin's house or my mother or my aunt's house. I knew where they were almost all the time.

PHILLIPS: And if I understand correctly, they went to a body shop, had a bad run-in with whoever was running this body shop...

GARRISON: The guy next door, yes.

PHILLIPS: ...guy next door, known drug dealer. So you feel that he was turning against them just to get even.

GARRISON: I think he already got -- yes he got mad with them. He was speaking Spanish, calling them black niggers and they realized what he was saying because they had taken Spanish since like second grade. So some things like that kids learn early, what they are.

And they had a dispute and I think that, to help himself and set someone up, he used my sons.

PHILLIPS: All right, so now that we have a better understanding about your boys, about the background, here we are a decade later. How could this decision affect your boys? What are you waiting to hear?

GARRISON: I'm waiting to hear that they're going to make it retroactive and that my son Lawrence will be home by the end of 2008 or the first part of 2009. And Lamont will of course be quite closer to coming home soon after him.

PHILLIPS: So this is a difference of how many years, if indeed this is retroactive?

GARRISON: A difference of maybe two to four years, something like that. I'm not sure. About four years I know.

PHILLIPS: Have you had a chance to talk to them? Have they shared their opinion about this? Have you been able to discuss what's going on in the Supreme Court and how this might change their lives?

GARRISON: I've been able to talk to them. I send them mail every day. And then they get an opportunity sometimes to listen to some radio stations, Lawrence has been put in special housing unit saying he's a security risk because they don't want him doing any interviews with anyone.

PHILLIPS: How has this affected your boys' lives?

GARRISON: Affected their lives, well, it's 10 years out. Ten years put behind. It's like you've been put somewhere that you have no -- no association with anything. It's 10 years behind.

PHILLIPS: And you are not only talking about your boys and personalizing this effort through the eyes of your boys and your family. But you truly are speaking out for the other 20,000 inmates here that could possibly have lighter sentences now. Why are you doing that? Why are you devoting so much time on other families, not just your own?

GARRISON: I mean, how could you not? If you go to a visiting hall and you see all the kids there, all the African-American strong- bodied men that are there, that could be out maybe they could have had another -- a chance or maybe they could be home and do less time. They could be home to help raise these kids that are being raised through prison. I mean, it's hard not to just think of my boys. You know, I wasn't raised just to think of me. We always as a family did things, and now I think of the other African-American -- the families that need to all come together to work with this. You can't do it by yourself.

PHILLIPS: Karen Garrison, we'll be obviously monitoring that announcement that's supposed to come about possibly in an hour to an hour and a half. You'll be listening, too, I'm assuming.

GARRISON: Oh, yes. I'll be there. I'll be there.

PHILLIPS: We'll be in touch, and we'll follow up. Thank you for your time.

GARRISON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: An Outback outrage. Guilty pleas in the gang rape of a 10-year-old girl, but not jailtime. Looking for answers in Australia, straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: An Australian girl gang raped, then victimized all over again. None of those involved got any jail time, even thought they pleaded guilty. Australians are outraged, and some of the judge's other decisions are being reviewed, and the prosecutor who recommended leniency has been suspended.

CNN's Hala Gorani has more on this shocking case.

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HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In late October, nine indigenous Australians pleaded guilty to gang-raping a 10-year- old Aboriginal girl. Six juveniles got probation and the judge did not record convictions against them.

The other three got suspended sentences. None were sentenced to serve time in jail.

In a ruling that's sending shock waves across Australia, Judge Sarah Bradley scolded the teenagers, but said, "I accept that the girl involved was not forced and that she probably agreed to have sex with all of you, but you were taking advantage of a 10-year-old girl and she needs to be protected."

The prosecutor said in court it was a form of childish experimentation rather than one child being prevailed upon by another. The prosecution did not seek jail time for the nine offenders in the attack that happened two years ago in Arakan (ph), a remote Aboriginal community in the state of Queensland.

BONNI ROBERTSON, ABORIGINAL ACTIVIST: There is nothing culturally, there is nothing morally, there is nothing socially and there is certainly nothing legally that would ever allow this sort of decision to be made. GORANI: The Queensland attorney general's office says it was first alerted to the case only last weekend by publicity surrounding the controversial sentence. A spokesman says a 10-year-old child is not capable of giving consent and expressed concern over an outcome the attorney general considers lenient in the extreme.

Newly elected Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is outraged about the case.

KEVIN RUDD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I'm horrified about cases like this involving violence, including sexual violence toward women and children. My attitude is one of zero intolerance.

GORANI: Sentencing for indigenous criminals is a delicate matter in Australia because of abnormally high suicide rates among jailed Aborigines. The judge in this case said at a conference in January that indigenous offenders sometimes require "special consideration due to their overrepresentation in prisons," but that's not relevant for many in this case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The buck stops there. There is no more making excuses.

GORANI: The attorney general is now appealing the sentence in this case, and his government is reviewing all sentences of sex- related cases in this region over the last two years. But it's not only the prime minister, state officials and Aboriginal leaders who are concerned about the sentence. It's now on front pages and talk radio all across Australia.

Hala Gorani, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Your liver, your kidneys, we know high blood pressure can affect them, but what about your brain? We're going to tell you what you need to know.

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PHILLIPS: Are you forgetting words, having trouble doing simple tasks? Well, you might want to get your blood pressure checked.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here to explain why.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was so interesting, Kyra, because, you know, people understand that if you have high blood pressure that it can affect your liver, it can affect your kidneys, but what a lot of people don't know is that it perhaps can affect your brain. This was a very interesting study of senior citizens.

And what they found was that folks who had high blood pressure had a 70 percent increased chance of having cognitive problems. Let's look at the kind of cognitive problems these folks had with the high blood pressure. First of all, they had trouble sometimes remembering certain words. They just weren't -- they weren't coming to their mind. Also sometimes they were having difficulties getting dressed, difficulties with finances, and trouble with tasks, such as being told to fold a piece of paper a certain way.

So the take home message according to the researchers is take care of your blood pressure. If it's high, let's say in your 30s or 40s or 50s, that may come back to haunt you when you're older in terms of your thinking.

PHILLIPS: So how does high blood pressure affect the brain?

COHEN: Well, what happens is that when the blood pressure gets high it can actually restrict blood flow to the brain, and so over time that can have an effect.

PHILLIPS: And then you have all of the forgetfulness. So what's the best way to keep your blood pressure down? I mean, it seems like we ask our doctors this every time we go in.

COHEN: Right, unfortunately there's not a really good magic bullet here. But what people need to remember is, three things, one, keep your weight down, that's very, very important. Diet and exercise, also important, especially keeping your salt low in your diet. And thirdly, if numbers one and two don't work, there are drugs that can help get your blood pressure down.

PHILLIPS: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, we helped get the word out and you did the rest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting calls from Canada, Florida, New York, California, I mean just from all corners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A flood of support for the single dad with triplets.

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PHILLIPS: If you saw a report last week on an Arizona man whose wife died in childbirth leaving him alone with triplets, I'm sure you haven't forgotten.

Today we get an update now from reporter Sandy Rathbun of CNN affiliate KVOA in Tucson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our daughter just turned 8.

SANDY RATHBUN, KVOA REPORTER (voice-over): All weekend Tucsonans brought donations to Victory Assembly of God Church for Andrew Smith's boys.

ANDRUE SMITH, TRIPLETS' FATHER: Wow. Bags of diapers.

RATHBUN: Warm little outfits for them. It looks like it's three of each.

SMITH: I had no idea so many people could be so generous.

RATHBUN: People from all over the world. CNN aired News 4's story about Andrew, and the church phone has been ringing ever since.

KANDIE STANTON, VICTORY ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH: And we were getting calls from Canada, Florida, New York, California, I mean just from all corners.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually calling from Ensign (ph), Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a triplet myself, and I would like to help in any way I can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have enough clothing to outfit all three of those babies for the next two years, and I would like to donate all of it to the family.

SMITH: It's a huge comfort, and it puts my mind and heart at ease to get all of this support that I'm getting.

RATHBUN: Andrew says his deceased wife Debbie would have appreciated it, too.

SMITH: Absolutely. She would be overwhelmed, I'm sure, like I am.

RATHBUN: Sandy Rathbun, News 4.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, if that's not a tear-jerker I don't know what is. You can help, too. You can mail a check to this address, Debra L. Smith Family Memorial Fund, care of Wells Fargo Bank, 2825 North Campbell Avenue, 85719.

Killer ice storm sweeps across the Midwest, and some areas aren't out of the woods yet. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Let's check what's cooking with all you dot-commers right now. Some of our top videos this hour: The little boy and the big bear; a 5-year-old from Arkansas proudly poses with this 400- pound hunting trophy. Yes, he killed it himself. Dad says he started teaching the kid to shoot at age 2 1/2.

Oklahoma City's Survivor Tree living up to its name, with the help of some amazing arborists. They came out overnight in the middle of an iceo storm to help protect the elm. It survived the 1995 attack on the nearby Murrah Federal Building. They weren't about to let it fall victim to the ice.

And big thanks after a big loss. The father of triplets talks about the donations that have poured in after his story got out. His wife died delivering the babies. All these stories and much more at CNN.com. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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