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Baghdad Bombings Kill at Least 50; Jewish School Attacked in Jerusalem

Aired March 06, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Kevin Flower, who is our bureau chief there, joins us now by phone, our Jerusalem bureau chief, joins us now with the very latest.
Are you getting an update for us, Kevin?

VOICE OF KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, we are. In fact, we can confirm that Israel radio, Israeli army radio report. Now the ambulance services are reporting indeed that eight people have been killed in that shooting.

As we indicated before, there have been various numbers being, up to 12 people potentially killed, but the Israeli authorities now confirming eight people killed in this shooting. At this point, conflicting reports on just how this attack was carried out.

What we know from various sources is apparently two gunmen entered the yeshiva, or the religious school, opened fire in a crowded dining hall apparently. Also reports that one of them might have been outfitted with some sort of suicide vest.

Now, we haven't at this point heard any concrete reports of that vest being detonated. We also know that one of the one of the gunmen was shot, shot by police apparently. But it's still a very fluid, fluid situation, as you can imagine. Incidents like this, just pandemonium and chaos on the scene. So, we're getting the information in bits and pieces here.

LEMON: Yes. And as we look at this video -- Kevin, thank you very much for that -- you can see that the crowd was frantic at the time. And rescue workers were carrying sadly these bloodied bodies into ambulances there.

Dozens of police officers you can see on the scene and they were scouring the campus and the streets around the yeshiva, in search of possibly another gunman. Also, Mickey Rosenfeld (ph), who was an Israeli police spokesperson, told us that they were also going inside of this dining hall and also into buildings on campus. The SWAT team at least looking for another possible gunman.

We want to talk now to Hezzi Sementofa (ph), who is an Israeli journalist. He joins us now here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And, Hezzi, you have been looking at these pictures, hearing the information that we're getting and also you are familiar with the area. You are an Israeli journalist for which channel? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Channel 10.

LEMON: Channel 10.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LEMON: So you know this neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LEMON: Talk to us what you are seeing here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are seeing now just after the crime -- the scene after the bombing. Now, there's a lot of police officers and as you see doctors came to evacuate some injuries.

LEMON: Tell us about the neighborhood, though. Are you familiar with this neighborhood?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is (INAUDIBLE) neighborhood in Jerusalem, religious neighborhood, lot of yeshivas there. People come to pray and learn Torah.

And we heard that the attack, the attack was joint. I mean, one guy came with a gun and started shooting and the other guy came to bomb himself up. Maybe there are some other attackers. We do not know. The police are now looking for assumed attackers that came to the neighborhood.

LEMON: Now, you're saying this neighborhood is not very well secured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not very well secured because it's a religious neighborhood. You cannot come in you will look like you are a foreigner, so maybe the shooters were dressed like, you know, religious people. We do not know, but maybe. They have done it before, so, you know, we have to wait and see what happened exactly.

LEMON: All right, all right. Hezzi Sementofa (ph), who is an Israeli journalist for Channel 10 joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM in Atlanta, we thank you very much, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you a lot.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We also have some new video coming in to us from Gaza.

We understand in Gaza in response following this attack in Jerusalem that gunfire has been going off. So we want to show you new some video there in Gaza.

Also, we want to bring in Ben Wedeman. He's on the phone with us. He is in Gaza.

What's going on with this gunfire, Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Basically what this is, is celebratory gunfire. In fact, we starting hearing it about 45 minutes ago and assumed that it was some sort of Israeli operation because it's coming from an area where the Hamas prime minister lives. But I called to somebody I know who lives right next to the prime minister's house, and he told me it's celebratory gunfire.

And we have seen tracers flying over the city, heard loud explosions. It's not just gunfire. It's firecrackers as well, the people here celebrating this -- this attack in Jerusalem. Many Palestinians will tell you that so many Palestinians have been killed in recent fighting with the Israelis here that this sort of creates a parity of death so to speak between the two sides, unfortunate as it may sound.

But, yes, it's been going on for quite some time, very intense gunfire.

KEILAR: And, Ben, stay with us for -- just hang on the line for just a moment. We want to listen in to that video. There's some great sound that comes along with this. And we want to give our viewers a chance to hear it. Let's roll that. So, again, this is gunfire in Gaza.

We just heard from our Ben Wedeman, who is joining us again, that this is celebratory gunfire coming sort of from near the home of the Hamas prime minister.

And just I want to ask you, Ben, is this pretty normal when something like this would happen? You have spent a lot of time in the Middle East.

WEDEMAN: It's normal, but because there hasn't been any sort of major attack in Israel in quite some time, this explains why the celebrations are so intense.

It's normal a certain amount of celebration when this sort of thing happens. But this is far more intense than I have seen in quite some time here. And it's not unusual in the Middle East. I have seen the same sort of thing happen in Baghdad, in other parts of the region. This is unfortunately something that is quite common.

KEILAR: And, of course, Ben, one of the big considerations when something like this happens is that there is more retaliation, that there is an escalation. Have you heard anyone voicing those concerns at this point?

WEDEMAN: Well, we have to keep in mind that the attack in Jerusalem is not -- is not a unique incident. The tension has been building steadily in the region for quite some weeks. As militants in Gaza fire rockets into Israel, Israel responds, and recently, over the past weekend, there was a major operation that left more than 120 people dead in the Gaza Strip, three Israelis killed on the other side. And, so, this is really just a ratcheting up of the tensions that were already quite palpable before the attack on the yeshiva in West Jerusalem. And, really, we have to wait and see. If, for instance, Hamas claims responsibility for the attack in Jerusalem, this could well lead to a serious escalation of violence.

Many people here have long been expecting that Israel would launch a major offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. This is something that senior Israeli military officials have been speaking about for months.

KEILAR: All right, Ben Wedeman, our Cairo bureau chief, following the response to this attack in Jerusalem in Gaza -- thanks, Ben.

LEMON: All right, we had some other breaking news, this coming from Iraq, specifically in Baghdad. We're hearing that two bomb attacks killed at least 50 people and injured up to 125 people.

Our Kyra Phillips, NEWSROOM's very own Kyra Phillips, joins us now from Baghdad with the very latest.

Kyra, what do you know?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, quite the opposite from Ben Wedeman. He said they haven't seen explosions there in the Jerusalem area there in Gaza in a while. Here, we see them all the time.

And now specifically this evening we're getting word of two bombs happening in the same area, actually the Karrada district, a very popular area, commercial area. People go to restaurants. They hang out. They do their shopping there. There's art galleries there. It's very popular for the Iraqi people, but at the same time they also know they're taking a risk when they go to this area.

This is the information that we're getting, 53 people killed. That's the number we're getting right now, 125 other people wounded. First, it was a roadside bomb that made its way through these checkpoints. That second attack came just moments after that. You know, the Iraqi people, every time this happens, they don't even think about their own safety. They always get out. They try to help those that are wounded in these attacks.

Well, that's when the suicide bomber came in with the explosive vest, exploded right there, not far from the car bomb, killing -- and I apologize -- I'm hearing something in my ear. I don't know if we're still connected or not, but I will do the best to just wind this up.

That suicide bomber coming in, exploding among those people, that crowd, trying to hurt those that were already injured. Once again, happening in the Karrada district, a lot of checkpoints in the area, because this is a popular area, a commercial area for the Iraqi people, so they made it through a number of checkpoints, just showing that really no area here in the Baghdad area is 100 percent safe.

LEMON: All right, Kyra Phillips in Baghdad with the very latest -- Kyra, thank you very much for that.

Again, as Kyra was reporting there -- and she lost her connection with us, but she did a very good job finishing up there -- at least 50 people, 53 people, we are told -- this is according to CNN. We have confirmed that -- 53 people killed, 125 others wounded in two bomb attacks Thursday evening in Baghdad in a very busy commercial district. And that's according to an Interior Ministry official.

It was a roadside bomb. It exploded first. Happened about 7:00 p.m. in the central Baghdad district of Karrada, killing and wounding a number of people, and then, as others gathered to help the wounded, a suicide bomber aimed at the crowd and detonated an explosive vest.

This is a mark -- again, no one has taken responsibility of it -- but of early bombings in Baghdad, early violence in the area, where one bombing was to get people to the scene, to draw people to the scene, to make them vulnerable, and then there would be subsequent bombings after that, and that appears to be what happened in this case as well.

Now we're going back to Jerusalem, where there has been violence as well in that region at a yeshiva school. At least, according to the Associated Press, eight people have died in this, up to 35 others possibly wounded in this attack.

We have the Mideast covered. Our Ben Wedeman is there, our Atika Shubert, and we have Kyra Phillips in Baghdad.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KEILAR: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that is where police today released the name of a UNC senior who was found dead yesterday after what police think was a random act of violence.

Police found Eve Carson before dawn Wednesday shot to death at an intersection in a residential neighborhood really not far from campus. She was not in her SUV, which investigators believe was stolen. Police have no suspect and no motive. Eve Carson was 22-years-old.

LEMON: Police in Alabama want to know who killed an Auburn University freshman and who torched her car and whether the same person did both.

The student was discovered with a gunshot wound several miles from campus. Her car was found burning on campus 20 minutes later; 18-year-old Lauren Burk of Marietta, Georgia, was rushed to a hospital, but died. As Burk's friends mourn, there's no word of any suspect or arrests. Police held a press conference just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TOMMY DAWSON, ASSISTANT AUBURN POLICE CHIEF: We have established a task force, because in the law enforcement community, when you're dealing with somebody's child and you're investigating the death of an 18-year-old student, you want every resource possible at your disposal.

And by bringing in these federal agencies and these state agencies and the local agencies, it has increased our manpower. I have over 30 investigators on this case as we speak. It has increased our manpower, and I wanted to show that we here at the Auburn Police Department, we are going to do absolutely everything possible to bridge this case to a conclusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Alabama Governor Bob Riley's office is offering a $10,000 reward for information.

KEILAR: And for the best crime coverage on the Web, check out CNN.com/crime. It is the new effort from our friends at truTV and CNN.com. You can go behind the police tape and into the courtroom like never before. That's at CNN.com/crime.

LEMON: We're following some breaking news coming out of the Middle East, specifically Jerusalem, where a yeshiva school has been attacked, CNN has been told attacked by at least one gunman, possibly two, one man wearing an explosive device, or one person, I should say, wearing an explosive device.

This all happened just after dinnertime there as people were finishing up dinner in a hall. And at least 35 people, we're told, have been injured in this. And according to the Associated Press, at least eight people have been killed, 20 people so far according to a spokesperson transported to the hospital. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for this attack, but we have heard from our people in the area, and also we have seen some video of that -- guys, if we can get that video back up of what's happening in Gaza, I would appreciate it.

Intense celebratory shooting took place in Gaza after the news of this attack. So, one shooter, we're told, was dead. That's according to a police spokesperson we had on the phone here, and also an Israeli police spokesperson told us that they were going back through the buildings on campus with a SWAT team to look for possibly another gunman in all of this to make sure that it's all safe.

So, we will get that video from Gaza up for you in just a little bit and bring it to you a little bit later on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: We're following more violence in the Middle East, another attack, this one in Baghdad.

What we are hearing in this situation is that two bombs went off, killing at least 53 people, 125 injured. This all happened in the Karrada district of Baghdad. It's a very popular commercial area. We just heard from our Kyra Phillips who's there on the ground that this is a people where people go to shop. There are galleries there. You go out, you eat at restaurants there, a very popular place for people to gather.

But no doubt people there in Iraq also know it's risky to get together there. So what happened was that there was a roadside bomb that made it through checkpoints into the Karrada district. That bomb went off. And according to Kyra Phillips, at that point, people rushed to help other people, and then the second attack happened a moment after that, that is, a second attack by someone wearing an explosive vest, so, again, two bombs in Baghdad killing at least 53 people, injuring at least 125.

We're going to continue to follow this story, and bring you details as they come in to the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: That's right, more on the story out of Baghdad and also the one out of Jerusalem coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And took a look at this. Meet Hannah Poling. She's at the center of a court case that is giving hope to patients with an autistic child. Her story and the ruling -- here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We are following two stories, violent stories, coming out of the Middle East right now, the first in Jerusalem, an attack on a Jewish school there. At least one gunman entered this religious school, went into the dining hall, and at least one person opened fire on people there in that dining hall.

According to ambulance services, at least eight people have been killed. At this point, at least 20 have been sent to the hospital in ambulances. And we're hearing from police officials there that one gunman was killed. This happened early in the evening there in Jerusalem, where hundreds of students were at this Jewish school, but, again, an attack on this school in Jerusalem, at least one gunman dead, at least eight people killed, according to ambulance services.

Now, the other story that we're following, another attack in the region, this one in Iraq. Two bombs went off in Baghdad in a series of bombings. At this point, we understand that more than 50 people are killed.

We're going to bring in our very own Kyra Phillips. She is there in Baghdad with the latest details.

Kyra, what can you tell us?

PHILLIPS: Well, Brianna, it happened in the Karrada district. This is a very popular area for Iraqis. This is where the art galleries are, the restaurants, the nightlife, the shopping. It's a very popular place.

And there's a lot of checkpoints around that area. It's one of those unique, special places for Iraqis where for the most part they feel pretty safe going and spending time there. And the effort that the Iraqi police and the U.S. military have put in to protect that area is pretty well defined.

But today obviously it goes to show that these bombers can get through anything if they are determined to do so. The numbers right now, 53 dead is what we have, 125 injured. What happened is the roadside bomb went off. And not long after that, when everybody came to help those injured in that explosion, the suicide bomber walked in with the explosive vest, and that exploded.

And I don't know if you have ever seen the remnants of some of these explosions. I have actually seen them here in Baghdad, but many a'times these vests are filled with these ball bearings, hundreds of ball bearings. So, when he sets off the explosives, that's what scatters. That's what kills people. That's what hurts people and that is what causes so much damage.

And I was asked earlier on CNN International about the investigations, Brianna, into these type of cases. You should see actually the junkyards where these cars are from car bombings and also evidence from roadside bombs. Obviously with suicide bombers, there's very little that is left with regard to evidence.

But there are actually CSI-type units here in Iraq that focus on trying to investigate these types of crimes, find out who committed them, and what types of explosives they're using, and how they infiltrate these checkpoints. But, as you can imagine, there are hundreds and hundreds of unsolved cases.

KEILAR: All right, Kyra, thanks so much. We're going to be checking back in with you in just a short while -- Kyra Phillips there for us Baghdad.

Again, we're following two stories of attacks, one in Jerusalem, one in Baghdad. We're going to continue to bring details to you as they come in to the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Approximately one in every 150 children in this country is diagnosed with autism, a frightening prospect for parents, very frightening prospect. Government health officials say they don't know what causes it. But parents, including those of Hannah Poling, blame a combination of childhood shots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY POLING, MOTHER OF HANNAH: I wanted to know why my daughter, who had been completely normal until getting nine vaccines in one day was suddenly no longer there, no longer verbal, no longer responding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the government has decided that Hannah's family deserves some compensation.

And our Elizabeth Cohen is here. And, Elizabeth, I understand that you have been on the phone with experts, and what have you learned from them?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I have learned from them is that -- from this one expert in the disease that Hannah has that he says that he actually kind of does see how a vaccine could tip someone like Hannah -- and that's an important part -- into developing autism.

But, first, let's talk a little bit about who Hannah is and what happened to her. What happened to her is that she was a perfectly normal 19-month-old child, talking and walking and playing with her brothers. She then received five vaccines that vaccinated her against nine diseases and her parents say almost immediately she developed a fever. She started screaming. She was inconsolable.

She arched her back. She didn't respond to anything her mother did to help her and that, over the next six months, the symptoms of autism started to show up and that she was no longer growing. She stopped getting bigger, stopped getting taller.

And when the parents, when her parents took this case to what's called vaccine court, the court decided in their favor. They said that there was -- that the vaccines significantly aggravated a condition that Hannah already had called mitochondrial disorder. She had a mitochondrial disorder, which is a disorder that you see on a cellular level, inside her cells. It's passed from mother to child.

Now, the government has not budged in its stand that they have had really forever. The Department of Health and Human Services says vaccines do not cause autism.

But what was so interesting, Don, when I talked to this expert in mitochondrial disorders, which is what the disorder that Hannah has, he said clearly a vaccine could tip a child like that into developing autism. However, he said, if it wasn't a vaccine, it would have been a cold or strep throat, that any shock might have done it.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: So, yes, in her case, was it a vaccine? Yes. But he says, in most cases, it's something else.

LEMON: OK. So, I have to ask you this. Her parents seemed very informed during the press conference. You were there. We watched part of it. Do you have any advice to parents to avoid this sort of situation?

COHEN: Well, you know, I asked them a question like that.

like said, Dr. and Mrs. Poling, if you had another child, would you vaccinate that child? And I was shocked when they said, yes, we would. They said, we wouldn't necessarily give that child every vaccine that's on the list, but we certainly would want them to have the big ones, like, let's say, they mean polio. But they're not against vaccines. Even though they say a vaccine is what did this to their child, they're not against them. They just say that, in certain situations like theirs, parents maybe should be allowed to pick and choose which ones they get.

LEMON: OK. So, I know you have been talking to experts and you have been talking with an expert with mitochondrial disorders. On that subject, what did that expert tell you?

COHEN: Well, again, what he had to say was, yes, I can see that a vaccine might have tipped this girl into developing autism.

However, he said, even if she hadn't been vaccinated, maybe the week after, she would have gotten strep throat. Maybe she would have gotten a cold. Maybe she would have become dehydrated, but that something would have tipped her into autism if it wasn't the vaccine. The vaccine was one of a long list of things that might have tipped her into autism.

LEMON: All right.

COHEN: It's an interesting perspective.

LEMON: Yes, very interesting.

OK, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

COHEN: Thanks.

LEMON: We want to tell you CNN's Larry King will bring you an exclusive interview with the family of the injured child. Don't miss "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

CNN is also committed to bringing you special coverage programming leading up to World Autism Day, which is on April 2. CNN will report on the latest medical insights, information on treatments, and intervention, and useful information and family services for those living with autism. Again, that's coming up on April 2.

KEILAR: And we are continuing to follow a story out of the Middle East, an attack on a Jewish school in Jerusalem, what Israeli authorities are calling a terrorist attack.

At this point, at least one gunman -- this is what we are hearing -- entered a dining hall at the school, opened fire, ambulance services saying at least eight people have been killed. Our Atika Shubert is on the scene. She's in the process of getting a signal up, so that we can give you a live report.

Stay with us in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Breaking news coming out of the Middle East today. First, we want to tell you about an attack happening in Jerusalem. A gunman infiltrated a Jewish so many in Jerusalem, opened fire in a dining hall, killing several people and injuring many, many more. No one has claimed responsibility, but there is celebration going on tonight in Gaza.

Also, in Baghdad today, 53 people killed, at least 125 others wounded, in two bomb attacks in the evening in a Baghdad commercial district. That's according to an Interior Ministry spokesperson. One bombing happened -- people rushed in to help. And then another one happened after that. And that's where the bulk of the injuries came from. We're following both of these stories.

KEILAR: In business news now, new numbers from the housing sector and also new records.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details -- hi, Susan.

LISOVICZ: Hi, Brianna.

Well, most Americans are witnessing a rare event -- the value of their single biggest asset is falling. Prices have now fallen so much on homes that people are seeing their home equity drop below 50 percent for the first time on record. This according to the Federal Reserve.

When that happens, the mortgage on the home worth more than the home is. Moody's estimates that by the end of the month nearly nine million homeowners, or about 10 percent of all homes, will have zero or negative equity.

That's playing out in a very real way with the rising number in foreclosures. In fact, home foreclosures soared to a record high in the final three months of last year. And the number of borrowers who were at least 30 days late on their mortgage payments jumped to a 22- year high.

And even though one economist in a different survey says more people have been out house hunting recently, it's tough to get a loan since lenders are closing up shop. The latest, Merrill Lynch -- no longer making subprime mortgages, though its First Franklin lending unit -- through its First Franklin lending unit, I should say. And it's cutting 650 jobs -- Brianna.

KEILAR: So the response on Wall Street, it's not looking too good.

LISOVICZ: No. It's been a turbulent day here.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: But guess what?

If we have time for the closing bell, there are some people who are weathering the storm. Forbes' annual list of billionaires is out. And we'll talk about that if we have a few moments -- Brianna, back to you with the closing bell.

KEILAR: Oh, I sure hope we do. I know who's on the list. I'm not going to spoil it, but I know, Susan.

LISOVICZ: There is a 23-year-old on the list.

KEILAR: I know. Now you're just hurting my feelings. OK.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Thanks.

LISOVICZ: Oh, my.

KEILAR: Thanks, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

KEILAR: We'll have to see what that list does hold for us.

LEMON: All right. Let's talk about this bombing that happened in Israel, Jerusalem specifically.

And joining us now, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Dan Gillerman. He joins us from our New York offices with the very latest on this. We've been hearing a lot -- sir, first of all, thank you for joining us here today.

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: We've been hearing a lot about this bombing, who might be responsible. What do you know at this point?

GILLERMAN: Well, we know that this is another act carried out by these vicious bloodthirsty terrorists who indiscriminately target Israeli civilians, whether they are students, as in this case, sitting and reading the bible or children and babies in their kindergartens and schools. These are the same people who are celebrating at this moment in Gaza, the very same people who danced on the rooftops after the attack on 9/11.

These are people who are giving the world terror, suicide bombings, hijackings and killings. And these are the people we have to contend with.

And that is why I hope this horrible, horrible incident will be a reminder to the world, to the international community and to the Security Council -- who are so often so quick to criticize Israel when it tries to defend itself -- what Israel is truly up against.

LEMON: There was an offensive last week and the Palestinian militants were barraging Southern Israel with rockets. Do you believe that this is retaliation for that?

GILLERMAN: No, there is no retaliation. This is not a story of retaliation. These people have been terrorizing Israel for years, have been carrying out suicide bombings and indiscriminate attacks for years. What is happening from Gaza is a terror organization which has, in a coup, overtaken Gaza, keeping its own people as human shields and victims, and daily shelling Israeli kindergarten schools and private homes, indiscriminately trying to kill civilians.

There is no equation between the two sides. There is a terror organization committed to the destruction of Israel and to killing as many Israelis as possible. And there is a democratic country, Israel, that is doing in self-defense what any other country -- the United States, Britain, you name them -- any member of the Security Council would do in order to defend its citizens.

LEMON: And I have to ask you, sir, being an ambassador to the U.N. what's next for you? What steps will you take to find out who did this and to prevent it from happening?

GILLERMAN: Well, first of all, I would expect the Security Council to convene immediately. They're so, so quick sometimes to criticize Israel for defending itself. I would like to see those members convene, as we speak, in order to condemn this in the strongest possible terms.

And as to what we will do on the ground, we will continue to do what we're doing. We will fight for our freedom. We will fight for our democracy. We will fight terror wherever it is.

You have to understand that this suicide bombing -- this horrible massacre that happened today happened because these people keep trying, wherever they can, to have to kill Israelis and to maim them. And the reason it has not happened frequently in the last few months is simply because we've been able to foil it. It is not because they've decided to stop. So we will continue to try and foil these attacks.

At the same time, we will continue to talk to the legitimate elected democratic government of the Palestinian people and President Abbas in order to put an end to this violence, have peace and live peacefully and with security in two states, living side by side while eliminating, marginalizing and isolating these horrible terrorists.

LEMON: Dan Gillerman, Israeli ambassador to the U.N., we thank you for joining us.

GILLERMAN: Thank you very much.

LEMON: The CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Victoria, Texas and the surrounding area listen up.

Chad Myers needs to talk to you -- go ahead, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Very close to the Victoria Airport there, just east of town near Telferner, actually, reports of a spotter seeing a tornado on the ground near Telferner. And that's going to eventually kind of get over to Vanderbilt, which is just east of Victoria. There is the storm right there. A very dangerous tornado on the ground east of Victoria and moving away from Victoria, Texas. Also one very large storm south of Corpus.

We had a tornado on it earlier. We had funnel clouds in the air, but no reports of it touching the ground. And right now that tornado warning has expired and it is no longer in effect -- Don?

LEMON: All right, Chad Myers. Thank you, sir.

MYERS: You bet.

KEILAR: Were these planes safe to fly? A very angry Congressman wonders, in light of documents from FAA inspectors who say Southwest Airlines let safety inspection deadlines pass -- sometimes for months -- and the government went along with it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES OBERSTAR (D-MN), TRANSPORTATION CHAIRMAN: This is the most serious lapse in aviation safety at the FAA that I've seen in 23 years. It reflects an attitude of complacency at the highest levels of FAA management.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Oberstar is calling for a hearing. He wants to ask Southwest directly why it flew passengers in planes that weren't inspected. No comment yet from Southwest Airlines.

LEMON: An alleged international arms dealer, some say a legendary king man, is under arrest in Thailand. Viktor Bout, a Russian national, was picked up today at a hotel in Bangkok on a tip from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Now, we have since learned Bout has been indicted in New York on charges of selling surface to air missiles to rebels in Colombia.

Now, here's the U.S. attorney just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GARCIA, U.S. ATTORNEY: He was apprehended in the final stages of arranging the sale of millions of dollars of high-powered weapons to people he believed to represent a known terrorist organization, the FARC. Today's arrests mark the culmination of a long-term DEA undercover investigation that spanned the globe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: In recent years, Bout's supposedly has used his vast fleet of Soviet air cargo planes to arm fighters in South America and Africa, not to mention the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He insists his transport business is legit.

KEILAR: Israeli authorities are calling it a terrorist attack on a Jewish school in Jerusalem. At least one gunman entered a dining hall at a religious school, opening fire.

Let's get now to one a number of people who we have on the ground in Jerusalem. Atika Shubert joining us by phone -- Atika, what's the latest there?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we can confirm is that eight people have been killed in this attack. Apparently a shooter came in to the dining hall of a religious school, of a yeshiva here, opened fire killing eight people, injuring at least 20, possibly more.

We don't know any details as to exactly how he got in. But what we do know from police is that the attacker was shot dead. Apparently, he was also carrying explosive devices. There was fear earlier that there was possibly another attacker, but police say that they have now searched all of the rooms in the school and that they have not found another attacker there.

We did see -- our cameraman filmed somebody being taken away -- somebody apparently being arrested. We don't have any information at this point exactly who that person was, if it was a suspect who was arrested.

In the meantime, here at the scene it's a very emotional scene. A number of people from the neighborhood have gathered, most of them young religious men. They're very angry. You can probably hear them shouting on the other side of the street, calling for death to anybody who carried out what they're calling here now a terrorist attack.

So this is a very emotional time for many Jerusalem residents.

KEILAR: It's been a while since -- it's been a while since an attack like this, right?

SHUBERT: It has been. In the past, Jerusalem has been the target of suicide bombings -- mostly in cafes, restaurants, usually on a bus. But it's been well over a year since an attack like this. So this has come as a real shock to many Jerusalem residents, who were just starting to feel comfortable with finally being able to go outside, finally able to feel secure. And the fact that the gunman apparently got past security into the dining hall of this school is terrifying for many Jerusalem residents.

KEILAR: All right, Atika Shubert there for us live on the scene of where this terrorist attack occurred just a short time ago in Jerusalem.

LEMON: We're following developing news in Jerusalem, as well as Baghdad. Here in Jerusalem, the pictures you're looking at, this happening during dinnertime or shortly after, when gunmen burst into this dining hall at the yeshiva school, killing -- you heard Atika there -- at least eight people and injuring many, many more. We also heard about the celebrations that are going on in Gaza.

Well, we have a spokesperson from Gaza. He's going to join us in just a little bit in the CNN NEWSROOM to explain his side and to talk about those so-called celebrations that are happening in Gaza.

We're following this story, as well as breaking news in Baghdad, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

KEILAR: He is standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Brianna and Don.

A critical question in the race for the presidency right now -- what happens to those delegates from Michigan and Florida?

We're watching the story. The governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, he's here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Also, Hillary Clinton and foreign policy -- she's outlined her experience. Our Brian Todd is taking a closer look at the facts -- what exactly she did and what she didn't do.

And you've probably never heard his name before, but you're about to learn a whole lot more about one of the world's most wanted men. He's accused selling weapons to terrorists and America's adversaries. You're going to find out what's bringing him into the limelight right now.

That plus the latest on the violence in Jerusalem and Baghdad and the explosion in Times Square earlier today, as well. All that, guys, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

LEMON: It looks like it's going to be a very busy day for you, Wolf. We'll be watching.

KEILAR: Living in a war zone is tough enough for adults. But what if you're young and if you're blind?

Our own Kyra Phillips, on special assignment in Iraq, visited the only school for these children in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): As his delicate hands move across the Braille, seven-year-old Saad (ph) learns how to read. This is the Al- Noor Institute, Baghdad's only school for the blind. Its resources are scarce, but its impact is tremendous.

Ammar Ali was born blind. He graduated from here 11 years ago, got a bachelor's degree in English at Baghdad University and came back.

(on camera): How does that make you feel? I mean, you were a student here and now you teach here?

AMMAR ALI, TEACHER, THE AL-NOOR INSTITUTE: Oh, it's kind of -- it's a kind of feeling that cannot be described. Really, really, it's a kind of happiness that cannot be described.

PHILLIPS: Are you sharing that happiness with these children? ALI: Yes. Yes. I feel myself with them.

My mother is Mrs. Brown.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: My mother is Mrs. Brown.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): And these kids feel themselves in Ammar.

I think 11-year-old Murtada is next. He tells me he wants to graduate college, too, and become a translator. If you have any doubts, well, just listen to his mike check before our interview.

MURTADA, STUDENT AT THE AL-NOOR INSTITUTE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.

(APPLAUSE)

PHILLIPS: Murtada may have been born blind, but to him, his gifts are quite clear.

(on camera): Why are you so special?

"God gives me things and takes things away," Murtada tells me. "Even though I'm blind, God gave me cleverness. The lowest grade I ever received is 85. And thanks be to God, I succeed every semester."

These students have quite a course load. They're learning Braille, Arabic and English. As for history, they're living it.

(on camera): How do these kids imagine the war through sound?

ALI: Imagining things by sound, they also can feel the things as they hear it.

PHILLIPS: So how do they feel the war? How does it make them feel?

ALI: The blind people, from the very beginning, they have a great deal of difficulties. So the war adds a problem upon their problems.

PHILLIPS: So how are you helping them not only deal with being blind, but also being blind in a war zone?

ALI: I put all my experiences at their hands. I always tell them about how to behave well, how to be normal people.

PHILLIPS: And they love you.

ALI: Yes, as I love them all.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): And because of that love, all these kids see is possibility.

Kyra Phillips, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That story from Baghdad. But, also, also there's been a deadly bombing there and also one in Jerusalem. We're following that and a check of the markets and a wrap of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: That's right. Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at this trading day.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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