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Holocaust Museum in Mourning; Selling Health Care Overhaul; May Foreclosures Fall, But Still High; Son Remembers Slain Dad as Hero; New Jobless Claims Down; School in India Educates Impoverished Children; Robbery Suspect Kills 4 During Police Chase; News Conference on Museum Shooting

Aired June 11, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Thursday, June 11th. Driving the headlines in the CNN NEWSROOM. Security guard Stephen Johns gave his life protecting the lives of others and more on the victim in the Holocaust Museum shooting.

Schoolchildren in the slums of India getting a chance at an education and a better life. It's also a chance for you to impact your world.

And homeowner Al Byrd, his family home cherished for generations, bulldozed to the ground without warning or permission. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Flags flying at half-staff at the nation's Holocaust Museum today. It is closed in honor of the security guard killed by a gunman described as a white supremacist.

We expect to learn more about the victim and the shooter this hour. A news conference set to begin any minute now at the Museum.

Let's go there live now to our Kate Bolduan as you see the scene.

Kate, we're going to roll in some new video into CNN just moments ago of investigators working inside the museum. And as we look at that video, what is the latest that we know about this case just ahead of a new briefing minutes from now?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Expecting to learn hopefully more details of exactly what has happened and what law enforcement officials know.

The latest we have heard in terms of the suspect James von Brunn's condition, GW Hospital, where he was rushed to yesterday, he was in critical condition yesterday. GW Hospital is not updating us on his condition right now, but his we are told that his condition will be addressed in the news conference that we are waiting for, Tony. So, we want to know more about that.

We've also heard from a law enforcement source telling CNN that the weapon -- we knew he had a rifle, but the weapon, we've now heard, it was a .22-caliber rifle that was used. So, many details coming out as this investigation continues. You see in that video that you did roll that investigators are still gathering evidence, it seems here, at the Holocaust Museum as part of that.

One thing we all want to know about as we wait for this press conference to begin is anything about possible charges. We are told to expect that we could hear FBI, D.C. Police, the U.S. Attorney's Office, that they will be discussing charges.

HARRIS: Yes. Kate, if you would, let's spend some time talking about the man who died protecting others. Talk to us about the guard, Stephen Johns.

BOLDUAN: Yes, we are learning more. Unfortunately, we're now learning it after this poor man has passed.

Stephen Tyrone Johns, we learned he was a six-year veteran on the security staff here at the Holocaust Museum. The director of the Holocaust Museum came out yesterday just saying some wonderful things about this man. That he was a great friend, she described him as, and said he was always there to greet staff as well as visitors every day with his wonderful smile, she described him as. So, that's one thing that you can only imagine what his family -- you cannot imagine what his family is going through.

And what we heard from D.C. police, as well as D.C.'s mayor yesterday, is that how this all -- what they are saying how this all went down is that the suspect, the shooter, as he parked his car in front of the Holocaust Museum just behind me, he went in with a rifle. And as they describe it, he immediately opened fire. And it seems that security guards, including Mr. Johns, had little, if possibly no time, to really react and respond before the suspected shooter, von Brunn, opened fire on them.

HARRIS: All right, Kate. Let's do this then -- we're going to put the picture of the location for this news conference in our little gizmo, the lower right of the screen, and when that begins we will all be able to see it. And we'll get back to your location live.

All right. Kate Bolduan in Washington.

The shooting at the Holocaust Museum just one in a string of recent deadly attacks blamed on extremists.

CNN's Lisa Sylvester reports on hate crimes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to FBI figures, the number of hate crime incidents in the United States has actually been dropping. In 2007, there were 7,624 incidents down from 2001 with 9,730 incidents. But now this, a high profile murder at the Holocaust Museum. The author of "Blood and Politics the History of the White Nationalist Movement" says today serves as a reminder that hate still has a following.

LEONARD ZESKINO, AUTHOR: They don't go away. In fact what I would argue, over the 30 years that I've been paying attention to this movement, they have slowly grown, each year or two they will grow in numbers and sympathizers.

SYLVESTER: There everybody several recent high profile shootings where the victims were targeted for their political views. A 23-year- old army private shot and killed this month in Arkansas allegedly by a Muslim convert who opposes the war in Iraq and the killing of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller who was slain while at church.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Ironically, yesterday's shooting forced the cancellation of a play about anti-Semitism and racism. It was written by the wife of former defense secretary William Cohen.

The Cohens brought their message to CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The two of you have such an extraordinary marriage, a black woman married to a Jewish man.

And Mr. Secretary, I'm sure that the two of you weren't thinking about fostering race relations when you fell in love. I'm sure you just did fall in love. But what can the nation learn from your relationship?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I hope that they will learn that we are different, we have our differences. They are superficial differences.

One has to do with the color of one's skin. But beneath the skin, we are all humans. That's what President Barack Obama is talking about when he reaches out to talk to the Muslim world or to talk to those in Asia, those in Europe, be they German or English, or here in this country.

And his message of hope and of inspiration, I think, is what most people react to and really are responding to. And what we have to do is to call out those who are the haters, to isolate, to marginalize them, to expose the light on them and put that light on them to show how sociopathic they really are, and what a malignancy they are to civilized society. And the best we can hope to do is, when Janet talks about, how do you draw the distinction between the spoken word? Well, the spoken word, free speech is not absolute.

ROBERTS: Right.

COHEN: You cannot shout falsely "Fire!" in a crowded theater. You cannot incite people to riot. You cannot communicate in a way to energize people to go out and kill other people. That's a crime. So, we have to be ever vigilant on that.

What level does speech turn into action? And when that action takes place, can we preempt it early enough?

ROBERTS: Well, the two of you...

JANET LANGHART COHEN, PLAYWRIGHT: Well, I think, John, I think the answer is love, not just for Bill and me, but for the world. And I have the spirit of Anne Frank, and she believed in the goodness of people, that people were basically good at heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You know, he's been called a gentle giant. Now people around the world are remembering the security guard killed in yesterday's shooting with tributes online.

We'll invite you now to send us your thoughts about Officer Stephen Johns, or any memories if you knew him. Just go to our blog, CNN.com/newsroom, and leave us a comment, thoughts.

Josh Levs will be tracking your posts and tributes and he'll share some of them on air over the next two hours.

President Obama hits the road to promote health care reform as lawmakers in Washington search for common ground. And we're hearing from you about the need to find an American solution for health care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN BRACY KNIGHT, IREPORTER: When I look at other countries that have government-subsidized or government-run health care, I do see their problems. But I challenge everyone out there who thinks that whatever the socialized medicine system is, that the United States, if we think we're such a great country, why can't we do a better job than all these other countries have done so far?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, President Obama taking his push for health care reform out of Washington to Wisconsin. The president will personalize the issue, hearing from people about their problems with the current system.

White House correspondent Dan Lothian from Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the president holds a town hall meeting in about two hours.

And you know, Dan, there has been a lot of talk about health care recently. Some of it, to be frank with you, a little confusing.

Will the president try to take this opportunity today to better focus the discussion?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Not really. I mean, he's not going to sort of talk about some of the details of this health care reform plan. It's more sort of broader themes, according to an administration official I talked to a short time ago.

The president obviously here in Wisconsin because this is an area in Green Bay where they've been able to control their health care spending, while at the same time improving their health services. So, that's one of the reasons that the president is here.

But as you mentioned, Tony, the president likes to get outside of Washington and listen to what the American people are saying about a particular subject. And in this case, he would really like to get the public's input in the entire health care debate.

The president obviously has been pushing this public option. That's something though that there has been a lot of pushback on. So, one of the issues -- or one of the options that's being tossed around up on Capitol Hill and getting some traction is this privately run co- op.

It would be nonprofit, an alternative to a public system. It would be run and paid for by its members, but would require some federal money up front.

So, again, the difficulty, of course, is to figure out something that both Democrats and Republicans can embrace, and then figure out how they're going to pay for it -- Tony.

HARRIS: Dan Lothian for us in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Dan, appreciate it. Thank you.

And we will have live coverage of President Obama's town hall meeting in Green Bay coming up at 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Of course we'll bring it to you live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Foreclosures declining, but mortgage rates are rising. Our CNN Money team is gathering the information you need to keep your home and your money.

And Rob Marciano prepping for his big speech at the hurricane conference this afternoon. I'm going to pass up on about 50 snappy one-liners here.

Before he does that, he has the forecast for you next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. Let's do this. Let's take you back to Washington, D.C., now. We are just moments away from the start of a law enforcement news conference where we will get the latest on the investigation of yesterday's deadly shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty will lead the news conference, which will be made up of local and federal law enforcement officials from just outside that museum.

We believe we're just a couple of minutes away. Can't be absolutely sure, but, of course, when the news conference begins we will bring it to you live, right here in the NEWSROOM. You know, the number of Americans close to losing their homes actually dipped in May, but the total number of foreclosure filings was still the third-highest monthly total on record.

Here to run the numbers for us, Christine Romans in New York.

And Christine, I get a little confused sometimes. It's hard to tell. Can we call the numbers you're about to decide for us a bit of an improvement?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it depends on where you are in the foreclosure process. If you are at the very end of the process, you're going to see those numbers continue to rise. And, in fact, they did in the most recent months. More people actually getting the padlock on the front door, losing the home forever and for good.

But overall, the overall number dipped ever so slightly. And that is, I guess, what constitutes good news in what is a pretty ugly foreclosure picture. It's not skyrocketing, not jumping wildly from April to May, but it did fall about six percent.

I want to show you, Tony, some of the places that were really ugly, though.

HARRIS: Well, look at this. These are the usual suspects, Christine, at this point.

ROMANS: They are. They are. They are.

Nevada, one in every 64 homes. No letup in Nevada.

In California, one in every 144 homes.

In California, you can look at Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, Stockton. Some of those neighborhoods are frankly absolutely decimated.

Florida, every one in 148 homes got some sort of a notice, whether it was just a default notice -- that's the beginning of the process, you've missed a couple payments -- or you get the very last notice that says, guess what? You no longer have possession of this home and the marshal is coming to put a big sticker on the front door.

You know, some places -- Michigan, for example, had a big jump up in the number of actual foreclosures, the final, final part of the process.

We'll see if there's a slowdown here at the front end of things as sort of the panic layoffs start to slow down. And this is layoff- driven at this point. At the end of the process, though, it's still looking pretty sticky there.

HARRIS: You know, I was just going to ask you whether this is still a result of the subprime debacle, or are we talking about layoffs here, and you are suggesting it is more layoff-driven? ROMANS: Yes. We've rolled right into round two.

The subprime problem was the first year and a half, two years of this. Now this is layoffs. This is, you can't pay the mortgage. Your mortgage could be fine. It was perfectly fine for you if you were making money. Now you don't have any money, now you can't pay the mortgage.

HARRIS: A bunch of -- it seems to me, I recall, there were a bunch of government initiatives out there to help prevent this kind of thing.

Is any of it working?

ROMANS: Not yet. The jury is out. And the best I can get from people is they expect, if there's going to be widespread help, it's going to be later this fall. We'll see if they really work.

One of the first programs that began under the Bush administration has helped literally a handful of people. Another souped-up version of that, a new program that's helped maybe 50,000 people -- 50,000 people working alone, even 100,000 people working alone, barely puts a dent into what we're seeing out there.

HARRIS: And what is this about another government plan, this time to offer help for car buyers, Christine?

ROMANS: It's your government in the car business. That's for sure.

The Treasury Department issuing some guidance here just a few minutes ago, Tony, saying that, frankly, anybody who buys a car, a new car, can get a tax deduction. Now, this had already been announced. It was part of the big stimulus. But you got a tax deduction for the sales tax that you paid. Well, some states don't have sales taxes.

So now, if you live in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon, you join everybody else in all of your new car purchases. You can deduct fees on that purchase for any car for up to about $49,500.

I don't know who's buying a $50,000 car these days, but anything under that, you can deduct that. So, the idea here is to try to get you money back to get out there and buy a car to help the car industry and to give consumers a little bit of a break.

HARRIS: And we're getting a real indication with this proposal, and also the cash for clunkers bill that is working its way through Congress, of how the government wants to get you out of the car you're driving into the cars of the future, aren't we? I mean, come on.

ROMANS: Or at least a new car...

HARRIS: At least...

ROMANS: ... to get that economy juiced. You know? I mean, there's nothing like -- when you buy a car or a house, those are the two biggest purchases you make.

HARRIS: That's true.

ROMANS: And you spend money all the way down the food chain when you buy a car and a house -- Tony.

HARRIS: Good stuff, Christine. Good to see you. Thank you.

ROMANS: Bye, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, it's been a while since we talked about H1N1 or swine flu, but it is still spreading. And fast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Within the past hour, the World Health Organization declared the H1N1 flu a global pandemic. Officials raised the alert to level six, the highest.

So what does that mean?

Atika Shubert live from London now with details of what it means.

Atika, good to see you.

This new elevated alert level, does it mean the flu is any more dangerous or deadly than before the level was raised?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it does not. It does not mean it's more deadly or more virulent. What it does mean is that it has spread a lot more and a lot more quickly than before.

It's now concentrated not just in North America, but there's been a big spread in Australia and South America. And that's what is concerning the World Health Organization.

They're supposed to be having a press conference in about half an hour with more details. But what they're really asking is for nations to put into effect their pandemic procedures. You know, put out the widespread distribution of antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. In severe cases, possibly travel restrictions. But again, a lot of these measures are already in place, and it does not mean the virus has gotten any more deadly -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Atika, does it mean -- I'm thinking about this from a standpoint of you and me and everyone watching us. Does this new heightened alert level, does it mean we go out and get Tamiflu? Does it mean anything for us? Do we change our behavior, anything that we're doing now?

SHUBERT: It doesn't really make much of a difference for most of us unless you are in an area which has been severely affected by swine flu. And in which case, you probably already have these procedures in place. It just means that there'll be now more widespread distribution of Tamiflu for everyone.

HARRIS: Got you. All right.

Atika Shubert for us in London.

Atika, great to see you. Thank you.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is no longer quarantined over swine flu fears. Nagin had been detained in China for three days. He was released yesterday. Chinese authorities quarantined the mayor because a passenger on his flight was suspected of having swine flu. Nagin showed no signs of the illness.

Looking for a job? Already tried some of those big Web sites like Monster? We will show you some other places to look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We are getting more information on a story out of Philadelphia, one that could happen just about anywhere. This is really disturbing stuff.

Police say a car speeding away from a crime scene jumped a curb and hit a crowd of people, killing three children. Now, within the last hour, we've learned a woman who was also struck, the mother of at least one of the children, has died at the hospital.

The crash happened last night in north Philadelphia. Police say the incident began with two men stealing a motorcycle at gunpoint. One suspect took off on the motorcycle and the other in a car. Both men had been arrested.

We are expect a news conference in the next few minutes. And then following that, we will talk to Philly Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey about this incident, all the questions it raises. We'll get an update on the investigation in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

We expect to learn more this hour about the victim and the gunman in yesterday's Holocaust Museum shooting. Authorities plan to hold a news conference any minute now outside the museum. It was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We will of course bring it to you whenever it gets under way.

The museum is closed today in a tribute, and the flags there at half-staff in tribute to the security officer, Stephen Tyrone Johns. The 39-year-old gunned down by a man authorities identify as a rifle- wielding white supremacist. The 88-year-old suspect is hospitalized in critical condition. Investigators tell CNN they found a notebook in the suspect's car listing other Washington locations that may have been targets.

The man killed in the line of duty leaves behind a son who carries his name -- Stephen Johns Jr.

Our Josh Levs joins us now with more on that side of the story -- Josh.

LEVS: Yes, Tony, we heard from him last hour. We're going to be hearing from him again next hour.

And I'll tell you, it's really interesting. A lot of people are weighing in on just this moving part of the story. And obviously at the crux of it, this is the one man who was killed. A lot of people memorializing this guard as a hero today, and some people specifically talking about having seeing that son. The family had invited the media to speak.

Let's zoom in on the board. I want you to see some of the things people are saying. It's all at CNN.com/newsroom. And this is what you do, just click on "Tony," and you're going to get to this: "Holocaust Museum Shooting: Honoring a Slain Guard."

I want to show you some of the things people are writing to us. This is from Terri, who says: "The shooting is heartbreaking. It's so sad and frightening. There are so many people who are filled with hate. These people are so sure the rest of 'latecomers' to America are the reason they haven't succeeded. Real Americans are those of us who embrace the diversity of our country. My dad's 88 years old, Jewish and a real World War II vet."

Bart here says, "None of us chooses the time or method of our testing. All of us hope that when tested, we pass and demonstrate the best of humanity."

I'm going to show you one more. Well, let's just stick with that, CNN.com/newsroom. And Tony, we now have a little bit more sound. I was mentioning the son.

HARRIS: Right, right.

LEVS: Here's a little bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN JOHNS JR., VICTIM'S SON: And I was just hoping and hoping that he would make it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you didn't get to see him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not before he passed.

JOHNS: Not before he passed. (INAUDIBLE) and so many...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think of him as a hero.

JOHNS: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Yes, he's an 11-year-old boy. And what he said there was his dad was a loving father and that he remembers his dad as a hero.

And I want to emphasize that this was the family specifically inviting the media to come speak with the boy. And one of our affiliates got that there. And you know, at the crux of it, when you see something like that, it reminds you how heartwrenching this is. It's a very serious loss for a family in addition to being such a big story.

HARRIS: Yes. And that's -- thank you, Josh, for making that point. And I understand people are posting actual tributes to Johns on the blog.

LEVS: Yes. Yes. Let's show up on the graphic so that they can see where it goes here. Let's show them the full screen here. You've got the CNN.com/newsroom. And, Tony, you know, we've got Facebook and Twitter going.

So many posts already. Facebook.com/joshlevscnn. Twitter.com/joshlevsCNN. A lot of people posting what you describe there very well as tributes, your thoughts about this man, in addition to your larger views of what happened here.

And I'll be back next hour, Tony. We'll take a look at that. And there's the blog right there.

HARRIS: OK. All right. So, if you would -- Josh will be back, as you mentioned, next hour. And if you would, just keep those comments and those tributes coming. Again, maybe we just give the address one more time.

LEVS: Yes, it can't hurt.

HARRIS: Just go to CNN.com/newsroom and you can leave your comments there.

Your job, it is issue number one and we have some encouraging news today. The pace of layoffs is slowing down a bit. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details. Susan, if you would, walk us through some of the numbers here.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. And there are some encouraging signs. New jobless claims fell more than expected last week. Down 24,000 to 601,000. That's still a very big number, but the fact is, it's been declining three out of the last four weeks. More than a dozen states said their claims fell by more than 1,000.

And this is really notable. The biggest drop came in Florida, down more than 6,500 because there are fewer construction layoffs, Tony. And you know, I heard you talking to Christine earlier, and she was talking about foreclosures, still the housing market terribly depressed. But the fact is, they are seeing fewer construction layoffs, and that is encouraging.

What is problematic is finding a job. Continuing claims hit a new record high, 6.8 million. We're also seeing, well, we're seeing the market move higher. The Dow Industrials, if it stays here, it will be positive for the year at -- up 76 points. The Nasdaq's up 14. So, we're seeing gains for the three major averages about 1 percent, Tony. HARRIS: Hey, Susan, but back to the jobs picture. You know, a lot of people pretty exhausted with the effort to try to find a new job. And they probably even exhausted all of their options in trying to find a new job. What can people do to find work now?

LISOVICZ: Well, you have to work for it. There's no question about it. This is a buyer's market. There's an estimated five job seekers per opening. So, think big picture, sure, go to the monster.com, go to careerbuilder.com. But also think smaller. Go to your, maybe your local town's Web site, for instance, because you can see, hear things there.

Skill-specific sites like professional association sites, for instance the American Institute of CPAs, the Software Contractors Guild. Work your connections. An estimated 80 percent of today's jobs aren't even advertised. They find candidates via internal recommendations.

You know, I was talking to a trader on the floor here yesterday, and you can imagine, we have seen real decimation in the financial industry. He's got a young child, a mortgage. He doesn't even know if he's going to have health coverage. There's no severance. And he is working this floor.

He's telling everybody for the next two weeks that he needs work. He's looking for leads, and that's -- you've got to -- it's as if you're looking for a good deal on the New York City apartment. That's the first thing you talk about. When you say hello to somebody, "I'm looking for a job, what to you know?" You're looking for leads. You've got to be aggressive in this market.

HARRIS: And I know a lot of people are working out there. I know, look, you look around this place and where you are, there are a lot of people working. But you look at this number, 601,000 new jobless claims, and we've seen that number in the 600,000 range for months now. And you just wonder, you know, has American business shut down or are employers just cutting deeper than they need to right now? And when we tell the complete story of employment in this economic downturn, one of the stories that we will tell is that employees got deeper than they needed to and the remaining workforce worked harder.

LISOVICZ: Well, Tony, I think you raise an excellent point. I mean, it's not a science on how much to cut. It's an art, and it's one that affects so many people so deeply. I think in the financial industry, which is known for excess on either way, I think that probably you could make a very good case there. What we are seeing for sure, definitively, is that those of us who are working are working harder. We got this number last week...

HARRIS: Heck, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: ... first-quarter productivity was up 1.6 percent. You know, the people who are there working, working harder. Everybody knows that no one is indispensable in this environment. And they're doing what they can to hold on to their jobs. So, I think that you've got a couple dynamics going on here.

HARRIS: Yes. You better believe we're working harder. Sanchez is going to get another hour here soon.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: Better not be your hour, Tony.

HARRIS: It won't be my hour. There are enough to go around, believe me. Susan, appreciate it. Thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: E-mails from the Federal Reserve about Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. They're at the center of a congressional hearing today, and you can read all about it at CNNmoney.com. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: For children living in slums, many struggle to afford school supplies, or they have to leave school early to help their family survive. But there is a school in Chennnai, India, trying to give these children a chance at an education. Here's CNN's Liz Neisloss.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIZ NEISLOSS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the start of a school day in India. And students at the Olcott School in Chennai assemble. Their principal leads them in a song about equality, a key concept at this school, founded to help the most disadvantaged.

LAKSHMI SURYANARAYANAN, PRINCIPAL, THE OLCOTT SCHOOL: Well, I want the school to be an empowered school in the community, where children are equal to any other good school in the community.

NEISLOSS: Here, there's time for silent meditation, then instructions for the day. Ten-year-old Anandi (ph) arrives late. Her mother stops to make sure her face is clean. Anandi's (ph) mother works long hours selling flowers on the roadside.

(on camera): Children here come from very poor families where the cost of a school uniform or even a notebook is a burden.

(voice-over): Anandi (ph) eagerly takes her free uniform. She tells me, "After school, we go to get flowers with my mother. We help her. After finishing work, we all go home. I will wash the clothes, get water and help with the dishes."

School is a refuge from a difficult life. Such attention would be rare at home, where poverty presses in and where, the principal says, many students are abused.

SURYANARAYANAN: Parents, because of the pressure that they feel because they don't have enough money, they don't give children enough time.

NEISLOSS: But here, happy sounds help drown out the outside world. Fourteen-year-old Deepak Raj (ph) wants to be a software engineer. He says, "I love this school because I have good teachers."

But keeping well-trained teachers takes money. For this, the school must turn to the charity ASHA for Education. ASHA has chosen this school and a select list of others to benefit from its annual fundraiser, asking people to donate one hour's salary or more. It's called the "Work an Hour" campaign.

BHASKAR VENKATESWARAN, ASHA FOR EDUCATION: You can donate an hour's worth of your time, and it can do wonders for children in India. So, you're just sitting in your desk or doing whatever you do, and you're helping out children back in India.

NEISLOSS: Where there are long lines of needy. Lakshmi wants her students to help themselves.

SURYANARAYANAN: I want them to be very hard-working, to realize that they have to work harder than most people have to.

NEISLOSS: That's certainly the case for Anandi (ph). So, after school, she heads off with her brother and sister to help their mother work. A long day and a long road ahead.

Liz Neisloss, CNN, Chennai, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And if you would like more information about ASHA and other groups helping children around the world, log on to "CNN Impact Your World," the Web page -- there you see it -- at cnn.com/impact.

We want to take you to Philadelphia now, where we're going to get the latest information on that horrible police chase that resulted into a crash that left four people dead. Let's listen in to Captain James Clark of the Philadelphia Police Department.

CAPT. JAMES CLARK, PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: At 7:40 p.m., an officer assigned to our traffic unit was on routine patrol in the area when an unidentified individual came up to him in an SUV and informed him that there was a robbery a couple blocks away and pointed out this gray Pontiac traveling on the boulevard.

The traffic officer then followed in the direction on northbound on the boulevard behind this vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle, the Pontiac, was stopped at traffic -- at a traffic light. The officer at that point in time tried to conduct a felony car stop. He got out of his vehicle. He tried to get the individual out of his vehicle.

At that point, the Pontiac fled at a high rate of speed. The traffic officer then followed the officer, excuse me, followed the individual down the boulevard until the vehicle got to Third Street, making a right from Third Street towards Wyoming. The traffic officer lost sight of that vehicle. He asked around. He surveyed the area. And he came upon a horrific accident at Third and Hansberry, where he observed the gray vehicle had lost control going up on the sidewalk and had caused the accident, hitting four individuals in front of 4500 North Third Street.

The individuals that were involved in the accident were a Remedy Smith (ph), a 1-year-old female who was taken to an area hospital and pronounced; Alicia Griffin (ph), 6-year-old female who was pronounced on the scene; a Janer Rosario (ph), a 7-year-old female who was also pronounced on the scene; and a Latoya Smith (ph), a 22-year-old female who was in critical condition but succumbed to her injuries early this morning, and she was pronounced.

Arrested were Daunte Crettic (ph), who was arrested at the scene of the accident. A gun was on his person, and he is in the hospital now with injuries he got during this accident. And Ivan Rodriguez (ph) was arrested by police inside his residence at 4144 N. A (ph) Street. Thus far, they have been arrested and charged with the robbery of the motorcycle. However, we are, pending approval from the district attorney's office, awaiting much more serious charges will be approved against them.

Any questions?

QUESTION: Do you have any idea how fast that car was moving? We've heard some estimates putting it anywhere from 60 to 70 miles an hour.

CLARK: We don't have exact estimates. We know it was going at a very high rate of speed, but we only have approximates.

QUESTION: Captain, you said the traffic officer tried to get him out of his car. Was there physical contact, or when you say tried to get him out, do you mean with the lights flashing?

CLARK: No.

QUESTION: What exactly (INAUDIBLE)?

HARRIS: OK, you see Commissioner Ramsey there. You saw him just a moment ago. Just another reminder, this news conference will, obviously, is going to continue into the question and answer portion of the news conference. And we will talk to the Philly police commissioner, Charles Ramsey, about the incident and the investigation in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

We want to take you quickly to Washington now, just outside of the Holocaust Museum, at the site of yesterday's deadly shooting. This is Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY, WASHINGTON, D.C.: ... along with others who were at the Holocaust Museum yesterday at approximately 12:50 p.m., when a lone gunman entered the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum located right here or right behind me about a block away and opened fire with a long gun on special police officers who are located right inside the front entrance.

The gunman has now been identified as 88-year-old James Wenneker von Brunn of Annapolis, Maryland, who fired at least one round yesterday, striking Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns of Temple Hills, Maryland. Security guards assigned to the museum immediately returned fire, striking the suspect.

We want to pause to just thank and acknowledge the heroism not only of our fallen officer, Johns, but all of the officers who stood. By their efforts yesterday to bring this gunman down so quickly literally saved the lives of countless people. As was chronicle yesterday, there were thousands of people inside the Holocaust Museum, and one life lost is a tragedy, but this could have been much, much worse.

SPO Johns was taken to an area hospital, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries. The suspect continues to remain in critical condition. Yesterday an off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officer in the vicinity at the time of the incident was dispatched along with U.S. Park Police officers. They immediately entered the museum and rendered first aid to the injured.

Today we announce that 88-year-old James Wenneker von Brunn will be charged in the death of 39-year-old Stephen Tyrone Johns of Temple Hills, Maryland. The chief of police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations will speak a little bit more about the charging documents. We just want to let everybody know that investigators from MPD and the FBI are following up on several leads.

The Holocaust Museum remains closed today in remembrance of Special Police Officer Johns. And we've been joined by officials from the museum, as well as from the Anti-Defamation League. And we thank them for being here, and we express our condolences to the museum, to the league and others who are hurt by this tragedy.

We want to state, just like in the past where there have been incidents that have happened in our nation's capital, we got -- we will get past this. The arrests have been made, and the District remains an open, safe city for tourists and visitors. We want to recognize the remarkable coordination between local and federal agencies for their cooperation and for bringing someone to justice very quickly. Now, I will turn it over to law enforcement, what will talk a little bit more about the details of the arrest. Chief Lanier?

CHIEF CATHY LANIER, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I want to start out by echoing the mayor's condolences to the family of Special Police Officer Johns. This is a tragic reminder that local law enforcement, private security play a critical role in the safety of our nation. And the heroism displayed yesterday by the special police officers at the museum should not go unnoticed by the rest of the nation.

Since the incident occurred yesterday, multiple police agencies, law enforcement with the FBI have worked around the clock, conducting literally dozens and dozens of interviews, following up on hundreds of pieces of information that we've received. The teams have worked jointly throughout the night. This investigation will continue as we move forward.

But we are at a point today where charges are being filed, and James von Brunn is officially being charged at this point with murder as well as a killing in the course of a possession of a firearm in a federal facility. So, as we move forward, this investigation will continue. The Metropolitan Police Department will continue to work with the FBI on the homicide case and any additional charges that come out as we move forward in this investigation.

I would ask that we have some patience as we move forward. There is a lot of work that has been done, a lot more that will be done, and what information can be shared will be shared. But obviously, some of that information will remain confidential as this case moves through the judicial process because we want to honor the integrity of the criminal justice system and make sure that this moves forward with the integrity that it should. At this point, I will turn it over to the FBI, Joe Persichini, so we can talk about more specifics on the investigative track from this point forward.

JOSEPH PERSICHINI, JR., ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI D.C. FIELD OFFICE: Thanks, Mayor. Thanks, Chief Lanier. I also want to express my condolences to the Johns family in their loss. Our prayers are with them. As Chief Lanier stated, this is a joint investigation with the Metropolitan Police Department, and we are pursuing dual- charging purposes, one as a homicide and the other as civil rights and hate crimes.

We know what Mr. von Brunn did yesterday at the Holocaust Museum. Now, it's our responsibility to determine why he did it. We have to ask ourselves, did all these years of public display of hatred impact his actions? I want to be very clear. I know you have a lot of questions concerning this investigation, but we are in the preliminary stages. It has not even been 24 hours since this occurred.

Detectives, agents have worked diligently throughout the night, but we have a significant amount of additional investigation and a lot of ground to cover. I want to make it clear at this point, we all have no information that Mr. von Brunn had any accomplices or conspirators to assist him in this act. I want to especially thank our career detectives, agents, SWAT operators, evidence response technicians, and Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, for him and his staff, for their response to this incident yesterday.

Responding to an event in the national capital region is unique and has many components. Since the Mumbai incident and our experience during inauguration, all of the law enforcement components here in the national capital region unilaterally agreed to an active-shooter strategy, which ensures resources are available to respond to continuing threats.

Yesterday, the active theater strategy was implemented, and although we may have many components, it was executed seamlessly. I know it's very difficult for law-enforcement officers to remain out of action, but an active-shooter plan anticipates necessary resources in case of additional sites. Luckily yesterday, we did not have to respond to multiple sites.

I also want to thank our joint terrorism task force and all of our federal, state and local enforcement, who engaged immediately, not only here in the national capital region, but around the country. And lastly, I want to thank our intelligence components here nationally, regionally, and internationally who have been an integral part of this investigation, feeding us the operators and the command staff with robust intelligence against any and all domestic terrorism operations, including Mr. von Brunn.

Chief Lanier has provided a timeline of the events which occurred at the museum. Let me provide you an overview what has occurred to date. We have executed search warrants at his residence and his automobile. We have interviewed relatives and associates. We are in the process of conducting an exhaustive review of all types of media attached to Mr. von Brunn, which includes cell phones, Internet, computer data and historical data. We've conducted interviews not only in the national capital region, but around the country.

Our goal is to develop a complete timeline of what Mr. von Brunn -- including any and all of his acts within the last 36 hours. We have asked our FBI personnel throughout the United States and all of our JTTF representatives to check their records and recontact sources to see what information we can gather. We have made contact with the Jewish community leaders to ensure an open dialogue and the ability to share information and express concerns.

The FBI did not have an open investigation on Mr. von Brunn, but we were aware of him, and he is known as an anti-Semite and a white supremacist who had had established Web site that espoused hatred against African-Americans, Jewish and others. Law enforcement's challenge every day is to balance the civil liberties of the United States citizen against the need to investigate activities that might lead to criminal conduct. No matter how offensive to some, we are keenly aware that expressing views is not a crime, and the protections afforded under the Constitution cannot be compromised.

In this case, while forensic work is still under way, it appears that this individual acted alone. If we want to say anything for Stephen Johns and his memory, we need you to help us build the most comprehensive and overwhelming investigation to determine what occurred yesterday on these very hallowed grounds of the Holocaust Museum.

The media has placed Mr. von Brunn's picture on every newspaper and television across America. We're asking the public, if you have information concerning Mr. von Brunn, if you have had conversations with him, if you have interacted with him, if you heard information about him, we need you to contact us as soon as possible. We ask you to contact the FBI, our Washington field office, 202-278-2000, your local JTTF office or your local police.

It is very important that we send a message that this country does not authorize or approve of any act that is attached to hatred in America. This is not what this country stands for, and we will do everything possible, not only to stop Mr. von Brunn, but the other Mr. von Brunns that are around here in this nation today. Again, I thank all of you and your patience. We have a lot of work to do. And the agents and detectives are out this very moment, and I ask for your patience. Thank you very much.

FENTY: As we did yesterday, we want to have the Holocaust Museum representatives speak. Next will be Bill Parsons, chief of staff for the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and then we'll take questions. Bill?

BILL PARSONS, CHIEF OF STAFF, HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: I just want to briefly say that there is no shortage of hate in the world. We will read more about hate tonight on the news. But when it happens to you, your family, your workplace, your colleagues, it gets very painful. We are closed today in honor of Stephen and all the other guards and the work that they do.

We never take them for granted. And they play the same difficult role that all law enforcement people play, and that is to be caring. Stephen opened that door for the elderly man coming in. He was caring about him. And he was shot.

They have to be caring, and they have to be firm, and they have to be quick. And they chose these roles to protect us, and we owe a great debt of indebtedliness -- a great debt of -- we owe a great debt to them. I also want to say to the outpouring of response from around the world from organizations and people and through the media, has been wonderful, not only for the staff, but for the family. So, thank you very much.

FENTY: Questions?

QUESTION: What do we know about where Mr. Von Brunn was in the days, in the hours prior to this? Did he stay at local hotels? Was he seen in other places around town? Is there anything that we know leading up to 12:50 yesterday afternoon?

PERSICHINI: As I said, we're working on this investigation as we speak. We're developing a timeline. We are not going to disclose that at this time. We're continuing looking at all his records to ensure that we have an accurate representation of his timeline.

So, again, I ask for your patience.

QUESTION: There have been reports of (OFF-MIKE) targets. Is that, in fact, true? (OFF-MIKE) how you pursue other people like Mr. Von Brunn? And are you concerned that there are others like him that might be encouraged about this action?

PERSICHINI: First, let's talk about the list. I know there's been a lot of discussion about lists.

As you know, we did a search warrant of his vehicle. That vehicle contained numerous documents, pieces of paper. It is not a list. That vehicle contained names, addresses. And I want all of you to be reassured that if there is a name or an address that we recovered from that vehicle, and we felt that there was any type of potential threat, those addresses or names have been contacted, and we've exhausted all possible leads as it relates to any potential threat.

So, it is not a list. And as we proceed in this investigation, as I talk about what we've seized at the residence and what we've seized in the vehicle, we will continue to develop that information. As you know, he has a Web site, and you can imagine the megabytes of data that we will recover.

QUESTION: Can you say anything about his firearms, sir? He was a convicted felon. So how did he have a rifle?

PERSICHINI: That I can't answer.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

PERSICHINI: Can't comment on that and the search.

QUESTION: If you were aware of him, given how prolific he was, what more would it have taken the FBI to open an investigation?

PERSICHINI: Well, as we talked about that delicate balance, you know, many of these individuals are totally aware of what you can and cannot say in crossing the line which would initiate a domestic terrorism investigation. So, it is not against the law to espouse your views. And again, that's the delicate balance.

So, we do not have an investigation on him. And I think that is the position that we would have.

QUESTION: I just have one follow-up on that. Is Mr. Von Brunn a good example of this kind of lone wolf domestic terrorist that we've been warned about?

PERSICHINI: Well, I mean, with the charging document there, I can't categorize who or what or how he is. But you look at the information, you see that he's put on the public domain.

And that's why my quest to ask the public that, you know, if you have information that they know they are not going to print on an open Web site, but they're willing to espouse that in an open forum or over here, that's what we need the public to do, is to make sure and ensure they provide us that information, so then we can initiate investigations.

Yes, sir?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) of the actual incident and what took place? There are some pictures that seem to show him outside the door of the Holocaust Museum. Can you give us a minute-by-minute account? PERSICHINI: I'll let Chief Lanier talk about those.

LANIER: We do have a very, very detailed accounting of what happened from the minute the incident began.

Mr. Von Brunn approached and parked his -- double-parked his vehicle in front of the museum and approached the 14th Street entrance. As he approached the 14th Street entrance, as was said earlier, Special Police Officer Johns was kind enough to open the door to allow him to enter.

As he entered, he raised the rifle, opened fire, striking Special Police Officer Johns, and then engaging with other special police officers in the museum, who, by all accounts, stopped him from entering that museum and injuring anybody else.

QUESTION: Chief, was he hiding the gun under his coat? And was that gun only capable of firing one round?

LANIER: I can't talk about the operability of the weapon. We do know that it is an older weapon, but all of those examinations are currently being done. He did raise the weapon almost immediately as he entered the museum.

QUESTION: Chief, did he park on 15th Street and then walk around to 14th Street?

LANIER: His vehicle was in front on 14th Street.

QUESTION: He was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a long gun. That is illegal anywhere in the country. Is that not right?

LANIER: That's correct.

QUESTION: So, we don't have any sense of how he came into possession of that or what? You're going to be looking in to that, I imagine.

LANIER: Obviously, that's something that we'll be following up on.

QUESTION: Was there any guard presence on the outside of the building? I know typically there are police officers guarding...

LANIER: I don't have an answer to that question.

QUESTION: Do you know if he said anything?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) white supremacist groups or political parties?

LANIER: I will leave those questions up to the FBI. I think most of that's been covered.

PERSICHINI: Well, I think, you know, it's obvious. You go on his public Web site, you can go and review that. He obviously is espousing information from some of those hate groups. So, you know, make the decision on your own.

QUESTION: Did he have any active membership card?

QUESTION: You mentioned the active shooter policy. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is? Is this the first time that (OFF- MIKE)?

PERSICHINI: I think that's a joint answer for both the chief and I, and we'll talk about active shooters.

LANIER: The Metropolitan Police Department has almost 1,000 members trained in active shooter. And we continue to train -- I believe we have six more courses going on this year. We do training both jointly and independently.

An active-shooter scenario, as all too often we have seen in this country, is considered by law enforcement as a homicide in progress. A person who enters a crowded site and begins shooting, law enforcement has to take those situations differently, and is considered, as I said, a homicide in progress.

It demands immediate action by law enforcement. There is no time in those scenarios to wait.

And I think in this case, because when we first arrived on the scene we didn't know if there may be other shooters, we didn't know if there may be other sites that may pick up around the city, we didn't know anything more than what we found immediately on the scene, immediately engaged, the United States Park Police, Metropolitan Police, FBI, organized active shooter teams, not only to sweep and evacuate the museum, which happened very, very quickly, but also to organize and be prepared to enter any other sites in the city that may be necessary.

I can also say within one hour, we had the regional police chiefs from around the region on the phone. I organized a conference call within 20 minutes of the event to get police chiefs from around the region organized in the event that we may need support from the outside police agencies. They were all immediately responsive and very gracious and prepared to come to our assistance if we needed them.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: I thought I heard you say "arrests," plural. But there was one arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

QUESTION: How concerned are you about copycats, and what are you advising...

FENTY: This is the last question.

PERSICHINI: Well, I mean, as we keep talking about vigilance, you know? And I can't stress that any more.

You know, for Officer Johns, as I said, we as a nation respond in times of crisis. And I think this is a time when we need to act and we need people to respond, that if they have information, you know, we need that information. You can't be hesitant to call us.

They know the parameters of the law. They know when and when we cannot engage an investigation. So, I think that's critical to our success -- ours, us, all of us -- to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

FENTY: Last question.

QUESTION: Can you clarify the charges? Is he being charged with hate crimes and murder? You said dual charges.

PERSICHINI: Right now he's charged with the murder, but we are continuing and working with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office, looking at potential civil rights or hate crimes that he can also be charged with at a later date.

Again, we have so much to do. There's a lot of work and a lot of data and materials to review. Again, we'll provide updates in the future hopefully, but, again, we have so much to do.

FENTY: We wanted to come back together with all of the parties here, but every communication at the department is going to be available to get more information out.

One of the things that Agent Persichini said deserves to be repeated. There's all kind of hatred in this country. But everywhere there's hatred, there's much more coming together, there's much more unity, there's much more inclusiveness.

Let's make sure that we prosecute, arrest and hold people accountable. But here in the nation's capital, let's not forget that the Holocaust Museum itself is here because they are trying to recognize wrongs that have been done in the past and make sure that people know about them so that they are not repeated.

Let's make sure that this wrong is not repeated and that we don't succumb to the worst of it. Let's continue to enjoy our nation's capital, continue on go to museums, continue get out. Let's not let the acts of one madman set us back.

Thank you, everyone.