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Some Victims "Out of the Woods"; Crucial Health Care Vote; "They Left Me to Rot"; New Info Emerges on Ft. Hood Suspect; Hasan Co- workers Say Red Flags Were Missed; Mother of Iran Martyr Neda Speaks Out; Tropical Storm Ida Expected to Turn into Hurricane
Aired November 07, 2009 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with Breaking News because at this hour CNN is learning a vote on the controversial House of Representatives health care bill is about to happen, and when it does happen, you're going to see it right here on CNN.
Also happening now, passengers scrambling off a Delta flight through the emergency exit, smoke coming from the engine. And for the first time since the worst mass shooting ever on a military installation on US soil, we're about to learn the identities of all 13 of the men and women in uniform gunned down by a fellow soldier.
Let's take a live look now at Fort Hood in Texas. You can see they are preparing now for that press conference where they will name all 13 victims and we will get to that just as soon as it happens. It will happen within moments.
Good evening everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Let's talk about those victims from that deadly shooting that happened at Fort Hood. They were out of the woods. That's how a surgeon describes the condition of some survivors of the Fort Hood shooting, and we want to get you now to CNN's Samantha Hayes. She's in Temple, Texas for us now with the very latest on that. As we wait for these names from Fort Hood, tell us about the survivors that you have been speaking to and what you're hearing from people there on the ground, Samantha.
SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, I'm at Scott and White Hospital and they have released several of the shooting victims. They were well enough to go home and - and recover there, and they hope to release one more this afternoon, although there are several who are still in very serious condition. And we talked to a couple of family members who came by to visit those victims today.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the prayers, the support.
HAYES (voice-over): This concerned father is visiting his son, who just returned from Iraq two weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see (ph) it's kind of ironic that two tours in Iraq and then you come back and get hit here.
HAYES: Like many family members shocked to learn their loved ones were victims of Thursday's deadly shooting rampage at Ft. Hood, he's not ready to share his son's name, but he's optimistic about his recovery from four gunshot wounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's doing good. Like I said, the breathing tube was out yesterday and he's talking. You know, we tried to give him some water by mouth, but they're going to do a swallow test.
HAYES: Nate Hall (ph) was visiting his brother Naji (ph), a soldier who was set to depart for Afghanistan in December.
NATE HALL (ph), BROTHER OF VICTIM: You know, they have him heavily sedated right now. You know, but he is trying to talk. He asked us, "Do you love me?"
HAYES: Texas Governor Rick Perry also met with some of those patients saying he was humbled by their dedication.
GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: To those whose lives have been shaken by this isolated incident, you know, I think it communicates less about the safety of our society or for that matter the condition of the human soul as much as it is about the way people, particularly neighbors, as Scott and White is to that military base take care of their own.
HAYES: The chief surgeon at Scott and White Hospital is optimistic for the recovery of all the shooting victims but emphasized that some injuries, both physical and mental, will be life long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of these patients are young and sometimes young patients will surprise you in regards to their rehabilitation, but there is a possibility that some of these patients will be physically impaired for the rest of their life, and there's certainly no doubt that many of them will be psychologically impaired too.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LEMON: All right. We'll get back to those survivors in just a moment.
We want to take you now to Fort Hood and they are telling the names and the identities of all the 13 victims in the shooting.
COLONEL JOHN ROSSI, US ARMY: ... of Woodbridge, Virginia. Captain John P. Gaffaney, 54 of San Diego, California. Captain Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wisconsin. Chief Warrant Officer Retired Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas. Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow, 32, of Plymouth, Indiana. Sergeant Amy Kruger, 29 of Keil, Wisconsin. Specialist Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Oklahoma. Specialist Fredrick Green, 29, of Mountain City, Tennessee. Specialist Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minnesota. PFC Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West - West Jordan, Utah. PFC Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Private Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, Illinois.
These heroes are so much more than simply names, and I'd ask that we all take a moment to remember them all. Thank you. LEMON: Colonel John Rossi reporting the names there and at the end breaking up, giving the - the names of the men and women who died in that - that attack, and that happened at Fort Hood, Texas on Thursday. And, again, he said these - they're more than just people who died, they are heroes.
I want to go CNN's Pentagon Correspondent now, Barbara Starr. Barbara, it's hard to even hear that. We knew all along that 13 people had perished in the shooting, but just to hear the names and to hear that Colonel talk about it, it really does bring it home.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It does, Don. You know, what really struck me, what really sends a chill, we have all spent so many years now seeing the roll call of names in the war zone. This is a very traditional military procedure. It has been since the years of Vietnam. When someone falls in battle, their name is read off so everyone remembers who they are. Very often in the war zone, there's the actual call of the roll of the unit and the person who has fallen's name is read out, and, of course, they are not there to fall in line with their buddies.
So this is almost so similar to that. The call of the roll, those who have perished, those who have fallen, not able to join their unit, their troops, and still the shock that this roll call of the fallen happened on a US military base at home. Troops either preparing to go to war or coming back from the war, expecting to be safe and finding themselves in terrible danger right on their own military base, Don.
LEMON: And Barbara, let's talk about the memorial service to be held for these young men and women. It's to be held on Tuesday. We are getting word now from the White House that the President and the First Lady will attend and also you're getting some information from the Pentagon as well.
STARR: Indeed. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will attend. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen will attend. The Chief of Staff of the US Army General George Casey, who was at Fort Hood yesterday, will turn around and go back on Tuesday and be with his troops when this memorial service is - is held.
You can expect it to be both very emotional, but very traditional, very much a sign of respect for the troops who have fallen, for the troops who were wounded, and for all the soldiers and troops serving right now, volunteering to serve the nation both in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world, Don.
LEMON: Hey Barbara, we are hearing that Former President and First Lady also went to Fort Hood, is that correct?
STARR: We are hearing that. They did not allow any cameras, any photos, but it is worth remembering when President George W. Bush was in office, he made many private visits to visit the wounded at Fort Hood, at Brook Army Medical Center in Texas, here in Washington at Bethesda Naval Hospital at Walter Reed. This, again, another tradition, President Obama I believe going to one of the hospitals just yesterday here in Washington to privately visit the wounded. The generals do it, Secretary Gates does it, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld did it. There is a great tradition of making these very private visits to the troops, no cameras, no publicity, but just to say hello, give them a pat on the shoulder, and ask them how they're doing, Don.
LEMOM: CNN's Barbara Starr, you've been doing an amazing job investigating and reporting this story. Thank you very much, Barbara.
I want to tell our viewers, just getting note from some of our editorial managers who's saying that Army Chief of Staff George Casey will be on "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow morning, Sunday morning beginning at 9:00 AM. You heard Barbara Starr saying that he's going to be at the memorial come Tuesday. We're hearing he's going to be in the "STATE OF THE UNION" and our John King will talk to him about that as well.
Meantime, I want to get back now to Texas and to the men and women who were injured in this and who survived. I'm going to go back now to Samantha who is standing by. Samantha, sorry to interrupt you, but we wanted to hear the names. Samantha Hayes is joining us now.
So, Samantha, the doctor was talking about the men and women who were injured. Can you please continue your report and finish it up for us?
HAYES: Oh, absolutely, Don. You know, important to recognize going to Fort Hood and - and hearing the names of those deceased are certainly, you know, on the minds of - of those who were injured at these two hospitals.
I'm here in Temple, Texas and there are six patients here at Last Word. Four had been released. They were well enough to be released and recover at home, and doctors here this afternoon hoped that by the end of the day at least one more could be released. So, of the 34 victims who suffered gunshot wounds in Thursday's massacre, less than half are in hospitals here in that (ph) Fort Hood, and the others have been released. So a bit of good news.
At the same time, there are still several who are in Intensive Care and doctors here couldn't, you know, comment specifically on their cases, you know, but we're hopeful that they would be able to recover and talking about, you know, the physical problems and - and also, you know, the mental hardships that everybody involved in this, those who were injured and those who witnessed the event may suffer from for a long time - Don.
LEMON: All right. Samantha Hayes, thank you for your reporting.
And make sure you join me tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern when CNN goes inside the Fort Hood shootings. We'll uncover new details about Major Nidal Malik Hasan and we'll remember the 13 people who lost their lives. It is a CNN special investigation tonight at 8:00 PM.
And speaking of the men and women who lost their lives, for the first time, just a few moments ago we heard the names of all 13. Here are the names again:
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
ROSSI: The 13 who gave their lives in service to their nation were: Lieutenant Colonel Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Maryland. Major Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Virginia. Captain John P. Gaffaney, 54 of San Diego, California. Captain Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wisconsin. Chief Warrant Officer Retired Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas. Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow, 32, of Plymouth, Indiana. Sergeant Amy Kruger, 29 of Keil, Wisconsin. Specialist Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Oklahoma. Specialist Fredrick Green, 29, of Mountain City, Tennessee. Specialist Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minnesota. PFC Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West - West Jordan, Utah. PFC Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Private Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, Illinois.
These heroes are so much more than simply names, and I'd ask that we all take a moment to remember them all.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, we started this newscast with some Breaking News. We're hearing that this vote in the House on health care reform, this health care - care bill could come at any moment. We want to get you live now.
You see representatives there on the floor. They are debating it. The debate started a little late and last we got word from our folks in Washington that it could happen at any moment, so make sure you stay here, stay tuned to CNN. We're going to carry it for you. You'll see it right here on CNN.
Which brings us to this, President Obama tonight faces one of the most important tests of his young administration, a House vote on national health care reform expected in just a couple of hours here, really at any moment - not exactly sure when they're going to break and start voting. It is emerging as a cornerstone of the Obama presidency and administration.
Mr. Obama went to Capitol Hill today to rally Democrats to approximates that measure, but House Republicans are dead set against it. They claim the Democratic plan will create an expensive, overbloated bureaucracy.
Let's go now to CNN's - we have a lot of our folks there on the ground. There they are. Check them out. CNN's Elaine Quijano closely monitoring the situation for us in Washington. Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar burning the 5:00 PM Eastern oil. She's been working all day here. And tonight's vote, if and when it happens, is just the first step toward a final bill, but passage is crucial for the president. The magic number, 218.
Republicans may be outnumbered, but they are not giving up, they say.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
REP. JOHN SHADEGG (R), ARIZONA: But most of all, Maddy (ph) says, don't tax me to pay for health care that you guys want. If you want health care, pay for it yourselves because it's not fair to pass your health care bills on to me and my grandchildren.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentleman's time has (ph) expired.
SHADEGG: Thank you, Maddy (ph).
(END VIDEOCLIP)
LEMON: Well, guess what? As you would expect, Democrats fired right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
REP. PETE STARK (D), CALIFORNIA: I encourage each of my colleagues to join me in voting yes, and I could assure you these guys aren't going to have to pay for it in the future. I yield (ph) back the balance of my time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Members on both sides of the aisle are reminded not to use guests as the House -- of the House as props.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
LEMON: You know what, Brianna Keilar, this has been one of the most interesting days I have seen, watching the Floor of the House there. I've been watching you all day, all this drama unfold. So what's happening in the House right now? When does it seem like a final vote will take place?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can see, Democrats and Republicans continue to debate, Don. They're trying to grab attention and, you know, they're not above trying to use kids to do it, I guess you can say, on both sides of the aisle, but we're still looking here at least a few hours before we're going to see a vote.
So this back and forth is going to go on for some time. Democratic leaders say they're confident that they will have the votes, but knowing they're not going to get - they can't rely on any Republican support, they're really kind of - you know, it's going to be a close one. It's been tough for them to wrangle all of their Democrats or at least enough of them to make sure they can pass this, Don.
LEMON: OK. So listen, abortion has made, you know, a last minute appearance that could derail the bill. Explain how this is - is shaking out right now, Brianna.
KEILAR: Well, there are dozens of anti-abortion Democrats, Conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives and late last night they brokered a deal with their Democratic leaders to get a vote on a change that they want to make to this health care reform bill, in particular to how people purchase insurance on what's called the exchange. And if you've ever used, say, Orbitz or Expedia to buy an airline ticket, then you'll kind of understand how this exchange works.
The federal government is trying to put together a similar framework for health insurance where different health insurance companies could sell their product along with that government-run insurance plan and then consumers who don't have insurance would be able to go to this exchange and purchase their insurance. Well, the condition that anti- abortion Democrats got - well, really, what they're going to have a vote on and what will likely pass is one that says if someone is buying an insurance on this exchange, they cannot buy abortion coverage as part of their comprehensive health insurance coverage. What they would have to do is buy coverage for abortion separately and they would have to pay for it with their own money.
They're doing this, they say, because a lot of the people who are going to be purchasing insurance on this exchange are doing so with help from the federal government, with some subsidies if they're low income or middle class Americans, and these Democrats, these anti- abortion Democrats, just really want to make sure that none of those federal dollars really get anywhere close to paying for an abortion procedure.
But, as you can imagine, some Liberal Democrats are just livid over this in particular because it affects some people who will use the exchange who aren't getting subsidies, Don, those people who are paying completely out of pocket, their own money for insurance. They too would have to pay for a separate insurance policy if they - if they go ahead and anticipate that they would need it for abortion.
LEMON: And - and Brianna, you know, if we can get a shot of the House Floor again, I was watching you all day, watching Elaine and watching - I was like - and seeing people working in Washington on a Saturday, I said, is this really Saturday? I had to check the calendar and my watch to see how - if it was actually the weekend. But they're trying to get it done today, and a vote is expected very shortly.
KEILAR: Yes. And we're expecting it to be here in a few hours, and this debate is going to keep going. You really want to keep an eye on it because we're going to see a lot of back and forth. We could see some delays. We could see some twists and turns. We are certainly keeping our eye on the Floor, Don. It's going to be really exciting.
LEMON: Brianna Keilar. Thank you. Brianna on top of this story. And we're going to go from Brianna there to White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano who has also been working all day and checking in with our sources to figure out what's going on. She's in our Washington Bureau right now.
So Elaine, this is a big moment for the Obama administration. What's their mood like right now? The president came out. Some people say that it may have been premature, but it seems like they're pretty upbeat. Is that what's really happening?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the president is at Camp David right now, but before he left he did come out and make some remarks in the Rose Garden.
You know, I can tell you the political stakes in this, Don, really could not be higher for this president. As you know, health care is President Obama's number one domestic priority. It's really why we saw him come out in a rare event on a Saturday, coming over to Capitol Hill to make an in-person plea to lawmakers to get health care legislation passed. Today in the Rose Garden, the president tried to cast this issue in historic terms. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is our moment to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us, even when it's hard - especially when it's hard. This is our moment to deliver.
I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment, answer the call of history, and vote yes for health insurance reform for America.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
QUIJANO: And, essentially, aides are saying that's what he told House Democrats behind closed doors as well, that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation, and he urged his fellow Democrats, Don, to go ahead and seize this opportunity.
LEMON: All right. We're all standing by. Elaine Quijano, we shall see. Elaine is in Washington there, our Washington Bureau, and she's got her ear to the ground. If anything happens, she'll let us know.
Elaine, thank you so much.
QUIJANO: Sure.
LEMON: You know what, perhaps there would be more consensus in Congress on health care reform if the country itself were not so divided. I want you to look at these numbers from a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.
About one-quarter of those surveyed want Congress to pass the legislation as-is with few changes. A third say Congressional approval should only come after major changes. A quarter say Congress should start over from scratch. And 15 percent say Congress should quit working on health care reform completely.
Let's see what this reporter says. His name is Jonathan Allen of Politico.com. Jonathan, those numbers surprise you at all?
JONATHAN ALLEN, POLITICO.COM: Well, look, I'm not surprised by anything right now in the health care debate. There's just so much out there in terms of poll numbers, vote numbers. Everybody's head is spinning.
We're going to get the answer to the real question, I think, which is what the elected people's representatives want to have done on health care tonight. LEMON: And you heard - listen, I want you to weigh in on some of what of our - what our reporters were saying and, you know, I've been hearing this -
Let's start with Elaine Quijano's report when she said the stakes couldn't be higher for this administration and especially the president. The president came out earlier in the Rose Garden saying, you know, history is going to be made today. He thinks that we're going to have a bill soon. This only happens once in a generation.
Explain what the - what the president is up against and what if this doesn't happen for him? What does it mean?
ALLEN: Well, you know, it's interesting. That's the message that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told me, that the president gave members of Congress directly today, that it's a historic vote, it's a historic opportunity for them to do something along the lines of Medicare, social security, but there's a lot on the line for the president, as you say. High stakes for this administration. This is the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. If he fails here, it would be a huge rebuke of what he's been trying to do and it would be an indication that the members of Congress feel that they're not safe on the ballot come next November if they're marching (INAUDIBLE) step with him.
That said, what I'm hearing from Democratic aides right now is that they think they have the votes locked up for this tonight, that they think they're going to be able to push forward and not have a problem. It's going to take several more hours, and vote - vote counting is tricky, so things could possibly change between now and then, but right now they're feeling very, very confident they're not going to have to worry about the president's agenda taking a tough blow tonight.
LEMON: You know, we're - I said these polls, you know, perhaps there would be more consensus in Congress if the country was, you know, had more of a consensus, right? If we weren't so divided. But really, you know, the polls show that reform, at least from the polls, from the - the general voter, that the president has that on his side, but we have been hearing a lot from the opposition.
We have been seeing Republicans on the Floor with children and saying, you know, this is - I think they said crashing or a sledgehammer - I forget what one representative said - the whole kitchen. This is going to crash the economy. So, you know, if the polls are correct, the president at least has that on his side. Is that likely to be reflected in this vote come - in a - in a short time?
ALLEN: Well, let me say, first of all, it should be noted that Democrats have children, too, I just don't think they've held them up on the House Floor today, but I've seen them. So I know that Democrats also have kids.
But as far as the polls go, I mean, you know, polls are answered by people based on the question that's asked of them. Everybody is always for something that is called reform, and at the same time if you ask a poll question in a negative way, you'll get a negative answer...
LEMON: Depends on the way you phrase the question because if you phrase it differently, maybe it would be, you know, the president doesn't have the - have it on his side.
ALLEN: Right. And, you know, sometimes people hold conflicting ideas in their own minds. You know, if you ask them on one day, they'll have a different response than the next day. It really, really matters on how these polls are conducted.
LEMON: OK.
ALLEN: That's the reason why you see different sides holding up different polls with different results.
LEMON: Hey, Jonathan, we have to run. Thank you. Jonathan Allen...
ALLEN: Always a pleasure.
LEMON: ... (INAUDIBLE) we have so much breaking news tonight. We wanted to spend much more time with you. He's there at Capitol Rotunda. Keep your ear to the ground and let us know as well. Thank you again.
ALLEN: Thank you. Take care.
LEMON: Our website's chock-full of information on health care reform and what it means to you, so just log on to cnn.com/healthcare.
And held without bond, the Orlando shooting suspect's attorney describes him as a classic case of stress overload. We'll dig into the life of Jason Rodriguez.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So listen, this was our Breaking News yesterday on Friday, one day after that mass shooting in Fort Hood, Texas. The man accused of killing one person and wounding five others in a shooting at an Orlando office building reportedly told police, quote, "I'm just going through a tough time right now." And then he said to reporters, "My employers left me out to rot."
Forty year old Jason Rodriguez is accused of gunning down workers at his former employer. Kenneth Moton with CNN affiliate WFTV in Orlando is covering this story for us.
Kenneth, we're learning some new information about this suspect today. What have you learned?
KENNETH MOTON, REPORTER, WFTV: That's right, Don. Jason Rodriguez is being held at the Orange County jail on no bond. Police tape is still surrounding the Gateway Center in downtown Orlando where he walked into that building yesterday and opened fire. He killed one person and injured five others. I can tell you that crime scene techs and Orlando police investigators are back at the scene right now gathering evidence inside this building. During this first court appearance this morning, Rodriguez did not have anything to say, but you as he was being walked in the Orlando police headquarters, he told us he committed this crime because he, quote -- because they, quote, "left me to rot." This is a man who had heavy financial problems. He recently filed for bankruptcy in May. Also, he was $90,000 in debt. He could not afford to pay child support for his two children. He has a daughter in Puerto Rico by his first wife. His son also lives here in Orlando by his second wife. He cannot pay for child support for them. And we're told that he had mental problems. He suffered from some type of paranoia complex, and because he did not have any money, he did not have any insurance to pay for that medication, and he was possibly off his meds.
LEMON: All right, Kenneth with WFTV in Orlando. Thank you so much for this.
Again, we have the video of him actually going into police custody yesterday, when a reporter asked why he did it, and he said my employer -- can we get that on? We don't have it. OK. I think it's very interesting. We're going to bring that to you in this newscast.
Tragedy at Ft. Hood, we want to continue to tell you about people who once crossed paths with the suspect coming forward. And they have some troubling things to say about the man accused of killing his fellow soldiers.
And all eyes are on Capitol Hill right now. We're keeping a close eye on the House as the health care bill heads toward a vote.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Listen. At the beginning of the newscast we told you about some breaking news that concerned a Delta aircraft. This is the airport -- is this live pictures? This is tape of Hartsfield.
Here is what happened we're told from a Delta representative. Real quickly I want to tell you here because really the end all here is that everyone is OK. 3:00 p.m., it was taking off from Atlanta Hartsfield to Philadelphia, taxiing, smoke coming from one of the engines, fire trucks deployed, the slides opened, every passenger had to get out. Everyone is OK, no one injured and they don't know exactly how many people were on the plane. The passengers are on another aircraft and should be departing in a couple hours. All OK at Hartsfield at this hour. We're glad about that.
Now we want to take you to Ft. Hood, Texas. 13 lives lost at Ft. Hood, and now 13 names are given faces to this massacre. The victims were identified just a few minutes ago and we'll bring you more information on who they were as those details come into the "NEWSROOM" here. We heard all 13 of the names. 38 other people were hurt.
But investigators are still trying to figure out what might have set off the suspect, Army specialist, Nidal Malik Hasan.
So just who is Nidal Malik Hasan? Pieces are emerging today. A man conflicted over fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, a troubled psychiatrist, and maybe some warning signs were missed.
I want to go now to an NPR reporter who brought us a very interesting report early on in all of this. His name is Daniel Zwerdling.
So you have spoken to some of Hasan's former co-workers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C., and there were some red flags, right?
DANIEL ZWERDLING, NPR REPORTER: I have talked to several psychiatrists who worked at Walter Reed during most of the six years that Nidal Hasan was there, and they paint a very troubling picture of him. They say this was the kind of guy who, from the moment they met him, struck them as a very troubled man, as a poor psychiatrist in training. and a couple of them said he was actually the person who we would stand around the office with colleagues saying, do you think he might be a terrorist or at least is he the sort of person who might become unhinged? This is going back several years.
LEMON: So there were a couple of talks, like, you know, I think in your report you mentioned a couple of talks that he attended and there were people at the talks who were concerned about some of his statements?
ZWERDLING: There were a few things that concerned them. The first was that they said, in general, for most of the time he was there, he was a very poor doctor, was not attentive to patients. He seemed unfocused. He didn't seem to take it seriously. But he also, the psychiatrists said, would harangue people out of the blue about religion. They said it was not as though they were standing around or sitting around chatting about religion and suddenly Mr. Hasan would say, let me tell you what I think. They say they would be sitting around doing work and suddenly this guy would start almost shouting at them belligerently, basically attacking them for being Christian. That was their interpretation.
One psychiatrist said it got to the point where I would have to get up and walk out of the room because he just seemed so off the wall.
LEMON: Did they report it? Did they take it seriously or did they just say -- according to them -- and I want to say this, Mr. Zwerdling, this is all according to these folks.
ZWERDLILNG: It is.
LEMON: And it still needs to be vetted here...
ZWERDLING: Absolutely. Thank you for stressing that. The one incident that really troubled people the most -- people take turn giving what they call grand rounds. Imagine all the doctors come into an auditorium, and somebody stands at the podium and gives an academic lecture about the new methods of treating schizophrenia, drug interactions, that kind of thing. When it was time for Nidal Hasan's turn, he gave them an hour-long lecture about the Koran in which he said that infidels will live hell on earth, their heads will be cut off, they will be set on fire, boiling oil will be poured down their throats. And I said to the doctors, wait a minute, this sounds like, so maybe this isn't what grand rounds usually are. But this sounds like a guy who is trying to inform you about Islam, and most of us who aren't Muslim, don't know much about the Koran. They said, no, no, no, that's not what bothered them. They said there was something about his tone, where it seemed like he was saying this is what I believe, and it troubled them.
In fact, one psychiatrist, according to the people I have talked to, who is also a Muslim, raised his hand and he said, excuse me, Nidal, but I'm a Muslim, and this is not how all Muslims interpret the Koran. And the doctor said what troubled them about this whole session is it didn't seem like an intellectual discussion. It seemed like this was...
LEMON: A lecture.
ZWERDLING: Exactly. A lecture saying infidels will be punished.
But I want to stress something. The psychiatrists that I talked to said, we do not believe his religious beliefs had anything to do really with what allegedly happened at Ft. Hood. They say this was a troubled guy...
LEMON: This was one of a number of things that people were concerned about that we're talking about here.
ZWERDLING: Exactly.
Not that this was the main cause, but everything adds up to something. And what we're concerned about here is if something was missed to try to fix it in the future so that it doesn't happen again.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I hate to cut you off. If you can make it real quickly, because I'm up against a break, I'll let you go ahead.
ZWERDLING: The psychiatrists said there's two big institutions coming up here, the military and medicine, and in both institutions it's very difficult and rare to get rid of somebody even when you see potential warning signs. Let me just add the one psychiatrist said to me, you know, when I heard the news the other day, my immediate reaction, I'm sorry to say, was I am not surprised. This completely fits the Nidal I knew.
LEMON: How sad. Daniel Zwerdling, NPR correspondent, thanks you so much for that.
And, again, this is still under investigation. We're trying to figure all of it out as are investigators. When we find out exactly what it is, of course, we'll report it here on CNN.
Again, thank you, Daniel.
So much learned about the massacre at Ft. Hood, so much still a mystery. U.S. troops ambushed on American soil. How did it happen? We're digging even deeper in a prime time special. Join me tonight at 8:00 eastern for more on the victims, the suspect, and how it all went down.
From entertainment to philanthropy, meet a man who has turned a career in bartending into a life-saving mission. A salute to one of CNN's heroes.
And health care history in the making. They're life on the House floor, monitoring the House vote to happen any moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So you know what, so bartending his way through college at North Carolina State University, Doc Henley was inspired to offer his regular customers a chance to turn their entertainment into life- saving philanthropy. You can always make a difference. His organization, Wine to Water, began as wine tasting fund-raisers and with the money raised at the parties, his organization has delivered clean water to more than 25,000 people living in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, India, and Cambodia. And for his work, doc was recently named one of our 2009 top-ten "CNN Heroes." Congratulations. He joins us tonight from Columbia, South Carolina.
Hey, very exciting. How do you feel about this?
DOC HENLEY, BARTENDER & "CNN HERO": I think I'm still in shock. It's even been a few weeks and I have a lot of hard time sleeping at night because I'm still so excited this is even going on right now.
LEMON: How did you get the idea? You're bartending and then what happens?
HENLEY: Well, I began learning about the water crisis as I was in school at N.C. State, just picking up different things online and different classes. And I really began -- I decided to research on my own after I would hear things like 1.1 billion people don't have access to clean water. I decided, well, I want to find out more about that. That seems like a pretty big number. That's a pretty big crisis.
What I began to find, not only are even worse and worse statistics like it's killing more children than AIDS and malaria combined, but I also found out that no one really knew about it. And when I would talk to people -- you know, I really began to kind of be passionate about this subject. and I would be at the bars or even in classes and mention something and not many people would even know. So really the only thing I knew how to do was, at the time, I was a bartender, that was my only skill I had going for me. I said maybe I can mix the two. Maybe I can do what I do best and tell people about the crisis at the same time that's going on around me.
LEMON: We are extremely proud of you. So far, 25,000 people living, I said, but I'm sure it's more now with the visibility that you've gotten. We know on Thanksgiving when there's a big thing, we hope that you are the one who is announced. We say that to everyone though, because we really hope that everyone can win, all of our heroes.
Congratulations. Best of luck to you. If you do win come back and share it with us, OK?
HENLEY: I sure will. I'm really looking forward to meeting everybody out there. Thank you so much for the opportunity to have me here.
LEMON: Thank you, Doc Henley, great stuff. We appreciate it.
You, the viewer, can go to CNN.com/heroes to vote for the "CNN Hero" you think should be the hero of the year. They will all be honored at an all-star tribute, you heard Doc and I talking about it, a tribute hosted by our own Anderson Cooper. That's Thanksgiving night right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It seems like just yesterday we were sitting here reporting this story, and it was really a killing that shocked the world, a young woman gunned down on the streets of Tehran. Neda became the first of the anti-government face of the anti-government protest that gripped Iran after the disputed presidential election last June.
Now Neda's grieving mother is speaking out to CNN's senior editor for Mideast affairs, Octavia Nasr. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOTHER OF NEDA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR FOR MIDEAST AFFAIRS (voice-over): The anguish of losing a daughter. On the 21st of June, Neda Agha-Soltan was laid to rest, a tragic symbol of the protests that gripped Iran. She was shot as she walked to her car after a demonstration.
For her mother, Hajar Rostami, it was the first day of the pain that will never heal.
Neda's last moments were captured on video and flashed around the world. Her mother could only watch it once. It is the look of death in her eyes, she says.
Rostami spoke to CNN from Tehran a few days ago. She told us that look is with her every morning when she wakes up and every night when she goes to sleep.
Neda was strong and brave, she says, in a whisper in her native Farsi.
Her mother said she approved of her actions and that she participated in demonstrations as well. She tells us the family wasn't with Mousavi or against Ahmadinejad, but demonstrated for freedom.
She said her daughter's killer is still at large but she hopes justice will be served. "I am waiting for that day," she adds.
Rostami is proud of her daughter and grateful of the support from across the world.
Rostami visits her daughter's grave every Friday. People go and write on her grave in red ink the word martyr, she says. Then the authorities go and wipe it off.
"I always saw Neda as a martyr," she says. "She was a martyr for her homeland."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: She is a pretty girl. She is a pretty girl. We were sitting here reporting and it was tough, with tears in our eyes, as we were doing it, to talk to the mom. How did you get through that?
NASR: It was very interesting. Of course, my colleague, Wayne Drash (ph), and myself spoke with the mom on the phone. She was in her home in Tehran. It was chilling, really. We spent over an hour talking to her. The grieving mother that you see in the video is very different from the mother that we spoke to on the phone. Right now, she almost has no emotions. When you hear her voice, there is no emotion. She kept telling us that she can't express herself, that she can't tell us how sad she is and how proud she is of Neda. But she talked a lot about, the child growing up, smart, brave and all that, and how shocking her death was.
LEMON: And if there was any consolation in any of this, I don't know that it is. Her daughter has become the symbol of this movement.
NASR: And she is so appreciative for that, as a matter of fact. She kept saying she is grateful for people for standing up and supporting her and how much she loves that. She said that gives her comfort.
LEMON: Great story. Thanks for sharing it with us, Octavia.
NASR: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: We really appreciate it.
It could be history in the making, the legislative showdown over the House health care bill. The latest from Capital Hill as members of the House head for a final vote on their version of reform, just moments away.
Hi, Jacqui Jeras, what's going on with you today?
OK, Jacqui Jeras, after the break, we'll talk to her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Jacqui, I got so excited to see you, because I hadn't seen you since last weekend. And I went right to you and you weren't ready yet.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm always ready.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Maybe we weren't ready yet.
JERAS: I'm so glad you were excited. LEMON: Listen, Jacqui, I just looked at the computer and the weather team has sent out an update on Ida. Can you tell us about that?
JERAS: Absolutely. Ida has been strengthening quite a bit. It is a tropical storm, but nearly a hurricane. Maximum winds up to 70 miles an hour. You can see it is there into the western Caribbean. And we are expecting it to possibly become a hurricane in the next 12 hours.
Now, where is this thing going and what kind. Impact can we expect for the U.S. mainland? Here's what we're predicting. The best estimate is that it will be moving through the Yucatan channel. And we could see it stay pretty strong into the central gulf. The water temperatures in the northern gulf are cooler and we have a lot of factors coming together. Basically, it is a complicated situation and it may or may not make U.S. landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday. The bottom line is be prepared for it. Expect a lot of flooding and also some very strong winds coming into play late Tuesday into Wednesday.
We'll keep you posted, Don.
LEMON: All right, Jacqui. Thank you very much.
I want to get you live to the House floor again where we are awaiting a vote on the health care bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Drugs, prostitution, gang violence. All of it played out in Chula Vista, California, a year ago. Nearby in La Placa California, students were walking to school along these dangerous roads with no sidewalks.
So what do these two situations have in common? Both of them were preventing residents from being physically active. A critical problem in two border towns with above average obesity and diabetes rates.
KATE BARTKIEWICZ, DIR., ICANN, SAN DIEGO: The community, the environment, they really do affect people's risk for diabetes because it is a lifestyle. Even if you're genetically predisposed, do you know a lot if you're exercising.
GUPTA: How do you fix it? In this case work an unusual partnership of local high school students, Latino community organizers, a little bit of money from local government, a lot of hard work.
TANYS ROVIRA-OSTERWALDER, "HEALTHY EATING, ACTIVE CONSTITUTIONS": The conditions of the park a year and a half ago were not the same conditions that you're looking at right now.
ERIN DELANEY, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: The reality is that if you have to buchanan a dirt road in summer in california, you're not going to walk to, and at least with the sidewalks, it is a more comforting environment.
GUPTA: Two different towns. Two different solutions. Both projects are showing results. What started as school projects for Erin and Gerard may now become careers.
GERARD GARCIA, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: My goal is to go to college. I want to be an engineer.
DELANEY: I definitely want to continue doing things like this in the future.
GUPTA: But in the meantime, both students hope that their work can serve as a model to different communities and will prove to kids their age that they can make a difference.
DELANEY: It has been a long process. It has been two years now. But just seeing the changes actually starts to take place is great.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta cnn reporting.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Don Lemon. See you in an hour. Time now for Wolf Blitzer.
