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Louisiana Declares State of Emergency; House Passes Health Care; Massacre at Fort Hood
Aired November 08, 2009 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is the top of the hour, everyone. I am Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. I'm live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
Listen, there is some severe weather that is heading towards the Gulf Coast. We're talking about Hurricane Ida; it is a category two storm. It's really prompted some watches and warnings all along the Gulf Coast, southeastern Louisiana and the Panhandle; Louisiana under a state of emergency declared by the governor.
Jacqui Jeras, fill us in. Should people be worried? We don't want to overplay this, but they should take precautions.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, they really should. You always need to be prepared this time of the year, and we could potentially have a landfalling hurricane. We'll see a lot of impact of flooding, strong enough winds to cause power outages, in addition to the threat of tornadoes as well.
We do have a brand new update here on Hurricane Ida -- this just in from the National Hurricane Center -- that it has strengthened slightly. So those maximum sustained winds are now up to 100 miles per hour. We're watching it begin to move into the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, there are hurricane watches that have been posted from the Louisiana coast from Grand Isle all the way over towards Mexico City beat that is in Florida. This is the area that could be experiencing those hurricane type conditions in less than 36 hours.
Now, moisture already moving into Louisiana and Texas at this hour, but this is in advance of the system. This is due to a different disturbance, which is into the western gulf which will be a player in the forecast down the line.
Our concern for Louisiana at this hour is some coastal flooding as those winds push the waves on shore, so we could see some tides between three and six feet above normal. The forecast here now shows that the closest approach we could be seeing landfall late Monday into early Tuesday, and it's going to be taking a right-hand turn.
Because we're getting that turn, Don, is why we have some uncertainty on both timing and exact location. But we don't want you to focus on the skinny line here, because all of the southeast and even into the mid-Atlantic will be impacted by Ida.
LEMON: Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much. Jacqui, you may want to keep a close ear on this because joining us on the telephone is Mark Cooper. He's from the Louisiana governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Mr. Cooper, the governor declared a state of emergency, but the possibility is not until Tuesday that it's going to hit, and Louisiana may not be in the cone of silence. Why a state of emergency?
MARK COOPER, HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS LOUISIANA: Actually, we are in the cone of error at this point...
LEMON: Cone of error, I should say, sorry.
COOPER: As you indicated, those parishes: Plaquemine, St. Bernard, Jefferson Parish, and New Orleans, we're concerned about those areas because we are in the cone, and that as far as the state of emergency that was a precautionary measure.
I'm sure you are aware of, last year during Gustav and Ike, our governor is very forward-leaning. His monolith (ph) is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And that's why we did that declaration so that we could stage resources that could be deployed in the event they are needed by those parishes, especially in those low- lying areas where flooding is anticipated.
LEMON: Yes.
You know what, we are right -- we actually took a fly-over with the governor, and I'm not sure -- were you with us in that as we took the fly-over with the governor last year during Gustav and Ike? With the governor, he said -- he told my producer and I that no matter the storm, even if it was anywhere close to coming ashore in Louisiana that he was going to take every precaution that he could. So -- and remember, Gustav hit the central part of Louisiana more than it did the Coast.
You think people are focused on New Orleans? What are you telling people there in the rest of the state, obviously a state of emergency, but New Orleans, again, usually the problem? What are you telling residents?
COOPER: Well, what we're doing, first of all is that we are in constant contact with the National Weather Service, and we are also in contact with those southeast parishes, and we have been doing that since Friday when Ida became -- became an issue.
We're talking to them. What we're telling local residents is that they obviously need to listen to news programs such as yours and the local news and to the emergency officials and to heed whatever direction that they're giving them. But the issue is that we have not had -- in my understanding -- we have not had a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast ever. I'm not sure about tropical storms, so our hurricane season usually goes from June -- or goes from June until the end of November.
LEMON: This is late, huh? COOPER: It is very late. And so, what our concern is that there may be some complacency and so we're again instructing our citizens to heed the warnings of local officials. But also, if and they've forgotten about having a plan for their families to evacuate and making sure they have emergency supplies, is to dust off that plan. We actually have a Web site that we set up that they could go to getagameplan.org to get information if they've forgotten...
LEMON: Say that again, say that slowly -- what's that Web site.
COOPER: It's getagameplan -- g-e-t-a-g-a-m-e -- getagameplan.org and they can get all the information they need in making sure that they're prepared.
LEMON: Ok, Mr. Cooper. Thank you. And if there's any -- any bright spot in any of this is that the water is cool as our Jacqui Jeras said in the Gulf and in the northern Gulf and that may slow it down and keep it from building speed and steam.
Before I let you go, I want to put this Web site up because I think it's important what you said. Getagameplan.org...
COOPER: Right.
LEMON: Getagameplan.org. Mark Cooper from the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, thank you so much. Best of luck to you.
COOPER: Thank you. Appreciate it.
LEMON: Thank you.
We have another big story that we have been following here, and, of course, that is the health care vote. Oh, so close. Take a listen last night as it was passed in the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The yeas are 220. The nays are 215. The bill is passed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You heard it from the House Speaker; 39 Democrats broke party lines last night, but you know what, there was only one single Republican who broke party lines.
Let's go back to Louisiana. Let's hear from Congressman Joseph Cao.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOSEPH CAO (R), LOUSIANA: For this decision, even though it was unpopular for my own party, but it was the right decision for my district, so I've always been focusing on making the right decision for the people of my district, whether or not it will cost me my political future. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The president commented today at the Rose Garden. Elaine Quijano at the White House with the latest -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, after last night's house vote, a vote that gave President Obama a big political win. The president very much wants to keep the momentum going. That's why for the second time in two days we saw the president come out to the Rose Garden and make remarks before the cameras.
The president once again called that House vote historic. He, again, touted lawmakers' progress so far when it comes to health care and he urged the senate to follow suit and pass its own version of health care legislation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, it falls on the United States Senate to take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people. And I'm absolutely confident that they will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, despite that confidence, there was something noticeably absent from the president's remarks today in the Rose Garden.
Listen to what the president has said many times in the past about getting a health care bill on his desk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Now is the time to deliver on health care.
Now is the time to pass health care. We're not going to wait another year.
We are going to pass health care reform. Not ten years from now. Not five years from now. We are going to pass it this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: This year; that was the deadline. That was the time frame that the president, once again, mentioned in his written statement that was released shortly after that House vote.
But the president did not repeat that pledge in the Rose Garden today, perhaps an acknowledgment, Don, that the White House knows it's going to have a tough political fight ahead in the Senate -- Don.
LEMON: All right Elaine. Thank you very much.
And if you listen to the comments, the heated exchanges that have been happening today after that vote, well, you can see the House of Representatives really is a house divided. Listen to the feedback.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEEL, CHAIRMAN, RNC: I think the bottom line is the American people have a lot more to be worried about now. They've got 2,000 pages of concerns. I think it is in direct contravention of what happened on Tuesday.
I thought Americans sent -- in miniature, at least -- it New Jersey and in Virginia, especially, a message of the kinds of policies they are looking from leadership.
Last night doesn't get us there. I think that when you look at this bill, you look at the mandates, you look at the costs, you look at the government intrusion; there's a lot for Americans to be concerned about.
GOV. TIM KAINE, CHAIRMAN, DNC: This is a historic win. Great credit to the Speaker and the House members, great credit to groups that rallied around: the AMA, nurses, American Cancer Society, AARP, and our dedicated volunteers in organizing for America all over the nation. This is going to create a great tail wind.
We have more work to do, obviously. Senate bill and the compromise, but it will create a tail wind for Democrats everywhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the big question is what happens next?
Here's what happens next. The Senate must pass its own version. If that happens a committee would be formed to work out a compromise version of the Senate and the House bills. Then the compromise will require final approval from both the Senate and the House. Finally, if all that gets a green light, it heads to the president's desk for his signature.
Sounds like a lot, right?
All right.
So, the president says he wants it all wrapped up by Christmas. Christmas is really close, Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director in D.C. Christmas is, as they say, just around the corner. That's pretty fast. Can this all happen in that amount of time?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. And Thanksgiving is right in the middle of it as well, and that could slow things down in the Senate. That's the big question mark now as the spotlight now will shine on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Hey, Don, the Democrats, they have a 60-40 advantage in the senate. They had a big advantage also in the House. And remember, 39 Democrats jumped ship, and that's why this vote last night was so close. Something very similar could happen in the Senate. It's going to be a real battle.
Take a listen to Senators Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina; and Senator Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSAY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. Just look at how it passed. It passed 220- 215. It passed by two votes. You had 40 -- 39 Democrats vote against the bill.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: I believe we are going to pass health care reform. I believe we must do this because it's central to not just the quality of life here, but our economic success in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Two very different opinions. You could have the same thing you had in the House. You're going to probably have no Republicans or maybe one at the most coming on board here and joining the Democrats in the Senate bill. And you may have some moderate and conservative Democrats jumping ship as well just like they did in the House -- Don.
LEMON: So we talked about there is one big difference that you and I talked about just about an hour ago, and we talked about this public option, but -- which you said may not be in the Senate bill. So what other big differences between the House and the Senate versions?
STEINHAUSER: Let's start with that public option. It was not in the Senate Finance bill that we spent so much time covering.
Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, said he wants to put the public option, which is a government plan that competes with private insurance. He says he wants it in there, but it's no guarantee it's going to happen.
If he does get it in there, it will be very different that what we saw in the House. It will have -- it will allow states to opt out of the public option.
Some other big differences as well, especially when it comes to how do you pay for all this. In the House bill there's a tax on the wealthiest Americans. That will not fly in the Senate. What they're proposing instead is taxing or putting a fee on those Cadillac plans, as they're called, those very high-end insurance plans.
There are a bunch of other differences as well, Don. If we get a bill through the Senate, it's going to be very different than the House, and they just have to come together.
As you said, Christmas, that's looking optimistic now.
LEMON: Yes, thank you, Paul. We appreciate it. It was an interesting weekend. Everyone is wondering who this one Republican was. Who is this one Republican who voted yes out of 435 people? Well, there he is. His name is Joseph Cao; he's from Louisiana. You're going to hear from him tonight at 10:00 p.m. I'm going to ask him why he did it.
It's been a really, really emotional memorial service tonight for victims of one of the largest mass shootings ever on a U.S. Military installation. We'll take you live to Fort Hood, Texas for that.
Also, could the suspect in the Cleveland serial killings case be linked to other murders? That's what police are asking in that area and also from other cities around the country.
We want your feedbacks. That's how you give it to us. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The suspect in all of this just was taken off a respirator not long ago, so the question is will he talk to investigators soon? That's going to be the big question. That's when we're going to find out really the most information.
Again, he is still in intensive care, but the conditions of some of the victims as well have been -- are improving. The suspect here we're talking about Major Nidal Malik Hasan, again in critical but stable condition -- off a ventilator.
Our team has been on the ground here since this story broke. There you see them. Samantha Hayes is in Killeen, Texas tonight. A memorial -- a really solemn memorial just wrapped up a short time ago. We're going to talk to her.
Ted Rowlands is in Fort Hood tonight where they are beginning to consider what the consequences could be for Major Nidal Hasan.
And also, as he is standing there now, they're preparing for Tuesday's memorial service with the president and the first lady and other members of our government are going to be showing up there.
First now, the vigil of the 13 men and women gunned down there on Thursday. Samantha, as we said it was a solemn vigil; a very sad moment. You were there and I would imagine you spoke to some of the people who are there. What are they saying?
SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's a very tense time right now. I talked to one of the pastors of a local church here and he said just that. That people really haven't even begun to mourn yet.
We talk a lot about healing. Well, after a couple of days after a mass shooting but that really may be some time off. People are still trying to sort out how could this happen in Killeen, Texas?
This is their home. Many people consider Fort Hood members of their family. It's a very tight, very intertwined community, and even if people weren't directly involved or related to the shooting, they still take it personally. And that's why we saw so many people attend this prayer service tonight.
The folks were talking a little bit about what it means to them to be so close to people in this community; a lot of shock still, a lot of questions about how this could happen. They want to know why this happened.
And so you know the service tonight sort of focused on not necessarily letting this incident define this community, but looking to the community for support; looking to their faith in God for support, and trying to make the very first steps in moving on from this and trying to making some sense of it.
LEMON: Can you guys open my mike? Thank you.
So Samantha, can you take us inside this memorial service? You said you talked to some of the people but what was -- tell us what was happening inside.
HAYES: All right.
This is also the prayer service attended by local and state official and so we also heard from the mayor of Killeen, the mayor pro tem, state representative and also Texas Governor Rick Perry. He was here as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Over the past few days we have seen many good deeds: soldiers carrying soldiers from that horrible act to safety, people standing in line hours to give blood. I encourage you to heal by serving; serving together as you encourage one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAYES: Many people here, looking toward the official memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday. Many high-level officials attending that including the president and the first lady and members of the Military of course -- Don, back to you.
LEMON: Thank you very much for that, Samantha.
Ted, let's start there with you. You're right where that memorial service will be held. Take it away, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don. And they're going to be working all night here getting ready for it and all day into tomorrow. They've already begun that work at this hour. It's raining here but they are still working.
They've constructed basically a barrier, and then they'll start to build the grandstands, et cetera so that they can prepare for this memorial service that is expected to be very, very emotional. We had a lot of services today. This one on Tuesday should be very emotional with a lot of people who have been affected by this attending it, so they're getting ready for that now.
LEMON: Ted, with that as a back drop, we're learning more about Hasan as a soldier and about his career in the Army. You have been speaking to people who knew him?
ROWLANDS: Yes. We just had the opportunity to talk to his superior's superior; basically, the woman -- colonel that ran the entire medical facility here at the post. And she said she talked to Hasan on several occasions, said that she was aware of his record at Walter Reed that did have some blemishes.
She said that he had some problems assimilating with some of the programs. They say when he came here, they worked with him, and as far as they were concerned, he was doing everything that was asked of him. And they were pleased with the way he was interacting with soldiers and helping them, coping with the stresses of war.
I asked her again at the end, how does a guy who has a blemish on his record get promoted to Major, which was recently done? He was promoted, yet he had these blemishes on his record.
Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARI JULIAN, MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT: It is not just time sir. Any officer in the United States Army must be promoted on merit and on potential for increased responsibility. All officers, whether they're medical corps or not, go before a board. That board is not just made up of medical officers. It's also made up of line officers and officers in other MLSs (ph).
And so his record went before the board just like everyone else's. And he received this promotion appropriately based on his performance evaluation.
ROWLANDS: Great, thank you officer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Really defending obviously the procedure and that promotion -- Don.
LEMON: All right Ted Rowlands, Ted thank you so much. We appreciate your reporting tonight in the rain especially.
One of the wounded soldiers from the Fort Hood attack is expressing his gratitude to the community for the outpouring of kindness. He spoke just a short time ago. Army Private Joseph Foster is his name. Wounded in the hip, but he is out of the hospital now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. JOSEPH FOSTER, U.S. ARMY: I got back on Friday afternoon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're saying you were hit where, sir? FOSTER: In the left hip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what does this mean to you, to have these other families come here?
FOSTER: It's been great actually, I've -- she does most of the cooking, but I enjoy it to. And they've been coming by and bring us food, offering any care. Watched my two children when I went to go and pick up my brother. They've been more than helpful.
It's just that the community came together. You would have to get a taste of it. It's like a giant family. When anything like this happens, we just get stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And the civilian killed in all of this was Michael Cahill (ph). His family is speaking out tonight. The 62-year-old physician's assistant worked at the post for six years, helped deploying and returning soldiers with their medical needs. And despite their loss, his family, his wife and his daughters say they are not bitter, nor are they angry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOLEEN CAHILL, WIFE OF MIKE CAHILL: I'm not angry at this moment because this is life. This is reality and these things happen. And sometimes you cannot control it.
Perhaps there are some lessons to be learned here that perhaps people need to be watched more in what state they are, mentally.
KEELY VANACKER, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: An individual person chose to do the wrong thing and he will be held accountable for those actions, absolutely and he should be. And whatever the military tribunal decides to do, then that's appropriate. And that's what we need to remember and focus on the victims here and their families because they are the ones that are important and need the help and the support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Lawmakers have plenty of questions about what happened. Specifically Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman plans to launch a formal senate inquiry into what happened. He believes that something was missed, and he wants to know exactly what happened with this gunman and if there were things that could have been done to prevent it.
Meanwhile, ripped up by a twister; we're not talking about Kansas here anymore. In fact, this is halfway across the country from Tornado Alley.
JERAS: That was a rare one. We'll have more details on that. Plus, hurricane season not over yet. We'll have the latest on Ida. It's aiming for the Gulf Coast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hey, we want to tell you that the National Weather Service is confirming now that it was a tornado that slammed the Oregon central coast on Friday night. Meteorologists say the twister began as a waterspout and then moved inland. There were homes and cars that were damaged by this storm. No major injuries to report, though, and, yes, tornadoes in this part of the country very, very rare -- very rare.
The first snow of the season falling in Washington State, more is expected. The state's Department of Transportation already shut down three major highways due to the snow in that area.
Let's go to El Salvador, now, 91 people have been killed after torrential rains triggered serious flooding and mudslides. Two-thirds of the deaths reported in the capital of San Salvador, two thirds, what does that mean? And how many people actually died in this? 91 people were there. Most of them, we should say, died in El Salvador. Dozens more reported missing.
As we said, at the top of the newscast, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has preemptively declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.
Let's go now to our Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui, what can you tell us about that. Again, we don't want to overplay it, but they say they want it...
JERAS: Right.
LEMON: ... they want to be ready just in case there.
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: And you can understand that.
JERAS: Yes, hurricane season is not over until November 30th, people. So we still have a couple of weeks to go and sometimes Mother Nature doesn't always go by the rules, so to speak, and they can happen outside of the season from time to time.
Now, Ida, our hurricane here today, has been intensifying modestly. We're up there to a Category 2 now with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. It's pulling away from the Yucatan Peninsula and now making its way into the Gulf of Mexico. So all eyes are on the Gulf Coast and we do have hurricane watches which have been issued from parts of Louisiana all the way over towards Mexico beach.
So, all those folks need to be on alert because there are going to be some significant impact.
What can you expect? Well, the storm is going to approaching as early as tomorrow night and these are the primary concerns that we're going to be dealing with. Coastal flooding expected, we're already starting to see that and some moisture and the waves and the winds starts to make their onshore ahead of the system due to a different disturbance.
Power outages because winds can be as strong as 50 miles an hour, so that's going to knock down tree branches and as well as those power lines. Flooding rains, one of our biggest issues, three to six inches easy. And this storm is not just going to be hitting the coast. It's going to be making its way all the way towards the mid-Atlantic and even expecting places like New York City.
Here is the official forecast track for you from the National Hurricane Center and notice this huge right hand turn. That's why we have so much uncertainty as to exactly where it's going to hit. Right now best estimates, somewhere around the Mobile, Pensacola area and that's going to happen sometime on Tuesday.
Now, the best thing I can tell you is that the water temperatures in the northern gulf, very cool, Don. Take a look at this. This is the track that we're expecting Ida to be taking and so it's going to move over this nice cool area of water and that's why we're expecting it to be downgraded to a category one. Maybe a weak front - or a strong tropical storm when it does make its way on shore.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Jacqui, thank you very much. We're going to be on top of this. 10:00 p.m. eastern Jacqui is going to update you. It's going to be a big, big story coming up in the next week, and we are on top of it.
Thank you very much. You know, there were women who apparently went into Cleveland, that house of horror there, and never came out. There's a memorial service that just wrapped up, and guess what one woman said she came face-to-face to the accused killer and she spoke to our Susan Candiotti.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, first it was seven. Then it was 10. Now it's 11 women who apparently went into a house of horrors and never came out. And a memorial service for those women just wrapped up a short time ago in Cleveland, Ohio. Our Susan Candiotti standing right outside of the church there. Sudan, take us inside this memorial service. Obviously, we saw some of it in our 6:00 hour and it appeared to be very moving.
All right. Susan Candiotti is apparently having trouble there. We'll get to Susan in just a minute. But I also want to mention that Susan Candiotti filed an amazing report that we want you to see. There was a woman in Cleveland who said that she came face-to-face with this accused serial killer. His name is Anthony Sowell.
And I want to warn you the language in this story might be a little bit much for some people. So we want to warn you here, if you have kids in the room or you don't like strong language, then you may want to just walk out of the room for a minute. But here's Susan Candiotti's report, and we'll talk to Susan on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unspeakable horror overwhelming to so many in Cleveland after the remains of 11 strangled women were discovered inside and outside the home of Anthony Sowell, who is now charged with severa1 counts of murder.
Tonya Doss has no doubt she may have been spared the same fate. Last April she says she had an encounter with Sowell that scared her out of her wits.
TONYA DOSS: Come on, let's look at the game in the house.
CANDIOTTI: She agreed to watch a televised basketball game in his upstairs bedroom. Off and on since 2005, Doss said she occasionally shared a beer or a barbecue at Sowell's place.
(on camera): He liked to drink. She liked to drink. Tonya Doss has had several brushes with the law, mainly over drugs, including one felony conviction. Police say some of the victims found at Sowell's home have had similar troubles.
(voice-over): But Doss says she had no idea Sowell was a registered sex offender who spent 15 years in prison for attempted rape. She says he gave her a different story.
DOSS: He took the rap for one of his brothers.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Really.
DOSS: That's what he told me.
CANDIOTTI: He didn't anything about a rape or an attempted rape?
DOSS: None of that.
CANDIOTTI: But after several beers, she says Sowell's mood suddenly changed.
DOSS: He caught me off guard. He leaped on me like this.
CANDIOTTI: So you are on the bed here?
DOSS: I'm on the corner of the bed, but when he grabbed me, he pushed me back up on the bed like this. OK, I'm trying to - Tonya, I'm trying to make love as but I couldn't. so I'm holding my breath and tried to take my - you know, stiff my neck where it couldn't - but he had a grip on my throat, and my eyes started - really I started - I couldn't breathe. I couldn't talk. He said, bitch knock on the floor three times if you want to live. I did like this. He was still choking me. He was, like, bitch you could be another bitch in the streets dead, and - what nobody give a (bleep) about you.
And I started crying and why are got to act like that, Tony? He said, oh, you think I'm playing? Bitch take your clothes off.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Doss complied but says to her surprise Sowell did not rape her.
(on camera): Were you afraid? DOSS: I laid in the corner on the bed like this. I closed my eyes and prayed myself to sleep.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): In the morning Doss said she faked a phone call telling Sowell she had to rush to the hospital to meet her daughter.
(on camera): Tonya, did you ever report this to the police?
DOSS: No, I didn't.
(on camera): Why not?
Why not?
DOSS: Because I have been raped before.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): She says when she went to authorities about that previous rape, her attacker got a life sentence and relatives blamed her for what happened. CNN could not confirm her allegation.
DOSS: When I saw him on TV and they talk about bodies, all these females he choked and I was there.
CANDIOTTI: Tonya's friend, Nancy Cobbs, was reported missing the same month of Doss's alleged attack. She broke down when we asked about her friend acknowledging she was overwhelmed by guilt. On Friday authorities identified Cobb as one of those whose bodies were found in Sowell's home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Susan Candiotti joins us now. Susan, unbelievable story. And this is only one of them.
CANDIOTTI: It is. And there are other women who also said that they had encounters with Anthony Sowell and many of them, Don, as you heard, shared similar troubled pasts. And these appeared to be the kind of women that he allegedly targeted.
LEMON: Yes. And Susan, we see behind you that people are starting to exit the Mount Olive Church where memorial service was held just moments ago. Did you get a chance to talk to anyone?
CANDIOTTI: Because of the services going on, we could not. Now that it breaks up, of course, we'll try to, but we know that in speaking with people earlier today, they plan to go from here over to the crime scene and the pastor reminded everyone here today that these women have faces and names and pasts and they will not be forgotten, and he said that the victims may not know it, but they actually managed to bring this community together in a way that they hope will go on for quite some time to come.
LEMON: In some odd way. Thank you. Susan Candiotti, we'll let you go and talk to those people that are leaving behind you. We appreciate your reporting. You know what, we've been following another developing story here. Remember on Friday, we're reporting about this man who apparently went into an office building and started shooting up people. His attorney said that he was mentally ill. His mother is now apologizing saying she is sorry.
He is 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez. You see him right there. He is the accused triggerman in that shooting spree. It was at an office building. An engineering firm. He killed one person, accused of killing one person, five others wounded in that. Denied bond yesterday in his court appearance.
Following that hearing, the suspect's mother said she was sorry to the victims. The public defender describes him as an unemployed divorcee caught in a web of financial and personal troubles.
The man you're going to see right here. He is being hauled off the street. You see him. That is from the streets of Seattle. And police are calling him a lone domestic terrorist suspected of killing a police officer and blowing up four police vehicles. 41-year-old Christopher Monfort is in serious condition, shot Friday as he tried to escape capture.
Now as a SWAT team was closing in on Monfort, his alleged victim was being memorialized. Timothy - Officer Timothy Brenton was fatally shot in his patrol car on Halloween night, and a rookie officer was grazed in the neck. No formal charges filed in this case yet.
Health care reform hurdle cleared, at least for the Democrats, but just barely. A win in the House moves this bill to the Senate. Live pictures on Capitol Hill right now. We expect another big fight here. We're hearing reactions from both sides tonight on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So last night's passage of the health care reform bill, it's just the beginning. The bill is going to go through a lot of revisions, and then they'll pick it up, and then the president - once it's done, the president will pass it. But he said he is confident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now it falls on the United States Senate to take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people. And I'm absolutely confident that they will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So all of this passionate debate is going on yesterday. I don't know if you saw the House. We carried a lot of it live. There were a lot of children there that they were holding up. It was very interesting day to see the House. We just want to you hear some of the passionate voices from yesterday and even late last night. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DONALD M. PAYNE (D), NEW JERSEY: There will be a positive emphasis on prevention with vaccinations, mammograms and colonostomies that will be covered with no out of pocket expenses. In addition, there will be lower premiums for millions of Americans but we will see but (INAUDIBLE) I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and vote for this bill.
REP. PETE STARK (D), CALIFORNIA: I encourage each of my colleagues to join me in voting yes. And I can assure you, these guys aren't going to have to pay for it in the future.
REP. G.K. BUTTERFIELD (D), NORTH CAROLINA: We have an obligation, constitutional and moral, to provide for the general welfare of every American citizen. Allowing a broken health care system to continue to bankrupt families, businesses and hospitals and deny coverage to millions is a failure of duty. We must act now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Obviously, those are the supporters. Here is the opposition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JACK KINGSTON (R), GEORGIA: If your kitchen sink is leaking, you fix the sink. You don't take a wrecking ball to the entire kitchen. This bill is a wrecking ball to the entire economy.
REP. TED POE (R), TEXAS: You know, the constitution starts out, "we the people." If this bill passes, especially in this section, let's scratch out "we the people" and write in the phrase "we the subjects of big government."
REP. TOM PRICE (R), GEORGIA: This bill is not a health care bill. This bill is an affront on the morality of the provision of American health care.
REP. JOH BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: And I don't think there's a member on either side of the aisle who doesn't realize that this is unsustainable. That this will wreak havoc on our country, wreak havoc on the future for our kids and our grandkids.
REP. HOWARD MCKEON (R), CALIFORNIA: Support the Republican alternative and oppose the Pelosi plan. This is an absolute disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: If you didn't see it, you really missed it. I mean, yesterday that is really must watch television. It was very interesting to watch. That happening on the House floor.
Meantime, the Great White Way. We're talking about New York City turned Yankee blue. Well, a series win. New York style. That was Times Square, and there's nothing like winning a win to boost the bottom line. Right, Rick Horrow? This is the dirt on the big bucks behind the championship. Don't say anything. Quiet. After the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So a big win can mean big money for World Series winners and pro football players dish the dirt on some of the league's so- called dirty players. There is Rick Horrow, our man when it comes to sports business or the business of sports. Hey, before we get to the NFL players, the dirtiest players in the NFL. What about the dirtiest women's soccer players? Did you see, roll the video, Rick. Can you see the video. Tell us what happened here.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I can't see the video but I saw it about 800 time this weekend. And she will no doubt be suspended. The school issued a statement. The parents issued a statement. She issued a statement. And she was suspended and frankly, probably for maybe less time than she should have been. But I don't want to get into that. It was an amazing video in an otherwise fairly docile intercollegiate soccer game.
LEMON: Yes. This was in New Mexico. And it says here that the woman soccer player, Elizabeth Lambert was suspended for physical play versus B-Y-U. Can we roll that again? I cannot believe that video. Here it comes. Whoa!
HORROW: The shameless rolling of the tape began.
LEMON: I mean, we were watching this on Friday and we cannot believe it. Because we've seen association, right? You've seen it. European soccer and you see it overseas. And I mean, those guys, you know, they don't mess around. But these girls, whoa!
HORROW: You know, it's a tough game. But most time you stay away from the camera.
LEMON: Whoa!
HORROW: I know (INAUDIBLE) NFL dirtiest players, but this is pretty interesting video, wouldn't you say.
LEMON: It is. You're just seeing a small part of it. Because there was more. We saw a lot of kicking and what have you. But anyway, the video is amazing. So we want to get to the dirtiest players real quick. Tell us about that.
HORROW: Well, there was a survey done SI.com with the top ten dirtiest players, votes it appears, votes of other. And the interesting thing about that, Hines Ward is number one. Albert Haynesworth, two. Joey Porter, Roy Williams, Kevin Mawae, then Courtland Finnigan and others.
Do you know what the bottom line is? All of these players are pro bowl players. So what is dirty for one is tough, aggressive and successful for another. So it won't hurt their marketability. It might boost their image.
LEMON: OK. So what about - let's talk about the Yankees now. Congratulations to the Yankees, right? Any time you win, a win is a win is a win, right? They already have the biggest payroll of it all. Will this offset the cost? Because every time I open the paper in New York, they're talking about what the Yankees make and is it worth it?
HORROW: Yes, but here's the issue. The Yankees are probably worth anywhere from 1.3 to $1.5 billion, according to all economic indicators. And it is a heck of a mortgage payment. Because they just opened a new stadium that is paid even more than. So justify the tickets. The one problem I have is if I get a ring for all my fingers, that's 27 titles. That will be 27 rings you have to put on 27 fingers is a perplexing problem that the Yankees now have.
LEMON: 27 fingers. Rick, we need to have like an anatomy lesson.
HORROW: Oh, I'm sorry. Now I understand.
LEMON: This weekend, real quickly here, 14 races, $25 million. Breeder's cup. Is this relevant anymore, this race?
HORROW: Well, it is very relevant given the timing. Because the betting in the horse industry has decreased about 11 percent. So you need these superstar races to attract attention and there was a lot of attention to that this weekend, my friend.
LEMON: And Rick stop with the hair pulling, OK?
HORROW: Yes, I got it, my friend. I'll an little cleaner next week.
LEMON: Thank you very much. We appreciate it. See you next week.
HORROW: All right, man.
LEMON: Would you consider dancing on your way to the subway? Would you?
We're going to show you a place where just going up and down the steps is music to everyone's ears.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's look now at the some of the top stories we're covering here on CNN. A challenge for lawmakers from President Obama now that the House has passed a bill overhauling health care. The president said it is time for the Senate to act. He is encouraging senators to get to work on their version of the plan, although passage there is less certain since so many Republicans oppose the measure.
A lone republican joined Democrats in passing the health care reform bill last night. We're going to talk to him tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. His name is Joseph Cao of Louisiana. He'll join us at 10:00. You're going to hear from him, live.
Louisiana isn't the only place though that isn't taking any chances, I should say. When it comes to Hurricane Ida, the storm has barely entered the Gulf of Mexico. And the governor there, Bobby Jindal, already declared a state of emergency. It is not supposed to hit there until Tuesday. If it does, the move frees up resources and puts the National Guard and state troopers on high alert. Expect it to begin really as we said the impact to hit the coast starting tomorrow night but really if it gets that far, and Louisiana will probably hit, as Jacqui said, on Tuesday. Right, Jacqui Jeras?
JERAS: Yes, probably early Tuesday if that should happen. It is a very strong storm right now. A category two. Those winds up to 105 miles per hour. It is moving toward some cooler waters. So that's a little bit of good news when we talk about the intensity forecast down the line.
Hurricane watches have been posted here from Grand Aisle, Louisiana. All the way over to Mexico City Beach and really all of this area will likely feel some type of an impact from this storm starting late Monday, continuing through the day on Tuesday.
There you can see the forecast track. The big right-hand turn. So that's why we have such a big cone of uncertainty. But that will likely happen on Tuesday. Stay tuned to your hurricane headquarters for the latest because there will likely be changes in the upcoming days.
LEMON: All right. Jacqui, just checking a little feedback here on twitter. That soccer video. Hey, Jacqui. Come back, Jacqui.
JERAS: I'm here, I'm here.
LEMON: Jacqui, you originally sent that story out and now that we're seeing, man, a lot of people are weighing in. I'm going on read some of the tweets later.
JERAS: It was amazing. But she got elbow first. You the see the girl ahead of her? Did a little elbow before that pony tail pull?
LEMON: You wouldn't do that, would you?
JERAS: Not that bold. No.
LEMON: At least not while the cameras are rolling, right?
JERAS: Maybe an elbow.
LEMON: All right. Thanks, Jacqui.
Hey, we'll get the video. Maybe we'll get some tweets in about it hopefully. If you ever see a staircase that looks like a piano key board? Well, take a look at this one.
(MUSIC PLAYING).
LEMON: So if you see one, make sure you walk up. Because this musical stair way was installed a few months ago in a subway station in Sweden. It has become an internet sensation on you tube. The giant keyboard is a social experiment to see if people would voluntarily change their behavior if an activity were made more fun. In this case, use of the stairs instead of the escalator increased by about two-thirds. Volkswagen is behind this. It is called the fun theory.
OK. In our last couple of seconds here, let's see. Here's what lady kayaker (ph) says "Psycho soccer next, it will be B movie franchise like Roller Ball. Toss that woman into the psych evil-ish." "Thank you for covering the Cleveland story, someone said. It deserves national (INAUDIBLE) Police problems here are real, missing women's story, real."
Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "State of the Union" with John King starts right now.
