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President Obama to Lead Tribute in Fort Hood; Historic Health Care Victory; Cleveland Killings: A Mother's Grief

Aired November 08, 2009 - 22:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Fort Hood prepares for the president, the first lady and thousands of people from all over the world who will pay tribute to the fallen. We're live with new information on the tremendous precautions they're taking to protect the president. And our Ted Rowlands with information you'll hear for the first time from the Army about the suspect.

Good evening everyone. I'm Don Lemon live tonight at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We'll get to that live report straight ahead.

But first, we want to talk about health care. Washington, D.C. returns to work on Monday morning following a historic weekend victory for health care reform. Too close to call until the gavel fell late last night on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: The yeas are 220, the nays are 215. The bill is passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And really it could not have been much closer, but a win is a win for Democrats. They eked out a victory for their version of health care reform. President Obama says the win is a triumph for millions of real people with real problem, he says. He singled out Katie Gibson, a cancer survivor from Bozeman, Montana. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I told Katie this morning and I told her that when the bill that passed last night becomes law, we'll be able to protect Americans just like her from the kinds of insurance company abuses she had to endure. And I told her that it was because of her willingness to share her story and the extraordinary activism that she and people like her all across the country displayed, not just this year but over the last several years, that we are finally this close to getting reform done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And just a short time ago, I spoke with Katie Gibson about the president and health care reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: So, Katie, what does this mean for people like you?

KATIE GIBSON, CANCER SURVIVOR (via telephone): I think it means once it's passed that people like me will be able to have affordable coverage, and not worry about having their insurance revoked and not worry about not having pre-existing conditions covered.

LEMON: When you heard the president speak about you in the Rose Garden, what did you think?

GIBSON: I was kind of amazed that he mentioned my name in his speech. But I thought it was very kind of him to take time out of his day to call and thank me for being part of the -- part of the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A nail-biter vote is behind them, but Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for round two, this time in the Senate.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, says the bill is dead on arrival in his chamber, and Democrats aren't lining up to disagree. Still, both parties are raising the ghosts of a past president to back up their stance on health care.

So, today's weighty question for two national party chairmen, what would Teddy do?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE, DNC CHAIRMAN: There's no denying that this was a historic passage last night on an issue that President Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, started 100 years ago that now is moving forward in all the committees and now with the House vote of historic importance.

MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: Look, you know, Teddy Roosevelt probably didn't have this in mind, and certainly this would have been one of those things he would have hunted on the big range and shot dead.

KAINE: Teddy wouldn't have wanted insurance companies to be running...

(CROSSTALK)

STEELE: And the reality of it is we don't want the government running things, either. And so- and that is what this amounts to. You've got to deliver something, and what you delivered is a 2,000-pound baby that nobody wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Everyone expected the health care vote to be along party lines and it was, except for one notable exception that is Congressman Joseph Cao of Louisiana. He is a Republican. He voted with Democrats to pass the bill. The congressman joins us tonight to explain why. So, why did you vote for the bill?

REP. ANH JOSEPH CAO (R), LOUISIANA: Good evening, Don. Well, the main reason is I believe that it was the right decision for my constituents down in the second district. Twenty percent of the people in my district, they are uninsured and a good number of other people down here, they are poor. And we are in desperate need of a health care system as well as health -- as well as health care reform post-Katrina.

So I believe that even though it was an extremely difficult vote for me, it was the right vote for the people of my district.

LEMON: And your fellow Republicans are saying a vote for this health care bill is a vote not to be re-elected next time. Are you concerned about that?

CAO: Well, my decisions since the very beginning, they have been based on my own conviction that I have to do first and foremost what is right irrelevant of the political ramifications of my decisions. I have made decisions that were unpopular in the district, for example, the stimulus vote and the cap and trade vote.

I believe that those two bills were wrong for the district. Therefore, I voted against it, even though a lot of my constituents were angry with it. If you recall, right after my stimulus vote, there was a recall petition filed against me.

But I believe that was also a right vote, to reject the stimulus, because my people would have been forced to pay more out of their pockets to fund the stimulus than receive in.

Similarly, the cap and trade vote would have been devastating for the people in the district.

And the health care reform vote, even though it was not popular with the Republican Party, but it was the right vote for the people of my district.

LEMON: Mr. Cao, I have to ask you this, and this is my last question to you. You're a freshman congressman. What about working with Republicans? This is probably going to make your job a little bit more difficult. Do you agree or disagree?

CAO: No, I would -- I would absolutely disagree. Even though on the media there will always be partisan politics, but within the parties, within the members themselves, we are very professional about what we have to do. Giving the partisan nature on the Hill, there will always be yanking and pulling out there in the public, but within the members -- within the rank and file of both parties, I would assume, we are very professional with what we have to do.

Basically, the leadership, even though they disagree with my vote, but at the end of the day, they will continue to work with me. They will continue to support me to make sure that I will be successful next year. LEMON: We'll be watching to see if that happens. Congressman Cao, thank you very much.

CAO: Thank you.

LEMON: So what does happen next? Our political players join us in just a minute, about 10 minutes, to lay it all out for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I see is a place where my baby died. I loved my daughter. And somebody to do something horrible like that to her, it's horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A mother's grief. Friends and family gather outside Cleveland's "house of horrors."

And meantime in Texas, the community gathers to remember the fallen. And our Ted Rowlands is there with new information about the investigation of the accused gunman.

And we're looking for your feedback tonight as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOV. RICK PERRY, TEXAS: You see sadly this week violence touched our community right here at home. Lives were lost or they were altered forever. As the world looked on in shock and dismay, anguish at the senseless violence, but it turned to admiration for the remarkable response of this close-knit community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Texas Governor Rick Perry tonight speaking during a prayer vigil for the victims of Fort Hood.

Ted Rowlands is in Fort Hood tonight.

And, Ted, crews and military personnel are preparing for Tuesday's memorial service and they're taking huge precautions tonight. It's going to be a monumental event with the president and other dignitaries.

Tell us how they're setting up there, what precautions they're taking.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's pretty incredible, but it makes sense. The president, first lady, vice president, they're all coming.

Look at this wall that they've been able to construct. It's about 150 yards long and it is made up of shipping containers. They're putting them up on top of each other.

The ceremony is going to take place in the III Corps courtyard. You can see the III Corps building in the background there, sealing it off with these shipping containers, basically constructing an area which is normally an open-air courtyard, an area that will be secure so that they can conduct this ceremony.

You might say, well, this is on an army base. How could that not be secure? The reality is this is a massive base, Fort Hood, and tens of thousands of people come and go working here -- civilians, enlisted, not enlisted folks -- everyday. So, they don't want to take any chances at all. That's what they're doing. They're going to work all night in preparation all the way up until Tuesday.

LEMON: In the meantime, Ted, I understand you have been speaking to members of the army tonight, and they're saying something for the first time about the suspect to you?

ROWLANDS: Yes. A lot of questions were answered, at least addressed tonight for the first time from the Army.

Major Hasan's boss's boss, who runs the hospital here, came out and talked to us for a while. She addressed a couple things. First off, how did he become a major? How was he promoted when he had blemishes on his record?

She says he went through the same process as everybody else. And at the end of the process, it was deemed that he deserved that promotion to major.

The other thing she addressed was the fact that he came here in July, and they knew that he had had problems before coming here. They say they addressed those problems. Listen to what she said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. KIMBERLY KESLING, DARNALL ARMY MEDICAL CENTER: His evaluation reports said that he had some difficulties in his residency, fitting into his residency. And so we worked very hard to integrate him into our practice and integrate him into our organization. He adapted very well. He was doing a really good job for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: She went on to say, Don, that she was completely personally shocked. She had met and then worked with this Dr. Hasan and said that she was shocked. He is still in ICU. He is off life support, off that ventilator. So, presumably, if he continues to heal, investigators will have a chance to talk to him in coming days.

They also continue the other threads of the investigation here at Fort Hood, and then also talking to people, interviewing them. 170 people have already been interviewed in this ongoing investigation.

LEMON: Ted Rowlands. Thank you very much, Ted.

Senator Joe Lieberman wants to know whether the Fort Hood shooting was a terrorist act. He also wants to know if the Army could have taken action when it came to complaints that Major Hasan showed possible signs of Islamic extremism. Lieberman announced his plans to launch a Senate hearing earlier today.

Meanwhile, the last thing anyone wants is retaliation against Muslim soldiers for what happened at Fort Hood, especially members of the military. The army chief of staff expressed his concerns to our John King this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: Frankly, I am worried -- not worried but I'm concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And another question many people are asking -- will the Fort Hood shootings impact troop deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan?

Here's what General Casey said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY: Right now, there is no operational impact of this particular incident. That may change over time as we look at the specific impact on some of the units that we're scheduled to deploy.

But broadly across the Army, this will not have an impact on our ability to provide trained and ready forces to Iraq and Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And as we look ahead to the memorial service on Tuesday, we're taking time to remember the fallen men and women at Fort Hood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): They were husbands and sons, daughters, a mother- to-be -- the fallen of Fort Hood. Thirteen lives lost. Their loved ones left only to grieve and wonder why.

SHERYLL PEARSON, FALLEN SOLDIER'S MOTHER: This was just amazing to me. It still doesn't seem real to me. I don't -- I don't know. I'm still wondering what happened.

LEMON: Sheryll Pearson was stunned by her son Michael's death. The private first class from Bolingbrook, Illinois, was just 22. He'd left a nowhere job to join the military and see the world.

PEARSON: He wanted to serve his country. He wanted to get an education. He wanted to travel. And he just wanted to do something with his life.

LEMON: Specialist Jason Dean Hunt answered the call of duty, fresh out of high school. He had survived a stint in Iraq. He didn't survive the rampage at Fort Hood. At the time of his death, Hunt had only been married for two months. His sister, Leila Willingham, recalled Hunt as loving and selfless.

LEILA WILLINGHAM, FALLEN SOLDIER'S SISTER: He's always been a hero even before this. And I think -- I think he is even more so, just because he wasn't overseas killed in combat. I think he was -- I think he did jump in front of a bullet for somebody.

LEMON: Juan Velez was proud when his daughter Francesca enlisted in the Army. He was especially proud of her service in Iraq, although it did cause him many sleepless nights.

JUAN VELEZ, FALLEN SOLDIER'S FATHER: Because she was going over there. So, you know, it's war, you know, and many things can happen, you know. So I was very scared.

LEMON: That's why Velez was relieved when his daughter returned to the U.S. She was pregnant, and was coming home to Chicago early. He thought the worry was finally behind him, until a lieutenant colonel came to break the news, Francesca was dead.

VELEZ: For me, it was like a slap in my face, because I supported my daughter to join the Army. I supported her to go to Iraq, fight for her country, for our freedom. And I can't understand is that she didn't die in Iraq. She got back home safe. And she died in the base by a hand of a -- supposedly a soldier. For me, he wasn't a soldier.

LEMON: Francesca Velez, Jason Dean Hunt and Michael Pearson -- three of 13 men and women thrust into harm's way at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Everyone is saying a historic vote, a historic vote, a health care victory in the House. Now to the Senate. What is next on the horizon here? What should happen next?

We're going to ask our political editor, Mark Preston, and then Lynn Sweet of the "Chicago Sun-Times" and also PoliticsDaily.com. Both of them are in Washington, D.C. tonight.

Thanks to both of you. Good to see you.

So, Lynn, this was the first of many battles over health care that we're going to see. No doubt it's a win, but how -- can we -- how big of a win? Can we qualify it?

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, let me use a sports analogy. Just because you have a few good innings doesn't mean that you've won the game.

Clearly, if Obama did not get the House to advance the legislation last night and the House had never given that to a president before, so give him his due. You still have a very difficult Senate negotiation to come up.

You have no final version of the bill offered yet by Harry Reid, and you have this abortion issue that now is going to loom as an even bigger issue now that the House members who are anti-abortion were able to wring concessions from House Speaker Pelosi who is a big abortion rights backer.

So, they got that in the House. You have more restrictions on abortion and abortion funding insurance than before.

LEMON: And, Mark, you know, Lynn brings up a great point here. So, what does happen next? Because, I mean, this is -- it's not -- we're not even close to getting over the hurdle yet, are we?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: We're not even close and we don't even have a bill on the Senate floor yet, Don.

I mean, look, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a very difficult task ahead of him. He said that he wants the public option to be part of this bill. Problem with that is that many centrists in his own party have said that they don't think the public option should be part of it. Harry Reid hasn't got a bill on the Senate floor yet. He already has opposition to the fact that he wants the public option in it.

I'll tell you. You know, what this does raise potentially, Don, I think, is that the idea of a trigger, a mechanism that would create a public option if cost controls are not put in place and we see health care skyrocket. And what you see at that point, though, Don, is that you could see a bipartisan bill again in the Senate, because Olympia Snowe, who authored the idea of the trigger, could come back on board.

SWEET: You cannot call one Republican...

(CROSSTALK)

SWEET: Can we get this out of the way?

LEMON: It was just Joseph Cao, was the one Republican who voted for the bill. This isn't really bipartisan, is it?

SWEET: It is not. You need -- now, the Obama team has been trying to redefine bipartisanship, by the way. I'll do this quick. I know we have a lot to talk about. By saying that they've had a lot of Republican amendments and concepts in there. That's fine. That's true. But it's also true that another measure of bipartisanship is how many Republican votes, you know, how many votes from the other party you get. And when it's one or none, it's not bipartisan.

PRESTON: I know, but, Don, let me just respond to that. I agree with Lynn that in fact it's not bipartisan when you have a bunch of Republicans on board.

But, look, Republicans were doing this during the Bush years as well. So, it is a talking point. It is a talking point we're going to hear from Democrats now that they did get one Republican in the House, potentially they might get a Republican in the Senate.

LEMON: Yes. And if you guys saw these Sunday morning shows, and we're talking about the election that happened on Tuesday. You know, the Democrats lost two governors and you could say the president lost two governors. The people are saying it's a referendum on his presidency. I thought the two leaders of the parties were going to come to blows on one show.

But, you know, we have been asking this question really. So, is this really a referendum on the president? I mean, is that -- is this -- is that a fair question you think, Mark?

PRESTON: No. I mean, look, I think it was a bad night for Democrats. You know, the fact that they lost two Democratic governorships. It was a bad night for President Obama because, look, he lost two governorships.

But if you look at the years of poll data, it wasn't a referendum on him. But I will tell you this, Don. Democrats have got to be worried because we do know they're heading into 2010. Historical trends show that Democrats are going to lose seats. And if you talk to Democratic strategists, they are concerned they're going to take it on the chin in 2010.

LEMON: All right. Mark and Lynn, we appreciate it. Thank you very much.

SWEET: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I see is a place where my baby died. I loved my daughter and somebody to do something horrible like that to her, it's horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A mother's grief. Friends and family express their pain at the scene of unspeakable horrors tonight.

And Hurricane Ida eyeing the Gulf Coast. That's right. A hurricane this late in the year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We want to go now to Cleveland, still reeling from the discovery of a suspected serial killer who preyed for years on African-American women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He maketh men to lie down. Help me out now.

CROWD: In green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, tonight, local ministers held a candlelight vigil for the victims, marching to the home of suspect, Anthony Sowell. Police found six bodies inside the home and five more outside. Seven had been identified so far. Well, one of those victim is Talacia Fortson.

CNN's Susan Candiotti met with her grieving mother, Inez, tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As we stand here in front of this home, where they found your daughter, what is that like for you?

INEZ FORTSON, MOTHER OF TALACIA FORTSON: It's hard, because I want to burn it down. I really would like to. It's very hard. That's why I won't look at it.

CANDIOTTI: Why won't you look at it?

FORTSON: Because I know my baby was in there, and she got killed in there. You know, it's hard. I know what other people feel like that lost a child. I didn't, but I do now. That was my only daughter.

CANDIOTTI: What do you feel about him?

FORTSON: I don't have any feelings about him. All I do is pray. Whenever I see him on TV or think about it, I have to pray because I believe that one day I'll have to forgive him for what he's done. But right now, I can't because i'm numb. I can't do it.

CANDIOTTI: Do you wonder what she may have been going through in those final moments?

FORTSON: Yes. I got an idea what she was going through, because they say the majority of them was raped and killed. Strangled. Yes. I know my baby fought for her life, but she didn't make it. Now, I got to go without a daughter because of him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's a question that people have been asking. Why did it take so long to discover all the bodies piling up at Sowell's home? All 11 victims, black women?

I'm joined now by Cleveland City Councilman Zachary Reed. He is in Washington tonight.

Thank you very much for joining us. When you hear that mother, that one mother talk about her daughter, as a councilman there, that has to really break your heart and make you wonder what happened. What went wrong here?

ZACHARY REED, CLEVELAND CITY COUNCILMAN: Well, first of all, it makes you want to cry. I mean, I've had the pleasure of representing these individuals for the last 10 years, and you get to know them on a personal basis. And when you hear and see these tragedies in our communities, it makes you want to cry most of all.

LEMON: So, have you -- the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" has been doing reports saying that a missing black woman isn't worth much on the streets of Cleveland. Do you think that it would have been a different story had the victims not been poor and black?

ZACHARY REED, CLEVELAND CITY COUNCILMAN: Well, I don't think you can dissolve or isolate the fact that all the victims were black. But I think that the underlying thing of not only being black was their addiction. Their blackness didn't lure them into that house. Their addiction lured them into that house. And that's what we've got to look at.

I mean, we've got to look at the fact that the addiction in our community have now almost made women and just people as a whole just -- they don't matter. They don't matter that much.

LEMON: I want to read your quote -- I want to read your quote from the "Cleveland Plain Dealer," and this is an article from Philip Morris and he says, "The registered sexual predator in their midst made little effort to conceal the horrors that police say he perpetrated on women. But a neighborhood, a city, blithely ignored the parade of women walking into Sowell's home without ever walking out."

Also that, and the smell supposedly coming from this home, nothing much was done about that as well, Councilman.

REED: Right. And, you know, I got the first call in 2007 from one of my residents that said point-blank, Councilman, there's an odor in the community and it smells like a dead person.

So, you've got to ask the question. If we were in a more affluent neighborhood, would the health department been more vigilant in saying OK, it's not the sausage factory, it's not the sewer system, it's not anything else, what is this smell? Because for two years, we've got to look at the aspect that that smell was the rotting flesh of dead people.

LEMON: What is the progress of your independent investigation that you're calling for?

REED: Well, I'm hoping that we get -- we start moving forward after we got to get through the closure. We first got to get closure on this event. We're now -- I think we're up to six or seven individuals that have been identified. We know there are 11 there. We got to try to identify all 11 of these victims.

And then I hope after we do get through these 11 identifications, I think -- I hope that we will then move aggressively. Because you understand, because of these addictions, because these individuals are poor, this could not only happen in Cleveland. If we don't figure out what happened here, this can happen in other locations throughout our great nation.

LEMON: Cleveland City Councilman Zachary Reed, thank you sir.

REED: Thank you.

LEMON: Much of the Gulf Coast is on the lookout tonight because of a hurricane. That's right, a hurricane this late in the year. Jacqui Jeras, what in the world is going on?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And only about 5 percent of all hurricanes happen after November 1st, and we just happened to get one of them.

Hurricane warnings just issued from Pascagoula, Mississippi over to Indian Pass, Florida. The latest on the track of Ida is coming up.

Don?

LEMON: And what in the world is going on with this? Bad behavior, really bad behavior on the soccer field. We try to find out for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want you to take a look at this video. That is El Salvador. Three days of rain have killed at least 91 people. That is according to the government there. Dozens more still missing. The rains have walls of rocks and mud slamming into villages and caused widespread flooding. The floods are not related -- not related to Hurricane Ida.

And speaking of Hurricane Ida, it has entered the Gulf of Mexico. Did it yesterday as a Category 2 storm. Right now, it looks to be heading somewhere between New Orleans and Pensacola. Louisiana has already declared a state of emergency, which mobilizes resources to prepare for the storm.

Travers Mackel is a reporter for our local affiliate there, WDSU. He is in Biloxi tonight. You're in Biloxi Harbor right in front of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. I see some flags waving behind you. What precautions, if any, are people taking, Travers?

TRAVERS MACKEL, WDSU REPORTER: Mississippi emergency leaders, Don, are taking not many precautions right now. No mandatory or voluntary evacuations yet.

But you mentioned those flags. Take a look at it behind me. You can see the wind whipping a little bit here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. You have a lot of boats over here in the Biloxi Harbor. They have come in basically seeking safer ground, if you will. They're expecting a lot of wind, a lot of rain over the next couple of days.

But once again, no mandatory or voluntary evacuations. People are battle-tested down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They're definitely keeping an eye on this storm, but that's about it right now. Things could change in the next 24 hours.

LEMON: And here's a big question. This part of the country suffered such a blow during the Hurricane Katrina -- Hurricanes, I should say, Katrina and Rita. What about businesses there, casinos, big businesses still open, I would imagine?

MACKEL: Casinos still open right now. They haven't heard anything from the Gaming Commission that they have to shut down. They told us that the Gaming Commission tells them to pull the plug, they have to immediately. That could come tomorrow or even on Tuesday. But right now, all the casinos along the Mississippi Gulf Coast open for business tonight.

You do point out a very good fact, Don. This area heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina more than four years ago. A lot of people still picking up the pieces, if you will, trying to get things together. A lot of businesses still trying to get re-opened. It's hard to believe but Hurricane Katrina definitely took a toll on this area and these people are still feeling the effects.

LEMON: Travers Mackel, WDSU, in Biloxi tonight. Thank you very much for that.

We turn now to CNN's Jacqui Jeras who is in our hurricane headquarters tonight.

Jacqui, that's not expected to hit the area or at least the Gulf Coast early Tuesday morning, right?

JERAS: Yes. But they will start to feel the impact of this storm already we think by tomorrow, maybe tomorrow early afternoon. This storm is picking up a little bit of forward speed, and it has been intensifying a little today. And you can see that big blossom on our radar picture, satellite picture here, as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico. And it's expected to do that throughout the day for tomorrow.

Now, hurricane warnings have just been issued at the top of the hour from Pascagoula, Mississippi over to Indian Pass, Florida. And then we have tropical storm watches -- warnings, rather, to the west of there, which does still include the New Orleans area.

But let me show you our forecast track now. And we've got a lot more confidence as to where this storm is going. The computer models are getting closer together and starting to gel and we're starting to see this storm pick up in that speed.

So, the timing, we think, is going to take place maybe mid late Monday night, but more likely on Tuesday. Notice the cone of uncertainty. See how this thing shrinks down quite a bit? Louisiana no longer even in the cone at this hour. And so all eyes really focusing on that western Panhandle now for a potential landfall.

But notice that weakening that's going to be taking place. We have what we call wind sheer in the environment. So winds are going to be coming in like this to help knock down the storm.

In addition to that, the water temperatures in the northern Gulf are much cooler, so it makes it a lot harder to sustain a storm like this.

Notice the right-hand turn. We've got an area of low pressure into the western Gulf, which is going to be interacting as they kind of come together here. You can see that there are already rain showers today across parts of Texas and Louisiana. That's not Ida-related, but there are other low in the Gulf. It's not a tropical-type system.

So, as we put our map in a motion, you can see these two systems kind of merge and then very quickly off to the east, bringing in the heavy rain and the windy conditions.

Bottom line, what do you need to know of those conditions along the Gulf Coast? Coastal flooding is going to be expected, 3 to 6 feet above normal tide. Power outages likely as winds gust well over 15 miles per hour. Some small areas along the coast could reach hurricane strength. Flooding rains, 3 to 6 inches plus of rainfall.

And this storm system is not just a coastal event. This is going to bring flooding rains to Atlanta. This is going to bring heavy rain and wind to the mid-Atlantic by the middle of the week.

Big storm, Don. We'll have lots of changes probably in the next couple of days. So make sure you keep it here at your hurricane headquarters.

LEMON: And, Jacqui, before you go, it's interesting that there's a state of emergency in Louisiana. This doesn't even appear to be in the cone.

JERAS: It's no longer in the cone, that's correct.

LEMON: Yes. So, all right, we'll see. We'll see if they drop that. Best of luck to everyone down there.

Jacqui, we'll be watching. Thank you.

Remember the D.C. sniper? We're talking about the killings that took place just a few years ago. The man behind the gun is scheduled to be executed this week. Ahead, meet the woman who says she's the reason why John Allen Muhammad went on his murderous spree.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Convicted DC sniper John Allen Muhammed only has two more days to live. He is set to die by lethal injection in Virginia on Tuesday unless the Supreme Court intervenes. His new attorneys have already filed appeals.

Muhammad and his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malveaux, killed 10 people in the DC area over a three-week span in the fall of 2002. They're also believed to have killed people in other states during their cross- country shooting spree.

Muhammed's ex-wife says when she first met him he was smooth-talking, attentive and focused on a better future, but that soon changed as CNN's Jeanne Meserve found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Desert Storm, the first Iraq war, flipped a switch in John Muhammad. To this day, his ex-wife isn't sure what happened.

MILDRED MUHAMMAD, EX-WIDE OF DC SNIPER JOHN MUHAMMAD: It was like his spirit had been broken. He looked like just a broken man.

MESERVE: She says John began waging war on her psychologically, emotionally. When she filed for a divorce, he answered with a threat.

MUHAMMAD: He said in the garage that you will not raise my children on your own. You have become my enemy, and as my enemy, I will kill you.

MESERVE (on camera): Did you believe him?

MUHAMMAD: Totally. I couldn't get anybody else to believe me.

MESERVE (voice over): When John spirited their children out of the country to Antigua for 18 months, Mildred went into hiding.

MUHAMMAD: I knew he was going to kill me, and I knew it was going to be a head shot.

MESERVE: When the children were found, Mildred brought them to Maryland, hoping John would never find them.

Then the sniper rampage began. There were several shootings close to her home, but Mildred was stunned when the ATF appeared on her doorstep and told her the sniper was her ex-husband.

MUHAMMAD: I knew he was going to kill me, and I was fearful for my life, but I never, ever thought that he would go to this length. Never. Ever. It still boggles my mind.

MESERVE (on camera): And yet it made some sense to you?

MUHAMMAD: Uh-huh.

MESERVE: Why?

MUHAMMAD: Because we were watching a movie, I don't remember the name of it, but he said I could take a small city, terrorize it, they would think it would be a group of people and it would only be me.

And I asked him why would you do something like that? And he just changed the subject.

MESERVE (voice over): John and his accomplice, Lee Malveaux, were not yet in custody, so Mildred and the children were put under police protection, whisked to a hotel where she turned on a TV.

MUHAMMAD: That's the first time I saw John's face. And I walked over to the screen and put my hand on it and said what happened to you?

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MESERVE: But Mildred Muhammad believes she knows. She believes John intended to eventually shoot her so he could get his children back.

Is he mentally ill? Mildred Muhammad doesn't think so. She says his meticulously planned shooting spree was motivated by pure vengeance against her.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington. LEMON: Wow. Unbelievable reporting there. Thank you, Jeanne.

CNN Monday night, a special report, our Anderson Cooper takes you back through the DC sniper's time line of terror. Hear from people who lived through the ordeal, plus a look back at the investigation that led to the arrests of John Allen Muhammad. A "360" special investigation, Monday night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

You know, they were the victims of the Fort Hood shootings. One suffered bullet wounds. The other, a blow to her heart after her husband was gunned down. Out of the hospital and talking to the media. You're going to hear from them.

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LEMON: One of the wounded soldiers from the Fort Hood attack is expressing his gratitude to the community for the outpouring of kindness. Army Private Joseph Foster was wounded in the hip, but he is now out of the hospital.

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PFC. JOSEPH FOSTER, U.S. ARMY: Well, I got back home Friday afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you say you were hit where, sir?

FOSTER: In the left hip.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Left hip. And what does this mean to you, to have these other families come here?

FOSTER: It's been great, actually. She does most of the cooking, but I enjoy it, too. And they've been coming by, bringing us food, offering any care, watched my two children when I went go pick up my brother.

They've been more than helpful. It's just -- the community came together. You'd have -- you'd have to get a taste of it. It's like a giant family. When a -- when anything like this happens, we just get stronger.

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LEMON: Some of the families of the victims also speaking out as well.

Michael Cahill was the only civilian killed in the massacre. The 62- year-old physician's assistant worked at the post for six years. He helped deploy and return -- returning soldiers, I should say -- with their medical needs. Despite their loss, Cahill's wife and daughter are not bitter or angry.

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 in 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're the ones that are important, who need the help and the support.

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LEMON: Family members of the Fort Hood victims.

Well, it was a late Saturday night on Capitol Hill. Late night for us, too, and I'm not sure if you saw the health care vote tallied live. It was -- there was a lot of suspense, but you know what, the rhetoric and back and forth leading up to it, that was even more interesting. The best of the best we're going to play for you in just seconds.

And we want to hear your comments. Go to Twitter, got to Facebook, Myspace or iReport.com. Checking them now and we're going to get them on in just a little bit.

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LEMON: Well, the House health care bill didn't pass until late, late on Saturday night. That's why my eyes were red all weekend, but the fireworks were flying all day long. Serious speeches, name-calling, grandstanding, even a few tiny pint-sized pundits. That's right, babies were used to make points. And we couldn't make this stuff up.

So, just in case you missed it, here are some of the highlights from the left, from the right and everywhere in between.

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REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: You know, the GOP used to stand for Grand Old Party. Now it stands for grandstand, oppose and pretend. They grandstand with phony claims about non-existent death panels. They oppose any real reform. And with this substitute, they pretend to offer a solution while really doing nothing.

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. JOHN SHADEGG (R), ARIZONA: But most of all, Maddy 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 onto me and my grandchildren.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your time has expired.

SHADEGG: Thank you, Maddy. 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.

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LEMON: All right. So, listen, we're checking your feedback. Log on Twitter, Facebook, and give us your feedback.

Hey, let's look at some right now.

Ladykayaker says, "If your kitchen sink is leaking so long and badly that it had rotted the kitchen floor, you do rip out the entire kitchen."

And this one says, "Hey, bro" -- stcrylyme2 says, "Hey, bro, how is it a referendum on Obama and Pelosi when they won the most races and even better picked up two more House seats?"

Betso (ph) says, "The war really messes people up." Talking about the John Muhammad story.

And this one sort of made me sad. It was this person that said, "Am I the only one who thinks CNN anchor Don Lemon is a hotty. He's a sexy, older gentleman."

Older gentleman? The whole newsroom is laughing by the way.

Thanks for putting that one in there, whoever did it.

OK. So, sad to say we're almost used to male athletes who behave badly. But what about women, women's soccer? Wait until you see this story.

Older gentleman.

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LEMON: All right. Perhaps some sensitivity training or, I don't know, something for these soccer players. Look at this. All right. This is New Mexico versus BYU. They were playing in a conference tournament, right?

And then look at this. Elizabeth Lambert is the young lady here, and she was suspended indefinitely on Friday.

Jac, can you help me out here. Isn't this crazy? Did you -- you sent this story around first. Did you actually see this one happen?

JERAS: I did not see it when it happened. It was just all over the Internet.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh.

JERAS: Amazing. I mean, this is really, really bold.

LEMON: Let's see -- I mean, she apologized, right? But it's -- I mean, her actions were uncalled for.

JERAS: Oh, yes.

LEMON: And so they -- she's suspended indefinitely.

JERAS: I mean, you always have your elbow jabs or get your kicks in, right, when you're trying to get the ball away, but that was as blatant as I've ever seen in women's soccer.

LEMON: Uh-huh, and I asked if you would do this earlier and you said at least not while the cameras were rolling.

JERAS: I didn't say I would do that.

LEMON: Well, New Mexico lost, right? Do we know who won the tournament? I'm not exactly sure.

JERAS: I don't know, but the player has been suspended. I can tell you that.

LEMON: Yes. She's suspended indefinitely.

JERAS: The team is a little upset about that.

LEMON: Again, her name is Elizabeth Lambert.

And, Tom, but you said BYU won what? 1-0. Anyway. So, see what happens when you are mean.

JERAS: Didn't work out so well, did it?

LEMON: He, Jacqui, we'll be watching next week to see what happens along the Coast and to see if you have some unsportsmanlike conduct like this, too. Appreciate it.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN Center in Atlanta. See you back here next weekend. Have a great evening everyone -- great week.