Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Blizzard Warning in Boston; Tucson Briefing; New York Begins Digging Out; Guns In State Houses; Hot Off The Political Ticker; What's Trending

Aired January 12, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the top of the hour now. Let's check the big stories for this Wednesday, January 12th.

A briefing is set to begin any minute now updating the condition of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and five other victims of the mass shootings in Tucson. Giffords remains in critical condition, but doctors say she is breathing on her own.

According to the most recent information, a second person is also in critical condition right now. One is in serious condition. And three others are listed as fair.

President Obama will offer words of comfort to the victims and families in Tucson, and to the rest of the country. The president is scheduled to leave for Arizona within the hour. He'll speak at a memorial service tonight and meet with family members.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans honored Representative Giffords on the House floor to day. Speaker John Boehner talked about the shooting that injured Giffords and 13 others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a time for the House to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and the wounded and resolve to carry on a dialogue of democracy.

We may not yet have all the final answers, but we already have the answer that matters most, that we're Americans and we'll make it through this difficult period. We will have the last word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And Congressman Giffords' office releasing these pictures of her husband, Mark Kelly. As you can see, he's at her bedside and he's holding her hand. That just breaks your heart. It makes me want to call my husband right now.

Bracing for a blizzard in the Northeast. Two powerful storms have collided, creating some what call a weather bomb. The system has already dumped heavy snow on major cities of the region,, including up to a foot of snow in parts of New York.

Check out these live pictures. These pictures are out of Lowell, Massachusetts. Well, it's not a live picture. It's on tape though.

Is this from Lowell?

We don't have those live pictures from Lowell, Massachusetts, but CNN photojournalist Bob Crowley -- these are the pictures you're seeing. He was in the thick of it there, and he joins us by phone from Boston.

Hey, there.

BOB CROWLEY, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Hey, Carol. How are you doing?

COSTELLO: I'm good. It looks terrible there.

CROWLEY: Well, you know, it's not as bad right now as it was earlier this morning. I would say the visibility at one point when I drove from near the Rhode Island border up close to Boston, it was down to 100 feet, maybe even less. Mass State Police said that it was like that for a lot parts of the state.

But I've seen times when it lightens up, and it definitely seems to be -- the roads seem to be clearer the more you get towards the city. And as a matter of fact, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, they told me that --

COSTELLO: Bob, I'm going to have to interrupt you. I apologize. I'm going to have to interrupt you, because the update on the patients' condition in Tucson has started.

Let's go there now.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DR. PETER RHEE, CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, TUCSON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Two are serious and three are in fair condition. One of the patients got upgraded to serious for a little while because they were on a ventilator, a breathing machine, right after we were doing surgery, which is very customary and normal. So that's the reason why.

The update on the congresswoman at this time period is that it's going as anticipated. Again, at this time period, things can go very slowly and the progress can occur very rapidly at some particular time, and actually can go in a negative fashion and a downward way as well.

And I'm happy to state that none of the downward events have occurred at this time, which is exactly what we kind of wanted to happen at this point. And we have really decreased the amount of sedation that we're giving her, and as a result of that, she's becoming more and more spontaneous all the time.

And other than that, there will be no other additional information that I'm going to be giving about the congresswoman at this time. And I will not be taking questions regarding her status, either.

At this time period, what I would also like to do is I'd like to introduce two family members who are going to make a brief statement. After the brief statement, we'll open it up for a very short period of questions and answers, and then we'll conclude at that time period.

We have the family members of Ronald Barber and Nancy Barber here. Jenny Douglas is going to talk. But we also have Nancy Barber, Chrissy Blake (ph), Jason Blake, and Duane Douglas (ph).

I got that right?

If you don't mind, I'm going to repeat the names again.

If you could just signify who is who.

Nancy Barber, Chrissy Blake (ph), Jason Blake, and Duane Douglas (ph). And that will help the press quite a bit.

OK. With that, Jenny --

JENNY DOUGLAS, DAUGHTER OF RON BARBER: Good morning. My name is Jenny Douglas (ph). I'm Ron Barber's daughter.

Behind me are my mom, Nancy Barber; my sister, Chrissy Blake (ph); my husband, Duane Douglas (ph); and my brother-in-law, Jason Blake.

I have a statement I would like to read on behalf of my family. And we will take a few questions after that.

"We would like to let you all know that my dad Ron Barber is doing well after his second surgery yesterday morning. He has been very alert since coming out of his six-hour surgery on Saturday. He was able to see his four grandchildren on Monday, which gave him great pleasure. We expect him to be released from the ICU on Thursday."

"On behalf of my dad and the rest of our family, we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to our extended family, friends, and the community as a whole for the overwhelming support we have received. Specifically, we would like to thank all of the UMC staff, doctors, nurses, and patient care technicians who have been lovingly caring for our dad and our family these past days. The level of care, compassion and professionalism is truly exceptional."

"We would also like to thank the Tucson Police Department, sheriff's department, and FBI."

"We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the families who lost loved ones on Saturday. Dad is so deeply saddened by the loss of his friend and fellow staff member, Gabe Zimmerman, and long- time friend, Chief Judge John Roll. Our thoughts and prayers are with the other victims and their families during their recovery."

"We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Daniel Hernandez, whose clear thinking and actions in the midst of chaos undoubtedly helped to save Congresswoman Giffords' life. We would also like to personally thank Anna Balast (ph), who applied pressure to my dad's wounds until the paramedics arrived. We are greatly indebted to her."

"My dad has worked in the public sector for this community for almost 40 years. He was with the Division of Developmental Disabilities for 34 years, most of that time as the director for southern Arizona."

"He retired in 2006 and began volunteering immediately with Gabby's campaign, where he was the community outreach director. After her successful election, Gabby appointed him as her district director."

"We knew he worked tirelessly to give a voice for those who often were not heard in his career with the Division of Development Disabilities. It was hard to imagine that he could actually work even more in his new career with Gabby, but somehow he does."

"With such a long career of public service in this community, he has touched many lives, and now we are hearing from many of you who know him well, and some of you who just knew of him. He has friends across the political spectrum and, like his boss, he just wants to do what is best for the people of our community. That is what drew him to Gabby and that is what binds them."

"Throughout this ordeal, dad's singular focus has been on the well-being of Gabby, and he asks that we all continue to pray for her recovery and her family."

RHEE: This is the son of Pamela Simon, who is a staff member as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. I'm going to be reading a brief statement from my mother, Pam Simon.

Pam Simon is a community outreach coordinator for Congresswoman Giffords. And this is in her words.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the outpouring love and support of my family, friends, co-workers and community. The wounds inflicted are healing, thanks to the amazing care of the doctors and staff here at the University Medical Center. And I would especially like to thank Dr. Fretes (ph)."

"The deeper wounds of needless loss of life, severe injury of co- workers and community members, and the sadness over this act of violence will take much longer to heal. I am touched and encouraged by the tremendous caring and coming together of the community, and I believe that in the days and weeks ahead, that we will work together to solve challenges and promote healing."

"I ask for your continued prayers for Gabrielle, my congresswoman and my friend, and that she has a full recovery. She is a leader who is truly needed in this nation." "My special thanks to my wonderful husband, Bruce, for his love and support, and for my children, Fritz (ph) and Summer (ph), for being here throughout this time."

Thank you.

RHEE: OK. We'll open it up for a couple of questions to the Simon family -- I'm sorry, for the Barber family.

QUESTION: Can I ask you -- obviously you suffered a tragedy (OFF-MIKE)?

DOUGLAS: We are very sad about this tragic event. We are grateful that my dad is alive. We are very sad about the people who lost their loved ones.

QUESTION: Can you tell us a little more, please, about your father and what he's been saying about Congresswoman Giffords and her recovery?

DOUGLAS: My dad wants to see her. It will help him to see her. I believe they're going to arrange that. He's just asking about her every day.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

NANCY BARBER, RON BARBER'S WIFE: You know, he's doing as well as can be expected. And day by day, he has to heal. And it's going to take a long time to heal.

But he really wants to express to the community, this wonderful community of Tucson, his love and his gratitude, because we are a wonderful community and we are a family. And we all join together. And he's very grateful for that.

QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit about what he remembers from Saturday? And does he remember what happened?

DOUGLAS: He remembers it all very clearly.

QUESTION: Has he talked to you?

DOUGLAS: Yes.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

DOUGLAS: We can't share that information. But I can tell you he remembers it very clearly.

QUESTION: Could you speak a little bit, please, about his condition, how is he physically?

DOUGLAS: My sister is a nurse, so that's more her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad is healing from his wounds remarkably well, and we really think that that's because we have so much love and prayer coming our way right now. He had surgery yesterday to close some wounds that were created during his original surgery, and he is healing incredibly well.

His pain is being managed by his nursing staff. And he's expected to make a full recovery. So we're really happy about that.

QUESTION: The person who was putting pressure on his wound, could you talk about that person? You said he remembers everything so clearly, so --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just found out who she was yesterday. And there was an article in today's "Star" about her. A friend at "The Star" helped me identify her, because in the photo in Sunday's paper, there was no identification. I'm sure the photographer couldn't get close enough.

And so we were able to find out who she was. And, actually, I spoke with her yesterday. Anna Ballis (ph) is her name. And Ron is very keen to speak with her, as he was with Daniel Hernandez. And he is hoping to meet with her in the next day or so.

RHEE: Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

RHEE: Thank you.

I think this is a testament, that these people who are in the hospital after being shot multiple times and healing, are always thinking of others, and especially the congresswoman.

So that concludes this press release at this time. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

COSTELLO: An update on the conditions of patients still in the hospital in Tucson. Congresswoman Giffords, hanging in there. She's doing as well as can be expected, breathing on her own. It's up to her now, as doctors have said before.

Also, the condition of Ron Barber. He's recovering as well. We heard from his family members.

Sixty-five-years old, a hero -- another hero. So many from that day. He actually put his hand over Congresswoman Giffords' head to stop her from bleeding to death, and he himself winds up in the hospital. And we're glad to hear he is recovering.

We'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's after 3:00 in the morning in eastern Australia. And floodwaters are pouring into the country's third largest city, Brisbane.

Flooding is expected to impact as many as 30,000 people in Brisbane. Already, scenes from outlying areas show widespread devastation.

Hundreds of people have been trapped by the rushing waters, which some people have called an inland tsunami. This family was trapped on the top of their car after it was swept away in rushing water. Authorities believe they survived.

Twelve deaths though have been confirmed in this disaster.

No more snow falling in New York City. So does that mean everything has gone smoothly with snow removal?

Let's check in with Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff.

Hey, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we've been driving the streets of Brooklyn all morning long. We are deep in the heart of (INAUDIBLE) right now. And as you can see behind me, there's plenty of snow here, but the roads themselves, they are in superb condition at this point.

I can tell you, after an entire morning, more than six hours of driving, we did not find one road that had not been plowed at least once. And at this point, with the sun out, the cars driving, a lot of the roads are pretty much cleared of snow.

The big work for Brooklyners now is basically just to shovel out their vehicles. That's the hardest task.

The sidewalks, they need a little work as well. But what a difference between today and that storm we had the day after Christmas Day.

I mean, clearly, New York has the capacity, has the manpower to get out and plow every single street. It's just more evidence of what a fiasco it was that day.

And we've heard a lot -- a lot of criticism of Mayor Bloomberg and his administration for the huge mess-up they had in the aftermath of that very big snowstorm. But today, as you can see, the road's nice and clear.

COSTELLO: I know you're still making me nervous when you're driving and talking and looking at me, so I'm going to let you go. But we're glad that Mayor Bloomberg heard the public's complaints and got those city streets cleared.

Thank you, Allan Chernoff.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The shooting rampage in Tucson draws a response from an Oklahoma sheriff. I'll be talking with him next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Today, President Obama and the first lady are flying to Tucson, Arizona, to attend a memorial for the victims of Saturday's shooting. They'll also visit with the victims' family members.

Here are the six who died that day.

They were as young as 9 and as old as 79, all gathered to hear Congresswoman Giffords speak outside of a Tucson grocery store.

Christina Green was born on September 11, 2001. She was attending the Congress on the Corner event because she had recently been elected to her school's student council.

Thirty-year-old Gabe Zimmerman was recently engaged to be married. He was Giffords' director of community outreach.

Dorwan Stoddard was shot in the head while trying to shield his wife from the gunfire. He was 76. His wife Mavy was wounded in the leg, but she did survive.

U.S. District Judge John Roll had stopped by to say hello to Giffords after attending mass on Saturday. The 63-year-old began his career as a bailiff and rose to be chief judge for the district of Arizona.

And Dorothy Morris. The 76-year-old and her husband George had been married for 55 years. Her husband was wounded in the shooting.

Phyllis Schneck, the 79-year-old, was known for her volunteer work and her wonderful holiday dinners.

Many politicians are asking, what can be done to prevent similar violence in the future? One of the few pro-gun control Republicans in the House, Representative Peter King of New York, wants to make it illegal for someone to knowingly carry a gun within 1,000 feet of certain high-ranking federal officials, including of members of Congress.

In the meantime, New York Representative Democrat Carolyn McCarthy wants to see a restriction on the sales of high-capacity ammunition clips similar to the one allegedly used by Loughner in Tucson.

And it's not just gun control proposals. Representative Robert Brady of Pennsylvania wants to make it a federal crime to use symbols or rhetoric that appear to threaten members of Congress.

Local and state governments are also responding to the Tucson shootings. The sheriff in Oklahoma City is setting up a Dignitary Protection Unit. And House lawmakers in New Hampshire can now carry guns on the State House floor.

I'll be talking with New Hampshire state Representative Al Baldasaro about that in just a moment.

But first, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel joins me via Skype.

Thanks for joining us, Sheriff.

SHERIFF JOHN WHETSEL, OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: Glad to be here, Carol.

COSTELLO: So how will this Dignitary Protection Unit be set up? How will it operate?

WHETSEL: Well, we have about 12 deputies that will be selected this next week and go through training that the Secret Service has already offered to us. We will make that available to any public official at any public meeting to make sure that the public official and the public are safe, being able to interact with each other.

COSTELLO: And will this cost you anything?

WHETSEL: No, not really. The deputies that we select, this will be in addition to their normal duties. These are people who are volunteering for this assignment. So it really -- the cost will be very minimal to our agency.

COSTELLO: Do you find -- I mean, does your office get many threats against lawmakers in Oklahoma?

WHETSEL: No, we really don't. We have in the past provided deputies for protection at town meetings. Oftentimes, we find that just a uniform has a calming effect on not only the citizens, but also the atmosphere and the decorum in the meeting. So it's not just for the elected official or the public official, but the public has a right, also, to feel free from fear when interacting with their elected officials.

COSTELLO: What worries you most now? I mean, there's a reason you're doing this. What worries you most now?

WHETSEL: The biggest thing is copycats. It was very obvious from the shooting where you have 20 people shot in one incident that elected officials are pretty easy to get to because they do interact with the public.

So we have to look for the -- usually in the pretty close proximity in time -- the copycat shooting. But this is going to be a permanent arrangement within the sheriff's office to be able to provide security at these public events. And hopefully just the appearance of a uniform, first of all, will stop any incident from getting to that level, or, two, if there is violence that breaks out, it will be able to be quelled quickly.

COSTELLO: You know, it's such a good idea. You wonder why it wasn't thought of before.

WHETSEL: Well, like I said, we have provided security at public events before, but the incident being so major in Arizona and involving so many victims, in thinking about it over the weekend, when I came into office Monday, that was the first thing I did Monday, was create this new unit. They're going to be specially trained in dignitary protection, and I think it's going to bring a level of security to our public officials and to the citizens of Oklahoma County.

COSTELLO: Sheriff, I'm going to be talking to a state lawmaker in New Hampshire about the new policy they have there, and I wondered if I could get your opinion about that. They just repealed a law -- actually they voted to allow themselves to carry guns in the state house for their protection. Do you think that's a good idea?

WHETSEL: You know, I am a very big proponent of firearms in the Second Amendment. I think if the lawmakers are, first of all, trained -- and I think with being able to carry a firearm, can't be just strapped on a gun. There has to be training and also the responsibility of gun possession. But I think if they're properly trained, I wouldn't have any problem with that.

COSTELLO: All right. Sheriff Whetsel, thank you for joining us while you Skype. We appreciate it.

WHETSEL: Thank you. It's been my pleasure.

COSTELLO: Packing heat at the state house for protection. I'll talk to that New Hampshire lawmaker about it in the CNN NEWSROOM, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Lawmakers in New Hampshire have voted to the allow themselves to carry guns on the state house floor. Republican state representative Al Baldasaro joins me live by phone. Representative , thanks for joining us.

REP. AL BALDASARO, NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LEGISLATOR (via telephone): You're sure welcome.

COSTELLO: So, lawmakers can carry concealed weapons on the floor in the state house. What about private citizens. can they take guns into the state house?

BALDASARO: Now, keep in mind, private citizens that are legally - and have the background check that have weapons, yes, they can. If concealed, because you know, the only ones really to worry are the criminals, and we're making a big thing out of this whole thing.

COSTELLO: So, citizens and lawmakers will be able to carry guns inside the state house.

BALDASARO: We've always been for years and years and years, always been able to until the last couple of years, The Democrats made a rule change, and I believe, for your information, they're just -- trying to fix a budget here in New Hampshire and they're trying to tie us up on other issues, which really there's no reason on the feel- good legislation that they're talking about around the country.

COSTELLO: I know this measure came before the Tucson shooting -- this repeal, I should say --

BALDASARO: Yes.

COSTELLO: -- so what prompted it? Were you getting threats?

BALDASARO: No. What happened, what prompted it was, if you read the New Hampshire constitution, Article 2-A, you will see it's in writing: all persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and families and property and the state.

We have our rights. We should not - that's the people's house. Why should we shut down the people on their rights when they walk through the door?

COSTELLO: I just want -- we just talked to Sheriff Whetsel, the sheriff in Oklahoma County. He thinks that this is a good idea. But there are differing opinions from other authorities across the country. I just want to read you a quote from this sergeant in arms, Terrence Gainer. He's the guy in charge of protecting lawmakers in the District of Columbia on Capitol Hill.

This is what they had to say about the right to carry guns by lawmakers. He says, "Violence prevention is a very difficult matter. Preventing homicides is very difficult. I think every chief and sheriff across the nation is trying to figure out how best to do that. Putting more guns in the mix is not the answer. It may be part of a solution to have more police, more law enforcement, but we shouldn't just turn to guns on how to end violence."

So, he suggests more guns isn't the answer to protect lawmakers. He suggesting that maybe put metal detectors in the state house to keep guns out.

BALDASARO: I disagree with him because if you take a look at New Hampshire, the law in Texas-- New Hampshire is a safest state in the country to live. Why? Because when you break into a home, nine out of ten cases, there there's a gun behind the door. The police show up after the fact, after the damage is already done.

COSTELLO: But you have police there in the state house anyway, don't you?

BALDASARO: We have two state troopers. We've got 20-something committees going on. We never had an issue. If you look at the safety of the guns in New Hampshire, you're going to see we have -- I can't even think of any gun issues, safety issues that we've had. And people hunt all over New Hampshire, Vermont, and other areas here.

And we're the safest to live. Why? Because we keep -- the law abiding citizens able to protect themselves and the criminals think twice before they come to our area.

COSTELLO: Democrats in New Hampshire, of course, have a completely different view than you do, sir. I'm just going to read you -- Democrats argue the ban on guns in New Hampshire state house in the first place was established under Republican leadership during the '70s after the Republican speaker was threatened with a gun by another member.

So, it's happened before. Why couldn't it happen again?

BALDASARO: There was an issue there, and it was blown out of proportion. I can't speak on that because I wasn't there. I know as a legislator for over four years now, our state house is the safest in the country. It's the people's house. We have constitutional rights. If you give up one inch of freedom, they're going to want to take more.

And the Democrats are used to doing that. They want to take away your freedoms. We're a safe state to raise a family. They just want to keep us busy so we can fight this battle versus fixing the economy. And they don't want anyone to know about their mistakes that they've made over the last few years.

COSTELLO: Well, I think Democrats also say there's intimidation factor here. So, if you're arguing passionately with another representative, maybe you wouldn't argue as passionately because you know that member is carrying a gun.

BALDASARO: How do you know a member is carrying a gun if it's a concealed weapon? How do you know that? Bobody knows whether I carry or not. They just think -- they assume I carry, but they don't know. Isn't that the way it should be? It's nobody's business? It's concealed?

So, how would anyone walking in the state house even know we're carrying? This is the Democrats' way to put the cart with the spin.

COSTELLO: All right. Representative Baldasaro. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. We appreciate it.

BALDASARO: You're sure welcome. Have a good day.

COSTELLO: You too.

BALDASARO: Bye.

COSTELLO: "Ghostbusters" fans, you're in for a treat. A live "Showbiz" report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We've seen plenty of female celebrities called out for dressing badly. Now "Esquire" magazine has come out with its all-male list of dressing badly. Oh, women of America, isn't it a nice change? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on the far left was called out for dressing too casually to black-tie events. He's on the list. "Esquire" says a T-shirt and jeans just doesn't cut it.

Actor Russell Brand. "Esquire" says button up that shirt.

Eccentric actor Joaquin Phoenix for his too-skinny ties and his too skinny pants. They say he's not svelte enough to wear that look right now. Rock star John Mayer. They said should stop dressing weird and go back to the preppie look and maybe stop tweeting and talking actually.

A sad day for "Ozzie and Harriet" fans. The last family member from the cast has passed away. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer has that and the rest of the day's showbiz news and gossip. A.J., let's start with David nelson, though.

A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, Carol, David Nelson was really one of the first child stars are growing up on television as the real-life son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. When "Ozzie and Harriet" show launched in 1952, he was just 12 years old. The iconic show ran for 14 years, and Nelson's career continued as actor and director. His last onscreen appearance that we were able to find was in the 1990 film "Cry Baby" with Johnny Depp.

But he really did have quite a career. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 1996, and plans are to flowers on his star there as a memorial for him. David Nelson was 74. Carol, we just learned that services for David Nelson will take place tomorrow in Westwood Village, California.

COSTELLO: Aww. Okay. Let's move on to better news now. Especially for James Bond fans. I'm pretty happy about this, actually.

HAMMER: Diane, too. You can't stop 007, Carol. A release date for the next Bond film has been announced. Pretty big news. If you're a bond fan you know it is. Mark this date on your calendar. November 12, 2012, that's when you will be able to catch the newest film. We don't know the title yet. We are hearing Daniel Craig will return as Bond, James Bond.

Now, you may not know this, but Bond almost lost his job to the recession. MGM owns the film franchise, and they went into bankruptcy and a lot of uncertainty over the studio's future. That kept Bond in limbo but, Carol, the release date will come 50 years after the very first Bond film came out. That was Dr. No. It hit theaters in 1960.

I'm going to put you on the spot. Who was Bond then?

COSTELLO: I don't know. Some guy with brown hair.

HAMMER: Sean Connery!

COSTELLO: Oh, that's right! I should have known. Sorry about that.

HAMMER: Sorry, I had to ask.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about "Ghostbusters," because for "Ghostbusters" fans, this is nirvana.

HAMMER: Yes. Definitely could be. "Showbiz Tonight" caught up with Ivan Reitman at the premier of the new film "No Strings Attached," and the director told us they are close to another "Ghostbusters." Listen to what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN REITMAN, PRODUCER, "GHOSTBUSTERS": All the actors but one have read it and love it, and we're waiting for one of them to read it. So see where we are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

REITMAN: That would be the famous Bill Murray. Mr. Bankman

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

REITMAN: No, I can't. I think it's best of the three stories. I'm really jazzed about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if Bill doesn't like it? There's no "Ghostbusters"?

REITMAN: Well, we have a very complicated deal. Let's just put that it way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Carol, if it does happen, this would be the fourth film in the series. The first one, of course, came out all the way back in 1984.

COSTELLO: I remember it, too. Clear as day. Thank you, A.J. We appreciate it.

HAMMER: You too! Thank you.

COSTELLO: Want everything on everything breaking in the entertain world? A.J.'s got it on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 and 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

Today, a brand new controversy over Ted Williams, the homeless plan who became a star overnight for his golden voice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Flashes of light, muffled booms. What the heck was that? Well, our "Random Moment" of the day, of course. Security cameras at this home in Richland, Mississippi, caught the flashes from different angles. Look at that. They lasted only for a second. Well, it turns out it was a meteor streaking across the sky. People from Florida to Oklahoma saw it as it passed overhead. And that's the end of a UFO mystery and the end of today's "Random Moment."

Sarah Palin responds to her critics in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting rampage. Wolf Blitzer, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington.

And took a long time but she finally responded, Wolf. WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": She responded in a very carefully crafted, highly produced seven and a half minute video she put out on her Facebook page. It's getting wide circulation right now. She looks into the camera, clearly reading from a teleprompter, and makes a very detailed statement saying it's a blood libel, that's a direct quote, a blood libel to blame her or others for what happened in Tucson Saturday morning.

Strong words for Sarah Palin. She's certainly not backing down in any respect. She's defending the tone and the substance of how she criticized various Democratic candidates during the course of the most recent campaign. And she's making it very clear she's in this entire political process right now as a major player. And it's getting, as I said, wide exposure right now, this seven and a half minute video she posted earlier in the day.

Carol.

COSTELLO: See, I thought she was -- she would be -- like she would appear on Fox News Live, but she chose to do this on tape, on her Facebook page. Why do you suppose that was?

BLITZER: I think she knew she was going to get a lot of response to it and she wanted to be able to control precisely what she said. This was a very carefully written statement. At the end she talks about American exceptionalism. Takes a little indirect dig at President Obama for some comments he made early in his presidency about the United States and its role in the world and all of that.

But she express her deem condolences right at the top. She goes through all of that. She makes it clear why she -- this act of violence on Saturday morning had nothing to do with any of the political rhetoric, any of the targets she had during the course of the campaign. She doesn't back away from any of that.

In fact, with the exception of the phrase "blood libel," which has a history of anti-semites trying to accuse Jews, for example, for wanting the blood of young Christian children for rituals, like the baking of Matzah during Passover. So there's a lot of history to that phrase "blood libel" and I'm sure it's going to generate a lot of commotion because she used that specific phrase.

And also in part because Gabrielle Giffords herself, who is lying in a hospital right now, the congresswoman, who is herself Jewish. So there will be a widespread discussion over that specific phrase. There's no doubt about that.

But it's clear she wanted a very precise opportunity to explain exactly where she stands on this very sensitive issue that had exploded over the past few days. And that's why I think she used this format because she could control precisely her words looking into the camera and reading from a teleprompter.

COSTELLO: Right, and nobody could ask her any questions. Although, in fairness, there's no connection between the shootings and any of the political rhetoric out there in our culture at this moment. Wolf, we'll catch you --

BLITZER: And we haven't seen -- we certainly haven't seen any evidence that the suspected gunman, in this particular case, Jared Lee Loughner, was a fan of Sarah Palin's, or a Republican or a Democrat or anything along those lines. We do know from the Pima County election officials, he was registered as an independent. He didn't seem to have a lot of harsh political views. He listed some of his favorite books, everything from the "Communist Manifesto" to Hitler's (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: Yes.

BLITZER: So, whatever that means, who knows.

COSTELLO: Yes, to "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest."

Thanks so much, Wolf Blitzer. We'll catch you again at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

For the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to go cross-country and check stories our affiliates are covering today.

In Seattle, an eccentric man known on the streets for dressing up like a super hero gets his nose broken fighting crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHOENIX JONES, SELF-DESCRIBED CRIME FIGHTER: You know, I train for these situations. I don't just come out willy-nilly and just run on the streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I don't even know how to respond to that. Spaulding Township, Michigan. A police chief is being called a hero after he pulled a 10-year-old boy from a burning house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JAY BURNS, SPAULDING TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN, POLICE: Well, I was able to give it one good hard kick and it flung open. And I couldn't believe it opened up. And just was able to get in there and to get him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The home was a total loss but the family is thanking the chief for saving the boy's life.

You're online right now and we are, too. Here's Sandra Endo with a preview of "What's Trending."

Hi, Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, trending today online and on FaceBook, Heidi. A wild, fury opossum. Take one look at her and you'll see why. That's coming up in "Trending."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If it's trending online, we're tracking it right here. Sandra Endo here with what's hot on the web.

Sandra, I know the world is talking about -- actually, they're talking about that devastating flooding in Australia. I mean it's just -- it's awful.

ENDO: Yes, absolutely, Carol. We've been talking about the fatal shooting in Arizona. But this has been trending all week, really, the massive flooding in Australia. And i-Reporter have been sending in their images and these pictures. These particular ones were sent to us by Sky Reeve (ph) from Brisbane. And you can just see the water-logged communities and the streets overtaken by water there. So certainly a very dangerous and devastating situation for Australia handling all those floods.

It's a major topic trending on Twitter all week as well with the hash tag, "pray for Australia." Here's some of the tweets we've found. One from Robin Costintine (ph) who said, "spent two years in Australia and it was a pure bliss. Why did the flood even dare to ruin a perfect place for people to live in?"

And one more tweet coming from Rebecca Rose (ph). "Today marks one year since the earthquake in Haiti. Now Australia is hit by life- taking floods."

So clearly a lot of devastation people are talking about there.

Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's brighten the mood, shall we, before we go. There's a natural phenomenon of another kind named Heidi, right?

ENDO: Yes. And Heidi is trending big-time on Facebook, having her own page. This wild, cuddly, fury animal has more than 100,000 fans. It's a wild opossum from North Carolina who can't survive in the wild and was abandoned at an animal shelter.

But take a look! That's why. A cross-eyed opossum. It was transported to a zoo in Germany. Named Heidi because of her -- just her character. And she just became wildly popular. She has more than 100,000 fans, like I mentioned. But who could forget a face like that, right, Carol?

COSTELLO: I -- you know, I'm going to go to her Facebook page right now.

ENDO: All right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Sandra.

ENDO: You got it.

COSTELLO: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.