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School Shooting Rattles Amish Community; Foley Faces Fallout

Aired October 03, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, watching events unfold live on Tuesday, October 3rd.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

A Pennsylvania community is racked with grief this morning. Detectives digging for clues about a schoolhouse killer.

HARRIS: The house speaker -- a Capitol scandal puts him in the cross-hairs of conservatives. A prominent newspaper calls for Dennis Hastert to quit.

COLLINS: And journalist Bob Woodward sits down with our Larry King. The Bush, White House and Iraq. War stories behind the scene.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: We want to take you now to the Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania where a news conference is underway.

SEAN YOUNG, HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER: Last night is that the community, locally and nationally, they would like to see continue to keep the families in their prayers. Those families that are affected by this tragedy, regardless of religious backgrounds and faith. They really believe strongly that the community needs to community to pray for those who were affected by this.

Second, the family has asked that we respect their privacy and that we refrain from releasing any additional details about the patients' conditions. And in keeping with that request from the families, here's what I can tell you about the patients.

A seven-year-old patient, as we reported earlier this morning, was taken off life support at approximately 4:30 a.m. Her family was with her at the time and she passed away shortly thereafter.

A six-year-old patient remains in critical condition in our pediatric intensive care unit. And a 13-year-old patient remains in serious condition in our intermediate care unit. And, of course, at the request of the families, I can't release any additional information about the treatment of these children or the nature of their injuries.

I'm going to turn the podium over to Matt Wayne, our administrator for Penn State Children's Hospital, who has had some direct interaction with the families and he can tell you a little bit more about what we've been trying to do to provide some support infrastructure (ph) for them.

Matt.

MATT WAYNE, PENN STATE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Thanks, Sean.

Good morning.

I have had an opportunity to speak with both families and I do want to emphasize that both families have been very focused, that they'd like really the community and the nation to respect their privacy and also, most importantly in their mind is to keep their families and the families of those affected in their prayers.

I'd like to address a few questions on what we've been able to do here at the medical center. We have, as we spoke yesterday, been able to set up rooms to respect their privacy, to have specific areas in which the Amish community can come here and both mourn and have some community support among themselves. We've additionally been able to provide food and beverages and basic types of human elements that we would do for other patients and other situations such as this.

Additionally, we've offered transportation services throughout the Amish community for anybody who needs to get back and forth. At this point, the Amish community and the families have thanked us for those efforts but have not taken us up on any requests for transportation.

The Amish community is a group that's very close knit. They're very self-sufficient in terms of dealing with both the good and bad that happens within their communities. And, at this point, we've been able to provide the support for them that's needed and they have not, at this point, asked for a lot more from us at this time.

QUESTION: Could you give us some indication, please, of what exactly is happening to these -- where these two little girls are right now?

WAYNE: Well, both families have asked that we not share details and we'll honor that. Both girls are here in our hospital, under our care. We've got one in critical condition. The family is at the bedside. We have another child, our 13-year-old, who is in serious condition. She is, indeed, exchanging non-verbal communication with the families who are also at her bedside.

QUESTION: When you say non-verbal, what do you mean?

WAYNE: Basically she's able to have some eye communication at this point.

QUESTION: When did the family of the girl who passed away last night -- when did their family finally arrive here (INAUDIBLE)? How much time did they get to spend with their little girl before she passed away? WAYNE: They arrived here in the middle of the night. They were with her for a couple of hours before she was able to pass. And she was at -- I think she was there at the bedside when she did, indeed, pass.

QUESTION: Was their a decision to take her off the life support? Were they conferring with the trauma team?

WAYNE: Our physicians have made themselves available and our entire trauma and critical care teams have been available to all these families. And all the medical care has been in conference with the Amish families. Aside from that, which we administered directly when the children first arrived here.

QUESTION: Matt, why did it take the family, the third day, of the seven year old so long to get here? There reports that there was some confusion about getting the families to the proper hospital. Can you speak to why they obviously were able to get here but that family it took a little bit longer?

WAYNE: Yes, it would be merely conjecture on my part and I wouldn't want to really add any guesses. I think, obviously, there's a lot of confusion right now within the community and it would be unfair of me to really afford any guesses.

QUESTION: With all due respect to you gentlemen and your policy that the Penn State Emergency Medical Center, there were some suggestions from state police this morning that the six-year-old girl, who you mentioned a short time ago, may not be doing too well and there were some statements that were made by state police that indicated that the child had been taken off life support. Would you comment on that, please?

YOUNG: I can comment on that.

I've had some conversations with the state police. I think, as you can understand, this is a tragedy that's of a magnitude that our community is not used to seeing. There are a lot of moving parts. There are a lot of children affected by this, sent to multiple hospitals. It's a tremendous amount of coordination of information that has to happen. And, in some cases, between organizations that don't always communicate with each other on a day-to-day basis.

I will tell you that any information that needs to be gathered regarding the patients here at this hospital can come directly from us. We'll give you the conditions. We'll give you the update. The child in critical care is in the same condition she was in last night. There has been no change in her condition. And she is still alive and still with us. And the patient that is in the intermediate care unit remains in serious condition and there's been no change in her condition since last night.

QUESTION: Sean, can you go into any of the details regarding the surgery that might have taken place? And are there any further surgeries scheduled for that girl that's in serious condition? YOUNG: As we told you yesterday, there were surgeries conducted to address the needs of these children, but at the request of the family, I really can't get into details, specific treatments, care that's been provided to the patients. The families have asked us not to do that.

QUESTION: Is there a sense of hope in this that she is doing some type of non-verbal communication, that she's able to respond? You're saying she's conscious the majority of the time?

YOUNG: You know, generally speaking, I think any time you have a patient that goes from critical condition and improves to serious condition, there is reason for optimism. But at the same time, it would be conjecture to say that she's out of the woods, so to speak. And I think beyond that, it would be inappropriate to comment related to her prognosis or her care. I'm sure the family, you know, without speaking directly to them, I'm sure the family is pleased that their daughter is able to communicate with them. But again, that's conjecture on my part.

QUESTION: Sean, how many members of the Amish community are here in the (ph) entire unit (INAUDIBLE) shown up here? Can you give us a ballpark figure?

YOUNG: I think Matt can give you a better sense of numbers.

WAYNE: I can do that. Actually we've seen about 40 or 50 members of the Amish community at various times throughout last night and through this morning. And there are still a rather large, significant number of Amish community who continue to come this morning. And there was a number who had to leave to go back to their farms and employment and we've had other members of that community replace them here. It's really quite remarkable at the Amish ability to pull together based on their faith and their solid community structure and how they really responded to this tragedy.

QUESTION: I'm sure that this has been a big shock for not only the community but for the doctors and the nurses and the support staff here. Could you characterize for us, if you might, what it was like for the folks here at the Penn State Emergency Medical Center this morning when this little girl passed away?

WAYNE: I think it's difficult any time. As you said, I mean, this is a terrible tragedy that affects all of us. And so our staff we're here. They responded immediately. Many of them stayed through the night and volunteered their time to make sure that the appropriate care was here. And it's very difficult. I mean, you've got people who are really working very hard to provide the appropriate care and to have one of these children pass away was, was a terrible tragedy.

YOUNG: If I can just add to that.

We're a level one pediatric trauma center. You know, unfortunately, we are used to dealing with children who are in dire straits on a regular basis. Everything from motor vehicle accidents to other kinds of tragedies. And, you know, these folks are health care professionals. They're in the business of saving lives and repairing injuries and helping ill children.

But, at the same time, a lot of these folks are mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts and there's a human element to this. And I don't think the shock and the impact has been lost on any of them. But right now I think we're really just focused on providing the care that these patients need.

QUESTION: Matt, you said she was by her bedside (INAUDIBLE). Was it just her mother?

WAYNE: No, it was the whole family.

QUESTION: Oh, the whole family. Was transportation an issue for the family, do you know?

WAYNE: I do not know.

QUESTION: Sean or Matt, you described some of the assistance that's been offered to the Amish community in this (ph) regarding transportation. You said they haven't taken you up yet on any of that. I wondered if there was something in place before this happened because of the Amish community being close to the hospitals, is there something in place already that caters to them?

WAYNE: A couple of things. The state police provided some basic transportation in the beginning for families who needed to come up from Lancaster. Additionally, the Amish community is very familiar with Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital. We see a number of Amish patients here and so they're very familiar with coming here to Hershey.

Additionally, the community is strong and there's an entire network there in which they've already established for transportation that they've largely been able to rely on so far. And that has met their needs to date.

QUESTION: Sean, (INAUDIBLE) think about a number of people calling your office and asking if there was any way that they could set up a fund for these little girls. Any news on any of that?

YOUNG: Well, here's what I'll tell you. First of all, the medical center itself is not in the process of organizing or preparing anything along those lines. First of all, because we don't think that's our proper role. Our role is really on providing care for the families and the patients. We've had a number of phone calls and e- mails from some of our employees, from people in the community, from churches asking if they can do anything from fund drives to providing lodging to providing food.

I think the difficult question -- and I'm not an expert on the Amish culture, nor is anyone else that's here -- is whether or not the Amish community actually wants that. We are in the process of reaching out to the leadership of the Amish community to find out from them if that's something that they'd like. And, if so, is there a place that we can redirect these requests and inquiries so that the Amish community can handle them appropriately. At this point, we don't have a response yet. We're working on that. It may take a little bit of time. But I can't, other than that, give you any other updates on it.

QUESTION: We had heard some reports this morning that, you know, going back to the identification of these little girls, that it was so difficult that there were pictures of the little girls being passed to each and every hospital in trying to identify them that way. Can you elaborate on that? (INAUDIBLE).

YOUNG: All I can say is that identifying the families and the patients and making that coordination had its respective challenges. I think it would be inappropriate at this time to get into those kinds of details. I think we've got a community that's still mourning, that's still trying to deal with and manage what's happened to them in roughly about 24 hours ago. So at this point I think I'm going to refrain from getting into that in detail.

QUESTION: No doubt the hospital is going through drills, preparedness, crisis drills. Does this circumstance fit into any scenario that you have tried to prepared for?

YOUNG: It does. And Matt can probably talk about that a little bit more. He was the administrator on call yesterday when the disaster was declared.

WAYNE: Actually, we practice drills with multiple health care facilities in this area several times a year and they vary in their intensity and in their focus of what we try and accomplish. So actually, from a drill standpoint, and the fact that we are a level one trauma center, we did have some familiarity with initial responses and being able to rally the appropriate number of people that we needed and thought that we might need at any one time and additionally called in some additional staff to make sure that those needs were met and so that we could administer the appropriate care at the appropriate time.

QUESTION: What were you prepared for? The school shooting (INAUDIBLE).

WAYNE: At the human level, I don't know how anyone's prepared for a school shooting. From an operational level and the response of the hospital, yes, we practice drills like that. We have an opportunity to work closely with other health care facilities in the event of disasters. And, yes, I believe we were prepared and I believe we reacted appropriately.

YOUNG: At this point, I'd like to change the direction of the press conference a little bit. Invite Doctor Bidel (ph) out here to answer questions. You know, with the 24 hours of news coverage and information about this tragedy, certainly parents are having conversation with their children at some level and I'd like to give her the opportunity to respond to any questions you might have about that.

And I would just close again with the fact that the Amish families who are here have made two simple requests of us and they're basically about privacy and prayer. And that's the message I wanted to carry forward today.

So, Dr. Bidel?

DR. BIDEL: Thank you. We in the department of psychiatry are -- remain available to anyone in the community, and not just the Amish community, but anyone in central Pennsylvania who feels the need to access our services as a result of this terrible event. So I'm available to take questions.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

BIDEL: Not by members of my staff. It may have been spoken to by some of the social workers in the emergency room. I'm not familiar with that. But we have not had any contact yet.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) social workers?

BIDEL: I'm not sure who was there.

WAYNE: I can actually answer that question.

We have, indeed, had communication with all the Amish family members, and that's part of what I was relating before, that we're prepared to be able to help with social work, with therapy, with care coordination. And so far we've been able to provide some of the basic things that I discussed earlier and are on stand-by and will be glad to help however it's needed. Again, the Amish are a very close-knit, resilient community and so far they have been able to pull within themselves and within their faith.

QUESTION: Dr. Bidel, the coverage that the families are seeing on TV is talking about this tragedy involving small children. Certainly children that -- and families that are watching these broadcasts are wondering how their kids their age are -- become victims like this. How do parents talk to their children about other children dying in such a horrific way?

BIDEL: Well, I think we start out by talking about the fact that it is a horrific event. That it's not something that's supposed to happen. And, fortunately, it's not something that happens very often. Again, I would encourage, if parents and their children are watching the news, that parents really limit the amount of time that the children are hearing this news coverage and that parents watch it with their children so they can be available to explain.

The next most important thing is for parents to ask their children what kinds of questions they have, what they would like to talk about, and to talk with them honestly and frankly. That this was a bad thing that happened, to use words that small children would understand. That this is not something that happens often but, unfortunately, it is part of our world. That most adults will keep children safe and most adults will do anything they can to keep children safe. And so children need to know that parents, teachers, friends, relatives, principals will all be there to do their very best to make sure these things don't happen.

QUESTION: Can you give me some sense (ph) of the warning signs that you would see in your child if (INAUDIBLE) become (INAUDIBLE)?

BIDEL: Sure, I'd be happy to.

Let me first say that the first reaction to trauma is distress and a lack of . . .

HARRIS: OK. You've been listening to a news conference at the Hershey Medical Center there in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where we've been given an update on the conditions of the two girls who were still being treated at the hospital there. A six-year-old girl described as being in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl described as being in serious condition.

We also learned oh, about, 6:00 a.m. this morning that a seven- year-old patient had been taken off of life support in the overnight hours and that she subsequently died. That brings the death toll in this horrible shooting yesterday at this one-room schoolhouse in the middle of Amish country there in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to five. Five girls now dead.

We are anticipating a news conference from police officials who have been handling the investigation. That is scheduled for noon Eastern Time. We will, of course, bring that to you here in the NEWSROOM.

But right now let's take it to the ground. Our Jason Carroll is live in Lancaster County.

And, Jason, perhaps, as a note here, we should pass along the wishes of the Amish community there. They're asking for privacy and prayer.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And, in fact, that's pretty much what we heard yesterday when we were out here as well, when this was still very much still developing, spoke to a member of the Amish community who said that's exactly what they're trying to do. They're trying to come together, trying to reach some sort of understanding. At that point he also said to me, it didn't matter who did this, whether this was someone from in the community or someone from outside the community.

And, as you know, it turns out, in fact, it was someone from outside the community. A man by the name of Charles Roberts, 32 years old. And police tell us this morning that he had been planning this attack for two, possibly even three days. They base that on the fact that just a few days ago he purchased some of the items that he used in the attack. An attack that he did simply because he wanted to settle some sort of long-standing grudge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL, (voice over): Fiends and family say there was nothing about Charles Roberts that made you think he was anything other than a good father and a friendly neighbor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was just your normal father. Loving father.

CARROLL: Until the morning this trucker said good-bye to his own children and went out carrying a grudge, apparently against little girls.

COL. JEFFREY MILLER, COMMISSIONER, PA. STATE POLICE: When he began shooting the victims, these victims were shot execution style in the head.

CARROLL: Roberts drove to an Amish one-room schoolhouse armed with a 12 gauge shotgun, a 9 mm pistol and 600 rounds of ammunition. He nailed the doors shut with strips of lumber. Then he separated the girls from the boys.

MILLER: At that time, he apparently told the kids to line up in front of the blackboard.

CARROLL: He tied the girls' feet together. The youngest, six. The oldest, 13. He let the boys go. Fifteen of them. He also told a pregnant teacher, as well as mothers there with their babies, that they could leave. Then Roberts called 911 to warn police to stay back or he'd start to shoot.

MILLER: We didn't have enough time to really launch a full-scale assault because we were still trying to hail him when we got word. And by the time we got word and were able to try to relay it to the perimeter, he was already shooting.

CARROLL: Police say Roberts shot the girls he held captive at the school. Some at point-blank range. Then he shot himself to death. Roberts also left his wife a suicide note, described by investigators as rambling. Police only said that he harbored an undisclosed 20-year grudge and that he wanted to attack young, female victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see him, you would never have thought that anything was wrong.

CARROLL: It was the third school shooting in the nation this week. This time in an Amish community whose horses, buggies and black coats set it apart from the modern world. Roberts was not Amish. His victims were religious people who reject violence.

JOHN FISHER, VICTIMS' FRIEND: As a whole, the community is going to pull together, whether it be Amish, non-Amish, whatever it might be. Everybody's going to pull together.

CARROLL: Roberts had no criminal record, no known mental health problems. He leaves behind three children of his own and few clues as to why he targeted a schoolhouse full of little girls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And Roberts' wife describes her husband as a loving and caring man. Someone not capable of something like this. His co- workers say that he was outgoing but they say just recently he had become somewhat withdrawn, a little bit moody. But lately his spirits seemed to be lifted for some reason. Police say they are going to be reviewing those notes that he left behind. He left a note to his wife. Other notes to his children. Perhaps somewhere in those notes, Tony, there will be some information, some more information, maybe a clue about this undisclosed grudge that he held for such a long period of time.

HARRIS: OK. Jason Carroll for us in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Jason, appreciate it. Thank you.

And keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for the latest on the school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner is holding a news conference at noon Eastern and we will, of course, bring it to you live here on CNN.

COLLINS: They reject modern conveniences and the ways of the outside world. But deadly violence did make its way to an Amish community. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, the Amish in focus.

HARRIS: Did the speaker say too little and do even less? The scandal that forced one congressman from office may now threaten Dennis Hastert's job. The call for his resignation still ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Keep it here in the NEWSROOM for the latest on the school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner is holding a news conference. That will come your way at noon Eastern. We, of course, will cover that and bring it to you live right here on CNN.

HARRIS: If politics made for strange bed fellows, scandals, well, it seems, can make surprising divisions. One of the most conservative voices in Washington calling for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert from his leadership position. "The Washington Times" says Speaker Hastert did a shotty job with the Capitol Hill e- mail investigation. The scandal forced Republican Congressman Mark Foley to resign once sexually charged e-mails became public just five weeks before midterm elections.

The papers's editorial board says, "Mr. Hastert has forfeited the confidence of the public and his party." It goes on to say Hastert "cannot preside over the necessary coming investigation, and investigation that must examine his own inept performance."

Let's go to Capitol Hill now and CNN congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel.

And, Andrea, I understand the house majority leader is now weighing in on this.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, it is a huge development in this story. Initially, house leadership had closed ranks. Now we have House Majority Leader John Boehner in a radio interview just within the last hour, with a Chicago radio station, basically pointing the -- a Cincinnati radio station, basically pointing the finger of blame directly at House Speaker Dennis Hastert. This is a quote from the interview. He said "I believe I talked to the speaker and he told me it had been taken care of," referring to the e-mail exchange between the 16-year-old former page and Congressman Foley. "And my position is, it's in his corner. It's his responsibility. The clerk of the House who runs the page program, the page board, all report to the speaker and I believe it had been dealt with."

Tony, we know that there had been a conference call last night among House leadership, the Republican House leadership, about 100 members were on the call. I was told by one GOP leadership aide that the call was basically answering questions, reassuring members that the leadership was taking an aggressive stance and trying to make sure that there was an investigation into the Foley matter. And I was also told that there were no calls for Dennis Hastert to resign.

But as you well know, today, in another very significant development, a conservative newspaper, "The Washington Times," in an editorial, said that Dennis Hastert has to go. They say it was basically inexcusable the way that he handled the matter. Either that he didn't really recognize what the problem was or that he didn't see the red flags or that he deliberately turned a blind eye to it for political reasons. So, Tony, two very, very significant developments. A split now within the very top ranks of the House Republican leadership.

HARRIS: Andrea, I have so many questions. Some we've talked about earlier this morning. I'm curious, with this notion of the situation being taken care of, what does that mean? That the warning went out to Foley and Foley responded in a way that there would be no more contacts? Explain to me taken care of.

KOPPEL: All right. Well, as we understand it, the chairman of this bipartisan committee that's supposed to oversee the pages in the House, he's a Republican, John Shimkus (ph). He went and spoke with Congressman Foley. We're told that he didn't go into details about the e-mail. That he simply passed on a message that the family of this 16-year-old boy wanted and that was to cease and desist. To stop his communications with this former page. That is what they mean, Tony. That is -- that's the essence. They didn't talk about, of course, those instant messages, which date back to 2003, they say, because they only learned about it when it was reported on ABC News last Friday

HARRIS: OK. Congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel for us. Andrea, thank you. Appreciate it.

COLLINS: The Capitol scandal putting Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander in the spotlight today. He sponsored a former page who received what's described as "inappropriate e-mails" from Foley. The Republican lawmaker spoke in an exclusive interview with CNN's Sean Callebs. Sean's with us now from Monroe, Louisiana.

And, Sean, I just wonder what exactly Alexander had to say about this?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really a couple of key points he really wanted to hammer away.

One, he says that it's simply been a brutal week for this former page, as well as the ex-page's family. He says that the family wanted this kept quite. They didn't want it to blow up into this very public spectacle that it has. And he says recently, over the past several days, this former page has also begun -- received hate e-mail. But Alexander wouldn't say if this was from a specific group or individuals.

Secondly, he remains firmly entrenched in Speaker Hastert's corner. He says he is disappointed there is a growing call for the speaker to step down. Alexander believes the GOP leadership has handled this scandal appropriately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RODNEY ALEXANDER (R), LOUISIANA: I think the speaker and other leaders and the GOP are coming under some harsh criticism to date. The speaker, I trust, was not aware of anything except what we had talked to him about. And I think appropriate action was taken. And there's some harsh criticism.

But there was no reason -- I understand that Congressman Foley was approached by members of leadership and told him that there was some concerns out there and he needed to stop having conversations through electronic process with some of these youngsters.

CALLEBS (on camera): As a parent, if a 16-year-old son of mine gets an e-mail from a 50-year-old single man who's in Congress, asking for picture, asking what he wants for his birthday, I'm concerned. Do you think red flags should have been raised before they were raised?

ALEXANDER: Well, I mean, that's why I notified them, and called the parents. It was something that I would be uncomfortable with, if one of my children was approached that way, or one of my grandchildren.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And what's interesting here is how Alexander breaks down the timeline. He has known about these e-mails to the page for close to 11 months. He said he found out last November 15th, when a reporter asked him about the e-mails. He said two months later, another journalist asked him about the e-mails.

Instead of going to the speaker's office like he did the first time, this time he went to Tom Reynolds, who is head of the National Republican Congressional Committee. I asked him why he felt he had to go to GOP leadership if the family wanted this kept quiet. He said since there were media inquiries, he said he felt that it was important to bring this to the leadership's attention -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Sean, do we know anything about Alexander and the page and the family?

CALLEBS: Yes. You may think that he may have a very close relationship with the family. He says he knows the family, but not extremely well. He says they're a very good family and he says that the page is just a fine young man.

It's interesting, the page did not work for Alexander, didn't work for Foley. The way it works, the page works at the discretion of the clerk. He said once this page did come to Washington, Alexander invited him to his office so he could meet more people from northern Louisiana, feel more at home. Apparently the page struck up a friendship with some of the people in Alexander's office, and that is how the e-mails first got to Alexander's office. But Alexander himself did not know about the e-mails until a journalist asked a question about them.

COLLINS: Sean Callebs, live this morning from Monroe, Louisiana. Sean, thank you.

HARRIS: GOP leaders in Florida have picked up a candidate to replace Mark Foley in next month's election. He is Joe Negron, a state representative. Foley's name will stay on the ballot even though he resigned. Votes cast for Foley will automatically go to Negron. Foley had been considered a shoo-in for reelection in his heavily Republican district.

COLLINS: Check into rehab, get out of scandal? Probably not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doesn't this in a way, by saying, wait, blame the alcohol or the drugs, doesn't it basically wipe the slate clean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it certainly softens the intensity of the -- the sin or the transgression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Has rehab become a refuge from scandal? That story, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for the latest on the school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania state police commissioner is holding a news conference at noon Eastern Time. We will, of course, bring it to you live here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In Pennsylvania's Amish Country, a fifth victim is dead after the school shooting there. As the people of this quiet community come together in grief, police are reviewing details about the man they say opened fire on a group of girls and young women yesterday and then shot himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COMMISSIONER JEFFREY MILLER, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: It was very clear to us, as the investigation unfolds, that he was -- he had planned this in advance, at least two or three days in advance, and he had certain supplies that he already had. He had other things that he purchased. But make no mistake about it, he planned on a siege at this school. And he had enough equipment and enough ammunition and weapons to hunker down in that position for a lengthy period of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We will find out more about the investigation when Commissioner Miller holds a news conference. That will happen at noon Eastern today, so keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for live coverage of that event.

Meanwhile, the Amish community in the national spotlight today, of course, after the shooting. As thoughts and prayers go out to the families, there are so very many questions about the Amish culture and what happened in that school room.

Here now to help us learn more about it is Professor Donald Kraybill from Elizabethtown College.

Professor, thank you for being with us today. Help us to understand...

PROF. DONALD KRAYBILL, ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE: My pleasure.

COLLINS: ... for those who are not familiar with the Amish community, we know that it's very, very tight-knit. What is the relationship between those who are Amish and then those who are non- Amish outside of their community?

KRAYBILL: Well, the Amish actually live interspersed in English neighborhoods. So they actually -- although they are a tight-knit community, they live alongside outside people that they call English. And they have friendly relationships, they do things together. They have very constructive, neighborly relationships with them.

COLLINS: How surprised are you, though, that being said, that an incident like this could happen at an Amish school? I mean, it just makes everyone, I think, feel completely vulnerable.

KRAYBILL: Well, it's a shock to me, as it is to other people. I don't know of any other times historically when there has been violence in Amish schools. There are about 1,500 of these schools across North America. They are generally very safe places. They provide a good, basic education. And violence is simply unheard of, and the schools are not prepared to deal with it because it's just an unthinkable thing to them.

COLLINS: Well, elaborate on that if you could. Talk to us about the Amish attitude toward violence. And in the same sentence, I would imagine there's something very much that is pertaining to forgiveness?

KRAYBILL: Well, the Amish are religious pacifists. They take the words of Jesus seriously, that we should love our enemies, we shouldn't engage in retaliation or be vengeful. And so they are taught never to use violence. And beyond that, they are taught to forgive, and to be able to absorb suffering and extend forgiveness to other people that would do evil to them personally.

And so, a cardinal rule of Amish life is forgive and forget, and to move on with things. So I'm sure they will extend forgiveness to the family of this man. They certainly understand that this was a sick person that had a serious psychiatric disorder, and will, I'm sure, be very gracious in extending forgiveness.

COLLINS: And certainly, as you said, no revenge. And, boy, it's just so awful hearing that, because we have learned now that this crime was about exactly that for this man, who was acting out in some sort of revengeful way, which we possibly will never know exactly what that reason was.

But I also want to ask about sort of logistics in the Amish community. No cell phones. Is it possible that that may have slowed the police response at all?

KRAYBILL: Well, typically the Amish do not have telephones in their homes or in their schools. And so they needed to run to the first closest residence to make a phone call. And I'm sure that did slow the response. If there had been a telephone inside the school, if they could have had access to it, they may have been able to call out more quickly. They do -- most Amish people do have access to phones, but they're normally outside their house, or four or five families may share a phone in a public booth outside the house somewhere.

COLLINS: Any idea what kind of challenges as they move forward with the investigation that the way of life of the Amish people could sort of present challenges in finding out more details about what happened here?

KRAYBILL: Well, I think the Amish will cooperate with investigators. I think actually would be more challenging if the shooter had not killed himself, and if there would be legal court sessions, because times the Amish are reluctant to go to court and testify in court.

But I think they will quietly, those who were aware of the situation, will certainly, I think, cooperate with investigators, and at least tell what they saw. So, I don't think there will be a lot of problems with that.

COLLINS: Professor Donald Kraybill, we appreciate your thoughts here today, and certainly know that our prayers and thoughts are in that community and the children who were in that school community. Thanks so much.

KRAYBILL: You're welcome.

COLLINS: And keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for the very latest on the school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller will be holding a news conference at noon Eastern. We'll bring it right to you live right here on CNN.

HARRIS: Did the speaker say too little and do even less? The scandal that forces one congressman from office may now threaten Dennis Hastert's job. The House majority Leader now weighing in, saying Hastert should have done more. New developments straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Trying to understand what drives someone to target children.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a certain vendetta involved, there's a certain payback -- I was treated badly in school, and, boy, I'm going to get back at those kids because the bully got me, and now I'm going to get them.

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HARRIS: What parents and teachers can do to protect kids in the classroom.

And keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for the latest on the school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner is holding a news conference at noon Eastern. Perhaps at that time we will learn whether or not Charles Roberts actually targeted this school and these children. We will bring it to you live, of course, right here on CNN.

COLLINS: Also ahead, most fresh spinach gets the all-clear, but some consumers are taking a wait-and-see kind of attitude. Can't really blame them. It's all coming up in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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HARRIS: And, once again, just another reminder to keep it right here in the NEWSROOM for the latest on this school shooting investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner is holding a news conference noon Eastern.

Still a lot of questions to be answered. We know that Charles Roberts, a 32-year-old shooter, had planned this attack, taking inside that one-room school house a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, a 12- gauge shotgun, a rifle, along with a bag with about 600 rounds of ammunition and other items. Did he target this school, did he target these kids? We'll learn more at noon Eastern Time.

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HARRIS: And once again, the Pennsylvania State Police commissioner is holding a news conference at noon Eastern Time. Of course, we will get the latest information on yesterday's horrific shooting there in Lancaster County. Five girls now dead, the most recent victim dying overnight, 7-year-old girl taken off life support. That news conference scheduled for noon Eastern. We'll bring it to you right here in the NEWSROOM.

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JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's enough to spoil your appetite. Vanderbilt University researchers say many people struggle to understand food labels. Only 32 percent of those tested correctly calculated the amount of carbs in a bottle of soda.

A study in the Archives in Internal Medicine reveals some heart and diabetes patients stopped taking their medications too early, often resulting in hospitalization and death. Of 1,500 heart attack patients surveyed, one out of eight quit the pills a month after leaving the hospital.

If you want to prevent cancer, the American Cancer Society says nothing is more important than losing or watching your weight. The group's new guidelines raised the bar on daily exercise, recommending 30 minutes or more of intentional activities, like running or biking.

Judy Fortin, CNN.

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