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President Obama Selling New Strategy; March Unemployment Rate; North Korea May Test Missile This Weekend; New Law in Afghanistan Being Protested for Making Marital Rape All But Legal; Reported Gunman Opens Fire in Binghamton, New York

Aired April 03, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up in just minutes, Janet Cohen, the wife of former defense secretary William Cohen. The former journalist and author talking about Michelle Obama's moment on the world stage. What a moment.

President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel right now in a joint news conference. The president is in Germany for a NATO summit. He's got a tough sell ahead.

And it looks like they may be just about to wrap up that news conference. The president plans to press NATO nations for more troops and money for the war in Afghanistan.

President Obama is focusing -- just want to take a look at the body language here -- sorry. President Obama is focusing also on events here at home. He discussed the new unemployment numbers moments ago during his news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the last several days, what we've been grappling with is an economic crisis that is unlike anything we've seen since the '30s. And just a stark reminder for those of us in the United States, our jobs report came out today, and it showed that we had lost 663,000 jobs just this month, which has pushed our unemployment rate to 8.5 percent, the highest in 25 years. And we've lost 5.1 million jobs since this financial crisis and recession began. So obviously this is hitting the United States hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right, more details on the jobless numbers in just a minute.

But first, let's get right to our Suzanne Malveaux, traveling with the president.

And Suzanne, the president seems to be really just dominating these press opportunities -- earlier with President Sarkozy in France, and here again with the German chancellor. Reporters clearly wanting to explore the president's thinking on a host of issues.

I noted the president certainly in touch and on the news of the day, as you saw there, making the pivot from the jobs numbers from March to the need for collective action on the global economy.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Tony. You mentioned one thing about body language.

You may recall when President Bush first met Angela Merkel, he did kind of one of these to her back behind her head, kind of startled her a little bit. And then you had tons of people talking about the massage that happened between these two leaders. So obviously everybody's paying very close attention to everything that these leaders do, how they interact with one another.

And really, the headline out of that meeting with the chancellor there is he was asked if he was going to ask for additional troops from the Germans. You know, their parliament said we'll up it to 4,500 last year, didn't expect any increases here. And what he said, he said, "Well, I don't come bearing any grand desires. I'm here to listen." And I think that that is really the tone, that is really the message that he is trying to convey.

Earlier today, at this town hall meeting, he said, look, we're here to listen and learn, but at the same time, we want the Europeans to take responsibility, to share more of this burden. And what is he talking about? Well, he is essentially talking about that mission in Afghanistan, saying it's not just a U.S. mission, but it is a NATO mission.

Take a listen, Tony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: And I think that it is important for Europe to understand that even though I'm now president and George Bush is no longer president, al Qaeda is still a threat, and that we cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything is going to be OK.

It is going to be a very difficult challenge. Al Qaeda is still bent on carrying out terrorist activity. It is -- you know, don't fool yourselves, because some people say, well, if we changed our policies with respect to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, or if we were more respectful towards the Muslim world, suddenly these organizations would stop threatening us. That's just not the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Tony, he really isn't expecting any announcements when it comes to troop increases. And according to the president, at least, he's not even asking for that. But what he is pushing for is more money, more resources, help civilians out there.

Earlier today, we saw him meeting with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy saying something very interesting, Tony, in his words, saying that it feels really good to work with a U.S. president who wants to change the world and who understands the world.

And then he, in a symbolic gesture, said that he would go ahead and take one of the detainees from Guantanamo Bay -- obviously, President Obama wants to close that within a year or so -- that he would take them back to his homeland of France. Really something to say that, yes, I agree with what you're doing here. Again, the French didn't offer any increase in troops and the president really isn't expecting that -- Tony.

HARRIS: You know, I don't want to read too much into this, but we are talking about body language a little bit here. And there's been a lot of discussion as to whether or not the president, on this trip, has struck up any quick friendships with any of the other world leaders in comparison to the way President Bush obviously struck up a quick and fast friendship with Tony Blair.

What did you think of that particular moment, and the moments in totality with the French president, Sarkozy?

MALVEAUX: These two seem very warm, very friendly, and that they've become close pretty quickly here. You heard just an effusive phrase from Sarkozy this morning about what he thought of President Obama, the fact that, you know, it was Sarkozy who said -- threatened he was going to walk out of the G-20 summit. It was Sarkozy who President Obama intervened so he could get the Chinese president and Sarkozy together in that whole big agreement yesterday about what's the best way to go forward with the global economy. So I think you are really seeing a genuine relationship that's developing.

You also saw the president with the Russian president over the last couple of days. That was interesting, too, because they were mugging for the cameras.

You had President Obama with the thumbs up and you had the Russian president behind him and kind of in this embrace. You just haven't seen that kind of thing before.

And one last point, Tony. On Air Force One this morning they were serving French toast. I remember when we covered President Bush a while ago, when it was called "freedom toast." It was not French toast, but freedom toast, when you had the very frosty relationship between the U.S. and the French. Now things seem to be somewhat different -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, the images are certainly different. All right.

Suzanne Malveaux for us.

Suzanne, great to talk to you. Thank you.

Our other top story of the day, five million jobs lost in this recession, two million of them in 2009. The numbers are new, they are startling. But the takeaway from today's jobs report looks like really more of the same.

I want to bring in our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff. He's in New York. And our susan Lisovicz of course is on Wall Street.

And Allan, let me start with you. If you would, sort of break out these numbers for us, tell us the story that they're telling us, and maybe we can talk about what they may not be telling us.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the job losses are across the entire economy. Nearly two-thirds of a million jobs lost in the past month.

The president said it just a moment ago. You heard 663,000 jobs lost. The unemployment rate now up to 8.5 percent. That's a rise of 0.4 of 1 percent, a very big increase.

Let's look at gender.

Among men, 8.8 percent, a very high number there. Why is that relative to the number you see, 7 percent for women? Well, a higher percentage of men are in the job market right now. So that's why they have a higher rate.

Let's also look to race now.

Among whites, 7.9 percent. Blacks, 13.3 percent, a very high rate over there. And if we go further back, if we go back to the time -- the last time that we had an overall unemployment rate at this level, we actually had black unemployment at 17.5 percent. So that really puts it all in perspective.

HARRIS: It really does.

And Susan, what's the market reaction so far? And I think I asked you this question last hour about whether or not, given the fact that we have been getting some unemployment figures throughout the week, whether this report, as bad as it is, but certainly coming on exactly where analysts thought this number would land, if it's sort of been discounted by the market and maybe that explains why we're not seeing an even steeper sell-off.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. I mean, in the peculiar way that Wall Street works, sometimes even a terrible number can be a relief because of fears that it could actually be even worse. And you know, we had legitimate fears that it could be worse because we had a report earlier this week from the private sector that came in 100,000 jobs even worse than the estimate number.

So, you know, there were concerns about that. And I think that investors are starting to see some encouragement in other areas of the economy.

For instance, mortgage applications rising, mortgage rates going down. We have auto sales, as terrible as they were earlier this week, were not as bad as expected, and not as terrible as, say, January and February.

Again, it's a peculiar way to think, but the way the economy will improve will be that it just won't be as bad as it once was. It is not going to suddenly turn on a dime. This economy is the world's biggest. It just doesn't happen that way -- Tony.

HARRIS: Got you.

And Allan, I'm wondering -- we're taking a look at these numbers, 8.5 percent. Yes, that's a big number, to be sure. But I'm wondering if there' something that maybe we're missing here and if, actually, the number could be worse when you think about the fact that there are so many people who are underemployed?

CHERNOFF: There are millions of people who are underemployed, Tony, you're right on over there. Nine million people are working part-time, a huge number of those people would rather have full-time jobs.

And then there are another two million people who the Labor Department says are marginally attached to the labor force. A lot of those people are so-called discouraged workers, people who haven't looked for a job for months and months, so they don't even count in the unemployment rate. If you factor all those people in, the real number is over 15 percent. Scary.

HARRIS: Boy, that is scary. All right.

Allan, appreciate it.

Susan, as always, good to talk to you. Thank you both.

You know, we just heard that jobs are getting cut left and right. So what do you do if you're a college graduate on the job hunt? Check out CNNMoney.com for ways to find work when you are just out of school.

Want to get you a quick update on the breaking news we told you about just a couple of minutes ago in Binghamton, New York.

No new information, but what we have is pretty startling, to be sure. At least four people are shot at the American Civic Association billing. Again, that's in Binghamton. And about 20 people, we understand, have been taken hostage.

Local apartments are being evacuated. Four people that we are aware of, according to this reporting, have been removed from the building on stretchers and taken to area hospitals. The SWAT team there in Binghamton is on the scene.

Again, 20 hostages reportedly in the building's basement and boiler room. The shooter may also still be in the building.

We're going to continue to follow details on the story and get you an update as soon as when we can with new information and maybe some pictures here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The countdown is on for the North Korean missile launch. What will the U.S. do if it happens?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Countdown to launch. North Korea could send up a controversial rocket in a matter of hours. If Pyongyang is testing a long-range missile, as the U.S. believes, it is in violation of a U.N. resolution. But there are doubts about just what can be done to a country which has routinely been hit with international sanctions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW THOMPSON, NIXON CENTER: Kim Jong-il has proven to be extremely resilient. The North Korean regime has been very resilient. They have resisted a great deal of coercion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The U.S. has told Pyongyang in no uncertain terms and in a very public way, don't launch this missile.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence is joining me now.

All right, Chris. Let's talk about this a bit.

What is the official line from Pyongyang about this blast into space?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's the interesting thing. The official line is actually the line that senior Pentagon officials believe.

Pyongyang is saying that this is a satellite that is on top of this missile, meaning it's going to go up, it's going to launch the satellite into orbit, and the in stages are going to fall into the ocean. Senior Pentagon officials, from the satellite images that they've been able to see, they believe that is true.

That said, there are U.S. Navy destroyers in the region. Japan has also deployed some assets. But the key here is that the mood here in the Pentagon is very calm about this.

They feel that there is no plans at all to shoot down this satellite. Japan says they will only shoot it down if the debris is directly falling over the islands of Japan.

HARRIS: I got you. So Chris, what kind of indication do we have on what -- and maybe you just sort of hinted at it, and certainly what Japan will do -- if the launch goes ahead?

LAWRENCE: If the launch goes ahead, I don't think you'll see too much of an immediate reaction unless, as I said, something goes wrong and debris starts falling over one of the allied countries. Long term, it will be diplomatic means.

The State Department spokesman has said if there is a U.N. Security Council meeting about this, that the U.S. will be there. But again, this is long term.

It's not so much what this does and what happens during this launch. It's the fact that this missile base, if you take off the satellite and put on a nuclear warhead, if they were able to develop that kind of technology, this, a successful launch here, could teach them a lot of things about guidance, control, reliable fuel, deploying -- you know, deployment. They would gain a lot of knowledge that could one day lead them to attaching a nuclear warhead.

HARRIS: Got you.

All right. Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence for us.

Chris, appreciate it. Thank you.

Want to get to new pictures. OK, great.

We've been waiting for these pictures, first pictures, new pictures in from Binghamton, New York. This is a situation we've been telling you about.

OK. At least four people are shot -- boy, this is pretty dramatic stuff -- at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton. We understand -- still waiting for further clarification on this -- that as many as 20 people have been taken hostage. Local apartments in the area have been evacuated.

You saw at least one person being brought out on a stretcher. Our understanding is that at least four people have been removed from the building on stretchers and taken to area hospitals.

Look at this. We also mentioned earlier -- and you can see the pictures for yourself now -- the Binghamton SWAT team is actually on the scene now, trying as best as it can to manage the situation.

We understand that the shooter may still be in the building. Don't have anything concrete on that, but it stands to reason if we're still talking about hostages inside that building.

Let me just sort of read what else we have here.

Police began staging at Oak and Main Street, the site of the Binghamton High School. OK, shortly after 10:30 a.m.

What is this picture that we're seeing now?

This is the actual building. OK.

So here's a still picture of the building in question now that is essentially under siege right now. This is the American Civic Association building, ,again, in Binghamton, New York.

So let's go back to those pictures, those images, pretty disturbing images, right now, just in to CNN a short time ago. And the news here is that at least four people have been shot.

Don't have an updated number, don't know at this point if anyone has been killed or if we're just talking about very serious injuries at this point. And again, this is at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton. The SWAT team is on the scene, at location right now. There are reports of -- reportedly of 20 hostages inside the building of the basement.

We will continue to follow this story, get any additional information and pictures to you as soon as possible.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. And once again, we want to bring you the very latest that we have on the breaking news out of Binghamton, New York.

And you can see police are staging. And the SWAT unit there in Binghamton is on the scene as well.

We're talking about a situation where the latest information that we have is that at least four people have been shot at the American Civic Association building there in Binghamton. And the initial reports -- as you can see, one person being brought out on a stretcher now. In fact, our understanding is that at least four people have actually been removed from the building on stretchers, taken to area hospitals. We have no idea at this point of the severity of the injuries.

The information seems to also be indicating that at least 20 people are being held right now as hostages in the basement of the building. There you see members of the police department. And earlier we had some shots of members of the SWAT team as well.

This is the very latest information that we have and the latest pictures coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM. We will continue to update this story and try to get someone close to the scene, maybe the public information officer from the police department, to give us an update on that ongoing situation right now, that standoff, that siege of the American Civic Association building in Binghamton.

Other news we're following right now, critics say a new law passed in Afghanistan all but legalizes marital rape in Shia families.

CNN's Atia Abawi looks at the measure and what it means for women in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women in Afghanistan have few of the rights enjoyed by men. And now some may have even fewer. The Afghan parliament passed a bill intended to give the minority Shia community their own identity, but the latest draft appears to strip women of rights as simple as leaving the house without permission of a male relative, and as extreme as allowing a man to have sexual intercourse with his wife even if she says no.

Critics of the bill wonder how what amounts to rape in marriage can be passed by parliament and signed by President Hamid Karzai into law. And some lawmakers are baffled as well.

(on camera): This is the conference room where the lower house of the parliament initially debated the Shia state law. Out of the 249 members in the lower house, 68 of those are women, and some of those women actually voted for the bill to pass.

(voice-over): Fawzia Koofi voted against it, a rare voice for woman's rights in a very conservative male-dominated country. Following her father's footsteps, she went into politics and is a member of the Afghan parliament. She says that after the vote, there was confusion. Some MPs had no idea what they were voting for, and now those without voices will suffer.

FAWZIA KOOFI, AFGHAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: What my fear is that women and children in Afghanistan are always the victim of political gains. They don't have the guns to fight. They cannot create a mass (ph).

ABAWI: For the international community, the law's a problem. It wants a free Afghanistan to make its own decisions, but this law is an affront to the principles of many donors. And Fawzia Koofi says they should not be silent.

KOOFI: I think in certain cases, the international community also forgets its role. We don't -- or I don't ask the international community to come and make laws for us, but they have to make the government of Afghanistan accountable for their commitment to women and children situations, and basically human rights situations in this country.

ABAWI: Critics of the law hope the supreme court might rule that it's at odds with Article 22 of the Afghan constitution, which promises equal rights to all citizens, man and woman. Most Afghans haven't yet heard of the law, but at least one Shia man thought it appropriate.

MOHAMMED ZAHIR, SHIA RESIDENT (through translator): Shia people are in Afghanistan. They are a part of Afghanistan, and there needs to be a law that they go by and follow.

ABAWI: The women, they're harder to find and less ready to speak up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right. Atia Abawi joining us now from Kabul.

Atia, a fascinating report.

If I could, can I pivot you to something that's happening right now in the news today? And obviously I'm talking about President Obama. He's gearing up for tomorrow's start of the NATO summit.

You know, he has called for better use of NATO resources in Afghanistan. OK, I get that. So a better use of NATO resources.

What would that mean? And are we talking about more here than soldiers, boots on the ground?

ABAWI: This is definitely going to be more than just boots on the ground. Right now, we have over 40 nations in Afghanistan, but little seems to be progressing in Afghanistan.

If you talk to the Afghan people, they see this as eight years of failed promises. They've seen their live get worse in the past few years alone.

So what this means is, yes, they need more troops, but they need that civilian effort that he brought up in his strategy just last week. They need more people training Afghanistan. They need more people traing lawyers, the government. The government needs a lot of help in this country is going to make it -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Atia Abawi for us in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Atia, as always, great to talk to you.

We want to get back to the breaking news that we've been reporting for, say, the last 20 minutes or so, the reports of at least four people shot at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York.

On the line with us right now is Bob Joseph. And Bob is the news director of WNBF.

And I trust that's in Binghamton, correct, Bob?

BOB JOSEPH, NEWS DIRECTOR, WNBF RADIO: Yes, we're in Binghamton, just a few blocks from where the shooting began.

HARRIS: Just a few blocks?

JOSEPH: Yes.

HARRIS: OK. If you would, you know, I could run down the information that we have, but what is the latest from your reporting?

JOSEPH: Well, police still have the building surrounded, and we have had unconfirmed reports, but reports from two separate sources who are in a position to know, that there have been multiple deaths at the American Civic Association. We've been told by police sources and others that perhaps as many as 12 or 13 people may have died in this shooting rampage.

It has not been officially confirmed by Binghamton City Police. We do know that four others were taken to nearby hospitals, but there is this possibility that a dozen or more people may have died within the last two hours.

HARRIS: And remind us again, because that's startling, remind us again of the sourcing as you know it so far on that report?

JOSEPH: One is a top city official, and another is a person -- a link to another police agency. And they both indicated separately that at least 12 people had been reported dead.

HARRIS: And do we know, Bob, whether or not we're getting this information from folks who have contacted the police from inside, who may have been a part of the first wave of folks making 911 calls? Do we know that kind of information?

JOSEPH: I don't know the source of that. The person from the city was in a position to speak with the police, who are directing the situation. So they would have been in that position to know. There still may be as many as 40 or more people who are trapped inside the building as this situation has evolved into a hostage situation.

HARRIS: Tell us about this building for folks around the country, the American Civic Association building. What goes on in that building?

JOSEPH: Well, a lot of classes for those who are new arrivals to the United States. Many people learn English as a second language by going to classes there.

There's also preparation that goes on for people who want to become citizens of the United States. They are frequently visited by people of so many different countries. Dozens of countries are likely to be represented at the Civic Association daily.

HARRIS: And Bob, if you would, you're close enough, or maybe you had an opportunity -- you indicated that you're close enough. Can you describe the scene either that you're seeing or the scene that you witnessed a short time ago?

JOSEPH: Well, I can tell from speaking with Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan that the thing within minutes turned into one of just flooded with police. The Binghamton City Police, the New York State Police and Broome County Sheriff's Department had officers on the scene within minutes. In fact, the police chief was there about six minutes after the initial call came out. He's the one who deployed the SWAT team just moments after the shootings were reported.

We have been told that the suspect is being described as an Asian male in his 20s. He apparently is armed with at least one short gun. We also received information that the man, before he entered the American Civic Association through the front door, parked a vehicle behind the building to block the back door exit so anybody who tried to flee, once the shooting erupted, would not be able to get out that back door.

HARRIS: Well, that speaks to premeditation. That speaks to a plan to carry out what is shaping up to be a very horrible attack.

Bob, if you would, one other quick question. How are you deployed? Because I absolutely want to get your people on the air. You and your people on the air to give us updates at the moment you get them. Do you have people who are at the scene in contact with you now?

JOSEPH: We do have one person who is very close to the scene. Of course, police are keeping everyone, including reporters, at a safe distance. So he's not been able to speak directly with anyone who is inside the building at this time.

HARRIS: And that reporter has a cell phone presumably and can be in contact with you?

JOSEPH: Yes.

HARRIS: All right. Because, obviously, I just want to get us the very latest information that we can. Why don't you stay on the line and maybe you could help us make direct contact with that correspondent. Bob Joseph is helping us out mightily here as we cover this story. He is the news director of WNBF, a radio in Binghamton, New York. And he is describing the scene, according to witnesses, that is absolutely shaping up to be a horrible story. Multiple deaths according to at least two sources. As Bob describes them as in a position to know the situation inside the American Civic Association building.

We want to get to our Chad Myers.

Chad, I know you're standing by to give us a sense of this scene and some more information about that city.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, yes, Binghamton, actually a fairly large town in Broome County, part of the Broome County -- kind of the Endicott Johnson City little triangle there. This is Binghamton. We'll zoom right in. This is the heart of it. Right on the Susquehanna and the Chenango River right there.

There's the American Civic Association building. Here's from their website. "We assist immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification, interpreters and translators. Fosters cross-cultural understanding for the entire community." And there is the building right there down. This is on our Google Earth on the Google 5.0. You can get it yourself at home. But literally kind of a street right along the river itself.

And then we'll kind of zoom back out. And Binghamton kind of a long city, as most cities that are along rivers are. You've got Binghamton. Then you've got your Johnson City and your Endicott kind of all stretched out.

But if you can imagine -- and I know you probably -- everybody's probably heard of it but didn't realize that in the metro area, the 2000 census had 252,000 people in that area, in that Broome County region there that's called Binghamton Metro. And so that's a pretty large town compared to a lot of other towns that you probably have never heard of.

Binghamton itself, just the downtown -- and this is typical -- only 47,000. But when you include the suburbs, you're over a quarter of a million people -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, Chad, I've got to tell you something, that downtown -- that strip that you're talking about, this street, absolutely inundated with a law enforcement response right now. And as we try to update this information as best we can right now, just moments ago we were on the phone with Bob Joseph. He is the news director of a local radio station there in Binghamton.

Now you'll recall that we had been reporting that at least four people were shot at this building, the American Civic Association. The initial information was that a number of people have been pulled out of the building on stretchers. That as many as 20 people were being held hostage.

After a conversation just a short time ago -- we'll probably rerack that for you and run it again -- with Bob Joseph, the indication is that there may be multiple deaths associated with this episode ongoing right now at the American Civic Association building. There are indications from sources that the shooter, who is believed to be still on the premises, is Asian in decent.

We also understand that there appears to be some premeditation, some planning at least to this attack. The indication from -- again, a couple of sources who have spoken to Bob Joseph, his reporters and others at WNBF and also law enforcement on the scene is that this shooter, described as Asian, pulled a vehicle to the back of the building to stop people who wanted to get out of the building at the time the shooting started.

We are still working on getting additional information and affiliate stations in the market we believe we're going to be coming online with us shortly. And once it happens, we'll get the latest information to you.

But again, from two sources, described as in a position to know what is going on inside the building, one person who works in -- I believe Bob mentioned -- in city government, reporting to local police that we may be looking at a situation -- who is that? Karen Lee is with -- and the affiliate again is? News 10 Now. News 10 Now.

Karen, are you there?

KAREN LEE, NEWS 10 NOW CORRESPONDENT: Hi, how are you?

HARRIS: Hey, I'm great. I'm sorry about the episode that has really sort of besieged your city right now.

First of all, what is the latest information that you have on the standoff, the siege, of this American Civic Association building?

LEE: Well, a short while ago, we saw one more ambulance leave. Whether or not there was someone in there, we can't say for sure. But we -- a short while even before that, we saw about 10 people exiting the civic center building. They had their hands on their head. It didn't appear from our distance that they were injured. But again, we still need to confirm that at this point.

Right now there's -- its -- the civic center is just being heavily barricaded, but not a lot of activity. An emergency field operation unit vehicle just pulled in. There's also some SWAT team vehicles where we saw more men suiting up and armoring up.

Obviously all the streets around here have been barricaded. Nearby there's a high school. All the students are locked in. No one is allowed to leave. This is close to a pretty busy downtown area. All shop owners, restaurant owners are told to stay inside and it's being strictly enforced by police. And for concerned parents, obviously, they're worried about their children in the high school. They're asked (INAUDIBLE) please to go to 290 Front Street.

HARRIS: Hey, Karen. OK, Karen, I'm sorry, I cut you off. That sounded like a bit of important information. What were you saying? Go -- for parents to go where?

LEE: To 290 Front Street. It's the Catholic Charities building. And any questions will be answered there.

HARRIS: And how close in proximity is that location to I guess we're talking about the high school, correct?

LEE: Yes.

HARRIS: How close in proximity?

LEE: It's not very far at all. Actually Front Street is a long, long street. The civic center is on front street.

HARRIS: OK. And for parents again of students in that high school who are concerned about their kids and the situation, first of all, is the school in lockdown right now?

LEE: It absolutely (ph) is. No one's able to leave. Students, so far, are safe.

HARRIS: Good. Good. OK. And, once again, Karen, remind the parents who may be watching us right now where they can go, where they can assemble for news on their children and the latest on this situation?

LEE: Catholic Charities. It's on 290 Front Street in Binghamton.

HARRIS: All right. Let's get to some of the details of what's going on here.

When did your news operation -- we're getting indications that this scene started to unfold at about 10:30 a.m. today. So let's walk through this as best we can with some sense of chronology, if we could.

LEE: Absolutely.

About 10:30 this morning, we also received a call and got here. You know, we didn't hear any of the shots. We (INAUDIBLE) about shots being fired from the police scanner. And when we arrived, obviously, there's sheriffs, state troopers, local police, and SWAT teams had all assembled here. You know, all suited up. None of (INAUDIBLE) heard shots while we were here. But we're seeing (INAUDIBLE) saw one other man exit with his hands over his head. (INAUDIBLE) seeing constant activity happen.

HARRIS: OK, Karen, are you still there?

LEE: Yes, I'm still here.

HARRIS: OK. Well, let's do this. We're going to take a quick break. But I don't want you to go anywhere if you can stay with us. I know you have responsibilities to your news operation. But Karen Lee is with us from News 10 Now in Binghamton.

And, Karen, when we come back, I want to ask you if you can match some of the reporting that we've gotten from Bob Joseph from one of the local radio stations of multiple deaths.

But let's take a quick break an we'll come back and we will bring you the very latest information on this breaking news out of Binghamton, New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just trying to check the latest state wires out of Binghamton just to determine if there is anything -- if there's anything new here. Again, we are following this breaking news story, this developing story right now of multiple victims in a shooting in New York state. The Binghamton, New York.

We know -- let me just start with what we know. At least four people shot. As many as 40, maybe 41 people taken hostage at an immigration services center, that in Binghamton. This is a bit of a relationship shot here. You can get an idea of the distance between Binghamton and New York City there.

We understand the SWAT is certainly on the scene. And, as you would imagine, in a situation like this, we've got a massive police response in downtown Binghamton at this moment.

There are reports -- and let me broach it that way. We've had a conversation with the news director of WNBF radio in Binghamton who is citing at least two sources who are indicating to local law enforcement that as many as a dozen victims -- a dozen people may have been shot an killed in this. We don't have that.

And we were talking just moments ago to Karen Lee from News 10 Now in Binghamton. And she can't confirm that as well. We were just curious as to whether or not she could match that reporting. She can't.

Also, there are indications that the shooter may be Asian. The shooter has been described as Asian. And that that shooter is in all likelihood still in the building right now.

We want to get to our Josh Levs.

And, Josh, that's some of what we know. And what is still, at least at this point, unconfirmed. I know you're working on some different elements for us.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And, look, and as we get any information, it goes right here on TV. Also if you're traveling, we're putting up the story at cnn.com.

Tony, let me trace you through a few things that I do have to show you here on the Internet board.

First of all, someone has already grabbed a picture of the building, stuck it on to ireport.com. This is what it looks like if you're just joining us. The American Civic Association, the building that everyone's so concerned about right now, where we're told about this situation.

Now I want to try to take you over here. Here you go. These are some basic on it. This is what we're told it does. Artists, immigrants and refugees -- it assists, rather, immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification. This is the kind of building we're talking about. No one seems to know right off the bat why there would possibly be this kind of situation there.

Let me show you some of the media that we're getting locally from the Binghamton area. Binghamton Press is up at pressconnects.com. And, Tony, you know we've been talking about numbers. One thing they're saying right here, they are leading with at least four people shot at this building, the American Civic Association in Binghamton. They're saying about 40 people taken hostage. That also matches what we're seeing elsewhere.

Another important site right now, one of our affiliates here, WBMG doing some quick reporting on this, as you know. I'm showing you one section of what they are saying on their website. Some detail. They say, "scanner reports say a man went into the building and started shooting. When the shooting started, people inside escaped to the basement in search of safety. More than a dozen people are hiding," they're saying "in a closet for more than an hour now." Some details that WBMG has picked up, Tony, put on its website here.

Now let me show you something because a lot of people want to know if this kind of area we're talking about -- I pulled it up on the Google Map and I know that we have some too, our weather folks doing a great job there. It's right over here. You know, you can see it against the water. And one thing I always like to know, when there's any kind of crime situation, any kind of concern like that, what is the road like? Is it in close quarters to other buildings, to private homes?

This is the Google street map view. It lets you kind of zoom around on that street. So I'm going to do that a little bit with you, Tony. This is the building right here where this is happening. We're seeing video of people gathered outside. This is, obviously, not live, but what the street looks like. And you can see, if you zoom around a little bit, other buildings and what do appear to be homes and some small businesses in this area as well. Now are they being cleared out? Are they in some kind of danger? We don't know at this point. But you can see what the kind of area is like and why it could certainly be a very big concern to anyone who has a business, a small business or a home in that area.

Tony, we're going to keep an eye on all these things and I'll let you know. People are twittering about it already as they get details. Anything we get, I'll jump back in right here for you, Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Appreciate it, Josh.

And let me just ask a question very quickly. Do we have Bob Joseph back? In the beeper line? We don't. I guess we don't. All right.

Once again, we're just trying to gather the best information as we can and be as responsible as we can with the information that we're getting. We're trying, obviously, to talk to the mayor of Binghamton. His name is Matthew Ryan. We're trying to get him on the line as well. He has told the "Binghamton Press" and "Sun Bulletin," one of the local newspapers there, that there is a hostage situation involving gunman with a high-powered rifle.

We're getting this reporting from the Associated Press and it's reporting out of Binghamton. The newspaper's reporting 41 hostages. We're going to stay away from that number right now. We're going to go with what we've -- our numbers here at CNN, four shot, 20 taken hostage.

Those are our numbers. That's what we can hang our hat on right now. Twenty people taken hostage or shot. And as you can see, in some of these pictures -- and we're not taking a very wide view of this, obviously, but you can imagine a massive police response.

These are the first pictures available to us right now, which is why you're seeing them over and over again. We're going to continue to effort new pictures from at least one of our affiliates, News 10 Now in Binghamton.

We're going to take a break. As you can see, one person taken out on a stretcher. The additional reporting that we are comfortable with is that at least four people were removed from the building on stretchers.

We'll take a break and bring you the latest information on this story as we get it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Want to give you the very latest on our breaking news story. A multiple shooting at a building in Binghamton, New York, that provides assistance to new immigrants. And we want to try to button this up as best we can with the best information that we can confirm that we certainly feel comfortable with at this point.

At least four people are shot at the American Civic Association. That's in Binghamton. About 20 people have been taken hostage. We also understand that local apartments are being evacuated. Four people have been removed, to our knowledge, from the building on stretchers and taken to area hospitals. The Binghamton SWAT team is on the scene.

We are continuing to work to get any new information on the scene. It is a horrible scene, as you can imagine. We'll take a quick break and get you the latest information as soon as we can right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Again, we continue to follow the breaking news out of Binghamton, New York. A multiple shooting at a building there that provides assistance to new immigrants. Take a look at all that we've been able to put together in terms of still pictures, actual video from the location.

Again, this is the American Civic Association in Binghamton. And again, just want to try to give you the very best information that we've been able to match as best we can. At least four people are shot at this building. The American Civic Center Association building in Binghamton. And our understanding is that at least 20 people have been taken hostage. Local apartments have been evacuated as well.

We know that a high school is near this location. That's on lockdown right now. And parents are being told to go to a location very close. A charities building very close to this location to find out information on the well-being of their children and what's being done for them and when they will get an opportunity to be reunited with their children.

We want to talk to a convenience store owner who is very near this location. Rashdun Haque is on the line with us.

And Rashdun, if you would, describe what you saw and when you saw it.

RASHDUN HAQUE, WORKS NEAR SHOOTING SCENE: OK. First of all, it was like three cop car was approaching the building. It's a college town, so I figure out that at some point that it's probably some kind of fight with the students or something.

Then, afterward, I see the DT's (ph) car, the three squad car and pretty much the whole street was flooded with officers. And then I was informed by the officer that make sure you stay inside, keep your customers inside the door and keep away from the windows and that's pretty much what we've been doing.

HARRIS: So from your vantage point right now, what can you see?

HAQUE: I can see -- I have a clear view of the building and what is going on and everything. So far, I seen there is four persons that was, I believe, was injured, was taken to the hospital. And approximately, seven to eight people was hostage, I believe, that was released from the building. And pretty much -- just not too long ago there's a bomb squad got here at the scene. And right now pretty much it's like blocking every single view that I have with all those vehicles, with the police squad cars.

HARRIS: Rashdun, how many people are in your store right now?

HAQUE: Right now I have four people at the moment.

HARRIS: OK. And all of them, including you, have been told just to stay put, don't go anywhere, right?

HAQUE: Yes.

HARRIS: What do you -- look, you live in that community. What can you tell us about this building? We don't know a lot about it, the American Civic Center Association building. What can you tell us?

HAQUE: Basically it's for the foreigners that come to the United States. They provide them with information and they have classed to learn English and et cetera.

HARRIS: How concerned are you right now? I mean you must be...

HAQUE: I'm really shaky because this kind of thing -- it's a small city. It' it's a beautiful city, but nothing goes down like serious like that. This is the first time in like you know that school is really close. It's like a two-minute walk from downtown Binghamton. And it's just scary.

HARRIS: And your first thought is that it was something having to do with the high school.

HAQUE: Yes, something like normal. You are not like amazed that something could go down like that. And then about five minutes (INAUDIBLE) like the firefighter, the bomb squad, three different SWAT team, the sniper, the paramedics, everybody's over here.

HARRIS: OK. Rashdun Haque is on the line with us. He is the owner of a convenience store very near this location.

Rashdun, we appreciate it. Thank you for your comments, your reporting, your eyewitness account of what's going on here.

Want to turn things over right now to Kyra Phillips, my colleague, who -- and your team working hard on this and pushing forward.