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Three Police Officers Killed in Pittsburgh; First Lady Taking Europe By Storm
Aired April 04, 2009 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Massacre in a barrage of bullets; more than 100 rounds take down police officers in Pittsburgh. And in Binghamton, New York, civilians the ones gunned down. The senseless carnage here at home catching the attention of the president and the world.
The news starts right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We begin in Pittsburgh, where for the first time, police released the pictures of three officers killed this morning on a domestic dispute call. The fallen officers are Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo, and Steven Mayhle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF NATHAN HARPER, PITTSBURGH POLICE: One officer approaching the house. The actor opened fire on the officer, fatally wounding him. The second officer, who was behind the first officer, he also sustained a fatal wound to the head as well. The third officer, who was on his way home actually, that heard the call come over the radio, that decided to back these officers up, was also fatally wounded as he tried to assist both officers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Several other officers were wounded before the gunman surrendered. Police say during the rampage Richard Poplawski wore a bullet proof vest and was shot multiple times in the legs. Earlier today, a neighbor talked to CNN about the crime scene. Also, a friend of the gunman told us he is dumb-founded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY LOFFLER, HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND: I don't know what to say. I truly, truly -- my mind is -- it's going like this, trying to figure out a reason to make what was going so bad for this kid that would make him want to do this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard from that reporter that was on the scene that in a period of 20 minutes, there were some 80 shots fired. Did you hear that?
RANDY BRANCH, NEIGHBOR: Oh yes, for sure. In fact, I was on the phone with a friend of mine who called to check in. He was like, what is that noise? To be honest, I think it's more than 80 shots. The amounts of artillery that I can see right now in the neighborhood is way more than 80 rounds, I'm sure.
EDWARD PERKOBIC, SUSPECT'S FRIEND: It was a domestic dispute on the household. I guess the police came to take his firearms away from him. He always said if anyone tried to take his firearms, he was going to standby what his forefather told him to do and defend himself. I guess he went about it the wrong way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Poplawski has been charged with three counts of homicide. Police say they have responded to calls to his residence before, but they still haven't confirmed a motive for us tonight.
Now to another major breaking news story that we're following today on CNN. This one's out of Binghamton, New York, where 13 people were gunned down in cold blood yesterday in an immigrant community center. Local officials held a news conference within the past hour as well. Our Susan Candiotti joins us now with the very latest on that as well. Susan, what are you hearing?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still waiting for an official list of all the victims in the case. They're still being identified. The police chief says he is notifying the families of those victims.
And then he went onto recap what happened at this building, where I'm standing, a little more than 24 hours ago. In talking about the suspected shooter, identified as Jiverly Wong, age 41, the police chief said, without uttering a word, he went inside that building and shot all of his victims several times. Hoe used two guns and carried a satchel filled with ammunition around his neck.
Police then released two photographs of Jiverly Wong this day, and more information is emerging about this man. As we said, age 41, not married, living with his parents and sister in a nearby town. He lost his job at a factory called Shop Vac, where they made motors for commercial vacuum cleaners. And his co-workers say he was dismissed when the factory was closed. he police chief said he was fired by that job. Investigators have uncovered that he was also in possible trouble more than ten years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOSEPH ZIKUSKI, BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK: In 1999, the New York State Police obtained information from a confidential informant that he was planning a bank robbery, that he had a crack or cocaine habit and had handguns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, here at the American Civic Association, the people who work here, who worked here for many years, a volunteer organization, say they're simply devastated about what happened. This group was formed in 1939 by a group of immigrants who then went onto form this organization to help other people who were new to the United States, helping them, for example, to learn English and to pass their citizenship exams.
Its director today was moved to tears when she talked about what Jiverly Wong is suspected of doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA LEACH, AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION: Whatever drove this individual to do what he did, I cannot possibly fathom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And another candle light vigil, an inter-faith service, is scheduled for Sunday night at 6:00. Don, back to you.
LEMON: Susan, thank you very much for that.
Meantime, President Barack Obama is overseas attending two major issues affecting the U.S. and the world. But he took a moment to share his concerns over the latest wave of bloodshed right here at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My administration is in communications with law enforcement officials, federal, state and local. We are monitoring the investigation.
I am heartbroken for the families who survived this tragedy. And it just underscores the degree to which, in each of our countries, we have to guard against the kind of senseless violence that a tragedy represents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, President Obama arrived in the Czech Republic. He wrapped up the NATO summit in France earlier today. Mr. Obama plans meetings with Czech leaders, as well as a major speech. We go now to our Suzanne Malveaux. She's traveling with the president. She joins me now from Prague. Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. Actually at the NATO summit, the president arrived with relatively low expectations, but he was quite pleased, however, that he came out with some concrete commitments from NATO allies regarding that beefed-up mission inside of Afghanistan.
I want to point out some of the highlights, 3,000 NATO forces for security ahead of the Afghan elections, also 2,000 additional NATO troops to mentor and train those Afghan army units, as well as 400 to train the Afghan police, and then financial assistance as well. We're talking 100 million dollars in a trust fund for the Afghan army.
All of this, President Obama saying that this was something he did not expect necessarily to be a pledge type of summit. This was really something that was beyond what he expected. Take a listen, Don. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We start from a simple premise: for years our efforts in Afghanistan have lacked the resources needed to achieve our goals. That's why the United States is recommitted itself to a clear and focused goal, to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Don, as you know, this will be very helpful in going back home and convincing Americans that this is worth the effort to go back and beef up that mission inside of Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan. What he's doing here in Prague, the Czech Republic; tomorrow he's going to be making his first major foreign policy speech as president. His message is going to be very clear. We're told that his goal is to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Don?
LEMON: Susan Malveaux, thank you for that.
It can happen any time this weekend. North Korea plans to launch what it says is a communication satellite. The U.S. believes it's a cover for a long-range missile test. State run media launch preparations are complete. President Obama calls the planned launch provocative. But the U.S. has been vague about the potential consequences North Korea might face.
The First Lady takes Europe by storm. We'll take a closer look at her message, and, of course, the fashion behind it. And ask, why all the fascination?
Also become part of our community tonight, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or iReport.com. We'll get your responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have some amazing video that we want to get to you. Take a look at this. It's mangled wreckage after a bus crash in Nevada today. Look at this picture. You can hardly tell that's a bus. It was leaving a Reno resort when it crashed, killing at least one person and injuring more than two dozen others. A state transportation official says the bus crashed through a guardrail and fell into a culvert. No word on what caused the crash. The bus carries workers to and from the resort.
Right here to Atlanta now, and a solemn ceremony to mark the death and life of a very remarkable man. Hundreds of people gathered today at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center to mark the assassination of the late civil rights activist. Dr. King was killed on this date in 1968 as he stood on a balcony outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
Rare images revealed; never before published photos of the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. We'll show you them and speak with the photographer in the 7:00 p.m. hour of CNN NEWSROOM. You don't want to miss that. It's fascinating conversation and fascinating photographs as well.
Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN presents "Eyewitness to Murder, the King Assassination." CNN's Soledad O'Brien reconstructs the evidence and the story and brings you a first-hand eyewitness account. That's at 8:00 p.m., only here on CNN.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Hey, we really want you to be part of our communist here. We want you to log onto Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking. We're going to get those on the air, especially when it comes to all these shootings that are happening right now. What do we need? Do we need better gun control laws? I'm not sure. Just putting it out there.
Meantime, I want to talk about the first lady on the world stage and her message makes world headlines. We'll take a closer look. Also this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is confidence and perception.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The desperate gamble to save General Motors, but the billion-dollar question is, will it work?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know what, you really can't pick up a newspaper or turn on the television or radio without hearing about someone. Almost as if she's a rock star. Talking about the First Lady in Europe this week. Here's a few snapshots of her trip; the hugs, the smiles, the outfits.
It was quite a reception. Tatsha Robertson is the deputy editor for "Essence Magazine." She has covered the Obamas extensively. Thank you very much for that.
Real quickly, before I talk to you, the latest project is called the Obama's Portrait of America, new first family. The book contains photographs of the first family along the campaign trail and on the inauguration day, along with full texts from several of the president's speeches, including the inaugural address. Again, thank you very much for joining us.
It seems like a love fest. I'm hearing -- this is the Times, several other newspapers. She's right on the front. The things says "First Lady, Two Countries, Three Outfits." Are we obsessed?
TATSHA ROBERTSON, "ESSENCE MAGAZINE": Not since Jackie Onassis have we really seen a first lady take the world by storm like this. She really represents all that's great about America, that mass appeal. She's rejuvenated America. It's really fascinating.
I think Europeans are looking at this and just amazed by this tall, striking, brilliant woman.
LEMON: When she first went to the White House, and having known Michelle Obama from my time in Chicago, she's an amazing, accomplished woman. I said, there's much more to her than fashion. Is that me? Am I being short sided by saying that?
ROBERTSON: I think fashion is important. It represents where we are at the moment. Right now, I mean, she's sort of like Jackie Onassis. The Kennedys show that things were changing. Right now, the Obamas are doing the same thing.
I think she's a beautiful women wearing some beautiful clothes. But she's really careful about what she wears. She knows we're in a recession. So I think all that is very important. It's especially important to those who are watching, Europe, Europeans, Americans.
So, yes, This is really important. Fashion is a statement.
LEMON: I want you to take a look at it. We're going to talk a little bit more about this. When she was speaking, she spoke at a girl's school. The girls were so excited. They're like, oh my god, I can't believe the First Lady shook my hand. Let's take a listen to something she said that really resonated with a lot of folks. Then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: I look at a performance like this. It just reminds that there are diamonds like this all over the world. All of you are jewels. You are precious and you touch my heart. And it is important for the world to know that there are wonderful girls like you all over the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I would imagine that that means a lot, not even just to girls, but to women of all ages.
ROBERTSON: Absolutely. You remember there was one little girl who said, you know, I come from humble means and she comes to this school, where we're just a regular group of kids. And here's this wonderful lady that comes. But I really think what was very important, she said, I come from just, you know, regular folk. These young girls, who parents are working class, they see her and say, one day, I could do something great, too. I think that was so very important.
LEMON: Is this not, I mean -- would I be wrong to say, is she over-shadowing her husband? I don't think so. But a lot of attention has been placed on her.
ROBERTSON: I don't think she's overshadowing her husband. I think she's helping her husband.
LEMON: How so? ROBERTSON: He's dealing with terrorism. He's dealing with the recession that's hit everyone. Europe, they're looking to America to fix this. What she does is bring back the compassion that many people forgot that Americans really have. For eight years, Europeans really struggled with the view, you know, how they perceived America. Right now, she represents the compassion that we've had for years for the world.
So she shows that rejuvenation that America, despite our problems, we're willing to look and look for the best talent. We're willing to rejuvenate ourselves, find great people from great places. I really think she represents the best and, you know, the best of America.
LEMON: I want to share my traveling stories, traveling this week in New York and seeing a lot of people, Tatsha, right, and stopping me and talking to me about things. First, I'm going to play this and talk to you about it.
ROBERTSON: OK, sure.
LEMON: Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: It doesn't matter whether you come from a council estate or a country estate. Your success will be determined by your own fortitude, your own confidence, your own individual hard work. That is true. That is the reality of the world that we live in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So I'm sitting outside, waiting for a table at a restaurant in New York. And these two guys walk up to me, these guys with beer. They're like, hey, you're the CNN guy. I'm like, yes. They said Michelle Obama, that dress, I'm not sure about it. I'm like, you care about Michelle Obama's dress. They're like, yes, she's interesting. Then I'm on the airplane, people are coming to me, talking, said, how about that Michelle Obama in Europe. Someone showed me their e-mail saying, the first lady, oh, my gosh. My friend in China says they're jealous because they want the first lady to come to China now."
ROBERTSON: Everybody loves her. My mother is talking about her dress. My cousins are talking. My mother is always calling me saying, did you see what Michelle is wearing? I just think she's a beautiful, striking woman.
LEMON: I remember, We made a lot of Mrs. Bush as well, who was a school teacher, reached out to children. Is it just showing that maybe a lot of the focus is because, oh my gosh, there's two African- American people in the office. The First Lady is an attractive woman. Is that why we're seeing so much press about her? Or just because of who she is as a person?
ROBERTSON: I think it's really who she is. She's striking. She's not afraid of fashion. She is also -- this is a rejuvenation. She's beautiful. So people are going to focus on it. But I don't think that takes away from her brilliance. She's a very smart, like you said, accomplished woman.
LEMON: I said -- when I did a story on her very, I guess maybe a couple days after the inauguration, I said, up until a week ago, Michelle Obama had a much stronger resume than her husband.
ROBERTSON: She did. That is so true.
LEMON: Nothing trumps president of the United States.
ROBERTSON: Absolutely.
LEMON: Thank you, Tatsha. It may seem that we're making over the First Lady, but we're not, because if you pick up a paper and if you're tuned in at all, or if you live in America and you walk on the streets, people are talking about it.
ROBERTSON: Everywhere.
LEMON: I look forward to your book as well. Thank you very much.
We're getting your responses. Here's what Velvet McIntire says: "how incredibly sexist that people can't stop talking about her clothes." A lot of you weighing in on this subject, as well as the sad stories we're covering, the shootings. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, iReport.com, that's how you can get in touch with us and get your responses on the air. What do you think of the First Lady?
Young people helped put President Obama in the White House. But has he forgotten them since he has gotten there? We're digging deeper and we're talking to someone who knows.
Also, the long journey from war-torn Serbia to Detroit for one final four hopeful. His story will definitely inspire you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The west was won in a cowboy hat. Now a Texas hat company is winning fans around the world, despite the slow economy. Richard Lui blows the lid off the story in tonight's small and global.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Few things are as American as a cowboy hat.
JOELLA GAMMAGE TORRES, TEXAS HATTERS: Texas Hatters started in about the late 1920s as a family business. My grandfather made hats, sold hats.
LUI: Joella Gammage Torres is a third generation Texas hatter. She's seen the business reach far beyond the Lone Star State, thanks to her late father's persistence. TORRES: My dad use to go out the night club, shake hands, pass out business cards and he kind of drew in the celebrities. Word of mouth is our greatest asset. It's worldwide.
LUI: Texas Hatters helps customers from Asia to Europe get a hat like Hank Williams Jr. or Ronald Reagan. Their fedorah is currently being featured in the movie "Watchmen."
TORRES: We have a good reputation among movie makers. They call us from California or Canada. We've even sent hats for filming in Australia.
LUI: But how do you make a custom hat for a movie set half a world away?
TORRES: The trick to that is we ask for pictures most of the time. You've got the customer's face and the top of the heads.
LUI: Texas Hatters survived the Great Depression and business is strong now.
TORRES: We want the average person to be able to afford a custom-made hat or the guy who has a few million in his sock drawer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: If you're just joining us, three police officers were gunned down and killed today in an apparent ambush at a Pittsburgh home. The alleged gunman, who was wearing body armor and armed with an AK-47, later surrendered. The motive is still unclear. Some of his friends said he had recently expressed fear his guns would be taken away. Police had been responding to a domestic dispute call at that home.
In Binghamton, New York, grief has overtaken the community where 13 people were killed yesterday at an immigrant community center. The gunman was an immigrant from Vietnam who complained about not being able to find work and people making fun of his poor English.
During his visit to France this week, President Obama used his town hall-meeting style to urge American kids to be tomorrow's change makers. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Young people are unburdened by the biases or prejudices of the past. That's a great privilege of youth. But it's a tremendous responsibility because it's you who must ultimately decide what we do with this incredible moment in history. We just emerged from an era marked by irresponsibility. It would be easy to choose the path of selfishness or apathy, of blame or division. But that's a danger that we cannot afford. The challenges are too great. It is a revolutionary world that we live in. History shows us that we can do improbable, sometimes impossible things. We stand here in a city that used to stand at the center of European conflict. Now it's the center of European Union. We did that together. Now we must not give up on one another. We must renew this relationship for a new generation, in a new century. We must hold firm to our common values, hold firm to our faith in one another, together. I'm confident that we can achieve the promise of a new day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Here we go. See that person right there next to me? That's Alexander Heffner. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and an undergraduate from Harvard University. He's the president of Scoop Media. And they clog my e- mail box all the time. Editor-in-chief of scoop44.com.
Alexander, you're exactly the kind of young person the president is referring to. You were a Barack Obama supporter coming up to the general election, right?
ALEXANDER HEFFNER, SCOOP MEDIA: I'm neutral.
LEMON: You were neutral?
HEFFNER: The site is neutral.
LEMON: OK. Then what's your beef with the president? You heard what he said. But you don't think he's devoted enough attention to young people, am I correct?
HEFFNER: I don't think he's made the explicit connection in inspiring a new generation of Americans to act. He has countless opportunities to do that. The first step, Don, is inspiring eloquent rhetoric. He's got that down. He did that in Europe during the campaign. Now he's doing it as president.
The next step is to incorporate young people into his initiatives. He's doing that through education. But I think there needs to be a sweeping agenda where he counts young people in every proposal he articulates before Congress, in everything he wants to accomplish.
LEMON: How old are you? You're a young guy, right?
HEFFNER: 19.
How old are you, Don?
LEMON: People are going say, what is this 19-year-old guy -- I'm older than you, older than you and younger than the president. People say this 19-year-old guy, what is he doing telling the president what he should be doing? What do you say to that?
HEFFNER: Well, we're inheriting the economic fiscal crisis that has such proportion you can't understand it or fathom it yet. The debate in Washington, D.C. is centered on this questions as to whether this is generational theft or investment, that is the massive increase in spending. So to the degree that we're inheriting a crisis for increased spending, it matters to young people. So whether you're 19 or 16 or 25, it matters to you.
LEMON: So, you know, he's been in office a very short amount of time. He's got a lot on his plate. Can you give him time to get to your particular issue?
HEFFNER: I don't have a beef with the president. I think that he's off to a fine start. I think at a town hall meeting and then subsequently on the road in Europe, he's made that connection that young people are a part of this process. I think he needs to continue to inspire this generation. And include them in his core proposals. I think he's off to a fine start.
LEMON: Maybe, youth advisers, maybe he has some already. But I think that would be good for you to, you know -- solicit the White House for, to be a youth adviser to his administration.
HEFFNER: Well, that's one step -- we're trying to keep him honest, as you say on your network, in terms of how the Obama administration is -- and the president himself, how they're in Washington executing on policy proposals. So part of our initiative of Scoop 44 is to have a series of reporters commit to projects down in Washington and across America to report on how Obama and his policies are impacting real people.
LEMON: All right.
HEFFNER: That in a nutshell is what we're doing. It's group 44.
LEMON: Alexander Heffner, I'd say you have a lot of moxy. I admire that.
Keep up your e-mails. Thank you for me your sending suggestions. If they're good enough, we'll get them on.
HEFFNER: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
G.M. and Chrysler fighting for survival. So, too, their dealerships, with crossed fingers, of course.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: General Motors wants your money. What will it take for you to buy again? Elaine Quijano talks to a G.M. dealer about their effort to reel in your business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With General Motors teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, G.M. dealer Maury Wilkins believes luring customers back to his showroom boils down to this.
MAURY WILKINS, G.M. DEALERSHIP OWNER: Everything is confidence and perception.
QUIJANO: Confidence in G.M., exactly what president Obama hopes to restore, even pledging a high-leveled guarantee.
OBAMA: If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired just like always. Starting today, the United States government will stand behind your warranty.
QUIJANO: That's a good thing, Wilkins says. Still, as the second generation caretaker of his family's business, he's concerned about slumping sales figures.
(on camera): Nationwide auto sales dropped by a whopping 37 percent in March compared to a year ago. And Maury Wilkins' business was not immune. Yet despite G.M.'s troubles, Wilkins says he is not in crisis mode, though he does has contingency plans in place.
WILKINS: Our business model is what if, what if, what if. If all these things are outside of our control, how do we maintain profitability?
QUIJANO (voice-over): That means extra attention on other parts of his dealership, besides new car sales.
WILKINS: We need as much service business and as much parts business and as much in the body shop as we can to offset the amount of business we may lose.
QUIJANO: Already, though, Wilkins believes car sales have turned a corner. February was one of his dealerships best months ever, and he says credit for car buyers is just now beginning to loosen.
One of Wilkins' potential customers, Jim Lally (ph), said that is what drew him into the showroom.
JIM LALLY (ph), G.M. CUSTOMER: I heard about the zero percent financing and the exceptional deals offered right now.
QUIJANO: Hopeful signs as Maury Wilkins' decades-old business tries to whether the economic storm.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Elaine.
G.M.'s new CEO, Fritz Henderson, sits down with CNN's John King tomorrow morning on "State of the Union," 9:00 a.m. eastern, only here on CNN.
Time for your feedback now. Here's what one viewer says. "They should be banned." Talking about assault weapons. "These two shootings can't change anything."
Lissym says, "We do need more gun control. Obama was right about people being bitter and clinging to guns."
Dia2008 says, "The weapons are not the problem. We need more mental health support."
Taliea says, "Really, don't see how folks think that going on a shooting spree, you're helping your cause if your cause is protecting your rights."
Be part of our community. Get your responses on, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com, twitter.com/donlemoncnn. Also, same thing on Facebook and MySpace. We'll get it on the air for you.
Home prices are falling, but these days, people still can't find the cash to keep a roof over their heads. That's when a "CNN Hero" steps in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In Pakistan, no letup in the violence plaguing the country. A suicide bomber blew himself up at a security check point in Islamabad, killing eight people. Police say the victims were members of the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force.
Also, in Pakistan, an American aide worker kidnapped more than two months ago is now free. Pakistani authorities say John Solecki, who works for the United Nations, was found in a village after his release. He heads an office on the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He was kidnapped near the Afghan border in early February.
The jobless rate is surging. Foreclosure rates are skyrocketing. And the risk of finding yourself homeless, they're always growing. Let's hope it doesn't happen.
Tonight's "CNN Hero" is fighting the problem head on in her own community, using her own home as her battle headquarters.
(CNN HERO)
LEMON: If you would like to help Suezette Steinhardt or if you know someone who deserves to be a hero, tell us about them. All of our heroes are chosen from people you nominate at CNN.com/heros.
I want to get you to CNN's Bonnie Schneider with an update on severe weather.
What do you have for us, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Don, only this time of year could you have a tornado warning followed by a blizzard. We have a spring storm bringing a tornado warning to south central Nebraska. This is for northeastern Clay and Philmore (ph) County. It has another 14 minutes to expire. No tornado on the ground, but we are looking at Doppler radar-indicated activity where we're getting rotation in the clouds. This tornado system is a vigorous one. The blizzard warnings are in place. You can see the heavy thunderstorms in the Grand Island area. We're tracking it for you.
More coming up later on -- Don?
LEMON: Bonnie, thank you for that. We'll get back to you.
The long journey from war-torn Serbia to Detroit. for one final four hopeful, his story will inspire you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, they call it March madness. We know that is for good reason. But it's April. I guess it started in March so that's why they call it that. The NCAA men's basketball tournament is down to the final four teams. The showdowns are getting started tonight.
I feel like a sports announcer, Larry Smith, who is in Detroit.
Larry, that's a good gig. With 70,000 people, I'm not sure. I'm a little bit claustrophobic.
LARRY SMITH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot of people. This is a final four record crowd of 70,000-plus. Don, as they say, you only hear from March madness is April. And we are here, finally, the final four teams in about 20 minutes. Michigan State and UConn will tip it up. Later on tonight, it's North Carolina versus Villanova.
Every coach and every player has their own unique story on how they got here. No one has the kind of story that Goran Suton has. The Michigan's State senior center was born in Sarajevo. He spent much of his childhood running for shelter as war raged all around him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORAN SUTON, MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL PLAYER: When I was little when we first left, you know, hiding in the basement, right when the war started. It seemed like a tough time. Moving to Serbia and, you know, with only one suitcase, literally nowhere to go at times. You know, leaving our dad behind. It was tough.
TOM IZZO, MICHIGAN STATE HEAD COACH: He doesn't want anybody he quietly lets everybody know, things aren't so bad, no matter what's going on, no matter how crazy things get, no matter what lost it is. He's taught me some things there.
SUTON: It seems like 50 years ago, in a way. It seems like time goes by fast, but when I think about those things, it seems like forever ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH (voice-over): Even playing basketball was dangerous. Suton's grandfather would retrieve balls that would bounce in a nearby field because it was littered by land mines. In 2000, at age 14, Suton's parents moved to the U.S., where he played at the same Lansing, Michigan, high school that produced basketball player, Magic Johnson. Like Magic, Suton won a state title there and hopes to follow Magic's lead again and helps the Spartans to a NCAA championship as well.
SUTON: The reason I'm here is because of my parents. And the reason I do basketball and want to succeed is to pay my parents back for all they've done for me, sacrificing the last 15 years of their life to make my life better. I don't know what I would do as an adult if I was in their situation, but I know what they did was -- everything they did was right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Well, Suton admits he still has nightmares from his childhood experiences, but he does add that a pair of wins here this weekend and a Michigan state national championship would be a dream come true.
And we've talked so much about the economy and the impact the final four will have on Detroit, visitors are expected to drop $50 million here this weekend. Will it make a difference? It certainly helps. But three years ago in the same building, they hosted a Super Bowl. Visitors then spent a quarter of a billion dollars. And yet, again, the city is still having all kinds of trouble.
Let's go back to you.
LEMON: Larry Smith, we appreciate it. I'll be looking forward to your work tomorrow, your reporting right here on CNN.
SMITH: OK.
LEMON: Thank you, sir. Be careful, as well.
"The Situation Room" is straight ahead. And Wolf Blitzer is going to tell us what he has.
What do you have for us, Wolf?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Don, a lot coming up at the top of the hour right here in "The Situation Room."
Tom Friedman, the author and "New York Times" columnist, he's joining us. We'll assess what happened this week as the president took his first overseas trip.
We're also going to hear from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Seymour Hirsch. He's got some provocative thoughts on the former vice president, Dick Cheney, and the former vice president's national security advisor, John Hanna, is here as well. You'll want to see and hear that.
Finally, Tina Brown of "The Daily Beast," she assesses the first lady on her first overseas assignment. All that and a lot more coming up in "The Situation Room".
LEMON: All right, Wolf, looking forward to that. Thank you.
Baby fat is cute on a baby, but it may also be not so cute. A sign of things to come, unfortunately.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: There's nothing cuter than a chubby baby, right? But could that baby fat translate into obesity later on? Well, a new study says it could.
CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has tonight's "Fit Nation."
(FIT NATION)
LEMON: Sanjay, thank you.
Want to recap our two top stories now. Three police officers gunned down and killed today at an apparent ambush at a Pittsburgh home. The alleged gunman was wearing body armor and was armed with an AK-47. He later surrendered. The motive is unclear, but some of his friends have said that he recently expressed fears his guns would be taken away. Police had been responding to a domestic dispute call at the home.
And in Binghamton, New York, grief has overtaken the community where 13 people were killed yesterday at an immigrant community center. The gunman was an immigrant from Vietnam who had complained about not being able to find work and about people making fun of his poor English.
Here's how you guys are weighing in on it.
Juwolf43 says, "Yes, there should be -- they should be banned. We are laughing stock of the world, allowing these type of massacres. U.S. gun laws don't make sense."
Catroglyphics says, "Banned? I don't know, maybe we don't ban guns. We ban people instead."
OK, you'll have to explain that one to me.
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com, tell us what you're thinking, we'll get your responses on the air.
Also, we're digging deeper into the issue of these mass shootings and should the assault weapons ban be reinstated? They seem to get worse and worse every time. Definitely, something needs to be done, but we want you to weigh in on what should be done. And we're going to talk to someone about what would it save lives? Would it be an infringement of our Second Amendment rights? We'll ask an expert, coming up, 7:00 eastern, right here on CNN. Also at 7:00, rare images revealed, photos of the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, and this is the first time we're seeing them. We'll show more of them to you and speak with the photographer in our 7:00 p.m. hour right here on CNN.
We've enjoyed you this hour. Thank you very much. Glad you could give us your time and hang out with us. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Back here tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern.
Meantime, I want to turn it over to my friend, Mr. Wolf Blitzer. He's in "The Situation Room," and it begins right now.
