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Deadly New Flu; Professor Sought in Triple Murder; Kid Bullied to Death
Aired April 25, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Developing tonight, dozens dead and late information on people newly sickened. The number of confirmed swine flu cases growing.
Also, a deadly shooting rampage near college campus. A manhunt is on for a professor. We're live.
Right now, parts of the south are on fire. Thousands are homeless tonight.
Bullied to death. Another young boy commits suicide after being taunted by his classmates. Tonight, we hear from his grieving mother. And get answers on how to protect your kids.
The news starts right now.
And we begin with a developing story, everyone. Hello, I'm Don Lemon.
A deadly new form of influenza is popping up all across the United States, from California to New York. And health experts admit they know very little about it.
What we do know is it is a form of swine flu that has spread to people. The worst outbreak seems to be in Mexico. And officials there say at least 81 deaths are linked -- likely linked to the disease. But U.S. health officials say most of those deaths have not been confirmed as swine flu related.
The Mexican president has granted emergency powers to his health minister to deal with that outbreak. Eleven confirmed cases have been found in the U.S., but no deaths. And right now, there are seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and at least eight more probable cases in New York.
And to bring you the best and the most current information tonight about how U.S. health officials are addressing the threat, we have CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti in New York and CNN's Thelma Gutierrez in San Diego.
But let's begin with CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen who explains why this sudden outbreak has world health officials on edge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, we heard about it in Mexico, then California and Texas, Kansas, and probably New York. A brand new never been seen before strain of swine flu has turned up in all four states. Seven confirmed cases in California. Two confirmed cases in Texas. Two more confirmed cases in Kansas. Plus one probable case in Texas and eight probable cases in New York. That's a total of 11 confirmed cases in the United States and nine probable cases.
Officials from the Centers for Diseases Control expect to find more. The CDC is investigating the connection between the cases in Mexico and those in the U.S. In Guadalupe County, Texas, public health officials have asked residents to postpone public gatherings and this high school has closed.
DR. SANDRA GUERRA, TEXAS HEALTH DEPARTMENT: School will be closed for a minimum of a week effective immediately. We are hoping that this will be able to control this cluster of events that we are seeing right now in our community.
COHEN: So far in the U.S., all the illnesses have been mild. Only one person has been hospitalized and all have recovered without having to take anti-viral drugs.
In New York, eight students at this high school probably have swine flu.
DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, NYC PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Many of the children are feeling better. No child has been hospitalized. No child was seriously ill.
COHEN: Symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, diarrhea and vomiting. The Centers for Disease Control has alerted doctors across the country, if a patient has these symptoms, make sure to ask if he or she has recently traveled to Mexico.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: New York health officials suspect swine flu will be confirmed in eight or nine students who recently fell ill in a high school in Queens.
CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti is working the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At least eight students of this private Queens prep school have probable swine flu. New York City health official say the CDC is doing more test to confirm whether it's swine flue. Results are expected Sunday.
FRIEDEN: We have spoken with more than 100 of the children or families, and in every single case illness was mild. Many of the children are feeling better. No child has been hospitalized. No child was seriously ill.
CANDIOTTI: Last Thursday as many as 200 students at the same school said they felt like they had the flu. Health Department investigators are doing interviews to find out how they think they got sick. Thirty ill children at a Bronx Daycare Center are also being tested for possible infection. Authorities say they have had no uptick in flu cases at city hospitals, and urged New Yorkers to take commonsense precautions.
FRIEDEN: If you're sick, stay home. If you've got a fever and a cough, stay home. That helps you get better and it prevents you from spreading the disease to others. You shouldn't go to work. You shouldn't go to school.
If you're not very sick and you wouldn't have gone to the hospital if you hadn't heard about this announcement, don't go to the hospital now. There is no reason to. If you are very sick, if you're having trouble breathing, if you would have gone to the hospital anyway, by all means go to the hospital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti has been following the story for us from New York.
And Susan, do authorities think the doses of Tamiflu that are being sent will be enough?
CANDIOTTI: They do think so. Tonight, New York Governor David Patterson said that he is sending 1,500 Tamiflu course treatments to New York City to treat severely ill possible swine flu cases. And he is also putting -- activating the staff of the entire health department, the infectious diseases division throughout the state of New York to tell them to monitor all possible swine flu cases.
LEMON: Susan, thank you very much for that.
All the way across the country, in California, another swarm of the same illness.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is monitoring the situation there tonight.
What's the latest, Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, I can tell you that airport officials here, as well as state and county officials are emphasizing that there are no travel restrictions to and from Mexico. What they are doing across the country at airports is recommending that their employees just simply wash their hands often and use hand sanitizers. And that's what we've seen out here.
In fact, if you take a look right behind me, these kinds of posters have been put up throughout the airport, simply reminding people about the basics, to cover up when they cough. Now Dr. Stephen Mundy is the public health officer of Imperial County. In that county, three people have come down with swine flu.
Can you tell me -- are there any connections between these cases?
DR. STEPHEN MUNDY, IMPERIAL COUNTY, CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER: No. There are no known connections. And fortunately, I'm happy to say that all three of them are recovering nicely.
GUTIERREZ: So mild cases?
MUNDY: Two of them were hospitalized, but yes, they are recovering and doing well.
GUTIERREZ: Now, the CDC has said that we can almost guarantee that we will hear of more cases.
Should we be alarmed as we continue to hear of more cases across the country?
MUNDY: Well, not necessarily. The reason that we are picking these cases up is because we have a very sophisticated surveillance system in placed that we put in place just so that we can look for flu. And our system is working. And so the reason we've seen these cases is because of the effect of that surveillance system.
GUTIERREZ: All right. Thank you very much.
But if people are traveling into Mexico, is there any precaution that they should take? Should they take Tamiflu with them? Anything like that?
MUNDY: There are no current recommendations, do anything differently from what we normally recommend for flu season. And that is we want people to be diligent about washing their hands. If they are sick or if their children are sick, they should stay home. And we want to make sure that if they are coughing or sneeze that they cover themselves up. And that if they need medical attention to call their doctor.
GUTIERREZ: All right. Dr. Mundy, thank you so much.
And so far, seven confirmed cases in California, but all of those patients have recovered.
Don?
LEMON: All right. Thelma, thank you.
That are the precautions were taken for people who are entering this country. But Mexico's health minister has been granted emergency powers to contain the swine flu. At least 20 cases have been confirmed in Mexico. 81 deaths are believed linked to that disease. All schools and universities have been closed until further notice. And soccer games were played today in empty stadiums. The emergency power has allowed the health ministry to isolate sick patients, inspect luggage and vehicles, and conduct house inspections. Mexico's president said no effort would be spared in dealing with the crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. FELIPE CALDERON, MEXICO (through translator): The federal government at my command will not hesitate for a moment to take all the necessary measures to respond with effectiveness to this respiratory epidemic. For which it is important to work in coordination with the federal and state governments and municipal governments and the civil population.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We have it all covered for you here on CNN. If you have any questions about swine flu and what you can do to protect yourself and your family, make sure you tune in tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. Easter for "House Call" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He'll be taking your calls live.
Make sure you jot this number down. I'll say it really slowly. It's 1-800-807-26-20 -- 800-807-26-20.
Tomorrow morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be taking your calls, live.
Meantime, three people killed just off the University of Georgia campus. Now there is a manhunt for a professor.
Two 11-year-old boys in two weeks killed themselves. Both apparently victims of school bullying. What is going on? And why weren't there -- they or their parents listened to when they complained to school administrators.
Also, we are grading the president on his first 100 days. The shaky economy has been job number one. But had these measures helped or hurt our nation.
And we want you to have a voice in our show tonight. Here you go -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. That's how you can get on the air here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we're learning new information tonight about a University of Georgia professor suspected in a triple murder. Police now say one of the victims was his wife. They also say George Zinkhan left his children waiting in the car during that shooting.
CNN's Richard Lui is following the latest developments tonight from a very devastated college town in Athens.
Richard? RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. Yes, it's a very shocking story. This is a very quiet, peaceful college town, where they were celebrating a reunion, right over my shoulder, at the community theater. About 20 to 50 former and current theater members. But then it changed terribly horrific. Because what had happened was according to police, George Zinkhan, the professor from the University of Georgia arrives with two kids and tow in his car, he gets out of the car and then goes to address his wife.
Evidently, has a conversation of some sort here, Don, it becomes more heated. Perhaps, even an argument. He leaves. He comes back, brandishing two guns, and according to police kills three people. He goes back into the car where his kids are and leaves.
Now, what is very frustrating about this for many is that this is a close-knit community. In fact, the three people that lost their lives today -- one, was his wife, as shown here in these pictures. That Jays (ph), which is a launching theatergoer, was holding vigil. And he took us to some Web site in our satellite truck, showing Marie Bruce, the wife, dead at 47. She's the director. And a long-time theater supporter, Ben Teague, with the beard, 63. He built all the sets. And Tom Tanner, 40 years old who was also an actor and very well plugged in to this community group.
The question really here is, Don, why would a distinguished professor do this? We spoke with a former professor at the University of George, and an acquaintance of Zinkhan. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. STEVE ELLIOTT-GOWER, GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY: George Zinkhan has been at the university, I think for about 10 years, maybe 12 years. He's a very distinguished professor. Has a national, even an international reputation. He's a professor at marketing.
George had a reputation of being a little bit quirky, perhaps. A little bit aloof, a little bit gruff. But there's absolutely nothing that I saw that would lead me to this sort of conclusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: So it's not only those who knew him through the theater, it was also the neighbors who were somewhat shocked. This is the neighbor that actually baby sat the two children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB COVINGTON, PROFESSOR'S NEIGHBOR: Who could imagine something like this? A quiet Saturday, a normal Saturday. A neighbor asks you to watch their kids for an hour and this -- shock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: It was an absolute shock for the neighbor. They were looking at the house next door. They had issued a warrant. At 4:00, they found nothing of consequence, Don, in the house. Now, they are worried about him fleeing. They report that he has a home in Amsterdam and family in Austin as well. They have no indication about whether those two kids are OK. The family is to pick them up tonight.
Don?
LEMON: Richard Lui.
Thank you, Richard.
Two north Florida deputies are dead tonight after trying to arrest a man in a domestic violence case. Investigators say the man shot the two Okaloosa County deputies during an exchange of gunfire. He then lead some more deputies on a chase in a nearby county. It ended with him shooting at them. They shot back and killed him.
We want to turn now to the weather. And CNN's Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, we have some severe weather happening across the country. But really, the fires down south and also the heat in Florida.
Man, oh, man.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've got a lot of top weather stories going on today. We're going to start with the severe weather, because that's been the most life threatening and on-going in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and even into Missouri.
We want to show you some new video. This is just coming in, just outside of the Kansas City area. This is in Levin Worth County. The town of Lynnwood received a little bit of damage. There you can see the tornado funnel right there as it comes on down. This is over an open farm field. No damage right in this area. However, several homes did receive damage. Some cars were flipped, and some out buildings and barns were destroyed as a result of that as well.
Here you can see the current radar picture. And we still have some severe thunderstorms, which had been rumbling through that area. And a tornado warning is still in effect in parts of Missouri. This is for Caldwell, Clinton and DeKalb counties.
And then, look at this area just lit up across northern parts of Oklahoma and into southern parts of Kansas. Tornado warnings there in Kaye County. That's in Oklahoma. And then this storm right up here. A Doppler radar indicating a tornado as well as law enforcement saying they are seeing a tornado in the Leon area. So you need to be seeking shelter. And these watches are going to remain in effect for another couple of hours, about an hour and a half.
Tomorrow, you think things were bad tonight? Wait until tomorrow. We're expecting more severe weather to break out, including really large, long-lived tornadoes. This is the area that we're talking about across Kansas and also into parts of Oklahoma.
I want to show you what is going on with the fires. This was just outside of the Tampa Bay area. A 300-acre fire on going in Hernando County. Several homes were damaged and destroyed here. In addition, it's good news a little bit that at least the fire now is 80 percent contained.
And a quick little look at some of that heat. We had a number of record highs going on today all across the east. It was well into the 70s even in Caribou, Maine. Believe it or not, Don. The heat is sticking around for the weekend.
LEMON: All right. Caribou, Maine, I like that name.
Thank you very much, Jacqui Jeras.
Two young boys in two weeks kill themselves. Both apparently victims of school bullying. What is going on? And why were their parent's complaints ignored? We're digging deeper.
Also, dozens dead. And new information about people newly sickened. If you have the flu, you better check in with your doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: For the second time in less than a month, a young boy has killed himself after bullies at school taunted him. This time it happened just outside of Atlanta, in a school where students sign anti-bullying pledges.
CNN's David Mattingly has this alarming story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take a look at this picture of a smiling, seemingly happy young boy, and know that everything it implies about him was wrong.
MASIKA BERMUDEZ, MOTHER: He was acting strange. He didn't want to eat, you know? And that last day I saw him alive, he didn't -- he doesn't want to go to school.
MATTINGLY: Eleven-year-old Jaheem Herrera moved with his family from his native U.S. Virgin Islands and started at this elementary school outside Atlanta in August. He got good grades, liked to draw, and was excited about making new friends. But that's not what happened.
BERMUDEZ: He was a nice little boy. He loved to dance. He loved to have fun. He loved to make friends. And all he made there were enemies.
MATTINGLY: Friends and family say bullies at school targeted Jaheem because he was from somewhere else and spoke with an accent. They called him names, and once attacked him in the restroom. One childish slur in particular affected him deeply.
(on camera): What words seemed to hurt him the most?
BERMUDEZ: Gay. He used to always say, "Mom, they keep telling me this gay word, this gay, gay, gay. I'm tired of hearing them, telling me the same thing over and over." MATTINGLY (voice-over): His mother said the taunting became so bad, the unthinkable happened. Jaheem came home from school one afternoon and went up to his room. She found him hanging by a belt in his closet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His death is not in vain, Lord.
MATTINGLY: Jaheem's suicide comes less than a month after another 11-year-old killed himself in Massachusetts, after relentless bullying.
Experts say, everyone should be alarmed.
DR. ELIZA BYARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GAY, LESBIAN AND STRAIGHT EDUCATION NETWORK: I think that it really is a wakeup call to everyone, to all concerned adults, to really treat bullying as the serious public health issue that it is.
MATTINGLY: Jaheem's mom says she complained multiple times to school officials, but the bullying never stopped. Other parents tell CNN they complained about bullying, as well.
After Jaheem's death, the school board expressed condolences, saying the school staff "works diligently to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students."
(on camera): Allegations of such severe bullying surprised experts who are familiar with the school's system. Its anti-bullying program was considered exemplary. There are special activities designed to raise awareness. There are specially-trained staff at every school. And students are even expected to sign anti-bullying pledges. But none of this was of any help to Jaheem.
(voice-over): And in spite of recent strides made in awareness nationally, studies show that 65 percent of teens are being bullied each year. And most believe adults can't help them.
(on camera): They reach out to adults. They don't think the adults are doing enough?
JOEL MEYERS, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON SCHOOL SAFETY: They may or may not reach out to adults, but they feel like not enough's being done.
MATTINGLY: His mother believes Jaheem gave up because all their complaints failed to protect him. She has taken her other children out of school and plans to return to St. Croix, where she says they were always safe from bullying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Boy, oh, boy.
CNN's David Mattingly joins us tonight to give us even more information about this disturbing story. I know that you can share a whole lot. And you sat down for a very long time with his mother. And according to her, she said her son's friend told her that he had complained and her son was just tired of having to complain and maybe felt he had no -- no other alternative.
MATTINGLY: Yes. After his death, she started asking around, trying to get some answers about why this happened. She knows that he had problems with bullies. She had complained to the school system several times before. And she said nothing apparently had changed. The bullying was continuing. He actually came home that day with a good report card. The mother said she gave him a high five when he came in the door. And he went up to his room. But when it was time for dinner, he didn't come down. They went up, found the door locked, and found him dead inside his room.
So she starts going around and talking to his best friend to try and find out what happened. I talked to the mom about this, and we can listen to this right here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERMUDEZ: His best friend, I know he said it over the news or whatever, he told me. I asked him, I said, "A.J., what did Jaheem told you that day before he left? The last time you saw Jaheem."
He said, "Ma'am, Jaheem told me that he's tired of complaining, tired of these guys messing with him, tired of talking, I think, talking to his teachers, to counselors or principal and nobody's doing anything. And the best way out is death."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Jaheem actually told his friend, would you miss me if I'm gone. His friend said, yes, I would miss you. But no one really knew what was about to happen that day.
LEMON: Yes. That must have been a very difficult interview to conduct. You can just hear the pain and obviously see the fear in her voice and see it in her face.
What is she going to do now? Do we know if she's going to try to take some action against the bullies, or does she have -- can she?
MATTINGLY: Well, she has an attorney. She's reached out to just about everybody she possibly can. She said something needs to be done. I talked to the police here investigating this. They said they stopped asking questions when his death was ruled a suicide. They didn't feel like there was any sort of criminal activity they could go after.
The D.A. is looking into this now. And the D.A. says she's interested to find out if any laws were broken. She's going to be looking to see if there are any assaults or any threats made that might have broken some laws. But if you start looking for people to punish like administrators at the school or teachers, where do you start? She said don't look for any sort of criminal indictments or anything like that against parents or against teachers. That is very likely not going to happen.
LEMON: Yes. David, I want you to stick around, because we are going to talk to some folks about this. And since you investigated the story, I want you to help me out with this.
We just heard about the anti-bullying pact that was signed by the parents at Jaheem Herrera's Elementary School. So why didn't have worked this time? We'll ask the man who wrote. Our discussion on bullying continues.
Also, grading the president on his first 100 days. The shaky economy has been job number one. But have his measures helped or hurt our nation?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. Here's how you guys have been responding to this. And a lot of you have been talking, you know, about this bullying and these suicides. Here's what Mike902 says. He says, "My brother is turning into a bully at school. And I'm worried he may push a kid to that point. Gotta whip him into shape."
Ms.PresidentnCeo says, "Honestly, nothing. That's the worst thing as parent. We have to build self-esteem at home and pray that it worked."
UtahCindyD says, "Maybe some sensitivity training. Put them in the other kids place for a day. Parents play a role in teaching kids, right/wrong."
Yes, they do. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. Send us your thoughts and your questions. And we will get them to our panel here and we'll try to answer them.
OK. So my guest tonight. We are continuing this conversation.
Bill Nigut, he is the southeast regional director of the Anti- Defamation League. And Robert Moseley is the deputy superintendent here in DeKalb County. He worked in the school -- in the school district in Georgia and the system where this awful incident happened. For 20 years plus, he has worked there.
So thank you both for being here. So I have to ask you, and I'm going to ask you this, starting with Mr. Nigut.
If this is an exemplary program, and it's supposed to be one that is touted around the nation, then what failed here? It seems like it didn't work.
BILL NIGUT, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: What we know is that bullying is one of the most pervasive behaviors that you will see in schools across the country. Starting at a very, very early age. I would guess that there is probably not anyone in your viewership tonight who at some point or another in school wasn't either the victim of or the perpetrator of harassing behavior toward another student. It is -- it is a culture that in which students tease one another, harass one another.
One of the things that we do at the Anti-Defamation League is to try to change that culture. Instead of students feeling proud of and happy that they're part of a clique that is bullying another student, we try to change that culture and hope that what they'll rally around is being proud, that they don't hate anyone else.
(CROSSTALK)
NIGUT: That they treat each other with respect.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I understand that. And what you're saying, you know, appears to be all of the right things. But, as I said, it appears from this case, obviously, someone is dead here, that it didn't work.
So, Mr. Moseley, I got to -- you know, you're in the school. The mother says she complained to the school. The little boy said he complained. He was tired of complaining. So, you know, I don't want to ask you about this specific case. So what do you do in those instances? How far can you go? Does the school investigate the same sort of particular instances that happened here?
ROBERT MOSELEY, DEKALB COUNTRY, GA SCHOOL SYSTEM: Well, of course, we actually can't talk about -- we don't ever talk about any of our boys and girls individually and any specifics of any case that may be investigated.
But we take bullying very -- very, very seriously. As Bill said, it's a pervasive problem all across the country. And it is a difficult one to get on top of. But we are going to -- we have a lot of good things in place. We're going to take a good review of everything we have in place -- our policies, our programs and our procedures and then also the follow through, to make sure that teachers have all the proper training to support our boys and girls.
(CROSSTALK)
NIGUT: Let me make a point about that, if you don't mind, because you raise a very good question. What went wrong here? And it's really important that I say that we worked in this school. There are many people in this school who are doing wonderful work to try to fight this kind of behavior. And we were heartbroken by this tragic death.
So, you are right to ask that hard question -- what happened? And I know the school system's looking for that answer and so are we at the Anti-Defamation League.
LEMON: Yes. Well, you know, I'm going to let David Mattingly get in here in a second because David investigated this. But I have to ask you this, Mr. Moseley, since you are an administrator and you work in schools.
What is it about this age group? This appears to be the vulnerable age. What is it about this group that makes them so vulnerable?
MOSELEY: It is a vulnerable age, 11, 12, 13 years old. The students are going through lots of changes, physical changes, hormonal changes.
One of the changes we have seen in recent years is, with the intrusion of the media and access to technology and lives, that the kids are getting exposed to older adult behaviors more early and they're really just not cognitively or developmentally ready to handle that.
LEMON: And they're getting exposed to more and different things earlier on.
David Mattingly, go ahead.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jaheem's mother is not the only one who is complaining about bullying at this school. What I would like to know is there's something wrong at this particular elementary school, where bullying is not being addressed the way it should be?
I'm not asking you about a particular case. I'm asking you about the school. Is there something about this school that stands out compared to the others where bullying is a problem there?
LEMON: Mr. Moseley?
MOSELEY: Let me share with you what does stand out about this school is that it is the regional winner with No Place for Hate. They do a lot of good work at this school. We've got a great set of teachers. We are reviewing everything to make sure that we take care of any problems that might exist. But beyond being able to review it at this point, it is - that's our next step.
LEMON: OK, Mr. Moseley.
David, thank you for that.
And I appreciate you, Mr. Nigut, for being so honest. Because it is -- that's what everyone is asking me. You cannot walk around town here -- everywhere I go, the grocery store, the dentist, whoever, dry cleaners, people are asking about this specific case and this little boy. And I imagine the same thing is going on the other place where it happened.
And, David Mattingly, you can attest to that.
So then, what do we do? What do we do here so that this doesn't happen again? You know, people calling somebody gay or is calling some other name. How do we get across to students and bullies that this is not OK and that if someone takes their lives, then the life is in the bully's hand?
NIGUT: Well, again, teenage who, I mean, teenage or even younger suicide is a -- is a matter that needs special attention beyond whether bullying goes on or not, obviously.
But in regard to bullying itself, as I say, one of the things we try to do with No Place for Hate is change the culture in a school. If kids feel proud of themselves, full of themselves, because they're picking on, teasing someone else and they gather together and congratulate each other for that, that's a culture we have to change.
LEMON: Yes.
NIGUT: No Place for Hate works to do that. It works to reward a school...
LEMON: Yes.
NIGUT: ...for instead having students who respect each other and will say proudly this is no place for hate. The other thing we do is work on and we'll work harder at is...
LEMON: We have to wrap it up.
NIGUT: ...helping create allies. Students who do not allow other students to pick on kids.
LEMON: Yes, that's a good idea.
Anything -- Mr. Moseley, I've got to run here and I can see that you're upset. I'm sure this has been upsetting for you, the entire situation. Anything you want to say to the family?
NIGUT: The entire school system grieves with this family. We're very concerned about the welfare of this family and every student in the district.
LEMON: Thank you both. We appreciate it.
David Mattingly, I appreciate you sticking around, and incredible interview you did with the mom. And if you do talk to her, you need to tell her our hearts go out to her.
MATTINGLY: You got it.
LEMON: Thank you.
New cases of swine flu reported in the U.S. tonight. If you have the flu, you better talk to your doctor. We'll have the very latest for you.
Also, three people killed just off the University of Georgia campus. Now there's a manhunt going on right now for a professor. We've got the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: There's still a lot more to cover here, but we want to update you on some of our top stories here tonight on CNN.
Police are searching for a University of Georgia professor. He's suspected of killing his wife and two others today at a reunion for a local theater group in Athens. Police say George Zinkhan left his two children waiting in the car while the shooting happened. The kids are safe. A police captain says it appears the couple had been having problems.
A search for a suspect in a domestic violence case ended today with two north Florida deputies dead. The man was later killed when he got into a shootout with more deputies in another county.
And we could learn tomorrow if a group of New York high school students have the swine flu. Samples are being sent to the CDC for testing. So far, there are 11 confirmed cases here in the U.S.
I spoke tonight with the acting director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention right here in Atlanta. I asked him about the cases confirmed so far and the ways people can protect themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC: The term I would use right now is an outbreak.
LEMON: OK.
BESSER: And an outbreak can be of various sizes. What we're doing is taking a very aggressive approach to investigating this outbreak to try and understand how it's being spread, why we're seeing a very different picture of this outbreak right now in the United States from what's going on in Mexico.
LEMON: And the concern, of course, if it can be spread from animal to human and then from human to human. That's the utmost concern just as it was for bird flu here in the United States.
BESSER: When you look at the development of a pandemic strain of influenza, what you'll see is a new strain of flu. It usually originates in an animal source. And this strain that we're looking at right now originated in a pig source, a swine source. We then look to see if it's something that can be spread readily from person to person, do people have protection from that particular strain and is it sustainable in the community. And those are all things we're investigating.
LEMON: All right. Dr. Besser, if you don't have it and you're just concerned about it, the average citizen, what should you do? What should your concern level be?
BESSER: You know, this is the right time to look to your local and state public health for guidance.
LEMON: Yes.
BESSER: It's the time to pay attention to the news to know what's going on because what you see with an outbreak is different things taking place in different communities.
But it's clear there are things people can do to reduce the likelihood of getting infected. Frequent hand washing is one of the most important things people can do. And if people are sick, stay home. Don't travel. Don't send your children to school when they're sick. And don't go to work when you're sick. Those things are very important in terms of reducing transmission from any respiratory infection.
LEMON: If you have questions about swine flu and what you can do to protect yourself and your family, make sure you tune in tomorrow morning, 7:30 a.m. Eastern for "House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta." He'll be taking your calls live. Make sure you jot down this number. Here it is. It's 1-800-807-2620 -- 800-807-2620.
Trying to save a community in crisis. A Catholic priest works with the banks to help families keep their homes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tonight, we bring together "Money & Main Street," where we see the real impact of the current economic climate on you and me. Plenty of folks around the country are dealing with foreclosure. And one priest in a suburb of Los Angeles found it's better to deal with foreclosure as a group. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pacoima, California is a community in crisis.
REV. JOHN LASSEIGNE, MARY IMMACULATE CHURCH: The people here were targeted again by banks and investors.
GUTIERREZ: This southern California community was a target for predatory lenders. And now, one out of every nine homes is in some stage of foreclosure.
LASSEIGNE: Some of them have fallen behind and live in fear of losing their homes.
GUTIERREZ: So this Catholic priest, who's never owned a home himself, is preaching foreclosure 101 to his flock.
LASSEIGNE: The banks be obligated to modify the loans.
GUTIERREZ: It's a twist on the gospel for Juana Rodriguez, who has a high-interest subprime loan, and Juan Carlos Jacobo, whose home is about to be sold off by the bank.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need you as a community to be there. United, we can do it. GUTIERREZ: Father John Lasseigne and community organizers from a group called One LA want the banks to negotiate with the families.
LASSEIGNE: There are actually hundreds, if not thousands, of families in my immediate neighborhood at risk of losing their homes.
GUTIERREZ: Over several months, Juana and the others are prepped on finance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking in foreign language)
GUTIERREZ: She's being taught the art of negotiation and how to understand stuff in fine print she didn't know before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking in foreign language)
GUTIERREZ: The meetings are standing room only.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They see that we're not alone, that we are fighting for our homes as a community.
GUTIERREZ: Three hundred families strong. Father John and his allies convinced a half dozen banks to come to the table. This is where Juana and the others put all they learned to the test.
TOM HOLLER, ONE LA: As a result of these negotiations, we're going to have evidence of what the banks are willing to do and not willing to do.
GUTIERREZ: Evidence One LA and Father John say they will present to Congress. But for now, Juan Carlos had his foreclosure temporarily postponed. Juana negotiated her way out of an adjustable to a 30-year fixed loan. For her, it's a fresh start and an answer to her prayers.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Pacoima, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Grading the president on his first 100 days in office. Did he attack the economic crisis in the right way?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Barack Obama came into office on January 20th facing a daunting list of major issues that required immediate attention, first and foremost, a domestic economy on the verge of collapse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So what I'm trying to underscore is what the people in Elkhart already understand, that this is not your ordinary run of the mill recession. We are going through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the stimulus bill clocked in at $787 billion. It's probably more money than most of us can wrap our heads around. But is it money well spent? That is a question as we grade the president's first 100 days.
Earlier, I spoke with CNN senior White House correspondent Ed Henry, former Bush domestic policy adviser Ron Christie and political commentator David Sirota.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID SIROTA, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: You have to spend money. You've got to spend money in an economic recession. The problem here is that you don't want to -- I don't think you want to listen to conservatives who say, now's the time to cut back.
LEMON: OK.
SIROTA: Most people agree that the way to prime the economy is to spend. And now we can debate whether he's spending it in the right way or not. But the overall numbers, you've got to spend money to prime the economy.
LEMON: Go ahead, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, that's the case the White House wanted to make in these first 100 days. And there's certainly some validity, too. If the president had not come up with a stimulus plan and we continued to bleed hundreds of thousands of jobs, certainly, he was going to face a lot more pressure from the American people.
So, I think, the long-term, the bigger question, is going to be beyond these 100 days. You know, first of all, is the stimulus package going to work?
LEMON: Right.
HENRY: Is it going to help turn, you know, stop the recession? But more broadly, as you have been pointing out, Don, the $3.5 trillion budget, is that just going to put us into so much debt? What is he going to do long-term?
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Right. How long is it going to take us to pay it off or our children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren?
HENRY: Absolutely.
LEMON: Ron, go ahead.
RON CHRISTIE, FMR. BUSH DOMESTIC ADVISER: Ed is exactly right. I mean, as what we've learned from looking at history, if you look at when Ronald Reagan came in office in 1981, 1982, what he did to get us out of a recession, what he inherited from the Carter administration, was not to spend more money, but to cut taxes, to cut spending, to be more fiscally conservative and responsible.
LEMON: OK.
CHRISTIE: And what the Obama administration has done is so financially irresponsible by putting trillions upon trillions of dollars on the debt and the deficit that Americans can't see how do we get ourselves out of this, how do we get our children and grandchildren out of this. Very fiscally irresponsible.
LEMON: It would be interesting if we, you know, if we could sort of play the other angle. You know, if he hadn't spent so much money to see what people would be saying -- he needs to spend to get us out of it. You know, there's always something.
Ron, give me a -- give me a grade on, when it comes to the economy.
CHRISTIE: On the economy, I'd to give him a "C" minus.
LEMON: OK.
CHRISTIE: I give him a "C" minus. He spent far too much money. He's put far too much ounce of down payment for irresponsible fiscal spending that we can't get out of.
LEMON: David?
SIROTA: I just don't understand how you can cite Ronald Reagan and then say...
LEMON: David, I need a grade from you.
SIROTA: ...that Barack Obama spent too much money. I just want to be clear. Ronald Reagan created some of the biggest deficits this country has ever seen. I just want to be clear.
LEMON: I know. I need a grade from you.
SIROTA: I give Obama -- Obama gets, I think in my mind, he gets a "B" plus. He gets an "A"...
CHRISTIE: On fiscal matters? Oh goodness.
SIROTA: An "A" on budget and spending.
Yes, on economic matters, a "B" plus.
LEMON: OK.
SIROTA: He gets an "A" on spending and he gets -- he gets, I'd say, a "B" minus on financial Wall Street regulations.
LEMON: All right. And Ed doesn't get to be the teacher here because he is a correspondent.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We're not going to let him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: More on this discussion tomorrow night. And on Wednesday, CNN's "NATIONAL REPORT CARD" is your chance to grade the president and Congress on the job they've done so far. It all starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday on CNN.
Taking the fight against breast cancer to the women who need it most. Survivor on a mission. She is our hero. We remember Bea Arthur.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Caught early, survival rates are good. But uninsured women face a greater risk.
Tonight's CNN hero is a person who's on the front lines of this fight.
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA IVORY, MEDICAL MARVEL: In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Initially, there's shock. But I realized how blessed I was to have health insurance. It made me think about all the women who didn't have health insurance. I wanted to make a difference in their lives.
I'm Andrea Ivory and I'm fighting breast cancer in south Florida one household at a time.
The Florida Breast Health Initiative is an outreach organization. We're targeting working-class people. We're going to make a difference and it just might save some lives. We have a take-it-to- the-streets approach.
We feel like little pixies spreading breast cancer awareness.
Can I ask a few questions?
We target women that are 35 years or older and make appointments on the spot for free mammogram.
I look forward to seeing you. I'll be there.
Bringing the mobile mammography van into the neighborhood is one of the most important facets of the work that we do.
We provide a service that is so needed. I know I'm saving lives. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said it was free, so come right over and get it.
IVORY: Is the lady of the house at home? We're giving free mammograms on the 25th. That's easy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, I'm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.
IVORY: I was saved from breast cancer to serve other women. Every time I knock on the door, it's another opportunity to save a life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: If you know someone who deserves to be a CNN hero, go to CNN.com/heroes. All of our CNN heroes are chosen from people you nominate.
Well, we knew Maude and we certainly loved Dorothy. And tonight, we remember Bea Arthur.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Boy, if you have never seen the TV show "Maude" I suggest you go somewhere find it and take a look at it. This lady was Maude. She was Dorothy. And we will certainly miss her because actress Bea Arthur has died at the age of 86.
Best known for her stature and her deep voice, Bea Arthur is known to millions for her roles on TV's "Golden Girls," which you see here, and also "Maude." It was her work as "Maude," though, that first made her a TV star personifying the feminist movement in the 1970s. An episode where her character had an abortion caused huge controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MACEY, ACTOR, AS WALTER: I think it would be wrong to have a child at our age.
BEA ARTHUR, ACTRESS, AS MAUDE: Oh, so do I, Walter. Oh, Walter, so do I.
MACEY: We'd make awful parents.
ARTHUR: Oh, (INAUDIBLE)
MACEY: Awful. (INAUDIBLE)
ARTHUR: It's horrible. For other people, it might be fun. But for us, I don't think it would be fair to anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Actress Bea Arthur died today of cancer in Los Angeles at 86 years old. We'll miss her.
I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. "PLANET IN PERIL: BATTLE LINES" begins right now.
