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Shooting Suspect is Known White Supremacist, Anti-Semite; Iranians Go to the Polls Friday; Pace of Layoffs Easing; Holocaust Museum Shooting; Remembering Holocaust Museum Guard; Feeling Young as You Age; W.H.O. Could Declare Pandemic; Wrong House Demolished
Aired June 11, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. We have a whole lot to cover this morning. Let's get straight to it.
First off, a shooting still shaking Washington, as you might imagine. Boy, the latest on the Holocaust Museum killing. The victim, the alleged shooter and of course the Holocaust denial. We'll talk more about that. Also, higher levels for a killer virus. We're talking about swine flu. A world health group is close to declaring now a pandemic. So, we'll get to the update on that.
Also, a father waiting for five years to bring his boy back from Brazil. A court rules, but the wait continues.
It is Thursday, June 11th, I'm Heidi Collins, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The deadly shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. That site today bearing witness to a new reminder of the power of hate. Flags are flying at half staff at the facility in honor of the security guard who was killed. The suspected gunman, an 88-year-old white supremacist, is hospitalized in critical condition.
And police say guards opened fire when he walked into the museum and began shooting his rifle. The museum's director says another guard who was killed in the shooting spree died heroically. A federal official tells CNN investigators found a notebook in the suspect's car listing other locations in Washington that may have been targeted.
We have team coverage for you this hour. Kate Bolduan is outside the museum. Jim Acosta tells us more about the suspect, and Josh Levs profiles the security guard who was killed.
Let's go ahead and begin with Kate Bolduan. She is at the museum just a few blocks from the White House now this morning.
Kate, good morning to you.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, the latest we have is the suspect, the alleged shooter, James von Brunn, and his condition remains the last we heard, Heidi, in critical condition at the nearby George Washington University Hospital.
We're hoping for an update on his condition in the next couple of hours. Here at the museum, it remains closed today. Flags lowered to half staff to honor, to pay tribute to the security guard that was killed in this tragic incident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN (voice-over): Museum visitors describe a terrifying scene.
MARIA HERNANDEZ, WITNESS: We were just exiting and we heard shooting, I ran towards the glass doors to see what was going on. I thought it was a joke or something. And there I could see a security man pull out his gun and shoot towards the shooter. I also saw another security man lay flat on his belly. There was blood everywhere.
BOLDUAN: Just before 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, police say this man, 88-year-old James von Brunn, a known white supremacist who has preached hate on his Web site, parked his car in front of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, walked in with a rifle and opened fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And people started yelling, hit the floor, hit the floor. So my wife and two grandsons and I hit the floor.
BOLDUAN: Police say von Brunn shot one security guard before guards shot him. Stephen Tyrone Johns, a 6-year veteran of the museum security staff, later died at the nearby George Washington University Hospital.
SARA BLOOMFIELD, DIRECTOR, HOLOCAUST MUSEUM: He was an outstanding colleague and beloved of all of us. A great friend who greeted us every day with a wonderful smile on his face. And he will be sorely missed.
BOLDUAN: Authorities believe von Brunn acted alone, and an FBI official tells CNN there was no prior warning or threat against the Holocaust Museum. The very museum that epitomizes the need for tolerance and peace, now the site of the very hate it fights to end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Now we are expecting a press conference a little later this morning in the next couple hours, Heidi. A press conference of D.C. police, the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office, and then we are expecting these federal and local officials to discuss charges possibly against the suspect James von Brunn. That is, of course, we anticipate among those charges to be a murder charge that is, Heidi, if he survives his gun shot wound.
COLLINS: Yes. Understood. Kate, I'm curious, what's this that we're hearing about the notebook that was found?
BOLDUAN: Yes, this is an interesting element. My colleague, Ed Henry, a federal official confirmed to Ed Henry that in the red car that von Brunn allegedly parked outside of the Holocaust Museum, investigators found a notebook. And in that notebook, it listed various locations in Washington, here in D.C., that may have been targeted. A very interesting development as this investigation is far from over. COLLINS: All right, well, let us know if we need to come back to you, Kate, as things develop today. Sure do appreciate it, Kate Bolduan in Washington, D.C. this morning.
Civil rights groups say the suspect was so well known for his hate mongering that they've been tracking him for literally decades. Remember, 88 years old. Now let's take a closer look now with CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alleged Holocaust Museum gunman James von Brunn was living off and on at this Annapolis apartment complex with relatives. Neighbors say the 88-year-old bragged about serving in the military and wasn't shy about sharing his white supremacist views.
HAROLD O'LYNNGER, JAMES VON BRUNN'S NEIGHBOR: The only thing he'd ever say that the media covered the holocaust too much.
ACOSTA: FBI agents searched von Brunn's other home in nearby eastern Maryland where neighbors there say they also saw trouble.
SHAWN PARSON, JAMES VON BRUNN'S NEIGHBOR: I used to be a police officer. And he would be somebody that I would kind of have my eye on.
ACOSTA (on camera): Why?
PARSON: Because of the way he put himself out there. He would be fine one minute and then just like with a young boy that I was talking about, he was just kind of go off on him, you know, for no reason.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Wednesday night, the FBI also interviewed von Brunn's ex-wife. She told CNN that she's, quote, "in a state of shock" over what happened and asked that we not use her name. She said she didn't know about her ex-husband's anti-Semitic views until a few years into their marriage and was in total disagreement with his views.
But experts in the field of tracking hate groups had had their eye on von Brunn for years.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Thirty years ago, he was spending time with leading members of the neo-Nazi right.
ACOSTA: Mark Potok with the Southern Poverty Law Center says von Brunn worked for a publishing group called Noontime Press, which denies the Holocaust. In recent years, Potok says von Brunn grew more isolated and wrote a hate-filled book entitled "Kill the Best Gentiles," raging against Jews and African-Americans.
POTOK: This was a man who was growing old all by himself. He didn't seem to participate in many movement activities, but he did put out a steady stream of propaganda. ACOSTA: And von Brunn has acted on his beliefs before. In 1981, he tried to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve, convinced it was controlled by Jews. For that, von Brunn was convicted and served six years in prison.
JOHN HOGROGIAN, ATTORNEY ON 1983 APPEALS CASE: His defense at trial was essentially that it was an act of conscience. And I had no reason to doubt that he didn't sincerely hold those beliefs.
ACOSTA: By his own account, von Brunn tried a number of professions from painting to marketing to real estate. What's still unclear is what lit the fuse this time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: CNN's Jim Acosta is joining us now live. He is outside the suspect's home in Annapolis, Maryland.
So, Jim, what's been happening overnight at the apartment? Is there any type of activity?
ACOSTA: Heidi, yes, lots of activity. There was a crime scene van outside this apartment complex here in Annapolis, Maryland overnight. And one thing that we can say -- a couple things we can tell you is that during the overnight hours, investigators were inside the apartment taking pictures, and then shortly around 5:00 this morning, investigators started carrying out bags of items.
We have video of this that we obtained earlier this morning, bags of items coming out of this home, and obviously what the investigators will be looking for here is some kind of further evidence of this anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi hatred that he's been spewing all of these years.
And we just talked to -- and it's amazing when you talk to friends, neighbors, and ex-wife, even his attorney back in that 1981 case involving his attempted siege of the Federal Reserve.
COLLINS: Right.
ACOSTA: All of these people are saying he spewed anti-Semitic, holocaust-denying hatred.
COLLINS: Wow. All right, well, Jim, we sure do appreciate that. And again, let us know if we need to come back to you, as well if things get very busy and interesting there. Appreciate that outside of...
ACOSTA: Will do.
COLLINS: ... the suspect's home this morning in Annapolis, Maryland. Jim Acosta.
And as Jim just showed us, von Brunn shared his hate-filled beliefs with virtually anyone who crossed his path. And that was especially true for a former roommate who spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES": You lived briefly with Mr. von Brunn while rooming with his son. I should point out you're not a white supremacist. This just happened because you knew his son, who you say is also very different than Mr. von Brunn. What was he like?
SCOTT AULBACH, JAMES VON BRUNN'S FORMER ROOMMATE: Mr. von Brunn, he was just -- he was a very prejudiced person. He didn't like anything about the government. He was really prejudiced against blacks and Jews. Just...
COOPER: And he would talk about this?
AULBACH: Yes, yes, he would. He would talk about it at our home.
COOPER: You basically were living with his son? You had met through work.
AULBACH: Yes, sir.
COOPER: And then why did his father move in also?
AULBACH: I think it was financial reasons. He had wound up coming to Florida from Maryland because of the financial reason. He couldn't support himself and his elderly sister.
COOPER: When you heard that he is accused of this attack today, what went through your mind?
AULBACH: It floored me. I couldn't believe it. It's just -- you know, I knew the guy, and I heard some of the things that he had said and some of the things he did in his past. I mean I just -- I never would've expected this to happen. I mean it's a tragedy.
COOPER: It's interesting, though, you know, a lot of times when someone commits a crime and then you talk to people who knew him, they all say, well, I'm completely surprised. I had no idea. He was a really nice guy.
You're not saying he was a nice guy. I mean you're surprised he resorted to violence, but the rhetoric certainly matches up to the action, is that right?
AULBACH: Yes, yes. Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Von Brunn also liked to bond with people who shared his beliefs and hatred. Last night, we heard from a man who infiltrated hate groups for the FBI.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: David, while working undercover with the FBI a couple of years ago, you were at a Klu Klux Klan event with this guy, with von Brunn. What were you told about him?
DAVID GLETTY, INFILTRATED HATE GROUPS FOR FBI: Well, I was there -- you know I was there with Sonny Hodges (ph) and other members of the KKK, Lawrence South Carolina, the Yale Red Neck Shop, the only KKK museum in the United States of America. And he was pointed out to me by Sonny Hodges.
Sonny told me that Mr. von Brunn had served the white power movement for many years and -- you know, now it was time for the younger people to step up. But everyone looked up to him with respect. They felt like he was one of the leaders, he had already served his time.
And by him being in prison, they considered him a POW. They consider any white person that goes to prison by the government for a racial hate crime is considered a prisoner of war. So they treat -- and that's a badge of honor to these people.
And they look up to that as if -- you know, if you're military, you get the badges of honors like the Medal of Honor and so on, well, that's what these guys. Being in prison is a badge of honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And later this hour, we're going to be talking with a woman who fought a lengthy legal battle against another holocaust denier and knows a von Brunn and his views. Deborah Lipstadt shares her thoughts with us at 9:30 Eastern. Make sure you stick around for that.
We want to tell you more now about the guard who was killed. Steven T. Johns was 39 years old and lived in Temple Hills, Maryland. He worked at the museum for six years. Johns was one of about 70 officers and supervisors on a security force. Those guards wear police-type uniforms and are armed with .38-caliber revolvers.
Today the museum is closed in his memory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLOOMFIELD: Obviously, there are no words to explain our grief and shock at the events that took place at this museum today and our great sadness at the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Officer Stephen Johns.
Officers are well-trained and the officers who responded to this incident today really performed heroically, as, of course, did officer Johns who died in the line of duty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In fact, a lot of people are remembering Stephen Johns with tributes on the Internet. Our Josh Levs is finding out more about that and is here now with a preview. And boy, you can see the emotion on her face. I imagine there's a lot more of that out there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of people really mourning today. We're going to tell you about Stephen Johns. You're actually going to hear from someone who knew him, worked with him every day for years. We'll be remembering this man known as a gentle giant.
Plus we have your chance to weigh in at our blog at CNN.com/newsroom.
COLLINS: All right, Josh, thanks for that.
Later this morning, Washington's mayor will join law-enforcement officials for a news conference on the museum shooting. That is scheduled right now for 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 Pacific, and of course, you can see it live here on CNN.
The Brazil custody battle still winding through court. Will this father and son ever be reunited? The latest on what Brazil's highest court has to say right here in the NEWSROOM.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Fifteen reports of tornadoes yesterday across eight different states. Another batch expected today. Complete weather details coming up in just a few minutes.
The CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A record turnout is expected across Iran tomorrow for the presidential election. Thousands of people have been marching through the streets all week long showing their support for the opposition.
CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has been in Tehran watching those rallies, and she joins us now.
Christiane, I understand it's quite a different scene today, though, right?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. It's no more campaigning one day before they go to the polls. All the streets were quiet as they've been over the last week. And yet you can feel this energy and really we do expect a very high turnout.
It is an important election and we've seen huge numbers of people on the streets rallying behind their candidates. Most of them, of course, have been rallying in the streets behind leading opposition candidate, the reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
On the other hand, President Ahmadinejad has support in the provinces, in the villages, amongst the poor and the more religious. COLLINS: You know, one of the aspects, I think, that we've been trying to make understood better for people here in the United States is the role for women and how that is sort of changing in this election. Tell us a little bit more about that.
AMANPOUR: Well, women's demands are getting much, much louder. Women have been taking part in many cases leading the charge in many of these street rallies and certainly in many of the chants that have been going on demanding their rights. Basically more freedoms, less oppression, more equal rights under the law.
Because what the real problem is, despite the fact that women make up some 65 percent of university students, unlike other Arab countries, they are allowed to work, vote, drive, all of that.
Under the law, in a criminal court, in divorce case, custody case, inheritance, and the like, they're considered second class citizens. In addition, Ahmadinejad's fundamentalist government has been trying to make life more difficult. They've been trying, for instance, to make it more easy to have polygamy allowed here.
They've been trying to keep non-fundamentalist women out of public sector and government jobs and keeping them at home. And this has really created a great deal of frustration among so many women here.
And a lot of the candidates, all the rival candidates have made women's rights a key plan of their platforms promising female Cabinet ministers and the like.
COLLINS: Hmm. All right. Well, we will be watching the developments. Again, that vote coming tomorrow, on Friday.
Christiane Amanpour, coming to us live this morning from Tehran, Iran. Thanks, Christiane.
The United Nations is proposing tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent nuclear tests and missile tests. Among them, forced inspections of cargo coming into the country and greater control over weapons going out. North Korea promised to retaliate against any new sanctions. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it looks like North Korea's military hasn't started preparing for any kind of threatened response.
Another twist in the custody involving a 9-year-old American boy in Brazil. The high court says it does not have jurisdiction over who should have custody of 9-year-old Sean Goldman. His father in the U.S. or his Brazilian stepfather. The ruling sends the case back to an appeals court in Rio de Janeiro.
You may recall David Goldman's wife took Sean to Brazil back in 2004 and never returned. She remarried and then died last year.
You can hear more about the Brazil custody case coming up next hour. We're going to be talking with Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. He's actually working to help Goldman regain custody of his son.
Police are calling it a tragedy. A suspect trying to escape drives his car into a group of pedestrians. Three children are dead.
Five reports of tornado weather scenarios today. What can we expect? We're going to head over to the severe weather center in just a moment. We're back here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: I want to give you an update as soon as we can because we've been following this story for quite some time here in the CNN NEWSROOM. The case of the little boy that's been caught in this international custody battle, American boy in Brazil, 9-year-old Sean Goldman.
Yesterday -- just letting you know about our blog because we have gotten so many comments on this. We've got an update for you on CNN NEWSROOM. The blog here. You just click on my name and you can go ahead and see what happened.
Yesterday there was some sort of ruling where the supreme court said they're going to stay out of things. So you can get the update here and then go ahead and continue to leave us your comments as we read them to you on the air coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Getting the power back on is priority number one in north Texas. Intense storms -- boy, look at that -- overnight, left more than 260,000 homes without electricity. Planes were grounded in Dallas and at the ballpark in Arlington, the rain was so heavy you actually couldn't even see the center field fence. Looks like it. From those clouds.
Boy, Rob Marciano joining us now from the severe weather center to talk more about that because we've been talking, it seems like, for two, three days about the rain, kind of all across the country. Are we talking about the same areas today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Very good. Very good. We've talked a lot about the lakes here, as well, and whether or not they're going to have water this summer, but clearly they will.
Thank you, Rob. We'll check back a little later on.
MARCIANO: Sounds good.
COLLINS: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial closed to visitors today after a terrifying afternoon yesterday. One security guard is dead. The suspect critically wounded. He's described as a white supremacist who denies the Holocaust ever happened.
Our next guest knows of the suspect. She was at the museum during the shooting and she's going to be sharing her thoughts with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: On Wall Street today, we'll get to take the temperature of the economy. Reports on retail sales, jobless claims, and foreclosures are being released.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with details of that and the preview of investors' reaction to it as we get to the opening bell.
Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Perfect timing, Heidi. The economy still sick, but getting better. Just about an hour ago...
COLLINS: OK.
LISOVICZ: ... a report was released that shows the pace of layoffs is easing. New jobless claims fell more than expected last week to just over 600,000. That is still a huge number, but it's going down.
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits for one week or more, however, rose to a new record high, 6.8 million. Tough finding a job.
Retail sales jumped .5 percent last month marking the biggest increase in four months. What are we buying? Cars and gasoline to fill them up. Some good buys out there with cars, that's for sure.
That offsets weakness at department stores. Another sign of life came out of a foreclosure report from RealtyTrac. The group said lenders filed fewer foreclosure notices in May, when compared to the month before. Once again, the number, however is high. One in every 398 households got a notice of default, auction or bank repo last month. That's the third highest total on record.
And in corporate news, Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis will testify before lawmakers today. He's the sole witness on a hearing about the government's huge role in ensuring that the bank completes its controversial merger with Merrill Lynch. New e-mails indicate the Federal Reserve strong-armed B of A into completing the deal last year.
Checking the numbers. Well, we got a little bit of a rally going on. The Dow Industrials right now up 32 points. The NASDAQ is up just a couple of points.
Ringing the opening bell, did you notice, Heidi, some women. They are from Mogavero, Lee & Company. The only 100 percent women- owned and managed brokerage firm based on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, all companies should be that way. Just all women. (CROSSTALK)
LISOVICZ: Well, we're still a minority on the floor. A distinct minority on the floor.
COLLINS: OK. But you were going to agree with me, weren't you?
LISOVICZ: Oh, yes.
COLLINS: All right. Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much. We'll check back with you later on. Watching those numbers for us today at the Stock Exchange.
The deadly shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. That site today bearing witness to a new reminder of the power of hate. Flags are flying at Half Staff at the facility in honor of the security guard who was killed.
The suspected gunman, an 88-year-old white supremacist is hospitalized in critical condition. Police say guards opened fire when he walked into the museum and began shooting his rifle. The museum's director says the slain guard who was shot in the first burst of gunfire died heroically.
A federal official tells CNN investigators found a notebook in the suspect's car listing other locations in Washington that may have been targeted.
The suspect James von Brunn is a known Holocaust denier who created an anti-Semitic Web site. The Southern Poverty Law Center which focuses on human rights has been watching him since the 1970s. Mark Potok told CNN's Anderson Cooper, Von Brunn has a long history with Neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES": And, after that, he was basically just ranting online, right?
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: That's right.
And he got out in '89. And, since then, he has been, you know, not a major player in the movement, although he has been publishing propaganda at a -- a rather vociferous pace. Some of that propaganda has been really remarkable. Unlike many people in the movement, he's openly advocated violence.
I have a 2007 Web post here which he put up on a particular white supremacist Web site. And it concludes with the idea: "Take action. Target. Swarm across the landscape. You know their murderous intent. You know who they are. Do it."
So, you know, my own suspicion -- and this is merely speculation -- is that, you know, he's a man who is about to turn 89 years old. He's been more than 40 years in this movement. He looks around and he sees a black president in the White House. He sees a relatively liberal administration in place doing all kinds of things I'm sure he just can't bear.
And my guess is, is that he saw this as some kind of last strike, you know, a kind of great blow for freedom that he hoped would, you know, sort of kick off the race war and make him some kind of martyr in the pantheon of Aryan heroes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Von Brunn was also on Deborah Lipstadt's radar. She is an expert on Holocaust deniers and has actually written several books about the subject, including this one "Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory."
Lipstadt is the director of Jewish studies at Emory University in Atlanta. And currently in a fellowship at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
So Deborah, first off, we should let everybody know you were actually at the museum yesterday when all of this happened. Tell us what you saw and heard.
DEBORAH LIPSTADT, PROFESSOR OF MODERN JEWISH AND HOLOCAUST STUDIES AT EMORY UNIVERSITY: Well, I didn't see. I was -- I had walked past the place where the shooting occurred on my way to give a lecture downstairs in one of the classrooms. And I was just about to begin and heard the shots and then a pause and then more shots. And we immediately closed the door. Someone from the staff -- of the museum staff came and locked the door from the outside because no one knew what was going on.
And then about, I would say, five, maybe ten minutes, they came and evacuated us and took us out to the grassy lawn on one side of the museum and then just moved everyone off the museum.
I have to say that the museum staff did a magnificent job reuniting groups, reuniting families. It was really quite amazing.
COLLINS: Yes. That is exactly what we've been hearing.
LIPSTADT: And this guard, the guard was a sweetheart.
COLLINS: Yes, you knew him, as well.
LIPSTADT: Yes.
COLLINS: Wow. Were you surprised to find out, though, that the shooter among many other things was also a holocaust denier?
LIPSTADT: Not in the least. As I walked across the street and someone said he's a white supremacist, I turned because that news was already coming out. I turned to them, I said, he's not only that. I can assure you, he's not only that.
COLLINS: So you knew exactly who they would have to deal with, James von Brunn.
LIPSTADT: Yes. It's part of a whole jigsaw puzzle -- white supremacist, anti-Semi, Holocaust deniers, it's a package deal.
COLLINS: But you had not heard of him specifically?
LIPSTADT: I knew him. I knew his Web site. He wasn't one of those that I followed, I tracked closely. I generally track what I call the guys in suits. The people who provide the material for a von Brunn to put up on his Web site. The guys I track aren't the kinds that go out shooting people, but they provide the ammunition for those who will go and do the shooting.
COLLINS: So, it sounds like what you're telling us is that there can be sort of a profile of this type of person, a Holocaust denier?
LIPSTADT: For many, yes. Yes. And it usually comes with white supremacy and, of course, it comes with anti-Semitism because Holocaust denial is not but a form of anti-Semitism.
COLLINS: Where does the movement, if you will, maybe that's not the right word, to overcome people like this or the idea of Holocaust denial actually stand right now?
LIPSTADT: It's widespread. You know, with the advent of the Internet. The Internet is a terrific thing. It's a wonderful tool for education, but it also was used by these people to communicate one with the other and to spread their hate.
And the dangerous thing is if you put in certain words when you're in your search engine, which ever one you use, whether it's Anne Frank or sometimes Holocaust, very often in many ways, in many places, you'll get a Holocaust denial site. Maybe not coming up first, but coming up second or third. And it's very easy for people to be fooled by them.
COLLINS: So I wonder, then -- I mean, because, obviously, this is one of the tools that he used to spread his message of hate.
How concerned are you about that? About the Internet, and its power? It's reach?
LIPSTADT: I'm concerned. And one of the reason -- that's one of the reasons why I'm involved in it, Emory University, with an effort. It's called www.hdot.org. A site to answer deniers, to provide information. We're not trying to change the minds of deniers. There's no changing the mind of a von Brunn or any of the people who sued me or others like that.
But I'm worried about the people who maybe instead of going to the Holocaust Museum are on these people's sites and being influenced by them. So the thing we do is we educate.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, hopefully people -- tell us the Web site one more time.
LIPSTADT: Www.hdot.org -- it stands for Holocaust denial on trial, hdot.org.
COLLINS: All right. Excellent. Thanks so much for being with us.
LIPSTADT: You're welcome.
COLLINS: Deborah Lipstadt, appreciate your information very much.
And later this morning, Washington's mayor will join law enforcement officials for a news conference on the shooting. That is scheduled right now for 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. And, of course, you can see it live right here on CNN.
Remembering a so-called gentle giant. The guard killed in the line of duty at the Holocaust Museum.
Our Josh Levs is joining us now with a little bit more on that. And we keep hearing it from everyone, just from our last guest. Deborah Lipstadt she knew him, too. And everyone speaks so highly of him.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She called her a sweetheart, and that's what you hear. What I want to help people understand is he was a fixture of this museum. As a rule, if you would go there, you would see him at the beginning.
So, I want to show you this article right here. This is from Washingtonpost.com. They actually used that title right here. They say, "Grief and Shock after a 'Gentle Giant' Loses his Life in the Line of Duty."
And coming up in the show, we're going to be hearing from someone who worked with him closely. And as I was just telling, a lot of the similar things, that he's the kind of guy that you would see every day, seemed very nice, but when he needed to be tough, he was tough.
And also, Heidi, I'll let you know that we are starting to hear from people on your blog here, cnn.com/newsroom. A lot of people weighing in with their thoughts, trying to remind others that this is the man who ultimately gave his life.
Laurie wrote here, "Stephen Johns died a hero. Von Brunn lived his entire life a coward. God bless, Mr. Johns and his family."
All right, let's go back to this "Washington Post" story for a second. Because we saw someone quoted in here -- and Allen Burcky here is joining us right now.
And, Allen, you were a colleague of Stephen Johns, right?
ALLEN BURCKY, COLLEAGUE OF SLAIN GUARD (via telephone): I was.
LEVS: OK. So you worked with him closely for years at the Holocaust Museum?
BURCKY: Yes.
LEVS: Well, tell us about him. You have worked with him every day. What was he like? What was his demeanor like? Just what kind of a guy was he?
BURCKY: Johns -- everybody called him or they called him Big John. He was a big guy, maybe 6-3 or 6-4. And to look at him, initially, he was very intimidating, but he was very shy, like a gentle giant.
LEVS: So, he really was like that gentle giant people are saying?
BURCKY: He really was. He had a great demeanor. Very pleasant. Very courteous to all of the visitors who came in. Even to staff that worked there. Very, very nice and very quiet.
LEVS: We're talking about a man who died a hero. Who prevented something much worse from happening. At the age of only 39 there. He was originally, you can see on your screen here, from the Maryland area. Had been working there for several years.
You tell me you would see him on a daily basis. So you would have this kind of interactions.
Did you see times that he had sort of proven his heroism before? Times he needed to be tough? Anything even remotely involving security, where he needed to kind of take that step?
BURCKY: Well, the building had to be evacuated for other purposes. If there was a fire drill or there was a safety thing, he stepped up. They all stepped up to the plate and did very -- you know, treated all the visitors courteously, get them out of the building as quickly as possible. Very professional.
And yes, he was just a good all around guy. He really was.
LEVS: Yes. Everyone is saying he did everything he needed to do and it's no surprise to see that from him.
Well, listen, Al, we are also know he's survived by a son. And, obviously, our thoughts and some of people's thoughts with his family today.
Allen, thank you for joining us and talking about us about it.
BURCKY: Can I add one thing real quickly?
LEVS: Sure. Go ahead quickly.
BURCKY: I know all our buildings are guarded by security guards. People out there, when you walk in, thank them for the job that they do. It might be thankless to them, but you thank them for keeping you guys safe, and that's what Stephen did.
LEVS: Allen, thanks for jumping back in with that. That was a really good point.
BURCKY: Thank you. LEVS: And that's something that we're hearing today from people in our blog, also at Facebook, over at Twitter. We're encouraging all of you to weigh in with your thoughts. Let us know your thoughts on this man giving his life and this whole situation. Heidi, I'll be back next hour with what people are saying to us.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Josh, appreciate that very much.
LEVS: Thanks a lot. Yes.
COLLINS: It is an outrage to many Americans during tough times -- executive pay. Lawmakers are looking into it today. We'll keep our eye on that.
And just as your metabolism slows down, doesn't mean you should. Why exercise is important as you get older.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: President Obama is holding a town hall meeting today in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is scheduled to leave the White House next hour. In Wisconsin, the president is expected to talk about plans for health care reform and the role of the federal government in it.
CNN will bring you live coverage of the president's meeting coming up at 1:10 Eastern Time.
Here's some of the headlines now from Capitol Hill this morning. Next hour, the House Financial Services Committee takes up the issue of executive pay. They're hearing testimony on efforts to limit management salaries at all publicly-traded companies. Yesterday, the Obama administration set limits on the pay for executives whose companies received federal bailout money.
Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry. He is speaking at the National Press Club today. He's going to talk about effect of murder of Kansas women's clinic Doctor George Tiller. The effect that he had on the pro-life movement. He'll also talk about the group's plan to derail the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. He'll unveil a list of four senators. They are in the run-up to the hearings.
As you get older, your metabolism as you know slows down, makes it pretty hard to burn off calories. So, a regular exercise program becomes even more important. Here's our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands are just for balance.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You want a good way to start your day? Take a tip from Marshall Weissman. Before heading to his job in the financial industry, he starts his day leading a spinning class at the Aspen Hill Club in Silver Spring, Maryland. Marshall always fill his morning with some form of exercise to burn those extra calories.
MARSHALL WEISSMAN, SPINNING INSTRUCTOR: Through spinning, through using an elliptical machine, through running on a treadmill, through weight lifting and through stretching.
GUPTA: Marshall says he's kept his weight and metabolism in check as he's aged.
WEISSMAN: I've been on a yo-yo weight situation my entire life. Generally, as I got older, when I started into my 50s, it really became evident. So I really kicked up the physical part of my activities.
GUPTA: That's a good thing, because getting older does mean our metabolism slows down. We simply don't burn as many calories. We don't stay active, we tend to put on pounds.
KATHERIN TALLMADGE, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: Two-thirds of what we burn is calories is just your resting metabolic rate.
GUPTA: So, keep going. Even though you may have a busy lifestyle, look for time to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, keeping your body moving revs up your metabolism, which gives you energy, helps keep the weight down and mix it up like Weissman does.
TALLMADGE: You could do things like power yoga, pilates classes, even swimming.
GUPTA: Have too much in the middle in your middle age? Well, even walking can kick start your metabolism. Also, look at your diet, add protein. Protein can help build muscle mass that we lose as we age. Muscles help burn calories.
TALLMADGE: When you're down to your ideal weight, you'll have enough muscle to support a healthy metabolism. And that will make it more likely that you keep your weight off.
GUPTA: And add some lightweight training. Pumping up can keep you from plumping out.
TALLMADGE: And at some point, you need to start a strength training activity, working your major muscle groups twice a week in order to build muscle.
GUPTA: And drink plenty of water. The energy-burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively. Follow these suggestions, and you can be like Marshall Weissman who keeps himself feeling and looking younger even as he heads towards his golden years.
For 30, 40, 50, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: 27,700 cases of H1N1, swine flu. Today the World Health Organization could declare the swine flu a pandemic. We'll explain a little bit later what that means. And a family home destroyed. Not by a storm or a fire, but by mistake.
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COLLINS: The World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting today to decide whether the H1N1 virus has actually reached the global pandemic stage. News conference coming up noon Eastern Time.
Meanwhile, CNN's Atika Shubert is following this story for us out of London this morning.
COLLINS: Atika, good morning to you. What does this mean?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what it means basically is that if the World Health Organization does declare a global pandemic, it's more about geography than anything else. It does not mean that the virus is more deadly or more virulent, but it does mean that it is now more widespread. And, specifically, is now widespread in several regions of the world.
North America, of course, Mexico, the U.S., but also now Australia and South America, in recent weeks, have reported a lot more cases. But many health officials are saying there's no need to panic. It's still a very mild form of flu virus. As you mentioned, more than 27,000 cases, but only about 140 people have died so far.
And just to put that in perspective, for more common flu cases kill somewhere between 200 to 500,000 people a year. So, this is a very mild form of the flu so far -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, understood.
All right. Well, we will continue to follow that again, that news conference at noon. So we'll keep our eye on that.
Atika Shubert out of London this morning. Thank you.
There is an awful lot going on this morning. CNN crews are in place to bring it all to you. Let's go ahead and check in now, beginning with Kate Bolduan in Washington.
Kate, good morning.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. I'm live outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum here in Washington, D.C. The museum remains closed still this morning after that tragic shooting here. I'll have the latest on the investigation coming up at the top of the hour.
MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Maggie Lake live at a Best Buy store in New York City. We learned that retail sales were up in May, first time in three months, but there are reasons to be concerned about consumer spending. We'll have the details at the top of the hour. ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN severe weather center. Yet another severe thunderstorm watch issued by the storm's prediction center. Should be another active day, and we'll chase that down coming up at the top of the hour - Heidi.
COLLINS: OK, very good. Thanks so much, everybody.
Also another court ruling in the custody fight over a young boy born in the United States, and then taken to Brazil. A friend of his father talks about what it could mean.
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COLLINS: One month after giving her a vote of confidence, Donald Trump has fired Miss California. Pageant officials say Carrie Prejean is being fired because she wasn't fulfilling her Miss California duties. In other words, she missed too many personal appearances. Prejean denied claims she was not honoring her contract. She says she's being fired over her comments saying she opposes same-sex marriages. The first runner up, Miss Malibu, now takes the crown.
Just memories are left for a Georgia man after a demolition crew destroyed his home by mistake. The homeowner says the crews GPS coordinates took them to the wrong house.
Jovita Moore from our affiliate, WSB, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL BYRD, HOMEOWNER: We had heirlooms in there. My mom's dining room set, her hutch with her dishes in there.
JOVITA MOORE, WSB REPORTER (voice-over): Byrd said he cannot believe his eyes. The house his father built, brick by brick, with his own hands has been mysteriously demolished.
BYRD: You can't imagine. It's just incredulous that something like this can happen and no one contact the owner.
MOORE: Byrd grew up here with nine brothers and sisters, a three bedroom house on a little road bearing his family's name.
BYRD: We were taught that you could do anything that you wanted to do as long as you were willing to work hard and pay the price.
MOORE: Byrd's cousin shot this video, Monday, a bulldozer in the yard, dumpsters loaded with rubble. The demolition company says it had paperwork.
BYRD: I said, "Paperwork for what?" He said, "For the house, to demolish the house." I said, "I'm the owner of the house. I haven't given anybody any authority to demolish this house."
MOORE: But did he have an address?
BYRD: No. I said, "What address did you have? I said, "this is 11 Bird Trail." He said, "They sent me some GPS coordinates." I said, "Don't you have an address?" He said, "Yes, my GPS coordinates led me right to that street there and this house was described."
MOORE: Byrd suspects the intended target was actually across the road.
BYRD: Right there.
MOORE (on camera): Over there?
BYRD: Yes. See, that's cause...
MOORE: Over there?
BYRD: Yes. Yes. Yes.
MOORE: Byrd said this house held decades of memories. While we talked, the enormity of what's gone sets in. And Al Byrd can barely speak.
BYRD: I don't know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Unbelievable. Byrd was not living in the home at the time, but the man who cut the grass reported to him the power box had been taken and holes punched in the wall. Byrd now believes it was preparation for demolition.
Here's some of the other stories that we're watching right now. People in Chicago may be getting to work a little late today. That's because traffic was tied up when a car jumped a retaining wall and landed right in front of oncoming commuter train. Luckily, no one was injured in that collision.
The Senate expected to vote today on new controls over the tobacco industry. The bill already passed by the House, gives the FDA authority to regulate marketing and sales of cigarettes. The agency would also be able to change the way cigarettes are made.
Schools are closed in Hong Kong today because of the spread of the H1N1 virus, swine flu. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting right now where they are expected to raise their alert level to its highest point and that's phase six. It means they are ready to declare this as the first world flu pandemic in more than four decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were in the Remember the Children exhibit. We were just exiting, and we heard shooting. I ran towards the glass doors to see what was going on. I thought it was a joke or something. And there I could see a security man pull out his gun and shoot towards the shooter. I also saw another security man lay flat on his belly. There was blood everywhere. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People started yelling, "hit the floor, hit the floor." So, my wife and two grandsons and I, hit the floor in a little kind of cut out in the hallway there, along with another young family. I don't know who they were. And we were scared to death. We got as low as we could get.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
