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Gunman's Rampage at Fort Hood; Quick Action Ended Rampage; Search for 2 Missing Troops in Afghanistan

Aired November 06, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, November 6th. The top stories now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

An accused shooter, just hours before he allegedly opened fire on his fellow soldiers, casually buying coffee.

Today the FBI is trying to nail down a motive in the Fort Hood killing spree.

The American worker the biggest loser in October. The nation's jobless rate surges pass the psychologically significant 10 percent mark today. That news comes as President Obama signs a bill this hour to help thousands and thousands of out of work Americans.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's begin this hour with a gunman's rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. Here is what we know right now.

Military investigators are waiting to interrogate the suspected shooter. Major Nidal Hasan is on a ventilator this morning but said to be stable. He was shot four times. Initially, it was thought the gunman had been killed.

FBI agents raided Hasan's apartment overnight, looking for clues that may point to a motive. Hasan said to be angry over an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. He had also complained Fort Hood soldiers harassed him over his Muslim faith.

The spree took 13 lives, 12 soldiers and one civilian. Thirty people are wounded. Officials say all the wounded are in stable condition today.

Nidal is a doctor with a specialty in psychiatry. Born and raised in Virginia, he graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 and received a medical degree in 2003. He spent eight years as a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. There, he counseled soldiers on the stresses of war, if you can believe it.

We expect a live update from officials at Fort Hood early in the afternoon. Here's what they had to say at a briefing earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. JOHN ROSSI, DEPUTY COMMANDING GENERAL, FORT HOOD: The post is not locked. There's no longer a lockdown.

Approximately 9:00 p.m. last night, we opened the gates to allow the soldiers off and begin normal operations. However, we are operating at a heightened level of security and will continue to do so until we determine to bring it back to normal operations. We are fully confident in the security of this installation and remain so.

Third, we continue to focus on casualty assistance efforts. The -- and this includes notification of family members and of grief counseling. The notification process is under way, and we ask that all fully support and respect the privacy of families that have been affected by this tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. So let's see if we can get more on the alleged shooter.

Our David Mattingly is at Fort Hood.

And David, what are you learning about Major Hasan?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, what we're learning are bits and pieces of a man who was dissatisfied with his life in the Army, and it seemed that he wanted to get out and definitely did not want to be deployed overseas. But yesterday started, strangely, very peacefully.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): This exclusive video appears to show the suspected shooter just hours before he allegedly opened fire on a room full of U.S. soldiers. The store owner identified Major Nidal Hasan as a regular at this convenience store, and the 39-year-old psychiatrist appears to be calm, even smiling as he buys his morning coffee. Just seven hours later, the Army says he made his way here, to the Family Readiness Center, and armed with two handguns, including a semiautomatic, shot and killed 13 people, wounded 30, and plunged the world's largest military post into chaos.

The Army has said little more about the man or his motive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's why we've asked for assistance from federal agencies, to make sure that we have this investigation right.

MATTINGLY: But we've learned that Hasan might have been known to authorities for some time. Six months ago, federal law enforcement officials reportedly came across an Internet posting signed with Hasan's name discussing suicide bombings and other threats. We've also learned that Hasan was apparently unhappy about his upcoming deployment, telling a cousin he was mortified by the idea.

Military records reveal a career that spanned more than a decade. Born in Virginia of Jordanian descent, Hasan graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 with a degree in biochemistry. He received his first appointment to the Army that same year.

Six years later, he began work at the Walter Reed Medical Center, pursuing a career in psychiatry and counseling scores of soldiers with post-traumatic stress. Hasan received at least three medals during this time, and neighbors near Walter Reed remembered him as easygoing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He seemed so calm. And, now you know, he was never upset with anything.

MATTINGLY: But there are also reports that Hasan received a bad performance review at Walter Reed and was forced to undergo counseling and increased supervision. His family has also said he was harassed by other soldiers for being Muslim, a frustration that they say caused him to rethink his career in the military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And we now have new word of one of the names of one of the victims from yesterday's shooting rampage. He is PFC. Michael Pearson, 21 years old, of Bolingbrook, Illinois. That is just the first of 13 names we are waiting on today.

Thirteen people, 12 of them soldiers, Tony, one of them a civilian, all being gunned down yesterday in this rampage.

HARRIS: And David, so many questions here. Do we know why? Do we know why the major was so unhappy about his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq?

MATTINGLY: It's hard to see the big picture here. We're seeing bits and pieces.

We know he talked to his family that he was upset that he was taunted. He said he was being taunted because of his Muslim faith dating back to 9/11 while in the military. We know that he was dreading the idea of being deployed overseas either to Iraq or to Afghanistan.

And we do know -- this is some new information. This is sort of interesting. He gave copies of the Koran to his neighbors yesterday morning.

That coming from CNN's Ted Rowlands, who talked to his neighbors there. He handed out copies of them before he came to the post yesterday to carry out -- allegedly carry out that rampage.

HARRIS: All right.

David Mattingly following developments for us from Fort Hood.

David, thank you.

A cousin of suspected killer Nidal Hasan says his family is in shock. Nader Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, tells CNN, "We are filled with grief for the families of the victims. Our family loves America. We are proud of our country and saddened by the tragedy." And we are piecing together this tragedy with profiles the victims. Among them, a young woman being praised as a hero.

Nicole Lapin has been looking into the woman's story, the woman who brought down the alleged shooter.

Nicole, what are you finding?

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She did. Sergeant Kimberly Munley, we're being told that she's a civilian police officer, Tony, shooting the gunman four times, stopping him cold in his tracks.

This is her Twitter account, hope2forget30. The bio saying, "I live a good life, a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully at night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone's life," which rings eerily true now that we know what happened yesterday.

This is a picture she posted after the Freedom Fest on Fourth of July. It's with country music singer Dierks Bentley. Based on the people she was following on Twitter, she seems to be a big country music fan.

Here's a more casual shot of her from her eBay profile, out of uniform. We also found her on HireaHero.org.

We found out that she is 34 years old. This is a job employment site. She was listed under the Army branch. And Hire a Hero also ringing eerily true now that she is being praised, Tony, as a hero.

A Facebook page quickly set up to honor her, to talk about her heroic efforts yesterday. I just want to read you one comment in from Graham Grensford (ph), who says, "She's probably going to say that she was just in the right place at the right time." He goes on to say, "And that she was just doing her job."

But heroes, Tony, always say that. So, right now she is in the hospital.

Another picture -- let's just bring that up for you so you can see her face. This is the woman who is now being praised as a hero. She is among those wounded. She is described as a trained, active first responder, Tony, who acted quickly and just happened to encounter the gunman, Tony, and stopped him in his tracks.

HARRIS: And our latest reporting is that all of those folks who were injured are in stable condition. And that's good news.

All right, Nicole. Thank you.

LAPIN: You're welcome.

HARRIS: As news of the shootings spread, friends and relatives of those stationed at Fort Hood were frantic.

Norma Tomkins and Beth Miller (ph) were overcome with emotion after learning their daughters were safe. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORMA TOMPKINS, DAUGHTER STATIONED AT FT. HOOD: My prayers are with the families that, you know, lost loved ones. And I'm praying for them. And I know that my daughter is OK, but there's a lot of families that don't have their child tonight, or their spouse, or -- you know, and my heart goes out to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH MILLER, DAUGHTER STATIONED AT FT. HOOD (ph): I'm sure the parents that won't ever have that call again will have that feeling that I would have -- they know that their child was doing something for the country, and that they're very proud of them. The hurt would still be there, but they'd be able to be very proud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy, that was tough to watch.

There is much more on Fort Hood that we are going to cover the next two hours and all day here on CNN.

We're going to go live to Afghanistan to get troop reaction, and we will also take you to the Pentagon. And President Obama will make brief remarks in the Rose Garden in just about 15 -- make that 20 minutes. We will bring you those remarks as soon as we see the president.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANNE JOHNSON, SON WOUNDED AT FORT HOOD: I was talking to him, and then we're just joking around. And then I heard "doosh, doosh, doosh" in my ear. And I said, "What is that?"

So I thought -- at first, I thought he was just kidding around with me and turning up the video game. And then I said, well, maybe it's a training exercise. So I started listening, and then I hear all of the screaming and the crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That was Roxanne Johnson in Punta Gorda, Florida. As you heard, she had been talking with her son, 21-year-old Justin, when the shooting broke out.

Justin Johnson was due to be sent to Afghanistan. He was shot in the chest and leg, and is recovering after surgery.

We want to get reaction from some of the troops in Afghanistan who passed through Fort Hood. Our Chris Lawrence joining us now from Kabul, Afghanistan.

But before we do that, Chris, there is a developing story we would like you to give us the latest on. A search and rescue mission, I understand, is going on now for two missing soldiers.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. The British Ministry of Defense has now confirmed to us that the two missing soldiers are both Americans. We know they were on a routine resupply mission in northwestern Afghanistan about two days ago when they disappeared, and have not been heard from since.

Now, the province police chief in that area tells us that the two American soldiers disappeared in the Morghab River, which is one of the main (INAUDIBLE) of that area, and there is an intense search and rescue operation already under way. We can also tell you that two more American soldiers have been killed in an IED attack yesterday in a totally separate incident down in Kandahar Province, and that coalition forces say they have now found and arrested a senior Taliban facilitator, someone who they say has been not only funding, but placing suicide bombers and IEDs in Kandahar -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And Chris, let's pivot back to the news of the day.

What are troops there saying about what happened at Fort Hood?

LAWRENCE: Yes. I e-mailed a few folks that I know, a few service members down there in southern Afghanistan. One told me -- wrote back that he was just shocked, and he was talking with some other people. They just couldn't believe it. They said they could almost understand it if it happened here, you know, on a base here in Afghanistan, but they said to have it happen in the United States, they just couldn't even comprehend it.

Another person wrote back to me, and was very, very angry and said, "I'm just glad they caught the (blank-blank) and that he's still alive." So again, you know, mixture of just utter shock, and now starting to be a little bit of growing anger here as well.

HARRIS: OK.

Chris Lawrence for us in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Chris, thank you.

And as the president considers sending more troops to Afghanistan, we are still listening to you.

If you would, give us a call. Give us your thoughts, your opinions. Maybe -- well, here's the question: What do you think the U.S. should do next in Afghanistan?

And here's the number: 1-877-742-5760. And let's do this -- give us your thoughts, your feelings on the news of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood.

Once again, the number: 877-742-5760.

And an incident we are just learning about at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, today. Twenty-one-year old Marine Private Jonathan Law (ph) is in military custody, charged with killing a fellow Marine. Law (ph) served in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. The Marine Corps released no details on the victim or how he or she was killed.

From the commander-in-chief to the troops on the ground, we are showing the pictures and hearing the sounds from the Fort Hood shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.

A day of mourning at Fort Hood. Military officials piecing together what may have pushed an Army psychiatrist to turn on his comrades. Thursday's shooting rampage left 13 dead and 30 wounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. STEVEN BRAVERMAN, U.S. ARMY: We have an initial surge of behavior health providers that will be here this morning, and the capability to reach out to anybody who needs it, with further assessment as we identify what we need down the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, House leaders push toward a possible floor vote tomorrow on a Democratic health care reform bill. A new CNN poll finds more than half of Americans oppose President Obama's plan to reform the nation's health care system.

Fifty-three percent say they're against it, 45 percent say they're in favor of it. Talking about the public option now, 55 percent are in favor of it, 44 percent are not.

Live pictures now. The 2009 world champions of baseball, the New York Yankees, riding through the streets of Manhattan in a ticker-tape parade after beating the Phillips in the World Series. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will present the Yankees with the keys to the city at a ceremony in City Hall Plaza.

The jobless rate reaches double digits. New numbers out today put the nation's unemployment rate at 10.2 percent. That's higher than many economists predicted, and it is the highest level since 1983.

Susan Lisovicz joins us now from an employment center in Yonkers, New York, with the story behind the numbers.

Where do you want to go with this, Susan? Because I have a ton of questions. We've been talking about this a lot over the last couple of days during my visit to New York. But tell us what's going on at that center there and what they're able to help people who visit in terms of getting the next opportunity.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, sometimes just getting work in the immediate future is all that you can do because the job market is, as you know, so tight. Everybody talks about 10.2 percent. Yes, that is a fresh 26-year high for the nation's unemployment rate. But guess what? It's even more startling when you look at the underemployment rate.

That's 17.5 percent. That translates, Tony, into about 26 million Americans who either can't find work or can't find full-time work, so they're working part time.

And so let's bring you an example of that.

HARRIS: OK. Yes.

LISOVICZ: Cyrystal Frazier (ph), 24, single mother. You actually have a job, right, Crystal (ph)? You're a home health care aide?

CRYSTAL FRAZIER (ph), SEEKING EMPLOYMENT: Yes.

LISOVICZ: And how many days do you work?

FRAZIER: Two.

LISOVICZ: Two. That's not enough to support you and your son.

FRAZIER: No, it's not.

LISOVICZ: So what are you doing right now?

FRAZIER: Actually filling out an application for Target.

LISOVICZ: And this is something that you do quite a bit, don't you?

FRAZIER: Yes.

LISOVICZ: How many days would you say you come to this employment center?

FRAZIER: I try to get here at least about four times. But this week I only made it twice. So, I've got to try to get it all in now.

LISOVICZ: You know, Tony, you look at the applications that Crystal (ph) is filling out here, you know, I see Subway, DSW, Kohl's, Target, Wal-Mart, Forever 21. There are jobs out there, and they are part-time jobs, but some of these big names are actually attractive because of benefits, right?

FRAZIER: Yes. HARRIS: Oh yes.

LISOVICZ: Do they all offer benefits?

FRAZIER: Most of them. Most of them.

LISOVICZ: Now, the jobs that you're seeing, Crystal (ph), are they more plentiful than you have seen in recent weeks? Because you've been here quite a bit.

FRAZIER: Yes. Yes.

HARRIS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: And are they seasonal, they're just for...

FRAZIER: Seasonal.

LISOVICZ: ... the holidays?

FRAZIER: Seasonal. Most of them are seasonal.

LISOVICZ: So you're just trying to get by just through the holidays?

FRAZIER: Yes.

LISOVICZ: OK.

So, you know, actually, Tony, what Crystal (ph) does as a home health care aide is actually a growth area.

HARRIS: Really important.

LISOVICZ: So she's in a good position. The folks here say that security guards, nurses' aides, physical therapists, they have seen a jump in temporary work. But it's tough when you have a job, when the hours are cut back, and you're trying to provide for a whole family. That's what Crystal (ph) is trying to do, and what she does here is that she plugs into a databank where she can see who is hiring, even on a part-time basis.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

I want to know from Crystal (ph) -- and we don't have time now, but maybe you can share this with us when we talk to you again. I want to know what Crystal (ph) -- if she is optimistic, pessimist about her future, and what she is doing. Does she feel as though she needs to change her skill set to move forward and find that next "permanent" job that pays her what she needs to move forward in her life?

LISOVICZ: Well, one of the things that she's doing which is what you see a lot of people doing, and that's encouraged at this employment center, is to be flexible, is to be open-minded, to be positive. That's going to help get you through this tough time. HARRIS: Great. All right, Susan. Good to see you. Thank you. See you next hour.

HARRIS: So, the double-digit jobless rate doesn't include, as Susan just mentioned, people who have settled for part-time jobs or those who have stopped looking altogether.

Thomas "Danny" Boston, my buddy, is here, a professor at Georgia Tech's Department of Economics. He is here to put this into some perspective for us.

Were you surprised by this new number? We expected it to go to 9.9. Not to 10. We know that 10 psychologically is significant, but 10.2? Hold on.

PROFESSOR: THOMAS "DANNY" BOSTON, GEORGIA TECH'S DEPT. OF ECONOMICS: Right, 10.2 -- not so much the level -- is the surprise. But the speed at which it reached 10.2 -- that is, we had .4 of a percentage point increase in unemployment over the last month. That's a concern.

I think most economists expect that that number to reach 10 percent or slightly above 10 percent, because that's just a normal adjustment. But that speed is a bit of concern.

HARRIS: Does it portend 11 and even faster rate? I mean, because I'm trying to get to the place to talk about where this bottoms out. Clearly, we're not there yet, but does this speed indicate more speed and more job losses in the months to come?

BOSTON: Difficult to say. There are some things that are happening in the market that we haven't seen before. All right? We would normally expect this rise above, say, for example, 10 percent to occur primarily because discouraged workers are coming back into the labor market.

HARRIS: Yes. We talked about that.

(CROSSTALK)

BOSTON: But that's not happening. The size of the labor market is still constant.

Within the labor market, what we found is, for example, the largest component of that increase is teenagers. So, we saw a 1.7 percentage point jump in teenage unemployment. So there's some redistribution taking place within the employee workforce.

HARRIS: I am really trying to get a handle on what is happening, the broader jobs picture in this country.

HARRIS: I'm really trying to get a handle on what is happening, the broader jobs picture in this country. We know that there was this huge disconnect here, and you see a number like this, and it emphasizes it even more, where you've got corporations, particularly in a financial sector, reporting A, big profits, quarterly profits, and also getting ready to pay big bonuses, right, to executives.

At the same time we're looking at an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent. What is going on here?

PROF. THOMAS "DANNY" BOSTON, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS, GEORGIA TECH: All right. All of it is consistent with what's happening. Large corporations, you see significant increases in productivity, mainly because they've reduced the workforce, reduced costs, while revenue is coming in.

So, that increases productivity and increases profits, makes them look better, the bottom line. But it doesn't increase jobs.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

BOSTON: All right. So, there are no jobs being created by the large corporations. Jobs that are being created are coming from small businesses. Three-quarters of all new jobs are coming from small businesses. So, this is fundamentally different from what we've seen in the past.

HARRIS: And the corporations -- we're getting an indication from "The Wall Street Journal" -- and I may have to cut you off here because we're getting close to the president. We're getting indications from "The Wall Street Journal's" reporting this week that companies are hoarding cash.

BOSTON: Absolutely. Absolutely.

HARRIS: They're not even behaving the way companies normally behave, which is to invest capital infusions into their own companies, investing in R&D. They're not behaving now. Why is that the case? Why is that happening right now? What is the fear on the corporate side?

BOSTON: The fear is the access to finance in the banking sector, all right? They don't know whether they're going to have lines of credit to get access or whether they can float corporate bonds, and so as a result of that, they want to hoard cash because they have to prepare for a rainy day.

And so, you see that happening. And the banks are not loaning. And so, we still have some hemorrhaging going on in the economy.

HARRIS: Danny, it's always great to see you. Appreciate your time.

BOSTON: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Thank you, sir.

Let's get to our White House correspondent Dan Lothian now. Dan is standing by just outside the Rose Garden, where the president will be making remarks in just a couple of moments.

And Danny, I know -- I'm sorry, Dan. I know the president will be, A, talking about -- will be talking about this jobs report that we've just been talking about with Danny Boston, but also the tragedy at Fort Hood.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a dual focus here when the president comes out to the Rose Garden addressing, as you pointed out, the unemployment numbers, over 10 percent, the worst since 1983, and he'll also talk about what he wants to do to help turn things around. Extending the unemployment benefits for those who've been out of work now for 20 -- an additional 20 weeks, and also the $8,000 tax credit. So, we expect to hear the president talk about that.

As you pointed out, he will make additional remarks about the tragedy at Fort Hood yesterday. When this shooting began, the president did make some remarks. He was first told about this by Robert Gibbs, and the president then finally came out at this Native American conference, and he talked about how all Americans should keep the victims of this shooting in their thoughts and prayers.

And the president also saying that this is sad when it happens overseas, when these soldiers are gunned down overseas, but it's especially horrific when it happens here on American soil and on an American base. So, again, we expect the president to talk about that, make additional comments. But I should also point out that we're told the president will talk about the fact that the flags have been lowered, not only here at the White House but at the executive office building, to half-staff in remembering and honoring those who lost their lives in that tragic shooting -- Tony.

HARRIS: And I don't know if the president will comment on it, but do we expect that perhaps he'll make comments about assigning the legislation to extend jobless benefits to thousands who are unemployed right now?

LOTHIAN: That's right. That's right. We do expect that that's supposed to be happening. We were told it was supposed to be happening before the president came out here. So, we do expect that he will make some remarks about that.

And then, Tony, I should also point out that later this afternoon, the president will head to Walter Reed Medical Center. This was, we're told by a senior administration official, set up long before that shooting. But the president will be going there. And that also happens to be the place where the suspected shooter not only did his residency but also worked as a counselor. But the president will be heading there this afternoon.

The president coming out now. I'll step down.

HARRIS: OK.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning. I want to begin by offering an update on the tragedy that took place yesterday at Fort Hood. This morning I met with FBI Director Mueller and the relevant agencies to discuss their ongoing investigation into what caused one individual to turn his gun on fellow servicemen and - women. We don't know all of the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.

What we do know is that there are families, friends and an entire nation grieving right now for the valiant men and women who came under attack yesterday in one of the worst mass shootings ever to take place on an American military base. So, from now until Veterans Day, I've ordered the flags at the White House and other federal buildings to be flown at half-staff.

This is a modest tribute to those who lost their lives even as many were preparing to risk their lives for their country. And it's also a recognition of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our safety and uphold our values. We honor their service, we stand in awe of their sacrifice and we pray for the safety of those who fight and for the families of those who have fallen.

And as we continue to learn more about what happened at Fort Hood, this administration will continue to provide you updates in the coming days and weeks.

Now, I would also like to announce I just signed into law a bill that will help grow our economy, save and create new jobs and provide relief to struggling families and businesses. The need for such a measure was made clear by the jobs report that we received this morning. Although we lost fewer jobs than we did last month, our unemployment rate climbed to over 10 percent, a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead.

When we first came into office, our immediate goal was to stop the freefall that caused our economy to shrink at an alarming rate. We succeeded in achieving that goal. As our economy grew last quarter for the first time in a year. But history tells us the job growth always lags behind economic growth, which is why we have to continue to pursue measures that will create new jobs. And I can promise you that I won't let up until the Americans who want to find work can find work and until all Americans can earn enough to raise their families and keep their businesses open.

The bill I signed today will help folks do that while continuing to grow our economy. It's a bill that extends unemployment benefits for up to 20 additional weeks, with the longest extension for the hardest-hit states. Already these benefits have helped 16 million unemployed Americans, and now that I've signed this bill, an additional 700,000 Americans who are still searching for work will be able to sign up for an extension of those benefits immediately. Although the extension will help over 1 million Americans, it won't just put money into the people's pockets who are receiving the benefits. Economists tell us when these benefits are spent on food or clothing or rent, it actually strengthens our economy and creates new jobs.

This bill will also cut taxes for struggling businesses, with even larger cuts for small businesses, which means that thousands of entrepreneurs will get the cash they need to avoid laying off workers or closing their doors. And it will extend the tax credit for all homebuyers through April of next year while strengthening it with stronger anti-fraud measures. The rebound in the housing market was one of the big factors that contributed to the growth of the economy last quarter and brought hundreds of thousands of families into the housing market. We want to give even more families the chance to own their own home.

Now, it's important to note that the bill I signed will not add to our deficit. It is fully paid for, and so it is fiscally responsible. It builds on a recovery act that saved over 1 million jobs, and it will lead to even more in the weeks and months ahead. We will also build on the measure I signed today with further steps to grow our economy in the future.

To that end, my economic team is looking at ideas such as additional investments in our aging roads and bridges, incentives to encourage families and businesses to make buildings more energy- efficient, additional tax cuts for businesses to create jobs, additional steps to increase the flow of credit to small businesses and an aggressive agenda to promote exports and help American manufacturers sell their products around the world.

So although it will take time and it will take patience, I am confident that our economy will recover. I'm confident that we're moving in the right direction, and I promise that I won't rest until America prospers once again. Thank you, everybody.

HARRIS: All right, there you have the president making comments on the mass shooting at Fort Hood. saying that the family, friends and an entire nation grieving today in the aftermath of that mass shooting. And the president promising to update us on any additional information as he gets it.

And the president also announcing that he has signed an extension to unemployment benefits and an extension and expansion to the first- time homebuyer's credit. We will get back to our top story, which is the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, in just a moment.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REX DEATON, WOUNDED SOLDIER'S UNCLE (via telephone): The next thing you know, there was a lot of shooting going on. Anthony hollered to some other people who were in the room with him to follow him, and they escaped down a back door.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy, that was the uncle of one of the soldiers wounded in the Fort Hood rampage relaying a description of the chaos that erupted. He says his nephew, Nathan Hewitt (ph), was shot in the hip and calf. A civilian police officer put her life on the line to stop the bloody rampage. Kimberly Munley shot Major Hasan four times. Fort Hood commander Lieutenant General Bob Cone told CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" she stopped him cold. Cone spoke with us shortly after visiting the wounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. ROBERT CONE, COMMANDER, FORT HOOD: I met a young man who'd been shot four times and with a fairly large-caliber weapon, and he is one tough young man and basically recounted the incident. I also met a young lady who was shot and basically didn't realize she was shot. Became involved in helping carry other soldiers out from the shooting area and taking them to medical care. Took off her blouse and put a tourniquet on another soldier's leg, and then finally when she was finished realized -- she looked down at her own hip and realized that she'd been shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Oh, boy. The post, the suspect, the massacre, the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas has changed the lives of dozens of families. Tomorrow night, Don Lemon hosts a special investigation, "INSIDE THE FORT HOOD SHOOTING." That's 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

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HARRIS: Very quickly now, we want to get you to the House floor on Capitol Hill right now, where Representative Ike Skelton -- oh, he's not finished, is he? -- is paying tribute to the fallen at Fort Hood, Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentleman from South Carolina is recognized.

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 895. I appreciate the leadership of Congressman Mike McCaul of Texas, a proven friend of military families. Yesterday marked a dark and painful chapter in the history of Fort Hood, Texas.

The nation's largest military installation was devastated when the soldiers and civilians of the United States Army were heinously attacked by the least likely of assailants, a murderer who benefited from the American dream of unlimited opportunity, attending medical school at military expense and a person given trust as a high rank in our military. He cowardly then committed treason.

In the aftermath, we have learned that 13 of our bravest and finest Americans were killed, and several dozen more were wounded. This senseless act of horror betrays our...

HARRIS: All right. We missed the comments from Representative Ike Skelton, and you're watching there and have been listening to Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina.

Let's go to Gerri Willis. You know, more than half of Americans with health insurance say they're paying more now than they did a year ago. Fifty-five percent of those responding to a CNN/Opinion Research poll say their costs have gone up while 42 percent say they haven't.

That said, it's open enrollment time at big countries across the country, time for employees to decide on health coverage and benefits for next year. But all those choices can be a bit confusing.

That's why Gerri Willis is here to clear it up a bit for us. Help us, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, Tony, I've got to tell you, those cost are going up 10 percent on average, 10 percent. That's not nothing. And when you consider the totals cost have gone up 190 percent over 10 years, it's just more and more and more every year. You really want to mow what to do. So, we came up with a decision tree to help you make your decision.

Here's how you make your decision when you pull out your open enrollment material. Number one, you want to compare costs for the plans that you're being offered. That means you look at the premiums. What are the premiums for each plan? What do you pay every month? And then you look at what you pay out of pocket. Are you paying co- pays, co-insurance? A lot of companies are getting rid of co-pays in favor of co-insurance. That means more money for you. Those are the two biggest factors you want to think about when you're looking at this.

And number two, and this is critical this year, is your doctor in-network? That's what you need to know with each plan because it's going to cost you an arm and a leg if you're using specialists out of network, Tony. It gets really, really expensive.

HARRIS: All right, look, a lot of people are in this boat and have this same question. What about coverage for your spouse and your children?

WILLIS: Plus two.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: Plus three, plus four.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: Yes, OK. So, you want to look at your plan, your spouse's plan and then compare them. Do the math so you can figure out whether it's cheaper to go with your spouse's company plan or your plan -- I've already been doing it this with my own husband -- or if it's better to each have your own coverage. That could be true, too. Bottom line, do the math. Figure out what costs you the least.

I want to talk about some other options you're going to see that maybe you never saw before. Some of these plans are called consumer- driven plans. Guess what, not so much. They're high-deductible plans. You're probably familiar with these, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

WILLIS: Now, the idea is that the premiums are low, low, low, low, but the deductibles, a thousand bucks, 10 thousand bucks before your coverage kicks in. You know, these are best used by people who don't have other options, but, you know, some young people want to go into these. You know, you're one really bad health scare away from, you know, losing all your money.

HARRIS: Yes, good point. Good point.

WILLIS: Flexible spending accounts, this is the silver lining this year. If you're going to have to pay for things you definitely want to get a flexible spending account. You do it with pretax dollars. You set aside pretax dollars every payday. This goes to aspirin. This goes to anything you have to pay for. This helps you save dough because, you know, you'll have 30, 40 percent out of that money added on because you're not paying taxes.

HARRIS: "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," it's the reason you're here in Atlanta. Tell us about the program tomorrow. And I know it's principally on open enrollment. You're going to have help here, and you're going to open up the phone lines and answer all kinds of questions for folks.

WILLIS: You know, that's absolutely right. Here's what we're doing. We're going to have -- open up the phone lines to you tomorrow. Now, you can get in front of the line by e-mailing me today, gerri@CNN.com. Just send us your questions about open enrollment.

Look, I know it's scary. It's concerning. You want to make the best decision. It's the biggest financial decision that you'll make this fall. We're going to help you do it, give you the information you need. Join us tomorrow morning at 9:30, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE." We're going to answer all your open enrollment questions.

HARRIS: That is terrific. It's great to see you here...

WILLIS: Great to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: ... after spending time with you in New York City. See you, Gerri. See you tomorrow. I'll be watching your show.

We are bringing you obviously the latest on the Fort Hood tragedy as we await the next news conference. It is a day of mourning at the post, and flags are flying at half-staff throughout the state of Texas and in the nation's capital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In January, we asked you to nominate CNN Heroes for 2009. After receiving more than 9,000 nominations, an independent blue-ribbon panel selected the top 10. Here's one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

This is CNN heroes.

MARY J. BLIGE, SINGER: Hi, I'm Mary J. Blige, and I had the honor of performing at the first CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute recognizing everyday people who changed the world. As president of FFAWN, I'm dedicating myself to help women to reach their full potential in life. Now more than ever, the world needs heroes, and I am thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top ten honorees.

ROY FOSTER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: How can I turn my back and walk away and leave you right here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't.

FOSTER: I can't. Because I know you wouldn't turn your back and leave me.

Nationwide, veterans are neglected, homeless, unacceptable.

What branch of service?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Army.

FOSTER: Army? So was I.

We are still brothers in arms, so no man left behind.

My name is Roy Foster, and my mission is to help and empower homeless veterans. If you're going to work for sobriety, you got to change.

Stand-Down House provides service for veterans only, a safe, clean place to live, all the meals, mental health services. The camaraderie, it is the internal glue.

Tell him one of his brothers in arms came out looking for him and let him know, yes, we will be back.

They are the best, and they deserve the best. What I do, I love. I love it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And you have until November 19th to cast your vote for the CNN Hero of the Year at CNN.com/heroes. The one that receives the most votes will be revealed Thanksgiving night during "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE."

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