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New Info on Arizona Mass Killing; Survivors Talk About Arizona Rampage; Winter Storm Slams Southeast; Teacher Talks About Mass Killing Suspect; Surviving a Gunshot to the Head
Aired January 09, 2011 - 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: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
We are tracking two big stories for you tonight. A winter storm packed with snow and ice pounding the Southeast right now. Also, new developments involving the 22-year-old suspect in the Arizona mass killings.
First, here's a quick update on what we know this hour in Arizona. Twenty-two-year-old Jared Lee Loughner is scheduled to appear in federal court tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. local time in Phoenix. Federal authorities have charged him with first degree murder and the attempted assassination of a member of Congress, among other charges. A source tells CNN that he's been assigned a public defender.
Incredible stories of heroism are emerging. During the attack, we have learned the gunman tried to change magazines on his weapon when a woman managed to wrestle the magazine out of his hands. You're going to hear from her tonight.
Meantime, doctors at the University Medical Center say Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition. Doctors say she has been able to communicate with them. All other shooting victims have been moved out of intensive care. Six people died and 14 others were wounded in the shootings.
New details have emerged tonight about what happened in the moments immediately after the shooting stopped. CNN's Randi Kaye is in Tucson tonight.
Randi, witnesses have been describing the chaotic scene that unfolded outside the supermarket yesterday. What have you learned?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, we know that there are so many victims in this case, but there are also so many heroes and we met one of those heroes today. Her name is Patricia Maisch and she told us that everything happened so fast, she wasn't sure if she was going to live or die.
But she's one of the people credited with putting an end to the gunfire. She is the woman who wrestled away that empty magazine clip from the accused shooter while he was trying to reload and actually succeed in reloading another magazine clip which had 31 bullets in it, but the gun jammed. But if you call Patricia Maisch a hero, it's not a title that she accepts. Listen to what she told us today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA MAISCH, GRABBED CLIP FROM GUNMAN: The two men that secured him were the heroes. I just was an assistant in being able to get that magazine or clip. I'm not a gun person, so I'm not sure if I am using the right words. But I was able to hold on to the clip and another gentleman that was standing up, not the two that were securing him, was able to get the gun.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Patricia, Patricia, the sheriff said that your actions might have saved countless lives.
MAISCH: I don't -- I don't think so. I think -- I think the other two men saved countless lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: She told us that she had considered running away, but she thought that she might become a target if she did. So not only did she stay, Don, but she actually helped one of the victims, someone who was bleeding from his head. She talked with us about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAISCH: When I saw the man with the head wound, I was a little panicky and then I decided that wasn't -- that wasn't going to help. So I just asked the other man to sit on his ankles, and I went to get a compress for him. And I stayed there until they secured -- I held the man -- held the compress on the man's head until the police secured the shooter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: You know, it's so chilling, Don, is that she told us how she actually saw the shooter firing at the woman next to her. She said that he was pointing down at the woman, and she watched him fire his gun -- Don.
LEMON: CNN's Randi Kaye. Thank you very much for that, Randi.
We are learning disturbing new details about the shooting suspect, and we'll be getting our first look at him in court tomorrow. Jared Lee Loughner has been formally charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. CNN's Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more on that.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Don, the government has in its possession a document which indicates this was a pre-meditated attack, a targeted assassination attempt against Congresswoman Giffords. When they executed a search warrant last night at the house where the suspect, Jared Loughner, lived, they found a safe and in that safe an envelope with handwriting on it. According to the statement of probable cause, which was filed in court today, the handwriting said I planned ahead my assassination, the name Giffords, along with what appeared to be Loughner's signature.
In addition in that safe, they found a letter from Congresswoman Giffords addressed to Jared Loughner back in 2007 inviting him to a "Congress on Your Corner" event. Of course, it was a "Congress on Your Corner" event where she was shot yesterday, but this invitation was for one back in the year 2007.
This probable cause document was filed today to support five counts that have now been filed against Loughner. They are attempted murder of a member of Congress, first degree murder of Federal Judge John Roll, first degree murder of Gabriel Zimmerman, that's an aide to the congresswoman, and attempted murder of two other aides, Pamela Simon and Ron Barber. But the director of the FBI made it clear today that additional federal or state charges may be on the offing as this progresses.
We also learned today that Jared Loughner was refused entry into the Army because he failed a drug test. We have also learned from the community college which he attended for a time that he had repeated run-ins with the law, five of them. He was finally asked to leave. He agreed to withdraw. The condition of his returning would be that he pass a mental health evaluation and have a doctor's note that he didn't pose a threat to himself or anyone else.
As to motive, law enforcement at this point are saying they just don't have a clear fix on what it might be, but certainly these documents found in the safe at the house where he lived might provide some clue.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: Jeanne Meserve, thank you very much for that.
Christina Green, the 9-year-old victim of yesterday's tragedy born on 9/11, 2001. A newly elected member of her school's student council. Tonight, her parents are talking to CNN about the loss of their little girl.
One family with two points of view of Saturday's shooting -- a mother and her daughter inside the grocery store when the gunfire erupted, another daughter outside watching it all happen. They are going to join us live.
And I want you to take a live look at these pictures. They are from our affiliate in Memphis. Another big story that we are covering tonight, a winter wallop coming to a part of the country that is not used to weather like this -- snow and ice in process of covering the Southeast, impacting travel in the air and on the ground.
Look at that snow falling, and there's more to come.
And I'm online and I know you are, too. So make sure you check our social media accounts. Let's connect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Another big story that we're following tonight, a major winter tomorrow is slamming the Southeast. It has the potential to cause major power outages and some travel disruptions.
This is a view from our tower cam in Memphis tonight. Live pictures. Look at that. Snow falling and it is coming down hard. As you can see, it is significant, and it's already falling.
The storm is dropping snow, sleet and freezing rain across a huge area all the way from Texas and Louisiana to the Carolinas. Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport was a beehive of activity today. Potentially hundreds of flights could be cancelled there and at airports all across the region.
You know, the storm has prompted officials in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia to declare states of emergency, so let's get the very latest from CNN's Jacqui Jeras.
It's going to be a busy night for you, and a lot of people are staying put and look at all the snow that's falling.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's really the time to stay put. Hopefully, everybody is where they need to be because much of the South is basically going to be crippled from the storm, and this is going to last well into tomorrow.
Here you can see a live picture. You're just mentioning Atlanta, Don. That's Centennial Olympic Park. Our weather producer Sean Morris just took a little walk in the park, and he's reporting about two inches of snow on the ground and that's going to be pretty widespread across the city. We've got winter storm warnings which are in effect for more than a dozen states, and you can see that stretches across a lot of real estate and millions of people being impacted by this storm.
Now in addition to the snow, we're very concerned about some of the ice that's been accumulated. And it seems like the I-20 Corridor is kind of that magic place where we're seeing the freezing rain there, and southward sleet and snow mixing in on up to the north. So the worst of the snowfall accumulations, we think, are going to be somewhere in this area across northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and then as we get into the Carolinas the storm system continues to progress a little bit.
This cold air has been in place, and what makes the storm so brutal is that we've got that ice accumulating. What happens is as this low tracks down to our south and cold air is in place, we've got warm air overriding the top. So it comes down as liquid precipitation, then freezes on contact. And that's when we're talking about the power outages and roads being closed down.
Many, many accidents reported across Mississippi as well as into parts of Alabama. We're hearing terrible news out of Birmingham, along I- 65. Lots of accidents reported there. I hear it's nearly gridlock in downtown right now in Atlanta on the connector there. If you're trying to travel tomorrow in advance of this storm, a lot of airlines have cancelled a lot of flights. They let you for free change your flights because tomorrow is going to be almost a no-go for you in places like Atlanta as well as Charlotte. And these are major airports where you get connections all over the country and even across the world as well.
We expect delays in New York and Boston due to winds. Atlanta because of our storms. Charlotte and Memphis because of the snow. Denver and Minneapolis, you're dealing with your own storm up there, by the way. And Dallas, even though you're done with the snow, we're expecting some light freezing drizzle and low clouds in the morning.
So this is a slow-moving system, Don. This is going to last with us at least into Tuesday morning, and then we're going to have to watch it because some of the models are bringing it up the coast. Yes, we could be talking about a potential Nor'easter, you know, D.C., Philly, New York and Boston.
LEMON: Again?
JERAS: Not a sure thing yet. Still a little iffy, but we need to watch it very closely as this heads up to the north eventually.
LEMON: Hey, Jacqui, will you help me go through some of these pictures. Live pictures.
JERAS: Yes.
LEMON: This is -- let's show Centennial Olympic Park first, which is the picture behind me in the monitor wall here. That's where the snow is coming down. That's in downtown Atlanta.
JERAS: Yes.
LEMON: And then we want to show you the airport where it's getting socked as well. The big question, will they be ready?
JERAS: Right.
LEMON: And here's the interesting part.
JERAS: They've cancelled over 1,400 flights already for tomorrow alone.
LEMON: You know who is supposed to be sitting right here with us now?
JERAS: Oh, yes, the mayor.
LEMON: The mayor. And the mayor of Atlanta...
JERAS: The mayor of Atlanta is stuck in the weather.
LEMON: ...is stuck in the weather. He had a briefing just a bit ago and also road conditions. Road conditions are bad so...
JERAS: Terrible. Lots of accidents reported around Atlanta, and we've also heard reports of thunder snow?
LEMON: Yes. In my neighborhood.
JERAS: That tells you it's intense. We have Virgin Islands, unfortunately, getting hit hard.
LEMON: OK. I want to say the mayor of Atlanta will join us very shortly, as soon as he can get here, probably about 10 or 15 minutes because we want to know about that airport. And I'm sure people, especially travelers, around the country want to know. One of the busiest airports in the world, and so we want to know if they are ready there.
Look at that. That is from Memphis, Tennessee.
Jacqui, that is coming down. That's a lot of snow, especially for Memphis.
JERAS: They've been snowing for a couple of hours. Visibility down to about a mile. So hopefully everybody is home and snug in their beds for tonight. We think it's mostly going to be snow for Memphis. We could be talking three to seven inches when all is said and done. So major issues in Memphis for tomorrow. That place doesn't get snow very often as well.
LEMON: And not to worry, we're going to be here all evening. And we'll update you if it gets much, much worse, we'll be here. Tune into CNN, OK?
JERAS: And Rob is going to be live tomorrow morning, by the way, out of Atlanta as well.
LEMON: All right. Good. We're going to check on the airport with the mayor in just a moment, but our other big story tonight, of course, is that mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. It killed six people, right, including this 9-year-old girl. You'll hear from her family next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Tonight, we're going to hear a new perspective on what happened in Tucson where 20 people were shot. Deena Rickel and her daughters, 15 and 11 years old, made it out from this chaos unharmed. They were at the store to prepare for a happy occasion -- the birth of Deena's twins as well as the birthday of her husband. Then the gunfire broke out. Now once they all escaped, Deena's girls immediately realized her mother should call 9-1-1. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DEENA RICKEL: He was wearing a mask.
DISPATCHER: OK, it seems like we have him right now.
RICKEL: Oh, you do. DISPATCHER: Yes.
RICKEL: I felt so bad for leaving. I guess my concern, of course, was for my kids and getting out of there.
DISPATCHER: Oh, yes, definitely.
RICKEL: I just want to make sure, I mean, we are so shaken up that, I mean, I just hope that everyone involved is OK. I don't know if you can, you know, tell us that.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: Deena, Taylor and Leighton Rickel join me now live from Tucson. For the first time, they are telling their story.
Thank you all for joining us.
Deena, how are you doing?
DEENA RICKEL, ARIZONA RAMPAGE SURVIVOR: You know, that was pretty emotional to hear, and it just kind of makes everything resurface all over again. I mean, it was tough. It was very tough.
LEMON: Hearing that 9-1-1 call just brings it back?
D. RICKEL: Oh, absolutely.
LEMON: Yes. Tell us about the last night for you and your daughters. I understand that you've had trouble sleeping and they have as well.
D. RICKEL: Well, my trouble sleeping, of course, is for our twins, but my girls, absolutely, it's just been so surreal and numb feeling inside, you know, for them. They just, you know, we're processing everything that has happened, and that was a lot to take in for not only my 15-year-old but my 11-year-old.
LEMON: You -- Deena, you and your older daughter, Taylor, were inside the store at the checkout.
D. RICKEL: We were.
LEMON: Did you see the shooter first, or did you first see -- notice the congresswoman collapsing?
D. RICKEL: No, because, unfortunately, my main priority was to get in and get out and get back home, but no, we did see the shooter. What brought our attention, of course, was the initial gunshot where we had seen Gabrielle Giffords get shot and whoever was to her right.
LEMON: Taylor, how are you doing?
TAYLOR RICKEL, ARIZONA RAMPAGE SURVIVOR: I've been better.
LEMON: Yes. What did you see? T. RICKEL: I saw Gabrielle Giffords get shot and holding her head and completely collapse into the window and she ended up hitting the floor.
LEMON: Yes. Are you able to get that image out of your head?
T. RICKEL: No, that was pretty traumatizing for me.
LEMON: Yes. So how are you dealing with it?
T. RICKEL: I can tell you I'm doing a lot better than I was doing yesterday. You know, with the support of my family, it's been a lot better.
LEMON: Yes.
Leighton, you were -- you were out in the parking lot. What did you see?
LEIGHTON RICKEL, ARIZONA RAMPAGE SURVIVOR: Well, I just saw a lot of people fall and hit the ground, and then I heard so many shots. It was just -- I was just frozen and screaming my mom's name because I didn't know what to think.
LEMON: Yes.
What's mommy telling you to help you get through this? I know it's a tough time and Deena, it's a tough thing to have to explain to your kids. But Leighton, what's your mom telling you?
L. RICKEL: My mom is telling me that I can't be afraid of life because these things are common, but i have to live it to the highest point that I can, not life-threatening, but I have to, you know, do what I always do and just believe that I'll be OK because death is an OK thing, and it's going to be a better place, heaven. It's better than the world itself.
LEMON: Yes.
Deena, in some strange way, did this teach you anything about family and life and just how fleeting and in one moment life can change?
D. RICKEL: Oh, absolutely. It just really puts things in perspective. And it's very humbling and it makes you appreciate your family and your loved ones. And like you said your life in general.
LEMON: Yes. I would imagine you were thinking, oh, my gosh, my daughter is in the car out there.
D. RICKEL: Absolutely. That was my main focus was getting my oldest daughter out alive as well as getting to the car to make sure that my other daughter was OK and then getting home to my husband and our other three kids.
LEMON: How did you get out of the store? D. RICKEL: Well, I actually kept dragging my daughter by the arm because her first initial instinct was to hide behind things, and like I said my main goal was to get to the car to make sure that all my kids were safe and taken care of. And I just -- through the crowd -- I just kept grabbing her by the arm, and we made our way through the crowd towards the other exit on the other side of the store. And we just crouched down and we ran across the parking lot.
I knew that we were vulnerable but, you know, I was willing to take the bullet for my daughter. Just my main goal was to make sure that my other kids were OK. So we just ran across the parking lot until we, you know, finally got to our vehicle, and there were other gracious individuals there that were offering, you know, us to get into their vehicle for safety.
LEMON: Taylor, lots of hugging tonight. I know sometimes, you know, siblings, you guys like to fight and what have you. But do you appreciate your family and your sister more now?
T. RICKEL: Yes, very much. There was a very high chance that I could have lost not just my mom but my sister and my sister's friend also. So definitely put things in perspective for you.
LEMON: Yes.
Deena, I want to give you the last word here. You know, when tragedies like this, it's hard to explain to children what it means, if anything. Adults don't always know. What piece of advice do you have not only for your daughters but for families who are watching this and who are dealing with tragedies?
D. RICKEL: You know, my heart goes out to them, and honestly, I just think the power of prayer will get you through anything. It has with our family, and, you know, just pull together, I think, besides, you know, that God up above, I think family and support really, really will see anyone, anyone through. And our heart definitely goes out to everyone involved.
LEMON: I think a lot of folks share your sentiment and you can see them behind you there at the vigil where people have gathered.
Leighton, Deena, Taylor, thank you so much. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we wish you the very best, OK?
D. RICKEL: Thank you.
T. RICKEL: Thank you.
L. RICKEL: Thank you.
LEMON: The nation is mourning the six people killed in Tucson yesterday, and much of the attention is focused on the youngest of those lost, 9-year-old Christina Green. She was born on 9/11, and was interested in government, which is why she was at congresswoman's gathering. Tonight, her parents spoke with CNN's Casey Wian.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GREEN, FATHER: It does say something about our society that my daughter was born on a tragic day, and she went out on a tragic day.
ROXANNA GREEN, MOTHER: she was a great friend, a great sister, a great daughter. I'm so proud of her. And I just want everyone to know, and I think a lot of people that know us and knew Christina Taylor, you know, that we got robbed. She got robbed of a beautiful life that she could have had.
J. GREEN: There's going to be a lot of those kind of moments that -- I had one this morning, just waking up and she -- she comes up and says, daddy, it's time to get up and she didn't do that this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Obviously, a very emotional time for the people there. CNN's Casey Wian. I want you to listen to this now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OHIO), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This inhuman act should not and will not deter us from our calling to represent our constituents and to fulfill our oaths of office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That is the Republican House Speaker John Boehner. He's reacting to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others. We'll explore the political climate and tell you what Washington lawmakers are doing to tone down the rhetoric.
Plus, the marketing director of Facebook joins me to show the huge spike the shooting is having on social media. We'll show it to you straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We've heard the Pima County sheriff talking this weekend about the bitterness and anger that we hear on the political airwaves. Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has been tracking this angle in Washington for us and she joins us.
So, Dana, I understand lawmakers from both parties held a conference call today. Tell us about that.
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The conference call had 800 people on it. That's according to multiple sources who were on it. Obviously, it was pretty easy to get sources of 800 people who were on this call, Don. But they were members of the House Democratic and Republican caucuses. Both sides of the aisle led by the leaders in both parties, which is a pretty remarkable thing.
One member of Congress I talked to said that this kind of thing hasn't happened in the 22 years that he had been there. The discussion was about the condition of their colleague Gabrielle Giffords but also starting to begin the discussion of security for all of the other members of Congress. The reason why there are so many people on this because spouses were on as well.
Earlier this evening, there were two members of Congress on CNN, a Democrat and a Republican, both talking about the fact that they each understand that the threats are there. The threats are there, absolutely.
Republican Jason Chaffetz is talking about the fact that he does feel unsafe, especially at times -- especially when he goes home to his district in Utah, Don, saying that he actually -- he personally has a concealed weapon license. That's legal in his state. And he says he's going to use it more. But he also says he cannot stop doing his job.
And the same thing goes for Adam Smith, who is the Democrat on our air earlier from Washington, saying it is their jobs as members of Congress to go out and talk to people and that is not going to stop, but there are going to be discussions, particularly this coming week, about whether or not anything can be tinkered around the edges, because it's important to note that most of these members of Congress do not have security with them at most times.
LEMON: Yes. Tomorrow, first day of the workweek. It's going to be interesting to see how our lawmakers react tomorrow, what's going to happen. Dana Bash will be there covering it.
Dana, thank you very much.
The Pima County sheriff suggested that vitriol in politics and the media is enflaming the American public to dangerous levels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: And to try to enflame the public on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has impact on people, especially who are unbalanced personalities to begin with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you can imagine that is not going to win him much favor with talk radio hosts like Neil Boortz. Neil is a libertarian who tweeted this just a few hours ago. He said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has shown himself to be a leftist partisan hack in his public comments. After reading that, I asked Neal whether he was engaging in the very same inflammatory rhetoric that the sheriff criticized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL BOORTZ, SYNDICATED RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Sheriff Dupnik gets into this hate speech. This is -- this is a wonderful way that some people have of terminating an argument when they have no ability to engage in it in the first place.
LEMON: OK.
BOORTZ: You present an idea to somebody. They can't respond to it. And then they start screaming that's hate speech, that's hate speech.
And as far as -- I forgot his exact words, Don, but it was distrust of government. I think a healthy distrust of government is in fact healthy.
Do you remember who uttered these words? Republican victory would mean hand-to-hand combat. They bring a knife. We bring a gun. Hit back twice as hard. Punish your enemies. I'm itching for a fight. I don't want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry. I'm angry.
Don, do you know who said all of those things?
LEMON: No, I don't. Go ahead.
BOORTZ: The president of our country, Barack Obama. Those are all his words. So, yes, there is angry rhetoric, and when we have...
LEMON: What's your point with that? I don't understand. There's context in everything. What's your point with that?
BOORTZ: Well, my point is that there seems to be some people that want to really lay the blame for violent rhetoric on the right. Those are the ones with the hate speech. Now, if you -- if you find somebody on the right, a Republican congressman or a senator or a Republican leader, well, if they bring a knife, we're going to bring a gun. I'm itching for a fight. Let's get in their face. Let's hit them back twice as hard.
That -- I would submit to you, Don, that the media is going to react quite a bit differently to that rhetoric coming from somebody on the right than they did to that rhetoric coming from the president of the United States.
LEMON: So do you feel at all that we need to -- and this is going to be my last question, that we need to restore civility and to tone down the rhetoric, because even though it may just be a job and political sport for many, but to some people who listen to it, Neal, they take it very literally, and they take those words to mean exactly, you know, what the meaning of those words rather than the context behind it and reading between the lines.
BOORTZ: We have every right to be angry at what's happening to the government of our country. We have every right to voice that anger. We have every right to be partisan in one direction or another. But when anybody ever calls my show, when they call my show and they suggest violence, I tell them the ballot box works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Radio host Neal Boortz, thank you.
OK. We have another big story to tell you about, a major story that's going on out there. A winter storm that's already begun dumping snow in Memphis, in Atlanta and other parts of the Southeast. Are we ready for it? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. If you're in the Southeast, the Northeast, if you have to travel any time next week, you better pay attention because the other big story that we're keeping an eye on tonight, a major winter storm is rolling across the Southeast. Significant amounts of snow, sleet and freezing rain are in the forecast. So let's get the very latest from our meteorologist here Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, bad out there already.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You know, it's been bad since this afternoon and it's just getting worse and worse across parts of the Deep South and we're getting some really heavy burst now of some of these snow and then also some of these freezing rain.
Let's go ahead and start you out by showing you some of the video in some of the worst places that we've been seeing. This is just outside of Shreveport, Louisiana. And what you see there on the trees, on the power lines, that's the ice, and that's a bigger concern from the snow because that ice you just absolutely cannot drive on this, and it also can take down power lines as well as tree limbs. So that's been the problem in that area.
Now let's take a look from Memphis, Tennessee, where actually the snow has been coming down very heavy for the last couple of hours. A live picture from WMC, our affiliate there. We could be talking three to seven inches of snow easy in the Memphis area, and it's going to be coming down all night long.
Let's show you the radar picture and let's show you the states of concern right now. This is really stretching across Louisiana and Arkansas and now pushing through the Carolinas. There's 12 different states. A dozen under the warnings at this hour. And we have Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia all under states of emergency right now.
We'll zoom into the Atlanta metro area, where we have interstates that are blocked off. Many lanes as well as multiple accidents being reported around town. This is mostly snow that we're dealing, but I- 20, that's where we're starting to see that transition over to some of that ice. We've seen lots of freezing rain in Birmingham and accidents as a result of that.
And to put it in perspective, those of you getting the freezing rain could see a quarter inch to half an inch. What will that do? Well, a tenth of an inch driving becomes almost impossible. A quarter of an inch brings down some of those branches on those trees. And half of an inch is where we start to see those power outages.
So before you go to bed tonight, Don, something to think about, make sure you've got your flashlights handy as well as batteries to go along with it and a weather radio will help in. Hopefully, most of you can just stay home tomorrow. Lots of schools closed, too.
LEMON: Not only a meteorologist but such a mom. Thanks for your advice, Jacqui Jeras. And make sure you stay tuned to CNN because we'll get you updated.
You know, Atlanta is just one of the major cities across the Southeast in the eye of the storm. The city owns the Atlanta Airport, which is, you said the busiest...
MAYOR KASIM REED (D), ATLANTA: Busiest airport on the planet.
LEMON: ...on the planet. So the question is -- are people ready? Is the airport ready because that's what people around the country want to know. A lot of traffic goes through there.
REED: We're trying real hard. Right now, we have two of the five runways that are operational. The airlines are working real hard and are scaled back to work.
LEMON: Two of the five.
REED: That's right. They have scaled back flights by about 55 percent to 60 percent right now. So as opposed to having people sitting in our airport, we're actually notifying people that we're scaling back flights. We have 200 people out at airport campus right now, working on 12-hour shifts. So every asset that we have right now is being used and is operational.
LEMON: So you're here to tell people, hey, listen, patience. It's going to be -- it's not going to be a good day at the airport tomorrow. It's not a good night there right now.
REED: No, it's going to be very tough. But what we are trying to do is to make sure that we don't have people who are sitting on planes and sitting in the airport in the past, notifying them that we're going to have tough weather through Tuesday and getting the word out right now, which is why I wanted to be here.
LEMON: Was equipment part of it -- is it part of the problem? Because we're not used to dealing with that, to have an airport that big and just not have enough equipment?
REED: Well, fortunately, our airport is well sourced, but the fact of the matter is we don't have weather events like this. I think the amount of snow that we're getting is probably a ten-year event for the city of Atlanta.
So we have the equipment. It's just how often we use it, as opposed to cities in the North that use it all of the time. But we didn't want to make any excuses. That's why we went out, started preparing about two days ago and had multiple meetings as recently as one hour ago.
LEMON: You were in traffic here because the roads are bad.
REED: They are tough. They're tough. Yes. LEMON: OK. Do we have enough salt trucks...
REED: We do.
LEMON:...and snow plows out there?
REED: Well, I don't ever believe we have enough, but all of our assets work and we're coordinating with the state, the Fulton County and DeKalb County in the way that we should be doing.
LEMON: I asked you that because you saw the Nor'easter that hit about two weeks ago, and Mayor Bloomberg got...
REED: Tough.
LEMON: He got -- he got really criticized about that.
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, was gone on vacation. He got criticized. Cory Booker out there helping shovel snow.
REED: Cory did a terrific job.
LEMON: Yes. So you know there are political ramifications here if it doesn't work out well.
REED: You're right. But I'm really concerned and focused on people. I mean, I think the message whenever you have an event like this is to be present and do something. People want action. So I've been at work. I'm going stay at work, and we'll be out late until about 1:00 or 2:00 tonight and then be back at about 5:30 in the morning.
LEMON: Mayor Kasim Reed, thank you. And you heard it from the mayor.
REED: Be present. Do something.
LEMON: He's in charge of the airport. He says it's going to be problems already. We're telling you so. Get ready. Be patient and maybe you want to postpone your trip and just get ready because you know it's going to happen.
REED: We'll get through it though.
LEMON: Thank you, mayor. Good to see you.
REED: Good to see you.
LEMON: Back to our other big story now. Will Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords return to Washington? Her campaign chairman says you better believe it and she will be better than ever.
Also a professor of the accused shooter in yesterday's assassination attempt talks exclusively to CNN. What he describes as signs of trouble that he saw very early on.
And people flock to social media to share the tragedy of the Tucson shootings. Ahead, a Facebook executive on how the story played out online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're learning new details about the suspect in that mass killing in Arizona that left a congresswoman fighting for her life. Our own Drew Griffin talked to one of Jared Loughner's former professors.
So, Drew, what did you learn from him?
DREW GRIFFIN, SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Don, it's shocking to learn that at least 20 people in this town knew of Jared Loughner's apparent mental illness long before he was suspected in this crime. They are the classmates and the math instructor from an elementary algebra class that Loughner was taking last summer. In that class, he was becoming very disruptive, disturbing the other classmates, becoming increasingly more scary to them.
In fact, one of the e-mails from one of the students at the time, Don, was that "this guy scares the crap out of me." His math instructor, Ben McGahee, told me earlier today that from day one, day one, Loughner was making outbursts in class that were very scary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN MCGAHEE, LOUGHNER'S FORMER COLLEGE PROFESSOR: Not every class, just the first day of class, and then the rest of the days, he was very quiet and kind of isolated and in his own little world and didn't wanted to talk to anybody.
GRIFFIN: At one point, did you try to get him removed from the class or did you...
MCGAHEE: I did. I tried two times at least. I think on the third attempt, he had said something about the constitution, like violating his First Amendment rights, and I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, that caused him to, you know, be kicked out of the class or expelled.
GRIFFIN: Was he just being disruptive to your teaching and the rest of the students, or did you feel in any way that this guy was becoming a threat?
MCGAHEE: He was a threat. He actually wrote something on the quiz that said mayhem fest and wrote that in big bold capital letters.
GRIFFIN: Mayhem?
MCGAHEE: Mayhem fest. And then put three like exclamation points, drew some like random scribblings, like pictures.
GRIFFIN: Violent pictures?
MCGAHEE: Not really, just random stuff, and -- but the mayhem fest is what got me very concerned.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Concerned enough, Don, to have him call campus police, the dean. They eventually did physically remove him from that classroom, and he was told not to come back to school unless and until he was given some kind of a psychiatric evaluation. McGahee said he never saw him again until he saw his face and his name yesterday, and he said he was not surprised.
LEMON: Had a chance to talk with Giffords' campaign chairman?
GRIFFIN: Yes. Mike NcNulty, who has run every single campaign, three in this state, local elections, and three of her congressional races. He was the campaign chairman.
I talked to him just after he had visited the congresswoman and her family in the hospital. He was trying to be very positive, saying that the positive mood up there is what will carry through and also talking about the -- just the positive and buoyant nature of Congresswoman Giffords and how that transcribes on to her staff.
And he said -- you've got to remember, Don, this is an entire staff that's been decimated, one fatality. The congresswoman laying in a hospital, trying to recover from this awful injury and then several of the staff members he visited injured, but listen to this, wanting to get back to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MCNULTY, GIFFORDS CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: Eighteen people gunned down. And people on her staff, you know, I saw them in their hospital bed talking about how they can get back on their feet to start doing the public's business. Politicians tend to attract around them, people that share their qualities, and her commitment to public service is really showed when you talked to these staff people who have taken bullet wounds and are in the hospital bed and are wanting to do the public's business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Mike McNulty says that kind of mood, that kind of positiveness is what he says will bring the congresswoman back to the House, back to her work in Washington, D.C., and he's secure in saying that she will overcome this. Tearfully he said that, Don.
LEMON: All right. Our Drew Griffin. Thank you very much, Drew.
And we all know when a colossal tragedy hits, everyone seems to talk about it, but now with social media we can actually track just how many people are talking. I want you to take a look at the data. This is from Facebook.
The huge spike there shows how many people began using the words Giffords, that is the blue line that you see right there, and Arizona in the hours after the killings. Each word has been mentioned more than a million times in the last day.
In fact, Facebook's marketing director Randi Zuckerberg told me the company has tracked 3 million status updates about the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDI ZUCKERBERG, MARKETING DIRECTOR, FACEBOOK: A lot of people talking about Sarah Palin and the graph. You're seeing really things on both sides of the story. A lot of people are saying that, you know, that has nothing to do with the events that happened. A lot of people are saying that responsibility needs to be taken for words said by an influential person.
We're also seeing a lot of debate about gun control. A lot of Facebook users calling for stricter gun control laws, but also a lot of Facebook users saying that while they know that this is going to bring the gun control debate back to the forefront, that they are happy with how things are now.
So those are really two. We're also seeing really a lot of heartfelt messages about the 9-year-old girl that was killed. Really that seems to be touching a lot of people around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And more on this story now. Doctors in Tucson say Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is able to communicate by following simple commands. Ahead, our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how that's possible after being shot in the brain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: How did Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords survive a gunshot to the head? Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explained to me earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: In this case, as you know, Don, she had what's known as a through-and-through injury. So the bullet actually came in and left the skull, and so, you know, there may be some remnants, but the vast majority of the bullet actually left.
LEMON: And that's because this bullet -- this is a smaller bullet so it can go through. But if it's a bigger bullet, it kind of explodes.
GUPTA: Sometimes explodes or has an explosive effect.
LEMON: OK.
GUPTA: But what we know now even as compared to yesterday when you and I last spoke is that this -- she was actually -- the bullet entered the back -- the left side of the head over here, it was the back, and exited on the same side, left side near the front. It did not cross from left to right.
Very important point. They mentioned that a couple of times. It's important because the likelihood of someone doing well or having a more optimistic recovery, that means a lot. If the bullet or the missile crosses over here, it really changes everything here.
Also, I just want to show you, Don, real quick, if I can. You know, when you talk about this type of injury, you know, you had the bullet enter, the bones in here as well sort of start to act like little missiles. You know, they get pushed into the brain and then in this case the bullet exited. But as part of the operation, you have to remove a lot of those bone fragments, stop the bleeding and some of the tissues, some of the brain tissues that have been damaged by this bullet, you have to remove that as well.
The surgeon also mentioned that because of the concern about swelling. Other parts of the bone were actually taken off. That bone is gone right now for her. It's saved. And so, she will have a depression on that side of her head until that bone is placed back at some point in the future.
LEMON: Just what you explained here, can you bring that a little bit. Does this make a difference when you -- when someone comes in, if you have this sort of shrapnel or whatever, if the bullet is intact, does it make a big difference as to what's left in there?
GUPTA: You know what's interesting is if it's a through-and-through injury, it does make a difference. In part, if you think it like -- think of it like this. You have you a significant amount of energy that's coming from this bullet. If that energy passes through the brain and comes out the front, some of the energy is going to dissipate in air as opposed to within the skull cavity. If all of that energy from that bullet is being sort of distributed in the brain, that's a much worse injury. So the fact that it goes through and through in this case is a better sign for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
The mass shooting in Tucson is not the first incident that's given the state of Arizona negative headlines. Some recent controversies next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Arizona is in the national spotlight after the mass killing outside of Tucson Supermarket. The state has made a lot of headlines over the past year, and it's taken a central role in some of the nation's most divisive debates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice over): These words caused a firestorm.
SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Arizona, I think, has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.
LEMON: The Pima County sheriff and Arizonans have had one bumpy year. In August, the state enacted a highly controversial immigration policy, the toughest in the nation, requiring police to check the immigration status of people suspected of crimes or pulled over for driving infractions. Critics called it racial profiling, and the governor took heat for backing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does an illegal immigrant look like? Does it look like me?
GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: I do not know.
LEMON: Even though Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' district borders Mexico, she strongly opposed the immigration law. But after she backed President Obama's health care reform Law, her Tucson office door was smashed.
Giffords' support also earned her a spot on a list of lawmakers that Sarah Palin wanted ousted. Giffords' district was marked on Palin's website with crosshairs. She spoke about it in March on MSNBC.
REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: The way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun site over our district. When people do that, they got to realize there's consequences to that action.
LEMON: And now that Giffords is fighting for her life from a near fatal gunshot wound, Arizona has become the catalyst for two new national debates, gun control and the power of words.
DUPNIK: I think we're the tombstone of the United States of America. That's the ridiculous state to where we have become.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Make sure you stay tuned to CNN for more developments on this story.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Have a great week, everyone. Stay safe. I'll see you back here next weekend.
