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Shock Gives Way To Grief; Giffords Holds on; Suspect Due In Court; Gifford's Husband Is A Space Shuttle Commander; Snowstorms Sock The Southeast; Jared Lee Loughner Was Able To Purchase Ammunition With His Record; Guns and The Mentally Ill; Alaska Pipeline Leak Fallout; Job Interview Do's and Don'ts; President Obama Reacts to Shootings
Aired January 10, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: The shock is subsiding but a little more than 48 hours after a US Congresswoman, and many others, were gunned down at a shopping center in Tucson. The nation is consumed with pain and revulsion. Of utmost concern, at the moment, and for some time to come, the condition of Gabrielle Giffords, the newly re-elected representative, is in a medically induced coma.
But her surgeons say that she's holding her own and functioning at a high level, considering that a bullet went clean through her brain. She's only one of the 14 people wounded on Saturday. She is the only one of the 14 people wounded on Saturday who remains in critical condition. Her daughters -- her doctors briefed reporters this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: With regard to Congresswoman Giffords' recovery, at this phase in the game, no change is good, and we have no change. That is to say, she's still following those basic commands.
On top of that, the C.A.T. scans are showing that there is no progression of that swelling. We're not out of the woods, yet. That swelling can, sometimes, take three days or five days to maximize, but every day that goes by, and we don't see an increase, we're slightly more optimistic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: All right. The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, is due in federal court in Phoenix three hours from now. He's a community college dropout, who, supposedly, jotted down notes about his plans for a quote, "assassination." So far he's charged with five counts of murder, and attempted murder based on attacks against federal officials. The deal includes a community -- the dead people include a community outreach aide to Congresswoman Giffords and a Federal District Judge John Roll.
Four other people were killed on Saturday, including a 9-year- old girl and two people in their 70s.
CNN's Ted Rowlands is at the Phoenix courthouse. Jessica Yellen is at the University Medical Center in Tucson. They are our "Two at the Top."
Jessica, let's start with you. From the beginning, Giffords' surgeons said they were very optimistic about her recovery, but that we are in a critical period right now.
JESSICA YELLEN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ali. As he said, we're not out of the woods, yet, for Congresswoman Giffords. But he said the good news is she continues to respond to signals. The types of signals would be things like wiggling her toes, holding up a thumb, gripping a hand.
They say that she's been -- she's on a breathing tube, so they can't determine any more complex communication signals than that. But this is all, as he said, very good news.
They say -- he was asked if she's been able to recognize any of her family members, and he said, you know, in these circumstances, the patient is often in an apparatus where it would be impossible for them to determine that. That's the kind of thing they won't know until they remove the breathing tube.
Also, they said they can't determine if she would have any kind of lasting damage, if there's any movement limitations she'll have from this, vision, brain function, et cetera. Where that would all stand, they won't know any of that until they remove that breathing tube, and that could be later this week, or, perhaps, next week, depending.
They also say, you know, her family, they are in good spirits, considering. They are doing well. Her husband spent the night here last night, and, so, the doctors, as you saw, were very optimistic.
Again, they removed a piece of her brain to allow for it to move and have a little bit of freedom, so that the swelling is contained, and they are very pleased with that procedure. And its results so far -- Ali.
VELSHI: Right. And that's why this is important, right, Jessica? Because the swelling peaks between two and three days after the initial gunshot, the initial wound to her head.
YELLEN: The way they put it, they said, it's the third to fifth day post-operation. So, she was -- she was shot Saturday. Post-op, day one, was Sunday. So, today is post-op day two. Tomorrow would be day three.
The doctor, said -- the surgeon said, he has seen swelling as far as ten days post-op, but that's rare. It's, usually, contained condition three to five days, so, soon enough, they would know if she's out of the woods -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Jessica, thanks very much. You're staying on top of that and the others who are still recovering. Jessica Yellen.
Ted Rowlands now, outside the court where we are expecting to see the suspect appear within the next few hours. Ted, what are you expecting to happen this afternoon?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ali, he's expected to be in court at 2:00 local time, about three hours from now. It should be a relatively short hearing. It will be his initial court appearance. He's going to be read his charges.
As you mentioned, he's facing five separate counts. The judge in this case, Lawrence Anderson, will read those charges, and, then, they will set a preliminary hearing date, and then, also, a detention hearing day, which is, basically, a bail hearing date, and that should be about it. It will be relatively quick. It will be interesting to see whether or not the defendant says anything.
We've been led to believe that to this point, at least as far as yesterday goes, local authorities have said that he has said absolutely nothing since he was arrested and brought into custody. He has not cooperated at all with this investigation.
It will be interesting to see if he acknowledges the judge, says anything. Typically, the judge will ask if he understands the charges. It will be one thing that we'll be looking for.
And by his side, we expect Judy Clarke. This is the same public defender, federal public defender, that represented Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. She has been assigned to this case. We have been told that will be made final at this hearing as well. But we expect it, Ali, to be relatively short, because it is his initial court appearance.
VELSHI: Ted, this is federal court. Are there going to be state charges filed against him, as well?
ROWLANDS: Absolutely. There will be state charges filed. They haven't been filed, yet. These charges are just the federal jurisdiction charges, which have to do with the assassination attempt on the US Congressperson. Those two murder charges against federal employees, and then the two attempted murder charges against the two other Congressional workers that worked for Congresswoman Giffords.
Those are the federal charges. They're going first, if you will, But you can bet that he'll also face a number of charges for the other murders and attempted murders in state court.
VELSHI: All right, Ted, thanks very much. We'll stay on top of that with you, and, of course, we'll be live to Ted when that does go to court.
Our "Sound Effect" today. It's something more felt than heard. Across the nation, just about two hours ago, Americans observed a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Tucson rampage. I want to take you to the White House, to Capitol Hill, and to Mission Control in Houston, NASA mission control. As you may know, Congresswoman Giffords' husband is a space shuttle commander. His name is Mark Kelly.
Listen in.
(BELLS RING)
VELSHI: And that last shot was of NASA Mission Control in Houston. In his first public statement on the attack, Commander Kelly says, quote, "Many of you have offered help. There is little we can do but pray." End quote.
All right, we'll stay on top of that story for you. Another big story going on, right now, is the weather.
Folks up north are probably not all that sympathetic right now. But with all the snow that they've had in the last few weeks, but they're about to get it. Much of the southeast has been shut down, basically, by a storm sweeping through.
Here in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Look at that. Looks like a ghost town outside. CNN's Martin Savidge has the latest from there. But, first, let's go to Chad Myers. He's over here in the severe weather center. Chad, this storm is going to combine, as I understand it, with another storm.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is.
VELSHI: And the northeast is getting hit, again, after today.
MYERS: It is going to make the left-hand turn, going right up the east coast. Through the mid-Atlantic. Through Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and, then, into New York City. People are probably wondering, why can't you people in the south deal with a four-inch snowstorm, and a little bit of ice? That's what our tower cam looks like up above.
VELSHI: Wow.
MYERS: That looks like a shower door. It's not. That's our camera up above. The issue is, Ali, there are 20 vehicles in Atlanta capable of spreading salt. Twenty.
VELSHI: right.
MYERS: OK. I don't know how many miles or thousands and thousands --
VELSHI: There's 16 million people in the region.
MYERS: Thousands of miles worth of roads that need to be treated, need to be salted, that just aren't getting it.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: You can go to Traffic.com, and you can see on this one -- also, Georgianavigator.com, every red dot is a severe to major accident. Most of those red dots means all lanes are blocked, for some reason, up here.
So, what happens next? This storm does run to the northeast.
VELSHI: Yes.
MYERS: It runs away from Atlanta, from Charlotte and from most of the mid-Atlantic, and puts six to 12 inches of new snow in New York City starting midnight tomorrow night. I know I'm looking ahead, but you must look ahead because look what happens down here when you don't look ahead.
VELSHI: Yes, And what you touched on, here, leads us to our next part of the story and that is travel. Regardless of whether you're in the southeast or you are in the northeast, which is going to get hit later again this week, airlines get affected by all of this. The storm is keeping a lot of people out of planes right now.
Martin Savidge is at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The runways are quiet right now. The terminals, however, Marty, are a little busier.
OK. I don't know if Martin can hear us, right now.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is how busy they are.
VELSHI: There he is.
SAVIDGE: This is the line if you're at the airport, you really don't --
VELSHI: Go ahead.
SAVIDGE: Yes. Ali, can you hear me? I was just saying, if you're at the airport, this is the line you don't want to be in. This is the rebooking line. It's moving along pretty well, actually. So far, Delta has said that they've canceled about 1450 flights --
VELSHI: All right. I think we are --
SAVIDGE: -- here in the Atlanta area, but a great --
VELSHI: I think we might want to just check out that line. We'll go back to Marty, very shortly, to find out what's going on. Both martin and our weather team, we're all checking out the effect of this travel across the country, because, as you know, when major airports like Atlanta, hub airports, are shut down, it's going to cause a lot of trouble.
And, Chad, that's going to happen up north, as well. Because we're hitting hub airports everywhere you go. Philadelphia is a hub airport for US Air. Newark is a hub airport for Continental. Then you get into the New York area. So, you might be flying somewhere else in the country, altogether, and will find that you're affected by this.
MYERS: We have 19 planes that have left Atlanta Georgia from the airport this morning.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: Twenty-one planes heading to Georgia at this point in time.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: Those numbers should be 100 higher both ways.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: So, if you've lost 100 planes in and out, and that's almost per a couple of hours, already, so you've lost 200 persons per plane, you're 20,000 people already gone.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: Twenty thousand people are sitting there going, what am I doing now? And we are going to watch it for you and we'll get Marty on it.
VELSHI: All right. So, if you are planning to travel anywhere across this nation in the next few days, get ahead of that problem if you can. It's a lot more fun than sitting in an airport trying to find out what's going on. Airlines staff -- the computer systems are better now than they used to be. They're good at trying to find you the next available flight.
But when weather like this comes, they're not sure when that's going to be or what else might be canceled. All right. We'll stay on top of it. We'll get back to Martin Savidge at the airport, as soon as we can.
VELSHI: Disturbing new details about the Tucson shooting suspect's background. Questions about how someone like him was able to get a gun. We'll have that conversation on the other side of this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: We're learning more about the alleged shooter in Saturday's massacre outside of a Tucson supermarket. Jared Lee Loughner is being called, quote, "very troubled." A very troubled individual by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.
He's got a history of mental issues, including being kicked out of class at Pima Community College because one of his teachers saw Loughner as a threat. And according to a law enforcement source, Loughner tried to buy bullets at a Wal-Mart store but was turned down because of his behavior. Another Wal-Mart store, later, sold him the am nation. We're also hearing that Loughner has a police record showing minor offenses including an arrest for possessing drug paraphernalia.
And one of the burning questions circulating, now, is how did a guy, with his background, get a gun and bullets in the first place? Joining me, now, is Andy Hill. He's a retired sergeant from the Phoenix police department.
Andy, good to see you. Thank you for being with us. In Arizona, a state that has fairly liberal gun control laws, is the fact that Jared Lee Loughner got a gun unusual to you?
SGT. ANDY HILL, PHOENIX POLICE (RET.): Well, Ali, in America it's not unusual for anybody to be able to get a gun and bullets. I mean it's a fact of life that either you can get one legally or illegally.
As far as the suspect, he got one legally. He was not a prohibited possessor, which means he didn't have a felony conviction in the state of Arizona or on his record that would have prohibited him from getting that weapon or the extended magazine that he used during the commission of the crime.
VELSHI: All right. Let's talk, first of all, about, when you go buy a gun, it's often instant, but there's a check that goes through. I guess it checks against the national database. Which should alert someone if this man had a record of having some sort of mental illness. The fact that he was asked to leave Pima Community College, withdrew of his own volition, after a concern about mental illness, that wouldn't have made it onto that federal database that is checked when you go buy a gun, am I correct?
HILL: That's correct. They're really two distinct and separate issues between your criminal record, criminal history, and a mental condition that might have put you in a place where you were some kind of a prohibitive person in another arena. Mental illness is a totally separate issue. And that issue in and of itself is something that's very critical to law enforcement as far as how it's addressed.
VELSHI: Let's talk about that for a second though. What do you do if there's someone in your workplace, in your class, who you think may be a threat and maybe wouldn't be ideal to possess a gun? What does the law prescribe that you do? What does the system prescribe that you do?
HILL: Well, that's a very great question. There is not necessarily specific laws that we have requirements except for those maybe in positions, physicians at hospitals or for law enforcement. But I think for, in general, what we need to look at are maybe three things. One is, what did his family do in the process of his life if he need help? That's one thing. The second thing would be is, if he was in a place like an institution of higher learning, do they have a procedure in place or a process? My understanding, just based upon what happened is, was there any contact between that institution and law enforcement. If he didn't commit a crime and the institution wasn't willing (ph) to be a victim, then there may have not been any law enforcement action that could be taken.
Other issues that deal with mental illness have to do with physiological issues. That may be in terms of medication. A lot of people that are homeless have issues and so shelters are very important. Getting somebody recognized and into the system is the key. And that really is dependent upon an individual person who sees a problem, coming forward somehow and presenting it.
VELSHI: Let me ask you this, Andy, though. You're right, that's separate issues. But at some point, unless Jared Lee Loughner was in a system, in an institution with some declaration of mental illness, everything up to it, including that step, wouldn't have put him into a database and wouldn't have indicated that he may not have been fit to own a handgun, am I correct?
HILL: Probably, unless somebody else had come forward at some point and introduced him into the system. For example, a police officer who may have had contact with him, where he may not have been arrested for a crime, there may have been reason to go ahead and put him temporarily in an institution based upon a psychiatric condition so he could be evaluated. In Arizona, you can hold a person I believe it's up to three days, two or three days for that evaluation. It may be 24 hours but -- and it may vary state to state. There may be a point in time where someone can be introduced into that.
Aside from that, we don't know what his mental condition was. What we do know is that based upon certain things that he did, he planned -- or seemed to have planned this event, based upon what we know, which shows premeditation. So that whole issue of mental capacity is something that's going to be weighed out in the court on both sides, prosecution and defense, and it's going to take some time.
VELSHI: Andy, let's talk again in another hour. We'll have some more news that we can discuss about this to. Let our viewers sort of have as full a discussion as they need to about what led up to this tragic shooting.
Andy Hill is a retired sergeant with the Phoenix Police Department, joining me live from Phoenix. We'll talk to him again in an hour.
What we have in right now is a statement from the Safeway. The location of Saturday's shooting. Let me read that to you. It says, "we share the grief and shock that everyone in Tucson and the nation are feeling following this tragic act of violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords and each of the victims and their families. Like everyone else, we are struggling to understand this tragedy and are giving all assistance we can to the law enforcement agencies that are investigating. Of course our Tucson store is closed and will remain closed while we see to the needs of our customers, our employees, law enforcement and the community of Tucson. We've sent grief counselors to the Tucson store to provide emotional support for those affected by this tragedy and we will continue to look for ways to be of comfort to the many employees, customers and others who are devastated by what has happened." This is a statement by Safeway. That was the location of the shooting on Saturday.
Well, an oil leak in Alaska could affect gas prices. We're going to talk about that and what not to do in a job interview. We've got a lot for you coming up next in "Your Money." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: And want to bring you a statement that we have just received now. Well, it's not a statement, but a Department of Defense official has told CNN that Jared Lee Loughner has, in fact -- or did, in fact, fail the drug screening process when applying to the Army. The Army rejected him before he got to the urinalysis test because he admitted to excessive use of marijuana. So it was not a test that he failed, it was the process in which they asked him about drug use according to a DOD official, telling CNN that he failed the drug screening process and was rejected before a urinalysis test because he admitted to excessive use of marijuana. That's what we're hearing. We'll get more information on that as our continuing coverage of this tragedy goes on.
OK, we've got a lot for you in today's "Your Money" segment. On the top of the list, oil flow has been cut by 95 percent in the 800 mile long Trans-Alaska pipeline after operators discovered a leak near Prudhoe Bay on Saturday night. Christine Romans, host of "Your Bottom Line," joins us now from New York to tell us what that likely means for gas prices.
It's already been quite a stretch that we've had, Christine, where we've seen increased oil prices and increased prices at the pump.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, HOST, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE": Right.
VELSHI: There's a lot of oil that goes through this pipeline.
ROMANS: There is. It's about 15 percent of American crude oil output through this. So that makes a difference. And you've got all these energy analysts, today, Ali, trying to figure out when that will be up and running. One analyst saying it's a very minor leak but it takes a lot of inspection to get it back going again. And, you know, it's owned and operated by BP, by the way, so, you know, nobody wants to make a mistake hear and cause any kind of a problem. So maybe the next couple of days you'll have the oil offline from here.
You know, Ali, energy supplies are stressed around the world. You've got some of these other countries that are coming up very strongly with their middle classes and their economies growing. China in particular. And so you've got the same amount of oil out there being produced, but a lot of people want a bite of it. So that's why you see energy prices up here. Oil prices up again another dollar here to about $89 a barrel, Ali.
VELSHI: All right, we've talked a lot about jobs and how there aren't enough of them for the number of people looking for them. So if you're one of those people looking for a job and you are lucky enough to land an interview, you've talked to some people about what you're supposed to do at that point. Once you've had a job interview, how you keep yourself in play.
ROMANS: Right. A couple things here. Over the weekend one of the big Fed officials said you could see 3 million jobs created this year, Ali.
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: So we know that some people are getting hired. So -- but you've waited this long. There are five people in line for the job with you, right. Don't blow the interview. Present yourself as a solution to a problem. Again and again I hear, the only reason companies hire, Ali, is because they have a problem. They're trying to solve that problem. That means they're going to hire somebody to do it.
Don't say, gosh, I really need this job. You know, that goes without saying. And don't -- you don't want to look desperate. Be adaptable and be present. Talk about what you can do right now. I don't really care what you did 15 years ago. I want to know what skills you have right now that can solve this problem.
Polish your pitch. You know. 30 seconds. Make sure that you -- make sure you present yourself really well. If they ask you what your biggest weakness is, do not say my biggest weakness is I am a perfectionist, because everybody says that and it sounds stupid. Don't diss your boss or your company, obviously. And do not -- Ali, do not have a stupid e-mail address, partygirl89@aol.com.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: No, no, no, no. Be professional. You've heard this before too, haven't you, your technology and how you use it says everything about you, so be professional with your technology.
VELSHI: Yes, if your e-mail is a silly e-mail address, get a new one just for the purpose of looking for a job. But I think your first point is the most important, and that is, figure out how you are a solution for the company that needs to hire you.
ROMANS: Exactly.
VELSHI: Not just another body. What problem can you solve. They may not have even identified the problem as clearly as you can. So articulate what you can do for a company.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: Christine, always my pleasure to see you. Thank you so much for being with us.
ROMANS: Yes. Bye, Ali.
VELSHI: Be sure to tune in to "Your Bottom Line" every Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern. "Your $$$$$" airs Saturdays at 1:00 Eastern and Sunday at 3:00 Eastern. Three opportunities on the weekend to figure out better ways to handle your money.
All right, President Obama has reacted to the Arizona shootings. Ed Henry is on "The Stakeout." He's up next. And we'll talk to him about what's going on in Washington. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: Vice President Joe Biden is in Afghanistan today. He's meeting tonight with commanding General David Petraeus and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry to get a sense of the security situation there. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is also on the schedule. The VP is expected to sit down with some of the U.S. troops in country.
Now following Saturday's shootings in Arizona, it's anything but business as usual in Washington today. Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is on "The Stakeout."
Ed, this is a complex issue on many levels because there's the questions about how this happened, there's the discussions about the political rhetoric, there are discussions about safety in Washington, and, people turn to the president to get his response on this, this weekend. Wrap it up for me. Tell me what the scene is in Washington.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's already -- you know, it's shaken up the president's schedule. He was going to go talk about the economy tomorrow at a GE plant in upstate New York. Not going to do that now. Probably do it another day. Changing his schedule clearly.
And he just was meeting, in fact, and is right now in the Oval Office with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. And the president opened those remarks, supposed to be about international finance and all other kinds of global issues like Iran, and instead started talking about Tucson.
Just got a quick read-out on it. He was talking about Gabby Giffords saying, she's still fighting for her life, people here at the White House pulling for her, talking about the bravery of the intern on her -- in her office who ran into the line of fire to help revive her, help save her life, basically. The president saying this speaks to the best of America, offering his thoughts and prayers to those victims still struggling with all of this.
And we're being told by White House officials that the president made some more phone calls last night, spoke to the family of the 9- year-old girl who was tragically killed in this, spoke to the family of the Congresswoman's staffer who was killed. So he's still reaching out. In the meantime, he's also getting briefings from his homeland security adviser John Brennan. Got several of them yesterday and today just about the investigation.
Remember, the president over the weekend sent the FBI Director Robert Muller, personally sent him to Arizona to oversee all of this. So there's all kinds of layers to this. But it's not just the official investigation. It's a very personal side of this for the president, who knew this Congressman and still knows this Congresswoman very well, and is hoping that she survives.
VELSHI: Ed, on top of all that tragedy, which was not expected, we've got another sad story to report out of Washington.
Tell us what this is. HENRY: Yes, it's so sad. It's someone I know very well. Ashley Turton, she was a Congressional staffer for a long time. She's now a lobbyist for an energy company that was apparently being bought out by another company. Progress Energy was in some sort of talks with Duke Energy. So she had to go to work very early from what I'm told this morning and somehow her car caught on fire on Capitol Hill and she tragically died.
Fire officials are just telling us generally that there was a fire early this morning. They're not confirming the name but I've gotten that from other sources. Strangely, she's married to Dan Turton, a senior White House aide here who works on the President's legislative liaison staff. And my understanding is that Dan Turton, her husband, and their three children were in the home when the car caught on fire in their garage.
And a lot of homes on Capitol Hill are set up in such a way that the garage is behind the house, so it's not even directly connected. You can't really see it from the house. So his neighbors knocked on the door and told him that the garage was on fire. He thought his wife was already at work because she had to go to work so early this morning. And he secured their three children all, I'm told under the age of five or six-years-old and got them to safety, and only learned later that his wife was in the car and burned to death.
So I mean it's just tragic. I've known her about 15 years from when I was covering Capitol Hill. And when I heard this, after what happened in Tucson this weekend, I just can't believe it.
VELSHI: A lot of sadness going on in Washington today.
Ed, we will check in with you later on to see if there are any further developments on the story of the Tucson shootings and what's been done about them.
Ed Henry, our senior White House correspondent at the White House for us for the stakeout.
OK, Congresswoman Giffords remains in critical condition. Why, then, are doctors optimistic about her recovery from a gunshot that went clean through her brain? A renowned neurosurgeon joins us after the break to explain it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Happening now in Arizona. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after Saturday's shooting. But her doctors say her condition has stabilized. Two other patients who were wounded have been discharged from the hospital.
In two and a half hours from now, suspect Jared Loughner is scheduled to appear in federal court in Phoenix. So far he's charged with five counts of murder and attempted murder based on attacks against federal officials. And the southern U.S., the southeastern U.S. in particular, is being gripped by a major winter storm. Look at that. Traffic is paralyzed. Thousands of flights are canceled. Schools are closed. Winter storm warnings are in effect for more than a dozen states as the storm heads up the East Coast where it'll hit later this week.
Back to this weekend's tragedy in Tucson. Doctors say there has been no real change in Congresswoman Giffords' condition. But they also say that no change is good. Now our resident neurosurgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in surgery on Mondays. He's not with us right now.
So joining us from Los Angeles to walk us through the medical details is Dr. Keith Black. He's the chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Black, thank you for being with us.
Let's just go through a few things. First of all, this -- for people who haven't been following this, this bullet, a 9-millimeter bullet went through from -- into the back of Congresswoman Giffords' head and came out the front of her head. It went through her brain.
Tell me how it's possible that we could be suggesting that there's a positive prognosis for her, there might even be the hope of a recovery for her.
DR. KEITH BLACK, CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY AT CEDARS- SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: Well, there are a number of positive signs in the Congresswoman's medical condition. One is that, you know, the bullet only went through one side of the brain. So we know that if the path of the bullet is only through one side and doesn't go through the center of the brain, affecting the deep structures, that's a very positive prognostic indicator.
The other is the type of bullet. If it's a military-type bullet, a high velocity bullet, versus a handgun, a low velocity bullet, there's much less damage as the bullet goes through the brain.
The other is that it's actually better for the bullet to go through and through the brain, so that if it goes into the brain and goes out, that's actually better than if the bullet is bouncing around in the brain moving, causing more damage as it goes through. So all of those things are very positive factors.
In the Congresswoman's situation, the other thing that's positive, we know the left side of the brain controls language areas in both the temporal lobe and the frontal lobe on the left, controls motor, controls visual areas. But the neurosurgeons taking care of her in Arizona indicate that the path of the bullet was away from those critical areas and was high. So, it appears that the language areas may not have been affected, which is a good sign.
When the Congresswoman is awakened from, you know, her sedation, she's able to follow simple commands. That means that she has some comprehension intact, that she's able to move, so that, you know, there's a chance that she may not have significant paralysis on the right side of the brain -- right side of the body that's controlled by the left side of the brain.
So those are all very positive factors. And I would think that the chances are good that she will survive and the chances are good that she should have a good outcome.
VELSHI: They were saying that if things don't develop at this point, it's still OK. The issue here, from what I can glean, is what is going to happen with the swelling of the brain, which typically happens substantially later than when the wound is first incurred.
BLACK: Yes. We know the maximum amount of swelling typically occurs in the third day after any significant brain injury. So that would be tomorrow.
So, if she gets past, you know, that critical phase, that's also very positive. We know that the neurosurgeons, they actually removed part of her skull which helps relieve the pressure. It allows the brain to swell out, rather than keeping the pressure building up inside the skull, which could impair the ability of blood to flow through the brain. So by maintaining the pressure at normal levels is very critical for her in keeping the swelling reduced.
So, the fact that they removed part of the skull that they can put back or put an artificial skull in at a later date will help with that swelling. With her being on the respirator, able to blow up carbon dioxide will be very helpful. She's probably getting medications like steroids and a Mannitol, which is a concentrated sugar to also help with that swelling reduction, as well.
VELSHI: Dr. Keith Black, we appreciate you helping us understand this a little bit better.
Dr. Keith black is the chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, joining me live from Los Angeles.
All right it is a dicey situation for pilots across the country today. In today's "Big I," an innovative new way to make takeoffs and landings safer and to keep flights running on time.
That's up next in my "Big I."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It is time now for Globe Trekking.
Voters in southern Sudan are returning to polling stations for a second day in an historic referendum on independence. Now, tensions remain high today in this oil-rich area. That's that blue shaded area which is between -- sort of on the northern border of southern Sudan. Fighting between northern and southern forces there has killed more than 20 people since Friday.
Now basically the ballot offers only two choices for the southern Sudanese. Unity with northern Sudan, or secession and independence for southern Sudan. That is expected to be the outcome. International monitors say for the most part the week-long voting is going smoothly. The outcome is expected to form the new nation of southern Sudan. Voting was part of a peace treaty in 2005 that ended years of civil war.
Let's go to Pakistan now. Another big issue. Like the United States, shaken by a political shooting. In this case, the assassination of the governor of the Punjab province, the area in yellow on our map. Salman Taseer, he was the governor, apparently was shot to death because he was an outspoken critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws which calls the putting to death anybody who speaks against those laws.
In an exclusive interview with his Taseer's children, CNN's Chris Lawrence reports on a key difference in Taseer's murder and the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An American Congresswoman; a Pakistani governor. Separated by half a world, united by similar crimes. Two outspoken elected officials gunned down in broad daylight within days of each other.
SHEHRBANO TASEER, CHILDREN OF ASSASSINATED GOVERNOR: To her friends, to her supporters, the people who didn't know who believed it what she believed in. It's a tragedy.
LAWRENCE: The children of Governor Salman Taseer heard about Gabrielle Giffords. Their father was assassinated for trying to change Pakistan's blasphemy laws which make it a crime to insult Islam. And that, they say is where the two shootings diverge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My sympathy. I mean, my heart is with totally with the girl.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: Want to interrupt that right now. Let's go right to the President. These are his comments this morning.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's important for us to also focus, though, on the xtraordinary courage that was shown during the course of these events: a 20-year-old college student who ran into the line of fire to rescue his boss, a wounded woman who helped secure the ammunition that might have caused even more damage, the citizens who wrestled down the gunman. Part of what I think that speaks to is the best of America, even in the face of such mindless violence.
And so in the coming days we're going to have a lot of time to reflect. Right now the main thing we're doing is to offer our thoughts and prayers to those who've been impacted, making sure that we're joining together and pulling together as a country.
And as president of the United States, but also as a father, obviously I'm spending a lot of time just thinking about the families and reaching out to them.
Now, I want to say to Nicolas that I want to offer my condolences to his countrymen as well. They just recently had two French citizens who were kidnapped in Niger. It points to the challenge of terrorism that we jointly share, and this is just one more area in which cooperation between France and the United States is so critical.
We don't have a stronger friend and a stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy and the French people. We have cooperated over the last several years on dealing with a global economic crisis, dealing with the challenges of terrorism, dealing with a range of geopolitical issues from the Middle East to Iran to Afghanistan.
And I've always found Nicolas to be an outstanding partner and an outstanding friend to the American people, as well as a leader on the world stage.
We spent the initial part of this meeting discussing the G-8 and G-20 agenda, because both in France and the United States and around the world, although we are in the process of healing and recovering from the disastrous recession that we went through, we're not yet where we want to be: too many people are still out of work, too many businesses are still having problems getting financing, there's still too many imbalances in the world economy that are inhibiting the prospects of growth.
And so in our discussions, with the French in the lead both at the G-8 and the G-20 this year, we discussed how we can coordinate our agendas to make sure that we are as productive as possible in delivering the kinds of reforms and follow-through that will result in prosperity for peoples around the globe.
After this brief press appearance, we're going to be having lunch. And during that time we'll be discussing issues in which there has been extraordinarily close collaboration.
Obviously, the French are one of our strongest allies, a NATO ally. They are key members of ISAF. French troops have been sacrificing alongside Americans in uniform in Afghanistan. And we are very grateful for those sacrifices. So we will be discussing our strategies there, building off of the discussions we had in Lisbon.
We're also going to be discussing issues like Iran and the impact that sanctions are currently having on their nuclear program and our hope that we can resolve this issue diplomatically. But we will be building on our shared resolve to assure that we're not seeing nuclear weapons in Iran.
We'll discuss the Mideast, where Nicolas and I share a deep and abiding belief in the need for two states standing side by side in peace and security.
We'll be discussing issues like Cote d'Ivoire, where democracy is being threatened at this moment, and where France has extraordinary historical ties and has shown great leadership, Sudan where a referendum is taking place this weekend. in which so much is at stake in preventing outbreaks of violence that could end up devastating the lives of hundreds of thousands of people but also where there's a prospect of a peaceful transition that could result in a better life for people in both the north and the south of Sudan.
We'll also finally be discussing Lebanon, where I think we are all deeply concerned with the special tribunal there and making sure that justice is appropriately served.
So I just want to say how much I appreciate not only Nicolas' friendship but also his leadership. And I also want to point out that the last time that Nicolas and his lovely wife Carla were here, we sent them to Ben's Chili Bowl.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: I can't say that half-smokes will be on the menu here at the White House. The first lady is having lunch with Carla while Nicolas and I have a working lunch.
But I hope you find the hospitality outstanding nevertheless.
And on behalf of the American people, we want to again express our friendship to the -- to the French people and wish everybody in your country a happy new year.
NICOLAS SARKOZY, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): I, first of all, want to say to the American people how deeply moved and upset the French people have been at your loss and tragedy.
And I also want to thank President Obama for his expression of solidarity to the French people in light of the loss that we have felt at the cowardly killing of two young Frenchmen who were killed in a barbaric fashion by terrorists.
VELSHI: Okay. We've been listening in to tape of President Obama and French president Nicolas Sarkozy meeting in the White House not too long ago. We've just had that tape released to us and the president's comments initially about matters in Arizona that we've been covering for this weekend and about the world's economy. We'll keep one ear to that and bring you anything that you need to hear about it.
We're going to take a quick break. Our coverage continues on the other side. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: OK. That weather out there is affecting those of you who fly. It affected my flight plans this weekend. I got a flight tomorrow; it's affecting me. In today's "Big I," we're going to talk about new technology that's about helping you fly from place to place safely and with fewer delays. Chances are you've been affected by a flight that couldn't take off or land on time due to visibility. This isn't about all weather problems but visibility. Some of you may be dealing with this very issue right now with all of the wintry weather.
Honeywell International has created a new vision system that lifts the fog, so to speak, on poor pilot visibility. Joining me now is Chad Cundiff. He's the vice president of Honeywell aerospace's crew interface products group. Chad, anything that can help us get these planes up and down more safely is interesting to us. What is this new technology?
CHAD CUNDIFF, VICE PRESIDENT, HONEYWELL AEROSPACE CREW INTERFACE PRODUCTS: The new technology we've developed here is a more intuitive way to display to the pilots the information they need to fly the aircraft. If you look at the displays the pilots have today, what they have is an attitude display that shows blue for the sky over brown for the ground, if you will. It doesn't give them a sense of motion or a sense of height. They have to look at the air speed and altimeter for that.
With this new technology, we take all that. We integrate that in a picture that a pilot sees is very similar to what they see flying out the window. We use our Honeywell terrain database on that, which has over 600 million flight hours from inside our enhanced proximity warning system. And then on top of that, we combine it with real-time imagery from an infrared camera. The result of that is a pilot gets a very intuitive view of all the data, just like looking out the window so they can get back to the basics of flight training.
VELSHI: Right. So, we're looking at it now, Chad. And we were seeing moments ago what the old looks like and what the new looks like. So, this is pretty coo -- given that I'm not going to be flying a plane. What does it actually do for the pilots to have this more intuitive graphic image of what's going on out there?
CUNDIFF: Well, just like you -- as you saw it, it was easier for you to kind of understand what was going on. It's easier for even trained pilots to gather information from that. Because of that, they're able to fly a more stable approach into the runway so they're able to have better energy management of the aircraft. And then in addition, as you look at that image you can automatically see it's easier to look up and land the aircraft out of this -
VELSHI: OK, tell me --
CUNDIFF: Because it's easier to look up -
VELSHI: Sorry. Carry on your sentence.
CUNDIFF: Oh, I was just going to say, because it's easier to look up and land the aircraft -- we're working with the regulatory authorities. We think that what that means is that the pilot can go to a lower altitude before they have to see the runway to land. Today, there's what's called a decision height. A pilot has to see the runway by that decision height (ph) in order to land. Otherwise, they have to execute a missed approach. We think with this technology they can lower that decision height and then allow the pilots to get into the airport more often.
VELSHI: Chad, in 30 seconds tell me how does this save fuel?
CUNDIFF: Well, it saves fuel by allowing more flights to be completed. In addition, we think combined with some new traffic technology, we can increase the capacity with what the FAA calls "equivalent visual operations," so we can bring the capacity of some of these airports closer to what it is on a clear day when it's a cloudy day. And so by having more operations and by having more missions completed or more flights completed, that enables less diversions, less holds, and a lot less fuel and carbon dioxide out there.
VELSHI: Very, very neat technology. Chad, thanks for telling us all about it.
For more information on this new technology, go to my blog CNN.com/ali. Hopefully this will be implemented soon and will help avert some of the cancellations that we have seen because of visibility. Again, a lot of you are going to have canceled flights this week because of weather, but some of them may be averted in the future because of this new technology.
