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Mourning Tucson's Youngest Victim; Arizona Hospital Update; Study: Antibiotics Help Prevent Relapses; Travolta's Son Is Cover Boy; Natalie Portman Undressed; Lady Gaga's Big Paycheck; 9/11 Flag Honors Tucson Victim

Aired January 13, 2011 - 11:58   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now, we have to talk about the news now.

We're following two big events in Tucson. A hospital briefing on the condition of the wounded, expected to begin any minute. Hopefully, doctors will talk more about Congresswoman Giffords opening her eyes for the first time.

Also happening this hour, a special tribute to the youngest victim of the massacre. Firefighters plan to raise a flag from Ground Zero in honor of a little girl born on 9/11. Her father says she was born on one tragic day and she died on another.

Family and friends gathered to say good-bye to Christina Greene. Funeral services for the 9-year-old will be held today, as I said, and a flag from Ground Zero is being raised in her honor.

Last night, President Obama paid tribute to Christina at a memorial service for the Tucson shooting victim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called "Faces of Hope."

On either side of her photo, in that book, were simple wishes for a child's life. I hope you help those in need, read one. I hope you know all the words to the national anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I hope you jump in rain puddles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So we can bring a bit of our childhood and less cynicism to the world, beautiful words.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is outside the church where the services for Christina will be held. Ted, tell us how will things unfold this morning.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, in the next hour, we're going to see a flag-raising ceremony, where two fire trucks with their ladders up will basically be the backdrop for a 9/11 flag -- the 9/11 flag, the nation's 9/11 flag. And this was the largest flag that was recovered from Ground Zero on 9/11. And as you just played, the significance to 9/11 and Christina's life are significant.

So, the New York Fire Department has sent out one of their firefighters, a gentleman by the name of Jimmy Sands (ph). He has the flag. We're expecting that ceremony to start in the next hour, at some point within the next hour. And then, when the family comes in, they will be walking in underneath that flag.

The family has expressed their gratitude for not only the flag, but all of the well wishes that they have received from around the world. Last night, the family talked with Anderson Cooper. This is Christina's mother talking about how the family's doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANNA GREEN, CHRISTINA'S MOTHER: Minute by minute, day by day, we're just taking it slow. We're hanging in there. We're trying to be strong.

We have to be strong. Our country is being strong. Our community is being strong for us. So we will, you know, get through this with our faith and our friends and our family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands was reporting. We just heard from the Green family. We'll get back to Ted Rowlands in just a minute.

That news conference has begun at the hospital in Tucson where the victims are recovering. Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DR. PETER RHEE, CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, TUCSON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: -- one of those patients are being discharged today. One of the patients will also be undergoing a staged, planned surgery today. And everybody is making fantastic forward progress.

Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition, but as you heard from the president yesterday, it is true, she did have spontaneous eye-opening yesterday, and she's becoming more and more alert at this time period. And she's making much more spontaneous movements as we have completely stopped all the medications that might blunt her mental status.

She's doing fairly specific things with her left hand at this time period, and Dr. Lemole will be giving us more details about that. And, also, her right side of her body is also starting to make some very forward progress that we're happy about. Today we're doing very aggressive physical therapy with her. And we actually got her out of bed, and dangling on the side of the bed as well. So we're very happy about this process. And it so far seems like everything's going forward without any setbacks at this position.

With that, Michael, do you want to give any more details?

DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, CHIEF OF NEUROSURGERY, TUCSON UMC: Certainly.

So let me start back with the basics. She's still holding her own. She's still following those simple commands.

And for me, that tells me that that higher brain center is working. But as you heard from the president, she's now starting to open her eyes spontaneously.

And I'm glad you heard that from him, because it really puts a human side to this progress. It really is important.

I was there when she was surrounded by her friends from the Congress and Senate. And I think it was a combination perhaps of the unexpected but familiar that really prompted her to open her eyes and look around. And that's important.

And let me tell you why from a scientific or neurosurgical perspective, because it implies that not just those parts of the brain that process commands are there, but the parts of the brain that let us awake from sleeping, our arousal center, those are starting to work spontaneously. She's starting to become aware of her surroundings, and all the context, the appropriate context, the family, friends -- and that's a very important step on her next move forward.

We wouldn't be able to dangle her by the bedside if we didn't have those kinds of responses. Even her reports that last night she was beginning to open her eyes, with nothing more than the TV on in the room, and maybe it was the TV was tuned to the president's memorial. I'm not certain. But this is all very encouraging.

And she continues to do this consistently. And one of the most important things with neurological recovery is consistency. We want to see people repeat things over and over again. And I'm very happy the family was there to witness this. This is very important.

Going forward, we want to, of course, make sure that she doesn't backslide. We still list her as critical because -- and maybe this is just because I'm a cautious neurosurgeon -- we worry about potential turns back, or --

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

LEMOLE: Yes, it is.

So we always worry and we're always vigilant, because even as we get outside of the window of problems neurologically, in patients who have breathing tubes in and so forth, we worry about all sorts of other medical complications. But I have to say, this is a major milestone for her. And we're hoping that she crosses through many more.

RHEE: Yes, I think we're very happy about it. She was off by about 10 minutes. But regardless, her doing this has been great. So we'll open up for a few questions at this time.

QUESTION: Do you expect to take the breathing tube out at any point in time?

RHEE: Yes. So the breathing tube is the next major milestone for us at this point as well.

We may or may not take a breathing tube out in the next several days. One of the options is to do a tracheostomy so we can get access to her lungs, and it would be much better and easier for her as far as the care and comfort. But we'll probably wait at this time period. And it's hard to say what's going to happen, but we're, again, optimistic about the fact that we will be able to get her off the machine and we probably will not have to a tracheostomy.

QUESTION: Dr. Lemole, can you --

QUESTION: On Sunday, you said that she opened her eyes. (OFF- MIKE).

LEMOLE: I'll address that.

So, when we examine patients, particularly in this state, we often have to wake them up, give them some stimulus. And with that stimulus, they may crack their eyes. That's very different from speaking to someone and having them open their eyes, or having them open their eyes spontaneously in response to familiarity.

QUESTION: So the earlier eye-opening was more --

LEMOLE: A response to -- not reflex, response to stimulation of a different kind.

QUESTION: You mentioned the movements of the hand. Is there any indication the congresswoman is communicating with those around her?

LEMOLE: I think she is. Without going into specifics with her family, she's -- they've asked her very specific things, and she's used her hand to communicate with them. Beyond that, it's hard to quantify. But I think there is that communication going on.

Yes?

QUESTION: Are you able to say she's actually seeing, that not only her eyes are opening, but messages are getting through to the cortex?

LEMOLE: That's harder to assess. What I will say is we have seen the eyes begin to track. So think about it. When you first wake up in the morning, you're all bleary-eyed and your eyes aren't focusing. Then the eyes sort of come together and start to focus.

We're just starting to see those signs, and her trying to track her gaze to wherever she wants to look. That's very, very encouraging. Again, it reflects on a level of alertness.

QUESTION: When the breathing tube is out has she attempted to talk at all?

RHEE: Well, so, she still has the breathing tube in. And we're doing maneuvers like physical therapy, dangling her on the side of the bed, and so on. And hopefully tomorrow we'll get her up into a chair.

But she still has a tube in her throat, she's still on a machine. But even though she's on a machine, the machine is not pushing her. She's just breathing on her own with the warm humidified air that's going in there, with very little support.

QUESTION: Now, even though she's opening her eyes, do you know for sure she does have vision? Do you know at this point?

RHEE: She has vision, but it's like in the morning, just as Dr. Lemole said. She's yawning, she's starting to rub her eyes. And then she'll spontaneously wake up, whereas before, she would just go back to sleep right away, like you would do if you were woken up.

But it's like in the morning when you get up for work and you're about to have your cup of coffee. She's aroused, then the eyes stay open, stays open for long periods of time. And then if you were to put stimulation in front of her, you can tell that she can see.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)? Do you know, is it too early to tell?

RHEE: This is out of her left eye, yes.

QUESTION: Can you talk about -- explain to me what dangling on the bed --

RHEE: Yes. So, instead of just laying on the bed, OK, we actually do physical therapy so her legs are off the side of the bed. And we start using -- or exercising her muscles, getting her balance in shape, getting stimulus to the brain. And that's all part of the rehabilitation process.

LEMOLE: And I want to make a point about that dangling. When people are dangling, we're also able to assess the strength in their legs much more readily.

And I will say that she is able to move both of those legs to command. And that's huge. Everyone's been talking about right side versus left side. She's moving both her legs.

QUESTION: And is she actually sitting up on the bed? RHEE: Yes. So she's sitting up. And as you know, "Gabrielle, you know, lift your legs up." And she will lift both legs up. She'll straighten both of them up.

QUESTION: Doctor, can you recreate the exact moment that she opened her eyes? What happened in the room at that moment? And what went through your head as her doctor?

LEMOLE: I was in the room. This was when some of her congresswoman friends and senators were visiting. And they know her personally, so there's a dimension to their relationship, something that I'm not privy to, but there clearly was that relationship.

And just in the time period that she was speaking, or they were speaking to her, and they were holding her hand, you could clearly see her becoming more aroused, and literally opened her eye. And first, it was almost disbelief. Someone said, "Well, I think she's cracking her eye." And then, within a couple of seconds, there was no doubt.

Her eye was wide open and she was beginning to try and look over. And again, I don't want to say it's just the familiarity. Obviously, she's had her family around her that whole time. But I think it was a combination of the unexpected familiarity, people that she might not have expected to show up.

And I do want to underscore that this is the part that doctors I think have the hardest time with, those intangibles in medicine. We can't really quantify that component that family and friends bring, but we know that it exists. And this is a true example of that.

QUESTION: One of the congresswomen there yesterday, Debbie Wassermann Schultz, she flew back on Air Force One, and she talked to reporters, and she said it was like watching a miracle.

I know you are doctors. Does it ever feel like a miracle?

RHEE: Well, the thing about that for us, you know, she was -- we saw signs of this coming. So we were just, you know, talking amongst ourselves saying, you know, it would be great if this would happen as soon as the president came in the room, because the eyes -- it wasn't like she was out all the time, but we saw signs that her eyes were flickering, and they were starting to come around.

You saw the lights and sparkle occurring. And the fact that the timing was so great was all good for, I think, for everybody involved.

LEMOLE: But to your point, yes, miracles happen every day. And in medicine we like to very much a tribute them to either what we do or others do around us. But a lot of medicine is outside our control and we're wise to acknowledge miracles.

QUESTION: Did you say it was her left eye that she opened?

LEMOLE: Her left eye is the one that opened.

(CROSSTALK) LEMOLE: It is right now, but she is opening that as well.

QUESTION: Has she been able to move her right arm?

LEMOLE: I don't want to get into those specifics, but she has. We have seen some movement there.

QUESTION: Doctor, I was outside (INAUDIBLE), when both of you guys walked up. And the response you got from the crowd outside was unbelievable.

What's your guys' response?

RHEE: It's crazy.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMOLE: You know, it's humbling, because we do this every day, week in, week out. And it's nice to know that there's this kind of outpouring, but it doesn't change what we do, or that we would do it.

And if you were injured, we would do the same for you. It's why we got into medicine. And that doesn't change anything.

RHEE: You know, my family was there, so we were talking about this as well. I was talking to my kids about this as well, and so on.

And I think it's an indication of hope that the city has. And it's an appreciation, you know, of the good parts of life, not specifically to one person or anything like that.

So I think it was, like he said, it is kind of crazy. I don't understand it, but it is humbling. And we're very appreciative about it. Absolutely.

QUESTION: Her ability to follow simple commands, how does this compare? Is this more forward progress? There are some doctors who are saying that, you know, that her ability to follow simple commands (OFF-MIKE).

LEMOLE: So, without getting too technical, we have a coma (ph) grading scale that we apply to all head injury patients. And this does bump her up several points on that scale, just the ability to open your eyes spontaneously and become aware of your surroundings. So, yes, it is a significant move forward.

QUESTION: Can you talk about how long she is keeping her eyes open, for how long a stretch?

LEMOLE: I was there for at least three to five minutes when she was doing that.

RHEE: And this morning, we're going in the 10, 15-minute range.

LEMOLE: One thing I do want to stress is that just like if you had a hard day, or let's say a professional athlete played a very strenuous ball game, they're going to be tired the next day. And it's no different with her.

Every exertion, every milestone, every bit of progress forward is a major exertion. So she'll have her ups and downs. And so, if she's opening her eye for one 15-minute period, and then is down for the next two hours or so, that's OK. That's all what we expect with neurological recovery.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) there are certain things you don't want to give specifics, but I believe you've now told us she's moved both her legs --

LEMOLE: Correct.

QUESTION: -- she's moved both her arms --

LEMOLE: Correct.

QUESTION: -- she's opened both her eyes.

LEMOLE: Yes.

QUESTION: Tell us what all this means.

LEMOLE: It means that she's making the progress that we could hope for her.

QUESTION: Is there another milestone you're looking for? Is there something that she would pass another level on the scale you were talking about? What would be the next thing you would look forward to be progress?

RHEE: It's like we talked about, about the breathing tube.

LEMOLE: Because in that assessment, we look at whether or not someone's able to move when we ask them to, we look at whether or not they open their eyes spontaneously. And the last piece is, what is her verbalization? We can't assess that with a breathing tube, and of course that's the next step.

QUESTION: We understand that the next few days are still critical. Can you talk a little bit about what these next couple days are going to be like as you monitor her?

LEMOLE: I think that the breathing tube is, of course, the next major hurdle.

As far as the brain swelling goes -- and I know that got a lot of press early on -- we'll check on that with CAT scans. I think we're starting to get out of that window. And that's important.

But now we're moving into that medical window, where we watch for things like pneumonia and blood clots, and problems that any patient who's in an ICU could have. And while those may not be considered as significant hurdles, necessarily, as pulling out the breathing tube, they are something we have to watch very carefully for.

RHEE: All right. Thank you very much for coming this morning.

COSTELLO: Unbelievably good news coming out of that Tucson hospital. Congresswoman Giffords is yawning, she's rubbing her eyes.

Doctors just said that they started physical therapy. They described it as dangling her from the side of the bed. I don't know quite what that means, but they say that's a good thing.

Her recovery is going well, the doctors say. And they kind of say it's a miracle. That's just amazing.

And of course we all feel good as a country for Congresswoman Giffords.

We're also following a memorial service in Tucson for Christina Green, one of the youngest victims of the shooting on Saturday. That flag from 9/11, that's going to be draped above the church so Christina Green's parents can walk under it. It has arrived at the church.

We're going to take you there live right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's an expensive side-effect of America's graying population. The National Cancer Institute estimates the cost of treating the disease could jump as much as 66 percent in the coming decade, if worst-case scenario numbers play out. The sheer number of elderly Americans is the primary cause. That segment of the population, on track to almost double by 2030.

Some doctors say treat them, some doctors say wait them out. New findings suggest antibiotics for ear infections may not help immediately, but they do prevent relapses and even more serious earaches down the road.

Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is live in Miami to tell us more.

Hi, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I'm sure that most of the parents listening to this have brought their child into the pediatrician at some time or another for an ear infection. And what do parents expect when their child has an ear infection? They expect antibiotics.

Well, "The New England Journal of Medicine" this week took a look at whether giving a child antibiotics really is the right approach. And they found some interesting results.

Not surprisingly, they found that antibiotics do work, but not quite as well as you might think. Let's take a look at the results of one of the studies.

In this study, they found that when a child was given antibiotics for an ear infection, those symptoms went away after seven days 80 percent of the time. When a child was given antibiotics, 80 percent of the time. But when a child was given a placebo, which is a sugar pill that does nothing, the symptoms went away after seven days 74 percent of the time.

So, as you can tell, that's not a huge difference.

Now, seeing these results, a parent might say, well, the antibiotic did work better, so shouldn't I expect one when I bring my child in with an ear infection? And the answer to that is maybe.

Some pediatricians will tell you that if they see a child with a mild ear infection and no fever, or only a low fever, a child who otherwise is feeling pretty well can take Advil or Tylenol for the pain, they don't always give an antibiotic. And the reason they feel that way is the antibiotics can actually sometimes make a child feel sick -- can give them diarrhea, or if they're little kids, can give them diaper rash. And sometimes they prefer not to give one out at all.

So what's an empowered patient supposed to do in this situation? In this situation, if your pediatrician says no antibiotic for the ear infection, listen to your doctor and have a conversation.

You can say, well, I really want them to have the antibiotic. You can hear their argument and you can work it out with the pediatrician. Remember, an antibiotic is often the answer, but not always for a child's ear infection -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Got it. Thank you, Elizabeth.

As the Northeast digs out, we're tracking the storm system that buried whole regions of the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Awaiting the flag-raising in Tucson to honor the youngest victim killed in the shooting. We'll take you there live when it happens

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stocks hit a two-year high yesterday. Let's see how they're doing now.

They're down, oh, just about 19 points. Not too bad.

Gold prices are up more than 400 percent in the last 10 years. So that means big profits for the companies that drill and blast it out of the ground.

CNNMoney's Poppy Harlow got an exclusive look inside of one of the country's biggest gold mines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your self-rescuer is going to go probably on your right-hand side.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): We're gearing up to go two miles deep into one of the biggest gold mines in the country.

(on camera): I can't believe we're two Empire State buildings down below the surface of the Earth.

(voice-over): And we still have quite a ways to go.

Hunting for gold goes all the way back to 4,000 BC. And today, the obsession continues.

Here, in Vera (ph) Gold's Cortez Mine in rural Nevada, more than one million ounces of gold were mined last year alone. That's over $1 billion worth.

DAVE BUNDROCK, MINER: Geology has figured out where the pod borer is. Then they just point us toward it.

HARLOW: But finding gold these days is much more complex and expensive than just, well, panning for it. In fact, you can't even see the gold in this mine.

(on camera): I mean, it's amazing to me to think that this is gold, but it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW: It's right here.

RANDY HAGER, MINER: Yes. You can't see it. It's microscopic.

HARLOW (voice-over): Miners have to drill and blast through layers and layers of rock to reach the gold.

HAGER: There's gold in this. And what I'm going to do is turn this into a pile of muck.

HARLOW: It looks like dirt, but muck is actually gold ore. Tiny particles of gold that will eventually make up a gold brick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get about 10 truckloads out of here. About 10 ounces of gold - 10 to 15 ounces of gold at $1,400 an ounce. And we'll do this several times during a day's work.

HARLOW: Not bad money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not bad money.

HARLOW: So, after the gold ore is mined, about 400 tons of it goes in massive trucks just like this one. Of that, only four ounces is pure gold. It's taken, it's crushed, then it's taken to a mill and then it's refined. JULIUS STIEGER, PROCESS DIVISION MANAGER, BRARRICK-CORTEZ: Half of the ore is crushed and ground, we leach the gold out. From there we put it in a pressure-cooker environment, high temperature and pressure with various chemicals, and that pulls the gold out. This is the final step before pouring the gold bar.

HARLOW: (INAUDIBLE) mines gold around $300 an ounce, and gold is selling for record highs, around $1,400 an ounce. Those big margins mean jobs. Something desperately need in Nevada, a state struggling with the highest in unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country.

JOHN ALEXANDER, SHOVEL OPERATOR: I can provide for my family. You know? And I don't know any other job in this world that can -- I get paid for what I get paid and survive now these days, the way the prices are.

HAGER: There's job security here with gold that high. Not going to run out of work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Poppy Harlow joins us live now from New York. I've got to ask you, what was it like being down in that mine so far underground?

HARLOW: It was a little terrifying at first. You see, the first thing they did is put a self-rescuer on me and showed me what to do if we got trapped in the mine. But it was sort of a gradual descent to go two miles deep.

But Carol, you talk to these workers, and many of them have spent half their lives underground. I say to them, would you like to be outside, above ground, mining up there? And they say, no, we love it down here. They really love the industry. I mean, this is, as you heard in the piece, Nevada is suffering the worst foreclosure rate, the worst unemployment rate in the entire country.

This is the industry, Carol, that has saved Nevada in some ways. A thousand people work at the mine we were at. Barrick has a number of mines that cross Nevada. I mean, this is their industry outside of gambling, this is where people work and get good pay and support their families. I talked to a lot of workers - a lot of women workers, Carol! This surprised me, there are a lot of women working at that mine that said, thank goodness it's there, so that they can support their families despite the broader economy.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Fascinating story. Thanks, Poppy. We appreciate it.

HARLOW: You got it.

COSTELLO: It's a Jeopardy first. The game show is holding a- million-dollar charity tournament next month. You can call it a super computer showdown. Top Jeopardy champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter are going up against a computer named Watson. IBM has built Watson to see if they could create a computer that rivals human ability to answer questions posed in normal language.

You're probably online right now, and of course, we are, too, even though we're on TV, too. Because we always track the hottest stories online. Sandra, what are you finding?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Well, we all fall in love with him and his golden voice. Ted Williams.

But he is having a little trouble now, Carol. He got all these job offers after being found, discovered on the streets of Ohio. Well, now he has admitted that he was an alcoholic before, but then he said he kicked the habit and he was sober for two years. Now we found out that he in fact is battling the bottle. So, he checked himself into rehab. So, one of those stories we're going to keep an eye on. And that's "Trending Online" today.

COSTELLO: Yes. It was too good of a story to be absolutely true, wasn't it? But at least he's getting help now, and that's a good thing.

ENDO: Yes. He deserves another chance.

COSTELLO: That's true. Thank you, Sandra.

Think about this. "Forbes" magazine names Oprah Winfrey and filmmaker Steven Spielberg the most influential celebrities in all America. Can you guess from this pixelated picture - I can tell who it is right here! Anyway, this is a CNNer, and he made the Top Ten influential list. We'll tell you who after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In a new "Forbes" ranking of the most influential celebrities in the United States, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg tied for first place. But did you guess the CNNer who made the top list? Or made the top ten, I should say?

The answer -- (LAUGHTER) it was too fast. It's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta! There's his handsome mug. Ah, more fodder to tease him mercilessly.

There were some tense and nasty moments at the White House briefing today. Wow. CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry was there. He witnessed it all. And Ed, this surrounded a question from a Russian reporter from the Arizona shooting. Tell me more.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was pretty interesting. Kind of a surreal moment, one that was really unexpected. I can't think of another example like this.

The reporter's name is Andrei Sitov of the Tass News Agency. He's a Washington bureau chief, covering the White House for a long time, going back to at least the Bush administration, as I recall. So, this is not a newcomer. And he was basically asking Robert Gibbs whether or not the tragedy in Tucson is just an example of the U.S. paying a price for freedom. And that basically this should be expected. This is part of America. That you're going to have violence like this.

The reporters were pretty upset about the context of the question, coming from a Russian reporter, sort of raising these questions about American freedoms. And you could tell Robert Gibbs was pretty peeved. Take a listen to this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREI SITOV, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, TASS NEWS AGENCY: This is America. The democracy, the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and the freedom to petition your government. And many people outside would also say, and the, quote unquote, "freedom" of a deranged mind to react in a violent way, is also American. How do you respond to it?

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No. No. I would disagree vehemently with that. There's nothing in the values of our country, there's nothing on the many laws on our books that would provide for somebody to impugn and impede on the very freedoms that you began with, by exercising the actions that that individual took on that day. That is not America.

There are -- I think there's agreement on all sides of the political spectrum, violence is never, ever acceptable. We had people that died. We had people whose lives will be changed forever because of the deranged actions of a madman. Those are not American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: You could hear Robert Gibbs right there, very emotional and saying "the deranged actions of a madman." That's much further than he wanted to go earlier in the briefing. He was saying, look, the investigation is ongoing. He didn't want to comment. The last thing he wants to do from the White House podium, obviously, is comment on the investigation, comment on the state of the mind of the suspect here. But he did there, because I think he was justifiably a little upset about the question.

Now, I just got off the phone with Andrei Sitov, the Russian reporter. My producer, Emily Schultz, was able to get him on the phone. I hopped on and I asked him what he meant. And he said two important things to underscore. Number one, he said, "We offer our condolences to the American people and especially to the victims of this random act of violence. In no way do we condone the acts of the madman who did this." Then he added, "I also believe what happened is a terrible price that the United States pays for the freedoms and liberties that Americans enjoy. This country unfortunately suffered through several presidents being attacked." He mentioned President Kennedy, President Reagan. "My point is there is the good side of the freedoms and liberties and rights but there is the reverse side."

And Andrei Sitov went on to say that could be restricting gun control rights. He said that's something that doesn't seem like Americans want to do right now. And so, you can imagine that this was a question that really -- COSTELLO: Oh, come on, Ed. Ed, there's no violence or mentally unbalanced people in Russia? I mean, did he ever hear of the Russian mob killing Russian journalists in Russia? Just going on more often than it should? And they're dying grisly deaths? No other leaders of countries were assassinated anywhere in the world?

HENRY: Right. And that's why there were not only Robert Gibbs, as we played that sound. But there were reporters, including myself, that were saying, what in the world is going on? I heard Bill Press of the talk radio host saying, because he was sitting right near this reporter saying, come on, this is not America. This is not unique to America. What are you talking about?

And so, believe me, that's why we're highlighting it. It was pretty tense in there because a lot of people were raising their eyebrows.

COSTELLO: Well, describe that to me. Like after he asked this question and Robert Gibbs answered it, what did the other correspondents do?

HENRY: Well, I'll tell you exactly what happened. Robert Gibbs was so miffed about the whole thing that he abruptly said, thank you and walked out. Briefing over. And so reporters, you know, were filing out scratching their heads. Some of us went up to him and said, what gives here?

And he's now spoken very openly. And said, look, he just believes that in his words there's a price for the freedom and that Americans need to understand that balance. I think there were people in the room, Americans who were upset at what sounded like a lecture from a Russian reporter, frankly.

COSTELLO: Wow. Did you ever experience anything like that before?

HENRY: I've never seen anything like that in the White House briefing room before, ever. That's why when it happened, it was pretty amazing. And afterwards we've been -- we immediately wanted to turn that sound. Because it's just seeing a reporter ask the question in that way, was very unexpected. And nothing I've ever seen.

COSTELLO: Well, we're still feeling the full effects of that tragedy. It's not like we're getting over it, and maybe the questions would have been better accepted --

HENRY: And that's the important point. You're right. Because the bottom line is, sure, just academically, is there a plus and a negative to freedoms? Yes. But just days after six people are killed, 13 wounded, obviously this is why it was pretty wrong.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry reporting live for us from Washington. Thanks.

We're still awaiting the 9/11 flag raising in Tucson that will honor the youngest victim killed in the shooting. We'll take you to Tucson when that happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Actor John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, are letting the world see their new baby boy. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer has that and the rest of the day's showbiz and gossip from New York.

A.J., how great is that cover on "People" magazine?

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, it's pretty great, Carol. Let's put it up so everybody can see it. I think this is a terrific picture of John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, with their new son, Benjamin. There they are on the cover of the new issue of "People" magazine.

Now it's a very revealing article. In the article the couple says they tried to have a baby for three years and they were, as they put it, blown away when Preston found out that she was pregnant. Fifty- six-year-old Travolta and forty-eight-year-old Preston are calling their son a miracle and Travolta tells people that the baby's given their house a renewed spirit and purpose. The couple have a 10 year old daughter, but, of course, sadly, Carol, they did lose their first born when 16-year-old Jett died after a seizure. That was two years ago. So it's nice to see such smiles on their faces on this cover.

COSTELLO: Yes. Congratulations to them.

Natalie Portman is also in the news. She has some racy ads out maybe?

HAMMER: Well, that's what some people are saying. I've been doing a lot of reading about this online. A lot of people are saying, whoa, that's pretty racy. I'm not sure how racy these photos are. Take a look. Let's put up Natalie Portman as the new Miss Dior perfume ad is making its debut. She looks very sexy, to be sure. I think she looks terrific. I don't think that is too out there for me. This is the first time the actress has put her face on the ad campaign for any cosmetics company.

She is generating a lot of buzz these days. Not just the ad. She's getting a lot of recognition for her role in the film "Black Swan," including that Golden Globe nomination. We'll see how she does on Sunday. She recently announced that she's engaged and pregnant, plus, Carol, she has a new romantic comedy called "No Strings Attached," which just premiered in Los Angeles.

COSTELLO: I didn't think that ad was racy. It's better than, you know, the man behind the naked woman with his hands over her -- it's better than those kind of photos.

HAMMER: Yes.

COSTELLO: At least she tried for something different (ph).

HAMMER: Yes, I think she looks great. COSTELLO: I do, too. Go. Go, Natalie. You go, girl.

Everybody says the music industry is dying, but not for some.

HAMMER: No. And particularly not for this woman. According to "Forbes" magazine, Lady Gaga could make more than $100 million this year. Only two acts broke the $100 million mark last year, that was U2 and AC/DC. Now, 2010 certainly was not chop liver for Gaga. "Forbes" estimates she made $64 million last year. But the magazine says she's going to top that this year because of her tour and she's also got a new album that's scheduled to be released later this year. And they say that's going to do very well. I don't think there's any doubt about that. I'm sure it will debut at number one and sell lots and lots of copies.

Now, these are just estimates. There's no guarantee she'll do this well, but I don't think she's going to be searching around in the couch for loose change any time soon.

And, Carol, I should point out, we just learned Lady Gaga will be performing at the Grammy Awards next month and that certainly will help to bring a lot of eyeballs to that show.

COSTELLO: I hope so. She's awesome.

Thank you very much, A.J.

Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, how about Oprah's failure confessions? I don't even know what that means, but A.J. does. A.J.'s got it all on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 and 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

If we sit together, maybe we can get together. One congressman's suggestion for toning down the political rhetoric.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We've been telling you about the memorial service just about to get underway for Christina Green, the nine-year-old killed in Saturday's attack. You see a fire truck sitting there. It's getting ready to put up its ladder, along with another fire truck, and that's so they can drape a huge American flag that was recovered after the tragedy of 9/11 so that Mr. and Mrs. Green can walk under it and go into the catholic church where the memorial service will be held. Of course, Christina Green born on 9/11.

Let's go live to that Tucson church now and check in with Ted Rowlands.

Ted, set the scene for us.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we're a couple of hours away from the beginning of this funeral service. It is a private service for the family. There is no media allowed. And members of the public are not allowed unless invited. It's a large church, though, here that they're having the ceremony at and it is expected to be jam-packed. We're expecting Senator John McCain and Jon Kyl as well. And we're also expecting family members from Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, including her husband, Mark Kelly. He's expected to be here, along with the congresswoman's mother and the congresswoman's sister.

And what you're looking at now is a fire truck from the Tucson Fire Department. They're going to have two of these ladder trucks come out here. And then what they're going to do is drape the 9/11 flag in between the two ladders of those trucks. And you see the pan over there.

The flag is here. It's been here for a while. It's just kind of sitting on top of the back of a car. And you can see it there. That flag will be draped across it, as you said, as people walk into the church. They will walk underneath these two ladders with the flag draped over it. And the family has expressed their appreciation for the New York Fire Department to bring this flag out here for their daughter's funeral service.

COSTELLO: And, Ted, this flag symbolizes not tragedy per say, but hope for the future. It's kind of what Christina Green's death is meaning for the people of Arizona, because she herself had so much hope in life.

ROWLANDS: Absolutely. The flag itself was actually destroyed in 9/11 and pieces of it were all brought together and then sewn together by victims of tragedies. And it is now sort of on a tour, if you will, of the United States, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. And, in the end, that will be part of the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center when that is finished off.

So, absolutely, that flag, and Christina Green, and her story, is, boy, it is really the one thing that has struck everybody in a very negative, and then now a positive way, if you will, in the healing process, getting to know this young girl and seeing the strength of her parents throughout this process has really uplifted a lot of people here in Tucson and, I think it's safe to say, around the country.

COSTELLO: One of the most touching stories I think I've heard is Christina Green went with a neighbor to meet Congresswoman Giffords. And the neighbor was wounded. And she's in the hospital. And, of course, Christina Green died. And Christina Green's mother sent a message right away to the neighbor saying, you know, it's OK. We understand you did all you could. We don't blame you. These people are incredible.

ROWLANDS: Yes. Yes, I had an opportunity to talk to Bill Heilman, that's the spouse of the neighbor that took Christina to that event. She, Suzi Heilman, is still recovering from three gunshot wounds. But he said that meant so much to them. And the first thing that his wife said when she came out of surgery was, where's Christina? And he, you know, Bill Heilman said that, you know, it was a very difficult -- the family, obviously. Although they know it wasn't their fault, you know, there's inherent guilt there. You took the neighbor's child to this event and then she's horrifically murdered. And he said the support they've gotten from the Green family has just been unbelievable and they're so appreciative for it.

COSTELLO: Yes, all of this does give you hope, doesn't it.

Ted Rowlands, we'll get back to you. Thanks so much.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In the next half hour or so, the memorial will begin taking place for Christina Green, the nine-year-old killed on Saturday in Tucson. You're looking at a live picture and you see authorities there. They're getting ready to put two fire trucks into place between the doors of the church. Those trucks will raise their ladders and then a huge American flag will be draped between the ladders of those trucks so that all of the people going to that memorial service will walk under. That flag has special significance, of course. It was recovered from the tragedy of 9/11. As you know, Christina Green was born on that day.

We'll also get an update on the condition of Congresswoman Giffords. Actually, we have that. Ali Velshi will be talking more about Congresswoman Giffords' condition when he takes over at the top of the hour. This is, of course, the -- oh, so many tributes, so many flowers and cards and balloons. This is at the hospital in Tucson. We'll have the latest for you there, as I said.

Actually, we're just going to toss to Ali Velshi right now because time is of the essence.

So, Ali, take it away.