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New Jersey Police Officer Killed; Safeway Reopens a Week after Mass Shooting; Canadian Fugitive Arrested after 30 Years on the Run; JFK Presidential Library Puts Archives Online; Flood Waters Recede in Australia; Floods in Pacific Northwest; Manhunt Underway in New Jersey for Cop Killer; Rich Spending Reflect Recovering Economy; Pentagon Demands Insurance Money Returned from Widow
Aired January 15, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Inside the mind of the accused Arizona killer. You'll hear him in his own words. The video rant just released and why did he take pictures of himself wearing a G-string while brandishing a gun?
How did this snowy and slippery police chase end? It's all caught on tape. But what about the suspect? The pictures are amazing. The stories of death and survival stunning, really. Australia and Brazil reeling from record flooding. They say it is their hurricane Katrina.
And it's the middle of winter. Perfect time to buy a boat? I would say the deals were good, tales are brisk. We take you to the boat show to find out why.
We start tonight with a developing story this hour from New Jersey where an intense manhunt is under way right now for a man suspected of killing a police officer who was sitting in his patrol car. It happened yesterday afternoon in Lakewood, New Jersey which is east of Trenton. Police say that officer Christopher Matlosz was shot at point blank range as he questioned a man from his patrol car. A news conference within just a last minute, authorities identified the man as 19-year-old Jamel Crockham. Police say Crockham stepped back from the officer's car, pulled out a gun and shot the officer three times. A $117,000 reward has been offered for the suspect's capture.
Let's get more now on this tragic case, I'm joined now on the phone by Lakewood, New Jersey police Chief Robert Lawson and Ocean County prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford. Chief, tell me, where are you in the search for this man?
ROBERT LAWSON, NEW JERSEY POLICE CHIEF (on the phone): Well, we have an active manhunt out for the suspect. County, municipal, state and federal law enforcement officers are involved in searching for the suspect.
LEMON: OK, we hear, we have his name there, there is his picture up there. I'm understanding that he's 5'7", 220 pounds, 19 years old. He was wearing a black hoody and you believe either black or dark blue jeans, brown eyes, obviously African-American. What else can you tell us about this man? LAWSON: Only that the suspect should be considered armed and very dangerous. And if the public observes who they believe to be the subject, they should not try to take matters into their own hands. But call law enforcement to try to make an apprehension.
LEMON: OK. And Ms. Ford, I understand that the suspect had priors, that he was picked up for possessing hollow point bullets and a weapon?
MARLENE LYNCH FORD, OCEAN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: There were recent charges filed against him in connection with totally separate investigation. Those are mere charges. He's presumed innocent, but he did have an outstanding warrant for those charges and bail had been set at $150,000.
LEMON: And apparently this was just sort of routine. He was sitting in this patrol car, talking to a pedestrian, and from what it appears, from people, they said that it appeared to be really sort of friendly in a way and all of a sudden it turned into this.
FORD: From our investigation so far, it appears that officer Matlosz was conducting a routine patrol stop. He stopped to talk to this pedestrian. The pedestrian, who we believe was the defendant, Jamel Crockham, and for reasons that, you know, only known by the defendant now, he stepped back and opened fire. So as a result of that, we felt that today, after the investigation had taken some course, that there was sufficient probable cause to file charges against Jamel Crockham, which I authorized from my office today, and which was -- a warrant was authorized by court judge.
LEMON: All right. Thank you both. And if you can speak to our producers, I would love to get a picture of the officer Christopher Matlosz on after we hang up the phone. So, you guys stay on that.
Thank you very much. Put the suspect's picture up again. He is 19 years old. He is 5'7", 220 pounds. Black hoody, last seen wearing black hoody, dark jeans, wither blue or black, brown-eyes, obviously an African-American man. They are searching for him. Again, 19- years-old, his name is Jamel Crockham. We'll continue to follow this developing story. A man who is accused of gunning down a police officer.
We're going to turn now to Arizona. We can now hear the alleged Safeway shooter in his own words. Jared Loughner's former college released this video to "The Los Angeles Times" after a public records request. It is a rant filled tour of the Pima County Community college campus and reportedly was shot and narrated by Loughner. Police records show this is one of the reasons the school suspended him back in September. We'll hear some extended clips from this in just a moment.
But first, I want to tell you this, another sign of recovery for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Doctors say they have taken her off of a ventilator and she's now breathing on her own through a tracheotomy tube. Giffords is one of three victims still in the hospital at the last Saturday's rampage. The Tucson Safeway where the mass shooting happened a week ago is now open for business again. The supermarket held a moment of silence in honor of the victims today. And the youngest victim in this tragedy, 9-year-old Christina Green has given another child a new chance at life. Christina's father tells CNN that some of her organs went to a little girl in Boston. A funeral mass was held for Christina on Thursday.
Back to that just released videotape believed shot by Jared Loughner. He never appears on camera, but the voice you're about to hear is believed to be his. I want you to take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED LOUGHNER, ARIZONA SHOOTER (voice-over): We are looking at students who have been tortured. Their low-income pay and two wars. The war that we are in right now is currently illegal. It's impossible for it to be that date. It's mind control. How's it going? Thanks for the B. I'm pissed off.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: What's that?
LOUGHNER: This is a police station. This is where the whole shaboozy (ph) goes down with illegal activity. If the student is unable to locate the external universe, then the student is unable to locate the internal universe. Where is all my subjects? I could say something sound right now, but I don't feel like it. This is genocide in America. Thank you. This is Jared from Pima College.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's also this detail from a law enforcement sources. There's reportedly a picture that Loughner took of himself wearing a G-string posing with a 9 millimeter gun over his crotch. We're told it was on a roll he had developed in the hours just before that rampage. And as we mentioned, the supermarket where the shooting has happened is doing what it can to move past this horrific tragedy. But check out, lines are moving again at that Tucson Safeway and that's where we find out Thelma Gutierrez standing by live for us. Thelma, what happened there today a week after the shootings?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, a very emotional day here in front of the Safeway. Now up until this morning, this entire area was cordoned off with police crime tape. And so this was the first opportunity for the employees to get back to work and as one of the customers told me, one of the first opportunities that they had to turn a crime scene into a memorial. And you can see right behind me, that memorial. We've been here since this morning, Don, and it has been growing by the hour. At 10:10 this morning, at the very moment where the shots rang out last week, they called for a moment of silence. They announced it in the store and the employees and customers walked out in front of that memorial. And reflected on all of the victims of last week's tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And to me, to hear those cries are cries of sadness. Because we lost some innocence that day. We really did as a community.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: To come together as a community and show support and pray for all the families and the victims involved, for those who lost somebody dear and for those who are still helping their loved ones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: So, as we have mentioned, many of the people here gathering in front of the memorial, but so many have said that it is time to get back to some sense of normalcy and that is what this service gave them today, Don.
LEMON: Yes, normalcy, whatever it is to those folks there. Thelma, I do understand that you met a man who was at the Safeway last week when that shooting happened and he was armed himself.
GUTIERREZ: Yes, absolutely, Don. This is a state where you can carry a concealed weapon, pretty much without any permit at all. And so we talked to Joe Zamudio, 24-years-old. He says he never leaves home without his firearm. That day he came here to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes. All of a sudden, he hears all the gunfire. He walks to the door, sees victims lying here in this parking lot where we're standing in pools of blood, and then he looks up and he sees a man holding a firearm. So he had to make a very quick decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: On Saturday, you didn't -- you were carrying, you didn't use one. Why didn't you?
JOE ZAMUDIO, ARIZONA SHOOTING HERO: I almost did.
GUTIERREZ: How did you process it?
ZAMUDIO: It was a really fast thought process. You know, shoot, don't shoot. Like, oh, my God, he has a gun. Oh, my god, it's empty. I don't have to kill him.
GUTIERREZ: What did you see? You notice it was empty, by the way.
ZAMUDIO: His slide was locked back, so, you know.
GUTIERREZ: So you saw that and you made that judgment call?
ZAMUDIO: That's what a firearm looks like when it's clear. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: Joe Zamudio told me that he is convinced that he made the right call. He says with so many people who carry concealed weapons here, he says what would have happened had someone has seen me hold that gun up, had I pulled it out? He says, they could have mistaken me for a second gunman and the police could have, as well. And so he says that he considers himself a very lucky person today, Don.
LEMON: All right. Thelma Gutierrez. Thelma, thank you so much.
Jared Loughner, the accused gunman in last week's assassination attempt against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, reportedly showed signs of mental instability months before the shooting. Next, we're asking what, if anything, could have been done that might have kept away -- him away from that store, that Safeway store last week.
Also, torrential rains burying Brazil in water. The death toll now over 500 and it's climbing. Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM ANCHOR: I mean, it's amazing to me to think that this is gold, but it is. RANDY HAGER, GOLD MINER: Yes. HARLOW: It's right here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I believe the shiny range, necklaces and bracelets we wear comes from that. There's gold underground and with prices skyrocketing, we're digging. I'm online and I know you are too, so make sure you check us out on our social media accounts. Let's connect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUGHNER: This is genocide in America. This is Jared from Pima College.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That is the ending of a long, nonsensical monologue by suspected mass killer Jared Lee Loughner. Now, as more stories come out about the 22-year-old, the picture coming together is of a disoriented and hostile man for he suspected now.
Psychologist Wendy Walsh joins me from Los Angeles. Wendy, obviously you can't give a diagnosis, but think this video, I think this is very telling. I want to play a longer clip for you and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUGHNER (voice-over): It is so illegal to sell this book under the constitution. We are also censored by our freedom of speech. They're controlling the grammar. They control the grammar. This is a police station. This is where the whole shaboozy goes down with illegal activity. If a student is unable to locate the external universe, then the student is unable to locate the internal universe. Where is all my subjects? I could say something sound right now, but I don't feel like it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Dr. Wendy, I was watching your reaction as you were looking at this tape. What does this tape say to you?
WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: This is a very damaged young man, who is hurting. I mean, he's delusional, he's hallucinating, he thinks the police are bad and the police are dangerous and he's talking about freedom of speech being censorship, but those are two opposing thoughts. So, yes, it's really sad. I mean, this psychiatric community, at arm's length, is pointing fingers at potential for schizophrenia as a diagnosis because it's most often is un-sided of -- in man in college years and it's delusions and hallucinations and paranoia and all the kinds of things that we're seeing in Jared Loughner.
LEMON: Yes, so, we know he had problems at college. We don't know exactly what his parents knew or didn't know or experience except for, you know, why the shooting happen.
WALSH: Well, you know, that's the important thing that we should keep in mind for people saying, why didn't his parents do something? I have to remind them that this symptomology might have been environmentally sensitive. In other words, when he was at home, in the comfort of his familiar surroundings, he might not have exhibited any symptomology.
LEMON: Is there anything they could have done though without impeding his rights because he's over18 years old.
WALSH: OK, the problem is this, he's not a minor. He's probably not on their health insurance, and most health insurances in America, mental health coverage is an expensive option at best. They may not even have that option. If they tried to get it, and the college called and said, get an assessment for this kid. If they called their health insurance and said, the college said he's nuts, they'll say, oh, you have a pre-existing condition, I don't know if we can take you now. And also, he's an adult, so how do you put an adult, a 22-year- old on your health insurance. These kinds of assessments are expensive.
Now, if he appeared to be in imminent danger to himself or someone else, they could have called 911. They could have called the cops. In California, it's called a 51-50, has different names and different states where they send a psychiatric emergency team. And they can put him on a 72 hour lockdown. But they can't incarcerate him forever, they can't commit him to a mental hospital unless he's proven to be unable to take care of himself. Just being crazy is not illegal.
LEMON: OK. So listen, this mass killing has a lot of people asking about the gun laws and the gun check. So as you said, he wasn't committed, right? But if he had been committed, and they had done a background check, does the system work? Does it show if someone has been institutionalized?
WALSH: Unfortunately, no. Because it's a very complicated patch work quilt of some states complying and other states not. And how deep their background checks are, and whether they do more than criminal background checks and do mental health checks. Now also, the person buying the gun has to check off the box that says, oh yes, I was deemed mentally ill. Now, do you think a mentally ill person is going to check that box? So, there are many, many flaws in the system.
LEMON: Yes. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work. Thank you very much, Dr. Wendy. I appreciate it.
WALSH: Thanks, Don. Good to see you.
LEMON: Good to see you.
On the lam for more than 30 years, how an escaped fugitive's run from a law came to an end? And what he said when he was captured. Also, after hearing about airlines raising fees, charging for bags and everything else that they can think of to get your money, how about this? A way for you to get money from them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Some stories in the headlines right now. Tense quiet in the North African nation of Tunisia after days of unrest. A long-time ruler of the country has fled to Saudi Arabia. Now, the speaker of parliament is now interim president there. Tunis TV reports new election will be held in 60 days.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is now in Tunis and during a nail biting taxi ride through numerous military checkpoints from the airport to a downtown hotel, Ben reports seeing many young men kneeling while the military clamps down on looting and violence.
A fugitive on the run for 30 years now, he is under arrest. The U.S. marshal service says Ian Jackson McDonald faked a heart attack in prison back in 1980 and escaped from a Florida hospital. At the time, he was awaiting extradition to Canada to face marijuana smuggling charges. He later settled in West Virginia, took a new identity and opened a used appliance shop. Investigators recently learned, he was living in a mobile home in rural Florida and that's where they found him on Tuesday. He reportedly told them, quote, "I wondered when this day would come."
A year after losing one of its trainer to a killer whale, SeaWorld is reopening the whale show. Dine with Shamu is scheduled to open in Texas on February 26. The Orlando Park where trainer Dawn Brancheau died will debut the program in the spring. SeaWorld officials say, the Orlando show will receive a new look and surface around the pool and new glass in the viewing area.
Feel like you're being nickel and dimed every time you book a flight? Well, Delta is offering passengers an option that could help them get back some money if they're willing to take a later flight. Christine Romans has the details -- Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Don, those fees you pay for everything from bags to lunch, to another sit, well, they brought the airline industry back to profitability. Now Delta, the world's largest airlines has announced a new online action system where you can name your own price. They can guarantee you money if you're bound for the flight voluntarily of course. The program allows customers as they check in to enter the amount of money they would like to receive on a voucher for giving up their seat if the flight is ever booked. Now, experts say, it's not necessarily a great deal for travelers but a good little money maker maybe for Delta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ORWOLL, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, "TRAVEL + LEISURE": A lot of people might say, well, I don't mind getting a $200 flight voucher for future flight because I have some flexibility, but look at this, you don't have the negotiating power. You can't ask them for meal though as while you're waiting. What if the next flight to get you on gets cancelled? Are they going to put you up on a hotel? And the other thing is this, if you are involuntarily bumped, the Department of Transportation requires the airline pay you as much as $800. So a lot of people don't know that, so they're underbidding themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The allure, of course, is the idea that you can beat the airlines at their own game. Got of seeing a few other tips for smart travel. Buy your plane ticket on a Tuesday afternoon after 3:00 p.m., this is analysis from FareCompare.com, you can also travel on a Wednesday if possible, it's the cheapest day to fly. Don't forget to check the Web sites of low-cost airlines. Their fares aren't always included on some of the larger travel booking Web sites. Avoid baggage fees of course by packing a carry-on bag. Pack light, it will save you money, and be flexible on airports, especially on big cities, sometimes a little drive can mean big savings -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Christine, thank you very much.
Here's a way to get rich. Discover gold. We found a lot, deep underground in Nevada and we're going digging, next.
And you have probably seen him before, but let's be honest, it's worth watching again and again. Twiggy, the water skiing squirrel is back up on his feet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In these tough economic times, anyone dreaming of striking it rich with a gold mine should know it's nothing like the romantic image of panning for nuggets in a stream. Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com, well, she goes gold hunting deep in Nevada and discovers a whole lot of dirt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Your self rescuer is going to go probably on your right hand side.
HARLOW (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.
(on camera) I got to tell you, this is not at all what I thought a gold mine would look like.
JOE DICK, GENERAL MANAGER, BARRICK-CORTEZ: It's exactly what I thought it would look like.
(LAUGHTER)
HARLOW (voice-over): Hunting for gold goes all the way back to 4,000 B.C. And today, the obsession continues.
Here, in Barrick 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, GOLD MINER: Geology has figured out where the pot of ore 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.
HAGER: Yes.
HARLOW: It's right here.
HAGER: 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.
HAGER: I'm going to get about 10 truckloads out of here, 10 ounces of gold, 10 to 15 at $1,400 an ounce. And we'll do this several times during a day's work.
HARLOW (on camera): Not bad money.
HAGER: Not bad money.
HARLOW (voice-over): 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: After of the ore is crushed and ground, we leach the gold out. From there we put it into 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 (on camera): Ninety percent gold, 60 or 70 pounds. A million and a quarter. Not bad.
DICK: Not bad. Good day's work. (INAUDIBLE).
HARLOW: Great margin.
DICK: Great margin.
HARLOW (voice-over): Barrick mines gold for around $300 an ounce, and gold is selling for record highs, around $1,400 an ounce. Those big margins mean jobs. Something desperately needed in Nevada, a state struggling with the highest 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.
HARLOW: In Elko, Nevada, Poppy Harlow reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Let's head across the country to see what our affiliates are covering.
In Weirton, West Virginia, driving is hard enough in the snow, but it's a hazard if you're running from the cops. You've got to see this video. Police say they tried to pull over a man who was driving a stolen car, but he took off. The chase reached speeds of 60 miles per hour before the car slipped on the road and crashed into a ditch. Police then arrested the man.
In Rancho Cordova, California, they say a dog is man's best friend but also dog's best friend. This 15-year-old miniature schnauzer named Casper was stuck in a drainpipe for up to three days. This was until little guy caught Casper's scent and alerted neighbors. He barked his head off. Firefighters responded and Casper was saved. He's a hero.
And in Kansas City, Missouri, you know him, you love him. Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel is back. The wave-riding rodent -- wave-riding rodent -- he donned a stars-and-stripes cape at the Kansas City boat show. Very perennial favorite was a big draw, as usual. I'll let that play out for you. Remember that from "Anchorman"? "Anchorman." Did somebody put a question mark in --
OK, for admirers of President John F. Kennedy, an entire building with Kennedy documents, photos and video, now right at your fingertips. The 50th anniversary of JFK's inauguration is Thursday. And to celebrate, his presidential library has released more than 200,000 documents online, including drafts of every speech Kennedy delivered, tens of thousands of official White House photographs, video of his presidential news conferences. You can find the link to the archive at CNN.com/don. Link to those archives, CNN.com/don. Also in time for the 50th anniversary, a CNN exclusive, personal Kennedy moments never before seen. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEYA MORGAN, KENNEDY COLLECTOR: Oh, oh, oh, this is really important. This is one of my favorites because of the profile, whole profile situation with John Kennedy. This is really beautiful. I think he would want this. Look at that profile view. That's John-John, President Kennedy and Caroline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Collector and filmmaker, Kia Morgan, unveils photos of JFK and his family that have been stored away for decades. Tonight at 7:00 p.m. here on CNN, see these newly revealed photos of Caroline, John Jr, President Kennedy, and much, much more. Can't way to see that.
Dangerous and deadly flooding affecting two of the world's biggest countries, Australia and Brazil, hoping for relief as the waters continue to rise.
And a military widow is being asked to give back insurance money she received after her husband's death because she remarried. But is the military playing fair here? Well, we'll let you decide. That's straight ahead on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This is really unbelievable. We've been paying attention here to the Arizona shooting, but this has been happening overseas. Heart- pounding video out of Brisbane, Australia, a yacht sinking in the flooded Brisbane River. The owner was briefly dragged under water but managed to get to the surface. He was rescued with only minor injuries. Can you believe it? This is what happened right here. After days of enduring heavy flooding, the current proved too much for the yacht's mooring and it broke loose. Underwater debris punched a hole in the hull and it quickly went down.
At least 16 people have died in Australia's catastrophic flooding, many more are missing. As flood waters recede, CNN's Phil Black says survivors return to find their homes and property filled with thick muck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what people across Brisbane are dealing with in their homes right now, mud and silt so thick it grabs onto your boots as you try to walk through it.
This is one of the houses in the streets that we visited the other day when the water was already right up. And you can see here from the outside, the water was all the way up to the roof and beyond. You get an even better sense when you look inside. Come on through.
They've already made a bit of progress here in cleaning up. Everywhere, mud, water.
This was the living room. They've already started tearing up carpet over here.
And when you walk in here and look up, this is where you get the best sense of just how the water was. Came all the way up to the ceiling. There is water damage to the ceiling and actually beyond it, as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Australia is not the only place dealing with deadly floods. Parts of Brazil have been devastated. Authorities report at least 549 deaths so far. Here you can see a line of cars buried in deep mud. Hardest hit is a mountainous area north of Rio de Janeiro. The rain was so heavy one resident says it was as if a tsunami fell from the sky. Many of the deaths were from the mountainsides giving way there, sending tons of mud and boulders crashing down on homes and villages.
I cannot believe the video I'm looking at, Meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras. It's terrible, terrible condition.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It is horrible. About 500 people have died. Still a lot of people missing. It's my understanding that a lot of these smaller villages -- you know, these people live in poverty. So the buildings aren't very well constructed. and it doesn't take a lot for some of these mudslides to wash them down the hill. That's exactly what's been going on.
We do have flooding concerns here in the U.S. And we could even see mudslides and landslides here in the Pacific Northwest.
I want to show you some pictures that we have, taken about an hour ago in the Portland, Oregon, area. We'll show you that the rain has been coming down here. It's been a very wet and very active week. And we've been seeing storm system after storm system pull into the area. Yet, here comes another one. This is all coupled on top of record warmth yesterday. So we've got the low elevation snow melt going on, on top of it. We're talking about the potential, between now and Monday, between one and three inches of rainfall into the valleys, four to six inches into the mountains. So the river's already very, very full here and flood watches in effect across the area, food warnings on some of the rivers in the Seattle area. We think those will start to go higher in the upcoming days. So this will be a big concern.
And, yes, we have a lot of mountains out there, so we could see things start to slide.
Here's some of the record temperatures. This is really incredible, just from yesterday. We were looking at upper 50s to lower 60s. While the West is warm and wet, we have been dealing with that bitter cold across many parts of the east. Some of that cold air continues to blow over the warmer lake water, so the lake-effect snow machines continue to be cranking in this area. We've had some very heavy squalls. Up to a foot can be expected off Lake Ontario, in particular. A little bit of lighter snow with lesser amounts into Buffalo.
But this deep chill that we've been seeing across the east has been gradually warming up. The pattern is going to keep everybody near or below average, at least for the next couple of weeks.
So, Don, for you and me, for example, it's a real slow thaw in the Atlanta area. Still lots of ice out there.
LEMON: Yes. Talk about two different things, right? Yesterday, I went to the boat show here in Atlanta.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: OK, you saw Twiggy, the water-skiing squirrel.
LEMON: Yes. No, I went to the boat show. You wouldn't think you'd be thinking about boats in this weather. But I'll tell you why. The question is, are Americans ready to spend again and spend big? We'll take you to the boat show in Atlanta to gaze your appetite. That is next here on CNN.
And did President Ronald Reagan have Alzheimer's while he was still president? His former advisors don't agree with a family member.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We'll check your top stories right now on CNN. An intense manhunt is underway this hour for a man suspected of killing a New Jersey police officer. Police say Lakewood Office Christopher Matlosz was shot at point-blank range Friday as he questioned a man from his patrol car. At a news conference last hour, authorities identified the gunman as 19-year-old Jahmall Crockam.
I spoke with the Ocean County prosecutor just a few minutes ago and she described how police believe the shooting happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARLENE LYNCH FORD, OCEAN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: From our investigation so far, it appears that Officer Matlosz was conducting a routine patrol stop. He stopped to talk to this pedestrian, the pedestrian who we believe was the defendant, Jamel Crockam. And for reasons that are only known by the defendant now, he stepped back and opened fire. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Of course, we'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest developments as they happen.
A glimpse into the mind of the alleged Safeway shooter from the man himself. Jared Loughner's former college released this video to "The los Angeles Times" after a public records request. It's a rant-filled tour of the Pima Community College Campus, reportedly shot and narrated by Loughner. Police records show this was one of the reasons the school suspended him in September.
Doctors had to amputate the leg of one of Hollywood's original blond bombshells. Zsa Zsa Gabor is recovering at UCLA Medical Center. Surgeons removed the limb Friday because of a deep lesion that was resisting antibiotics. Her husband says he did not tell the 93-year- old actress she was going to the hospital for an amputation. Gabor has been in and out of the hospital for the last several months.
If the rich are opening their wallets again, that may be good for all of us. That's the thinking behind published reports this week that the wealthy are spending more money on luxury items these days, another possible sign that the economy is on the mend.
Take boat sales, for example. They took a hit when the recession arrived. And we went to the Atlanta boat show this week to talk to people who are thinking about buying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: People can afford boats now?
LARRY BERRYMAN, ATLANTA BOAT SHOW: There's a boat for everybody.
LEMON: And people are buying them?
BERRYMAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. The show opened and half a dozen dealers posted four or five sales each, so we got off to a great start. It's just a reflection. I think the economy, like you said, is coming back slowly.
LEMON: Even in this economy, you're going to buy a boat? Is it for family?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's for family and friends.
LEMON: Why do you feel that day, instead of taking a long vacation or something?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went on a cruise last month and it wasn't quite as long, but with a boat, you can go out every weekend and spend time with it.
LEMON: What kind of boats are selling?
BERRYMAN: Pontoon boats, ski boats, center consoles, jet boats, tow boats, a little bit of everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want it, you're going to get it. That's the bottom line.
LEMON: How is the industry doing overall now?
BERRYMAN: A little better than last year. In general, the 2011 outlook looks much brighter than 18 months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had a phenomenal year, especially with the higher end products.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing better than being on the water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motor home industry and the boating industry is what barometers we're using. When both of those pick up, you see an uptick in the economy and we're seeing that in the R.V. industry at this particular time.
LEMON: You're upgrading?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I want to. Let's put it that way.
LEMON: Can I come hang out with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: He wants to keep his boat all to himself. In other news, a congressman is trying to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. If he gets his way, not even the president's signature would be enough to make it law. Just one of the stories hot off the Political Ticker we're going to tell you about.
Also, she lost both hands in the Haiti earthquake. Now she's overcoming her tragedy by helping others. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reunites with her.
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LEMON: This week marked the one-year anniversary since an earthquake nearly leveled Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. One survivor, who was trapped under the rubble for five days, has found a way to take her own near-tragic story and turn it into a triumph. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story in this week's "Human Factor."
(HUMAN FACTOR)
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LEMON: Going to check now your Political Ticker. And another potential road block to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Even though legislation repealing the ban on gays serving openly in the military was passed last month, a draft bill by California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter could derail it. Hunter's bill would require the heads of all four branches of the service to sign off on the repeal before it could be implemented. The bill may be introduced in the House next week.
Party politics now. New Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, headed to a congressional retreat today in Baltimore, where he told Republican members of Congress that he's eager to earn their trust. Priebus had been serving as chairman of Wisconsin's state Republican Party. He won the national party chairmanship yesterday in the seventh round of voting, defeating incumbent chairman, Michael Steele.
Former White House aides are disputing a claim by President Reagan's son that he showed signs of Alzheimer's disease while in office. Ron Reagan made the claim in a new book. It's out next week. It's called, "My Father at 100." Among those disputing the claims, Reagan chief of staff, Ken Duberstein, and Reagan cabinet member, Bill Bennett, and Reagan communications director, David Gergen. Duberstein said he thinks young Reagan, quote, "is mostly in the business of trying to sell books."
Should a military widow return money she received from her late husband's insurance policy because she remarries? I want you to hear Freda Green's story and I want you to decide.
Also ahead, Rapper 50 Cent is investing in stocks. Not big news by itself. Wait until you hear what he did that's raising a few eyebrows.
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LEMON: Rapper 50 Cents is adding stock picking to his portfolio, but he's running into some potential trouble. Last weekend, he promoted a penny stock on Twitter. It's called H&H Imports. Moneywatch.com points out that 50 Cent owns about 13 percent of the company and after his tweet the stock price jumped more than 200 percent. Of course, promoting a stock that you already own risks violating securities laws, which are designed to keep insiders from privately dumping a stock while they promote it publicly. 50 Cent later tweeted that investors should do their homework because, in his words, the stock may or may not be right for you. We're going to follow that.
Try to wrap your head around this one. A military widow is being required to give back money she received from a Pentagon insurance policy after her husband died because she remarried. CNN's Martin Savage sat down with her.
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FREDA GREEN, TO RETURN INSURANCE MONEY: -- to 2010.
MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 2003, Freda Green got a $41,000 check in the mail from the military. She thought a mistake?
(on camera): You thought it was a mistake, didn't you? GREEN: Yes. Then I called Air Force finance and they said, no, that's your money.
SAVAGE (voice-over): The military assured Freda the money was owed her after the death of her 81-year-old husband. The Pentagon said that Gerald Strobel (ph) died of a medical condition linked to his 34 years in the Air Force. The money was Gerald's way of looking out for his wife after he was gone.
Then, last November, Green got another letter from the military she couldn't believe. They wanted their money back.
(on camera): Do you have $41,486?
GREEN: You going to loan it to me? No, I don't have that money.
SAVAGE (voice-over): What happened? Green got married.
The process is really complicated, but the bottom line is Green's husband paid into an insurance policy over his military career. When he died, the government refunded those payments to Freda. Now it wants the refund back, because she started getting a second benefit after she remarried at the age of 74.
(on camera): So what do you think of all this?
GREEN: You want me to be nice?
SAVAGE: Language acceptable on television.
(LAUGHTER)
GREEN: I'm not very happy.
SAVAGE (voice-over): Green's not alone. Estimates are some 57,000 widows are being told to repay the government, much to the anger of veterans organizations.
NORB RYAN, RETIRED REAR ADMIRAL, MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA: Here we are taxing the group that has done the most for this country. And if I were in the Pentagon, I'd be awfully embarrassed about this situation.
SAVAGE: Fixing the problem is estimated to cost $600 million a year, something Florida Senator Bill Nelson says the government should pay, just as it did for planes, guns, and war in general.
SEN. BILL NELSON, (R), FLORIDA: A cost of war is taking care of the families, the widows and the orphans.
SAVAGE: Martin Savage, CNN, Tampa, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We should tell you this. The Pentagon would not comment on Freda Green's case. But in previous congressional testimony, Pentagon officials have opposed eliminating the duel payment because they believe it would create an inequity. They say some spouses would receive two benefits while others would receive only one.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for joining us this hour. I'll see you back here one hour from now with more, much more on those documents and pictures from JFK, John F. Kennedy's presidency, revealed for the first time right here on CNN.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer begins right now.
