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Bomb Threat at California School; 9/11 Cancer Link?; Three Storms Forming in Atlantic; Parents of 9/11 Victim Run Foundation; Stockpiles of Weapons Missing in Libya; Republican Leaders Comment on Congressional Super Committee
Aired September 07, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to all of you.
I want to begin with this breaking story here out of Southern California. Take a look at this mass evacuation that's been under way at San Clemente High School. Teachers and students have been filling that football field there on campus. A text message from the school informed students and parents that the sheriff's officers in Orange County, they have been investigating a bomb threat.
But here's where the story takes a bizarre turn. Our affiliate in California as well as the "L.A. Times," they're all reporting that an AWOL Marine from nearby Camp Pendleton left a threatening note behind in his barracks. That's what tipped off the authorities to go to the high school, evacuate these students and faculty members and inspect some of the buildings there.
The evacuation started just in the last hour or so. We have been watching as the kids have been filling the outdoor areas. But I have been told that they're now moving inside. Apparently, it's very, very hot in the L.A. area today. So they're moving inside towards the gym, deemed a safe zone. I have been talking to parents just in the last couple of minute on social media who say they have kids at the school and they say their students report calm on the football field.
Couple of developments now out of the deadly shooting at that Nevada . First, 911 calls received during the shooting have now been released and people who are in the National Guard are being ordered not to wear their uniforms in public. That order follows yesterday's shooting at that Carson City IHOP restaurant. In total, 11 people were shot. Five are now dead, including three members of the National Guard, also a civilian and a shooting suspect who apparently turned the gun on himself.
I want to play for you one of those 911 calls. You can actually hear the shooting in the background.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Carson 911. What's the address of your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's IHOP. There's a shooting going on, multiple shooting.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: Shooting where?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the IHOP.
911 OPERATOR: In the IHOP?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the IHOP?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Automatic weapons. IHOP. Get there right now. Automatic weapons.
911 OPERATOR: (INAUDIBLE) inside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) We saw one guy going in. Now he's coming back out with a gun and he's shooting people in the parking lot. It's an automatic weapon. Run and get out of there. Move.
911 OPERATOR: (INAUDIBLE)
(GUNFIRE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's shooting at us now.
911 OPERATOR: OK. All right. (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Automatic weapons.
911 OPERATOR: Automatic weapons, like long weapons or...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one guy with an automatic weapon. And he's shooting everybody.
911 OPERATOR: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't -- a red shirt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting at a restaurant.
911 OPERATOR: OK. So we have officers on the way, all right?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Frightening.
I want to bring in Thelma Gutierrez. She's been following the shooting for us from Los Angeles.
Thelma, I know you have listened to a couple of these different 911 calls. You can actually hear -- you can hear the gunfire. THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke. They're absolutely chilling.
I just talked to Sheriff Furlong, who was -- he's the sheriff of Carson City, he's been the sheriff for eight years. He told me that he was the second person to arrive on that scene. He held the first victim, a woman who was shot in the head. He described the scene as horrific, something that he had never experienced before, Brooke. He said it looked like a bloodbath, that many of the victims were -- quote -- "butchered where they sat."
BALDWIN: Let's listen to the sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN FURLONG, CARSON CITY SHERIFF: While numerous Guardsmen were obviously attacked, an equal number of civilians were similarly assaulted. Therefore, we cannot conclude at this time that our military forces were being specifically targeted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Thelma, let me just follow up with this question. If they can't conclusively say, yes, these members of the National Guard were targeted, yet they're also saying hold off on wearing your uniforms, what is the final decision on this? Or is it still just under investigation?
GUTIERREZ: Well, Brooke, the sheriff told us that this case is under investigation. But he said that based on what he saw, he believes that since he was firing at everyone from civilians that he encountered on his way into the restaurant to the 10 people that he shot inside, including a civilian in a wheelchair, he says it didn't look at all to him like the gunman was making a distinction between those in uniform and those who were civilians.
BALDWIN: I know some of the photos are now being released of those National Guard members who were shot and killed. I want to play -- here they are. I also want to play some more sound, what a general in the Nevada National Guard said today and then we will talk about who these people were.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. BILL BURKES, NEVADA NATIONAL GUARD: In a few short hours, we lost the same number of soldiers we lost in the entirety operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. So it hit real hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Very tough for Carson City, Thelma. What do you know about these three individuals?
GUTIERREZ: Well, I can tell you that this is something that's being felt not only here, but across the world. The National Guard has a very large presence, Brooke, in Carson City. It's one of the largest employers in the area. And so there's this tremendous sense of loss, not only to the local community as I said, but also to National Guard troops who are stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Two of those who were killed were recent veterans of those wars, they were husbands and fathers. And the sheriff called this one of the most devastating attacks in the history of Carson City.
BALDWIN: Of course, a piece of this is, why? We know now the shooting suspect, he's 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion had no prior record. But his family has said he has a history of mental illness. His family seemed shocked. I want to just play a brief part of an interview Sencion's brother gave our affiliate KOVR.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: He wasn't targeting National Guard people, right?
GILBERTO SENCION, BROTHER OF GUNMAN: No. No. Very sorry for what he did, you know.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: You guys had no indication he was going to do this?
SENCION: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, Thelma, what more do we know about Sencion, about his medical health history and then how in the world he got his hands on a gun -- guns?
GUTIERREZ: Yes. Well, that's a very, very good question, Brooke. Family members did say that Sencion had a history of mental illness since he was 16 years old, which does beg the question that you raised. How did he get his hands on so much firepower?
Well, according to the sheriff in this circumstance, he says, Sencion had he legitimately tried to purchase an automatic weapon which is by the way legal in Nevada with a federal firearms license, the sheriff says he would have likely been denied based on his mental health past.
But they believe that this gun was acquired illegally. ATF, Brooke, is investigating how exactly Sencion got his hands on the weapons. At this point, that investigation is ongoing. Lots of people asking that question.
BALDWIN: We will follow up. Thelma Gutierrez, thank you very much.
I have Howard MacDonald on the phone with me calling in from Carson City. He was about to eat breakfast at this restaurant when the shooting began.
And, Howard, I understand you were with your wife, your daughter, your great grandkids, you're giving your breakfast order to the waitress and then what did you hear next?
HOWARD MACDONALD, EYEWITNESS: Well, we were sitting there eating breakfast and we were waiting for our second granddaughter to come in with the other great grandkids.
And we decided to go ahead and have our menu taken. And so she took our order and just about the time she took our order, we heard the pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And all of a sudden I saw my wife get underneath the table and my daughter had called her, mom, get underneath the table, so I got underneath the table with them.
And the shooting stopped at that time. So I got up and wanted to help my wife out of the building because somebody from one of the other tables from Charter Communications had opened the back door and said, everybody out. Everybody out. So I went on out. And as I started to go out, I looked around I saw the man in the main lobby.
BALDWIN: So you actually laid eyes -- you laid eyes on this man? You saw this man, this Mr. Sencion?
(CROSSTALK)
MACDONALD: Yes, I did. And he had an AK-47 in his hand pointing towards the front of the building in which he had come in. I just nonchalantly walked out and went over with my family across the street to McDonald's.
BALDWIN: How did he appear, sir? And was he saying anything? Was he yelling anything at anyone specific?
MACDONALD: No. At that point in time he had stopped the shooting. And I could see there was a gentleman on the floor and he was telling other people what had happened.
And then I saw a lady which had slumped over on the table. And I find out later she was the one who was in the line of fire and when she got it, and she got hit in the head and she was laying on the table. And then there was a couple other gentlemen over in that room that had knelt down with a couple I guess of the servicemen that had been shot.
BALDWIN: We have reached out to this particular restaurant and this restaurant told us that there were, despite the horrific details that you're outlining, they say that there were many act of heroism from many, many persons. Can you elaborate? Did you see anyone jump in and try to help, try to grab the shooter or the gun?
MACDONALD: Well, there was other people running around trying to help and et cetera.
And at that point in time, I decided to go on out, which I did. And I got across the street and my wife has heart problems and she got over there. And I followed her. And she says, oh, I forgot my purse and I need my medication. I said, well, I will go back over there and get your purse, which I did.
BALDWIN: You went back in the restaurant? MACDONALD: I went back in the restaurant, got her purse and got my wife's shoes and got my daughter's shoes and walked back out. And then that was the end of it for right then.
BALDWIN: Where did the gunman go? Did you see where he left?
MACDONALD: I assume that he went to the front of the building. At that point in time he probably went out because he probably saw all the sheriffs were coming. And so I guess he must have gone outside and then turned the gun on himself.
BALDWIN: That's right. Howard, how is your family holding up?
MACDONALD: Well, my wife's had a real tough time. I kind of had to hold her tight all night long while she slept because she was shaking and all she could hear was those gunshot wounds going off all the time.
So it's been pretty tough with her. And then of course, my daughter, she's had problem. And then my granddaughter-in-law with my great grandkids were there, and she saw the bullet or saw the bullet come through the glass and there was glass splattering all over the area and it got over on her and over on my great-grand-baby too. So that was kind of -- made everybody kind of shook up.
BALDWIN: Absolutely horrendous. I'm glad you're OK. Howard MacDonald, thank you so much for calling in.
MACDONALD: You're welcome.
BALDWIN: We will get you a little bit more on the breaking story out of California, word of a bomb threat at a score in Orange County. Students, they evacuated. They were filling into this football field there on campus.
A threat came in from a missing Marine. And a mother whose son is there has just called in. We will find out what he's telling her. Breaking news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, want to follow up on our breaking news here out of Orange County, California.
I have Elke Hinze on the phone. She is the mother of a son who attends San Clemente High School.
And just briefly, if you're just joining us, members of -- authorities in Southern California I should say in Orange County are investigating a possible bomb threat in some of the building at campus. According to reports, an AWOL Marine at nearby Camp Pendleton left behind some sort of threatening note. That's what provoked authorities to investigate.
So, Elke, to you. Let's just begin with your son. Is he OK? Where is he right now? ELKE HINZE, MOTHER: He's OK. I just spoke with him a few minutes ago. And they were out on the football field, evacuated all the students. But he told me that they were starting to move them into the gym at the time that I was speaking with him.
BALDWIN: And they're moving them into the gym. It's amazing. I have been getting information from you and another father via Twitter just before I got up here. And he was saying it's just so hot out there in Orange County right now, perhaps they were just worried about the temperatures, therefore they're going from the football field to the gym.
What has the school told you with regard to this possible threat?
HINZE: The school -- we received a couple of automated messages from the school just saying that they received a bomb threat and that they have evacuated the students. They said that everyone is safe at the moment and that they would provide us with further updates. They also said for any parents do not go to the school because traffic and everything is really crazy down there now because of the possible bomb threat.
BALDWIN: I'm glad you brought that up.
Let me just read something we got from San Clemente High School. Actually this is from their Web site. And this is just something for parents, as Elke mentioned. "At the direction of the sheriff's officers, the entire San Clemente High School staff and student body evacuated after it was inspected and declared safe. Parents and other community members are asked not to go to the school at this time. Security personnel and officers are guarding the stadium and prohibiting entry into campus," possibly also just creating just a safety perimeter to make sure they go all through the buildings and appropriate locations just to make sure it's safe for parents to come.
Your son, what grade is he in, Elke?
HINZE: He's a sophomore. He's in 10th grade.
BALDWIN: He's a sophomore. So how long, how long has he been evacuated?
HINZE: I think he said that it's been -- he thought it was only like an hour. But then someone else said it was more like three. I thought they had sent them outside around 10:00. It sounds like maybe it was around 9:00.
BALDWIN: And this is day one of school, isn't it?
HINZE: Yes. Yes. Very first day.
BALDWIN: And by the looks of some of these pictures, I have been watching some of the aerial footage of all these young women and young men on the football field. It's a lot of students. Do you know how many students are in the high school?
HINZE: There's approximately 3,200 students at the high school.
BALDWIN: Thirty-two hundred students. And overall, in your texting and phone call exchanges with your son, are these students for the most part pretty calm?
HINZE: Yes. He said that everyone is just kind of -- they're hanging out. They're playing Frisbee and skateboarding and just talking. He said no one is freaked out or scared or panicking or anything.
BALDWIN: Well, that is a good thing. What a way to spend your first day back to school evacuated for fears of a bomb threat.
Obviously we're making phone calls to see if we can confirm some of these reports from our local affiliates and "The L.A. Times" as well.
Elke, thank you very much. If you hear anything further, give us a call and let us know. All right? Thank you so much for tweeting with me and hopping on live TV with me.
HINZE: Sounds good. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Well, they were the first to arrive, the last to leave. Some of their medical bills won't ever be covered. And many of them have not been invited to the memorial at Ground Zero this upcoming weekend. Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with some of the firefighters of 9/11. For them, the terror is in the dust.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The images from 9/11 are almost frozen in our minds. Who could forget where you were on that Tuesday 10 years ago?
But how often do you think about all those first-responders who rushed into the chaos? It turns out many of them became sick. And some experts say that that number will grow, especially those with cancer.
Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta spent the last year investigating all their myriad of health problems. His documentary "Terror in the Dust" premieres tonight 11:00 Eastern.
Sanjay Gupta in New York for us.
And, Sanjay, cancer, I know it's a controversial topic when we talk about some of these first-responder. How big of a problem is it?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, it's probably the beginning of what some say could be the tip of the iceberg. A new study out just over the last couple of weeks, Brooke, as you probably know, showed a 19 percent increased risk of developing cancer for a certain population.
These are first-responders who worked for the fire department. They were there, they were breathing in a lot of the same stuff that people knew this they were breathing in for some time. But 10 years, even though that seems like a long time, it's a short time in the world of science. What happens at 15 years, what happens at 20 years? But even more to the point, Brooke, is that if you talk to people like we have over the last year, people who work for the fire department and the police department, there are so many new cases of cancer among young people, that they develop these cancer clubs, if you can imagine that, Brooke, where they actually get together to talk about what is happening to them. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERNIE VALLEBUONA, FIRST RESPONDER TO GROUND ZERO: One of my friends, he's a captain. He had multiple myeloma. Another lieutenant who worked in vice with me, he has the same lymphoma I have. The same exact kind.
GUPTA: How many people just off the top of your head can you think of that fall into that pattern, blood cancer?
Vajpayee: There are so many, I hear, every month there are a couple more.
GUPTA: Every month?
VALLEBUONA: Yes.
DR. JACQUELINE MOLINE, WTC MEDICAL MONITORING PROGRAM: We do know there were carcinogens in there, even in the dust there were carcinogens. The question is how long does it take for people to develop cancers after they have been exposed to these compounds?
GUPTA (voice-over): It's a question that science has struggled to answer. But Ernie Vallebuona has no doubt. He believes there's a connection between his cancer and the dust.
VALLEBUONA: I firmly believe that.
GUPTA: It's a tough thing to prove, isn't it?
VALLEBUONA: Oh, sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: I saw on the interview he had that jar of the dust. I don't know if you have it with you there. But that's actually the Ground Zero dust. And what is it in that stuff that could be -- there it is -- that could be making these people so sick?
GUPTA: Well, it's a -- let me tell you, first of all, one of the responders that held this, Brooke, I remember when I gave to him during the documentary, he became quite emotional. And he said this is probably the most dangerous substance I have ever held.
It just gives you an idea just how visceral this is to some people who lived through this. It is a wholly unique substance because it was just this force-together amalgamation of various chemicals, benzene, asbestos, titanium, cement, all these things put together and now being analyzed. It has been analyzed over the last several years trying to figure out what about it could lead to all these various health problems.
And let just me add one thing, Brooke, that was quite striking. And that is that if you look at the images, in the first 48 hours or so, there were a lot of volatile compounds as well in the air that people breathed in, but then simply evaporated. And that's relevant, Brooke, because that was never able to be captured like this dust. So we still don't know the full extent of what people were breathing in at that time.
BALDWIN: So even though that's unknown, what we know is that there's this whole -- there's a movement, there's a push to add medical coverage for first-responders with cancer, which then begs the question, cancer isn't already covered?
GUPTA: I know. And that's a common response that we have gotten as we have been working on this. And the answer is, yes, it's not covered. And even as recently as July, just about a month-and-a-half ago, it was reevaluated. And again the decision was made not to cover cancer as part of what is known as the Zadroga bill, which provides health compensation for people who got sick.
So it's quite controversial. It's quite contentious. Even today there's a petition being signed on this very issue. And the study that we're talking about that showed this association is going to be one of the studies that a lot of people point to and say, but, look, there is an association. This is why we got sick and we should get benefits. This is going to be an ongoing discussion I think, Brooke, for some time.
BALDWIN: You have been talking to these people, as you said, for the last year. Sanjay, thank you.
Let's let everyone know when we can watch your doctor, which is tonight, 11:00 Eastern.
GUPTA: Tonight.
BALDWIN: This full investigation into this health fallout, it includes rare never-before-seen footage of the aftermath. He's calling it "Terror in the Dust," as I said, 11:00 Eastern time. Tune in to CNN's live coverage of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.
Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.
Developing right now, a plane carrying a hockey team takes off and crashes, then explodes into a fireball. Dozens are dead, including former NHL players. We're now learning who was on board that plane.
Plus, Moammar Gadhafi is still in hiding, but surfacing today, never- before-seen home video. We will tell when you this was shot and what a spokesman is now saying about Gadhafi's health.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Checking some of your top stories now. A plane carrying professional hockey players from several different countries crashed in Russia today, killing a total of 43. Here is the wreckage. Tough to believe. Two people on board did manage to survive that crash. Officials say the plane slammed into the airport beacon during takeoff and caught fire.
Among those killed, Brad McCrimmon, former NHL player and assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. The NHL commissioner calling the crash -- quote -- "a catastrophic loss to the hockey world."
And a rare look into the private life of Moammar Gadhafi. Take a look here. We will show you some home video from 2005. It shows a completely different side of the longtime ousted Libyan leader. He appears to be here doting, playful grandfather, a far cry from the man who ruled Libya for 42 years with an iron fist. Still no word on where Gadhafi may be hiding, right now, but an audio message from his spokesperson says he's in excellent health.
And some welcome news from the White House today for the United States Postal Service. The Obama administration says it is working on plans to save the cash-strapped agency from defaulting on a $5.5 billion benefits payment by giving it an extra three months to pay up. Postmaster general speaking this morning on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" talking about what the Postal Service wants to do to fix the money crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK DONAHOE, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: We're also making some internal changes in our networks that will save us about $5 billion. Our goal is to get profitable over the next three years, pay down our debt and get our finances stabilized going forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And to D.C. -- a crane collapsing at Washington's National Cathedral. The crane was set up just to repair some of the damage caused by Hurricane Irene not too long ago.
Firefighters responded to reports of a crane collapsing on cars, nearby cars by the cathedral this morning. No reports of injuries. President Obama scheduled to speak at the Cathedral this upcoming Sunday to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary.
And one, two, three -- three, really, storms in the tropics? Chad Myers is here. Where do we even begin?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We lost Lee.
BALDWIN: We lost Lee. So we're on Katia, Maria, and --
MYERS: Nate.
BALDWIN: Why are we still talking about Katia?
MYERS: Because it just developed so far in the Atlantic and it's still out there. It hasn't hit anything yet. Lee came on shore right away and died. We lost the L. We still M, the Maria. We don't have Nate yet, but it's on its way.
BALDWIN: OK, where is Maria?
MYERS: Let's get turned to the right, it will be a gutter ball like Irene was kind of. But Katia was going to be another gutter ball. The bigger story, I think, is going to be Nate, maybe, I think. I hope Nate does something good, the inverse of what Lee did. Lee went that way, brought al that wind to Texas and fanned those fires and burned all those homes. If we can get some of this moisture up into Texas rather than that way that, would at least alleviate a lot of the drought conditions. It wouldn't stop it.
Here's Katia still going to turn off to the right. A gutter ball missing Bermuda and the U.S. although three days from now, hurricane season gets to its peak on September 10th. On average over 100 years, there have been 100 storms on average, one storm per year on September 10th. We may have three to add to that total. But there's the peak and it goes down rapidly all the way down. But not ending until the end of November.
So we still have a lot of warm water out there. There's Katia making the big gutter ball run around to the right. Looks like a -- that looks like my golf swing. Friday, Saturday into Sunday. Well into the north Atlantic and finally dying. Maria is a little more sinister track. It is farther to the south than where Katia was but is still forecast by the lock longer term models to turn to the right. When it gets to Turks and Caicos and Bahamas, I start to get a little bit anxious. So we'll see. Still five days from there.
BALDWIN: Little anxious. And with Nate I just want to shove Nate into Texas give them the rain. We know they need it, Chad Myers. Thank you very much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
BALDWIN: Now, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN: Our youngest child was murdered on September 11th.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Murdered?
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN: Murdered. On his death certificate the cause of death is homicide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: A young man, 25 years old of age, didn't even work at the World Trade Center, just happened to be there at a conference when terrorists attacked on 9/11, 2001. His family turned their grief into a message, one the entire world is hearing. Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman are good enough to join me live and tell me their story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know what, it is possible to build something lasting and meaningful out of the horrendous legacy that 9/11 left all of us. Two people who lost their son did precisely that. They started the Peter C. Alderman foundation to help survivors recover from war, from terrorism, from tragedy.
These parents you're about to see here, they call it the perfect memorial to their son. They are Elizabeth and Dr. Stephen Alderman joining me from New York. Thank you both very much for coming on and talking to me. Let me just direct this first question to you, Mrs. Alderman. Your son peter was 25 when he was killed, when he was murdered on 9/11. You found this amazing way to honor his life. Who does the Peter C. Alderman foundation help specifically?
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN, CO-FOUNDER, PETER C. ALDERMAN FOUNDATION: It helps victims of mass violence, terrorism, war, genocide. We work in countries where there is no help available. Excuse me. We do very little work in the United States because help is available here. But we work in Uganda, we work in Rwanda, we're starting in Liberia. We work in Cambodia where people have gone through experience that is no living person should see. And there is no mental health help for these people.
BALDWIN: I mean, that's it. It's the mental health. It's these, as you talk about these invisible wounds that these people carry. To be more specific, I know you're helping to teach indigenous physicians and the care-givers within Rwanda and the countries, Cambodia, how to care for survivors of mass terrorism. You're also opening mental health clinics. Can you speak about the invisible wound and the threat that all these different people have in common, perhaps including yourselves?
STEPHEN ALDERMAN, CO-FOUNDER, PETER C. ALDERMAN FOUNDATION: When people experience things that they shouldn't experience, such as watching a husband murdered, having a child die in their arms, being raped, it makes them depressed and it gives them post-traumatic stress disorder and it keeps them from functioning.
And when that happens, they become helpless and they descend usually into poverty. They are often in a post conflict low resource country, and they have no way to either dig themselves or their country out of this terrible situation.
So what we do is to restore this. We know that with proper treatment that 90 percent of them can be returned to functioning. We don't deal with happiness. This is not Park Avenue. We deal with functioning.
BALDWIN: This is something you and I were talking about at the commercial break. I saw the trailer. And I just want to play a quick clip. This is of this -- your story, one of several featured in this documentary produced by Sean Penn. It's called "Love, Hate, Love." It's the lives of the three families sort of torn by terrorism. But it's also about moving forward. Let's watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN ALDERMAN: The problem with mass violence is that it massively traumatizes individuals and traumatizes massively, that is affects a whole society. All right, if you look at the incidence of people that have suffered something that are over five or six years of age, it's 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Mrs. Alderman, you say in the documentary as a parent when you lose your child, you have two options. You said you kill yourself or you put one foot in front of the other. Is that still a conscious effort for you each day, putting one foot in front of the other in front of the other?
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN: Absolutely. I think the work of the foundation has helped me function at a very high level, though. You can't stay in bed. I mean, I have to be up. I have to get to the computer. I can't cry. You get the keys wet and you can't see the screen.
And one of the things that we try so hard to tell people when they're looking for support for the foundation, people say why are you dealing with mental health? Mental health is something that is so much further down the list of priorities when you're talking about horrible diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria, water that isn't potable. We believe that if people don't care whether they live or die, they won't be able to follow the difficult drug regimens. They're not going to bother to put bed nets down at night.
We saw people in Uganda, people sell bed nets to people making wedding gowns or to fishermen for catching fish. They're not going to walk that extra mile for potable water. So we believe that restoring these people to function and to hope is terribly, terribly important.
BALDWIN: I know. I can tell that this is a labor of love for both of you. This is a 24/7 thing. Final question to either of you -- what will you be doing this upcoming Sunday?
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN: We will not be down at ground zero. We have never gone down there. Not that there's anything the matter with it, but our grief is something that's very private. We'll be at home with the rest of our family.
STEPHEN ALDERMAN: And we'll be working on the foundation.
(LAUGHTER)
ELIZABETH ALDERMAN: We always are.
BALDWIN: Elizabeth, Dr. Stephen Alderman, I thank you both very, very much.
STEPHEN ALDERMAN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: And let's just pass along the Web site. If you're watching to see what they've been doing the last ten or so years. You can go to the PeterCAldermanfoundation.org.
In a moment here, we'll go back to California where new details are eking out on that search for a missing member of the U.S. military who could be behind today's bomb threat at a huge high school there in Orange County.
Also, we're getting word a dangerous stash of missiles in Libya missing, missiles designed to take out plane, choppers and drones. And weapons looting grows, fear about possible terror strikes. Ben Wedeman is standing by. We'll go live to Libya next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Surface-to-air missiles, mortars, artillery rounds, thousands of them are missing in Libya. CNN team and also Human Rights Watch found dozens of empty crates in this huge warehouse in Tripoli. At least 20,000 surface-to-air missiles are gone from all over the country. They're designed to target frontline aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, drones. Much the main concern among several is that these weapons could end up in the hand of either Al Qaeda or Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was sold by the Russians in 2004. This is box 84 of 241 boxes. So that means this 482 of these missiles. And this is the missile that America has been trying to keep out of the hands of the Iranians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Let's go to Ben Wedeman live in Tripoli. Ben, I saw the pictures you were tweeting. The empty warehouses, two questions off the top. First the weapon, what are they capable of and how much can one make on one of these surface-to-air missiles on the black market?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the black market, to answer the second half of that question, it's not altogether clear, but probably hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, these weapons are shoulder launched. They have arranged some of them, the sa-24, which is the most advanced Russian surface-to-air missile, has a range of 11,000 feet, which means you can easily take out an aircraft coming in for instance to land or take off.
And they're not these SA24s, they're SA14s and SA7s. And one of the missiles, for instance, was used to try to shoot down an Israeli jet in Mombasa, Kenya in late 2002 and just barely missed. These missiles are extremely accurate.
And that gentleman you were showing before from Human Rights Watch told me that -- I've been with him through much of this conflict. He said that every time they would come to a newly liberated town, the first thing that was looted from the armories was these surface-to-air missiles.
Now, we've been really hounding the officials from the national transitional council, the de facto government here in Tripoli, to find out what they know about the destiny, where did these missiles show up. They're completely stumped, quite taken aback by the fact that this is a serious issue that's already set off alarm bells in Washington and European capitals.
BALDWIN: Yes.
WEDEMAN: The fear, of course, is that they could end up in the wrong hands. Brooke?
BALDWIN: Of course that was a concern. We've been talking approximate that for weeks, weapons, looting, fearing where they could go. What does that then, Ben Wedeman, what does that say about a post-Gadhafi Libya in which there are concerns of weapons warehouses, the NTC, we don't know what they're doing to find these weapons.
WEDEMAN: We know that the NTC in some locations has secured weapons depots. There's another site not far from there where there are thousands and thousands of anti-personnel land mines where the officials are trying to cordon them off and take them away. It's right in the middle of a residential area.
But the problem is that the people who are now looking for these things to try to sort of secure these sites, there's so many places where you wouldn't expect to find them. For instance, where we found these weapons, it wasn't a military base. It was a construction site. The weapons, the ammunition had been moved from a nearby army base to be put there basically to hide from NATO air raids. So there's a very good possibility, there are a variety of de facto arms depots around the country that nobody really knows are there.
BALDWIN: Ben, since I have you, I was also trying to glance down at your twitter. We don't know where the weapons are or where Moammar Gadhafi is. You just tweeted. What is the NTC saying about the possible whereabouts of two of his sons? What have you learned?
WEDEMAN: This we got from the chief negotiator for the NTC with the town Bani Walid, the site of a standoff. They say the latest information is that Saif al Islam Gadhafi, two very important sons of Moammar Gadhafi have been sighted in that town quite recently. As far as the whereabouts of Moammar Gadhafi goes, every day, we get new claims and it's just impossible at this point to confirm them.
BALDWIN: We take it with a grain of salt. Ben Wedeman, our senior international correspondent there in country. Ben, thank you very much.
As promised we are making calls, getting new details on the breaking news out of southern California. Word of this bomb threat at a school in Orange County. Students have been evacuated. We're getting reports that this threat came from a missing Navy medic. The sheriff's department is now called in. We'll get an update from them next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before we get to those new details on the breaking news in San Clemente High School in Camp Pendleton in Orange County, California, I do want to play some sound for you from Republican leadership on the hill. You're about to hear from Speaker Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell. They have come forward talking about the super committee who has been tasked with making huge cuts, and they have their first meeting tomorrow. Let's listen to Speaker Boehner and Senator McConnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: This is a very important committee. We're committed that this committee get an outcome. And we believe that by reducing our debt we create a better environment that should create jobs in America.
We've talked about this all year. We believe as strongly about it today as we do -- did then. And this is a serious effort that's underway. We're taking it that way. And we're encouraging our members to work hard.
MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I would just say what the speaker's said. Failure is not an option. This committee is going to succeed with the floor that's established in the legislation. The country has a lot of problems related to spending and debt. That's clearly had an adverse effect on the economy. And I think the success we expect this joint committee to have will be a boost for the country and begin to head us in the right direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Speaker Boehner, Senator McConnell, we'll check in Wolf Blitzer and get his reaction minutes ago on Capitol Hill.
As promised, though, we are going to get you caught up on what's happening in Orange County. We're going to get someone on the phone from orange county sheriff's department to help us connect the dots. You're looking at aerial pictures of San Clemente high school. They have been evacuated, all 3,200 students 180 staff members. We'll explain why they've been evacuated, if they're still evacuated, and what this has to do with a missing Navy medic at nearby Camp Pendleton. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, let's go to Washington now with Wolf Blitzer with the latest news off the Political Ticker. Wolf, let's just begin with the sound we just quickly turned around, Republican leadership on the hill talking about the super committee. They go to work first thing tomorrow.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": They've got to come up with $1.5 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. They've got until basically the end of November just before Thanksgiving to get the job done, then Congress will have an up or down vote by the end of the year that they have to pass it.
And the pressure is enormous as the Republican leadership, the Democratic leadership, all the members say because if they don't go ahead, as you know, Brooke, and do this, then there will be these automatic cuts that will go into effect that will be very painful, painful for Republicans, painful for Democrats.
So there's enormous push on these 12 members of the super committee and they're going to start meeting as early as tomorrow to try to get some of the job done. And as what we just heard them say, failure is not an option. We'll see if they can do it. But it'll be very significant. They've got to come up with something.
As you know, the president will be unveiling his big plan tomorrow night before a joint session of Congress. We're told he's got about a $300 billion package and a long set with spending cuts to try to get jobs created.
Check out -- this is what I want you to do and our viewers if they're interested. Go to my blog at CNN.com/SituationRoom and read why the president has to deliver tomorrow. Forget about the politics of this. He's got to deliver for the American people because there are millions and millions of Americans who are either unemployed or underemployed, and millions have given up hope of ever finding a job. They're not even listed as part of the category anymore.
So you can have a lofty speech and lay out a political agenda and you can score some political points, but in the end if it's not going to create jobs and start to turn around the economy, what good is it going to do for all of those millions of people who are just going to be hearing politicians debate? They're getting sick of that. They want action and want it quickly. So the pressure is enormous on the president and the Republicans.
As I say, the only silver lining, Brooke, that the president has right now is that the job approval number for Congress, including the Republican majority in the House, is so much worse than it is for the president of the United States. So Americans are fed up with everyone right now. They want action, and they want it soon because the jobs issue is clearly so critical right now.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Like you say in the blog, it has to lay out the vision, has to be specific when it comes to job creation. And differentiate from the other jobs plans we've been hearing from these other presidential candidates on the GOP side. Wolf Blitzer, thank you very much. We'll talk next hour about what you have coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM".
And here we are approaching the top of the hour. Take a look at this.
The first of three big debates this month for Republicans who would like to become president. But tonight is the first chance we'll have to see both Mitt Romney and Rick Perry share the stage as candidates. We're live from the Reagan Library.