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Sikh Temple Shooter Identified as Troubled Vet; "Curiosity" Beams Back 1st Images of Mars; Sikh Temple Shooter Possible White Supremacist; Wisconsin Shooting Puts Spotlight on Sikhs; GOP Picks Conventions Speakers; Firefighters Battle Wildfire in Oklahoma.
Aired August 06, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Carol. Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 on the West. Thank you so much for joining me.
I want to start off right now, though, any second now, police in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, are due to tell us what they can about the man who opened fire in a crowded Sikh temple. What we know already is chilling. Listen here.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Subject down! Officer down! I need an ambulance!
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: A police officer and two other people are critically hurt. Seven people are dead, including the gunman. And while we now have a name to attach to the heinous attack, police scramble to pin down a motive.
We'll bring you that briefing that we expect to get any minute as it is going to be getting under way shortly. I think we're showing you some live pictures there as we wait for it to begin.
Meantime, details trickled out all morning, foremost among them, the shooter's I.D. Sources familiar with the investigation say the bald white man who entered the temple yesterday with a semi-automatic pistol and a 9/11 tattoo was 40-year-old Wade Michael Page.
He is said to be an Army vet, a psychological operations specialist who was discharged in 1998 for, quote, "patterns of misconduct." Further details on that, though, undisclosed.
He was killed by police only after he shot nine people and shattered a place of holiness and peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALEEN RAJPUT, TEMPLE MEMBER: I just thought it was the safest place maybe on earth or in Oak Creek. Apparently not.
I just want people to know that they shouldn't be mistaken by us. And because turbans and long beards, too, and that's just our religion and its very peaceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Maleen, that you hear from right there, she alludes to a litany of attacks on American Sikhs, beginning days after 9/11, but again, police have not officially identified anybody connected with yesterday's attack nor determined a motive quite yet.
CNN's David Mattingly is part of our reporting team on the ground in Oak Creek. I want to bring him in for more on this. David, so, what are you expecting to hear in this briefing that we're waiting for to begin at any moment now?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're hoping to hear is some more small pieces to go into the puzzle that we now know as Wade Michael Page.
What we know so far is not enough to draw any conclusions about what any kind of motivation there might have been for the attacks that he carried out on the temple here.
But what we do know is showing problems in his past. First of all, the U.S. military, a Pentagon source tells CNN that he was discharged from the Army back in 1998. This was because of, quote, "patterns of misconduct," but no elaboration on what that misconduct was or what kind of patterns there were that led to his discharge.
Also, we're finding out about the handgun that he used. This was a nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. It was recovered at the scene right where he was killed by a police officer.
That pistol, we now found out, was legally purchased. He did have that gun legally and it was purchased recently in the Milwaukee area.
So, again, two more small pieces, but nothing that gives us a clear idea of what any kind of motivation there might have been behind this attack.
Right now, we're just waiting to hear from the city's police chief and possibly some other officials about what was going on.
Last night, I watched very closely as federal, state, and local authorities converged on the house where Page lived and, at that house, they were approaching it as if there might still be somebody inside.
They were prepared for anything, also prepared if there might have been some explosives inside, but they were able to get inside without any kind of incident.
After their search, they came out with a couple boxes of materials. We don't know what was in those boxes. Perhaps the authorities will be able to share also what kind of evidence they're gathering against him. But right now, the motivation behind this, the thing that everybody is asking, why would he do this? He lived about five miles away from this temple. He had no connection that we know of to anyone at the temple.
Why he would pick it out, why he would carry out this attack and why now are complete mysteries right now and that's what we're hoping authorities will help us with here.
BOLDUAN: Yeah, complete mysteries right now and we're waiting for this briefing to begin any moment now. I think in the last live picture that we had it looked as if it was going to be getting under way shortly and we'll all be waiting for answers to many of those questions.
David Mattingly, thank you very much. We'll check back in with you a little later.
We're also learning the suspected gunman was part of a rock band. CNN's Drew Griffin has been investigating this part of the story. Very interesting. Drew, so, what you have learned?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Not just any rock band, Kate, but a white supremacist rock band. The Southern Poverty Law Center which tracks hate groups online says it's been tracking this very person, Michael Wade Page since about 2000. That's two years after he got out of the Army.
He started his rock band of one person, but in 2005, picked up a couple other members and began a band called End Apathy. That group played for a white -- a known white supremacist label called Label 56.
No incidents of violence, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, but said that this was a neo-Nazi skinhead in the very thick of the white supremacist rock band movement.
They didn't classify him as a leader, but again, the group has been tracking him, if this is indeed the same person that they had been tracking since 2000 and was very much involved in white supremacy and white supremacy rock bands and in white supremacy festivals where these rock bands converge around the country.
Kate?
BOLDUAN: It's such an amazing detail that you've really uncovered there, Drew. Obviously, this is extremely early on and we don't want to put apples and oranges together so early on in an investigation.
But are you hearing anything that is possibly saying they linked between this man's involvement in this white supremacist band and his motives in this shooting?
GRIFFIN: Well, of course, we do not know, you know, what his motivations are, what was inside his head. We can tell that you the white supremacy rock band that he was in, End Apathy, was very much involved in this white supremacist movement. This feeling that the ...
BOLDUAN: Hey, Drew, I'm going to cut you off real quick. I'm so sorry. I believe we have this press conference starting right now on the latest involving this shooting at the Sikh temple. Let's go to it live.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of ground rules for this morning. I'm going to introduce you the order of speakers this morning after which we'll -- after their presentations, we will follow it up with questions.
First will be Mayor Steve Scaffidi. Second will be Police Chief John Edwards. Third is Fire Chief Tom Rosandich. Fourth is United States Attorney James Santelle. Fifth is FBI Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson. And fifth is Bernard Zeeper, special agent in charge for ATF.
Thank you and, John Edwards, police chief.
Oh, I'm sorry. Mayor Steve Scaffidi.
STEVE SCAFFIDI, MAYOR, OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN: Sunday was a tragic day for our city, especially given the fact that it occurred in a place of worship at a Sunday service on a quiet, sunny morning in Wisconsin.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims, for our wounded officer, all our responders, fire, police, other agencies and the community which is still in shock.
There is no doubt in my mind that the heroic actions of our police officers prevented an even greater tragedy and they should be commended for that.
Oak Creek is a diverse, welcoming city. We host 23 places of worship and the Sikh community is part of that, what makes our city strong.
We will recover from this, but I want to assure everyone that we're doing everything we can, cooperating with federal agencies, local and state agencies to get the answers we need to resolve this situation and to begin the healing process.
As parts of that, we will have a community-wide vigil as part of our National Night Out event tomorrow night at 8:30, adjacent to the Oak Creek Community Center on Howell Avenue.
JOHN EDWARDS, POLICE CHIEF, OAK CREEK POLICE: Hello, I'm Police Chief John Edwards. First, I'd like to echo what the mayor said as far as our condolences to the Sikh community. We consider them a partner in our community and they work with us and this is a tragedy for all, including us.
I'd like to first of all thank all the agencies that assisted yesterday. We had quite the outpouring of help and resources. I'm just going to say what we have in Milwaukee County is what's called a "smart response." It's a mutual aid response of law enforcement.
We put that out, instead of naming all those agencies, there were 27 agencies throughout the Milwaukee-area, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha- area that responded and assisted and gave us officers and resources, including tactical teams, canine, and search unit investigators.
As part of that, we also had Milwaukee County sheriffs, Milwaukee police department were huge as far as assisting us not only in the tactical portion, but in the investigative portion.
Milwaukee P.D. is also assisting us in the officer-involved shooting portion of this investigation with the district attorney's office.
I'd like to thank the FBI, the ATF and also DCI from the state of Wisconsin. FBI, we're working with and with ATF, currently, on this investigation. It's a joint operation. FBI's lead on the investigation.
DCI provided agents for interviews. There were many witnesses that needed to be interviewed and people to talk to. So, I thank all of the agencies.
I would like to also thank the Cudahy police department. Their chief is here today. They assisted in some of the follow-up that had to be done last night in their city and they were very cooperative with us.
I'd like to introduce at this time to explain the fire response, Fire Chief Tom Rosandich.
TOM ROSANDICH, FIRE CHIEF, OAK CREEK FIRE DEPARTMENT: First off, the fire service can be very proud of the response that the fire and EMS did to this incident.
We also would thank our communities that responded mutually to us. We went to what was called a "second alarm mutual aid box life safety card," which brought in Division 109, the city of Milwaukee; Division 107, which is the Milwaukee County suburbs; and Division 102, Racine County.
In that response included over 22 units, 60 personnel, which also included tactical EMS, that worked directly with the police department and also our paramedic units that transported by ground to the respective hospitals that were designated for this.
We also worked directly with our Milwaukee County paramedic base in coordinating this potential mass casualty incident and, in this regards, we would call this a minor in this case, but also we were ready to upgrade it and we had several resources that were available to us if this had also upgraded.
Also in the activation of that, we also proceeded in this was a partial activation of our EOC, which brought in supporting agencies and our local county emergency management.
Thank you.
EDWARDS: What I'd like to do now is start off with a little synopsis of the scenario of what happened in the timeframe.
Yesterday at 10:25 a.m., we received our initial call from inside the Sikh temple that there was a problem going on and that somebody was firing inside of there. We had officers responding to that scene. They responded there and arrived within minutes of the initial call.
Our first officer on scene, as he entered into the driveway area, he came upon a victim in the parking lot and exited his vehicle and went to assist that individual. He went to render aid.
It was at that point that he was met by the suspect who basically ambushed him around his vehicle. The officer was shot eight to nine times at this incident at very close range with a handgun.
At that point, other officers were arriving on scene and heard those gun shots, were not aware that the other officer had been shot. They took up a position and did observe the suspect in the parking lot, walking, and, at that point, began to give him commands as far as dropping his weapon and putting his hands up.
Our officers are equipped with squad rifles. The officers had armed themselves with those rifles, prior, once they exited their vehicle under protocol when we react to an active shooter. And that's what they were treating this as.
After giving commands to the individual which he didn't respond to, he did fire. One of our vehicles took some rounds through the windshield. Another one also took some rounds.
One of the officers returned fire with his squad rifle, putting the individual down.
They then secured that individual and, at that point, did what is an officer rescue. They did a PAR check, which is common in the fire service which we've incorporated and it's basically a way to find out where everybody's at.
One of our officers are, our senior officers on scene called for that PAR check and they weren't getting a response. Basically, what that is, you call for a PAR check, you respond back with your badge number, so everybody knows you're OK. We weren't getting that response back from that officer.
They then knew they had to start looking for him. They went to where they last knew his location was and, as they approached him, he waved them off. He had been shot nine times, one of them very serious in the neck area, and he waved them off and told them to go into the temple to assist those in there.
The officers did an officer rescue, provided cover and carried him to a squad and got him out of the scene, even though he was trying to get them to go into the temple.
The officers at that point made sure that the suspect was not a threat anymore as far as securing him and they started to set up a perimeter at that point.
We didn't know how many individuals may be out there. There was multiple reports. We are confident at this time that was the only shooter involved in this. And -- but they did set up a perimeter and then it turned into a tactical situation.
We had tactical teams from around our county, other counties that came through. Captain Tobie Weberg, who's here from the Milwaukee County sheriff's department, coordinated that with our Captain Michael Bolender (ph) and they did a fantastic job with quite a large area that we had to cover and secure.
We want the city of Oak Creek citizens to understand that what we did and the reason it took so long to clear that area is not only did we clear the temple itself -- and we had reports that possibly there were others in there -- we then did a grid search of approximately, I'm guessing about three square miles with the tactical teams with air support.
After that was completed, we did a door-to-door knock-and-talk of every residence, approximately about 200 in that area to make sure everybody was OK and everybody was safe. I want them all to know that this was the only shooter and that there is nothing more to worry about as far as this situation goes.
At that point the investigation was -- we locked down the scene, called in the tac teams and then called in so we could start clearing that scene and turning it over to the FBI as far as their response and evidence collection.
As far as our officers, I just want to explain some of the things they did. We train for active shooters. In my mind, they're all heroes. They did exactly what was expected of them. They're senior officers. I asked today, what do you think of their actions? Didn't surprise me in the least what they did. They all did what they had to do, helped another officer and stopped a worse tragedy from happening by their actions.
The officer who was shot is listed right now as critical condition. His information, his name is Lieutenant Brian Murphy. He's a 51-year-old officer with our department. He has 21 years on the department. He was a member of our tac team for years. He was a tactical team leader for years. So he right now is with his family, resting at the hospital and we brought family in from out of state, also.
The other officers involved in the shooting itself are not available to speak nor will we be identifying them as there is a separate investigation going on because we do have an officer-involved shooting.
We're working with the district attorney's office and Milwaukee P.D. is assisting in that and, because of that, they're not allowed to talk nor do we identify them at this point. That will be forthcoming when the investigation is completed.
At this point, what I'd like to do is we do have available sheets with the victim's information and I'm going to read out some ages and I don't know that I would be able to -- unless someone would assist me from the Sikh community -- would you like to come up and pronounce the names for me properly, so you get them properly?
You just want to give their age, their name and their age and if they were male or female.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. Seeta Singh, 41-years old, male. Ranjit Singh, 49-years old, male. Satwant Singh Kaleka, 62-years old, male. Parkash Singh, 39-years old, male. Parmjit Kaur, 41-years old, female. Subegh Singh Katera (ph), 84-years old, male.
EDWARDS: Thank you.
We'll provide a list for you all to have.
The other injured parties in this, we do have some other individuals who were injured. We had one individual who was taken from the scene and taken to one of the local hospitals. He is in critical condition at a local hospital in ICU.
The second individual came in to one of the local hospitals with chest wounds. He's also in critical condition.
We had a third individual come into a hospital with a wound that was treated and then they were released because of that wound.
The information on the suspect, his name is Wade Michael Page. That is spelled W-A-D-E, M-I-C-H-A-E-L, Page, P-A-G-E. He's 40 years of age. His date of birth is 11/01/71.
Some of the information on the investigation on this individual we'll cover with SAC Carlson as far as some of the information that was obtained on him. I know there's much that's been put out in the media already regarding him and some of that we're looking at.
We can say that he was in the military, 1992 to 1998. He had a general discharge and that he was ineligible for re-enlistment.
I want to make it perfectly clear right now he is the only shooter that was involved at the temple.
We will be following up with the Sikh community, myself, some of the dignitaries from the city, the mayor and meeting with them privately on this, afterwards, away from the media and discussing some of the follow up that we need to do with both of our communities and we look forward to that.
At this time, I'd like to turn this over to U.S. Attorney James Santelle.
JAMES SANTELLE, U.S. ATTORNEY, EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN: Chief, thank you.
My name is James Santelle, United States attorney for the eastern district of Wisconsin and I'm the principal and chief federal law enforcement for this federal district.
On behalf of Attorney General Eric Holder, I want to convey the profound sympathy and deep sorrow of the United States Department of Justice to all the members of the Sikh community here in Oak Creek, throughout this district, throughout the state of Wisconsin, and throughout the nation.
The terrible event that we witnessed yesterday should not be a part of America. The president of the United States of America yesterday also conveyed his similar condolences and his sympathies to this population and to all citizens of the United States of America who are caring and loving and justice seeking.
We are profoundly saddened by the events yesterday and the work that has been done by this law enforcement community about which I will speak in just a moment or so is a reflection of and is animated principally by our profound respect and great sorrow about the losses the Sikh community has suffered in the past 24 hours.
Our hearts are deep. Our sadness is profound. And we share with you great tears.
The chief has already spoken this morning about the response to this time by state, local, and federal law enforcement. I want to comment more about that and assure all the members of the citizenry here in Wisconsin, the members of the Sikh temple and all those who may be watching in businesses and homes around the country that law enforcement has been prompt, responsive, focused and targeted virtually since the very moment that initial calls came in about this matter.
We speak often about the partnership that happens here in Wisconsin and throughout this country between federal, state, and local law enforcement. That is a result of the directive and the animation provided by our attorney general, by our deputy attorney general, by United States attorneys around the country and by all of our state and local and tribal partners. That partnership, that cooperation, that collaboration animated and has animated every moment since 24 hours ago today.
It is fair to say that the tremendous work still on going that has been as a result of the findings that the chief and my colleagues will discuss with you in just a moment or so is a direct result of that very cooperative, very focused and very collaborative association and partnership among the law enforcement.
We could not benefit more from the tremendous assistance and support provided by the Oak Creek police department and by all of our federal, state, and local colleagues.
As the chief just said, Oak Creek is secure and the people of Oak Creek, the people of Eastern Wisconsin, the people of the state of Wisconsin, the people of this nation should know that we are continuing to do everything in our powers and beyond to insure that remains the case.
There is no reason for the citizenry of Oak Creek to be concerned today about repetition of this kind of activity at the Sikh temple or based upon other pursuits of this law enforcement effort that are ongoing today.
Among other things, many of you have already reported on the important and productive work of the Brookfield police department, for example, in ensuring the continued safety of the Sikh temple in that community.
That is an example of the kind of concentrated and focused and target law enforcement that continues to this time. I am very proud of that and all of you should be very proud of that as well.
It is fair to say that people in this room and beyond have not slept in 24 hours. Not that that is all that important, but is a commitment to ensuring that this community, including the members of the congregation of the Sikh temple, know that law enforcement, know that their elected officials, know that their appointed officials not only take this seriously but regard this kind of activity as at the top of our responsibilities as responsible law enforcement leaders and leaders of this community.
That kind of commitment will continue today, tomorrow, in the weeks ahead, in the months ahead and in the years ahead and the Sikh community should know that we remain committed to ensuring your safety and your security here in Oak Creek and around the nation.
That is the commitment of this attorney general, of this president, and of all of us in federal, state, local, and tribal government here in the state of Wisconsin.
We share, as I said, in your great sorrow. Inside that all- important and continuing law enforcement work, I would like to join the chief in his comments about the critically important and prompt responsive work of the first responders on the scene. He has already described for you some of the specifics of those events, horrific, terrible, life-threatening, life-taking -
(END LIVE COVERAGE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
BOLDUAN: We're listening right now to a press conference ongoing in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Local and federal authorities coming together to brief the media and really the public on the latest in the investigation into the shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Learning a lot in this briefing.
I want to bring in our David Mattingly to talk about this just briefly, as he's been listening to this as well. David is on the ground in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. David, so, we finally, at least, get official confirmation from authorities publicly on the identity of the alleged shooter. What else did you gather from this press briefing? MATTINGLY: What jumped out at me is the gripping account we got of that first few minutes as the first responders arrived there on the scene. They got the call at about 10:25, local time, of an emergency, a 911 call from inside the temple.
When the first officer arrived, he saw someone who had been shot in the parking lot. That officer went to assist that person who had been shot and that's when, according to authorities here described it, that officer was ambushed by Wade Michael Page.
Page, at short range, then shot that officer eight to nine times. Again, that was at short range and they're using the word "ambush" here, that he shot that officer eight to nine times.
We know that that officer has now gone through two rounds of surgery and that he is resting comfortably.
Another big thing we heard from this, we're hearing from federal and local authorities, trying to reassure the people who live here that there was no other shooter and that Oak Creek is now secure.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And also trying to -- also acknowledging a very obvious statement that this really is a tragedy for all.
David, thank you so much.
We did also learn the names, identities of the six victims would were fatally wounded in this shooting. They range from ages of 39 to 84 years old, male victims and one female victim.
Of course, the shooter himself was -- the alleged shooter himself was also fatally wounded in that shooting as well.
Learned the identity of the officer who was wounded in this shooting, Lieutenant Brian Murphy, 51-years old, a 21-year veteran of the police department there.
Much more information to come, but first, before we go to break, I want to bring what you we believe is the first look that we are getting of this alleged shooter. We have two photographs. I believe we will put them on the screen from you.
This is coming from the band's MySpace page. This is a band that Drew Griffin was telling us about, this far-right punk band called End Apathy, and we are told by two neighbors that these are photos of the singer is that of Michael -- of Wade Michael Page. Of course, we do not have independent confirmation of this yet. We wanted to bring this information to you. This is the first look we're getting of this alleged shooter, Wade Michael Page. Confirmed by two neighbors that these are photographs of him from the far right punk band -- MySpace page that he was a member of, called End Apathy. We'll have much more on this to come. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: NASA's rover "Curiosity" could answer key questions about life on Mars after billions of dollars of development and eight long months of hurling through space for 325 million miles, if can you even believe it. It came down to, quote, unquote, "seven minutes of terror." But when the clock ran down, there was this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Touchdown confirmed. We're seeing Mars.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And it seems like "Curiosity" is living up to its name. Within minutes of landing, "Curiosity" beamed back these images that you're getting a glimpse of here. Glimpses of the red planet with hints of the sophisticated science lab on wheels behind the lens.
John Zarrella is joining us live from Pasadena, California.
After a very long night, John. I don't know when you're going to get a nap. I hope you get one in soon.
(LAUGHTER)
You can almost feel the joy in that control room. It was absolutely amazing. So give us a better understanding of what the "Curiosity" is kind of -- what that seven minutes of terror actually meant.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, it was -- they had never before attempted a landing of this kind on Mars. The reason they had to do it this way is, if you look behind me there, the rover back there, it's -- that is a model of it -- 2,000 pounds, the size of a small car. In the past, they used air bags that bounced on the surface. The air bags would stop, they'd deflate and the little rovers would ride off the pedals. This thing is way too big to do that.
So they had come up with this unique landing method that hit the atmosphere of Mars, 13,000 miles an hour, then steering its way through the atmosphere. Then the parachute deploys. Then the sky crane drops it down to the surface. And then the tethers have to all snap at the same time. And if any one thing did not go right, Kate, the entire mission would have been lost. There was no other way about it. It was "do or die" down to the planet. And they actually pulled it off just swimmingly. They know that they've landed in the perfect spot inside the Gale Crater. Pretty close to exactly where they wanted to be.
BOLDUAN: It's absolutely amazing. Thirteen thousand miles an hour. It completely blows my mind. So for our viewers, what is the goal of exploring Mars, other than that it is pretty neat for no other word -- for no better word. What questions are scientists really hoping "Curiosity" will answer for them?
ZARRELLA: "Curiosity" does not have the ability to detect life itself. It has the abilities that's no other rover has ever had. It has chemistry lab onboard that will analyze and look for the signatures of life. We talked to one of the Mars scientists earlier about just what they're hoping to find.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM GARVIN, CHIEF SCIENTIST, NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER: We would like to find the kind of chemical fingerprints of the science that Mars could have been a habitual world, maybe at a different time in a different place, you know, than earth. That would sort of tell us we're not alone. So this mission is all about understanding the record in rocks and soils on Mars as if we were chemical fossil hunters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: You know, to keep our audience completely glued to this coverage --
(LAUGHTER)
-- I've been told by multiple sources, that in the next 30 minutes NASA is going to hold a briefing here. And they're going to release an image that they say is stunning. Now we'll see if they're just baiting me on this. Supposedly, it's an image taken from an orbiter called the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, that was flying overhead as "Curiosity" was landing. And the shot is supposedly of "Curiosity" on the end of the parachute as it's descending to the Martian surface. That will be stunning if that's what it is. We'll have to wait and see. But in about 25, 30 minutes, we should have that.
BOLDUAN: Well, they have my attention, that's for sure. Real quick, John, how long do they actually think the "Curiosity" will last on Mars? Is that anything that they're handing out yet?
ZARRELLA: Well, yes. The mission is at least two years long. That's the design life of the mission. But it has a radio isotope thermal electronic generator, a nuclear power source. That could last 50 years. The rest of the mechanics on there probably won't last anywhere near that long. But they can certainly do the two years and probably far beyond that if there's money.
BOLDUAN: Yes, money. That is a huge question, especially in these tough budgetary times when NASA is also feeling the budget crunch.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
BOLDUAN: John Zarrella, great work as always.
ZARRELLA: Sure.
BOLDUAN: It's pretty amazing stuff.
Thank you so much. ZARRELLA: Sure.
BOLDUAN: President Obama hailed the mission and "Curiosity's" landing as, quote, "an unprecedented feat of technology."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: We return back to the tight-knit community of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, as they struggle to understand why a gunman would open fire on a Sikh temple. Law enforcement are still debriefing reporters right now in this news conference that we have been monitoring and brought you to earlier. As you can see, it's still ongoing.
While federal and state authorities are still in the very early stages of their investigation, we are getting a disturbing but clearer picture about the gunman himself and a possible motive. Police say the man behind the shooting rampage is 40-year-old Wade Michael Page. Two neighbors have confirmed with CNN that these pictures you're seeing right there, these are pictures of Page himself. We got a hold of these from the MySpace account of a far right punk band, which neighbors say Page was a singer in. Page was also an Army veteran who apparently served on active duty. And according to a Pentagon official, Page was discharged 14 years ago for, quote, "patterns of misconduct." What's more, investigators believe Page may have been a white supremacist.
Here's what law enforcement authorities said about Page.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS, CHIEF, OAK CREEK POLICE: As far as some of the information that was obtained on him, I know there's much that's been put out in the media already regarding him. And some of that we're looking at. We can say that he was in the military, 1992 to 1998. He had a general discharge. And that he was ineligible for re- enlistment.
I want to make it perfectly clear right now, he is the only shooter that was involved at the temple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Now this tragedy has put Sikhism as international headlines, a religion some viewers may not know much about, which is why I want to bring in my colleague, Eric Marrapodi, a very good friend and also one of the smartest people I know, who is also the co- editor of CNN's Belief Blog.
Eric, we were kind of talking about this earlier today. I think the easiest place to start is, what should people know about Sikhism, a religion they may not be familiar with?
ERIC MARRAPODI, CNN CO-EDITOR, BELIEF BLOG: Sure, Sikhism, which here in the United States is sometimes also pronounced as Sikhism -- we're sticking with Sikhism because that's how the community prefers to be referred to as. It begins about 500 years ago in India. It's its own divinely revealed religion with script tours and practices. Within the scriptures, there are some elements of Hinduism and of Islam. But they believe in their own traditions and their own faith.
Here in the United States, there is about 700,000 members of the faith. around the world there is about 25 million. Many of them come from an ethnic heritage out of India.
Now, Kate, there are several important tenets of the faith we want to talk about. One is medication on God. The other is honest living and clean living. And the other is service to the community. And in those areas, that's where we see a lot of the practices of the faith come out, and where we saw the worship service going on on Sunday in that community. There is no set day of worship in the faith, but here in the United States it often follows the American work week. So we see a lot of worship services for Sikhs taking place on the weekend.
BOLDUAN: And following this tragedy, we've also been reminded that the Sikh community has been targeted time and again post-9/11. Why is that?
MARRAPODI: One of the important tenants for the faith that many observers keep is they keep the hair long, men and women. In the men, in particular, they wrap their hair in turbans. That is a sign of the acceptance of God's will in their faith.
Now as a result, that's a very visible sign of that faith. And here in the United States, people who are looking to perpetrate hate crimes, in particular against Muslims, have mistaken Sikhs for Muslims. In the last 10 years following 9/11, we've seen Sikhs taking the brunt of these attacks on hate crimes because of their turbans. We hear that again and again from law enforcement and people that study these hate crimes that it's the men who wear the turbans who get targeted. Unfortunately, that happens a lot in the Sikh community because, as we've said, that is such an important tenant of their faith to keep their hair long. Not all the men do it. Many of them do.
BOLDUAN: As you and I were talking about this, this morning, one aspect of this story that you mentioned and you found most intriguing is the fact that the Sikh community, following this tragedy, are talking about opening up their doors rather than slamming them shut in light of another tragedy hitting their community. What do you make of that?
MARRAPODI: Well, one of the two key aspects the faith is that meditation service where they read the script tours under that canopy -- some of that video we are showing comes from a service last rear in the Washington, D.C., area. Another part is the Langar Meal. It's a big communal meal. One of the gurus early on in the faith talked about the important of the community coming together and sharing a meal. Regardless of whether you're a king or a pauper, everyone comes down and sits together and shares that communal meal. That meal is open to the entire community of any race, of any religion, of any creed. And one thing I heard from Sikh leaders here in the United States is they want people to come and share that meal with them this weekend, and open their doors. Like you said, there's this temptation after a shooting like this to want to lock the doors and isolate yourself as a community. But it's really intriguing to me to hear Sikh leaders talking about opening the doors and welcoming everyone in to help kind of get a better understanding of the faith.
BOLDUAN: Right. And hopefully, something good could come from this horrible, horrible tragedy.
Eric, thank you so much for your insights. I'll talk to you soon.
MARRAPODI: You got it, Kate.
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BOLDUAN: The GOP convention starts three weeks from today. Mark your calendars. While we don't know who will fill out the presidential ticket, we're learning more about the program. The party has awarded speaking spots to Condoleezza Rice, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and four Republican governors, including Rick Scott of Florida.
My colleague, Jim Acosta, is joining me now to talk about a little bit more about this.
Very interesting who is getting some of the speaking slots. I also can't help but noticing who isn't on that list yet, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. It wasn't -- I guess it wasn't a big surprise that we didn't see some of the names on this list that we may see later on. It just sort of all depends on this vice-presidential selection process. Of course, we are not seeing names like Rob Portman or Tim Pawlenty at this point, because those two gentlemen are very high or said to be high on Mitt Romney's vice presidential selection list. So we may hear more about that later.
But it was interesting to see Susana Martinez on the list, which means she won't be the running mate. And Condoleezza Rice, who, remember there was a big buzz in the "Drudge Report" a couple of weeks ago, she is on the list, so that means she is out. So this is an interesting way to narrow it down.
But, Kate, take into consideration that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are not on the list, and Ron Paul. There is that sort of middle area, which is these are names of people who probably are not going to be the running mate. but we will watch where they get speaking slots because that is going to say something about the way that things are coming together in the Republican party, whether all those wounds have healed from the primaries.
BOLDUAN: Yes. And the focus of the platform going forward. Real quick, any idea -- this is the most fun in Washington these days --
(LAUGHTER)
-- whether we will hear a keynote speaker or possibly the running mate announcement?
ACOSTA: Kate, I did something I should have done -- a little while ago, I downloaded Mitt Romney's V.P. app.
(LAUGHTER)
A lot of people haven't seen this, but they can download it on their smartphones. I was looking at what it says on the app. It says you will find out before the national news media, before the press finds out. And I find that to be very interesting. I think this it goes to show you how the Romney campaign will keep it close to the vest.
AS a matter of fact, this morning, when he was out doing grocery shopping in New Hampshire this morning, Kate, his protective press pool who was following him asked him, what's all of the groceries were for. He was going to have some people over at the house this evening, he told those reporters. He was asked, what about the vice presidential prospects, are they coming out to the lake house in New Hampshire? He sort of laughed off that question.
So, yes, that is the question on all of our minds. But my guess is that we won't find out until we get closer to the convention. It is still too soon to let the cat out of the bag.
BOLDUAN: Maybe post-Olympics or pre-convention --
ACOSTA: Something like that.
BOLDUAN: Something like that.
ACOSTA: I think that's --
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Leaving us some wiggle room.
Yes, exactly.
Jim Acosta, thank you so much.
ACOSTA: You bet.
BOLDUAN: The GOP convention starts August 27th in Tampa. And the Democrats meet the following week in Charlotte. All of that is coming up.
President Obama is spending a low-key day at the White House so far before heading out to campaign in Connecticut this evening. He has a bill signing on the schedule, a measure boosting health and education and housing benefits for veterans. It also bars protests at military funerals, from two hours before services until two hours after services conclude. Protesters will also have to stay at least 100 yards away from mourners. As you may know, a fringe group, calling themselves Westboro Baptist Church, makes a practice of spewing hate at military funerals, protesting America's alleged embrace of homosexuality.
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BOLDUAN: Firefighters in Oklahoma still have their hands full battling a series of wildfires that have torched more than 100 homes and charred hundreds of buildings and charred hundreds of acres. One of several hard-hit areas is Creek County. These fires are being fueled in part by one of the worst droughts in history. Look at those pictures. The drought is gripping much of the country.
Meteorologist Chad Myers is monitoring the developments in Atlanta.
Chad, you helped me out to talk about this on Friday when it was developing, so is the weather helping or hurting firefighters today?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Today helping, a little bit, a little bit. We're only going to be 100 degrees and the winds are only going to be 10 miles per hour. Over the weekend and even on Friday, temperatures reached 112 degrees and the winds were 130 miles per hour. Firefighters had no chance. Fires were just leaping from one spot to another. They thought they had a handle on it, they thought they had a fire line, and then two miles later, you will see a spark fly, an ember fly and another fire was set. These are just natural fires. Most of them, and we heard one possibility of an arson fire, but most of them were naturally occurring fires. When you get that type of heat and wind and very low humidity, it can happen.
When we talked about the drought, Kate. The issue with the drought is that it was not a drought about six to eight weeks ago. It was actually a very nice spring and wet spring. So things began to grow. Weeds began to grow higher than usual. And then all of the sudden, the rain stopped. All of the sudden, you have tall weeds and tall things around growing, and the rain stops and everything dried out. Everything has completely dried out in Oklahoma. This is just the beginning of the fire season.
I lived in Oklahoma for a couple of years and forest fires, wildfires and grass fires are not that uncommon. They happen all of the time. But when you have winds like that, they were -- they couldn't stop them. There's no chance of those firefighters stopping those flames. And we lost a lot of homes.
BOLDUAN: Real quick because, as usual, we are running out of time. But you say that the weather is helping them today. Any idea if they'll be able to get a handle on this is the weather will continue to help them in the days to come?
MYERS: Yes, they said the Creek County fire is still contained. Still smoldering, but contained. There are other fires and there are still hot spots. And the hot spots will jump again when the winds pick up. Right now, the winds are calm. That is good.
BOLDUAN: That is a good thing right now. Hope they continue to have the favor and the weather in their favor.
Chad Myers, thank you so much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
BOLDUAN: And thank you all for watching. I'm Kate Bolduan.
NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL with Michael Holmes starts after a short break.
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