Anderson Cooper 360

Principal: Teachers saved students

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:46:34 +0000

911 calls detail Okla. tornado's destruction, and Plaza Elementary School principal describes teachers' heroic actions.

Jodi Arias: Life or Death Row?

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:37:25 +0000

After a mistrial in the penalty phase, a new jury will decide Jodi Arias's fate. Randi Kaye reports on the trial ahead.

Stark prediction for aging bridges

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:32:19 +0000

Homeland security expert Stephen Flynn says neglecting infrastructure may have dire consequences.

Collapsed bridge raises questions

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:30:29 +0000

Washington State bridge collapse reignites focus on nation's aging infrastructure. Dan Simon reports.

Alleged prostitution ring at Ft. Hood

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:24:20 +0000

Sexual misconduct allegations center on a Ft. Hood sergeant. Drew Griffin reports.

Horses affected by deadly Oklahoma tornado

rachelnewsnyc — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:45:52 +0000

Doctors work to save horses who were injured and displaced after the tornado. Gary Tuchman reports. Horse trainers Randall Weidner and Lindsay White lost all 12 of their thoroughbred and quarter horses when a tornado destroyed their home and barn in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20. A fund has been established to help them recover.

If you want to donate:
Go to any location of Wells Fargo and donate to the “Randall Weidner Catastrophe Trust.”
Or mail a check to: Wells Fargo, 380 S. Marschall Rd., Shakopee, MN 55379, payable to “Randall Weidner Catastrophe Trust.”
Contributions can also be made through Paypal via RWQuarters@yahoo.com.

Tonight on AC360: Sexual misconduct allegations center around Ft. Hood sergeant

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:01:22 +0000

By David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin
CNN Special Investigations Unit

KILLEEN, Texas—According to his own lawyer, military prosecutors are investigating accusations against a Ft. Hood sergeant once assigned to an artillery battalion at Ft. Hood, the nation’s largest military base.

Joseph Jordan told CNN that his client, Sgt. First Class Gregory McQueen, was suspected of “pandering” and that a military prosecutor had said McQueen is under investigation for prostitution. Jordan told CNN his client would “fight the charges” but also acknowledged that a military prosecutor had offered McQueen a deal, “if he would give up other members of the prostitution ring.”

No formal charges have yet been announced against McQueen but the incident is one of a string of recent accusations of sexual misconduct that have rippled through the American military. Most recently, an enlisted man at West Point was accused of taking photographs of women cadets while they were taking showers.

The program director of a woman’s shelter here in Texas told CNN that her organization had more than 1,000 domestic violence or sexual assault cases in 2012 and about a third of them involved soldiers at Ft. Hood. Suzanne Armor said that many women soldiers were fearful of reporting assaults because they were concerned such reports might adversely affect their military careers.

CNN Correspondent Drew Griffin will have more on these allegations tonight on AC360 at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch Drew Griffin's report:

Click to watch video

Storm shelters for the 21st century

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:17:13 +0000

Tom Foreman reports on modern safe rooms built to withstand monster tornadoes like the one in Moore, Oklahoma.

Principal, teachers reunite amid rubble

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:15:32 +0000

Briarwood Elementary School's principal tells Anderson what it was like to return to her school's wreckage.

Exclusive: Classroom's tornado encounter

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:32 +0000

Watch exclusive video inside a Briarwood Elementary classroom where a teacher helped her class survive the EF5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.
Read more in the AC360 411

Oklahoma father remembers his two daughters

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:06:17 +0000

Phillip Vargyas lost two children in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado – Karrina, 4, and Sydnee, just 7 months old. His daughters were at home with their mom and grandma where they tried to ride out the storm in a bathroom. Vargyas' wife and mother-in-law were injured when the tornado hit. He wants people to know what his daughters were like and shared a few happy memories on AC360.

4-year-old Karrina would have turned 5 in two weeks. After seeing her favorite Disney princesses ice skating recently, her father said she was inspired to become an ice skater. The family never got the chance to take Karrina to a skating rink, but her father told Anderson the family wants to go one day and remember her. "Whenever we take the kids and the wife we know she'll be there with us. And we'll enjoy it all the more knowing that she's there," he said.

As for 7-month-old Sydnee, her father affectionately called her his "Okie." That's because she was his only child born in Oklahoma. Sydnee's father said this past Sunday, during another tornado, she crawled for the first time. He smiled while talking about this lasting happy memory of her fearless attitude during the stormy weather.

The Vargyas’ have two older children who survived the tornado while taking cover at their school. The family plans to stay in Moore and rebuild. "We want to stay as close to the community that we were at when this happened," Phillip told Anderson. "I believe that in order for my kids to successfully make it through this we have to make the transition as seamless as possible. And the best way to do that is to keep them surrounded by the things they know most," he added.

Remembering Oklahoma victims

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:05:08 +0000

A tribute to Antonia Candelaria, Jenny Neely, Randy Smith, Cindy Plumley, Emily Conatzer, Christopher Legg, and sisters Karrina and Sydnee Vargyas who died in the Oklahoma tornado.

More...

Operation BBQ Relief brings comfort food to victims

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:54:06 +0000

Operation BBQ Relief brings comfort by providing food for tornado victims. Gary Tuchman reports.

Read more...

Baez advice: 'Take death off the table'

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:53:30 +0000

Attorney Jose Baez reacts to news of a hung jury during the Jodi Arias penalty trial. He describes the threat social media poses in death penalty cases.

Capture of London terror suspects

rachelnewsnyc — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:52:41 +0000

Video shows London police arresting suspected killers. Nic Robertson reports.

AC360 411: Inside the Oklahoma Tornado Disaster Zone

rachelnewsnyc — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:39:54 +0000

Tonight on AC360, Anderson will have more incredible stories of survival after Monday’s massive tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. He got a tour of the rubble at Briarwood Elementary with 5th grade teacher Robin Dziedzic. Amazingly, no one was killed at the school, even though it’s left in ruins. Dziedzic took students into a bathroom when the twister hit and recorded video on her cell phone of the moment of impact. We’ll share her incredible video and you’ll hear how she and so many others at Briarwood got out alive.

There is also a lot of grieving in Moore, where 24 people died when the tornado hit, including 10 children. Tonight Anderson will talk to Phillip Vargyas, who lost two children in the tornado – Karrina, 4, and Sydnee, just 7 months old. Vargyas’ two daughters were at home with their mom and grandma. They all tried to ride out the storm in a bathroom. “But when an EF5 lands on top of your house… there's nothing you can do,” says Mr. Vargyas. His wife and mother-in-law are hospitalized with injuries. He vows the family, which includes two older children, will recover and stay strong. He wants people to know what his daughters were like and will share his memories tonight on the program.

We will also show you how strangers are helping the residents of Moore with Operation BBQ Relief. That’s a charity that got its start after the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornado. They go into disaster zones and help feed the hungry. Tonight Gary Tuchman shows us how they’re feeding the people of Moore. Join us for those stories and much more at 8 and 10 p.m. ET.

24 – The number of people killed in Moore, including 10 children.
377 – The number of people treated for injuries.
2 – The number of schools destroyed in Moore. Officials vow Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary will be rebuilt.
12,000 – Estimated number of homes damaged or destroyed.
$2+ billion – The cost of the tornado, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.
4,000 – The number of insurance claims filed so far.
1.3 miles – The width of the tornado as it tore through Moore
17 miles – The length of the path of destruction on the ground.
210 mph – The estimated peak winds of the tornado, making it the most powerful EF5.
30 minutes – The time between when the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning and the twister hit Moore.
40 minutes – The amount of time the twister was on the ground, hitting several towns south of Oklahoma City.
14 years – The length of time since the last EF5 tornado hit Moore, back on May 3, 1999, killing 36 people.

Dogs heal victims in Oklahoma hospitals

Ella Chick — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:38:33 +0000

Anderson Cooper meets trainer Tim Hetzner who teaches dogs to comfort and heal victims through their unconditional love. He's part of the Lutheran Church Charities organization that travels to where they're most needed after disasters and crisis situations. "It's rewarding to help people .. and to watch what God can do through them," says Hetzner about the Golden Retrievers.

Watch Gary Tuchman's report on a little girl visited by her new four-legged friend today:

Click to watch video

Mother: Not a soul who didn't love daughter

Ella Chick — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:55:27 +0000

A grieving mother experienced every parent's worst nightmare when she saw her daughter, Shannon Quick, die in the Oklahoma tornado. Joy Waldroop tells Anderson Cooper about the horrific ordeal and what she'll miss most about Shannon, a loving mom to two sons.

To donate to Shannon Quick's family, go to www.gofundme.com/30mh60

Who are London terror suspects?

Ella Chick — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:50:36 +0000

CNN's Christiane Amanpour and Nic Robertson give their insight on the brutal murder of a man in broad daylight. The victim was hit with a car and then hacked to death, according to witnesses. The attackers left his body in the middle of a London road. British authorities are calling it an act of terrorism.

The suspects were shot by police and taken into custody. Before officers were on the scene, a man with a meat cleaver in his bloody hands made this statement on video:

"We swear by Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. The only reasons we killed this man this is because Muslims are dying daily. This British soldier is an eye for an eye a tooth for tooth. We apologize that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don't care about you. You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start busting our guns. Do you think your politicians are going to die? No, it's going to be the average guy like you, and your children. So, get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so we can all live in peace."

Husband ripped from wife's arms in tornado

Ella Chick — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:46:18 +0000

The last time Jerrie Bhonde saw her husband, Hemant, was right before powerful winds carried him away when the tornado ripped through Oklahoma on Monday. "I felt like I was in a blender," she says about the violent storm. "I held onto my husband as long I could and then he just flew into space." Bhode believes he's being taken care of in Heaven now. She shares her story with Anderson Cooper.