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tv   The Situation Room  CNN  May 22, 2013 2:00pm-4:00pm PDT

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they were alive and presumed well. the sixth is in the medical examiner's office and we don't know if there was a double count or if the death count has gone from 24 to 25 but all six have been located one way or the other for the most part for the better. >> that's good. >> thank you so much for watching "the lead." we'll see you tomorrow. happening now, after heart breaking losses and catastrophic damage, oklahoma beginning right now to move toward recovery. we have extraordinary new stories of survival in the wake of a killer storm. also, a man is hacked to death in broad daylight on a london street. britain's government calls the crime sickening and barbaric and is treating it as a terrorist attack especially after a chilling video of one of the suspects. and a dramatic encounter on capitol hill in washington. the irs official who led the division involved in targeting
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conservative groups refuses to answer questions from lawmakers. i'm wolf blitzer and you're in "the situation room." we're live here in moore, oklahoma, right outside oklahoma city where an extraordinaire narrowly difficult recovery lies ahead in the wake of a killer tornado. here are the latest developments. moments ago, authorities told jake tapper six missing people are now accounted for. five of them are safe. one was already listed among the dead. the death toll stands at 24 including ten children. 2400 homes were damaged in moore and oklahoma city and officials say about 10,000 people have been directly, powerfully affected by this tornado. a state insurance official says claims related to monday's massive storm are likely to top
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$2 billion. about 4,000 claims so far have been filed. seven children died when the plaza towers elementary school took a direct hit from the tornado. our chief national correspondent john king got a look at what's left of that school. john, i know it was very painful for you, for our crews, everybody going anywhere near that school to see what you had to see. >> as a journalist, as a parent, as a human being, you show up at this site, wolf, and you see what's left of the school. then you have the structure described for you. it was shaped like a u and essentially part of the cross bars are still there. the two legs are gone. you see the swath of destruction in the neighborhood and at the school. you take a walk through and you're humbled and saddened. seven of the ten children who died here prishd right at that school. when you walk through and viewers get a look of the devastation of the site it is a miracle that so many more children and the teachers
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survived. >> we just surrounded the school and started running into different areas. some of this has been cleaned out due to the search and rescue efforts. they're literally just climbing over debris. people were yelling for help. so just pulling people out as quickly as possible. and that went on literally for hours. >> reporter: this was a hall of classrooms that led to -- >> classrooms on each side. >> reporter: that was connect he though? >> there was a wall there. that was a classroom straight ahead. there were classrooms out here. you can see they're still tiled. >> reporter: right. this is gone. >> this classroom is gone. these classrooms are all gone. >> reporter: there were more on the front side here. anywhere we see the tile, classrooms? >> you can see the door leading into what was the classroom. >> reporter: the back wall. that's the front wall of the school there? >> the front wall would have been right there. >> reporter: is there a place in the school where people fared better for lack of a better way
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to put it? >> you can kind of see where there are still walls standing up. obviously that corner, the main part of the tornado came through this way. so this is the area that took the most. as it went through this part here. so that's -- you can kind of see where the walls are standing and where they're not. a lot of 460s students, unfortunately, we did lose seven, but by looking at the damage it's a miracle that we didn't lose a lot more. none of this has been touched. this is what it looked like. there hasn't been tractors moving anything. this is how it landed. >> reporter: people have been through and are reasonably certain there is nobody left. >> yes. this has all been searched. this is what has taken so long. we had to go through all of this. this goes for 15 miles the other way, just like this. >> reporter: 15 miles just like this. >> yes. again, when you walk through that school and imagine, there were some 400, not sure of the exact number, wolf, they don't
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know how many parents came and got the kids early but on a full day 460 students in that school. when you walk through you do thank god not minimizing the loss of the seven children who died there but it is impossible to believe that more people didn't parish. that school did not have an underground shelter. that will be one of the debates after this storm. it is an older school. the newer schools have them. without a doubt that will be a debate should any new construction have an underground storm shelter? we drove with the officer through the community. that is ground zero of where the tornado came through moore. you heard him say for 15 miles it looks just like that. some residents are still not allowed back in there because just today they'll try to turn the electricity and the gas back on. they think they've gotten all the downed power lines, shut off all the gas but are worried about the risk of fire because they say often after an event like this when you turn power back on they missed one or two spots and there could be a fire. we did see frustrated residents trying to get back to their stuff and the police saying just please give us one more day. as a parent, a journalist, a human being when you walk through that school site, and
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imagine what it must have been like and most of it is just gone. >> even a journalist of a long time, was that one of the most difficult assignments you had? >> the issue is you think of your own kids. i remember in d.c. on 9/11 i thought of my own children. when newtown happens, you think of your own children. when you walk through this school thinking your children go to a building like this, you know, i live in the d.c. area. we don't get tornadoes but just to think, all parents are alike. the thing they care about most and the thing they would die for is to protect their children. what it must have been like to have been at work ten or 15 miles away not knowing, was your kid safe. and to walk through that building, it's tough. >> thanks very much. i'm glad our viewers saw that. the tornado also slammed another school in the area. not very far away from the one that john was at earlier today. we're talking about the briarwood elementary school. everyone survived. we have some amazing recordings taken as teachers and children
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huddled together. brian todd spent some time over there today as well. >> reporter: we were just at briar elementary school not far from here. it is completely leveled. we spoke to two teachers there at the time the storm hit. two teachers who gave us some dramatic audio recording. these are teachers who got 25 students into a bathroom, got them under sinks, huddled up, and just held on. that's the sound of the terrifying moments when the tornado hit. lynn and jessica are still shaken. their voices still quiver when they talk about it. monday afternoon when the massive tornado struck they huddled with 25 kids inside a bathroom at briarwood elementary school. lynn says she covered two kids with her body and kept thinking. >> don't let me die. just let me get these babies out of here. >> as the roof was torn off and the ceiling caved in on the bathroom listen to the audio
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recording on her cell phone of horrified kids, breton trying to reassure them. [ screaming ] >> you're okay! you're okay! you're okay. we're okay. we're okay. >> i didn't know what to tell them. i just kept telling them, we're okay. my mind, i was praying just, father, just protect us. i know you're stronger than this tornado. and some of the kids were praying. the teachers were praying. and i looked ms. bretton in the eye and we could hear a roar. >> reporter: bretton teaches sixth grade at briarwood.
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orr teaches fifth grade. the kids they were protecting ten or 11 years old. lynn bretton says the most intense part of the experience when the tornado was at its strongest and grinding their school apart played out over the course of only about ten minutes. afterward, this is what was left of briarwood elementary school. at one point, one of the kids shouted at bretton, i love you. >> i love you! >> oh, i love you, too! we're okay. we're okay! rncht everyone survived. the teachers say no one was hurt. >> in the sound you could hear it just start to go away and i thought, we made it. we made it. thank you, god. >> reporter: bretton says the advice she would give to teachers ever in that situation, count your kids, know who you have, and stay calm. although she says that's next to impossible, wolf. >> these parents, i can only imagine what they must have been going through. you spoke to some of them. >> reporter: well, yeah. i spoke to the two teachers in particular but what the parents did when they came up to them
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after that when the storm had passed, every child at the school survived as far as we know. she said that, you know, the parents were just rushing up to her grabbing her saying, where is my baby, where is my child? do you know where they are? she said they were all around but nobody knew that at the time. it was just kind of -- that's what was most heart wrenching to her she says. >> all right. thanks very much. brian todd reporting. the white house said the president, president obama will be coming here to oklahoma to get a look at the devastation. that word from the press secretary jay carney. >> i wanted to mention something that i think is breaking now as wolf blitzer would say and that is that on sunday, may 26th the president will travel to the oklahoma city area to see first hand the response to the devastating tornadoes and severe weather that have impacted the area on sunday night and monday. >> good to see the white house press secretary watches cnn. we'll of course have extensive
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coverage of the president here sunday, memorial day weekend, once he comes here to oklahoma. i'm sure there will be not only a tour, an ib specificatinspects going on but a memorial service as well. we're about to hear how 22 people survived the tornado by squeezing into a bank vault. this is an amazing story. the vault with stood the storm as the building, itself, totally collapsed around it. stand by. you're going to want to see and hear this. an apparent terror attack that the british government is now calling, quote, sickening and barbaric. a man is hacked to death on a london street and a suspect boasts about it on video. plus, much more coverage from here in oklahoma as we remember those who lost their lives.
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we're hearing so many stories all compelling of people who survived this monstrous storm. today i spoke with the mother of ten who was volunteering, yes, volunteering at the plaza tower elementary school when the twister hit. we talked as we drove back to her neighborhood. she was trying to return to her home for the first time. i asked her to describe what happened as the tornado bore down directly on that elementary school. >> we were trying to keep our students calm. we were trying to make sure that we stayed calm for them. you know, they, being as little as they are, you know, we knew they didn't know what was coming. we just sat with them and we talked to them. we had them in their tornado precaution procedures the whole time. we sang to them. we sang to them and the sirens
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would go off. >> what songs were you singing? >> we were singing the abcs. because it was first grade, kindergarten, and pre-k. and then some of our other students in the hallway and parents had come in and so we were all sitting right there singing to them, and, you know, itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle little star and we have a plaza towers song we sing every morning, and rise and shine. we sang, you know, what we could of that. and the lights started flickering and they got even more scared. we just told them the electricity was going off. we huddled down close to them and just talked to them and just told them it would be okay. and we told them how much we cared about them and how much we loved them. and that we were going to be with them the whole time. >> and how did the kids do? >> they did excellent. they were so strong. they were so brave. >> how many kids were you
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protecting. >> i was protecting five and then the teacher that i work with, she had four or five down by her as well. we just leaned over them and we just hugged them. we just put them in a bear hug and we kind of, you know, grabbed hands and just held them. as we leaned over them to protect them. >> they came out okay? >> every one of them. >> what grades? >> they were kid kindergarten. >> did you see what was happening to some of the other kids? >> no, i didn't. i was in the front building and we were handing our students to other adults that had come in there and parents and teachers and volunteers that had shown up to help. we were handing our children, our students, i call them my children because they were mine. >> right. >> they were ours that day. we were handing them off and we were getting them out of the building as quick as we could and helping them remove the
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rebels, the teachers and other staff from under the car behind us. we were moving the debris and just trying to get the kids out. that's all we were focused on is making sure everybody, we could get everybody out. >> so then you left the school. the tornado had passed. what happened then? >> i went to find my children and three of them came running up to me. i wasn't sure where my youngest son was. i hadn't seen him. nobody had seen him yet. so i just stayed there and just silently prayed that all of the children would get out okay and that i would be able to see their faces. and as they turned around, i saw him and his other friend kind of dazed and walking and i hollered and both came running and i just wrapped my arms around both of
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them and i told them that i loved them both and i told them that i was so proud of them. >> what a wonderful woman. when we got to her neighborhood, which was destroyed, police said no one was allowed in because they were working on gas and electric lines. they said it was dangerous to go in. but she was able to go back later this afternoon. watch this. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh.
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>> it's unbelievable the destruction. one house from a distance, i looked at that neighborhood earlier in the day and just house after house after house destroyed just like maylene's. she is now walking into that house for the first time this afternoon to see what she can find. our heart goes out to maylene and everyone, everyone in that neighborhood. maylene tells us, by the way, that this is a destruction that she will of course always, always remember but she has her ten children. they are all okay and those kids that she helped rescue in the elementary school, they're okay as well. there is so much damage here in oklahoma city and in moore one of the major suburbs where i am right now. so many survival stories.
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just ahead we'll hear voices calling from the rubble. also, a major, major development in the boston marathon bombing involving a man in florida and a shooting overnight by fbi agents. we have details. new ones coming in in just a minute. vo: traveling you definitely end up meeting a lot more people but a friend under water is something completely different. i met a turtle friend today so, you don't get that very often. it seemed like it was more than happy to have us in his home. so beautiful. avo: more travel. more options. more personal. whatever you're looking for expedia has more ways to help you find yours.
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14 credit union employees and eight other people survived this horrible tornado by squeezing together in one of the bank vaults. the vault remained intact even as the tornado turned the entire building itself into rubble. joining us now is the manager
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and local hero jan davis. also another local hero teresa price. you worked at this credit union as well. jan, tell us what happened. you got what, ten minutes, 15 minutes' warning the tornado was on the way? >> we knew there was bad weather coming and we were monitoring before it actually touched ground. >> all right. so then all after sudden it gets worse and worse and you got all these people at the credit union where you work. >> yes. we told everyone, staff and people involved, that once the sirens started going off, we would proceed into our procedures which meant we had to all go to the vault and secure ourselves. >> so all went into the vault. then what? >> we actually went in and we went and let everybody know that the sirens were about to go off. we needed to get in there. of course we heard the sirens but we knew it was a good distance away. our police officer and jan stayed aware of exactly where
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the tornado was going, where it was, while the teller supervisor and i got everybody into the vault. we had everybody in place. so that at the last minute we could shut the door. since it is a small place we didn't want to be in there any longer than we had to. they shut the door not long after we went in there and it hit not long after. >> it was a relatively small vault. >> it was crowded but if there were more people we would have crowded them in. >> you would have. >> yes, sir. >> is there enough oxygen and air? can you breathe in those vaults for a long time? >> they have a fan built into them so if you get locked in you can turn on the fan and as soon as we pulled the door closed i did turn on the fan. >> what did you hear when the tornado is ripping apart the building? >> it was very loud. we could hear things crashing into the wall. we could hear the wall -- we could feel the wall for sure. the whole vault was just
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rocking. it felt like cracking to me. i'm sure, i don't know. but it did feel like cracking. it was just loud and of course we had a lot of people praying out loud and everybody was pretty intact. >> did you ever think, jan, this was it, it's over? >> no i did not. >> did you? >> no. >> did anybody in there? >> maybe. we tried to calm as best we could. we were -- we had constant conversation inside the vault. and, you know, constant good feelings and good words and tried to stay very positive we're going to show our viewers the before pictures of the credit union. >> okay. >> and the after pictures of the credit union. our viewers will get a sense. there you see what it used to look like and what it looks like now. >> yes. >> you opened the door, it's over. and what do you see? >> devastation. we were prepared. i want you to know we knew that when we opened that door there was no way the building could be standing.
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>> did you expect to see what you saw? >> you never really expect that. it was leveled around us. yes and no. i mean, we've been through tornadoes so we know. we've seen, all seen footage. but it was probably a little worse than we thought. >> well, that vault saved your lives. >> it did. we are very fortunate. >> grateful to the vault. >> yes. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. we're about to hear from a cnn i-reporter. his amazing video shows the exact moment rescuers heard the voice of a tornado survivor who was buried in the rubble and calling out for help. stand by for that. we're also watching a terror attack in london. this is an awful story. men with blood on their hands actually bragged about what they had just done. we are going to london live. all that and a lot more coming up when we come back.
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is there anybody here? watch out. is anybody here? all right. take him over there. >> an amazing video uploaded by a cnn i-reporter shows the moment, yes, the moment rescuers heard the voice of a tornado victim trapped in the rubble. watch this. >> over here. over here. >> over here! >> talk to me. >> right here. >> where are you at? >> we're going to get you. we're going to get you. hey! hey! >> we're going for help. we got you. >> help is on the way!
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>> our i-reporter who shot that video is juan olivo and is here with me now. that is amazing video. >> yeah. you're in your house. your house is okay. the tornado passes. you go outside. pick up the story. >> my sister lives at plaza towers -- the neighborhood. she lives a block away in the neighborhood. as soon as i seen it was in front of it i knew she lived right there so as soon as it passed i took off. no words. i just went straight to her house and she was okay. but then she told me everything behind her was gone and my initial response was, go help. >> and that's what you did. all of a sudden you heard a voice come out of that rubble? >> yes. two of my buddies lived back there and one was lying in the path of it so i went looking for him and i seen him. as soon as i seen him we went east. we took probably about 20 steps and heard a man, we started calling out and heard the man and just sprinted toward where
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he was. i just heard him and i was like, wow. i can't believe he survived. >> people came in and tried to help. without second guessing. everybody came to where we were. >> how long did it take to get him out? five to ten minutes. >> what kind of shape was he in? >> he had bad ribs. there was a 2 x 4 hard laying on him. you could tell it was going to be fractured or broken. >> he is okay now? >> he's fine. >> have you been in touch with him? >> no. >> you will be at some point. >> hopefully. >> you did an amazing thing. >> yeah. you've thought a lot about this. what are the chances that you're there, you have your camera, what, a smart phone? >> smart phone. >> that's it. you posted it at cnn i-report. pretty good work. >> thank you. >> you okay now? your family is okay? >> we're all okay and fine. i live in moore on 12th street and santa fe. >> this is the person you pulled out. >> yes. >> you helped save his life. >> not just me but a lot of people. >> you were there. you heard that. you were the first one to hear him screaming out, right?
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>> yeah. >> thanks very much. >> thank you very much. >> good work. just one story but so many stories here. to find out how you can help the victims of the devastating oklahoma storms go to cnn.com/impact. you can impact your world. lots of good opportunities to make a contribution. i think you should. just ahead, there is other news we're following including a major story. terror in london. a man is hacked to death in broad daylight on a london street as a suspect with a meat cleaver appears in a video and makes a chilling statement. exactly two years ago today, a massive tornado devastated the city of joplin, missouri. now people there are offering a message of hope to oklahoma residents. [ male announcer ] i've seen incredible things.
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we'll have more coverage from moore, oklahoma in a few minutes as we remember the victims but there is other news we're watching right now. a man the british government is calling sickening and bar lark, a man thought to be a british soldier was first hit by a car on a london street today. then two attackers brutally
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hacked him to death. two armed suspects were shot and wounded by police but before that one of them had plenty of time to speak to a camera, leaving behind a chilling video. we should caution all of you. this is quite graphic. >> we swear we'll never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. we must fight them as they fight us. an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. i apologize that women have to witness this today but in our land our women have to see the same. you people will never be safe. your government, they don't care about you. when we -- do you think the politicians will die? no. it is going to be the average guy like you. >> britain's leaders are vowing that the country will never, never give in to terrorists. we'll go now to the crime scene in london. tell us what happened based on
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all of the reports we're getting. >> reporter: yeah. basically i'll give you a breakdown. sorry for the noise. there is still a heavy police presence and helicopter ahead. what we understand from both eyewitnesses and police, it happened a little after 2:00 in after the noon as you say they first used a car but then took out meat cleavers and what looked like a machete according to one witness and just literally hacked him to death. in the words of one eyewitness, they butchered him like a piece of meat and dragged him out to the middle of the street. even more incredible they then hung around and actually told horrified onlookers they wanted to be filmed. this is where the statement, that video you saw just came from. it really was a gruesome and grisly scene. what we know is that it took police about 20 minutes to get an armed -- to get armed police officers here at the scene. they were able to shoot down the two attackers. they were seriously injured and brought to hospital. but the political statement that you saw was being made by the
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suspect on the video, that's clearly one of the reasons the government says these are strong indications they are considering this a terrorist attack. wolf? >> what do we know about the victim? >> reporter: what we know is a local m.p. says he is an off-duty british soldier. we do not know his identity. we do know that he was wearing a t-shirt that said help for heroes and this is a british charity that helped wounded veterans. it is not clear if the two attackers had been tracking the man for a while and then they targeted him or if they simply targeted him because he was wearing a shirt that clearly supported, you know, a british military charity. it's not clear at this point. all we know is that he was an off-duty soldier and at this point it appears that that is the reason he was targeted. >> what an awful story. in london for us, thank you. the killing stands up as we've
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been pointing out for its sheer brutality and the utterly brazen nature of the suspect's video statements. let's dig a little deeper now with our chief international correspondent the host of amanpour of cnn international. i don't know what to make of this development. the british government insists this was a brutal act of terror designed to score political points. what is your assessment? >> well, i've been doing some interviews and talking to former top security officials and just like you people are scratching their head trying to figure out what this is. is it something as one always has to consider has been organized from elsewhere that is part of a bigger movement, idiosyncrasy logically motivated, or is it the kind of lone wolf, home grown sort of instant terror on the street as we have seen here in london? we're not quite sure at all. but certainly people are struck by the incredibly bizarre nature, not just of what
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happened, but then the aftermath with at least one of the attackers just standing there almost asking to be caught and wanting to put about as much publicity as possible. i spoke to the former head of counterterrorism at mi-6. he is richard barrett and he also played a key role in the u.n.'s taliban al qaeda mission trying to combat that. this is what he told me about what's going on. >> most of the things that have been uncovered by the security services in england have been pretty mickey mouse, not really terribly serious. this one, too. okay. a couple crazies who are committing murder in a london street killing a soldier in the name of some sort of cause which is very indistinct and really doesn't resonate with i wouldn't have thought any of the muslims in britain or elsewhere in the world. >> so you see, wolf, he is very clearly sort of playing down the fact that this might have been some part of a bigger sort of terrorist plot. he specifically called it
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committing murder. one person was killed. it didn't have the kind of fallout that we saw even in boston and even that is considered to have been home grown terrorism and sort of a lone wolf kind of a mission there. so, you know, there are going to be a lot of questions and we'll have to wait and see what comes out of interrogating and questioning these people. they are alive, the attackers. they rushed police. they were shot. but they were taken alive and taken to hospital. >> i'm sure the next few days we'll be learning a lot more about these two individuals. thanks very much. in our next hour by the way we're taking a closer look at something that was a life saver for people here in oklahoma in the tornado's path. officials say more homeowners should build one. stand by for that. up next though the head of the irs division that targeted conservative groups in the united states goes to capitol hill but refuses to answer lawmakers' questions.
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in our next hour, the mother of one of the children who died at the plaza towers elementary school here in moore, oklahoma, kyle davis, she speaks exclusively to cnn. and she's raising concerns about something that may have saved her son's life. stand by. that's coming up in our next hour. back in washington today, a new eruption of bipartisan anger at officials who were in charge of the internal revenue service during the time it was targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny, fueling the anger, one official's repeated claims of
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ignorance about what was going on and another's complete refusal to answer any questions at all. let's bring in our chief congressional correspondent dana bash. she watched all of this unfold. it was rather dramatic, those exchanges at that hearing today, dana. >> no question about it. but when it comes to the one irs official you mentioned who didn't answer questions, it led to some bipartisan frustration, because she could have some key unanswered questions, that she could inform the committee about. traditionally when someone comes up and takes the fifth, that's about all they say. but in this case, there was a lot more and it led to unexpected drama. the head of the irs's division that targeted tea party groups defended herself with two short made-for-headlines sentences. >> i have not done anything wrong. i have not broken any laws. >> but when it came time for q&a, she invoked her fifth
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amendment rights. >> i will not answer in i questions or testify about the subject matter of this committee's meeting. >> when chairman issa interrupted -- >> she just waived her fifth amendment right to privilege. you don't get to tell your side of the story and not be subject to cross-examination. >> but lerner still refused to answer questions and was dismissed. issa may still recall her. >> come on, mr. shulman. i mean, help us help the taxpayers. >> lawmakers unleashed their frustration on lerner's former boss and irs chief, doug shulman. >> i just said two words. truth and trust. >> democrats ripped shulman for testifying one year ago there was no targeting. and never told congress when he learned he was wrong. >> even if it was a phone call, or a letter, or something, i mean, common sense -- >> shulman insisted he was
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waiting for the inspector general report. >> i didn't have anything concrete. i didn't have a full set of facts to come back to congress or the committee with. >> this democrat even raised the possibility of a special prosecutor, which could lengthen and expand the investigation. >> there will be hell to pay, if that's the route we chose to go down. >> republicans set their sights on an unexpected target, the irs inspector general, who publicized irs wrongdoing. why didn't he update congress before the election about his explosive findings? >> did you ever communicate with anyone in the oversight committee or any member of congress about that? >> the gentleman may answer. >> yes, i did not have discussions with -- >> of course you didn't. >> and they questioned the credibility of the ig audit. this week a senior irs official sat in on most ig interviews of her own subordinates. >> she was in 36 of 41 interviews. i find it highly inappropriate. >> meanwhile, this top obama
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official at the treasury department was told about the potentially explosive investigation before the election. he testified he never told the white house. >> and you don't pick up the phone and say to your contacts at the white house, which, you know, and say, just as a heads-up, this could actually hit the fan. in a presidential year. >> i did not, congressman. >> now, this irs probe is far from over, wolf. gop committee source told me they actually plan to fly four lower-level employees from the irs office in cincinnati, the tax-exempt office that is really at the heart of this, here to washington to talk to them, do a private interview and they hope to at least get to the bottom of one thing we really don't know, who started this targeting and why. wolf? >> and one quick note. shulman, the former acting director, the former acting head of the irs, he was a holdover from the bush administration, right? >> he was a holdover from the
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bush administration. and one thing that was kind of an interesting subplot was to hear the way democrats and republicans questioned him about that, asking him whether or not he gave any political donations to any party. the irony here is that the donations that he apparently did give were to democrats before he was appointed by the president. so i think that maybe seems to negate any question about political -- his political persuasion, or influence here. >> re efficient payments. ♪ to more efficient pick-ups. ♪ wireless is limitless. vo: ta friend under water is end usomething completely different. i met a turtle friend today so,
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it brings back memories of what a tornado did to joplin, missouri. that storm hit exactly two years ago today. cnn's miguel marquez is in joplin for us. people are offering a lot of messages of hope there, aren't they, miguel? >> that is the one thing they can offer just 224 miles down i-44. today hundreds of the citizens have come out to remember what happened here two years ago. all of this was destroyed that we're looking at here. >> the whole thing. they took it down -- they took everything out. >> this is now, two years ago to the day, sally smith's mother's house wiped away. anderson cooper got a tour. >> this was sort of a fire -- >> fireplace. >> fireplace? >> and the piano. of course, we had windows. the couch is here. i don't know where the couch is. >> this is the spot you stood in two years ago. fireplace --
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>> fireplace was here. the kitchen was over here. >> the house, once again, a home for smith's mom, 82-year-old marjorie. >> what is it like to be home? >> it's wonderful, after you've lived in a place for nearly 50 years, it's hard to live anywhere else. >> the neighborhood, devastated. that was then. this is now. new homes, new lawns, now life. >> i've lived on this little old hill for too long. it's all different. but every day is different. >> the view from two years ago, that same view today. a city getting firmly on its feet. about 8,000 homes and businesses destroyed, or damaged today, more than 80% rebuilt or recovering. st. john's mercy hospital was wiped out. today, a new state of the art facility is rising. a new high school, too, under construction. for now, classes in a converted big box store. still, signs of the tragedy
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everywhere. here's sally smith from two years ago. >> saying good-bye to things is hard, you know. but that's life, we go on. >> going on, with a new sense of reality. >> this is our twister safe. >> oh, my goodness. >> oh, that is solid. >> we can lock you in. >> wow. >> you have to get the door locked. >> this is one ton? >> yes. >> amazing. the price of the shelter, about $4,000, a small price for peace of mind here in tornado alley. and now, what people say here, the smiths and folks we've talked to out here, is the worst part for the people of moore is right now, they say, from here on out, it will only get better. incrementally, day by day. wolf? >> it will get better. but it's going to be difficult, especially in the short term. i know what the folks in joplin must have gone through.
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you walk around this neighborhood here in moore. it is simply awful right now. but eventually there will be light at the end of that tunnel. miguel marquez, thanks very much. and happening now, we go inside the small shelter where a dozen people, a dozen people spent the most terrifying minutes of their lives, and lived to tell us all about it. my interview also with the father of a baby born in the medical center right here in moore, just before it took a direct hit from the tornado. plus, a bloodied killer delivers a message moments after stabbing and hacking a british soldier to death on the streets of london. officials are calling it terror. i'm wolf blitzer. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. the world. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com
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we're live here in moore, oklahoma. survivors here are literally picking up the pieces of their lives, while mourning the lives lost in monday's massive tornado. the destruction is colossal. 2,400 homes damaged or completely destroyed. but the focus is now recovery, and everyone acknowledges it will take a long time. here are some of the latest developments from the disaster zone that we're watching. just a short time ago, the mayor of moore, oklahoma, told cnn, six adults who were still missing have been located. five of them alive. the sixth is deceased. president obama will see the devastation for himself this weekend. he'll visit oklahoma on sunday. and we're getting a better look today at one of the deadliest scenes from the tornado disaster. our john king was allowed inside the ruins of the plaza towers elementary school, where seven children were killed. there's new urgency here in
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moore, oklahoma, at the same time to try to make sure that people have access to storm shelters. the mayor says he's gooding to push for a law requiring shelters or safe rooms for new homes. many people in this town believe they certainly saved their lives. brian, you had a chance to speak to one man who was crowded into one of those shelters, and had a pretty amazing story. >> quite a story to tell, wolf. even structures that appeared to be solid, just got obliterated by this storm. one man we found, as wolf mentioned, got himself, his daughter and ten children inside a small concrete shelter underground, and that made all the difference. the tornado was coming, and jim garner and his family knew there was only one place for them to go. the backyard storm shelter. he took us inside. >> 6 by 6. 6 foot tall. probably 8 foot long. but 6 foot tall, 6 foot wide.
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>> how many people did you have in here? >> 12 people. >> 12? >> ten kids and me and my daughter. >> the small hole in the ground was stocked with bottled water and diapers and milk, a flashlight and battery operated tv. there was barely room to move. >> we had kids setting all along the floor. kids setting on the bench right there. i was actually sitting on the steps holding the door down. >> this is a heavy steel door. jim garner says it's got three locks on it, and yet he still during the height of the tornado had to hold this door down with all his might as the storm pulled it. he said it was all he could do to hold the door in place. >> you can feel the tornado sucking on the door, trying to pull the door up. >> how hard was it to hold the door? >> it was hard. >> the twister was getting closer. the entire family was terrified, in the darkness. garner showed us just how dark
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it got when the shelter door was closed. >> pitch black. the only thing we had was the flashlight. the debris hitting the shelter, you could hear the roar of the tornado. that scared the kids real bad, you know. i mean, it scared me. you can imagine what it done to those kids. >> they hunkered down for 20 to 30 minutes. finally the storm was gone and they went outside to see the damage. >> i told my daughter, she said, we lost our home. and i said, well, that's okay. we're safe. the kids are safe. >> it could have ended differently. some of garner's grandchildren went to plaza towers elementary, the school that was flattened in the storm. his daughter took them out of class before the storm hit. >> i don't know if she knew they didn't have a shelter or not, but she knew we did. and she didn't want them there. she wanted them here with her. >> backyard storm shelters can cost between $2,500 and $5,000. this one came with the house. but garner says for his family,
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the shelter was priceless. >> this is tornado alley. if you're going to live in this area, you need to have something like this. >> jim garner says he doesn't think many of his neighbors have shelters like that, but he sure hopes that's going to change before another tornado comes this way. wolf? >> yesterday when i spoke to the mayor here in moore, he said all the new structures, at the new schools, they have those shelters. the old ones they don't. >> they don't. and jim garner has grandchildren who go to plaza towers elementary school. he's pretty upset that they didn't have a shelter there. he says all of this has got to change now. >> we're in tornado alley. i don't know what's taking so long. they've got to do this. brian, thanks very, very much. good reporting. imagine this, you're living through a nightmare with a newborn baby in your arms. and it happened to one family whose child was born at the moore medical center just before it was destroyed by the tornado. the father of that child, andre hogan, is joining us now.
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andre, come over here. congratulations, first of all, on the birth of your child. amira? >> amare tyler hogan. >> that's the moore medical center where your child was born. tell us what was going on, on monday. your wife is in labor. she's inside there. >> yes, sir. first off, we knew the weather was coming in. it was going to be a little bad, is what we were told. we decided to go ahead and push through and have the baby the same day. >> right over here. >> right over here at the center, yes, sir. once our child was born, you know, they brung him back to the room, so he could kind of warm up. normal baby procedures. my wife was resting. they came in later with what they called a code black warning, which required all residents of the medical center to go down -- actually go downstairs and kind of take shelter in the cafeteria. so everybody was pushing -- was kind of herded off in that area.
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>> so you, your wife and child, a little baby -- >> yes. >> -- you go into the cafeteria. >> we go into the cafeteria. there was also another nurse who was pregnant, by the way, pushed my wife down there as well. she's a hero to me, her name is er erin. >> they had your wife in a wheelchair. >> yes. >> 90 minutes earlier she was delivering a baby. >> it was about an hour -- i'm sorry, about three, four hours right before is when everything took place. well, as we get down there, you know, the lights start flickering on and off. and they kept telling us, just kind of keep calm. we're on backup generators. so with that being said, you know, the lights eventually went out. my wife was still under medication from delivering the baby. and so she wasn't really into a lot of the -- she didn't really a lot what was going on. >> she had a c-section, roo it? >> yes, she had a c-section. she was a little loopy and whatnot.
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what they asked everybody to do, after the lights went out is drop on the floor. get on the floor. and just kind of curl up. and that's kind of what everybody did. and we hugged. we huddled with each other. she was still sitting in the wheelchair and i was in a chair. she leaned on me. i had my son in my arms and i leaned on her shoulder. >> she's still in the wheelchair -- >> she's still in the wheelchair. >> she's holding the baby? >> i'm holding the baby in my left arm. she's sitting right here, to my right-hand side. and she's leaning on my right shoulder here. and again, i'm leaning on her right shoulder. and i have my son in my arms. right behind -- >> you're hearing sirens going off? >> it was inside the hospital. it's a loud siren that they have for the warning. like i said, everything just -- you could feel pressure building up, in the air, and up in your ears, where your ears were about to pop, like you're about to take off in an airplane. right after that, all you saw
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was just pure -- the door flew open and you saw wind, debris, everything flowing in. smoke, grass. i mean, it was a lot of things that were just flying up into the cafeteria. and a lot of the people were screaming and crying. >> that was in effect, the safe room, the cafeteria. and everybody in this hospital, dr. sanjay gupta spoke to a lot of the people, everybody was fine. >> everybody was fine. i think there was slight injuries, because when we came out, once they gave the green light to come out, they plet the elderly go ahead of everybody. there was a lady on a stretcher, she was kind of crying and whatnot. i hope she's okay as well. >> i hope so, too. >> how is the baby doing? >> amare is doing great. that's my heartbeat right there. that's my new heartbeat right there. he's doing great. >> and your wife? >> yeah, she's doing good as well. she's still a little out of it as well. a little tired. but we pulled through.
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and we made it out. >> hey, i'm glad you did. >> thanks. >> thanks very much. you know what i want to do, skip, get a tight shot of that hospital over there. pan over and see the wreckage. i mean, it's hard to believe, you're this close -- look at what was going on outside. you can see the damage. cars that were just thrown around, as if they were little rocks. >> that's correct, wolf. actually, also, once we were leaving out of the cafeteria, i decided to stay. the nurse, erin, she helped push my wife over to the warren theater. i stayed back and we were waiting for everybody to come through. we decided, me and another gentleman, i just jumped in with him, we actually cleared off the top wing right in there, ohhen that wing. we went through a hallway, and we cleared every room, room by room. we actually stood on top of the roof up there. the side was blown off here. >> look at that destruction.
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it's a wonder anyone could survive that. >> it was crazy. >> you served in the military, too, right? >> i'm still in. >> active duty? >> active duty. >> thanks for your service. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> appreciate everything you're doing. >> yes, sir. a choice that could mean life or death. our own dr. sanjay gupta, he's here, taking a closer look at what's going on. a heart broken mother whose child died in an elementary school is asking, why there wasn't better protection. and we're remembering some of those killed in this disaster. as our special coverage continues. in miami, coca-cola is coming together with latino leaders to support hispanicize, and the adelante movement. teaching tools for success, and fostering creativity. these programs are empowering people to lead positive change, and helping them discover how great a little balance can feel.
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cnn's kyung lah spoke with the mother of a child who died at plaza towers elementary school. kyung is joining us now. ki kyung, tell us what you've seen and heard. >> well, we met, wolf, with the mother of kyle davis, an 8-year-old boy. he is one of the seven children who died at plaza towers elementary school. she is understandably in shock. she feels an overwhelming sadness at her loss. but also, some anger. here's a portion of our conversation. >> monday night was the hardest night of my life. i mean, people are telling you, go home. get some rest. and sleep. you know, how can you sleep when you don't even know where your baby's at? you don't know if he's safe? if he's still stuck under all that rubble? is he -- you know, where is he? being a mother, you know -- you have to know where your babies
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are. and i finally maybe dozed off maybe an hour and a half, maybe if that. i kept on turning on the news, because they were talking about more storms coming in. and then got up, got ready, went back into the city. and then i got confirmation that they had him. that he didn't make it. and, you know, you cry and cry and cry. and then you feel like you're crying, and there's no tears going, but you feel like they're going. and i just -- it's just something i never, ever thought in my life that we would have to go through. >> are you angry at all at anything? or is it just the overwhelming sadness that you foo el? >> i am angry to an extent. i know the schools did what they thought they could do.
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but with us living in oklahoma, tornado shelters should be in every school. it should be -- you know, there should be a place that if this ever happened again during school, that kids can get to a safe place. that we don't have to sit there and go through rubble, and rubble, and rubble, and may not ever find what we're looking for. >> now, davis had another child who was also at plaza towers. that child, a daughter, an 11-year-old girl, did survive. so she is greatful for that. wolf, one thing i would like to add is that she is now terrified of tornadoes. if there's another, she says the first thing she will do is get her child out of school. wolf? >> i know you've learned a lot about kyle. tell us what you've learned. >> i'm sorry, wolf, what was that? >> tell us about kyle.
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>> about kyle. well, kyle, he's actually -- you almost felt like he was there. his mom wanted to meet at a soccer field, where she could show us how much he loved the sport. she's the ultimate soccer mom. she took him there all the time. he loved to play soccer. his nickname was the wall because he was such a big kid. and the other thing she mentioned is that he loved his sister. he also loved monster trucks. he loved going there with his grandfather whenever he could. and she says that her son, with these bright blue, baby blue eyes, she just simply cannot imagine what it's going to be like to not see him grow up. >> what a truly heartbreaking story, indeed. a sweet, sweet boy. all right. kyung lah reporting for us. so many of these stories go on and on and on. up next, the best options, if a tornado is coming your way. our own dr. sanjay gupta, he's
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here with me. he'll explain if you should run, and if so, where should you run to? should you hide? and a mother's emotional account of surviving a storm in a cellar, with five of her kids. she says her daughters are her heroes. copd makes it hard to breathe... but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers
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thousands of people here in oklahoma have just minutes to make that life-or-death decision when the tornado sirens sounded off on monday. so what would you do if you heard those sounds? our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is here with us
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a closer look. a tough choice to make. you hear the sirens going off. what do you do? >> yeah, i mean, we're trained for this, ever since we're children. but obviously when it actually happens, it becomes a very quick sort of thinking for a lot of different people out there. there are some pretty common misconceptions i think about how to protect yourself during a tornado. we sort of wanted to go through those and give people an idea of what to do. 13 minutes, that's the average lead time you'd have if a tornado was headed your way. there's obviously no completely safe option during a tornado. your best bet is to get into the basement, somewhere below ground level. keep in mind, if you are there, make sure what's on the floor above you as well. a refrigerator or heavy piece of furniture could come crashing through the floor. here in moore, oklahoma, there aren't a lot of basements. studies have actually shown that there is another very good option. take a look over here.
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an interior room or closet like that could be the best place to be as well. the house is gone here, but the closet preserved, even the clothes inside of that. remember, just got 13 minutes. so find that safe place. maybe grab a helmet or bike helmet, even throw mattresses or blanket over you to protect your head. one place you can't hide from a tornado is in your car. tornado strength winds can pick up a one to two-ton vehicle like this one and toss it around, like you or i would a basketball. obviously you don't want to be driving toward a tornado. but it's also a bad idea to be driving away from a tornado. it's hard to gauge the distance. if you must be driving and the we thiss ese eser ther, get out path of the storm. you should get out of your car and run underneath an overpass. what happens in a situation like this, is the wind is actually funneled, even more powerful than the storm, and there's also a lot of debris. and that debris can injure you.
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if you are stuck outside as a tornado approaches, find a ditch, or anyplace far away from potentially dangerous objects and vehicles and stay low. there are a lot of tornadoes here, obviously, in this part of the country, wolf. and i think as a result of the training and probably just over the years, since childhood, people understanding some of these things, the death toll was as low as it was. given the devastation behind us, how so many people survived, i think it was some of these basic things. >> lessons learned, tornado after tornado after tornado. there are still lessons they've got to learn, but i'm sure they will. >> with regard to the buildings and hospital, for sure. but it's still pretty remarkable. >> sansanjay, thank you very mu she grabbed her children and ran to the cellar in her home and began to pray. she tells me what they found when they came out. we remember some of the victims here in moore, oklahoma, as our special coverage
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happening now, my emotional interview with a woman who rode out the tornado here in oklahoma. the tornado nightmare with five of her six chirp. she tells me how they all survived and what they found afterward. also, an up-close look at how debris becomes deadly missiles. we go inside a tornado simulator. the obama administration reveals how many americans have really been killed by drones. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." people are getting a better picture right now of what happened when they lost so much, as that tornado hit on monday. let's check some of the latest
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developments. moore, oklahoma, residents, where i am right now, they were allowed back into their neighborhoods within the past couple of hours. they had been kept out for their own safety. there are more injuries from the tornado than we thought. the governor now puts the total at 325. and the scope of this disaster continues to grow as well. state insurance officials say 4,000 claims already have been filed. and damage will likely top $2 billion. the damage is catastrophic, but so many people i've been speaking with around town here tell me they are thankful simply to be alive. jody told me how she rode out the storm in a cellar with five of her six children, including her 8-week-old baby. >> i just got phone calls, my mom, everybody was just like, you need to go home and get in the cellar. i got the kids. we've had tornado precautions before with the kids. with egot in the storm cellar.
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it was so hot in there. we were trying to have phone service to see what was going on. i didn't know the tornado had toufd down, hit, anything. the sirens would go off and this and that. all of a sudden it got really quiet. i heard my neighbor talking. then it got -- the hail. and then it got so loud. we just held on to each other. i could see daylight through my cellar where it waste sealed. i just was praying to god i had it latched all the way. >> it was latched? >> it was latched, definitely. the girls held on to the little ones. i held on to the baby. and the tornado just -- when it came through, it was so loud. and we were just -- all of our heads were down. we were hunkered together, and just praying. all of a sudden a loud bang hit the cellar. later i found that it was our deck. our deck flipped over on top of our cellar. i believe that is what kept the door from epg oh. because the whole thing was
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shaking. and then i told my daughter to start screaming through the vents. we couldn't hear anything. we smelled gas. i heard my neighbor, she's got five babies, she's here with her five babies, i know she's here, i know she's here. he's like, help, help, i know they're here. he said he saw a woman laying on the ground over where my driveway was. he thought it was me. he just hugged me and he thought it was me and our babies. he said, i just started digging through rubble. i heard your daughte, i heard your daughter screaming help. and he called for the medical staff that was down on the medical building, down south of my house. he called them, help, help, screaming help. and five men, the door opened and there's my neighbor. and men in scrubs. they just pulled my kids, one by one out of the cellar and handed me the baby. >> this baby right here. >> handed me the baby. they said, give us the baby,
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give us the kids. we'll take you to safety. there was just mud and water and gas everywhere. >> just a few broks from here. >> yeah, we're actually over off of southeast 6th street right where east junior high school is. we took a direct hit. >> so your house right now -- you say it's gone. >> just rubble. >> the whole neighborhood. >> not the whole neighborhood. our street is just -- the neighbors across, they had their roofs and things. it's just amazing to me, the damage. but our house was just destroyed. my minivan is in my kitchen, on top of my kitchen. it just mangled it. it looked like it crushed it right on top of my kitchen. my tahoe is over two houses over, on my neighbor's pool. it's just devastating. but all the kids are alive. my 14-year-old was on lockdown in his junior high school. he's okay. we had to get through power lines and get across. it took us about 45 minutes. it felt like a lifetime to get
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to him. i just waited in the parking lot for somebody and my dad. we're with my mom and tuttle. and just the overflow of people who have been trying to help us. kingfisher set up a -- kingfisher times ran an ad this morning. it's just so -- it's unbelievable. my daughters, they are just my heroes. they helped me with these little babies. and my neighbor, paul, i just -- i saw him yesterday and he just hugged me. he just started crying. he just said, i didn't even care about anything else, but you and your babies. and it was just overwhelming. >> it is. >> overwhelming. i'm exhausted. i went yesterday, just trying to find pictures. i was trying to get ahold of my fiance. he was out of town. >> they let you get back to your house? >> i don't know if they let us, but we got back in. pictures -- >> you found albums? >> we found albums, pictures. these ladies showed up.
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we were digging looking for pictures in the pouring rain yesterday. i just wanted to find my babies' pictures. but none of that matters. my kids are alive. we wouldn't have survived had we not gotten in that cellar. it was a split-second decision. i almost didn't. >> there aren't a whole lot of cellars in this area. >> we're the only one on our street. my neighbor, that survived and actually got us out of the rubble, he had a safe room. his safe room was still -- he said, it tried to blow him out of the safe room. but nobody else down our street had a cellar. thank god they weren't home. but the lady who was, she didn't make it, a couple houses down. it's just devastating. but we thought we rescued our dog yesterday. she was in the kennel. i put her in the kennel in the room. i was just like, i'm so sorry. then we pulled her out of the rubble yesterday. and she was just perfect. it's just amazing, the house is
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just mangled, and there she is in the kennel. she didn't even use the restroom. she got out. i just fell in the mud with her. it was just amazing. >> amazing story indeed. i want to thank jody for sharing that with us, with all of our viewers. remember, there are so many ways you can help these tornado victims, from giving blood, to donating food, to giving money. here's what you do, go to cnn.com/impact. cnn.com/impact. you can impact your world. a bloody act of terror, and a man with a meat cleaver goes on a frenzy ied attack and talks to a man with a camera. now we're hearing for the first time from the man shooting that video. stand by. we went out and asked people a simple question: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing.
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but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ to enjoy all of these years. in miami, coca-cola is coming together with latino leaders to support hispanicize, and the adelante movement. teaching tools for success, and fostering creativity. these programs are empowering people to lead positive change, and helping them discover how great a little balance can feel. through initiatives like these, our goal is to inspire more than three million people to rediscover the joy of being active this summer. see the difference all of us can make, together.
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this is just coming into "the situation room." an interview to a witness to an attack the british government is calling sickening and barbaric. first, background. a man thought to be a british soldier was hit by a car on a london street today. then, two attackers brutally hacked him to death. the two armed suspects were shot and wounded by police. but before that, one of them had plenty of time to speak to a camera, leaving behind a very chilling video. we should caution you, this is quite graphic. >> we swear by it, we never stop fighting you. until you leave us alone. we must fight them as they fight
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us. eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. in our land, our women have the same. you people will never be safe. the government never cares about you. he's going to get caught in the street. >> now, paul davies spoke with the man who shot that video. >> the man with the bloodied hands is not talking to a professional cameraman, he has deliberately sought out a passerby who is filming with a phone camera. the man who filmed those dreadful scenes prefers not to be identified. but he told me about that unreal conversation. >> he came straight to me. he say no, no, it's cool. i just want to talk to you. >> the amateur cameraman said what struck him most was that the bloodied man and a second man seemed to be waiting by the body for the police to arrive.
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>> why don't we run. because at the time the police was taking to come, that was 30 minutes. in 30 minutes, the guy comes running, and going away. >> instead, the two men talked to women. allegedly apologizing. then according to this witness, charged towards the first police officers to arrive. >> he saw the police, straight, run to the police. they're running straight to the police. and they go bang, bang, bang. >> they didn't try to run away at all? >> no, no, no, they didn't try. >> with the two men injured and restrained on the ground, the police drove the cameraman away. he asks them why they've taken so long to respond. >> please move back.
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>> you take a long time to come. this soldier is dead. >> the witness says he had been on his way for a job interview when the world seemed to go mad. >> that's very sad for me, to see someone die like that. you know. because he didn't do nothing to die today, you know? and for me, it's very sad, and strained for me. very sad. >> paul davies of itn reporting. london's metropolitan police is aware of the reports that they say took them 30 minutes to arrive at the scene. they are investigating what happened. the obama administration is opening up today about a politically sensitive issue. the use of drones to target terror suspects, including some
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americans. let's bring in our crime and justice correspondent joe johns. he's got the latest. what happened, joe? >> it comes just one day before the president is expected to give his big speech on national security. the government is admitting for the first time that since 2009, it has killed four americans, in counterterrorism strikes overseas. the letter comes from the attorney general to senator patrick leahy, the chairman of the senate judiciary committee. holder says in the letter that the president ordered him to make this disclosure. it seems only one of these four was specifically targeted. that would be anwar al a arwarhi. his 16-year-old son killed in another yemen strike. and mohammed, who was killed in pakistan. the letter does not spell out how the men died. but all were believed to be killed in drone strikes. it also says this week, the president approved a new standard for capturing or
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killing terrorists overseas. lethal force considerations include, one, that the individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the united states, capture is not feasible, and the operation would be conducted in a manner in war of principles. we didn't know mohammed was part of a north carolina group charged in a terror conspiracy. mohammed was believed to be in pakistan. there had been local news reports in north carolina suggesting he might have been killed. but it wasn't until today that it was confirmed by the u.s. government. wolf? >> and the president will be speaking about national security presumably his drone policy tomorrow. that major address he's delivering at the national defense university in washington. joe, thanks very much. a man who knew the boston bombing suspects was shot and killed early today by an fbi agent in orlando, florida. a law enforcement source tells cnn the 27-year-old man confessed to a direct role in a
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2011 triple homicide in massachusetts. he was being investigated because of his ties to the tsarnaev brothers. we're told he became violent during the questioning, and the fbi agent shot him in self-defense. a graphic look at the deadly power of a tornado. and its killer debris. >> i'm chris lawrence, in lubbock, texas. coming up, we're going to give you an idea of what it's like inside a tornado and show you damage just one piece of wood can do to your home. ♪ fly me to the moon ♪ let me play among the stars ♪ and let me see what spring is like ♪ ♪ on jupiter and mars ♪ in other words [ male announcer ] the classic is back. ♪ i love
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two by fours turned into missiles, much of the tornado's deadly force comes from the tons and tons of debris it hurls at tremendous speed. here's cnn's chris lawrence. >> reporter: the vortex created in this room is as close as can you get to standing in an actual tornado. this is just smoke, dust, and dirt. imagine when this twister actually starts ripping pieces of wood right out of a home. it turns a neighborhood into a minefield. a minor piece of wood becomes a missile. how much damage can these two by fours do? >> i've seen these two by fours go two and three walls in a house. >> larry tanner helps run texas tech's national wind institute. the premier testing ground for
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tornadoes. >> three, two, one. >> he launches the most common type of debris. a 15 pound piece of wood to see if a shelter can withstand the impact at 100 miles per hour. >> the wood splinters in the blink of an eye. but by slowing it down, you can see the incredible force and destructive power. >> we saw the projectile punch right through. well built safe rooms can withstand flying two by fours and larger debris which is often heavier but slower. and those shelters don't have to be buried in the backyard. some of the experts say the only way to survive that tornado was to get underground. >> that's absolutely false. >> tanner says if the doors don't hold, it doesn't matter where the shelter is.
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in flying debris projectiles kill a lot of people as they're running outside to get to an underground shelter. so the national wind institute in fema advise installing a safe room inside the home. >> maybe it's your laundry room. maybe it's your master bedroom closet. >> tanner says you need to use the room every day which minimizes the cost. and his tests have proven it can be just as safe above ground. >> so bottom line, when the winds start to whip around like this, get to is closest safe spot and that may not always be underground. wolf? >> chris lawrence, good advice. thanks very much. coming up, a man who rushed, rushed to the plaza towers elementary school here in moore, oklahoma, right after the tornado and will be haunt the forever by what he saw. and we remember some of those killed in this disaster as our
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freshpet fresh food for fido i've lost everything before and i'm not going to recover from that easily. i mean when you're sitting in the bathroom and you're holding mom and she screams to hold her tighter because she thinks she's going to fly away. you taste the dirt in your mouth. you see the debris in the sky. >> that's one of the survivors here in moore, oklahoma. spoke to cnn's pamela brown. what an emotional moment. pam also spoke with a man who was among the first to arrive at
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the school where seven children died. he says they didn't have to. >> i interviewed a resident here in moore, oklahoma, who says he just wanted to help after the tornado hit. he rushed over to plaza towers elementary school where his nephew went to school in hopes of pulling pusurvivors out of t rubble. instead, he experienced something that still haunts him, four deceased children under a pile of debris. >> never get used to it. i'll probably never be all right with it again. but, i mean, there's nothing that i can do at the type. i don't have the medical training or experience to know how to do all that. so i did the best i could. >> reporter: that resident adam baker said he found the kids in a shallow area. he said he thought it might have been a classroom. there was so much debris it was hard to tell. had the kids been in a basement or underground shelter of some
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sort if they would have survived, he was very adamant in his response. >> most definitely. i mean underground shelters are some of the best things to have in a tornado, especially if they're concrete. because, i mean, two by fours can go straight through houses, solid concrete, cinder blocks. >> reporter: we learned today that those kids died from mechanical asphyxiation. that means you're unable to breathe deep due to some force or blockage likely because of all the debris piled on top of them. wolf? >> pamela brown here in oklahoma with us. the newspapers here in oklahoma have some powerful, powerful photos on their front pages today. we'll share some of them with you. the oklahoma shows obliterated neighborhood saying everyone in the state feels the loss. the norman, oklahoma paper has a photo of the devastated plaza
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towers elementary school with the headline force of nature. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'll be reporting tomorrow from here in oklahoma once again. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >> "outfront" next, seven schoolchildren killed during the tornado in oklahoma. the mother of one of the children says those deaths could have been avoided. plus, a shocking twist in the boston bombing investigation. a man being questioned about his ties to the suspects shot and killed today by fbi agents. and a soldier hacked to death with a meat cleaver on the street in broad daylight. we'll show you the suspect's alleged confession to camera before the police came. let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" togh