fill that seat but the primaries will be in august. we have much more ahead in the next hour of "cnn saturday morning" which starts right now. live from the cnn center in atlanta, this is "cnn saturday morning." it is june 8th. good morning, everyone. great to have you here with us. i'm pamela brown. a california community shaken after a shooting rampage that leaves four people dead. we're expecting an update from police today. and newark, new jersey, mayor cory booker looking for a promotion to capitol hill. a big announcement from him expected in just minutes from now. and an actress is in big trouble for allegedly sending ricin tainted letters to the president. surprising details about why she may have done it straight ahead. investigators have now identified one victim killed in a shooting spree in santa monica, california. the coroner's office says 68-year-old carlos navarro franco was in his suv. the gunman fired at the red suv

as soon as he got to santa monica college's campus. a passenger in that car was reportedly hurt. the car right here. we expect to get an update from police in just about two hours from now and we'll bring that to you live. this rampage started yesterday morning at the home where it's believed the gunman's brother and father lived. our miguel marquez takes us through the deadly day. >> reporter: a deadly rampage rolling through the streets of santa monica. 11:52 a.m., the first 911 call. a man wearing all black clothing and tactical gear leaves this house. inside two victims believed to be the shooter's father and brother. >> he was coming out of the house. the gate of the house across the street and then i noticed that house was on fire and i thought he had been firing into the house. >> reporter: the gunman then jumped into a car forcing the driver with him. minutes later he opened fire on a santa monica city bus. no deaths thanks to a quick

thinking bus driver. >> it happened in front of me. i was in my car and a guy on the left side of the street jumped out of the car with a big black gun and started blasting rounds at all of our cars and the buildings and the bus. >> reporter: then just minutes after that, the gunman shot up a building at an intersection santa monica and forced the driver to take him to santa monica college where the shooting free continshoot ing spree continued. >> i ran into the hallway and when i got out there, i saw a gentleman dressed in all black. >> reporter: the incident cut a mile long deadly path through the heart of santa monica from the house that was set on fire to the library at santa monica college packed with students studying for finals. >> he just looked like he was standing there posing for the cover of an ammo magazine or something. it was really bizarre. very calm. not running around. not yelling. just looking around for targets

very casually. >> reporter: less than 15 minutes after it started, it was over. four victims and the gunman dead. >> the officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene. >> reporter: his body moved from the library and taken to a sidewalk where he was finally pronounced dead. >> that was miguel marquez. we're expecting a major political announcement any minute now. cory booker, the mayor of newark, new jersey, is expected to announce he's running for the u.s. senate. it's the seat left vacant by the death of longtime democratic senator frank lautenberg who died earlier this week. earlier this we're before lautenberg announced his retirement, booker said he was thinking about running for the senate in 2014. after lautenberg's passing, governor chris christie announced there would be a special election in october to fill the seat and since yesterday ko yesterday cory booker's website has been soliciting donations

for a senate run. we'll go there as soon as he takes the podium. an actress is accused of sending ricin laced letters to president obama and mayor bloomberg. ed lavandera has more. >> reporter: investigators escorted shannon richardson into a federal court building in texas. fbi officials say richardson has been charged with mailing a threatening communication to the president of the united states. in her hometown of new boston, texas, neighbors know this red head as shannon richardson but in hollywood she's known as shannon guess, an actress appearing in minor roles in television shows like "the walking dead" and "vampire diaries." it appears she tried to frame her husband in this real life drama.

richardson met with authorities to say her husband had mailed three ricin laced letters to president obama, mayor michael bloomberg and the head of a gun control advocacy group. the arrest warrant affidavit says shannon richardson placed castor beans in the trunk of her husband's cars and sprinkled riceon power around tools at their tools to ensure he would be apprehended and claimed to find ricin research on the family computer and suspicious material in the house. from the beginning, investigators were suspicious of her story and now believe it was shannon richardson and not her husband who mailed the letters, which contained an ominous threat. you will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. the right to bear arms is my constitutional god given right. what's in this letter is nothing compared to what i've got planned for you. last week mayor bloomberg shrugged off the threat.

>> i have more danger from lightning than from anything else and i'll go about my business and we'll keep working on getting guns off the streets out of the hands of criminals and people with mental problems. >> shannon richardson is now in custody for mailing the ricin letters and her husband filed for divorce on thursday. court documents cite "discord or conflict of personalities" as the reason for the breakup. >> thanks to ed lavandera for that report. nelson mandela is in serious but stable condition at a south african hospital. the former south african leader was hospitalized early this morning for recurring lung infection. a spokesperson said he's breathing on his own and receiving the best care possible. he's become more frail in recent years. his 95th birthday right around

the corner. the northeast is preparing for a soaking. up next, we'll look at the path of the season's first named storm. [ mrs. hutchison ] friday night has always been all fun and games here at the hutchison household. but one dark stormy evening... there were two things i could tell: she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her what our other cats love, purina cat chow complete. it's the best because it has something for all of our cats! and after a couple of weeks she was healthy, happy,

and definitely part of the family. we're so lucky that lucy picked us. [ female announcer ] purina cat chow complete. always there for you. [ girl ] there are man-eating sharks in every ocean... but we still swim. every second, somewhere in the world, lightning strikes... but we still play in the rain. poisonous snakes can be found in 49 of the 50 states, but we still go looking for adventure. a car can crash... a house can crumble... but we still drive... and love coming home.

because i think deep down we know... all the bad things that can happen in life... they can't stop us from making our lives... good. ♪ let's go straight to newark, new jersey. that's where cory booker is about to take the podium. we expect him to throw his hat in the ring for a senate bid. he's there shaking hands with politicians and we have been waiting for this. we know that he launched an exploratory committee even before senator frank lautenberg announced his retirement as we know frank lautenberg passed away and

unlikely at the time. that was 1997. the year audible commercialized the first digital audio player along with another unlikely vision that these digital devices would be everywhere one of these days. by 2007, awed by mayor booker's progress, audible decided to join in and we moved to newark. we think companies can do important work beyond serving and inventing on above of our customers around the world and this is why we're here for newark's comeback. this is an important day for newark, and for the nation. senator bill bradley has worked

tirelessly for what ought to be the state of a just society. bill served as you know as new jersey's senator for 18 years. he's without doubt one of our country's most brilliant students of public and private sector policy on a global plain. i had the pleasure of watching him play basketball of interviewing him when is with a journalist and getting to know him as i was building a business and in all cases he stood above the crowd. senator bradley. >> thank you very much, don. it's a pleasure for me to be here today. the first time i met cory booker he was a recent college graduate and i was a u.s. senator. he came to my office and we talked for a long while about politics and about life and i was impressed with his intelligence, his idealism, his

empathy, his humanity, and i thought he could be a leader some day so today when he is about to declare his candidacy for the senate seat that i held for 18 years in new jersey, it is a special moment for me. in each of my three senate campaigns i would one day set aside to go to all 21 counties in new jersey in one day. from the wind and the trees in sussex county to smell of pumpkins and dancing with senior citizens in mercer county to straight energy and ethnic neighborhoods of urban new jersey, to the five-layer

chocolate cake i had at the end of that day at the golden star diner, i felt love and i also felt the richness and the heart of new jersey. i did love it. i want to say that today i challenge cory booker to go to all 21 counties in one day. if you do, i will bequeath you my five-layer chocolate cake at the gold star diner. i always believe certain things about the potential of politics. it's a noble enterprise. not a dirty business. and that if you respect the people s people, listen to the people,

level with the people, they'll give you the benefit of the doubt. most of the time. that's why in my 18 years, i would walk the new jersey shore every summer encountering new jersians and all of their diversity and opinions in the place which we both loved. that's why i would stand at the port authority bus terminal in newark at rush hour with 10,000 new jersians passing me going home, giving me an earful of whatever they were thinking that day. that's why every town meeting when people came out after work and asked questions about their country, reminded me of the responsibility i had to the people and the opportunity i had to serve. i believe the right kind of politics allows us to see

something bigger than ourselves. it allows politicians to appeal to our better nature and it allows citizens to have faith in their neighbors, in the people and in humankind. the reason that i am here today is because i believe cory booker embodies that kind of politics and is that kind of leader. a leader who accepts the radical premise that you can tell people exactly what you believe and win. his record of accomplishment in newark, parks, investment, even this company, this building, his

ability to listen, really listen to people, we need more people in washington that have ears and not mouths. his understanding of what it is to struggle against economic odds when you're working and your spouse is working and you can't quite make it and understanding that poverty is a stain on all of us. his understanding of the need to cleanse our politics and his capacity to deal with complexity and see the connections between all of us, between global warming and tornadoes, between suburban and urban, between all peoples, of all parties, in all circumstances. i think makes him -- i think all of these reasons make him the right person for the right

office at the right time. and i am very delighted to endorse his candidacy. i think he can be a great united states senator. he can put us in touch with our better selves and so as i said, it's a pleasure to endorse his candidacy for the u.s. senate in new jersey. [ applause ] good morning, everyone. it's an honor to stand here and before i say a word about bill, i want to thank everyone for coming. there's a lot of newark residents here and a lot of people from all over the state. very humbly sitting in the seats over here is our county executive. i want to thank him for being here. i want to particularly give a thankful word to my pastor who is over my left shoulder and is

a rock in my life and keeps my feet rooted in a spiritual foundation. i want to know just tell you how special this moment is for me to have senator bill bradley stand before you all and endorse my candidacy. i am more humbled by this moment and those words than you know. bill bradley was really my first model in public service that inspired in me the belief that politicians can make a difference. he has unequivocally been one of my life's great mentors. it was a time in my life when i first really started reading about him which was not in new jersey. i was at stanford university. i read a speech he gave in the senate on race and race relations in america. if you remember, this is the time when we had the rodney king

trial. conviction to confront issues that politicians on a national level were not talking about. it sealed him in my mind as a model to which i inspired to emulate. the more i learned about senator bradley and having this star that once made national headlines as a basketball player have a common and humble touch. when i first met him, he and i were debating this. i was invited to see him on my way over to study in oxford. i stood in his office and i was so nervous meeting senator bill bradley in the u.s. senate. my first visit ever to the united states senate. he put me at ease. talked to me. inspired me. told me funny stories of his days in oxford. so i just want to say that from the early 1990s until this moment, bill, you have been a source of inspiration to me,

example, and wisdom. more than that, the great privilege of my life is to stand here and tell you that bill bradley has been a friend and the right kind of friend. some friends tell you what you want to hear but the good friends are the ones that tell you what you need to hear. i'll never forget last summer when bill bradley walked up to me before he gave me a greeting and said cory booker, you need to lose weight. thank you, bill, very much for the privilege. i've done it. still more to go. it's very important to me at the outset that i acknowledge the service and the leadership of senator frank lautenberg. as a senator and as a citizen, he has been one of the most impactful new jersians. he was truly a giant in the

united states senate. he was a giant for our state and a giant for our nation. from his service in world war ii so his work and advocacy in the united states senate, we are blessed by his contributions and i say confidently that generations yet unborn will feel the impact of his leadership and contributions. i'm here today to officially announce my candidacy to be new jersey's next united states senator. [ applause ] >> the mayor of newark, new jersey, officially announcing he's throwing his hat in the ring. he's running to take over the vacated seat by the late senator frank lautenberg. he called the senator the late senator lautenberg a giant in the u.s. senate. he also thanked his mentors. bill bradley, a basketball

player turned senator as well as his pastor. so let's get some political analysis here. we have a couple guests joining us today. donna brazile, rick tyler. thank you both for being her with us. donna, i'm going to start with you. cory booker obviously a rising star in the democratic party and we've known for a while that he was weighing whether he should throw his hat in the ring. now he's officially announcing it. does he have a competitive advantage, the fact that he started this process early or the fact that there's a special election sooner than he expected hurt him in any way? >> well, first of all, cory booker has been an outstanding leader not only in the city of newark which he led for the past eight years, but he's been a rising star not only among democrats but someone that the nation will look to. he's someone that can bring people together from all walks of life because he's walked it

himself. cory has demonstrated that you can bring, you know, business back to urban communities. he's a hands-on mayor. there were rumors last year that he might seek the governorship but then i guess he put the rumors out by basically telegraphing he wanted to be the next united states senator. of course in february when we heard that, we knew that he would not run for governor but he waited and of course the passing of the great senator lautenberg gives him this opportunity. i want to say that he's going to have some democratic challenges in the primary. the primary which will be held in august for the special election, the general election in october. thanks to chris christie. but the congressman along with the other congressman and maybe others might join the race. he has a national reputation. he is someone that knows how to

get things done and i do believe that he will have an advantage over not just his primary opponents but also in a general election. >> he certainly has garnered a lot of national attention. we know he's a prolific twitter. 1.3 million followers on twitter. i want to ask you, rick tyler, what do you think? what is his main challenge here? >> i think the main challenge is cory booker is very popular. he's very popular in hollywood and popular in chicago and popular in d.c. and newark not so much. he's not supported by the party bosses. that support has gone between the two others who are better well funded. the truth is in cory booker's rhetoric matched reality of cory booker, he would indeed be the next united states senator from new jersey. i don't believe he will because like president obama he doesn't actually like to governor. so the city can't borrow money

against a new water system. unemployment is higher than national average when you have the economic powerhouse of new york across the street. he laid off 162 police officers as one of his first acts and closed three firestations which might explain why he has to rush into buildings to save people. he couldn't clear the streets of snow so he decided to go out and shovel the snow himself. look, he is head of a failed city. spends more than half his time outside of newark. he's earned over a million dollars in speeches giving 90 peach speeches in 32 different states as reported by his local paper. "the new york times" recently did a piece that outlined the economic, educational failure of cory booker. so again, he gives great speeches. he'll give a great speech in education. most of the underprivileged children in newark go to failing schools. they're not even controlled by cory booker but controlled by the governor because they're so bad. >> now we know what the

opposition will say. we know what the opposition will say and pretty much the opposition has not much record in trying to lead a major urban center like newark. i do believe that he will have to answer some of those questions throughout the campaign. it's a very short campaign. he's the kind of leader that i do believe can articulate a vision not just for new jersey but for the country and people looking for leaders like cory booker who brings integrity to the political process. i mean, standing next to bill bradley, a man i'm pretty familiar with. he ran against al gore. we defeated him. he's a giant. bill bradley is a common sense pragmatic leader. cory booker will have a great shot at it. >> all right. there you said it. donna brazile, rick tyler, surely to be a hotly contested race. we'll keep our eye on it. thank you for adding your political analysis. we appreciate it.

still ahead on "cnn saturday morning" -- >> the job you create for yourself is the most stable job you could have. >> we'll show you how the economy is pushing many in the workforce to change their idea of the typical job.

breaking news this morning. serena williams wins 6-4, 6-4 to claim her second french open championship. it's her first french open title since 2002.

in other news, the u.s. economy is holding its own right now. 175,000 jobs were added in the month of may. that's more than analysts expected and better than we did back in april but the unemployment rate bumped up 0.1 percentage point to 7.6%. with the up employment number slowing a slight change, some workers find their own way to cope with the lack of reliable jobs. they're creating their own jobs. tom foreman has this week's "american journey". >> reporter: when this small tech company began in kansas, one of the founders knew he needed to permanent staff. talented workers hired when needed and ready to embrace a new professional mantra. >> i guess the idea that the job you create for yourself is the most stable job you could have. >> reporter: he's not alone. one business study estimates there are already more than 17 million americans who no longer work for companies but sell their skills day by day and that

number could jump to 23 million in the next few years. >> freelancing is happening everywhere. >> reporter: at the freelance reunion in new york, the founder knows all about it. >> it's really a phenomenon where people are hard working and they're just putting together a bunch of projects and they work in fields ranging from being a doctor to a programmer to being a nanny. >> reporter: not much like a traditional union, her group helps its members take on all of the tasks that employers used to manage. networking for the next job, marketing their skills, and the toughest part, managing health care by combining their purchasing power, she says group members get insurance for 40% less than it would cost them individually. and for all of the headaches -- >> because they don't work 9:00 to 5:00, they can be home when the kids come home from schools and do things we love and projects that we say we'll do when we retire. >> reporter: and many freelancers despite economic jitters are feeling more free

because they left the every day office behind. tom foreman, cnn, kansas city. >> up next, how the president is looking to improve u.s./china ties and former south african leader nelson manndela is in th hospital this morning. with he go live to johannsburg for the latest on his condition. [ male announcer ] it's intuitive and customizable, just like a tablet. so easy to use, it won a best of ces award from cnet. and it comes inside this beautifully crafted carrying case. introducing the all-new 2014 chevrolet impala with the available mylink system. ♪ [ beeps ] ingeniously connecting you to your life and the road. that's american ingenuity to find new roads.

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susan candiotti joins us with new information. >> reporter: as you know, we have not yet learned the name of the alleged gunman in this case. however, we do now have some more information about him. according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation, the alleged gunman in the santa monica shootings had suffered from mental health illness. apparently a couple years ago according to our source he had been hospitalized for treatment of this illness after he allegedly talked about harming someone. now, apparently there were no charges filed at the time. that remains unclear. however, he was hospitalized for treatment. now, it also is unclear when he was released from the hospital and whether the state hospitalized him, put him in there for treatment, or whether his family did or whether he committed himself. these are all additional details we're learning about him but hope to learn more of course at a news conference which is

scheduled for 1:00 eastern time. what little else we know about him is that he was between the ages according to police of 25 to 35 years old and of course witnesses describe him as wearing black tactical gear and that he was armed with a semiautomatic rifle. of course he went on the shooting shoot ing rampage that started at noontime local time offcampus at a house near santa monica college and then allegedly hijacked a car, shot up a passing bus, went to the campus, shot some people at a library and eventually was gunned down by police himself. so there are four people in all dead at this time. one of the victims has been identified by police as carlos navarro franco age 68 of west los angeles. he was the driver of an suv who was allegedly gunned down as part of this shooting rampage. so this is important new information that we are learning about the background of this

man, pamela, but as of yet we have no name. >> certainly a big development there, susan, as we piece together who this person was and what his motive was and as you mentioned, we hope to learn more at that 1:00 p.m. eastern press conference. thank you so much, susan. nelson mandela is in serious but stable condition at a hospital in south africa. the former south african leader was hospitalized early this morning for a recurring lung infection. we're joined now live from j johannsonburg. at last check he was in serious condition. >> reporter: nothing else from authorities here in south africa. we've had no update on his condition in the last 10 to 12 hours and probably unlikely we'll have anything any time soon. they don't give a lot of information on the health of former presidents. they said earlier that he was serious which is key.

they never used that language before. the presidential spokesperson coming out saying he was stable and that he was breathing on his own which is also very important news. in terms of the lung infection, recurring lung infection, it's pneumonia and in a 94-year-old man, that can be fatal. >> lung infections can occur really fast. i'm a specialist in the matter but it affects the person's breathing, can be very serious and life threatening and i think the doctors will be very, very careful when dealing with a man of his age with a history of proneness to this infection. it's containable. but it has to be looked a the in the context of his age and frailty. >> reporter: we know that his wife is with him now at his bedside. >> what we also know is he is a

fighter as we've seen so many other times so of course we hope that he pulls through this. thank you so much. coming up on "cnn saturday morning," anthony bourdain borrows something from queen elizabeth to get to parts unknown of the congo. [ girl ] there are man-eating sharks in every ocean... but we still swim. every second, somewhere in the world, lightning strikes... but we still play in the rain. poisonous snakes can be found in 49 of the 50 states, but we still go looking for adventure. a car can crash... a house can crumble... but we still drive... and love coming home. because i think deep down we know... all the bad things that can happen in life... they can't stop us from making our lives...

good. ♪ ♪ even in stupid loud places. to prove it, we set up our call center right here... [ chirp ] all good? [ chirp ] getty up. seriously, this is really happening! [ cellphone rings ] hello? it's a giant helicopter ma'am. [ male announcer ] get it done [ chirp ] with the ultra-rugged kyocera torque, only from sprint direct connect. buy one get four free for your business.

vo: ta friend under water is end usomething 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. welcome back. anthony bourdain heads to the congo and he finds a unique way

to get around the country. >> roads, forget it. certainly nothing even remotely safe between where we're headed. this is the preferred route. we chartered a bush plan formerly queen elizabeth's flying wardrobe when the queen traveled in her younger years, her clothes followed in this beast or so we're told. i have not seen this model plane before. you learn to take nothing for granted in the congo. just as we're about to take off, thunder, lightning. >> it looks fine to me. >> let's get this thing airborne. best with a wait this one out. crashes are common place. not so long ago a plane with nearly 100 people onboard went down on the same route we're taking today.

most planes that crash in congo crash because of the weather, right? >> most of the time, yeah. >> not us? >> don't worry. >> the weather clears up sort of. so we decide to give it a go. >> when the weather is very bad, stay on the ground. what about rebels shooting at the planes? >> normally, no. okay. we see you after your trip. have a good one. >> and bourdain did make it to his destination. you can watch his season finale tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. you don't want to miss it. today two sick children are a step closer to getting the new lungs they need to survive. the latest on the ongoing battle over the nation's transplant policies up next. 14 clubs.

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two children in desperate need of lung transplants are hoping they will get the operation soon. a ruling this week makes them more quickly eligible for receiving adult lungs. national correspondent jason carroll has all the details. >> reporter: javier acosta's family hoping he has a better chance of surviving. the 11-year-old has cystic fibrosis and needs a lung transplant, so, too, does 10-year-old sara mernahan. ♪ twinkle twinkle little star >> reporter: she suffers from the same disease, both are at the same hospital in philadelphia. each family praying a lung donor will come in time now thanks to a federal judge's decision. >> we sat down and explained the system a little bit in a way that she could understand. she got a lot of hope last night when i explained it to her. >> reporter: earlier this week the judge ordered the department

of health and human services to temporarily suspend policy in sara and javier's case which prevented all children under the age of 12 to receive priority in the adult pool of patients waiting for transplants. lung donation from children are rare, but children can use a modified lung from an adult and since there are more lung donations from adults, they say what should happen now is clear. >> the system needs to be changed. it needs to be fair for everyone, for adults and for children. i don't want sara in front of anyone who's sicker. this should be the sickest person first. >> reporter: javier's family knows the pain of waiting all too well. in 2009, his brother who also had cystic fibrosis, died while waiting for a transplant. the mernahan's initiated the lawsuit against hhs and secretary kathleen sebelius urging her to change the so-called under-12 rule. sebelius was questioned about it

during a budget hearing. >> the worst of all worlds in my mind is to have some individual pick and choose who lives and who dies. i think you want a process where it's guided by medical science and medical experts. >> reporter: the hhs has declined to comment on the ongoing legal matter. on monday, the united network for organ sharing, that's the organization that manages the list, and works with hhs, will hold an emergency meeting to review its lung allocation policy. the lawyer representing both families says the organization should do more than just review it. >> i would think the prudent thing to do would be to suspend the policy pending further review. >> suspending the policy is not entirely out of the question. in a copy of a letter from the united network for organ sharing written to secretary sebelius earlier this week, it says, if their committee finds the available data suggest a change is warranted, the committee would be able to approve it. jason carroll, cnn, new york.

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"cnn newsroom" starts at the top of the hour and we are joined now by fredricka whitfield. >> hi, good to see you, welcome. >> good to see you as well. >> we've got a lot straight ahead at noon eastern hour. the president is hosting the chinese president in rancho mirage, california, we'll be awaiting comments from both of the presidents and bring them to you as soon as we can in the noon eastern hour. also our legal guys, avery and richard will be with us. per usual this time talking about the more than 300 charges posted against this man, ariel castro for the kidnapping of the three young girls and we'll talk

about the road ahead for that suspect. and we'll get an update from authorities out of santa monica, california, a day after that shooting rampage shocking the community there and, of course, the college campus. all that and more straight ahead, that 3:00 eastern time, but, of course, you want to hang with us all day because we've got -- >> of course. and new information from the story from our susan candiotti, she's been working her sources. so much news going on today. we'll tune in, thanks so much, fred, we appreciate it. and still ahead you may know him from "the matrix" or perhaps "the bill and ted" movies, kewe learn more.

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thank you so much for joining us. "cnn newsroom" continues now with fredricka whitfield. take it away, fredricka. >> we'll see you again tomorrow morning. we've got lots straight ahead, updates throughout the afternoon. beginning with this, new details now about the alleged gunman in that deadly shooting rampage in santa monica, california, what we're learning about possible mental health problems. that's next.

and president barack obama in california, hosting a summit with chinese president xi jinping, it's a low-key, informal meeting taking place outside los angeles, but the stakes are high. this week the conspiracy theorists are crying out, i told you so. the government reveals it tracks nearly every phone call made every day and much more to fight terrorism. so, if the government is watching you and me, who's watching the government? and a day after now that shooting on a california college campus, we just learned from a law enforcement source that the alleged shooter in the santa monica rampage had mental health issues. our source tells us that he was hospitalized several years ago after talking about hurting someone. we still don't know the gunman's identity. he was killed by police yesterday. after killing four people in santa monica. two were found dead in a home that was on fire. video right there.

and they're believed to be the shooter's brother and father. the victims, that is. two others were killed when the gunman opened fire at santa monica college. a short time ago the coroner said one victim was a 68-year-old man who was driving a red suv. miguel marquez is live for us now in santa monica where we're expecting to get an update from police hours from how, miguel, what can you tell us now about the new information especially that involving the mental state of this suspect? >> reporter: yeah, it is something that we had heard all night last night, and it's good to have it confirmed i guess. although it's going to raise a lot more questions for investigators now because obviously he had an ar-15 type assault rifle. he had several handguns and it will now come to a question of how exactly did he get all of those wech weapons and the ammn that goes with it. investigators dealing with a sprawling scene across the heart of santa monica. nine different crime scenes. six or seven locations where

this individual opened up and fired, some of them fatal shots. we know that warrants were either drawn up or were acted on overnight or will be today. we also know that this thing started at the house that was on fire. the individuals related to the shooter, and then it went down to santa monica college with shooting along the way. we're not entirely sure why he went to santa monica college. he did direct the person who he carjacked to take him to santa monica college. and that's where he shot mr. franco, the 68-year-old in a red suv in a parking lot at the university, just sitting out there. he shot and killed him. wounded somebody else in that vehicle as well. we spoke to one witness at the school who told us this about the shooter -- >> it's terrifying, you know, there was a lot of panic. i realized that i don't really know what to do in this kind of situation because i instinctively ran and i probably shouldn't have. >> and he never brought the gun

to bear down on you. >> no. >> reporter: even though you saw him twice and you were well within range. >> i was well within range he was coming right towards us and he had the gun close to his chest and he never pointed it at us and the reason it felt so strange he was walking down the hallway so casually, he wa't raging, you know, he wasn't in a chaotic state at all. >> reporter: did he say anything? >> no. >> reporter: and i'm afraid we have even more bad news. one of the women who was taken to ronald reagan ucla medical center and was operated on yesterday, she was in very dire conditions last night, and we understand that she may have expired overnight. so, that death toll may go up, fredricka? >> all right, sad situation, thanks so much. miguel marquez there in santa monica. all right, overseas now, nelson mandela is in serious but stable condition at a hospital in pretoria, south africa. the former south african leader was hospitalized earlier this morning for a recurring lung infection. a spokesman said he is now breathing on his own and receiving the best possible

care. rob rob robin kernow joining me live now, what can you tell us about his condition and the kind of medical care that he's getting? >> reporter: he's being treated by medical doctors and just remember he is treated by doctors around the clock at his home. he has literally an intensive care unit, the fact that his doctors felt it necessary to rush him to hospital early saturday morning, they said his condition had deteriorated enough for them to do that means that this is, again, another worrying sign in terms of nelson mandela's health. this recurring lung infection is in layman's language essentially pneumonia but with a 95-year-old man who is weak, who is frail, this is becoming increasingly worrying as the presidential spokesperson explains -- >> i think people should think about him. i think we should be celebrating his life. while he's with us so that we're able to celebrate it even when

he's not with us. because there is a simple message in hils life fs life fo us. it telephones us that our humanity is derived for what we do for others rather than what we do for ourselves. this is what he has done. this is what makes us better people. and i think that the adoration that we see is a simple manifestation of people's desire to be better, and we can be better if we serve and make other people's lives better. >> reporter: so, the big question is when you hear government spokes people talking like that, are they preparing people? are they warning people that the end is near, that there's some sort of inevitability about this, that there's a sense that people are looking towards his message after he's gone by the tone of comments like that? we put it to them, are you preparing people for the worst, particularly since the government has used the word serious, that he's in a serious condition, this is not language

that they've used before. and he said he can't really determine. it's up to the doctors in terms of what information comes out. giving, again, mixed messages, so south africans very much on tenterhooks not quite sure how significant this hospitalization is, what you do know seeing behind me night has fallen in johannesburg and it's more than likely he'll spend the night in hospital. >> very tender situation, thank you very much, robyn kurnow from johannesburg. a big announcement out of newark, new jersey, involving the mayor, cory booker. >> officially announce my candidacy to be new jersey's next united states senator. >> he will run for the seat left vacant by the death of longtime democratic senator frank lautenberg who died earlier this week. after lautenberg's passing governor chris christie announced there would be a special election in october to fill that seat. booker will face other

challengers in a democratic primary come august. and, of course, next hour we'll be talking more about this. i'll talk with someone who has written a biography of cory booker and find out why the mayor is considered and has been considered a rising star for some time now in the democratic party. all right. we're also expecting to hear from president barack obama later on this afternoon on how his talks are going with chinese president xi jinping. they're holding a rare, low-key summit at an estate outside los angeles in rancho mirage. it's the first time the u.s. president has hosted a series of informal meetings with a new chinese leader. chief white house correspondent jessica yellin will be joining us live and she's there with us right now, in fact. >> reporter: hi. >> jessica, what is this meeting all about? what are likely to be the high points that these two presidents want to focus on? >> reporter: hi, fred, good morning. well, the issues that the two of them are talking about are

cybersecurity, north korea and its nuclear weapons program, nuclear enrichment program, and the economic relationship between china and the u.s. those are the headline topics. now, last night when the president spoke to the press, the two leaders had been meeting for some time, but the president said they'd only addressed the major issues in the broadest terms and they were headed into a dinner discussion where they would drill down into more specifics and more details and when we next hear from the president, it will be about 45 minutes into today's first meeting. so, we hope to get more about the details of these topics that they talked about. we perhaps, you know, they don't share that much by way of detail, but we hope to get a little more insight. last night the president only addressed the cybersecurity issue. we hope to hear more about north korea, perhaps even iran and syria, fredricka. >> okay. well, does it not seem a bit of an awkward topic that these presidents would be talking

about this cybersecurity especially in light of all the discussions involving the nsa and what has transpired this week involving this administration? >> reporter: well, the irony seems to be that the u.s. is accusing china of cyberattacks on american companies and stealing american intellectual property. and many americans would say that it looks like the government is conducting cyberattacks on some u.s. people or on foreigners using u.s. companies. now, the president insists that that's just not a fair comparison and those are two separate issues. his argument, he made this argument yesterday in his remarks, is that basically china is taking what they're learning and making money off of it at the expense of american companies. the government isn't making any money. of course, there's some debate there because we're talking about america's -- american rights and the american

constitution. and this is a field for rich debate, and the president is on the receiving end of the fiery critics in that debate as you well know, fred. >> all right, jessica yellin, thanks so much. keep us posted. of course, we'll be awaiting those comments this hour and bring them as soon as we can out of rancho mirage. all right. meantime, in florida, a critical hearing is under way right now in the george zimmerman murder trial. at the center of it all, the 911 call from the night trayvon martin was killed. live images right now i'm told? all right. all this taking place live right now at this hour. you're seeing the defense attorney and you see george zimmerman there in the background. experts analyzed this 911 call trying to figure out who is calling for help. is it trayvon martin or is it george zimmerman? have a listen for yourself. >> does he look hurt? >> i can't see him. i don't want to go out there.

i don't know what's going on so -- they're sending. >> so, you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right. what is your -- >> so, even though experts may be able to tell who's voice is in that call, the evidence may not be suitable for trial. that's what the judge will have to decide. cnn's george howell is live at the courthouse in sanford, florida, george, this is unusual, "a," that it's taking place on saturday. >> reporter: yes. >> all preceding what would be the beginning of this trial with jury selection starting on monday. what is it that the judge has to decide, besides the kind of testimony that will be taking place, to try to extrapolate whose voice is on this tape? >> reporter: well wrr, fredrick yeah, it is comes down to the methodology used. not necessarily the science, but the methodology here, you know, how did the people, how did these experts do the work that they did. how did they reach the conclusions that they reached.

now, right now you can see dr. geor george doddington on the stand. dr. george doddington worked at texas instruments, he's an electrical engineer and worked on voice and speaker recognition. and, fredricka, before that we heard from dr. john peter french. now, he's a professor with an extensive background, extensive training with phonetic and conversation analysis. both of the witnesses are being used to debunk, to scrutinize, the testimony that we heard the other day from the state's expert witnesses in voice recognition. for instance, today dr. french made the point that in his opinion it's nearly impossible to compare a person's scream to their normal voice. now, that's what we heard from the other day from tom owen. now, he was hired by "the orlando sentinel" to examine that audio. he se says that he took a screen test from george zimmerman and compared that to the scream heard on that 911 audio and he was able in his opinion to rule out that the scream was george

zimmerman. now, that's not what dr. french thinks could happen. take a listen to what he said -- >> my view in this case is that that recording isn't even remotely suitable for comparison purposes. if it had been submitted to my lab just for that by prosecution agency, it wouldn't have even got to first base. >> reporter: dr. french also questioned and scrutinized the testimony of allen reich. we heard from allen reich the other day, another state's witness and he says because of the high pitch, the high pitch, the quality of that scream on the tape, that it's more likely to be a person whose voice is still in development. a younger person. in his opinion likely trayvon martin. but dr. french said that in his opinion, that sort of conclusion would not be accepted widely in the scientific community, fredricka. >> and then, george, help us understand why it is crucial

that the voice be recognized or that it be made clear whose voice was yelling "help." >> reporter: well, for the prosecution. now, if they can prove that the voice was not george zimmerman screaming, then that helps their argument that george zimmerman was not acting in self-defense, in fact, they believe, they would like to argue, that it was trayvon martin screaming for help. and that's why it's so important in their opinion to get this voice recognition, these experts, in to the trial because that helps their argument. and you can see the defense now bringing in their own experts, again, highly decorated experts, these scientific -- yeah, scientific experts, who say that, you know, in their opinion a lot of these methodologies couldn't be used. >> all right, george howell, thanks so much. keep us posted throughout the weekend with this very rare and unusual saturday proceeding just ahead of the expected trial to begin on monday. all right. so, we all found out this week big brother just might be

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we're getting new details in the deadly shooting spree in santa monica, california. a law enforcement source close to the investigation says the gunman had mental health issues and he was hospitalized a few years ago after talking about harming someone. we're expecting to get more details from police later on this afternoon. here's what we know right now. four people were killed. the coroner says a 68-year-old man was driving an suv that the gunman fired into. another woman was killed on santa monica college campus. and two bodies were found in a

home that was on fire. a neighbor describes what she saw. >> that's the first thing i noticed was smoke coming out of the house across the street. and the heat. he had a bag laying in the street and he kind of glanced up at me, and then he walked over here to this corner, this intersection, and he pointed the gun at a woman in a car and told her to pull over, which she did. and then the woman behind her in the car, um, he waved her through with the gun. and she kind of hesitated. she kind of slowed down. and he just fired, like, three or four shots point-blank into her in the car. >> police are expected to have an update at 3:00 eastern time. we'll take that live. all right, americans got proof, perhaps more so than ever before, that big brother is watching. the government admitted it monitors the data of nearly every call made every day and

reportedly it tracks credit card activity as well. it's all in a fight to stop terrorism. but critics say while the government is watching for terrorism, who's watching the government? here's cnn's joe johns. >> reporter: fred, the government says its surveillance programs to catch terrorists have been audited and are carefully controlled, but recent evidence suggests that those limits that protect the rights of all americans can lead to a suspected terrorist slipping through the cracks. when the u.s. was tipped off by russia in 2011 that the tsarnaev brothers were becoming radicalized, law enforcement was sitting on valuable tools to pursue, but law enforcements say because of legal constraints they could not tap into data from either of the recently revealed programs. he was a u.s. resident, so the secretive ability to tap into internet messages was a no-go limited only to foreigners and without enough information from the russians, investigators did not have enough to prove to the secretive intelligence court it

was serious enough to tap into the database of phone calls that the national security agency had been collecting. limited to more traditional means, law enforcement concluded he was not a threat. but as the world learned in april, he should have been watched. but the intelligence failure underscores the message government is trying to project that all this snooping is being very carefully controlled by congress, the courts, and the white house. >> to anticipate and prevent possible terrorist activity. and the fact that they're under very strict supervision by all three branches of government and that they do not involve listening to people's phone calls. >> reporter: the director of national intelligence james clapper said in a statement that the highest priority of the intelligence community is to work within the constraints of the law. but critics of federal secrecy and surveillance say there's simply no way to know whether the people doing the supervising are advocating for privacy or

being rubber stamped unless you take them at their word because it's all secret. >> it's simply not correct that there's sufficient oversight from all three branches of government. there is an -- within each branch there is a clear problem. >> reporter: the only metrics the public has about the work of the secret intelligence court that is supposed to control all of this are the annual reports. last year, for example, the government asked the court 1,789 times for authority to conduct electronic surveillance and 67 times for permission to conduct physical searches. the court did not deny any of the surveillance requests, but modified or made changes to 40 of the surveillance requests. the government withdrew one of the requests. >> since 1978, i think only 11 out of more than 30,000 applications were outright denied. >> reporter: according to the annual records the last time a request was denied by the court was in 2009. that was the same year the department of justice made changes to the national security agency's data collection program apparently because of problems

which reportedly involved a mistake at the agency that led to capture of information of a group of innocent americans. fred? >> thanks so much, joe johns. all right, he's accused of holding three women captive for nearly a decade, but he's facing his own imprisonment and it could last a lot longer. there are now 329 counts against ariel castro and they only cover half the victims' captivity. my mother made the best toffee in the world. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and make your business dream a reality.

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welcome back. cleveland kidnapping suspect ariel castro indicted on 329 charges. he's accused of holding a man to bury gina dejesus and michelle knight in his home for years. he chained the victims to poles and cars to tieing vacuum cords around their necks. one charge accuses the 52-year-old castro of aggravated murder for purposely causing the end of a pregnancy. our legal guys are joining us right now. avery friedman in cleveland and richard herman in las vegas, good to see you, gentlemen. >> hi, fredricka. >> the breakdown of the indictment, it is lengthy, 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, 7 counts of gross sexual imposition, 3 counts of felonious assault and 1 count of possession of criminal tools,

so, avery, let's go with you first. this is kind in your backyard and i know you're watching this case as everyone is closely. the aggravated murder charge, that makes it rather complicated, does it not? >> it really does. 328 clearly understandable, rape and kidnap, in ohio and 37 other states, they have an amendment to the murder law that actually where you have the unlawful termination of a pregnancy, it's equivalent to murder. well, did the murder take place at the moment of conception, one day, one week, one month later? i think that charge is problematic and i think it's a problem because it forces the defense lawyers to bring the victims in. believe me, with 328 charges, fredricka, this man, castro, is put away for life without possibility of parole, i don't think that one charge was necessary, and do you know what, we're going po probably see another 300 or more coming, so

at the end of the day, he's gone. >> because this is -- >> you will not see him. and i don't think the prosecution can make that murder conviction. >> this really is kind of the tip of the iceberg that are more charges that are likely to happen. richard, are we looking at these indictments coming as a result of the cooperation of these three young ladies that perhaps their detailed account helped establish some of the counts that we're talking about here? >> absolutely, fred. they're being debriefed probably daily. they're dwivigiving a ton of information to law enforcement and this was the first wave as avery said, the government's promised another superceding indictment. but the significance of the aggravated murder count here, when you commit the murder during the course of a felony, and here it was under the kidnapping that the pregnancy was terminated, it might be a little difficult to prove that she was actually pregnant at the time. but the significance -- >> her testimony will not be enough, because that's what it would rely on.

>> well, it may be enough. >> and the other young ladies' too. >> the significance is that they may seek the death penalty and they need that aggravated -- >> right. >> -- murder charge in order to get the death penalty, so we'll know if they're going to do that probably within the next month or so, and that's the significance of the aggravated murder count. >> okay. now, let's move on to the george zimmerman murder trial in florida. we're talking about, you know, proceedings getting under way monday with jury selection, but today they are in court right now in sanford, florida, and we're looking at live pictures, i think right now. still live, yes? live pictures right now. and we're talking about testimony that's taking place as they try to verify the voice. trying to go through voice recognition of the 911 call, was it george zimmerman that was calling for help? was it trayvon martin? the 17-year-old ultimately killed. was it him calling for help. avery, why is it significant? why have this -- this right now trying to establish whether this is going to be significant in

this trial? why take place now as opposed to after jury selection? >> well, because the prosecutions have to convince the judge that the science backs up what they want to say in their opening statement after jury selection starts. so, this is a very, very important proceedings. they're using state of the art technology and there is a battle raging in that courtroom right now. the judge debra nelson has to resolve. you've got experts saying this software, this technology is good, we can recognize a voice. we think it's trayvon martin screaming for help. the defense experts, and these are distinguished experts, are saying there is simply no way to prove that, that is not what this shows and any way the technology is not sufficient. so, what judge nelson does will have a profound effect, not certainly on the opening statement, but also in the trial itself. >> so, richard, you have colliding expertise here. you've got one expert that says it's impossible to examine a

scream to try to compare it to the speaking voice. you've got another expert who says that it sounds like the voice of someone who is young, the scream is indicative of that of a younger voice, trayvon martin, as opposed to george zimmerman. so, how will this expert i guess testimony be extrapolated? how will it be compared? how will the judge try to surmise one expert's opinion is better than the other? because that's what it boils down to, right? the judge's opinion. >> that's what it boils down to, fred. and here this judge has rolled over to every request the prosecution wants. so, i think in the end the judge is going to allow the experts to testify. and then tell the jury it's up to you to determine which experts you think are more reliable, more credible, and you make a determination on your own. but more importantly in this zimmerman hearings this week, fred, was the prosecutorial

misconduct. when the government hides evidence from the defense, when they intentionally hide it, as this lead prosecutor has done, and has testified to by employees under his control, it's outrageous! and i don't know the level of sanction that should be imposed. >> what are we talking about? >> it's horrible! this evidence. >> hidden? >> there's evidence that was on trayvon martin's cell phone that was not turned over. it was disclosed to the lead prosecutor. and his response was -- >> they've already dealt with that. >> you are talking about the texted messages. >> it doesn't matter. he dealt with it in the opening, not in the trial. it's only for the opening statement. >> okay, one at a time. richard, establish that first and then avery. >> all right, go ahead, richard. >> it's only in the opening statement you can't mention it, in the opening statement. it doesn't mean it's not going to come into trial. i believe they are going to come in because they are relevant to the condition in the state of

mind of trayvon martin and for the government to withhold this -- >> maybe. >> -- when they have a brady obligation to turn this over and they don't do it, it's outrageous conduct by the prosecutor. >> okay, we're running out of time, but really quick, why isn't it relevant? why do you disagree? >> well, i'm not sure that it's relevant. i think at the end of the day it's important evidence to prosecutor wants to get this in. it kind of shows that trayvon's a gangster, that's really why they want it in. it's really tangential to what happened that night. >> the defense wants it in. >> we're talking about the imaging of him smoking pot or at least the smoke coming out of his mouth and the language allegedly used. >> the gun. >> and possession of wanting to buy the good stuff. all right, we'll see it play out in the proceedings which began, of course, on monday. we believe all scheduled to take place with jury selection on monday. we're not done with you, because we'll see you in 20 minutes again to talk about other cases

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all right. welcome back to the "cnn newsroom," i'm fredricka whitfield. a look at our top stories right now. police in santa monica, california, are trying to piece together a huge crime scene after a deadly rampage on a college campus. at least four people were killed and five others hurt. police shot and killed the gunman, and a source now tells us the shooter was hospitalized two years ago with mental health problems. we're expecting a press conference later on this afternoon. we'll bring you that information as it happens. overseas nelson mandela is in serious but stable condition at a hospital in pretoria, south

africa. the former south offercan leader was hospitalized earlier this morning for a recurring lung infection. he's breathing on his own and receiving the best possible care. and president barack obama is holding a low-key summit in california with chinese president xi jinping. the meeting is being held at the sunnylands estate outside palm springs. we actually understand in rancho mirage. a hot topic on their agenda is cybersecurity and it concerns the alleged chinese hacking attacks taking place on u.s. businesses. and newark, new jersey, mayor cory booker is running for the u.s. senate. he says he'll be a candidate in a special election coming up in october. the election was called after ho longtime democratic senator frank lautenberg died earlier this week. booker also faces a democratic primary come august. the constitution's fourth

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the u.s. government is collecting details on millions of phone calls, plus records of e-mails, texts, video chats and more from overseas. it's all in an effort to fight

terrorism. but privacy experts say the government is going too far. so, does this basically come down to an issue of your privacy versus your security? our legal guys are back, avery friedman, civil rights attorney and law professor joining us from cleveland and richard herman a criminal defense attorney and u.s. law professor joining us from las vegas. the president laid out his case very strongly yesterday, at least some said very strongly. he said these surveillance programs are necessary and are very highly supervised, but there are others who have concerns that these programs violate the fourth amendment, protecting you against unnecessary search and seizure. avery, is it that times change and the use of our constitutional rights must be pliable as well? >> well, you know, the fourth amendment has always been in a state of flux. we actually had a fourth amendment opinion this past week by the supreme court. and there's always a balance. the government's interest and,

for example, tracking crime or in the federal government's circumstance, trying to maintain security. so, there's always a balance, and since patriot act and the fisa courts, there have been efforts by the federal court to expand efforts in counterterrorism. so, naturally, we are going to be subjected to a certain amount of scrutiny. whether that goes over the line is the real question. and ultimately, fredricka, what we're going to see, and i predict we'll see it this year, a constitutional showdown in a courtroom of whether or not that type of countersurveillance actually violates the fourth amendment. >> richard, that's what has to be determined, has the government crossed the line. the patriot act is allowing this very thing to take place. the president saying this is part of anti-terrorism. this is what everyone has to be subjected to. but no details of conversations, of communications, are being

scrutinized. is that enough of a defense for this administration to say the nsa program must continue on the way we are seeing it play out? >> yeah, they're going to continue to say that, fred, with the nsa and the special prism group that's monitoring and -- >> is it legally sound? >> yeah, i think, in order to protect under the guise of protecting national security, since 9/11, our government is getting away with everything. the constitution's being trampled and it started with president bush who didn't even address the fisa court. president obama takes his request to the fisa court and i think we said earlier in some of the segments earlier, some 30,000 requests were made and they were all granted, so the fisa court is just a rubber stamp. there's no comfort level in knowing they're going to a special court for permission when that court is a rubber stamp for the white house. so, here we are. we're going to have to give up and sacrifice certain rights and privileges under the constitution.

>> it sounds like get used to it. it will not be challenged, this is just the way it is. >> that's how it is. that's how it is. >> i don't think that it is. i don't think that it is. >> no? >> because first of all, the fisa courts are not a function of the executive branch. they're a function of the judicial branch and there's at least in theory counterbalances, you know, and to me -- >> no, it's a rubber stamp. >> -- while most of the requests -- most of the requests have been approved, that don't mean all of them. >> okay. >> and the question is where is the reach going and that's where the constitutional challenge is here. >> all right, let's move on to something else because we're not going to resolve this matter in the next 30 seconds. >> that's for sure. >> here's something else, you might really love this case, and we're talking about that of joran van der sloot, remember, he was a suspect in the natalee holloway case in aruba, and then he was convicted for the murder of a young lady in south america, and now apparently there will be wedding bells, i know quite the juxtaposition here, avery. how is this to be? who is he marrying and why does

this matter? >> well, it matters because if he gets married, the argument is that he can't be extradited to the united states for wire fraud. but he hired a guy named maximo altiz, i think he hired him because of his name because maxiemo wants to min mitez the se minimize the sentence. but all the best to this guy. what a terrible, terrible guy. >> yeah. richard, you get to punctuate this one before we go. >> yeah. i heard that, billy idle ' idol warming up "white wedding." within the next two weeks this guys wants to marry this peruvian woman, joran van der sloot, how incredible. it's so transparent. he doesn't want to be extradited. he thinks this will put a roadblock in it. the whole thing is a sham. this guy's got to be erased.

>> love is blind. >> wow. all right. gentlemen, i figured you'd have an interesting thought or two about that case. all right, richard, avery, always good to see you. see you next weekend. >> see you soon, fred. >> take care. all right, president obama is meeting, of course, today with china's new president on the agenda. reports that chinese hackers are stealing u.s. military secrets. coming up, how the threat could be putting american troops at risk in the air and on the battlefield. [ female announcer ] a classic macaroni & cheese from stouffer's starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family.

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president barack obama is meeting with his chinese counterpart today in california. a big issue at their meeting allegations that chinese hackers are stealing u.s. secrets. it's a growing threat. and as brian todd reports, the

impact could be compromising america's fighting forces. >> reporter: they're america's most advanced combat weapons and defense systems, the fa-18 fighter jet, the combat ship, the aegis ballistic missile defense system. according to a new report the design for these and other high-tech weapons have been breached by chinese hackers. a confidential version of the report from the defense science board made up of government and civilian experts was given to "the washington post." the report doesn't accuse china of stealing entire designs, but if they didn't steal them, how did they compromise them? we spoke with kevin mandia a tom cybersecurity expert who did a serate report this year on chinese military hackers. >> bits and pieces of things will be taken from many different sources and different laptops and computer systems that have been compromised but it's hard to take a lot of these pieces and gel them into one comprehensive picture vof what might be built.

>> reporter: cnn could not independently the latest report fi findings. several members of the defense board declined to speak to us. u.s. defense and other officials downplayed the report saying some of the information is dated, that they've taken steps to address the concerns. one saying, quote, the idea that somehow whoever the intruders were got the keys to the weapons kingdom is a stretch. but the pentagon has recently accused china of trying to extract information from u.s. government computers, including military ones. if the chinese even got into parts of a combat or missile defense system, how could they have gotten past the safeguards? >> there's a lot of engineering that gets done in an academic setting. there's a lot of engineering done at industrial defense base and a lot of these places have been compromised for over ten years. >> reporter: china's military ambition hack os been off the cs in recent years, over the past two years they've deployed their first aircraft carrier and they have test flown their first stealth fighter jet.

one expert told me the technology for that was taken from the u.s. and china's alleged hacking could be deadly for u.s. forces on the battlefield. i asked one expert about the publicly released part of this latest report on the consequences of the cybersnatching of weapons technology. >> if you mess with that software, the airplane won't fly. the missile will miss its target and the ship might not get to where it was intended to go. >> reporter: china's embassy in washington did not respond to our calls and e-mail about this latest report. china's government has repeatedly insisted it does not conduct cyberespionage on u.s. weapons or agencies. brian todd, cnn, washington. vo: traveling you definitely end up meeting a lot more people but

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avo: more travel. more options. more personal. whatever you're looking for expedia has more ways to help you find yours. all right. forget about attack drones now we have pizza drones? it's a test, but it was something of a sight to see. a domino's franchise in the uk released this video of an unmanned drone delivering two pizzas. they're calling it the domino-copter. a u.s. spokesperson for domino's, however, said no plans for starting this kind of pizza delivery system here in the u.s. with the use of such a drone. it's just as well because the faa bans the use of unmanned aircraft for commercial use. so, a test right over the skies of london. we'll see if it becomes a regular thing. all right. back in this country, now.

a man who was a navy s.e.a.l. is now a woman. you'll hear from the author of "warrior princess, a u.s. navy s.e.a.l.'s journey to coming out transgender." her story in the next hour of the "cnn newsroom."

all right. welcome back to the "newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield. a look at the top stories we're following in the "newsroom" at this hour. we're getting new details about the alleged gunman in a deadly shooting rampage in santa monica, california. what we're learning about possible mental health problems next. and overseas nelson mandela is in the hospital for a lung infection. we'll go live to find out how he's doing that's a few minutes from now. and it's a low-key meeting but the stakes are high, president obama holding an

informal summit with chinese president xi jinping in california. a major issue? cybersecurity and reports that chinese hackers have stolen american military secrets. all right, let's get started in santa monica, california. a gunman opened fire on a college campus yesterday, even shooting at police before police shot and killed him. a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation says the alleged shooter had mental health issues. we still don't know the identity of the gunman. but we do know four people died after that rampage that started at a home in santa monica, and then had eended on a college ca. kyung lah is live for us at the police department. what more have we learned about this investigation? >> reporter: well, fredricka, we are hoping to learn much more in the next couple of hours from the santa monica police here holding a news conference. we're hoping to learn some of those details, namely, who and why. those are the big questions that remain here. overnight investigators were

working a sprawling investigation through this quiet beach community. from what we understand investigators working nine separate crime scenes at about half a dozen different locations where shots were fired. all of this occurring in just 15 minutes according to the police here in santa monica. it began at that house you were talking about, that house that was set on fire. two victims found there. we understand that they are relatives, believed to be the father and the brother of the gunman. and then the frightening part, according to witnesses he started randomly firing at people. a person who just happened to be driving by in her vehicle shot. another victim, a second victim, in a different car, carjacked, and then a drive to santa monica college. along the way the gunman stopping to fire, shoot, at various people, including people just sitting on a city bus, when he made his way to santa monica college, firing again. a total, as you said, fredricka, of four victims. at the college one of the