at least two people shot at taft union high school in california's san joaquin valley. it happened this morning just before noon -- 9:00 this morning on the west coast. the incident happened at that time and students were evacuated to the football field. now we're waiting nor sheriff to give an update. kget reported at least three ambulances and a med-evac helicopter had been sent to the scene. the captain from the fire department told nbc news that one victim with minor injuries refused treatment, and we're waiting to hear more about the suspect. the sheriff promised some information. we're expecting to get it. i mention, this is in the san joaquin valley, 30 miles southwest of bakersfield. this comes a month after the one in new ton, connecticut, that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults. again, this sheriff to update us on what happen at taft and we're expecting that to begin at any moment. listen. >> gun violence in this country. -- >> i thought we were listening into the news conference. that's our localstance. we can't do that. we thank kero from the fe

in taft, taft is a rural area. they responded in 60 seconds. ok? wait for the cops. you know, look, it happens time and time again and the other stories you won't hear going forward. the n.r.a. story with the woman ststpipi the intru ir,ru yr,'lloul obably here 10 more times in the media from this day forward. you watch. appreciate it. >> we had a huge spike in crime 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. the correct they are are you is amazing. the guy who wrote the article about it will explain it all when we come back. >> leaded gas introduced a whole new level of lead p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p you know who's coming on to me now? you know the kind of guys who do like verse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. >> she gets the comedians laughing... >> that's hilarious! >> ...and the thinkers thinking. >> okay, so there's wiggle-room in the ten commandments is what you're telling me. >> you would rather deal with ahmadinejad then me. >> absolutely! >> and so would mitt romeny. >> she's joy behar. >> and the b

me what you know. >> this morning we did have a shooting at taft high school in taft, california. a student was shot on campus. that student has been airlifted to a hospital in bakersfield. we do have a suspect in custody who is also a student. we have recovered a firearm. >> what are kind of firearm? >> a shotgun. >> a shotgun. any other injuries beyond this one student shot on campus? >> no, there were initial reports we might have a second victim, but it doesn't appear that we do. we are still in the process of searching the school and securing the school so that process is ongoing. >> where are the students who were attending taft high school? where are they now? >> i believe there still students on campus. we are still searching building to building because we want to clear the school just to make sure that we don't have suspects outstanding. we still have students on campus. >> take me back to the one student shot on campus. was it inside of a classroom or a building? >> it was inside of the science building, but i don't know if it was in a classroom or a hall way. i don't h

how about taft. can you do taft, the big guy? >> jimmy: everyone can do taft. >> yeah.y own giant bathtub that i love to -- [ laughter ] scrub myself in. [ laughter ] >> that dude is like taft. >> jimmy: that's a good taft. that's a really good taft. all right, i'm gonna throw you a curveball. >> yeah. >> jimmy: do you -- everyone's got one of these. >> yeah. >> jimmy: rutherford b. hayes. >> oh, totally. i got a rutherford b. hayes. >> jimmy: yeah, yeah, yeah. do one. [ as hayes ] >> oohh, why hello! [ laughter ] my name is rutherford b. hayes. i do believe i shall go fencing today, and then i may fix myself a hot tea and some flat cookies. [ applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: oh, very nice. got to give him the win on that one. i'm giving you the win on that one. josh gad, everyone. [ cheers and applause ] you're the most fun human. thank you for coming back to our show. >> you're so nice. >> jimmy: oh, please. this is great. it comes with big and tall, too. keep that. [ laughter ] "1600 penn" airs thursday nights at 9:30 on nbc. alan zweibel joins us next. come on back! [ cheers

taft employs 30 workers.nd if the freeze destroys his crop -- >> there's nothing to pack and ship, the packing house does not operate. >> simple as that? >> that's a cold hard reality. reporter: and a bitter reminder that farmer is as much about luck as skill. carter evans, "cbs news," edison california. >> axelrod: this extreme weather on the other side of the world as well. extremely hot weather. in australia, 100-degree temperatures are fueling brush fires in the southeast part of the country. more than 90 in all. and look at what is cyclone has been whipping up off the northwest coast. it looks like a red wave on the ocean. it's actually a giant wall of red dust. here at home, the flu remains at epidemic levels. nearly every state, 47 in all, say the flu is widespread. today in new york governor andrew cuomo declared a public health emergency. bob orr has more. [coughing] >> the order from governor cuomo means new york pharmacists now have authority to give flu shots to children between 6 months and 18 ye

this is video outside of taft high school and not a live picture. taft is a town of 7,000 people 40 miles southwest of bakersfield. the sheriff says the shooting took place at 9:00 this morning. the alleged shooter was this custody by 9:30. students were evacuated to the football field while a swat team went room to room checking for an accomplice. no one has been found and thing now checking for a motive and looking into a possible relationship between the shooter and the wounded student or students. parents are told to pick up kids at the football field at taft high school. we will follow this story on abc7 news at 4:00 and 5:00 and 6:00. >> another big story, mike nicco is tracking showers with live doppler 7 hd and it was cold enough for snow. what is happening now, mike? >> how about that dusting? right now, we will talk about what is happening now on live doppler 7 hd you can see a few radar runs, and a few over the higher elevations, especially in the santa cruz mountains where radar is picking up snow so the possibility of snow exists in the

it happened yesterday at taft high school southwest of bakersfield. one student was hurt. cbs 5 reporter bigad shaban with what may have motivated the shooter. >>> reporter: ryan heber is being called a hero. he and a school counselor disarmed a student carrying a .12-gauge shotgun. 28 students were in the classroom at taft high school when the shooting started. one was injured. heber's father is not surprised his teacher son took action. >> just totally involved in everything at school and at church. he goes to church every sunday and he -- he is just a good young man. >> reporter: police say revenge motivated the gunman. the 16-year-old suspect told authorities the classmate he shot bullied him. the victim is in critical but stable condition. >> he is responding to or resuscitative efforts and i think we'll pull him through. >> reporter: students here at taft high school told cbs news the suspect got into trouble last year for identifying students he wanted to harm. >> he had a hit list last year. so they shouldn't have let him back in the school. >> reporter: the school

this is video outside of taft high school and not a live picture. taft is a town of 7,000 people 40 miles southwest of bakersfield. the sheriff says the shooting took place at 9:00 this morning. the alleged shooter was this custody by 9:30. students were evacuated to the football field while a swat team went room to room checking for an accomplice. no one has been found and thing now checking for a motive and looking into a possible relationship between the shooter and the wounded student or students. parents are told to pick up kids at the football field at taft high school. we will follow this story on abc7 news at 4:00 and 5:00 and 6:00. >> another big story, mike nicco is tracking showers with live doppler 7 hd and it was cold enough for snow. what is happening now, mike? >> how about that dusting? right now, we will talk about what is happening now on live doppler 7 hd you can see a few radar runs, and a few over the higher elevations, especially in the santa cruz mountains where radar is picking up snow so the possibility of snow exists in the

taft has his own tie to baseball.he first president to ever throw out the ceremonial first pitch, meaning he started a long history of good, bad, and awkward. the subject was even the topic of an nbc sports special back in the '60s. >> who is that man in the picture? >> you better not let your history teacher hear you ask that question. that's president taft, bobby. the first of our presidents to throw out the ball on opening day. since then they have all done it. that's woodrow wilson, that's franklin d. roosevelt. that's president eisenhower. you know, just before he came home from europe, he said the first thing he wanted to do was see a ball game, and he did. and that's mr. kennedy, bobby. but i know that you knew that. he used to go to the ballpark and eat hotdogs and drink soda pop, and this year president johnson will take his turn from pitching from that mound. >> gee, joe, after all these things, i guess my book at home is right when they say baseball is a national game. >>> up next, president obama said he h

we will see how taft does when races coming up in april. will you soon pay for using plastic? retailers will be allowed to charge a fee for you to swipe your card, but will they do it? >> a top senate democrat says he will not run again. what it means for the next election. >>> hear from the musical guest on snl. kendrick talks about >>> president obama is praising senator tom harkin tonight after the iowa lawmaker announced he will not run for re-election. harkin served in congress for nearly 40 years and the announcement sets up a likely battle between parties to fill his seat. vice presidential candidate paul ryan will be sitting down with david gregory on "meet the press" tomorrow to talk about the future of the republican party. that's tomorrow at 10:30 here on nbc4. >>> starting tomorrow, you might have to pay more for using plastic. retailers argue since they have to pay a fee for every transaction, they should be allowed to pass that fee along to the consumer. if there is a fee they must disclose it at the register or on their website. it is up to each individual busin

taft, stacey cruz seems to be the right answer. but josh says we need to expand the choices available. there should be a reagan and the people talking about the obama character. get over it. it clearly says the current president in office. that means whoever is in office. the man won, get over it. and stacey cruz wants to know, what's wrong with leaving things as is? ridiculous idea, it's perfect as it is. why do people screw up good things. well, the problem as i see it is they let him win, the stick was basically over at that point. i figured the president would never race again, but perhaps this is a way to save the president racing franchise. i >>> jimmy kimmel with "e.t." today after matt damon hijacked his show. >> what happened backstage with reese, nicole and demi? i'm nancy o'dell. >> and i'm rob marciano. >> i think we've been planning it for, like, 9 1/2 years. >> [ bleep ] matt damon. >> demi cursing. nicole kidman's lap dance. ben affleck on cue cards. >> he doesn't even love you like i love you! >> the biggest star st

in the form of william howard taft. there he is. they announced on twitter that they have come to terms with their fifth president. today he posed for pictures with fans at nats fest inside the washington convention center. the real president taft, by the way, was the first president ever to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. fans and players think he'll be a good edition. >> a big president, big personality. so he'll fit right in with the rest of the gang. >> i liked his very white hair. i wonder how white he'll stay when he gets knocked into the dirt. >> that's cool. that's awesome. i'm thinking about joining them maybe aouple times and try to see if i can beat them. >> that would be cool and awesome. we'll hear from more players in sports as they gear up for the 2013 season. >>> yeah. those are screams you hear. more than 150 people deciding to take a very cold dip into the potomac river this morning. this is part of the polar bear plunge out at national harbor. one of the goals of the event, to raise awarenes

taft. >> you saw bradley beale block that shot. we should nickname him the publisher. he sends out rejection notices. >> i like that. can i use that next time? >> you >>> need a good laugh? check this out, a florida reporter learning the hard way. do not turn your back on a goat. she's at the county fair working on a story about kids that raise goats. that's when one of the animals decided to send a message. watch it again. she takes the whole thing in stride, laughs it off, and later on, somebody said how is that goat doing? he was delicious. >> she has an attitude right there. >> that's our broadcast. we are going home for the weekend. how about you? >> have an awesome one. we'll see you back here on monday.

taft is getting added. >> taft is getting added. so, now we're going to have five tripping each other up. >> even that much more fascinating. >>> check this out a fifth grader's drum solo has gone viral on youtube. the 10-year-old from washington state has an incredible talent. he just uses his hand and the family washing machine to create an impressive rhythm. the video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times on youtube. yes, he has a drum kit, but one day he didn't feel like playing and started banging on the washing machine, instead. >> yeah. well, teach him how to put in a well,look, every day we're using more and more energy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ >> announcer: it's

edward lawrence is in taft, california, with more. edward, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. students before this incident say that the gunman never seemed like a violent person. police say in this case an unarmed teacher is the one credited with saving lives. police swarmed taft union high school following reports of shots fired inside a classroom. >> i thought, this can't be real. i was in shock. >> reporter: students say a 16-year-old stay tuned walked in carried a shotgun and opened fire. >> after he walked in, he pumped the rifle, lifted right away and shot. >> reporter: casey missoni said she tried to help one of her classmates who was critically shot. >> the guy who got shot, i was holding him and i had blood on my sweatshirt. >> reporter: the local suspect told the police he planned the shooting the night before. >> our 16-year-old student/suspect had felt like he had been bullied for some time by a couple of students. >> reporter: and they say the gunman and the victim had a history. >> the student that is in

taft. >> you saw bradley beale block that shot. we should nickname him the publisher.sends out rejection notices. >> i like that. can i use that next time? >> you

we had 5 million americans on strike and the taft-hartley act enacted despite president truman objections and led returning soldiers to one of the biggest economic booms the country had. and the president got his hand caught in the cookie jars and appointing czars and going around congress, we need jobs and this certainly helps with that. we don't need to worry about unions right now, we need jobs, this is putting the cart before the horse.

a teen is in custody after 3& policc say a student brought a 12 gauge shhtgun to school ann 3& his taftalifornia high -3 school. the school is in a northwest of los angeles. the first reporrs of thh shhoting came in from students on their cell phones, who hid &pin closets after the shoooing ssarted. a teacher stepped innand tried to talk thee suspect doon after the &pshooting started. 3 24 he then tried to eegage a ...oc: engaged the suspect & with, in conversaaion. the student who was ssot was airrifted to the hhspital, he is in criticaa condition. &p3 it's the seccnddday of meetings for president obama's anti-gun violence taskforce. taskforce.today the eam meets with the national ifle 3 rights groups.saadra endo has -3 the details. - 3 a set of anti-gun violence 3 3 sandra endo.in washingtonn i'm 3sandra endo. 3 earlier we told you abouu the number one ranking maryland schools have received from education week magazinee magaziie.and it brings us to our question of the day...do you think maryland schools are - number one in the nation? nntion?kellise writes on oor facebook page..."how

-- were in the classroom at taft high school.r's father is not surprised his teacher son took action. >> just totally involved in everything at school and at church. he goes to church every sunday and he --he is just a good young man. >> reporter: police say revenge motivated the gunman. the 16-year-old suspect told authorities the classmate he shot bullied him. the victim is in critical but stable condition. >> he is responding to or resuscitative efforts and i think we'll pull him through. >> reporter: students here at taft high school told cbs news the suspect got into trouble last year for identifying students he wanted to harm. >> he had a hit list last year. so they shouldn't have let him back in the school. >> reporter: the school is closed today but the chaplain is one of a group of counselors called to the scene to help students cope. >> they need to be able to talk about it and get it off their chest. it could be months or years, just depends on the student, depends on how traumatizing it was for them personally. >> rep

a teenager opened fire yesterday in a classroom at a high school in taft in kern county about 100 miles north of los angeles. here's cbs reporter edward lawrence. >>> reporter: police swarmed taft union high school following reports of shots fired inside a classroom. >> he is in shock. >> reporter: police say a 16- year-old student walked in carrying a shotgun and opened fire. >> after he walked in, he pumped the gun. it was a pump action rifle. he pumped it and lifted it right away and shot. >> reporter: casey says she tried to help one of her classmates who was critically injured in the shooting. >> the guy that got shot, i was holding him and i had blood on my sweatshirt from it. >> reporter: the local sheriff says the suspect told them he planned the shooting the night before. >> our 16-year-old student suspect has felt like he has been bullied for some time by a couple of students. >> reporter: they say the gunman and the victim had a history. >> the student that is in critical condition we believe was the intended target -- one intended target of the suspect. >> reporter: authorit

that's big ben, william howard taft officially joining george, abe, and teddy. taft threw out the first presidential ceremonial first pitch in 1910 at griffith stadium in d.c. >>> saturday was the final workup before they packed and clung to new orleans. will be in our seven of pregame coverage. for the players, they are simply trying to get their minds around playing in the big game. >> you are still taking care of the lagistics. it's pretty fun. >> and of course, super bowl xlvii right here on wusa9 sunday, february 3. 6:30 and the day before, the game on crew gets you ready for a special super bowl edition of game on. can't wait to see that one. ravens, 49ers, who are you thinking? >> i'm going with ravens. >> absolutely. >> more experienced quarterback? >> i'm going with the ravens. leave it at that. i think they are due. i think it's their season. >> joe flacco playing better? >> what's the deal with him? not going to play in the pro bowl. he was involved in an assault yesterday. he was the victim. that's what the police are saying in hawaii. he required st

ben taft employs 30 workers. if the freeze destroys his oranges -- >> there's nothing to pack and ship. the packing house does not operate. simple as that. that's a cold hard reality. >> reporter: warmer weather is expected on tuesday. >> i want tuesday here quickly. >> reporter: that's when farmers will finally note extent of the damage. carter evans, cbs news edison california. >> jeff: along the east coast the weather story was just the reverse. unusually warm weather with people in will amington north carolina enjoying a january day at the beach. from florida to new england today's high temperatures were 15 to 20 degrees above normal vice president joe biden will present the findings of his task force aimed at curb gun violence to president obama on tuesday. jan crawford tonight is in our washington bureau with detail, jan good evening. >> with the gun control debate raging here in washington people are actually buying pore guns than ever. and that is prompting one senator today to make a direct appeal to the

>> wendy and jim, this all unfolded in the southern california city of taft this morning.-year-old's student walked into a classroom at taft union high school armed with a shotgun, reportedly shooting a fellow 16-year-old student and fired at a second opportunity but missed. the teacher there at the time, we're told, was able to talk to the accused shooter, and was able to talk the accused shooter into surrendering that shotgun with the help of another faculty member. >> we want to commend the teacher and a campus supervisor for all they did to bring this to

. >>> taft guy: . >> good afternoon commissioners my name is taft sky and i have been a street artist since 1974 most artists like the jefferson street made into a policewoman 98 and the widened sidewalks provide space for our three by 4-foot booth and is we used to have more than five spaces on the street but due to construction we have only about 15 left. even though most artists don't work there due to lack of spaces available we circulated a pigs this last weekend and over 225 artists signed it requesting that these few spaces remain part of our program i sent you a copy of this possession last week. the petition reads for most of those years we have had handmaid wears between hide and jones street and the construction project will begins in 2013 ask will revitalize the area and open a new pedestrian mall and we feel we add to the colorful ambiance of however we feel fear father fear our space may be limit and had so we petition you to give us the same number of spaces we have had and we have yet to hear a definitive yes that we will clueinged in the plan. on the port commission w

this one in taft, california war 16-year-old -- where a 16- year-old walked into the school and shotte. police cred ate teacher and staffer with talking that shooter into putting the weapon down before things got worse. the victim is in critical condition. and we are learning that bullying may have been the motive behind the school shooting in california. and you have this scene in portland oregon a. two men armed with rifle taking to the streets and hoping to raise awareness about gun rights. instead it caused a near panic. when officers showed up, there was not much they could do. the pair had concealed carry permits and were not breaking laws. coming up, we have checked around this morning and both taft school and shooting with the nra meeting with vice- president biden is among the top searches and thevice- president will hand his recommendations to the president on tuesday. some could require congressional action. >>> 5:37. every now and then wild animals need help from the humans and that's the case for this deer who wandered out to a frozen pond. we will tell you how rescuers

police swarmed taft union high school following reports of shots fired in a classroom. >> i thought, this can't be real. i was in shock. >> reporter: students say a 16-year-old stay tuned walked in and fired. >> after he walked in, he pumped the rifle, lifted right away and shot. she said she tried to help one of her classmates who was critically shot. >> the guy who got shot, i was holding him and i had blood on my sweatshirt. >> reporter: he told them he planned the shooting the night before. >> our 16-year-old student/suspect had felt like he had been bullied for some time by a couple of students. >> reporter: and they say the gunman and the victim had a history. >> the student that had been injured, we believe, was one intended target of the suspect. >> reporter: authorities say things could have been much worse if it weren't for the heroic actions of one high school teacher. >> if you talk to the students they all thoroughly enjoy his classroom. >> reporter: he talked to the shooter and convinced him to put the gun down. >> i think at one point he said he didn't want to shoot th

taft high school where the shooting took place typically has an armed guard on campus. the sheriff's department said the guard wasn't there yesterday because he is, well, he was snowed in. no replacementcemenreplacement,. >>> meanwhile, the white house task force is set to deliver a list of proposals to the president by tuesday. vice president joe biden who has been meeting this week with groups from different sides of the debate offered a glimpse of what might be in store. >> there's a surprising, so far, a surprising recurrence of suggestions we have universal background checks. not just close the gun show loophole but total universal background checks, including private sales. there's also a good deal of talk about gun safety and what responsibility goes along with gun ownership. i've never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about high capacity magazines as i've heard spontaneously from every group that we've met with so far. there is nothing that has pricked the consciousness of the american people. there's nothing that's gone to the heart of th

taft was the first president to throw out a first pitch at an mlb game in 1910.is nickname is the big chief. legend has it president taft in vented the 7th inning stretch. >>> trent williams cannot participate in the pro bowl due to stitches he received last night, the victim of an assault at a honolulu nightclub. he'll be suited up on the sidelines. that's a wrap on sports. brian will be back with the news edge. good night. making the big romantic gesture. that's powerful. verizon. get a droid razr m by motorola in pink for $49.99. >>> being on television not as easy as a lot of people think, but when you have an embarrassing moment, it's caught on camera for everyone to see. just ask linda carsten from south florida reporting from the goat exhibit at the county fair. >> reporter: the goats will be here through saturday and they're very friendly. from the manatee county fair, linda carson. abc7. would you not eat my pants. oh! >> sticking up for his friend. one of the goats decided he'd had enough of the local news and her condescending tone and head butted her

there's been a school shooting at taft high school in -- that's in taft, california. this is according to our affiliate kero. the shooting happened this morning around 9:00 a.m. local time we're told. according to reports, at least two people were shot. the shooter is in custody, and parents are picking up their kids at the school's football field. just repeating, taft high school in taft, california, a shag around 9:00 a.m. -- a shooting around 9:00 a.m. local time. two people shot, the shooter in custody. we'll bring you more development as they come to us. >>> today was supposed to be the inauguration day for venezuelan president hugo chavez. but he's still in cuba undergoing cancer treatment. despite his absence, though, venezuela's supreme court ruled that the 58-year-old president can begin his new term today. he can be sworn in later. that it is, in fact, legal to postpone that. his supporters are rallying outside the presidential palace showing solidarity. but cnn's paula newton reports opposition leaders feel that a delayed swearing-in leaves no one in charge

president taft threw out the first ceremonial pitch in april 1910.e alongside the other four former presidents during the four inning of every nats home game. >> i wonder if they will ever let taft win. >> what would be interesting is if he started winning right away or got to win all the time. >> that will be fun. >> still plenty ahead on fox 5 morning news. >> we are keeping an eye on the roads t won't be fun. >> there is a chance for an icy commute today. frederick county schools are on a two-hour delay. the latest list is on the bottom of your screen and also on myfoxdc.com. >>> also, latest on a deadly nightclub fire that killed more than 230 people. lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. of green giant vegetables it's easy to eat like a giant... ♪ and feel like a green giant. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant progress-oh! -oh! -oh! oh! oh! ♪ what do you know? oh! ♪ bacon? -oh! -oh! oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, ther

officials say a 16-year-old student at taft junior high walked into a class shortly after 9 a.m. local time and shot a fellow pupil. >> he then tried to engage a second student he named and tried to shoot him and missed. the teacher was trying to get the students out of the classroom and engage the shooter. >> reporter: the school's counselor eventually convinced the student to put his gun down before he was taken into custody by police. authorities credited that teacher who suffered a minor pellet wound to the head with helping keep the situation under control. >> he had maybe as many as 20 rounds in his pocket. so we don't know what might have happened. this is train did i but not as bad as -- a tragedy but not as bad as it might have been. >> reporter: the shooting comes less than a month after a gunman killed 20 students and six adults at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. the news of the incident crossed as vice president joe biden was meeting with gun rights advocates to discuss ways to prevent mass shootings. the school normally has an armed is of, but wasn't in

back to you, shep. >> shepard: dominic di-natale at the school taft. president obama says he -- vice president biden will give the president ideas tuesday. he is giving a hint today what the ideas might be. met with representatives from the national rifle association and other gun owners groups. the president put vice president biden in charge of the projected after the newtown, massacre. today he said the public wants us to act. >> there is nothing that has gone to the heart of the matter more than the visual image people have of little 6-year-old kids riddled, not shot with a stray bullet, riddled, riddled with bullet holes. in their classroom. >> the vice president says some of the ideas he is considering are universal background checks, not just for gun shows but also for private gun sales and a possible ban on those high capacity ammunition magazines. but he says he has not yet made an official list. after today's meeting, the nra released a statement that reads in part, and i quote: we are disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with