The Aftermath of Unspeakable Tragedy
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President Bush is in Blacksburg, Virginia for a convocation on the Virginia Tech campus, where 32 people were shot to death yesterday and their killer committed suicide. We hear about the gunman and what might have been indications that he would turn to violence, and talk about gun control.On Reporter's Notebook, on this tax day, Republicans and Democrats advocate tax reform. What are the prospects?
Making News
Murderer at Virginia Tech Left Note ()
Yesterday's Virginia Tech gunman was Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old resident-alien student from South Korea. He reportedly came to this country in 1992 and grew up in Centreville, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. His family owns a cleaning business. Today's Chicago Tribune says he left a note, which included "a rambling list of grievances." Aamer Madhani is a national correspondent.
Guests:
- Aamer Madhani: National Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
Main Topic
Could Risk Assessment Have Prevented Virginia Tech Tragedy? ()
The gunman who killed 32 students yesterday at Virginia Tech has been identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a resident-alien student originally from South Korea. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the 23-year old showed signs of aberrant behavior before yesterday's violent shooting rampage. President Bush has ordered American flags flown at half-staff, and he's in Blacksburg, Virginia with the First Lady for a campus convocation. Republican Senator John McCain says the incident at Virginia Tech does not change his view that Americans have a constitutional right to carry firearms, except "to make sure that these kinds of weapons don't fall into the hands of bad people." We hear about a note reportedly left by the killer. Were there indications that he might turn violent? What about gun control?
Guests:
- Bill Woodward: Director of Training for the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
- Dewey Cornell: Professor of Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia
- Courtney Thomas: Senior at Virginia Tech
- Michael Hammond: Spokesman for Gun Owners of America
- Josh Sugarmann: Executive Director of the Violence Policy Center
Reporter's Notebook
The Tax-Man Cometh ()
On this tax day, there's general agreement that the best that can be said about America's tax system is that it's needlessly complex. At worst, it is broken. The American federal tax system was last reformed in 1986. Now members of both parties are saying that reform is needed again, and it just might become an issue in the presidential campaign. William Neikirk is senior correspondent in Washington for the Chicago Tribune.
Banner Image: Scott Olson, Getty Images
Guests:
- William Neikirk: Senior Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
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