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Nurse From West Africa Forced to Quarantine in New Jersey; Illinois To Implement Mandatory 21-Day Quarantine For Those Returning From Ebola-Affected Countries; Teacher Confronted School Shooter; Shooter Posted Threatening Messages; Three States Impose Ebola Quarantines

Aired October 26, 2014 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, she is trapped inside a tent with a port apathy and no shower. For the first time we are hearing directly from the nurse quarantined in New Jersey, even though she isn't showing signs of Ebola.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To make me stay for 21 days, to not be with my family, to put me through this emotional and physical stress is completely unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It's an interview you'll only hear on CNN, that exclusive just seconds away.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitefield. Backlash now from health workers on the front lines of the fight again Ebola, as three states rush to impose new quarantines. Illinois joins New York and New Jersey, announcing 21-day mandatory quarantines for high-risk people returning from Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea. Florida announced mandatory monitoring.

Now, there's concern that response could stop health workers from going to West Africa to help fight Ebola at the source. The director of the national institutes of allergy and infectious diseases spoke out on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You have got to make your decision and your policy based on the scientific data. And the scientific data and the evidence tells us that people who are not ill, who do not have symptoms, with whom you don't come into contact with body fluids, they are not a threat, they are not goods to spread it. So we have to be careful when we make policy that we don't have unintended consequences where you group everyone in the same category, that just because you came back from there, that therefore you're in this category.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Today, U.S. to the United Nations Samantha Power arrived in Guinea. In a trip focused on Ebola, she told NBC the last thing we need is to discourage health workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA POWER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: We need to encourage more, we need many more than are going right now, and we need to find a way when they come home, that they are treated like conquering heroes and not stigmatized for the tremendous work that they have done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Now, scathing words from the American nurse under a forced quarantine right now in New Jersey. She wrote in a letter to "the Dallas Morning News" quote "I sat alone in the isolation tent and thought of many colleagues who will return home to America and face the same ordeal. Will they be made for feel like criminals and prisoners?

CNN's Candy Crowley spoke exclusively to Kaci Hickox from her quarantine room in New Jersey hospital, the condition Hickox described are really pretty rough. Take e a listen to the interview that you always see right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Joining us on the phone that nurse, Kaci Hickox, the nurse in quarantine now in New Jersey.

Kaci, thank you so much for joining us. I just want you to -- I know a couple days to get from Sierra Leone, you had been there with doctors without borders helping to treat and fight Ebola. Tell us what happened once you landed at Newark.

KACI HICKOX, NURSE QUARANTINED IN NEW JERSEY (via phone): That's correct, Candy. I spent a month in Sierra Leone. And when I arrived at the airport in Newark, I of course presented my paperwork to the immigration official and told him that I had been in Sierra Leone.

So I verbally declared it myself as well as writing it in the documentation. And he was very and said they'll have a couple questions. First, there were many people that asked me questions. No one seems to be leading or coordinating the effort. A lot of the questions were repetitive. And as an epidemiologist, I was surprised that, you know, I saw people writing in the margins of their paperwork which is just showed that obviously they weren't prepared to really capture all the information they thought they needed. Obviously, I was there for many hours, my plane was -- and I only left for the isolation center around --

CROWLEY: Kaci, let me ask you something -- let me interrupt you for a second because I want to know, did this -- the questioning, by my tally, were there are five or six hours at the airport? Is that correct? And were you surprised by this? Did you know there had been a quarantine put in place for all health care workers from the three affected countries, including Sierra Leone?

HICKOX: As far as I know, you're right, I was at the airport for five or six hours. And before I arrived I had heard the news that a doctor from doctors without borders living in New York City had tested positive. So I assumed that there would be maybe further questioning than before. But as far as I knew when I landed, there had been no official quarantine order for either the state of New Jersey and New York. And we are looking into that detail ourselves, but of course I don't have that information at this time.

CROWLEY: So once you got to the hospital, what happened?

HICKOX: Once I got to the hospital, they of course tested my blood, they asked me a few more questions. I do want to say everyone here, all of the doctors and nurses that have been caring for me and workers have been fantastic, so supportive. You know, they have offered to give me books and to bring my pizza hut. And they are fantastic. They definitely have gotten caught up in a political mess. So I don't envy them. But yes, they tested my blood, and it's negative.

And I know that there had been reports, me having a fever in the airport, but I truly believe that it's an instrument error. They were using the forehead scanner. And I was obviously distressed and a bit upset, and so my cheeks were flushed, and I think there has been some evidence that that machine is not very accurate in these kinds of situations.

So when I arrived at the isolation unit, they took my temperature orally, and it was completely normal. And since then it's always been.

CROWLEY: Has it remained completely normal?

HICKOX: Yes, it's always been completely normal. I heard from my mother last night, who called me concerned and said Governor Christie just said in an interview that you were, quote/unquote "obviously ill." And this is so frustrating to me.

First of all, I don't think he's a doctor. And secondly, he's never laid eyes on me. And thirdly, I have been asymptomatic since I've been here. I feel physically completely strong and emotionally completely exhausted. But for him to say I'm obvious, you know, which is even a strange statement, what does that mean? Someone define that for me. Because I think I don't quite under what "obviously ill" means. But I am here to tell you I am completely fine physically, and being held here is just -- I just am --

CROWLEY: And what is your understanding about how long you will -- what have they told you about tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that?

HICKOX: This is the other concern I have. I have not been communicated a clear plan. My quarantine order written by the New Jersey health commissioner, and even though this day no one has told me what it means or what's the plan. No one has told me how long it would last. I don't know if I'm going to be retested and if so why I would be retested? I'm completely asymptomatic. And the test is not even accurate if you don't have symptoms.

And yesterday, I spoke with the assistant health commissioner, Christopher I believe is his name. And I told him one thing. I said the only thing I have to say to you is I want an answer for what is my clear plan? No one has communicated with me. You have, you know, put me in an isolation unit without communicating medically or public health, you know, scientifically logical chain of events that need to happen next. And this to me is just completely unacceptable. I spoke to him at 6:00 p.m. and now it's 11:00 a.m. And I still have not heard from anyone what the plan is next for me.

CROWLEY: As far as we know, and this certainly does not relate to your specific case, but it's a 21-day quarantine. Can you describe to me where you are right now? What does it look like? Are you in the hospital in a room?

HICKOX: Sure. I am outside of the university hospital itself, in a different building, I believe, although, I can only say what I can see from my tent. I'm a tent within a building, and, you know, it's just a basic tent structure. There's a hospital bed. Obviously, they bring me food. I have kind of a port apathy type of rest room, no shower facility, and no connection with the outside world except my iphone, which I insisted that I brought with me when I arrived late Friday night.

CROWLEY: So let me ask you this, from a different point of view. You have been over in Sierra Leone, I think everyone would salute someone who does put their life on the line to go over and help others. And we have heard over and over again, while you have been away how vital it is for all countries to send workers, doctors, nurses, other health care workers to fight this disease where it is in order to, you know, save those countries as well as protect the rest of the world.

But understanding that the doctor who is now in quarantine in New York City, was home seven or eight days before he spiked a bit of a fever, and then was put into isolation, do you understand the need of governor, be they from New Jersey or New York or Illinois, to say we can't take this risk? That somebody is out there with a fever, or will spike a fever eight or nine days after they arrived? We need to make sure that they're in isolation until we know they are past the danger zone. Do you understand that psyche?

HICKOX: I completely don't understand it. I really is completely not understandable to me. It is not based on any clear public health evidence. And it's not the recommendation of public health and medical experts at this point.

You know, I think we have to be very careful about letting politicians make medical and public health decisions, and all of the evidence about Ebola shows that if you are not symptomatic, you are not infectious. So, for instance, when I arrived, I was not symptomatic, and that Friday they tested my blood, and I am negative. So if I don't have symptom and I tested negative with Ebola, there's no way I can be -- for anyone to tell me that I need to -- and under a quarantine -- it's just completely unacceptable. And I believe -- impose -- you know --

CROWLEY: Perhaps because you have been gone, I know again for so long, in the United States there have been what appear to be missteps by the CDC, certainly by a hospital in Dallas which got an Ebola patient, someone who was ill from it, and clearly had a -- you know was communicable at that point.

HICKOX: I'd like to remind you he wasn't an aid worker.

CROWLEY: Sure. No, no, absolutely. All I was going to say was that there was this feeling that the federal government and the doctors who advised the federal government don't actually know how to contain this. And I think it is out of that concern from the public thinking, wait a second, they told us it couldn't come here, they told us we could deal with it, and it hasn't always come to be so. They've to change, as you know, some of their protocols in dealing with it for health care workers, et cetera.

So I think that's somewhat pushing this drive. So, you know, having said that, you landed without knowing about a quarantine, and it seems to me, and one of the things that you wrote was I am scared, talking about other workers coming back, that they will arrive and see a frenzy of disorganization, et cetera, et cetera, and most frightening a quarantine.

Can you tell me why the quarantine of the fear you certainly must have felt thinking, what are these people up to, getting, you know, a police ride with sirens and everything to the hospital, to understand that fear, not knowing what's going on, but tell me what's frightening about a quarantine?

HICKOX: You know, for me, it's two things, and I've experienced it, so unfortunately I think I can say these two things pretty confidently. And the first has been this is not a case. You know, for instance, are all of the workers that are taking care of me being -- no, they are seeing me, in their PPE, and they're going home to their families. So the quarantine does -- in its -- in how it's being carried out doesn't make scientific sense. It is not evidence stage.

And the second thing is it's really inhumane. I just came back from one of the most different months of my life. And I am completely (INAUDIBLE) and no one knows -- no one can -- if I will develop Ebola or not in the next 21 days. And most aid workers that come back will not infected with Ebola. So to quarantine everyone in case, you know, when you cannot predict who may develop Ebola or not, and to make me stay for 21 days, to not be with my family, to put me through this emotional and physical stress, is completely unacceptable.

CROWLEY: You know, Kaci, one of the things we have learned from talking to experts for at least many weeks is that there's no such thing as no risk, but you can get pretty close. And you -- I think would you concede as a health care worker that, sure, there's a low risk perhaps you might at some point be carrying the Ebola virus that has not yet manifested in your body. Is it worth it to keep New Jerseyans (ph) out of any kind of risk to keep you 21 days in quarantine?

HICKOX: You know, I think one of the frustrating things about this policy is it is obviously poorly planned out. The policy state that healthcare workers will be quarantined, but what about other people traveling from these regions as well?

And you're right, there's no such thing as no risk. But I think when consideration this issue, we also have to balance what you're putting the health care workers through, and how evidence-based your approach is. So you know, for instance, are then, you going to quarantine all the health care workers looking after health care workers who have been to an Ebola-affected areas because could it be said that they also have some level of risk since they're taking care of possible Ebola contacts?

So I think it's just a slippery slope. And my frustration is that it truly is has not been thought out. And it's not a sound public health decision. I think many experts in the field have come out and agreed with me. So I think we need to stress the fact that we don't need politicians to make these kinds of decisions. We need public health experts to make these decisions. And there always needs to be a balance because I also want to be treated with compassion and humanity. And I don't feel like I've been treated that way the past three days.

CROWLEY: Sure. One of the things that Governor Christie said is recently as this morning is that he is sorry this has been an inconvenience to you, but that he's trying to protect a public that he feels particularly in densely populated areas has not been properly protected by the CDC and this administration. I wanted to give you this chance to talk to Governor Christie, what would you say to him?

HICKOX: You know, the first thing I would say to Governor Christie is that I wish he would be more careful about his statements related to my medical condition. I am not, as he said, quote-unquote "obviously ill." I am completely healthy and with no symptoms. And if he knew anything about Ebola, he would know that asymptomatic people are not infectious.

I understand that people feel like they have a risk, and I think we can have a conversation about what further measures might look like. But I think this is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated.

And I hope he will also consider me -- and I -- obviously, you know, all I want is to go home to my partner, who is completely happy to have me home, and is not scared at all, because he knows that I know more about Ebola than most people in the U.S.. And if I were the unlucky person, like Dr. Spencer to develop symptoms after returning home, I would be smart and do the right thing and contact the local health department, and be safe in going to a facility and being isolated and tested. But this is just an extreme that we have to fight against.

CROWLEY: Kaci Hickox, first, I want to thank you so much for your time. Our wish for you is that you remain symptom free. And our second wish is that somehow you can work this out to a point where you no longer feel that you are being threatened, you know, by just having to stay in quarantine, and that you get back to your life as soon as you can.

Thank you so much for your time this morning.

HICKOX: Thank you, Candy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. The director of the office of communications of the New Jersey health department responded to Hickox's claim releasing this statement to CNN saying, quote, "The patient was giving a copy of the quarantine order Friday and is receiving regularly updated information," end quote.

The office also telling CNN, quote, "the patient did receive reading materials. She also got computer access," end quote.

And New Jersey governor Chris Christie also talking about the Kaci Hickox situation earlier today. He defended the quarantine policy that has left Hickox trapped inside a tent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I believe that folks who want to take that step and are willing to volunteer also understand that it's in their interests and in the public health interests to have a 21-day period thereafter if they've been directly exposed to people with the virus.

And as we saw with what happened with some of the health care workers in Texas, with the CDC shifting protocols, we had people who were infected from that type of contact. And we just can't have that in the New York/New Jersey area. And that's why Governor Cuomo and I agree on this, and now you see they agree in Chicago as well. I think this a policy that will become a national policy sooner rather than later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And of course, there will be more discussion about this mandatory quarantine in New York, New jersey and now Illinois. We understand later on today at about 4:30 Eastern Time, New York City mayor Bill De Blasio is expected to have a press conference outside Bellevue hospital. That is the hospital where Dr. Craig Spencer is being treated for Ebola. Of course, we will take that press conference live and keep you updated.

Meantime, I will talk more about this quarantine with senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, live outside Bellevue hospital where Dr. Spencer is and Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease and public health specialist.

So Dr. Gounder, does Kaci have a point? Is this quarantine unnecessary? And does, you know, a clear plan, as she put it, need to be conveyed to her in a better way?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Absolutely. She's being detained against her will after she said one of the hardest months in her life, trying to save others, and also performing a very important service for the American public. The best way to protect our citizens from Ebola is to control the problem on the ground.

WHITFIELD: And Elizabeth, you have also talked to Kaci Hickox. So, what else are you hearing about her situation, her plight, what she wants, what she is deserving of.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kaci Hickox told me she's hired a lawyer. And I just hung up with that lawyer. I was just speaking with him, Fred. And he says that he will be filing papers in court to get her a hearing within the next few days. He says, look, when we detain people because, for example, let's we can detain someone because they're mentally ill, you give them a hearing. He said the burden is on the government to show why she needs to be quarantined. He said in his view, she has tested twice negative for Ebola. She's not having symptoms. He says that she shouldn't be detained.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much. Doctor Gounder, we are going to talk more about this in a moment and talk specifically about how these quarantine rules are having an impact on health care workers.

Also up next, Dr. Celine Gounder tells us how her friend in West Africa are reacting, fearful of the stigma back home. More in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, more now on our top story, three U.S. states now imposing Ebola quarantines, Illinois, New York and New Jersey.

Joining me again is senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease and public health specialist.

And a reminder at 4:50 eastern time today New York mayor Bill de Blasio will be holding a press conference outside Bellevue hospital where you were, Elizabeth, and where Dr. Craig Spencer is also being treated for the Ebola virus. Of course, we will carry that live as it happens.

So Dr. Gounder, to you first, you know, you now have colleagues in West Africa, who are not putting pictures on facebook or twitter, for feel that their material ends up in news coverage or they are ridiculed out of people's fears about them working overseas in this West African nations hardest hit by Ebola.

Tell me more about -- really, this is a revelation isn't it, for many of these health care workers who were once very proud of the work they're doing and now afraid of the backlash? GOUNDER: Yes. I mean, they're being told by people in their

communities that they're essentially disease vectors, bringing back Ebola to this country. And it's really unfortunate. They're having to deactivate their facebook and twitter accounts, because they're afraid that their pictures are going to end up in the paper and all over the television. They're afraid their children are going to be bullied at school. They're afraid about ha harassment and stigma.

And this is really not the way to be treating those on the front lines for those fighting Ebola in West Africa. It's really disrespectful of the sacrifices that they are making on all of our behalves.

WHITFIELD: And now, Dr, Gounder, what do you suppose this is doing to the effort to fight Ebola at the source?

GOUNDER: Well, I've heard some people about volunteering in secret, not letting others know what they're doing or where they're going. And I think there are some people who won't volunteer at all, because they're afraid not just the risk of infection with Ebola, but how they're going to be treated when they come back.

WHITFIELD: And then Elizabeth, you know, talk to us about these CDC monitoring guidelines going to affect tomorrow. How different is it from what has preceded? And how are these quarantines now impacting even the CDC's approach?

COHEN: Right. So these rules that will go into effect tomorrow, it will be quite different than what has been happening. So in six states and that is New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia, health care workers, you know, health like local and state health authorities will reach out to people, everyone, not just health workers, returning from West Africa these three countries and will keep in daily contact with them to see how they're feeling, to see what their temperature is. And you know, that's very different. That's called active surveillance. And that is very different in what has been happening now which is basically nothing. I mean, I came back from Liberia September 27th and didn't have to do anything.

So you know, this will be quite different. And it does make, you know, make you wonder if a health official had been calling Craig Spencer every day, saying how are you feeling? And if he had said, you know, I feel sluggish, maybe they would have told him to stay home rather than to go bowling or to go out to a restaurant. It might have things different.

WHITFIELD: And then, Elizabeth, what do you if anything about U.S. troops, what something like 900 U.S. troops have already made their way to Liberia, and thousands more will be going there to assist in setting up kind of clinics, you know, temporary clinics, et cetera. And now, we understand none of these troops are actually are going to have direct contact with Ebola patients, but we're talking about, you know, a country in Liberia where every county has Ebola patients.

So is it your understanding that any of these U.S. troops would be subject to the potential mandatory quarantines once they return back to the states? Particularly if it's any one of those three states?

COHEN: You know, the quarantines are written in a bit of a vague way, Fredricka. They talk about anyone having direct contact with an Ebola patient and then make a special note, you know, medical personnel who treated Ebola patient. If they are high risk, they will quarantined. While if they weren't in protective gear, are they high risk. It gets very complicated.

But to answer your question, we don't know what will happen to returning troops. We don't know what will happen to the public health service workers, the U.S. public health service is sending people who will be taking care of Ebola patients. Will they be quarantined? Another question more immediate, what about the nurses inside had hospital behind me and the doctors? Will they be quarantined? I mean, they are taking care of an actual Ebola patient.

Kasey Hiccups was quarantined and she is not actually sick. The gentleman in the hospital behind me is sick. The people taking care of him, will they be quarantined? The doctors and nurses who are taking care of people at Emory, at NIH, IN Texas, when they took care of people, should they have been quarantined?

So many questions and it is really unclear why they have sort of at this point singled out this one nurse in New Jersey, when they are actually people who are taking care of real Ebola patients right now as we speak.

WHITFIELD: So Dr. Gounder, you know, simply put, where does it end?

GOUNDER: That's a great question. Should we be putting Tony Fauci, who was involved in the care of Nina Pham, so Tony Fauci being the director of the National Institutes of Health, should he be in quarantine?

That's really what we're talking about here. I think we need to be science-driven and not take measures that are further going to alarm people. Frankly get in the way of responding to the epidemic.

WHITFIELD: Is it -- I guess, the messages that have been sent from the medical community particularly on the federal level is don't panic. We have it under control, but I feel like now there's a feeling that people are ready to panic. There is cause for great concern -- Elizabeth.

COHEN: You know, what I'm hearing actually is less panic and more anger. I mean, I received a tweet that said that nurses like Kaci Hickox were selfish, and they just went to Africa to sort of -- to kind of brag and say, look, what I'm doing and that she deserved to be in quarantined.

The mean-spiritedness is really notable. I haven't met many people who are really panicked that they are going to get Ebola, but I have met a lot of angry people who feel that these workers have put everyone in jeopardy.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Gounder, do you worry about then that balance between anger, you know, concern, and you know, real curiosity or fear?

GOUNDER: I'm very concerned about the anger, like Elizabeth, I have seen similar kinds of things on Twitter, people really lashing out against those who are trying to help. I mean, would we treat a soldier returning from the battlefield that way? These health care workers are defending us by doing the work that they are doing in West Africa.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Celine Gounder, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much. Again, just a reminder, 4:15 Eastern Time today, New York Mayor Bill Deblasio holding a press conference right outside of Bellevue, which is exactly where Elizabeth Cohen is, and we'll take that live.

Also still ahead, we'll talk to the deputy commissioner for disease control in New York City Health Department, Dr. Jay Varma, that's at 4:00 Eastern Time.

And for more on the Ebola crisis, head to cnn.com. You can get the latest developments and more. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're learning new information today about how a high school freshman in Washington State may have shot himself after opening fire on several of his friends in the school cafeteria. Two of those students are dead including the 14-year-old shooter, and four are injured.

And in the midst of that tragedy, a report of heroism, a teacher's union official tells CNN first-year full-time teacher, Megan Silverburger, confronted the shooter and may have saved lives. The school district posted this message from her on its web site saying this.

Quote, "While I am thankful and grateful for the support from everyone, at this time, I am requesting privacy for myself and for my family," end quote. Dan Simon is in Marysville, Washington. So Dan, what are we learning about how the shooter died and all of the circumstances surrounding it?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. First of all, we are in front of the school. There would be a community meeting later this afternoon. You can see this makeshift memorial behind me, all weekend long, a steady stream of people dropping off flowers and balloons.

But as you mentioned, we are getting some new information about how things unfolded. We got some information from a law enforcement sort, who told our Susan Candiotti.

That as at a certain point the shooter was actually trying to reload his weapon and possibly fire more shots, but he was having trouble because he was nervous, and his hands were shaking.

That law enforcement source also saying that the shooter looked calm and this is what law enforcement was able to ascertain from witnesses. As for that heroic account from the teacher, what we are learning is that the teacher heard when shots when she was in an office near the cafeteria.

I had a conversation with the person, who runs the local education association. He had a conversation with Megan Silverburger. She was in this office and she heard the shots rang out. She then rushes into the cafeteria. See students who are down, sees the shooter, and then attempts to confront him in some fashion.

Witnesses have previously said that she put her hand on his arm, and moments later, he shot himself. A law enforcement source, Fredricka, was also saying that she attempted to perform CPR on one of the male victims.

WHITFIELD: My gosh, all right, and then, Dan, by all accounts the shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, was a popular kid, football player, homecoming prince, anything new on the motive?

SIMON: No. That's what makes things so difficult to understand. He was popular and he actually targeted people he knew. In fact, he shot two of his cousins. We're getting an account now from a grandfather of one of those victims. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON HATCH, GRANDFATHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM, NATE HATCH: It really hurts. It really hurts. They all went to the prom together. They all got pictures together last Saturday. They all did everything, went to dinner together, and sheesh, just things that happened. Only God knows what escalated this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: At this point, no change in the condition of the victims. Three still in extremely critical condition and a fourth said to be in serious condition -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Simon, thank you so much, there in Marysville, Washington.

So in the days leading up to Friday's deadly shooting in Washington State, shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, posted some very troubling messages on his Twitter account.

One of them saying this, "It breaks me. It actually does. I know it seems like I'm sweating it off, but I'm not, and I never will be able to." Then this one, "You're not going to like what happens next."

Joining me from New York is Parry Aftab, an internet privacy and security lawyer and executive director of wiredsafety.org, and in Washington, D.C., CNN law enforcement analyst, Tom Fuentes.

So Parry to you first, were these kinds of clear warnings signs, these kind disturbing tweets?

PARRY AFTAB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WIREDSAFETY.ORG: They were, and they went back to September. If you start looking at them and see the cross-communications, there was something going on. But he seemed to be acting fine until he got into a fist fight with somebody on the football team, who may have made a racial slur. So when you find somebody who in real life seems to be functioning well and then you see these things online, it's easy to brush them off.

WHITFIELD: And you know, hindsight is always 20/20, and so, Tom, when situations like this happen, everyone, you know, tries to anticipate for the next time, what are the warn signs? How do we learn from this, et cetera?

But when it comes down to looking at our policing, really evaluating the sentiments that a kid may have on social media, I mean, who can do that? I mean, who can intervene? You know, parents do as much as they can.

School districts feel like they are pretty strapped. Law enforcement doesn't really have the jurisdiction to do this. So how do we manage -- how do we try to read the tea leaves, so to speak?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, we don't. That's why these things keep happening and we always say we are going to study it. We're going to analyze that person's brain and what they were thinking, and why they did it?

And at the end of the day, we can't come up with a standard formula for what's inside people's heads when they go through this kind of thought process. You know, kids that are 14 years old and young athletes, whether they're popular or not popular or trying to date and get rejected or don't get rejected.

All of it -- there's a tremendous amount of stress at that age in particular, and a lot of kids are having problems. If you read every kid's diary, you wouldn't know. So all of a sudden to figure out when someone will go beyond that and take action.

He doesn't say what the action will be in the Twitter. Is he going to pick another football player out and beat him up like the last fight he just had --

WHITFIELD: Right. So you're saying law enforcement can't really step in when they see a disturbing -- potentially disturbing quote like that, you are not going to like what happens next. You can't fill in the blanks to know that and know that it means violence could be next, so law enforcement can't necessarily play a role here?

FUENTES: Fredricka, let me give you another thing that I thought about when the shooting was unfolding the other day, and that is, you know, there were comments about parents worried that, is my child a victim? Is my child a student?

There are 2,500 students and parents worry that maybe their child was harmed. How many parents might have been thinking, did my child do this? How many parents might have known that their kids have problems, they're under stress, they're saying bad things and they're trying to work with them and counsel them. I'll bet in 2,500 students at that school, he wasn't the only one, and even now there are still more, not that school alone, but all over the country. That's just common things.

WHITFIELD: Parry, help us parents out. I'm a parent of a 9-year-old. He's very savvy on the computer. He's not on social media. He doesn't have a Twitter account and my husband and I who are making sure that he's in an open space.

We can see what he's doing online, et cetera, but when you're talking about teenagers, it's inconceivable for a parent to think that they could be, you know, perched on their shoulder and pay attention to everything they're doing.

But help equip parents on how to read the warning signs, what to do with this information? How invasive should a parent be when it comes to the activity of their child on social media?

AFTAB: Well, first, Facebook and a lot of the other social media sites have relationships with suicide and self-harm nonprofits. I'm one of five members of Facebook's International Safety Advisory Board. If you report someone is engaged or threatening self-harm or harm to others, they move this immediately up the chain and somebody handles it.

To know if you're seeing something that's disturbing, report it to the networks so that they can look at it and make sure professionals look at it as well, 9-year-olds aren't supposed to be on social media. They're supposed to be at least 13 anyway.

WHITFIELD: But I can't help but worry about what's next.

AFTAB: I think that what you need to do is when your kids are younger, young teens, and when they are at risk, he had a breakup with a girlfriend. It involved a family member, that's an at-risk situation.

So when that happens, you need to monitoring a little bit more. There are some technologies that you can use. Just take the cell phone every once in a while and you know, do spot checks.

WHITFIELD: Look at it.

AFTAB: Have conversations with them. The best thing and this is the answer I game when Littleton and Columbine happened when he did a big television network special on it is talk to your kids. They all ask me how to find out what their kids are doing online. The first thing you do is have a conversation.

WHITFIELD: Keep that communication open. All right, thanks so much, Parry Aftab and Tom Fuentes. Appreciate it, both of you.

AFTAB: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Marysville, Washington, is a community that certainly is in mourning right now. More than 1,000 people filled the town's Grove Church Friday night after the shooting.

Coming up at 4:30 Eastern Time today, we'll talk live with the church's Pastor Nick Bombard about how the community is coping. We'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Illinois now is the latest state to announce a mandatory Ebola quarantine for at-risk people coming back from West Africa. It comes after New York and New Jersey made similar announcements Friday.

And the decision is now creating a backlash among health care workers, including one nurse, who is in forced quarantine in New Jersey right now.

Elizabeth Cohen is outside Bellevue Hospital in New York, where Ebola patient, Dr. Craig Spencer is being treated. So Elizabeth, what do we know about his condition? Then also update on the nurse, Kaci Hickox, in her quarantine.

COHEN: Right. We're told that Dr. Spencer who is here at this hospital that he has moved on to the next phase of his illness that he's experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms.

This is not unexpected. This is how Ebola works. He is getting an antiviral medication and also blood transfusion, a plasma transfusion from Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol.

Now I spoke to Kaci Hickox this morning and she said that contrary to what Governor Christie has been saying, she's feeling completely fine. She says physically she's fine, but that her spirits at times are down.

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KACI HICKOX, NURSE IN QUARANTINE: Everyone keeps asking how are you feeling physically? And of course, I feel fine physically. But I don't think most people understand what it's like to be alone in a tent and to know there's nothing wrong with you, and that decisions are being made that don't makes sense, and that show no compassion.

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COHEN: I just got off the phone with Hickox's lawyer, Norman Seigle and he says that he plans on filing papers to get her a hearing soon. He says the burden is on the government to prove why it is necessary to put her in quarantine even though she tested negative for Ebola twice, does not have an elevated temperatures, and she says she's feeling fine -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Elizabeth, there are some new CDC guidelines that are coming out, how might, you know, they impact these quarantine rules or how might it be influential?

COHEN: Right, so up until recently when people came back from Liberia, Sierra Leon, Guinea, they didn't get really asked anything, and weren't told to do anything. I know that was the case when I came back in September, but now a state or local health official is going to be in daily contact with folks who are coming back from that region, will be asking them how they feel and what their temperature is.

It makes you wonder if someone had been in contact with Dr. Spencer, the doctor who is now here with Ebola and said to him, how are you feeling? And he said I'm feeling kind of sluggish, would they have told him stay at home, don't go to the restaurant?

Don't go to the bowling alley? One wonders if things would have been different if these rules have been in place earlier.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much. And again, right where you are at Bellevue Hospital later on today at 4:15 Eastern Time, New York City Mayor Bill Deblasio will be holding a press conference. We'll be right back with much more news in a moment.

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CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I love running. I feel free. It clear my mind and especially once you get into that shape where you really feel like you can just keep going forever. That's the best feeling.

I'm going to be running the New York City marathon on November 2nd and I'm doing it for charity. I'm doing it for "Tree for Kids," which we are starting running groups for kids that otherwise wouldn't have the option or possibilities to do sports.

I've never won a race before. It's always been on my bucket list. I've always wanted to run the New York marathon. I'm trying to get kids into sports, breaking their boundaries and aiming for goals that are maybe outside their comfort zone.

So I thought that I would be a great inspiration to do something that was outside of mine. I will be the first active professional athlete outside of runners to run a marathon. People obviously think I'm crazy.

I dreamt that someone had to get me through the finish line in a wheelchair, so I don't know if I'm that confident, but I'm starting to get there. To be honest I'm going to take in the whole experience, and I'm going to embrace the crowd, the cheers once I finish and get through that finish line, I think it will feel relieved, and it would be such a huge achievement.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. Nick Valencia is here with the look of the other stories making news this hour -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good afternoon to you, Fred, and good afternoon to you at home. Let's get to the top stories right now making news.

Fierce battles are raging right now in the besieged Syrian city of Khobani. Despite U.S. airstrikes aimed at ISIS targets there. We're getting new images of Kurdish forces fighting ISIS militants in the strategic border town.

Iraqi Kurdish fighters are expected to cross Turkey to get to Khobani to help out, but it's not clear when. A Syrian monitoring group says, at least 800 people have been killed in Khobani over the past 40 days.

And after 13 years, Britain has formally ended its combat operations in Afghanistan. Union Jack flag was lowered for the last time at a ceremony at Camp Bastian in Helmand Province. Security forces will take over the base, but the U.K. will continue to support them and their development.

Those are some of the stories this hour, Fred. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Nick. And of course, we'll have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, right after this.

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