12:05 p.m. Dr. Peter Rhee appeared at a noon presser to update the public on Giffords and the other victims.reportedly contains ammunition
"We still have six patients in the hospital: One patient remains in a critical fashion, two are serious, and three are in fair condition," Rhee said. "One of the patients got upgraded to serious for a little while because they were on a ventilator or a breathing machine right after we were doing surgery, which is very customary and normal.... The update on the congresswoman at this time period is that it's going as anticipated.
"At this time period, things can go very slowly, and progress can occur very rapidly at some particular time and actually can also go in a negative fashion in a downward way as well. I'm happy to state that none of the downward events have occurred at this time, which is kind of what we wanted to have happen at this point. We have decreased the amount of sedation that we're giving her, and as a result of that she's becoming more and more spontaneous all the time."
12:01 p.m. MSNBC reports that in addition to having a confrontation with his father the morning of the shooting, Loughner was also pulled over by a wildlife officer after he ran a red light. According to the network, the officer "let Loughner go after seeing that he had no outstanding warrants."
11:50 a.m. Outgoing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) received an e-mail from Giffords on the eve of the shooting, in which she wrote: “I would love to talk about what we can do to promote centrism and moderation. I think that we need to figure out how to tone our rhetoric and partisanship down.”
This morning, Grayson spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. Asked whether or not he believed the shooting was related to political rhetoric -- specifically tea-party rhetoric stirred by Sarah Palin -- he said:
“I don’t have any reason to believe to believe that this particular tragedy was related to this problem that’s out there, but it’s out there. And whether it’s safety or whether it’s just discouraging folks from attending town hall meetings and contacting their representatives and believing we can come to solutions. I think if we’re going to honor Gabby and these other victims, we have to address this problem. There’s plenty of blame for everybody to go around here.... I don’t think there’s a single elected official or candidate for higher office who has not done or said something that you really wish you hadn’t done or said.”
On what happens next: “I suspect there will not be a big change, but if we could have a little change, oftentimes when our country faces critical moments, we see things and we do change as a nation.”
Listen to the interview in its entirety:
10:56 a.m. National Journal's Sue Davis got ahold of the full text of the resolution, which will be "debatable for six hours, but equally controlled by the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader."
10:30 a.m. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi takes the podium: "I'm pleased and saddened, greatly saddened, to join the Speaker of the House, Mr. Boehner, in coming together in sadness today to share our prayers and, indeed, our hopes for those who have lost so much because of the tragedy in Arizona involving our colleague, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, her staff, and innocent bystanders. Words aren't adequate at a time like this. But nonetheless, I hope it's a comfort to those who lost loved ones or who were injured on Saturday that so many people mourn the losses, but also pray for the survivors and care for them at this very difficult time.
"...Our colleague Congresswoman Giffords was the primary target of a cowardly act, and as she recovers, we honor her as a brilliant and courageous member of Congress. She brought to Congress an invigoration, the thinking of a new generation of national leaders.... She came to Congress full of ideas, and we will long continue to be blessed by them.... She has spoken out courageously and led boldly when the times demanded it. Especially tragic that those who lost their lives and those who were wounded had come together as a resolution presents to participate in an activity that reflects the best of our democratic tradition. A representative of the people, Gabby Giffords, and her staff hearing directly from the men and women she represents. American democracy is founded on our commitment to a contest of ideas, not violence. Political disagreement and dissent must never violate our nation's values, as expressed in the Constitution, of free expression, speech, and peaceful assembly. Gabby spoke to that right here from the floor last week. In this hour of anguish, we seek renewed commitment to hope, to civility, and hope to the American people. In many of our churches, we sing on Sunday and other days of the week, let there be peace on Earth and let it begin, not just with us, but with me. With each of us. Within each of us. And speaking as one House today coming together... we offer our thoughts and support, our prayers, for the health of our colleague and all of the injured. We share the stories of the heroes of the tragedy and mourn those who perished. Let their actions and their memories be a blessing to our country. We don't know why God saw this to be necessary, but let this be something that we cherish as an opportunity as we mourn the heartbreaking horror of it all.
"...May this resolution remind us of the urgent need to uphold our democratic values, to treat one another with courtesy and with respect, and to act as Congresswoman Giffords has always done and always do in a manner that reflects the best of American leadership. As our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all who were affected, i want to call special attention to commander Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, Gabby's husband, who has been a source of strength to all of us in this difficult time. We pray for him. We thank him for his and Gabby's service to our country. God truly blessed america with their leadership, with their service and with their love for each other."
10:25 a.m. Boehner continues: "We gather here without distinction of party, and the needs of this institution have always risen above partisanship. What this institution needs right now is strength -- holy and uplifting strength. The strength to grieve with the families of the fallen, to pray for the wounded, and to chart a way forward no matter how painful and difficult it may be. Today is not a ceremony, but tragedy that stirs us to renew our commitment to faithfully fulfill our oaths of office. And let us not let this inhuman act frighten us into doing otherwise.
"...The free exchange of ideas is the life blood of our democracy, as described by the First Amendment, "the beacon" a free expression that Congresswoman Giffords explained just days ago. They have been preserved and protected through generations of hard sacrifice and commitment. And we will continue the unfinished work. We will do it for Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and we will do it for Judge John Roll and do it for Gabe Zimmerman. And we will do it, God willing, with Gabrielle Giffords.
"...Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a time for the house to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and wounded and the resolve to carry on a democracy. We may not yet have all the final answers, but we already have the answer that matters most: That we're Americans and we'll make it through this difficult period. We will have the last word."
10:20 a.m. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, delivers remarks: "Today, we're called here to mourn. An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives and left several more, including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, battling for theirs. These are difficult hours for our country.
"Look to Tucson right now and you'll be reminded that America's most plentiful source of wealth and strength is their people. We're thankful, so thankful, that Gabby is still with us, and we're thankful that two of her staffers who were also wounded... are with us, as well. And Gabby's staff has pressed on opening for business Monday morning right on schedule. The men and women who faithfully serve the people of Arizona's 8th District have signaled that no act, no matter how heinous, will stop us from doing our duty and being among the benefit we serve. To all the dedicated professionals that we rely on to make this institution work, to each of you, thank you for what you do. And to Gabby's staff and their families, please know that our hearts and prayers go out to each of you. This body has yet to fully register the magnitude of this tragedy."
10:04 a.m. The House just gaveled in to honor Rep. Giffords and roll out a resolution in the victims' memory. Stay tuned.
9:28 a.m. Another tweet from Major Garrett: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently arrived at Capitol to sign condolence book for shooting victims."
9:13 a.m. National Journal's Major Garrett tweets: "Speaker Boehner will open House session at 10 am EST w/statement on Giffords shooting & mourning 'senseless loss of life.'" and "At 1 p.m. Boehner will attend bipartisan prayer service. He will sign condolence book in Capitol Visitors Center before service."
8:17 a.m. Bill Hileman, whose wife had brought 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green to the "Congress on Your Corner" event and who was badly injured in the shooting, on ABC's Good Morning America: "Susie had her second major operation yesterday. Initially, when she was brought in, they had to make sure of her vitals... but left unattended the fractured hip [from when] she fell. She was able to avoid getting a total hip replacement.
"When she kind of comes out of those semi-dream twilight states, she is very vocal with tidbits that come sentence by sentence; she’s reliving things in her mind, she calls out for Christina, she talks about the impact of the bullets and the very dramatic sense of bleeding out on the ground. It’s the last thing that she remembers."
7:35 a.m. Loughner's high school "best friend," Zach Osler, speaks to Good Morning America about Loughner:
"He wasn't shooting at people; he was shooting at the world."
About Loughner's chilling mug shot: "I can't look at that.... It scares me. I wish I could have helped it."
On the blaming of political rhetoric: "He didn't take sides. He wasn't on the left, he wasn't on the right." Instead, Osler points to the online documentary series Zeitgeist that criticizes currency-based economics as a shaping influence in Loughner's life.
7:27 a.m. On NBC's Today show, Giffords's communications director, C.J. Karamargin, says of staffers Ron Barbour and Pam Simon, who were injured in the shooting: "They are doing well. I spoke to Ron yesterday, his family is going to make its first public statement today. Pam is strong, she asked me about dark chocolate -- we have an ongoing joke in our office. Both are doing well and that too is so important to us."
On Gabe Zimmerman, the staffer who died: "Gabe’s death will leave a gaping hole in our office, our hearts."
6:55 a.m. Sarah Palin, who has been hounded about her PAC's "cross-hairs map" in the wake of the shooting, just gave her first extended comments on the tragedy in an eight-minute video. The former vice presidential candidate goes on the defense, condemning the "blood libel" committed by the media in blaming the incendiary political climate. Read Palin's comments on her Facebook page or watch the video here:
12:05 p.m. Dr. Peter Rhee appeared at a noon presser to update the public on Giffords and the other victims.
"We still have six patients in the hospital: One patient remains in a critical fashion, two are serious, and three are in fair condition," Rhee said. "One of the patients got upgraded to serious for a little while because they were on a ventilator or a breathing machine right after we were doing surgery, which is very customary and normal.... The update on the congresswoman at this time period is that it's going as anticipated.
"At this time period, things can go very slowly, and progress can occur very rapidly at some particular time and actually can also go in a negative fashion in a downward way as well. I'm happy to state that none of the downward events have occurred at this time, which is kind of what we wanted to have happen at this point. We have decreased the amount of sedation that we're giving her, and as a result of that she's becoming more and more spontaneous all the time."
12:01 p.m. MSNBC reports that in addition to having a confrontation with his father the morning of the shooting, Loughner was also pulled over by a wildlife officer after he ran a red light. According to the network, the officer "let Loughner go after seeing that he had no outstanding warrants."
11:50 a.m. Outgoing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) received an e-mail from Giffords on the eve of the shooting, in which she wrote: “I would love to talk about what we can do to promote centrism and moderation. I think that we need to figure out how to tone our rhetoric and partisanship down.”
This morning, Grayson spoke with NPR’s Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. Asked whether or not he believed the shooting was related to political rhetoric -- specifically tea-party rhetoric stirred by Sarah Palin -- he said:
“I don’t have any reason to believe to believe that this particular tragedy was related to this problem that’s out there, but it’s out there. And whether it’s safety or whether it’s just discouraging folks from attending town hall meetings and contacting their representatives and believing we can come to solutions. I think if we’re going to honor Gabby and these other victims, we have to address this problem. There’s plenty of blame for everybody to go around here.... I don’t think there’s a single elected official or candidate for higher office who has not done or said something that you really wish you hadn’t done or said.”
On what happens next: “I suspect there will not be a big change, but if we could have a little change, oftentimes when our country faces critical moments, we see things and we do change as a nation.”
Listen to the interview in its entirety:
10:56 a.m. National Journal's Sue Davis got ahold of the full text of the resolution, which will be "debatable for six hours, but equally controlled by the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader."
10:30 a.m. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi takes the podium: "I'm pleased and saddened, greatly saddened, to join the Speaker of the House, Mr. Boehner, in coming together in sadness today to share our prayers and, indeed, our hopes for those who have lost so much because of the tragedy in Arizona involving our colleague, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, her staff, and innocent bystanders. Words aren't adequate at a time like this. But nonetheless, I hope it's a comfort to those who lost loved ones or who were injured on Saturday that so many people mourn the losses, but also pray for the survivors and care for them at this very difficult time.
"...Our colleague Congresswoman Giffords was the primary target of a cowardly act, and as she recovers, we honor her as a brilliant and courageous member of Congress. She brought to Congress an invigoration, the thinking of a new generation of national leaders.... She came to Congress full of ideas, and we will long continue to be blessed by them.... She has spoken out courageously and led boldly when the times demanded it. Especially tragic that those who lost their lives and those who were wounded had come together as a resolution presents to participate in an activity that reflects the best of our democratic tradition. A representative of the people, Gabby Giffords, and her staff hearing directly from the men and women she represents. American democracy is founded on our commitment to a contest of ideas, not violence. Political disagreement and dissent must never violate our nation's values, as expressed in the Constitution, of free expression, speech, and peaceful assembly. Gabby spoke to that right here from the floor last week. In this hour of anguish, we seek renewed commitment to hope, to civility, and hope to the American people. In many of our churches, we sing on Sunday and other days of the week, let there be peace on Earth and let it begin, not just with us, but with me. With each of us. Within each of us. And speaking as one House today coming together... we offer our thoughts and support, our prayers, for the health of our colleague and all of the injured. We share the stories of the heroes of the tragedy and mourn those who perished. Let their actions and their memories be a blessing to our country. We don't know why God saw this to be necessary, but let this be something that we cherish as an opportunity as we mourn the heartbreaking horror of it all.
"...May this resolution remind us of the urgent need to uphold our democratic values, to treat one another with courtesy and with respect, and to act as Congresswoman Giffords has always done and always do in a manner that reflects the best of American leadership. As our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all who were affected, i want to call special attention to commander Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, Gabby's husband, who has been a source of strength to all of us in this difficult time. We pray for him. We thank him for his and Gabby's service to our country. God truly blessed america with their leadership, with their service and with their love for each other."
10:25 a.m. Boehner continues: "We gather here without distinction of party, and the needs of this institution have always risen above partisanship. What this institution needs right now is strength -- holy and uplifting strength. The strength to grieve with the families of the fallen, to pray for the wounded, and to chart a way forward no matter how painful and difficult it may be. Today is not a ceremony, but tragedy that stirs us to renew our commitment to faithfully fulfill our oaths of office. And let us not let this inhuman act frighten us into doing otherwise.
"...The free exchange of ideas is the life blood of our democracy, as described by the First Amendment, "the beacon" a free expression that Congresswoman Giffords explained just days ago. They have been preserved and protected through generations of hard sacrifice and commitment. And we will continue the unfinished work. We will do it for Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and we will do it for Judge John Roll and do it for Gabe Zimmerman. And we will do it, God willing, with Gabrielle Giffords.
"...Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a time for the house to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and wounded and the resolve to carry on a democracy. We may not yet have all the final answers, but we already have the answer that matters most: That we're Americans and we'll make it through this difficult period. We will have the last word."
10:20 a.m. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, delivers remarks: "Today, we're called here to mourn. An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives and left several more, including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, battling for theirs. These are difficult hours for our country.
"Look to Tucson right now and you'll be reminded that America's most plentiful source of wealth and strength is their people. We're thankful, so thankful, that Gabby is still with us, and we're thankful that two of her staffers who were also wounded... are with us, as well. And Gabby's staff has pressed on opening for business Monday morning right on schedule. The men and women who faithfully serve the people of Arizona's 8th District have signaled that no act, no matter how heinous, will stop us from doing our duty and being among the benefit we serve. To all the dedicated professionals that we rely on to make this institution work, to each of you, thank you for what you do. And to Gabby's staff and their families, please know that our hearts and prayers go out to each of you. This body has yet to fully register the magnitude of this tragedy."
10:04 a.m. The House just gaveled in to honor Rep. Giffords and roll out a resolution in the victims' memory. Stay tuned.
9:28 a.m. Another tweet from Major Garrett: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently arrived at Capitol to sign condolence book for shooting victims."
9:13 a.m. National Journal's Major Garrett tweets: "Speaker Boehner will open House session at 10 am EST w/statement on Giffords shooting & mourning 'senseless loss of life.'" and "At 1 p.m. Boehner will attend bipartisan prayer service. He will sign condolence book in Capitol Visitors Center before service."
8:17 a.m. Bill Hileman, whose wife had brought 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green to the "Congress on Your Corner" event and who was badly injured in the shooting, on ABC's Good Morning America: "Susie had her second major operation yesterday. Initially, when she was brought in, they had to make sure of her vitals... but left unattended the fractured hip [from when] she fell. She was able to avoid getting a total hip replacement.
"When she kind of comes out of those semi-dream twilight states, she is very vocal with tidbits that come sentence by sentence; she’s reliving things in her mind, she calls out for Christina, she talks about the impact of the bullets and the very dramatic sense of bleeding out on the ground. It’s the last thing that she remembers."
7:35 a.m. Loughner's high school "best friend," Zach Osler, speaks to Good Morning America about Loughner:
"He wasn't shooting at people; he was shooting at the world."
About Loughner's chilling mug shot: "I can't look at that.... It scares me. I wish I could have helped it."
On the blaming of political rhetoric: "He didn't take sides. He wasn't on the left, he wasn't on the right." Instead, Osler points to the online documentary series Zeitgeist that criticizes currency-based economics as a shaping influence in Loughner's life.
7:27 a.m. On NBC's Today show, Giffords's communications director, C.J. Karamargin, says of staffers Ron Barber and Pam Simon, who were injured in the shooting: "They are doing well. I spoke to Ron yesterday, his family is going to make its first public statement today. Pam is strong, she asked me about dark chocolate -- we have an ongoing joke in our office. Both are doing well and that too is so important to us."
On Gabe Zimmerman, the staffer who died: "Gabe’s death will leave a gaping hole in our office, our hearts."
6:55 a.m. Sarah Palin, who has been hounded about her PAC's "cross-hairs map" in the wake of the shooting, just gave her first extended comments on the tragedy in an eight-minute video. The former vice presidential candidate goes on the defense, condemning the "blood libel" committed by the media in blaming the incendiary political climate. Read Palin's comments on her Facebook page or watch the video here:
6:30 a.m. Giffords's staff released two photos Tuesday night to give the public a glimpse into Giffords's hospital room; both show husband Mark Kelly's continued support. Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Rhee updated his optimism: He said Tuesday he is "101 percent" certain that Giffords will survive.
Mark Kelly Holds the Hand of His Wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Her Hospital Room (Courtesy Photo)
Mark Kelly Holds the Hand of His Wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Her Hospital Room (Courtesy Photo)
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