A statue of an angel in honor of the youngest victim of January's mass shooting will be unveiled in Tucson, Arizona, on Friday.
Christina Green was born on September 11, 2001, and died on January 8 in the Tucson shooting rampage, which left six dead and 13 wounded, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
The 9-foot, 11-inch thin metal angel incorporates steel from the Pentagon and World Trade Center. The rocks at the base are from the crash site of Flight 93. The statue will live at the Little League field where Christina played baseball.
Tune into CNN for more on the statue and an emotional interview with the woman who took Christina to see Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Friday on CNN.
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Today's programming highlights...
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11:00 am ET – Rep. Giffords health update - Doctors will update the public on the condition of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords plans to attend the launch of the space shuttle endeavor on April 19, almost three months after she was shot in the head outside a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket, spokesman C.J. Karamargin said.
Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, is the shuttle mission's commander.
A federal judge Wednesday entered "not guilty" pleas on behalf of Jared Lee Loughner, the Arizona man accused of fatally shooting six people and wounding 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Last Thursday, a federal grand jury returned a new indictment against Jared Lee Loughner in which he is charged on 49 counts - including murder and attempted murder - related to the shooting outside a Tucson supermarket in January.
Loughner, 22, entered the courtroom with a slight grin, the first time he's appeared in a Tucson courtroom. His bald head is now showing hair.
FULL STORY
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' office Friday released a picture of her taken the morning of the shooting.
The congresswoman is seen standing in front of the grocery store, talking to constituents identified by her office as Jim and Doris Tucker.
Jim Tucker was shot twice, once in his calf and once in his collarbone, according to CNN affiliate KOLD. His wife escaped unharmed.
"I've wondered since the very beginning why wasn't I shot? But I just take it as a miracle from God that I wasn't, for some purpose," Doris Tucker has told the network.
The shooting outside the Tucson, Arizona, store on January 8 left six people dead and critically wounded Giffords.
She is undergoing rehabilitation at a medical facility in Houston.
The accused gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, was indicted Friday on 49 counts including murder and attempted murder.
A federal grand jury has indicted Jared Lee Loughner on 49 counts in an indictment authorities unveiled Friday, prosecutors said.
The charges relate to a shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that killed several people and critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona.
A grand jury indicted Loughner in January on three counts of attempted murder, including one alleging that he tried to kill Giffords. The new indictment includes those charges and adds several others.
It charges him with murder in the death of John Roll, a federal judge, and Gabriel Zimmermann, a staff member for Giffords.
It also charges him with causing the deaths of Dorothy J. Morris, Phyllis C. Schneck, Dorwan C. Stoddard and a child at a federally provided activity, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
FULL STORY
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head January 8, is regaining part of her ability to speak, her spokesman said Wednesday. C.J. Karamargin would not divulge what Giffords has said, other than saying she asked for toast.
FULL STORY
Astronaut Mark Kelly on Monday resumed training as commander of space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming mission, 30 days after his wife was shot in the head at a political event in Arizona.
Kelly, husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, posted an inverted picture of his training Monday on his Twitter account.
"Back at work," Kelly said in the Twitter post.
Kelly announced Friday that he would return to his crew and resume training, saying Giffords - among 13 wounded survivors in a January 8 Tucson, Arizona, shooting that killed six people - is making progress in speech, occupational and physical therapy.
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The astronaut husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Friday his wife's extraordinary medical progress since she was shot through the brain, coupled with support from family, friends and the public, were keys to his decision to command the upcoming flight of the space shuttle Endeavour.
During a press conference with NASA officials - who said they determined going with Kelly was the right decision - Mark Kelly described what he thought the realities would be after the January 8 shooting in Tucson, Arizona, and what he now expects.
"At that time, my thought was I'd very likely would be sitting in the ICU seat, two, four or six months later, by her bedside," said Kelly, sporting a blue wristband that reads "Peace, Love, Gabby."
Command of the shuttle flight came under question after Giffords was shot. Now, he said, he expects her to witness Endeavour soaring into space on the current April 19 timetable.
"I have every intention for her to be at the launch," said Kelly. "She would be very comfortable with the decision I made."
FULL STORY
Review of Obama's speech – If you missed President Barack Obama's speech to the nation Tuesday night, here's a full transcript and video. The president touched on many familiar themes, and CNN's iReporters tried to sum up all his points in a single tweet.
How about the "economy"? Obama said it's headed in the right direction but the country's priorities should change, especially when it comes to spending. The president called for increasing investments in key areas such as education and clean energy, but he also wants to make reductions in spending to help get America's deficit under control and proposed a five-year domestic spending freeze.
During another portion of the speech, he highlighted a small-business owner, describing the man's story as a symbol of the American dream. Obama also spoke of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head after a gunman's rampage at a political meet-and-greet this month in Tucson, Arizona. The congresswoman's name was met with applause.
On Wednesday, the president will take his message on the road, discussing opportunities for job growth in clean energy during a stop in Wisconsin.
Alleged Arizona shooter in court – The 22-year-old who allegedly gunned down 19 people, killing 6, at a political event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will be in court Monday at 1:30 p.m. Tucson, Arizona, time. Jared Lee Loughner will appear before a federal judge to face murder charges. Judge Larry Burns of the U.S. District Court for Southern California, based in San Diego, will preside. All of Arizona's federal judges recused themselves because one of the gunman's victims was Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll of Tucson.
Loughner had already been in court shortly after the January 8 shooting to face charges on three counts of attempted murder related to survivors of the rampage: Giffords, who was shot in the head, and two of her aides, Rob Barber and Pamela Simon. Much has been reported concerning Loughner's apparent odd behavior and other red flags before the shooting. What will Loughner's defense be like?
Meanwhile, Giffords' condition continues to improve. She recently began rehab at a Texas facility.
Oprah's big secret – Oprah Winfrey has said she will reveal a deep family secret on her show today. Chat rooms and blogs are buzzing about what it could be. She says during a promo for the episode: "I was given some news that literally shook me to my core. ... I was keeping a family secret for months, and you're going to hear it straight from me."
"Palestinian Papers" revealed – The Al-Jazeera TV network has published what it says are documents showing that Palestinian negotiators agreed to relinquish large tracts of East Jerusalem to Israel over the past several years during peace talks. The trove of more than 1,600 secret Palestinian papers that the Qatar-based news agency released on Sunday, along with Britain's Guardian newspaper, is not part of a WikiLeaks cable dump. The records detail an "increasingly desperate yet futile effort by Palestinian negotiators to tempt Israel into a deal by conceding more and more ground, while pleading in vain with U.S. officials for help. And in the longer term, they could even prove politically fatal to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeeb Erekat and his boss, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas," according to Time's analysis. The magazine breaks down what the papers could mean for the peace process.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has arrived at Memorial Hermann Hospital in
Houston, where she will receive additional treatment and rehabilitation for her
gunshot wound.
Arizona shooting – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will travel to Texas on Friday to continue her recovery from a gunshot wound to the brain, her office said. An ambulance will take the Arizona congresswoman from University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Giffords then will be flown to Houston, where she will receive further treatment at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, her office said. Giffords was taken outside the hospital briefly Thursday. "We gave her some fresh air," a doctor said.
Hu's trip to U.S. – Chinese President Hu Jintao wraps up his U.S. visit Friday in Chicago, the hometown of his American counterpart, President Barack Obama.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Friday left the Tucson hospital where she has been treated since a January 8 gunshot wound, traveling under police escort down streets lined with well-wishers.
Laying on a gurney, she then boarded an aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for a flight to Houston, Texas, where she is expected to continue her recovery. She arrived shortly after 1 p.m. CT.
Although previous reports had indicated she would move directly to a rehabilitation facility affiliated with Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, she will instead be taken to the hospital's trauma center for evaluation and treatment, said Dr. Dong Kim, a neurosurgeon at the hospital.
"She's not quite ready for rehabilitation yet," he said, citing concerns about ongoing medical issues. He declined to elaborate.
FULL STORY
Accompanied by a veterans' motorcycle escort, Arizona U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords will be taken Friday from a Tucson hospital to a nearby Air Force base for a flight to Texas and the beginning of her extended recovery, according to the congresswoman's office.
Giffords, thus far, has made a remarkable recovery after being shot through the brain in a January 8 assassination attempt in Tucson, but doctors said she will require further rehabilitation.
According to her office, Giffords will leave Tucson's University Medical Center around 9:15 a.m. She will be taken in an ambulance to nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for the flight to Houston.
FULL STORY
Hu in D.C. – After a warm welcome at a White House state dinner, Chinese President Hu Jintao may get a chilly reception Thursday on Capitol Hill. Hu is scheduled to meet separately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner. Neither man attended Wednesday night's dinner in honor of the Chinese leader.
With economics issues on the forefront during Hu's visit, Time.com takes a look at whether U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner can stop a trade war between the U.S. and China and explores how China is beating the U.S. at capitalism. If you want to see more about the state dinner, check out a who's who of dinner guests, see the toast to friendship and dreams or look at CNN's full coverage of the visit.
Arizona shooting – The next phase in Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' recovery is to begin this week when she moves to a rehabilitation hospital in Houston. Her husband and doctors plan to give an update on her condition Thursday, a day after Giffords reportedly rose from her hospital bed to stand with assistance.
The families of two University of Alabama professors who were shot to death in a faculty meeting last year have filed wrongful death suits against the university provost and accused shooter Amy Bishop.
The spouses of Adriel D. Johnson Sr. and Maria Ragland Davis allege that University of Alabama-Huntsville Provost Vistasp M. Karbhari failed to enforce a safety policy that would have prevented the February 12, 2010, shooting that left three dead, including Davis and Johnson, and six others wounded.
The university said it was "saddened" by the decision to bring the lawsuit, and that blame should be placed "squarely on the perpetrator of this horrible crime."
In announcing the lawsuit last week, the families' lawyers said there were parallels between the Alabama school shooting and this month's massacre in Tucson, Arizona, at a meet and greet held by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a grocery store.
The investigation into the background of Jared Lee Loughner, the 22-year-old accused in the Arizona shooting, has revealed multiple reports from his former classmates and teachers of disturbing behavior on his part. He was suspended in September and told he could return if he received a doctor's note attesting to a clean bill of mental health.
The families of the Alabama shooting victims claim Bishop had amassed a documented record of mental instability at the school that officials should have acted on in order to prevent the shootings.
Mark Kelly went into the bathroom and broke down.
He had just heard erroneous news reports that his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, had died after being shot in the head at a political event outside a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store that day, January 8. His daughters cried and his mother nearly screamed, he recalled. "To hear that she died is just, it's devastating to me," Kelly told Diane Sawyer in an interview broadcast Tuesday night on ABC.
Then, wracked with grief, Kelly said he called his wife's chief of staff, who told him that the reports couldn't be true, that Giffords' mother was with her. Giffords was alive, the chief of staff reassured him.
Kelly, an astronaut, recalled the harrowing 10 days after the shooting rampage and his anguish about the people who died, including a 9-year-old girl, a federal judge, and one of his wife's staffers. He also spoke about his romance with the congresswoman, their early dating days, and what makes him believe she will pull through.
Kelly hasn't left his wife's side. He holds her hand and falls asleep next to her every night. "I do talk to her, I tell her how long she's been here (in the hospital)," he said. "I tell her I love her."
Giffords has not only stunned the world by surviving a bullet to the brain – only 10% of people with that injury live – but her recovery has been marked with inspiring and emotional moments. Her husband believes she recognizes him. Giffords plays with his wedding ring, Kelly said. She'll move it up and down his finger, take it off and put it on her own finger, sometimes moving it to her thumb. The other day, he said, she was tired, so she took it off his hand, and handed it back to him. Another day, Kelly said, his wife even reached up to give him a neck massage for 10 minutes.
There is an inscription that he put in her ring before they married in 2007: "You're the closest to heaven that I've ever been."
Read the Times' 2007 account of their wedding and CNN.com's reflection on the event, including the memorable brief rain that happened during the ceremony.
Giffords will reportedly be moved on Friday to a rehabilitation facility to be treated by surgeons who specialize in patients with bullet wounds to the brain, according to an e-mail from her family.
China and U.S. talk – President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao will have much to discuss during their meeting Wednesday, including human rights in China, trade between the nations, and the role of North Korea. They'll also talk about currency controls. The People's Bank of China has been accused of artificially undervaluing the yuan to reduce the cost of Chinese exports, which gives China an advantage in the international market.
Jintao is in the U.S. for three days and will also meet with legislators and top business executives. He'll visit Chicago before heading home. There will be a joint news conference this afternoon and a state dinner at the White House this evening, the first for China since Bill Clinton was in office. Whether the two leaders will find common ground is anyone's guess, especially considering that today's China is such a mixture of modernity and old-world ways.
Vote on health care repeal – The House is scheduled to vote on repealing health care reform. Representatives are expected to pass the measure, but there's little chance the law will be repealed in the Democratic-controlled Senate. President Obama has said that the law can be improved, but it should not be quashed altogether.
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