UPI VIDEO NEWS 12.07.07

CIA says interrogation tapes were destroyed.

The CIA reportedly destroyed tapes of terror suspect interrogations. CIA Director Michael Hayden says the interrogations were videotaped in 2002 and then destroyed in 2005...fearing the footage would be leaked to the public. The Agency apparently wanted to protect the identities of the questioners. Senator Patrick Leahy called the destruction "troubling." Hayden says the House and Senate intelligence committee leaders knew of the tapes and knew that the CIA planned to get rid of them. He added that the interrogation practices were all legal.

President Bush has unveiled a plan to help struggling homeowners. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said yesterday the plan will help about 1.2 million Americans facing possible foreclosures. It will reportedly freeze interest rates on many adjustable rate mortgages for many homeowners. Those who will be affected by the plan are those with loans agreed to from January 2005 through July 2007 that are expected to adjust between January of next year and July 2010.

NASA says the Atlantis space shuttle will stay grounded until at least Saturday. The crew planned on taking off yesterday afternoon but had to be delayed because of problems with the fuel gauges. Mnagers of the space mission have decided to wait until the weekend giving engineers more time to carefully fix the problem. Atlantis is set to visit the International Space Station to deliver a European lab module...used to increase research capabilities.

Shopping malls around the U.S. are expected to start looking at ways to keep shoppers safe. This comes after a man opened fire at a Nebraska mall killing 8 people and himself. A spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Malls says there are often copycats in situations like this and it's important to consider having extra security officers and securing entrances.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 12.06.07

Nine dead in Nebraska shooting.

9 people are dead and 5 others are wounded after a gunman opened fire in a Nebraska mall. Police say 19 year old Robert Hawkins is responsible for killing those 8 people and himself with an assault rifle. He reportedly left a suicide note saying "Now I'll be famous." Hawkins' landlord says he had a history of emotional problems and had a troubled relationship with his family.

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is planning to speak out about his Mormon faith. He's expected to make a speech in Texas today, focusing on religious tolerance in the U.S. Some Americans apparently have negative views of the Mormon religion, seeing it as a threat to Christianity. If elected, Romney would be the first Mormon president to serve in the White House.

The Atlantis space shuttle is preparing for takeoff. If all goes as planned, seven crew members will liftoff this afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The group is heading to the International Space Station to install the European Space Agency's new Columbus laboratory. The 23 feet long module will apparently improve the space stations research abilities. The mission is expected to take about 11 days.

New U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey is stressing the importance of online safety for kids. Mukasey spoke at the National Project Safe Childhood Conference yesterday in St. Louis. To an audience of about 700 law enforcement officials he spoke about the dangers of online predators and says it's a priority for the justice department. The attorney general also apparently announced 6 million dollars in grants to raise awareness for these issues online.