Hello, I'm Melissa Long here at the CNN Center in Atlanta on this Thursday, December 6th. And here's a look at some of the stories that are happening Now In The News.
The teenager who gunned down eight people at a Nebraska shopping mall predicted his crime would make him famous. Authorities say Robert Hawkins left that message in a suicide note. Police say he shot six employees and two customers to death before killing himself. Two mall employees are in critical but stable condition today.
The top portion of a parking deck at the SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina has collapsed. The deck located between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom fell shortly after noon today. There is no word yet on possible injuries.
NASA has scrubbed today's launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was called off because of problems with fuel gauges in the shuttle's external tank. Two of the four sensors indicated the tank was dry even though there was fuel inside. NASA says it will try another launch tomorrow. The shuttle and its seven crew members are supposed to take a European science lab to the International Space Station.
President Bush is set to unveil his plan for helping homeowners caught up in the subprime mortgage mess. The voluntary plan calls on the mortgage companies to freeze introductory teaser interest rates on subprime mortgages for five years. Many of the mortgages are scheduled to reset to higher rates in the next a few months. The White House says because the plan is voluntary, it doesn't amount to a bailout by the federal government .
And Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a major speech to try to allay concerns about his Mormon's faith. He said if elected, he would keep his religious belief separate from presidential decision making. Romney's address at the George HW. Bush Presidential Library has drawn comparisons to then candidate John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech about his Catholic faith.
And you are up-to-date. Those are the headlines making news this hour. Do stay with CNN for more on these stories or other news of the day.
Words&Expressions
be set to:If you are set to do something, you are ready to do it or are likely to do it. If something is set to happen, it is about to happen or likely to happen.