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American Morning

The Growing Toll; Interview With Colin Powell; Could it Happen Here?

Aired December 28, 2004 - 8:59   ET

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

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


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The next wave. Perhaps the greatest relief effort ever is under way at this hour. The U.S. joins aid agencies mobilizing to head off an epidemic.
Piles of bodies destined for mass graves. The newest estimate, 33,000 people dead, thousands more still missing. But for some prayers are answered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank god that my family's alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And among the missing a single baby boy. A needle in a haystack lost and then found on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. Bill and Soledad are off this morning.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning, everybody.

SANCHEZ: Well, the latest news to CNN is that the death toll in Sri Lanka alone has actually increased and increased substantially. There are several other important facts to update. And we're going to have all of these just ahead.

Also, Secretary of State Colin Powell is going to be telling us how America is responding to the crisis. There are some complaints that it's simply not enough.

COLLINS: Also, could it actually happen here in the United States? Well, it actually already has on both coasts. We'll get a report on what scientists learn from past tsunamis that could help in the future. But also, why they're concerned.

SANCHEZ: First, though, let's get a check of the headlines with Carol Costello, who is good enough to join us now, jogging over from the Time Warner Center.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know. I'm all recovered now from that six-block jog. Good morning to both of you. Good morning, all of you. "Now in the News," a possible new tape from Osama bin Laden endorsing Abu musab al-Zarqawi's terror campaign in Iraq. A U.S. official telling CNN the CIA has analyzed the tape and it does appear to be authentic. The voice on the tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera also calls on Iraqis to boycott elections scheduled for the end of next month.

A court date today for a woman accused of strangling a pregnant mother and then stealing her baby. Lisa Montgomery scheduled to make an appearance before a federal judge in Missouri. Federal prosecutors have charged Montgomery with kidnapping resulting in death.

Federal regulators trying to stall a more than $1 million yearly pension for the forced out chairman of Fannie Mae. Franklin Raines quit the mortgage giant a week ago. Now the Feds say they don't want Raines paid until they've had time to investigate his pension package.

Raines resigned just days after the SEC ordered Fannie Mae to restate its earnings due to accounting violations. And if this pension plan holds, that would be $114,000 every year for Franklin Raines for the duration of his life.

And this. There's word actress Liza Minnelli was hospitalized in new York. The 58-year-old performer reportedly taken to the emergency room yesterday after a 911 call from her bodyguard. He apparently told police Minnelli fell out of bed and seemed to have knocked herself unconscious. We'll have to wait to see what that was all about.

COLLINS: Yes, we sure will. All right, Carol. Thank you for that.

Three days after tsunamis swept across the Indian Ocean, the devastating effects are still being felt on two continents now. More than 33,000 people dead, largely in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. And the magnitude of this tragedy is just now beginning to emerge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): As the death toll from the tsunami disaster climbs staggeringly higher, a worldwide relief effort is under way. The White House has joined the global chorus, pledging money and resources to help the humanitarian crisis.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is, indeed, an international tragedy. And we're going to do everything we can to assist the nations that have been affected in dealing with this tragedy.

COLLINS: The State Department says at least eight Americans have died and several hundred remain unaccounted for. Across southern Asia, the urgent need now is clean water, food and medicine. The death and destruction has raised concerns about widespread water-borne illness.

The U.N. expects the cost of the devastation to be in the billions. But the human cost is unfathomable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. This is a tidal wave.

COLLINS: The tsunami's path of destruction included some of the world's poorest villages and richest tourist sites. The end result was the same: chaos.

And in Thailand's Phuket Island, in the midst of the suffering, a young face has become the symbol of despair and of hope. A young boy found alone, taken to the hospital with no sign of his parents. Within hours after his picture was posted online, family members in Finland saw the photograph.

It turns out the boy's father and grandfather are in a different hospital. The boy has now been reunited with his grandmother. His mother is still missing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The international community is scrambling to help countries hit by the growing disaster. The number of Americans in the region dead or unaccounted for continues to grow as well.

I spoke with Secretary of State Colin Powell at the State Department about relief efforts, and I asked for his reaction to comments by the U.N. undersecretary-general, calling U.S. relief efforts stingy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POWELL: It's a terrible catastrophe that has -- that has hit all of these countries. Unprecedented in scope and scale. And that death toll you mentioned is liable to rise even higher.

So we will have to make an assessment as we move ahead to see what the needs are, to see what the countries are able to do for themselves, and what the international community needs. We responded to the initial request that came from the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent with a $4 million contribution against their $7 million international request.

We've added another $10 million. We have got something like nine patrol planes on the way and 12 C-130s loaded with relief supplies on the way. And we'll make a continuing assessment to see what the need is.

The United States is not stingy. We are the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in the world. We do more to help people who are suffering from lack of food or are in poverty or suffering from HIV-AIDS. And this administration has a particularly good record increasing the amount of assistance that we give to the world. But obviously we have to see what the need is in this terrible tragedy, and we will respond to the need, along with the rest of the international community.

COLLINS: I know you said yesterday in your press conference that there are eight Americans who have lost their lives in this. Still many more unaccounted for. Do you have an update on any of those figures for us?

POWELL: The latest numbers we have are 11 Americans lost their lives. A number have been wounded, and hundreds are yet unaccounted for.

It doesn't mean that they have been lost or injured and we haven't found them in hospitals yet. We just haven't been able to run them all down because of difficult communications. And people are still checking in with our consular officers.

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and turn the corner if we could now, Mr. Secretary. In talking about this new tape from Osama bin Laden that the CIA has said they're moderately confident of its authenticity, it seems to be endorsing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. And if that is the case, what sort of increased power does that give Zarqawi?

POWELL: I don't know. If it is Osama bin Laden -- and the CIA has not made a final judgment on that -- it certainly rhetorically puts them together. Whether it gives them any added strength or not in terms of resources, I can't answer. But it would rhetorically put them together.

And they are both of a like kind, terrorists, murderers. They're speaking out against the election at the end of January in Iraq because they don't want democracy. They don't want the Iraqi people to decide how they will be led.

They want to take the Iraqi people back to the past. And that's why we must push forward, keep fighting this insurgency and move forward towards elections on the 30th of January so that the Iraqi people get the opportunity to speak for themselves.

COLLINS: Right. And as you mentioned, the elections coming up so quickly.

Just yesterday the leader of one of the largest Sunni organizations, the Iraqi Islamic Party, announced they're going to boycott these elections, citing some security concerns and so forth. How big of a setback is that or could it be for the planned elections?

POWELL: It's a concern. They may change their mind and rejoin. We'll have to wait and see. We're doing everything we can to improve the security in the Sunni areas.

I don't think there's going to be a problem in most of the country in getting the good turnout. The problem is really in the Sunni area. And that's a densely populated area, so we want to get a good turnout there.

And all of our coalition military efforts and Iraqi military and police efforts are going to be focusing on the Sunni area in the weeks ahead to get that turnout. And we're encouraging Sunni leaders, especially Sunni leaders in neighboring countries, to encourage Sunni leaders in Iraq to get their people to come out and participate in this election. If they don't participate in this election they're denying themselves the opportunity to speak for the future of their country and how they're going to be led, and who the leaders are going to be.

COLLINS: And whether they participate or not the elections will go on January 30?

POWELL: Well, the elections will go on. And we hope they will participate. And if the election goes well, then we will have a transitional national assembly that will reflect the will of the Iraqi people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Secretary off State Colin Powell talking with me a little bit earlier.

We want to give you some more information, though, now on how to help with relief efforts for the tsunamis. You can go to the State Department's Web site at www.state.gov. And family members concerned about loved ones may call a State Department hotline. That number, 1- 888-407-4747 -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: It's now been three days since that devastating tsunami hit southeast Asia. Some families here in the United States are still desperately trying to hear, wait or get any information on loved ones over there. Among those, Edna Rainey, whose son Aaron moved to Thailand last fall. She talks about the last time she spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EDNA RAINEY, SON MISSING IN THAILAND: He was very upbeat about it. He was going on holiday. He said that he wanted to supplement his teaching income with doing some teaching Taekwondo in some of the resorts. I don't know which resort he was talking about.

SANCHEZ: So it sounds like he carried on a pretty good phone conversation with you that was, what, weekly? Is that fair?

RAINEY: Yes, that's fair.

SANCHEZ: So he calls all the time?

RAINEY: Yes he does.

SANCHEZ: And you haven't heard from him since this happened?

RAINEY: No, I haven't.

SANCHEZ: I imagine that's got to have you somewhat concerned.

RAINEY: Yes, I'm very concerned. SANCHEZ: What have you done as far as trying to reach out? For example, to the State Department, to see if maybe he's made contact with them.

RAINEY: Well, I talked to a person in the State Department. We gave them as much information on him as possible, where he lives now, the school he teaches out. His sister has been on the Internet. She's talked to the Thai embassy and the American embassy in Thailand, of course.

And we have a number of relatives all over the country that he emailed from time to time. And they're constantly emailing him at the school. Plus, you know, anywhere that, you know, that they think, you know, that he could have been that he -- that they have email addresses.

SANCHEZ: So you've been in contact with him. And I guess it's just a waiting game for you now, right?

RAINEY: It's a waiting game, yes it is.

SANCHEZ: Trying to -- is there any other resource over there, friends of his that you think you may be able to contact that would have perhaps been in contact with him, that he may have called, for example?

RAINEY: At this point I don't know. He hadn't been over there very long.

He had met several people who taught with him at the school. They were mostly Canadians. But I have no -- I don't know their names or anything like that, or any way to reach them.

SANCHEZ: Well, like you said, you know, he teaches and practices Taekwondo. We imagine, and I'm sure you believe, that he's a man who's going to be able to take care of himself and he's going to be just fine.

RAINEY: And he's a good guy. He will. He'll take care of himself. He'll help if he can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Edna Rainey. And we're going to stay in contact with her and try and find out how her son is doing. She was speaking to us earlier about him, and he's been missing in Thailand, as you heard, as a result of this tsunami.

Heidi, to you.

COLLINS: And those devastating tsunamis in Asia, could they actually happen here? Well, this morning Adaora Udoji reports they already have.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terror of a tsunami, triggered by an earthquake, swept Valdez, Alaska, off the map on Good Friday in 1964. More than 100 people were killed down the coast to California. Since 1946, tsunamis have hit Alaska four times, causing death and destruction all the way to Hawaii.

Today, scientists worry a tsunami could strike North America again. They worry about active fault lines causing earthquakes in the West, a triggering event for monster waves. Government officials worry, too, which is why a federal warning system also monitors other potential triggers: volcanoes, meteorites and landslides.

D.L. JOHNSON, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: The warning systems are in their infancy. We're getting better and better at informing the public.

UDOJI: The East Coast hasn't been completely spared. A tidal wave bashed Newfoundland in 1929, killing 27. Another hit Puerto Rico in 1918.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have big earthquakes here. We're not going to see that big type of tsunami.

UDOJI: But there are theories the East Coast may still be vulnerable. Some argue if the volcano in the Canary Islands near Africa suddenly erupted and collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, it could send violent ripples to the U.S. coast within nine hours. Other scientists worry about gases escaping the continental crust, 50 to 100 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The idea of an explosive shift, argues Columbia university professor Jeffrey Weissel, leads to troubling questions.

PROF. JEFFREY WEISSEL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: We were surprised, and everybody's surprised of that -- surprised about the amount of gas that we found. And we don't understand the full implications for exciting future submarine landslides which then might produce dangerous tsunamis.

UDOJI: Scientists say they just can't yet connect all the dots. But many still believe the West Coast has a greater risk of getting hit.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And we should tell you most research geologists insist the probability of an enormous wave hitting the East Coast is still very small. And that hurricanes actually pose a much bigger risk -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Cold, rain, snow. What's going on in our wonderful country on this day? Chad Myers checking on things at the CNN Center in Atlanta for us.

What you got, Chad? (WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks a lot, Chad.

Did you hear that? You're going to have to wait.

COLLINS: Yes. I was going to say that was a great idea he just gave us, didn't he? Go this weekend to Colorado and ski. Thank you, Chad.

SANCHEZ: Always looking for an opportunity, aren't you?

COLLINS: To go to Colorado, yes.

SANCHEZ: One of the biggest names in comedy is checking into rehab. We're going to tell you who it is and what he's saying about it.

COLLINS: Also, the biggest stars in 2004 weren't in Hollywood. They were in court. How the star wattage got cranked up in this year's "Legal Dramas."

SANCHEZ: And next, long distance relationships are tough, even if the distance is only 12 miles. It's a touching story, one of love and emotion. And it's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. There are new developments out of Iraq this morning.

U.S. military officials say at least 18 Iraqi police and five Iraq National Guard troops were killed today. Twelve of the police officers died when insurgents attacked and destroyed a police station. That's near Tikrit.

And for the second time in a month, there's a new tape with what appears to be the voice of this man, Osama bin Laden. The voice calls on Iraqis to boycott the coming elections and names Abu Musab al- Zarqawi as one of al Qaeda's deputies, or al Qaeda's official deputy in Iraq.

Well, every morning millions of husbands and wives kiss good-bye and head off to work. But for one American couple serving overseas in Iraq, good-bye often means months before they get to see each other again. CNN's Chris Lawrence is embedded at an Army camp in Ramadi. He's joining us now to bring us their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When these soldiers and spouses head to work in Ramadi, the good-byes are often followed by gunshots.

SPEC. CARMELA WOOTEN, INTEL ANALYST: You know, you take things for granted in the states. You know, you're like, all right, they're going to go to work, they'll be back home. I'll see them in a little bit.

LAWRENCE: In Iraq, a little bit could be a week, a month, or more likely even longer.

STAFF SGT. MARIO WOOTEN, ARMY SNIPER: When we can't spend time together, it's like every second you just try to draw it out as long as possible.

LAWRENCE: Staff Sergeant Mario Wootten is an Army sniper, his wife an intelligence analyst. The couple tied the knot nearly two months ago. But this is the first time they've seen each other since then.

M. WOOTEN: And just sitting next to her, it just -- it means the world.

LAWRENCE: Mario and Carmela are both based in Ramadi. Their camps only a few miles apart. But the road between them is one of the most dangerous in Iraq, lined with insurgents and explosives. Carmela had to hitch a ride on a tank convoy and get special permission to stay.

C. WOOTEN: You really appreciate the time that you do get, even if it's just five minutes, 10 minutes here. You know, you -- we treasure it.

LAWRENCE: Now, back home in the states, thousands of husbands and wives will be waiting more than a year for their spouses to come home from Iraq. Carmela can empathize, but only with those strong enough to stay loyal.

C. WOOTEN: Some wives, you know, they're like, oh, forget this, you know? And I know some people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) even while they're here because they don't understand what they're going through. They think they're just being neglected, you know?

But they don't really realize. You know, they'd have to be here to realize what they're actually going through. So I feel for those that are, you know, sticking it out.

LAWRENCE: These soldiers say they'll be doing just that with their units in Iraq and with each other.

(on camera): Carmela has convoyed back to her own unit and may not see her husband until late next summer. That's when they're both scheduled to rotate home and have that honeymoon they never had time for.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Ramadi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Do have an excellent honeymoon when they finally get to take it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Just when you thought it was over, it looks like there's another twist in Ukraine's political soap opera. We're going to tell you about it coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, there's been all kinds of hype about it this morning, but Toure is here with the "Question of the Day" now.

TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We're talking about "Annie Hall," Woody Allen's great film in which Alvy Singer says, "Intellectuals prove that you can be absolutely brilliant and have no idea what's going on."

Sometimes you can say the same about the media. We try to know everything that's going on, and yet sometimes the audience screams, you guys can't see the forest for the trees, and sometimes you're right.

Well, now it's your turn to fire back. In 2004, what did the media get in an unnecessary tizzy about? Our question, what was the most over-hyped story of the year. If Rick can keep from yawning we can get through the segment.

"The most over-hyped story of the year," says Jim from Tennessee, "Britney Spears' wedding. Four words: who gives a flip?

COLLINS: Oh, yes. Exactly.

TOURE: Which weddinging is he talking about?

COLLINS: True. Good question.

TOURE: Melissa from Pennsylvania, "Most over-hyped? How about all the stories detailing exactly how the terrorists could terrorize us? Why are we giving them the ideas? It's ridiculous."

Good point.

And Denise from Ontario -- not that we agree with everything they say, but we still read the e-mails. She says, "The election was the most overhyped story of the year. I'm a Brit living in Canada. Only in the U.S. does it take a whole year to elect the country's leader. Even Chad and Rob weren't enough to keep me watching. Why are the weathermen so cute?"

COLLINS: OK. She's a Brit in Canada, right?

TOURE: You know, she's -- I mean, you know, a bunch of people said the election was the most over-hyped story of the year. But, you know, I don't think that's fair. I mean, we're choosing the leader of the free world. Perhaps we should pay attention.

COLLINS: Perhaps.

SANCHEZ: So essentially what we do is we take that 15 minutes of fame and cut it into like, what, 15 months?

TOURE: Hours. SANCHEZ: Hours.

COLLINS: When you look back at your year -- and you do a lot of, you know, the pop stuff for us, obviously -- what do you think the biggest over-hype was?

TOURE: Well, I mean, you know, I would put it on Britney. I mean, like...

COLLINS: Me, too.

TOURE: ... was there a song? Was there a movie?

SANCHEZ: Wait a minute. How about Paris?

COLLINS: I'm sorry, is there talent?

SANCHEZ: But how about Paris?

TOURE: I mean, well, Paris is like -- I mean, at least she has movies coming out, Paris. Not in theaters. But, you know, there's some product.

SANCHEZ: There is?

TOURE: Oh, as if you haven't seen them, Rick Sanchez.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: Oh my.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's an accusation. Thanks, Toure.

TOURE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate it. My wife is watching.

The U.S. connection to the Asian tsunamis. We're going to break that down for you. Thousands are still missing, many of them with loved ones in the country. How are they being reassured? We're going to cover that side of the story, as well, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A little before half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, filling in for Bill Hemmer.

COLLINS: More than half the dead in the tsunami disaster are from Sri Lanka. We're going to have a live report coming up in just a few minutes that will explain why the toll there has practically doubled in a matter of hours. We just got the update 18,000 now in Sri Lanka. SANCHEZ: Wow, yes, from 12,000 to 18,000. And we're also going to get some insight into why it's going to be so hard to try and get help right into Sri Lanka, that area you were just talking about, Heidi.

We're going to be talking to a Sri lankan organization based in California. Part of the problem, believe it or not, is a civil war that's going on in Sri Lanka. How do you help that while that's going on?

Emergency relief is need in both the government and some of the rebel-controlled areas, as well. We'll break that down.

Let's first, though, do this, get another check of the headlines from Carol Costello.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Rick. Good morning to you both. Good morning all of you.

"Now in the News," a series of attacks across Iraq today. Near tikrit, 12 Iraqi police officers were killed after insurgents overran a police station. One more killed at a nearby checkpoint.

And near the town of Balad, insurgents attacked four checkpoints, killing five Iraqi police officers. Also today, a suicide car bomb killed five Iraqi National Guard troops as they were working to remove a roadside bomb near the city of Baquba.

It may still not be over in Ukraine despite a commanding lead in the rerun election for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. His rival prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, refuses to concede and vows to appeal the outcome of Ukraine's supreme court. Preliminary final results give the win to Yushchenko, who declared victory yesterday.

Here in this country, comedian George Carlin is checking himself into rehab. The 67-year-old entertainer says he has a problem with, "too much alcohol and the painkiller Vicodin." Carlin says he made the decision on his own before his dependency gets out of hand. No word on where he's going for that treatment.

And parts of California are getting hit by a big storm. The worst of it expected today. Heavy rain, high winds, and possibly even snow.

There was massive flooding in the streets of the northern part of the state yesterday. Marin County getting about six inches of rain. Of course, Chad will have much more in just a minute on AMERICAN MORNING.

COLLINS: Yes, he sure will. All right, Carol. Thank you.

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Aired December 28, 2004 - 8:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The next wave. Perhaps the greatest relief effort ever is under way at this hour. The U.S. joins aid agencies mobilizing to head off an epidemic.
Piles of bodies destined for mass graves. The newest estimate, 33,000 people dead, thousands more still missing. But for some prayers are answered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank god that my family's alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And among the missing a single baby boy. A needle in a haystack lost and then found on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. Bill and Soledad are off this morning.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning, everybody.

SANCHEZ: Well, the latest news to CNN is that the death toll in Sri Lanka alone has actually increased and increased substantially. There are several other important facts to update. And we're going to have all of these just ahead.

Also, Secretary of State Colin Powell is going to be telling us how America is responding to the crisis. There are some complaints that it's simply not enough.

COLLINS: Also, could it actually happen here in the United States? Well, it actually already has on both coasts. We'll get a report on what scientists learn from past tsunamis that could help in the future. But also, why they're concerned.

SANCHEZ: First, though, let's get a check of the headlines with Carol Costello, who is good enough to join us now, jogging over from the Time Warner Center.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know. I'm all recovered now from that six-block jog. Good morning to both of you. Good morning, all of you. "Now in the News," a possible new tape from Osama bin Laden endorsing Abu musab al-Zarqawi's terror campaign in Iraq. A U.S. official telling CNN the CIA has analyzed the tape and it does appear to be authentic. The voice on the tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera also calls on Iraqis to boycott elections scheduled for the end of next month.

A court date today for a woman accused of strangling a pregnant mother and then stealing her baby. Lisa Montgomery scheduled to make an appearance before a federal judge in Missouri. Federal prosecutors have charged Montgomery with kidnapping resulting in death.

Federal regulators trying to stall a more than $1 million yearly pension for the forced out chairman of Fannie Mae. Franklin Raines quit the mortgage giant a week ago. Now the Feds say they don't want Raines paid until they've had time to investigate his pension package.

Raines resigned just days after the SEC ordered Fannie Mae to restate its earnings due to accounting violations. And if this pension plan holds, that would be $114,000 every year for Franklin Raines for the duration of his life.

And this. There's word actress Liza Minnelli was hospitalized in new York. The 58-year-old performer reportedly taken to the emergency room yesterday after a 911 call from her bodyguard. He apparently told police Minnelli fell out of bed and seemed to have knocked herself unconscious. We'll have to wait to see what that was all about.

COLLINS: Yes, we sure will. All right, Carol. Thank you for that.

Three days after tsunamis swept across the Indian Ocean, the devastating effects are still being felt on two continents now. More than 33,000 people dead, largely in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. And the magnitude of this tragedy is just now beginning to emerge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): As the death toll from the tsunami disaster climbs staggeringly higher, a worldwide relief effort is under way. The White House has joined the global chorus, pledging money and resources to help the humanitarian crisis.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is, indeed, an international tragedy. And we're going to do everything we can to assist the nations that have been affected in dealing with this tragedy.

COLLINS: The State Department says at least eight Americans have died and several hundred remain unaccounted for. Across southern Asia, the urgent need now is clean water, food and medicine. The death and destruction has raised concerns about widespread water-borne illness.

The U.N. expects the cost of the devastation to be in the billions. But the human cost is unfathomable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. This is a tidal wave.

COLLINS: The tsunami's path of destruction included some of the world's poorest villages and richest tourist sites. The end result was the same: chaos.

And in Thailand's Phuket Island, in the midst of the suffering, a young face has become the symbol of despair and of hope. A young boy found alone, taken to the hospital with no sign of his parents. Within hours after his picture was posted online, family members in Finland saw the photograph.

It turns out the boy's father and grandfather are in a different hospital. The boy has now been reunited with his grandmother. His mother is still missing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The international community is scrambling to help countries hit by the growing disaster. The number of Americans in the region dead or unaccounted for continues to grow as well.

I spoke with Secretary of State Colin Powell at the State Department about relief efforts, and I asked for his reaction to comments by the U.N. undersecretary-general, calling U.S. relief efforts stingy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POWELL: It's a terrible catastrophe that has -- that has hit all of these countries. Unprecedented in scope and scale. And that death toll you mentioned is liable to rise even higher.

So we will have to make an assessment as we move ahead to see what the needs are, to see what the countries are able to do for themselves, and what the international community needs. We responded to the initial request that came from the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent with a $4 million contribution against their $7 million international request.

We've added another $10 million. We have got something like nine patrol planes on the way and 12 C-130s loaded with relief supplies on the way. And we'll make a continuing assessment to see what the need is.

The United States is not stingy. We are the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in the world. We do more to help people who are suffering from lack of food or are in poverty or suffering from HIV-AIDS. And this administration has a particularly good record increasing the amount of assistance that we give to the world. But obviously we have to see what the need is in this terrible tragedy, and we will respond to the need, along with the rest of the international community.

COLLINS: I know you said yesterday in your press conference that there are eight Americans who have lost their lives in this. Still many more unaccounted for. Do you have an update on any of those figures for us?

POWELL: The latest numbers we have are 11 Americans lost their lives. A number have been wounded, and hundreds are yet unaccounted for.

It doesn't mean that they have been lost or injured and we haven't found them in hospitals yet. We just haven't been able to run them all down because of difficult communications. And people are still checking in with our consular officers.

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and turn the corner if we could now, Mr. Secretary. In talking about this new tape from Osama bin Laden that the CIA has said they're moderately confident of its authenticity, it seems to be endorsing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. And if that is the case, what sort of increased power does that give Zarqawi?

POWELL: I don't know. If it is Osama bin Laden -- and the CIA has not made a final judgment on that -- it certainly rhetorically puts them together. Whether it gives them any added strength or not in terms of resources, I can't answer. But it would rhetorically put them together.

And they are both of a like kind, terrorists, murderers. They're speaking out against the election at the end of January in Iraq because they don't want democracy. They don't want the Iraqi people to decide how they will be led.

They want to take the Iraqi people back to the past. And that's why we must push forward, keep fighting this insurgency and move forward towards elections on the 30th of January so that the Iraqi people get the opportunity to speak for themselves.

COLLINS: Right. And as you mentioned, the elections coming up so quickly.

Just yesterday the leader of one of the largest Sunni organizations, the Iraqi Islamic Party, announced they're going to boycott these elections, citing some security concerns and so forth. How big of a setback is that or could it be for the planned elections?

POWELL: It's a concern. They may change their mind and rejoin. We'll have to wait and see. We're doing everything we can to improve the security in the Sunni areas.

I don't think there's going to be a problem in most of the country in getting the good turnout. The problem is really in the Sunni area. And that's a densely populated area, so we want to get a good turnout there.

And all of our coalition military efforts and Iraqi military and police efforts are going to be focusing on the Sunni area in the weeks ahead to get that turnout. And we're encouraging Sunni leaders, especially Sunni leaders in neighboring countries, to encourage Sunni leaders in Iraq to get their people to come out and participate in this election. If they don't participate in this election they're denying themselves the opportunity to speak for the future of their country and how they're going to be led, and who the leaders are going to be.

COLLINS: And whether they participate or not the elections will go on January 30?

POWELL: Well, the elections will go on. And we hope they will participate. And if the election goes well, then we will have a transitional national assembly that will reflect the will of the Iraqi people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Secretary off State Colin Powell talking with me a little bit earlier.

We want to give you some more information, though, now on how to help with relief efforts for the tsunamis. You can go to the State Department's Web site at www.state.gov. And family members concerned about loved ones may call a State Department hotline. That number, 1- 888-407-4747 -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: It's now been three days since that devastating tsunami hit southeast Asia. Some families here in the United States are still desperately trying to hear, wait or get any information on loved ones over there. Among those, Edna Rainey, whose son Aaron moved to Thailand last fall. She talks about the last time she spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EDNA RAINEY, SON MISSING IN THAILAND: He was very upbeat about it. He was going on holiday. He said that he wanted to supplement his teaching income with doing some teaching Taekwondo in some of the resorts. I don't know which resort he was talking about.

SANCHEZ: So it sounds like he carried on a pretty good phone conversation with you that was, what, weekly? Is that fair?

RAINEY: Yes, that's fair.

SANCHEZ: So he calls all the time?

RAINEY: Yes he does.

SANCHEZ: And you haven't heard from him since this happened?

RAINEY: No, I haven't.

SANCHEZ: I imagine that's got to have you somewhat concerned.

RAINEY: Yes, I'm very concerned. SANCHEZ: What have you done as far as trying to reach out? For example, to the State Department, to see if maybe he's made contact with them.

RAINEY: Well, I talked to a person in the State Department. We gave them as much information on him as possible, where he lives now, the school he teaches out. His sister has been on the Internet. She's talked to the Thai embassy and the American embassy in Thailand, of course.

And we have a number of relatives all over the country that he emailed from time to time. And they're constantly emailing him at the school. Plus, you know, anywhere that, you know, that they think, you know, that he could have been that he -- that they have email addresses.

SANCHEZ: So you've been in contact with him. And I guess it's just a waiting game for you now, right?

RAINEY: It's a waiting game, yes it is.

SANCHEZ: Trying to -- is there any other resource over there, friends of his that you think you may be able to contact that would have perhaps been in contact with him, that he may have called, for example?

RAINEY: At this point I don't know. He hadn't been over there very long.

He had met several people who taught with him at the school. They were mostly Canadians. But I have no -- I don't know their names or anything like that, or any way to reach them.

SANCHEZ: Well, like you said, you know, he teaches and practices Taekwondo. We imagine, and I'm sure you believe, that he's a man who's going to be able to take care of himself and he's going to be just fine.

RAINEY: And he's a good guy. He will. He'll take care of himself. He'll help if he can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Edna Rainey. And we're going to stay in contact with her and try and find out how her son is doing. She was speaking to us earlier about him, and he's been missing in Thailand, as you heard, as a result of this tsunami.

Heidi, to you.

COLLINS: And those devastating tsunamis in Asia, could they actually happen here? Well, this morning Adaora Udoji reports they already have.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terror of a tsunami, triggered by an earthquake, swept Valdez, Alaska, off the map on Good Friday in 1964. More than 100 people were killed down the coast to California. Since 1946, tsunamis have hit Alaska four times, causing death and destruction all the way to Hawaii.

Today, scientists worry a tsunami could strike North America again. They worry about active fault lines causing earthquakes in the West, a triggering event for monster waves. Government officials worry, too, which is why a federal warning system also monitors other potential triggers: volcanoes, meteorites and landslides.

D.L. JOHNSON, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: The warning systems are in their infancy. We're getting better and better at informing the public.

UDOJI: The East Coast hasn't been completely spared. A tidal wave bashed Newfoundland in 1929, killing 27. Another hit Puerto Rico in 1918.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have big earthquakes here. We're not going to see that big type of tsunami.

UDOJI: But there are theories the East Coast may still be vulnerable. Some argue if the volcano in the Canary Islands near Africa suddenly erupted and collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, it could send violent ripples to the U.S. coast within nine hours. Other scientists worry about gases escaping the continental crust, 50 to 100 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The idea of an explosive shift, argues Columbia university professor Jeffrey Weissel, leads to troubling questions.

PROF. JEFFREY WEISSEL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: We were surprised, and everybody's surprised of that -- surprised about the amount of gas that we found. And we don't understand the full implications for exciting future submarine landslides which then might produce dangerous tsunamis.

UDOJI: Scientists say they just can't yet connect all the dots. But many still believe the West Coast has a greater risk of getting hit.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And we should tell you most research geologists insist the probability of an enormous wave hitting the East Coast is still very small. And that hurricanes actually pose a much bigger risk -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Cold, rain, snow. What's going on in our wonderful country on this day? Chad Myers checking on things at the CNN Center in Atlanta for us.

What you got, Chad? (WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks a lot, Chad.

Did you hear that? You're going to have to wait.

COLLINS: Yes. I was going to say that was a great idea he just gave us, didn't he? Go this weekend to Colorado and ski. Thank you, Chad.

SANCHEZ: Always looking for an opportunity, aren't you?

COLLINS: To go to Colorado, yes.

SANCHEZ: One of the biggest names in comedy is checking into rehab. We're going to tell you who it is and what he's saying about it.

COLLINS: Also, the biggest stars in 2004 weren't in Hollywood. They were in court. How the star wattage got cranked up in this year's "Legal Dramas."

SANCHEZ: And next, long distance relationships are tough, even if the distance is only 12 miles. It's a touching story, one of love and emotion. And it's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. There are new developments out of Iraq this morning.

U.S. military officials say at least 18 Iraqi police and five Iraq National Guard troops were killed today. Twelve of the police officers died when insurgents attacked and destroyed a police station. That's near Tikrit.

And for the second time in a month, there's a new tape with what appears to be the voice of this man, Osama bin Laden. The voice calls on Iraqis to boycott the coming elections and names Abu Musab al- Zarqawi as one of al Qaeda's deputies, or al Qaeda's official deputy in Iraq.

Well, every morning millions of husbands and wives kiss good-bye and head off to work. But for one American couple serving overseas in Iraq, good-bye often means months before they get to see each other again. CNN's Chris Lawrence is embedded at an Army camp in Ramadi. He's joining us now to bring us their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When these soldiers and spouses head to work in Ramadi, the good-byes are often followed by gunshots.

SPEC. CARMELA WOOTEN, INTEL ANALYST: You know, you take things for granted in the states. You know, you're like, all right, they're going to go to work, they'll be back home. I'll see them in a little bit.

LAWRENCE: In Iraq, a little bit could be a week, a month, or more likely even longer.

STAFF SGT. MARIO WOOTEN, ARMY SNIPER: When we can't spend time together, it's like every second you just try to draw it out as long as possible.

LAWRENCE: Staff Sergeant Mario Wootten is an Army sniper, his wife an intelligence analyst. The couple tied the knot nearly two months ago. But this is the first time they've seen each other since then.

M. WOOTEN: And just sitting next to her, it just -- it means the world.

LAWRENCE: Mario and Carmela are both based in Ramadi. Their camps only a few miles apart. But the road between them is one of the most dangerous in Iraq, lined with insurgents and explosives. Carmela had to hitch a ride on a tank convoy and get special permission to stay.

C. WOOTEN: You really appreciate the time that you do get, even if it's just five minutes, 10 minutes here. You know, you -- we treasure it.

LAWRENCE: Now, back home in the states, thousands of husbands and wives will be waiting more than a year for their spouses to come home from Iraq. Carmela can empathize, but only with those strong enough to stay loyal.

C. WOOTEN: Some wives, you know, they're like, oh, forget this, you know? And I know some people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) even while they're here because they don't understand what they're going through. They think they're just being neglected, you know?

But they don't really realize. You know, they'd have to be here to realize what they're actually going through. So I feel for those that are, you know, sticking it out.

LAWRENCE: These soldiers say they'll be doing just that with their units in Iraq and with each other.

(on camera): Carmela has convoyed back to her own unit and may not see her husband until late next summer. That's when they're both scheduled to rotate home and have that honeymoon they never had time for.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Ramadi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Do have an excellent honeymoon when they finally get to take it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Just when you thought it was over, it looks like there's another twist in Ukraine's political soap opera. We're going to tell you about it coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, there's been all kinds of hype about it this morning, but Toure is here with the "Question of the Day" now.

TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We're talking about "Annie Hall," Woody Allen's great film in which Alvy Singer says, "Intellectuals prove that you can be absolutely brilliant and have no idea what's going on."

Sometimes you can say the same about the media. We try to know everything that's going on, and yet sometimes the audience screams, you guys can't see the forest for the trees, and sometimes you're right.

Well, now it's your turn to fire back. In 2004, what did the media get in an unnecessary tizzy about? Our question, what was the most over-hyped story of the year. If Rick can keep from yawning we can get through the segment.

"The most over-hyped story of the year," says Jim from Tennessee, "Britney Spears' wedding. Four words: who gives a flip?

COLLINS: Oh, yes. Exactly.

TOURE: Which weddinging is he talking about?

COLLINS: True. Good question.

TOURE: Melissa from Pennsylvania, "Most over-hyped? How about all the stories detailing exactly how the terrorists could terrorize us? Why are we giving them the ideas? It's ridiculous."

Good point.

And Denise from Ontario -- not that we agree with everything they say, but we still read the e-mails. She says, "The election was the most overhyped story of the year. I'm a Brit living in Canada. Only in the U.S. does it take a whole year to elect the country's leader. Even Chad and Rob weren't enough to keep me watching. Why are the weathermen so cute?"

COLLINS: OK. She's a Brit in Canada, right?

TOURE: You know, she's -- I mean, you know, a bunch of people said the election was the most over-hyped story of the year. But, you know, I don't think that's fair. I mean, we're choosing the leader of the free world. Perhaps we should pay attention.

COLLINS: Perhaps.

SANCHEZ: So essentially what we do is we take that 15 minutes of fame and cut it into like, what, 15 months?

TOURE: Hours. SANCHEZ: Hours.

COLLINS: When you look back at your year -- and you do a lot of, you know, the pop stuff for us, obviously -- what do you think the biggest over-hype was?

TOURE: Well, I mean, you know, I would put it on Britney. I mean, like...

COLLINS: Me, too.

TOURE: ... was there a song? Was there a movie?

SANCHEZ: Wait a minute. How about Paris?

COLLINS: I'm sorry, is there talent?

SANCHEZ: But how about Paris?

TOURE: I mean, well, Paris is like -- I mean, at least she has movies coming out, Paris. Not in theaters. But, you know, there's some product.

SANCHEZ: There is?

TOURE: Oh, as if you haven't seen them, Rick Sanchez.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: Oh my.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's an accusation. Thanks, Toure.

TOURE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate it. My wife is watching.

The U.S. connection to the Asian tsunamis. We're going to break that down for you. Thousands are still missing, many of them with loved ones in the country. How are they being reassured? We're going to cover that side of the story, as well, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A little before half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, filling in for Bill Hemmer.

COLLINS: More than half the dead in the tsunami disaster are from Sri Lanka. We're going to have a live report coming up in just a few minutes that will explain why the toll there has practically doubled in a matter of hours. We just got the update 18,000 now in Sri Lanka. SANCHEZ: Wow, yes, from 12,000 to 18,000. And we're also going to get some insight into why it's going to be so hard to try and get help right into Sri Lanka, that area you were just talking about, Heidi.

We're going to be talking to a Sri lankan organization based in California. Part of the problem, believe it or not, is a civil war that's going on in Sri Lanka. How do you help that while that's going on?

Emergency relief is need in both the government and some of the rebel-controlled areas, as well. We'll break that down.

Let's first, though, do this, get another check of the headlines from Carol Costello.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Rick. Good morning to you both. Good morning all of you.

"Now in the News," a series of attacks across Iraq today. Near tikrit, 12 Iraqi police officers were killed after insurgents overran a police station. One more killed at a nearby checkpoint.

And near the town of Balad, insurgents attacked four checkpoints, killing five Iraqi police officers. Also today, a suicide car bomb killed five Iraqi National Guard troops as they were working to remove a roadside bomb near the city of Baquba.

It may still not be over in Ukraine despite a commanding lead in the rerun election for opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. His rival prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, refuses to concede and vows to appeal the outcome of Ukraine's supreme court. Preliminary final results give the win to Yushchenko, who declared victory yesterday.

Here in this country, comedian George Carlin is checking himself into rehab. The 67-year-old entertainer says he has a problem with, "too much alcohol and the painkiller Vicodin." Carlin says he made the decision on his own before his dependency gets out of hand. No word on where he's going for that treatment.

And parts of California are getting hit by a big storm. The worst of it expected today. Heavy rain, high winds, and possibly even snow.

There was massive flooding in the streets of the northern part of the state yesterday. Marin County getting about six inches of rain. Of course, Chad will have much more in just a minute on AMERICAN MORNING.

COLLINS: Yes, he sure will. All right, Carol. Thank you.

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