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American Morning

Momentum Builds in Tsunami Relief Efforts

Aired January 03, 2005 - 9:30   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: First opening bell on this Monday morning in 2005. Wall Street now open for business. The Dow starting the year at 10, 783. Off 17 points on Friday, but up about three percent for the year. The Nasdaq was up almost nine percent for the year 2004. Welcome back, everybody, 9:30 here in New York and good morning to you.
Momentum building now in the massive aid effort for tsunami survivors. But so many things can derail food and water from the shipment to their destination. In a few minutes, we'll track what happens to supplies as they travel from one end of the world to the other.

Also in a moment here, CNN "Security Watch" continues today. Children in times of national crisis. We'll talk to the director of the National Center of Disaster Preparedness about protecting kids, not only in cases like the tsunami, but we'll also get into the issue of acts of terrorism, as well. So stay tuned for that.

First the headlines, though. Back to Heidi Collins for that as well. Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to you, everybody. "Now in the News" this morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Bangkok, Thailand within the last past half hour. He and Florida governor Jeb Bush plan to spend the next four days now visiting ravaged areas in Thailand and Sri Lanka, ahead of the international aid donors conference, which is scheduled for later this week.

More protests in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the death toll in the nightclub fire there continues to rise. 182 people were killed, more than 600 injured in last week's blaze. Protesters are calling for a full investigation into the incident, blaming security lapses for the tragedy. Officials say a flare ignited during a rock concert at the club may have started the fire.

Here in the U.S., more than 500 people in south Arkansas are waiting to return home. They were part of a group evacuated yesterday after a hazardous waste plant caught fire in El Dorado. Officials are on the scene looking into what started the fire. The EPA is monitoring the air quality now to see when it will be safe for people to go back.

And some welcome changes for Delta Airlines customers. The country's second largest carrier is reportedly planning to cut fares this week. According to "Time" magazine, Delta will also slash some of its fees and revamp its Web site. The changes come as Delta works to avoid filing for bankruptcy.

Bill, back over to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi. A lot of concern certainly that relief supplies are not getting to tsunami victims as quickly as they could. Paula Hancocks tracked an Americares shipment from the time it left Amsterdam until the time it arrived in southern Sri Lanka. That's where Paula is now, in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, with more there.

And good evening, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill. Well, aid organizations have been working all out to try and get the resources that they have got together to the areas that really need it at the moment. Sri Lanka and the southern coast of Sri Lanka definitely needs it. That's what Americares was trying to do. It started on Tuesday, it ended on Saturday, and it had, it said, a $30,000 of resources of medicines that were desperately needed over here to bring into the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Life-saving drugs, packed and ready in Amsterdam, four days later reaching those who need them most. This hospital in Hambantota, on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is the first stop for aid agency Americares. This doctor had to deal with 900 patients in the first two days in a hospital which can cope with just 300.

DR. JONATHAN FINE, AMERICARES: What was revealed to me was the damage done to the infrastructure of the hospitals. The linens are gone because they were used to wrap dead bodies. The hospitals are a mess. They need disinfectants. They're worried about outbreaks of simple diseases like scabies, as well as the diarrheal diseases.

HANCOCKS: The medicine is delivered and Americares walks away with a detailed wish list for the next shipment. A truck that donated food and water arrives just up the road at a coordination center. It will be handed out to more than 30 refugee camps in the area, holding around 1,500 of those whose homes were destroyed. Aid groups are starting to access these areas, but many times on an independent basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now what is happening is, you know, duplication of work. So a coordinated effort so that, you know, the things will be done to the maximum benefit of the refugees.

HANCOCKS: The Sri Lankan prime minister visited Hambantota, discussing immediate needs with the townspeople.

MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE, PRIME MINISTER, SRI LANKA: We are getting aid and we have a now coordinated -- we have a coordinated committee and we are sending aid to the affected areas, whether it is north, east, south and west.

HANCOCKS: But for many not in refugee camps, food and water remain scarce. Coconuts are being given out in the streets. Many people don't want to leave the area where their or their relatives' houses once stood.

(on camera): We're just a couple of roads down from the hospital here. And this is where the locals are starting their cleanup operation. But it's an extremely delicate process. Most of the people that had lived in this area would have died in their houses. So as locals are sifting through the rubble, they're discovering more bodies.

(voice-over): And it's the state of mind of these volunteers and survivors that is another health concern. Doctors in the area understand medical support for the Sri Lankans is more than just material. Once the immediate physical needs are met, then comes the harder task of helping locals come to terms with what they've been through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: And there have been a couple of reasons, Bill, that these aid organizations have had difficulty getting their resources through to the people who need it most. Americares have both of these experiences. The fact that they couldn't get through on certain roads, because many of the coastal roads have been washed away.

And also they had problems in customs. It took 24 hours to get their gear through customs, as Colombo Airport is not used to such a huge volume of traffic coming through. They're used to just a dozen planes or so a day on a daily basis. But these days they are having far more, as more and more aid groups are sending goods into this country -- Bill.

HEMMER: And an enormous task, as you point out, too. Paula, thanks. Paula Hancocks there in Sri Lanka.

Later tonight, 7:00 Eastern, get a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." He will be live in Sri Lanka as well. We'll have that for you later tonight at 7:00 Eastern here on CNN.

In the meantime, though, one prospect many would rather not consider. The possibility that al Qaeda could target American children. Some say it's a very real threat and as part of our CNN "Security Watch," I talked about that topic with Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness. I began, though, by asking about the tsunami disaster and how he thinks that crisis can affect young children. Here's doctor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. IRWIN REDLENER, NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISASTER PREP., COLUMBIA UNIV.: For the children that are directly affected that are living in these areas that have been hit by that tsunami, the reality is, their world is very small. It's their families, their community. And when that has become disrupted to the extent that it is now, it is extraordinarily traumatic to children, to have their world, in essence, disappear. Doesn't matter whether it's a small community- based disaster or a massive one. What they know is their family is gone, for many of these kids, and they're displaced.

HEMMER: So is the impact tough today or does it come five years from now or 20 years from now, or can we say?

REDLENER: The impact was incredible on the day of the disaster and will sustain itself in various ways for many years for these children. And that's why intervention and appropriate intervention is very critical right now. But long-term psychological consequences are highly likely in many of these kids that are directly affected.

HEMMER: So pull ourselves away from Southeast Asia. If you were a child half a world away watching these images on a TV screen or seeing the pictures in a newspaper, how do you talk to them as parents to children?

REDLENER: Well, it's really actually very challenging. And particularly so in a post-9/11 America, where kids have been, in essence, traumatized by all sorts of things they've been watching and seeing in the news since September 11th, in a very different way than we had experienced before.

And right now the key is reassurance to children. Being there, answering questions honestly. And the questions should be short answers so that if somebody -- if the child is 4 years old and is worried, a quick reassurance. But making sure the routines are clear and establish that families are staying close to their kids and that they're available to answer questions.

HEMMER: But is there something specific you tell a child? Or does it depend on the family and the relationship?

REDLENER: It depends on the family, but also it depends a lot on the age. So for some children, let's say older kids, doing something about this is sometimes very beneficial. So children seeing that the families are concerned, that parents are making a donation to an organization, that there's appropriate concern without dwelling overly on this crisis, and on the images. And one of the things we're recommending is that especially for younger children, that kids not be overly exposed to the images on television. I'd really limit that as much as possible, because we're talking about some very horrific and potentially traumatic visual images for kids.

HEMMER: Let me go to a different topic that deals directly with children on a different subject, with the threat of al Qaeda. You wrote in the "San Francisco Chronicle" over the weekend, and quoting now, "Are U.S. children potential terror targets? While such a notion is almost impossible to contemplate, evidence increasingly suggests that U.S. intelligence efforts must be alert to this horrific possibility." Why do you believe that there is a threat against American children as it relates to al Qaeda?

REDLENER: Shortly after 9/11 there was an al Qaeda document discovered, written by one of Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenants, that described that in order to get retribution for perceived trauma that the United States had assumingly had caused, that 4 million Americans, including 2 million American children, would have to be killed. And I was very concerned about that. And sort of watching events since then, as we saw the attacks in Beslan, Russia, for example, which, although they were Chechnyan rebels, had very strong al Qaeda connections.

There were several in thwarted attacks attempted on schools in Singapore -- American schools in Singapore and in Indonesia. And then, just a few months ago in Iraq, an insurgent was caught with school layouts and emergency plans for schools in five American states. So, you know, I don't want to be alarmist about that, I'm just concerned that we need to be paying attention.

HEMMER: That takes me to my next question. An obvious one. Are you being an alarmist or is there more evidence other than just the letter that you just mentioned?

HEDLENER: Well, it's the letter plus these thwarted attacks, plus the Beslan attack. There's nothing really we need to do other than to make sure our schools are sufficiently prepared for any kind of emergency, No. 1. And No. 2, that the intelligence community is sufficiently aware of an alert to this possibility. It's horrific, but it's one of those things that we just need to make sure that we are paying enough attention to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Again, thank the doctor for being with us earlier today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: In a moment here, would free insurance get you to buy a new car? One automaker has a sweet deal out there. And Andy has it "Minding Your Business" in a moment on that.

COLLINS: Plus "90-Second Pop," Leo flies high in "The Aviator," but the pop panel says another heavyweight will be champ come Oscar night. That's ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now our Monday edition of "90-Second Pop", the first of 2005. Our pop panel this morning, Andy Borowitz from borowitzreport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.

Happy New Year, guys.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: And to you.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Happy New Year. COLLINS: I want to start off the year right, and apparently somebody has done that with this new movie about -- you say that it's not about a female boxer, but this you think the Oscar race is over.

TOURE: "Million Dollar Baby" is about much more than a female boxer. Don't let anybody tell you about it. Just go in knowing nothing. Just go. Don't worry about boxing. Just bring the whole...

BERNARD: If you can get in.

TOURE: If you can get in, bring a whole box of Kleenex and just go.

BERNARD: Wow!

TOURE: The Oscar race is over. I see best director, best picture. It's going to be...

BERNARD: Really?

TOURE: ... "Million Dollar Baby's" night. "The Aviator," I hate to break it to you, is not that good, people. Leo does not deserve...

COLLINS: It didn't bring in that much money this weekend either.

TOURE: Right, right.

BERNARD: But don't you think that Martin Scorsese is going to get best director just because he's never won an Academy Award?

TOURE: I think...

BERNARD: Which is kind of outrageous.

TOURE: I think that Clint Eastwood's achievement here is much bigger than Marty's achievement over there.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I want to put in...

BERNARD: But don't you think even for the...

BOROWITZ: I want to put in a little underdog vote for Oliver Stone for his gay interpretation of "Alexander." I do. This is not Alexander the Great. This is Alexander the fabulous. It's unbelievable. That's my vote.

BERNARD: All right. It's possible.

TOURE: Maybe.

COLLINS: All right. So, Sarah, let's get to you now. What do you predict the entertainment story of the year...

BERNARD: OK. No...

COLLINS: ... will be as people look back? BERNARD: No question it is going to be Martha, Martha, Martha. She has a three-point plan for taking over 2005. The first is in March when she gets out of prison. That's going to be a huge story. She's released from Camp Cupcake.

Then in September, she's actually going to start filming her daily talk show. And she's got to wait until September, because after she gets out in March she still has five months of house arrest to go through. So it's going to be a live show where there's audience participation. And even though she did not win her Christmas decorating contest in prison, which we found out, we still think she's got a lot to share.

And then she's going to also probably have a primetime reality show. So it's just going to be all Martha all the time.

BOROWITZ: She's recording a duet with Usher.

BERNARD: That's right.

COLLINS: That's going to be a big one, yes.

TOURE: But her show is being made by Mark Burnett.

COLLINS: Yes.

BERNARD: Exactly.

TOURE: Like, who could you have in better hands than Mark Burnett?

BERNARD: It's perfect.

COLLINS: He's been quite successful.

TOURE: Yes, yes.

COLLINS: This is true.

TOURE: I mean, he's going to know exactly how to shape her. The show is going to be great. She's going to make a huge comeback.

BERNARD: All right. And if there's any room left for another scandal and another entertainer of the year will obviously be Michael Jackson, whose trial starts at the end of this month. And, you know, there's something like 100 witnesses just on the defense side. So this is just going to just...

BOROWITZ: Wow!

BERNARD: This one is going to go on forever.

COLLINS: I wonder if we're going to recognize him by the time the whole thing is over.

BERNARD: I don't know. He's going to start looking like Martha, I think.

COLLINS: Yes, maybe.

All right, guys, thanks so much as always.

Bill, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks. 13 minutes now before the hour.

Getting news from the White House now that President Bush at about 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, about 13 minutes from now, will meet with his father, the first President Bush, and President Clinton. So you have presidents 41, 42 and 43 getting together, and then making an appeal to American businesses for more contributions to help out with the tsunami relief effort, an appeal for cash across the country. That will apparently go in addition to the $350 million already pledged by the U.S. government.

We will hear from the president at about 10:15 eastern time, about 30 minutes from now. Then later in the morning, he will visit the following four embassies in the D.C. area: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, offering his words and his condolences there at those embassies this morning. So look for that live here on CNN in about 27 minutes from now, live from the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

Let's get a break. In a moment, what will it take to get you behind the wheel of a brand-new car? How about free insurance? Andy has got that in "Minding Your Business," right after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Another reminder from the White House in about 20 minutes from now, we'll get you there live. The president set to announce along with the first President Bush and President Bill Clinton, appeal to Americans to contribute more money to relief efforts in Southeast Asia, as well as tsunami from a week ago. So we'll get you there live to the Roosevelt room about 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

Before we get there, though, want to go to Andy Serwer right now, looking at an interesting sales gimmick. You buy a new car, you get free insurance.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: yes.

HEMMER: Check my driving record.

SERWER: I don't know how scrupulously they're going to be checking those things, but they better do that. This is a VW store we'll get to in one second. Let's check out the markets. Hey, 2004 was so great let's play, too, up 72. And here's what's going on, people optimistic about the start of the year. Oil prices falling below $43 a barrel, and some good news out of Wal-Mart they said sales last week of the year were above expectations. Finally, first time they said that in a long time. Kmart had some good numbers, too. Both those stocks up three percent and four percent respectively.

Speaking of free insurance, the story you're talking about, it is Volkswagen that is offering free car insurance as an incentive to buy either a Gulf or a Beetle. A Beetle, in the state of Illinois, or the state -- a Beetle, Jack. Or Wisconsin. I'm not sure why I said it that way. But I did. I said it that way.

Sales of these cars, these two vehicles, hasn't been doing so well lately. So this is a gimmick, if you will, to get you in to the lot to buy cars. And it exceeds the state requirements. Those two states, Illinois and Wisconsin from January 4th to March 31st. You know, last year they tried giving away iPods and mountain bikes, Volkswagen did, to buy cars, and that didn't work. So free insurance. I think you're right. Check the records of some of those people coming in the lot.

CAFFERTY: Or you make a better car.

SERWER: And that will probably also incentivize people to...

COLLINS: Beetle.

CAFFERTY: Make a better Beetle.

SERWER: I liked it when you said that. That was good.

CAFFERTY: Jack now and the Question of the Day.

More serious topic, how should the United States handle terror suspects that it's either unwilling to release or turn over to the courts? There's some talk some of these people could be held for life.

Here's some of the e-mail we've gotten. Joanna in Knoxville, Tennessee, "Ethically speaking, a democracy should not even be entertaining ideas like this. If we are neither tyrants nor terrorists ourselves, then show it by upholding human rights and due process. What are we even talking about here?"

Larry writes from Sibly (ph), Iowa, "Jack, pick a few at random and behead them. Put the video up on the Internet at howdoesitfeel.gov." Then he adds, "Just kidding."

And Scott in Saint Albans, West Virginia, "The detainees must be brought before an American court or released. If we don't fight for the constitutional rights of the detainees, who will fight for us when our rights are gone?"

CAFFERTY: Something tells me Larry's idea's not going to fly? SERWER: Well, can't they call them -- seriously, can't they call them POWs and hold them...

CAFFERTY: Until the end of the war, right.

SERWER: ... for the duration?

CAFFERTY: Do you get into that whole thing about whether it's a declared war or not?

SERWER: Well, they declare war, and then they're POWs.

CAFFERTY: Yes, that's a good idea. So why didn't you write to me? I'm looking for good letters. You could have written in here and solved this whole deal.

SERWER: He never gives his e-mail address out to his cohorts here, believe me.

CAFFERTY: The people I work with. I know better.

HEMMER: He doesn't want to start, either.

CAFFERTY: Based on experience.

HEMMER: Coming up on CNN next hour, President Bush meeting with this morning his father, as well as Bill Clinton, the former president. That trio asking Americans in the business community to help with the relief effort in Southeast Asia. President Bush talks to reporters in about 20 minutes. We'll have it there live for you in a moment. Back after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

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Aired January 3, 2005 - 9:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: First opening bell on this Monday morning in 2005. Wall Street now open for business. The Dow starting the year at 10, 783. Off 17 points on Friday, but up about three percent for the year. The Nasdaq was up almost nine percent for the year 2004. Welcome back, everybody, 9:30 here in New York and good morning to you.
Momentum building now in the massive aid effort for tsunami survivors. But so many things can derail food and water from the shipment to their destination. In a few minutes, we'll track what happens to supplies as they travel from one end of the world to the other.

Also in a moment here, CNN "Security Watch" continues today. Children in times of national crisis. We'll talk to the director of the National Center of Disaster Preparedness about protecting kids, not only in cases like the tsunami, but we'll also get into the issue of acts of terrorism, as well. So stay tuned for that.

First the headlines, though. Back to Heidi Collins for that as well. Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to you, everybody. "Now in the News" this morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Bangkok, Thailand within the last past half hour. He and Florida governor Jeb Bush plan to spend the next four days now visiting ravaged areas in Thailand and Sri Lanka, ahead of the international aid donors conference, which is scheduled for later this week.

More protests in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the death toll in the nightclub fire there continues to rise. 182 people were killed, more than 600 injured in last week's blaze. Protesters are calling for a full investigation into the incident, blaming security lapses for the tragedy. Officials say a flare ignited during a rock concert at the club may have started the fire.

Here in the U.S., more than 500 people in south Arkansas are waiting to return home. They were part of a group evacuated yesterday after a hazardous waste plant caught fire in El Dorado. Officials are on the scene looking into what started the fire. The EPA is monitoring the air quality now to see when it will be safe for people to go back.

And some welcome changes for Delta Airlines customers. The country's second largest carrier is reportedly planning to cut fares this week. According to "Time" magazine, Delta will also slash some of its fees and revamp its Web site. The changes come as Delta works to avoid filing for bankruptcy.

Bill, back over to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi. A lot of concern certainly that relief supplies are not getting to tsunami victims as quickly as they could. Paula Hancocks tracked an Americares shipment from the time it left Amsterdam until the time it arrived in southern Sri Lanka. That's where Paula is now, in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, with more there.

And good evening, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill. Well, aid organizations have been working all out to try and get the resources that they have got together to the areas that really need it at the moment. Sri Lanka and the southern coast of Sri Lanka definitely needs it. That's what Americares was trying to do. It started on Tuesday, it ended on Saturday, and it had, it said, a $30,000 of resources of medicines that were desperately needed over here to bring into the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Life-saving drugs, packed and ready in Amsterdam, four days later reaching those who need them most. This hospital in Hambantota, on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is the first stop for aid agency Americares. This doctor had to deal with 900 patients in the first two days in a hospital which can cope with just 300.

DR. JONATHAN FINE, AMERICARES: What was revealed to me was the damage done to the infrastructure of the hospitals. The linens are gone because they were used to wrap dead bodies. The hospitals are a mess. They need disinfectants. They're worried about outbreaks of simple diseases like scabies, as well as the diarrheal diseases.

HANCOCKS: The medicine is delivered and Americares walks away with a detailed wish list for the next shipment. A truck that donated food and water arrives just up the road at a coordination center. It will be handed out to more than 30 refugee camps in the area, holding around 1,500 of those whose homes were destroyed. Aid groups are starting to access these areas, but many times on an independent basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now what is happening is, you know, duplication of work. So a coordinated effort so that, you know, the things will be done to the maximum benefit of the refugees.

HANCOCKS: The Sri Lankan prime minister visited Hambantota, discussing immediate needs with the townspeople.

MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE, PRIME MINISTER, SRI LANKA: We are getting aid and we have a now coordinated -- we have a coordinated committee and we are sending aid to the affected areas, whether it is north, east, south and west.

HANCOCKS: But for many not in refugee camps, food and water remain scarce. Coconuts are being given out in the streets. Many people don't want to leave the area where their or their relatives' houses once stood.

(on camera): We're just a couple of roads down from the hospital here. And this is where the locals are starting their cleanup operation. But it's an extremely delicate process. Most of the people that had lived in this area would have died in their houses. So as locals are sifting through the rubble, they're discovering more bodies.

(voice-over): And it's the state of mind of these volunteers and survivors that is another health concern. Doctors in the area understand medical support for the Sri Lankans is more than just material. Once the immediate physical needs are met, then comes the harder task of helping locals come to terms with what they've been through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: And there have been a couple of reasons, Bill, that these aid organizations have had difficulty getting their resources through to the people who need it most. Americares have both of these experiences. The fact that they couldn't get through on certain roads, because many of the coastal roads have been washed away.

And also they had problems in customs. It took 24 hours to get their gear through customs, as Colombo Airport is not used to such a huge volume of traffic coming through. They're used to just a dozen planes or so a day on a daily basis. But these days they are having far more, as more and more aid groups are sending goods into this country -- Bill.

HEMMER: And an enormous task, as you point out, too. Paula, thanks. Paula Hancocks there in Sri Lanka.

Later tonight, 7:00 Eastern, get a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." He will be live in Sri Lanka as well. We'll have that for you later tonight at 7:00 Eastern here on CNN.

In the meantime, though, one prospect many would rather not consider. The possibility that al Qaeda could target American children. Some say it's a very real threat and as part of our CNN "Security Watch," I talked about that topic with Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness. I began, though, by asking about the tsunami disaster and how he thinks that crisis can affect young children. Here's doctor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. IRWIN REDLENER, NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISASTER PREP., COLUMBIA UNIV.: For the children that are directly affected that are living in these areas that have been hit by that tsunami, the reality is, their world is very small. It's their families, their community. And when that has become disrupted to the extent that it is now, it is extraordinarily traumatic to children, to have their world, in essence, disappear. Doesn't matter whether it's a small community- based disaster or a massive one. What they know is their family is gone, for many of these kids, and they're displaced.

HEMMER: So is the impact tough today or does it come five years from now or 20 years from now, or can we say?

REDLENER: The impact was incredible on the day of the disaster and will sustain itself in various ways for many years for these children. And that's why intervention and appropriate intervention is very critical right now. But long-term psychological consequences are highly likely in many of these kids that are directly affected.

HEMMER: So pull ourselves away from Southeast Asia. If you were a child half a world away watching these images on a TV screen or seeing the pictures in a newspaper, how do you talk to them as parents to children?

REDLENER: Well, it's really actually very challenging. And particularly so in a post-9/11 America, where kids have been, in essence, traumatized by all sorts of things they've been watching and seeing in the news since September 11th, in a very different way than we had experienced before.

And right now the key is reassurance to children. Being there, answering questions honestly. And the questions should be short answers so that if somebody -- if the child is 4 years old and is worried, a quick reassurance. But making sure the routines are clear and establish that families are staying close to their kids and that they're available to answer questions.

HEMMER: But is there something specific you tell a child? Or does it depend on the family and the relationship?

REDLENER: It depends on the family, but also it depends a lot on the age. So for some children, let's say older kids, doing something about this is sometimes very beneficial. So children seeing that the families are concerned, that parents are making a donation to an organization, that there's appropriate concern without dwelling overly on this crisis, and on the images. And one of the things we're recommending is that especially for younger children, that kids not be overly exposed to the images on television. I'd really limit that as much as possible, because we're talking about some very horrific and potentially traumatic visual images for kids.

HEMMER: Let me go to a different topic that deals directly with children on a different subject, with the threat of al Qaeda. You wrote in the "San Francisco Chronicle" over the weekend, and quoting now, "Are U.S. children potential terror targets? While such a notion is almost impossible to contemplate, evidence increasingly suggests that U.S. intelligence efforts must be alert to this horrific possibility." Why do you believe that there is a threat against American children as it relates to al Qaeda?

REDLENER: Shortly after 9/11 there was an al Qaeda document discovered, written by one of Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenants, that described that in order to get retribution for perceived trauma that the United States had assumingly had caused, that 4 million Americans, including 2 million American children, would have to be killed. And I was very concerned about that. And sort of watching events since then, as we saw the attacks in Beslan, Russia, for example, which, although they were Chechnyan rebels, had very strong al Qaeda connections.

There were several in thwarted attacks attempted on schools in Singapore -- American schools in Singapore and in Indonesia. And then, just a few months ago in Iraq, an insurgent was caught with school layouts and emergency plans for schools in five American states. So, you know, I don't want to be alarmist about that, I'm just concerned that we need to be paying attention.

HEMMER: That takes me to my next question. An obvious one. Are you being an alarmist or is there more evidence other than just the letter that you just mentioned?

HEDLENER: Well, it's the letter plus these thwarted attacks, plus the Beslan attack. There's nothing really we need to do other than to make sure our schools are sufficiently prepared for any kind of emergency, No. 1. And No. 2, that the intelligence community is sufficiently aware of an alert to this possibility. It's horrific, but it's one of those things that we just need to make sure that we are paying enough attention to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Again, thank the doctor for being with us earlier today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: In a moment here, would free insurance get you to buy a new car? One automaker has a sweet deal out there. And Andy has it "Minding Your Business" in a moment on that.

COLLINS: Plus "90-Second Pop," Leo flies high in "The Aviator," but the pop panel says another heavyweight will be champ come Oscar night. That's ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now our Monday edition of "90-Second Pop", the first of 2005. Our pop panel this morning, Andy Borowitz from borowitzreport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.

Happy New Year, guys.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: And to you.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Happy New Year. COLLINS: I want to start off the year right, and apparently somebody has done that with this new movie about -- you say that it's not about a female boxer, but this you think the Oscar race is over.

TOURE: "Million Dollar Baby" is about much more than a female boxer. Don't let anybody tell you about it. Just go in knowing nothing. Just go. Don't worry about boxing. Just bring the whole...

BERNARD: If you can get in.

TOURE: If you can get in, bring a whole box of Kleenex and just go.

BERNARD: Wow!

TOURE: The Oscar race is over. I see best director, best picture. It's going to be...

BERNARD: Really?

TOURE: ... "Million Dollar Baby's" night. "The Aviator," I hate to break it to you, is not that good, people. Leo does not deserve...

COLLINS: It didn't bring in that much money this weekend either.

TOURE: Right, right.

BERNARD: But don't you think that Martin Scorsese is going to get best director just because he's never won an Academy Award?

TOURE: I think...

BERNARD: Which is kind of outrageous.

TOURE: I think that Clint Eastwood's achievement here is much bigger than Marty's achievement over there.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I want to put in...

BERNARD: But don't you think even for the...

BOROWITZ: I want to put in a little underdog vote for Oliver Stone for his gay interpretation of "Alexander." I do. This is not Alexander the Great. This is Alexander the fabulous. It's unbelievable. That's my vote.

BERNARD: All right. It's possible.

TOURE: Maybe.

COLLINS: All right. So, Sarah, let's get to you now. What do you predict the entertainment story of the year...

BERNARD: OK. No...

COLLINS: ... will be as people look back? BERNARD: No question it is going to be Martha, Martha, Martha. She has a three-point plan for taking over 2005. The first is in March when she gets out of prison. That's going to be a huge story. She's released from Camp Cupcake.

Then in September, she's actually going to start filming her daily talk show. And she's got to wait until September, because after she gets out in March she still has five months of house arrest to go through. So it's going to be a live show where there's audience participation. And even though she did not win her Christmas decorating contest in prison, which we found out, we still think she's got a lot to share.

And then she's going to also probably have a primetime reality show. So it's just going to be all Martha all the time.

BOROWITZ: She's recording a duet with Usher.

BERNARD: That's right.

COLLINS: That's going to be a big one, yes.

TOURE: But her show is being made by Mark Burnett.

COLLINS: Yes.

BERNARD: Exactly.

TOURE: Like, who could you have in better hands than Mark Burnett?

BERNARD: It's perfect.

COLLINS: He's been quite successful.

TOURE: Yes, yes.

COLLINS: This is true.

TOURE: I mean, he's going to know exactly how to shape her. The show is going to be great. She's going to make a huge comeback.

BERNARD: All right. And if there's any room left for another scandal and another entertainer of the year will obviously be Michael Jackson, whose trial starts at the end of this month. And, you know, there's something like 100 witnesses just on the defense side. So this is just going to just...

BOROWITZ: Wow!

BERNARD: This one is going to go on forever.

COLLINS: I wonder if we're going to recognize him by the time the whole thing is over.

BERNARD: I don't know. He's going to start looking like Martha, I think.

COLLINS: Yes, maybe.

All right, guys, thanks so much as always.

Bill, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks. 13 minutes now before the hour.

Getting news from the White House now that President Bush at about 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, about 13 minutes from now, will meet with his father, the first President Bush, and President Clinton. So you have presidents 41, 42 and 43 getting together, and then making an appeal to American businesses for more contributions to help out with the tsunami relief effort, an appeal for cash across the country. That will apparently go in addition to the $350 million already pledged by the U.S. government.

We will hear from the president at about 10:15 eastern time, about 30 minutes from now. Then later in the morning, he will visit the following four embassies in the D.C. area: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, offering his words and his condolences there at those embassies this morning. So look for that live here on CNN in about 27 minutes from now, live from the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

Let's get a break. In a moment, what will it take to get you behind the wheel of a brand-new car? How about free insurance? Andy has got that in "Minding Your Business," right after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Another reminder from the White House in about 20 minutes from now, we'll get you there live. The president set to announce along with the first President Bush and President Bill Clinton, appeal to Americans to contribute more money to relief efforts in Southeast Asia, as well as tsunami from a week ago. So we'll get you there live to the Roosevelt room about 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

Before we get there, though, want to go to Andy Serwer right now, looking at an interesting sales gimmick. You buy a new car, you get free insurance.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: yes.

HEMMER: Check my driving record.

SERWER: I don't know how scrupulously they're going to be checking those things, but they better do that. This is a VW store we'll get to in one second. Let's check out the markets. Hey, 2004 was so great let's play, too, up 72. And here's what's going on, people optimistic about the start of the year. Oil prices falling below $43 a barrel, and some good news out of Wal-Mart they said sales last week of the year were above expectations. Finally, first time they said that in a long time. Kmart had some good numbers, too. Both those stocks up three percent and four percent respectively.

Speaking of free insurance, the story you're talking about, it is Volkswagen that is offering free car insurance as an incentive to buy either a Gulf or a Beetle. A Beetle, in the state of Illinois, or the state -- a Beetle, Jack. Or Wisconsin. I'm not sure why I said it that way. But I did. I said it that way.

Sales of these cars, these two vehicles, hasn't been doing so well lately. So this is a gimmick, if you will, to get you in to the lot to buy cars. And it exceeds the state requirements. Those two states, Illinois and Wisconsin from January 4th to March 31st. You know, last year they tried giving away iPods and mountain bikes, Volkswagen did, to buy cars, and that didn't work. So free insurance. I think you're right. Check the records of some of those people coming in the lot.

CAFFERTY: Or you make a better car.

SERWER: And that will probably also incentivize people to...

COLLINS: Beetle.

CAFFERTY: Make a better Beetle.

SERWER: I liked it when you said that. That was good.

CAFFERTY: Jack now and the Question of the Day.

More serious topic, how should the United States handle terror suspects that it's either unwilling to release or turn over to the courts? There's some talk some of these people could be held for life.

Here's some of the e-mail we've gotten. Joanna in Knoxville, Tennessee, "Ethically speaking, a democracy should not even be entertaining ideas like this. If we are neither tyrants nor terrorists ourselves, then show it by upholding human rights and due process. What are we even talking about here?"

Larry writes from Sibly (ph), Iowa, "Jack, pick a few at random and behead them. Put the video up on the Internet at howdoesitfeel.gov." Then he adds, "Just kidding."

And Scott in Saint Albans, West Virginia, "The detainees must be brought before an American court or released. If we don't fight for the constitutional rights of the detainees, who will fight for us when our rights are gone?"

CAFFERTY: Something tells me Larry's idea's not going to fly? SERWER: Well, can't they call them -- seriously, can't they call them POWs and hold them...

CAFFERTY: Until the end of the war, right.

SERWER: ... for the duration?

CAFFERTY: Do you get into that whole thing about whether it's a declared war or not?

SERWER: Well, they declare war, and then they're POWs.

CAFFERTY: Yes, that's a good idea. So why didn't you write to me? I'm looking for good letters. You could have written in here and solved this whole deal.

SERWER: He never gives his e-mail address out to his cohorts here, believe me.

CAFFERTY: The people I work with. I know better.

HEMMER: He doesn't want to start, either.

CAFFERTY: Based on experience.

HEMMER: Coming up on CNN next hour, President Bush meeting with this morning his father, as well as Bill Clinton, the former president. That trio asking Americans in the business community to help with the relief effort in Southeast Asia. President Bush talks to reporters in about 20 minutes. We'll have it there live for you in a moment. Back after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

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