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CNN Live At Daybreak
Tsunami Relief Missions in Full Swing; Colin Powell Visits Thailand
Aired January 04, 2005 - 06:00 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Assassins strike in Baghdad and they hit a high level target.
Also, a runway mishap in Indonesia holds up tsunami relief efforts and you won't believe what the culprit was.
Plus, taking the oath. Inauguration day is coming up with all of its patriotism, pageantry and very expensive parties.
It is Tuesday, January 4.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, hundreds of U.S. Marines are arriving in Sri Lanka this morning. They'll join another contingent that arrived yesterday. They're bringing water purifying equipment, plastic tarps and wood beams to build temporary shelters. About 20 military ships and more than 10,000 Marines and sailors are taking part in that effort.
Overnight, the governor of Baghdad Province was killed, along with one of his bodyguards. The assassination comes after an oil tanker explodes near the green zone, killing 10 people and injuring almost 60.
CNN has obtained a document from a congressional source that appears to show that Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac, knew 15 years ago that its drug was more likely to cause suicide than other anti- depressants. The document has yet to be authenticated. Eli Lily says it will have no comment until it can see the actual document.
Five suspects have been indicted in the arsons at a housing development in Maryland. The December fires damaged or destroyed 40 unoccupied homes. There were no injuries. The indictment does not list a motive.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: Secretary of State Colin Powell is pledging America's full support in the tsunami relief effort. Powell is in Thailand this morning, getting a firsthand look at some of the worst damage in the tsunami disaster. He says America may be able to do more to help identify victims and he's offering U.S. help to establish an early warning system for future tsunamis.
In the meantime, there are still thousands of Americans missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 Americans that we're trying to get track of. I don't know how many of them were in Thailand, how many were elsewhere. And I don't even know if they should be called missing. We're just trying to track them down. They are identified to us as a result of calls that have come in from their family members. And so we hope that that number will be reduced in the days ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Aid flights into the epicenter of the tsunami disaster hit a serious snag today, in the form of a water buffalo, of all things. But the determined relief workers have managed to avert a crisis.
Our senior Asian correspondent Mike Chinoy on the scene in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
Live to the airport there now -- hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, you're right, a water buffalo brought much of the aid effort to a halt, just showing just how underdeveloped this part of Indonesia is. A civilian cargo plane ran into a water buffalo, damaged part of the plane's wheel system. And, as a result, the plane was stuck and blocked the main runway here for most of the day.
Because of that, none of the fixed wing transport aircraft that were flying in vital relief supplies could land here. And it took the combined effort of U.S., Australian and Indonesian military personnel to jerry rig a contraption that allowed them to drag that aircraft off the runway.
Just a few moments ago, a Singaporean c130 transport took off. That runway now back in use. U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Captain Matt Klunder was one of those who was involved in this salvage operation and he said it came -- it didn't come a moment -- it couldn't have come a moment too soon because otherwise the whole aid effort could have been in jeopardy.
COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy reporting live from Banda Aceh this morning.
Thank you, Mike. Many tsunami survivors are now trying to turn the tide. They're committed to moving forward from the disaster despite haunting memories of the killer waves that swept in and devoured their homes, hotels and loved ones.
Live to our Aneesh Raman.
He's in Phuket, Thailand, once a paradise -- hello, Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
It is the struggle being felt by everyone here, trying to rebuild and rebuild quickly, all the while coming to grips with the enormous reality of what has taken place here.
We also have to report to that you that earlier today, Secretary of State Colin Powell arriving on Phuket Island, alongside President Bush's brother, Jeb Bush. They are beginning a tour of the region.
Here on Phuket, they visited the rescue and relief operations, the heart of the operations for the entire area. They expressed condolences for those who have been involved in this catastrophe.
It is a unique trip, Carol, in terms of the relative meetings they'll have elsewhere in the region.
Here, the Thai government is not looking for money. I spoke with the Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, over the weekend. It is not financial aid, but a very grim situation they need help with -- forensic identification of bodies. There are thousands that they are finding now and they are so heavily decomposed. And there are, as we say, so many, it is just too much for the Thai government to handle.
A large number are presumed to be foreign tourists who were here. Foreign governments very keen on trying to preserve any part of the identification process for those families of these that perished. And so Secretary of State Powell extending that support to the Thai government -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I just wanted to ask you about a picture, a bit of video that we just saw with the people there running up to the Navy helicopter pilots.
Tell us more about that and the reception that Americans have gotten there.
RAMAN: They've been generally well received, obviously, because they are a big part of the aid effort. The outlying areas are just now -- the relief efforts are just now getting to those most devastated parts. And those people now, for about a week and a half, have been without a consistent supply of food or water. So you can imagine how relieved, how excited, but also how enormous the sort of -- the ground swelling of activity would be.
So a big concern on the ground here, as elsewhere in the region, is trying to get relief to those who need it in an organized way. And so far, as far as we can tell here, Carol, that seems to be happening. The devastated areas in the outlying regions not as huge in terms of the populations there as you'd find elsewhere in the region. So they're having an easier time of getting relief to those people in a very organized fashion.
COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live from Phuket, Thailand this morning.
Thank you.
Be sure to stay with CNN for more complete coverage of the tsunami disaster. That includes our prime time special "Turning the Tide," which gets under way every night this week at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Much more to come on DAYBREAK, though.
Some alarming allegations about a major drug maker and one of its most popular drugs. There might be some things you have not been told about Prozac.
Also, in the wake of the tsunami disaster, Americans are opening their hearts and their wallets. But are the victims getting what you're giving? We'll tell you how to make sure. Actually, Ali Velshi will.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, January 4.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": A very important thing is to rebalance your portfolio. If you were investing, say, 80 percent of that money in stock funds and 20 percent in bond funds, at the end of every year, bring it back to those proportions. Your stocks may have done better than bonds and become a larger percentage of your portfolio.
What you do then is you sell some of your stocks and put that money into bonds and bring it back to that 80-20 mix. And what this does is it allows you to put some money into a sector that's lagging, but that may do well the next year. So it also brings back the risk- reward proportions to the right level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
2004 was a very rough year for some women on Wall Street.
Oh, but not for our Carrie Lee.
She's live at the Nasdaq market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a pretty good year, Carol.
2005 hopefully even better.
Interesting here, of the Fortune 500 companies in the United States, eight of them are run by women. And if you take a look at the performance of these companies for 2004, not so great. They actually underperformed the broad market, as measured by the S&P for the year. However, 2003 was such a successful year for these companies that if you collectively take their winnings or their stock gains over the past two years, the women really came out ahead. So not so bad if you look at 2003 and 2004 together.
Taking a look at some of the specific companies, Carly Fiorina is head of Hewlett-Packard, of course, the Dow component, the computer company. That Sri Lanka number 11 on the Fortune 500 list. Shares fell 9 percent in 2004.
Other companies run by women, Pathmark and Rite-Aid. They also had a down year. The other five -- Xerox, Marant, Lucent, Avon Products and Golden West Financial. You can see all the logos for those companies here.
And there may be a new kid on the block this year, 2005, as fast growing eBay, led by Meg Whitman, could possibly crack the top 500, Carol.
We'll see.
COSTELLO: Oh, I think so. EBay is a good bet.
LEE: A very good bet. The stock has done very well and the company continues to expand, of course, on a global level at this point. So that's been (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Yes.
Tell us how the futures are looking this morning.
LEE: Yes, a quickly look at futures. Things looking pretty good. Futures set for a higher open at this point. Remember, though, that's what we saw yesterday and we actually ended up finishing quite a bit lower, especially for the Nasdaq, losing over 1 percent. We'll get a look at auto and truck sales later today for recent performance. And we're keeping an eye on General Motors, which, as you know, recently rolled out that red tag incentive program and ad campaign and see if that helped the company's sales at all.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq market site.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
U.S. Marines are arriving in Sri Lanka to help survivors of the tsunami disaster. As many as 1,200 Marines will be deployed along with bulldozers, generators, food and medical supplies.
CNN has obtained a supposedly internal document from drug maker Eli Lilly on possible dangers from Prozac use. The document appears to show that the drug maker knew 15 years ago that patients on Prozac were more likely to attempt suicide than patients on other anti- depressants.
In money news, yes, it is true, the Lingerie Bowl will be back as a Super Bowl half-time alternative. But this time the scantily clad models will not play football. Oh, no. They'll take part in football related challenges instead. I don't know what those are, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a family show.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
The show's sponsor will remain secret until a week before the event.
In culture, even after scores of complaints, only the Fox station in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina decided not to show the reality show "Who's Your Daddy?" last night. The show featured an adopted woman trying to pick her real father out of a group of men. Well, she did, and she won $100,000 for it.
In sports, Friday the deadline for Randy Johnson to officially become a member of the New York Yankees. His trade from the Diamondbacks was approved by the commissioner's office. But Johnson and the Yanks still have to work out that hefty new contract -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Americans are more than willing to help those hurt by the tsunami. But you want to make sure your money is going to those in need, don't you?
Ali Velshi is here to help us know who to donate to and not to get ripped off.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
What we're going to do is we're going to talk about how President Bush has upped the ante. He's asked Americans to give money directly to charities and what that may do is open the door to some scam artists who want to make sure that you are not a victim of scam artists who pop out of the woodwork when there are tragedies.
When we come back on DAYBREAK.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: President Bush wants you to chip in with donations for tsunami survivors and he's called on his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead the flooding effort. Mr. Clinton made the case for giving on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want people here at home in America and throughout the world who are listening to this program to know that if you only have a dollar, $5, $10 to give, if you, a million of you do that, you'll make a huge difference. And it will make a difference and because of the technology today, you can give it and direct it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, give it and direct it, he says.
Let's talk with that about our DAYBREAK contributor Ali Velshi, because a lot of people are worried about getting ripped off or sending their money to something they don't want it to go to.
VELSHI: Yes. And two real separate issues. One is that there are scams out there. People actually come out in disasters and start to gather money for things unrelated to the cause.
COSTELLO: Well, because you remember, after September 11, nobody thought that anyone would scam that, but they did.
VELSHI: Right. You can't imagine that someone would do this. Now, we don't have a lot of reports just yet on actual scams, but sometimes you don't find out about this until a little way down the road.
And then there's the issue, well, those charities that are out there, but not as good at delivering or getting to the end result as some of the more established charities. This is a tough one. So what President Clinton was talking about is that it really is easy to figure this out. This is not high science. Americans are a charitable people. We have learned over the years how to do this effectively. And there are ways to find out. Just check out the charity that is soliciting your donation or that you want to give money to.
Now, it's easy to do. First of all, President Bush's initiative yesterday directs people to usafreedomcorps.gov, which is the White House's press site for volunteerism. And you can go there and check out a bunch of charities.
There are some other sites listed on the page there that you can see. Give.org is a branch of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance; charitynavigator.org, guidestar.org, charitywatch.org, all of these list legitimate charities. It talks about their IRS filings, it tells you what they do and you can at least establish that, OK, this is a legitimate charity. I can give money to them. It also rates them and tells you how much they spend in terms of administration. How much of the money gets to the end.
COSTELLO: OK, that's cool information. You can get it easy.
But what are some of the red flags we should be looking for?
VELSHI: OK. Well, first of all, if anybody calls you, you want to be able to call them back. They have to have a phone number and an address. Just because the name sounds like it has something to do with the tsunami or earthquake doesn't mean it does. You want to make sure that the payments that they solicit from you go to the organization. If a payment is going to an individual, that's a red flag. If there's not enough detail about their programs, how they deliver the donations or the goods, the expenses that they undertake, if they refuse to take checks or credit cards -- you do not want to be sending cash in the mail.
COSTELLO: Oh, and don't give your credit card number over the phone.
VELSHI: Don't give your credit card number over the phone. If you want to know more, if you're doubtful, the organization should be able to give you written information, or at least direct you to written information. Pressure to make on the spot donations is a red flag. This is not an overdue credit card bill. This is a donation. You should be able to understand what you're giving.
Nobody should be offering to send a runner to your house to pick up your donation.
COSTELLO: What?
VELSHI: People do this. If somebody says -- you should be able to mail it or put your credit card on the Internet or send a payment in that way. If less than 65 percent of your money goes to the cause, that's a red flag. It doesn't mean it's illegitimate, it just means the organization may not be effective. So you want to know how much of the money you give goes to the cause. And no clear plans for the funds after the disaster relief, because people may collect a lot of money.
COSTELLO: You've got that right.
All right, thank you, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
COSTELLO: And I'm sure you'll be watching out for the scam artists because they will be coming out of the woodwork.
VELSHI: Will do. I've got a keen eye out for them.
COSTELLO: I know you do.
Still to come this hour, it's back to work today for law makers on Capitol Hill. One key issue, how to make good on America's promise to tsunami survivors.
Plus, relief workers in one of the hardest hit nations are getting some extra help. The Marines have landed.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you.
Welcome to the last half hour of DAYBREAK.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
We have a bit of developing news to tell you about right now. An assassination in Iraq this morning. With only 26 days until Iraq's national election, gunmen ambush and kill the governor of Baghdad Province.
To CNN's Jeff Koinange.
He's live in Baghdad for more on this and a new explosion we've just heard about -- hello, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol.
His name is Ali al-Haidari and he was in a three car convoy with about six bodyguards, heavily armed, driving from work to the office early this morning when they were ambushed by unidentified gunmen who sprayed his car with machine gun fire, killing the governor and a bodyguard, wounding two other bodyguards, who have been taken to nearby hospitals.
U.S. military officials sealed the entire area. Helicopters hovering overhead. We understand that this is not the first attempt on the governor's life. Three months ago, a similar ambush. They killed two bodyguards then. The governor was unwounded in that attack. The governor becomes the highest ranking official of Iraq's interim government to be assassinated. Way back in May, eight months ago, the president of the Governing Coalition, the Governing Council, Izzadine Saleem, was ambushed and assassinated in his vehicle. He was the ranking -- the highest ranking member then to be assassinated.
This time around, this is the highest ranking member with less than 30 days to go before that January 30 election -- Carol.
COSTELLO: There was other violence, too, in Iraq this morning, Jeff.
Tell us about that.
KOINANGE: Yes.
We understand about 9:00 this morning local Baghdad time an oil tanker laden with explosives crashed through a police checkpoint, heading toward the police command headquarters right outside the green zone. The truck exploded, sending huge clouds of black smoke into the air. We understand eyewitnesses say there were charred bodies littering the road. So far we understand there are 10 people dead in that, including eight Iraqi commandos and two civilians. As many as 60 people wounded, taken to nearby hospitals.
Carol, it seems like the insurgents are stepping up their attacks day by day in the run-up to the January 30th elections -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange live in Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
America's generosity is front and center now. But the question remains, where is that $350 million presidential pledge to tsunami survivors coming from?
Congress will grapple with that today.
Live to Washington and CNN Congressional correspondent Ed Henry -- good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So the president is saying that this money will come out of the general budget. But I thought that budget was very tight.
Is there enough money to take that amount out?
HENRY: There is. There's about $350 million in a special account at the State Department that will be used in the short-term to deliver the aid to the victims of the tsunami. What Congress will do today is both the House and Senate will pass non-binding resolutions pointing out that the U.S. Congress will make good on that $350 million. Once it is spent, Congress later this month will replenish the account, because obviously the State Department had it in their account for other purposes. They're now using it for the tsunami.
Later this month, Congress will replenish those accounts and then possibly pass an emergency spending bill that adds more aid. But Congress wants to wait a couple of weeks just to see exactly how much aid is needed.
COSTELLO: Well, you know what the worry is here, that taking that amount of money from the general budget could affect things like, you know, those permanent tax cuts.
HENRY: Well, the bottom line, part of the reason why, as you were talking about former President Clinton and former President Bush coming forward and urging more private donations, is you're right, there is a massive budget deficit, almost $500 billion a year right now for the U.S. government. And there's really not a lot of money washing around.
So you're right, while Congress wants to make good on what President Bush has already promised, I think there's a sense in both parties that it's probably a good idea to try to get as much private -- as many private donations and not just depend upon U.S. taxpayers. You're right. Right now the till is pretty empty.
COSTELLO: And, you know, even some members of Congress are suggesting taking the money out of the Iraqi reconstruction fund. But come on. That's not going to happen.
HENRY: Yes. Well Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy mentioned that. Now, he had -- what he was saying was that there are a lot of unspent Iraqi reconstruction funds that the administration has not yet spent. He was suggesting maybe take the money out and replenish it later.
But I think you're right. I think particularly the White House does not want to drag Iraq into the tsunami situation. There's obviously enough controversy about the war Iraq, about how much money is going over there, about these upcoming elections. Everyone wants to make sure the violence comes down. They don't want to drag the tsunami situation in the Iraq situation.
COSTELLO: Ed Henry live in Washington this morning. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 4, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Assassins strike in Baghdad and they hit a high level target.
Also, a runway mishap in Indonesia holds up tsunami relief efforts and you won't believe what the culprit was.
Plus, taking the oath. Inauguration day is coming up with all of its patriotism, pageantry and very expensive parties.
It is Tuesday, January 4.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, hundreds of U.S. Marines are arriving in Sri Lanka this morning. They'll join another contingent that arrived yesterday. They're bringing water purifying equipment, plastic tarps and wood beams to build temporary shelters. About 20 military ships and more than 10,000 Marines and sailors are taking part in that effort.
Overnight, the governor of Baghdad Province was killed, along with one of his bodyguards. The assassination comes after an oil tanker explodes near the green zone, killing 10 people and injuring almost 60.
CNN has obtained a document from a congressional source that appears to show that Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac, knew 15 years ago that its drug was more likely to cause suicide than other anti- depressants. The document has yet to be authenticated. Eli Lily says it will have no comment until it can see the actual document.
Five suspects have been indicted in the arsons at a housing development in Maryland. The December fires damaged or destroyed 40 unoccupied homes. There were no injuries. The indictment does not list a motive.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: Secretary of State Colin Powell is pledging America's full support in the tsunami relief effort. Powell is in Thailand this morning, getting a firsthand look at some of the worst damage in the tsunami disaster. He says America may be able to do more to help identify victims and he's offering U.S. help to establish an early warning system for future tsunamis.
In the meantime, there are still thousands of Americans missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 Americans that we're trying to get track of. I don't know how many of them were in Thailand, how many were elsewhere. And I don't even know if they should be called missing. We're just trying to track them down. They are identified to us as a result of calls that have come in from their family members. And so we hope that that number will be reduced in the days ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Aid flights into the epicenter of the tsunami disaster hit a serious snag today, in the form of a water buffalo, of all things. But the determined relief workers have managed to avert a crisis.
Our senior Asian correspondent Mike Chinoy on the scene in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
Live to the airport there now -- hello, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, you're right, a water buffalo brought much of the aid effort to a halt, just showing just how underdeveloped this part of Indonesia is. A civilian cargo plane ran into a water buffalo, damaged part of the plane's wheel system. And, as a result, the plane was stuck and blocked the main runway here for most of the day.
Because of that, none of the fixed wing transport aircraft that were flying in vital relief supplies could land here. And it took the combined effort of U.S., Australian and Indonesian military personnel to jerry rig a contraption that allowed them to drag that aircraft off the runway.
Just a few moments ago, a Singaporean c130 transport took off. That runway now back in use. U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Captain Matt Klunder was one of those who was involved in this salvage operation and he said it came -- it didn't come a moment -- it couldn't have come a moment too soon because otherwise the whole aid effort could have been in jeopardy.
COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy reporting live from Banda Aceh this morning.
Thank you, Mike. Many tsunami survivors are now trying to turn the tide. They're committed to moving forward from the disaster despite haunting memories of the killer waves that swept in and devoured their homes, hotels and loved ones.
Live to our Aneesh Raman.
He's in Phuket, Thailand, once a paradise -- hello, Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
It is the struggle being felt by everyone here, trying to rebuild and rebuild quickly, all the while coming to grips with the enormous reality of what has taken place here.
We also have to report to that you that earlier today, Secretary of State Colin Powell arriving on Phuket Island, alongside President Bush's brother, Jeb Bush. They are beginning a tour of the region.
Here on Phuket, they visited the rescue and relief operations, the heart of the operations for the entire area. They expressed condolences for those who have been involved in this catastrophe.
It is a unique trip, Carol, in terms of the relative meetings they'll have elsewhere in the region.
Here, the Thai government is not looking for money. I spoke with the Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, over the weekend. It is not financial aid, but a very grim situation they need help with -- forensic identification of bodies. There are thousands that they are finding now and they are so heavily decomposed. And there are, as we say, so many, it is just too much for the Thai government to handle.
A large number are presumed to be foreign tourists who were here. Foreign governments very keen on trying to preserve any part of the identification process for those families of these that perished. And so Secretary of State Powell extending that support to the Thai government -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I just wanted to ask you about a picture, a bit of video that we just saw with the people there running up to the Navy helicopter pilots.
Tell us more about that and the reception that Americans have gotten there.
RAMAN: They've been generally well received, obviously, because they are a big part of the aid effort. The outlying areas are just now -- the relief efforts are just now getting to those most devastated parts. And those people now, for about a week and a half, have been without a consistent supply of food or water. So you can imagine how relieved, how excited, but also how enormous the sort of -- the ground swelling of activity would be.
So a big concern on the ground here, as elsewhere in the region, is trying to get relief to those who need it in an organized way. And so far, as far as we can tell here, Carol, that seems to be happening. The devastated areas in the outlying regions not as huge in terms of the populations there as you'd find elsewhere in the region. So they're having an easier time of getting relief to those people in a very organized fashion.
COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live from Phuket, Thailand this morning.
Thank you.
Be sure to stay with CNN for more complete coverage of the tsunami disaster. That includes our prime time special "Turning the Tide," which gets under way every night this week at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Much more to come on DAYBREAK, though.
Some alarming allegations about a major drug maker and one of its most popular drugs. There might be some things you have not been told about Prozac.
Also, in the wake of the tsunami disaster, Americans are opening their hearts and their wallets. But are the victims getting what you're giving? We'll tell you how to make sure. Actually, Ali Velshi will.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, January 4.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": A very important thing is to rebalance your portfolio. If you were investing, say, 80 percent of that money in stock funds and 20 percent in bond funds, at the end of every year, bring it back to those proportions. Your stocks may have done better than bonds and become a larger percentage of your portfolio.
What you do then is you sell some of your stocks and put that money into bonds and bring it back to that 80-20 mix. And what this does is it allows you to put some money into a sector that's lagging, but that may do well the next year. So it also brings back the risk- reward proportions to the right level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
2004 was a very rough year for some women on Wall Street.
Oh, but not for our Carrie Lee.
She's live at the Nasdaq market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a pretty good year, Carol.
2005 hopefully even better.
Interesting here, of the Fortune 500 companies in the United States, eight of them are run by women. And if you take a look at the performance of these companies for 2004, not so great. They actually underperformed the broad market, as measured by the S&P for the year. However, 2003 was such a successful year for these companies that if you collectively take their winnings or their stock gains over the past two years, the women really came out ahead. So not so bad if you look at 2003 and 2004 together.
Taking a look at some of the specific companies, Carly Fiorina is head of Hewlett-Packard, of course, the Dow component, the computer company. That Sri Lanka number 11 on the Fortune 500 list. Shares fell 9 percent in 2004.
Other companies run by women, Pathmark and Rite-Aid. They also had a down year. The other five -- Xerox, Marant, Lucent, Avon Products and Golden West Financial. You can see all the logos for those companies here.
And there may be a new kid on the block this year, 2005, as fast growing eBay, led by Meg Whitman, could possibly crack the top 500, Carol.
We'll see.
COSTELLO: Oh, I think so. EBay is a good bet.
LEE: A very good bet. The stock has done very well and the company continues to expand, of course, on a global level at this point. So that's been (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Yes.
Tell us how the futures are looking this morning.
LEE: Yes, a quickly look at futures. Things looking pretty good. Futures set for a higher open at this point. Remember, though, that's what we saw yesterday and we actually ended up finishing quite a bit lower, especially for the Nasdaq, losing over 1 percent. We'll get a look at auto and truck sales later today for recent performance. And we're keeping an eye on General Motors, which, as you know, recently rolled out that red tag incentive program and ad campaign and see if that helped the company's sales at all.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq market site.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
U.S. Marines are arriving in Sri Lanka to help survivors of the tsunami disaster. As many as 1,200 Marines will be deployed along with bulldozers, generators, food and medical supplies.
CNN has obtained a supposedly internal document from drug maker Eli Lilly on possible dangers from Prozac use. The document appears to show that the drug maker knew 15 years ago that patients on Prozac were more likely to attempt suicide than patients on other anti- depressants.
In money news, yes, it is true, the Lingerie Bowl will be back as a Super Bowl half-time alternative. But this time the scantily clad models will not play football. Oh, no. They'll take part in football related challenges instead. I don't know what those are, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a family show.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
The show's sponsor will remain secret until a week before the event.
In culture, even after scores of complaints, only the Fox station in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina decided not to show the reality show "Who's Your Daddy?" last night. The show featured an adopted woman trying to pick her real father out of a group of men. Well, she did, and she won $100,000 for it.
In sports, Friday the deadline for Randy Johnson to officially become a member of the New York Yankees. His trade from the Diamondbacks was approved by the commissioner's office. But Johnson and the Yanks still have to work out that hefty new contract -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Americans are more than willing to help those hurt by the tsunami. But you want to make sure your money is going to those in need, don't you?
Ali Velshi is here to help us know who to donate to and not to get ripped off.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
What we're going to do is we're going to talk about how President Bush has upped the ante. He's asked Americans to give money directly to charities and what that may do is open the door to some scam artists who want to make sure that you are not a victim of scam artists who pop out of the woodwork when there are tragedies.
When we come back on DAYBREAK.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: President Bush wants you to chip in with donations for tsunami survivors and he's called on his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead the flooding effort. Mr. Clinton made the case for giving on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want people here at home in America and throughout the world who are listening to this program to know that if you only have a dollar, $5, $10 to give, if you, a million of you do that, you'll make a huge difference. And it will make a difference and because of the technology today, you can give it and direct it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, give it and direct it, he says.
Let's talk with that about our DAYBREAK contributor Ali Velshi, because a lot of people are worried about getting ripped off or sending their money to something they don't want it to go to.
VELSHI: Yes. And two real separate issues. One is that there are scams out there. People actually come out in disasters and start to gather money for things unrelated to the cause.
COSTELLO: Well, because you remember, after September 11, nobody thought that anyone would scam that, but they did.
VELSHI: Right. You can't imagine that someone would do this. Now, we don't have a lot of reports just yet on actual scams, but sometimes you don't find out about this until a little way down the road.
And then there's the issue, well, those charities that are out there, but not as good at delivering or getting to the end result as some of the more established charities. This is a tough one. So what President Clinton was talking about is that it really is easy to figure this out. This is not high science. Americans are a charitable people. We have learned over the years how to do this effectively. And there are ways to find out. Just check out the charity that is soliciting your donation or that you want to give money to.
Now, it's easy to do. First of all, President Bush's initiative yesterday directs people to usafreedomcorps.gov, which is the White House's press site for volunteerism. And you can go there and check out a bunch of charities.
There are some other sites listed on the page there that you can see. Give.org is a branch of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance; charitynavigator.org, guidestar.org, charitywatch.org, all of these list legitimate charities. It talks about their IRS filings, it tells you what they do and you can at least establish that, OK, this is a legitimate charity. I can give money to them. It also rates them and tells you how much they spend in terms of administration. How much of the money gets to the end.
COSTELLO: OK, that's cool information. You can get it easy.
But what are some of the red flags we should be looking for?
VELSHI: OK. Well, first of all, if anybody calls you, you want to be able to call them back. They have to have a phone number and an address. Just because the name sounds like it has something to do with the tsunami or earthquake doesn't mean it does. You want to make sure that the payments that they solicit from you go to the organization. If a payment is going to an individual, that's a red flag. If there's not enough detail about their programs, how they deliver the donations or the goods, the expenses that they undertake, if they refuse to take checks or credit cards -- you do not want to be sending cash in the mail.
COSTELLO: Oh, and don't give your credit card number over the phone.
VELSHI: Don't give your credit card number over the phone. If you want to know more, if you're doubtful, the organization should be able to give you written information, or at least direct you to written information. Pressure to make on the spot donations is a red flag. This is not an overdue credit card bill. This is a donation. You should be able to understand what you're giving.
Nobody should be offering to send a runner to your house to pick up your donation.
COSTELLO: What?
VELSHI: People do this. If somebody says -- you should be able to mail it or put your credit card on the Internet or send a payment in that way. If less than 65 percent of your money goes to the cause, that's a red flag. It doesn't mean it's illegitimate, it just means the organization may not be effective. So you want to know how much of the money you give goes to the cause. And no clear plans for the funds after the disaster relief, because people may collect a lot of money.
COSTELLO: You've got that right.
All right, thank you, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
COSTELLO: And I'm sure you'll be watching out for the scam artists because they will be coming out of the woodwork.
VELSHI: Will do. I've got a keen eye out for them.
COSTELLO: I know you do.
Still to come this hour, it's back to work today for law makers on Capitol Hill. One key issue, how to make good on America's promise to tsunami survivors.
Plus, relief workers in one of the hardest hit nations are getting some extra help. The Marines have landed.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you.
Welcome to the last half hour of DAYBREAK.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
We have a bit of developing news to tell you about right now. An assassination in Iraq this morning. With only 26 days until Iraq's national election, gunmen ambush and kill the governor of Baghdad Province.
To CNN's Jeff Koinange.
He's live in Baghdad for more on this and a new explosion we've just heard about -- hello, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol.
His name is Ali al-Haidari and he was in a three car convoy with about six bodyguards, heavily armed, driving from work to the office early this morning when they were ambushed by unidentified gunmen who sprayed his car with machine gun fire, killing the governor and a bodyguard, wounding two other bodyguards, who have been taken to nearby hospitals.
U.S. military officials sealed the entire area. Helicopters hovering overhead. We understand that this is not the first attempt on the governor's life. Three months ago, a similar ambush. They killed two bodyguards then. The governor was unwounded in that attack. The governor becomes the highest ranking official of Iraq's interim government to be assassinated. Way back in May, eight months ago, the president of the Governing Coalition, the Governing Council, Izzadine Saleem, was ambushed and assassinated in his vehicle. He was the ranking -- the highest ranking member then to be assassinated.
This time around, this is the highest ranking member with less than 30 days to go before that January 30 election -- Carol.
COSTELLO: There was other violence, too, in Iraq this morning, Jeff.
Tell us about that.
KOINANGE: Yes.
We understand about 9:00 this morning local Baghdad time an oil tanker laden with explosives crashed through a police checkpoint, heading toward the police command headquarters right outside the green zone. The truck exploded, sending huge clouds of black smoke into the air. We understand eyewitnesses say there were charred bodies littering the road. So far we understand there are 10 people dead in that, including eight Iraqi commandos and two civilians. As many as 60 people wounded, taken to nearby hospitals.
Carol, it seems like the insurgents are stepping up their attacks day by day in the run-up to the January 30th elections -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange live in Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
America's generosity is front and center now. But the question remains, where is that $350 million presidential pledge to tsunami survivors coming from?
Congress will grapple with that today.
Live to Washington and CNN Congressional correspondent Ed Henry -- good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So the president is saying that this money will come out of the general budget. But I thought that budget was very tight.
Is there enough money to take that amount out?
HENRY: There is. There's about $350 million in a special account at the State Department that will be used in the short-term to deliver the aid to the victims of the tsunami. What Congress will do today is both the House and Senate will pass non-binding resolutions pointing out that the U.S. Congress will make good on that $350 million. Once it is spent, Congress later this month will replenish the account, because obviously the State Department had it in their account for other purposes. They're now using it for the tsunami.
Later this month, Congress will replenish those accounts and then possibly pass an emergency spending bill that adds more aid. But Congress wants to wait a couple of weeks just to see exactly how much aid is needed.
COSTELLO: Well, you know what the worry is here, that taking that amount of money from the general budget could affect things like, you know, those permanent tax cuts.
HENRY: Well, the bottom line, part of the reason why, as you were talking about former President Clinton and former President Bush coming forward and urging more private donations, is you're right, there is a massive budget deficit, almost $500 billion a year right now for the U.S. government. And there's really not a lot of money washing around.
So you're right, while Congress wants to make good on what President Bush has already promised, I think there's a sense in both parties that it's probably a good idea to try to get as much private -- as many private donations and not just depend upon U.S. taxpayers. You're right. Right now the till is pretty empty.
COSTELLO: And, you know, even some members of Congress are suggesting taking the money out of the Iraqi reconstruction fund. But come on. That's not going to happen.
HENRY: Yes. Well Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy mentioned that. Now, he had -- what he was saying was that there are a lot of unspent Iraqi reconstruction funds that the administration has not yet spent. He was suggesting maybe take the money out and replenish it later.
But I think you're right. I think particularly the White House does not want to drag Iraq into the tsunami situation. There's obviously enough controversy about the war Iraq, about how much money is going over there, about these upcoming elections. Everyone wants to make sure the violence comes down. They don't want to drag the tsunami situation in the Iraq situation.
COSTELLO: Ed Henry live in Washington this morning. Thank you.
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