Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Frustrating, Difficult Times For Those Who Are Searching For Their Loved Ones; Governor of Baghdad Assassinated

Aired January 04, 2005 - 07:00   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the scene as tsunami relief pours in. The challenge, getting it where it is needed most.
In Sri Lanka, U.S. Marines now ready to hand out aid and rebuild roads there, that is if that country will allow it.

Unpredictable problems causing serious delays, a key airport in Indonesia closed when a supply plane hits a herd of cows.

And a developing story in Iraq, a major political figure assassinated on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: Good morning, good morning everyone. Seven o'clock here in New York. I'm Bill Hemmer. Soledad, again today, in Phuket, Thailand. That's where we begin our broadcast.

Soledad, good morning, or we should say good evening there in Thailand. Hello.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: That is right. It's 12 hours ahead, Bill, it is evening time here in Phuket, Thailand. A day of wrapping up for many of the people here who have a big, big job ahead of them.

As you well know, Secretary of State Colin Powell toured the region today along with President Bush's brother, Jeb Bush. Secretary of State spoke to reporters about the efforts to find some of the missing Americans. Those numbers, very unclear, as the secretary of State points out. Let's listen to a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, U.S. 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. So, we hope that number will be reduced in the days ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Those comments taking place at an area where they have set up a makeshift wall. You may have seen those pictures along with that wall, of course, photos of some of the missing people, thousands that are now missing. They have been tacked up on that wall along with some crucial contact information. It's truly heartbreaking to see.

The center, this is, of the efforts to try to track the missing. The embassies and the consulates have set up temporary offices there. And people gather every morning to get a any kind of glimmer of hope and information about their loved one. News of anyone in a hospital, news of any new victims, whose bodies have been discovered.

It's in light of frankly the terrible conditions that those bodies are in. We are more than a week past this tragedy, and the condition of these bodies at this point, utterly unrecognizable for the bodies; when they're pulled out of the water in many cases, bloated beyond any possible recognition. On Phi Phi Island, bodies then stacked up on the pier, as the workers remove those and also try to dig other remains out that are still there.

It makes it, of course, all the more difficult for those still searching when the bodies are found, there is no way really to tell just who exactly has been found.

We have stories of survivors, and how they made it. They're incredible, of course, but in case after case you hear how they were unable to hold on to that baby who slipped through their grasp, or unable to finally hang on to their spouse as the water pushed them through a bungalow.

The scope of this tragedy, and it continues to grow, but the scope is just tremendous. We have much more, obviously, here in Phuket for you later, Bill?

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. So many stories, too. Back to you in a moment.

Soledad, one of the small army of CNN reporters reporting on the tsunami from South Asia for us today. Let's get you caught up today on the latest developments as we have them now.

The number of dead, just under 155,000; 4,000 to 5,000 Americans listed as missing. But the State Department believes most of them will be located. They are cautious about that overall figure.

More and bigger American helicopters bringing relief supplies to remote areas of Sumatra. A Marine force is in Sri Lanka, among their a half million pounds of supplies, they have food and water, broad medical capability, and road-building equipment, there in Sri Lanka.

Former presidents, George Bush, the president's father, and Bill Clinton, now spearheading an appeal for private donations in this country. Many celebrities are sending cash as well. A telethon to raise funds has been announced for next Saturday the 15 of January.

Back to Phuket now, and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right. Bill. In fact, let's talk a little bit about some of the relief efforts. Planes that were carrying relief supplies into some of the hardest hit areas in Indonesia were halted after there was an accident on an airport runway. Mike Chinoy has details on that for us this evening.

Mike?

MIKE CHINOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

Behind me is a sight that has pleased many of the people here at Banda Aceh Airport, immensely. It is an Indonesian Air Force C-130, it flew in within the last half hour. Folks are unloading boxes of food, medical supplies that will be then loaded on the U.S. Navy helicopters, in the morning, for delivery to people in the hardest hit areas.

This was the first plane in for 18 hours because of a very bizarre accident, a Boeing 737, a commercial cargo flight flew in, as it was taxiing down the runway, it bumped into a water buffalo and sustained damage, which left it stuck on the one and only runway here. For almost 18 hours, all fixed-wing flights into Banda Aceh Airport, which is the nerve center for the operation, were halted.

That was a source of immense frustration to all the aid workers here, to the crews on U.S. choppers, who were waiting to get that aid. They say if the problem had not been solved today, by tomorrow they would have run out of supplies to deliver. But luckily, Australian, American and Indonesian military personnel, together, jerry rigged a contraption, managed to drag that plane off the runway. Within minutes, the transport planes started arriving again. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Mike Chinoy, very frustrating, obviously, for those who are desperately awaiting that relief.

Let's talk about the frustrating and difficult times for those who are searching for their loved ones. It is obviously a terrible thing to be the lucky on one hand to survive, but on the other hand, to be searching for someone who you cannot possibly find.

In some ways it's been described as searching for a needle in a haystack. Franky Gun joins us now. He was living near Bunyang (ph) Beach, which is in Khao Loc.

FRANKY GUN, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: Yes.

O'BRIEN: You were being visited by your parents. You were in your bungalow. How far is that from the water?

GUN: The house was about 150 meters away from the water.

O'BRIEN: What happened? What did you hear before the tsunami actually struck?

GUN: First it was -- first the power went down. So everything got quiet. Then outside I heard people running and screaming. At the same time you could hear the sound of the water, but at that time I did not know what it was all about. I did not know it was water. I thought maybe there was a fire or something like that.

Then you could just hear houses breaking and trees falling. And you could hear the sound of the electric poles falling down, because they were all in a row. They just ...

O'BRIEN: Like a domino.

GUN: ...fell down, one by one. The earth was shaking. It was just a terrible sound. You cannot describe it. If you have not heard it, it just like all mixes up into a very, very weird tone. It's just terrible.

O'BRIEN: You were hit by the water. I know that you were in your bungalow along with your mom and dad, who are in their 70s.

GUN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What happened to you?

GUN: We were in the house, and first when I saw the water, my mother was screaming the water is coming, the water is coming. I still didn't know what was going on. So I thought water tower fell down or something like that. Then I said OK, just like 10,000 meters of water, it's better to stay inside. It's safer.

Then we saw that the water was -- it was going up, and very rapidly going up because we had glass front doors. And I just shouted we have to get out of here. Try to open the kitchen door. It was not possible because of the water outside. Then I went to throw something into a window or something, at that time the water was about this high. One meter or something like that, and the front door broke.

O'BRIEN: And the water gushed in.

GUN: The water just rushed in. It just basically flushed me through the kitchen window. My parents went through the kitchen door. We were all flushed out of the house. No chance to hold on to anything.

O'BRIEN: Was that the last time you have seen your parents?

GUN: Exactly. I turned around after I went through the window. I turned around and tried to locate them. I looked at the house, at that time the water was this high up to the ceiling. And I didn't see anybody there.

I was just shouting at the house, mom, dad, you have to get out of there. You have to get out of there. Then the second wave came. It just like hit me and pushed me underwater.

O'BRIEN: You have seen the damage and how bad it is. You have seen what they have been recovering. Do you think your parents have survived this? GUN: To be honest, no. Because I almost drowned. And I was in the diving industry for about seven years before. So I am a diving instructor, and I have a lot to do with water and everything. I almost drowned in it. It was like -- the force behind the water, you cannot -- if you have not felt it yourself, you cannot imagine how hard it hits you.

O'BRIEN: The descriptions have been unbelievable.

GUN: My parents, they were 75 and 64 years old. And they were not sporty anymore, you know? My father, he had a heart pacemaker.

O'BRIEN: You don't think there's any way they could have made it?

GUN: After -- when it was over, I just like, instinctively knew they couldn't have made it, otherwise it must be a miracle. Like if a boat picked them up or something.

O'BRIEN: I hope if there is a miracle, I hope it's yours. Thanks for talking to us. I know it's a terrible time. I know everyone is still in shock. We certainly appreciate it.

Bill, that story and stories like that are so numerous here. The good news, he survived. The bad news, he is fairly confident his parents have not. Back to you.

HEMMER: Maybe his own diving ability helped to save his own life, too. Soledad, thanks. The stories continue from Phuket Island and all over Southeast Asia.

There is also breaking news this morning out of Iraq. The governor of Baghdad has been assassinated, and six of his bodyguards were killed during an ambush by militants. To Baghdad and CNN's Jeff Koinange watching this story and more.

Jeff, hello there.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill

His name is Ali Al Haidri (ph), the powerful governor of Baghdad, one of the senior-ranking members of Iraq's interim government.

Here is what we know, Bill. He was in a three-car convoy, along with his six heavily armed bodyguards, heading from home to the office, when they were intercepted by unnamed gunmen. They started firing into his vehicle, riddled it with bullets. The governor was killed, including eight bodyguards. Several others have been wounded and have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Bill, this is the second such attempt on the governor's life in three months. Back in September, a similar ambush killed two bodyguards. But the governor then walked away unharmed. This time he wasn't so lucky.

At the same time, Bill, we are hearing the suicide bombings continue here in the capitol of Baghdad. Early this morning a suicide bomber inside an oil tanker full of petrol and laden with explosives crashed through a police checkpoint. His target was Iraq's police command headquarters, right outside the Green Zone.

We understand black smoke filled the sky, huge explosion, charred bodies littered the streets. So far, according to officials, 10 are dead including eight Iraqi commandos and two civilians, over 60 wounded. That number could go up even higher, Bill.

HEMMER: Jeff Koinange, reporting live there in Baghdad, with the latest on what's happening there today.

Back here in New York now, want to say good morning to Heidi Collins, with other headlines for us.

Nice to see you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning to you, everybody.

"Now in the News": The Bush administration is reportedly planning its overhaul of Social Security. According to sources cited by "The Washington Post," President Bush is proposing changes to the formula for calculating initial Social Security benefits. The change involves linking benefits to inflation rates, instead of the rise in wages. The proposed plan is expected to cut initial benefits by one- third in the years ahead.

And the House will vote today to reverse a rule that would allow House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to stay in power if he's indicted. DeLay is being investigated in a campaign finance probe in Texas. By reversing the rule, DeLay could eventually lose his post, yet he has supported the measure.

In sports, Auburn University, one step closer to winning a national title. The Tigers completed a perfect season last night by defeating Virginia Tech 16-13 in the Sugar Bowl. It's the first 13-win season for Auburn.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Southern California, number two, Oklahoma, both unbeaten, battle it out tonight in the Orange Bowl.

No end in sight for the bad weather in California. Another storm dropped up to two feet of snow in the mountains closing a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 5, that is north of L.A. Forecasters say another round of storms is expected to move in later this week.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

HEMMER: The U.S. pledging $350 million for relief for the tsunami. Can the U.S. afford that money, while facing a record federal deficit? The Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is my guest in a moment. He's also a doctor; he heads for the region today. We'll talk to him.

COLLINS: And back in 2002, Agent Coleen Rowley blasted the FBI for bungling intelligence. Now retired, does she think anything has been fixed? She'll talk to us, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Back at 18 minutes now, past the hour.

How has the FBI changed since 9/11? Back in 2002, Coleen Rowley was named one of "Time's Persons of the Year" when she accused the agency of blowing its chance to uncover the plot of 9/11. On CNN "Security Watch" this morning, the state of the FBI today and Coleen Rowley is my guest this morning in Minneapolis.

Good morning to you. Welcome back to our program here.

COLEEN ROWLEY, FORMER FBI AGENT: Hi.

HEMMER: Want to take you back to 2002. At a Senate hearing you said in part, the following: "We have a culture in the FBI that there's a certain pecking order and it's pretty strong. It's very rare that somebody picks up the phone and calls a rank or two above themselves."

This goes to your criticism that there was a lack of aggression within the FBI. Has that changed three and a half years later, Coleen?

ROWLEY: As I just retired from the FBI, I would say there's been a sea change of difference in that respect. We are gathering and disseminating information and intelligence very proactively and very aggressively.

HEMMER: What about computer modernization, technology? Has that gone hand in hand, if that's the case? If your argument's true, that aggression has stepped up and gone better?

ROWLEY: Yes, despite the fact that not all of the technology has been put into place, a lot of the data mining software has occurred. So, we are able to check databases effectively and see what we already know about a particular suspect.

The problem is some of the aggressive investigation also carries new challenges. And that is where the opportunity for a civil liberties oversight board would, at this point, come into play.

HEMMER: Tell me a little bit more about that. This is one of your big issues, by the way. If people have not been following this. There was a provision passed back in December that would make sure the civil liberties of the U.S. citizens and those living here are protected. What is your big concern, in this area, that you see as a danger for citizens across the country?

ROWLEY: Well, I see it more as an opportunity at this point. It's one of the 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. And it's a way that we can have our cake and eat it, too. Since we are engaging in very aggressive intelligence collection, which can infringe on privacy and civil liberties, we need some oversight to monitor the type of things so we do not engage in any abuses.

HEMMER: Do you think we crossed the line yet, or are you concerned about some day down the road?

ROWLEY: Well, it's very tricky. Little mistakes can occur. I think it's better if you deal with those things before they become bigger. We don't want to get to a point where we have endemic mistakes, like that which occurred in the summer of 2001. We don't want to see those things go over any time span where they get worse and are not able to be dealt with effectively.

HEMMER: What happened in the summer of 2001, Coleen? What are you referring to?

ROWLEY: Well, for many years there was an intelligence wall that existed that prevented sharing of criminal and intelligence information. And this went on for many years before, of course, 9/11 occurred, which really was one of the major problems that allowed 9/11 to occur.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time this morning, Coleen Rowley. Congratulations on your retirement. You reached a certain level of tenure with the FBI, and you're taking that and your pension. And starting a new area of your life. Good luck to you. Thanks again for your time.

ROWLEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: Colleen Rowley in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stay tuned to CNN night and day for the most reliable news about your security.

It is 22 minutes, now, past the hour. Break here in a moment.

Is there any end in sight to falling gas prices? Andy is "Minding Your Business", details in a moment as we continue here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Hey, drivers get another dose of good news. Here to tell us about it is Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business" now.

This is nice.

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": Yes, it is. I'm always glad, Heidi, to be sharing good news with you.

COLLINS: Me, too.

SERWER: Absolutely, the price of gasoline falling again last week. Nine weeks in a row now, $1.78 a gallon nationwide. Of course, the reason it's falling, oil prices, a price of a barrel of oil now below $43. Oil makes up 50 percent of the price of gasoline. Cheapest gas in the United States in the major city is Houston, at $1.63 a gallon.

And price -- to answer Bill Hemmer's question, price of gasoline will fall as long as oil continues to drop the way it has been. As far as the markets go this morning, yesterday, let's check in there, a down day. We got off to a good start. But stocks kind of beat a retreat after some profit-taking took hold. It looks this morning, though, that futures are up, except for one stock.

Get a load of this, Amazon.com, Smith Barney putting a sell on the stock, very, very unusual, particularly for a company doing as well as Amazon did. They had a record Christmas. But Smith Barney is concerned about sales at the end of the year. That stock is down about 3.5 percent in pre-market trading.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot of people spending those gift certificates.

SERWER: Yes, I guess so.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks.

HEMMER: Good quality, too.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: We're off to a great start. I just wrote on Jack's shirt, by the way.

COLLINS: That will get you points.

SERWER: That is going to get you in good graces, right there.

HEMMER: Guilty party, right here.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll send you a cleaning bill.

Here is a surprise, four, a grand total of four Arab nations are offering help for the tsunami victims. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, and The United Arab Emirates have reportedly offered a grand total of $24 million. By contrast, Norway, a country with a gross domestic product half the size of New Jersey's, has pledged $180 million to help.

Saudi Arabia, which has pledged a grand total of $10 million all by itself, gave $155 million in 2002 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, the United States government has pledged $350 million in aid and launched a massive private fund drive to help the victims. And we're being criticized for that.

Some Sri Lankan professor says that the United States aid is so high it is intruding into India's sphere of influence in the region. I mean, you just can't win.

SERWER: Yeah.

CAFFERTY: So where is the support from those Middle East countries that have long-standing ties with Southeast Asia? Indonesia, after all, is the most heavily populated Muslim nation on this earth. Here is the question: Are Arab countries doing enough to aid tsunami victims?

HEMMER: We should send Sandra Bullock over to Saudi Arabia.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: She gave a million bucks yesterday?

COLLINS: Yes.

SERWER: Yes, that's right.

HEMMER: Great, Jack. Good question.

Let's get a break here. We know President Bush and President Clinton helping this fund-raising dream team. How much will they help raise in this country? We'll talk about it in a moment here, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the scene as tsunami relief pours in. The challenge, getting it where it is needed most.
In Sri Lanka, U.S. Marines now ready to hand out aid and rebuild roads there, that is if that country will allow it.

Unpredictable problems causing serious delays, a key airport in Indonesia closed when a supply plane hits a herd of cows.

And a developing story in Iraq, a major political figure assassinated on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: Good morning, good morning everyone. Seven o'clock here in New York. I'm Bill Hemmer. Soledad, again today, in Phuket, Thailand. That's where we begin our broadcast.

Soledad, good morning, or we should say good evening there in Thailand. Hello.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: That is right. It's 12 hours ahead, Bill, it is evening time here in Phuket, Thailand. A day of wrapping up for many of the people here who have a big, big job ahead of them.

As you well know, Secretary of State Colin Powell toured the region today along with President Bush's brother, Jeb Bush. Secretary of State spoke to reporters about the efforts to find some of the missing Americans. Those numbers, very unclear, as the secretary of State points out. Let's listen to a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, U.S. 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. So, we hope that number will be reduced in the days ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Those comments taking place at an area where they have set up a makeshift wall. You may have seen those pictures along with that wall, of course, photos of some of the missing people, thousands that are now missing. They have been tacked up on that wall along with some crucial contact information. It's truly heartbreaking to see.

The center, this is, of the efforts to try to track the missing. The embassies and the consulates have set up temporary offices there. And people gather every morning to get a any kind of glimmer of hope and information about their loved one. News of anyone in a hospital, news of any new victims, whose bodies have been discovered.

It's in light of frankly the terrible conditions that those bodies are in. We are more than a week past this tragedy, and the condition of these bodies at this point, utterly unrecognizable for the bodies; when they're pulled out of the water in many cases, bloated beyond any possible recognition. On Phi Phi Island, bodies then stacked up on the pier, as the workers remove those and also try to dig other remains out that are still there.

It makes it, of course, all the more difficult for those still searching when the bodies are found, there is no way really to tell just who exactly has been found.

We have stories of survivors, and how they made it. They're incredible, of course, but in case after case you hear how they were unable to hold on to that baby who slipped through their grasp, or unable to finally hang on to their spouse as the water pushed them through a bungalow.

The scope of this tragedy, and it continues to grow, but the scope is just tremendous. We have much more, obviously, here in Phuket for you later, Bill?

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. So many stories, too. Back to you in a moment.

Soledad, one of the small army of CNN reporters reporting on the tsunami from South Asia for us today. Let's get you caught up today on the latest developments as we have them now.

The number of dead, just under 155,000; 4,000 to 5,000 Americans listed as missing. But the State Department believes most of them will be located. They are cautious about that overall figure.

More and bigger American helicopters bringing relief supplies to remote areas of Sumatra. A Marine force is in Sri Lanka, among their a half million pounds of supplies, they have food and water, broad medical capability, and road-building equipment, there in Sri Lanka.

Former presidents, George Bush, the president's father, and Bill Clinton, now spearheading an appeal for private donations in this country. Many celebrities are sending cash as well. A telethon to raise funds has been announced for next Saturday the 15 of January.

Back to Phuket now, and Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right. Bill. In fact, let's talk a little bit about some of the relief efforts. Planes that were carrying relief supplies into some of the hardest hit areas in Indonesia were halted after there was an accident on an airport runway. Mike Chinoy has details on that for us this evening.

Mike?

MIKE CHINOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

Behind me is a sight that has pleased many of the people here at Banda Aceh Airport, immensely. It is an Indonesian Air Force C-130, it flew in within the last half hour. Folks are unloading boxes of food, medical supplies that will be then loaded on the U.S. Navy helicopters, in the morning, for delivery to people in the hardest hit areas.

This was the first plane in for 18 hours because of a very bizarre accident, a Boeing 737, a commercial cargo flight flew in, as it was taxiing down the runway, it bumped into a water buffalo and sustained damage, which left it stuck on the one and only runway here. For almost 18 hours, all fixed-wing flights into Banda Aceh Airport, which is the nerve center for the operation, were halted.

That was a source of immense frustration to all the aid workers here, to the crews on U.S. choppers, who were waiting to get that aid. They say if the problem had not been solved today, by tomorrow they would have run out of supplies to deliver. But luckily, Australian, American and Indonesian military personnel, together, jerry rigged a contraption, managed to drag that plane off the runway. Within minutes, the transport planes started arriving again. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Mike Chinoy, very frustrating, obviously, for those who are desperately awaiting that relief.

Let's talk about the frustrating and difficult times for those who are searching for their loved ones. It is obviously a terrible thing to be the lucky on one hand to survive, but on the other hand, to be searching for someone who you cannot possibly find.

In some ways it's been described as searching for a needle in a haystack. Franky Gun joins us now. He was living near Bunyang (ph) Beach, which is in Khao Loc.

FRANKY GUN, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: Yes.

O'BRIEN: You were being visited by your parents. You were in your bungalow. How far is that from the water?

GUN: The house was about 150 meters away from the water.

O'BRIEN: What happened? What did you hear before the tsunami actually struck?

GUN: First it was -- first the power went down. So everything got quiet. Then outside I heard people running and screaming. At the same time you could hear the sound of the water, but at that time I did not know what it was all about. I did not know it was water. I thought maybe there was a fire or something like that.

Then you could just hear houses breaking and trees falling. And you could hear the sound of the electric poles falling down, because they were all in a row. They just ...

O'BRIEN: Like a domino.

GUN: ...fell down, one by one. The earth was shaking. It was just a terrible sound. You cannot describe it. If you have not heard it, it just like all mixes up into a very, very weird tone. It's just terrible.

O'BRIEN: You were hit by the water. I know that you were in your bungalow along with your mom and dad, who are in their 70s.

GUN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What happened to you?

GUN: We were in the house, and first when I saw the water, my mother was screaming the water is coming, the water is coming. I still didn't know what was going on. So I thought water tower fell down or something like that. Then I said OK, just like 10,000 meters of water, it's better to stay inside. It's safer.

Then we saw that the water was -- it was going up, and very rapidly going up because we had glass front doors. And I just shouted we have to get out of here. Try to open the kitchen door. It was not possible because of the water outside. Then I went to throw something into a window or something, at that time the water was about this high. One meter or something like that, and the front door broke.

O'BRIEN: And the water gushed in.

GUN: The water just rushed in. It just basically flushed me through the kitchen window. My parents went through the kitchen door. We were all flushed out of the house. No chance to hold on to anything.

O'BRIEN: Was that the last time you have seen your parents?

GUN: Exactly. I turned around after I went through the window. I turned around and tried to locate them. I looked at the house, at that time the water was this high up to the ceiling. And I didn't see anybody there.

I was just shouting at the house, mom, dad, you have to get out of there. You have to get out of there. Then the second wave came. It just like hit me and pushed me underwater.

O'BRIEN: You have seen the damage and how bad it is. You have seen what they have been recovering. Do you think your parents have survived this? GUN: To be honest, no. Because I almost drowned. And I was in the diving industry for about seven years before. So I am a diving instructor, and I have a lot to do with water and everything. I almost drowned in it. It was like -- the force behind the water, you cannot -- if you have not felt it yourself, you cannot imagine how hard it hits you.

O'BRIEN: The descriptions have been unbelievable.

GUN: My parents, they were 75 and 64 years old. And they were not sporty anymore, you know? My father, he had a heart pacemaker.

O'BRIEN: You don't think there's any way they could have made it?

GUN: After -- when it was over, I just like, instinctively knew they couldn't have made it, otherwise it must be a miracle. Like if a boat picked them up or something.

O'BRIEN: I hope if there is a miracle, I hope it's yours. Thanks for talking to us. I know it's a terrible time. I know everyone is still in shock. We certainly appreciate it.

Bill, that story and stories like that are so numerous here. The good news, he survived. The bad news, he is fairly confident his parents have not. Back to you.

HEMMER: Maybe his own diving ability helped to save his own life, too. Soledad, thanks. The stories continue from Phuket Island and all over Southeast Asia.

There is also breaking news this morning out of Iraq. The governor of Baghdad has been assassinated, and six of his bodyguards were killed during an ambush by militants. To Baghdad and CNN's Jeff Koinange watching this story and more.

Jeff, hello there.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill

His name is Ali Al Haidri (ph), the powerful governor of Baghdad, one of the senior-ranking members of Iraq's interim government.

Here is what we know, Bill. He was in a three-car convoy, along with his six heavily armed bodyguards, heading from home to the office, when they were intercepted by unnamed gunmen. They started firing into his vehicle, riddled it with bullets. The governor was killed, including eight bodyguards. Several others have been wounded and have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Bill, this is the second such attempt on the governor's life in three months. Back in September, a similar ambush killed two bodyguards. But the governor then walked away unharmed. This time he wasn't so lucky.

At the same time, Bill, we are hearing the suicide bombings continue here in the capitol of Baghdad. Early this morning a suicide bomber inside an oil tanker full of petrol and laden with explosives crashed through a police checkpoint. His target was Iraq's police command headquarters, right outside the Green Zone.

We understand black smoke filled the sky, huge explosion, charred bodies littered the streets. So far, according to officials, 10 are dead including eight Iraqi commandos and two civilians, over 60 wounded. That number could go up even higher, Bill.

HEMMER: Jeff Koinange, reporting live there in Baghdad, with the latest on what's happening there today.

Back here in New York now, want to say good morning to Heidi Collins, with other headlines for us.

Nice to see you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning to you, everybody.

"Now in the News": The Bush administration is reportedly planning its overhaul of Social Security. According to sources cited by "The Washington Post," President Bush is proposing changes to the formula for calculating initial Social Security benefits. The change involves linking benefits to inflation rates, instead of the rise in wages. The proposed plan is expected to cut initial benefits by one- third in the years ahead.

And the House will vote today to reverse a rule that would allow House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to stay in power if he's indicted. DeLay is being investigated in a campaign finance probe in Texas. By reversing the rule, DeLay could eventually lose his post, yet he has supported the measure.

In sports, Auburn University, one step closer to winning a national title. The Tigers completed a perfect season last night by defeating Virginia Tech 16-13 in the Sugar Bowl. It's the first 13-win season for Auburn.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Southern California, number two, Oklahoma, both unbeaten, battle it out tonight in the Orange Bowl.

No end in sight for the bad weather in California. Another storm dropped up to two feet of snow in the mountains closing a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 5, that is north of L.A. Forecasters say another round of storms is expected to move in later this week.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

HEMMER: The U.S. pledging $350 million for relief for the tsunami. Can the U.S. afford that money, while facing a record federal deficit? The Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is my guest in a moment. He's also a doctor; he heads for the region today. We'll talk to him.

COLLINS: And back in 2002, Agent Coleen Rowley blasted the FBI for bungling intelligence. Now retired, does she think anything has been fixed? She'll talk to us, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Back at 18 minutes now, past the hour.

How has the FBI changed since 9/11? Back in 2002, Coleen Rowley was named one of "Time's Persons of the Year" when she accused the agency of blowing its chance to uncover the plot of 9/11. On CNN "Security Watch" this morning, the state of the FBI today and Coleen Rowley is my guest this morning in Minneapolis.

Good morning to you. Welcome back to our program here.

COLEEN ROWLEY, FORMER FBI AGENT: Hi.

HEMMER: Want to take you back to 2002. At a Senate hearing you said in part, the following: "We have a culture in the FBI that there's a certain pecking order and it's pretty strong. It's very rare that somebody picks up the phone and calls a rank or two above themselves."

This goes to your criticism that there was a lack of aggression within the FBI. Has that changed three and a half years later, Coleen?

ROWLEY: As I just retired from the FBI, I would say there's been a sea change of difference in that respect. We are gathering and disseminating information and intelligence very proactively and very aggressively.

HEMMER: What about computer modernization, technology? Has that gone hand in hand, if that's the case? If your argument's true, that aggression has stepped up and gone better?

ROWLEY: Yes, despite the fact that not all of the technology has been put into place, a lot of the data mining software has occurred. So, we are able to check databases effectively and see what we already know about a particular suspect.

The problem is some of the aggressive investigation also carries new challenges. And that is where the opportunity for a civil liberties oversight board would, at this point, come into play.

HEMMER: Tell me a little bit more about that. This is one of your big issues, by the way. If people have not been following this. There was a provision passed back in December that would make sure the civil liberties of the U.S. citizens and those living here are protected. What is your big concern, in this area, that you see as a danger for citizens across the country?

ROWLEY: Well, I see it more as an opportunity at this point. It's one of the 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. And it's a way that we can have our cake and eat it, too. Since we are engaging in very aggressive intelligence collection, which can infringe on privacy and civil liberties, we need some oversight to monitor the type of things so we do not engage in any abuses.

HEMMER: Do you think we crossed the line yet, or are you concerned about some day down the road?

ROWLEY: Well, it's very tricky. Little mistakes can occur. I think it's better if you deal with those things before they become bigger. We don't want to get to a point where we have endemic mistakes, like that which occurred in the summer of 2001. We don't want to see those things go over any time span where they get worse and are not able to be dealt with effectively.

HEMMER: What happened in the summer of 2001, Coleen? What are you referring to?

ROWLEY: Well, for many years there was an intelligence wall that existed that prevented sharing of criminal and intelligence information. And this went on for many years before, of course, 9/11 occurred, which really was one of the major problems that allowed 9/11 to occur.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time this morning, Coleen Rowley. Congratulations on your retirement. You reached a certain level of tenure with the FBI, and you're taking that and your pension. And starting a new area of your life. Good luck to you. Thanks again for your time.

ROWLEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: Colleen Rowley in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stay tuned to CNN night and day for the most reliable news about your security.

It is 22 minutes, now, past the hour. Break here in a moment.

Is there any end in sight to falling gas prices? Andy is "Minding Your Business", details in a moment as we continue here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Hey, drivers get another dose of good news. Here to tell us about it is Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business" now.

This is nice.

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": Yes, it is. I'm always glad, Heidi, to be sharing good news with you.

COLLINS: Me, too.

SERWER: Absolutely, the price of gasoline falling again last week. Nine weeks in a row now, $1.78 a gallon nationwide. Of course, the reason it's falling, oil prices, a price of a barrel of oil now below $43. Oil makes up 50 percent of the price of gasoline. Cheapest gas in the United States in the major city is Houston, at $1.63 a gallon.

And price -- to answer Bill Hemmer's question, price of gasoline will fall as long as oil continues to drop the way it has been. As far as the markets go this morning, yesterday, let's check in there, a down day. We got off to a good start. But stocks kind of beat a retreat after some profit-taking took hold. It looks this morning, though, that futures are up, except for one stock.

Get a load of this, Amazon.com, Smith Barney putting a sell on the stock, very, very unusual, particularly for a company doing as well as Amazon did. They had a record Christmas. But Smith Barney is concerned about sales at the end of the year. That stock is down about 3.5 percent in pre-market trading.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot of people spending those gift certificates.

SERWER: Yes, I guess so.

COLLINS: All right, Andy, thanks.

HEMMER: Good quality, too.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: We're off to a great start. I just wrote on Jack's shirt, by the way.

COLLINS: That will get you points.

SERWER: That is going to get you in good graces, right there.

HEMMER: Guilty party, right here.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll send you a cleaning bill.

Here is a surprise, four, a grand total of four Arab nations are offering help for the tsunami victims. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, and The United Arab Emirates have reportedly offered a grand total of $24 million. By contrast, Norway, a country with a gross domestic product half the size of New Jersey's, has pledged $180 million to help.

Saudi Arabia, which has pledged a grand total of $10 million all by itself, gave $155 million in 2002 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, the United States government has pledged $350 million in aid and launched a massive private fund drive to help the victims. And we're being criticized for that.

Some Sri Lankan professor says that the United States aid is so high it is intruding into India's sphere of influence in the region. I mean, you just can't win.

SERWER: Yeah.

CAFFERTY: So where is the support from those Middle East countries that have long-standing ties with Southeast Asia? Indonesia, after all, is the most heavily populated Muslim nation on this earth. Here is the question: Are Arab countries doing enough to aid tsunami victims?

HEMMER: We should send Sandra Bullock over to Saudi Arabia.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: She gave a million bucks yesterday?

COLLINS: Yes.

SERWER: Yes, that's right.

HEMMER: Great, Jack. Good question.

Let's get a break here. We know President Bush and President Clinton helping this fund-raising dream team. How much will they help raise in this country? We'll talk about it in a moment here, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com