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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

FBI Warns of Tsunami Charity Scams; AG Nominee Grilled

Aired January 06, 2005 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, this is what you want to see. A mountain of aid for tsunami victims. But you may be a victim, too. Today, the FBI is warning about a dark side to donations.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Killer waves. Shocking new images, just as the tsunami struck. I'll speak with a survivor who held on for dear life right after snapping this photo.

Last house standing. If they had been standing in the right room, they might have survived.

America's image.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: It is with a heavy heart that we are here, but we are friends forever.

Will good deeds and dollars change any minds in the Muslim world?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have very short memories.

BLITZER: Grilling Gonzales. Did he help green light the torture of detainees?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's troops and citizens are at greater risk because of those actions.

BLITZER: Can Democrats red light the president's pick for attorney general?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, January 6, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments and a new warning in the tsunami disaster the World Health Organization warns that tens of thousands of survivors could die of diseases like cholera and dysentery unless they receive clean water and other necessities in the next few days.

Donor nations ended an emergency summit in Indonesia's capital where United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged them to make good on their pledges of money and to do so quickly. The number of American confirmed dead in the disaster rose by one to 17, and the number of presumed dead has dropped by one. It now stands at 18 as U.S. officials grappling with a list of thousands who may still be unaccounted for.

And CNN remains uniquely positioned to bring you every new development, with 19 correspondents and anchors throughout the Asian subcontinent.

Our in-depth tsunami coverage starts today with stunning new pictures of one of the most deadly waves, a huge wall of water believed to have killed thousands at a popular Thai resort. A local resident had a camera running as the wave came in, and the resulting picture show both the terrible might of the tsunami and the deadly consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): This is what is left of Khao Lak, a luxury resort area just north of Phuket Island along the Andaman Sea. It is estimated that 30,000 people were here when the tsunami struck, many of them international tourists. A local restaurant owner got advance word of the tsunami from his brother who was in an area that had already been hit.

He had time to set up a camera in his third floor restaurant. His pictures show the huge wave rolling in. They also show a lone figure standing on the beach, apparently transfixed by the spectacle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to try to tell that guy in the water before they're running up. I make my voice very, very loud, run!

BLITZER: The shouted warnings had no effect. In a matter of seconds, the fast-moving wave engulfed that person and others on the beach as the restaurant owner and his customers looked on, helplessly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I saw them and all the people in the restaurant tried to tell them, run, get up, quick! But, I think the building is very high, tall. It is very far from the water, from the building. They cannot hear. They looked at the restaurant but nothing happened.

BLITZER: The wave slammed into the shore, churning and swirling. Later, they receded, leaving behind debris and death. The man who recorded the images said he hopes that if another tsunami ever strikes the resort, there will be a better way to warn people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we can save a lot of people when we have something to tell them first.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Indonesia reports more than 94,000 people have died from the killer quake and the tsunamis, but United Nations officials say a million people could have lived along that battered coast, and there's no way of knowing how many actually died. John Irvine has one family's story pieced together from the remains of their home in what used to be the port city of Banda Aceh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN IRVINE, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may look like a cinematic image, but it is not. It is a view of the center from a window in this, the last house still standing on the way down to the sea. Between this dwelling on the coast, where before Boxing Day, there was a thriving community, there is now just wilderness and decay.

It is a huge acreage where the tsunami was at its most thorough. We feel compelled to keep coming back to this area to try to bring home what's befallen these homes and their inhabitants. In the last house lived a family of five. The eldest child was a teenage pop fan, the other two had bedrooms side by side, pink for a girl, blue for a boy.

He was a soccer fan. We find a family photograph album lying open, a chronicle of three generations. There were wedding pictures, births had been recorded, as were religious ceremonies. And the most poignant was this, a seaside snap.

(on camera): They probably had only a few seconds to decide what to do. From what we can tell, they rushed upstairs to seek refuge in this corner of the house. They were extremely unlucky, for it is the only piece of the building that collapsed under the weight of water.

(voice-over): We have no miracle to report, for we find the parents' bodies in the rubble, their hands reaching out to each other in death. What happened to the children, we don't know, but the way the bodies are stacking up here, the odds must be stacked against them.

Eleven days on, and this city is still littered with dead people. The problem is not the speed of collection, it is the enormity of the task.

(on camera): Walking 100 yards, I've counted more than 40 bodies, trussed up on both sides of the road. And remember, these are just the corpses that the soldiers could find, the visible ones. How many more bodies must lie dead and buried under the mud and debris of homes, factories, shops, schools and hospitals.

(voice-over): When you look at the destruction, its enormity, it is incredible that anyone got out alive. We talked to a boy who was carried more than a mile and survived by clambering onto this balcony. That said, in terms of immediate family, 14-year-old Aris (ph) is now alone in the world. He lost his parents and four siblings. The house he'd scrambled onto belongs to a doctor, a retired G.P. with three children of his own. He has now adopted Aris as his fourth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is the same as his other child. No difference.

IRVINE (on camera): So he is like your son now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, yes.

IRVINE (voice-over): Understandably, they are trying to keep the boy busy, but often, even during our brief time here, he lapsed into a thousand yard stare as his young mind tried to contemplate what is bereavement beyond belief.

John Irvine, ITV News, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In our CNN "Security Watch," he's in line to become the nation's chief prosecutor, and at times a key point man in the war on terrorism. But as his confirmation hearing began today, the attorney general nominee, Alberto Gonzales, got a grilling over his role in shaping policies which may have led to the torture of terror suspects. Let's bring in our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Alberto Gonzales was asked very directly if he approves of torture. And his answer was absolutely not.

Now that was just one of the few direct answers that he offered senators who were looking for assurances that Gonzalez would uphold the law and not do the president's bidding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), CHMN., JUDICIARY CMTE.: Judge Gonzales, would you now stand?

ARENA (voice-over): Even before he was asked a single question, Alberto Gonzales made a pre-emptive strike.

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: I am and will remain deeply committed to ensuring that the United States government complies with all of its legal obligations as it fights the war on terror.

ARENA: But Senate Democrats accused Gonzales of trying to skirt U.S. and international laws by supporting a 2002 Justice Department memo which said the president, in the war of terror, is not always bound by international laws forbidding torture.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT), JUDICIARY CMTE.: Does the president have the authority, in your judgment, to exercise a commander-in-chief override and immunize acts of torture?

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: With all due respect, Senator, the president has said we are not going to engage in torture, that is a hypothetical question...

ARENA: Democrats allege the Justice memo recently withdrawn also said only the most severe types of torture were prohibited, and therefore is partly to blame for alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You were warned by Secretary Powell, Secretary Powell and other top military leaders that ignoring our law and standing traditions of rules would lead to abuse and undermine military culture and that is what has happened.

ARENA: Even supportive Republicans voiced concerns.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: When you look at torture statutes and you look at ways around the spirit of the law, you are losing the moral high ground.

ARENA: Gonzales said he was sickened by the photos, but refused to give a legal opinion saying it might prejudice a possible criminal case if he is confirmed as attorney general.

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You are in no way jeopardizing a future case. That's malarkey, pure malarkey. So, we're looking for candor, old buddy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Despite the attacks, and questions about whether he is too close to the president, the son of Mexican immigrants is widely expected to be confirmed as the first Hispanic attorney general.

BLITZER: Thanks, Kelly. And, another security watch story we're following, whether it is a terror attack or a tsunami, the bureaucracy is ready to do battle. The department of homeland security here in Washington this week unveils what it calls a national response plan. The 426-page blueprint will put all federal agencies on the same page in reacting to what now will be termed "incidents of national significance." These will include natural-made and man-made disasters requiring a coordinated response.

And please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Before and after the waves, new pictures taken from above, show what is forever changed on the ground.

Washed away, a packed hotel overcome by the water. One survivor shares his story on how he stayed alive. He will speak with us on this program.

Charity scams. How to make sure your money is truly making a difference. Our Mary Snow has been investigating.

And later, Hollywood helps out. Can the stars get others to give? Stay with us.

We have an unmatched team of our top journalists on the front lines of the story. Along with checking in with our reports throughout the day tonight, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll bring you all the latest stories and developments in our CNN special report, "Turning the Tide." We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've received new images that drive home the extent of the devastation the tsunamis caused. Take a look at this. This is Banda Aceh, as seen from space last April, last April. And this is Banda Aceh seen this past Sunday. Clearly among the hardest hit. And, showing part of Sri Lanka. This is before, and this is after the deadly tsunamis that struck 11 days ago killing more than 46,000 people in Sri Lanka alone.

William Recktenwald, one of the lucky ones who survived. The former "Chicago Tribune" reporter and now college journalism professor was vacationing in southern Sri Lanka when the killer wave struck. He joining us now live from Carbondale, Illinois. Thanks, Bill, for joining us. Tell us what happened, where you were, and how you managed to survive.

WILLIAM RECKTENWALD, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: Well, I was on the south shore of Sri Lanka. I'd visited Sri Lanka two years ago with Southern Illinois University to do journalist training, I really liked it, went back for vacation, was staying at a little beachfront hotel about five miles south of Galle on the south shore. Beautiful beach. 9:00 in the morning, sitting outside in the eating area. They just brought me some breakfast, some fresh pineapple and coffee and I saw this wave that came in and splashed up a little bit further than normal, followed by a succession of other quick waves. I didn't think I was in any danger. I was on an elevated stand about three feet...

BLITZER: Bill, let me interrupt you for a minute to just let our viewers know. We're looking at pictures from where you were. These are pictures that you took including those columns at that table, that dining room table that we see. You may want to make reference to that.

RECKTENWALD: Right. The outside area was one that allowed me to take and look at the -- the ocean, I felt pretty well protected. I started to take some pictures, and, in a matter of a minute or so, I had water around my knees, and around my waist, and then around my neck. One big wave came and knocked my glasses off. I pushed them back on. I lost my grip. I was holding on to one of those vertical concrete columns. When I pushed my glasses back on, it caused me to lose my grip, I was lose in the water, and, I looked around, and I saw cars in the parking lot being tossed around, could hear breaking glass, people on the second floor balcony -- the water was now up to the second-floor balcony...

BLITZER: Were you clinging then to one of those columns? Is that what was going on?

RECKTENWALD: No, I had been pulled off the column. I was in the water, and, being tossed around, I could see cars being tossed around and walls from part of the hotel falling, and I knew I had to just have one moment to make a decision and hope it would be the right one, and it turned out to be the right one. I saw a rope in the water, I grabbed onto it, pulled myself back to the column, held on to the column, and within about a minute and a half, the waves receded, and I had my feet back on the ground.

BLITZER: What about that little girl, Esther (ph), you wrote about her in the article you put together upon your return.

RECKTENWALD: Right. As soon as we hit the ground, we began to check for people that were injured, and make sure everybody was accounted for. We found one guest that was deceased, a kitchen worker that had been crushed and people began to look for Esther. is a British girl that was part of an extended family about 18 people. They were holidaying there, just a cute 3 1/2-year-old girl, blond haired.

We couldn't find her. We couldn't find her anywhere. We searched carefully in the rooms, under the wreckage, finally, they asked us to evacuate the hotel to higher ground. There was concern there was going to be another wave. We got up to higher ground, moved down to about a mile, or, about a mile inland, and, on the front lawn of a private home, truck came to get us, and they were going to evacuate us down to a tea plantation about 20 some miles away. As we went by the hospital, about 4 miles inland, all of a sudden Ester's sister let's out a scream, Ester, Ester, there's Ester, and we looked over, and this blonde-haired girl, of course you could recognize her, because the Sri Lankans are not blonde, it was the only blonde-haired girl being carried through the crowd by my waiter and another employee of the hotel.

These 2 boys had grabbed her when they saw her up to her neck in water, and they were of course terrified also. They ran away from the ocean, they ran up the hill, and ran, and ran and you may have photos there of the two youngsters handing her -- they handed her back to the truck. Everybody on the back of the truck gave a big hurrah, and then we had to move on.

It was so selfish (sic) and so quick thinking on their part. I tell you also, there wasn't a dry eye in the back of that truck. A moment of joy -- a moment of joy in a sea of despair.

BLITZER: Thank God for a little moment of joy in the middle of all of that. Bill, thanks for sharing your story with us.

RECKTENWALD: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Fighting fraud. A new warning to those what want to give.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When American generosity is at its highest, we are vulnerable to scam artists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is your donation going to those in need?

Help and hope on the way: An inside look at U.S. aid efforts this hour. And case overturned. There's been a major development in the case of that Texas mother convicted of drowning her 5 children. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The incredible generosity of people from around the world to help victims of the tsunami disaster is a development scam artists have been waiting for. CNN's Mary Snow is in New York. She has details -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, the FBI has received a dozen complaints, and expects that number to grow. And it is warning people that there are frauds out there, looking to make money from the tsunami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SNOW (voice-over): At a time when people are most vulnerable, the FBI warns that scams are emerging, especially on the Internet. It says there are offers to locate tsunami victims for a free, and e- mails seeking donations like the so-called urgent appeal. It reads, "we are all aware of the disaster caused by the tsunami." It goes on to say, "the death toll is increasing day by day, and victims were in need of urgent help." Oxfam, the relief agency, alerted officials about the bogus letter since Oxfam was mentioned in it and has nothing to do with it.

Suspicious charities also are being investigated in Connecticut.

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The look alike or sound alike donations, America Cares, as opposed to Americares or Conneticares, there is no such organization. And we're investigating a variety of schemes that should give people very strong cause for concern.

SNOW: Authorities and private groups also warn about a release scam that has been fairly well known in the past to come out of Nigeria.

DANIEL BOROKOFF, AMERICAN INST. OF PHILANTHROPY: Unfortunately, we have an Indonesian variation of that scam. So, if anybody gets an e-mail asking for your bank account information so they can transfer money to your account and let you keep a percentage of it, you should realize that this is ridiculous.

SNOW: It is estimated that private donations in the United States have topped $200 million for tsunami victims. Experts warn the spirit of giving can become a breeding ground for fraud.

ART TAYLOR, BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU: When America generosity is at its highest, we're also most vulnerable to scam artists.

SNOW: To avoid having money going to scam artists, you can research the charity on charitywatch.org, give,org, or the government's site www.freedomcorps.gov. Experts advise to go directly to a charity's Web site. If donating online, they say to be sure to double check the URLs, since phony Web sites can easily be created. And, charities say, they don't send out unsolicited mail, so be wary of e-mail appeals.

And, the FBI warns that attachments on these e-mails are very likely to be carrying a computer virus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And Connecticut's attorney general also is warning people about Internet sales of bracelets claiming to raise money for tsunami victims. He says it turns out that, too, is a fraud -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, thanks very much. Good advice to all of our viewers who want to help. Appreciate it.

Terrifying new video of the killer wave. We'll talk to an expert about what these frightening images reveal.

Also, American aid for tsunami victims. You are looking live at Dulles Airport. This plane, about to take off. But will it change Muslim attitudes to the United States?

Plus, a surprising revelation from Nelson Mandela on the death of his son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: I want to go to the Pentagon.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by with new information -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, another deadly attack against U.S. troops in Iraq. This time, seven U.S. soldiers have been killed by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials.

The soldiers were said to be from Task Force Baghdad, which includes members of the 1st Calvary Division. But we don't know if these soldiers are from that unit. Again, seven soldiers killed in an incident that took place about 6:00 p.m. local time in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Only a few weeks before the January 30 scheduled elections. Jamie, we'll get back to you when you get more information. Thanks very much.

Let's check some other stories we are following now in the news.

The son of former South African president Nelson Mandela has died of AIDS. Makgatho Mandela, who was 54, died in a Johannesburg hospital. In announcing the death, Mandela said the only way to fight about the disease's stigma was to speak openly about it, something he's been doing for the past three years. A Texas appeals court today struck down the murder convictions and life prison sentence of Andrea Yates and ordered a new trial. Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub in their home in 2001. She was convicted of murder in three of the deaths. Prosecutors plan to appeal the ruling.

This programming note. Be sure to tune in tonight to "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern, for Larry's exclusive interview with Andrea Yates' husband, Rusty Yates.

On Capitol Hill here in Washington, some Democrats interrupted the formal count of electoral votes from the November election by challenging the 20 electoral votes from Ohio. They argued there were numerous voting irregularities in the Buckeye State. You'll recall, it was those votes which gave President Bush his reelection victory. The move forced House and Senate members to go into separate meetings for debate. But both ended up voting down the protest.

Earlier this hour, we showed you some new tsunami pictures, images recorded when the wave slammed into a luxury resort in Thailand. Those pictures and other seen earlier stand as evidence of the terrible power of the tsunami.

Professor Robert Dalrymple, also known as Tony Dalrymple, of Johns Hopkins University, is an internationally recognized expert on water, waves, and coastal engineering. He's joining us now live from Baltimore.

Tony, thanks very much for joining us.

These latest pictures show the waves, the water coming in, simply swallowing up anything in its path, including an individual who happened to be standing there dazed as he looks out. We're showing those pictures now. How fast did all this occur?

ROBERT DALRYMPLE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Well, it depends on the particular country where the wave was coming ashore. But, in fact, these things can be moving 40, 50 miles an hour.

BLITZER: And, so, basically, if you were waiting even for a few seconds, those precious seconds could have made the difference between life and death.

DALRYMPLE: Indeed. It would be very hard to outrun these waves, because there is a terrific amount of water behind them and they're moving very fast.

BLITZER: The pictures we are seeing are from what happened at Khao Lak in Thailand. I'm sure you are familiar with the enormity of the disaster there. How fast, basically, when the waters came rushing in, did it all end?

DALRYMPLE: Well, it is hard to say, but -- and we have to look at some of the damage to estimate the velocities from the data that is gathered after the waves hit the shoreline -- but previous tsunamis have showed 40- and 50-mile-an-hour velocities. BLITZER: So, that force level of destruction, no one can withstand anything along those lines, is that right?

DALRYMPLE: You probably can't stand up in the most of those kinds of waves. They are tipping, they are knocking down light poles, parking meters and so forth. So, the forces are immense.

And, also, the turbulence within the waves is very large, so that a person trying to swim would more than likely be drowned by the eddies in the breaking waves.

BLITZER: If we tried to engineer a wave of this magnitude, a manmade wave in some fashion, would that be doable?

DALRYMPLE: Not at that magnitude.

We try to engineer small ones in laboratories, so we can study these phenomena. For example, at Oregon State University, there is a tsunami wave basin just strictly to study tsunamis. So it is possible to do, but waves of this magnitude, there is just too much emergency involved.

BLITZER: It's been, what, almost two weeks since this occurred. Tony, you've had a chance to look at the pictures, do some scientific study of what happened. What goes through your mind now? What have you learned as an expert on this subject over these past nearly two weeks?

DALRYMPLE: Well, looking at the videos, it is very obvious that the waves looked very different on the different beaches. And so some, it looks like overland flooding. In some places, it looks like a normal wave on a beach, except much bigger and a lot of water behind the wave with the flooding. So the waves look very different.

And I think that is a factor of how the waves propagated across the Indian Ocean to get to that particular beach. So, it is going to be interesting to look at some of the post-tsunami surveys to see some of the data that is gathered in terms of how high the water ran up on the shoreline and how much damage was done, so we can try to estimate the velocities and wave heights.

Tony Dalrymple is a coastal engineer from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Thanks, Tony, very much.

DALRYMPLE: You're welcome.

BLITZER: The U.S. government has pledged $350 million for disaster aid. The U.S. military is spearheading the rescue effort in the largest Muslim nation in the world. That would be Indonesia. But can that change America's image?

Let's turn to our national correspondent Bob Franken. He's been looking into this story -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as intense as the relief effort is, it is accompanied by no small amount of self- consciousness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): For the moment, at least, the outpouring of generosity by the United States has created a common bond with countries, cultures, religions that had groan intensely hostile.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: It is with a heavy heart that we are here, but we are friends forever.

FRANKEN: But even as aid from the United States pours in, even as private citizens contribute millions, there are many reminders that the U.S. in the Muslim world is generally viewed at best with suspicion.

SALAMEH NEMATT, "AL HAYAT": I think that some people will see that the U.S. wants to seize the opportunity to basically help these mainly Muslim nations out of this plight of the people's suffering in order to score points in terms of it being helping the Muslims, while it is doing warfare in other parts of the Muslim world.

FRANKEN: But there is evidence everywhere of mistrust and hostility. In Indonesia, a man among the desperate is seen wearing an Osama bin Laden T-shirt. Speculation in some Arab media, the tsunami was caused by U.S. testing of exotic weapons.

Radical Muslim voices are heard on Saudi TV blaming the disaster on non-Muslims. "It happened at Christmas," he says, "when fornicators and corrupt people from all over the world come to commit fornication and sexual perversion."

The cultural antagonism is obviously a sore point.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: America is not an anti-Islam, anti-Muslim nation.

FRANKEN: For now, the Arab TV correspondents are reporting on the relief efforts, but many warn that hopes of fundamentally repairing relationships may be far too optimistic.

MOHAMMED ALAMI, AL-JAZEERA: The news cycle is very fast and people have very short memories. I think, in our part of the area, or in our part of the world, probably policy will not matter at the end of the day, you know, the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: The tsunami is historic, but the antagonism felt by the Muslim world has even more history -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, thanks very much for that report.

The spirit of giving is alive, as desperately needed supplies are making their way to the tsunami disaster zone. We are live at Dulles International Airport just outside the nation's capital. You are looking at these pictures. We will get a behind-the-scenes look at this project of hope. Our Brian Todd is on the scene.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: Every penny counts and will be put to extraordinary good for children, who need it most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: From Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio to baseball's Barry Bonds, everyone seems to be pitching in to try to help tsunami survivors. But can these celebrities encourage others to give?

And we'll have the story of a child who survived a deadly train accident in Sri Lanka. CNN's Christiane Amanpour with this amazing story of survival.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Flights of relief supplies from the United States have been gradually getting to the tsunami disaster zone all this week.

CNN's Brian Todd is live at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., with a behind-the-scenes look at a plane being loaded right now with urgently needed medical supplies.

Brian, take us on a tour of what's going on.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, urgently needed is right, Wolf.

And, at this instance, the supplies are coming from about 10,000 miles away to Banda Aceh. Some shipments of relief supplies are being prepared by two relief groups, Uplift International and Project Hope.

Right now, I'm here with the president of Project Hope, Dr. John Howe.

Dr. Howe, what have your people on the ground told you in Banda Aceh are the most urgent medical needs right now?

DR. JOHN HOWE, PRESIDENT, PROJECT HOPE: Reports today from our team tell us there are two problems. First are crush injuries, torn tissues, broken bones, and secondly pneumonia from inhaling the water, all from the force of the waves.

TODD: OK. And you have brought a sampling of some of the supplies that you are going to be sending in this shipment. What do you have here?

HOWE: Yes. These are just two examples. For the wounds, we have suture material. For the infections, we have antibiotics. And, in fact, Project Hope began with a big white ship in 1960 going to Indonesia, and now we return in a big white airplane. TODD: OK, well, Doctor, thank you very much and good luck.

Wolf, this shipment was originated at a warehouse in Winchester, Virginia, about an hour away from here. It was loaded up this afternoon. From here, it will push back from about five hours from now. And from Dulles Airport, it will go to Memphis. From Memphis, it will go to Anchorage, Alaska. From Anchorage, it goes to Subic Bay in the Philippines, and from there over Jakarta, Indonesia.

Now, officials from Uplift International tell us, from Jakarta, they have to take it by helicopter to Banda Aceh, because there's no other way to get there quickly. That is about three hours. So, you have got four or five pallets of materials, about 2,000-3,000 pounds each, of some of the medical supplies that Dr. Howe spoke of.

They think it will get to Jakarta around Saturday evening, Sunday morning, Eastern time. From there, it is about three or four hours to Banda Aceh. There are a lot of supplies being loaded up here as we speak. And from the warehouse to Banda Aceh, upwards of around three days total from point A to point B, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, desperately needed supplies, indeed.

Brian Todd, thanks very much. Brian is over at Dulles Airport outside Washington.

Celebrities are making both high-profile and low-profile donations toward disaster relief, but does their star power make a real difference?

CNN's Brooke Anderson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Proceeds from Green Day and auctions on eBay, all part of Hollywood's effort to help with the tsunami disaster.

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, GREEN DAY: The tsunami is the biggest tragedy that -- global disaster that we'll see in our lifetime. So, for us, it was really important to get involved in any way that we possibly could.

ANDERSON: Green Day announced Wednesday that all the proceeds from sales of their latest single on iTunes will go to the Red Cross. Rockers Linkin Park have also teamed with the Red Cross to form a donation Web site.

WILLIE NELSON, MUSICIAN: Everybody wants to try to do something.

ANDERSON: Willie Nelson is heading up a benefit concert in Austin this Sunday. And Sting will hold a benefit concert in Australia February 10.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST: The lovely people from Toyota are giving us a 2005 fully loaded Prius.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Ellen DeGeneres announced an eBay auction on her show Wednesday. Also on eBay, Jay Leno is asking celebrity guests to autograph a Harley Davidson motorcycle for the cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")

JAY LENO, HOST: Stars will sign it. We'll put it up on eBay and we'll donate all the money to the Red Cross to help the victims.

ANDERSON: Experts say celebrity support can make a difference.

DANIEL BOROCHOFF, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHILANTHROPY: A lot of people don't follow the news very closely, but they do follow their favorite celebrities, and this will encourage these people, particularly younger people, to pitch in and make a contribution.

ANDERSON: Many celebrities are personally pitching in. Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, who lost a bodyguard in the tsunami, has pledged $10 million. Steven Spielberg gave $1.5 million and Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million.

And Leonardo DiCaprio, who filmed the 2000 movie "The Beach" in Thailand, gave what was a called a sizable sum to UNICEF.

PARKER: Every penny counts and will be put to extraordinary good for children, who need it most.

ANDERSON: Some NBC owned and affiliated stations got the ball rolling with a mini-telethon Wednesday night. NBC will roll out a national televised special on January 15 with George Clooney, Sheryl Crow and Christina Aguilera among those said to be lending their star power.

BOROCHOFF: It is very easy for them right now to lob onto the crisis, get a lot of great publicity and attention. But will they stay with it and help in the long term, because this crisis could go on for years. And we need the celebrities to stay with it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Rockers Green Day say they will be donating a portion of their record sales at least through the end of this year. And, Wolf, that is just the beginning.

Every day, every hour, we're hearing more about stars getting involved, including Dustin Hoffman. His publicist told me just a few minutes ago he is lending a hand through UNICEF.

BLITZER: All right, Brooke Anderson in Los Angeles, we are going to checking back with you for a complete update. Thanks very much.

Living the tragedy from the shores of the tsunami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I truly believe that we are doing a job that is necessary in telling this story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: When we return, our Christiane Amanpour shares her personal experiences. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Few people have ever witnessed the kind of devastation the tsunami caused across South Asia. And that includes reporters covering the story.

CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, is in Sri Lanka. I spoke with her just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Christiane, as all of our viewers around the world know, you've been covering horrendous stories for many years. Give us some perspective. How does this tsunami disaster compare?

AMANPOUR: You know, it is awfully hard to compare, because all of the things that I've witnessed over the last 15 years have their own sense of drama and tragedy and crisis.

I think, though, what has struck me about this is where it's happened. The immense geographic scope of this is unprecedented, the fact that it came completely out of the blue, bright, shining blue ski, the day after Christmas, people on holiday, all the workers in this part of the region at full employment, at full go and suddenly, suddenly, their entire world upside down.

For me, what has struck me so, so much, as can you imagine, is seeing the very human sadness, the tragedy, the loss, the incredible also stoicism and dignity, the hope that people have. I met a little boy. The very first thing I did when I got here, told the story of a little boy who had survived the worst disaster on this coast, which was a train wreck. And he survived simply by hanging on to the luggage rack above his head in the train. And his mother and two sisters were killed.

And, the boy is still so young, so stunned, still unable to grieve properly, still hasn't even cried. It's really tragic and heartbreaking.

BLITZER: And you speak not only as a seasoned war correspondent, Christiane, but as a mother, and you have an adorable little boy yourself. How has this affected you?

AMANPOUR: Very deeply, as you can imagine. And in fact many of my colleagues, many of the CNN correspondents who are doing the heroic job of telling the story and making the world understand what an important story, what a great, great tragedy it is, many of them are parents, too. Some of them have never done this kind of work before.

So, for all of us, it is really hitting hard, not just on a professional level, but on a personal as well. But I'll tell you what gets us through. I truly believe that we are doing a job that is necessary in telling this story and being there and getting these individual stories out, getting the huge global scale of this tragedy out, because that is the way they can get any help.

BLITZER: Has there been one moment, Christiane, where you've simply lost it?

AMANPOUR: you know, it is always -- there is always that fear lurking within me, when I face tragedy, look it in the eyes, see people who have survived, watch them mourn those people who they've lost. And there is always that pricking behind the eyes, the catching in the throat, the fear that I might not get through the actual report.

But, I do try very, very hard to keep it together, because I feel that I must in order to tell the story. But, certainly, in private moments, you can't help but shed a tear, but to feel deep, deep compassion for these people who have gone through so much in their lives. And so many of them can -- these are poor people who have had their meager existences simply obliterated, not to mention the children, the mothers, the brothers, the sisters.

It is so hard to see somebody who has literally lost everything. I stood talking to some people. I heard stories, women who simply recounted that, when they saw the wave, they ran, but they lost two children, another woman who says they ran and she was saved, but her brother, sister, their two children have been lost.

Even to hear the tourists who have come here and have lost kids as young as 2, and even the elderly who have come here and been separated, people who came to bring their parents on holiday and have gone back because their elderly parents could not survive, it is just monumental and cataclysmic. And it just defies belief. Really, it does.

BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour, thanks for spending a few moments with us. Good luck to you and all our colleagues out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this programming note. Christiane will be hosting a prime-time special on the children of the tsunami tonight, along with Anderson Cooper, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. This is something you will want to see.

We'll have some powerful images of the tsunami, that's coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We leave you now with the powerful images of the tsunami captured in photographs.

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 6, 2005 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, this is what you want to see. A mountain of aid for tsunami victims. But you may be a victim, too. Today, the FBI is warning about a dark side to donations.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Killer waves. Shocking new images, just as the tsunami struck. I'll speak with a survivor who held on for dear life right after snapping this photo.

Last house standing. If they had been standing in the right room, they might have survived.

America's image.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: It is with a heavy heart that we are here, but we are friends forever.

Will good deeds and dollars change any minds in the Muslim world?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have very short memories.

BLITZER: Grilling Gonzales. Did he help green light the torture of detainees?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's troops and citizens are at greater risk because of those actions.

BLITZER: Can Democrats red light the president's pick for attorney general?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, January 6, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments and a new warning in the tsunami disaster the World Health Organization warns that tens of thousands of survivors could die of diseases like cholera and dysentery unless they receive clean water and other necessities in the next few days.

Donor nations ended an emergency summit in Indonesia's capital where United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged them to make good on their pledges of money and to do so quickly. The number of American confirmed dead in the disaster rose by one to 17, and the number of presumed dead has dropped by one. It now stands at 18 as U.S. officials grappling with a list of thousands who may still be unaccounted for.

And CNN remains uniquely positioned to bring you every new development, with 19 correspondents and anchors throughout the Asian subcontinent.

Our in-depth tsunami coverage starts today with stunning new pictures of one of the most deadly waves, a huge wall of water believed to have killed thousands at a popular Thai resort. A local resident had a camera running as the wave came in, and the resulting picture show both the terrible might of the tsunami and the deadly consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): This is what is left of Khao Lak, a luxury resort area just north of Phuket Island along the Andaman Sea. It is estimated that 30,000 people were here when the tsunami struck, many of them international tourists. A local restaurant owner got advance word of the tsunami from his brother who was in an area that had already been hit.

He had time to set up a camera in his third floor restaurant. His pictures show the huge wave rolling in. They also show a lone figure standing on the beach, apparently transfixed by the spectacle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to try to tell that guy in the water before they're running up. I make my voice very, very loud, run!

BLITZER: The shouted warnings had no effect. In a matter of seconds, the fast-moving wave engulfed that person and others on the beach as the restaurant owner and his customers looked on, helplessly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I saw them and all the people in the restaurant tried to tell them, run, get up, quick! But, I think the building is very high, tall. It is very far from the water, from the building. They cannot hear. They looked at the restaurant but nothing happened.

BLITZER: The wave slammed into the shore, churning and swirling. Later, they receded, leaving behind debris and death. The man who recorded the images said he hopes that if another tsunami ever strikes the resort, there will be a better way to warn people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we can save a lot of people when we have something to tell them first.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Indonesia reports more than 94,000 people have died from the killer quake and the tsunamis, but United Nations officials say a million people could have lived along that battered coast, and there's no way of knowing how many actually died. John Irvine has one family's story pieced together from the remains of their home in what used to be the port city of Banda Aceh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN IRVINE, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may look like a cinematic image, but it is not. It is a view of the center from a window in this, the last house still standing on the way down to the sea. Between this dwelling on the coast, where before Boxing Day, there was a thriving community, there is now just wilderness and decay.

It is a huge acreage where the tsunami was at its most thorough. We feel compelled to keep coming back to this area to try to bring home what's befallen these homes and their inhabitants. In the last house lived a family of five. The eldest child was a teenage pop fan, the other two had bedrooms side by side, pink for a girl, blue for a boy.

He was a soccer fan. We find a family photograph album lying open, a chronicle of three generations. There were wedding pictures, births had been recorded, as were religious ceremonies. And the most poignant was this, a seaside snap.

(on camera): They probably had only a few seconds to decide what to do. From what we can tell, they rushed upstairs to seek refuge in this corner of the house. They were extremely unlucky, for it is the only piece of the building that collapsed under the weight of water.

(voice-over): We have no miracle to report, for we find the parents' bodies in the rubble, their hands reaching out to each other in death. What happened to the children, we don't know, but the way the bodies are stacking up here, the odds must be stacked against them.

Eleven days on, and this city is still littered with dead people. The problem is not the speed of collection, it is the enormity of the task.

(on camera): Walking 100 yards, I've counted more than 40 bodies, trussed up on both sides of the road. And remember, these are just the corpses that the soldiers could find, the visible ones. How many more bodies must lie dead and buried under the mud and debris of homes, factories, shops, schools and hospitals.

(voice-over): When you look at the destruction, its enormity, it is incredible that anyone got out alive. We talked to a boy who was carried more than a mile and survived by clambering onto this balcony. That said, in terms of immediate family, 14-year-old Aris (ph) is now alone in the world. He lost his parents and four siblings. The house he'd scrambled onto belongs to a doctor, a retired G.P. with three children of his own. He has now adopted Aris as his fourth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is the same as his other child. No difference.

IRVINE (on camera): So he is like your son now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, yes.

IRVINE (voice-over): Understandably, they are trying to keep the boy busy, but often, even during our brief time here, he lapsed into a thousand yard stare as his young mind tried to contemplate what is bereavement beyond belief.

John Irvine, ITV News, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In our CNN "Security Watch," he's in line to become the nation's chief prosecutor, and at times a key point man in the war on terrorism. But as his confirmation hearing began today, the attorney general nominee, Alberto Gonzales, got a grilling over his role in shaping policies which may have led to the torture of terror suspects. Let's bring in our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Alberto Gonzales was asked very directly if he approves of torture. And his answer was absolutely not.

Now that was just one of the few direct answers that he offered senators who were looking for assurances that Gonzalez would uphold the law and not do the president's bidding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), CHMN., JUDICIARY CMTE.: Judge Gonzales, would you now stand?

ARENA (voice-over): Even before he was asked a single question, Alberto Gonzales made a pre-emptive strike.

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: I am and will remain deeply committed to ensuring that the United States government complies with all of its legal obligations as it fights the war on terror.

ARENA: But Senate Democrats accused Gonzales of trying to skirt U.S. and international laws by supporting a 2002 Justice Department memo which said the president, in the war of terror, is not always bound by international laws forbidding torture.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT), JUDICIARY CMTE.: Does the president have the authority, in your judgment, to exercise a commander-in-chief override and immunize acts of torture?

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: With all due respect, Senator, the president has said we are not going to engage in torture, that is a hypothetical question...

ARENA: Democrats allege the Justice memo recently withdrawn also said only the most severe types of torture were prohibited, and therefore is partly to blame for alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You were warned by Secretary Powell, Secretary Powell and other top military leaders that ignoring our law and standing traditions of rules would lead to abuse and undermine military culture and that is what has happened.

ARENA: Even supportive Republicans voiced concerns.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: When you look at torture statutes and you look at ways around the spirit of the law, you are losing the moral high ground.

ARENA: Gonzales said he was sickened by the photos, but refused to give a legal opinion saying it might prejudice a possible criminal case if he is confirmed as attorney general.

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You are in no way jeopardizing a future case. That's malarkey, pure malarkey. So, we're looking for candor, old buddy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Despite the attacks, and questions about whether he is too close to the president, the son of Mexican immigrants is widely expected to be confirmed as the first Hispanic attorney general.

BLITZER: Thanks, Kelly. And, another security watch story we're following, whether it is a terror attack or a tsunami, the bureaucracy is ready to do battle. The department of homeland security here in Washington this week unveils what it calls a national response plan. The 426-page blueprint will put all federal agencies on the same page in reacting to what now will be termed "incidents of national significance." These will include natural-made and man-made disasters requiring a coordinated response.

And please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Before and after the waves, new pictures taken from above, show what is forever changed on the ground.

Washed away, a packed hotel overcome by the water. One survivor shares his story on how he stayed alive. He will speak with us on this program.

Charity scams. How to make sure your money is truly making a difference. Our Mary Snow has been investigating.

And later, Hollywood helps out. Can the stars get others to give? Stay with us.

We have an unmatched team of our top journalists on the front lines of the story. Along with checking in with our reports throughout the day tonight, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll bring you all the latest stories and developments in our CNN special report, "Turning the Tide." We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've received new images that drive home the extent of the devastation the tsunamis caused. Take a look at this. This is Banda Aceh, as seen from space last April, last April. And this is Banda Aceh seen this past Sunday. Clearly among the hardest hit. And, showing part of Sri Lanka. This is before, and this is after the deadly tsunamis that struck 11 days ago killing more than 46,000 people in Sri Lanka alone.

William Recktenwald, one of the lucky ones who survived. The former "Chicago Tribune" reporter and now college journalism professor was vacationing in southern Sri Lanka when the killer wave struck. He joining us now live from Carbondale, Illinois. Thanks, Bill, for joining us. Tell us what happened, where you were, and how you managed to survive.

WILLIAM RECKTENWALD, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: Well, I was on the south shore of Sri Lanka. I'd visited Sri Lanka two years ago with Southern Illinois University to do journalist training, I really liked it, went back for vacation, was staying at a little beachfront hotel about five miles south of Galle on the south shore. Beautiful beach. 9:00 in the morning, sitting outside in the eating area. They just brought me some breakfast, some fresh pineapple and coffee and I saw this wave that came in and splashed up a little bit further than normal, followed by a succession of other quick waves. I didn't think I was in any danger. I was on an elevated stand about three feet...

BLITZER: Bill, let me interrupt you for a minute to just let our viewers know. We're looking at pictures from where you were. These are pictures that you took including those columns at that table, that dining room table that we see. You may want to make reference to that.

RECKTENWALD: Right. The outside area was one that allowed me to take and look at the -- the ocean, I felt pretty well protected. I started to take some pictures, and, in a matter of a minute or so, I had water around my knees, and around my waist, and then around my neck. One big wave came and knocked my glasses off. I pushed them back on. I lost my grip. I was holding on to one of those vertical concrete columns. When I pushed my glasses back on, it caused me to lose my grip, I was lose in the water, and, I looked around, and I saw cars in the parking lot being tossed around, could hear breaking glass, people on the second floor balcony -- the water was now up to the second-floor balcony...

BLITZER: Were you clinging then to one of those columns? Is that what was going on?

RECKTENWALD: No, I had been pulled off the column. I was in the water, and, being tossed around, I could see cars being tossed around and walls from part of the hotel falling, and I knew I had to just have one moment to make a decision and hope it would be the right one, and it turned out to be the right one. I saw a rope in the water, I grabbed onto it, pulled myself back to the column, held on to the column, and within about a minute and a half, the waves receded, and I had my feet back on the ground.

BLITZER: What about that little girl, Esther (ph), you wrote about her in the article you put together upon your return.

RECKTENWALD: Right. As soon as we hit the ground, we began to check for people that were injured, and make sure everybody was accounted for. We found one guest that was deceased, a kitchen worker that had been crushed and people began to look for Esther. is a British girl that was part of an extended family about 18 people. They were holidaying there, just a cute 3 1/2-year-old girl, blond haired.

We couldn't find her. We couldn't find her anywhere. We searched carefully in the rooms, under the wreckage, finally, they asked us to evacuate the hotel to higher ground. There was concern there was going to be another wave. We got up to higher ground, moved down to about a mile, or, about a mile inland, and, on the front lawn of a private home, truck came to get us, and they were going to evacuate us down to a tea plantation about 20 some miles away. As we went by the hospital, about 4 miles inland, all of a sudden Ester's sister let's out a scream, Ester, Ester, there's Ester, and we looked over, and this blonde-haired girl, of course you could recognize her, because the Sri Lankans are not blonde, it was the only blonde-haired girl being carried through the crowd by my waiter and another employee of the hotel.

These 2 boys had grabbed her when they saw her up to her neck in water, and they were of course terrified also. They ran away from the ocean, they ran up the hill, and ran, and ran and you may have photos there of the two youngsters handing her -- they handed her back to the truck. Everybody on the back of the truck gave a big hurrah, and then we had to move on.

It was so selfish (sic) and so quick thinking on their part. I tell you also, there wasn't a dry eye in the back of that truck. A moment of joy -- a moment of joy in a sea of despair.

BLITZER: Thank God for a little moment of joy in the middle of all of that. Bill, thanks for sharing your story with us.

RECKTENWALD: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Fighting fraud. A new warning to those what want to give.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When American generosity is at its highest, we are vulnerable to scam artists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is your donation going to those in need?

Help and hope on the way: An inside look at U.S. aid efforts this hour. And case overturned. There's been a major development in the case of that Texas mother convicted of drowning her 5 children. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The incredible generosity of people from around the world to help victims of the tsunami disaster is a development scam artists have been waiting for. CNN's Mary Snow is in New York. She has details -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, the FBI has received a dozen complaints, and expects that number to grow. And it is warning people that there are frauds out there, looking to make money from the tsunami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SNOW (voice-over): At a time when people are most vulnerable, the FBI warns that scams are emerging, especially on the Internet. It says there are offers to locate tsunami victims for a free, and e- mails seeking donations like the so-called urgent appeal. It reads, "we are all aware of the disaster caused by the tsunami." It goes on to say, "the death toll is increasing day by day, and victims were in need of urgent help." Oxfam, the relief agency, alerted officials about the bogus letter since Oxfam was mentioned in it and has nothing to do with it.

Suspicious charities also are being investigated in Connecticut.

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The look alike or sound alike donations, America Cares, as opposed to Americares or Conneticares, there is no such organization. And we're investigating a variety of schemes that should give people very strong cause for concern.

SNOW: Authorities and private groups also warn about a release scam that has been fairly well known in the past to come out of Nigeria.

DANIEL BOROKOFF, AMERICAN INST. OF PHILANTHROPY: Unfortunately, we have an Indonesian variation of that scam. So, if anybody gets an e-mail asking for your bank account information so they can transfer money to your account and let you keep a percentage of it, you should realize that this is ridiculous.

SNOW: It is estimated that private donations in the United States have topped $200 million for tsunami victims. Experts warn the spirit of giving can become a breeding ground for fraud.

ART TAYLOR, BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU: When America generosity is at its highest, we're also most vulnerable to scam artists.

SNOW: To avoid having money going to scam artists, you can research the charity on charitywatch.org, give,org, or the government's site www.freedomcorps.gov. Experts advise to go directly to a charity's Web site. If donating online, they say to be sure to double check the URLs, since phony Web sites can easily be created. And, charities say, they don't send out unsolicited mail, so be wary of e-mail appeals.

And, the FBI warns that attachments on these e-mails are very likely to be carrying a computer virus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And Connecticut's attorney general also is warning people about Internet sales of bracelets claiming to raise money for tsunami victims. He says it turns out that, too, is a fraud -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, thanks very much. Good advice to all of our viewers who want to help. Appreciate it.

Terrifying new video of the killer wave. We'll talk to an expert about what these frightening images reveal.

Also, American aid for tsunami victims. You are looking live at Dulles Airport. This plane, about to take off. But will it change Muslim attitudes to the United States?

Plus, a surprising revelation from Nelson Mandela on the death of his son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: I want to go to the Pentagon.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by with new information -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, another deadly attack against U.S. troops in Iraq. This time, seven U.S. soldiers have been killed by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials.

The soldiers were said to be from Task Force Baghdad, which includes members of the 1st Calvary Division. But we don't know if these soldiers are from that unit. Again, seven soldiers killed in an incident that took place about 6:00 p.m. local time in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Only a few weeks before the January 30 scheduled elections. Jamie, we'll get back to you when you get more information. Thanks very much.

Let's check some other stories we are following now in the news.

The son of former South African president Nelson Mandela has died of AIDS. Makgatho Mandela, who was 54, died in a Johannesburg hospital. In announcing the death, Mandela said the only way to fight about the disease's stigma was to speak openly about it, something he's been doing for the past three years. A Texas appeals court today struck down the murder convictions and life prison sentence of Andrea Yates and ordered a new trial. Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub in their home in 2001. She was convicted of murder in three of the deaths. Prosecutors plan to appeal the ruling.

This programming note. Be sure to tune in tonight to "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern, for Larry's exclusive interview with Andrea Yates' husband, Rusty Yates.

On Capitol Hill here in Washington, some Democrats interrupted the formal count of electoral votes from the November election by challenging the 20 electoral votes from Ohio. They argued there were numerous voting irregularities in the Buckeye State. You'll recall, it was those votes which gave President Bush his reelection victory. The move forced House and Senate members to go into separate meetings for debate. But both ended up voting down the protest.

Earlier this hour, we showed you some new tsunami pictures, images recorded when the wave slammed into a luxury resort in Thailand. Those pictures and other seen earlier stand as evidence of the terrible power of the tsunami.

Professor Robert Dalrymple, also known as Tony Dalrymple, of Johns Hopkins University, is an internationally recognized expert on water, waves, and coastal engineering. He's joining us now live from Baltimore.

Tony, thanks very much for joining us.

These latest pictures show the waves, the water coming in, simply swallowing up anything in its path, including an individual who happened to be standing there dazed as he looks out. We're showing those pictures now. How fast did all this occur?

ROBERT DALRYMPLE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Well, it depends on the particular country where the wave was coming ashore. But, in fact, these things can be moving 40, 50 miles an hour.

BLITZER: And, so, basically, if you were waiting even for a few seconds, those precious seconds could have made the difference between life and death.

DALRYMPLE: Indeed. It would be very hard to outrun these waves, because there is a terrific amount of water behind them and they're moving very fast.

BLITZER: The pictures we are seeing are from what happened at Khao Lak in Thailand. I'm sure you are familiar with the enormity of the disaster there. How fast, basically, when the waters came rushing in, did it all end?

DALRYMPLE: Well, it is hard to say, but -- and we have to look at some of the damage to estimate the velocities from the data that is gathered after the waves hit the shoreline -- but previous tsunamis have showed 40- and 50-mile-an-hour velocities. BLITZER: So, that force level of destruction, no one can withstand anything along those lines, is that right?

DALRYMPLE: You probably can't stand up in the most of those kinds of waves. They are tipping, they are knocking down light poles, parking meters and so forth. So, the forces are immense.

And, also, the turbulence within the waves is very large, so that a person trying to swim would more than likely be drowned by the eddies in the breaking waves.

BLITZER: If we tried to engineer a wave of this magnitude, a manmade wave in some fashion, would that be doable?

DALRYMPLE: Not at that magnitude.

We try to engineer small ones in laboratories, so we can study these phenomena. For example, at Oregon State University, there is a tsunami wave basin just strictly to study tsunamis. So it is possible to do, but waves of this magnitude, there is just too much emergency involved.

BLITZER: It's been, what, almost two weeks since this occurred. Tony, you've had a chance to look at the pictures, do some scientific study of what happened. What goes through your mind now? What have you learned as an expert on this subject over these past nearly two weeks?

DALRYMPLE: Well, looking at the videos, it is very obvious that the waves looked very different on the different beaches. And so some, it looks like overland flooding. In some places, it looks like a normal wave on a beach, except much bigger and a lot of water behind the wave with the flooding. So the waves look very different.

And I think that is a factor of how the waves propagated across the Indian Ocean to get to that particular beach. So, it is going to be interesting to look at some of the post-tsunami surveys to see some of the data that is gathered in terms of how high the water ran up on the shoreline and how much damage was done, so we can try to estimate the velocities and wave heights.

Tony Dalrymple is a coastal engineer from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Thanks, Tony, very much.

DALRYMPLE: You're welcome.

BLITZER: The U.S. government has pledged $350 million for disaster aid. The U.S. military is spearheading the rescue effort in the largest Muslim nation in the world. That would be Indonesia. But can that change America's image?

Let's turn to our national correspondent Bob Franken. He's been looking into this story -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as intense as the relief effort is, it is accompanied by no small amount of self- consciousness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): For the moment, at least, the outpouring of generosity by the United States has created a common bond with countries, cultures, religions that had groan intensely hostile.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: It is with a heavy heart that we are here, but we are friends forever.

FRANKEN: But even as aid from the United States pours in, even as private citizens contribute millions, there are many reminders that the U.S. in the Muslim world is generally viewed at best with suspicion.

SALAMEH NEMATT, "AL HAYAT": I think that some people will see that the U.S. wants to seize the opportunity to basically help these mainly Muslim nations out of this plight of the people's suffering in order to score points in terms of it being helping the Muslims, while it is doing warfare in other parts of the Muslim world.

FRANKEN: But there is evidence everywhere of mistrust and hostility. In Indonesia, a man among the desperate is seen wearing an Osama bin Laden T-shirt. Speculation in some Arab media, the tsunami was caused by U.S. testing of exotic weapons.

Radical Muslim voices are heard on Saudi TV blaming the disaster on non-Muslims. "It happened at Christmas," he says, "when fornicators and corrupt people from all over the world come to commit fornication and sexual perversion."

The cultural antagonism is obviously a sore point.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: America is not an anti-Islam, anti-Muslim nation.

FRANKEN: For now, the Arab TV correspondents are reporting on the relief efforts, but many warn that hopes of fundamentally repairing relationships may be far too optimistic.

MOHAMMED ALAMI, AL-JAZEERA: The news cycle is very fast and people have very short memories. I think, in our part of the area, or in our part of the world, probably policy will not matter at the end of the day, you know, the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: The tsunami is historic, but the antagonism felt by the Muslim world has even more history -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, thanks very much for that report.

The spirit of giving is alive, as desperately needed supplies are making their way to the tsunami disaster zone. We are live at Dulles International Airport just outside the nation's capital. You are looking at these pictures. We will get a behind-the-scenes look at this project of hope. Our Brian Todd is on the scene.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTRESS: Every penny counts and will be put to extraordinary good for children, who need it most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: From Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio to baseball's Barry Bonds, everyone seems to be pitching in to try to help tsunami survivors. But can these celebrities encourage others to give?

And we'll have the story of a child who survived a deadly train accident in Sri Lanka. CNN's Christiane Amanpour with this amazing story of survival.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Flights of relief supplies from the United States have been gradually getting to the tsunami disaster zone all this week.

CNN's Brian Todd is live at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., with a behind-the-scenes look at a plane being loaded right now with urgently needed medical supplies.

Brian, take us on a tour of what's going on.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, urgently needed is right, Wolf.

And, at this instance, the supplies are coming from about 10,000 miles away to Banda Aceh. Some shipments of relief supplies are being prepared by two relief groups, Uplift International and Project Hope.

Right now, I'm here with the president of Project Hope, Dr. John Howe.

Dr. Howe, what have your people on the ground told you in Banda Aceh are the most urgent medical needs right now?

DR. JOHN HOWE, PRESIDENT, PROJECT HOPE: Reports today from our team tell us there are two problems. First are crush injuries, torn tissues, broken bones, and secondly pneumonia from inhaling the water, all from the force of the waves.

TODD: OK. And you have brought a sampling of some of the supplies that you are going to be sending in this shipment. What do you have here?

HOWE: Yes. These are just two examples. For the wounds, we have suture material. For the infections, we have antibiotics. And, in fact, Project Hope began with a big white ship in 1960 going to Indonesia, and now we return in a big white airplane. TODD: OK, well, Doctor, thank you very much and good luck.

Wolf, this shipment was originated at a warehouse in Winchester, Virginia, about an hour away from here. It was loaded up this afternoon. From here, it will push back from about five hours from now. And from Dulles Airport, it will go to Memphis. From Memphis, it will go to Anchorage, Alaska. From Anchorage, it goes to Subic Bay in the Philippines, and from there over Jakarta, Indonesia.

Now, officials from Uplift International tell us, from Jakarta, they have to take it by helicopter to Banda Aceh, because there's no other way to get there quickly. That is about three hours. So, you have got four or five pallets of materials, about 2,000-3,000 pounds each, of some of the medical supplies that Dr. Howe spoke of.

They think it will get to Jakarta around Saturday evening, Sunday morning, Eastern time. From there, it is about three or four hours to Banda Aceh. There are a lot of supplies being loaded up here as we speak. And from the warehouse to Banda Aceh, upwards of around three days total from point A to point B, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, desperately needed supplies, indeed.

Brian Todd, thanks very much. Brian is over at Dulles Airport outside Washington.

Celebrities are making both high-profile and low-profile donations toward disaster relief, but does their star power make a real difference?

CNN's Brooke Anderson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Proceeds from Green Day and auctions on eBay, all part of Hollywood's effort to help with the tsunami disaster.

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, GREEN DAY: The tsunami is the biggest tragedy that -- global disaster that we'll see in our lifetime. So, for us, it was really important to get involved in any way that we possibly could.

ANDERSON: Green Day announced Wednesday that all the proceeds from sales of their latest single on iTunes will go to the Red Cross. Rockers Linkin Park have also teamed with the Red Cross to form a donation Web site.

WILLIE NELSON, MUSICIAN: Everybody wants to try to do something.

ANDERSON: Willie Nelson is heading up a benefit concert in Austin this Sunday. And Sting will hold a benefit concert in Australia February 10.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST: The lovely people from Toyota are giving us a 2005 fully loaded Prius.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Ellen DeGeneres announced an eBay auction on her show Wednesday. Also on eBay, Jay Leno is asking celebrity guests to autograph a Harley Davidson motorcycle for the cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")

JAY LENO, HOST: Stars will sign it. We'll put it up on eBay and we'll donate all the money to the Red Cross to help the victims.

ANDERSON: Experts say celebrity support can make a difference.

DANIEL BOROCHOFF, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHILANTHROPY: A lot of people don't follow the news very closely, but they do follow their favorite celebrities, and this will encourage these people, particularly younger people, to pitch in and make a contribution.

ANDERSON: Many celebrities are personally pitching in. Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, who lost a bodyguard in the tsunami, has pledged $10 million. Steven Spielberg gave $1.5 million and Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million.

And Leonardo DiCaprio, who filmed the 2000 movie "The Beach" in Thailand, gave what was a called a sizable sum to UNICEF.

PARKER: Every penny counts and will be put to extraordinary good for children, who need it most.

ANDERSON: Some NBC owned and affiliated stations got the ball rolling with a mini-telethon Wednesday night. NBC will roll out a national televised special on January 15 with George Clooney, Sheryl Crow and Christina Aguilera among those said to be lending their star power.

BOROCHOFF: It is very easy for them right now to lob onto the crisis, get a lot of great publicity and attention. But will they stay with it and help in the long term, because this crisis could go on for years. And we need the celebrities to stay with it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Rockers Green Day say they will be donating a portion of their record sales at least through the end of this year. And, Wolf, that is just the beginning.

Every day, every hour, we're hearing more about stars getting involved, including Dustin Hoffman. His publicist told me just a few minutes ago he is lending a hand through UNICEF.

BLITZER: All right, Brooke Anderson in Los Angeles, we are going to checking back with you for a complete update. Thanks very much.

Living the tragedy from the shores of the tsunami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I truly believe that we are doing a job that is necessary in telling this story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: When we return, our Christiane Amanpour shares her personal experiences. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Few people have ever witnessed the kind of devastation the tsunami caused across South Asia. And that includes reporters covering the story.

CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, is in Sri Lanka. I spoke with her just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Christiane, as all of our viewers around the world know, you've been covering horrendous stories for many years. Give us some perspective. How does this tsunami disaster compare?

AMANPOUR: You know, it is awfully hard to compare, because all of the things that I've witnessed over the last 15 years have their own sense of drama and tragedy and crisis.

I think, though, what has struck me about this is where it's happened. The immense geographic scope of this is unprecedented, the fact that it came completely out of the blue, bright, shining blue ski, the day after Christmas, people on holiday, all the workers in this part of the region at full employment, at full go and suddenly, suddenly, their entire world upside down.

For me, what has struck me so, so much, as can you imagine, is seeing the very human sadness, the tragedy, the loss, the incredible also stoicism and dignity, the hope that people have. I met a little boy. The very first thing I did when I got here, told the story of a little boy who had survived the worst disaster on this coast, which was a train wreck. And he survived simply by hanging on to the luggage rack above his head in the train. And his mother and two sisters were killed.

And, the boy is still so young, so stunned, still unable to grieve properly, still hasn't even cried. It's really tragic and heartbreaking.

BLITZER: And you speak not only as a seasoned war correspondent, Christiane, but as a mother, and you have an adorable little boy yourself. How has this affected you?

AMANPOUR: Very deeply, as you can imagine. And in fact many of my colleagues, many of the CNN correspondents who are doing the heroic job of telling the story and making the world understand what an important story, what a great, great tragedy it is, many of them are parents, too. Some of them have never done this kind of work before.

So, for all of us, it is really hitting hard, not just on a professional level, but on a personal as well. But I'll tell you what gets us through. I truly believe that we are doing a job that is necessary in telling this story and being there and getting these individual stories out, getting the huge global scale of this tragedy out, because that is the way they can get any help.

BLITZER: Has there been one moment, Christiane, where you've simply lost it?

AMANPOUR: you know, it is always -- there is always that fear lurking within me, when I face tragedy, look it in the eyes, see people who have survived, watch them mourn those people who they've lost. And there is always that pricking behind the eyes, the catching in the throat, the fear that I might not get through the actual report.

But, I do try very, very hard to keep it together, because I feel that I must in order to tell the story. But, certainly, in private moments, you can't help but shed a tear, but to feel deep, deep compassion for these people who have gone through so much in their lives. And so many of them can -- these are poor people who have had their meager existences simply obliterated, not to mention the children, the mothers, the brothers, the sisters.

It is so hard to see somebody who has literally lost everything. I stood talking to some people. I heard stories, women who simply recounted that, when they saw the wave, they ran, but they lost two children, another woman who says they ran and she was saved, but her brother, sister, their two children have been lost.

Even to hear the tourists who have come here and have lost kids as young as 2, and even the elderly who have come here and been separated, people who came to bring their parents on holiday and have gone back because their elderly parents could not survive, it is just monumental and cataclysmic. And it just defies belief. Really, it does.

BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour, thanks for spending a few moments with us. Good luck to you and all our colleagues out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this programming note. Christiane will be hosting a prime-time special on the children of the tsunami tonight, along with Anderson Cooper, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. This is something you will want to see.

We'll have some powerful images of the tsunami, that's coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We leave you now with the powerful images of the tsunami captured in photographs.

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