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CNN Live At Daybreak

U.N. Secretary-General Tours Sumatra; 'America's Voice'; Palestinian Vote; New Arrest in 1964 Civil Rights Murders

Aired January 07, 2005 - 06:30   ET

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


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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers.
Relief teams are trying to contend with the enormous scope of the tsunami devastation just as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan tours the damage and appeals to countries to come up with their promised aid right now.

CNN's Mike Chinoy has been with Singapore's navy. He joins us live now from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

Hello -- Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, we ran into Kofi Annan in the town of Meulaboh on the western coast of Sumatra. That's the hardest-hit area, the U.N. secretary-general coming first to Banda Aceh and then taking a helicopter down along the coast. It's about 120 miles.

And it's 120 miles of just absolute utter devastation. When you look out the window of the helicopter you see places where there had been towns and villages and farms, and it's just wasteland now. Nobody is sure how many people died here. Many of these communities had been completely wiped out.

Annan said to reporters that he was absolutely shocked by what he'd seen, that it was far worse than he imagined. And he urged the international community to do whatever it could to help in the relief effort here.

In Meulaboh, which is a town of about 50,000 people, the devastation has been enormous, and the Singaporean military is taking a leading role in the relief effort there. Singaporeans have two ships and are anchored just offshore. And they're bringing ashore heavy equipment, bulldozers, other kinds of digging material.

And the idea is to try and carve out a strip of shoreline and make it capable of handling larger ships and larger helicopters so that relief supplies can come more readily, because none of the roads in the area are operating. And the airport was too badly damaged to handle any kind of meaningful air traffic as well.

Singaporeans also are running a field clinic and a mobile hospital. They're seeing hundreds of patients a day, people with injuries from the tsunami, many of whom had no medical treatment for more than 10 days -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy reporting live from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, this morning. Thank you.

Americans certainly seem to be stepping up when it counts and shelling out big bucks actually for tsunami relief efforts.

Frank Newport, Gallup Poll editor-in-chief, joins us live from Princeton, New Jersey, with some numbers to show us.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Indeed, about 90 percent of Americans are following this story at least somewhat closely, which makes it one of the most closely- followed news events of the last couple of decades that we've tracked here at Gallup.

Our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll asked Americans, have you done these things in response to the tsunami tragedy? Almost half, 45 percent of Americans, told us in the poll just completed this week that they have, in fact, donated money for the victims of the families of the tsunami.

Look at the numbers for prayer down at the bottom of that list, almost three-quarters of Americans said they prayed for the victims. A smaller number, about a quarter, said they've actually tried to donate some kind of supplies for the victims.

So all in all, Carol, no question about it, the public is telling us that there is an outpouring, both from the pocketbooks and the soul, for the victims of the tsunami.

COSTELLO: It's absolutely amazing. Another question for you: Do Americans think that we're doing enough to help those in South Asia?

NEWPORT: Well, that was, you know, the discussions, some controversy about how quickly Americans -- the country, that is, the United States officially reacted. But Americans don't have any question in their own mind about it. Is the United States doing enough? Seventy percent say officially the U.S. is, only 26 percent say it is not.

But there is a political edge to everything, of course, a Republican administration, a Republican Congress. But even Democrats on the right-hand side, almost 6 out of 10 say yes, at this point the U.S. is doing enough.

So, all in all, this poll showed Americans think that the U.S. is responding appropriately, and they themselves certainly, Carol, are responding.

COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport, thanks for the interesting numbers this morning. Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey. Palestinians vote Sunday for a second president of the Palestinian Authority the successor to the late Yasser Arafat. And Richard Gere, the actor, wants the Palestinian people to rock the vote. Richard Gere rock the vote? Let's head live to Ramallah and CNN's John Vause.

Hello -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Mahmoud Abbas, the man widely tapped to win Sunday's election, has had a stellar rise in the opinion polls. Just a few months ago, his popularity rating among Palestinians is around 2 maybe 3 percent on a good day. But the latest opinion poll out puts it at more than 60 percent. Both Israel and the United States consider him a moderate, a man they can do business with.

And Abbas has said that he hopes to restart peace negotiations with Israel once he is elected on Sunday night. He also wants to restart the stalled U.S.-backed road map peace plan.

And while he is expected to win this election on Sunday, the big question in all of this is by how much? What will the vote be? An overwhelming vote and a high voter turnout will be good news for Abbas. It will give him the credibility he needs to move forward with that agenda of peace negotiations with Israel. But a low voter turnout and a less-than-convincing win could mean political trouble down the line.

But this really is an historic vote on Sunday for the next president of the Palestinian Authority, and Palestinians are being encouraged to go to the ballot boxes even by actor Richard Gere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GERE, ACTOR: Hi, I'm Richard Gere, and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important. Get out and vote (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, Richard Gere is no stranger to both Israelis and Palestinians. He's been to this region on a number of occasions, mostly associated with various peace groups. But, Carol, to be fair, most Palestinians would know him as the guy that slept with Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I was just going to say, I didn't know that anyone had heard of Richard Gere. I guess it kind of bugged me when he said he was speaking for the entire world.

VAUSE: I think he was sort of expressing his sentiment on behalf of the entire world. Even Richard Gere wouldn't be so presumptuous to speak on behalf of the entire world.

COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live from Ramallah this morning. Thank you.

Let's go now to "AMERICAN MORNING" and Heidi Collins.

And from what I hear, Heidi, you're going to have, oh, a happier tsunami story to share with us this morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. It's time, isn't it, Carol? Good morning to you, and good morning, everybody.

There have been so many stories in the past two weeks about missing Americans. But we do have a happy ending to tell you about this morning.

We talked Wednesday morning to Michael Bernard. His brother, Rul (ph), you may remember, was unaccounted for. Well, Wednesday night Rul (ph) finally checked in. So, how did they finally hear from him? And how did he react when he learned everybody thought he was missing? We're going to talk again to his brother, Michael, and also talk to his sister, Melissa Flood (ph). And I spoke with him in the makeup room just a little while ago, and it's a great, great story, one that everybody should hear today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Well, we'll hear it in about 20 minutes. Thank you, Heidi.

It is a sad fact of life, but some people are trying to scam you out of the money you are donating for the tsunami relief efforts. Ali Velshi is going to tell us all about that.

ALI VELSHI, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: I'll fill you in and tell you what to do to stay away from it, and check on some of the e-mails from our viewers who had expressed some very strong views about what should be done to people who try and scam you.

COSTELLO: Yes. Strong views, I think that's an understatement.

Also ahead on DAYBREAK, it's going to be a cold and wet weekend in many parts of the country, a good time to go to the movies. We'll tell you what's out this weekend.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A 79-year-old Mississippi man will be arraigned today in the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers. An outspoken white supremacist nicknamed the "Preacher" was arrested at his home without incident.

For more on the case, CNN's Eric Philips joins us live from Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Good morning -- Eric.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. As you said, this is a case that dates back now to 1964, and 79- year-old Edgar Ray Killen is the very first person to face state murder charges in this case, where those three civil rights workers were murdered back in 1964. The three of them -- James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman -- were here in Philadelphia, Mississippi. They were investigating the burning of a black church, where some of their voter registration drive efforts had been taking place.

That fateful night, they had left the church. They were heading back to Meridian, Mississippi, when they were pulled over by local authorities. They were taken to jail, released a few hours later, and then stopped by the Ku Klux Klan, which forced them to pull over. They attacked them, shot them, and then burned their bodies in a nearby earthen dam.

This is something that has followed this city for years now. A lot of people have been pressing for this case to be reopened. There were 19 people charged with federal conspiracy charges in 1967. A lot of them got off, including Edgar Ray Killen. His case ended in a mistrial.

But now, the Mississippi attorney general, Jim Hood, has now reopened this case. He did so last year and began presenting evidence to a grand jury, and this first charge, this first state murder charge is the result of that reopened investigation.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. Eric Philips live from Philadelphia, Mississippi, this morning. Thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The death toll from the killer quake and tsunami now stands at nearly 156,000. Tens of thousands are still missing, and many of the survivors are threatened by disease. The U.N. says the death toll will keep climbing.

There has been another delay in the legal process for the man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart. Brian David Mitchell was removed from a Salt Lake City courtroom before a competency hearing could begin, because he started singing Bible verses. The hearing is rescheduled for February.

EBay is leading efforts to promote the recycling of computers. EBay wants to reduce environmental dangers posed by the 400 million electronic products that are thrown away every year.

In culture, for the first time in four years album sales are on the rise. 2004 marked a banner year, thanks to digital sales online like the iPod and chart-topping sales for artists like Usher.

And in sports, a bizarre record-setting night for the Detroit Pistons' Richard Hamilton. He's the first NBA player to lead his team in scoring without making a field goal. He missed all 10 field goal attempts but made all 14 free throws against the Memphis Grizzlies. (WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

We've been talking a lot this morning about the tons of aid going into Southern Asia and the millions of dollars being donated to relief agencies. We've also been talking about the scam artists. And what should be done to scam artists?

Joining me now is DAYBREAK contributor Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: Carol, let me bring you up-to-speed with what's been going on. We talked about this earlier in the week. We talked about it last week, the dangers of what can happen when these disasters occur in the world and the fact that people take advantage of generosity by scamming people out of donations.

Well, now the FBI has warned that, in fact, this is happening. In some cases, there have been appeals for urgent aid made that don't have anything to do with tsunami relief.

The FBI was alerted by Oxfam, because Oxfam was actually referred to in a letter asking for urgent help. The letter reads, in part, "We're all aware that the disaster caused by the tsunami." It goes on to say: "The death toll is increasing day by day. Victims are in need of urgent help."

The FBI is saying be very careful when you find out that somebody is asking for money. Go to the Web site. Check the URL. Just because there's a link to a Web site doesn't mean that's actually where you're going.

The attorney general of Connecticut made a comment to make sure that the charity you're giving to is really legitimate. It doesn't just sound like the name of a charity that would be legitimate. He cited an organization called Connecticut Care. It sounds good. No such organization, so be careful about that.

There are also organizations whose names sound like things like Americare's. He used the term "America Cares." Now, if you put America Cares into your URL, Americare actually shows up, which is the legitimate organization. But somebody may ask you to send your money to one of these organizations. Be careful.

It's very easy to find out what the legitimate Web sites are. Better Business Bureau wise-giving alliance has a Web site called Give.org. CharityNavigator.org, CharityWatch.org. Go the government's Web site, USFreedomCorps.gov. These are all places that list the legitimate charities. You have links to them, and you can find out whether they're good. So be careful of that.

Our viewers are not pleased about this at all.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

VELSHI: The e-mails are flowing in. We've got some very interesting and very creative ones.

One of them I've got right here: "The scam artists should have" -- this is from Maryanne (ph) in Idaho. "Scam artists should have to perform community service such as picking up litter on a busy street while wearing a sandwich board that says, 'I scammed money from people for tsunami relief.' They should have to stand in the lobby of charity auctions or concerts or next to the Salvation Army bell- ringers wearing a sandwich board that says, 'Thank you for supporting this legitimate charity. I scammed people out of money related to the tsunami disaster.'"

COSTELLO: Ooh, I like that one from Idaho.

VELSHI: Shaming them into doing better things.

Ron in Missouri has a great one: "They should be in front of a TV for 10 years and nonstop have to watch Anna Nicole Smith or have to listen to Jessica Simpson sing. Either one would be pure hell."

COSTELLO: Oh, geez!

VELSHI: There's another one that says: "They should be taken by helicopter, dropped in the middle of the ocean with a boat and made to paddle back to civilization."

Tough love. But, I mean, this is tough. This is not -- I'm sort of a big buyer beware guy when it comes to stock scandals or investment scandals. You're trying to make a buck, and you're getting scammed out of it. That's bad enough. This hurts the donor, and this hurts the people who are supposed to the money. And these are real lives at risk. So, it's quite serious.

COSTELLO: Tell us about the real punishments if they catch these scam artists. And it's difficult to catch them, right?

VELSHI: They're very creative.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

VELSHI: Yes. I mean, it is a crime. But the problem is how you get to these people. It's the same kind of people who send you these things that are purportedly from PayPal or eBay or Citigroup. It's very hard to find out. Be careful.

One easy way to do things is check the URL, the Web address when you link to something. Make sure it is what it is supposed to be. If you want to give money to Oxfam or Red Cross, type that in. Do a search and find it yourself. Don't open attachments that come on e- mails. These people don't send unsolicited e-mails, legitimate charities, and they don't send attachments with them.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it.

"AMERICAN MORNING's" Soledad O'Brien joins us now live from Phuket, Thailand, with more on Colin Powell's trip to the tsunami disaster area. Hello -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol.

As the week draws to a close here from Phuket, Thailand, this morning, not much comfort for the family members who are still searching for any news about their loved ones. We've got more on that this morning as well.

But, yes, Secretary of State Colin Powell touring Sri Lanka, which is now the site of the largest airlift in that nation's history. U.S. Marines have been bringing in supplies by chopper, and at last count 130 relief flights were successful. So some good news there.

John King is going to have an exclusive interview with Secretary Powell. That's ahead this morning.

Plus, the Thai prime minister announces that he's going to oversee the implantation of microchips into some of the remains. We're going to find out why he thinks that could aid in the identification process here in Thailand.

That's ahead this morning, Carol, and much more in addition to that on "AMERICAN MORNING." See you in a bit.

COSTELLO: All right, Soledad, thank you.

An inspiring story out of Rwanda comes to the big screen. "Hotel Rwanda" goes nationwide this weekend. We have a preview for you coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's hard to imagine that a nation suffered genocide and the rest of the world did very little to help. A decade later, the plight of Rwanda is detailed through one man's real-life story in the new movie, "Hotel Rwanda." The movie opens in wide release this weekend.

And Tom O'Neil from "In-Touch Weekly" joins us now to talk about this wonderful movie.

TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": It is wonderful, Carol. It seems like one of those films that's homework movie-going. You think, oh, I'm going to get a history lesson and a guilt trip at the same time.

But this is such an inspiring story of the human spirit and a movie that's so well-made that many people in Hollywood have seen this film three or four times. It's up for best film at the Golden Globes next week. We could see it at the Oscars.

COSTELLO: Wow! I guess you could kind of describe it as "Schlinder's List," except as it applies to Rwanda.

O'NEIL: Yes. But there's more humor in this film than in "Schlinder's List." And I think one of the redeeming things of this film as a movie is that this guy is so sneaky in the ways that he finds to outwit these hot-headed military types to save these refugees, who are actually part of the opposition camp. So it's extraordinary that he actually does this.

COSTELLO: The lead actor in this movie, Don Cheadle, I mean, I haven't seen him play a role like this.

O'NEIL: No. And he's completely enveloped in the role. You believe him every minute.

COSTELLO: I think the last movie I saw him in was the astronaut movie, and he had such a little tiny part...

O'NEIL: Right, right.

COSTELLO: ... that was easy to play. So I don't know. It's just great to see him in something like this.

O'NEIL: Yes. He's up for best actor at the Globes. We'll see him again at the Oscars.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about the Golden Globes, because they are coming upon us very fast.

O'NEIL: Yes.

COSTELLO: And you are going to be there front and center.

O'NEIL: Well, first of all, starting Friday -- excuse me -- next Saturday night, CNN has a special airing at 8:00 p.m. and again at 11:00 that gives you a complete introduction to the Globes of what's going to happen.

And if you want to know who is going to actually to win, go to my Web site, GoldDerby.com. We give you race track odds. But then on Globe day, I'm going to be smack-dab in the middle on that red carpet between Joan Rivers with the TV Guide Channel and Star Jones.

COSTELLO: Oh, Star! I thought it was Melissa's (sic) daughter. We had this picture all prepared for you with Joan and her daughter, Melissa.

O'NEIL: Yes. I'll be with Joan and Melissa. I've been doing shows with them on E since 1995 when they started the red carpet routine. But the thing that's...

COSTELLO: OK, dish some dirt. We want to find out about Joan.

O'NEIL: Oh, she's a scream, literally, off-screen as well, to deal with. The thing that we've got to watch next Sunday is Joan coming from that old Catskill's school of comic. Comedy loves insult humor. And she's going to go after Star. And the fur is going to fly, the shoes, the claws. It's going to be hilarious.

COSTELLO: She's going to go after Star Jones. That could get ugly.

O'NEIL: It's going to get real ugly.

COSTELLO: That could turn physical, Tom.

O'NEIL: And I'm going to be there to try to keep the peace, but I don't know what I can do.

COSTELLO: So, what exactly are you going to do? Are you going to, like, help with people's wardrobes or something? What will you be doing?

O'NEIL: No, no, no, I'm the awards expert. So...

COSTELLO: Oh. So, you're not going to comment on people's clothes.

O'NEIL: No, not at all. So, periodically throughout the show they'll say, oh, forget the clothes, there's an awards race going on. Oh, that's right. Let's ask Tom about best actor in a, you know, drama series on TV.

COSTELLO: But what are you wearing?

O'NEIL: Ralph Lauren.

COSTELLO: Oh, see!

O'NEIL: Joan is very strict about this, and she will inspect your labels in that before you go on.

COSTELLO: Really?

O'NEIL: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Did she pay for your Ralph Lauren suit?

O'NEIL: No, she doesn't pay for it, but she says, I want my expert in classic Ralph Lauren. Period.

COSTELLO: Did CNN pay for that?

O'NEIL: No, no, no, this is what the TV Guide Channel...

COSTELLO: I'm just kidding. I'm kidding, Tom. Thank you, Tom O'Neil.

O'NEIL: OK.

COSTELLO: A pleasure, as always.

This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I was going to ask you what kind of suit you had on, but I won't do that to you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is a Hartshafter & Marks (ph), one of my nice ones. Have a good weekend watching all of that football, Carol. Four games on.

COSTELLO: Isn't that terrific?

MYERS: It's awesome.

COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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Aired January 7, 2005 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers.
Relief teams are trying to contend with the enormous scope of the tsunami devastation just as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan tours the damage and appeals to countries to come up with their promised aid right now.

CNN's Mike Chinoy has been with Singapore's navy. He joins us live now from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

Hello -- Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, we ran into Kofi Annan in the town of Meulaboh on the western coast of Sumatra. That's the hardest-hit area, the U.N. secretary-general coming first to Banda Aceh and then taking a helicopter down along the coast. It's about 120 miles.

And it's 120 miles of just absolute utter devastation. When you look out the window of the helicopter you see places where there had been towns and villages and farms, and it's just wasteland now. Nobody is sure how many people died here. Many of these communities had been completely wiped out.

Annan said to reporters that he was absolutely shocked by what he'd seen, that it was far worse than he imagined. And he urged the international community to do whatever it could to help in the relief effort here.

In Meulaboh, which is a town of about 50,000 people, the devastation has been enormous, and the Singaporean military is taking a leading role in the relief effort there. Singaporeans have two ships and are anchored just offshore. And they're bringing ashore heavy equipment, bulldozers, other kinds of digging material.

And the idea is to try and carve out a strip of shoreline and make it capable of handling larger ships and larger helicopters so that relief supplies can come more readily, because none of the roads in the area are operating. And the airport was too badly damaged to handle any kind of meaningful air traffic as well.

Singaporeans also are running a field clinic and a mobile hospital. They're seeing hundreds of patients a day, people with injuries from the tsunami, many of whom had no medical treatment for more than 10 days -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy reporting live from Banda Aceh, Indonesia, this morning. Thank you.

Americans certainly seem to be stepping up when it counts and shelling out big bucks actually for tsunami relief efforts.

Frank Newport, Gallup Poll editor-in-chief, joins us live from Princeton, New Jersey, with some numbers to show us.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Indeed, about 90 percent of Americans are following this story at least somewhat closely, which makes it one of the most closely- followed news events of the last couple of decades that we've tracked here at Gallup.

Our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll asked Americans, have you done these things in response to the tsunami tragedy? Almost half, 45 percent of Americans, told us in the poll just completed this week that they have, in fact, donated money for the victims of the families of the tsunami.

Look at the numbers for prayer down at the bottom of that list, almost three-quarters of Americans said they prayed for the victims. A smaller number, about a quarter, said they've actually tried to donate some kind of supplies for the victims.

So all in all, Carol, no question about it, the public is telling us that there is an outpouring, both from the pocketbooks and the soul, for the victims of the tsunami.

COSTELLO: It's absolutely amazing. Another question for you: Do Americans think that we're doing enough to help those in South Asia?

NEWPORT: Well, that was, you know, the discussions, some controversy about how quickly Americans -- the country, that is, the United States officially reacted. But Americans don't have any question in their own mind about it. Is the United States doing enough? Seventy percent say officially the U.S. is, only 26 percent say it is not.

But there is a political edge to everything, of course, a Republican administration, a Republican Congress. But even Democrats on the right-hand side, almost 6 out of 10 say yes, at this point the U.S. is doing enough.

So, all in all, this poll showed Americans think that the U.S. is responding appropriately, and they themselves certainly, Carol, are responding.

COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport, thanks for the interesting numbers this morning. Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey. Palestinians vote Sunday for a second president of the Palestinian Authority the successor to the late Yasser Arafat. And Richard Gere, the actor, wants the Palestinian people to rock the vote. Richard Gere rock the vote? Let's head live to Ramallah and CNN's John Vause.

Hello -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Mahmoud Abbas, the man widely tapped to win Sunday's election, has had a stellar rise in the opinion polls. Just a few months ago, his popularity rating among Palestinians is around 2 maybe 3 percent on a good day. But the latest opinion poll out puts it at more than 60 percent. Both Israel and the United States consider him a moderate, a man they can do business with.

And Abbas has said that he hopes to restart peace negotiations with Israel once he is elected on Sunday night. He also wants to restart the stalled U.S.-backed road map peace plan.

And while he is expected to win this election on Sunday, the big question in all of this is by how much? What will the vote be? An overwhelming vote and a high voter turnout will be good news for Abbas. It will give him the credibility he needs to move forward with that agenda of peace negotiations with Israel. But a low voter turnout and a less-than-convincing win could mean political trouble down the line.

But this really is an historic vote on Sunday for the next president of the Palestinian Authority, and Palestinians are being encouraged to go to the ballot boxes even by actor Richard Gere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GERE, ACTOR: Hi, I'm Richard Gere, and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important. Get out and vote (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, Richard Gere is no stranger to both Israelis and Palestinians. He's been to this region on a number of occasions, mostly associated with various peace groups. But, Carol, to be fair, most Palestinians would know him as the guy that slept with Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I was just going to say, I didn't know that anyone had heard of Richard Gere. I guess it kind of bugged me when he said he was speaking for the entire world.

VAUSE: I think he was sort of expressing his sentiment on behalf of the entire world. Even Richard Gere wouldn't be so presumptuous to speak on behalf of the entire world.

COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live from Ramallah this morning. Thank you.

Let's go now to "AMERICAN MORNING" and Heidi Collins.

And from what I hear, Heidi, you're going to have, oh, a happier tsunami story to share with us this morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. It's time, isn't it, Carol? Good morning to you, and good morning, everybody.

There have been so many stories in the past two weeks about missing Americans. But we do have a happy ending to tell you about this morning.

We talked Wednesday morning to Michael Bernard. His brother, Rul (ph), you may remember, was unaccounted for. Well, Wednesday night Rul (ph) finally checked in. So, how did they finally hear from him? And how did he react when he learned everybody thought he was missing? We're going to talk again to his brother, Michael, and also talk to his sister, Melissa Flood (ph). And I spoke with him in the makeup room just a little while ago, and it's a great, great story, one that everybody should hear today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Well, we'll hear it in about 20 minutes. Thank you, Heidi.

It is a sad fact of life, but some people are trying to scam you out of the money you are donating for the tsunami relief efforts. Ali Velshi is going to tell us all about that.

ALI VELSHI, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: I'll fill you in and tell you what to do to stay away from it, and check on some of the e-mails from our viewers who had expressed some very strong views about what should be done to people who try and scam you.

COSTELLO: Yes. Strong views, I think that's an understatement.

Also ahead on DAYBREAK, it's going to be a cold and wet weekend in many parts of the country, a good time to go to the movies. We'll tell you what's out this weekend.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A 79-year-old Mississippi man will be arraigned today in the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers. An outspoken white supremacist nicknamed the "Preacher" was arrested at his home without incident.

For more on the case, CNN's Eric Philips joins us live from Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Good morning -- Eric.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. As you said, this is a case that dates back now to 1964, and 79- year-old Edgar Ray Killen is the very first person to face state murder charges in this case, where those three civil rights workers were murdered back in 1964. The three of them -- James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman -- were here in Philadelphia, Mississippi. They were investigating the burning of a black church, where some of their voter registration drive efforts had been taking place.

That fateful night, they had left the church. They were heading back to Meridian, Mississippi, when they were pulled over by local authorities. They were taken to jail, released a few hours later, and then stopped by the Ku Klux Klan, which forced them to pull over. They attacked them, shot them, and then burned their bodies in a nearby earthen dam.

This is something that has followed this city for years now. A lot of people have been pressing for this case to be reopened. There were 19 people charged with federal conspiracy charges in 1967. A lot of them got off, including Edgar Ray Killen. His case ended in a mistrial.

But now, the Mississippi attorney general, Jim Hood, has now reopened this case. He did so last year and began presenting evidence to a grand jury, and this first charge, this first state murder charge is the result of that reopened investigation.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. Eric Philips live from Philadelphia, Mississippi, this morning. Thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The death toll from the killer quake and tsunami now stands at nearly 156,000. Tens of thousands are still missing, and many of the survivors are threatened by disease. The U.N. says the death toll will keep climbing.

There has been another delay in the legal process for the man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart. Brian David Mitchell was removed from a Salt Lake City courtroom before a competency hearing could begin, because he started singing Bible verses. The hearing is rescheduled for February.

EBay is leading efforts to promote the recycling of computers. EBay wants to reduce environmental dangers posed by the 400 million electronic products that are thrown away every year.

In culture, for the first time in four years album sales are on the rise. 2004 marked a banner year, thanks to digital sales online like the iPod and chart-topping sales for artists like Usher.

And in sports, a bizarre record-setting night for the Detroit Pistons' Richard Hamilton. He's the first NBA player to lead his team in scoring without making a field goal. He missed all 10 field goal attempts but made all 14 free throws against the Memphis Grizzlies. (WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

We've been talking a lot this morning about the tons of aid going into Southern Asia and the millions of dollars being donated to relief agencies. We've also been talking about the scam artists. And what should be done to scam artists?

Joining me now is DAYBREAK contributor Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: Carol, let me bring you up-to-speed with what's been going on. We talked about this earlier in the week. We talked about it last week, the dangers of what can happen when these disasters occur in the world and the fact that people take advantage of generosity by scamming people out of donations.

Well, now the FBI has warned that, in fact, this is happening. In some cases, there have been appeals for urgent aid made that don't have anything to do with tsunami relief.

The FBI was alerted by Oxfam, because Oxfam was actually referred to in a letter asking for urgent help. The letter reads, in part, "We're all aware that the disaster caused by the tsunami." It goes on to say: "The death toll is increasing day by day. Victims are in need of urgent help."

The FBI is saying be very careful when you find out that somebody is asking for money. Go to the Web site. Check the URL. Just because there's a link to a Web site doesn't mean that's actually where you're going.

The attorney general of Connecticut made a comment to make sure that the charity you're giving to is really legitimate. It doesn't just sound like the name of a charity that would be legitimate. He cited an organization called Connecticut Care. It sounds good. No such organization, so be careful about that.

There are also organizations whose names sound like things like Americare's. He used the term "America Cares." Now, if you put America Cares into your URL, Americare actually shows up, which is the legitimate organization. But somebody may ask you to send your money to one of these organizations. Be careful.

It's very easy to find out what the legitimate Web sites are. Better Business Bureau wise-giving alliance has a Web site called Give.org. CharityNavigator.org, CharityWatch.org. Go the government's Web site, USFreedomCorps.gov. These are all places that list the legitimate charities. You have links to them, and you can find out whether they're good. So be careful of that.

Our viewers are not pleased about this at all.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

VELSHI: The e-mails are flowing in. We've got some very interesting and very creative ones.

One of them I've got right here: "The scam artists should have" -- this is from Maryanne (ph) in Idaho. "Scam artists should have to perform community service such as picking up litter on a busy street while wearing a sandwich board that says, 'I scammed money from people for tsunami relief.' They should have to stand in the lobby of charity auctions or concerts or next to the Salvation Army bell- ringers wearing a sandwich board that says, 'Thank you for supporting this legitimate charity. I scammed people out of money related to the tsunami disaster.'"

COSTELLO: Ooh, I like that one from Idaho.

VELSHI: Shaming them into doing better things.

Ron in Missouri has a great one: "They should be in front of a TV for 10 years and nonstop have to watch Anna Nicole Smith or have to listen to Jessica Simpson sing. Either one would be pure hell."

COSTELLO: Oh, geez!

VELSHI: There's another one that says: "They should be taken by helicopter, dropped in the middle of the ocean with a boat and made to paddle back to civilization."

Tough love. But, I mean, this is tough. This is not -- I'm sort of a big buyer beware guy when it comes to stock scandals or investment scandals. You're trying to make a buck, and you're getting scammed out of it. That's bad enough. This hurts the donor, and this hurts the people who are supposed to the money. And these are real lives at risk. So, it's quite serious.

COSTELLO: Tell us about the real punishments if they catch these scam artists. And it's difficult to catch them, right?

VELSHI: They're very creative.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

VELSHI: Yes. I mean, it is a crime. But the problem is how you get to these people. It's the same kind of people who send you these things that are purportedly from PayPal or eBay or Citigroup. It's very hard to find out. Be careful.

One easy way to do things is check the URL, the Web address when you link to something. Make sure it is what it is supposed to be. If you want to give money to Oxfam or Red Cross, type that in. Do a search and find it yourself. Don't open attachments that come on e- mails. These people don't send unsolicited e-mails, legitimate charities, and they don't send attachments with them.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it.

"AMERICAN MORNING's" Soledad O'Brien joins us now live from Phuket, Thailand, with more on Colin Powell's trip to the tsunami disaster area. Hello -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol.

As the week draws to a close here from Phuket, Thailand, this morning, not much comfort for the family members who are still searching for any news about their loved ones. We've got more on that this morning as well.

But, yes, Secretary of State Colin Powell touring Sri Lanka, which is now the site of the largest airlift in that nation's history. U.S. Marines have been bringing in supplies by chopper, and at last count 130 relief flights were successful. So some good news there.

John King is going to have an exclusive interview with Secretary Powell. That's ahead this morning.

Plus, the Thai prime minister announces that he's going to oversee the implantation of microchips into some of the remains. We're going to find out why he thinks that could aid in the identification process here in Thailand.

That's ahead this morning, Carol, and much more in addition to that on "AMERICAN MORNING." See you in a bit.

COSTELLO: All right, Soledad, thank you.

An inspiring story out of Rwanda comes to the big screen. "Hotel Rwanda" goes nationwide this weekend. We have a preview for you coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's hard to imagine that a nation suffered genocide and the rest of the world did very little to help. A decade later, the plight of Rwanda is detailed through one man's real-life story in the new movie, "Hotel Rwanda." The movie opens in wide release this weekend.

And Tom O'Neil from "In-Touch Weekly" joins us now to talk about this wonderful movie.

TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": It is wonderful, Carol. It seems like one of those films that's homework movie-going. You think, oh, I'm going to get a history lesson and a guilt trip at the same time.

But this is such an inspiring story of the human spirit and a movie that's so well-made that many people in Hollywood have seen this film three or four times. It's up for best film at the Golden Globes next week. We could see it at the Oscars.

COSTELLO: Wow! I guess you could kind of describe it as "Schlinder's List," except as it applies to Rwanda.

O'NEIL: Yes. But there's more humor in this film than in "Schlinder's List." And I think one of the redeeming things of this film as a movie is that this guy is so sneaky in the ways that he finds to outwit these hot-headed military types to save these refugees, who are actually part of the opposition camp. So it's extraordinary that he actually does this.

COSTELLO: The lead actor in this movie, Don Cheadle, I mean, I haven't seen him play a role like this.

O'NEIL: No. And he's completely enveloped in the role. You believe him every minute.

COSTELLO: I think the last movie I saw him in was the astronaut movie, and he had such a little tiny part...

O'NEIL: Right, right.

COSTELLO: ... that was easy to play. So I don't know. It's just great to see him in something like this.

O'NEIL: Yes. He's up for best actor at the Globes. We'll see him again at the Oscars.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about the Golden Globes, because they are coming upon us very fast.

O'NEIL: Yes.

COSTELLO: And you are going to be there front and center.

O'NEIL: Well, first of all, starting Friday -- excuse me -- next Saturday night, CNN has a special airing at 8:00 p.m. and again at 11:00 that gives you a complete introduction to the Globes of what's going to happen.

And if you want to know who is going to actually to win, go to my Web site, GoldDerby.com. We give you race track odds. But then on Globe day, I'm going to be smack-dab in the middle on that red carpet between Joan Rivers with the TV Guide Channel and Star Jones.

COSTELLO: Oh, Star! I thought it was Melissa's (sic) daughter. We had this picture all prepared for you with Joan and her daughter, Melissa.

O'NEIL: Yes. I'll be with Joan and Melissa. I've been doing shows with them on E since 1995 when they started the red carpet routine. But the thing that's...

COSTELLO: OK, dish some dirt. We want to find out about Joan.

O'NEIL: Oh, she's a scream, literally, off-screen as well, to deal with. The thing that we've got to watch next Sunday is Joan coming from that old Catskill's school of comic. Comedy loves insult humor. And she's going to go after Star. And the fur is going to fly, the shoes, the claws. It's going to be hilarious.

COSTELLO: She's going to go after Star Jones. That could get ugly.

O'NEIL: It's going to get real ugly.

COSTELLO: That could turn physical, Tom.

O'NEIL: And I'm going to be there to try to keep the peace, but I don't know what I can do.

COSTELLO: So, what exactly are you going to do? Are you going to, like, help with people's wardrobes or something? What will you be doing?

O'NEIL: No, no, no, I'm the awards expert. So...

COSTELLO: Oh. So, you're not going to comment on people's clothes.

O'NEIL: No, not at all. So, periodically throughout the show they'll say, oh, forget the clothes, there's an awards race going on. Oh, that's right. Let's ask Tom about best actor in a, you know, drama series on TV.

COSTELLO: But what are you wearing?

O'NEIL: Ralph Lauren.

COSTELLO: Oh, see!

O'NEIL: Joan is very strict about this, and she will inspect your labels in that before you go on.

COSTELLO: Really?

O'NEIL: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Did she pay for your Ralph Lauren suit?

O'NEIL: No, she doesn't pay for it, but she says, I want my expert in classic Ralph Lauren. Period.

COSTELLO: Did CNN pay for that?

O'NEIL: No, no, no, this is what the TV Guide Channel...

COSTELLO: I'm just kidding. I'm kidding, Tom. Thank you, Tom O'Neil.

O'NEIL: OK.

COSTELLO: A pleasure, as always.

This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I was going to ask you what kind of suit you had on, but I won't do that to you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is a Hartshafter & Marks (ph), one of my nice ones. Have a good weekend watching all of that football, Carol. Four games on.

COSTELLO: Isn't that terrific?

MYERS: It's awesome.

COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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