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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.N.'s Kofi Annan Visits Indonesia; 14 Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Aired January 07, 2005 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, the view from above -- a CNN exclusive look. The U.N. secretary general calls it utter destruction mile after mile.
Plus, American troops targeted by Iraqi insurgents. We'll get a live report in 10 minutes.
And hundreds of people are overcome by chlorine gas after a deadly train wreck in South Carolina.
It is Friday, January 7.
This is DAYBREAK
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Here are the latest developments involving South Asia's tsunami disaster.
When the tsunami struck on December 26, 800 people were stranded on a rock memorial off the southern tip of India. A 16-year-old visitor recorded this video of the sea surrounding that memorial. Boats were dispatched later that day. The 800 people were rescued.
Congress wants you to be able to deduct tsunami aid donations made throughout this month on your 2004 taxes. Those donations have to be through U.S. aid groups. President Bush still must sign the bill.
$77 million in tsunami aid has been raised in a telethon on Saudi Arabian state television. More than $25 million of that came from the Saudi royal family. The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank will give an additional $500 million.
You can keep up with this disaster and recovery efforts on our Web site at cnn.com/tsunami.
Let's head to the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
Did you see them counting the cash there? That was kind of an odd telethon. One, two, three.
COSTELLO: Well, just so it gets to those in need.
MYERS: I guess.
COSTELLO: It doesn't matter.
MYERS: As long as it gets to them and doesn't get to somebody else.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was left stunned by what he saw during a tour of Indonesia's coastline.
CNN's United Nations correspondent Richard Roth was with Annan and he just filed this report for us.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been described as the world's first global disaster and the senior global diplomat in the world, Secretary General Kofi Annan, has now seen it. Annan left Jakarta and then took a one hour helicopter over flight of the disaster zone. Annan was stunned by what he saw. Seated next to his wife, Nane, he continually gestured out the window and remarked at how incredible the devastation was.
Entire towns and villages wiped out, especially the largest town on the west coast of Sumatra, Malabo. And that's where Annan's first stop was. Annan said it would take 10 years for the people of the region to recover. That's before he saw this damage. Various U.N. agency heads are with Annan, trying to get their first assessment on some of the needs of the people here.
Richard Roth, CNN, Malabo, Indonesia.
COSTELLO: And donors here in the United States are getting a tax extension for tsunami relief. Congress has passed a measure that allows tsunami related donations made through the end of this month to be claimed on your 2004 taxes. Now, normally donors would have to wait until doing their 2005 tax returns to do that. Americans have given about $200 million to the Red Cross alone. President Bush has yet to sign that bill.
But be careful when making those donations. Warnings are being issued in several states about scam artists who are trying to take advantage of your generosity.
CNN's Mary Snow looks at some of the scams and some ways you can make sure your money is going where it is supposed to.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 phony offers to locate tsunami victims for a fee and e-mails seeking donations like this 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 charitable organizations, America Cares as opposed to AmeriCares or ConnectiCares. 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 relief scam that has been fairly well known in the past to come out of Nigeria.
DANIEL BOROKOFF, AMERICAN INSTITUTE 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 give you -- and let you keep a percentage of it, you should realize that this is ridiculous.
SNOW: It's 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 American 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 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 URL, 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.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: And, boy, does that bring us to our E-Mail Question of the Morning -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes. What should happen to the scam artists?
COSTELLO: Yes, what should happen to the scam artists? And we want some creative ideas from you this morning, because, you know, we always knew that this was going to happen.
MYERS: Yes. But we don't want to hear about Patriot Act. This has nothing to do with it. That was yesterday's number.
COSTELLO: Actually, the punishment if they're charged under the Patriot Act would be fitting...
MYERS: It would.
COSTELLO: Twenty-five years?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I don't know, I'm just kidding.
MYERS: No. I know.
COSTELLO: But, yes, we want creative ideas. What should happen to these scam artists? It's just so despicable that someone would scam someone over a tragedy of this magnitude.
MYERS: Did we not talk about this 13 days ago, though, whatever it was, you know? The Monday we said if you want to give, just be really careful. You had Ali Velshi on showing how to find out if it really was a legit thing. And there are so many legit charities. Don't let this story stop you from giving to a legit place.
COSTELLO: No. That's for darned sure.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's for darned sure. And ali will be here later to give us more tips on how to protect ourselves.
MYERS: Oh, good. OK.
COSTELLO: All right.
Here's -- oh, daybreak@cnn.com.
A quick programming note for you now. CNN presents a special "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" tonight, "Voices of the Tsunami." You've seen the devastation. Now hear the stories from the people who survived one of history's worst natural disasters. That airs tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.
In other news across America this morning, a white supremacist is under arrest in Mississippi for a murder that took place more than 40 years ago. Eighty-year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted on three counts of murder in the 1964 death of three civil rights workers. Killen originally faced trial for the murders in 1967, but that ended in a mistrial. The case inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the Iraq prison abuse case against Army Specialist Charles Graner. Graner is accused of being the ringleader behind the photographed abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison. Three soldiers have already pled guilty in the abuse case. Three others are awaiting trial. Graner's girlfriend, Private First Class Lynndie England, is among those awaiting trial.
There's 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, which will be open to the public, is rescheduled for February.
Now to the fight for Iraq. Nine more American troops have been killed in the deadliest day for U.S. forces so far this year.
Let's head live to Baghdad and our Jeff Koinange -- hello, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol.
It's been a terrible 72 hours for U.S. servicemen here across the country. A total of 14 killed. The latest happened in a suburb northwest of Baghdad, where seven soldiers were on a routine patrol in their Bradley fighting vehicle when they overran an improvised explosive device. And this device actually exploded and flipped their vehicle upside down. Normally in a situation like this, there would be a secondary team to come in and extract the injured. But there was all kinds of explosives and fire around the vehicle. All seven soldiers died at the scene.
Now, this follows other deaths in the last 72 hours. On Wednesday, five dead total, three in Baghdad, one in Balad, about 80 kilometers northwest of Baghdad and one in Al Anbar Province.
So, Carol, a total of 14 in the last 72 hours. In the last 22 months, upwards of 1,350 U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange live from Baghdad this morning.
So many people are on the ground in Southern Asia trying to get help to the people who need it most. Just ahead, we'll talk to the head of one of the world's largest private distributors of aid in Indonesia.
Also, a freight train accident in South Carolina kills eight and has Homeland Security officials taking notes.
And a Texas court throws out charges against the woman who drowned her five children. So what's next for Andrea Yates?
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 5:13 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Kofi Annan says he has never seen such devastation. The U.N. secretary general made the comment after a helicopter tour over western Sumatra. But Annan also says that over time he believes the area and the people can recover. Nelson Mandela's son has died from complications of AIDS. Doctors say the 54-year-old son died of pneumonia related to his HIV. Nelson Mandela spent most of his time by his son's side during the last few months.
In money news, more and more Sam Adams beer will be flowing out of Cincinnati. The company announced a $7 million expansion of its Cincinnati brewery, which includes a 24 hour beer making operation.
In culture, actress Jane Kaczmarek, you know, mom in "Malcolm In the Middle," is collecting clothes from the Golden Globes. She wants fellow celebrities to donate their finery for an auction to benefit tsunami victims.
In sports, the Randy Johnson deal getting closer to finally being done. The 41-year-old pitcher agreed to a two year, $32 million contract extension with the Yankees. But he still has to pass a physical before his trade from Arizona becomes official -- Chad.
MYERS: He'll be happy to get out of Arizona when this next storm hits, let me tell you that.
COSTELLO: Uh-oh.
MYERS: It is a big one.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
The race to help is on in Sri Lanka. We'll take a look at how one Marine sergeant and his unit are doing their part in this massive relief effort.
And NBA star Kobe Bryant sits down with the late night king of talk, none other than Larry King. We'll hear how he wants to help the tsunami relief effort.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: So many people are donating money, Chad, we thought we'd update people on the San Francisco Giants story that we told everyone about yesterday, because they have jumped into the tsunami relief effort.
MYERS: Yes. I was thinking that these numbers would be higher, Carol.
COSTELLO: Me, too. Me, too.
MYERS: So somebody get out there and bid. Come on!
COSTELLO: Exactly. We're talking about an auction on the Giants' Web site. It runs through midnight East Coast time. And you were talking about the bids and the surprisingly low numbers. So let's read off some of the bids so far.
The first pitch on opening day...
MYERS: Maybe people are waiting until the end, you know?
COSTELLO: Well, you never know. That's true, because you get your bids in later because you're more likely to win. So lets look at it that way.
So the first pitch on opening day, that comes in at what?
MYERS: $14,200.
COSTELLO: Oh, man, I thought that would be so much higher.
Spring training camp.
MYERS: Now, this one is just -- this is beyond me. For four, a private field clinic, I don't know, J.T. Snow (ph), $10,000. That's got to go for over $40,000. That's my prediction.
COSTELLO: That's your prediction?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I hope you're right.
What was it, a sit down lunch with Felipe?
MYERS: Yes, that's going -- a breakfast, I think, maybe, $7,000. Breakfast with Felipe Alou. Yes, $7,500 right now. Thirty-six people have already bid on that and that private meeting with Barry Bonds in the dugout, that's now $12,200 so.
COSTELLO: Wow! I thought that would be more, too.
MYERS: Yes. It will be.
COSTELLO: But, you're right.
MYERS: It will be.
COSTELLO: People are waiting until the last minute to bid because that's the only way you win these things, because when you bid early...
MYERS: You know, you do that on eBay all the time. You think you've got it. Oh, I got something for $40. And then it sells for $180. You go holy cow! Where were these people an hour ago?
COSTELLO: I know.
You know, Kobe Bryant was on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And he has pledged, what, $1,000 for every point he makes?
MYERS: Oh, almost -- basically almost the entire team.
COSTELLO: Yes. That's pretty cool. So this is -- here is more of what he had to say last night on "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: It's our hope that by spreading out the word and spreading out the missing, other athletes will jump on board and do it. Not only athletes or entertainers, but just people as a whole. So, you know, going to the grocery store or whatever it is, if somebody can donate $1 or $2, $0.50, or whatever it is, I mean you're talking about if masses of people donate $1 or $2, I mean that goes a long way and it makes a huge difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But you know what, Chad? And I'm going to give people a hint of what's to come, because we we're going to have some Gallup poll numbers in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
MYERS: Yes?
COSTELLO: But more than 70 percent of Americans have already donated either money or supplies to the people of South Asia.
MYERS: Oh, great. And the India Pacers are giving $10,000 per punch.
COSTELLO: That was such a weak joke. I'm just going to let that one go by.
MYERS: Sorry. That was from Jay Leno.
COSTELLO: On a happier note, the Harlem Globe Trotters are also trying to raise money for relief efforts.
MYERS: Oh, good.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: I used to love those little kids. Those guys were awesome.
COSTELLO: Yes, they're very cool. They're still cool.
Kofi Annan and the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have toured areas hardest hit by those tsunamis. Annan says he's never seen such utter destruction, mile after mile. CNN was the only network with a camera on board this flight. This is Kofi Annan sitting with his wife. And he's touring western Indonesia, the Aceh Province, where, of course, most of the damage occurred.
You can see... MYERS: Well, it was so close to the epicenter there, Carol. Yes, no, these folks, even with a warning system, the folks here never had a chance. It was literally moments from when the earthquake hit to when the tsunami hit. There was just no way for them, nowhere for them to run.
COSTELLO: Yes.
We also have new amateur video just in to CNN. This was shot by a 16-year-old boy from India. And apparently it was taken around, I don't know if we're going to see it or not. We're not. This is the waves crashing into the coastline. You know, when you look at these things...
MYERS: It's hard to get perspective.
COSTELLO: ... it doesn't look impressive. But you don't really, you can't really feel the power of the sea here.
MYERS: Right. Well, you know, I mean I do these hurricanes all the time and we show these huge waves, and not like a hurricane wave is anywhere near what this was, but you can't get perspective. It's very, very hard. Clearly, this is maybe a 20, 30 foot wave. And it just, you know, just the TV screen, it's not, it's two dimensional rather than the three dimensionality. And also the force of what this wave was.
COSTELLO: Yes, you can't hear the sound of it, either. And the sound is frightening in itself.
MYERS: I'm afraid -- I'm afraid that probably...
COSTELLO: Is this the rescue on the memorial? I think -- I know what this is now. This is, a ferry was supposed to pick up tourists from a memorial out in the middle of the ocean. And, of course, everything stopped when the earthquake hit. So they were stranded out there. And then they had to be rescued by helicopter. But they all managed to survive.
MYERS: I'm really afraid that some of the worst video, maybe the biggest wave that, you know, everybody is looking for that big, what they call the tidal wave, like the "Hawaii 5-0" wave, I'm afraid that that video doesn't exist because the people that were actually shooting that video aren't on this planet anymore. So that's the worst part.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: We're seeing these waves come in, but obviously more video coming in day by day and we sort through it and try to look through it before you see it. But some of it pretty, pretty disastrous.
COSTELLO: Yes.
All right, thank you, Chad. MYERS: You bet.
COSTELLO: That brings us to our E-mail Question of the Day one more time. With millions of dollars of aid money at stake for the tsunami disaster, what do you think should happen to the scam artists? The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
We're back after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Here are the latest developments now.
A helicopter crew spotted 800 people on December 26 after they were stranded by the tsunami on a rock memorial off of southern India. Boats were dispatched and the 800 were rescued. No casualties here. One of the visitors, a 16-year-old boy, recorded this video.
The U.S. military presence in South Asia is costing about $6 million a day. There are more than 13,000 troops and 18 military ships in the area. That $6 million is not part of the $350 million pledged by the U.S. for relief.
And Senator Joe Lieberman is proposing a global tsunami warning system, a $30 million network of buoys, wave gauges and seismic sensors. It would build on the system that now exists only in parts of the Pacific.
A telethon on Saudi Arabia's state run TV has raised more than $77 million for tsunami victims. Separately, the Islamic Development Bank, based in Saudi Arabia, pledged $500 million.
And you can keep up with this disaster and the recovery efforts on our Web site. It's all there at cnn.com/tsunami.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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Aired January 7, 2005 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, the view from above -- a CNN exclusive look. The U.N. secretary general calls it utter destruction mile after mile.
Plus, American troops targeted by Iraqi insurgents. We'll get a live report in 10 minutes.
And hundreds of people are overcome by chlorine gas after a deadly train wreck in South Carolina.
It is Friday, January 7.
This is DAYBREAK
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Here are the latest developments involving South Asia's tsunami disaster.
When the tsunami struck on December 26, 800 people were stranded on a rock memorial off the southern tip of India. A 16-year-old visitor recorded this video of the sea surrounding that memorial. Boats were dispatched later that day. The 800 people were rescued.
Congress wants you to be able to deduct tsunami aid donations made throughout this month on your 2004 taxes. Those donations have to be through U.S. aid groups. President Bush still must sign the bill.
$77 million in tsunami aid has been raised in a telethon on Saudi Arabian state television. More than $25 million of that came from the Saudi royal family. The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank will give an additional $500 million.
You can keep up with this disaster and recovery efforts on our Web site at cnn.com/tsunami.
Let's head to the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
Did you see them counting the cash there? That was kind of an odd telethon. One, two, three.
COSTELLO: Well, just so it gets to those in need.
MYERS: I guess.
COSTELLO: It doesn't matter.
MYERS: As long as it gets to them and doesn't get to somebody else.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was left stunned by what he saw during a tour of Indonesia's coastline.
CNN's United Nations correspondent Richard Roth was with Annan and he just filed this report for us.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been described as the world's first global disaster and the senior global diplomat in the world, Secretary General Kofi Annan, has now seen it. Annan left Jakarta and then took a one hour helicopter over flight of the disaster zone. Annan was stunned by what he saw. Seated next to his wife, Nane, he continually gestured out the window and remarked at how incredible the devastation was.
Entire towns and villages wiped out, especially the largest town on the west coast of Sumatra, Malabo. And that's where Annan's first stop was. Annan said it would take 10 years for the people of the region to recover. That's before he saw this damage. Various U.N. agency heads are with Annan, trying to get their first assessment on some of the needs of the people here.
Richard Roth, CNN, Malabo, Indonesia.
COSTELLO: And donors here in the United States are getting a tax extension for tsunami relief. Congress has passed a measure that allows tsunami related donations made through the end of this month to be claimed on your 2004 taxes. Now, normally donors would have to wait until doing their 2005 tax returns to do that. Americans have given about $200 million to the Red Cross alone. President Bush has yet to sign that bill.
But be careful when making those donations. Warnings are being issued in several states about scam artists who are trying to take advantage of your generosity.
CNN's Mary Snow looks at some of the scams and some ways you can make sure your money is going where it is supposed to.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 phony offers to locate tsunami victims for a fee and e-mails seeking donations like this 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 charitable organizations, America Cares as opposed to AmeriCares or ConnectiCares. 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 relief scam that has been fairly well known in the past to come out of Nigeria.
DANIEL BOROKOFF, AMERICAN INSTITUTE 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 give you -- and let you keep a percentage of it, you should realize that this is ridiculous.
SNOW: It's 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 American 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 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 URL, 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.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: And, boy, does that bring us to our E-Mail Question of the Morning -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes. What should happen to the scam artists?
COSTELLO: Yes, what should happen to the scam artists? And we want some creative ideas from you this morning, because, you know, we always knew that this was going to happen.
MYERS: Yes. But we don't want to hear about Patriot Act. This has nothing to do with it. That was yesterday's number.
COSTELLO: Actually, the punishment if they're charged under the Patriot Act would be fitting...
MYERS: It would.
COSTELLO: Twenty-five years?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I don't know, I'm just kidding.
MYERS: No. I know.
COSTELLO: But, yes, we want creative ideas. What should happen to these scam artists? It's just so despicable that someone would scam someone over a tragedy of this magnitude.
MYERS: Did we not talk about this 13 days ago, though, whatever it was, you know? The Monday we said if you want to give, just be really careful. You had Ali Velshi on showing how to find out if it really was a legit thing. And there are so many legit charities. Don't let this story stop you from giving to a legit place.
COSTELLO: No. That's for darned sure.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's for darned sure. And ali will be here later to give us more tips on how to protect ourselves.
MYERS: Oh, good. OK.
COSTELLO: All right.
Here's -- oh, daybreak@cnn.com.
A quick programming note for you now. CNN presents a special "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" tonight, "Voices of the Tsunami." You've seen the devastation. Now hear the stories from the people who survived one of history's worst natural disasters. That airs tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.
In other news across America this morning, a white supremacist is under arrest in Mississippi for a murder that took place more than 40 years ago. Eighty-year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted on three counts of murder in the 1964 death of three civil rights workers. Killen originally faced trial for the murders in 1967, but that ended in a mistrial. The case inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the Iraq prison abuse case against Army Specialist Charles Graner. Graner is accused of being the ringleader behind the photographed abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison. Three soldiers have already pled guilty in the abuse case. Three others are awaiting trial. Graner's girlfriend, Private First Class Lynndie England, is among those awaiting trial.
There's 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, which will be open to the public, is rescheduled for February.
Now to the fight for Iraq. Nine more American troops have been killed in the deadliest day for U.S. forces so far this year.
Let's head live to Baghdad and our Jeff Koinange -- hello, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol.
It's been a terrible 72 hours for U.S. servicemen here across the country. A total of 14 killed. The latest happened in a suburb northwest of Baghdad, where seven soldiers were on a routine patrol in their Bradley fighting vehicle when they overran an improvised explosive device. And this device actually exploded and flipped their vehicle upside down. Normally in a situation like this, there would be a secondary team to come in and extract the injured. But there was all kinds of explosives and fire around the vehicle. All seven soldiers died at the scene.
Now, this follows other deaths in the last 72 hours. On Wednesday, five dead total, three in Baghdad, one in Balad, about 80 kilometers northwest of Baghdad and one in Al Anbar Province.
So, Carol, a total of 14 in the last 72 hours. In the last 22 months, upwards of 1,350 U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange live from Baghdad this morning.
So many people are on the ground in Southern Asia trying to get help to the people who need it most. Just ahead, we'll talk to the head of one of the world's largest private distributors of aid in Indonesia.
Also, a freight train accident in South Carolina kills eight and has Homeland Security officials taking notes.
And a Texas court throws out charges against the woman who drowned her five children. So what's next for Andrea Yates?
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 5:13 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Kofi Annan says he has never seen such devastation. The U.N. secretary general made the comment after a helicopter tour over western Sumatra. But Annan also says that over time he believes the area and the people can recover. Nelson Mandela's son has died from complications of AIDS. Doctors say the 54-year-old son died of pneumonia related to his HIV. Nelson Mandela spent most of his time by his son's side during the last few months.
In money news, more and more Sam Adams beer will be flowing out of Cincinnati. The company announced a $7 million expansion of its Cincinnati brewery, which includes a 24 hour beer making operation.
In culture, actress Jane Kaczmarek, you know, mom in "Malcolm In the Middle," is collecting clothes from the Golden Globes. She wants fellow celebrities to donate their finery for an auction to benefit tsunami victims.
In sports, the Randy Johnson deal getting closer to finally being done. The 41-year-old pitcher agreed to a two year, $32 million contract extension with the Yankees. But he still has to pass a physical before his trade from Arizona becomes official -- Chad.
MYERS: He'll be happy to get out of Arizona when this next storm hits, let me tell you that.
COSTELLO: Uh-oh.
MYERS: It is a big one.
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COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
The race to help is on in Sri Lanka. We'll take a look at how one Marine sergeant and his unit are doing their part in this massive relief effort.
And NBA star Kobe Bryant sits down with the late night king of talk, none other than Larry King. We'll hear how he wants to help the tsunami relief effort.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.
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COSTELLO: So many people are donating money, Chad, we thought we'd update people on the San Francisco Giants story that we told everyone about yesterday, because they have jumped into the tsunami relief effort.
MYERS: Yes. I was thinking that these numbers would be higher, Carol.
COSTELLO: Me, too. Me, too.
MYERS: So somebody get out there and bid. Come on!
COSTELLO: Exactly. We're talking about an auction on the Giants' Web site. It runs through midnight East Coast time. And you were talking about the bids and the surprisingly low numbers. So let's read off some of the bids so far.
The first pitch on opening day...
MYERS: Maybe people are waiting until the end, you know?
COSTELLO: Well, you never know. That's true, because you get your bids in later because you're more likely to win. So lets look at it that way.
So the first pitch on opening day, that comes in at what?
MYERS: $14,200.
COSTELLO: Oh, man, I thought that would be so much higher.
Spring training camp.
MYERS: Now, this one is just -- this is beyond me. For four, a private field clinic, I don't know, J.T. Snow (ph), $10,000. That's got to go for over $40,000. That's my prediction.
COSTELLO: That's your prediction?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I hope you're right.
What was it, a sit down lunch with Felipe?
MYERS: Yes, that's going -- a breakfast, I think, maybe, $7,000. Breakfast with Felipe Alou. Yes, $7,500 right now. Thirty-six people have already bid on that and that private meeting with Barry Bonds in the dugout, that's now $12,200 so.
COSTELLO: Wow! I thought that would be more, too.
MYERS: Yes. It will be.
COSTELLO: But, you're right.
MYERS: It will be.
COSTELLO: People are waiting until the last minute to bid because that's the only way you win these things, because when you bid early...
MYERS: You know, you do that on eBay all the time. You think you've got it. Oh, I got something for $40. And then it sells for $180. You go holy cow! Where were these people an hour ago?
COSTELLO: I know.
You know, Kobe Bryant was on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And he has pledged, what, $1,000 for every point he makes?
MYERS: Oh, almost -- basically almost the entire team.
COSTELLO: Yes. That's pretty cool. So this is -- here is more of what he had to say last night on "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: It's our hope that by spreading out the word and spreading out the missing, other athletes will jump on board and do it. Not only athletes or entertainers, but just people as a whole. So, you know, going to the grocery store or whatever it is, if somebody can donate $1 or $2, $0.50, or whatever it is, I mean you're talking about if masses of people donate $1 or $2, I mean that goes a long way and it makes a huge difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But you know what, Chad? And I'm going to give people a hint of what's to come, because we we're going to have some Gallup poll numbers in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
MYERS: Yes?
COSTELLO: But more than 70 percent of Americans have already donated either money or supplies to the people of South Asia.
MYERS: Oh, great. And the India Pacers are giving $10,000 per punch.
COSTELLO: That was such a weak joke. I'm just going to let that one go by.
MYERS: Sorry. That was from Jay Leno.
COSTELLO: On a happier note, the Harlem Globe Trotters are also trying to raise money for relief efforts.
MYERS: Oh, good.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: I used to love those little kids. Those guys were awesome.
COSTELLO: Yes, they're very cool. They're still cool.
Kofi Annan and the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have toured areas hardest hit by those tsunamis. Annan says he's never seen such utter destruction, mile after mile. CNN was the only network with a camera on board this flight. This is Kofi Annan sitting with his wife. And he's touring western Indonesia, the Aceh Province, where, of course, most of the damage occurred.
You can see... MYERS: Well, it was so close to the epicenter there, Carol. Yes, no, these folks, even with a warning system, the folks here never had a chance. It was literally moments from when the earthquake hit to when the tsunami hit. There was just no way for them, nowhere for them to run.
COSTELLO: Yes.
We also have new amateur video just in to CNN. This was shot by a 16-year-old boy from India. And apparently it was taken around, I don't know if we're going to see it or not. We're not. This is the waves crashing into the coastline. You know, when you look at these things...
MYERS: It's hard to get perspective.
COSTELLO: ... it doesn't look impressive. But you don't really, you can't really feel the power of the sea here.
MYERS: Right. Well, you know, I mean I do these hurricanes all the time and we show these huge waves, and not like a hurricane wave is anywhere near what this was, but you can't get perspective. It's very, very hard. Clearly, this is maybe a 20, 30 foot wave. And it just, you know, just the TV screen, it's not, it's two dimensional rather than the three dimensionality. And also the force of what this wave was.
COSTELLO: Yes, you can't hear the sound of it, either. And the sound is frightening in itself.
MYERS: I'm afraid -- I'm afraid that probably...
COSTELLO: Is this the rescue on the memorial? I think -- I know what this is now. This is, a ferry was supposed to pick up tourists from a memorial out in the middle of the ocean. And, of course, everything stopped when the earthquake hit. So they were stranded out there. And then they had to be rescued by helicopter. But they all managed to survive.
MYERS: I'm really afraid that some of the worst video, maybe the biggest wave that, you know, everybody is looking for that big, what they call the tidal wave, like the "Hawaii 5-0" wave, I'm afraid that that video doesn't exist because the people that were actually shooting that video aren't on this planet anymore. So that's the worst part.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: We're seeing these waves come in, but obviously more video coming in day by day and we sort through it and try to look through it before you see it. But some of it pretty, pretty disastrous.
COSTELLO: Yes.
All right, thank you, Chad. MYERS: You bet.
COSTELLO: That brings us to our E-mail Question of the Day one more time. With millions of dollars of aid money at stake for the tsunami disaster, what do you think should happen to the scam artists? The address, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
We're back after a break.
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COSTELLO: And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Here are the latest developments now.
A helicopter crew spotted 800 people on December 26 after they were stranded by the tsunami on a rock memorial off of southern India. Boats were dispatched and the 800 were rescued. No casualties here. One of the visitors, a 16-year-old boy, recorded this video.
The U.S. military presence in South Asia is costing about $6 million a day. There are more than 13,000 troops and 18 military ships in the area. That $6 million is not part of the $350 million pledged by the U.S. for relief.
And Senator Joe Lieberman is proposing a global tsunami warning system, a $30 million network of buoys, wave gauges and seismic sensors. It would build on the system that now exists only in parts of the Pacific.
A telethon on Saudi Arabia's state run TV has raised more than $77 million for tsunami victims. Separately, the Islamic Development Bank, based in Saudi Arabia, pledged $500 million.
And you can keep up with this disaster and the recovery efforts on our Web site. It's all there at cnn.com/tsunami.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: Good morning.
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