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CNN Live At Daybreak

Famine in African Nation of Niger; Discusses the Anniversary of U.S. Attack on Hiroshima With Nuclear Weapons

Aired July 29, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, we'll take you to Niger, where millions of lives are at stake as the world mobilizes to fight a killer famine. We'll take a closer look.

And Hiroshima 60 years after the bomb. We'll take a closer look at the lasting legacy of the instant that changed history.

But first, now in the news, about a month before the London bombings, British authorities balked at giving U.S. officials permission to apprehend a British national. Now that person is thought to be involved in the July 7th attacks. Haroon Rashid Aswat is being held in Zambia. Negotiations are going on as to what country gets to question him first.

In the city of Mosul, Iraqi and U.S. forces have detained a suspected al Qaeda terror cell leader. The suspect was taken into custody during a search operation.

Nearly 700 deaths being blamed on torrential rains in India during this monsoon season. Heavy rains have drenched the city of Mumbai. The city got 37 inches of rain in just 24 hours. Many of the deaths are related to massive mudslides.

To the Forecast Center now and -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: You may be sitting down to your breakfast, but imagine if there were no breakfast to sit down to. That's the situation for more than one million people in the West African nation of Niger this morning. Most of the people who are starving there are children. Disturbing images like these that finally forced the world into action. U.N. officials say $13 million in aid has been pledged in just the past two weeks. But the United Nations says the pledges are coming too late. From Lagos, here's CNN's Jeff Koinange.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No, this is not a refugee camp in Darfur. Instead, it's yet another looming crisis in yet another African country, the West African nation of Niger. Here in the tiny village of Maradi in the country's southeast, hungry mothers bring their equally hungry and malnourished children to refugee camps, hoping to get some relief, relief that's clearly not coming fast enough.

MEGO TERZIAN, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Most of the children arrive at our center in terrible shape, very late, and often our doctors cannot do anything.

KOINANGE: Hundreds of children have already died, according to the aid agency, Doctors Without Borders, and tens of thousands more face imminent death. Another three and a half million people face starvation if help doesn't arrive on time. But what's most disturbing, according to the U.N. special envoy Jan Egeland, this is a crisis that could have easily been avoided.

JAN EGELAND, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY: We have a full blown emergency in Niger. Children are dying from hunger. It was all predictable.

KOINANGE: Predictable because most aid agencies had seen it coming. A recurring drought followed by a massive locust infestation across the nation led many here to forecast the worst. And with the rainy season about to kick off, diseases are about to make things even worse.

JOHANNE DUHESNNES, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It brings diarrhea and malaria. And small children, especially malnourished ones, cannot stand it. They are weak because of malnutrition. Now they are weak because of disease. It will increase the mortality rate in the next three months.

KOINANGE: Those strong enough to flee the countryside are making their way to the capital Niamey, and resorting to begging for food on street corners.

"We need food for the children," this woman says. "This year the drought and the locusts have devastated everything. We have no food."

No food and no relief in sight, because the $50 million the U.N. keeps as an emergency fund is only available in the form of loans, which Niger cannot afford to repay. Instead, according to the U.N., $500 million will be required just to jumpstart an emergency relief operation. Aid agencies warn that as many as 150,000 people may die in the coming weeks if aid doesn't get to Maradi in time, an indication things here are about to get even worse.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.

(END VIDEO TAPE) COSTELLO: For those of you who don't know much about Niger, the West African nation is nearly twice the size of Texas. The average life expectancy is 42 years old. Eighty percent of the population is Muslim. The food shortage is affecting more than three-and-a-half million of the country's 11 million people.

Here's how you can help if you want to make donations to the Niger crisis. You can log onto unicefusa.org or oxfam.org.uk.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, the bombs that vaporized hundreds of thousands of Japanese. It's been six decades since the U.S. dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In three minutes, "Time" magazine remembers the blast that ended World War 2.

And on cnn.com, Florida authorities have the plane that violated NASA air space, but the pilot has disappeared.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "In an instant, without warning, the present had become the unthinkable future." Those are the words that appeared in "Time" magazine a weekend after the Enola Gay dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Next Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of that day.

Joining me now is Michael Elliott, a "Time" magazine editor.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL ELLIOTT, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

COSTELLO: You know, I don't think many Americans realize just how many people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

ELLIOTT: Well, of course, we don't really know how many people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We know that tens of thousands died within, say, a weekend of the two bombs being dropped. But then, of course, tens of thousands more died of radiation sickness over the next year and, indeed, over the years to come.

So the total number that died as a consequence of the bombs is, to this day, a matter of some controversy.

COSTELLO: Yes, the figure...

ELLIOTT: But I think one would be safe to say...

COSTELLO: I think the figure in your article says 120,000 were killed initially after the bomb was dropped. But you're right...

ELLIOTT: That seems to be a reasonable estimate. That seems to be a reasonable consensus estimate. But then, of course, you have to factor in deaths long after the two bombs were dropped.

COSTELLO: Of course, the dropping of those bombs ended World War 2, which was a horrible war, and brought peace for a time to the world.

ELLIOTT: Well, that, of course, is the great paradox of the nuclear age. You had the most awful weapons that humankind has ever invented killing tens of thousands of people. At the same time, they ended the most awful war that humankind has ever known. And although there's been massive controversy about how many lives were saved by the dropping of the bomb, plainly, the war ended a lot earlier than it would have done, saving the lives not just, it must be said, of American and other Allied servicemen who would have continued fighting Japan, but saving the lives of other Japanese, as well. Because, of course, the strategic bombing campaign of Japan was continuing all the time. And that itself had killed thousands of people.

So in this horrible calculation of the atomic bomb, you have to factor in the number of lives that were saved, as well as those that were lost.

COSTELLO: The interesting, the other interesting things about this is after this happened, there was an effort, especially on the part of the United States and the Soviet Union at the time, to curtail nuclear weapons, to cut back on them. And now we're at a time in history when there are countries like North Korea and possibly Iran building up their nuclear arsenals.

ELLIOTT: Yes. I mean for most of the period since the dropping of the atomic bomb, the nuclear arsenals in the world were overwhelming dominated by those held by the United States and the Soviet Union. I mean, of course, there were always other nuclear powers -- France, the United Kingdom, China, Pakistan, India, almost certainly Israel. But during the superpower conflict that lasted until the end of the Soviet Union, you had a nuclear stand-off.

What's happened since then, in the more fluid and fractured international climate that we've had since the end of the Soviet Union, is that the nuclear option has, to some extent, been put back on the table, both by countries who would like it -- India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998. North Korea has said it's a nuclear power. Iran denies it's a nuclear power, though many people suspect that it is.

And then, of course, on top of all that, you have the possibility of terrorist groups who would like some sort of nuclear weapon.

So it's actually, in terms of proliferation, it's a peculiarly dangerous moment right now and probably more dangerous than we've known in the 60 years since Hiroshima.

COSTELLO: Yes, and maybe it's good for all of us to remember that particular time in history because, of course, none of us want to ever see that happen again, no matter what your feelings about whether it was right or wrong to drop those bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Michael Elliott from "Time" magazine.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

ELLIOTT: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:44 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Stepping into the spotlight this morning, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. The "New York Times" reports Frist is breaking with the president over stem cell policy. Frist will reportedly back legislation calling for more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Two hundred twenty miles above the Earth, the crew of the shuttle Discovery has been up almost six hours now. They've been transferring 15 tons of supply and equipment to the space station.

In money news, cars made by Honda have the highest fuel efficiency for 2005 vehicles. The government says the fleet average for Hondas is 25 miles per gallon, followed by Toyota at 23. The EPA puts Ford last, with 19 1/2.

In pop culture, NBC is being used over its "Average Joe" series. One of the former Joes and two other men say NBC used their ideas for "Average Joe," the Joes strike back. They want $40 million, and nothing average about that.

In sports, the Toronto Blue Jays and the L.A. Angels played the longest game of the season, 10 minutes short of five hours and 18 minutes. Yes, you heard -- oh, 18 innings. I'm sorry. Eighteen innings -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes...

COSTELLO: Orlando Hudson's single finally ended it. The Blue Jays two, the Angels one.

MYERS: The fans weren't so much cheering that they won, they were cheering that it was over.

Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Just a few minutes away, we have your e-mails. They're ready to go. Our DAYBREAK E-mail Question of the Day -- daylight savings time, should it change? Does it matter to you? Will it save our country energy? Daybreak@cnn.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some health headlines for you this morning.

Beware some beaches, and not for just possible shark attacks. A new report finds that both fresh and saltwater beaches can contain enough bacteria to make you sick. The Clean Beaches Council says bacteria and microbes can be five to 10 times higher in the sand than the water. Researchers say microbes survive longer in the sand, and you know how kids love to play in the wet sand.

Silicon gel breast implants may be again available soon. The FDA has given initial approval to Mentor Corporation's implants. Silicone implants have been banned for over 13 years because of concerns they could rupture. Women say silicone gel feels more natural than saline implants. Patients will still be warned about the new Silicone implants.

Many people swear by the herb Echinacea. They say it helps fight their cold symptoms. You've heard that. A new study says there's no proof it works.

We'll have more on that this morning.

Here's Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans use it. Many swear by it to fight off colds. But a new study on Echinacea finds that the herbal supplement doesn't have healing power.

DR. RONALD TURNER, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Our work, together with other work that's been done recently, suggests that the Echinacea really has no scientific benefit as far as common colds are concerned.

SNOW: Dr. Ronald Turner led a team at the University of Virginia who studied 437 healthy volunteers and then infected them with the cold virus. Some were given placebos; others Echinacea. But researchers found the herbal supplement was ineffective in preventing and treating colds. Dr. Turner says he was surprised.

TURNER: I think our study was designed really to give every opportunity to the Echinacea to show a benefit. And the fact that we didn't see anything, I think, is a little bit surprising.

SNOW: The findings were published in "The New England Journal of Medicine." But that doesn't convince Lisa Georgetti. She manages a natural herb store and says Echinacea is her best seller.

LISA GEORGETTI, INTEGRAL YOGA NATURAL APOTHECARY: Not once have I had somebody come back and go that didn't work. I always have people coming back, going, oh, this was great; oh, I'm getting more for my cousin, I'm getting more for my mother. It's always -- I mean, that's when they come back and they always get more of it.

SNOW: Critics say that the study didn't use high enough dosages of Echinacea, which is made from purple coneflower. They say with proper dosages, the herbal supplement will help build the immune system to cut the severity of colds.

MARK BLUMENTHAL, AMERICAN BOTANICAL COUNCIL: Just because some scientists say, based on some clinical trials, that no effect was shown does not in any way denigrate or discount or nullify the entire body of scientific literature on Echinacea or people's personal use.

SNOW: We don't know how much dosage might be enough, because the makers of herbal supplements are not required by law to prove their products work.

(on camera): Critics say that more research needs to be done. But doctors who conducted this study say it's the most comprehensive of its kind on Echinacea.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Here's a quick look at what's all new in the second hour of DAYBREAK.

Call it a gym jungle. Don't get clubbed when picking the health club that fits your fitness goals. We've got some tips.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're always interested in what you're interested in on cnn.com.

The most popular story on cnn.com right now is this contest for the worst writing.

MYERS: Yes. The bad writing contest, Carol. And you know what? Anybody who's ever owned a Triumph Spitfire or M.G. dual carburetor car doesn't think this is such bad writing.

COSTELLO: You know, I told Emily, our producer, that, that Chad would really get this.

MYERS: I totally get it.

COSTELLO: But -- you totally get it. So read what the winner of this contest wrote in describing a woman, Chad. Go ahead.

MYERS: This is the best of the worst. "As he stared at her ample bosom, he daydreamed of the dual Stromberg carburetors in his vintage Triumph Spitfire."

Now, Carol, you have to think of these carburetors. They're sitting on top of the engine block. They're shaped like, well -- and they have little caps on top that you put oil in them. And, you know, I -- I think that was a pretty good description.

COSTELLO: You're sick, Chad.

MYERS: Thanks.

COSTELLO: You're just sick.

The title, the best of the worst, the best of the worst titles, "Small Neural Caps of the Oil Dampeners." Use your imagination as to what he's describing.

MYERS: Or go look at a Triumph Spitfire dual carburetor. You'll see.

COSTELLO: It's true. It's very true. What a fun contest, though. It takes place in California every year.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Congrats to the winner.

MYERS: He won $250 for that effort, by the way.

COSTELLO: Oh, a big grand $250.

MYERS: That's the grand prize.

COSTELLO: So I think that's all he deserved right now.

MYERS: Well, all right.

COSTELLO: The other interesting story on cnn.com that people are clicking onto, the pilot of this small plane that penetrated the no fly zone around the Kennedy Space Center shortly before the space shuttle launch?

MYERS: Yes. Intercepted by the F-16s.

COSTELLO: It was forced to land. And when they got there, the pilot...

MYERS: When the police finally got there.

COSTELLO: Yes, when they finally got there, the pilot simply disappeared. They're looking for him right now.

MYERS: He was 20 miles inside the 40 mile ring before they actually got him to turn around.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Very interesting. You don't have to file a flight plan when you fly those small planes, so who knows if they'll ever know who he is.

MYERS: But he has to...

COSTELLO: Unless, of course, he owns the plane.

MYERS: Exactly. It has to be owned by someone, right?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: Unless he just rented it. COSTELLO: Well, you know, he could be -- or he could have stolen it. Who knows?

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: All right, want to know what everyone else is reading this morning? Point and click your way to cnn.com/mostpopular. The top 10 stories on our Web site right there for you, if, of course, you want to read more.

Let's get to our E-mail Question of the Day.

As part of this big energy bill, they want to extend daylight savings time one month.

MYERS: Just for one month. Right. And I...

COSTELLO: And they say it's going to save us all this energy.

MYERS: Well, I'll tell you what, some people have some pretty good comments this morning about daylight savings time in general.

"Let's just eliminate the whole thing and let's don't even ever have to touch our clocks again. Our obsession with preserving this archaic tradition is no longer pragmatic," according to Devin (ph) in Michigan.

And I'll tell you what, Margaret in Louisiana has got something, and a couple of other viewers have something, too: "I don't like daylight savings time in here because it causes us to prolong the hot summer days. You're still running the air conditioner. Maybe you're turning -- not turning on a light bulb, but so what? I'm running an air conditioner. That takes a lot more energy than a light bulb."

And that's what Linda says, too: "In my opinion, we should eliminate daylight savings time altogether. Temperatures get cooler at night. That means I can leave a light bulb on and then run my air conditioner. Or not run my air conditioner. Why not let Americans decide? This affects our everyday lives."

And then from Rick in Grand Forks: "Hey, for people up here in the northern states, an extra month of daylight would be great. An extra month of daylight savings time would be great because then we'd get an extra hour to shovel all our snow."

And then from Rene (ph) in Ohio: "Most businesses do not get off work like you guys do. Most get off at 4:00 to 5:00. In the winter, it means getting dark in home and the commute being a dark drive. The extra daylight in the fall means an opportunity to get out and enjoy some activities. Maybe we'll even get some exercise and lose some weight."

COSTELLO: Come on, no! That would be expending energy, wouldn't it?

MYERS: Well, of your own. COSTELLO: It defeats the purpose of the bill.

MYERS: Thanks, Rene.

COSTELLO: I'm just kidding.

MYERS: That was a good one.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you for your comments, as usual, this morning.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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