Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Tsunami: One Year Later; Afghanistan Christmas; 'Minding Your Business'

Aired December 26, 2005 - 06:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Victims of the Asian tsunami remembered today on the one-year anniversary of the disaster. Has money for rebuilding reached the people who need it most? We'll have the latest on the recovery effort.
A developing story in New Jersey. Reports said one of two police officers found after driving off a raised drawbridge into the Hackensack River.

And the year is almost over. We'll look at what you need to do this week to save the most on your taxes.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Well, it's the day after Christmas. There's probably a few toys in your household you wish the batteries weren't working on already. And -- you know it's funny how they can mysteriously break. I'll give you some tips on that later if you like.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Or the batteries can die really quickly.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that battery is dead for good, kids.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

O'BRIEN: So sorry.

COSTELLO: Well, we hope you had a happy holiday.

Let's move on to the headlines right now.

On the anniversary of South Asia's devastating tsunami, Indonesia is testing its new tsunami warning system for the first time. Residents went running for higher ground when they heard the sirens even though they knew it was just a drill.

Elsewhere in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, mourners observed a moment of silence. Some 200,000 people were killed that day. Much more on the tsunami throughout AMERICAN MORNING.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking out for the first time about President Bush's decision to secretly tap phones. He says, "There's nothing" -- I'm quoting him -- He says, "There's nothing wrong with authorizing the program," but says it's up to Congress to decide if what the president did was legal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: And in the aftermath of 9/11 the American people had one concern, and that was: protect us. And so I see absolutely nothing wrong with the president authorizing these kinds of actions. But where we're going to have the debate and we're having the debate now is, these actions were authorized as a matter of law, laws passed by Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We're following all of the developments in this story this morning. We'll take you live to the White House in the next hour.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is back on his regular work schedule one week after a mild stroke. The prime minister is overweight and known to have poor eating habits, but his doctors say he seems to be doing OK. We're expecting an update on Sharon's health later today.

Heavy fog being blamed for a tragic accident in New Jersey. It's a developing story out of Hackensack this morning. An EMS vehicle carrying two police officers drove off a drawbridge and plunged 40 feet into the frigid Hackensack River. One person was pulled from the waters about two hours later and taken to the hospital. Divers are still searching for the other officer.

Police believe the officers could not see that the drawbridge was up.

A Christmas Eve surfer almost had the last wave this weekend. Thirty-year-old Brian Anderson was attacked by what he says was a great white shark. It says it came out nowhere and clamped down on his right foot.

He punched it in the head and he got away. But he feared the shark may come back for more as he swam to shore, bleeding heavily. He was treated at a hospital; he's been released.

Now, we're going to talk to Brian Anderson about his terrifying ordeal coming up in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

And football fans are seeing the end of an era. Tonight, ABC broadcasts its last "Monday Night Football" game. Wow. It's hard to believe, isn't it?

But not to worry. Football on Monday will live on. It's just moving to ESPN in the next season.

Let's head to Atlanta and check in with Bonnie Schneider.

Good morning.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. (WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Coming up, more on the anniversary of that deadly Asian tsunami. The head of the United Nations relief efforts once called foreign aid "stingy." What is he saying now? We'll talk to him.

COSTELLO: Plus, we're "Minding Your Business." Andy has some end-of-the-year tax tips to save you some money in 2006.

That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: And what a year it has been. The Asian tsunami, which was one year ago today, unleashed a year of devastating natural disasters which has taxed all of our abilities to respond.

Jan Egeland is a U.N. undersecretary and the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations. He joins us from Oslo, Norway.

Mr. Egeland, good to have you with us this morning.

A little less than a year ago you said the following. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAN EGELAND, U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR: Actually, the foreign assistance of many countries now is 0.1 or 0.2 percent of the gross national income. I think that is stingy, really. I don't think that is very generous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: "Stingy" was the term you used, 0.1 percent, 0.2 percent. Certainly less than one percent of a gross domestic product for any of the wealthy nations.

Would you still stand by that statement?

EGELAND: I would. Maybe not use that word, but indeed I think we can increase now from a richer and richer world which is becoming bigger and bigger more to those who have nothing. And Christmas does remind us of how rich we have become.

Tonight, millions of children will go to bed without food, and in a shelter which is totally substandard. We can put it right if we just increased our foreign assistance to, let's say, the double. And still, we would have more than 99 percent to ourselves.

O'BRIEN: If not "stingy," what word would you use?

EGELAND: Well, still ungenerous. But let me hasten to say, 2005 was a much more generous year than 2004, which I summed up after that question. 2005 was, in many ways, nature at its worst, as you said. But also, humanity at our best. Because on top of the unprecedented generosity to the tsunami, the world gave more to Africa and more to the other emergencies. So I think we're heading in the right direction.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the amount that was given. We have some numbers to share with our viewers.

Just U.S. donations toward relief for the Asian tsunami, $1.3 billion, an impressive number. Hurricane Katrina, $2 billion. Understandable, a U.S. disaster. And then in the midst of Katrina we had that South Asian quake, primarily in Pakistan, $13 million.

That's a staggering disparity of numbers there. And in the midst of Katrina I guess we can understand how the U.S. would be preoccupied with Katrina as a disaster.

But is there a general sense of disaster fatigue, do you think? And is that a problem?

EGELAND: Well, to some extent, yes. We were not really happy with the response to the South Asian earthquake, and we started the year with the tsunami and unprecedented generosity.

The U.S. was phenomenal. I mean, we have, I think, more than $3 billion all together recorded from private and public sources in the United States alone.

Then came Darfur, Sudan, also hundreds of millions from the United States.

The United States gave much more than you recorded to northern Pakistan because the military involvement has been very big.

However, the South Asian earthquake was as big in millions of lives effected, and still we passed around the hat to all of the world's governments and we got only half of what we needed for the initial relief effort. More has come later.

All and all, however, 2005 was considerable, better than 2004.

O'BRIEN: Let me ask you -- we'll finish up here with the tsunami. You were in the region just a few months ago. What is your general sense of progress there?

So much yet needs to be done. I read that 80 percent of refugees still without homes there, and it will be quite some time before they do have homes, won't it?

EGELAND: Yes, I think we can sum up the whole response to the tragedy in one sentence. It went better as a relief effort than we feared, and it has gone slower as a recovery effort than we had initially hoped.

Still, too many have this one-year anniversary today in the same tents as they got in the first few weeks. Most of them, however, will be in real homes, much better than they had before the tsunami, before the second anniversary.

On the positive side, let's also recall no epidemic disease, everybody got food within some few weeks. Everybody got healthcare within a few weeks. And within a couple of months, most got water and sanitation to a good standard.

O'BRIEN: Well, we hope you don't have a busy 2006.

Our thanks to Jan Egeland, who is the U.N. emergency relief coordinator -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up, we're "Minding Your Business." 2005 almost over now, but it is not too late to save money on your taxes. Andy has some end-of-the-year tax tips.

That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. It's 6:50 Eastern Time.

We begin in Iraq with headlines. Another deadly morning there.

At least 16 people have been killed in attacks around the country. Among them, a car bombing on an Iraqi police patrol near Baghdad.

In the meantime, near Baquba, insurgents open fire on Iraq troops. These are new pictures just into us this morning. At least five officers were killed.

A gruesome Christmas morning discovery in suburban Washington. Five people found shot to death in an apparent murder suicide in two affluent neighborhoods. Police first discovered three men and one women in one house. A fifth body was found in another house across town.

Police say they believe the shootings are connected and that one of the dead is responsible. In fact, one of the victims is believed to be the suspect's mother.

Remember this story? Five Bulgarian nurses were accused of infecting hundreds of children with AIDS. It allegedly happened in Libya in the 1990s. Well, a Libyan court has now overturned the death sentences for those nurses and a Palestinian doctor. Defense attorneys say they confessed under torture.

The six will be retried. The World Health Organization has said poor hygiene practices were to blame, not the nurses.

Holiday celebrations continue across the country. Today is the first day of Kwanzaa. It's a non-religious holiday inspired by the civil rights movement back in the '60s. It's based on traditional African winter harvest festivals, and it runs for seven days. And while many of you were celebrating Christmas, Sunday was also the first day of Hanukkah. In Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff helped light the first of eight menorah candles.

So Happy Hanukkah.

Bonnie Schneider is at the forecast center.

Good morning, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: U.S. troops in Afghanistan marking the holidays with all the attention on Iraq. Many servicemen and women there believe their sacrifice is getting short shrift.

CNN's Becky Diamond joins us by phone -- videophone now from a military base near Kabul.

Becky, what's the mood there?

BECKY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Well, soldiers here at Camp Eggers in Kabul are about 10,000 miles from home. They all say the same thing: they miss their loved ones terribly over the holidays, but they all say that they're very proud to serve their country and really proud to serve here in Afghanistan.

They're also getting a lot of support from American civilians, who are sending them many stocking stuffers around the holidays. I'm holding one up for you.

They're filled with candies, candy canes, things like wool socks, creams for faces and hands and feet. And also beautiful cards written by children thanking these soldiers for their service.

But it is work as usual here at Camp Eggers. Patrols go out daily.

I went yesterday with the 114th Artillery Brigade for the Mississippi National Guard, and during their normal patrol they actually bought supplies from the base, and they donated these supplies to very poor children in an area here in Kabul, handing out milk, candies and other supplies that these children need. So work goes on during the Christmas season, but it's at least with the Christmas spirit in mind.

O'BRIEN: Becky, on that patrol, just talking to the men and women on those patrols, do they feel like they're making progress?

DIAMOND: Soldiers here voice the same frustration time and again to me, that they feel they're making a lot of progress in the war on terror here in Afghanistan on numerous fronts: on the political front with the opening of parliament, on the economic front, and on the social front. But they say that this kind of progress is being overshadowed by events in Iraq, and also ignored by the media and the public.

They say when the media comes to cover events here in Afghanistan, it's largely focused on the violence that's overshadowing the good deeds and the progress that's being made here. But it has been a very violent year in Afghanistan this year. About double the amount of people have died due to insurgent attacks this year over last, and nearly double the U.S. soldiers have been killed this year.

And the media does tend to focus on these events. Soldiers say they'd like to see more focus on the progress being made here.

O'BRIEN: Becky Diamond in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Thank you very much. Stay safe there.

Coming up, you're going to meet a surfer. I'm not so sure he's lucky.

If you get bit by a shark are you considered lucky?

COSTELLO: I don't think so.

O'BRIEN: Well, he's lucky enough to tell the tale. He fought off a shark attack on Christmas Eve, punched the shark in the nose. But he says the scarier moments came after that.

His story's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just a few days left to 2005, and there are a few things you'd better do fast to lower your taxes come April 15.

Andy Serwer is minding your -- do we have to talk about taxes already?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, because I'm going to try to save you some money here.

COSTELLO: Oh, OK.

SERWER: It's a good thing.

You know what they always say, is accelerate deductions and defer gains. It's kind of late to defer gains. That means putting off a bonus, if you were lucky enough to get one.

Accelerating deductions means doing all you can before the year. And you've still got a few days to do that.

Let's talk about charities, first of all. It's time to open up and be generous. 'Tis the season. Maximize those charitable deductions, your 529 college plans for the kiddies. And your gift exclusion, anyone in America can give anyone else $11,000 tax free.

Carol...

COSTELLO: Really?

SERWER: ... I am available.

COSTELLO: I'm writing out the check now.

SERWER: That's A-N-D-Y -- never mind.

COSTELLO: Yes, right.

SERWER: Let's talk about investment losses, too.

If you've lost some money in stocks this year and want to just sell those dogs, do it before the end of the year, because you get those capital gains this year, $3,000. And then you can be left -- the capital gains can be held over, if it's more than $3,000, until the next year.

Now, what about some expenses? You should pre-pay them. This -- again, accelerate those deductions. If you're going to be paying, prepaying taxes on a quarterly basis, do it in December.

Also, the same thing with mortgage payments. Do it in December so you can write it off.

And lower your 2005 tax bill. And, you know, April 15 is around the corner.

COSTELLO: I know. It always comes your way so fast. But you're right, you should get started now. It will be less a headache later.

SERWER: Hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars, maybe.

COSTELLO: Millions -- no, I don't think so.

SERWER: Well, not in that bracket.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Andy.

O'BRIEN: Millions and billions, huh? You just keep going?

COSTELLO: I wish.

O'BRIEN: The savings continue, right?

COSTELLO: I wish. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's get over to Bonnie Schneider right now, who is busy counting up her deductions.

Bonnie, good morning.

SCHNEIDER: Good morning. It's sort of hard to think about that so early, I guess. But why not.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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