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Reunion in Korea: Olympic Skier Finds Dad; 'The Secret'; Key to Success or Junk Science?

Aired February 28, 2007 - 06:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Worldwide slide. Asian markets, this morning, signal another nervous day for Wall Street.
And, were they able to fix that strange computer glitch? We're live this morning from the New York Stock Exchange.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Shaky ground. Landslides wipe out some pricy real estate in San Francisco. And it may not be over yet.

S. O'BRIEN: And just the facts about HPV. Millions of Americans have it, but how much do we really know about it? We've got an in- depth look this morning at the medicine, the marketing and all the uproar.

We're live from Beijing, from San Francisco, from Texas and from Wall Street on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It's Wednesday, February 28th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin on Wall Street this morning. Already taking in reports from overseas. The worldwide sell-off now in a second day. We're all over the world for you this morning as the markets open and close.

In Asia today, shares falling in Hong Kong, in Japan, and Singapore. But they bounced back in China, which was the trip wire for Wall Street's dramatic day. Traders go back to work at the New York Stock Exchange this morning after the biggest one-day drop in the Dow since 9/11.

We're watching Wall Street and the world markets closely for you all day long. Ali Velshi is at the New York Stock Exchange. Andrew Stevens is in Hong Kong for us this morning. Let's start with Ali.

Good morning, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Andrew will bring you up to speed as to what's happening in China. But the issue right now that we're watching is, how did things in Asia, and specifically China, spread over to Europe where markets are still trading, and here in New York where traders are shaking the sleep from their eyes and eating their Wheaties. Because in three and a half hours, when that opening bell rings, it's anybody's guess as to what's going to happen.

Now the educated guess is that markets are going to open higher, because pretty much after yesterday's route, where have they got to go? Yesterday saw what started as a 100-point loss about six seconds into the market. And then it became a 200 and 300-point loss. And at just about 2:59 p.m. yesterday, a sudden drop of 100 points and then 100 points. And before we knew it, we had a 546-point loss on the Dow. And that recovered and fluctuated over the final hour until we closed with a loss of 416 points on the Dow.

But when the bell rang, there were lots of boos around here from traders who thought something was wrong. Well, it turns out, within the hour we got news from Dow Jones, the company that tabulates the Dow Jones Industrial average, and from the New York Stock Exchange about technical glitches of some sort. Initially, it seems like those technical glitches, Soledad, were only having to do with the tabulation. The Dow Jones said that what happened was, the market had been declining. And what should have been seen as a drop that would have taken 40 or 50 minutes, actually happened in the course of two minutes.

There are still some people who are trying to get to the bottom of why we had a 546-point drop. Despite the fact that this was something that we saw around the world, there was nothing underpinning our economic situation that suggests that would be the case. So all eyes are on the bell ringing at 9:30 and what's going on in Europe and what happened in Asia overnight.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ali, a quick question for you. So have they fixed this computer glitch?

VELSHI: We have not entirely identified what the computer glitch is. It's part of the reason we're here this morning. We're going to try and get to the bottom of it and find out whether it's fixed, what it was and make sure it can't happen again.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, let's hope so. All right, Ali Velshi for us this morning.

Thanks, Ali.

He's going to keep watching it for us.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll get Ali to fix it.

So the financial blood-letting that circled the globe is on its second orbit this morning. The Dow Jones World Index, that's a barometer of the biggest picture of all, is down 3 3/4 of a percent this morning.

Let's begin in this hemisphere, sampling of some of the big markets. In Brazil this morning, Bovespa Exchange is opening up after losing nearly 7 percent in value yesterday, down more than 3,000 points.

To London and the FTSE, they're trading right now. They have been for a few hours. Stocks are down just over 1 percent.

A little farther east, where it is saki (ph) time already, the final numbers are in for today. In Japan, the Nikkei is down nearly 3 percent or 515 points. Andrew Stevens is watching it all unfold and joins us now from Hong Kong.

Andrew, is there a buying opportunity out there perhaps?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, perhaps there may be, Miles. There may be a bit of a silver lining starting to make itself appear.

If you look at what's happened in Asia, at face value, it's been pretty grim. Starting in Japan, the biggest markets in Asia, the second biggest market in the world, down nearly 2.9 percent. A big fall there. Also a 2.5 percent fall in the other big market in Asia, Hong Kong.

But look behind those numbers. Look a little bit closer and you'll see that the buyers were actually coming back into these markets a little later in the day. At one stage, Japan was down 5 percent. It came back to close by just half that number.

And the other one to watch, of course, Miles, was what happened in Shanghai. That was the trigger points of the sell-off. Shanghai down 9 percent yesterday. Closed up today, up 4 percent. A lot of people in there saying there's now bargains in Shanghai. Now that's quite a big call in Shanghai. It's a very volatile market out there at the moment. But certainly we're seeing some optimism in the China markets and that could bode well for the Asian markets to come.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Andrew, we've been talking about how Shanghai affected our markets here. To what extent are they watching the U.S. markets right now?

STEVENS: Well, it started in Shanghai. But I think the Wall Street numbers are going to end this one way or the other. Everyone is now looking at Wall Street. We've seen Shanghai up 4 percent.

But really it's all about the U.S. economy here in Asia. Certainly for investors, Miles. It's the economy where most of Asia's exports go. So if there's a wobble in the U.S. markets, if there's a wobble in the economy.

And we've heard Alan Greenspan, former Fed chairman, talking about the possibility of a recession in the U.S., they're seeing some pretty dire numbers coming out from the manufacturing and the housing market is looking pretty worried. So all this sort of influences are coming into play now here in Asia. They see investors in the U.S. starting to get worried. And the old saying is, if Wall Street coughs, Asia catches a cold. And that's what we could see. So it really does now really switch focus to Wall Street. If Wall Street rebounds, and Ali was saying that the futures market in Wall Street pointing upwards, that should bring this whole thing to an end. Certainly huge sighs of relief here in Asia.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. Going to be an interesting day ahead. Andrew Stevens live from Hong Kong.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Changing tactics this morning in the congressional fight to wind down the Iraq War. House Democrats are now expected to green light the president's $93 billion war budget on one condition. They want the White House to sign waivers any time troops are deployed with below average training or equipment. Now supporters say the waivers could embarrass President Bush into scaling back the mission in Iraq.

A developing story we're watching for you out of Baghdad this morning. At least 10 people are dead, dozens more injured after an early-morning car bomb that went off in a crowded marketplace. You can see some of the damage in that videotape right there.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America.

In Washington, a reversal of fortune for the congressman who had all that cash in his freezer. Democrats voting to put William Jefferson on the Homeland Security Committee. Eight month ago Jefferson lost his post on the Ways and Means Committee after federal investigators found $90,000 in his freezer. But Jefferson has not been charged with a crime.

In San Diego, they're praying for financial salvation. The Roman Catholic diocese filing Chapter 11 in the wake of the sex abuse scandal. The diocese is facing 140 lawsuits alleging priests abused children. The bankruptcy filing literally coming at the 11th hour on the eve of the first trial and it automatically halts that trial.

A big steroid bust in three states and investigators are promising some well-known cleats may soon be dropping. Eight arrested yesterday in Florida, New York and Texas, charged with illegally supplying $10 million worth of steroids to some big-named athletes, including a Major League Baseball player and an NFL team doctor.

In Seattle, 83 felons on the street this morning, issued get-out- of-jail free cards because there's no room for them behind bars. Those let go include high-risk sex offenders and people convicted of violent crimes. Jail officials say they screened all the inmates and freed only those they felt were the least dangerous.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The winds are calmer this morning in southern California after doing some very serious damage yesterday. Wind gusts reaches 65 miles an hour, ripped trees right out of the ground in the Palm Springs area. Take a look at some of this videotape. One roof of a home was blown right off and numerous other homes in the desert community were severely damaged.

San Francisco now. Hundreds of families are living in fear that their hilltop homes could suddenly slide. Heavy rains have triggered a massive landslide there. AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence is watching it for us in San Francisco this morning.

Good morning to you, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

You know, some of the rocks that came down the hill were the size of a Volkswagen. Now the homes behind me did not collapse, but they could. And so it could be weeks or even months before it's safe enough for the residents to get back in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE, (voice over): Hundreds of families built their homes on San Francisco's hilltops. They're living on the edge.

MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: There's still movement and there's still the prospect of further damage being done.

LAWRENCE: Mayor Gavin Newsom's office is warning property owners throughout the city in areas that are prone to landslide. This particular hill is still unstable, with a patio protruding over the edge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our concern is that by being undermined, that it may still collapse.

LAWRENCE: A heavy rain soaked the city. About 3:00 a.m. Monday, the ground gave way.

PATRICK MCDONALD (ph): There was this big, huge roar, the building was shaking.

LAWRENCE: Patrick McDonald lives on the bottom of the hill and watched rocks smash through his neighbor's kitchen.

MCDONALD: I'm up on the third floor and the rubble stopped about six feet below my bathroom window.

LAWRENCE: It's not the first landslide in California, nor the most destructive. In 2005, a massive slide killed 10 people and sent families running for their lives in La Conchita. That same year, million dollar homes were smashed to pieces in Laguna Beach. Environmental engineer Nick Sitar says the ruck (ph) mass naturally fractures. During an intense rain, those fractures fill with water. And when the pressure pops, the rock slides.

PROF. NICK SITAR, U.C. BERKELEY ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER: Then every time we get a good, rainy season, we will see more of these slides.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good hit. Ready?

LAWRENCE: Knowing that, people keep building homes in San Francisco. Families like this are fully aware they're living atop two major fault lines.

FRED STUDER, SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENT: We build in an impossible place, you know. The bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, was built so that people could go back and forth between these two impossible places. But the fact of the quality of life was just so spectacular, just far outweighs the impossibility.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: In fact, about seven years ago, there was a similar landslide on the other side of this same hill. The residents who control that side spent about $1 million to reinforce the slope. The residents on this side of the hill decided not to do that reinforcement.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I bet they're sorry about that now.

I mean, and, Chris, really, give people perspective of where you are. You're in the middle of the city. This is not sort of the outlying, rural areas where we often see landslides happening and take out homes. This is, you know, apartments and condos built right on top of each other.

LAWRENCE: Yes, that's right. I mean anybody who's been to San Francisco know it is a very densely populated city. This is no rural area. I mean, this is a major -- we're on the street called Broadway. A major thoroughfare in the city of San Francisco. You've got storefronts with apartments and condos built on top of them. Just really the heart of the city, if you think about it.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, sort of like if something similar were happening on the upper west side or something like that.

Chris Lawrence, for us this morning, is watching it.

Thank you, Chris. Appreciate that.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's bring in Chad Myers in the Weather Center. He can tell us exactly what causes landslide like that one in San Francisco.

Chad, what's the latest from there?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Miles, you don't have cliffs like that on the upper west side. You know, like she was talking about, like Soledad was saying, this is in an area that has been and is known to have been very, very dangerous too. Very steep hills here. And we're not talking about the embarcadero. We're not talking about the marina district, which are flat. Basically land fills.

Now we're talking about the areas here. And just to the east of the embarcadero and just to the south of that area as well, we're going to flatten the map for you and show you that it is not a flat map. Notice the hills going up and down. And that's why there are cable cars in San Francisco because other people couldn't walk up and down and horses couldn't walk up and down some of these streets.

And this landslide happened on a very steep, little district right here just to the -- basically it is to the north and to the west of downtown, which would, right there, be the Transamerica Building. Although I did get from San Francisco supervisor Aaron Peskin and he said, "nets and bolts had been erected before the slide to help shore up the hill. Ultimately, no amount of engineering is going to overcome the forces of nature." So there you go. Nothing we can do to stop some of these things.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Fidel Castro is claiming that he is on the mend. The 80-year-old Cuban leader called in to a live Venezuelan radio show with President Hugo Chavez yesterday. He says he's gaining ground, has more energy and strength. Now Castro hasn't appeared in public since he underwent that intestinal surgery last year.

M. O'BRIEN: That dangerously overweight eight-year-old from Britain will get to stay with his mother, but she had to make a deal with authorities who wanted to take him away. We're talking about eight-year-old Conner McCreaddie. We told about him yesterday. He weighs about 200 pounds. And at a hearing yesterday, his mother signed a formal agreement to safeguard and promote his welfare. Apparently she has agreed to begin a weight loss regimen for Connor when he goes home.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, a threat of severe weather in the south. Chad's going to be back, talk about that for us in just a moment.

Plus, we're taking a closer look this morning at HPV. It's the virus that causes cervical cancer. Medical facts, personal stories, and just who is behind the uproar to make this vaccine mandatory. We'll take a closer look this morning.

And we'll swing by Jupiter and show you some of the new, amazing pictures that NASA's been snapping.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning is right here on CNN. It's quarter past the hour. That means it's time for Chad, who's at the CNN Weather Center watching severe weather for us.

Good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: A wild Florida hail storm is keeping the space shuttle Atlantis earthbound a lot longer than NASA had hoped. Take a look at this picture. By the way, the shuttle is underneath it's protective cover, the orbiter itself.

But the top here, this orange external fuel tank, got absolutely hammered by a hail storm the other night. No less -- you see all those little white marks, those little -- there are a ton of them. As a matter of fact, there are about 7,000 that they've counted so far. The only way to fix it, there you see where the shuttle is underneath that protective cover, fortunately.

But, nevertheless, the tank exposed. They're going to have to roll it back to the hanger. They were aiming for a March 15th launch. It's going to be at least a month later than that depending on how serious those repairs are.

A spacecraft that flies a lot higher and a lot faster than the shuttle is honing in on Jupiter because it has the need for speed. Now we're talking about a little craft called New Horizon. It's on its way to Pluto. The first craft to ever do that.

And it's headed toward Jupiter to get a sling shot kind of speed thrill, but also to take some amazing pictures. This one was shot by Cassini (ph) back in 2000 from a six-million mile vantage point. This spacecraft will come a lot closer and get some more interesting pictures, we hope.

Take a look at the animation now. Give you a sense of what this craft is up to. It's a very small spacecraft traveling about 30,000 miles an hour now. It has gotten all the way from Earth to Jupiter and only a year's time. Much faster than previous probes.

As it goes into the orbit of Jupiter, which is the behemoth of our solar system, it will pick up some additional steam. Now take a look at some of the images which have already come down as it has gone near on this Jupiter flyby. These pictures are coming in so far, as you see some animation there of Io, it's volcanoes.

These pictures are coming in, in black and white. It will take a little bit of time to add the color, if you will. They call it false color. But it gives scientists another look at some of these big spots here, which are storms that are larger than all of earth. That gives you a size of Jupiter. Also, Jupiter has several dozen moons that we know of so far. Including the ones that were originally spotted by Galileo with the fist telescope. This is Io. Io kind of looks like a -- well, it looks like a golf ball or a pizza pockmarked in some way.

When do you suppose those pockmarks are? Scientists have a pretty good clue because using this picture and some pictures which they've had from previous probes, those are active volcanoes. And this is a really interesting shot. Look right out here. You can see the plume from a volcano that is erupting on Io. So if Io has volcanos and there's another moon of Jupiter, Europa, which has what appears to be a frozen ocean, maybe, just maybe, there might be some signs of extraterrestrial life out there.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: That's always the question everybody's looking for, isn't it?

All right, Miles, thanks.

Coming up this morning, will the Dow make a comeback after its biggest plunge since 9/11? Ali Velshi is live for us at the New York Stock Exchange this morning.

Plus, the epicenter of a vaccine uproar. Who is behind the backlash against mandatory vaccination for HPV? We're live from Texas up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: This morning we're taking an in-depth look at HPV, Human Papilloma Virus. It's a virus that causes cervical cancer. We begin with the first ever study that shows just how widespread HPV really is.

Almost half of all women between the ages of 20 and 24 are infected with HPV. That's according to a new report in this morning's "Journal of the American Medical Association." More than 20 million Americans have HPV and, for most of them, it's harmless. There are no symptoms. But for 3,700 women each year, HPV is a death sentence.

This morning we're going to take a look at just exactly what HPV is from a medical point of view. We'll be talking to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about that. We'll hear from some women who are living with HPV.

And we start by investigating all the uproar that broke out in Texas when the governor there ordered school girls, all the school girls, to get the new HPV vaccine. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is in Austin, Texas, with that story. And the story a some parents who really filed a lawsuit to stop it.

Good morning, Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Good morning, Soledad. And they are not the only ones upset about this. You know it's easy to say this debate about the HPV vaccine is about right-ring conservatives against left-wing liberals, but it's actually much more complicated than that. It's pitted Republicans against Republicans, bipartisan groups against the governor. And in the center of it all, the parents who say the governor has no right to manage the health of their children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO, (voice over): Ten-year-old Morgan Waggoner has no idea she's at the center of a national debate over a vaccine for a virus that causes cervical cancer.

MORGAN WAGGONER, FORTH GRADER: It's a disease and you can get it from kissing and stuff like that.

CHO: And she has no idea the disease is sexually transmitted. But she could soon be required to be vaccinated against the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. Texas Governor Rick Perry signed an executive order mandating the vaccine for all girls entering the sixth grade. Morgan's parents are Republicans and voted for Perry twice, but say on this the governor is wrong.

CHRIS WAGGONER, FATHER AGAINST REQUIRED HPV VACCINES: It's our decision as a family. It's not the state's decision to immunize my daughter.

CHO: The Texas Eagles Forum, a bipartisan group, is leading the charge against the vaccine, saying it contradicts the state's abstinence only sex education policies and questioning the drug's high cost. And last week, the parents of five Texas school girls filed a lawsuit against the governor, saying the school-aged girls of Texas are not guinea pigs. Morgan's mother believes the HPV vaccine, though FDA approved, has not been tested enough to be considered safe.

PAM WAGGONER, MOTHER AGAINST REQUIRED HPV VACCINES: There's no need for me to vaccinate my child at 12 years of age.

CHO: The vaccine, called Gardasil, is made by pharmaceutical giant Merck. One of its lead lobbyists in Texas is Perry's former chief of staff. But Perry says this decision was based solely on public health.

GOV. RICK PETTY, (R) TEXAS: This is safe. It's been tested. And it's available.

CHO: State Representative Garnet Coleman agrees and says he wants his 11-year-old vaccinated.

GARNET COLEMAN, TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE: And because it's easily transmitted, that means we can protect children or women now.

CHO: Morgan Waggoner's parents say it's too soon to talk about sexually transmitted diseases with their daughter. And she thinks so, too. M. WAGGONER: It feels weird.

CHO: Why?

M. WAGGONER: Because it feels like I'm really young and they're talking about older stuff.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: That from a 10-year-old girl.

Now if you're wondering why Texas is at the center of this debate, consider this. Nearly 4,000 women in the U.S. die each year of cervical cancer. A tenth of those victims are in Texas. That's exactly why the governor says it's important to act now.

But those on the other side of the debate, the opponents of mandating the vaccine, say the drug was only approved eight months ago. Why the rush to mandate? They say, Soledad, if this was so important, the governor should not have bypassed the legislature and should have held public hearings.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A lot, a lot of questions about it. Alina Cho for us this morning.

Thanks, Alina.

If you've got questions about HPV, what exactly is it, how do you get it, you can e-mail us at am@cnn.com. Sanjay Gupta is going to be talking to us. We'll have a report at 7:30. And then at 8:30 a.m. Eastern half hour, we'll be answering your questions about HPV.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: This morning, the financial markets in Asia are down. In Shanghai, though, where the global stocks spin began, things are looking up. Futures here, the U.S., are also up. So the question will be today, will there be a rally? It's about 27 minutes past the hour. Ali Velshi is near the action today at the exchange.

Ali, what do you think? Futures look good, huh?

VELSHI: They do, Miles. I'm right here above the exchange. The traders haven't started trickling in. It's still three hours before that opening bell.

But if you're one of those people who doesn't quite like investing in the rest of the world or knowing about it, today would be the day to change that. Asian markets now for the second day are down, with the exception of Shanghai, which is where this whole thing started yesterday.

You look at the big markets. Australia closed down almost 3 percent. Hong Kong's market down 2.5 percent. And Nikkei, the biggest one there, 2.85 percent. They're all closed right now. In Europe, the markets are open. Paris, Frankfurt and London are all down 1 percent.

What are we looking at today? Well, at 8:30 we're going to get our GDP numbers. If they're lower than we expected, that could impact markets negatively. And at 10:00, Ben Bernanke is going to be speaking. Obviously, we'll want to know what's going on with him now.

As you mentioned, the futures are higher. People actually trade all this information and how it's going to open. Right now we're pointing to an open on the Dow that is 61 points higher than where we are. That could change on a dime. And we're going to keep close to that and keep you posted as to what we are expecting to happen in U.S. markets today.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Ali Velshi. A busy day ahead for you. A busy day yesterday. We appreciate your help there.

More top stories of the morning coming up next. He found fame on the slopes at the Olympics, but now he's finally found something even more important -- his father. We'll tell you about a touching family reunion.

And they call it the Department of Motor Vehicles. But when you visit, please leave your motor vehicle behind. Some amazing tape, complete with the arrival of a super hero. We'll explain.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Asia in the red. A second straight day of stock market losses oversea, and it's raising some big concerns on Wall Street. We will tell you what the impact is right here, straight ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Eleventh hour defense. The Catholic Diocese in San Diego filing for bankruptcy overnight. Is it a slap in the face to alleged victims of clergy sex abuse?

S. O'BRIEN: And mystery no more. An American skier is reunited with his Korean father. We will tell you how television and his amazing Olympic talent made it all happen on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome back, everybody. It is Wednesday, February 28th.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us. S. O'BRIEN: Let's start with the numbers that are already coming in from overseas. Another down day for most Asian markets, but brighter news in China. All of it, of course, is affecting Wall Street today. Everybody is wondering if the Dow is going to rebound from Tuesday's dramatic 416-point drop.

Encouraged by the Chinese stock market that came back today from its dramatic slide. Going to be watching it all day for you. Got live reports coming up from Wall Street, from Beijing, and from Hong Kong this morning as well -- Miles.

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A reunion in Korea to tell you about this morning for Olympic skier Toby Dawson. Remember him? He's 29 years old. He won the bronze medal in the 2006 games in Turin.

He was raised by adoptive parents who were ski instructors in Colorado. Dawson traveled halfway around the world to try to find his biological father.

And CNN's Sohn Jie-ae has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The resemblance between father and son is uncanny, but apparently not good enough. More than 25 years ago, Kim Jae-su lost his 3-year-old son Pumtuk (ph) in a crowded South Korean market and was never able to find him again. Until now.

Through his tears, Kim keeps saying, "I'm sorry." His biological son, now named Toby Dawson, is a 29-year-old U.S. citizen and a U.S. Olympic skier.

TOBY DAWSON, OLYMPIC SKIER: (SPEAKING KOREAN) -- which I believe means I have been waiting a long time. And I told him that I was happy to be able to meet him and that -- that he was -- that he didn't need to cry, and to be strong, because this should be a happy day.

SOHN: From a South Korean orphanage, Dawson was adopted by a couple of ski instructors in Colorado. At the 2006 Turin Olympics, Dawson was the only American to win a medal in freestyle skiing, catching the eye of many in the country of his birth, South Korea.

Dozens came forth claiming to be his parents. But eventually DNA analysis would show Kim Jae-su to be his biological father. After the tearful reunion in Seoul, the father and son begin the process of getting to know each other again.

DAWSON: I guess I have always grown up with pretty long sideburns. And looking at him now, I can see where these sideburns have come from.

SOHN (on camera): At the press meeting with his biological father, Dawson talked about another issue that was close to his heart -- helping other Korean adopted children find answers as to why they were sent abroad and to prevent others from following the same path.

(voice over): Dawson says a foundation set up in his name will keep others like him from being caught between two different cultures and not knowing what their biological family looks like.

Sohn Jie-ae, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: A happy ending to that story. But his foundation with this plan really has its work cut out for them. They've got, I think, 58,000 children who are adopted, foreign adoptions here in the U.S., Korean children. So -- living in the United States. So they've got quite a lot of work to do.

M. O'BRIEN: It's all about the sideburns.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Isn't that cute? They look so much alike, don't they?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, long lost relatives.

S. O'BRIEN: But a happy ending.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, when they named it the Department of Motor Vehicles, I don't think this is what they had in mind -- a motor vehicle crashing into the office. Ooh. Wow.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow.

M. O'BRIEN: An 80-year-old woman at the wheel mistook the gas pedal and brake. You heard that story before. She was leaving the office and in she came.

Now, you've got to watch closely. Look at the person walking at the door right now. Can you see what is the insignia on this grainy tape?

S. O'BRIEN: It's a guy in a Superman costume.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a guy in a Superman costume. The man of steel is there to save the day.

He walks in. We can show you what -- he just kind of milled around for a moment and then walked out. Just one of the odd explicable moments. As they call it in Florida -- Tuesday. Just another...

S. O'BRIEN: That's so weird. He's not even helping.

M. O'BRIEN: No, he's not. And he has a fiduciary responsibility as being the man of steel to help. Doesn't he?

S. O'BRIEN: That is so strange.

M. O'BRIEN: Anyway, no one hurt. S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's good news. I was going to ask you.

M. O'BRIEN: No one.

S. O'BRIEN: This morning, a recipe for more hurricanes in the Atlantic -- droughts in the South. Our severe weather expert Chad Myers has a look at both of those things straight ahead this morning.

Plus, what is "The Secret," Miles? What's "The Secret"?

M. O'BRIEN: Just "The Secret."

S. O'BRIEN: "The Secret." It's this book. You're looking at it. DVD set, and book, Oprah, Ellen swear by it. We will tell you what exactly "The Secret" is. We'll let the secret out of the bag.

M. O'BRIEN: Wow. I want to know now.

S. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning is right here on CNN. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

Another top trading day overseas. The markets in Europe and Asia down right now. China, however, posting a slight rebound after yesterday's market meltdown in Shanghai.

And an on-air surprise from Fidel Castro. The ailing Cuban leader calling in to a live radio show hosted by Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, saying he's feeling stronger -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you want a new job? Would you like to have a big raise? Would you like to drop the last 15 pounds? Well, the key to reaching all those goals might just be knowing "The Secret."

Back with "The Secret" that's creating quite a stir, AMERICAN MORNING'S faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher knows "The Secret," joins us with a look.

Good morning.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: And I'm going to tell you, too.

S. O'BRIEN: What's "The Secret"?

GALLAGHER: Well, the secret is this new phenomenal bestseller, a book of sayings, really, about how to attract great things into your life, like you were saying. And it's really based, what they say, on what the law of attraction -- what you think about you will get, you will manifest in your life.

And the secret of "The Secret," the way to do it, which everybody wants to know, because we all want these positive things in our life, has three steps -- ask for it, believe you are going to receive it, or believe you already have received it, actually, and then you will receive it.

Simple as that.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow. That sounds very, very simple.

GALLAGHER: The catch is -- the catch is...

S. O'BRIEN: I was just about to say, and Delia, what's the catch?

GALLAGHER: The catch is that if you think about bad things, you will receive those, too.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

GALLAGHER: So, it's the power of positive thinking. You have got to think about the good things and they will manifest in your life.

S. O'BRIEN: Many of the things seem to come if not specifically from the bible, sort of from a very faith-based perspective.

GALLAGHER: It's very faith-based, actually. You know, ask, believe, receive. And we -- it is straight from the bible.

S. O'BRIEN: Go on faith.

GALLAGHER: Seek and you shall find. Ask and you shall receive. I mean, those were the words of Jesus.

So it's god-like. You know, it's repackaged so that you don't have to have all of the rules of traditional religion, but you can have all the good things.

S. O'BRIEN: At the same time -- I mean, this thing is a phenomenal bestseller, as you said. Making just tons and tons of money for the author. And yet, some of the testimonials, I think, are raising red flags among people.

Like, listen to this little chunk first, then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHY GOODMAN, CANCER SURVIVOR: On November 23rd I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I truly believed in my heart, with my strong faith, that I was already healed.

During the day, all day long, I would just say, "Thank you for my healing." On and on I went, "Thank you for my healing."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: It sort of leaves the implication that if you are not believing that you are healed, maybe you are responsible for your own cancer.

GALLAGHER: Right, that's part of the criticism, that you are responsible for your condition in life. So, if you are poor, if you have suffering in any way, that you have brought that into your life.

Of course, self-help books put a positive spin on that by saying anything that is in your life right now is there to teach you, and you can learn from it. And it's there for a purpose. So they try to put a positive light on that.

S. O'BRIEN: This is page 99. "The only reason any person doesn't have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts."

GALLAGHER: That's right. And they say that there are lots of ways to unblock the money. So all you have to do when you get your bills every month -- according to one testimonial in there -- is think about this is actually a check. It's not a bill. It's not you writing a check, it is a check coming in to you.

S. O'BRIEN: I tried that in my younger years. It didn't work at all.

GALLAGHER: A lot of people are trying it and saying it works.

S. O'BRIEN: Self-help industry, tons of money.

GALLAGHER: Yes. It's a big seller. And, you know, it's the -- it's the new way. It's the new way of thinking. But in a sense, it's very old American philosophy. It's self-improvement, it's self- perfection, and everybody can be happy.

S. O'BRIEN: The power of positive thinking it sounds like.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Delia Gallagher, our faith and values correspondent.

Oh, those bills are checks. Those bills are checks -- Miles.

It's not working.

M. O'BRIEN: The secret is, write a book. We all know this now.

All right. Thank you, ladies.

The flip side of El Nino, La Nina, may be brewing in the Pacific and could be the recipe for more hurricanes in the Atlantic this year. It could also lead to droughts in the southern U.S.

El Nino, as we've told you, is credited with taking the sting out of last hurricane season. So what does that mean for the next one? Are we headed for trouble?

A quarter of the hour now. Chad Myers at the weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: A break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters. Not Watergate, 1972. It has happened again. We will tell you about it, ahead.

Also, fat and fertility. A surprising link between high-fat dairy and your chances of getting pregnant.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

America votes now. Let's take a look at the candidates vying for the White House in 2008.

The center of the Republican political universe these days is Spartanburg, South Carolina. The top GOP contenders, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback all spending a lot of time there of late. Why? Well, there's a countywide Straw Poll on Thursday.

I guess you could call it Concordgate. Over the weekend burglars broke into the Democratic Party headquarters in Concord, New Hampshire. No one will say what was stolen. They are saying, however, the private data on donors, safe and sound.

Police are treating it like any break-in. Stay tuned.

Hillary Clinton's campaign is drawing the wrath of some Asian- Americans in San Francisco. This, after a group of local Chinese- language journalists was barred from a fund-raiser last week. Apparently they arrived after the cut-off time imposed by the Secret Service, saying they never got an e-mail warning them about the deadline. Senator Clinton's campaign apologized for the misunderstanding.

And, of course, all the day's political news available on the CNN Political Ticker. And it can be found any time of the day or night, cnn.com/ticker.

S. O'BRIEN: Health news this morning. If you are taking antioxidant supplements, you can live a longer and healthier life. A little bad news, maybe. A new study shows that beta-carotene, in vitamins A and E in supplement form could actually raise very slightly the risk of death.

Now, critics are already chiming in. They say the study is flawed because part of it was based on people who were already chronically ill.

According to "The New York Times," drug companies Merck and Pfizer are expected to come out with two new drugs to help fight AIDS later this year. Experts say the new drugs will be used in combination with older drugs. It is considered an important breakthrough for patients who are infected with HIV, especially, obviously, for those whose treatments are currently working.

Could eating ice cream help women get pregnant? Researchers found that women who ate at least one fatty dairy food a day -- ice cream, for example -- were 27 percent less likely to have trouble conceiving because of lack of ovulation. But those who ate two or more low-fat dairy products a day were nearly twice as likely to have trouble.

A bunch of confusing numbers. The takeaway, eat ice cream if you're trying to get pregnant. The findings are from the Nurses Health Study at the Harvard School of Public Health. Some doctors say it sounds too good to be true. Even the researchers say women shouldn't make too much of it.

I snarfed down so much ice cream when I was pregnant, I really always wondered if there was a link between pregnancy and ice cream.

Moving on to Los Angeles now, doctors are warning...

M. O'BRIEN: What about the pickles? What do you think about that?

S. O'BRIEN: I hate pickles.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh.

S. O'BRIEN: ... warning partygoers to get shots for Hepatitis A. It seems they may have been exposed to the virus by an infected employee of Wolfgang Puck Catering. The company catered several big events for the month, including a party for "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, we don't have to see that shot three times.

S. O'BRIEN: Enough with the shot.

M. O'BRIEN: Enough. Enough of the shot.

S. O'BRIEN: Couldn't we see the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue?

M. O'BRIEN: Something. Wolfgang Puck would be better, dinner, anything, ice cream.

Put the ice cream back on.

Coming up, Chrysler is offering a bronze parachute for the blue collar workers it would like to shed.

We will also go live to the New York Stock Exchange the day after Wall Street's big plunge. We will see if a rebound may be on the way. The futures look good.

The sun will come out tomorrow, too.

And all morning long we are giving you the facts on the virus that can cause cervical cancer and the vaccine to stop it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will stop by with a look at just how common the HPV virus is.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Chrysler is mixing some greenbacks with its pink slips. Some employees will be reportedly offered as much as $100,000 to leave. The company plans to trim 13,000 jobs, 11,000 hourly and 2,000 salaried positions.

Well, it's the biggest point drop since the first day of trading after 9/11. But as a percentage decline in the grand scheme, it barely cracked the top 20.

Just a few minutes before the top of the hour, Ali Velshi here to put the stock market slide into some perspective for us this morning.

Good morning, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles. You're absolutely right. It sounds like a big number, 416-point drop. But it is -- we have a big market right now. It's higher than it's ever been.

So let's take a look at how this happened yesterday. How this drop happened.

We knew we were going to have a rough market. We started off within six minutes of this market. We had a 100-point plunge on the Dow.

Then about 1:32 -- those are meant to be p.m.s -- 1:32 p.m., the Dow was down 200 points. 2:00, 205 points. It all seemed to make sense.

By 2:59, people were starting to get worried about why this plunge is continuing -- 285 points. Within two minutes, we were down to 524 points -- 536 is as low as it got. And then it recovered, well into the 300s, and then finally closing 416 points closer.

Now, the futures index this morning is showing positive. We're looking at a Dow that could open almost 70 or 80 points higher.

Asian markets closed widely lower, except for Shanghai, where this whole problem started. The European markets are still open. They are down -- Frankfurt, Paris and London -- but they are down less than they have been all morning. They are edging toward the break even.

So that will probably carry over to us. We've got some things to talk about. I'll tell you about that next hour.

But right now, traders bracing for an exciting day. Not sure which direction just yet -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: There's a euphemism, exciting. An exciting day. VELSHI: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Ali.

We're coming up on the top of the hour. An exciting forecast ahead right now with Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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