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Doctors, Supplies Scarce in Haiti; American Parents Adopting Haitian Kids in Limbo; Haiti Churches Collapsed, Services Continue; Global Globe Nominees Has Haiti on Their Minds; Obama Campaigns in Massachusetts

Aired January 17, 2010 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Next here on CNN: The president back on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On Tuesday, you have the unique and special responsibility to fill the Senate seat that you sent Ted Kennedy to fill for nearly 47 years. I am here to tell you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: President Obama trying to preserve a Democratic majority in a neck-and-neck Senate race. We'll have coverage right here.

Plus, Hollywood lends a hand. Live pictures from the red carpet at tonight's Golden Globes. For many, the tragedy in Haiti on their minds. We will take you there live.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

Here's what we know right now about the situation in Haiti: Sixteen Americans are confirmed dead and the total number of deaths in Haiti could reach six figures. Nearly 30 international rescue teams are now looking for survivors.

So far, 62 people have been pulled -- pulled out alive from that rubble. At least five people were saved today, including an American woman. And about 1,000 U.S. military personnel are now on the ground. U.S. Army will soon send 7,000 soldiers to help with recovery.

The military says 130,000 ration packs and 70,000 bottles of water were handed out just on Saturday. The Red Cross says seven truckloads of medical supplies should arrive tonight.

But the U.S. naval hospital ship Comfort, it's called Comfort, it is due to arrive later in the week. U.S. Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon visited Haiti today and former President Bill Clinton is expected to arrive tomorrow.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We have some new video just in to CNN that speaks directly to the desperate situation in the capital. Five days after an earthquake leveled most of the city. People are crawling over the rubble of a building -- you see it there -- apparently grabbing what they can.

In this video, we don't know what they are taking, and so, this could be a matter of survival. We don't know the exact circumstances around it, so we are checking into it to find out what is going on.

Moments later, you saw it there. Haitian police show up and the crowd simply scattered. Shots are fired.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Even amid all this chaos and the shots being fired, no one appears to have been hit in all of this.

Much, much more of that video throughout our broadcast this evening, right here on CNN. And, you know, only CNN has a global resources to cover this disaster in Haiti around the clock.

Among our correspondents working angles -- all the angles of this story, we have Chris Lawrence, Elizabeth Cohen, Ivan Watson, Karl Penhaul -- they're all in Haiti.

Brooke Anderson is in Los Angeles tonight at the Golden Globes. Our Josh Levs is working here in Atlanta. And Lisa Sylvester is in Washington.

One hundred twenty-one hours have now passed since that earthquake -- a long time to be trapped and to live. But rescuers are still uncovering survivors. Take a look at this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You can see cheering erupted at the U.N. mission headquarters in Port-au-Prince today when crews pulled a Danish employee from the rubble. The success came about 15 minutes after U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon toured the devastated building.

You know, for the past several days, viewers have been urging us to get to Leogane, which is about an hour and a half west of Port-au- Prince. We've been getting e-mails here and also are getting your messages on our social networking sites.

Well, the town sits atop the island's fault line and was closest to the equator of that quake -- the epicenter, I should say, of that quake. And now, CNN's Karl Penhaul reports on what's happening in that city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in the town of Leogane, Fredricka. And we're in a field hospital -- a makeshift field hospital -- that has been set up here. Now, in fact, this was never a hospital. This was a nursing training school. The hospital facilities in Leogane collapsed. And so, nurse trainees, along with the nursing director, sprung into action. And since the quake happened, that nursing school director tells me they've treated 5,000 patients here.

They've done first aid. They've done emergency aid for the ones they could. But they said this nursing school never had the supplies that a hospital would have.

And then this morning, for the first time since the quake struck, then here in Leogane, international aid did arrive. A small advance team of Doctors Without Borders were here and now, they have sprung into action, too. And so, this is now taken on the aspect of a hospital.

But you can see here people waiting. It's dramatic to see how they're bringing the people in. They're bringing people -- they are bringing injured loved ones in on wooden doors, on wooden planks that they can find. They are carrying them in on mattresses that have been salvaged from the wreckage.

And because there is no material, no plaster, nothing to splint these legs, we've seen people coming in with their legs splintered with bits of wood and then wrapped around with tape. We've also seen women here with apparently broken legs that have been splintered so far with cardboard.

And so, it really is a relief for them that international aid is starting to trickle through here.

But I was talking to the mayor a short while ago, and he says he believes the international aid right now is being concentrated on Port-au-Prince. It's been log-jammed there, bottlenecked there. That's why it hasn't come out to this area.

And again, I wonder if -- I'm just seeing now as I'm talking to you, in fact, talking about people being brought in on doors and tables. We're just going to pan off and just look at this scene now, Fredricka. Look at this scene now and, again, a man being brought in on a wooden door.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that was CNN's Karl Penhaul during a live shot with our Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN NEWSROOM just a short time ago. Unbelievable what is happening there.

Medical supplies, though, are starting to trickle in. But it's still a race against time for wounded survivors. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will have an update for you at a hospital in Port-au-Prince coming up at the bottom of the hour, 6:30 Eastern, here on CNN.

Today's rescues prove there are still survivors waiting to be saved. And the U.N. says there are more than 1,700 rescue workers trying to find trapped people. So far, they've saved more than 60 lives.

And just a few hours ago, three survivors were pulled from the rubble of a grocery store. Let's get to the ground there at that grocery store.

CNN's Ivan Watson -- he joins us now live in Port-au-Prince.

Hello, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Don.

Overnight and in the early morning, three people were rescued from the rubble of what used to be a five-story supermarket.

And now, I'm joined by Captain Joe Zahralban. He's the leader of Task Force 2 rescue workers from Florida, working together with Turkish rescue workers. And he has just been in contact a little bit more than an hour ago with two survivors still alive after five days under the rubble.

And I understand we just got news, Captain, that you've been able to give water to one of those survivors. What is their condition? What did they tell you when you went into that mountain of rubble?

CAPT. JOE ZAHRALBAN, SOUTH FLA. URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE: Well, I went in there not too long ago, and I had to crawl up into the crawl space in between two thin slabs, a very small space, spoke to them. They are both in very good condition. They are speaking strongly, and basically, all they told me was, "We want to get out. We need to get out."

I shined a light in there, a flashlight, and I asked them, "Can you see the light?" They said, "Yes, I can." I asked them, "Can you touch the light?" They said, "I'm trying to reach it, but I can't reach it." How close are you? About 15 centimeters. That's very close.

Then I asked them to tap. They tapped a little bit. And I could hear very distinct sound of a plastic water bottle. So that tells me they are very close because it's not like a loud metal thud. It's a very low tap. And I could hear it crystal clear.

And now, just two minutes ago I was informed that we've broken through to the point where now we were able to slip them water. So, now, we are actively touching the victims and hopefully that means we're not too far away from getting them out.

WATSON: That's incredible. But this is not easy work. And we saw several hours ago, an emergency, when all of your team had to run out of the rubble. Can you explain what happened then?

ZAHRALBAN: Yes. We have a slap immediately on top of the patient that is in -- moderately in danger of collapsing. When they were working in the area, the slab started bouncing up and down. It caused them to evacuate the area and reassess, ensure it's safe and then go back in, but go back in with even smaller, more intricate tools. It's more along the lines of a surgery now than breaking things and trying to breach with heavy tools.

We just have to make sure that we get the victims out without collapsing the slab on top of them.

WATSON: Captain, it's dangerous work. How is it possible that these victims could still be alive after five days in what is basically a death trap?

ZAHRALBAN: Well, the type -- you have varying types of collapses. This happens to be a pancake collapse which, even though it's the worst type of collapse, it has void spaces. They have been stuck inside a void space. Now, if you were to be stuck inside a collapsed structure, the best place to be stuck is a supermarket. They're surrounded by food. Food has fallen on them.

We've had multiple situations where victims have eaten some of the food in the supermarket to stay alive.

WATSON: Don, they -- there you have it there. They're actually reaching out and handing water bottles to a Creole-speaking man and woman trapped somewhere beneath that mountain of rubble -- Don.

LEMON: So, listen, Ivan, there are a number of scenes going on. We just saw our Karl Penhaul. He is in Leogane, where there -- there are being -- there are rescues taking place as well. You're at this scene, you've been at a number of them. And this is happening all over. They really don't know how many people may be trapped under other buildings in similar situations there.

WATSON: No, we don't. And just -- we have to remember the scale of this catastrophe, Don. Between 50,000 to 100,000 people estimated killed. That's according to one Haitian cabinet minister.

The devastation runs for miles and this was a densely populated area. So, there is incredible loss of life. People are suffering just trying -- struggling to survive right now. But with the scale of devastation, there are also moments and pockets here where people are struggling to stay alive, despite the odds.

And as you can see, we have some help from overseas, professionals, who are also risking their necks trying to get these last cases out. It's really incredible. And we'll be keeping a close eye on it for you, Don.

LEMON: And we really appreciate that interview. And please stand by because we're going to check back with you for an update on this. Thank you so much, Ivan Watson.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of Haitians are believed to be dead. But countries around the world are feeling the pain of lost lives. Sixteen American citizens are confirmed dead now in Haiti, 15 are private citizens. The other is a U.S. government employee.

The State Department says some 45,000 Americans were in the country when the quake struck on Tuesday. Several hundred have now been evacuated. We want to know what's on your mind about this story. So make sure you logon to our social networking sites. And if you are trying to find someone or information, you can logon as well. We'll answer your questions for you.

Also tonight, Haiti is very much on the minds of people in Hollywood. We're live tonight on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards and we'll hear what the stars are saying, and also, what they are doing tonight to help.

Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: On Tuesday, you have the unique and special responsibility to fill the Senate seat that you sent Ted Kennedy to fill for nearly 47 years. I am here to tell you that the person for that job is your Attorney General Martha Coakley.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Also tonight, President Barack Obama -- there you see him -- he goes to Massachusetts on a political rescue mission. Democratic candidate is facing big trouble in one of the most Democratic states in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

LEMON: The president getting into the moment, getting to the spirit with the choir at the church. He is visiting that church on the eve of the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

President Barack Obama, this morning, told the members of D.C. Baptist Church, it's Vermont Avenue Baptist Church. It was founded by former slaves to keep the faith. And he talked about the people of Haiti and the challenges that they are facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Our Haitian brothers and sisters are in desperate need. Bruised, battered, many people are legitimately feeling doubt, even despair, about the future. Like those who came to this church on that Thursday in 1956, folks are wondering, where do we go from here? I understand those feelings. I understand the frustration and sometimes anger that so many folks feel as they struggle to stay afloat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The president also used his remarks to talk about his first year as president. He urged listeners and people in the audience to get back to basics and face the challenges of what he called a new age. Mr. Obama left Washington this afternoon and traveled to Boston on a political rescue mission, really.

Massachusetts polls show Democrats are in serious danger of what was once really unthinkable: losing the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for more than four decades.

We have our political director here, Paul Steinhauser, in D.C., and White House correspondent Dan Lothian is in Boston tonight.

We're going to start with Dan who is out on the campaign trail.

Dan, I'm getting questions on social networking sites. And, man, this is -- some say way too much hype about Massachusetts. She's going to win by double-digits.

What do you think it's going to mean? Does this mean the country is shifting? There's a lot of interest in this particular campaign, this particular race.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There really is a lot of interest in this race. And, you know, what's interesting is that, probably a week ago, two weeks ago, most people, nationally, were not paying that much attention to this race at all because Martha Coakley, the attorney general, did have that double-digit lead. But things certainly did turn around very quickly.

And you saw, you know, even as late as last week, I believe it was Monday or Tuesday, Robert Gibbs at a press briefing was asked if the president had any intention of all -- at all, of coming to Massachusetts to campaign for Martha Coakley. And he said, no.

Well, that changed. The president did put this on his schedule and came here tonight. They're striking the set right now. But the president is speaking to an enthusiastic crowd.

He didn't mention a whole lot about health care reform. But what you did hear him talk about are these bank fees that he has been pushing to recover the bailout money that helped to rescue some of these Wall Street firms. That is something that plays well with the voters.

And the president also made it very clear what's at stake here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: But we know that on many of the major questions of our day, a lot of these votes are going to -- a lot of these measures are going to rest on one vote. We have had one year to make up for eight. It hasn't been quick. It hasn't been easy. But we've begun to deliver on the change you voted for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: Now, both of the candidates have been working very hard down to the wire campaigning. Scott Brown, who is a state senator, says that if he wins, he plans to go to Washington and vote against health care reform. Martha Coakley says that if you vote for Scott Brown, it's really going back in time to the Bush era.

Take a listen to both of them today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SCOTT BROWN (R), MASS. SENATE CANDIDATE: There's negative politicking and then there's malicious politicking. And to be honest with you, when I -- when I started doing this race and I sat across the table from my wife and kids, my wife said one thing. "Honey, you have to come home here after it's over. So you better run a good and clean campaign and fight about the issues and talk about the things that are very important to the people of Massachusetts."

(CHEERS)

MARTHA COAKLEY (D), MASS. SENATE CANDIDATE: We want to strengthen the middle class, and we're going to do it the way that we should do it, not the way my opponent says he thinks it will happen, because those are the failed policies of the Bush/Cheney administration that aren't going to get us back on track when they caused the crisis in the first place.

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

LOTHIAN: Don, I think the big question that we keep hearing time and time again is how did it get to this point? How did Martha Coakley, who had a double-digit lead, you know, a week ago, end up in this tight race?

And if you talk to Democrats, they'll tell you, listen, she ran a complacent campaign and was not aggressive until these last few hours. And Scott Brown, meanwhile, pulled out all the stops, had a lot of Republican money coming in to the state to help him. And he's really been tapping into a lot of frustration and voter anger as well.

So, now, this race that many people thought would go Martha Coakley's way very easily has become very competitive.

LEMON: Hey, listen, stand by, because I want to bring in Paul Steinhauser now.

We may have one of the bluest of bluest states maybe seeing red on Tuesday. I want to bring in Paul Steinhauser.

Don't go away, Dan.

And what could this mean for politics and the president really overall. You hear Dan there talking about apathy. Is this really all about apathy, Paul?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It is about apathy. Dan hit it right on the head.

It's also about being a tough political climate for incumbents with the economy the way it is. Americans are frustrated and the Democrats are the incumbents in this race, Don. And this was a seat the Democrats currently hold. Ted Kennedy had it for 47 years.

But also, even more than that, his is Massachusetts, the bluest of blue states, as you said. Brown would be the first Republican from Massachusetts to win a Senate seat since 1972.

And as Dan also mentioned, there's national implications here. This isn't just Massachusetts. This is about the Democrats' supermajority in the Senate. They have 60 seats. They lose this race, they lose the supermajority, and they may lose health care reform.

So, this is a huge political story, Don.

LEMON: Yes, that is interesting. So, Dan, listen, he said he would be the 41st vote against health care legislation, effectively killing the effort.

It's very interesting, Dan, this could happen in the state that once Ted Kennedy, because Ted Kennedy -- that was Ted Kennedy's battle, to fight for health care reform.

LOTHIAN: It is. You are so right. I mean -- and now, it comes down to his seat, and, you know, even as he was fading away before he died, this was something that he continued to push for, wanted to make sure that the person who would come in in the interim before they had this special election would be someone who would also have that same conviction to push for health care reform.

So, you're right. This dynamic we're seeing here now, that it comes down to this one vote that could hold the voting power over whether or not health care reform actually passes is now in a very -- very tight race. It's a tight situation and anything could happen now over the next few hours.

LEMON: Hey, Paul and Dan, I want to go real quickly to something I'm getting on a social networking site. Someone writes here, it says, "Losing the HCR may cost the president, the POTUS, the re- election. He can't go out like that."

Could this possibly, if he loses this seat, I mean, is it that serious, Paul, that it could have that sort of domino effect?

STEINHAUSER: It could be a sign of things to come, maybe not for the White House in 2012, but at least, Don, for the midterms coming up in 10 months. You know, if the Democrats lose here, they just lost those two gubernatorial races last November, this got to give the Republicans a lot of encouragement and the Democrats definitely have to be worried.

Take a look at this brand new poll from CNN/The Opinion Research Corporation. Who would you choose in your district for Congress, the Republican or Democrat? And our poll numbers indicate now it's pretty much dead even. It wasn't that case a couple of months ago in November, Don. The Republicans have made gains there and they're more enthusiastic now, our poll suggests, than Democrats when it comes to voting. So, this is troubling.

LEMON: Well, I've got to -- I've got -- I've got to ask you this. There's the poll right here. And this is also -- we'll put up the social networking site again. I think this Aaagape, I guess, Aaagape says, "If so, do you think that would mean -- what do you think that would mean? Does it mean the country is shifting?"

Paul, does it?

STEINHAUSER: It means that maybe what we saw in 2008 is not the same -- the climate in 2008 has definitely changed, no doubt about that. And I think the voter I.D. for Democrats has gone down a little bit and gone up for Republicans a little bit. So, yes, times are a little different now than they were a year ago.

LEMON: All right. Dan and Paul, thank you both very much.

LOTHIAN: (INAUDIBLE)

LEMON: Go ahead, Dan. You want to weigh in real quickly?

LOTHIAN: Well, I just wanted to say that even if it comes down to Martha Coakley just barely winning, I think that still shows that there's some vulnerability. Republicans still walk and walk away from this and claim a victory because it shows that, you know, we've seen the issues in other states and now in this state as well -- you know, there is a lot of discontent. There is a lot of anger out there. And that's something that the White House has paid very close attention to -- certainly Democrats, as we're approaching this midterm election.

LEMON: Thank you both very much. Have a good evening.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Time now to check some of our top stories.

In Baghdad today, a fourth death sentence handed down for Saddam Hussein's cousin and former military commander known as Chemical Ali. Ali Hussein al-Majid was sentenced to hanging for a poisoned gas attack that killed more than 5,000 Kurds back in 1988. His execution has been delayed because of a three-member council representing Iraq's leading faction that's been unable to agree on an execution order.

A proposal to lure defectors from the Taliban's fighting ranks gets a nod of approval from Richard Holbrooke, America's special envoy to Afghanistan. The Afghan government plan is to offer thousands of fighters jobs, training and other incentives to put down their weapons. Holbrooke says many of the fighters will have little allegiance to terrorist ideology.

Pope Benedict XVI visited a synagogue in Rome today -- a move to help increase dialogue between Catholics and Jews. Many Jews object to the pontiff's decision to canonize Pious XII, a World War II pope that contend -- that didn't, I should say, contend to do enough to help Jews during the Holocaust. The Vatican, however, defends Pope Pius, saying he worked behind the scenes to save Jews.

Well, they've been pulled out of the rubble, but will they survive? We'll look at the hurdles involved in treating the injured at field hospitals there.

And then, adoption stalled. American parents like this couple wait for word on the son that they are adopting.

Let's go live now. This is live now on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards, where the stars there are on their minds, Haiti. Of course, we're going to tell you how they're reacting tonight and what they are doing to help out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A 15-day-old baby with some sort of head injury. They are begging for a doctor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You can see there, Dr. Sanjay Gupta treating a 15-day-old baby there in Haiti. Dr. Gupta has been doing work there, not only reporting but also helping out with patients. Even when doctors left a hospital the other night, he stayed behind to help treat some of those patients. These are just some of the moments, some of the things that are happening there on the ground in Haiti.

I want to get you now live now to the National Cathedral. There's a national prayer service going on right now for the victims of Haiti. There you see them live. And I'm being told the Haitian ambassador to D.C. is there, and also, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice is also there. Again, folks in Washington are praying at the National Cathedral for the victims of this crisis happening in Haiti.

Let's go to the ground now because CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has been in Port-au-Prince from the early moments of this disaster. And she joins us now live where too few doctors with too few supplies are trying to treat too many people.

Elizabeth, thank you for joining us. Good to see you.

We saw just the video, before you, of Dr. Gupta treating a little baby and we talked about Dr. Gupta staying behind when other doctors left. Give us a description of what people are doing there when there are not enough doctors on the ground.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, at this hospital, Don, there are enough doctors. Doctors have been flying in from all over the place to help out. So here that's not the issue. The issue here is that they don't have the equipment that they need. Let me give you an example. I was just told, doctors are running around right now behind me trying to figure out what to do with a 20- year-old man, who had two broken legs, broken legs that would have been easy to fix in a real hospital. This is not a real hospital. This is a makeshift hospital. What happened was he developed a disease called rabdomyolysis (ph), which is what happens when muscles get crushed, if things aren't fixed in time, then what happens is the kidneys start to shut down.

So this boy now needs -- or man, a young man, I should say, now needs dialysis, a ventilator and he needs sophisticated surgery. They can't do any of those things here. If they don't get him out of here in the next 12 hours, he will die. That's what the doctors tell me.

So they are really in a pickle here. They don't have places to send all these patients. So things have gone from bad to worse. Five people have died here since midnight -- Don?

LEMON: So getting out of the rubble doesn't necessarily, Elizabeth, mean you're going to survive now?

COHEN: Right. Exactly. I think when we see those pictures of people coming out of the rubble, which, of course is a wonderful, amazing, miraculous thing, I think sometimes we forget they have huge, huge health hurdles that are facing them, because they have big open wounds which, of course, one would expect they would after being in the rubble. Those wounds are going to get infected.

If they're not too big, that may be OK. If they are at all large, they'll need surgery to clean them out. If they don't get that surgery, they'll get a blood-borne infection. If they get a blood- borne infection, they get septicemia. If they get septicemia, that means that all their major organs shut down. So getting out of the rubble is, by no means, a guarantee you're going to live. Behind me is the proof that terrible things can happen in the days to come.

LEMON: You said that doctors are starting to arrive at that hospital. But there are other hospitals that need doctors. So the one that you are at, they can only do rudimentary surgeries there.

So is there anywhere else that they can take these people for help besides this makeshift hospital that you are in?

COHEN: They've been sending them in dribs and drabs. Sometimes they'll send them to Martinique, for example. They have sent some to an Israeli hospital. There's an Israeli field hospital that's up. There was also supposed to be an American field hospital to accept surgical patients. They were told it was going to be opened a few days ago, then they were told it would be opened yesterday, then they were told it would be open today. It's still not open.

I must say, a lot of the doctors are saying how come the Israelis could open up a field hospital and the Americans haven't gotten here and Miami is two hours away.

LEMON: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

American parents adopting Haitian kids are stuck in a heart- wrenching limbo there. There are a number of parents who are really in that same limbo, their soon-to-be children are stuck in Haiti and the adoptions are on hold.

Kristen and Mark Howerton are trying to adopt a little Haitian boy. They are joining us live from Los Angeles.

Thank you so much for joining us.

So, Kristen, you were actually there, is that correct, when the earthquake struck? What happened?

KRISTEN HOWERTON, ADOPTING HAITIAN CHILD: I was. I was there. I went out to visit on Monday just for a short visit with our son who we've been trying to adopt for over two years now. And while I was there, the earthquake struck and, fortunately we were in a building that was structurally sound enough not to crumble. The walls did crack, and it was a terrifying experience, but we were very blessed to be able to get out of the building and be safe after that earthquake.

LEMON: How did you get back? Because initially, they were only letting the injured come back to the United States or go to other places. How did you make it out of there?

HOWERTON: Correct. We were there for about three or four days where we were really just waiting to get out of the country, concerned because I had an infant daughter with me. And so we finally, after the commercial flights were continuing to be canceled, made our way to the embassy and then they evacuated us in a large Air Force jet back to the United States.

LEMON: So listen, Mark. You -- Kristen had to leave your son behind, right? Why did you guys leave the son behind?

MARK HOWERTON, ADOPTING HAITIAN BOY: Yes, yes. It's our son we're adopting from Haiti. It's been about a two and a half-year process that we've been working with our attorneys there, the orphanage there, the legal process there in Haiti. And we're not quite final. We're so close to being final. We were on track to finalizing early this spring. And it was just a visit, so she had to say good-bye. But it was so much harder to say good-bye this time knowing with what his living condition is that we're leaving him to right now.

LEMON: Even given the circumstances, you couldn't bring your baby home with you. I've got to ask you real quickly here. How is the baby doing? How is the orphanage doing?

KRISTEN HOWERTON: Our baby is fine. She's home. The orphanage is not in great shape. The orphanage, the walls around the orphanage crumbled. The building does not look structurally sound, and they are concerned about going back into the building because of the continuing earthquakes and aftershocks that are happening. At this point, the kids have an evacuated from their orphanage. They are sleeping outside of a missionary's house, who is with Heartline Haiti, who is generously taking care of all the kids, and doing a great job. Even with everything that Heartline Ministries are doing, the kids are outside of that house. They are sleeping in the driveway. Everyone in Haiti is desperate for food and water, and I'm sure that they are going to be in trouble on that aspect soon as well. So we're extremely concerned and just hoping very much that our government and the government of Haiti can work together to see about getting some of these kids out on some sort of a humanitarian parole.

LEMON: We're going to follow up and continue to follow this story.

Thank you, Kristen and Mark Howerton

KRISTEN HOWERTON: Thank you.

MARK HOWERTON: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Best of luck to you. Let us know what happens, OK?

KRISTEN HOWERTON: Thank you.

MARK HOWERTON: OK. Thanks.

LEMON: If Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti is a test of faith, allow me show you survivors who grade out an A-plus here. They may have little else but faith amid all the rubble and everything going on. Really, all they have is faith. But today, well, is that enough? That's the question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Scenes like this are happening all over the country, really all over the world. This is a prayer wall at Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church right here in Atlanta. Here's what parishioners are doing. They are writing notes on the wall that they are preparing for -- not sure if they'll send it to Haiti -- but they are writing notes there and praying for the Haitian church members with family still in that quake zone.

This was submitted by a member of the church, one of our very own here, an associate producer in the "NEWSROOM." Her name is Nesta Distan. And this is what's happening at her church. It's happening at churches all over.

Faith may be something that -- the only thing that these people have left, faith and really patience.

Victims of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti raised their voices in hope and prayer today in makeshift church services and also amid the destruction there.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is live in the wrecked capital of Port-au- Prince. Chris, you've been there. You guys are doing a terrific job. It's horrific to see some of these pictures coming out there, some very touching sights and sounds, after five days of misery and really anguish.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. The churches are pretty much just as damaged as everything else here. And today, what we saw was people heard some incredibly inspirational words and songs. But they also heard about god's judgment. In fact, one pastor told the congregation -- he used the metaphor that said this disaster was, quote, "God stomping his foot in shaking the ground."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Haiti's churches have mostly crumbled. Or at least the buildings have.

(CHANTING)

The pastors and people have simply moved, in Santo, to a dusty dirt field.

(on camera): The real Church of God in Santo is right across the street here. But it was damaged so badly in the earthquake, it's just not safe to hold services inside.

(voice-over): So worshipers squatted on cinder blocks and used a generator to power the microphones and music.

(SINGING)

The sermon gave families a different interpretation of the earthquake. That it was God's punishment for Haiti's sins.

UNIDENTIFIED HAITIAN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LAWRENCE: Haiti's a mostly Catholic country with about a million Protestants, including this church. But many in both faiths also believe in Voodoo, which the sermon criticized.

(SINGING)

Some of the congregation lost their families. Others, everything they owned.

JOSEPH BEDNER (ph), HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: I got no job now. I'm a teacher. I used to teach. There's no schools anymore.

(on camera): So this is your home? Was your home?

(voice-over): Joseph Bedner (ph) took us down the road to show us what the earthquake did to his home. He's now living on the street looking for work.

BEDNER (ph): I got my wife. I got my childrens. I'm supposed to got something to spend for then. But now, I've got nothing.

(SINGING)

LAWRENCE: Joseph got a shock at the end of the service when the church made an urgent plea to help him and other families hit hardest, and nearly everyone pitched in.

UNIDENTIFIED HAITIAN: They lost their families. They are homeless. There's no bank. Nowhere they can go. If you have some money, please put together what you have that we can buy things together.

LAWRENCE: Haitians helping Haitians, families with little helping those with nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: So those issues that you heard about punishment and judgment are very engrained in the religious culture here in Haiti. At the same time, we also heard the pastor tell the congregation that this disaster hit rich and poor alike, and that even if they only had one potato, they needed to slice it in half and share it -- Don?

LEMON: I've got to ask you, Chris. Have you been noticing -- I talked to General Russel Honore, who was here yesterday, and you may have mentioned it, or one of the reporters, saying, even when they were handing out the food, aid and water, they were asking, if you have a biscuit, break it off to help someone else. Have you noticed people helping people there?

LAWERENCE: Yes, it was amazing, Don. I think the scene that stood out to me the entire day was when they made that call to ask for donations and everyone -- I mean -- even the little children came up there. Now, some people only dropped a small coin in there. Others dropped bills. But everyone came forward. These are people who don't have hardly anything themselves. But they looked out for those who had even less.

LEMON: CNN's Chris Lawrence. Chris, thank you very much.

Let's talk now about the weather. More wicked winter weather is bound for the western United States.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here with that -- Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Don. That's right. Could be the wettest week southern California has seen in five years. We'll tell you about the series of storm systems coming up. Plus, travel trouble for the northeast.

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LEMON: Time for some of your top stories. U.S. diplomats have apologized to a Spanish politician after the FBI used his facial features as part of a digitally enhanced wanted poster of Osama bin Laden. On the left is a picture of the al Qaeda leader in his usual headdress. The other one, depicting him without a turban, was taken from a 2004 campaign photo of Gaspar Yemasaras (ph). The images appeared Friday on the U.S. government Rewards for Justice web site. They've since been taken down.

A man returning from the Haitian earthquake zone has been arrested and charged with entering a restricted area at New York's JFK Airport. The security breach yesterday prompted a terminal to be evacuated and caused serious delays for hundreds of travelers. 57- year-old Joels Bolita (ph) faces one count of criminal trespass for allegedly entering a door used only by employees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Do I have to do this now? Like, I really need to get some rack.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: James Cameron's "Avatar" has surpassed "Star Wars" as the number-three movie of all time at the box office. "Avatar" took in $41 million over the weekend, bringing in its domestic total to $491 million. "The Dark Knight" is the number-two domestic draw and Cameron's own "Titanic" comes in number one at $600 million.

Have not seen the movie. Still waiting to see it. Got to get those 3D glasses, Jacqui Jeras.

Have you seen "Avatar" yet?

JERAS: I haven't. I can't believe it beat "Star Wars." No way.

LEMON: It beat "Star Wars." Now "Avatar" is number three. James Cameron has the top three?

JERAS: I know. That's amazing.

LEMON: Doing well.

Hey, but listen, you've got some pretty nasty weather happening across the country.

JERAS: Yes. Good weekend to stay indoors and watch movies.

LEMON: Go to the movie.

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Jacqui Jeras, manning our weather center. Jacqui, thank you so much for that. We have some dramatic new video into CNN out of Port-au-Prince. Take a look.

(VIDEO)

LEMON: Haitian police rush in to disband a crowd of apparent looters.

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(SHOUTING)

LEMON: Listen, this is what's happening really in Haiti. This is what happens when people are desperate. Earlier -- I hope I didn't refer to this as looting. We don't know exactly what's going on here. I prefer to say these are people who are struggling to survive here. This is a desperate situation in the capital five days after this massive earthquake leveled most of the city. People are crawling over the rubble of the buildings there. They are apparently grabbing what they can.

Let's listen in just a little bit to this.

(SHOUTING)

LEMON: We don't know exactly what they're taking. You can hear gunshots there. A matter of survival, we believe, and we hope that they gain some control there. Moments later, you can see the Haitian police, they show up. The crowds scatter. Shots are fired. No one appears to have been hit. We're going to follow-up on the story and bring you the latest on CNN. That video just in to CNN.

I interviewed Kristen and Mark Howerton a short time ago, trying to adopt a Haitian boy. Kristen was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. There you see her there with her little boy. You are asking us on social networking sites, you're sending me tweets. You're on Facebook and on my e-mail asking me how you can help. Here's how you can help if you want to help the adoption agencies or children there. Go to our web site here at CNN and we can tell you how to help, Impact Your World. Also you can go to adoption.state.gov. Again, adoption.state.gov. We appreciate your responses and you asking about this. Thank you so much for that.

Meantime, you know what? They're gathering to celebrate the best from movies and TV, but the earthquake in Haiti on the minds of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars tonight. We're live on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards.

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LEMON: All right. Let's talk about star power now, and hopefully they can raise lots and lots of dollars in awareness. Hollywood's brightest are lining the red carpet tonight for the Golden Globe Awards. But for many, their thoughts will be on the human tragedy in Haiti.

Entertainment Correspondent Brooke Anderson joins me from Los Angeles.

You know what? Hollywood really usually comes together for situations like this.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: They seem to be mobilizing, Don. And, of course, as you know, George Clooney is spearheading that multi-network live telethon on Friday night which will air amongst numerous networks, including CNN. The plans are still coming together, but Emily Blunt confirmed to us, she's an actress and nominee here tonight for her role in "Young Victoria." She's confirmed to us that she will be working the phones.

I've spoken to a lot of nominees. Their hearts are heavy. The tone of the evening and the ton of the show will reflect that.

Kyra Sedgwick from "The Closer," a nominee for that show, told me that it feels a little bit silly to be dressed up and at this industry event where everybody is patting each other on the back when there's such incomprehensible devastation in Haiti. Her husband, another nominee, Kevin Bacon, said his volunteerism web site, sixdegrees.org, has an option on there now that makes it very easy to give back.

So everyone, their minds are on the people in Haiti, even though they are here at the 67th Annual Golden Globes -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you.

Hey, Brooke, stand by, we're going to get back to you and find out what the stars are saying and what's happening on the Red Carpet.

Brooke Anderson, thank you so much.