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More Help for Haiti; Critical Care in Haiti; Replacing Ted Kennedy

Aired January 18, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Just getting word now that our Brian Todd has made his way aboard the "USS Carl Vinson". As you know, that's the aircraft carrier moving into Haiti. Our Sanjay Gupta also on board there, we're told, in the operating room as we speak.

But, Brian, let's talk to you. This is an entire city floating on water, no doubt a tremendous need for the people of Haiti right now.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, it is. And this vessel is doing everything it can to address that need. We're told that Dr. Gupta's surgery is under way right now. And they've found actually a second piece of concrete inside this young lady's skull. She had a pretty significant skull fracture when she came in on Saturday night, when she was medevaced in here. A 1.2 centimeter piece of concrete was removed from her skull on Saturday night. That wound started to puff up a little bit and they were worried about infection.

That's when they called Dr. Gupta on board this ship and since his surgery had begun, they have discovered a second piece of concrete inside her skull. Now, what we're told is that piece of concrete and the fragments of it has not reached this young lady's cognitive areas.

So they think that she will be OK but this surgery is on-going and they have to update us when they get out. They're trying to clean up particles of it and make sure it doesn't reach into any of her cognitive areas. But this surgery is under way. Dr. Gupta is assisted by Lt. Com. Catherine Burns (ph). She is the general surgeon on board (INAUDIBLE) hospital.

PHILLIPS: So Brian, is it the helicopters that are launching and landing on Port-au-Prince ground and bringing survivors on board? How is this operation unfolding?

TODD: Well, the "USS Vinson " is primarily here as a relief supply vessel. But it is able to take some victims on here. It really is just a matter of getting the orders from onshore, a request from on shore to take some of the victims. Up until Saturday night, it hadn't gotten too many of those. The facilities are somewhat limited. They have three surgical rooms. They have 51 hospital beds.

And the biggest influx of patients that can come in came in with that young girl on Saturday night. They brought in seven patients all together. She was one of them. That's when they operated on her. So far not that many have come on board. And the officers here on board say we're just - it's really not in our hands. We're waiting for requests and we'll handle them as we get them.

PHILLIPS: Brian Todd, on board the "USS Carl Vinson." We'll be talking to you throughout the day. Thanks so much, Brian. And throughout the morning we've been following the latest out of Haiti. Here's what we know right now. Prayers answered against all odds. Search teams pulled two more people from the rubble of a grocery store in Port-au-Prince late last night. Three were rescued from there earlier yesterday. And among them a 50-year-old American woman.

Distribution points for feeding those who've had little to eat for days are being established by U.S. military officials. Five U.S. Navy ships arrived today with 2,200 Marines aboard. They're bringing in medical teams as well as much needed earth-moving equipment.

And former President Bill Clinton meets today with Haitian officials to discuss recovery operations.

Let's get you right to Port-au-Prince for a look at the scene this hour. CNN's Jason Carroll is there. Jason, you've been there for four days now. What do you think? How are things turning? For the better? For the worse? What are the challenges?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it really depends upon where you end up and where you are in the city. For some folks here who survived the quake, things are looking a little bit better. For others, they're still waiting. It really depends upon where you are.

We've had an opportunity over the weekend to go to several different neighborhoods throughout Port-au-Prince. We went to one area, Kyra, called Delma 40B. This is an area that we had stumbled across with our guide. There are thousands of people that are set up in a tent city there. Much bigger than the one that's behind us here. We did see some relief getting to those people first in the form of helicopter air drops.

But that, unfortunately, according to relief workers, sometimes isn't the best way to deliver aid. We understand why it's being done. Because sometimes, you know, I'm sure the helicopters flew over there and say well let's get something to them at least for this first part immediately. But the problem with that is oftentimes what you see and what we saw is people running up the hillside, obviously to grab what they could, but the strong and the fastest get it.

If you're weak, if you're sick, if you're young, if you're elderly, chances are you were probably not able to get that aid at that particular point. But since then we're hearing that some aid workers have come back there and tried to distribute aid in that location in a more orderly way. But long story short, basically, Kyra, it's better for some people who have been able to find aid and get access to resources. Not good for the other folks who are out there and still waiting for basic necessities.

PHILLIPS: And some amazing rescues over the weekend as well. Are people still hopeful or is there a sense that time is running out too fast?

CARROLL: But, you know, you do get the sense that time is running out. But I have to tell you, you talk to so many people here, and the hope is everywhere. You can walk through a neighborhood and someone can come up to you and say I heard noises. I heard noises. And then it spreads throughout the neighborhood and then they get a relief worker and somebody else.

The next thing you know you've got a mini relief effort going on there to try to grab someone out. You heard the stories about the grocery store over the weekend. Folks still pulled out of there. They were fortunate in that some of them had access to food and some water to be able to keep them going. But then this morning we just heard a story about a five-year-old girl who was inside a house. And another little girl had gone inside the home to play when she should not have been. Heard a noise, came outside and told other people in the neighborhood, I hear my sister. I hear someone inside there. And then people went inside and then there was another rescue effort.

So even this - you know, even we're now at Monday, you're still hearing stories of people being pulled out alive. And that brings hope to so many people here on the ground.

PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll, live from Haiti. Thanks so much, Jason. And former President Bill Clinton is in Haiti today as well for meetings with Haitian and international relief officials. The former president will discuss how best to proceed with recovery operations. Actually, we're looking at Hillary Clinton. Apologize for that. She also touched down, actually, and talked with our Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

But Bill Clinton is going to be partaking in donations and raising money. You can even text his organization. Also he's delivering lots of supplies. He's joined forces with former President George W. Bush heading up that fundraising campaign for Haiti. You can check out more on the Clinton Foundation web site.

Well, security has been a major concern in Haiti. Little or no food or water, very little shelter, people are pretty desperate there. Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek is in Haiti. And he talked about the security concerns earlier today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KENDRICK MEEK (D), FLORIDA: If we don't get water, if we don't get shelter, if we don't get security right behind me, it's going to end up being a situation. I know. We've seen it before here in Haiti. And now it's exacerbated by the fact that folks don't have homes and they can't get out to provide for themselves.

So right now they need some serious, serious assistance. And I know the 82nd Airborne is grouping themselves to be able to provide that security. But you have the U.N. here. You have the 82nd. And so it's important that they come together to be able to make sure that they bring about not only security but also humanitarian - meeting humanitarian needs of thousands of people that are living on the streets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And we're just getting word that we got a picture sent in to us of our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. As you know, he is a journalist and a doctor for us here at CNN. And he was asked this last night when we found out that he was going to be called in to do this surgery on this 12-year-old girl on the "USS Carl Vinson." A brain surgery, actually.

He was asked by our John King, point-blank, I mean, how do you find this balance? How do you remain a journalist, non-biased journalist at the same time your experience as a doctor? He said you know what, I'm a doctor first and foremost. And we're seeing that right now.

Sanjay not only covering the devastation and the issues, the medical issues there in Haiti, but he was asked to come on board the "USS Carl Vinson." And right now, he's in the operating room working on a 12-year-old Haitian girl with shrapnel in her brain. These are the picture that we are just getting in. We will let you know how that goes. And hopefully have a chance to talk to Sanjay after that surgery.

All right. coming up in about 25 minutes, I'm also going to be talking with the Coast Guard's point man in Haiti. We'll be talking about those relief efforts and the critical task of rebuilding the battered port so more of those supplies can get in. And for families with loved ones in Haiti, these past days have been pretty agonizing.

And here at CNN we've tried to help those families find answers. And today, CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva is manning our "Haiti Missing" desk. She joins us live from the newsroom. Ralitsa, what can you tell us?

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we have a web site where people looking for loved ones can go in. We have a lot of resources there. And they can actually fill out information, put in images of their loved ones. We have 6,000 submissions so far. It's filling in. So we want to help you make the best of that information.

Take a look. Just follow the instructions. First, put your last name, your first name, age and the city. I want to give you an example. For example, one woman filled in a missing person report for her friend, Sarah Lauture. You see how she did it. An image of her friend, date of birth, Hotel Montana. A brief description that she was working at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck.

This is the way to fill out the information. And we have also have people that have been found and so we wanted to tell anybody who's looking for a loved one just to go to our web site, cnn.com/haitimissing and fill out the information there.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ralitsa, thank you so much. We'll continue to check in with you. And then CNN's Larry King is going to have a two-hour special tonight on the crisis in Haiti. A power house of celebrities, civic and political leaders and activists joining Larry to show you how you can help the quake victims. That's "Larry King Live" tonight, airing at a special time, 8:00 p.m. Eastern until 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Overhauling the nation's health care system. The new battleground may loom far outside the beltway in a special election set for tomorrow. We're going to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Just hours from now, voters in Massachusetts will fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Ted Kennedy. And that will give them a big voice in the battle over health care reform. If Democrat Martha Coakley wins she provides a critical vote for the overhaul. But if Republican Scott Brown wins, that seat he could help block the vote.

Let's look at some of the political intrigue. Jim Vandehei is executive editor and co-founder of Politico, joining me live from Arlington, Virginia. I think I love how you put it, Jim. You said this story is going to be 10 on the Richter scale of news stories because of the impact.

JIM VANDEHEI, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, POLITICO: It will. Most times nobody even pays attention to special elections. This one is huge. If Republicans win it, Obama loses his 60th vote in the Senate which allows them to be able to beat back filibusters. And they would lose Ted Kennedy's seat. Ted Kennedy who had committed his life to health care reform. They'd lose it in Massachusetts, a state that is very democratic, only occasionally elects Republicans.

And they would do it when Democrats across the nation are already very worried about what they're seeing in their own backyard, in their own polling. If a Democrat can lose in Massachusetts, a Democrat can lose anywhere. I think that's going to be the feeling of Democrats coming out of Tuesday, if they lose.

PHILLIPS: But let's put this into perspective. I mean, Massachusetts hasn't had a Republican senator since 1979.

VANDEHEI: Right.

PHILLIPS: What are the odds here?

VANDEHEI: Well, the odds are, if you look at polling, and it's very hard to poll in special elections because turnout is so low. But you know, if you look at maybe seven out of the last 10 polls they show Republicans winning. When we talk to White House officials and officials here in Washington, they privately say they think they very well could lose this seat.

They're bracing for a defeat. It would be a big deal. Listen, Massachusetts has elected Republicans before. Mitt Romney, Bill Weld. So they have had Republicans win statewide. But in this environment, in this - and for Ted Kennedy's seat, I think that's what makes it such a big deal. And nobody was paying any attention to this until about 10 days ago because they thought that they had this one in the bag. They thought for sure they would win and keep Kennedy's seat. Now it looks like a real possibility that they could lose it.

PHILLIPS: And let me ask you about that. You make the point, this was Ted Kennedy's baby. He was all about health care reform. And on his death bed, he said, please, you know, fill that seat. Get this done. Get health care - satisfy the American people and get this over with. Does that carry any power anymore?

VANDEHEI: I don't think so. I think it probably does with the people who were already going to vote for the Democrat in this race. I think what you're seeing is enthusiasm, like real, real enthusiasm on the Republican side. People who are just unhappy right now with Washington. They're unhappy with Obama. They're unhappy with the health care bill. I think all of those are conspiring together to create real energy on the Republican side.

And you don't see that energy on the Democratic side. And in these special elections because turnout is so low, if you can have that bubble, that surge of enthusiasm on your side it's often hard to stop. That's why Democrats in Washington are worried. The latest poll that we saw last night had the Republican winning, I think, 51 percent to 46 percent. And among independents it was 68 percent to 32 percent. That's what they're seeing in district, in state after state. That independents are moving sort of violently away from Democrats and towards Republicans. Not because they like Republicans.

If you break down the polling, they don't like Republicans either. They just don't like what's happening in Washington and they're holding Obama and Democrats accountable for that.

PHILLIPS: Jim Vandehei. Thanks for putting it in perspective. We'll be talking tomorrow, I'm sure. All right. We'll monitor the Richter scale. Thanks, Jim.

VANDEHEI: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Also on the political front, former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman says that he won't try to win the governor's seat. Coleman put rumors to rest last night on his Facebook page. He says it was too soon to return to politics after losing to comedian, Al Franken, in a bruising Senate race. Their election was so close that it took eight months of recounting, you might remember, and a court battle to actually decide that outcome.

Rob Marciano has been talking about this all morning. Winter storms going on both coasts. Donner Pass in the Sierras between Sacramento and Reno, beautiful part of the country, several inches of snow. The ground already, more to come. Strong winds, heavy rains also part of the package out west. Seems like a good time to talk with Rob about that. Hey, skiers are happy.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it looks pretty.

PHILLIPS: That much, yes. It's beautiful.

MARCIANO: And it's been a long time coming. Been pretty quiet out west actually for the past month after a quick start in November and December. They have been pretty dry. So now the pattern has shifted. Boy, has it ever shifted. We've got a number of storms here that are beginning to line up. The first one is up through here. (INAUDIBLE) in Washington last night with winds of 60 miles an hour, about 40,000 people at last check without power.

And we've got more storms that are on the way. So that's storm number one. Storm number two is kind of coming right in here. Heavy rain right now. Storm number three, the backside of that will come in tomorrow. Then back through here, storm number four, that's going to come in on Wednesday. And there's another one coming in on Thursday. So they've got their work cut out for them, no doubt about that. We're seeing rainfall right now. Places like San Francisco. You've got a decent amount of rain.

But how about Las Vegas, Phoenix? These are areas that are going to see three, four inches of rainfall. And they can't handle that sort of rain. So that's going to be a bit of a problem also with these storms. They're going to have a decent amount of subtropical moisture. So not only flooding rain but mudslides and the potential for seeing some snow enough to produce some avalanches.

How about this? Fog across parts of Chicago. And temperatures right now, 28 degrees. So freezing fog advisory out, not only for Chicago but down parts of the Mississippi. So that's an unusual weather event. And that makes things relatively slick. So don't want to ignore the center part of our country. Kyra, they're enduring some soupy and slick weather in spots this morning.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Rob.

Doctors at the center of the aid efforts providing their own relief. But it's hard to do in tents and without the conveniences of modern hospitals. But they're making do as best as they can.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Taliban attackers hitting Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul with explosions and gunfire. About 20 Taliban militants got into the presidential palace, the ministries of finance, (INAUDIBLE) and justice and a hotel near those buildings. At least five people are reported killed and dozens more wounded. Afghan and NATO troops have now secured the roads around the buildings.

The man who shot Pope John Paul II, the would be assassin now a free man. Mehmet Ali Agca has been released from prison in Turkey. The next step for him might be the military. Turkey's defense ministry wants to see if he's fit to serve. You might remember the pope met with him just a couple of years after the shooting and forgave him.

More pictures to show you now from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final resting place right here in Atlanta, Georgia. Fresh wreath at his tomb at the King Center. This hour there will be a service at his church, Ebenezer Baptist. King Center wants you to remember that today is not a day off but a day on for community service and interracial cooperation. Dr. King, by the way, would have been 81 years old had he lived.

That brings us today's blog question. We're asking whether you think the U.S. has fulfilled the vision Dr. King outlined in his "I have a dream" speech. Just go to my blog, cnn.com/kyra. Post your comments. I'll read some of them on the air a little later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Mixed in with the all the death is one story of a new life. Delivered with the help of the U.S. Coast Guard, a pregnant woman went into labor on the flight deck of the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma. She was being moved from Port-au-Prince to a better hospital in Haiti. Well, the baby was actually delivered by one of the cutter's emergency swimmers. You know, one of the guys that jumps out of the helicopter into the water. Well, he was a real lifesaver this time, too. Mother and son, we are told are doing just fine.

These field hospitals are filling a desperate need for health care. Feeling it rather. But there's just so much that they can do. The sparsely equipped temporary medical centers, it's really tough just to proceed. And CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is there. She is joining us from a hospital in Port-au-Prince.

Elizabeth, I was listening to your reports. It's frustrating for doctors as they're saving people, but they're not always able to keep them alive.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Exactly, Kyra. They're so frustrated. These people come out of the rubble, and the problem is within a couple of days their wounds develop gangrene unless they get the treatment that they need. I'm at an extremely rudimentary hospital where they're forced to deliver very basic care. These doctors and nurses work so hard. They're sleeping on the floor with the patients.

And the question that's on their lips now is they want to know where is that American government hospital? When will it be built so that they can take patients to it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (on camera): They're desperately looking for a place to get this young man to have surgery. Because he needs much more than what they can do here. So we lend the Dr. (INAUDIBLE) our satellite phone so he could try to call some people. He's calling anyone he can think of to get to a more sophisticated hospital.

If you don't get him to a better hospital tonight, what's going to happen to him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He would die. DR. JENNIFER FURIN, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: Families are obviously going to be upset. They've been sitting here with their loved ones who they were so excited to see alive, only now to watch them die a slow, painful death from their rotting flesh because the infections are out of control and they need surgery. I've been here since Thursday. No one except the Israeli Hospital has taken any of our patients.

COHEN: I'm just amazed at what's here. This is like another world compared to the other hospital. Imaging department. I mean, imaging. My god, they have machines here. They have actual operating rooms and it's just amazing. What's the machine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ventilator and monitor. (INAUDIBLE) and oxygen.

COHEN: I mean, they don't have this at the little hospital that I came from. So the Israelis have set up a field hospital. Have the Americans? Has the American government set up a field hospital?

FURIN: Currently, not yet.

COHEN: The Israelis came from the other side of the world.

FURIN: It's a frustrating thing that I really can't explain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes you almost embarrassed to be an American.

FURIN: The situation is beyond desperate at this point. The disaster was the quake. But this is the disaster that's following in its wake. These patients were so thankful to have lived through the quake. And now they're slowly dying in these hospitals. We're desperate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, I've been texting back and forth with the (INAUDIBLE) for this American hospital that's supposed to be up. They've been saying for days that it will be up anytime. And the last text I have from them says we hope to have the hospital on the road soon. In other words, they hope to have the hospital up and operating soon. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. What about the supplies there where you are now? Do they have enough to get by at the moment? What's the need?

COHEN: No, Kyra, they have a lot of supplies. But they don't have everything they need, and they don't always have the right supplies. For example, doctors here tell me that for about 200 patients they have two blood pressure cuffs. So they were sort of excited when they found three boxes. These are blood pressure cuffs. We've all seen them before. Then you'll notice that there's no pump. You know, the thing they pump to get the blood pressure. There's no pump. These are completely useless to them. They also were sent this. This is a kit to do open heart surgery. They're not doing open heart surgery at this hospital. No way. So this is useless to them. Plus, it expired last year. So they don't quite have what they need. They're also missing oxygen, which is huge.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, that's definitely great information to know as people are sending supplies, Elizabeth. You need to double- check everything to make sure that needs are met properly. You don't want to waste any time, money, energy into things like that, that's for sure, when they can use other things.

Elizabeth Cohen, great job for us. Thank you so much.

He was walking home. And in 40 seconds his world changed. These are the images of Port-au-Prince just after the earth stopped moving. A survivor shares his heart wrenching story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra Phillips.

PHILLIPS: We're checking out the latest in Haiti right now after more than five-and-a-half days. More survivors pulled from the rubble. Search teams found two people from the rubble of a grocery store last night. Three were rescued earlier yesterday.

The U.S. military is setting up distribution points for feeding victims of the quake. Five U.S. Navy ships arrived today with 2,200 Marines on board. They're bringing in medical teams, earth moving equipment, and former president Bill Clinton even meeting today with Haitian officials to discuss recovery operations.

We've talked a lot about those relief efforts. And all the food and water being dropped in by helicopter. That's really the only way to get most of those relief supplies where they need to go. Why? Well, because right now there is no port in Port-au-Prince.

Captain James McFehrson is the Coast Guard's point man for operations in Haiti. Joining me on the phone right now. And Jim, I had no idea the entire port had crumbled to bits. And so, what exactly are you guys doing to try to recreate that, to get things and supplies off the ships?

CAPTAIN JAME S MCFEHRSON, U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): Good morning, Kyra. The Coast Guard cutter has just come into the port this morning. It's a 225 foot -- it's especially equipped with a special team that's going to come in here and look what we need to do to restore the port, get cargo moving, relief supplies. Obviously, a ship can move multiple tons of cargo. We need to do that. For the long-term success of Haiti, we have to have that going.

PHILLIPS: I'm looking at these pictures that you guys sent in to me this morning. Seeing the cranes and some equipment. Is that stuff that you guys were able to bring in? Is that leftover equipment from the port? How exactly will you, you know, create the building process here?

MCFEHRSON: I've actually been to that port several times. And it's always been a very difficult port to work around. It's shallow. There's lots of shoals. And the condition of the piers were tough before.

Now the real challenge is, when you see those cranes in the water, there's no way to move those containers off the ship. So, the team is not only going to look at what we need to do to rebuild the pier, but also what are we going to do for navigation, what shoals are out there, so that we can make a determination what's the fastest way to get this port open.

PHILLIPS: Jim, you've been to Haiti at least 25 times while in the U.S. Coast Guard. What's the hardest thing for you to see this time around? What has been so drastically different?

MCFEHRSON: Just even when you're out on the water and you look at the -- on our charts, one of the main navigation aids that we use was the steeples on the National Church. And that is completely gone now. So, I mean, from the first moment you arrive, you just see utter destruction everywhere.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Captain James Mcfehrson, keep us posted, please, on everything happening there. As you know, the U.S. Coast Guard, they were the first ones in to Haiti. They continue to move ships in and we'll update all of you on the efforts as they continue to save lives. Jim, thanks so much.

Some new video with you now as well. A CNN exclusive showing the exact moment the earthquake struck last Tuesday. Watch, and more importantly, take a listen.

(VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: It only took 15 seconds for structuresg to start crumble right there. Just so you know, everyone in that house actually survived.

It was a walk home that seemed to last a lifetime. Just moments after buildings collapsed around him, a Haitian man began recording the scene of the devastation. In the background, you can actually hear the anguished screams of those who can't even believe what they're seeing. CNN's Ed Lavandera has this man's story and his video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The earthquake strikes and Jean Marie Altema is in a car driving home.

(on camera): On your cell phone camera, you started recording video, basically documented your hour-long walk home.

JEAN MARIE ALTEMA, SURVIVED THE EARTHQUAKE: Yes, exactly. LAVANDERA (voice-over): His wife and one-year-old son were home on the other side of Port-au-Prince. Jean Marie starts recording this video seconds after the shaking ends. The nightmare will quickly unfold before his eyes.

(on camera): At this point you still don't have an understanding of how bad this is.

ALTEMA: No. No. No. Because I wanted to go home.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Emotional cries are the first thing you here in the seconds after the quake.

(on camera): What was she saying?

ALTEMA: She's crying, in Haiti, you say, (INAUDIBLE), my friends in English but it's a cry from the heart. Someone said we are nothing. Nothing. Because around 40 seconds, everything is going away.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The despair, the confusion, the fear is now everywhere. The wounded walk the streets, but then Jean Marie sees the body of a young boy crushed by concrete.

(on camera): At this point is it starting to sink in?

ALTEMA: Yes. Yes. Sink in -- yes. So --

LAVANDERA: Will you ever forget that image?

ALTEMA: No. No. No. That's -- that's the first time that I see something like this.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Jean Marie is now overwhelmed by what he sees.

ALTEMA: No.

LAVANDERA (on camera): It's almost like you couldn't believe what you were seeing.

ALTEMA: Exactly. I couldn't believe. I couldn't believe. I say to myself, is it a dream. (speaking in a foreign language)

LAVANDERA: What were you saying?

ALTEMA: I was saying, thanks, god. Thanks, god. I said, I could be anywhere. I could be anywhere. I could be somewhere in the market. I could be -- I could be in the -- in the streets. I could be anywhere.

LAVANDERA: What do you think the people around you are thinking at this point?

ALTEMA: The end. The end. The end of the end.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): An hour after he started walking, the journey home is over.

(on camera): How happy were you to be home?

ALTEMA: Oh, I saw my wife with my son, the only one that we have. And I kiss her, and I say, praise god. I say, praise god.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Jean Marie Altema is back in the arms of his family.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: In Washington, the public desire to help has been overwhelming. Hundreds of people delivered diapers, baby formula, other supplies to the Haitian embassy. The goods will be assembled and passed out as survival kits in Haiti. The National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians, which organized the drive, says there will be enough supplies to fill several truckloads.

Serving up hot chocolate for Haiti. Some kids in Winston-Salem, North Carolina set up an old fashioned stand. And they're giving the money straight to the Red Cross. Amazingly, one person, we're told, gave the kids a $100 bill and didn't even take the cup of cocoa.

Aid is pouring into Haiti right now. So much more is needed. We're going to try to make it easier for you to help. Just log on to CNN.com/impact. There, we've compiled a list of organizations working to help the people of Haiti. So, just log on. See how you can impact your world.

We're getting word now straight from the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who had been conducting brain surgery on a 12-year- old Haitian girl at the request of the U.S. Navy -- we're told that surgery is complete, that it went well. The prognosis looks good. He was actually able to remove the piece of shrapnel from her skull, treat the infection.

Now they're going to watch her for the next 48 hours on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. And then more than likely, she'll be transferred to the Navy's floating hospital. The Comfort. That's on it's way right now to connect there with the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.

By the way, still do not know where this 12-year-old girl's family is. They are still trying to locate her family. But her brain surgery, so far, as we see it went well. It is over. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta doing that for them.

Take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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PHILLIPS: All right. Quickly checking today's other top stories.

Five Americans being held on terrorism charges in Pakistan claim they've been tortured. The former attorney for the five complained to a special anti-terrorism court. The attorney says the court has ordered medical check-ups for the five.

Behold Planned Parenthood's new regional headquarters in Houston. A six story, 80,000 square foot former bank. Pro-life activists call it "the biggest abortion clinic in the nation." And they're planning a protest there today. The facility has a surgical wing for abortions. Planned Parenthood says abortion is a very small percentage of the work they'll do there.

What happens in Massachusetts tomorrow could have an impact on the Democrat's plan for health care reform. Republican Scott Brown in a tight race with Democrat Martha Coakley. The winner will replace the late Ted Kennedy. A Republican victory could mean the Democrats would lose their crucial 60-vote majority.

We've been showing you how winter is treating both coasts. It's a pretty harsh Monday. Especially out in the West, right, Rob?

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Quick check on weather. Much more in the next hour. Kyra, back over to you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

That brings us to today's blog question. We asked whether you think the U.S. has fulfilled the vision of Dr. King outlined in his "I Have a Dream Speech." Here's what some of you are saying right now.

This coming from Colleen. "I believe the United States has acknowledged that the dream needs to be fulfilled and so we continue to drive toward that goal."

And from Emile, "No doubt, the dream Martin Luther King highlighted in his speech isn't 100 percent fulfilled, but it is in the 90s (percentage)."

And from David, "Our country is on its way to racial equality, but true equality will not arrive until we understand and embrace that there are no black or white people."

Remember, we want to hear from you. Just logon to CNN.com/kyra. Share your comments with us.

Questions of charity and honesty. A Haitian-born rapper confronts allegations that not all the money is really going to the victims of the earthquake.

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PHILLIPS: A controversy is swirling around Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean. There are accusations now he misappropriated funds for his charity for Haiti. He's called those accusations "baseless attacks." Our Christine Romans in New York is following that for us. So, Christine, what's behind all this?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look. He's very passionately and emotionally defending the integrity of his group, Yele Haiti. And you've known from the very few minutes after this disaster he has been sort of a face of this appeal to Americans to give and to try to help his home country.

First, this is what he says about these allegations that his charity was somehow misappropriating funds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WYCLEF JEAN, SINGER/SONGWRITER: I never and would ever take money from a person (INAUDIBOLE). I myself have put $1 million inside my own foundation. So, not only I denounce all of that, I'm disgusted by that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: At issue here are some of the tax returns. The form 990 that this group is required to file with the IRS to be a tax-exempt organization. We're going through all of those forms right now. They filed the 2005, 2006 and 2007 forms just a few months ago. Last autumn. Thesmokinggun.com first reported some of the line-item expenses in these forms, including rent payments to a recording studio he co-owns, money for him to perform at a benefit concert among some other things here. So, going through these and trying to see just what's happening here with where the money is going.

Now, a word here about this -- about this Yele Haiti. It is a relatively young organization. And, in fact, three years of its filings just filed in recent months here. So going over all of this to try to see exactly where the money has been going.

But no question there are concerns, Kyra, that such a young organization used to dealing with much smaller amounts of money has been inundated, clearly, with new money from a lot of people. And whether this charity has the track record and the experience and the infrastructure in Haiti to get that money quickly to where it needs to go. There will be a press conference at 2:00 this afternoon where we're expecting him to answer some of these questions...

PHILLIPS: All right.

ROMANS: ... about Yele Haiti. He is very fiercely, fiercely saying he's just trying to help his country.

PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow up on that. Meanwhile, texting, boy, that has just opened up a whole new idea and created -- brought in so much money to this cause. Young people just texting and giving money like never before. But you still have to be careful with that as well, right?

ROMANS: yes. You really do. You saw the Red Cross and Wyclef Jean and many others immediately saying you could text a $10 donation. This is what the Better Business Bureau says. They haven't had too much trouble with this yet. But they know it's ripe for fraud in the going weeks and months. Confirm the phone number with the charity. Make sure you don't respond to something and the money is really going somewhere else. Remember that the text donations are not immediate. It can take 30 to 60 days for them to land in the bank account of that charity. Review all the fine print. And research the charity.

Look, Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau and others say the longer a charity has been around, the better that it is equipped to handle natural disasters. You can go to charitynavigator.com. I have. Look at their three- and four-star ratings of charities working specifically in Haiti. They have clearly put all of the charities that are doing business in Haiti right now through the wringer and through their filter to make sure you're getting the best bang for your buck with what you're donating.

I want to make a quick point here, too. $150 million has been donated to the Haiti cause just in the few days until Saturday.

This is how that compares, Kyra. The three days after the tsunami, only $30 million. In the four days after Katrina, $108 million. So, text messaging and the Internet. Really over the past few years it's allowed people who wouldn't have donated otherwise to quickly donate money. It's interesting to look at those numbers. Something about this Haiti experience has really inspired Americans to give. Either through texting or just through the sheer magnitude of the story.

PHILLIPS: It's good to see. That's for sure. Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Swipe your debit card. Then sign your name or punch in your PIN. You pay the same price either way, or do you? Susan Lisovicz is in the CNNmoney.com Newsroom today.

So, Susan I'm not used to seeing you here. Usually, it's the New York Stock Exchange. But it's MLK day, so...

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in different places. You're in the morning...

PHILLIPS: That's right. We're all mixed up here. What do you have for us? Explain this to us.

LISOVICZ: Well, all right, Kyra.

Every time you use your debit card, the store has to pay your bank a fee. You don't pay it directly. But it costs the store a lot more if you sign your name rather than punch in a four-digit code. For every $100 spent, the fee paid to banks averages $1.59 when you sign. If you use a PIN, it's half that. That difference can add up to billions of dollars for retailers. It's pushing some stores, not surprisingly, to discourage signature debits. WalMart for example, steers customers to use a PIN. The company told us if we can reduce our costs, then we can reduce our prices.

On the flip side, Kyra, because banks get more money when you sign, some offer customer rewards only for signature debit and some banks may even charge a fee for PIN transactions. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Well, and also, would store prices actually come down if those bank fees were capped?

LISOVICZ: Well, that's really the bottom line. What's it mean for us?

A recent government accountability study looked at the question and concluded, there's no way to really know. The National Retail Federation represents all those stores. It says it believes stores would pass the value on to customers in some way. Value means different things to different stores. So, maybe WalMart, which competes on price, would lower prices.

But think of so many other stores. Like an upscale department store might add another salesperson or more elaborate window displays instead. So, we wouldn't feel it in the price tag.

For its part, Visa, which is the dominant debit network, says debit cards offer convenience and security for consumers and result in higher sales for stores. It points out merchant acceptance of debit cards has doubled in the last decade.

I mean, we use them for everything these days. Small purchases, big purchases. The bank and retailers, Kyra, continue to duke it out. The outcome could be built into the price tag like so many other things.

PHILLIPS: So many other things. Susan, thanks.

We're going to take a quick break. More in the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: My good friend Tony Harris coming up at the top of the hour.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to see you.

PHILLIPS: It's good to see you. We had a little schedule change here. Now, instead of you tossing to me, I'm going to be tossing to you.

HARRIS: Yes, good way to start my day.

PHILLIPS: So, we -- I talked a lot about the orphans. HARRIS: Sorry. Just getting settled in here.

PHILLIPS: That's okay. Get settled in. I have that soft spot for kids. We focused a lot on that today. What were you talking about in your meeting with regard to Haiti?

HARRIS: For me I actually visited Haiti when the U.S. Marines went in to reinstate (INAUDIBLE) -- this was '93, '94. For me, it is about finding the narrative of this particular day. We're almost a week in after this quake. It is trying to establish the real narrative of this day.

We understand that there is a backlog of aid that is trying to get in. And...

PHILLIPS: Well, the whole port has been destroyed. You've got the Coast Guard trying to figure out how to rebuild the port so you can get the stuff off the ships.

HARRIS: So, you've got the effort moving from the port inland. Right? So, where are we? Are we five miles inland? Are ten miles inland?

Remember, there are a lot of affected areas east of the city center that -- where aid hasn't reached yet. We're trying to understand where the blockades are, where the bottlenecks are and how we get past those bottlenecks.

We've got some search and rescue team members who are going to be on the program over the next couple of hours who are going to at least begin to tell us where those bottlenecks are so that we can map them out and talk about the coordination going on right now to get to those people who, in some cases, haven't had water in five or six days.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

HARRIS: Can you imagine that? So, that's essentially the focus of the day. It's aid focused, it's this human drama that is playing out right now in various parts of Port-au-Prince.