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Haiti Mourns Death of Archbishop; Five-Year-Old Haitian Boy Found in Rubble Alive; Supreme Court Ruling Gives Corporations Freedom to Spend Freely in Electioneering; Personal Finance Experts Dispense Advice

Aired January 23, 2010 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A day of harsh reality for Haiti. The governments are shifting from rescue to recovery. And some crews are still searching for survivors, but only in targeted areas. In the 11 days since the earthquake, more than 130 people have been found alive in the rubble. The staggering death toll now stands at 111,481.

Almost six times that number are homeless and in desperate need of humanitarian aid. So as they deal with their immense loss and grief, survivors gathered in the heart of the capital today. They came to say farewell to the Roman Catholic archbishop of Port-au- Prince. The monsignor died in the earthquake.

CNN's Brian Todd joins us now with what was a very tough day for so many.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly was, Fredricka. Despite the activity behind me that might indicate a celebration, this is actually something different and we'll talk about that in a minute.

But yes, earlier today, it was a very solemn moment for Haitians as they said goodbye to their beloved archbishop Joseph Miot. He was pulled out of the rubble of the cathedral where he worked. It was a revered cathedral. It got destroyed, and he died in the earthquake, was pulled from the rubble a couple of days later.

And it has been a real emotional toll for Haitians since that time to somehow come to terms with his death, because he is a person who could have conceivably helped them through these very arduous days since the earthquake. He was seen as a healer, as someone who brought people together. And, clearly, his presence, if he had been able to go around the city, could have made a big difference for them.

But again, they said goodbye to him today along with another man named Charles Benoit, who was the general of the same archdiocese. So they lost two very important spiritual leaders in this earthquake and memorialized both of them today.

There was a theme at the funeral home for Archbishop Miot, a political theme, I should say, when President Rene Preval showed up. He has not been seen in public hardly at all since the earthquake occurred, and has been under some criticism for us. One member of our CNN member team asked him off camera about that criticism, about the fact he has not shown up at any public events. He only answer was this is not a day for politics. So he is trying to avoid some criticism here as he memorizes the death and life of Archbishop Miot.

In the meantime we're told, as you mentioned at the top, Frederica, the search rescue efforts, while they are not ending, they are shifting. They are kind of receding a little bit from that particular effort to one of trying to gather remains and trying to somehow repair what is left of this city or at least start to do that.

They are not ending the search and rescue, they are just shifting the focus from a little bit more toward recovery, Fredricka. So that has that quite a bit to play out in the days and weeks ahead.

WHITFIELD: And behind you, Brian, we could hear, you know, the crowd there. You mentioned earlier it almost sounds like a celebration, although people are mourning but at the same time, I guess being thankful or expressing their thanks that they are alive?

TODD: They are. I mean, this is kind of a strange occurrence behind me. This is actually called a day of repentance event where Haitians beg forgiveness for the earthquake that happened to them. This is led by a Haitian pastor who's based out of Miami, and there's a lot of praying and singing, chanting and it really is an event to seek some kind of repentance.

But it does have a kind of celebratory theme and they just had a lot of music and dancing behind us right now. So it's a little odd when juxtaposed against this theme of asking for forgiveness.

But right now I think you get a real sense that people here are seeking some kind of a spiritual balance, a spiritual boost from anything they can latch onto, and this event is serving that purpose.

WHITFIELD: Brian Todd in Port-au-Prince, thank you.

One of the most dramatic and touching survivor stories in Haiti is that of five-year-old Monley Elize. His uncle says he spent eight days under the rubble, and Anderson Cooper was there when he was carried into the hospital and he just went back to check on him, Anderson did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Monley Elize was brought to general hospital by his uncle who says he found him in the rubble alive after nearly eight days. Monley was covered in dust, weak, and limp. A doctor and a nurse quickly gave him an IV. What is he saying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Want to drink some juice? Want to drink some juice?

DR. COLLEEN BUONO, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: You can tell he is very hydrated because by his skin.

COOPER (on camera): Because his skin doesn't bounce back?

BUONO: It doesn't bounce back.

He's in something called starvation ketosis, so you have to be very, very careful as you start rehydrating before you feed them again. So I'm sure he would love some food right now but we can't give it to him.

COOPER (voice-over): That was Monley on Wednesday and this is what he looks like today. The transformation is remarkable.

(on camera): Medically, do you think he is out of the woods?

GABRIELA MCADOO, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: I couldn't tell you that for sure, but he looks great and he looks like he's been hydrated, and he is eating. And we fed him today, and he is doing really well.

COOPER: When we were here before, when you pinched his skin, his skin didn't bounce back. Now if you do that, would it be normal?

MCADOO: It's bouncing back. So that just shows that he is drinking and he is being hydrated. So that's a very good sign.

COOPER (voice-over): Monley doesn't speak much. He clings to a bottle of water. He is sweet and he is silent, as if absorbing it all.

(on camera): You're very brave.

(voice-over): "Thank you," he whispers.

(on camera): Has he talked about what it was like for him all that time in the rubble?

(voice-over): He talks to me normally, his uncle says, but doesn't say a lot. From time to time he says he is hungry and would like to have some milk or juice. He talks about being in the hole, that he didn't have food, he didn't have milk, he didn't have anything. He was hungry. Everyone was screaming help.

He said his father was close to him, that his father spoke to him and told him "Don't move, someone will find you."

We went back to where his uncle says he found Monley. His other uncle show us where the spot where the little boy lay.

(on camera): He was here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, inside.

COOPER: He was inside this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, inside this. Just sleeping, you know? COOPER: Did he have any water or food?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Nothing.

COOPER (voice-over): They show us the place they found Monley's father. They took the body away just yesterday. His mother is dead. They show us her picture. They've buried her body one block away.

Monley now stays in this makeshift tent with two uncles, but they are poor and say they can't care for the boy. For all that he's been through, Monley is so very lucky, but luck only lasts in this city so long.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as you know, there was a big fundraiser last night on many networks to try to raise money for Haiti. No word yet on how much money was actually raised from that event called "Hope for Haiti." It was a telethon.

But one thing is clear, the two-hour fundraiser attracted a lot of star power. More than 100 celebrities took part. They answered phones and they even took pledges as well and performed as you see right here, including Beyonce Knowles, who leads Haiti into her hit song, "Halo."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The telethon was carried simultaneously on 25 networks, including CNN.

And, of course, if you still want to help, you can, just logon to CNN.com/impact. There is a list of charities that will be posted, so you can actually donate to them, and information can also be found on those relief efforts.

Trapped in the rubble in Haiti for five days ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happened so quickly that I just saw the whole, you know, building collapsing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A Haitian woman's trip to the market took a tragic turn, but her faith kept her going, and then a remarkable rescue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Here is a question you're going to get a lot. How is your credit these days? Well, the Dolans are here to explain all the new credit rules and help you boost your score, and they have some surefire ways to avoid an IRS audit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Of course you're looking for ways to save money. Who isn't these days? So just ask the Dolans. They have all of the answers to your personal finance questions. And, how convenient, here they are -- viola.

KEN DOLAN, DOLANS.COM: Hello Fred. Happy birthday to me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Really? Happy birthday!

KEN DOLAN: I was wondering when I get to 40 how it would feel. It feels great!

WHITFIELD: It feels great? I don't know. I'm not there yet.

DARIA DOLAN, DOLANS.COM: And then his other leg!

KEN DOLAN: Very funny.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Ken and Daria Dolan, good to see you both. We have lots of questions. And particularly let's begin how are you going to celebrate your birthday? No, just kidding. Let's talk about credit card rules first.

DARIA DOLAN: OK. Good deal.

WHITFIELD: Credit card deals first. I almost got you there. Remind us what they are.

KEN DOLAN: Fred, I think the thing to be concerned about, especially with credit card rules starting next month, is don't think all of the stuff in your credit card statements this month and for months ahead is a bunch of junk, because there could be some rules in there like rates charged for balance will not increase if you are only a few days late, a few days late and not often. That's one of the new ones.

DARIA DOLAN: Exactly. Also, when you make more than the minimum payment, when the new rules start next month, they are going to have to credit that excess to the highest annual percentage rate debt and not the lowest or put it somewhere else which they've done in the past.

WHITFIELD: That is a big one for credit card holders.

DARIA DOLAN: That's a big one.

KEN DOLAN: Oh, me, oh, my, when is this bill due? Starting next month, because I was confused with the grace period, it will be due the same day every month starting next month.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about improving that credit score, because we know this year is a year of renewal for a lot of folks who say I'm getting it together, I have to rebuild my finances. Four ways you can do that, because credit score is important.

DARIA DOLAN: A credit score is the whole ball of wax, as they say. It's more than important than ever before.

And may I also add, as we talked about getting your credit under control, everybody is looking, where should I invest my money? Invest in your debt. It's the most expensive thing you've got. You get rid of that, and you're already ahead of the game.

KEN DOLAN: First one, Fred. Start to pay down your balance. Not easy, but start to pay it down. Number two, you're going to flip when I tell you this, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: What?

KEN DOLAN: Many credit reports have a lot of -- some errors in them. Some credit reports have a lot. Go to annualcreditreport.com, and you're allowed by federal law to get your credit report free, one per year. Check for errors. You're going to be surprised!

DARIA DOLAN: Along with that, know what your credit card limits are so that you don't exceed them, because when you exceed those limits, you get yourself into all sorts of trouble!

KEN DOLAN: Unbelievable.

DARIA DOLAN: And not to mention added expense.

KEN DOLAN: This is not brain surgery, Fred and CNN. Come on, everybody, use your head and start thinking about it and get your scores up.

DARIA DOLAN: And don't take out any new cards.

WHITFIELD: No more new cards.

Then I got a couple of more questions on the credit card thing then. You don't want to open up any new cards, but say you've got more than, you know, one credit card, you know, you want to reduce the balance. So now, which one are you going tackle first, the one with the lowest or highest interest rate?

DARIA DOLAN: Highest interest rate is always the best way to go because that's your most expensive debt. You want to get rid of that one as quickly as possible and make your regular payments on the lower balance.

KEN DOLAN: And cards with no annual fees. There are plenty of ways to go around to find ...

WHITFIELD: You say don't open any accounts. What is the rule of thumb on closing accounts? Do you want to do that or keep the credit open?

KEN DOLAN: Welcome to our credit clinic, Fred, Daria and Ken.

DARIA DOLAN: You know if it's an old card that you've had for a long time and you've had a good history with it, et cetera, leave it open, even if you have to lock it away in the back of a drawer someplace in your bedroom or closet, because when you close accounts that have been old and longstanding, it actually, I don't know why, lowers your credit rate.

KEN DOLAN: Especially with a good credit history.

DARIA DOLAN: Your score goes down when you close an old card.

KEN DOLAN: Do you have any more credit questions, Fred?

WHITFIELD: No, because now we're going to move on to tax stuff. We're starting to getting those W-2s and people are getting ready to prepare their taxes that they haven't already finished. But there are papers you need to keep and there are some you simply want to toss. Is this also part of the whole seven-year rule?

KEN DOLAN: Yes. Number one, Fred, get organized. Karl, I said give me your tax file. So Karl brought in his tax file, which is really, really nice. In fact, I think there is something dead in here.

(LAUGHTER)

So the answer is get organized, number one.

WHITFIELD: I guess you should give him points. He does have a file there. But it's debatable whether it's really organized.

KEN DOLAN: Yes. Get organized, first.

In terms of what you need to keep, clearly for a year, you should keep bank reconciliations, so if there was a problem with the bank, certainly credit card statements and paycheck stubs in case there's any dispute one year. After that, generally, you don't need them.

WHITFIELD: OK.

DARIA DOLAN: And then three years, you want to keep any insurance policies you've had.

KEN DOLAN: Lapsed.

DARIA DOLAN: Even if they have lapsed, if you're no longer using those policies, just to keep them.

You definitely want to keep all of your mutual fund statements for as long as you own those mutual funds. Some people say after three years, you can get rid of the old ones. Keep them, because if you decide that you're only selling a piece of the mutual fund shares and not all of them, you want to earmark which shares you're selling to keep your capital gains expenses down.

KEN DOLAN: And for seven years, we recommend this, this depends on per person, and all of these depend on the individual person. We're giving general guidelines -- seven years with the accident reporting claims, old contracts and leases usually after that, it doesn't matter.

And for a long time, we say for ten years, I say. Somebody might say for six or seven years, and technically, statutorily, generally three years. We say ten years for all tax, and I say 1040s, and any documentation you've used to come to the 1040.

WHITFIELD: And so how do you audit-proof your tax return if at all possible? First of all, who gets audited?

KEN DOLAN: First of all, you leave the country.

(LAUGHTER)

DARIA DOLAN: No, no -- oh, my goodness. Don't come after me. Just go after him, IRS, on that comment.

A lot of people who do get audited are home business, home office people. And, in fact, there has been a whole swath of time where accountants have told people don't even take the deduction.

But dog gone it, if you're entitle to do a deduction, you deserve to take it. And the way to do it is to audit proof your tax return to the best of your ability by keeping a ledger in your home office, make a log. Every time you enter put in the time you enter, the reason you went in there, what kind of work you did, and then clock out at the end.

Each and every month, at the end of the month, take that log page to a notary public. You can probably find one at your local bank. Get them to notarize it and put it in your file for tax time.

KEN DOLAN: And last, but not least, IRS form 8275, practically nobody knows about it until now -- 8275 is an IRS disclosure statement which means you could put everything down, everything you're deducting and the reasons for deducting it. Listen, audits get on average $9,000 -- I have to give a number here.

DARIA DOLAN: Oh, yes.

KEN DOLAN: About $9,000 dollars average amount of money taken every time somebody gets audited on average, and with interest and penalties, it could be double. So it's worth the effort.

DARIA DOLAN: And here is the key. If you've got two home office deductions or two whatever that tend to trigger audits, one of which has all of this documentation, which one do you think the IRS is going to look at?

KEN DOLAN: The one with no documentation.

DARIA DOLAN: Bingo.

KEN DOLAN: What a team!

WHITFIELD: All right, I love that. In fact, you know, we've got other bits of advice from you all.

So, say you've paid off your credit card and you have prepared your taxes now. Now, you want to know how do I save money? Apparently the Dolans have five easy, great, fabulous, full-proof tips right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

In Iraq, Vice President Joe Biden announced the U.S. Justice Department will appeal the dismissal of charges against five former Blackwater security guards. The security contractors were guarding U.S. diplomats in Baghdad in 2007 when they opened fire in a crowded intersection, killing 17 Iraqis.

The federal judge threw out the charges last month, saying prosecutors mishandled evidence and violated the guards' constitutional rights.

And President Barack Obama is blasting this week's U.S. Supreme Court decision on campaign spending. In a five to four vote, the justices threw out part of a 63 year old law that barred companies and unions from using their own money to run campaign ads promoting or opposing specific candidates.

In his weekly address, President Obama called the ruling "damaging to democracy" and vowed to come up with a forceful bipartisan response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't think of anything more devastating to the public interest. The last thing we need to do is add more influence to the lobbyists in Washington or more power to the special interest to tip the outcome of elections.

All of us, regardless of party, should be worried it will be that much harder to get fair, common sense financial reforms and close tax loopholes that reward corporation from sheltering their income or shipping American jobs off shore.

It will make it more difficult to pass common sense laws to promote energy independence, because even foreign entities would be allowed to mix in our elections. It would give the health insurance industry even more leverage to fend or reforms that would protect patients.

We don't need to give any more voice to the powerful interests that already drown out the voices of everyday Americans, and we don't intend to. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republicans in their weekly address focus on health care reform. House Minority Leader John Boehner criticized the Democrats overhaul plan, and he says this week's election of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts, who opposes the reform bill, should send Democrats a warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: They know that Washington Democrats will pull out all of the stops to try to shove this government takeover of health care with its Medicare cuts and tax hikes. If there is a sweetheart deal that needs to be cut, Democrats will cut it, and if there is a vote that needs to be bought, they'll buy it.

Haven't we had enough of government propped up on payoffs and pork barrel spending? Haven't we had enough of the same old versus them politics that uses yesterday's battles to distract us from today's problems? We're all in this together, and we need positive, forward-looking solutions to bring us together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And right after this short break, we're going to talk more about your money or lack thereof. The dynamic duo, the Dolans, will be here with five easy ways to actually save money.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're back with Ken and Daria Dolan, our personal finance experts joining us from -- hello.

KEN DOLAN: Hello, Fred.

WHITFIELD: From West Palm Beach on his happy birthday.

KEN DOLAN: Thank you so much. Thank you. You had to remind me, didn't you?

WHITFIELD: You reminded me, you know?

DARIA DOLAN: Yes.

KEN DOLAN: Two against one.

WHITFIELD: Birthdays are a wonderful thing to celebrate.

DARIA DOLAN: Better to have one than not.

WHITFIELD: That's what I'm saying.

Let's talk about ways to save money. You have five great ways in which to save money. How, how, how?

DARIA DOLAN: OK. My favorite way, and we use this ourselves.

KEN DOLAN: Don't give me any brown-bagging or $5 coffee. I'm tired of hearing about those.

DARIA DOLAN: You don't like that?

KEN DOLAN: That's OK, but everybody says that. We have better ones.

KEN DOLAN: VOIP -- Voice over internet protocol. Things like Skype and Vonage, they are a magnificent way to cut your phone bill to the quick. We use Skype all the time. I have family in Europe, and when I call them there, it costs two cents a minute. It's fabulous!

WHITFIELD: That's great.

KEN DOLAN: Especially with a lot of the phone rates going up.

Something that I'm really looking forward to, now, one of my new happy birthday resolutions is to go to the gym. But I'm not putting $500 down in case I decide not to continue.

So a new trend to save money without affecting your lifestyle, Fred, is a lot of gyms letting you pay by the months. If it goes, it goes, great. If not, you stop it.

WHITFIELD: Don't you end up spending more, though?

KEN DOLAN: You have to compare.

DARIA DOLAN: You have to compare.

KEN DOLAN: You have to compare. Do your math.

DARIA DOLAN: The fact of the matter is far too many annual gym memberships receive one, two, three, and four visits, and then the people never show up again.

WHITFIELD: That's true.

DARIA DOLAN: If you can do it by the month, it's still going to be cheaper even if it's a little bit more.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's two.

DARIA DOLAN: Also on your home mortgage, if you are fortunate enough to have been in the home a long time where maybe you do have equity built up and you have to pay private mortgage insurance.

WHITFIELD: PMI.

KEN DOLAN: PMI.

DARIA DOLAN: The PMI to get that mortgage in the first place, talk tour lender and say, I want to get this off of my monthly payment, please, because I have more equity than I need. WHITFIELD: It is a drag to have that on there.

KEN DOLAN: Another one, Fred, a lot of people say I got a lot of money coming in the form of a refund from the IRS in the form of a refund. That is tax -- that's an interest free loan to Uncle Sam.

Our number four is consider talking to your tax adviser or figuring it out yourself or with somebody at your company and changing your withholding at your job. Forget the big check as a refund. It's been an interest free loan to Uncle Sam. It's better in your pocket.

DARIA DOLAN: And this last one sounds really goofy, and a lot of people say I can't be bothered -- coupons. Coupons are amazing. Take the average family of four -- they will spend $700 a month at the grocery store. They could say $200 just using coupons from places like coupons.com, couponmom.com.

KEN DOLAN: Couponcraze.com and ValPack. The answer it's not that two cents you could save in years gone by. Some of them are really good, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, folks have a whole lot of questions.

KEN DOLAN: We don't want to do any job questions.

WHITFIELD: I can't believe I said that. We received them on our blogs, Josh and I.

KEN DOLAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, let's stick to good grammar, Fredricka. OK, Josh, what are people asking. What do they want to know? What have we received?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We got a bunch. Hey, Ken, I want to know something. So when it's your birthday, and do people bring you presents and you open them up and say, wait a second you could have saved money if you bought this at a different store.

KEN DOLAN: I generally say, Josh, forget the present, give me cash.

LEVS: I bet you do.

All right, let's do this. We're going to start off with this question. We have a graphic from Matt who wrote to us on Facebook. He's wants to know what he can do about his private student loans while unemployed or unable to make monthly payments. He says "I've already run out of forbearance and deferment."

A lot of young people struggling with those student loans while they are trying to get in the workplace. What should he do?

KEN DOLAN: Josh, it's the worst since 1988 when on our national radio show we could have done every other question asking about how to pay off a student loan, especially since a lot of the students who got that first job out of college have lost that job.

And there is not a lot you can other than we don't want to do bankruptcy, we don't want to do default -- strictly dialogue. You've got to talk to the lender.

DARIA DOLAN: And it may take sitting down with a nonprofit consumer credit counseling service to let them speak on your behalf with a private lender, because private lenders -- if it had been a governmental loan, there would have been some alternatives we might have been able to pull out of hat for you.

KEN DOLAN: Rule number one, Matt, don't hang your head in the sand. Start talking.

LEVS: Really interesting advice.

Now I have something on the screen behind that popped up just minutes ago on our blog. I want you do see this here be. This is an example of someone on the other end of their career.

He's 64 hoping to work at least six more years. "I pay into my 401(k) all that my employer matches. Should I put extra money into a 401(k) or a mutual fund?" That's from Martin.

DARIA DOLAN: Martin, if you have extra money to spend, rather than on congratulation on matching those funds that your employer is providing, because that's free money and you'd be crazy not to take it.

KEN DOLAN: Up to the limit.

DARIA DOLAN: But if you have more money that can be committed to tax-deferred retirement accounts, instead of tax-deferred retirement accounts, why not open up a Roth tax-free IRA with as much as you can put in there so you won't have the added onus of having to touch retirement money and pay a tax when you finally retire.

KEN DOLAN: Put it into a tax-free Roth.

LEVS: So neither of the above, go for the tax-free Roth.

All this sounds crazy, but maybe it's not so crazy. Let's zoom in here. I got from this a guy who is going by "Brother Grimace." He says "Is it wise to get a loan to buy brand new appliances and then use those appliances as collateral to help get a home loan."

Is that some round-about way people are getting these loans now?

DARIA DOLAN: All I can say is this -- Brother Grimace, if you can find a lender in this day and age with the problems people are having of getting loans to lend you on appliances that you don't even own outright...

KEN DOLAN: Then come do these segments.

DARIA DOLAN: Exactly. You got to start a show, because -- and if you can't afford to buy appliance...

WHITFIELD: I guess the thing is that new appliances increase the value of your home...

KEN DOLAN: We see the concept and we're talking about permanent appliances staying with the home that increase the home value. What have you got to lose to try it?

DARIA DOLAN: Everything you borrow competes against how much more you need to borrow, and I just think good luck in this environment.

KEN DOLAN: Nice try, Brother Grimace!

DARIA DOLAN: Four years ago, there was an idiot out there made for you, Brother.

WHITFIELD: Consensus, no, don't do it and I'm not a financial planner.

LEVS: Let's show the screen quickly where you can send in your questions. There it is. You know what I'm going to do? After I get off, I'll go to my twitter site and I'm going to tweet Ken some happy birthday goodies.

KEN DOLAN: Thank you, Josh. I love you, Josh!

LEVS: Yes, we all love you, too.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Have a great, great, great happy birthday weekend, Ken. Do something fun and cheap, right?

KEN DOLAN: Right!

WHITFIELD: Don't spend a lot of money.

DARIA DOLAN: No, no. Nothing!

WHITFIELD: Ken an Daria, thank you so much, and Josh as well. Appreciate it. Thanks to you at home for sending great questions as always.

And don't forget, if you want to ask the Dolans just one more question, head to their Web site Dolans.com. This week they have tips to help you save money when you prepare your taxes as well.

All right, so what's going on this weekend in the Utah mountains? That's Robert Redford you're about to see on the right, wearing a very cool hat. It must be time for Sundance film festival. We'll take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Sadly, we knew this day would come. Haiti begins phasing out its search for earthquake survivors and shifting its focus now to recovery.

So many dead, so many homeless -- the numbers are staggering. Haiti confirms more than 111,000 people have died, and nearly six times that times are now living in the streets. Tons of emergency relief supplies keep arriving mostly air, and the port is about one- third operational. For now, it's only handling humanitarian cargo.

A Haitian woman's simple trip to the market took a tragic turn when the big earthquake struck, and when the market collapsed, the whole world caved in around her. and she was stuck in the rubble with no food, no water. And then the incredible happened.

Her story now from CNN's John Zarrella (sic).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIREILLE DITTMER, TRAPPED IN HAITIAN SUPERMARKET FOR FIVE DAYES: It happened so quickly that I just saw the whole, you know, building collapsing.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mireille Dittmer saw the Caribbean market building collapse around her. She tried to run, but in a split second, she was cocooned inside.

DITTMER: There was no way for me to go on and get out because a lot of rubble started falling, and all I had to do is to kneel down to protect myself.

LAVANDERA: She would spend the next five days in that position.

(on camera): And the whole time, do I understand this correctly, you're on your knees?

DITTMER: On my knees, five days.

LAVANDERA: For five days on your knees?

DITTMER: Five days like that.

LAVANDERA: That it had been excruciatingly painful.

DITTMER: Excruciating pain, yes. All of this is bruised and I have like sores here, sores around here, because I was kneeling like this.

LAVANDERA: How did you not go crazy?

DITTMER: My faith in Jesus Christ, my faith in the lord. I have a very strong faith. I read my bible every day. And I started reciting. And whenever I felt, I was, you know, feeling weak, I started reciting psalms, and that gave me strength again.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Mireille says she didn't eat, drink, or sleep and lost track of time.

(on camera): Felt like 12 days? DITTMER: Felt like 12 days.

LAVANDERA: What did you feel when you were in there?

DITTMER: Nothing. It was darkness, complete darkness, complete silence.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But eventually some voices emerged. A man and a little girl, total strangers, instantly bonded.

DITTMER: We were praying, we were talking, giving each other, you know, strength. And then we kept, many times, altogether, we said, we have got to hit the place that they hear a noise, that some people are there.

LAVANDERA: Mireille says she never doubted she would be rescued, but others around her were feeling weak, dehydrated, and scared.

DITTMER: We kept talking and said we should not lose faith, we will not lose faith. Our faith will save us. Don't give up. That's the only thing we have. We have to hold on, because there's nothing else you can do.

LAVANDERA: Mireille Ditmerr was rescued five days after the quake, and so were those unknown voices in the darkness. She was evacuated to south Florida where she has family and friends. Doctors say she will soon be walking again, fully healed.

(on camera): I think this at 108 hours basically sitting our knees. I just don't know how people -- you know, I don't know any people that can do that. I think I know one.

(LAUGHTER)

DITTMER: Nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, Boca Raton, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And if you want to help, just logon to CNN.com/impact. There is a list of charities that you can donate to and information on the relief efforts as well.

A look at our top stories right now. Britain raises it's terror threat level from substantial to severe. Authorities in London say that means a terror attack is highly likely, but they say there is no intelligence suggesting an attack is imminent.

And from Vice President Joe Biden, word the federal government plans to appeal a judge's dismissal of charges against five former Blackwater security guards. Biden announced the move in Baghdad today. The former guards were accused of killing 17 people in Iraqi capital back in 2007.

And high unemployment still plagues the U.S. as the country tries to recover from the recession. The jobless rate climbed in 43 states in December. Michigan leads the country. Its unemployment rate is 14.6 percent.

Slammed and slammed again -- the west coast finally getting a break from the snow, the rain, the wind. But how long will this break last?

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WHITFIELD: Finally, it doesn't look like it, but, yes, some relief for southern California. The region has a few days to dry out before the next Pacific storm moves in. Right now six counties are under a state of emergency.

The good news is mostly in Los Angeles County where the mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted for hundreds of people who left their homes because of a mudslide threat.

Next door in Arizona, the biggest storm to hit that state in nearly two decades has flooded small towns, as you see right here, causing a trail derailment and even closing major highways and causing some roofs to collapse.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: California's Proposition 8 takes center stage in Park City, Utah. The documentary about the ban on gay marriage is making its debut at the Sundance film festival, and we'll have a live report for you.

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WHITFIELD: The passage of Prop 8 is analyzed in the new documentary, "8: the Mormon Proposition." The film concludes that the Mormon Church was behind the campaign to derail gay marriage in California.

Our Brooke Anderson joins us live from Park City, Utah, where the Sundance film festival is premiering.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. Yes, most documentaries here at the Sundance film festival don't have a point of view, but the film "8: the Mormon Proposition" is an exception.

I spoke with the filmmakers Reid Cohen and Steven Greenstreet and narrator Dustin Lance Black and asked them why they felt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormon Church, is solely responsible for the passage of Prop 8.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DUSTIN LANCE BLACK, SCREENWRITER/NARRATOR: The Mormon Church has been leading the charge against same sex marriage since 1995, and it's very clear that the Mormon Church is behind this.

ANDERSON: This film is really blistering against the church?

BLACK: I tell you. One of the things that makes our film stand out is that during production we acquired more than 1,500 insider documents from inside Mormon church archives that detail communications between leaders where they were formulating a ballot plan starting in Hawaii against any LGPT efforts, but also and most especially marriage.

And so when we look at those documents, we see that they were the man behind the curtain.

ANDERSON: You talk about them funneling tens of millions of dollars into the campaign. What is wrong with that strategy, because isn't it a democratic process? Wasn't the other side funneling money as well?

BLACK: Sure. There is nothing wrong with that strategy. What we are saying is wrong is the blurring of the lines between church and state. When a church gets involved in matters of state, one of the highest held values in our country, the separation of church and state, is at risk. We are a democracy, we're not a theocracy.

ANDERSON: It's very interesting, because all three of you who were involved in this film are former Mormons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a former Mormon with family that is still Mormon, I don't think a lot of the Mormon congregation knows that the church was this involved. I don't think they would approve their church leaders being this involved.

ANDERSON: Growing up in the Mormon Church, what did you think the viewpoint was of homosexuality? What was your sense?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was growing up, I mean, this is like in the 80s, you would hear the president of the church at the time, Spencer Kimball, and they would beam him into the church on Sundays, and he would say next to the sin of murder comes the sin of sexual impurity, homosexuality. So it was being compared to capital crimes, to murder.

And as like a little eight-year-old boy, I knew I was gay when I heard that at eight years old and I knew what the word meant, and it really shuts you down. It really tells you you're less then and your life is perhaps not worth living.

ANDERSON: Do you guys still have Mormon family members? What do you think about you doing this film?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a difficult balance when you do -- I was born and raised in the church. I served a Mormon mission. It's a difficult balance to make such a film and not have attention in my family. And so I've tried to avoid as much as any rifts with my family because I love them and I respect their religion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe that people could hate us this much. They don't even know us and they hate us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And Fredricka, in the film, they did reach out to the Mormon Church for comment and their side of the story, but they did not want to participate, did not want to comment on the film.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brooke Anderson, thanks so much from the Sundance film festival underway there at Park City, Utah.

We're going to tell you this breaking story coming out of Haiti. We mentioned to you that this would be a very grim day for the most part because a lot of the rescue missions are turning into recovery missions now.

There's a glimmer of hope, we understand, of someone actually found alive in that rubble now 11 days after that earthquake. Hala Gorani is joining us now on the phone. Hala, what can you tell me?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, if this man comes out alive from under the rubble of a hotel in central Port-au- Prince, it would be an absolutely miracle. French rescue workers told me that there is a man alive under the debris 12 days almost after the earthquake.

One official told me the man trapped under the hotel is 24 years old. Two of his brothers we're told are here, and we spoke with them. They say of course that they are hopeful, that they called their parents, and that their parents who, 12 days after the quake first hit, feared the worst, are absolutely delighted.

Now, of course, the challenge for rescue workers is getting to this man and making sure that he survives all the way out from under the rubble and under the building, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Hala, how did anyone discover he might be there?

GORANI: Well, we were told by his brothers that they had heard tapping for several days and that they'd alerted rescue workers, but that they had not come to this particular location. And a Greek journalist told me that he had called Greek rescue services because he had been a witness to some tapping as well.

So the story is not 100 percent clear, but as you can see, after several days of family members trying to alert authorities, it turned out that just a passer-by who was a journalist, if this is indeed corroborated, is the one who alerted rescue authorities.

Now the scene, Fredricka, you can imagine, we have about 150 people here, ordinary Haitians, rescue workers, the French and the Greek and Americans as well. I'd say about 20 to 25 television crews as well.

And we are all holding our breath because it's after 12 days, almost 12 days under the rubble this man is pulled out alive, it would be a near record. The longest number of days for anyone to remain trapped and come out alive was 14 days back in 1990 in the Philippines, and that man had access to water the whole time.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is extraordinary. And we're all hoping for the best for him and, of course, for his family. CNN International Correspondent Hala Gorani joining us from Port-au-Prince there.

We'll have much more straight after this.

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