Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Opposition: Gadhafi not Adhering to Cease-Fire; Food, Gas in Short Supply in Japan; American Teacher Won't Evacuate Tokyo; Japan Disaster Affecting U.S.; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Dogs Stick Together

Aired March 18, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Let's get you up to speed.

Today marks one week since an earthquake and tsunami slammed Japan. We're getting still new video from the day of the disaster. A man was driving along a coastal highway last Friday when the tsunami jumped the seawall and swamped his car. His car floated into a parking lot, but he managed to get to safety.

Japan paused for a moment of silence today at 2:46 p.m. local time, the minute the earthquake ripped into the country last Friday.

The official death toll is now approaching 7,000. Japan's prime minister says the country will heal and move forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAOTO KAN, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We don't have any room to be pessimistic or to be discouraged. We cannot do so. We are going to create Japan once again from scratch. That is the strong resolve that we all must share.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He says that he hopes that all of the Japanese people will face this challenge together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Japan's nuclear agency today raised the Fukushima disaster to a level 5 crisis. That's on a 1 to 7 scale. It puts Japan's nuclear plant at the same level as the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island. It remains below the major accident status of the Chernobyl disaster.

Well, Libyan rebels say that they have seen no sign of a cease- fire. The Gadhafi regime promised to stop fighting today after the U.N. authorized a no-fly zone and the use of force to protect civilians.

Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the U.S. is not impressed by promises. She wants to see action.

Witnesses report intense shelling in the city of Misrata today. One Misrata resident urged the international community not to fall for the ruse of a cease-fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will tell the world that he has declared a cease-fire, and on the ground he's going to kill as many as he can and gain territorial advantage so he can improve his bargaining position. But there is no bargaining with this man, even if he kills all Libyans.

He has to brought to justice and bombed into submission. We call up on the international community to bomb his bases. If they bomb his bases, this thing will be concluded in three days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So what is really going on in Libya's civil war right now?

General Wesley Clark joins us. He is a former NATO supreme allied commander.

Thank you so much for being here.

You heard this opposition leader. He says that if the U.N. bombs Libya, this could be wrapped up in three days. Do you agree?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, (RET.), FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: It's not clear. I mean, I don't think the Libyan forces could withstand a full-fledged NATO assault for very long, no. But I think the struggle now has entered a new phase.

So what I hope -- first of all, the United States declared its objective. The secretary of state said we want Gadhafi out of there. So we have got the U.N. cease-fire and no-fly zone resolution behind us, so that's our international legal leverage.

Now we have to put an organization together, get those aircraft in the air, get the diplomats on the ground, and use that leverage to force Gadhafi out. That's the ark (ph) of this.

MALVEAUX: General, what's the timetable we're talking about? Are we talking about hours, days?

CLARK: Well, I would hope we'll see aircraft up very, very quickly.

MALVEAUX: What does that mean?

CLARK: Hours. But the diplomacy is the key factor here.

You see, Gadhafi will use this time -- Gadhafi has no intention of leaving. He wants to stay. So he'll consolidate his gains in the areas that he's retained or captured. He'll send his intelligence agents through, his police.

He'll demand to put his police back into Benghazi and Misrata. He'll infiltrate intelligence agents in there. He'll be threatening the opposition and their families. So this is a struggle in a new phase. We have got to be very tough and artful in using diplomacy and the leverage we have against Gadhafi.

MALVEAUX: So, at the same time the military and the United Nations will be acting, what specifically will the United States be doing in this no-fly zone effort?

CLARK: Well, that's not clear. The president hasn't made that decision public.

I'm sure that we're involved deeply in the planning of it. It's not clear whether it's going to come through NATO. It doesn't sound like it. The Germans abstained in the resolution.

Maybe some NATO assets will be employed. Maybe it will be done under the auspices of the European Union. That also seems questionable. Maybe it will be a coalition in which the United States will be a member.

I would hope whatever is done, that we have Arab aircraft in the front lines flying over Libya. Not just Western aircraft, but Arab aircraft. And then if we need NATO airborne control, we can put that in.

MALVEAUX: If you were advising the president, General, what would you tell him? What role should the U.S. play at this point? Should we be putting up our aircraft, should we be bombing those installations?

CLARK: Well, at this point, if the cease-fire is in place, if this was just a confusion on the part of the Libyans, then there's no mandate for bombing. But if they're still fighting, yes, we should go after the forces that are targeting and shelling civilians. But that's not going to change the outcome.

What's going to change the outcome is the clever use of the threat and the U.N. resolution on the ground to leverage Gadhafi out. How do we do that? That's where the thought has to be applied right now.

Is it to call for early elections? Is it to do a poll? Is it to do a criminal investigation of what Gadhafi has done so far with the idea of bringing war crimes charges against him?

All of these must be in discussion right now, behind the scenes, in the White House, and in councils in Europe and the Middle East. And then a program has to be developed, and it has to be carried in there and very forcefully given to Gadhafi by the diplomats.

MALVEAUX: General, do you believe that those options are still available, that those diplomatic options are still on the table, despite the fact that we have seen explosions and firepower that's still coming from Gadhafi forces?

CLARK: Well, ultimately, it has to be resolved by diplomacy unless it's a full-scale invasion. We've got the leverage now of the no-fly zone. Let's use it. If he's still shelling, let's get the aircraft up there and take out the artillery and the other things that are causing the shelling. But of course, it has to be resolved by diplomacy.

MALVEAUX: And finally, General, you said this is something that you would see happen within hours, not within days. How much time would you give the Gadhafi government before you decide that this is the right time?

CLARK: Oh, I wouldn't give the Gadhafi government any time. You're asking me how long will it take to get the aircraft up there.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

CLARK: I'm saying, because I'm not in the chain of command, I can't read that. But within hours once the president has announced a decision.

I would assume that all this planning has gone on behind the scenes. If it hasn't it should have. And there should be aircraft up there within hours of the announcement of the decision.

We're not giving, we hope -- I hope we're not giving Gadhafi any time on this, because obviously what he wants to do is announce a cease-fire, then continue to press forward and try to change the facts on the ground. What we want to do is freeze the facts on the ground and then use diplomacy and the weight of international law to leverage him out of office.

MALVEAUX: General Clark, thank you very much. Appreciate your perspective.

CLARK: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Here is your chance to "Talk Back" on the no-fly zone in Libya.

Our Carol Costello, joining us with the "Talk Back" question.

Carol, you just heard the general say it's a matter of hours. We're not talking days, we're talking about hours before this whole thing starts to move forward.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it can't come too soon for the rebels fighting in Libya, right?

Finally, help for those Libyan rebels after a month of hand- wringing. The international community finally said, OK, we'll help you.

The U.N. Security Council has voted to impose a no-fly zone over Libya so Moammar Gadhafi can't use warplanes to kill his own people. France and Britain say they will join in the military air strikes against Libya, and it won't be long until the United States is involved. And as Secretary of Defense Gates said, it won't be a walk in a park. Enforcing a no-fly zone means war, as in blowing up Libyan targets on the ground like Libya's air defenses..

Libyan rebels are saying to themselves it's about time. Just a couple of weeks ago, rebels were making real progress.

But today, Gadhafi seems to have the upper hand. A witness in the rebel-held town of Misrata told me that despite the talk of a Gadhafi-ordered cease-fire today, there is no cease-fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fighting and bombing is going on right now. This murderous dictator talks about cease-fire. He is lying. He is a lying war criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And that opposition leader told me it didn't have to come to this if the international community would have acted sooner.

So the question now -- and it is our "Talk Back" question today -- does the no-fly zone come too late for Libya?

You can write to me on Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and of course I'll read your answers later this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Here's a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

First, an American living in Japan says she's staying put, despite the disaster.

Also, the U.S. sending a special radiation-detecting plane now to Japan.

And we'll talk with a psychiatrist about the emotional toll of the disaster.

Plus, companies in the United States feeling the impact.

And finally, in the middle of the human misery in Japan, a lesson in loyalty from a dog.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: As concern grows over Japan's ability to contain its nuclear crisis, more and more foreign governments are urging their citizens to stay away from quake-stricken northeastern Japan and to leave the capital, Tokyo. Thousands are doing just that, lining up outside Tokyo's immigration office for a streamlined passport process created to handle this mass exodus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now they don't even get the stamp on their passport right now, and they just get a certain type of paper. They basically receive this paper, go to the airport, and have it stamped there, as long as they show their passport. And once they show their passport, they can have a reentry permit, but just only once though. They can't have a multi-reentering permit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) my dad, who said that, "You should come home." He didn't want me to be here anymore. And, yes, I think I'm a little relieved to go home. Part of me wanted to stay, but I realized why he's worried, and maybe it's better I go home for the time being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: For those who have decided to stay behind, they're left with bare grocery store shelves, gas stations often out of gas, as Japanese broadcaster NHK reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): The supermarket can only stock 60 percent of their normal amount due to delays in delivery. Demand far exceeds supply.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot provide sufficient amounts. It's hard to see customers looking troubled.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gasoline and other oil products are also in high demand. Many gasoline stations have no choice but to close shop while they await the next shipment. But no one knows when that will be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We don't know when we'll get the next supply. And as soon as we get a delivery, we start selling gasoline. And when it's all gone, we close up the station.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These cars are waiting for one of the few gasoline stations that are open. Some believe this is aggravating the consumers' emotional state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've been waiting for about 40 minutes. I need gasoline for work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want to fill up the tank just in case something happens at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, one of those staying behind and facing the long gas lines is Viki Cody. She's an American teaching English in Japan. And she's lived there longer than she's lived here in the United States. In fact, she has permanent residency in Japan.

And she's joining us from Iruma, near Tokyo.

And Viki, you caught the attention of one of our producers because you're adamant about staying put, staying in Japan. Can you tell us why?

VIKI CODY, AMERICAN STAYING IN JAPAN: This is my home. And I can't abandon it.

If I was living in America, and this was happening in America, I wouldn't leave America. So this is home to me. I've lived here 23 years, and this is my home, and these are my family all around me. And I won't leave them.

MALVEAUX: We notice that you posted on a friend's Facebook page -- you said that, "Everyone tells me, 'Bail out of Japan while you can.'"

When you get that kind of message from other people, does it worry you at all? Does it frighten you? Do you think, am I making the right decision here?

CODY: It doesn't worry me. It just kind of makes me a little angry that they won't respect my wishes.

So far, my mother hasn't said either way whether she wants me to come back or not, but I know she would like me to come back. But -- then my uncle wants me to come back. But mostly, it's my friends from abroad that said all Japanese should be evacuate Friday Tokyo.

And it's not the right mentality. The Japanese can't leave. None of them can be evacuated.

And there is no danger. I do not feel any danger from radiation at all, nothing. I feel it's fine.

MALVEAUX: Well, Viki, we certainly wish you the very best there. And, obviously, if your parents are watching, they know that you're OK. Maybe a brief visit and then you can come back to Japan, maybe as a compromise there.

But Viki, thanks again.

CODY: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: Well, helping Japan get through its nuclear crisis, the United States is sending a special airplane to help. We're going to check in with Chad Myers to find out more about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The United States military is sending a special airplane to Japan. It's going to check for radiation from a crippled nuclear plant.

Our Chad Myers is telling us some more about this plane and how it's related to the weather.

So there's a special plane that's actually going to help out here?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's a fantastic airplane. There are only two in the world called the Constant Phoenix, and it's based at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, near Omaha.

They flew it from Offutt Air Force Base to the west, into Alaska. And now it's down there and it's flying through the radiation.

It can move on -- it can fly right on through. All the pilots and all the crew, protected inside. And there's air intakes, air ducts that are intakes and will fly through, testing how much radiation is here.

It detects radioactive clouds in real time. That's the coolest thing. When it flies through it, it's not like waiting two hours to figure it out.

They have the monitoring inside, it tells you exactly what's going on. Based at Offutt Air Force Base. I used to live very close to that Air Force base when I was a kid.

Only two planes in the U.S. military -- it's one of two. They're flying only the one here, but this has done missions from North Korea. And even some of the older planes, this one here, used to track stuff from Chernobyl.

Why is that important today? I don't have much time, but I want to get to this, because the winds have shifted direction and it's turned very dangerous for the people of Japan.

The high pressure now sits right there. This is going to allow wind to come up from the south and form the southeast. The plant right here, Sendai right there.

The people of Sendai, there are a million people. And I know you've heard of the devastation in Sendai, but, in fact, it's a town -- it's a city of a million people with high-rises and skyscrapers. And they didn't evacuate that town. There's a million people there.

All of the areas along the coast have been obviously evacuated, or devastated by the tsunami. But the people are still there. And with this wind coming in from the southeast, it is going to take that radiation cloud that has been pushed off shore -- the winds have been 30 miles per hour off shore.

Those high winds are one of the reasons why those water drops didn't work very well, because the water, as the helicopter was dropping the water, just disintegrated into little droplets. It was a rain shower, for the most part, didn't even work.

The winds have stopped, and now they're turned back on shore. And the Constant Phoenix will be hard at work figuring out where the radiation now is moving back westward over the country of Japan, and not out into the ocean, Suzanne. This is serious for the people now there that are on the country's proper countryside in that 30- kilometer area.

They said stay inside. But at this point, radiation is coming their way.

MALVEAUX: Right. Well, we certainly hope that we can help with this special plane. Appreciate that.

MYERS: Absolutely. It's a fantastic plane, and all the men that are in it as well.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Chad.

Obesity and diabetes are major problems facing the African- American community. But eating healthy, it's not always an easy option. For inner city residents, finding fresh food can be a long journey.

In today's "What Matters" segment, one Atlanta man is making some abandoned land fertile again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta is an area rich with history, home to the King Center and Ebenezer Baptist Church. It is where the civil rights movement began to grow.

Now, decades later, some of that land has turned to ruins.

RASHID NURI, TRULY LIVING WELL FOUNDATION: There was a lot of crime that was associated with this neighborhood in this area, the homelessness here.

MALVEAUX: Rashid Nuri is planting the seeds of a new movement here, giving downtown Atlanta something it's never seen -- an organic farm.

NURI: We've had a number of people whose mothers, grandmothers actually grew up where we have this farm. People come out here and they look and they say, "Wow."

This is just the beginning. We actually have to do something now.

MALVEAUX: Nuri started the Truly Living Well Foundation six years ago with a simple goal -- to plant, teach, and provide the community with fresh food and knowledge.

NURI: All of our techniques are urban. Everything can be done with a hoe, a rake, and a shovel. We want people to grow food where they are.

MALVEAUX: For some sections of the inner city, fresh food is a foreign idea. NURI: There are many, many areas of Atlanta where people do not have access to good food. The only fresh food they can find is the local gas station, where they can get a banana or an apple. They're not finding any quality vegetables for sale. They have no idea what it looks like in the ground, which means they don't know what fresh food is or is not.

MALVEAUX: Urban farms are already spreading up in cities like New York, Chicago and Portland. But Atlanta's large amount of trees and green space gives Nuri the extra advantage of space.

NURI: We're pioneering here in Atlanta. I like this because we're right here in the middle of the city.

MALVEAUX: With four metro Atlanta sites already, Nuri says the buzz is just beginning to grow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Traumatized by disaster. We're going to talk with a psychiatrist about the emotional toll in Japan for people returning home to ruin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have no words to express my feelings. I lost my mind. We will have to start from zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking what's ahead "On the Rundown."

How do you cope when your life has been turned upside down? We're going to talk about the mental health aspects of Japan's disaster.

Also, American workers are feeling the impact of the disaster. Production at some companies here in the United States, now on hold.

And a touching lesson of loyalty from the disaster zone.

Thousands in Japan are returning home to find little, if anything, left. The devastation is so enormous, it is hard to know where to even begin trying to rebuild.

Our CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on one family's return to their home ravaged by the tsunami.

We apologize. We're having some audio problems there. But we want to talk about this, because people in Japan are coping with disaster on top of disaster, and complicated by this ongoing nuclear crisis as well. And obviously, it is taking an emotional toll on many. Dr. Charles Nemeroff, he is professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Miami.

Doctor, thank you for joining us here. There are so many people who are suffering, and our colleague, Gary Tuchman, he was with a family there. And he told us the story about a man who was combing through this huge, mass debris field, and would just move pieces from the sidewalk, one from the other, holding onto them, just a little small piece.

Is this a typical coping strategy when people face that kind of massive tragedy, massive debris?

DR. CHARLES NEMEROFF, CHAIRMAN, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI PSYCHIATRY DEPT.: Well, Suzanne, you're absolutely right, this is a massive tragedy. It's far beyond the scope of normal human experience. What we're seeing here is the consequences of an earthquake followed by a tsunami, followed now by fear of radiation.

So, what we're going to see here, as we've learned from other tragedies, natural and manmade, is a very high prevalence of post- traumatic stress disorder. And as you know, this is a disorder that's really quite severe. It's characterized by patients re-experiencing the tragedy and the trauma over and over, avoiding it, so trying to get as far away as possible. And being very numb and yet hyper vigilant.

So, we're going to see a big increase in post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in individuals exposed to this trauma.

MALVEAUX: And Doctor, if you would, I would like to show our viewers as well as you -- I think we have the audio now from Gary Tuchman's piece as he describes and shows for us one family's way of coping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what many families along Japan's Pacific coast are coming home to. The Ichikawa family lives in a city of Hachinohe, two blocks from the ocean where a wall of water devoured their neighborhood. Now with the helps of friends, they try to clean up, but the task they have in front of them appears to be overwhelming.

(on camera): You can see this family's house is off its foundation. How high did the water go? Here's the water line all the way up there, that's at least 10 feet of water that came down this street. You can see the mud. I mean it's an insurmountable amount of mud to shovel just to clean up this driveway. And they don't even know if they're going to move back in the house, but they want to clean up, this family and get an idea if it's possible to move back.

And it's so cold out right now, the snow is coming down again. What they've done is they've put together this portable heater unit so they can work into the night and not freeze. (voice-over): Friends are helping with the physical work and the psychological support. 17-year-old, Ren (ph), his mother, Chikako, and his father, Hidemitsu are in a state of shock.

HIDEMITSU ICHIKAWA, TSUNAMI VICTIM (through translator): I have no words to express my feelings. I lost my mind. We will have to start from zero.

TUCHMAN: The nearby Pacific provides one of the great charms of living in the neighborhood, but now many of the homes are decimated. The ocean they say has turned against them.

(on camera): The city of Hachinohe has spent an enormous amount of money to build this elaborate series of sea walls, 30 feet tall, to protect its neighborhoods from flooding. But not surprisingly, when the tsunami came, these walls made very little difference.

(voice-over): The Ichikawas have no idea how to even start figuring out whether they can ever live in this house again.

HIDEMITSU ICHIKAWA (through translator): This is a nightmare, but we are alive.

TUCHMAN: And for that, they are grateful.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Hachinohe, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEUAX: Dr. Nemeroff, what is the most important thing the Japanese need in to move on mentally, emotionally, to be stable individuals?

NEMEROFF: Well, I think first and most important is those that need help need to get help. So, we know there are effective treatments for depression and anxiety, including PTSD that occurs after trauma. Those who already have a pre-existing psychiatric condition, depression, anxiety are particularly vulnerable. So, they need to be treated both with medications, but also with psychotherapy. Support is tremendously important here.

Suzanne, I'd like to also add that the radiation issue is uniquely important issue in the Japanese collective memory. Please remember that Hiroshima, Nagasaki were terrible tragedies that occurred to the Japanese people. Many of those grandparents, if you will, are still ingrained in these families, and so the fear of radiation has to be playing on the minds of the children and grandchildren of those individuals who experienced this back many years ago.

And I think that will add further to the trauma, as well as the fact that a great many of people have lost loved ones in this tragedy. So, we have the combination of bereavement to add to the terrible trauma of this natural disaster.

MALVEUAX: Can you assume that everyone will need help at this time? You know, there's always some individuals who seem so strong, so brave, and almost like it doesn't impact them at the moment. What kind of signs should we be looking for? Should you try to reach out to everyone in the same way?

NEMEROFF: That's a great question. So, even in the face of the most severe trauma, only about 40 percent to 50 percent of the patients will actually develop psychiatric symptoms or syndromes. We have to let those people who will naturally heal and are protected either because they're lucky, they have great genetics or they a fabulous support system, those folks do not need to get treatment. And in fact, there's even evidence that if you intercede and try to treat them, you may do more damage than good.

So, it's the patients that have persistent symptoms of insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, hyperarousal, those who are in the most psychic pain f you will, those are the ones that need to be treated.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Nemeroff,, thank you very much for your perspective there. Obviously, we wish the people of Japan healing and closure if that is possible. Thank you.

President Obama is keeping a close eye on Libya. He's going to make a statement this afternoon. We'll have a live report from the White House. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Security forces in Bahrain today demolished the symbol of the democracy movement. They smashed the monument at the center of Pearl Plaza where protesters have been gathering now for a month. The government claimed that protesters had desecrated the landmark, a pearl sitting atop six spires.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And sources say Yemen's president placed the country under a state of emergency today. It follows intense fighting today between anti-government protesters and Yemeni security forces. Medical workers say the battles outside Sana'a University left 33 people dead and around 100 wounded. President Obama condemned today's violence and called on Yemen's government to hold those behind it accountable.

The president is also keeping a close eye on the situation in Libya. He's expected to make some reports on the situation in about 90 minutes or so. Right now, he's meeting with congressional leaders to discuss all this.

Our Dan Lothian is at the White House. Dan, if you can, give us a sense of how the U.N. authorized no-fly zone and the U.S. military role -- how does that play into the president's priorities right now?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Clearly this administration is moving forward. And despite all these claims of a cease-fire in Libya, this administration is skeptical. You heard Secretary Clinton earlier today talking about how it's more important to see actions on the ground rather than just hear words. And as you pointed out, the president meeting with a bipartisan group of congressional leadership here at the White House, who confer with them on the situation in Libya.

I think what's interesting about that meeting is it's taking place inside the situation room. I asked a White House official if the president was planning to discuss sensitive intelligence information or perhaps talk about a timeline on next moves. This official telling me not to read too much into the location of that meeting, pointing out it's simply a secure location.

We don't have a list yet of all the lawmakers who will be involved in that meeting, but my colleague up on the Hill, Dana Bash, reporting that House speaker John Boehner, who is in Ohio, will be calling into that meeting. Other lawmakers expected to call in, also, by phone.

Again, the administration moving forward one day after the U.N. no-fly resolution. And ultimately here what this administration wants to see, despite the no-fly zone or the cease-fire talks, what they want to see in all the negotiations is for Gadhafi ultimately to step down, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Dan, excellent point about where that is taking place, in the situation room. Often turns into a war room where strategy is mapped out and planned. But you make a good point. It's about diplomacy as well. So, we'll get back to you as soon as the president speaks. Thank you, Dan.

American workers are feeling the impact in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We'll go live to New York Stock Exchange for a look at which companies in the United States are impacted.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We want to take a look at CNNmoney.com's lead story. "Your neighborhood nuke plant." You can see this is a story that essentially takes a look at the nuclear plants across the country. And if you're -- the question being, living in a danger zone.

We want to check the latest in the markets here. The Dow Jones up by 104 points there. That is actually some good news.

The group of seven rich nations is pitching in to help calm the financial fallout from Japan, the earthquake and the tsunami. The group's finance ministers say they're going to intervene in the currency market to keep the Japanese yen from rising. A strong yen is a serious threat to Japan's export-driven economy, especially now. The U.S. is a key member of the G-7. And companies around the world now are feeling the pinch from the disaster in Japan. In the United States, production is actually on hold at some major companies. Even General Motors is stopping production in Louisiana because it gets parts from Japan.

Well, Alison Kosik. She's at the New York Stock Exchange to sort all of this out. Alison, thank you very much.

Which companies are impacted by this?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, these are companies that are household names. Very big companies. Take a look at this. Toshiba, Sony, Texas Instruments, Freescale Semiconductor. These are companies that make computer chips, that make chips for our cell phones, that make televisions, computer tablets and video games. We could see shortages in these kinds of items because of these temporary shutdowns in Japan because of safety reasons. It also includes the Apple's iPad 2. That may face delays in production because components like batteries, flash memory units, those are made in Japan, too, for the iPad 2. So this could affect consumers in the coming months.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, fewer products being made. Does that mean prices are going up?

KOSIK: That very well could happen. But you know what, Suzanne, it really depends on what products we're talking about. I mean the fact is, manufacturers, they do keep an inventory. And because there are these temporary shutdowns in production in Japan, a lot of these manufacturers are kind of going around and ramping up production at other facilities.

But the fact is, you know, these inventories can only run days or even weeks. So those shortages could happen. And if those shortages in product happen, we could see prices go higher. You know, it's simple supply and demand. But what it's really going to depend on is how long these shutdowns last.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be keeping a close eye on that.

Thank you, Alison.

Well, you've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question of the day, does a no-fly zone come too late for Libya? One viewer writes, "it's too late for the people that died. Each human life matters." More of your responses are just moments away.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Donna Rosato is a senior editor at "Money," and Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a writer for walletpop.com.

All right, ladies, glad you're here. Our first question comes from Mark in Ohio who writes in, "I have a fairly large balance in my health savings account. The interest rates are very low and I have the option to invest the money into a stock or bond mutual fund. What is a safe fund? I want to preserve my capital, but also get a good interest rate."

What do you think, Lynnette?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, WRITER, WALLETPOP.COM: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that he take the funds from his HAS to invest them for, you know, potentially aggressive purposes. He has some conflicting desires here. He says he wants a safe fund but I want a good return. Risk and reward go hand in hand. If you're looking for safety, he has the option, he said, of stock funds or bond funds. You want to think about Treasury securities, government bonds, those kind of things. Maybe TIPS, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities.

On the other hand, if he's trying to get a good return, you know, bonds isn't necessarily where the action is. A stock fund, I would suggest, if you're going to go the stock fund route, look at index mutual funds. Something of those natures. A lot of good companies out there, Vanguard, Fidelity, et cetera, have stock funds that are indexed to major indices like the S&P 500.

ELAM: So he's got to figure out --

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": They're low cost.

KHALFANI-COX: And they're low cost, that's right.

ELAM: Yes, and he's got to figure out which way he's willing to go, risk or reward there?

KHALFANI-COX: Exactly, risk or reward.

ELAM: All right. Our next question comes in from Carlos who writes, "I am 58 years old and want to know if withdrawing from my 401(k) will cost me a penalty for early withdrawal. I heard the penalty will be waived if you're 55 years old. Is this correct?"

Donna.

ROSATO: Yes, that's actually true. There are a few situations where if you're younger than 59 1/2, which is the age the IRS says that you -- is you have to be at least to withdrawal from your 401(k), that you can. If you're 55 or older and you've retired, you've been laid off or you quit your job, you can start withdrawing from your 401(k) without any of the penalty, which is a 10 percent penalty and you have to pay taxes.

There's one other situation where you can do that. Something called the 72-T distribution. And what that is, is, you have to take equal payments periodically over five years. Now, how much you get depends on how -- your life expectancy. So the IRS calculates it. And you receive those payments for five years or until you're 59 1/2, whichever is longer. And he's 58. He might not want to be locked into that payment, which could be pretty small. So if he can hang on for another year and a half or so, it might be wise for him to do.

ELAM: It may seem long, but it goes by so fast.

ROSATO: It does.

ELAM: (INAUDIBLE), right?

ROSATO: Yes.

ELAM: All right. Well, thank you so much, Donna and Lynette for helping us out.

If you have a question that you'd love to have answered, we would love to help you. So, send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here is your chance to "Talk Back" on Libya. The U.N. has approved a no-fly zone over that country, but a Libyan rebel spokesman tells us that Gadhafi's forces are still bombing a rebel- held city. Our Carol Costello, she joins us with responses to the "Talk Back" question.

I understand there are a lot of people weighing in, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people. "Talk Back" question today, does the no-fly zone come too late for Libya?

This from Deborah. "Why does everybody automatically assume that it is the United States' job to police the world. Where has that attitude and belief gotten us in the past? We are hated and reviled sometimes even by those we have helped in the past."

This from Tommie. "Why is this taking so long to help these people? This is a shame for not just America but for every country. This man is insane. He is killing his own people. That is a criminal act. Please help them."

This from John. "We have to understand that there have always been tribes in Libya fighting each other. Libya controls 2 percent of the world's supply. This is a fight for who gets the right to sell that oil."

And from Eric. "As a member of the armed forces, I believe that as soon as the Arabs said go, we should have been knocking down Libyan planes. Where's Patton when we need him?"

Thank you for your responses, as always. And please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn. And I'll be back on Monday in person on television.

MALVEAUX: We like both.

COSTELLO: Thanks. I appreciate that.

MALVEAUX: All right, have a great weekend, Carol.

COSTELLO: You, too.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks.

Well, even a tsunami could not separate these two loyal friends. See where they are now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In the middle of the devastation in Japan, a lesson in loyalty from a dog. Jeanne Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of those "where are they now" stories. Amid all the human suffering in Japan, a pair of tsunami surviving dogs stood out.

"Is the dog dead," wondered the Fuji (ph) TV team that stumbled on this scene as the healthier dog seemed to stick by his injured buddy. Moments later, proof of life. Soon this video was rocketing around the web and the bedraggled but seemingly loyal dog became an iconic picture on the FaceBook page of Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue And Support.

ISABELLA GALLEON-AOKI, HEART TOKUSHIMA (voice-over): We actually tried to go and rescue these two dogs after hearing about them.

MOOS: Isabella Galleon-Aoki and others packed up a van, headed for the devastated Sendai area to see what they could do for pets left behind in evacuations.

MOOS (on camera): Finding human survivors is hard enough. Imagine trying to track down a pair of dogs?

MOOS (voice-over): They went at it like detectives trying to find the building behind the dogs in the video. They ended up here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the school that we think is the elementary school that we saw in the background of the original footage of the dogs.

MOOS: But no dogs and that turned out to be good news because animal rescuers believe this man, animal rights supporter and dog food importer Kenn Sakurai got his friends to get the dogs.

ASHLEY FRUNO (voice-over) (ph): He was able to get into the area with the help of two men on motorcycles.

MOOS: That's Ashley Fruno, a member of PETA, who's also in Sendai, though she's better known for drawing a crowd at PETA protests. On his FaceBook page, Kenn Sakurai says the injured dog is in a vet clinic, while the healthier one is in a nearby shelter. But please know that those two are just the tip of the iceberg. There are more and we need help.

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue has raised over $100,000. Much of it due to man's best friend acting like best friends to each other.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: What a sweet story.

Well, CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.

Hey, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne, have a great weekend and great afternoon.

MALVEAUX: You too.

VELSHI: We are covering a number of big stories right now.

Major developments right now out of Libya with witnesses on the ground reporting explosions and gunfire, even though the Libyan government issued an immediate cease-fire today. That cease-fire announcement came just hours after celebrations erupted in the streets of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi as anti-government forces welcomed the news that the United Nations Security Council had imposed a no-fly zone over Libya. The U.N. move clears the way for military action.