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In Indonesia, Much of Relief Now Focusing on Getting to Remote Areas; 79-Year-Old Man Arrested For Murders Authorities Say He Committed More Than 40 Years Ago

Aired January 07, 2005 - 09:30   ET

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

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


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 9:30 here in New York. Good morning, everybody. Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING. Getting aid into remote areas of Indonesia is one of the highest priorities for relief workers today. In some places, though, even finding survivors can be a very difficult task. Mike Chinoy traveling in that region has a report coming up that you'll see only here on CNN about how some people are getting that job done.
Also, it is one of the darkest moments in the civil rights movement, and also the state of Mississippi in its history. Now a triple murder that shocked the country 40 years ago is going back to court with an arrest that some say is long overdue. We'll get to that story as well.

But first Heidi Collins back with me here looking at the headlines and the other stories. Good morning to you on a Friday.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Want to get back to that story we were telling you about just a while ago. More details now about the train crash in northern Italy. Authorities say a passenger train from Verona to Bologna collided with a cargo train, happened about two hours ago. As many as 10 people are dead, 50 others injured. Officials are having to cut through the ceiling now to pull out the bodies. A heavy fog may be to blame for the crash. But the investigation does continue there.

A new CIA internal report suggests agency officials should be held accountable for intelligence failures prior to 9/11. According to intelligence officials cited by "The New York Times," former director George Tenet and other high-ranking officials are blamed for not providing enough resources for combating terror before the attacks. Details of the report are still classified. A final version is expected within weeks.

A New Orleans -- in New Orleans, that is, a coroner has ruled a college student who died while being held down by three bouncers was killed by accidental strangulation. The victim 25-year-old Lebron Jones of Georgia Southern University. Amateur video shot outside a Bourbon Street club here shows three bounces pinning Jones in a choke hold for 12 minutes. All three bouncers now face charges of negligent homicide.

In the Middle East, a serious challenger in Sunday's Palestinian elections was detained briefly by Jerusalem police. Mustafa Barghouti is considered a close second to front-runner Mahmoud Abbas. Police sources say Barghouti was picked up after campaigning at a temple mount. They say that violated an agreement by which candidates refrained from campaigning in areas that are safer to both Jews and Muslims.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Back to Indonesia now. Much of the relief now focusing on getting to remote areas there. Mike Chinoy traveling now to many of the devastated areas with members of Singapore's navy. He's live again today in Banda Aceh with this exclusive report from there.

Mike, hello.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.

Well, you're right. I did spend the last 24 hours with the Singapore military. They are playing the leading role in getting a big relief effort under way in a town call called Meulaboh (ph). That is The main town on the western coast of Sumatra. It's the biggest town closest to the epicenter, town of 50,000 people, very, very badly hit by the quake and the tsunami, not much left.

What the Singaporeans have done is moved in two helicopter landing craft that are capable of deploying heavy machinery, amphibious bulldozers and supply ships, and they're trying to carve out an area along the shore that they can make into a kind of reception area where larger ships can come in closer and off load cargo, also capable of handling helicopters, bigger helicopters to bring in supplies right away.

It is, incidentally, not easy because the tsunami has completely changed the shoreline there. The contours are different. The local says even the tides are different. So it's a tricky job.

Meanwhile, the Singaporeans have also set up a field clinic and a mobile-surgery unit, and they're treating hundreds of patients a day. Many people now 10, 11 days after the tsunami, still looking to get their first medical care from injuries they sustained at the time -- Bill.

HEMMER: Once again, Mike Chinoy again on the ground there. Exclusive coverage, again, from the northern part of Sumatra. Thanks for that.

The latest tonight at 7:00 eastern. Our primetime special comes your way at 10:00 Eastern. Also after that, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: VOICES FROM THE TSUNAMI." Paula Zahn will have the personal stories of grief, and of courage, and of survival, tonight 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 on the West Coast -- Heidi.

COLLINS: A 79-year-old accused white supremacist will be arraigned today in a Mississippi courthouse in connection with three civil rights murders 40 years ago. Edgar Ray Killen was already on trial once in the case, back in 1967. But that ended in a mistrial.

CNN's Eric Philips is live outside the Meshova (ph) County courthouse in Philadelphia, Mississippi now with more. Eric, good morning.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning to you.

This is a major development in which some would call the ultimate cold case. A 79-year-old man arrested an behind bars this morning, without bail, for murders authorities say he committed more than 40 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS (voice-over): Twenty-one-year-old James Cheney, 21-year- old Andrew Goodman and 24-year-old Michael Schwerner, three civil rights workers killed in the summer of 1964 in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Now more than 40 years later the first person to face state murder charges in this case has been arrested. Seventy-nine- year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted Thursday by a grand jury.

This is a case many in this community will never forget. The three men had come to Philadelphia to investigate the burning of a black church where some of their voter-registration efforts had been taking place. The me were pulled over by local authorities after leaving the church, arrested, and taken to jail. Hours later they were released, only to drive into a deadly trap on a dark road. Ku Klux Klan members forced them to stop, beat them, shot them, and buried their bodies in a nearby earthen dam.

Killen is being held without bail in the Meshova County Jail, charged with the three murders. Back in 1967, Killen was one of 19 who faced federal conspiracy charges in the killings. Seven of the accused were convicted, but his case ended in a mistrial.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS: Well, Killen will be arraigned later on this morning here at the Meshova County courthouse. No word at this point on whether more arrests are imminent -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Eric Philips, thanks so much.

HEMMER: Well, Heidi, Morris Dees is the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He's my guest now live in Montgomery, Alabama, talking more about this story.

Welcome back here, sir, and good morning to you.

Tell us the significance of this story, and tell us also what it means for the country when we're reflecting 40 years back, and why it took so long to bring it to where it is today.

MORRIS DEES, DIR., SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, let me answer the second question first. Had they been indicted and tried in Mississippi in 1964 for murder, they probably would have all been acquitted, like so many other civil rights era murders that were tried by white juries. So there's a slight bit of maybe good about this whole thing in that sense of the word. It's important, though, that this trial take place, this investigation continue, this and all other murders. This was a crime committed by Klansmen, with the aid and assistance of law enforcement officers; the two sheriff's deputies that assisted them are now deceased. And they were protected by white prosecutors who refused to bring murder charges against them.

Just because it's 40 years old and the person indicted is an old man has nothing to do with the significance of the case. This is like a genocide against people who were trying to exercise their rights, black people in Mississippi, at a time of really apartheid in our country. It's important for the rest of the nation to see that Mississippi is now living up to what Dr. King in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech said when he said that we're all sitting down around the table of brotherhood and sort this thing out together.

HEMMER: You mentioned the issue of time here, though. How difficult is it to get a conviction when we are now 40 years down the road?

DEES: Well, in the normal murder case it would be very difficult. Evidence is cold. There have been a number of convictions, though, the killers of Medgar Evers was convicted. The killer was convicted. The killers of the 16 little girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham were recently convicted.

Normally the convictions come about because individuals come forward and give testimony. Those that were guilty bragged about it and said things. There's very little physical evidence left. But I think that the jury, at least this time, I think, will look at the evidence in a fair way.

HEMMER: You know this case as well as anybody looking in from the outside. Could there be more arrests in this matter?

DEES: I think there will be more arrests.

HEMMER: How many?

DEES: Well, I would guess there could be two to three more arrests in this case. There are other suspects that are alive, people who were tried in the federal criminal case, the civil rights violation case back in -- well after this happened in 1966, '67. I don't know how many and how quick. Some of them hopefully will turn evidence against others and make the conviction of killing easier.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time. Morris Dees down there in Montgomery, Alabama.

DEES: You're more than welcome.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Want to get to a viewer's note now. Monday on AMERICAN MORNING we're going to be talking with best-selling personal finance coach David Bach. He's got a new book. Find out how to finish rich, even if you get a late start on saving. That's Monday right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

HEMMER: Get a break here. In a moment, it seems everybody's in love with the i-Pod, myself included. There's a guy in California, though, suing Apple over that. And Andy explains that in a moment here, "Minding Your Business."

COLLINS: Plus, is 2005 the year you finally, finally get in shape? One expert says there are eight keys to achieving any resolution. He's going to talk to us next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. He did not coin the phrase, but Ken Lindner knows a thing or two about crunch time. As one of the country's premiere TV talent agents, he has guided many in our business through their moments of truth. He's sharing his insight now and those truths in a new book called "Crunch Time: Eight steps to Making the Right Life Decisions at the Right Times."

Ken Lindner, author and career choreographer, with me now here in New York. Good morning to you.

KEN LINDNER, AUTHOR, "CRUNCH TIME": Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: You're a talent agent. I bet you've seen a lot of people make bad decisions in their lives, haven't you?

LINDNER: Unfortunately I have.

HEMMER: So we're going to try and figure out a way today to make the right decisions. You have eight steps in your book. We're going to focus on four. We picked out four, just so -- for the sake of time here. The first one you talk about decisions are crucial.

LINDNER: Yes.

HEMMER: But when you make a decision that you think is right and it turns out to be wrong, what do you do then?

LINDNER: I think you say to yourself, OK. Everyone makes mistakes and this is my chance to pluck out what I did wrong, think about what I can do right, and then do the right thing the next time.

HEMMER: That was number one. What about self-enhancing decisions fulfilled goals? You talk about that as point number two. What's the key to getting focused that you advise?

LINDNER: I would tell you that it's very important to know what it is that in your heart of hearts you really want in life. Because if you can figure out what it is that you want, and what makes your heart sing, you then can make decisions that are consistent with that. And also, you won't go for the quick fix. You're more likely to be disciplined and delay gratification. And so often bad decisions are made because we opt for the quick fix and immediate closure.

HEMMER: You said the key phrase in point number three, make your heart sing. Is that easier said than done?

LINDNER: Sometimes. I think it's so important for us, Bill, to sit and take time and really find out what we want in life. And that way, if we really know what we want, we can go for our gold ring dreams and not settle for the brass. So often we settle. Again, the quick fix. If you really want to achieve your goals and dreams, you have to really know what it is you want.

HEMMER: Part of that answer, I think, goes to point number four. You call it framing.

LINDNER: Yes.

HEMMER: What is framing?

LINDNER: Framing is when -- so often our judgment is clouded by our emotions. We're sad, we're angry. And we all know we make bad decisions sometimes when we're emotional. What I've done is coined a phrase called framing, which helps you override the emotions which cloud our better judgment. For example, I was this fat kid, and when I was just about to have a piece of cheesecake one day I said, do I really want the momentary pleasure of this piece of cheesecake? Or do I want to get thin, bond with my dad because he loves playing ball? He'll love playing ball with me. And then I will feel his love.

Or do I want to forego the piece of cheesecake because I have a crush on the girl in the twelfth grade -- sorry, in the seventh grade, and she'll view me romantically? And I said do I want the girl's attention? Do I want my dad's love? Or do I want the momentary pleasure of food?

HEMMER: Which goes to the whole issue of emotional health, too.

LINDNER: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Listen, the president is now speaking down at the White House. But I want to say thanks for coming in to you, Ken Lindner.

LINDNER: My pleasure.

HEMMER: Appreciate it and good luck to you. OK. "Crunch Time" is the book. Here's Heidi with the president.

COLLINS: Yes, we want to get straight to this now, Bill. Just about 20 minutes ago -- actually, let's listen in. We'll tell you about it in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... group of citizens will be exploring ways to simplify the tax code.

I believe this is an essential task for our country. It's a task that'll treat our taxpayers more fairly. A simple code will make it easier on the taxpayers. But it's an important task in order to make sure the economic growth we are seeing in the United States continues forward.

Today we had a very positive set of numbers come out to show that more and more Americans are finding work: 159,000 new jobs were added in December. That doesn't include the revisions from previous months. And that's positive news.

And so the fundamental question is how can the administration and the Congress continue to make changes so to keep this economy growing, to make sure we're the best place in the world to do business.

Today I'm going to Detroit to talk about legal reform.

These fine, distinguished citizens will be taking a good, hard look at the tax code and coming up with recommendations as to how to make sure the tax code encourages economic vitality and growth.

It seems like to me the tax code today discourages economic vitality and growth when you spend billions of hours filling out the forms.

And so I want to thank you all for taking on this important job. I've told the members -- the former senators and members of this committee, that I am firm in my desire to get something done. We're going to take their work and we'll go to the Congress and say, "Let's work together to achieve something very constructive for the American people."

And so thanks for taking this on. These are distinguished citizens of our country and I'm proud you here.

Let me answer some questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft gave a gloomy assessment about Iraq elections. He said that (inaudible) deepen the conflict, increase divisions between the Shiites and Sunni Muslims, and that Iraq would slip into an incipient civil war.

Do you share those concerns?

BUSH: Quite the opposite.

I think elections will be such a incredibly hopeful experience for the Iraqi people. Remember, these are people that lived in a society where if they didn't toe the line of the leadership they'd be tortured or killed or maimed.

And all of a sudden, a new way of life is being introduced into Iraq, a chance for people to express their beliefs and their opinions.

I believe democracies can take hold in parts of the world that have been condemned to tyranny. And I believe when democracies take hold that it leads to peace. That's been the proven example around the world.

Democracies equal peace and that's what we're trying to achieve in this administration.

QUESTION: General Metz said he can't guarantee that every Iraqi who wants to vote will be able to because of security. Can there be an legitimate election when not everybody is able to vote?

BUSH: Listen, 14 of the 18 provinces appear to be relatively calm.

BUSH: Four of the 18 provinces are places where the terrorists are trying to stop people from voting.

And the reason they're trying to stop people from voting is because they understand that democracies stand in the exact opposite to what they believe.

These are people who want to try and impose their will on people. These are people just like the Taliban, just like Osama bin Laden, who have this dim vision of the world, that say, "If you do not agree with us, then you're of no account." And they're trying to stop people from voting.

And the job of the United States military is to do the best job we can to give every citizen the best chance they can to vote and to participate.

Democracy is hard. Our own country's had a history of, kind of, a bumpy road toward democracy. And we'll do the very best we can.

But what is important is that the Iraqi people, for the first time, have a chance to vote.

And it was hard leading up to the Afghan elections, as you remember. There was a lot of talk about how somebody was going to get killed and they couldn't vote.

And sure enough when people were given a chance, millions of people showed up. And the first voter was a woman in a country where women had been savaged by the former government run by the Taliban.

So I know it's hard. But it's hard for a reason. And the reason it's hard is because there are a handful of folks who fear freedom.

And the job of the world that -- those of us in the world who desire for there to be peace is to be aggressive in the spread of freedom, is to stand with those brave citizens in Iraq who want to vote. And that's exactly what we will do.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: Well, I want everybody to vote.

And I understand that parts of the Sunni area are being targeted by these killers. And their message is, "If you vote, we'll kill you." But the real message is that, "We can't stand democracy." And, you know, if the free world steps back and lets these people have their way, it'll be, "We can't stand democracy here," and then, "We can't stand democracy there." And we'll never address the root causes of terror and hatred, which is frustration caused by tyranny.

BUSH: This administration firmly believes that if people are given a right to express themselves in a ballot in the ballot box and in the public square, and through a free and open press, it will lead to peace.

If we step back and allow for tyrannies to exist and people not to be free, the world our children will grow up in will be a hostile world.

And this is a big moment for the Iraqi people. You know, it wasn't all that long ago that a lot of people said, "Iraqi people will never vote at all." And I think it's constructive now we're beginning to worry about the size of the turnout, something I was worried about right here two months ago -- the size of the turnout.

But the positive, incredibly amazing development, when you take a step back and look at history, is that Iraqi citizens will actually be allowed to go vote. And they will elect an assembly.

And I think one of the things you ought to be looking at is the nature of the assembly: who gets elected. And that's what we're certainly going to be looking at because this assembly will then be deciding the constitution of the country of Iraq.

And I look at the elections as a historical marker for our Iraq policy. It is an interesting point.

And we look forward to working with the new government that comes out of that -- out of these elections.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Are you concerned that maybe the Sunnis won't (OFF-MIKE) and that the Sunnis will not be well represented in the assembly? And are you concerned, as Secretary Rumsfeld is (OFF- MIKE) military policy in Iraq that cannot control the insurgents?

BUSH: Look, I think what you're beginning to see is an assessment of how to make sure our policy dovetails with the elections in the post-election period.

See, our policy all along has been we'll help these people get to the election and there'll be elections.

BUSH: And then once the elections take place, we look forward to working with the newly constituted government to help train Iraqis as fast as possible so they can defend themselves.

See, part of a successful strategy is one that says there will be elections, the political process will be going forward, but one in which the Iraqis assume more and more responsibility for their own security.

And that's precisely why the assessment team is going to Iraq: to make sure that, at this historic moment in the history of Iraq, there is a focused, determined strategy to help the new government to stand up the forces necessary to defend themselves. Because ultimately the success in Iraq is going to be the willingness of the Iraqi citizens to fight for their own freedom.

QUESTION: So you're not dissatisfied?

BUSH: I think we're making great progress.

We're having elections on January 30th. It's going to be a historic moment.

I suspect if you were asking me questions 18 months ago and I said, "There's going to be elections in Iraq," you would have had trouble containing yourself from laughing out loud at the president.

But here we are at this moment. And it's exciting times for the Iraqi people. And it's so exciting there are some who are trying to intimidate people from going to the polls.

Listen, our military's doing great work over there.

QUESTION: And the Sunnis?

BUSH: Well, I talked to President Yawer the other day. He's a Sunni. I said, "How's your campaign going?" He said, "It's going fine." He's out there trying to convince people to vote for him.

There's Sunnis throughout the different tickets and slates.

And, you know, we, of course, hope everybody votes. And our job is to try to provide as much security, along with the Iraqis, to give people a chance to express their will.

And no doubt about it, there are people trying to kill people who want to vote. And they make it clear: "If you vote, we'll kill you."

BUSH: But it's very important to understand why they're doing that. They're doing that because the thought of a democracy in that part of the world is the most frightening thing to the terrorists. They cannot stand the thought of freedom in their midst.

And there's a reason: Because free societies are societies that actually listen to the will of the people. The people get to decide the course of the history of their country, not a few tyrants who are willing to use brutality in order to set the direction of a country.

And we're going to stand with those who love freedom. And we'll stand with those who want to vote.

Thank you all very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: All right. Some tape we were showing you there of President Bush in the Oval Office taking some questions about the Iraqi elections. But prior to that the meeting started so that he would be naming some leaders to head this panel on the tax code reform. Those two leaders, Connie Mack, former senator from Florida, and John Breaux, former senator from Louisiana. They will be tasked with nine other members, total of nine members, looking to simplify the tax laws -- Bill.

HEMMER: Twenty-three days and counting now for the Iraqi elections there. That's the latest word from the White House. A final word now from Phuket, Thailand, and back to Soledad for that, as we close out our morning here -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill.

Well you know, from Southeast Asia there is so much despair. And yet, as you have seen and we have seen this week, a few signs of hope. For example, in Thailand, they are focusing on trying to bring tourism back. They have to. It's so important to the economy here. If they do not, it will be a second catastrophe here. We're seeing signs of that today.

Also, the still missing like this little boy Ragnar Ericsson (ph). You'll recall we spoke to his father earlier in the week, who cried as he told us how he was unable to hold onto this son. We hope that they have, along with the thousands of others who are dealing with missing relatives, and friends and family members, get some closure, hopefully, at some point in their lives, maybe there will be identification of bodies.

That wall we told you about earlier in the week, well, fewer people are going to visit it now. We see things slowing down just a little bit. The pictures on that wall -- graduation pictures, wedding pictures, with contact numbers scribbled on the very top. It's a sign of course of just the massive amount of loss that we have had, not only in this area, but across the region.

And finally, the children, as they head back to school. We are told as much terror and far as they have seen, children are often the most resilient, and so maybe we leave it on a hopeful note this evening.

That wraps up our reporting here from Southeast Asia, and I will see you back in New York on Monday.

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Aired January 7, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 9:30 here in New York. Good morning, everybody. Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING. Getting aid into remote areas of Indonesia is one of the highest priorities for relief workers today. In some places, though, even finding survivors can be a very difficult task. Mike Chinoy traveling in that region has a report coming up that you'll see only here on CNN about how some people are getting that job done.
Also, it is one of the darkest moments in the civil rights movement, and also the state of Mississippi in its history. Now a triple murder that shocked the country 40 years ago is going back to court with an arrest that some say is long overdue. We'll get to that story as well.

But first Heidi Collins back with me here looking at the headlines and the other stories. Good morning to you on a Friday.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Want to get back to that story we were telling you about just a while ago. More details now about the train crash in northern Italy. Authorities say a passenger train from Verona to Bologna collided with a cargo train, happened about two hours ago. As many as 10 people are dead, 50 others injured. Officials are having to cut through the ceiling now to pull out the bodies. A heavy fog may be to blame for the crash. But the investigation does continue there.

A new CIA internal report suggests agency officials should be held accountable for intelligence failures prior to 9/11. According to intelligence officials cited by "The New York Times," former director George Tenet and other high-ranking officials are blamed for not providing enough resources for combating terror before the attacks. Details of the report are still classified. A final version is expected within weeks.

A New Orleans -- in New Orleans, that is, a coroner has ruled a college student who died while being held down by three bouncers was killed by accidental strangulation. The victim 25-year-old Lebron Jones of Georgia Southern University. Amateur video shot outside a Bourbon Street club here shows three bounces pinning Jones in a choke hold for 12 minutes. All three bouncers now face charges of negligent homicide.

In the Middle East, a serious challenger in Sunday's Palestinian elections was detained briefly by Jerusalem police. Mustafa Barghouti is considered a close second to front-runner Mahmoud Abbas. Police sources say Barghouti was picked up after campaigning at a temple mount. They say that violated an agreement by which candidates refrained from campaigning in areas that are safer to both Jews and Muslims.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Back to Indonesia now. Much of the relief now focusing on getting to remote areas there. Mike Chinoy traveling now to many of the devastated areas with members of Singapore's navy. He's live again today in Banda Aceh with this exclusive report from there.

Mike, hello.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.

Well, you're right. I did spend the last 24 hours with the Singapore military. They are playing the leading role in getting a big relief effort under way in a town call called Meulaboh (ph). That is The main town on the western coast of Sumatra. It's the biggest town closest to the epicenter, town of 50,000 people, very, very badly hit by the quake and the tsunami, not much left.

What the Singaporeans have done is moved in two helicopter landing craft that are capable of deploying heavy machinery, amphibious bulldozers and supply ships, and they're trying to carve out an area along the shore that they can make into a kind of reception area where larger ships can come in closer and off load cargo, also capable of handling helicopters, bigger helicopters to bring in supplies right away.

It is, incidentally, not easy because the tsunami has completely changed the shoreline there. The contours are different. The local says even the tides are different. So it's a tricky job.

Meanwhile, the Singaporeans have also set up a field clinic and a mobile-surgery unit, and they're treating hundreds of patients a day. Many people now 10, 11 days after the tsunami, still looking to get their first medical care from injuries they sustained at the time -- Bill.

HEMMER: Once again, Mike Chinoy again on the ground there. Exclusive coverage, again, from the northern part of Sumatra. Thanks for that.

The latest tonight at 7:00 eastern. Our primetime special comes your way at 10:00 Eastern. Also after that, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: VOICES FROM THE TSUNAMI." Paula Zahn will have the personal stories of grief, and of courage, and of survival, tonight 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 on the West Coast -- Heidi.

COLLINS: A 79-year-old accused white supremacist will be arraigned today in a Mississippi courthouse in connection with three civil rights murders 40 years ago. Edgar Ray Killen was already on trial once in the case, back in 1967. But that ended in a mistrial.

CNN's Eric Philips is live outside the Meshova (ph) County courthouse in Philadelphia, Mississippi now with more. Eric, good morning.

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning to you.

This is a major development in which some would call the ultimate cold case. A 79-year-old man arrested an behind bars this morning, without bail, for murders authorities say he committed more than 40 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS (voice-over): Twenty-one-year-old James Cheney, 21-year- old Andrew Goodman and 24-year-old Michael Schwerner, three civil rights workers killed in the summer of 1964 in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Now more than 40 years later the first person to face state murder charges in this case has been arrested. Seventy-nine- year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted Thursday by a grand jury.

This is a case many in this community will never forget. The three men had come to Philadelphia to investigate the burning of a black church where some of their voter-registration efforts had been taking place. The me were pulled over by local authorities after leaving the church, arrested, and taken to jail. Hours later they were released, only to drive into a deadly trap on a dark road. Ku Klux Klan members forced them to stop, beat them, shot them, and buried their bodies in a nearby earthen dam.

Killen is being held without bail in the Meshova County Jail, charged with the three murders. Back in 1967, Killen was one of 19 who faced federal conspiracy charges in the killings. Seven of the accused were convicted, but his case ended in a mistrial.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPS: Well, Killen will be arraigned later on this morning here at the Meshova County courthouse. No word at this point on whether more arrests are imminent -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Eric Philips, thanks so much.

HEMMER: Well, Heidi, Morris Dees is the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He's my guest now live in Montgomery, Alabama, talking more about this story.

Welcome back here, sir, and good morning to you.

Tell us the significance of this story, and tell us also what it means for the country when we're reflecting 40 years back, and why it took so long to bring it to where it is today.

MORRIS DEES, DIR., SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, let me answer the second question first. Had they been indicted and tried in Mississippi in 1964 for murder, they probably would have all been acquitted, like so many other civil rights era murders that were tried by white juries. So there's a slight bit of maybe good about this whole thing in that sense of the word. It's important, though, that this trial take place, this investigation continue, this and all other murders. This was a crime committed by Klansmen, with the aid and assistance of law enforcement officers; the two sheriff's deputies that assisted them are now deceased. And they were protected by white prosecutors who refused to bring murder charges against them.

Just because it's 40 years old and the person indicted is an old man has nothing to do with the significance of the case. This is like a genocide against people who were trying to exercise their rights, black people in Mississippi, at a time of really apartheid in our country. It's important for the rest of the nation to see that Mississippi is now living up to what Dr. King in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech said when he said that we're all sitting down around the table of brotherhood and sort this thing out together.

HEMMER: You mentioned the issue of time here, though. How difficult is it to get a conviction when we are now 40 years down the road?

DEES: Well, in the normal murder case it would be very difficult. Evidence is cold. There have been a number of convictions, though, the killers of Medgar Evers was convicted. The killer was convicted. The killers of the 16 little girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham were recently convicted.

Normally the convictions come about because individuals come forward and give testimony. Those that were guilty bragged about it and said things. There's very little physical evidence left. But I think that the jury, at least this time, I think, will look at the evidence in a fair way.

HEMMER: You know this case as well as anybody looking in from the outside. Could there be more arrests in this matter?

DEES: I think there will be more arrests.

HEMMER: How many?

DEES: Well, I would guess there could be two to three more arrests in this case. There are other suspects that are alive, people who were tried in the federal criminal case, the civil rights violation case back in -- well after this happened in 1966, '67. I don't know how many and how quick. Some of them hopefully will turn evidence against others and make the conviction of killing easier.

HEMMER: Thanks for your time. Morris Dees down there in Montgomery, Alabama.

DEES: You're more than welcome.

HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Want to get to a viewer's note now. Monday on AMERICAN MORNING we're going to be talking with best-selling personal finance coach David Bach. He's got a new book. Find out how to finish rich, even if you get a late start on saving. That's Monday right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

HEMMER: Get a break here. In a moment, it seems everybody's in love with the i-Pod, myself included. There's a guy in California, though, suing Apple over that. And Andy explains that in a moment here, "Minding Your Business."

COLLINS: Plus, is 2005 the year you finally, finally get in shape? One expert says there are eight keys to achieving any resolution. He's going to talk to us next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. He did not coin the phrase, but Ken Lindner knows a thing or two about crunch time. As one of the country's premiere TV talent agents, he has guided many in our business through their moments of truth. He's sharing his insight now and those truths in a new book called "Crunch Time: Eight steps to Making the Right Life Decisions at the Right Times."

Ken Lindner, author and career choreographer, with me now here in New York. Good morning to you.

KEN LINDNER, AUTHOR, "CRUNCH TIME": Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: You're a talent agent. I bet you've seen a lot of people make bad decisions in their lives, haven't you?

LINDNER: Unfortunately I have.

HEMMER: So we're going to try and figure out a way today to make the right decisions. You have eight steps in your book. We're going to focus on four. We picked out four, just so -- for the sake of time here. The first one you talk about decisions are crucial.

LINDNER: Yes.

HEMMER: But when you make a decision that you think is right and it turns out to be wrong, what do you do then?

LINDNER: I think you say to yourself, OK. Everyone makes mistakes and this is my chance to pluck out what I did wrong, think about what I can do right, and then do the right thing the next time.

HEMMER: That was number one. What about self-enhancing decisions fulfilled goals? You talk about that as point number two. What's the key to getting focused that you advise?

LINDNER: I would tell you that it's very important to know what it is that in your heart of hearts you really want in life. Because if you can figure out what it is that you want, and what makes your heart sing, you then can make decisions that are consistent with that. And also, you won't go for the quick fix. You're more likely to be disciplined and delay gratification. And so often bad decisions are made because we opt for the quick fix and immediate closure.

HEMMER: You said the key phrase in point number three, make your heart sing. Is that easier said than done?

LINDNER: Sometimes. I think it's so important for us, Bill, to sit and take time and really find out what we want in life. And that way, if we really know what we want, we can go for our gold ring dreams and not settle for the brass. So often we settle. Again, the quick fix. If you really want to achieve your goals and dreams, you have to really know what it is you want.

HEMMER: Part of that answer, I think, goes to point number four. You call it framing.

LINDNER: Yes.

HEMMER: What is framing?

LINDNER: Framing is when -- so often our judgment is clouded by our emotions. We're sad, we're angry. And we all know we make bad decisions sometimes when we're emotional. What I've done is coined a phrase called framing, which helps you override the emotions which cloud our better judgment. For example, I was this fat kid, and when I was just about to have a piece of cheesecake one day I said, do I really want the momentary pleasure of this piece of cheesecake? Or do I want to get thin, bond with my dad because he loves playing ball? He'll love playing ball with me. And then I will feel his love.

Or do I want to forego the piece of cheesecake because I have a crush on the girl in the twelfth grade -- sorry, in the seventh grade, and she'll view me romantically? And I said do I want the girl's attention? Do I want my dad's love? Or do I want the momentary pleasure of food?

HEMMER: Which goes to the whole issue of emotional health, too.

LINDNER: Absolutely.

HEMMER: Listen, the president is now speaking down at the White House. But I want to say thanks for coming in to you, Ken Lindner.

LINDNER: My pleasure.

HEMMER: Appreciate it and good luck to you. OK. "Crunch Time" is the book. Here's Heidi with the president.

COLLINS: Yes, we want to get straight to this now, Bill. Just about 20 minutes ago -- actually, let's listen in. We'll tell you about it in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... group of citizens will be exploring ways to simplify the tax code.

I believe this is an essential task for our country. It's a task that'll treat our taxpayers more fairly. A simple code will make it easier on the taxpayers. But it's an important task in order to make sure the economic growth we are seeing in the United States continues forward.

Today we had a very positive set of numbers come out to show that more and more Americans are finding work: 159,000 new jobs were added in December. That doesn't include the revisions from previous months. And that's positive news.

And so the fundamental question is how can the administration and the Congress continue to make changes so to keep this economy growing, to make sure we're the best place in the world to do business.

Today I'm going to Detroit to talk about legal reform.

These fine, distinguished citizens will be taking a good, hard look at the tax code and coming up with recommendations as to how to make sure the tax code encourages economic vitality and growth.

It seems like to me the tax code today discourages economic vitality and growth when you spend billions of hours filling out the forms.

And so I want to thank you all for taking on this important job. I've told the members -- the former senators and members of this committee, that I am firm in my desire to get something done. We're going to take their work and we'll go to the Congress and say, "Let's work together to achieve something very constructive for the American people."

And so thanks for taking this on. These are distinguished citizens of our country and I'm proud you here.

Let me answer some questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft gave a gloomy assessment about Iraq elections. He said that (inaudible) deepen the conflict, increase divisions between the Shiites and Sunni Muslims, and that Iraq would slip into an incipient civil war.

Do you share those concerns?

BUSH: Quite the opposite.

I think elections will be such a incredibly hopeful experience for the Iraqi people. Remember, these are people that lived in a society where if they didn't toe the line of the leadership they'd be tortured or killed or maimed.

And all of a sudden, a new way of life is being introduced into Iraq, a chance for people to express their beliefs and their opinions.

I believe democracies can take hold in parts of the world that have been condemned to tyranny. And I believe when democracies take hold that it leads to peace. That's been the proven example around the world.

Democracies equal peace and that's what we're trying to achieve in this administration.

QUESTION: General Metz said he can't guarantee that every Iraqi who wants to vote will be able to because of security. Can there be an legitimate election when not everybody is able to vote?

BUSH: Listen, 14 of the 18 provinces appear to be relatively calm.

BUSH: Four of the 18 provinces are places where the terrorists are trying to stop people from voting.

And the reason they're trying to stop people from voting is because they understand that democracies stand in the exact opposite to what they believe.

These are people who want to try and impose their will on people. These are people just like the Taliban, just like Osama bin Laden, who have this dim vision of the world, that say, "If you do not agree with us, then you're of no account." And they're trying to stop people from voting.

And the job of the United States military is to do the best job we can to give every citizen the best chance they can to vote and to participate.

Democracy is hard. Our own country's had a history of, kind of, a bumpy road toward democracy. And we'll do the very best we can.

But what is important is that the Iraqi people, for the first time, have a chance to vote.

And it was hard leading up to the Afghan elections, as you remember. There was a lot of talk about how somebody was going to get killed and they couldn't vote.

And sure enough when people were given a chance, millions of people showed up. And the first voter was a woman in a country where women had been savaged by the former government run by the Taliban.

So I know it's hard. But it's hard for a reason. And the reason it's hard is because there are a handful of folks who fear freedom.

And the job of the world that -- those of us in the world who desire for there to be peace is to be aggressive in the spread of freedom, is to stand with those brave citizens in Iraq who want to vote. And that's exactly what we will do.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: Well, I want everybody to vote.

And I understand that parts of the Sunni area are being targeted by these killers. And their message is, "If you vote, we'll kill you." But the real message is that, "We can't stand democracy." And, you know, if the free world steps back and lets these people have their way, it'll be, "We can't stand democracy here," and then, "We can't stand democracy there." And we'll never address the root causes of terror and hatred, which is frustration caused by tyranny.

BUSH: This administration firmly believes that if people are given a right to express themselves in a ballot in the ballot box and in the public square, and through a free and open press, it will lead to peace.

If we step back and allow for tyrannies to exist and people not to be free, the world our children will grow up in will be a hostile world.

And this is a big moment for the Iraqi people. You know, it wasn't all that long ago that a lot of people said, "Iraqi people will never vote at all." And I think it's constructive now we're beginning to worry about the size of the turnout, something I was worried about right here two months ago -- the size of the turnout.

But the positive, incredibly amazing development, when you take a step back and look at history, is that Iraqi citizens will actually be allowed to go vote. And they will elect an assembly.

And I think one of the things you ought to be looking at is the nature of the assembly: who gets elected. And that's what we're certainly going to be looking at because this assembly will then be deciding the constitution of the country of Iraq.

And I look at the elections as a historical marker for our Iraq policy. It is an interesting point.

And we look forward to working with the new government that comes out of that -- out of these elections.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Are you concerned that maybe the Sunnis won't (OFF-MIKE) and that the Sunnis will not be well represented in the assembly? And are you concerned, as Secretary Rumsfeld is (OFF- MIKE) military policy in Iraq that cannot control the insurgents?

BUSH: Look, I think what you're beginning to see is an assessment of how to make sure our policy dovetails with the elections in the post-election period.

See, our policy all along has been we'll help these people get to the election and there'll be elections.

BUSH: And then once the elections take place, we look forward to working with the newly constituted government to help train Iraqis as fast as possible so they can defend themselves.

See, part of a successful strategy is one that says there will be elections, the political process will be going forward, but one in which the Iraqis assume more and more responsibility for their own security.

And that's precisely why the assessment team is going to Iraq: to make sure that, at this historic moment in the history of Iraq, there is a focused, determined strategy to help the new government to stand up the forces necessary to defend themselves. Because ultimately the success in Iraq is going to be the willingness of the Iraqi citizens to fight for their own freedom.

QUESTION: So you're not dissatisfied?

BUSH: I think we're making great progress.

We're having elections on January 30th. It's going to be a historic moment.

I suspect if you were asking me questions 18 months ago and I said, "There's going to be elections in Iraq," you would have had trouble containing yourself from laughing out loud at the president.

But here we are at this moment. And it's exciting times for the Iraqi people. And it's so exciting there are some who are trying to intimidate people from going to the polls.

Listen, our military's doing great work over there.

QUESTION: And the Sunnis?

BUSH: Well, I talked to President Yawer the other day. He's a Sunni. I said, "How's your campaign going?" He said, "It's going fine." He's out there trying to convince people to vote for him.

There's Sunnis throughout the different tickets and slates.

And, you know, we, of course, hope everybody votes. And our job is to try to provide as much security, along with the Iraqis, to give people a chance to express their will.

And no doubt about it, there are people trying to kill people who want to vote. And they make it clear: "If you vote, we'll kill you."

BUSH: But it's very important to understand why they're doing that. They're doing that because the thought of a democracy in that part of the world is the most frightening thing to the terrorists. They cannot stand the thought of freedom in their midst.

And there's a reason: Because free societies are societies that actually listen to the will of the people. The people get to decide the course of the history of their country, not a few tyrants who are willing to use brutality in order to set the direction of a country.

And we're going to stand with those who love freedom. And we'll stand with those who want to vote.

Thank you all very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: All right. Some tape we were showing you there of President Bush in the Oval Office taking some questions about the Iraqi elections. But prior to that the meeting started so that he would be naming some leaders to head this panel on the tax code reform. Those two leaders, Connie Mack, former senator from Florida, and John Breaux, former senator from Louisiana. They will be tasked with nine other members, total of nine members, looking to simplify the tax laws -- Bill.

HEMMER: Twenty-three days and counting now for the Iraqi elections there. That's the latest word from the White House. A final word now from Phuket, Thailand, and back to Soledad for that, as we close out our morning here -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill.

Well you know, from Southeast Asia there is so much despair. And yet, as you have seen and we have seen this week, a few signs of hope. For example, in Thailand, they are focusing on trying to bring tourism back. They have to. It's so important to the economy here. If they do not, it will be a second catastrophe here. We're seeing signs of that today.

Also, the still missing like this little boy Ragnar Ericsson (ph). You'll recall we spoke to his father earlier in the week, who cried as he told us how he was unable to hold onto this son. We hope that they have, along with the thousands of others who are dealing with missing relatives, and friends and family members, get some closure, hopefully, at some point in their lives, maybe there will be identification of bodies.

That wall we told you about earlier in the week, well, fewer people are going to visit it now. We see things slowing down just a little bit. The pictures on that wall -- graduation pictures, wedding pictures, with contact numbers scribbled on the very top. It's a sign of course of just the massive amount of loss that we have had, not only in this area, but across the region.

And finally, the children, as they head back to school. We are told as much terror and far as they have seen, children are often the most resilient, and so maybe we leave it on a hopeful note this evening.

That wraps up our reporting here from Southeast Asia, and I will see you back in New York on Monday.

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