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UNICEF Working with Children on Psychological Health; Colin Powell Shares Thoughts on Disaster; Brother of Missing Man Urges U.S. to Aid Recovery Efforts

Aired January 07, 2005 - 09:00   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, CO-HOST: John King is with Colin Powell. What does the secretary of state say that he will take away the most from his trip in Southeast Asia?
That's up after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Colin Powell leaves Asia's tsunami zone with a promise the U.S. will do more. More of his exclusive interview with CNN's John King is coming up in this hour.

Along with food and water and tents, relief agencies are now sending psychologists to help the youngest victims cope.

The Defense Department putting itself under the microscope in Iraq, a review of everything from troop strength to training. We'll tell you why on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

O'BRIEN: Good morning, everyone. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Sri Lanka, the last stop of his tour of the tsunami- damaged regions of Southeast Asia. He's going to make a report to President Bush come Monday.

CNN's John King has an exclusive interview with the secretary. That's just ahead -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Thanks.

Back to Phuket, Thailand, in a moment. CNN with reporters all over the region, bringing you the very latest on the rescue and the aid efforts there. The new developments as we have them.

The pace of relief is picking up, we're told: 350 tons of supplies now arriving daily in Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo. The World Health Organization this morning says there is no epidemic so far, though they are seeing some cases of diarrhea plus skin and respiratory diseases. But overall, that is very good news at this point.

Congress will consider paying for a global tsunami warning system. Senator Joseph Lieberman saying $30 million it would cost to build, and $7.5 million in yearly maintenance would be well worth the price.

And 45 percent of Americans polled here at CNN say they have given money to the relief effort; 74 percent say they have prayed for the victims.

Back to Phuket again. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Here in Thailand the search continues for so many. There has been no good news to report. This morning we're going to talk with a man who is in search of his brother. We'll find out exactly if he's making any progress.

Also it is no surprise that UNICEF is heavily involved in all the efforts considering, of course, their work with children. An interview with that is ahead, as well.

Let's update you a little bit on some of the efforts here in Thailand. Microchips, we are told, will be implanted into the remains of the recovered so far in the wake of the tsunami. The prime minister making that announcement today. He says that will help in the recovery efforts, and the identification process, as well.

Jack Straw, the British foreign minister, visited Thailand's prime minister, thanking him for his nation's efforts. Forty-nine are dead -- are Britons, 391 still missing. They are feared to be dead.

Return of tourism, we are seeing some of those signs. Critical, of course, we've been telling you that all week. There are signs of cleanup and also some concerted efforts on the part of the Thai government and business, as well, to bring the tourists back with discounts and deals.

And while the beaches are not yet packed, some of the hardest-hit areas have been cleaned up, and some of those tourists do seem to be returning.

Teams of psychologists, no surprise here, seem to be assessing the emotional needs of children who have been affected by the tsunami. Andrew Morris is the senior program coordinator for UNICEF, and he joins us to talk about this issue.

Nice to see you, sir. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

Give me a sense of what UNICEF's involvement is happening here in Thailand or do you expect to dispatch workers across the devastated area?

ANDREW MORRIS, SENIOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR, UNICEF: Well, in Thailand, you already have 15, 16 staff deployed in the six affected provinces. In the other countries, UNICEF also is responding, making sure their teams are in place.

O'BRIEN: You say they're responding. What exactly are you offering in the way of help to children?

MORRIS: Well, I think what's -- what's vitally important is that we ensure the urgent assistance to help children recover from this psychologically very damaging event.

What these children have witnessed is horrific. They've seen bodies on the beach. They've seen family members washed away. They've seen their schools destroyed. And we know the traumatic effect that that has on children, and the long-term detrimental affect on their development and learning, if we don't do something urgently.

O'BRIEN: I spoke to a 12-year-old girl who said, 12 years old, when the tsunami struck her and her sister, who died, she thought she was going to die. How do you possibly help someone who, at 12, has seen the most awful things you can imagine? I mean, can she recover, do you think, fully?

MORRIS: Absolutely. I think there are two main things we concentrate on. First of all, trying to restore the normal environment in which that child lives. Getting those children back into school. And we saw this week schools we opened; a lot of children were there. That's the first and most important thing we can do.

Schools are the second most important institution for these children after their family. Teachers are like second parents. We need to get those children back to school, and that's working.

Secondly, we really need to get the expert psychological support. This is a job for experts, and they can work with teachers, social workers, and with the children themselves to make sure that there are no long-lasting effects.

O'BRIEN: Andrew Morris from UNICEF, thank you very much for talking with us. Obviously, a huge job ahead for all these experts now on the ground. And a long recovery process, of course, for the children, as well. Thank you. We appreciate it.

Of course, no surprise that it will be the same story in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The devastation in the wake of the tsunami, and of course, the expected psychological trauma there, as well.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has been touring Sri Lanka. He said that the humanitarian efforts there were going well. He praised them. And he also said the U.S. will continue to do even more.

CNN's John King is traveling with the secretary, and he has this exclusive interview.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, hello to you from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Secretary of State Powell, as you noted, was here earlier today.

This was the final of three stops. Secretary Powell first visited where you are in Phuket, Thailand, where he saw some of the devastation there. He moved on then to Indonesia. Today here in Sri Lanka, in the most extensive contact he had with tsunami survivors.

Mr. Powell visiting the coastal city of Galle. Four thousand of the 30,000 Sri Lankans 40 died in the tsunami died in Galle. Secretary Powell visiting a school that has been turned into a temporary shelter and relief center, stopping at one point to bow down to say hello to a young child waiting for medical treatment.

In a briefing there, U.S. aid officials told Secretary Powell they think so far so good in terms of getting food and medicine to the survivors here who need it desperately.

The biggest crisis in Sri Lanka, Secretary Powell was told, was the need for temporary housing. So he said the United States would offer an additional $10 million to this country to try to help with that.

Now, at the end of this tour today, I walked along the coastline a bit with Secretary Powell in an exclusive interview with CNN. He reflected on this trip that has taken him to the three countries most hard-hit by the tsunami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: To think of what it must have been like when that wave hit, and the horror that must have been in the hearts and minds of these people, knowing they were facing sudden death.

And you now see cleanup activity under way. You see buildings knocked down. But what you don't see any longer are the people who were here, the thousands upon thousands of people who simply lost their lives in a matter of moments.

So every building that I saw that was knocked down, or the debris that I saw, that represented human beings that lost their lives here in one terrible, horrible, devastating moment on December 26.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: More of that interview as the day goes on. Secretary Powell discussed the conversations he will have when he gets back to Washington with President Bush to brief him on the aid effort so far, what more might be able to be done by the United States.

He also reflected a bit on his own tenure, which is coming to a close just two weeks from now. He will be secretary of state no more. On this trip, though, Soledad, he was the face of the United States government, the face of American compassion.

Secretary Powell thinks that the U.S. contribution so far is about right. Although he says it could go up. He says the most urgent thing now, and you're seeing it in Thailand. We're seeing it here in Sri Lanka. As aid workers flood in by the dozens, as the supplies all flood in, the bigger challenge, Secretary Powell says, is to make sure there is not competition and chaos among the aid groups, to make sure things are administered so that the aid gets to those who need it most -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John King with an exclusive interview with Secretary Powell. John, thanks very much, reporting for us live.

Of course for some people, no matter how much humanitarian aid comes into a country, things will never, ever, ever get back to normal. That, of course, is the case for thousands of families now affected who have lost people in this tsunami.

David Abels' brother, Ben, is missing. He was last seen on Phi Phi Island, one of 4,000 people still missing here in Thailand.

Let's talk for a moment, David, about your brother. What's the information that you last know about his whereabouts?

DAVID ABELS, LOOKING FOR BROTHER: He was at the Princess Resort on Phi Phi Island in Bungalow 155 when the tsunami hit. And it's our understanding that it hit this resort quite hard.

O'BRIEN: Tell me a little bit about what you've been -- what you've been going through.

ABELS: Well, first my family would like to thank the Thai government, the Thai rescue workers, and the Thai people for all their help. They've been caring and giving since day one. And they've been working around the clock, trying to help in any way they can.

However, we do have a concern. We're trying to find out why recovery efforts have slowed so dramatically over the past 48 hours on Phi Phi Island when there's still so many loved ones missing. We're asking the U.S. government to offer assistance to the Thai government so everyone can have the greatest chance of recovering their loved ones, and bringing their loved ones home, in our case with my family, to bring Ben home.

O'BRIEN: I hope that the U.S. government hears your plea and is able to provide some assistance, too. We've been showing pictures of your brother's tattoo on his ankle...

ABELS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: ... and some photos, as well. We're out of time. But I want to thank you so much for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it, and we wish the best of luck. I'm sure any news about anything would be much appreciated.

ABELS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thanks. Let's go back to New York and Bill Hemmer -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right. Thank you, Soledad. We'll talk to you again at the bottom of this hour here.

And be sure to tune in later tonight at 10 p.m. for a special. And also over the weekend "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" takes a special look at this, too. You'll see this special later tonight, "VOICES FROM THE TSUNAMI," hosted by Paula Zahn, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 on the West Coast.

Heidi Collins with me back here in New York, looking at the other news and the stories here.

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CO-HOST: Yes. Good morning to you.

Want to take us straight to Italy right now. There is word coming in this hour of a train crash in northern Italy. As many as 10 people are believed to have been killed. It apparently happened on a line between Bologna and Verona. Ambulances and recovery teams are on the scene.

These are the actually first pictures that we are getting in of that scene right now this morning. We will continue to follow that story and bring you just as much of an update as we can. Does not look like a good scene, obviously.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is set to review U.S. military policy in Iraq. CNN has learned retired four star General Gary Luck will be sent to the region next week to conduct a thorough interview -- review, that is, of the military, including troop levels and training programs for Iraqi forces. The review comes amid increased concerns over violence in the region ahead of the January 30 elections.

Jury selection set to begin in about an hour in the trial of Specialist Charles Graner. Who's accused of being the ringleader in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. If convicted, Graner faces up to 17 years behind bars. Testimony is expected to get under way on Monday.

And it's still not too late to get a flu shot, and it seems there's plenty to go around now. Supplies of the vaccine had been expected to fall far short of demand. But now "USA Today" reports concern that millions of remaining doses could go to waste. That's because so many people decided not to get the vaccine, even though they are eligible. That was the advice they'd been given.

Meanwhile, time to check on the weather. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the very latest.

So, it's cold out there. Maybe not as many people getting the flu from it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: All right, Chad, thanks.

HEMMER: Seventeen feet of snow? Dare I ask?

COLLINS: It's inconceivable, right?

HEMMER: Thanks, Chad.

There are so many challenges in getting aid to the victims in Southeast Asia. Relief crews now come up with extraordinary ways to make those deliveries. You will see how in a moment only here on CNN.

COLLINS: Also, it was a murder case that shocked the nation 40 years ago. Why did it take so long to get an indictment?

HEMMER: And sugar loaded snacks, we know, can be fattening for your kids. Now one group is blaming the cartoon characters, as well.

All those stories still this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Parents plagued by the sweet seductions of marketers, take heart this morning. There's a nutrition watchdog group out there that wants the junk food regulated.

Here's Julie Vallese this morning in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Go grocery shopping with your kids, and you'll likely come home with some of their best friends: TV and movie friends like Shrek, Jimmy Neutron and Spongebob.

MICHAEL JACOBSON, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: Food marketing attracts children's attention, influences their choices, and prompts them to pester their parents to buy certain foods.

VALLESE: The nutrition advocacy group CSPI, Center for Science in the Public Interest, says a good deal of those foods are unhealthy and the marketing should be regulated.

MARGO WOOTAN, DIRECTOR, NUTRITION POLICY, CSPI: It has gotten increasingly difficult to feed children well in America today. Feeding our children well would be much easier if parents didn't have to contend with billions of dollars worth of sophisticated advertising.

VALLESE: New proposed guidelines by the CSPI include not allowing companies to market soda and sports drinks to kids and would set guidelines for portion sizes, limiting calories, fat, sugar and salt.

(on camera) Under the guidelines companies could market healthy food just about any way they want. But restrictions would be put in place for junk food.

(voice-over) No product placement in movies. No advertising on TV shows, where more than a quarter of the audience is children. And say good-bye to kids meal prizes, if the prize is a cartoon or fictional movie character.

RICHARD MARTIN, GROCERY MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA: Everything we do is in response to consumer -- consumer demand. So if we hear from consumers that they want us to go in a certain direction with our product formulations or our marketing, we absolutely listen.

VALLESE: The industry's $15 billion in marketing dollars may speak loudest of all.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Also, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, kids see about 58 TV commercials every day, about half of them for food -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Got a baby on the way but haven't decided on a name yet? We'll tell you which names topped the list of 2004's most popular baby names, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Fred and Ginger, Bonnie and Clyde, even Ross and Rachel, all pretty trendy names at one time or another. But not in 2004. None of them made the list for the most popular baby names last year.

After poring over more than 300,000 names, the Baby Center says Emma, Madison, Emily, Kaitlyn and Hailey were the most common names for girls. And for boys, it was Jacob, Aidan, Ethan, Ryan and Matthew to top the list.

By the way in case you were really concerned about it, Heidi and William not in that top 100.

HEMMER: What about Jack? You see Jack in there?

COLLINS: I don't see it. I don't see it. Top 50.

HEMMER: Wow.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: People in Hollywood name their kids after fruits and vegetables. Says my son, Cauliflower.

Somebody did a study and figured out that we spend on average three hours a day on the Internet. For every hour we spend using the Internet, the amount of time we spend watching TV is lowered by 10 minutes, sleep is reduced by 8 1/2 and face-to-face contact with other people is cut by 23 1/2 minutes for every hour that we're on the net.

So we're all connected. The question is whether it's a good thing or not. The question this morning is: how has the Internet affected your life?

Scott writes, "Well, it has changed my life in that I've already used 10 minutes booting my computer, five minutes connecting to the Internet and five minutes writing to you to tell you how the Internet has changed my life."

Charles in Savannah, Georgia, "I think the Internet has made me paranoid. I spend as little time as possible online because of privacy concerns. With all the people and government agencies amassing data on you every time you hit a key with spyware, cookies, et cetera, the databases being compiled are scary."

Mike in Deadwood, South Dakota -- what a great name for a town -- "I live in a rather rural part of the country, the Black Hills of South Dakota. I can now shop and buy almost anything that's available to you city folks. Five years ago I would have never given out my credit card number over the Internet. This Christmas I shopped almost 100 percent from the Net."

And Larry in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, "The Internet has just about destroyed me. My self-confidence, my ability to rationalize, my self-respect. I have sent you on AMERICAN MORNING several documents expressing my interesting opinions on various topics, and you have ignored them all. Probably never even read them. You have never even acknowledged that I exist."

It ain't going change, Larry. It's not going to change.

HEMMER: You want to make his day? I guess not. Not make Larry's day?

CAFFERTY: That's somebody else's job.

COLLINS: We did some further research: Jack is No. 14 on the baby list. William, 27.

HEMMER: Beats me again. Well done, Mr. Cafferty.

CAFFERTY: You know, if you need a list to try to figure out what to name your kid, you shouldn't have kids.

HEMMER: There's books about that stuff.

CAFFERTY: You should be able to come up with a name for them.

HEMMER: They write books. They write books on that stuff. Cauliflower.

CAFFERTY: Call me a cab, would you? I'd like get out of here a little early.

HEMMER: Me, too.

We're going to get back to the story in Southeast Asia. Once again the race is on to get aid to the victims. In some cases that means an extraordinary effort. You'll see it only here on CNN.

Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired January 7, 2005 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: John King is with Colin Powell. What does the secretary of state say that he will take away the most from his trip in Southeast Asia?
That's up after this on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Colin Powell leaves Asia's tsunami zone with a promise the U.S. will do more. More of his exclusive interview with CNN's John King is coming up in this hour.

Along with food and water and tents, relief agencies are now sending psychologists to help the youngest victims cope.

The Defense Department putting itself under the microscope in Iraq, a review of everything from troop strength to training. We'll tell you why on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

O'BRIEN: Good morning, everyone. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Sri Lanka, the last stop of his tour of the tsunami- damaged regions of Southeast Asia. He's going to make a report to President Bush come Monday.

CNN's John King has an exclusive interview with the secretary. That's just ahead -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Thanks.

Back to Phuket, Thailand, in a moment. CNN with reporters all over the region, bringing you the very latest on the rescue and the aid efforts there. The new developments as we have them.

The pace of relief is picking up, we're told: 350 tons of supplies now arriving daily in Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo. The World Health Organization this morning says there is no epidemic so far, though they are seeing some cases of diarrhea plus skin and respiratory diseases. But overall, that is very good news at this point.

Congress will consider paying for a global tsunami warning system. Senator Joseph Lieberman saying $30 million it would cost to build, and $7.5 million in yearly maintenance would be well worth the price.

And 45 percent of Americans polled here at CNN say they have given money to the relief effort; 74 percent say they have prayed for the victims.

Back to Phuket again. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Here in Thailand the search continues for so many. There has been no good news to report. This morning we're going to talk with a man who is in search of his brother. We'll find out exactly if he's making any progress.

Also it is no surprise that UNICEF is heavily involved in all the efforts considering, of course, their work with children. An interview with that is ahead, as well.

Let's update you a little bit on some of the efforts here in Thailand. Microchips, we are told, will be implanted into the remains of the recovered so far in the wake of the tsunami. The prime minister making that announcement today. He says that will help in the recovery efforts, and the identification process, as well.

Jack Straw, the British foreign minister, visited Thailand's prime minister, thanking him for his nation's efforts. Forty-nine are dead -- are Britons, 391 still missing. They are feared to be dead.

Return of tourism, we are seeing some of those signs. Critical, of course, we've been telling you that all week. There are signs of cleanup and also some concerted efforts on the part of the Thai government and business, as well, to bring the tourists back with discounts and deals.

And while the beaches are not yet packed, some of the hardest-hit areas have been cleaned up, and some of those tourists do seem to be returning.

Teams of psychologists, no surprise here, seem to be assessing the emotional needs of children who have been affected by the tsunami. Andrew Morris is the senior program coordinator for UNICEF, and he joins us to talk about this issue.

Nice to see you, sir. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

Give me a sense of what UNICEF's involvement is happening here in Thailand or do you expect to dispatch workers across the devastated area?

ANDREW MORRIS, SENIOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR, UNICEF: Well, in Thailand, you already have 15, 16 staff deployed in the six affected provinces. In the other countries, UNICEF also is responding, making sure their teams are in place.

O'BRIEN: You say they're responding. What exactly are you offering in the way of help to children?

MORRIS: Well, I think what's -- what's vitally important is that we ensure the urgent assistance to help children recover from this psychologically very damaging event.

What these children have witnessed is horrific. They've seen bodies on the beach. They've seen family members washed away. They've seen their schools destroyed. And we know the traumatic effect that that has on children, and the long-term detrimental affect on their development and learning, if we don't do something urgently.

O'BRIEN: I spoke to a 12-year-old girl who said, 12 years old, when the tsunami struck her and her sister, who died, she thought she was going to die. How do you possibly help someone who, at 12, has seen the most awful things you can imagine? I mean, can she recover, do you think, fully?

MORRIS: Absolutely. I think there are two main things we concentrate on. First of all, trying to restore the normal environment in which that child lives. Getting those children back into school. And we saw this week schools we opened; a lot of children were there. That's the first and most important thing we can do.

Schools are the second most important institution for these children after their family. Teachers are like second parents. We need to get those children back to school, and that's working.

Secondly, we really need to get the expert psychological support. This is a job for experts, and they can work with teachers, social workers, and with the children themselves to make sure that there are no long-lasting effects.

O'BRIEN: Andrew Morris from UNICEF, thank you very much for talking with us. Obviously, a huge job ahead for all these experts now on the ground. And a long recovery process, of course, for the children, as well. Thank you. We appreciate it.

Of course, no surprise that it will be the same story in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The devastation in the wake of the tsunami, and of course, the expected psychological trauma there, as well.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has been touring Sri Lanka. He said that the humanitarian efforts there were going well. He praised them. And he also said the U.S. will continue to do even more.

CNN's John King is traveling with the secretary, and he has this exclusive interview.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, hello to you from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Secretary of State Powell, as you noted, was here earlier today.

This was the final of three stops. Secretary Powell first visited where you are in Phuket, Thailand, where he saw some of the devastation there. He moved on then to Indonesia. Today here in Sri Lanka, in the most extensive contact he had with tsunami survivors.

Mr. Powell visiting the coastal city of Galle. Four thousand of the 30,000 Sri Lankans 40 died in the tsunami died in Galle. Secretary Powell visiting a school that has been turned into a temporary shelter and relief center, stopping at one point to bow down to say hello to a young child waiting for medical treatment.

In a briefing there, U.S. aid officials told Secretary Powell they think so far so good in terms of getting food and medicine to the survivors here who need it desperately.

The biggest crisis in Sri Lanka, Secretary Powell was told, was the need for temporary housing. So he said the United States would offer an additional $10 million to this country to try to help with that.

Now, at the end of this tour today, I walked along the coastline a bit with Secretary Powell in an exclusive interview with CNN. He reflected on this trip that has taken him to the three countries most hard-hit by the tsunami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: To think of what it must have been like when that wave hit, and the horror that must have been in the hearts and minds of these people, knowing they were facing sudden death.

And you now see cleanup activity under way. You see buildings knocked down. But what you don't see any longer are the people who were here, the thousands upon thousands of people who simply lost their lives in a matter of moments.

So every building that I saw that was knocked down, or the debris that I saw, that represented human beings that lost their lives here in one terrible, horrible, devastating moment on December 26.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: More of that interview as the day goes on. Secretary Powell discussed the conversations he will have when he gets back to Washington with President Bush to brief him on the aid effort so far, what more might be able to be done by the United States.

He also reflected a bit on his own tenure, which is coming to a close just two weeks from now. He will be secretary of state no more. On this trip, though, Soledad, he was the face of the United States government, the face of American compassion.

Secretary Powell thinks that the U.S. contribution so far is about right. Although he says it could go up. He says the most urgent thing now, and you're seeing it in Thailand. We're seeing it here in Sri Lanka. As aid workers flood in by the dozens, as the supplies all flood in, the bigger challenge, Secretary Powell says, is to make sure there is not competition and chaos among the aid groups, to make sure things are administered so that the aid gets to those who need it most -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John King with an exclusive interview with Secretary Powell. John, thanks very much, reporting for us live.

Of course for some people, no matter how much humanitarian aid comes into a country, things will never, ever, ever get back to normal. That, of course, is the case for thousands of families now affected who have lost people in this tsunami.

David Abels' brother, Ben, is missing. He was last seen on Phi Phi Island, one of 4,000 people still missing here in Thailand.

Let's talk for a moment, David, about your brother. What's the information that you last know about his whereabouts?

DAVID ABELS, LOOKING FOR BROTHER: He was at the Princess Resort on Phi Phi Island in Bungalow 155 when the tsunami hit. And it's our understanding that it hit this resort quite hard.

O'BRIEN: Tell me a little bit about what you've been -- what you've been going through.

ABELS: Well, first my family would like to thank the Thai government, the Thai rescue workers, and the Thai people for all their help. They've been caring and giving since day one. And they've been working around the clock, trying to help in any way they can.

However, we do have a concern. We're trying to find out why recovery efforts have slowed so dramatically over the past 48 hours on Phi Phi Island when there's still so many loved ones missing. We're asking the U.S. government to offer assistance to the Thai government so everyone can have the greatest chance of recovering their loved ones, and bringing their loved ones home, in our case with my family, to bring Ben home.

O'BRIEN: I hope that the U.S. government hears your plea and is able to provide some assistance, too. We've been showing pictures of your brother's tattoo on his ankle...

ABELS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: ... and some photos, as well. We're out of time. But I want to thank you so much for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it, and we wish the best of luck. I'm sure any news about anything would be much appreciated.

ABELS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thanks. Let's go back to New York and Bill Hemmer -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right. Thank you, Soledad. We'll talk to you again at the bottom of this hour here.

And be sure to tune in later tonight at 10 p.m. for a special. And also over the weekend "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" takes a special look at this, too. You'll see this special later tonight, "VOICES FROM THE TSUNAMI," hosted by Paula Zahn, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 on the West Coast.

Heidi Collins with me back here in New York, looking at the other news and the stories here.

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CO-HOST: Yes. Good morning to you.

Want to take us straight to Italy right now. There is word coming in this hour of a train crash in northern Italy. As many as 10 people are believed to have been killed. It apparently happened on a line between Bologna and Verona. Ambulances and recovery teams are on the scene.

These are the actually first pictures that we are getting in of that scene right now this morning. We will continue to follow that story and bring you just as much of an update as we can. Does not look like a good scene, obviously.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is set to review U.S. military policy in Iraq. CNN has learned retired four star General Gary Luck will be sent to the region next week to conduct a thorough interview -- review, that is, of the military, including troop levels and training programs for Iraqi forces. The review comes amid increased concerns over violence in the region ahead of the January 30 elections.

Jury selection set to begin in about an hour in the trial of Specialist Charles Graner. Who's accused of being the ringleader in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. If convicted, Graner faces up to 17 years behind bars. Testimony is expected to get under way on Monday.

And it's still not too late to get a flu shot, and it seems there's plenty to go around now. Supplies of the vaccine had been expected to fall far short of demand. But now "USA Today" reports concern that millions of remaining doses could go to waste. That's because so many people decided not to get the vaccine, even though they are eligible. That was the advice they'd been given.

Meanwhile, time to check on the weather. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the very latest.

So, it's cold out there. Maybe not as many people getting the flu from it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: All right, Chad, thanks.

HEMMER: Seventeen feet of snow? Dare I ask?

COLLINS: It's inconceivable, right?

HEMMER: Thanks, Chad.

There are so many challenges in getting aid to the victims in Southeast Asia. Relief crews now come up with extraordinary ways to make those deliveries. You will see how in a moment only here on CNN.

COLLINS: Also, it was a murder case that shocked the nation 40 years ago. Why did it take so long to get an indictment?

HEMMER: And sugar loaded snacks, we know, can be fattening for your kids. Now one group is blaming the cartoon characters, as well.

All those stories still this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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HEMMER: Parents plagued by the sweet seductions of marketers, take heart this morning. There's a nutrition watchdog group out there that wants the junk food regulated.

Here's Julie Vallese this morning in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Go grocery shopping with your kids, and you'll likely come home with some of their best friends: TV and movie friends like Shrek, Jimmy Neutron and Spongebob.

MICHAEL JACOBSON, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: Food marketing attracts children's attention, influences their choices, and prompts them to pester their parents to buy certain foods.

VALLESE: The nutrition advocacy group CSPI, Center for Science in the Public Interest, says a good deal of those foods are unhealthy and the marketing should be regulated.

MARGO WOOTAN, DIRECTOR, NUTRITION POLICY, CSPI: It has gotten increasingly difficult to feed children well in America today. Feeding our children well would be much easier if parents didn't have to contend with billions of dollars worth of sophisticated advertising.

VALLESE: New proposed guidelines by the CSPI include not allowing companies to market soda and sports drinks to kids and would set guidelines for portion sizes, limiting calories, fat, sugar and salt.

(on camera) Under the guidelines companies could market healthy food just about any way they want. But restrictions would be put in place for junk food.

(voice-over) No product placement in movies. No advertising on TV shows, where more than a quarter of the audience is children. And say good-bye to kids meal prizes, if the prize is a cartoon or fictional movie character.

RICHARD MARTIN, GROCERY MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA: Everything we do is in response to consumer -- consumer demand. So if we hear from consumers that they want us to go in a certain direction with our product formulations or our marketing, we absolutely listen.

VALLESE: The industry's $15 billion in marketing dollars may speak loudest of all.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Also, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, kids see about 58 TV commercials every day, about half of them for food -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Got a baby on the way but haven't decided on a name yet? We'll tell you which names topped the list of 2004's most popular baby names, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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COLLINS: Fred and Ginger, Bonnie and Clyde, even Ross and Rachel, all pretty trendy names at one time or another. But not in 2004. None of them made the list for the most popular baby names last year.

After poring over more than 300,000 names, the Baby Center says Emma, Madison, Emily, Kaitlyn and Hailey were the most common names for girls. And for boys, it was Jacob, Aidan, Ethan, Ryan and Matthew to top the list.

By the way in case you were really concerned about it, Heidi and William not in that top 100.

HEMMER: What about Jack? You see Jack in there?

COLLINS: I don't see it. I don't see it. Top 50.

HEMMER: Wow.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: People in Hollywood name their kids after fruits and vegetables. Says my son, Cauliflower.

Somebody did a study and figured out that we spend on average three hours a day on the Internet. For every hour we spend using the Internet, the amount of time we spend watching TV is lowered by 10 minutes, sleep is reduced by 8 1/2 and face-to-face contact with other people is cut by 23 1/2 minutes for every hour that we're on the net.

So we're all connected. The question is whether it's a good thing or not. The question this morning is: how has the Internet affected your life?

Scott writes, "Well, it has changed my life in that I've already used 10 minutes booting my computer, five minutes connecting to the Internet and five minutes writing to you to tell you how the Internet has changed my life."

Charles in Savannah, Georgia, "I think the Internet has made me paranoid. I spend as little time as possible online because of privacy concerns. With all the people and government agencies amassing data on you every time you hit a key with spyware, cookies, et cetera, the databases being compiled are scary."

Mike in Deadwood, South Dakota -- what a great name for a town -- "I live in a rather rural part of the country, the Black Hills of South Dakota. I can now shop and buy almost anything that's available to you city folks. Five years ago I would have never given out my credit card number over the Internet. This Christmas I shopped almost 100 percent from the Net."

And Larry in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, "The Internet has just about destroyed me. My self-confidence, my ability to rationalize, my self-respect. I have sent you on AMERICAN MORNING several documents expressing my interesting opinions on various topics, and you have ignored them all. Probably never even read them. You have never even acknowledged that I exist."

It ain't going change, Larry. It's not going to change.

HEMMER: You want to make his day? I guess not. Not make Larry's day?

CAFFERTY: That's somebody else's job.

COLLINS: We did some further research: Jack is No. 14 on the baby list. William, 27.

HEMMER: Beats me again. Well done, Mr. Cafferty.

CAFFERTY: You know, if you need a list to try to figure out what to name your kid, you shouldn't have kids.

HEMMER: There's books about that stuff.

CAFFERTY: You should be able to come up with a name for them.

HEMMER: They write books. They write books on that stuff. Cauliflower.

CAFFERTY: Call me a cab, would you? I'd like get out of here a little early.

HEMMER: Me, too.

We're going to get back to the story in Southeast Asia. Once again the race is on to get aid to the victims. In some cases that means an extraordinary effort. You'll see it only here on CNN.

Back in a moment after this.

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