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CNN Sunday Morning
New Bin Laden Tape Released
Aired January 24, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for January 24th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for joining us.
It's 8:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in the heartland.
We got a lot to tell you about, including some breaking news this morning. Let's get right to it.
HOLMES: And we're talking about a new message out this morning and it is believed to be from Osama bin Laden. This is an audio message that says al Qaeda was responsible for the failed Christmas Day airline bombing attempt over Detroit. It also vows more attacks on the U.S.
Here now, listen to the portion of it.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
OSAMA BIN LADEN, TERRORIST (through translator): The message intended to be sent to you was through the hero and fighter Umar Farouk -- may God release him -- confirming an earlier message that the September 11th heroes delivered to you and it was repeated before and after that event, that is: the United States will not dream of enjoying safety until we live it in reality in Palestine.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: And we are going to be talking to one of the foremost expert on Osama bin Laden. He is standing by. Peter Bergen, he is going to be coming up in just a moment.
Also, we want to give you an update about a story we've been watching out of Afghanistan, where three U.S. service members were killed today in separate roadside bomb attacks. The military says both bombings happened in southern Afghanistan. Two service members were killed in that first blast. Then we got word a short time ago that a third had, in fact, been killed in a separate roadside bomb.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get you back to our top story now. A new tape out today that is believed to be from Osama bin Laden. Now, one of the few people to interview bin Laden face-to-face is CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen and he joins me now from D.C. All right. Peter, so we're learning some more about this tape is, as we mentioned, believed to be from bin Laden. What do you make of it? Because on it, it says, "America will never dream of security until we will have it in reality in Palestine." And he goes to say, "God willing, our raids on you will continue, as long as your support to the Israelis will continue."
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, that's a very old bin Laden theme, Betty. I mean, he said that many times in the past. He's talked about the Palestinian issue for many years. Actually, when he declared war on the United States, he said it was a front against the "crusaders," quote, unquote, and the Jews. He's very anti-Semitic, very anti-Zionist. And it's interesting that he would choose to take this tape to kind of claim responsibility for the failed Northwest flight attempt.
Generally speaking, al Qaeda doesn't take ownership of its failures. But they must have felt that there was some propaganda advantage in taking responsibility for this, even though it wasn't really success, but it did demonstrate an ability to, you know, to get to the American homeland. And obviously, it was a close thing that that plane didn't blow up.
NGUYEN: Yes. It's very interesting, too, because -- as I talked with our Cal Perry earlier this morning in Abu Dhabi, back in December, we heard from the al Qaeda group in the Arabian Peninsula take responsibility for that failed bombing attempt. And now, we're hearing on this tape believed to be from Osama bin Laden, that he's taking responsibility for it, at least, you know, al Qaeda is.
So, it kind of makes you wonder, who's in control here? Who is in charge? Where is this, you know -- the control when it comes to al Qaeda?
BERGEN: Well, you know, bin Laden, it's like -- you know, and the American military, there are something called commander's intent, which is, you know, when Petraeus, for instance, issues an order, everybody in CentCom, his area of responsibility is generally aware of that order.
Bin Laden has issued a series of commander's intent. And so, the affiliates of al Qaeda of which the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is very much one of those affiliates, they're following his orders. And he doesn't have to be in communication with them very often. They understand that the goal here is to attack western targets and they're following through.
The problem -- the question here I have, Betty, is that, you know, to what extent has al Qaeda central sort of issued a new set of orders to other affiliates to do these kinds of attacks, we'll see.
NGUYEN: So, you don't, Peter, find it odd that al Qaeda in the Iranian peninsula came out first, claiming responsibility, and now, we're hearing this, you know, believed to be Osama bin Laden's voice, saying it now. I mean, wouldn't it have been more appropriate in the chain of command, if you will, if Osama bin Laden would have come out and say it first?
BERGEN: Well, I mean, it was obviously an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operation. Osama bin Laden typically takes up to three weeks to react to events. In fact, this tape is almost a perfect example of that. The December 25th attack, here we are, a little over three weeks later and bin Laden has reacted to it. The reason for that: a lot of security around these tapes that are made by him. He's in a very remote place. A series of couriers to take these tapes to either al Jazeera or to a jidahi Web site and uploaded it.
So, he cannot very quickly to these things because he's not in the position, he's able to.
NGUYEN: Hmm. Very interesting.
I want to shift over, too, because we are learning that intelligence in the U.S. and British intelligence as well, those agencies have been told to be on the lookout for possible female suicide bombers, and being told, quote, "women with non-Arab appearance and western passports who have been trained by al Qaeda."
What do you know about this? And could that have led to what we are seeing in Britain, them increasing the terror level there?
BERGEN: Well, Britain, of course, is probably the western country most threatened by al Qaeda or Umar Farouk, the Northwest flight attempted bomber. You know, he got radicalized there.
So, you know, the fact that the Britain has raised the terror alert, you know, that's sort of unsurprising.
On the female suicide attackers, particularly westerners, this is not a new phenomenon. The very first female suicide attacker, a Belgian female convert to Islam from Catholicism detonated herself in Iraq in 2005. And she was trying to attack an American convoy.
So, this has already -- this already happened. We've already seen female Europeans engage in suicide attacks, and it's mainly a reasonable precautions, I think, to issue advice that this is a possibility. We have seen it in the past already.
NGUYEN: All right, Peter Bergen, as always, we really appreciate your insight. Thanks so much for your time today. CNN's security analyst, Peter Bergen, thank you.
BERGEN: Good morning.
HOLMES: I want to turn back to Haiti now. We have been seeing these incredible stories of people surviving, still being pulled out of the rubble all these days after that quake.
But we have another one here for you. And we've been hearing a lot of people surviving, just being able to hold on for certain days. Well, this guy was able to hold because he had something in particular with him: cookies, beer, and coke. He got trapped in a grocery store of all places and that helped him to survive. A 24-year-old man -- and just wait until you see his face as he's pulled out some 11 days after the earthquake.
We get the story now from CNN's Hala Gorani.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eleven days underground, clawing his way out of a dark hole, Wismond Jean Pierre has only a few yards to go to freedom.
This dramatic video given to us by French authorities shows the 24-year-old pushed out the rubble of a four-story building. He survived that long because of sheer luck caught in an air pocket and surrounded by food and drink from the shop on the ground floor.
The gathered crowd first hushed erupted in spontaneous applause as the young man was taken by ambulance to a French field hospital.
(CHEERS)
CROWD: Bravo!
CORP. CHIEF SRESSE MARIE-LAURENCE, FRENCH CIVIL PROTECTION RESCUER: We have found together all of the stuff. And we are very happy. It's very emotional.
GORANI: A rescue that would probably have never happened had it not been for the dogged determination of Wismond's family. Wismond's brother, Jean Elie told me, "I spoke to him. I called his name. I knew he was alive."
He said he tried to get officials' attentions for days but it took the help of a Greek journalist to mobilize the massive rescue effort.
Another family member on the scene worriedly showed me a picture of Wismond. He was waiting, too, and hoping.
As the day unfolded, reinforcements were truck in. Ordinary Haitians pitched in to help and rescuers worked for hours under a flimsy tin roof and deep into the ground to save the young man's life.
At the hospital later, Wismond was well enough to speak to CNN.
He moved his arms and legs because he was not crushed by the falling building. Now, he needs hydration and rest -- a moment of true joy in a country with little to celebrate.
Hala Gorani, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And this is a big week for the president, but it starts off with a little fun. Tomorrow, he welcomes the 2009 NBA champion, Los Angeles Lakers to the White House. Of course, you know, the president is a big basketball fan.
And then it's back to work, ahead of the State of the Union Address on Wednesday. On Thursday, the president and vice president head to Tampa. Florida newspapers are reporting President Obama may announce funding to expand the high-speed rail system in the area.
And then Friday, the president is in Baltimore. That's where he'll address the Republican House Issues Conference.
And president Obama's State of the Union Address happens this Wednesday night. Don't miss it.
HOLMES: You need to be right here with us, on CNN, standing at 5:00 Pacific, 8:00 Eastern, for CNN's coverage and analysis of the address from the best political team on television.
Stay with us right here -- the best team on Sunday morning. We'll be right back with a quick check of your morning forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Keep that picture up for me, Ditri (ph). And I'm going to explain ot everybody here. Betty, where I'm from now, the camera is set up in Memphis, Tennessee...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ... looking at the bridge and the river.
NGUYEN: But across the bridge.
HOLMES: Across that bridge in that river, is West Memphis, Arkansas.
NGUYEN: And that is where you are from.
HOLMES: That is where I'm from.
NGUYEN: He says he' from West Memphis folks, it is not from Memphis, Tennessee.
HOLMES: We have to explain that all the time.
NGUYEN: It's Arkansas.
HOLMES: It's right across the river from Memphis. Karen, we have to get that in there.
NGUYEN: Not only could we explain it, we have showed it to you -- full service here on CNN.
(LAUGHTER)
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know every time we talk about South Carolina, I mention Charleston, and when I talk about Arizona, I mention Tucson. So, it's the same thing. HOLMES: You had to explain. Yes -- good morning this morning.
MAGINNIS: Good morning.
Yes, we're starting off with some pretty rough weather. And it looked like it was pretty volatile, and now, we've got a tornado watch out. This is Alabama that we're looking up at right here. Over here is Mississippi. It does incorporate a portion of both those states.
This is a tornado watch going until 1:00 p.m. Central Time. And I will point out that there are several tornado warnings there. They are not showing up on this particular graphic, but they are in southwestern Alabama, and that's because the atmosphere is pretty volatile.
The dew point is not so high. We watch that when we're looking at severe weather. But dew points, moisture and span in the atmosphere, those are the kind of the ingredients that we look at that are components to severe weather.
We move up towards in Midwest, and Chicago is on the wet side. Not snowy side, the wet side.
And yesterday, in the Dakotas, it was icy, there were power lines down, the roads were just miserable, people were without power, and probably still are. There were thousands of people without power there.
And for the west coast, all right, I need to explain this a little bit more, and that is west coast is looking at yet another storm system. This one, though, is not going to bring southern California the problems that we saw over the last five or six days. What we're looking at is a system going into northern and central California, leaving southern California alone.
We will bring you more details coming up just a little bit later. We'll have more CNN SUNDAY coming up right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, despite all the difficult news, each day, we've still been hearing new and just really remarkable stories of survival out of Haiti.
HOLMES: And each one has some kind of twist or turn to it.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Josh Levs has one with another twist and turn, having to do with the man surviving because of a cell phone application.
Good morning to you, again, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And to you, guys, yes. This is a wild story and it's another one of the really good stories that we wanted to see about survival. This man was at the Hotel Montana. His name is Dan Woolley. His father, a husband and aid worker who just happened to be there on the day of the quake. When he fell, when he was trapped, he was bleeding from his head and from leg. So he pulled out his cell phone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN WOOLLEY, COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL: I was not going to let, you know, a mistake I might make trying to treat my wounds. I have basic first aid knowledge but not advanced. And I did when in my disoriented states, just make a mistake. So, I know I had my iPhone, and I had an app that had pre-downloaded all these information about treating wounds. So, I looked up excessively bleeding and I looked up compound fracture. Later, I looked up...
LEVS: I got it here, actually. I'm looking at it here. And I want to know, it's going to be tiny in your screen but I'm looking at it here. It's a basic first aid and CPR application that talks you through various things. And I understand, what you did was you use this to make sure that you were not going to hurt yourself, that you were going to do it right?
WOOLLEY: Yes, that's right. And just knowing that I had the confidence, how to get guide from the American Red Cross, so I knew I was not making mistakes, and so, that just gave confidence to treat my wounds properly.
LEVS: Well, listen, there was something else you did while you were down there, and that is that you wrote notes to your family when you thought you would not make it. And I understand, you have with you right now the journal that you kept and you can read us the passage there of something that you wrote to your family.
WOOLLEY: Yes. I was there for several days and I thought I might be rescued and I thought I might not. So, I wanted to leave some notes to my family. So, here's one of the notes.
"I was in a big accident, an earthquake. Don't be upset at God, he always provides for his children, even in hard times. I'm still praying that God will get me out, but he may not, and even so, he will always take care of you.
LEVS: Dan, can you turn that around so our viewers could see it. I understand it's (INAUDIBLE). Obviously, you handwritten in there. I know there are some pages that have your blood on them as well. This is something you're going to hold on to for a long time.
And I want to show everyone the pictures of you and your beautiful children. Now, we have your wife on that. You were reunited in Denver with your wife Christina and your two sounds, right, Joseph and Nathan, a child of 6-year-old and a 3-year old son. And there's you with your beautiful. I know you must be appreciating life in a whole new way right now. I know the gratitude you have.
WOOLLEY: Absolutely.
LEVS: All right. Well, listen, thank you so much for joining us. Really a powerful story. Thank you.
WOOLLEY: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So, one of the survival stories we've been able to bring you during a time that we're following so many stories on people missing in Haiti. You can see the latest. You can catch with them all, CNN.com/Haiti. Missing lots of the names there.
And in some cases, stories of survival; in other cases, families just waiting for word about something for a long time. Obviously, we are happy to see the few cases we can, Betty and T.J., of happy endings.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEVS: Families reunited. That really means a lot. In this case, a man who is very resourceful and bandaged his own wounds down there with the help of an iPhone app.
NGUYEN: Who knew there is an app for that, right?
LEVS: Yes, everything now.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: And maybe we should get that app?
NGUYEN: Yes. I'm about to download it now.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Wait, I got to get an iPhone, right?
HOLMES: Oh, there's that.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: All right. Stay with us here, folks.
One of the top stories we've been telling you about, a new audio message out believed to be from Osama bin Laden. We'll tell you what he's saying and who he's directing that message to.
NGUYEN: Plus, a big rig tanker just goes up in flames. Look at those video. We'll have the latest on this deadly accident.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now.
A new terror message is out this morning and it's believed to be from Osama bin Laden. The audio message says al Qaeda was responsible for that failed Christmas Day airline bombing attempt over Detroit. And it also vows more attacks on the U.S.
HOLMES: And we take you now to Nassau County, New York, where the driver of a tanker was killed. Yes, you see the explosion and the fire that took place afterwards, after the accident. All lanes to this Long Island expressway now reopened for traffic. Again, this fuel tanker flipped and bursts into the fireball yesterday, temporarily closed the expressway as parts of the pavement literally melted from that heat.
NGUYEN: Well, hundreds of G.M. and Chrysler car dealers that got the axe have until Monday to appeal their shutdown in arbitration court. The dealerships were closed last year as part of a bankruptcy filing by the carmakers. Of almost 3,000 dealerships eligible to appeal, only 900 have so far.
HOLMES: It's time for us to turn, as we always do on SUNDAY MORNING, to Mr. John King, anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up in just about 35 minutes from now.
NGUYEN: At the top of the hour, John joins us with a sneak peek. And, of course, you got to be talking about this new tape that we're learning about today that's believed to be from Osama bin Laden.
JOHN KING, "STATE OF THE UNION" HOST: Absolutely, Betty and T.J. Good morning to you.
The tape from Osama bin Laden, a reminder, if it is him -- the leader of al Qaeda, of course, is still at large and taking credit for that attempted bombing on Christmas Day. We have David Axelrod, the president's top adviser on the program with us this morning and we'll put the question to him, what do they know about that tape.
We'll also talk about it in the context -- many believe, if you look back at that stunning Massachusetts election this past week, that one of the arguments that worked for the Republican candidate Scott Brown was he questioned the administration's approach of taking terror suspects, like the Christmas Day suspect, and putting them into the federal court system as opposed to the military justice system. That was a political argument in Massachusetts and it will be a political talking point now throughout this midterm election year.
You can be certain, too, so it's a policy question about: is it bin Laden? And a political question about the politics of terrorism right now.
HOLMES: And, boy, that was an interesting week last week. I know you've been...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: ... while in Washington, and I know you have seen a lot of stuff, probably nothing quite like what we saw last week. But given that political environment now, after the Massachusetts special election -- now, the president, a huge speech coming up on Wednesday, the State of the Union, see -- a lot of people waiting to see if he's going to pivot in some way on this health care. What does president really have on his plate? What is he up against as he steps up in front of members of Congress on Wednesday?
KING: The White House promises a very feisty president on Wednesday. They say he gets the message that people are unhappy. And that happiness now extends to him.
The very reason he was elected, people are upset about the economy. They don't think Washington works. They think these guys are too partisan. They can't get anything big done.
That was what helped candidate Obama. Now, it hurts President Obama because he's one of them. He's one of the guys in power now.
And they say he gets that and he's going to try to say to the American people, please be patient, please give me more time, but I hear your message. We need to more to make Washington work.
The interesting part is, this president has talked often, including in his inaugural address, about having a very, very busy plate -- a crowded plate of initiatives. Look for the president to scale it back a bit in terms of his communication with the American people. He will talk about trying to find a way to the finish on health care.
But then mostly, this is going to be about jobs, jobs, jobs, and trying to rein federal spending and do something about the deficit. He understands that the driving force in politics right now is economics -- people are worried about losing their job or losing their home.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And when it comes to those jobs, do you think we're going to hear any new plans, any new way to get this economy back on track?
KING: You will hear several new initiatives from the administration on ways it hopes to spur a bit more job creation in the short term. You'll also hear the president say in the State of the Union address, you know, there's still a lot of stimulus money in the pipeline.
And the American people have turned on that program. We have a new poll out this morning showing 56 percent of the American people say they believe the stimulus plan was a mistake. They oppose it.
The president will say there's more money to come, there will be more jobs coming, but there will be some other modest initiatives as well. The hard part here for the president, Betty, is he wants to spend more to create jobs, but he also knows that especially independent voters are worried about the big red ink, all the deficit spending. So, they have to do it in more targeted ways than they did, say, a year ago.
NGUYEN: All right. Again, you got David Axelrod on the show today. You're going to have a lot of topics to discuss with him.
KING: Got a busy day ahead.
NGUYEN: All right. We are looking forward to it. John King, "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at the top of the hour -- you don't want to miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hey, there, everybody. And welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes. Good morning, everybody. Thanks for being here. I'm Betty Nguyen.
OK. There's a new terror message today just out this morning, in fact, believed to be from Osama bin Laden.
HOLMES: And our Cal Perry is standing by for us in Abu Dhabi this morning.
Cal, hello to you again. Just tell us first what are we hearing on this audiotape?
CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J. first and foremost, it's important to note CNN cannot independently authenticate that this is in fact Osama bin Laden. But past tapes that have been delivered in this manner, have turned out to be him according to intelligence analyst.
The tape itself speaks to the American people and to the President of the United States. He is taking credit for that failed Christmas bombing on December of course, the 25th, saying that al Qaeda carried out this attack. It's important to remember that it was two days after Christmas when al Qaeda in the Arab peninsula said that they had carried out the attack.
Now, in this message, what he says is he really compares and equates how the people in the United States are living to how Palestinians are living in Gaza. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The message intended to be sent to you was through the hero and fighter Umar Farouk "May God Release him" confirming an earlier message "that the September 11th heroes delivered to you and it was repeated before and after that event." And that is the United States will not dream of enjoying safety until we live it in reality in Palestine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PERRY: Now, what he's talking about the message, really they are referencing al Qaeda's ability to continue to penetrate the airline industry was of course that flight from Amsterdam to Detroit where there was that bomb attack.
NGUYEN: Yes. PERRY: Now, the message goes on to say that al Qaeda will continue to carry out more attacks on U.S. soil as long as the United States continues to be such close allies with the Israelis -- T.J.
NGUYEN: All right, Cal -- actually it's Betty now -- I need to ask you about this message, though, and really the chain of command and we're talking about this a little bit earlier and also speaking with our security analysts, Peter Bergen. Trying to understand after the failed bombing attempt, we heard from the al Qaeda group and the Arabian Peninsula saying they are taking responsibility for it.
And now we're hearing from Osama bin Laden if indeed this is him, taking responsibility for it. So help us understand. Did possibly not know that this occurred, did he order it and we're just finally hearing about it? I mean, how does this chain of command work?
PERRY: Well, according to intelligence analysts here on the ground and the (INAUDIBLE) we've speaking to them all day, one of the things we keep hearing is exactly as you referenced that he may not even have known about the attack until after it was carried out. That it was an off-shoot group, al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula and that these groups are carrying out these attacks in the name of their central leadership, Osama bin Laden, proving that they can continue to penetrate U.S. defenses whether it be airlines or what not.
So it's possible that he did not even know about this attack, that these are splinter groups carrying out attacks on their own. Which is just as scary as a thought really, it really sort of make you think that al Qaeda is no longer necessarily a group but it's become a global movement -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Absolutely, that is a very interesting and frightening thought, too. Cal Perry, joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much for that Cal.
And we want to tell you this, just in from the White House, senior adviser David Axelrod says, the message quote, "Contains the same hollow justification for the mass slaughter of innocents." Again, that coming from David Axelrod.
And of course, we're going to here much more from him today on "STATE OF THE UNION with John King" coming up at the top of the hour.
In the meantime, let's take you to Haiti now and this exclusive video. Oh boy, this is a story that we love to tell.
A 24-year-old Haitian man has beaten the odds. That's a top story latest out of Haiti; the man was rescued by a French search team yesterday, a day after the Haitian government declared rescue operations over.
The death toll from the January 12th quake is more than 111,000. Now, there's no official word yet on how many people were injured. The French rescuers who pulled that man alive from the rubble say he survived on snack food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. CHRISTOPHE RENOU, FRENCH CIVIL PROTECTION RESCUER: Actually after the rescue we had a chance to get into the hole and have a look. And we found out that he had access to cookies, beer and coke.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How is that possible?
RENOU: The building was a grocery shop and he was a very lucky man because he fell down on the food side of the grocery shop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A U.N. official says rescue teams are still working in Haiti but they are now shifting their focus to recovering the dead and clearing debris.
HOLMES: Well, we turn to our "Faces of Faith" segment this morning and a lot of people keeping the faith in Haiti's -- Haiti these days. And a couple of words we've been hearing over and over for the past few days really are "Thank God". We are hearing this from Haitians who find missing relatives alive, we hear that from the folks who've be pulled out of the rubble, we're hearing that from the rescuers, in some cases as well and that really does reflect what our "Faces of Faith" here is all about.
ITN's Bill Neely, witnessed this firsthand. He filed this report earlier in the week for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL NEELY, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the ruins of Haiti, the signs aren't good, it's day six. The diggers tear up the rubble and making survival beneath unlikely. The scavengers at the banks search for money not the living.
One man looks on. Razje (ph) still believes his wife, a bank worker, just might be alive. He rushes in every time ground is cleared. This time, someone hears a noise.
He calls for silence and then for his wife, Jeanette. "Ok, she is there, she's alive," he says. They scrape away stones to expose a small hole and allow the first light to reach the woman in six days. Her husband, overwhelmed. "I can hear Jeanette is talking. I put a microphone in and ask her if she is injured."
"Yes, she says, my fingers are broken." "She tells me she needs water, it would be a great pleasure, I'm thirsty and I can't see," she says. Then a message for her husband, "Even if I die, I love you so much. Don't forget it."
The risk of her dying remains, not her husband, nor anyone here has the equipment to get her out. Suddenly, help arrives; firefighters from Los Angeles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see her hair right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They push a tiny camera into the hole and Jeanette is revealed and her head is moving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, we're going to get you something to drink first.
NEELY: They get her water and then begin cutting in to the cables and beams around her. The light is fading. Hope is not. Then our first clear sight of her; dust in her eyes, smiling, wincing, but alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, all quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. She is in incredible shape for the time period that she's been in there.
NEELY: Are you confident you'll get her out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yes, I am very confident.
NEELY: There is just one major worry now, an aftershock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may not have a lot of time, once it goes, it goes.
NEELY: On the camera they've seen Jeanette's hand pinned under a beam. Free it and she is free. A rescuer reaches her hand. She is in pain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang in there, Jeanette. All right Jeanette, we're almost there.
NEELY: But within three hours of first hearing her voice, she emerges. Her first words, "Thank you, God" and then, an astonishing moment. The words of her song, "Don't be afraid of death." She told me she always thought she'd survive, but she wondered why this has happened to her.
Did you think you would live? Did you think you would live?
JEANETTE: Live?
NEELY: Yes.
JEANETTE: Why not?
NEELY: Well, this has been an absolutely remarkable rescue. The most remarkable thing of all is the life that's busting from this woman's lungs. But obviously six days after this earthquake, the chances of finding anyone else alive in the rubble are now very slim.
Jeanette Samfor (ph) is alive, and for her husband, it's a miracle. But her survival is the exception in a city of death. She drove away as if nothing had happened, to see for herself the horror that had been hidden from her.
Bill Neely, ITV News, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Can you imagine though, surviving that and then taking a look at the devastation throughout the city for the first time? And you've been under that rubble and really, probably had no clue what else had gone on.
HOLMES: Well, you have -- you're essentially had been out of touch...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...for all that time and you don't even know what happened to your country.
NGUYEN: Wow.
All right, well, we're going to move this issue, health care reform, not exactly what you expect young people to be talking about, right?
HOLMES: Well, not exactly. But still students are sounding off about this controversial issue that's been in the news a lot lately. We'll be listening up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. No, you can't stop the rain. And there you go, Detroit.
You can see a little bit of rain drops on the lens of that camera, a view of Detroit raining right now, it's cold rain. It's 39 degrees, the wind is a little bit on the gusty side. And what you're looking at is that rain changing over to snowfall, eventually changing over to freezing rain and mixed with snow.
And it looks like the next several days -- Detroit you can expect snow or maybe a rain-snow mix. But it looks like the next two to three days are going to be fairly messy.
This is along the Gulf Coast. I know it's kind of hard to see from this perspective. This is the Gulf Coast, this is Alabama, here is Mississippi. This is a tornado watch that goes until 2:00 p.m. that's Eastern Time, Central Time it is 1:00 p.m.
And there are a couple of little cells involved in this tornado watch that we have seen tornado warnings issued. It wouldn't surprise me if we start to see some interesting activity pop-up here across northern sections of Alabama. But a lot to talk about not just across the southeast, but also in the Midwest, where Chicago has rainfall, we saw Detroit with some rain, Minneapolis it looks like you've got a rain-snow mix. Across the Dakotas though, yesterday, what a miserable day, downed power lines, about 6,000 power lines, thousands of people without power. They were saying 15 of the 28 power companies were reporting that they had some outages across the area. So I hope you get your power back.
And temperatures in south Texas are not going to be in the 80s like they were yesterday, T.J., Betty, they're going to be in the 60s. That's a look at your weather right now.
We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. We are going to be talking about health care, because it really doesn't sound like the president or any key Democrats are giving up on that anytime soon?
HOLMES: Yes, that's despite what happened on Tuesday, the setback, if you will, when the Democrats lost Ted Kennedy's former seat. And let's go to the face of CNN Student News because he's baby- faced today...
NGUYEN: That's Carl Azuz.
HOLMES: Carl Azuz.
NGUYEN: Looking very studious today.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWZ: This is making me look younger. Thank you all for having me.
HOLMES: Health care is a big complicated issue. You know what, maybe these kids are concerned about it because they keep hearing that it's going to be on their backs to pay for this down the road.
NGUYEN: True.
AZUZ: It could be true.
We like to think that they are sounding off on it in part, too because of our exemplary coverage on CNN Student News.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is. It's that always.
AZUZ: Always. So these are a few of the things that we included this time around. We wanted to kind of break down the issues in line with what they're studying about. We know they know what filibusters are. They're studying that in High school Government, High school Civics.
One of the options available to people who still support the health care bills now in Congress is reconciliation; heard a lot about that in a lot of different newscasts. And for high school students what this means, reconciliation is a filibuster proof option. That's why it's attractive to some folks who still want to push these measures through.
It's a senate move. It would involve just a 51 vote, simple majority like all votes. But because it's filibuster-proof, some folks might support it. The downside to reconciliation, it is a hard and difficult process, it takes a long time. A lot of people are like, "Why should we spend so much time already." And a lot of folks here are saying we've already spent so much time already.
That's why the second option has pros and cons as well. People saying we could just start over. Republican Scott Brown wants to start over with the bill. And a lot of folks saying, look, the president has already invested so much political capital into the bills we have. Congress has invested so much time to the bills we have. And that's not something that we want to do either.
The third option you see there, one of them that we covered on CNN Student News: to just simplify current plans. That might be something they plan to revisit -- that might be the most likely option for them, mainly because it would involve paring down the current bills, and simplifying the current bills, so they could pass both houses with Scott Brown seated.
NGUYEN: Ok. So once you have broken this down for the students and they understand exactly how this is going to work if it's going to work, health care reform, are they sounding off on it? Are they at all interested about what it could mean to them and their families?
AZUZ: They are really getting involved. They are commenting to us. We had a student named Hunter. He calls himself a Democrat so we're assuming this is probably is a high school age student, somebody who's getting closer to vote; somebody who might already be able vote.
He's saying, "This could spell disaster for this bill, which I have been hoping will pass. In my eyes, the best solution is to rush the bill through."
Not really likely, now that President Obama's saying he too wants to wait until Scott Brown's seated.
NGUYEN: Yes. That may cause some people to get a little angry.
AZUZ: Yes, it could. It would, you know, kind of violate the trust between the American people and Congress.
On the other side of it, we had a student named Emily, she wrote in to us. Emily's saying, "I think they should just start from scratch on health care or even make a smaller, less complicated bill. Our country is already in so much debt."
Several students mentioned the debt, the economy to us.
And then Adam wrote, "It looks like the Democrats are going to need to change the bill around a bit, which I am ok with, as that's democracy." Adam hoping for that diplomatic post down the road.
HOLMES: We don't see diplomatic solutions at all. AZUZ: Not very much. That's why I liked that comment.
NGUYEN: You may want to stay out of politics now. Thank you, Carl, we appreciate it.
HOLMES: Good to see you buddy. Thank you.
AZUZ: Appreciate it.
NGUYEN: A tourism hot spot gets a million-dollar makeover.
HOLMES: We're going to show you the trendy area that is looking pretty good these days, thanks to stimulus dollars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Issue number one, that being -- you should know by now -- the economy. We have talked about it day after day after day.
And the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department, well, it shows the December jobless rates rose, and 43 states and the District of Columbia reversing the downward trend seen in November. Hard-hit regions include the West, Midwest and southeastern U.S. Sixteen states reported double digits unemployment numbers as well.
HOLMES: $1 million of your stimulus money at work on a major makeover, Hollywood style. Hollywood needs a makeover?
NGUYEN: Apparently so. Because West Hollywood's aging Sunset Strip is getting some work done to help restore some of its former beauty but Kareen Wynter shows us that the beauty project isn't exactly winning over Republican audiences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Business owner, Mikael Maglieri (ph) has seen it all here on the world famous Sunset Strip. A tourism magnet of trendy restaurants, bars and night spots like Maglieri's family-owned whisky agogo and rainbow bar and grill.
MIKAEL MAGLIERI, BUSINESS OWNER: It is the West Coast's Times Square. It's where everyone comes to either see someone or be seen. There are a multitude and into the hundreds of major artists that started right here on this strip.
WYNTER: Artists like The Doors, Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix, just some of the iconic acts Maglieri says over the decades helped turn his bars into bustling hot spots.
While his business has come a long way since the 1930s, when the Strip was changed from a dirt road to concrete, Maglieri says the city's most popular boulevard needs a makeover.
A six-month beautification project is under way with plans to replace aging sidewalks and repave the street with asphalt made from recycled tires.
MAGLIERI: It needs a face-lift, and because the economic times are tough for everyone. They are trying to make it where, ok, we're going to clean the street off and make it more conducive so we get more foot traffic.
WYNTER: And Washington is footing some of the bill; just over $1 million of $5 million being spent on the project is from federal stimulus funds.
JOHN DURAN, COUNCILMAN, WEST HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL: There's jobs and salaries and people being able to provide for their families.
WYNTER: Money well spent says West Hollywood City Councilman, John Duran.
The city estimates the project has created or saved at least 20 jobs so far. But some Republican critics in the Senate have balked at the beautification, ranking it number 4 on their top ten stimulus bill projects to remember as foolish.
(on camera): To those critics in Washington who believe using the money in this way, it's nothing -- it equates to nothing more than waste. What's your response to that?
DURAN: That's very short-sighted. I mean, really what it's about is money exchanging hands, the stimulus money, into cities like West Hollywood allows us to sort of improve our local infrastructure here in a way that attracts more tourists. It means more people in hotel rooms, these hotel workers keep their jobs and these restaurant workers keep their jobs and money keeps moving around.
WYNTER (voice-over): More than money, Maglieri says it's about maintaining an image for a strip that's just as famous as the stars who built their careers on it.
MAGLIERI: It's an image to keep it alive. It's something that needs to be done.
WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, West Hollywood, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And all this week, CNN is working hard to show you the money. We are helping you keep track of those stimulus dollars. You and every other person out there handed over a whole lot of your money to help in the stimulus project, it was a multi-billion dollar project. So each of us contributed a little something in some way, form or fashion.
Did you ever wonder what happened to your money? Is it working? Is it being wasted? Has anyone been gaining the program to maybe get rich? A series of reports on the stimulus, all this week only right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MADONNA'S PERFORMANCE FOR "HOPE FOR HAITI NOW")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's Madonna performing at the "Hope for Haiti Now" benefit on Friday. You know that thing raised some $58 million, and that's not even including donations from corporations or large donors. More than 100 celebrities took part in that, including of course Madonna. It aired on Friday on more than 25 networks including CNN.
Just a reminder, you can still donate if you want to go to the Web site, hopeforHaitinow.org. It is tax deductible on the 2009 taxes; you don't have to wait until next year to deduct it.
HOLMES: Listen to this now. Three Haitian-American brothers, all of them doctors, reunite in the earthquake zone on a life saving mission.
NGUYEN: Yes, as our Jonathan Mann tells us, though they all settled here in the U.S. all three found it just impossible to ignore the images of death and devastation in their former homeland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another crowded medical ward in Port-au-Prince, where so many of the injured have been separated from their families by the chaos that followed the deadly quake.
But Haitian American brothers, Doctors Jean, Ari (ph) and Billy Ford are reunited in emergency medical relief.
DR. JEAN FORD, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: I think that it's a blessing that we can all be here, that we can make a contribution. We're coming from different perspectives. We have different kinds of expertise. But I think that overall, we really feel privileged to contribute to this effort.
MANN: Billy, 47, is an anesthesiologist at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York. The middle brother, 51-year-old Ari, is chief of surgery at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. You may remember him from the operation he preformed along with our Sanjay Gupta on a severely injured 12-year-old girl aboard the "USS Carl Vinson" in the waters off Port-au-Prince.
DR. BILL FORD, ST. BARNABAS HOSPITAL: I think Ari is a little type A. He will walk in the room and start barking orders, and at least that's what I am used to. But I have a strong personality myself. Johnny's strong. We all have our strengths.
I think what we do is we use all these strengths to work together. And in a situation like this, we can all blend into a great teamwork. MANN: With their brother at work elsewhere, Billy and Jean are here at the University of Miami facility, which has quickly grown into the largest field hospital in the country. 250 beds in tents on the grounds of the Port-au-Prince airport; a state of the art hospital with about 50 Haitian-American doctors and nurses among its volunteer staff.
J. FORD: Part of it has to do with how we were brought up here starting in Haiti about really being there for people, and that's what we are here to give back. Haiti gave us a lot.
MANN (on camera): The three brothers also have a sister Marlene who lives here in the Haitian capital. But they say they're putting off a family reunion until after all this is over.
Jonathan Mann, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: There is much more on Haiti and the situation there coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: First, we want to give you a check at some of the top stories before we hand it over to John King.
The White House reacting to a new terrorist threat issued this morning; the audiotape believed to be from that guy, Osama bin Laden. He claims al Qaeda was behind the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt over Detroit. Also vowing more attacks on the U.S.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod says the message contains the same hollow justification for the mass slaughter of innocents.
And one more -- end on a good note here with us this morning; incredible stories of survival still. That guy, after 11 days, he came out of the rubble. A 24-year-old, just a few scratches and a little hungry but he's ok.
Now it's time for us to hand it over to John King with "STATE OF THE UNION".
