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CNN Saturday Morning News

Rice Expected To Add Jordan To Her itinerary; Disputes Over Details Of Al Qaeda Attack In Jordan; Bush Fights Back Against Critics Of His Iraq War Policy; New Energy May Help Reduce Gas Demand; Too Many Possible Flight Collisions On Runways; Legislators Trying to Boost Federal Telecommuting; New Videos Of North Korea Released; Armistice Day Riots Possible; Pirate Attacks Of Coast Of Somalia Becoming A Problem; New Bird Flu Developments In Thailand; American Teens Honored For Fighting Poverty;

Aired November 12, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan wants to help the Iraqi people rebuild their country and their lives. Annan is in Baghdad this morning where he plans to have a town hall style meeting with Iraqi officials.
In France the rioting continues for a 16th consecutive night. This is video from Strasbourg, France. That's near the German-French border. Since the riots began, French authorities say 8,000 cars have been torched and 2,400 people have been arrested.

This was the scene outside Charlotte, North Carolina, about three hours ago. Just a push of a button and the former Pillowtex building, Betty, falls to the ground, implosion. There it is.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All the way to the ground.

HARRIS: The North Carolina research campus will be built on this site in just a few years.

And it's Saturday, November 12th, 10:00 a.m. in the east and 7:00 a.m. in the west.

NGUYEN: Right. You got your math down this morning. You're doing OK.

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: Made it past that. OK. Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with us.

We begin this hour in Amman, Jordan. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to add that country to her Middle East itinerary this weekend. She is now in Bahrain following a surprise Veterans Day visit to Iraq. Rice also has Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank on her agenda.

Now, in Bahrain, Rice participated in a forum promote democracy in the Middle East. She used the meeting to single out Syria for criticism on its human rights record, especially what she calls arbitrary detentions of democracy activists in that country. Her expected detour to Jordan follows Wednesday's triple suicide attack at U.S.-owned hotels that killed 57 people and wounded more than 100.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a surprise visit to the bombing sites yesterday. And all of which brings us to today's new developments in the Jordanian terror investigation.

Authorities there confirm al Qaeda's role, but they dispute other details that the group has claimed. Let's go now live to CNN's Jonathan Mann in Amman with an update. So to sort it out, Jonathan, these disputes center over whether a woman was involved in the bombings. What have you learned?

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are hearing different things from different sources. Al Qaeda issued a statement on the Internet saying that in fact a woman was with the bombers, the wife of one of the bombers who al Qaeda said wanted to join her husband in martyrdom. If that's true, it would be remarkable, perhaps the first time that the world has ever seen a husband and wife team of suicide bombers.

For days, journalists have been asking the authorities here about that. They said they could not confirm that a woman was involved and even as recently as today they said there were three suicide bomber, all of them believed, according to a senior government official, to be Iraqis.

They went to the country three days before the attacks, hid in an apartment and then carried out the bombings with -- we are told, once again, by another senior government official -- with a woman. In fact, these details are unconfirmed, but in an exclusive interview with King Abdullah, CNN's Brent Sadler did seem to hear the king confirming that fact. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: To walk into a lobby of the hotel, to see a wedding procession and to take your wife or your spouse with you into that wedding and blow yourself up -- these people are insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: It may have been a rhetorical comment by the king, but certainly an extraordinary thing. Fifty-seven people are dead. This city is in shock, very angry. People have been out in the streets and to add to all of this, a precedent, a sad and tragic precedent, the first potentially husband and wife suicide bombers being identified here in Amman.

Once again, government officials on camera will not say explicitly that they know it's true. That's just what we heard from the king who would, one would presume, be in a position to know -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Very interesting. Thank you very much. Jonathan Mann in Amman, Jordan for us. today. HARRIS: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Baghdad this morning where he is talking tough on terrorism. Annan says a comprehensive convention against terrorism is possible by year's end. His meetings include top Iraqi officials where he'll offer U.N. support in helping the Iraqi people. Annan's visit was preceded in stops at bombed hotels in Jordan where 57 people were killed Wednesday.

There was no letup in the violence in Iraq surrounding Annan's visit. A car bomb exploded outside a market in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad. Four people were killed, all of them women. Forty other people were injured. Some believe the attack is another attempt by terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to feed unrest between Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis.

President Bush threw down the gauntlet to critics of his Iraq war policies with the spirit of defense of his strategy. The president accused his political opponents of rewriting the history of how the war began. CNN's Elaine Quijano has details now live from the White House. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. That's right. President Bush's pointed remarks yesterday at a Veterans Day speech are drawing fire from Democrats. It was yesterday at an army depot in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania that President Bush blasted Democratic critics for accusing the administration of twisting pre-war intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Of course, that intelligence turned out to be wrong, but President Bush's forceful response to that criticism comes at a time when polls are showing sagging public support for the president's Iraq policy.

Nevertheless, as he has in the past, Mr. Bush maintained again yesterday the United States will stay the course. At the same time he called Democrats' renewed attacks on pre-war intel baseless and he said they were hurting U.S. efforts in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq and that is their right and I respect it. As president and commander in chief, I accept the responsibilities and the criticisms and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.

While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision of the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, after President Bush delivered that speech, Democrats quickly took aim, Senator Harry Reid saying the president was attacking quote, "patriotic Americans who have raised serious questions about the case the Bush administration made to take the country to war."

But, Tony, in the coming days, look for this back and forth to continue. The administration will continue forcefully rebutting its Democratic critics and will be enlisting the help of GOP allies on Capitol Hill -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Elaine, quick question for you. With the poll numbers where they are for the president, job approval numbers at what, 37 percent, or wherever they are -- I know they're close to that.

QUIJANO: That's about right for one poll.

HARRIS: Is that about right?

QUIJANO: Yes, an AP-Ipsos poll, in fact, showing 37 percent, but really a lot of the polls have been showing below 40 percent, but I'm sorry. Continue what you ...

HARRIS: No, no, no. I was just going to ask you, how does taking on the Democrats and pushing back against their claims, how does that help the president with the people? It seems should be talking to the American public.

QUIJANO: Well, it's an interesting point, Tony, because among those poll numbers not just the Iraq numbers, not just the overall approval ratings, but also we've seen a drop when it comes to the question of honestly and how Americans view President Bush on that question.

And just yesterday that AP-Ipsos poll, the same one showing 37 percent overall approval rating, people were asked to say -- they were asked to use different adjectives to describe President Bush. Fifty- seven percent did not use the word honesty to describe him and that's what has the White House worried.

Because they understand that the Democrats are lobbying these charges which are not new, by the way. I mean, we've heard these really for a number of years now. The Democrats certainly not coming out with a new charge, but what's changed is the environment, you know?

You have the CIA leak investigation still ongoing and the White House is very much aware that that all has had an effect on people's perception. So they think if the president, if other official come out swinging hard that they can do something and turn around those poll numbers, Tony.

HARRIS: Very good, very good. Elaine Quijano at the White House for us. Elaine, thank you.

NGUYEN: All right. We're going to continue on these numbers now. Mr. Bush has little more than two years to pull his presidency out of this quagmire. His approval rating around, as you just heard, around 37 percent is the lowest of his presidency. Presidents Johnson, Reagan, and Clinton also slipped into the mid to high 30s during their terms.

Lyndon Johnson, hobbled by Vietnam, declined to seek re-election, but Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both rebounded. Other presidents tried but failed to mount comebacks. Truman, Nixon, Carter and George H. W. Bush saw their numbers slump into the 20s. Nixon resigned before his second term ended. Ford, Carter and George H. W. Bush never recovered and voters, well they turned their backs.

HARRIS: FEMA, FEMA, FEMA, FEMA, FEMA under fire again in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This time there are complaints minority- owned companies are being shortchanged when it comes to awarding no- bid contracts for rebuilding. Those contracts are worth up to $100 million each for temporary housing and they've been given to four large firms with ties to the Bush administration.

That triggered charges of favoritism. FEMA promised to reopen its four biggest deals and hire more minority firms a month ago. Now there is word FEMA won't award those contracts again until February.

NGUYEN: Across America now, funeral services are scheduled throughout the weekend for those killed in last week's tornado. On Sunday, a deadly twister as you recall swept through Indiana and Kentucky. In one mobile home park in Evansville, Indiana, 19 people were killed.

Now to Vermont. State police are investigating a deadly shooting inside a police station. Police say a man being booked pulled out a knife and attacked an officer. The suspect was shot and killed during that struggle. The man had appeared in court earlier and was not in custody or wearing handcuffs when he went to be fingerprinted.

As the slogan goes, don't mess with Texas, but it should include Texas grannies aren't to be toyed with either. This woman shot a man who tried to break into her house while running from police. She was home with her granddaughter and a .48. The girl called 911 while granny held him at bay for the police.

HARRIS: Hey now. In Northern Virginia, investigators are baffled by a very brazen female bank robber. Take a look at this surveillance video. This woman makes no attempt to mask her identity and appears to be talking on the cell phone there during the robbery. Is the phone a prop or is she getting instructions from the person on the other end?

CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She looks distracted. Maybe even rude, but law enforcement officials in Northern Virginia say this young lady is more focused than she appears.

SHERIFF STEVE SIMPSON, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA: This particular bank when she went in, was apparently on the cell phone when she went in the door. Went over to the teller, handed her a note, opened up a brown purse, and showed her that it was a handgun inside the purse. The teller gave her the money, and out the door she went.

TODD: At this bank and two others in Northern Virginia, law enforcement officials say the woman was on her cell phone while conducting robberies. They say she has robbed a total of four banks in the area over the past month, all of them branches of Wachovia Bank.

No one has been hurt, and officials won't say how much money she has gotten away with. But there are key questions authorities say they cannot answer. Is she talking to an accomplice? Is the person at the other end directing her, reassuring her, or even threatening her? Is there someone at the other end or is the phone just a prop?

Authorities and criminologists also have different theories on why she is using a phone.

PROFESSOR JACKIE SCHNEIDER, CRIMINOLOGIST, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: She might be thinking that it's a distraction. She just looks like a normal person talking on the cell phone. And the bank teller isn't suspicious in any way, shape or form. And there's no guns blazing. There's no hooded, you know, scary people coming in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: What is that? Once again, that was CNN's Brian Todd reporting.

NGUYEN: Well, has the high price of gasoline got you thinking about the future? Ready to put that gas guzzler in the garage for good?

HARRIS: Sure.

NGUYEN: Some people -- yes, some people are. Straight ahead this morning, some new technology could be just the answer you need.

HARRIS: And some terrific teens tackling something tough global issues. Now they're being rewarded for their kindness and compassion. They'll join us a little later. You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Did you watch oil industry executives as they testified before a Senate panel this week? The defended their record profits saying it's just business. Profits go up; they go down. But are you buying what they're selling? That brings us to our e-mail question of the morning. What, if anything, did you learn from the oil executives hearing on the Hill this week? Send us your thought, weekends@CNN.com.

Look out. It's the gas grinch. Gas prices may put a damper on the holidays this year. They are on a downward trend right now, but that's all relative. Prices are still at historic highs. Perhaps this is a good time to take a closer look at alternative sources of energy before the gas grinch steals Christmas.

Joining us now from Washington is an expert on alternative energy sources, Philip Deutch is the managing partner of NGP Energy Technology Partners. Good to see you, Philip.

PHILIP DEUTCH, NGP ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: Nice to be here.

HARRIS: What did you make of the hearings this week?

DEUTCH: Well, I think it, you know, takes a very complicated issue and it puts a face on it. It makes some people mad because they see all the money that's being made but it is a good chance to talk about how complex the problem is.

HARRIS: How complex is it?

DEUTCH: It's very complex. We want cheap energy, obviously, and it hurts America when we see high oil and gas prices, but on the other hand, there is a big supply problem in the world. There's a big refining problem in the world and I think it's good to have the people understand the various sides of the issue.

HARRIS: Why have we allowed ourselves to be so dependent on a source of energy that is prone to such wild fluctuations, given the wind direction from one week to the next?

DEUTCH: that's a great question. And the reason we've allowed ourselves to become so dependent is that petroleum is such a great product. You know, it fuels the cars, it allows us to drive as far and as long as we want. It's really a very convenient way to store energy and get us to do the things we want to do.

HARRIS: Do these oil executives understand that when the prices start to slide as they have over the last two to three months, that is the kind of phenomenon that fuels this suspicion that there is range in pricing, that they somehow control the pricing mechanism here.

DEUTCH: Yes. That's a great question that only they can answer at some level, but I think you're exactly right that the fluctuations in the pricing are what caused the public to be so upset. It's a black box to people out there.

One day they go to the pump, they see a cheap price. The next day it's very high. They don't understand why. And I think the most important thing is to explain to people, you know, what the various forces are because it's very likely over the next five or ten years we'll see increased fluctuations, high and low.

HARRIS: Hey Philip, chart our course out of this. We're in it now. How do we get out of it?

DEUTCH: The way we get out of it is finding technologies that, whether it be hybrid vehicles or natural gas-fired vehicles, that help reduce dependence on foreign oil. We find that by commuting together you know, carpooling, doing mass transit. We have to cut down our demand and find ways to increase supply. It's the very basic economics of it.

HARRIS: What is the most viable new technology out there right now, do you think?

DEUTCH: To reduce demands on petroleum, I think the hybrid technologies are certainly the most interesting and viable. You know, you or I could go tomorrow and buy any number of one of hybrid vehicles that use less oil.

HARRIS: So, that's where we are right now. Do you see gas prices sort of hitting a floor? A new floor? Is the new floor going to be $2 a gallon? Is it going to be $2.50 a gallon? Where is this thing going to level out?

DEUTCH: You know, we have a little bit of a saying for those of us who are in and around energy investing. No one smart really tries to predict oil prices or gas prices, just like the stock market.

So I'm going to have to try and not prove myself an idiot and avoid that question.

HARRIS: Yes.

DEUTCH: I think I'd say that there's going to be a lot of volatility because we have such tight supply and such huge demand, but it's just too hard to tell where things month to month and year to year.

HARRIS: Does alternative energy necessarily mean cheap?

DEUTCH: No. Not at all. Most alternative energies are more expensive than traditional energies and that gets back to your first question of why do we use so much oil. Because it's cheaper.

HARRIS: Yes. Philip Deutch is the managing partner of NGP Energy Technology Partners. Philips, good to see you. Thanks for your time.

DEUTCH: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Well, Bonnie Schneider has your weekend weather forecast. That's coming up next.

Plus, too close for comfort, trains barely missing each other on the nation's runways. Now new technology could prevent runway accidents. We're going to tell you all about that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Oh it is 10:22 in the morning Saturday, CNN SATURDAY MORNING back with you. A live picture now of New York City, the Time Warner building. I think that's the Hudson. Yes, just below Columbus Circle. Good morning, New York. Good morning, Bonnie Schneider in the CNN Weather Center. Good looking day in New York.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. We want to turn our attention now to airport safety. Managing the thousands of commercial flights every day is a delicate ballet. It requires expert training and split second decisions, but inevitably, mistakes are sometimes made in the control tower.

CNN's Kathleen Koch looks at ways the industry is trying to make your departures and arrivals as uneventful as possible.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's aviation safety officials' worst nightmare: two massive aircrafts colliding on a runway. It happened in the Canary Islands in 1977, killing 582 people. In the United States, 59 people have died in runway collisions involving commercial aircraft since 1990.

According to National Transportation Safety Board, from January through August of this year, there were 324 cases where planes had a runway incursion, potentially risking a collision.

MARK ROSENKER, ACTING CHMN., NTSB: That's too many. And to run on just luck and perhaps some outstanding airmanship to revert these types of terrible, terrible disasters is not a way to run our nation's air system.

KOCH: The NTSB Tuesday will call for the development of a system to give pilots immediate warning of a possible collision, something it's asked for since 1990. The Federal Aviation Administration says it is improving runway safety by requiring better runway markings where taxiways and runways intersect.

It's also testing a system of red lights at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to let pilots know they're approaching a runway where a plane is taking off or landing. The FAA released animation recreating a near runway collision between two planes in Boston in June, then how that same incident could have been prevented if such a red light system had been in place.

(on camera): But that system is years from final approval and even then there's no guarantee it would be funded.

(voice-over): One system is going into 14 airports that will for the first time allow air traffic controllers in any type of weather to locate and identify planes on the runway.

MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: Including specifics about the direction, the name of the aircraft, exactly what its tail number is, et cetera, so they can really make a quick call in terms of, hey, this one's getting too close to the line, too close to another aircraft.

KOCH: Air traffic controllers applaud the improvements, but wish they would come sooner and cover more airport. JOHN CARR, NATL. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ASSN.: There's more than just 14 airports in this country with complex runway layouts, heavy passenger implanements, lots of physical air traffic movement that really need the technology now.

KOCH: Some say that creates a have and have not situation when it comes to runway safety. Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And from flying to driving, up next, sick of emptying your wallet and your gas tanks just to get to work? Well, now there's an alternative out there for you. We'll tell you about federal telecommuting, heard of it?

NGUYEN: I've heard of it.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: We'll see if we can take part in that, Tony.

And a little bit later, pictures too horrible to imagine and ones we never get to see until now. A "CNN PRESENTS SPECIAL, INSIDE NORTH KOREA." We have a sneak peek, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Now in the news, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Baghdad this morning offering help to the Iraqi people, trying to rebuild their war-torn country. He's calling on Iraqi factions to reconcile ahead of next month's elections. Now earlier, Annan visited Jordan and saw two of the three hotels attacked by terrorists this week.

Jordanian officials are now confirming what a Web site was claiming earlier that Wednesday's trio of fatal hotel bombings in Amman were the work of al Qaeda in Iraq. One Web site claims that are being discounted right now by Jordanian officials, cites that one of the suicide bombers was a woman. We're getting details on that and we'll bring it to you as soon as we get it.

Also in Liberia, it looks as if voters have elected their first- ever female president. Former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has a commanding lead over her opponent who says Tuesday's run off vote was unfair. Former President Charles Taylor faces U.N. charges of war crimes relating to Liberia's civil war.

HARRIS: Gas prices, gridlock, road rage, wouldn't it be great to spend less time in your car especially driving to and from work? Federal telecommuting initiatives are one way to ease dependence on oil and gas. Gary Nurenberg is live in Washington with the details. Gary, good morning. How does this work?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Tony. We are at a gas station just a few blocks from the United States Capitol where regular this morning is $2.399. If some legislators on the Hill have their way, gas stations like this are going to be far less busy because more workers will be telecommuting, working from home or from those telecommuting centers in the suburbs.

The idea is to cut traffic congestion, reduce oil consumption and allow workers to have more time with their families. The legislation passed earlier this year threatened some Federal agencies with essentially $5 million fines if they can't prove they're increasing telecommuting by their staffs. Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia says the pros far outweigh the cons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. FRANK WOLF (R) VIRGINIA: The pros are so long. One, it's good for business, it's good for government, saves the taxpayer money. It's good for the family, more time to spend with your kids or your family. Be active in a little league or sing in a church choir. It's good for the environment, taking cars off the road. So it's good for congestion and good for traffic. The cost of gasoline now, with gasoline up to $2.75, $3 a gallon saves money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: Iris Bowman is an example. The Maryland woman works at the National Institutes of Health, but drives only a short of distance to a suburban telecommuting center that provides her office needs and cuts her travel time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IRIS BOWMAN, TELECOMMUTER: Aside from reducing stress, spending time with my family and saving me money you know on gas prices, those are the advantages of being able to telecommute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: Well, the plan, Tony, was to talk to people spending a lot of money filling up their cars at the gas tank about what they thought of telecommuting, but obviously, they're telecommuting and aren't here.

HARRIS: Hey, look, they're not driving, OK. They're conserving. There you go, at least at this hour of the morning. Gary, thank you.

NURENBERG: OK.

HARRIS: And don't forget about this morning's e-mail question, what, if anything, did you learn from the oil executives hearing on the Hill this week? We'll read some of your responses in just a bit.

NGUYEN: North Korea isn't called the hermit kingdom for nothing. It is among the most mysterious and secretive places on earth due to a totalitarian government that has locked it from outsiders for decades now. Now tomorrow night, "CNN PRESENTS" offers an unprecedented peek inside North Korea using hidden video shot by dissidents. Here's a story you'll see only on CNN, an excerpt from CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno and we want to warn you, some of the footage is brutally graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea, March, 2005, a crowd has been ordered to gather in an open field. A party official makes an announcement. Children have been brought to watch. The sentence is about to be passed. Three men are about to die. These people have committed the crime most damaging to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il. They made contact with the outside world.

Three policemen step forward and raise their rifles. On the left, a prisoner is tied to a pole. This video was passed from person to person along a secret underground network, powerful evidence of public executions under the regime of Kim Jong Il.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And you can watch this eye-opening story, "Under Cover in the Secret State" in its entirety tomorrow night on "CNN Presents." That's beginning at 8:0 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

HARRIS: And let's take a look at what's making news around the globe this morning.

NGUYEN: French authorities are beefing up security after more than two straight weeks of rioting. Shanon Cook has more now for us from the international desk. Good morning, Shanon.

SHANON COOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty and Tony and greetings from the international desk. It's actually a holiday weekend in France at the moment as the French commemorate Armistice Day. So thousands of police are on alert and public gatherings in the nation have been banned until Sunday.

Riot police line the Champs-Elysees to guard against potential attacks in Paris. So far central Paris has largely been spared much of the rioting that has been occurring around the country. Last night was the 16th straight night of unrest and arson attacks in France. Police say that the unrest is subsiding in some areas, but it's persisting in others.

Now, we've been keeping track of the situation in the waters off the coast of Somalia where modern-day pirate attacks have become a frequent problem. There have been six attacks in the past week and that includes an attack on a luxury cruise ship a week ago. In that incident, pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades, but the ship managed to outrun the attackers' boats.

Most apprehended vessels do in fact manage to escape, but we're told that seven ships and their crews are now being held captive by pirates and we've learned that officials are in search of a mother ship that's believed to be dispersing speed boats carrying pirates.

The ship was spotted drifting off the coast of Somalia in July and then two more times in this past week. Some shipping companies are calling on the U.N. to address this growing threat from pirates and meanwhile, officials are also warning merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles away from the coastline. Betty?

NGUYEN: Talking about growing threats, the bird flu, there's a new development in Thailand. Tell us about that.

COOK: Yes. A one-year-old boy from Thailand has tested positive to the deadly H5N1 strain in a hospital. It's believed that he contracted the illness from playing with chickens infected with avian flu. Those birds actually ended up dying and Thai public health officials say the boy is recovering in an intensive care unit, not the first case of human bird flu in Thailand.

Since 2004, 21 people in that country have contracted bird flu and 13 of them have died. It seems that about half of the people who do contract the disease end up dying. There's been more than 120 people infected so far with the deadly strain. Half of those have died.

Meanwhile, China has confirmed a fresh outbreak of bird flu in poultry in one of its provinces. (INAUDIBLE) cases of human bird flu confirmed in China as yet and of course Betty, President Bush is expected to visit China in about a week's time and three other Asian nations and it's expected that bird flu and the possibility of the bird flu pandemic will be very high on the agenda of things to talk about.

NGUYEN: No doubt. It is a growing concern. Thank you, Shanon Cook from the international desk.

COOK: Thank you.

NGUYEN: All right. One is helping to support AIDS-affected orphans in Kenya. The other helping a community rebuild after a deadly tsunami. Coming up this morning, two terrific teenagers with one mighty mission to wipe out global poverty. Their remarkably stories are up next.

HARRIS: And good morning, New York City, the Battery to the Bronx, jump on the number one train, see it all, each and every stop. It will take a while. Your complete weather forecast coming straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If you're just joining us, here's a look at this morning's top stories in Iraq. Police commandos raided an area of Baquba early this morning detaining about 360 people including the city's deputy mayor. Most of those arrested are accused of having ties to insurgents.

On the Gulf coast, contractors working to repair the hurricane zones say they're actively looking for local workers, but they admit they're also turning to day laborer programs which often include illegal aliens. This according to a report in today's "Washington Post."

Out with the old and in with the new. Near Charlotte, North Carolina, a former industrial plant falls to the ground. 3, 2, 1, the 43-year old plant was imploded just a couple of hours ago. A research facility will soon go up on the site.

NGUYEN: They're not your average teenagers. Five American teens get top honors for their exceptional work in the fight against global poverty. The awards are from NetAid which is a New York-based non- profit organization that works to educate young people about world poverty. Two of this year's honorees are with us today.

Mihiri Tillakaratne, an 18-year-old from California, helped raise $25,000 to help build a pre-school in Sri Lanka after a powerful tsunami hit the country. And 18-year old Rob Stephens from North Carolina organized charity events to help house AIDS orphans in Kenya. A lot of good work being done by these two. Rob joins us now from Raleigh and Mihiri is in Washington this morning. Thanks for being with us both of you.

ROB STEPHENS, 2005 NETAID HONOREE: Thank you for having us.

MIHIRI TILLAKARATNE, 2005 NETAID HONOREE: Thank you for having us.

NGUYEN: Sure, absolutely. It's a wonderful think that you're both doing and we're going to talk about those specifically. Rob, let's start with you. You are 18 years old, a freshman in college. You've got a lot on your plate, a lot of things going on. What inspires you to help orphan with AIDS in Kenya.

STEPHENS: Well, it actually started with my family. We were living in Kenya in 1999 and my family actually adopted two kids from Kenya and we came back and just thinking about the other 13 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, that we had to go back and do something for them as well. So with my family is where it started.

NGUYEN: It's one thing Rob, to want to do something, but it's a whole other ball game when you really put those word and those thoughts into action. So how did you get started?

STEPHENS: It started with some speakers coming over from Kenya and it started with just conversations with different high school students and teachers and it's just an amazing response that people had to the cause of AIDS orphans crisis in Africa and there were a lot of conversations.

NGUYEN: Tell us what you're doing to help these orphans and how also you're getting students involved.

STEPHENS: Well, we're supporting a home, new life homes through the Amani (ph) Children's Foundation in Kenya which is a organization that takes in abandoned children, which is a huge problem in Kenya and is actually pushing for adoption. Here in the states what we've been doing is kind of meeting students where they are and finding their talents and their skills and their passions and using that to fight the AIDS orphans crisis and just kind of finding their, you know, the ideas that they already have and the passion they already have.

NGUYEN: And you've won $5,000 for all of the great work that you do. Where is that money going to be used?

STEPHENS: Well, we've started an annual trip to Kenya and leadership development trip to learn about the AIDS orphans crisis through the Amani Children's Foundation and so I'm going to use that as a scholarship for students to go over to Kenya with us and that may not have been able to afford to go with us before. So that is what it's going to go for.

NGUYEN: I've got to ask you this though. You are still so young. You're doing great work all across the globe here, half a world away. That has got to make you feel so good inside. Oftentimes you talk about what you do to help others. But it's amazing what this does for you. So tell us a little bit about the reward that you've received by doing this.

STEPHENS: I think that's very true and I think young people understand that a lot more. I think that's what NetAid is doing in engaging young people in this fight because young people understand that helping someone in Africa helps us as well that we are all connected together. And so there's certainly huge rewards. It brings all sorts of different people together so the rewards are amazing.

NGUYEN: It's such a good feeling, too. Mihiri, let's talk to you for a minute because you are helping take on poverty in Sri Lanka. Did you start this before the tsunami hit?

TILLAKARATNE: Yes, I did. I've been actually working on this issue with rural (ph) Sri Lankans for the past 10 years.

NGUYEN: How'd you get involved?

TILLAKARATNE: When I was eight years old, I met the head of the largest NGO in Sri Lanka and I was looking through his photo albums and I decided that I had to do something to help rural Sri Lankan children.

NGUYEN: And you're doing in many different ways. Let's take them one by one. One, you have an eyeglass clinic. Talk to us about how that works.

TILLAKARATNE: Well, every time we go to Sri Lanka, we take used eyeglasses that are donated from optometrists in the Los Angeles area and we go around Sri Lanka and we hold mobile eye glass clinics and we distribute them for free.

NGUYEN: That is just really wonderful. It means so much. Being able to see, that helps people in so many different ways basic, but it's a big deal. You are also helping build homes. Was this sparked by the tsunami?

TILLAKARATNE: Yes, it was. Our reconstruction projects actually yesterday, we handed over the keys to the 50 families that are going to go in our 50 homes.

NGUYEN: Fifth homes!

TILLAKARATNE: Yes.

NGUYEN: Is that many more than you had imagined when you started this?

TILLAKARATNE: Yes. The fund-raising effort has been long and hard, but the response has been amazing. I went to schools in the Los Angeles area after the tsunami hit and mobilized kids there and they raised $25,000 to build five homes for reconstruction efforts.

NGUYEN: That is just remarkable. All right, I got to ask you the same question. You, of course, we're looking at pictures, an award winner with NetAid global action and you got $5,000 bucks for that. How are you going to use that money?

TILLAKARATNE: Well, for the past several years, I've been trying to work on a water project for several villages in rural Sri Lanka and I'm finally going to get that off the ground with this money and so I can start building the water project.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you this quickly though. You've done so many things in so many different areas. It's got to make you feel such a huge sense of accomplishment. So when you give to others, what do you get back?

TILLAKARATNE: What I get back is just an amazing feeling that I can mobilize others and that also people can work amongst themselves and seeing people taking charge of their own lives and taking action and helping each other build a more successful future for themselves. It's wonderful to see.

NGUYEN: The power of knowledge and encouraging people to help themselves, but it takes one person to get that started and both of you have done that. We appreciate what you do. Obviously, you've been awarded for good reason. Rob Stephens Mihiri, we appreciate what you do and we thank you for your time today.

STEPHENS: Thank you for having us.

NGUYEN: Take care. Tony, amazing, aren't they, really remarkable.

HARRIS: That's great. Bonnie Schneider is here. She'll be back after the break with your complete weekend forecast.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. We've got a lot to talk about. Some snow coming into certain parts of the country.

HARRIS: That's coming up. Plus, don't forget this morning's e- mail question. What, if anything, did you learn from the oil executives hearing on the Hill this week? We'll read some of your responses when we come back.

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NGUYEN: Got to tell you, Bonnie, when you wake up these days you better know what the weather is like, because it's getting cold. I needed to come in with a coat.

HARRIS: A little sweater or something.

NGUYEN: I needed something, but I didn't bring it. I need to call you before.

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NGUYEN: Get out there today.

HARRIS: E-mail question of the day, wow! Thank you for all the responses.

NGUYEN: On fire.

HARRIS: On fire, yes, yes. Here's the question, did you learn anything? What, if anything, did you learn from the oil executives' hearing on the Hill this week? Greg writes in, I learned the following formula from the congressional inquiries. Record profits, plus record high prices equal price gouging.

NGUYEN: Well, David from Richmond Virginia, says baseball players and oil executives, if they wish to change jobs, let them run for the House of Representatives. They certainly know enough about spin to join the capitol club. I just wish that this had been the year for congressional elections.

HARRIS: And this from Arlene. I learned that our senators and congressmen will call companies to answer questions and they take the company's very lame excuses for the price hikes and then do nothing, no fines, no put back into the industry by building new refineries, et cetera.

NGUYEN: And Jeff says, at first I was outraged at the failure to swear in the executives. Then I thought, where are my manners? One does not swear in the body that presides over you. Obviously the esteemed senator from Alaska knows his place, referring to the senator who said that they needed to be sworn in.

HARRIS: Yes, that's right. Thank you for your responses to the e-mail question.

New hour, CNN's Brent Sadler has an exclusive interview with King Abdullah in Jordan. We'll have a live report from Brent at the top of the next hour.

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