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CNN Saturday Morning News
Haitian Government Calls Off Search-and-Rescue Efforts; Miraculous Rescues Nurture Hopes More Quake Victims May Be Found Alive
Aired January 23, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this 23rd of January. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for being with us today. I'm Betty Nguyen.
OK, let's start with this: It has been 11 days since the deadly earthquake in Haiti. And now, the Haitian government says it has officially ended its search-and-rescue efforts.
HOLMES: Also this morning, for the first time, we're hearing an official death toll: 111,481 confirmed dead by the Haitian government. More than 600,000 people left homeless.
We're going to get back to the very latest on Haiti in just a moment. But first, we're going to give you a quick check of some headlines.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get right to that, because Britain has raised its terror threat level from "substantial" to "severe." A government official says a terrorist attack is -- quote -- "highly likely," but he adds there is no intelligence to suggest an attack is "imminent."
The change was announced just weeks after that failed Christmas Day plane-bombing attempt over Michigan.
HOLMES: Well, Democrats say they want to push ahead on health- care reform. But losing the Senate seat in Massachusetts puts that kind of in limbo. They are torn over to how to proceed now with the plan without the luxury of their supermajority.
Senator Chris Dodd advising against pushing a decision forward. Other party leaders say they'll move forward with the plan to overhaul it, though they haven't said how. Congressional aides are at work this weekend trying to find some sort of compromise.
NGUYEN: Well, the first of the 30,000 troops going into Afghanistan have arrived. The troops are part of that surge approved by President Obama. They will help train the Afghan army.
The troops' arrival comes just days before an international conference on Afghanistan in London. HOLMES: We're going to turn back to Haiti now, where the government, as we just said, announced the first official death toll: more than 111,000 people killed in that January 12 quake. More than 600,000 people left homeless.
Also, the Haitian government has declared the search-and-rescue phase over. The U.N. says international search teams were able to rescue 132 people since that quake hit.
And for a 22-year-old Haitian man, he defied the odds and he's sure glad that the search and rescue was called off today instead of yesterday, because he was, in fact, pulled from the ruins of a three- story building by an Israeli team yesterday.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, in the middle of all the destruction and heartbreak in Haiti, there are some signs that things are beginning to return to normal.
HOLMES: Yes, but as we hear now from CNN's Jason Carroll, this is a long journey back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Haitian people are incredibly resilient. As -- as we've traveled through the city, we've seen small signs of people taking steps to try to move on with their lives. But as you can imagine, each step is not an easy one.
(voice-over): Tense moments at a Unibank just outside the city of Carrefour: People who lined up and waited for hours to receive wire transfers for the first time since the earthquake, pushed back by armed guards.
(on camera): We don't want Astrid Napoleon (ph) to lose her spot in line, so we're just going to do our interview with her here because she's been waiting here since 7:00 a.m. for this bank to open.
So I asked her, tell me what it's been like for you. This has been the first time you've been able to get access and get in here and get money, yes?
(voice-over): She says she's hopeless because she has nothing at home. No money and nothing to eat. Later, Astrid gets out of line and gives up.
Here at Unibank, just one sign of how some are trying to get Port-au-Prince back on its feet. The trouble there, showing just how difficult it's going to be to do that.
ANDERSON BELLEGARDE, WAITING TO RECEIVE WIRED MONEY: It is hard for me to get in, and it's crazy out here. The line is very -- there's a lot of people here, and things -- there's no law and order.
CARROLL: Larger established stores hiring private security guards to watch properties damaged in the quake, but most business taking place here is happening on a smaller level, out on the streets. (on camera): As you can see here, this building has been destroyed, like so many here in Port-au-Prince. But right next to it they've set up a makeshift market. And we're seeing markets like this pop up all over the city, where people are coming out, starting to sell basic goods like vegetables, bread and sugar cane.
(voice-over): The problem? Some goods being sold are being done at inflated post-earthquake prices. That goes for gas, too. It has tripled in price, $26 a gallon.
But a haircut at this barbershop we found, still only $2 U.S. Now if the owner could only find customers with money to pay and gas to run his generator.
(on camera): Does it make you feel better opening up your door?
FRITZNEL VERMILUS, BARBER (through translator): Yes, because it's -- this is the only way we can preoccupy to a regular life, and without it, we cannot do anything more.
CARROLL (voice-over): The streets, a contrast of commerce. Someone gets a shoe shine. These men earning more money than ever trying to keep up demand for coffins.
(on camera): Business leaders tell us that the banks that can reopen should reopen fully on Saturday. That's going to be a great help to the Haitian people who need to get money and need to pay for the food and goods and for the business that say that at this point, they have no choice but to try and reopen.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Yes, life starting to get back to normal there, little by little.
And the Hope for Haiti concert -- well, that happened last night. I want you to take a look. Actors, artists, musicians, all of them taking call-in donations for people trying to recover from the earthquake.
We checked, and the contact number on your screen, the one that is up, the 1-877-994-2484 -- well, that is working this morning. Yes, people are answering it, if you still want to donate.
Actor George Clooney and singer Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, hosted the telethon. And here's Jean performing last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has a special report later this morning on the devastation and medical crisis in Haiti. Please join that, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." airs live at 7:30 Eastern.
HOLMES: Well, I want to tell you about a -- a big ruling yesterday made by the Supreme Court -- a controversial one that could be a game changer, a lot of people say. It allows big business and special-interest groups to donate even more money to political campaigns.
NGUYEN: Yes, and CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser says that could have a huge impact on the country's future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, guys.
Call it a game change. The Supreme Court this week opened the floodgates when it comes to corporate campaign spending. By a close 5- to-4 decision, the more conservative justices eased 100 years of restrictions on spending by corporations and unions in political campaigns.
The court also struck down a law that barred ads by big businesses and the unions in the closing days of election campaigns. The ruling comes just as things are starting to heat up for this November's crucial midterm elections, when all 435 in the House and more than a third in the Senate are up for grabs.
The Democrats will be defending their large majorities in both chambers. Add to that, 37 governorships are also up for grabs.
The Supreme Court ruling could unleash an avalanche of political ads on TVs across the country. The big question, of course: Which political party benefits the most? That's kind of too soon to tell, but an early guess: the Republicans. One indicator: Most Democrats, led by President Barack Obama, blasted the high court's ruling.
Meanwhile, most Republicans applauded the court's move.
Back to you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well, showers, thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail -- all that stuff...
NGUYEN: All of it!
HOLMES: ...is expected in several states today. Reynolds Wolf tracking all this stuff for us. We're going to talk to him in just a moment.
NGUYEN: Yes. And people in the Southwest, well they are not getting spared either. I want you to take a look at what they are waking up to in Arizona this morning. Check that out. Massive flooding in the streets. Reynolds will have a complete forecast in just a minute.
HOLMES: Also, getting support to the people in Haiti has not been an easy task. We're going to take a closer look at some tough decisions being made at the Catholic Relief Services.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: This is just one of a number of performances from last night, for the telethon, the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. Jay-Z and Rihanna, also throwing a little Bono in this performance.
For a lot of folks who are wanting to donate, something else to keep in mind: You still have a window -- I believe, Betty, correct if I'm wrong, but about a month still, until March 1....
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...you can get those donations in, and if you do, you can still write that off on your 2009 taxes.
So again, that is not certainly the main part for anybody who is trying to give, they want to help and want their money to go towards the people of Haiti. But something still to keep in mind. If you get those donations in before March 1, you can write those off on your 2009 taxes.
NGUYEN: Absolutely, and we'll be talking with a financial expert coming up shortly about that on what you actually need to make sure that does qualify and it does count.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: That is Alicia Keys performing last night in the global benefit Hope for Haiti Now.
And just a reminder, it's not over. If you still want to donate, if you didn't get a chance to last night, you still can, whether it's that organization or any of the others that are federally approved. And you can deduct that from your tax returns for the year 2009, so you don't have to wait until next year to deduct it. You can deduct it this year.
Stay with us. We'll have more information on that coming up.
But in the meantime though, you know, ever since the earthquake, CNN has been hearing from thousands of people all over the world. I know that when we check our e-mail, every day, there's several messages that say, 'Help me find my brother. Help me find my mom.'
And people out there just desperate to find their loved ones in Haiti.
HOLMES: And fortunately, there have been some positive updates we have gotten here, with people we have talked to via e-mail and the Facebook and Twitter, and also people we have had on the air.
And Josh Levs joining us now...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
HOLMES: ...with the stories of two more families.
Good morning to you, Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you guys.
Yes, we've been hearing throughout this week -- and I've been pretty much been -- been camped here throughout this week talking to families. And we're hearing from so many that are holding out hope that their loved ones are still alive beneath the rubble. And every time we get a survivor story, it gives them new hope.
I'm going to share a couple of those stories with you right now.
First, we're going to speak with a cousin of a man -- a man named Abdul Falpratto (ph), and you'll see his picture right here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: This is your cousin, Abdul Falpratto. And he is, as you understand it -- he's trapped underneath the Caribbean Market. Is that right?
VOICE OF CAROLINE PRATTO ZENNY, COUSIN TRABBED IN RUBBLE: That's correct.
LEVS: OK.
ZENNY: We received a text from him about two days the earthquake saying that he was alive under the rubbles in the market.
LEVS: He has a baby, right? And I also understand his wife was killed there. And yet his baby survived, is that right?
ZENNY: That is correct.
I have to tell you that we are firm believers in God, and we know that he will get not only us, but every other person who is...
LEVS: Yes.
ZENNY: ...suffering from this circumstance, he will give us hope and get us out of this situation. But what happened is, miraculously, he was there with him, his wife and the baby. And he was with a friend, who miraculously left the supermarket with the baby and left Adolpho (ph) inside with his wife, Sarah (ph).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So that little baby survives, and that family holding out hope that Adolpho will make it.
I also want to tell you the story of this man right here. He -- he is from the United States. He is an aid worker who just happened to arrive in Haiti on the day of the quake. He was there to do a water project.
His family has not heard from him since, but they are holding out hope for him to have made it. And you'll hear now from his mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE0
VOICE OF SALLY BALDWIN, SON TRAPPED IN RUBBLE: Ayman (ph) has always been a very, serving person. He was working with US A.I.D. to go to Capcion (ph). They were evaluating the infrastructure there.
He was a member of the Peace Corps. He's been a Big Brother, and knows no strangers. He's just a really fun-loving, adventurous...
LEVS: And I understand he...
BALDWIN: ...person.
LEVS: ...he just happened to arrive there, and he was at the Hotel Montana. We have some video of that.
The last time you heard from him, he was at the home -- Hotel Montana before the quake, is that right?
BALDWIN: Yes. He had sent a broadcast e-mail to the family about 11 minutes before the earthquake hit, to tell us that he had arrived safely.
LEVS: Sally, people all over the world are thinking of you and others in this similar situation.
What do you do to get through the day, when you're seeing pictures like that from the Hotel Montana -- what do you do to get through the day? What do you tell yourself? What do you hold on to?
BALDWIN: The hope that he'll be found, and watching information on Facebook and the people that they're bringing out. And you keep hoping that one of those will be your son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: You are hearing from -- we're hearing from tens of thousands of people. I myself have spoken to hundreds in the last just couple of days, and so many holding out hope. And the survivor stories, as I said, giving them hope.
Let's zoom in quickly. This is the man you we're just seeing, Brendan Beck (ph). And he's just one example of what are getting at our i-Report.
Take a look at this new section we now have set up, filled with names. It's searchable. It is alphabetical. Once in awhile, when you see a highlighted line, that means that someone has been reported found. And the others are still missing.
This is just the first page. The pages go on and on and on, thousands and thousands of names. Obviously, we love to see when people report that they have been found. And we encourage you to update your stories.
It's all there at i-Report, and you can find everything you need to, guys, at CNN.com/haitimissing.
So Betty and T.J., I'll tell you, families not losing hope in so many cases. And again, you know what -- obviously, are all over the world, people sharing that hope with them.
NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely. Especially in this time when the Haitian government has called an end to those search-and-rescue..
LEVS: That's right.
NGUYEN: ...missions there. I know families don't like to hear that, and they're still hoping...
LEVS: They're still hoping.
NGUYEN: ...that somehow, their loved ones will be found. And -- and so are we.
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: So thank you, Josh...
LEVS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: .. for that.
Want to check our top stories for you right now.
Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq meeting with Iraqi and U.S. leaders. He'll be talking about the upcoming Iraqi national elections. Now, the vice president is also expected to meet with a special representative for the United Nations, and he plans to take time out to visit U.S. troops stationed there.
It is his fourth visit to Iraq since he became vice president.
HOLMES: Well, film director Roman Polanski's request to be sentenced in absentia has been denied. A Los Angeles judge ruled yesterday that Polanski must return to the U.S. to find out if he'll go to prison.
Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to having sex with a 13-year-old, but then left the country before he was sentenced. He is currently under house arrest in Switzerland. That is where he was arrested in September on a fugitive warrant.
NGUYEN: Hundreds of Californians are headed back home this morning after getting all -- an all-clear sign from officials. Here's why: About 2,000 homes in the Los Angeles area, they were evacuated this week after torrential rains prompted fears of mudslides.
Officials have inspected the area and say it is now safe for most families to return.
HOLMES: Well, thousands of agencies and other groups trying to get aid and medical supplies into Haiti. And to say it hasn't been easy is an understatement.
NGUYEN: Oh goodness, yes.
Coming up, we get an up-close look at a non-government organization working to help earthquake victims, and the tough decisions that they are forced to make.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: That is Shakira performing last night for the global benefit Hope for Haiti Now. Shakira -- pretty -- just really a poignant song there.
And, of course, learning now that some 25 networks including MTV made this telethon -- get this -- available to 640 million homes worldwide. Again, you can continue to donate. Those donations here in the U.S. will be able to be deducted on your 2009 tax returns. So lots of efforts out there to make sure that people will donate. And the lines, in fact, are still open if you want to do so.
All right. So behind every meal handed out, our -- there is a doctor performing surgery, or maybe an orphan being housed in Haiti. But in order to make all of that happen, there's a network which is connecting your donations to a non-government organization working to help earthquake victims.
HOLMES: Yes, CNN's Drew Griffin was allowed inside what you could call a "war room" for the Catholic Relief Services. That's a group vowing to spend $25 million in Haiti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may look like a typical business meeting on a typical Tuesday morning, but the decisions made in this business meeting could very well, right now, who will live and who will die in Haiti tomorrow.
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got 30 trucks on call today.
GRIFFIN: The voice you are hearing is a Catholic Relief Services point man in Haiti. The struggle right now: fuel for trucks.
ANNIEMARIE REILLY, VICE PRESIDENT, OVERSEAS OPERTIONS: We should still be looking for potential diesel-fuel sources in Miami?
GRIFFIN: On the ground in Haiti, CRS becomes a supply chain, currently helping other agencies and the U.N. feed and temporarily house 50,000 people and climbing at the Pension Bill (ph) Golf Course.
At the same moment, truckloads of food are crossing the mountains from the Dominican Republic. And always, there is a search for planes.
REILLY: Got 737s, and now a 767.
GRIFFIN: And search for the supplies needed to fill them.
REILLY: We also don't have the -- the antibiotics that we were expecting. But we'll get those -- once we got those, they'll go down on an airplane.
GRIFFIN: The requests, the needs change sometimes moment by moment.
REILLY: So it's a constant feedback loop of communications with our people in Port-au-Prince.
Annemarie Reilly is head of overseas operations, trying to make the best decisions on what to buy, what to ship and where to ship without a lot of information.
REILLY: We're all -- you know, in the beginning stage is -- is very much sort of just dealing with the problem in front of you, but while trying to think, 'How do I make this more organized? How do I make sure we're getting to the people that really need it?'
GRIFFIN: Some decisions you don't think about, like supplying one of the hospitals -- most of which was destroyed -- with staff, food and medicine.
REILLY: We're sending out a truck today with drugs.
GRIFFIN: Over the course of just the next few days, this staff will arrange shipments of IV solutions, food, medical personnel and even 40,000 tarps...
REILLY: They can either be sourced out of -- out of California or Dubai.
GRIFFIN: ...along with a constant stream of medicine. But the bigger question now: What is next?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow will be the mailing to half a million of our donors.
GRIFFIN: CRS has already raised $16 million in a week. It is pledging at least $10 million more, short term.
During the second meeting, good news: a missing staff person has just been found.
REILLY: They found -- they found him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They did (INAUDIBLE)
REILLY: Yes. Yes. Yes, she's OK.
GRIFFIN: Then it's back to work. Life-or-death decisions need to be made.
Drew Griffin, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: You know, just within the past 24 hours, CRS began distributing large amounts of food to families, enough to last them about two weeks.
Now, the organization has received more than $19 million in donations to help earthquake victims in Haiti. And amazingly, its headquarters in Haiti survived the earthquake.
We also want to update you on two families that joined us last Saturday on our show. You may remember this guy; I showed you a picture of 5-year-old Rubens Rodney (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Cute little kid right there.
Well, he is alive and back in the U.S. this morning. Last Saturday, his older brother Rodney came on air in a plea to help find him. And he wasn't sure if Rubens was dead or alive.
Well, they did indeed find him alive, and he's now united with his mom and sister in Florida.
HOLMES: Another family with a much different and a much somber -- that's actually Rubens, that guy who was on last week. Or Rodney there -- John Rodney, who came on. He was...
NGUYEN: Ruben's brother.
HOLMES: And Rubens' brother, who wanted to -- to find his brother.
But the other family...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...that we had on last week, a much different outcome. This family -- Cybil Louis (ph) and her sisters and brother were a guest on our air last weekend. They had been trying to get their mother's body back to the U.S. from Haiti.
There she is, there on the right. They knew she was dead. That's one thing, and they were trying -- they didn't -- really didn't have a whole of time to mourn her death because they were a race -- in a race against time to try to get her body back because it was sitting up a morgue literally just decomposing. They couldn't get the body back to the U.S.
So that's what they were trying to do when they joined us last weekend. Well, I talked to the family last night, talk to Cybil. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring their mother's (ph) back to the U.S. for a proper burial like she wanted. So instead, a couple of family members actually went to the Dominican Republic, where they had hired a funeral home there to drive into Haiti, and then drive the body back to the Dominican Republic, where the remains were cremated there.
Now fortunately, two family members, a brother and sister, were able to be there at least...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...while the -- she was cremated, so the -- the body of the mother was not alone, if you will. And then last night, they landed at JFK around 8:00 with the ashes. Funeral now scheduled for next week.
But...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...you could still hear that pain in their voice last night when I talked to them. They...
NGUYEN: It's -- yes, it's not what they wanted.
HOLMES: It's not what they wanted.
NGUYEN: They absolutely wanted to have the mom back here on U.S. soil, and -- and -- and, you know, not have it this way.
But we learned something very interesting in that interview, in that -- it sounds very morbid, but it -- it's the factual truth, that if -- if a body does decompose to a certain extent, they will not allow it to be shipped to the U.S.
HOLMES: That's what they said. According to them, just the body would get to such a state that they couldn't bring it back. And they said they had -- they had gotten to that point. So this was their only option. They said the U.S. government did help at least find a reputable funeral home in...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ...Dominican Republic to drive in, and -- but certainly not what they wanted. But a funeral next week is planned. They don't know what they have planned for the ashes now, but not -- not what they wanted.
NGUYEN: Yes. Well, our heart goes out to that family indeed.
You know, weeks after -- and this is another story -- a foiled terror attack here in the United States, Britain is now raising its terror level.
HOLMES: Yes, this is happening now just before an international conference in Afghanistan.
Stay with us. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: So, Britain has raised its terror threat level from substantial to severe. A government official says that terrorist attack is, quote, "highly likely." Now, this raises their level to the second highest level that it could possibly go to.
Intelligence officials add they don't have any intelligence to suggest that an attack is imminent. The terror level change comes after, of course, that failed Christmas Day plane bombing in the U.S. Also days before two international conferences are set to take place on Yemen and Afghanistan, there, in Great Britain.
NGUYEN: In about 90 minutes Haitian Catholics will attend a special funeral mass for Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, he is the archbishop of Port-au-Prince. He died last Tuesday in the earthquake. And Mexican rescue workers pulled his body from the ruins at the cathedral where he preached. His funeral will take place, at the plaza in front of the demolished cathedral.
HOLMES: Also, a lot of people out there donating money to Haiti. And now you can actually write off those donations on your 2009 taxes. A lot of people, of course, have been texting in donations, calling them in, sending in checks, all that.
And Congress has now approved a bill that is allowing Americans to deduct those donations to Haiti relief efforts from, again, their 2009 taxes. So as you're about to file right now. We'll talk about charitable donations with our financial analyst Clyde Anderson coming up at 7:15 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Let's take you to Haiti now. The government has announced its first official death toll. More than 111,000 people were killed in the January 12th quake. More than 600,000 people left homeless. Also, the Haitian government has declared the search and rescue phase over. The U.N. says international search teams rescued 132 people since the quake hit.
And a 22-year-old Haitian man, he defied the odds. He was pulled from the ruins of a three-story building by an Israeli team yesterday. It is one of the stories of survival and just making it this long. Hopefully even though the search and rescue operation has been declared over we'll see more of that coming up. But I want to tell you some more stories of people who did the best as they could as they tried to wait for those rescuers to come.
HOLMES: Ed Lavandera has a story now of one woman who was found after being trapped for five days, literally, on her knees saying her faith kept her alive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIREILLE DITTMER, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: It happened so quickly that I just saw the whole, you know, building collapsing.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Mireille Dittmer saw the Caribbean Market building collapse around her. She tried to run, but in a split second, she was trapped cocooned inside.
DITTMER: There was no way for me to go on, to get out, because a lot of rubble started falling. And all I had to do was kneel down to protect myself.
LAVANDERA: She would spend the next five days in that position.
(On camera): And the whole time, did I understand this correctly, you're on your knees?
DITTMER: On my knees, five days.
LAVANDERA: For five days on your knees.
DITTMER: Like that.
LAVANDERA: That had to be excruciatingly painful.
DITTMER: Excruciating pain, yes. All here is bruised. I have like sores here, sores around here, because I was kneeling like this.
LAVANDERA: How did you not go crazy?
DITTMER: My faith in Jesus Christ, my faith in the Lord. I have a very strong faith. I read my Bible every day. And I started reciting -- whenever I felt I was, you know, feeling weak, I started reciting Psalms, and that gave me a strength again.
LAVANDERA (voice over): Mireille says she didn't eat, drink, or sleep, and lost track of time.
(On camera): It felt like 12 days?
DITTMER: Twelve days.
LAVANDERA: Because what could you see when you were in there?
DITTMER: Nothing, it was darkness, complete darkness.
LAVANDERA: Pitch black?
DITTMER: Complete silence.
LAVANDERA (voice over): But eventually some voices emerged, a man and a little girl total strangers instantly bonded.
DITTMER: We were praying, we were talking, giving each other strength. And then we kept many times altogether, we said we have got to keep, you know, the place where we're hearing noise that some people are there.
LAVANDERA: Mireille says she never doubted she'd be rescued, but others around her were feeling weak, dehydrated, scared.
DITTMER: We kept talking and saying we should not lose faith. We will not lose faith. Our faith will save us. Don't give up. That's the only thing we have. We have to hold on because there's nothing else you can do.
LAVANDERA: Mireille Dittmer was rescued five days after the quake, so were those unknown voices in the darkness. She was evacuated to South Florida where she has family and friends. Doctors say she'll soon be walking again, fully healed.
LAVANDERA (on camera): I think they said 108 hours basically sitting on your knees. I just don't know how people -- I don't know many people that can do that. I think I know one.
DITTMER: Nothing is impossible. Nothing is in impossible.
LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Boca Raton, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Boy, that is proof that nothing is impossible.
We're going to change gears, just for a minute, and give you the latest on the weather. Because folks in California they have been getting slammed with some rain.
HOLMES: Yeah, it is a nasty, nasty mess out there. It's been going on about a week now. We'll bring in our Reynolds Wolf talking about the possibility of mudslides. They still have a sticky ickey situation going on out there, man.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. The deal about mudslides is that when you have mudslides it can be kind of a delayed reaction. You could have the rain and then you could have a couple of days where the sun comes out and it is just picture perfect. And, then, after the rain is gone, when the sun is out, that's when the hillsides begin to collapse.
We've been focused like a laser beam so much on what has been happening in California. We have got to mention what's happening in the Four Corners, especially in Arizona. Let me show you something very quickly. Take a look at these rainfall totals. In Tucson, 10.2 inches of rainfall, Black Canyon, Scottsdale to Flagstaff to Phoenix, Arizona, we have had plenty of rainfall, more is on the way.
If you want to see what this rain looks like on the ground, we've got some video for you. Let's show you what we have. This video taken from Weeden (sic), Arizona. You see the roads washed out. Or Wenden, Arizona, just a nightmare situation not only for many of these people, these farmers in this area, but of course families.
There was a six-year-old boy that was washed away by these floodwaters because the low clouds, because of the torrential rain. Rescue workers were not able to get in there. They tried to find the boy with a helicopter, but no such luck, and today the search is going to resume. Just a nightmare situation.
This looks like the situation would see in the mid-Mississippi Valley during a flood season, or maybe even along the Gulf Coast during a hurricane. But this is what's been happening over parts of the Four Corners.
Let me show you something very quickly, on radar as we zoom in over parts of the Four Corners. What I want you to notice is areas like from Casa Grande southward to Phoenix, you're going to see relatively, pretty sparse rainfall moving through. But then you will notice some white popping up.
That is when that hits the higher elevation, we have that cooler air aloft. Certainly not out of the woods just yet. We have a little bit of a break in the action today, but the flood waters are going to remain in place.
As we pan off to the west, you will notice something else in the atmosphere. We see a line that appears to be moving in through parts of Texas and in through Arkansas. That line is actually part of a frontal boundary.
And as that frontal boundary drives its way from west to east what it is going to do is interact with that Gulf moisture, that coupled with a little bit of daytime heating will give you a chance of severe storms in places like, well, T.J.'s home state of Arkansas, back into Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and back into the Arkotec (ph). So it could be a rough day there to say the least.
Very quickly, in terms of temperatures; 64 Memphis, 51 Atlanta, 77 in Tampa a, and 50 in Las Vegas.
As usual, it is going to be a busy day weather wise and news wise, but hey, you're at the perfect place, you're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The Boss, there, one of over 100 celebrities who chimed in last night and took part in Haiti for now, or "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon expected to have raised millions and millions of dollars for the Haiti relief fund. And keep in mind, folks, you can still get donations in. And if you get them in by the first of March, you can write those off on your 2009 tax returns.
NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now, Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq meeting with Iraqi and U.S. leaders. They'll be talking about the upcoming Iraqi national elections. The vice president is also expected to meet with a special representative for the United Nations. And he plans to take time out to visit U.S. troops stationed there. This is his fourth visit to Iraq since he became vice president.
HOLMES: Well, the first of the 30,000 troops going into Afghanistan have arrived. The troops are part of that surge approved by President Obama. They will help train the Afghan army. The troops' arrival comes days before international conference on Afghanistan taking place in London.
NGUYEN: Democrats want to push ahead on health care reform, but losing the Senate seat in Massachusetts puts that all in limbo. They are torn over how to proceed with the plan without the luxury of a super majority.
Senator Chris Dodd is advising against rushing to make a decision. Other party leaders say they'll move forward with the plan to overhaul it though they haven't said exactly how they're going to do that. Congressional aides are at work this weekend trying to find some sort of compromise.
Well, late-night host Conan O'Brien says good night for the last time on the "Tonight Show."
HOLMES: It has been a short tenure, just seven months. He thought he'd be in that spot for a long time. But if you missed his emotional farewell, we're going to have that for you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, in the middle of all of that flooding in California, there was a dramatic rescue yesterday you have just got to see. Here it is. A firefighter jumped from a helicopter into the swollen Los Angeles River to rescue a stranded dog.
HOLMES: Yeah, a little struggle there. The panicked dog even bit the rescuer. Come on, pup. He's just trying to help you out. They did both make it out. No hard feelings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ST. GEORGES, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPT. As soon as I grabbed him, you know, he had just -- he was frightened. And, you know, now something -- somebody else in his view attacking him. He wasn't too thrilled about that. And he's going to defend himself. The fact that I'm there to help him is nice for him, but he doesn't understand that. So, you know, he was just doing what dogs do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, and you don't bite the hand that feeds or rescues you. The dog was taken to the rescue ambulance for treatment. The firefighter was treated for the bite.
NGUYEN: Check out that video, though. The dogs feet are still moving. Almost like what is going on here? I don't feel anything beneath me. I don't know if he was dog paddling or what. A little bit of a hard landing, but he's OK. It could have been worse.
All right. We'll move on to this. Because, you know, we've been talking about this, the saga has been going on for weeks now. NBC paid Conan O'Brien a whole lot of money to leave the "Tonight Show." And he says it is the hardest thing he's ever had to do.
HOLMES: The $32 million he got made it a little easier.
NGUYEN: Just a little bit.
HOLMES: $45 million in all, but a lot of that money went to the staff and the severance pay. O'Brien hosted the last -uh, for the last night, despite what some are calling a betrayal by NBC, O'Brien says he's not bitter at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": This massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming for me; the rallies, the signs. All these goofy outrageous creativity on the Internet. The fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain -- it's pouring.
(APPLAUSE)
O'BRIEN: It's been pouring for days. And they're camping out to be in our audience. Really. Here's what all of you have done. You made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. So to all of the people watching, I can never ever thank you enough for the kindness to me. I'll think about it for the rest of my life.
And all I ask is one thing. And I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch. Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you amazing things will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I love that message. Because there are a lot of those Team Conan shirts. And you saw on the Internet people saying they're not doing Conan right. This is not right. And for him to say, hey, young people, don't be cynical. Because a lot of people see that and saying we lost again. What are you going to do?
HOLMES: He wanted to go out the right way. And he'd been making jokes about it. And been pretty hard on the guys over at NBC, a lot of the executives. But he went out with some class last night. No doubt he's going to land on his feet. And a lot of people talking about him going to FOX, as well. '
NGUYEN: Right. HOLMES: But he's got $32 million to sleep on.
NGUYEN: And eight months to think about it.
HOLMES: He's got some time, right now. A lot of people, you may check the Urban Dictionary every now and then. The urbandictionary.com, their word of the day yesterday was Leno Giver.
NGUYEN: What's that?
HOLMES: You probably get the idea here.
NGUYEN: Yes, we're quoting here. "When someone retires from a legendary television franchise, passes the torch to a worthy successor, then he gets bored and starts a new show which sucks. And then asks for their old job back by firing the successor." Again, according to the Urban Dictionary, that is a "Leno Giver". Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: And you see there Madonna performing in the "Hope for Haiti Now" global urge for people to donate last night. More than 25 networks including CNN took part in this. And it was broadcast to some 640 million homes worldwide; 140 of the biggest names in music and entertainment took part in that.
And just a reminder, you can still give. Haiti donations are deductible on the 2009 tax returns, indeed. And we will coming up talk to our financial expert to figure out what you need in order to make that deduction.
In the meantime, though, President Obama is coming off of just a lousy week. Democrats lost their Senate super majority and maybe their best shot at comprehensive health care reform.
HOLMES: Also the Supreme Court reversed a century of campaign finance doctrine. Corporations will now be allowed to spend freely to influence elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By a 5-4 vote, the Court overturned more than a century of law, including a bipartisan campaign finance law written by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold that had barred corporations from using their financial clout to directly interfere with elections, by running advertisements for or against candidates in the crucial closing weeks.
This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited amount of special interest money into our democracy. It gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage to spend millions on advertising to persuade elected officials to vote their way, or to punish those who don't. That means that any public servant who has the courage to stand up to the special interests, and stand up for the American people, can find himself or herself under assault come election time. (END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So in the weekly address, Republicans focused on health care. The House minority leader says the Democrats' overhaul is, quote, "dead." But Republicans need to be wary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: We know that Washington Democrats will pull out all the stops to try and shove this government takeover of health care with its Medicare cuts and tax hikes. If there's a sweetheart deal that needs to be cut, Democrats will cut it. And if there's a vote that needs to be bought, they'll buy it.
Haven't we had enough of government propped up on payoffs and pork barrel spending? Haven't we had enough of the same old us- versus-them politics that uses yesterday's battles to distract us from today's problems? We're all in this together. And we need positive forward-looking solutions to bring us together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Congressman Boehner says Democrats aren't heeding the message from the Massachusetts Senate election. He says they should stop, quote, scheming and scrambling on health care.
Issue number one is, of course, the economy. And the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department shows that the December jobless rates rose in 43 states and the District of Columbia, reversing that downward trend that we've been seeing since November. Hard hit regions included the West, Midwest, and Southeastern U.S.
HOLMES: Also 16 states reported double-digit unemployment numbers including Ohio, where President Obama held a town hall meeting yesterday on -- what else? The economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: When I went and took this trip to China, and took this trip to Asia, a lot of people said, well, why is he going to Asia? He's traveling overseas too much. He needs to be, you know, coming back home and talking about jobs.
I'm there because that's where we're going to find those jobs is by increasing our exports to those countries. The same way they've been doing in our country. If we increase our exports, our share of exports by just 1 percent, that would mean hundreds of thousands of jobs here in the United States; 5 percent, maybe 1 million jobs, well paying jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The president also called upon Congress to pass a new White House sponsored jobs bill that is said to include tax breaks to spur more small business hiring and for people trying to make their homes more energy efficient. (MUSIC)
HOLMES: Hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for January 23rd. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
Well, it has been 11 days since the deadly earthquake in Haiti. And now, the Haitian government says it has officially ended its search and rescue efforts.
HOLMES: Also from the Haitian government this morning, a first official death toll: 111,481 confirmed dead. More than 600,000 people left homeless. We're going to get back to the latest on Haiti in just a moment.
But we do have a check of some other headlines.
NGUYEN: Top stories right now. Britain has raised its terror threat level from substantial to severe. A government official says the terrorist attack is, quote, "highly likely." But he adds there is no intelligence to suggest an attack is imminent. The change was announced just weeks after that failed Christmas Day plane bombing attempt here in the U.S.
HOLMES: Also, President Obama and top Democrats say they will push ahead on health care reform, but they're not exactly sure how they're going to do that. The president admitting he ran into a bit of kawinkidink this week when the Democrats lost their super majority in the Senate.
NGUYEN: Well, we are seeing the first of the so-called "surge" of U.S. troops arriving in Afghanistan. Troops are among 30,000 ordered to be in the country by President Obama and they'll help train the Afghan army. The troops' arrival comes just days before the International Conference on Afghanistan takes place in London.
HOLMES: Back to Haiti now where the government has announced the first official death toll. More than 111,000 people were killed in that January 12th quake. More than 600,000 people have been left homeless.
Also, the Haitian government has declared the search and rescue operations are now over. The U.N. says international search teams were able to rescue 132 people since that quake hit. And a 22-year- old Haitian man is certainly happy that they waited a day before they called off search and rescue operations because he was, in fact, pulled from the ruins of a three-story building by an Israeli team yesterday.
Also, one other note, a tsunami on the day of the quake killed seven people on Haiti's coast.
NGUYEN: Well, the search for survivors in Haiti may be over. But we saw remarkable stories of survival coming out of the country all week long. And our Gary Tuchman was there when rescue teams pulled a 109-year-old lady out of the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fresillia Cetoute is well into her second century of life.
(on camera): That's a beautiful smile.
(voice-over): But for the first time in her 109 years, she doesn't have a real roof over her head. Her home was destroyed in the Haiti earthquake. And she lives in a tent city with a couple of thousand other people on a soccer field in Port-au-Prince.
FRESILLIA CETOUTE, 109-YEAR-OLD QUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): It's difficult. It's hard to be here because I'm blind and I knew my way around my house.
TUCHMAN: She lives in the tent with her extended family and with her 17-year-old great granddaughter who rescued her from her demolished house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I put her on my back and carried her out because I couldn't leave her inside. I said, "If we die, we should all die together."
TUCHMAN: And then they all came here. It's tumultuous and overcrowded. People help each other, but others steal food and supplies.
I asked Fresillia if they had enough to eat or drink to begin with.
CETOUTE: No.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Not enough food and water?
CETOUTE: No.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Aid is arriving here, but the delivery of food is chaotic, it's been causing fights and the schedule is unpredictable.
(on camera): Fresillia's birthday is December 27th. She and her family hope they're out of this tent by the time she turns 110.
(voice-over): For now, they all stay and protect and care for one another. I told Fresillia it's nice she smiles so much.
CETOUTE (through translator): I have to laugh so I don't cry.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Wow. That is amazing story. You know, the Hope for Haiti concert happened last night. Many of you watched it. And I want you to take a look because actors, artists, musicians, all of them -- 140, in fact -- taking call-in donations for the people trying to recover from the quake.
And we checked, the contact number that is on the screen or was up last night, that 1-877-994-2484 -- well, that is up and working this morning. After George Clooney and singer Wyclef Jean, who is a native of Haiti, hosted the telethon.
Here is Jean performing last night.
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: I want to turn to Iraq now where Vice President Joe Biden is this morning. He's trying to defuse an incredibly tense situation. More than 500 candidates are being banned from Iraq's upcoming general election.
Our Dan Lothian has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ahead of the March 7th parliamentary elections, Vice President Biden made his third visit to Baghdad since taking office. And while his advisers say this trip was planned weeks ago, he lands in the middle of an election crisis.
A government vetting panel is trying to block more than 500 politicians from running -- essentially blacklisting them for suspected ties to Saddam Hussein's Baathist Party. There are concerns that this dispute could delay the elections, further complicating things for the U.S.
But the U.S. officials say that progress is being made, and this is one of the big issues that the vice president is dealing with during his visit here. He will be meeting with a number of officials, including Iraq's prime minister and president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We've got showers, thunderstorms, rain, hail -- all that stuff to talk about...
NGUYEN: Oh, man.
HOLMES: ... that's hitting several states today.
NGUYEN: Yes. Reynolds Wolf is tracking the storm system as we speak. And he's going to let us know which areas are going to get hit the hardest. So, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. The big story we've had for much of the week weather-wise has been all in southern California. And we still see some rainfall in central and northern California.
But a great deal of that moisture is actually pushing off to the four corners, including places like Arizona where it is really coming down in terms of snowfall back towards Flagstaff. And if you look down towards Phoenix and points a little bit more to say just the east, we're seeing some snow as soon as that moisture interacts with higher elevations. Certainly the situation over in Albuquerque and in Talhos (ph).
But then as we make our way even further back to the Central Plains, we do see that frontal boundary. Very easy to see, the scattered showers, nothing severe for the time being. But as this does drive its way to the east around 35 miles per hour, so what we can anticipate by mid to late afternoon is the possibility of some strong thunderstorms, maybe even some flash flooding in low-lying areas or spots of poor drainage.
But even more into the late afternoon, some strong thunderstorms that could produce hail and maybe isolated tornadoes. So, that is certainly something to watch out for. Plus, anybody who has any weekend plans of travel, going to Tennessee, maybe to Arkansas, or even flights into Little Rock, you're going to have a tough time, no question.
Top half of the system is all going to be snow. Back into the central Northern Rockies, of course, some snow there. We're talking about the snowfall we had in parts of Arizona. Winter storm warnings will be in effect until midday today local time, then we're going to see that surge of moisture move off, then looks like the west coast could get some scattered snow showers and the highest elevations as we get into Monday and Tuesday.
But in the southeast, it's all rain. Take a look what we have right now in Atlanta. For the time being: scattered showers, high temperatures in Atlanta, only going up into the 50s and 60s today. Kind of a gray power, as you're getting up to rise and shine, no really sunshine that we're expecting here for a good part of the day, but that should come later as we make our way into Monday and Tuesday also.
Folks, as always, it's a full plate on the weekend. And the very latest of what's going on not just here in the U.S. but around the world, make sure you stay tuned to CNN SATURDAY.
See you in a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Legendary Stevie Wonder performing there. And you know, this Hope for Haiti Now really hoping that Americans will help build that bridge over these troubled waters for the Haitians, asking people to donate. And it will be on your -- in fact, you can take a deduction on your 2009 tax returns. Our Clyde Anderson, who is our financial expert on the show, he's going to be joining us shortly to talk about how exactly you can make that happen. Not only make a donation, but be able to deduct it on your 2009 tax returns.
You know, in the meantime, Haiti's government is now saying that more than 111,000 people died in last week's earthquake. No one knows for sure how much higher that number will go or how many people are still under all of that rubble.
HOLMES: It's one of the deadliest disasters of the last decade. Josh Levs has a look at the numbers for us this morning.
Good morning to you, again, Josh.
LEVS: Hey, good morning to you guys.
It's always a little difficult to do this, isn't it? Because every number is a life, is a family, is a human loss. But one thing we keep hearing from so many of you is that it's hard to wrap your mind around the scale of this disaster. And the death toll is a big piece of the big picture.
So, what I want to do now is give you some context. Let's start off with this. We're going to take a look at Haiti and to show Haiti's total population.
So, Haiti's population is about 9 million. Let's sit on that for a second. What they're saying with 111,000 killed is more than 1 percent of the population of Haiti has now been declared dead. So, more than one in 100 Haitians have been declared dead as a result of the earthquake, and all that followed it, according to Haiti's government. And it is one of the biggest disasters of the last decade.
Let's go to the next one, which -- we should look back at that tsunami that you all remember from several years ago. The death toll according to the U.S. Geological Survey from that tsunami was 228,000 people. And that was originally an earthquake. There was an earthquake in that region and then what followed was the tsunami for that big section of Asia. So, more than a quarter million people were killed there.
And there have been two other major earthquake disasters in recent years. The next one we got for you here is Pakistan. That was a few years ago, 2005 -- 86,000 people were declared dead there.
And the other one is China, where 88,000 people -- a lot of you remember the China quake in 2008 -- 88,000 people killed in China.
So, what we're seeing right now with the numbers that have been declared from Haiti makes it one of the deadliest of recent years and the deadliest already since the earthquake and tsunami that struck five years ago or actually now, a little more than five years ago.
Let's zoom in here. I want to show you a couple of things on CNN.com. We're going to talk to you about this. We talk to you about the history of earthquakes. First of all, we have some really powerful photos at our section, CNN.com/Haiti.
And as we scroll through, you're going to see what I was talking about. I mean, every story is a family, it's a life.
But before I go, take a look over here. This talks to you about earthquakes of recent years. And you can click on places all over the world basically and you can see where the earthquakes were in recent years and really over the past century and how many people died there -- the deadliest, the strongest, the most powerful.
Also, we do have information for you here. About all of those people out there who want to recognize their loved ones, who are talking about their loved ones whom they lost under the rubble. And in some cases, this people, where you see it lit, this means that these people are being registered as found according to their families.
So, some families with little pieces of good news all in what we've been tabulating here, those looking for loved ones in Haiti. All of it at CNN.com/Haiti, you can't miss any of it.
So guys, when you look at those numbers, you know, it's difficult to do. But a lot people saying to us, as I said, it's hard to wrap your mind around these figures. Thinking of it as more than 1 percent of Haiti's population already declared dead and we don't know how much you'll get higher. Hope you get a story, a sense of how huge it is.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's the point. I mean, when you hear that 111,000, that is enormous already. But there's so many still trapped under the rubble. So, you just don't know how much higher that number's going to go. It's just devastating any way you looked at it.
All right. Thank you so much for that, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks.
NGUYEN: You know, if you donate to help the folks in Haiti, you can actually write that off of your tax return. And you don't have to wait until next year to do so. You can take it off of your 2009 tax return.
HOLMES: And we're going to get some details on how to do this, as we sit down -- as we always do -- with our financial adviser with details on charitable donations to the Haiti relief effort. He's coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're taking a look at some other stories making headlines this morning.
Film director Roman Polanski's request to be sentenced in absentia has been denied. A Los Angeles judge ruled yesterday that Polanski must return to the U.S. to find out if he'll go to prison. Polanski pleaded guilty in the 1977 to having sex with a 13-year-old but left the country before he was sentenced for that crime. He is currently under house arrest in Switzerland. That is where he was arrested in September on a fugitive warrant.
NGUYEN: Well, the search for survivors in Haiti has come to an end. The Haitian government announced an end to the search and rescue operations yesterday. International search teams pulled 132 people alive from the rubble. Now, the focus will shift to helping the victims.
HOLMES: And over 100 celebrities and musicians took part in last night's global telethon, Hope for Haiti Now.
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: That is Taylor Swift performing there. We don't have the official numbers just yet on how much was raised. Organizers are still tallying up the proceeds.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You don't have to wait until next year to claim charitable donations to the Haiti relief effort because Congress has cleared the way for you to take that tax write-off now.
Financial analyst Clyde Anderson is here this morning to explain how all of this works.
Hey there, Clyde.
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Hello. Good morning, Betty.
NGUYEN: Good morning.
All right. So, these donations to help earthquake victims, they are being made this year. And usually, you have to wait until the 2010 tax return to write that off. But you don't have to do that anymore. You can claim that it on the '09 taxes, correct?
ANDERSON: Exactly. They just passed this bill that allows you to claim it on the 2009 taxes. So, that's a wonderful for people that are giving donations.
NGUYEN: OK. What do you need to make sure that your donation qualifies?
ANDERSON: Well, what you really need to make sure is that -- I mean, as long as you're giving to a charitable donation, your donations qualify. So, you just want to make sure that the organization is a non-profit organization.
NGUYEN: Yes. But there are specifics. I mean, you have to have donated, what, after January 11th to a Haiti fund and then you have to make sure that donation gets in before March 1st, correct? ANDERSON: Exactly. Actually, before the end of February. As long as you donate before the end of February, then it can count on the taxes for 2009.
NGUYEN: Now, is this just a monetary donation? But what about people who want to donate like, I don't know, clothing or food supplies, stuff like that?
ANDERSON: All that counts, as well.
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: You can donate those things, as well. Just remember, if you bought a sweater two years ago for 50 bucks, it's still not going to be that same 50 bucks that you're going to deduct on the tax.
NGUYEN: Got you. All right. Well, you know, we want to get to our viewers, because a lot of them have questions as well.
ANDERSON: OK.
NGUYEN: Let's take a look at the first one. This one from Chrissy in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISSY WARRILOW, ATLANTA: Hi, Clyde. My question is this: if I text the Red Cross using my cell phone, using a code they provided on commercial and things like that, how do I know I'm going to get a receipt? What are the steps that I need to do to get my receipt from the Red Cross?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That is a great question. And you got to love technology. Right now, you really just -- all you need is your cell phone bill.
NGUYEN: OK.
ANDERSON: Your cell phone bill will show up and that's what you're going to use.
NGUYEN: And that will be your receipt.
ANDERSON: That's your receipt.
NGUYEN: All right. Very good. Easy that way.
Eugene from San Jose, California, has a question for you.
ANDERSON: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EUGENE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Is there a way to give money to Haiti without giving some of that money to Visa? I hear they give 3 percent, but they take 3 percent out of the donation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Is that true? Do the credit card companies take a percentage?
ANDERSON: That was true. And it's key because, in the past, credit card companies made almost $250 million off of these types of fees.
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness.
ANDERSON: But recently Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover have waived that 3 percent tax. So they no longer have that in place.
NGUYEN: OK. All right. So, you can donate knowing that every bit of the money that you're donating is going to that charitable organization.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
NGUYEN: Got you. Even if you use your credit card.
ANDERSON: Even if you use your credit card, that 3 percent is not going to Visa.
NGUYEN: They've waived that.
All right. So, Teresa from Indiana has a question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERESA BALS-ELSHOLZ, VALPARAISO, INDIANA: My students in Indiana have a can of -- an empty jar that they decorated for Haiti and they're throwing in a buck, 5 bucks, 10 bucks, but they're on, you know, a limited budget, how are they going to ever report that back when they do their taxes, I guess? And where does it -- does it matter for them? I mean, they're just free will throwing it in and they'll do one lump sum to the donation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You know, that's a really good question because there are a lot of these donation drives that are going on around the country. People are just donating cash. And if you ever wanted to write that off, could you?
ANDERSON: Right. You can. You can write it off. And you're seeing that pop up everywhere. As long as your donation is less than $250, you do not have to have a receipt for it.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK.
ANDERSON: So, that's wonderful. And also, they've got to remember that if you're deducting or itemizing your deductions, you've got to do a 1040-A and not an EZ form.
NGUYEN: OK. All right. In order to make sure that you get that deduction?
ANDERSON: Exactly.
NGUYEN: And the last one now, Rusty from Wisconsin has this question.
ANDERSON: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSTY KAPELAN, MILWAUKEE: My question is when I make a donation to a charitable cause like the Haiti situation, how do I know where my dollars go? And does it go to a credible organization and that it will be used in the right way rather than scammed off by some crook or whatever?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes. And, you know, to add to that, a lot of people also want to know, will this, indeed, go to efforts for Haiti and not just in just a general pot?
ANDERSON: Right. Right. And that's very key. And you're seeing some cases pop up where it's not legitimate funds. And really, what I say is, go with somebody that's is trusted, go with someone that you've seen their track record, like a Red Cross, you know? Those are who you want to give your donations to. I mean, you've seen a track record. You know what they do. Stick to what you know and stick to where you're seeing progress.
NGUYEN: All right. Clyde Anderson -- as always, we appreciate it. We're sticking to you.
ANDERSON: Thank you. I appreciate it, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you.
So, is it too good to be true? You scrape by, you save, you decided to invest in the real estate market, instead a con artist got a hold of your money? How to spot them? That is Clyde's topic next week.
I like the graphic here, Clyde. Looking sharp.
Go ahead. Send Clyde your questions, though. We've got the addresses up there on the screen. You can also find it at weekends@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a 7-year-old child in Haiti, got a lot to smile about. A lot of people are smiling. We don't have too much to smile about these days, some great pictures we're about to get here. NGUYEN: Oh, yes. I love this. Seven days -- listen -- seven days under the rubble wasn't enough to dampen this little camper. When the rescue team pulled him from the rubble, he was beaming from cheek to cheek. I love this picture. I love this story. And this little boy, he's just going to warm your heart.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We usually go for laughs, but with this story, we'll settle for a smile, what a smile.
MATTHEW MCDERMOTT, AMERICARES/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER: We were amazed. I mean, we -- afterwards, we almost sat there like did that just happen? We had to go back and look at the back of our cameras to check.
MOOS: A 7-year-old kid named Kiki dug out alive and well after being buried for 7 1/2 days. The crew from NBC shot video of the rescue.
And they finally reached the boy. He was scared and wouldn't come out until rescuers brought a relative in the yellow tank top to coax him.
(CHEERING)
MOOS: His pants may be lost, but he was found.
MCDERMOTT: It was like grabbing out of a hat. He popped out, arms went straight up in the air, and just turned and smiled.
MOOS: A tattooed freelance photographer from New York City named Matthew McDermott captured the image while shooting for the humanitarian group AmeriCares.
(on camera): Do you think -- I mean, this is kind of crass, but do you think of things like Pulitzer Prize winning when you take a photo like that?
MCDERMOTT: No, not at all, that would be a little arrogant.
I don't want to sit around and patting myself on the back. Around every corner, there's a photograph here that needs to be taken.
MOOS (voice-over): The rescuers were from units based in New York City and Virginia...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable. I just want to hug my compadre, Dario Gomez. This is an unbelievable feeling. Kudos.
(CROSSTALK)
MOOS: They also rescued Kiki's older sister, the image McDermott shot will likely be used by AmeriCares to inspire donations.
(on camera): From photos of an earthquake, the photos from another earth-shaking event -- previously McDermott's most famous photos were from 9/11.
(voice-over): After shooting so much death in Haiti...
(on camera): Was that the biggest smile you've ever seen on the littlest kid?
MCDERMOTT: It was amazing. I'm sorry. My lungs are a little messed up. I mean, nine days of breathing death and dust.
MOOS (voice-over): Which makes this a breath of fresh air.
(CHEERING)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I knew it the first time I laid eyes on that picture, that it was one of those that it's going to warm your heart. And hey, you know, what if, maybe an award winning one, too.
HOLMES: It will be.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: It just makes (INAUDIBLE) for the guy to come out like that.
We're going to have more on the top stories at the top of the hour, Betty and I.
But first, we're going to turn to "DR. SANJAY GUPTA, M.D."
