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tv   Anderson Cooper 360  CNN  August 9, 2011 1:00am-2:00am EDT

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thank you very much, indeed. that's all for us tonight. now anderson cooper with "ac now anderson cooper with "ac 360" and he's in somalia. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm coming to you from kenya's refugee camp across the border from somalia. fighting and famine have driven nearly half a million somalis to this camp in this area and the areas surrounding it. giving it the terrible distinction of being the largest refugee camp right now on the entire planet. as is almost always the case, this is by and large a manmade disaster. a bad drought, the worst drought in 60 years made worst by extremist muslim terrorists who control much of southern somalia where the worst famine is.
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as is also the kargs it is the children who are dying. 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died in somalia in the last 90 days. none of them had to die. tonight we'll take you inside this human catastrophe and show you the people trying to end it. we begin elsewhere the breaking news. today's market meltdown in the united states. and we're watching what happens to markets coming up. we're looking live at the tokyo stock exchange just now, open for tuesday's trading. what happens here, both a preview of wall street tomorrow and reaction to what happened on wall street today. as you know, the dow industrial average plummeting down 634 points. below 11,000 for the first time since last october. down 5.5%. it was a dramatic day on wall street. the nasdaq and s&p down even more sharply. the market's volatility index way, way up. we've got extensive coverage tonight, starting with two quick questions for chief business he joins us now.
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correspondent ali velshi. it was the biggest one-day drop since december 2008. what is going on? >> a lot of uncertainty in the market. we saw what happened on thursday with the uncertainty about what's going on with european debt and then the downgrade that you and i talked about on friday when it happened. here's the interesting thing. the downgrade should have caused credit to become more expensive for the u.s. government. in fact, it had the opposite result. the ten-year note which is what mortgages in the united states are priced against actually went lower in interest. so it cost the u.s. less money today to borrow money than it did on friday. but there was a very strange, unusual and violent reaction in the stock market. it started last night when asia started trading 24 hours ago, went through europe and then picked up steam in the u.s. a lot of the description in the united states has been this market reaction was a little bit overdone, exaggerated, perhaps even irrational. the bottom line is the market is the market. people are very worried about
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the economy in europe, the economy here in the united states. what this downgrade meant, bottom line is it was a treacherous, treacherous day on wall street. very, very big losses. >> and what does that mean for people watching their 401(k), worried about interest rates? what should people be doing? >> on two levels to think about. one is as i mentioned, that ten-year note which is what mortgages are connected to, went down in interest. so interest rates being very low. they're historically low for mortgages anyway. if you're in a fixed mortgage, you didn't get the reaction you thought you would get. interest rates are probably for a little while going to stay lower. the problem of course, as you mentioned, people in their 401(k)s. this has been a few days now. really been ten out of the last 11 days we've seen the market go down. between last thursday's massive losses, 512 points, and then this 634 points, even bigger losses on the s&p 500 which is where your, what your 401(k) or ira would look like.
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very, very confusing. the traders i talked to, investors, portfolio managers all said this does seem a little irrational. it is not like 2008 where there is a reason for this market to be going down. it went down because of fear, panic overtaking rational thought. for the moment, most experts are saying sit this one out. something will change shortly. >> we are watching asian markets. we'll bring that to you through the hour. we'll talk to erin burnett. and we'll talk to david gergen. we'll talk about the politics of all of this because instantly after this happened friday night when we were live on the air after the downgrade occurred, politicians starting to point the fingers one at another. the s&p in the downgrade said that's part of the problem. that's part of the reason they downgraded. did the downgrade change any of that? ""keeping them honest" coming up. i want to turn to what's happening in the horn of africa neemplly 12 million people.
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in somalia, 3.2 million people according to relief workers are in immediate need of assistance. immediate need of assistance. food assistance, in some cases, medical assistance. malnutrition in the number for the kids who are reaching this camp which is now the largest refugee camp in the world. just outside somalia, inside kenya. about 50% of the kids are reaching here are malnourished. severely malnourished. they are the most vulnerable. that statistic we told but at the top of the hour a few moments ago. according to relief workers, at least 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died in the last three months. 29,000. tens of thousands of others have already died. a lot of it is happening in somalia where there are no cameras. you see it here in this refugee camp. we saw it firsthand today at a hospital run by the international rescue committee. take a look. >> reporter: it is a place of
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hope and horror. the children's ward at the international rescue committee hospital. extra beds have been brought in for all the kids whose lives now hang in the balance. this child is 6 months old and weighs just 6 pounds and should be twice that. >> came in with vomiting and diarrhea. was unable to retain anything and has been like this for around two weeks. >> the doctor taught his mother to give him milk fortified with vitamins and protein. so far it's not working. >> when a child comes in with diarrhea and vomiting, you have to stop that before you can treat the malnutrition. >> yes. we do it concurrently but we have to stop the diarrhea and vomiting. >> that's not easy. ladon is 4 years old and she too, is wasting away. when they can retain fluids, many are able to quickly come back to life. this child has been here five days. the fact she can sit up -- >> she can sit up and drink on her own is already turning around.
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>> with severe malnutrition, the doctors can never be too sure. >> a normal looking child. >> then all of a sudden they can tip over to the other side. >> and they go very fast. >> very fast. very fast. in fact, what dehydration can do to a child in an hour -- >> an hour? >> in an hour is horrible. it's drastic. >> many of these kids have spent weeks on the road with their mothers. it took him two weeks to get here. he is so dehydrated he needs a feeding tube. >> at least they can get to a hospital. where they can be managed. the chances of survival, i give it 80%. >> the key is getting here. >> the key is getting here in time. the key is getting here in time. >> malnutrition is an age-old problem. doctors now have a new weapon that has revolutionized it.
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it is a pack with nutrients called plumpy nut. once a child can eat, it is the first thing doctors give him. >> this is a miracle. >> a miracle. >> nice to know miracles can happen. >> there are miracles -- and there is misery. but the doctor doesn't have time to dwell on either. >> our biggest challenge is that they will keep on coming. so how are you going to respond to that? how are you going to rise to that occasion? it is very challenging mentally. you lose life. but what do you do about the next one will come? >> you can't mourn for the people who pass because more are still coming. >> more are still coming. we have to do something about that. >> a real conversation. joining us now, dr. sanjay gupta and amanda, founder of the global enrichment foundation. she was held captive for 15
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months in somalia by somali militants. thanks for being with us. sanjay, in terms of what you've seen, you've heard the statistics. 3.5 million somalis needing immediate food, attention, immediate attention. what did you see today? how bad is it? >> we saw a more chronic situation than i expected. a lot of people are paying attention for the first time. this camp as you pointed out, the largest in the world. there are 300,000 people here last year. so 100,000 more over the last several months. >> this camp was built for 90,000 people. there are now 400,000 and about 65,000 outside. >> that's right. as you might expect, the lack of resources, the difficulty actually managing people. they try to do a pretty good job of registering people and making sure they're all accounted for. beyond that, making sure they get food, the medical care they need is a challenge. simply having pediatric supplies versus adult supplies, for example, those are still challenging. people are coming in here after these incredibly long journeys
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absolute lie famished. and really in need of the most basic necessities. it is the journey even more so than the drought. >> some people have walked for weeks through southern somalia. southern somalia is ruled by el shabaab which is an islamic fundamentalist organization which is battling for control of the country. you drove into southern somalia to deliver food. but only about 20% of southern somalia has been successful so far to food. what is it like there? what did you see? >> the situation inside somalia is very bad. so central somalia really needs to be addressed. food aid needs to get in immediately. one of the thing that the big international organizations have been overlooking is that there are areas that they can get in. the town i was in, just across the border and it is controlled by the transitional federal government. a lot of politics and red tape that have prevented the community until recently from getting food into those areas. we really need to focus on the areas that are accessible right
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now and get food there. why some of the big organizations, for example, the wfp don't have feeding centers. in those regions that aren't accessible, it hasn't been answered. >> el shabaab has kidnapped aid workers so a lot of the big organizations have pulled out and el shabaab said they don't want foreign aid workers in their territory. >> but an option that is not being looked at enough is that there are about 20 local somali ngos that have been working and providing very effectively humanitarian aid over the last two years. after all big guys were kicked out. now, food can be and resources can be channeled through those local ngos and therefore getting to the people. these organizations have been working underneath el shabaab over the last two years and that's one way of getting food into the areas most hit and most affected by the famine. >> in terms of this crisis, this is the worst drought they say that has been in 60 years. and it is going to continue for
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several more months. >> yeah. and i think that the whole planning now, obviously, this was not a sudden surprise. they had forecast this a long time ago. there was not enough planning. either getting enough resources or into somalia for some of the reasons that she is mentioning. the concern about the conflict. now it is a question of what you do from here on out. can you get this aid to the people who need and it try to prepare for what the next several months will be like. loss of crops, loss of livestock, loss of food and water. >> you were held captive by 15 months by militants. i think if i was held captive, i'm not sure i would want to come back to somalia. what makes you want to do this? >> i think the experience in captivity provided some pretty vital insights that are create the young generations that only know violence. when i was in captivity, during my darkest periods of captivity, so i made a promise to myself if i made it out alive, i would dedicate my life to improving the conditions that are creating
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these generations of young people. for the last year and a half, i've managed to do that. >> i was here in '92, '93 when there was a famine. it was my first big reporting assignment. i had never known somalia not at war. for the last 20 years since the dictator was overthrown, there has been war. there is no central government here. what do you find interesting about somalia? what draws you to it? >> well, of course, my own personal experience in somalia and the insights that i had there. and the commitment that i made to myself. and i actually, people often speak about somalia as a hopeless place. a failed state, et cetera. but i personally have a lot of hope for somalia. i think that the future is in the young people. and if we can provide educational opportunities for the young people which is something i'm actively involved in, i think long terms of that is the future of somalia. >> thank you so much for being with us. really a pleasure. and i hope to talk to you in the days ahead. and sanjay, you'll be here
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later. a lot more ahead in this hour. let us know what you think. we're on facebook and you can follow me on twitter. we've been tweeting up a lot. what's your twitter? @sanjay gupta. up next, the market's reactions. clipping america's credit rating and why washington is spending so much time still playing the "blame game" instead of fixing the problem. we're "keeping them honest" ahead. and more from somalia. first let's check in. >> the heartbreak is sinking in from america's worst day in afghanistan. a downed chopper and 30 u.s. troops killed including 22 navy s.e.a.l.s. their remains now headed home. all the other headlines when "360" continues. [ female ] we will always be dependent on foreign oil.
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the continuing market slide after the debt downgrade. 634 points. that's what the dow dropped today. in explanation, the s&p roundly criticized washington's dysfunctional politics, right? today the white house, president obama slammed the downgrade but not the diagnosis. >> it's not a lack of plans or policies that is the problem here.
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it is a lack of political will in washington. it is the insistence on drawing lines in the sand. a refusal to put what's best for the country ahead of self-interest or party or ideology. that's what we need to change. >> "keeping them honest," there's no proof that anyone has learned to compromise. there is proof positive that both are continuing to point fingers, playing the blame game and digging in their heels after a downgrade that was cause in the no small part by people playing the blame game and digging in their heels. it did not take long. cnn first reported the downgrade friday night around 8:30. we were on the air for it. two hours later, house speaker boehner released the following statement. he said, quote, this dig by s&p this decision by s&p is the latest consequence of the out of control spending that has taken place in washington for decades. he went on to say, the spending binge has result in job destroying, economic uncertainty and now threatens to send destructive ripple effects across our markets. and mitt romney that same night.
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he said in a statement, quote, standard & poor's rating downgrade is a deeply troubling indicator of our country's decline under president obama. and michele bachmann, take a look. >> i've seen the only game. spend more, borrow more, tax more, that is the only game these people understand. >> nothing anywhere about finding new revenue by raying raising taxes or closing loopholes or even deeper tax reform. yet gop intransigents factored into the downgradism spoke friday night to s&p's top man. he took care to mention taxes and entitlement spending. and no patience for finger-pointing. watch. >> already on twitter, other places, republicans, democrats are pointing the fingers at each other. president obama and congress do you mean blame one side more
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than the other? she ended this 29 hours after her venture into this sector. give us an idea, and emergency around this summer, what has occurred? >> rose mary, thanks so much. we are here about 60 miles off the coast of lebanon, 60 miles off the shores of key west. we got a phone call over their radios today on the ship about 12:35 a.m. that there was an emergency, an immediate chase boat, a smaller boat would pick her up and the swim and 29 hours
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into it. she is now back on the mother ship here and she is attempting to recover. she seemed to be sick to her stomach and they're trying to warm up her body after spending nearly 30 hours in water. >> we have heard she has been bombing but there are also complications and she is experiencing pain to her shoulder. a lot of problems for a 61-year-old who had such an ambitious goal to swim from cuba to the united states. >> absolutely. we had heard reports that her shoulder had been bothering her. her right shoulder had been bothering her and her left shoulder had bothered her before but not called one that bothered her today. she also had gastrointestinal issues that are bothering her, as much. some of those, during this 1, they could take this whole operation down. it seems that it did in fact
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take the operation down. i might add to that that we started this yesterday in havana, the seas were glossy and flat to. as we got further into the gulf stream current, the waves started to pick up. it was three to five foot seas, it was rough going today. >> of course, we have to remember we're talking about a 61-year-old woman. she did swim for 29 hours. nearly 30 hours. still extraordinary. 41 an average particularly. she was trying to set show people that even at 61, you could do anything you want to, is she likely to try to do this again or could this and this effort for good? >> i think it is too soon to say, rose mary. absolutely this is not to take away from the hours of swimming that she did do. we have been following this story for over year and i have
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to say has been an incredible feat to watch, even 29 hours that today's attorney was. unclear whether she will try again or this will be the end of her marathon swimming. >> joining us on the line there from havana. just repeating that unfortunately the effort by the swimmer, the 61-year-old woman, diana, to swim from cuba all the way to florida, she has ended that effort 29 hours into it do to asthma, she is vomiting. there is an emergency situation there for her. not life-threatening, certainly from what we understand. but a lot of problems for her to deal with at the age of 61. a great effort, 29 hours into it.
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>> s&p slept through -- the junk crisis. s&p was not even on the watch when they were given these toxic instruments. these aaa rating when it was basically junk. let's go back to the housing crisis and how s&p handled that. so look, one agency gig the united states a downgrade shouldn't force us to throw in the towel. >> who is talking about throwing towel? we're talking about solving problems. >> we should look -- we should look at the good things that have been happening. it is not all gloom and doom. prior to the earthquake in japan, prior to some of the other rising gas prices, we were seeing private sector job growth come back. we need to get back to that. we need to focus on the positives in our economy and stop blaming politicians for all the problems that we're facing in this country. quite frankly, the private
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sector needs to step up and stop pointing fingers at the political dysfunction as well. >> it would be nice if there were more positives in this economy. as we all just learned, this is part of the reason the market just tanked, we've got an economy going in the wrong direction now when we need to it grow, it is starting to fall back. some people are talking about front page of the "new york times" business section this week, a double-dip recession. the other problem going forward though is president obama has proposed 50% increase in government spending. in 2008, the government spent $3.0 trillion. and he called for the government to spend $4.5 trillion in 2016. a 50% spending increase. that's my point. >> most of that spending is coming from? >> the president gave a speech about the debt. he never tackled and the debt. the number are precisely what i just said. a 50% increase. he came up with $4 trillion --
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he came up with $4 trillion. >> the debt under president obama's budget was going to $26.3 trillion. >> we have to wrap it up. >> $4 trillion in -- >> i'm at a disadvantage because of the time delay so i'm sorry to not jump in more. i appreciate your time. thank you very much. we'll continue the discussion again. ari, dona, thank you. >> weird having people argue thousands of mile away. very hard to jump in. especially when there's a time delay. i apologize if it was annoying for you at home. good perspectives from both of them. coming up, we'll talk to erin burnett and david gergen about the politics of all of this. what president obama said today and what this means for focus at home when you're looking at your 401(k)s. also then, the life and death crisis that is happening right here all around us here in the border with somalia.
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and tomorrow will be inside somalia itself reporting from mogadishu. i'll be back with dr. sanjay gupta. we'll show you what life is like here for the kids and the more than 1,200 people who are still arriving at this refugee camp already over capacity with nearly half a million people here receiving food aid, receiving medical attention and water. as a heart attack. the doctor leaned over and said to me, "you just beat the widow-maker." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now.
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covering the breaking news
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here along the somali border and inside somalia, the famine crisis and the breaking news at home. heavy losses on wall street today. especially for the s&p 500 index which matters more than the dow. so many retirement accounts, so many retirement accounts are heavily invested in s&p companies. cnn's latest edition which we're very excited about is joining us tonight. erin burnett. so is senior political analyst david gergen. erin, is there really much the u.s. government can do about this? isn't a lot of what happened today also involved in what's going on in europe and in japan? >> it is. it has become completely global. all the economies linked together and the debt problem as well. there is something that can be done by lawmaker in washington and the fed. the fed meets tomorrow on interest rates. that will be really crucial. ben bernanke, the most important player right now. what he decides to do, what he says about economic growth in this country, if he says there is something further they can
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do, those will be very crucial things tomorrow. he has to get the nuance just right or he could scare the markets. lawmakers, we know there are thing they can do. show some leadership and that they can work together. they're on recess and we won't get anything out of them now. >> and president obama spoke today. a, how do you think he did in terms of what he said? and what more needs to be done or can be done? >> anderson, president obama did his best today to reassure the market but it is clear words alone are not enough. when the president spoke in the afternoon to try to reassure people, the dow was down about 400. by the end of the day it was down another 200 points. i do think people are looking for action. what could he do? he could call the congressional leader back to washington from their vacation and see if he can cut a deal on jobs. not only debt but on jobs. that is the most urgent issue. he wants unemployment insurance extended. he wants pay roll tax cuts extended. the republicans want regulations reduced or a moratorium on new
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regulations them want the immigration of more talented immigrants. they've got some things on their agenda. cut a deal now on jobs to give people reinsurance as something that's happening. i think anderson, it very important to form a council of heavyweights around him. take some steps, today was too right now people don't have confidence in the government and politicians. much, the statement was too much same old same old. as much as i respect him it was same old same old. it didn't work. >> the point about getting a council, you have tim geithner who has real world experience and there are a lot of folks on the republican side who would like to get rid of him. >> it does seem to be politics as usual. the president has tried and not been that successful with some of these councils that he's tried with jobs. this may be the time to come up with one that has some power to do something. >> but anderson, the very point is here, that people out in the
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country are desperate for washington to get beyond politics for a change, to put down the political battles and focus on getting some real progress. the president ought to stop his 2012 campaign for a while and get some focus. try to get this economy reignited. and then everybody can go back to the politics and the sand box and everything else. >> i think a lot of americans would appreciate it if whether it is republican or democrat, you know, looked inward and kind of took some responsibility and said, you know what? both sides, both of us, both our sides have a share in this, contributed to this problem. and are actually going to show some leadership and not just point fingers but look inward. you never hear that from any politician. >> anderson, you're so right. it is interesting. i got an e-mail from a leading person in the investment community. an awful lot of investors who said exactly that. that's what people would welcome so much if both sides said, we take our responsibility.
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we've all done wrong here. and we need to get together and get some of these problems solved. it would be so helpful to the country. i can't tell you how disgusted people are and frustrated they are with the politics dominating everything as opposed to some really constructive national effort. >> erin burnett, good to have you on. david gergen as well. thanks. and more from the largest refugee camp in the world. about half a million somali who's are here in desperate need. many of them. we'll have the latest from here. jill biden was here. i interviewed her and we'll have some of that. and dr. bill frist was here. i'll talk to him as well also a sanjay gupta profiles a father who walked some 30 days and nights in order to save his children and get them here where they could receive medical attention, where they could receive food aid. a lot of stories like that. we'll introduce you to some of the people coming up.
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22 victims were navy s.e.a.l.s, the navy is investigating saturday's crash. the chopper went down after insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade. police are on alert across britain as writings press. the unrest began saturday in london during a vigil for a 29-year-old black man who was shot and killed when police stopped a taxi use them. the prime minister is cutting his trip short.
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25,000 union workers have walked off the job after talks on a contract still. the spokesman said there should be no major impact on the strike and it may take awhile. the 61-year-old insurance swim is trying to become the first person to swim between cuba and florida without a shark cage. she is more that than she was 33 years ago when she first tried to swim but was unable to finish. the swim expected to take 60 hours. >> bet is a brittle swim and without a shark cage, that is incredible. consumption makes it all away. thanks very much. besides financially, the u.s. is providing more support to the somalis. jill biden came on a fact-finding mission and she's concerned about the effect of the crisis on somali kids, and
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"the new york times" said somali children, about half of them are on the brink of starvation. we talked to jill biden about what she saw today and the desperation so many mothers are facing. >> have you ever been to a camp like this? >> no. >> it's one thing to see pictures in the news or the paper but to actually see it up close is very different. >> that's what i wanted to come. i was seeing it in the paper and the news and i couldn't imagine being a mother myself, that someone wouldn't help my children and i think that's why these women have walked from somalia. they've walked like 15 to 30 days to bring their children here to get them food and water and health care. i know there are tough times in
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the united states but it's a desperate situation. there is an end to this. the famine was caused by the drought. rain also come in october but we have to help these mothers save their children. >> i saw you talking with a family. what were they say something. >> that mother had walked for 15 days. there's no male head of household and she said, can you help me? can you help me? i have my children and her little baby was sick and with diarrhea and so, they desperately are seeking help. >> and diarrhea here, kids die with diarrhea. they can't replenish their fluids. >> so american, if they could just give a donation. they could pay for vaccines, measles for these kids. water, they could pay for food. if they would go to u.s. aid.gov they could choose the donation where they want their donation to go and help the children.
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help the children live. >> she really wanted to come here to see it for herself and do whatever she could to bring attention to it. you can see the full interview on 360.com. senator frist was also here as part of the fact-finding mission. families affects by the famine. dr. sanjay gupta showing us the efforts under way to help the youngest victims survive. [ bell tolls ] agents, what did we learn here today? that lint balls are extremely flammable...
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with the award-winning service you expect ready? come see us. now that's control. (bike bell) welcome back. we're in the largest refugee camp in the world. we're along the somali border in kenya. what's so horrific, in a sense it is history repeating itself and innocent people are suffering and dying. 19 years ago this very month, i actually was in somalia reporting on famine. it was one of the first stories i covered as a young reporter. the famine back then killed about 300,000 people. i want to show you some of the what i saw in a town in 1992. this very month in august, 19 years ago this month. nearly this month to the day. a town with about 100 people dying every day of malnutrition. and from the conflicts. take a look.
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>> death and suffering everywhere. i was walking down this road and came across a family whose son just died while i was standing there. they're now washing his body. you want to do something. cry out and get someone to help but there is no help to be had and no one around. for a lot of these people, it is too late. the relief supplies are coming but they've been suffering for months. and they're going to die and there is nothing you can do. >> i sat and watched the boy's father use what little water he had to clean his son's body. they had come here because they had heard there was food here. the father had already watched his two other boys die. this was his last. he was 5 years old. >> it was happening a thousand time a day just like that 19 years ago. and here we are 19 years later and it is happening again. ten of thousands may have already died. an estimated 29,000 kids under the age of 5 have already died
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in the last three months. parents are desperate to save their children from a slow and painful death. but famine is a powerful opponent and we're finding a lot of people who have walked for weeks with their children. many with multiple children to get them here. some kids have died along the way. some adults have died along the way and we'll never know their story or their name. many have been able to save their kids. dr. sanjay gupta visited the youngest victim at a medical aid station today. take a look at what he found. >> what you're looking at may best be described as the most desperate place on earth. vulnerable children, thick with misery. >> you can tell right away when you see a little baby here. you can take a look here. the baby's fontenol sunken in. this is what happens when they have no food, no water. so dehydrated.
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>> basic, basic necessities. so hard to come by. dust and starvation. nearly everywhere you look. >> this is also what happens when you're at the world's largest refugee camp. all these folks waiting to see one doctor over here. >> as you look at these images, consider this simple fact. these are the lucky ones. lucky because they made it here at all. this family of five made it out of somalia just yesterday. came out here to the middle of the desert to give you a real idea of what this family went through. they walked for 30 days and 30 nights. primarily walk at night because it was cooler carrying those three kids. sometime carrying a kid, going back, getting another kid and then just doing this over and over again in the desert. 30 nights worth. they crossed the border and then they get robbed. bandits take what little possessions they had.
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but the bandits didn't take his dream and his drive to keep his kids alive. it won't be easy. >> this is another thing you see quite a bit. this child obviously, 3 months old, looking very listless. not very active at all. look at his breathing specifically. he is breathing with his abdomen, not so much with his chest which is something very tiring for a baby. he also has whooping cough, pertussis because the child was never vaccinated. he will need a hospital, oxygen, antibiotics, and yes, food and water. all of it may come too late. so painful to realize that every one of his ailments could have been prevented. unfortunately that hardly ever happens in the most desperate places on earth. >> i'm joined again by dr. sanjay gupta. also here with david mckenney who has been on the ground covering this story for weeks.
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and joining us from mogadishu, somalia's capital where we'll be reporting tomorrow. inincredible, the journeys people have taken to get here. >> they have no choice. that's what we're fighting. the aid again, keeping in mind that this was not a surprise. this was not unexpected. >> people have known for months and months and months. >> this could have been prepared for. that was really striking that so much of what you just saw there was absolutely preventable. i think -- >> so little of the way we prepare for this has changed. it is not until people see the images that they think it is real. >> you've seen this for 19 years as you pointed out. the journey for them, i think it was probably the hardest part of the whole thing. it was harder than dealing with the loss of crops, the loss of livestock, all of that. the journey. they walked for 30 nights to get here. >> you've been covering this for week now. people are still coming. about 1,200 every single day. the numbers in the last two months, they've seen more people in the last two months than the previous two months before. >> last month 30,000 people came
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to this camp. they've been dealing with maybe a couple of thousand a week, anderson. 30,000 in a month is hard for these to deal. you said at the beginning of the show. this champ has been here a long time. 300, 400,000 people. it was a new struggle. the people coming in. they kind of make it into the camps. they go to what they call the outskirts. they're living under ram shackle hits no running water, no toilets. often they are struggling to access food. we went to a place two weeks ago where a father was burying his young child. the name was sarah. we went back there today hoping the situation had been better. and we went into their hit and he was now listless, lying with problems, had a fever. and the blasting winds coming through camps. people are really struggling wanting a better life. sometimes when they get here despite the efforts of the aid agencies, it is worse. >> this is a manmade disaster. >> it is a manmade disaster. there is no such thing as a
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famine in the 21st century that isn't caused by man. you've got high food prices, markets that aren't working. between the countries of the east sxavg the horn of africa. and we mustn't forget somalia. the el shabaab militia group, the islamic militia group is stopping aid from getting in. and people are streaming out like sanjay described. >> and they stop vaccinations. anybody from vaccinating saying they are a western plot to kill somali children. >> and i was not quite sure what i would see here. i saw pertussis which is whooping cough right away. they talk about measles, diphtheria, tetanus, preventable problems as david is saying. that we know how to deal with. yet they worry that there is so much distrust that that still exists. >> you're in mogadishu where el shabaab has been battling with this fragmented transition them just left mogadishu. what is the latest there? has el shabaab really left the capital?
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>> reporter: they called it a withdrawal. i think what it is, they have been pushed out of the capital by the government forces. not just because of superior fire power but because they've lost a lot of grassroots support. that edict banning aid group has hit hard. over the week, there was a sense of optimism that perhaps this could mean the aid corridors throughout the capital would open up. today unfortunately we've already had an attempted suicide attack. four people were injured when a would be suicide bomber luckily detonated prematurely so we've gone from that optimism over the weekend to people just sitting back watching and waiting. no doubt about it. it is good news in terms of aid delivery. if only the aid could actually get here, anderson. >> and you have 100,000 people what have been displaced and gone to mogadishu seeking food. we'll talk a lot more to you.
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to david mckenzie, has a lot changed in this camp in the time you've been here? >> it changes and it stays the same. people are piling into these areas. they're locating people from the outside of the camp and pushing into camps there. but they're not getting the help they need. >> we'll have more in the days ahead and also sanjay gupta. we're continuing to stay on this story. for information on how you can then victims of the famine, to go our website. ac360.com. we'll be right back. e ] can't be i have high blood pressure. what's that thing? another medication. ♪ i really should have taken my shoes off before i got weighed. [ female announcer ] you've got a lot on your mind. that's why every walgreens prescription goes through a 10 point safeguard check that reviews your current walgreens health record for allergies and potentially harmful drug interactions. [ kate ] i can do this. [ female announcer ] the 10 point safeguard check from walgreens. there's a way to stay well.
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we'll continue reporting on the crisis here over the next many two nights. dr. sanjay gupta will stay here at this camp for the next two nights. i'll go with my team to mogadishu to see the situation there. both the security situation and the food situation. also tomorrow, you don't want to miss my interview with super model iman. she was born in somalia and has a very personal perspective on what's happening here. here's some of what she had to say. >> regardless of the conflict and regardless of the political issue happening in somalia, what is happening for a fact, for a fact, it is a humanitarian catastrophe and this famine will be remembered as a famine that has destroyed generations of children. and we have i think we are in a place now that we can actually turn it around.
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