American Morning
Bringing a much needed medicine to Pakistani flood victims
CNN correspondent, Kaj Larsen is traveling to Pakistan and will be blogging about his experience. Catch all his stories here and on CNN's American Morning.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/09/09/kaj.powder.art.jpg caption="Kaj preparing ORS medicine the night before heading out to deliver medical aid to flood victims."]
Why is a CNN reporter sitting around a table in rural Pakistan filling up little baggies with white powder? Had it been another story, it would look really bad. But after almost three days of straight travel, over 8,000 miles and several questionable modes of transportation we had arrived at our destination, and these little baggies of white powder were the reason for us being here.
We met up with Team Rubicon earlier in the week on their mission to Pakistan. They had traveled to Pakistan to help with the victims of the flooding that began with the monsoon season earlier this summer. The mission of Team Rubicon is to provide emergency humanitarian relief in disaster zones. They were on the ground in Haiti within just a few days of the earthquake performing dozens of amputations (often with only Motrin) to save the lives of earthquake victims.
Unlike Haiti, where the disaster happened instantly creating a major trauma situation, Pakistan is a natural disaster happening in slow motion before the world's eyes. Watch 
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Imam: “We’re a country of justice for all”
(CNN) - The religious leader behind plans to erect an Islamic center and mosque a few blocks from New York's ground zero said Wednesday night that America's national security depends on how it handles the controversy.
"If we move from that location, the story will be the radicals have taken over the discourse," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told CNN's Soledad O'Brien on "Larry King Live."
"The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack."
The imam, who repeatedly said his mission was to promote peace and build a bridge among faiths, said he was also speaking about "radicals" on both sides of the debate on the Islamic center. "Our national security now hinges on how we negotiate this, how we speak about it."
"The battlefront is between moderates of all sides... and the radicals on all sides," he said.
Moving the project to another location would strengthen Islamist radicals' ability to recruit followers and will likely increase violence against Americans, the imam said.
Rauf said that "nothing is off the table" when asked whether he would consider moving the site.
"We are consulting, talking to various people about how to do this so that we negotiate the best and safest option." Read more
Vatican: Quran burning 'outrageous'
CNN) - Burning the Quran would be an "outrageous and grave gesture," the Vatican said Wednesday, joining a chorus of voices pleading with a small Florida church not to burn Islam's holy book on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The Vatican body responsible for dialogue with other religions expressed "great concern" about the plan by Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it would be a "disrespectful, disgraceful act." She was speaking Tuesday night at a State Department dinner in honor of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Her statement came a day after the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, warned that the plan "could cause significant problems" for American troops overseas.
But despite the growing pressure, the pastor of the Florida church, Terry Jones, said Wednesday that "as of this time we have no intention of canceling."
Jones all week has rebuffed pleas to call off the event, saying radical Islamists are the target of his message.
"The general needs to point his finger to radical Islam and tell them to shut up, tell them to stop, tell them that we will not bow our knees to them," Jones said on CNN's "AC360."
"We are burning the book," Jones said. "We are not killing someone. We are not murdering people." Read more
Obama and the economy
Editor's Note: Sorkin’s best-seller “Too Big to Fail” just came out in paperback. He reports for the New York Times.
Pakistan: Questions, Questions, Questions
CNN senior producer, Traci Tamura and CNN correspondent, Kaj Larsen are traveling to Pakistan they will be blogging about the experience. Catch all his stories here and on CNN's American Morning.
By Traci Tamura, Senior Producer
A couple of weeks ago I was on a stay-cation with my family touring places like Universal Studios, Soak City and lounging on California beaches. The day I got back to work I was asked the question: "Do you want to go to Pakistan?" After I got over the initial surprise, I had to ask myself the question: "As a mom of three school age kids, was I comfortable traveling to Pakistan?"
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- Traci with the owner of a small roadside tea shop in Pakistan
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- In Southern Punjab at a makeshift Medical Clinic
I knew in my heart as a journalist the floods were a huge international story that I could not turn down. But it wasn't just about me. I immediately called my husband to check his comfort level and he asked his question: "Is it safe?"
There are certainly health risks. I had to get 4 shots including Typhoid and I am still popping Malaria pills. There are security issues. Toss in the recent occurrence of suicide bombings and you begin to get the picture.
As a journalist, you are in the news business not because it's a 9 to 5 job and safe. But because you are passionate about covering the story and getting answers to the questions.
If that means traveling into the heart of disasters in dangerous countries that's where you go. So, armed with my families blessings and the understanding that "Mommy's CNN job" involves travel, I was on my way to Pakistan.
It took a day and a half to get to Islamabad but it has been worth it. So, as I head out on another 7 hour drive to cover the Pakistan floods victims I know the answer to the question: "Why did this producer and mother of three decide to come on this trip to Pakistan?" You can find out the answer this week on American Morning. Stay tuned...
Soldiers discuss danger in Afghanistan
Editor's Note: As part of an ongoing series “A Soldiers Story,” CNN's Jason Carroll follows Sgt. Randy Shorter and his unit as they head into Afghanistan. Catch their stories on our AMfix blog, CNN.com and CNN's American Morning in September.
About this Show
Welcome to the American Morning blog where you can get daily news updates from American Morning's reporters and producers. Join us for "the most news in the morning," weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET, only on CNN.
