American Morning
Haiti aftermath: Keeping order in chaos
Saving lives and keeping order are top priorities in Haiti right now but that will be a considerable challenge. The capitol city Port-au-Prince and its police precinct are in ruins and there are no fire and rescue resources to speak of. New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly has been overseeing the training of law enforcement in Haiti. He spoke to CNN's Kiran Chetry Wednesday.
Health care and mammograms
Many doctors and patient groups have long supported early, frequent screening for breast cancer. The senate just approved an amendment to its health care legislation that would require insurance companies to offer free mammograms and other preventive services to women despite a federal panel's recommendation back in November that most women in their 40's no longer need to be screened yearly. Dr. Freya Schnabel, Director of breast surgery at New York University's Langone Medical Center spoke to CNN's Kiran Chetry Wednesday.
Scenes of devastation: "The world is coming to an end"
Thirteen hours after a catastrophic magnitude-seven earthquake shook Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince, scenes it is still not clear how many people are dead. But one thing is certain from eyewitness accounts this is an unimaginable disaster. CNN's John Roberts reports.
For further information and help in Haiti
The State Department has set up a hot-line for information on family members in Haiti:
Call 1888-407-4747
If you want to help, you can text 'Haiti' to 90999 to donate ten dollars to emergency relief efforts. Your cell phone will be charged the bill.
You can also make donations at unicefusa.org
Haitians wait for daylight for full look at quake devastation
(CNN) - After the earth shook more violently in Haiti than it has in two centuries, its citizens hunkered down for the night, awaiting daylight Wednesday to ascertain the full scope of death and devastation.
The United States and global humanitarian agencies said they would to begin administering aid on Wednesday amid fears that impoverished Haiti, already afflicted with human misery, was facing nothing short of a catastrophe.
No estimate of the dead and wounded was given Tuesday evening, but the U.S. State Department had been told to expect "serious loss of life," spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington.
"The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best," the Haitian ambassador to the United States, Raymond Joseph, told CNN.
The grim list of Tuesday's destruction included the U.N. peacekeeper compound, a five-story building where about 250 people work every day.
Three Jordanian peacekeepers died and an additional 21 were injured, according to the state-run Petra News Agency.
Limited communications hampered reports of casualties and destruction. But the quake had reportedly brought down The Hotel Montana, popular with foreigners visiting Port-au-Prince. French Minister of Cooperation Alain Joyandet expressed concern Wednesday for the approximately 200 French tourists staying there.
Read the full story here
Big Stars, Big Giving: Elton John on AIDS awareness
Editor's Note: In an American Morning original series, “Big Stars, Big Giving,” Alina Cho looks at celebrity philanthropy and how these big stars can make a big impact. Through one-on-one interviews with Elton John, Ben Stiller, Madonna, Martha Stewart and Richard Branson, she shares what causes have become their passion, and how you can get involved. Originally posted December 21, 2009.
By Alina Cho, CNN
When you talk about celebrity philanthropy, there’s no denying Elton John is an original.
In 17 years, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised millions of dollars. So what keeps him going? He says, just like writing music, philanthropy is part of his life.
The 62-year-old music legend says he wasn't moved until he met 14-year old Ryan White in 1986. The Indiana teen was expelled from his school because he had AIDS.
John became so close to the White family he gave them financial assistance and was at Ryan's bedside when he died.
“I never heard Ryan complain about having AIDS. I never heard him whine or be miserable. He carried everything with such dignity. It just taught me about humility, how my life was completely out of whack. About six months after Ryan died, I began to change my life.
"I'd lived a charmed life, you know, taking drugs, drinking, having unsafe sex at a time when I should have been so much more well-behaved. After Ryan died, I thought I can give something back. I've come out of this HIV negative, I've got to do something positive.”
That something positive was the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 17 years it has started programs in 55 countries and has raised more than $150 million.
“People are so grateful for even the smallest thing. It doesn't take a lot of money to run a project in Africa. $15,000, $20,000. This is something that's never going to go away in my lifetime, so I've got to try and each year step up and try and do a little bit more.
Even when it means supporting other causes, like Andy Roddick's foundation to help needy children.
Watch John's moves on the tennis court 
“He doesn't just want to come and play. He wants to know exactly where the money we're raising is going. How it's going. He always calls two or three days later and asks what's the total tally? How much did we raise?” says Roddick. “He's just really involved in the whole process.”
Why? John says, why not?
“Once you've seen people suffer like this you just don't ever think of stopping. I'll be doing this 'til the day that they put me in the ground because I love doing it, and I just want to try and make a difference.”
To learn more about the organizations these stars have created to make a difference,
and how you can get involved, visit Impact Your World.
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