Tough Choice in Haiti

Ten Americans accused of illegally trying to take 33 children out of Haiti appeared in a preliminary hearing with a judge on Tuesday, court officials said.

A list of charges will be drawn up at the hearing, court officials said.

The missionaries say they were just trying to help the children leave the earthquake-stricken country, but Haiti's prime minister has said the group was kidnapping the children

After Tuesday's hearing, the preliminary hearing judge will send the charges to a tribunal judge, court officials said, and the Americans eventually will appear before a tribunal.

The Americans were turned back Friday night as they tried to take the children across the border into the Dominican Republic. At least some of the group are members of the Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho.

They are being held in a jail in Port-au-Prince. Members of the group described conditions as sparse, but said they are getting sufficient amounts of food and water.

P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said Monday that U.S. officials have been given unlimited consular access to the Americans and that U.S. and Haitian authorities are "working to try to ascertain what happened [and] the motive behind these people.

"Clearly there are questions about procedure as to whether they had the appropriate paperwork to move the children," he said.

The group said they were trying to move the children to the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake that devastated parts of Haiti, flattening the capital and killing tens of thousands.

They said they were going to house them in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic.

But without proper documentation, the group was turned back at the border. Government approval is needed for any Haitian children to leave the country, and the group acknowledged that the children have no passports.

The Haitian government has accused the American missionaries of kidnapping and is investigating the incident before releasing the children back to their families.

"The children certainly were not fully willing to go, because in some cases, from what I heard, they were asking for their parents, they wanted to return to their parents," said Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.


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Stars To Redo 'We Are The World' For Haiti Relief

More than 75 mega-stars gathered Monday to re-record the 1985 charity anthem "We are the World" in the same Hollywood recording studio where the original was cut 25 years ago.

Pink, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Tony Bennett, Jennifer Hudson, Akon and other musical luminaries stood shoulder to shoulder on risers at Henson Recording studios, singing their hearts out and hoping to help Haiti.

Quincy Jones, who produced the 1985 anthem, announced last week that he planned to redo the song to benefit recovery from the deadly Jan. 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, the original "We Are the World" thundered up the charts when it was released on the radio and in record stores in March 1985.

An unprecedented number of top pop musicians gathered at A&M the night of Jan. 28, 1985, following the American Music Awards, to record the tune. The song featured 45 American superstars, including Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Cyndi Lauper.

The record raised more than $30 million for USA for Africa, a nonprofit organization founded by the singers to fund hunger relief in African nations.

True to her diva reputation, Barbra Streisand recorded her solo over and over, completely absorbed in the recording process and stopping only to correct her pitch.

While reporters watched a video feed of the session in a nearby room, stars like Kayne West mingled outside with friends, greeting his buddy, Snoop Dogg with a hug.

Julianne Hough from "Dancing with the Stars," who is also a country singer, was only 3 years old when the original tune came out. She said she felt honored to lend her voice to the effort and sing next to so many talented musicians.

"It's just iconic. Celine (Dion) is just so gracious and amazing and such a pro," she said.

The session was all the talk at Sunday night's Grammy festivities. Music producer RedOne said being asked to participate was "the biggest honor a musician can ever do."

"Having Quincy, our father of music ... and Lionel Richie asking me to contribute and help, I said of course, because this is not about me," he said. "It's about Haiti."

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