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CNN Live Sunday

Northern California Braces for a Second Storm; Wildfires Burning in Texas; Bush Defends Domestic Spying Program; Restoring Art After Hurricane Katrina; Baby Noor Closer to Surgery; Small Portion of Donated Red Cross Money for Tsunami Has Been Spent; Conserving Energy; Growing Violence in Gaza Strip; Russia Cutting Off Gas Supply to Ukraine

Aired January 01, 2006 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A second day of dramatic scenes in northern California. Dangerous flood waters wreak havoc and more rain is on the way. Hundreds of millions of dollars raised in the wake of last year's deadly tsunami. But why has only a small portion of that money been distributed?
And what happens when a third of a country's natural gas supply is cut off? The former Soviet republic of Ukraine is about to find out.

Happy New Year and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at other stories now in the news.

President Bush is speaking out today in defense of his controversial domestic spying program. He says it tracks only calls coming into the United States that are made by people linked to al Qaeda. The president insists the program is within the law.

An American teenager who traveled to Iraq is one step closer to home, 16-year-old Farris Hassan flew to Europe today from Kuwait, but his father won't reveal when his son will arrive back in the U.S. for security reasons. Hassan traveled to Baghdad as part of a journalistic learning experience, without his parents' knowledge.

The U.S. needs to do a lot more to prepare for possible bird flu pandemic. That's the assessment of two top health officials. The director of the CDC said today vaccine supplies are not sufficient and Health Secretary Mike Leavitt says more funding is needed to ensure all Americans have access to vaccines in the event of an outbreak.

2006 is starting much like 2005 ended in northern California with lots of rain. The region is bracing for a second storm, and it's cleaning up after the first one. A New Year's Eve deluge that caused floods and mudslides.

Hundreds of miles away, it's the opposite problem. Rain would be a welcome sight in Oklahoma and Texas, where a dry spell has created extreme wildfire conditions.

Our coverage starts with a dramatic rescue in Ukiah, California. The U.S. Coast Guard came to the aid of a woman whose car was almost completely submerged in the flood. To make things even worse, the driver was stuck in her fastened seatbelt and couldn't budge. Rescuers had to cut her from the car and airlift her to a helicopter. Everyone, in the end, made it out safely. Well, we have two correspondents on the scene. In northern California, CNN's Sumi Das is in Truckee. But let's start with our Kareen Wynter in Napa County. Kareen, what is the latest there?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, you may be able to hear the sound from the hoses, the rakes, the shovels, all behind me. They are definitely cleaning up in this downtown Napa neighborhood after yesterday's severe flooding. They're going through all this mud here.

You can see the debris, what's left of part of someone's property. And over here, Fredricka, well yesterday this is how people had to get around -- by boat. That's because the water levels here were so high, several feet, that people were stranded in their vehicles. And those who came back late in the day wanting to check on their homes, this was the only means.

Now one person I spoke with that he hasn't seen anything like this, not even close in years. He said, "What a way to start off the new year."

But there is some good news I can tell you about at this hour. According to the city, the water levels have receded significantly. In fact, they're not expecting it to reach the flood stage. So it won't be a threat at all today, even with the second storm coming, despite some of the rain that we've already experienced this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY ROACH, NAPA RESIDENT: Definitely feel for people whose lives have turned upside down. It isn't just one day. It takes a little white to recover from this. And there's always -- it smells here too after awhile for like, I don't know, a month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: And if you think it's bad in this neighborhood, well, our neighbors to the south of us, they had things a lot worse. In Marin County, a beautiful hillside community in the Canyons, one resident's home was just completely, completely damaged by the mudslides there.

One neighbor who caught the action, he saw everything happen, he said it happened so quickly, that the mud from the hillsides just rolled down and toppled the back half of that neighbor's property. That man says that he doesn't know where to even begin, where to pick up the pieces and said it was a good thing, Fredricka, that he wasn't home at the time. He doesn't think he or his son would have escaped.

WHITFIELD: Now, Kareen, is the feeling that the worst is over, is now behind them, or isn't there another front of rain that could come and pose yet another potential danger? WYNTER: Well, in Marin County, the rain will definitely have more of an effect there. That one home was almost wiped out, but there are a lot of other homes that could be threatened. They're all along the hillside area.

As to where we are in the downtown part of Napa, California, this is pretty much what people will be dealing with today: trying to get all of this debris not only from the front of their homes onto the sidewalks, but inside their homes, Fredricka, there's extensive water damage. And so they're trying to clean up and get that out again. They know that it probably won't be as destructive as yesterday, in terms of the storm. But quite a lot of cleanup work here. They want to get a handle on it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kareen Wynter in Napa County. Thanks so much. Well, let's check on the conditions to the northeast, near California's border with Nevada. CNN's Sumi Das is in Truckee, where they're it's not rain, but snow that could be a big problem. Hi, Sumi.

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It just started snowing a couple of hours ago, actually. And the winter weather has really delivered a one, two punch to the Sierra Nevada, and it's already caused at least one problem.

About five miles east of Truckee, where we are, Interstate 80 was shut down in both directions when a number of slides covered the highway with mud and rocks, and it trapped six big rigs. Now Interstate 80, of course, runs all the way from California to the East Coast. And it's a pretty crucial road that gets a lot of big rig traffic.

Those slides happened very early Saturday morning. We spoke to a CHP officer earlier today who said that eastbound 80 would probably open this afternoon. And that westbound traffic would be allowed to travel on 80 starting tomorrow morning, Monday morning.

Now 15 -- about 15 California Department of Transportation vehicles have been working around the clock to clear up the 250,000 cubic yards of debris. To give you an idea of how strong the slide was, it pushed 350 feet of the center divider to one side of the road. Now with another storm bearing down on the Sierra Nevada, the cleanup could not happen soon enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE SKEEN, OFFICER, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: The concern now since the slide occurred, the weather's pretty much cooperated with us and we've been able to get a handle on things. But we are anticipating as much as a foot of snow from this afternoon to Monday afternoon. So we're working as quickly as we can to get the roadway reopened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAS: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning that went into effect just a few minutes ago, at 4:00 p.m. local time. It's going to last for the next 24 hours. This is going to be a colder storm, which is good news. It's been raining, which of course does not present the best skiing conditions. It's powder that brings people to the mountains.

The National Weather Service is predicting six-to-12 inches of snow at the lake level in the Lake Tahoe basin and more snow at higher elevations. But about 7,000 feet, they'll get one-to-two feet. Now this week, between Christmas and New Year's, is typically one of the busiest for the north Lake Tahoe area. And so this really could cause a lot of problems for folks who are probably going to be hitting the road to head back home. And I can tell you, Fredricka, that I have done that road before when it's been snowing. It's no fun, it just crawls along.

WHITFIELD: You've got to be real patient, drive slow. All right, Sumi Das, thanks so much, in Truckee. Well let's get a more complete picture, in fact of the whole weather situation, whether it's just in that Truckee area and beyond, along the West Coast and even troubles in the midsection of the country.

MONICA MCNEAL, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got a mix.

WHITFIELD: Monica McNeal, yes we really do. We have a messy mix.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: We really do. And that fire danger you speak of, already we know that it has indeed produced more fires in the Dallas area. Our Ed Lavandera is actually in Dallas right now and he joins us on the phone to give us an idea of how things have been triggered yet again today. Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Hi, Fredricka. We've been talking to officials throughout the day here in Texas and Oklahoma, and we're told that firefighters across the state, from the panhandle of Texas, all the way down into Central Texas, have been battling a number of fires throughout the day.

Some of them kind of small, others 30 acres, others -- one in particular that is up to about 1,800 acres of land that's being burned right now.

The most significant one that officials are working at this point is one in Eastland County, which is west of Fort Worth, about three- to-four miles south of a town of Carbon, Texas, where we're told emergency teams are out there right now, battling a fire.

They're still not sure exactly how large this fire is, but it is apparently threatening some homes. We're told that there are some evacuations of homes in that area. I'm not exactly sure at this point how many people and how many homes are being threatened. We're still trying to gather that.

I was told just a little ago by some forestry officials here in the state that they're sending helicopters into that area to begin surveying and figuring out what would be needed to battle this fire that seems to be -- they suspect will get worse before they're able to contain it.

Of course, very high winds in the state and low humidity, they say is kind of creating the ideal conditions for these wildfires across the state. And here as we progress into the early afternoon hours -- or the later afternoon hours, I should say, they expect that it will be only get worse.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera, thanks so much for joining us on the telephone. We'll give you a chance to do even more reporting and check back with you.

Meantime also, in Texas, President Bush has been visiting troops and defending a controversial decision. We get the latest on his comments straight ahead.

And the Red Across took in hundreds of millions of dollars for the victims of the Asian tsunami. How is that money being spent? We'll get an update.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your cold and flu report for today. As we check out the map, we can show you where we've had reports of the flu so far this season. You'll find widespread activity in one state, that's Utah, where numerous cases of the flu have been reported.

Otherwise, regional activity of the flu in California, down through the southwest. Sporadic activity through much of the country, including Texas, Florida, and upwards towards New York state. And the northern tier of the U.S. Otherwise, no activity, which is good news for state like Louisiana, on into Arkansas. That's a look at your cold and flu report for today. Hope everyone has a very healthy 2006.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're looking at a live picture right now of Air Force One making a landing at Andrews Air Force Base. The president returning back to the White House momentarily after spending a good part of the holiday out West, in Texas. And in fact, he is starting the new year in familiar territory, on the defensive, over his domestic spying program.

The president spoke in Texas, about the secretive wiretaps before returning to the White House, and that's where we find CNN's Elaine Quijano. Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. That's right, President Bush is coming off that nearly week-long holiday break at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. And he began this day, began the new year really by visiting with about 51 wounded U.S. troops. He did that at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

We're told that while there, President Bush also awarded nine purple hearts. The White House says this was the 34th time that the president has visited wounded service personnel. The president getting ready to return here to the White House. There you see Air Force One and Marine One getting ready to take the president back here.

And among the questions that he's going to be facing in his administration, is going to continue to be facing, are questions about the secret domestic surveillance program. In fact, after his visit with the troops at the army medical center, the president engaged in a brief question and answer session with reporters.

He took the opportunity to again staunchly defend his authorization of that surveillance program. Mr. Bush reiterating his position that the program only targets Americans suspected of having terrorist connections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can say that if somebody from al Qaeda's calling you, we'd like to know why. In the meantime, this program is conscious of people's civil liberties, as am I. This is a limited program, designed to prevent attacks on the United States of America.

And I repeat, limited. And it's limited to calls from outside the United States, to calls within the United States. But there are -- but they are of known numbers of known al Qaeda members or affiliates. And I think most Americans understand the need to find out what the enemy's thinking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Critics though argue that the determination of trying to sort out who should be subject to monitoring should be made by a court. And in fact, some members of Congress have express concerns that privacy rights and civil liberties, they say may have been violated or may be violated in the future.

The concerns really voiced, mostly by Democrats, but also some Republicans. In fact, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter says he plans to hold hearings on this issue early this year. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And let's talk a little bit about the president's plans as the new year begins. He talked about his New Year's resolutions and trying to very hard to try and extend peace around the world and democracy. So it sounds like it's a lot of the same mantra that we've been hearing in 2005?

QUIJANO: Somewhat. On the global themes, you're absolutely right. The president in fact as you know, last year talked about that as being one of the main goals.

Now on the domestic front though, a much different scenario. The president was largely unable to get any traction on what was supposed to have been the big centerpiece of his domestic agenda, namely reforming Social Security. Wasn't able to do anything on that. And now what the president, we understand, will be focusing on, of course, is helping -- trying to turn around some of that public opinion on Iraq.

Also the economy, that's an area where the White House feels perhaps the president has not gotten as much credit as he should. So look for the president to tout that and also to tout what we sees as political progress in Iraq. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. And also, in the short term, as we wait for the president to deplane there of Air Force One, it seems as though the White House is very anxious to get the nomination, or the confirmation hearing underway for the Supreme Court nominee, Sam Alito.

QUIJANO: Well that's exactly right. And what's interesting is that that discussion is now going to be taking place against a backdrop now of this NSA surveillance story. And in fact, we know that some of the questions that may be posed to Judge Alito may in fact have to do with whether or not this program, in his view, was legal.

Now the Bush administration has said from very early on that under the Constitution, it believes that the president, as commander in chief, does have the authority to go ahead and authorize this kind of domestic surveillance. Now at the same time, though, you have some legal experts who are saying that the president and the Bush administration may be on some shaky legal ground. So look for that debate to continue, as well. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, where soon President Bush and Laura Bush will be making their way from Air Force One to Marine One and then off to the White House.

Well, will the new year mean a new start for Louisiana? Find out how the people of New Orleans are marking the next stage in their city's rebirth.

Plus, the remarkable story of how art is being saved from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A new year and a new beginning for a city battered by Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans today, residents and city officials came together to celebrate a rebirth of Louisiana. The event was held outside the Louisiana Superdome and featured poets and musicians.

Well many New Orleans residents are starting the new year, focusing on what they still have and not just what they've lost. Among them, an artist whose paintings were badly damaged by flood waters. He's a family member of CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and it was she who discovered her cousin's life work in shambles right after the hurricane hit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we first arrived at my cousin Vernon Dobard's house in New Orleans in September, this is what we found.

(on camera): I don't know what to do. I have no idea what to do. I should try to bring something back. Now I can take one, maybe just one.

(voice-over): In the aftermath of Katrina, Vernon's art work was submerged in six feet of water and in danger of being lost forever. When we told this story on CNN three months ago, a Pensacola, Florida gallery took notice.

MARK BAKER, GALLERY OWNER: I pretty much lost my studio and everything that I had during hurricane Andrew in Miami in 1992, which was devastating.

MALVEAUX: In an act of goodwill, Mark Baker, the owner of Imago Art Studio, and his team, offered to rescue Vernon's life's work.

(on camera): Good to see you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: In October, we went back to Vernon's house, where we found the studio in even worse shape than when we first arrived.

(on camera): I have to warn you, it's...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty bad?

MALVEAUX: ... it's pretty nasty inside.

(voice-over): We had no idea whether anything would be salvageable.

(on camera): Wow! This is finished.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the other side.

MALVEAUX: That's history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see where all the mold's just going wild there.

MALVEAUX: But under a refrigerator, we discovered pieces we didn't even know existed.

(on camera): Look at this.

(voice-over): Curious neighbors and friends stopped by to offer encouragement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, well, where's Vernon? Vernon's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out of Baltimore, huh?

MALVEAUX: Vernon's staying with me now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

MALVEAUX: He's living with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take my -- take my cell number and have him call me.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): It took us several hours to prepare the works for their three hour journey...

(on camera): Flip it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MALVEAUX: ... separating those damaged by gasoline, sewage and debris from those in better condition.

When the paintings arrived in Pensacola, Baker and his team went to work, cleaning and drying Vernon's art.

BAKER: It will be cleaned. It will be put in front of a shadow box and mounted. And it'll be displayed as is.

MALVEAUX: Two months later, they were ready for display.

(on camera): Is it good to be, too (ph), finally?

BAKER: Finally.

MALVEAUX: Are you nervous?

BAKER: Oh, very.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Shortly after, Vernon arrived, having never met Mark or seen his paintings since the hurricane.

DOBARD: I live with these paintings. Every day I work on them, each day. And so it's like losing a family member. It's just strange, you know? You just feel a sense of loss, you know? It goes here. Overwhelming joy, gratitude. It's so incredible, you know, that someone would be that generous. That's like seeing a family member again, in a sense, you know your creations. Yes. It sounds strange, but it's true, you know?

MALVEAUX: Now, shared with many. As a sign of his gratitude, Vernon gave the only thing that he had left to show Mark what his generosity has meant -- a piece of the family's history.

DOBARD: That's my gift to you.

BAKER: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: A gift that marks the end of a journey taken over the course of three months and more than 200 miles, which now offers one New Orleans artist a new beginning. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, beautiful detailed art.

Straight ahead, doctors talk about their hopes for the health of Iraq's Baby Noor. And what is the state of all that money donated to help victims of the Asian tsunami? How are those funds spent? We'll get an update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour. Here's a look at our top stories.

More than two days of rain causing flooding from northern California south into Los Angeles County. Homes in several low-lying areas have been flooded. Firefighters in Oklahoma, and Texas, braced to battle new wildfires flaring up in hot dry windy weather. Officials say one huge wild fire is threatening the airport in Lubbock. New blazes also are reported in Palo Pinto and Lamar County and along the Hood and Johnson County line in Texas.

President Bush defended his controversial domestic spying program again today. He says it only tracks incoming calls to the United States. Speaking at a Texas military base, Mr. Bush said if somebody from Al Qaeda is calling you, the government wants to know about it.

And an Atlanta doctor says a three-month-old Iraqi girl will undergo evaluations over the next few days to determine the course of her medical treatment. The girl known as Baby Noor suffers from spina bifida. With help from the Georgia National Guard and volunteers, she's in the U.S. for a life saving operation. Christopher King reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Baby Noor on the first leg of her journey toward a second chance at life. Her father and grandmother on board the flight with the little girl from Iraq with a life threatening birth defect. Their faces obscured out of fear of retaliation by insurgents once they are back home. As the plane cross the Atlantic, her family never before having left their home country prayed anxiously awaiting a critical operation that could save her life.

Noor and her family arrived at the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, they were greeted by journalists. Then the baby girl was whisked away in an ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation. Doctors say Noor has what appears to be a severe form of spina bifida. Her spinal cord never closed completely when she was born, doctors in Iraq gave her only 45 days to live. She's now three months old. Without surgery, doctors say, she would have died. Doctors with children's health care of Atlanta say if the treated in time, Noor has a good chance of survival.

ROGER HUDGINS, DOCTOR, CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA: My hope is that this child will be tell intellectually and cognitively normal.

KING: Soldiers from the Georgia National Guard found Noor when they raided her parent's home in Abu Ghraib looking for insurgents. Instead they found a family looking for help and a baby girl clinging to life. Lieutenant Jeff Morgan and other members of Charlie Company knew they had to act. So Morgan contacted his friend in Atlanta, Debbie Stone, for help.

DEBBIE STONE, SOCIAL WORKER: Let. Morgan is a good friend of mine and he had e-mailed me back in the middle of December to let me know about Baby Noor and asked me to see what I could do to help.

KING: Stone connected with an organization called Child Spring International a nonprofit group that transports sick children to the states. With their help Children's Health Care of Atlanta offered their facilities. Dr. Roger Hudgins who specializes in spina bifida offered to perform surgery on Baby Noor for free.

HUDGINS: We just happened to get a phone call from the hospital asking me if I would participate and be involved.

KING: Spina bifida affects nearly 2,000 babies born in the U.S. each year. In Noor's case, doctors say her spinal cord protective covering and nerves appear to be protruding through an opening. The neurological damage that can come from Noor's disease includes paralysis, loss of bowel and bladder control and some learning disabilities.

And those aren't her only challenges. Little Noor's journey has been fraught with danger. Deadly violence surrounded her every day in Iraq. And as U.S. soldiers battle insurgents, her family fears reprisal if they are seen getting help from Americans and getting passports and visas for the family was difficult.

Even now, the long-term outlook for Noor is unclear. Doctors tell CNN they'll examine her over the next several days to determine when or if her health is stable enough for surgery. The operation will take three hours but the benefits if she's lucky will pay off for a lifetime.

Christopher King, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Now to you Tom where the search has resumed for a missing snowshoer. He and a friend were caught in an avalanche high on New Years Eve high in the mountains of Provo Canyon. The other man made it out and called for help. But bad weather has made the search difficult and noises from a rescue helicopter triggered more avalanches in the area. Dog teams have now joined in the search as well today.

It was just about this time of year the world was learning the full extent of the tsunami disaster. The human misery moved many people to donate money to the Red Cross. So far, only a small portion of it has been spent. CNN's Gary Nurenberg went to the Red Cross to find out why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When the tsunami hit the American Red Cross rushed to provide help and rushed to raise money, more than half a billion dollars. A year later, nearly two- thirds of those contributions remain unspent and the chairman of the senate finance committee has asked the Red Cross to explain.

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, CHAIRMAN SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE: It's implied in the request for donations, that the money is immediately needed and then not immediately spent. Regardless of what the good faith plans of the organization are, it looks like games are being played to the charitable contributor.

NURENBERG: The Red Cross says it has spent more than $170 million feeding more than 2 million survivors, establishing water and sanitation systems, building shelters, providing tents and hygiene kits to more than 400,000 survivors and presenting disease outbreaks with massive vaccination programs. Sixty thousand survivors are still in tents in Banda Ancha (ph) alone.

GERALD ANDERSON, RED CROSS TSUNAMI RECOVERY: Relief aid continues and their existing needs. There's a lot to do still.

NURENBERG: The Red Cross devised donations between the continuing need for immediate relief and a five-year plan for recovering, that plan calls for $205 million for community health and disease control, $122 million for rebuilding and $15 million to make the region better prepared for another disaster. One watchdog organization says that makes sense.

TRENT STAMP, PRESIDENT, CHARITY NAVIGATOR: For the first time ever, we have the luxury of long-term development of rebuilding schools and rebuilding houses, and rebuilding the infrastructure in the community to make it better than it was before. I think it's time that we step back a little bit and let them do their job and quit hammering them unfairly.

NURENBERG: The Red Cross says it's open to criticism.

PATRICK MCCRUMMEN, RED CROSS: That helps us to serve more victims more quickly and that is what this is about.

NURENBERG: As Congress examines Red Cross performance in last year's domestic and international relief efforts, the agency continues to make this promise to tsunami victims.

ANDERSON: We're going to be there for the long haul.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Stories across America now. Former college football star Maurice Clarett is a wanted man. Clarett became big news when he lost a legal fight to be allowed early entry in the NFL. Now police in Columbus, Ohio say Clarett is accused of robbing two people early this morning behind a bar. He's wanted on two counts of suspicion of aggravated robbery.

You would be screaming too if you drove into the frigid Boston Harbor wearing next to nothing. Hundreds of people brave the chilly water to take part in the annual New Year's polar plunge. Temperatures at the time of the swim were in the low 20s.

Tommy the cat just might be the smartest feline alive. Tommy's owner Gary Roche Hizen slipped and fell while trying to get from his wheelchair into the bed. Ten minutes later, Roche Hizen was stunned to find a police officer at his feet. It seems the smart cat somehow hit a button on the phone that was preset to dial 911. Roche Hizen says he tried to train Tommy to dial 911 but never expected this, it worked.

Well if you haven't made a New Years resolution just yet, how about one that can help you save money and the environment. We are talking about conserving energy. Many people and corporations are doing it. CNN's Maggie Lake shows us how easy it can be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): If you ask Annette Benedict, it's never too late to start conserving. Worried about rising fuel cost, this 78-year-old Bronx resident installed solar panels on her house. She says it slashed her monthly electric bill by more than 75 percent.

ANNETTE BENEDICT, BRONX HOME OWNER: My costs have gone down dramatically. It's no trouble at all. People ask if they're maintenance.

LAKE: Until recently, alternative energy has been a hard sell for Americans. Large upfront costs have made it financially unrealistic.

JERRY TAYLOR, CATO INSTITUTE: The fact is at the moment that it's just a pretty expensive technology. It saves energy but it's so expensive, it takes a long time before you even break even.

LAKE: But the equation is starting to change. Six years ago the Dorst Corporation did the unthinkable they built a $1.6 million square foot environmentally friendly building right in the heart of New York City.

BRUCE FOWLE, ARCHITECT: This building was designed to use 41 percent less energy than the building right next door which is a tremendous amount. Also, the interior air quality that I talked about. The use of recycled materials, minimum impact on the environment.

LAKE: The experiment came at a price. The Dorst Corporation played 10-15 percent more to make this a green and energy efficient building, but they say the energy savings for a building that size means most investments have a pay back period of just three to five years.

Architect Bruce Fowle says the success of four times square has created a ground swell of interest.

FOWLE: It's becoming easier and easier to get the dialogue going. What is really exciting is that we're now doing four residential buildings in New York, which are residential towers from 35 to 55 stories tall. They're all going to be green buildings.

LAKE: Analysts say the more commercial builders embrace alternative energy, the cheaper it will become for residential users. That is welcome news to Annette Benedict who believes that if New Yorkers can turn green anyone can.

Maggie Lake, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well will it be a long cold winter for the people of Ukraine? Find out why a main source of heat may be hard to come by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon heads to the hospital Thursday to have a hole in his heart repaired. Doctors say the hole contributed to a stroke Mr. Sharon suffered two weeks ago. Doctors will seal the small gap by inserting an umbrella-like device over it using a catheter.

Mr. Sharon's government and Palestinian leaders are facing a growing problem, violence in the Gaza Strip. Militants have recently stepped up their attacks. The latest carry out at a United Nations Social Club. With more, here's CNN's Guy Raz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This used to be a social club. The only place in conservative Gaza where alcohol was sold legally. The United Nations Beech Club. Haven for diplomats, journalists and the occasional discreet Palestinian. Now it's a bombed out shell of its former self. Armed militants briefly seized this building New Year's Eve, then triggered two explosions extensively damaging the building. No one was injured but it's another example of the growing lawlessness inside the Palestinian-administered territory.

Meanwhile in northern Gaza, two men were killed overnight by Israeli artillery strikes. Israel says the men were setting up rockets to fire into Israeli territory. Israeli artillery teams remain mounted along the country's border with northern Gaza, a move Israel says is necessary to prevent the barrage of rocket fire launched by Palestinians towards Israel. Both incidents coming just two days after the release of three British nationals. Held in captivity for two days. Twenty five year-old human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents were freed by militants, but on Sunday, another kidnapping. This time the victim an Italian national was briefly held by gunmen. The Palestinian authority has quietly acknowledged it's losing control over the territory. One Palestinian official in private likened the Gaza situation to Somalia with heavily armed gunmen now vying for power and unwilling to accept the authority of the elected Palestinian government.

Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

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WHITFIELD: In other news around the world now, a message today from Pope Benedict XVI. During a New Years mass the pontiff said the world faces several threats including terrorism and fanatic fundamentalism. He called on individuals and governments to work together to fight those threats to ensure world peace.

Outside Sydney, Australia, entire hillsides are in flames. Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires racing across dried out eucalyptus forests. Some flames shoot 100 feet in the air. Several homes have also been destroyed.

And some long a waited tax relief for Chinese farmers. Starting today, hundreds of millions of poor farmers will not have to pay an agricultural tax. It was flat tax based on land and family size the farmers have paid for the past 2600 years.

It appears Russia is making good on its threat to cut off its supply of natural gas to Ukraine. Russia has begun shutting down the flow of gas after Ukraine refused to sign off on an enormous price hike. CNN's Ryan Chilcote explains.

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RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What happens when a third of a country's natural gas supply is cut off? The former Soviet Republic of Ukraine is about to find out. Russia has fulfilled its pledge to close the tap. Ukraine is putting on a brave face.

IVAN VAGRA, DEPUTY DIR. UKRAINE GAS (Translator): Our own reserves of gas are sufficient for all the immediate needs of the population.

CHILCOTE: But Ukraine's reserves run dry perhaps closer to this summer, the natural gas it produces and the other portion it will get from Turkmenistan, won't be enough. It will need at least some from Russia. The only other potential supplier. For now, compromise looks far off and the already cool relations between Russia and Ukraine look like they're getting chillier. Ukraine sees Russia's more than 4 full price hike as a form of punishment for its western leaning foreign policy.

VIKTOR YUSCHENKO, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): The problem is to fine the right price, economically justified in which will not look like a tool of political pressure. CHILCOTE: Many believe Ukraine will have to agree too much higher prices. That's why it's also asking for the higher prices to be phased in over time. Ukrainian industry in particular steel and chemical plants are expected to be hit hard by higher gas prices.

JAMES FENKNER, FINANCIAL ANALYST: The real question is how long the adjustment takes. A dramatic adjustment of one day is extraordinarily painful. An adjustment that takes place over years could be done without so much problem.

CHILCOTE: Western Europe is watching anxiously. The same pipelines that take Russia's gas to Ukraine go on to Western Europe supplying it with more than a quarter of its natural gas needs. The fear is there could be a disruption in its supply as a result of the dispute. The European Commission will meet this week to discuss contingency plans.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN.

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WHITFIELD: And speaking of cold, let's show you a live picture in this country of Truckee, California, where they're already experiencing quite a bit of snowfall. Earlier, some of that snowfall also helped result in mudslides and it caused a real problem on Interstate 80. We understand from officials that by later on this afternoon, all of those problems on Interstate 80 should be solved and the lanes will reopen. More on all those potential problems out west when we get them.

Meantime, how did you bring in the New Year? We'll show you how it looked around the country right here on CNN right after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think to succeed in building a new house without getting a divorce. You know how I keep hearing horrible stories about how you have these terrible disagreements over what you're picking and there's a lot to pick. So keep your fingers crossed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to get in better shape. I'm going to be more punctual and I'm going to cook my family nutritious meals instead of eating fast food.

WHITFIELD: That's reasonable. Well, the New Year's Eve parties seem to be over and cleanups are underway today from New York to Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of people marked the birth of 2006 from New York's Times Square as well. And that's where CNN's Anderson Cooper helped to usher in the New Year. Perhaps you missed it last night, well here's a look.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Times Square, New York City, USA. Warming up for tonight's big count down. We're about to close out one year of our lives and welcome a new one. It may be 33 degrees outside but we're here for a nice cozy party with 700,000 of my closest friends to say good-bye to 2005. We got celebrations all around the country from Times Square in New York.

Let's head first down south to our first music performance of the night, ladies and gentlemen, bare naked ladies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello world. Hello CNN. Hey, Times Square. Hey, Anderson Cooper.

Whoo!

COOPER: Tight now, we bring you the godfather of soul, James Brown.

JAMES BROWN: So good, I got you.

COOPER: Other cities across the nation have their own, shall we say special ways of bringing in the New Year. John Zarrella standing by in Key West, Florida. John are they ready for 2006 in Key West?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're ready here, Anderson. How are you? Sushi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am fabulous.

COOPER: Michael Bloomberg, Wynton Marsallis, members of the New York City fire department and police department all have their hands. They have begun to lower the ball. Five, four, three, two, one. Cool and the Gang is standing by ready to celebrate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Celebrate good times come on.

COOPER: It's got to be kind of a bittersweet time for you here to be amidst this celebration and yet to know New Orleans is still in so much pain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you know that's your spirit, you don't mind being down.

COOPER: Here is the question. When does a country song turn into rock? The answer when it comes from Brooks and Dun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rock my world. That's what I'm talking about.

COOPER: We've been drinking here in the master control. Let's look back to Chicago, lets look at the fire works there.

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WHITFIELD: And you can catch Anderson Cooper every night, weeknight that is on CNN, not just on the New Years celebrations. Watch "ANDERSON COOPER 360" weeknights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific

Coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE SUNDAY, can you lose weight by giving into your body's cravings? We will show you a new option for living up to your New Year's resolutions.

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DAS: I'm Sumi Das in Truckee, California. Winter weather has delivered a one, two punch to the Sierra Nevada that is already causing problems.

QUIJANO: And I'm Elaine Quijano live at the White House. President Bush is back in Washington to tackle a host of issues in 2006. I'll tell you how he spent the first day of the New Year, coming up.

WHITFIELD: Plus, the diet plan that said it's OK to give into your cravings. Yes, it is true, they say. But can it help you lose weight? We'll explain.

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