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Violent Storms; Hussein Death Sentence; War In Somalia

Aired December 26, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us.

NGUYEN: Glad to be here.

SANCHEZ: I'm Rick Sanchez. Hello to you as well. Tony Harris and Heidi Collins have the day off.

NGUYEN: Yes, they do. Well, spend a second in this hour, if you would this morning, as we keep you informed. Here's what's in the rundown.

SANCHEZ: Saddam Hussein's death sentence upheld today. The ousted Iraqi dictator moves a step closer to the gallows, his hanging possibly in days.

NGUYEN: We're also going to take you to Florida where they are cleaning up from tornadoes. Dozens of families lose just everything on Christmas Day. The bad weather elbowing in on holiday travelers as well.

SANCHEZ: New year, new job. Our guest is going to be here to tell us who's hiring in 2007, what the outlook is for you and who's handing out raises as well. It's Tuesday, December 26th. You are in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Well, we do have some breaking news out of Baghdad to tell you about on the fate of Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein. Now a spokesman for Iraqi's appellate court says the chamber has upheld his death sentence handed down last month. And according to Iraqi law, the execution is to be carried out within 30 days. The conviction involves the 1982 massacre in Dujail. One hundred and forty-eight Shiites, as you recall, were killed there, an apparent retaliation for a failed assassination attempt on the Iraqi leader. And, of course, we are going to take you live to Baghdad with much more on this story in just a few minutes.

SANCHEZ: Horrible time to be hit by something like this going through the holidays, but that's what happened in Florida. Hit by some violent weather. Some tornatic (ph) activity. Hundreds left homeless on this holiday. More from Claire Metz. She's of our affiliate WESH, or otherwise known as WESH TV, in Daytona Beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked out the window. The wind started coming real hard and just started busting my window. I looked outside and you just seen everything rushing around. And then you just seen debris flying everywhere.

CLAIRE METZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The breath of the damage here is remarkable. Little is left standing in at least four of the units but concrete walls, furniture, clothing, personal belongings exposed to the elements or tossed around in explosive wind. Hundreds of people lived here. The fact that only five residents suffered minor injuries is a holiday miracle

CHIEF MICHAEL CHITWOOD, DAYTONA BEACH POLICE: From my point of view, I've never seen anything like this. It's just like a war zone. I mean Embry-Riddle took a beating. What happened here at the apartment complex and further on up. How we didn't losses any lives, God was smiling on us today.

METZ: Several residents were briefly trapped in the apartments. Firefighters and police officers, first responders who flew to the scene safely freed them. A lot of students are residents at the complex and, luckily, not a lot of people were home when the storm hit. But as they return, it is a stunning sight.

MIKE LUDWIG, STORM VICTIM: Never seen it in Florida, that's all. Tornadoes in this area, yes, every once in awhile, you know, in a couple years. But, no, not like this.

METZ: Because the entire complex is structurally unsound, with power lines down, dangerous debris littering the property, police ordered a mandatory evacuation.

This was, indeed, a nightmare on Christmas. People continue to be grateful, though, that there was no loss of life or really significant injury. But as you can see, folks in Daytona Beach have an awful lot of work to do to recover.

Reporting in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Claire Metz, WESH 2 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: What's interesting about this series of storms is, and that's really what it seemed to be anyway because it didn't just affect one area as it covered a large swathe of the state, one part of it is being declared a tornado, another part they're not quite sure yet. Let's go over to Chad Myers. Maybe we can start the conversation off there, Chad. How can they not know if it was a tornado? And if it wasn't a tornado, what was it and when will they find out?

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, let's get you straight to that breaking news out of Iraq today. An appeals court has upheld the death sentence of former dictator Saddam Hussein and that could put him at death's door within the month. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad.

Ryan, bring us the latest on this.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A spokesman for the Iraqi high tribunal tells CNN that the court has, indeed, affirmed or upheld a decision to put Saddam Hussein to death within the next 30 days. That's what Iraqi law prescribes. Of course, Saddam Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity on November 5th and he was sentenced to death by hanging on November 5th.

After that decision was handed down, it went to an appeals court. They began considering the case on December 5th. And today, within the next couple of minutes, we're expecting an official announcement at a press conference that's set to begin any moment now. But we have already heard from a spokesman for the court that the appellate chamber has decided to uphold the earlier ruling -- Saddam's conviction and sentencing to death.

So according to Iraqi law, this really starts the clock. Saddam Hussein, according to Iraqi law, will have to be executed within the next 30 days. That's where this stands right now. We're waiting for that press conference. Already a lot of questions exactly as to what will happen next.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you this. Are people starting to hear news of this? What is word in the street? What kind of, I guess, sense that you're gauging from the people of Baghdad and Iraq in general?

CHILCOTE: News is just coming out. We, ourselves, confirmed that the Iraqi high tribunal has affirmed the death sentence within the last 30 minutes. So it is only just getting out on to the street.

One thing I will say is, there was a bombing here in Baghdad subsequent to the announcement, subsequent to the leaking of information that Saddam Hussein's death sentence has been upheld. However, it was in a Sunni neighborhood next to a very important, very revered Sunni mosque which wouldn't exactly make sense so you would expect attacks against -- because Saddam Hussein was a Sunni, you would expect attacks against Shiite targets and not Sunni targets.

But a big bombing in Baghdad. What we know for sure, since that announcement, what we know for sure is that everyone here is expecting, anticipating an uptick in violence. In fact, the government is fully expected to announce a curfew. They haven't said that this is definitely what they're going to do, but it's certainly widely held expectations that the government will introduce will introduce a curfew basically say no one can go outside after a certain hour to try to quell, to try to preempt any violence, any uptick of violence as Sunni insurgents who still consider Saddam Hussein to be their leader express their anger at the Iraqi government

Betty.

NGUYEN: And, Ryan, just to be just very clear here, any other appeals process that could occur after this or is this the end of it?

CHILCOTE: Good question. This, according to Iraqi law, is the end of it. This is the final appeal that has been rejected from the Iraqi high tribunal. So this really clears the way, according to Iraqi law, for Saddam Hussein to be executed within the next 30 days. Having said that, international law, which one would think would supersede in this case, international law almost always gives governments the right to stay executions, to commute executions, to pardon executions.

In this case, even if the Iraqi government decided to follow international law and consider a stay, it is extremely unlikely that this government would stay Saddam's execution, would pardon -- certainly not pardon him, but extremely unlikely that they would even commute his execution to life in jail, for example, because this is a government that has already said that they believe Saddam Hussein should be executed. In fact, the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al- Maliki, has said he thinks that Saddam should be hung by the end of the year.

Betty.

NGUYEN: OK. So say there is no stay, which you're not expecting at this point, is this going to be a huge spectacle for Iraq? Is this going to be something that everyone's going to be watching? How's it going to be carried out, this hanging?

CHILCOTE: Good question. We know some details about the hanging. We know that Saddam's relatives are supposed to be notified in advance. That all condemned individuals -- that they have the right to inform family. For family perhaps to even be present. Some of their legal team has the right to be present. They are allowed to make a statement, allowed to have a cup of water, allowed to pray before they are executed. And then there are some statutes in the law that deal with the body of the condemned after they have been executed.

But, you know, Saddam Hussein is such an extraordinary figure in this country, such a public figure, such a -- his execution and his role in Iraq is such an emotive subject, it will really be interesting to see exactly what we know. On the one hand, Saddam Hussein could be execute and we learn nothing about it for days. On the other hand, anything is possible. It could be recorded, videotaped and broadcast on television to satisfy those people that are looking for justice, that feel that Saddam Hussein only brought tyranny to this country. So, it will be very interesting to see how this government deals with it.

The international community has been very clear. They are asking for the Iraqi government to stay the execution, to commute it to a life sentence. The international community has been very consistent in that.

But we really don't know exactly how the Iraqi government is going to handle this. On the one hand, they could go for a very public expression of justice, so following through, punishing the man that so many people here, in particular Shiites and Kurds, feel really was a tyrant. On the other hand, they could do this secretly to try and keep the security situation under control, execute Saddam Hussein and then notify the public at some later date.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, we, of course, will be watching and the countdown is on apparently after this appeals court has upheld the ruling. Ryan Chilcote joining us live from Baghdad.

Ryan, we appreciate that.

SANCHEZ: An update now on another story that we've been following from the Spanish doctor who was flown to Cuba to examine Fidel Castro. He says that the Cuban leader does not have cancer. No malignancy, he said. Also, he is recovering slowly, he says, from his emergency intestinal surgery and right now there are no plans for more surgery on the Cuban leader. Now the doctor, who's now back in Madrid, who flew to Havana last Thursday, made his comments this morning. The Cuban president had the operation in July, you might recall, as we reported it. He's not been seen in public since then. For now, his brother, Raul, is in charge of Cuba's government.

NGUYEN: Well, another battlefront to tell you about. Ethiopian troops fight Islamist forces in Somalia. What does it mean for the U.S.? Well, that's ahead right here in the NEWSROOM.

SANCHEZ: Also, what are your chances of landing a better job in this new year? Or what about padding your paycheck somehow? You're going to want to stay with us for the job outlook for the next year. Straight ahead we're in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Plus, changing the rules of the road. One place is giving motorists more leeway, actually, but will it put the brakes on those bad drivers? We take a closer look here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, there's a new dispute to tell you about. The U.S. on one side, Iran and Iraq on the other. And at its center, Iranians detained during U.S. led security sweeps in Iraq. The U.S. says those taken into custody may have aided the insurgency. Iraq says at least two of the suspects are Iranian diplomats.

Now they were visiting at Baghdad's request and have since been released. Washington says two other detainees, both members of Iran's military, are still in U.S. custody. Iraq's president is said to be very unhappy with Washington's handling of this case.

SANCHEZ: Let's get to somebody else now who can perhaps give us some perspective on the situation that we've been telling you about that's developing inside Iraq and that, again, is that an appeals court has basically upheld the death sentence of Saddam Hussein. So -- and the question we've been trying to nail down for you all morning is, how soon will it happen? Iraqi law seems to state it can happen within the next 30 days. Will it? Aneesh Raman is our Middle East correspondent. He's spent an awful lot of time in Iran, covering the country -- Iraq, I should say. He's in Iran now. But while in Iraq, he's covered it from one end to the other.

Let us know if you can, Aneesh, what your perspective is on this because we are trying to nail down what the law could be. Do you suspect that this thing will happen sooner rather than later?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That seems to be the case, Rick, given the swiftness of this appellate process. There's one more hitch legally that has to take place. The presidency council, which includes Iraq's president and the two vice presidents, have to sign on to this death sentence before Saddam Hussein is hung. The reason I say hitch is that Iraq's president, Jalal Talibani, has previously signed an international document against the death penalty.

Now, of course, we knew this going into the trial. We've asked about this. Legal experts in the country suggested that Iraq's president could find a loophole, perhaps not be present when this document needs to be signed, an underling would sign it, the execution would go forward. But Iraqi is entering virgin legal territory, as it's done with the trail. International law in a domestic Iraqi court and now with this phase, the execution phase. So we could, perhaps, see them use this presidency council signing as another way to extend this process if politically they feel the situation on the ground is not tenable for an execution.

We've seen this court at times, explicitly at time, implicitly affected by Iraq's government. It is why a number of international organizations that said the trial was not legally up to par and they could do that again with this sentence.

Rick.

SANCHEZ: That begs the question, Aneesh, is Talibani his own man or will he be pressured in this case by the United States to make a decision to go ahead and go along with the execution? And I ask that question in light of what's happened just in the last couple of days with the arrest of the Iranians that Betty just reported moments ago that would make people wonder if Talibani really is his own man or if he's doing the United States' work?

RAMAN: Perhaps Iraqi president is wondering that as well. When we talked about the sentencing, we've known for some time that there's pressure within Iraq, of course, among the population, there to see Saddam Hussein executed, especially among the Shia population, among some Sunnis as well, especially those not in the insurgency. So he would face, undoubtedly, a barrage of criticism from within the country, not just from the U.S., if he were to hold this up. That's why it is highly unlikely he will do so. More likely he'll simply be away or find some loophole.

On the other issues, as you mentioned, a very embarrassing moment for the Iraqi president. He invited these Iranians to Iraq after coming in Tehran last month to talk about security. Iran and Iraq have a very sort of soft relationship at the moment. They're trying to build on it, especially in terms of security.

Iran has now said that the U.S. faces "uncomfortable consequences" as a result of these arrests. They're calling them not justified. The U.S. has long said Iran is arming and funding militias in Iraq. If they don't produce evidence out of the evidence they've collected with these Iranians that are there, Iran will likely rise only more in its rhetoric against the United States, be defiant only more against the international community.

SANCHEZ: Aneesh Raman seemingly working around the clock following these stories for us there. He's in Tehran, Iran, right now and we thank you for the update on that.

Well, what are your chance of landing a better job in the new year or what about padding your paycheck, making a little more perhaps? You'll want to stay with us for the job outlook for the new year. That's straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: What's the big board doing? Well, there is the big board, by golly, and we understand the Dow is now up 18 points. See it right there. And the Dow just underneath it, I understand, plus 5 at this point. Remember, low volume today. Not a lot of people going to be trading because it's the holidays and most people are on vacation. Nonetheless, those are the numbers as they stand.

Betty, over to you.

NGUYEN: Not to bad, though.

Well, take a look at this. Some bad news to tell you about now. Escalating attacks in Somalia. The Ethiopian military in the mix here, battling an Islamic militia that the U.S. believes may be tied to al Qaeda. CNN's Alfonso van Marsh explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALFONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The damage to Mogadishu Airport is minimal, but the psychological impact of Ethiopian jet attacks on Somali airfields is fueling fears of an escalating conflict in the horn of Africa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, (through translator): Is this the kind of action meant for human beings? We have been fighting for the last 16 years and Ethiopia decides to do this? I cannot understand why.

VAN MARSH: The reason, Ethiopian officials say, is simple. Ethiopia accuses Islamist militias controlling much of Somalia of bringing foreign fighters and weapons into that country. Ethiopia's foreign minister says they are supporting Somalia's transitional government. It is recognized by the United Nations, but is struggling against a growing power of the Islamic court's union for control of Somalia. Ethiopia says the union's Islamic extremists also threaten Ethiopia and the region UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The moderates within the Islamic "union" have been held hostage by Jihadist elements, including by those who have come from outside. Therefore, it's very limited military operation that will have launched (ph) it. It's not targeted against the people of Somalia.

VAN MARSH: But some Somalis who back the transitional government still don't like Ethiopian troops operating in their country and the Islamic court's union is using this to garner support for their quest to set up a strict Islamic state in Somalia.

OSMAN MOHAMED, ISLAMIC COURTS MILITIA, (through translator): We call on all Somalis to join us to continue with the fight. We are ready to fight until the last minute.

VAN MARSH: Islamic militias who earlier declared a "holy war" on Ethiopia say they're holding their own in the fighting, showing off documents and photos they say they took from Ethiopian troops they killed. A recent United Nations report says 10 countries have been supplying arms and equipment to both sides of the conflict. That's leading experts to warn that the fighting could turn into a regional war.

Alfonso van marsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Let's take you to Ft. Lauderdale and show you this picture. It doesn't seem to be smoldering now, but it was before. This is at Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, just due north of Miami International Airport, as most of you know. What we're getting from an airport spokesperson is that the engine on this United Airlines plane, which is, by the way, a Ted plane, it's part of the United Airlines company, caught fire just before it was to take off from Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It may have just been a flame-out, which happens from time to time on these planes as they first get them going before the plane goes up.

Spokesman Steve Belemo (ph) says that the flames were seen coming from one of the plane's two engines as it was taxiing to the runway for a flight to Washington, D.C. None of the plane's 138 occupants was hurt during the incident. Unclear at this point what sparked the fire. It was put out immediately by fire rescue workers.

Obviously, you know, it's kind of scary if you're on the plane, but airline officials will usually tell you it happens from time to time and they deal with it right away. Happens when you first get the plane's engines sparked up. The incident did shut down the airport's main runway, though, we're told, for about 20 minutes. Once again, that's at Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale International Airport there in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Betty, over to you.

NGUYEN: Let's talk about some stormy weather now. Florida families, they are picking up the pieces from Christmas Day tornadoes. Look at that damage. A holiday and lives just ripped apart in an instant. And coming up in the NEWSROOM, we'll have much more on that.

Plus, the year in Iraq. Hope turns to despair. We take a look back right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, a lot of cleanup on this day after Christmas in parts of north and central Florida. Severe storms swept the state Christmas Day and tornadoes also -- some suspected tornadoes -- touched down in at least three counties. Take a look right there. Columbia, Pasco and Volusia. Dozens of homes are damaged. Here's a look at some of that. Some of them left in splinters. Trees were uprooted, powerlines down, airplanes flipped over. But believe it or not, no serious injuries are reported.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, I looked out the window. The wind started coming real hard and just started busting my window out. I looked outside, and just -- you just seen everything rushing around. And then you just seen debris flying everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From my point of view, I have never seen anything like this. It's just like a war zone. Embry-Riddle took a beating. It happened here at the apartment complex and further on up. How we didn't lose any lives, God was smiling on us today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: That is the truth. Let's get you over to Chad Myers in the weather center. Chad, do you know how strong these tornadoes were?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They were F-2s. The one actually north of Tampa was an F-2, and now getting confirmation there, the one right at Embry-Riddle, it started right near the flight line according to the National Weather Service there, also an F-2 on the ground.

It also danced across the eastern sections of Pasco County and even a possible touchdown in Lake County, Florida, not that far from Leesburg, south of the villages and all that -- maybe ten miles south of the villages. A couple of mobile homes injured there, damaged there as well.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: News out of Baghdad today on the fate of Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein. Iraq's appellate court upheld the death sentence handed down last month.

According to Iraqi law, is execution is to be carried out within 30 days. The conviction involves the 1982 massacre in Dujail. 148 Shiites were killed there in an apparent retaliation for a failed assassination attempt on the Iraqi leader.

Another grim milestone in Iraq. The Pentagon says a roadside bomb near Baghdad killed three U.S. soldiers. That pushes the American death toll past the macabre measure -- the number of American troops killed in Iraq is now greater than the death toll of those killed in 9/11.

As of a few years ago, 2,977 forces have lost their lives in Iraq.

Speaking of unrest in Iraq, a common theme in 2006, a year which brought some progress, but a lot more bloodshed.

Here's CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It was supposed to be the year of hope. Election results were being counted and if the new unity government could be formed quickly it might just turn the rising tide of sectarian violence. But it was not to be.

By the end of January, it was clear Iraq's Shia majority had won the elections handily, but then couldn't agree who would be prime minister. It was a bad start. Without progress there was a power vacuum.

Then, on February 22nd, everything changed for the worst. Sunni insurgents, inspired by al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Mousab al- Zarqawi, blew up a holy Shia shrine. They wanted to start a civil war and the country lurched towards it. Shia TV stations called for revenge and the first serious signs of sectarian division began to show. Sectarian death squads stalked Baghdad streets and frightened families were forced to move. Small refugee camps formed.

(on camera): Four months into the new year and still no new government. Bullet riddled bodies are showing up on the streets of Baghdad, many showing the signs of torture. Sectarian killing is becoming the norm.

(voice-over): Eventually, Nuri al-Maliki, a Shia, was appointed prime minister, but to get the post he need the support of firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr's militia increasingly blamed for sectarian killings.

June -- U.S. war planes bombed a house where Abu Mousab al- Zarqawi is hiding and the al Qaeda leader is killed. It's what the coalition had been waiting for, a psychological victory against Sunni insurgents. But the victory was short, just weeks later, reports surfaced that U.S. soldiers raped and murdered an Iraqi girl, killed her family, and burned their house. Attitudes hardened against American forces. Polls increasingly show most Iraqis want U.S. troops out.

(on camera): As the long, hot summer stretched out, sectarian tensions simmered. Mortars were occasionally fired between increasingly divided communities, heightening debate, is this a civil war? (voice-over): The year's trends are becoming clear. Increasing violence. No one knows for sure how many Iraqis have been killed in the war, but estimates range from 50 to 600,000. In October, an unwelcome record. 106 U.S. troops killed. It's the deadliest month of the year for American forces.

Then, out of the blue, Iraq's prime minister openly challenged U.S. power. Nuri al-Maliki demanding U.S. troops remove checkpoints in the volatile Shia slum of Sadr City. The checkpoints came down, stymieing a hunt for a kidnapped U.S. serviceman.

And without an Iraqi police and Army effectively turned over control of the suburb to a key supporter of the prime minister, firebrand Shia cleric muqtada al-Sadr and his militia.

And if the year wasn't going badly enough, November became another defining month for all the wrong reasons. Again, events center on Sadr City, where the biggest single attack of the war killed more than 200. It's another lurch towards civil war. If the attack in February had primed the powder keg, this put a match to the fuse.

Sectarian violence rocketed again. Death squads killed hundreds a week in Baghdad. Threats rampant, fear palpable. Without trustworthy police and Army, vigilantes took control of their neighborhoods.

Even as U.S. secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld's resignation was met with shrugs in Baghdad, President Bush called Prime Minister Maliki to a meeting in Jordan. He is warned he must disarm the militias. Iraq has hope for much more from the meeting but they don't get it.

Maliki returns to a fractured government, and by December, as President Bush pours to digest the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, in Baghdad Prime Minister Maliki took the lead, launching a new security plan to put the Iraqi security forces in charge.

But on the political front, Maliki was still struggling to retain control over his government. Any hopes it placed in finding common ground, with Sunnis dashed, when many Sunni representatives refused to show up at a reconciliation conference. In 2006, there was plenty of transition in Iraq, mostly from bad to worse.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, back here on the home front, what are your chances of landing a better job in the new year, or what about padding your paycheck? Well, you'll want to stay with us for the job outlook for the new year. That is straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES) SANCHEZ: The question now is, am I going to more money next year? And by that I mean the figurative I, as in all of us. Will we make more money next year? Will we possibly change jobs? What jobs are out there that we should possibly be considering? 2007 is going to be the year to perhaps make some career moves.

Why do we know this? Because Mary Delaney is joining us now from Chicago with a look at the job forecast for the next years. She's with careerbuilder.com, so she's been looking into this. I've been cheating by looking at some of the notes that she provided us. So things probably look like they could be positive for a lot of people next year, right, Mary?

MARY DELANEY, CAREERBUILDER.COM: That's right, Rick. Although our wallets might feel a little empty after the holidays, I think '07 will bring significantly more money for most employees. Eighty percent of companies said that they would increase pay for the current employees.

SANCHEZ: What kind of companies are they, I can't help but wonder, because, you know, when you look at the stats you see that wages are pretty much flat for most Americans over the last year. I think it was up something like 50 cents. So are we talking about the technical end, investing, people with the 30 Dow companies, or are we talking about across the board?

DELANEY: Well, I think it's somewhat across the board, but with the graying of America, health care is still having significant growth. And then sales opportunities, our productivity, we've kind of increased it as high as we can, so companies are investing in their revenue stream or sales areas. And I.T., finance, accounting, customer care, all of those areas will increase significantly.

SANCHEZ: Say those again. I.T., customer care...

DELANEY: I.T., customer care, customer service, sales, health care are some of the areas that will increase.

SANCHEZ: So, if you are thinking about switching jobs this year, those are the areas you probably want to concentrate on where there will be plenty of jobs. That doesn't guarantee you're going to get one, but that might be an area you might want to be considering, right?

DELANEY: That's right. The good news is that employers said because the job market is so tight, they are interesting in hiring people from other industries, and they will do the training for them. So don't close out opportunity that's might be in a new industry.

SANCHEZ: Now, I understand that they are also looking at different types of employees this year, and that there's going to be a trend to try to hire back retire years. Is that right?

DELANEY: That is. That's been an interesting result from this survey. There were two things about retirees. Our moms and dads, they will ask them to stay on longer and provide incentives to see if they would reduce the number of people that retire, as well as they're trying to win back the baby boomers that are aging to come back to work.

SANCHEZ: And because there are more Hispanics in this country, I imagine they need more Hispanic employees as well, right?

DELANEY: Well, I think the employers have recognized the value of a diverse workforce, and the Hispanics especially, since 2000, they've been over 50 percent of the growth annually. And so that's leading the way, and then African-Americans and women are also two key areas people are looking for this year.

SANCHEZ: Well, while we're talking about trends, there's one other area before I let you go we have to talk about, and this is the concept of job sharing, which is relatively new to me. I was talking to some of our producers. They said, well, you know, that happens in a lot of places now. Explain to the viewers what we mean by a job sharing situation that a lot of companies are going with, and why they do it.

DELANEY: Well, that's been a very interesting trend that's expanded. Fifty percent of our employers said they're looking to hire people and job share or flex time. And what job sharing is, is where two people share one job.

I actually just had two people apply to a job for our sales organization together for one job, and we hired them. And so, someone worked two days, someone works three days, and they share the income. We tend to see that employers get more than one whole person, and they get happy people because they have work-life balance.

SANCHEZ: I imagine the benefits, though, gets tricky, right? How do you split the benefits?

DELANEY: Well, that depends on the employer. We actually gave benefits to both and did not split them, but I think that depends on the employer, and it's something that people are working on.

SANCHEZ: That's an interesting concept. New things from Mary Delaney with careerbuilder.com. We thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

DELANEY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: All right. Betty, over to you.

NGUYEN: Coming up, doctors as detectives, desperate families looking for answers. What causes autism? Well, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at a medical mystery. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

SANCHEZ: Also, Christmas wishes do come true. Did you know? Just ask this Massachusetts mom right here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Magic. It was magical. So fantastic. You think, is it real? I said to them, is it real?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Is it real? Let it snow. This story will warm you. You are in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Did you call your mom yesterday?

NGUYEN: Of course I did. Several times. You?

SANCHEZ: You have to.

NUGYEN: Or you're in trouble.

SANCHEZ: Sometimes you want to do something even more special for moms on Christmas, but for one Massachusetts family, this year's theme was ...

NGUYEN: Whatever mom wants, make it happen.

Here's Grant Greenberg of our affiliate WHDH.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT GREENBERG, WHDH REPORTER (voice-over): When it doesn't snow on Christmas, Barbara Beck Ramsey usually uses glitter to make her yard glisten

BARBARA BECK RAMSEY, MOTHER: I love the snow. I just am obsessed with it.

GREENBERG: But glitter isn't good enough on what her family fears may be her final Christmas. She suffers from severe emphysema and sometimes can barely breathe.

RAMSEY: It's been a very rough year for me.

GREENBERG: So, her kids are giving her the best gift ever, a white Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's from the heart, so it's even better. You know it's nothing that you can buy from a store.

GREENBERG (on camera): Since they knew the snow wouldn't pile up on their lawn, they came here to the local ice skating rink where they knew there would be plenty for the taking. They asked the rink owner, he said OK and they came back four times to fill up their truck with all this white stuff.

(voice-over): When the lucky mom walked out the door, this is what she saw.

RAMSEY: Magic. It was magical. So fantastic. I really think, is it real? I said to them, is it real? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was just in tears, so happy. Nothing beats that.

GREENBERG: And nothing beats the warm feeling from the sight of this cold snow.

RAMSEY: Whenever I needed any kind of reassurance as to how my children think of me, I think this speaks to that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This one's for you, mom.

GREENBERG: A little sweat and a lot of love.

RAMSEY: This is my favorite Christmas.

GREENBERG: In Avon, Grant Greenberg, 7 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: What a sweet story there.

Well the folks in Florida would rather have snow, then this. Stormy weather. Families picking up the pieces from Christmas Day tornadoes. A holiday and lives just ripped apart in an instant. That is coming up in the NEWSROOM.

SANCHEZ: Also, a developing story out of Iraq that we've been monitoring for you. An appeals court upholding Saddam Hussein's death sentence. We are live to Baghdad once again to bring you the latest.

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