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President Bush Speaks Out on MLB Steroid Scandal; Two Bank Robberies Carried Out in Suburban Atlanta

Aired December 14, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, here's to those sharp-eyed copy editors in western Idaho.
The folks at "The Lewiston Tribune" were putting their paper together, and they figured that this picture would be a nice touch. It's a man decorating storefront windows.

Right below it, though, something a little newsier, a story about a man who allegedly snatched a wallet, complete with surveillance photo. Well, wait a second. You notice something strange? Similar jacket, similar build. You got it, same guy. Michael Millhouse now facing a charge of theft thanks to a tip from the folks at "The Tribe."

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

A week before the official first day of winter, the Northeast is getting a white, slippery preview. It's the same storm that savaged mid-America just a few days ago. And guess what? Mother Nature is getting ready for an encore.

Did you think Captain Kidd was a storybook character? Here's evidence he was oh so real. We're going to get the inside story of a stunning discovery, Captain Kidd's pirate ship.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

Getting ready for round two, more snow from the Plains to the Northeast. Oklahoma and Kansas are still trying to recover from that disastrous ice storm earlier in the week. Several hundred thousand people still don't have any electricity. And Massachusetts is just one state digging out from under mounds of snow. Even more could fall before these roads are cleared out.

Chad Myers, OK, some places are getting better. Some places are getting worse. Some places are well, we're not quite sure.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All of the above.

PHILLIPS: That all work?

MYERS: It sure does.

PHILLIPS: OK. I summed it up. You taught me well.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Things are warming up in New York City. You think, hey, great, that's going to melt a lot of this snow and ice. It's 41 in the city right now. But by morning, it's going to be 24, so guess what? Everything that's melting that doesn't actually get in the drain is going to all be refrozen again. This is going to happen to the roadways, too, right after sunset.

The bridges will refreeze after sunset. So what looks wet right now will be white and kind of hazy and then get icy, and it won't be a very good commute back home from New York City at all.

We have a winter storm watch in effect, but not for the big cities, not for Portland, not for Boston, not for New York City, because the storm is going to run onshore. It's not going to be offshore. If it would, still, it's 48 hours away. It's a potential. But if it would move farther offshore, that would be colder storm and more snow. This is just going to be a rain event for New York City, where the snow will be in upstate.

The snow will be into Indiana. It will also be back into Wichita and Oklahoma City as well, four to seven inches of snow for Wichita, probably even some spots around eight. I could see Saint Louis, you get about nine inches of snow possible before it's all done.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I had this tower cam up earlier, and then after we went away, I actually noticed a few more things from the camera. WTAE, our affiliate there in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Monongahela actually has been flooding quite a bit out there in West Virginia. And that water is running down into Pittsburgh. And if you take a look from the big tower cam from the incline, you can actually see Point State Park right where the Three Rivers really are, actually under water from that water coming out of the Monongahela. So, something going on everywhere.

We are just going to keep tap-dancing up here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I like it when you tap-dance and tango and salsa and bowl.

MYERS: Working on it.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chad, thanks.

Snow everywhere you look. As much as 13 inches fell overnight in Connecticut. Today, the snowblowers are out in full force. And guess who's right there in the middle of it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Reynolds Wolf coming to you from Hartford, Connecticut, where last night they had anywhere from six to eight inches of snowfall here in the city.

But some of the outskirts got well over a foot. Now, the snow did come down. The streets were clogged with it last night, but I have to tell you, the city responded beautifully. Streets were cleared out and right now things are looking pretty darn good. Right here at the park, Bushnell Park, it's just a great day. We have got a lot of the walkways are clear. You can even see the state capitol back there.

It looks beautiful right now, under the partly cloudy skies. But everyone here is aware that we have yet another storm system that will be brewing very soon as get our way into late Saturday and into Sunday. And that storm system may bring another round of wintry weather.

Reporting from Hartford, Reynolds Wolf, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right.

We want to update you on those two stories we were following, those two bank robberies out of the Georgia area, one in Kennesaw, one in Norcross.

Let's start with Norcross. We got these pretty amazing pictures from the surveillance cameras in the Iron Stone Bank. Apparently, the suspect came in with a semiautomatic handgun. He yelled at bank employees and customers to get down on the floor. He got away with an undisclosed amount of cash, but he was seen getting into a mid-1990s Chrysler minivan, light gray or silver in color, and with a handicapped placard hanging from the rear-view mirror.

Do we have those pictures or no? We're not able to use those? OK.

Apologize for that.

Apparently, red bank dye -- or a red bank dye pack was seen exploding in the front part of his van as he left the parking lot. So, right now, police needing your help looking for that Chrysler minivan, light gray, silver in color with a dye pack, red dye pack, in the front.

Now, the other bomb scare that was happening at this bank in Kennesaw, apparently a bomb was not in that briefcase was left behind by the man who got away with cash in this bank. He had said there was explosives in this briefcase. The bomb squad was called out. Apparently no such thing.

The briefcase, actually, it was determined that it had paper or some sort of catalog, but nothing hazardous. Now, this guy got away with money. Police are also looking for him. Don't know if the two were related, but right now at this point, either one to two suspects still on the loose after robbing these two banks.

More fallout today from the Mitchell report, Congress jumping in amid the scathing allegations of steroid by 85 baseball players, including MVPs, Cy Young winners, and All-Stars past and present. A House committee has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday. And a short time ago, the Senate committee chair said that he will investigate possible violations of tax and trade laws governing steroid sales.

President Bush also voicing concern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Like many fans, I have been troubled by the steroid allegations. I think it's best that all of us not jump to any conclusions on individual players named, but we can jump to this conclusion, that steroids have sullied the game, and players and the owners must take the Mitchell report seriously. I'm confident they will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And commissioner Bud Selig says that some of those players may be punished, and he says it will happen swiftly.

An attorney for pitcher Roger Clemens is denying the allegations against his client. Former player David Justice also denies using steroids or human growth hormones.

Most damning of all, Mitchell named the two brightest stars of the current generation, home run king Barry Bonds and, as we just mentioned, pitcher Roger Clemens, seven-time winner of the Cy Young award, by the way.

Clemens' alleged involvement described in detail in Mitchell's report by the pitcher's former trainer Brian McNamee. Apparently, the report says, it started in 1998, that McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided.

The report says that, according top McNamee, Clemens' performance showed remarkable improvement.

Here's Roger Clemens' attorney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTY HARDIN, ATTORNEY FOR ROGER CLEMENS: He is really, really concerned and upset that he has been named in this report. It's based -- the allegations apparently, reading the report, are based on a trainer that he's had in the past. And it looks to us and seems to us that that's what it's based on.

That's not a standard somebody should be held out in public to have done something as serious as using steroids in baseball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Our e-mail question today, should fans, especially young ones, still look up to Major League players after this report on alleged steroid use?

Here's what some of you had to say.

Joe wrote: "Should we have the Salem witch trials all over again? Of course children can still look up to baseball players as role models, as long as they understand these players are human. We must look at the their positive traits more than their negative."

Tom writes: "Kids will always idolize popular sports stars. The athletes have been allowed to cheat in so many other ways. No wonder everyone has looked the other way for so long on the steroid issue. Americans cheat locally and internationally."

And we also heard from a young fan, a 12-year-old named Brennan.

Thanks, Brennan.

And this is what he wrote: "We, the youth of America, think that these guys made very bad choices, and we are sensible enough to not make them ourselves. We may have lost a few heroes, but they were never really heroes at all if this report by Senator Mitchell is accurate."

Thank you, Brennan.

And thanks to all of you for sending us your thoughts.

Denied a fair trial while serving his country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With that check, is the Army saying that they care what they put you through?

SAMUEL SNOW, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: No. They didn't care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: This story will make your stomach turn. Decades after he was discharged, a World War II vet fights for his dignity.

A lonely road. The driver is distressed. A little girl takes control. And guess what? She saves her dad.

And it was just 10 feet beneath the surface, but no one saw it for more than 300 years. Just wait until you hear what these divers found.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three twelve Eastern time right now. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Bush says steroids have sullied baseball. He's calling on players and owners to take the Mitchell report seriously.

An apparent triple murder in Arizona. Phoenix police say they found three bodies in the back of a sports utility vehicle.

And a new audio message said to be from al Qaeda's number-two man, a voice identified as Ayman al-Zawahri, condemning Middle East leaders who went to the recent peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland.

Underwater archaeologists still cannot believe their eyes. It looks like this Caribbean shipwreck in about 10 feet of water is the actual vessel once captioned -- or -- yes, captained, rather, by the legendary Scottish buccaneer William Kidd. That's right, Captain Kidd himself.

It's like opening the doors to a 300-year-old museum. The Dominican Republic is allowing a team from Indiana University to go over the wreckage.

And joining us from Bloomington, Charles Beeker, an archaeologist/scuba diver, and, from New York, Richard Zacks, author of the book "Pirate Hunter."

Gentlemen, welcome.

CHARLES BEEKER, ARCHAEOLOGIST: Glad to be here.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's pretty exciting stuff.

Professor Beeker, let me start with you. I want to know what you think is more remarkable about this -- the wreckage, that it remained undiscovered for so long or the fact that it's so intact 300 years later?

BEEKER: Well, both those things are remarkable.

My first opportunity to go on the wreck and look around, I had said to say to myself, how did everybody miss this, a pristine shipwreck, 300 years old, sitting on the bottom in eight feet of water, crystal clear water, just laid out there the way you would expect it to be just a few months after it went down.

PHILLIPS: And, so, Richard, you made the dive. Tell me what it was like. What did you see? What stood out to you?

RICHARD ZACKS, AUTHOR, "PIRATE HUNTER": Oh, it was great. It was amazing.

Here, I had spent months in dusty libraries and record rooms looking over these 300-year-old documents, and knew that Captain Kidd had been in the area. But the idea that I could swim down and literally hug a cannon was amazing. And it's making history come to life. It's confirming the facts of Captain Kidd.

PHILLIPS: And just give us, Richard, a little insight into Captain Kidd for those that don't know the history. Take us through it a little bit here.

ZACKS: Sure. He's gone down as this legendary buccaneer, cutlass-waving bad guy of history. But actually the true story is probably even better than the myth. I mean, he was a privateer hired to chase pirates in 1696. And his mission went very badly, and his crew mutinied, became pirates, and he got charged with all the villainies they committed.

And Kidd sailed back to the Caribbean and he was desperate to clear his name. And this is what -- the story we're trying to recreate, trying to understand is how he left his first ship, where the goods went, what cannons he salvaged, which ones wound up on the bottom of the ocean floor, as Captain Kidd made a really courageous decision to sail into the teeth of the British empire to clear his name and say, I am not a pirate. I do not deserve to hang for us. I'm an honorable captain.

PHILLIPS: So, Professor Beeker, does this clear his name? And tell me about some of the items that were found. We're seeing some video here. Give me some unique pieces of artifacts that were found.

BEEKER: Well, the site itself is very remarkable.

You have got a series of 26 cannons on the site, numerous anchors that are underneath the cannons, of course, a wonderful biology on the site, too. We like to refer to this site really now already as the living museum in the sea.

And it's something that people really will appreciate for its historic significance. But the challenge for us is to get Indiana University School of HPER involved to be able to go there and do the research to prove whether Captain Kidd really was a privateer or a pirate. But, regardless, the site is phenomenal to go look at.

PHILLIPS: Can you prove it by what you found on that ship?

BEEKER: Well, that is going to be a two-year endeavor. As a research institution, it's going to take us a while to conclusively prove that.

I like to say as an archaeologist, give me a couple years, and I will answer that question. But, as a betting person, I'm betting on the ship right now.

PHILLIPS: So, Richard, any gold coins, any jewels, any big treasure chest, like we always read about?

(LAUGHTER)

ZACKS: Oh, I wish I could say yes. You never know. We cracked the surface. We will maybe go under and find something else.

But we can account for a lot of his treasure. And what's amazing is that his treasure wound up going up to Gardner's Island (ph) and then on to London. and it helped fund Greenwich Hospital, which people, tourists, millions of tourists go visit it every year in London. And that was actually from Captain Kidd's treasure.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Anything specific that you want to mention, Richard, that you were able to see or touch or take a look at?

ZACKS: Well, just the cannons themselves. They got dropped like a bunch of pickup sticks or bunch of toothpicks, and they stayed in that position.

And you swim under and they're only under six, eight feet of water, and there they are. And they truly look like they are from 1699. It's wonderful.

PHILLIPS: Any remains?

ZACKS: No skeletons, no broken chests, no -- but, you know, the more we recreate, the more -- because it's a great story. Was he a pirate? Wasn't he? Why did he go in these waters? Did he hide more treasure? Did he carry -- there's a lot of things we can discover.

PHILLIPS: Professor Beeker, and it was a private citizen who came across this? How was it discovered?

BEEKER: Well, a local person in Casa de Campo, Mr. Federucci (ph), contacted the government, knew he had cannons, but had no idea what he had exactly.

So, the government of the Dominican Republic called up Indiana University for our longtime work we have been doing there. School of HPER sent us down. We did our work. We took a look. And we couldn't believe what we had, but, you know, immediately I recognized it as cargo cannons, not deployment cannons. And, without going into the specific details, we have Captain Kidd's ship and we will prove it over the next couple of years.

PHILLIPS: Got to love it. Captain Kidd lives.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Charles Beeker, Richard Zacks, great stuff, really great stuff. Keep us updated, will you?

BEEKER: Yes, we certainly will.

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, a great-grandma makes history by pursuing her passion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love to learn. I have always loved to go to school. I love going to classes. Every class is a new adventure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A 77-year-old woman proves it's never too late to pursue your dream or to break a record. She's going to join me live in the NEWSROOM just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Two the of biggest names in sports are getting hitched.

The bride to be, three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, and the group to be is the great white shark, Australian pro golfer Greg Norman. Look, see, you can just see the chemistry there during the NBC sportscast. We knew it was coming.

They have been an item for several months, we're told. And they made their engagement official to reporters today in South Africa. Look, he's dying to put his arm around her, give her a little smoochy there. Maybe he's holding her hand, and that's why she's smiling.

Both are 52 years old. Both are recently divorced. No wedding date set yet.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Most kids get starry-eyed at the thought of blurting out their wish list to Santa, right? But, for some, oh, yes, sitting in the lap of a bearded stranger dressed in an odd red suit is just a little too scary, like for little Dylan (ph) here.

Do you have similar picture of your child, your grandchild screaming in Santa's lap? Or maybe you have got an old family picture of yourself or a sibling? We want to hear from you. Become an I- Reporter. Send us your photos -- please make sure they're photos that you or a family member took -- to our own -- or to our CNN I-report. Just go to CNN.com and click on I-Report to upload your photo. We will be featuring some of them throughout the holiday season right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Daddy missed their birthdays because of the war, but he sent the girls a big present surprise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon is off. And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Atlanta was just named the nation's bank robbery capital, and it's adding to its reputation this afternoon. Police are trying to track down the suspects in two separate robberies, the latest a short time ago in suburban Norcross.

This picture is the suspect caught in the act on a surveillance camera. The FBI says the getaway vehicle was a Chrysler minivan with a handicapped placard on the rear-view mirror. There's no word on how much money was stolen.

Earlier, a bomb squad was called out to a bank in Kennesaw just a little while ago -- or -- at another robbery call in Kennesaw. That town just northwest of Atlanta. The bomb squad was trying to determine what was in a briefcase the robber apparently left behind. It turned out to be a paper or a catalog. And the Army put him on trial -- now it's time to put the Army on trial. One man is fighting for honor and respect after a shameful episode in America's past -- and his fight is not over yet.

Keeping them honest, here's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This piece of paper was supposed to make things right for Samuel Snow. It's a check from the Pentagon cut for the World War II veteran -- a way he thought the military would say I'm sorry. But that's not what happened.

(on camera): With that check, is the Army saying that they care what they put you through?

SAMUEL SNOW, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: No, they didn't care.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): We'll get back to the check in a minute.

But to understand the scale of this injustice, you first need to rewind 63 years. Snow is one of two living defendants left from one of the biggest military trials of World War II. Twenty-eight black soldiers were sent to prison after an Italian POW was found hanged to death following a night of brawling at Seattle's Fort Lawton. Two of the soldiers were sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter. Private Samuel Snow spent more than a year in prison for rioting and was dishonorably discharged.

Stripped of any chance for GI loans or benefits, he became a career janitor.

SNOW: They just -- that's just like you might slap me and say excuse me.

MATTINGLY: Snow's fight for dignity began on a night in August six decades ago when tensions between black U.S. troops and Italian POWs boiled over.

(on camera): Words were exchanged. They got angry, somebody punched somebody.

JACK HAMANN, AUTHOR, "ON AMERICAN SOIL": Exactly.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Seattle author Jack Hamann spent years detailing the riot for his book "On American Soil." Hamann concludes the Army rushed to judge black soldiers to hide its embarrassment over the murder of a white POW.

(on camera): Today, we find the old fort is a public park with most buildings torn down.

HAMANN: We now know for a fact...

MATTINGLY: But Hammond was able to take me to the spot where Snow says he was knocked unconscious as he left his barracks. (on camera): Was Samuel Snow ever involved in that riot?

HAMANN: He never had a chance to be involved in that riot. He was just responding quickly to what he thought was an attack and he was knocked out of it almost immediately.

MATTINGLY: Hamann's book caught the attention of Congress. Representative Jim McDermott asked the Army to review the nearly forgotten case.

REP. JIM MCDERMOTT, (D) WASHINGTON: A real injustice had been done to a whole lot of black guys who were serving their country and somebody had to speak up for them.

MATTINGLY: And in October, the Army seemed to agree. A board determined that the soldiers did not get a fair trial. It asked that their convictions be overturned and that they and their families be paid every penny they had been denied. After all this time, you would think that would be a substantial amount of money. And until he saw his check, Samuel Snow thought so, too.

(on camera): Did you think there was some kind of mistake?

SNOW: No, I didn't think there was no kind of mistake. I think -- if they had done this all along, they would do that, too. MATTINGLY: How much?

SNOW: It was $725.

MATTINGLY: $725?

SNOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Only $725 -- the exact amount of Army pay Snow lost while in prison for 15 months. There was no allowance for lost benefits, inflation or interest. At 8 percent a year, $725 would have grown to more than $82,000.

Keeping them honest, we went to the Pentagon only to find the Army was going by the book.

(on camera): $725 after being put in prison, denied benefits -- pretty much for a lifetime -- does the Army believe that is fair?

COL. DAN BAGGIO, ARMY SPOKESMAN: Well, really, it's not a matter of the Army deciding what's fair. It is the U.S. law. What the Army has done is gone back to correct the record and given him the pay that he is allowed under the current law. Any redress beyond that would have to really go beyond the Army -- probably, really, to Congress.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A spokesman for Congressman McDermott tells CNN, if its hands are tied, then the Army will have to tell Congress what changes to make.

SNOW: Thank you. MATTINGLY: The Army's action also stopped short of saying that Snow and the other 27 soldiers are innocent -- something Snow believes he deserves -- along with an apology and medical benefits. But now 83 and in poor health, he wonders if he will live to see it.

David Mattingly, CNN, Leesburg, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a great grandma makes history by pursuing her passion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE ALFLEN, 77-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE GRADUATE: I love to learn. I've always loved to go to school. I love going to classes. Every class is a new adventure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The 77-year-old woman proves it's never too late to pursue your dream or to break a record. She's joining me live -- right there you see her out of Phoenix, Arizona -- coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: What dream are you waiting to fulfill?

Perhaps it's owning a home, taking a trip around the world, maybe retiring to a sunny spot and just taking it easy.

Well, this week a special dream for Louise Alflen -- had waited 40 years to fulfill and it finally came true. The 77-year-old graduated from college. The mother of five, grandmother and great grandmother, also, is now the oldest known student to receive a degree from Arizona State University.

And Louise just got finished with her convocation ceremony.

She's joining me live from Phoenix, Arizona.

So, Louise, how did the convocation go?

ALFLEN: It was fabulous. I absolutely loved every minute of it.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now, you have -- I love your story. You said you've been going to school since the 1970s. You've always wanted to get this degree, but one thing or another -- you've been distracted. And you finally got it.

Why did you want to go back and get your degree?

ALFLEN: I always wanted to get my degree. But when I graduated -- I graduated from high school in 1947. And at that time, for my family situation, college was not an option because I was a girl. I was just expected to go off and get married. And so I went off and got married.

PHILLIPS: But you also had a beautiful marriage to your husband Eddie. And he supported that dream that you wanted to go to college.

How tough was that?

I mean you were trying to be a mom and a student and a wife.

ALFLEN: Absolutely. But the thirst for learning was stronger than anything. It just drove me. And I started taking night classes one at a time. That's why it took me so long, because I couldn't take more than one at a time.

PHILLIPS: And now 30 something years later, you finally got it.

ALFLEN: I finally got it. That's right.

PHILLIPS: What was it like to sit in these classes, Louise, with these students, you know, these, 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds?

Did they want to ask you your deal or what your story was?

I mean how did they treat you?

ALFLEN: Well, actually, it was a learning experience for me. They treated me, generally, just like another student. I never pretended to be young and carefree like they are. But we were all doing the same thing. We were all studying. We were reading. We were writing papers. We were worried about our finals. And I just -- for me, it was a positive experience and I love -- the young people of today are just fabulous.

PHILLIPS: Did you pull the all-nighters with pizza and beer?

ALFLEN: Well, maybe some of the beer, but...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right, Louise.

Now we're talking.

So did you join a sorority?

Did you go to the frat parties?

ALFLEN: No. I -- you know, I kind of set my boundaries.

PHILLIPS: OK. You had to behave yourself.

ALFLEN: That's right. You know, I tried to dress appropriately and not too much, not too little. But...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You didn't want to attract all those younger men. You had a mission. You had to get that degree.

ALFLEN: I had a mission. You've got it.

PHILLIPS: So what did you finally get your degree in?

ALFLEN: I got my degree in history. For me, history has been a lifelong passion. I've probably read more biographies, more history books. And I've always loved history, from -- all the way from a child on up.

PHILLIPS: Well, and you lived a lot of that history. So you were probably taking classes where you could raise your hand and say, hey, wait a minute, you experienced that. I lived through that.

Did that ever happen?

ALFLEN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: For example?

ALFLEN: Well, in one of our classes, they were talking about the Depression and I could relate to that. Because the younger people don't realize what it was like living through the Depression and having to do without. And the other thing was rationing during World War II. It's amazing how little understanding there is about the life we lived during the world war years.

PHILLIPS: Wow! I bet your kids and your grandkids and your great grandkids are pretty proud of you, yes?

ALFLEN: I think they are.

PHILLIPS: And your husband Eddie, I know you took time off of school to care for him. He had cancer. But I bet he's looking down on you.

He probably gave you a lot of strength through all of this, didn't he?

ALFLEN: Yes, he did. He supported me all the years that he had to eat dinners that were in the oven or out of the crock pot while I was off to class.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well, you did it and he embraced you the whole way.

Louise Alflen, we are so proud of you. And thanks for giving us an interview. We were very excited about talking to you. You've inspired all of us.

ALFLEN: Well, thank you. I've enjoyed it and I'm happy for the honor you're giving me.

PHILLIPS: Oh, you deserve it.

Thanks, Louise.

ALFLEN: Thank you.

Bye.

PHILLIPS: Well, big hugs and hearty handshakes in the parking lot of a Seymour, Indiana Home Depot. That's where Tim Burton first met brothers David Bennett and Mikel Williams two weeks ago. But Michael had just suffered a heart attack. Brother David went looking for help and found Tim -- who luckily knew CPR.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM BURTON: I knew right then he had a heart attack because his eyes were, you know -- his -- they were fixed. And I didn't get a pulse and I didn't get any breathing.

DAVID BENNETT, MIKEL'S BROTHER: You jumped right in there, man. So it was so great to have you there.

BURTON: Well...

BENNETT: I mean it was a Godsend, for sure.

MIKEL WILLIAMS, HEART ATTACK SURVIVOR: Thank God the man knows CPR. If it hadn't have been for him and my brother, I don't -- I wouldn't be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And living proof right there that CPR does save lives. One postscript note -- Tim Burton is a former Red Cross board member, so knew exactly what to do. And if you're interested, check out your local chapter of the Red Cross.

A close call for a Maryland man. Timothy Webber had a heart attack while driving home along a remote road outside the town of Brunswick. No cars around, no cell phone signal. Lucky for him, his 9- year-old stepdaughter was with him. She climbed in his lap, grabbed the wheel and headed for town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHEYANNE PHILLIPS, DROVE PICKUP ALMOST 10 MILES: I steered and I said push the gas and the brake. And then I called mom, because I found that I had service on the phone. Then she said that she was on her way to come pick us up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Doctors say there is no doubt that Cheyanne saved Webber's life. His main artery was 90 percent blocked. He's just glad he taught her how to drive a tractor.

Dad felt bad he missed his daughters' birthdays white on duty in Iraq. So he sent a big present for them to open at their Kentucky school. Well, they tore off the wrapping and, yes -- surprise. Sergeant Matthew Wilder, AKA daddy, reporting for hugs. One of the girls said that all she wanted for Christmas was her daddy in a box. So when Wilder's wife found out he was coming home, guess what?

She made her daughter's dream come true.

Just when you thought it was safe to shovel out, a warning to dig your heels in. It's going to be a long weekend for some of you.

Chad Myers tracking the severe snow and the ice in the forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Each week we profile individuals who transition from one line of work to somebody they are passionate about.

And today, Ali Velshi brings us the story of a massage therapist who took one job that changed her life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Google. Search engine. Tech giant. And for retired massage therapist, Bonnie Brown, Google was the job opportunity of a lifetime.

BONNIE BROWN, RETIRED MASSAGE THERAPIST: A friend of my sister's called one day and said I read in the paper that there's a company called Google looking for a full-time massage therapist. I think you should probably send them your resume. So, I said all right. I sent the resume in.

VELSHI: That was back when Google was a small start-up of only 50 people. And when Brown was offered a job, she made a savvy decision negotiating her compensation.

BROWN: I'll give you guys 10 hours a week, $45 an hour is fine and I'd like options. And she agreed, we put it into the contract.

VELSHI: Those options changed her life -- and they couldn't have come at a better time for Brown. Her marriage had just ended, leaving her a single mom with two teenaged kids to raise. Plus, the private children's school she ran had gone under. Massage therapy went from being a hobby into a career at Google. Five years of massages and thousands of stock options later, her life turned around dramatically.

BROWN: Valentine's Day of 2005, I knew that if I pushed send on the computer that I was going to be a millionaire. And it was quite a moment.

VELSHI: So Brown cashed out and retired. Now, she's written a book about her experience and helps fund charitable groups that assist poor people in Third World countries.

BROWN: After the IPO, I started a foundation. It was a private foundation. And that enables me to carry on something that has always been a part of my life, and that is helping people less fortunate. VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And some new video for you. Some of the hardest working people in Oklahoma -- utility linesmen who spend 13 hours to stretch -- or at a stretch, I'm told -- sorry about that -- outdoors trying to get power back to hundreds of thousands of homes. And at the height of the ice storm this week, more than 800,000 customers had no electricity. That number is down at just over 200,000 -- most in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Those communities have been showing their gratitude by taking care of the crews -- providing beds, showers and plenty of hearty, hot food.

Chad Myers, I'll tell you what, those are the guys you have to salute in times like this. Man, oh man.

MYERS: Yes, no kidding. And it's not like they're out there in 70 degree weather and putting blinds back up, you know?

It's cold, it's windy and now it's going to be snowing and, in some spots, icing again. And that's going to be a problem, I think.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks a lot, Chad.

Oh, here we go. These are some of...

MYERS: Look at this.

PHILLIPS: These are some of our I-Reports coming in, right?

MYERS: Yes This is actually from KOKH, our Oklahoma City affiliate there. This is from YouTube, actually.

PHILLIPS: Oh, YouTube.

MYERS: You can go click on it and you can find it. You can find the YouTube video. They're sending it to us, though, today.

This is the ice falling off their 1,600 foot tower.

PHILLIPS: Wow!

MYERS: Can you imagine the momentum these pieces of ice have?

Well, they went through a building. They went through the cars.

PHILLIPS: I would want...

MYERS: They went through windshields.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I wouldn't want my car parked right there, let me tell you.

MYERS: Whoo, Nelly. Yes. Stay away from that.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep tracking it.

All the YouTube, all the video, all the I-Reports and everything.

Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Well, people partying in a cave around an illegal camp fire -- investigators say that's how last month's devastating wildfire in Malibu, California had started. Before it was out, more than 50 homes and nearly 5,000 acres had burned. Five men between the ages of 18 and 27 are now in jail, charged with recklessly causing a fire. Their first court appearance is Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Bad boys, bad boys what you going to do?

Bad boys, bad boys...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, you're definitely not that go hear this singer at Carnegie Hall, but you heard him there as he was getting thrown into the pokey. But he did win a booking in jail.

What's going on?

We're going to tell you what police had to say.

And it seems like we do everything on the go these days.

So where's the best place to pick up a date on the fly?

We'll tell you the best cities for singles to mingle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, every suspect has the right to remain silent. This one wasn't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Bad boys, bad boys, what you going to do?

Bad boys, bad boys, what you going to do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: According to police in Seminole County, Florida, that little serenade came courtesy of 23-year-old Randy Pierce (ph). He was arrested after his van crashed into a fire hydrant. But police suspect he may have had something else on his mind. They found a ski mask, gloves and a loaded gun in the car. Police want to know if he used that gun in any robberies. This time, it may be harder to get him to sing.

Time now to check in with our bad boy, Wolf Blitzer.

He's standing by in "THE SIT ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- hey, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks, Kyra.

Lots coming up here.

The always provocative and outspoken Glenn Beck, part of our own CNN family. Amid front-runners stumbling, underdogs surging, Glenn Beck will offer his unique take on the White House race. That's coming up.

Also, President Bush wanted to get the attention of a reclusive world leader and he's certainly gotten it. The North Korea leader responding to a letter from the president.

But can the nation the president once included in the so-called axis of evil be trusted?

And the first lady has a special Christmas message for you. Laura Bush talks about what's truly important this holiday season, right here on CNN. She a talks to our own Richard Quest. You're going to want to see that.

That and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, there's another piece of work, Richard Quest.

All right, Wolf.

We'll be watching.

BLITZER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the trading day hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

You know, Chad has been talking about all this bad weather coming this weekend. Well, if you were stuck in an airport, you are in luck if you were at Philadelphia International Airport, which scored the highest for meeting that special someone. The survey said that it was not only because of all the delays that frequent the Northeast coast, but also because it has 16 bars, seven lounges and 57 restaurants. So that's flirting on the fly.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Have a great weekend -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You too, Susan.

Wolf Blitzer, take it away.

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