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Government Acts to Ease Air Delays; Oregon Subject to Flooding; Spending Bill Full of Earmarks
Aired December 19, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You'll be home for Christmas. If you're flying, your odds, well, they just got better. The government moves to clear out the air travel logjam in the most jammed-up region in the country.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Your kids know who Zoey is, "Zoey 101." Soon one child will know her as mommy. Jamie Lynn Spears pregnant at 16. Is this a teachable moment for parents?
Hello, I'm Melissa Long, in today for Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Oh, boy. It is that time of year again, sitting in a crowded airport, sitting in a stalled plane. You've been there; I've been there, especially during the holidays. The wait seems endless.
Now the government wants to ease flight delays across the nation and speed up your travel time no matter where you live. And it's starting with New York City. We've heard from Transportation Secretary Mary Peters just a short time ago.
Let's go straight to Washington and CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
Hi, Jeanne. Good news, yes?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very good news. But, you know, they're worried about more than Christmas. They're really worried about that summer period.
You remember last summer how just impossible air travel was all over the country. Well, three-quarters of the air travel delays last summer stemmed from congestion at New York City's airport.
So the Department of Transportation has just announced that it will limit the number of flights per hour at JFK. The limit, starting in March, 81 to 83 flights per hour.
The total number of flights throughout a day will be the same. They simply will not be bunched together, as they have been, at rush hour. A similar voluntary cap is now being devised by Newark, while the government and the airlines look for longer-term solutions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARY PETERS, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: All told, these new measures will cut delays. It will protect consumer choices. It will support New York's economy, and it will allow for new flights as we bring new capacity online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Those new slots will be leased to the highest bidder. The revenue from the leases will be used for airport improvements.
The new cap is voluntary. The airlines, which had fiercely resisted more drastic proposals, are on board here. One airline expert we talked to called this as good a solution as you're going to get -- Don.
LEMON: All right. So we're talking about whether any steps to deal with holiday travel woes, Jeanne?
MESERVE: Yes. Mary Peters, the secretary of transportation, also announced that military air space will be opened up for civilian use. This happened at Thanksgiving on the East Coast. Over this Christmas holiday, military air space on the West Coast will be opened up, as well. Peters said that will give the aircraft more wiggle room to dodge bad weather and also delays.
LEMON: All right. Jeanne Meserve reporting. Jeanne, thank you so much for that report.
LONG: Less than a week now before Christmas, always nice to have some white snow. Right? But heavy rain and mountain snow is the case right now and possibly even more flooding. The Pacific Northwest is dealing with another storm.
Let's check in now with Jacqui Jeras. She's following it all for us from the CNN weather center.
Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi. And Melissa, it really affects your travel, and we've got quite a few delays out there.
I wanted to show you Flight Explorer here, because just getting out of Jeanne Meserve's story, and talking about the congestion in the New York City area, it really shows you how all the planes are really focused right within that megalopolis area. And look how they're much more spread out when you get into upstate New York and on into the northeastern quarters. So a really big difference here in volume, certainly playing a big role.
At this hour, there's 6,200 airplanes in the air across the U.S. right now.
OK, let's show you some travel cities that we're having some problems with right now. There's a live picture out of Seattle from KIRO-TV, and look at those wet roads. And also notice, yes, a little shaking going on on that camera. Winds are gusting around 33 miles per hour. We have wind advisories in effect across the metro area. Those winds could get as strong as 50-plus miles per hour later on this afternoon. So not a great travel day there.
We're also checking in on Houston right now. And you've got some trouble of your own, not quite as bad as things have been in Seattle. But there you can see the low, overcast conditions. Seventy-two degrees in Houston right now. And we've got some delays at Intercontinental Airport.
Let's show you those real-time delays at this hour. Back to the map of where we're having the most trouble. We actually have one closed airport. Sun Valley, this is in Idaho up in the mountain areas. It's closed because of the heavy snow that continues to come down from that Pacific storm.
There's Houston Intercontinental. These are just departure delays, but they're on the way up. We were 30 minutes just last half hour. Now we're up to 45.
Salt Lake City, looking at increasing delays, too, at 30 minutes and about 20 minutes ground delays. So that's arrival delays coming into Seattle.
We showed you that picture out of Houston. While thunderstorm are going to be developing later on this afternoon, some of those could be strong, possibly severe. Large hail, damaging winds and possibly a tornado or two.
We'll also see possible delays because of severe weather into New Orleans later on today. And that whole system spread east. The southeast getting some much-needed rain, but we've got to watch out for some severe storms.
LONG: Much-needed and some spots just way too much. Thanks, Jacqui.
Now Jacqui was just talking about the rain, of course, the Pacific Northwest. And unless you're in the mountains, then you have the snow. And there was a lot of it.
In the valleys, the big fear is flooding and muds, and in the town of Vernonia -- that's in Oregon -- they've had plenty of both. Here's CNN's Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An early December storm flooded hundreds of homes in Vernonia, Oregon. For too many residents, it wasn't the first time. It won't be the last.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Always worried, always wondering.
LAWRENCE: Now more rain is falling, and everyone's bracing for the worst. SUSAN JENKINS, FLOOD VICTIM: I don't think anyone's ready for this. It wasn't even in anybody's mind that it would happen this way.
LAWRENCE: Susan Jenkins says the water that flooded her home would be bad enough by itself.
JENKINS: It's the mud that comes with it. It's terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sludge.
JENKINS: It's just sludge.
LAWRENCE (on camera): All in your house?
JENKINS: All in my basement, three feet of it.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The town's clinic is operating out of tents after the building took on four feet of water. Some of the schools have been shut down, and plans are underway to move them to higher ground. Some community leaders want to go even further and relocate the entire town of 2,000 people. But other residents say a move isn't feasible in a valley like this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a few hundred houses down here that are flood prone, and there just isn't enough high ground around here to do that and start all the infrastructure again.
LAWRENCE: This round of rain isn't expected to be as fierce as the last storms that pounded the Pacific Northwest. But any significant rain could be enough to sink this battered town.
(on camera) You just live with that fear?
JENKINS: If you want to live in Vernonia, yes.
LAWRENCE: It also means ripping apart the house for a few months to fix all that flood damage.
The town is looking at some long-term solutions, including dredging the river that runs nearby, damming the creek that runs just behind a lot of these homes and, yes, even physically moving the town. Whatever they decide, they're going to need a lot of help from the federal government to pay for it.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Vernonia, Oregon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: When will the lights be back on? Maybe by Christmas. That is the hope of the utility companies in Oklahoma. Crews and many from other states, as well, have been working around the clock to try to get the 800,000 homes and businesses back online after, of course, last week's disastrous ice storm.
Most of the outages were in Oklahoma City and also in Tulsa. Everyone there should -- should -- have the power back by tomorrow. It is taking longer, however, in the outer-lying communities.
Seven counties have been declared major disaster areas.
LEMON: Her name is Jamie Leigh Jones, and she's on Capitol Hill today, telling a congressional panel she was brutalized by her coworkers, then betrayed by her company. That company, a defense contractor in Iraq.
Jones talked about what happened on her fourth day in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE LEIGH JONES, ACCUSES KBR COWORKERS OF RAPE: He handed me a drink and said, "Don't worry. I saved all my roofies for Dubai" or words very similar to that. I thought he was joking and felt safe with my coworkers. I believed that we were all on the same team.
I took two sips from the drink and don't remember anything after that. The next morning, I was extremely sore between my legs and in my chest. I was groggy and confused. I went to the restroom and realized that bruises between my legs and on my wrists and was bleeding -- and was bleeding between my legs.
When I returned to my room, a man was lying in the bottom bunk of my bed. It wasn't the same man who gave me the drink. I asked him if he had had sex with me, and he said that he did. I asked if it had been protected, and he said no. I was still feeling the effects of the drug from the drink and was now very upset at the confirmation of my rape. My heart sank that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Jones says company higher-ups advised her to either get over it or face losing her job. She's suing Halliburton, its former subsidiary, KBR, and the U.S. government.
A statement from KBR calls her allegations without merit.
A scary sight right across the street from the West Wing of the White House. Things are getting back to normal right now at the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where a two-alarm fire broke out earlier today. The fire started near Vice President Cheney's ceremonial offices. Cheney and President Bush were at the White House at the time.
Firefighters used axes to break windows on the third floor of the building. They were able to put out the fire. Everyone evacuated with no injuries reported.
The president and vice president personally thanked firefighters afterward. There you see them thanking them on the scene, at least the president.
Fire officials say the blaze appeared to have started in an electrical closet or a phone bank. LONG: With the high price of gasoline, wouldn't it be nice to get more miles to the gallon? Well, that is what could be in store for you eventually, thanks to a sweeping new energy bill.
LEMON: She is just 16 years old. She's Britney Spears's sister, and she's pregnant.
What if Jamie Lynn were you daughter? We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts on CNN.com/I-Report.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Happening right now, just coming into the CNN NEWSROOM. Look at this. A construction worker is trapped. This is coming from Somers, Wisconsin. It's in Kenosha County, and a sheriff's department person -- a sheriff's department person says a construction worker is trapped after a trench where he was working caved in.
These pictures coming to us from our affiliate WTMG. Again, it's Somers, Wisconsin.
According to a fire official there, they say the rescue efforts are underway to free that worker left partially buried after this morning's accident. This is coming to us from near Milwaukee. Again, it's Kenosha County. The accident happened in the township of Somers, where a new shopping center is being built.
Sheriff's department, local fire officials, rescue units all working to remove the worker, who is believed to be buried up to his waist. We don't know his condition. No one knows yet. They say that this is believed to be an accident, an industrial accident, so nothing criminal or fishy involved here.
But again, these pictures coming to us from Wisconsin. A construction worker buried, believe up to his waist in a cave-in there. As soon as we get more information on this, we'll track it for you and bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM -- Melissa.
LONG: It is a quarter past the hour. Want to take a look ahead, some of the stories we're working on for you in the CNN NEWSROOM today.
The government is trying to cut your travel time, especially during this bustling holiday season. Trying to put a cap on the number of flights at New York City area airports. Plus the Defense Department is opening up some new air routes on the East and the West Coast.
Also, you may know this right now by looking out your window. More stormy weather is in the forecast for the West Coast. The brunt of the storm system is moving out of Southern California, but a weaker storm could strike tomorrow.
Dozens of searchers are combing the hills of Northern California right now. They are searching for a father and his kids, their ages 12, 15 and 18. They went into the snow-covered woods over the weekend to cut down a Christmas tree. No one has herd from them since.
We're going to have more on this search and the agonizing predicament for the mom that's waiting for them to come back home.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: An intervention today. An intervention in Washington, designed to curb the nation's addiction to oil. President Bush signed an energy bill, addressing everything from light bulbs to light trucks.
The new law puts the brakes on gas guzzlers, boosting fuel economy standards to an average of 35 miles a gallon. That's by the year 2020. The current standards, 27.5 miles a gallon for cars, 22.2 for light trucks and SUV's. Now, those were set in 1975.
This law also phases out traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2012 and will mandate more efficient home appliances.
LEMON: Live pictures now of the Capitol. It's because the House today is considering a revised budget bill, kicked back to them by the Senate with 70 billion -- with a "B" -- dollars added for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Totaled up, though, the price tag is close to eight times that and includes a good bit of pork fat that wasn't exactly trimmed.
CNN's Brianna Keilar reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think that this represents, you know, the most failed Congress in history.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a $500- billion bill to fund almost the entire federal government. Republicans say it's chock full of pork, close to 9,000 earmarks.
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: One of the reasons voters made a change in the control of the Congress was because they wanted Congress to change the way we spend the people's money. The more things change in Washington, D.C., the more they stay the same.
KEILAR: But Democrats insist they have been more forthcoming about who requests federal money for local projects. And they say, compared to the last budget Republicans passed, their bill has far fewer earmarks.
REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD), MAJORITY LEADER: We've had a 40 percent reduction, a transparent process, and we believe that there has been as careful a vetting of progress in this Congress as has ever occurred. KEILAR: Still, Republican Senator Tom Coburn, well known for waging war on earmarks, has singled out Republicans and Democrats alike.
GOP Senator Ted Stevens gets $113,000 for rodent control in Alaska. A Stevens aide says it's necessary to curb a rat infestation that's wiping out seabirds.
Democratic Congressman Jim Oberstar put in for almost $700,000 for a bike trail in his home state of Minnesota. Oberstar's office says it's an alternative transportation route over an environmentally sensitive area, and it could be a model for the entire nation.
The watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense says the rush to get this bill passed before reason recess means there's not enough time to put earmarks under the microscope.
RYAN ALEXANDER, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: People have slipped earmarks in. There are changes to policy and program spending. And people have to vote on it without knowing what those changes are.
KEILAR (on camera): That is a complaint of some Republicans, these so called air-dropped earmarks that are dropped into this massive spending bill late in the game so they're not subject to as much congressional scrutiny.
That said, at first glance, many of these air-dropped earmarks are for FEMA, for things such as disaster preparedness, and that's not exactly the infamous Bridge to Nowhere.
Brianna Keilar, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Did you know that your credit score may be about to change, and it's not because of anything you've done recently, not because you opened -- I don't know -- five credit cards, trying to get that 10 percent off on your shopping for holiday gifts?
Stephanie Elam is on the floor of the stock exchange in New York with more on that. She has a check of the stocks.
And are you ready to check your own credit score?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, it's about that time. And it sounded a little personal there, Melissa. You're going off on that little credit card -- credit card story there.
LONG: It's so easy to get, you know, wrapped into all that this time of year.
ELAM: Yes. A lot of people trying to do it at the same time every year, so you can always get a fresh report. You know, you get one free report a year. But anyway, let's first talk about the markets.
(STOCK REPORT)
ELAM: One other thing to tell you about: home foreclosures in November, they fell 10 percent from the previous month. So I found that good news, and it's only good news when you look at the rest of the year.
Year over year, though, this same period last year, that number down 68 percent. So obviously still much of the issue there has not changed.
Now, let's take a look at your credit score. It may be about to change here. The reason: the credit company that keeps track of the score and how the formula is created to take a look at that, that's the Fair Isaac credit score, FICO, as we all know it. They're taking a look at how they're going to change things.
It's going to be a little bit more forgiving for people who have occasional mistakes. You know, you accidentally sent one of your payments in a little bit late, that sort of thing.
But repeat offenders will now be penalized. FICO says the new system should help lenders reduce their default rate by 5 to 50 percent. And of course, the score affects all of us. And yet, little of it, as far as these numbers come together and how we're scored, has little to do with what we say -- Melissa.
LONG: Some people say FICO. Some people say "Feeco." Whatever it is, it's important when it comes to the time to get a loan.
ELAM: Yes.
LONG: And I guess it depends whether or not you've been naughty or nice this year in terms of your finances, whether or not you're going to get a loan, find it easier to get a loan.
ELAM: Yes. Well, it's also going to depend, you know, overall on your situation. Two people who have the same credit score could find themselves having a change in their overall number there.
And part of the reason why here is because those with a narrow mix of credit types and who carry a higher balance. Those are going to be the ones who have a lower score.
And applying for a credit card more often is not necessarily going to mean that you will have a worse credit score now. The idea is to try to predict those who are more likely to default. That's all this is all really about. Because they don't want people who are doing that, and therefore, those credit scores go lower.
Now coming up, I know a lot of people out there are missing their favorite TV shows, but you know, you don't have to blame the striking writers or the studios for that one. I'll tell you what the public is saying about how the studios are responding to all of this. We'll look at that in the next hour, Melissa.
LONG: All right, looking forward to it. Talk to you in another hour.
ELAM: Sounds good.
LEMON: "TIME" has announced its Person of the Year. Is it Stephanie Elam? We'll tell you who and why.
LONG: That's not a tease if you're telling everybody who it is.
LEMON: I said is it Stephanie?
LONG: Oh, OK.
LEMON: And a Michigan man searches for his birth mother for years, and just before Christmas, a huge, huge surprise. We'll tell you what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LONG: And hello. I'm Melissa Long, in today for Kyra Phillips.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: All right, CNN is checking on some breaking news just coming into the CNN NEWSROOM, actually reading it off of the wires here. It involves Dennis Kucinich's brother. His brother's name is Perry Kucinich. This is according to our affiliates, and again, we are checking on this to try to confirm some of the details.
We're hearing the brother of the congressman was found dead this morning at his East Side home in Cleveland, Ohio. Perry Kucinich was found by another brother, again, according to our sources, who is -- the brother's name is Larry Kucinich, about 9 a.m.
The county coroner said that an autopsy is set to be performed to determine the exact cause of death. There were no signs of foul play.
Of course, Dennis Kucinich, the Democratic presidential candidate here, currently representing the Tenth District of Ohio in the United States House of Representatives.
But, again, we're getting information in that Dennis Kucinich's brother was found dead this morning in his East Side home near Cleveland, Ohio, found by another brother. The coroner is performing an autopsy to find out exactly what happened, but they don't believe it's foul play. Again, CNN is checking on this developing story. We'll bring you details just as soon as we get them.
LEMON: And the White House is firing back at the latest "New York Times" bombshell on those CIA interrogation tapes.
"The Times" is reporting at least four -- four top White House lawyers, including then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and future counsel Harriet Miers, discussed what to do with the tapes prior to the destruction in 2005.
Last hour, press secretary Dana Perino blasted the paper for the headline, which read, "White House Role was Wider Than it Said."
CNN's White House correspondent, Ed Henry, took the issue further with a follow-up question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm not accountable for all the anonymous sources that you turn up. I'm not. I am accountable -- I speak for the president and for the White House. This says that I was misleading, and I was not.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't say you at all. There are people in the administration who...
PERINO: The White House has not commented. The only thing that I have said from this podium is regarding to the president and his recollection. And if CNN has different information that they want to provide to me that contradicts what I've said, let's see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Again, White House press secretary there Dana Perino. Now, administration lawyers have been ordered to appear in federal court on Friday as a judge investigates whether his order for evidence preservation was violated.
LEMON: And a drive into the mountains on Northern California to search for the perfect Christmas tree turns into a desperate search and rescue mission amid horrific weather. Thirty-eight-year-old Frederick Dominguez his 12 and 18-year-old sons and 15-year-old daughter left Sunday dressed in jeans light jackets and sneakers, although Lisa Sams alerted authorities when she hadn't heard from them by Monday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA SAMS, MOTHER OF MISSING KIDS: My heart hurts. I just want to find my kids and bring them home. I love them and I'm praying for them, and I know that God will bring them home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The searchers have found the family's truck, but that's all. Complicating the search, snow and plenty of it. Anywhere from two to six feet of it has fallen in the past two days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE ROWE, PARADISE, CALIF. POLICE: The conditions were pretty bad. Their visibility was very low, plus the terrain is very steep and heavily in that particular area, heavily wooded, so it's been a very difficult search for the people that have been out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And compounding that problem, more bad weather with another storm poised to hit the area tonight.
Two weeks after he was badly injured in the Omaha mall massacre, 61-year-old Fred Wilson was able to speak to reporters today. Eight people died, along with the gunman, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins. Wilson worked at the Von Maur store, where the shootings occurred. He was one of the 11 people who were wounded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED WILSON, MALL MASSACRE SURVIVOR: I kept thinking, I don't feel ill, I thought perhaps I should be feeling ill. I didn't feel like I was dying. I don't know how that feels. I did begin to perspire a bit as I stayed on the carpet. And of course the shooting ceased, but the sirens inside the store continued, and so there was an eeriness about all that was being heard, and again the sounds of the other individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And despite his ordeal, Wilson says he's anxious to return to work at the Von Maur store. It's scheduled to reopen tomorrow. Doctors say Wilson likely will be transferred to a rehabilitation center week.
LONG: She was so badly burned she wanted to die, and many in fact thought she would. But he gave her the will to live. Standing by her side, we now have their reunion and her story from Bill Capo of our New Orleans affiliate WWL.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL CAPO, WWL REPORTER: She's only 37, but her body carries the scars of a terrible fire, so appearing on television was not easy. In fact, going anywhere is tough.
HIEN DINHGENSCHOR, BURN VICTIM: Every time I go into public, some people stare at me. I don't feel comfortable, but I understand it.
CAPO: All Hien would like is for people to see passed the scars, look in her eyes, and see the vibrant, joyous woman she truly is.
DINHGENSCHOR: I don't want people to do anything for me. I don't want people coming to give me gifts or anything. Give me a smile. Just smile, please.
CAPO: Hien almost died nearly five years ago when her husband tied her to a chair, wrapped a blanket around her, doused it with gasoline, and set her on fire.
DINHGENSCHOR: Opened my eyes, I saw the fire in front of me, but I closed my eyes back.
CAPO: New Orleans paramedic Charlie Brown was the first on the scene to help her. And she told him that her husband had burned her.
CHARLIE BROWN, PARAMEDIC: She said he thought I was seeing another man. And he set me on fire.
CAPO: And her next words further stunned the 23 year veteran paramedic.
DINHGENSCHOR: I told him that, please, let me die. And he still hold my hand and he say, no, baby, I am not going to let you die. And his eyes look at me so tenderly.
BROWN: I was holding her hand. It was the only thing I could do to comfort her because everything else was burned. And I just continued to talk to her and she told me that she wanted to be a nurse, and I said you're going to be a nurse. I said, you just don't give up.
CAPO: Hien had not seen Charlie since that terrible morning, until this meeting and she was so anxious.
DINHGENSCHOR: That you?
BROWN: It's me. How are you? It's so good to see you.
CAPO: And she held his hand as he had held hers that terrible morning.
DINHGENSCHOR: I just remember you hold my hand.
CAPO: Hien lost her right arm, but has nearly completed the Del Gato (ph) college courses needed to become an occupational therapy assistant so she can help others.
DINHGENSCHOR: I often hope that looking at me, I'm still walking around. We have to say good-bye. I see you next time.
BROWN: I was going to say see you later ...
DINHGENSCHOR: Yes.
BROWN: ...because I'm going to definitely keep up with you and I will be at the graduation.
DINHGENSCHOR: Yes, you have to be there.
CAPO: Medical teams at hospitals across Louisiana worked to save Hien's life and nurse her back to health. But it was the tall, quiet paramedic who gave her a new will to live. And when she told him to keep on helping others, it was his best Christmas present.
DINHGENSCHOR: I just want to be like you, help people. You are my hero.
BROWN: Oh, thank you.
DINHGENSCHOR: Yes. BROWN: You're going to be fine.
DINHGENSCHOR: Thank you so much. True friend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: He's a hero, so is she. The amazing woman says she's had just so many surgeries she's, in fact, lost count. She faces another next week. And your curious about her husband of course. He is behind bars, sentenced to 20 years.
LEMON: Your kids and your grandkids, they probably love teenaged TV star Jamie Lynn Spears. Now you find out she's pregnant. So how do you explain that to your children? We'll get some advice.
LONG: I'll be curious about that conversation as well.
And now this gentleman, he says he's turning white. He wants you to know about it. He's a Detroit broadcaster. He's documenting his struggles with this skin disorder that's transforming him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: He works in Detroit as a reporter and television anchor, of course working in the public eye. But the makeup he wears on camera has kept his secret for years. Thomas, as you see in that picture right there, is turning white. And that's exactly what he named his memoir he released last month, describing this physical transformation and its emotional toll. Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains his diagnosis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the man's name is Lee Thomas, as we know and the condition is called vitiligo. Really interesting, vitiligo -- think of it sort of as an autoimmune problem. It's when the body sort of recognizes these pigment-producing cells in the skin called melanocytes. It recognizes them as foreign. Somehow, thinks they don't belong and the body literally starts to attack these pigment-producing cells.
Take a look at some of these images again here. You can see the patches there, he developed whiteness. This affects people of all races, incidentally, but obviously more noticeable in people of dark skin.
Now every day, Thomas applies dark makeup to try and cover this up, which is what a lot of people do. But he's also gone public with this (ph) and written this book called "Turning White: A Memoir of Change."
Now, here's the thing. Chances are you probably know somebody who has this. About two million people are affected in the United States, tens of millions of people around the world. So, this is a relatively common thing. It is not contagious. It is not cancerous, although it has been called the white leprosy. It is something that's just simply an autoimmune problem.
How to treat it? Well, it can be very difficult to treat. Treatments really focus on a couple of things, either repigmentation, adding the pigment back, or depigmentation, taking the pigment away. With repigmentation, they typically give a medication such as psoralen and add then U.V. light, and that causes a reaction in this medication to try and re-pigment that skin. But again, it doesn't always work.
Michael Jackson is somebody that people often think of when think think of vitiligo. That's what he says he had, that turned his skin to white, ultimately, from -- as you can see some of the images there --from dark to white. It can be very devastating psychologically as well. A lot of support groups around this. And Lee Thomas talks about that quite a bit as well.
Back to you for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Sanjay, we appreciate that.
And we have some very sad news to report here. CNN's medical unit suffered a huge loss this week with the death of producer, Rhonda Grayson. She lost her battle with cancer, but her smile will forever be remembered by her friends here at CNN. Rhonda was 47-years-old.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: After a few rocky weeks for Democratic presidential front- runner Hillary Clinton, some good news today from the Granite State. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider is tracking the latest poll numbers for us. He joins us live from Manchester, New Hampshire.
And Bill, of course we have seen Hillary Clinton spending a lot of time in Iowa with her latest "Who I Am" campaign. So what are the key issues that are really translating into support in the state of New Hampshire?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The economy, the economy, the economy and health care. Domestic issues have come to the for here in New Hampshire, and that's one reason why Hillary Clinton has regained her lead over Barack Obama here. Because she is considered, by Democrats, the candidate best qualified to handle issues like health care and the economy.
The agenda has really shifted away from the war in Iraq the war on terror to domestic pocketbook issues. Democrats are still very angry about the war in Iraq, it's still very important, but it's no longer the single issue that dominates the campaign. And that's helping Senator Clinton.
LONG: Of course the polls always move, they'll continue to move over the next couple of weeks as we head into the caucuses and the primaries. But how about the GOP candidates? How are they stacking up there? SCHNEIDER: Well, here in New Hampshire the front-runner is still the front-runner, it's Mitt Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts. And you know what, the same thing is behind his lead in the Republican race. He's considered best qualified, by Republicans, to manage the economy.
He was a manager. He was a corporate executive. He helped manager the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. So on economic issues, he's the most trusted Republicans. On terrorism, it's Rudy Giuliani. On Iraq, it's John McCain. But on the issue of growing importance, which is the economy, Mitt Romney is in the lead.
LONG: Now I'm sure the candidates would like the fact that each and every American would have his or her top candidate, top pick right now. But there is still so many undecided.
SCHNEIDER: That's right, the campaign has lasted, what, only a year here in New Hampshire and about 40-some percent of the voters, in both parties, say well they really haven't made up their minds yet. They want to see more. Only about one in five Republicans and one in three Democrats say they firmly made up their minds. It's like Christmas shopping. A lot of people wait until the last minute to make up their minds whether they want to buy and a lot of voters wait until the last minute to make up their minds who they're going to vote for.
LONG: Are you saying anything about your shopping habits?
SCHNEIDER: No comment.
LONG: OK, now that we have business out of the way -- well I have to ask about the hat. That is one conversation piece. Where did you get that?
SCHNEIDER: I got it on the street in Helsinki, Finland, where it is very cold, just like here in New Hampshire.
LONG: It's a lovely hat, I love it. You look very dapper.
SCHNEIDER: Thanks.
LONG: Thank you, Bill. It's always a pleasure. Thanks for the shopping tip as well.
LEMON: I'm glad you asked because I wanted to figure out where he got that hat from. It's a cool hat.
LONG: Oh, it is. It's a beautiful hat. So for fashion tips or for political stories, go to our Web site, cnnpolitics.com. You'll find information on Hillary Clinton's upswing in New Hampshire. Again, log on to our Web site, cnnpolitics.com.
LEMON: Your kids probably love her. She's a teenage star. Her name is Jamie Lynn Spears and now, she's pregnant. So, how do you really explain that to your children? How do you tell them what's going on here at 16-years-old? We'll get some advice. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, this one certainly has tongues wagging, that's for sure. We were even talking about, right, this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, everybody was talking about it.
LEMON: Everybody. Pop train wreck, Britney Spears's -- hate to call her a pop train wreck, I should not have said that -- little sister, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, is pregnant. This is actually a really, really serious story. The star -- Jamie Lynn is a star of Nickelodeon tween hit "Zoey 101." And she tells "OK Magazine" she was in total shock when she found out about her sister's pregnancy.
She says the father is her long-time boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. Now here to help us figure out how to talk to our kids about the teen's stars pregnancy, is clinical psychologist, Judy Kuriansky. And she joins us now live.
Judy, are you in New York?
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, I am, Don.
LEMON: Thank you. And I hate to call her a pop train wreck because people say that, and you know Britney is still very young.
How do you -- and what's going on? Sixteen-years-old, what's going on here?
KURIANSKY: And that's -- I have to say that's a train wreck too. Because what we hear from that, obviously, is that she wasn't practicing at all any pregnancy prevention, any safe sex, obviously by getting pregnant. It's a very bad sign for kids. Because kids look up to Zoey on the show ...
LEMON: Yes.
KURIANSKY: ...that she plays and certainly to Jamie Lynn and to Britney, even though that she's an absolute mess at 26, her older sister, and the thing is, Don, seven-year-olds are watching "Zoey."
LEMON: Right.
KURIANSKY: That is so unhealthy for them to see this girl as a very bad role model. And as a psychologist, I am shocked and I feel it is so important as a result of this for parents to turn this around and use the situation to talk to the kids.
LEMON: Yes.
KURIANSKY: We call that a teachable moment.
LEMON: And we're going to talk about those teachable moments. But here, I mean, I'm sure you can attest to this, Doctor. OK, everybody makes mistakes, she got pregnant early, that's been happening since time began, right. And it used to be -- kids -- people used to have babies earlier, get married earlier, but now, you know, we've been doing it a little bit later.
But here's the question. I'm thinking of sexually transmitted diseases, obviously not protecting yourselves and that's a very big lesson for kids.
KURIANSKY: This is a very shocking and bad lesson for kids that there was obviously no protection going on and there's a lot of sibling rivalry, obviously. This is a lesson for parents to talk to their kids about safe sex. What happens is that -- there are three reasons why parents are afraid to bring up this subject.
One is that they're afraid they don't know what to say. Second, they're afraid of their own feelings and their own background, may be ashamed or embarrassed about it.
LEMON: Right.
KURIANSKY: And third, they're afraid if they talk to their kids about it, they're going to go make them go out and do it. But research shows that is not true, it's the opposite. A study just even proved that and I know that from years of talking to kids.
LEMON: OK, OK, Doctor, we're running out of time, and I want to get to a lot of things here. I don't want to beat up on her, what about the guy? He wasn't using protection, as well.
KURIANSKY: Well, exactly. And that's a huge responsibility for guys and it's a lesson.
LEMON: And he's only 18, yes.
KURIANSKY: And it's a lesson for everyone and parents should not do the ostrich phenomenon and sticking their head in the sand and not talking to their kids. They should take the opportunity, not pretend that well, oh, maybe my kid won't find out. They will be talking about it in school, so you ask them questions, what have you heard about this? What are ...
LEMON: OK.
KURIANSKY: ...you going to do about this in your own life? What kind of decisions will you make about this? And start the conversation now that it's in the news.
LEMON: OK, Doctor, I want to get to these e-mails because people have been responding to this and I want to get your response.
KURIANSKY: OK.
LEMON: Melissa is writing in to our i-Report here, she says, "Instead of letting celebrities be role models to our children, why not be role models to yourselves? Everyone makes mistakes and instead of calling her names, why not use this as an opportunity to speak to your children about sex and what can happen. That's one.
And then Gabrielle says, "This is what happens when mothers are too busy trying to be their daughter's best friend instead of their parent."
And then there's Jamie and a lot of other viewers wrote the show should be canceled. "Jamie Lynn's show needs to be canceled. I would not let my kids watch "Zoey 101" because of the example Jamie Lynn has set for the teens of the world."
KURIANSKY: Right.
LEMON: What do you say to that?
KURIANSKY: Oh, I can see -- I could see why parents would want this show to be canceled. I've heard that there already have the next season done, so it's going to be very confusing that she's pregnant while she's not on the show. But indeed, if parents want to do that, I'm not adverse to the show not continuing because of the situation. Kids confuse who the star is with who the child is.
LEMON: OK.
KURIANSKY: And while this can be used to teach and also what Gabrielle said about the mom is also true. This is a mom who's going to write a book about parenting, she was going to write it for a publisher who writes Bible books as well.
LEMON: Right.
KURIANSKY: So, this is not a healthy situation unless Jamie Lynn and Britney's mom comes out and says I made a mess of this. And parents can use that too, and say I'm -- you know, they made a mess, and this is how not to raise your young girls.
LEMON: So, this is you're saying this is a lesson and should turn it around and this -- make the best out of it?
KURIANSKY: It's the only way to deal with a tragedy like this in a dysfunctional family.
LEMON: Dr. Judy Kuriansky, we appreciate your input on this. Thank you very much and have a happy holiday season.
KURIANSKY: Thank you.
LEMON: And also, we would appreciate some parents' input on this. We want to hear from parents, from you, what your reaction to Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy is. How will you talk to your children about it? Share your thoughts with us, just log on to CNN.com/ireport. Very interesting.
LONG: And a tough -- so many adults have a hard time talking about it with their partners to begin with.
LEMON: Yes.
LONG: And now this story, a Michigan man searching for his birth mother for years. And then just before Christmas, an incredible surprise. We're going to fill you in. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: "Time Magazine" calls Vladimir Putin the czar of the new Russia. It also calls him person of the year. "Time" awards title every December. It's a man or woman or a group that, in the opinion of "Time's" editors, has had the biggest impact on the year that's almost over. This year's choice has Putin the outgoing president of Russia and in all likelihood, the next prime minister. "Time" editors say Putin has had a huge impact on his country, both good and bad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD STENGEL, MANAGING EDITOR, TIME: Well, he could take two paths. Look, his idol in many ways is Peter the Great. Peter the Great modernized Russia, but at great cost. The other person that he could become more like is someone like Stalin, who was a modern day czar.
He has accumulated more power, he controls the oil industry, he controls the press, he could go in one of those two directions, and that is why -- what makes him so fascinating, what makes him so interesting and makes watching Russia such an important part of what's going to happen in the 21st century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: "Time" and CNN both owned by Time Warner.
LONG: Put yourself in their shoes, you have searched for your birth mom for years. She gave you up for adoption 22 years ago. And it turns out the two of you are co-workers? We get more on this reunion from reporter Dee Morrison with our Grand Rapids, Michigan affiliate Wood Television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE FLAG, SON: I thought well, that's really close to Lowe's where I work, and I bet I've seen her in the store, not really knowing to what extent I'd seen her in the store.
DEE MORRISON, WOOD TV REPORTER (voice-over): He was telling a co-worker about the mix-up that the name was Tallady, not Taladay.
FLAG: And she's like, do you mean like the Chris Tallady that works here, the one -- the head cashier up front?
MORRISON: A manager looked up the home address, it was a match. It was his mother. But Steve didn't know what to say. So, he waited.
FLAG: Just seeing her at work and thinking, that's my mom and this is very, very strange.
MORRISON: Last week, an adoption agency worker agreed to break the news to Chris, explaining only that a co-worker named Steve was the son she'd given up for adoption 22 years ago. But there are several Steves that work at the Plan Field Avenue Lowe's. CHRIS TALLADY, BIRTH MOTHER: But I just knew it was Steve Flag. I just knew it was, it had to be.
MORRISON: Chris asked the manager to check the files.
TALLADY: I gave him -- gave her his birthday and she came back, she's like he's your son. And I said, oh my God.
MORRISON: For eight months, the cashier and the delivery guy had worked together, joked around ...
FLAG: He did the same to me.
TALLADY: I know.
FLAG: It was hilarious.
MORRISON: ...never suspecting they were mother and son.
TALLADY: It was just like ...
FLAG: Instant, you know.
TALLADY: ...you know, hug me ...
FLAG: Yes.
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