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The Pitch - Clemens P.R. Blitz; Everett Returns; Winter Storm Into the Midwest; Verdict - Too Far

Aired December 23, 2007 -   ET

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


ROB MARCIANO, ANCHOR: Disfigured young faces, restored, thanks to people's generosity. The miracles of "Operation Smile."
He says he was protecting his family. But a jury says he went too far. A guilty verdict in a racially-charged case in New York.

And coming on strong, or coming out strong against steroid allegations, baseball legend Roger Clemens strikes back.

You're in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Rob Marciano.

First this hour, the multi-media brush back pitch from Roger Clemens, via video, and the web. And soon in a primetime interview. Clemens is launching a PR blitz to counter allegations of steroid use contained in the Mitchell report.

CNN's Jim Acosta tells us the most accomplished pitcher of his generation is going to battle over his tarnished reputation.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The rocket was firing on all cylinders in this brief message posted on YouTube.

ROGER CLEMENS, MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER: I'm angry about it, to be honest with you. It's hurtful to me and my family.

ACOSTA: One of the greatest pitchers in the history of the national pastime, Roger Clemens broke his silence and flatly rejected allegations he used steroids.

CLEMENS: Let me be clear, the answer is no, I did not use steroids, human growth hormone, and I've never done so.

ACOSTA: The denial comes less than two weeks after former senate majority leader George Mitchell issued his devastating report on steroids in baseball.

SEN. GEORGE MITCHELL, MLB STEROIDS INVESTIGATOR: For more than a decade there has been widespread illegal use of anabolic steroids, and other performance-enhancing substances by players in major league baseball.

ACOSTA: The Mitchell report is very specific, alleging back in 1998 that a trainer named Brian McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided.

That same trainer claims he also provided performance-enhancing drugs to Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, who later admitted to briefly using human growth hormone to recover from an injury. Still, Clemens' attorney accused the Mitchell report of relying sources with "baggage."

RUSTY HARDIN, CLEMENS' ATTORNEY: At the end of the day, what you're going to have to decide is whether the Mitchell report was responsible in basing these allegations against Roger on the sources they used and on the investigation they did.

ACOSTA: Clemens predicts he will be vindicated, pointing to a correction that just appeared in the "Los Angeles Times." The paper had wrongly reported Clemens was one of several players accused of steroid abuse by former pitcher Jason Grimsley.

But baseball fans we found at New York's Mickey Mantle Sports Bar are doubtful if there will be a rocket redemption.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:I don't know if I believe him or not. I kind of think the evidence showed he might have and he should come clean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure in the sport, I'm sure that people used stuff all the time that will enhance their performance. Who knows? Who really knows? Only he knows.

ACOSTA: Clemens did not answer any questions during that appearance on YouTube. He says he will do that when he sits down with "60 minutes" after Christmas.

Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO: In other sports news, an inspirational day for the Buffalo Bills and their injured player Kevin Everett. Today Everett attended the Bills' final home game and addressed his teammates before they hosted the New York Giants.

Everett has been recovering from the spinal cord injury he suffered in the season's first game. Today one of his teammates spoke about the impact of Everett's injury.

ROBERT ROYAL, BUFFALO BILLS' TIGHT END: And when you see something like that happen, it becomes a reality and it shows you that in any given play, like the coach will tell you time and time again, that you don't take it for granted because it could be your last one.

MARCIANO: Doctors feared Kevin Everett would never walk again, but three months later he's proven them wrong and continues to rehab.

Voice-over: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.

MARCIANO: That big winter storm that smacked the Central Plains now raking the Midwest with snow, sleet and battering winds. The winds forced scores of flight cancellations at Chicago's O'Hare airport today. And gusts have toppled trees, right around the region. Tens of thousands of homes are without power in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Let's get right to Bonny Schneider and the CNN Severe Weather Center. When is this going to end? And again, bad timing, right around the holiday travel weekend. Bonnie?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN SEVERE WEATHER CENTER: You're right, Rob. You know what happens when you get a lot of wind; it causes some slowdowns at the airport. I want to talk about that in a little bit.

But I want to show you what's happening in Indianapolis right now. The current temperatures, 27 degrees. The winds are coming in out of the southwest, even though they're not a warm wind at all, at 20 miles per hour. So it does feel like it's in the single digits at this time.

We've been talking a lot about the wind damage and we have some terrific I-reports to show you exactly what it looked like to our I- reporters out there that have been capturing these images.

This first one comes from Todd McAvoy from Palos Park Illinois. It shows you that he really saw some wind damage across there. There was a 35-year-old tree uprooted.

Let's move on to the next I-report and we'll take a look at that. There's the tree uprooted. And this one shows that there was no damage to the home, but the surprise there was that the tree actually came up.

Apparently Todd said he was not expecting that tree to come down. It was a really old tree and had some deep roots there.

Let's take you back now and show you what else is happening as we take a look at what's going on around the region of Illinois and further to the north towards Wisconsin. 16 degrees currently in Green Bay; the winds are coming in and they are fierce. Temperatures are into the 20s.

Extreme weather right now with this strong area of low pressure continuing to work its way to the north. We're getting kind of the back side of the storm, pulling down the cold air and the snow across parts of the upper Midwest right now.

And that's why the snow advisories will continue straight through tomorrow for heavy snow across the region. We'll be looking for that all the way from Minneapolis to Green Bay.

And then further off to the east, lots of rain coming up through New York, up towards Vermont. And then more snow is expected, watch out for that lake effect snow, that's coming for you in upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

As you can see, we're giving you all your holiday travel information. But this is just the beginning. But this is just the beginning. Take a look at this live picture. This is traffic heading to the airport in Indianapolis; courtesy of our affiliate KARE. It's a slow go on the road.

Rob, I can tell you that that's nothing compared to the delays that we're seeing across the country. Here's the Flight Explorer behind me. Still have almost 4,000 planes up in the sky trying to get to their destinations. Delays are lengthy. I'll tell you about that, coming up.

MARCIANO: Yeah, I heard you say earlier there was over three-hour delays at JFK. Imagine having to wait for that three hours.

SCHNEIDER: That's a long wait.

MARCIANO: Well, hopefully they'll get home for the holidays soon. Thanks Bonnie. We'll check back with you more on that.

More on that winter storm now, in the Midwest, it's being blamed for eight deaths, at least that from its trek across the central plains. Most of the deaths occurred in hundreds of traffic accidents that stretched in a line from Texas to Minnesota.

Yesterday we told you about a horrible pileup in Kansas. We just learned today, a group of military medical personnel helped save the day by treating some of the injured on the bus they were taking to the airport.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

RANDLE MCBAY, CHIEF NURSE, U.S. AIR FORCE: We were just in the right place at the right time. And we were able to make a little difference.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

MARCIANO: We've also learned that in the chain reaction pileup in Amarillo, Texas, a number of families found themselves stranded without proper clothing. Other travelers helped out. In some cases, even opening wrapped Christmas presents and handing out warm clothes. That's the Christmas spirit.

Defense attorneys say they will appeal the second-degree manslaughter conviction in a racially-charged case in New York. Last night, a Long Island jury found John White, a black man, guilty of killing a white teen outside his home.

White claims he thought a modern-day lynch mob was coming for his son and that's why he grabbed his gun. The verdict brought a flood of emotion from the victim's family. The story from Tim Fleisher of CNN affiliate WABC in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TIM FLEISHER, CNN AFFILIATE, WABC: Fists clinched and reacting to this guilty verdict, the victim's father and other family members leaving the courtroom, crying and hugging each other. JOANNE CICCIARO, VICTIM'S MOTHER: We did it. My son is finally vindicated.

FLEISHER: John White was found guilty of manslaughter, shooting 17- year-old Daniel Cicciaro outside his home last year. Testifying in his trial, White believed he was protects his family from what he thought was an angry lynch mob of white teenagers who had come to fight his son Aaron.

DAN CICCIARO SR., VICTIM'S FATHER:I can just thank God that everybody saw through their lies. The jury saw through it.

J. CICCIARO: The truth prevailed.

D. CICCIARO: -- they sifted through the facts.

FLEISHER: Having relatives who had been victims of racial violence, White feared he was facing that same violence. He claims that he shot Cicciaro accidentally.

FRED BREWINGTON, WHITE'S ATTORNEY: John White and his family were scared to death. The fact that that was not taken in and considered as an important aspect of the justification to go out and protect your home and protect your family --

FLEISHER: The district attorney argued he should have simply locked the door and called police.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Something happened that set off an entire dynamic that was brought to the White doorstep. It was not the White family's doorstep that went someplace else.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO: White faces 5 to 15 years in prison. He's allowed to remain free on bail until sentencing. White's attorney called the verdict disappointing for African-Americans. Cicciaro's family says the case was never about race.

Well, the case brings up so many questions about the legal system. How far can you go if you think someone is about to harm you or your family. Some answers to those questions coming up when Kendall Coffey joins us live.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Now back to the home confrontation case in New York. The Cicciaro family said it was never about race, but John White claims he feared a modern-day lynch mob had come for his family. And that's why he grabbed a gun, and ultimately shot and killed a white teenager.

Joining me to talk about the legal issues raised by this troubling case, former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey, today he is in Miami. Mr. Coffey good evening. Let's get right to, I guess one of the main points of this case, self-defense.

I mean, if you're a father and you think someone's coming after your son, I would imagine you would do anything you can to protect your son. How viable was his defense?

KENDALL COFFEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, plenty of fathers would have acted just as he did, but that doesn't mean that legally it was correct. The law allows you to use lethal force for someone trying to kill you or someone trying to inflict serious bodily harm.

But there were three problems with that theory in this. He could have stayed in the house and called the police. Second, none of the young men that were confronting him were armed. At the same time they were raising the issue of self-defense, the actual theory in the case was that John White's gun went off accidentally.

It's pretty hard to say that you pulled the trigger trying to defend yourself and at the same time the gun went off by accident.

MARCIANO: The other issue, at least in Mr. White's case, he claims he grew up in the south. He had parts of his family attacked by lynch mobs down there. Did that at all work for him?

COOFEY: Apparently it didn't work for him. Certainly it's a very compelling explanation. On the other hand, if a jury doesn't believe that Alabama in the 1920s really equates to Long Island in 2006, that kind of explanation coming from John White could backfire.

In a case like this where the defendant takes the stand, his credibility is everything. If you lose credibility and you go on the stand as a defendant, you lose everything.

MARCIANO: Let's talk about another interesting aspect about this case. Modern-day aspect, I suppose, MySpace. It kind of got buried in the story a little bit but there was a threat on MySpace to one of the teenage girls, that got this group of white teenage boys riled up. The question was did it come from Mr. White's son's account? Did someone else send it from his account?

I mean, where does the law stand now nowadays with MySpace, e-mails? When you can get on somebody's account and look like you're them when it's you?

COFFEY: One of the many ironies of this tragedy was that it all began with a cruel and, frankly, sick hoax. Some friend apparently, an alleged friend, of Aaron White put on this thing on his MySpace account suggesting some kind of desire to rape somebody. And that, of course, set a chain of tragic sequence of events.

It happens to be a crime. A lot of people use passwords, get on friends' things, put on false, fictitious ugly things; it happens to be a crime rarely prosecuted. But one of the things as we go into the Internet age is to look at the misuse of passwords, the misuse of MySpace accounts. Here, a misuse that resulted in a tragedy.

MARCIANO: Do you think the laws are going to be changed going forward?

COFFEY: The laws are already there. I think what prosecutors may start to look at is maybe a little bit more enforcement, especially where somebody goes on someone else's MySpace or Face Book account and puts some ugly, menacing, and frankly, illegal stuff on it.

MARCIANO: In some cases, tough to track down. Kendall Coffey, attorney-at-law, thank you sir, for your insight this evening.

COFFEY: Hey, thanks for including me.

MARCIANO: The call of the wild comes way too close for some joggers.

And they're so big and so many, and they started howling. And we thought they were circling us. And it got us really panicked. But we just kept screaming.

A hungry and apparently fearless wolf pack looks for easy prey. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I just want to send season greetings to my wife, Michelle; my kids Jaylin, Tea and C.J. from Oklahoma. I look forward to seeing you next Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: This is specialist in anaconda. I want to wish happy greetings, holidays and Merry Christmas to my family back home, my wife Trina and my son Codie, and daughters Dominique, Nivea and Maggie. Love you, mom. Happy holidays.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO: It's great to hear from the troops this time of year.

Well, wolves, they're a part of life in Alaska, but there's something different about one pack. They've attacked three times in the past two weeks. And just three days ago, they've scared the wits out of some joggers. Trying to make them a meal, or at least their pets a meal. The story from Andrea Gusty from CNN affiliate, KTVA.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ALYCIA BELERGROHSLEIN, SURROUNDED BY PACK OF WOLVES: They were not afraid of us. They were really close.

ANDREA GUSTY, CNN AFFILIATE, KTVA: It was quick, so quick, the three friends didn't know what was happening until it was too late.

BELERGROHSLEIN: And they were so quiet. They just came right up on us. They just came right up on us. They were quick.

GUSTY: A pack of at least seven wolves surrounded the three women and their dogs, as they jogged on Artillery Road. The lead wolves came within feet, circling the women as they tried to get away.

CAMAS BERKEMEYER, SURROUNDED BY PACK OF WOLVES: I was rainbowing my pepper spray. And they fell back a little bit, but as soon as we would turn our backs to try to go, they would run up on us. And then we would turn around and start screaming again, and I would spray my pepper spray.

BELERGROHSLEIN: We just kept going. And they're so big and so many. And they started howling. And we thought they were circling us. And it got us really panicked. But we just kept screaming.

GUSTY: Alycia, Camas and their friend were more than a mile and a half away from their cars. All of their dogs were leashed because they had read about the warnings of other attacks. The trio were careful not to run, instead the woman walked backwards screaming to keep the animals away and trying to keep everyone safe.

BELERGROHSLEIN: I love my dog with all my heart. But I can't jeopardize my friends. And if that's what they wanted, I didn't know whether to leave him.

GUSTY: The women held tight to the leashes and were able to keep the wolves at bay. But not before the pack attacked Camas's American bulldog Buddy.

BERKEMEYER: My dog did get attacked by the wolf; three wolves. He fought his way out as I'm pulling.

GUSTY: The women weren't physically hurt, and Buddy had to have surgery to fix his gashes and bites left behind by the wolves. Camas worries the pack could attack again; this time, only worse.

BERKEMEYER: They were not afraid of us. And I'm afraid if I was out here by myself, they would attack me. They were not afraid.

GUSTY: Wildlife experts say wolves are smart animals and learn quickly which means a pack will likely get worse before it gets any better.

RICK SINNOT, ALASKA FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT: They figure out that a dog is easy to kill. And it's food for them. And they can just come to the conclusion that there's a lot more dogs and let's start eating the dogs for now.

I'm not sure they quite reached that point, but it sounds like they're working on that concept now.

GUSTY: In the meantime the only way to stop the wolf attacks is stay away and not give the wolves an opportunity to take their attacks to the next level. Andrea Gusty, CBS 11 News.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MARCIANO: Dangerous place, that Alaska.

You guys made it happen. Next in the Newsroom, rescuing Youssif and other children who badly needed reconstructive surgery. Those stories are straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Happening now, major league pitcher Roger Clemens posts a video on the web denying he's ever used steroids, or human growth hormone. His name was included in the Mitchell report on doping in baseball. Clemens says he'll talk more about the allegations in "60 Minutes" interview next month.

And Buffalo Bills' tight end Kevin Everett visiting his home stadium three months after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. Near paralyzed during the season opener, Everett is now walking on his own. He addressed his teammates before today's game against the New York Giants, moving some to tears.

And a tale of two dead heats in New Hampshire. A new Boston Globe survey shows Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton separated by a hair. On the Republican side, it's Mitt Romney and John McCain sharing the top spots. It's a major game by the way for McCain. New Hampshire holds the nation's first primary on January 8.

A story that's touched hearts and opened wallets. Youssif, disfigured by burns in Iraq. He's in the U.S. getting medical treatment now. This is how the little boy's story unfolded.

January 15th of this year, Baghdad, three masked attackers doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. No one knows why. And they were never captured. Youssif was left scarred and traumatized.

After CNN brought you his story in August, you the viewers and cnn.com readers helped raise money for his care; as they did, at the Children's Burn Foundation.

That money was used to bring him and his family to the U.S. in September where he began preparing for his grueling surgical schedule. Earlier this month Youssif underwent his most extensive operation yet, performed by Dr. Peter Grossman of the Grossman burn center. It removed his biggest scars.

But his journey and medical treatments are far from over. We get an in-depth look at the giving process for Youssif's care from Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks. And as the clip you're about to watch shows, Youssif's story really struck a court with so many people. They saw it and they acted; people from all over the world. Take a look.

Offers came from a number of charities. And Youssif's parents chose the Children's Burn Foundation to help their son.

BARBARA FRIEDMAN, CHILDREN'S BURN FOUNDATION: This is the purpose of the Children's Burn Foundation is to help children like Youssif, whether locally, nationally or internationally, wherever they may live. So we immediately called CNN to let them know we wanted to help.

GUPTA: Cnn.com put a link to the charity on its "Impact Your World" web page, and the donations for Youssif poured in.

WAYNE DRASH, SENIOR PRODUCER, CNN.COM: "Impact Your World" is a website on cnn.com that was created for stories like this. So that people who read a story and want to act and to help in individual or just a charity in general, they can go to cnn.com/impact and make a difference.

GUPTA: In no time, the charity received more than 13,000 donations; more than $300,000. All for Youssif.

FRIEDMAN: Gifts have come to the Children's Burn Foundation from around the block in Van Nuys, to England, Monaco, Lebanon, everywhere. We got a lot of contributions from soldiers in Iraq.

An example is one who e-mailed and said, "You know, I spent a year in Iraq, and I thought I was tough. But when I saw the story about Youssif, I cried."

GUPTA: All that money that we're talking about that is being raised is being used for Youssif's medical expenses. But also for the living expenses, daily expenses for Youssif and his family. Also, Dr. Peter Grossman, all of his services donated for the entire time Youssif and his family are in the United States. Back to you.

MARCIANO: Sanjay, Youssif is being helped for sure, but there are millions more children suffering from facial deformities. Up next in the NEWSROOM, the challenges and the miracles of Operation Smile.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well, we've just updated you on Youssif, whose story moved millions. But there are many other children just like him who aren't in the headlines but also need reconstructive surgery for burns or other facial deformities. A group called Operation Smile is on a mission to help those kids. Joining us now, the group's founders, the Dr. William Magee and his wife, Kathleen. Good evening to both of you. You do fantastic work. And I know your organization has been around for a while, Dr. Magee. Why don't you tell us how it came about?

DR. WILLIAM MAGEE, OPERATION SMILE: Sure. Well, thank you all for having us on, especially this time of year. It really came across because people, I think, have a need to give, including ourselves. And back about 25 years ago, in 1982, I was a young plastic surgeon. I'm still a young plastic surgeon. And I had the opportunity to travel with the group from Houston, Texas, over to the Philippines. Kathy is a nurse and a clinical social worker. And so we went together. And what we saw are 300 children who had deformities of their face. I could only take care of 40 of them. We had to turn 250 away. And that brought tears down the cheeks of families, but tears of our own cheeks. And we knew that there's no going back. And so we said, let's get a group of our friends to go back. MARCIANO: OK. So you guys performed life-changing surgeries. Kathleen, what are the lives of these children? What's it like after they have these surgeries?

KATHELEEN MAGEE, FOUNDER, OPERATION SMILE: They have a life. They had no life. They could not eat. The children with a cleft lip and palate couldn't eat, can't speak. They have hearing deformities. And of course, they have a facial deformity. So, with this surgery that takes 45 minutes to an hour, costs us $240 for each surgery, we can change these children's lives forever. We see them many times years later. They can eat. They can speak. They're in school a lot of them. We've been doing this 25 years now, and a lot of them have been to college. They are singers, they have a life.

MARCIANO: That's fantastic. Dr. Magee, that seems to be the main procedure. What other kind of surgeries are performed on these kids?

DR. MAGEE: Well, we do lots of things. I mean, we do take care of some burn children. We take care of some really severe facial deformities. We brought over 200 children like Youssif to the United States now for care. But we've operated on over 100,000 children over the years and we just come off the World Journey of Smiles where we were simultaneously in 43 sites, in 25 countries and operated on about 4,200 kids in a little over a week with the help of 1,700 volunteers. And I think that the thing that's so dramatic to us is how people are willing to share their time and donate their time. They're willing to give of themselves and their talents to help a child somewhere who may never know their name. But I guarantee you, you will never ever forget their kindness.

MARCIANO: Kathleen, what's the most rewarding thing about what you guys do?

KATHLEEN MAGEE: I think if myself or anyone out there can have a part in making someone's life better, it's the best thing you can do. And I think that's why we have so many volunteers. All our people are volunteers, medical, non-medical, no one gets paid. And we do a lot of education. And we change a child's life. And for me, that's the most rewarding thing I do every day. And it drives us to really work on another child.

MARCIANO: Well, you have no doubt have moved some of our viewers who have already opened their hearts and wallets to young Youssif. What can our viewers, William, to help Operation Smile?

DR. MAGEE: Well, you know, it's a great time of the year, it's a giving time of the year. And I think if they go to our website, operationsmile.org, they'll see the organization as a whole. But I think for as little as $240, and as Kathy said, as little as 45 minutes, you take a child from hopelessness to possibility and give them a chance to inter-react in a society that otherwise they were locked out of. And so, you know, for people who are trying to figure out, man, what should I get my friend or my spouse or whatever, you know, for Christmas and they're still locked in, you know, for $240, or $20 a month, you can change that person's life forever. And there's no better gift I can think of than to give that to somebody for their holiday season.

MARCIANO: Well, let's send our viewers to your website and give that much money to help so many kids. It's just a great cause, one of many obviously charities out there. You guys do great work. Dr. and Mrs. Magee from Operation Smile. Enjoy the holiday season.

DR. MAGEE: Thank you very much.

MARCIANO: You got it.

Well, as we've said, unfortunately Youssif's story is not unique. Thousands of children are victims of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me go get the new leg, OK? And I'll be right back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am very happy for this leg. I am very happy.

MARCIANO: Children trapped in war zones. And paying the price. That story is next. In the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: One operation at a time. Helping one child at a time. That's the mission of the Global Medical Relief Fund and other charities. They take kids out of the pain and misery of war and get them back to the business of just being kids. Arwa Damon has a case in point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: And his struggle is almost over.

MOHAMMAD RAOUL, IRAQI AMPUTEE: The bomb exploded. Visiting America.

DAMON: He's made a short movie. And his mother, Jinan, has kept a journal of their remarkable journey.

JINAN RASOUL, MOHAMMED'S MOTHER (through translator): We left Fallujah September 7th at 3:00 p.m., she reads.

DAMON: She's actually writing down the events that take place in this book that she's keeping, because her emotions are just too intense. About two years ago, Mohammad was outside his home when an explosion blew off his right leg and killed his 6-year-old cousin. CNN met him 15 months later.

MOHAMMAD RAOUL (through translator): I remember everything going pitch black. My cousin died at the scene. I still hear her screams.

DAMON: Three times a week, he watered the tree he had planted at her grave. Thousands of miles away, on Staten Island, New York, Elissa Montanti saw our story. She's the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund. ELISSA MONTANTI, FOUNDER, GLOBAL MEDICAL RELIEF FUND: All children are equal, and these children need us. They need us so bad.

DAMON: So she brought Mohammad and his mother to America. And now he's on his way to Shriner's Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, which has pledged to provide Mohammad with free treatment, and prosthetics until he's an adult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me go get the new leg, OK? And I'll be right back.

JINAN RAOUL: I am very happy for this day. I am very happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're happy to have you. There you go. Come on in.

JINAN RAOUL: I am so happy, so happy. I am seeing him tall and big. It's a strange emotion. It's been two years since I last saw him standing like this. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

DAMON: Mohammad has been through so much in his short life. But at least he's getting help. So many Iraqi children don't, whether they're innocent victims of war or just desperately in need of medical aid.

It's not just the violence. It's the collapse of the health care system. After four years of war, there's little medicine. Sanitation is almost nonexistent. Most of the country's doctors have fled abroad. Others have been killed. Child mortality has risen by more than a third. For the most part, the only way to help children is to get them out. Last month, the American charity, Operation Smile, brought about 50 Iraqi children to Jordan. These kids all have either cleft lips, palettes or burns. Not life threatening, but surgery is life-altering.

DR. WILLIAM MAGEE, FOUNDER, OPERATION SMILE: No child should have to live their life imprisoned in their own bodies for the lack of 45- minute operations that can change their life.

DAMON: A life that can't be changed in their homeland. This baby already had an unsuccessful surgery in Iraq. I never imagined that we would be here. It was hard. Baghdad isn't easy. It's scary, her father says. The charities that work with Iraqi kids know they could do more. The Global Medical Relief Fund has brought a dozen Iraqi kids to the U.S..

MONTANTI: I function on a prayer, literally. If I thought logical, and I wasn't persistent, I wouldn't be where I am. We have no paid staff. We're not this big organization. We are very small, making huge, making a huge impact on these children and these parents' lives.

DAMON: And that impact goes beyond the medical care.

JINAN (through translator): People in Iraq and the Arab world think the Americans are our enemy. It's just the opposite. They helped me in the airport. Everywhere I go, the Americans help me. Let this truth get out. You know I stayed in Kuwait four days and no one helped me. They are Arabs. I didn't see help until I got here.

MONTANTI: I love you.

JINAN: I love you, too.

DAMON: Mohammad may be just 12 years old, but he knows he is one of a fortunate few.

MOHAMMED (through translator): I wish they would help all the other children like me that were harmed by the war, by the bombs in Iraq.

DAMON: At least he can make a new start in life.

MOHAMMED: And they help me today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Earlier, I spoke with Arwa Damon via satellite about the state of Iraq's health care system and its inability to cope with these youngest victims of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Well, we're seeing improvement on the surge front and the violence front and you're telling me that the health care system is getting worse. Is there any sign that they're even acknowledging it and trying to come up with some solutions?

DAMON: Well, to be completely honest, the Iraqi government hasn't made setting up its own institutions really a top priority. The health ministry itself has been fraught with problems, including accusations of having militia affiliations, of operating along sectarian lines. Iraqis who you talk to won't go to hospitals in certain areas still to this day because they continue to fear for their lives because certain hospitals are run by certain militias.

Plus, there's also the reality that a majority of Iraqi doctors fled the country, fearing kidnapping, or being killed or specific targeted assassinations. Until they begin to move back, until this Iraqi government is capable of beginning to fix its own institutions, no matter how well the surge is working, no matter how many military gains the United States can point to, vital things like Iraq's health care are not going to begin to move forward.

MARCIANO: There is so much emotion, so much gratitude out of Mohammad's mom in your piece. I'm curious if the stories of these kids getting help by American organizations, if that goodwill story is getting back to the people in Iraq, at least, you know, to give the U.S. - put them in a little bit of a better light.

DAMON: You know, Rob, even if it isn't getting back in terms of being perhaps translated into Arabic and broadcast on the Arabic stations, word of mouth works quite well. And here in the case of Mohammad's mother, we're talking about one woman who will eventually go back to Iraq and will say, look, yes, maybe while we were here in our own country, all we saw from the United States in terms of the military operations going on was evil. But I can tell you that the American people that I met were good.

And that's why it is also so crucial to try to get these children out of Iraq with their families. It's part of building this cross- cultural bridge. If we're going to talk about other Iraqi children who have also managed to come to the United States with their parents, their parents had the same experience, talking about Youssif, the five-year-old Iraqi boy burnt by insurgents. His mother said that the most surprising thing for her coming to America wasn't the splendor compared to Baghdad, her hometown, but it was how gracious Americans were to her. She was taken back. She expected people to be hostile and aggressive towards her and her family because they were Iraqi and because U.S. soldiers were dying in Iraq. But instead for the most part, most Americans just wanted to offer their goodwill and their prayers.

MARCIANO: It is season to offer good will and prayers. Arwa Damon on "Saving the Iraqi Children" for us tonight. Thanks, Arwa.

DAMON: Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: CNN brings you an in-depth look at dramatic outpouring of compassion, from you, our viewers, to help a special Iraqi boy, Youssif, who was badly burned in Iraq. "Rescuing Youssif" begins at 10:00 p.m. Monday night right here on CNN.

Well, sometimes a beautiful story can come from an unlikely place.

Can you guess what these Christmas crooners have in common? We'll tell you next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS LEWIS, WEST VIRGINIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: This is PSC Chris Lewis from the 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard serving in northern Iraq. I want to wish my wife, Christina and my family from Charleston, a Merry Christmas. I love you all.

SGT. BRENDA LARSON: Hi, I'm Sergeant Larson at LSA Anaconda. I just want to say hi to my mom and dad and family and friends back home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. I miss you. I love you. And happy holidays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: And happy holidays to all of our troops.

Speaking of holidays, Santa, he hit a snag on the choppy Niagara River at the U.S.-Canadian border today. The so-called surfing Santa had to be rescued from the dangerous waves. Don't worry kids, he's OK. But there could be a legal hitch. The 47-year-old Canadian man under the suit might have violated immigration rules crossing the border without first checking in with customs officials. Give Santa a break.

Guess who's getting a GPS for Christmas. It's the baby Jesus. Or at least a reproduction thereof. That's what it's come down to in Ball Harbor, Florida. After a nativity scene's baby Jesus was stolen, despite being bolted down. The replacement will be monitored by satellite just in case. As will Mary and Joseph, in this case, mom and dad.

Back get back over to Bonnie Schneider who's tracking yet another storm during the holiday travel weekend. Boy, you've got to be suffering if you're in an airport right now.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Oh, I know. And if you're in the air and your waiting, your plane is still circling around, this is why. You're looking at all the planes over the United States and parts of Canada there. And right now, it looks like most of the traffic is on the eastern side of the country. That's where we're having the highest concentration of planes. So, many people are heading west. In the western part of the country, we just don't have the delays really. It's more towards areas into Minnesota, for example who are looking at these delays, two hours and 55 minutes.

What if you're driving to the airport? You're going to face some delays on the road. Look at this. We have a live picture of i-35. This is going southbound towards the airport on the left side. Look at that light coming at you. That's all the headlights of the cars heading to the airport. Heading away from the airport, the traffic is better. Not perfect, but better. But let's talk about what else is going on in terms of delays. We've had numerous delays around New York City. Even though it's not snowing there, in Newark, New Jersey, for example, we have some very thick fog and that's causing the slowdown in that region. But it's really the wind that's been the slowdown, and some snow and ice in Minnesota, three hours and 45 minutes at O'Hare in Chicago. That's actually worse than yesterday.

I mentioned the fog. This is unbelievable. Just went up right now, 4 hours and 30 minutes in Newark, New Jersey, due to fog. Sun Valley, that's not too bad, 30 minutes. Looks like nothing compared to the rest of these delays. Rob, 4 hours and 30 minutes, that's the longest delay I've ever seen on this map.

MARCIANO: And you know, a lot of those folks are force-fed CNN. So, if you're watching us, you know, we're sorry. We feel for you. Four hours there but try to get home for the holidays. All right, Bonnie. Thanks very much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

MARCIANO: Well, this holiday season, a choir made up of U.S. veterans is sharing its remarkable gift. But behind the music, there's a story you wouldn't expect. Kara Finnstrom reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHOIR: America, America, god shed his grace on thee.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: They're a choir of veterans warmly applauded everywhere. But not long ago these men and women say they were in the ranks of the shot.

CARLETON GRIFFIN, CHOIR MEMBER: Living in cardboard boxes, abandoned building, vacant cars.

GEORGE HILL, CHOIR DIRECTOR: I was a hopeless addict. An alcoholic.

FINNSTROM: Everyone in this choir was once homeless.

HILL: This is my favorite tree. This is kind of one of my little sanctuaries, because this is where I would sleep.

FINNSTROM: George Hill leads the New Directions choir. He returned from service in Korea with a healthy body. But a badly wounded soul.

HILL: I felt like I was getting ready to die.

FINNSTROM: Hill lived on L.A. streets for 12 years.

HILL: The loneliness, the heartache, lack of family members, the lack of a job, the lack of self-esteem.

FINNSTROM: In the midst of his drug and alcohol-addicted darkness, this marine says he found light singing in this tunnel in McArthur Park.

HILL: When you sing, a lot of things happen. I could sing my despair away. When, I would sing for a few hours and I would come out of this tunnel refreshed and renewed. When I came in here, sometimes I was on the verge of suicide.

FINNSTROM: It would ultimately be here at New Directions, the Veterans Administration program, that George Hill got the help needed to get off drugs and off the streets. It would be here that he started the choir, now performing in venues like the Democratic National Convention, and in movie stars' homes. And it is now here that his music is helping heal others marred by life's pain.

GRIFFIN, CHOIR MEMBER: My rap sheet is probably longer than this tape.

FINNSTROM: Before Carleton Griffin's life started to unravel, he was a Navy Recruit chief petty officer.

GRIFFIN: I basically ripped my vocal cords. I didn't know it though. Carleton who always love singing lost his voice while screaming military chants. With work, he re-trained his shredded vocals and the once high tenor is now the ground rumbling baritone who dreamed of being since childhood.

Carleton and the choir says their biggest joy is performing with fellow soldiers still struggling with homelessness. GRIFFIN: It's a miracle as you say (inaudible).

FINNSTROM: The hope - to help save more of the men and women they would not leave on the battlefield, now refuse to forget on the streets. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

MARCIANO: That's going to do it this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. CNN's "SIU: Mystery of Jesus" starts right now.

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