Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Continued Severe Weather; Christmas in Baghdad; Christmas on the Campaign Trail

Aired December 24, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Brianna Keilar. Heidi Collins is off today.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you.

KEILAR: Good morning. Good to be with you.

HOLMES: Good to see you here this morning. Hey, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes filling in today for Tony Harris. You can stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here is what we have on the rundown.

A snowstorm is letting up. However, some roads remain treacherous, retracting your holiday travel in the weather center.

KEILAR: And Christmas in Baghdad, we're going to talk with one officer for doing his duty despite missing his family.

HOLMES: Also, one presidential candidate can't be home for the holidays so he brings home to the campaign trail. It is December 24th. It's Christmas eve, and it's the NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: Over the river and through the woods, and straight into harm's way. A weekend snowstorm has created havoc from the Texas panhandle to Wisconsin. At least 11 deaths are being blamed on the weather. The storm has loosened its stranglehold but driving remains dangerous in many states, and for many staying home isn't exactly a great option either because thousands of homes and businesses are without power from the plains all the way to the Great Lakes. Hundreds of canceled flights are also creating long waits today for holiday travelers.

HOLMES: All right. Bonnie Schneider is keeping an eye on the weather and also on those travel delays. What do we have this time? We're going to be talking about weather. There were delays earlier at the airports. That was a good thing.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Right and we still don't have any, so that's all still so good, but we have a lot of snow. This has been such a snowy month so far in a lot of places. Like in Des Moines, Iowa. You're looking at a live picture. This is courtesy from our own cameras from CNN showing you snow on the ground. 6 inches on the ground, 3 fell this weekend in the Des Moines area. Check out CNN's election express. They saw a little snow this weekend. There it is in the distance there. Some snow piled on top as they get ready for the caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa. But overall, as you can see, it finally stopped snowing there. So that's some good news. I want to tally up some of the snowfall totals, not just in Iowa but in other parts of the Midwest. Because they really accumulated heavy and hard. We had in Wisconsin 16 inches of snow. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 8 inches. So a little more there. And in parts of Wisconsin, as we mentioned just about a foot of snow. Wind gusts were also quite fierce. That's why we had so many power outages and such lengthy airport delays.

Here's a look at some of the top ones that we calculated in and around the Midwest. So, some very windy conditions. That leaves us with very cold conditions outside right now. It feels like in Milwaukee, negative 3. It feels like it's only 9 degrees in Milwaukee. Right now in Chicago it feels like it is 12 degrees. So we're looking at some cold conditions. I want to show you our flight tracker now. We still have about 3,500 planes in the sky. No delays to report. All the planes you see here, all 3,500 of them, Brianna and T.J., have taken off on time. They are on their way to their destination.

HOLMES: Are you serious?

KEILAR: That is some good news because that is not what happened yesterday.

HOLMES: Poor thing.

SCHNEIDER: No. Four-hour delays yesterday.

KEILAR: I was experiencing that travel odyssey yesterday.

HOLMES: Yup, she was supposed to actually be here yesterday afternoon. She just got her ten minutes ago.

KEILAR: No, I got here late last night, but I wasn't alone at least. I know that, Bonnie.

HOLMES: That's good news. We appreciate you. We'll keep checking in.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Bonnie.

A reminder, if news is happening where you are, you can send us your video or your photo. Just go to cnn.com and click on i-report or type ireports@CNN.com into your cell phone. But, of course, stay safe.

HOLMES: All right. Well, this holiday season we're remembering the troops overseas. And our Alfonso Van Marsh is with the troops overseas. He's at Camp Stryker in Baghdad. Alfonso, hello to you again, sir. I know it's tough, but they try to find a way to have a merry Christmas even in Baghdad.

ALFONSO VAN MARSH, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: It is, it is, but Santa is certainly keeping busy here with the 101st airborne. Of course, better known as the screaming eagles. We had some time to spend with Santa as he got on a Blackhawk helicopter earlier today to deliver candy canes to some of the troops stationed around Baghdad. Now, it's interesting that Santa has the beard and he has the costume, but under that stuffed belly is bullet resistant armor, and he's packing a pistol.

Now, of course, that reminds us of just how serious it is here in the war zone. Many of these troops, these men and women spending time away from their families and it underscores just how important it is, what you see here with me. These are some gifts sent in to the men and women serving in Iraq. In some cases from complete strangers. This gift here we think there are some cookies inside with some Chapstick and a Slim Jim, a candy cane. It's addressed to the soldier with the most brothers. This one here is to a soldier who loves cookies. Again, a lot of people just wanting to give well wishes, to wish people the best being so far away from their families.

VAN MARSH: This letter here from the Center Presbyterian Church in Indiana is signed by a lot of different church members, Norman and Carol Rhodes, for example. Again, stressing the point people realize it's incredibly difficult for these troops to be away from their families, not to be there to open those Christmas gifts. One of those is Sergeant Joshua Sullivan from Phoenix, Arizona. Tell me a little bit more. This isn't your first Christmas away from home, is it?

SGT. JOSHUA SULLIVAN, PHOENIX ARIZONA: No. This will be the second Christmas we've been deployed, and so far so good.

VAN MARSH: And what's that like knowing that tomorrow morning will be Christmas day and you won't be with family?

SULLIVAN: Well, it helps, we got a lot of communication. The command is always good about getting - putting up the trees and the lights and everyday we hand out some gifts. So it's still Christmas here. I mean, we still have direct line communication with our families and it's good.

VAN MARSH: Well, let CNN give you a direct line to some of your family. If you have the opportunity to speak to some of your relatives who might be watching, what would you want to say to them?

SULLIVAN: Sure. First, I'd like to thank the families that sent us gifts over the holiday season. I'd like to thank my family and my girl Kelly back home.

VAN MARSH: Wonderful. I'm sure if she's watching, she's very, very touched. And again, T.J. that brings home the point here that a lot of these service members at the moment think that they're going to be actually deployed for about 15 months. That's in the back of some of their minds knowing that next Christmas they may not be home but they may be here again, T.J..

HOLMES: I know they don't like to hear that, but I certainly hope his family, his friends were watching and got that message. Alfonso Van Marsh, of course, there in Baghdad. Thank you so much. Also to our viewers out there, you have a chance to reach out to the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world, just go to cnn.com to our blog section and you can send your own salute to the troops. Please go ahead, do so. Don't be shy about that.

KEINAR: Too much at stake with too little time left. That's the story for democrat Chris Dodd. He is not letting the holidays slow down his Iowa ambitions. CNN's Jessica Yellin has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Stockings from Connecticut, and improvised tree, a homemade crest from a supporter. Senator Chris Dodd and his family are making Des Moines their home away from home for the holidays.

CHRISTOPHER DODD (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I get to see my family. I mean, that was the motivation behind this.

YELLIN: 6-year-old Grace is in a local kindergarten. And 2 1/2- year-old Christina is a big fan of the Des Moines Science Center.

JACKIE DODD, SEN. DODD'S WIFE: You have human grossology there right now and they have been having fun with the body.

YELLIN: The five-term U.S. senator barely ranks in the latest CNN poll of Iowa, but insists the media is wrong about this race.

DODD: Four years ago if polling had dictated what would have happened, then Howard Dean should have won this race hands down.

YELLIN: Dodd's campaign message, after nearly 27 years in the senate, he's got a track record of making good on promises and is ready to be president.

DODD: This may be the only job in America where prior references aren't required. You wouldn't remodel your bathroom without asking the contractor if he'd ever done it before.

JACKIE DODD: You want to be a change agent, actually get something done. That's what a change agent is.

YELLIN: He's not shy about criticizing his democratic opponents.

DODD: Look, again, I think people are so sick of the bickering and this idea turn up the heat, fire up the crowd, I'll fight harder than anybody. Are there any adults running here?

YELLIN: And questions whether the front runners could beat a republican.

DODD: And there's a lot of concern, candidly, about the so-called top tier candidates doing that.

JACKIE DODD: She wants a parrot, a (webkins).

YELLIN: This week, the Dodd family had some pressing concerns of its own. Dad left a sign for Santa at the family's home in Connecticut and here in Des Moines. And he's hoping for a little holiday magic himself.

DODD: There's a chance to come out of here and be a new story here on January 4th, and I think we got a shot being that new story.

KEILAR: And Jessica Yellin is joining us now from Des Moines. Jessica, we understand that Dodd had a really surprising response to a question that you asked him.

YELLIN: He did, Brianna. I asked him if he does not get the nomination, would he be willing to accept a vice-presidential position on someone else's ticket, and instead of giving the standard no, he actually said, well, you can't say no to that. You can never rule something like that out. It's pretty unusual for a candidate in his position at this time of the race to leave that door open.

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. Normally they say I have my eye on the ball, I'm concentrated on - I'm concentrating on getting that nomination for the presidency and they really do shut the door on that, even if later they come back and decide to accept someone's offer to be a running mate. So that is really interesting. But also, tell us, because John Edwards, he's posing a new threat to the front- runners. Can you tell us about that?

YELLIN: Well, Edwards has been in this race from the beginning and right up there, but, you know, Obama and Clinton have been going after each other as if they were the only two front runners, and this weekend we have really seen Edwards emerge as a real mention by both Obama and Clinton on the campaign trail. They clearly feel his threat here in Iowa. It's clear that they know this man, John Edwards, really could win this state, and Clinton is trying to take on some of his poverty message. Barack Obama has been criticizing John Edwards for his involvement or allowing special interests to advertise on his behalf. All of it boils down to the fact that all three of them know that they are the front-runners. Any one of them could come out on top just over a week from today.

KEILAR: All right. Jessica Yellin, thank you so much on the campaign trail for us there in Des Moines.

HOLMES: And a remarkable recovery for the Buffalo Bills Kevin Everett. That's him walking. Folks, that is big deal. He was back at his home field for Sunday's football game against the Giants. He was just there to see his teammates.

TRENT EDWARDS, BILLS QUARTERBACK: We're looking at him making sure that's the same Kevin Everett that we heard all about and him being in the hospital and all those stories and all those updates. But it's pretty inspirational to see a guy work so hard and work through so much emotionally, physically, and mentally that he's providing a lot to this team.

KEVIN EVERETT, INJURED PLAYER: It meant a lot, you know. Because some things are just more important than football. Obviously to see him being able to get up and walk around and have fun in the locker room and still have the enthusiasm about life is wonderful. HOLMES: You'll certainly remember, Everett was temporarily paralyzed on a play in the first game of the season. In early September, there were questions about whether he would ever walk again and about his recovery. Well, now, as you saw, he is certainly walking on his own. So great to hear.

KEILAR: We are on the countdown to Christmas. Big stores are pulling out all the stops hungry for last-minute shoppers. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPECIALIST ARNOTT: This is Specialist Arnott from LSA Anaconda. I want to wish happy greetings, holidays and merry Christmas to my family back home. My wife Trina, my son Cody, my daughter Dominique, Nevay and Maggie. Love you, mom. Happy Holidays!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. As we can see, we are joined by Santa Claus here. He is trying to see if these little boys have been naughty or nice. I don't know, I think I can see some of them being naughty or nice here.

HOLMES: Well, I've seen naughty this morning. There's been a few naughty this morning. I'm sorry. A bit of naughty. I don't want to name names or point fingers.

SANTA CLAUS: Well, I don't know, T.J., whether I can go along with that.

HOLMES: No? You think they've been nice this morning, Santa?

SANTA CLAUS: I've been getting reports from you here and there, and sometimes pretty close to the line.

KEILAR: Have they been telling what you they want for Christmas, Santa?

SANTA CLAUS: Oh, yes, they have and sometimes their mind turns to jelly. Well, you had it suggested to you. We ought to write it down. Did you ever think about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

SANTA CLAUS: Now, you're very quiet back here and you said, I believe you were one of the people who said they wanted an iPod? Wow. I hope there are enough of those to go around. That is a very popular item this year.

KEILAR: Well, Santa, you're the man. You should know, right? Are you going to be able to deliver on all those iPod wishes?

SANTA CLAUS: The only way I'm going to do is have help from a lot of other people. It's getting that there's so many i can't cover all the bases myself. But, you know, I'm most concerned about I heard a report this morning, they reported that I was an intruder.

HOLMES: You have to forgive Barbara Starr. She covers the Pentagon. She talks in words like intruders and insurgents and things like that. Don't hold that against her, man.

KEILAR: We won't. We know the real you, Santa.

SANTA CLAUS: All right. Well, good I'm glad to hear that. She had me worried.

KEILAR: we'll check back in with you.

And also celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem there are bigger crowds this year. Thousands of tourists are in the holy city to celebrate the birth of Jesus. CNN's Ben Wedeman join us from there. Tell us about the festivities today, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna. Actually they were fairly happy festivities. More people here than this town has seen for quite some time. According to local officials, they're expecting 65,000 people to come to Bethlehem from outside the city. That's about double of what the number that came last year, and it's not just, of course, tourists. It's local people, Christians as well as Muslims, who come to Bethlehem to celebrate. We've seen the Palestinian marching bands, one after another, quite loud with their bagpipes and drums. They are marking, of course, the last Christmas in Bethlehem by the Latin patriarch. He is due to step down from his position in the string, and so it was a fairly festive occasion, very little in the way of trouble according to the Israeli authorities. They have eased the normally somewhat difficult measures that they have imposed on the borders around Bethlehem, so by and large it is a fairly upbeat Christmas this year around. Brianna.

KEILAR: And Ben, what is it, that they have eased the borders that more people are coming in? Is there sort of one thing that you can point to about why there are so many more people this year?

WEDEMAN: Basically the reason is compared to the last seven years, it's been relatively peaceful, relatively quiet in this land. You will recall that in September 2000 the Palestinian uprising broke out. For several years there was intense violence, including an Israeli incursion in the spring of 2002 in Bethlehem itself. This past year has been relatively quiet. For that reason many tourists who have been putting off visits to the Holy Land clearly decided that this year was a good time to come. Brianna.

KEILAR: And very good news. A good way to bring in Christmas. Thanks, Ben.

HOLMES: Rescuing Youssif. A little boy burned in Iraq. You helped him get life altering surgery in America. We'll preview a CNN special on his amazing journey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Well, "Rescuing Youssif." You'll certainly remember this badly burned Iraqi boy. He came to America for life-changing surgery, and tonight CNN's special premieres following his amazing journey. CNN Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks. You know, it's worth pointing out a lot of this is due to you, the CNN viewer and the cnn.com user. So many donations came in from all over the world, there were enough to pay for Youssif and his entire family to come to the United States, and Dr. Peter Grossman, who's a plastic surgeon in California, volunteered his time and volunteered his services to try and help Youssif. Here is a clip of the special.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Grossman let me scrub in to observe. He showed me how he hopes to undo much of what an unspeakably cruel act has done to this 5-year-old boy.

DR. PETER GROSSMAN, SURGEON: We'll basically be excising this thickened scar tissue around here.

GUPTA: He planned to remove scar tissue from around his nose and insert tissue expanders, small balloons under the healthy skin in Youssif's cheek and neck. Over time Dr. Grossman hoped to stretch the healthy skin so it could replace the heavy scars on his chin, jaw line, and next to his ear.

GROSSMAN: Now, it's time to operate.

GUPTA: Dr. Grossman took Youssif's case for free and expected to perform half a dozen or more operations over the next year. How Youssif fared in this initial operation would play an enormous role in how well the boy heals and how much evidence remained of the attack that disfigured his young face. For me, it was a fascinating close-up view of state of the art burn surgery. For Youssif's parents, it was an ordeal of waiting.

GROSSMAN: This is not a sure thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Well, Youssif has had three operations now, and he still has some more in store, but I can tell you he looks better, both physically and emotionally he's healing. Much happier than he was before. Back to you.

HOLMES: "Impact your world," you can watch Youssif's amazing journey. "Rescuing Youssif" premieres tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here on CNN.

KEILAR: Find a penny, pick it up, Some day you could have enough to buy a brand new truck. This is no joke. This is an Indiana man who brought a pickup truck with all of his leftover change. He had $26,000 in coins, if you can believe that. I know. The 7-year- old saved up for 13 years, and then he cashed it all in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BRANT, BROUGHT TRUCK WITH COINS: It will be paid for when I drive it out because I will dump what I got right over there on the floor.

KEILAR: Brant says he learned to save from his dad who used his spare change to pay for family vacations.

HOLMES: What? Where is the change? I mean how did he haul it?

KEILAR: I pay tolls on highways. That's where my change goes.

HOLMES: All right, Brianna.

KEILAR: Not as far.

HOLMES. Not as far. Songs for the holidays here and beyond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Sounds of inspiration. Once homeless, these veterans now have a new mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It's Christmas eve and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Brianna Keilar.

HOLMES: And hello there everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. We are screaming of a white Christmas. Some major storms pounds the midsection of the country from Texas to Michigan. This is the view yesterday. Grand Rapids, 50-mile-an-hour winds, knocked down trees, knocked down power. Across the region, tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still without electricity. Meanwhile in the Texas panhandle, the snow didn't last. The travel nightmare still happening in some places. At least one person died in the massive pileup on interstate 40 in Amarillo. The storm is blamed for at least 11 deaths. Also, the weather snarled air travel. Hundreds of flights canceled yesterday. Many headaches for travelers as well today.

KEILAR: Here is a remarkable story for you from the pileup in Kansas. It involved in a crash, a bus carrying military medics from Ft. Reilly. They just came from life saving classes. So they scrambled to put those lessons to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. RANDALL MCBAY, U.S. AIR FORCE: We were just happened to be in the right place at the right time I guess. We had a great group of medics. We just come from training at Ft. Riley, Kansas. Just had a lot of combat life saver training, had some new medics with us. There were 20 of us on the bus. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Describe it first, you guys were traveling on a bus. You drove into a whiteout. How did the accident go down?

MCBAY: The bus driver stopped after hitting a car in front of him that hit a semi in front of him. At that point, there are several more car that started hitting the back of the bus. And as they hit the bus, they had another car which slammed into them and knocked them into the front of the bus. And it just kept piling up for about a three minute period.

Being a tour bus that we were in, you could see each car and see the accidents that they were about to happen. We really fell for the people. And we were trying to tell them some were getting out of the cars after they had had the accident, only to be hit by other cars that were coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to try to keep them in their cars until...

MCBAY: We were trying to...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...dust settled.

MCBAY: We were trying to, but unfortunately, they weren't - they were dazed. They couldn't really this to us, yelling from inside a bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was going through your mind and your fellow soldiers as well when you came to rest, and think OK, we're OK. But now we got to go help these people. Or did you think, hey, this - you train for a 30 car pile-up in the military, I assume.

MCBAY: Not for a 30 car pile-up, but we have - have our combat skills lifesaver training for the medics. And it all deals with triage, the mass casualty exercises. Going out and triaging the patients, deciding who needs care, priority care, and taking care of those. And those who don't, we brought into the bus to keep them warm and bandage up the small stuff.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The medics faced a great deal of danger themselves. One person said the chain reaction of cars just kept from slamming into their bus.

REYNOLDS: Well, veterans on a new mission, inspiring others with song. CNN's Kara Finnstrom with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 shunned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Living in cardboard boxes, examined in buildings, cars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a hopeless addict, an alcoholic.

FINNSTROM: Everyone in this choir was once homeless.

GEORGE HILL, CHOIR DIRECTOR: This is my favorite tree. This is kind of one of my - also 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.'s streets for 12 years.

HILL: The loneliness, the heartache, the 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 ex-Marine says he found life singing in this tunnel in McArthur Park.

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

FINNSTROM (on camera): It would ultimately be here at New Directions, a 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 at venues like the Democratic National Convention and in movie stars' homes. And it now here that his music is helping heal others marred by lives of pain.

(SINGING)

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

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

(SINGING)

GRIFFIN: I basically had ripped my vocal chords. I didn't know it, though.

FINNSTROM: Carlton, who always loved singing, lost his voice while screaming military chants. With work, he's retrained his shredded vocal chords. And the once high tenor is now the ground rumbling baritone he dreamed of being since childhood.

Carlton and the choir say their biggest joy is performing for fellow soldiers still struggling with homelessness. GRIFFIN: It's here where we got this miracle that was - these miracles (INAUDIBLE) upon us.

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.

(SINGING)

Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: This amazing music. And coming up at 2:00 p.m. Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, we're going to have choir director George Hill, who runs that veterans choir. He's going to join us.

And meanwhile, a saint by your side now available on your cell phone, but has this convenience gone a little too far?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TIME STAMP: 1038:33

REYNOLDS: Now saints on the go. Inspiration right on your cell phone, but not everybody thinks it's such a good idea. CNN's Alessio Vinci reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Many people don't leave home without it, keeping them handy during church visits or hanging them in their businesses. They are the santini or little saints. Religious images reproduced on small cards devout Catholics turn to for a quick prayer, protection, and inspiration.

BARBARA LABATE, ENTREPRENEUR: My mother used to put - to hide actually holy cards in my luggage when I was about to leave from Sicily.

VINCI: Now thanks to this Sicilian entrepreneur, the faithful can download the holy images directly on their cellphones. It is as easy as sending a text message. For three Euros or about $4.50, you can even subscribe to a service that will send you a saint of your choosing once a week.

Isn't there a risk of turning something holy into something commercial?

LABATE: Well, it's not that commercial if you consider that there are thousands of shops that actually sell holy objects and icons and so on. It's like any other shop. You buy what you want.

VINCI: Right now, the saintly cellphone images are only available in Italy and in the U.S. LABATE: We're also offering St. Patrick for the Irish community in the States. We're offering the Virgin of Guadalupe for the Mexican community. We're going to offer St. George from England, St. Andrew of Scotland. So we're like adding more and more saints.

VINCI: Not everyone, though, feels cellphones and saints are a match made in heaven.

"If we keep on going like this", he says, "the next thing you know, they will offer you the holy communion via text message."

But Father John Wauck sees nothing unholy about a saint, digital or otherwise.

JOHN WAUCK, FATHER, HOLY CROSS UNIVERSITY: If I were to put a picture of a saint on the wall in my office, you know, and today my office happens to be a Blackberry, what's wrong with that?

VINCI: Alessio Vinci, CNN at the Vatican.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: It is Christmas Eve. And while we're celebrating the holiday season, we certainly don't want to forget about the service men and women who are overseas far from their homes and families. Joining us now is Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Kuhn, who is on his first tour of duty in Iraq. So Colonel, can you tell me how you and your brigade are celebrating?

LT. COL. RYAN KUHN, U.S. ARMY: Well, ma'am, we're celebrating the holidays here at the Bob Hammer, Iraq, with a bunch of activities. In fact, today -- go ahead, ma'am.

KEILAR: Sorry, go on.

R. KUHN: And even today, the brigade commander and brigade sergeant major and myself flew to all the combat outposts and patrol bases that we have in the brigade with Santa Claus and handed out gifts and candy to all the soldiers that all the great citizens back there at home sent to us. So it was a really great day.

KEILAR: Certainly different than the holidays that you've spent back here in the U.S. in the past. But just tell us a little bit about what do you want for Christmas this year and if being overseas serving has sort of changed what you want?

R. KUHN: Well, first of all, I got to tell you, it's an honor to serve your country, even during this difficult time where all of us would like to be home with our families. You know, the true gift that we all as service men and women are providing really today is freedom and security for our loved ones back home. You know, we're out here ensuring that all of our families can gather during this holiday period and enjoy theirselves (sic).

And we understand that we have to make that sacrifice right now. We're at war. We understand that. And we understand last year it was another unit. And we all take our turn. And we're very proud and happy to be part of that. So our gift is, quite frankly, allowing our families to enjoy theirselves and laugh and have fun and talk to each other. You know, there's not much better gift than that.

KEILAR: And Colonel Kuhn, I know that you can't physically be your family this year, so we're trying to do the next best thing. We've brought your family here into the studio. I know that you don't have return, I know you don't have a monitor where you can see them, but they're seeing you larger than life right now. So we brought your wife Jackie and your sons Justin and Joshua, as well as your daughter Jennison. What do you have to say to your dad?

JENNISON KUHN: Hi, dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing?

R. KUHN: Hi, guys. I love you.

JACKIE KUHN: I love you too. Merry Christmas.

JENNISON KUHN: Merry Christmas.

R. KUHN: Merry Christmas to you. I had no idea you were going to be in the studio.

KEILAR: And, colonel they said...

R. KUHN: Wow, what a great day.

KEILAR: They said you look very good.

R. KUHN: CNN is number one now in my book.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: And I know you guys don't always get to see each other. I know you know you tried on Saturday, right, to do a video feed where you could see each other, but you don't always get to. What does it mean to actually, you know, see his face from time to time?

JACKIE KUHN: This is you awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels really good to be able to see him finally. The last time because I got to see him was -- when was that, last December?

JACKIE KUHN: I think July.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then in July. I didn't get to see the VTC in July, so this is really important to me.

KEILAR: And there's so much going on with your family. Justin, I know you're halfway through basic training yourself. You're a freshman in high school. You just got accepted to the University of Nebraska, which your dad, he's from Nebraska, I'm sure he's very proud. There are so many families who are going through what you're going through where you're apart for the holidays. Colonel and you guys as well, can you -- you know, what is this - what have you learned about being apart for the holidays, about what the holidays really mean? Chime in, anyone. Yes, you guys all can talk about this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just about being with your family, I think. It's hard to be away from your family for a long time. And I like to thank all of them over there who are doing their part and...

KUHN: I lost the feed.

KEILAR: Oh, no, OK, your dad lost the feed so we're going to try and get - OK.

R. KUHN: Now I'm back up.

KEILAR: Oh, good. That would have been very disappointing. OK, good. We're back on board. So obviously, it's all about family. It's not about the presents, even though we can kind of forget that, right, colonel? I mean, for you, the number one thing is family.

R. KUHN: I lost the feed. OK, ma'am, can you hear me?

KEILAR: Oh, yes. I was just going to say what, you know, what has this meant for you? I know that you guys have been apart before. I know you spent a couple years in Korea so you've been apart. But it's sort of different. This is war time you're serving overseas. What has this meant to you during the holidays? What's new this year?

R. KUHN: Well, ma'am, I can't hear at all. Can they hear me? OK. Well, ma'am, hopefully you can hear me. I am having difficulty here but -- OK. Really for me, ma'am, what's important is, first of all, we take care of our extended family here, all the soldiers. And I just want to say my heart goes out to all of the families who may have lost a soldier over this last year. So number one is right now, we're all taking care of each other out here. I got to tell you, we take that very seriously. So it's difficult. We all want to be back home, but we know we got to take care of each other so we can bring everyone back home to be with their families.

There's nothing like having families. It doesn't matter how much money you make, it doesn't matter where you came from. It's all about being with families. And that's what's so special about this time of year. So for me if nothing else after 22 years in the Army, I already knew this, but I am one lucky guy. I got a beautiful bride of 22 years there and a great family. And I'm just so proud of them.

KEILAR: Well, sir, we really appreciate your service here at CNN. And we really appreciate all of you allowing us to spend a moment with your family here on Christmas Eve. If you guys just want to say a last good-bye to your dad before we move on here.

JACKIE KUHN: Ryan, we're still going to make chili tonight and our cookies and we miss you and love you. Merry Christmas, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas, dad. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas, dad.

KEILAR: All right, T.J., back to you.

R. KUHN: OK, well, send me some photos.

KEILAR: Bye-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye, dad.

JACKIE KUHN: Love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Love you.

R. KUHN: Bye, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye.

R. KUHN: Love you!

REYNOLDS: Chili and cookies? Can I come by?

: I know.

REYNOLDS: Well, folks, we're going to move on and talk Iowa a bit. Mailboxes crammed with cards. Voicemails full of good cheer, but it's more than seasons greetings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 60 calls since December 1st.

DANA BASH: 60 calls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's just the campaign calls.

BASH: It goes unknown name, unknown name, unknown name, but you know who they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, for the most part, we know that it is campaigns calling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REYNOLDS: Yes, merry Christmas, happy new year, and you know, vote for me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TIME STAMP: 1050:56

KEILAR: Because we got Santa right here in the studio here with his little helper. Really, I think - oh, his littlest helper. Santa, who do you have there?

REYNOLDS: Yes. We know that guy. That's Tate. That's our executive producer on the weekend. That's her son, little Tate.

KEILAR: And Santa, has Tate told you what he wants?

SANTA: Well, I'm not hearing these anchors very well.

KEILAR: Oh, Santa's not hearing us.

REYNOLDS: That's too bad.

KEILAR: We have technical difficulties with Santa Claus.

REYNOLDS: With Santa even. My goodness. I guess we should ask Santa for microphones and earpieces.

SANTA: Santa could probably use new ears. The incoming message is a little bit garbled.

REYNOLDS: No worries. Well, we are - Santa's going to be with us all morning, of course, until noon at least. So if anybody wants to bring their kids by. No, just kidding. Everybody is not invited.

SANTA: Santa - believe you're kidding.

: All right. We're going to be checking in here with Santa in a little bit. We'll get him some new ears for Christmas.

REYNOLDS: Get him some new ears. Now who gets stuff for Santa? He gives everybody else stuff. Who gives...

KEILAR: Mrs. Claus.

REYNOLDS: Oh, that's right. That's right.

KEILAR: Mrs. Claus.

REYNOLDS: Mrs. Claus, I got it now. Little Tate there.

KEILAR: Very cute.

REYNOLDS: Future Florida gator, actually.

KEILAR: Yes.

REYNOLDS: Little tate. All right, folks. Well, Santa Claus, he's here now but he may be heading to Wall Street is bit early. Stocks rallied on Friday and are rising again today. And Alison Kosik is at the New York stock exchange with a look at whether we may be seeing the beginnings of a Santa Claus rally. Hello to you, Allison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, T.J. Well, as you know, it's been a tumultuous year, but it's looking pretty good right now. Investors are cheering news that Merrill Lynch is getting a cash infusion of more than $6 billion from two investment groups. And it's selling part of its consumer finance division to General Electric.

Well, we'll have to see if we have a real Santa Claus rally, which usually comes in the week between Christmas and New Year's. Let's take a look at the numbers right now. The Dow Industrials are having a modest rally, up about 74 points. The Nasdaq is higher by 13. And that's on top of Friday's 200-point rally. So not a bad start to the half day session, T.J.

REYNOLDS: Well, not a bad start, but retailers hoping for a really good finish. We've been waiting and waiting. And they have been waiting and waiting for a big push from shoppers. This is the last - oh, this is the last day even. So is there talk out there? Is there concern even that the holiday sales still are not going to deliver in this last home stretch?

KOSIK: Yes. Early reports show that mall operators are seeing a lot of last minute traffic, but the concern is still there. Retailers are rolling out the red carpet. Some Macy's have been open nonstop since last Friday. And some K-mart stores, they open until 10:00 p.m. tonight.

But the fear is that the last minute spending surge won't be enough to offset an already weak December. And the discounts will cut into profits. The National Retail Federation has been predicting sales this holiday season to grow just 4%, the smallest gain in five years. Other estimates go as low as 2.5%. T.J.?

REYNOLDS: Yes, and we heard some disturbing news as well, a report about people and paying their credit card bills? Even though people aren't spending a lot of money, I don't guess they're spending that money and paying off their credit cards. What's going on there?

KOSIK: Well, you said it. Americans are falling behind on their payments. Combine holiday shopping costs with high energy prices and falling home prices, and the U.S. consumer is getting squeezed. An Associated Press analysis finds the number of credit card accounts at least 30 days late jumped 26 percent in October, compared to a year ago. And some of the nation's biggest lenders are seeing a 50% jump in accounts that are 90 days late. T.J. and Breanna, back to you.

X: All right, Alison Kosik, we do appreciate you keeping an eye on things for us this morning. Thank you so much.

KEILAR: Christmas, of course, is in the air. Unfortunately, it's blinding snow and also howling winds. Travels and travails. The latest on the weekend storm and today's Christmas rush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TIME STAMP: 1058:10

KEILAR: A crash on live TV. That was the scene in Chicago last night. A minivan hit a local TV studio while the anchorman was on the air. And this is what it looked like on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle Vallarta joining us live from the scene of one fire tonight where two people were injured. Michelle, and the weather made the rescue work all that much more -- whoa!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Obviously the studio there streetside. I know it's just amazing video, isn't it, T.J.? Police, though, at this point, they're still trying to determine what caused this crash, but witnesses say the driver may have had a plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw a minivan do about four or five U- turns. And he pulled to the side of the road and told us to move. And we didn't think much of it, but then, all of a sudden, we were watching the news. And we heard a big crash. And he was in the window.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now thankfully, no one was injured in that crash.

REYNOLDS: All right. A little too much pre-Christmas cheer in New Zealand. Santa, he's supposed to decide whether we're naughty or nice. Look at these naughty Santas. And it's all caught on tape.

About 50 of them causing trouble at a movie theater. The manager of the theater said they ripped down posters, they chanted some nasty words. Another witness said they even kicked over a Christmas tree. Before leaving, the cranky Kris Kringles tripped the fire alarm forcing everybody out of the theater. Santa, come on. Santa.

KEILAR: Like more like a Grinch.

REYNOLDS: Yes. I hope kids aren't watching. Just -- they're going to be messed up for years now. All right, you're with CNN, folks. And you are informed about all the bad things people are doing out there, including those Santas. Now I'm T.J. Holmes. Tony Harris is off today.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Heidi Collins. We've got developments that continue to come in on the CNN NEWSROOM on this December 24th, Christmas eve. Here's what's on the run down right now. Treacherous travel. A Midwest storm blows past, leaving roads slick and homes dark. We've got the latest conditions from the weather center.

REYNOLDS: And also, a little town getting bigger.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com