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Police Search for Mall Shooting Suspect; Romney Criticized for Inconsistencies; Chris Dodd Moves to Iowa to Focus on Campaign; Overseas Military Celebrates Holiday; Stores Open for Last-Minute Shoppers
Aired December 24, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Hello. I'm Don Lemon live in the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Still dreaming of a white Christmas? Your friends in the Midwest and the northeast and the northwest remind you to be careful what you wish for. Good thing Santa doesn't travel by road.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CO-HOST: And Chris Dodd will be home for the holidays. But for the Connecticut senator and Democratic presidential hopeful and his young family, home is Iowa. We're going to pay a visit.
Hi, there. I'm Brianna Keilar, in today for Kyra Phillips at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And Merry Christmas to you.
KEILAR: Merry Christmas to you. Always fun to be with you.
LEMON: Always fun to be here, yes. But we have some very serious stuff to get to here.
KEILAR: Yes, we do.
LEMON: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But first, we want to start with this in the CNN NEWSROOM. Some breaking news happening. This is a neighborhood just east of downtown Atlanta, about 14 miles. There is a suspect on the loose, and police are looking for him. This suspect is believed to be involved in a mall shooting.
This is the vehicle and now this is the parking lot where that mall shooting happened just about 30 minutes ago. It is called the Galleria at South Dekalb.
According to police and sources here, at the CNN center, we're told that someone was shopping, and then someone attempted to rob a person or persons in this parking lot. The police were called, and then a shooting ensued and after that, a chase. We believe at this point no one is hurt, but we're still checking with our sources. This is all coming in live now. Very new information.
But again, a shooting at the mall, the Galleria at South Dekalb. Police went on a chase looking for the suspect. This is a vehicle in a neighborhood. You can see here it looks like the back window of that vehicle is busted out, and there -- it may be some damage to one of the tires. They're not exactly sure. But they cannot find the suspect.
And of course, this is a very busy shopping time. Folks out in that mall in this Atlanta suburb, shopping today. And of course, all of this going on.
We're going to continue to follow this developing story, tell you if they have caught the suspect, if anyone was actually injured and exactly how it all took place. We're going to be following it today in the CNN NEWSROOM -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Also right now a lot of folks are out there traveling today, and a lot of people are shivering, too. Let's go to Chad Myers. He's in the CNN weather center with the very latest.
Hi, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A white Christmas for the northeast and probably from about New England to Maine. Everywhere you see the white on the map is about where Santa's going to have nice sledding conditions. Everywhere else he has to put down the little wheels on the sleigh tonight.
KEILAR: All right. Good sledding conditions, but just because you don't have snow doesn't mean Santa isn't coming. Because he's magical. He's got it covered.
MYERS: Absolutely.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
LEMON: And just ahead of the New Hampshire presidential primary, a major newspaper there is breaking with tradition. Instead of endorsing a candidate, "The Concord Monitor" is urging its readers not to vote for Republican Mitt Romney.
The paper calls Romney, quote, "a disquieting figure who sure looks like the next president and most surely must be stopped." The editorial goes on to say, quote, "if a candidate is phony, we assure ourselves and the rest of the world we'll know it. Mitt Romney is such a candidate. New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no."
Romney's campaign is shrugging off the criticism. And for most of the summer and fall Mitt Romney led his Republican rivals in New Hampshire and Iowa. Now the tide, well, it's turned. Our chief national correspondent, John King, takes a look at Romney's struggles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sign of the times. For Mitt Romney, the glow of summer is a distant memory.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
M. ROMNEY: Good to see you.
KING: Gone are once strong leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire, the candidate's wife hoping aloud the current tide will change.
ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: I know he is the best candidate, and in all of the confidence in the world, the other voters will wake up and see that, too. So thank you.
M. ROMNEY: Thank you, sweetheart.
KING: Romney is hardly the first to learn Iowa is a four-letter word for surprise.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much for being here. God bless you.
KING: And here in New Hampshire, the growing threat is the candidate who personifies stubborn persistence.
M. ROMNEY: You know right now Senator McCain and I are both battling for your support and your vote.
KING: Romney has only himself to blame for some of his recent struggles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't forget to flip for Mitt when you go in the voting ballot.
KING: Providing fresh fodder of late for critics who call him loose with the facts and forgetful of his own record. This in Iowa last week.
M. ROMNEY: My state when I was governor, we made it tougher for people with meth labs.
KING: Hours later he conceded he proposed tougher penalties but they never became law.
M. ROMNEY: So I'm making sure that that's correct as quickly as I possibly can.
KING: Normally enough said, but it came within days of claiming an endorsement he never received. And as he also backtracked from saying he saw his father march with Martin Luther King.
M. ROMNEY: You know, it's a figure of speech. I saw my father as a champion of civil rights.
KING: He is clearly chastened. This is Sunday after talk of improving schools as governor. M. ROMNEY: These principals made a difference. The Massachusetts kids and this -- these kind of principals were in place even before I got there as governor.
KING: Yet critics still see hypocrisy here.
M. ROMNEY: Reagan 101 said if you lower taxes, that helps build the economy.
Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.
KING: Romney still voices confidence. And aides say in private meetings he shows a sense of urgency but not panic.
The strategy is two fold. Keep watch on all his rivals but attack the main threats.
M. ROMNEY: He voted against the Bush tax cuts. He voted against eliminating the death tax forever.
KING: And look to his strengths: resources.
M. ROMNEY: I apologize if you see me too much on TV.
KING: And what even rivals conceded are deep organizations in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
John King, CNN, Milford, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd is making Iowa his home away from home this holiday season, and we really mean it. The senator from Connecticut moved his family to Des Moines so that he could focus on the Iowa caucuses.
And CNN's Jessica Yellin joins us now from Des Moines to tell us more about that.
Hi, Jessica.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.
Senator Dodd has a long career in Congress. In fact, he is largely responsible for making sure that working Americans are allowed to take family and medical leave.
Now the senator wants to be president, and he's so far back in the back of the pack here that he has to fight to make it out of Iowa. He's working so hard that he literally moved his wife and two children here to Des Moines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN (voice-over): Stockings from Connecticut, an improvised tree, a homemade creche from a supporter. Senator Chris Dodd and his family are making Des Moines their home away from home for the holidays.
REP. CHRIS DODD (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I get to see my family. I mean, this is -- that was the base of -- that was the motivation behind this.
YELLIN: Six-year-old Grace is in a local kindergarten. And 2- 1/2-year-old Christina (ph) is a big fan of the Des Moines Science Center.
JACKIE DODD, MOTHER: And you have human growthology (ph) there right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
J. DODD: And they've been having fun with the body.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
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.
C. DODD: Four fears ago, if polling had dictated what would have happened, then Howard Dean should 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.
C. 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 had ever done it before.
J. 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.
C. DODD: Look, again I think people are so sick of the bickering, 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.
C. DODD: And there's a lot of concern candidate about the so- called top tier candidates doing that.
J. DODD: She wants a parrot, a Webkinds. That's another animal.
YELLIN: This week the Dodd family has some pressing concerns of its own. Dad left a sign for Santa at the family's home in Connecticut and here in Des Moines.
C. DODD: One kiss? One kiss? YELLIN: And he's hoping for a little holiday magic himself.
C. DODD: There's a chance to come out of here and all of a sudden be a new story here on January 4. And I think we've got a shot at being that new story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Brianna, he surprised me with one answer. I asked the senator if he doesn't get the nomination would he be willing to be someone else's vice presidential candidate. And he said you can't say no to that.
Well, you know, at this stage of the race most presidential candidates do say no to that kind of question, but Dodd, he said, "I just can't rule that out." So here -- you heard it here, Chris Dodd open to being a vice presidential candidate -- Brianna.
KEILAR: That is very interesting, because even if candidates are privately willing to consider, if they aren't going to get the nomination that maybe they will be someone's No. 2, you're right. They don't do that. So that is sort of a very interesting response from him.
Jessica Yellin, live for us there from Des Moines, thanks.
And for all of the day's political stories, you can log on to our special political news Web site at CNNPolitics.com
LEMON: It is Christmas Eve in Iraq, a bittersweet time for the extended family known as the U.S. military. And CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh has spent the day with some of the troops, and he joins us now, live from Baghdad.
Merry Christmas to you, Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I thank you, Don, to you as well. And you had mentioned, we're here in Baghdad with the 101st Airborne, more popularly known as the Screaming Eagles. A little earlier on today, we got a chance to see Santa working his magic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH (voice-over): At the U.S. Army's Camp Stryker in Baghdad, Santa Claus has a bag of goodies for the troops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to see the troops, hand out some candy canes and make them smile.
VAN MARSH: And a necessary extra.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of weapon is Santa carrying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
VAN MARSH: Carrying a pistol, his stuffed belly concealing a bullet-resistant armor, this Santa is an Army major. He travels by Blackhawk helicopter instead of reindeer and sleigh.
This Santa's visits to U.S. troops comes just once a year, but for many soldiers, it can seem like just another day at work.
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS DARRYELL RASH, U.S. ARMY: I think it's more difficult for my family.
VAN MARSH: This is Darryell Rash's first Christmas in a war zone, first Christmas away from home. But he says his adopted family, his military platoon, is helping him get through it.
RASH: They act like brothers and sisters, so it's like I am away from home, but I'm not.
VAN MARSH: Soldiers like Corporal Patrick Baird take comfort in season's greetings sent by total strangers.
CORPORAL PATRICK BAIRD, U.S. ARMY: Lots of Chapstick is always good to have, just because, I mean, it's so dry here.
VAN MARSH: Baird knows only too well this is his second Christmas in Iraq.
BAIRD: This one's a lot easier, I think, than the last one.
My wife misses me a lot. And everyone's very supportive, though. Everyone has been very supportive.
VAN MARSH: Troops assigned to mailroom duty say they're doing their best to get holiday greetings to more soldiers faster.
(on camera) This is the final delivery of mail to some of the troops here in Baghdad before Christmas day. Whether if it's cards, gifts or letters, many of these containers will be full of three times the amount of mail that would ordinarily be carried on a regular road convoy.
(voice-over) It is a tough road ahead for many of these troops. With the military dispatching these men and women on 15-month deployments, many of them know there's a good chance they won't be home for Christmas next year, either.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH: Now, you don't necessarily need to spend a lot of time here to understand what many service members here will tell you, that these gifts many of them sent from strangers, it means so much.
You take a look here, here's a letter from the Center Presbyterian Church in Royal Center, Indian, just wishing them the best gifts of Christmas. And here, this one's labeled "to a soldier who loves cookies." You don't have to be an Army specialist to figure out what's inside.
But it just so happens that we do have an Army specialist with us. This is Justin Vallieres. This isn't your first Christmas away from home, but this is the first time that you've become a father to a baby girl. Tell me a little bit more about that.
SPECIALIST JUSTIN VALLIERES, U.S. ARMY: Well, she's my first daughter. She was born on the 7th. I mean, it's made this tour a lot harder, but it's just good to know that she's all right and safe back home.
VAN MARSH: So you haven't actually seen her since she was born?
VALLIERES: Just a few pictures that my wife sent me. But that's all I need to hold me over until I go back in February for leave.
VAN MARSH: So if your family's watching out there, if you had a moment to say something to your wife and stepson and new baby girl, what would you tell them?
VALLIERES: I just want to wish my family and my wife Carlene (ph), my son Xavier (ph) and my daughter Maya (ph) a merry Christmas and that I love you and I'm thinking about you.
VAN MARSH: Great.
And that's the message, Don, that we're hearing from so many service members here. Keep in mind that many of these folks have been here for a couple of months now. A lot of them, it's their first deployment overseas, away from family in a war zone.
Sometimes that's really difficult to handle, but they're certainly doing everything they can to raise spirits here and be sure that everybody has a merry Christmas, regardless of where they are -- Don.
LEMON: Absolutely. And we appreciate their sacrifice. And merry Christmas to them and happy new year.
And also Alphonso, probably the best thing to wish them is safety. Thank you very much for that report.
KEILAR: 'Tis the season for overloaded carts and bulging shopping bags. We're going to show you the bargains and keep you from going bust.
LEMON: Oh, yes. Did you finish your Christmas shopping?
KEILAR: I finished in November. That's how I do it.
LEMON: Never walk again? Well, no way. Kevin Everett proves everyone wrong.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) KEILAR: It is Christmas Eve here at CNN, isn't it?
Extending hours, slashing prices, you know what day it is. And if you're not watching you're shopping. Some stores have been open round the clock leading up to this Christmas Eve.
And CNN's Jim Acosta has been working the morning shift, the afternoon shift and the night shift at Macy's in New York City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're out in front of the Macy's department store here in New York City. It's been open for 24 hours the last couple days.
If I can make my way through these crowds, people are elbowing past each other, trying to get those last-minute gifts for their loved ones. And these retailers are pulling out all the stops to get the shoppers into these stores, not just staying open 24 hours like this Macy's. Some are staying open until 10 p.m. this Christmas Eve to get those last-minute procrastinators into the doors.
Other retailers, of course, are offering steep discounts to those shoppers. All of this because of the economy. The retailers realize that people are skittish about this economy, whether it be the high gas prices, the housing crisis.
Retailers are expecting their sales growth to go up only 4 percent this year. That's a percentage point difference versus what is basically the 10-year average for this industry.
Lots of other people are doing a lot of online shopping. And then it really will be after the holiday shopping season is over before retailers really know how things went inside these stores, because so many people are receiving gift cards. Those cards aren't spent until after the holidays are offer.
And I will tell you this. As we're standing out in front of this Macy's department store with everybody, checking out the windows behind us, we were here earlier this morning and talked to a manager who said at 2:30 in the morning there were still shoppers inside this department store, buying those last-minute gifts, shoppers with their kids, no less.
So as Christmas Eve winds to a close, it's safe to say there will be lots of kids out there who will have no trouble getting to sleep tonight.
Jim Acosta, CNN, outside Macy's, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Chicago, Michigan Avenue, whoever dubbed it the Magnificent Mile or Mag Mile, as we call it, must have loved to shop.
Let's go straight to CNN's Keith Oppenheim. He's joining us from the windy city.
You're all warm and snuggly there. Did you get down to the Mag Mile and get some Christmas shopping done, Keith?
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did, Don, but it's cold out there so the studio is nice and comfortable.
But I was out there, and it's fairly brisk, not just in terms of the weather but also in terms of business. And one of the things that we learned is that, actually, online shopping in this city is actually a little bit lower than the national average, in part because people really like the retail experience.
And on this day, Christmas Eve, especially men. There are a whole bunch of guys out there doing last-minute shopping, because we apparently aren't as good planners as women are, I'm told. So you're going to hear from an expert in a moment, as well as a gentleman who's out doing last-minute shopping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: So do the guys know what they're doing out here, or do they see something grab it and hope that whoever they're buying it for likes it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think they know much about what they're doing out here, frankly. But on the other hand, you know, there's -- there are more men out shopping, and I think probably tends to be a little more of an impulse buy.
OPPENHEIM: How come you can't plan better, Steven (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
OPPENHEIM: Does this happen every year to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every year. For sure. This is actually quick for me. I'm out early, at least.
OPPENHEIM: So if anything, your last-minute franticness is a tradition for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: And you feel by comparison you're doing better?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes, I do. This is a good year so far. In 13 minutes I've already got a couple gifts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: One thing that's helping in Chicago is that there are a whole lot more foreign travelers coming to cities like this and shopping. And apparently, three times the number of European travelers are out there taking advantage of the weak dollar. So, basically, Don, I would say that slightly frantic on this Christmas Eve for last-minute shopping. But you know, it still seems like it's going to be a pretty healthy day for the city.
LEMON: Yes. Pretty healthy day. And you know, you were talking about the guys there, Keith. Last minute?
OPPENHEIM: Are you talking about me?
LEMON: Yes. Of course I'm talking about you.
OPPENHEIM: Yes, I'm done. I was done a little while ago, so I'm good.
LEMON: I'm done. I didn't do any, so I'm done.
All right. Merry Christmas, Keith. Thank you.
KEILAR: Breaking news for one TV anchorman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle and the weather mad the rescue work all that -- oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: A minivan takes a wild turn. Was it deliberate?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC: "Santa Baby")
KEILAR: All right. Here we have Santa Claus. Obviously, a very busy guy today. You say what is he doing? He's in the water there.
Well, this is Santa. He was in the Potomac River, between Washington, D.C., and Virginia. And he just wiped out. He was water- skiing. It was quite an amazing show. I think we have some video of that. But he just really -- he took a dive. And his elves are having to help him out. Here we go.
This is really -- this is pretty amazing. As you can see, he even has some reindeer. And that's the Memorial Bridge behind them, the bridges to Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Let's bring in Chad Myers. Because Chad, it's pretty amazing they're doing this. But this is freezing.
LEMON: See the wipeout?
KEILAR: The water must be very cold.
MYERS: Well, that reindeer just got in his way and made a big wake. And then Santa fell down there. I can imagine what that water is at, 38 degrees. You better get Santa out of there. But I'll tell you what: the problem is Santa is now in Ethiopia, because I got him on NORADSanta.com. So I'm not sure who this guy is.
LEMON: Look at that.
MYERS: But he's a fake.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh.
MYERS: Look at that.
KEILAR: That is crazy.
LEMON: That is cool, Chad.
MYERS: I know.
LEMON: You can -- look at that.
KEILAR: I have never even seen something like this before.
MYERS: Like the flying Elvises, but he's the flying elf.
LEMON: Wow.
KEILAR: Don't try this at home.
LEMON: That's in D.C. Is that Wolf Blitzer? I think that's Wolf. You know, it is Blitzer. He's one of the, you know, helpers.
KEILAR: That's Blitzen.
LEMON: Oh, but you know.
KEILAR: Close enough.
LEMON: Donder and Blitzer.
MYERS: Right. Thunder and lightning, actually, if you look it up in German. Did you know that?
LEMON: No, we didn't.
KEILAR: I had no idea.
LEMON: Did you know that?
KEILAR: No. I learn something new every day.
MYERS: Yes. From the weather office there's always something new. Whether it's something useful or not is another idea.
But if you go on to NORADSanta.com, you can actually -- or dog org -- you can actually see where Santa is. And he's not in the Potomac. He's right there in Ethiopia. On Google.com. The next update will be in two minutes, updates his position every five minutes. NORADSanta.org. Go there. Look at it. It's pretty cool. You'll see exactly where he's already been. All these places where these packages are, he's already been all those places. Because he starts -- he has to start way out by the dateline, and he comes across from east to west. And now he's getting to Africa. Then he gets across the Atlantic, and you guys better get to bed early tonight.
KEILAR: And he moves at an amazing speed. He can do it.
MYERS: He really does. It's about eight times the speed of light.
LEMON: Wow.
KEILAR: He can do this because he's magical.
MYERS: Warp eight.
LEMON: And he's Santa Claus. But you know, Santa Claus is ubiquitous; he's everywhere. So could be in the Potomac, and he could be wherever -- where did you say he has, again, in Ethiopia?
KEILAR: Ethiopia.
MYERS: He's in Ethiopia right now.
LEMON: Yes, he can be everywhere. Santa Claus is...
MYERS: He just left Kenya.
LEMON: Well, look at that. Look at that boat. Can we get back to that live shot? They are having a good time on the Potomac. And it's -- you know, a little light here, because it's Christmas Eve. Look at all Santa's helpers there.
MYERS: He better be wearing a wet suit under there.
LEMON: Yes. OK. I'm being told we have to wrap and move on.
KEILAR: No more Santa party boat.
LEMON: We have to wrap, and we're not talking about presents.
All right, Chad. Thank you very much.
It may be Santa Claus's busiest night, but the big man still had time to spread some cheer on Wall Street. He rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Alison Kosik is there to tell us if he brought any gifts for investors. That's a big question.
Hi, Alison. Merry Christmas.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. Merry Christmas to you.
Trading volume was very light, but Santa did manage to make his mark in more ways than one. Like you mentioned, the man in red rang the closing bell on this shortened trading day. And remember, the market will be closed tomorrow.
But there's some hope that today's gains could be the beginnings of a Santa Claus rally. That's the time between Christmas and New Year's when stocks often post solid gains.
The Dow industrial rose 98 points today, adding to Friday's 200- point gain. The NASDAQ composite and S&P 500 both added eight-tenths of a percent. Not a bad day all around, especially for a half day of trading.
LEMON: OK. So Alison, I've got a question for you. With all the turmoil -- turmoil -- I can't say that -- turmoil with the market, all that it's been through this year, many workers are worried about their investments. Now a law is taking effect that aims at 401(k), making it a bit easier to invest? What's going on with that?
KOSIK: Yes, exactly. Investing will be easier, because it will be done for you. The Pension Protection Act was signed by President Bush last year, and it goes into effect today.
The law paves the way for employers to automatically enroll their employees in 401(k) retirement plans. Until now many companies have shied away from doing this for fear that they would be sued. Employees lost money, but a provision in the new legislation allows employers to invest their workers' money without being held liable for any losses. Of course employees can opt out of the automatic enrollment if they want to, so they do have a choice.
LEMON: It seems some people say it's free money but you know with the matching and all of that. But some don't enroll their employees in retirement plans, right?
KOSIK: Yeah, it's kind of unbelievable the labor department says about 30 percent of eligible workers don't participate in their employer's retirement plan. The hope is that automatic enrollment will reduce that number. Many financial advisors say that if you get a matching contribution from your company, a 401(k) contribution can be one of the best investments you can make. So a lesson there. Don, back to you.
LEMON: Allison Kosik, a very quiet New York Stock Exchange, thank you very much for that.
KEILAR: In the news business it's basically the number one rule right, you always want to lead your broadcast with a late breaking story. But this what we're about to show you is just ridiculous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michelle and the weather made the rescue work all that much more -- oh! (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: This just in. I'm sorry, I couldn't help that. This of course being a minivan that plowed into the studio of our Chicago affiliate WLS during last night's 10:00 show. Now luckily no one was hurt but the guy behind the wheel has been cited for reckless driving and not having proof of insurance. And from what witnesses say this may have been a deliberate crash. Police are still investigating.
LEMON: Wow. I'm glad no one was hurt. That was just built a couple of years ago, a multi-million-dollar studio there, one of the best in the country. But again, the good news no one was hurt.
An emotional day in the NFL as the injured Kevin Everett walks into a locker room to greet his Buffalo Bills teammates. We'll tell you about Everett's surprising recovery from a life threatening spinal cord injury.
KEILAR: And it's a looming legal battle that could affect your health care. A teenage girl dies after her liver transplant is denied and now her family is going after the insurance company.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Coming up on 36 past the hour, here are three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Police on the hunt right now in Georgia, they're looking for a robbery suspect who apparently got in a shootout with police at a mall just outside of Atlanta. No early reports of any injuries there.
The commander in chief calling three soldiers, two sailors, two airmen, two marines and one coast guard member. They served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, and they got a personal phone call on this Christmas Eve from none other than President Bush.
Still no word on what caused a 12-story building to collapse in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. That happened today. There are reports of several deaths. No word on the cause. But these kinds of collapses are common in Egypt because of shoddy construction.
KEILAR: Inspirational moments for the Buffalo Bills and their injured player Kevin Everett. Everett not only attended the Bills' final home game, he was able to walk through the locker room and talk to his teammates before they hosted the New York Giants yesterday. Now Everett has been recovering from a spinal cord injury that he suffered in the season opener.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARSHAWN LYNCH, BILLS RUNNING BACK: When I got in, I seen him standing by my locker, you know, I instantly came over and got a hug, you know how you doing man. You look good, you know he talked well. You couldn't even tell that he was in an accident.
TRENT EDWARDS, BILLS QUARTERBACK: Even before this even happened I would say he's a hero. He's a guy that works hard and has the right attitude day in and day out. And you don't see a lot of guys like that in this locker room so we're definitely fortunate to have him be a Buffalo Bill and representing us. He's just a great individual.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Doctors were afraid that Everett would never walk again but he's beaten the worst case scenarios as he continues to rehab in his hometown of Houston. Joining us with more on this is medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen to explain exactly what's going on here.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What an incredible man, to think what he has been through and not even four months and to see that video of him walking around. Now we're told that Kevin Everett arrived in a wheelchair, then on his own power got up and walked to that golf cart that you see there. Now remember, that when he had that injury back in September, he was paralyzed initially from the neck down. He was on life support for several days. But in an incredible coincidence the player that he was tackling during this game was there, Dominek Hixon talked with Everett and he had this to say later.
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DOMINEK HIXON, GIANTS WIDE RECEIVER: It was a lot of emotions as you know just all in one from being excited you know, just playing football, to also you know, this was kind of a tough deal. You know it was just of kind of everything all at once, just a lot of thoughts going through my head. You know just hoping and praying for him that he gets better and continues to get better. That's all I was concerned with him getting better.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: We heard Hixon talking about continuing to get better. Everett has been doing physical therapy, occupational therapy, for many hours a day. He still has a road to recovery.
KEILAR: You hear when people talk about this just amazing recovery. You hear them talk about this is a miracle. But is this really a medical miracle?
COHEN: You know Brianna, the doctors that we talked to said this really isn't a miracle. I'll explain why. When people hear about spinal cord injuries often they think of the spinal cord being completely severed, for example in the case of Christopher Reeves. And then at four months later someone after that kind of injury walked again that would be miraculous. However, once they got Everett to the hospital and could do an MRI they saw it was not severed. He has something called an injury where it's the middle of the cord, the central part of the cord has the injury, but the rest of that cord is intact. And in those cases most people do walk again. So, what we're seeing here is wonderful and terrific but doctors say it's not really a miracle.
KEILAR: What else has really contributed to his recovery just in this specific case? COHEN: He has two things going for him, among others. But the two big things he has going for him is one, he got excellent care immediately after this injury. That's so important that people get that care right after the trauma happens. The second thing is he's 25 years old. The younger you are, the better. He's going to recover much more quickly than someone who is say 50 or 60.
KEILAR: He bounced back better.
COHEN: Right, exactly.
KEILAR: All right. Ok Elizabeth, thank you very much.
LEMON: How much say should your insurance company have over your health care? That issue is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by the family of a California teen who died after her insurance company initially refused to pay for a liver transplant. CNN's Kara Finnstrom explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The girl's grieving family now says it will fight the insurance company who at first refused to pay for their daughter's liver transplant.
KRIKOR SARKISYAN, NATALINE'S FATHER: These Cigna people, they cannot make people's decision if they're going to live or die. Doctors can do it. Doctors, they all signed the papers. They sent to the Cigna, Cigna denied it two times.
FINNSTROM: 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan had been fighting leukemia for three years. She received a bone marrow transplant from her brother, but there were complications and her liver failed. On December 11th, Cigna responded to a letter from doctors at UCLA Medical Center who had requested a liver transplant. Cigna vetoed the procedure, calling it experimental in Nataline's case. That same day doctors at UCLA Medical Center asked Cigna to reconsider, saying patients in situations similar to Nataline's who undergo transplants have a six-month survival rate of about 65 percent. On Thursday, about 150 people including nurses rallied outside Cigna's offices and learned of a dramatic change of heart.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time is ticking and Cigna is so wrong. k, Cigna just approved us.
FINNSTROM: Cigna said, despite a lack of medical evidence showing the procedure would work, they would make an exception in this rare and unusual case. But by that time, doctors said her condition had worsened.
SARKISYAN: I just got a phone call from hospital. She is not doing good and we are heading there right now.
FINNSTROM: On doctor's advice, the family made the decision to take Nataline off life support. A short while later, she died.
SARKISYAN: I'm sorry I don't have her again here with me right now, but I have her pictures. I love her. My family loves her.
FINNSTROM: The family is now taking legal action and has hired high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos.
MARK GERAGOS, SARKISYAN FAMILY ATTORNEY: We believe that they single-handedly decided that they wanted to have her die and wait so that they would not have to take the after-care coverage and pay for that.
FINNSTROM: Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Cigna declined comment on camera, but they issued the following statement. It reads, "Based on the unique circumstances of this situation and although it was outside the scope of the plan's coverage and despite the lack of medical evidence regarding the effectiveness of such treatment, CIGNA decided to make an exception."
KEILAR: An emphatic denial online.
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ROGER CLEMENS: Let me be clear, the answer is no. I did not use steroids.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Baseball great Roger Clemens responds to the steroid allegations.
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LEMON: One of the biggest names in Major League Baseball is on the web again denying allegations he used performance enhancing drugs. We haven't heard the last of Roger Clemens. He says he plans to give a major television interview after Christmas. CNN's Jim Acosta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 and baseball.
GEORGE MITCHELL: 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 using growth hormone to recover from an injury. Still, Clemens attorney accused the Mitchell report of relying on sources with quote 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, and 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 he 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 were doubtful there will be a rocket redemption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if I believe him or not. I kind of think evidence shows that he might have but he should come clean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure that people use stuff all the times to enhance their performance but who really knows. Only he knows.
ACOSTA (on camera): 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 OF VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Serving in Iraq during the holidays, a soldier joins CNN live from Iraq and he has a surprise waiting in our studio. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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LEMON: CNN's very popular website, cnn.com, don't you know that?
KEILAR: It sure is.
LEMON: Time to check in to see what some of the people are clicking on. The most popular videos at cnn.com. A startling newscast in Chicago. An Indiana man drove his minivan into the WLS TV studio while the anchor was on the air. In New Zealand, Santa has gone bad. Police say a group of intoxicated Santas went on a rampage in a theater, ripping down posters, knocking over displays, chanting obscenities and pulling the fire alarm. Wow!
Britney Spears' teenage sister Jamie Lynn, well she is pregnant. So should she marry her boyfriend? Experts are weighing in with their advice and these video reports and plenty more at cnn.com.
KEILAR: It's Christmas Eve here and also in the holy land and the faithful have flocked to Bethlehem in numbers not seen in years. We're going to take you there live with CNN's Ben Wedeman.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: This morning we arranged a little holiday family reunion for an officer in Iraq and his family right here in the U.S. Take a look.
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KEILAR: Colonel Kuhn, I know that you can't physically be with your family this year so we're trying to do the next best thing. We 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 are seeing you larger than life right now. So we brought your wife Jackie and your sons, Justin and Joshua as well as your daughter Jenna. So what do you guys have to say to your dad?
Hi, dad. Hey, how you doing.
COL. KUHN: Hi, guys. I love you.
I love you too, Merry Christmas.
COL. KUHN: Merry Christmas to you. I had no idea you were going to be there, in the studio.
KEILAR: Colonel they said --
COL. KUHN: What a great day.
KEILAR: They said that you look very good.
COL. KUHN: CNN is number one now in my book.
KEILAR: I know you guys don't always get to see each other. I know you tried on Saturday to do a video feed where you could see each other but you don't always -- what does it mean to be able to actually see his face from time to time?
JACKIE KUHN: This is awesome.
It feels really good to be able to see him finally. Because the last time I got to see him was, when was that, last December.
In July.
COL. KUHN: Last December.
I didn't get to see the VTC in July so this is really important to me.
KEILAR: you know, 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 who is from Nebraska I'm sure is very proud. There are so many families who are going through what you're going through, you're apart for the holidays. Colonel and you guys as well, could you -- you know, what have you learned about being apart for the holidays about what the holidays really mean?
COL. KUHN: Are you asking me that?
KEILAR: You guys all can talk about this.
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.
COL. KUHN: I just want to say my heart goes out to all the families that have -- 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 have 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. 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 have a beautiful bride of 22 years there and a great family. And I'm just so proud of them.
KEILAR: 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 goodbye 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.
Merry Christmas dad.
KEILAR: Ok T.J., back to you.
COL. KUHN: Ok, well send me some photos.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: That was just the coolest family. They were so excited just to see his face, because even though they get to talk to him they don't always get to see him, and as soon as they saw him, even before we went into the segment, when we were off air, they were just -- they just said oh, he looks so good
LEMON: Lit up.
KEILAR: Yeah, and his wife, she got teary eyed, it was just an amazing story.
LEMON: You know what, that's what the season is all about, and they hit the nail on the head. Not about like buying a ton of presents and spending a lot of money, being with family and friends and appreciating what you have.
KEILAR: It is, and it's also just a reminder to so many of us that there are people who aren't getting to spend time with their families as we are. I know Don you have your mom here. You were able to spend the holiday with your family. So our hearts go out to all those people who are separated this holiday season.
LEMON: We'll introduce her in just a little bit.
KEILAR: Yes, we will.
LEMON: Next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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