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Nepal Bridge Collapse; Man Wrongfully Jailed Released in Time for Christmas; Dealing with Holiday Bills; Laura Bush on Decorating the White House
Aired December 25, 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. And Merry Christmas to you. I'm Brianna Keilar in for Heidi Collins.
DON LEMON, CNN, ANCHOR: Absolutely. Merry Christmas, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tony Harris has a day off. Merry Christmas, as she said. And make sure you stay informed right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Here's what's on the rundown for us today.
It's not the grinch who stole Christmas, it's a couple of kids who stole the grinch. How he made it home in rhyme.
KEILAR: Wrongfully convicted, now rightfully reunited. A man regains the Christmas spirit after seven years behind bars.
LEMON: And after the gifts are unwrapped, the bills, well they are due. Our Gerri Willis has some timely financial tips. It's Tuesday, December 25th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And we start this hour with a tragic story unfolding in Nepal. Hundreds of people are missing and 15 are known dead after an overcrowded foot bridge collapsed. Nearly three dozen others are injured. Police say the victims were attending a religious festival in a remote region of Nepal. There were as many as 1,000 people on the bridge when it collapsed plunging victims into a raging river below. Authorities say 400 to 500 people are missing, many women and children. It's dark now in Nepal and that is hampering the rescue effort.
KEILAR: Here are more details on that bridge. The 500-yard long suspension bridge that spans across the snow fed Bheri River is located about 280 miles southwest of Katmandu. Police say cables snapped on the bridge throwing people into the raging river about 60 feet below. We're still working on the story trying to get you pictures and more details. Stay with us throughout the morning for new developments.
LEMON: Christmas is a celebration of faith and family. A time of hope and prayer.
In Vatican City Pope Benedict delivered his Christmas day message and urged world leaders to end the bloodshed in the world's war zones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) POPE BENEDICT XVI: May the birth of the prince of peace reminds the world, where true happiness lies and may your hearts be filled with hope and joy for the Savior has been born for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Now let's go to heaven. 220 miles above the earth, Christmas is celebrated in the International Space Station. Two Americans and one Russian will feast on smoked turkey with cornbread dressing and candied yams in pre-sealed pouches.
And Britain's Queen Elizabeth II sent out her annual Christmas message. Just a few minutes ago, she turned her attention to those living on the edge of society. She asked for greater consideration of the poor and the disadvantaged.
KEILAR: Christmas in the war zone, lofty hopes and harsh realities. Alfonso Van Marsh is embedded in the third brigade 101st airborne and he's joining us live via Broadband from Camp Stryker in Iraq. Hi, Alfonso.
ALFONSO VAN MARSH, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Merry Christmas to you, as well, as to our viewers. We're here, you can see the U.S. service members are lining up for that Christmas meal. We're in the dining facility at Camp Stryker. It is one of the largest ones in Iraq. And there is no shortage of people waiting to get a hot meal. Earlier today, we saw hundreds of contract workers preparing tens of thousands of portions of turkey and ham and roast beef, important for the troops here, a big morale booster being so far away from their homes and families.
Also today we saw Santa making the rounds in a Blackhawk helicopter. Now, as you'll see here, he is giving candy canes to some of those U.S. service members serving in the Baghdad area. He's got the beard. He's got the red outfit but underneath the vested belly he's also wearing armor, protective armor as well as a pistol. Of course that's the reality of having Christmas here in the war zone here in Iraq. I want to introduce you to somebody who has been serving out here. This is Private First Class Craig Miller. I understand you're usually based in Germany. What's it like to be away from your family during the holidays?
PFC. CRAIG MILLER, U.S. ARMY: It's got to be one of the hardest things I have ever been through in my life. No other way to describe it. Heart wrenching.
VAN MARSH: And why is that? When you enlisted did you ever think you would find up spending the holidays so far away from home in a war zone?
MILLER: Well, actually I think we all knew there was a possibility of this. We're in the army, we're in the middle of a war. There's always a possibility of it. I'm here to serve my country. I'm proud of my freedom.
VAN MARSH: So, what does it mean to you that you get to come into this absolutely humongous dining facility. Some 1800 people getting the meals at the same time with some of your colleagues getting a hot meal, the hot stuffing, the turkey, I mean, is it a morale boost?
MILLER: It definitely is in many ways. Anything to make us smile, makes our day go a little bit better.
VAN MARSH: How does it compare to your family's cooking?
MILLER: Man, I miss my wife's cooking. More than anything in this world, I miss her cooking.
VAN MARSH: Well, let's take advantage of that. If she is watching at this moment. If you want to say Merry Christmas to her, what would you tell her?
MILLER: Hey, Kat, I love and miss you dearly. Make sure you give my little girl Gabby a kiss for me, OK. And I'll be home in February, so I love you and I miss you very much. Merry Christmas, baby.
VAN MARSH: Thanks for your time. And this is something that we've been seeing all along the past couple days we've been here. For U.S. service members, it is a very difficult time for many of them spending their first Christmas away from home, spending that first Christmas away from home in a war zone but here as you can see people doing everything they can to offer that morale boost, offer a hot meal, some of their favorites to make it be a little bit better being so far away from their families. Back to you. Brianna.
KEILAR: Certainly is a reminder of all the thousands of soldier like Pfc. Miler who are separated from their families. Of course, our hearts go out to them and their loved ones. Thank you, Alfonso Van Marsh, there for us from Camp Stryker.
Meanwhile a massive blast in northern Iraq this morning. At least 23 people were killed in the suicide bomb attack. If you look at the crater left behind by the blast, a driver rammed into a truck surrounded by people who were picking up cooking gas cylinders and many of those cylinders exploded. The attack came at a checkpoint manned by Iraqi soldiers near a local government complex. About 80 people were wounded in the explosion.
LEMON: Thousands in California could end up celebrating Christmas without the traditional dinner at home. Strong Santa Ana winds downed power lines and blew several transformers in the Los Angeles area, forcing crews to work on Christmas eve. This morning more than 4,000 people still don't have electricity. The gusty winds fuel the fire at a Hollywood church yesterday. No one was inside. Officials are investigating the cause.
Los Angeles and Ventura counties have issued a warning that conditions are ripe for wildfires. The wind is expected to pick up during the day there.
KEILAR: So, a lot of people in southern California worrying about getting their meals ready but of course having to worry about much bigger problem. Let's go to Bonnie Schneider in the weather center. She is keeping an eye on this for us. Hi, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Hi. Yes, still looking at some very strong winds across much of California right now. You can see in and around Malibu, the winds are coming in from the northeast at about 19 miles per hour but the gusts are even higher than that. In Oxnard, winds are out of the northeast at 25 miles an hour. So, the winds are quite fierce and as we look at some of the peak wind gusts, you can see they are all the way up to 90 miles an hour at Whitaker Peak. And that's where we saw some of the most fierce winds. Currently, the winds have relaxed a bit but hey tend to be strongest at night. We have a little bit more of a difference in terms of pressure with the temperature dropping over land. It get as little cooler and that provides less of a contrast, less of a contrast rather with the ocean. So we get a little bit more of less resistance, actually, in terms of the strong Santa Ana winds. But this is what is happening right now. High pressure is building over the Great Basin. So, we're looking at strong wind gusts today with low relative humidity. And it's going to cause some problems in terms of fire danger for California.
Now, as we head out west, we're also looking for more snow. A lot of snow is expected in and around the mountains of Colorado. We have one to three inches of snow in the forecast. Current temperature at 27 degrees and it will be blowing snow. So, will be seeing the wind kind of kick about the snowdrifts throughout the day today.
Here is low pressure over the Rockies. Another storm system coming into the Pacific northwest, wind in southern California. But look what is happening in and around the southeast. That's right. Low pressure over the gulf and that is helping to bring about rain. Now you may say a soggy Christmas, who wants that. But in Georgia that's exactly what we want. The rain will be beneficial to the drought as well as for Alabama. You can see the rain streaming into Atlanta. At times today we may see sleet mixed in with this rain especially into the early hours of the day. But then temperatures will warm up into the 50s. So, I don't think we'll be looking at a white Christmas here in Atlanta. If you're expecting that, Brianna and Don.
KEILAR: A wet Christmas and then we have a windy Christmas and then we have a white Christmas. We're running the gamut.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely.
LEMON: It's a "w" Christmas.
SCHNEIDER: It sure is.
LEMON: Three W's.
KEILAR: Thanks, Bonnie.
Well, someone stole the grinch. Luckily the Christmas caper was caught on tape. Adam Owens of affiliate WRAL has the story in true Dr. Seuss style.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAM OWENS, WRAL, CORRESPONDENT: The small town of southern Pines is brimming with cheer, whose warm fuzzy, fuzzy felt this time of year, down Broad Street the sidewalks are so fully dressed, shopkeepers compete for whose tree is best, this one is Chef Warren Lewis's design, the leaning tree with odd green man behind.
WARREN LEWIS, GRINCH OWNER: We had the grinch holding the tree. We had little Cindy Loo Who, max set up top.
OWENS: Dressed in bright red as Santa or elf one night to grinch who stole Christmas went missing himself. Lewis quickly knew that something was wrong.
LEWIS: We came in that morning and the grinch was gone.
OWENS: The boy who stole the grinch didn't count on the Lomax. He's guy who owns the store next door. While they were down here messing around he was up there looking down.
JEFF LOMAX, GRINCH HEIST WITNESS: There was always a seeing eye watching you, my mama always told me that.
OWENS: Every moment a camera watches where they are at. They come at first to case out the place. They return, grab the grinch and off they did race. You would think to yourself more often than not the chef without a grinch would be piping hot.
LEWIS: It was hilarious because they were so busted.
OWENS: Chef Warren put the video on youtube to view. More than 1,500 took a look. You could call that a few. A couple of those were not overjoyed, they were the parents of those two boys. They returned the grinch right where they found it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told me he had been punished and grounded.
OWENS: The shop owners did not press charges and in the end they were more amused. In Southern Pines, Adam Owens, WRAL News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: He was convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and now a Virginia man is celebrating his first Christmas since his release.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. LEN MARTIN: Hi. I'm Staff Sergeant Len Martin stationed at LSA Anaconda. I'd like to get a shout to my family in Monticello, Arkansas. Happy Holidays! I miss you and I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: He spent seven years behind bars for a crime that he did not commit and today, a Virginia man is celebrating his first Christmas since his release. Jason Marks of affiliate WAZY has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TEDDY THOMPSON, FREE AFTER WRONGFUL CONVICTION: It's not like the macaroni in there, that's good macaroni.
JASON MARKS, WAZY, CORRESPONDENT: Surrounded by friends and family. Teddy Thompson eyes the Christmas day feast. It's something he hasn't seen in seven years. Laughter fills the kitchen. Sounds of holiday cheer. Spirit which couldn't be found last year. That's because Teddy was in prison serving time for a crime he didn't commit.
THOMPSON: I'm going to call this one of my best Christmas, right here. This is going to be my best Christmas right here. And I'm going to enjoy myself and have fun with my family.
MARKS: For seven years, Teddy was surrounded by chain-link fence and barbed wire here at the South Hampton Correctional Center. He was convicted of armed robbery.
THOMPSON: There's an awful lot I forgot about Christmas. Christmas, because we don't celebrate Christmas in here.
MARKS: Gifts lie under the tree. The ornaments glisten a little brighter. Christmas is back for the Thompsons because new evidence surfaced showing Teddy was an innocent man.
MARY THOMPSON, MOTHER: It has been real rough. Christmas has been really rough for me.
MARKS: For Mary Thompson having her son back is a gift from god.
MARY THOMPSON: This means so much to me. That I would have took my own life just to have him home. And that's how I feel.
MARKS: Mary fought for years to get her son out. This Christmas they're together at home and not celebrating from the prison visiting room.
MARY THOMPSON: This is the best Christmas that I ever could have.
MARKS: Now a free man, it's Teddy who continues to adjust trying to do things we all take for granted.
TEDDY THOMPSON: It's Christmastime. We've been Christmas shopping and the Christmas shopping is so long, it would be around a bunch of positive energy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Teddy says he can't wait to see his daughter open her presents and he tells them he's busy WAVY that he's busy working on his music career.
LEMON: You know, Santa is stepping it up in some parts. He used to have a sleigh which is, you know, I think he's updated it but who needs a reindeer when you got a chopper. Check this out. Santa arrived in style in Tucson. That was early yesterday delivering toys to thousands of kids. He's been stopping by the rodeo grounds for more than 30 years there. First Santa didn't think he was going to have enough toys but his elves got to work and the donations poured in. 10,000 toys in all to some well-deserved kids there.
KEILAR: Packages torn open. Piles of shredded gift wraps thrown all about. Now the question is, what do you do next? The "Tennessee Newspaper" has some suggestions on how to trudge through the Christmas afternoon. Number one, is go to the movies. Number two, this one is kind of interesting, play touch football. Number three, play board games or cards and number four is to take a walk or a drive. And rounding out the list, at the five spot, telling family stories.
LEMON: And no arguing or fighting with your sibling or any of that stuff.
KEILAR: But sometimes that also is a Christmas tradition, I think.
LEMON: Hey, listen, we want to know how our viewers are spending Christmas. WE want to know, how will you spend your Christmas afternoon, e-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.
KEILAR: When the Christmas tree comes down the bills unfortunately pour in. 'Tis the season for much need financial advice. And CNN financial guru, Gerri Willis is going to answer your e-mails in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: She has been through the storm and she has weathered her losses through faith. CNN photojournalist Kevin Myers profiles a Salvation Army bell ringer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANICE JOHNSON, SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGER: Hi, how y'all doing? Jesus loves you all.
I'm a Salvation Army bell ringer. Hi, how are you today? You are so beautiful. Now you can ring the bell so the angel can get their wings. Whoa! They got their wings. God bless you. Merry Christmas.
I have a double job. I'm in the Salvation Army and I'm in the Army of the lord. So I'm a soldier right now fighting for souls. Hallelujah. My story about Katrina, I lost everything. I lost all my furniture. I didn't have a house to go to. I didn't know, I could have gave up but, no, I found peace in Jesus. That is what motivate me and made me go do it. OK, you're ready? Set. Wow. Very good. You have a blessed day. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, everybody, because Jesus is the reason for the season. Hallelujah. Merry Christmas from the Salvation Army.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: For more special holiday stories like this one, click on cnn.com and check out our holiday in focus features.
LEMON: OK. Holiday gifts right now but unfortunately January bills. We all could use a little extra financial guidance this time of year. Coming up, you know, the next couple weeks, or couple months. So, are we cueing a tape of personal finance editor, Ms. Gerri Willis? Here, she joins our Tony Harris to answer your questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: Lugi from Florida writes, oh, Gerri, I have most of my savings maxed out in FDIC, secured savings accounts. How good is the FDIC guarantee?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, Lugi, the FDIC means it's backed by the federal government and that means well it's the best financial guarantee you can get. Look, if there's a problem you have bigger issues than just the guarantee was broken, OK. The insurance protects you against the loss of your deposits if a bank or savings and loan association fails and it doesn't matter whether it's checking or savings account, money market deposit accounts or CDs. There are of course limits. It's up to $100,000 in each banking institution. And of course, some retirement accounts like IRAs are insured up to 250,000. But hey, guess what, at the end of the day, if you have stocks, bonds, mutual fund, life insurance policies, annuities from one of these institutions, not part of the coverage, OK. You need to know that. It only covers just the basic, just the basic bank accounts. If you want to know whether your bank is FDIC insured. They usually put it in their advertising but you can call 1- 877-275-3342. So, check it out because it's really a guarantee you want.
HARRIS: 1-877-275-3342. For folks who are looking at the screen or doing some other things this morning.
WILLIS: It's a good thing.
HARRIS: Mary from West Virginia now writes, Gerri do those debt settlement companies really lower your debt and get it paid off in three to five years? Please help. I am not sleeping at night. Mary. Geez.
WILLIS: Well that's sad. You know, look, generally we don't advise going to debt settlement companies. Look, these companies may advise you to stop paying the debt immediately, that's a bad thing. And this will not only continue to damage your credit report but you'll still be accruing debt, late fees, interest with the creditor plus some of these debt settlement company also have fees you have to pay but your best bet why not choose a legitimate credit counseling organization. Look, if you can't create a workable budget on your own or negotiate your own plan with creditors, they can help you out. They work hand in hand with you. They don't just take your debt and then try to figure it out. Look, many attorney generals have toll free numbers where you can check out these organization. So, you'll know who's good, who's bad or call your local better business bureau. You can also check out the National Credit Counseling Agency at NFCC.org. Get some help. That's no fun.
HARRIS: No, it's not. And try to get some rest here. You know we talk all the time about the fact the Dow is up year to year by about 8% but the reality is the economy is tough for some people out there.
WILLIS: Right.
HARRIS: We have another e-mail from Chris that is kind of indicative of this. Oh, Gerri, I had to file bankruptcy in 2003. Now I am a victim of the housing/mortgage crisis. How soon can I file bankruptcy again?
WILLIS: Well, yes. Well, this isn't good news either. Look, to answer your specific question. It really depends on what kind of bankruptcy you filed in 2003. If you filed a chapter 7, it will be eight years before you can file chapter 7 again. So, you have to wait. However, there is a type of bankruptcy called chapter 13 which you can do right away. Now this doesn't wipe away our debt but it forces you to pay it back over time. But it is some relief.
Remember even if you do file again, your credit score is going to be severely damaged. Bring yourself back from the brink by going to a credit counseling agency.
HARRIS: That's good.
WILLIS: It's going to be hard to repair your reputation with creditors after declaring bankruptcy twice. I'll try to avoid it if I could.
HARRIS: There you go, try to avoid it. John writes, you know, Gerri, I heard that one of the ways to make money in real estate is to buy a foreclosed property. Should I go for this type of investment?
WILLIS: Well, I got to tell you, I just talked to a woman this morning who got a $100,000 discount on a foreclosed condo she bought in Florida. Look, you can make money in foreclosed property because you really buy at a steep discount. However, the devil is in the details. There are some serious drawbacks to investing in this type of property. For example, the tenant could still be in the property or you may not be able to see the condition of the property before you buy it. There may be liens against the house that you may inherit as the new owner. You got a noble odds in your own state because it really matters where you are. To do this, go to the county clerk's office to find out what properties are being auctioned. You can also see listings in your local newspaper. You can do research on line. Yahoo has a great website for this, too. There are also other places on line that list foreclosure properties, like foreclosure.net and realtytrack.com. There's a ton of information on the web about this but you really got to do your homework.
HARRIS: Gerri, have time for one more? I know you got obligations to all the other CNN platforms. Have time for it? How about that? OK, one more from Emily who writes, I am 16 years old and I am trying to get my passport for the very first time, how much would it cost? How many days will it take to get my passport, Gerri?
WILLIS: Well, OK, Emily, you'll pay $97. If you need the passport quickly you can get what is called an expedited passport. That's going to take about three weeks. Otherwise you're looking at four to six weeks. Check out travel.state.gov for details.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: It's better to give than receive, right? Well, try telling that to a brazen thief who is preying on holiday packages.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, put down that box. Or what's inside it, right?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly.
LEMON: What did you get for Christmas? Depending on if you're naughty or nice. I guess you're sort of counting up what you got there. Hello everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Tony is off today, I'm sitting in for him.
KEILAR: And Merry Christmas, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Heidi Collins. We're bringing you a tragic story unfolding in Nepal at this hour. Hundreds of people are missing, 15 are known dead after an overcrowded foot bridge collapsed. Nearly three dozen others are injured. Police say the victims were attending a religious festival in a remote region of Nepal. There were as many as 1,000 people on the bridge when it collapsed, plunging victims 100 feet into a raging river below. Authorities say at this point 400 to 500 people are missing, many of them are women and children. It's dark at this hour in Nepal and that's hampering the rescue effort. We're still working on this story, trying to get you pictures and more details. Stay with us throughout the morning for new developments.
LEMON: Back here in this country we have the normal winter weather, we've got snow, whatever, that always happens. But these Santa Ana winds are happening out in California.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: The impact of early voters getting up close and personal with the presidential candidates but how many voters are we really talking about here? I don't think we're talking about that many. CNN's Josh Levs is keeping them honest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUCKABEE: I want to say thanks so much for coming. This is incredible.
LEVS (voice-over): We know why the candidates fight so hard in the early states. So many Americans follow their lead and early victory in these states can lead to the nomination. But you may not know how few voters actually determines who wins the early states. Keep in mind we're a nation of 300 million people. Now here are the numbers.
In 2004, the democratic caucuses in Iowa drew a whopping 124,000 people, a fraction of the state's voting age population. And that was considered big.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had had a record turnout in Iowa, the biggest in the history of the state.
LEVS: The last big republican contest was in 2000 when Bush won the Iowa caucuses. 87,000 people took part. No one knows how many will take part this time around with open races on both sides, but a few hundred thousand would be huge.
New Hampshire in 2004 when the big race was on the democratic side, nearly 300,000 people total voted. Four years earlier, when the bigger contest was among republicans, nearly 400,000. And the third earlier state getting a lot of attention --
South Carolina!
LEVS: Nearly 300,000 democrats took part in the 2004 primary, nearly twice that number took part in the republican primary in 2000. So when we put these three states together, how many people are the candidates clamoring for? The total number is sure to be less than one percent of the U.S. population.
(On camera): But for this block of time a very powerful fraction of one percent. Now there have been debates over the idea of a national primary date but there's been no movement in that direction. So for now we can expect this process to continue every four years. Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Want the most up to the minute political news anywhere available? Cnnpolitics.com is your one stop shop. It's the internet's premier destination for political news, cnnpolitics.com.
KEILAR: Have you had a grinch at your doorstep? You're not going to believe this story. Christmas crooks have been stealing packages but one homeowner is fighting back. The details from reporter Graham Johnson of CNN Seattle affiliate KIRO.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GRAHAM JOHNSON, KIRO (voice-over): This is the Chevy Lumina minivan Laura Veitch wants you to see. Watch as it pulls up into her driveway and a man gets out. While his passenger stays in the van he walks toward the front porch and disappears from view. Moments later he reappears carrying two packages. He puts them in the van and drives away. One box held an iPod, the other iPod accessories.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was my husband's Christmas present. So yeah, that's going to be a little late.
JOHNSON: The thief struck last Monday afternoon. The surveillance video also shows the FedEx delivery driver leaving those packages on the front porch less than two hours before the thief arrived.
LAURA VEITCH, VICTIM-TURNED-VIDEOGRAPHER: It's just maddening why you would think that would be ok to do that any time of the year but especially now. You know, somebody's Christmas present.
JOHNSON: Veitch installed the security camera after someone stole a mountain bike here last spring.
VEITCH: The other instances made us so frustrated because nobody saw anything.
JOHNSON: This time the whole thing is on camera. Veitch filed a police report and showed deputies this clip. Unfortunately, the license plate number on the van is very tough to make out.
VEITCH: I'm just hoping that somebody sees it or know who did it and will turn them in.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Laura Veitch is also resorting to a tried and true weapon and that's public shame. She's posted the videotaped theft on Youtube.
LEMON: Rescue on the high seas. U.S. Navy with an assist and a save. Hear from members of that heroic emergency group, plus the grateful girl they helped.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: $6 million, that's a settlement reached by the family of a woman killed in the big dig highway tunnel collapse in Boston. You may remember a Boston woman was killed when the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed on her car. That was in 2006. Investigators determined workers secured the ceiling with a fast drying epoxy adhesive that wasn't safe to use for overhead loads. The company that supplied the adhesive will pay the woman's family.
KEILAR: We wanted to bring you some of the best stories from the past week. One was the U.S. Navy's rescue of a teenage girl. She got sick on a cruise ship so the navy sent in a team to pluck her off the deck. They took her to the "USS Ronald Reagan" for an emergency surgery for appendicitis. Our Heidi Collins had a chance to speak to the rescue crew and the girl. She was on the phone from her hospital bed in San Diego and she told us how the whole thing started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Laura, when did you start feeling sick?
LAURA MONTERO: On Thursday night.
COLLINS: Thursday night. How long had you been on the ship? Was it several days you had been there or was it very soon after you had gone on board?
MONTERO: I was -- how many days had I been on the ship? Five days.
COLLINS: About five days. Because we should let everyone know at least what we have learned here is that when you have appendicitis or an attack like this it can come on really, really quickly. So I wanted to make sure that people knew, you didn't get on board feeling awful.
MONTERO: No.
COLLINS: What do you remember about the rescue? We should let you know that we are looking at video of these fine gentlemen taking you off that cruise ship and aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. What do you remember?
MONTERO: I remember getting hoisted up into the helicopter.
COLLINS: Because why? Was that frightening?
MONTERO: No, not really.
COLLINS: No!
MONTERO: It was actually kind of fun.
COLLINS: It was fun. Well I mean you must have felt pretty lousy though, is that right?
MONTERO: Yeah.
COLLINS: Lieutenant commander and Navy petty officer Gregory Leland, when did you find out about this mission which you were about to go and try to do?
LT. CMDR. GREGORY LELAND, U.S. NAVY: Well ma'am we heard about it the night before around 2100.
COLLINS: What did you think? Did you have any special training for emergency appendectomy cargo lifts?
LELAND: I had no formal medical training ma'am but we do train to this mission literally every flight. A portion of every flight goes to training to this mission. So we were ready and thankfully the "USS Ronald Reagan" was able to close the distance and the cag 14 guys responded. Our maintenance department had the aircraft ready to go.
COLLINS: I have to tell you I know a little something about getting on and off an aircraft carrier. I am willing to bet there wasn't a lot of training for going down on a cruise ship, right?
LELAND: Well not particularly a cruise ship but we do train to go to other types of ships. So the training transferred quite easily.
COLLINS: I think a lot of people were probably a little bit surprised about the fact that there really isn't much room on the deck of a cruise ship to actually land a helicopter. So you did have to use that basket. That I'm sure is where your training came very well into play.
LELAND: Yes, ma'am. In particular Petty Officer Hines who has done this mission quite a few times up in the mountains of Nevada and California. That played a huge role in this mission going off without a hitch.
COLLINS: How did all of you keep her calm?
LELAND: I'm sorry, could you say that again?
COLLINS: How did you keep her calm?
LELAND: Basically I just reassured her whenever I got on board, went and talked to the doctor and her, and I just made her as comfortable as possible.
COLLINS: What were you telling her, we're going to put you in this basket, we're going to hoist it up into a helicopter over the sea and then everything is going to be ok?
LELAND: As hard as it might to be to kind of make someone comfortable telling them that. That's pretty much it. Just told her step by step what we're going to do and just reassure her to the best of my ability.
COLLINS: Laura, if you can still hear me, how did you feel once you were on board the "USS Ronald Reagan." Were you aware that that was where you were going to be getting your treatment and hopefully they were going to make you feel a whole lot better?
MORENO: Yeah.
COLLINS: What did it feel like to be on an aircraft carrier?
MORENO: I didn't really get to see it fully but it was kind of cool.
COLLINS: Remind us where you are right now. You are still in the hospital.
MORENO: Yeah, I'm at children's hospital in Balboa.
COLLINS: Ok I do have to wonder --
MORENO: In San Diego, sorry.
COLLINS: San Diego. I do have to wonder if you think you might ever get back to the "USS Ronald Reagan" to maybe get a look around and not have to be on a gurney.
MORENO: Can you repeat that.
COLLINS: Actually I'll ask the guys, do you guys think that maybe she could get another invitation where she is able to get around and maybe see some of the "USS Ronald Reagan"?
LELAND: Oh yes, ma'am, absolutely. She would be welcome any time.
COLLINS: Do you guys have anything you want to say to Laura or vice versa? I know we have you connected here so it might be an opportunity to chat for just a moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to know if she got her school report done yet.
COLLINS: Laura were you worried about a school report?
MORENO: Well, I haven't got it done yet.
COLLINS: What's it on? Could it possibly be the topic changed to this event that happened to you?
MORENO: Well my school report is supposed to be on what I did for my Christmas vacation.
COLLINS: Aha, I'm detecting a new topic, absolutely. Anything that you want to say to these great guys that are sitting here with us today?
MORENO: I want to say thank you and hi everyone, hi Scott.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi Laura.
COLLINS: You guys it's an excellent story. So glad that you are with the finest military in the world and had the training that you had to make this all go as smoothly as it did. What a great story. Appreciate it. All of you. I'm not going to say thanks to every one of you but please know that I'm sure Laura and her family thanks you deeply and greatly. Thanks again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Did you hear her, hi everyone.
KEILAR: That was so cute. You could tell she forged a relationship, a friendship with those guys.
LEMON: Yeah, that's very nice. Very special, especially this time of year we want to hear those things. Good for her.
Another Christmas quest we're going to tell you about. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST: Very beautiful ornaments. I suppose I won't get out in one piece if I try and eat any of them.
LAURA BUSH: They are edible.
QUEST: I know.
BUSH: You can have one.
QUEST: Would you say it again?
BUSH: You can have one.
QUEST: Excellent, now I have permission to eat an ornament.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is sergeant first class (INAUDIBLE) from Camp Anaconda, Iraq. I just want to send season's greetings to my wife Michelle, my kids Jalen, Taia and C.J. from Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I look forward to seeing you next Christmas.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Christmas at the White House the halls are decked out from end to end, filled with Christmas goodies and our Richard Quest wanted to get an up close look. He also met someone special along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We all like to dress up our homes at the festive season. So my next visit had to be to one of the most famous displays. I'm in Washington, D.C., at the White House. This year the Christmas decorations are unusual and distinctive. First Lady Laura Bush is responsible for making the house glow with festive spirit. This is her seventh season.
BUSH: We're here in front of the major White House Christmas tree. This big Christmas tree in the White House is always here in the blue room.
QUEST: From the ginger bread model of the mansion.
BUSH: It is real ginger bread.
QUEST: To that giant tree in the blue room, the White House takes festive spirit seriously. Mrs. Bush kindly invited me in for a Christmas chat.
BUSH: Happy holiday.
QUEST: How important is it for you, ma'am, to create this environment, to create a special feeling at this time of the year?
BUSH: I love Christmas. I love the opportunity to decorate this magnificent house for Christmas. And every year I've worked very closely with the White House florist and all of the other White House staff. We usually start in March trying to determine what the Christmas theme will be and what the decorations will be.
QUEST: You start in March?
BUSH: That's right.
QUEST: That reminds me of those toy stores that buy a good year in advance. How can you be thinking about Christmas in March?
BUSH: Well we jus start to think of the theme of something that we want to talk about that Christmas. Some special American theme that both President Bush and I like. And that we think is important for our country and this year it's our national parks.
QUEST: America's national parks are displayed everywhere. That's a replica of the Cape Hatteras light house. On some of those Christmas trees you can eat the ornaments, very beautiful ornaments. I suppose I won't get out in one piece if I try to eat one.
BUSH: They are edible. You can have one.
QUEST: Will you say that again?
BUSH: You can have one.
QUEST: Excellent. Now I got permission to eat an ornament. Tens of thousands of people have been invited to visit here over the holiday period. The White House cooks 20,000 cookies at Christmas, 19,999 to go. America is a melting pot of cultures and religions. So here at the White House they are truly celebrating this as a happy holiday season. What is it about this time of the year that it doesn't matter what we're celebrating, what religion we're celebrating, it doesn't really matter, there is something about December, what do you think it is?
BUSH: Maybe it's the idea of home and hearth and the coziness of being together with the family and loved ones. I think that's one of the most important parts of the holiday Christmas holiday for many Americans. Of course when you're in a time of war like we are and when you have people overseas, our troops who are employed over there, there are a lot of families who are at home without a loved one, and I think it's a special time of year to remember all of those families.
QUEST: Does it worry you that Christmas has become a lot more --
BUSH: Commercial. QUEST: You said it.
BUSH: Well sure, but I also know that the values are there and that's what I see when I travel around our country.
QUEST: This time of the year, we can take it as being highly religious or a holiday season.
BUSH: That's right. And both, really. I mean we're certainly religious and we are celebrating the birth of Christ. But it's also a festive time of year, a festive time to be with family members and friends.
QUEST: By visiting Mrs. Bush at the White House I have learned festivity on its own is nothing more than a party. There has to be an under pinning in values. It's no accident that the world's winter festivals share a common theme. I was in Delhi for this program.
BUSH: The festival of lights.
QUEST: Hanukkah festival of lights, Christmas, a festival of lights. And there is a common theme there, isn't there, ma'am, a festival of lights?
BUSH: That's right. I think the light, certainly the Christian light is the savior, Jesus, that's his birth is what we celebrate at Christmas. Also I think we all as humans look to the light, the very idea of lighting the way.
QUEST: May I give this to you and the president?
BUSH: Thank you very much, Richard.
QUEST: Very happy Christmas to you.
BUSH: Thank you very much, Merry Christmas.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very kind of him. That was a good interview. This horte torty here has been to the White House Christmas party and seen it up close. It's beautiful was it?
KEILAR: I got to be the plus one of a photographer actually. I actually wasn't invited myself. But I can vouch for the cookies, they're very delicious. And some of them are shaped like Barney the dog.
LEMON: When you said that to me during the story, what happened to Barney cam. I didn't see it. Have we run Barney cam, we have, ok.
KEILAR: You just missed it. That is so much fun, you're right.
LEMON: We're taking questions from our viewers about how they are spending their Christmas afternoon. Who is the first one? You do the first one. KEILAR: The first one, actually this is a really cool one. This is from David he's in the U.S. Navy. He is actually aboard the USS Harry Truman and he said, "It may be of interest for you to know what sailors do during Christmas. We all miss our families so stories are commonplace. Yet we all know why we are here so we gain a new family and we all wait for e-mails from home or the ability to call home. Very nice, thank you David for e-mailing us.
LEMON: Absolutely. Thank you David. Let's read the next one, Candace from Kansas City. Congratulations Candace, she said "I'm spending my afternoon being engaged. My fiance Nathan just proposed." That could have been one from Brianna Keilar, my fiance Dave, just proposed. Let's see the bling, hold it up.
KEILAR: The bling.
LEMON: Very nice, congratulations, in Peru.
KEILAR: Thank you, yes, yes. Last month, early Christmas. Now the next one is from Kristen in Santa Barbara. She says, "No one should ever have to spend today alone, and so my parents' home becomes the north pole of Santa Barbara and we all eat, open stocks and count our blessings that we have each other. Your family isn't always who you are related to but who you open your heart to." Which is so true.
LEMON: Absolutely, because being news gypsies, moving around the country. A lot of the times you have to spend the holidays with friends and co-workers and they become your family.
Look at this guy. He's in need of a razor. Dennis Lovello, Dennis what happened with the razor? Is he miked? No. You just have to mime. Can you mime for us today? Hey Dennis, we got an e-mail from your family. Really, somebody actually claimed you, Dennis. They said, "We are waiting for CNN producer Dennis Lovello to come home so we can open presents." The Lovello family, Marietta, Georgia. Dennis, you actually got presents this year?
KEILAR: He said I did. I can make that out.
LEMON: Because he's been very, very, very naughty. Merry Christmas, Dennis. Merry Christmas to the Lovello family and all the families who are watching and send us emails. We want to hear from you. How will you spend your Christmas afternoon? E-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. The NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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