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American Dad Reunited with Son in Brazil; Hunters Donate Meat to Hungry

Aired December 24, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we are pushing forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with that man, Richard Lui!

RICHARD LUI, HOST: All right, thanks, Tony Harris.

I'm Richard Lui in for Kyra Phillips today.

It is the day before Christmas, and something's stirring all right, all through 20 states. Nothing mousy about this. We're pushing forward on a winter weather system getting bigger and meaner by the minute. Santa has to be careful tonight when he's in his sleigh.

And father and son together after five years and miles of red tape. The first day of the rest of their lives, and that starts today!

And how fitting? On Christmas Eve, the Senate wraps its health- care reform package, and it's a package the GOP would sure like to return.

OK, on this Christmas Eve, a dangerous storm that could bring holiday travel to a complete standstill in a big chunk of the country. We've got fierce winds that are just part of the mix. In Longview, Texas, an apparent tornado damaging homes and businesses, and uprooting trees. And a FedEx truck flipped over like a toy. Some packages might be delayed in that situation.

Then north of there, icy roads have made traveling treacherous. It's especially bad in Nebraska and Kansas, with Interstate 70 completely ice-packed in western Kansas.

And then we take you to New England. Heavy snow there means a white Christmas, no doubt. It's pretty in Maine. But the snow's so heavy, it's not wise to even get out on those roads. You wouldn't want to do that looking at those pictures.

All right. Chad Myers, is the go-to guy, certainly, during this holiday travel season. Chad, of course, checking out the very latest data for us. How does it look, my friend?

Well, Richard, it is snowing all the way from Thunder Bay all the way down to west Texas, all from the same low that's spinning here in the middle part of the country. You've got a big Jet Stream coming down and then turning itself back up. And the reason why it's raining now in Chicago is because of that "up." That's part of the dragging of the warm air coming out of the Gulf of Mexico and bringing the rainfall there.

It was an ice event all night long. Now temperatures in Chicago gone to 34. Behind it is where the blizzard is and where the blizzard's taking place now from central Kansas all the way back down even into Oklahoma.

I'm going to erase this. I'm going to pull it out of the way. And I'm going to show you a live shot from one of my old TV stations back in Oklahoma City, KOCO. I'm not even sure what this is. There used to be a generator, and I think the radar dome used to be over -- maybe over here on the right. You can see the wind driving it. We're looking to the west, and you would be able to see, like, the other TV stations and part of downtown, if it wasn't so white back there behind it. But, boy, visibility is just down to just almost nothing there.

And then on the other side, we've had tornadoes all morning. Tornado warnings across all of the parishes here west of New Orleans. We've had some damage near Port Allen and Baker and up toward Baton Rouge. But I'm not sure the nature of that damage. Was it just a wind event or was there something rotating in the storm? Still no -- obviously, they're not out there looking at, at this point. They're still looking at the radar for the next coming storms.

So, what's still to come? Well, we still have this thing in a spin here. And what it's doing, Richard, it's making a little loop. It's going to go around and around again. And this little delay while it sits here in the middle of the country and delays itself for just 24 hours will extend the snow time by 24 hours, so, therefore, making more snow totals, although so far, so good. The snow totals are in Oklahoma. That's where most of the snow is right now.

At least at this point in time it does not appear like we will get feet of snow. But wind at 40 miles per hour and snow going sideways doesn't make it any better.

LUI: Yes, those pictures you showed us, you couldn't even tell what that was, it was so bad.

MYERS: I'm sure it's the top of the building and probably where the generator is or something, but there's a tower back out here. The tower goes up, and you can kind of see the other side of the building as well. And the newsroom, the newsroom should be down here on the bottom part of this picture so...

LUI: Oh, Chad, I'm just glad we're not seeing that here. That's all.

MYERS: I know.

LUI: All right.

MYERS: When I took my job in Oklahoma City, that's what it looked like.

LUI: Oh, boy. All right.

MYERS: What am I moving here for?

LUI: Yes, what am I doing? Good thing you're here. We're glad we have you here to watch all the holiday weather and holiday travel. We'll be stopping by with Chad all this afternoon here on CNN with that. Thank you, my friend.

MYERS: Sure.

LUI: When you live at the North Pole, you need a little break from all that snow. As he takes his big trip around the world, Santa Claus stopped off in Washington, not yet, but here we have, well, it looks like Frosty the Snowman driving around in a Zodiac. This is at the Potomac near D.C. And we'll get some live pictures.

As you know, Santa was just here at CNN. He might be a little bit late. He's, you know, jetting over there to Washington, D.C. Wait, do we see pictures, possibly? This is a little bit from earlier that we see as they get ready to go. And the elves evidently got there before Santa did, waving as well. So we're waiting for Santa to arrive there. He'll be knee boarding with some Santa skis, as well. The event is a Christmas tradition in Washington. I understand something like 20, 24 years or something like that. We're going to be watching that.

But, boy, it is cold, so Santa better be wearing his suit, more than just his red suit.

All right, you have to wonder if David Goldman needs to be pinched to make sure he's not dreaming, because his long nightmare is over. He and his 9-year-old son are on a plane now, headed for the United States as we speak, after the big custody handover in Brazil. Now, this marks the end of a long battle that began five years ago when the boy's mother took him to her native Brazil and never came back.

CNN's Ines Ferre has reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A thumbs-up from David Goldman as he boards a plane homeward bound with his 9-year-old son, Sean. It was a reunion that started with this media frenzy. Swarmed by cameras, clutching his stepfather, Sean Goldman makes his way to the U.S. consulate.

In the glare of the media spotlight, Sean's Brazilian family delivered him to his father, David Goldman, by a 9 a.m. Thursday court deadline. The scene marks the end of a five-year international custody battle.

The chief justice of the Brazilian supreme court Tuesday ordered that Sean be returned to Goldman, who had been battling the family of the boy's deceased mother. After the ruling, the family said it would not file any more appeals to keep Sean with them. The reunion between father and son took place privately inside the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro. Shortly after, their motorcade raced to the airport.

New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith was in Brazil to support Goldman's efforts. He told CNN the reunion was in stark contrast to this chaotic scene. Rather David and Sean stole away to a private waiting room, seeking time alone together. Smith said Sean appeared comfortable as he spoke to his father of the new life that awaits him.

REP. CHRIS SMITH (R), NEW JERSEY: Today, the abduction ended. David Goldman, as you saw, is now on his way back to the United States, with his son.

FERRE: The legal battle may be over, but for Sean, who just lost his mother last year, another traumatic turn. For the Goldmans, the emotional journey may be just beginning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE: And Goldman wrote a letter to all the people who supported him, and one of the things he wrote here, and I'm quoting, "Please know that my love and the rest of Sean's family's love for him knows no boundaries, and we will go to the ends of the earth to protect him and shower him with every ounce of love that we have."

So, this is such a huge moment for David Goldman -- Richard.

LUI: Ines, in your report, it was said that he felt fine, the son did, in speaking with his father. Yet at the same time, we saw a picture of him. He seemed a little bit upset, perhaps tired. The question is, were there any psychologists, any health professionals around to help with this very tough transition, no doubt?

FERRE: Yes, you know, there actually was. There was a nurse that was there, and Congressman Smith said that she told him, you know, "They looked fine to me." I mean, when they were speaking privately together, they were talking about what could await him here in New Jersey: about basketball, about the recent snowfall, et cetera. I mean, they were really just having kind of a private moment, and there was a nurse there just to make sure that everything was OK.

LUI: What a Christmas gift for that family, no doubt. Right there, Ines, no doubt. Ines Ferre, who's been following that story for us, thank you so much.

FERRE: You're welcome.

LUI: The Senate hands President Obama a political gift just in time for Christmas, a big win on health-care reform. We'll tell you what happens next and what it could mean for you.

Plus, a couple minutes ago Chad was showing us Santa's current location. The whole tracking the sleigh thing, you know, it dates back to Christmas Eve 1955? And got its start thanks to a mistake. A Sears store misprinted the phone number for its Santa hotline on this. And a bunch of kids actually dialed up the general at NORAD's predecessor, called CONAD, C-O-N-A-D. Now, after some initial confusion here, he decided to give them updates on Santa's status, and a Christmas tradition was born back in '55.

And here's another one for you.

(MUSIC)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA VAYAZ: I'm Maria Vayaz (ph) from Baghdad, Iraq, and I want to send season's greetings to my son, Michael, in San Antonio, Texas. Merry Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: See this lady? Well, we want to get her a very special Christmas gift, one we hope will last a long time. And I'm talking about a job. Celeste Blackwell right there. You are our next "30- Second Pitch." You better get ready.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Oh, it is a bit of a Santa Claus rally. All three major stock indices rose Thursday for a fifth consecutive day of gains and ended at their highest levels of the year. The Dow Industrials rose nearly 54 points to close at 10,520. That is the highest level since October 1, 2008.

Trading ended at 1 p.m., 3 hours earlier than usual. It looks good. We'll take that for a Christmas present, won't we?

All right. Months of arguing back and forth, town halls and tea parties all across the country, wrapping up with 25 straight days of Senate debate. And then on this Christmas Eve, the Senate has passed a massive health-care reform bill. It was strictly along party lines, 60 Democrats voting yes, 39 Republicans voting no on a bill that promises to overhaul the way we access and pay for our health care.

Now, Republicans say this bill is an expensive budget-buster. They insist this fight is not over. But Democrats say the measure will change the way health care is delivered for the better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: What we will do is ensure consumers have more choices and insurance companies face more competition. We'll stand up to those greedy insurance companies that deny health care to the sick and drive millions to bankruptcy and foreclosure and sometimes even worse.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: This fight isn't over. In fact, this fight is long from over. My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law. That's the clear will of the American people, and we're going to continue to fight on their behalf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: All right, so, the vote means President Obama's signature cause has now passed both houses of Congress. It happened just before the first family left for Christmas vacation in Hawaii. At the White House Mr. Obama compared today's results to past historic votes on Medicare and Social Security. And he urged lawmakers to deliver a final bill to his desk as quickly as possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With today's vote, we are now incredibly close to making health insurance reform a reality in this country. Our challenge, then, is to finish the job. We can't doom another generation of Americans to soaring costs and eroding coverage and exploding deficits. Instead, we need to do what we were sent here to do, and improve the lives of the people we serve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: So what happens next? The Senate bill, again, passing just this morning. The House bill passed last month. Now, the two of them have to come together, be compromised, reconciled, and that's going to take some work.

The two bills have major differences in how to pay for health- care reform, whether to offer U.S. citizens the so-called public option, and then also how to handle the always-emotional issue of abortion.

Democrats say they'd like to have all of this settled and a final bill passed before President Obama delivers his State of the Union address to Congress next month. A lot to do there.

OK, now the president and the Democrats are declaring victory, but did they accomplish everything they said they would, and are the House and Senate bills everything they're made out to be? Well, in about 30 minutes, we're going to go to our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who weighs the promises and realities of health-care reform.

Let's look at the economy now. More signs of life in that, especially when it comes to jobs. The Labor Department says 425,000 people filed new jobless claims last week. That doesn't sound good. But that is 28,000 fewer claims than the week before. Another bright spot for you? The four-week average for new unemployment claims, that has also gone down for 16 straight weeks. So, perhaps a good trend there.

All right, enough numbers for you. Here at CNN we don't just talk jobs; we try to help folks get jobs. Folks like Celeste Blackwell, a lovely single mom with a lovely teen daughter. She moved back to the U.S. after a decade overseas, and after getting laid off from an Internet-based company in London. And she's looking for a management position in I.T.

She is our "30-Second Pitch" today.

Celeste, you know, what's interesting here is that your old company was involved with Google, too, and most people think that means that you're almost invincible.

CELESTE BLACKWELL, JOB SEEKER: Oh, well, no, Richard. What happens is normal business practices require that companies make adjustments when they acquire other companies. So, that was the result in London.

LUI: Right. That's right. Just by name doesn't mean that you have a secure job is what you're saying. Just by normal day-to-day business processes and developments.

Hey, you know, so what have you found, being an I.T. expert here, to work well for you as you've reached out to find opportunities?

BLACKWELL: What I found here is networking. Networking is very important. Getting in front of people and letting them know what you can do and letting them know what your personality is, even more so than applying on the Internet job sites, which I also do very regularly.

LUI: So, you find the Internet job sites to work well for you. If you had to give other people advice, that's where you'd say to go, I guess is what you're saying? Right?

BLACKWELL: Well, you definitely do that for coverage. But networking is very important.

LUI: All right. Hey, Celeste, are you ready? Did you do your pre-30-second calisthenics? I always like to say that, because here we go. All right? Three, two, one. Go, Celeste.

BLACKWELL: I'm Celeste Blackwell, after 30 years of experience, 10 in London, with advertising Internet companies and publishing companies as an I.T. manager, fine-tuning processes and creating software training, I've -- and my project management skills, my fluent German and my communication skills enhanced my technical skill set.

So, if you're looking for a manager who is excelling at getting the job done, I am ready to hit the ground running, and I look forward to your inquiries. Thank you.

LUI: All right. Hey, I didn't know that, German. You can speak German, and you're I.T., as well as ...

BLACKWELL: Yes.

LUI: It's only a matter of time.

You know where to go, ladies and gentlemen. Go to HireCeleste@gmail.com. She's a smart marketer. She even has that new e-mail account just for herself.

Celeste, thank you so much, and we know you're going to make a big difference. So we'll look forward to your success.

BLACKWELL: And thank you, Richard.

LUI: You bet you.

BLACKWELL: Bye.

LUI: We'll have her e-mail, by the way, posted on our blog. That's at CNN.com/Kyra. And if you want to be part of the pitch, all you've got to do: e-mail us your resume at 30SecondPitch@CNN.com or tweet us at KyraCNN. Next hour we've got another wonderful person just like Celeste.

Feed the hungry or else. That's this guy's credo. We're staring down the barrel of charity with a group of hunters who are fired up over a very good cause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PFC. RONNIE LASLEY: Hello, I'm PFC Ronnie Lasley (ph) with Alpha Company 615, Camp Taji (ph), Iraq. I'd like to say happy holidays to my family back home in Sherman, Texas. I love you. See you soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: A wheelchair-bound Tennessee man has been charged with kidnapping in connection with yesterday's standoff in Virginia. Warren Taylor surrendered to police yesterday after holding three people inside the Wytheville post office for eight hours. One of the hostages tells the A.P. that Taylor was angry at the government.

And in Louisiana a man is facing two counts of first-degree murder there after he allegedly opened fire at a Baton Rouge construction company where he once worked. Richard Matthews is also facing two counts of attempted murder. Two office workers were killed. Another was wounded, and a fourth was shot at, but escaped injury in that.

Now, the other big vote in the Senate today besides health care, raised the nation's debt ceiling to $12.4 trillion. That's a $290 billion increase. And the House passed a similar bill last week. Raising the debt ceiling allows the government now to issue new bonds to pay for its operations through mid-February.

All right, "Giving in Focus." We're looking at people helping others during this special time of the year. Today, a group you may not have heard of, Hunters Helping the Hungry. They're making a big difference for needy people in New Jersey.

CNN photojournalist Yung Park (ph) gives us a closer look. Lock and load. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNSHOT)

HELENE G. MEISSNER, DIRECTOR, NORWESCAP FOOD BANK: Les Giese and Hunters Helping the Hungry provide a very valuable service to us at the food bank in our quest to aid in hunger relief. We are always looking for a good variety of nutritious food. And the venison that we get from Les and the other hunters is invaluable to our agency.

LES GIESE, FOUNDER, HUNTERS HELPING THE HUNGRY: Hunters Helping the Hungry is entirely volunteers: people who enjoy hunting, the outdoor sports. And we're trying to do some good, provide much-needed protein to the hungry people across New Jersey. And that's all we're about.

SISTER M. MICHAELITA POPOVICH, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WARREN BASIC MATERIAL NEEDS: Our clients are grateful to the hunters of Helping the Hungry. We have many clients that come in, and I could say that every client that leaves our building with their bags of food, particularly the venison, they're extremely grateful to the hunters.

GIESE: The first step in the Hunters Helping the Hungry program is the hunters donating their time and money to harvest deer.

This is at least 100 pounds, maybe 120. He'll dress out probably 40, maybe 50 pounds of venison for the hungry.

JOHN PERSON, BUTCHER/OWNER, GAMEBUTCHER: When a hunter harvests the deer, he will bring it to our establishment here and donate it. We then will process the deer, wrap it, label it properly, and put it in a box, and then the Norwescap Food Bank from Phillipsburg will take the frozen venison to their establishment.

MEISSNER: Our aim has always been to provide as much nutritious food as possible, and venison is a great example of a food that is high in protein, low in fat, and it's the kind of food we want to promote as a healthy alternative to our clients.

GIESE: We're happy to do this. It makes us feel good. We're giving back. It's very enjoyable to be out here and do this.

MEISSNER: We are so grateful to Les Giese and others who support this program, and I wish them tremendous success, and I hope that they continue to do this for many years to come, because we know what an impact it has on people in need in our community, and we think it's a wonderful program.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: All right. You can hear more about Hunters Helping the Hungry in CNN's hour-long special, "Giving in Focus," that comes your way Christmas day at 1 p.m. Eastern. You can also catch an encore presentation on December 26 at 3 p.m.

And then for you, what a treat we have coming up. A father and son become brothers in arms. Both are members of the North Carolina National Guard, serving together in Iraq. They're joining us live from Basra. You can see them right there. And their wives, too, they're live in Raleigh. It's a virtual family reunion. Stick around. It's just in time for Christmas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPEC. ROBERT MICHAEL NUGENT: Hey, I just want to send a shout out to my family and friends in West Palm Beach. Specialist Robert Michael Nugent. Happy holidays. I wish I could be home, but I'm over here at Camp Stryker in Tikrit, Iraq. Love you all and miss you all. Take care. I love you, Danielle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Like father, like son. Fighting for the United States is the family business for John and Daniel Piland. Both are members of the North Carolina National Guard, and they deployed together to Iraq. So, that means there will be a pair of empty seats at the Piland family Christmas dinner.

And while this is not quite as good as a real reunion, joining us from Basra, we have Sergeant 1st Class John Piland and his son, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Piland, and from Raleigh we have their wives, June and Amy, as well, to talk about a military family.

Thank you, all four of you, for joining us today. I want to start with you father, John, if I can.

You have sent us, reading what you have said in the past. You said you are very proud of your son and what he has done and what he is doing. Why is that?

SGT. 1ST CLASS JOHN PILAND, NC NATIONAL GUARD: Yes, sir. I very much enjoy working with my son and all the accomplishments that he has made with the North Carolina national guard.

LUI: And, you know, John, I want to also talk with your son Daniel about something that's very interesting, the dynamic here. Your son is actually your boss. So, Daniel, what is that like being the boss of your father, shall we say here?

CWO DANIEL PILAND, NC NATIONAL GUARD: Well, I can say at the end of the day, you know, you know, I always look at my father for advice, and it's not treated like that. We work together as a team. And the end result makes it a whole lot better at the end of the day.

LUI: And father, John, you said you got to be able to know each other in a different way. Sort of special times I guess you're having together, now working for a common cause.

JOHN PILAND: Getting the aircraft maintenance accomplished, working together long hours, it's meant a lot of bonding for us, too. And it's really been great.

LUI: All right. I want to go to mother June. June, June Piland, what is it look for your husband now that he is away? This is the first time that he's been to Iraq.

JUNE PILAND, WIFE OF JOHN PILAND, MOTHER OF DANIEL PILAND: I've had to learn to do a lot for myself as well as for the family, offering support to my daughter-in-law and the grandkids. They are greatly missed. We are a very close family and we truly miss them.

LUI: You guys are very close. Amy, for you, you have two young children, I understand. What is it like been for them recently and especially this Christmas, as both your husband is away at this time?

AMY PILAND, HUSBAND SERVING IN IRAQ: It's been tough. We miss them a lot. We're just ready for him to get back.

LUI: And so for this Christmas, is it different than past Christmases for you, Amy? Is it more difficult? I understand one of your children is 11, the other is much younger, is that right?

AMY PILAND: Yes, he's two. It's been very challenging and hard. We've had to learn to do a lot of things on our own and we're just ready for this to all be over with.

LUI: John, I understand that you service the apaches, that's what your job is, to make sure that those helicopters remain safe and that they are sturdy and that they can function each and every day and for every mission. But your son also flies the very same copters that you service, right?

JOHN PILAND: Yes, that is correct. And I have confidence in the great maintainers of the North Carolina national guard. They do a great fantastic job.

LUI: When you talk about your family, obviously a military family, this goes back to World War II. Daniel, your grandfather served, did he not?

DANIEL PILAND: Yes, my grandfather did serve in World War II. He was actually mobilized out of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina in 1941.

LUI: All right. Let me ask you this. I'm just going to let you guys talk to each other for a little bit. It's maybe been some time. And if you can, just say whatever you'd like to as this is your family reunion. This is your time right now. What would you guys like to say to each other?

AMY PILAND: Hey, how are you? I miss you.

DANIEL PILAND: Good. I miss you, too. I know things have been crazy and hope to be home soon, and how is Caitlin and Cameron?

AMY PILAND: They're doing great. They miss you and they want to wish you a merry Christmas. DANIEL PILAND: And we wish you a merry Christmas, too. Is momma June close by?

JUNE PILAND: Hey, Daniel, hey, John. Hope you both are all well and doing good. We'll miss you at the Christmas dinner. Hope to see you all soon. Be safe.

DANIEL PILAND: Will do. And hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year and we'll be home soon.

LUI: All right. Thank you, all four and for your family reunion and for sharing it with us here in the CNN family. John, June, Daniel and Amy, a very happy holidays to all four of you. And, of course, Godspeed and safety to you as you return home.

DANIEL PILAND: Thank you.

JOHN PILAND: Thank you, sir.

AMY PILAND: Thank you.

DANIEL PILAND: Appreciate everything you did to get us connected.

LUI: You bet.

A radical Muslim preacher linked to the suspected gunman in the Ft. Hood massacre was reportedly targeted by an early-morning air strike in Yemen. No word if Anwa al Alaki (ph) was killed in this attack. In an interview posted on al Jazeera's website just yesterday, the cleric said he started advising the Ft. Hood suspect through e-mail in December of 2008. That was 11 months before the Texas rampage that left 13 people dead. Army Major Nidal Hasan reportedly asked whether the murder of U.S. military personnel was legal -- or rather legal under Islamic law. The cleric had praised the attack, accusing U.S. troops of waging an unjust war on Islam.

It's no secret, Christmas travel can be (INAUDIBLE) can give you headaches, but add a bogus terror threat to the mix and the trek home becomes a perfect storm of cancellations. You got delays and disappointment as well. That's what happened in December 2003 when an alleged conman managed to raise the terror alert level and tie up air traffic. CNN's Brian Todd has the details of that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The closing days of 2003, a period of heightened travel during the holidays and heightened tension. Intelligence officials knew that two years after 9/11, air travel was still a prime target for al Qaeda. On December 21st of that year, the terror threat level was raised from yellow to orange.

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Recent reporting reiterates -- and this is a constant stream of reporting -- that al Qaeda continues to consider using aircraft as a weapon. TODD: Fran Townsend, a White House deputy national security adviser at the time and now a CNN contributor, says this about the information.

FRANCES TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: It seemed that the intelligence community was producing on a running basis, on an ongoing basis, information related to specific planes that may be targeted, specific locations and so it was being taken very seriously.

TODD: Townsend says some commercial planes were grounded, others diverted. But within days she says the White House learned this about the intelligence.

TOWNSEND: In retrospect it was not credible.

TODD: A major disruption in holiday air traffic based on bogus intelligence. Where did it come from? An investigation by "Playboy" magazine traced it back to a Nevada software company called eTreppid and a programmer there named Dennis Montgomery.

(on-camera): Two former employees of eTreppid tell CNN Montgomery claimed to have developed technology that he said could decode al Qaeda messages that were hidden in secret bar codes transmitted unknowingly by the al Jazeera TV network, codes that supposedly gave specific information on airline flights.

(voice-over): The employees we talked to say people widely believed within the company to be U.S. intelligence officials came to eTreppid to look at Montgomery's programs. But the employees say they never saw the technology. "Playboy" cites sources saying no secret al Qaeda messages ever existed on al Jazeera and Montgomery's alleged technology apparently didn't exist either. In Washington doubts about the information got around quickly. How did this all start to unravel?

TOWNSEND: Well, as the threat begins to unfold and there's massive disruption and chaos at international airports around the world, our allies are asking us more questions and putting greater pressure on us to really understand the source and credibility of the intelligence.

TODD: In the end, Townsend says, none of the intelligence held up. Our repeated attempts to reach Dennis Montgomery and the CEO of eTreppid were not successful. But in court documents filed four years later, Montgomery defended his overall work, claiming to have provided the government specific target coordinates and flight numbers which helped to disrupt a different threat.

Contacted about the original reporting of the bogus intelligence in late 2003, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security would not comment. Our inquiries to the office of former homeland security Secretary Tom Ridge were not returned. The CIA declined to comment.

Fran Townsend said she still doesn't regret the actions she took to ground and divert those flights, because she says at the time they believed the information was credible. She says at the White House they did what they had to do based on that information to save lives. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Promises, promises. Health care reform gets the go-ahead from the Senate, but how does their bill stack up to the president's campaign pledges? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks it down for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUNNERY SERGEANT MICHAEL LOOPLE: Hey, this is gunnery Sergeant Michael Loople (ph), I'm here with battalion logistics battalion 46 TS company here in Ali Sal (ph), Iraq, and I just want to wish a happy holidays to all my family and friends back in Youngstown, Ohio.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Well, at long last, a five-year international custody battle is over. A New Jersey man and his nine-year-old son were reunited in Brazil today, quickly hopping on a U.S.-bound plane. David Goldman had been fighting for his son, Sean, ever since 2004. That's when the boy's mom took him to Brazil for a vacation. She later died.

And mortgage giants Fannie Mae have and Freddie Mac cost taxpayers more than $100 billion this year. You think that would land their CEOs on the naughty list? But instead, Christmas is coming early for them. The Treasury Department approved a pay hike for those two executives. They could each get paid as much as $6 million for 2009.

And the Senate passing its version of health care this morning. Now it's time to turn two bills into one and that could be quite complicated, as you can probably imagine, because there are big differences between the House and the Senate plans. Expect some wrangling over the public option, got abortion coverage and funding too, so big issues that need to be worked out there.

Time to check the fine print. President Obama says he is pleased with the House and Senate health care bills, but do those bills reflect the principles Mr. Obama talked about when he campaigned for president? Well, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is reading between the lines for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's take a look back at how this has evolved over time, and specifically how the president has weighed in on this particular issue as well.

With regard to universal health care, here's what he said...

OBAMA: That means passing universal health care, because people are being overburdened and unions are having to spend all their time negotiating to keep health care benefits that they have already won instead of negotiating to improve their wages and benefits for the future. That's wrong, that's going to change, and we've got to have a system where every single American can get health care that is at least as good as the health care I have as a member of Congress.

GUPTA: It is fair to say that this is not going to be universal health care, at least not the Senate bill, the way it's crafted, and not in the way that most people think about universal health care. A better way to think about that is really looking at a couple of different terms.

This is more like universal access, trying to give people access to health care insurance who otherwise don't have it. Ninety-four percent, that is what the predicted percentage of the country is that will be insured if this bill goes all the way through.

And finally, the word "mandate" is a word to keep in mind as well, a controversial one, certainly. But part of the Senate bill, to try and increase the numbers who are uninsured.

Take a look specifically at what this means.

There would be financial penalties for the uninsured. It would also require employers to offer insurance. And there would be an expansion of Medicaid for people under the age of 65, expanding Medicaid so that people up to 133 percent of poverty level could still qualify.

Now, again, with regard to mandates, as you might imagine, it's a controversial issue. Some people have gone so far as to call this unconstitutional, this idea of mandating that people buy health care insurance. So that's still going to be worked out. Another big issue was with regard to prescription drug costs, a huge part of the health care budget overall. Different strategies to try and address this. This is what the president said last year with trying to lower those costs...

OBAMA: Then we'll tell the pharmaceutical companies, thanks but no thanks for overpriced drugs. Drugs that cost twice as much here as they do in Europe and Canada and Mexico. We'll stop drug companies from blocking generic drugs that are just as effective and far less expensive. We'll allow the safe re-importation of low cost drugs from countries like Canada.

GUPTA: Now, simply put, that re-importation, it's not part of the Senate bill. It does not look like that's going to happen, and it's not going to be a strategy, at least not as part of this bill, to try and lower costs.

This has been a big issue, particularly for the AARP. This is a constituency that uses a lot of medications. They were really banking on this idea of trying to lower those prescription drug costs and advocated heavily on behalf of this re-importation clause, but it seems that some of the lobbying from the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA saying we can't guarantee that these medications are safe when they're re-imported, has sort of killed this, at least for now.

Talked to the White House specifically about this and they say, look, it's not part of the bill but it could still happen in the future. They also point to the exchanges as a place where people could get prescription drug coverage who may not otherwise have it now. And they also talked about this idea of shrinking what's known as the doughnut hole in Medicare Part D.

They say people pay a certain amnesty sunny for drugs, then they go uncovered for a while, and then they get coverage again. And that's what that doughnut hole refers to. They're talking about shrinking that. But again, re-importation, as the president outlined it, is not going to happen.

We're going to cover a lot more of these issues, specifically look at the evolution of health care overall, where it's been, where it's going.

Back to you for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: All right, icy roads, canceled or delayed flights, there's got to be a lot of that this Christmas with a big storm gripping a big chunk of the country. Chad Myers is tracking that for us. Hey Chad.

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LUI: They waited more than an hour to see Santa Claus, only to be told no lap for you!

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SERGEANT MAJOR BILL IVES: I'm Sergeant Major Bill Ives (ph) serving in the (INAUDIBLE) second battalion second Marines here in beautiful (INAUDIBLE) Afghanistan. I want to wish a happy holidays to my spousal unit Pam, back at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, rah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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LUI: So thankfully this story has a decent ending, because the beginning, it is kind of Grinchy. A North Carolina woman took her four-year-old son to the mall to see Santa. All right. That sounds all right. They waited more than hour and that happens. It gets a little busy only to find out though that if you want lap time with the elf, you have to pay for pictures with him. Cassie Watson lost her job, so that wasn't really an option.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIE WATSON, MOTHER: I really can't afford to get pictures. Is it OK if my son sits on his lap and tells Santa what he wants? He says no, we have to give out pictures. And I kind of looked at him and walked off and both of us were just really upset. The Christmas spirit is about money now. You know. It is all about money and you can't even take your kid to the mall and let him sit on Santa's lap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: She just wanted to let her kid to sit on the elf's lap. There is a decent ending despite a little bit of outrage there. Mall officials got in touch with her, told her to bring her son back on Wednesday to sit on Santa's lap, f-r-e-e and no pictures required. So good ending to that.

Now, let's talk about a secret Santa in Arizona. Whoever this mystery person is, showed up at a city hall in the town of Goodyear and paid the water and trash bills for 17 different customers, the day they were supposed to be cutoff. Now city officials think about 70 people benefited from secret Santa's gift. Good stuff.

Photos, autographs and a parade, quite a reception for this World War II vet in Europe, but then again, he did save Christmas. Meet the American St. Nick next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: This is Alice (INAUDIBLE) 74 camp leather neck Afghanistan. I would like to wish a happy holiday season to all my family and friends in San Jose and also Fresno, California.

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LUI: The holidays are a pretty special time of year and this year the season has been extra special for folks in Luxembourg where a little town welcomed home an old friend for what could be his final Christmas visit. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American World War II veteran Dick Brookins may be an unlikely celebrity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask you a favor?

DICK BROOKINS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May you sign this book, please?

DICK BROOKINS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Sure.

JAMJOON: But in Luxembourg, the 87-year-old American St. Nick, as he is affectionately known, is a living legend.

DICK BROOKINS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: The way the people react to my visit here, I'm overwhelmed with the kindness. JAMJOON: That kindness forged from the bond of a lasting memory more than 65 years ago. On a cold December day in 1944, Brookins was a lanky 22-year-old American corporal fresh from battle and the town of Wiltz, newly liberated from German occupation, was desperate for a visit from St. Nicholas. Because of his height, Dick Brookins was volunteered for the role.

BROOKINS: We asked all our GI friends to provide us with the candy and stuff so we could give it to the kids. We had no toys like Christmastime, but it just grew until he finally put it together as a town affair. We were happy to be able to put on a little party for the kids. It was as good for us as it was for them.

JAMJOON: That happiness was short-lived as Brookins and his unit pushed onwards to the Battle of the Bulge. A turning point in the war, the battle came with a high price, more than 80,000 American casualties. Brookins lost some of his very best friends in that battle, and thoughts of a hastily arranged Christmas party for a town now left in ruins had all but escaped his mind.

That is until more than three decades later and the arrival of a surprise phone call. It turns out the town of Wiltz hadn't forgot about Brookins at all, quite the opposite. Every year since the end of the war, they had faithfully marked the day the American St. Nick came to town.

BROOKINS: Hearing about this after 30 years, identify was just dumbfounded.

JAMJOON: Brookins agreed to reprise his role as American St. Nick, handing out toys and sweets to a new generation of Wiltz's boys and girls. And he has returned again and again to find a town still overflowing with gratitude for the man that has become a symbolic symbol of liberation and restoration.

BROOKINS: I had no idea that 65 years later these people still are trying to express their gratitude to what happened 65 years ago, which is outstanding. And I'm proud of that.

JAMJOON: Brookins, like so many other aging World War II vets, no longer fits into his old uniform.

BROOKINS: The way I look, I'm glad I quit. We're partners. We do this together.

JAMJOON: But on this, what he says is likely his final trip to Wiltz, that seemed to matter little, if at all.

Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)