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Winter Storm in the Midwest; Woman Attacked Pope Benedict; U.S. Troops in Iraq on Christmas; Father-Son Time after 5 Years Apart; President Obama's Hawaiian Holiday; Health Care Overhaul

Aired December 25, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Merry Christmas to you and safe travels. Have a great day, you all. And to everyone at home as well.

Well, it wasn't such a merry Christmas for the Pope. A woman charges the phone and now security concerns over and around the Pope at the Vatican.

And U.S. troops celebrating Christmas in the war zone. We'll take you there.

And quite the deluge of snow in the plain states. We'll give you an idea of what travel might be like on this Christmas day for them.

Good morning, everyone, and merry Christmas. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were two other cars over here besides us. We were all stopped. Everyone was just -- they're just going way too fast.

We have to go now. I've got two dogs in the back of the car and my wife and son are sitting in the police car, because all of our windows are blown out in the back so we can't be inside the car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So no go. Nearly 50 vehicles piled up after a chain reaction crash in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma's governor has ordered every highway, interstate and turnpike in that state closed due to this winter storm.

The storm is spreading northward to Minnesota as well where people are being told they are putting their lives in danger if they choose to drive. More than 20 inches of snow is expected in the Duluth area.

All right, let's check in with our Bonnie Schneider in the Severe Weather Center. It is nasty out there. It's pretty, but with this kind of depth, dangerous.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. No, absolutely, Freddie. You know, it's a good thing on Christmas day a lot of people are where they want to be, but many are not and many still have to travel. And if you are traveling, boy, we still have advisories that will go straight into tonight.

This is for a blizzard warning. The areas you see highlighted in that blue-purple color, well, boy, that is where you're going to see 8-12 inches of snow on top of what's already on the ground.

And then you have wind gusts, 40 to 50 miles per hour. It does create blizzard conditions. And if you're wondering what is it look like outside right now, well, you've got to see this.

This is a live picture of Kansas City. This city is under a blizzard warning right now. And it's tough to make it out because the visibility is so poor. You can sort of see some traffic lights in the distance. But overall, conditions are not the type of weather you want to be traveling in, and not at all.

So what else are we tracking? Well, not only do we have the advisories, but we're also watching some very heavy snowfall as well into northern Minnesota, the northern plains. And then lots of rains sweeping into cities like Chicago. That will change over tomorrow. Wintry mix later on into the evening hours.

So it's going to be a tough go for those of you heading out there on this Christmas day. Unfortunately, Fred, really not the best weather that we can expect for Christmas.

WHITFIELD: Not at all. When people ask for a white Christmas?

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: . You know, sometimes you can get too much.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHNEIDER: That's true.

WHITFIELD: And this isn't exactly what everybody had in mind. Thanks so much, Bonnie. We'll check back with you momentarily.

SCHNEIDER: Great.

WHITFIELD: All right, overseas now. Pope Benedict XVI, well, he appeared unfazed this morning as he delivered his traditional Christmas day blessing. Because hours earlier a woman actually knocked him down as he was preparing to leave the Christmas Eve mass.

CNN's senior producer Terence Burke is on the phone with us from St. Peter Square.

So, Terence, we understand this isn't the first time this particular woman has tried to get to the Pope. This time, however, she was successful.

TERENCE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. According to the Vatican spokesperson office, Susanna Maiolo, a 25- year-old woman, she holds a Swiss and Italian passport. She apparently tried to reach the Pope last year on Christmas Eve here in Vatican City as well.

Last year she was unsuccessful in reaching him. But this obviously raises considerable security concerns? How is it that the same woman two years in a row was able to try to approach the Pope?

As you can from the video, it was a rather extraordinary scene. There were a mass of people gathered as the Pope made his way down through St. Peter's Basilica preparing to present, to give Christmas Eve mass here, and all of a sudden this woman tries to -- she successfully jumps over the security cordon, and tries to approach the Pope before she is pulled down by security.

Aloud gasp went up by the people that were there inside St. Peter's Basilica for the mass. The Pope, of course, he appeared unfazed, he carried on, and he continued to proceed with the mass.

Unfortunately, Cardinal Etchegaray, I should say, a French cardinal, suffered a broken leg in the incident. But this obviously is raising considerably security concerns that security around the Pope is not tight enough and that how is it possible that the same woman could have reached him two years in a row or tried to reach him two years in a row?

She apparently now, though, has been taken to a mental institution where she is being questioned. I think the feeling is here, though, that this was not some sort of conspiracy to take the Pope's life or anything along those lines, but this was an individual, an isolated incident where this woman clearly has some mental issues.

WHITFIELD: Well...

BURKE: Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Terence, I wonder, you know, what kind of security concerns might they have? Or how do they look into this when it looks as simply as she ran -- was part of the crowd there in the Vatican, jumps over the fence as we're seeing right there or the cordoned off area as the Pope is making his way down?

And this also happens to take place just weeks after in Italy, by the way, as well. The president -- the prime minister, Berlusconi, is attacked by someone who allegedly has a mental condition?

BURKE: Exactly. I think that's the question that all Vatican officials and Vatican security forces are looking at right now is -- you know, this Pope, though, he travels the world, he meets with people all over the place all the time. But it is, it's a major concern here right now is, how is this possible?

I think that one thing that they're going to have to look at is -- you know, they're going to have to address the situation of how this woman was able to get in two years in a row. Tickets go out to those who want to come in to St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve mass. WHITFIELD: Yes.

BURKE: Do they need to do more thorough procedures in looking into who is actually getting in? But of course, you know, this is somebody who sees millions of people around the world and it's not -- it's just not possible to be able to do a security background check on every person who gets close to the Pope.

WHITFIELD: All right, Terence Burke, thanks so much, from Vatican City. Appreciate that report.

Also still overseas, the Taliban has released a video showing what they say is a U.S. soldier captured in eastern Afghanistan. Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl, or Bowe Bergdahl, rather, vanished from Paktika Province more than five months ago.

NATO says the release of the video is in a front to Bergdahl's family and friends. The man shown in the video gives Bergdahl's name and rank and emphasizes that he has been treated humanely.

According to the Idaho National Guard, the family in Idaho has been anxiously waiting to see the video ever since the Taliban said last week that it was going to be released. The Taliban is pushing to trade the soldier for a number of Taliban prisoners.

And new developments out of Pakistan today. Bombs blew up at three schools in the troubled northwest, including one near Peshawar. Officials say walls were damaged but no injuries have been reported.

Pakistan's army has launched an offensive in the region to route out the Taliban, and that has sparked a retaliation.

In another development, Pakistani police are reportedly pursuing terrorism charges against five detained Americans. According to the Associated Press, police alleged the men were collecting and attempting to collect material to carry out terrorists activities. The Muslim men are from the Washington, D.C. area and has not yet been charged.

As America pauses to celebrate Christmas today, more than 100,000 U.S. troops remain on duty in Iraq.

CNN's Diana Magnay is with some of the troops at a joint security station just north of Baghdad. She joins us now live. Diana?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Yes, well, the chef is cooking this morning at 8:00 a.m. I think you can see them behind me. They're wearing the red Santa hats. In a very small kitchen preparing eight turkeys and four hams and a lot of corn on the cob, stuffing cranberry sauce for all the hungry soldiers here.

And I'm joined now by Sergeant Jason Fisher. This is your third Christmas in Iraq. First of all, how was the food?

SGT. JASON FISHER, U.S. ARMY: The food was very good, Diane.

MAGNAY: And third Christmas. You spent too much time here.

FISHER: Yes.

MAGNAY: How does this compare to the last Christmases?

FISHER: Well, the last Christmases that we were here weren't as peaceful. I mean there were a lot more going on, you know, out in the actual town and stuff. So it was actually a lot better now that we can actually relax and enjoy a good dinner for Christmas.

MAGNAY: And a lot of you have been sitting around talking about family. Have you had a chance to talk with your family back in the States?

FISHER: Yes, actually I talked to them and told them to turn on the TV and record it.

MAGNAY: You've got a Christmas message for them?

FISHER: I just want to say hi to my family and friends back home. And I love them and I'll be home soon.

MAGNAY: This will be your last Christmas here?

FISHER: Yes. Hopefully.

MAGNAY: So Fredricka, that's very much the feeling here. A lot of the soldiers are expecting, too, hopefully this will be their last tour of duty in Iraq. Somebody mentioned to me every day is a Monday here, that today a Monday with a turkey dinner. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Diana Magnay, thanks so much and merry Christmas and merry Christmas to all the U.S. troops there as well. And thanks so much for their giving of their service.

All right, the U.S. military, by the way, is dropping a controversial rule banning pregnancy. A top general in Iraq had created the rule that would punish soldiers who became pregnant or impregnate another soldier.

The general said it was designed to make soldiers, quote, "think before they act." A spokesman for U.S. Forces in Iraq says the updated policy no longer includes a pregnancy provision.

Back together after five years. A bitter custody battle over David and Sean Goldman head to Florida for some father-son time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is (INAUDIBLE) and Cobb Spyker, wanting to wish all of our family in Ottawa, Illinois a merry Christmas.

Tristan and Kelly, we love you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. We love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, merry Christmas, everyone. Well, a father and son reunited after five years and they're spending Christmas together in Orlando, Florida. David Goldman returned to the U.S. last night from Brazil with his 9-year-old son, Sean.

CNN's Ines Ferre joins us now from New York with the very latest.

Why Disney?

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Why Orlando? Well, you know, one of the interesting things, Fredricka, is that after a really long and public custody battle, David Goldman is hoping to spend some private time bonding with his son now that they're together here in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE (voice-over): The plain carrying David Goldman and his son Sean touches down in Orlando on Christmas Eve. Moments later, a motorcade whisked father and son away. A stopover in Florida was shrouded in secrecy unlike the handover that took place earlier Thursday morning in Brazil.

Clutching his stepfather, the 9-year-old made his way through the swarm of cameras to meet his father. The scene marks the end of a five-year international custody battle. The chief justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered Tuesday that Sean be returned to his biological father who had been battling the family of the boy's deceased mother.

After the ruling, the Brazilian family said it would not file any new appeals to keep Sean. The reunion between father and son took place privately inside the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro. Shortly after, they were homeward bound. Goldman flashing a thumbs up as they boarded a chartered flight.

REP. CHRIS SMITH (R), NEW JERSEY: They got on the plane and it was a very -- I mean it was an arm an arm, shoulders, I mean, David had his hand around him, and it was a father and son. It was a picture of a close relationship.

FERRE: New Jersey congressman, Chris Smith, was in Brazil to support Goldman's efforts. He told CNN Sean appeared comfortable as he spoke to his father about basketball, snowfall, and the new life that awaits them.

SMITH: There's a bond there. It's unmistakable and it was really strong (ph).

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE: And Sean will have to go through a huge readjustment. Start a new school, make new friends, and reacquaint himself with his paternal grandparents in New Jersey -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Won't language be, you know, kind of -- a little bit of a barrier? I mean he's fluent in Portuguese and I understand his English isn't fluent.

FERRE: Well, we were told that he does speak English. I mean -- but you can imagine. He's been in Brazil for five years. So at this point, many are saying OK, well, he must be speaking Portuguese much better than English, but you know, kids, they adapt.

WHITFIELD: Kids are very resilient.

FERRE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You're right, Ines Ferre. Thanks so much.

FERRE: They learn quickly. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, it is Christmas, so the markets must be closed. Well, yesterday stocks did finish a holiday shortened -- a bit of a shortened session, rather. But it did end up. That's good. The major indexes climbed after positive reports on unemployment and durable goods.

The Dow rose 53 points. The S&P 500 was up about six points. Both gauges are at the highest level since the first week in October of last year.

Christmas, Hawaiian style. President Obama and his family are waking up this Christmas morning in his home state of Hawaii. The first family arrived in Honolulu yesterday to begin a two-week vacation there.

CNN's senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, has the enviable assignment of covering the Obama's trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Merry Christmas from Honolulu. We have to tell you, the water is just a little bit chilly, but I don't want to rub it in because I know in large parts of America and around the world it's pretty cold on Christmas.

It's a balmy 80 degrees or so here on Waikiki beach where we're going to spend two weeks covering President Obama's holiday vacation with his family. And I have to tell you, the people are always poking fun at me for being here for two whole weeks, but I say after covering many holidays and vacations in Crawford, Texas with President Bush, Honolulu is change I can believe in. Even though I never pick sides between the political parties.

And before he left Washington, the president hailed his Senate victory on health care reform. Although his aides say he's got a lot of work to do. They know in 2010 pushing through final passage on his signature domestic initiative.

But for Christmas, he's on the north side of Oahu, pretty remote area, a very quiet Christmas with his family, so I'm going to do pretty much the same. Sit down here on (INAUDIBLE), put on a little suntan lotion, and make sure that I'm catching some ray, and I even got some stem sushi, which is sort of an interesting local delicacy here in Hawaii.

Have some of that for breakfast. And put on my cap and say merry Christmas. Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, mahalo, our friend, Ed Henry, just rubbing it in there. You've got to learn how to rub in that sunscreen a little bit better however. I guess he got two weeks to get a little practice in.

OK, so with the tropics, what better way for a D.C. Santa to celebrate Christmas than waterskiing on the very chilly icy Potomac River? Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of this Christmas Eve tradition. And as usual, Santa was joined by a knee-boarding reindeer, a jet-skiing Grinch and snowman nearby in a dingy.

You don't see it there, but believe me when I say it's there.

All right, President Obama calls the Senate's health care vote historic, but there's still a lot of work to do. We've got a checklist of what's left to do.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a look at our top stories right now. A mixed bag.

A search is under way for two suspects in the shooting death of a Salvation Army major. Authorities say Major Philip Weiss was gunned down in front of his three children on Christmas Eve. Weiss had gone to the Salvation Army building in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Police say two gunmen demanded money then shot Weiss and killed him.

A 6-year-old Colorado boy is helping those less fortunate get in the Christmas spirit. Robbie Stroke collected unused toys from his home, school and friends and delivered them to a homeless shelter. Things have been rather tough at Robbie's home lately. Mom is recovering from cancer. She says that she is so proud of Robbie for caring about somebody else rather than thinking about what presents he is getting for Christmas.

And this, of course, is Christmas morning and lots of you are opening your presents, which makes us wonder what is the best Christmas gift that you've received this year? We want to know, share your comments right here on my blog, CNN.com/fredricka. I'll share the world -- share with the world, that is, some of your best gifts this holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Health care reform bill has passed both the House and the Senate, but when Congress gets back from the holiday break, lawmakers still have a lot of work to do.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, tells us what has to happen before a bill gets to the president's desk.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course, taking a look at where health care has been, where it's going certainly over the next several months. Take a look at this timeline. Important landmarks here.

The bill, obviously, passed the House and now it has passed the Senate. The next step in all this is what's called the reconciliation or conference trying to merge these two bills. About three quarters of that will be done by the staffers of the Senate. But there's going to be some big issues that still need to be resolved.

One of them that we've talked about so much is this idea of a public option. That is something that was passed in the House but not in the Senate, and also with regard to abortion funding. Can federal dollars be used to pay for abortions? How exactly will that be reconciled?

Again, big issues that still needs to be worked out. If that happens and it gets passed, it will go to the president's desk after which point it may get approved. Now this is all obviously hypothetical and it's important to keep in mind as well that final benchmark which is that a lot of the things that we've been talking about so much over the past days and weeks and months, won't really take effect until January 2014.

This is a process, a long one at that. You guys have a lot of question about it. Let's take one here. We got a question about Medicare specifically. It says, "How does this bill affect a senior on Medicare?"

This has been a very important question, a common one, too. One thing to point out right away is that -- to pay for all of this. One of the things that's been proposed is some dramatic cuts to Medicare. Almost $500 billion over 10 years. A lot of seniors are wondering where that money is going to come from specifically.

If we dissect it down the language, looking at this entire bill, we find that a lot of it comes from what is known as provider rate cuts, cutting down the reimbursement to hospitals and providers for specific care.

People are worried could that possibly lead to some of those increased costs being passed down to patients. That's a little bit hard to know and to see. But more specifically than that, there is something known as Medicare Part C or the Medicare Advantage Plan. This may be something that affects consumers directly.

Take a look. This is the plan that typically covers all sorts of different things, but also has enhanced benefits like vision and dental. And there are some concern that if you're starting to cut Medicare dramatically, that some of those enhanced benefits will be not as available or even available at all.

It is worth pointing out that when you're trying to project the future, trying to estimate costs, usually we're way off. Take a look at some numbers there. What Medicare was supposed to cost in 1990. The projected cost of it was $9 billion. But the actually cost was $67 billion. Those numbers coming from the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, but some of the numbers being born out elsewhere.

The point is that it's very hard to project a lot of these numbers. So what the impact will have be on seniors? We don't know yet. But I think that the $500 billion in cuts, people will notice that that's -- at least, as part of both these bills -- a way to pay for what everything that we're talking about.

Back to you for now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, appreciate that.

Last minute shopping or going to church, that's how many of you might have spent Christmas Eve. We'll show you how others around the world celebrated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Hello, this is Chaplain (INAUDIBLE) Captain David Maryfield here at Ali Base, Iraq, wanting to wish my mother and father, Grace and Morris Maryfield a merry Christmas there in Rutland, Vermont. God bless you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR: A blizzard hitting parts of the midwest is making this an extreme white Christmas. Here's what we know right now, parts of at least 10 states are under blizzard warnings. Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 18 deaths and conditions are so bad that authorities have closed interstates in Texas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. The storm has also knocked out power to thousands in Oklahoma.

Snow, ice, rain, you name it. Not exactly what you want to see Christmas morning. Bonnie Schneider, not to this degree?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, this is not a good Christmas present to wake up to, to have a blizzard in Kansas city, 14 inches of snow on the ground in Oklahoma city. That shattered an all- time record for the most snow ever in one day.

The airport shutdown, but it's open though. I think there's a lot of flight that are going to be cancelled out there. I want to show you what is going on because if you are driving in Kansas City, you probably should not be. Not only do we have a blizzard warning, but look at the temperature, 16 degrees.

The windshield factor is about 6 degrees so it's brutally cold there so let's say you were getting in your car and heading to Saint Louis. It's 40 degrees, but notice how the temperature is sort falling? That's because the force of the storm system is pulling down the colder air. So you're going to see temperatures falling throughout the day.

In Saint Louis, I would be prepared for the big chill there. Rain changing over to sleet at times tonight. Now if that's not enough, we have tornado watches in effect for areas of the southeast. Coastal sections of South Carolina and Georgia, you are still under a tornado watch.

This system has a history of producing tornadic winds in Texas, so take it seriously. I would not head out right now in (Jacksonville) for example because the thunderstorms are headed in your direction as well as Savana, Georgia so we are watching for that.

And one final note, so far even though we have over 2,000 planes in the air and flight were busy, no delays just yet, but we are anticipating them in many locations. I will keep you up-to-date on that throughout the morning.

WHITFIELD: Well, lots of folks are travelling today because perhaps their flights were cancelled or delayed over the last few days because of two big snow systems that came through across the country. All right, thanks so much, Bonnie. Hopefully they will get there today right safely.

SCHNEIDER: Definitely.

WHITFIELD: As you know, Christmas is a day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Well, this morning we thought we would show you how people in Bethlehem, Beijing and London were getting ready for this special day. First to the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am Paula Hancocks in Bethlehem, where some 15,000 visitors are here to celebrate Christmas eve. So there is a very festive feel to this West Bank. There will be marching bands and schoolchildren coming through Major Square all day against the musical back drop of the Church of the Nativity.

This is built on the site to where Jesus was traditionally believed to have been born. Now many Christians come here from all over the world to celebrate here today a very merry day when politics and the conflicts have been put on the back burner. And also here in major square, we have a band, the more conservative Christians, they would not like to say that next to the church. Such as an active difference to the occasion. There will also be silent nights.

JOHN VAUSE: I am John Vause in Beijing. Christmas is still relatively new here in China only really celebrated within the last 10 years. In fact, there was a time when you couldn't display a sign which read Merry Christmas because of the religious meanings, but now it means Christmas is everywhere.

It's mostly a commercial holiday, a chance for retailers to cash in. And on Christmas eve, many go out to the restaurants, bars, and clubs to party into the wee hours. And on Christmas day, well, that's a working day, like any other.

MORGAN NEILL: I am Morgan Neill in London, and one of the cities busiest shopping districts and what we are looking at is one of the oldest Christmas traditions, and that's last-minute shopping. Now why is so much of it going on. Some people say they did not get paid in time. Some say they have not had time to do their shopping and others have just taken a little too long to get into the Christmas spirit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right, well, Christmas in Cuba, it too can be a low key affair while Catholicism is traditionally the dominant faith, the Communist government restricts religious expression. Here is CNN's David Ariosto.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ARIOSTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Christmas hymns fill the ears of last-minute shoppers, a distinctly different feeling probates the streets of Havana. This is the Christmas session Cubans style. Though hardly a commercial free for all like in some countries, many Cubans do find ways to celebrate.

But how does a country with catholic routes and communist tradition decorate for Christmas? Often, the answer is, discreetly. Inside an apartment in Havana, Myra tends to a small Christmas tree she just put up.

MAYRA, HAVANA RESIDENT: Christmas is more private here, she says.

ARIOSTO: Preparing for the holiday dinner with her mother. Mayra says, this year has been especially tough. MAYRA: It's not easy to buy everything. And sometimes there is not all that you need and we don't have the resources to do what we want to do, she says.

ARIOSTO: While the government never banned religion, priests in religious schools were forced out after Fidel Castro's revolution. Christmas was officially recognized in 1998, prompted by a papal visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II that drew close to a million people to Havana's Revolution Square.

ARIOSTO(on-camera): Apparently few people actually attend mass here in Cuba, however, historic churches like this one are kind of a reminder of some of the old Catholic routes that Spanish colonizers first plant it here and some of the Christian traditions that they brought with them.

ARIOSTO(voice-over): These days Santa usually only shows up inside the house, but many Cubans are keenly aware of how Christmas is celebrated elsewhere.

MAYRA: When I hear from family in other countries and received photos of their Christmas, there are public Christmas trees and the streets are lit up she says. They have the tradition of Santa. It's very nice. I hope we are able to get that.

ARIOSTO: In what could be a small indication of a warming towards religion, the nation's Roman Catholic cardinal seen here gave a Christmas address this week on state television for the second straight year. For Mayra and other Cubans, it's a chance to celebrate the holidays a bit more while preparing for the New Year. David Ariosto, CNN, Havana. >

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: As a 22-year-old Army Corporal during World War II, Dick Brokins gave a selfless Christmas eve gift that keeps on giving, even today. The story now from CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I ask a favor?

DICK BROOKINS: Sure

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May you sign this book please?

JAMJOOM: But Luxembourg, the 87-year-old American Saint Nick is his affection (inaudible) he is a living legend.

BROOKINS: The way the people react to my visit here, I am overwhelmed with the kindness.

JAMJOOM: 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 (Viltz) newly liberated from German occupation was desperate for a visit from Saint Nicholas. Because of his height, Dick Brookins was volunteered for the role.

BROOKINS: We asked all of our G.I. friend to provided with candy and stuff so we could give it to the kids. We had no toys like Christmas time, but it just grew until we 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.

JAMJOOM: That happiness was short lived, as they Brookins and his units soon 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 surprised phone call turns out the Town of (Viltz) had not forgotten Brookins at all, quite the opposite. Every year since the end of the war, they had faithfully marked the day the American Saint Nick came to town.

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

JAMJOOM: Brookins agreed to reprise his role as American Saint Nick, handing out toys and sweets to a new generation of Viltz's (ph) boys and girls, and he has returned again and again to find the town still overflowing with gratitude for the man who has become a symbolic figure of liberation and restoration.

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.

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

BROOKINS: Is that the way I look? I am glad I quit. We are partners. We do this together.

JAMJOOM: But on this, what he says is likely his final trip to (Viltz) that seemed to matter little if at all. Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A quick look at the top stories this morning. The U.S. coast guard has rescued one Virginia fisherman, but suspended the search for two others. The rescued man said a huge wave hit their boat Wednesday night off the New Jersey coast. It sank and he is the only one who made it into a life raft.

Pope Benedict XVI is said to be fine after this incident last night, right there. You could see woman bolting over security barrier and then pulling down the pope at the beginning of Christmas eve mass. The Vatican spokesman said the same woman tried to attack the pope at the same service last year. She is being treated at a medical facility. Hours after that attack the pope delivers a message of hope and peace at a Christmas eve mass.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to say Merry Christmas to Ms. Engrams' preschool class in Virginia. Thank you for the artwork and keep up the good work. Special hello to my son, Ben and my niece, Elly, Merry Christmas.

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WHITFIELD: It's a season for giving, and one Maryland couple is giving the gift of joy by sharing their indoor train garden. For more than a decade, they have opened the display to the public at Christmas time, and photojournalist, Bethany Swain has their story in today's "Giving in Focus."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did not think my collection would grow this big.

JUNE STURGEON, TRAIN GARDEN HOST: It started out little section, little section, little section.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve hundred people came through last year.

JUNE STURGEON: He has been collecting since he was a child, and he just decided he wanted to build a train garden, and I said OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had quite a collection at the time so I wanted to share it. So we built this building, so we could set the trains up and give her back her closet. It took me several years to put them up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are some furnitures.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It took me several years to put them up.

JUNE STURGEON, TRAIN GARDEN HOST: It basically is an all year thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And here it comes again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each year I put at least 100 hours in here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is James. He's right there with his eyes moving.

STURGEON: We leave it up all year long. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We control the heat in here. And in summertime we have a dehumidifier in here to take the moisture out. It's built better than the house. Santa Claus is here every night until Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We come every year, at least once a week. They have been looking forward to it for about three months now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tradition for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our first time. It's absolutely wonderful. I just can't imagine the effort and the time and that Mr. and Mrs. Sturgeon have put into this.

MR. STURGEON: There's a train we added this year. It has 30 card on it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boy that's a long train.

MR. STURGEON: So, it runs the whole length of the board.

MRS. STURGEON: And the outside decorations are as beautiful as the inside decorations.

MR. STURGEON: They know when this thing is lit and it starts flashing, they can come in and have a good time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love it. That's why we do it.

MR. STURGEON: It lights my heart up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just such a wonderful thing to do for the community.

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WHITFIELD: Wow, that's fantastic. Something about train sets.

Well, you can hear more about how people are helping each other during the holidays in our hour long special "Giving in Focus". See it today at 1:00 Eastern time and you can also catch an encore presentation tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.

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WHITFIELD: You remember, it was a deadly tsunami of epic proportions. Massive waves set off by a fierce earthquake swept across south Asia. Just five years ago tomorrow more than a quarter million were killed.

Our Dan Rivers takes a look back.

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DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara Torre and her boyfriend Kalle Widelius were enjoying the holiday of a lifetime on Ko Phi Phi Island (ph) in December 2004.

KALLE WIDELIUS, SURVIVOR: For me, it was pure paradise. And when I met Sara I decided I had to bring her there to show her one of the most wonderful, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.

RIVERS: The day after Christmas, Kalle decided to shoot a video of Sarah as the sea mysteriously retreated.

WIDELIUS: The water just grabbed my ankles and there was this huge pressure. I've never felt anything like it. It was as if someone was trying to pull me out in the ocean. So more or less telling Sarah, come on, get out of the water and let's go to the other side of the island because something's weird here.

We started walking towards the other side of the island and the faster we walked, the more water comes after us and I just started to run slowly and the water just chased us and then we, you know -- seconds later, we ran for our lives.

At one point, when I am telling Sarah to run straight toward the other side and thank God she told me and -- run towards the hotel instead.

And when we came in there I remember seeing the luggage just floating around and more and more water was just coming from everywhere. And this was the point where everything started to be really scary.

Sarah told me, let's just go upstairs. Just when we reached the top floor there, the whole ground just -- everything came with a bang. And that was like -- it felt like an earthquake, because everything shook and it was a tremendous sound.

You couldn't see anything on the island. Small houses just collapsed. And a boat just coming from the -- from one side of the other, and just passing the island and I remember just, oh, hell.

RIVERS: The tsunami brought Kalle and Sarah close to death but it was also a life-changing experience.

WIDELIUS: My life -- I said to Sarah, I whispered in her ear that if we would make it -- make it down alive, let's get married when we get back home.

Today, we have two beautiful kids, two beautiful kids, well, Lydia and (INAUDIBLE) two and a half years old and one years old today and life is quite strange. This is a really -- a really tragic story but we have some kind of beautiful memory from it as well.

RIVERS: Today, there is little trace of the disaster on Thailand's holiday islands, but those awful images and memories lived forever in the minds of people like Kalle who fought to survive the tsunami.

Dan Rivers, CNN, from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Lots of pretty compelling images that few people can't forget.

A Christmas Eve message from the Pope today; Pope Benedict XVI celebrates midnight mass in St. Peter's Square hours after a shocking attack on him.

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TIM HYDE, ARMY MAJOR: Hi, this is Major Tim Hyde of (INAUDIBLE) Iraq. And I would like to say happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year's to my friends and family in Flint in Grambling, Michigan. Miss you guys. See you soon.

WHITFIELD: Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI was pulled to the ground by a woman assailant, he celebrated Christmas Eve mass. The Pontiff sent greetings of hope and peace in 65 languages. Here are some of the sights and sounds.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The grace of God has appeared, offering salvation to all men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A child is born for us. A son is given to us.

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WHITFIELD: Christmas Eve mass with the Pope.