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American Morning
Woman Jumped at the Pope; First Family in Hawaii; Next Steps for Health Care; Pope Attacked During Mass
Aired December 25, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's Christmas morning. And I was accused of not having enough festive color on. So John Roberts's red tie. Thank you, John. Merry Christmas.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It looks much more festive. Now I am in the Christmas spirit and I'm ready to go.
Unfortunately, we have to begin with a bit of bad news. Did you hear about that Christmas Eve attack at the Vatican, pictures showing a woman jumping a barricade running towards Pope Benedict XVI, and then grabbing his robe and them managing to pull him to the ground as he walked down the main aisle of St. Peter's Basilica.
You can hear people in the church screaming. What is even more incredible, this is not the first time this woman has gotten past the Pope's security. Our Morgan Neil is in London with the latest.
MARCIANO: And...
COSTELLO: You know what, Morgan Neil will come up in a second.
MARCIANO: Those overseas live shots are tough this time of year.
COSTELLO: But the Pope is OK. We want to make that very clear. A cardinal in France was injured. He broke his leg. But the Pope is doing just fine. There is an investigation, and we are going to get that report, Morgan Neil in just a bit. Actually, right now. Here's Morgan Neil.
MORGAN NEIL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are now learning more about a woman who bolted a barrier and dragged the Pope to the ground on Christmas Eve as he made his way to deliver mass. The Vatican says the same woman tried to rush the Pope last year but was stopped by security.
She is 25 years old. She's a dual Swiss-Italian citizen. And the Vatican is describing her as mentally unstable.
After the woman jumped over the barrier and managed to drag the Pope down, a cardinal broke his leg. Security immediately detained the woman, and the pope was fine and went on to resume the service.
But the incident will raise a lot of questions about the Pope's security. Now the Vatican say there was no chance of the woman getting a weapon in that close to the Pope as she had to pass through a metal detector.
But it's a very difficult that the Vatican has to strike because they have in many cases, the faithful have come from the other side of the globe just to get near the Pope. They want to keep that access while at the same time keeping the Pope safe.
We should stress, again, despite that dramatic video, the Vatican says the Pope is doing fine, Carol and Rob.
COSTELLO: And that's the best news of all. Morgan Neil in London for us this morning.
MARCIANO: Now to an emotional father and child reunion this Christmas. David Goldman and his nine-year old son Sean celebrated together for the first time in five years. They arrived back in Orlando, Florida, and will spend time at Disneyworld before heading back to Jersey.
The five-year tug of war over custody ended with Sean Goldman's Brazilian step family marching him through a mass of photographers to finally meet his father.
COSTELLO: Ines Ferre is following developments for us. Good morning. Have they gone to Disneyworld already?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the next couple days they will be in Disneyworld. That's according to a friend of the family. They want to get away from it all after everything they have been through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FERRE: The plane carrying David Goldman and his son, Sean, touches down in Orlando on Christmas Eve. Moments later a motorcade whisks father and son away. The stopover in Florida was shrouded in secrecy.
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.
After the ruling the Brazilian family said it would not file any new appeals to keep Sean. 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. It was arm and arm. David had his hand around him. And it was father and son, the 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 about basketball, snowfall, and the new life that awaits them.
SMITH: There is a bond there, it is unmistakable, and it is strong. 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 the readjustment for Sean will be challenging. Soon, he will have to start school in a new place and make new friends and have a set of grandparents to get reacquaint himself with.
MARCIANO: Last hour you pointed out there is media plays on both sides of this thing, it seems.
FERRE: Yes. For one thing was to get the story out, right? A lot of media was used to get the story out. But also on the other side, the Brazilian family, the Goldmans say they had the option to do this much more discretely, but they decided to go through the media and show what this boy was going through.
COSTELLO: You do wonder, though, all this public scrutiny on this nine-year-old boy who just lost his mother last year and now is dealing with a brand new family, in essence, because he really hasn't been much with father since he was four years old.
So how is the adjustment period going to go with this boy? Is he going to have an army of psychologists around and counselors?
FERRE: We know that Goldman has been talking to mental health professionals about this, because they know this will be a big transition for him and it will take time.
MARCIANO: Love the red, by the way.
FERRE: Love your tie.
MARCIANO: That's the spirit, there.
COSTELLO: Checking other stories new this Christmas morning. A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is in Jamaica to help figure out what happened with American airlines flight 331.
On Tuesday the Boeing 737 overran a runway near Kingston and slammed into a fence, sending nearly 100 people to the hospital. Investigators are trying to retrieve a second recorder with the pilot's voices.
MARCIANO: And Mississippi is the most religious state in the nations. The southern state tops a brand new list compiled by the pew research center. The list ranks states in four areas -- importance of religion, attending church services, how often you pray, and your belief in god.
Mississippi finished number one in all four categories. Vermont finished last, making it the least religious state. COSTELLO: Across the Midwest it's not just a white Christmas, it's a whiteout, a deadly storm with heavy winds, snow, and icy conditions killed 18 people since Tuesday. Blowing snow also making it difficult for drivers to see, leaving dozens stranded on the roads.
MARCIANO: And down south it's a wet Christmas. Several tornado watches have now been lifted in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. But heavy rain and potential flooding and thunderstorms are still a threat.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Coming up, "AMERICAN MORNING'S" unprecedented look inside the life of a soldier. We have been following Will McClain since he insisted. He has really been changing right before our eyes. Today we are watching as he gets ready to leave his hometown.
It's nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Tony Bennett, and the entire "American morning" staff would like to say merry Christmas and welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 11 minutes after the hour.
And CNN heroes, they are about regular people doing extraordinary things around the world and making a difference.
COSTELLO: This year's winner Efren Penaflorida works in the slums of the Philippines to give kids an alternative to gangs. His group is called Dynamic Team Company. It teaches basic reading and writing to hundreds children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EFREN PENAFLORIDA, CNN 2009 HERO: I used to play in this place when I was a kid. These children will have their own family at 14 years old. They have their own babies. Some of them will be involved in gangs, violence, and drugs. Some of them might be dead right now.
Well, Efren was born poor, and even then he saw the problem and he believed the only thing to get him out of there was to be educated. So what I wanted to do now was to give something back to my neighborhood. I don't have resource and I don't have money, but what I only have is the education that I've learned in this place.
When we see children who can't go to school because of poverty. So instead of them going to school, we bring the school here through a push cart. Right now we have four carts. We have a play center, literacy classes, a station, a clinic, and also a computer lab. What we are doing here is help them to realize the value of education and learning is fun.
I think we have gathered almost more than 1,500 kids. Some of them have already graduated high school, and some of them even graduated college and now are professionals. Our dream at Dynamic Team Company is to have a big space for a play center, a big space for a library, reading, and rooms for literacy classes. They are the heroes here. I want to give all the credit for them.
So as long as there are children who are deprived, who are less fortunate, we will still be pushing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Well, you can see all the 2009 Heroes on our all-star tribute today at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and then again at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. And you can also start nominating your hero for CNN's Hero of the Year for 2010. Just go to cnn.com/heroes to cast your vote.
CAROL COSTELLO: CNN Heroes is about regular people who do great things, but even celebrities can be heroes too. Take Richard Branson for example. He's not just trying to send tourist into space, he's also doing out of this world charity work right here on earth. We will tell you about it in our "Big Stars, Big Giving" series. Stay with us.
SPECIALIST AARON ALLAN, U.S. ARMY: My name is Specialist Aaron Allan from Airfield Afghanistan. I would like to wish my wife and baby, happy holidays. My wife, Barbie, and baby Violate, and also my family back home in Seattle, Washington, happy holidays.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Here at "American Morning" were giving you an unprecedented look at the life of a soldier. Most of us don't know what kind of commitment is really involve in the military.
Today in our special series, a soldier's story, we want you to meet Will McClain as he makes the life changing move from high school to his first week of basic training.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is Will McClain, 18 years old and a week away from taking the oath to enlist in the army. We gave him a video camera to show how he was passing the time. There were lots of parties.
WILL MCLAIN, U.S. ARMY RECRUIT: It was always funny because when I party with my friends or something like that. They have to throw the army jokes in.
CARROLL: How are your friends taking the news so far?
MCLAIN: They think I am doing a good thing. Like they figured it's better than just rotting away in Rosamond.
CARROLL: Rosamond, California, Will's hometown. It's in the western Mohave Desert, a large stretch of land with a small population about 14,000. A place where dirt bike riding is surpass only motorcycle racing in popularity. A place Will McClain cannot wait to leave.
MCLAIN: (Inaudible) getting out this little town, you know. There are a lot of things you will miss, you know.
CARROLL: We met up with Will his last day at home before he left to join the army. A day his 12-year-old brother did not want to leave his side.
MCLAIN: I think he kind of hit some more like that I'm leaving like this last week I think it truly hit him and my family.
CARROLL: Like a lot of high school football players, McClain had dreams of pursuing a career in the pros.
MCLAIN: All I can see -- go from no matter what, you know and then pretty much, I guess, I realized there were a lot bigger fishes in the sea.
CARROLL: McClain says earlier this year he began to really think about advice from his uncle.
MCLAIN: My uncle used to yell at me, you know, you need to have a backup plan, and I figured this would be the best bet.
CARROLL: Will had grown up with guns and always like the idea of joining the military so he tried to convince his parents to allow him to enlist before his 18th birthday in May.
MCLAIN: They don't want sign the papers and me to come back a year later, but (inaudible) you found the papers. So this way they made me wait until I was 18 so that, you know, the blame is fully on me. The way my mom worded it, she doesn't want to be responsible for sending me to Afghanistan.
CARROLL: And now with time running out at home, reality is setting in.
MCLAIN: Let's say about a week ago, it truly hit me, that's when I forgot how to sleep and stuff. I thought, man, I am leaving in a week, I am leaving in three days, I'm leaving in a day.
CARROLL: For Will's parents, Bill, a construction worker and his wife, Lorie, Will's future now taking shape.
BILL MCLAIN, FATHER: We are worried than he'll come in one piece and he might be 5,000 miles a way, but he knows there are people that care about him.
CARROLL: The next morning came the good-byes. And one last word of advice.
MCLAIN: Head down, brain on, OK. She was not looking forward to this moment.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: I cannot imagine how difficult that would be. You can follow Will McClain's journey every step of the way. There is a whole lot more in our show you can -- there's a whole lot more about the story, I should say, on our blog at cnn.com/amfix.
MARCIANO: Well, it maybe Christmas, but list making is not just for Santa Claus, two of our favorite guests making their own naughty and nice list. The best and worst newsmakers of the year. Stay tuned for that. It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: My friend has a special dance that goes with this. It's not pretty.
MARCIANO: Do it on the show.
COSTELLO: It's not pretty.
MARCIANO: OK, you are off the hook.
COSTELLO: Sorry, it's 24 minutes past the hour. It's time for an "AM" original. Something you'll see only on "American Morning." All this week, we've been profiling celebrities who are giving back not just now during the holiday season, but all year long.
MARCIANO: Yes, this morning we focus on the man behind Virgin Airways, actually Virgin the brand, Sir Richard Branson. Alina Cho here with the final installment of her series "Big Stars, Big Giving." Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you believe there are more than 200 Virgin companies? It's really incredible, guys. Good morning, good morning everybody.
You know there is no question, Richard Branson is a mogul. He is the man behind the Virgin megabrand. A man with a ton of money who could easily write a check and be done with it, but he is actually out there doing the hard work. And his philosophy is simple, treat philanthropy like a business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, how are you, good to see you.
CHO: Spend a day with Richard Branson and you quickly learn it's hard to keep up. This adventure capitalist never sits still and it shows. Virgin, the megabrand he created 39 years ago includes more than 200 companies, a $17 billion empire. Business pays the bills, but philanthropy rocks his world.
SIR RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN UNITE: One of my faults in life is that I can never say no and so, you know, people are always coming to us with wonderful projects.
CHO: How do you choose?
BRANSON: Yes, choosing is difficult.
CHO: Then the next question is how do you manage it all?
BRANSON: On how you manage it is finding wonderful people, and running them in exactly the same way that we've run a business.
CHO: Branson style, visionary.
BRANSON: For instance, there are lots of organizations in Africa that are trying to tackle diseases, but there is no center for disease control to try and coordinate that attack. So we are setting up a center for disease control.
CHO: Disease, conflict, global warning, just some of the causes Branson's philanthropic arm Virgin unites supports. Because he is a business rock star, he is able to wrangle the help of real ones. He called on Grammy award winning singer, Estelle to travel with him to South Africa, to see the Richard Branson School of Entrepreneurship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was -- I was kind of like Richard Branson knows who I am? You know this guy, you know, we talk about changing the world. He is really out there trying to do it?
He's physically there, and that's the difference.
CHO: Branson's fashion nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. So here in Florida, he is multitasking. As he launches new service on Virgin America, he is also meeting right on the tarmac with teens who need and want his help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's awesome just to meet someone like him. It teaches me that if he started where I started that I can do what he is doing now.
CHO: Not bad for a high school drop out who still scribbles notes on his hand, can barely can work a computer and has never held a board meeting.
BRANSON: When you are on your deathbed, you know having created 500 businesses instead of 300 businesses, that's an achievement, but having, you know, really it's hard to make a difference in peoples' lives, that's a bigger achievement.
CHO: Pushing the boundaries of business and philanthropy with this motto. You can do it.
BRANSON: Give it ago. Just try things.
CHO: No risk, no reward?
BRANSON: No risk, no reward. Yes, screw it, let's do it. Whatever. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You know part of the reason Branson is so successful both in philanthropy and business is that he sees no boundaries, and no is not part of his vocabulary. And like others in his position, he also feels with success comes great responsibility that money and celebrity guys can be use to make a difference.
I would venture to guess that another reason why he is so successful in philanthropy is that he is so charming. You know, I mean, you see the way kids respond to him and they really do want to be like Richard Branson. He is really inspiring.
COSTELLO: Does he travel with an entourage? I just wonder how he gets around?
CHO: You know, he does have a few people who are traveling with him, but he is very, very down-to-earth. He's very friendly as you can see there. I mean, there is a reason why people respond so well to him. Again, he is charming. He's so smart and he is visionary.
He really sees no boundaries. You know, I was talking earlier to him about some of the things that he is doing, and he said, you know listen for instance, global warming, if this is the third world war, where is the war room. He is building a war room. We're building a center for disease control in Africa. I mean, he's really doing things and thinking outside the box, and doing things that other people might not do and that's another reason why he is so successful.
MARCIANO: Yes, he does a lot of things that a lot of people don't do.
CHO: Like build 200 --
MARCIANO: Yes -- feel pretty minimal.
CHO: That's right.
MARCIANO: Great stuff, Alina. All right, let's see, if you want more on this go to the web site, hey, that's where all the action is. Sir Richard Branson, the head and all of the story behind the scene, cnn.com/amfix.
It's our "AM Web Extra" content you won't see anywhere else on the air so good stuff.
COSTELLO: It's 29 minutes past the hour. Here are this morning's top stories.
A blizzard dumping snow across the Midwest this Christmas morning. From the Dakotas to northern Texas, there's dangerously strong winds and near whiteout snowfalls. And as the storm pushes east, it's expected to drop freezing rains across the eastern portion of the country. Officials say so far the storm is being blamed for 18 deaths. MARCIANO: And the Vatican says the woman who jumped a barricade at a Christmas Eve mass and pulled the Pope to the ground was taken to the clinic. Church officials say the woman has psychiatric problems and is the exact same woman who charged at the Pope at last year's Christmas eve's mass. The Pope was not hurt but a cardinal from France fractured a leg bone.
COSTELLO: And while the first family celebrates Christmas in Hawaii, President Obama is sending holiday wishes to members of the U.S. military. In a radio message, the president saluted the selfless spirit of our troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All our men and women in uniform spending the holidays far away from home, whether it's at a base here in the states or a mess hall in Iraq or a remote outpost in Afghanistan, know that you are in our thoughts and in our prayers. In this holiday season and every holiday season, know that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that you can succeed in your missions and come home safe to your families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president also urged Americans to help support military families this holiday season.
So now that Santa is all finished giving out presents, at least, almost, who in the news this year got something nice and who got a big fat lump of coal. We made our own list and we checked it twice. And joining us live for the "A.M. Breakdown" this Christmas morning, CNN political contributor and democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman along with Republican strategists, Leslie Sanchez.
Welcome to you both, thanks for coming in on Christmas morning. We appreciate it.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good morning. Hey, Merry Christmas.
COSTELLO: Of course, let's get to the naughty list first. Because the naughty list is always so much fun, more fun, frankly. And Robert, let's start with you, who is on your naughty list for 2009?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, at the same time, I separated future felons from just those that just behaved like idiots.
(LAUGHTER)
ZIMMERMAN: Finishing in third place was Republican Congressman Joe Wilson for shouting liar at President Obama during a speech before the joint session of Congress, yet in fairness Democratic Congressman Allen Grayson is a close runner-up for third, proving that neither party owns the issue of being obnoxious or vulgar.
COSTELLO: Well, that is true, especially these days. OK. So who gets second place.
ZIMMERMAN: Second place goes to Pastor Rick Warren, for using faith to preach faith and prejudice against the gay and lesbian community. This is the time of year we should be bringing people together. We should do it every day but especially this time of year, trying to unite people and embrace people, not divide them.
COSTELLO: OK. First place -
ZIMMERMAN: I'm finishing.
COSTELLO: Go ahead. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt the naughty list.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, go ahead, Carol.
That's OK. I mean, first place, Carol, this individual deserves a grinch-like status, not just number one for naughty. And that's Vice President Dick Cheney, you know, after eight years of a criminally negligent foreign policy, and the domestic policy that brought us the great recession, the former vice president just should stop lecturing us about how to live our lives. Let him stay at home and watch CNN and really learn what's happening.
COSTELLO: Leslie, I thought -
SANCHEZ: Wow.
COSTELLO: I know.
SANCHEZ: I thought this was a 2009 list, not the 2008 list. I mean, we're going to revision history.
COSTELLO: OK. We cannot fight among ourselves. Leslie, it's your turn to present your own naughty list.
SANCHEZ: Thank you. I'm a uniter. I will start with number three, which is the White House gate crashers, the Salahis, Michaele and Tarik Salahi for proving that you can look good and give the ruse that you have an invitation to a state dinner and actually get in.
Number two, I would say AIG, the nation's largest insurer for not only accepting, you know, a massive $170 plus billion bailout, but also doling out a lot of that out in the form of bonuses. Giving out bonuses and not giving them back.
And number one, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Rob may disagree with me on this one but I would say she is number one for making a lot of her members walk the political plank not once but twice with a very unpopular measures health care reform, cap and trade.
COSTELLO: And maybe a third and fourth time, because who knows, health care reform is not over.
So we are finished with the Scrooge part of the list. And let's go to the Santa part of the list and go to who's nice, who has been nice in 2009. So Robert, give it ago, number three.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, I will try to redeem myself with Leslie because finishing third my nice list are the individuals called the great ladies from Maine. Senator Susan Collins and Senator Olympia Snowe. Even though there may be philosophical differences, they are just so respected for showing independent thought for truly trying to work in a bipartisan way. And they hold out great potential for a bipartisan future in the Congress.
COSTELLO: Of course, neither of them voted for health care in the Senate this time around.
ZIMMERMAN: That's true.
COSTELLO: But they have in the past, they do. They have shown a spirit of bipartisanship. At least a little tiny bit.
Number two on the list?
ZIMMERMAN: Number two on the list is our secretary of state Hillary Clinton because for the leadership she has played in terms of rebuilding America's image around the world and for the way that she has worked in the administration for really helping to project an important foreign policy in a very difficult time and in a very tense negotiations.
COSTELLO: And coming in at number one on the nice list?
ZIMMERMAN: Number one on the nice list goes to our first lady, Michelle Obama. She has truly led by example. And she doesn't just talk about family values, but the way she led as first lady, the example she set on nutrition through family care, focusing on health and education. Truly has helped bridge the partisan rancor that we see and really it has helped, I think unite our country.
COSTELLO: OK. Let's head to Leslie's list, because it's completely different than yours.
SANCHEZ: Well, first I have to applaud that fact that announced very strong women, political women, very dynamic and I have to agree with you on those three. I would start with number three, microblogging. That is basically this new form of digital technology. Things like Twitter, that we saw, basically jump the shark this year, in terms of growing up and it didn't start a fire, you can't do it on Twitter but it could spread one, things like that. Iran elections, things like Mumbai bombings and even learning first hand about breaking news.
Twitter for example was one great example. Number two would be the U.S. Airways pilot Chelsea Sullenberger for that miraculous landing that he had on the Hudson. It was really a wonderful story this year.
And number one would go to the Republican Governor Association head Haley Barber from engineering to big comebacks for Republicans in the governor races in New Jersey and Virginia and giving republicans hope for 2010.
COSTELLO: Great. I love both of those list because I am in a true bipartisan spirit this morning. Actually, I should be non partisan. So I should say I'm in a non-partisan spirit this Christmas. Thanks to both of you for coming in.
ZIMMERMAN: That's what you do in spirit.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank to you both of you for coming in and happy holidays.
SANCHEZ: Happy holidays.
ZIMMERMAN: Thanks so much. Happy holiday.
MARCIANO: Well, our president in Hawaii with his family to vacation, and so is Ed Henry, covering his presidential vacation. A report from the beach, next. It's 37 minutes after the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. DAVID PALMER: Hi. I'm Sergeant David Palmer from (INAUDIBLE) in Afghanistan. To my wife, Christine, and the kids back in (INAUDIBLE), Tennessee and the rest of my family back in Georgia, best wishes from the first and 108 (INAUDIBLE) regiment, the Georgia Army National Guard, for a safe and happy holiday season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COSTELLO: You now, there can be no more Christmas picture more perfect than this. Our own Phil reading page (INAUDIBLE) of the "New York Post" to the children of AMERICAN MORNING.
MARCIANO: Uncle Phil, as we like to say.
COSTELLO: A big fire burning bright behind them.
Merry Christmas, everybody. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
MARCIANO: You know I've been kind of trying to set my sister up with Phil.
COSTELLO: Really.
MARCIANO: Now that she knows he can read.
COSTELLO: She's hot.
MARCIANO: Yes. Well, we'll see if we can make the mele kalikimaka (ph) happen. Anyway, the song we just played in Merry Christmas in Hawaii. And that's how they're saying it with the first family there. They arrived in Oahu, Christmas eve and will stay for a 10-day vacation. COSTELLO: The White House spokesman says there is no public events scheduled during this trip. But where the president goes, so does Ed Henry. It is a rough life being a White House correspondent on Christmas. Let's see how Ed is holding up.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Rob, Carol, Merry Christmas from Honolulu. I have to tell you, the water is just a little bit chilly. I don't mean to rub it in. I'm sure it's a lot colder there in New York City. I've got to spend two whole weeks here covering the president on Waikiki Beach.
And the way I like to tell it to people is I never pick sides between Democrats and Republicans, but after spending many holidays in vacations in Crawford, Texas, Honolulu is change I can believe in. And so, you know, before he left D.C., the president held his health care victory in the Senate but he is also very clear about that there's a lot more work to be done in 2010.
Aides say he will be working the phones in January, trying to push this through the conference committee as the House and Senate work out their differences. But for now, the president is on the north side of Oahu, a very remote area with his family, planning a very quiet Christmas.
I'm going to do the same with the board shorts, the surf shoes. I've got some sun tan lotion here on my towel and will put some on and then I even got this local delicacy, spam sushi. I'm going to have some of this for breakfast. A little bit salty but I even got a Christmas cap. So from Waikiki Beach, Merry Christmas, Rob and Carol.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Yes, Merry Christmas. You know that was on tape. And Ed had an opportunity to tape it again. I don't think he noticed what went on behind him.
MARCIANO: There were some stuff going on (INAUDIBLE) as we say it. We'll isolate a few of those moments about halfway through, a man with a straw hat wearing short shorts crossed right in front of Ed unknowingly.
COSTELLO:. And didn't even glanced at him.
MARCIANO: No. He's a pro. Ed is a tough (INAUDIBLE) no matter how short the shorts.
COSTELLO: Nerves of steel.
But the funniest part is when he was sitting on the beach in those really weird black shoes, eating sushi. Look at the kid behind him. Take a look.
MARCIANO: Oh, yes.
COSTELLO: He's flexing his muscles. MARCIANO: Doing the Mr. America pose. Nice work there, kid. Maybe more work at thunder and lighting and the gym would behoove you. Ed did this bit last year. And I think we may have a video of his shorts. They're probably the same. OK. No? I'm sure they're red and green.
COSTELLO: (INAUDIBLE) because I'm sure the AMERICAN MORNING audience was eager to see that.
MARCIANO: We tease because we are jealous, Ed. Enjoy your working vacation there on the island.
All right. A lot of folks not enjoying their trip today. If you trying to get around the mid west, big blizzard happening out there, and we're going to check in with Bonnie Schneider. It's 43 minutes after the hour.
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MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE) this year (ph)?
COSTELLO: No. This is the first Elvis tune we've had, and now it really seems like Christmas.
We're taking a look at - right near (ph) Central Park in New York City. There's no traffic. How bizarre is that?
MARCIANO: That is rare, as is the fact that there - it's white out there. Only about a 10 percent chance of getting a White Christmas in New York.
COSTELLO: Actually that's a happy picture.
MARCIANO: Yes!
COSTELLO: It's a white Christmas and it means that people are at home, enjoying the holiday and nothing could be better than that.
MARCIANO: Columbus looks happy to be out there, as a matter of fact.
COSTELLO: He does, doesn't he? Merry Christmas, everyone.
MARCIANO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
I want to check in with Bonnie Schneider who's been following this big storm out west. Bonnie, a white Christmas here and a white Christmas - big white Christmas, I guess, where all that blue is painted on the map.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, absolutely, Rob. It's nice when the snow has stopped and you could sit back and enjoy it over Central Park.
The problem is in the Plain States, it's still snowing, and we also have very strong winds. So we're looking for up to another foot of snow for parts of the Plain States, with wind gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour. That's some intense wind. And you could actually see the wrap around affect, the winds coming in from the north over the plains, and then all the thunderstorms riding up from the south, hitting cities like Chicago, where we had a wintry mix yesterday and we're expecting more for today.
This is important for those of you getting in your car, driving. We're looking for a wintry mix in the forecast for cities like Chicago. Minneapolis, certainly snow, near whiteout conditions. Those of you that are planning to drive, you may want to wait until the advisories are lifted because it is kind of dangerous out there.
Speaking of dangerous, we're also tracking the threat for tornadoes across parts of the southeast, but at least the rain isn't as heavy as it was in Little Rock yesterday. You have to see these flood pictures that we have. Just plenty of water, almost 10 inches on the ground. Oh, boy, what a nightmare on Christmas Eve to have to deal with floods, and that's what's been happening in Little Rock, Arkansas. The good news is it stopped raining there, but the water is high and it's piled up, so it's going to take a while for those flood watches to lift for those of you that are traveling in that area.
Another thing interesting to note is that this storm is creating some weather extremes. In St. Louis right now, it's 41 degrees. Head a little bit further to the west, on I-70, and it's 15 degrees, and a blizzard happening in Kansas City. So be careful if you're driving. You're going to encounter some rapidly changing weather conditions across the Midwest for today. And for those of you that are flying, we have no delays yet, but we are anticipating them, Carol and Rob, across many cities in the country.
MARCIANO: Did you see that? It's 41 in St. Louis. So you're fine, flying to Detroit.
COSTELLO: I'm flying to Detroit to go home and - I am - I feel sorry for the people in Kansas City. I do. I feel for you, but I'm happy for me.
MARCIANO: And we're happy you're here, Bonnie. Bonnie Schneider, live for us in the CNN Weather Center. Thanks.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
COSTELLO: Coming up next, we're going to talk about health care, because, you know, the Senate passed health care reform yesterday. So, the next step, how to pay for it? And what happens next in the halls of Congress?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta walks us through it.
It's 49 minutes past the hour.
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MARCIANO: Get your country on, my friend. We've had Elvis, we've had old school, Tony Bennett. COSTELLO: Oh, I love Toby Keith.
MARCIANO: Now, Toby Keith.
COSTELLO: That was awesome.
MARCIANO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Well, Congress is going to get back to work after the holiday recess, and lawmakers will begin kind of getting together the House and Senate versions of the health care bill.
COSTELLO: They're going to marry them, if you will.
MARCIANO: Marry them. Yes.
COSTELLO: But what people really want to know is how this bill - when they finally do marry those bills - how will it affect you, particularly if you're already covered under Medicare?
We're "Paging Dr. Gupa - Gupta," CNN's chief medical correspondent. He's looking at what's in the bill now and what comes next.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Guys, we're 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, and important landmarks here. The - the bill obviously passed the House, and now it has passed the Senate.
The next step in all of 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 would that be reconciled? Again, big issues that still need 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 wouldn't really take effect until January of 2014.
This is a process, a long one at that. You guys have a lot of question about it. Let's take on here. We had a question about Medicare specifically. It says, "How does this bill affect a senior on Medicare?"
This has been a - 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. The seniors wondering where that money's going to come from specifically.
If we dissected down the language, looking at this entire bill, we find out a lot of it comes from what is known as provider rate cuts, cutting down the reimbursement to hospitals and providers for a specific care. People worry, could that possibly lead to some of those increased costs being passed on to patients? That's a little bit hard to know and - and to see. But, more specifically than that, there's something knows as Medicare Part C or the Medicare Advantage Plan. This may be something that affects consumers directly.
Take a look. This is a plan that typically covers all sorts of different things but also has enhanced benefits like vision and dental. And there's some concern that if you're starting to cut Medicare dramatically that some of those enhanced benefits will not be 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. What the actual cost was $67 billion. Those numbers coming from the Cato Institute, a conservative thinktank, but similar numbers being borne out elsewhere. The point is that it's very hard to project a lot of these numbers.
So, what the impact will it 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 these bills - a way to pay (INAUDIBLE) that we're talking about.
Back to you for now.
COSTELLO: So many questions and so few answers right now.
If you're still not clear about what that public option is or what's in the bill for you - for answers and all of the latest headlines on health care reform, head to cnn.com/health care.
MARCIANO: We are back with our top stories in 90 seconds. Stay there.
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MARCIANO: Good morning. It's Friday, December 25th. Merry Christmas.
I'm Rob Marciano, in today for John Roberts.
COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello, in for Kiran Chetry.
Here are the big stories we'll tell you about in the next 15 minutes.
Pope Benedict attacked and knocked down just before the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St. Peters Basilica in Rome. The Vatican says the woman who attacked the Pope is the same woman who tried a similar attack last year. So how did it happen again?
The pope wasn't hurt and he did manage to continue the service. We'll have a live report just ahead.
MARCIANO: Plus, across the Midwest, it's not just a white Christmas, it's a whiteout Christmas. Deadly storm with heavy winds, heavy snow, icy conditions. Already killed 18 people since Tuesday.
Blizzard warnings are in effect across the Central US, from the Dakotas down to Northern Texas. Also, tornado watches out for the south.
The latest from CNN the Extreme Weather Center coming up.
COSTELLO: And he's a one-man brand. Virgin mega mogul Richard Branson is also a mega-philanthropist. He goes one on one with our Alina Cho in our series, "Big Stars, Big Giving." It's something you'll only see on AMERICAN MORNING.
But first, a Christmas Eve attack on the Pope at the Vatican. These pictures show a woman jumping a barricade and running toward Pope Benedict XVI, and then she somehow manages to grab his robe. As you see, he fell down. Security guards took the woman down, but she brought the Pope down with her, as you saw.
What's even more incredible, this isn't the first time this woman has done this. Morgan Neill joins us live from London with the latest on this.
Morgan, first of all, how is the Pope?
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Pope is fine, and he's been out to deliver his Christmas Day address today. So, he's doing fine. Not so lucky that the 87-year-old French cardinal, who is also caught up in the incident. He broke his femur and will need surgery, the Vatican says.
But, as you could see from that incident, it was - it's certainly something we don't see - we're not accustomed to seeing, however common this sort of thing may be according to some analysts.
We are finding out some new information now about the woman involved. The woman, as you pointed out, who tried to do the same thing last year but couldn't get past the security. She's 25 years old. Her name is Susanna Maiolo, and she's a Swiss Italian dual citizen.
Now, the Vatican says - they described her as unstable, and she was of course detained and she's been taken to a mental institution and being held there.
COSTELLO: Well, if this woman has done this before, didn't they have her name on record or at least her picture to prevent her from getting into the church again?
NEILL: Well, those are certainly the questions a lot of people are bringing up here, some of many questions that people are asking about Vatican security. But they are in a very difficult position. Certainly, it wouldn't explain the case with this woman who has done it twice in a row, or two years in a row, but they are in a tight position because they want people to be able to get close to the Pope and don't want to seal him off entirely from the faithful who have sometimes traveled from all around the world just to get to see him. But certainly, they're going to be rethinking security now, Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, you can bet. You know, and I want to talk a little bit more about how the Pope jumped up after that attack, and the whole congregation started cheering him. Did he mention anything about it before he -- before he managed to finally get to the altar?
NEILL: We did not see him mention it at all, really. But we did see the reaction from those who were there. And there was, as you say, applause after, of course, at the beginning. But then applause and you got a real sense of the feeling, the depth of feeling that the people there have for this Pope.
COSTELLO: Definitely so. Well, we're glad that he's going through with his traditional Christmas mass and his Christmas message.
And thank you, Morgan Neill for that report. We appreciate it. Morgan Neill, live from London.
MARCIANO: Pope, typically, a pretty forgiving guy. So...
COSTELLO: That's true.
MARCIANO: I'm supposed he's OK with everything.
