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Southern U.S. Ripped by Storms; Fire Threatens Australia's Great Ocean Road; Iraqi Forces Close In on ISIS; Learning from ISIS; Afghan Security Forces Rout Taliban; Righteous Among the Nations; Indian PM Visits Pakistan; New Life in the U.S.; Top 10 Campaign Moments of 2015; How to Return Gifts the Smart Way; Life at a Dogsled Camp. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 26, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The southern part of the United States braces for more severe weather. This after several days of heavy rain and dangerous flooding.

The battle for Ramadi: Iraqi troops say they are making inroads, taking back the city against ISIS militants.

And later, nearly 40 years later, people who were held hostage in Iran after the takeover of the U.S. embassy will be compensated for their ordeal.

From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: And a good Boxing Day to you. We start this hour right here in the southeastern part of the United States. This is where severe weather continues to threaten people. In fact, some families saw their homes and streets flooded on Christmas Day, their cars and trucks partially submerged by rushing water.

In the state of Alabama, there is a state of emergency underway. Up to 40 centimeters, almost 20 inches, of rain fell there in less than a day. And here's the scene in that state's capital.

What may have well been a tornado caused this damage in Birmingham. The storms have killed at least 15 people in three states. CNN's Nick Valencia tells us about the fear residents felt as their homes were being torn apart.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A brutal string of storms across the southern portion of the United States has left more than a dozen killed, and there are still some unaccounted for. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Started here, real loud, roared, started getting

louder and louder, and I told her, we need to get in the house now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded literally like a freight train. Sounding of the horn. It was coming.

VALENCIA: In Ashland, Mississippi, all that's left of Theresa McKay's (ph) home is the porch. She and her husband were inside when they saw the tornado coming. They ran and hid in this truck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing left of my house. Not one thing. Nothing but all that debris.

VALENCIA: This building may have saved Tony Goodwin's life when a tornado hit Perry County, Tennessee.

TONY GOODWIN, STORM SURVIVOR: I had my grandson in my arm, under my arm, and everybody got in except for my sister-in-law and I'm yelling at her, come on. You know? And she got in. As soon as she did, I shut the door.

VALENCIA: A tornado knocked his house off its foundation, but he and six others survived by taking cover in the storm shelter.

CAPT. BART ROSSON, PERRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: You'll never know how important it is to seek shelter immediately however you can because it's a lifesaver.

VALENCIA: Two of those killed in Tennessee were husband and wife, Ann and Antonio Yzaguirre (ph). According to the Storm Prediction Center, at least 14 tornadoes hit Mississippi on Wednesday, but a single twister did most of the damage.

DR. PATRICK WASHINGTON, ASHLAND RESIDENT: This is a miracle. There's no way that three individuals were in this house at this time and they were able to walk away.

VALENCIA: Communities coming together, thankful to be alive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went and bought toys for kids because I also have a little girl, and for them not to have Christmas and toys and stuff, there's -- it's not a holiday.

VALENCIA: Among the youngest victims, a 7-year-old boy in Mississippi. The storm prediction center says that the threat for violent weather has dropped dramatically but the threat is not over yet.

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HOWELL: Nick Valencia there, explaining the damage that we are seeing just west of the city of Atlanta. And now for more on the conditions, let's bring in our meteorologist Derek Van Dam

Derek, so, yes, in Atlanta, it has been warm; we've seen storms. And then to our west, there's been so much damage. DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: George, the threat is not done yet.

It's really looking into Sunday and Monday that I'm concerned about in terms of severe weather.

But when we are talking about the heavy rain on top of a very saturated environment that's led to scenes of flooding and rescue attempts, just like this video we're about to show you, it is all thanks to the copious amounts of rainfall. And you had mentioned a moment ago upwards of 10 to 20 inches of rainfall has taken place across portions of Mississippi and Alabama.

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VAN DAM: I'm going to take you to the other side of the world. This is another story we are monitoring very closely in Wye River, Australia, into the southern sections of Australia.

This is into the Victoria State. We are right smack dab in the middle of our fire season and brush fires have been very dangerous, burning over 100 homes in this area. We'll have an update on that in just one moment.

But the good news is, George, there was some relief in terms of a cold front passing through. Unfortunately, it did change the wind direction for the firefighters battling those blazes right on the front line -- back to you.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you for that.

And let's talk more about this bush fire in Victoria. It has already destroyed at least 116 homes. It's burned some 2,200 hectares or nearly 6,000 acres. CNN producer Joel Labi joins us now with more on the situation there.

And Joel, this is a very popular part of the country when it comes to tourists.

JOEL LABI, CNN PRODUCER: That's right. We're talking about the Great Ocean Road, which is one of the prime tourist spots in Australia. This is like the equivalent of Route 101 in the United States. It's a coastal drive.

There's a town called Lorne, which yesterday, on Christmas Day, was very likely to come under threat from the bush fires. Now learned that, for the time being, people there are safe. And the threat has been downgraded in the areas around there.

But we're talking about 116 homes destroyed in the blink of an eye, George. This is a fire that was sparked last week and was largely being fought, you know, with semi-strong containment lines.

But from what I've been able to -- what I've been able to dig up is that on Christmas Day, in particular, this is when the flames started to flare up. Most people in those towns around Lorne spent Christmas Day and Christmas evening evacuating from their homes. And now they have to go back and many will find that whatever they had was ruined or destroyed.

HOWELL: It's terribly tragic. But I want to ask you, though, you understand, you know, you talk to us about that happening this time of year.

It's pretty common, correct?

LABI: Yes. This is common. This is, as Derek mentioned, bush season fire in Australia but that doesn't undermine the threat. December and January are usually the hottest months. And that means it is incredibly dangerous.

I know from personal experience over Christmas, it wasn't uncommon to step outside and see the sky filled with ash from bush fires a couple of hours outside of town.

But it was a few years ago, Black Saturday in Victoria, 180-plus people killed. This is where the lessons were learned. And this is when people now are not taking any chances.

When the emergency services are saying it's a watch and act (ph), you need to be ready to leave, they leave. And as you can see, 116 homes destroyed but not one fatality, George. Everybody is safe.

HOWELL: That is good news and then good to get your own insight from it as well. Joel Labi, thank you so much.

Switching now to the fight against ISIS, the Iraqi military says it is closing in on an ISIS-held government compound in Ramadi in its attempt to retake that city.

Iraqi soldiers are slowly combing through the area. They are searching for terrorists and they are defusing booby traps. There are concerns, though, that civilians are still living in militant territory. And winning back Ramadi would be the most significant victory for the Iraqi military since 2014.

CNN's Robyn Kriel joins now live from London to talk more about this.

Robyn, good to have you this hour. So let's talk about this, this push into Ramadi. It's dangerous. It has -- there are booby traps.

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HOWELL: Talk with us about how difficult it is for them to get in.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's proving incredibly difficult. ISIS has had seven months. They seized Ramadi in May from Iraqi forces and they have had seven months in which to lay booby traps, to plant thousands of IEDs, to set up rat holes for snipers and to also rig up vehicle IEDs, suicide bomb cars, et cetera.

So this is why it's taking such a long time for the Iraqi forces to advance what is essentially just a few blocks to get to that government compound. Also the issue, George, of civilians caught in the crossfire. They're asking civilians to put up white flags outside their homes so that they can be granted safe passage by the Iraqi forces, so that they're not mistaken for ISIS militants.

About 300 to 500 ISIS militants remain inside Ramadi city, we're told, by Iraqi intelligence services.

HOWELL: Robyn, talk to us about what happens next.

So if, when they are able to take back Ramadi, does the focus then shift to Mosul?

KRIEL: The focus definitely shifts to Mosul, which will be likely the biggest coup for the Iraqi forces. Ramadi was incredibly embarrassing situation for Iraqi forces and the U.S.-trained counterterrorism forces, who were charged with defending the city.

It's obviously a hugely strategic city; it's on the Baghdad highway. It's close to Baghdad, within striking distance of Baghdad. It's also the country's Sunni heartland. So it was a huge loss for Iraqi forces.

They complained that they ran out of ammunition and that they did try to fight but they came under tremendous criticism from the United States, for example, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who said that they had just lost the will to fight.

So this really represents a major propaganda coup if they do manage to take this.

But, yes, Mosul will be the next place that they have in sight but it does appear that both the Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition with its airstrikes, George, have tremendous -- have gained tremendous advantage and that they've really picked up tempo.

So we do expect them to try and take Mosul as quickly as possible to keep up that tempo.

HOWELL: But one other question, Robyn, when it comes to taking back Ramadi, how difficult will it be?

How do they hang onto that city, make sure that it doesn't fall back under ISIS control?

KRIEL: Well, that's something that we see that is typical of sort of conventional militaries trying to fight insurgent warfare is that it's one thing to seize territory but it's another thing to hold it from these insurgents because they can launch a very small, penetrating complex attack.

So if, for example, they do manage to -- they do seize the government compound, they take over, they have about 70 percent of the city at the moment, that's the Iraqi forces, 30 percent remains in ISIS militants' hands.

So if they do manage to take that last 30 percent, it will be a case of keeping things like suicide bombers, car bombs, snipers outside the city, making sure that ISIS is not able to infiltrate the city.

And because they can blend into the local population so well and slide in like that, it will be incredibly difficult to make sure that those sorts of attacks and, indeed, a large-scale counterassault does not ensue.

HOWELL: CNN's Robyn Kriel, live in our London bureau this hour, Robyn, thank you so much for your reporting there.

Now next door in Syria, the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam is confirming the death of its leader. Syrian state media report that Zahran Allouch was killed by an airstrike in a suburb of Damascus. State TV aired this video, which they say shows the bombing in question but it is still unclear if it was a Syrian or Russian plane that dropped the bombs.

Jaysh al-Islam has no affiliation with ISIS or Al Qaeda but the Syrian government is still is referring to Allouch as a terrorist when it proudly announced his death.

ISIS has not always been consistent in its recruiting strategy or how it carries out attacks. CNN's Jim Sciutto has more on what we've learned about the terror group this past year.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Early on after ISIS' emergence, the focus among U.S. law enforcement, U.S. counterterror officials has really been potential ISIS recruits here in America, who attempt to travel to the war zones in Iraq and Syria, join the fight there and then possibly come back and bring jihad home.

But more and more the focus is on potential recruits, who never leave the U.S. homeland or Europe or anywhere else in the world, never go to the war zone but stay at home and carry out jihad really on their doorstep.

Now that change could be due in part to those tougher controls, the efforts to identify and stop potential recruits, here in the U.S. or elsewhere in the West, from joining the fight in the Middle East. But it is also because ISIS has changed its message; more and more, it is calling on people around the world to --

[05:15:00]

SCIUTTO: -- carry out jihad right where they are, whatever they can do, take up a gun, make a bomb and carry out terror attacks, particularly with the focus on the West more and more.

Now sometimes those attacks are entirely self-directed, pure lone wolves, as we've heard that term so often. But we've also seen ISIS direct and supply and train. We saw that in Paris. Also suicide attacks in Beirut.

There have already been a number of lone wolf attacks here in the United States, even predating ISIS. In 2009, the Fort Hood attack inspired, it was believed, by Anwar al-Awlaki, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In Garland, Texas, a shooting at a convention for cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, that believed inspired by, possibly even directed by ISIS.

And then, of course, San Bernardino, believed to be inspired by ISIS as well.

One particular challenge with lone wolves is that they're harder to detect. If there's no initial conversation between the new recruit and a known terror subject, there's no conversation to intercept, there's no meeting to observe before that terrorist is recruited and carries out an attack.

This means a near constant state of alert -- what has been described to me repeatedly as an alarming new normal.

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HOWELL: That was CNN's Jim Sciutto reporting there.

Now to a story that we are following very closely out of Japan. A shelter in place order has been put into effect at a U.S. airbase due to a security incident on Saturday. Yokota Air Base, just west of Tokyo, says the order is a precaution to protect base residents and professionals as they respond to the incident.

Witnesses say the gates were locked down and long lines of cars formed outside the base.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, it has taken nearly 40 years but Americans held in the Iran hostage crisis will finally be repaid for what they endured. Those details coming up.

Plus the story of an American soldier, a Christian, honored posthumously for saving his Jewish comrades during the Holocaust. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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HOWELL: In Afghanistan, forces there say that they have killed a number of --

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HOWELL: -- Taliban fighters and their commander in the Sangin district. The militant group is largely in control of the area in Helmand Province, which is home to supply key to -- I should say -- to key supply routes. Alexandra Field has more on the fighting there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Afghan security forces are making

another push to move Taliban fighters out of Sangin district after days of heavy fighting there. Locals on the grounds had said that the Taliban had taken over almost all of Sangin district, except for a police chief's office and another building used by an army battalion.

But more operations have been launched now by the Afghan army and officials there say that a number of Taliban fighters have been killed, including a local commander with ties to the Taliban leader.

The Afghan National Army is getting some support from the U.S. in the form of two airstrikes. There's also a NATO team in Southern Helmand Province, which includes a small number of British troops who are acting in an advisory capacity, as the Afghan National Army takes on the Taliban.

Those on the ground say that the fighting has remained fierce and that it continues. People who are inside that police chief's office, which has been under attack for days from the Taliban, have said that they were running out of food, ammunition and supplies.

But the central government says that it is moving resources into the area and more reinforcements as they continue their battle with the Taliban -- in Seoul, Alexandra Field, CNN.

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HOWELL: After nearly four decades, Americans who were taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Iran will be compensated for their ordeal.

This is how they were welcomed back to the United States in 1981. The image you see there. The U.S. Congress just passed a budget bill that will repay each of the 53 hostages or their families. Our Deborah Feyerick breaks down the deal.

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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Iranian hostages will get $4.4 million each, that's about $10,000 a day for each of the 444 days that they were held in captivity when those Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. embassy back in 1979.

But this doesn't only impact these hostages; it also impacts other victims of terror, that includes those victims of the U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam and Kenya back in 1998.

It also includes those Marines, who were killed in Beirut in the bombing of barracks there back in 1983.

So this is really wide-reaching and goes back many decades to give the victims but to give the families also some sort of compensation because they haven't been able to get anything up to this point. So it's really crucial to these people to, in some ways, be made whole.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL: The money is expected to come from a fine paid by a bank that violated sanctions against Iran. The former hostages could not sue as part of the agreement that freed them.

Now on to the violence in the Holy Land. It has cast a dark shadow over the holidays. We just learned Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian man, who they say tried to stab an officer in Jerusalem on Saturday.

On Christmas, Israeli police say they killed a Palestinian woman, who tried to ram officers with her car. It happened in a West Bank village.

And near Bethlehem, rocks and Molotov cocktails flew between Israeli forces and Palestinians. Though Christmas celebrations carried on, despite the violent backdrop. But many tourists avoided traveling to the region.

Now to a story that started with a standoff nearly 80 years ago during World War II. An American soldier is now being honored by Israel's Holocaust Memorial Center, honored for standing up to the Nazis in a POW camp to protect his Jewish comrades. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The story of Master Sergeant Roddy Edmonds doesn't start in victory, American soldier, taken prisoner in World War II only days after arriving in Europe in the Battle of the Bulge. Edmonds was taken to Stalag 9B, a Nazi prisoner of war camp in Central Germany, arriving Christmas Day. Starving, Edmonds and his friends drew up plans for a restaurant, eating off an imaginary menu. After 30 days he was moved to another POW camp, where he was tested in a confrontation with Nazi doctrine.

The German commander ordered Edmonds to separate out his Jewish soldiers. Edmonds, a Christian, refused. And the next morning, his 1,200 American soldiers stood together.

Seventy years later, one of those Jewish soldiers, Lester Tanner, recounts the defiance against the German commander.

LESTER TANNER, AMERICAN SOLDIER: And he says to Edmonds, you can't all be Jewish.

Someone said, "We're all Jews here."

And this German major, angry, takes out his luger, points it at Edmonds' head and said, "You will order " --

[05:25:00]

TANNER: -- "the Jewish American soldiers to step forward or I will shoot you right now."

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Edmonds stood his ground and the camp commander stormed off. He had saved his men. Within months, the war was over and Edmonds was home. He never shared the story before he passed away in 1985, not even with his son.

REV. CHRIS EDMONDS, SON OF WWII POW: I'd ask him from time to time as I got older as a teenager and a college age kid, Dad, tell me about your Army experience.

"Son, there's just some things I'd rather not talk about."

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Chris Edmonds discovered his father's story in a 2008 "New York Times" article about Lester Tanner selling former president Richard Nixon an apartment in the '70s.

EDMONDS: You look at your dad as a hero but I never knew he had a cape hanging in his closet. And he did.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Master Sergeant Roddy Edmonds is the first American soldier honored as "righteous among the nations," non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

Edmonds, awarded the recognition he never sought, his war which started on defeat on the battlefield, ended in victory for his men -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, India's prime minister makes a surprise stop in Pakistan. What the unexpected encounter could mean for the perpetually tense region next.

Plus, good fortune: this is what it looks like, a glimpse into an Eritrean refugee's new life in the United States. The story ahead as this broadcast continues around the globe this hour on CNN worldwide.

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us. I'm George Howell.

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HOWELL: There are some encouraging signs that the relationship between India and Pakistan may be improving. This as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first leader of his country to visit Pakistan in more than a decade.

Modi met with his counterpart Nawaz Sharif and talked about restarting a dialogue and increasing contact between their nations. But as CNN's Sumnima Udas reports, the countries have much to overcome if they are ever to be able to live side by side in peace.

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SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Any time the prime ministers of India and Pakistan meet, it becomes significant. The two countries have been arch rivals since independence nearly 70 years ago.

But India prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lahore is getting particular notice; it was a surprise layover after a visit to Kabul. It's the first time an Indian prime minister has visited Pakistan in almost 12 years.

Modi's visit with his Pakistani counterpart was brief. Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif welcomed Modi at the airport. They exchanged pleasantries over tea at Sharif's ancestral home. It also happens to be Sharif's birthday.

But is this all symbolism or is there anything more to it?

That's what many people are asking today. Relations between Pakistan and India have been tense for the past few years. The two sides weren't even talking and cross-border skirmishes have been routine. Contentious issues, like terrorism and the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir remain.

But political commentators in India say there appears to be a shift in prime minister Modi's foreign policy, vis-a-vis Pakistan. On the sidelines of COP 21 in Paris this image of Modi and Sharif talking created a lot of buzz. It was just a 2-minute meeting but it symbolized a perceived thaw in relations. Whether there is anything beyond the optics is still to be seen. But many analysts say this impromptu meet is a step in the right direction -- Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Roughly 85,000 people from around the world are expected to resettle in the United States in the coming year. This despite the fact that a number of states are speaking out against refugees coming to the U.S. But about 25,000, they will be coming from Africa. Yasmin Vossoughian spoke with a young Eritrean refugee about her new life in the U.S. in the state of Maryland.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I try a little bit?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, is that the bean dish?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this is the bedroom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this here, my father sleeps here.

And this is where my mom sleeps and my little brother. This is our room. I live with my brother. My big brother sleeps here

and my older brother, him, he sleeps here. And I sleep here.

I'm (INAUDIBLE) and I'm a Eritrean refugee.

[05:35:00]

YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You spent the last five years before you came here in a refugee camp.

And where was that refugee camp that you went to?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was (INAUDIBLE). I had to carry water every morning and I had to carry it on my back and go to my house. It was a lot of work. They even told me that I was too skinny to come here.

VOSSOUGHIAN: To come to the U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was.

When I came here, I thought I would know English like in months or something but like it took me longer, way longer.

VOSSOUGHIAN: It's a hard language to learn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought like, you know, this is never going to happen. I never thought I would talk English like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's an excellent student. Her intellect was noticed right away by a teacher who saw real potential in her and got her in touch with the merit scholarship. And if she successfully completes the program, she will get a free ride.

VOSSOUGHIAN: A free ride to where?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To a university.

VOSSOUGHIAN: So when they told you you were going to be a merit scholar, what was your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm good.

How's it going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have the special privilege of being her Soccer without Borders mentor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awesome. This is good.

VOSSOUGHIAN: Do you help Kibra (ph) and her brothers, too?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And sister, if necessary.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America has made me a better person. I love it. Mostly I love the school. And like, we have more food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

I want to become a doctor. We didn't have doctors back in the camp. Made me feel like I should be one of them and, like, help people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Thanks to Yasmin Vossoughian for that report.

A fire at a mosque in Texas is being called suspicious. The fire happened at the Islamic Center of Houston. It happened Friday after prayer. No injuries were reported. A spokeswoman from a U.S. law enforcement agency said the fire had multiple points of origin but it is still too soon to determine the cause of that fire.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, all eyes were on the U.S. presidential race this year as the candidates made headlines; many did not shy away from controversy. Coming up, the top campaign moments of 2015 as newsroom continues.

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HOWELL: In the U.S. state of Arkansas, a fire in the childhood home of former president Bill Clinton is being investigated as arson. On Friday, a driver noticed the fire in the back of the House, which is a national historic site. And the number 55 was painted on a walkway leading to the house. And a face also with a tongue sticking out was spray-painted on a door.

The U.S. presidential race took center stage in 2015 with a cast of colorful characters that are all fighting for the White House. Our Dana Bash has a look at some of the top campaign moments from the year.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) DANA BASH, CNN SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In politics, 2015 was the year of one-liners, insults, interruptions and controversy.

It was the escalator ride that changed the Republican race. Donald Trump kicked his campaign off full-on Trump style, upending the field and pretty much all traditional political rule.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime, their rapists and some, I assume, are good people.

BASH (voice-over): Those comments caused a huge backlash, especially in the Latino community, but rocketed Trump to the top of the GOP field.

And the provocative statements continued on the campaign trial. At an early event in Iowa, Trump sparked another wave of criticism after saying this about former POW, John McCain.

TRUMP: He's not a war hero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a war hero.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: He's a war hero because he was captured.

I like people that weren't captured, OK?

BASH: Many thought those remarks would mean Trump's campaign was finished, but it turns out they were the first of many so-called blunders that failed to knock him from his perch at the top of the polls.

BASH (voice-over): On the Democratic side, questions about e-mails and the Benghazi attack plagued front-runner Hillary Clinton's early campaign, culminating in a contentious 11-hour congressional hearing that backfired on Republicans and gave Clinton a boost.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who else was at your home? Were you alone?

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was alone, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole night?

CLINTON: Well, yes, the whole night.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well I don't know why that's funny. I mean, did you have any in-person briefings? I don't find it funny at all.

CLINTON: I'm sorry. A little note of levity at 7:15. BASH (voice-over): And after months of fielding questions about her e-mails, Clinton got an unexpected assist from her opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, at CNN's Democratic debate.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.

CLINTON: Thank you. Me, too. Me, too.

BASH (voice-over): That moment may have hurt Sanders' campaign, but it was great material for "Saturday Night Live."

LARRY DAVID, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": The American people are sick and tired about hearing about your damn e-mails!

BASH (voice-over): The Black Lives Matter movement was an important campaign storyline, shaping the national conversation and even shutting down a Sanders campaign event in Seattle.

BASH: The most defining moment on the Democratic side may be one that never happened.

BASH (voice-over): After months of speculation, Vice President Joe Biden decided not to run for president, solidifying Clinton's spot as at the expected Democratic nominee.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But while I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully.

BASH (voice-over): In the Republican --

[05:45:00]

BASH (voice-over): -- race, friends turned rivals on display as Jeb Bush looking to finally find some campaign mojo took on his former protege, Marco Rubio.

JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term. And you should be showing up to work. I mean, literally, the Senate, what is it, like a French workweek?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.

BASH (voice-over): Rubio bested his old mentor and Bush is ending the year with whole numbers stuck in the single digits.

While some GOP candidates shied away from taking on Trump, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina called him out during CNN's Reagan Library debate for controversial comments he made about her face.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.

BASH: From Fiorina to Trump to neurosurgeon Ben Carson, 2015 was the year of the outsider candidate.

BASH (voice-over): Carson, who has no political experience, briefly topped the Republican polls this fall, but his inspiring personal narrative of a violent past and spiritual redemption was called into question by a CNN investigation.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, when I was 14 another youngster angered me and I had a large camping knife and I tried to stab him in the abdomen with it. Fortunately, he had a large metal belt buckle under his clothing and the knife blade struck with such force that it broke and he fled in terror.

BASH (voice-over): Making great campaign material for Trump.

TRUMP: Somebody hits me with a belt, it's going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way.

BASH (voice-over): And the year ends back at the beginning with a Donald Trump shocker. After terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Trump gave this policy prescription.

TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

BASH (voice-over): Once again, those controversial comments did nothing to stop Trump's rise, but the real test for Trump is going to be on February 1st in 2016 when voters first go to the polls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Dana Bash there reporting for us.

And for the latest on the 2016 race for the White House, you can get all you need there at cnn.com/politics.

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HOWELL (voice-over): As you know, CNN's Arwa Damon often covers a variety of serious topics, everything from war to strife, but she seems to have melted at the sight of these puppies at an Arctic dogsled camp. Her visit there just ahead.

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[05:50:00]

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HOWELL: In many parts of the world, it is Boxing Day. And that means many shoppers that are hoping to score some great deals in Australia, people are expected to spend $1.7 billion on Boxing Day this year, up about 4 percent from last year. And in the U.K., experts see Boxing Day sales topping $4 billion. Online shoppers got a jump on Boxing Day, spending an estimated $1

billion, starting on Christmas Day.

And for those of you who may be hoping to return some of those holiday gifts that you don't need or don't want, CNN's Christine Romans has a few tips to help you right along. Here are her four rules for smart gift returns.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Thirty-eight percent -- 38 percent of people last year returned at least one of their holiday gifts. Once you've made the moral decision to ditch the sweater your Aunt Suzy gave you, which looks just like the sweater she gave you the year before, do it right. Four rules: number one, stay home on December 26th. The stores are just too full. The second busiest shopping day of the year by traffic.

But don't wait too long. That's number two. Know your return window. It varies by retailers and sometimes by item. Nordstrom, for example, is the gold standard. You can return something any time, receipt or not, with few exceptions. And some key retailers, though, won't expect returns after 14 days and many require a receipt for any returns or you just get store credit at the lowest sale price. Ouch.

Third, never open a store credit card. There you are. Return your gift. Picking up something you want instead and the clerk is pushing you to open a card and get another 15 percent off. Don't do it. It's one more bill to keep up with. Opening multiple specialty store cards makes you look financially weak and can ding your credit score.

Number four, cash in unwanted gift cards. There are plenty of sites that will buy your gift cards for 90 percent of the value or even more, depending on the store. A few examples, CardPool.com or GiftcardGranny.com. You can research more yourself. Just cash them in and pay down your own holiday bill.

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HOWELL: Christine Romans for us there in New York.

So after a mild Christmas in much of the world, it is nice to know that there are some places that are never short of snow. One such place is a frigid corner of Norway but the story there will warm your heart. It's where a guide introduced CNN's Arwa Damon to some really cute puppies, some dogsled puppies. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLO SANTOSEN (PH), DOGSLED GUIDE: My name is Carlo Santosen (ph). And I'm a guide, working here on a small boat (ph). And I'm a dogsled guide.

(MUSIC PLAYING) SANTOSEN (PH): What I do is I'm bringing in people from all over the world. And wintertime on sleds and in summertime and early fall on wagons.

If you have a bad morning, you get out in the dog yard. It's not possible to not be happy when you meet these dogs because they are always happy to see you.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we get a puppy?

Oh, god. (INAUDIBLE).

Do you guys like the iPhone?

Will you take a picture of him kissing my nose?

(INAUDIBLE).

Oh, look, this one's in my (INAUDIBLE).

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, my god.

Can I get my hat back?

OK. All right. (INAUDIBLE).

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I'm being overrun by cuteness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. Excuse me. I'm in the (INAUDIBLE).

Oh, thank you, (INAUDIBLE), thank you, thank you.

[05:55:00]

SANTOSEN (PH): Does it smell of pee?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Smells of puppy love.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aww.

SANTOSEN (PH): So this is the dog teams that we are going to use. So I will be driving dog team number one. Then the two of you will be driving dog team number two.

[03:25:00]

SANTOSEN (PH): They are bred to do running. It's like a sheepherding dog would love to run, herding sheep. And these dogs, they want -- they love to run and pull a wagon.

You stand on top here. You can steer this like a bike, you see. We got long row of dogs, six dogs now.

When they go to the right, you have to do the same. The dogs are the ones that decided where we are going. We use the brakes like on a bike and we can stop.

We call this harness a cross back harness. Over here. And then over the nose and then when you're walking with them, you walk like this and they are like a two-wheel drive (ph) and they are easy to control.

They always get excited when they are going to run.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

SANTOSEN (PH): I found out that I like dogs here. I always knew that I really enjoy being out in the nature and especially in the wintertime. When you start to work with the dogs, you just get so many friends in the dog yard that it's -- you just have to continue working with them because they are your best friends.

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(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: With that, we thank you for joining this hour. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For viewers in the U.S., "NEW DAY" is next. And for other viewers around the world, "AMANPOUR" starts in a moment. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.