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Holiday Travel Conditions Complicated by Winter Weather; Santa Claus is in Town; Christmas in Bethlehem; Creative Ways to Search for Employment

Aired December 24, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Here we go. Can we ramp up the music or something?
It is the nightmare before Christmas for many. Travelers trapped by winter weather, unless they're flying in a sleigh. Hint, hint. No guarantees they'll be home for the holidays.

Joining me by phone, Portland Airport spokeswoman Martha Richmond.

Martha, thanks for your time this morning.

MARTHA RICHMOND, SPOKESWOMAN, PORTLAND AIRPORT: You bet.

HARRIS: Hey, Martha, let me ask you something. How is it going for you today? Have you had to cancel any flights today because of weather issues?

RICHMOND: Actually, we have very few flights canceled today. We only had a total of eight this morning. Conditions on the runways are good and our aircraft are moving on schedule.

HARRIS: I'm wondering -- talk to us about the delays maybe you encountered yesterday. We were doing some reporting from the Pacific Northwest, and there were all kinds of problems in airports. And folks, in many cases, stranded not for one day, not for two days, but in some cases three days.

How bad did it get at your airport?

Martha, did I lose you?

I think I lost Martha.

Did we lose her?

OK.

RICHMOND: Yes.

HARRIS: Martha, are you there?

RICHMOND: Yes.

HARRIS: OK. I'm just sort of curious -- you mentioned just a moment ago that things are starting to clear up considerably for you. What has been the reason for that? Is it weather conditions? Are you able to get the equipment in, the planes in from other locations?

How would you explain it?

RICHMOND: Well, we did have a break in the weather that helped, but I think most of the credit goes to our staff and maintenance personnel, who have done a tremendous job throughout this event keeping the runways clear and things moving. On the staff level, we've had folks who have volunteered to come into the airport to help us address passenger needs with information.

During the busier periods, they were handing out toothbrushes and blankets and diapers and hygiene kits. Our stores and restaurants are all open, and we have live music during the holidays.

So we tried to make it as comfortable as we could for people. But again, we are seeing no lines. Things are moving very smoothly this morning.

HARRIS: Well, we won't belabor it. It sounds like a good news story.

And Martha, appreciate it. Thanks for your time. And Happy Holidays to you.

RICHMOND: Thank you. Same to you.

HARRIS: OK. Thank you.

RICHMOND: Bye-bye.

HARRIS: The bottom line this Christmas Eve, be prepared. Just be prepared to wait if you're trying to go anywhere.

For those traveling by plane, expect more airport delays. Bonnie Schneider is going to talk about that in just a moment.

Another swath of bad weather in the forecast for large parts of the Northwest, Midwest and also in the Northeast. Roads in those regions still very treacherous.

Northern and central Indiana coping with ice on the interstates and roadways. More than a dozen deaths are being blamed on crashes on rain and ice-slicken (ph) roads across the country.

Hundreds of wannabe passengers have been struck at bus and train stations and terminals for days due to bad roads and frozen track switches. Greyhound and Amtrak are trying hard to get folks back on schedule.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Are you in the middle of something of a travel nightmare right now? Why don't you do this -- grab your BlackBerry or some other handheld mobile device -- there are so many on the markets these days -- and send us your pictures.

As Bonnie mentioned, your iReports, your videos. Maybe tell us you tales of woe if you have one, or the good news story here. Just click on cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. You could also send it to ireport@cnn.com. And be sure to keep us posted on the latest conditions where you are, the forecasts.

And once you're there, you'll find out about travel delays throughout the day. Just stay right here at CNN.

You want to talk about a sloppy mess? We just had to show you these pictures. A wall of coal sludge invading homes in Tennessee.

It happened near the town of Kingston. That is not far from Knoxville. A retaining wall gave way at a power plant planted by the TVA. That is the Tennessee Valley Authority.

That break unleashed sludge six feet deep in some places. The goopy stew spread over 400 acres. Fifteen homes were damaged. Three homes were in some bad shape, the owners weren't allowed back in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's a disaster. It's an absolute disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sludge, ash, whatever they want to call it, it's pretty much everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the worst part is the stuff that we can't see, the houses that are washed away that we can just see pictures of from the helicopter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it blew, it rushed way down one valley and then back-flowed back out and then came down here and took everything else with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, an environmental attorney says the sludge from combusted coal is filled with mercury, arsenic and benzine. That's a nasty cocktail. The TVA say tests must be done before that conclusion can be reached.

Rescued from the raging waters, a driver stranded by the swift current from a massive water main break described the harrowing ordeal. It was unfolding, as you'll recall, this time yesterday in Cabin John, Maryland.

Today, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," John Roberts talked with two people whose car got caught up in the wall of water and debris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The car was actually moving from the water? HERBERT DERIENZO, RESCUED FROM WATER MAIN BREAK: All the cars were. All of the cars -- all of the cars were moving I guess with that force of the water. It was causing that.

ROBERTS: Oh my goodness. And what was...

DERIENZO: So I told Maria that I was...

ROBERTS: Go ahead.

DERIENZO: Say that...

ROBERTS: Go ahead.

DERIENZO: I was telling Maria that the car was going sideways, and I didn't want the rocks and the force of the water to turn the car sideways. So I tried to keep the car facing the water because the engine is in the front.

ROBERTS: Oh my goodness. And what was going through your mind at that time?

DERIENZO: To keep the car straight and to keep the windows up so the water wouldn't come in, because it was coming through the hood (ph), on the windshield.

ROBERTS: Oh my.

And Maria, que piensas? I mean, were you scared?

MARIA DERIENZO, RESCUED FROM WATER MAIN BREAK: Yes. Yes, of course.

H. DERIENZO: I think we both were scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Absolutely.

Firefighters used a helicopter and boats to rescue nine people. Several others escaped on their own.

Well, where is the shot? Let me see the man himself.

Look who dropped by. Santa Claus is right there.

Santa, can you hear me OK?

Santa, it is great to see you.

Santa live inside the CNN headquarters. Dancer and Prancer, I understand, are on the roof taking a bit of a breather.

The CNN family brought in their kids, as you can see, to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

And Santa, I see you have a young child on your lap there. I'll give you a moment to talk to that child.

SANTA CLAUS: OK. Thank you.

So what would you like for Christmas this year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super (INAUDIBLE).

CLAUS: All right. What else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing else.

CLAUS: Nothing else? That's all for this year? You sure?

Look at me, babe. That's all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CLAUS: All right. Well, we'll see what we can do this year. OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CLAUS: Give me five. All right. Thanks for coming by.

HARRIS: Oh, Santa, that was terrific.

Santa, can I ask you a quick question?

CLAUS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: Here's the thing, Santa. We are really depending on you this year. You know, these are tough days in a tough economy, and a lot of parents are pretty strapped right now.

CLAUS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: My question is, have you ordered the elves into overtime production on toys for all the kids who are counting on a lot of toys tomorrow?

CLAUS: Yes, sir. They're working very hard right now.

HARRIS: Santa, I love that. We're going to come back and talk to you in just a couple of minutes. I've got a bunch of questions for you.

CLAUS: All right.

HARRIS: And I'm a little nervous because you're not making really good eye contact with me. Maybe you know something about my year. Maybe I haven't been as good as I should have been.

CLAUS: You've had some rough days there.

HARRIS: You know! You know!

We're back with Santa in a moment.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If you were with us just a moment ago, I was talking to Santa, and I mentioned that Santa wasn't making eye contact with me, avoiding me a little bit. And Santa mentioned that I had a couple of rough days. He's absolutely right about that.

But Santa, I see you have a child on your lap who I believe has had some great days this year.

CLAUS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: I'll give you an opportunity to talk to that beautiful child.

CLAUS: OK.

What would you like for Christmas this year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A couch.

CLAUS: A what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A couch.

CLAUS: A couch? OK. We can see about that.

What else? You said stuffed reindeer a while ago? Yes? What else? Is that all you can think about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.

CLAUS: All right. Give me five here.

HARRIS: Merry Christmas.

Hey, Santa, I'm going to give you an opportunity to grab one of your books. I know you want to read a story to the young people. As I do, I'm just sort of curious -- what are your thoughts? Any special thoughts for the young boys and girls this year as they look forward to the big day tomorrow?

CLAUS: Yes. Just continue to be good, OK? Help out around the house.

HARRIS: There you go.

CLAUS: And I think everybody will enjoy what they have in store for them tomorrow.

HARRIS: All right, Santa. If you're ready, go ahead. Read a bit of the story you have for the boys and girls.

CLAUS: All right.

"'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Everybody see the picture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have (INAUDIBLE).

CLAUS: Oh, OK.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads."

"Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore up the shutters and threw up the sash."

HARRIS: Santa is going to continue to read to the young people. We're going to sneak in here and take a quick break.

Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Tourism and traffic, maybe vacancies at the inn. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: No room at the inn. Bethlehem says all 3,000 hotel rooms are booked for Christmas week. Tourists are returning after an ebb in violence there. The mayor predicts quadruple the number from last year.

A few hours from now, pilgrims celebrate Christmas mass at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, a sign of the times. The service will be streamed live on the Internet.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shebat (ph) a Palestinian rock band, performs in Bethlehem's Lutheran Church before the town's dwindling Christian community.

Pastor Mitri Raheb struggles to keep spirits up.

MITRI RAHEB, PASTOR, BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH: For me, the most important thing is to create room for hope and spaces where hope can flourish. And so what you see actually tonight here is exactly giving them this opportunity to listen to Christmas music, to have a culture where they can be uplifted and not just thinking of all the things around them that are depressing.

WEDEMAN: Most depressing for Bethlehem's residents, Christians and Muslims, is the wall Israel has built around the town, officially to stop suicide bombers from reaching nearby Jerusalem. The wall, plus war occupation and uprisings, have crippled Bethlehem and convinced many of the town's Christians to leave.

Behind the Church of the Nativity, many of the Christian-owned shops are shut.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You (INAUDIBLE) something. Please.

WEDEMAN (on camera): No. No.

(voice-over): George Babul (ph) has been working in this shop for the last 42 years. He says most of his sales are sent directly abroad. Customers here are few and far between.

Down the street, Epiphany Tabbash is having yet another slow day.

EPIPHANY TABBASH, STORE OWNER: I'm here day by night. My house is five minutes from here. I'm open until 8:00 in the evening. Nothing. I don't see nothing from tourists.

WEDEMAN: Tourists aren't coming in near record numbers. But like these Russians, they're bussed in, take a few snapshots, go to the Church of the Nativity and then leave.

Bethlehem today is a predominantly Muslim town. Relations between Christians and Muslims sometimes tense. But it's a topic few here are eager to discuss on camera.

On the outskirts of town, a show of Muslim-Christian unity. A small group representing both communities protests Israeli efforts to confiscate Palestinian land for Jewish settlement. For the Christians of Bethlehem, the holiday season is a bittersweet time to celebrate, but also to ponder how tenuous their presence here has become.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Bethlehem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Very quickly, we want to show you this picture. Tower cam shot of Sea-Tac, Seattle's airport.

We're getting a report that some passengers there are very uncomfortable right now, at least a few are, because of fumes from de- icing fluid that apparently got into the eyes there. And they're being treated. We don't know if they're being treated just there at the airport or if they've been taken to a local hospital for treatment, but fumes from some de-icing fluid got into the eyes of passengers at Sea-Tac airport.

We are just going to keep an eye on the situation. You can see all of the personnel on the tarmac there.

We'll get some more information. This information that we do have is coming from public relations there at Sea-Tac. And we'll bring you an update as soon as we get a little more clarity on the information that we are getting.

Santa Claus here at CNN for just a couple of minutes more. And there he is talking to young people.

Santa...

CLAUS: Yes, sir?

HARRIS: Take it away.

CLAUS: So what would you like for Christmas this year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An iPod.

CLAUS: An iPod. OK. What else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A blanket.

CLAUS: A blanket? It's getting cold outside?

All right. What else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.

CLAUS: Nothing? All right. Give me five there.

HARRIS: Awesome.

CLAUS: All right. We'll see what we can do this year. OK?

HARRIS: Hey, Santa is talking to the young people, finding out what they want. And they've all been great kids.

We're going to take a break. We're going to come back and spend some more time with Santa. He's got to leave pretty soon.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And very quickly, we want to take you back to Seattle. And this is the Seattle Airport right now.

I've got to tell you, we had been watching this situation for the better part of 15, 20 minutes before we had any kind of indication as to what was really going on. From this tower cam shot, we were able to see all of the emergency personnel there on the tarmac.

And we started making calls just to find out what was going on. Finally got an answer from the public relations folks there at Sea- Tac.

Apparently, fumes from the de-icing fluid connected to one plane at one gate, obviously, got into the eyes of some of the passengers there and caused all kinds of discomfort, as you can imagine. I'm not sure right now if those passengers are being treated there at the airport. Two people -- I'm just getting additional information that two people are in pretty serious condition right now.

We actually have 24 who are noncritical, but we actually have another 16 passengers who were injured. And we're still trying to figure out how this actually happened.

Obviously, the planes have to be de-iced. And we don't know -- OK, I'm getting some -- thanks, Kelly (ph). I'm getting information that somehow or another, the de-icing -- the fumes from the de-icing fluid made their way into the ventilation system, and people on the plane obviously were impacted.

So we have a number of people in critical condition because of this right now being treated. A number of others who are seriously going through some discomfort, as you would imagine right now. And a lot of the passengers on that particular plane are OK.

So we will keep an eye on that situation and bring you additional information and updates as we get them here in the NEWSROOM.

And a little more information now on Christmas Eve travel. In some spots, Sea-Tac right now, a nightmare. More than 100 flights canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this morning. That's in addition to the more than 500 flights canceled yesterday. Airlines scrambling to rebook holiday travelers.

Those dreaming of a white Christmas in Oregon will definitely get their wish. Portland looks like a real winter wonderland right now, but businesses are pretty bummed. Officials say one of the worst storms to hit the state in decades has really slowed an already sluggish shopping season.

People are digging out of the snow in Arizona. In Arizona? Boy. Embracing for more brutal winter weather. A strong Pacific storm is expected to bring intense bursts of snow, rain and strong winds.

Enough of me talking about the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Big storm coming in, as Tony mentioned. This is going to bring wind and blowing snow. So we have winter weather advisories well in place straight into the evening hours.

And we want to hear from you. So send us your i-Reports, send it to ireport.com. Tell us your travel stories, and especially your weather pictures.

Because Tony, we're seeing just about everything weather-wise around the country for this Christmas Eve.

HARRIS: Well, yes and particularly at Sea-Tac right now in Seattle. We pass along the information just a moment ago, a little old school with our executive producer Kelly (ph) just giving me the information in my ear. Got some more concrete information now Harry Cooper (ph) who is the public information officer at Sea-Tac airport, who says apparently de-icing solution was sucked into one of the planes there through the plane's ventilation system. And some passengers are reporting eye irritation.

There are two people now in critical condition, 24 other passengers are in noncritical states, 16 passengers with no injuries at all. And we're talking about an Alaska airlines flight. Don't have the flight number. But clearly some passengers on that particular plane going through a lot of discomfort right now.

And we will continue to update that story for you right here in the NEWSROOM.

Some business news now. If you like the steep discounts on Black Friday, you might really get excited about what you will see this Friday. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.

Alison, good morning to you.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Tony.

Some retailers are already focusing on what will happen after Christmas, and Christmas isn't even here yet. And they are gearing up for some big sales that may dwarf the discounts we saw on Black Friday. Tony, now, I know you want some examples. So here goes.

Toys "R" Us is already touting some huge deals, including an $82 race set to sell for about 20 bucks. How about that?

HARRIS: I love that.

KOSIK: Yes. It will also have table games originally around 240 bucks for $132 on December 26th.

HARRIS: Give me, give me.

KOSIK: Yes. yes. At JCPenney, stores will open at 5:30 in the morning. Jewelry will be 50 to 75 percent off. Bedding will be on sale for 40 to 60 percent off. I know it sounds a lot like Black Friday, but I tell you it isn't. It's the Friday after Christmas.

And for many retailers, it's a matter of limiting holiday sales to bad and avoiding disasters at this point.

HARRIS: Well Alison, obviously this sounds like great news for consumers. But I'm sure this is another sign of a pretty weak economy.

KOSIK: It is. You know, you think about the fundamentals behind all these huge sales. People are migrating from the checkout line to the unemployment line. The number of people applying for jobless benefits last week rose to a 26-year.

Also, the government reports personal income fell more than half of 1 percent in November. That's the fifth straight monthly decline. It's not only worrisome for retailers, but for the economy as a whole. It can create this vicious cycle where the economy stalls, more people are laid off and spending drops even more. That becomes very dire, of course.

Stocks though are not in a downward spiral. Let's take a look right now. The Dow up 30 points. The Nasdaq is up a fraction and the S&P 500 is up too. The Dow is trying to snap a five session losing streak. We'll see if it can pull that off. The session does end early today, though, around 1:00.

So keep that mind. It is closed tomorrow -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Alison, appreciate it. Good to see you. Thank you.

KOSIK: Good to see you, too.

HARRIS: And Happy Holidays to you.

KOSIK: You too.

HARRIS: Well now, you know he has the skills and the time. All he really needs is a bit of work.

CNN's John Zarrella tells us how one man turned his luck around, helping others along the way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is literally a sign of the times. Joe Cappelluzo, a carpenter, was out of work but not ideas. So he came here, to Interstate 95, with this sign. And it turned out, the idea wasn't bad at all.

(voice-over): Even before the economy went belly-up, Joseph Cappelluzo stretched every dollar he made working as a carpenter.

JOE CAPPELLUZO, CARPENTER: Lettuce, carrots, parsnips, in the back is 12 tomato plants.

ZARRELLA: His backyard is a vegetable garden. It saves money on groceries. His wife, Judith, hangs their laundry to dry. Less electricity used, and the clothes last longer.

The Cappelluzo's share their two-bedroom, one-bathroom house with five kids who they home school. At mealtime, everyone helps out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just peel it for now, and then cut it in a second (ph).

ZARRELLA: But as resourceful as Joseph is, there was no getting around it when his carpentry work dried up.

CAPPELLUZO: I was fearful. I mean, I would wake up in the middle of the night with pains in my stomach, like am I going to have work today?

ZARRELLA: So, on his 46th birthday, Cappelluzo did the unimaginable. He took his family down to this highway on-ramp and held up a sign. Joseph said he wasn't looking for a handout. CAPPELLUZO: Every time somebody offered me money, I was like, no. I just -- if you have need for a carpenter, here's my information. Please consider me.

ZARRELLA: The "Miami Herald" did a story. Work poured in from readers. So did offers for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents for his kids.

Some jobs Joseph wasn't able to do or in place where he isn't licensed to work, so he found carpenters like him hurting for work. Danny Walsh was one.

DANNY WALSH, CARPENTER: We got some leads from Joseph Cappelluzo.

ZARRELLA: Every little bit helps.

WALSH: If we dig down and help each other through this, we'll all make it. That's really been the American way.

ZARRELLA: Joseph has more work now, enough to keep him going for a while. But he said it's never been just about him.

CAPPELLUZO: You have your neighbors on both sides of you and across the street, and if they're not doing good, then you're not doing good, even if you're loaded. That's just the way I feel.

ZARRELLA: Cappelluzo is far from loaded, but he's hammering out a better life a day at a time.

(on camera): Cappelluzo says business isn't what it once was in south Florida, but he is booked up now until the end of February. And that means his family is going to have a much better holiday than they ever thought they would.

John Zarrella, CNN, Hollywood, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: How about this? A Secret Santa gets kicked out of a Wal-Mart in Connecticut for sharing the Christmas spirit. Barry Goldberg says he was asked to leave for giving out gift cards he purchased inside the store.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY GOLDBERG, SECRET SANTA: They asked me, well, where did I get these cards? Well, I bought them from your store 20 minutes ago. Well, what are you doing? I said, I'm giving out gift cards. It's the holidays. It's -- the right thing to do is to give, isn't it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, that's not the end of the story. Goldberg tells us the happy ending when he joins us -- yes -- live in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. The year's naughtiest politician? Hands down it is Rod Blagojevich. 56 percent of people asked in the CNN Opinion Research Poll picked the Illinois governor. Nearly a quarter thought it was New York's former governor, Eliot Spitzer, nabbed in a prostitution sting last March. Finally, there's John Edwards. The former senator, presidential and vice presidential candidate, cheated on his wife, Elizabeth.

The embattled governor of Illinois is accused of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. But an internal report by the Obama team says there were no inappropriate discussions between the president-elect's staff and the governor. Senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, traveling with the president-elect, live now from Honolulu.

And, Ed, something tells me this report from the Obama team is not going to be the last word on this affair.

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think you're right, Tony.

In fact, it arrived -- when it was delivered, it arrived pretty much as expected, except for one big surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): There was one bombshell. Even before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama quietly sat down for an interview last week with federal prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, to tell all he knew about contact with embattled Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, who is engulfed in a criminal investigation over whether he was auctioning off Obama's old Senate seat.

It's extremely rare for an incoming president to be interviewed in a criminal matter. But transition officials stress there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Obama or his aides Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, who were also interviewed by the U.S. attorney.

JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: I don't think there's anything to exonerate.

HENRY: Obama officials note their internal probe shows the president-elect had, "...no contact or communication..." with the governor or his staff about the Senate seat.

Top Obama aide Rahm Emanuel did have one or two telephone calls with the governor. But one was a courtesy head's up that he was going to be White House chief of staff. In the second call, Emanuel recommended Blagojevich appoint Obama friend, Valerie Jarrett. But the report says Emanuel did that -- quote --"before learning in further conversations with the president-elect, that the president- elect had ruled out communicating a preference for his successor."

Emanuel pulled back after Jarrett agreed to take a top White House job instead. And transition officials from Vice President-elect Joe Biden on down stress the conversations were not improper. BIDEN: It's been clear that the president-elect has had no contact with Blagojevich and/or anyone on his team. That -- he's asserted and you'll soon find the report being released today that there is no inappropriate contact by any member of the Obama staff or the transition team with Blagojevich.

HENRY: The report does reveal that after Jarrett removed herself from consideration, Emmanuel speak several times with a top Blagojevich aide about the seat.

But the Obama camp maintains there was never a quid pro quo. The governor's aide did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the governor in exchange for the Senate appointment.

Now the transition team is trying to turn the page. On the same day of the report's release, they scheduled a Biden event on the economy.

Not that they're trying to change the subject or anything.

BIDEN: We need a robust and sustained economic recovery package.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: But since this is an Obama team report about the Obama team's conduct, as you said Tony, it's unlikely to be the final word. That last word is to going to come from the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, as this case plays out in the months ahead.

HARRIS: That's right.

All right, Ed Henry. Ed, good to see you.

HENRY: Thank you. Happy holidays to you.

HARRIS: The big man's in the house. Where is that picture? Santa Claus, the one and only making a quick stop here at CNN. We will check in just a moment before he has to jet -- I'm to sleigh out of here. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Santa Claus is in the house and mixing it up with the CNN family here. All the kids. Let's take a shot of Santa. Can you get Santa over there?

Santa, how are the kids? Have they been good for you this hour, the last two hours you've been with us? Have they been good?

SANTA CLAUS: Oh yes. The kids have been excellent, great group.

HARRIS: Hey Santa, I've got one more quick question for you, if I could. I'm just wondering if you have any thoughts for the military families this year, particularly the ones with military personnel in harm's way. Of course, I'm thinking Iraq and Afghanistan.

SANTA CLAUS: Yes, our hearts go out to all those people out there. We support them in what they're doing for this great country.

HARRIS: That's terrific, Santa. I know you've got to hit the road. You've got a lot of work ahead of you.

SANTA CLAUS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: A long day, a long night. Santa, thank you.

SANTA CLAUS: Thank you for having me out here today.

HARRIS: Thank you so much. Kids, what do you think about Santa? Awesome? Do we love Santa, yes, we love Santa. Santa, safe travels, all right?

SANTA CLAUS: Yes, sir. Our best to the elves and all the reindeer. We appreciate it.

HARRIS: Hey, we want to give you another quick update on the situation at Sea-Tac airport, obviously that's in Seattle.

Again, this is the tower shot. Some of the emergency personnel that were lined up on the tarmac just a short time ago, three, four, five deep are starting to clear that particular airplane. It is an Alaska Airlines flight of particular concern right now. Apparently deicing solution was sucked into the plane through the ventilation system.

Some passengers reporting eye irritation. And Bonnie Schneider is joining me now.

There are at least two people we understand who are in critical condition. 24 passengers are pretty much OK. And going through a difficult time with the irritation, to be sure. 16 people without injuries at all who will probably be moving on with their travel plans for the rest of the day. But that was a tricky situation we were following for the last 45 minutes, close to an hour now, as we knew there was a lot of activity there. It took us a while to get the information. But as you can see, and these are uncommon conditions for the Seattle area.

Am I correct in that, Bonnie?

SCHNEIDER: That's right. It's an unusually snowy season so far for Seattle. Typically we see more of a cold rain in Seattle.

The temperature have been teetering on the freezing mark most of the morning. So, you're seeing the snow that accumulated early this morning because its been snowing for quite some time. And now we're about 33 degrees.

We start to see that snow change over to rain. But it's still severely cold. And unusually cold this time of year and unusually snowy.

Not just in Seattle but Portland, too. And we have lots of airport delays to tell you about right now for those of that are traveling on this Christmas eve. You'll find them in Chicago, Newark, New Jersey, in San Francisco and in Houston due to thunderstorms.

We're also anticipating even more delays in Cincinnati and St. Louis, also in Portland and Seattle due to the snow and the low clouds.

So, it's going to be a tough trip for a lot of folks because of inclement weather. We're seeing it across the country with snowy conditions in Milwaukee and Chicago. Rain from Cleveland all the way down through Memphis and a lot of planes in the air right now. We have well over 4,400 planes reaching their destination.

A lot of flights got off on time. But as you can see, Tony, there's a lot volume. And one of the delays we were reporting in Philadelphia was due to just volume. You can see the reason why when you look at the picture.

HARRIS: Well over 4,000?

SCHNEIDER: Yes. Well over 4,000.

HARRIS: Man, that is something.

Bonnie, thank you.

You know, a lot of people are stuck and having real difficulties getting to their final destination for Christmas. We asked you earlier this hour to send us your stories, your pictures, your video. We've got some e-mails. We've got a moment? I want to read a couple of them to you.

This is from Maria who writes us: Delta Airlines out of LaGuardia has overbooked every flight out of here since, even since 6:00 a.m. Every passenger is on standby on the next flight after they get bumped but cannot get on any flights. So, we will never get out of here today. There is nowhere even to sit in the airport because so many folks are on standby, wandering around all day.

Marissa, thanks for that. We hope the situation clears up for you quickly. Doesn't sound like it will.

Mike sent us this e-mail. Here is Vancouver, Canada. I guess that is here in Vancouver, Canada. Car is frozen in ice. A very rare winter for sure.

And how about this from Jeff?

I think you are missing another big story here. How all the weather is affecting all the Christmas presents that are supposed to be delivered by the UPS and FedEx. I ordered a package that was supposed to be delivered on Monday; it will not be delivered until Friday. The reason they gave was due to adverse weather conditions. I am in Virginia. So, we don't even have snow on the ground and yet we're being impacted by the weather conditions.

Hey, if you've got some thoughts you'd like to share with us, just send them to the CNN NEWSROOM at CNN.com. Your pictures, your videos, any story that you'd like tell us, and we'll turn around some of your e-mails and get them on the air next hour.

Getting to the office to reach out to others. How far a star is helping a CNN hero. That's next.

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HARRIS: Celebrity activists, there's Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Bono, Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, and the list goes on. Now, during the season of giving, another star is putting his name behind a global cause.

Here's CNN'S Kareen Wynter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He plays a scheming antagonist on NBC's popular hit comedy, The Office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to randomly select three names, and these three people will get liposuction.

WYNTER: But there's more to actor Rainn Wilson than meets the eye. Some say he has a heart of gold. That's because of his recent contributions off screen and his partnership with this man, Aaron Jackson, a 2007 CNN Hero's nominee recognized for his relief efforts in Haiti. Wilson read about Jackson's charity on CNN.com.

AARON JACKSON, PRESIDENT, PLANTING PEACE: I probably got over 1,000 e-mails that day, you know, from the CNN piece. I saw an e-mail from him basically saying -- telling me who he was and that he would like to help participate.

WYNTER: Jackson says the help couldn't come soon enough. His organization Planting Peace set out on a mission five years ago to help children plagued by intestinal parasites due to poor sanitation.

JACKSON: When it comes to fighting famine, there is nothing better that you could introduce into a community, deworming medication. The average parasite eats up to 20 percent of a child's nutritional intake every day.

WYNTER: Inspired by Jackson's work, Wilson decided to get involved with Planting Peace by hosting a luncheon to raise money and awareness.

RAINN WILSON, ACTOR: In the end of the year, people are thinking about tax deductible donations. Let me just throw a little brunch somewhere in L.A. And we'll get some people to come and hopefully some people with a little money to contribute.

WYNTER: Wilson says he's still amazed at just how much Jackson was willing to give up for a greater cause.

WILSON: Rich parents, rich community in Florida. Took a trip to Central America and for the first time in his life in his early 20s saw suffering. And saw starvation, and at the tender age of 22, 23 years old decided, I'm going to devote my life to helping children of these communities, and he sacrificed all the comforts and all the good of his life for the children of Haiti.

WYNTER (on-camera): Jackson says this year alone Planting Peace will help five million people, thanks to medications that are saving lives.

The goal next year he says, is to increase that number to 28 million. You can learn more about this fascinating organization at Planting peace.org.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You can impact your world by just reaching out to your neighborhood, and just logon to CNN.com/impact to learn more about various organizations doing great work.

Santa's been with us here in the NEWSROOM for the last, oh, two hours and apparently in your neighborhood this Christmas eve. Our i- reporters bringing several Santa sightings.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANTA CLAUS: Because Mrs. Claus makes me a lot of sweet foods that I like. They all say that I eat too much. All the candy and cookies and cakes that are made, so good. I can't resist. I've never been able to go on a diet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town.

SANTA CLAUS: Love life, enjoy it, treat everybody (INAUDIBLE). And have a Merry Christmas because Christmas is a beautiful time of year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How about this? A Secret Santa handing out gift cards is told to leave the store. What is going on here?

He joins us live in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

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