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Harsh Realities for Obama; Military Brings Taste of Christmas to War Zone; Memo to President;

Aired December 25, 2008 - 12:01   ET

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

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: It is Thursday, December 25th. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Thanks for spending part of your Christmas Day with us and bringing us into your living room on this day.

I'm Richard Lui, in today for Tony Harris.

First off for you, Pope Benedict XVI saying the world needs solidarity, not selfishness, during these tough economic times. The pope delivered his Christmas message to the crowd gathered outside St. Peter's Basilica.

Earlier, following the pope's Christmas Eve message, a bystander jumped the barrier as he headed down the aisle. She was quickly tackled by security. The Vatican had no word on her identity.

You know, tourism is up considerably this Christmas Day in Bethlehem. Worshippers gathered at the Church of the Nativity. It sits on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Bethlehem saw an uptick in tourism this season for the first time since the 2000 millennium. That's due to the relative calm in the West Bank.

And it is an eighth Christmas in Afghanistan for the U.S. military. Troops at Bagram Air Base were treated to a traditional Christmas feast. And so far it's been a peaceful Christmas. No major incidents are reported.

A somber Christmas though for British troops. A British marine was killed Christmas Eve.

Then to Iraq. The military saying a U.S. soldier died today from wounds suffered in an attack near the city of Mosul. The service and sacrifices of troops and their families was recognized by President- elect Obama in a message of thanks to the U.S. military.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Many troops are serving their second, third, or even fourth tour of duty. And we are reminded that they are more than dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard. They're devoted fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. This holiday season, their families celebrate with the joy that's muted knowing that a loved one is absent and sometimes in danger. In towns and cities across America, there is an empty seat at the dinner table. In distant bases and on ships at sea, our servicemen and women can only wonder of the look on their child's faces as they open up a gift back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: The president-elect is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, resting up for challenges he'll face once he takes office. And the challenges, they're enormous.

Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry looks at the road ahead for Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it the Hawaiian honeymoon. President-elect Barack Obama riding high with the American people. And it's easy to see why. He scored an historic election victory, moved swiftly to pick a high-powered White House staff that's basically run a mistake-free transfer to power so far, and assembled a relatively centrist cabinet that's won rave reviews from even leading conservatives.

STEPHEN HAYES, SR. WRITER, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": He's made some interesting, I think, wise cabinet choices, but I think the real proof will come when he has to make policy choices. And then I think we run into this question of how is he governing and how do people react to that?

HENRY: Indeed, the challenges ahead are enormous, with President Bush handing off a mountain of problems, starting with a deepening global financial crisis. So the transition team is scrambling to craft an even bigger economic recovery package than expected.

JOSEPH BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Over 10 million people are officially unemployed, and millions more are unable to find enough work to keep their paychecks from slipping from what they've been. And this deterioration in the nation's unemployment situation has led the president-elect to instruct our economic team, some of which are assembled here today, to raise the goal of our stimulus plan from 2.5 million jobs to three million new jobs to be created over the next two years.

HENRY: And on national security, Obama's so-called team of rivals will be grappling with a long list of international hot spots.

DAN BENJAMIN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The tasks ahead are quite daunting. If you look at Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Middle East peace process, financial crisis, you know, we could continue for quite awhile. This is not a set of tasks for the -- you know, for the faint of heart. And so I'm pleased to see that the president-elect is assembling a capable and dynamic team. HENRY (on camera): Another round of golf for President-elect Obama. This is really his last chance to recharge the batteries before eventually heading back to Washington where the in-box in that Oval Office is just bursting with all kinds of challenges.

Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: President Bush is spending Christmas at Camp David with his family. They will feast on a traditional holiday meal of turkey and dressing. The president spent part of Christmas Eve phoning U.S. forces stationed around the world. The White House says he thanked the troops for their continued sacrifices and wished them a Merry Christmas and happy new year.

U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are no doubt missing their families back home this holiday. So the military is trying to bring a little taste of Christmas to the war zone.

Our Jill Dougherty takes us to Camp Liberty in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're talking with Sergeant 1st Class Demitress Jackson. He's the manager of the DFAC (ph), these dining facilities here.

And tell me, this is a big production.

SGT. 1st CLASS DEMITRESS JACKSON, U.S. ARMY: Yes, ma'am.

DOUGHERTY: I mean, how many meals are you going to make?

We're probably going to serve about 3,500 soldiers today.

DOUGHERTY: Really, 3,500? And how long does it take to prepare for all of this?

JACKSON: Well, including the decoration, the decorations can take months. But usually the preparation of the decorations, the meal itself, all together, we start about early to late November. And it goes on with the Styrofoam, the painting. Then a meal is prepared, of course, tonight before, you know, as early as 05:00 in the morning.

DOUGHERTY: And how many staff do you have working and cooking?

JACKSON: We have 150 GCC workers, along with 18 -- right now we have 18 food service personnel that are military, including myself. Another assistant of mine, and then we have about 16 E6s (ph) and below that are working on this.

DOUGHERTY: Boy. So it really is a big operation. Do you have to order in special food or is this kind of...

JACKSON: Yes, this is food out of Kuwait. And it's shipped. And like I said, we order it, and then we get pieces of it come in. And we go to the inventory, make sure we're getting all those special items, especially like the turkey, the fresh turkey and things of that nature.

DOUGHERTY: Fresh turkey. Not dressing?

JACKSON: We have fresh turkeys like mama would make it.

DOUGHERTY: You can see the line is getting pretty long here in back of me. They're all waiting in line to get this Christmas dinner complete with turkey. And it's not only the people who eat here in the dining facility that get dinner. They're actually going to pack it up and deliver it to some of the soldiers that are at forward operating bases outside.

This is a real Christmas dinner. They have down here prime rib, roasted turkey, smoked turkey, baked ham, fried chicken, cornbread, and they even have crab legs.

And believe it or not, this is actually ice in Iraq. One of the chefs is able to sculpt all of this, but I think it's already melting.

And what's Christmas without some Christmas carols?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Happy holidays to all those who are celebrating there in Baghdad, as well as in Iraq.

Meanwhile, outside of that facility, militants in Baghdad are not taking a holiday from violence today. Iraq's Interior Ministry says a car bombing killed four people and wounded 26. A popular restaurant was targeted here. The U.S. military reports one person was killed in this attack.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: No bones about it. The thief that hit this store new exactly what he was after, and it was all caught on tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: All right.

British residents have dueling Christmas messages to listen to today. Britain's Queen Elizabeth delivered her annual message, while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will give an alternative address on British TV later today. In a transcript released in advance, Ahmadinejad says most of the world's problems stem from leaders who have turned against religion. A leading British Jewish group calls the planned broadcast appalling.

Memo to President-elect Barack Obama: Here's how to deal with rogue nations who may threaten U.S. security.

State Department correspondent Zain Verjee has the details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mr. President, on the diplomatic radar, two nations the U.S. considers rogues, Iran and North Korea, the most menacing. The choices, confrontation backed by military threats, or pressure and persuade as the U.S. did with Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, getting him to turn away from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

Robert Litwak has studied so-called rogue nations and says a new president must avoid mixed messages.

ROBERT LITWAK, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: Make clear that the U.S. objective is to change the behavior of the regime and not the regime itself.

VERJEE: The challenge with Iran, make its leaders like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comfortable enough to step back from the nuclear brink and to negotiate. There could be an opening to talk. Iran is feeling the pinch of lower oil prices. Elections are around the corner. And if an offer to talk is rebuffed.

LITWAK: Develop better carrots and better sticks in dealing with these hard cases and to go allies for meaningful sanctions against they two states if they should continue to not comply with international norms.

VERJEE: On North Korea, the question is how hard do you push Pyongyang to finally comply with the current deal to dismantle its nuclear program and reveal all its nuclear secrets?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He won't have to start at ground zero. He can take the negotiations where they left off and hopefully have a complete agreement before too long.

VERJEE: Close to home two states also considered rogues. There's a chance for a breakthrough moment in Cuba. Will the trade and travel embargo be lifted after decades of isolation? And Venezuela, Hugo Chavez has been a thorn in the U.S. side. Should the U.S. accept the offer for talks with the authoritarian leader?

(on camera): Danger may be lurking in the friends column, too, like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Both allies in the war on terror, but also breed extremism.

Zain Verjee, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: In a rare reversal, President Bush revoked a pardon he had granted only a day before. That's after he learned in news reports of political contributions to Republicans by the pardoned man's father.

Isaac Robert Toussie had been convicted of making false statements to the government and mail fraud. On Tuesday, the president pardoned 19 people. Now that number stands at 18. We're not sure if President Bush will give him a pardon, but a four-legged friend is on the lam today. You see right here he was caught on tape, well, shoplifting.

John Hollenhorst from CNN's Salt Lake City affiliate KSL dishes up this tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN HOLLENHORST, KSL REPORTER (voice-over): At Smith's Food and Drug in Murray, a popular place these days, is the manager's office where they have the surveillance video.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You had to see it to believe it, but it happened. So, it's crazy.

HOLLENHORST: A suspicious character entered through the front door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen him shop before. A brand-new customer. Didn't even have his fresh value card.

HOLLENHORST: What happened next is already becoming legend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How likely is that for a dog to walk into a store, go down a pet aisle, get his bone and walk out?

HOLLENHORST: Let's reconstruct the crime a step at a time.

Entering at the checkout aisle, he approached a young girl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just kind of sniffed the customer up and then he headed down the aisle.

HOLLENHORST: At that point had he a decision to make -- left, no dog food; right, dog food. He turned right and went straight to aisle 16.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dog food aisle. He knew where he was headed.

HOLLENHORST (on camera): There are so many fun Christmas presents he could have picked. I mean, look at this. This one even lights up. But he seemed to know exactly what he was after.

(voice-over): He grabbed a rawhide bone like this and headed down the aisle only to be confronted by the manager.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked at him, I said, "Drop it." I decided I wanted to keep all my fingers, so I didn't try to take it from him. And he looked at me and I looked at him, and he ran for the door and away he went. Right out the front door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that dog go.

HOLLENHORST: Expert Marshall Tanner (ph) says the culprit's sense of smell is 100,000 times better than the typical crook.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He smelled the rawhide bone, grabbed it, and walked out of the store, thereby being a shoplifting dog.

HOLLENHORST: At last word, he was still at large, presumably enjoying his Christmas gift.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's enjoying the heck out of it.

HOLLENHORST: John Hollenhorst, Eyewitness News, Murray.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Horrible, horrible stuff there. All right.

Hard times mean many are going hungry. One restaurant owner in Florida knows what that's like firsthand, so he is trying to help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Yes, those are the magicians that make it happen every hour right here on CNN. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, no doubt.

You know, if you get a check from a federal judge in Philadelphia, do not trash it. The Better Business Bureau saying the checks, they're the real deal. They're part of a $150 million telemarketing fraud settlement with Wachovia. Seven hundred and forty-two thousand customers are getting these checks this month. They start at the sum of $149.

So, the sale of IndyMac may be imminent. The FDIC has run the thrift since it failed last July under the weight of bad mortgages. "The American Banker," a trade paper, and "Los Angeles Times" both report a deal is near.

The buyer was not named as of yet. The FDIC says it will probably spend close to $9 billion protecting the deposits of IndyMac customers.

A small businessman knows what it's like to be down and out. He's been there before. Now that he's back, he wants to give back.

Here's CNN's John Zarrella in Sarasota, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Charlie. He's homeless, but he doesn't go hungry thanks to the man who owns this restaurant, a man who himself knows what it's like to be down on his luck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pauline (ph), which one is the medium?

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Walter Russin (ph) doesn't make a whole lot of money cooking up chicken wings, burgers and fries. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just treading above water. And water's like right up below my chin. And it just, you know, any day can sink me, but until thin I'm still going to keep my prices low.

ZARRELLA: Keeping prices low because he says many people on this main street, the Tamiami (ph) Trail in Sarasota, are struggling. He gets $3.50 for a burger, $1 for fries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most people around here -- you know, in this neighborhood here don't have the money. The economy is bad. People are losing their jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like it very much so.

ZARRELLA (on camera): How come?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, because I only work maybe two or three days a week. And I get a chance to treat myself.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): And Russin (ph) knows what it's like to have barely a nickel to your name.

Seven years ago, he lost his job. He and his family were homeless. With help from his mom and a local shelter, Russin (ph) slowly got back on his feet. Now he's got his own barbecue joint, Janina's, named for mom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to walk in and put a key in the door and say, hey, this is mine.

ZARRELLA: And Russin (ph) has not forgotten his sobering times or those who care. On Thanksgiving, at the shelter that helped his family, Russin (ph) served up turkey dinners for 200 homeless people.

And every day, Charlie Brienzo (ph)...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you live?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I live in my car.

ZARRELLA: ... stands out by the street in front of the restaurant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I do is hold a sign to advertise his business, and in return I know I got a free supper every night.

ZARRELLA: And now Russin (ph) seems to be rubbing off on others.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a person who has no money and I'm giving you $100.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, jeez.

ZARRELLA: Walter Russin (ph), serving up chicken, burgers and kindness. (on camera): It's a small restaurant. There is really no place to eat in. But Walter has made room for donations to the charity that once helped him get back on his feet.

John Zarrella, CNN, Sarasota, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: A man's dying wish is granted, but not before an ice storm almost ruined everything.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: President-elect Barack Obama has earned high marks for the way he's handled his transition to power so far.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider reports on the Obama honeymoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): When it comes to honeymoons with new presidents, Americans have, shall we say, been around the block a few times. But this new guy is really sweeping people off their feet; 82 percent of Americans are happy with the way President-elect Obama is handling his transition.

Even 61 percent of Republicans like him, and they're the in-laws in this marriage. He's not supposed to be good enough for them.

PAT ROBERTSON, FOUNDER, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: You know, I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him, but so help me, he's come in forcefully, intelligently.

SCHNEIDER: Previous honeymoons have been good, but not this good. The public is particularly impressed by his Cabinet appointments. And 80 percent approve of Obama's so-called team of rivals.

OBAMA: I assembled this team because I'm a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions.

SCHNEIDER: Obama's scoring more than 20 points better on his Cabinet picks than President Bush did in 2001. A team of rivals is well and good, but will Obama will a strong leader? He insists he will.

OBAMA: Understand where the vision for change comes from, first and foremost. It comes from me.

SCHNEIDER: Do people think Obama will be tough enough? Apparently they do. Nearly half the public expresses a lot of confidence that Obama will provide real leadership. That's more confidence than people felt in President-Elect Bush or Clinton . Obama even scores higher on leadership than President-Elect Reagan did, when he took office. That's saying something.

(on camera): It's a bad time, and the country just went through a failed marriage with the current president. Obama represents hope. Isn't that what honeymoons are supposed to be about?

Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Now, to some word just in to CNN. Police say a man who dressed as Santa and opened fire on people at a Christmas Eve party has committed suicide.

Police in Covina, California tell CNN the body of Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was discovered at a relative's home. He had been described as a person of interest in this attack. This development comes hours after authorities arrived to find a suburban Los Angeles home in flames and at least three people dead inside of that. Causes of death still not clear. Three others at the home were wounded, including an eight-year- old girl.

Now another update on the main suspect in this week's deadly shooting spree on Dallas area roads. Police say 37-year-old Brian Smith died in a hospital yesterday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was a former Utah state trooper and a married father of two. Police say hours after Tuesday's shootings he turned a gun on himself as they closed in to arrest him. Two people died in those attacks.

Officials are still trying to figure out how de-icing fumes got in to a plane at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Alaska Airlines jet was getting ready for takeoff when fumes got into the cabin. More than two dozen people were treated for eye irritation. Seven crew members were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Stranded travelers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport are hoping to finally get to their destinations this Christmas Day. No delays or cancellations are reported so far today, but it has been tough going for passengers the last few days.

Michelle Gallardo of our affiliate WLS has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE GALLARDO, WLS REPORTER (on camera): Well, you know, O'Hare has had a lot of excitement this week, and certainly not the good kind.

First we had hundreds of flights were canceled early in the week due to pretty bad weather. Then yesterday there were incidents with two American Airlines flights. First, one of them skidded off the runway, apparently when it hit a patch of ice. Another one had to make an emergency landing when it ran into some engine trouble shortly after takeoff. Fortunately, nobody was injured in any of those cases, but it really just added to the stress and to the number of stranded people already here at O'Hare.

Tuesday night some 500 people had to spend the night. Yesterday night 75 people slept on cots here at O'Hare. Really not the way any of these passengers were hoping to bring in Christmas day. But you know, this morning, the weather looks good and even though it is unusually crowded for a Christmas morning at O'Hare, no doubt, a lot of people still trying to get out from canceled flights earlier in the week, it does look good. Hopefully most of these people will be able to reach their destination and salvage part of their holiday.

For CNN, I'm Michelle Gillardo. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: All right. Travel troubles for a while. Chad Myers, you've been watching that for us.

And yesterday, some questions. Today you're saying, hey, it is OK except for a couple of delays. We've got some weather out West.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: A man's dying wish to light up a giant Spruce in his front yard, for his wife, but his plans were thwarted.

Caroline Cornish from CNN Maine affiliate WCSH has the story, but it has a happy ending.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINE CORNISH, WCSH REPORTER: Robert Bell is dying of throat cancer. He can't stay outside for very long anymore, but he wanted to come out for this picture. A memory his wife Elizabeth can keep commemorating the Blue Spruce he lit for her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a special tree.

CORNISH: The tree was Elizabeth's Mother's Day gift from their children 42-years ago. She always wanted to see it like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really beautiful.

CORNISH: And Robert knew that. Their daughter, Regina Mellor, says he told her on this, his last Christmas, he wanted to do something special for his wife.

REGINA MELLOR, CANCER VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: I asked him what he wanted to do. He says I want it light this tree for her. I said, Daddy, we're going to light it.

CORNISH: The family doesn't have much money, but Robert found $900 to make it happen. A couple weeks ago, the lights went up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful. You could go up Uncle Henry's and come down the hill, and you could see it. It was really beautiful.

CORNISH: For a short time the Bell family had its wish. Then the ice storm happened and the lights wouldn't turn back on again. The family had no idea what had happened and they knew they didn't have the money to fix it.

MELLOR: It crushed my father. Very much that the tree was unlit.

CORNISH: Mellor contacted the local paper, which wrote an article. And then --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then the phone started ringing. And oh, my Lord, overwhelming, really.

CORNISH: Time-Warner Cable, Central Maine Power, Morgan's Electric, Wal-Mart, Dead River, and countless individuals all offered help. Early in the afternoon the Christmas lights were fixed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just thanked everybody that helped. I really, really appreciated it. To give him his last -- oh, I'm going to cry.

CORNISH: This has been a tough year. Mellor was diagnosed with cancer, too; and is now in remission. But this act has brightened Christmas for the whole family.

In Augusta, Caroline Cornish, News Center.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Nobel-prize winning playwright Harold Pinter has died. The Englishman wrote 29 plays and directed almost as many stage productions. His style led to the coining of the adjective "Pinteresque", which means having an air of menace. Pinter won the Nobel Prize in 2005 and a huge array of other prestigious awards throughout his career. Harold Pinter was 78 years old.

They call it the Miracle on 34th Street. It is drawing fans from around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: All right. There you go, U.S. soldiers celebrating Christmas around the world. In Iraq, that's where these pictures are from. They're bringing out trombones and having a great time. Of course, they're all celebrating and singing where they can without necessarily being at home.

How are you spending your holiday? Lots of you are e-mailing us with your stories. We've got a few to share with you right now. Let's start with Staff Sergeant Cory Carter.

Staff Sergeant says, "I am at the Charleston Air Force Base with two airmen on duty waiting on a flight to see my wife and two boys, whom I haven't seen for 12 months because I just returned from Iraq two weeks ago. I'm not upset with waiting or delays, I am blessed to have life and time to wait!"

Staff Sergeant, well said.

Sitting in the Atlanta airport, says Amanda. "I'm in the military and I plan on surprising my friends and family in Ohio for a very merry Christmas!"

Then we got one from the Hawkins family saying, "After driving 900 miles, our car broke down 250 miles from grandma's house. We spent Christmas Eve in a motel with two kids and three dogs. Now we are waiting for grandma to come rescue us. We will be together on Christmas Day!"

Wow. Sounds like the startings of a movie there.

Finally, Satwik says, "Family is gathered from India, California, D.C. and Boston. Satwik, from all over the world it sounds like. She says, "first time we're all together" -- he or she says -- "First time we're all together spending the day watching CNN!"

We appreciate that, Satwik. We hope you have a great holiday.

The Miracle on 34th Street took place in New York. Well, now there is a Marvel on 34th Street in Baltimore. The neighborhood light show is part of our series "Focus on Giving."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we are 34th Street and Camden, some call it the "Miracle of Lights". It is one more wonderful year of having lights come on for all the people.

Some neighbors it takes a month, so they start the day after Halloween. Other neighbors it just takes a few days, and if any of the neighbors need help, we're there to help them.

At different times we've had traffic backed up for four miles all the way up to exit 10. I had one gentleman say "I saw your hub cap tree on my tele." I said where is your tele located? He said Australia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) are from Sydney, Australia.

Nobody in Australia decorates their house, like to this extent. Like maybe put up a few lights and you know, maybe like a blow up doll or something, but not like this, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A blow up doll?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, a blow up ornament.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know a reindeer or Santa!

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The other night when I was up here, young girls from Italy, that lady there from Ecuador, people come from all over. They love it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's pretty tacky, but pretty awesome.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like the hub cap tree. It's my favorite.

This is so unique, this is so Baltimore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They take whatever they've got, they make what they can out of it. Put up a bunch of Christmas lights, people come look at it. It is a good time. It is free fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has been a long-standing generational tradition. The whole neighborhood cooperates. Everybody is lit up. It's famous. People come from all across the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Santa cruiser and all, at the end there.

Now, some people have to work on Christmas, so do a few of our four-legged friends. In the nation's capital, the 50 or so German shepherds, Rottweilers and Pit bulls working as guard dogs got a Christmas surprise today. The Washington, D.C. Humane Society delivered food, toys and treats to guard dogs posted around the city. The goodies are donated by a pet store. This is the fourth year the Humane Society has checked up on the dogs on Christmas Day.

Enjoy, guys.

Next, our own Josh Levs will show us an impressive new Christmas rap. I do not jest. And he'll teach us how to spell Hanukkah or -- Chanukah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SANDLER, ACTOR (singing): Hold your yarmulke, here comes Hanukkah, so much funukkah to celebrate Hanukkah.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: All morning long we've been showing you some of the best i- Reports we're getting of Christmas celebrations around the world. Our Josh Levs has been looking at all those with us as well.

And I understand you got some really good ones.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We're getting pictures from all over the world. (AUDIO GAP) Types of Christmas celebrations. Some really beautiful stuff.

Let's start off right here. This one comes to us from Beirut. One of the things we love about i-Reports, people send in these pictures from all over the world. Let's go to this next one here. This comes to us from Bethlehem; one of the many celebrations going on there. Lots of pilgrims gather there this time of year.

Let's go to this third one here. I like this a lot, from the Philippines. Christmas Eve traditions in the Philippines.

One more I want to show you here. This is pretty fun. This comes to us from Hungary. These, Richard, are trash collectors who got into the spirit. Did a little dressing like Santa. (AUDIO GAP)

LUI: It looks like they're already wearing colors of the season for Christmas. That works out well for them. I also understand that there is an i-Report that's got sort of a rap song built in to it.

LEVS: Here it is, right behind me. It is a really good rap song. They're calling it "Please Santa." Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN COLLINS, RAPPER: My mom works hard, and Santa Clause do it. I can't wait another minute. Santa, please, open it so I can see what's in it. She said go ahead. I'm frantically ripped it open. I'm hoping! I'm hoping! I'm hoping! Oh please, Santa! Please, Santa please, please Santa, please, Santa, come on! Please, Santa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: You liking that? That's pretty good stuff. I was really impressed.

He's Jonathan Collins from Tampa, Florida. He actually has some serious talent. Maybe people are discovering him on CNN. Maybe it will lead to something. Let's go to ...

LUI: He is a good editor, number one. And number two, his wife is just smiling saying how much longer do I have to sit on this couch as you film this thing. I don't know if you see her there in this picture. There she is. There she is, right?

LEVS: Yes, there she is. She's looking pretty good. I'll tell you that thing is taking off. A lot of people taking a look at it, on ireport.com. People enjoying it very much. So, yes.

LUI: Josh, have you also got any i-Reports about Hanukkah? Because that celebration is going on, too. We're on the fifth night, tonight.

LEVS: We do. But just a few, not as many as we would want. We have a few. This one is called "Mixed Blessings." Let's go to this one over here. I like this one a lot. This pretty funny. It comes to us from Orange County, California. Robin Savage, who is asking us is a Happy Hanukkah with a CH or with an H? Because she saw a sign with a C up in front of these surfboards. She just didn't know what to do.

LUI: It could be either, right?

LEVS: Well, yes, we were talking about this today. We need to settle this. People always ask this, right?

LUI: Right.

LEVS: Let's go to the board. I want people to see this. This, right here, this one way to spell Hanukkah, and that's it right there. Does that help you, Richard?

LUI: I'm saying one of the strokes are a little bit too thin in some of the parts there.

LEVS: Oh, really, which one?

LUI: The third one in, yes.

LEVS: Well, you can contact HebrewSongs.com and give them your complaint. That's it, right there. Ha-nu-kah, The truth is, it is all transliterated from Hebrew to English. You can spell it any which way. No one should tell you, you are spelling it wrong as long as you're pronouncing it right. But if you want to know, let's go to this last one, right here, Merriam-Webster's says you can do Hanukah, apparently that's the ideal one in English but no one really cares. If you say it right, that is good enough.

LUI: And that would be, Hanukah, Hanukah.

LEVS: Yes, I'm really impressed you can do that. Do it again.

LUI: Yes, I took a bunch of language courses. You know, the only thing I get right is that sort of spitting sound, so, you know, the guttural sound.

LEVS: You like the spitting. Well, you know, what, you might need a big tub of throat lozenges to get through the rest of the show. But you can say Hanukkah. That's something.

LUI: And we're going to have to clean off this mic, now, I think.

LEVS: Oh, gross. Too much information, dude.

LUI: Josh Levs, have a good one, man. Thank you. Appreciate it very much.

LEVS: Thanks a lot.

LUI: You got it.

You know, cookies, the bread and butter of one Ohio town until the company closed its doors. Then something happened. That some are calling a Christmas miracle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Now to a sweet ending to what had been a bitter episode for some workers in Ohio. Employees laid off from a cookie company are getting their jobs back just in time for Christmas.

The story from chief national correspondent, John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Oatmeal cookies, fresh from the oven; 20,000 pounds' worth in a 10- hour shift; chocolate chip in this line. A bakery shuddered just days ago now bustling with 60 eager employees who had expected a Christmas on the unemployment roles.

Kathy Sexton had told her children it would be a very modest holiday.

KATHY SEXTON, LANCE EMPLOYEE: They understood. They said that's all right, mom. You always want to give them more, but I didn't think I would be able to.

KING: Like many small towns, Ashland is struggling. Things have been especially bleak since Archway Cookies was abruptly closed in early October by the private equity firm that owned it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shutting down the operation was the only course left to take.

KING: Then the Lance Snack Company bought Archway at a bankruptcy auction. Last week 60 workers were asked to return immediately, hopefully the rest in the months ahead.

TERRY MOWRY, LANCE EMPLOYEE: It is hard to describe. I mean you just life being breathed right back into the faces of these people.

KING: Terry Mowry is in the first wave, as is Rita Divan.

RITA DEVAN, LANCE EMPLOYEE: I walked in the garage last night. My husband says you actually smell like a cookie again. He said, Boy, I missed that smell!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know any more answers than what Jenny knows.

KING: Two months ago, workers felt betrayed by bosses who at first said there would be more work in a day or two, then changed the locks.

DEVAN: They just kept taking and taking and taking until there is nothing more to take. And they didn't care they were putting 300 people out of work at the time.

KING: Things are very different now. When it promised to reopen the bakery, Lance handed all former Archway employees an early Christmas gift. A $1,500 pre-paid debit card.

DEVAN: I was crying. I'm like, pinch me, pinch me. And then it just kept getting better, you're getting your seniority. And your going to get your card tonight. I'm like what are these people doing? They don't know me, they don't know us. They didn't know any of the Archway people. And they're giving each and every one of us $1,500?

SEXTON: It was awesome. My first thought was I can give my kids a Christmas.

KING: Lance CEO David Singer says the gift cards were a way of letting Ashland know the new owners are different.

DAVID SINGER, CEO, LANCE: We wouldn't do it willy-nilly. We do want to make money, but this is the pool of folks that we intend to hire, and we just wanted to let them know who we were. It is great to see these folks come back to work. We're proud of what we've been able to do.

KING: These are cookies are sold to big chains like Target and Wal-Mart, but Archway production will resume soon. And the new owners say if orders keep flowing in, more jobs will follow.

John King, CNN, Ashland, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: And from all of us to you, have a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Now a special holiday report, "Gimme My Money Back."