Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

North Korea Warns of Military Strike

Aired December 17, 2010 - 09:59   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast; 7:00 in the West. I'm Drew Griffin, sitting in for Kyra Phillips this morning. There are several stories that have us talking including the latest comments from the founder of WikiLeaks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN ASSANGE, FOUNDER WIKILEAKS: 3.3 million web pages out of 4.5 million web pages that mention my name also mention the word "rape". That's a serious issue and a seriously successful smear campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: That is Julian Assange this morning. He is out of jail and on the offensive. He says those sex allegations against him, they're bogus. And the U.S. can brace for more embarrassing revelations, he says.

A convicted killer put to death with a drug commonly used to euthanize dogs and cats. Officials in Oklahoma say they had little choice. There is a shortage of the sedative normally used for lethal injections.

Home for the holidays, America's servicemen and women streaming through U.S. airports and getting a hero's welcome. We're going to go live to one airport that is rolling out the red carpet.

But first this morning, millions of Americans waking up to the news that their taxes will not be going up next year. In fact, Uncle Sam will be allowing most of us to hold on to a bit more of our money.

Here's a breakdown of the tax deal that cleared Congress just before midnight. Lawmakers approving a two-year extension of the Bush-era tax rates. Unemployment benefits will continue for another 13 months. And there are actual tax cuts, the social security tax rate is going to drop two percent for the next year. And the estate tax, or death rate tax is lower.

President Obama scheduled to sign that bill into law possibly this afternoon. Let's look beyond the tax bill though. A number of his priorities are still in limbo. The New Year means the house will be under the control of rival Republicans. Let's take a closer look at the president's rough road ahead. John Avlon, a CNN contributor, senior political columnist for "The Daily Beast" joins us from New York. And John, I've been asking this morning, it's not just a lame-duck Congress right now. But it - could it be two years of a lame-duck Obama agenda because of the difficulties he will have dealing with the Republicans in the House?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think so. I think that the passage of this bill actually is a harbinger of a potentially constructive divided Congress. It shows that a divided Congress does not necessarily mean gridlock. It's the checks and balances though. It means it comprises on both ends and just with this tax bill, you saw the far left and the far right left unhappy but it was able to move forward. Now there are challenging roads ahead.

In particular, in deficit and debt reform. It will be remarkable and a real test of his leadership if the president can forge a coalition and start dealing with that most difficult issue because you know, cutting taxes is a relatively easy game. You're giving tax dollars away, in effect, actually reducing spending. That's a much tougher road to go.

GRIFFIN: If unemployment does not drop, is that - that should be a very, very hard position for President Obama to be in. So a lot of the hope is, and I mean, the hope of all Americans is that people will be employed over these next two years. But it's really setting up for the election in two years. Everything comes down to that election, and I'm just wondering, will he have as much trouble with Republicans in the House as he does with the very liberal Democrats he's going to have to deal with as well, who want to be elected?

AVLON: Oh, sure. This is a complicated field to play. But it has caused a course correction. And recent polls coming out show that the vast majority of the American people support this course correction, moving back to the center. President Obama trying to present himself as the adult in Washington, above the partisan fray and fighting, trying to steal a north star approach to the presidency, which is so far in this initial test served him well.

It always comes down to the economy. The economy and the unemployment rate is It's a huge factor in a presidential election. However, if you match President Obama right now with some of his likely competitors, he's doing quite well. Even though his job approval ratings are in the mid-40s, his personal approval rating for Americans is in the low-70s.

So there's a lot to suggest that the president is in a relatively strong position heading into 2012. And just like bill Clinton in 1994, sometimes the presence of that divided government is actually very good for the incumbent president. It removes the urgency, people who get concerned that there's a legislative radiological over reach cuts that in half. So I think the president actually is looking relatively good for 2012.

It's a long way away, of course, and the economy is a paramount issue but I think there is some sign that the divided government could actually create tangible political benefits for the president going forward.

GRIFFIN: You know, it's going to be tough to watch, just as it has been just these past two days. John, thanks for joining us from New York.

AVLON: It is.

GRIFFIN: - for that perspective. Thank you.

One presidential goal that has been achieved is the passage of health care reforms but that overhaul is facing a growing challenges in courtrooms across the country. In Florida, attorneys from 20 states appeared in court to argue against the new law. They are challenging two mandates. The first that each state expand Medicaid for the uninsured and the second that individuals should not be forced to purchase health insurance.

You may remember a Virginia judge has already ruled individual - the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Legal experts say it will ultimately require the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the health reforms are legal.

A new warning from North Korea today that's putting the Korean Peninsula on edge. The north says that if South Korea goes forward with live fire drills on Yeongpyong Island, the north is going to launch a military strike. This is the same island that North Korea shelled last month.

Joining us on the phone from Seoul to talk about the latest developments is journalist Andrew Salmon. And Andrew, the south says that they are going ahead with these drills and they were telling everybody that they are going to have live fires and that they're guns are going to be aimed away from North Korea. So is North Korea now put into position that they are going to have to fire back?

VOICE OF ANDREW SALMON, JOURNALIST: Well, that's a good question, Drew. I mean, we don't know until the drill actually begins and that could be as early as tomorrow or as late as Tuesday. We don't have an exact date of this thing. My personal guess is that, from the North Koreans at least, this is luster. The South Koreans have made pretty clear that they are going to go ahead with this drill, which is a regular series of drills that they've always held off this island but the North Korean modus operandi since about 1968 is not actually been to attack a prepared enemy, it's always been a surprise attack.

So I suspect that we can see lots of rhetorical blasts from North Korea but not actually a military attack. But I've been wrong before. So we'll have to see.

GRIFFIN: And is there any discussion in South Korea itself to maybe remove the live-fire part of this drill or is South Korea saying we need to stand up in North Korea and say that we are not going to be bullied?

SALMON: Very, very much the latter. Let's put into context the situation. Earlier this year, South Korea lost 46 sailors that killed a North Korean torpedo attack in the same area. That situation remains unresolved. And we've since had the Yeongpyong attack. So there is tremendous anger and considerable pressure on the leadership there to I should say get face down this bully and pretty deadly behavior by North Korea.

There's also talk, and this is what worries people, I think, South Koreans saying that if North Korea does retaliate, they will massively retaliate themselves. There is a danger here now of (INAUDIBLE) of back and forth escalation. And that really is a tremendous risk.

GRIFFIN: Andrew, this is all going to take place on Saturday. You're getting very near to Saturday. How early will we know? Within hours of whether or not? We'll know where the live fire took place and if there is, did they kind of fire back?

SALMON: Well, we don't know. It will take place on Saturday, Drew, and it will take place Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. It's a four-day window for the South Koreans to undertake this drill. I'm pretty sure it will take place earlier rather than later, possibly this weekend. Because I think the South Koreans want it to happen while the financial markets are closed.

Also, they don't want to leave it until the last minute because if they say we're going to hold it between Saturday and Tuesday and they don't run it until Tuesday, the North Koreans will know exactly when it's going to take place. As for the North Korean are going to know when it's going to take place.

As for the North Korean retaliation, who knows? As I said, I suspect that the North Koreans will not retaliate because they will be opening fire on a very, very ready South Korean defense force. But what they may do is retaliate not in the area of the island but somewhere else on the peninsula. So I think it's going to be a pretty tense weekend here in Seoul.

GRIFFIN: All right. Andrew Salmon, thanks for joining us, Andrew. Appreciate this.

New Mexico's governor Bill Richardson is in North Korea today. He's trying to ease the tensions there. Our own Wolf Blitzer is traveling with Richardson. He is a former U.N. ambassador and someone who has gotten to North Korea before. And Wolf tells us that Richardson met with top Korean officials today, has more meetings tomorrow, and Wolf is calling the current crisis the worst on the Peninsula since 1953.

There are concerns that North Korea will see the South Korean military exercise as a provocation and as we've been reporting potentially trigger a more aggressive move by the north.

Some people dealing with powerful storms, blanketing states up and down the east coast. Take a look at some of the conditions still plaguing areas. Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland. Are they getting any kind of a warm-up this weekend or another dose of weather? Karen Maginnis tracking all of that in our weather center.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we fortunately across a good portion of the mid south. We did see a pretty warm-up into the northeast, it is bitterly cold all the way, it looks like at least until Christmas eve. Temperatures are only going to hold into the 30s. But the big news is going to be this weekend across the West Coast.

Here we got a very powerful weather system that is moving in off the Pacific and this is going to dump heavy amounts of snowfall across the higher peaks of the Sierra-Nevada. Along with spine, we could see three feet or more, very gusty winds out to possibly as much as 90 miles an hour.

But in the basin areas significant rainfall over the next three to five days. It could produce mud or landslides. So something to watch there over the next couple of days. And already we're seeing some delays at the San Francisco Airport.

Now, our computer models, as we go into the next 48 hours or so, picking up significant rainfall in the L.A. basin. So some of those denuded areas that have seen those fires over the past few years, those are the areas that are most vulnerable to the flooding and the potential from mud and landslides. Where you see those dark purple, that's along the spine of the Sierra Nevada, also into the Siskiyous (ph), the Cascades and into the Wasatch, and the winter mountains right around Utah, and into Idaho and for portions of Montana as well, we'll see lesser amounts across northern Arizona.

But we've got another developing system, right across the four corners, and this is going to usher in some snowfall across the pan handle region. Now, I want to show you some of the delays that are taking place. The most significant is San Francisco. Just about two and a half hour delays there. The rain has already started to move in.

We're seeing visibility that has been reduced and it looks like this is going to be an on and off again situation, Drew, as we go throughout the weekend. This is just the first in a series of systems that will slam in across the West Coast. So East Coast, maybe a little nor'easter as we head towards the latter part of the weekend. Big story the next few days, West Coast.

GRIFFIN: All right. Karen, thanks a lot. A lot of people heading home. That's going to be trouble through San Francisco.

Thousands of our servicemen and women are on the road heading home for the holidays. And that means scenes like this, great ones playing out across the country. This is in Burlington, Vermont. National Guard members just back from nine months away in Afghanistan. Many troops making their way home for holiday leave.

Our Reynolds Wolf live at the Atlanta Airport. We're expecting 2,000 troops to pass through just today. Reynolds, there's nowhere else in the country that looks like we're a country fighting wars than Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. You always see soldiers there and you always welcome at the USO.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, no question about it. The doors are always opened for USO, for the fighting men and women that come through. Today we've had about 1,500. We're going to have roughly 2,000 before the day is over. Another 2,000 tomorrow. But Sunday is going to be the big day. We're going to see quite a few of the fighting forces actually come up this escalator and they're going to walk right out.

Right now, I've seen just a handful of them come here but we are going to be seeing more into the afternoon. In fact, possibly within the next hour or so we may see a flight come in that's going to bring in about 200 troops coming in from Kuwait. These are men and women that have been fighting over in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

We're here with Bob (INAUDIBLE). Bob is a veteran, not only of (INAUDIBLE) but a veteran of the U.S.O. We have people that come up the escalators, the servicemen and women, what can they expect when they reach the top?

When they reach the top, we're going to have one of our volunteers, we'll meet them and greet them, welcome them home, and asked them what we can do to help. We'll direct them to the baggage claim, we'll tell them where the USO is, that we've got food upstairs.

Basically, we're here to make them feel at home and answer any questions and basically the USO has been doing this since 1941 and we're just a continuation of that great service of the USO that's gone on for years and years. 70 years next year.

WOLF: Bob, what do you look for? When you see somebody come to the top and they are in uniform, what are some of the key things that you look for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we're going to see a lot of slick sleeves, which means they don't have a patch on the right sleeve. Those are trainees that are coming from training posts all of all over the country. And we're going to be sending a lot from our post out here to go home. This is the weekend where all of the training bases are sending troops home for the Christmas holidays.

So we see these troops and we are going to help them because they are sort of new to the travel business. If we se a combat patch on the sleeve, we know that they are very well going back to Iraq or Afghanistan after the end of the R and R. So we learn to read them as they come around because we've all been down here a lot and we recognize the signs of the military.

GRIFFIN: You've been doing this for a long time but it never does get old, does it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it. The best day of my month is when I'm down here and I'm down here at least once a month and sometimes three times a month and I love it.

WOLF: Thanks so much for your service. I appreciate it. Guys, (INAUDIBLE) a few handfuls for the past 20 minutes or so but there going to be coming, we should see quite a few of them and hopefully within the hour or so and of course, we'll get the very latest for you. Send it back to you in the studio.

GRIFFIN: Reynolds, thanks. Great stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys has had some pretty high-profile relationships. Jessica Simpson, Carrie Underwood. And now we learn that he's popped the question to the lady in his life. Details on the bride in today's "Showbiz Update" next.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GRIFFIN: The Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo is ready to walk down the aisle. Apparently he's engaged. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer is here with details of the pending nuptials and the rest of today's entertainment news.

A.J., is this bride to be big enough to have keep in your show?

A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I believe she maybe. I mean, she's going to become one now, Drew. We're talking about former Miss Missouri, Candace Crawford. And this is according to "US Magazine.com as yes, another of Jessica Simpson's ex-es is headed to the altar.

Now Tony Romo reportedly proposed to Crawford who happens to be the sister of "Gossip Girl's" Chase Crawford in Dallas yesterday. They've been dating since September of last year. Now, just before he connected with Crawford, Romo dated Jessica Simpson for nearly two years and that ended in an ugly split when he called it quits on their relationship. That was in July of last year. The night before her 29th birthday.

Now, no tears for Jessica here. She herself got engaged just last month to Eric Johnson who used to play in the NFL. And if you're keeping score here, Jessica's engagement announcement came just a week after her ex-husband Nick Lachey confirmed his engagement to Vanessa Minnillo, an "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent.

So that's two of Jess' exes and Jessica herself, all engaged in the past month. Somehow to me the circle of life now feels complete.

Let's move on now to good news about a music icon. Aretha Franklin, she is speaking out for the first time about her mysterious hospital stay. Now she's back at her suburban Detroit home for the holidays, recovering from a surgery she describes being highly successful. In the brand new interview, she tells "Jet" magazine that she feels great and she says the doctors want her to recuperate for eight weeks but she is still not revealing the nature of her ailment. She's not getting specifics on the surgery although she has been reported to have pancreatic cancer.

The 68-year-old soul legend promises she will speak out soon on what is ailing her, telling "Jet" this, "I am putting Aretha together first. We will Ree Ree together first. This is Aretha time to do whatever it is that I need to do but I will talk more later. Her doctors tell her she can do anything she feels like, except unfortunately for us, doing concerts right now.

And since getting out of the hospital earlier this week, Aretha's been reading and relaxing, just catching up on faxes and, as she puts it, "just fiddling around the house Drew, some concern until she's ready to talk about it, she doesn't have any responsibility to talk about it.

HAMMER: Yes, she's a strong person, that's for sure.

GRIFFIN: I wish her the very best. Thanks, A.J.

HAMMER: Hey, if you want more information or anything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J's got it. This evening on "Showbiz Tonight," 5:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

GRIFFIN: Well, did you get enough beauty rest last night? f not, your friend's family co-worker may be able to tell. A new study beauty sleep is no myth. We're talking to the researcher.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Mom was right after all. Beauty rest is real. If you're not getting enough, other people notice. That's according to a new study that found that people who don't get enough sleep look less healthy and less attractive. Researchers say the proof is in the pictures.

Check out this guy after a good night's sleep compared to what he looks like after going without sleep. Now, are researchers John Axelsson, associate professor at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, is joining us live via Skype. John, you're saying that if you don't get enough rest, it really shows to people who are interacting with you.

JOHN AXELSSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE: Guest: Yes, that's true.

GRIFFIN: And we're talking about - well, why don't you tell me what you did with this study. Because it's very interesting. You took people from ages 18 to 30. You took the identical photographs, the only difference was, one, they are well rested, one they are not rested, and then you just had people look at these pictures and tell you who looks better?

AXELSSON: No. We rate each picture with respect to how attractive is this person, how healthy does this person look like and also how tired does this person look like. And, of course, they look worse when you sleep deprived, you look worse in all of them. GRIFFIN: And people who took part in the study, surprised?

AXELSSON: They didn't know because they - when you are judging photos, it's one photo at a time. So it was not until a lot later that we could analyze the differences because they were only judging one photograph at a time.

GRIFFIN: John, I guess what I'm asking you is, were people surprised to learn that the amount of sleep they got actually contributed to whether or not people thought they were attractive or not?

AXELSSON: No, I would say some people might think this is a no- brainer but this is actually the first support that sleep is not only important for your physiology, or for how your brain works but also for how you look and for how other people perceive you. And because (INAUDIBLE) is very, very important for also sorts of social situations and we're quite sure that people will treat you worse as well if you look worse.

GRIFFIN: How has this study been received? Have you talked to people who say, "hey, John, thanks. I'm going to budget in two more hours of sleep because I just want to look better?

AXELSSON: Well, the media coverage has been a lot more than I expected, to be honest. But one of the good things with this study, I think, is we need good arguments for young people and people working to take more sleep. All of this, what we do not know - do know now is that there are so many long term effects for cardiovascular disease, metabolic problems -

Again, people they don't think about this. so, now have another good argument actually because you will look worse tomorrow if you don't have a good night's sleep.

GRIFFIN: Yes, that's certainly going to get their attention. John Axelsson, we appreciate it. We appreciate your work on this. Thanks a lot.

AXELSSON: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Well, Christmas wish lists are pouring in to Santa's helpers at the post office. This year, more kids are passing on high- tech gadgets and hot toys instead, this is what they are asking for clothes, food, even help with bills. See some of those heart wrenching notes. And hear how you may be able to help them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Here's stories that have us talking this morning.

Taxes are not going to go up next year. The highly contested tax cut deal passed the House just before midnight. Now it just needs the president's signature. That's expected at 3:50 Eastern, we've just been told. The deal means two more years of Bush-era tax rates and an extra 13 months of unemployment benefits. There is a Social Security tax cut for all Americans and a lower estate tax.

North Korea threatening more violent attacks on the South if it goes through with planned live-fire drills. The exercise is supposed to be held on Pyongyang Island, the same border island that the North shelled last month killing two South Korean troops and two civilians.

The FDA is calling for the controversial drug Avastin to be phased out. It's a treatment for metastatic breast cancer. The FDA says the drug has not substantially extended the lives of breast cancer victims and has led to potentially dangerous side effects. There's wide disagreement about that drug, though. In Europe, regulators not making are recommendations as there are - regulations here in the U.S.

You know, Santa Claus gets a lot of letters this time of year. Millions of them, in fact. It can be overwhelming. So, the man in the red turns to the post office to get some help sorting them out. But his post office elves have noticed a change in the wish list this year. A lot of kids are not asking for iPods or X-Boxes. They're not asking for Hot Wheels or Dolls, even. They are asking for winter coats, socks, or even help paying a heating bill.

Pete Fontana heads up Operation Santa at New York City's main paw -- post office. He's there live. Pete, are these letters really different from just last year?

PETE FONTANA, HEAD, USPS OPERATION SANTA: Yes. There's a noticeable change in the letters and we say from the needy to the greedy. The letters now -- in the past, they were asking for laptops, Mac books, LCD televisions. And the theme this year is winter coats, like you were saying, gloves, pay the bills. They can't pay their rent, they don't have any food, they can't buy their medicine. They need assistance, and they are reaching out to Santa.

GRIFFIN: Yes, I want to show one of the letters. It's from a woman named Maria, a woman from three. She said blankets, jackets, pants, jeans, T-shirts, sneakers, socks, snow boots.

And Tthis is from Christopher, age 11. "If possible, we would like some educational toys and some winter clothes. I would like something to make my mommy happy. She is getting chemotherapy after breast surgery." Pete, hat do you do with letters like these?

FONTANA: These letters are all put out there for people -- we call them helpers. The people that come in and sponsor these letter. We call them helpers. They come in here, they sit down, they read these letters. And they decide which ones touch their heart or which ones fits into their budget. Or which ones they believe. You know, some magic at work here.

So, they sit down. A letter like that would go to someone who would then sponsor that letter. And we would assign that code to the helper code and they would be able to take that letter home and do what they can do to the family. Then they would bring the package back to the main post office here at the James A. Farley building and mail it from here. And then we would put the address information in on the package and send it to Christopher..

GRIFFIN: Well, if you need any encouragement to answer a letter, let me read to you what Alex wrote. He's age 6. "My mother works, but she can't buy us the thing that I want because she don't make a lot of money. Santa, please, please, I want anything that you can send me."

I guess that's the kind of letter that somebody would come in, pick up, and then return that gift.

FONTANA: Absolutely. People are coming in. And these are the letters that they are looking for. They don't like the ones that are on the greedy side of the list or they want the big-end items and the expensive items. These letters with the basic needs that people are asking for touch their hearts. And these are the ones that are getting sponsored in record numbers here.

Since this has been on the media and you guys have really - you made everyone aware about this, about the Operation Santa, participation has increased.

GRIFFIN: How can people from outside New York find you, Pete?

FONTANA: I'm sorry?

GRIFFIN: How can people from outside of New York find you? Where can we find out how -- perhaps I could answer --

FONTANA: Right. Outside of New York, they would have to contact - go online at USPS.com and - or call their local post master to see. There's about 20 locations throughout the country that are doing Santa programs. And right here in New York -- it's mainly for the local folks in New York because they have to come here and deal with me. We don't do anything online. They can't get letters online. They can't get them by telephone. We can't mail the letters to them. They would have to physically come in here.

GRIFFIN: OK. All right. Pete Fontana, thanks a lot. I'm told by the staff that we do have a link. CNN.com/kyra to get you some information. And also we have the phone number at the bottom of the screen.

Pete, thanks for all you do and your group there at New York City's main post office.

A lot of families are cutting back this holiday. 15 million Americans jobless. The unemployment rate just under 10 percent. For parents struggling, breaking the bad economic news to kids can be tough, especially right now around Christmastime when a lot of other kids are getting presents.

Jeff Gardier, clinical psychologist and contributor to HealthGuru.com. Jeff, I mean, if a parent is strapped for cash, the kids are maybe watching TV and seeing all of these gifts and everything being spent on other children. How do you kind of broach that subject, break the news that, you know, Santa is not going to be that generous this year?

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, it's the reality, Drew, that the kids understand that in this new economy, in this recovery, things are not the way they once were. And we see in the segment that you just did now, where the kids are not asking for a lot of the electronic items. They're asking for the basics. Basic toys, some things for their parents.

So, I think we've learned in the economy, and the kids have learned that what parents need to do is let them know the reality of what's going on. But Drew, minus the fear, minus the anxiety, minus all of those emotional changes as parents we're going through in this economy -- and I think when our kids start experiencing that anxiety. That's the red flag for us as parents to say, you know what? Maybe we better deal with this recovery in a different way, in a more positive and empowered way.

GRIFFIN: Meaning, hey, there's nothing wrong with the situation we're in? It's just a cyclical thing that we're going through?

GARDERE: Well, meaning that these are very tough times that we're going through. It's our new reality but we're learning from it and as a family, we can persevere. Adversity is part of life. This is what we need to teach our kids. But we can still keep a smile on our faces, happiness in our hearts, and as a unit, as a team, work towards getting through this economy and being a stronger family.

It's not about the money, it's not about the items or the material things, it's really about the love. And those kids are learning that -- we saw that in those letters that were written to the chief of -- Pete Fontana.

GRIFFIN: You know, Jeff, we've been through hard times in this country before. As some would argue, a lot more difficult than the times that we are even going through now. I'm sure these kids have grandparents that have gone through that. Has it been the experience that if you talk to your kids about the economic situation, they can deal with it better than if you're a parent trying to hide the fact that the family is suffering economically?

GARDERE: Absolutely, Drew. It's important that we be honest with our kids and explain to them what is going on. As I said, minus the fear, minus the anxiety, which is natural for us as parents to experience.

But part of raising our children is the idea that we want to make them strong. No matter what the economy is, no matter what is going on at home, no matter the fact that we may not have the money to really splurge on gifts, we want them to grow their character. That's the most important thing. So, therefore, we can use this economy, use this recovery as a way of getting closer to our kids and helping them grow in a much healthier fashion emotionally. GRIFFIN: Jeff, you know what? Just be there for your kids. Sit down and make cookies with them. I guarantee you that will be the best Christmas gift they will get.

Jeff, we appreciate it.

GARDERE: I second that emotion. Thank you, Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right! If you want more information about the postal service's Operation Santa that we've talked about, like I've said before, it's on Kyra's blog. Go to CNN.com/kyra. You get that information. Hey, maybe you want to pitch in.

A mystery Santa has been giving away money to complete strangers. It's happening in Iowa. We spotlight them in today's "Making Their Mark." The secret Santa has been walking the streets of Des Moines, handing out $100 bills to the less fortunate. At first, they can't believe it, wonder what they have to do to keep it. Then they get a little hug. Some even bursting into tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Are you sure this is for real?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure it's real. It's for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You couldn't have picked a better person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can show you a picture of my tree that I just took yesterday, and it has not one present under it and my 15- year-old son is wondering what we're going to do for Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP

GRIFFIN: Well, the Secret Santa says he was inspired by another mystery Santa in Kansas City who also helps the needy.

Well, this is called CSI for the Internet. Your computers, cell phones and other mobile devices hold a wealth of information for cops trying to track criminals. That's ahead in less than two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: All this week, we've been focusing on what many are calling the "End of Privacy." Tiday, we look at how law enforcement officers are using the digital trail to track criminals. More from CNN's Amy (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Cops versus criminals. It's an age- old game of cat and mouse where the police aim to stay one step ahead. And one critical area where the battle has spread to is collecting digital evidence on computers, on smartphones, and on the Internet. Or in today's terminology, the cloud.

SGT. JAMES WELSH, WESTMINISTER DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: The move to the cloud is one of the biggest challenges facing the computer forensics field right now. It can take digging. One of the axioms in our professional is you can expend 90 percent of your effort on 10 percent of your cases.

The field of cell phone forensics or as we refer to it, mobile device forensics, is growing very rapidly. We maintain several different hardware and software tools in our lab to try to give us the broadest possible coverage.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: One of those tools is EnCase, a software program designed by Guided Software that analyzes digital data.

BRENT BOTTA, GUIDANCE SOFTWARE: When you get the drive, you have to see what that computer user's profile is, not a profile like a profile that you log into an e-mail client, but their profile of how they use their computer and where their activities are.

Some people are heavy into Facebook. Other ones are very much into LinkedIn. To do a full analysis of somebody's digital media, you're litereally, talking desktops, laptops, network shares, multiple digital devices that they carry with them. And all that has to be pulled back together and analyzed as one big corpus of data.

There are artifacts all over the computer when people use it. When you go to a Web browser, we can track your activity. Where you've been, what you've done.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Yet the cops still have to follow traditional procedures when going after digital information if it's not publicly available on sites like Facebook and Google.

WELSH: To get any information from any of the places you just mentioned, it would require a court order. You have to know to know where to send your request to, where to send your subpoena or search warrant to. The judge reserves the right to limit the scope of the search. If you're searching for a specific type of file or evidence of a specific type of crime, you will be restricted in your search.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And one big boon to digitial forensics is the explosion of smartphones and the wealth of info that they provide compared to traditional mobile phones.

WELSH: You can recover call logs, address books, any type of audio files that are on -- located on the device. Image files, pictures and video. There can be a lot of information of value to an investigator on a mobile device.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Yet criminals are getting smarter about hiding their digital information, making Sergeant Welsh work even harder to stay ahead of the curve. WELSH: I think it's an arms race. It's constantly evolving. It's a very quick evolution, especially in the area of mobile devices.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: -- for a king last night. Larry King gets a special day on his final night as host on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZNEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: We are big fans of yours. So, my announcement is, that the day's officially in California, Larry King Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Sarah Palin has not decided if she's running for the White House in 2012, but that hasn't stopped the pollsters from asking the question. And a new poll may give her some cause for concern.

Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has the story from the CNNpolitics.com desk.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: That's absolutely right. Drew, check out these brand-new numbers from ABC News and Washington Post out this morning. And they are troubling for Sarah Palin. The question is, if she runs for president in 2012, would you consider voting for her or not?

Look at that at the bottom right down there -- 59 percent on this poll say they definitely would not consider voting for Palin if she runs for president, only eight percent -- you can see that at the top -- say they would definitely support her. 31 percent saying maybe support her. I'm going to ask Chris Turner, our cameraman, to zoom right in here. You can see that story on the political ticker.

And it comes one day, Drew, after another poll. This one by NBC and Wall Street Journal. Also had some troubling numbers for Palin. A hypothetical match-up between her and Barack obama. Not so favorable numbers for her. Drew?

GRIFFIN: Paul, Tthe thing about Sarah Palin is, no matter what the polls say, we can't stop talking about her. Her name is definitely out there. Is she talking about these polls?

STEINHAUER: She is, in an interview that ran this morning on ABC News. She said about these polls, "A poll like that, it doesn't look too pretty today," she said. That's true. But she says, "listen, 2012 is a long time from now." She was also asked about that timetable about her decision, when she's going to announce, if she does announce she's going to run. She said any kind of decision is many months away. Drew?

GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks a lot, Paul. We'll have your next political update in an hour. A reminder, for all the latest political news, go right to that Web site, CNNpolitics.com. It's great.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: For the past year, our own Jason Carroll has been showing you what it's like to join the military, go through training, even get deployed into a war zone. It's been a remarkable series, and now a special. And Jason joins us live now from New York, focusing on three soldiers that has answered that call for service, Jason, at really great personal sacrifice to themselves.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Drew. I know you've been following along with this series. But for those who haven't, in order to tell a story, "A SOLDIER'S STORY," we wanted to focus on people from different backgrounds to give a better perspective on what it is like to be in the aAmy during a time of war. We've turned their stories and the series into a one-hour documentary. We want to you take a brief look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): In the fading light of a cold December evening barely one full year ago, the president of the United States forged Marine One, and then Air Force one for a trip to West Point, New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.

CARROLL: The 33-minute speech he is about to deliver will affect the lives of every cadet in Eisenhower Hall.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And as commander in chief, I have determined to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

CARROLL: Along with every man and woman serving or about to serve in the United States military.

For more than a year, CNN has followed three of these soldiers. Together, they tell a story of how the president's decision, to expand the war in Afghanistan, affects the people most directly in harm's way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three -- come on, you got it. Come on. You got it.

CARROLL: Latrisha Rose (ph) joins the army, leaving behind a 2- year-old daughter with a husband wondering how he can do it alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go. Almost done.

CARROLL: Sergeant Randy Shorter is a husband and father of two. Just 32 years old, he's already a veteran of two combat tours. Now, he's about to return to Afghanistan to an area the military calls hell on earth. And then, there's 18-year-old Will McLean who, weeks from tonight, may find himself carrying out the president's mission into the very heart of Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Randy Shorter, Latricia Rose and Will McLean. Their stories, Drew, represent the thousands of soldiers who are out there, who have been making sacrifices for years and continue to do so everyday.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Jason, you're right. I have been following the series. It's been great. And I'm looking forward to this special documentary that airs this weekend, I guess. You can see "A SOLDIER'S STORY." It's on Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

GRIFFIN: They were singing that last night to Larry King. Network news anchors to the president of the United States. A night to honor Larry. The host of CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE" signed off for the final time last night. His parting words, simply, a choked up "so long." Here are some of the highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE COURIC, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: As you hang up your suspenders on your dressing room door, I speak for us all when I say, we want more. More of the show that we instantly loved. For 25 years couldn't get enough of.

FRED ARMISEN, SNL CAST MEMBER (as Larry King): You know, I've done about 7,000 interviews in my 25 years at CNN, and I've saved my best guest for last. I'm talking to me!

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: First, Cannon does me. Do me.

CANNON KING, LARRY KING'S SON: I'm too old for this! I've done this for 50 years!

(LAUGHTER)

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: No one has done more than you. You've been -- you were my biggest competition. I hate to see you go but a little part of me says, oh, terrific. Now I can get them.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You say that all you do is ask questions, but for generations of Americans, the answers to those questions have surprised us, they've informed us, and they've opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Larry. And thank you for all of the years. You were great.

GOV. ARNOLD SCWARZNEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: The day is officially in California, Larry King Day.

KING: That's the staff in Washington. Now we'll switch to the staff right here in Los Angeles.

There's the control room, Wendy Walker.

TONY BENNETT, SINGER (singing): The best is yet to come, and babe won't that be fine.

KING: I don't know what to say to you, except to you, my audience. Thank you. And instead of good-bye, how about so long?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: And that's how it ended. Don Lemon. I thought the best part of the show was his kid doing him.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You stole my line! His kid, you know - we need to reach out to his kid and hire him. That kid's great, right?

GRIFFIN: Yes, he's good! Don Lemon takes it over from here.

LEMON: All right. You have a great weekend. Thank you very much, Drew Griffin.