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Anxiety on Korean Peninsula; Wild Weather Out West; Contaminated Tap Water
Aired December 20, 2010 - 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: Live from Studio 7, I'm Tony Harris. The big stories happening now, on Monday, December 20th.
South Korea's military drills did not draw incoming fire today as the North Koreans had threatened. The North says the exercises just aren't worth a response. U.S. troubleshooter Bill Richardson, in North Korea today, noted the regime's restraint. CNN's Wolf Blitzer with Richardson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it looks sort of encouraging right now, because the North Koreans have issued a statement suggesting that they're not immediately going to retaliate going into the South Korean drill. It looks like the North Korean military would retaliate, issue some sort of military response, but at least for now, they're saying they're not going to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: British intelligence agents carrying out terror raids today in four British towns. A source tells CNN all 12 suspects are of Pakistani accident. The BBC reports the men were working on an al Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb British targets. Police did not identify those sites.
The weather absolutely pounding the West Coast today. An unbelievable Pacific storm has dropped a foot of rain in places, setting off mudslides in California. The Sierra Nevada buried under more than nine feet of snow. Rain and snow will continue for several more days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A basement that's several feet down there, all the Christmas presents were down there. It's basically under water now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're a little worried that maybe it will continue to creep up the road. Just an hour ago, it was behind the black car in front of our house, and now it's in front of it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: More now on our lead story, the anxiety on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea's military remains on high alert.
Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is following the latest developments from her post.
And good morning to you, Barbara.
It sounds like there were some tense hours at the Pentagon as officials watched the situation unfold.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Tony. You know, Sunday night, it's usually deserted around the Pentagon. Well, not last night.
We have learned that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, some of his top intelligence aides, his top operations officials, were in the Pentagon last night as this unfolded in Korea, watching very carefully, in contact with other commanders in the Pacific and on the Korean Peninsula, so if something had happened, if the North had responded in some fashion, they would be instantly ready to inform President Obama and present him with options. All of that according to officials around here.
But this morning, things do look better in the light of day. The envoy, Bill Richardson, that troubleshooter, announcing he has reached an agreement with the North Koreans on some key points.
IAEA -- nuclear inspectors will be allowed back in, according to the North. They'll try and reach a deal with some sort of third party, maybe South Korea, to buy nuclear fuel rods, some kind of commission to discuss military affairs and a hotline.
All of this good news, but there's a huge caveat, of course. This was arranged privately with Governor Richardson and the North Koreans. The Obama administration so far has not weighed in on whether it's willing to sign up to this.
And, of course, still, the North Koreans, very mysterious. They go their own way, they do their own thing. Nobody is ready to say it's all over forever just yet. The North Koreans still may have a few tricks up their sleeve -- Tony.
HARRIS: Just curious, Barbara, what did South Korea's military drill involve? And do we know how long it lasted?
STARR: By all accounts, it lasted just under two hours. That was the schedule. The view is that they pretty much stuck to it.
They were artillery drills they were firing off these islands which, of course, North Korea had attacked, off a stated range. And it should be said that the Obama administration was very clear that South Korea had every right to conduct these exercises, that they were routine and regular exercises, testing out their force's capabilities. But the fact is, of course, they came at a very sensitive time, and there was a good deal of concern that North Korea, seeing this as a provocation, might react in a way that nobody could imagine -- Tony.
HARRIS: And one more quick one, Barbara. What was the role of the thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea as all this was unfolding?
STARR: Well, you're right, there are about 28,000, 30,000 U.S. troops on the peninsula, part of the standing force. They did not do anything, and that was the goal.
The administration had made a very deliberate military decision, we are told, not to react, not to get involved. No aircraft carriers rushing to the scene. No B-52 bombers circling overhead just in case.
They didn't want to do anything with the U.S. military that could be seen as a provocation to the North. So everybody laid low, watching very carefully, satellites looking for any North Korean military movements, but there were only about 20 U.S. troops on those islands as observers and, by all accounts, everything went smoothly -- Tony.
HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
Barbara, good to see you. Thank you.
STARR: You too.
HARRIS: Former U.N. ambassador Bill Richardson says North Korea deserves credit for holding back. He is wrapping up a five-day unofficial trip to North Korea. CNN's Wolf Blitzer is also there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Bill Richardson is with me here in Pyongyang. Our flight out of here was delayed because of incredibly bad fog. So we're stuck in here for at least another 12 hours or so.
But let me get his reaction to what's going on.
Governor Richardson, are you encouraged, discouraged? What do you think about the latest development?
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) NEW MEXICO: Well, I'm very encouraged, because the outcome is a good one. We kept pressing the North Koreans not to react, telling them they would be statesmen, they would be viewed in a positive way after their terrible actions with respect to the sinking of the ship and the killing of civilians and increased uranium capacity. And maybe we had a little impact with them.
The South Koreans were able to flex their muscles. So hopefully this will open a new chapter in North/South Korean legal relations that will lead to a negotiation where North Korea ends their nuclear capacity, where South Korea preserves their security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, how did we get here?
Tensions ratcheted up in November when North Korea fired on a South Korean island. The attack killed two Marines and two civilians. South Korea was conducting military drills, and the North said dozens of shells landed inside its territorial waters.
Back further now to the sinking of a South Korean warship last March. South Korea says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, killing 46 sailors. Over the past six decades, there have been incidents ranging from small skirmishes to deadly naval clashes. The Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a treaty, so the two countries are technically still at war.
We are gearing up for a big travel week, and it is already a bit dicey out West. The rain and snow measured in feet, not inches. Rob Marciano will have your forecast in just a moment.
And the markets have been open now an hour and a half or so. Let's get a look at the latest numbers at the Dow. We are in negative territory, down 40 points.
We will continue to follow these numbers throughout the day for you, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Wild weather out West. One big storm after another. Snow in the higher elevations, flooding rains and mudslides in other places.
CNN's Andy Rose gives us a taste of what some people are dealing with right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDY ROSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it nature's own demolition derby. This snow-glazed road turned into a slip-and-slide for drivers in Spokane, Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My neighbor, he ran to the truck. And then a Jeep hit him, then the 4x4 hit the Jeep.
ROSE: No one was seriously hurt.
Farther west, strong winds with gusts up to 70 miles per hour downed trees and power lines in Seattle. About 100,000 people lost power at the height of the storm.
In Bakersfield, California, flash flooding turned roads into rivers. Drivers were stranded in waterlogged streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my girlfriend's car, we're coming down the street right here, and thinking we could make it. And it just stopped. It's flooded. It's done.
ROSE: Homeowners across southern California now concerned about mudslides. A tree situated in unstable earth toppled onto this Los Angeles home. The ground was moving so much, authorities worried the house itself would slide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they said, "You have 10 minutes to get out."
ROSE: Officials are warning that the situation will likely get worse as more rain moves in. Higher elevations could get up to 10 feet of snow. That's good news for skiers and snowboarders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really powdery, so you get stuck a lot. But, you know, that's what it's about.
ROSE: I'm Andy Rose, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Let's go "Cross Country" now and check on a few stories our CNN affiliates are watching for us today.
South Florida police want to find this man. A surveillance camera caught him stealing Christmas presents meant for needy children in Coral Gables. One parishioner says the robbers got nerve.
In Springfield, Massachusetts, a man trying to shimmy down a hotel's holiday decoration fell 10 stories when the snowflake he was clinging to came loose. He landed on a sixth-floor ledge. The man hospitalized in serious condition, but he survived.
And in Akron, Ohio, eight tractor-trailers filled with kids' bicycles. A group called Elves and More gave away 900 bikes to children who would have had a pretty thin Christmas otherwise.
Are there cancer-causing chemicals in your tap water? An environmental group has found widespread contamination.
Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen -- where is Elizabeth? She will be here to tell you how to protect yourself and your family.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Your tap water may contain a chemical believed to cause cancer. An environmental group says it found chromium-6 in 31 of 35 cities tested nationwide. It is the same chemical made famous by Erin Brockovich.
Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now.
And any more details on what this report concluded?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what it concludes is that there's a bunch of cities that have too much of this stuff. And they just happened to test those cities. They were kind of chosen randomly, but since they have it in their water --
HARRIS: You can assume --
COHEN: Yes, you can assume it's pretty much in a whole lot of systems, if not all systems.
HARRIS: Do we know how this product ends up in our water supply?
COHEN: Yes, it's used in industries, so they use it to make plastics, they use it to make the chrome bumper of your car. They use it to make a lot of things, and sometimes things kind of leach into the water system.
HARRIS: So, Norman, Oklahoma, has a level of this stuff. Two hundred times the accepted level in California. And yet the mayor was on with Kyra about an hour or so ago and she said, look, I'm going to tell the folks of the Norman that the water was safe yesterday and the water is safe today.
What are we to make of all of this?
COHEN: Right, exactly. When you hear that, you think, wait a second.
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: OK. Well, let me put it this way -- I called two of the foremost experts in this area, one at Boston University, one at the University of Colorado. And I said, "If you lived in one of these cities, would you be freaking out right now?" And they said no.
HARRIS: No.
COHEN: They said no. They said, look, there are carcinogens all around us. We breathe them in, we eat them, they're in our water.
It's not a good thing, but it also doesn't mean that people are dropping dead right and left. It's not a good thing, but it's not as if there's some kind of poison that is going to kill you tomorrow.
Now, they said what the solution is, is that these -- the folks who put our water out there need to get rid of it at the source. So they said it's a good thing that we're all learning about this, because hopefully, it will make them stop it and get it out of our water.
HARRIS: So, 200 times the accepted level in California doesn't feel like a good thing. So if you're concerned about this, even though it may not be a huge thing, and maybe you shouldn't be freaking out, but if you are concerned, say you have children, young children --
COHEN: Or you're pregnant, right.
HARRIS: Or you're pregnant. Exactly. So, are there things you can do?
COHEN: You know, I will tell you, Tony, we've worked together a long time. You know I am the empowered patient.
HARRIS: Yes, you are.
COHEN: I tell people what you can do. And I am here to say that right now, I don't -- sadly, do not have a whole lot to tell you besides contact your utility, contact your congressman, tell them to get it out.
There may be some filters that can help get this out --
HARRIS: Reverse osmosis.
COHEN: -- reverse osmosis, but it's very, very expensive. And you end up wasting a ton of water. It's very inefficient.
And I'm going to be learning more about this in the next couple of hours, and hopefully I can give more concrete information. But right now, there's not a lot that you can do.
And you know what? If it's in tap water, it's likely also in many bottled waters, because the source for those is often -- right. So, unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do except tell utilities, hey, get this stuff out of there, it doesn't need to be in there. And you can get it out.
HARRIS: Yes, give us a helping hand here.
All right. Elizabeth, see you at the top of the hour.
COHEN: Thanks.
HARRIS: Thank you.
HARRIS: A very busy lame-duck session in Congress. The president securing some key wins, and he is still pushing. A live report from Capitol Hill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It is full speed ahead for President Obama. In the final days of the lame-duck session of Congress, the president successful in getting the massive tax cut compromise he forged with Republicans. He signed it on Saturday.
Then on Saturday, Congress voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The law prohibiting gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. President Obama is expected to sign it before he goes on Christmas vacation.
One thing he did not get was the DREAM Act. Senate Republicans blocked passage of the immigration bill that would have given a path to citizenship for people brought to this country illegally as children. Now lawmakers are trying to push through a nuclear treaty with Russia known as START.
Let's bring in our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.
And Dana, first of all, good to see you.
The START treaty -- or I guess it's called the New START -- is a top priority for President Obama. Does it look like he will get it through?
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the people who are helping him push it insist that they believe that they will get the votes. You know, you need two-thirds majority to ratify any treaty in the Senate. If there is a Democratic senator missing, which we think that there might be, ,it looks like 66 votes will be needed.
But Republicans are saying from the top on down, saying we don't like this, both on a substance level and in terms of the way it's being, from their perspective, pushed through the Senate.
Listen to the debate this morning both from the Senate Republican Leader and from the Senate Foreign Relations chairman who's trying to push this treaty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: It's unfortunate that something as important as the Senate's consideration of a treaty like this one was truncated in order to meet another arbitrary deadline, or the wish list of the liberal base. And it's deeply troubling to think that a legislative body charged with the solemn responsibility of advice and consent would be deprived of this role because it would inconvenience our negotiating partners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(VOICE-OVER):
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Is there no shame ever with respect to the arguments that are made sometimes on the floor of the United States Senate? Is the idea always, just say it, just say it, say it enough, go out there and repeat it, and somewhere it will stick? Maybe in the right-wing blogosphere, or somewhere else, people will get agitated enough and believe somehow that this is being jammed?
This treaty's on the floor for a sixth day. It's a simple, add- on treaty to everything that has gone before over all the years of arms control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the Senate was in all weekend, for the most part, debating this. They of course had a vote on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" bill on Saturday. But this took up most of their time. And, Tony, later today, the Senate is actually going to do something that they rarely do, which is go into closed session so that they can discuss top-secret classified information that has to do with this treaty. We do expect the first key test vote on this to be tomorrow afternoon.
HARRIS: And Dana, on another important matter, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging the Senate to pass a health care bill to help 9/11 rescue workers. Here's some of what he said just last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: So, this is not a vote on whether we should increase the deficit. It's a vote on whether we should stand by those who stood by America in its hour of greatest need. It's a vote on whether we should fulfill our obligation to the men and women in uniform and in hard harts whom we right call heroes. And it's a vote on whether the thousands of Americans who are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses will at least have the peace of mind that their government has not abandoned them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And Dana, what's likely to happen with this piece of legislation? I understand there was a lot of heat being placed on Congress to get it done.
BASH: There sure is. Look, this has already failed once in the Senate. Republicans blocked it at the time -- last week, I believe it was -- because they wanted to do tax cuts before anything.
Now the two Democratic senators from New York, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, they had a press conference yesterday saying that they do belief that they now have the 60 votes needed, because they made some slight changes to this.
They lowered the price tag and changed how it's going to be paid for. And we're talking about over $6 billion to help these people who -- rescue workers on 9/11.
The question though is the clock and the calendar, though, Tony. We're talking about already Monday before Christmas right now.
They hope in the Senate that they will be done, however it falls, with the START treaty by Wednesday. This particular bill, if Republicans want run out the clock in the process, that could be in place, it could take until Friday. The question is whether there's the stomach to do that.
We're just going to have to see whether or not this actually gets done, but they do believe that they have the votes. The question is whether or not they have the time.
HARRIS: All right. Our Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash for us.
Dana, good to see you as always. Thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: Craigslist quietly cleaning up its act over the weekend when it comes to erotic services. Sandra Endo is checking trending stories when we come back.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's check on what's trending right now.
Changes to Craigslist over the weekend?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is big news.
HARRIS: How about this? Sandy Endo not in D.C., right here in Atlanta.
It's good to se you.
ENDO: It's a little warmer here.
HARRIS: Definitely. Yes. We're happy to have you here.
The Craigslist story, that's getting a lot of attention online right now.
ENDO: Yes. This is actually trending today, Tony, on Wired.com. And Craigslist is back in the news because it quietly shut down its adults services section internationally.
HARRIS: OK.
ENDO: Now, as you remember, back in September, after a storm of controversy, the Web site was facing claims it was profiting off prostitution. And only here on CNN, where our own reporting also showed that it was basically posting sex --
HARRIS: Amber Lyons, yes. A lot of reportings.
ENDO: Yes, sex for sale ads. Yes. And they shut down that section here in the U.S.
Well, now it shut it down internationally, including in Asia, South America, Europe. So, pretty good news, but we haven't heard comment yet from Craigslist today so far.
HARRIS: I love this next trending story. We have got a lot of people out of work, as you know.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: And we have got some tips to help them find their next job, right?
ENDO: Absolutely. Well, these are tips on what not to do when you're interviewing for a job.
HARRIS: Yes. Just as important, right?
ENDO: This is trending on CNN.com, and here are some of my favorites, because it's pretty funny. Basically, don't say, well, "My boss is an idiot."
HARRIS: Yes.
ENDO: OK? That's pretty --
HARRIS: As much you might want to, not a good move.
ENDO: Yes. Also, the "Yes, yes, no, no," meaning don't just rely on one-word answers. This is your time to shine. Explain yourself.
HARRIS: Got you. Yes.
ENDO: You want to sell yourself, right?
HARRIS: Yes. Expand, expound. Yes.
ENDO: And another thing they recommend -- this is all from CareerBuilders.com -- is "Hey, man, do you want to get a drink after this?"
HARRIS: Wow.
ENDO: Yes. No matter how well it goes, you're not friends with your interviewer.
HARRIS: That doesn't - yes, yes! And we've got the entire list at CNN.com.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: OK. Great.
ENDO: Absolutely.
HARRIS: Now, you're not just following What's Trending, but you are following some of these hot Christmas displays that we found all over the country. Love this.
ENDO: Oh, yes. And I'll show you one home in Florida that's really decking the halls. So, don't miss that. It's coming up.
HARRIS: Sandra, good to see you! Yay!
If you have teens, you're probably used to seeing the tops of their heads, right? Eyes buried in their cell phones. According to Pew Research, 72 percent of teens are text messaging, and they are, I guess, that would make them a text messenger. How many of those texts do they actually send? We've got the answers coming up for you in just a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We told you that 72 percent of all teens are text messagers, right? Yes, okay. So, how much do they actually send? According to Pew Research, one in three teens sends more than 3,000 texts in a month.
In today's wireless world that's always on, doctors saying they're seeing a growing number of teens addicted to text messaging. CNN's Deborah Feyerick looks at the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How fast can your average 15-year-old text a single line? Let's just say faster than someone not in high school.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mine's not even English.
FEYERICK: For 10th grader, Sarah Matkin (ph) on the right, Sara Marshall in the middle, and April Fluluviak (ph), texting may be as important as talking.
How many texts do you send and receive every day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably around 200.
SARA MARSHALL, TEEN TEXTER: Definitely about couple hundred.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It varies.
FEYERICK: Studies show to the tune of well over 3,000 texts a month for the average teenager. The question now, are teens texting too much?
MARSHALL: It's right by my bed when I go to sleep and right by my bed when I wake up. It's like the first thing I go to.
FEYERICK: Eighty percent of all kids own a cell phone, and the rate of texting has skyrocketed in 600 percent in three years.
Why is it so important for you to know when somebody's trying to reach you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel like you're missing something. If someone like texts me, and I missed it, oh, I missed out on the moment.
FEYERICK: Do you sometimes feel your mood's changing depending on how often you're receiving the texts or the speed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FEYERICK: Like what? Give me some examples?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, like if someone responded, you're like, yay, they responded. But if they respond like two to three hours later, you're like, what's going on?
FEYERICK: Sound addictive? Could be. Doctors say texting and the instant gratification of getting a text back floods the brain's pleasure center with the mood enhancing, dopamine.
DR. MICHAEL SEYFFERT, NEUROLOGIST: Your imaging studies have shown that those kids were texting have that area of the brain light up the same as an addict using heroin. And they will actually describe when I don't have it, I feel bad. I feel anxious or I feel sad.
FEYERICK: So, it's like the new nicotine?
SEYFFERT: That's a good description, yes. And for many, it may well be.
FEYERICK: Brain doctor, Michael Seyffert treats teens with sleeping disorders at this New Jersey Sleep Clinic and has discovered that 1 out of 5 of them are interrupting their sleep to text, triggering problems.
SEYFFERT: With a lack of sleep, they are having a problem performing. They're going from "A" honor roll students to, you know, barely passing.
FEYERICK: That's the worst case.
(LAUGHTER)
FEYERICK: These teens, on the other hand, get good grades and take part in after school activities, though, texting does sometimes get them in trouble.
When was the last time you had your phones taken away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday.
MARSHALL: Today.
FEYERICK: Today? OK, so, basically, within the last 24 hours, you each had your phone taken away from you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FEYERICK: Their school like many, struggling to contain a growing distraction for students.
TRACEY BAILEY, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: Most administrators will tell you that if it's not their single greatest problem in terms of discipline and school management, it's at least in the top three.
FEYERICK: Despite the potential down sides, these parents say texting has become a necessary evil.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't answer the phone. It's the only way --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They will (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't do e-mails at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only way to get ahold of them is text. So, I had to actually get text messaging in order to, you know, communicate with my kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Sometimes, they only communicate that way.
FEYERICK: And while the behavior can be addictive, teens like Sarah Marshall say they're confident they can quit cold turkey.
MARSHALL: Maybe I'd have some like withdrawal symptoms. Like, I'd get anxious and like wonder like what's going on, but once I realize that nothing bad is happening, it's fine without my phone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. We have got some hot clips and big plays for you.
First, yesterday's Eagles-Giants stunner. Did you see this ballgame? Michael Vick and the Eagles down by 21 points in the fourth quarter with just over eight minutes to play. Vick brings them all the way back to tie the game. The Giants just want to kick the ball out of bounds here and get the overtime, rigth? You don't want to kick it to that guy! DeShawn Jackson of the Eagles scoops up his own fumble and he is gone! Giants lose after being up 21 points with just over eight minutes to play in the ballgame.
All right, Packers at New England last night. Dan Connolly, a 6'4 big man, 313-pound offensive lineman, takes low, bounce kickoff -- the kick that you kick to the lineman because you don't want to speedy guy to run it to the house. He goes to the house. OK, not really, he goes to the four yard line. Boy, you're looking at the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in the history of the NFL. The Patriots did win, but just barely, 31-27.
More records may be broken at the University of Connecticut. The Uconn women's basketball team beat out Ohio State yesterday to win their 88th straight game. They tie UCLA teams from 1971 to 1974 for the longest winning streak in major college basket history. They will go for the record breaking 89th win tomorrow night versus Florida State. Your "Big Plays" for Monday.
Now, this -- this is a Christmas light display. We will show you some of the country's best holiday light shows in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: If you want your cards and letters to get there by Christmas guarenteed, get them in mail right away. The U.S. Postal Service expected to handle about 800 million cards, letters, and packages today. If you missed this deadline, you can still send your greetings priority mail tomorrow and there's alway express mail on Wednesday.
Most of us will settle for a few strings of lights, maybe a wreath on the door, but the really hardcore Christmas fans out there are going all out this holiday season. Sandy is back, showcasing some of our favorites. What you got for us, Sandy?
ENDO: Yes, why not go all out, right? Let's get you into the holiday spirit, Tony, with some iReports of amazing displays of Christmas lights.
Check out this one. This is from Lake Mary, Florida. This is an iReporter who says this house basically lights up their neighborhood every year. And this iReporter says there's a traffic jam and a long line of cars just waiting to drive past this house to see the lights. You can see why right there.
All right. Taking a look at this other iReport, this comes from Marshall Field, Wisconsin. Now, this display was made up of 700,000 LED lights. 800 volunteers came out in the 14-degree weather for this Rotary Winter Wonderland event benefiting the less fortunate. So, really really pretty amazing stuff. I wish I could go see it . Would you brave the 14 degree weather to see that, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes, I think so.
So, let's try this as a plan. As you get more of this, why don't we just pop you up? I mean, come on. This is the week before Christmas. This is Christmas week!
ENDO: Let's dress you up as Santa Claus!
HARRIS: Let's do that! This is Christmas week. As you get more of these great videos of Christmas displays around the country, just give us a heads-up.
ENDO: All right. You got it.
HARRIS: All right. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
HARRIS: Several hundred people were arrested; two opposition candidates were injured.
And then central Mexico, at least 28 people, more than 50 injured in an oil pipeline explosion. Officials still investigating the cause, but initial reports point to the illegal extraction of oil from the pipes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking top stories now. South Korea's military drills end peacefully. The North had warned that the live-fire exercises could ignite a war. But today, North Korean military leaders said retaliation was not necessary.
On Capitol Hill, senators are set to meet behind closed doors in so-called executive session to resume consideration of the controversial new nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
And a big drop in the number of violent crimes committed in the United States. FBI statistics showing a 6.2 percent decline in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.
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HARRIS: Taking the public pulse on a major nuclear treaty. Shannon Travis, part of The Best Political Team on Television, live from the political desk in Washington. Shannon, good to see you. Share with us some of the numbers from this poll.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: That's right. You heard earlier in the hour, Dana Bash, senior congressional correspondent, talking about the closed session that the senators will be engaged in over S.T.A.R.T.
We have some numbers, though, from an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll about Americans' favorabilty of this treaty. Seventy percent say they're actually for it, Tony, and 25 percent say they're against it. So, that might give a little bit of pushback to Republicans who are saying they don't want this ratified before the next Congress convenes.
Speaking of the Senate, what about the last Senate race in the country that's not yet decided? We're talking, of course, about Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent Republican senator, versus Joe Miller, the Republican that wants her seat. The Supreme Court - Alaska's supreme court -- heard oral arguments on Friday. I'm going to be making calls today to just kind of get an update on what's going on there, Tony.
HARRIS: And Shannon, that's not all you've got for us coming out of Alaska.
TRAVIS: That's right. Did you watch "Sarah Palin's Alaska" last night, Tony?
HARRIS: I missed it. I was traveling back to Atlanta, but I missed it.
TRAVIS: OK. Let me give you one thing from last night's episode. She was eating some s'mores, you know, graham cracker, marshmallows, chocolate and what have you. And she said this. And I'll quote her, because I don't want to misquote Sarah Palin. Quote, "In honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we should not have dessert." So, Sarah Palin taking a little bit of a diss there about the first lady.
This is not the first time kind of she's gone after Michelle Obama's aim at reducing fat in schools and nutritional guidelines. And -- but that's not exactly what Michelle Obama said. She said in July at an NAACP speech in Kansas City, quote, "Our parents made us get out and play." She was talking about her upbringing. And quote, "As I tell my kids, dessert is not a right."
So, Sarah Palin kind of going after Michelle Obama there, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, and it is a reality show. If those shows are about anything, they're about taking some shots.
Shannon, appreciate it.
TRAVIS: They are.
HARRIS: They are! Shannon, good to see you. Thank you, sir. Your next update in an hour and for the latest political news, you know where to go at CNNpolitics.com.
Building boats to help high school dropouts drop anchor. We kick off a weeklong series that puts giving in focus.
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HARRIS: Let's put "Giving In Focus." It is that time of year, after all. CNN photojournalist Jeremy Moorehead gives us a look at a program for high school dropouts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation Seaport Center in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I look at these boats, I see people.
You're looking at a couple of boats that we built, gosh, back in 1993. The wife of the fellow that I started the boat building programs with, Bill Hunley, one of the boats is named after his wife, Carol. It's a small shot but, boy, we've certainly been able to build a lot of boats and help a lot of kids.
SAUL CRUZ, APPRENTICE, ALEXANDRIA SEAPORT FOUNDATION: At first, it sounded too good to be true, being paid to basically get my GED
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We run an apprenticeship program for kids who have dropped out of school, gotten in trouble with the court. We have our larger facility about four blocks up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The warehouse is located right at the Potomac River at the Ramensen (ph) Terminal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I volunteer at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation and have been here for three years. Building boats and repairing boats is the vehicle for us in working with the young men and women that come here. And I couldn't be happier.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been sober for quite a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not just painting. You start conversations. And soon, after a while a relationship develops between you and the apprentice. And the apprentice sort of opens up, gives you an opportunity to make some life skill suggestions that might help them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How to use the tools properly, the safety hazards and all of that stuff. I learned it from him.
CRUZ: They've given me tutors, and that helped me improve my math a lot. Basically, they do anything to help you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I look at these boats and see the folks who built them, I see the kids who built them who are now accountants and iron workers. What makes it worth it is the work that gets done every day and the kids we help every day.
I build things. I was trained to build houses. I've built boats. Now we're just building people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We will put "Giving In Focus" all week long. Then, this weekend, CNN brings you an hour-long special hosted by Tom Foreman. "Giving in Focus" is here, Christmas Day at 4:00 Eastern. That's one Pacific, only on CNN.
And staying on the topic of giving, a small town's frugal farmer makes a huge donation to his community. A whopping $3 million doled out.
Plus, financial resolutions for 2011 as we look past Christmas into the new year. Those stories and much more in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: If you plan to return a gift after the holidays, hang on to your receipt. Retailers may demand proof of purchase in an effort to cut down on return fraud. The story from national correspondent Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe that top that Aunt Mary picked out isn't exactly a hit. So you bring it back for a refund. But check out these shoppers. They pick out some clothes from a rack and go into a dressing room. When one of them emerges, she tells the clerk she bought the clothes earlier and now wants a refund. She gets a store credit for something she never bought to begin with. That is return fraud.
JOSEPH LAROCCA, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: When sales are up, so are returns. But we're also seeing fraud at this holiday season and throughout the year.
CANDIOTTI: The National Retail Federation estimates return fraud losses of $14 billion this year. Four billion alone during the holidays. It is not only stealing for store credit, there's also something called wardrobing.
DAN DOYLE, SR. V.P. LOSS PREVENTION, BEALLS, INC.: That's where somebody would actually buy a piece of merchandise, use it and then bring it back to us for full credit.
CANDIOTTI: Not criminal behavior, but to retailers, it's unethical and costly because they're stuck with damaged or soiled goods they can't resell. What is criminal retailers say is return fraud that is a form of shoplifting. This woman selects a brand new rolled up rug in a department store. She brings it to the counter, pays for a smaller ticket item and then tells the clerk she's returning the rug.
LAROCCA: This is a criminal behavior because she never made that purchase originally and now is receiving a full return from the cashier.
CANDIOTTI: At a Florida Department store, surveillance cameras catch a woman choosing a cartful of items. She takes everything, and it's an arm full, into a dressing room. Under the door you can see her trying things on. After leaving the room, most of the clothes are now stuffed into a bag. After more fake shopping, she gets a refund for something she didn't really buy and tells the store she decided not to return the bagged clothes she allegedly shoplifted.
Caught on tape, she's confronted with all the things she pinched. And after arguing at first, she bends over in apparent despair. She's arrested and eventually made restitution
DOYLE: I'm certainly glad that our store people were vigilant and on the ball and caught the situation.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Retailers say return fraud ultimately punishes honest shoppers and higher prices and stricter return policies. And warning to customers, surveillance cameras may be rolling and it's pretty hard to argue with proof on tape.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, here's something TV got to see. I haven't seen it yet, I want to see it for myself here - alon with you, of course.
It's from a dashboard camera in Dayton, Ohio. You can see a police officer clearly having trouble. Oh, yes, yes, I've seen this. Having trouble with a suspect. Yikes. The guy allegedly keeps trying to get the officer's gun.
(COUGH) HARRIS: Pardon me. But that's where Angela Pierce comes in. She's obviously not an officer, but she's an innocent bystander that jumps in and helps out and helps the police officer throw the guy to the ground here. And ultimately she was a part of helping the officer get the guy under some control here.
CNN's Don Lemon talked with her last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA PIERCE, HELPED SUBDUE SUSPECT: I just felt like that could be my father or my grandfather out there and I just wanted to help.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Can you understand why people don't help when they are presented with situations like you?
PIERCE: Yes. Because they don't know what the person is going to do. Or what they got. Because I didn't know what he had. I didn't know what the police was going to do. I just reacted. Because I heard him hollering for help.
LEMON: What was the ultimate outcome? Did you ever see this guy again?
PIERCE: No.
LEMON: And what happened with him? How did it all end?
PIERCE: He went to jail and they let me leave. I went on by my way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So when the fight was over, Angela high-fived the other officers who came to help. Then she went on her merry way. The Dayton PD called Angela's actions commendable.
