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Gas Tops $3.00 a Gallon; Some Medicines in Short Supply; Tortured in Mauritania; Not-So-Lame Duck Session; Broken Bodies; Spirits in Tact; What's Trending?
Aired December 23, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The West Coast finally getting a break from days of heavy rain and snow but what a mess it left behind. Floodwaters turned streets into rivers. The water so swift it collapsed this home in Arizona.
Southern California, flooded football field. The water into San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and being pumped out ahead of today's Poinsettia bowl.
Mud slides also a serious problem in Southern California. They have swamped homes, businesses and cars in a number of places.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG BATLA, IREPORTER: Greg Batla here, and we're in Loma Linda, California, right now. As you can see, the mudslide has come off the hill and completely engulfed this road. These cars are just completely buried here in the mud.
No way to go anywhere. It looks like the military is here already, responding to the disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A developing story overseas to tell you about. Bombs exploded at two embassies in Rome today.
The first was a package bomb that went off at the Swiss Embassy. Police say the person who opened it was seriously wounded. A second bomb exploded at the Chilean Embassy. One person there was injured. Police are checking all of the embassies and consulates in the city.
President Obama arrives in Hawaii to celebrate the holiday season. Before he left, he congratulated Congress on a season of progress. The president scored wins on major legislation including the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and approval of a new nuclear treaty with Russia. He says the action by Congress shows that cooperation is possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think what's happened over the last several weeks is not a victory for me, it's a victory for the American people. And the lesson I hope that everybody takes from this is that it's possible for Democrats and Republicans to have principled disagreements, to have some lengthy arguments, but to ultimately find common ground to move the country forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We will take a detailed look at what Congress did and did not get done. Our Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash joining us at the bottom of the hour.
More now on those storms that pounded southern California. The bad weather out of the area today, but it is sure leaving a mess behind.
Parts of the region got more than two feet of rain. And that's two feet. We're not talking about inches here.
Our iReporters are doing a great job of showing us what it is really like on the ground. This one from Tim Gillespie in Loma Linda.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: The holiday road trip will cost you more this year. AAA says the average gas price is now $3 a gallon nationwide. That is up 16 percent over last Christmas.
Christine Romans of our Money team is live with us from New York.
And Christine, is this a negative consequence of a good thing? That good thing being the economy is starting to improve here?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's mostly the global economy is starting to improve, the big emerging markets, Brazil, Russia, India, China, the brick countries we always tell you about. Not so much the U.S., Tony, quite frankly, but some very big countries have been recovering solidly, and they need resources to get their factories going and their people who are entering the middle classes into cars. So that's why mostly.
You're right, up 17 percent. The first Christmas we've ever had gasoline above $3 a gallon. And Tony, even back in 2008, you still had, you know, $1 to $2 a gallon gas before you had that big run-up to $4 a gallon.
A lot of people think it could stick here at $3 for a while. So you need to find the cheapest gas in your neighborhood.
My first order of business here, use self-serve. Pay cash if there's a discount. You know, that makes a lot of sense.
You can go to Web sites like gasbuddy.com, fuelmeup.com, automotive.com. There are also a bunch of apps. There's an app for everything now, Tony.
HARRIS: Oh yes. ROMANS: There are a lot of apps out there where you can find out exactly where you are on your smartphone, where the cheapest gas prices are.
And AAA actually recommends, too, don't fill up the tank when it just hits a new peak. Fill up. Just use as much as you need. When the price goes down a little bit, then fill up, because, you know, that's constant information that gas retailers are getting, you know, when they see that demand picks up when the price goes down. That's important.
Some other things to save money on gas, you know this, Tony. We all know this. But remember, drive 55. If you drive 55, you can lower your gas mileage by 21 percent. Inflate your tires.
I grew up on a gravel road. I didn't realize this. Imagine over the course of my lifetime. Thirty percent of gas mileage gets eaten up on dirt and gravel roads.
Driving in a straight line. Accelerate before you get to the big hill. AAA has 40 things to do to save money on gas on its Web site. Let's check it out.
HARRIS: Where did you grow up?
ROMANS: I grew up in Iowa, Tony. On a gravel road in Iowa.
HARRIS: Doggone.
ROMANS: Proud of it.
HARRIS: All right. Good to see you.
ROMANS: Really? You didn't know that?
HARRIS: I did not know that.
ROMANS: Oh, I'm an evangelist. I talk about Iowa all the time.
HARRIS: I'm just thinking about all the things I know about you, and I did not know that.
All right, Christine. Happy holidays to you. See you tomorrow.
ROMANS: You, too, Tony. Bye.
HARRIS: We hope to see you tomorrow.
We call them miracle drugs, but what happens when the medication you need is in short supply? Elizabeth Cohen joins us next. But first, our "Random Moment" in 60 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Across the country right now people are dying because of a major drug shortage. Everything from painkillers to chemotherapy medication is in short supply.
Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us now with the latest developments here.
And Elizabeth, first of all, how bad is it?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, pharmacists and doctors tell me this is a serious problem. And we don't hear much about it, but some 150 drugs are in shortage. And we're talking about important drugs like Epinephrine, important drugs like morphine, cancer drugs.
Patients are showing up for chemotherapy sometimes and can't get the dose that they need because the drug is in shortage. And, in fact, we're told by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices that at least three people have died because the medications they needed weren't there.
HARRIS: Do we know how and maybe why this is happening?
COHEN: You know, it's sort of this confluence of problems, a perfect storm, if you will. So, for example, some drug companies don't have the raw materials that they need. Other drug companies, their factories have been closed down for quality issues.
And also, some drug companies, we're told, they're finding they're not making much money off of a given drug, so they just stop making it and nobody else wants to make it. And there's nothing illegal about that. That's just a business decision, but it leaves patients in the lurch.
HARRIS: Yes. And what's an empowered patient to do in this situation?
COHEN: You know, what you want to do is if you're in the hospital -- because this is a hospital situation, not a pharmacy situation, this is a hospital situation -- you can ask -- if you're concerned, you can ask your doctor, hey, is there a shortage -- I've heard about it, I've heard about the shortage -- is there a shortage of any of the drugs that I'm supposed to have? And if so, what are we doing about it?
Because if they're substituting drugs, you want to ask your doctor, hey, are you familiar with working with this drug? Is it hard to dose this drug? Because what they're doing is sometimes substituting with drugs that doctors and nurses haven't used maybe in years, or ever. And that's in some cases what's killing people.
And you can get more details at cNN.com/thechart. I have a blog up right now about what you can do if you or a loved one is in the hospital and you're worried about this.
HARRIS: OK, Elizabeth. Appreciate it. If you would, keep us posted.
COHEN: Will do. HARRIS: OK.
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: It is a natural feeling. You count your blessings when you see someone else less fortunate.
Allan Chernoff introduced us to a Tibetan painter yesterday who survived torture in his homeland to live his dream in America. Today, another victim, another dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHEIKHNA MAHAWA, SURVIVOR OF TORTURE: So do you have a question before the class starts?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Teaching at City College of New York is a victory for Cheikhna Mahawa over his former captors who brutally tortured him in his homeland of Mauritania. Cheikhna says he was arrested and tortured simply because he organized protests to improve education for the poor and lobbied for instruction of classic Arabic rather than a local dialect.
(on camera): Is it worth fighting for education, even to the point of becoming a victim of torture?
Absolutely. Without a doubt.
CHERNOFF: No question? You have no regrets?
MAHAWA: I have no regret. Why do I have to be regretful? What is living without wisdom? What is living without knowledge?
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Cheikhna says police shoved a rifle butt into his mouth, causing him to lose teeth. Hey says they beat him, engaged in psychological torture, and forced him to stare at the sun.
MAHAWA: They tell you to lie on your back and just watch the sun. And when you get back to the room, you feel like you're blind. You can't see anything.
How are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.
MAHAWA: Good to see you.
CHERNOFF: Once out of jail, Cheikhna fled Mauritania, eventually arriving in New York. Here, he learned of the Bellevue NYU program for survivors of torture, a clinic that heals more than physical scars.
DR. ALLEN KELLER, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL: We have the privilege of helping individuals who have been brutalized, who have been tortured, to rebuild their lives, to restore and reclaim their health and their dignity. MAHAWA: You cannot do it by yourself. It is not possible.
CHERNOFF: Cheikhna has received not only free medical care, but also psychological counseling, legal aid to gain asylum, and encouragement to pursue his dream of becoming an educator.
MAHAWA: I would say education is the key of the world. Without education, I don't believe we could do anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Cheikhna says he sometimes heads down to the program at Bellevue Hospital just to hang out, meet other survivors, share stories. It's a place of comfort for him. And it really is, Tony, an exceptional program. They have helped about 3,000 people from around the world since the program's finding in 1995.
HARRIS: So, Allan, what is his Cheikhna's ambition?
MAHAWA: He wants to complete his Ph.D. and he wants to become a full-time college professor. He seems well on his way to that. As you can see, this guy is most committed to education.
HARRIS: And any idea on how his experiences have influenced him as an educator?
CHERNOFF: Well, he's been through so much, that he says he feels tremendous compassion for those who struggle. So whenever a student is doing poorly, when he sees that, he contacts the student, he offers them personal tutoring for free. He wants to be sure that everyone succeeds.
HARRIS: I love that. All right, Allan. Appreciate it. Great story. Thank you, sir.
And good news today for folks looking for work. We will go live to Wall Street to hear what the experts see coming for 2012. That is next.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A not-so-lame-duck session ends the 111th Congress. Lawmakers passed a lot of major legislation in the closing days and hours: the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts; the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; a nuclear arms treaty; health benefits for 9/11 first responders; and a food safety overhaul.
Let's do this -- let's bring in senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.
Hey, Dana, why was all this possible given the polarizing rhetoric? And I'm wondering if one of the lessons here is pay less attention to what politicians say and more to what they actually do. DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they did was different. I think that is true. There's no other way to look at it.
I mean, you and I have been talking since the beginning of the Obama presidency about the way Congress has been run and the polarization. And I think, first of all, what was different when it comes to the Republicans who split off to give the president and give the Democratic leaders the victories on some of these issues is that they did split off.
I mean, I think that sort of -- one of the key things that we saw was Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader in particular, he was really able to hold his troops lockstep. It didn't happen, in part because some of the issues that you put up there are sort of inherently more bipartisan than others that we saw in the past. Food safety is inherently bipartisan, and even "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is sort of more generational than partisan when you look at it more broadly.
So I think those are some of the reasons why things changed in this particular lame duck on those particular issues.
HARRIS: And the START treaty is certainly nonpartisan.
BASH: Exactly. Great example.
HARRIS: Yes. What does this mean looking ahead? There is talk that the new Congress wants to dismantle some of the items just passed.
BASH: That's exactly right. And that is why despite the fact that people are -- who are looking to Washington for compromise, and to get things done, are happy, should maybe just wait a little bit and see what happens in the next Congress. Because, of course, the Republicans who were elected to have the majority in the House and have many more seats in the Senate, many of them elected, Tony, were elected because the constituents and the voters in their districts and states said we don't like some of the things that President Obama and Democrats have done. Namely, first and foremost, health care.
My understanding from Republican sources is the very first thing we're going to see, at least out of a Republican-led House, is going to be an attempt to dismantle that health care legislation. It is not going to happen because they don't have the votes in the Senate, but those are the kinds of themes we're going to see coming forward and at least try to take away the funding for that.
And the pressure from some of these new members is basically no compromise. No compromise. It's we want to get rid of some of these things, so that is sort of the rub that we are going to see and the next Congress with this whole new batch of members, especially on the Republican side.
HARRIS: Can't wait to see how this all plays out. You'll be watching it for us. Dana, great to see you. Happy holidays to you. BASH: You too. Happy holidays.
HARRIS: Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you.
HARRIS: Let's get to Reynolds Wolf. So, we've just got a couple of days left, right? until everyone is home for Christmas.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Just a few.
HARRIS: And the travel could be tricky in a lot of spots. Hi.
WOLF: Good to se you, man. Good to see you, too. You're right, though, Tony. The travel is tricky.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: So much to share with you weatherwise, Tony. We've got more coming up.
HARRIS: Yes. Are you a Seinfeld fan?
WOLF: I like just about everything. I am a Jerry Seinfeld fan.
HARRIS: OK! As you know, pretty special day for Seinfeld fans. A day for feats of strength. Reynolds and I will drop and give the studio audience ten.
We won't. And we'll just say we did.
It's a day certainly of airing grievances. And of course for Festivus miracles. So, for you Seinfeld fans out there, which character on the show supposedly invented Festivus? We'll tell you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, which Seinfeld character created the holiday Festivus? Why, Frank Costanza, of course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY STILLER, ACTOR: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reach for the last one they had. But so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way!
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ACTOR: What happened to the doll?
STILLER: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born. A Festivus for the rest of us!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And the man that played Mr. Costanza, Frank Costanza, on Seinfeld, Jerry Stiller, stopped by CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" to talk about how the made-up holiday has really caught on. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STILLER: People see me and say a Festivus for the rest of us. You know,hat sort of thing. The idea that people have taken it seriously, they get an aluminum pipe and they stick it in some place, and then when you come to a Festivus party. And what goes on at the parties? You know, feats of strength. People start to let out all the anger, all the stuff that they've been holding in all these years, and it's a release.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": No doubt. The tradition of Festivus, the celebration of Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned to the ground.
STILLER: That's right.
ROBERTS: Now, what are your favorite?
STILLER: My father's already in the ground, so it's a little bit too late for that one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. A name never thought I'd see tied to the WikiLeaks scandal. Anna Nicole Smith reportedly involved in a government scandal? "Showbiz Tonight's" Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles with all the details.
Good to see you, Kareen. What's going on here?
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony. I have to say, it real is a surprising connection. London's "Guardian" newspaper is producing a U.S. State Department cable from WikiLeaks talking about smith and how she brought down the government of the Bahamas. Can you believe that?
All right. A little bit of background here, Tony. In 2006, government officials in the Bahamas accused of giving Smith special treatment applying for permanent resident status in the island nation. And Tony, she was really approved in just a matter of weeks. Takes people roughly a year to get approval.
It was such a salacious scandal that local newspapers, they published embarrassing pictures of Smith with government officials, and what was the result? Well, a firestorm. It led to a change in power in the Bahamas.
Now, in these WikiLeaks cables, Smith is called a femme fatale. And a State Department official says, quote, "Not since category 4 Hurricane Betsy made landfall in 1965 has one woman done as much damage."
HARRIS: Wow.
WYNTER: That was Anna Nicole. Let's remember here, Tony, she is really turned up in surprising places before. She's the only reality star that I can think of -- I don't know about you, that wound up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Remember that with the estate and her late husband?
HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes, yes.
WYNTER: Making an appearance again.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, Want to change gears for a second, Kareen. We talked about the "Spiderman" yesterday. Is there any update on that story today?
WYNTER: Actually, Tony, there is. And you know, in Showbiz, accident or no accident, the show really must kind of go on. You said it.
The incident on Monday where a stunt man fell 20 feet led to the cancellation of two performances yesterday. But today, a spokesman tells CNN, Tony, the show is scheduled to resume tonight with some new safety measures, of course.
According to the Actors' Equity Association, the cause of the accident was human error. And a new safety plan in place to prevent it from ever happening again and the show's director Julie Taynor tells CNN the injured actor's quote "he's going to be all right."
So, Tony, a little bit of good news here althought the show is magnet for bad publicity. If it's not accidents on stage, people talking about the record-setting costs of putting on this production. And also reports say producers have already pumped, if you can believe this, $65 million into the show. But let's just hope, Tony, things go smoothly from here.
HARRIS: Have to tell you, though, this publicity makes me, anyway, want to see it and see what all this is about. And --
WYNTER: Absolutely.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. Okay. Kareen, good to see you.
WYNTER: I have to agree. Thanks, Tony. Happy holidays.
HARRIS: Yes, And to you.
If you want more information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, of course, Kareen's got you covered this evening on "Showbiz Tonight." That's at 5:00 and 11:00 on HLN.
Anyone who has ever posed for holiday photos will appreciate the annual awkward photo contest where you can be a winner by looking like a complete loser. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 'Tis the season of photo opportunities, posing and poking.
(SINGING) jingle bells, jingle bells
MOOS: Poking and placing. And if it doesn't always feel jolly in the moment --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just take a damn picture!
MOOS: Maybe it will become jolly with age which is why a website called awkwardfamilyphotos holds an annual holiday contest.
DOUG CHERNACK, CO-CREATOR, AWKWARDFAMILYPHOTOS.COM: The holidays are the most awkward times of the year.
MOOS: Folks send in photos featuring awkward-looking outfits, people posing in awkward positions, a kid tight up in Christmas lights and other chewing on a cord.
CHERNACK: That cause a little bit of a firestorm on the site.
MOOS (on-camera): But we've been assured no babies were harmed in the taking of these photos. The kid chewing the cord is alive and well, all grown up now.
MOOS (voice-over): The winner of the awkward holiday photo contest might seem ordinary at first glance, until you notice that little Calvin Muser (ph) is flipping the bird. Now, it's come home to roost almost four decades later.
When did your parents realize that you were flipping them off?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So, when my parents were recently digetizing their old slides a couple of years ago, they found it. And they had never noticed it before.
MOOS (on-camera): But Calvin's parents didn't think the photo was so funny, they threw it out. He actually had to rescue it from the trash.
MOOS (voice-over): From garbage can to first place winner, it's entitled Bernie. White Christmas came in second. The white part is a guy named Scott.
SCOTT BURCKHARD, GUY WHO SENT PHOTOS: Scott Burckhard.
MOOS: Scott, are you dressed?
BURCKHARD: For the most part, yes.
MOOS: Same goes for the photo, Scott is wearing gym shorts and some say, what's with dad, creepy. The family sent this out as their Christmas card. Some were riveted by Scott's toes.
What exactly is with the red toenail polish?
BURCKHARD: It's not red toenail polish. MOOS: Scott says he dropped the wood stove on his foot.
BURCKHARD: I've got (INAUDIBLE) my phone, I can send you a current photo right now and you can see that they're definitely a brownish/blue shade and not red.
MOOS: From toes to fingers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't remember why I did it, but I remember doing it. And I remember getting away with it until now.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just take the damn picture!
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. She is about to hand over the gavel, but before she does, House speaker Nancy Pelosi reacts to what Congress accomplished. Details in our political update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Nancy Pelosi takes a moment to reflect before handing over the gavel. Wolf Blitzer, leader of the Best Political Team on Television, live from the political desk in Washington. Wolf, good to see you. You know, Baltimore's former Nancy Delasandro - she certainly made some history.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": She certainly did. She's been the speaker, she won't be the speaker much longer. She is actually going to be moving on to become the minority leader. She'll stay, obviously, in the House of Representatives, but John Boehner will be the speaker.
She did wrap up the tenure as speaker. Historic, the first woman as speaker of the House with a whole bunch of achievements. The president was thrilled as you saw at the news conference yesterday, the signing of the approval of the ratification of the START Treaty, the 9/11 first responders health care bill, that tax cut deal he worked out with the Republicans.
Some of the other key issues, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It ended very impressively for the Democrats, for the president, even after the so-called shellacking that they took back on November 2nd. We'll see if that momentum though spills over into the new Congress. They're going to convene early in January. It's going to be a huge challenge, especially as everyone gears up for a presidential re- election contest in 2012.
Another issue that's up here on the CNN Political Ticker that we're watching, Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, former member of Congress from Chicago, some good news for him -- it looks like they will allow him to run for mayor of Chicago. There's been -- had been a question of his residency because he moved to Washington to serve in the White House. He rented out his house in Chicago. The law in Chicago is you have to be a resident of Chicago for a year. Apparently they have -- at least those Board of Elections officials ruled that he is -- they're expecting to approve this recommendation to go forward.
And I'm just getting new information from Paul Steinhauser right now, our deputy political director, the Chicago Board of Elections has announced that Rahm Emanuel has been certified to the ballot and can run for the position of mayor of Chicago. So very good news for him and it looks like he's in pretty good shape, Tony, because a poll has just conducted in Chicago shows he's way ahead of the field, that election in February. So, good news for Rahm Emanuel if he wants to be the next mayor of Chicago, seems to be well positioned for that.
Finally, I know you're interested in this, Tony. A lot of our viewers here in the United States and around the world are interested. I have another installment coming out later today in "The Situation Room" on my exclusive inside North Korea journal. I just came back from six days there with the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. I think you're going to like what you're going to see today, because not only are we going to be in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, but they allowed us to go outside into the countryside which is not all that usual and we saw things that, you know, I don't think a lot of people have ever seen before. And that piece which we're working on right now, we're going to -- we have got some great videos, some great still photos and some good interviews.
I think you'll enjoy it. That will be coming up 5 p.m. Easter in "The Situation Room." And if our viewers are interested, we've got a lot of stuff on CNN.com. My reporter's notebook, video, a lot of still photos, a little slide show, so if you're interested in what's happening in North Korea, it's a good place to go.
HARRIS: Well, I hope you have included your training session with that sports team --
BLITZER: With the North Korean girls ice hockey team. It was very cute because I saw them jogging, these are 16, 17-year-old girls. And my instinct was to jump out of the van, take my handheld little camera and start jogging with them and talking to them. I said, "My name is Wolf. I'm from CNN." They looked at me like I was some sort of idiot. Who is this crazy foreigner who is jogging with us with a handheld camera? But they were smiling, they were so adorable. They were very nice and I had a lot of fun.
HARRIS: You OK? You didn't pull a hammie or anything?
BLITZER: No, no, you know what, I jog on a treadmill here at home all the time, every day. I couldn't do it in North Korea because the treadmill --
HARRIS: Snow and ice and everything else on the ground.
BLITZER: So that gave me a little opportunity to exercise a little bit in the snow of North Korea which is very cute.
HARRIS: It was good stuff. All right, Wolf, good to see you. And we'll see Wolf again on "The Situation Room" at 5:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Still to come in the CNN NEWSROOM, with more than 500 million users, Facebook as you know is everywhere. Well, not everywhere, almost everywhere. We're going to show you how the social networking site is uniting most of the world and which countries are getting left out. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK, all right. If it's happening online, we're covering it for you. I keep saying that. It's Sandy, she's covering it, what's trending?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, well this is interesting. Take a look because Facebook is huge, right? This is a very detailed map that an intern at Facebook put together and it pretty much maps out people's friendships and correlates it with where they are geographically, right? It's surprisingly detailed and it actually kind of outlines a lot of continents and major cities. But there is one exception. Take a look. This big black hole, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
ENDO: Well, there's a great firewall in China. Facebook is not in China. So it's really interesting to see that and a lot of people are commenting today on this map and actually Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in China for a supposed vacation.
HARRIS: Yeah, trying to open up that market.
ENDO: But he's meeting with some tech industry people. So we'll see what happens. It will be interesting to see if China, in fact, opens itself up to a lot of the social media stuff.
Also, I know Tony, you have been talking a lot about all the flooding, yeah, in Southern California. Shout out to my parents, they've been dealing with this.
HARRIS: Where are your parents?
ENDO: In L.A. So look, not a good mix when you have a lot of flooding and cars. Right?
HARRIS: Right.
ENDO: People are still driving. That's how you get around in California. So something like this was bound to happen. Take a look. I love this shot. Poor guy there walking along and --
HARRIS: Come on, Sandy. You don't buy this, do you? You don't believe that just happened randomly? Don't you believe that these days? Come on. ENDO: That truck purposely splashed this guy.
HARRIS: Absolutely because it's totally staged. You don't believe it's staged?
ENDO: Always a skeptic.
HARRIS: I really am. Have I been doing this too long? I totally believe that was staged.
ENDO: Look at this, though. Others in California, right?
HARRIS: All right.
ENDO: They bring it on! Those guys have wet suits.
HARRIS: I love this, yeah.
ENOD: That's something you would do.
HARRIS: Sandy, I love this. So they've got the goggles, the wet suit.
ENDO: They're like bring it on. The more the better.
HARRIS: Yes, and I love that because at that point --
ENDO: The car's like, speed up, right?
HARRIS: Oh, the fire truck. I didn't see that last time. That's perfect. That's directed driving.
ENDO: Yeah, trending on CNN.com.
HARRIS: That's it? Anything else? We're good?
ENDO: Good stuff there. Check it out i-Reports, too, there's a lot of good pictures.
HARRIS: Yes, some horrible flooding throughout and a lot of property damage. Good to see you. Thank you, see you tomorrow.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: We are back in a moment, here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Many wounded troops face a different kind of battle at home adjusting to a new reality. But Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr visited some of them at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington and found their spirits remain amazingly strong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once and for all of you, thank you for your service. We really appreciate it.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Holiday time for the wounded. The hard work of getting better doesn't stop.
(on camera): How are you doing?
CPL. ANTHONY MCDANIEL, MARINE CORPS: Doing real good. Holding up very well.
STARR (voice-over): Marine Corps Corporal Anthony McDaniel stepped on an IED in Afghanistan, grievously wounded but still a smile and a holiday hello for his buddies.
MCDANIEL: I'm here at Walter Reed doing my rehab and I want to give a shout out to my unit, the whole 111 battalion, my family back in Pascagoula, Mississippi, my best friend Bogan in San Diego, just want to give you a shout out and I love you guys. And I'll be seeing a soon.
STARR: A bond unbroken by distance.
LANCE CPL CORY SZUCS, MARINE CORPS: Hi, I'm Lance Corporal Cory Szucs, United States Marine Corps, combat logistics battalion two. I just want to say hi to CLB2 back in Afghanistan. Especially rango man, you saved my life. Love you. Can't wait until you guys get back, miss you all and have a merry Christmas.
SGT. MARCUS HAYWARD, U.S. ARMY: Cut? No, I'm being funny. My name is Sergeant Marcus Hayward from military batallion Ft. Stewart , Georgia. I just want to give you a big shout out to all my boys over in Afghanistan fighting the war. And to my one good boy over in Iraq, two good boys over in Iraq, Sergeant Ford and Sergeant Turner, keep doing your thing and can't wait to get you guys home.
STARR: Army First Lieutenant Nicholas Massie says this Christmas, he is doing just fine.
1ST LT. NICHOLAS MASSIE, U.S. ARMY: You know, we're just all thankful to be back and to be alive, really.
SGT. JOHNNY JONES, U.S. MARINE CORPS: My name is Sergeant Johnny Jones, I'm with first 1st DOD company. I'd like to give a shout out to all the marines and service men fighting over in Afghanistan and Iraq.
STARR: Marine Corps Sergeant Thomas Humphrey's unit suffered one of the highest rates of casualties in the war. Morale and pride he says remains high, as well.
SGT. THOMAS HUMPHREY, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I'm Sergeant Humphrey, United States Marine Corps and I just want to say Merry Christmas to all my boys in Afghanistan. I think about you guys every day and I'm praying for you.
STARR: Marine Corps Corporal Gabriel Martinez lost his legs in the blast attack the day after Thanksgiving. CPL. GABRIEL MARTINEZ, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I just want to give the biggest shout out to all my marines out there serving Afghanistan. And I wish I could be there with you guys but I wish you the best of holidays and, you know, semper fi. I'm out here recovering and I'll see you guys when you come home.
STARR: Sergeant Hayward says it's all about getting home for the holidays.
HAYWARD: I think everybody just want to get out of here and go be around friends and family for the holidays.
STARR: The journey back. Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.
HARRIS: And Ali, I'm struck by how young they are, what an enormous sacrifice for the country and happy holidays to all of the men and women those serving in far flung places this holiday season. And a great show to you, have a great day, sir.
