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On the Lookout for Terrorists; Holiday Shoppers Versus the Clock; Choosing the Right Hospital; The 10 Top Stories of 2010; Holiday Flash Mobs; Back From the Brink of Death; Muted Christmas in Iraq; Dazzling Display for the Holidays
Aired December 24, 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: You know, I was listening to a little James Brown on the way in. Santa goes straight to the ghetto, and I just want - I just want Santa to travel safely and drop off those gifts to all the waiting boys and girls -
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Santa goes to every single neighborhood. You know that, Tony. I love you. Merry Christmas, my friend.
HARRIS: Merry Christmas. And good morning, everyone.
Live from Studio 7, I'm Tony Harris. The big stories for Friday, December 24th, Christmas Eve in the city.
A last-minute holiday travel surge shaping up across the nation right now, snow falling across the Midwest today. Delays likely from Kansas City to Chicago, and there is the potential for a major East Coast storm Sunday into Monday along the I-95 corridor, just in time for your trip home.
Your airport security check today may include extra attention to those insulated travel mugs. The TSA is concerned terrorists could hide explosives behind the insulated lining.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: This is good news. What - we're finally getting to a point where we gather intelligence, we incorporate it into our screening procedures before they attempt it. And so, we - we have to be honest. They - they haven't banned these - these insulated beverage containers. What they're saying is they're going to get additional scrutiny, and we've trained our people to look at them and tell the difference between typical insulation and something that may be an explosive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A pilot says the Transportation Security Administration is retaliating against him for YouTube postings. He is no longer allowed to carry a gun in the cockpit after posting video of what he calls ludicrous airport security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Airport security is kind of a farce. It's only smoke and mirrors so you people believe that there is actually something going on here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The TSA says the pilot was suspended because he broke agency rules.
Now, to our lead story. Security and intelligence officials are on the lookout for any terrorist threat over the holidays. Remember the Christmas Underwear Bomber last year? Well, officials say they are vigilant in efforts to prevent attempts by terrorists to carry out attacks.
CNN's Barbara Starr joining us from Washington. Good morning to you, Barbara.
Is there a specific threat officials are concerned about?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, nothing specific, they say, at this point, no specific target. Thank goodness no time, date and place. But that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of nerves and caution on the part of the administration, because officials say they have been monitoring this constant stream of intelligence for months now that al Qaeda and al Qaeda-related groups would like to attack during the holiday season yet again, causing maximum disruption.
Officials say there's nothing specific, but the counterterrorism adviser at the White House came out and said just what he's worried about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BRENNAN, WHITE HOUSE COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: As we enter the peak of another holiday season, the Homeland Security law enforcement and intelligence communities are collectively focused on doing everything they can to prevent terrorists from disrupting the safety and security of Americans as they travel, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy holiday festivities both at home and abroad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: So very concerned about the possibility, saying there's nothing specific out there but everybody should keep their eyes open. If you see something suspicious, tell someone.
HARRIS: Yes. And, you know, Barbara, this time yesterday we were following the bombings at a couple of embassies in - in Rome. Are those attacks adding to the tensions?
STARR: Well, you know, you're - you're right. Of course, just yesterday, we saw these letter or package bombs, if you will, explode at both the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome. Now, a self- proclaimed anarchist group apparently claiming responsibility. We will see how that case all sorts out.
But there are other worries out there, Tony. The Indian authorities have now issued an alert for another possible attack in Mumbai. We saw the massacre there back in 2008.
So a lot of watchfulness. But, so far today, the good news is the winter weather may be the biggest challenge out there. French authorities, of course, canceling some flights in and out of Paris and evacuating the airport there because of freezing temperatures and snowfall. So if that's all we have to deal with, that's good news.
HARRIS: Yes, it really is.
All right, Barbara Starr in Washington for us. Good to see you, Barbara, and happy holidays to you.
STARR: You, too.
HARRIS: Yes. Thank you.
Southern California gets just one day to clean up after a week of bad, bad storms. A new system set to roll in Christmas Day. One confirmed death to tell you about, a woman whose car was swept off the road by rushing waters.
Nine counties, including Los Angeles, are under a state of emergency. Mud slides are still a very serious concern.
And, of course, we are keeping a close watch on Santa's travels around the world. Military radar is helping us track his every move.
Where is Santa right now? We need a bigger - just past Australia?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Finishing up. About 6 million gifts delivered. I don't know how many more million to go. But Tony and I are (INAUDIBLE) to get coal for the second year in a row.
Good morning, everybody. We're tracking Santa. We've got a storm a-brewing, and that's going to be an issue, I think, across the northeast.
We'll talk weather in about 30 minutes. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pretty cool, huh? It is Christmas Eve and video here from where the Christmas story all started, the little town of Bethlehem. Tens of thousands of Christians are traveling en masse to the town known to believers as Jesus' birthplace.
Last-minute holiday shoppers playing a game of beat the clock. With just a few hours left, the pressure is certainly on for procrastinators. A poll released earlier this week by "Consumers Reports" found one in five people hadn't even started their holiday shopping.
CNN's Sandra Endo is at a mall in the Atlanta suburb of Norcross. There she is, smiling Sandy.
So, Sandy, what are you hearing from some of those last-minute shoppers?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, all these procrastinators, they waited till the last minute, Tony. I know you finished all your shopping, right?
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE), no.
ENDO: Oh, OK. Well, you can join all of them because they're pretty much out here. This parking lot is packed. People are circling and circling, trying to find a parking spot, and all these stores have last-minute deals, and that's certainly something encouraging for the economy. And, actually, the National Federation for Retailers are anticipating that this season is actually going to be better than expected. So, these deals are really helping people get out there and spend their money.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
ENDO: And, actually, I'm here with one last-minute shopper, Jordan.
Why did you have wait till the day before Christmas to even start your Christmas shopping?
"JORDAN", LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS SHOPPER: Well, I've been out of town for a few days. But I - to be honest, I've just been lazy.
ENDO: Lazy?
"JORDAN": But - yes. But, I - I don't know. I like - I like waiting, getting out here at the last minute, just kind of taking everything in before Christmas Day.
ENDO: And so who - who do you have to shop for? How many gifts did you have to get?
"JORDAN": I've had to get - shop for five people - my sister, my brother, my brother's girlfriend and my parents.
ENDO: So you're feeling the pressure?
"JORDAN": Yes, ma'am.
ENDO: And you said you had to wake up early just to get to the stores, right, to beat the crowds?
"JORDAN": Yes, ma'am. It's - it's packed here, so.
ENDO: And any good deals out there?
"JORDAN": Oh, yes. Everywhere. Fifty percent off, 20 percent off. A lot of really good deals out here.
ENDO: All right. Well, good luck.
"JORDAN": Thank you.
ENDO: I know they want something under that tree, Jordan.
"JORDAN": Yes, ma'am.
ENDO: So, good luck.
"JORDAN": Thank you.
ENDO: And Tony, you know I love a deal, right?
HARRIS: Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
ENDO: I actually went shopping, and I bought three shirts, and this hoodie, all for $25, the entire thing, and I - I saved $50 in the process.
So there's certainly bargains to be had. But if you want to come get them -
HARRIS: Yes.
ENDO: -- you have to brave these crowds.
HARRIS: Hey, do me a favor. I've got a - I've got a pretty sizable amount of nephew in town for the holidays. If you wouldn't mind, since you're there - you know, you're there, get me a XXL -
ENDO: Yes. Tony, I think you e-mailed me your whole - a XXL? OK.
HARRIS: A XXL hoodie, with -
ENDO: But, Tony -
HARRIS: Yes?
ENDO: -- you already e-mailed me your whole shopping list, I think. So I'm trying to work my way through it. I know it's a long one. So - I think you gave me that task already.
HARRIS: Well - well, I mean, since you're there.
Sandy, appreciate it. See you next hour. Thank you.
A little less money in Tiger Woods' pocket. And a new - wow. That's still an impressive swing. He is getting dropped by another major sponsor.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: A big blow for the Buckeyes, topping big play for you today. Six Ohio State football players have been suspended for NCAA violations. They're accused of selling various items, including their conference championship rings, jerseys and pants and accepting discounted services.
Five of the players will have to sit out the first five games of next season. The sixth will have to miss the opening game.
You wouldn't be seeing Tiger Woods promoting Gillette products in the New Year. The company is dropping the ball for December 31st. Woods' reputation, as you know, was damaged by a sex scandal that ended his marriage earlier this year. Several other major sponsors dropped him after the scandal broke and (INAUDIBLE).
An Idaho state basketball player shooting a free throw, just a regular old free throw, right? Look what happens when the ball hits the rim. Ready? Have you seen that? Never seen that.
OK. Obviously, it - it took that pretty crazy bounce and it stuck there for about a second or so. What are the chances of that happening?
And more proof that pro basketball players can't sing a lick. So, yesterday we brought you the Chicago Bulls with the "12 Days of Christmas." Today, the Dallas Mavericks with their take on another Christmas classic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(DALLAS MAVERICKS SINGING "GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER")
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: When a California man suffered a massive stroke, a last- minute decision on which hospital to choose made a real difference for him. All week, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been sharing tips that could help save your life. Today, she reminds patients that not all hospitals are the same.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bear Valley, California is a mountain paradise. Gorgeous skiing and loads of snowmobilers.
After skiing down the slopes one morning, Chuck Toeniskoetter stopped in at the local snowmobile center, and, while he was inside, all of a sudden he fell down.
CHUCK TOENISKOETTER, STROKE SURVIVOR: You could draw a line down the center of my body and everything was disconnected on the right- hand side. COHEN: Chuck had just had a massive stroke in the middle of nowhere. Bear Valley nurse Kathy Snyder raced Chuck to the edge of town to wait for a helicopter ambulance.
TOENISKOETTER: I just remember the - the rotors turning and the snow flying and just waiting to - to go.
COHEN (on camera): Time is of the essence, and this helicopter doesn't move.
COHEN (voice-over): Why were precious minutes being wasted?
COHEN (on camera): The flight nurse wanted to take Chuck to the nearest hospital, which was a small hospital.
KATHY SNYDER, NURSE: He had a cardiac problem. He had a stroke problem. He needed to go to a hospital where there were specialists standing by, and these small hospitals don't offer that.
COHEN: You argued hard.
SNYDER: I did argue hard. Kind of got like this in each other's face.
COHEN (voice-over): Kathy convinced the helicopter team to fly to a hospital that was much further away. The flight took an extra 15 minutes.
Dr. Christopher Markus took one look at Chuck's CT scan and knew he had a drug that could reverse the stroke.
DR. CHRISTOPHER MARKUS SUTTER, ROSEVILLE MEDICAL CENTER: And we have three hours to give it. So we had to get the drug in in the next 10 minutes.
COHEN (on camera): Wow. Talk about under the wire.
You must think back and think, wow, what if Kathy hadn't argued with them?
TOENISKOETTER: I am convinced there was a very, very high probability I would have been in a wheelchair.
COHEN: Can anyone do this? I mean, if you feel like a bad decision is about to be made with your health care, can you put your foot down?
SNYDER: You can change hospitals. Everybody has that ability, and they should be aware of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Just - and you just know it.
OK. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me now. Elizabeth, do - do people understand that it really does matter which hospital you go to?
COHEN: You know what, Tony, I don't think they do understand. I think most people think, oh, a hospital is a hospital is a hospital.
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: But, you know, hospitals specialize in different things. They don't necessarily tell you that, but one hospital could save you if you have a heart attack and another hospital could kill you.
HARRIS: Yes. And the woman who saved Chuck was a nurse, so you might expect that she would know the better hospital. Can you or I choose our hospital just as easily, just as wisely?
COHEN: You know what, we can't replicate Kathy's wisdom, right?
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: She's been a nurse for decades, She's lived there all her life.
However, what we can do is we can go online and we can try. And you can get pretty far. There are lots of websites that help.
For example here's "U.S. News & World Report" and this will tell you, we asked, hey, where should I go for heart surgery in Cleveland? And it tells us the Cleveland Clinic has a much better than expected survival rate.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
COHEN: I mean, says it right there.
Example - another example is we asked health grades. Well, geez, what's the best place to get orthopedic surgery in Atlanta? Atlanta Medical Center, five stars. Not everyone got five stars.
So you actually can do quite a bit to try to find the best place for - specifically - and this is the key - for what ails you.
HARRIS: Right. Right, right. Terrific stuff this week, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thank you.
And as 2010 draws to an end, we are looking back on the news stories that shaped the year. Brooke Baldwin reports.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin, with the 10 biggest stories of 2010.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice-over): At number 10, boisterous debate over the so-called Ground Zero mosque.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe if a mosque were built, then you guys would know what Islam was about.
BALDWIN: It was actually just a proposed Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero, but that didn't stop the outcry, especially from some 9/11 survivors and the families of victims.
TIM BROWN, FIREFIGHTER: This building is being built - built on the cemetery of our - of our loved ones. I lost 93 of my friends. What happened to the sensitivity going from the Muslim world to the families?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: The debate heated up on the Internet, cable TV, and landed on the doorstep of the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Developers right now are trying to secure funding for the Islamic center, which could cost more than $100 million. Project supporters say it is an effort to strengthen multi-faith understanding.
At number nine, a royal engagement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE MIDDLETON, ENGAGED TO PRINCE WILLIAM: It was very romantic and it was very, very personal (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he get down on one knee?
BALDWIN: Prince William announced that he will marry longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. He even gave her his mother's ring. They will exchange vows at Westminster Abbey in April. And another royal wedding 30 years after we saw Princess Diana walk down the aisle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
The end of combat operations in Iraq is the number eight story of the year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. Now, it's time to turn the page.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: It came on August 31st. More than 4,400 American troops died during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thousands of noncombat troops will stay in place to help train and assist Iraqi forces until next year.
WikiLeaks is at number seven. Julian Assange and his website were at the center of that controversial release of hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. communications. They documented everything from U.S. actions in Afghanistan to personal comments about Kim Jong-Il's, quote, "crabbiness" (ph). Assange ended up being arrested as part of a sexual assault investigation in Sweden.
Issue number one coming in at number six on our list of the year's biggest stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very easy to get very depressed and lie in bed and stay in your pajamas and watch TV all day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Of course, I'm talking about the economy and the high unemployment rates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: There's no silver bullet. There's no quick fix to these problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: The market showed signs of life and the government passed a new legislation to overhaul the financial system. But for millions and millions of Americans, times are still very tough.
HARRIS: So can you guess what the top five stories of 2010 were? We will tell you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And we are back with our top 10 countdown of the most important stories of 2010. Here's Brooke Baldwin with the top five.
BALDWIN: The number five top story of 2010 actually began one year ago today. December 24, 2009, when the Senate passed the Health Care Reform Bill with a bitterly partisan vote of 60 yeas and 39 nays.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: Yes to health care as an inalienable right of every American citizen.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: We will not do this. We will not commit generational theft on future generations of Americans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: After months of hotly contested negotiations, the House then passed the bill in March with a vote of 219 to 212. Thirty-four Democrats and all of the Republican members of the House voted against it. But the debate didn't stop there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: People who voted for this bill are going to get an earful.
SENATOR JOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO: Can you say it was done openly? With transparency and accountability? Hell, no, you can't!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: And many pundits would say that vicious debate over the health care bill in part spurred the number four story of the year, the Republican landslide at the midterm elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I'm not recommending for every future president that they take a shellacking like they - like I did last night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Fueled by Tea Party fervor, dissatisfaction with Washington and plunging poll numbers for the president, the Democrats lost the majority in the House. The Democrats will be holding on to the Senate by a razor-thin majority. And for the White House, the New Year promises a far more difficult political playing field. The changed president now confronted with what everyone in the Beltway and beyond assumes will be gridlock.
But while it was a tough year for President Obama, it was an even tougher one for those Americans living on the Gulf Coast. On April 20th, the Deepwater Horizon exploded, killing 11 men and beginning what would come to be known as the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.
For three months, oil gushed from that severed well head. And while the precise damage will never be known, it is estimated that more than 205 million gallons of oil poured into the Gulf. There was a terrible price to pay. Burn-offs and boom, underwater plumes and oil-soaked wildlife - the economic ramifications rocked the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP: There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do. You know, I'd love my life back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: And even after the well was finally capped in mid-July, the environmental damage still remains unknown. Just a few weeks after the well was capped, another tragedy, but this one would come with a happy ending. You know the story. August 5th, 33 Chilean miners were plunged into dusk and darkness. A mine and world (ph) Chile collapsed trapping the men more than 2,000 feet below the surface earth.
Weeks passed as frantic rescue efforts were attempted and failed, but on August 22nd, a miracle. A five and a half inch borehole reached an emergency shelter room in the mine. And when the drill bit returned to the surface there was a note attached, quote, "We are all right in the shelter, the 33 of us." The 33 men would spend a record- breaking 69 days below the earth before the world would witness their ascent to freedom.
Which brings us to the number one story of 2010, a story that has no happy ending, but one that shook the world and stirred an outpouring of grief far beyond the borders of the tiny island nation of Haiti.
The earthquake hit early Tuesday evening, the 12th of January. Seismologists measured the quake at a magnitude 7.0. But it would be far more difficult to wrap our heads around the magnitude of the human tragedy - 230,000 dead, more than a million made homeless overnight. Children orphaned, families separated and perhaps hardest to bear, unknown thousands trapped beneath all the rubble - a humanitarian crisis that continues to this day.
I'm Brooke Baldwin and those are the 10 biggest stories of 2010.
HARRIS: Time to go cross country now and check stories our affiliates are covering.
First stop, The Villages, Florida. Money can ruin a friendship. Just ask eight people who for years pooled their cash to buy Florida lotto tickets. They hit the jackpot last week, $16 million. That should be enough for everyone, right? But one person did not contribute to the pool and now the rest want to deny her a share of the winnings. A court will have to settle the dispute.
Someone in Parkville, Maryland decided to pull the Christmas prank of the year so far. We're talking about one man filling a yard with stolen decorations - reindeer, an inflatable Santa, light cords, everything, you name it. Police are trying to find the owners so they can return some holiday cheer.
And people in and around Guy, Arkansas, are tired of shaking. There have been more than 500 measurable earthquakes in Central Arkansas since September. Experts call it a swarm, but can't say what's causing them. No real damage to report and nobody hurt.
Are you anxious to get your tax refund next year? You may have to wait longer, certainly longer than expected. We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking top stories right now.
If you itemize on your federal tax returns, you'll have to wait until February to file. The IRS says it has to reprogram it's computers due to changes in the tax laws that reinstate several deductions.
The CDC linked salmonella outbreak to alfalfa sprouts. Eighty- nine people in 15 states and the District of Columbia have become sick, most of them in Illinois.
And if you carry an insulated mugs through the security checkpoint at airports, you can expect a little extra scrutiny. The TSA is concerned terrorists might try to hide explosives in them.
Rob Marciano with an update.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: And we're also tracking Santa. You know, he was so efficient this year that yesterday he was spotted in Telluride, Colorado doing this. How about that? He's got some skills. Lost a little weight.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. That's fresh powder out there isn't it?
MARCIANO: Oh, boy, it is ever.
HARRIS: Pow, pow, right?
MARCIANO: Yes, yes.
So -- and I think right now at last check that I had from the NORAD site was he was in Bangkok heading toward Cambodia and millions of happy children.
There he is.
HARRIS: What's the toll on the packages so far? Is it 745 million? Oh, boy, that's good.
MARCIANO: Lots of big girls and boys out there this year. I think that number is higher.
HARRIS: Merry Christmas , Rob, to you and the families.
MARCIANO: Happy new year.
HARRIS: Let's take a break. Back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking in on some of the best videos feeding into CNN from across the country.
Here's the thing, they apparently take their cliches very seriously in Vermont. Departing Governor Jim Douglas used his last press conference to stage an actual dog and pony show. Douglas, who leaves office next month, appeared at his last weekly news conference with a miniature horse and Labrador retriever.
And who needs a sleigh, check out this Santa Claus rocking Lake Erie on the wind board. Nice moves from Mr. Claus.
And look, ma, no hands. Kids at a ski mountain in California are getting a little help staying on the lifts. The new safety device holds the young skiers in place as they ride up the mountain using specifically designed magnetic vests.
It is the latest holiday trend, we're talking about flash mobs here. They can happen at a mall, at an airport, even at a newsroom. All this calm and then suddenly singing erupts.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget the halls, deck the malls with flash mobs.
This was one of the best, but the hallelujah chorus on a food court of unsuspecting shoppers in Welland, Ontario is now springing up everywhere from a Nordstrom's in California to a food court in Albany, New York.
The trend may have peaked when a flash mob caused such overcrowding --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go home.
MOOS: -- that a mall in Roseville, California, had to be evacuated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one day I come to the mall and they close it.
MOOS: And that was even before the singing started.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the floors just went --.
MOOS: Engineers later declared the mall structurally sound, but would-be flash mobsters learned something.
(on camera): The secret to flash mob success is secrecy. Shh!
(voice-over): Don't let too many know whether you're going bananas dancing in a New Jersey grocery store or a university library in Spain or at the Vancouver airport.
The Canadian flash mob that set the standard was organized by a company called Alphabet Photography. They meant it send it out to their customers as an electronic holiday greeting. Jennifer Blakely dreamed it up. JENNIFER BLAKELEY, PRESIDENT, ALPHABET PHOTOGRAPHY, INC. (via telephone): This is a vision I had in my head while I was having a shower one day singing in the shower. So to see it unfold, I was actually in tears almost.
MOOS: They got permission from mall management, but only security knew what was going on when a community chorus and some music students started singing.
(on camera): I love the guy holding up the wet floor sign.
BLAKELY: He's my favorite. I was like, OK, which one of you wants to be the janitor? And he was like, oh, oh, I do.
MOOS (voice-over): Twenty-five million YouTube views later, they've created a monster. The hallelujah chorus has even breached the NEWSROOM.
MOOS: And over at ABC, they threw Diane Sawyer a birthday flash mob to celebrate her 65th. Is it still a flash mob when everyone is in on it? Diane summed up what a perfect flash mob should be.
DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: Well, thank you for this hallucination.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Good stuff.
Now to "The Human Factor," our look at people who will inspire you with their stories of overcoming obstacles. Today, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to Katherine Wolf who is back from death's door and thriving after a stroke.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an ordinary day for Katherine Wolf --
KATHERINE WOLF, SURVIVED RARE BRAIN BLEED: I was standing in my kitchen, my son was down for a nap.
GUPTA: -- that in an instant changed her life forever.
WOLF: My husband came home for lunch and within a few minutes, I had fallen, collapsed.
GUPTA: Wolf had a devastating brain bleed. For this 26-year-old model, wife and new mom, she had no idea that anything was wrong.
(on camera): ABM, which is an arterial venous malformation, the arteries and veins sort of grow in a tangle.
WOLF: Yes.
GUPTA: What happened that day?
WOLF: I remember getting in the ambulance and I woke up a month and a half later.
GUPTA (voice-over): Many doctors wouldn't even have attempted the operation.
WOLF: They did tell my family that it was extremely brave.
GUPTA (on camera): They thought you were going to die. Clearly alive.
WOLF: Right.
GUPTA (voice-over): But it was a lot of work to overcome obstacles in between.
WOLF: Absolutely. As miraculous as me actually living and surviving the surgery was, the real miraculous things throughout this process has been my recovery.
GUPTA: She had to endure a lot of therapy.
WOLF: I sat through months and months and months of daily swallowing training where they put electrical stimulation on my throat. I did these horrible exercises.
It was so exhausting. Finally, I was able to eat a spoonful of pudding after like eight months.
GUPTA: Walking is still not easy.
WOLF: I've learned to use my core to really push me forward.
GUPTA (on camera): Tell me about what your limitations are. What's the most difficult thing for you to do that couldn't do before?
WOLF: I can't drive a car. I have severe double vision. I can't walk on my own well at all. Can't do many things that -- I can't dress myself.
GUPTA (voice-over): But she is alive and she's feeling better.
(on camera): What's the message, do you think, for other patients?
WOLF: Oh, I would tell other patients hang in there and work hard.
(voice-over): GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: I have got to tell you, they are as much a part of the holidays as the tree and the presents, Christmas movies. So what famous holiday film is this quote from, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings"? We will have the answer for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So to answer our quiz before the break, what Christmas classic does this famous line come from, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings"?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" FROM LIBERTY FILMS)
KAROLYN GRIMES, "ZUZU BAILEY": Look, daddy. Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yes, yes. We just gave it away, didn't we? That's from the 1946 classic -- wow, they made it that long ago -- "It's A Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart, of course.
Hey, move over, Sarah Palin. You're not the only maverick. Dana Bash, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.
Dana, good to see you on Christmas Eve. What are you following?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you.
Well, very interesting that you said Sarah Palin, because she's one of Sarah Palin's rivals. Lisa Murkowski, she really has been one of the most fascinating stories in this very fascinating year. She, of course, lost her primary bid in Alaska to a Republican, she won her write-in candidacy, and now she is really one of the mavericks in the Republican Party. She broke with her party, she voted with the Democrats on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," on the DREAM Act and several other things.
Take a look at this. This is -- you can find this on CNN.com/Ticker -- it is an interview that John King did with her where she said, look, I'm just committed to bipartisanship now because she said that this is something that she -- that's the message she got from Alaskans by voting her back in, even though she lost the Republican primary.
And last on the ticker, Joe Biden. He, of course, was the negotiator for the tax cut deal. He is somebody who said, OK, this is going to happen, meaning extending the tax cuts for the wealthy even though that was breaking President Obama's campaign promise. He did an interview on "Good Morning America" this morning where he said, next time -- next time, we're going to hold firm, meaning in two years when it comes up again.
Of course, this is going to be a very, very big issue in the 2012 presidential election campaign against President Obama and "Candidate X" -- Tony.
HARRIS: You're absolutely right about that. Dana, I was just tweeting something about you. Just what an unbelievable reporter you are and how many stories --
BASH: That's so nice.
HARRIS: Well, I was just tweeting it out as you were speaking there. A merry Christmas, happy holidays to you and to John, all right.
BASH: You, too. And right back at you on that.
HARRIS: Yes, appreciate that. Thank you.
BASH: Great to work with you, Tony.
HARRIS: And your next political update in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go, that's CNNPolitics.com.
Fear for the holiday, Iraqi Christians turned down the volume on Christmas celebrations.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Christians are toning it down, even canceling Christmas celebrations in Iraq after new threats from an al Qaeda-linked group.
Jomana Karadsheh reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But for these Iraqi children, this Christmas is anything but merry. Most churches in Iraq have decided to tone down their celebrations this year, following a series of attacks targeting Christians.
At Baghdad's only Anglican church, St. George, a message of defiance.
CANON ANDREW WHITE, VICAR, ST. GEORGE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH: Most of the churches here in Baghdad have actually cancelled Christmas celebrations, but we have not. We're going to celebrate it to its full. If everything is awful, you've got to find some enjoyment.
KARADSHEH: A feeling echoed by most of the worshippers here, who brought their children to witness a rare appearance by Santa Claus in this overwhelming Muslim land.
Eighteen-year-old Mariam Samir (ph) says, although this is the most grim Christmas in years, she will still make the best out of it. It gets worse every year, but despite the situation we will keep celebrating, she says, and not allow sorrow to prevail.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is more typical of Iraq's churches. The fear of attacks has forced them to forego decorations and to not hold any nighttime mass. SAAD SIROP HANNA, CHALDEAN CATHOLIC PRIEST: So many families are afraid, actually, to come to the church, especially after the new threats that we have received by the Internet and by the e-mail.
KARADSHEH: Other priests in Iraq have reported similar threats ahead of Christmas. After the horrific siege of the Baghdad church in October that killed and wounded dozens, a bloodbath claimed by a group affiliated with al Qaeda, and a series of bombings targeting Christmas in their homes, church leaders say the threats are taken seriously.
Thousands of Christians have already fled their homes in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul in recent months as a direct result of the renewed violence.
Iraq is estimated to have had more than a million Christians before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, but the violence and persecution that followed has driven about half of them out. Church leaders are worried about another exodus and trying to stop it.
HANNA: We are trying to give them hope, but sometimes the signs from the reality, from our reality is more strong than our message.
KARADSHEH: For now, those who remain, pray this Christmas will be a peaceful one.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, a tribute to our troops. Emotional scenes in times of war and Christmas.
And Justin Bieber is just one of the many stars giving back this holiday season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In today's "Giving In Focus," a dazzling treat for the holidays. A country road in Massachusetts comes to life each Christmas with spectacular lights and decorations. It is a gift to the rural neighborhood from a car dealer.
Our Boston bureau photojournalist Bob Crowley takes us through the display.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Magical.
KEVIN MEEHAN, MILLIS WONDERLAND: It's a tradition every Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It's a special Christmas show.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest Christmas display I've ever seen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't like to see that electric bill.
MEEHAN: I think, realistically, we probably have up about 100,000 lights.
We have a lot of animated figures.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow!
MEEHAN: We have a Ferris wheel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at the reindeers.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Dasher, Dancer, Donner.
MEEHAN: How are you tonight? Merry Christmas.
I'm Kevin Meehan and this is Millis Wonderland. This is our home. We started about 10 years ago. A few more lights every year, we try to add something new.
We do it seven days a week, it's for free.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I like it.
MEEHAN: I think on a good night, on a weekend night, we get in excess of 5,000 cars.
The Salvation Army is our charity of choice, they come down and they get donations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Merry Christmas.
MEEHAN: What started the whole thing, 10 years ago my dad came to live us. He was very sick, he was dying, and out of anxiety out of whatever, I went out and started stringing lights. He died 10 years ago today, and we just kept it going. We just kept doing it.
Merry Christmas. How you doing tonight?
I think we're exceptionally blessed and I think that if everyone could give back a little bit more, we'd all be a lot better off.
People that come through, they're really family people for the most part, and they really appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for the lights.
MEEHAN: Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for coming by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We come all the time.
MEEHAN: For 15 or 20 minutes that it takes you to drive through, its transports you to another place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the greatest things I've done around Christmas.
MEEHAN: I think it generates hope. I think it generates a lot of goodwill. It gives you a little bit of that Christmas joy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Yes, yes. We love that this time of year. Christmas joy, come on now.
We will put giving in focus all week long, then tomorrow, CNN brings you an hour-long special hosted by Tom Foreman. "GIVING IN FOCUS" airs Christmas Day at 4:00 Eastern, 1:00 Pacific only on CNN.
