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Christmas Terror Concerns; Key Pakistani Militant Captured; A Message to Their Battle Buddies; First Family Hawaiian Vacation; Preparing for the State of the Union; Best Places to Be A Kid; St. Nicholas of Turkey; 500 Quakes Rock Arkansas Town; Hero K-9's Legacy is DNA
Aired December 24, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: As part of the holiday tradition, NORAD tracking Santa. He has been making his way, making his rounds. He's already, of course, out there. He's -- well, I don't know how far done he is, but you can track Santa.
We're going to be talking more about Santa and the official tracking of the big guy later. A little later, Reynolds Wolf will be along with your weather forecast, also your forecast for your Christmas morning with Santa. Is he going to make it to you in time? Of course, he will.
Of course, it's the day before Christmas. The Obama administration is talking about these today, your thermos. It sounds crazy, but plainest put, this is now a new security threat. They are now -- the TSA -- letting people know, if you have these thermoses and other insulated cups like this, that they are actually going to be giving these closer scrutiny.
Now they base this on specific information that they got. They're always, of course, trying to adjust what happens at security lines. But this not a nonspecific threat they have, but they do have information letting them know that possibly terrorists would like to use these to hide explosives or other things.
So now they're letting you know, when you go through those security lines, in addition to the increased pat downs and the image scanners and all that stuff, now if you're carrying one of these thermoses, you need to know that possibly it could get closer scrutiny.
Now the other possible security concern on people's minds now is coming from a commercial airline pilot. A pilot shot a series of cell phone videos in the San Francisco Airport, posted them on YouTube late last month, says they show serious flaws in the airport security and he claims the TSA retaliated against him for posting them.
Listen to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, folks, I just wanted to give you an idea of what type of security for the ground personnel there is. This is their screen. As you can see, there is only a card slide and one door. So when you see a cart, those carts are not screened at all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The pilot, was has requested his name not be released, says he was, quote, "trying to bring up the obvious, ludicrous TSA- type of security"
He later removed the video from YouTube at the request of the supervisor. He was suspended from a volunteer federal program he described as similar to the air marshals. Air marshals also confiscated his federally issued gun he was permitted to carry on flights as part of the program. The pilot has since resigned from the program. TSA spokeswoman says his actions might have violated TSA regulations.
Now you get through all that and the security and whatnot and the other problem a lot of people are going to have, weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: On that note, to our viewers here, need to let you know the airlines are anticipating problems out there with your travel. So a lot of them are allowing you to reschedule, to change your flights without actually having to endure any of those change, rescheduling fees that they have. You need to check with your specific airlines, but several of them are starting to do it so it's worth looking into.
All right, some other stories we're keeping a close eye on. They are normally a very healthy thing to add to your diet, alfalfa sprouts, but not these. They have been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has gotten a lot of people sick. Dozens and dozens it's described as, the numbers. The CDC is working this now. Scientists there say these all appeared tied to a sandwich chain called Jimmy Johns.
Some more details now from our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's take a look at where people are sick and what's going here.
There's a total of 89 people success. Fifty of them are in Illinois, that seems to be the hardest hit state. Also people ill in Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and then also in the other states that you see there in green.
And what is interesting here is that this is a matching strain, it's a single strain. And what that tells you is that they are likely is a single source for this salmonella.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: If you need more information on this, you can head on over to CNN.com/health.
A lot of people out there procrastinate, every year when it is time to do your taxes. And the IRS, this year, saying it may be a good thing for some of you. You need to procrastinate, you need to wait.
The IRS just announced that taxpayers who itemize deductions on their federal returns cannot file until at least the middle of February. Why? The IRS has to tweak its systems to account for tax breaks in that compromise bill that President Obama just signed.
Well, we haven't seen him in some time, but you are going to see a lot more of him coming up. We are talking about the imam behind Manhattan's Islamic center and mosque project. It is going to be back in the public eye soon. Faisal Abdul Rauf says he'll start a nationwide tour next month. Says his goal is to nurture a dialogue about Muslims in America and better explain the project that erupted into a fiery controversy over its proximity to Ground Zero.
Turn to Pakistan now. Military intelligence sources tell us that a key insurgent member has been captured. He's son of the leader of the Haqqani network which carries out raids in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was detained while driving in Pakistan's north Waziristan region.
We get more now from our Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: NATO troops on the Afghanistan side and NATO officials have been extremely outspoken in trying to pressure Pakistan to go after the Haqqani network. They think the Haqqanis have planned and executed multiple attacks against NATO troops and Afghan forces on that side of the border.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Also in northwest Pakistan, 11 soldiers were killed today when five government checkpoints were attacked by some 150 insurgents. Officials say 24 militants were also killed.
And what do you expect to hear on Christmas Eve in the little town of Bethlehem? This?
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Well, a parade of Palestinian bagpipers and drummers helped kick off the day's celebrations in the West Bank, Bethlehem, home to the Church of the Nativity, built on the biblical site of Jesus' birth. It welcomes thousands of the faithful every Christmas. Services at the church are being held throughout the night, finishing up with a midnight mass.
Also, a lot of pomp and circumstance coming up just a few hours from now, the Vatican's midnight mass. Pope Benedict presiding over that service, of course. Tomorrow, he will give his traditional Christmas address for the city and to the world, as it's called.
Speaking of tradition, it's becoming one around the NBA, teams go caroling. And boy, the Dallas Mavericks have a doozy for you now, an instant classic.
Take a listen to this.
(VIDEO CLIP, DALLAS MAVERICK PLAYERS SINGING, "GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER")
HOLMES: Yes, we couldn't tell he didn't know that song at all, could we? I assure you, the Mavericks, the certainly play better than they sing. But another instant classic around the holidays.
Well, coming up, they are a long, long way from the battlefield, but they're thinking about their buddies they had to leave behind. The message from some of our wounded warriors coming up next. Stick around
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. PEDRO ALMEIDA, HOMETOWN, FORT DRUM, NEW YORK: My name is Colonel Pedro Almeida, I'm with the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Drum, New York, serving in Bagram, Afghanistan.
Back at Fort Drum, I would like to give a merry Christmas to my wife Charle (ph), my daughter Soile (ph), my son Paolo (ph), and my daughter Telise (ph). Merry Christmas and happy new year. I love you all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a lot of this country's wounded warriors right now are trying to heal over the holidays. But as they do it, they are still thinking about their buddies who are still on the frontlines.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr now has their message.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANTA CLAUS: Once and for all, 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?
COL. ANTHONY MCDANIEL, U.S. 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, (INAUDIBLE) 312, the whole 111 Battalion, my family back in Pascagoula, Mississippi, my best friend Bogan (ph) in San Diego. I just wanted to give you guy as shout-out and I love you guys, and I will be seeing you soon.
STARR: A bond unbroken by distance.
LANCE CPL. CORY SZUCS, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Hi. I'm Lance Corporal Cory Szucs, United States Marine Corps, Combat Logistics Battalion 2. I just want to say hi to CBL2 back in Afghanistan. Especially, Arangoman (ph), you saved my life. Love you. Can't wait to see you guys get back. Miss you all and have a merry Christmas.
SGT. MARCUS HAYWARD, U.S. ARMY: Is this thing rolling?
Cut.
No, I was just being funny.
My name is Sergeant Marcus Hayward from 385th Military Police Battalion, Fort Story, Georgia. Just want to give a big shout-out to all my boys in Afghanistan fighting the war. And to my one good boy over in Iraq -- well, my 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 Nicolas Massie says, this Christmas, he is doing just fine.
1ST LT. NICOLAS MASSIE, U.S. ARMY: You know, we 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 1st DOD company. I'd like to give a shout-out to all the Marines and servicemen fighting over in Afghanistan and Iraq.
STARR: Marine Corps Sergeant Thomas Humphrey's unit has suffered one of the highest rates 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 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 a blast attack the day after Thanksgiving.
CPL. GABRIEL MARTINEZ, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I just want to give the biggest shout-out to, you know, all my Marines out there serving Afghanistan and 1st Combat Air Division (ph) Battalion, 1st (INAUDIBLE) Battalion. I wish I could be there with you guys, but I wish you the best of holidays. And Semper Fi, I'm out here recovering and I'll see you guys when you come home.
STARR: Sergeant Hayward says, it is all about getting home for the holidays.
HAYWARD: I think everybody just wants to get out of here and go be around friends and family for holidays.
STARR: The journey back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And our Barbara Starr joins me now from Washington.
Barbara, hello to you.
You know, these -- if anybody has been around military guys, these are just a different breed of guys and a mentality. They are something else, incredibly impressive.
But is it difficult for them to keep their spirits so high? They seem to be high. Did you really sense that when you are in there you around the holidays? These guys are recovering, their comrades back on the battlefield, are they as high in spirit as they seem to be?
STARR: Well, you know, let's be candid. I mean, actually, yes. You know, most of them were in high spirits.
I want to be candid and tell everyone we certainly have met troops, wounded troops, along the way when they are having very rough days and having a really tough time. That young man at the end, for example, still pretty much confined to his hospital bed for a good chunk of the day. He was anxious enough to talk to us that he sent his mother down the hallway at Bethesda hospital to make sure that we stopped in his room.
One of the enduring things we heard from all of these troops, T.J., is whether they are in wheelchairs or on crutches, they want to be standing there once and for all when their unit finally comes home. They all said they want to be on the fight line when their buddies get off the plane.
HOLMES: Barbara, great piece, great message, great to see you around the holidays and helps can people keep perspective what might be going on in our lives at times. These guys are something else. We appreciate your bringing that to us.
Barbara, always good to see you. You have good holiday weekend.
STARR: You, too. You take care.
HOLMES: Thanks so much.
Well, coming up, we're going to be checking in with our Ed Henry once again. Got some reports out there that things are going to be looking a little different around the White House come the new year, including some staff changes.
Maybe some wardrobe changes in the future for Ed as well. We will work on that. Quick break, we're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Where would you like to be right now? Check that out. Live picture, Honolulu, Hawaii, where the president is currently and also where our Ed Henry is. He may be a little ways away from us, but he continues with "The Stakeout" and a wipeout we just caught on camera there.
I don't know if you saw that, Ed, but somebody is just learning how to surf apparently out there in the waters. But let me say, hello to you. The presidency is a 24/7 --
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I wish you were here, T.J., buddy. Where are you?
HOLMES: I don't get that plush assignment. Not to say you are not working.
But I was about to say the president is -- the presidency, it's a 24/7/365 job. Is the president actually getting time to relax and vacation out there?
HENRY: Yes. He is getting a little bit of time. Played a little bit of golf yesterday. But, you know, there is a lot of work going on in terms of he gets a daily intelligence briefing.
And it's interesting, the White House put out a couple of press releases today saying that yesterday John Brennan, his homeland security adviser, spoke to the president of Yemen about ongoing threats to the U.S. and others around the world because al Qaeda on the Arabian peninsula. And that today, John Brennan convened sort of this secure conference call with the direct -- with the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, and other officials to show -- clearly, the White House trying to show they are on top of these potential threats.
Because let's not forget, it was one year ago tomorrow that the underwear bomber tried to launch that attack on that jetliner from Amsterdam to Detroit. So nobody should think that the terrorists are resting, nobody should think that the president can fully rest. But yes, he gets a little bit of down time, but he still has to keep an eye on all of this stuff because he has -- as we saw last Christmas, immediately he gets thrust into it.
HOLMES: All right. And also, as happens in every administration, we're already starting to see some key members of his -- have the staff starting the leave, go on to other things; some of his economic advisers, certainly.
Are we starting to get word of how much the White House might look different come next year?
HENRY: Yes, I think there is going to be some changes. I don't think it's going to be a massive bid of turnover, from top officials I've spoken to. We already know that David Axelrod is probably going to leave right after the State of the Union at the end of January. David Plouffe from the campaign will now be coming in as senior adviser.
We know as well that Larry Summers, the president's chief economic adviser, he is done at the end of the year. And so there are a couple of people up for that. Either Roger Altman, Gene Sperling, some well known faces.
But I think another one to keep an eye on is Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary. A lot of people close to him say he has eyes on maybe moving on, could either become a senior adviser inside the White House or maybe become this super adviser outside of the White House and work out of the Democratic National Committee, go back and forth to Chicago and work a little bit on the campaign and sort of be there sort of uber-communications person outside of the building.
And that opens up a big spot at the podium, obviously, and a couple of names coming out there. Bill Burton, who is actually on this trip with the president, Robert Gibbs deputy, well known by the president dating back to the campaign, or Jay Carney, who is a vice president's communication director, well known but he was a reporter just a couple of years ago, was at "Time" magazine, our sister publication, very well known to the press corps and he could be an interesting pick. We hear those two names are definitely in there.
Now Jay was not in the campaign, not somebody maybe the president has known as long as he has known Bill Burton. So it might be a comfort level that we will see. But those are the couple of names out there and so, we may be seeing a new face at the White House podium soon.
HOLMES: All right, Ed, I have one more question. You have no idea how difficult this is to have this conversation with you about serious things going on in Washington, D.C., while you are standing on the beach out there in that shirt.
But last question here about the president. We know what he just went through in the midterm elections and also, some of the wins some would say he got in the lame duck session. But now, a new vision, I assume, he is going to lay out starting at the beginning of the year with the State of the Union right around the corner.
HENRY: Yes, absolutely. His top aides say they are already at work, obviously, on the State of the Union. This is always a good chance for any president of either party to kind of set the agenda, really get the megaphone to the American people. He is going to do the State of the Union probably at the end of January.
And now he's got the new power dynamic with the Republicans going to be running the House, Republicans getting more seats in the Senate. So it's a chance for him to lay out his agenda.
We are told by his top aides, it's going to be largely about the economy, a lot on jobs. I mean, look, let's face it, he has got to focus on that in 2011. There are some economists now who are upbeat and thinking maybe things will start turning around for the better in 2011. But this White House knows it heard that before and yet, it's still been pretty sluggish and people are frustrated with that.
And let's not forget his reelection battle is not that far down the road. It is in 2012 not 2001, but all of that starts in 2011. There will be Republican candidates jumping in in a few months and his reelection is largely going to be decided on whether or not people feel like the economy has gotten better. So he's going to be at work on it all of 2011, you can bet.
HOLMES: Ed, this is interesting, being able to talk to you about all that stuff while you are standing on the beach in that attire.
But, buddy, good to see you, as always. You enjoy your time. I know you are working out there, but hope you get some down time as well, you deserve it.
HENRY: All right, merry Christmas.
HOLMES: Merry Christmas, buddy.
Going to take a look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines.
A weather system that hammered the West Coast earlier this week, could be causing holiday travel problems in the east. Many airlines already preparing for cancellations, telling passengers they are waiving fees for rescheduling flights.
Also, two shooters who may have been plotting to attack the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan are dead. They were killed in an exchange of gunfire with military patrol in Kabul today, a third person surrendered. The patrol says it took action because of a credible threat against the embassy.
Also, an explosion at a chemical plant near Houston this morning injured two workers. Our CNN affiliate KPRC reports no chemicals were released, there was no danger to the public. Hazmat teams were called in to evaluate the situation. No evacuations, however, were ordered.
All right, coming up, we are talking about this holiday travel. We're talking about what problems you may have out there. Wonder if Santa is going to have any problems getting to where he needs to be. Our Reynolds Wolf is going to keep us update on all things weather related coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Hi, folks. Welcome back to CNN.
Have you ever wondered where was the best place to be a kid on Christmas? Well, we've got a few answers for you. Take a look at this, or at least listen to this.
Best place to be a kid on Christmas, according to "The Daily Beast," would be Ogden, Utah. Couple of other numbers, places that came in -- Billings, Montana; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho are a couple of big cities. The reason why is because of the number of candy stores and toy places in these cities. Also, the number of kids, they've got a lot of kids about 14 years and younger. So good times to them.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. CHUCK RAMSEY, HOMETOWN BOISE, IDAHO: HI, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Ramsey here at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Just want to say hi to my dear wife Karen (ph) and my son Charles back in Boise, Idaho. I love you the most, my man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Oh, bottom of the hour now. This is what's happening right now. A weather system bringing snow and rain to the Midwest is moving east, projected to cause havoc for holiday travelers trying to get home, the airlines already letting passengers reschedule their flights for this weekend without paying penalties.
Also, the latest security alert, screeners at airports across the country are looking closely at insulated drink containers. Yes, your thermos. TSA is worried terrorists might try to hide explosives in them. You can still take the containers the plane with you, but you can expect them to be checked closely.
Also, in Paris, parts of Charles De Gaulle Airport had to be evacuated today because a foot of snow fell on the roof. Officials were worried it might collapse. Hundreds of flights canceled. Airports in Europe have been backed up all week because of heavy snow.
Weather didn't cause too much of a problem, I don't believe, for Santa. Reynolds keeping an eye on where the big guy is right now.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This guy's busy, I mean insane busy. I mean, you think about a big -- a big Christmas, maybe giving something like 10, 11 presents, that kind of thing. Check out what this guy has done. This number -- help me with this -- 936,630,408 presents. Unbelievable! And within the next 24, 23, 22 seconds, he's going to be making a stop at Yerevan, Armenia. Hope I got that right. Wonder what they've got for him there?
You know, a lot of times, Santa will stop by and get something to eat. People leave all kinds of goodies for him. Should be interesting. And he's already stopped at a few places. You see here's his marker. But every other place on this map where you happen to see a gift is a place he's already made a pit stop, already dropped off a present and gotten some goodies.
Santa's going to be hitting the Pepto Bismol big time in just a few hours, don't you think, T.J. Bad stuff, especially he hits some turbulence, he's going to be decorating that carriage in many ways. (LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Frightening experiences, T.J.! Wow.
HOLMES: Don't put that image in the kids' minds of Santa with the Pepto!
WOLF: Hey, at least we're not cleaning up the sleigh when all is said and done.
HOLMES: Good point. Reynolds --
WOLF: Back to you.
HOLMES: -- we appreciate you, buddy.
We did hear from Santa. We heard from the man himself just a little bit ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's liftoff. NORAD satellites are picking up heat signatures from Rudolph's bright red nose. Santa and his nine reindeer are full of energy and are ready for the long haul ahead. From the North Pole --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, when children hear about Santa, they also think about the North Pole. But we have to journey all the way to Turkey and a town called Demre to learn the real story of old St. Nick. Our Ivan Watson has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the hometown of St. Nicholas, the man who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, a Turkish village of ancient ruins and palm trees perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Turkey is a long way from the North Pole, but that has not stopped local leaders from making Santa Claus the town's official symbol, where a statue of St. Nicholas overlooks the main square.
(on camera): This is St. Nicholas?
BARIS YUKSEL, SHOP OWNER: Yes.
WATSON (voice-over): Baris Yuksel runs a shop that sells thousands of icons of St. Nicholas, a man locals know here as Noel Baba, or Father Christmas.
(on camera): The home of St. Nicholas, who is a symbol of Christmas -- nobody celebrates Christmas here.
YUKSEL: No one celebrates Christmas here. It's interesting. WATSON (voice-over): The population of Demre is overwhelmingly Muslim, but the village's greatest tourist attraction is this ancient church built in honor of St. Nicholas.
(on camera): Nearly 18 centuries after his death, St. Nicholas is still a very important figure for many Christians. More than 600,000 people a year come to visit this 8th century Byzantine church built in the town where St. Nicholas once served as bishop.
Well, how did you find this, Professor Cevik?
(voice-over): Archeologist Nevzat Cevik has been unearthing ancient Christian history here. He says St. Nicholas was a local Christian priest who destroyed Roman pagan temples.
NEVZAT CEVIK, ARCHEOLOGIST: St. Nicholas (INAUDIBLE) his life here and his death here. And he talked about Christianity and (INAUDIBLE) teach the Christianity (INAUDIBLE) earlier times.
WATSON: Cevik says Nicholas's legend started to grow after it was first retold in the 6th century by another local Christian priest named Nicholas of Scion (ph). Soon St. Nicholas's tomb became a destination for Christian pilgrims from around the world.
More than a thousand years later, the story of the bishop who gave gifts to the poor spread, and eventually evolved into this guy, Santa Claus. The mayor of Demre is a big fan of the round red version. He plans to put a big red Santa statue up overlooking the new street and beach he recently named after Father Christmas.
But some of Demre's younger residents want to set the record straight on jolly old St. Nick. "He didn't have magic powers or flying reindeer. That's only in the cartoons," says this boy. "He was a good man who gave gifts."
No matter what version you believe in, everyone here seems to agree. It's the spirit of St. Nicholas, giving to those who are in need that matters most.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Demre, Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, there has been a lot of shaking going on in one particular town, getting rocked by 500 earthquakes. You'll hear about it right after a break. And this town is not where you might think it's located.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, if you've never experienced an earthquake -- you never really know where they're going to hit, right? Well, we got a place for you, one town you could go to where you could almost be guaranteed some shaking was going to be going on. Since mid- September, this place has been shaken by hundreds -- literally hundreds -- of earthquakes, one town. Our Sarah Hoye reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH HOYE, CNN ALL-PLATFORM JOURNALIST (voice-over): Guy, Arkansas, population around 500 very nervous people. Since mid- September, this part of Arkansas has experienced roughly 500 earthquakes. Sharon and Kerry Strickland (ph) were home when one struck.
SHARON STRICKLAND, GUY, ARKANSAS RESIDENT: There it is! You felt it! You felt it!
KERRY STRICKLAND, GUY, ARKANSAS, RESIDENT: You got one.
SHARON STRICKLAND: That was it!
HOYE: Last year at this time, there had been only 39 earthquakes in the entire state.
SCOTT AUSBROOKS, ARKANSAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Slow days, we're having one to two, maybe three or four. Busier day, we can have up to eight or nine.
MAYOR SAM HIGDON, GUY, ARKANSAS: My wife would like to buy earthquake insurance. I'm trying to talk her out of it.
HOYE: Guy's mayor, Sam Higdon, says the earthquakes don't really bother people much.
HIGDON: From about a two, seven, eight gauge to 3-something, it'll rattle the windows, shake a few pictures on the wall. Just -- it doesn't last but five, six, ten seconds.
HOYE: But people do wonder what's causing them. Here's one theory. Guy sits atop what's called the Fayetteville shale, a huge field of natural gas buried beneath layers of rock.
SHANE KHOURY, ARKANSAS OIL AND GAS COMMISSION: This is the Fayetteville shale. As you can see, there's no gas that's going to come out of that. So you're going to have to hydraulically fracture rock to get gas out of it.
HOYE: The process of fracturing rock is called, naturally enough, fracking. Wells are blasted deep into the earth with a high- pressure mixture of water and chemicals. When the drilling is done, the mixture, called fracking fluid, is disposed of by injecting it into so-called disposal wells reaching well below the water table. Could that be what's causing the earthquakes?
AUSBROOKS: So the question is, is this natural (INAUDIBLE) Or is this being triggered, enhanced or induced by what -- by the injection (INAUDIBLE)
HOYE: Arkansas oil and gas regulators aren't sure.
KHOURY: You know, I think everyone recognizes that there is an increased number of seismic events occurring in and around this area. If you look at the maps, at least circumstantially, there appears to be evidence that they may be related to disposal operations. But we also know that this is an area that is historically active.
LYNN WILSON, GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS, RESIDENT: I hope it's not the gas industry, but you just don't know. We're anxious to find out.
HOYE: The gas industry has been mostly silent about the earthquake outbreak. It'll get a chance to have its say at a regulatory meeting scheduled for January. Meanwhile, Guy's 500 residents have just about had their fill of little earthquakes.
STEVE WILSON, WOOLLY HOLLOW STATE PARK: Yes, in the beginning, it was fun. It was neat. It was -- it was a cool thing to experience. But now we're kind of -- we're wanting it to go away because kind of in the back of your mind, you think, Well, is there going to be a big one?
HOYE: The U.S. Geological Survey says based on past experience with earthquake swarms, there's almost no reason to worry about the big one in central Arkansas in the near future.
Sarah Hoye, CNN, Guy, Arkansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Give you a look now at some of the stories we are keeping a close eye on. Eight inmates hospitalized after a riot broke out at a private prison in southern Arizona. This was near Tucson. Total of 180 inmates were involved in the fight at the Red Rocks Correctional Facility. Still not clear why this whole thing started in the first place.
Also, Russian lawmakers approved the START nuclear treaty with the U.S. in the first of several planned votes. The next comes in mid-January. The U.S. Senate approved the treaty on Wednesday. START limits the size of American and Russian nuclear arsenals and sets up better programs for monitoring and verification.
Also, about 200 Haitian orphans are arriving in France just in time for Christmas with their new families. Their adoptions were held up because of paperwork. Some of it was lost in the earthquake, which was nearly a year ago. Doctors were examining the kids to make sure nine had been infected by the cholera outbreak in Haiti.
Well, he gave everything he had and helped save hundreds of lives. Today's "Giving in Focus" piece looks at a hero who's no longer with us, but his five clones are.
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HOLMES: Well, as part of a special called "Giving in Focus," CNN photojournalists have been shooting stories about all different kinds of generosity. Well, take Trackr, a search rescue dog, spend his entire 16 years serving and protecting, did so much good over the years, he was named the world's most clone-worthy dog, and his DNA has been replicated several times over. Now the clone pups are trying to follow in his footsteps. Let's go with our photojournalist now as he looks at Trackr's legacy.
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JAMES SYMINGTON, TRACKR'S HANDLER: See if this guy will speak. Good boy!
Every 10 minutes in this country, somebody is in need of life- saving search and rescue resources. The Team Trackr Foundation is about continuing Trackr's exactly search and rescue legacy while at the same time trying to fulfill those needs.
We arrived at Ground Zero within 14 hours of the towers collapsing. K-9 resources were in short supply, and we immediately began searching for survivors. Sometime late on the morning of September 12th, Trackr got a hit indicating that somebody alive was buried beneath the surface. These rescue workers later pulled a woman, the last survivor, from the rubble. And I'm extremely proud of the role that Trackr played in her recovery.
Trackr initially was trained as a police dog, trained to find live people, evidence and drugs. He helped locate hundreds of people, recovered over a million dollars worth of stolen gods. But the culmination of his amazing career was finding the last survivor at Ground Zero.
When I first met Trackr, when we first started working together, cloning wasn't even an option. So it wasn't even a consideration until one day I happened to see a TV report and they were talking about a cloning contest. Bioworks (ph) International was the company that was responsible for the cloning contest.
I received not one but five amazing replicas of Trackr. The aim is to train these dogs to become certified search and rescue dogs.
What a good boy!
They'll be trained to track people, which is a ground scent. We've taken them over rubble piles and through things that they might encounter. He can search and area a lot -- a lot quicker and a lot faster than a human can.
KEVIN GALLIVAN, TEAMTRAKR.ORG These dogs will be trained for obedience, agility, area search, building search, tracking.
SYMINGTON: We solicited the expertise of Kevin Gallivan, my mentor, and the trainer who trained myself and Trackr back in 1995.
GALLIVAN: OK, exercise completed. Praise your dog. (INAUDIBLE) What a good boy!
SYMINGTON: We're going to try to get this dog speaking for his reward.
Speak! Good boy! Speak!
SYMINGTON: He's been training dogs over 25 years, has trained and certified over 2,000 dogs in his career.
Good boy!
I respect that cloning's not for everyone. I train, foster and rescue dogs, and I strongly encourage anybody who can provide a good home for a dog to go out and adopt a dog from a shelter or a rescue group.
And this is our newest member. This is Legacy.
This is Trackr's female genetic double. We're hoping by the spring of 2011 we'll be able to share with you that Team Trackr graduated, has been deployed and has been successful in saving people's lives.
Good boy! Good fellow! Let's go! Come on! That's a good boy!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And to meet more people who are giving back to their communities in some way, you can watch "Giving in Focus, and hour-long special hosted by our Tom Foreman. It airs at 4:00 o'clock Eastern tomorrow, Christmas day, right here on CNN.
So did you hear what Pat Robertson said about pot possession? Yes, weed is what we're talking about. He's taking a position that has caused a bit of a stir in the political world, of all places. Your CNN "Political Update" up next.
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WOLF: Welcome back. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM and it is time for weather. You saw the sign up there, CNN severe weather. Is there some severe weather? Yes, there happens to be some, especially in parts of the Midwest, where we could see several inches of snowfall in places like St. Louis. But farther to the south and into the southwest, and in Texas, we have this area of low pressure that's hovering right over parts of the I-35 corridor. That is going to bring some scattered showers, possibly some thunderstorms to central and north Texas, perhaps rainfall as far south as, say, Galveston Bay and even into South Padre Island.
But it's where that area of low pressure is headed which really raises a few eyebrows. We take a look at that low -- I'm going to put it into motion for you -- and the latest computer models bring it right along the Gulf Coast and then it's going to veer up on the jet stream, all the way up along the Eastern seaboard. And according to this track that we have with this computer model, we could see some significant snowfall, possibly some places in excess of 8 to 10 inches in the high elevations of New England, perhaps even into the Berkshires to Green Mountains. However, if it moves a little bit deeper in the Atlantic, it'll be less of a problem. It stays a little bit closer to shore, the problem could be much greater. So we'll give you the very latest on that coming up.
But for now, let's kick it back over to T.J. with more. HOLMES: All right, Rennie, do appreciate you, buddy. Thanks so much. I want to turn now to our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash. She is here for our CNN "Political Update." And it's always the popular thing, it seems, Dana, somebody wants to be a maverick.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. And there's a new one in town, at least on the Republican side. Look, there have been a lot of fascinating political story lines in this political year. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is one of them. She of course, lost her primary bid to Joe Miller. She launched a write-in campaign, and actually, has all but won her Senate seat back. And it's the first time anyone's actually done that in half a century.
She is still a Republican, but she is becoming the maverick of her party. Since she's been back, T.J., she voted with Democrats for the "Don't ask, don't tell" repeal, for the START treaty and the Dream Act. Now, Murkowski's did an interview with John King on "JOHN KING USA" last night, which you can find on CNN.com/ticker, where she talked about her independent streak. She said, Look, I feel like I got a very strong message, in her words, from the election that Alaskans want bipartisanship. They want cooperation. And she said, actually, the majority of the people in Alaska aren't affiliated with a political party.
Now, T.J., she used to be a part of the Senate Republican leadership, but not anymore.
So second on the "Political Ticker" is a very, very interesting story that you should check out from our intrepid congressional producers, Ted Barrett (ph) and Deirdre Walsh (ph). They look ahead to the ideological divide in the new Congress, and there will be a lot of them.
And last on the "Ticker," T.J., let's call this the politics of pot. How about that? Many Republicans, as you know, have long, long advocated mandatory prison sentences for certain crimes related to marijuana. Well, guess what? TV evangelist Pat Robertson, who of course, ran for the Republican nomination for president back in 1988 -- he now says that those laws should be revisited. He said, quote, "We're locking people up that take a couple of puffs of marijuana, and the next thing they know, they've got 10 years." He said it costs the government needless millions of dollars, and he said that there are better approaches available.
But T.J., I want to let you know that he said he is not for legal marijuana. He says he still thinks it should be illegal in the United States. Just want to clarify that.
HOLMES: Got to make sure we read into those comments exactly what he said. Just keep (INAUDIBLE) that some people are saying. Dana, thank you, as always. You enjoy this holiday weekend.
BASH: Merry Christmas, T.J.
HOLMES: It's been a pleasure, as always. BASH: You, too.
HOLMES: Your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is coming up in just one hour.
Also, coming up right after the commercial break, one NFL player says the NCAA is crazy. And after you hear what they did this time, you might agree with him. "XYZ" coming your way next.
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HOLMES: All right. Dez Bryant (ph) may have said it best. The NCAA is crazy. That was his reaction to the NCAA suspending five Ohio State football players for receiving improper benefits and selling memorabilia for, in some cases, thousands of dollars. The players will be suspended for five games, but the part that has everybody, including Dez Bryant, scratching their heads is that the suspensions don't start until next season. The players will still get to play in the all-important big ratings, big money BCS Sugar Bowl on January 4th.
What? Now, Dez Bryant -- you might not know the name -- who he is, is a star receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, but when he was in college, the NCAA essentially suspended him for 10 games, including his team's bowl game. Why? Hay told a white lie. He lied about a meeting with a former NFL player. That was all. But still he lied. Suspended 10 games, essentially his last year at school.
Keep in mind, this year's Heisman winner, Cam Newton's father, tried to sell his son for six figures. NCAA says Cam can keep playing. There was also a University of Georgia receiver sold one jersey for a thousand dollars this year. He was immediately suspended you about the NCAA for four games. But the Ohio State players sold rings, jerseys, awards for thousands of dollars, and their punishment is being delayed and they're being allowed to play in the game that would be most punitive.
Now, some call this hypocritical, confusing and money-motivated, that kind of a move by the NCAA. Of course, NCAA can't have its star players sit out the big game, can they? That wouldn't be good for ratings. That wouldn't be good for the show.
In the interest of full disclosure here, I'm a University of Arkansas graduate, who Ohio State is playing in the Sugar Bowl. I don't want the players suspended. I want them on the field. We'll take your best shot, Ohio State. That's not the own. What I'm advocating here is a little consistency by the NCAA. They say several factors were considered in letting the players play in the Sugar Bowl. NCAA also says part of its mission is to follow core values, including, quote, "A belief in and a commitment to the highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship." If you say so.
Fredricka, it's all yours now.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I'm scared now, T.J.
HOLMES: Don't be.
WHITFIELD: I was going to say Merry Christmas, happy holidays. I don't know. Are you OK?
HOLMES: I'm OK.
WHITFIELD: Got a good mood? Everything is good?
HOLMES: Everything is good. Merry Christmas to you.
WHITFIELD: And I'll see you tomorrow morning.
HOLMES: See you tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: T.J., have a great one.
