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"Superman" Art Heist in NYC; Vermont Dog and Pony Show; Frank on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Issa's Christmas Card; Gibbs Takes Question on Twitter; Top Ten News Stories; Top 10 Political Moments of 2010
Aired December 24, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Andy Warhol, a crafty piece, and a massive art heist in New York. Wait till you hear how the crook pulled it off.
Christmas chaos at the mall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody, everywhere, fighting to get in.
WHITFIELD: Would you believe this is all over a shoe?
Look out below, massive evacuation at an airport that's already seen its share of snow problems this week.
GOV. JIM DOUGLAS (R), VERMONT: (INAUDIBLE) dog and pony show.
WHITFIELD: Why did Vermont's governor invite livestock to a press conference?
DOUGLAS: Certainly, they're better behaved than the legislature.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A lot of news happening right now. "Rapid Fire," let's go.
A Christmas Day monkey wrench for travelers on Delta Airlines. Five hundred flights now are canceled, just (INAUDIBLE) tomorrow, most at the airline's hub of Atlanta. Blame the weather. A winter storm is bearing down on the southeast, and Atlanta's stuffed in the snow and ice, ordinarily, and it will this weekend, too.
If you're holding a Delta ticket, get to a phone and call the airline to check the flight's status.
And next, airport travelers, let's get a - a look at those insulated bottles and drink containers. It's the newest alert from the TSA, worried about the possibility that terrorists could smuggle explosives in the spaces of those containers. The TSA says the bottles are not banned from the planes and airports, just that they might want an extra look during the security process.
And next, watch the scary surveillance video. A Florida woman says she was sure she was dead when a carjacker with a gun forced her to the passenger seat and drove off in her car. She says the man drove a mile and a half before letting her go.
He kept the car and her purse. Police found the car. No crook in custody as yet.
And Chicago police will investigate who started the fire that resulted in the deaths of two firefighters this week. That investigation could result in criminal charges. The Fire Department has determined somebody set a fire in the rear of the building and it ignited wood and other rubbish inside the building.
The case has been turned over to the police arson investigators. And it will be up to police to find and charge any suspects.
Next, Pope Benedict XVI prepares to deliver the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter's Basilica. These are pictures from last year's mass. Security is of course tight at the Vatican tonight.
A woman in the crowd managed to lunge at the Pope during the Christmas mass the past two years, once actually pulling him to the ground, if you'll recall.
And next, this mad dash to the mall isn't to buy last-minute Christmas presents. It's the scramble in Houston for the new Cool Grey Air Jordan sneakers. The crowd was so big police were called in to keep order.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chaos. Everybody, everywhere, fighting to get in, trying to - it was decent, but it just was a struggle to get the shoes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People got pushed down the stairs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's crazy, man. I saw, they running in, pushing everybody out of the way, trying to hurry to get in line so they could be the first to get them, or even get a chance to get them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: One man was so desperate to be first in line that he hid in a trash can. When that failed, he found somebody willing to sell their pair for $400. Cool Greys retail for $175.
Next, the troubled "Spider-Man" musical reopened on Broadway last night to enthusiastic crowds. The performer who was hurt in the stunt is still in serious condition in a New York hospital, but the cast and crew met with federal and state safety officials yesterday. They implemented new safety measures before last night's show, which include more rehearsal and stunt training for the understudies. Next on "Rapid Fire" the imam at the center of the New York Islamic cultural center fiasco is planning a national speaking tour. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf plan to travel to cities across America to promote his planned center in Lower Manhattan and to start a conversation about Muslim life in America.
Next, Vice President Joe Biden says the Obama administration will stand firm when the extension of those so-called Bush era tax cuts expire in two years. The legislation that just passed is set to expire in 2012, an election year, but Biden says by then Americans will be spending again.
The vice president also made news on ABC's "Good Morning America" today when he suggested that same-sex marriage will be a reality nationwide someday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the country is evolving, and I think there's an inevitability for a national consensus on - on gay marriage. That is my view.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And if you itemize your tax returns for things like mortgage interest and charitable giving, you'll have to wait until mid-February to file. "USA Today" reports the IRS is still implementing all the changes from the tax bill that was just signed into law last week. Expect refunds to be delayed as well.
Next, the victims of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme may start getting some of their money back in mid-January. That's when a bankruptcy judge will decide whether to approve a settlement with a widow who was married to one of Madoff's best buddies who benefited the most from his rip-off scheme.
If it's approved, then $7.2 billion will be released to Madoff's victims.
Next, dozens of Haitian orphans are going to new homes in France, just in time for Christmas. They range in age from 18 to 24 months old.
The kids arrived in Paris aboard a chartered plane. All of them are getting a medical checkup and doctors are looking for signs of cholera as well. About 2,500 people have died from the epidemic in Haiti in recent weeks.
As many as 300 children are expected to be adopted by families in France.
Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, pop art worth thousands of dollars snatched right from a homeowner's walls. How did they pull off this daring heist? And, by the way, how do bad guys sell stolen art?
And Lindsay Lohan may catch a break, just in time for Christmas. It's trending. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So, how do you fence almost $1 million worth of stolen artwork? We've been wondering about that since hearing about this art heist. Somebody tunneled through a wall, into a New York apartment, and grabbed paintings, prints, watches, jewelry, all of that. The thieves are unidentified, but the artwork is well known. It includes Andy Warhol's "Superman", and "Moonscape" by Roy Lichtenstein.
So Gil Alba is a former NYPD detective. He's on the phone with us from Westchester, New York. So, you have to wonder how this took place, Gil. For one, this robber or robbers have clearly cased the joint before to know exactly where things were hiding.
Gil? You there?
GIL ALBA, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: Yes. I got cut off there for a second.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, I don't know if you heard my whole question. You have to wonder whether the robber or robbers have been to this unit before, because they knew exactly where to look for the jewelry and they knew exactly where the art was being hung.
ALBA: Yes. This is definitely - you know, nobody off the street goes in there for a - a weekend and drills holes in - in the wall. So, obviously, they knew where they were going to go, what they needed, you know.
And when you do something like this, you actually know ahead of time what you're going to do with the - with the - with the drawings and the paintings and, you know, the jewelry that they took.
WHITFIELD: Right.
ALBA: So this was definitely - this was definitely planned and they knew what they were doing.
WHITFIELD: So the jewelry might be a little bit easier to resell but not the artwork because it's so distinctive. So what do you suppose the motivation might be for this robber/robbers? Would it be to try and sell, to make a profit from this or to simply add to their collections?
ALBA: No. This is - you know, these guys make a profit, and sell it to other people. I mean, these - these art paintings and drawings, I mean, people have in their houses and actually this wasn't - this case wasn't even reported for a - for a period of time. This happened in November - the end of November, and just getting reported now.
So the art dealers sometimes, you know, it's a little funny with them what they do with that, but where are they going to go and sell this stuff?
WHITFIELD: Yes. ALBA: And they think of that. I mean, there's some fencing places that the police are already checking where they may go or other people that may, you know, these guys may try to sell it, too.
So it's really - this case is the kind of tough cases, because the people that broke in obviously are selling to somebody else. They're not the ones that have it and they already have an idea what they're going to do with it. So it's really a hard case.
And what happens is that the police departments, especially the New York City Police Departments, there's a lot of work to be done here, and sometimes they don't have all the manpower to do all the work, to follow through on this. So, you know, if they don't get DNA from, you know, somebody drilling, maybe cutting themselves or fingerprint or anything else, and even if they get that and the person was never arrested, then they can't put the two together.
But I'm sure these people were arrested before because this is kind of a pattern in the kind of thing that happens. So it's not unusual that this is happening.
WHITFIELD: Really? This is not unusual to drill the holes in the hallway through the wall of an apartment and be able to make this kind of heist and get away?
ALBA: It is. You know, it's unusual, you know, for that but I was in the major case squad, so I had several cases like that, not only for - for arts - for other - for other reasons, so they go for the whole weekend, they'll rent an apartment right next to it. They'll drill through.
WHITFIELD: Yes. But I think people would hear it, you know, drilling and all of that. So then I - I imagine this apartment complex, if you've got tenants who have artwork with value like this or jewelry, there's probably a surveillance system in this apartment building. But I understand these thieves even thought of that. What do you know about how they were either able to either influence the surveillance system or dismantle it?
ALBA: Yes. Well, the surveillance system here he had in his apartment. So they actually knew where it was because they went to the house and they looked for it. Usually that's - that something that's hidden, so you can't find it. So they actually found it and took it with them - the video.
He owns the particular building, but if you know anything about this area, that's a meat packing area. Some of the buildings are really, really old there. He owned the whole building, so I don't even know if there were other tenants in the building.
So, you know, to do something like this and really there was nobody else in the building they had the whole weekend. But they had to know he was away. They had to know he had the collection. They had to know where the collection was. So this was, you know, somebody knew what was going on. WHITFIELD: So an inside job in a way, someone who's been there before, knows about the security system, knows about where things are - are kept, this is not some random targeted apartment unit?
ALBA: No, definitely - definitely not.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ALBA: Actually, these guys may not have been the guys in the apartment, but somebody actually told them about the layout.
WHITFIELD: All right. Gil Alba, thanks so much. Appreciate it. And have a great holiday.
ALBA: Yes. Happy holidays to everybody out there and thanks for having me on.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
ALBA: OK. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right.
A little trivia for you now, do you think you can name the top 10 news stories of the year? The complete list is straight ahead. And a Vermont governor held a press conference that turned into a real dog and pony show. I'll explain next.
But as we go to break, here's a live look at Midnight Mass from the Vatican.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Republican Jim Douglas has served four terms as the Governor of Vermont. Last year, he announced that he will not seek reelection. For eight years, Douglas has held weekly news conference that the media jokingly dubbed "dog and pony shows". Well, Douglas decided to give them the real deal, Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS: I want to introduce you to Ira (ph) and Annie. We'll end this tenure with a literal dog and pony show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Got a good laugh at everybody there. Douglas leaves office in January. He says he's got the last laugh now.
All right. So I think it's time now for all things political on radar with our "Political Pop". Then you know what that means. That means Joe Johns as well. Joe, good to see you. Merry Christmas.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. That was a nice dog and pony.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.
JOHNS: They were very telegenic.
WHITFIELD: That was the idea and it made air.
JOHNS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: That too was the idea.
JOHNS: Exactly. Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about a little history making with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and Barney Frank has some new sentiments on that as well.
JOHNS: Yes. You got that right.
Barney Frank, first of all, for people who don't know, has a reputation for being very intellectually agile to the point that members of Congress and even some in the media understand there's a risk of getting into any kind of impassioned debate with him, because he's really famous for running circles around people. Frank has this knack for pointing out absurd things and flaws in logic, and, as you know, as a lot of people know, he's one of the few openly gay members of Congress.
So with that setup now, let's just listen to what Congressman Frank had to say when a reporter from CNS News asked him about the idea of gay and straight service members showering together.
((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A straight military personnel will have to shower with homosexual open, I mean -
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Showering with homosexual - what do you think happens in gyms all over America? What do you think happens in the House of Representatives? Of course, people shower with homosexuals. What a silly issue. What - what do you think goes wrong when people shower with homosexual? Do you think the spray makes it catching? We don't get ourselves dry-cleaned. We tend to take showers when we go to the gym, when we play sports.
The notion that there's somehow new in the first place about showering with homosexuals - remember, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", by the way, the policy was you would be showering with homosexual, you just weren't supposed to know which was which. So there was no change in that.
The notion that knowing if someone is gay or lesbian, as opposed to knowing they were gay or lesbians, people that know who they are that that somehow makes a difference. That's so silly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Classic Barney Frank. WHITFIELD: I think Barney Frank is always frank -
JOHNS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Always.
JOHNS: He's totally frank. You know, I mean - and the thing about this, this was based on a Pentagon recommendation that there be no separate showering for gay and straight troops under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
The lesson here, if there is a lesson, is that from a media standpoint, Barney Frank is still very hard to ambush.
WHITFIELD: That's right. He's always at the ready.
All right. Well, it is the season, you know, a little holiday shopping, Christmas cards, all that good stuff and some congressmen are also involved in that, too?
JOHNS: That's right. And one of the Christmas cards with the most buzz is actually online. It belongs to a member of Congress who has, pardon the pun, the most watched naughty list on Capitol Hill. That would be Congressman Darrell Issa, who's expected to become Chairman of the House Reform and Oversight Committee in January.
This guy is a big deal because when the Republicans take over the House, if anybody is going to start investigating the Democrats and administration with vigor, it will be Darrell - Darell Issa. But what we found out this week is he's not just congressional investigator all the time. Actually he's got a lighter side sort of - sort of.
Take his holiday cards. Issa posted up - well, there you go, a souped-up stick figure with the Santa hat on. He calls it Terry Transparency. It's on a so-called Christmas card on Facebook. It's also on twitter. And Issa invited people to write in captions for the card, then he and his staff decided -
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
JOHNS: -- who would be the winners. But, the problem is -
WHITFIELD: They're having fun with this.
JOHNS: Yes. Except the captions generally aren't all that funny. You know, they say things like "Deck the halls with spending folly."
WHITFIELD: OK.
JOHNS: "Earmarks make lousy stocking stuffers." You get the picture.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.
JOHNS: I'm not going to read all - I'm not going to read all the captions. WHITFIELD: OK. Well, aloha. You know, the president is in Hawaii, having a great old time, and his Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, he's not bitter. No, not at all. Instead he says, you know, I'm going to be very involved on Twitter. So you got questions? I got answers.
JOHNS: Yes. It's pretty amazing. I mean, he does take questions from the public from time to time, and this time he sort of took it up a notch or two.
The administration no doubt is going to say they're trying to be more transparent. This is an example of it. He actually took questions for a full half an hour on Twitter.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
JOHNS: Yes. It ranged from pretty wankish stuff, policy matter to pure political pop. Somebody asked him where he eats his lunch, he said at his desk, and is the president still smoking? He said, no, not for nine months.
Apparently he thinks this is a good thing to do on Christmas Eve and may actually try it again next year, but -
WHITFIELD: Is it an indicator that he's bored?
JOHNS: Maybe - maybe bored, but maybe just sort of soaking up the sun. Bottom line, though, like a good press secretary, he didn't make any news on Twitter.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, Mahalo, right? Isn't that what they say in Hawaii? Thank you.
JOHNS: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: So I'm sure the president is probably saying thank you very much. Mahalo.
JOHNS: It's all good.
WHITFIELD: All right. Merry Christmas to you, Joe.
JOHNS: You too, Miss Fred.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
JOHNS: You bet. All right. Bye.
WHITFIELD: OK. Speaking of a few laughs, well, why instead did Conan O'Brien have to apologize to Jimmy Kimmel? It's trending. Kareen Wynter joins us from L.A. next. Oh, there she is. Hello. Merry Christmas.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. But first, we've got a trivia test for everybody out there. See if you can guess the top 10 news stories this year. We've already given you five. The rest of the list after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We're counting down the 10 biggest stories of 2010, and here's what we have revealed so far.
Coming in at number 10, the debate over the Islamic cultural center and mosque in New York. Number nine, Britain's Prince William getting engaged to Kate - Katherine. And number 8, the U.S. ends combat ops in Iraq. Number 7, you can see in that little list there, the WikiLeaks revelations. And number 6, jobs and the economy.
And for the stories that made our top five biggest of the year, here again is CNN's Brooke Baldwin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): 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.
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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: The 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)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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 their 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK. Right now, let's take a look at what's trending right now. CNN's Kareen Wynter has the goods. She's joining us from L.A.
How are you doing, Kareen? Hello.
WYNTER: Hi, Fred. I am doing well.
WHITFIELD: Good. Good.
So let's begin with the flap over Conan O'Brien, a skit that prompted him to take an unusual step of apologize.
WYNTER: Yes. Big, big (INAUDIBLE) -
WHITFIELD: First, let's take a look at the skit, though, actually. Sorry. Let's take a look, real quick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, TBS LATE SHOW HOST: You know, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was just on TV, and they - do you know this? They updated it to make the Rudolph story a little more contemporary. And I don't know if they should have, but take a look.
CHARACTER: Something wrong with your nose? My name is Clarice. Hi.
(LAUGHTER)
CHARACTER: Rudolph? I think you're cute.
(LAUGHTER)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: It's a great feeling of accomplishment.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no. And then what happened?
This is another bit that we want you to listen to, an online apology that Conan issued.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: We come in this morning and we find out that Jimmy Kimmel did the same idea two weeks ago. And so, of course, we apologize for that. We weren't aware. The staff member responsible for the piece has been fired, and he's been immediately rehired at Jimmy Kimmel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. OK. So, Kareen, this is a big old oops?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? It is, but let's be serious here for a little bit. We are talking comedy, how -- how much of a big deal is this, Fred? OK. So, you have that light humor like I do. Watching it, I thought, all right. Is it embarrassing? Probably, but it's comedy, people. Lighten up.
WHITFIELD: You're talking about the competition of late-night TV. You get to have original stuff. You can't by mimicking somebody else's goods. That's what's really at issue here, right?
WYNTER: But -- that's a great point. And I've been checking out a lot of the chatter online. A lot of people, this is a big item today, and people posting comments about this.
And I think one guy summed it up really, really great. He said, you know, maybe it's possible that this was just a coincidence, you know? It's not so farfetched the idea of Palin shooting Rudolph, that it could be thought of by more than one person. She hunts. It's Christmas. So, you know, keeping all of that in mind. Sure again, was it embarrassing? Yes, but it was an honest mistake.
But what's even funnier is the fact that Conan said, all right, we fess up, we did a boo-boo there, but we're sorry. And he goes on to make fun of himself. So, you kind of forget about what happened and the fact that classic Conan. And this why so many people love him.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, except the person who wrote that skit. He's not laughing, because he got fired.
WYNTER: Oh, no. I know.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, now, you got new information on Lindsay Lohan.
WYNTER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: She has had a rather naughty year, would say some. But could she be getting a break after all for Christmas?
WYNTER: You know, that's certainly what it looks like. This troubled starlet can perhaps thank Santa for this little break she's getting right before Christmas. And we all know Lindsay, she's been spending a whole lot of time in rehab here in California for the past several months as part of her court mandate.
Well, a woman who worked at the Betty Ford drug rehab center recently made headlines. Her name is Dawn Holland, Fred, and she accused Lohan of assaulting her. Now, it seems that the young actress is off the hook, and it's because Holland's attorney told the celebrity Web site, TMZ, that Holland, that she won't be pressing charge or assisting further in the investigation or the prosecution. They were taking this very seriously. And also, he adds, a crime has not been committed by Lohan.
So, this woman was also monitoring Lohan's drug rehab at this clinic when this incident allegedly occurred. So, again, Lohan catching a little bit of a break as she heads into the New Year. And let's hope it's a better one for her in 2011.
WHITFIELD: Let's hope so. In the spirit of giving -- giving her a break.
WYNTER: Yes. I think she needs it. Let's start 2011 with a bang, folks. No more news about Lohan.
WHITFIELD: Let's stay away from the word "bang," though. OK?
WYNTER: Yes, good point. Good point
WHITFIELD: Kareen Wynter, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Have a great holiday. Happy New Year, all that good stuff.
WYNTER: Thanks, Fred. You, too. You, too.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.
OK. Weather is kind of nasty out there right now. It actually defends on your perspective. But especially if you're one of the many holiday travelers, just take a look at that board right there. That is a look at all the planes in the area right now. A report is coming up.
And Reynolds Wolf is tracking Santa Claus. We'll be explaining after the break.
Where is Santa right now? Just a few hours before Christmas night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. A little "Reporter Roulette" now. We're going to be gentle, of course. Reynolds beginning with us in the weather center.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I hate doing it.
WHITFIELD: That word "roulette," that makes me nervous.
WOLF: It gets kind of crazy.
WHITFIELD: We'll be gentle.
WOLF: Some may argue that might be fitting with what is on scope right now. We're talking about the possibility or -- not the possibility, it's fact now.
WHITFIELD: It's going to happen.
WOLF: It is.
WHITFIELD: Oh. I mean, yay!
WOLF: Over 300 flights canceled, exactly, by Delta in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport all due to the bad weather. We've got a possibility of seeing some snowfall in parts of the Southeast, at least enough of a threat that the airline has decided to cancel these flights. So, very frustrating, no question for many people. That is the bad news.
The good news, though, Fredricka, is that I guess we're lucky that it didn't happen today or the day before.
WHITFIELD: So, some people can actually get somewhere.
WOLF: Right. Not a whole lot of travelers on Christmas Day. There are many of you, and I feel sorry for you --
WHITFIELD: Enough to fill up the 300 to 500 flights.
WOLF: Absolutely. Especially for us with kids, it will be tough time at the airport.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WOLF: But, you know, it's all safety, that's what it's all about.
WHITFIELD: That's true. And I said yay because, you know, I am thinking, a nice white Christmas? Yay, but I'm going to temper that because it's an inconvenience for a lot of people. So --
WOLF: Two sides of the coin.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's talk about an inconvenience taking place in Paris as well. Travelers there stuck in an airport. Niki Cook is with us now with the next "Reporter Roulette."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIKI COOK, CNN PARIS BUREAU PRODUCTION MANAGER (via telephone): The situation, to be quite honest, is much better tonight than it was earlier. We expect possibly up to 200 people that may overnight at the airport tonight, but indeed hotel rooms have been booked all around. Buses are bussing passengers, stranded passengers back into the city. And we have 100 volunteers out at the airport who have been distributing gifts and chocolate and food, and albeit water and not champagne. But it's been a grueling two days out at the airport indeed, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, maybe the chocolate will perk people up. So, you know, when we talk about this airport as being inundated with a whole lot of snow, and then there's a shortage of the de-icing which has led to the cancellation of so many flights. So, even if they clear the runways, the problem is, to make sure that these planes are safe enough for flight.
COOK: That's exactly right. This were completely victim of the stockage, just kind of broke down there. And several hundred flights were grounded as the U.S. actually sent some of that glycol over from the States and others arrived from Germany. But you're absolutely right. That was completely unexpected.
Now, we've had two issues that are going on, which is the freezing temperatures and the snow, and it's been going on for several days. This is unprecedented for Charles de Gaulle Airport to have so many days in the freeze -- meaning that much more of this de-icing product had to be put on airplanes. I think it was just not anything that they say that they could really expect.
BALDWIN: And so, they had to evacuate one portion because they were afraid of a roof collapse. So, where did the people go? And where are they now?
COOK: Yes, actually it wasn't really an evacuation. What happened is that there has been accumulating snow over the past few days on Terminal 2E -- one section of Terminal 2E. And going back to several years ago when that terminal actually had some real issues and part of the roof did collapse in the month of May, they decided to simply move the passengers to the other side of the terminal while the maintenance guys basically cleaned up that roof.
So, 2,000 people were moved over to the other side of the terminal. But it was not actually an evacuation. But it did add a lot of misery to the situation, which was already extremely difficult to deal with.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Thanks so much, Niki Cook.
As we head into the end of the year. We'll also review the hottest political stories, that's straight.
And we love lists, you know? Here's one that caught our eye.
We've got some list of the top five most charitable celebs in 2010, from DoSomething.org. That's the Web site that's listing them.
Number five is Ellen DeGeneres. She helps raised more than $150,000 for lesbians and gays struggling with mental illness.
Number four: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The power couple launched a power foundation to help stop child sex trafficking around the world.
And number three: country star Taylor Swift. Earlier this year, when Nashville flooded, she donated half a million dollars to help in the relief efforts there.
And who were the top two celebs doing good this year? Well, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Several celebrities are making the nice list this year for their good deeds. We showed you three of them. Now, the top two from the DoSomething.org list.
Number two: Alicia Keys. Her new campaign raised $1.1 million to help provide AIDS treatment around the world.
The most social conscious celeb of 2010, drum roll please, recognize her right there, Lady Gaga. This year, she called for the repeal of "don't ask/don't tell," supported same-sex marriage and raised AIDS awareness.
Let's do another list -- a list of the hottest political stories of the year. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Candy Crowley with the top 10 political moments of 2010.
At number 10: a big no-no in the Florida governor's debate. Democratic nominee Alex Sink broke the rules when her makeup artist showed her a cell phone message during a commercial break of the debate. Her opponent, Republican Rick Scott, saw it and called her out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SCOTT (R), THEN-FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: First, Alex, you say you always follow the rules. The rule was no one is supposed to give us messages during the break and your campaign did with an iPad, or iPod.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Sink said she couldn't even read the message since the text was so small, because she ended up firing the campaign staffer involved.
At number nine, a tickle fight lands a U.S. congressman in hot wire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": A time ago, you said, quote, "Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn't breathe."
ERIC MASSA (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Larry, when you grab someone and you're wrestling, I don't know how to describe that word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Congressman Eric Massa resigned his seats. His reasons: recurring cancer and an ethics committee investigation into sexual harassment claims.
At number eight, a false idol named Aqua Buddha.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: Why did Rand Paul once tie a woman up, tell her to bow down before a false idol and say his god was Aqua Buddha?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Yes, that ad from Democratic candidate Jack Conway made the phrase "Aqua Buddha" into a major issue in the Kentucky Senate race. Conway used the ad to question the Christian faith of his Republican opponent Rand Paul. To no avail, Paul won the November race.
Number seven: another campaign ad, this one featuring a flock of "demon sheep." The ad came out during the primary campaign for California's Republican Senate nominee. The campaign of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina launched the ad, showing her opponent of the dangerous predator with glowing red eyes. Strategists questioned the strategy of portraying voters as dim-witted sheep. Fiorina won the nomination, but lost the election to incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer.
And number six.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Will the gentleman from New York, Mr. Rangel, kindly appear in the well?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: In December, the House of Representatives formally censured Congressman Charles Rangel. Rangel was philosophical when it came time for him to speak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But at the end of the day, as I started off saying, compared to where I've been, I haven't had a bad day since. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: 1983 was the last time the House censured a member.
The top five political moments of 2010, right after this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: I'm Candy Crowley. Now back to the list of the top 10 political moments of 2010.
At number five: New York Senate candidate Carl Paladino's soprano-like confrontation with a reporter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL PALADINO (R), THEN-NY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: You send another good to my daughter's house and I'll take you out, buddy.
FRED DICKER, REPORTER: You will take me out?
PALADINO: Yes.
DICKER: How are you going to do that?
PALADINO: Watch.
DICKER: What, are you threatening me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: That's Paladino with a columnist whose newspaper had wring about a daughter Paladino had out of wedlock. Paladino lost his race to Democrat Andrew Cuomo, but never let go of the thug image. In his hand during his concession speech -- a baseball bat.
At number four: the symbolism and emotion of the health care debate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used a historic gavel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: I'm carrying this gavel that was just given to me -- correction -- lent to me by Chairman Dingell. It was used in the enactment of the Medicare law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: But before she gets to bang that gavel, tension ran high, Republican congressmen -- cheerleading and carrying handmade signs, and then there was the actual floor debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Answer the call of history.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: This bill is a fiscal Frankenstein.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: And real emotion from Republican Leader John Boehner on the House floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO: Look at how this bill is written. Can you say it was done openly? With transparency and accountability? Hell no, you can't!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Coming in at number three --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), THEN-DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm not a witch. I'm nothing you've heard. I'm you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Christine O'Donnell, a surprise Republican Senate candidate in Delaware, trying to explain away comments she'd made on the Bill Maher show in 1999.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: I dabbled into witchcraft, I never joined a coven. But I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait a minute. You were a witch?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. She --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: O'Donnell lost the November race.
And at number two --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: We did. We did it. We made history.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: That's Lisa Murkowski declaring victory in Alaska's Senate race two weeks after Election Day. She is the second person ever to win a write-in bid for the U.S. Senate.
And that brings us to the number one political moment of 2010 --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: This is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Vice President Joe Biden dropping the "F-bomb" in the majestic White House East Room right before President Obama signed the historic health care bill. The president didn't react, but Spokesman Robert Gibbs later tweeted, "Yes, Mr. Vice President, you're right. A Democratic group even made a commemorative T-shirt.
I'm Candy Crowley. And those are the top 10 political moments for 2010.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: OK. And so imagine pooling your money with friends to hit the lottery, and when your dreams finally come true, they don't pay up. There's a legal case like this in Florida that you've got to hear.
Sunny Hostin is on that case straight ahead. Hey, Sunny.
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Hi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So the holiday season usually inspires to give to others, right? Not take from. Well, apparently one guy didn't get the memo. You've got to see this.
See that young man right there. He's trying to rip a flat-screen TV off the wall from an elderly facility. What's worse? The alleged burglar didn't wear a mask. So, when police saw the surveillance tape, they instantly recognized him and later caught him. They're calling him a Grinch.
And every year, Santa likes to cut a little loose and go jet skiing on the Potomac. It's a 25-year-old tradition and everyone is in on it. The reindeer, elves, even Mrs. Claus. Who needs a sleigh when you can Jet Ski?
And next, notice to parents: kids like toys for Christmas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Books?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Books for Christmas? What the heck is that?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED KID: I don't get books. That's not toys. That's books. I don't get books for Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't get books for Christmas?
UNIDENTIFIED KID: I hate books for Christmas?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You hate books for Christmas?
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK. So, maybe he'll appreciate those gifts when he gets older. Let's hope really he's a child actor or something.
All right. Victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scam may finally get hands on billions of stolen dollars. Sunny Hostin is on the case with that story, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A California-based pilot says the TSA took revenge after he posted cell phone video online showing security flaws at the San Francisco airport.
Sunny Hostin is on the case. Let's look at a quick clip from one of those videos, Sunny.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can see, there's only a card slide and one door. And so, when you see a cart, those carts aren't screened at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. So, that's just a taste. So, Sunny, the pilot says the TSA suspended him from a program that lets pilots to carry handguns in the cockpit and he says, sheriff's deputies and air marshals actually came to his home, took his concealed weapons permit issued by the state of California. Can they actually do that? Can they go that far?
HOSTIN: Well, they did, and apparently they can. But I think, Fred, the interesting thing about this -- this was a voluntary program this pilot was part of. He was an air marshal in the sky. The program is the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program. And so, it is administered by the TSA.
And he can't contest it, but again, people are calling him some sort of hero. I mean, they're saying he's a whistle-blower and that the TSA really is reacting very strongly and they're sort of slapping him around by filing, you know, not filing these charges, but they're taking his weapon away from him.
WHITFIELD: But I guess the flip side to that is the TSA and others are saying that he is jeopardizing airport security by posting this kind of information online. If that's the case, are there any laws that he's actually breaking as it pertains to that?
HOSTIN: Well, it certainly is possible. The TSA is conducting a federal investigation, allegedly other authorities in California are investigating this. So, possible, because as you mentioned, this could be a matter of national security, if the wrong person is watching this sort of thing, it could be a breach of security. And so, certainly, people are worried about it.
WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Meantime, Bernie Madoff, a lot of folks who, you know, were swindled out of their millions or thousands, thought they would never see any money from the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme ever. And now, apparently, some might be getting their money back. What has changed in all of this?
HOSTIN: What has changed is what people are calling the largest settlement in the forfeiture arena in history. The real hero here I think is the trustee, Irving Picard. He reached a $7.8 billion settlement with one of the estates of one investor. And people are saying this is really significant for the victims, because this was a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. But now, we're talking about $7.8 billion that has been recovered in addition to another almost $3 billion. So, $10 billion recovery is pretty great news for a lot of these Madoff victims.
WHITFIELD: Very great news. What a Christmas, right, or holiday gift.
HOSTIN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: Sunny Hostin, thanks so much. And merry Christmas to you. Have a great holiday.
HOSTIN: Oh, same to you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Now, Tom Foreman with "The Best and Worst of 2010."
