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Winter Storm Bring White Christmas to Many Americans; Clementi Family May File Tort Claim Against Rutgers; Permission Slip Required to Recite Pledge of Allegiance?; Innovation and Inspiration Behind Dynomighty; Charities Make Last-Minute Plea During Season of Giving; Pakistani Taliban Claiming Responsibility, Top 10 Christmas Films, Human Factor, Military Working Dogs
Aired December 25, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICK WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: A big story now on this Christmas day, a major winter storm is threatening the east coast causing plenty of headaches already for air travelers, in particular, this Christmas day. In Atlanta, Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of Christmas day flights in anticipation of the storm. It hasn't hit yet, at least not in Atlanta. You're looking at live pictures -- looks a little hazy there, but no precipitation as yet.
And then on to Paris where winter storms stranded thousands of holiday travelers this week. Finally now. a reprieve. Charles de Gaulle Airport is back up and running today. There are still some delays and a huge backlog of travelers, but at least some of the flights are finally taking off.
Bonnie Schneider now, in the Weather Center. Let's talk about the nor'easter, these delays and just getting around can be a little tricky on Christmas day, especially if you have snow.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's true. You know, and I'm really happy to say that so far in terms of delays we only have one in Houston for 25 minutes and it's increasing. If you look at Flight Explorer, you can see the white here, that's where the snow is falling, and you would think that would impact the areas in the south. Of course, if you're driving on I-20 you see that changeover from rain to snow, but so far the delays are only in Houston.
If only it would stay like that, so light in terms of delays, but we're anticipating a lot of big changes for the south, like the first measurable snow on Christmas day for so many locations, like Birmingham and Columbia, never happened, well at least since weather records have been kept in hundreds of years, it could have happened 200 years ago, but this is what is we know so far. The last time we had falling snow measurable, more than a trace in Raleigh, Montgomery, and Atlanta dates back so far we had to go back to another century for Atlanta. But, it's coming. We have snow in north Georgia, so it's on the way. You will get your white Christmas as well.
We're also tracking the big storm system. Now, we have the snow in the south and we've been talking about that, but it's not just that storm that's going to come together and bring us a nor'easter that will have impact -- look at this, the Appalachian Mountains, certainly up into Virginia and Maryland and then New Jersey getting hammered by the system. The computer models fluctuating in terms of who's going to get what. But winter weather advisories are posted up and down the eastern seaboard by tomorrow, so today you're fine, but tomorrow this storm ramps up and intensifies and becomes a full-fledged nor'easter. And remember, nor'easter doesn't just bring snow, they certainly also bring a lot of wind. So, we'll be looking at poor visibility and the possibility of blizzard conditions to parts of New England for Sunday into Monday, the day after Christmas and the day after the day after Christmas, those are big travel days. So, that's something that we're monitoring very, very closely as we go through much of the afternoon today and certainly into tomorrow.
So, we've been talking about the white Christmas. You can see snow across Chattanooga, it's been snowing steadily throughout much of the day, today, and the changeover is already occurring, the snow in Huntsville, right at freezing. In advance of that, in South Carolina, we have temperatures right around 40, but the cold air will come with the snow, it actually pulls it in. so, we're going to see the temperatures fall as we get the snow throughout the day.
Notice the winter storm warnings. The Carolinas, brace yourself, you're about to get hit hard by the storm system, five inches or more for Charlotte, for example, a little bit less for Columbia, maybe your first white Christmas. And then as I mentioned, the advisories all the way to the north. This is for Sunday and Monday, not for today, but we're really anticipating a busy and messy day after the holidays for travel. So, if you can travel today or tonight and it's OK to, I would say you're better off doing it.
WHITFIELD: All right, better safe than sorry. Right? Try and be safe. All right, thanks so much Bonnie, appreciate that.
All right, today, Christians celebrating one of the holiest days on the calendar, the birth of Christ. And Pope Benedict is urging world peace. He delivered his traditional Christmas blessing from the balcony at St. Peters Basilica, thousands gathered in the drizzle to hear his message in 64 languages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE BENEDICT XVI: And the pearls of the Prince of Peace reminds the world where happiness lies, may your heart be filled with hope and joy for the savior has been born for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And right now, in Washington, Noon Mass is underway at the Basilica of the national shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There was also a mass there at midnight. Of course the Basilica is the largest Catholic church in the western hemisphere and the eighth largest Basilica in the world.
The Pakistani Taliban is now claiming responsibility for a deadly suicide blast. At least 43 are dead, at least 90 others hurt. The victims were waiting to get food at a distribution center in Pakistan's tribal region. Let's get to Chris Lawrence, now, who's in Islamabad. What do we know about why this took place and who is to blame?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we now pretty much do have an answer for who, Fredricka, the Pakistani Taliban issued a statement, came out just a couple hours ago and claimed responsibility for the suicide blast. They have been at odds with the Pakistani military in that part of Pakistan for some time. Again, these are the tribal areas of Pakistan, right on the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani military had come in there and sort of cleared out a lot of militants earlier this year, but the militant presence is still there and they had promised to exact some revenge and keep fighting in that area.
Well, when that happened, a lot of the families got moved out of the area. Now a lot of those families who lived there were coming back and that's why the World Food Program set up this food distribution center, they were giving away about a month's supply of food (AUDIO GAP) coming back to their homes, and that is when the suicide bomber hit. There was a security checkpoint that everyone was going through on the way to get this food and this aid, about 300 in line when the suicide bomber blew up and killed, as you said, more than 40 people and injured almost a hundreds. And as you might imagine, when we're talking about families showing up to get food. We're hearing that at least seven of the victims were women and there were several children who were killed in that attack, as well.
WHITFIELD: Chris Lawrence in Islamabad. Thanks so much for that update.
All right. Well, we're about to talk about something as traditional in the holiday season that many homes seem to enjoy, Christmas movies. Which one is loved the best? We're counting down the top 10. Will yours make the list?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. They are a perennial holiday favorites and everybody seems to have one. We're talking about special movies that remind us of the Christmas, the holiday season. Josh Levs here with the top 10 Christmas films?
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Do you have any favorite.
WHITFIELD: I'm going to go with "Charlie Brown Christmas."
LEVS: You know, people are writing me that.
WHITFIELD: I love "Charlie Brown Christmas."
LEVS: I know. Me too.
WHITFIELD: The Christmas tree, you know, one ornament on it.
LEVS: Well, that's great, because it's like a mess and then they just go like this and then they walk, you know, they step aside and it's perfect. I love that.
WHITFIELD: So cute.
LEVS: So cute.
WHITFIELD: Needles falling.
LEVS: But, unfortunately that doesn't make the list because they're only looking at major motion pictures as opposed to TV movies and stuff.
Let me show you this, here it is. a lot of people are saying what you said. This from MoviePhone.com. They have a list of the top 10 Christmas movies of all time. I'm just going mention 10 through six and then we're going to take a look at clips of the rest.
So at No. 10, the're "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." You can see Chevy Chase, right there. At No. 9, "Babes in Toyland" from back in 1934.
WHITFIELD: "Home Alone" I'm going to go with that one. That's good.
LEVS: "Home Alone," No. 8. Great Christmas movie. I love that one. No. 7, "Christmas in Connecticut" from 1945. Not a lot of people, may be watching, well they may know that one. I haven't seen that one. That's the only one I haven't seen. I got to check it out.
WHITFIELD: I haven't seen that one either.
LEVS: And No. 6 "Elf," which was a great movie?
WHITFIELD: It was?
LEVS: Yeah, it was such a good movie.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. I haven't seen that one.
LEVS: Let's go to, straight to a clip now from No. 5.
WHITFIELD: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At ease. How are you captain?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm fine, general. But...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just try to keep the "general" part quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: "White Christmas" from Paramount Pictures, back in 1954, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kay. One of the greats.
No. 4 might surprise you. Take a look at No. 4, "Scrooged."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are going to be visited by three ghosts tomorrow at Noon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomorrow is bad for me. Lou.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I didn't check out enough movies. I didn't see this one either.
LEVS: This is great. This one's from a 1988 movie. Bill Murray plays this TV executive who really needs to be taught the lessons of scrooge and I guess this is about a ghost. Awesome movie. No. 3, a classic, "Miracle on 34th Street."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please tell her you aren't really Santa Claus. That there actually is no such person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm sorry to disagree with you, Mrs. Walker, but not only is there such a person but here I am to prove it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Great movie. Of course it has to be one of the classics. No. 2 is my favorite and of the best movies ever, even if you put Christmas aside "It's a Wonderful Life."
The whole town comes together supporting the family.
WHITFIELD: That's one of my husband's favorites. It was on last night as we were, well, we were welcoming Santa and he was making the delivery and that happened to be on.
LEVS: Happened to be on right then.
And the No. 1 Christmas movie of all time, this won't surprise you. It is "A Christmas Story" from 1983 and it is playing all day long on our sister station PBS. And this is one of the many iconic scenes, bundling up little brother in the mega coats.
WHITFIELD: Hilarious.
LEVS: We want to know what you all think of this top 10 list. So, I got it posted for you at FaceBook and Twitter, you got my page, there. JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead, take a look, tell us what you think. And now you know, if you think that they got it right or not and what's missing. People are already saying, a lot of people are saying that they wish that Charlie Brown should be counted.
WHITFIELD: Charlie Brown forever.
LEVS: I know. I know. All those specials and "The Great Pumpkin" all the Charlie Brown TV specials. WHITFIELD: All the evolving music. I mean, it's the best.
LEVS: And decades later, nothing is better than that on TV. You know?
WHITFIELD: No. No. That's when you're in the spirit? At least that's what I feel like. I'm like, it's officially Halloween, it's officially Christmas, because Charlie Brown is on.
LEVS: There you go. Love it.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
All right, of course you can help us decide about the top 10 most intriguing people of the year. We've narrowed down the list, 20. So, I said 10, so no, it's going to be 20. We want to hear from you, too, at CNN.com. Who do you think is the most intriguing person of 2010.
All right. Lindsay Lohan, might she be on the list, intriguing? Well, in drug rehab but not out of trouble right now, our legal guys are getting ready to weigh in on the latest incident or incidents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Katherine Wolf was a mother, actress and model, but in April 2008, in an instant, a very rare brain bleed left her fighting for her life. Her remarkable recovery is this week's "Human Factor." Chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta us tells her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an ordinary day for Katherine Wolf.
KATHERINE WOLF, ACTRESS: 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): AVM, which is an arteriovenous malformation, the arteries and veins sort of grow in a tangle. 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 have even 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: But it was a lot of work to overcome those obstacles in between.
WOLF: Absolutely. As miraculous as me actually living and surviving the surgery was, the real miraculous thing throughout the process has been my recovery.
GUPTA (voice-over): She had to endure a lot of therapy.
WOLF: I sat through months and months and months of daily swallow 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 now. What's the most difficult thing for you to do that you couldn't do before.
WOLF: I can't drive a car, severe double vision. I can't walk on my own as well at all. Can't do many things. I can 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.
GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Another ruling on the one political contest that has yet to be certified. Our legal guys are ready to respond, the battle for Alaska after a quick check of the top stories.
A major winter storm threatening the East Coast is causing plenty of headaches for travelers this Christmas day. In Atlanta, Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of Christmas day flights in anticipation of the storm. It hasn't hit yet, though.
And then onto Paris where a winter storm stranded thousands of holiday travelers this week. Finally a reprieve now, Charles de Gaulle Airport is back up and running today. There are still some delays and a huge backlog of travelers, but at least some flights are, indeed, taking off.
And the Taliban is now claiming responsibility for a suicide blast that killed at least 43 people in northwest Pakistan. The victims were lining up at a food distribution center and at least 90 people were hurt. A Taliban spokesman is denying reports the bomber was a woman. The attack comes one day after security forces killed 40 militants along the Afghan border.
And residents of San Juan Puerto Rico got a shaky start to their holiday. A 5.1 magnitude quake hit 15 miles south of the city last night. It rattled nerves, but there are no reports of serious damage or injuries. The quake was centered 64 miles underground. We'll get another check of the top stories in about 20 minutes from now.
All right. Lindsay Lohan may be out of sight in a rehab facility, but apparently she's not out of the spotlight. The actress was allegedly involved in a tussle with an employee at the Betty Ford Center and apparently people are talking about it. Let's check in with our legal guys. Civil rights attorney Avery Friedman in Cleveland.
Good to see you.
And criminal defense attorney Richard Herman in Las Vegas.
Both professors. Good to see you guys. Happy holiday. Fantastic. Merry Christmas.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY: Happy holidays.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY: Glad you're back.
WHITFIELD: I know. I've missed you all. Let's talk about Lindsay Lohan. Thank you so much. All that's been going on or not going on. Because wait a minute. Now the story is changing, right, Richard? There was a little scuffle, but then maybe not. And then, is it an issue of breaching confidence at the Betty Ford Clinic talking about it? What is happening here?
HERMAN: Well, the seven-time rehab vet employee at the Betty Ford Clinic went on TMZ, took interviews saying she caught Lindsay breaking in late one night, smelled alcohol, tried to give a breathalyzer, then Lindsay grabbed the girl, hurt her arm, her wrist. She went public, told the story, wants to sue, pressed charges. Then miraculously, no crime was committed, nothing happened. She doesn't want to be involved. Lindsay is a good person, she's praying for her. Sounds like a payoff to me, Fred, I don't know.
Avery, what's with the change of heart?
No evidence of that. I see the chain reaction. I agree with the series of events. What's interesting is dawn Holland, the employee who got fired for going public by Betty Ford Center went to TMZ, took interviews, saying she caught Lindsay breaking in late one night with her friends, she smelled alcohol, she tried to give her a breathalyzer. Lindsay refused, then the girl -- Lindsay grabbed the girl, hurt her arm, hurt her wrist. She went public, told the story, she's going to sue, wants to press charges. Then miraculously, meticulously no crimes committed. Nothing happened, she doesn't want to be involved. Lindsay's a good person she's praying for her and nothing -- it sounds like a pay off to me, Fred. I don't know.
WHITFIELD: Oh really?
So Avery, what's with the change of heart? What are you seeing.
FRIEDMAN: Oh, no evidence of that. Well, I see the chain reaction. I agree with the series of events, but what's interesting is that Dawn Holland, who is the employee who got fired for going public by Betty Ford Center, has now said we are going to go after Lindsay, changes her mind and says she's going to bring a civil rights case, believe it or not, against Betty Ford because she went public. And how she comes up with that theory, Fredricka, is baffling to me. It makes absolutely no sense.
WHITFIELD: It is never ending.
FRIEDMAN: But you know, what I have to tell you. You know, Richard's theory is this is just a mean girl. I thought, you know, look maybe she's just really sick, but you know what, I'm starting to inch over to the other side, because it never ends. It just never ends with her.
WHITFIELD: It is never ending. I mean, this is just unbelievable. Go ahead.
HERMAN: It's like that Shaggy song, you know, "wasn't me." Every time Lindsay gets up in the headlines, it wasn't me. I didn't do it. I didn't do it.
FRIEDMAN: I hate to agree with it, but I think that's right.
WHITFIELD: OK, well let's talk about something else that seemingly is never ending. This is a legal case that just continues to grow another leg here and there because now we're talking about the Amanda Knox case in Italy. And now apparently this DNA evidence that was used in the case to help lead to her conviction and many years in prison, now apparently there was reasonable doubt, at least that's one argument being made. So, now I wonder, Avery, does this mean she is potentially inching closer and closer to either getting another trial or perhaps even eventually being able to walk, maybe not serve the 20 something years she's being expected to fulfill?
FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, I've talked about this. I actually predicted and I think what happened in the Italian court of appeals this week in saying there's reasonable doubt concerning the method in which DNA was introduced, concerning the bra clasp of the victim as well as the knife that was involved in the murder. Those are the only two things that attach Amanda Knox to the murder. The fact that this ruling has come down, it's not dispositive, it's not definitive, but it's important creating reasonable doubt. I predicted, remember a 26- year sentence. I think sooner or later the Italian courts are going to set her free for time served, get back to Seattle.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, Richard, do you see that? I mean, this American girl, highly publicized case worldwide in Italy and that very stiff sentence and conviction was to set a serious example that you just can't come into our country, be the center of a criminal investigation and be able to walk or even be handled with kid gloves.
HERMAN: Right. No, I absolutely disagree with Avery. They are not going to let her walk. They are not going to let her go home with time served. She's going to do substantial time in prison Italy for this crime. The prosecutor says, you know, even if there's an issue for the DNA with respect to the knife and the bra clasp, we have overwhelming evidence to convict. And in addition to that, she has no alibi for that night. So our evidence is overwhelming. If you want to play around with this forensic, fine, let her bring in her experts who will counter the government experts. But in the end, Fred, I really believe this conviction is going to stand.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. OK, so real quick we got one minute for two cases. Joe Miller, this case isn't going away. We're talking about Alaska and he is contesting this Lisa Murkowski outcome of the Senate race. He says, you know what, I want the federal courts involved with this. So, Avery, writes he going? Is he running out of chances or doing pretty good, exhausting (INAUDIBLE)?
FRIEDMAN: I can do this in 30 seconds.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WHITFIELD: The fact is Mr. States Rights, Joe Miller, the first place he went was the federal court. It worked. It required the state courts to go all the way up to the Supreme Court on the certification process. He lost all the way. He says he's going back to federal court. He's going to lose.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK.
Real quick, though, you got a thought on that one, Richard, before we move to our last case?
HERMAN: Yeah, the court ruled that the election was not a spelling bee and that's a good thing for Sarah Palin because she probably couldn't spell. But, in any event the court also ruled it would be a corrosive waste of time to continue this appeal process. It's the voters, their intent, it's the proper procedure, it's over for him.
WHITFIELD: OK, and then real quick, last, last, last case. We're talking about a doctor who says his fellow golfer, you know, hit the golf ball, didn't yell fore and his blindness is a result of that, but the court has spoken, saying, you know what, there's an assumption of risk that comes with this sport, so you know what, the other golfer not being held culpable on this. Real quick, surprised on this one or not -- Avery.
FRIEDMAN: No. Substantive risk. I mean everybody gets hit by golf balls. It happens all the time. Assumption of risk is the right ruling. Unfortunately for the doctor but the right ruling.
WHITFIELD: Richard?
HERMAN: No intentional conduct, they went beyond negligence in the pleadings to prove intentional tort and the court said, no, not intentionally. Everybody assumes the risk. You're going to get hit when you play golf.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, we all talked about this a month ago and I think you both called it you knew this was going to be the outcome and here you go. All right, we're going to have you back, we're going to talk about some other cases on the docket in our unusual morning and afternoon, together now, in this Noon Eastern hour. See you in a little bit. Thanks so much. We're also tracking a major winter storm that could mess with your travel plans over the next few days.
But first in Iraq and Afghanistan, military working dogs can help save lives by detecting bombs and insurgents. So, when a dog is injured, a state-of-the-art hospital in Texas actually helps these canines get back on their feet. Gary Tuchman has the story in today's "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been called the Walter Reed for dogs, a high-tech hospital in San Antonio where the nour legged troops that serve our country get treated.
COL KELLY MANN, HOSPITAL DIR: Medicine has changed over the years. We want to do what's best for the dog and if possible return the dog to work.
TUCHMAN: The $15 million facility has top veterinary specialists on staff and state-of-the-art tools and rehab equipment.
KELLY MEYER, CERTIFIED REHAB THERAPIST: My role at the hospital is to provide rehab therapy to all our military working dogs. Each one is individualized. It's not a cookie cutter where everyone get the same treatment.
TUCHMAN: some dogs are treated on sight in war zones. Those that need more therapy come here and dogs can also show signs of PTSD, just like people.
WALT BURGHARDT, BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST: They are great dogs and work hard but they have a really hard time conveying what's going on inside their heads. So, we really have to rely on what they show us with their behavior.
TUCHMAN: Most dogs are rehabilitated and returned to their posts. Like service members, dogs can have multiple deployments. The ones that can't go back to work get adopted.
MEYER: Our four-legged soldiers mean the world to us here and we think they deserve everything we can possibly give them. They're kind of the unsung heroes. They really inspire me every day.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Dream no more. Old Man Winter has delivered a little white Christmas in a lot of places. This is Des Moines, Iowa. Friday's storm brought 4 inches of snow to metro Des Moines. And parts of the state received 9 inches of the white stuff in all. Whew! That is a lot of snow.
Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center. And other parts of the United States now getting a few snow dropping on them right now.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's true. We have reports from two CNN employees, Rich and Chris. Both called to say hey, it's snowing in North Georgia and its sticking. Well no surprise there, but you mentioned a white Christmas. Let's talk about a white Christmas in terms of snow falling on Christmas Day and accumulating to more than a trace. That's what we'll classify a white Christmas here, not just snow a day earlier, a day later.
So Raleigh that happened, that hasn't since 1927. It's going to happen later day. For Alabama, Atlanta we're expecting snow this afternoon. Rain changing to snow. In Birmingham it looks like you still have a chance of it, but a little less than earlier. It has never happened as well; and in Columbia, South Carolina. This is since records began almost 100 years ago. If it happened before 100 years ago, it could have happened, we just don't know. I'm just kidding.
Here is a look at low pressure over the Louisiana area. Look what happens as I put this into motion. This storm will push all the way offshore, intensify with some energy from the north, and develop into a full-fledged Nor'easter. It is not happening today but it will happen tomorrow and into Monday. What this means is we are looking at a travel mess for the day after Christmas.
In fact areas across the Northeast could see very heavy snow. Some areas could see 10 inches or more. That combined with a blustery wind, particularly in the New England area, like Boston, winds may gust Sunday night into Monday, possibly up to 40 miles an hour. If that happens right at the time when that snow is falling we could be looking at blizzard-like conditions were you really just can't see. Poor visibility, the worst time of the year to occur, the day after Christmas, which is definitely not good.
Speaking of which, here is the setup. You can see the cold air well in place to the south and to north. Windy weather and snow, up and down the Carolinas and northward towards New England. It's been interesting tracking this storm, because originally the computer models were showing the storm going way offshore. We weren't anticipating so much in the way of heavy snow and wind, but now closer the latest runs are taking it closer to the shoreline, bringing in that wind and snow. So, something to watch for tomorrow.
For today we are also watching a little bit of moisture coming into California, nothing like what we saw over the last couple of days. Thank goodness. But the day after Christmas, if you're traveling, watch out for rain and snow for Northern California all the way through parts of Coastal Oregon into Washington State.
The middle of the country looks nice just a lot colder as we go through the next couple days. Temperatures really now feeling like it is winter. Well, it is winter, should be, right?
WHITFIELD: It is. Time to wear all those new scarves and hats, and sweaters, you get for Christmas.
SCHNEIDER: And sweaters.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bonnie, appreciate it. Thank you.
All right. This was no white elephant gift for lucky kids in Thailand. Take a look. They got a visit from real elephants dressed up in Santa costumes. They performed, gave out gifts to a crowd of thousands. It was really more about the spirit of giving than anything religious because Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist. Just something fun for the kids.
College freshman outed on the Internet commits suicide. Now his parents consider going after his university. Stay tuned for what our legal guys have to say about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Getting permission to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. You can bet our legal guys have something to say about that, but first a check of the top stories.
Missouri police are investigating a mysterious death at a beer baron's estate in a St. Louis suburb; 27-year-old Adrian Martin was found dead at the home of August Busch IV. He is the former CEO of the Budweiser brewing empire. Police won't comment on whether Busch was at home at the time. There are no apparent signs of trauma.
New York police want to question the man on this surveillance tape in connection with the death of a woman. They are calling him a person of interest. He may be the same man seen on an earlier surveillance tape rolling a suitcase down the street in East Harlem. The body of 28 years old Betty Williams was found in a suitcase. She had been strangled.
And if you have any goodies from Rolf's Patisserie you may want to toss them out. The Chicago bakery is recalling cakes, cookies, pies, and other products because they may contain staph bacteria. All of Rolf's desserts made after November 1st are affected. Rolf's sells its products online, as well as in its stores. And people get deliveries all the time around the holiday season. That's why you need to know.
Rutgers University could find itself in court over a student's suicide. Tyler Clementi took his life after he was secretly taped in his dorm room with another man. His parents now say they may file a tort claim against the school.
Our legal guys are back. Civil rights attorney Avery Friedman in Cleveland, criminal defense attorney Richard Herman in Las Vegas.
First off, Richard, what's a tort claim? What does that involve?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, what they are trying to do is basically bring a wrongful death case against Rutgers University for the death of their son. They filed what's called a notice of claim, which preserves their right to commence litigation. They have not actually commenced the litigation. They have six months to wait and then file a complaint.
And what they are saying is Rutgers failed to implement policies to prevent what happened to Tyler. The big hurdle they have is they must prove, Fred, foresee ability. They must prove that whatever happened at Rutgers, it was reasonably foreseeable that Tyler would kill himself as a result of that conduct. To me that's a hurdle they will not be able to overcome.
WHITFIELD: You have to wonder, Avery, like that university campus, and many have some sort of policies on harassment, would this kind of case fall into that category? Would Rutgers be able to say, but we do have some policies. Now it's up to an individual on campus adhere to the policies, so we can't be responsible for what one does or doesn't do?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That's what Rutgers is going to say. But actually Richard is 100 percent accurate. The fact is the standard is foresee ability. Would it be reasonable to expect that Rutgers would have anticipated the criminal behavior of third persons, these two other students, while the university expelled those two students. Now the question is, we fall right back into foresee ability. The truth is, there's simply no way. The family is enduring unspeakable suffering. No question about that, but on liability, I think it is very, very unlikely.
WHITFIELD: Let's move to another interesting case. This involving a public school and the Pledge of Allegiance. The principal of this public school has asked parents to check either yes or no on permission slips before their kids can actually participate in a weekly pledge. This is Brookline, Massachusetts. What's right or wrong about this, Richard?
HERMAN: He may have had good intentions, this principal, but has he to learn how to communicate better. His intent was to send notices to parents because the school was going to implement the Pledge of Allegiance, which they hadn't done in seven years. And it is on the state books as a law, they have to do it.
So, he wanted to provoke a discussion between the parents and their children whether to do the pledge, or not do the pledge. They can't compel them to do it. Unfortunately, it blew into a firestorm. He's getting a lot of heat for this. It's been misconstrued. Nothing will happen from it. But they are going to be saying the pledge. Students and teachers have a right to opt in or opt out.
WHITFIELD: Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: Oh, you agree?
(LAUGHTER)
FRIEDMAN: I look at it a little bit differently. I think in order to establish credibility, Eduardo Martinez, who is the principal, should have simply said to mom and dad, hey, I screwed up. But then instead of admitting he screwed up in this message, he tries to explain the history of the pledge, and what the court of appeals did, all this sort of nonsense. The fact is adults make mistakes like kids. The principal should have owned up. They are going to start saying the pledge as of January. It's the right thing to do.
WHITFIELD: OK, now, Hooters. Hooters always makes headlines in some way, shape or form, whether they want to or not, right? This time we are talking about the California chapter of the National Organization for Women, who says, you know what, we think there ought to be some sort of law that forbids places like Hooters from allowing kids or minors, places being -- they don't necessarily like the way women are portrayed in Hooters. So is this going anywhere? I don't know where to begin?
FRIEDMAN: I think it is.
WHITFIELD: You do?
FRIEDMAN: I actually think it is. You know what, it sounded goofy until I looked into it, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Really?
FRIEDMAN: Hooters some years ago, in a suit brought by NOW, claimed they should be exempt from civil rights laws because they are an adult entertainment facility, you know, like a strip club. So now it's taking advantage of that statement saying, really, well, if you're like a strip club, the district attorney and attorney general there, in California -- which is where this is going on, of course -- is saying, OK, that means you've got to regulate it. I don't know why parents are bringing kids to Hooters for a drink.
WHITFIELD: OK, that was going to be my next question. I'm like wait a minute, so -- I haven't been in Hooters lately.
FRIEDMAN: Maybe it's for the fine cuisine, perhaps.
WHITFIELD: I'm wondering, do people bring their kids, their toddlers?
HERMAN: What?!
WHITFIELD: Richard? What do you know about this?
HERMAN: I know you've been there, Fred. Come on.
WHITFIELD: I've never been there.
(CROSS TALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you.
HERMAN: Avery, this is like -- this case is like a bowl of eaten chicken wings, OK? It's garbage. This lawsuit is going nowhere. You cannot simply sue --
FRIEDMAN: Is that your metaphor?
HERMAN: That's my metaphor, a bowl of eaten chicken wings, garbage. This is going nowhere, this lawsuit, the city, the town, the state, not prosecuting Hooters. It's big business. You don't have to take your kids there. You're not compelled to take your kids there. You can take out if you want to have chicken wings.
WHITFIELD: Do they have even have a kids' menu.
HERMAN: I don't know.
FRIEDMAN: I think you missed the issue. That is not the issue here.
HERMAN: It's not happening, Avery. It's not happening. This is a waste of time.
FRIEDMAN: Well, good for now. I think they made a valiant effort. Whether it goes anywhere, I think they stood up on principle. Good for them. You agree with that?
WHITFIELD: Someone tells me we'll be reordering this discussion, on this case.
FRIEDMAN: Whoo, reordering, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: You know, I gave it a shot. You all deliver every weekend. Good to see you guys.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.
HERMAN: Merry Christmas to you and your family, happy holidays.
WHITFIELD: Happy New Year. Are we going to see each other in the New Year?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, absolutely we'll see you after.
HERMAN: We'll see you Saturday.
WHITFIELD: Excellent. Fantastic. Good to see you all. Take care.
All right. The tough economy, well, that has been huge, a huge issue for quite a few years now. One of the often overlooked parts of that story is how charitable organizations are suffering, too. A story even more powerful during the holiday season. And in this week's "Turnaround" innovative product and viral online marketing have made one Brooklyn design company a mighty force to compete with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRENCE KELLEMAN, FOUNDER, DYNOMIGHTY DESIGN: Hi. Welcome to Dynomighty.
Dynomighty is, actually, my company. I started it eight years ago. It was -- the whole concept for Dynomighty evolved out of a product essentially that I had found by rummaging through the garbage, of all things. But what I was doing was working at the Museum of Modern Art at that time. And I stumbled upon, literally, stumbled upon the idea for this magnetic bracelet. So it took me a year to invent this product, then I started selling it at the Museum of Modern Art. Eight years later here we are.
Based on the success of the jewelry, I did other organizers in magnets. This is actually called desktop desk organizer. It's all magnet beads that hold your business cards together, or you can use it for your pictures, or whatever.
Then we had our YouTube success, which really changed and redefined the business entirely.
I did all these tricks and put them on a video on YouTube that lasted about a minute. Within a month we were featured video on YouTube. We had just an enormous response. And within the space of three months we had sold $130,000 worth of jewelry.
Now we have almost 140 videos online. YouTube is our number one referrer beyond all other referrers. To have a dream from, at which I was working at my day job 9:00 to 5:00, and have an idea for a product, and to bring that to fruition. And now eight years later have a company that our biggest problem is our rapid success, I mean, that's the thing I'm the most proud of.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. It's the season of giving. Many charitable groups consider the year-end holidays crucial for meeting their fundraising goals, but it's not so easy in this economy. Our Sandra Endo has looked into this.
It's down quite a bit, isn't it?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. Unfortunately it's pretty sluggish out there.
A lot of people are just trying to climb out of that recession hole. They may have some extra money, but not enough to give to a lot of those charitable causes. Right now there's a big push by charities and charitable organizations to make a last-minute plea to tap into that season of giving.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENDO (voice over): It's snack time for 15-month-old twins, Dennis and Trinity Ford, born just a month after their father Derrick was wounded in Afghanistan.
SGT. DERRICK FORD, WOUNDED VETERAN: Any parent will tell you, being around kids can make you want to pull your own hair out. You top that on top of being a wounded vet.
ENDO: Ford's injuries resulted in the loss of his left leg. And he's endured more than a year of surgeries and physical therapy. His wife, Michelle, juggles care for their newborns and her husband.
MICHELLE FORD, WIFE OF WOUNDED VET: We're dealing with being new parents. We're dealing with this whole situation where we are out of our comfort zone.
ENDO: But the Ford's found help from the Military Heroes Fund, part of the PenFed Foundation, which provided free daycare for the babies during Derrick's treatment. The foundation raises the majority of its money during the holiday season. But in this current economy, people have less to give.
According to a recent report from the "Chronicle of Philanthropy", donations to the 400 biggest charities dropped 11 percent in 2009. Many large charities say they don't expect this year to be much better than last. That's somber news for the PenFed Foundation.
KATE KOHLER, PENFED FOUNDATION: The need is real. And we are requesting support especially in the season of giving.
ENDO: The foundation says a gift this holiday season could impact someone for lifetime.
D. FORD: We would have been complete train wrecks if it weren't for the social support system that's around here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENDO: A new CNN Research Opinion poll shows it was just out this week saying 58 percent of Americans say the economy has forced them to cut back in their giving and 36 percent say they will give about the same as last year, and 6 percent say they do not donate to many charities at all.
If you don't have a lot of extra money to give, Fred, there are other ways to give. Of course your time, volunteering, donate food, or clothing or even some skills you may have like cooking, or accounting, things like that. That could be really valuable to a charitable organization.
WHITFIELD: Hopefully next year it will be different.
ENDO: Hopefully better numbers next year.
WHITFIELD: Exactly, exactly, Sandra Endo, thanks so much good to see you.
ENDO: Good to see you, Merry Christmas.
WHITFIELD: Merry Christmas.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama and his family are celebrating Christmas in Hawaii today. Before leaving the White House, though, he and the first lady delivered a Christmas message to America honoring U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Merry Christmas, everybody. Michelle and I just wanted to take a moment today to send greetings from our family to yours.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: This is one of our favorite times of the year. We're so fortunate to be able to celebrate it together in this wonderful home. In this time of family and friends and good cheer, let's also be sure to look out for those who are less fortunate, who have hit a run of bad luck, or are hungry and alone this holiday season.
B. OBAMA: Today we're also thinking of those who can't be home for the holidays, especially all our courageous countrymen serving overseas. Let's all remind them this holiday season that we're thinking of them and that America will forever be here for them, just as they have been there for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: While on vacation the president may get a better understanding of a Republican icon. President Obama is actually reading the biography of former President Ronald Reagan, written by Lou Cannon.
And Republicans are setting partisan politics aside this holiday. Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Pitts used the weekly GOP address to spread a Christmas message. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOE PITTS, (R) PENNSYLVANIA: As another year comes to a close, the American people rise to meet the challenges of our time with resolve and determination. Before tackling the challenges that lie ahead, we join together to reflect on our blessings.
Behind the splendor of the Christmas season lies a simple and inspiring story of how a single birth spread a message of love and salvation throughout the world, one that continues to resonate throughout this and other lands. In this time of year, when we gather to celebrate family and fellowship, we're reminded of the fulfillment that comes from humbly serving one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Pitts thanked members of the armed forces serving our country this Christmas.
Thanks so much for joining us this Christmas day. I'll see you back tomorrow afternoon 2:00 Eastern Time. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll be keeping an eye on that big storm headed to the East Coast and what is going on at all the major airports across the country.
Meantime, "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
