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Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry May Be Off the Ballot in Virginia; Celebrity Scandals of 2011 Reviewed; Political Pundits Analyze 2011 Congressional Politics; Boy Gives Money to Needy Schoolmate; Pilot Saves Dogs Around the Country; U.S. Soldiers Return Home for Holidays

Aired December 24, 2011 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you all. Newt Gingrich getting some bad news on Christmas Eve, bad news out of Virginia could have an impact on whether or not he could get the GOP nomination.

Also, the pushing and the shoving and the trampling, it's all back. A mad rush -- this is not just your holiday last minute rush. No, no. They are rushing for a particular pair of shoes. We'll explain and the violence that went along with it.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN Saturday morning for Christmas Eve. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thanks for spending a part of your day with us. And are you going to be one of those? Are you going to be out there the day before Christmas, you last-minute shoppers? It never fails. That retail rush is on. Let me bring in our Allison Kosik. Allison, they opened three hours ago, that mall where you are. Things have steadily started to pick up. What are you seeing now, a rush just yet?

ALLISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: It's -- you know, the rush is slowly moving forward here. You can see it's getting more crowded here now, a lot of procrastinators out. But they're also bargain hunting. This is a great time to find a really good deal. Although it's been a relatively strong shopping season so far, the reality is retailers are stuck with a lot of merchandise and they're offering really big discounts and deep discounts because they don't want to be stuck with a lot of merchandise on their shelves. They're trying to move this merchandise. Once Christmas happens, after Christmas, they have to mark down these items even more.

So yes, you're going to get some really good deals today. But that means if you're a shopper, it's a shopper's paradise. Even if you're a procrastinator, and I've done my own sort of unscientific survey finding that a lot of these procrastinators, T.J., are men. If you're scurrying around, I have some tips for you. "Consumer Reports" says the top four best last-minute gift ideas, yes, the gift card. You can put any amount on it. Cold, hard cash doesn't hurt, either. The other top two last-minute gifts, food and wine and liquor. There you go, all the necessities you ever want to grab that last-minute gift for your loved one.

HOLMES: Wine and liquor always works. And most importantly, how much time do people have? Are the stores staying open a lot later tonight? KOSIK: You know what, you think about the entire holiday shopping season, these stores have been staying open almost round the clock. All these stores are closing earlier. This mall in particular is closing at 6:00. So it's new port center here in Jersey City, New Jersey. Check those times, come out earlier than you expect. They're shutting the doors, getting ready for the holidays.

HOLMES: Allison Kosik, thank you. We'll keep checking in.

And analysts out there expect holiday sales to be even better when they first thought. But retailers are still a little weary because retailers are taking back stuff that they bought. So we'll tell you how returns may impact holiday sales.

Also, shopping frenzy, look at this. New release of the newest Air Jordan shoes. It's really the release of an old shoe. But look at this. This was the scene at one particular mall, one particular store. This was in Indianapolis, but malls all over the country had these scenes, Kansas City, as well, crowds going nuts over these shoes, trampling each other. In one case, police had to use pepper spray to get people under control. Arrests were made. But, again, this is all over a pair of $180 shoes for a guy who hasn't made a jump shot in the NBA in the past nine years. Jordan retired, folks.

Also, a shooting outside a Florida mall left one person dead there. An unknown number of assailants opened fire on a man with a high powered rifle. More than 100 shell casings found at the scene. Police are searching for the suspects who were seen leaving in a gray four-door vehicle.

The Taliban taking credit for a suicide bombing. In Pakistan, it killed at least six Pakistani soldiers. The Taliban spokesperson called the blast revenge for the killing of Taliban fighters. The attacker rammed an explosive laden car into a house used by troops in the northwestern city of Bannu. The bombing comes and claims by the prime minister that the military is plotting to topple the government. The military, though, denies that.

Also a scene in Moscow, tens of thousands of demonstrators are gathered there. They're turning out to protest what they claim are rigged elections. This is also seen as a challenge to the domination of Vladimir Putin. Security is tight. Russian media reporting busloads of riot police lining up along the streets. Similar protests are taking place not just in Moscow but in several cities around the country.

And Britain's Prince Philip will have to spend Christmas in the hospital. He had a procedure yesterday to unblock a coronary artery. He is 90 years old.

And we're getting some big and some bad election news out of Virginia, bad news for at least a couple of candidates. The state's Republican Party says Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have not collected enough valid signatures to appear on the state's primary ballot. Our Athena Jones is here. Athena, this sounds like a pretty big oops. ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a pretty big oops. We're hearing from both of those campaigns, the Perry and Gingrich campaigns, this morning. Let me tell you quickly what Perry said. They're going to be looking closely and reviewing the facts and the law to determine whether an appeal or challenge is warranted, a challenge to this decision to keep them off the ballot.

Let's listen to what Newt Gingrich had to say. His campaign called Virginia's system "a failed system," said "Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates." And they say they're going to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign." That's interesting, of course, because the latest poll shows Gingrich is in the lead in Virginia with a five-point lead over Romney. But if you're not on the ballot, then you can't really compete, can you, T.J.?

HOLMES: You can't. And, again, we're talking to our folks, trying to understand how big of a deal this is. It's embarrassing, yes, Gingrich lives in Virginia, but also, it just shows -- and turns some people off, maybe some donors, because wait a minute, you can't get your act together to get on the ballot?

JONES: Exactly. It's interesting because, you know, the deadline was Thursday. Gingrich was speaking at a breakfast in Virginia to a bunch of Republicans saying, we'll have the signatures we need. Clearly they thought they had met other requirements of Virginia.

It's a pretty stringent state when it comes to the requirements for getting on the primary ballot, more stringent than other states. You need 10,000 signatures statewide, including 400 from each one of the state's 11 congressional requirement. It's going to be a long, lard flog during this race. So people who thought Gingrich is soaring to the top of the polls but had doubts about whether he had the campaign organization to really him up and get him though, this just shows them that maybe he doesn't.

HOLMES: All right, Athena Jones for us out of D.C., thank you so much. We're at seven minutes past the hour. Let's turn now to the man everybody wants to hear from, Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, a lot of people still looking at their holiday -- it's a travel forecast, not just a holiday forecast.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It really is. When we think about travel, a lot of people think of it going from one side of the country to the other. But a time of people are just trying to get to the loved ones in time for the holiday. And it's really going to be a mixed bag. In parts of the country it's going to be picture perfect, not a care in the world. Other places, we'll see a combination of rain, sleet, and snow. We'll five the full scoop, coming up.

HOLMES: See you in just a second. Reynolds, thank you so much.

And a Christmas parade like you've never seen before. We're headed to Oregon where one with neighbor's gas powered twist on the traditional holiday float.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF: What are you going to say? Come on.

HOLMES: Flight delays?

WOLF: It's kind of early. We haven't seen a whole lot of them yet. But by this afternoon, it's all going to be Texas. Dallas is a huge hub for a lot of people to come in. American is the big hub there. So it will be tough there.

HOLMES: Chad Myers, one of your fellow --

WOLF: Great man. Bring it on.

HOLMES: He said in one of the 12 years I've been here at CNN this is one of the best if not the best travel weekends for Christmas that I've seen. He said people have it pretty good. No big issues.

WOLF: He's right. He really is. Other than Texas, there's nothing else people can't handle.

HOLMES: I was trying to get you to disagree.

(LAUGHTER)

WOLF: No. Take a look at this. This is parts of -- this is Albuquerque. Look at the snow coming through. It's not just snowflakes. But a lot of it is tiny rain drops when he hits the surface. Obviously, someone was successful getting through there, but we have had a lot of accidents. We can see more of those. West Texas is one of the places where you can have some trouble.

And perfect scenario where you have a large vehicle, big econoline van, still, really no contest. And you love this shot, don't you?

HOLMES: Well, the guy -- you said this usually doesn't work by gassing it on the ice, but it worked out for him this time.

WOLF: You think so? Watch this. Come on. Boom, wow. Long skinny pedal the on the right, you hit it too hard and you see how it spins like that? It's funny how that works.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: Don't cry yet. I want you to see this, a Christmas parade. Check this one out.

WOLF: OK.

HOLMES: Does it look normal to you on first glance, Reynolds, and to everybody looking? Christmas parade, these are the folks in Oregon, one particular neighborhood. What they do, though, they have their own unique parade. If you can't tell, these are golf carts and lawn mowers all decked out. Creative or --

WOLF: I would say it's creatively crazy. I say it's disturbingly beautiful, because it is beautiful to see, but then when you realize they're on lawn mowers. You know, I think the best way to look at it is they're celebrating the season and doing it the best way they know how. It's not like you're cutting grass this time of year, anyway. You're improvising, adapting and rocking with the season.

HOLMES: Tradition started with one guy three years ago. Reynolds, thank you, buddy.

WOLF: Sure.

HOLMES: Coming up, first, you give the gifts p.m. tomorrow, you'll receive this, as well. Then what do you do? You return a lot of that stuff. Gift returns are going to have a huge impact on holiday sales. The picture for retailers, not so merry.

Also, the year of the celebrity scandal -- who came out winning and many others who did not.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Many retailers hoping that the struggling economy will not hold back holiday shopping this year. So far, it has not. Retail sales are up by 2.5 percent since November. That's according to one estimate. But Retailers are getting nervous about the high number of returns they are already seeing this year. Christine Romans with this for us. Christine.

ROMANS: T.J., Americans shopped early and now they're returning gifts in record numbers, some even before the big morning under the tree. By the time it's all said and done, the National Retail Federation says about $46 billion worth of gifts will be returned to stores this year. That's a new record.

Why so high? Because of the regular reasons, like wrong size, wrong styles, just don't like it. But what's new this year is that so many people are returning gifts already because of that record shopping on black Friday and cyber Monday. They see a big markdown now, things have gotten cheaper, and they return what they already bought.

In some cases, analysts say it's good old buyer's remorse. A few days after that purchase on black Friday weekend, now they decide they really can't afford it. By some estimates almost 10 percent of black Friday purchases are returned when the gift giver has second thoughts.

But what if you decide to return that pea green sweater and Santa tie you find under the tree? Don't worry. One survey by American Express says 56 percent of gift givers didn't care if their gifts get returned. Another survey found some 62 percent said they include a gift receipt for that very reason. T.J.?

HOLMES: Thanks to our Christine romans.

Just ahead, the one and only Charlie Sheen is winning ways. He'll have plenty to talk about this year. We'll recap some of the most memorable moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 20 minutes past the hour now. Lindsay, Kim, Charlie, they all kept us talking this year. It wasn't always good. CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter recapped some of the biggest celebrity headlines of 2011.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Thank you. Thanks for the gift.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: No, Charlie, thank you for making 2011 a winning year in celebrity news. He put on an awesome display of erratic behavior on the web and in interviews, most memorably with ABC News. Maggie Furlong remembers being stunned.

MAGGIE FURLONG, WEST COAST EDITOR, HUFFPOST TV: He was spewing this absolutely crazy, awesome, just nonsense to anyone who would listen.

WYNTER: He insisted he was not addicted to drugs. Sheen's verbal streak came in the midst of an epic feud with his bosses at "Two-and- a-Half Men," a dispute that eventually got him fire. But his act was wearing thin when he brought it on the road where he called his violent torpedo of truth earned as many boos as cheers.

In the fall, "Two-and-a-Half Men" official killed off Sheen's character, rebuilding the show around Ashton Kutcher.

Ashton Kutcher soon found himself in the headlines, but for other reasons. The tabloids declared his marriage to Demi Moore was on the rocks. Sure enough, in November, she revealed the marriage was over.

FURLONG: She just seemed so frail, so upset, so heartbroken.

WYNTER: The losing streak didn't end with Ashton and Demi. In August, Kim Kardashian tied the knot with NBA player Kris Humphries. It was a fairytale soon by millions. But just 72 days later, Kardashian announced the marriage was over, leaving some of her fans feeling the whole thing had been a publicity stunt.

FURLONG: People really do feel duped, and you can't blame them.

WYNTER: Lindsay Lohan spent much of her year walking in and out of court. In January, she was accused of stealing a necklace from the jewelry store. She failed to keep up with court ordered community service. That earned her a stern review from a judge who ridiculed Lohan from the bench.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is supposed to be an actress, from what I hear.

WYNTER: But by year's end, Lohan was back on track with her community service and she had even landed work in the pages of "Playboy."

SHEEN: Everybody wins.

WYNTER: Between the Charlies, the Lindsays, the Kims, and all the rest, it was a banner year for the famous says Maggie Furlong.

FURLONG: Celebrities brought their game in 2011. Can we get a break in 2012?

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And it's not just drama for celebrities this year. A lot of drama on the political front -- Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry off the ballot in a key primary state. How in the world could something like this happen? Stay with us, our political player is coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're just about 26 minutes past the hour on this CNN Saturday morning on Christmas Eve. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thanks for spending a little bit of your weekend here with us. Know you're busy.

Let me get you caught up. Stories making headlines, the rush of Christmas shoppers continues to builds out there. A lot of stores opened early. There are a lot of stores that are going to stay open late, as well. So good luck out there if you're one of the 25 percent who admitted that they haven't even started their Christmas shopping.

Also we'll turn to Cuba now where President Raul Castro is planning to free more than 2,900 prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. Also motivating the move Pope Benedict has an upcoming visit sometime before Easter. Those freed will include seniors, the sick, women, and young first time offenders.

Also, a homecoming that's nothing short of a miracle here. The 2004 tsunami, the waters swept away an eight-year-old girl. The girl is now 15 years old. She has just reunited with her family. She says she ended up a beggar just to stay alive. She searched for her family, only remembering her grandfather's name. State news agency reports someone took her to him and her family recognized her from a small mole and scar.

As we come up on the bottom of the hour now, we turn back to presidential politics and a bit of a surprise announcement from the Republican Party in Virginia saying that Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry will not appear on the state's presidential primary ballot. Well, why? The candidates did not apparently submit enough signatures to qualify.

Joining me now, our dear friends CNN political contributor and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and the smiling Republican strategist Lenny McAllister. We'll get to Virginia in a second. But 10:30, as we always do, and as we'll do one final time here, I'll ask you what your political headline of the week was. Maria, what was yours?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The tyranny of the Tea Party is over.

HOLMES: You like that phrase. She likes that tyranny of the Tea Party, doesn't she?

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Lenny, what was your headline for the week?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Unfortunately I have to agree with her, but the tyranny, quote/unquote, is not over. It's blocked punt. How the GOP lost field position politically in 2011.

HOLMES: OK. We'll talk about that payroll tax cut extension. We'll get to that in a second. But let me start, Maria, with you on what has had in Virginia. How can this happen that two major candidates, both of whom have led the field at some point, end up not on the ballot in Virginia?

CARDONA: The only thing I can think of, T.J., is amateurism. And it's so interesting and appalling, frankly, that somebody like Newt Gingrich who, as you know, has been a career politician, has been in this town for decades. And not only did he start running really early, but he was one who supposedly was very serious about this. You know, he didn't surge at the beginning, but he had a recent surge. You would think that somebody like him would be prepared to show up on the ballot in all 50 states, especially the state where he lives.

So this is appalling. I think it's a big deal. You know, the nomination, if you want to win it, it's all about delegate selection. It's all about getting to that magic number of delegates to get to the nomination. You count out a state in a race like this and it could be over for him.

HOLMES: Lenny, she's talking about practical things that can show up, but could it turn people off, maybe even donors who are looking at this guy and saying, is this amateur hour? Is this a guy I really want to be supporting?

MCALLISTER: Well, amateur is a good one, but one that has stuck to Gingrich that may be worse, and this can go to Perry, as well, is arrogance. Maybe their campaign folks took author granted that they were going to have the necessary signatures, didn't pay attention to it until it was too late. By then, they're being reactive versus proactivity to making sure that they're on the ballots. That may actually be worse because now you're looking at a situation where they're taking certain things for granted. And the last thing you want to be as a voter is somebody who is taken for granted by a candidate. We've seen for decades from our government, how they're going to go along to get along what we should expect from our government. We're in a new day and age where we want responsive proactivity government to turn around America and this type of messaging is not what we want from these two candidates. This in that regard is a big faux pas.

HOLMES: Speaking of proactive government, look at what they did in Washington. We knew they weren't going to let the taxes go up January 1. A two-month extension, I guess we could call this compromise. But it go ugly there, Maria, for a while. Maybe a lot of voters are concerned about the holidays, they're cooking, getting family in. But will this have long-term implications no matter what or with what happened at the beginning of the year with getting a year-long extension?

CARDONA: No. I think it will have year-long implications, not just for the Tea Party, not just for the GOP in terms of what they're doing on the hill, but in terms of the presidential race, T.J. as you know, I have said time and again on your show and on others that the Democrats have always been the siders for the middle class and the working class and that the GOP only tends to fight for those that are millionaires and billionaires and the biggest corporations.

The Tea Party and Speaker Boehner did so much more to define that method so clearly for voters going into the 2012 election better than I or any other Democratic pundit could have. That is going to stick in voters' minds, that this president and the Democrats were serious about coming to a resolution. Even Senate Republicans, I have to give them kudos, that they were serious about making sure that the taxes of the working class and the middle class in this country who have been hit by this recession that was caused by GOP policies in the first place, that their taxes were not going to go up. And you saw the Tea Party that were intransigent, my-way-or-the-highway attitude, that's not going to be good for them in 2012.

HOLMES: Lenny, get back in here. This is a merry Christmas, Mr. President, that he got from the House and the speaker. He didn't even have to try that hard on this one. He sat back and reaped some political benefits.

MCALLISTER: I don't understand why these elected officials, they ride these waves into Congress on the back of people's frustration and they do things that are more frustrating. The Democrats did this two years ago. They rode on the frustration to make sure that they had a new president. They took over everything when it came to both chambers of congress, and they overreached with Obama care.

What did that lead to? That led to a Republican revolution in 2010. Now, what has the Tea Party done since then? They have now overreached the other way.

Listen, if we learned anything for 2012, it's this. Folks, there has to be compromise to move a nation of 300 million people forward out of this recession back to work and back to being the greatest nation in the world when it comes to all aspects of what making a nation should be all about. We have not seen that. The Republicans made it very easy for the Democrats to demagogue them once again. That was the worst thing that the House Republicans could have done and they've done it now twice over the last several months. First with the debt ceiling crisis and now with this.

HOLMES: I have to go. I wanted to get one more topic if you all could do this in 20 seconds each for me. What happens, Maria, if Ron Paul wins Iowa?

CARDONA: I think he goes on to the other states. Could this be a Romney/Ron Paul two-man race? How interesting. And now you have Trump who has set himself up for a possible third Paul candidate. I don't think Ron Paul is serious in terms of the establishment taking him seriously. But if he does well in Iowa and he's on the ballot in Virginia, we'll see.

HOLMES: Lenny, wrap it for me.

MCALLISTER: If Ron Paul wins in Iowa, it will be the final scene in his biopic that someone will write in 2014. And you'll still see Gingrich or Romney going on to the nomination in November. That's it.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: I appreciate your brutal honesty on this Christmas Eve there. Lenny McAllister, Maria Cardona, thank you both, my dear friends.

CARDONA: Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: This is our last --

MCALLISTER: We love you T.J.

CROWLEY: We'll miss you dearly. We love you, we will miss you dearly.

HOLMES: I'm not going anywhere. I'll be talking to you two and we'll be working together down the road.

CARDONA: Absolutely. Thank you.

MCALLISTER: God bless.

HOLMES: We're at 34 minutes past the hour now. And we're hearing about secret Santas and layaway angels this time of year. But one mother has the best reason to be glad. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christmas is not just about presents and what you get. It's doing kind things for others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes. And just wait until you hear what her son did. You want to stick around for this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 38 minutes past the hour now. A South Carolina boy has decided to help a schoolmate who lost everything in a house fire by donating all of his life savings to the family. We pick up the story from our affiliate, WCSC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With a few more pieces of tape, one final present will be ready for a family that lost everything in a trailer fire just a week ago. Fischer Cook, a third grader, decided he wanted to help fellow schoolmates that no longer had a place to live.

FISCHER COOK, DONATED MONEY: I heard about their house being burnt down and I decided to give them my $300 in my bank account.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fischer's mother was, to say the least, proud of her son when he told her what he wanted to do with his hard earned honor roll and birthday money.

MICHELLE COOK, FISCHER'S MOM: For him to give that up and want to do something good with it pleased me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cook says last year a trailer caught on fire. She says a single mother of three boys was there along with the woman's mother and handicap brother. Cook said the woman would need a bit more help. She says communities members helped to match his Christmas donation and after a few hours at a local Wal-Mart and Helping Hands to wrap gifts, the presents are ready to go.

FISCHER COOK: We got him light sabers, an air hogs high sky blue sky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cook says Fischer is excited about giving the gifts to the family, but hopes he will always remember the spirit of giving.

MICHELLE COOK: Christmas is not just about presents and what you get. It's doing kind things for others and that if you do good deeds in life that they will come back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: We should have dedicated the whole news cast this morning from 6:00 to noon on stories like that. There's so much fighting, acrimony, what we cover in Washington D.C. It's good to see that kind of stuff this season.

WOLF: You even compare it to what happened with Christmas stories people breaking through the doors to get sneakers.

HOLMES: There is some good stuff going on out there. It's unfortunate there's the foolishness we show. but that was a great story.

WOLF: Great story, good parenting, also a good time for the community. But yes, kind of a neat thing.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 41 minutes past the hour. The pictures you just love to see. We're seeing more and more of them, and they're coming just in time for the holidays.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: About a quarter of the top of the hour. We have seen a number of U.S. service members, those reunions, troops returning from a nation where Christmas is like a hidden holy day. Before the war began in 2003, Christians in Iraq were more open to celebrate their beliefs. But today, they practice their faith in fear. CNN's Michael Holmes explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christmas approaches, and Iraqi Christians pray for peace, good will, and that they'll make it until next Christmas alive. Outside, police and church security on high alert. Being a Christian in Iraq is enough to cost you your life.

SAAD SIROP HANNA, IRAQI PRIEST, ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH: It is a time, actually, for celebrations and for being very happy because Christ is coming actually to our lives, to our churches, to our country. But we are afraid. We are afraid of attacks.

HOLMES: The war here as done the Christian community no favors at all. Saddam Hussein, of course, often brutally kept the lid on extremists, and Christians here benefited from that. Those who would have wanted to do to do them harm could not. That, of course, has now all changed.

HANNA: I was kidnapped in 2006 from my church.-

HOLMES: Father Hanna was held by Muslim extremists for 28 days.

(on camera): Did you think you would die?

HANNA: Yes, yes, actually, yes, sometimes.

HOLMES: Hundreds of other Christians have died. Throughout the war dozens of churches have been coupled and parishioners abducted. Last year in October, the worst attacks so far, gunmen stormed a Baghdad church taking the congregation hostage and detonating bombs. More than 50 worshippers died.

Back at St. Joseph's, Father Hanna says there will be a Christmas tree inside this year. No decorations outside. He said that would be inviting trouble to a church that's already received its most recent threat just this month. Today, the faithful came regardless, quietly celebrating their religion while acknowledging it could come with a heavy price.

LUMA IHSAN, IRAQI CHRISTIAN (via translator): We don't go to church very much now, out of fear of terrorism and bombings. All of family left in America, Sweden, Canada, there's no one left.

HOLMES: Luma's residents aren't the only ones. Iraq had more than a million Christians. Since the war began in 2003, it's estimated half have fled, fearing for their lives.

(on camera): Can you see a time when there might be Christians in Iraq?

HANNA: Right, actually, yes. That's our fear.

HOLMES: Do you fear for yourself sometimes? HANNA: Yes, sometimes also. But it's OK.

HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, with American troops out of Iraq, the Christmas troops are coming home to thousands of families. Kara Moore from our affiliate WESH-TV with their story now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

MOORE: The cheering began as soon as the buses arrived, on board 128 members of the 196 transportation company of the Army Reserve. They drove heavy machinery out of Iraq, completing over 100 missions. They're some of the last troops to leave that country.

TAMIKA WRIGHT, HUSBAND RETURNING FROM IRAQ: They left on the fourth of July and they're coming home for Christmas. It couldn't get any more storybook than that. So it just proves that, you know, miracles can happen.

MOORE: As the soldiers stepped off the buses, anxious family members could barely hold back. The reunions had to wait, though, until the official dismissal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, grab them. Go get them.

MOORE: There were embraces and tears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I'm happy. I mean, I like doing what I do, but I'm happy that it's over.

MOORE: Joie Cedeno doesn't want to let her dad go.

JOIE CEDENO, DAUGHTER: This is the third time that he's been away. And it's hard. I'm just glad he's back.

MOORE: Staff sergeant Hector Bonilla was welcomed by his family, his young son sporting matching fatigues.

STAFF SGT. HECTOR BONILLA, U.S. ARMY: I'm very happy to be back with my family. I really miss my family.

MOORE: And now they're looking forward.

(on camera): The first thing you want to do with dad?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just hang out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, the reporter there tells us the 15 members of the 196th transportation company could not be a part of the homecoming. They're injured and are recovering in military medical facilities.

About 10 minutes to the top of the hour now. Coming up, meeting a new family member for the first time. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you guys thinking? You have a new edition to your family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely beautiful!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes. You'll see the journey and it's not just any journey that these dogs have to take to find a new home.

Also, next hour, we're looking at some of the most embarrassing moments of the year, including this one -- a head of state caught with some sticky fingers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're getting close to the top of the hour now. Pilot Mike Young has made it his mission to help more than 100 rescued dogs who need new homes, but not in the way you might expect. Let's meet his special cargo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOUNG, VOLUNTEER PILOT: My dog's name was Conan. He was a German shepherd. We paid good money to have the cancer treated but his kidneys failed, and that's ultimately why we had to put him to sleep. Now I'm on Pilot and Paws, which is a website that people have dogs that have to be transported, these are rescuers who pull them from high kill shelters, post on this website that they have dogs to move from point a to point b. And pilots like me get e-mails saying another request has been posted. And I scan through them to see if there's any rescue flights that are within my areas that I can do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how is live treating you this fine day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's OK, Bo. It's OK.

YOUNG: They actually look like they know they're about to be saved. There's people loving them, there's other dogs around them. They almost know that going to be going to their forever home.

Bo seems to want to be in the back seat. You know what? He's just managed to get to the front.

Transporting dogs is one of the most important steps in saving dogs. You have to move them from rural areas typically to more urban areas where there's a higher probability that they're going to get rescued.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, sweetie. Hi.

YOUNG: What do you guys think of your new addition to your family?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's absolutely beautiful. We love her.

YOUNG: When you look into the new owner's eyes, for the first time they're going to get to hold their dog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want to hold your buddy?

YOUNG: And they just hold their dog like they had it forever. You know that dog is going to have a good life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, sir. Oh, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and thank you. You actually made our Christmas.

YOUNG: So how can I not spend my time and money giving to these dogs? Giving to the owners of these new dogs the opportunity to have the love that I have for these dogs? And, really, that's what it's all about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And be sure to watch CNN's "Giving in Focus" special today, 2:30 eastern time, Christmas Day 4:30 eastern Christmastime. It's hosted by our own Tom Foreman.

We're getting close to the hour. A lot of teachers out there tell students to write a letter to the president. One student now finds his response 50 years later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: As we get close to the top of the hour, give you a look at some of the stories making headlines across the country. Three firefighters in Colorado recovering after a backdraft knocked them of their feet. This is the type of explosion that happens when gases build around the fire. The firefighters are all going to be OK. Investigators believe the fire started in the chimney of that home.

Also an Oregon man cleaning out his closet, listen to this. And he finds a letter from President John F. Kennedy. It was written two days before Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Bob Savage's mother was a teacher who received a letter after her second grade students wrote to the president. That was an assignment she had given to them. They plan now to put that letter on display.

And President Obama back home for the holidays. Not D.C. We're talking Hawaii, his childhood home. The president and his family putting in the time there. He arrived in Honolulu yesterday. This is the year the first -- or the first year, I should say, on the island of Oahu.

HOLMES: And top of the hour here now. From the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN Saturday morning for this Christmas Eve. I'm T.J. Holmes.