Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Members Of Georgia Army National Guard Help Iraqi Baby With Birth Defect; "Munich" Controversial; Holiday Songwriters Reminisce

Aired December 23, 2005 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a story in the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" caught the eye of our LIVE FROM team and definitely tugged at our heart strings.

It's about some Georgia soldiers who are trying to make their own Christmas miracle for a baby girl born with a severe birth defect in Iraq. Although Iraqi doctors don't have the medical resources to save her life, members of the Georgia Army National Guard have a plan and they've enlisted some very special people to help.

Working on this end, Rose Emily Bermudz, the executive director of the non-profit group Childspring International, and Dr. Roger Hudgins, a pediatric neurosurgeon who has offered to do baby Noor's surgery for free if we can get her here.

Great to have you both.

DR. ROGER HUDGINS, PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGEON: Good to be here.

PHILLIPS: We've been talking so much about these soldiers, and we'll get to that in just a second, how they came across this baby. But I guess, first, I want to ask you, Doctor, why do the surgery for free? Why offer up to do this?

HUDGINS: Oh gosh, I think it's a wonderful opportunity.

I mean, you think of what the soldiers are doing over there for us. And, really, all they ask is a favor for someone else. I think that it's the least that I and the hospital would want to do.

PHILLIPS: And Rose Emily, you actually heard from the soldiers. You've been e-mailing with this one particular soldier, 1st Lieutenant Jeff Morgan (ph), a father of five, single dad. They came across this baby in a raid. Tell me about what he writes to you in these e-mails.

ROSE EMILY BERMUDZ, CHILDSPRING INTERNATIONAL: He just wants to see this baby in the United States. I think that, that would be the most wonderful Christmas gift that we can give, not only to the baby, but also to the soldier who is so engaged in the life of, you know, this particular baby.

PHILLIPS: And I just want to read from the AJC (ph).

This 1st Lieutenant Morgan, 40 years old, who carries his children's photos in his wallet, said, "It's a chance to help a kid. Who knows, she could grow up to be the president of Iraq one day." Morgan said he thought of his own five children when he first saw a photo of Noor taken by a soldier during this raid.

He thought about how he could feel or how he would feel if his daughter had been born with such a debilitating deformity. He thought how lucky he was in the United States. Doctors would be able to treat his daughter and give her a chance at normalcy.

Doctor, you work on kids that have spina bifida, that's what baby Noor has. They thought she was only going to live 45 days; she's now lived three months.

Time is everything, isn't it?

HUDGINS: It is.

And what I've seen from the pictures is that it looks like skin has grown over the top of the spina bifida, and that's why she's not gotten meningitis and infection.

But time is a factor here and the longer we go without treating this, the worse the defect can be and there's a possibility of what we call hydrocephalous, which is a build up of fluid inside the brain. So we'd like to get the baby over here as soon as we can to get this taken care of.

PHILLIPS: And, of course, you haven't examined her yet, you haven't had a chance to hold her and take a look at her.

But spina bifida is something that you can operate on and save a child's life, right?

HUDGINS: Yes, it is, it is.

PHILLIPS: I mean, so the chances would be pretty good if she got here quickly?

HUDGINS: Yes, I think so.

PHILLIPS: Rose Emily, tell me the status of getting the baby here, where does it stand?

BERMUDZ: Well, as we speak right now, we are in the process of e-mailing or faxing all the documentation to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. And there is a letter of Senator Chambliss that goes along with the package so that they can really expedite the visa process quicker than they normally would and the hope is that as long -- as fast as status (ph) ready, then we are ready to bring her back.

PHILLIPS: Well, I hear we have Senator Saxby Chambliss on the line, just as you mentioned his name.

Senator, I know you've gotten involved. What's the status of getting this baby here to the United States? U.S. SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Well, Kyra, this is one of those stories that we certainly want to make happen before Christmas here. It'd be a great present, obviously, for the little girl.

But this is what makes America such a special country, and folks like Dr. Hudgins, Lieutenant Morgan, (INAUDIBLE) everybody has pitched in, in the American way to make this happen.

I just hung up with Ambassador Khalilzad within the last 15 minutes. It's 10:30 at night over there right now. They are expediting things as quickly as they can. And we hope by late tomorrow some time that we'll have things squared away. And at Childspring International, there's been such a great asset in trying to help this little girl that we'll all have her to America soon.

PHILLIPS: So you feel pretty confident, Senator, that you're going to be able to get this baby here. How soon could it happen; next 24 hours, 48 hours?

CHAMBLISS: Well, that's difficult to say.

Even though this is kind of an emergency medical situation, the visa system in our country, we still -- it's still required to jump through some hoops, and we're trying to alleviate as much of the red tape as we can.

And I would hope within the next 24 to 48 hours that this would be cleared up and this little girl is on her way here so that Dr. Hudgins can take a look at her.

PHILLIPS: Senator, you know how to deal with red tape, now, come on, you've got to start changing this visa system. What do you say?

CHAMBLISS: You're not kidding. It gets frustrating at times.

And the ambassador and I talked about that. It's not necessarily on our end. There are some other issues that have to be dealt with, too. But they'll be in touch (INAUDIBLE) and we're going to make sure this little girl gets treated.

PHILLIPS: So, Doctor, the senator is saying that it's all looking good. He's talked with the ambassador, the baby could possibly get here really soon. What would be your first step as soon as she arrives?

HUDGINS: Physical exam just to see what this defect looks like, to see what the legs look like, to see what type of function. Then she's going to need an MRI scan so we can see exactly where the spinal cord is and what makes up this defect.

I would like to say, by the way, that I volunteered not just my time but the time of a lot of my colleagues, because at Children's Health Care of Atlanta we have one of the biggest spina bifida clinics in the country. So pediatric orthopedic surgeons and neurologists and therapists and a lot of other people are going to be involved and are actually very excited and thrilled to be a part of this.

PHILLIPS: How expensive is a surgery like this?

HUDGINS: It's reasonably expensive. The surgery is relatively complex, especially in a child who has now gone 70 days. The surgery will probably take a couple of hours and the baby will be in intensive care a day or two.

After that though comes the process of having the urologist check that type of function. The orthopedic surgeons are going to have to look at her legs so you can see that there are some problems there. So, it's going to be a process that will take probably a month to get things stabilized.

PHILLIPS: So, Rose Emily, obviously, it will be quite a financial undertaking even after the surgery. Like the doctor said, regular checkups, her life from here on out.

I was reading that you can donate to Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, a church that has come forward here in the area. Is that the only church that has set up a fund where people could donate to keep little baby Noor going even after the surgery once it takes place?

BERMUDZ: So far, it is that the results of the support of Childspring International who will really be responsible, legally speaking, about, you know, the time that the child is here in the United States. We will be responsible for any bills that they incur beyond the surgery and the hospital.

PHILLIPS: So, we can get in touch with your organization as well?

BERMUDZ: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: OK. Is there a Web site?

BERMUDZ: Yes. It's www.childspringI-N-T-L.org.

PHILLIPS: So Childspring International -- I-N-L -- OK.

BERMUDZ: I-N-T-L.

PHILLIPS: I-N-T-L.org Fantastic. All right, well, we're going to have to make a follow-up. We have got the word from the senator that he's pushed things forward. Senator Saxby Chambliss, thank you so much, sir. We will stay updated on once this baby arrives. Dr. Hudgins -- and I recognize you as well as your entire team. It's amazing what you're doing. What an incredible Christmas gift.

HUDGINS: Oh, we're proud to do it.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's wonderful just to meet someone like you ...

HUDGINS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: ... that's putting forth this effort.

And Rose Emily, we applaud your organization. In a time like this, I mean, it's stories like this that get people not only get people excited around the holidays, but look forward to -- I mean, just what the soldiers are doing, it's a different angle to what's happening overseas.

BERMUDZ: The beauty of it is that we could not do it alone. We really have to say thank you to the hospitals and the doctors who opened the doors to us to be able to do what we do best. And it's a support program and we really share that gift with one another.

PHILLIPS: What do you say after the surgery, God willing everything goes well, we bring baby Noor in and have another live interview? Does that sound like a plan?

BERMUDZ: It sound wonderful.

HUDGINS: That'd be wonderful. That'd be wonderful.

PHILLIPS: I'm going to hold you both to it. Thank you so much.

Well, straight ahead, a delicate dance in space. Live pictures right now of an unmanned Russian cargo craft getting ready to dock with the International Space Station. It's happening right now. We're going to stay on the story. LIVE FROM is back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... village in Munich, West Germany. At this moment, eight or nine athletes of the Israeli team are being held prisoner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guerrillas are a group called Black September.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They must have automatic weapons on the hostages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deal that's being made ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Israelis disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Massive security forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Even as it hits the big screen, Steven Spielberg's latest creation is stirring a lot of controversy. "Munich" recalls, in part, Israel's moral dilemma as it exacted retribution in the wake of the massacre of 11 Israelis at the 1971 Olympics in Munich, Germany. CNN's Guy Raz reports on how some Israelis are reacting to the movie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The attack that still haunts the spirit of the Olympic Games. 1972, Munich: 11 Israeli athletes murdered by members of the PLO-affiliated Black September group. Israel's prime minister, Golda Meir, then orders an immediate operation to find those responsible.

ANKE SPITZER, WIDOW OF ISRAELI ATHLETE: Golda Meir called us to her office 30 days after the massacre in Munich. And she told us, that she said that the government has decided to hunt down. She never set assassinate or eliminate, but she said to hunt down all those who were directly or indirectly connected to Munich and all those people that had blood on their hands.

RAZ: The operation is where Steven Spielberg's film takes off, based loosely on a book by George Jonas written about the events.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eleven Palestinian names.

RAZ: Loosely, because the storyline is almost entirely made up. It's kind of a Hollywood take on the moral qualms of one of the Israeli hitmen. It's this aspect of the film that slightly annoys Anke Spitzer, whose husband, Andre, was one of the murdered athletes.

SPITZER: There is a problem in the movie. And in my opinion, for the viewers, it will be very, very difficult to understand that the Munich part is historically based and the other part of the Mossad action afterwards, it's fiction.

RAZ: It's thought that about 18 people suspected of involvement in the massacre were assassinated by Israeli agents.

DAVID KIMCHE, FORMER MOSSAD CHIEF: It had nothing to do with vengeance, it had nothing to do with reprisals; it has everything to do with the prevention of more terror attacks against innocent people.

RAZ: Most Israelis vehemently backed the assassinations.

(on camera): They backed it because the 1972 Munich massacre was regarded as one of the most traumatic moments in Israeli history. And to this day, the tragedy is marked right here at the grave site of those murdered athletes.

(voice-over): Spielberg's film has been attacked for what critics claim is the moral equivalents drawn between the murder of the athletes and the assassination of the terrorists.

In an interview with the "Los Angeles Times," Spielberg said, quote, "I just wanted to put empathy in every direction because the situation is not cut and dry." But Spielberg also added, he supports Israel's response to the attack. But for Anke Spitzer and the other relatives, Spielberg's mistake was not consulting them.

SPITZER: I told him. I said, look, I said the minimum what you could have done is inform us what is going to happen. You are making a movie, but for us, Munich is our life tragedy.

RAZ: Guy Raz, CNN, Tel-Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And happening right now, live pictures of an unmanned cargo craft just minutes away from docking with the International Space Station. It's carrying nearly three tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen, air, spare parts, and of course, holiday presents. We'll stay on the story. LIVE FROM is back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, shocking case of holiday in Providence, Rhode Island. The Christmas tree at the state house started out as a glorious 18-foot Colorado blue spruce, but this is how it ended its days leaving a shriveled heap of needles in a pathetic wake. Did someone forget to water it?

No, the hapless tree was the victim of legislation. State house employees were trying to comply with strict fire code rules and acted after that deadly night club blaze just a couple years ago. Well, workers first dried the tree with commercial fans, and then doused it in a flame retardant chemical. Actually, the new law does regulate the display of Christmas trees in public buildings, but the part about the chemical was apparently an overzealous ad-lib.

A new victim, I mean a new tree, was hauled in and hastily adorned last night. Meanwhile, the governor says he is mulling a fake tree for next year.

Well, continuing our LIVE FROM salute to the sound of the season. We lend an ear to a charming little tune that strikes a chord with anyone who is or ever was a 7-year-old. Many talented voices have sung it, but it is the 1963 version that sticks in our memory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): If you were a school kid in the 60's, chances are you spent at least one Christmas lisping along with Alvin and the Chipmunks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front tooth, my two front teeth.

PHILLIPS: This song for the dentally challenged was penned in 1944 by Don Gardener. Gardener and his wife, Doris, were both music teachers at an elementary school in New York.

One day Don filled in for his wife and was struck. First, by a certain condition her students shared and then by inspiration.

DORIS GARDNER, DON'S WIFE: He told them a little Christmas joke and they all laughed. Sixteen out of the 22 had no front teeth.

PHILLIPS: He whipped up a tune for the class that night in less than half an hour. It was later published, and in 1948 it was recorded by Spike Jones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth.

PHILLIPS: Gardener was underwhelmed to say the least.

DON GARDNER, "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH": We both thought it was God awful. I said, my God, that won't even sell 100 copies.

PHILLIPS: But within two months it had sold 2 million copies and even made Billboard's top ten list that year. Since then, it's been recorded by many diverse talents. From the London Symphony to RuPaul.

But forgive us if we're partial to this rendition, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were already cartoon stars and had several earlier records to their credit. Their distinctive sound came courtesy of actor and songwriter Ross Bagdasarian, also known as David Seville.

While fiddling around in a recording studio, he stumbled on the technique of recording at half speed and then playing back at full speed. Low-tech tinkering, but high comedic value especially for second graders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, my two front teeth.

PHILLIPS: "All I Want for Christmas" helped boost sales of 1963's Christmas with the Chipmunks Volume Two. It wasn't the Chipmunks first or only hit though, but it remains a classic, and one we love to dust off every Christmas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ: If you're one of the millions of people traveling this holiday season, CNN.com has a few tips for your next flight or road trip.

Dreading the airport screening shuffle, the Transportation Security Administration has stepped up the screening process at checkpoints with additional random searches of passengers and bags. Individuals who set off metal detectors should also expect the hand wanding of shoes and thorough pat downs by screeners. So try to avoid wearing metal accessories that may set off those detectors.

But the TSA has also loosened rules on which items you can take with you. This list shows you which items you are allowed to carry on or check in, and you may now carry on board tweezers or nail clippers. Now if you're one of the 51 million expected motorists this holiday season, this interactive has a few smart tips for you to prepare for that road trip. It is all online at CNN.com/travel. Happy holidays from the dot com desk. I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com