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CNN Live Today
Rumsfeld's Message to Troops in Iraq; Phone Home; Last-Minute Shoppers
Aired December 24, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening "Now in the News," U.S. troops in Iraq get a surprise Christmas Eve visit from the secretary of defense. Donald Rumsfeld spent time with troops in Mosul, Tikrit and Falluja. We'll have a live report from Baghdad on Rumsfeld's trip in just a few minutes.
Afghanistan's president swears in a new cabinet. After the ceremony today, President Hamid Karzai vowed to remove any cabinet member who doesn't work to improve Afghanistan. He also urged new members of his government to put aside ethnic and regional differences. Mr. Karzai is Afghanistan's first democratically elected president.
The two rivals in Ukraine's bitter presidential race are rallying their supporters ahead of Sunday's election. Opposition candidate Viktor Yuschenko says if he wins his top priority will be to heal divisions in the country. Ukraine's supreme court stripped Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych of his victory and ordered new voting, citing massive fraud.
The head recount is finished, and Democrat Christine Gregoire emerges with a 130-vote margin in Washington State's long-disputed governor's race. But Republican Dino Rossi is not giving up. He had been certified the winner after November 2nd's election and a subsequent machine recount. Republicans are expected to challenge the latest results.
Well, the kids are just -- oh, they're coming in to see Santa.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh yes.
HARRIS: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. You picked a great day to fill in.
HARRIS: Isn't this great?
KAGAN: This hour particularly of the year. Santa Claus is here. He stops here before he makes his rounds in delivering toys to children all around the world.
HARRIS: Oh, I'm a little nervous, though.
KAGAN: We have lots of CNN kids here as well. HARRIS: Yes. My kids are coming in.
KAGAN: They're going to be the best behave ones, yes. There we go. There's Santa.
SANTA: How old are you this year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four.
SANTA: Four. Very good.
KAGAN: We're going to be listening in on Santa and the kids...
HARRIS: Very good. Very good.
KAGAN: ... as the morning goes on.
Meanwhile, let's get to some of the news.
And up first this hour on CNN, Donald Rumsfeld rallies the troops on Christmas Eve. The defense secretary making an unannounced visit to U.S. forces in Iraq today. Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with more on Rumsfeld's trip and his message to the troops.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Rumsfeld's been doing a tour of the biggest trouble spots in Iraq today. He flew in under cover of darkness to Mosul, the site of Tuesday's devastating bomb attack. He moved then on to Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's former home town, to meet U.S. infantrymen there. And then he flew off to Falluja to meet U.S. Marines before heading on to Baghdad.
Now, in Mosul, he met with members of the combat support hospital there to fine out the work that they have been doing, particularly helping the wounded from Tuesday's blast. He awarded one soldier a Purple Heart. Not clear though whether that soldier had been wounded in Tuesday's explosion -- we do know that 25 of those wounded in that attack did return to active duty -- or whether that soldier had been wounded in a subsequent attack, because there have been offensive operations trying to hunt down insurgent cells in Mosul all this week.
Mr. Rumsfeld also went on to meet General Patraeus. He was a former 101st Airborne general, and is now in charge of training the Iraqi security forces. The Iraqi security forces obviously a focus of attention.
They have been very difficult to recruit, and also their skills in certain areas have been found lacking. Desertion rates at some stages have also been known to be high. This is what Mr. -- or General Patraeus had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUMSFELD: How did you field (ph) the National Guard?
LT. GEN. DAVID PATRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: We didn't have National Guards here. Well, sir, we had one company of National Guard. Most of the Iraqi forces were armed or intervention forces.
RUMSFELD: Were they Army?
(CROSSTALK)
PATRAEUS. No, sir. They cleared whole sections of the city. They went after some of our sensitive targets, like the mosques and the government center.
RUMSFELD: The intervention force or the Army?
PATRAEUS: Iraqi. They're all the same, sir. We consider them all Iraqi.
RUMSFELD: And the Iraqi guard unit, too?
PATRAEUS: Yes, sir. They were -- it was just one company from over here. But it comes down to leadership, sir.
RUMSFELD: Yes, it does.
PATRAEUS: But the forces when the into the city. They could detect -- in a group of detainees, they would pull out the Syrian, the Jordanian, the Egyptian.
RUMSFELD: They're going to know a lot better than your folks will.
PATRAEUS: They can detect the accents. They will go through buildings after we have gone through. They will find the caches we missed because they know where to look.
RUMSFELD: Yes.
PATRAEUS: Now, sir, the fire (ph) discipline leaves a little bit to be desired. And they had problems shifting in the sector. But that will come with time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: At one point, one of the U.S. troops came forward and presented Mr. Rumsfeld with a cigar. The soldier apparently joked with Mr. Rumsfeld, saying that it was from Saddam Hussein's personal stash. He then went on to joke that he had shot and killed an insurgent in Falluja and took the cigar from him. Mr. Rumsfeld, joining in the joke, apparently saying, "I love it." -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul, live from Baghdad. Thank you.
HARRIS: Grassroots efforts are under way all across the nation as U.S. citizens look for ways to show their support for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. CNN's Peter Viles reports on one program that helps bring U.S. service people closer to those they love.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, dad.
KIMO HANSEN, SERVING IN IRAQ: Hi, little sweetie. What's up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From half a world away, a father calls to tease his 16-year-old son.
HANSEN: What's up with the deep voice?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you talking about?
VILES: He calls to check in with his 12-year-old.
HANSEN: How about your skateboarding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting better.
VILES: Calls to tell his 10-year-old that she's smart enough to beat her big brother in chess.
HANSEN: You learn really quick, and it wouldn't surprise me at some point if you beat Brent before, you know, the end of the year. You're really good.
VILES: When dad is fighting in a war and Kimo Hansen's flying dangerous helicopter missions in Iraq, every call is precious.
BOBBY HANSEN, HUSBAND SERVING IN IRAQ: It means everything. I mean, it can make your whole day.
VILES: This call was a gift of the American people through a program created by the military and AT&T to send prepaid calling cards to the troops.
MAJ. GEN. KATHRYN FROST, U.S. ARMY: There is no better way to connect the front lines to the home front than to provide that prepaid calling card. We believe it's the best care package available. You know, there's nothing like hearing a voice on the other end of the line to reassure, to motivate and inspire.
VILES: Through AAFES.com, the Web site of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Americans have donated $1.3 million to help troops call home from phone banks like this one in Iraq. Radio station KLBJ in Austin, Texas, raised $70,000. The governor of California and his wife raised more than $150,000.
Kimo Hansen won't be home for Christmas. He'll open his gifts alone.
K. HANSEN: Well, I think I'm just going to open them just by myself. I think I'm just going to -- like I told Kayla (ph), I was just going to play some Christmas music and then open them up by myself.
VILES: But there's no self-pity here. Even while fighting a war, this soldier found a way to surprise his wife at Christmas.
B. HANSEN: Kimo! Oh, my gosh.
K. HANSEN: What is it?
B. HANSEN: You know, I don't -- it's a little white box, Kimo. You're good with these little boxes.
K. HANSEN: I'm telling you. What's in it, though?
B. HANSEN: I'm getting to that.
K. HANSEN: Are you?
B. HANSEN: Yes.
K. HANSEN: OK.
VILES: A diamond ring and a phone call to remember.
K. HANSEN: I'm just gratified and blessed to have a wife like you, Bobby, and a mother on top of that.
B. HANSEN: OK. Stop now. You're going to make me cry.
VILES: Peter Viles, CNN, Killeen, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Yes, we're working hard making some connections. Santa's helping out as we are ready for a couple of live reunions in this hour, including a reunion of PFC Joshua Colben (ph) with his wife who is eight months pregnant and driving at least three hours to get to a studio in Detroit for this reunion.
You don't want to miss it. Stay with us.
KAGAN: Don go having that baby in the middle of that reunion. No, no, no.
All right. A lot of reunions trying to take place this Christmas. If you know someone who's on the road this Christmas, chances are weather is a factor, especially in the Midwest.
Look at this huge backup in Indiana. Fairly typical of the delays many travelers have endured all over the Ohio Valley.
As of early this morning, Interstate 64 in Indiana was closed in both directions along a 25-mile stretch. Partial closings were also in effect on Indiana's I-65, I-64 through parts of Illinois, I-24 through western Kentucky and I-70 in Ohio near Dayton.
HARRIS: That is -- that's a mess.
KAGAN: That is a mess. But maybe Mother Nature will help out some way, somehow. Let's check in with Orelon. HARRIS: Let's do that. Orelon, hi.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Orelon, thank you for that.
Well, speaking of huddling, we have got Christmas in full swing here. In case you hear some noise in the background, we've got a lot of kids...
HARRIS: We've got kids.
KAGAN: ... in the studio today because Santa is here. We are going to get to that in just a moment. But -- can we get a shot of Santa and the kids?
HARRIS: Just a quick one.
KAGAN: Let's see what's going on there.
HARRIS: Can we do that? Hey, there he is.
KAGAN: There's Santa. And the kids are here.
So a little nutty with that. But we're having a good time. One's getting away.
HARRIS: OK, got a kid on the run.
KAGAN: But meanwhile, we're also doing -- getting help with some families getting together. For the past several weeks we've been hooking up troops in Iraq with their loved ones back home. Reunions you're going to see only right here on CNN.
HARRIS: That's right.
KAGAN: Get the Kleenex ready. Let's bring in Staff Sergeant Vincent McClellan. He is with Task Force Olympia in Mosul.
HARRIS: There he is.
KAGAN: Meanwhile -- hello, Sergeant.
STAFF SERGEANT VINCENT MCCLELLAN, TASK FORCE OLYMPIA: Hey, how you doing this morning?
KAGAN: We're doing great. Stay tuned here, because we have your mother, your sister, your nephew and your niece completing the family connection from Charleston, South Carolina.
HARRIS: Oh, beautiful.
KAGAN: Family, say good morning and Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning and Merry Christmas to you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning. Merry Christmas, Vincent. Can you hear me?
MCCLELLAN: Hey, good morning. And Merry Christmas to you all, too. Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.
MCCLELLAN: I love you, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for the Christmas card. And I love the letter that was inside of it. T.J. wants to tell you Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas, Uncle Vincent.
MCCLELLAN: Hey, Merry Christmas, T.J.
KAGAN: Yes, not easy for a family. So just to explain to our family in Charleston, there is a little delay while we're talking to Iraq. So that's why Sergeant McClellan is just a little delayed in his response.
Sergeant, such a key week and such an important week to talk to you. First of all, with what happened at your base on Tuesday with the suicide bomber, were you anywhere near that mess tent when the explosion took place?
MCCLELLAN: No, ma'am. I was nowhere near that mess tent, but I felt it in my heart because it was my fellow comrades. And it was a very tragic event that happened. You know, we are going to get over it and we're going to drive on with this mission and see this mission through.
KAGAN: Absolutely. And if you can tell us about the mood and morale at your base now since that has happened?
MCCLELLAN: Well, right now, the mood is like a still mood, you know, thinking about the families, the ones who just got injured, or who lost their lives during this tragic event that happened a few days ago. We want to get over that. Everybody is going to get back up to their high morale. But we're going on with the mission.
KAGAN: Thank you so much. Let's bring mom back in. Ms. Clancy, have you had a chance to speak to your son before now since Tuesday's event?
MARY CLANCY, MOTHER: No, this is my -- I spoke with him that Tuesday morning. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that afternoon. And I haven't heard from him until this morning before I came over here to do this.
KAGAN: Well, our satellite window is getting short. So anything else you have to say to your son or your uncle or your brother, go ahead and get it in from Charleston.
CLANCY: Vincent, explain to me where you'll be going for the next three years -- Vincent?
MCCLELLAN: Oh, I was lucky. I guess, the great job I'm doing over here -- Yes, ma'am. I said, for the great job I'm doing over here, I've been selected for a NATO assignment in Belgium.
CLANCY: Very good.
HARRIS: Very good.
KAGAN: And Sergeant, any final words you want to get into your family before our satellite time closes?
MCCLELLAN: Yes, ma'am. I just want to tell my family back in Charleston and my daughter in Pensacola, Florida, that I love you all. No need to worry. I'm going to be safe. I have the faith. Love you and enjoy your holidays.
CLANCY: And we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I do the same.
CLANCY: And hurry home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we miss you, love you.
CLANCY: Love you. Bye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye, Uncle Vincent. I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I love you.
MCCLELLAN: I love you all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I love you.
HARRIS: That's great.
KAGAN: The best kiss received. Staff Sergeant Vincent McClellan from Task Force Olympia. Thank you, Sergeant, and good luck in your next assignment.
MCCLELLAN: Thank you, ma'am. Have a happy holiday.
KAGAN: Thank you. I know it's a happy holiday for the family.
Ms. Clancy and the McClellan family -- if we could keep the family from Charleston for just a second. How was that for a holiday gift, getting to see him? When was the last time you saw each other in person? Ms. Clancy?
CLANCY: Yes.
KAGAN: When was the last time you saw your son?
CLANCY: When's the last time I saw him?
KAGAN: Yes.
CLANCY: In June -- July -- June of this year.
KAGAN: So it's been a little bit of a time. What was it like on Tuesday when you were trying -- when you had heard the news that there had been an event in Mosul, knowing that your son was there?
CLANCY: I was on pins and needles. I was on pins and needles. And nobody calling, nobody saying anything. The newspaper isn't telling much.
KAGAN: But did you get a phone call?
CLANCY: And finally I got the call. Once I got the call, I was more relieved.
KAGAN: Well, we wish you a happy holiday. We thank you and your family for the service that you're doing here while your son is serving in Iraq. And it sounds like he's on his way to Belgium.
CLANCY: Right.
KAGAN: Mary Clancy, thank you. Merry Christmas to all of you.
CLANCY: Merry Christmas to you, too.
KAGAN: Thanks for coming into the studio. And hope we provided a little bit of happy holiday cheer for the family.
HARRIS: Oh, absolutely. " HI will be safe. I have the faith." I love that.
KAGAN: Yes.
HARRIS: The man of the hour is up next. Santa Claus is here. And so are the children.
KAGAN: Oh, boy are they here.
HARRIS: We'll listen in on some of those Christmas wishes.
KAGAN: Also, the president spending the holiday with his family. We're going to hear about his plans.
HARRIS: And a popular gift for both kids and adults, video games. Daniel Sieberg joins us with the final chapter in the series. A look at the depth and popularity of online role-playing games back on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right. We have lost control of the studio here today. Santa's here, along with a lot of our CNN kids. And they're talking to Santa. Let's listen in to what Santa is doing with the kids.
Santa?
SANTA: Well, it's sort of a job. I can't have a single conversation without several others joining in.
HARRIS: There you go. Totally understood, Santa.
SANTA: Yes, I understand that you have a speaking acquaintance with (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HARRIS: It's true. She's waving there. Hi, Kayla. Hi, Michael.
KAGAN: We have the Harris children there. Tony, those are your beautiful children?
HARRIS: Yes, those are my kids. Hard to believe I had anything to do with it, right?
SANTA: And the thing is, the tree ornaments are very attractive to little hands.
KAGAN: That they are.
HARRIS: Oh, that's true. That's true.
SANTA: And we have one young man over here about 6 months old who is more interested in catching up with some of the threads in the carpet than he is much of anything else.
KAGAN: OK -- oh, and he's off.
SANTA: Yes.
KAGAN: We're going to go wrangle the toddlers. Santa, we'll be back with you and the kids in just a minute.
SANTA: All right. We'll be ready.
HARRIS: Well, for the true procrastinators, it's time to make that mad dash to the mall to finish the Christmas shopping. Retailers are hoping for a boost from last -- I don't know where that came from -- from last-minute shoppers.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey with a look at how holiday sales are shaping up -- Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Tony.
And, of course, you would expect plenty of people here during the last-minute rush. But who do you think predominantly is roaming the mall? Well, trust me, Santa Claus is not the only guy at the mall. This place is packed with men, last-minute shoppers.
We've got one with us right now. Chris Tolken (ph), when did you start today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just started.
CHERNOFF: Just started with the shopping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The usual.
CHERNOFF: Who do you need to buy gifts for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody. Everybody but the kids.
CHERNOFF: And what are you going to get for your wife?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.
CHERNOFF: Well, good luck.
Let's see if we can find advice for you. Mike McGavin (ph) is the manager here at the malls at Short Hills.
Mike, why is it that we have so many guys? You see this all the time, last minute?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I have to tell you, in all the years I've been doing this, this the most entertaining time for me, in seeing men shop at the last minute.
We have to make it easy for them. Gift certificates are a great idea for them. It's very simple, it's good for any store. Obviously jewelry is another great option for them. But, yes, it's great entertainment this time of year.
CHERNOFF: Typically this place is almost all women?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We actually dramatically shift from women probably starting on Tuesday this week to men.
CHERNOFF: Mike McGavin (ph), thank you very much.
So a mall packed with some very desperate men looking for their last-minute gifts. Back to you in the studio.
HARRIS: Allan, thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Boy, what do you get this one, huh?
KAGAN: This is Sydney Egan Fowler (ph). It's her first Christmas. She's one of the CNN kids that are here to see Santa.
And we're going to see Santa. We're going to see Santa very soon, in one minute.
HARRIS: We're going to take a break and we'll come on back.
KAGAN: Say by-bye. We'll be back in one second. One second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Some of our kids are a little bit more excited about Santa than others. It's that time of year when Santa makes his stop before he heads out.
Santa, welcome and Merry Christmas.
SANTA: Thank you very much. Glad to have a chance to sit down for a moment or two.
KAGAN: I know. It's a busy day for you.
SANTA: It is indeed.
KAGAN: We're always so honored. How is it that you manage to make time to come see us at CNN before you make your rounds around the world?
SANTA: CNN has a special spot for me.
KAGAN: Well, we appreciate that.
SANTA: Been doing it for years back to when the studio was over on Techwood Drive.
KAGAN: Oh, you go back. That's back in the day. So have you had a chance to talk to some of the kids?
Kids, have you had a chance to tell Santa what you were looking for this year?
SANTA: We were just getting started.
KAGAN: OK. Let's do that.
SANTA: OK. And how about you? What do you -- come on over closer.
KAGAN: Oh, how about some...
SANTA: Well, we were talking about to keep working on that.
KAGAN: Here, let's go on this -- go on this leg for Santa so we can see you.
SANTA: I'm sorry.
KAGAN: There we go.
SANTA: All right. And what is the one thing that you want most of all for Christmas this year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A GameBoy.
SANTA: A GameBoy. I see. And who's going to play it, you by yourself? Are you going to let mom and dad use it some? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me.
SANTA: Oh, OK.
KAGAN: How about your brother?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe.
KAGAN: Maybe. How about your two front teeth? Can you give us a big Christmas smile so we can see what's missing there? Yes, there we go.
SANTA: All right. Well, shall we visit with this next young lady over here? Let's see, you're the one who is, I understand is seven and a half this year. And who is your friend with you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Midnight.
SANTA: Midnight? Well, that's a good, appropriate name for him. And what's the one thing most important for you on your list?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Neopet named Tabby.
SANTA: Oh.
KAGAN: A Neopet. Very big.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, Aqua Pet (ph), Aqua Pet.
SANTA: Oh. Be sure to get the terminology right.
KAGAN: Your one big chance with Santa.
SANTA: But we hope that that's been -- that we still have enough of those. You know, some of these things are so popular this year, we're running short.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ooh.
KAGAN: Ooh.
SANTA: That would be serious, wouldn't it?
KAGAN: Santa, thank you for that. And thanks to all the kids.
We're going to try to get in some more kids. Sydney's (ph) grandma is watching in Chicago. So let's get a tight shot -- OK. Shall we see if she'll do it?
SANTA: Well, should we -- sure, why don't we have her sit over here on my...
KAGAN: OK. Let's see if we -- will you hold that? Will you hold that? Thanks.
OK. Let's see if Sydney (ph) will go. This is for grandma in Chicago, OK?
SANTA: Oh, well.
KAGAN: Here we go.
SANTA: This is for grandma in Chicago, Sydney (ph). OK. Very good.
KAGAN: We'll take a break. We'll be back after this.
SANTA: Pretty blue eyes, Sydney (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 24, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening "Now in the News," U.S. troops in Iraq get a surprise Christmas Eve visit from the secretary of defense. Donald Rumsfeld spent time with troops in Mosul, Tikrit and Falluja. We'll have a live report from Baghdad on Rumsfeld's trip in just a few minutes.
Afghanistan's president swears in a new cabinet. After the ceremony today, President Hamid Karzai vowed to remove any cabinet member who doesn't work to improve Afghanistan. He also urged new members of his government to put aside ethnic and regional differences. Mr. Karzai is Afghanistan's first democratically elected president.
The two rivals in Ukraine's bitter presidential race are rallying their supporters ahead of Sunday's election. Opposition candidate Viktor Yuschenko says if he wins his top priority will be to heal divisions in the country. Ukraine's supreme court stripped Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych of his victory and ordered new voting, citing massive fraud.
The head recount is finished, and Democrat Christine Gregoire emerges with a 130-vote margin in Washington State's long-disputed governor's race. But Republican Dino Rossi is not giving up. He had been certified the winner after November 2nd's election and a subsequent machine recount. Republicans are expected to challenge the latest results.
Well, the kids are just -- oh, they're coming in to see Santa.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh yes.
HARRIS: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. You picked a great day to fill in.
HARRIS: Isn't this great?
KAGAN: This hour particularly of the year. Santa Claus is here. He stops here before he makes his rounds in delivering toys to children all around the world.
HARRIS: Oh, I'm a little nervous, though.
KAGAN: We have lots of CNN kids here as well. HARRIS: Yes. My kids are coming in.
KAGAN: They're going to be the best behave ones, yes. There we go. There's Santa.
SANTA: How old are you this year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four.
SANTA: Four. Very good.
KAGAN: We're going to be listening in on Santa and the kids...
HARRIS: Very good. Very good.
KAGAN: ... as the morning goes on.
Meanwhile, let's get to some of the news.
And up first this hour on CNN, Donald Rumsfeld rallies the troops on Christmas Eve. The defense secretary making an unannounced visit to U.S. forces in Iraq today. Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with more on Rumsfeld's trip and his message to the troops.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Rumsfeld's been doing a tour of the biggest trouble spots in Iraq today. He flew in under cover of darkness to Mosul, the site of Tuesday's devastating bomb attack. He moved then on to Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's former home town, to meet U.S. infantrymen there. And then he flew off to Falluja to meet U.S. Marines before heading on to Baghdad.
Now, in Mosul, he met with members of the combat support hospital there to fine out the work that they have been doing, particularly helping the wounded from Tuesday's blast. He awarded one soldier a Purple Heart. Not clear though whether that soldier had been wounded in Tuesday's explosion -- we do know that 25 of those wounded in that attack did return to active duty -- or whether that soldier had been wounded in a subsequent attack, because there have been offensive operations trying to hunt down insurgent cells in Mosul all this week.
Mr. Rumsfeld also went on to meet General Patraeus. He was a former 101st Airborne general, and is now in charge of training the Iraqi security forces. The Iraqi security forces obviously a focus of attention.
They have been very difficult to recruit, and also their skills in certain areas have been found lacking. Desertion rates at some stages have also been known to be high. This is what Mr. -- or General Patraeus had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUMSFELD: How did you field (ph) the National Guard?
LT. GEN. DAVID PATRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: We didn't have National Guards here. Well, sir, we had one company of National Guard. Most of the Iraqi forces were armed or intervention forces.
RUMSFELD: Were they Army?
(CROSSTALK)
PATRAEUS. No, sir. They cleared whole sections of the city. They went after some of our sensitive targets, like the mosques and the government center.
RUMSFELD: The intervention force or the Army?
PATRAEUS: Iraqi. They're all the same, sir. We consider them all Iraqi.
RUMSFELD: And the Iraqi guard unit, too?
PATRAEUS: Yes, sir. They were -- it was just one company from over here. But it comes down to leadership, sir.
RUMSFELD: Yes, it does.
PATRAEUS: But the forces when the into the city. They could detect -- in a group of detainees, they would pull out the Syrian, the Jordanian, the Egyptian.
RUMSFELD: They're going to know a lot better than your folks will.
PATRAEUS: They can detect the accents. They will go through buildings after we have gone through. They will find the caches we missed because they know where to look.
RUMSFELD: Yes.
PATRAEUS: Now, sir, the fire (ph) discipline leaves a little bit to be desired. And they had problems shifting in the sector. But that will come with time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: At one point, one of the U.S. troops came forward and presented Mr. Rumsfeld with a cigar. The soldier apparently joked with Mr. Rumsfeld, saying that it was from Saddam Hussein's personal stash. He then went on to joke that he had shot and killed an insurgent in Falluja and took the cigar from him. Mr. Rumsfeld, joining in the joke, apparently saying, "I love it." -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul, live from Baghdad. Thank you.
HARRIS: Grassroots efforts are under way all across the nation as U.S. citizens look for ways to show their support for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. CNN's Peter Viles reports on one program that helps bring U.S. service people closer to those they love.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, dad.
KIMO HANSEN, SERVING IN IRAQ: Hi, little sweetie. What's up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From half a world away, a father calls to tease his 16-year-old son.
HANSEN: What's up with the deep voice?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you talking about?
VILES: He calls to check in with his 12-year-old.
HANSEN: How about your skateboarding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting better.
VILES: Calls to tell his 10-year-old that she's smart enough to beat her big brother in chess.
HANSEN: You learn really quick, and it wouldn't surprise me at some point if you beat Brent before, you know, the end of the year. You're really good.
VILES: When dad is fighting in a war and Kimo Hansen's flying dangerous helicopter missions in Iraq, every call is precious.
BOBBY HANSEN, HUSBAND SERVING IN IRAQ: It means everything. I mean, it can make your whole day.
VILES: This call was a gift of the American people through a program created by the military and AT&T to send prepaid calling cards to the troops.
MAJ. GEN. KATHRYN FROST, U.S. ARMY: There is no better way to connect the front lines to the home front than to provide that prepaid calling card. We believe it's the best care package available. You know, there's nothing like hearing a voice on the other end of the line to reassure, to motivate and inspire.
VILES: Through AAFES.com, the Web site of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Americans have donated $1.3 million to help troops call home from phone banks like this one in Iraq. Radio station KLBJ in Austin, Texas, raised $70,000. The governor of California and his wife raised more than $150,000.
Kimo Hansen won't be home for Christmas. He'll open his gifts alone.
K. HANSEN: Well, I think I'm just going to open them just by myself. I think I'm just going to -- like I told Kayla (ph), I was just going to play some Christmas music and then open them up by myself.
VILES: But there's no self-pity here. Even while fighting a war, this soldier found a way to surprise his wife at Christmas.
B. HANSEN: Kimo! Oh, my gosh.
K. HANSEN: What is it?
B. HANSEN: You know, I don't -- it's a little white box, Kimo. You're good with these little boxes.
K. HANSEN: I'm telling you. What's in it, though?
B. HANSEN: I'm getting to that.
K. HANSEN: Are you?
B. HANSEN: Yes.
K. HANSEN: OK.
VILES: A diamond ring and a phone call to remember.
K. HANSEN: I'm just gratified and blessed to have a wife like you, Bobby, and a mother on top of that.
B. HANSEN: OK. Stop now. You're going to make me cry.
VILES: Peter Viles, CNN, Killeen, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Yes, we're working hard making some connections. Santa's helping out as we are ready for a couple of live reunions in this hour, including a reunion of PFC Joshua Colben (ph) with his wife who is eight months pregnant and driving at least three hours to get to a studio in Detroit for this reunion.
You don't want to miss it. Stay with us.
KAGAN: Don go having that baby in the middle of that reunion. No, no, no.
All right. A lot of reunions trying to take place this Christmas. If you know someone who's on the road this Christmas, chances are weather is a factor, especially in the Midwest.
Look at this huge backup in Indiana. Fairly typical of the delays many travelers have endured all over the Ohio Valley.
As of early this morning, Interstate 64 in Indiana was closed in both directions along a 25-mile stretch. Partial closings were also in effect on Indiana's I-65, I-64 through parts of Illinois, I-24 through western Kentucky and I-70 in Ohio near Dayton.
HARRIS: That is -- that's a mess.
KAGAN: That is a mess. But maybe Mother Nature will help out some way, somehow. Let's check in with Orelon. HARRIS: Let's do that. Orelon, hi.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Orelon, thank you for that.
Well, speaking of huddling, we have got Christmas in full swing here. In case you hear some noise in the background, we've got a lot of kids...
HARRIS: We've got kids.
KAGAN: ... in the studio today because Santa is here. We are going to get to that in just a moment. But -- can we get a shot of Santa and the kids?
HARRIS: Just a quick one.
KAGAN: Let's see what's going on there.
HARRIS: Can we do that? Hey, there he is.
KAGAN: There's Santa. And the kids are here.
So a little nutty with that. But we're having a good time. One's getting away.
HARRIS: OK, got a kid on the run.
KAGAN: But meanwhile, we're also doing -- getting help with some families getting together. For the past several weeks we've been hooking up troops in Iraq with their loved ones back home. Reunions you're going to see only right here on CNN.
HARRIS: That's right.
KAGAN: Get the Kleenex ready. Let's bring in Staff Sergeant Vincent McClellan. He is with Task Force Olympia in Mosul.
HARRIS: There he is.
KAGAN: Meanwhile -- hello, Sergeant.
STAFF SERGEANT VINCENT MCCLELLAN, TASK FORCE OLYMPIA: Hey, how you doing this morning?
KAGAN: We're doing great. Stay tuned here, because we have your mother, your sister, your nephew and your niece completing the family connection from Charleston, South Carolina.
HARRIS: Oh, beautiful.
KAGAN: Family, say good morning and Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning and Merry Christmas to you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning. Merry Christmas, Vincent. Can you hear me?
MCCLELLAN: Hey, good morning. And Merry Christmas to you all, too. Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.
MCCLELLAN: I love you, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for the Christmas card. And I love the letter that was inside of it. T.J. wants to tell you Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas, Uncle Vincent.
MCCLELLAN: Hey, Merry Christmas, T.J.
KAGAN: Yes, not easy for a family. So just to explain to our family in Charleston, there is a little delay while we're talking to Iraq. So that's why Sergeant McClellan is just a little delayed in his response.
Sergeant, such a key week and such an important week to talk to you. First of all, with what happened at your base on Tuesday with the suicide bomber, were you anywhere near that mess tent when the explosion took place?
MCCLELLAN: No, ma'am. I was nowhere near that mess tent, but I felt it in my heart because it was my fellow comrades. And it was a very tragic event that happened. You know, we are going to get over it and we're going to drive on with this mission and see this mission through.
KAGAN: Absolutely. And if you can tell us about the mood and morale at your base now since that has happened?
MCCLELLAN: Well, right now, the mood is like a still mood, you know, thinking about the families, the ones who just got injured, or who lost their lives during this tragic event that happened a few days ago. We want to get over that. Everybody is going to get back up to their high morale. But we're going on with the mission.
KAGAN: Thank you so much. Let's bring mom back in. Ms. Clancy, have you had a chance to speak to your son before now since Tuesday's event?
MARY CLANCY, MOTHER: No, this is my -- I spoke with him that Tuesday morning. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that afternoon. And I haven't heard from him until this morning before I came over here to do this.
KAGAN: Well, our satellite window is getting short. So anything else you have to say to your son or your uncle or your brother, go ahead and get it in from Charleston.
CLANCY: Vincent, explain to me where you'll be going for the next three years -- Vincent?
MCCLELLAN: Oh, I was lucky. I guess, the great job I'm doing over here -- Yes, ma'am. I said, for the great job I'm doing over here, I've been selected for a NATO assignment in Belgium.
CLANCY: Very good.
HARRIS: Very good.
KAGAN: And Sergeant, any final words you want to get into your family before our satellite time closes?
MCCLELLAN: Yes, ma'am. I just want to tell my family back in Charleston and my daughter in Pensacola, Florida, that I love you all. No need to worry. I'm going to be safe. I have the faith. Love you and enjoy your holidays.
CLANCY: And we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I do the same.
CLANCY: And hurry home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we miss you, love you.
CLANCY: Love you. Bye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye, Uncle Vincent. I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I love you.
MCCLELLAN: I love you all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I love you.
HARRIS: That's great.
KAGAN: The best kiss received. Staff Sergeant Vincent McClellan from Task Force Olympia. Thank you, Sergeant, and good luck in your next assignment.
MCCLELLAN: Thank you, ma'am. Have a happy holiday.
KAGAN: Thank you. I know it's a happy holiday for the family.
Ms. Clancy and the McClellan family -- if we could keep the family from Charleston for just a second. How was that for a holiday gift, getting to see him? When was the last time you saw each other in person? Ms. Clancy?
CLANCY: Yes.
KAGAN: When was the last time you saw your son?
CLANCY: When's the last time I saw him?
KAGAN: Yes.
CLANCY: In June -- July -- June of this year.
KAGAN: So it's been a little bit of a time. What was it like on Tuesday when you were trying -- when you had heard the news that there had been an event in Mosul, knowing that your son was there?
CLANCY: I was on pins and needles. I was on pins and needles. And nobody calling, nobody saying anything. The newspaper isn't telling much.
KAGAN: But did you get a phone call?
CLANCY: And finally I got the call. Once I got the call, I was more relieved.
KAGAN: Well, we wish you a happy holiday. We thank you and your family for the service that you're doing here while your son is serving in Iraq. And it sounds like he's on his way to Belgium.
CLANCY: Right.
KAGAN: Mary Clancy, thank you. Merry Christmas to all of you.
CLANCY: Merry Christmas to you, too.
KAGAN: Thanks for coming into the studio. And hope we provided a little bit of happy holiday cheer for the family.
HARRIS: Oh, absolutely. " HI will be safe. I have the faith." I love that.
KAGAN: Yes.
HARRIS: The man of the hour is up next. Santa Claus is here. And so are the children.
KAGAN: Oh, boy are they here.
HARRIS: We'll listen in on some of those Christmas wishes.
KAGAN: Also, the president spending the holiday with his family. We're going to hear about his plans.
HARRIS: And a popular gift for both kids and adults, video games. Daniel Sieberg joins us with the final chapter in the series. A look at the depth and popularity of online role-playing games back on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right. We have lost control of the studio here today. Santa's here, along with a lot of our CNN kids. And they're talking to Santa. Let's listen in to what Santa is doing with the kids.
Santa?
SANTA: Well, it's sort of a job. I can't have a single conversation without several others joining in.
HARRIS: There you go. Totally understood, Santa.
SANTA: Yes, I understand that you have a speaking acquaintance with (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HARRIS: It's true. She's waving there. Hi, Kayla. Hi, Michael.
KAGAN: We have the Harris children there. Tony, those are your beautiful children?
HARRIS: Yes, those are my kids. Hard to believe I had anything to do with it, right?
SANTA: And the thing is, the tree ornaments are very attractive to little hands.
KAGAN: That they are.
HARRIS: Oh, that's true. That's true.
SANTA: And we have one young man over here about 6 months old who is more interested in catching up with some of the threads in the carpet than he is much of anything else.
KAGAN: OK -- oh, and he's off.
SANTA: Yes.
KAGAN: We're going to go wrangle the toddlers. Santa, we'll be back with you and the kids in just a minute.
SANTA: All right. We'll be ready.
HARRIS: Well, for the true procrastinators, it's time to make that mad dash to the mall to finish the Christmas shopping. Retailers are hoping for a boost from last -- I don't know where that came from -- from last-minute shoppers.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey with a look at how holiday sales are shaping up -- Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Tony.
And, of course, you would expect plenty of people here during the last-minute rush. But who do you think predominantly is roaming the mall? Well, trust me, Santa Claus is not the only guy at the mall. This place is packed with men, last-minute shoppers.
We've got one with us right now. Chris Tolken (ph), when did you start today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just started.
CHERNOFF: Just started with the shopping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The usual.
CHERNOFF: Who do you need to buy gifts for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody. Everybody but the kids.
CHERNOFF: And what are you going to get for your wife?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.
CHERNOFF: Well, good luck.
Let's see if we can find advice for you. Mike McGavin (ph) is the manager here at the malls at Short Hills.
Mike, why is it that we have so many guys? You see this all the time, last minute?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I have to tell you, in all the years I've been doing this, this the most entertaining time for me, in seeing men shop at the last minute.
We have to make it easy for them. Gift certificates are a great idea for them. It's very simple, it's good for any store. Obviously jewelry is another great option for them. But, yes, it's great entertainment this time of year.
CHERNOFF: Typically this place is almost all women?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We actually dramatically shift from women probably starting on Tuesday this week to men.
CHERNOFF: Mike McGavin (ph), thank you very much.
So a mall packed with some very desperate men looking for their last-minute gifts. Back to you in the studio.
HARRIS: Allan, thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Boy, what do you get this one, huh?
KAGAN: This is Sydney Egan Fowler (ph). It's her first Christmas. She's one of the CNN kids that are here to see Santa.
And we're going to see Santa. We're going to see Santa very soon, in one minute.
HARRIS: We're going to take a break and we'll come on back.
KAGAN: Say by-bye. We'll be back in one second. One second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Some of our kids are a little bit more excited about Santa than others. It's that time of year when Santa makes his stop before he heads out.
Santa, welcome and Merry Christmas.
SANTA: Thank you very much. Glad to have a chance to sit down for a moment or two.
KAGAN: I know. It's a busy day for you.
SANTA: It is indeed.
KAGAN: We're always so honored. How is it that you manage to make time to come see us at CNN before you make your rounds around the world?
SANTA: CNN has a special spot for me.
KAGAN: Well, we appreciate that.
SANTA: Been doing it for years back to when the studio was over on Techwood Drive.
KAGAN: Oh, you go back. That's back in the day. So have you had a chance to talk to some of the kids?
Kids, have you had a chance to tell Santa what you were looking for this year?
SANTA: We were just getting started.
KAGAN: OK. Let's do that.
SANTA: OK. And how about you? What do you -- come on over closer.
KAGAN: Oh, how about some...
SANTA: Well, we were talking about to keep working on that.
KAGAN: Here, let's go on this -- go on this leg for Santa so we can see you.
SANTA: I'm sorry.
KAGAN: There we go.
SANTA: All right. And what is the one thing that you want most of all for Christmas this year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A GameBoy.
SANTA: A GameBoy. I see. And who's going to play it, you by yourself? Are you going to let mom and dad use it some? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me.
SANTA: Oh, OK.
KAGAN: How about your brother?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe.
KAGAN: Maybe. How about your two front teeth? Can you give us a big Christmas smile so we can see what's missing there? Yes, there we go.
SANTA: All right. Well, shall we visit with this next young lady over here? Let's see, you're the one who is, I understand is seven and a half this year. And who is your friend with you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Midnight.
SANTA: Midnight? Well, that's a good, appropriate name for him. And what's the one thing most important for you on your list?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Neopet named Tabby.
SANTA: Oh.
KAGAN: A Neopet. Very big.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, Aqua Pet (ph), Aqua Pet.
SANTA: Oh. Be sure to get the terminology right.
KAGAN: Your one big chance with Santa.
SANTA: But we hope that that's been -- that we still have enough of those. You know, some of these things are so popular this year, we're running short.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ooh.
KAGAN: Ooh.
SANTA: That would be serious, wouldn't it?
KAGAN: Santa, thank you for that. And thanks to all the kids.
We're going to try to get in some more kids. Sydney's (ph) grandma is watching in Chicago. So let's get a tight shot -- OK. Shall we see if she'll do it?
SANTA: Well, should we -- sure, why don't we have her sit over here on my...
KAGAN: OK. Let's see if we -- will you hold that? Will you hold that? Thanks.
OK. Let's see if Sydney (ph) will go. This is for grandma in Chicago, OK?
SANTA: Oh, well.
KAGAN: Here we go.
SANTA: This is for grandma in Chicago, Sydney (ph). OK. Very good.
KAGAN: We'll take a break. We'll be back after this.
SANTA: Pretty blue eyes, Sydney (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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