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CNN Sunday Morning

Kidnapping/Murder in Kansas; 10 Contractors Kidnapped in Iraq

Aired December 19, 2004 - 07:00   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome from the CNN Center here in Atlanta. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 19. Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.
What's the sigh for?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: December 19th?

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: The...

NGUYEN: Almost through the year.

HARRIS: Gone. Just flat out gone.

NGUYEN: Gone.

HARRIS: Good morning, everybody. Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. "Now in the News," militants in Iraq kidnapped 10 more civilians and threatened to kill them. A security source tells CNN the victims are Iraqi employees of the Sandy Group, a Washington based firm that provides security and support services. The kidnappers are demanding that the company get out of Iraq. We'll get a live update in just two minutes.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says from now on, he will personally sign each letter to families of service members killed in action. Rumsfeld says he has already written and approved more than 1,000 letters, but has not individually signed each one. 1,308 American troops have died in Iraq.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharaff has changed his mind and now says he'll keep control of his country's military. Musharaff had promised to step down as commanding general on December 31st. Pakistan's constitution forbids him from holding two positions of power beyond that date.

Lisa Montgomery of Melvern, Kansas is expected to appear in federal court tomorrow, charged with a kidnapping that resulted in death. Montgomery is accused of killing Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore, Missouri and taking the unborn baby from Stinnett's womb. The baby girl was hospitalized in Kansas, where she's reported in good condition. The latest details are just four minutes away.

NGUYEN: And we have much more coming up this hour. Layoffs, shutdowns, and lack of staff. Firefighters are battling more than just flames these days. Also, it is crunch time. Holiday mail coming in fast and furious to the nation's postal centers. How can you make sure your Christmas goodies get to where they're going? Well, we will have some tips in a live report from a holiday mail hot spot.

And are you a fast food junkie? There's a growing movement out there that says you should kick the habit. We'll tell you about the rise of slow food.

HARRIS: Our top story this morning, a car bomb in Karbala. More violence on Haifa Street in Baghdad, which is living up to its nickname, "Little Falluja." And more civilians are kidnapped in Iraq by militants who threaten to kill them.

Correspondent Karl Penhaul joins us live from the Iraqi capital. Hi, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony. Kidnappers have released a video to Associated Press Television showing 10 Iraqi hostages. We understand that all those 10 are members of the Sandi Group, a Washington, D.C. based security group. And the kidnappers are making threats to kill these hostages unless the Sandi Group pulls out of Iraq all together.

The kidnappers say they represent a number of resistance groups, including the back - Black Banners Brigade, also the Mujahadeen Army. We do certainly know that the black banners brigade has made these kind of kidnappings before and has made good on those threats.

The Sandy Group has an estimated 7,000 employees across Iraq and fulfills a variety of functions, including security, transportation, and also guarding some hotels where media organizations are housed.

It's not clear, though, when these Iraqi security guards were taken hostage or the circumstances of that kidnapping.

Elsewhere across Iraq, it has been a bloody day. This morning, about 7:30 on Haifa Street, that's a very violent street a few yards from the Green Zone where the U.S. administration and the Iraqi government are housed, there was a shootout there along the street. And also, as a car passed along, insurgent gunmen stopped that car, pulled the occupants out of that car, and shot three of them dead. We're told by police the three dead were all members of the independent electoral commission here in Iraq, the ones helping to get preparations for the January 30th elections.

And then shortly after lunchtime, about 1:30 local time down in the southern city of Karbala, a car bomb went off there at the main bus station. Police and hospital sources are telling us that 10 people have been killed and at least 37 others wounded. The majority of those casualties are civilians, we're told. We still don't know who may have planted this bomb, but it's the second in just a few days.

On the 15th of this month, another bomb exploded in Karbala. Seven people were killed in that attack, Tony.

HARRIS: Another violent start to the week in Iraq. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, Karl, thank you.

Peace in the Middle East. President Bush says it will happen fairly soon. The president tells an Israeli newspaper he is sure he can bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And Mr. Bush says he can do it within a second term. He says he plans to invest a lot of what he's calling creative thinking to make it happen.

NGUYEN: We have new details, and they are emerging, in the case of a Kansas woman accused of killing a pregnant woman and then taking the baby from her womb. Police say it turns out the suspect had been showing off the child just hours before she was arrested in Melvern, Kansas.

We want to get some details now from reporter Sandra Olivas from CNN's Kansas City affiliate KCTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE WHEATLEY, PASTOR: Well, she's a precious - you know, one of the prettiest babies I've seen for a long time. They always look a little smooshed up and wrinkled and stuff when they're first born, but and all bright red and everything like that. She was - this baby was beautiful.

SANDRA OLIVAS, KCTV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Pastor Mike Wheatley and his wife are used to welcoming families and their new babies into the church. So it wasn't unusual when they got a call yesterday morning from Lisa Montgomery and her husband about stopping by to show off their new baby girl they had named Abigail.

WHEATLEY: We got to hold the baby and just love on it. And she sat there and just watched us and commented about the delivery and about how her water broke. And my wife asked her where she'd had it. And she said she'd had it at the birthing center in Topeka.

OLIVAS: Pastor Wheatley says for months, Lisa had everyone, including her own husband, convinced she was pregnant.

WHEATLEY: She was pretty small. And I commented to her about it. I asked her if she was due - when she was due. And she said she was due in December. And I said, "Well, you're kind of small to be having a baby that soon." And she said, "Well, I always have small babies." And so, I just let it go at that.

OLIVAS: Investigators say Lisa confessed she went to the home of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore, Missouri, strangled her from behind, and cut the fetus from her womb. Within an hour of the gruesome crime, Pastor Wheatley now says that Lisa's web of deceit was unraveling.

WHEATLEY: She called me at 3:15 in the afternoon on Thursday and wanted to talk to my wife and tell her about the baby. And I said, "Well, did you have - do we have a baby yet?" She said, "C.J.'s holding it right now."

OLIVAS: The pastor says Montgomery's husband had no idea the baby wasn't his wife's. He even brought the newborn here to the town cafe to show her off to friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They go downtown flaunting the baby to everyone.

OLIVAS: She was known as a good neighbor, a nurturing mother, and a caring Christian woman. Now the townspeople of Melvern say it was all a lie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very psychotic. Just completely insane.

WHEATLEY: We felt betrayed. We were angry. But most of all, we were very, very, very sad.

OLIVAS (on camera): Lisa Montgomery is in the custody of federal authorities in Leavenworth, Kansas. She could face the death penalty.

Reporting for CNN, I'm Sandra Olivas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And the federal prosecutor handling the case tells CNN that his office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, but Todd Graves also says his office has successfully sought death sentences on the same charge facing Montgomery twice in three years.

HARRIS: And here are some stories across America now. Three Maryland men are due in court tomorrow to face charges in the largest residential arson case in state history. The suspects, all 20-years old, and one of them a volunteer firefighter, are accused of causing $10 million in damage to an upscale neighborhood under construction. A security guard at the site has also been charged.

In Iowa, a federal judge delivers $1 billion blow against spammers. The judge filed default judgments against three e-mail marketers on behalf of an Internet provider in Iowa. It is believed to be a record judgment against companies accused of improperly sending junk e-mails in central Florida.

A sink hole is growing in Deltona. It's already gobbled up four lanes of a road and now measures 150 feet wide. It's threatening 20 homes and a power line that services some 2,000 homes. Aleutia County officials say it's likely to grow over the next several days.

NGUYEN: All right, Santa's workshop isn't the only holiday hub all abuzz on this weekend before Christmas. In fact, another hot spot as well to the south in Memphis, Tennessee. That is the hub for Fedex, a company whose name has become synonymous with global shipping.

CNN's Sarah Dorsey is at that nerve center and joins us with some tips and some tidbits. I think we all need a lot of tips this time, since time is a ticking.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. Time is running out, but it's not too late if you don't have your packages shipped out for Christmas. If you're shipping here in the United States, Fedex gives you until the 23rd to get those out. And that means they will deliver it before Christmas if you do that.

Things are starting to heat up a little bit here this morning. The people - the workers here are gearing up for the busiest day for FedEx Express. That is going to be on Monday. The company plans to handle about 4.6 million packages during that day. And that's coming off last Monday, which is the busiest day for the entire company, where they handled eight - more than eight million packages.

And right now, we have joining us Adam Psarianos, also known as Diamond. He's a vice president here at FedEx, and also probably known as Santa Claus to some people.

You all do a lot of shipping this time of year. Tell me a little bit about how important between Thanksgiving and Christmas is for you in this business?

ADAM PSARIANOS, FEDEX WORLD HUB: Well, good morning, Sarah, first of all. Welcome to the North Pole of the mid South.

DORSEY: Thank you.

PSARIANOS: We feel like Santa Claus this time of the year. This is our peak season, where we handle the most volume of any of the 12 months of the year, again, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then again, dies down after that. But we're all very excited. This is the 26th year that I'm doing this. Happy time of the year.

I do feel like Santa Claus, as do all the other workers here at FedEx.

DORSEY: And I'm sure everyone appreciates the work, so they can get those gifts on Christmas. Tell me, what does it take, what type of fleet do you all have in order to make this happen, so we can get all the gifts to their destination in time?

PSARIANOS: Well, we have over 600 aircraft. We have about 70,000 vehicle. Well over 200,000 employees. About 110,000 of those employees just specifically directed at picking up, sorting, and delivering packages. So it's a mammoth operation. We also hired temporary workers during this time of the year, to make sure that we get every package, every present delivered as close to on time as could possibly be.

DORSEY: OK. And I know we're talking about 213 countries that Fedex delivers to.

PSARIANOS: Two hundred fifteen.

DORSEY: Two hundred and fifteen countries, rather, that Fedex delivers to. And we should tell our audience if you are going to be shipping internationally, you need to go ahead and get those - get some packages out tomorrow.

Tell me what we're going to be seeing today. We hear that the airplanes are starting to arrive this morning. What will we be seeing?

PSARIANOS: Today is probably our busiest day here, this Sunday. And then again tomorrow night's going to be the busiest day for our total operations.

But what you'll be seeing is about 110 aircraft, well over 200 tractor-trailers, CTDs, coming into the hub here. We'll be offloading packages. We'll be sorting these packages as quickly as possible. Then we'll be getting them back onto the aircraft, back onto the trucks, getting them back out on the fields so they'll be delivered tomorrow.

DORSEY: Great. Adam Psarianos, also known as Diamond here at the Fedex facility, thank you for joining us. And throughout the day, we will be bringing you more tips on how to get those packages to their destination by Christmas.

Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, I can understand why Adam is also known as Santa, but what's the diamond all about? You keep referring to him as Diamond?

DORSEY: She's asking you what the Diamond is all about in your name? She said she understands Santa, but how about Diamond?

PSARIANOS: Well, Diamond is a family name. It's nothing exotic. When I first moved here to the South, everyone asked me where the Diamond came from. And it's a family name.

DORSEY: Very straightforward then, Betty.

NGUYEN: I was hoping he would dole out diamonds and gifts this time of year.

DORSEY: Well, I'll ask him for some diamonds.

NGUYEN: All right. We'll be talking with you a little bit later on in the show today. Thanks, Sarah.

HARRIS: And time now to look ahead at some of the stories that will be making news this week. On Monday, opening statements in the trial for actor Robert Blake are scheduled to start. He's accused of murdering his wife, Bonnie Lee Blakely. The trial has been delayed a number of times. And Blake has changed lawyers four times.

Wednesday, San Francisco Superior Court holds a hearing on the constitutionality of a state law that bans same-sex marriage. The suit was filed by the city of San Francisco and gay couples who were denied marriage licenses.

And Friday, Europe's Cassini spacecraft sends a probe on a 21 day journey toward Jupiter's largest moon, Titan. Titan is a major focus of the U.S. and European mission to explore Saturn. Among other things, scientists are trying to figure out if Titan has a solid surface.

NGUYEN: Yes, I've been wondering that myself. Well, there is a growing movement of people who think it's time for everyone to slow down. They want you to lay off the fast food and eat slow meals instead. So what's a slow meal, you ask? Well, stick around. Find out. HARRIS: Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started to this talking to this person or that person, telling them what I was going to do. And they said well you need to find this lady down in Raleigh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Not just anyone can make Santa look like Santa. Meet St. Nick's little helper here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Rob Marciano, good morning, doctor.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A check of our top stories this Sunday morning. Frightening images from a Iraq. A videotape shows insurgents holding blindfolded hostages. A security source identifies the hostages as 10 Iraqis who work for an American company. The insurgents threaten to kill them if the company does not leave Iraq.

Donald Rumsfeld wants a more personal touch when it comes to condolence letters. The Defense Secretary plans to personally sign each condolence letter sent to families of service members killed in action.

A Kansas woman accused of a gruesome crime appears in federal court tomorrow. Police say Lisa Montgomery confessed to strangling a pregnant Missouri woman and taking the baby from her womb. People in Montgomery's Kansas town say she tried to pass off the infant girl as her own.

The money crush is having an effect on the nation's fire department's new concerns about fire safety coming up at 7:30 a.m. Eastern.

NGUYEN: Well, it's the time of year when people take a break from daily life to sit down with friends and family and enjoy a big home cooked meal. But a select group of people around the world is putting that idea into practice all year long.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): These days, everything moves at light speed. And with a fast paced life comes fast food. But thousands around the world are choosing to push away from the fast food table in favor of a growing movement called slow food. So far, the group claims 80,000 registered members in over 100 different countries.

It's a way of life for Skip Glover, who runs an independent organic farm in Douglasville, Georgia.

SKIP GLOVER: It meets a creative need. It meets an artistic need. It meets a nurturing need that I think all humans have at some level anyway. So that's - makes me feel good.

NGUYEN: Slow food is rooted in the belief that you should take time to enjoy meals made the old fashioned way, instead of relying on fast food. The movement actually started in Italy in 1986 as a counterattack to the construction of a McDonald's restaurant.

The slow food philosophy is to purchase locally grown produce, protect foods that are being phased out by big business agriculture, and perhaps most importantly, take pleasure in eating traditionally cooked meals.

While most people would probably prefer slow food, this is reality for millions on the go.

(on camera): But is fast food really the answer? Or is it simply an easy way out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's fast and quick. I can get in and out within 30 minutes. Not really looking at nutrition or anything like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And pretty much the only options we have in this area are typical fast food.

NGUYEN (voice-over): Julie Shaffer disagrees. She started Atlanta's first slow food chapter.

JULIE SHAFFER, SLOW FOOD ATLANTA: I work full-time as a high school teacher. And I'm a single parent. And I run slow food here in Atlanta. So if I can make the time to do it, I think everybody can make the time to do it. And I think it's just a matter of committing yourself.

NGUYEN: She says you can prepare food ahead of time and freeze it. So instead of grabbing a TV dinner, you'll pull out a home cooked meal.

Skip and his wife Cookie also believe the art of cooking feeds the soul.

S. GLOVER: You get a certain pleasure out of seeing people enjoying what you've prepared or done.

NGUYEN: If that's not fulfilling enough, Cookie says slow food can literally bring families together.

C. GLOVER: Sitting around the table growing up is one of my favorite memories.

NGUYEN: And it's those memories that give new meaning to taking it slow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: I like all of that.

NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.

HARRIS: Boy, it looked like a log cabin. It looked the first Thanksgiving. Cooked it slow.

NGUYEN: It's the old fashioned way.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: The way mama used to do it.

HARRIS: Take your time. So you grow it, put your hands in the dirt...

NGUYEN: Cook it.

HARRIS: ...you grow it, you cook it slow, you take your time...

NGUYEN: You enjoy eating it.

HARRIS: ...have a conversation at the dinner table with your family.

NGUYEN: You know what, though? I do enjoy my fast food...

HARRIS: Yes?

NGUYEN: ...but I tell you, eating home cooked meals, there's a real satisfaction in that.

HARRIS: That's good stuff.

NGUYEN: I think it's the moral of this whole story here.

HARRIS: Nice job, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, thanks.

HARRIS: One of the things we've all come to depend on, if you need help from your local fire department, will they be there? We'll look at some of the reasons why that protection might be in jeopardy in several of the nation's big cities.

NGUYEN: And protecting troops in Iraq is also a top priority. We will go inside a California company that's working as hard as it can to get more armored vehicles to Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oh, we have Rob's poinsettia. You brought it back again. Thanks, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carrying it around the newsroom with me.

NGUYEN: Nobody wants it.

MARCIANO: Because you refuse to take it. You know, that's not very nice.

HARRIS: It's crazy.

MARCIANO: You know, it's all about giving.

HARRIS: It's gift. It's a -- yes, it's the spirit of giving.

NGUYEN: I'm going to leave it right there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Firefighters across the country have some serious concerns about big city budget cuts that are leaving the hook and ladders shorthanded.

And welcome back, everyone, to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll have that story in just a minute.

But first, here's a look at news this morning. CNN has confirmed 10 Iraqi employees of a U.S. company have been taken hostage in Baghdad. Insurgents are reportedly threatening to kill them, and if the Washington base Sandy Group does not leave Iraq. Sandy Group provides security, transportation, lodging, and translation services in Iraq.

A Kansas woman who confessed to strangling a pregnant woman and then stealing the child from her womb is due in federal court tomorrow. People say Lisa Montgomery showed off the baby as her own only hours before being arrested. Authorities say Montgomery met the victim over the Internet.

Israeli forces have ended their bloody two day raid on southern Gaza. The assault left 11 Palestinians dead, dozens wounded, and many homes in ruin. The offensive is the largest since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death last month. Israel says the operation was an attempt to end Palestinian mortar attacks.

And former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet remains hospitalized this morning, after suffering a stroke. He faces at least one more day of monitoring and testing before he can be released. Pinochet is waiting to hear this week's court's ruling on whether to uphold his indictment and house arrest on human rights charges. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: And today on CNN "Security Watch," when your life depends on a firefighter, will there be one around to rescue you? That question may draw an unnerving answer because several big cities are being hit with huge budget cut backs.

CNN's Alina Cho has the view from Jersey City, New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A normal day for Jersey City firefighters. Engine Company 6 responds to a chemical spill. Nothing serious, but the big call could come at any time. The fire chief, Fred Eggers, says that a problem.

FRED EGGERS, FIRE CHIEF, JERSEY CITY, N.J.: The city of Jersey City is forced to close two companies a day because of the shortage of staffing.

CHO: Jersey City isn't alone. The National Fire Protection Association says two-thirds of the nation's fire departments are understaffed, places like Cleveland where seven percent of the city's firefighters were laid off this year, Houston where several firehouses have shut down temporarily and New York City where six fire companies have closed permanently since 2001. Eggers says it's like playing Russian roulette.

EGGERS: It's never a crisis until an incident happens. But he incident can happen at any moment and at any place.

CHO (on camera): Firefighters don't just fight fires, they're also first responders, like on September 11, and that only amplifies the problem.

HAROLD SCHAITBERGER, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS: It's a crisis for them personally, endangering them unnecessarily and it certainly is affecting the capacity for them to deliver an efficient and effective level of protection for their community.

CHO (voice-over): Take the high-rise fire in Chicago earlier this month, 450 firefighters responded. The Windy City was lucky. It has full staffing.

SCHAITBERGER: If that fire had occurred in another major city in this country, where the equipment was only staffed with three firefighters or less, that fire would have been much more difficult to bring under control.

CHO: Congress passed the Safer Act in 2003, pledging $7.6 billion over seven years to hire more firefighters but very little of the money has yet been distributed.

TIM RADUCHA-GRACE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Cities, states, counties across the United States are facing significant budget short falls. At the same time, we have a significant homeland security burden that's been placed on them. So, it puts them in a tough spot to make some very tough decisions.

CHO: So fire departments, including Jersey City, across the river from Ground Zero will continue to do more with less.

Alina Cho, CNN, Jersey City, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And listen to this story. A soldier serving in Iraq took time out from clearing roadside bombs to graduate from college. Keith Lucas was able to be part of a ceremony yesterday with his classmates, graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. During a live two way satellite transmission, Lucas' commanding officer presented him with his diploma. Lucas spends his days conducting bomb sweeps along roadways in Iraq, but his father says he was dedicated to finishing his college education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY LUCAS, SOLDIER'S FATHER: ...pegged me for kicking his butt. That's just a little phrase we have between us both. In his early years, he needed a lot of encouragement. And we didn't always agree on where he was going, but you know, he turned the corner and he's out there finally. And he's just thankful for all we've done. And of course, (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We all need that encouragement, don't we? Nudge, nudge, push, push. Lucas says his fiance also inspired him to continue his education. There she is. She's working on a post-graduate degree of her own. Lucas is scheduled to return home in February.

NGUYEN: Well, congratulations to him. Well, another military man who's already home can't wait to get back to his duty in Iraq. The Marine was seriously injured in Falluja, but says he is ready to ship out again.

Casey Wian has this week's hero's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war was already underway when 20-year old K.C. Moran joined the Marines just over a year ago.

LANCE CPL. K.C. MORAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I knew I was going to Iraq when I signed.

WIAN: Moran was a driver, but volunteered to relieve some Marines who'd been standing guard on a rooftop overlooking Falluja for more than 24 hours. Just an hour later, mortars started raining down.

MORAN: After it hit me, I was immediately down. I screamed out that I was hit.

WIAN: The mortars kept falling and rescuers dived on top of Moran to keep him from further injury. After a difficult rescue from the rooftop, he was finally bundled into a humvee.

MORAN: As we were leaving, Doc New was trying to put an IV in my hand. And he was standing up. His head was probably about not quite a foot out of the vehicle. And we got hit by an IED.

WIAN: The driver was knocked unconscious. The rescue team changed drivers, only to be hit by a second blast which knocked out the second driver.

MORAN: We waited for probably not even five minutes. It was pretty fast, but felt like a long time. And the ambulance came. It was a humvee ambulance. And they got hit by an IED also.

And then, the driver got injured on that vehicle, but they were all right. The vehicle was all right to drive. They switched drivers. And the driver proceeded to lead us back to base.

WIAN: Moran took shrapnel to his leg, back and stomach, losing six inches of intestine. Now just six weeks after the ordeal, he hopes to be able to rejoin his platoon.

MORAN: At first after I got injured I was like, "Get me out of here. I'm done." And then, after that, after I, you know, started feeling a little bit better, I was like, you know, I started feeling like I wanted to go back.

WIAN: Moran is scheduled to ship out again on Sunday. His family hopes he'll get a reprieve and be able to stay home for Christmas.

Casey Wian, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we bring you hero stories every week right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Well, there's a truck plan in Los Angeles with employees who work like somebody's life depends on it.

NGUYEN: They're answering a call for U.S. forces in Iraq right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll tell you about that.

HARRIS: No, not...

NGUYEN: The donkey song.

HARRIS: Our troubadour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's a look at the top stories this morning. 10 Iraqis working for an American company have been taken hostage. The insurgents are threatening to kill the hostages if the company does not leave Iraq.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces he will personally sign each letter of condolence written to family members of service members killed in action.

Tiny Melvern, Kansas is stunned by the gruesome kidnapping case that is unfolding there. Lisa Montgomery appears in court tomorrow. Police say she confessed to killing an expectant mother and abducting her unborn baby. The baby girl is hospitalized in good condition.

HARRIS: The played and replayed exchange between an American soldier and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has injected urgency into the effort to armor up military vehicles in Iraq. And for a manager at one armor company in Los Angeles, that effort is personal, as CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ricardo Hernandez knows his job is about life, death, and soldiers he's never met.

RICARDO HERNANDEZ, ARMOUR OF AMERICA: Every night, my wife and I think about - how they're doing over there in Iraq and what we can do to improve this type of protection for them.

LAVANDERA: Ricardo's in charge of sewing together all the soft and heavy armor packs manufactured by Armour of America in this Los Angeles factory. He's also the stepfather of a U.S. Army sergeant who drives a humvee in Iraq. A few months ago, his stepson e-mailed to say that his vehicle had finally been outfitted with the soft Kevlar armor kit that Ricardo and 30 employees had made here.

Does it help you sleep at night knowing that he's driving around in the product you made?

HERNANDEZ: Of course. Of course. I'm very happy. My wife's very confident in what I do because that protects my son. Yes, we're happy. And I'm proud of what I'm doing.

LAVANDERA: In the last year, Armour of America has made almost 3,000 armor kits for military vehicles in Iraq. Some are soft Kevlar, which slide on the humvee doors and protect soldiers from roadside bombs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In less than five minutes, you've armored the outside of the vehicle. This system is a soft - you feel the soft blanket for fragmentation.

LAVANDERA: Some kits are hard armor, as manager John Demand demonstrated for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a hard plate. Same concept. And that hard plate will stop an AK-47 and 16 rounds.

LAVANDERA: John believes this is the kind of protection soldiers want on their vehicles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to be able to stop rounds. They want to be able to stop some fragmentation. And they want to have the ability to shoot back. That's exactly what they want to do.

LAVANDERA: These days, business is mostly quiet, as John waits for the go ahead to make another $20 million worth of armor kits for the U.S. military. Just in case, he's already started on the armor for a humvee doors. Trying to get ahead of the curve here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the - this is the hardest part of the process.

LAVANDERA: The military unit John has been working with ship out in the next three to four months.

JOHN WENYENS, ARMOUR OF AMERICA: They are very interested in getting this on before they leave. But again, they're constrained by the dollars.

LAVANDERA: The military says there are some 20,000 vehicles in Iraq. About 3300 still need armor. For those vehicles, help is also coming from places like the Red River Army Depot in Northeast Texas.

COL. MICHAEL CERVONE, U.S. ARMY: This is where the - where everything comes together.

LAVANDERA: Colonel Michael Cervone oversees the delivery of humvee armor kits. These units will be shipped to the Middle East and put on in the field. Production is ramping up again with new designs to help soldiers in battle.

CERVONE: This thing will open up now all the way out, which allows the trooper to be able to have a better firing angle if he needs to lay down - suppress the fire to get out of an ambush.

LAVANDERA: Ricardo Hernandez fears his stepson is always in danger on missions through the Iraqi countryside. For him, this work is personal.

HERNANDEZ: This may save a life. Another one - nothing to tell.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: We have some breaking news out of Baghdad this morning. We're getting some disturbing pictures in about a deadly ambush on Haifa Street. We want to go now to CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad to talk about the violence there today -- Karl.

PENHAUL: Hi there, Betty.

Well to bring you up to date on the latest. Within the last few minutes, a CNN journalist on the ground in the holy Shi'ia city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, is reporting that a huge car bomb has exploded within yards of the holy Imam Ali Shrine. That's the holiest shrine for the - one of the holiest shrines for Iraq's Shi'ia Muslims.

Our journalist on the ground has told us that he has seen at least 10 bodies loaded into a police truck, victims of that explosion. He says he believes there are many more casualties.

At this stage, there's been no claim of responsibility for this bomb attack, but let's say Najaf is a main Shi'ia town. And this very close to the holiest Shi'ia shrine, the Imam Ali Shrine, which was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during an uprising in July by the so-called Mehdi militia, a militia group led by a renegade Shi'ia cleric.

That bomb attack came, in fact, two hours after another bomb attack in another Shi'ia town, just a few miles away. The city of Karbala. That's the second most important Shi'ia here in Iraq. In that bomb attack, police are telling us that 10 civilians were killed and 37 people were wounded in that. Again, no idea who may have laid that bomb, who may have set it off. But it does seem to indicate that today, we are seeing a campaign against Shi'ia targets here in Iraq.

And then onto those disturbing pictures that we've seen from Associated Press, some pictures here in Baghdad of an ambush on Haifa Street. That's about three blocks from the Green Zone, where the U.S. administration and the Iraqi interim government are housed. We understand from police that members of Iraq's independent electoral commission were making their way down that street, part of their preparations ahead of the January 30th elections. And gunmen on that street dragged them out of their cars. And what we're seeing in these photos apparently is these gunmen, armed with pistols, no masks at all on their faces, dragging these men down the street. We see at least one of them kneeling.

And then, we see in subsequent photos, these victims having been shot, an execution on Haifa Street. Again, no claims of responsibility there, but this street so close to the Green Zone has long been a center of insurgent activity. We've been on and talked to coalition sources. And they say that there was no multinational forces response to this, that this matter was being dealt with by the Iraqi police -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Karl, tell us a little bit about the men who were killed in these pictures. From what I understand, they were helping with next month's elections. Is that correct?

PENHAUL: Correct. They are members of Iraq's independent electoral commission. Their function is many fold. Part of that is to continue gathering names on the electoral register. Another part of it, throughout the month of November, what they're doing is sorting out and arranging sites that will be used as polling stations for January 30th elections.

We're not sure exactly what these men were doing on Haifa Street, or if in fact they were just transiting through Haifa Street because Haifa Street is a main thoroughfare. But certainly, they were linked to preparations for January 30th elections, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, another violent day there. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, thank you for that report.

Stay tuned to us. We have much more news to bring you this morning. You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Joyce Beisel of suburban Atlanta is known as the stylist to the Santas. So of course during the Christmas season, she's the stylist to the stars. Denise Belgrave talked with the stylist and with some of the stars.

BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "And his beard on the chin was as white as the snow." Every year at her salon in suburban Atlanta, Joyce Beisel, known as the Stylist to the Santas, pushes the hair coloring envelope to create that snowy white beard.

JOYCE BEISEL, OWNER, HAIR APPEAL: I look forward to it every year. That's why a lot of hairdressers don't do it because they're afraid of it.

BELGRAVE: And as many women know, they're afraid of it because this much coloring can ruin your hair. Beisel's over 100 clients come as fair as Las Vegas and as close as just up the road. Hal Bell who's a Georgia real estate agent loves Beisel's unique way with a beard.

HAL BELL, "SANTA": We tried to bleach it out the first time and...

BEISEL: Yourself.

BELL: Yes, ourselves, and it was painful and never got it really white. So I saw Joyce on TV and that was when it started.

BELGRAVE: Beisel has handled up to 12 Santas in one day. Hal Bell's in for just a touch up this time.

BEISEL: Hal usually takes three days. So...

BELL: So we compressed it into one day.

BEISEL: We did.

BELGRAVE: Beisel does no advertising.

JOE SMITH, "SANTA": I got started talking to this person and that person, telling them what I was going to do and they said, "Well, you need to find this lady down in Roswell.

BELGRAVE: Only the most dedicated Santas are willing to go through this trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just look dirty. I look dirty because I can see it coming through down here and of course, my eyebrows and then my halo right there. And she said, "Now you know what women go through."

BELL: She just makes the application take away all that pain so it doesn't burn so bad.

BEISEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) allergies?

BELL: This is the killer.

BELGRAVE: Joyce's more than 20 years of experience shows in the final product. All the cutting and combing, coloring and coifing, only serve to enhance the most important part, the magic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you been good this year? Have you? What else?

BELGRAVE: Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, Santa may be the person of the season, but who is your pick for the "Person of the Year"? That's our e-mail question today.

HARRIS: And we've got this response from Madelyn. "I think the 'Person of the Year' should be the blogger. They have changed the face of politics and possibly impacted for the better, the integrity of the process."

NGUYEN: Lois says, "President Bush should be the choice." That's her pick for person of the year.

HARRIS: OK, you know what I was going to say? We should - we're going to push it and get you to send some more responses in, but we're going to tell you who the TIME magazine "Person of the Year" is in exactly three minutes. We're going to take a quick break and come back with more of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

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


Aired December 19, 2004 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome from the CNN Center here in Atlanta. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 19. Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.
What's the sigh for?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: December 19th?

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: The...

NGUYEN: Almost through the year.

HARRIS: Gone. Just flat out gone.

NGUYEN: Gone.

HARRIS: Good morning, everybody. Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. "Now in the News," militants in Iraq kidnapped 10 more civilians and threatened to kill them. A security source tells CNN the victims are Iraqi employees of the Sandy Group, a Washington based firm that provides security and support services. The kidnappers are demanding that the company get out of Iraq. We'll get a live update in just two minutes.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says from now on, he will personally sign each letter to families of service members killed in action. Rumsfeld says he has already written and approved more than 1,000 letters, but has not individually signed each one. 1,308 American troops have died in Iraq.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharaff has changed his mind and now says he'll keep control of his country's military. Musharaff had promised to step down as commanding general on December 31st. Pakistan's constitution forbids him from holding two positions of power beyond that date.

Lisa Montgomery of Melvern, Kansas is expected to appear in federal court tomorrow, charged with a kidnapping that resulted in death. Montgomery is accused of killing Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore, Missouri and taking the unborn baby from Stinnett's womb. The baby girl was hospitalized in Kansas, where she's reported in good condition. The latest details are just four minutes away.

NGUYEN: And we have much more coming up this hour. Layoffs, shutdowns, and lack of staff. Firefighters are battling more than just flames these days. Also, it is crunch time. Holiday mail coming in fast and furious to the nation's postal centers. How can you make sure your Christmas goodies get to where they're going? Well, we will have some tips in a live report from a holiday mail hot spot.

And are you a fast food junkie? There's a growing movement out there that says you should kick the habit. We'll tell you about the rise of slow food.

HARRIS: Our top story this morning, a car bomb in Karbala. More violence on Haifa Street in Baghdad, which is living up to its nickname, "Little Falluja." And more civilians are kidnapped in Iraq by militants who threaten to kill them.

Correspondent Karl Penhaul joins us live from the Iraqi capital. Hi, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony. Kidnappers have released a video to Associated Press Television showing 10 Iraqi hostages. We understand that all those 10 are members of the Sandi Group, a Washington, D.C. based security group. And the kidnappers are making threats to kill these hostages unless the Sandi Group pulls out of Iraq all together.

The kidnappers say they represent a number of resistance groups, including the back - Black Banners Brigade, also the Mujahadeen Army. We do certainly know that the black banners brigade has made these kind of kidnappings before and has made good on those threats.

The Sandy Group has an estimated 7,000 employees across Iraq and fulfills a variety of functions, including security, transportation, and also guarding some hotels where media organizations are housed.

It's not clear, though, when these Iraqi security guards were taken hostage or the circumstances of that kidnapping.

Elsewhere across Iraq, it has been a bloody day. This morning, about 7:30 on Haifa Street, that's a very violent street a few yards from the Green Zone where the U.S. administration and the Iraqi government are housed, there was a shootout there along the street. And also, as a car passed along, insurgent gunmen stopped that car, pulled the occupants out of that car, and shot three of them dead. We're told by police the three dead were all members of the independent electoral commission here in Iraq, the ones helping to get preparations for the January 30th elections.

And then shortly after lunchtime, about 1:30 local time down in the southern city of Karbala, a car bomb went off there at the main bus station. Police and hospital sources are telling us that 10 people have been killed and at least 37 others wounded. The majority of those casualties are civilians, we're told. We still don't know who may have planted this bomb, but it's the second in just a few days.

On the 15th of this month, another bomb exploded in Karbala. Seven people were killed in that attack, Tony.

HARRIS: Another violent start to the week in Iraq. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, Karl, thank you.

Peace in the Middle East. President Bush says it will happen fairly soon. The president tells an Israeli newspaper he is sure he can bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And Mr. Bush says he can do it within a second term. He says he plans to invest a lot of what he's calling creative thinking to make it happen.

NGUYEN: We have new details, and they are emerging, in the case of a Kansas woman accused of killing a pregnant woman and then taking the baby from her womb. Police say it turns out the suspect had been showing off the child just hours before she was arrested in Melvern, Kansas.

We want to get some details now from reporter Sandra Olivas from CNN's Kansas City affiliate KCTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE WHEATLEY, PASTOR: Well, she's a precious - you know, one of the prettiest babies I've seen for a long time. They always look a little smooshed up and wrinkled and stuff when they're first born, but and all bright red and everything like that. She was - this baby was beautiful.

SANDRA OLIVAS, KCTV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Pastor Mike Wheatley and his wife are used to welcoming families and their new babies into the church. So it wasn't unusual when they got a call yesterday morning from Lisa Montgomery and her husband about stopping by to show off their new baby girl they had named Abigail.

WHEATLEY: We got to hold the baby and just love on it. And she sat there and just watched us and commented about the delivery and about how her water broke. And my wife asked her where she'd had it. And she said she'd had it at the birthing center in Topeka.

OLIVAS: Pastor Wheatley says for months, Lisa had everyone, including her own husband, convinced she was pregnant.

WHEATLEY: She was pretty small. And I commented to her about it. I asked her if she was due - when she was due. And she said she was due in December. And I said, "Well, you're kind of small to be having a baby that soon." And she said, "Well, I always have small babies." And so, I just let it go at that.

OLIVAS: Investigators say Lisa confessed she went to the home of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in Skidmore, Missouri, strangled her from behind, and cut the fetus from her womb. Within an hour of the gruesome crime, Pastor Wheatley now says that Lisa's web of deceit was unraveling.

WHEATLEY: She called me at 3:15 in the afternoon on Thursday and wanted to talk to my wife and tell her about the baby. And I said, "Well, did you have - do we have a baby yet?" She said, "C.J.'s holding it right now."

OLIVAS: The pastor says Montgomery's husband had no idea the baby wasn't his wife's. He even brought the newborn here to the town cafe to show her off to friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They go downtown flaunting the baby to everyone.

OLIVAS: She was known as a good neighbor, a nurturing mother, and a caring Christian woman. Now the townspeople of Melvern say it was all a lie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very psychotic. Just completely insane.

WHEATLEY: We felt betrayed. We were angry. But most of all, we were very, very, very sad.

OLIVAS (on camera): Lisa Montgomery is in the custody of federal authorities in Leavenworth, Kansas. She could face the death penalty.

Reporting for CNN, I'm Sandra Olivas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And the federal prosecutor handling the case tells CNN that his office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, but Todd Graves also says his office has successfully sought death sentences on the same charge facing Montgomery twice in three years.

HARRIS: And here are some stories across America now. Three Maryland men are due in court tomorrow to face charges in the largest residential arson case in state history. The suspects, all 20-years old, and one of them a volunteer firefighter, are accused of causing $10 million in damage to an upscale neighborhood under construction. A security guard at the site has also been charged.

In Iowa, a federal judge delivers $1 billion blow against spammers. The judge filed default judgments against three e-mail marketers on behalf of an Internet provider in Iowa. It is believed to be a record judgment against companies accused of improperly sending junk e-mails in central Florida.

A sink hole is growing in Deltona. It's already gobbled up four lanes of a road and now measures 150 feet wide. It's threatening 20 homes and a power line that services some 2,000 homes. Aleutia County officials say it's likely to grow over the next several days.

NGUYEN: All right, Santa's workshop isn't the only holiday hub all abuzz on this weekend before Christmas. In fact, another hot spot as well to the south in Memphis, Tennessee. That is the hub for Fedex, a company whose name has become synonymous with global shipping.

CNN's Sarah Dorsey is at that nerve center and joins us with some tips and some tidbits. I think we all need a lot of tips this time, since time is a ticking.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. Time is running out, but it's not too late if you don't have your packages shipped out for Christmas. If you're shipping here in the United States, Fedex gives you until the 23rd to get those out. And that means they will deliver it before Christmas if you do that.

Things are starting to heat up a little bit here this morning. The people - the workers here are gearing up for the busiest day for FedEx Express. That is going to be on Monday. The company plans to handle about 4.6 million packages during that day. And that's coming off last Monday, which is the busiest day for the entire company, where they handled eight - more than eight million packages.

And right now, we have joining us Adam Psarianos, also known as Diamond. He's a vice president here at FedEx, and also probably known as Santa Claus to some people.

You all do a lot of shipping this time of year. Tell me a little bit about how important between Thanksgiving and Christmas is for you in this business?

ADAM PSARIANOS, FEDEX WORLD HUB: Well, good morning, Sarah, first of all. Welcome to the North Pole of the mid South.

DORSEY: Thank you.

PSARIANOS: We feel like Santa Claus this time of the year. This is our peak season, where we handle the most volume of any of the 12 months of the year, again, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then again, dies down after that. But we're all very excited. This is the 26th year that I'm doing this. Happy time of the year.

I do feel like Santa Claus, as do all the other workers here at FedEx.

DORSEY: And I'm sure everyone appreciates the work, so they can get those gifts on Christmas. Tell me, what does it take, what type of fleet do you all have in order to make this happen, so we can get all the gifts to their destination in time?

PSARIANOS: Well, we have over 600 aircraft. We have about 70,000 vehicle. Well over 200,000 employees. About 110,000 of those employees just specifically directed at picking up, sorting, and delivering packages. So it's a mammoth operation. We also hired temporary workers during this time of the year, to make sure that we get every package, every present delivered as close to on time as could possibly be.

DORSEY: OK. And I know we're talking about 213 countries that Fedex delivers to.

PSARIANOS: Two hundred fifteen.

DORSEY: Two hundred and fifteen countries, rather, that Fedex delivers to. And we should tell our audience if you are going to be shipping internationally, you need to go ahead and get those - get some packages out tomorrow.

Tell me what we're going to be seeing today. We hear that the airplanes are starting to arrive this morning. What will we be seeing?

PSARIANOS: Today is probably our busiest day here, this Sunday. And then again tomorrow night's going to be the busiest day for our total operations.

But what you'll be seeing is about 110 aircraft, well over 200 tractor-trailers, CTDs, coming into the hub here. We'll be offloading packages. We'll be sorting these packages as quickly as possible. Then we'll be getting them back onto the aircraft, back onto the trucks, getting them back out on the fields so they'll be delivered tomorrow.

DORSEY: Great. Adam Psarianos, also known as Diamond here at the Fedex facility, thank you for joining us. And throughout the day, we will be bringing you more tips on how to get those packages to their destination by Christmas.

Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, I can understand why Adam is also known as Santa, but what's the diamond all about? You keep referring to him as Diamond?

DORSEY: She's asking you what the Diamond is all about in your name? She said she understands Santa, but how about Diamond?

PSARIANOS: Well, Diamond is a family name. It's nothing exotic. When I first moved here to the South, everyone asked me where the Diamond came from. And it's a family name.

DORSEY: Very straightforward then, Betty.

NGUYEN: I was hoping he would dole out diamonds and gifts this time of year.

DORSEY: Well, I'll ask him for some diamonds.

NGUYEN: All right. We'll be talking with you a little bit later on in the show today. Thanks, Sarah.

HARRIS: And time now to look ahead at some of the stories that will be making news this week. On Monday, opening statements in the trial for actor Robert Blake are scheduled to start. He's accused of murdering his wife, Bonnie Lee Blakely. The trial has been delayed a number of times. And Blake has changed lawyers four times.

Wednesday, San Francisco Superior Court holds a hearing on the constitutionality of a state law that bans same-sex marriage. The suit was filed by the city of San Francisco and gay couples who were denied marriage licenses.

And Friday, Europe's Cassini spacecraft sends a probe on a 21 day journey toward Jupiter's largest moon, Titan. Titan is a major focus of the U.S. and European mission to explore Saturn. Among other things, scientists are trying to figure out if Titan has a solid surface.

NGUYEN: Yes, I've been wondering that myself. Well, there is a growing movement of people who think it's time for everyone to slow down. They want you to lay off the fast food and eat slow meals instead. So what's a slow meal, you ask? Well, stick around. Find out. HARRIS: Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started to this talking to this person or that person, telling them what I was going to do. And they said well you need to find this lady down in Raleigh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Not just anyone can make Santa look like Santa. Meet St. Nick's little helper here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Rob Marciano, good morning, doctor.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A check of our top stories this Sunday morning. Frightening images from a Iraq. A videotape shows insurgents holding blindfolded hostages. A security source identifies the hostages as 10 Iraqis who work for an American company. The insurgents threaten to kill them if the company does not leave Iraq.

Donald Rumsfeld wants a more personal touch when it comes to condolence letters. The Defense Secretary plans to personally sign each condolence letter sent to families of service members killed in action.

A Kansas woman accused of a gruesome crime appears in federal court tomorrow. Police say Lisa Montgomery confessed to strangling a pregnant Missouri woman and taking the baby from her womb. People in Montgomery's Kansas town say she tried to pass off the infant girl as her own.

The money crush is having an effect on the nation's fire department's new concerns about fire safety coming up at 7:30 a.m. Eastern.

NGUYEN: Well, it's the time of year when people take a break from daily life to sit down with friends and family and enjoy a big home cooked meal. But a select group of people around the world is putting that idea into practice all year long.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): These days, everything moves at light speed. And with a fast paced life comes fast food. But thousands around the world are choosing to push away from the fast food table in favor of a growing movement called slow food. So far, the group claims 80,000 registered members in over 100 different countries.

It's a way of life for Skip Glover, who runs an independent organic farm in Douglasville, Georgia.

SKIP GLOVER: It meets a creative need. It meets an artistic need. It meets a nurturing need that I think all humans have at some level anyway. So that's - makes me feel good.

NGUYEN: Slow food is rooted in the belief that you should take time to enjoy meals made the old fashioned way, instead of relying on fast food. The movement actually started in Italy in 1986 as a counterattack to the construction of a McDonald's restaurant.

The slow food philosophy is to purchase locally grown produce, protect foods that are being phased out by big business agriculture, and perhaps most importantly, take pleasure in eating traditionally cooked meals.

While most people would probably prefer slow food, this is reality for millions on the go.

(on camera): But is fast food really the answer? Or is it simply an easy way out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's fast and quick. I can get in and out within 30 minutes. Not really looking at nutrition or anything like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And pretty much the only options we have in this area are typical fast food.

NGUYEN (voice-over): Julie Shaffer disagrees. She started Atlanta's first slow food chapter.

JULIE SHAFFER, SLOW FOOD ATLANTA: I work full-time as a high school teacher. And I'm a single parent. And I run slow food here in Atlanta. So if I can make the time to do it, I think everybody can make the time to do it. And I think it's just a matter of committing yourself.

NGUYEN: She says you can prepare food ahead of time and freeze it. So instead of grabbing a TV dinner, you'll pull out a home cooked meal.

Skip and his wife Cookie also believe the art of cooking feeds the soul.

S. GLOVER: You get a certain pleasure out of seeing people enjoying what you've prepared or done.

NGUYEN: If that's not fulfilling enough, Cookie says slow food can literally bring families together.

C. GLOVER: Sitting around the table growing up is one of my favorite memories.

NGUYEN: And it's those memories that give new meaning to taking it slow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: I like all of that.

NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.

HARRIS: Boy, it looked like a log cabin. It looked the first Thanksgiving. Cooked it slow.

NGUYEN: It's the old fashioned way.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: The way mama used to do it.

HARRIS: Take your time. So you grow it, put your hands in the dirt...

NGUYEN: Cook it.

HARRIS: ...you grow it, you cook it slow, you take your time...

NGUYEN: You enjoy eating it.

HARRIS: ...have a conversation at the dinner table with your family.

NGUYEN: You know what, though? I do enjoy my fast food...

HARRIS: Yes?

NGUYEN: ...but I tell you, eating home cooked meals, there's a real satisfaction in that.

HARRIS: That's good stuff.

NGUYEN: I think it's the moral of this whole story here.

HARRIS: Nice job, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, thanks.

HARRIS: One of the things we've all come to depend on, if you need help from your local fire department, will they be there? We'll look at some of the reasons why that protection might be in jeopardy in several of the nation's big cities.

NGUYEN: And protecting troops in Iraq is also a top priority. We will go inside a California company that's working as hard as it can to get more armored vehicles to Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oh, we have Rob's poinsettia. You brought it back again. Thanks, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carrying it around the newsroom with me.

NGUYEN: Nobody wants it.

MARCIANO: Because you refuse to take it. You know, that's not very nice.

HARRIS: It's crazy.

MARCIANO: You know, it's all about giving.

HARRIS: It's gift. It's a -- yes, it's the spirit of giving.

NGUYEN: I'm going to leave it right there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Firefighters across the country have some serious concerns about big city budget cuts that are leaving the hook and ladders shorthanded.

And welcome back, everyone, to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll have that story in just a minute.

But first, here's a look at news this morning. CNN has confirmed 10 Iraqi employees of a U.S. company have been taken hostage in Baghdad. Insurgents are reportedly threatening to kill them, and if the Washington base Sandy Group does not leave Iraq. Sandy Group provides security, transportation, lodging, and translation services in Iraq.

A Kansas woman who confessed to strangling a pregnant woman and then stealing the child from her womb is due in federal court tomorrow. People say Lisa Montgomery showed off the baby as her own only hours before being arrested. Authorities say Montgomery met the victim over the Internet.

Israeli forces have ended their bloody two day raid on southern Gaza. The assault left 11 Palestinians dead, dozens wounded, and many homes in ruin. The offensive is the largest since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death last month. Israel says the operation was an attempt to end Palestinian mortar attacks.

And former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet remains hospitalized this morning, after suffering a stroke. He faces at least one more day of monitoring and testing before he can be released. Pinochet is waiting to hear this week's court's ruling on whether to uphold his indictment and house arrest on human rights charges. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: And today on CNN "Security Watch," when your life depends on a firefighter, will there be one around to rescue you? That question may draw an unnerving answer because several big cities are being hit with huge budget cut backs.

CNN's Alina Cho has the view from Jersey City, New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A normal day for Jersey City firefighters. Engine Company 6 responds to a chemical spill. Nothing serious, but the big call could come at any time. The fire chief, Fred Eggers, says that a problem.

FRED EGGERS, FIRE CHIEF, JERSEY CITY, N.J.: The city of Jersey City is forced to close two companies a day because of the shortage of staffing.

CHO: Jersey City isn't alone. The National Fire Protection Association says two-thirds of the nation's fire departments are understaffed, places like Cleveland where seven percent of the city's firefighters were laid off this year, Houston where several firehouses have shut down temporarily and New York City where six fire companies have closed permanently since 2001. Eggers says it's like playing Russian roulette.

EGGERS: It's never a crisis until an incident happens. But he incident can happen at any moment and at any place.

CHO (on camera): Firefighters don't just fight fires, they're also first responders, like on September 11, and that only amplifies the problem.

HAROLD SCHAITBERGER, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS: It's a crisis for them personally, endangering them unnecessarily and it certainly is affecting the capacity for them to deliver an efficient and effective level of protection for their community.

CHO (voice-over): Take the high-rise fire in Chicago earlier this month, 450 firefighters responded. The Windy City was lucky. It has full staffing.

SCHAITBERGER: If that fire had occurred in another major city in this country, where the equipment was only staffed with three firefighters or less, that fire would have been much more difficult to bring under control.

CHO: Congress passed the Safer Act in 2003, pledging $7.6 billion over seven years to hire more firefighters but very little of the money has yet been distributed.

TIM RADUCHA-GRACE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Cities, states, counties across the United States are facing significant budget short falls. At the same time, we have a significant homeland security burden that's been placed on them. So, it puts them in a tough spot to make some very tough decisions.

CHO: So fire departments, including Jersey City, across the river from Ground Zero will continue to do more with less.

Alina Cho, CNN, Jersey City, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And listen to this story. A soldier serving in Iraq took time out from clearing roadside bombs to graduate from college. Keith Lucas was able to be part of a ceremony yesterday with his classmates, graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. During a live two way satellite transmission, Lucas' commanding officer presented him with his diploma. Lucas spends his days conducting bomb sweeps along roadways in Iraq, but his father says he was dedicated to finishing his college education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY LUCAS, SOLDIER'S FATHER: ...pegged me for kicking his butt. That's just a little phrase we have between us both. In his early years, he needed a lot of encouragement. And we didn't always agree on where he was going, but you know, he turned the corner and he's out there finally. And he's just thankful for all we've done. And of course, (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We all need that encouragement, don't we? Nudge, nudge, push, push. Lucas says his fiance also inspired him to continue his education. There she is. She's working on a post-graduate degree of her own. Lucas is scheduled to return home in February.

NGUYEN: Well, congratulations to him. Well, another military man who's already home can't wait to get back to his duty in Iraq. The Marine was seriously injured in Falluja, but says he is ready to ship out again.

Casey Wian has this week's hero's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war was already underway when 20-year old K.C. Moran joined the Marines just over a year ago.

LANCE CPL. K.C. MORAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I knew I was going to Iraq when I signed.

WIAN: Moran was a driver, but volunteered to relieve some Marines who'd been standing guard on a rooftop overlooking Falluja for more than 24 hours. Just an hour later, mortars started raining down.

MORAN: After it hit me, I was immediately down. I screamed out that I was hit.

WIAN: The mortars kept falling and rescuers dived on top of Moran to keep him from further injury. After a difficult rescue from the rooftop, he was finally bundled into a humvee.

MORAN: As we were leaving, Doc New was trying to put an IV in my hand. And he was standing up. His head was probably about not quite a foot out of the vehicle. And we got hit by an IED.

WIAN: The driver was knocked unconscious. The rescue team changed drivers, only to be hit by a second blast which knocked out the second driver.

MORAN: We waited for probably not even five minutes. It was pretty fast, but felt like a long time. And the ambulance came. It was a humvee ambulance. And they got hit by an IED also.

And then, the driver got injured on that vehicle, but they were all right. The vehicle was all right to drive. They switched drivers. And the driver proceeded to lead us back to base.

WIAN: Moran took shrapnel to his leg, back and stomach, losing six inches of intestine. Now just six weeks after the ordeal, he hopes to be able to rejoin his platoon.

MORAN: At first after I got injured I was like, "Get me out of here. I'm done." And then, after that, after I, you know, started feeling a little bit better, I was like, you know, I started feeling like I wanted to go back.

WIAN: Moran is scheduled to ship out again on Sunday. His family hopes he'll get a reprieve and be able to stay home for Christmas.

Casey Wian, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we bring you hero stories every week right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Well, there's a truck plan in Los Angeles with employees who work like somebody's life depends on it.

NGUYEN: They're answering a call for U.S. forces in Iraq right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll tell you about that.

HARRIS: No, not...

NGUYEN: The donkey song.

HARRIS: Our troubadour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's a look at the top stories this morning. 10 Iraqis working for an American company have been taken hostage. The insurgents are threatening to kill the hostages if the company does not leave Iraq.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces he will personally sign each letter of condolence written to family members of service members killed in action.

Tiny Melvern, Kansas is stunned by the gruesome kidnapping case that is unfolding there. Lisa Montgomery appears in court tomorrow. Police say she confessed to killing an expectant mother and abducting her unborn baby. The baby girl is hospitalized in good condition.

HARRIS: The played and replayed exchange between an American soldier and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has injected urgency into the effort to armor up military vehicles in Iraq. And for a manager at one armor company in Los Angeles, that effort is personal, as CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ricardo Hernandez knows his job is about life, death, and soldiers he's never met.

RICARDO HERNANDEZ, ARMOUR OF AMERICA: Every night, my wife and I think about - how they're doing over there in Iraq and what we can do to improve this type of protection for them.

LAVANDERA: Ricardo's in charge of sewing together all the soft and heavy armor packs manufactured by Armour of America in this Los Angeles factory. He's also the stepfather of a U.S. Army sergeant who drives a humvee in Iraq. A few months ago, his stepson e-mailed to say that his vehicle had finally been outfitted with the soft Kevlar armor kit that Ricardo and 30 employees had made here.

Does it help you sleep at night knowing that he's driving around in the product you made?

HERNANDEZ: Of course. Of course. I'm very happy. My wife's very confident in what I do because that protects my son. Yes, we're happy. And I'm proud of what I'm doing.

LAVANDERA: In the last year, Armour of America has made almost 3,000 armor kits for military vehicles in Iraq. Some are soft Kevlar, which slide on the humvee doors and protect soldiers from roadside bombs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In less than five minutes, you've armored the outside of the vehicle. This system is a soft - you feel the soft blanket for fragmentation.

LAVANDERA: Some kits are hard armor, as manager John Demand demonstrated for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a hard plate. Same concept. And that hard plate will stop an AK-47 and 16 rounds.

LAVANDERA: John believes this is the kind of protection soldiers want on their vehicles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to be able to stop rounds. They want to be able to stop some fragmentation. And they want to have the ability to shoot back. That's exactly what they want to do.

LAVANDERA: These days, business is mostly quiet, as John waits for the go ahead to make another $20 million worth of armor kits for the U.S. military. Just in case, he's already started on the armor for a humvee doors. Trying to get ahead of the curve here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the - this is the hardest part of the process.

LAVANDERA: The military unit John has been working with ship out in the next three to four months.

JOHN WENYENS, ARMOUR OF AMERICA: They are very interested in getting this on before they leave. But again, they're constrained by the dollars.

LAVANDERA: The military says there are some 20,000 vehicles in Iraq. About 3300 still need armor. For those vehicles, help is also coming from places like the Red River Army Depot in Northeast Texas.

COL. MICHAEL CERVONE, U.S. ARMY: This is where the - where everything comes together.

LAVANDERA: Colonel Michael Cervone oversees the delivery of humvee armor kits. These units will be shipped to the Middle East and put on in the field. Production is ramping up again with new designs to help soldiers in battle.

CERVONE: This thing will open up now all the way out, which allows the trooper to be able to have a better firing angle if he needs to lay down - suppress the fire to get out of an ambush.

LAVANDERA: Ricardo Hernandez fears his stepson is always in danger on missions through the Iraqi countryside. For him, this work is personal.

HERNANDEZ: This may save a life. Another one - nothing to tell.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: We have some breaking news out of Baghdad this morning. We're getting some disturbing pictures in about a deadly ambush on Haifa Street. We want to go now to CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad to talk about the violence there today -- Karl.

PENHAUL: Hi there, Betty.

Well to bring you up to date on the latest. Within the last few minutes, a CNN journalist on the ground in the holy Shi'ia city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, is reporting that a huge car bomb has exploded within yards of the holy Imam Ali Shrine. That's the holiest shrine for the - one of the holiest shrines for Iraq's Shi'ia Muslims.

Our journalist on the ground has told us that he has seen at least 10 bodies loaded into a police truck, victims of that explosion. He says he believes there are many more casualties.

At this stage, there's been no claim of responsibility for this bomb attack, but let's say Najaf is a main Shi'ia town. And this very close to the holiest Shi'ia shrine, the Imam Ali Shrine, which was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during an uprising in July by the so-called Mehdi militia, a militia group led by a renegade Shi'ia cleric.

That bomb attack came, in fact, two hours after another bomb attack in another Shi'ia town, just a few miles away. The city of Karbala. That's the second most important Shi'ia here in Iraq. In that bomb attack, police are telling us that 10 civilians were killed and 37 people were wounded in that. Again, no idea who may have laid that bomb, who may have set it off. But it does seem to indicate that today, we are seeing a campaign against Shi'ia targets here in Iraq.

And then onto those disturbing pictures that we've seen from Associated Press, some pictures here in Baghdad of an ambush on Haifa Street. That's about three blocks from the Green Zone, where the U.S. administration and the Iraqi interim government are housed. We understand from police that members of Iraq's independent electoral commission were making their way down that street, part of their preparations ahead of the January 30th elections. And gunmen on that street dragged them out of their cars. And what we're seeing in these photos apparently is these gunmen, armed with pistols, no masks at all on their faces, dragging these men down the street. We see at least one of them kneeling.

And then, we see in subsequent photos, these victims having been shot, an execution on Haifa Street. Again, no claims of responsibility there, but this street so close to the Green Zone has long been a center of insurgent activity. We've been on and talked to coalition sources. And they say that there was no multinational forces response to this, that this matter was being dealt with by the Iraqi police -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Karl, tell us a little bit about the men who were killed in these pictures. From what I understand, they were helping with next month's elections. Is that correct?

PENHAUL: Correct. They are members of Iraq's independent electoral commission. Their function is many fold. Part of that is to continue gathering names on the electoral register. Another part of it, throughout the month of November, what they're doing is sorting out and arranging sites that will be used as polling stations for January 30th elections.

We're not sure exactly what these men were doing on Haifa Street, or if in fact they were just transiting through Haifa Street because Haifa Street is a main thoroughfare. But certainly, they were linked to preparations for January 30th elections, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, another violent day there. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, thank you for that report.

Stay tuned to us. We have much more news to bring you this morning. You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Joyce Beisel of suburban Atlanta is known as the stylist to the Santas. So of course during the Christmas season, she's the stylist to the stars. Denise Belgrave talked with the stylist and with some of the stars.

BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "And his beard on the chin was as white as the snow." Every year at her salon in suburban Atlanta, Joyce Beisel, known as the Stylist to the Santas, pushes the hair coloring envelope to create that snowy white beard.

JOYCE BEISEL, OWNER, HAIR APPEAL: I look forward to it every year. That's why a lot of hairdressers don't do it because they're afraid of it.

BELGRAVE: And as many women know, they're afraid of it because this much coloring can ruin your hair. Beisel's over 100 clients come as fair as Las Vegas and as close as just up the road. Hal Bell who's a Georgia real estate agent loves Beisel's unique way with a beard.

HAL BELL, "SANTA": We tried to bleach it out the first time and...

BEISEL: Yourself.

BELL: Yes, ourselves, and it was painful and never got it really white. So I saw Joyce on TV and that was when it started.

BELGRAVE: Beisel has handled up to 12 Santas in one day. Hal Bell's in for just a touch up this time.

BEISEL: Hal usually takes three days. So...

BELL: So we compressed it into one day.

BEISEL: We did.

BELGRAVE: Beisel does no advertising.

JOE SMITH, "SANTA": I got started talking to this person and that person, telling them what I was going to do and they said, "Well, you need to find this lady down in Roswell.

BELGRAVE: Only the most dedicated Santas are willing to go through this trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just look dirty. I look dirty because I can see it coming through down here and of course, my eyebrows and then my halo right there. And she said, "Now you know what women go through."

BELL: She just makes the application take away all that pain so it doesn't burn so bad.

BEISEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) allergies?

BELL: This is the killer.

BELGRAVE: Joyce's more than 20 years of experience shows in the final product. All the cutting and combing, coloring and coifing, only serve to enhance the most important part, the magic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you been good this year? Have you? What else?

BELGRAVE: Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, Santa may be the person of the season, but who is your pick for the "Person of the Year"? That's our e-mail question today.

HARRIS: And we've got this response from Madelyn. "I think the 'Person of the Year' should be the blogger. They have changed the face of politics and possibly impacted for the better, the integrity of the process."

NGUYEN: Lois says, "President Bush should be the choice." That's her pick for person of the year.

HARRIS: OK, you know what I was going to say? We should - we're going to push it and get you to send some more responses in, but we're going to tell you who the TIME magazine "Person of the Year" is in exactly three minutes. We're going to take a quick break and come back with more of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

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