Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Iraqi President Criticizes Iraq Study Group Report; Discovery Lifted off Saturday on First Night Launch in Four Years; Tannenbaum Grounded at Sea-Tac; Missing South Carolina Couple; Obama vs. Clinton?; Faces of Faith
Aired December 10, 2006 - 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: "Now in the News" this morning, a final salute to the troops. Outgoing defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld makes an unannounced visit to Iraq. These are new pictures just in this morning from the Defense Department. Rumsfeld told troops that the strength of the U.S. military is in the hearts of the men and women who serve.
Well, gunmen stormed the homes of two Shiite families in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad. And police say at least nine people were killed. No one is claiming responsibility at this point, but police say it appears to be retaliation for earlier attacks against Sunnis.
Check this out. We didn't think it was going to happen, but it did. Space shuttle Discovery is well on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station after two weather delays. That's why we thought it may not have lifted off yesterday but, indeed, it did.
It blasted off from Florida last night, lighting up the night sky, as you see right there. Three spacewalks are planned so that astronauts can rewire the space station. Discovery docks tomorrow.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: A showdown in Lebanon. This one putting thousands of the country's Hezbollah-led protesters in the streets, staging a mass rally in Beirut. Protests have been playing since the start of the month. The demonstrators are trying to force change in Lebanon's western-backed government.
We'll go live to Beirut coming up in the next hour.
And conditions in Darfur sparking protests in about 40 countries around the world today. A demonstration will get started about four hours from now in Washington. That protest, led by women, will be held outside the Sudanese embassy. The demonstrators are trying to call attention to rape and sexual violence in Darfur.
Now the first quick check of the weather with Reynolds Wolf.
Good morning to you, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RABBI ELAZAR BOGOMILSKY: People that I bumped into that know the story today are just -- are just shocked that the airport would make a decision, the court would make a decision to actually remove the Christmas trees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK, that rabbi in shock somewhat, but a little twist here. He was the one threatening to sue the Seattle airport for not erecting a menorah next to the Christmas tree.
We'll be talking with that rabbi and the airport authority. A very interesting story for you on this Sunday morning as we head into the holiday season.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
It's December 10th.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
7:00 a.m. here in the East, 4:00 a.m. in Seattle.
Thank you so much for starting your day here with us.
NGUYEN: There is some harsh criticism this morning of the Iraq Study group's report, recommending a change, of course, in Iraq. The criticism coming from the Iraqi president. He calls some of the recommendations very dangerous. His words.
Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live from Baghdad.
Nic, what is it exactly about this that's so dangerous?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's -- Betty, what is very interesting about this is we're hearing it from President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd. And it's the Kurds and Jalal Talabani himself that have been one of the staunchest allies so far of the United States of getting rid of Saddam Hussein, of everything the United States is doing in Iraq so far. So it's very surprising not only to hear this criticism coming from somebody so senior, but coming from somebody until now who has been a very, very staunch ally.
And what he is saying that is dangerous is leaving so many U.S. military trainers so deeply embedded in the Iraqi force. Undermines the sovereignty of the country, undermines the sovereignty of the Iraqi army, something he describes quite clearly as dangerous and unfair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JALAL TALABANI, IRAQI PRESIDENT: I think that the Baker-Hamilton is not fair, is not just, and it contains some very dangerous articles which are undermining the sovereignty of Iraq and the constitution. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But there is a subtext to this as well. Jalal Talabani is a Kurd. The other Kurdish leader, a very senior figure in Iraq, in fact, the president of Kurdistan, earlier this week criticized the study as well. He said that it was trying to undermine the sovereignty of the country because it was trying to take away regional control over oil resources. And this seems to be perhaps at the heart of the Kurdish worries here, that what the Baker group is suggesting will bring the oil revenues of the country under central control and will give the Kurds less control of these revenues -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, Nic, as this all goes on and people debate exactly which way to go forward in Iraq, the violence does continue. And that's something that really the officials there need to get a handle on. But tell me what happened overnight.
ROBERTSON: A very interesting series of events.
Late yesterday afternoon, about 3:00 p.m., several mortars fell on a Shia neighborhood in Baghdad. Two people killed, two wounded.
About an hour later, in a neighboring Sunni area -- it's a majority Shia area surrounding a small Sunni community -- the Sunnis there say they were assaulted. Several people were killed. A number of families, about 40 families, were forced from their houses.
And then overnight last night, yet more sectarian retaliation. It appears in that sequence of events Sunnis then went to a Shia neighborhood. And in that Shia neighborhood, killed nine people, drove some families from their homes there as well.
So what we saw is an attack on a Shia neighborhood, retribution on a Sunni neighborhood, retribution again on a Shia neighborhood. And even today there are running gun battles between Shia and Sunni communities in this city.
NGUYEN: And unfortunately, it's something we are hearing a lot of lately.
Nic Robertson joining us live from Baghdad.
Nic, thank you for that.
Also from Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld rallies troops one last time. We're learning more about this, this morning, as the defense secretary's surprise visit to Iraq came to pass. He told an audience of service members it has been his privilege to serve the greatest military on earth.
These photos just released by the Defense Department. The trip was shrouded in secrecy, for security.
HOLMES: Time for us now to head out of this world. And a spectacular nighttime liftoff for the space shuttle Discovery. The shuttle and its crew of seven are headed to the International Space Station right now.
And CNN's Brianna Keilar has more on the mission and the astronauts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. We have booster ignition and liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery, lighting up the nighttime sky.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After two days of weather delays, shuttle Discovery headed for the International Space Station, where the astronauts will conduct three spacewalks, rewiring parts of the ISS to accommodate new solar panels and make way for new scientific modules. This was the first night launch since shuttle Columbia's 2003 launch, when foam fell off the external fuel tank, damaging thermal tiles and ultimately dooming Columbia's seven- member crew.
BILL GERSTENMAIER, ASSOC. ADMINISTRATOR, SPACE OPS: When the main engine's plumes kind of expand, there is pretty good lighting, and you can get to see pretty good views underneath the orbiter. No results in terms of anything we saw from a damage standpoint.
KEILAR: Only two of Discovery's seven astronauts have been in space before, commander Mark Polanski and mission specialist Robert Curbeam. Sunitia Williams, who will stay at the International Space Station for the next six months, is one of the five rookies.
SUNITA WILLIAMS, ASTRONAUT: The first time opening the hatch and seeing the Earth with just my visor being the -- you know, the window between me and Earth. And I think that's just going to be totally amazing. And so I'm really looking toward to that.
KEILAR (on camera): Also on this Discovery mission, Christor Fuglesang, the first Swede to go into space, and Joan Higginbotham, only the third African-American woman to do so.
At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, I'm Brianna Keilar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, you might want to slow down, Santa, because Rudolph may be grounded. The Christmas tree display at the Seattle- Tacoma airport is canceled until further notice. All it took was one complaint from one person and the threat of a lawsuit.
Kim Holkam (ph) of Seattle affiliate KING has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): It is the busiest time of year at Sea-Tac for one reason...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're here. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... thousands home for the holidays. But the very purpose of the rush in symbolic evergreen is no longer visible inside the terminal. A giant Christmas tree and other small ones removed overnight after airport officials say one person complained.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think sometimes the vocal minority dominates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of sad that we have to do that now, it seems, to try to please everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Airport officials say this was no simple complaint. A rabbi threatened to file a lawsuit if the court didn't allow him to hold a public menorah lighting next to the trees. The port commission decided the best course of action was to simply take them down.
TERI-ANN BETANCOURT, SEA-TAC PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER: You know, our focus is on customer service, on getting our passengers through the airport. And we thought if we can take the trees down and avoid litigation -- because we don't want to litigate with the -- with this individual. We would like to come to some resolution, but that's going to take some thoughtful discussion. And we would like to have time to have that thoughtful discussion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A response to one traveler sending an unintended message to many more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, to take away the Christmas tree to me, you know, is just saying that Christmas doesn't count.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When is it going it be that we're going to take the wreath down? When is it going to be that holly comes down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many of those are still up, strung behind airlines and rental counters. And long-time employees of Sea-Tac say they will remain, with the prospect of even more.
JIM, SEA-TAC EMPLOYEE: They're probably going to bring in their own solution tomorrow, to demonstrate, I suppose, and they're going to bring in their own Christmas trees.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Now, to see if we can sort this out, we are joined on the phone by Patricia Davis, president of the Seattle Port Commission, and by Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, the man who complained and brought that tree down.
First of all, we want to welcome you both to the show.
And Rabbi, let me start with you.
Christmas trees are displayed all over the country in public displays. What was it about this particular one that upset you? BOGOMILSKY: You have to understand some things. You know, first of all, I think it's very important that people hear this I guess from my end, and from the Jewish community in general. We're all shocked and we're all surprised, appalled, to say the least, that the decision would be to remove the Christmas trees.
I mean, the Christmas trees have been there for 25 years. The Christmas trees are a symbol of the holiday spirit. People look forward to it. Thousands of people leave every day Seattle and thousands of people come home.
NGUYEN: But, Rabbi, you threatened a lawsuit and you gave them 24 hours to put up a menorah.
BOGOMILSKY: The lawsuit, first of all, A, we never filed. Second of all, this is an ongoing situation for well over just a short little period of time.
We never -- but I want to mention -- it's so important that we understand this, that to remove the Christmas trees was never our intent. And this decision clearly was made on behalf of the port.
And the truth is, I had a wonderful conversation with one of the directors of the port, and it seemed like it was all going in the right -- in the right direction. You have to understand, the symbol of the menorah, the idea of what a -- what the menorah is all about, you know, it's a miraculous triumph of religious freedom over oppression, a symbol of hope and a symbol of victory.
NGUYEN: Well, let me ask you this. The Christmas tree is also a symbol, a symbol of the holiday season. And many believe it's also a Christian symbol.
So, do you believe that every public Christmas tree should be accompanied by a menorah to serve as a balance?
BOGOMILSKY: It's -- I believe that in the airport there is about 22 Christmas trees. We were asking for one menorah display. It wasn't coming at any cost to the port. It was something that our organization -- we have it throughout the Seattle area -- throughout Washington State, I should say. We have about 25 different public menorahs...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: So you were offering to provide the menorah to the airport?
BOGOMILSKY: A hundred percent. We provide it at our cost. All it is, is a display.
It takes about five minutes to erect. It's UL (ph) improved. Our insurance. I mean, it's sort of a turnkey operation.
NGUYEN: Well, let me bring in Patricia right now.
BOGOMILSKY: Sure.
NGUYEN: Because, Patricia, the airport decided to take this down. Part of that decision was that there just wasn't enough time to come to a conclusion here, and possibly even erect a menorah. But we're learning now that this rabbi says they would have provided it.
Is that something that could have been done?
PATRICIA DAVIS, PRESIDENT, SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION: Well, we didn't have enough time to find resolution to this. But because -- the time was so close, and after several ultimatums, the rabbi informed us that they would sue the port in federal court.
And when the commission heard about it, which was Thursday afternoon, the threat was to sue us at 10:00 the next morning, Friday. And we discussed the fact that we do represent a very diverse population here in the Pacific Northwest, (INAUDIBLE), and we want to be respectful of all cultures, but there was not time to sort out how we could accommodate all cultures who might want to be represented, not just this one request, in the timeframe that we were given, because the deadline was right upon us.
And furthermore, frankly, we are faced with the choice of either spending unknown amounts of the public's dollars and countless hours of litigation, or trying to figure out how to accommodate all of these cultures all at once when we were under way, trying to bring a half a million people through Sea-Tac airport in the busiest possible season. So...
NGUYEN: You have had Christmas trees at this airport for 25 years. Have you ever had a complaint and a threat of a lawsuit like this before?
DAVIS: Not in my knowledge, no. Not in any memory. And I've been there 20 years, frankly.
NGUYEN: And let me ask you this, Rabbi. Now that this Christmas tree has been torn down, you say you're in shock of it. Do you want it to go back up? How do you see a solution of this?
BOGOMILSKY: Well, I'm hoping -- again, you k now, it's important to understand how this is a turnkey operation. The request was sort of made in mid October. That's more than enough time.
We have -- we have a menorah lighting with -- at the governor -- at the capital in Olympia, with actually her making the celebration, putting it all together. That was even done in less time. We have major menorah lightings in all public areas throughout Washington State, and to have a menorah displayed seems to me -- if you are -- if you have that ability to -- to spend, you know, 24 hours to remove all of the Christmas trees...
NGUYEN: So you are saying no menorah, no Christmas tree. You're satisfied with the fact that it's gone down?
BOGOMILSKY: Absolutely not. I'm disappointed. I'm upset. I feel -- I feel the message of the holiday has been -- has been, you know -- has been affected. It's a message of joy. It's a message -- the holiday is a holiday of freedom. It's a holiday of gifts. It's a holiday of joy.
NGUYEN: But with no menorah, you don't want to see a Christmas tree up, right?
Let me ask you this, though. But with no menorah, you don't want to see a Christmas tree up either?
BOGOMILSKY: With no menorah -- listen, I would love for them to put back all the Christmas trees, and I would hope that -- you know, the holiday actually begins on the 15th. This entire week. I'm hoping that they would be able to resolve this. That's what I would hope. In no way do I want -- do I want the Christmas trees to be removed.
NGUYEN: Quickly, Patricia, can this be resolved?
DAVIS: Well, I don't see how, because we would not just want to favor one group. And there are many, many cultures who have representations of their particular religions or cultures. And we tried to work that out beforehand, but when the deadline of the lawsuit in federal court came, we had to make a very regrettable choice, I have to say.
NGUYEN: Well, there is still some time, perhaps. Hopefully this can be worked out. But like you say, it is a very difficult situation. And all we can say is, best of luck and happy holidays to you both.
BOGOMILSKY: Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank you. We will be working it out for next year.
NGUYEN: Hope so. Talk to you then maybe.
All right. Well, the Christmas controversy is the focus of our e-mail question this morning. You heard both sides there. And being politically correct for the holidays, has that gone too far? Being religiously correct for the holiday, has that gone too far?
We want to hear from you. What do you think about the situation? Is there a resolution, or has it simply gotten out of hand?
Here's our e-mail address: weekends@cnn.com. I know there are plenty of responses out there, so send them in. We'll read them a little bit later in the newscast.
HOLMES: Those responses ought to be interesting this morning.
NGUYEN: They are going to be good today.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: You know people are going to be fired up.
HOLMES: So keep them coming, all right?
Well, next we need to tell you about a couple from South Carolina that's missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGAN LIENDO, FAMILY MISSING: This is like a nightmare I'm going through. I just want to wake up from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, her parents were heading to New York from their home in Myrtle Beach to celebrate her birthday and an early Christmas. But they never arrived. The full story just about four minutes away.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They are two political titans jockeying for early post position. He is new to the national game. She is an old hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The question is, are they running? And what does that mean for other Democratic presidential wannabes?
Hillary versus Obama right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING in 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Stories "Across America" for you now.
In Oklahoma City, investigators are searching for the cause of an apartment fire. The building was vacant and no one was injured, but firefighters say they did battle another blaze there about four months ago.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, look at this. A huge explosion destroys three row houses. Residents tell the local newspaper the blast resulted from a natural gas leak.
No one was killed or seriously hurt. That's the good news. But some residents had to scramble to get out in time after they smelled the leaking gas.
In Fort Myers, Florida, police now say a kidnapped baby was taken because his parents failed to pay human smugglers. They say the baby's parents were brought to the U.S. illegally from Brazil, but they didn't pay the smugglers the entire fee, so the baby was kidnapped at knife point on December 1st. HOLMES: More new details this morning about what happened to that San Francisco man who died in the snowy Oregon wilderness. Authorities now say James Kim walked more than 16 miles in search for help for his stranded family, not 10 miles. It also turns out Kim and his wife and two daughters were about seven miles from a fishing lodge stocked with food, not one mile, as authorities first thought.
Kim's wife and children were rescued after spending more than a week stuck in the snow.
And CNN goes behind the headlines and behind the tears for this emotional look at that man's heroic sacrifice to save his family. Tune in Monday night for "Stranded: The James Kim Ordeal," a special "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, what was supposed to be a festive trip to celebrate the holidays is now a mystery. A South Carolina couple is missing and their daughter is just desperate for answers.
Elise Olson from CNN affiliate WBTW reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIENDO: This is a nightmare I'm going through. I just want to wake up from it.
ELISE OLSON, REPORTER, WBTW (voice over): Megan Liendo says she hasn't eaten or slept since she realized her parents are missing. That was three days ago. She is handing out flyers hoping someone knows where they might be.
LIENDO: This is a picture of my parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
LIENDO: Their names are Wayne (ph) and Diane Gue (ph), and they have been missing since Sunday night.
OLSON: Liendo says her parents were heading up to Queens, New York, from their home in Myrtle Beach to celebrate her birthday and an early Christmas. They left home at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday. The last time anyone heard from them was Wednesday evening.
LIENDO: This is very unlikely of them to be missing. They always call and give us updates about where they are, even when there is no traffic or there's no problems. They always call to let us know that they're on their way.
OLSON: Liendo tried calling her mother's cell phone, but no one is answering.
LIENDO: When we call my mother's cell phone, it goes directly to her voicemail. My mother always leaves her voice -- her cell phone on.
OLSON: Liendo's husband and brother traveled to the Ladysmith (ph) Shell gas station in Virginia where her parents always stop. An employee there said she saw the couple early Wednesday morning.
LIENDO: The lady said that she can bet her children's life on it, that she saw my mother.
OLSON: In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I'm Elise Olson, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The place, Oslo. The event, the Nobel Prize ceremony. The winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize this year, Mohammed Yunus, outstanding activist in fighting global poverty. We'll take to you Oslo live coming up in just a few minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus, Clinton versus Obama? They have yet to say if they'll run for president in 2008, but they're acting suspiciously like candidates. We have a report in just 13 minutes, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Check this out. Live pictures right now from Oslo.
A man with a bold vision to help the poorest of the world's poor, he is being honored today. We're talking about Mohammed Yunus.
He's going to be accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, this morning, which you see right there is under way. The introductions are being said, and we're waiting for the winner there to give his acceptance speech. And when he does, we'll try to take a little bit of that for you.
And there's Yunus right there. Yunus and the bank that he founded provide small loans to the poor in Bangladesh. Now, small loans with a low interest rate. That's key here.
The ceremony under way right now, as you see it there live in Oslo. And like I said, when we get to the acceptance speech, we'll try to take a little bit of it for you.
HOLMES: "Now in the News," a final salute to the troops. Outgoing defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld makes an unannounced visit to Iraq. These are pictures just in to us this morning from the Defense Department. Rumsfeld told the troops the strength of the U.S. military is in the hearts of the men and women who serve.
Meanwhile, gunmen stormed the homes of two Shiite families in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad. Police say at least nine people were killed. No one claiming responsibility just yet, but police say it appears to be retaliation for attacks against Sunnis that happened earlier.
And space shuttle Discovery is well on its way to rendezvous with the International Space Station. After two weather delays, the shuttle blasted off from Florida last night, lighting up the sky. Three spacewalks are planned so that astronauts can rewire the space station. Discovery docks tomorrow.
NGUYEN: More than nine years after the fatal crash there is new evidence surfacing in the death of Britain's Princess Diana. The BBC reports new DNA testing indicates Diana's limo driver was drunk at the time of her car crash in Paris. Now, conspiracy theorists claim that the driver had not been drinking and that his blood samples were tampered with.
In the Philippines now, a second typhoon within two weeks just tears across the country. Thousands are forced to evacuate. The storm has killed at least three people. This, after a super typhoon left more than a thousand dead or missing just 10 days ago.
Let's check out the weather outside in your area with Reynolds Wolf on this Sunday morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, he's been on television quite a lot lately, and he's not missing any opportunity to make himself heard on the stump. Has Barack Obama made up his mind about a presidential bid for 2008? Our report, that's in seven minutes.
Plus...
HOLMES: Questions of faith and questions of love. The Catholic Church and the issue of married priests. We'll speak with a priest at odds with Vatican City.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Taking a live look now of Oslo, Norway. You're watching a ceremonial Bangladeshi dance. This all in celebration of the new peace prize winner. That would be Mohammed Yunus. He's going to be accepting the Nobel Peace Prize during this ceremony.
To tell you a little bit about Yunus, he is helping the world's poorest of poor, and he did so by creating a bank that gives small loans to the poor in Bangladesh. And the key to these small loans is that they come with low interest rates. And so it's really helping the poor rise from poverty and have the money to start different businesses so that they can improve their lives. It's a great honor today and we're watching it live.
There you go. You see Mohammed Yunus just briefly there, the man who will be receiving the Nobel Peace Prize today.
HOLMES: We turn to some politics now. And testing the political waters.
New Hampshire, of course, the major testing ground for potential presidential candidates. And Senator Barack Obama making his first visit there today.
The Illinois Democrat will be in Portsmouth before speaking at a soldout event in Manchester. Obama has enjoyed a wave of publicity and drawn huge crowds while promoting his book, "The Audacity of Hope."
He's expected to decide within a few weeks whether to run for president. And if the freshman senator does seek the Democratic nomination, he's likely to have some pretty stiff competition from a more seasoned and maybe -- well, popular politician. You may have heard of her, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
CNN's Candy Crowley reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice over): If Hillary Clinton is not off and running, she is at least out and talking with colleagues about a presidential campaign. Perhaps more important than with whom is why.
STEPHANIE CUTTER, FMR. KERRY AIDE: The more you're sticking your toe in the water and having stories about that you're thinking about getting into the race, and then you're preserving your territory, you'll keep people from committing to other -- other presidential candidates, and that's very important right now.
CROWLEY: Message from Camp Clinton: Hold your horses, I'm on may way.
It is probably no accident this happens following weeks of Obama's...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And we do want to break in just briefly because you're looking live at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway. The man you see standing there shaking hands is Mohammed Yunus. There he is.
He is the winner this year. And he's about to receive his medal and the give us an acceptance speech, which we're going to take, as you know, live here.
It's a wonderful moment for him. What a great achievement.
He has really had such a bold vision to help the world's poorest of poor. And that is why he is being honored today. He is the founder of a bank that provides small loans to the poor in Bangladesh. This has really helped many of those living in poverty rise from that.
The key to this is not just the fact that there's a bank, but the fact this bank provides small loans with low interest rates. So that allows people, as I mentioned, to rise from poverty and set up different types of business so that they can have a bright future.
Again, the ceremony under way. And what a beautiful ceremony it is. We saw just a little bit earlier a traditional Bangladeshi dance. People rising to their feet to commemorate this moment and be there to celebrate a man who has done so much for so many people with a bank that he has founded. HOLMES: And one of the cool things about -- you talk about these loans and whatnot. But it's -- they were so small, some of them, $20, $50, even, some of these loans you talk about, that really could -- really the poorest of the poor, could help get them on their feet and make a huge difference, even though to some of us, $20 to $50 may not sound like a huge deal. But he has done this with $20 to $50, I mean, $6 billion...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: I was going to say, think about that.
HOLMES: Touched a lot of people's lives with just that small amount.
NGUYEN: Those small amounts, but adding up to a total of $6 billion. So that gives you an idea of how many people took part in these small loans and what a difference that has made Bangladesh. It was really quite a wonderful idea and obviously one that is worth being honored today.
Mohammed Yunus receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
HOLMES: And we're going to keep an eye on that and try to get back in there, and try to maybe hear his acceptance speech here shortly. We'll keep an eye on that for you.
Meanwhile, what would you say is the most divisive issue facing the Catholic Church today? Gay marriage? Abortion?
NGUYEN: Those are good ones. Many Catholics though will tell you it is the issue of married priests. We're going to talk to one priest who defied the church so he could get married.
That's next in our "Faces of Faith."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: In our "Faces of Faith" this morning, celibacy versus matrimony in the Catholic Church. It's a choice thousands of priests say they should not be forced to make. In fact, a group of married priests are meeting in New York this weekend in an effort to bring change to the Church.
And Archbishop George Stallings, a member of Married Priests Now, is one of those leading the charge.
Sir, thank you for being here. Good morning to you.
And let's just start by telling me, why was it more important for you to be married than to be in the good graces of the Vatican?
ARCHBISHOP GEORGE STALLINGS, MARRIED PRIESTS NOW: Good morning, T.J.
It is important for to us be married as Roman Catholic priests because we truly believe that priesthood is a call from God, as well as marriage is a call from God. And marriage is a good thing. If priests are allowed to marry, then that widens the pool of possible candidates for ordained ministry and it also makes for a healthier priesthood.
HOLMES: Now, of course, as you know, the Vatican disagrees with you. They will tell you that this is thousands of years of tradition we're talking about. They'll tell you that Christ was married to the church and so should clergy. They will tell you that unmarried men are more able to dedicate their whole lives and their whole selves to their church, rather than dedicating part of that to their families.
So, your argument, would you say a lot of it is just simply that this would widen the pool for the clergy and you'd have more to pick from?
STALLINGS: Well, the Church has a plethora of excuses for not allowing married priests within the Roman church and the (INAUDIBLE). Yet, we know that there are dissenting voices.
The recent appointee to the office of clergy that has a responsibility for advising the pope on matters of life and administration to the clergy stated very clearly that celibacy is not a discipline. It is a dogma -- it is not a dogma of the church. It is simply a discipline.
Also, we have another cardinal out of Belgium, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who says that everyone knows that celibacy is an ecclesiastical rule that can change. And so we believe that there can be a change of policy within the Roman Catholic Church, where celibacy is not mandatory, but an option.
HOLMES: And you call them excuses from the Vatican. You don't find that any of those reasons, that tradition, legit?
STALLINGS: Not as validly as allowing priests to marry. Priests should have the opportunity to not only celebrate the sanctity of marriage, but should also raise their families and children in the context of ordained ministry, being ministers within the Church. So it is very much compatible with ministry. There's not a contradiction between ministry and marriage.
HOLMES: And, of course, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo of Africa, someone you've partnered closely with, who is also -- he's very popular there in Africa, for one, but also he's leading this charge along with you. Why would you -- I guess choose the route of going defiance with the Church and going ahead and getting married and dealing with the consequences, instead of, you know, just following the rules of the Vatican and just continue to lead the charge without actually defying the Church?
STALLINGS: Well, actually, God is in charge of the Church. The reality is that sometimes the Church doesn't understand the language of God. And so, therefore, the laity, the people in the pew, must speak with the language of money, with their feet, their wallet, and their pocketbooks. Roman Catholics should say enough is enough, we believe that marriage should be an option within the Roman Catholic Church for its priests. We believe that until you allow for that discussion and to allow for married men to function as the norm in the Roman Church, we won't contribute any more money.
And that's the way that the Church will listen. If economics brought celibacy into the Church in the 12th century, economics can bring a married priesthood back to the Roman Catholic Church. That is the norm -- that was the norm for the first 1,200 years -- 1,100 years of the Church. Saint Peter was married, most of the apostles were married. Why can't priests be married today?
HOLMES: All right, sir. Archbishop Stallings, I certainly wish we could sit here and talk to you for quite some time. But we are out of time here.
Fascinating topic. We will continue to follow what happens with you and your movement. But I thank you for spending some time with us this morning.
We do want to go ahead and get some further context on the controversy from our Vatican analyst, John Allen, who is with us this morning as well. And also senior correspondent for "The National Catholic Reporter."
The pope just had a meeting about this very topic. Got some folks together, they're going to sit down and talk about it.
What came out of that?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Hey, T.J. That's right.
On November 16th, Benedict XVI convened a top meeting of his top advisers in the Vatican to discuss the celibacy issue, in part in light of Archbishop Milingo's protest. And out of that meeting actually came a clear reaffirmation of the discipline of clerical celibacy, at least in the western Church.
It's probably worth noting, T.J., that the Catholic Church also includes 21 Eastern Rite Churches. These are churches that have eastern orthodox liturgies and customs, but are in communion with the Catholic Church. And in those 21 churches, actually, they have married priests. But at least in the western church, the Vatican does not appear to be interested at this point in revising this discipline.
HOLMES: But, John, something else here. A connection to this controversial as well, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, out of -- out of Korea, who is the head of this Unification Church which emphasizes the family, also teaches that maybe Christ wasn't 100 percent -- because he wasn't married -- well, this group here, the archbishop I just talked to, Stallings, also Milingo out of Africa have connections, close ties to this Unification Church, does that help or hurt their cause to be so tightly connected to Sun Myung Moon?
ALLEN: Well, I mean, if by their cause you mean trying to bring pressure on the Catholic Church to reform its teachings, I think it doesn't help at all.
You know, you're quite right that both Archbishop Milingo and Stallings were married in ceremonies presided over by Reverend Moon. Archbishop Stallings actually has served as the national leader of a group called the American Clergy Leadership Conference, which is sponsored, in a sense, by Moon.
And I think the reality of those connections, coupled with the fact that some of the teachings of the unification movement, including, as you rightly point out, that the salvation won by Christ was not complete because Christ wasn't married, and now that Reverend Moon is now bringing a material salvation to complete the spiritual salvation of Christ, you know, I think in many circles of Catholic opinion that certainly doesn't encourage people to take this movement especially seriously. But, you know, the reality is that the Married Priests Now movement or Archbishop Milingo aside, you know, there is a very serious debate in the Catholic Church about the future of priestly celibacy, and I'm quite sure that debate is going to continue.
HOLMES: All right. Any chance the Vatican might change its mind?
ALLEN: Well, not in the short term. And I don't think it's ever going to happen, that the pope is going to get out of bed and say, OK, we've had celibacy for 1,000 years, now let's change it.
HOLMES: All right.
ALLEN: But it may well be that in some regions of the world where the priest shortage is the most acute, places like regions of Latin America or in the Pacific islands, where've you got a ratio of one priest for every 10,000 Catholics or more, you know, there are a lot of bishops, even, very senior levels in the Church who would like to take a look at that. And so it may well be there's a kind of gradual reevaluation of it in the years to come.
HOLMES: All right. Our Vatican analyst, John Allen.
I appreciate you giving us some more context to this controversy. Thanks so much.
ALLEN: You bet, T.J.
NGUYEN: All right, T.J. You have to take a look at this next story.
Pudding, anybody? It's all I can say.
HOLMES: Yes. A Christmas chocolate pudding race. Well, we didn't see vanilla in there in London.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: Which pudding actually won? That winner coming up in about four minutes. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It's the holiday season, yes. Weird things can happen. You're looking at one right now.
In London, this is the annual Great Christmas Pudding Race. A little zany. About 150 people dressed as Santa, reindeer and such, they run through an obstacle course you see right there trying not to drop, well, their Christmas pudding.
Yes, it's a British thing, and it raises money for cancer research. So that explains it all.
HOLMES: And also, need to tell you this lady who is dreaming of a white Christmas. So what is her husband in Georgia to do?
NGUYEN: Ooh, wow.
HOLMES: He's going to give her one. Gene Long (ph) lives in south Georgia. He didn't take his wife on a trip. He used a snow machine to create a white Christmas at his snow-less Georgia home.
NGUYEN: Now that's a husband for you.
HOLMES: It's for his wife Crystal (ph). He's actually making up for not getting her what she wanted last year.
I'm kidding on that. Just kidding, Gene (ph).
His wife Crystal (ph) actually misses the snow and cold of her native Pennsylvania, so he decided to hook her up.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he would have just taken her on the trip like she asked.
HOLMES: Taken her on the trip.
NGUYEN: Men out there, just listen to us when we ask.
Reynolds, are you getting this? Are you listening when your wife asks you for something?
WOLF: Oh, my -- I would say a two-word response. It's always, "Yes, Dear." Are you kidding me? Oh, goodness gracious, yes.
I mean, she says and I respond.
NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: There's no instinctive -- you've got to.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, if you're just waking up, it's about five minutes before 8:00 on the East Coast. And we're going to get you caught up on all the big stories today. HOLMES: And that includes Lebanon, on the brink. Tensions rising again in the war-torn country. Thousands rallying in Beirut right now.
We'll take you there live in about 20 minutes.
Also, this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It couldn't be the wise men, because one of the wise men got stolen. So it couldn't be one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I just love listening to that. So cute.
And these little ones are not letting a grinch ruin their Christmas. Oh, no. Some cute kindergartners reach out in the spirit of the holiday. And you're going to hear more form them. That's a little bit later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Back with your top stories right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: After two weather delays the shuttle blasted off from Florida last night. "Discovery" docks tomorrow at the International Space Station. Two space walks are scheduled during the mission.
NGUYEN: Well gunmen stormed the home of two Shiite families in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad. Police say at least nine people were killed. No one is claiming responsibility, but police say it appears to be retaliation for earlier attacks against Sunnis.
HOLMES: Testing the political waters, New Hampshire is a major testing ground for potential presidential candidates and today Democratic Senator Barack Obama and Evan Bayh are there. Both are considering a bid for the White House.
A bribery investigation and $90,000 of cold hard cash stuffed in a freezer did not chase Illinois voters away from Representative William Jefferson. Jefferson won 57 percent of the vote in a special runoff election yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No sooner did I hang up and everything just blew and knocked me down across the street.
(END VIDEO CLICK)
NGUYEN: Yes it blew in a big way. Check this out in Allentown, Pennsylvania; a huge explosion destroys three row houses. The residents tell the local newspaper the blast resulted from a natural gas leak. No one was killed or seriously hurt. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take away the Christmas tree to me is just saying that Christmas doesn't count.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Christmas doesn't count? Why is the Seattle Airport saying good-bye to its Christmas trees? Details on this latest Christmas controversy just a couple of minutes away.
NGUYEN: Talk about a controversy we spoke to both players in this one. It's good stuff and part of our e-mail question today.
Meantime though, welcome everybody, from the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, it is December 10th, 8 a.m. right here on the East Coast, 5 a.m. in the Northwest. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for being here with us this morning.
NGUYEN: its dangerous, unfair and unjust, those words from the Iraqi president today about the recommendations from the Iraq Study Group. President Jalal Talabani says some parts of the report undermine Iraqi sovereignty. He says the solution to Iraq's problems are to give the country control on of its own security.
HOLMES: And outgoing defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld making an unannounced visit to U.S. forces in Iraq. Rumsfeld told an audience of service members it has been his privilege to serve the greatest military on Earth. He said the strength of the military is in the hearts of those who serve.
Meanwhile, more high level huddles on Iraq at the White House in the week ahead. President Bush will be hearing from state department officials and others about a change of direction in the Iraq war and most Americans think it's time to change course. In a new poll from "Newsweek" 68 percent the U.S. is losing ground in Iraq, 21 percent think the U.S. is making progress. White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano joins us now to talk about Iraq and what happens next. Elaine good morning.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you T.J. Well you know since the Iraq Study Group came out with its report last week, President Bush has been very careful not to weigh in publicly in any specific fashion on any of the 79 recommendations, but one thing is clear. Nearly four years into the war there is a heightened sense of urgency here in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO (voice over): Just days after the Iraq Study Group called the situation in Iraq grave and deteriorating, President Bush used the same term grave in his weekly radio address.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Their report provides a straightforward picture of the grave situation we face in Iraq.
QUIJANO: Yet he also tried to stress the positive saying the panel's report shows his administration's overall goal is correct.
BUSH: The Iraq study group's report also explicitly endorses the strategic goal we said set in Iraq and Iraq can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.
QUIJANO: But President Bush again carefully avoided expressing support for any of the 79 recommendations saying his administration was reviewing them. With Democrats now set to take control of Congress next month the president is under intensifying political pressure to change his Iraq policy.
REP. SILVESTRE REYES, (D) TEXAS: Their report confirms what most of us have known for some time. President Bush's policy of stay the course is not working. We need a new approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Senior Bush aides say that the hope is to announce any changes to Iraq policy before Christmas. For now, the president is awaiting three internal administration reviews and he's basically in listening mode. He's devoted much of this upcoming week to hear from officials at the State Department, the Pentagon and via videoconference from commanders on the ground in Iraq.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Elaine Quijano from the White House this morning. Thank you so much, Elaine.
You can hear from the co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group later this morning at 11:00 Eastern talking about that delicate matter of Iraq. Wolf Blitzer interviews Lee Hamilton and James Baker later on "Late Edition."
NGUYEN: Well still no sign of a month old baby boy, police in Fort Meyers, Florida now suspect the infant was taken from his mother at knifepoint to settle a debt. The abduction was nine days ago and according to police the parents allegedly owed money to people who smuggled them into the U.S. from Brazil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF HILTON DANIELS, FORT MYERS, FLA. POLICE: We are now able to focus on the smuggling end of it instead of looking for a lady that needed a baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The search does continue for Brian Santos Gomez. You see a picture of him right here. A $22,000 reward is offered for the child's return.
Well the man behind the fatal shootings at a Chicago law office apparently was upset over an invention. Police say Joe Jackson complained about being cheated over his truck toilet invention as he went through the office shooting people. Jackson killed three and wounded one other person before he was shot to death by police snipers. Police say he was turned away once by security, but returned with a gun and forced his way to the 38th floor. Office staff will gather tomorrow to remember their colleagues.
HOLMES: We're getting new deals in the tragic death of James Kim. As you know he died last week trying to get help for his family stranded in the Oregon wilderness. Kim walked even farther than they initially thought, 16 miles instead of 10. They also say a cabin stocked with food was about seven miles away not just one mile. Despite everything Kim's cousin says he's not surprised by the heroic efforts but doomed effort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS YOUN, JAMES KIM'S COUSIN: He loved his family and loved his wife and his kids a lot. He would have done the same thing over again if it happened again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Kim's wife and two young daughters were rescued two days after he set out. Be sure to watch the CNN special on this remarkable story "Stranded, the James Kim Ordeal" tomorrow night at 8:00 pm Eastern on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now."
NGUYEN: If you are just turning in this morning the Seattle Tacoma Airport is looking a bit less festive today than it did yesterday. Christmas trees were abruptly taken down after a rabbi threatened a lawsuit. The rabbi says he only wanted to put a menorah in the terminal and not get rid of the trees. But airport missions the imminent threat of a lawsuit gave them little choice. Last hour I spoke with both sides of this holiday controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOGOMILSKY: To remove the Christmas trees was never our intent and this decision was clearly made on behalf of the port. I had a wonderful conversation with one of the directors of the port and it seemed like it was sort of all going in the right direction. If the symbol of the Menorah, the idea of what the Menorah's all about, it's a miraculous triumph of religious freedom of repression.
NGUYEN: Well let me ask you this. The Christmas tree is also a symbol of the holiday season and many believe it's also a Christian symbol. So do you believe that every public Christmas tree should be accompanied a Menorah to serve as a balance?
BOGOMILISKY: I believe that in the airport there were 22 Christmas trees. We were asking for one Menorah display. It wasn't coming at any cost to the port.
DAVIS: We didn't have enough time to find resolution to this, but because the time was so close and after several ultimatums the rabbi informed us that they would sue the port in federal court and when the commission heard about it which was Thursday afternoon the threat was to sue us at 10:00 the next morning Friday, and we discussed the fact that we do represent a very diverse population here in the pacific northwest by King County, actually, and we want to be respectful of all cultures, but there was not time enough to sort out how we can accommodate all cultures that might want to be represented not just this one request in the timeframe that we were given because the deadline was right upon us and furthermore, frankly, we are faced with the choice of either spending unknown amounts of the public's dollars and countless hours of litigation or trying to figure out how to accommodate all these cultures all at once when we were underway trying to bring a half a million people through the Sea-Tac Airport in the busiest possible seasons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: As we left that conversation it was understood there would be no Christmas trees at the airport. They would not be put back up because the rabbi wanted to make sure that they were going to be back up, there needed to be a Menorah there. So for this holiday season it doesn't look like there is going to be back up and that brings us to our e-mail question. PC holidays, has it gone too far? Let us know what you think. In fact we have gotten a lot of emails I got to tell you that right and to be honest with you nine out of 10 are just outraged about the fact that these trees have come down. Are you in the minority? Do you have a different view of this? Send us your opinions, WEEKENDS@cnn.com and we'll read these aloud on the air shortly.
HOLMES: And happening right now tens of thousands in the streets of Beirut, will the Democratic reelected government survive the latest crisis? We'll take you live to the Lebanese capital coming up in five minutes.
NGUYEN: For the first time publicly the widow of a poisoned former Russian spy is speaking out. Find out what she has to say. That's next.
Plus this.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank, guys. Coming up on "House Call" how do super smart people get that way? We're taking an in-depth look at genius from all angles.
A sperm bank made up of geniuses and how do kids turn out 20 years later and find out how taking a break from all that hard work is making you more intelligent. Lets take a break come join us on "House Call" 8:30 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Happening around the world this morning, more than nine years after her fatal crash, new evidence surfaces in the death of Princess Diana. The BBC reports new DNA tests indicate that Diana's limo driver was drunk at the time of her car crash in Paris. Conspiracy theorist however had claimed the driver had not been drinking and his blood samples were tampered. The UK observer newspaper reports the U.S. Secret Service was bugging Diane's phone conversation the night she died. This reportedly happened without approval of British security services. The paper says the call revealed nothing sinister.
Also pointing fingers, the wife of a former Russian spy who died after allegedly being poisoned with a radio active substance says she blames the Kremlin for her husband's death. She also talks about her final hours with Alexander Litvinenko.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARINA LITVINENKO, LITVINENKO'S WIDOW: I arrived at the hospital and after 30 minutes it was call from hospital, you should go to hospital immediately. And when I asked an authority would you like to go with me. He said yes, I'm going with you and it was the last time I saw him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: On his deathbed last month, Litvinenko blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the poisoning but his wife says she doesn't think Putin is personally responsible.
NGUYEN: Conditions in Darfur to talk about right now, it's sparking protests in about 40 countries around the world. This protest in London. You're seeing new video of right now, the demonstrators is trying to call attention to rape and sexual violence in Darfur.
Well a banker who helps the poor in Bangladesh gets small loans at a low interest rate has a Nobel Peace Prize in hand. Here is a live look at that ceremony right there. Mohammed Yunus who is speaking that the moment. He received the price in $1.4 million within the last hour right there live in Oslo. Congratulations to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When they see the U.S. troops around them they know that the soldiers are more there they fail to protect themselves than they are to protect Iraqis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our commission is trying to put the fire out.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I do know that we have not succeeded as fast as we wanted to succeed.
HOLMES: Yes. That's coming up at 1:00 Eastern. Hear from two Iraq Study Group members. John Roberts hosts today's "This Week at War."
NGUYEN: Right now a showdown in Lebanon to tell you about, with Hezbollah led demonstrators pushing to oust the countries western- backed government. Hundreds of thousands of protestors in the streets of Beirut today. CNN's Brent Sadler joins us from there. Good morning.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, good morning, Betty, as you can see I'm using a special microphone on this live report because so dense and so noisy are the crowds now packed into downtown Beirut that it really is quite clear that this has been the largest protest so far to try to topple the U.S.-backed government and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. In the hours before this massive turnout, Lebanese army combat troops and armed security police put a ring of steel around the prime minister's complex where at least half his cabinet had been holed up for the past week or so.
Extra layers of coiled, barbed wire have been laid out across roads, the center of the Lebanese capital of course paralyzed by this mass protest that although peaceful, has claimed one life as a result of rising sectarian tension between rival political and religious groups in this country. Essentially this is a Hezbollah-led opposition, but there are still many, many thousands of Christians supporting Hezbollah against the prime minister who is a Sunni Muslim also backed by other religious faiths including Christians. The country really is right now, Betty, very split and very divided on these political religious lines and has lost it's way politically speaking and that has given many in this country and in the region deepening concern.
NGUYEN: Brent you can see how split that is by looking at the numbers that have come out today to take part in this protest. CNN's Brent Sadler joining us live from Beirut. We thank you, Brent.
HOLMES: Coming up, the quest for a super-intelligent child.
NGUYEN: Everyone wants some of those.
HOLMES: My mother is still on that quest. In today's "House Call" is one that no parent will want to miss. That's coming up in 10 minutes.
NGUYEN: And then.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could be the wise men because one of the wise men got stolen so it couldn't have been one of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It couldn't have been one of them because one of them didn't get stolen.
NGUYEN: He is so cute. Here the story. A nativity scene vandalized and a baby Jesus stolen.
HOLMES: What?
NGUYEN: Baby Jesus coming up one hour from now. Find out how a classroom of 5-year-olds is using cupcakes to right this wrong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a top athlete?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an NFL player in the making right here. COSTELLO: Justin Johnson is the number one high school running back in the country according to "Sports Illustrated. "
JUSTIN JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER: You want to be the best you have to train.
COSTELLO: Chip Smith has trained over 600 professional NFL players at competitive edge sports. Most of these elite athletes spend four to six hours a day training. While studding at the Soviet Sport Institute in Moscow, he uncovered three key components that he believes are essential to athletes enhancing their sports performance.
CHIP SMITH, COMPETITIVE EDGE SPORTS: So we train with resistance and movement, speed and the movement and reaction.
NATE WAYNE, NFL LINEBACKER: He has this thing called a chip-o- meter and they're resistant bands and they put constant resistance on your muscles and when we take them off we feel like we can run a two flat 40 yard dash.
COSTELLO: Chip says all athletes can improve their sports performance by staying committed to training hard.
Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: My, let's go Santa. A whole lot of red in downtown Las Vegas yesterday. The 5k-charity event is known as the Great Santa Run and the Kriss Kringle Jingle.
NGUYEN: The $45 registration fee gets each runner a five-piece Santa suit and a goody bag. You can't put a price tag on that.
HOLMES: Hey, that's a pretty good deal for a pretty good-looking suit. Reynolds, that weather doing all right for them?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's warm. It's going fine.
Santa's helpers. I don't see to many Santa's, I saw one guy that resembled Jerry Garcia that had the big beard driving a Volkswagen van and some Cheetos and you're ready to go. The Grateful Dead concert.
We'll see wonderful conditions in parts of the northeast, yet it is a cool morning. Don't mistake that. It's chilly in New York with 37 degrees above freezing, in Pittsburgh we currently have 35 degrees, 31 in Indianapolis as we travel farther to the south and to the southeast. Mobile at 41, 29 in Charleston and 32 in Atlanta.
What we're expecting today is that big ridge of high pressure will drop anchor and stay right here in this part of the southeast and it should set up camp for the next couple of days and it will give you a nice, soft breeze out of the Gulf of Mexico which is precisely what the doctor ordered for Dallas back up to Kansas City even into Chicago and they're going to have some great, mild conditions.
However, out to the west we're going to see some scattered showers from I'd say about San Francisco northward to Redding, California, to the mouth of the Columbia River basin up to Seattle. Scattered showers with the higher elevations and that will be switching over to snowfall with high temperatures for today from Seattle southward to Portland and San Francisco, it will range from the 40s into the 60s, 634 for Los Vegas, 48 for Kansas City, the high in New York today at 43. For tomorrow high pressure is still holding into the Eastern seaboard, but still some scattered showers from Dallas northward into Kansas City and the rain continues out at the west coast. That's the latest on your forecast. Let's send it back to you. Ho, ho, ho.
NGUYEN: You just need a suit now.
Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Brand new this morning, Iraq's president reacts to the Iraq Study Group recommendations. That story just three minutes away.
NGUYEN: He's not very happy with it, either.
Then the sperm bank search for a genius child. Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "House Call" looks for ways parent can impact their children's intelligence.
HOLMES: Can you figure out a man just by looking at his shoes? Yes, his kicks. Stay with us for the 9 a.m. edition of CNN SUNDAY MORNING for some footwear psychology. It promises to be a soulful treat.
NGUYEN: Then at 10 Eastern, reliable sources dissect the media's reaction to the pregnancy involving the vice president's gay daughter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Now in the news, the Iraqi president today rejects the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. Jalal Talabani says the findings are very dangerous to Iraq's sovereignty. The co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group are the guests today on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." That's coming up at 11 a.m. Eastern.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have booster ignition and liftoff of the space shuttle "Discovery" lighting up the night sky.
HOLMES: After two weather delays the shuttle "Discovery" blasted off from Florida last night. "Discovery" docks tomorrow at the International Space Station. Three space walks are scheduled during the 12-day mission.
A showdown in Lebanon, this one putting thousands of the countries Hezbollah-led protestors in the streets staging mass rallies in Beirut. Protests have been playing out since the start of the month. The demonstrators are trying to force change in Lebanon's western-backed government. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
