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CNN Sunday Morning
U.N. Votes To Sanction Iran For Nuclear Program; Bank Robber Kills Teller in Arkansas
Aired December 24, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usually people just rob banks, they don't kill people during Christmas.
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T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY MORNING: A brazen bank robbery shocks a Little Rock, Arkansas community. Even more shocking, what police think the robber said before he took off.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY MORNING: Also digging for peace in Iraq. Why is the U.S. Army planting 200 olive trees in a war-torn nation? Well, we're going to speak with a soldier who helped launch the project.
HOLMES: And we're are watching and we are waiting for the big man's arrival.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
HOLMES: We got a spot for him. We're hearing reports, unconfirmed, right now.
NGUYEN: OK?
HOLMES: But we are working to confirm it, that there will be a Santa Claus sighting right here at CNN Headquarters.
NGUYEN: Kids, wake up.
HOLMES: We're prepared just in case.
This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. This is December 24th, Betty, Christmas eve. I'm T.J. Holmes. Good to see you all.
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen. Good morning, everybody. It's 7:00 a.m. here in the East, 12 noon at the North Pole. That's why Santa's on his way. Thanks for being with us.
HOLMES: We're going to keep you guys updated all morning long about what's happening around here. We'll start now with this.
(CHURCH BELLS RINGING)
NGUYEN: "Now in the News": You just heard them, church bells ringing in Bethlehem as pilgrims from around the world gather in the traditional birthplace of Jesus this Christmas Eve.
HOLMES: It could be a dark Christmas for thousands of in central Wisconsin. Nearly 20,000 still without power this morning after a strong winter storm swept through. But power crews are working overtime to make sure the Christmas trees can be lit.
Meanwhile, six is the magic number in Denver this morning. The airport expected to reopen a sixth runway. That means even more flights headed out of the jammed airport. Still, it could take a couple more days to clear the passenger backup caused by this week's storm.
NGUYEN: He'll be back, but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is down and out just for a little while. He broke his leg skiing in Idaho yesterday. But he says he'll stay there for Christmas and return to Los Angeles next week for surgery on that broken leg.
HOLMES: We're also getting word this morning of more U.S. troop deaths in Iraq. The military says two U.S. soldiers were killed and four others wounded by roadside bombs on Saturday, in two separate attacks bombs exploded near combat patrols south of Baghdad.
NGUYEN: A strong signal to Iran to give up its nuclear program. That's the reaction from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to sanctions imposed against Iran by the United Nations. Now, the U.N. Security Council approved the resolution on a unanimous vote 15-0. The council acted after Iran refused to stop enriching uranium.
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ALEJANDRO WOLFF, ACTING U.S. REP. TO U.N.: Today we are placing Iran in the small category of states under Security Council sanctions, and sending Iran an unambiguous messages that are serious repercussions to the continued disregard to its obligations and defiance of this body.
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NGUYEN: And Iran, still defiant today. Its president calls the U.N. resolution a superficial act. Middle East expert -- and correspondent -- Aneesh Raman joins us now, via broadband from Tehran.
I call you an expert, because you spent plenty of time in that area. I imagine the reaction is not a good one from the president of Iran.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, CNN SUNDAY MORNNG: It isn't, Betty.
There's perhaps a very significant development to tell you about this morning. Iran's parliament has just approved an urgent measure wherein those in the parliament will debate over the next 48 hours Iran's relationship with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog the IAEA.
Now, what does this mean? Potentially, Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in reaction to these sanctions, kick out IAEA inspectors that are on the ground, and pursue its nuclear ambitions in secret. That would undoubtedly and immediately ratchet up tensions that already exist between Iran and Israel. For example, in the region, and as well between Iran and the West.
As you mentioned, Iran's president today remaining defiant as ever, perhaps not surprisingly so, saying these sanctions were, quote, "insignificant." He has said before that if sanctions were imposed that it would be seen as a sign of hostility. And that Iran would respond in kind.
In a practical sense, in terms of the continued defiance, we heard from a spokesman for the foreign ministry, he said Iran isn't going to stop the nuclear program, isn't going to stop construction of some 3,000 centrifuges, at a nuclear site in the city of Natanz as Iran moves ever closer, Betty, to self sufficiency on the nuclear front.
These sanctions don't really impact the average Iranian person, what they do is limit technology that Iran can get assistance for its nuclear program. We're not quite sure how advanced the nuclear program is, how much this will hurt Iran; how much Iran already knows, and can continue despite these sanctions.
But again, water-down sanctions from what the U.S. would have hoped and it seems that they haven't done the trick. Iran pushing ahead with its nuclear program.
NGUYEN: That's something I wanted to talk on, Aneesh, because despite the defiance from the Iranian president, I mean, truly are these sanctions really going to be much of a difference when it comes to clamping down on Iran?
RAMAN: For the moment, it doesn't seem so. I mean, the sanctions limit to specifically to about 12 individuals whose assets are frozen, who are involved in Iran's nuclear technology assistance, both in terms of knowledge and equipment from countries coming into Iran.
But when you talk to the average person who has -- when you talk to reformists or hard-liners alike -- near uniform support for Iran's right to have peaceful civilian nuclear energy, they aren't going to be affected. The only way really that you could curb some of the defiance is perhaps to create the divisions within Iran how much is Iran willing to pay in terms of a cost towards what it says is its right for peaceful civilian nuclear energy.
These sanctions don't really even begin to force Iranians to contemplate that. If you get harsher sanctions down the line, perhaps on gas, other commodities that directly impact the Iranian people, you could start to see that near uniform support fray, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Aneesh Raman, we appreciate it. Thank you.
HOLMES: The horn of Africa is heating up. Witnesses say Ethiopian jet fighters struck Islamic militia fighters inside Somalia. Ethiopia is acknowledging for the first time today that its forces are battling Somalian rebels. Ethiopia backs the embattled Somalia government in it's struggle with Islamic militias. Those militias are backed by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Eritrea are bitter enemies. They are fears Somalia will become the stage for a proxy war between the two.
NGUYEN: That is my song. I was asking for it all yesterday. And finally, we got it just in time for Christmas Eve.
HOLMES: That song is playing in every department store in the country.
NGUYEN: That's why I like it so much. I spend so much time at the department stores.
HOLMES: That's a good point.
NGUYEN: Reynolds joins us now, what do you want for Christmas? Nice weather perhaps?
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HOLMES: We are going to talk about a Christmas surprise, now, in Southern California. Winter weather never really a big concern there, but this year still travelers getting a break with quick-moving lines at the airport and unusual lack of crowds. I wish we'd all be that lucky. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez takes a look.
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THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN SUNDAY MORNING (voice over): Christmastime at LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world. It should be a nonstop frenzy of frustrated travelers. Not this year. That, in itself, has caught holiday travelers by surprise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was expecting it to be really busy. And when I came through the airport this morning, it was incredibly empty. I'm rather shocked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was great. We were very surprised that we got through so quickly. We expected it to be much more crowded than it was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I expected it to be a madhouse, and instead everything's been really organized.
GUTIERREZ: Anthony and Angela Loni (ph) are headed to manila. They arrived 12 hours early to avoid the crowds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't want to risk a bunch of long lines and all the horror stories that you see on TV.
GUTIERREZ: What about those cursed lines through security? No problem, according to Whitney Wall.
WHITNEY WALL, TRAVELER: We expected the lines to be really long, so we left with several hours to spare. But when we got here, the airport was surprisingly almost empty compared to how it usually is when it's not the holiday.
GUITIERREZ (on camera): How long have you been waiting?
WALL: About five minutes.
GUTIERREZ (voice over): In anticipation of the holiday rush, airport officials brought on 131 extra teams to keep lines at security screening from getting bogged down.
TOM WINFREY, LOS ANGELES AIRPORT SPOKESMAN: We're right in the thick of it right now. Today would be the start of the really busy period, and then through Sunday, we'll be also very busy, where some of the airlines are flying at almost 100 percent capacity.
GUTIERREZ: Not all holiday travelers had it this easy. Denver International Airport was fully operational Saturday after a blizzard earlier this week paralyzed DIA. Even so security lines were horrendous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's 185 people flying standby on full flights. The earliest anybody can get out is Christmas.
GUTIERREZ: For once, not in Los Angeles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have avoided holiday travel for years. And I was not happy about doing this travel. But, you know, I'm rethinking it.
GUTIERREZ: In the end, as long as people were able to get to where they were going, even the wait didn't seem to dampen their spirits. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
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HOLMES: That takes us down to our e-mail question of the day, on this Christmas Eve. What is your favorite holiday memory? E-mail those to us at weekends@cnn.com. We'll read your responses on the air a little later in this newscast.
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KATIE REES, DETHRONED MISS NEVADA: I'm so sorry this happened. So many of us just don't realize how our actions, even one night of poor judgment, can affect the rest of our lives.
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NGUYEN: Another beauty queen behaving badly. The former Miss Nevada reacts to losing her crown, and just wait until you hear what she has to say.
HOLMES: And the police plea for the public's help in catching a killer, a deadly bank robbery shocks an Arkansas community. Details coming up in three minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus, later, snap, crackle and pop coming to a television set near you. An old tradition facing a new challenge. High-def, high drama? That's straight ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's your extreme close-up. Don't singe your hair.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usually people just rob banks. They don't kill people during Christmas.
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NGUYEN: Yep, it feels like a meaner world in Little Rock, Arkansas, this morning, where we get our first story from "Across America".
Police say a robber shot and killed a bank teller, took the money and then here's what's so appalling, called out Merry Christmas, as he made a break for the door.
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MICHELLE HILL, LITTLE ROCK POLICE: We need the people in this city to watch this. Keep their eyes open, if they see anything or have seen anything, please call us and give us some help on this.
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NGUYEN: Witnesses say the suspect was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt with the number 77 on the front. He's described as being a big man, about 6'2" and 230 pounds. The bank is offering a $25,000 reward.
Let's take you to Boston, now. The I-90 tunnel, part of what's known as the Big Dig, is open this morning. The tunnel had been closed since July after parts of the ceiling fell on a car, killing the driver. Late last night federal inspectors signed off on the repairs.
HOLMES: Donald Trump now suing over his massive American flag. He wants $10 million in damages from the town of Palm Beach, Florida, because they want him to take it down. They said his main problem is actually with the 80-foot flag pole, which violates town rules.
Of course, The Donald, has been all over the news this week. The flag thing in Palm Beach, his public feud of Rosie O'Donnell, his support of Miss USA Tara Conner. And now, a lack of support for Miss Nevada after she was seen in photos that The Donald called disgusting. We get more from CNN's John Lawrence.
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KATIE REES, FMR. MISS NEVADA: I deeply regret that we are gathered here today -- JOHN LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN SUNDAY MORNING: Former Miss Nevada, USA, Katie Rees addressed losing her title this week, after a series of racy photos, showing Rees, surfaced on the Internet.
The 22-year-old said she was a teenager when the pictures were taken and chalks it all up to an isolated case of bad judgment. This week, Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss USA Pageant defended the reigning Miss USA Tara Conner, after she admitted being out drinking in New York bars before she turned 21.
Trump said Conner could keep her title but would be entering rehab. But Rees apparently won't be getting a second chance. She did have a message for all young women interested in the limelight.
REES: Please, don't let your guard down when it comes to being photographed. No matter how close you are with someone, how much you trust that person, do not let anyone make you vulnerable.
LAWRENCE: Rees' lawyer says they hope to negotiate her reinstatement, but if not, may consider taking legal action. They appear to have a tough fight ahead of them. Trump spoke with CNN's Larry King Thursday night saying the two beauty queen situations were different.
DONALD TRUMP, CO-OWNER OF MISS USA PAGEANT: That was a much different thing, Larry. Tara was having a problem, and we're taking care of the problem. I think it's going to work out great.
But Miss Nevada was a disaster. The pictures were disgusting. They brought them up to my office today. I viewed them, and, you know, I've seen pictures before. You fully understand that, Larry but these pictures were pretty far out there. That is not representative of Miss USA, and it's not representative of Miss Nevada. We had no choice but to terminate her.
LAWRENCE: In another headache for the Miss USA Pageant, on Wednesday Mother's Against Drunk Driving announced it was cutting all ties with Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, after reports she was spotted partying with Conner in New York night spots. But a pageant spokesperson says her title is safe. John Lawrence, CNN, Atlanta.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We tried a couple channels, but CNN was the only one that really worked. So we sent it to CNN.
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NGUYEN: An online revolution is launched and you responded. Up next, we're going to look at one of the major stories from 2006 that turned everyday Americans into reporters
And if you have a loved one stationed in Iraq, definitely stay with us, because U.S. troops will be bringing us Christmas wishes in just 90 seconds.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is PFC Turpin. I just want to say hi, Merry Christmas, to my lovely fiancee, Nicole, my family, mom, dad, Kitty, Joe, everybody, love you guys. Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Task force 177 Armored, out of Ramadi, Iraq. Just want to say, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to my girlfriend, my friend, Tessie (ph), and my family back home in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how you doing? I'm Specialist Grainer (ph). I'm from Texas. I want to say hi to Claudia, my kids. I'll be home in about a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Specialist Jeffrey Cruwall (ph). I'd like to say happy holidays to all my family back home in Greeneville, South Carolina. Merry Christmas.
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NGUYEN: All right, just in case you don't know by now, which you should, I-Report is where you can say to all your friends, hey, I report for CNN. And at the end of the year, Nicole Lapin is helping us get an idea of who us some of the best stuff, which became the I- Reporter of the year.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN SUNDAY MORNING: I-Reporters for CNN. Everybody sends us good stuff, Betty.
NGUYEN: Really great stuff.
LAPIN: Great stuff, young and old alike. There are really no age limits here. I want to introduce you to this little guy. He's a 12- year-old boy from California. His name is Willis Matey, and he got so close to a raging wildfire this summer, he shot video of it himself. Let's watch this interview with Willis, himself. Again, he sent it to us via I-Report.
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WILLIS MATEY, CNN I-REPORTER: What caught my interest the day of the fire, was the fire itself. My dad and I first saw it when we were driving back from my school. So we stopped by my house, grabbed the video camera. Which was pretty unusual for me, because I do most of my work on a still camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you send it to CNN?
MATEY: Originally it was my dad's idea, because at first I didn't want to do anything with it. But he said, no, it could be a good chance to get some publicity. So we then we tried sending it to a couple channels, but CNN was the only one that really worked so we sent it to CNN.
The absolute only thing I used was a little hand-held Canon camcorder. It's about five years old, so it's pretty beat up, but it still works fine. When I first saw my pictures on CNN, it was in my classroom, because we have a computer in our class.
I thought maybe I can check to see if they put my video on the air. Like they said they would on the phone, the previous morning. So I went onto the computer, got on the computer, went to the web site, there it was. I was extremely excited and I showed all my classmates the video, and they all thought it was really good. They said, that's great.
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LAPIN: Did you see how articulate that little guy was? He was one of our youngest I-Reporters. Of course, you can see more from Willis and others tonight at 5:00 Eastern Time. The best reports from you, our viewers. It's a special show devoted to I-Report.
Look at those two lovely people on the screen right there. Who are those guys?
NGUYEN: It's really a great show. We're excited about it. There are lots of really interesting I-Reports that have come in, not only just the visuals of it.
But aside from the viewers who sent their information in, Nic Robertson gets chased by a mob. It's really some fascinating video. Here's a little bit of it, himself. And he shot it. That's why I say himself, because he, too, while he does report for CNN, did his own shooting in this. Therefore, he is an I-Reporter.
HOLMES: And certainly a personal highlight for me was Betty having to pick up about 60 pounds of old the equipment, seriously.
NGUYEN: My back is still hurting.
HOLMES: You're going to see this in the show. Betty is lifting some heavy weight.
NGUYEN: Some heavy weight.
LAPIN: So, yes, you guys, from wicked weather and beyond, it's all there at 5:00 tonight. If anybody sees anything else, they can always send us more stuff. Because we could have another show.
NGUYEN: I can't wait for that. It's truly fascinating video. Be there, watch it, good stuff on I-Report.
LAPIN: Sure.
HOLMES: Thank you, Nicole.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was the major dispute in early Christianity, whether followers of Jesus have to become Jewish in order to worship the Jewish God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This conflict between Peter and Paul threatened to destroy the new faith.
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HOLMES: So, how did Christianity survive and grow? We'll explain in today's faces of faith. That's coming your way in about 15 minutes.
NGUYEN: And planting the seeds of peace. Up next, we will go live to Iraq for an unusual project to try and stem the tide of violence.
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NGUYEN: "Now in the News": Word this morning of more troops, U.S. troops, being killed in Iraq. The military says two soldiers were killed and four others wounded by roadside bombs on Saturday. In two separate attacks, bombs exploded near combat patrols south of Baghdad.
HOLMES: Full speed ahead: Iran vowed today to push forward with its nuclear program in the face of U.N. sanctions. Iran's president called the sanctions resolution superficial. The country's parliament is pushing for a vote on whether to drop out of the U.N. nuclear watch dog agency.
NGUYEN: He'll be back, but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is down and out. Just for a little while. He broke his leg skiing in Idaho yesterday. He's going to stay there for Christmas, but return to Los Angeles next week for surgery on that leg.
HOLMES: Christmas lights are out in parts of Wisconsin, traffic lights too. About 15,000 customers are still in the dark as well after a half foot of wet heavy snow hit the region on Friday.
NGUYEN: And check this out, Denver International Airport expects to reopen its sixth runway today. Even with hundreds of flights yesterday, there are still long lines of passengers. The airport was crippled by a blizzard just four days ago.
HOLMES: French and American intelligence sources say terrorists may be targeting the Channel Tunnel this holiday season. That's according to The Observer newspaper. The sources say their suspicions of an alleged plot are based on an increase in so-called communications chatter among terror suspects. Commonly called the "Chunnel," the underwater train tunnel connects Britain and France beneath the English Channel.
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JULIE O'NEIL, WPIX PROGRAM DIRECTOR: It's pretty mesmerizing. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: It is mesmerizing. Look at that. I could sit up and watch that all...
NGUYEN: ... all day long, I tell you.
HOLMES: Yes. We're talking high-def now versus tradition, the annual Yule log. It's a makeover, and we'll tell you why. That's coming up in about 20 minutes.
Welcome back to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody on this Christmas Eve. And thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Well, we're going to start to let you know here what you're looking at. We're looking actually a live picture of Appleton, Wisconsin. But we want to remind what you'll see on this screen here, which is the screen pushed back a bit, so we can show you a constant stream of information.
NGUYEN: We do have up-to-the-minute details on holiday travel delays, weather conditions all across the country. You see it there. And we're going to keep this information up on your screen throughout the morning.
HOLMES: Strategy sessions on Iraq. President Bush meeting this weekend with his new defense secretary, Robert Gates, and other top officials. Gates is just back from a three-day trip to Iraq. No details from the White House on the president's meeting, but one option he's considering is a short-term surge in U.S. forces in Iraq. The president meets with his national security team later this week to discuss new strategies in the war as well.
This Christmas Eve morning, a different type of story coming out of Iraq. American soldiers there are extending an olive branch to Iraqis. Actually, several hundred branches. They're planting 200 olive tree saplings this weekend near the town of Balad. And Master Sergeant Patricia Marsano came up with the idea. She is an Army Reservist at Camp Anaconda. She is joining us now live this morning.
Good morning. Thank you so much for being here. So glad to see you. Now, you tell me, had you been searching for a different kind of way to make a difference in Iraq when this idea came to you about the trees?
MASTER SGT. PATRICIA MARSANO, 164TH CORPS SUPPORT GROUP: You know, that's exactly correct. You know, when we were mobilized, one of our challenges was to improve the area we were in. And so we got together and tried to figure out what would be the best solution for that. And of course, we all love trees. And just trying to figure out what type of tree would grow in this environment. And after searching and searching, the olive tree is what we came up with.
HOLMES: And I guess that is awfully -- you said it grows well in that environment. But also, I guess it's pretty symbolic as well?
MARSANO: Oh, most definitely. You know, the olive tree is just a -- symbolism of peace. You know, you want to extend the olive branch and that method. And that's what we're trying to do.
HOLMES: Now, of course, the U.S. military has specific military goals there. And you spoke on this just a second. You're trying to leave Iraq -- in a broad sense at least the military mission is to leave Iraq in better shape than it was when you got there. This is a much smaller way to do that. Is this -- I don't know, so much of what's going on in Iraq is out of your hands. Is this certainly a way for you and your fellow soldiers there, do you feel like you're playing a more direct role and a hands-on role in making a difference when so many other things you just can't control?
MARSANO: You know, it's just a symbolism. And that's what -- one small step at a time. And this is our first step.
HOLMES: Now, tell me how rough of a process it was from start to finish to find the donors to get these trees donated, and then actually to get the trees to you?
MARSANO: We just put out a search and asked one simple question, would the olive tree grow in this type of environment? And an organization in California called the California Rare Fruit Growers Association picked up on the idea and from there it just rolled nonstop for the last couple of months to where we are today. So we give great credit to the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, in addition to FedEx for getting the plants to us.
HOLMES: Yes. You said FedEx there. How did -- how was that process? Were they -- I guess, how did they arrive? I guess you don't see a shipment of olive trees day in and day out in Iraq.
MARSANO: You know, that it just came on a normal shipment. They left California, took the normal path to get here and arrived in about three days. So we were very fortunate to be partnered with them also.
HOLMES: OK. Well, apparently this one -- this effort was certainly a success on your part. Are you looking for other ways now to make more of a direct impact, things you can control, looking for other little ideas and ways to make an impact in the local communities around Iraq?
MARSANO: I think each and every one of us is trying to do that. You know, we'll just brainstorm as teams and do the best that we can before it's our turn to leave, and for someone else to pick up where we left off.
HOLMES: Well, Master Sergeant Marsano, it is so nice to talk to you. So glad we could get to do a story out of Iraq on this Christmas Eve like this. Thank you so much. And take care. And would you like to say Merry Christmas to anybody?
MARSANO: Oh, most definitely. My family lives in Crestline, Ohio. So I just want to tell them that I miss them very much. And that I love each and every one of them. And I'll be home before you know it. And happy holidays.
HOLMES: Well, you make it home safely. Master Sergeant Marsano, thank you so much. Good to see you. Great work you're doing. Take care.
MARSANO: Thanks, T.J. Thank you.
NGUYEN: All right. Cookies, pies, cakes, baked, and fried foods galore. You name it.
HOLMES: You can tell that's your desk, actually, you can tell.
NGUYEN: Yes. Actually, I was about to get there. This is not mine in particular. But it's -- oh, wait, wait, wait, get the camera back to where it was. I was going to show you...
HOLMES: Oh, that was my pie.
NGUYEN: ... the sweet potato pie that...
HOLMES: That was my pie.
NGUYEN: ... T.J. claims that he made this morning. We are surrounded by all of this food this time of year. So we were curious to see how many of you stay to a diet. You know, everyone's on these different diets. You know, I will tell you this, Reynolds wolf did not partake in the festivities. He is on his strictly South Beach Diet. But some people are saying to heck with those diets, 47 percent of people we asked say that they indulged themselves during the holidays. I'm one of those. And speaking of diets, 58 percent of the people we asked say they have no intentions on going on one even after the holidays.
HOLMES: Reynolds, come on. Give me a break.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, dude, I'm serious.
NGUYEN: See, I told you.
WOLF: I'm telling you, I am like -- you know those little puffer fish, you know, like they swim along in the ocean and they -- all of a sudden they go up like that? You get bread or sugar nearby, it's all over, man. Now, I'm serious, all you do is get some paint and put "Goodyear blimp" and just push me on through. I'm serious. Wide load, that's who I am.
Hey, take a look at something. I've got something that I'd like to share with you, some I-Reports. These are great pictures. These are really cool. The first one we have for you is from Bill Redig (ph) from Littleton, Colorado -- actually, I'm sorry, I believe this is in Laura Russen (ph). This is Laura Russen's. This is in Fort Collins, by the way. And look at some of those snow drifts. That is actually a very flat part of the state. Off in the distance, though, you can see the mountains. But that is what they had to do just to push all those drifts from the cars and the people to try to get by. But I don't think anything's getting through there, other than a person, if they breathe in.
All right. Let's go to the next shot. And the next one is from Bill Redig. And that's not Bill there -- out there in the distance, that is actually a deer, I assume. And I don't think it's, you know, lawn art. I think that's the real deal. That's just another beautiful picture that we have from the mountains. Again, up in Colorado. It's a beautiful thing to see this time of the year. And I do not see a red nose on that deer either.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, roughly one-third of the world's population considers itself Christian.
HOLMES: Yes. But how did a faith that almost fell apart in the beginning ever manage to survive its first major spiritual crisis? That amazing story five minutes away.
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NGUYEN: That's Pope Benedict this morning during a ceremonial Christmas Eve Angelus at St. Peter's Basilica. His message to Christians, commemorating the birth of Jesus around the globe. Remember the value of every human life, is what he said.
And this morning, in our "Faces of Faith," we examine the movement, the revolution that began Christianity. CNN faith in values correspondent Delia Gallagher reports on a CNN special series for "CNN PRESENTS." It's called "After Jesus: The First Christians."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH & VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the tumultuous years just after Jesus' death, his followers struggled to keep his message alive. A message in peril of disappearing completely. But then, two leaders emerged: Peter, the simple fisherman from Galilee, Jesus' chief apostle; and Paul, a sophisticated intellectual.
BART EHRMAN, PROFESSOR, UNC CHAPEL HILL: Some people called Paul the second founder of Christianity because Christianity is more than following the teachings of Jesus. Christianity is not just the religion that Jesus had, it's the religion about Jesus. It's the religion founded on Jesus' death and resurrection.
GALLAGHER: But spreading Jesus' story and defining this new faith put Paul and Peter, its most influential leaders, at odds. Both were Jews. But Peter argued that Jesus was for the Jews only. If you wanted to follow Jesus, you had to become a Jew and obey Jewish law. Paul, on the other hand, preached that the new faith was open to everyone, gentile and Jew. This open-door policy was a huge problem for Peter, who wielded considerable power in Jerusalem, power given to him by Jesus.
AMY-JILL LEVINE, PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to Peter: "You are Peter," the Greek term for "rock," petros. "And on this rock, Petra, I will build my church."
EHRMAN: Peter was the key player in early Christianity, and according to our traditions was the one who converted Jews early on to believe in Jesus as the messiah.
GALLAGHER: Within two decades of the crucifixion, scholars say Christianity faced a life-or-death moment.
EHRMAN: This was the major dispute in early Christianity, whether followers of Jesus have to become Jewish in order to worship the Jewish god.
GALLAGHER: This conflict between Peter and Paul threatened to destroy the new faith.
CLAIRE PFANN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF THE HOLY LAND: In Jerusalem, around the year 48 to 49, the First Apostolic Council is called in order to resolve the issue of gentile Christians. Do they convert or don't they convert?
LEVINE: Paul argues that the Holy Spirit had descended upon the gentiles apart from the law of Moses, therefore, there was no reason to insist that those gentiles be converted first to Judaism in order to be a member of the church.
GALLAGHER: Paul's argument won the day. Jesus' message was for the whole world, a huge triumph for the new faith, but the biggest struggle was yet to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The challenges, struggles and revolution that became Christianity. Don't miss a special "CNN PRESENTS After Jesus: The First Christians." That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are talking the Yule log to a new level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: High definition tries to burn a 30-year-old holiday tradition. That story is next. But first, today's cold and flu report for you.
WOLF: Hi, folks. I'm Reynolds Wolf for the look at today's cold and flu report. We've got widespread cases throughout parts of the Southeast, as well as the Gulf Coast. Even into portions of the Ohio Valley. And we're seeing some also pop up through portions of the Great Lakes. But out to the West and the Northwest, things are looking much better.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. I'm Sergeant Davis (ph), I'm with the MNFI (ph) Command Group here at Camp Victory. I'd like to say hello to my wife Janice (ph) and my two kids Brett (ph) and Christina (ph).
Hi, guys! Merry Christmas!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Specialist Guerrero (ph). Hi to everyone at home in (INAUDIBLE) Texas. Hi to my wife and my three brothers, Louis (ph), Alex (ph), and Jeter (ph). How are you doing?
And babe, I love you. Be home soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name PFC Day (ph). I'm from San Jose, California. Just want to say hi to all my family and friends back home.
Baby, I love you, and merry Christmas!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: That is so wrong.
HOLMES: OK. That's good. We didn't know that was coming, obviously. But this is another way -- you all see the move with the leg? You all saw that, right? This is another...
NGUYEN: Is this the Macarena? What is that? Nice.
HOLMES: Oh my goodness. This is a way...
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: This is another way for you to have some holiday fun on the Web. You can go "Elf Yourself." I had to be careful with that. I've been practicing. But you can log on to elfyourself.com and look as ridiculous as we do.
NGUYEN: As we do. And by the way, we did not do this.
HOLMES: Oh, good move right there, Betty. Good move.
NGUYEN: I've been practicing.
HOLMES: Oh, the robot.
NGUYEN: See, here's what you do...
HOLMES: Oh!
NGUYEN: You upload your picture and presto, you become this silly looking dancing elf that can do the Macarena. And you can e- mail the video postcard to everyone on your Christmas list so they can make fun of you just as everyone now is making fun of us.
HOLMES: That was good stuff.
NGUYEN: That was ridiculous.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we also have an e-mail question for you this Christmas Eve. What is your favorite holiday memory? Know you have...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: And it wasn't that.
HOLMES: Yes. By all means, send those in to us. We might share ours as well.
NGUYEN: Also, if you've got a picture of one of your favorite holiday memories, go ahead and send that to us as well. We'll try to get that on the air with your comments.
HOLMES: And we're certainly going to read some of those responses later on this morning.
Meanwhile, Yule Log TV, started Christmas morning, 1966 when a New York City TV station aired this image of a Yule Log.
NGUYEN: There it is. Viewers loved it and it's become actually a holiday tradition. Now, though, a challenger in high-definition. CNN's Jeanne Moos explains in this edition of "Welcome to the Future."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Talk about fighting fire with fire. A televised Yule log for those who don't have a real fireplace. The question is, which fire brings more joy to the world?
In this corner, the original, the WPIX Yule log.
O'NEIL: You have to admit it's pretty mesmerizing.
MOOS: This blazing Yule was dreamed up in 1966 by the general manager of New York City station WPIX.
O'NEIL: The world's first music video.
MOOS: It had some bizarre touches, like the creepy dolls.
O'NEIL: I don't understand why you would hang a small child over a fireplace.
MOOS: In 1999, the fire spread to the Internet. This log has its own fan Web site.
O'NEIL: Really sucks you in, doesn't it?
MOOS: But now it's being sucker punched.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On December 25th, the Yule log is back. MOOS: Say it ain't so, Santa. This Yule log is in high definition.
JASON PATTON, INHD: We are taking the Yule log to a new level.
MOOS: This Yule log even crackles. An all-HD network called INHD made what amounts to a designer Yule log video.
PATTON: We went to Ron Roy in California. He does mood videos.
MOOS: But it hasn't blackened the mood of the original Yule loggers.
O'NEIL: No one seems to get it right. I mean, honestly, they don't have the andirons.
PATTON: Theirs is like 30 years old. It's been the same thing over and over.
MOOS: The original Yule log is a six-and-a-half-minute loop. The INHD version is a 45-minute loop, with shots from various angles.
PATTON: Here is your extreme close-up. Don't singe your hair.
MOOS (on camera): Don't burn yourself.
PATTON: We debuted this on our network in 2003.
MOOS (voice-over): So which log is hotter? Well, if you can find INHD, way up in the nosebleed channels, it's a 24-hour log.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Burning all Christmas Day.
O'NEIL: Personally, I think that three hours is enough log.
MOOS: But you are the Grinch who stole the Yule log.
PATTON: All right. Maybe I stole it, but we made it better.
O'NEIL: I say, thank you for trying to imitate the original.
MOOS: The folks at WPIX fear that since INHD is geared towards men, the competition's fire would be bigger.
(on camera): A big log?
O'NEIL: A really big log.
MOOS (voice-over): So how do the logs stack up?
(on camera): It's about 13 and a half.
Yes, 23.
(voice-over): Ah, but it's the old flame you never forget.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That is good stuff. Fierce competition there. Let's talk about this for a minute. The U.N. Security Council placing sanctions on Iran. Now, the nuclear power wannabe is making some threats of its own. We have a live report from Tehran, that is just minutes away.
HOLMES: And 'tis the season to be stressed out for a lot of folks. Coming up at 8:30 Eastern, Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows you how not to let the holiday frustrations ruin your Christmas spirit.
NGUYEN: And we are still watching, waiting for Santa to arrive. The big man is not here just yet. But his seat is all ready. Saint Nick joins us right here at the CNN studio in just a little over an hour from now. So get those kiddies up. We're getting Christmas ready for you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The sound of church bells ringing in Bethlehem as thousands of pilgrims from around the world gather in the traditional birthplace of Jesus this Christmas Eve. And in Vatican City Pope Benedict prepares to celebrate Christmas Eve midnight mass leading more than a million Roman Catholics into his second Christmas as pope.
And this is how they celebrate Christmas Eve in Rio de Janeiro. You are looking at the very first Christmas parade on the world famous, how do you say that? Copacabana Beach.
HOLMES: Copacabana Beach.
NGUYEN: The word is split up. Copacabana Beach. Hello. Who doesn't love a parade, though?
Check this out, American and French intelligence sources believe there may be a terror plot this holiday against the Channel tunnel. That's according to the "Observer" Newspaper. In the 31-mile underwater train tunnel it connects Britain and France. Now the newspaper says the alleged plot may involve Britain of Pakistani ancestry.
HOLMES: The U.N. speaks Iran doesn't listen. Now the country may pull out of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group after it was slapped with sanctions over its nuclear program. We'll go live to Tehran in two minutes with the latest.
Ethiopia says its jet fighters attacked Somalia rebels today in villages along the border. Ethiopian officials say it was done in self-defense and to defend the U.N. backed government of Somalia.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is off his feet this Christmas. He broke his leg yesterday while skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, but interestingly enough, the ski resort actually has a trail that's named Arnold's run. It's named after the governor. Not sure if he hurt himself on that particular slope or not.
MARINE SANTA: It's an honor to be here to serve my country and especially at this time of year to share in the holiday season with the children of Kosovo.
HOLMES: Not forgotten, U.S. troops bring the joy of the season to some children overseas. A lot of nice holiday stories today.
From the CNN Center this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is Christmas Eve, December 24th, 8 a.m. here at the CNN Headquarters and 7 a.m. in the heartland. Hello to you all I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for being with us today. I want to give a quick reminder to our viewers. Check out this picture we are looking at a live look there in Wisconsin, I believe, as you see the streetlights are still on. But notice the picture is squeezed back. We are showing this all morning long so you can see the constant stream of information coming in to CNN about travel information.
HOLMES: It will be up-to-date stuff. Details on the holiday traveling and a lot of the details unfortunately. Weather conditions across the country as well and we'll keep this information up on the screen throughout the morning.
NGUYEN: Well, full speed ahead. Iran vows to step up its nuclear program in defiance of U.N. sanctions and Iran's parliament is pushing for a vote on whether to drop out of the U.N.'s Nuclear Watchdog Agency. The Security Council voted unanimously yesterday to impose sanctions on Iran. The country refuses to stop enriching uranium and more reaction from Iran to the sanctions now. CNN's Middle East correspondent Aneesh Raman joins us via broadband from Tehran. The reaction doesn't seem to be very pretty, it doesn't seem, Aneesh.
RAMAN: It doesn't Betty, good morning. It's already a contentious relationship when you talk about Iran and the international community and now things are set to get only worse. As you mentioned perhaps the most significant development today aside from continued defiance, a voice by the Iranian president is the country's parliament is over the next 48 hours -- the IAEA. Now that has the potential for them to decide to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. That would mean IAEA inspectors that are on the ground would be kicked out. And Iran would pursue its nuclear ambitions although it would do so without any assistance by the IAEA if it chooses that path.
Meantime, Iran's president today said that sanctions were, quote, insignificant. A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry called them illegal and said that Iran would not stop its nuclear program and would continue its construction of some 3,000 centrifuges in the city of Natanz as Iran moves ever-closer to self-sufficiency on the nuclear front. Now that is key here because these sanctions essentially just limit the technical aid that Iran gets for it's nuclear program. The question is how advanced is that program and how much aid does Iran need at this point? And from the statements we've gotten so far these sanctions don't seem to be doing the trick. Iran not topping its nuclear program, continuing its defiance.
Betty,
NGUYEN: CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us from Tehran today. Thank you, Aneesh.
HOLMES: The U.S. calls the sanctions against Iran a first step. More reaction now from the Bush administration to the Security Council vote. We turn to White House correspondent Elaine Quijano who is joining us now live. Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, T.J. Well the Bush administration is certainly applauding this resolution, but they would like to see more. In a statement this weekend Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did call on member nations to implement their obligations under this resolution and said, quote, the Iranian government through its own action has further isolated itself and the Iranian people from the international community. The resolution is a strong signal to the government of Iran. Now the statement went on to say Iran should accept its international obligations, suspend what the secretary called sensitive nuclear activities and accept a previous offer to come to the negotiating table, but the United States is also hoping that this resolution will pave the way for even more action against Iran, particularly targeting the money flowing into that country as one top state department official put it T.J., the U.S. isn't putting all its eggs in a U.N. basket.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Elaine Quijano for us live this morning. Thank you so much, Elaine.
NGUYEN: Well with U.S. troops spending Christmas in Iraq, we wanted to know what is their morale like for the holidays. So Sergeant Amanda Engen with the army reserve. She's serving with the 734th Transportation Battalion in Ballad, Iraq. And Amanda joins us live. Let me talk to you about this, Sergeant. Your husband is serving in Fallujah. The rest of your family is in Minnesota. How are you staying in the holiday spirit?
SGT. AMANDA ENGEN, U.S. ARMY RESERVES: We at the unit have gotten together and we decided to have a Christmas party to celebrate the holiday season so we could come together and celebrate together as a team.
NGUYEN: Is it difficult at all? It has to be, to be away from your family especially during this time of year.
ENGEN: Yes. Definitely. My family, I've never been away from them on a holiday season before and to be away from Chad is also very difficult. You know, I go home in about a week for R and R leave. Yes.
NGUYEN: If your family were watching today what would you want them to know? What would you want to tell them on this Christmas Eve? ENGEN: I would like to tell them they am very safe, and I am in good spirits. I'd like to say hello to my family and my friends at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and I would like to tell them that I have not yet opened the Christmas presents.
NGUYEN: Well look here. Guess what? We have your family live today and they're really anxious to talk to you. I'm sure they're so excited to see you. Mom and dad, let me just let you take over the mike and say whatever is that you want to say to your little girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Amanda. Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surprise!
ENGEN: Hi!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi!
ENGEN: Hi, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing, Amanda?
ENGEN: I'm good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you and we are so proud of you, Amanda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We miss you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's nice --
ENGEN: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We miss you, too, honey. It's hard to be apart at Christmas, but we're really not apart, are we?
ENGEN: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the next best thing to being there.
ENGEN: Not at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. You haven't opened your presents?
ENGEN: No. Well, just the one, I cheated just once.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She cheated a little.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She did a little bit, well that's good upon. I'm so proud of you, Amanda, this is so exciting for us to be here and have a chance to tell you Merry Christmas, you know in front of all of these people and to tell you how proud we are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a lot of family and friends that are watching so say hi, Amanda.
ENGEN: Hi, everybody. I love you. I miss you. I hope to see you in a week.
NGUYEN: This is so great. Mom and dad let me ask you this. How does she look? She seems to be in great spirits. I imagine you haven't seen her in a while. How does she look for you today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well actually we can't see her; we are just on the voice.
NGUYEN: Oh, I wish you had a monitor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you know, we've only got about 30 people taping this --
NGUYEN: You will see her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will see her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Amanda, any special traditions at mom and dad's house that you'll really miss this time of year?
ENGEN: Yes. You know, we usually open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve so I'll be missing out on that, but the thing they miss the most is my little brother waking me up way too early on Christmas Day because Santa Claus has came and I'm not going get, that but I think I'm going to wake up early and open some presents with some friends.
NGUYEN: Well I do want let you know that your brother and sister are with us today and Melissa is here and Nicholas and I'm sure they want to say a little bit of something to you. Go ahead.
ENGEN: OK.
MELISSA: Merry Christmas Amanda, I'm very proud of you.
ENGEN: Hi Melissa.
NICHOLAS: Merry Christmas. I love you.
ENGEN: Hey, buddy!
NICHOLAS: Hey.
ENGEN: I miss you.
NICHOLAS: Miss you, too!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We miss you a lot. Petty is doing OK.
ENGEN: Oh, great! That's good to hear.
NGUYEN: This is wonderful. Amanda, I want to say this has been a pleasure to bring you in touch with your family and Randy, Brenda, your mother, Melissa, Nicholas and your siblings. I'm so happy to hear, Amanda that you're coming home within a week. I'm sure the week will be the longest of their lives, but they will see you soon so stay safe and happy holidays.
ENGEN: Thank you very much. This is the best Christmas present I've gotten. Happy holidays.
NGUYEN: Take care.
ENGEN: Thank you!
NGUYEN: I just love how her face lit up when she heard.
HOLMES: She had no idea. That is so nice.
NGUYEN: I wish they had a monitor so they could see their little girl. They'll see it. Yes, they're good.
HOLMES: That was nice.
NGUYEN: Makes you feel good during the holiday season.
HOLMES: Well this won't make you feel too good, this next story we are going to tell you about. Santa, probably no doubt in his mind which list she's on. The naughty one. She's paying for it, too. An apologetic ex-Miss Nevada USA on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. That's coming up in about ten minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus this nativity scene is missing something. You can tell what it is. Yes. Yet another case of a missing baby Jesus. What is going on here? The full story in 13 minutes, don't you go away.
Plus --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People get run down. People start to drink more, people start to eat poorly.
HOLMES: Whoa! This was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Coming up at the bottom of the hour "House Call" shows you how to stop stress from stealing the holiday spirit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi my name (INAUDIBLE) I just want to say hi and Merry Christmas to my lovely fiancee, Nicole, my family, mom, dad, Kitty, Joe, everybody, love you guys. Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm with 177 in Ramadi, Iraq. I just want to say happy holidays, Merry Christmas to my girlfriend and my family in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you this is specialist Gevara. I want to say hi to Claudia, my kids; I will be home in about a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to say happy holidays to my family back home in South Carolina. Merry Christmas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Power crews working overtime in central Wisconsin today. A strong winter storm dumped a half-inch of snow in the area, which also caused widespread power outages. At least the roads are fairly cleared, crews have restored power to the majority of homes, but there are still about 15,000 people who can't light up those Christmas trees.
NGUYEN: Travelers finally have a reason to smile in Denver. A sixth runway is expected to open today. That means more planes heading in and heading out, but there's still a problem. The planes are all pretty much at capacity, which means there aren't very many additional seats for those who have been stranded there for the past few days.
HOLMES: We turn to Reynolds who has had his eye on all this weather. Denver, are they done for now?
WOLF: Sort of. They are going to be some snowflakes later on today, but it's not going to be anything similar to what they've had over the last 72 to 96 hours. Right now we are looking at the possibility of heavy, heavy rain along portions of the Gulf Coast. These computer models indicate places like New Orleans could see anywhere from maybe two to three inches of rainfall. The ground's already saturated from rain we had just the other day. Not exactly what we want to be dealing with. It's not a sure bet that we're going to see flooding, but there is a possibility and we'll keep an eye on it for you.
Mean while, across the rest of the nation some snowflakes possible up in New York, still raining throughout the southeast and plenty of sunshine around the central Plains as well as southern California. Some fog to deal with in San Joaquin Valley this morning. However in the Pacific Northwest, it is rain and in the high elevations snowfall.
High temperatures across the nation today still very mild in the northeast, not bad at all for New York with 55 degrees and 55 in Washington, D.C. and Boston 52, 48 in Chicago, 36 in Denver and 57 in San Francisco and Los Angeles with 70 degrees. That's your forecast and let's sends it back to you at the news desk.
NGUYEN: Thank you Reynolds.
Stick around, though. Because we want you to check this out an early Santa sighting this morning. Can you see him? Who knew, right? Looks like the man in red has traded in his sleigh for a surfboard, trying to catch a Christmas wave in just a moment.
HOLMES: Also you can call this guy the wrong number Santa. We'll dial him up in the next hour.
NGUYEN: That is a great story and we are asking you to e-mail us this morning. What's your favorite holiday memory? The address is WEEKENDS@CNN.com and if you have pictures of these memories that would be great, too. Send them to us the email WEEKENDS@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLARK DAVIS: I am Clark Davis and I'm with the (INAUDIABLE) Command Group here at Camp Victory. I'd like to say hello to my wife Janis and my two kids Brett and Christina. Merry Christmas.
JOSHUA: My name is Special Joshua and I'm from Washington State. I'd like to say hello and happy holidays to everyone back home, my mom and dad, my kids especially and my girl Rebecca that's back there. She's with our kids. Hope everything's going great and I are doing just fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is Specialist Count (INAUDIBLE) small town out of North Dakota. I'm just trying to say hi to my folks back home. My lovely wife Roberta and my daughter Alexis Rose.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Eat, eat, eat. We've all heard those words during the holidays. A wonderful time of year to celebrate family, friends and lots of tempting food, but sometimes there's tremendous pressure to overindulge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Italian grandmother, a compliment to her would be eat as much food as you possible can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. I work with a lot of clients that do have trouble with their family's kind of forcing food on them and this is part of how their families show love.
COSTELLO: If your family tries to load you down with extra helpings, Alex suggests telling them you'll have a little taste because you're trying to be healthier.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scan the buffet and see what is your prime holiday food that you would miss out on if you didn't have any. Fill up on the fruits, vegetables and the wheat proteins and have a couple of those specialty items.
COSTELLO: To Alex's best holiday advice is savor every bite and eat intuitively.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slow down and listen to our body, we'll wind up eating less and enjoying our food more.
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, no second chance on this one. Miss Nevada, that's not how you're supposed to see Miss Nevada. Yes, she has been dethroned after scandalous photos surfaced on a popular Web sight. This is just a taste, pardon the pun. They may sue the photographer, but for now she is just saying sorry and hopes pageant owner Donald Trump steps in, but don't hold your breath on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE REES, FMR. MISS NEVADA: I am so sorry this happened. So many of us just don't realize how our actions, even one night of poor judgment can affect the rest of our lives. I sincerely want to put this behind me, but I hope my experience will send a message to all young women.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, that was a much different thing, Larry. Tara was having a problem and we're taking care of the problem and I think it will work out great, but Miss Nevada was a disaster. The pictures were disgusting they brought to my office today and I've viewed them. I've seen pictures before, you fully understand that Larry, but these pictures were pretty far out there and that is not representative of Miss USA and it's not representative of Miss Nevada. We had no choice, but to terminate her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: News across America now and we're going keep talking about Donald Trump. He's suing Palm Beach, Florida. They want him to take down his giant flagpole. It violates town height rules. Trump is seeking $10 million in damages, which he says he will donate to an Iraq war veteran's charity.
An extreme holiday protest in Bakersfield, California. Police there say a man set himself and a Christmas tree on fire --
NGUYEN: What?
HOLMES: In protest. It was in apparent protest of the local school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring break back to Christmas and Easter break.
NGUYEN: Well listen to this. Another nativity nabber on the loose. This one in Boston where the baby Jesus figurine was swiped from a family who's had this display up for 40 years. The Malone's say they hope to see a Christmas miracle when they get up tomorrow morning and they say they will forgive the thief. They just want the figurine back in the manger when where he belongs.
HOLMES: Please stop stealing baby Jesus!
This is not right surfing Santa, in the days before Christmas, shouldn't he be doing something else? This has got to be an impersonator. These were taken in the cold, cold waters around New York City.
NGUYEN: Looks like he was trying his hardest not to.
HOLMES: Santa is a little heavy still.
NGUYEN: For different reasons.
Well all morning long we've been asking you your thoughts on our e-mail question. What's your favorite holiday memory?
HOLMES: We have stuff for you.
NGUYEN: Believe it or not. They're coming up on the screen for you.
HOLMES: Here's one we have here. It says, "My favorite Christmas memory is watching people on CNN elf themselves."
NGUYEN: That was horrible.
HOLMES: "I'm watching it right now. Merry Christmas, CNN. Thank.
NGUYEN: Oh, god gosh, do we have to play that funky footage? T.J., you have skills. There's a move coming.
HOLMES: That's not me.
NGUYEN: Ooh! I have been practicing.
HOLMES: The robot. That's a good much in. Here it comes.
NGUYEN: There's the leg! Yes, we are talented here at CNN. Apparently, we have a lot of time on our hands. Enough of the video already. We're humiliated as it is on Christmas Eve of all things. Merry Christmas to us.
Well the clock is ticking. Have you done your Christmas shopping just yet? From travel to shopping to annoying loved ones.
HOLMES: Holidays, relax. "House Call" has your cure and that's next.
NGUYEN: Also ahead the science behind Santa. Even if you don't believe you'll want to hear how St. Nick pulls off this Christmas mission.
HOLMES: He's been reading all those letters and we're hearing reports Santa will make a stop here at the CNN Headquarters. That's coming up later this morning so you will want to be around for that. Stay here. We've got more dancing elves coming up.
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