spent the whole day with me. she had finished the movie "sparkle." she played me the songs from "sparkle" that she had done. i played her and recording, we spent the whole day. and she was totally herself. she showed me as far as cigarettes were concerned, how she cleared her throat of all of the nicotine. i'm ready to make another album. how long will it take to gather the appropriate material for to us do it. we said, well, august or september. there was no hint. she was not back to her old self. so i was totally in shock when i got that call. >> and our thanks ds to don lem for that remarkable interview.

"cnn newsroom" starts right now. good morning, it's saturday, december 24th. merry christmas eve. i'm whitney wild in for amara walker. >> and i'm martin savidge in for boris sanchez. and you're in the "cnn newsroom." we begin with a frustrating start to a holiday weekend. more than 200 americans are under winter alert with an arctic blast with heavy snow and ice. the storm has placed enormous strains on america's energy infrastructure. this morning where more than 500,000 homes and businesses are without power. and authorities in tennessee have ordered 15-minute rolling blackouts to manage demands. >> now, officials in states are blaming the winter storm for 15 deaths. they're reminding drivers, if you don't need to travel, stay off the road. across the country, snow, ice and powerful winds have caused multivehicle crashes and left

drivers stranded on roads and highways. many spent hours in freezing conditions but it is not just the snow and ice. in new jersey, in several coastal areas across the east, the storm brought major flooding. >> meanwhile, air travelers are bracing for another day of frustration. more than 1600 u.s. flights were already cancelled. that comes after 5700 flights were cancelled on friday. >> every solution we went to, we couldn't reach anyone. i stayed on hod ld for eight hos today and was disconnected. that wasn't fun. super frustrating because there's nothing they can do and nothing we can do. >> carlos suarez and allison chinchar are standing by. but let's begin in buffalo, new york, with polo sandoval. polo, we heard from officials just a bit agatha there were people stranded in cars.

some have been there at least through the overnight. what do we know about the latest on the rescue efforts? >> reporter: hundreds of peoples that county officials just put it, whitney. they emphasized the area of buffalo, the city itself, it continues to be ground zero of massive arctic blast that's affecting millions of people in many states. again, they say it's ground zero just in the last hour. dire information information shared by the county executive in ebuffalo, saying as of this moment, two-thirds still stuck. ambulance, police as well. because of that, poloncarz saying there are no emergency vehicles available, including in the city of buffalo. it that is not to say they're not attempting to respond to in

which calls, there's no guarantee to get in a timely manner. you're talking about people that may suffer medical conditions that may need assistance. because these roads are still treacherous. again. no guarantees that first responders would be able to get there. the other pretty dire update that we received. hundreds of people stuck in the cars, he's saying these are likely people who basically 81 estimated the storm and went out yesterday and got stuck on the side of the road. what they're trying to do, little visibility has improved. and part of this snow band has shifted slightly north. that's officials to actually head back out. clear a path. but authorities making it very clear, this is not for people to go to grandmother's house for christmas. this is for those ambulances, for those fire trucks, for the rescue personnel and for the national guard that kathy hochul announce said traveling to buffalo to help the individuals who have to make it to dialysis,

or chemotherapy points that life sustaining therapy that people need, that cannot miss, those are the vehicles that need to be on the road if any. now is not the time, if you're not already with your family, to leave your home if you're safe. and put yourself in any danger. >> polo sandoval, thank you. >> the widespread winter storms are having a severe impact on air travel, long lines, delays, cancellations, that is making it so hard for anyone traveling by air to get home for the holidays. >> let's go to cnn's carlos suarez, he's at atlanta's jackson hartfield airport. what are you seeing there? >> reporter: martin and whitney, good morning. the line that was here about an hour ago at least at the dropoff location at the delta terminal isn't too long right now. what we're seeing in a few minutes, you'll see a rush of travelers showing up to check in and drop off their bags but things out here, they are moving. everyone is keeping a close eye

on the departure board we're here at hartsfield-jackson international airport. over 100 flights cancelled. a majority of flights going to new york, as well as illinois, texas and even california. the folks out here have showed up really early this morning to get on to the flight. there is a dedicated part of the delta terminal where passengers whose itineraries were impacted by the storm. folks probably had their flights cancelled and they're now in the process of getting reticketed in hopes of getting out of the airport. the numbers they don't look that -- flight aware, 1,600 flights across the u.s. have been cancelled. and 1800 flights have been delayed. folks here are really just hoping to make their flights out. a lot of them are just trying to get home for the holidays with just enough time. we talked to one woman whose

flight was at 10:00 this morning. she got here bright and early just to give herself enough time. >> i heard on the news, saying early, come at least three hours before your flight, so, here i am. >> reporter: and so that woman was going out to california. and it disappears she was able to get on -- or at least, at last check, her flight is still on time, she's able to get on board that plane. there was one guy we talked to who was going to texas. he told us, he apparently spent the night here at the airport in hopes of trying to get out but it looks as though his flight was also cancelled so he at last check was still trying to figure out what to do. guys. >> all right. carlos, thanks very much. let's hope that everyone gets to where they need to be safely. almost the entire nation is feeling it, of course, the cold temperatures that have been brought on by the arctic blast. let's go now to meteorologist allison chinchar in the cnn weather center. allison, you're looking ahead to good news, i hope? >> that's right. if we could just ignore today, i

think that would be the plan, but, yes, if you're outside in any one of these blue or purple areas, you realize you're very cold today. i promise colder temperatures are on the way. for some as early as today, others may not be until next week. right now, it's minus 5 for the actual temperature in minneapolis, but when you factor in that exposed skin, minus 25. nashville, 10, atlanta, single differences a real temperature of 9 degrees. but then you factor in the wind in a lot of these places, even the sustained winds are strong. let alone the gusts. 21 miles per hour in buffalo. cleveland, 22 miles per hour sustained winds gusting up to 31. st. louis, sustained winds of 25 miles per hour. when you take that wind and you make it with the snow, that's what's causing a lot of the poor visibility in areas not only across the northwest but areas of the east. that's where you've got your

blizzard warnings, winter advisories, the snow for today is going to be limited mainly through the great lakes region. you've got enhancement for organizations of michigan and new york. here along lake erie, an additional foot, maybe on top of what they already had. let's focus on the good news that is coming. starting today, temperatures in dallas, new orleans, finally rebounding back above the freezing mark. other cities, atlanta, d.c., new york, it's likely going to be until next week before we start to see the temperatures get back above freezing. but it is coming. it starts in the west. it will eventually spread off to the eastern half of the country, especially by wednesday. definitely, once we get to thursday, even friday of next week, some of these areas may actually be dealing not just normal temperatures but temperatures above normal for a change. so, hopefully, quite a different

holiday going into new year's that we have for christmas. >> allison chinchar, thank you. as tens of millions of people crank up the heat to stay warm in the absolutely frigid temperatures the cost to do so will be the most expense any of a decade. a new estimate says the average home heating bill is projected to jump more than $1200 this winter. that's a 17% increase from last winter. and analysts say that the bills could get even more expensive, if this winter is colder than expected. here with us to discuss is the executive director of the national energy assistance director's association. mark wahl. thank you for joining us, mark. my first question for is you, why is it more expensive this year to heat a home? >> well, there are a couple reasons. one, it's colder. right now, with the heating, we're up by 17% from last year. so it's colder, need more energy. that price is up for a couple of

reasons. one, we're using energy, and that's creating more demand. the other one is we're exporting more energy. this is the third year in a row of record exports of natural gas. you weren't able to export national gas five years ago because of a system called liquefied gas. so with that, it is subjected americans to global prices for natural gas. that's causing higher prices. and the other fact that's going on is a recovering economy. so the last two years alone, the average costs of home energy has gone up close to 46%. for many americans, that's more than she spend on christmas gifts. that's how significant it is. >> there are so many ways that people heat their homes. there's gas, oil, electricity. >> right. >> is everybody facing the same price increase? >> everybody is facing price increases. not everyone is facing the extent of the price increases. natural gas costs up 35%.

natural gas in the theater with electricity, heating oil, those prices are even up higher. some folks using heating oil costs more than 50% than last year. everyone across the country is facing higher prices. just depends on where you are. what the temperature is, and your home. there are many factors but the bottom line, it's going to cost a lot more to heat your home than two years ago. you combine the increases of the last two years, it's going to make energy barely affordable for many americans. >> about 1 in every 6 american families is behind on their utility bill. a new $1.7 trillion federal spending bill contains about $5 billion for assistance. is that enough? >> actually, it's $6 billion. it's another $1 billion from congress at the last minute. it might be enough. we're not sure, it's more than last year. if a family needs help, go to a

website, energy help.us, they'll tell you where to go for assistance. every member of congress lives in a district where it's more expensive to heat your home. we were quite pleased at the end of the year they added more money to the program that puts us in record funding. it will be a tough year, but if families need help, please apply for assistance. it's not just for the very poor, a family of four can save up to with 45,000s can get help. >> mark, thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, we'll have tips how to stay safe during the cold temperatures. including why it might be smart to skip that second cup of coffee. plus, the january 6th committee makes clear they

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dozens of witnesses. among the items testimony from trump lawyer sidney powell saying the former president and his allies believed they couldn't have lost the 2020 election because of his large rallies. >> this comes on the heels of the panel's long-awaited final report after nearly an 18-month long investigation that included that trump was principally responsible for the riot at the u.s. capitol. cnn's paula reed gives us a look into the historic report. >> reporter: the january 6th committee lays the blame for the capitol attack directly at the feet of former president donald trump. >> because you'll never take back our country with weakness. you have to show strength. and you have to be strong. >> they broke the glass. everybody stay down. >> reporter: in an 845-page report released late thursday, the committee writes, the central cause of january 6 was one man whom many others followed. none of the events of january 6th would have happened without

him. ♪ >> reporter: the report alleges that trump's decision to falsely declare victory on election night was, quote, premeditated. >> the key thing to do is to claim victory. possession is nine tenths of the law, we [ bleep ] sorry. >> reporter: the report outlines trump's desire to get states overturned. >> donald trump votes -- >> reporter: before the election trump and his inner circle engaged in at least 200 acts of public or private outreach to state officials to try to get them to overturn their election results. >> the gop electors are also on the governor's -- >> i'm not getting into a political debate. >> reporter: the investigation uncovered a 23-minute phone call between someone at the white house and john eastman on the same day the conservative attorney wrote a new infamous memo laying out how pence could block the certification of the electoral vote.

>> state election officials ignored or violated a state law in order to put vice president biden over the finish line. >> reporter: the call came after eastman emailed a trump assistant that he wanted to talk to trump to update him on our overall strategic thinking. trump latched on to this theory and used it in the press as reluctant vice president in the days leading up to january 6. >> mike pence has to come through for us. >> reporter: the committee is also calling for lawyers -- >> rudy giuliani accompanied by professor john eastman. >> reporter: -- who tried to overturn the election to be held accountable. among its other recommendations, barring trump from ever holding political office. and reforming the electoral count act, making it harder to overturn a certified presidential election. >> we think there's evidence to refer this to doj they've got to review the prosecution. that's not a legislative function. >> paula reid, thank you very much for that. let's bring in security analyst

juliette kayyem. we want to point out you've got a very unique perspective on this because you were interviewed by the january 6 committee not once but twice on radicalization and foreign influence. i'm curious, what kind of insights did you get from all of that? >> well, during it, i mean, they basically were building the case. and i think you see it in the final report. essentially an anatomy of an insurrection, right? in other words, all the different pieces that went into january 6 and the violence on january 6, and how they could align and connect to each other. so, in this case, trump's radicalization, his use of language, his tweet in december about, you know, will be wild -- how all of them led to an undering by his followers of what they needed to do. and that's -- you know, in paula's leadup, that focus on

trump as being the center of all of these different pieces. the legal pieces, the political pieces and the violent pieces is really key at this stage. >> so if trump is the centerpiece of this entire investigation, how did that shape the final report and the decision to send criminal referrals on trump to the justice department? >> yeah. so, look, a couple things. one is -- some takeaways is, i was surprised the kept to which the fake electors narrative, which we've always viewed as sort of separate really was aligned with an overall strategy to take the election away from the american people. it's not about biden, it's about the american people. the january 6 committee was very focused on not picking fights that they couldn't win. in other words, whatever is missing from the final report in particular, i think a more realistic examination of our intelligence and homeland security agencies and what they did and didn't do on that day. the committee just wants to

focus on the prosecution. but there's a third piece that has not been getting much play and i want to raise it here because i think it's important. i thought the committee really did focus on how race and racism were a key part of the stop the steal effort. and going after voters in atlanta, or african american voters in michigan in terms of saying that their vote, essentially, didn't count, those were part of an overall sort of, you know, white supremacy, or racist attitude. and i was both surprised and actually somewhat pleased because we tend to forget the extent to which the committee really did say, part of this was denying not just american voters, but american urban voters, who tend to be african american or minority. >> words matter. and the former president's words were carefully chosen. i mean, these weren't just words to be pulled out of nowhere. he had a message, and this was a

message he sent to a crowd that he hoped would have some significance. >> yes. it was -- here's how i would put it. in 2020, in 2020, leading up to the election, it's clear from the committee report that they are thinking through a strategy if they cannot claim victory on election day. that strategy then becomes stop the steal. it's getting organized around his lawyers, as we reported, various people are calling various people in the white house to figure out what that strategy is. it depends on mike pence delaying january 6. part of that strategy includes donald trump ensuring that there's some disruption on january 6. so that the votes cannot be certified. the violence had an agenda, which was, everyone has to scurry out of the capitol and not certify the vote. so that language becomes more targeted by about mid-december of 2020, after it's clear that he's losing these legal

challenges. and that's the "will be wild." after that, you see the white supremacist groups begin to rally around january 6. as noted in the report, that is when all the chatter online among the white supremacy groups begins to get very determined and focused on january 6th. and then after january 6th -- during january 6, as the report notes, donald trump does nothing to stop his people. and then continues the narrative. what's clear here is once trump speaks on january 6, his people do dissipate. they do leave the capitol, suggesting he knew exactly that they were under his control. >> right. >> this is all, again, about what trump knew. >> yeah, he had the power to make it stop. juliette kayyem, thank you. >> thank you. >> over 800 pages in this report. still a lot to digest.

happy holiday. >> you, too, happy holidays. >> thank you. still ahead, it's already a dangerous journey. now migrants are battling bitter cold and limited shelter space, as they cross the u.u.s./mexico border. we'll take you there, nextxt. f , others, joy. all are of - ahhhh. listerine. feel the whoa! 'twas a wintry day, and at ihop quite soon hot cinnamon apples would be coaxed with a spoon on the fluffiest french toast with red currants on top we wish you a happy holiday, only at ihop. new gingersn apple french toast, part of our new holiy menu. try all threflavors. ho ho ho! not again... oh no...

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." let's take a look at our other top stories this morning. a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill to fund critical government agencies is now headed to president biden's desk. the house passed it friday, along with a one-week funding measure that averted a government shutdown yesterday. biden signed that short-term

bill which provides just enough time for the year-long measure to be formally processed and sent to the president. >> the spending bill includes $45 billion in emergency assistance to ukraine. and $40 billion for emergency disaster relief. also includes a measure to ban tiktok from federal devices and overhaul of the 1887 count act, making it harder to overturn a certified presidential election. meanwhile, a jury in los angeles has convicted rapper and sinker toyr lanez over the shooting of megan thee stallion. saying she shot her in the feet. now, turning back to the big story which, of course, the weather. these are live pictures out of grand rapids, michigan, where a

blizzard warning remains in effect. the feels like temperature, if you want to know there, negative 3. then, we've got these pictures which are coming out of waterloo, iowa, from our affiliate kwwl. pictures which we were going to show you, at least, had snow-covered roads. it's currently zero degrees in waterloo, but when you add in the windchill, of course, it feels more like a negative 24. and we continue to follow a developing situation out of buffalo, where the national guard now is attempting to rescue hundreds of people who have been stranded in their cars overnight. the forecast there calls for up to 4 feet of snow. and near hurricane-force winds. >> these bitterly cold temperatures can be extremely dangerous and even deadly. >> the most at risk in weather like this are people we know, elderly and very young children. cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen has tips on how we can stay safe in these very cold conditions.

>> whitney, martin, as cold temperatures grip much of the nation, there's several things we need to remember to stay healthy and safe in the cold. first of all, those who are most vulnerable are infants and older people. so dress infants warmly. if you know older people in the cold and if they're alone, check on them to see how they're doing. also, alcohol and caffeine, it can hurt your body's ability to deal with the cold. be careful with caffeine. be careful with alcohol. don't drink too much. also when it's cold inside, if your heat isn't working well, do not use generators, do not use a stove stop or anything like that, in order to stay warm. that can actually be a real fire hazard and can be really a problem. also if you find yourself catching a cold in the cold there's a reason for that. res recent research looked at the nose and the nose is the first line of defense. the hairs in the nose to work

off the defense, they don't work so well in the cold. that's the reason why we do catch colds in the cold. whitney, martin. >> wouldn't you know, thank you, elizabeth. the extreme cold is gripping states just not used to this kind of cold. at the border, migrants at the border due to title 42 are struggling to keep warm. >> cnn's camila bernal is in el paso, texas, i've been watching your report and it's heartbreaking for people as they deal with two challenges. >> reporter: it really is heartbreaking, martin. but these people are making the best out of it. right now, they're trying to stay warm. some of them still sleeping but a lot getting up. this is how they sleep, side by side, one of them next to one another. trying to keep warm as you can that is extremely cold. it's about 20 degrees at the moment. others telling me, look, i tried

to stay positive, and i'm trying to do everything i can to say this is a good situation, despite all of the challenges. you're also seeing the other side of it, the locals who are coming here to bring them something warm to eat and drink. i talked to these locals here, they brought oatmeal. and brought a mexican sweet bread. they also brought backpacks for the children with some of the toys. one of the ladies here was telling me, yes, i live in el paso, and, yes, we see the migrants, but not like this. they are touched by what they're seeing and they're heartbroken by what they're seeing. that's exactly why they're here this morning. they're not the only ones. there are a lot of locals that came out to help. the city of el paso is trying to do what it can to help. here is the mayor and what he said about the migrants last night. >> one of the things we tried, people didn't want to come out

of the street, they wanted to stay on the street. they're afraid of getting deported. they don't trust that we're going to take them back or send them back. really our goal is to make sure no lives are lost and everyone is out of the cold. we don't want to see people outside. we don't want to see them in these elements. we're going to continue to be up all day and all night to make sure they're comfortable. >> reporter: and these migrants truly are afraid. they not only don't want to go back to their countries, but they want to do everything they can to stay here, especially for their children, martin, whitney. >> yeah, very uplifting to see the community show up to try to help. camila bernal, thank you very much for being there. ukrainian refugees helping this christmas season far from home and those they love. russia's invasion forced 8 million to flee to mostly neighboring countries. >> despite it all, many are

doing their best to keep the holiday spirit alive. cnn's lydia concade has more. >> reporter: the family here in kyiv, with this polish family that took them in. >> we arrived here with a couple of bags and the things we had on ourselves. we left here from uckraine, all we have now is thanks to the poles. >> reporter: more than 1.5 ukrainian refugees have registered for help from poland, many with hem help from stranger. >> it was a natural impulse to help. we met on a freezing night outside my house. i invited this family to my house and i hugged them to my heart. >> reporter: traditionally, ukrainians celebrate christmas on january 7th, but today, many celebrate on december 25th. and ukraine has made it a public holiday as part of a larger break with russian tradition.

♪ >> reporter: people all over eastern and central europe are helping refugees enjoy new traditions. these residents organized a party for refugee children. >> we felt like these kids, there's 130 children living here and they're spending their christmas not at home but at a strange dormitory, so we're just trying to make it a little better for them. >> reporter: in this bucharest shelter, ukrainian refugee children decorate trees with orn ornaments, as families wade in line. many are saving money for their relatives back in ukraine, like this family livining in prague. >> translator: as refugees we didn't have any possibilities we had to think if we could afford to buy a christmas tree or not that's why we decided just to use branches for the decoration so that it looks good and makes

the children happy. >> reporter: a few simple decorations that carry a lot of meaning. lynda kincade, cnn. still ahead, growing concerns that the iranian regime is going to take its brutality to a new level in order to discourage protests. in a cnn exclusive, families of those facing execution risk their lives to share their stories with us, that's next. i was born here, i'm from here, and i'm never leaving here. i'm a new york hotel. yeah, i'm tall. 563 feet and 2 inches.

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>> reporter: for so many iranians, they're in custody of iranian authority, not knowing whether their children are held indefinitely, not knowing whether their children will be handed down prison sentences. not knowing whether their children will face execution. in collaboration with 1500, we were able to identify the dozens of names of those who could face execution. >> translator: my son has been sentence to execution. >> reporter: hamid is only 22. >> translator: my son is innocent. for the love of god, help him. >> reporter: desperate families in iran, risking it all with a plea to the world to save their loved ones from execution. fearing that detainees in iran are set to face a wave of execution in an accelerated judicial process while holiday celebrations have the world's attention elsewhere. in collaboration with iranian

activist group 1500 tasvir, we worked to verify court documents that show that dozens of iranians, including high-profile iranian athletes face execution. we also worked to verify video plays like this one from this 81-year-old mother of one of the detainees. >> translator: we don't know his whereabouts. no information about him, nor do we even know where he is. >> reporter: this document from inside the regional court shows at least ten people have been charged with -- war against god. spreading corruption on earth and other charges, all which carry the possibility of the death penalty. through obtaining and verifying court documents and witness testimony, we have evidence which supports a rushed-through judicial process. defendants having court-appointed counsel forced on them. many defendants having their right to appeal refused. some defendants faced with charges which could carry the death sentence being handed down

in a single sitting. terrified iranian families are led to believe that while the world is busy celebrating the holiday season, busy with their families, that they in iran face imminent execution of their loved ones. >> translator: cnn has confirmed the iranian footballer is among those facing execution. here he is training ahead of match day. now, he's on death row waiting. this is social video of his arrest. cnn made contact someone close to him. inside iran. we're not disclosing their identity. they told us that in the days after his arrest, they were unable to get word from him or about him, from authorities even as the iranian authorities denied his arrest. >> translator: it was one month and 19 days. i think maybe even perhaps longer since the security forces same and wanted to see amir's home. >> reporter: and despite being told he would be freed.

>> translator: they would tell us in the first two weeks that they would release amir. and that amir will be released by the end of the week. >> reporter: then came the charge of the crime of war against god. nasr-azidani charged. relating to involvement of two militia operatives and one policeman during protests in late november, a charge they denied. now sources close to nasr-azadani he and others have had their charges upgraded by the court. a charge punishable only by execution. there's more. in the regional court, in the west, cnn has confirmed through 1500 tasvir in court documents that 23 more people have been charged with the same crime, pun

sh punishable by death. we're redacting their names out of fear for their safety. there is still even more. cnn and 1500 tasvir are facing exclusion. including a 21-year-old champion whose parents have also gone public with their plea. >> translator: please, i beg you, to please lift the execution order on my son's life. >> reporter: in messages shared with cnn, his family say he was not only sentenced to death but is also being tortured in prison. in another message shared with cnn, they said karimi was somehow in good spirits, but physically damaged having suffered torture on his head and body. including those whose families recorded public pleas for help, that brings the total of those verified by cnn as facing execution to at least 43. and that's in addition to the two executed by iran, amid the excitement of the world cup. ♪

just this week, the 27-year-old iranian kurdish rapper attempted suicide whilst in detention. according to a source from the prison. he tried to end his life, sources say, with pills, after enduring extreme psychological torture in the harsh prison conditions in northern iran. as much of the world gets absorbed with their festivities, iranian families have one message -- >> translator: please save them, for the love of god. save my sons. >> reporter: cnn reached out to the iranian authorities for response and did not receive one. we also shared our findings with the u.s. state department who based on what we shared with them said that they strongly denounce the charges iran has handed down to these protesters. nima elbagir, cnn, london. we're continuing to track plunging temperatures as a major winter storm blankets much of the u.s. we'll have the very latest, just

ahead.

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people will take their real christmas tree and drag it out to the curb and wave good-bye. if you live in louisiana, there is actually something you can do to help the environment down there instead of putting it into a landfill, you can help save the banishing coast. james, the director of the communications for the coalition to restore coastal louisiana. good morning to you, james. how are you? >> i'm good. good morning. >> tell me, how does this work, and most importantly, how does it help save the coast?

>> yeah, so the way it works is in early january people across south louisiana will take their real christmas trees to the curb at the appointed time and the trees will be picked up and taken to a staging area where they will sit for a few weeks or a few months, and then they will be picked up either by helicopters or by boats and placed into our coastal marshes. what they do there is help trap sediment, which helps to build lands, and they also serve as a wave break to slow down coastal erosion. >> many people may not have an understanding of just how serious the problem is of coastal erosion there, or what the impact is, because i have been there, i have seen it, and it's not just that it goes away. what you end up with is this massive area of open water. >> yeah, that's right. we have had about 2,000 square miles of wetlands vanish in less

than a century that used to be land with plants on them and animals living on them. you could walk on them. now it's just open water. so it's a horrible problem and we are really throwing everything at it to try to solve it. >> and i know this is, you know, not the only thing, and i'm talking about the christmas trees, not the only thing you are doing. what else is your program involved in to try to save the coast? >> we do things like planting grasses, native grasses and native trees, which help to anchor the soil, the roots coming down into the soil help keep it in place. we recycle oyster shells with new orleans restaurants, basically returning the shell to the water where it creates habitat for new oysters to grow and for various other kinds of wildlife and serves as a wave break. and we also kate for large-scale restoration projects which build new wes lands along the coast. >> the wetlands or a breeding

grounlds for bird, fish, and a natural break wall for hurricanes and storms, right? >> that's right. if you imagine a hurricane coming in off of open water in the gulf of mexico, the more land, the more anything it encounters before it reaches densely populated areas, the weaker it will be and the less storm surge it will deliver. they protect and provide for us. >> another life for the tree that you spent so much on. james, thanks very much. we wish you and the whole project well. thanks. >> merry christmas. >> and to you. well, as families across the country get in line to snap a picture with santa many children are meeting a santa who looks more like they do thanks to a growing demand for diverse santas. cnn's ryan young has more. >> reporter: what did you want santa to bring you? >> i want santa to bring me a monster truck. >> i tell him a lot. >> reporter: santa, one of the

most joyful and instantly recognizable characters across the world. at malls across the country some kids have noticed a different diverse set of santa as. >> popping un. >> it's a black santa! >> ho ho ho. >> children ask me how can you a santa of this color and then be a santa of another color somewhere else. i altell them, santa relates to all communities and cultures. >> this santa looks different than a lot of santas across the country. >> it's important to see ones that look like us. that's why it was important for her to get those pictures. >> diverse santas, a mexican, chinese santa, any kind of santa you want that makes you feel good about christmas. >> to see someone that looks like them that they are supposed to be getting presents from. >> merry christmas! >> reporter: one of the nation's largest santa hiring services tells us the demand to hire diverse santas is on the rise across the country.

>> the demand for diversity i don't think usanta claus entertainer has gone through the roof. we can't keep up. we are able to have santa look and sound like the children he is speaking to. >> representation means so much to a lot of people. >> had you ever, when you were a kid, met a santa like yourself? >> it wasn't a good experience for me. i had three sisters and one brother, all of them are hearing. they are excited to see santa, chatting and excited. come time for my turn and santa just gives me this look, you know. it's flat, expressionless. i hands me a gift and for me i felt deflated inside. >> reporter: santa charles is one of the few santas who was deaf and uses his tremendous personality to connect with kids who are too often left out.

>> santa is, you know, a magical experience for children. it's about bringing joy to their lives. it really means a lot to me. >> these moments will last a lifetime for these families. >> say cheese! >> reporter: that will cherish these pictures which helps enhance the magic of the season. >> do sign merry christmas. >> what a great story, ryan young. thank you so much. and thank you for watching. there is so much more ahead on "cnn newsroom" coming up now. >> sara sidner picks up our coverage after this short braechlkt merry christmas, whitney. merry christmas, everyone.

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good morning, i'm sara sidner in for fredricka whitfield. thank you so much for joining me on this christmas eve. we begin this hour