say when they walk in the room. don't share the secret with your children. another don't is oh, my goodness, don't scratch out the to, from name on the tag, rewrap the present. yes, i've seen that done. rewrap the whole thing. that makes it yours. plus you can check for personal notes. if it was a wedding gift. you don't want to hand someone a present that has a note written to you inside the box. just be careful. >> just don't do it. i do not do it. >> you've never done it. >> can't bring myself to do it. >> not even a bottle of wine. >> i would prefer to throw somebody's gift out than to regift it. >> you are a more ethical man than i am a woman. that's the kind of man you are. >> good to see you here. >> it's been a fabulous five years working with you. as i said, we will always be friends and i look forward to seeing you in new york. >> i will see you there soon. >> the next chapter.

>> one more day. i'll be here tomorrow. >> so will i. i'll see you then. t.j., thank you very much. good afternoon, i'm alina cho. fredricka is off today. it's saturday december 24th. thanks so much for joining us. two big stories today. politics and the christmas eve shopping crunch. in virginia, two candidates not making it onto the ballot. newt gingrich and rick perry. what happened? and last-minute holiday shopping. will it be the therapy that retail needs? let's start with politics and a surprising announcement from the republican party in virginia. newt gingrich and rick perry will not appear on the state's presidential primary ballot. the region? the candidates did not submit enough signatures to qualify. athena jones joins us from washington. athen ark, how did this happen? >> a lot of supporters of these two candidates are asking that question, alina. we have gotten a response from

both campaigns. the perry campaign says they will closely review the facts and law to determine whether an appeal or challenge is warranted. newt gingrich called it the whole way virginia figures out to be on the ballot, said it was a failed system and they are going to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure all the voters of virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice. this is very important in this case for newt gingrich because recent polls showed him leading in virginia. he was five points ahead of mitt romney. if you're not on the ballot that doesn't mei matter in the end. virginia has pretty stringent requirements for getting on the primary ballot, more stringent than other states. they needed 10,000 signatures stayed wide, at least 10,000, including 400 in each electoral districts. these campaigns fell short. it raises questions about their organization and ground game going into the race. >> as you mentioned virginia is

more strict than other states. i'm curious what the process is for validating signatures. it's so unusual something like this would happen. >> it is seshl certainly a surprise a lot of people will be questioning this whole process. they had to get 10,000. the deadline was thursday. people in the party, the help of volunteers spent yesterday going through and validating these signatures. it was a long process. we learned this announcement about gingrich overnight in the middle of the night. they announced before that perry wasn't going to make the ballot. ultimately you only end up with mitt romney and ron paulage ball on this ballot. people saying this is ridiculous. people should have a chance, important state. 49 delegates on super tuesday. all these delegates matter. gingrich saying it's important they get to choose from amongst all the candidates. doesn't look like that's going to happen right now, alina. >> athena jones we'll watch the

fallout. move to iowa, the first caucus in ten days. a new poll shows right now it's a three-way battle between ron paul, mitt romney and newt gingrich. all candidates except jon huntsman are campaigning in the state next week. huntsman is focusing his efforts in new hampshire which holds its primary january 10th. president obama kicking off the christmas weekend in his home state of hawaii. he arrived there last night just hours after signing into law a payroll tax cut extension. cnn's white house correspondent brianna drew the long straw. she joins us live from honolulu. with more on that, hey, brianna, what are the obamas planning for the vacation. i would imagine a lot of luaus and golf. >> i would go with a lot of golf. aloha. i don't know if i could handle this after a long nine-hour

flight but he and the wife went out to a restaurant with family and friends. there's really no public events on their schedule. the white house is hoping for a pretty quiet vacation. they come here every year for the christmas vacation, so we know some of what the president is going to get up to. no doubt he'll be playing golf. remember, he lived here until he was about six then moved to indonesia for a few years, came back when he was ten and actually learned as a teenager to play golf here. so certainly he'll be hitting the links at some of his favorite courses here on the island. you know he'll probably head out perhaps for some local delicacies as has he in the past with daughters sasha and malia, hawaiian shaved ice and beach time is something the family will partake in. we probably won't get a view of them doing that, hanging out on the beach. they go to the beach on a marine base that is near the house that they are staying at so they have

a lot of privacy. >> there was that famous photo of president obama shirtless on the beach when he was running for president. they don't want any more of those to get out do they? >> no. >> great to see you live from honolulu. we'll be checking back with you later. thanks so much. the day before christmas. retail rush on. shoppers expected to pack the stores in a last-minute crush. allison one of those. good to see you. >> hey, alina. >> if ever there was going to be a bargain, now is the time to find them at the stores, right? >> reporter: you said it. foot traffic increasing as the hours going on throughout the afternoon. yes, you hit a good point, this really is a shopper's paradise if you're looking for those discounts. these retailers, even though it's been a pretty strong holiday shopping season, these retailers still have a good amount of inventory on their

shelves. they know they have to offer deep discounts, signs all over the mall offering because they want to get this merchandise moving. once the christmas holiday actually hits, we're going to have to mark those items down more. they really don't want to do that. they really know today they have a captive audience because everybody you're seeing here, they are all-pro contrast naturers. we're hours away from christmas. they know they have got this deadline. a lot of these people i think would rather be wrapping gifts rather than shopping for gifts right now. one of those is lorraine gonzalez. you're one of the procrastinators today. are you having any luck funding what you want? >> i hope so. i'm on my way to get some gift cards. >> so gift cards. that's actually the number one last-minute christmas gift. so you're right along with the statistics. what kept you from shopping earlier? why did you have to wait? >> working a lot of hours overtime. not enough time in the day. >> time is a big factor. how many people are you shopping

for today? >> three. just three. >> how many hours do you expect to be here? >> not long. i want to be in and out. >> the crowds are pretty big here today? >> yes. very crowded. >> good luck to you, lorraine. thanks for joining us. you know what, this mall actually is closing early as many other malls across the country are closing early because it is christmas eve. time is a wastin if you're looking for christmas gifts. >> guess where i'm going after work? >> reporter: i can only guess? >> i'm going to the mall. i'm going to the mall. i'm going to do it. alison kosik, thank you very much. check back with you later. from holiday shopping to holiday travel. million of americans on the move this christmas eve tracking all the delays. meteorologist reynolds wolf. >> wait a minute. you're going to the mall? >> i am. >> you're so brave. incredibly brave. >> either that or i love to shop. >> both are acceptable. both are acceptable. >> pretty quiet out there today?

>> for the most part meteorologist chad myers mentioning the other day it has been an incredibly quiet holiday travel time. you know he's absolutely right. that's the case. there's only one bad spot around the nation that's an eyesore in terms of travel weather and that is in the beloved state of texas. i love you but the weather is tough. scattered showers along i-35 corridor in houston, some rain there, too. take a look at this. in west texas it's all switching over to snowfall. some could give you whiteout conditions on parts of i-20. zoom in a little more south of lubbock and towards amarillo and abilene -- amarillo is here, abilene closer as we venture in a little more. high elevations in odessa and midland. that's where the snow is heavier. even then only a few inches of snowfall. all things again relative in the rockies. the snow there, inches. snowfall fell several feet within boulder, several hours

ago. a lot of die out. this is the snowpack that remains. also snow on the ground in parts of the northeast and western great lakes. as we fast forward into tonight what we anticipate and into tomorrow morning, snow continuing through parts of texas, pacific northwest and into the northern great lakes. that's going to be about it. doesn't look like it's going to be a white christmas for a lot of people. again, caveat, fairly nice travel conditions with the exception of the lone star state of texas. thing is the storm system won't remain locked in place, eventually move into georgia and alabama. st. louis you're going to be okay, but you're neighbors in the south can expect showers. maybe a boom of thunder. that is a look at the forecast, more weather throughout the afternoon into the evening. >> all right. merry christmas eve. >> back to you, too. >> reynolds, thanks so much. coming up from santa in the hot seat to a superhero scaling down a building, we're going to show you the most unusual christmas celebrations around

the world. plus one for the record books. hollywood's biggest divorce payout. just how much is mel gibson paying his ex-wife? why are half of his future earnings going to her, too? that's next. hi, corporal jason austin coming from kuwait. just wanted to say a shoutout to my wife lisa, my parents, the hooley clan, stages, all my family and friends back home, wish you happy holidays. love you all, miss you all, see you soon. hello, how can i deliver world-class service

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there, something wrong with my baby. no mother or child should ever have to go through that. >> coming up later on my one-on-one with jennifer lopez. it was a health scare with one of her twins that inspired her to help other moms and babies around the world. we'll talk about that. also ask her how does she do it all, sing, dance, judge "american idol." that's a little later on in the program. first on this christmas eve, a girl put santa in the hot seat. a christmas light show honors wounded u.s. marines. those are two of the more unique christmas celebrations around the world. our josh levs is here with more on that nice to see you. >> nice to see you. happy holidays. we're going to look at slices of life around the world. every year at the holidays you see these big christmas displays. we have something unique. we'll start with it. it's this beautiful light show. at this time, take a look -- ♪

>> this is a family that put this together in honor of the military. anyone that drives by tunes into a radio station that plays god bless usa. >> where is this? >> tallahassee, florida. what they did here. they wanted to pay testament to families and marines injured. >> elaborate. >> they went all out. this is from our ireporter kenneth higgins. raising awareness for the fund for injured marines. the family spends all year on this. >> amazing. >> take a look at this one out of canada where an 8-year-old girl decides to interview santa claus. >> how long have you been married to mrs. claus? >> i've been married to mrs. claus for a very, very long time. it's nearly 2,000 years. wow, that's a long time to be married to somebody, isn't it? >> yes. >> that's why she knows what keeps santa healthy. >> i was going to say, did

pretty good job nailing the questions. she through some curve balls. budding reporter there. take a look at this street in london. loving this. ledgents street in london. beautiful. the lights are serving as a canopy throughout the holiday season along that entire road. also news photo from pakistan. this is interesting to me, karachi, looking at the percentages. very small christian population. this is one of the markets where members of the very small christian community in karachi do the holiday shopping. two more things to show you first. check this out from thailand. >> because nothing says christmas like an elephant. >> apparently it's a tradition, elephants dressed as santa that deliver presents to these kids just north of bangkok, not far from the gulf there. you know what, we've got time. let's end on this. santa doing what spider-man

usually does. this is in tokyo, santa going down the side of the building getting a little cleaning done along the way. he decided to have fun there. that's an annual tradition. your ways to celebrate, weigh in, the light show, the girl interviewing santa all there, my facebook, twitter, blog. we're loving these videos. nice this time of year to check out other slices of life. that's what we have for you. >> stick around. you're going to be back in just a minute, just a couple of minutes. remember jibjab, the people behind animated videos that went viral in the 2004 election when bush and perry sang "this land is your land?" coming up, we'll bring you jibjab holiday style. that's next. in america, we believe in a future that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures.

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outrage, outrage, violence, people taking to the streets from the arab spring to occupy wall street. just ahead a look back at a year in protest around the globe. but first the end of the year is not just about holiday parties and holiday shopping, important money deadlines are looming. ignoring them could cost awe bundle. our christine romans has more on this week's "smart is the new rich." >> reporter: as the clock winds down on 2011, don't drop the ball on your finances. first use it or lose it when it comes to flexible spending attacks, pretax spending attacks set up to pay co-pays, prescriptions. the rules change this year so the new year's eve run to the drugstore to buy aspirins, band-aids, tissues, won't fly this year.

check with your company plan and make sure you've used all the money. sell investments if you need the write-off, make charitable contributions to get deductions. check the rules at irs.gov to see if your donation qualifies. next plan for 2012. >> step number one, get out of credit card debt. two, it's an election year. we have no idea what will happen. markets up and down each direction every single day. this kind of stuff drives normal investors like me crazy. i would suggest doing what a smart person told me to do, stop staring at it. if it drives you nuts, stay out of it a while. >> diversify your account, make sure it's the right strategy. if you're young focus on stocks. if you're retiring, bonds. raise by 1 percentage point each year for five years to help close that gap between what you're saving and what you really need. finally invest in yourself. put your resume together, see where there might be some gaps. make sure you fill in gaps, whether it's going back to

school for education, working, asking for more responsibility taking on a new project where you're at. the biggest control piece you have is investing in yourself. no one can take that away. >> christine romans, cnn, new york. coming up, were two muslim men booted off a flight because of racial profiling? they say they were kicked off because of what they were wearing. religious freedom on one side, safety concerns on the other. a discrimination lawsuit against the airline. our legal segment is next.

welcome back. mel gibson's divorce became

official pult putting on record the biggest in history according to "people" magazine. robyn gibson will receive half, $450 million. she had seven kids with the actor. they were married nearly 30 years. there's no prenuptial agreement. "people" also reports when it comes to film residuals robyn by law should get half of any payment gibson gets for the rest of his life. that's our first topic on legal briefs. let's get a legal mind in here to help us understand all this. this one boggles the mind avery friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor in cleveland. avery, his ex-wife is going to get half of all he's made. it's because they didn't have a prenup, right? >> you know what, a lot of people when they start out in hollywood never think of these i think so. this whole case turned on the fact there was no prenup. look at the fortune. $600 million alone in the

production and writing of "passion of the christ" which mel was responsible for. he owns an island in fiji, $22 million worth of housing in malibu that have already been turned over to his now ex-wife as of yesterday afternoon, to robyn. yes, the word was that harrison ford had had the largest. this is the largest hollywood payout involving stars that we've ever seen. it is enormous primarily because there was no prenup. >> we've heard this before. no prenup, you get half. thirty years together, seven kids. in some ways, it's understandable. having said that, she also gets half of his future earnings as well? how did that happen? >> you know, think about this, people say, it's mel's money and she's getting -- robyn is getting half. the truth is that 30 year period what is they built on. the bottom line on this is that in a sense robyn really earns

that also. the underlying issue, again, it wasn't ordered by the court, it was a settlement approved by the court. mel knew it could actually be worse. it actually was the smart thing to do, settle up, get out of there. he's single but going to cost him 50% of whatever he generates for the rest of his life. >> i want to talk about this next case which really got my attention. two imams board a flight from memphis to charlotte. they are removed from the plane they say because of the way they looked. what's this case all about? >> well, it's an amazing story, alina, because it involves two religious people, imams checked by security when they walk in, like we all are. after -- once they got on the plane, the pilot, believe it or not, turned the plane around, asked the passengers are they comfortable with having people who looked like that on the flight. passengers didn't care. they brought them back, checked them again.

the pilot is sticking to his story, that it was done for security purposes. a lawsuit under way -- >> on the face of it, it sounds like racial profiling to me. how is this allowed to happen? now these two imams are suing delta air lines. does delta have a case? >> i would imagine the only defense they are going to be able to come up with is put on demonstrative evidence to show there was a security risk. i don't know how they are going to meet that standard, alina, because the bottom line we had three areas check, a turn around, comprehensive pat-down. what the facts are, what we know, i think delta and regional carrier asa will have a very difficult time defending the case. >> i want to talk about our third case here, which is unbelievable to me. >> unbelievable is right. >> a chicago man duct tapes his 21-month-old daughter's face, hands and feet and posted it on

facebook. we're showing it there. it's extraordinary. >> you need to see it. >> the caption read, this is what happens when my baby hits me back. unbelievable. the 21-year-old father andre curry is charged with aggravated domestic battery. does he have a defense here? >> yeah, insanity. look, i can't imagine what the defense is. the "chicago tribune" got ahold of his mother who said andre was just joking. but the fact is, number one, we need to get some help for this father. number two, custody is now with the mother. number three, he needs parenting classes. number four, he's got to withdraw his father of the year application. you know what, he works over at applebee's. i think if you're ordering the lime sizzling chicken and andre is in charge, you better give it a second thought. it's a problem. this guy is really messed up. there's no joke here. you take a look at that facebook.

what this guy did, there's something wrong with this guy. he needs some help. you know what, i'm glad the authorities are in there to take care of this baby. >> it's bad enough he did it. but honestly, dumb enough to post it on facebook. i've never heard of such a thing. anyway -- >> you know what, without dumb people we wouldn't have a legal segment. we need people like andre curry. >> that's true. interesting. >> that wraps it all the way into christmas eve. it's unbelievable. >> all right. avery friedman, always great to see you. happy holidays. >> all the best. same to you. all the best. coming up from arab spring to wall street. 2011, the year of protests. that's next. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of.

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♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card - "buy books, not beer!" ♪ ♪ut the second at she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪

no word on when he might be discharged. prince philip turned 90-year-old in june. last-minute christmas shoppers, you know who you are. procrastinators in luck, a lot of stories will be open on christmas eve. some like macy's will be open

around the clock. retailers are hoping the struggling economy won't hold back holiday shopping. so far it hasn't. sales are up 2.5% in november. as 2011 draws to a close, the year might be best remembered for massive protests around the globe, arab spring to occupy movement in u.s. a look at moments that captured our taens. we want to warn you, some of the images are graphic. >> reporter: it was the year of people, power, of revolution. >> something i've never seen before. a phalanx of men on horse back and camels. >> reporter: and bloodshed that doomed dictators. >> no one is going to go home. no one is doing home. they are in this to the end, even if it means we're going to die. >> reporter: it started with one man in one country, tunisia, who set himself on fire when the police confiscated his fruit cart leaving him with no way to

make money. that set off a movement that removed the president. the region was gripped with fever fueled by social media, protests in iraq and algeria, then yemen. its leader seriously injured when the palace shelled left the country for treatment, returned and later gave up power. protests in bahrain, morocco, jordan. egyptians filled the square in the center of the cairo protesting for weeks. >> protests have gone on all day long. it's now almost 5:00 in the afternoon. it's two hours after curfew has begun. still the square is packed with people and these protests will likely go well into the night. >> reporter: their demand, long time ruler hosni mubarak has to go. by february he was gone. >> did you ever imagine this would be happening in egypt? >> never.

one month ago i would never imagine. i'm a young man and i always believed my generation will never make any history. >> the arab spring then hits lib yark the opposition is galvanized to get rid of moammar gadhafi. nato launches air support. the country becomes a war zone. tripoli eventually falls. >> this is an important day especially for the rebel who gadhafi said would never be able to break his spirit, would never be able to take the city. >> reporter: eight bloody months later the tyrant was dead. the world's attention now focused on syria. will it be the next domino to fall? even with a crackdown of the regime, demonstrators are on the streets. according to the u.n., at least 5,000 killed since march. some fight for their freedom, others protest for bread and butter. in europe, thousands demonstrate

angry tough economic conditions, furious protesters in greece balancing against riot police against pay cuts. >> reporter: a suicide bomber by the bank of greece governor said if we don't pass this, the country is gone. >> reporter: in england peaceful protests turned ugly, discontented youth looted parts of the city. in december the occupy wall street movement started in new york and soon gripped major capitals around the world condemning the wealthiest 1% for leaving the other 99% out in the cold. and by december a glimpse of people power in russia. thousands marched rejecting election results of vladimir putin's party frustrated with

corruption. 2011 shattered and rattled the political orders of the world. >> this will send shock waves throughout the region. >> reporter: setting in motion a wave of discontent, the promise to wash into the years to come. cnn, london. what a year it has been. coming up, jennifer lopez not just a pretty face, she's giving back in a big way. my one-on-one with j. lo is next. >> hi first lieutenant miles alexander deployed here at bagram airfield in afghanistan. i want to say hello to my wife liz in buford, south carolina, my brother and his family in conway and my family and friends all back in spartanberg, south carolina. i hope you have a merry christmas and a happy new year.

welcome back. we have a special look at the holidays. josh levs is here to show us christmas jibjab style. >> i love it. >> i love this, too. >> i've told you this before. for me showing fun videos on the weekend is like desert. after a long week of covering serious stories, think of this as desert for the year. >> that's right. >> the folks at jibjab like to take a look at everything that's happened through the year. it's a unique animated look. ♪

♪ hairspray friday. >> 2011 bye-bye occupy wall street protesters and folks who will surely be missed ♪ ♪ while the satellite just way too much stuff to list ♪ >> they are calling it 2011 bye-bye. i'm focusing on the lighter stuff here. a lot of fun. people having fun online. you can see there some of the faces popular throughout 2011. >> kim kardashian. >> oh, yeah. charlie sheen. a nice emotional touch in the middle of the comedy. i like that. it is jibjab. if you realize someone you forgot to send a christmas card to. i was checking my mail. the cd showed up as a surprise,

set to the music rockin around the christmas tree by the chip monks. take a look. ♪ rockin around the christmas tree ♪ >> my producer is laughing so hard in my ear. this is so un-me. you can pop in a picture and send it to anybody you want. so not me. that's an old picture of you. >> i was going to say it barely even looks like you now. >> i've done a little growing up since then happy to say. finally a little love from people out there like me who don't celebrate christmas, but hanukkah. this group of acapella are back a hit this year. ♪ believe in miracles ♪ ♪

>> totally a capella. i think the concept of voices creating that is incredible. reggae rapper, all for a good cause. they are drawing attention to a program. >> did you say orthodox reggae rapper. >> which just made news by cutting his reggae hair, orthodox hair. however you want to say it. cut his hair short. a lot of attention there. drawing attention to bon marrow donors. watch closely, a cameo from people in my generation know as blossom. she's helping him out with this. posted and more on my pages. i will send a tweet to alina cho, whom you should be following. i'll be there, too. >> all right. josh levs, happy holidays. thank you so much. coming up my one-on-one with

jennifer lopez plus this. it's pretty cool. there's a lot of people with storm trooper scout armor. i don't know many kids with a bunker in their backyard. >> even i know that's a storm trooper. we're going to show you a "star wars" christmas next. warrant officer one portia grant on bagram airfield, afghanistan. wish mom and dath, nathan clarissa happy holidays. i love you and miss you.

welcome back. wayne newton is a self-proclaimed "star wars" fanatic living with muscular dystrophy. the make-a-wish foundation pitched in to make lane's wish come true. >> where we are right now is gold vein, virginia, population 200. i think we're going to double

that population today. >> we are making magic. >> today is all about lane. >> lane is 11 years old. he has muscular dystrophy. my son made a wish with the make-a-wish foundation. they approved to build him a "star wars" fort. >> the attention to detail is incredible. >> they are making that happen today. >> just flip it. it will be fine. >> we will all scream at the appropriate time. >> what do you think? >> looks pretty cool. there's a lot of people with storm trooper scout armor but i don't know too many kids with an indoor bunker in their backyard. that's pretty cool and i'm a little jealous. >> he has no idea. it's super exciting so many people came together to do something for somebody they don't know? >> am i in heaven? am i dead?

>> make way. >> i'm pretty sure this is going to be the only house on the block with "star wars." it's heart warming. everybody is like an angel to us that has done this of so much goodwill. >> that's just great. our thanks so cnn photojournalist for bringing that great story. part of cnn's giving in focus series. that's coming up in 90 minutes time at 2:30 eastern right here on cnn. mega star jennifer lopez is using her fame to help other moms and babies around the world. >> there was a mom just sitting there. there's something wrong with my baby. no child or mother should have to go through that. >> how a health scare with one of her twins inspired her to give back. my one-on-one with jennifer lopez is just ahead.

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♪ ♪ the one and only j. lo coming up at 2:00 p.m. eastern time cnn will bring you my annual holiday special, big stars, big giving. this year i sat down with bill clinton, tony bennett, will ferrell and one of the biggest names in hollywood, jennifer

lopez. it was a health scare with one of her twins emmy that inspired her to give back. just like she's done in her career she's dreaming big. ♪ she's hollywood's triple threat. she sings, dances, acts. >> you did not just poke me. >> now she's a judge on "american idol." >> you're going to hollywood! >> reporter: she's jennifer lopez. >> you're a mother, you're a philanthropist, actress, singer, you're a dancer, you're a judge on "american idol." >> i'm tired. what i am is i'm tired. >> how do you do it all? >> i don't know. i don't know. one day at a time. ♪ one step at a time ♪ the theme song of her life

and also the mari bell foundation. it was a health scare with her newborn daughter emmy that motivated her to act. >> she had this lump on her head all of a sudden. it was kind of soft and felt like water a little bit. >> what did you think? >> i didn't know what it was. i showed it to mark. if this baby -- if emmy is not okay, i'm not going to be okay. we called the doctor in the middle of the night, had access to the best health care. we had all this privilege. i realized that lying there at 4:00 in the morning. i thought, what if i didn't have that. i was a mom sitting there and there was something wrong with my baby. no mother or child should ever have to go through that. luckily for us it turned out okay. >> so lopez went to the world renowned children's hospital los angeles and asked them how can i help? >> they were like, there is a

very new program called telemedicine program. >> when they said telemedicine, did you know what it was? >> no, i didn't. it's a technology where basically doctors throughout the world can talk to each other. >> through video conferencing. the first telemedicine center sponsored by the maribel foundation opened this year in puerto rico. panama is next. >> are you cute? >> that's the great part of being in the position i'm in, that we can actually make a difference and really, really help people. the same dreamer in me that wanted to sing and dance and do all that is the same dreamer in me that wants to do something amazing for the world. >> don't miss my holiday special, big stars, big giving. it's coming up soon in a little more than an hour from now at

2:00 p.m. eastern time and again tomorrow on christmas day at 4:00 p.m. eastern. i hope you'll watch it. it's something i'm really proud to bring you. less than two weeks to go before the iowa caucuses, first presidential contest. who is up? who is down? that's next. how do i get to charlie grant's house?

[siri - here are directions to charlie grant's house.] is it cold in sante fe? raleigh? cleveland tonight? [siri- really cold. down to about 14 degrees.] find that e-mail with the naughty or nice list. [siri- new message from mrs. claus: go easy on the cookies.] [laughs] how does the rest of my day look? [siri - you have 3.7 billion appointments.] less than three minutes benefactor top of the hour. donald trump is abandoning the

democratic party. he's changed from republican to unaffiliated. an aide says trump switched to preserve his right to run for president. and also because he was, quote, disgusted with the way republicans handled the payroll tax cut battle. republican candidates gearing up for a big week in iowa. let's turn to political editor paul steinhauser in washington. >> reporter: hey, alina. call it a time-out. the campaign trail goes dark for christmas. come tuesday with a week to go before the iowa caucuses, it's game on for candidates. mitt romney starts the week in new hampshire, their primary one week after the caucuses. the former governor hits the ground midweek as does texas ron paul. a 44-stop bus tour in the hawkeye state, mitt romney. expect rick perry, michele bachmann and rick santorum to

crisscross iowa all week as all three need to finish strong. that's where you'll find jon huntsman next week as he continues to avoid iowa and put all his efforts into a strong finish in the grand state primary. alina. >> thank you. a big setback for newt gingrich and rick perry. the two presidential candidates have failed to qualify for the virginia primary. turns out gingrich and perry do not have enough ballot signatures to be placed on the ballot. virginia holds the primary in march as part of super tuesday. looks like the duke of edinburg, queen elizabeth's husband of 64 years underwent a procedure yesterday to unblock a coronary artery. no word on when he might be discharged. prince philip is 90-year-old. last-minute christmas sh