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CNN Live Today

Annual Buying Frenzy; Prison Terror Plot; Saddam Hussein's Trial Resumes Monday

Aired November 25, 2005 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," holiday shopping go-getters were lining up well before dawn to take advantage of bargains and to snag hard-to-find items while they lasted. Known as Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving traditionally kicks off the Christmas shopping season. A look at what's happening around the country this morning is just ahead.
In Crawford, Texas, Cindy Sheehan has rejoined the antiwar activists near President Bush's ranch. She arrived yesterday after attending to a family emergency in California.

Now, later today, Sheehan and other activists plan to dedicate a memorial garden in honor of her son who died in Iraq last year.

Near Norfolk, Virginia, this early morning blaze at an oil refinery. Look at the flames.

Officials say six workers are usually assigned to the area where the fire broke out. But fire officials say no one was hurt. The same refinery saw two other fires in the summer of 2001.

Former FEMA director Michael Brown -- remember him -- is starting a firm to help clients to avoid the kind of mistake that cost him his job. He tells the "Rocky Mountain News" he's begun a consulting business on disaster preparedness, of all things. Brown admits to mistakes under his watch at FEMA but says that he still believes in the importance of disaster preparedness.

And word this morning that well-known character actor Pat Morita has died. According to The Associated Press, the 73-year-old Morita died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Las Vegas.

Morita appeared in more than 100 films over four decades, but was perhaps best known as the serene martial arts master, Mr. Miyagi. You know, Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" movies.

Good morning, everybody, and welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY.

It is 8:00 a.m. in Los Angeles; 11:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia; and 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Daryn Kagan.

First up, let's hit the stores, shall we? Shoppers are burning off Thanksgiving calories with their annual holiday buying frenzy. And we are talking frenzy.

A merry season is forecast for retailers. They predict $435 billion worth of merchandise will be sold by Christmas.

We've got the stores covered with correspondent Mary Snow in New York. And our David Mattingly is braving the crowds at a Wal-Mart outside of Atlanta.

But before we get to our correspondents, a bit of friendly advice. Do not cut in line at Wal-Mart today.

Here's what happened in Orlando. Can you believe that? Look at this.

Don't let the smiley-face buttons fool you. Wal-Mart security workers reportedly tackled a customer who broke in line to get a laptop deal. Doesn't he know that will bust up a laptop?

Now, on to the other stores. Retailers are expecting 130 million shoppers today, tomorrow and Sunday. That is nearly half the U.S. population.

CNN's Mary Snow is at Macy's in Manhattan this morning.

Mary, I see the crowds behind you already.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Betty, the crowd started at 6:00 a.m. here at Macy's here in Herald Square. Macy's says over a thousand people came in at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. And with all the discounters out there, department stores like Macy's are really ramping up sales, handing out these million-dollar giveaways, these coupons they're giving to people coming in, in order to try to entice them to come in and buy some goods.

Now, cashing in on some of these bargains, Debbie Ellis and her daughter Constance (ph) from Maryland.

Debbie, how have you done so far? I see a couple of shopping bags.

DEBBIE ELLIS, SHOPPER: We found some good bargains.

NGUYEN: All right. Just an example of how crazy it is out there. Hard to hear Mary.

The signal is gone. But she's in the middle of this frenzy, this buying frenzy. And we're going to try to get back with her if he get a chance to.

But speaking of Wal-Mart now, the world's largest retailer opened its doors at 5:00 a.m. today. And CNN's David Mattingly is among the door-busters in suburban Atlanta.

You're not surrounded by shoppers. What happened, David?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently they were following the strategy. They would go to Wal-Mart and take advantage of the sales that they saw advertised here. And then they would go somewhere else. So that's probably what happened right now. Store management is expecting people to come back and keep coming back throughout the shopping season, however.

What we saw here today was nothing at all like what was seen in Orlando. Everything very orderly today.

Large crowds in the electronic section as people lined up for flat-screen TVs, portable DVD players and laptop computers. Store management here believes everything was very successful. They're saying they had double the sales in the hour between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. this morning, double what they would normally see on a busy Saturday afternoon for an hour.

So a very good Black Friday for them so far here in northern Atlanta.

With me right now is Michael Mills, director of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart.

We saw what happened in Orlando. Is it possible these deals were just a little too good for some people to pass up and that's why we might have seen some pushing and shoving?

MICHAEL MILLS, DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS, WAL-MART: Well, you know, I think that it's important to keep in mind that these are fairly isolated incidents and are unfortunate. But they were great deals.

More people left happy than not. And, you know, they're great deals overall. And I wouldn't say that they're too good. I think it shows there's a demand for quality products at an affordable price. And we try to make people happy.

MATTINGLY: People we talked to today, almost every single one of them felt happy with what they got when they got here. By not going to sleep and standing in the line and everything, they were satisfied. What's going to happen as the season goes on? Are we going to see prices go down even further?

MILLS: We've got a number of surprises for our customers. And, you know, we have a "Home for the Holiday" theme. What we're trying to do is help our customers pace their purchasing.

We know that a lot of people were hard hit this year with the economy and gas prices. So, we will be unveiling some surprises along the way.

We'll keep people in the stores, keep them excited, and give them good value throughout the holidays.

MATTINGLY: Talk about high gas prices, meaning people have less to spend. Is that why we're seeing all the retailers across the country being so much more aggressive about getting shoppers in their store today? MILLS: Well, I can't speak what other retailers have done, but for us, we wanted to give folks the opportunity to get in sooner. Again, to pace their purchasing, so they weren't doing it all after Thanksgiving.

And we started -- we turned our toyland in October, early October, and then began our marketing campaign in November to remind people that we're available. We're here for you. We have a wide array of merchandise from electronics to, you know, vests under $10.

MATTINGLY: Michael Mills, director of corporate affairs for Wal- Mart, thank you very much.

Betty, we're going to see a whole lot more going on as the season goes on. Black Friday just the beginning of what we might see as a very creative season of bargain shopping for all those shoppers out there.

NGUYEN: Yes, but it leads me to my question, David, because a lot of people think this is the day to get the deals, as long as it's before noon, that's the best that it's going to get. Do you think that's true?

MATTINGLY: There are a lot of good deals today. But later on in the season, prices could be going down in a lot of different stores.

So you might find better deals later. And people are saying, don't look at Black Friday as your best chance for a good deal.

The one thing you do have to look out for later in the season, however, there won't be as much selection. So you may not find exactly what you're looking for, even though you might find a good price.

NGUYEN: Exactly. That's a very good point. So if it's a got- to-have item, try to get it today, then.

David Mattingly. Thank you.

Bonnie Schneider is in the weather center to talk about what's going on across the nation, besides all of this shopping frenzy that we've been seeing. It's been crazy out there -- Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure has. It sure has. I was one of those people, I was thinking about getting up early. And when the alarm went off...

NGUYEN: I was, too. But we had to be here too early.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Bonnie, thank you.

Saddam Hussein's trial, that starts up again on Monday. We will take a look at what is expected. Chief International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live from Baghdad. And the U.S. has always been a nation of giving. But are Americans now facing donor fatigue? We'll take a closer look just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. Let's go holiday shopping on the West Coast now. Reporter Marti Johnson is at the Glendale Galleria. She's with our Los Angeles affiliate KTLA, and she joins us with a look at the scene there.

What are you seeing so far?

MARTI JOHNSON, REPORTER, KTLA: Oh, Betty, I'm seeing my toes covered by packages. I've done a little bit of shopping on my own.

There have been consumers here since 4:00 in the morning. They actually started out at the Disney store here in this mall. They were opened at 4:00 a.m. The rest of the mall, some stores like Kay-Bee Toys, JCPenneys, coming up and opening at about 5:00 a.m.

A very, very popular mall. We've got a lot of things going on here.

As far as just around town, 68 percent of Americans say they're going to spend about the same this year as they did last year.

In California, we're more optimistic. We're living the high life and having a good time. We're going to spend -- 72 percent of us say we're going to spend at the same or more this year.

We're doing pretty well. And I talked to someone from Deloitte & Touche and they told me that their expectations were about four percent growth this year. Then they upped them to 5. And that accountant, an accountant, mind you, someone who gets paid to be picky about money and sales, tells me she's now going to up that to about 5 percent.

It should be a great day for shopping here. And Betty, I mean, we're really looking forward to it. And a lot of things going on.

I apparently am the queen of shopping. I got my tiara right up there, if you can see that live in ...

NGUYEN: Hey, you're supposed to be working. You're shopping today?

MARTIN: You know, I had my five credit cards out.

NGUYEN: Oh my.

MARTIN: And the accountant looked at me like I was out of my mind. But I pointed out, one of them is a rebate card...

NGUYEN: Oh.

MARTIN: ... from a cell phone purchase I made. One of them is a debit card. One of them has been cancelled. So really only three of those credit cards are real.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, you mentioned rebates. That's a big deal. That's how a lot of these places are getting the deep discounts. They say, you know, this low price, but you look at the fine wording, and it says only if you do the rebate.

So, you know...

MARTIN: And you know, Betty, there was something interesting, I thought. The number one gift this year is going to be those -- those gift cards. I've got about six of those in my pocket over here right now. I can't reach them because I've got my energy pack for refueling for myself.

NGUYEN: Well, I'll give you my address and you can mail one of those. I'll take one of those off your hands.

All right. Thank you.

MARTIN: We're going to buy an average of five of those this year. Way up.

NGUYEN: It's a great gift. I mean, it's the easiest thing to do. Some people don't like it, they say it's impersonal. But hey, I like them. So, send it my way.

Have a good day shopping. Thank you.

We do have a lot coming up right here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

Saddam Hussein's trial, that resumes on Monday. But we have a preview coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A European human rights group wants answers as to whether the CIA is operating secret prisons in the war on terror. U.S. officials have yet, though, to confirm or deny reports that al Qaeda suspects have been interrogated and held in eastern Europe at one of eight suspected secret prisons.

Now, the Council of Europe is for formally asking the U.S. for clarification. A Swiss lawmaker says satellite imagery should shed some light on these allegations.

Now to California. Four men are facing trial on terror charges. Prosecutors say targets included National Guard facilities and synagogues in the Los Angeles area. What makes this case unusual is the genesis of the alleged plot: prison.

Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena was given exclusive access to the California State Prison outside Sacramento. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The government says a terrorist plot was masterminded behind these prison walls. Inmate Kevin James allegedly formed a radical Islamic group here known as JIS, recruited another inmate and planned an attack on U.S. military personnel in the Los Angeles area.

Was this a one-time affair? Or are there other inmates conspiring to do America harm?

(on camera): Prison officials here admit the environment is ripe for terror recruitment. But they say that has more to do with the people behind bars than prison practices.

(on camera): Prison investigator John Mayhew explains.

SGT. JOHN MAYHEW, PRISON INVESTIGATOR: You get somebody that doesn't real have anything, and they'll embrace those individuals and they'll bring them into their group. And they'll take care of them in the prison. And then, they'll set their beliefs upon them.

ARENA: James regularly attended Muslim services at the prison. He has pled not guilty to the charges against him. The imam here says he was shocked by those charges and says Islam can be a positive force.

IMAM GIUMAA A-SHAWESH, PRISON CHAPLAIN: Islam does not change conditions, circumstances, or people until those people have the guts, have the will to make a change within themselves.

ARENA: But some inmates warn there were many so-called Muslims in prison who corrupt Muslim teachings.

LATEEF ABDUS SABUR, INMATE: The Koran is clear. But man can be confused.

ARENA: Investigators can attend religious services if they have suspicions, and they are more closely examining the chaplains who preach to inmates.

WALTER ALLEN, CORRECTIONAL SAFETY OFFICER: One of the things we're professing is that the imams that work with us are good people. They -- they are providing an adequate service to our inmates. But that's an area of concern that, in terms of who we select to come in here.

ARENA: Prison investigators admit they were unaware that James' alleged terror group even existed. In fact, it wasn't until arrests were made, following a series of gas station robberies, that evidence led back to this maximum security prison.

Investigators say they are sometimes overwhelmed trying to track more than 200 inmate gangs and so-called disruptive groups in an ever- changing prison population. OFC. GRANT PARKER, PRISON INVESTIGATOR: It's a never-ending rotation with these guys. We'll have 10 guys we'll parole over the weekend. We're going to get a bus of 15, you know, three times this week.

ARENA: Inmate phone calls and mail are routinely monitored. And the FBI is now translating some inmate letters written in Arabic.

Any and all communication between inmates, like these notes, which are easily hidden and passed around, raises concern.

RODERICK HICKMAN, CALIF. DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS: You have to take this threat perspective into your day-to-day activity in a way that we didn't in the past.

ARENA: But officials say nothing beats good intelligence and admit that's hard to come by. Nearly half the inmates here are lifers, with little to gain from cooperating with investigators.

Kelli Arena, CNN, California State Prison, Sacramento.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Saddam Hussein's trial is set to resume on Monday. Already, though, two defense lawyers have been killed. So what security measures are in place now?

Nic Robertson joins us live next.

And saluting the troops. Four U.S. governors are spending a special Thanksgiving holiday with American servicemen and women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Turning now to Iraq, another U.S. death in that country. The military says a soldier was killed yesterday in a tank accident south of Baghdad. The overall American death toll in Iraq is now 2,105.

From Al Anbar Province in Iraq, where much of the violence has been focused, a tentative sign that some insurgent groups may already be talking. Now, Al Qaeda in Iraq, perhaps one of the most feared, reportedly is not one of them, though.

According to The Associated Press, four insurgent groups might be looking to appoint representatives to negotiate with the Iraqi government there. And the AP based its report on comments from people who live in the province.

After a five-week recess, the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants is expected to resume on Monday.

Senior Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live now from Baghdad.

Though, there is this issue of security, Nic. How is that being resolved?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of security that goes into just getting people close to that court. If you want to go and watch the proceedings, as we do, then there's a really tight, rigorous security process, questioning, background checks. And then you're not allowed to take anything into the courtroom with you. You can get pieces of paper to write on if you're -- when you're actually inside the courtroom.

For many Iraqis here, though, it's been two years since Saddam Hussein almost was caught and then the trial started. And then it stopped again. The people now really waiting very expectantly to see what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Lawyer Aqil al Kanani remembers his two brothers he says were killed by Saddam Hussein security forces in 1979. Last month, Kanani and his family watched the opening day of Hussein's trial on TV. Now he wants the trial over so he can get answers about why his brothers, Yassin (ph) and Taha (ph), were killed.

AQIL AL KANANI, LAWYER (through translator): I really care to hear his answer. No matter if he would go on trial for my case, or another case.

ROBERTSON: Beset by technical glitches last time the trail faltered in its opening hours. Hussein grandstanded, wasting time. Then his lawyers got a 41-day adjournment to study the charges that accuse Hussein and seven former regime allies of brutally repressing 1982 assassination attempt.

KANANI (through translator): Speaking to me as an Iraqi, not as a lawyer, I would denounce the delays of the trial and I would demand the court to execute him immediately. But as a lawyer, I see it as a legitimate process.

ROBERTSON: For a while, even the return to court next Monday seemed to be in doubt. Since appearing at the trial, two defense lawyers were killed and another wounded in targeted assassinations. Only U.S. assurances to help investigate and offers of protection appear to have convinced them to come back.

Still, in jail, awaiting trial, are other regime loyalists like Hussein's former deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz. His lawyer is worrying about when his client will see trial.

BADIE AREF, TARIQ AZIZ'S DEFENSE LAWYER: When I saw him last time, he was very sick.

ROBERTS: Aref has had death threats. His concern now is that the trial is unjust. Not just because defense lawyers are being killed, but because they lack training in cases like crimes against humanity.

AREF: They must also send their lawyers also to -- to England, to America to learn them -- about this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Now, when Hussein gets back in the dock (ph), proceedings are expected to speed up. Even on the first day witnesses may be called -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, but will those, indeed, speed up, though, if there's a boycott by Saddam's defense team because of this issue of security there? Already, two attorneys have been killed.

ROBERTSON: The best estimate of sources we're talking to close to the trial do think that the lawyers will turn up. But of course, they're not taking that for granted.

And the court, the international -- the Iraqi high tribunal, rather, has appointed standby defense lawyers to put in place if the proper defense lawyers, if the assigned defense lawyers, don't actually show up. So they do have a plan to push ahead if the defense lawyers decide to boycott in the end -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Oh, I see. It's going on one way or the other.

Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thank you, Nic.

And we want to remind you that Nic Robertson will be live throughout the day Monday with CNN's coverage of Saddam Hussein's trial.

Also in the Middle East, four state governors were on hand yesterday to help serve Thanksgiving meals to U.S. troops. The governors were Haley Barbour, of Mississippi; Sonny Perdue, of Georgia; Jennifer Granholm, of Michigan, and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. The governors' visit to the Middle East came at the invitation of the Defense Department.

Well, the season of giving is getting under way. But will people who need help the most be the ones feeling left out? We'll tackle that when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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