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Three Sunni Mosques Attacked After Shiite Bloodbath; President Bush to Meet With Iraqi Prime Minister Next Week; British Government Says Polonium 210 Found in Litvinenko's Body

Aired November 24, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Friday, November 24th.

Stop the killing. A powerful cleric calls to end the sectarian violence in Iraq. One of his suggestions, a prohibition against joining al Qaeda.

HARRIS: This as Sunnis and Shiites suffer in savage coordinated attacks. We are live from Baghdad with the new developments there.

COLLINS: And a dead man calls out a world leader. As the investigation continues, what killed this former spy? New developments just this morning.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Sectarian violence on the rise in Iraq, revenge killings on the heels of a horrific Shiite bloodbath.

CNN's Arwa Damon is live in Baghdad.

Arwa, there's so much to talk about. I don't know where you want to start. There is just so much carnage for you to bring our viewers up to date on.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, really, it seems that there is no end to this ever-increasing cycle of violence that we're seeing here. Not only insurgent violence, but sectarian violence.

Just this evening, a number of Sunni mosques were attacked in the capital. Two of them in a northwestern neighborhood of Hariya (ph). This neighborhood pretty much a classic example of what is happening throughout Iraq.

It is, like I just mentioned, a mixed neighborhood, both Sunni and Shia. However, sectarian violence there has driven most of its Sunni population away. And now this evening, two Sunni mosques there attacked, one of them set ablaze, according to residents. As they tried to put out the fire, gunmen stopped them. The other was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.

Elsewhere in the capital, anther Sunni mosque also attacked at around the same time. And we have seen over the last 24 hours a number of mortar fire attacks between Sunni and Shia neighborhoods.

Of course, all of this coming on the heels of that devastating attack that happened yesterday in the Shia slum of Sadr City, where five -- at least five car bombs exploded simultaneously. And the death toll from that attack just keeps rising. At least 200 Iraqis lost their lives there, another 250 were wounded.

Today the city is under curfew in an effort to try to curb this violence. But we saw those streets of Sadr City filled with residents escorting an endless procession of coffins to the gravesite to bury their dead.

HARRIS: Arwa, let me ask you if you -- if you have anything more on this report from The Associated Press of Shiite militiamen grabbing Sunnis as they left worship service -- I know there's a lot for you to follow there -- dowsing them with kerosene and then burning them alive.

DAMON: Tony, we did hear of that report crossing on The Associated Press. We did contact individuals within the Iraqi police, within the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. They could not confirm that attack to us.

HARRIS: OK. And bring everyone up to speed, if you would, on the threat by Muqtada al-Sadr.

DAMON: Well, that threat actually came from a spokesman. It was broadcast on national television.

Put simply, the spokesman said that if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki goes ahead with his scheduled meeting with U.S. President George Bush, set to take place in Amman some time next week, that the political bloc will temporarily suspend its activities within the Iraqi government. And really, Tony, this puts the prime minister in a very difficult and delicate position.

On one hand, he largely owes his prime ministership to the support of Muqtada al-Sadr's bloc. On the other hand, he cannot afford at this point to alienate the United States. There are still at least 160,000 U.S. troops here. There's still ongoing efforts both between the U.S. and the Iraqi security forces to bring this violence under control.

So how this all plays out on the ground here in Iraq will be very interesting in terms of really pinpointing who the powerbrokers here really are. Is it Muqtada al-Sadr? Is it the United States? And how does Nouri al-Maliki hold this fragile government together -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad.

Arwa, thank you.

COLLINS: The White House keeping a close eye on the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

Here now, CNN's White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House is certainly keeping a close eye on the deteriorating situation in Iraq. It really gives a renewed sense, a sense of urgency to these talks between the Bush administration and, of course, Iraq's neighbors.

A spokesman -- deputy spokesman Scott Stansil (ph) this morning reacting to Iraq's deadliest day yesterday, saying, "We condemn such acts of violence that are clearly aimed at undermining the Iraqi people's hopes for a peaceful and stable Iraq. The U.S. is committed to helping the Iraqis, and President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki will meet next week to discuss the security situation in Iraq." Scott Stansil (ph) also reacting to the threat from Sadr for Maliki not to talk with President Bush, otherwise he will pull his support. Stansil (ph) saying that all plans are forward-moving, that the president will meet with Maliki on Wednesday and Thursday in Jordan.

Now, what you are seeing is really an all-out diplomatic offensive here. Vice President Dick Cheney will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, traveling today to meet with King Abdullah for talks. And then, of course, President Bush meeting with Maliki in Jordan on Wednesday and Thursday.

Publicly, Bush administration officials have expressed confidence in Maliki's abilities and his government, but privately they are very frustrated and questioning whether or not he is going to be able to turn things around.

So what you see is really a two-part strategy here, working with Iraq's neighbors, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Kuwait, from the outside in to try to bolster Maliki's government. And then in the next couple of weeks, you will see reports from the bipartisan commission, the White House and the Pentagon, to work from within Maliki's government to try to help him bolster those security forces.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A mysterious death in London causing ripples in Moscow. Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died yesterday. Just last hour, a British health expert said the cause of death was apparently radiation poisoning. Litvinenko's friends and family accuse Moscow.

CNN's Jim Boulden is joining us now live with the very latest.

Boy, Jim, this has turned into quite a story pretty quickly.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really has, Heidi. You really couldn't make this up. We now know what - we don't know who yet, at least officially, but we now know that the former KGB spy who died at this hospital yesterday did have a large dose of radiation. They're calling it most likely something called Polonium 210, and they say, frankly, he could have only gotten this if he had eaten it and held it, or absorbed it through his blood. They said you don't get this kind of level radiation naturally.

The health authorities are quite concerned about anybody else also being exposed. They are assessing the health of the health workers here at this hospital, another hospital, and they are going to several locations, including a sushi bar, where they believe possibly at that bar on November 1st it was where he was most likely poisoned.

As you said, Mr. Litvinenko and his family have been saying all along that he was -- because he was a critic of the Kremlin, that somebody, an enemy of his inside the Kremlin, would have called for his death and poisoned him. Now, that is a diplomatic situation now. The foreign office here in the U.K. says they have contacted Russian authorities and they are taking this as a very serious matter -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Jim, how would Litvinenko's family be able to prove that this -- this may have actually happened, may have been at the hands of the Kremlin?

BOULDEN: Well, he has been somebody -- and for a long time -- he had defected to this country, he became a British citizen quite recently. He had made very serious claims in two books about things that were happening under the presidency of Vladimir Putin. And he has said all along that he was becoming an enemy of these people.

Of course, one of his friends, a Russian journalist, was shot dead in Moscow last month. And that concerned him greatly. And he was talking about that openly, and he was accusing the Kremlin of that death.

And then within weeks, he gets sick, and now he has died. So his family and friends say there is no doubt in their mind. But of course the Kremlin has denied all knowledge of his illness and his death -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Jim Boulden, live in London. We'll be watching this one.

Thank you, Jim.

HARRIS: And how about Ali Velshi today, on the merry-go-round earlier, in all the coolest stores, with all the hottest gifts this season and tapping into his inner child all along?

Ali, good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have been. I've got to tell you, I am kind of amazed that I'm getting paid for this. But I'm here at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, Garden City. Look at this. This is unbelievable. Shopping is in full swing right now.

I'm going to tell you a little bit about that, and not only how to do well on your shopping, but how to do good while you're shopping.

Stay with us. We're coming back with that story right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It's a gift that gives twice... to a loved one and to someone in need.

CNN's Ali Velshi has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI (voice over): If holiday shopping has you feeling a little blue about all the green you're going to shell out, thinking pink might make you feel a little better. If someone on your list needs a kitchen appliance, well, you can solve their problem and help fight cancer at the same time.

Cause-related marketing works. The Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, through corporate partnerships and campaigns, like Cook for the Cure with KitchenAid, says it raised more than $35 million last year.

For charities, it's a win, win, win. Customers get what they want, and they get to feel good about doing good, rather than feeling guilty for spending money. The dollar amount or percentage donated varies, but philanthropy consultant Tom Watson says at some level the money isn't the main issue.

TOM WATSON, CHANGING OUR WORLD, INC.: The best cause marketing campaigns are not just about raising money, they're about raising consciousness. So the really good ones get people excited about the cause.

VELSHI: And very few things get people excited as a shiny new AIDS-fighting iPod.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know a lot of people buy it because of helping AIDS and because it's really cute.

VELSHI: Red iPods sell for the same price as regular iPods, but Apple donates ten bucks to Bono's fight against AIDS in Africa for each one it sells.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's quite important that they give money to it. So, yes, I'd be more keen to buy that one rather than any other one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You kind of want one more.

VELSHI: At the Gap if you buy red, 50 percent of the purchase goes to fight AIDS.

WATSON: You can proudly tell the recipient of that gift that, hey, this is a wonderful item, but some of this goes to help somebody else.

VELSHI: And that will work just fine for this music lover.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think pretty highly of whoever gave it to me. I think that's a nice thing for me and, you know, for them to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Ali Velshi joining us now live.

So that's a great idea. I loved your piece there.

Do people seem to be picking up on that?

VELSHI: And I'm wearing -- I'm wearing one of those jackets from the Gap. This is red jacket.

COLLINS: Great.

VELSHI: That's the whole line of stuff that -- it's not bad, huh?

COLLINS: Nothing is ever bad on you, Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: You're so sweet. In the spirit of the season, that was very sweet.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly.

So it's looking pretty busy behind you. Your thoughts on this day? Aggressive, assertive, nice, the mood, people having a good time?

VELSHI: Absolutely. And, you know, this very different.

I've often worked on the day before Christmas, on Christmas Eve, which is also an interesting shopping day, sometimes a very busy one. And that's a whole different mood, right? Everybody is in a last- minute rush, mostly guys willing to buy anything that's packaged.

This is fun, this is an event. People taking advantage of sales, going into stores, looking at the displays and getting ideas, buying things on an impulse basis. But all indications so far are that it's been problem free today and that it's strong -- we're off to a strong start.

This day is definitely among one of the busiest every day. Black Friday, as you know, is the day retailers traditional went from being in the red, unprofitable, to being in the black, profitable.

COLLINS: Right. VELSHI: It's not that -- that cut and dry anymore, but this is definitely the kickoff to the season, and it is a very important day. And so far everybody we've talked to is saying it's going very well.

The interesting thing is retailers are looking at how it's going and adjusting their strategy, shifting around their floor units, because they don't want people getting frustrated and not coming to the stores. They don't want to set people off this early in the season.

COLLINS: Yes, boy, that's for sure.

And I just have to tell you, Ali, my little 5-year-old called and he was wondering how on earth you got to sit on Santa's lap so early.

VELSHI: Nice.

COLLINS: He was a little dress.

VELSHI: No, that was great. Having the CNN cameras around and the business card really helps when it comes to getting front in line.

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: I got some looks from some kids.

COLLINS: Oh, man. I bet you did.

VELSHI: There were a lot of kids there saying, look, bald man, could you move out of the way, please?

HARRIS: Yes.

COLLINS: All right. Ali Velshi, thank you.

HARRIS: A lot of lists. Folks sending e-mails in.

"Here's what I want for Christmas, Heidi." "Here's what I want from Christmas, Tony."

How about this from Tasha -- Tasha wants a PlayStation 3 -- might have to give up a limb for that -- a new car -- wow. A diamond ring, and one of those fancy little RAZR cell phones that are so popular with folks these days.

COLLINS: All right. Well, I like how she numbered all of them and prioritized.

HARRIS: Yes.

COLLINS: That's good. And how about this from Dee in Florida? "I am shopping, much as Socrates did, for an honest politician."

HARRIS: Wow. Nice. Nice.

Vermont -- Charlea is in Vermont and writes, "My 'list' includes spending the day with my family, playing with my grandson. It is all, my friends, about priorities."

COLLINS: And from Scott, "The number one item on my Christmas wish list is orders home from Iraq to be with my wife."

Very nice sentiments there.

Yesterday, it was amazing all the e-mails that we got thanking service members for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HARRIS: Yes. That was great.

COLLINS: And across the world.

HARRIS: I guess the wish for kids almost around the world, universally, is for a little snow on Christmas Day.

Way too early to be talking about that, Rob Marciano.

COLLINS: Never to early.

HARRIS: But put it on your to-do list, all right?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. It's on the to-do list.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: When we come back, we'll talk for a couple of minutes about a devastating disease actually that robs children of their vision and their lives. Could research with dogs provide some hope?

That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Batten Disease, it's an illness so rare it's difficult to diagnose, but one family knows its ravages all too well.

CNN's Dan Simon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At only 16, Katie Allio is in the final stages of her life. Still, every night before dinner, she puts on a show, dancing to the music.

Katie was born with Batten Disease, a rare genetic disorder. So rare, experts say only one in every 40,000 children worldwide is likely to have it. There's no cure, though some new research involving dogs may hold promise for future generations.

KATHY ALLIO, MOTHER: There really are words to describe that moment when you're told that your child is going to die.

SIMON: That moment, says Katie's mom, came after years of slowly watching her daughter deteriorate. It started at age 5, when this seemingly healthy normal little girl started losing her vision.

ALLIO: We noticed that she wasn't able to see us waving from inside a sliding glass door, or if we were to point something out to her, maybe the moon or trees.

SIMON: Katie's doctor couldn't figure out what was happening. In addition to going blind, she was also having seizures. When she was 10, they conducted some genetic testing. For her parents, the results were crushing.

ALLIO: The neurologist herself told us that it was the most devastating childhood disease, she believed.

JOE ALLIO, FATHER: I like to be able to fix things. I like to make things better for my family. And this one I can't fix.

SIMON: And for Joe Allio, a police officer, that was devastating.

J. ALLIO: It took months to digest all of the information related to Batten Disease.

SIMON: What he and his wife later learned is they both happen to carry the gene for it, which is extremely rare. But that didn't mean they would automatically pass it on to their kids.

Genetic experts say there was a 25 percent chance a child would actually get Batten Disease. Still, it seems so unfair that not one, but two of their six children were born with the disorder.

This is Katie's sister Annie, who at age 7 might appear normal, but is also going blind, has daily seizures and uncontrollable rages.

K. ALLIO: She turns furniture over. She breaks things in the home. She's almost broken my nose. And I have scars on my hand from scratching. In very lay terms, our girls' brains are dying one cell at a time.

SIMON: In a few years, like her older sister now, she'll be completely blind and barely able to walk. The disease is advancing in Annie even faster.

(on camera): But that's not the worst of it. Batten Disease also causes dementia to the point where you can no longer say the alphabet or count to 10. Eventually, it reduces to you a total vegetative state before it completely shuts down your body.

(voice over): Few people with the disease make it into their 20s. The speed with which it progresses is truly tragic.

Here was Katie only a couple of years ago, singing...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go girl! Go, Katie!

SIMON: ... then running, like little girls are supposed to. Her parents say the support of their other children and their faith has sustained them.

K. ALLIO: If Katie could no longer count to 10, that's OK. If she can still give me a hug, or if she can still try and sing a song, that's wonderful. I'll take that. I'll take that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katie, this one is Arrow (ph).

SIMON: On this day, these dogs, Tibetan terriers, provide the sisters some cozy companionship. Their owner often brings them around to sick children. But that's not the only relationship between the kids and the dogs.

It turns out, Tibetan terriers can sometimes suffer from the exact same disease. The only breed known to be susceptible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy's here. It's OK.

SIMON: The hope is that studying the effect canines might someday lead to remedies for humans, but will take a lot more money and time to achieve that goal.

For now, the dogs bring a little happiness.

Dan Simon, CNN, Vacaville, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Boy, that's a tough one.

To get your daily dose of health news online, you can log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness.

That address, cnn.com/health.

HARRIS: Another day of deadly sectarian violence in Iraq. Yesterday it was a Shiite neighborhood, today retaliation on a Sunni neighborhood. What does all this mean for U.S. forces on the ground in Iraq?

What will happen next? We're watching it here in the NEWSROOM.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: I want to give you some information we are just getting now here at CNN. We are able to tell you that in light of all the violence that has been happening in Sadr City in particular, we have been telling you about 200 deaths. More than 250 people injured after a series of car bombings and mortar attacks yesterday.

Now more violence again today, and the latest now coming to CNN from the actual head of the Muqtada al Sadr bloc with the parliament that Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. forces are moving into Sadr City, trying to calm the tensions and the violence there. We have our Arwa Damon on the ground to give us more information on all of this. That as well as the Associated Press reporting that U.S. helicopters are now firing into Sadr City after coming under attack from the ground there. We want to go ahead and go to Arwa now for the very latest on all of this. Arwa, tell us the information you're getting from where you are in the country.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, like you just mentioned, we heard from the head of Muqtada al Sadr's political bloc. He said that Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. forces, entered the city both from the eastern side and from the north-eastern side and were conducting some sort of military operation. He did not have the details on it. We also heard the al Furat (ph) television, which is the main Shia TV station here broadcasting reports, reporting pretty much the same thing, also saying that coalition aircraft helicopters were involved. Now we have heard reports of aircraft being fired. That is not confirmed to date.

We've contacted the U.S. military. They said that they had heard of the reports and were looking into the incident. Now that being said, we have seen over the last few weeks, a number of raids into Sadr City, in fact, that was one of the many issues brought up by leading Shia politicians, by members of Muqtada al Sadr's bloc. With condemnation of these raids they have seen happening quite frequently in their an area. In fact just a few days ago, there was an operation that they were trying to target a kidnapping cell and in fact in that operation they did detain one individual who is believed to have information about of the whereabouts of the kidnapped Iraqi-American soldier. He was kidnapped about a month ago. During that raid, coalition aircraft did fire into Sadr City and there were a number of civilian casualties. So there has been military action in that part of the city over the last few weeks -- Heidi.

COLLINS: I just want to clarify quickly Arwa, as we're getting this news and trying to make it as clear as possible. You have said that we have confirmed that this movement of the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces, they have already moved in from the eastern side, I believe you said.

DAMON: Yes, that is according to a spokesman with Muqtada al Sadr's bloc. Again, we did contact the U.S. military spokespeople here, they said they were still looking into it and would get back to us as soon as they had any information, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Arwa Damon, we know you're watching this situation for us and we will keep on eye on it as well and come back to you just as soon as possible.

The escalating violence between Sunnis and Shiites calls for a quick review of these two schools of Islam and how this tension came to be. Here now some facts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: About one in every five people on the planet consider themselves Muslims -- that's about 1.2 billion. But many divisions in the Muslim community, the largest being between Shiites and Sunnis. The majority of the Muslim population follows the Sunni branch. Only about 15 percent follow the Shiite branch, but in some countries the concentration of Shiites are larger. These nations are Bahrain, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Iraq.

Shiites historically believe religious authority has been handed down from prophet Mohammad through blood lines. When you hear the terms Imam and Ayatollah, these refer to Shiite religious leaders. Sunnis attach much less importance to their leaders and much more importance on Muslim traditions. There can be extremists in both branches of Islam but Sunni extremists like Osama bin Laden have focused predominantly on the corruption of the religion and specifically the negative influence of western culture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A former Russian spy dies in London and just a short time ago, British authorities said Alexander Litvinenko was apparently poisoned by radiation. His friends and family accuse Moscow. Russian authorities deny any involvement but a Kremlin spokesman says the allegations are nothing but nonsense. The Russian president commented today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A death in the government is always a tragedy. And I believe in this and I would extend my condolences to the family of Mr. Litvinenko, but as far as I understand the medical statement of British physicians, it doesn't say this was a result of violence or this is not a violent death. So there is no ground for speculations of this kind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And just a short time after that press conference, listen to these comments by Roger Cox, a radiation expert on the case as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER COX, RADIATION EXPERT: Now, with regards to the incident, as Patty said, at around 6:00 p.m. yesterday, HPA at its radiation protection division received information by the police that a large quantity of alpha radiation, probably from a substance called Polonium 210, which I'll say something about a little later on, so this large quantity of alpha radiation had been detected in the urine of Mr. Litvinenko. The links between Mr. Litvinenko's symptoms and this alpha radiation exposure is a matter for the police and I cannot comment further on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But we can. British health officials say alpha radiation from Polonium 210 was found in Alexander Litvineko's urine. A little info on that. Polonium 210 was discovered by Marie Curie, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry in 1898. It can be used to eliminate static electricity in machinery. It was used in earlier nuclear weapons development. Polonium 210 also has been found in tobacco smoke.

COLLINS: Jonathan Freed is out there shopping for us today now. Hey Jonathan, all kinds of things going on. People shopping like crazy out there.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi. It has been nuts here today. There were several hundred people who were outside when we got here in the pre-dawn darkness this morning and there has been a very steady flow of people here all day today. Bruce and I are going to take you for a walk around the store. Bruce, our intrepid photographer. It has been absolutely steady and there are whole displays, I was going to take you to the display, Heidi, that's empty now, but they have actually removed it.

That's the point that we've gotten to in this store here today. I don't think that anything advertised as a special earlier today is actually still around. I'm looking for Aaron, our store manager, and here he is right here. How are you doing, good to see you again.

AARON, STORE MANAGER: Good to see you.

FREED: So, what has it been like for you today? has the crowd been more or less what you anticipated or has it been over the top?

AARON: It's been, I'd say over the top. The crowd has very, very good since this morning. Lines were extremely long, and they're remaining pretty steady in the store.

FREED: Now, what has been -- what's the tip for people who are coming out this season. You had had a great one for me earlier that I want to share with folks at home.

AARON: (INAUDIBLE) radios from early. Now I'd say just understand that things are going to be moved around in the stores. So grab an associate as quick as possible. Most of us understand by now we need to keep our stores staffed. People that are available to help. Grab somebody immediately and get them to show you the products.

FREED: And you were saying, two way radios are key because if you're trying to communicate by cell phone with your shopping partner, you can't always get through, right?

AARON: Yes, the towers get busy and not able to communicate with the cell phones. If you have a two way apparatus radio, it helps you to communicate with people in the store.

FREED: You see, Heidi, thank you Aaron, you see, it's come down to that. It's come down to that, that's just how nuts it is here. The crowd is steady, but we're getting towards the end of the crazy black Friday sale period and they're calling it green Friday here at Best Buy -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, it's getting around lunchtime, too. Maybe people are taking a break for lunch, did you notice or are they just plowing right through? FREED: Well, it's been relatively steady, but thing that we heard Aaron -- I heard Aaron giving the employees the briefing earlier today and one of the things he was telling everybody, this was before we got trampled when they opened the doors. One of the things he told everybody was, ok, folks, remember to eat. That was the best advice I got before my wedding, it's remember to eat or you're going to pass out. And it kind of applies to Black Friday as well. It's really, you know, it's been steady, every aisle I look down, very busy. So clearly a good day for them here. And we'll throw it back to you.

COLLINS: And people running away from our cameras. As we just saw moments ago to your right there.

FRED: Usually, they're just running away from me.

COLLINS: No, no, no never, never.

FREED: Wouldn't be the first time.

COLLINS: All right, Jonathan, we'll check back later, thanks.

HARRIS: What an incredible deadly 24 to 36 hours in Iraq. First extreme violence in an Shiite neighborhood -- the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. And now apparently a retaliation attack in a Sunni neighborhood. And now apparently, American troops on the move. We will check into that report. You're in the NEWSROOM, you're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's see if we can manage to bring you the very latest on what has been an incredibly violent 24, 36 hours in Iraq, particularly in Sadr City, and in a couple of Sunni neighborhoods now. In a series of car bombs and other explosions yesterday, just to take you back before we bring you forward here, 200 people were killed. Upwards of 200 people killed, at least that many wounded yesterday, in a series of car bombs and other explosions in that Shiite slum of Sadr City. And today, apparently, retaliation attacks on at least one Sunni neighborhood.

And now comes word that U.S. and Iraqi forces have been mobilized and may in fact be on the move in Sadr City. And in point of fact we seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop in Sadr City in Iraq today.

We will continue to follow this with CNN's Arwa Damon on the ground in Baghdad.

Let's get some background on the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr and his anti-American views.

Here's a CNN fact check.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In his early 30s, Muqtada Al Sadr is an expert at blending Shiite radicalism with Iraqi nationalism. Most of his millions of supporters are young and poor, and are captivated by his fiery anti-Americanism. Many live in Baghdad's Sadr City, a slum of at least two million, which used to be called Saddam City. The areas was renamed for Sadr's father after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The father was a prominent Shiite cleric in Iraq before he was assassinated in 1999, reportedly by agents of Saddam Hussein.

Sadr assumed control of his father's network of schools and charities, using them to expand his support among the poor. One of the biggest obstacles now facing the Iraqi government is Sadr's powerful Mahdi Army. Mahdi fighters have fought numerous battles with U.S. and Iraqi forces. The most serious were uprisings in Najaf and Karbala in 2004. Observers say Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has been reluctant to move against Sadr because he controls thirty-some seats in parliament.

Another vexing problem is Sadr's connection to Iran. The Bush administration accuses Iran of supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents and militias, including Sadr's. A report by the Council on Foreign Relations says that in a recent visit to Tehran, Sadr even pledged to fight alongside Iranians if attacked by the United States.

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COLLINS: Coming up in about 15 minutes is "YOUR WORLD TODAY." And to tell us what will be happening on that show, Ralitsa Vassileva.

And, Ralitsa, I'm sure you'll be following the Iraq story as it develops throughout the day.

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely, Heidi. Just when you think it couldn't get worse, more violence as Iraq teeters on the brink of chaos. After the deadliest attack so far since the war began, Shiites buried their dead today. Gunmen took revenge against Sunnis, and anger is growing against the United States.

Also British authorities think they know what killed a former Russian spy. They believe a radioactive substance was involved in his poisoning. The question remains who killed him and why. From his death bed, he pointed to President Putin himself.

And finally, we'll tell you about a very unusual custody fight. It's unusual because it's between two countries, South Africa and Cameroon, and it's over these gorillas who were stolen as babies. You've got to stick around for that story and more.

I hope you'll join us as we keep you up to speed with all the news that's happening around the globe. Back to you.

COLLINS: You got it. All right. All right, Ralitsa, thanks so much for that.

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HARRIS: We are going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll update you on all of the news coming out of Iraq today. All of it bad. More violence to report. And U.S. and Iraqi troops seemingly on the move in Sadr City. We're back in a moment.

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COLLINS: News coming in to us here at CNN out of Florida. Apparently CNN is able to confirm that an armed gunman walked into the Miami Herald building. He was dressed in camouflage and a security guard there reporting that this man may have had a problem with the editor. We do know that the building has been evacuated. We don't know much more than this but these pictures coming to us from our affiliate there WSVN. So, once again, CNN has armed -- has learned that an armed gunman has walked into the Miami Herald building. We'll follow this story for you. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next.

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