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American Morning

Muqtada al-Sadr Threat; Spy Death Mystery

Aired November 24, 2006 - 06:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: He's not bad. Not bad.
Good morning to you. Friday November 24th, I'm Miles O'Brien. And we're going to do the entire program in limericks.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Oh, gosh. Wouldn't that be hard to do.

M. O'BRIEN: No, that would be --

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

Let's begin with terrible news out of Iraq today. Reeling from that deadliest attack on civilians since the start of the war in 2003. Here's what's new this morning.

A curfew has been imposed throughout Baghdad. It's an effort to get as many people off the street as possible. The Baghdad Airport has been shut down and continues to be shut down to all traffic.

And at present the body count is more than 200 dead, more than 250 wounded. All of that after a series of coordinated bombings in Shiite dominated Sadr City. Today a Sunni area is under attack. A car bombing in Talafar, about 250 miles northwest of Baghdad, near the Syrian border. Let's get an update on all of that this morning from CNN's Arwa Damon. She's live for us in Baghdad.

Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Soledad.

And a recent announcement from a spokesman for radical Shia Cleric Muqtada al Sadr, announced on national television. In that statement he said, that Sadr's bloc would suspend its activities from parliament if Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki went ahead with a scheduled meeting next week set to take place in Amman, with, quote, "the criminal, Bush." The group also called for a timetable for the, quote, "occupiers to leave."

The spokesman rounded off his speech by saying, "No, no to America. Yes, yes to Islam." This really puts the Iraqi prime minister in an extremely difficult situation.

On one hand he largely owes his prime ministership to the support of Muqtada al Sadr's bloc, which holds about 30 seats in parliament. On the other hand, right now, he cannot afford to alienate the United States. How this plays out is very interesting to follow in terms of how much power does Muqtada al Sadr have. It's also highlighting how fragile Nuri al-Maliki's government really is.

This announcement coming shortly after yet another deadly attack in the northern city of Talafar. It' is a Turkavan (ph) city. There we saw a car bomb, a suicide car bomber followed by a suicide bombing that killed 22 Iraqis, and wounded another 26.

And this attack coming the day after the deadliest attack in Iraq's history since March of 2003 when five car bombs went off in Sadr City. That is the Shia stronghold that is largely loyal to the radical Shia Cleric Muqtada al Sadr. There, at least 200 Iraqis lost their lives -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: In addition to that, that death toll has been climbing from that bombing and the prime minister, I know, has ordered police to try to guard the funeral processions to make sure there is not violence out of those funeral possessions. Have they been able to pull that off peacefully, at least, Arwa?

DAMON: Well so far, Soledad, we do not have any reports of any attacks on those funeral processions. We have seen images coming out of Sadr City, really just showing streets packed with residents mourning their dead. Minivan after minivan with coffins attached to the top. Just an endless stream of victims from this deadly bombing coming out of that area.

But, again, as of yet, no attacks. Of course, everyone here is hoping for calm. That is exactly why the Iraqi government put this curfew into place, that began yesterday at 8:00 p.m. When it will end, that we don't know. We see this often from the Iraqi government when the violence really surges. A curfew get slammed into place to try to bring it all under control, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon is in Baghdad for us this morning. Arwa, thank you.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: It is now a murder investigation. Authorities in London trying to find out who and what killed a former Russian spy that became a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin. Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital three weeks after some meetings with shadowy characters and an apparent poisoning. But doctors cannot say for sure what killed him. Jim Boulden live at University College Hospital in London where Litvinenko died -- Jim.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Hi, Miles.

That's correct. The police are not saying, the hospital is not saying if they know what killed him. But Mr. Litvinenko has said who he thinks killed him.

In this morning's "London Times" paper, you see here, he says -- he said in an interview on Tuesday, his last day's of consciousness, "The bastards got me. They won't get us all."

He is talking about who he says did it and he says it was insiders in the Kremlin and enemies of his in Moscow. You remember that he is a former Russian KGB agent, who defected to the U.K. He is a fierce critic of Mr. Putin's government. And he's a fierce critic of his former employers, the KGB and the FSB.

He said a few days before he was poisoned that he was quite worried. He told other friends he was worried for his own safety. And then, of course, he was poisoned. The hospital says they don't know what poisoned him. They were able to rule many things out, they have not ruled anything in, as far as we know.

As you said, he died late last night here in London. And we were told by his death by hospital spokesman Jim Down, who came out and told us about the kind of care they were giving the former KGB agent before he died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every avenue was explored to establish the cause of his condition. And the matter is now an ongoing investigation being dealt with by detectives from New Scotland Yard. Because of this, we will not be commenting any further. Our thoughts are with Mr. Litvinenko's family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOULDEN: Miles, we may not know any more until the postmortem and then, maybe then, we'll get information on what exactly poisoned him -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jim Boulden in London, thank you.

Happening this morning, also, Vice President Cheney leaves for Saudi Arabia with talks with King Abdullah. The U.S. wants Saudi Arabia to help diffuse tensions in the Middle East and encourage moderate factions in Iraq and Lebanon.

The president heads to the region next week to huddle with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. That summit will happen at Jordan. The president at Camp David this morning. He spent Thanksgiving there with his family and the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Before he arrives in Jordan he will stop in Latvia for a NATO summit.

In Lebanon a tense quiet amid fears the U.S. supported government there could topple, as the mourning for a political martyr continues. Hundreds of thousands turning out in Beirut's Martyr's Square for the funeral of Pierre Gemayel, the assassinated politician who opposed Syrian influence in his country. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora urged cabinet members to sleep at the parliament building fearing a government overthrow.

North of Boston, in Danvers, the embers have finally cooled enough for investigators to begin their work. They're trying to find out why a propane plant exploded on Wednesday. The blast and fire that followed damaged 90 homes. Some were blown right off their foundations. A dozen were treated for injuries and released; amazingly, no one killed.

S. O'BRIEN: An urgent search is under way for two young brothers. This is happening in northern Minnesota. Four-year-old Tristan White, two-year-old Avery Lee Stately disappeared from their yard in Red Lake, Minnesota. Happened two days ago. The FBI and local police and volunteers are combing the area. It's very heavily wooded area. Jeff Goldberg is with our affiliate KMSP.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GOLDBERG, REPORTER, KMSP TV: With two young boys missing in cold weather for nearly two days, there is only one word to describe the feeling of those affected most.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The family is devastated. There's two children that are not at home for Thanksgiving.

GOLDBERG: Searchers began their work shortly after the children went missing Wednesday morning. Four-year-old Tristan White and his two-year-old brother, Avery Lee Stately were playing in their front yard. Authorities say their mother was checking on them, but at around 9:50 checked again, and they were gone.

PAUL MCCABE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: At this time, we do not know any more information than we knew yesterday. We don't know if there is foul play or whether the children just wandered off into the woods.

GOLDBERG: FBI Special Agent Paul McCabe says investigators are talking with neighbors and potential witnesses about the possibility of a crime, like an abduction.

MCCABE: There is no evidence at this time that leads us there is foul play. We just want to make sure we are not being narrow minded. And that we're pursuing that angle as well.

GOLDBERG: The home is located in the Walking Shield area, of the Red Lake Indian reservation. Terrain not easy to navigate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wetlands here; it's really woody.

GOLDBERG: More than 100 law enforcement and volunteers from the reservation and surrounding communities are committed to finding the boys. More people, search dogs and mounted patrols are on the way, bringing with them energy and hope.

MCCABE: People want to help. This brings people together. And it is for a good cause. We need to find two young boys that aren't at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That was Jeff Goldberg from our affiliate KMSP. Anyone who has information on the boys can call either of the two numbers that you see on your screen right there. The FBI at 612-376- 3200 or the Red Lake Tribal Police Department at 218-679-3313.

Also happening in America at this morning: Some really scary moments in Hawaii on Thanksgiving Day, a 5.0 magnitude quake hit the Big Island, in the same area where the 6.7 quake struck last month. The quake temporary cut power to 5,900 people, but no other damage is reported.

In Boston a scholarship is being offered for white students only and it's generating lots of controversy, but, so far, no applicants. Boston University student group, which is called the BU College Republicans, is offering the $250 scholarship as a statement, they say, against scholarships that are based on race or ethnicity. Applicants have to be one quarter Caucasian to be eligible. So far, no body has applied.

In California, copies of O.J. Simpson's canceled book topping $1 million in bidding on eBay. The family of Nicole Brown Simpson not happy about it; they're accusing eBay of not acting quickly enough to pull auctions of the book; eBay says they're pulling those books off the site.

In New York, magician David Blaine is on the solid ground once again. And like many New Yorkers, shopping will be his first order of business. The stunt this time for Blain; he freed himself from a spinning gyroscope 40 feet above Times Square. You can see the pictures right there. He was shackled inside the device and was flipped as many as eight times per minute for 52 hours. He did the stunt as a promotion for Target and today he takes 100 kids on a shopping spree. Guess where? Target. Ah, all coming together there.

M. O'BRIEN: Little promotional consideration.

S. O'BRIEN: For a good cause. For a very good cause.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Retailers hoping to pull a rabbit out of the hat this season, first the turkey and the stuffing, now this morning -- the stuff. It's all part of the tradition. Retailers call it Black Friday. That is for the color of ink accountants use to signify profits. And for the stress they will endure to get through the day.

The day has already begun. Live look, right here. This is the Toys "R" Us in Times Square. Their flagship store, complete with a Ferris wheel. And look at the crowds already. It's a little after 6:00 Eastern Time.

Also we have, in our wall, this is Macy's at 34th Street. Of course, we told you all about the parade yesterday, it was soggy but it ended right there in Harold's Square, 34th Street in Manhattan. There's people trying to find a bargain.

And if you feel like a mall, we have malls for you, too. Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York, today. Take a look at that. Already jammed. I guess people will do anything for a bargain, won't they? It is not the busiest shopping day of the year any more. The Saturday before Christmas usually draws that distinction. We are a bunch of procrastinators, after all. But it is the officials start of the annual frenzy. Folks, only 30 days of shopping 'til Christmas. CNN's Jonathan Freed is at a Best Buy in Skokie, Illinois. Where -- look at them! They're lining up. It is an hour earlier there. It's a little after 5:00 in the morning there.

Jonathan, looks like a healthy turnout there this morning.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: You know, Miles, I think there might be some confusion because these people have been lining up to be on AMERICAN MORNING this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

It may be about shopping, I'm not sure.

How are you guys doing? Everybody great? They're cold. People have been here since 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The line just stretches into infinity, Miles.

Let's go inside because there are some people here that we want you to meet. I'm just going to sort of line crash here. People tried that before, you should have heard the boos. You should have heard the boos, before.

Hi, how are you, good morning. Let's go in here. I see them right there. It's the Steiglitz (ph) family. There is a reason now -- hey, guys. Hey, guys. We are on -- great to see you again. This is Brian Steiglitz (ph) and Madeline and Gabby. You guys got here what time yesterday?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 3:30 in the afternoon.

FREED: And Madeline, it was your idea? Right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

FREED: So, what happened? How did this happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last year my uncle promised me that we would sleepover at a Best Buy because we would get laptops and I never forgot that so -- yeah.

FREED: Now, Dad, so you had not planned really to do this yesterday. Right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We were -- it was spur of the moment. We were sitting around and talking about these deals. And I said, come on. There's people already there and Gabby said, well, if there's somebody there we won't stay, let's go look. We did, we drove over there and sure enough, no one was over there so I had to stand behind what I said. And I said, sure, you can stay. And so we did.

FREED: Miles, you have to get this, this was all improvised. And then dad ran home got a tent, a heater, and?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cable, a TV, and we ended up sitting down watching "Deal or no Deal" while we were eating our meal.

FREED: So you had your Thanksgiving dinner here last night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We slept in the mall, right on the sidewalk in our tent.

FREED: OK, guys. Congratulations for being first in line and, Miles, just a taste of the insanity here this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: All of this for -- let me get this straight. They did all this for a laptop, right?

FREED: All of this for two laptops? Miles wants to know, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we got two laptops for under $600.

FREED: That's really not bad.

M. O'BRIEN: And you have to ask them, is it totally worth it? Has it been worth the wait?

FREED: OK, has it been worth the wait?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what, I don't know if we would do it again but it was fun for them and we enjoyed -- it was just an experience. Just the one time.

FREED: You came here as soon as said, I'm not sure if I would do it again, I'm hearing laughter in my ear. How about you guys, would you do it again?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I would!

FREED: What was cooler? Was it cooler to be here and to hang out, and be in the tent and have Thanksgiving here, or getting the stuff?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting the stuff. Because you're getting a laptop and all this stuff. And you're getting the stuff you waited for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we made friends in line. And we would have ordinarily just been sitting around eating. And we met a whole bunch of people and we had a nice party going.

FREED: You guys, you are really lucky to have such a cool dad. That's really cool. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. To you, too. FREED: Nice to meet you all. OK, guys, we will toss it back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: It's not the camping trip I would have had in mind, but, whatever. All right, thank you, Jonathan Freed. We'll be back with you, hang in there on this Black Friday.

If you're at a loss about what to get, if you didn't camp out all night trying to get a couple laptops, we have just the location for you to go on the web. Log onto our web site, CNN.com/holidayshopping. On that location there is a little, it asks you a bunch of questions and gives you some ideas on gifts to find for those hard to pleased loved ones and friend and bosses and all that stuff -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What are you getting me this year?

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, God, don't put me on the spot.

S. O'BRIEN: You still have time.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a big surprise, to me, too. It's a big surprise.

S. O'BRIEN: Much more coverage of Black Friday straight ahead.

Also this morning, new information on the tense standoff in Chicago. A terrible ending to that day-long hostage situation. We'll take you live to the scene in Chicago straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Welcome back, everybody. 18 minutes past the hour. Before you head out the door, let's first check the forecast for you. Rob Marciano is in for Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: A violent ending to a tense 24-hour standoff in Chicago. It ended just a few hours ago, two people are dead, reportedly the gunman and the woman he was holding hostage. WFLD reporter Ann Cavanaugh is following the developments from Chicago's Southside. She joins us with a live report -- Ann.

ANN CAVANAUGH, REPORTER, WFLD TV: Good morning, Miles.

People in the Southside neighborhood were praying throughout the Thanksgiving Day that this would have a peaceful ending, it did not.

Police had cordoned off Jeffrey Boulevard, here in Chicago, for nearly 24 hours talking with this hostage taker, by phone, trying to get him to surrender peacefully, that did not happen. About 1:30 this morning police heard a gunshot, the stormed the apartment, and found the 21-year-old hostage taker and his 22-year-old female victim, both dead as a result of gunshot wounds.

Throughout the ordeal police have been communicating with him, and the victim, via the telephone. At one point the police event sent cigarettes and soda pop up to the apartment. But in the end it all fell apart early this morning.

Right now police will not comment on whether they believe the man was mentally ill. According to the family of his victim, though, she was allowed to call them via the telephone. And she told them that early yesterday morning he went through the building firing shots, came into her apartment, forced her into another unit, barricaded the drawers with dressers and pulled the blinds and told her that if the police knocked on the door he would shoot them.

The 22-year-old victim leaves behind a 14-month-old baby son. Live in Chicago, Anne Cavanaugh. Miles, back to you in Atlanta.

M. O'BRIEN: Ann, we don't know what sparked it all?

CAVANAUGH: We really don't. Police would not comment on that. There are reports that he was upset because he heard a crying baby, but we're not sure if that is actually the case. We asked police about a hour ago if he was mentally ill. And they would not comment. Hopefully we'll learn more as the day goes on. At this point they're not even releasing the names of the two people.

M. O'BRIEN: Ann Cavanaugh, of WFLD in Chicago. Thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we're "Minding Your Business". If you want to find the perfect gift and help out a good cause at the same time. AMERICAN MORNING's Ali Velshi is live from a shopping mall in Long Island. We'll check in with him right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, they say it's better to give than receive this holiday season. You can give, and get back at the same time. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business". He's live this morning from the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York.

Good morning to you. How is it going there?

AL VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Soledad, good morning to you.

Well, let me tell you. I believe I'm getting paid to be here, so it's a lot easier. I have no idea about what's going on here. I came into this mall about an hour and a half ago and people were coming out with bags and they're really having a good time with it.

Now, for some people the idea of holiday shopping isn't that much of a thrill, a bit of a chore, but there is something you can do that makes the experience a little better for you.

(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 better. If someone on your list needs a kitchen appliance, well, you can help solve their problem and help fight cancer that same time.

Cause related marketing works. The Susan Komen breast cancer foundation, through corporate partnerships and campaigns, like "Cook for the Cure" with KitchenAide, 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, CHANING OUR WORLD, INC.: The best-cause marketing campaign 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, but Apple donates 10 percent for Bono's fight against AIDS in Africa for each one it sells.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is quite important that they give money to it, so yeah, I'd bee more keen to buy that one than any other one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me 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: That will work just fine for this music lover.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd 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)

VELSHI: And I'd feel pretty good if someone gave me this jacket. This is one of those red products from The GAP that makes a donation to Bono's charity, it if you buy it. There's a lot of these things. And here at this mall that I'm at, it is one of the Simon Property Groups. At if Simon malls, if you buy a mall gift card you can actually get, they'll give a donation to the charity, the Susan G. Komen Brest Foundation. So, this is quite common. It's useful to look at that sort of thing and see if, while you're shopping, this may help a little bit -- Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: I think that's pretty good. Cross people off your list and do good at the same time.

VELHSI: Do something good.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, Ali Velshi for us this morning, thanks, Ali.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories straight ahead. Stunning violence, even by Iraq standards. Another coordinated suicide attack, more than 200 people killed in just two days. We're live from Baghdad.

Plus, we'll get an update on the intense search for two little boys missing in northern Minnesota. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Day of death in Iraq. Fresh attacks this morning. Hundreds of people are dead, hundreds more injured in a series of coordinated bombings.

We'll bring you the very latest live.

M. O'BRIEN: And the scholarship for whites only stirring up a firestorm, but that may have been just the intention.

Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. It is Friday, November 24th.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

We're glad you're with us.

We begin this morning in Iraq, with a new round of tit-for-tat violence and grave fears it is spinning out of control. The streets of Baghdad quiet now, a tough curfew imposed to try to stop the bloodshed. The airport shut down to all air traffic.

The grim toll is high. More than 200 dead and more than 250 more wounded after a series of coordinated bombings in the Shiite section of Baghdad known as Sadr City. It is the single worse sectarian attack since the U.S. invaded more than three and a half years ago.

And this morning a new ominous wrinkle. The powerful Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr vowing to pull his party out of the Iraqi government if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki meets with President Bush, as is planned next week in Jordan.

We get the very latest now from Arwa Damon, joining us live from Baghdad -- Arwa. ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.

That announcement came out on national television just a short while ago. And this really puts the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al- Maliki, in an extremely difficult situation.

On one hand, he largely owes his prime ministership to the support of Muqtada al-Sadr's bloc. They hold about 40 seats in parliament, and they threw their weight behind him when the nominee for prime minister came up.

On the other hand, he's in a position right now where he really cannot afford to isolate the United States. So it will be very interesting to see how this all eventually ends up playing out. It will show how much power Muqtada al-Sadr really has, it will show how much influence the United States has over this government. And it is also serving to highlight how fragile the government right now really is -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Arwa in a very stark way, this is forcing Maliki to choose sides, isn't it?

DAMON: Well, Miles, that's pretty much it. And it's going to be, again, interesting to see which side he ends up choosing or who is going to back down at which point, the United States or Muqtada al- Sadr.

Now, he very rarely makes an announcement that he's not going to follow up on. This could be bravado on one hand. It also could be that he is very serious and will go through with this. And if that happens, that means that the prime minister's government is crumbling from within if he's losing his main support base.

Plus, we have to remember that Muqtada al-Sadr, his armed wing is the very deadly Mehdi militia, and they are still out there, they are still roaming in the streets. And they're believed to be responsible for a lot of the sectarian violence here -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: If Sadr does, in fact, pull his party out of the government, what would be left of the government?

DAMON: Well, again, there are about 240 seats in parliament. If he pulls his bloc out, that's about 30 seats. Again, they are saying that they will suspend their activities.

So, at this point, how it's going to impact the government, that's what's going to be interesting to follow. And additionally, we have to remember that we have heard from a lot of Sunni parties over the last few weeks. They are also threatening to withdraw for a number of reasons.

Really, when you look at this government from the outside, it really looks like it's crumbling. A lot of Iraqis here are now saying that the government is just putting forward this smoke screen of being a government of national unity, but when they really look at it, when they look at all the inner politics, all of the behind-door bickering that is going on, they're seeing a government that is crumbling -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Authorities in London have a murder mystery on their hands now. A fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is dead, apparently of poisoning. But doctors can't say for sure what exactly killed Alexander Litvinenko. He's a former KGB spy, and before Litvinenko died he had squarely laid the blame on President Putin.

Jim Boulden is live for us this morning at University College Hospital in London.

Good morning, Jim.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

He certainly did. A few moments ago, family and friends of Mr. Litvinenko came out here at hospital and, first of all, they read a statement from him that he actually dictated back on November 21st, a few days before he died.

And he said -- and I quote -- "You may succeed in silencing one man, but the howl of protests from around the world will reverberate, Mr. Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life. May god forgive you for what you have done."

So no doubt the former KGB agent, a fierce critic of the Kremlin, firmly blames Mr. Putin for his poisoning. We should point out, of course, the Kremlin and Moscow have actually said, of course, they were not involved in this at all.

Also who talked was his father, Walter. His father, Walter, was with him when he died last night. And he had a few emotional words about his son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER LITVINENKO, VICTIM'S FATHER (through translator): It was an excruciating death, and he was taking it as a real man. And he didn't want to disturb his father too much, even...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOULDEN: Now, the British police have told us very little. We do know that the anti-terror police are investigating this poisoning. They have been for the last several weeks. But it may be until we get an autopsy, a post-mortem report, Soledad, until we know, if we ever do know, exactly what poison killed this former KGB agent -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Jim Boulden for us this morning.

Tank you, Jim. Happening this morning, Vice President Dick Cheney leaves for Saudi Arabia today. He's having talks with King Abdullah there. The U.S. wants Saudi Arabia to help in defusing tensions in the Middle East. They also want that government to encourage moderate factions in Iraq and Lebanon.

The president is heading to Jordan next week to meet with the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. Today President Bush is at Camp David. He spent Thanksgiving there with his family and their guests for the holiday, the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. The president is also scheduled to stop in Latvia for a NATO summit before his meeting with Maliki.

North of Boston, in Danvers, the embers have finally cooled enough for investigators to try to begin their work. They're trying to figure why a propane plant exploded.

Now, the blast and the fire that followed damaged 90 homes. Some of those homes were just -- look at those pictures, just blown off their foundations, in some cases. A dozen people were treated for injuries and released, but, believe it or not, when you look at that damage there, nobody was killed in this explosion.

A frantic search is under way right now in frigid temperatures for two little boys from northern Minnesota who have been missing since Wednesday. Volunteers and police are combing the Red Lakes Indian Reservation where the 2-year-old and the 4-year-old brothers were last seen playing in their yard. The FBI is also on the case today -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, a new twist to the O.J. Simpson book controversy. A lawyer for Nicole Simpson's family is blaming eBay.

And the human gold fish is back with a new stunt. Magician David Blaine spends two days spinning in a gyroscope in Times Square and then takes a fall. But it's all for a good cause.

We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Winter has come to these mountains, and that means attacks by the Taliban are dropping off. U.S. commanders still believe, however, that the year 2006 will end up with more than 100 suicide bomb attacks, something not heard of in this country until a few years ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nic Robertson in Beirut.

Today we're following developments in the tense political standoff here hours after several hundred thousand supporters of the anti-Syrian movement here came out for the funeral of Pierre Gemayel, the slain government minister.

Several hundred Hezbollah supporters took to the streets in the west of Beirut late at night. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has called on Hezbollah supporters not to take to the streets, to be calm at this period. It's a sensitive period. The government here calling for the cabinet ministers who resigned, those Hezbollah and other cabinet ministers who resigned to rejoin the government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.

S. O'BRIEN: It's 44 minutes past the hour. If you're about to head out the door, let's get a check of the forecast for you.

Rob Marciano is in for Chad this morning.

Hey, Rob. Good morning.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rob. Thank you very much.

MARCIANO: You bet.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a whites-only scholarship is causing controversy on the Boston University campus, but maybe that was the whole point in the first place.

We'll explain straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Let's take a Black Friday look at the news grid.

Ali Velshi is on CNN International now, which means he probably has to use a British accent or speak in some other language. No, no. We speak -- we speak regular language there.

Pipeline has -- as a matter of fact, he's on Pipeline there. He's on CNN International.

And there you see incoming 85. That's the second path. We have two cameras there. He is addressing that camera. He's at Roosevelt Field Mall. What makes that place famous? Seventy years ago this May, that's the place from which Charles Lindbergh began his transatlantic flight.

It was an airfield. Now it's a shopping mall. Is that progress? Pilots would say not.

Over here, incoming 17, Times Square, that's the "R" for Toys "R" Us. No, your screen isn't backwards. You're not -- look at it in a mirror, if you want. That's the famous Ferris wheel there in their flagship store.

Incoming 20, that's Arwa Damon's feed coming from Baghdad. A tight curfew in effect there. The streets very quiet, the airport shut down after a tremendous round of violence there. No less than 200 people dead and more bombings today.

We're following the deteriorating situation in Baghdad, as well -- Soledad. Arwa damon's feed coming from Baghdad. The airport shut down after a tremendous round of violence there, no less than 200 people dead and more bombings today. We're following the deteriorating situation in Baghdad, as well -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, here's something that's being called insensitive, offensive and, in some cases, down right silly. But a group of college Republicans at Boston University is standing by its scholarship that promotes for white students only.

CNN's Mary Snow has our report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The idea was to provoke controversy at Boston University, and that goal has been met. BU's College Republicans are sponsoring a scholarship for white students only. The aid is $250, a sum the college GOP will pay out themselves to make a point.

JOSEPH MROSZCYK, PRESIDENT, B.U. COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: We're really just trying to point out the absurdity of the whole notion of race-based scholarships, and we hope people will consider that and not write us off as racists or white supremacists or anything of that sort.

SNOW: But the way the group brought attention to the issue is under fire.

RONALD RICHARDSON, DIRECTOR, B.U. AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES: It is silly and it ha created divisiveness among some of the students who were annoyed at this. All the more reason for us to sit down and talk.

SNOW: The dean criticized the student group, saying their scholarship goes against the goal of increasing diversity at the school, where over 50 percent of the students are white. The Massachusetts GOP criticized it charter college group, calling their move "offensive," but the head of the College Republicans says he had to use what he calls guerrilla tactics.

MROSZCYK: The best way to get College Republicans out there and start a discussion is to do something controversial, to use satire and cause Republicans to use this across the country to break through the liberalism that's on campus, especially Boston University.

SNOW: But others say scholarships are not a political issue and there is a reason for affirmative action.

RICHARDSON: I think that I can understand their feelings, but I see no other way in order to redress problems that were caused by racial discrimination. Decades and decades of racial discrimination that followed upon centuries of slavery.

SNOW (on camera): One thing this whites-only scholarship idea has accomplished is dialogue. Professor Richardson of the African- American Studies Department is inviting College Republicans to come in and talk.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Nobody has applied for the scholarship. The deadline is in just six days. The strange thing is, you only have to be 25 percent Caucasian to win. There are a lot of black people who could get that scholarship in theory.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. That would be an interesting twist, wouldn't it?

S. O'BRIEN: That would be a very interesting twist, but so far they've got nobody applying.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, we're talking about it anyhow.

S. O'BRIEN: And that was sort of their goal.

M. O'BRIEN: I think that's the idea.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some of the top stories this morning on CNN.com.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN (voice over): It's a baby boy for model Heidi Klum and her musician husband, Seal. They welcomed little Johan into the world on Wednesday. He weighs 8 pounds, 11 ounces. The couple has another son, 1-year-old, Henry. And Heidi Klum has a 2-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Gerald Boyd, the first African-American managing editor of "The New York Times," died on Thursday. Boyd resigned from "The New York Times" three years ago among the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in February. He was 56 years old. Can you spot a fake? This is a forgery of a painting by Edgar Hunt called "Farmyard Scene." It's on display at a museum in London, along with many other forgeries. Scotland Yard is trying to educate dealers on how to pick out forged art. The show includes fake Picassos and counterfeit Chagalls.

For more information on these stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Millions of Americans are hitting the stores and the malls this morning, pushing and shoving, grabbing anything they can get. And Ali Velshi is one of them.

He's "Minding Your Business" this morning. He's live from the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York.

Good morning to you. How is it going this morning?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh my god, I only have five hours left. Look, before noon only, take 20 percent off your purchase. This is the stuff, Soledad, that has got people getting up at the crack of dawn across this country to start shopping.

It's obviously not gotten a whole lot of people in this store convinced, but really what this was about is getting a head start on your holiday shopping. And the way retailers have done this over the decades is to offer great sales on Black Friday.

Black Friday, as you know, being the day traditionally that retailers went from being in the red to being in the black, to being profitable. That's not what it is any more, but it is still that important. And often, this is the busiest shopping day of the year. Sometimes it's the Saturday before Christmas, sometimes it's Christmas Eve, but it is always one of the top shopping days of the year.

Now, one of the things that's shifting that is the fact that people are buying a lot more online. I don't know if you knew this, Soledad, but this morning walmart.com's site was down. I understand it's just come back up, and it had a thing on it to say that they were conducting maintenance. I find it a strange time to be doing that.

But 83 percent of people will, in fact, shop online this holiday season. And there are lots of advantages to that. It's not that 83 percent of people will shop online -- I'm sorry -- 83 percent of people, Soledad, who are shopping online will get free shipping. That's the biggest deal in shopping online.

You get free shipping, you get a lot of selection, you get to choose what you want, and you get to do it all from the comfort of your home or office. A lot of people, Soledad, will do this on Monday. It's called Cyber Monday.

It's a very big day. There are a lot of sales specifically to do with the Internet.

But storeowners like the idea that you come to their stores because when you get to a store like this, look at the way the floor sets are set up. There's that impulse buying.

I'm not necessarily going to know to go online to buy a $10 snowflake candle and what the sale is. But now that I'm here looking for stuff, there are all these things I can buy.

It's hard to know where the trend is going to go. Are storeowners going to want people to come in the stores so that they make these impulse purchases, or they going to want people to go online? Because it's a lot cheaper for the stores to sell goods to you online. It takes less staff and less hassle.

So, you know, we'll see how this weekend turns out.

S. O'BRIEN: My guess is they want them to do it both ways.

Ali Velshi this morning...

VELSHI: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: ... at the local mall for us.

Thanks, Ali -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.

S. O'BRIEN: The aftermath of a bloodbath in Iraq. More than 200 people are dead, more than 250 are injured after a series of coordinated insurgent attacks. Now there's an ominous warning from that powerful cleric.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, while the vice president and the president ready to head to that area, to the Middle East, while the violence increases.

I'll have more on that story coming up.

S. O'BRIEN: And the search intensifies for two little boys who disappeared from the front yard of their home in Minneapolis.

M. O'BRIEN: And a violent end to a long, tense standoff in Chicago. Was it a crying baby that sparked the hostage-taker?

Those stories and more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. It is Friday, November 24th.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us.

We begin with another deadly day in Iraq. Here's what's new this morning.

A threat from the powerful anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. He says that he will withdraw from the Iraqi government if Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, meets with President Bush as is planned next week.

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