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CNN Saturday Morning News

Baghdad Struggles To Curb Violence With Strict Curfew; Sectarian Violence In Iraq Underscores Challenges Facing U.S. Pentagon Planners; Registered Travelers Program Saves Time; Healthy Holiday Tips

Aired November 25, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a suspected bomb- making factory north of Baghdad hit today by coalition warplanes. The U.S. military says that the facility in Taji was destroyed. A live report from Baghdad is less than a minute away.
Vice President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia for a critical meeting with King Abdullah, they are expected to discuss the latest violence in Iraq as well as Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I want you to take a look at these pictures maybe you have seen them. A Minnesota mother pleads for information about her two missing children. The two and four year old brothers disappeared Wednesday. The mother asking anyone who may have seen the boys to come forward.

A man who has sparked a standoff in the "Miami Herald" is charged with aggravated assault, police say Jose Varela armed with a toy gun and a knife was arrested Friday after a two hour standoff. Varela is a freelance cartoonist with the "Herald's" sister paper "El Nuevo." His attorney says he wanted to expose a conflict of interest at the paper.

HOLMES: And you know it pretty much understood. Like Friday, folks you are going to be fighting traffic, but fighting each other that is kind of part of the holiday spirit as well. Our affiliate WSLS in Virginia had the cameras rolling outside this Best Buy store well as soon as the doors opened this started flying. Why? Witnesses say some shoppers tried to cut in line and that lead to punches.

Reynolds, if I've been standing in line all night and you try to break in line, I might throw a little --

NGUYEN: You might get a black eye.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, thank you. We will see you soon, I'm sure.

We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in depth coverage for you all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 9:15 Eastern. NGUYEN: All right, just stop, just stop before you even step into a mall this holiday season, you will want to see today's "OPEN HOUSE." Coming up at the bottom of the hour, Gerri Willis shows you how to make a plan to become debt free, yes, debt free even in the middle of the holiday. Now that my friends is a plan.

HOLMES: Might be the most important "HOUSE CALL" that ever aired here at CNN. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning . I'm T.J. Holmes, and this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with us.

Iraq is on edge this morning. In the last day, reports of more revenge attacks along sectarian lines with the numbers of the dead raising, Baghdad struggles to curb the violence with a strict curfew. For more on all of this, let's go now to CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Arwa, give us the latest not only on the violence but just as important what is being done to stop it?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, you know, the government slapped down that curfew that began at about 8:00 on Thursday, still ongoing here in the capital. But despite that, even though most Iraqis are staying at home, the killing has not come to an end. In fact, the most recent attack happened in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad a predominantly Shia neighborhood, there were two mortar rounds landed and wounded at least four Iraqis.

This follows, over a period of 24 hours, number of attacks against Sunni neighborhoods. At least two dozen Sunni's have been wounded in those attacks. A number of individuals also have been killed. Most of them have been mortar rounds; some people have been killed in clashes between Sunnis and Shia militiamen.

Perhaps the most horrific and chilling of all those attacks,, though is a report coming from the office of Iraq's Sunni deputy minister. An official in his office saying that in one of the Baghdad neighborhoods, a neighborhood where seven Sunni worshippers were torched by Shia militiamen. Now in that same neighborhood -- and this neighborhood is perhaps an example of what's going on in the bigger picture that is Iraq.

It was, at one time in time, fairly balanced Sunni and Shia, however ethnic violence pushed most of the Sunni population out. There on Friday we saw four mosques attacked, two of them burned according to Iraqi officials and the other two hit with rocket propelled grenades.

So, Betty, really the Iraqi government despite this curfew, despite the Iraqi security forces being out there, despite an increase U.S. military presence increased checkpoints and support of the Iraqi security forces, the violence here does continue, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes it does. We understand that the prime minister is going to meet with President Bush next week. But I want you to explain to us how difficult this meeting could indeed be with Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatening this meeting.

DAMON: That threat came across on national television yesterday. It was actually one of his al-Sadr's spokesman who delivered it, saying quite simply that if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki goes ahead with his scheduled meeting with U.S. President Bush, that the block would temporarily suspend its activities from within the government.

Why is this such a difficult position for the prime minister to be in? Well on the one hand, he essentially owes his prime ministership to the support of al-Sadr's block. On the other hand, he cannot afford right now to alienate the United States.

Now we have heard from the white House that this meeting is set to go ahead as scheduled but we have not heard anything from the Iraqi government despite numerous efforts on our part to contact his spokes people and his office directly -- Betty.

NGUYEN: We will be watching this week to see if it indeed happens. Arwa Damon joining us live in Baghdad, thank you from Baghdad.

HOLMES: The sectarian violence underscores the challenges facing the U.S. Pentagon planners are under pressure to figure out where to go from here.

CNN's Kathleen Koch reports on the search for new ideas, as the situation on the ground in Iraq gets worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More sectarian violence in Baghdad as U.S. forces make airstrikes, taking out rocket launchers in the Sadr City enclave. Tasked with finding a new way forward in Iraq is something Pentagon official's call the strategic dialogue group.

Rather than a full-scale review of options, say officials, the 16 members are engaged in a largely secret brainstorming exercise. Some just back from Iraq, the top officers are giving the Joint Chiefs of Staff inside advice and an unvarnished reality check.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think what's important is that we look at the objectives that we have set for ourselves in this nation and that we, in the military, take a look at what is going right and should be reinforced, what's going wrong and should be changed.

KOCH: The president now speaks frequently about the internal review underway.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you know, General Pace is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the process of evaluating a lot of suggestions from the field and from people involved with the Central Command as well as at the Pentagon. KOCH: Some lawmakers have insisted sending more troops should be one option, and the top U.S. commander in the Middle East does want more U.S. troops to train and back Iraqi forces. But General John Abizaid has told Congress that sending 20,000 more would only help temporarily and be something the military could not sustain.

(on camera): It's unclear when the Pentagon review will be complete. The findings could act to either bolster or counter the recommendations due out next month from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Switching gears, we now know what killed former Russian Agent Alexander Litvinenko. But the who, why and how well that is still very much a mystery. British anti-terrorism forces have joined other agencies to investigate.

Litvinenko died of polonium poisoning Thursday in London, and that radioactive killer now has health British health officials concerned forcing them to close off several buildings where Litvinenko went before his death. His killer as we mentioned also a mystery. Litvinenko friends and family say Russian President Vladimir Putin is at the center of the suspect list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK TREVELYAN, REUTERS SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Many people would say and certainly the dead man's friends by pointing the finger at Moscow directly at Putin, that they are blaming him for this poisoning. On the other hand there are people who say maybe things have been set up precisely to look like that to frame the Russian security services in order to discredit Putin and his government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The Russian government denies any involvement in Litvinenko's death but the concept isn't that far fetched. In the old days of the KGB it was almost expected that Kremlin critics and Russian dissidents could be targeted.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote picks up the story from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This fall, Russia's president was forced to deny accusations that he ordered the assassination of a critic.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I hope the British authorities won't fuel any groundless political scandals that have nothing to do with reality.

KOCH: The Kremlin freely admits to killing its opponents abroad in Soviet days. One of the more notable hits: Leon Trotsky, who broke with Stalin, got a pickax in the head in Mexico in 1940 -- the last one acknowledged by the Kremlin, Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist sprayed with poisoned in Germany in 1959.

A spokesman for Russia's spy agency, granting a rare interview, tells me the Kremlin's agents abandoned that practice half-a-century ago, and wouldn't even consider such a move for someone as insignificant as Alexander Litvinenko.

SERGEI IVANOV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE: We had nothing to do, because we have no reason to do it. That's simple.

CHILCOTE (on camera): And no reason because he was a nobody?

IVANOV: He was a nobody.

CHILCOTE (voice-over): Litvinenko was among a growing number of Kremlin critics to wind up dead, disfigured, or otherwise disposed of.

Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist and fierce Putin critic, was shot dead in Moscow last month. Russian agents were convicted of blowing up Chechen separatist leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar three years ago, and claimed responsibility for the recent poisoning death of an Arab militant in the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya.

Add to these a long list of Kremlin opponents who have ended up behind bars or fled the country, and the mysterious poisoning of disfigured Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, all of this has given Russia an image problem, and this, says former KGB spy Stanislav Lekarev, makes the Kremlin an unlikely suspect in this latest killing. Lekarev says it's more likely Russia's being set up.

STANISLAV LEKAREV, KGB VETERAN: I'm about 80 percent sure that this was planned by the people who don't like Russia, who hate Russia, who want to change the regime in Russia.

CHILCOTE: When Litvinenko fled Moscow, people here stopped talking about him and his fierce criticism of the Russian president. Perhaps ironically, now with the allegations that the Kremlin may be behind his death the people that work in the building behind me now fully expect to hear a lot more talk about him.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So from poison to immense pressure, yes the pressures of the holiday season sometimes make you just want to scream. You are not alone, coming up in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING we will talk with an expert about how to truly enjoy the season of giving.

HOLMES: And also don't forget to give us your answers to today's e-mail question. What stresses you out during the holiday season? Send it to that e-mail address right there. NGUYEN: It's a long list. But first in ten minutes our fitness guru Jerry Anderson tells you how to finish those cakes and pies and still trim your thighs.

HOLMES: And today a progress report on an experimental program to get you through airport security lines faster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I haven't been able to be a registered traveler I would not have made it. I was really frantic. Hair on fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A new video coming in, Vice President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia. He's meeting with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah about the recent rise in violence in Iraq and the situation around the Middle East. We will keep you updated.

Iran President Jalal Talabani has postponed his trip to Tehran. He planned to go for discussions on how Iran can help curb the bloodshed in Iraq, but the upswing in violence forced the Baghdad airport to close.

Reaching out to Islam. The Vatican says Pope Benedict XIV is likely to visit a mosque during his trip to Turkey next week. The Pope came under fire from Muslims over remarks he made about Islam during a speech back in September.

We do run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in depth coverage all morning long, your next check of the headlines coming up at 9:30 Eastern.

HOLMES: OK, the last thing anybody wants is one of those lines; you don't want that at the airport, ever. Well, for the right amount of money you don't have to stand in one of those lines.

CNN's Rusty Dornin reports on today's "Tech Effects."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A traveler's life. Hurry, hurry, hurry and wait. If you had a choice between this security line and this one, would you pay for it? Thirty thousand fliers out of Orlando, Florida have.

It's called Clear, a registered traveler's program that's up and running in Orlando for more than a year. Marlene Green signed up on- line; she paid her $100 and has to finish her application at the airport using biometrics to scan her fingerprint and iris.

(on camera): What did you have to provide to them?

MARLENE GREEN: Two forms of ID.

DORNIN: Which were?

GREEN: Passport and driver's license.

DORNIN (voice-over): Then she must wait about three weeks while TSA does a background check. The agency has the final word on whether a passenger is approved. For Donna White, life in the fast lane makes sense.

DONNA WHITE, PASSENGER: It's usually about 15 minutes on a good day. And then when all the tourists are here for spring break, it's probably an hour.

DORNIN: This program should be available into five airports, including New York's JFK by year's end.

STEPHEN BRILL, CLEAR PRESIDENT: It's layers of security.

DORNIN: And Clear President Steven Brill hopes to use his card in 18 airports by the end of next year.

(on camera): We decided to do an experiment. I will stand in the regular line, which is actually fairly short now, and see how long it takes me to get through compared to the man with the Clear pass.

(voice-over): Rick Blanchett (ph) presented his pass and had his fingerprint taken and was long gone by the time we went through the security line. Then there was Sharrod Cooley (ph); she made our flight just before the doors closed, late because of a traffic accident.

SHARROD COOLEY, PASSENGER: If I haven't been go threw the registered traveler, I would not have made it. I was really frantic, hair on fire.

DORNIN: Rusty Dornin, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And then again the Clear pass, is about $100 during the companies experimental phase, they have since cut the price around $30 in time for it's national launch at the end of this year.

NGUYEN: Not a bad idea. Up next, how exercise, she it does a body good. How it can help you eat your cake and enjoy the holiday season at the same time and not worry about gaining those problems. Jerry hasn't worried too much.

His "Jump Start" is next.

HOLMES: You know what? I am supposed to read something else but we are going to stay on him for the next few minutes.

NGUYEN: He could go all day, we must move on.

HOLMES: First we have a preview of today's "OPEN HOUSE."

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up at 9:30 am Eastern a special money edition of "OPEN HOUSE." The holiday season is a sure fire way to get into debt quickly, we will show you how to come up with a step by step plan to save big money and get out from under that big debt you owe.

Plus why credit scores could make or break everything from your insurance policy to even getting that new job.

We will take a peek at what's inside your wallet and what it means to your finances. That is special edition of "OPEN HOUSE" 9:30 am Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Ah, turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, are you hungry yet? If you are still worried about paying the price after the big Thanksgiving dinner you are not alone, but the question is how do you finish those cakes and pies which I still have and still trim down your thighs our fitness guru Jerry Anderson has them answers for you and he joins us now with a tank top on today, boy lucky us.

Looking good, Jerry.

JERRY ANDERSON, FITNESS EXPERT: Thank you.

NGUYEN: So the key to this, and we'll start with number one, is to share the wealth, but let me get this straight, so you are just going to push all that fat onto your family and friends.

ANDERSON: Of course, you have to share the wealth. Share it. If you have the pies at home, put yourself a little pie on the side and then get it out to your family and friends. You have to share the wealth. If you don't do it, you know what is going to happen those extra calories are going to go on your hips and thighs. A friend of mine did it a few years ago; she baked 50 pies, saved one and gave out the other 49.

NGUYEN: Fifty?

ANDERSON: She didn't gain any weight, her friends gained eight pounds. They are probably haters her but you have to share the wealth.

NGUYEN: Another thing you need to do is, write it down, you need to keep a journal of what you eat?

ANDERSON: Right it down, write it all done, everything that you eat, because you probably just write it all down because when you look at it you are going to go wow, look how much I am eating. Because I told this guy the other day, I said write down everything you eat and I know you are going to utilize it. Jerry, if I write down, I won't overeat. Of course you won't overeat the bottom line is if you do the crime, you have to do the time.

NGUYEN: You are right, guilt us into writing it down and then just simply not eating. Here's another possible solution why don't you indulge after you work out so you don't feel so bad about it? ANDERSON: That's the key. Indulge after you work out. If you don't work out then you don't indulge. But if you work out you burn extra calories and then when you do eat you replenish those calories you probably won't gain weight.

I have seen a lot of ladies, Betty, because that are sharp and they have a game plan on Thanksgiving morning they came in and worked out long they came in on Friday at 8:00 again, so what you have to do if you are going to overeat, you have to work out a little bit and then you can burn those additional calories.

NGUYEN: But that walk from the couch to the refrigerator that doesn't count?

ANDERSON: Unless you drop it like it's hot. You have to go up and down. Tomorrow you can't do it like that.

NGUYEN: All right and number four is look the pie in the eye. I'm afraid of what this means. Go ahead.

ANDERSON: Look the pie in the eye. A lot of people tell me, Jerry, pie has power over me, when they walk by pie jumps in their hands and their mouth. Confront your enemy. Because most people eat those pies and they gain on their hips and thighs. You address the pie head on.

NGUYEN: Get out of here; you are having us talk to your pie.

ANDERSON: You have a stalk, address it, look pie in the eye, Betty you go like this, pie last year you turned my little black dress into a big black dress, you turned my New Year's resolution from 10 to 20 pounds, so look pie in the eye, and then deal what this lady was telling me, she says Jerry I try to look pie in the eye but I always keep one eye open.

NGUYEN: How about looking it in the eye and keep the mouth closed.

ANDERSON: There you go, close it. Those pies will get on you. If we relinquished our power to pie, you have to take it back by looking pie in the eye.

NGUYEN: And then sharing the wealth with others. All right. Jerry you are one mess, just a mess, let me tell you that right here, but if it works, I will take that mess any day.

ANDERSON: It works.

NGUYEN: Jerry Anderson, thanks so much. We appreciate it. I know next week you are answering some questions so let's solicit those questions right now, due have a fitness problem, because I know we all do, so if you do, send them to us, we want to hear from you, Jerry will answer those questions. Here is the e-mail address up there on the screen, WEEKENDS@CNN. And Jerry will fix you right up, send all your problems to him and we will have those next week at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. So T.J., would you just look the pie in the eye?

HOLMES: Yes, I don't know if it's time for us to maybe be a little worried about Jerry. He just told us to drop it like it's hot and to talk to your pies.

NGUYEN: He maybe on to something.

HOLMES: It might be time to worry about Jerry.

NGUYEN: A food high or something.

HOLMES: Well chances are the weight isn't your only concern this holiday season. For a lot of folks, you might have issues with finding the right gifts or dealing with your in laws. Coming up at the top of the hour hear one expert, tips on how to stop your stress from stealing your holiday fun, but first minutes away, get your pen and paper ready Gerri Willis and "OPEN HOUSE" will show you how to devise a plan right now to save money and get out of debt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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