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President Ahmadinejad Speaks; Bush To U.N. General Assembly; Scouts Found; Gerri's Top Tips; Autistic Kids Ride Waves; Iran's Leader In N.Y.
Aired September 24, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: About the budget. Also urging Congress to get him a spending bill and soon.
In the meantime, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be with us. Tony and Heidi are off today. We're holding down the fort. Stay informed in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here is what we have on the rundown.
Protests at Columbia. The university hosting Iran's firebrand leader today for a speech and also for a Q&A.
NGUYEN: GM facing a possible strike. In just an hour from now, thousands of auto workers are set to walk off the job.
HOLMES: And a badly-burned Iraqi boy heading into his second surgery today, Monday, September the 24th. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
First up here we want to take you to Philadelphia. You're looking at a live picture here on from our affiliate WPVI, where an officer has been shot in West Philadelphia, according to the Associated Press. And there is a massive police presence right now around the area where this happened.
Right now it appears that we are looking at possibly a hospital here. Not sure if this is where the officer has been taken. But we understand the officer was shot in the face, but is right now in fairly good condition at the hospital. Now we're not sure about the circumstances surrounding this shooting of this officer. But according to the Associated Press right now, one person has been taken into custody, but also a second suspect is possibly being sought.
Again, this information coming to us from the Associated Press. This happened in the area around 51st and Arch (ph) Streets in West Philadelphia, if you are familiar with that area. But, of course, as you can understand, any word of an officer being shot, that is going to bring out a massive police presence. And that is exactly what happened today.
Here are some of the latest video we're seeing. Just kind of the officers flooding this neighborhood, police vehicles. Again, we're not exactly sure about the circumstances surrounding the shooting of this officer, but according to the Associated Press, one person has been taken into custody, a second suspect they are still after right now. We will continue to monitor that story, bring you the updates as we get them.
NGUYEN: Well, he is speaking to the American people today and angry protestors are speaking back. Iran's president takes the spotlight with a speech at Columbia University in just a few hours. CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is in New York.
And, Allan, we were talking earlier, the barricades had gone up but the protesters weren't out in full force at that time. How's it looking right now?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's all scheduled to start around 11:00. Several protests planned, in fact. Some protests on campus. Students will be over there. And here on Broadway, all people from the New York community who care to come over and protest can speak out as well.
In fact, we have one of the protestors with us right now, Jacob Kriegel. He's a senior at Columbia College.
Jacob, let me ask you exactly, why are you opposed to the Iranian president speaking here on campus?
JACOB KRIEGEL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SENIOR: Well, I think it was a huge mistake for the university to invite him here. First of all, now that he is here, I do think we have an obligation to hear him speak and to let him, you know, exercise his right of free speech. But I think it was a mistake just because we're giving him legitimacy by extending him our podium and we're giving him yet another platform to espouse his, you know, bigotry and his hatred.
And I think Columbia's decision to extend that podium is meaningful and it says something both to people here and it says something to Iranians. And it's pointing to (ph) his own propaganda war.
CHERNOFF: The school is saying this will be a learning opportunity for students, and that itself is enough reason to have him over here.
KRIEGEL: And I think that's crazy. I mean there's nothing that it a Columbia sophomore is going to stand up and challenge Ahmadinejad that Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes" or, you know, the U.N. hasn't brought to him. I mean there's nothing we're going to trip him up in. There's nothing new that's going to come out of this. I think the most that's going to come out of this is people are going to get frustrated and speak out against him, which maybe there's value in that.
CHERNOFF: Well, there certainly will be plenty speaking out against the president of Iran. Let's have a listen now to see exactly how the dean of the School of International and Public Affairs has responded to all of this criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: They say this is a slap in the face to all New Yorkers.
JOHN COATSWORTH, COLUMBIA UNIV. SIPA DEAN: There are two problems with that. The first is, many of the people who are going to be outside protesting are not protesting his appearance on the campus, but rather protesting his views. If I weren't the dean, I'd be out there with them. My role in life is to present him, because that's my obligation as an official. If I were not the dean of the school, I'd be out there protesting with students.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Well, the president of the university, Lee Bollinger, says this entire debate represents America at its best -- freedom of speech and, of course, debate over who has the right to several opinions.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: Well, before the speech has even start, there is a whole lot of debate today. And we are going to hear all sides from it throughout the day.
Thank you, Allan.
Well, Iran's president is stirring impassioned debate, as we just spoke of, even before he takes the podium in New York. Here is a sampling of just some of the reaction from key movers and shakers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It's the first speaker in a distinguished lecture series under the auspicious (ph) of the president of Columbia University and I do not believe that that is an appropriate invitation.
ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI, FORMER NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: It seems to me that the function of university is to provide a forum for the expression of every point of view, including the most obnoxious. I don't believe in censorship. I don't believe in some sort of thought control.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL, (R) NEBRASKA: I think we violate every premise of who we are when we don't allow people to speak in this country.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I think it is an outrage against civilization for Columbia University to lend its prestige and its status to a dictator whose government executes homosexuals, tortures and kills journalists, locks up students. The Iranian government locks up students. And I think that Columbia University is being very foolish to allow that kind of person to have a venue like an American university.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: Some 600 Columbia students will attend Ahmadinejad's lecture today. But it's not clear how many protestors will gather outside.
HOLMES: All right. Here now a bit of a thumbnail sketch for you of Columbia University, the site of President Ahmadinejad's visit.
The school was founded in 1754 as King's College. It was renamed Columbia in 1784. It's one of eight universities in this the ivy league. There are more than 7,400 students studying in the undergraduate program. When you combine all the other special programs and post graduate studies, the overall number balloons to more than 24,000. Columbia School of International and Public Affairs was founded in 1946. The World Leader's Forum started in 2003.
And you can hear the Iranian president's address at Columbia University today beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time here in the CNN NEWSROOM. If you can't be in front of a television to watch, you can tune in online. The entire speech streaming live for free at cnn.com.
NGUYEN: President Bush heads to New York today. And his focus, the Middle East. Speaking specifically of peace and he's going to be doing that in an address at the U.N. general assembly session. Let's take you now live to the White House and correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Elaine, we just heard the president speak on the budget. What else is on the agenda today?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this afternoon the focus will be, Betty, on the Middle East. President Bush is heading to New York, trying to push forward the Middle East peace process. He'll be sitting down later this afternoon with the leaders of the Palestinian authority, both the prime minister, as well as the president.
President Bush is expected to basically re-affirm his support for a two-state solution. A Palestinian state and Israel living side-by- side in peace. But, of course, in the year since President Bush first laid out that vision, (INAUDIBLE), the region has seen Hamas not only rise to power, but take power in Gaza.
So ensuring that aid gets to the Palestinian people, specifically the people in Gaza, is going to be among the top agenda items today for President Bush as he sits down with those leaders of the Palestinian authority. And also the president today is going to be meeting with an old ally, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is now, of course, the representative to the quartet. That is the group working on pushing the Middle East peace process forward.
So a lot on the agenda as President Bush heads to New York City today.
Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us live from the White House. Thank you. HOLMES: New this morning, students return to class at Delaware State University. That's the school reopening after a double shooting Friday. The victims still in the hospital. One of those in serious condition, the other in stable condition. Three people have been questioned in connection to the shooting but no arrests have been made. Police believe, though, that the shooter is a male student.
NGUYEN: You know the song, T.J., "it never rains in southern California"? I'm not going to sing it.
HOLMES: By Tony! Toni! Tone! right?
NGUYEN: Can you sing it?
HOLMES: I can. During the break.
NGUYEN: But let's not.
HOLMES: During the break.
NGUYEN: Yes.
Except, though, when it actually does rain and this happens. Crews get the mud off roads just in time for Monday morning.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Drew Griffin live in Kruso (ph), North Carolina, where a Boy Scout troop that just earned their survival wilderness badges unexpectedly had to use them. A live report on the search for the lost boys of Troop 217 coming up.
HOLMES: Also coming up, a reason to stand up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am sick and tied of having to stand up for my cousin (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, no (INAUDIBLE) join marchers in Jena, Louisiana. They call it a journey for justice.
NGUYEN: Security investigation. Blackwater USA blamed for civilian deaths in Iraq. An Iraqi government official says expect charges.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Threatening phone calls, a vague text message, and an abandoned car. Clues in the strange disappearance of a Chicago woman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do believe she's in distress of some sort because she's just not the kind of person who would just leave without a trace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Stay tuned because the missing woman's sister joins us live in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: This news out of North Carolina this morning. Boy Scouts lost overnight now safe and sound. CNN's Drew Griffin live in Haywood County.
Tell us how they were found and how this all worked out.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, T.J., you got to give credit to the Boy Scouts themselves and a meter maid who was cruising one of the highways here and noticed a scout leader walking along the road. She pulled over and said, "are you guys the ones who are lost?" And he said, "yes," and they were found. That happened early this morning about 7:00.
All the boys in good shape. There were eight boys on this trip, 11 of 14, with three adult leaders. They left Friday. They were supposed to come back about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. When they didn't show up at 7:00, they started an all night search party and they were really worried about them. But according to the assistant scout leader, Rodney Jones (ph), whose own 14-year-old son was on the trip, he was really never worried because these Boy Scouts had just earned their wilderness badges and were well prepared as Boy Scouts should be. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY JONES, FATHER OF FOUND SCOUT: They were in good hands the whole time. They hunkered down last night and the meter maid found them up off of Crawford Creek Road. And they did just as we expected, they hunkered down. We had our game plan way in advance. They had a shakedown list and we had our itinerary. I mean to a tea. And this is also what also helped the rescue and air raid. We appreciate what they did. We appreciate the prayers of everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: What happened, they were up in the Pisgah National Forest. There's a lot of trails. Some of them unmarked. And they just took the wrong one, T.J. And when it got dark, they just decided to pitch tents and stay hunkered down, as that assistant scout leader said.
That didn't stop the search party, though. They had dogs out all night, along with about 28 searchers who were trying to find these boys and their leaders. But again, a very happy ending this morning. The parents apparently reunited and they're all on their way back to Raleigh, North Carolina, where Troop 217 is from.
T.J.
HOLMES: And that simple, huh, Drew, they guy was just walking down the street, car rolls up and says, hey, are you the one that's lost and that was it, huh?
GRIFFIN: That was exactly right.
HOLMES: Yes, probably not one of the most dramatic rescues you've covered, but still a happy ending nonetheless.
Drew Griffin for us. Thanks so much.
NGUYEN: We'll take it any way we can get it.
Still ahead, though, here in the CNN NEWSROOM, back on shore. The feeling is unanimous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's awesome! You will have the most fun of your life!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an awesome event just to see the kids out there having fun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that was awesome, awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was awesome. It was incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Autistic kids hang ten and find peace. So don't go channel surfing. The story's right here straight ahead.
HOLMES: Also a massive mudslide leaves drivers stuck in the muck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My car was floating in the mud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, big dig in L.A. Stick around.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
Get out your pencils. We'll tell you how to get the best free stuff from phone calls to memory aids. That's next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And we're checking the numbers for you. Where are the numbers? There are the numbers. The numbers went away for a second there. Ah, it's hovering, not much of a change, up and down a few points we've been watching here, but in negative territory. Just barely here. The Dow. Also, the Nasdaq was only up a few points as well. Not to much change so far this morning. All eyes right now on General Motors and the talk happening with the United Auto Workers about a possible strike that could be some 40 minutes away. So we'll see what that might do to the markets when that happens, but we'll continue to watch these numbers for you today.
NGUYEN: Hey, everybody likes free stuff, right? So put away your wallet, grab a pencil, T.J. Because the best freebies are out there for the taking. Here's CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
You know, free is one of my favorite words. So what do you have. Especially when it comes to those samples.
WILLIS: Got to live that, right?
NGUYEN: Love it.
WILLIS: Yes, absolutely.
Well, first of all I should tell you, you have to be a little careful of free products programs because your in box may be flooded with ads or there may be hidden fees. So you've got to check out that fine print. Check out this website, though, if that's what you want to do, startsampling.com. Now this site connects manufacturers with consumers who test products. You can also go directly to company websites for discounts and coupons and product samples. Both Tide, for example, and Oil of Olay have websites where you can sign up for the free stuff.
NGUYEN: Like the sound of that.
Hey, you can also get free phone calls, or shall we call it phone assistance in certain cases.
WILLIS: Yes, it's a little phone help, definitely. You know we've all been charged for dialing 411, but now there is a free directory assistance. That number is 800-free-411. All you have to do is listen to a few seconds of advertising.
And here is another handy phone tool. If you really want to get out of a meeting or a date, you can receive a fake call. Check out popularitydialer.com. Set the time you need to receive the call and which excuse you want to use, like the return to office right now call, and voila you'll receive a fake call with a recorded message that demands you leave whatever you're doing and go back to work.
NGUYEN: Love it.
WILLIS: Isn't that fun.
NGUYEN: In fact, I think I'm getting a phone call right now.
Hey, you can also get some free memory as well, can't you?
WILLIS: Well, if post-its just aren't cutting it for you, there are some free tools on the web that can help. Check out memotome.com. Just put in your e-mail and program in the events and dates you need to be reminded of. And if you don't ever want to forget another birthday, go to birthdayalarm.com.
NGUYEN: I've never seen so much free stuff. All right. And the list does continue. Free books there for the taking.
WILLIS: Well, if you're an avid reader you're going to love this site, paperbackswap.com. Just choose a book you'd like to read from a list on a website and you'll receive it in the mail. And then you can also list books that you want to get rid of.
NGUYEN: And I may have to partake in this one, free financial planning. I think it would be very helpful in my life.
WILLIS: You can pay a lot or you can pay nothing. Of course, we have to throw in something serious here, right?
NGUYEN: Yes.
WILLIS: To figure out how much money you'll need in retirement, check on cnnmoney.com. If you want to take a peek inside your portfolio to see how your funds are doing, look at morningstar.com. They have a great tool on the website. It's called Instant X-Ray and it will help you analyze your retirement funds. And if you missed anything at all, check out cnnmoney.com/toptips.
And, of course, if you have any questions, e-mail us at toptips@cnn.com. We love hearing from you.
NGUYEN: And we love those free tips.
Gerri, thank you, as always.
WILLIS: The price is right!
NGUYEN: It is. Absolutely. Take care.
WILLIS: Thank you.
HOLMES: I thought she was going to tell me how to get a free car in there somewhere.
NGUYEN: Or a house.
HOLMES: I was waiting on that tip. Yes. Next time, Gerri.
All right. Stay tuned. We've got folks riding the waves through a personal storm. A camp gives autistic kids the chance to surf. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready to go surfing?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): At a camp that teaches children with autism how to surf, you repeatedly hear one word . . .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's awesome! You will have the most fun of your life!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an awesome event just to see the kids out there having fun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that was awesome! Awesome!
DEBBIE CLUTTS, MOM: It was awesome. It was incredible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We take the kids out in the ocean and get them up and riding.
ISRAEL "IZZY" PASKOWITZ, SURFERS HEALING FOUNDATION: The parents are flabbergasts. The parents are freaked out because they never thought their children could do it.
NURENBERG: Izzy Paskowtiz started the Surfers Healing Foundation after he saw his autistic son find peace riding the wave. Now he helps other children with autism find the same thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, Matt, we're going to have a great time, buddy.
NURENBERG: Nine-year-old Matt Clutts got used to the surfboard on the beach, worried about wipeouts.
MATT CLUTTS: If I did fall down . . .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then what would happen?
M. CLUTTS: Game over.
CHE PILAGO, SURFING INSTRUCTOR: They're a little bit shy. A lot of them are crying and screaming. You just sit out there and let them float. The water, it's so calm and soothing.
NURENBERG: Studies of autistic children show forms of water therapy can help put them at ease.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up. We're going to walk out. And then we'll get you on the board.
NURENBERG: Matt gave it a shot, surrounded by volunteers. He waded into the surf, saw some of those wipeouts, but climbed on the board as his nervous mom took pictures. And he waited for a wave.
D. CLUTTS: I was crying because it was so emotional to see my child on a surfboard. You just really don't anticipate they're going to have these opportunities.
NURENBERG: But here they do. That's Lastet Enrequez's (ph) daughter, Teddy (ph).
How do you feel right now? Pretty good?
When you have a child with autism . . .
PASKOWITZ: It affects the whole family. So we live for our good days. And we created Surfers Healing to try to give, you know, that good day. This might be the best day, you know, that they've ever had.
NURENBERG: Might be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to try it sometime people out there.
NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, in a much different story, New Yorkers are urged to pull up the welcome mat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOV HIKIND, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN: I call on New Yorkers to make the life of Ahmadinejad, as he is in New York, miserable!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: How a local lawmaker wants people to respond to the visiting Iranian leader.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Arwa Damon in Los Angeles.
Five-year-old Youssif, an Iraqi boy, savagely set on fire in the capital of Baghdad, now undergoing his second surgery. We'll have that story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Good morning and welcome on this Monday morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Among our top stories this hour, Iran's leader in New York today. And some people planning a less than warm, shall we say, welcome. CNN's Jim Acosta reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Before he boarded his plane for New York, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he's on a mission to deliver correct and clear information to the American people. But when the Iranian leader arrives at Columbia University for a scheduled speech as part of his official visit . . . DOV HIKIND, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN: I call on New Yorkers to make the life of Ahmadinejad as he is in New York miserable! Make his life miserable!
ACOSTA: Ahmadinejad might find himself on the receiving end of a message from New Yorkers.
You seem to be actively encouraging what?
HIKIND: Civil disobedience. If New Yorkers would stop this man from coming in to this university, you know sort of along the lines of Martin Luther King civil disobedience, I think that would be very proper. No violence, God forbid, but civil disobedience.
ACOSTA: New York's Jewish leaders concede there's no stopping the Iranian president from addressing the United Nations as a head of state, just as he did last year. But Columbia, they say, is different. Especially considering Ahmadinejad's statements calling for the elimination of Israel. Paula Blank's family visits relatives in Israel every year.
In your mind, is Ahmadinejad a terrorist?
PAULA BLANK, NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT: Because without a doubt he's a terrorist. I mean he says it. He doesn't deny it. He says what his goals are.
ANITA KHALILI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I think it's very important for him to see how wrongs he is, how students are going to react and protest against him.
ACOSTA: Columbia student, Anita Khalili, is conflicted. Born in Iran but also Jewish, she wants the Iranian leader to see how free speech really works, even though she says she's ashamed of the image he offers of her homeland.
KHALILI: To be Persian now means to be associated with someone that is a cruel dictator. That's not what it means at all.
ACOSTA: University officials who invited Ahmadinejad says it's about an exchange of ideas.
RICHARD BULLIET, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: It's an educational benefit for the Columbia community to be able to have a firsthand acquaintance with the man.
ACOSTA: Not good enough, says Senator Hillary Clinton.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), SENATOR, UNITED STATES: If I were the president of the University, I would not have invited him. He's a supporter of terrorism, Holocaust denier. He's a supporter of terrorism.
ACOSTA (on camera): Last year Columbia invited Ahmadinejad to speak, but then withdrew the offer citing security concerns. This time around, the university appears to be ready to open the floor to the Iranian leader.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And you can view the Iranian president's address at Columbia University today beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And if you can't be in front of the television to watch it, you can tune in online. The entire speech streaming live, for free, on CNN.com.
HOLMES: He is just 5 years old, but already little Youssif has been through a lot. Doused with gas, burned and disfigured in Iraq. Now, he's in America undergoing a second surgery today, surgery made possible by you, our viewers.
And our Arwa Damon is with Youssif's family in Sherman Oaks, California. Arwa, good morning to you there, out on the West Coast.
Tell us, what does Youssif have ahead of him today?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
Well, today this is what they're doing -- what they did on Thursday was remove that thick scarring, the scars that basically ran from the top of his nose all the way down to his mouth, and they placed temporary cadaver skin. That basically acted as a biological bandage.
Today they're doing a full thickness skin graft, removing that from his tiny little belly, because the skin there is more elastic, and they will be placing that as the permanent tissue to be covering that scarred area. This is a very delicate and intricate process. The skin is carefully tailored to fit that specific part, the scarring that they removed along his nose.
We're about an hour and a half into the process today. Little Youssif going into surgery, much braver than he was the first time around. In fact, last night telling his mother on the phone that she shouldn't be worrying, that he was just going to be going in for one more operation, and that he would be coming home. His parents right now anxiously awaiting the results. This has been a very trying time, exciting time though for the entire family.
HOLMES: All right, Arwa, my goodness, we're not kidding. Remind us again, this is his second. How many more does he have -- he's going to have to go through, at least, that we know of?
DAMON: Well, they're estimating a total of eight to 10 surgeries over the span of about six to nine months. However, following this surgery he will have a break for quite some time, because if you remember on Thursday, they also inserted these tissue expanders that are going to be expanding the good healthy skin on his right cheek and underneath his chin, then using that skin to cover the thick scarring there. But this is going to be a very difficult process. The family and Youssif himself now realizing that the changes that are going to be happening to him will not be taking place overnight. They keep repeating to themselves that they have to stay patient, they have to stay strong for one another. In fact, that is what we are seeing really this entire family clinging to one another, trying to stay strong throughout this entire process -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. No kidding, 5-year-old -- no 5-year-old should have to go through what this kid and family have gone through so far, but a long road ahead, but things certainly looking up. Arwa Damon for us on this story. Thank you so much, Arwa.
And of course thousands of people have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World initiative. And if you're looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, you absolutely can. Go to CNN.com/impact, click on "Iraq burn victim." Learn how you can become part of the solution. Impacting your world, just a click away at CNN.com/impact.
Well, in Los Angeles, traffic is moving again along a busy road that was buried under a massive mudslide. Cleanup crews cleared the road last night. Tons of mud, boulders and debris came crashing down over the weekend during a rainstorm, and at one point more than a dozen drivers were stuck in the muck. Some of it more than two feet deep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My car was floating in the mud, and they made us turn around and come back this other way, and this is as far as I got.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just pulled over on the sidewalk up here, and just missed kind of getting swept away. I mean, it was fierce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, no one was hurt, but drivers are being told to take it easy, go slow, be careful this morning, because that road is still pretty slick.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Still ahead, security investigation. Blackwater USA blamed for civilian deaths in Iraq. And an Iraqi government official says you can expect charges.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
NGUYEN: Blackwater under investigation. The private security firm questioned about its tactics in Iraq, and CNN's Suzanne Simon takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seemingly dug in and ready for battle, Iraq's interior ministry said Sunday it plans to file criminal charges against employees of security contractor Blackwater after a deadly gun battle in a Baghdad neighborhood a week ago.
The ministry claims that Blackwater employees opened fire unprovoked, as they escorted State Department personnel in the area. And that as many as 20 civilians were killed. A high-placed industry source tells CNN that Blackwater employees were responding to hostile fire from all directions.
But U.S. officials haven't commented on the details of the investigation, only saying that a joint U.S.-Iraqi committee has been set up to look into it. Another official with the Iraqi interior ministry tells CNN that the Iraqi government has photos and video of the incident taken by Iraqi national police, but that video has not been made public.
On Sunday, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was asked about it.
NOURI AL-MALIKI (through translator): The latest event is a very unfortunate event that occurred in Baghdad. We are investigating it. We want the Americans to deal with the investigation and to see whether there is a video.
SIMON: Just how the Iraqi government would bring the contractors to court has yet to be explained. There's no clear venue for prosecuting a contractor accused of wrongdoing. Security contractors in the country have operated without being subject to Iraqi law since power was handed over to the Iraqi government by the coalition provisional authority. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice commented on the need for U.S. diplomats to use contract security services on Friday.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is extremely important to recognize that we're doing important work there. We need protection for our diplomats And I'm quite certain that with goodwill, we can resolve this.
SIMON: Blackwater resumed operations in the country over the weekend, as a joint investigation into just what happened continues.
Suzanne Simon, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
NGUYEN: And still ahead, lawmakers targeted. Extra security now in Lebanon, with a critical presidential vote due this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: All right, folks, you of course already know to catch, well, usually Tony and Heidi here weekday mornings 9:00 to noon Eastern, but you can also catch them and take them anywhere on your iPod.
NGUYEN: Anywhere you want.
HOLMES: Tony and Heidi in your pocket. CNN NEWSROOM podcast. However, we're hoping to make a special appearance today, Betty and I, so we'll be there for you. Then we'll get our pictures on that iPod...
NGUYEN: One day. And then you can take us anywhere you want.
HOLMES: That is right on your iPod. It's available 24/7.
NGUYEN: Hey, speaking of important journeys, thousands have descended on Jena, Louisiana last week to protest treatment of the so- called Jena 6, six African-American teens accused of beating a white student.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sick of tired having to stand up for my color.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's important, period, for everyone, not just for my family or my race of people. Injustice is injustice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe things like this are still happening in our country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The '60s to 2000 -- same deal, doing it all over again, teaching him how to stand up for justice.
CROWD: Free Jena 6! Free Jena 6!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always want to be part of something as important as this. And I'm so proud to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All we want is just to be fair. Be fair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we stand together we can achieve. We can achieve change in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will come back. You know, if we don't -- if justice does not happen we will be back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All shut eyes sleep and all goodbyes ain't gone, you know what I'm saying, and we proved that today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, still ahead, Iran's controversial president in the United States and inflaming passions. NGUYEN: Also, rescuers with dogs could not find them, but a meter reader did. Yes, missing Boy Scouts safe and sound in North Carolina.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: i-Reporters have been working hard to bring you the latest videos and pictures from around the globe. George Bloomfield shot these pictures of a fire while vacationing in Big Bear, California. He was amazed how tiny the flame looked next to the smoke.
Joe Unger woke up to find a hawk wedged in a outside of his house. It took two car jacks and an hour of work to free the bird, but it flew away unharmed.
Twelve-year-old Clarissa Lee shot this footage of what earthquake tremors were doing to her fish tank in Singapore. The minor quake caused no damage, but did leave behind a soggy mess.
Art student Ashley Baker sees her body as a canvas. She's sharing this colorful image of her arm tattoos, which took some 15 hours to complete.
And you can see more i-Reports and share your own by going to our Web site at CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Living in fear. Extra security ordered for Lebanese lawmakers as they prepare for this week's critical presidential vote.
CNN Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A white dove, symbol of peace, is emblazoned on an article of war. Deliveries of concrete barriers turning a Beirut hotel into an armed fortress. A safe haven, it's hoped, for dozens of fearful lawmakers, preparing to elect a new president. Their members of the Western-backed ruling majority, and their ranks have been violently depleted by four in less than two years.
Last week MP Antwan Gannam (ph) was killed in a bomb blast, and three other MPs were assassinated by similar bombs, or bullets, reducing their numbers to a wafer-thin in parliament.
(on camera): Not since the grim days of Lebanon's civil war some two decades have MPs feared for their lives in such an obvious way. There is now a hardening bunker mentality in an already-explosive presidential election.
(voice-over): The political opposition, led by Hezbollah, supported by Syria and Iran, has been camped on an embattled prime minister's doorstep since late last year. Armored vehicles and soldiers surround the Beirut home of the parliament majority leader Saad Hariri, whose father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was killed by a bomb 2 1/2 years ago.
A maze of Beirut security slows traffic, cars routinely blocked from parking and private security guards are everywhere.
Many Lebanese say they are more accustomed to relentless violence than peace and have become desensitized to the bombings. Christians and Muslims, supporters of both the ruling majority and the opposition, use the Internet here.
BESHARA AZARA, UNIVERSITY STUDENT: After the explosion in like 15 minutes, everything was back to normal, which is shocking. When you don't care anymore.
NADINE MOAWAD, ENVIRONMENT ACTIVIST: We're the battleground for a lot of fights, but they're not always our fights.
SADLER: Nadine Moawad is an environmental activist who refuses a notion that all could be lost in the dangerous political deadlock.
MOAWAD: I think every positive vibe from every single Lebanese can make a difference. And the problem is that everything that happens is in such a negative twirl that you lose all things that change can happen.
TAREK CHOUGHAIR, MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR: Because as all Lebanon, it's not the western Lebanon and it's not, if you want to say, the Iranian Lebanon. In fact, it's for both.
SADLER: But electing a president to represent such a deeply and bitterly divided nation remains a tortuous process that instills some hope, and a great deal of fear.
Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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